Objective To establish a method of multicolor melting curve analysis for the prenatal diagnosis ofβthalassemia.Methods Methodology establishment.A total of 95 cases, including 9 fetal villi samples(10-13 weeks)and 86 amniotic fluid samples(18-24 weeks)were collected by Center for Prenatal Diagnosis of Shenzhen Maternity and Child Healthcare Hospital between January 2014 and December 2014.A double-blind test was done to detect the mutations of beta globin gene by means of reverse dot ( RDB) blot and multicolor melting curve analysis ( MMCA).The consistency of the two methods is compared.Results The results of 93 cases detected by MMCA and RDB are completely consistent.The results of the 2 cases detected by MMCA after correction are the same as the results detected by RDB.Finally, the coincidence rate of the result was 100%.Conclusion MMCA can be applied to the prenatal diagnosis ofβthalassemia as an effective supplement to RDB.

Neurodegenerative diseases are threating our health seriously.Inflammation plays an important role in the initiation and development of neurodegenerative diseases, and its primary characteristics are the activation of microglia and the increasing level of inflammation cytokines.This review describes the relationship between neuroinflammation and several neurodegenerative diseases, and the models in vivo and in vitro.In addition, combining with traditional Chinese medicines knowledge of encephalopathy, we summarizes pharmacological effects and mechanisms of multiple herb extracts and monomer compounds in preventing the activation of microglia and inhibiting neuroinflammation, thus, to provide the basis for gradually revealing the related rules and characteristics of treating encephalopathy by traditional Chinese medicine, and improving the accuracy of the clinical drugs, as well as developing new drugs for the prevention and control of encephalopathy.

Objective To evaluate the short-term outcome of local intraarterial thrombolysis in patients with acute ischemic stroke of the anterior circulation. Methods 24 patients with acute ischemic stroke of the anterior cir-culation within 8 hours were treated by local intraarterial thrombolysis. Arterial recanalization was divided into total, partial and occlusive respectively according to angiography. Evaluation of clinical outcome was performed on the 30th day after thrombolysis,and was classified as good for Modified Rankin Scale (MRS) scores of 0 to Ⅲ and poor for MRS scores of Ⅳ to Ⅵ. Results Total recanalization was obtained in 54.2 % of patients, partial recanalization in 25.0%. Clinical outcome was good in 15 patients (62.5%). Cerebral hemorrhage occurred in 4 patients (16.7%). Four patients died (16.7%). Conclusion Local intraarterial thrombolysis is an effective method for treatment of a-cute iachemic stroke of the anterior circulation. It needs further practice and long-term follow-up study on safety and long-term efficacy.

Objective To investigate the relation between the balloon occlusion test ( BOT) and the anatomy of the circle of Willis ( CW) , and to explore the role of balloon occlusion test in the treatment of internal carotid artery permanent occlusion. Methods Selected the clinical data of 49 patients (52 sides) who had BOT in our hospital from October 2009 to June 2015,and analyzed the relationship be-tween the occurrence rate of anterior communicating artery ( AcoA) / posterior communicating artery ( PcoA) and the positive rate of BOT retrospectively. Results The occurrence rate of the AcoA was 97. 9%, and the occurrence rate of PcoA in one side was 82. 7%. Negative rate BOT accounted for 92. 3% and AcoA occurred in all, while the positive rate accounted for 7. 7%, including 2 cases of right superior ar-teria cerebri anterior combined with ipsilateral PcoAs absence, 1 case of left superior arteria cerebri anterior combined with ipsilateral PcoAs absence, and 1 case of AcoA and PcoAs absence. Conclusion Before the permanent occlusion of the internal carotid artery, it’ s necessary to clarify the redistribution of the compensatory way of blood flow in the AcoA-absent cases. Implementing permanent occlusion for cases with complete circle of Willis would cause less ischemic risk.

