Objective To explore the brain biochemical changes in the frontal lobe of adolescents with depression using proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H-MRS). Methods Twenty-four patients and twenty-three healthy subjects matched for age, sex and education level were enrolled in the study. All the subjects underwent multivoxel 1H MRS to measure the bilateral metabolic levels of N-acetylaspartate (NAA), choline (Cho), creatine (Cr) in the prefrontal lobes. Results The NAA/Cr and Cho/Cr ratios in the left dorsolateral prefrontal white matter of the depressive adolescents were significantly lower than those of the healthy subjects [NAA/Cr: 1.67 ± 0.32, t = 3.126, P = 0.004; Cho/Cr: 1.28 ± 0.30, t = 2.362, P = 0.024], and the ratios of NAA/Cr in the right dorsolateral prefrontal white matter of the depressive adolescents was also significantly lower than that of the healthy subjects [NAA/Cr:1.65 ± 0.26, t=2.969, P=0.006]. There was no significant difference in the metabolic ratios in the bilateral anterior cingulate gray matter between the depressive adolescents and the healthy controls. Conclusions Biochemical abnormalities in prefrontal white matter are involved in the pathophysiology of depression. Importantly , these abnormalities are already present early in the course of the disorder.

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the morphology and proliferation of follicles from cryopreserved human ovarian tissue by vitrification.

METHODSOvarian biopsy specimens were taken from 12 patients. The specimens were randomly distributed into fresh group (Group A) and vitrification group (Group B). Histological examination and ultrastructural observation were performed after cryopreservation. Both were embedded in paraffin block and proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) was detected by immunohistochemical staining.

RESULTSThe proportions of primordial and primary follicles from Group A and Group B were 86.4%, 13.6% and 84.5%, 15.5%, respectively (P>0.05). There was no significant difference in proportions of morphologically normal primordial follicles between Group A and Group B (P>0.05); but the proportion of morphologically abnormal primary follicles was significantly higher in Group B than that in Group A (P<0.05). The ultrastructural studies showed that in histologically normal primordial follicles, there was no difference between Group A and Group B, while there were a few abnormalities of primary follicles in Group B. Granulosa cells and oocytes of primordial and primary follicles and stromal cells were positive for PCNA staining both in fresh and cryopreserved ovarian tissues; there were no differences between two groups.

CONCLUSIONVitrification is a favorable method in human ovarian cryopreservation.

Adult ; Cell Proliferation ; Cryopreservation ; methods ; Female ; Humans ; In Vitro Techniques ; Oocytes ; cytology ; Ovarian Follicle ; cytology ; ultrastructure ; Ovary ; anatomy & histology ; Vitrification

Objective To evaluate the efficacy and safety in treatment of patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Methods A total of 233 patients with mild to moderate potential AD were enrolled in a 16-week multi-center double blind clinical trial. All patients were randomized into two groups. 110 patients in galantamine group and 108 patients in donepezil group were enrolled in efficacy analysis. The scales of Alzheimer’s Disease Assessment Scale-Cognitive Subscale (ADAS-cog), Alzheimer’s Disease Cooperative Study Activities of Daily Living Scale (ADCS-ADL) and The Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI) were used to assess the effect at both baseline and the end of 16 weeks. Safety issues, including vital signs, lab assays and ECG examinations were measured. Results Patients in both groups were obviously improved in the total score of ADAS-cog (-5.4?6.4) in the galantamine group and (-4.0?7.3) in the donepezil group, P=0.098). 76% patients of the galantamine group had a score of ADAS-cog less than 20 at the end of 16 weeks treatment, which was higher than that of the donepezil group (58%, P=0.015). The sub-score of speech ability in ADAS-cog were improved in the galantamine group (baseline 2.8?2.9,16 weeks 1.8?2.5) compared with the donepezil group (baseline 2.8?3.0, 16 weeks 2.3?2.9, P=0.035). No significant difference of ADSC-ADL and NPI scale was found between the two groups (P=0.447 and 0.936 respectively). The sleep/night behavior was improved in the donepezil group (baseline 14%, 16 weeks 10%) compared with the galantamine group (baseline 23%, 16 weeks 22%, P=0.012). Two drug-related severe adverse events occurred during the trial, which were platelet reduction in the galantamine group and acute drug-induced hepatic injury in the donepezil group. The incidence of adverse events was 44% in the galantamine group and 47% in the donepezil group respectively. Galantamine had little influence on vital signs and lab assays. Conclusion Safe and well tolerated, galantamine improves the cognition, activities of daily living and neuropsychiatric symptoms of patients with mild to moderate AD.

