Objective To analyse the clinical features,imaging characteristics diversity of deep cerebral veins thrombosis (DCVT).Methods From 2004 to 2013,6 patients diagnosed as DCVT were recorded and a retrospective review of the cases were undertaken for the purpose of this analysis.Results Among the 6 patients with DCVT,4 were male and 2 were female,aged from 28 to 69 years old.The disease duration of 4 cases ranged from 2 to 7 days,remnants were 20 days and 3 months respectively.The first symptoms of 4 cases were headache,1 was feeblemindedness,and the other was hemiplegia.The secondary symptoms were disturbance of consciousness,apathy,diplopia and non-infectious fever.Non-contrast computed tomography showed low signal in the bilateral thalamus in four patients,high signal in the transverse sinus and straight sinus in one patient and high signal in torcular in one patient.Abnormal signal was found in bilateral thalamus on magnetic resonance imaging in all patients and some of them had abnormal signal in the mesencephalon or basal ganglia.The patients were definitely diagnosed as DCVT by magnetic resonance venography (MRV) or digital subtraction angiography (DSA).Among them,2 patients were confirmed by brain biopsy.Four patients were followed up with good outcome and 2 were lost to follow-up.Conclusions The clinical manifestations of DCVT are not specific.For acute-onset DCVT patients,the first symptoms are always headache and vomiting,while the main symptoms are declined cognition and slow reaction for chronic-onset ones.Along with the progress,the main symptoms of DCVT are disturbance of consciousness,psychiatric symptoms and intracranial hypertension.Changes in the bilateral thalamus and basal ganglia are especially main characteristics which are easily misdiagnosed as brain tumor according to the images.DCVT can be definitely diagnosed by no signal of deep cerebral veins on MRV or DSA.

Objective To explore the clinical features,neuroimaging and histopathological findings in patients with idiopathic hypertrophic cranial pachymeningitis (IHCP) with a nodular space occupying effect.Methods Four IHCP cases with a nodular space occupying effect diagnosed in our hospital were retrospectively studied.Results All the 4 patients were men with a mean onset age of 40.25 (33 ～ 50) years old.They all had long disease duration and relapses.The common symptoms of IHCP were chronic headache,multiple cranial nerve palsies and epileptic seizures.CT and MRI of the brain revealed prominent dural partial thickening,which indicated a mass or nodular space occupying effect that mimicked intracranial tumour-like meningioma.The histopathological findings of dura in 2 cases revealed connective tissue proliferation,scattered neutrophile granulocytes and plasmacytes infiltration.Combination therapy of corticosteroid or/and immunosuppressive drugs was effective for the IHCP patients.Conclusions IHCP patients with a nodular space occupying effect usually onset with chronic headache and are often recurrent.The combination therapy of corticosteroid or/and immunosuppressive drugs is effective.The image of the brain presents prominent dural partial thickening,indicating a mass or nodular space occupying effect,which often lead to confusion with intracranial tumours or granulomatosis.

Objective To compare the imaging characteristics of multiple sclerosis (MS) and neuromyelitis optica (NMO) for better diagnosis and differential diagnosis.Methods The brain and spinal MRI images of 60 MS and 48 NMO cases were retrospectively reviewed.The imaging characteristics including the predilection site,morphological features,enhancement manifestations were summarized.All data was analyzed by using t test and Chi square test with SPSS 13.0.Results (1) The three top predilection sites of brain in head MRI of MS patients were periventricular white matter (34 cases in 60),subcortical white matter (27 cases in 60),brain stem (23 cases in 60).MS lesions also were found in basal ganglia,cerebellum,corpus callosum and thalamus,as well as cortex (9 cases in 60).By contrast,brain lesions were observed in 59.4％ (19/32) of NMO patients,and the three top predilection sites of NMO by turns were brain stem (13 cases in 19),periventricular white matter (12 cases in 19),subcortical white matter (7 cases in 19).Furthermore,the lesions surrounding third ventricle (6 cases in 19) and the tegmentum of brain stem near peri-aqueduct (8 cases in 19) in NMO were not found in patients of MS.The involvement of brain stem and thalamus was more frequent in NMO than in MS (x2 =5.267,6.004,P ＜0.05,respectively).(2) The lesions of spinal cord in MS patients were typically oval,peripheral,and asymmetric,but in NMO patients they were longitudinally extensive and centrally located.The mean number of involved vertebral segments in NMO patients was significantly more than that in MS patients (7.3 vs 2.2,t =-9.288,P ＜ 0.01).Furthermore,the number of spinal cord lesions in MS patients was remarkably more than that in NMO (2.0 vs 1.3,t =4.565,P ＜0.01).The ratios of occurrence of spinal cord swelling and distension of NMO patients was 58.3％ (28/48),which was significantly higher than 21.9％ in MS (7/32,x2 =10.370,P ＜0.01).(3)The enhancement pattern in MS was circular (7 cases in 42),oval (6 cases in 42) and irregular (4 cases in 42),while in NMO was mainly sheet-shaped with mild enhancement (5/11).The lesions of spinal cord showed in MS mainly manifested as oval enhancement (16 cases in 26) and linear enhancement (8 cases in 26),while in NMO lesions manifested as strand or mild linear enhancement (26 cases in 35).Conclusions NMO has several distinct imaging characteristics,which are helpful for differentiation from MS.

