Objective To study the natural history of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) progress to dementia and to evaluate the efficacy of acetylcholinesterase inhibitor (AChEI) donepezil on MCI.Methods Ninty-eight patients with MCI including amnestic MCI and non-amnestic MCI were retrospectively analyzed. The patients with donepezil or not were separately divided to two groups while they were matched by sex, age,degree of MCI and possession of the ApoE?4 allele.The rate of conversion from MCI to dementia, measured with the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE),Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Scale- Cognitive section(ADAS-Cog) and Wechsler Memory Scale-Revised (WMS-R),was compared between the two groups.Results In aMCI group,the rate of conversion dropped by 15.1% and 8.3% (P0.05).Conclusion Donepezil could postpone the conversion of MCI to dementia.

Objective To investigate the effects of repeated intraperitoneal dexmedetomidine on the cognitive function in rats with chronic cerebral ischemia.Methods Forty-eight male Sprague-Dawley rats,aged 3-4months,weighing 250-300 g,were randomly divided into 4 groups (n =12 each) ∶ sham operation group (group S),chronic cerebral ischemia group (group IS),dexmedetomidine treatment 1 group (group DXM1) and dexmedetomidine treatment 2 group (group DXM2).Dexmedetomidine 5 μg/kg was injected intraperitoneally at 30 min before occlusion of bilateral common carotid arteries and 3,12,24 and 48 h after occlusion in group DXM1,and at 3,12,24 and 48 h after occlusion in group DXM2.The cognitive function was assessed by Morris water maze 2 weeks after occlusion.The apoptosis was examined by TUNEL.The expression of Bcl-2 protein in hippocampus was detected by Western blot.Results Compared with group S,the escape latency was significantly prolonged from 2nd day to 5th day after the place navigation test in group IS and on 2nd day after Morris water maze test in groups DXM1 and DXM2,and the time of staying in 1 st quadrant was significantly shortened,the apoptotic rate was increased,and the expression of Bcl-2 was up-regulated in groups IS,DXM1 and DXM2 (P ＜ 0.05).Compared with group IS,the escape latency was significantly shortened from 3rd day to 5th day after the place navigation

Cleft palate is one of the most common congenital malformations of the oral and maxillofacial region, with an incidence rate of around 0.1%. Early surgical repair is the only method for treatment of a cleft lip and palate. However, because of the use of inhalation anesthesia in children and the physiological characteristics of the cleft palate itself combined with the particularities of cleft palate surgery, the incidence rate of postoperative emergence agitation (EA) in cleft palate surgery is significantly higher than in other types of interventions. The exact mechanism of EA is still unclear. Although restlessness after general anesthesia in children with cleft palate is self-limiting, its effects should be considered by clinicians. In this paper, the related literature on restlessness after surgery involving general anesthesia in recent years is summarized. This paper focuses on induction factors as well as prevention and treatment of postoperative restlessness in children with cleft palate after general anesthesia. The corresponding countermeasures to guide clinical practice are also presented in this paper.
Anesthesia, General* ; Anesthesia, Inhalation ; Child* ; Cleft Lip ; Cleft Palate* ; Dihydroergotamine ; Humans ; Incidence ; Methods ; Palate ; Psychomotor Agitation*

OBJECTIVETo explore the relationship between test anxiety and personality, self-esteem in grade one senior high school students.

METHODSTotally 538 senior high school students of grade one were investigated by Test Anxiety Scale (TAS), Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (EPQ) and Self-Esteem Scale (SES) in a Senior High School in Shandong Province.

RESULTSThe prevalence of test anxiety among all the surveyed students was rated 65.2%. The Psychoticism (P) (51.60 +/- 9.66) or Neuroticism (N) (51.57 +/- 10.75) factor score of EPQ in students with test anxiety was significantly higher than that in students without test anxiety (48.07 +/- 8.62, 45.65 +/- 10.14) (P < 0.001), while the Extroversion or Introversion (E) score (50.76 +/- 11.09) was on the contrary (53.68 +/- 11.60) (P < 0.01). The total score of TAS was significantly positively related to the P (r = 0.14) and N (r = 0.36) factor score and significantly negatively related to the E factor score of EPQ (r = -0.15) (P < 0.001). The prevalence of test anxiety in introversive students (72.3%) was higher than that in extroversive students (53.2%) (P < 0.05), and that in students with unstable emotion (81.4%) and in students with apparent psychoticism (84.1%) were also higher than that in those with stable emotion (41.0%) and in those without psychoticism (57.7%) (P < 0.01). The total score of SES in students with test anxiety (29.12 +/- 4.41) was significantly lower than that in students without test anxiety (30.29 +/- 4.25) (P < 0.01). The total score of TAS was significantly negatively related to the total score of SES (r = -0.23) (P < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONTest anxiety should be related to the personality and self-esteem, and the prevalence of test anxiety in introversive, unstable emotional, apparent psychoticism or low self-esteem students should be higher.

