Objective The aim of this article is to study the clinical features, image, electroencephalogram and gene mutation of mitochondrial encephalomyopathy with MELAS and to improve understanding of the disease. Methods Clinical data was collected from 12 MELAS cases. Their clinical symptoms, head imageological result,electroencephalo-gram and gene mutation were analyzed. Results The average onset age was 28 years old. The main manifestations of 12 patients were epilepsy(66.7%), stroke-like episodes(50.0%), mental behavious disorder and decrease of perceive (41.7%),diabetes or abnormal glucose tolerance(41.7%), hearing impairment(41.7%). The imaging results showed long T1, long T2 and high signals on DWI. The nidus involved occipital lobe, temporal lobe, parietal lobe most. Five of six cases undergoing MRS imaging had large lactate peak at 1.33 ppm. There were 9 cases carrying mtDNA A3243G muta-tion. Conclusion The clinical presentation of MELAS is highly variable without any obvious specificity on MRI and EEG. Large lactate peak on MRS may indicate the disease. Most patients carry A3243G mutation.

In the heart, stimulation of beta-adrenergic receptors (betaAR) serves as the most powerful means to increase cardiac contractility and relaxation in response to stress or a "fight-or-flight" situation. However, sustained beta-adrenergic stimulation promotes pathological cardiac remodeling such as myocyte hypertrophy, apoptosis and necrosis, thus contributing to the pathogenesis of chronic heart failure. Over the past decade, compelling evidence has demonstrated that coexisting cardiac betaAR subtypes, mainly beta(1)AR and beta (2)AR, activate markedly different signaling cascades. As a result, acute beta(1)AR stimulation activates the G(s) -adenylyl cyclase-cAMP-PKA signaling that can broadcast throughout the cell, whereas beta(2)AR-evoked cAMP signaling is spatially and functionally compartmentalized, due to concurrent G(i) activation. Chronic stimulation of beta(1)AR and beta(2)AR elicits opposing effects on the fate of cardiomyocytes: beta(1)AR induces hypertrophy and apoptosis; but beta(2)AR promotes cell survival. The cardiac protective effect of beta(2)AR is mediated by a signaling pathway sequentially involving G(i), G(betagamma), PI3K and Akt. Unexpectedly, beta(1)AR-induced myocyte hypertrophy and apoptosis are independent of the classic cAMP/PKA pathway, but require activation of Ca(2+)/calmodulin-dependent kinase II (CaMK II). The outcomes of cardiac-specific transgenic overexpression of either beta AR subtype in mice have reinforced the fundamentally different functional roles of these betaAR subtypes in governing cardiac remodeling and performance. These new insights regarding betaAR subtype stimulation not only provide clues as to cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying the beneficial effects of beta AR blockers in patients with chronic heart failure, but also delineate rationale for combining selective beta(1)AR blockade with moderate beta(2)AR activation as a potential novel therapy for the treatment of chronic heart failure.
Adenylyl Cyclases ; metabolism ; Animals ; Cyclic AMP-Dependent Protein Kinases ; metabolism ; GTP-Binding Proteins ; metabolism ; Heart ; physiology ; Heart Failure ; physiopathology ; Humans ; Myocardium ; metabolism ; Receptors, Adrenergic, beta ; classification ; physiology ; Receptors, Adrenergic, beta-1 ; physiology ; Receptors, Adrenergic, beta-2 ; physiology ; Signal Transduction

By reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), an open reading frame of pathogenesis-related protein 1 (PR1) was isolated from Panax notoginseng and named as PnPR1. Molecular and bioinformatic analyses of PnPR1 revealed that an open reading frame of 501 bp was predicted to encode a 166-amino acid protein with a deduced molecular mass of 18.1 kD. Homology analysis showed that the deduced amino acid sequence of PR1 protein of Panax notoginseng had a high similarity with other higher plants had the same conservative structure domain of cysteine-rich secretory protein (CAP). The recombinant expressed plasmid pET28a(+)-PnPR1 was expressed in Escherichia coli BL21. The expression conditions were optimized by induction at different times, different temperatures, different IPTG concentrations and different giving times. The optimum expression condition was 0.4 mmol.L-1 IPTG at 28 degrees C for 20 h. The successful expression of PnPR1 provides some basis for protein purification and preparation of the monoclonal antibody.
Amino Acid Sequence ; Cloning, Molecular ; Escherichia coli ; metabolism ; Molecular Weight ; Open Reading Frames ; genetics ; Panax notoginseng ; chemistry ; Phylogeny ; Plant Proteins ; genetics ; metabolism ; Plants, Medicinal ; chemistry ; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Sequence Alignment

