By taking Vrije University Medical Center as an example, this paper introduced the cur-rent Neuroradiologist education training system which had the characteristics of training in a comprehen-sive and focused way, multi-disciplinary integration and paying attention to the combination of academic and clinical research. Through the comparison of the status quo of China's sub specialist training, Neuro-radiologist education training system in the Netherlands provided an important reference for China's sub specialty training.

OBJECTIVE:To observe the effect of Shuanghuang tongfeng capsule(SHTF) on the gouty arthritis.METH-ODS:The gouty arthritis model of rats and rabbits were induced using sodium urate(MSU). The swollen degree of the rat foot,and the amount of synovial fluid,the leucocyte count in synovial fluid and the degree of inflammation of the synovial tissue of joints in rabbits were measured.The effect of SHTF on gouty arthritis was observed. RESULTS:The swollen degree of the foot of rat was lessened obviously by SHTF capsule(5、10、20 g?kg-1,ig).The amount of synovial fluid and the leucocyte count in synovial fluid of the rabbit were decreased significantly by SHTF capsule (4、8、16 g?kg-1,po).The inflammation of the synovial tissue in rabbits was improved obviously by SHTF capsule (8 and 16 g?kg-1,po). CONCLUSION: SHTF capsule have remarkable protective effect on the gouty arthritis induced by sodium urate.

Neuromyelitis optica (NMO) is an inflammatory-demyelinating disease of central nervous system that is characterized by severe attacks of optic neuritis (ON) and longitudinally extensive transverse myelitis (LETM).Conventional MRI is the most sensitive method in detection of NMO lesions in brain,spinal cord and optic nerve,which can objectively show the site,number,size and distribution of lesions.The MRI features of NMO lesion in brain,spinal cord and optic nerve lesions were reviewed in this article.

Objective To understand the diagnostic values of procalcitonin (PCT),C-reactive protein (CRP),erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR),white blood cell (WBC) and neutmphilic granulocyte ratio (NE％) in distinguishing concurrent bacterial infection from idiopathic inflammatory myopathy (ⅡM).Methods Clinical data and laboratory examinations of 118 ⅡM patients were collected.The ⅡM patients were assigned to the bacterial infection group (n=66) or the non-infection group (n=52).The levels of PCT,CRP,ESR,WBC and NE％ were compared by the Mann-Whitney U tests between the two groups and receiver operating characteristic curves were generated in order to evaluate the diagnostic value.Results The levels of PCT (0.06 ng/ml,0.03 ng/ml,U=2.637,P＜0.01);CRP (15.80 mg/L,4.40 mg/L,U=5.944,P＜0.01);ESR (43.50 mm/1 h,27.00 mm/1 h,U=2.266,P＜0.05);WBC (9.85×109/L,7.70×109/L,U=2.675,P＜0.01) and NE％ (80.70％,75.75％,U=2.344,P＜0.01) were significantly higher in the ⅡM patient group with concurrent infection than in the noninfection ⅡM patient group.CRP showed the highest diagnostic value with sensitivity,specificity,positive predictive value and negative predictive value of 72.7％,82.7％,84.2％ and 70.5％,respectively.Conclusion The inflammatory biomarkers PCT,CRP,ESR,WBC and NE％ offer diagnostic accuracy in detecting bacterial infection in ⅡM patients.Particularly,CRP is the most sensitive and specific biomarker indetecting bacterial infection in ⅡM patients.

Objective To investigate the feature brain damage and clinical manifestations in neuromyelitis optica (NMO) patients; To investigate the relationship between serum NMO-IgG antibody and NMO brain damage. Methods Clinical data of 37 NMO patients and their head and spinal cord MRI by 1.5T superconducting MR scanner, were analyzed; serum NMO-IgG antibody were measured by immunofluorescence. Results 17 cases were found to have abnormal signals on MRI, which were mainly in the white matter, pons, medulla, ventricle, aqueduct, and around the corpus callosum; According to pathological changes, brain damage can be divided into scattered irregularity (13 cases), fusion (3 cases),multiple sclerosis-like (1 case) ,with scattered irregularity more common,5 cases had clinical manifestations of brain damage: somnolence, vomiting, diplopia, visual rotation, 11 cases patients with brainstem damage show positive serum NMO-IgG antibodies. Conclusions Brain damage can be seen in half of NMO patients, they often located in the high expression area of AQP4: brain white matter, periventricular,brainstem and so on. Clinical symptoms has nothing to do with the size of lesions but the location, they often occur when brainstem was involved. Serum NMO-IgG is helpful in differentiating NMO with brain damage and MS.