Adolescent ; Anxiety ; psychology ; China ; Educational Measurement ; Female ; Humans ; Individuation ; Male ; Personality ; Self Concept ; Students ; psychology ; Test Anxiety Scale ; statistics & numerical data

Flow cytometry was previously applied for analysis of Rh(D) antigen density, therefore it was suggested that the flow cytometry may be used for routine detection of weak D positive phenotypes. This study was purposed to evaluate its practicability. Six weak D positive and 7 DEL individuals were detected by using saline, IAT and absorption/elution test from 2010 to 2011 years. By RHD genotyping, zygosity analysis and sequencing, 3 cases of weak D type 15, 3 cases of partial D type DVI-III and 7 cases of DEL carrying RHD1227A alleles were identified. Taking 2 normal Rh(D)-positive and 2 D-negative samples as controls, all the samples were tested by using flow cytometry, and the median fluorescence intensities were observed as well. The results indicated that all weak D type 15 and partial D type DVI samples were detected to be positive by flow cytometry, as compared with 2 Rh(D)-negative samples (P < 0.05). Seven 7 DEL samples were tested to be negative (P > 0.05), although one of 7 DEL was tested as "±" in IAT and strong positive in absorption/elution. The RHD zygosity analysis showed this DEL individual as RHD(+)/RHD(+) homozygote. It is concluded that the sensitivity of detecting D antigen by flow cytometry is similar to that of IAT, but lower than absorption/elution test. As for detecting weak D or partial D antigens, IAT is easier than flow cytometry; as for identifying DEL, the flow cytometry is not sensitive enough.
Adult ; Alleles ; Blood Donors ; Blood Grouping and Crossmatching ; Flow Cytometry ; methods ; Genotype ; Humans ; Phenotype ; Rh-Hr Blood-Group System ; blood ; genetics ; immunology

OBJECTIVETo explore the killing effect of the mutant herpes simplex virus thymidine kinase (HSV-sr39tk) and its wild-type (HSV-tk) mediated by lentiviral vector on T lymphocytes in vitro and compare T cell survival rate after GCV or ACV treatment.

METHODSThe three-plasmid lentiviral vector system including packaging plasmid DeltaNRF, envelope plasmid VSV-G and vector plasmid (pTK151 + HSV-sr39tk or pTK151 + HSV-tk) were cotransfected into human embryonic kidney 293T cells using modified calcium phosphate precipitation methods. The packaged virus was harvested 72 h later. The survival of T cells expressing HSV-sr39tk or HSV-tk was measured by MTT assay after 4 day-culture against a gradient of GCV or ACV concentrations.

RESULTSThe three plasmids were effectively cotransfected and a high titre of lentivirus was obtained (2 x 10(6) IU/ml). 39tk(+) T cell survival rates declined promptly when the prodrug GCV/ACV concentrations increased from 0 micromol/L to 10 micromol/L. The T cell survival rates in GCV group declined from (96.04 +/- 3.23)% to (36.76 +/- 4.38)% while in ACV group from (97.31 +/- 4.61)% to (43.75 +/- 8.99)%. However, when GCV/ACV concentrations were more than 10 micromol/L, further decline of 39tk(+) T cell survival rates became unobvious. The growth rate of 39tk(+) T cell exposed to GCV or ACV was obviously lower than that in un-transfected T cells (P < 0.05). Tk(+) T cells were sensitive to GCV (P < 0.05), but not to ACV (P > 0.05). There was a significant difference in killing effects between 39tk(+) T cell + GCV group and tk(+) T cell + GCV group (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONThe lentiviral vectors containing HSV-sr39tk gene could infect T lymphocytes effectively and stably without affecting the proliferation of the transduced cell. In contrast to HSV-tk gene, T cells infected HSV-sr39tk were more sensitive not only to GCV but also to ACV.

Acyclovir ; pharmacology ; Animals ; Cell Survival ; drug effects ; Cells, Cultured ; Ganciclovir ; pharmacology ; Genetic Vectors ; Lentivirus ; genetics ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Plasmids ; genetics ; T-Lymphocytes ; cytology ; drug effects ; Thymidine Kinase ; genetics ; Transfection

OBJECTIVETo construct a recombinant lentiviral vector (pXZ208-BDDhFVIII) mediating B-domain-deleted human coagulation factor VIII (BDDhFVIII) gene and investigate its expression in HLF, Chang-Liver and MSC cells.