Objective To evaluate the clinical feasibility of localization CT enhanced image replacing plain CT scan image for target delineation and dose calculation.Methods Forty cases of NPC were collected and divided into two groups with different concentrations of contrast agents.The contours of planning target volume (PTV) and organs at risk (OARs) of each case were delineated in the plain scan image,and the contours of PTV and OARs were copied to the enhanced image.Two plans based on the plain scan image and the enhanced image were designed in the planning system of Eclipse.The dose distribution and OARs and MU were compared between the groups.Results No statistical differences were found in the dosimetry of PTV,OARs and MU (P＞0.05).Conclusion The image intensifier has little effect on the dose calculation of Eclipse for NPC.In the radiotherapy for NPC,the localization CT enhanced image can be used to replace the plain CT scan image for target delineation and dose calculation.

Objective To survey the prevalence of tendency on tendency of personality disorder among college students.Methods By means of stratified cluster sampling,498 students from 6 colleges in Shijiazhuang city and 204 students from 3 colleges in Beijing were studied through 'personality diagnostic questionnaire- revised UPDI'.Results The incidence rates on dependent personality (2.81%),histrionic personality (2.41% ) and borderline personality (2.21% ) were higher than obsessive- compulsive personality (0.40%) and schizoid personality (0.60%).The prevalence of personality disorder tendency was related to sex,major and years in college,blood type as well as their origins(from urban or rural).The overall incidence of personality disorder was 28.31% while the incidence rates of personality deviation and serious personality disorder tendency were 17.07% and 11.24% respectively.The incidence in males was higher than that in females.There appeared differences in dissociative personality,avoidant personality,paranoid personality,obsessive-compulsive personality,histrionic personality and narcissistic personality on people with different blood types.The scores of the city students were higher than that of the students from the rural areas regarding paranoid personality,dependent personality and narcissistic personality.Differences were also noticed between freshmen and students from other levels in the incidence rates on the tendency of avoidant personality disorder.Conclusion There were different incidence rates on the tendency of personality disorder among college students that related to sex,level in college and the origins where they were from(urban or rural).

Objective: To Evaluation the effect of PD-1 inhibitor Nivolumab on the proliferation and cytotoxicity of anti-CD19 chimeric antigen receptor T cells (CD19-CAR-T) in vitro. Methods: Five patients with high PD-1 expression in peripheral blood and five healthy volunteers were selected. These peripheral blood mononuclear cells were used as the source of T cells to prepare CD19-CAR-T cells. Different doses (72, 36, 18 μg/ml) of Nivolumab was added on day 8 to the culture medium. Patient T cells incubated with 72 μg/ml Nivolumab and CD19-CAR-T cells of healthy volunteers were used as controls. CCK-8, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) cytotoxicity assay and ELASA were used to detect the proliferation capacity, the specific cytotoxicity and the inflammatory factor secretion. Results: ①T cells from patients with high expression of PD-1 as the source of CD19-CAR-T cells did not affect transfection rate compared with that of healthy volunteers [(32.80±7.22)% vs (35.10±5.84)%, t=-0.554, P=0.593]. ②Incubation of CD19-CAR-T cells with 72 μg/ml Nivolumab did not affect CD19-CAR-T cell proliferation, but its cytotoxicity was significantly higher than that of CD19-CAR-T cells alone or patients' T cells +72 μg/ml Nivolumab (all P<0.001), there was no significant difference in the killing activity between the 72 μg/ml and 36 μg/ml Nivolumab treated CD19-CAR-T cells on Pfeiffer cells (P=0.281, 0.267, respectively), and they were all higher than those of 18 μg/ml Nivolumab treated CD19-CAR-T cells (all P<0.001). ③Different doses of PD-1 inhibitor Nivolumab combined with CD19-CAR-T cells does not affect the secretion of IFN-γ and IFN-α (all P>0.05). Conclusion: Combination of 36 μg/ml PD-1 inhibitor and CD19-CAR-T cells could reduce the drug toxicity and enhance the cytotoxicity.
Antigens, CD19 ; Cell Proliferation ; Humans ; Leukocytes, Mononuclear ; Nivolumab/pharmacology* ; Programmed Cell Death 1 Receptor ; Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell ; Receptors, Chimeric Antigen ; T-Lymphocytes

OBJECTIVETo study the change of the blood coagulation function of guinea pigs exposed to 16 Hz/120 dB, 16 Hz/125 dB infrasound and to explore the mechanism of circulation system damage.

METHODSSeventy-two guinea pigs were divided into 3 groups: the control group, the group exposed to 16 Hz/120 dB infrasound for 1.5 h a day and the group exposed to 16 Hz/125 dB infrasound for 1.5 h a day. Each exposure group was divided into 4 sub-groups (8 guinea pigs a sub-group) which were exposed to infrasound for 1, 7, 14 and 21 d, respectively. The coagulation function and serum nitric oxide (NO) were measured for control group and all sub-groups after exposure to infrasound.

