Objective The poor sleep quality of epileptic patients may be partly due to the occurrence epileptiform discharges (EDs).We observed the number of interictal discharges in each sleep stage and explored the associations between EDs and sleep phases in epilepsy patients.Methods Two hundred and forty epileptic patients and 213 healthy volunteers were enrolled in the current study.For all subjects,video-electroencephalogram monitoring and 24 h-night polysomnography were conducted to detect EDs and analyze the sleep structures.Results EDs were detected in 88.7％ (213/240) of epilepsy patients with the most frequent cases from the temporal lobe.The EDs detected during waking,sleeping,or both waking and non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep stage accounted for 20.6％ (44/213),40.4％ (86/213),and 38.9％ (83/213) of the total patients,respectively.The total sleep time and time spent in REM were similar between the epileptic patients and healthy volunteers.However,epileptic patients spent a significantly longer mean sleep time in NREM Ⅰ-Ⅱ ((304 ±39) min versus (225 ±29) min,t =3.51,P =0.000) and less in NREM Ⅲ-Ⅳ ((49 ± 7) min versus (133 ± 17) min,t =2.30,P =0.000) than healthy volunteers.Furthermore,asymmetric sleep spindles and fragmentary sleep structure as well as high inversion frequency were found in epilepsy patients,respectively.Conclusion Combination of long-term video electroencephalogram with polysomnography is a useful method to analyze associations between EDs and the sleep-wake cycle.This strategy can also help identify the nature of sleep disorders in epileptic patients,which may improve the treatment efficacy.

BACKGROUNDGefitinib is an epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) tyrosine kinase inhibitor which is used to treat advanced non-small cell lung cancer, especially adenocarcinoma. The aim of this study is to evaluate the efficacy, side effects and prognostic factors of gefitinib in adenocarcinoma of the lung.

METHODSA total of 26 patients with advanced adenocarcinoma of the lung were enrolled in the study. Gefitinib was orally administered 250mg once daily until disease progression or the occurrence of intolerable toxicity. They were evaluated regularly and their survival was analyzed.

RESULTSIn 26 patients, there was 1 with complete regression (3.8%), 11 with partial response (42.3%), 9 with stable disease (34.6%) and 5 with progression of disease (19.2%). The objective response rate was 46.2% and the disease control rate was 80.8%. The median progression-free survival time was 8.2 months and the median overall survival time was 10.4 months. The 1-year survival rate was 31.6%. Age ( < 70 years old), skin rash and CEA decrease were significantly related to longer survival, however, times of prior chemotherapy and gefitinib treatment stage did not influence the survival. Mean PS (ECOG) was 3.0 before treatment, and 1.8 after treatment. Mean symptom relief time was 5.2 days.

CONCLUSIONSGefitinib is an effective target drug with slight side effect. It can significantly improve quality of life of patients with adenocarcinoma. It can be used as first-line therapy to patients who are not suitable for chemotherapy.

The different biological functions were studied in mouse bone marrow-derived endothelial progenitor cells isolated by differential time attachment to obtain the optimal adherent time in this study. Density gradient centrifugation-isolated bone marrow mononuclear cells were seeded on the fibronectin-coated dish. The 1-day cultured unattached cells were seeded on the second dish for 2 more days. Then unattached cells in the second dish were seeded on the third dish. The cells on 3 dishes were defined as 1-day adherent cells, 3-day adherent cells and 3-day unattached cells, respectively. After 20-day culture, the biological functions, such as the percentage of biomarkers, the ability of adhesion, and the ability of forming tubes in vitro were analyzed. The results showed that the percentages of positive CD34, FLK-1, and CD34/FLK-1 expressions in 1-day attached cells were significantly increased compared to those in the 3-day adherent or unattached cells (P < 0.01), which showed the strongest adhesion ability. The expression of eNOS in 1- or 3-day adherent cells was significantly higher than that in 3-day unattached cells (P < 0.01). The expression of VEGF in 3-day adherent cells was significantly higher than that in 1-day adherent cells or 3-day unattached cells (P < 0.01). These results suggest the biological functions of 1-day adherent cells are significantly stronger than that of 3-day adherent or unattached cells. VEGF expression in 3-day adherent cells is higher than that in 1-day adherent cells or 3-day unattached cells. The expression of eNOS in 1-day adherent cells or 3-day adherent cells is higher than that in 3-day unattached cells. The optimal adherent time to obtain mouse bone marrow-derived endothelial progenitor cells is 1-3 d.
Animals ; Bone Marrow Cells ; cytology ; Cell Culture Techniques ; methods ; Cell Differentiation ; Cell Separation ; methods ; Cells, Cultured ; Endothelial Cells ; cytology ; metabolism ; Leukocytes, Mononuclear ; cytology ; Male ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Nitric Oxide Synthase Type III ; metabolism ; Stem Cells ; cytology ; metabolism ; Time Factors ; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A ; metabolism

AIM: To identify the structure of the acid-catalyzed product of strictosamide and explore the reaction mechanism. METHODS: The acid-catalyzed reaction process of strictosamide was monitored by HPLC, and a macroporous resin was used to purify the reaction solution. The structure of the product was confirmed by MS, NMR, and ROESY spectra. RESULTS: The acid-catalyzed transformation yield from strictosamide to vincoside lactam was 52%. CONCLUSION The reaction mechanism of the transformation from strictosamide to vincoside lactam may be related to the stability of the three-dimensional configuration of the compound. These results offer a new way to obtain vincoside lactam from the widely distributed indole alkaloid strictosamide by acid-catalysis.
Acids ; chemistry ; Catalysis ; Lactams ; chemistry ; Molecular Structure ; Vinca Alkaloids ; chemistry

OBJECTIVETo assess the feasibility, safety and effectiveness of video-assisted thoracoscopic sympathectomy (VATS) for the treatment of congenital long QT syndrome.

