Objective Using Morris water maze test to evaluate the effects of guanosine and curcumin on cognitive function of APPswe/PS1dE9 double transgenic mice .Methods 3-month old APPswe/PS1dE9 dtg mice were randomly di-vided into model group , donepezil HCL group , guanosine group , curcumin group , curcumin and guanosine group ( n=12), with age-matched Wild C57BL/6J mice of the same genetic background as normal control group .Medication was giv-en once a day for 1 month.Using Morris water maze to test the spatial learning and memory ability of mice .Results Guanosine and curcumin could improve spatial learning and memory disorders of AD mice , particularly in the group of cur-cumin.Conclusion Guanosine and curcumin improve the cognitive ability of APPswe /PS1dE9 double transgenic mice with early cognitive impairment .

Objective To evaluate cardiac function in fetuses with intracardiac hyperechogenic focus (ICEF) by tissue Doppler imaging(TDI).Methods Fetal echocardiography was performed in 335 fetuses for evaluation of fetal cardiac function with ICEF by TDI,two-dimensional,M-mode and pulsed Doppler echocardiography.The ratio between early ventricular filling(E-wave)and active atrial filling(A-wave)peak velocities at the level of the atrioventricularvalves as an index of ventricular diastolic function.TDI mode was used to measure the mitral and tricuspid valve annulus including Em,Am and Sm.The characteristics of fetal echocardiography of 119 fetuses with ICEF were compared with 137 normal fetuses.Results E/A and Em/Am were significantly lower in fetuses with ICEF than in control fetuses.Positive correlation was found between the velocity of orifice and annulus in controls.No systematic differences were found in cardiac dimensions,ventricular shortening fraction,Doppler and TDI systolic indices between groups.Conclusions TDI is feasible and reproducible to evaluate fetal ventricular function,and it can avoid the influence of fetal heart rates and preloading.Fetuses with ICEF show lower Em/Am values in the second to third trimester echocardiography,it might indicate cardiac diastolic dysfunction.

Objective To establish reference values of normal fetal heart conduction time intervals by tissue Doppler imaging(TDI)and pulsed Doppler(PD)echocardiography,and to assess their correlation with gestational-age and fetal heart rate.Methods One hundred and eighty-nine pregnant women underwent detailed echocardiographic examinations.Atrio-ventricular conduction time interval(AV)and the time interval from onset of ventricular contraction to the onset of atrial contraction of next cardiac cycle(VA)were measured by TDI and PD echocardiography.Results TDI-AV was(126.56±15.33)ms(95% CI 124.10～129.03 ms),TDI-VA was(285.22±24.53)ms(95% CI 281.27～289.16 ms),PD-AV was(127.42±12.88)ms(95% CI 125.35～129.49 ms),PD-VA was(287.42±25.19)ms(95% CI 283.37～291.47 ms).A paired t test revealed no systematic difference between the two approaches used to measure AV and VA.AV and VA were significantly positively correlated with gestational age,and significantly negatively correlated with fetal heart rate.Heart conduction time intervals were altered in fetus with paroxysmal arrhythmia.Conclusions This study established the normal values of fetal heart conduction time intervals.Prenatal determination of fetal heart conductional time intervals has important potential clinical utility in assessing fetal arrhythmia.

Objective To investigate the application value of the ultrasonic elastic tissue dispersion quantitative analysis technique in different stages of subacute thyroiditis (SAT).Methods One hundred and forty-four SAT lesions detected from 81 patients were enrolled in the patient group.They were further divided into three subgroups,including acute group (group Ⅰ),medium group (group Ⅱ) and recovery group (group Ⅲ).Another 59 healthy volunteers were collected as control group.All the participants accepted conventional ultrasound and elastographic examinations.Eleven parameters were obtained by the tissue dispersion quantitative analysis software.These parameters were compared between groups and among subgroups by ANOVA.The correlation between all the parameters and the course of SAT were analyzed by Spearman and Multiple linear regression methods.Results Between groups and among subgroups,the complexity (COMP) and correlation (CORR) were not statistically different(all P ＞0.05).Differences of kurtosis (KURT) and angular secon moment (ASM) among the three subgroups were not significant (all P ＞0.05).Differences between groups and among subgroups were significantly different among the value of all the other seven indexes (all P ＜0.01).Moreover,they were all correlated with the clinical staging,with the highest coefficient in area ration of low-strain region (％ AREA)(r =-0.881).Regression model was constructed and only ％ AREA was selected into the regression equation.ROC curves were constructed to estimate the clinic value of ％ AREA in staging patients of SAT,the areas under ROC curves were0.986(group Ⅰ vs group Ⅱ-Ⅲ) and 0.988 (group Ⅰ-Ⅱ vs group Ⅲ[) for ％AREA,respectively.Conclusions The tissue dispersion quantitative analysis technique is helpful in estimating the stiffness of thyroid in patients with SAT.

