Objective To study P300 of the first episode depression and mismatch negativity(MMN) changes after antidepressant treatment. Methods Sixty-four patients with first episode depression were evaluated by HAMD 17, and P300 and MMN tests were performed at the baseline and week 12. The cognitive potentials were compared with those of control group(N=36). Results Compared with the control group, depressive patients had longer latency of P300 and MMN,lower amplitude of P300 and MMN before treatment (P

0.05)and significantly delayed reaction time,(305?109)ms vs(212?70)ms(P

AIMTo analyse the mechanism of corticosterone on the elevation of cytosolic free calcium ([Ca2+]i) induced by high-K+ in pheochromocytoma PC12 cells,

METHODSThe [Ca2+]i was real-time checked by fluorescence image system.

RESULTS(1) When the cells were preincubated at 37 degrees C for 5 min in the presence of various concentration corticosterone and stimulated with 55 mmol/L KCl , an inhibitory effect of corticosterone on delta[Ca2+]i was observed in a concentration-dependent manner. (2) When PC12 cells were preincubated with various concentration of B-BSA at 37 degrees C for 5 min and stimulated with 55 mmol/L KCl, an inhibitory effect of B-BSA on delta[Ca2+]i was observed, which is also concentration-dependent manner. (3) The inhibitory effect of corticosterone and B-BSA could not be antagonized by RU38486 at 10(-4) mol/L. (4) cycloheximide could not block the inhibitory effect of corticosterone after pretreating cells at 10(-5) mol/L at 37 degrees C for 3 hours.

CONCLUSIONIt is obvious that the locus of corticosterone action is on the plasmic membrane. The inhibitory effect of corticosterone is independent of protein synthesis and intracellular glucocorticoid receptor. The effect of corticosterone on [Ca2+]i is nongenomic action in PC12 cells.

Animals ; Calcium ; metabolism ; Corticosterone ; pharmacology ; PC12 Cells ; drug effects ; Potassium ; pharmacology ; Rats

Objective To assess the changes on the whole night polysomnography (PSG) in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome(CFS). Methods The whole night PSGs were recorded from 24 patients with CFS and 33 normal subjects. Results Compared with normal subjects, patients with CFS showed significantly reduced total sleep duration ([488.7?21.7]min vs [515.9?31.7]min, P

BACKGROUNDThe neonatal ventral hippocampal lesion (NVHL) rat model has been proposed as an experimental model for schizophrenia. NVHL rats display impaired central nervous system (CNS) inhibition, which may lead to a phenomenon similar to P50 sensory gating deficits observed in schizophrenic patients. In this study, we investigated whether sensory gating deficits occurred in the NVHL rat as a model for schizophrenia.

METHODSWe created the NVHL rat model using ibotenate. The P20 and N40 were measured to assess sensory response and gating in NVHL and sham rats. Epidural electrodes recorded evoked potentials (EPs), from which latencies, amplitudes, difference scores (S1-S2), and gating ratios (S2/S1) were assessed.

RESULTSCompared with sham controls, prolonged S1 N40 latency and decreased S2 N40 amplitude were detected in the NVHL group. In neither difference scores nor gating ratios, a significant difference was found between NVHL group and sham controls.

CONCLUSIONSNVHL rats may be a valid animal model for schizophrenia. This strategy will be useful in future neurobiological studies investigating the etiology of schizophrenia.

Animals ; Animals, Newborn ; Central Nervous System ; drug effects ; physiopathology ; Evoked Potentials, Auditory ; drug effects ; Hippocampus ; drug effects ; physiopathology ; Ibotenic Acid ; toxicity ; Rats ; Schizophrenia ; chemically induced ; physiopathology ; Sensory Gating ; drug effects

Adult ; Event-Related Potentials, P300 ; physiology ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Male ; Schizophrenia ; physiopathology

Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome virus (SFTSV), a member of the Phlebovirus genus from the Bunyaviridae family endemic to China, is the causative agent of life-threatening severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS), which features high fever and hemorrhage. Similar to other negative-sense RNA viruses, SFTSV encodes a nucleocapsid protein (NP) that is essential for viral replication. NP facilitates viral RNA encapsidation and is responsible for the formation of ribonucleoprotein complex. However, recent studies have indicated that NP from Phlebovirus members behaves in inhomogeneous oligomerization states. In the present study, we report the crystal structure of SFTSV NP at 2.8 Å resolution and demonstrate the mechanism by which it processes a ringshaped hexameric form to accomplish RNA encapsidation. Key residues essential for oligomerization are identified through mutational analysis and identified to have a significant impact on RNA binding, which suggests that correct formation of highly ordered oligomers is a critical step in RNA encapsidation. The findings of this work provide new insights into the discovery of new antiviral reagents for Phlebovirus infection.
Binding Sites ; Crystallography, X-Ray ; Mutation ; Nucleocapsid Proteins ; chemistry ; genetics ; metabolism ; Phlebovirus ; metabolism ; Protein Binding ; Protein Multimerization ; Protein Structure, Quaternary ; RNA, Viral ; metabolism ; Recombinant Proteins ; biosynthesis ; chemistry ; genetics

BACKGROUNDFew characteristic changes of linear electroencephalograph (EEG) have been reported in schizophrenia. The aim of the present study was to investigate the changes in temporal-spatial dimensional properties of EEG under different cognitive tasks in patients with schizophrenia.