Objective To explore the mechanism of β-amyloid peptide (β-AP) in Alzheimer's disease at ionic channel level.Methods Hippocampal CA1 neurons of 7-21 days' rats were acutely dissociated and the effects of β-AP on transient outward potassium current were observed by a whole-cell recording patch clamp technique.Results β-AP can significantly block transient potassium current in dose-dependent, time-dependent and partly voltage-dependent manners.Conclusion β-AP may decrease the membrane conductance of K+ channels in hippocampal neurons, playing an important role in the pathophysiological mechanism of Alzheimer's disease.

Purpose To explore the changes in biventricular volume and mass in chronic kidney disease(CKD)patients with preserved ejection fraction using cardiac magnetic resonance(CMR),and evaluate cardiac function using tissue-tracking strain analysis.Materials and Methods The retrospective analysis of 40 CKD patients without symptoms of cardiovascular disease,diabetes and the estimated glomerular filtration rate<60 ml/(min·1.73 m2)who were treated at the First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University from October 2020 to June 2023 and 25 age-and gender-matched healthy volunteers.All participants underwent 1.5T CMR scans to calculate left and right ventricular function,myocardial strain and native T1 and T2 values,and differences in various imaging parameters between the two groups were compared.Results The native T1 value[(1 109.6±35.9)ms]and T2 value[(58.1±2.9)ms]of CKD patients were significantly higher than those in control group[(1 046.3±15.9)ms,(53.3±2.3)ms](t=8.296,6.916,both P<0.001).The left ventricular end-diastolic volume index,left ventricular end-systolic volume index,left ventricular mass index,right ventricular end-diastolic volume index,right ventricular end-systolic volume index and right ventricular mass index of CKD patients were significantly increased compared with the control group(t=3.233,3.350,5.751,7.746,5.937,2.363,all P<0.05),while the left and right ventricular strain parameters,left ventricular global longitudinal strain,left ventricular global circumferential strain,left ventricular global radial strain,right ventricular global longitudinal strain,right ventricular global circumferential strain and right ventricular global radial strain were significantly decreased(t=9.506,9.072,-10.603,10.496,11.574,-4.018,all P<0.001),and the estimated glomerular filtration rate exhibited significant correlations with left ventricular global longitudinal strain(r=-0.636),left ventricular global radial strain(r=0.688),right ventricular global longitudinal strain(r=-0.513),right ventricular global circumferential strain(r=-0.827)and right ventricular global radial strain(r=0.514)(all P<0.001).Conclusion CMR can quantitatively assess myocardial fibrosis and edema in patients with CKD,and tissue tracking strain analysis can detect myocardial motion abnormalities before changes in ventricular ejection fraction,offering value in the early detection of cardiac involvement in CKD patients..

Objective:To understand the loss to follow-up of children born to pregnant women with HIV infection (HIV-exposed children) and analyze its influencing factors in China in 2019.Methods:The data were collected from the follow-up records of pregnant women with HIV infection and their children reported by the national "Management Information System for the Prevention of HIV, syphilis and Hepatitis B Mother-to-Child Transmission" in 2019. HIV-exposed children were defined as those who were not followed up after birth or who were not followed up at 18 months of age and who were not followed up at 21 months of age. The univariate and multivariate influencing factors of loss to follow-up of children born to HIV-infected pregnant women were analyzed by χ2 test and logistic regression model. SPSS 25.0 software was used for statistical analysis. Results:The number of HIV-infected pregnant women was 5 039, the number of live-born children was 5 035, the number of loss to follow-up children within 18 months of age was 283, and the loss to follow-up rate children was 5.62%(283/5 035). The results of multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that the rate of loss to follow-up of exposed children born to pregnant women who worked as farmers (animal husbandry and fishery) (a OR=0.34, 95% CI: 0.22-0.53), unmarried (a OR=0.47, 95% CI: 0.24-0.93), first marriage (a OR=0.38, 95% CI: 0.22-0.67), remarriage (a OR=0.36, 95% CI: 0.20-0.67) and cohabiting (a OR=0.47, 95% CI: 0.23-0.97), and knew they had HIV infection before this pregnancy (a OR=0.53, 95% CI: 0.40-0.70) was lower. Han nationality (a OR=1.52, 95% CI: 1.09-2.13), primary school (a OR=2.06, 95% CI: 1.10-3.89) and junior middle school (a OR=1.81, 95% CI: 1.03-3.17) educational level, non-use of antiviral drugs (a OR=6.21, 95% CI: 4.32-8.93) and delivery in township (street) level midwifery institutions (a OR=5.72, 95% CI: 1.61-20.27) had higher rates of loss to follow-up among infants born to HIV-infected pregnant women. Conclusions:HIV-exposed children still have a specific rate of loss to follow-up in China in 2019. In order to further reduce the rate of loss to follow-up, it is of great significance to improve the detection rate of HIV before pregnancy and the rate of antiviral drugs used in pregnant women with HIV infection, which is of great significance for the effective implementation of comprehensive intervention measures of prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV.