Cinnamomum migao plants often face different degrees of drought in karst habitats, which can lead to plants’ death, especially in the seedling stage. Widespread of arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi in karst soils have the potential to address this drought, which is a threat to C. migao seedlings. We inoculated C. migao seedlings with spores from Glomus lamellosum and Glomus etunicatum, two AM fungi widely distributed in karst soils, to observe seedling growth response after simulated drought. Our results showed that 40 g of G. lamellosum and G. etunicatum significantly promoted the growth of C. migao seedlings, 120 days after inoculation. Following a 15-day drought treatment, root colonization of the seedlings with G. lamellosum or G. etunicatum had lower the accumulation of malondialdehyde (MDA) and increased the accumulation of enzymes and osmotic substances in the seedlings. The relative water content in different organs (roots, stems, and leaves) of the drought-stressed seedlings was higher in plants with G. lamellosum or G. etunicatum than in plants without AM fungi colonization. Our results showed that inoculation with AM fungi was an effective means to improve the drought resistance of C. migao seedlings.

Cinnamomum migao plants often face different degrees of drought in karst habitats, which can lead to plants’ death, especially in the seedling stage. Widespread of arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi in karst soils have the potential to address this drought, which is a threat to C. migao seedlings. We inoculated C. migao seedlings with spores from Glomus lamellosum and Glomus etunicatum, two AM fungi widely distributed in karst soils, to observe seedling growth response after simulated drought. Our results showed that 40 g of G. lamellosum and G. etunicatum significantly promoted the growth of C. migao seedlings, 120 days after inoculation. Following a 15-day drought treatment, root colonization of the seedlings with G. lamellosum or G. etunicatum had lower the accumulation of malondialdehyde (MDA) and increased the accumulation of enzymes and osmotic substances in the seedlings. The relative water content in different organs (roots, stems, and leaves) of the drought-stressed seedlings was higher in plants with G. lamellosum or G. etunicatum than in plants without AM fungi colonization. Our results showed that inoculation with AM fungi was an effective means to improve the drought resistance of C. migao seedlings.

OBJECTIVETo make an open label prospective trial for comparing the therapeutic effects of mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) vs cyclophosphamide (CYC) pulse therapy on patients with diffuse proliferative lupus nephritis (DPLN).

METHODSForty-six patients with biopsy proven active DPLN were enrolled in this study. Twenty-three patients were given MMF orally at a dosage of 1.0 - 1.5 g/d (MMF Group). Another 23 cases received conventional intermittent CYC pulse therapy (CYC Group). Supplemental steroid treatment was offered in the same manner to both groups. The age, sex distribution and severity of renal damage were matched in two groups. Therapeutic effects were evaluated at the end of six-month treatment. Fifteen patients in the MMF Group and 12 patients in the CYC Group had repeated renal biopsy at that time.