Objective To investigate whether abnormalities can be detected in normal-appearing white matter(NAWM)and normal-appearing white matter(NAGM)in patients with clinically isolated syndrome(CIS)and comparing them to the abnormalities in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis(RRMS)by using diffusion tensor imaging(DTI)histogram.To detect the potential relationship between DTI indices of NAWM,NAGM and patient's clinical condition.Methods Nineteen patients with CIS,19 clinically diagnosed RRMS patients and 19 sex-and age-matched healthy volunteers were included in this study.Conventional MRI and DTI images were obtained using Siemens 1.5 T Magnetom sonata scanner.DTI histograms of NAWM and NAGM were obtained after post-processing.The mean value,peak height,peak location of the histogram were used for analysis.All data was statistically processed with SPSS for Windows.Results NAWM average MD was higher and FA was lower in RRMS[MD(0.83±0.04)×10-3mm2/s,FA 0.36±0.03]when compared to CIS[MD(0.79±0.02)×10-3mm2/s,FA 0.40±0.02]and control[MD(0.78±0.02)×10-3mm2/s,FA 0.41±0.01](P＜0.01).But no statistically significant difference was found between CIS and control.The peak height of NAWM average MD histogram was significantly lower in CIS than control(P＜0.05),while the peak location of average FA histogram shifted to the left(P＜0.01).Patients with CIS[(1.08±0.06)×10-3mm2/s]showed significantly higher NAGM average MD than control[(1.03±0.05)×10-3mm2/s](P＜0.05),but,lower than RRMS[(1.18±0.12)×10-3mm2/s](P＞0.01).There were no correlation between DTI indices and EDSS scores in patients with CIS.Moderate correlation between NAGM average MD(r=0.568,P＜0.05)and EDSS scores were found in patient with RRMS.Conclusion NAWM and NAGM abnormalities do occur in CIS which can be detected by DTI.The underlying pathological changes in NAWM and NAGM in CIS may be milder than RRMS as demonstrated by DTI histogram.

Objective To explore the clinical characteristics of the lesions of spinal cord and optic nerve as the onset of neuromyelitis optica (NMO).Methods A total of fifty-one patients with myelitis or optic neuritis (ON) as the onset of NMO who hospitalized in our Neurology Department during October 2010 to October 2012 were enrolled in the study.Clinical presentations and MRI findings of the spinal cord and brain were studied.Results (1) A total of 26 cases (51.0％) presented with myelitis as the index event,in which 30.8％ (8/26) were the longitudinally extensive transverse myelitis (LETM) and 69.2％ (18/ 26) were non-LETM (short segmental myelitis or non-transverse myelitis).Patients with non-LETM as the onset were found to have better prognosis than those with LETM (full recovery ratio was 13/18 vs 2/8,P ＜ 0.05),while shorter recurrence interval of myelitis and higher recurrence frequency of events were shown in patients with non-LETM (11.1 vs 18.6 months,3 times per year vs once per year,with all P ＜ 0.05).(2) A total of 25 cases (49.0％) presented with ON as the index event with 24.0％ (6/25) of unilateral ON and 76.0％ (19/25) of bilateral ON.Patients with bilateral ON had more severe visual impairment and shorter first remission period than those with unilateral ON (P ＜ 0.05).Conclusion Non-LETM and bilateral ON are the most common index demyelinating events in NMO cases.