The proliferation of tumor cells is regulated by a complex array of signaling pathways, among these signaling pathways,the programmed cell death. Autophagy and apoptosis are two types of programmed death. There are significant differences in their morphological and functional features, but they also have many links. Both apoptosis and autophagy are involved in activation,expression and regulation of a series of genes. By reviewing the research progress in recent years, this article will discuss the cellular regulation and molecular mechanisms of their related genes. Through summarizing the relationship between autophagy and apoptosis,it aims to get a better understanding of the mechanisms of autophagy and apoptosis in tumor progression,and looking at the perspectives for studies on the autophagy and apoptosis in tumor treatment.

Objective To Investigate the effect of copper ions on the radiosensitivity of nasopharyngeal carcinoma(NPC)and identify potential targets to improve the efficacy of NPC radiation therapy.Methods The content of copper ions in normal nasopharyngeal epithelial cell line NP69 and a variety of NPC cell lines was detected by a copper microplate assay.After adding 0,5,10,20,50,100,200 μmol/L copper ion solution and 0,0.05,0.1,0.2,0.5,1.0,2.0 mmol/L TEPA solution,CCK-8 assay was used to determine the effect of intracellular copper ion content on the survival rate of NPC cells before and after irradiation.And determine the drug concentration to be used in subsequent experiments.CCK-8 assay was used to determine the effect of intracellular copper ion content on the survival rate of NPC cells before and after irradiation,and to determine the drug concentration used in the copper ion group and TEPA group in the subsequent experiments.CCK-8 assay and clone formation assay were used to detect the changes in radiosensitivity of NPC cells after drug treatment.The DNA damage and MAPK-ERK signaling pathway-related protein expression of NPC cells in each group before and after irradiation were detected by Western blot.Results The content of copper ions in NPC cells was significantly higher than that in normal naso-pharyngeal epithelial cells(P＜0.05).When the concentration of copper ion solution was lower than 50 μmol/L,the radiation resistance of CNE1 cells was improved,and the radiation sensitivity of SUNE1 cells was increased by 0.1～0.2 mmol/L TEPA(P＜0.05).Compared with the control group,the NPC cell radiotherapy resistance of copper ion group was enhanced,and the NPC cell radiotherapy sensitivity of copper ion group was enhanced(P＜0.05).Compared with the control group,the activation degree of MAPK-ERK pathway in copper ion group was up-regulated(P＜0.05).MAPK-ERK pathway inhibitor SCH772984 effectively reversed copper-mediated NPC radiotherapy resistance(P＜0.05).Conclusion The increased copper ion content in NPC cells promoted the radiotherapy resistance of NPC cells by activating the MAPK-ERK signaling pathway.

OBJECTIVE To assess the application value of multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification (MLPA) for the detection of gene deletion and prenatal diagnosis of α-thalassemia. METHODS MLPA was applied for 2 cases with α-thalassemia phenotype by whole blood cell counting and hemoglobin component detection but were ruled out by regular molecular diagnosis. Potential gene deletions and point mutations of α-thalassemia gene were detected with regular Gap-polymerase chain reaction (Gap-PCR) and reverse dot blotting (RDB) in 89 cases where one or both partners were carriers of α-thalassemia mutations. Meanwhile, MLPA was used for detecting α-globin gene deletion among the 89 samples. RESULTS For the 2 cases with α-thalassemia phenotype, no α globin gene deletion was detected by MLPA, but were subsequently confirmed as iron-deficiency anemia. The results of MLPA and Gap-PCR detection for the 88 cases were consistent, except for 1 fetal sample (chorionic villi) which could not be diagnosed by Gap-PCR and was confirmed to be - SEA/αα by MLPA. CONCLUSION MLPA can be applied to prenatal diagnosis of α-thalassemia as an effective supplement to Gap-PCR to reduce both misdiagnosis and missed diagnosis and improve the accuracy of prenatal diagnosis.
Adult ; Female ; Humans ; Nucleic Acid Amplification Techniques ; methods ; Pregnancy ; Prenatal Diagnosis ; methods ; alpha-Thalassemia ; diagnosis ; genetics

OBJECTIVETo provide prenatal diagnosis for two couples who respectively carried heterozygous CD41-42 (-TCTT) and CD43 (G>T) mutations of the beta hemoglobin gene.

