There are three major ways of for the treatments of post-stroke cognitive impairment.Medicine,acupuncture and the cognitive training is the most popular.Both clinical reports and experimental studies proved positive effect of acupuncture to post-stroke cognitive function impairment.There are more clinical reports and comprehensive mechanism studies on the Brain-activating and Orifice-opening Acupuncture than the other two popular treatments of acupuncture for cognitive function impairment.Acupuncture show positive effect on post-stroke cognitive function impairment.Further studies are required to validate whether acupuncture has better curative effect than cognitive training.

This study examined the differentiation character and pluripotency of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) under different conditions. Adult MSCs were initially isolated from the bone marrow of rats, cultured in vitro and identified by flow cytometry. After MSCs were transferred to osteogenic and adipogenic medium respectively, the morphological characterization of induced cells was observed. The expression of marker genes was detected by RT-PCR analysis. Then MSCs were transfected with lentiviral vectors pGC-FU-Sox9-EGFP. Enhanced green fluorescence protein (EGFP) expression and transfection efficiency were determined by fluorescence microscopy. The results demonstrated that EGFP caused no effect on the multilineage potential of adult MSCs. Sox9 gene expression of high level was maintained stable in the transfected MSCs and induced MSCs to differentiate into chondrocytes. Aggracan was positive in chondrogenic lineages and the expression of aggracan and type collagen II was significantly increased during MSCs chondrogenic differentiation. It was concluded that Sox9 gene-modified adult MSCs may be promising candidate cells for further studies on tissue engineering. EGFP facilitates the research on MSCs physiological behavior and application in tissue engineering during differentiation both in vitro and in vivo.

This study examined the differentiation character and pluripotency of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) under different conditions. Adult MSCs were initially isolated from the bone marrow of rats, cultured in vitro and identified by flow cytometry. After MSCs were transferred to osteogenic and adipogenic medium respectively, the morphological characterization of induced cells was observed. The expression of marker genes was detected by RT-PCR analysis. Then MSCs were transfected with lentiviral vectors pGC-FU-Sox9-EGFP. Enhanced green fluorescence protein (EGFP) expression and transfection efficiency were determined by fluorescence microscopy. The results demonstrated that EGFP caused no effect on the multilineage potential of adult MSCs. Sox9 gene expression of high level was maintained stable in the transfected MSCs and induced MSCs to differentiate into chondrocytes. Aggracan was positive in chondrogenic lineages and the expression of aggracan and type collagen II was significantly increased during MSCs chondrogenic differentiation. It was concluded that Sox9 gene-modified adult MSCs may be promising candidate cells for further studies on tissue engineering. EGFP facilitates the research on MSCs physiological behavior and application in tissue engineering during differentiation both in vitro and in vivo.
Adult Stem Cells ; cytology ; Aggrecans ; metabolism ; Animals ; Bone Marrow Cells ; cytology ; Cell Differentiation ; Cells, Cultured ; Chondrocytes ; cytology ; Collagen Type II ; metabolism ; Genetic Vectors ; genetics ; Green Fluorescent Proteins ; genetics ; Lentivirus ; genetics ; metabolism ; Mesenchymal Stromal Cells ; cytology ; Rats ; SOX9 Transcription Factor ; genetics ; Tissue Engineering ; Transfection

PURPOSE: The extranodal natural killer (NK)/T-cell lymphoma (NKTCL) of non-upper aerodigestive tract (NUAT) was found to have clinical heterogeneity compared with NKTCL of the upper aerodigestive tract (UAT) in small scale studies. We conducted this study in a much larger cohort to analyze the clinical characteristics, prognostic factors, treatment modality, and clinical outcomes of patients with NUAT-NKTCL. MATERIALS AND METHODS: From January 2001 to December 2017, a total of 757 NKTCL patients were identified and included in this study, including 92 NUAT-NKTCL patients (12.2%) and 665 UAT-NKTCLpatients (87.8%). RESULTS: NUAT-NKTCL patients had relatively poorer performance status, more unfavorable prognostic factors, and more advanced stage, compared with UAT-NKTCL patients. The 5-year overall survival (OS) was 34.7% for NUAT-NKTCL, which was significantly worse than UAT-NKTCL (64.2%, p<0.001). The median OS duration was 30.9 months for NUAT-NKTCL. Multivariate analysis showed that presence with B symptoms and elevated serum lactate dehydrogenase independently predicted worse OS. International prognostic index score and prognostic index of natural killer lymphoma score still had prognostic values in NUAT-NKTCL, while the Ann Arbor system could not accurately predict the OS. CONCLUSION: NUAT-NKTCL is a distinctive subtype of NKTCL in many aspects. Patients with NUAT-NKTCL have relatively poorer performance status, more unfavorable prognostic factors, more advanced stage, and poorer prognosis.
Cohort Studies ; Humans ; L-Lactate Dehydrogenase ; Lymphoma ; Lymphoma, Extranodal NK-T-Cell ; Multivariate Analysis ; Population Characteristics ; Prognosis

Congenital tuberculosis is a tuberculosis disease caused by the fetus infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis in the womb or during delivery, which is a kind of special and rare tuberculosis in children.The clinical manifestation of congenital tuberculosis is lack of specificity, difficulty in early diagnosis, rapid progress, easy misdiagnosis and high mortality.At present, there are few studies on congenital tuberculosis.In this review, we will discuss the epidemiology and clinical features of congenital tuberculosis.Importantly, we will further introduce the rapid etiological detection and treatment to strengthen clinicians′ understanding of congenital tuberculosis.

