Background & Objective: Sleep quality in neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders (NMOSD) were investigated in two recent studies. However, factors affecting sleep quality have not been studied in NMOSD. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of sleep disorders in Chinese outpatient clinics with NMOSD and its clinical correlates. Methods: We administered Chinese validated self-questionnaires on HRQOL (MSQOL-54), sleep (PSQI), pain (SF-MPQ-2), anxiety (HARS) and depression (HDRS) to 42 patients followed up in our outpatient department. We assessed the relationships between sleep quality with pain, anxiety, depression, gender, age, disability, disease duration, NMO-antibody status and explored the determinants of poor sleep quality. Results: Sixty four percent of NMOSD patients were poor sleepers. Significant correlations were found between duration, disability, pain, anxiety, depression and sleep quality. Disability, depression and the domain of affective descriptors of pain were the three main predictors of poor sleep in NMOSD. Conclusion: This study reveals that poor sleep in NMOSD is common and it decreases physical function of quality of life. It is worthwhile considering exploring adjuvant strategies aimed at controlling pain associated affect, and treatment of depression may help to improve sleep quality in NMOSD.
Neuromyelitis Optica

Objective: To observe the effect of telomerase-antisense DNA on apoptosis of hepatoma cells induced by arsenic trioxide, in an effort to look for a new anti-hepatic cancer agent with high efficiency, low cytotoxicity. Methods: We designed and synthesized a 20nt telomerase-antisense DNA targeting telomerase template and observed its influence on the telomerase activity of hepatoma cells. H-E staining, flow cytometry, and DNA agarose electrophoresis were used to study the preventive effect of telomerase-antisense DNA on hepatoma cells apoptosis induced by arsenic trioxide. Flow cytometry was used to detect the expression of Fas, Fas-L, and bcl-2. Results: Telomerase-antisense DNA (5 ?mol/L) effectively inhibited the telomerase activity of hepatoma cells after 24 hours (P

OBJECTIVE: To establish a supplementary diagnostic indicator (infrared radiant intensity) in tongue diagnosis of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) in patients with hyperplasia of mammary glands through correlation analysis of infrared radiant intensity between hyperplastic breast tissue and tongue surface. METHODS: Infrared radiant intensity of the hyperplastic breast tissue and different points on tongue surface in 20 cases of hyperplasia of mammary glands with liver-energy stagnation and phlegm retention syndrome and 16 cases of hyperplasia of mammary glands with irregular thoroughfare and conception vessels syndrome were measured with external infrared spectrometer PHE-201 made by Shanghai Institute of Technical Physics. Correlation of infrared radiant intensity between the hyperplastic breast tissue and the different points on tongue surface was assessed by using bivariate correlation analysis. RESULTS: The results showed that the numbers of positive correlated wave bands of infrared radiant intensity between the hyperplastic breast tissue and different detected points on tongue surface in the patients with liver-energy stagnation and phlegm retention syndrome and irregular thoroughfare and conception vessels syndrome were 127 (83.55%) and 71 (46.71%), respectively. Infrared radiant intensity between the hyperplastic breast tissue and the tongue surface had a positive correlation. CONCLUSION: Infrared radiant intensity can be used as one of supplementary diagnostic indicators in TCM tongue diagnosis of hyperplasia of mammary glands.

Objective To investigate the sleep quality and influencing factors in patients with stable myasthenia gravis (MG).Methods From September 2015 to February 2017,151 cases of stable MG were enrolled in the department of neurology,West China Hospital,Pittsburgh sleep quality index (PSQI) was used to evaluate their sleep quality;Spearman analysis was used to analyze the influencing factors (clinical data,quality of life,anxiety and depression).Results Spearman test analysis showed that PSQI was positively correlated with age,duration,myasthenia gravis quality of life 15 (MG-QOL15),Hamilton Anxiety Scale 14 (HAMA14),Hamilton Depression Scale 24 (HADA24) (P ＜ 0.05).Stepwise regressionanalysis further revealed that life quality was the best predictor of reduced sleep quality (t =3.161,P =0.002),followed by anxiety (t =2.495,P =0.014) and age (t =2.356,P =0.020).Conclusions There are many influencing factors of stable MG wnich more attentions should be paid on.

