The intracranial portion of the vertebral arteries and the basillar artery of 103 Chinese (80 adults and 23 children) brains have been studied. The diameter of the intracranial portion of the vertebral artery on the left side is usually greater than that on the right side. The anterior spinal artery comes off mostly from the vertebral artery. It descends, slants medially and unites with the opposite artery to form a single anterior spinal artery in front of the anterior median fissure of the medulla oblongata. The vertebral artery usually gives off 1～3 medullary branches, which enter the medulla oblongata mostly through the posteriolateral sulcus. The blood supply of medulla oblongata has been discussed.In 57.50?5.53% of the adults, the union of the right and left vertebral arteries to form the basilar artery was found at the level of pons, while in children, 47.83?10.39% was found at the level of the lower border of pons. The labyrinth arteries arise mostly from the anterior inferior cerebellar arteries (77.50?2.95), and in rare cases, from the superior cerebellar or vertebral arteries. The pontine branches coming off from each side of the basilar artery are usually 3～4 in number.

The cerebellar arteries including the arterial supply to the dentate nucleus had been studied on 103 Chinese brians (80 adults, 23 children) by dissection, angiography, clearing method and dissection under stereoscopic microscope. The following results were obtained:1. The superior cerebellar artery which arose mostly from the upper end of the basilar artery near the posterior cerebral artery was one(82.52?2.68％)or two (17.48?2.68％) in number on each side. It was grouped into simple-trunk type (one trunk on each side 69.90?4.52％), double-trunks type(two trunks on each side 4. 86?2.13％), and mixed type (one trunk on one side and two on the other 25.24?4.28％).It passed backward around the cerebral peduncle and was more frequently divided into lateral and medial branches.2. Most of the anterior inferior cerebellar arteries sprang from lower third (66.49?3.29％) and middle third (12.14?2.69％) of the basilar artery. The rest (15.06?2.69％) sprang from posterior inferior cerebellar and vertebral arteries and upper segment of the basilar artery. It was absent in 6.31?1.69％.3. The posterior inferior cerebellar artery arose mostly from the vertebral artery (77.18?2.92％)and was absent in 6.80?1.95％. It formed a loop at its original segment and gave off 1～4 branches to medulla oblongata.4. The middle inferior cerebellar artery was present in 17.48?3.95％ and occurred on both sides in two cases.The course, position, distribution of all arteries mentioned above and their interrelationships were observed.5. The arteries to the dentate nucleus might be derived mainly from the superior cerebellar artery, but the anterior and posterior inferior cerebellar arteries also contributed some branches to it. These branches were found mostly 5～6 in number on the superior surface and 3～5 in number on the inferior surface.

For the study of venae cerebri profundae of the Chinese, 50 previously fixed adult cerebral hemispheres and 11 brains of the newborn were investigated. The adult cerebral hemispheres were dissected under the stereoscopic microscope. All the 11 brains of the newborn were treated within 24 hours after death. Six percent gelatin solution containing 6% vermilion was injected into arteria carotis interna while a mixture of Indian ink with 3% gelatin was injected into vena jugularis interna. The specimens were fixed, sectioned into slices of 1～3 mm thick, cleared and observed under stereoscopic microscope. The findings were summarized as follows:1. vena cerebri interna was mostly formed by the continuation of v. thalamostriata superior after it curved inward and backward. In 38.00%?6.86 of the cases it united with v. choroidea superior and v. septi pellucidi at the site of the curvature. In 32.00%?6.6 it didn't receive any veins. In 12.00%?4.60 it united with v. septi pellucidi and 80.00%?3.84 with v. choroidea superior, while other occurrences were rare.In 80.00%?5.66 of the cases, Vena cerebri interna took its course at the posterior margin of the interventricular foramen. The rest started at the anterior one third (12.00%?4.60)and middle one third (8.00%?3.84) of the thalamus respectively.The source, position and course of v. thalamostriata superior, v. choroidea superior, v. septi pellucidi and v. ventriculi lateralis medialis were observed and described.2. v. basalis was formed by the union of the v. cerebri anterior, v. cerebri media profunda and v. ventricularis lateralis inferior. 70% of v. cerebri anterior emptied into v. basalis whereas the other 30% into the adjacent venous sinuses. v. cerebri media profundae, most of which received vv. thalamostriata inferior, emptied into v. basalis in 68.00%?6.60 cases and the adjacent venous sinuses in 32.00%?6.60 v. ventricularis lateralis inferior emptied into v. basalis in 96.00%?2.77 cases and into v. cerebri magna in 2.00%?1.98, while in 2.00%?1.98 it was absent.3. The longitudinal anastomotic vein. was formed by the "T" shaped bifurcations of the small branches of v. thalamostriata superior, v. septi pellucidi and v. ventricularis lateralis medialis in the white matter within an area of 2 mm by the lateral angle of the lateral ventricle. It received numerous radially arranged small veins in the medulla of the cerebral hemisphere. The longer ones of these veins might extend to the cortex and anastomoses between them and superficial cortical veins were demonstrated.

