NMDA (N-methyl-D-aspartate) receptors are a subtype of glutamate receptor, and play an important role in both synaptic transmission and synaptic plasticity. When excessively excited, NMDA receptors can cause cell death in many neuropathological scenarios such as OGD (oxygen and glucose deprivation) and brain injury. However, recent studies have revealed that under the physical and some pathological conditions, NMDA receptor could promote neuronal survival and protect neurons from damage.
Neurons ; metabolism ; physiology ; Receptors, N-Methyl-D-Aspartate ; metabolism ; physiology ; Synaptic Transmission

Objective To investigate the dynamic changes of dengue viral loads and IgM antibody in patients with dengue fever ( DF) and to analyze their relationships with disease severity. Methods A to-tal of 1 508 serum samples were collected from 1 140 hospitalized patients including 1 050 mild cases and 90 severe cases within 10 days after the onset of DF in Guangzhou in 2014. The viral loads were determined by using fluorescence quantitative RT-PCR. ELISA was performed to measure the dengue virus ( DENV)-spe-cific IgM antibody. Results In general, the DENV viral loads in patients declined gradually from 108 copies/ml on day 1 to 103 copies/ml on day 10 after the onset of DF. The viral loads in severe cases were significantly higher than those in mild cases on days 5 to 7 (P<0. 05). The positive rates of DENV RNA in serum samples also decreased with the disease progression from 100% on day 1 to 40% on day 10. Com-pared with the mild cases, the patients with severe DF showed higher positive rates of DENV RNA on day 6 and day 8 (P<0. 05). The DENV-specific IgM antibody could be detected on day 2 and the secretion of IgM antibody increased gradually with the disease progression. The levels of IgM antibody in mild cases were sig-nificantly higher than those in severe cases (P<0. 001). The positive rates of IgM antibody in patients in-creased form 8% on day 2 to 95% on day 6. Higher positive rates of IgM antibody were detected in mild ca-ses on days 5 and 6 as compared with those in patients with severe DF (P<0. 05). Conclusion High viral load and low level of IgM antibody during the fastigium of DF were closely associated with the disease severity.

Objective To evaluate the diagnostic value of the metabolic parameters for differentiating focal autoimmune pancreatitis (F-AIP) and pancreatic cancer (PC) by dual time 18F-FDG PET/CT scan.Methods Ten F-AIP patients and 20 PC patients in Changhai Hospital from May 2011 to November 2014 were enrolled in this study.All the AIP patients were histological confirmed or diagnosed by clinical follow up.The PC patients were histological confirmed and gender-and age-matched with F-AIP patients.50％ SUVmax was set as the threshold to fine-tune the boundary of interest.The extracted parameters included SUV SUV metabolic tumor volume (MTV),total lesion glycolysis (TLG),target-to-background ratio (TBR) and the retention indexes(RI) of all the parameters above.The PET/CT imaging features were also observed.Results The high metabolic lesions were observed in both F-AIP patients and PC patients.There were 6 F-AIP patients whose lesion was located in pancreas head,4 F-AIP patients whose lesion was located in pancreas body and tail.There were 12 PC patients whose lesion was located in pancreas head,8 PC patients whose lesion was located in pancreas body and tail.In F-AIP patients,2 cases had dilated pancreatic duct,6 had dilated biliary duct,8 had increased metabolism in mediastinal lymph node and 2 had abdominal lymphadenopathy,which were 8,5,5 and 14 cases in PC patients.The positive rate of mdeiastinal lymphadenopathy in F-AIP patients was statistically higher than that in PC patients,while the positivity rate of abdominal lymphadenopathy in AIP patients was lower than that in PC patients.The difference was statistically significant (both P ＜ 0.05).There were no statistical differences on the positivity rate of the dilated pancreatic duct,intra-and extra-hepatic bile duct between two groups.SUVmax,SUVmean and MTV in F-AIP were 5.37 ± 0.88,3.48 ± 0.66,21.79 ±15.60 in early stage and 6.45 ±1.51,4.23 ± 1.10,19.36 ± 14.63 in delayed stage,and those in PC were 8.31 ±3.08,5.41±1.95,9.26±8.35 in early stage,and 9.75±3.86,6.36±2.56,9.09±10.71 in delayed stage.SUVmax and SUVmean in F-AIP were lower than those in PC,whereas MTV were larger in F-AIP than that in PC.ROC curves for SUVmax,SUVmean and MTV were made.The AUC of SUV was the highest at 0.85,the cut-off value was 4.45,the corresponding sensitivity was 65％ and the specificity was 90％.TLG,TBR and RI of all the parameters were not statistically different in F-AIP and PC.Conclusions The 18F-FDG PET/CT metabolic parameters,such as SUVmax,SUVmean,MTV,could be of special diagnostic significance in discriminating F-AIP from PC.

