Animals ; Cardiac Electrophysiology ; Heart Atria ; innervation ; physiopathology ; Humans ; Vagus Nerve ; physiology

To evaluate the significance of plasma ACTH (pACTH), serum cortisol (SC) and urinary free cortisol UFC as well as low or high dose dexamethasone suppression test in Cushing syndrome, the levels of hormones were evaluated in 136 cases of Cushing syndrome. It was found that the levels of SC and UFC were elevated in almost all the 121 patients with Cushing syndrome. The mean levels of pACTH were higher in 86 patients with Cushing disease and lower in 36 cases with adrenocortical tumor or ACTH independent nodular adrenocortical hyperplasia (AINAH) than those in normal subjects. The ACTH levels might be in normal range in many patients with Cushing syndrome, but they were higher in patients with Cushing disease and lower in the patients with adrenocortical tumor or AINAH than those of the high limit at ACTH0am in normal subjects. It was a common feature that the diurnal rhythm of hormone secretion disappeared and the hormone levels were not suppressed by low dose dexamethasone suppression test in the patients with Cushing syndrome. In more than 90% of the patients with adrenocortical tumor or AINAH the levels of SC and UFC were not suppressed by high dose dexamethasone. In 12 of clinically cured patients with Cushing disease the levels of pACTH8am, SC8am and UFC were normal or even low. The pACTH levels were low in two patients with iatrogenic Cushing syndrome. The results suggested that examinations of SC, UFC and low dose dexamethasone suppression test were very important in the diagnosis of Cushing syndrome. The pACTH level was a key parameter to distinguish Cushing disease from adrenocortical tumor or AINAH.

? AlM: To examine choroidal thickness and its relationship with axial length and spherical equivalent by spectral domain optical coherence tomography ( SD -OCT ) in patients with myopic choroidal neovascularization ( mCNV) .
?METHODS: We prospectively recruited 30 cases of mCNV in Beijing Anzhen Hospital from October 2010 to December 2014. SD-OCT was used to measure choroidal thickness subfoveally and at 1. 5mm superiorly, inferiorly, nasally and temporally ( SFCT, SCT1. 5mm , lCT1. 5mm , NCT1. 5mm , TCT1. 5mm ) . Paired t- test was conducted to assess the difference of spherical equivalent, axial length and choroidal thickness between mCNV group and controls. Logistic regression analysis was performed to evaluate the correlation between spherical equivalent, axial length, choroidal thickness and mCNV.
?RESULTS: The difference of spherical equivalent and axial length between mCNV group and controls was not significant (P>0. 05). lnferior was decreased in mCNV group compared with controls (140. 85±33. 46μm vs 168. 95±45. 36μm). The difference was significant (P=0. 008). Logistic regression demonstrated that decreased choroidal thickness ( lCT1. 5mm ) at inferior location was associated with mCNV (OR=2. 12;95%CI 1. 35~3. 28;P=0. 02).
?CONCLUSlON: The decrease of lCT1. 5MM may be one of the risk factors of mCNV.

ObjectiveTo observe the clinical efficacy of relaxing needling plus joint needling from the Internal Medicine in treating post-stroke spastic hemiplegia.MethodTotally 121 eligible subjects were randomized intoan ordinary acupuncture group (61 cases) and a relaxing-joint needling group (60 cases). The two groups were treated for 2 weeks, 5 sessions each week. The spasm of the lower limb was evaluated by using Fugl-Meyer Assessment Scale (FMA), modified AshworthScale (MAS), Tardieu Scale, and Activities of Daily Living (ADL) before and after treatment. Besides, 4 patients from each group were randomly selected for the three-dimensional gait analysis, and the dorsi-extension, range of motion (ROM) of ankle, strephenopodia, and heel-raising height were observed.Result and ConclusionRelaxing-joint needling and ordinary acupuncture both can produce significant efficacies in treating post-stroke spastic hemiplegia. The relaxing-joint needling produced more significant efficacies in improving the body balance, ROM, muscular tension, and lower limb spasticity compared to ordinary acupuncture. It’s plausible that relaxing-joint needling improves the strephenopodia and hemiplagia gait through renovating body balance, ROM, muscular tension, and lower limb spasticity. Since the three-dimensional gait analysis can analyze the dorsi-extension, strephenopodia, and heel-raising height, thus it can be used to evaluate the change of the spastic gait of post-stroke hemiplegia in amore objective, elaborate, and correct way.

ObjectiveTo observe the effect of acupuncture at the ghost points on anxiety and depression in methamphetamine (MA)-dependent subjects.MethodSixty MA-dependent males were randomized into a control group, acupuncture groupⅠand acupuncture groupⅡ. The control group didn’t receive any intervention; inacupuncture groupⅠ, bilateral Neiguan (PC6), Shenmen (HT7), Sanyinjiao (SP6), and Jiaji points (EX-B2) were selected; Shuigou (GV26), Shangxing (GV23), Chengjiang (CV24), and bilateral Daling (PC7), Jianshi (PC5), Shenmai (BL62), and Quchi (LI11) were selected in acupuncture groupⅡ. For the three groups, treatment was given three times a week, totally for 12 times. The Hamilton Anxiety Scale (HAMA) and Hamilton Depression Scale (HAMD) were observed before treatment, and respectively after 1, 2, 3, and 4-week treatment.ResultAfter the first-week treatment, the HAMA and HAMD scores in acupuncture groupⅡwere significantly lower than that in the control group (P<0.05);afterthe second, third, and fourth week, the HAMA and HAMD scores in acupuncture groupⅠandⅡwere significantly lower than that in the control group (P<0.05); after the second and third week, the HAMD score in acupuncture groupⅡwas significantly lower thanthat in acupuncture groupⅠ(P<0.05). However, after 4-week treatment, there was no significant difference in comparing the HAMD score between the two acupuncture groups (P>0.05).ConclusionAcupuncture at the ghost points and at the effective points selected according to previous studies both can improve anxiety and depression state in MA-dependent subjects, but acupuncture at the ghost points can possibly produce a more significant effect in improving depression state in MA-dependent subjects in the midway of the treatment.

