BACKGROUND: It has been obtained by the animal experimental and clinical researches that electroacupuncture promotes the regeneration of peripheral nerve, but its mechanism is still unknown. Neurotrophic factor (NF) maintains the survival of neurons in injured nerve and promotes the axonal regeneration. The observation of the changes of nerve growth factor (NGF) before and after electroacupuncture stimulation probably provides a new approach on revealing peripheral nerve disorder.OBJECTIVE: To observe the effects of electroacupuncture on NGF in regeneration microenvironment after facial nerve injury.DESIGN: Complete randomized-division and controlled animal experiment.SETTING: Department of Acupuncture-Moxibustion of West China Hospital affiliated to Sichuan University.MATERIALS: The experiment was performed in Animal Experiment Center of West China Hospital affiliated to Sichuan University from September to December 2001, in which, 50 New Zealand healthy adult rabbits were employed and randomized into 2 groups, named experiment group and the control, 25 rabbits in each one.METHODS:① After intravenous anesthesia on experimental animal,the upper buccal branch of facial nerve was separated and exposed. Under surgical magnifying glass, the nerve was cut off and a silica-gel tube was used to be inlayed in two broken ends and fixed with stitching, by which, a regeneration chamber is formed. In experiment group, on the day when the rabbit was completely resuscitated from anesthesia in the operation, electroacupuncture was applied. Points: Yifeng (TE 17), Dicang (ST 4), Jiache (ST 6) and Hegu (LI 4). Method of treatment: perpendicular puncture was applied on Yifeng (TE 17), 1 cm deep; penetrating puncture was from Dicang (ST 4) to Jiache (ST 6), 1.5 cm deep; and on Hegu (LI 4), 0.5 cm deep. The electrodes was attached on Yifeng (TE 17) and Dicang (ST 4) respectively, with dense-disperse wave, at 18-20 Hz, 1.5 V. The needles were retained for 30 minutes and the treatment was given once a day, totally for 14 days.In the control,no any management was applied.② On the 3rd, 5th 7th, 10th and 14th days after surgery, 10 animals were sacrificed, 5 rabbits in each of experiment group and the control. The fluid was collected from the regeneration chamber and double antibodies sandwiched enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to determine NGF level in regeneration chamber. ③ t test was adopted for the difference comparison of measurement data.MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Comparison of NGF level in regenerated chamber on the 3rd, 5th, 7th 10th and 14th days after surgery RESULTS: Fifty rabbits were all in result analysis. From the 3rd day to 7th day after surgery, NGF level in regeneration chamber was not different remarkably between experiment group and the control (P ＞ 0.05). On the 10th and 14th days, NGF level in regeneration chamber in experiment group was higher remarkably than that in the control [On the 10th day after surgery: (2 793.0±163.1), (2571.1±91.6) ng/L; on the 14th day after surgery: (2 696.1±147.5), (2 243.7±271.2) ng/L, t=4.45, 3.44, P ＜ 0.01].On the 7th day after surgery, NGF levels in regeneration chamber in both experiment group and the control were up to the peak. But, since the 14th day after surgery, NGF level in the control began declining, that in experiment group was still kept at a relatively high level.CONCLUSION: Electroacupuncture improves and maintains the stable high level of NGF in regeneration microenvironment after facial nerve injury, which is probably one of the mechanisms of electroacupuncture on promoting the regeneration of peripheral nerve.

Objective To investigate the correlation between preoperative anxiety and emergence agitation(EA)in children after sevoflurane anesthesia.Methods A total of 120 children who were going to receive an elective surgery were recruited in this study.The preoperative anxiety in these children was measured through the Modified Yale Preoperative Anxiety Scale(mYPAS)at the following time:during the preoperative interview(T1),waiting period in surgery waiting room(T2),after the children entered the operating room(T3)and at the beginning of sevoflurane inhalation induction(T4).The emergence agitation(EA)scores were obtained by using the Pediatric Anesthesia Emergence Delirium(PAED) Scale after the surgery.Results After adjusting for the effect of age,it was found that the anxiety scores at T1 and T2 had no significant correlation with EA,while those in T3 and T4 showed a statistically significant correlation with EA.The level of anxiety at the beginning of induction showed a strong positive correlation with EA,and the correlation coefficient was 0.708(P<0.01).Conclusion The preoperative anxiety in the operating room and at the beginning of induction of anesthesia is correlated with EA in children receiving sevoflurane anesthesia.

Mammalian reproduction is closely related to their metabolic status. The hypothalamus-pituitary-gonad axis ( HPG axis) is regulated by various metabolic factors. Glucagon-like peptide-1 ( GLP-1) is one of various metabolic factors that not only affect glycemic and metabolic control, but also with many other effects, including affecting HPA axis. The function of GLP-1 is related to the location of glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor ( GLP-1R) distribution. It has been confirmed that GLP-1R is widely distributed in HPG axis. The effects of GLP-1 and GLP-1R agonists on the HPG axis have also attracted much attention. The positive effects of GLP-1 and GLP-1R agonists on the HPG axis indicated it could be the new target for the new treatment for gonadal diseases. The role of GLP-1 and GLP-1R agonists in the central nervous system is reviewed.