METHODSThe mutations were simultaneously detected with reverse dot blot (two diagnostic kits), multi-color melting curve analysis and sequencing analysis.

RESULTSThe fetus of family 1 was shown to be heterozygous for CD43 (G>T) by the three methods, while the fetus of family 2 was shown to be double heterozygous for CD41-42 (-TCTT) and CD43 (G>T) by multi-color melting curve analysis and sequencing analysis. The two diagnostic kits yielded different results by reverse dot blot, one as double heterozygous for CD41-42 (-TCTT) and CD43 (G>T), and another as homozygous for CD41-42 (-TCTT).

CONCLUSIONFor prenatal diagnosis of couples carrying mutations of beta hemoglobin gene such as CD41-42 (-TCTT) and CD43 (G>T), other methods such as Sanger sequencing should be used in order to avoid misdiagnosis.

Diagnostic Errors ; Female ; Heterozygote ; Humans ; Male ; Mutation ; Pregnancy ; Prenatal Diagnosis ; Reagent Kits, Diagnostic ; beta-Globins ; genetics ; beta-Thalassemia ; diagnosis ; genetics

Objective To explore the biological indicators of diagnosis and treatment of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), and to explore the mechanism of action of a Chinese medicine Wuji Pill (WJW) on irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Methods (1) Postinflammatory irritable bowel syndrome (PI-IBS) rat model was established by acetic acid plus restraint stress method . (2) The colonic motor ability of rats was evaluated by colon motility index (MI), the number of fecal particles discharged within 2 h, and the time of glass pellet discharge. (3) The formation of PI-IBS model rats and the therapeutic effect of WJW were observed. (4) The levels of calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP), motilin (MTL), neuropeptide Y (NPY), substance P (SP), somatostatin (SS), vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP), and cholecystokinin (CCK) in the brain and colon tissues of PI-IBS rats were measured by ELISA. Results (1) The rat PI-IBS model was successfully established. Compared with the normal group, the body weight of the model rats was decreased, the food intake decreased, the amount of feces increased, loose stools and amorphous soft stools appeared, voluntary movements decreased, colon motility index ( MI) significantly increased ( P ＜ 0. 05 ), the number of fecal particles discharged significantly increased ( P＜ 0. 05), and the glass pellet discharge time was significantly shortened ( P ＜ 0. 05). (2) WJW treatment for 7 days significantly improved a variety of symptoms. Compared with the normal control, the levels of CGRP, SS and VIP in the brain tissue of PI-IBS rats were significantly increased (P＜ 0. 05), and the NPY concentration was significantly decreased ( P ＜ 0. 05). However, the treatment with WJW significantly reduced CGRP, SS and VIP levels (P＜ 0. 05), and significantly increased the NPY concentration level (P ＜ 0. 05). (3) Compared with the normal control group, the levels of CCK, NPY, MTL, SS and VIP in colonic tissues of PI-IBS rats were significantly decreased (P＜ 0. 05), while WJW significantly increased the CCK and VIP levels. Conclusions WJW can be used to treat IBS by regulating the levels of various brain-gut peptides in the brain and colon tissues of IBS rats. These anomalous and adjustable brain-gut peptides may become a potential biomarker for the diagnosis and treatment of IBS.