RESULTSMMF therapy was more effective in reducing proteinuria and hematuria. A 50% reduction of urinary protein and urinary red blood cell excretion from baseline value in 69.6% and 91.3% patients in the MMF Group, while only 47.8% and 65.2% in the CYC Group. MMF was more effective in inhibiting autoantibody production (especially anti-dsDNA antibody) and in decreasing serum cryoglobulin levels. Pathologically, the MMF group showed more markedly reduction in glomerular immune deposits with less glomerular necrosis, and less microthrombi, less crescent formation and vascular changes in the repeated renal biopsy as compared with the CYC group. Adverse reactions related to the treatment included gastrointestinal symptoms 26.1% and 43.5% in the MMF and CYC Groups respectively, infection 17.4% in the MMF group and 30.4% in the CYC group.

CONCLUSIONMMF was more effective in controlling the clinical activity of DPLN and renal vascular lesions as compared with CYC pulse therapy in a 6 month follow-up study.

Adult ; Cyclophosphamide ; adverse effects ; therapeutic use ; Female ; Gastrointestinal Diseases ; chemically induced ; Humans ; Immunosuppressive Agents ; adverse effects ; therapeutic use ; Infection ; chemically induced ; Kidney ; drug effects ; pathology ; Lupus Nephritis ; drug therapy ; Male ; Mycophenolic Acid ; adverse effects ; analogs & derivatives ; therapeutic use ; Pneumonia ; chemically induced ; Prospective Studies ; Treatment Outcome

Objective:To preliminarily explore the association between single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) of five candidate genes (APH1B, PRNP, HMGCR, SIRT1, ApoE) and Alzheimer′s disease (AD), and to analyze the methylation levels of BAX and ApoE promoters on the pathogenesis of AD.Methods:Seventeen cases who were admitted to the Department of Geriatrics of the First Affiliated Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University from 2014 to 2015 and diagnosed as likely to be AD by geriatrician and neurologists according to the AD diagnostic criteria in 4th Revised Edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders of the American Psychiatric Association served AD group, with an age of (75.65±5.86) years, and 34 non-AD patients with matching baseline data such as age, gender, ethnicity, and education status among patients hospitalized during the same period were selected as control group, with an age of (77.59±7.41) years. Sanger sequencing method was used for SNP typing of candidate genes. Methylation-specific polymerase chain reaction was used to determine the DNA methylation level.Results:The distribution of ApoE ε4 allele was statistically different between the AD group and the control group (χ 2=9.718, P=0.002). Candidate genes (SIRT1 rs7895833, APH1B rs1047552, PRNP rs1799990, HMGCR rs3846662) SNP locus genotypes and alleles had no statistically significant differences in the distribution between the AD group and the control group ( P>0.05). After stratification according to whether they carried ApoE ε4, no statistically significant difference was found between the two groups ( P>0.05). The BAX promoter methylation level of the AD group (0.045±0.025) was lower than that of the control group (0.061±0.028) ( t=-2.078, P=0.045). After gender stratification, the BAX methylation level of the female AD group (0.044±0.021) was lower than that of the control group (0.065±0.275) ( t=-2.230, P=0.045). There was no statistically significant difference in the methylation level of ApoE promoter between the AD group and the control group ( P>0.05). After stratification according to whether they carry ApoE ε4 or not, the methylation level of AD patients with ApoE ε4 allele (1.553±0.291) was higher than that of non-carriers (1.221±0.261) ( t=2.480, P=0.025). Conclusions:ApoE ε4 allele may be a risk factor for the onset of AD. BAX promoter hypomethylation contributes to AD in the elderly in Xinjiang, especially in female. ApoE ε4 allele may cause AD through the interaction with ApoE methylation.