Objective To investigate the effect of high mobility group box chromosomal protein 1 (HMGB-1) on the proliferation and inflammatory phenotype of human fibroblast like synoviocytes (FLS).Methods FLSs were isolated from the synovial tissues of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients undergoing joint replacement surgery.All the experiments described here utilize the FLSs between the third and sixth passages.FLS were incubated with HMGB1 at (100,500,2 000 ng/ml) or interleukin (IL)-1β (0.5 ng/ml) or lipopolysaccharide (LPS) (100 ng/ml) alone or HMGB1/IL-1β complexes or HMGB1/LPS complexes.Cell proliferation assay were used by CCK-8,IL-6,IL-8 and matrix metalloproteinase-3 (MMP-3) in culture supernatants were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays.The measurement data were compared with single factor analysis of variance.Results Stimulation with all concentrations of HMGB1,IL-1β and LPS alone did not affect the cell proliferation of FLS.HMGB1/IL-1β complexes and HMGB1/LPS complexes did not affect the cell proliferation of FLS,neither (F=0.415.P=0.915).Except high concentration of HMGB1 (2 000 ng/ml) could significantly stimulate the secretion of IL-6 from FLS [(23.0±1.1) ng/ml],HMGB1,IL-1β and LPS alone did not affect the production of IL-6,IL-8 and MMP-3.However,HMGB1/IL-1β complexes and HMGB1/LPS complexes increased IL-6,IL-8 and MMP-3 production from FLS (F=97.804,117.383,70.179,P=0.000).Conclusion Neither HMGB1,IL-1β,LPS alone nor HMGB1/IL-1β complexes or HMGB1/LPS complexes affect the cell proliferation of FLS.HMGB1 in complex with LPS or IL-1β boost IL-6,IL-8 and MMP-3 production in synovial fibroblasts from RA patients.

Objective To evaluate 64-slice CT angiography in diagnosing spinal vascular malformations. Methods Fifteen patients,who were suggestive of spinal vascular malformations bv clinical manifestation and MRI,underwent CT angiography with a 64-slice spiral CT(GE lightspeed VCT).DSA were performed later within 1 week in all the patients and four of them were treated with operation as well.We evaluated CTA images in displaying the lesions according to the following aspects:the type of malformation,lesion range,feeding artery,draining vein and possible fistula.and compared those details with DSA and operation findings.Results All 15 patients acquired their final diagnosis by DSA and operation,which were intramedullary axteriovenous malformation in 6 cases,perimedullary arteriovenous fistula in 2,spinal dural arteriovenous fistula in 3 and Cobb syndrome in 4 cases. CTA was consistent with DSA in the classification of lesions and in the determination of the involved regions and it reveaIed the main feeding arteries and draining veins in all patients.CTA showed four arteriovenous fistulae confinned bv DSA.but it failed in a complex arteriovcnous fistula.In Cobb syndrome patients,not only the intramedullary but also paravertebral and subcutenous vascular malformation could be clearly seen on CTA images.Conclusion 64-slice CT angiography can be a preliminary method in spinal vascular malformation because it can determine the classification and reveal almost all the main lesions quickly,atraumatically.

Objective To detect changes of regional grey matter and white matter volume in patients of neuromyelitis optica (NMO) by voxel-based morphometry (VBM),and investigate its relationship with clinical variables.Methods Conventional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and structural threedimensional MRI were obtained from 20 NMO and 20 sex-and age-matched healthy volunteers.The comparison of grey matter and white matter volume between the two groups was analyzed by VBM tools of statistical parametric mapping (SPM) 5.Pearson correlational analysis was used to assess correlations between regional volume decrease and disease duration and expanded disability status scale (EDSS) scores in NMO patients.Results Compared with normal controls,NMO patients had grey matter atrophy in several cortical regions,such as right inferior frontal gyrus (cluster size 514),left superior temporal gyrus (282),right middle temporal gyvus (229) and right insula (211) (t =3.58-5.11,AlphaSim corrected,P ＜0.05).White matter atrophy was found in several subcortical regions in NMO patients,such as right precentral and postcentral gyrus (cluster size 457,110),left middle frontal gyrus (285),and right inferior parietal lobule (231) (t =2.90-4.25,AlphaSim corrected,P ＜ 0.05).Grey matter and white matter volume loss were not significantly correlated with clinical duration or EDSS score in NMO.Conclusion By means of VBM,regional atrophy of grey matter and white matter is found in NMO patients,which may provide evidence for brain structural abnormality in NMO.