Animals ; Genetic Therapy ; Humans ; MicroRNAs ; genetics ; RNA Interference ; RNA, Small Interfering ; genetics

Through protein-protein BLAST of homologous sequences in different species in NCBI database and preliminary simulating molecular docking and molecular dynamics by computer software discovery studio 3.1, three amino acids R25K26K27 of natural human parathyroid hormone (1-34) with Q25E26L27 were mutated and the biological activity of the mutant peptide was evaluated. Result showed that: root mean superposition deviation RMSD value between PTH (1-34)-(RKK-QEL) and PTH (1-34) peptide main chain was 2.509 3, indicating that the differences between the two main chain structural conformation was relatively small; the interaction energy between PTH (1-34)-(RKK-QEL) and its receptor protein PTH1R had been enhanced by 7.5% compared to nature PTH (1-34), from -554.083 kcal x mol(-1) to -599.253 kcal x mol(-1); the number of hydrogen bonds was increased from 32 to 38; PTH (1-34)-(RKK-QEL) can significantly stimulate the RANKL gene expression (P < 0.01) while inhibiting the OPG gene expression (P < 0.01) in UAMS-32P cells; in the co-culture system of UAMS-32P cells and mouse primary femur bone marrow cells, PTH (1-34)-(RKK-QEL) stimulated the formation of osteoclasts (P < 0.01) and had a higher biological activity than PTH (1-34) standard reagents.

Treatment based on syndrome differentiation is an essential feature of traditional Chinese medical diagnosis. The interventions based on changes of syndrome types in randomized controlled trials are complicated, leading to the difficulty of blind method enforcement. This article described a double-blind method. It could be used in randomized controlled trials under the condition of different syndrome types and different medications. It numbered drugs in two stages, and in two phases to achieve double-blind. This method not only guaranteed investigators and subjects to be in blinded conditions, but also achieved using different medications for patients of different syndromes. It also caused no drug waste. It was scientific and feasible.
Double-Blind Method ; Humans ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic ; Single-Blind Method

OBJECTIVE: To explore the forensic pathological features of death caused by anaphylactic shock. METHODS: One hundred and forty-two death cases of anaphylactic shock were retrospectively analyzed. The IgE level in the serum of anaphylactic shock cases were statistically compared with that of 62 non-anaphylactic shock cases. RESULTS: Most cases (77.46%) of anaphylactic shock death occurred in the medical institutes, with intravenous drug administration accounting for 53.53% of anaphylactic shock death. β-Lactam antibiotics, glucocorticoid and herbal medications were responsible for a significant proportion of such cases. Although characteristic histopathological changes were absent in vast majority of these anaphylactic shock cases, the differences of IgE levels in the serum between anaphylactic shock group and non-anaphylactic shock group were statistically significant (P<0.05). CONCLUSION Combined information including clinical data, autopsy results, IgE level, and other specific test results should be evaluated together in the forensic pathological diagnosis of anaphylactic shock.
Anaphylaxis ; Autopsy ; Cause of Death ; Forensic Pathology ; Humans ; Infusions, Intravenous ; Retrospective Studies ; Serum

OBJECTIVETo report the procedure of segmentectomy for hepatoma located in segment IX.

METHODS11 cases of hepatoma originated from segment IX were treated by segmentectomy without interruption of blood flow of the liver. Among total 11 cases, 10 cases were primary liver cancer, the other one was secondary liver cancer.

RESULTSTumor diameters from 6 to 14 cm (median 9.2 cm), no perioperative death occurred in this group. Intraoperative blood losses were 200-600 ml (median 350 ml) without severe postoperative complications. Postoperative hospitalization time were 9-14 days (median 11 days). Transhepatic artery chemoembolization (TACE) was given at 4-6 weeks after operation and repeated at intervals of 2 to 4 months for 1 year. During the follow up time of 5-29 months (media 17 months), 10 patients were tumor-free and 1 patient developed an intrahepatic metastasis.