Objective To analyze the core functional component groups(CFCG)in Yinchenhao Decoction(YCHD)and their possible pathways for treating hepatic fibrosis based on network pharmacology.Methods PPI data were extracted from DisGeNET,Genecards,CMGRN and PTHGRN to construct a weighted network using Cytoscape 3.9.1.The data of the chemical components in YCHD were obtained from Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology Database and Analysis Platform(TCMSP),and the potential active components and targets were selected using PreADMET Web server and SwissTargetPrediction.A fusion model was constructed to obtain the functional effect space and evaluate the effective proteins to identify the CFCG followed by GO and KEGG pathway enrichment analyses for all the targets.In cultured human hepatic stellate cells(LX-2 cells),the cytotoxicity of different compounds in YCHD was tested using CCK-8 assay;the effects of these compounds on collagen α1(Col1a1)mRNA expression and the pathways in 20 ng/mL TGF-β1-stimulated cells were analyzed using RT-qPCR and Western blotting.Results A total of 1005 pathogenic genes,226 potential active components and 1529 potential targets in YCHD and 52 potential targets of CFCG were obtained.Benzyl acetate,vanillic acid,clorius,polydatin,lauric acid and ferulic acid were selected for CCK-8 verification,and they all showed minimal cytotoxicity below the concentration of 200 μmol/L.Clorius,polydatin,lauric acid and ferulic acid all effectively inhibited TGF-β1-induced LX-2 cell activation.At the concentration of 200 μmol/L,all these 4 components inhibited PI3K,p-PI3K,AKT,p-AKT,ERK,p-ERK,P38 MAPK and p-P38 MAPK expressions in TGF-β1-induced LX-2 cells.Conclusion The therapeutic effect of YCHD on hepatic fibrosis is probably mediated by its core functional components including benzyl acetate,vanillic acid,clorius,polydatin,lauric acid and ferulic acid,which inhibit the PI3K-AKT and MAPK pathways in hepatic stellate cells.

Objective To analyze the core functional component groups(CFCG)in Yinchenhao Decoction(YCHD)and their possible pathways for treating hepatic fibrosis based on network pharmacology.Methods PPI data were extracted from DisGeNET,Genecards,CMGRN and PTHGRN to construct a weighted network using Cytoscape 3.9.1.The data of the chemical components in YCHD were obtained from Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology Database and Analysis Platform(TCMSP),and the potential active components and targets were selected using PreADMET Web server and SwissTargetPrediction.A fusion model was constructed to obtain the functional effect space and evaluate the effective proteins to identify the CFCG followed by GO and KEGG pathway enrichment analyses for all the targets.In cultured human hepatic stellate cells(LX-2 cells),the cytotoxicity of different compounds in YCHD was tested using CCK-8 assay;the effects of these compounds on collagen α1(Col1a1)mRNA expression and the pathways in 20 ng/mL TGF-β1-stimulated cells were analyzed using RT-qPCR and Western blotting.Results A total of 1005 pathogenic genes,226 potential active components and 1529 potential targets in YCHD and 52 potential targets of CFCG were obtained.Benzyl acetate,vanillic acid,clorius,polydatin,lauric acid and ferulic acid were selected for CCK-8 verification,and they all showed minimal cytotoxicity below the concentration of 200 μmol/L.Clorius,polydatin,lauric acid and ferulic acid all effectively inhibited TGF-β1-induced LX-2 cell activation.At the concentration of 200 μmol/L,all these 4 components inhibited PI3K,p-PI3K,AKT,p-AKT,ERK,p-ERK,P38 MAPK and p-P38 MAPK expressions in TGF-β1-induced LX-2 cells.Conclusion The therapeutic effect of YCHD on hepatic fibrosis is probably mediated by its core functional components including benzyl acetate,vanillic acid,clorius,polydatin,lauric acid and ferulic acid,which inhibit the PI3K-AKT and MAPK pathways in hepatic stellate cells.

The gut microbiota has been found to interact with the brain through the microbiota-gut-brain axis, regulating various physiological processes. In recent years, the impacts of the gut microbiota on neurodevelopment through this axis have been increasingly appreciated. The gut microbiota is commonly considered to regulate neurodevelopment through three pathways, the immune pathway, the neuronal pathway, and the endocrine/systemic pathway, with overlaps and crosstalks in between. Accumulating studies have identified the role of the microbiota-gut-brain axis in neurodevelopmental disorders including autism spectrum disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and Rett Syndrome. Numerous researchers have examined the physiological and pathophysiological mechanisms influenced by the gut microbiota in neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs). This review aims to provide a comprehensive overview of advancements in research pertaining to the microbiota-gut-brain axis in NDDs. Furthermore, we analyzed both the current state of research progress and discuss future perspectives in this field.
Humans ; Brain-Gut Axis ; Autism Spectrum Disorder/metabolism* ; Brain/metabolism* ; Gastrointestinal Microbiome ; Neurodevelopmental Disorders/metabolism*