Objective: To investigate the effect of antiviral therapy on the progression of liver cirrhosis and related predictive factors through a retrospective analysis of patients with compensated hepatitis C cirrhosis. Methods: The patients with compensated hepatitis C cirrhosis who were treated in our hospital from 2004 to 2015 were divided into sustained virologic response (SVR) group, non-SVR (NSVR) group, and untreated group. The baseline features of patients with or without liver cirrhosis were compared to identify the predictive factors for the progression of liver cirrhosis. The changes in platelet count, spleen sizes, Model for End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD) score, Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score, and Child-Turotte-Pugh (CTP) score were analyzed, and the incidence rate of liver cancer was compared between groups. A one-way analysis of variance, the Kruskal-wallis H test, the two-independent-sample t test, the chi-square test, and a multivariate logistic regression analysis were used for data analysis based on data type. Results: A total of 89 patients with compensated liver cirrhosis were enrolled, among whom 42 received the antiviral treatment with interferon and ribavirin (30 were treated with pegylated interferon-α and 12 were treated with ordinary interferon) and 47 did not receive any antiviral therapy. Among the patients who received the antiviral treatment with interferon and ribavirin, 20 achieved SVR and 22 did not achieve SVR. Compared with baseline values, platelet count in the SVR group and the NSVR group was increased by (44.93 ± 32.66)×10⁹/L and (9.73 ± 28.83)×10⁹/L, respectively, and platelet count in the untreated group was reduced by (19.76 ± 54.5)×10⁹/L; the three groups had a significant change in platelet count (F = 14.731, P < 0.001). Spleen size was reduced by 0.91 ± 1.09 cm in the SVR group and increased by 0.20±0.84 cm and 1.11 ± 1.69 cm in the NSVR group and the untreated group, respectively; the three groups had a significant change in spleen size (F = 14.943, P < 0.001). The three groups had no significant changes in MELD, SOFA, and CTP scores (P > 0.05). One patient (5.00%) in the SVR group, 5 (22.73%) in the NSVR group, and 6 (12.77%) in the untreated group progressed to liver cancer (χ ² = 13.787, P = 0.001). The univariate analysis showed that SVR, HCV RNA, total bilirubin, and albumin were predictive factors for disease progression, and the multiple logistic regression analysis demonstrated that SVR and total bilirubin were predictive factors for disease progression. Conclusion Interferon combined with ribavirin has a marked clinical effect in the treatment of compensated hepatitis C cirrhosis with good short- and long-term efficacy.

BACKGROUNDThe prognostic values of interim and post-therapy fluorine-18-fluorodeoxyglucose ((18)F-FDG) positron emission tomography (PET) and PET/computed tomography (CT) scanning have been confirmed in several subtypes of lymphoma. However, its prognostic value in Burkitt's lymphoma has not been clearly defined. The aim of the present study was to assess the prognostic value of PET/CT scanning during different treatment processes of Burkitt's lymphoma.

METHODSA total of 29 adult patients with newly diagnosed Burkitt's lymphoma were retrospectively involved in this study; of them, 23 patients underwent baseline PET/CT, 15 patients underwent mid-therapy PET/CT after 1-4 cycles of chemotherapy, and 17 patients underwent post-therapy PET/CT after all planned first-line chemotherapy cycles. Mid-therapy and post-therapy PET/CT results (positive vs. negative) were visually interpreted according to the criteria of the International Harmonization Project. The reduction in the maximum standardizes uptake values (∆SUVmax) of 25%, 50%, and 75% were regarded as cutoff points. Overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) were regarded as the major endpoints.

RESULTSThe median OS and PFS were 27.6 months (range 6.5-78.3 months) and 27.2 months (range 3.0-78.3 months), respectively. The median SUVmax of the baseline PET/CT was 18.3 (range 1.6-35.9), whereas the median SUVmax of the mid-therapy and post-therapy PET/CT decreased to 4.0 (range 0-17.6) and 3.0 (range 0-14.5), respectively. The patients' Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) scores (<2 vs. ≥2) were significantly associated with the baseline PET/CT SUVmax. The mid-therapy and post-therapy PET/CT results (positive vs. negative) showed no significant association with OS or PFS. The optimal cutoff ∆SUVmax from the baseline to the post-therapy PET/CT that could predict a change in OS in patients with Burkitt's lymphoma was 50% (P = 0.019).

CONCLUSIONS(18)F-FDG uptake was intense in Burkitt's lymphoma, and there was a significant reduction in SUVmax during the interim and post-therapy PET/CT procedures. A ∆SUVmax of greater than 50% was a favorable cutoff point to predict the OS of Burkitt's lymphoma patients.

Aged ; Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols ; therapeutic use ; Burkitt Lymphoma ; diagnostic imaging ; drug therapy ; Female ; Fluorodeoxyglucose F18 ; Humans ; Kaplan-Meier Estimate ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Positron Emission Tomography Computed Tomography ; methods ; Prognosis ; Radiopharmaceuticals ; Retrospective Studies ; Treatment Outcome