Objective To conduct an in-depth analysis on the correlation of miRNA and Alzheimer disease (AD) pathogenesis and provide an experimental basis for AD potential biomarkers by analysis of serum miRNA expression profiles in AD patients. Methods The miRNA expression profiles were exmined in 7 severe AD patients and 5 normal controls using high-throughput sequencing and bioinformatic analysis. Results Compared with the normal controls, there were serum differential expression of 112 miRNAs (DEmiRNAs) including 57 being up-regulated and 55 being down-regulated in patients with severe AD (P<0.05). GO-term function enrichment analysis showed that DEmiRNAs participated in the protein binding, ion binding, transcription metal binding, and biological metabolism and regulation process of organelle and cell membrane, etc. KEGG pathway enrichment analysis found that PI3K-Akt signal pathway was an important pathway of target genes. Conclusion The differential expression of serum miRNAs may be potential biomarkers of AD and the target genes of DEmiRNAs are related to the pathological changes of AD.

Minimally invasive surgery experienced a rapid development in the past thirty years, of which the laparoscopy has been widely used in gastrointestinal surgery. Lymph node dissection is one of the difficulties of laparoscopic radical resection of gastric cancer. The lymph node dissection along the left gastroepiploic vessels is a difficult part, which usually causes bleeding and splenic injury. This article mainly introduce the indications, contraindications, surgical preparations, the difficulties and techniques during the lymph nodes dissection when the operator stood on the left side of the patients, and perioperative complications of lymph nodes dissection along the left gastroepiploic vessels.

Heart failure is a group of complex clinical syndromes in the middle and late stages of cardiovascular diseases.Mitochondrial homeostasis imbalance is one of the pathological mechanisms in the occurrence and development of heart failure.This article revolved around the"yin-yang theory"in TCM and explained the pathological mechanism of heart failure through mitochondrial homeostasis.Heart failure is the syndrome of deficiency in nature and excess in superficiality fundamental.Its basic pathogenesis is"yang deficiency and yin excess".Based on the deficiency of heart yang qi and the stagnation of yin pathogens,the combination of deficiency and excess runs through the entire disease.Mitochondrial homeostasis imbalance is a manifestation of yin-yang imbalance at the cellular micro level,mainly manifested as inhibition of mitochondrial biosynthesis,mitochondrial dynamics imbalance,mitophagy disorder,etc.,which affects mitochondrial structure and function and leads to abnormal myocardial energy metabolism.Therefore,based on the"yin-yang theory",the basic treatment method is to"tonify deficiency and damage excess"to regulate mitochondrial biosynthesis,mitochondrial dynamics,and mitophagy,thereby maintaining mitochondrial homeostasis and improving myocardial energy metabolism,which is of great significance for the prevention and treatment of heart failure.

Background::Few evidence is available in the early prediction models of behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD) in Alzheimer’s disease (AD). This study aimed to develop and validate a novel genetic-clinical-radiological nomogram for evaluating BPSD in patients with AD and explore its underlying nutritional mechanism.Methods::This retrospective study included 165 patients with AD from the Chinese Imaging, Biomarkers, and Lifestyle (CIBL) cohort between June 1, 2021, and March 31, 2022. Data on demographics, neuropsychological assessments, single-nucleotide polymorphisms of AD risk genes, and regional brain volumes were collected. A multivariate logistic regression model identified BPSD-associated factors, for subsequently constructing a diagnostic nomogram. This nomogram was internally validated through 1000-bootstrap resampling and externally validated using a time-series split based on the CIBL cohort data between June 1, 2022, and February 1, 2023. Area under receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves, calibration curves, and decision curve analysis (DCA) were used to assess the discrimination, calibration, and clinical applicability of the nomogram.Results::Factors independently associated with BPSD were: CETP rs1800775 (odds ratio [OR] = 4.137, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.276-13.415, P = 0.018), decreased Mini Nutritional Assessment score (OR = 0.187, 95% CI: 0.086-0.405, P <0.001), increased caregiver burden inventory score (OR = 8.993, 95% CI: 3.830-21.119, P <0.001), and decreased brain stem volume (OR = 0.006, 95% CI: 0.001-0.191, P = 0.004). These variables were incorporated into the nomogram. The area under the ROC curve was 0.925 (95% CI: 0.884-0.967, P <0.001) in the internal validation and 0.791 (95% CI: 0.686-0.895, P <0.001) in the external validation. The calibration plots showed favorable consistency between the prediction of nomogram and actual observations, and the DCA showed that the model was clinically useful in both validations. Conclusion::A novel nomogram was established and validated based on lipid metabolism-related genes, nutritional status, and brain stem volumes, which may allow patients with AD to benefit from early triage and more intensive monitoring of BPSD.Registration::Chictr.org.cn, ChiCTR2100049131.