METHODSBDDhFVIII gene fragment was separated by endonuclease digestion and was cloned into the multiple cloning sites of pXZ208 to construct a recombinant lentiviral vector pXZ208-BDDhFVIII. Viral particles were prepared by means of three-plasmid cotransfection of 293T package cells by calcium phosphate precipitation. After infection, the coagulant activity of human FVIII in the culture medium of 293T, HLF, Chang-Liver and MSC cells was assayed by one-stage method. The gene transduction efficiency was assayed by flow cytometry (FCM). Furthermore, PCR was performed to test the integration of BDDhFVIII.

RESULTSThe infection rates of HLF, Chang-Liver and MSC were (74.52 +/- 7.57)%, (27.24 +/- 6.53)% and (42.34 +/- 5.84)% respectively. The activities of FVIII in supernatants of HLF, Chang-Liver and MSC were (54.1 +/- 5.6)%, (22.5 +/- 2.9)% and (12.5 +/- 2.7)% respectively. BDDhFVIII gene integration was detected in all the infected cells.

CONCLUSIONThe recombinant lentiviral vector pXZ208-BDDhFVIII was successfully constructed and efficiently integrated into target cells to express human FVIII activity in vitro.

Cell Line ; Factor VIII ; biosynthesis ; genetics ; metabolism ; Gene Expression ; Genetic Vectors ; Humans ; Lentivirus ; genetics ; Plasmids ; Transfection

Deoxycytidylate (dCMP) deaminase is an enzyme belonged to dCMP cyt deam family. The dCMP deaminase from Streptococcus mutans UA159 was cloned and expressed in E. coli, and purified to homogeneity. The FPLC size exclusion chromatography analysis reveals that the S. mutans dCMP deaminase forms hexamer in solution. The protein was crystallized using hanging drop vapour-diffusion method and diffracted to a resolution of 3.1 (A). The diffraction data were collected at BSRF beamline3W1A. The crystals belong to P213 space group, with unit cell parameters a = b = c = 113.2(A), α =β = γ = 90°. Assuming there are two subunits per asymmetric unit, the Matthews coefficient is 3.6 (A)3 ·Da-1. This is the first crystallization report of the wild-type deoxycytidylate deaminase.

Deoxycytidylate (dCMP) deaminase is an enzyme belonged to dCMP cyt deam family. The dCMP deaminase from Streptococcus mutans UA159 was cloned and expressed in E. coli, and purified to homogeneity. The FPLC size exclusion chromatography analysis reveals that the S. mutans dCMP deaminase forms hexamer in solution. The protein was crystallized using hanging drop vapour-diffusion method and diffracted to a resolution of 3.1 ?. The diffraction data were collected at BSRF beamline 3W1A. The crystals belong to P213 space group, with unit cell parameters a = b = c = 113.2 ?, ? = ? = ? = 90?. Assuming there are two subunits per asymmetric unit, the Matthews coefficient is 3.6 ?3?Da-1. This is the first crystallization report of the wild-type deoxycytidylate deaminase.

This study was purposed to constructe the three-plasmid system of the lentiviral vector carrying the green fluorescent protein (GFP) gene and to investigate the expression of GFP in T lymphocytes of the mouse. The polypurine tract (PPT) element, ubiquinone promoter (PUB) and GFP were ligated to plasmid pLO134 using subcloning technology to construct plasmid pTK153. Human kidney 293T cells were co-transfected with the three-plasmid system containing packaging plasmid DeltaNRF, plasmid pTK153 and envelope plasmid VSV-G by using calcium phosphate DNA precipation and the expression of GFP was observed under fluorescence microscope after 12 hours. The viral particles were collected after transfection 72 hours, were frozen at -80 degrees C and were used to infect mouse T lymphocytes at multiplicity of infection (m.o.i.) of 3. The expression of GFP in mouse T lymphocytes was observed by fluorescence microscopy and fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS). The results showed that the transfection efficacy was 63.04 +/- 7.24% in 293T cells analysed by FACS and the viral titer was (3.09 +/- 0.61) x 10(6) U/ml. The expression of GFP was also evident in mouse T lymphocytes and the transduction efficacy was (37.98 +/- 6.26)%. It is concluded that the three-plasmid system of lentiviral vector containing GFP gene is successfully constructed and the transduction efficacy is high in mouse T lymphocytes.
Animals ; Genetic Vectors ; genetics ; Green Fluorescent Proteins ; biosynthesis ; genetics ; Lentivirus ; genetics ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred BALB C ; RNA, Viral ; analysis ; T-Lymphocytes ; metabolism ; Transduction, Genetic