Objective Observing the feasibility of acute endovascular treatment for patients with symptomatic anterior intracranial atherosclerotic severe stenosis.Method From Jun 2019 to Jun 2023,30 symptomatic anterior intracranial atherosclerotic severe stenosis cases were retrospectively collected in the Guangdong Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine to evaluate the risk stratification score and explore the safety and effectiveness of acute(≤72.0h)endovascular treatment.Endovascular treatment includes balloon dilation+self-expanding stent placement,balloon-mounted stent placement,and balloon dilation.From the clinical experience,the risk stratification score was based on the ABCD3-I score for transient ischemic attacks(TIA)and additional evaluation of cerebral watershed infarction to identify the risk of stroke progression or recurrence in acute stage of symptomatic intracranial artery stenosis.The score of 0-3 was defined as low-risk,4-7 as medium risk,and 8-13 as high-risk.The successful revascularization of blood flow is determined based on the residual stenosis≤50％and the extended thrombolysis in cerebral infarction(eTICI)＞2c.The information of patient receiving endovascular treatment was recorded,including age,sex,risk factors of cerebrovascular disease(hypertension,diabetes,hyperlipidemia,hyperhomocysteinemia,drinking history,smoking history),onset data(time from onset to endovascular treatment,symptoms,progression),diseased vessels,risk stratification score,National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale(NIHSS)score before and 90 days after surgery,modified Rankin scale(mRS)score 90 days after surgery,intraoperative cerebrovascular events(intracranial hemorrhage,occlusion of responsible vessels),and postoperative cerebrovascular events 90 days after surgery(intracranial hemorrhage,cerebral infarction,TIA and in-stent restenosis)and deaths.Results Among 30 patients with symptomatic anterior intracranial atherosclerotic severe stenosis,3 patients were excluded from the time interval between onset and endovascular treatment＞72.0 hours,1 patient needed long-term anticoagulant drugs due to other diseases,1 patient lost follow-up,3 patients coexisted with other cardiogenic cerebral embolism diseases,4 patients with non-atherosclerotic arterial stenosis,and 7 patients refused emergency endovascular treatment.11 patients were finally included.(1)All 11 patients were successfully treated with endovascular treatment,and 7 were males;age ranged from 52 to 76 years old,with a median age of 64 years old;there were 9 cases with hypertension,3 cases diabetes,7 cases hyperlipidemia,2 cases hyperhomocysteinemia(only 9cases performed the examination),2cases smoking history,1 case drinking history;time from onset to endovascular treatment is 4.0-72.0 h,with a median time of 12.0 h;there were 3 and 8 cases of infarction in the left and right hemispheres,respectively,with 4,3,and 2 cases accompanied with anterior-posterior watershed,medial watershed,and anlerior-medial-posterior watershed infarctions,and 1 case accompanied by posterior-medial,anterior-medial watershed infarctions.(2)Among the 1 1 patients,the risk stratification score was 10-13 points,with a median score of 11 points;preoperative NIHSS score ranged 0-11 points,with a median score of 7 points.(3)Among the 1 1 patients,10 lesions located in the middle cerebral artery and 1 in the C7 segment of the internal carotid artery;the preoperative stenosis rate was 70％to 99％,with a median stenosis rate of 86％;preoperative eTICI grading was 2a in 7 cases and 2b50 in 4 cases(with slow distal blood flow);9 cases received balloon dilation and self-expanding stent placement,1 case received balloon-mounted stent placement,and 1 case received balloon dilation treatment;the postoperative stenosis rate is 10％to 20％,with a median stenosis rate of 15％;there were 3 cases with postoperative eTICI grade 2c and 8 cases with grade 3.(4)Among the 11 patients,one experienced intracranial hemorrhage on the first day after surgery and one had a new cerebral infarction on the third day after surgery.Eight patients were followed up by imaging 90days after surgery,demonstrating 2 cases of in-stent restenosis;90 days post-surgery,NIHSS score was 0-20 points,with a median score of 2 points;after 90 days of surgery,the mRS score was 0-4 points,with a median score of 1 point.There were 8 patients with mRS score ≤ 2 and no death events occurred.Conclusions Preliminary analysis shows that acute endovascular treatment for symptomatic anterior intracranial atherosclerotic severe stenosis has certain effectiveness,but the safety needs to be further validated.The screening of high-risk patients using risk stratification scores still requires further exploration through large sample and multicenter studies.