CONCLUSIONSSegmentectomy without interruption of blood flow of the liver is safe and practical for hepatoma located in segment IX.

Adult ; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular ; pathology ; surgery ; therapy ; Chemoembolization, Therapeutic ; Combined Modality Therapy ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Hepatectomy ; methods ; Humans ; Liver Neoplasms ; pathology ; surgery ; therapy ; Male ; Middle Aged

Through protein-protein BLAST of homologous sequences in different species in NCBI database and preliminary simulating molecular docking and molecular dynamics by computer software discovery studio 3.1, three amino acids R25K26K27 of natural human parathyroid hormone (1-34) with Q25E26L27 were mutated and the biological activity of the mutant peptide was evaluated. Result showed that: root mean superposition deviation RMSD value between PTH (1-34)-(RKK-QEL) and PTH (1-34) peptide main chain was 2.509 3, indicating that the differences between the two main chain structural conformation was relatively small; the interaction energy between PTH (1-34)-(RKK-QEL) and its receptor protein PTH1R had been enhanced by 7.5% compared to nature PTH (1-34), from -554.083 kcal x mol(-1) to -599.253 kcal x mol(-1); the number of hydrogen bonds was increased from 32 to 38; PTH (1-34)-(RKK-QEL) can significantly stimulate the RANKL gene expression (P < 0.01) while inhibiting the OPG gene expression (P < 0.01) in UAMS-32P cells; in the co-culture system of UAMS-32P cells and mouse primary femur bone marrow cells, PTH (1-34)-(RKK-QEL) stimulated the formation of osteoclasts (P < 0.01) and had a higher biological activity than PTH (1-34) standard reagents.
Animals ; Bone Marrow Cells ; cytology ; metabolism ; Coculture Techniques ; Mice ; Mutant Proteins ; genetics ; pharmacology ; Mutation ; Osteoclasts ; cytology ; drug effects ; Osteogenesis ; drug effects ; Osteoprotegerin ; genetics ; metabolism ; RANK Ligand ; genetics ; metabolism ; RNA, Messenger ; metabolism ; Receptor, Parathyroid Hormone, Type 1 ; metabolism ; Teriparatide ; pharmacology

Objective: To investigate the value of ¹⁸F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) PET/CT in differentiation of noninvasive and malignant pancreatic cystic lesions (PCL). Methods: A total of 125 PCL patients (66 males, 59 females, age range: 13-83 years), who had pathology or typical imaging performance with ≥12 months follow-up between August 2010 and December 2015, were enrolled in this retrospective study. The diagnostic effects of ¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT were calculated. The size, maximum standardized uptake value (SUV_max), delayed SUV_max and retention index (RI) of noninvasive and malignant PCL were analyzed. The results of pathological examination and follow-up were used as the gold standard, and Mann-Whitney u test was used to analyze the data. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves of SUV_max, delayed SUV_max and RI were drawn and compared. Results: A total of 132 PCL were found in 125 patients, including 71 malignant PCL and 61 noninvasive PCL. The size, SUV_max, delayed SUV_max, RI of noninvasive and malignant PLC were 2.2 (1.4, 3.8) cm vs 3.9 (3.0, 5.0) cm, 1.5 (1.2, 1.8) vs 6.4 (4.4, 9.3), 1.5 (1.2, 1.9) vs 6.4 (5.4, 11.7), -6.3%(-19.4%, 5.6%) vs 17.5%(7.6%, 29.4%), respectively. All parameters were significantly different between 2 groups (z values: from -9.267 to -4.904, all P<0.05). The area under curve (AUC) and cut-off value of SUV_max were 0.969 and 2.5, and the corresponding accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value (NPV) were 92.4%(122/132), 93.0%(66/71), 91.8%(56/61), 93.0%(66/71), 91.8%(56/61), respectively. The AUC and cut-off value of delayed SUV_max were 0.969 and 2.7, and the accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, PPV, NPV were 94.3%(99/105), 96.7%(58/60), 91.1%(41/45), 93.5%(58/62), 95.3%(41/43), respectively. ROC curves of SUV_max and delayed SUV_max were not significantly different (z=1.799, P>0.05). Conclusion ¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT has good performance in differentiation of noninvasive and malignant PCL, but the delayed scan cannot further improve the efficacy of differential diagnosis.