Intracortical distribution of arteries were studied on thick sections prepared from brains of 11 newborns after injection and fixation. The results are as follows.1. Branches from the cerebral arteries form a pial arterial network on the cortical surface. The larger pial arteries are supplied with vasa-vasorum and perivascular vessels. They send out cortical and medullary arteries penetrating the cortex vertically from the surface.2. The distribution of arteries in the entire cortical area can be represented by the pattern observed in a single gyrus, which serves as a general rule. The cortical arteries arising from the pial arteries penetrate into the cortex vertically and are arranged regularly which appear as a brush border that curves with the cerebral surface in sections. The diameter of the long cortical arteries is 16～31 ?m, while that of the short ones is 7.5～15.4 ?m. All these arteries send out branches at right angles which anastomose with one another to form a dense polygonal or irregular vascular network.The medullary arteries pass directly through the cortex into medulla. The diameter of the long medullary arteries is 48～61 ?m and that of the short ones, 35～47 ?m. Those entering from the top of each gyrus pass directly to the deep medulla, whereas those from the sulcus to the junction between the cortex and medulla exhibit various degrees of curvature. The medullary arteries send out branches at right angle, which, in turn, form T-shaped bifurcations, interconnecting each other in an oblong lattice framework.3. The central arteries penetrate the base of the brain, fan out and arch upward to reach the corpus striatum. Arteries may penetrate into the thalamus from posteriolateral, inferio-medial or superior surface. They branch with acute angles and form dense network with polygonal, triangular, circular and irregular interspaces. The arteries of the internal capsule also branch at right angles, show "T" bifurcations after a short distance and form an oblong vascular network.

Objective To explore the relationship between serum 25 (OH)D level and cognitive function in patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD).Methods Totally 113 AD impatients were enrolled in this study.Their serum 25 (OH) D2,25 (OH) D3,and total 25 (OH) D levels were determined by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS).Patients were divided into Vitamin D severe deficiency group [25 (OH)D level≤25 nmol/L],deficiency group [25 (OH)D levels:25-50 nmol/L],insufficiency group [25 (OH) D level:50-75 nmol/L],and sufficiency group [25 (OH) D level ≥ 75 nmol/L] according to the criteria proposed by US Institute of Medicine.The cognitive function was assessed by MMSE score.The association between serum 25 (OH) D level and cognitive function was systematically analyzed.Results The serum levels of 25 (OH) D,25 (OH) D2,and 25 (OH) D3 were (27.08 ± 15.33) nmol/L,(1.23 ± 0.93) nmol/L and (24.50 ± 13.04) nmol/L in AD patients.The proportions of severe deficiency,deficiency,insufficiency,and sufficiency were 60.18％ (68/113),30.97％ (35/113),7.97％ (9/113),and 0.88％ (1/113),respectively,among these AD patients.A positive correlation was found between serum 25 (OH) D concentration and MMSE score in AD patients.Conclusions Impatients with AD often have severe vitamin D deficiency and need vitamin D supplementation.Serum 25 (OH) D concentration is associated with cognitive function,and therefore vitamin D supplementation may improve cognitive function.

