Objective To investigate the association between catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) Val158Met polymorphism and the memery function of schizophrenia treated with Aripiprazole.Methods Schizophrenic patients were diagnosed in according to Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-IV (DSM-IV).A total of 78 Chinese Han subjects were involved in this study.The polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism(PCR-RFLP) was used to identify COMT genotypes.The Chinese revised version of Wechsler Memory Scale (WMS-RC) was used twice to evaluate the memory function of patients treated with Aripiprazole alone before and after drug treatment for 8 weeks.ANOVA,rank sum test and t-test were used to statistical analysis.Results There was statistical difference of cumulative memory among the three groups (F=12.371,P=0.002),and Met/Met genotype showed much poorer cumulative memory than Val/Met and Val/Val genotypes (Z=-3.168,-2.641 ; P=0.002,0.008,respectively) Memory function was significantly improved after patients been treated with Aripiprazole except the associative memory(P＜0.05).Met/Met genotype showed more improvement of cumulative memory than other genotypes after Aripiprazole treatment (t=4.203,P＜0.01 ; t=3.024,P ＜0.01,respectively).Conclusions There may be a relationship between COMT Val158Met polymorphism and the memory function of schizophrenia in Aripiprazole treatment.Met/Met genotype of schizophrenia showed worst cumulative memory but best responsiveness in Aripiprazole treatment.

Objective To observe the value of isotropic volumetric MRI for displaying perineural spread(PNS)of cranial nerve(CN)in nasopharyngeal carcinoma.Methods Eighty-seven patients with pathologically proven nasopharyngeal carcinoma were prospectively enrolled.MR scanning,including three-dimensional liver acquisition with volume acceleration-flexible(3D LAVA_Flex)image,T2WI with fat suppression(T2WI-FS),T1WI,contrast enhancement(CE)T1WI-FS of nasopharynx and neck region were performed.The displaying rates of CN PNS were evaluated and compared between 3D LAVA Flex and T2WI-FS,T1WI,CE-T1WI-FS at patient level,CN group level and neural level,respectively.Results The displaying rate of CN PNS in all 87 nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients by 3D LAVA_Flex sequence was 49.43％(43/87),higher than that of conventional MRI(30/87,34.48％,P=0.001).Among 59 patients with advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma diagnosed with conventional sequences,the displaying rate of CN PNS was 71.19％(42/59)by 3D LAVA-Flex sequence,higher than that of conventional MRI(30/59,50.85％,P=0.001).At both patient level and posterior CN level,significant differences of the displaying rate of CN PNS were found between 3D LAVA-Flex sequence and T2WI-FS,T1WI,CE-T1WI-FS,while at CN level,the displaying rates of mandibular nerve PNS,CN Ⅸ-Ⅺ PNS in jugular foramen(P＜0.05)and CN Ⅸ-Ⅻ PNS in carotid space of 3D LAVA_Flex sequence were all significantly higher than that of T2WI-FS,T1WI and CE-T1WI-FS(all P＜0.05),of PNS of CN Ⅲ-Ⅴ in cavernous sinus were higher than that of T2WI-FS(P＜0.05),while of PNS of hypoglossal nerve were significantly higher than that of T2WI-FS and T1WI(both P＜0.05).Conclusion 3D LAVA_Flex sequence could be used to effectively display CN PNS of nasopharyngeal carcinoma.