METHODSEEG was recorded by using EEG-1518K system and mapping system (Nihon Kohden Tomioka Corporation, Japan) in 45 schizophrenic patients and 47 healthy adults (normal control, NC) under five states: eyes closed, eyes open, mental arithmetic test with eyes closed, memory test with eyes open, and number cancellation test. Correlation dimension (D2) and point-wise correlation dimension (PD2) were calculated for all EEG analyses.

RESULTS(1) There were no significant differences of D2 and PD2 between NC and schizophrenic patients under states of eyes open and closed. (2) Compared with NC, schizophrenic patients showed decreased performance of D2 in mental arithmetic test with eyes closed and number cancellation test (mental arithmetic test with eyes closed: Nc 5.9 ± 0.6, Sch 3.0 ± 0.8; number cancellation test: Nc 6.0 ± 0.6, Sch 4.4 ± 0.7; P < 0.05 or P < 0.01). (3) Schizophrenic patients also showed decrease performance of PD2 in mental arithmetic test with eyes closed, memory test with eyes open, and number cancellation test (mental arithmetic test with eyes closed: Nc 6.9 ± 0.7, Sch 4.0 ± 0.8; memory test with eyes open: Nc 6.6 ± 0.8, Sch 5.0 ± 0.9; number cancellation test: Nc 7.1 ± 0.7, Sch 4.8 ± 0.9; P < 0.05 or P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONSNonlinear dynamic analysis provided a new approach in clinical investigation of EEG signals. It was helpful to further understand the cerebral mechanism in schizophrenic cognitive process.

Adult ; Cognition ; physiology ; Electroencephalography ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Nonlinear Dynamics ; Schizophrenia ; physiopathology

BACKGROUNDPrior research about N400 has been mainly based on English stimuli, while the cognitive processing of Chinese characters is still unclear. The aim of the present study was to further investigate the semantic processing of Chinese idioms.

METHODSEvent related potentials (ERP) component N400 was elicited by 38 pairs of matching (congruent) and mismatching (incongruent) ended Chinese idioms: ending words with same phoneme but different shape and meaning (sPdSdM), with similar shape but different phoneme and meaning (sSdPdM), with same meaning but different phoneme and shape (sMdPdS), and words with different phoneme, shape and meaning (dPdSdM) and recorded by Guangzhou Runjie WJ-1 ERP instruments. In 62 right-handed healthy adults (age 19 - 50 years), N400 amplitudes and latencies were compared between matching and mismatching conditions at Fz, Cz and Pz.

RESULTSN400 showed a midline distribution and could be elicited in electrodes Fz, Cz and Pz. The mean values of N400 latencies and amplitudes were obtained for matching and mismatching ending words in healthy adults. Significant differences were found in N400 latencies and amplitudes in matching and mismatching ending-words idioms in healthy adults (P < 0.05). Compared with matching ending-words idioms, N400 latencies were prolonged and the amplitudes were increased in mismatching ones. N400s elicited by different types of stimuli showed different latencies and amplitudes, and longest N400 latency and largest N400 amplitude were elicited by ending-words with dPdSdM. No gender difference was found of N400 latency and amplitude in this study (P > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONSCompared with English stimuli, Chinese ideographic words could provide more flexible stimuli for N400 research in that the words have 3-dimension changes - phoneme, shape and meaning. Features of N400 elicited by matching and mismatching ending words in Chinese idioms are mainly determined by the meaning of the word. Some issues of N400 elicited by Chinese characters deserve further research.

Adult ; Cognition ; Evoked Potentials ; physiology ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Reaction Time ; Reading ; Semantics ; Sex Characteristics

Objective: To discuss the effect of Peiyuan Tongnao capsules on neurological impairment of patients with ischemic stroke at convalescence, and discuss the mechanism of action in microcirculation improvement, anti-inflammation and neuroprotection. Method: One hundred and thirty one patients were randomly divided into control group (66 cases) and observation group (65 cases) by random number table. Patients in control group were given aspirin enteric-coated tablets, 0.1 g/day, simvastatin tablets, 10 mg/days, and treated by percutaneous nerve electrical stimulator for 30 times, 30 min/time, 1 time/day, 5 times/week. In addition of the therapy in control group, patients in observation group were also given Peiyuan Tongnao capsules, 3 grains/time, 3 times/days. A course of treatment was 12 weeks. Before treatment, and at the 4^th, 8^th and 12^th weeks, neurological deficits in the national institutes of health (NIHSS), activity of daily life scale (ADL), berg balance scale (BBA), fugl-meyer scale (FMA) and traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) syndromes were scored. And levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), neuron-specific enolase (NSE), interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), homocysteine (Hcy) and serum cystatin C (Cys-C) and hemorheological indicators whole blood viscosity, high shear rate, low shear rate, reduced viscosity, plasma viscosity, platelet aggregation rate, fibrinogen (FIB) and blood sedimentation rate (ESR)were detected. Result: At the 8^th and 12^th week after treatment, score of NIHSS in observation group was lower than that in control group (P<0.01), and NIHSS in observation group declined more than that in control group (P<0.01). Scores of ADL, BBA and FMA and levels of BDNF were higher than those in control group (P<0.01), while scores of TCM syndromes and levels of NSE, IL-6, TNF-α, Hcy, Cys-C and hemorheological indices were all lower than those in control group (P<0.01). And by rank sum test, the clinical effect in observation group was superior to that in control group (P<0.05). Conclusion: Peiyuan Tongnao capsules can promote the recovery of neurological impairment at recovery period of ischemic stroke, regulate inflammatory factors, improve blood rheology, protect neural function, and improve the effect of routine western medicine rehabilitation therapy.