OBJECTIVETo observe the effect of curcumin on the expression of Abeta42 and its degrading enzyme NEP in APP/PS1 double transgenic mice.

METHOD3-month old APP/PS1 dtg mice were randomly divided into model group, positive control group and curcumin large, medium and small dose group. After 3 months, Morris water maze, immunohistochemistry, Western blot were applied to detect learning and memory ability of animal.

RESULTBehavior detection, compared with the model group, treatment group showed varying degrees of difference in place navigation test and space exploration experiments (P < 0.01 or P < 0.05). The expression of Abeta42 and its degrading enzyme NEP, Abeta42-positive cells of hippocampus CA1 region significantly increased in model mice as compared with normal control group (P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONCurcumin can improve learning and memory ability of APP/PS1 double transgenic mice through increasing the expression of Abeta-degrading enzyme NEP and decreasing the expression of Abeta42.

Amyloid beta-Peptides ; drug effects ; metabolism ; Animals ; CA1 Region, Hippocampal ; drug effects ; metabolism ; Curcumin ; pharmacology ; DNA-Directed RNA Polymerases ; drug effects ; metabolism ; Maze Learning ; drug effects ; Memory ; drug effects ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Mice, Transgenic ; Peptide Fragments ; drug effects ; metabolism

OBJECTIVETo observe the effect of curcumin on the expression of synapse-related proteins PSD-95 and Shank1 in APP/PS1 double transgenic mice.

METHODThree-month-old APP/PS1 dtg mice were randomly divided into the model group, the positive Rosiglitazone control group and curcumin high (400 mg x kg(-1) x d(-1)), medium (200 mg x kg(-1) x d(-1)) and low (100 mg x kg(-1) x d(-1)) dose groups, with non-genetically modified mice with the same background as the normal group. After the oral administration for three months, immunohistochemistry and Western blot were adopted for detection.

RESULTAccording to the behavioral detection, the treatment group and the model group showed differences in the place navigation test and the spatial probe test to varying degrees (P < 0.01 or P < 0.05). The expression of PSD-95 and Shank1-positive cells of hippocampus CA1 region significantly decreased in model mice compared with normal control group (P < 0.01); while the curcumin intervention group showed recovery to some extend. Western blot results showed that the strap of PSD-95 protein expression became significantly thinner and lighter in the model group compared with the normal control group (P < 0.01); while the curcumin intervention group showed notably thicker and darker straps of PSD-95 protein expression (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONCurcumin can increase the expression of synapse-related proteins PSD95 and Shank1 in APP/PS1 double transgenic mice, improve structure and plasticity of synapse in APP/PS1 double transgenic mice and enhance their learning and memory abilities.

Amyloid beta-Protein Precursor ; genetics ; Animals ; CA1 Region, Hippocampal ; drug effects ; metabolism ; Curcumin ; pharmacology ; Disks Large Homolog 4 Protein ; Gene Expression Regulation ; drug effects ; Guanylate Kinases ; metabolism ; Membrane Proteins ; metabolism ; Mice ; Mice, Transgenic ; Nerve Tissue Proteins ; metabolism ; Presenilin-1 ; genetics ; Synapses ; drug effects ; metabolism

Objective:To investigate the application value of the ultrasonic elastic tissue dispersion quantitative analysis technique in differentiating thyroid nodules.Methods:A total of 164 nodules in 143 patients with thyroid nodules were examined by elastography ultrasound at Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine from January to November 2014. Eleven parameters were obtained by the tissue dispersion quantitative analysis software. These parameters were compared between benign and malignant groups by Mann-Whitney U test. The correlations between all the parameters and the pathologic results of thyroid nodules were analyzed by Spearman analysis. The receiver operating characteristic(ROC) curve of the parameter with the highest correlation coefficient was constructed. The cut-off value was calculated. Results:All parameters except correlation (CORR) had statistically significant differences between the groups of benign and malignant thyroid nodules(all P<0.01). Moreover, except CORR, the other parameters were correlated with the pathologic results of thyroid nodules(all P<0.05), with the highest coefficient in area ration of low-strain region (%AREA)( r s=0.818). ROC curves were constructed to estimate the clinic values of %AREA in diagnosis of thyroid cancer, the area under ROC curve was 0.991 for %AREA, the cut-off point was 74.83%, the sensitivity and specifity was 98.1% and 89.8%, respectively. Conclusions:The tissue dispersion quantitative analysis technique has high value in the differential diagnosis of benign and malignant thyroid nodules.