Objective To evaluate inhibitory effect of Chlamydia trachomatis plasmid-encoded protein pORF5 on HeLa cell apoptosis induced by tumor necrosis factor-alpha(TNF-α). Methods The recombinant lentiviral expression vector containing pORF5 gene and helper plasmids were co-transfected into 293T cells to prepare the recombinant lentivirus. Then, the lentivirus particles were collected and concentrated, and used to infect HeLa cells. Flow cytometric screening identified stable pORF5-expressing HeLa (pORF5-HeLa) cells. Meanwhile, the empty plasmid was transfected into HeLa cells to prepare control HeLa cells. The two cell lines were both divided into two subgroups to be treated with 20μg/L TNF-αand fresh culture medium respectively for 6 hours. Then, Hoechst 33258 staining was performed to observe morphological changes of apoptotic cells, flow cytometry to detect cell apoptosis, real-time PCR to measure the mRNA expression of Caspase3, Bax and Bcl-2, and Western blot analysis to determine the protein expression of Bax and Bcl-2. Results After 6-hour treatment with TNF-α, Hoechst 33258 staining showed variable degrees of karyopyknosis and karyorrhexis, and highly-refractive blue apoptotic bodies in the pORF5-HeLa cells and control HeLa cells. The pORF5-HeLa cells and control HeLa cells both showed significantly higher apoptosis rate in the treated subgroup than in the untreated subgroup (pORF5-HeLa cells:35.5%± 4.5%vs. 9.5%± 1.5%, t=13.53, P<0.01;control HeLa cells:63.6%± 5.8%vs. 7.9%± 0.9%, t=32.36, P<0.01). Compared with treated control HeLa cells, treated pORF5-HeLa cells showed significant decreases in mRNA expression of Bax(72.8%)and Caspase 3(84.5%)(t = 35.29, 42.25, respectively, both P < 0.01), as well as in Bax protein expression(t = 17.58,P < 0.01), but significant increases in Bcl-2 mRNA and protein(6.8 times)expression(t = 87.12, 18.93, respectively, both P <0.01). Conclusion pORF5 plasmid protein can inhibit TNF-α-induced HeLa cell apoptosis likely by increasing the expression of anti-apoptotic protein bcl-2 and decreasing the expression of pro-apoptotic proteins Caspase-3 and Bax.

AIM:To investigate the expression of visfatin in the placenta of patients with preeclampsia and its significance.METHODS:The pregnant women (n=100) were divided into normal pregnancy group , mild preeclampsia group and severe preeclampsia group according to the severity of the disease .The pathological changes of the placenta were observed by hematoxylin-eosin staining .The expression of visfatin at mRNA and protein levels in the placenta was detected by real-time PCR and immunohistochemistry respectively .RESULTS:Compared with normal pregnancy group , the patho-logical changes of the placenta in preeclampsia groups was significant , showing that the structure and the form were disor-dered and incompleted in both cytotrophoblasts and syncytiotrophoblasts .The proliferation of cytotrophoblasts and the num-bers of the placental villi with syncytial knots were observed .The vascular numbers of villi were decreased and congested . The results of immunohistochemistry and real-time PCR showed that the visfatin protein was observed in the cytoplasm of cy-totrophoblasts and syncytiotrophoblasts among 3 groups.The expression of visfatin at mRNA and protein levels was in-creased with the severity of the preeclampsia .CONCLUSION:The injury and dysfunction of vascular endothelial cells in the villi exist in the patients with preeclampsia .High expression of visfatin at mRNA and protein levels in placenta of the patients with preeclampsia indicates that visfatin is closely related to preeclampsia .