Objective To observe the effect of different doses of esketamine on early mood in pa-tients with preoperative anxiety after thoracoscopic surgery.Methods Eighty patients with preoperative anx-iety before thoracoscopic surgery,37 males and 43 females,aged 25-64 years,BMI 18-26 kg/m2,ASA physical statusⅠ-Ⅲwere selected.According to random number table,the patients were randomly divided into four groups:control group(group C),esketamine 0.1 mg/kg group(group E1),esketamine 0.2 mg/kg group(group E2),and esketamine 0.3 mg/kg group(group E3),20 patients in each group.In groups E1,E2,and E3,the patients were slowly injected with corresponding doses of esketamine intrave-nously 30 minutes before the end of the operation,and the patients in group C were given 10 ml of normal saline at the same time.The 7-item generalized anxiety disorder scale(GAD-7)score and hospital anxiety and depression scale(HADS)score were evaluated 24 hours before surgery,24,48,72,and 120 hours af-ter surgery,respectively.Peripheral venous blood(5 ml)was collected at the same time points,and serum brain-derived neurotrophic factor(BDNF)concentration was detected by ELISA.NRS scores at rest and ex-ercise were recorded 12 and 24 hours after surgery.The number of remedial analgesia and the number of ef-fective compressions of analgesia pump within 48 hours after surgery were recorded.Results Compared with group C,the scores of GAD-7 and HADS in groups E1,E2,and E3 were significantly decreased 24,48,and 72 hours after surgery(P＜0.05).And compared with groups E1 and E2,the scores of GAD-7 and HADS in group E3 were significantly lower(P＜0.05).The serum BDNF level in groups E1,E2,and E3 were significantly increased compared with group C 24,48,and 72 hours after surgery(P＜0.05).Compared with group E1 and E2,the serum BDNF level in group E3 was significantly higher(P＜0.05).Compared with group C,the NRS scores at rest 12 and 24 hours and the scores at exercise 12 hours after surgery in groups E1,E2,and E3 were significantly decreased(P＜0.05).And compared with groups E1 and E2,the scores in group E3 were significantly lower(P＜0.05).The number of postoperative remedial analgesia and the number of effective compressions of analgesia pump in groups E1,E2,and E3 were signif-icantly decreased compared with group C within 48 hours after surgery(P＜0.05).And compared with groups E1 and E2,the number in group E3 was significantly lower(P＜0.05).Conclusion Single intra-venous injection of esketamine 0.1,0.2,and 0.3 mg/kg can improve early postoperative mood of patients with anxiety before thoracoscopic surgery,and esketamine 0.3 mg/kg has better anti-anxiety effect.

OBJECTIVE: To identify potential mutation of PMM2 gene in an infant with congenital disorders of glycosylation type 1a (CDG-1a). METHODS: Genomic DNA was extracted from peripheral blood sample of the patient. All coding exons (exons 1-8) and splicing sites of the PMM2 gene were amplified with PCR. Potential variants were detected by direct sequencing of the PCR products and comparing the results against the ESP and SNP human gene databases. A protein BLAST system was employed to analyze cross-species conservation of the variants amino acid. A PubMed BLAST CD-search system was employed to identify functional domains damaged by variants of the PMM2 gene. Impact of potential variants was analyzed using software including PolyPhen-2 SIFT and Mutation Taster. Whole exome sequencing was used to identify additional variants of the PMM2 gene which may explain the condition of the patient. RESULTS: The child was found to carry compound heterozygous variants (c.458_462delTAAGA and c.395T>C) of the PMM2 gene, which were inherited respectively from his father and mother. The c.458_462delTAAGA has not been reported previously and may result in disruption of 10 functional domains within the PMM2 protein. The c.395T>C mutation has been recorded by a SNP database with frequency unknown. Both mutations were predicted as "probably damaging". Whole exome sequencing has identified no additional disease-causing variant which can explain the patient's condition. CONCLUSION The patient's condition may be attributed to the compound heterozygous variants c.458_462delTAAGA and c.395T>C of the PMM2 gene. Above results has facilitated molecular diagnosis for the patient.
Congenital Disorders of Glycosylation ; genetics ; Exons ; Humans ; Infant ; Mutation ; Phosphotransferases (Phosphomutases) ; genetics