Objective:To investigate the effect of recombinant Elafin on A549 apoptosis induced by paraquat and the underlying mechanism.Methods:pEGFP-C1-Elafin was transformed into A549 competent cells by electroporation.Transformed A549 was cultured for additional 24 h before Elafin mRNA was detected by RT-PCR and cocultured with or without various concentration of paraquat( PQ ) for different duration.A549 apoptosis percentage and reactive oxygen species ( ROS ) content were tested by flow cytometry .Nuclear factor erythroid like-2(Nrf2) heme oxygenase-1(HO-1) were examed by Western blot .Results:Elafin expressed successfully in A549 after transformation.PQ caused A549 apoptosis in a concentration dependent manner and leaded to ROS content increasing and Nrf2 and HO-1 decreasing.However,elafin could inhibit ROS production and A549 apoptosis,upregulate Nrf2 and HO-1.Conclusion:Elafin could restrict A549 apoptosis to some extent and the possible mechanism lied in its ability to upregulate Nrf2 ex-pression.

Objective:To investigate the relationship between college freshman adaptation and adverse childhood events,and to explore the mediating role of personality characteristics.Methods:A sample of 523 college freshmen from a key university in Sichuan Province was assessed with the China College Student Adjustment Scale (CCSAS),Adverse Childhood Events Questionnaire (ACEQ) and Eysenck Personality Questionnaire-Revised,Short Scale for Chinese(EPQ-RSC).Results:The rate of adverse childhood events of college freshmen was 87％ in current study.The total scores of adaptation were negatively correlated with the scores of adverse childhood events influence and neuroticism (r ＝-0.13,-0.51,Ps ＜ 0.01),while positively correlated with introversion-extroversion and lie (r ＝ 0.47,0.25,Ps ＜ 0.01).The scores of adverse childhood events influence were negatively correlated with scores of introversion-extroversion (r ＝-0.08,P ＜0.05) and lie (r ＝-0.12,P ＜0.01),while positively correlated with scores of neuroticism (r ＝ 0.17,P ＜ 0.01).Introversion-extroversion and neuroticism mediated the relationship between adverse childhood events influence and college freshman adaptation,the mediating effects were 51.65％ and 58.10％.Conclusion:College freshman adaptation may be closely associated with adverse childhood events influence and personality characteristics.Personality characteristics may play a mediating role between adverse childhood events influence and adaptation in college freshman.

Objective To select the calibrator for the conventional measurement system of serum a-Amylase (Amy).Methods The Amy levels of forty frozen serum samples were detected by the IFCC reference method (reference system),the conventional system A which used the Bioassay routine reagent and Randox calibrator,and was calibrated by the Roche PNPG7 method,and the conventional system B which used the Bioassay routine reagent and Randox calibrator,and was calibrated by the Rondox liquid stable PNPG7 method,respectively,and the acceptability of the two conventional systems was evaluated.Results The regression equations of the measurement values between the IFCC reference method and the conventional systems A and B were Y =0.964X +0.376 and Y =1.095X + 3.131,respectively.Among them,X and Y represented the results of the IFCC reference method and the conventional system,respectively.Compared with the IFCC reference method,the results of the conventional system A was reliable.Condusion With the guidance of the IFCC reference method,the domestic biochemical reagents matched with the suitable calibrators may provide the acceptable results.

In order to explore the clinical application and mechanism of the ghost points in the treatment of mental diseases, taking "the ghost points" and "mental diseases" as the theme and the key words, the literatures in recent 10 years on the treatment of mental diseases with the ghost points were collected from CNKI and Wanfang database and analyzed. It is discovered that the ghost points can treat schizophrenia, manic-depressive disorder, dementia, stroke, loss of consciousness, insomnia. anxiety, depression and hysteria and the efficacy is favorable. It is believed that the ghost points act on balancing yin and yang, regulating qi and blood, regaining consciousness and tranquilizing the mind and they achieve the very excellent effect on mental diseases. At present, the reports on this aspect are limited. Hence, it is required to promote the study on the clinical application and mechanism of the ghost points so as to enlarge the clinical indications of the ghost points and provide the powerful support on mechanism for the treatment of mental diseases.
Acupuncture Points ; Acupuncture Therapy ; Humans ; Mental Disorders ; therapy

APOBEC3 is a class of cytidine deaminase, which is considered as a new member of the innate immune system, and APOBEC3G belongs to this family. The research about APOBEC3G is a new direction of innate immune defense mechanism against virus. APOBEC3G has the restrictive activity on many viral replications, which deaminates dC to dU in the viral genome and then induces extensive hypermutation. APOBEC3G can also interrupt viral replication at several phases such as reverse transcription, replication, nucleocapsid and so on by non-deamination mechanisms. However, virus can encode viral proteins to counteract the restriction activity of APOBEC3G. Elucidation of the antagonistic interaction between APOBEC3G and the virus will be contributed to development of new antiviral drugs in the future.
APOBEC-3G Deaminase ; Animals ; Cytidine Deaminase ; genetics ; metabolism ; DNA Replication ; Deamination ; HIV-1 ; physiology ; Hepacivirus ; genetics ; physiology ; Hepatitis B virus ; genetics ; physiology ; Humans ; Paramyxoviridae ; genetics ; physiology ; Retroviridae ; physiology ; Virus Replication ; vif Gene Products, Human Immunodeficiency Virus ; metabolism