BACKGROUNDFollicle stimulating hormone is necessary for normal reproduction in men. The biochemical actions of follicle stimulating hormone result from binding to the follicle stimulating hormone receptor in the plasma membrane of Sertoli cells. Here, we investigated the expression of the follicle stimulating hormone receptor in different testicular histological phenotypes of patients with idiopathic azoospermia.

METHODSFifty-seven cases of idiopathic azoospermia were classified into three groups according to the results of testicular biopsy: patients with hypospermatogenesis, patients with maturation arrest, and patients with Sertoli cell-only syndrome. Thirteen azoospermic patients identified by testicular biopsy as being capable of completing spermatogenesis acted as the control group. Immunohistochemistry and real-time quantitative reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction were performed in each case, and the serum hormone level was also measured in all patients.

RESULTSThe serum follicle stimulating hormone level in patients with Sertoli cell-only syndrome was significantly higher than in patients with hypospermatogenesis, maturation arrest, and complete spermatogenesis (P < 0.01). The serum follicle stimulating hormone level in patients with maturation arrest was significantly higher than in patients with hypospermatogenesis and complete spermatogenesis (P < 0.05). There was no difference in serum follicle stimulating hormone levels in patients with hypospermatogenesis and complete spermatogenesis. The follicle stimulating hormone receptor expression level of testicular samples with Sertoli cell-only syndrome was significantly higher than in those with hypospermatogenesis, maturation arrest, and complete spermatogenesis (P < 0.05), but no significant difference was observed among hypospermatogenesis, maturation arrest, and complete spermatogenesis testicular samples.

CONCLUSIONSDifferent serum follicle stimulating hormone levels and follicle stimulating hormone receptor expression were found in the different testicular histology phenotypes in azoospermic patients. Differential follicle stimulating hormone receptor expression in testicular tissue of patients with idiopathic azoospermia may be associated with the degree of spermatogenesis.

Adult ; Azoospermia ; blood ; metabolism ; Follicle Stimulating Hormone ; blood ; Humans ; Male ; Oligospermia ; blood ; metabolism ; Receptors, FSH ; genetics ; metabolism ; Spermatogenesis ; physiology ; Testis ; metabolism

Electrocardiogram (ECG) monitoring owns important clinical value in diagnosis, prevention and rehabilitation of cardiovascular disease (CVD). With the rapid development of Internet of Things (IoT), big data, cloud computing, artificial intelligence (AI) and other advanced technologies, wearable ECG is playing an increasingly important role. With the aging process of the population, it is more and more urgent to upgrade the diagnostic mode of CVD. Using AI technology to assist the clinical analysis of long-term ECGs, and thus to improve the ability of early detection and prediction of CVD has become an important direction. Intelligent wearable ECG monitoring needs the collaboration between edge and cloud computing. Meanwhile, the clarity of medical scene is conducive for the precise implementation of wearable ECG monitoring. This paper first summarized the progress of AI-related ECG studies and the current technical orientation. Then three cases were depicted to illustrate how the AI in wearable ECG cooperate with the clinic. Finally, we demonstrated the two core issues-the reliability and worth of AI-related ECG technology and prospected the future opportunities and challenges.
Humans ; Artificial Intelligence ; Reproducibility of Results ; Electrocardiography ; Cardiovascular Diseases ; Wearable Electronic Devices