Establishing a comprehensive mechanism for the initiation and review of investigator-initiated trial(IIT) plays an important role in ensuring the scientific validity of clinical research and improving research quality.Since 2021, Zhongshan Hospital affiliated to Fudan University had actively explored improvements in the project management of IIT. The hospital had established a standardized grading review management process, developed an integrated clinical research management system, established a three-level clinical research training system, built a methodological support platform, and formulated research plan templates, gradually formed a standardized grading project approval review management mode. As of February 2024, the hospital had completed 400 quick reviews and more than 400 expert letter reviews based on the integrated clinical research management system. The efficiency and quality of IIT project approval had been improved. At the same time, over 40 academic salons and forums had been held, cultivating a group of young clinical research talents, providing data management training for more than 30 clinical departments, and promoting the improvement of the quality of research protocol. In the future, hospitals should further optimize their information systems, expand the influence of their training systems, enhance the capabilities of their methodological support platforms, and improve the efficiency of the application of clinical research protocol templates, so as to escort the establishment and implementation of high-quality clinical research projects and provide references for other hospitals′ IIT project management.

Objective:To analyze the antibody levels and dynamic changes in patients infected with 2019-novel coronavirus(2019-nCoV).Methods:The average age of 72 corona virus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients was (45.53±16.74)years(median age:47 year), including (44.88±17.09) years(median age:46 year) for 38 males and (46.32±16.52)years (median age:46 year) for 34 females in Loudi City, Hunan Province. There is no significant difference in genders between the severe and mild groups (χ2=0.916, P>0.05). There is a significant difference in the age between the severe and mild groups ( F=3.315, P<0.05). The blood samples of 72 discharged patients were collected and the consistence of IgM and IgG antibodies were detected by chemiluminescence method. SPSS25.0 was used for gender, age, case type and antibody analysis of variance, χ 2 test and other analysis. Results:The average time of the serum samples collection of 72 patients was (34.89±9.02)days (median time: 34 days) from onset of COVID-19, and (14.53±8.35) days (median time: 14 days) from discharge. The positive rate of IgM or IgG was 97.22% (70/72), and the positive rate of IgM and IgG was 48.61% (35/72) and 97.22% (70/72) respectively. Serum COVID-19 antibodies were detected in 72 patients from 1st to 40th days after discharge. The average concentration of IgM in 1-7 days, 8-14 days, 15-21 days, 22-28 days, above 29 days were 21.91(7.07-52.84)AU/ml, 14.16(6.19-32.88)AU/ml, 11.36(6.65-42.15)AU/ml, 8.15(3.66-30.12)AU/ml, 2.98(0.46-6.37)AU/ml. There was no significant difference in the time of IgM antibody concentration ( H= 8.439, P>0.05). The average concentrations of IgG in 1-7 days, 8-14 days, 15-21 days, 22-28 days, 29 days and above were 169.90 (92.06-190.91) AU/ml, 163.89 (91.19-208.02) AU/ml, 173.31 (95.06-191.28) AU/ml, 122.84 (103.19-188.34) AU/ml, 101.98 (43.75-175.30) AU/ml, respectively, ( H=2.232, P>0.05). The IgM becomes negative after the 3rd week of discharge and decreases rapidly with time. The IgG concentration higher than IgM during the same period, and keep at high level without any change, and decrease in the fourth week. Among them, 5 cases developed "re-infection" within 1-3 weeks after discharge, and the rate of "re-infection" was 6.94% (5/72 cases). Conclusions:After the COVID-19 patients are discharged from the hospital, the level of antibodies produced varies greatly among individuals, but the overall changes in antibodies have a certain pattern. It is recommended to strengthen the antibody monitoring during hospitalization and after discharge from the hospital to reduce the "re-infection" rate and potential risk of infection.