RESULTSThe prothrombin time (PT), international normalized ratio (INR) and serum NO of group exposed to 16 Hz/125 dB infrasound were (31.16 ± 3.05) s, 2.53 ± 1.21 and (88.304 ± 52.601) µmol/L, respectively, which were significantly higher than those [(21.36 ± 0.10) s, 1.65 ± 0.07 and (30.943 ± 26.864) µmol/L] of control group (P < 0.05). PT and INR of sub-groups exposed to 16 Hz/125 dB infrasound for 14 and 21 d were significantly higher than those of control group. NO of sub-groups exposed to 16 Hz/125 dB infrasound for 1 week and 2 weeks were significantly higher than that of control group (P < 0.05), but NO of sub-group exposed to 16 Hz/125 dB infrasound for 3 weeks decreased slightly.

CONCLUSIONThe blood coagulation function of guinea pigs exposed to 16 Hz/125 dB infrasound decreased, PT and INR may be used as the indexes to assess of blood coagulation function change induced by the infrasound exposure.

Animals ; Blood Coagulation ; Blood Physiological Phenomena ; Female ; Guinea Pigs ; Male ; Nitric Oxide ; blood ; Noise ; adverse effects ; Prothrombin Time

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the antibacterial efficacy of KaVo KEY laser on Enterococcus faecalis (E. faecalis) within infected root canals and roots surface in vitro.

METHODSFifty single-rooted teeth were selected, and infected root canals and roots surface vitro models were prepared. Then, these specimens were divided into three groups. First group were untreated as blank control. The other two groups were the laser groups: Irradiated 15 s and 30 s respectively with 80 mJ and 140 mJ in root canals and on roots surface. Microbiological samples were collected from root canals and roots surface at two time points (before irrigation and immediately after irrigation). The dentin chips from three different zone of part of root canals in each group were immediately collected and were cultured for 24 h in brain heart infusion (BHI).

RESULTSThe number of E. faecalis in root canal and root surface in each of the groups were effectively reduced (P < 0.05), and there was no significant difference between each two groups (P > 0.05). Compared with the blank control, the bacterial number in 100 microm of dental tubules decreased after specimens treated with 80 mJ, and the experimental group irradiated 15 s was a significant decease (P < 0.05). The other groups were no changed in different zone of dental tubules.

CONCLUSIONKaVo KEY laser is effective on sterilizing infected root canals and roots surface. It has also significant effect on bacterial in superficial dental tubules with low energy and short time.

Dental Pulp Cavity ; microbiology ; Enterococcus faecalis ; radiation effects ; Humans ; Lasers

OBJECTIVETo study the clinicopathologic features, immunophenotype and differential diagnosis of plexiform angiomyxoid myofibroblastic tumor (PAMT) of the stomach.

METHODSThe clinical and pathologic findings of 3 cases of PAMT in the gastric antrum were retrospectively analyzed. Immunohistochemical study was carried out and the literature was reviewed.

RESULTSThe age of patients ranged from 31 to 47 years. The male-to-female ratio was 1:2. The clinical presentation included epigastric pain and distension. Endoscopically, the tumor mass protruded into the gastric cavity at the antrum and ranged from 4.5 cm to 8.0 cm in greatest dimension. One of the tumors studied was associated with surface ulceration. Histologically, the tumors were located in the gastric wall. They were composed of bland spindle cells and small vessels arranged in a plexiform or nodular pattern within a myxoid stroma. Immunohistochemical study showed that the spindle cells were consistently positive for smooth muscle actin and muscle-specific actin. There was focal staining for h-caldesmon, desmin in case 3 and focal positive for epithelial membrane antigen, CAM5.2 in case 1. Further, CD10 and progesterone receptor were positive in case 3.

CONCLUSIONSPAMT represents a rare novel mesenchymal tumor of the stomach, with a propensity of gastric antral involvement. The distinctive pathologic features help to differentiate this entity from other benign and malignant tumors.

Actins ; metabolism ; Adenomyoma ; metabolism ; pathology ; Adult ; Antigens, CD34 ; metabolism ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Female ; Fibromatosis, Abdominal ; metabolism ; pathology ; Follow-Up Studies ; Gastrectomy ; methods ; Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumors ; metabolism ; pathology ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Myofibroma ; metabolism ; pathology ; surgery ; Myxoma ; metabolism ; pathology ; surgery ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-kit ; metabolism ; Stomach Neoplasms ; metabolism ; pathology ; surgery