Objective:To investigate the influencing factors for endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP)-related adverse events in novice trainees and establishment of its prediction model.Methods:The prospective study was conducted. The clinical data of 12 novice trainees of ERCP in the First Hospital of Lanzhou University from July 2016 to July 2019 were selected. The operation was performed by 12 novice trainees of ERCP under the guidance of the endoscopic experts. Observation indicators: (1) ERCP-related adverse events in novice trainees; (2) analysis of influencing factors for ERCP-related adverse events in novice trainees; (3) establishment of a prediction model for ERCP-related adverse events in novice trainees. Measurement data with normal distribution were represented as Mean± SD, and comparison between groups was analyzed by the t test. Measurement data with skewed distribution were represented as M(range), and com-parison between groups was analyzed by the Mann-Whitney U test. Count data were expressed as absolute numbers or percentages, and comparison between groups was analyzed by the chi-square test. The Logistic regression model was used for univariate and multivariate analyses. The regression coefficients were used to construct a prediction model. The receiver operating characteristic curve was drawn, and the area under curve was used to evaluate the predictive ability. Results:(1) ERCP-related adverse events in novice trainees. Of the 300 patients with ERCP operated by 12 novice trainees, 52 cases had ERCP-related adverse events and 248 cases had no ERCP-related adverse events. Cases in grade 1?2 or grade 3?4 of ERCP difficulty classification, score for intubation time, score for cannulation time, cases with or without completion of the cannulation, cases with or with-out basket stone removal, cases with or without stenosis expansion, score for contrast-enhanced interpretation, score for implementation of reasonable treatment and score for expected purpose reached were 22, 30, 8(range, 5?10), 20(rang, 9?20), 24, 28, 11, 41, 0, 52, 39±17, 39±19 and 44±23 for novice trainees with ERCP-related adverse events, versus 146, 102, 6(range, 4?9), 12(range, 8?20), 163, 85, 94, 154, 20, 228, 52±22, 80±20, 52±23 for novice trainees without ERCP-related adverse events, showing significant differences in the above indicators between them ( χ2=4.79, Z=?2.46, ?2.72, χ2=7.01, 5.30, 4.49, t=?4.00, ?2.97, ?2.29, P<0.05). (2) Analysis of influencing factors for ERCP-related adverse events in novice trainees. Results of univariate analysis showed that the diffi-culty classification of ERCP, intubation time, cannulation time, completion of cannulation, basket stone extraction, contrast-enhanced interpretation, implementation of reasonable treatment and expected purpose reached were related factors for ERCP-related adverse events in novice trainees ( odds ratio=1.95, 1.11, 1.08, 0.45, 0.44, 0.97, 0.98, 0.98, 95% confidence intervals as 1.07?3.58, 1.02?1.22, 1.02?1.14, 0.24?0.82, 0.22?0.90, 0.96?0.99, 0.96?0.99, 0.97?1.00, P<0.05). Results of multi-variate analysis showed that difficulty classification of ERCP and contrast-enhanced interpretation were independent influencing factors for ERCP-related adverse events in novice trainees ( odds ratio=2.08, 0.95, 95% confidence intervals as 1.10?3.96, 0.92?0.99, P<0.05). (3) Establishment of a predic-tion model for ERCP-related adverse events in novice trainees. According to the important outcome indicators of clinical training and results of multivariate analysis, 4 indicators including difficulty classification of ERCP, intubation time, cannulation time and contrast-enhanced interpretation were included to establish a prediction model for ERCP-related adverse events in novice trainees, which indicated that trainees with the predicted score >0.4 were in high risk of ERCP-related adverse events. The area under receiver operating characteristic curve of the prediction model was 0.72(95% confidence interval as 0.65?0.79, P<0.05), with the best cut-off value as 0.40, the sensitivity as 76.9% and the specificity as 63.3%. Conclusion:The difficulty classification of ERCP and contrast-enhanced interpretation are independent influencing factors for ERCP-related adverse events in novice trainees. Novice trainees with a predicted score >0.4 are high-risk groups of ERCP-related adverse events.