ObjectiveTo understand the clinical characteristics and therapy of Huntington's disease (HD).MethodsThe clinical characteristics of five typical kindreds with HD were analysed. The therapeutic progression after reviewing literature was summarized.ResultsFive kindreds inherited in an autosomal dominant manner. They were all adult-onset HD.Progressive motor dysfunction,cognitive decline,emotional and behavioral disturbance were the key clinical presentations. At an early stage, manifestations include subtle emotional symptoms and involuntary movements.The reason of visiting doctor was chorea. CT scans demonstrated brain atrophy.ConclusionsTypical clinical manifestation and clear family history may be enough to make primary diagnosis. Psychological evaluation at risk individual may help to diagnose early. Gene testing may confirm the diagnosis of HD. The drugs and occupational,physical therapy and psychotherapy for HD patients can help maintain the highest level of function and improve the quality of life.

Objective To understand the prevalence of hypertension and selenium intake of the residents in rural areas of Jilin province,and to discuss the relationship between selenium intake and the prevalence of hypertension, and to provide reference for prevention and therapy of hypertension.Methods A total of 1 380 inhabitants in rural areas of Jilin province were selected by way of cluster sampling to conduct dietary investigation,physical and blood examination.The selenium intake was categorized into three groups according to tritiles after adjusted by energy, and the relative risk for incidence of hypertension in each group was estimate by using the Logistic regression model with the first group as the reference.Results The prevalence of hypertension in the study area was 37.4%.The average for selenium intake was 35.908μg·d-1 and was lower than the standard level of selenium recommended by RNI.After adjustment for other risk factors,the relative risk for incidence of hypertension for different selenium intakes in the men was 1.00,0.471(95%CI 0.290-0.765),and 0.596(95%CI 0.373-0.951),the P values were 0.002 and 0.030. There was no significant relationship between selenium intake and the incidence of hypertension in the women,and there was also no significant relationship between Han people and Korean people in China.Conclusion The selenium intake is the influencing factor affecting the incidence of hypertension of the male rural residents in Jilin province,which reminds that the increasing selenium intake is helpful for the prevention of male hypertension.

Objective:To study the influence of different dietary patterns in hypertension, and to provide references for establishing a healthy dietary pattern, improving the abnormal blood pressure, preventing the early hypertension and controlling the high blood pressure.Methods:Random cluster sampling was adopted to analyze the dietary,examine the physical situations,and measure the blood pressures among 1 394 residents of Han nationality and Korean nationality aged from 40 to 80 years old from 8 villages in Jinlin Province from 2010 to 2011.Factor analysis was used to establish the dietary patterns and to analyze the effects of different dietary patterns on the prevalence of hypertension.Results:The prevalence of hypertension of middle aged and elderly people in the rural areas of Jilin Province was 35.3%.4 dietary patterns were obtained through factor analysis,including salted product dietary pattern,alcohol dietary pattern,condiments dietary pattern and high protein dietary pattern.By multivariate Logistic regression analysis and adjustment of the age,the gender,the nationality,the education and the career background, alcohol dietary pattern was positively correlated with the occurrence of the hypertension (OR=1.43,95%CI 1.07-1.90).Conclusion:Alcohol dietary pattern is closely related to the hypertension. Long-time large amount of alcohol is a risk cause for high blood pressure. Reducing alcohol consumption and developing healthy diet habits can help to prevent hypertension.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: To reveal the detail mechanism of miR-484 on myocardial ischemia-reperfusion (MI/R) injury. METHODS: Rats model of MI/R injury was established based on control (Con; sham operate) group, ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) group, miR-484 treatment (miR) group, and I/R-negative control (IR-C) group, followed by pathological and interleukin (IL)-6, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, and IL-1β expression evaluation. Then the myocardial apoptosis, as well as the expression of miR-484, caspase-3, and caspase-9 in myocardium were examined. Finally, the regulatory relation between miR-484 and SMAD family member 7 (SMAD7) was predicated, followed by verification analysis. RESULTS: Compared with Con group, the expression of miR-484 in I/R and IR-C group was decreased. Compared with I/R and IR-C group, the expression of miR-484 was increased in miR group. Compared with Con group, the expression levels of IL-6, TNF-α, and IL-1β in cardiac myocytes of I/R group and IR-C group were increased. Compared with Con group, the apoptotic index, membrane potential of I/R, and the expression of caspase-3/9 were increased in IR-C group. Compared with the I/R and IR-C groups, the apoptotic index of myocardial cells in the ischemic region was decreased, the membrane potential was increased, and the expression of caspase-3/9 was decreased significantly in the miR group. SMAD7 was the target gene of miR-484. CONCLUSIONS MiR-484 protected myocardial cells from I/R injury by suppressing caspase-3 and caspase-9 expression during cardiomyocyte apoptosis. MiR-484 reduced the expression of IL-6, TNF-α, and IL-1β in MI/R. MiR-484 might alleviate the decreasing of mitochondrial membrane potential in MI/R cells.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: To reveal the detail mechanism of miR-484 on myocardial ischemia-reperfusion (MI/R) injury.METHODS: Rats model of MI/R injury was established based on control (Con; sham operate) group, ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) group, miR-484 treatment (miR) group, and I/R-negative control (IR-C) group, followed by pathological and interleukin (IL)-6, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, and IL-1β expression evaluation. Then the myocardial apoptosis, as well as the expression of miR-484, caspase-3, and caspase-9 in myocardium were examined. Finally, the regulatory relation between miR-484 and SMAD family member 7 (SMAD7) was predicated, followed by verification analysis.RESULTS: Compared with Con group, the expression of miR-484 in I/R and IR-C group was decreased. Compared with I/R and IR-C group, the expression of miR-484 was increased in miR group. Compared with Con group, the expression levels of IL-6, TNF-α, and IL-1β in cardiac myocytes of I/R group and IR-C group were increased. Compared with Con group, the apoptotic index, membrane potential of I/R, and the expression of caspase-3/9 were increased in IR-C group. Compared with the I/R and IR-C groups, the apoptotic index of myocardial cells in the ischemic region was decreased, the membrane potential was increased, and the expression of caspase-3/9 was decreased significantly in the miR group. SMAD7 was the target gene of miR-484.CONCLUSIONS: MiR-484 protected myocardial cells from I/R injury by suppressing caspase-3 and caspase-9 expression during cardiomyocyte apoptosis. MiR-484 reduced the expression of IL-6, TNF-α, and IL-1β in MI/R. MiR-484 might alleviate the decreasing of mitochondrial membrane potential in MI/R cells.
Animals ; Apoptosis ; Caspase 3 ; Caspase 9 ; Humans ; Interleukin-6 ; Interleukins ; Membrane Potential, Mitochondrial ; Membrane Potentials ; Myocardium ; Myocytes, Cardiac ; Rats ; Reperfusion Injury ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha

Objective: To prospectively investigate the feasibility of shear wave elastography (SWE) as a new quantitative and objective method for evaluating the stiffness of the gastrocnemius medialis (GM) muscle during passive stretching in patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD). Materials and Methods: SWE of the GM muscle was performed in 28 patients with PD [13 female and 15 male; mean age ± standard deviation (SD): 63.0 ± 8.5 years] and 12 healthy controls (5 female and 7 male; mean age ± SD: 59.3 ± 6.4 years) during passive ankle rotation. A Young’s modulus-ankle angle curve was constructed. The GM slack angle and baseline Young’s modulus (E 0) were compared between the markedly symptomatic and mildly symptomatic sides of patients with PD, and healthy controls. Additionally, the correlation between the GM slack angle and the severity of rigidity, and the observer reproducibility of SWE in determining the GM slack angle were evaluated. Results: The GM slack angle was smaller on both the markedly and mildly symptomatic sides in patients with PD than in healthy controls (mean ± SD of -29.13° ± 3.79° and -25.65° ± 3.39°, respectively, vs. -21.22° ± 3.52°; p < 0.001 and p = 0.006, respectively). Additionally, in patients with PD, the GM slack angle on the markedly symptomatic side was smaller than that on the mildly symptomatic side (p = 0.003). The E 0 value was lower on both the markedly and mildly symptomatic sides in patients with PD than in healthy controls (mean ± SD of 10.11 ± 2.85 kPa and 10.08 ± 1.88 kPa, respectively, vs. 12.23 ± 1.02 kPa; p = 0.012 and p < 0.001, respectively). However, no significant difference was found between the markedly and mildly symptomatic sides in patients with PD (p = 0.634). A negative linear relationship was observed between the GM slack angle and lower limb rigidity score on the markedly symptomatic side in patients with PD (r = -0.719; p < 0.001). The intraclass correlation coefficients for observer reproducibility of SWE ranged from 0.880 to 0.951. Conclusion The slack angle determined by SWE may be a useful quantitative and reproducible method for evaluating muscle stiffness in patients with PD.

OBJECTIVETo assess the association of polymorphisms of oncostatin M receptor (OSMR) gene with dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) in a Han Chinese population.

METHODSFor 351 DCM patients and 418 healthy controls, two single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of the OSMR gene, namely rs2292016 (promoter, -100G/T) and rs2278329 (missense, Asp553Asn), were genotyped with a TaqMan SNP genotyping assay. Two hundred of the patients were also followed up for (49.85 ± 22.52) months.

RESULTSFor rs2292016, carriers of GT genotype were more likely to develop DCM compared to those with GG and TT genotypes (OR=1.45, 95%CI: 1.09-1.92, P=0.01). For those who did not receive cardiac resynchronization therapy, the GG genotype of rs2292016 was an independent indicator for poor prognosis (OR=1.69, 95%CI: 1.11-2.63, P=0.017). No association was found between genotypes of rs2278329 with the susceptibility or prognosis of DCM.

CONCLUSIONPolymorphisms of the OSMR rs2292016 locus are related to the development and outcome of DCM.

Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; genetics ; Cardiomyopathy, Dilated ; etiology ; genetics ; China ; ethnology ; Genotype ; Humans ; Oncostatin M Receptor beta Subunit ; genetics ; Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide

PURPOSE: Intestinal dysfunction is one of the most common complications in patients after abdominal surgery. Daikenchuto (DKT), a traditional herbal medicine, is recently employed to improve postoperative intestinal dysfunction. The aim of this meta-analysis was to assess the efficacy of DKT in improving intestinal dysfunction after abdominal surgery. METHODS: PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane library were systematically searched to identify randomized controlled trails (RCTs) in adult patients undergoing abdominal surgery, who were randomly distributed to administrate DKT and placebo. The primary outcomes included the time to first postoperative flatus or bowel movement. We used random-effects models to calculate summary mean differences (MDs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). RESULTS: Nine RCTs totaling 1,212 patients (618 in DKT, 594 in control group) were included in our study. Compared with control group, DKT can effectively improve postoperative intestinal dysfunction by shortening the time to first postoperative flatus (MD, −0.41; 95% confidence interval [CI], −0.66 to −0.16; P = 0.001) with significant heterogeneity (I2 = 71%, P = 0.004), and bowel movement (MD, −0.65; 95% CI, −0.97 to −0.32; P < 0.001) without significant heterogeneity (I2 = 40%, P = 0.14). Sensitivity analyses by indication of surgery and type of surgery yielded similar results. CONCLUSION: These data provide limited evidence that DKT shows efficacy on improving intestinal dysfunction after abdominal surgery. However, the results should be interpreted cautiously, due to the heterogeneity of the studies included. Thus, the efficacy of DKT on improving postoperative intestinal dysfunction warrants further investigation.
Adult ; Flatulence ; Herbal Medicine ; Humans ; Population Characteristics

Objective:To investigate distribution characteristics of Treponema pallidum (Tp) in secondary syphilis lesions, and to analyze its correlation with histopathological findings. Methods:Totally, 41 patients were collected from Department of Dermatology and Venereology, Peking Union Medical College Hospital from January 2008 to December 2018, who were confirmedly diagnosed with secondary syphilis according to clinical manifestations and serological examinations, and had undergone histopathological examinations. Immunohistochemical results of skin tissue sections were analyzed, and differences in clinical and histopathological characteristics were analyzed between immunohistochemically Tp-positive and Tp-negative sections. Continuous data were compared by using t test or Kruskal-Wallis test, and categorical data were compared by using Chi-square test or Fisher′s exact test. Results:Immunohistochemical examination showed that Tp was detected in 68.3% of the 42 secondary syphilis tissue sections, and Tp was mainly distributed in the lower epidermis and superficial and middle dermis. The positive rate of Tp was significantly higher in secondary syphilis lesions mainly manifesting as maculae (80% [16/20]) than in those mainly manifesting as papules (50% [11/22], P < 0.05) . Among 10 pathological characteristics, extended rete ridges, basal cell liquefaction degeneration, neutrophil infiltration in the stratum corneum, lichenoid pattern of infiltration and punctate keratinocyte necrosis were observed more frequently in immunohistochemically Tp-positive sections than in Tp-negative sections (all P < 0.05) . Immunohistochemical study revealed that tissue sections with a larger number of Tp showed more pathological features ( H = 17.914, P < 0.001) . Immunohistochemical staining showed that there were 8, 7 and 6 syphilis-specific histopathological characteristics on average in 8 tissue sections with a larger number of Tp, 14 with a medium number of Tp and 5 with a small number of Tp, respectively; while only 4 syphilis-specific histopathological characteristics were observed on average in 15 immunohistochemically Tp-negative tissue sections. Conclusion:Immunohistochemical staining could show the distribution of Tp in secondary syphilis lesions, and it seems that tissue sections with a larger number of Tp present with more syphilis-specific histopathological characteristics.

AIM: To investigate the effect of flutamide on mitochondrial biogenesis and the regulating effect of anoxidative pathway Nrf2 on it. METHODS: Human hepatocyte HepG2 cells were treated with flutamide (0-50 μmol/L) for 24 h, then mtDNA copy number and protein expression of mitochondrial biogenesis were detected by RT-PCR and WB. The effects of ERK1/2 and the role of Nrf2 pathway in mitochondrial biogenesis were further observed by gene knockdown and protein activation/inhibition methods. RESULTS: Flutamide interfered mitochondrial biogenesis concentration-dependently, the mtDNA copy number, ERK1/2 and PGC-1α proteins increased with the dose. ERK1/2 inhibition and activation regulated flutamide-induced mtDNA copy number and PGC-1α expression, and inhibition of Nrf2 pathway also affected flutamide-induced mtDNA copy number and expression of PGC-1α, as well as ERK1/2 expression. CONCLUSION: Flutamide affects mitochondrial biogenesis, and the antioxidant pathway Nrf2 may be involved in the regulation of flutamine-induced mitochondrial biogenesis by regulating ERK1/2.