METHODSUnder general anaesthesia, pleural cavity was entered via two or three small incisions in the left intercostal space. The left thoracic sympathetic chain was identified and resected from T2 approximately T5. The lower one at the third of the left stellate ganglion was also resected.

RESULTSVATS resulted in a significant shortening in corrected QT intervals in three patients. The average QT interval of the four patients was 537.5 ms before VATS and 512.5 ms after VATS. The heart rate of the patients remained unchanged. There were no major peri-operative complications apart from mild ptosis of the left upper eyelid in one patient who recovered in the following days. The syndrome recurred in one patient in syncopal events in four months after VATS.

CONCLUSIONVATS is a safe as well as an effective technique for the treatment of congenital long QT syndromes.

Adult ; Child ; Female ; Humans ; Long QT Syndrome ; congenital ; surgery ; Male ; Sympathectomy ; methods ; Thoracic Surgery, Video-Assisted ; methods

BACKGROUNDSARS-CoV is the causative agent of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) which has been associated with outbreaks of SARS in Guangdong, Hong Kong and Beijing of China, and other regions worldwide. SARS-CoV from human has shown some variations but its origin is still unknown. The genotyping and phylogeny of SARS-CoV were analyzed and reported in this paper.

METHODSFull or partial genomes of 44 SARS-CoV strains were collected from GenBank. The genotype, single nucleotide polymorphism and phylogeny of these SARS-CoV strains were analyzed by molecular biological, bioinformatic and epidemiological methods.

RESULTSThere were 188 point mutations in the 33 virus full genomes with the counts of mutation mounting to 297. Further analysis was carried out among 36 of 188 loci with more than two times of mutation. All the 36 mutation loci occurred in coding sequences and 22 loci were non-synonymous. The gene mutation rates of replicase 1AB, S2 domain of spike glycoprotein and nucleocapsid protein were lower (0.079% - 0.103%). There were 4 mutation loci in S1 domain of spike glycoprotein. The gene mutation rate of ORF10 was the highest (3.333%) with 4 mutation loci in this small domain (120 bp) and 3 of 4 loci related to deletion mutation. By bioinformatics processing and analysis, the nucleotides at 7 loci of genome (T:T:A:G:T:C:T/C:G:G:A:C:T:C) can classify SARS-CoV into two types. Therefore a novel definition is put forward that according to these 7 loci of mutation, 40 strains of SARS-CoV in GenBank can be grouped into two genotypes, T:T:A:G:T:C:T and C:G:G:A:C:T:C, and named as SARS-CoV Yexin genotype and Xiaohong genotype. The two genotypes can be further divided into some sub-genotypes. These genotypes can also be approved by phylogenetic tree of three levels of 44 loci of mutation, spike glycoprotein gene and complete genome sequence. Compared to various strains among SARS-CoV Yexin genotype and Xiaohong genotype, GD01 strain of Yexin genotype is more closely related to SARS-CoV like-virus from animals.

CONCLUSIONThe results mentioned above suggest that SARS-CoV is responding to host immunological pressures and experiencing variation which provide clues, information and evidence of molecular biology for the clinical pathology, vaccine developing and epidemic investigation.

Evolution, Molecular ; Genome, Viral ; Genotype ; Phylogeny ; Point Mutation ; SARS Virus ; genetics

Objective:To investigate the clinical characteristics of primary thyroid lymphoma (PTL) and the differences in clinical manifestations and survival between the two main pathological subtypes of PTL.Methods:The clinical data of 52 patients with PTL diagnosed in Shanxi Province Cancer Hospital from January 2011 to January 2022 were retrospectively analyzed. The clinical characteristics and survival between the two main pathological subtypes [diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) and mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue lymphoma (MALT)] were compared.Results:Among 52 PTL patients, there were 12 males and 40 females, with a median age of 65 years old (34-83 years old). All patients presented with anterior cervical mass at the time of visit. MALT was diagnosed in 12 cases (23.1%). DLBCL was diagnosed in 37 cases (71.2%), of which 5 cases were double/triple expression lymphoma. B-cell lymphoma (unclassified) was diagnosed in 2 cases (3.8%). Follicular lymphoma (FL) was diagnosed in 1 case (1.9%). There was statistical difference in the proportion of patients with cervical lymph node enlargement between MALT and DLBCL patients [66.7% (8/12) vs. 94.6% (35/37), χ2 = 4.23, P < 0.05]. The 3-year OS rates of MALT and DLBCL patients were 90.9% and 73.9%, and the difference in OS between the two groups of patients was statistically significant ( χ2 = 5.11, P = 0.024). Conclusions:Pathological subtypes of PTL are related to the prognosis of patients.