AIM: To study the effects of ?-amyloid protein (A?) on neural stem cells cultured in vitro. METHODS: Neural stem cells (NSC) were isolated from E13 SD rats and cultured in serum-free medium (DMEM/F12). After detected by nestin, the A? was added to the NSC medium to observe the viability and proliferation of NSC by MTT, cell count and flow-cytometric examination. The effects of A? on differentiated NSC were also observed. RESULTS: A? markedly inhibited the proliferation and the cell viability of NSC when its concentration was higher than 25 ?mol/L. The differentiatory ability of NSC was inhibited when A? was in very low concentration. CONCLUSION: A? significantly inhibits the proliferation and differentiation of NSC and this may be one of the reasons that Alzheimer's disease is induced. [

Objective: To study the correlation between left atrial sphericity (LASP) and thromboembolic events (TE) in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). Methods: This study was conducted in patients with AF underwent radiofrequency ablation in the Department of Cardiology of First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University from January 2011 to October 2018. The AF patients with TE (study group, n=157) and the AF patients without TE (control group, n=157) were matched for age and gender. The differences of LASP and other related indexes between the two groups were compared, and the correlation between LASP and TE was analyzed by conditional logistic regression. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was drawn to analyze the diagnostic value of LASP for TE. Results: (1) The LASP in the study group was significantly higher than that in the control group [ (87.5±7.1) % vs. (82.8±6.1) %, P=0.001]. (2) Conditional logistic regression analyses showed that LASP (OR=1.10, 95%CI 1.05-1.16, P=0.001), left atrial volume index (OR=1.01, 95%CI 1.00-1.02, P=0.016) and CHA₂D-VASc score (OR=1.77, 95%CI 1.30-2.41, P=0.001) were independently and positively correlated with TE. (3) The ROC curve analysis showed that the area under the curve (AUC) of left atrial sphericity (AUC=0.712, 95%CI 0.656-0.768, P=0.001) was larger than the AUC of either left atrial volume index (AUC=0.650, 95%CI 0.589-0.710, P=0.001) or CHA₂D-VASc score (AUC=0.612, 95%CI 0.550-0.674, P=0.001). (4) CHA₂D-VASc-LASP₂ score was positively correlated with TE (OR=1.95, 95%CI 1.55-2.42, P=0.001). Conclusion LASP is independently and positively correlated with TE in patients with AF.

Objective To explore the epidemiological status of abnormal glucose metabolism and its influential factors among middle and aged population with hypertension in Chengdu area. Methods In 2008, after adopting the methods of stratified cluster sampling, the authors investigated 4685 subjects of the middle and aged population between the age of 40-79 in Chengdu urban and rural area by checking blood pressure and oral glucose tolerance test (OGTY). Patients with previously known diabetes mellitus (DM) were only asked to perform fasting glucose and to carry out a questionnaire. Comparison of the prevalence rates of abnormal glucose metabolism in hypertensive and non-hypertensive subjects was carried out. The prevalence rates of isolated impaired glucose tolerance (I-IGT) and isolated postprandial hyperglycemia (IPH) among middle and aged subjects with hypertension were acquired and the influential factors of abnormal glucose metabolism among middle and aged subjects with hypertension were analyzed. Results The prevalence rate of abnormal glucose metabolism in the hypertensive subjects was obviously higher than that in the non-hypertensive subjects; without using OGTT, 72.9% of the pre-diubetic and 54. 4% of the new diagnosed DM patients would remain undiagnosed if fasting plasma glucose detection was used alone. Age, diabetic history of first degree relatives ,overweight or obesity were the risk factors for the development of abnormal glucose metabolism among middle and aged male subjects with hypertension in Chengdu area. Exercise training and high education level were the protective factors. Age, diabetic history of first degree relatives,abdominal obesity and hypertriglyceridemia were the risk factors for the development of abnormal glucose metabolism among middle and aged female subjects with hypertension in Chengdu area. Conclusions More than 50% of middle and aged subjects with hypertension in Chengdu area has accompanying abnormal glucose metabolism. OGTT easily discloses the abnormal status and should be a routine procedure in the diagnosis of pre-diabetes or DM in such population. Appropriate exercise, learning diabetes-related knowledge to take reasonable lifestyle, and intervention of metabolic factors such as overweight or obesity are advised. Abdominal obesity and hypertriglyceridemia play important roles in leading to abnormal glucose metabolism among middle and aged population with hypertension.