Objective To investigate myostatin gene mRNA expression in the muscle tissue from patients with muscle weakness suffering from different illness.Methods The clinical data of our patients were all from the Muscular Disease Center,Department of Neurology,People' s Liberation Army General Hospital.A total of 75 patients suffered from muscular weakness were included consecutively.Skeletal muscle biopsies were obtained with informed consent from all 75 patients.The diagnosis was confirmed by two senior doctors for muscular disease according to the clinical feature,the results of electromyography,serum creatine kinase activity and histopathological examination.Among of them,21 cases were diagnosed as polymyositis,15 cases progressive muscular dystrophy,5 cases neurogenic amyotrophy,4 cases chronic muscle fiber damage,4 cases mitochondrial myopathy,4 cases lipid storage myopathy,4 cases myotonic dystrophy,3 cases muscular dystrophy in adults,2 cases dermatomyositis,and 2 cases inclusion body myositis.There were 2 cases characterized by pure high activity of creatine kinase.And the other 9 cases were diagnosed as non-neuromuscular disease.The expression of myostatin gene mRNA in muscle tissue was evaluated by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction method,with glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase as internal reference.Results The expression of myostatin gene mRNA was detected in 63 patients,but not in other 12 cases,and the percentage of positive expression was 84％.The expression index was with great variation,from 0 to 3.52.In positive cohort,the index was correlated positively with the duration of disease (r =0.236,P =0.041).The activities of creatine kinase in positive expression cohort were higher than that of negative one,but nonsignificantly.Conclusion The expression of myostatin gene mRNA in muscle tissue may not correlate to the entity of atrophic muscular disease because of its great variation.

This is to study the clinical features of thyrotoxic periodic paralysis (TPP) caused by Graves′ disease. Fifty-nine patients, accounting for 25.4% of 232 patients with Graves′ disease, were found to be suffering from TPP. Among them, 58 were male and one was female. 54 patients were young men (age 19～45) (91.5%). Hypokalemia was found in 53 cases (89.8%) during episodes of paralysis. The results indicate that the rate of TPP caused by Graves′ disease is 25.4%, and it occurs mainly in young men(98.3%). Hypokalemic periodic paralysis was the most common type of TPP.

Objective To investigate the relationship between the G20210A mutation of prothrombin gene and cerebral infarclion(CI) in young patients. Methods The frequency of G20210A gene mutation of prothrombin in 40 young CI patients and 48 controls were studied by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) followed by Mnl- I and Hind-Ⅲ restriction enzyme analysis. Results No prothrombin gene G20210A mutation was found in both patients and controls. Conclusion The G20210A gene mutation of prothrombin was not the risk factor of this group of young CI patients.

Objective To investigate the clinical features, diagnosis, treatment and prognosis of polymyositis patients with cardiac involvement.Methods Clinical data of 41 polymyositis patients with cardiac involvement were analyzed retrospectively.Results In our group, the percentage of polymyositis with cardiac involvement was 38.3%, and 25 (60.1%) out of the 41 patients were asymptomatic. Their average age was older than the cases without cardiac involvement ( P

Though affected by the COVID-19 epidemic in 2020, the Chinese Journal ofNeurology successfully overcame the difficulties and successfully completed the annual editing and publishing work. In 2020, editorial board meetings were held monthly to decide whether or not to publish a manuscript, 12 theme issues were published, nine guidelines and consensuses by the Chinese Society of Neurology were published, 10 continuing medical education articles by famous experts were published, and several COVID-19 related articles were quickly published. In 2021, efforts will be made to make the journal to a higher level.

Tumor markers (TMs) in blood are important tools for the diagnosis, prognosis prediction and monitoring therapeutic efficacy of malignant tumor. Measurement of TMs in pleural and peritoneal fluid has been widely used. However, the significance of common TMs associated with systemic solid tumors in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) has been overlooked to some extent. TMs in CSF are within extremely low limits in patients without intracranial malignant diseases. Slightly elevated TMs in CSF usually indicate abnormal intrathecal synthesis. Measurement of TMs in CSF is a useful and feasible ancillary diagnostic tool for intracranial metastasis, especially for leptomeningeal metastasis.

Diabetic neuropathy is the most common neuropathy. Pathology and electrophysiology are important for early diagnosis of diabetic neuropathy. This article would review the newest progress of the pathology and electrophysiology of diabetic neuropathy.

Objective To explore the pathogenic course,clinical features and prognosis on hallervorden spatz disease(HSD).Methods To review and sum up clinical data of three patients of 1985 with HSD in one family,and followed up survey in 2001.Results The same parents had three(2 males,1 female) of six children who were suffered from HSD.Clinical features include bilateral pigmentary degeneration of the retina,optic atrophy and progressive dementia,and lay in bed after several years with convulsive seizure,opisthotonus,limb rigidity,hyperreflexia, pyramidal sign positive;they were suited therapy to the illness.2 cases for death,another case for progressive deterioration,the patient lost labour ability and couldn't take care of himself.Conclusion HSD is kindred hereditary disorder,major cases occur the symptoms before 20 years old (progressive deterioration).After attacking about 20 years the patients died.The HSD gene located on chromosome 20p12.3 p13.

0.05).Conclusions There is a high incidence of the plaque in ECCA in patients with ICVD. The higher-grade stenosis of carotid artery may be related to soft plaque and mixed plaque, the plaque rupture is concerned with in the incidence of ischemic stroke. The diagnostic information about atherosclerotic plaque in one carotid artery can be used to infer information about atherosclerosis severity degree in contralateral artery.Color-Doppler ultrasound examination for ECCA had important reference value for estimating atherosclerosis severity degree in ECCA in patients with ICVD of carotid artery system and the pathogenesis of ischemic stroke.

Objective To explore the reliable method for primary cultivation and identification of satellite cells of mice skeletal muscles in vitro.Methods Cell suspension was obtained from posterior limb skeletal muscles of newborn mice by mixed enzymatic digestion,and the muscle satellite cells were separated by Percoll-density gradient centrifugation and purified with differential adherence method.Cells growth was observed under an inverted microscope and the growth curve was drawn.Satellite cells were identified with monoclonal antibody against desmin and ?-actin.Results The primary satellite cells were round in shape,and began on adherence one day after cultivation,and the cells distributed uniformly,most of the cells were roundish.After cultured for 48 hours,the cells began on proliferation,and then became bigger and started to division,bubble cell arrangements with 2-3 or more cells were observed.At the third or fourth day of cultivation,the cells were in exponential phase of growth,and the round cells predominated,many clusters of cell clones were found.The satellite cells formed monolayer sheet(50%-70%) 7-10 days after cultivation,the fusiform cells predominated,but there were still some round cells in this phase.The cell proliferation decreased after cultured for 10-12 days.Immunocytochemical staining showed that the obtained cells expressed myogenic marker desmin and skeletal muscle-specific protein ?-actin.Conclusions High purity muscle satellite cells could be obtained by mixed enzymatic digestion,Percoll-density gradient centrifugation and differential adherence method.Immunocytochemical staining of desmin and ?-actin is the effective method to identify muscle satellite cells.