Objective:To investigate whether pORF5 plasmid protein of Chlamydia trachomatis(Ct) induces 1L-1βand 1L-18 production in THP-1 cells,and its potential molecular mechanism.Methods:pORF5 plasmid protein was used to stimulate THP-1 cells at different concentrations(0,3,6,12,24,36 μg/ml),then the inflammatory cytokines IL-18 and IL-1βwere detected by ELISA at the time of 0,8,16,24,36 h;The mRNA expression of NALP3 inflammasome were detected by Realtime-PCR,and Caspase-1 activity was determined by Western blot analysis.THP-1 cells were transfected with siRNA targeting NALP3 and ASC gene for 24 h or pretreated with Caspase-1 inhibitor(Z-YVAD-FMK) for 30 min,and subsequently stimulated with pORF5(24 μg/ml) for 24 h,then secretion of IL-1βand IL-18 were analyzed by ELISA.Results: The pORF5 plasmid protein induced THP-1 cells to secrete IL-1βand IL-18 by dose-and time-dependent manners,production of IL-1βand IL-18 reached their peaks(491 pg/ml and 186 pg/ml) at concentration of 24 μg/ml,and the peak amount of IL-1βand IL-18 occurred at 24 h and 16 h post-stimulation respectively.pORF5 plasmid protein in-creased mRNA expression of NALP3 inflammasome and activated Caspase-1 in THP-1 cells.NALP3 siRNA,ASC siRNA and Z-YVAD-FMK reduced pORF5-induced IL-1βand IL-18 production when compared with control groups(P<0.05).Conclusion:pORF5 plasmid protein could induce THP-1 cells to produce IL-1βand IL-18 through NALP3 inflammasome activation,which may play an important role in the pathogenesis in Ct infection.

Objective:To conduct a visual analysis of domestic and international research on kinesiophobia to explore recent advancements and trending topics within the field and to provide references for future research in China.Methods:Literature published from 2015 to 2022 retrieved from Chinese databases such as China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wanfang data, and VIP, and those published from 2009 to 2022 from the Web of Science, was analyzed using CiteSpace software. This analysis summarized and examined the number of publications, authors, collaborating institutions, and keywords, etc.Results:Both domestic and international publications on kinesiophobia showed an increasing trend in recent years, with international publications consistently outnumbering domestic ones. The most prolific authors were Cai Libai and Vlaeyen, and the leading institutions were the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University and Maastricht University. Domestic research primarily involved intra-team collaborations with less inter-institutional cooperation, whereas international collaborations were more extensive. Key research topics identified through keyword analysis included kinesiophobia, pain, and movement, with frontiers in risk factors, clinical outcomes, and psychological health.Conclusions:There is a noticeable gap between domestic and international research on kinesiophobia. China should further focus on the emerging hotspots and trends in this field to enhance the prevention and intervention strategies for kinesiophobia research.

Objective To investigate the effect of semen bacterial infection on semen parameters in male infertility patients and analyze of the drug resistance profile of the bacterial isolates. Methods According to the results of bacterial culture, the semen samples of 74376 infertile men collected between April, 2016 and April, 2017 were divided into infection group and non-infection group, and the infertility type and semen parameters were compared between the two groups. The bacterial species and the drug sensitivity of the isolates were analyzed. Results Bacterial infections were detected in 1.38％of the total semen samples collected. The positivity rate of semen bacterial infection was 1.41％in normal semen group, 1.55％in asthenospermia group, 1.18％ in oligospermia group, 1.57％ in asthenospermia/ oligospermia group, and 0.17％ in azoospermia group. The positivity rate was lower in azoospermia group than in the other groups. Bacterial infection mainly affected sperm motility (P<0.05), sperm density and forward motile sperm ratio (P<0.01). The most common bacterial species causing the infections included, in the descending order of frequencies, Escherichia coli (63.59％), Klebsiella pneumoniae subspecies (19.80％) and Proteus mirabilis (13.22％). Drug susceptibility tests showed that the isolates of Escherichiacoli, Pneumonia Klebsiella pneumonia subspecies and Citrobacter koseri were commonly resistant to amoxicillin; Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolates were resistant to Bactrim and ampicillin/sulbactam; Staphylococcus aureus isolates were resistant to penicillin. Conclusion Male infertile patients have a low bacterial infection rate in the semen. Bacterial infection severely affects the sperm fertilization process by causing impairment of sperm motility and lowered sperm density. Escherichia coli is the most common pathogenic bacterium for the semen infection. With the exception of Staphylococcus aureus, the other bacterial strains isolated were found to be sensitive to imipenem and meropenem.