Objective: To explore the relationship between weight change and the changes in blood pressure, blood glucose and blood lipid profiles in middle-aged and elderly Chinese people. Methods: All participants were from the Dongfeng-Tongji cohort study. The study included 16 606 middle-aged and elderly Chinese people with complete information in the baseline survey in 2008 and the first follow-up survey in 2013. We collected the data on demographic characteristics, lifestyle, history of diseases and medication, and the results of medical health examinations, including height, weight, blood pressure, fasting blood glucose and lipid profiles. We divided the weight change into five groups, moderate or above weight loss (<-8.0%), slight weight loss (-8.0%, -3.1%), weight maintenance (-3.0%, 3.0%), slight weight increased (3.1%, 8.0%), and moderate or above weight increased (>8.0%). Generalized linear regression model was used to analyze the relationship between weight change and the changes in systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), fasting blood glucose (FBG), total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) and triglyceride (TG). Subgroup analyses were used to explore the influences of gender, age and baseline BMI level on the relationship between weight change and the above-mentioned metabolic indicators. Results: The average age of participants in baseline survey was (62.19±7.28) years with a range of 45 to 89 years. During the five-year period, there were 18.86% (2 633), 28.03% (4 655), 35.87% (5 956), 13.96% (2 319), 6.28% (1 043) people with moderate or above weight loss, slight weight loss, weight maintenance, slight weight increased, and moderate or above weight increased, respectively. Regression analyses showed that body weight change were positively correlated with changes in SBP, DBP, FBG, TC, LDL-C and TG, and negatively correlated with change in HDL-C (all linear trend P values were<0.05); As every 10% of weight changed, the β (95%CI) of changes in SBP (mmHg) (1 mmHg=0.133 kPa), DBP (mmHg), FBG (mmol/L), TC (mmol/L), LDL-C (mmol/L), HDL-C (mmol/L) and TG (mmol/L) were 4.94 (4.32, 5.55), 2.50 (2.11, 2.88), 0.05 (0.02, 0.08), 0.13 (0.11, 0.16), 0.14 (0.12, 0.16), -0.05 (-0.07, -0.04) and 0.16 (0.14, 0.18), respectively. Furthermore, subgroup analyses showed that weight change can lead to greater changes in blood pressure in older and overweight or obesity elderly people (all P for interaction<0.05). Conclusion Weight loss was beneficial for middle-aged and elderly people to improve the blood pressure, blood glucose and blood lipid profiles, regardless of the weight at the baseline, while weight gain was not.

OBJECTIVETo understand the species, genotypes and mating types of Cryptococcus neoformans and Cryptococcus gattii isolated from clinical samples in Guigang, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.

METHODSA total of 20 Cryptococcus strains were isolated from clinical samples in Guigang from 2009 to 2012. The biological identification was conducted by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to amplify internal transcribed spacer (ITS) sequences. The serotypes and mating types of C. neoformans and C. gattii were identified by PCR with serotype-specific and mating type-specific primers. The genotype was characterized by PCR fingerprinting and URA5 gene restriction fragment length polymorphism (URA5-RFLP). Phenotype study included growth test at 37 °C, melanin production test and urease test.

RESULTSAmong the 20 strains, 19 (95%) were identified as C. neoformans varieties (var.) grubii (serotype A, mating type α, genotype VN I), and only 1 was identified as C. gattii (mating type α, genotype VG I). The results of virulence test showed that all the strains grew well at 37 °C and positive in both urease test and melanin production test.

CONCLUSIONC. neoformans var. grubii (serotype A, genotype VN I and mating type α) was the predominant pathogen causing cryptococcosis in Guigang, and C. gattii strain was also detected.

China ; Cryptococcus gattii ; genetics ; isolation & purification ; pathogenicity ; Cryptococcus neoformans ; genetics ; isolation & purification ; pathogenicity ; Genotype ; Humans ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length ; Virulence

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the efficacy and safety of aromatase inhibitor letrozole in treatment of male children with disorders of sex development (DSD). METHODS: Clinical data of 12 male DSD children with a mean age of 14.6±2.5 years admitted to Peking Union Medical College Hospital from January 2014 to January 2016 were retrospectively analyzed. The patients were treated with letrozole (1.25-2.5 mg, once a day) for 3 months or longer, and followed up for 0.5-2.5 years. Clinical manifestation and laboratory test findings were documented, and the efficacy and safety were evaluated. RESULTS: After half-year treatment, the blood luteinizing hormone (LH), follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and testosterone levels of patients increased (all < 0.05), and estrogen levels decreased from baseline ( < 0.05). After 1 year of treatment, the blood testosterone level was significantly higher ( < 0.05); the LH and FSH levels tended to increase and the estrogen level tended to decrease, but there was no significant statistical difference ( >0.05). Semen was routinely detected in 8 patients, and sperms were detected in semen of 3 patients with hypospadias. There were no significant changes in biochemical results after treatment, and no significant adverse event was observed during the treatment. CONCLUSIONS Letrozole can effectively increase testosterone levels in patients with disorders of sex development and promote spermatogenesis, it has no significant adverse effects in short-term administration.
Adolescent ; Child ; Disorders of Sex Development ; drug therapy ; Follicle Stimulating Hormone ; Humans ; Letrozole ; therapeutic use ; Luteinizing Hormone ; Male ; Retrospective Studies ; Testosterone