Objective To investigate the relationships of suicide risk and its associated risk factors in adult patients with epilepsy.Methods All 211 adult patients with epilepsy from the epilepsy clinic of the Second Affiliated Hospital,Zhejiang University School of Medicine,were enrolled to evaluate the presence of suicide risk and depressive disorder by using the suicide module and the depressive disorder module of the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI).Demographic variables for age,gender,employment status,marital status,years of education,and seizure factors for age of onset,types of seizure,seizure frequency and epilepsy duration,result of MRI and types of antiepileptic drugs were also recorded.We compared the differences of risk factors between the two groups with or without suicide risk and investigated the relationships between the depressive disorder and suicide risk.Results The suicide risk of the patients was 21.3％ (45/211),and 17.1％ (36/211) of the patients had depressive disorder.The suicide risk of the epilepsy patients associated with depressive disorder was 75.0％ (27/36),and the suicide risk of the epilepsy patients associated with no depressive disorder was 10.3％ (18/175).There was statistical difference between the two groups (x2 =74.525,P ＜ 0.01).About 60.0％ (27/45) of the patients with suicide risk was accompanied with depressive disorder.As suicide risk increased,the proportion of concurrent depressive disorder elevated.There was significant statistical difference in the rates of depressive disorder among the different suicide risk groups.Conclusions The patients with epilepsy have suicide risk.The suicide risk is higher in patients with depressive disorder.

Objective To evaluate the effect of Jatropha see soma japonicum so as to screen the optimum process and formulations. Methods The cercaria directly contacting tests with Jatro-pha seed oils extracted by 6 different extraction processes were carried out,and the mouse immediate contacting cercaria infection trials with different formulations of Jatropha seed oil and various additives were performed. Results With 95%ethanol,the ratio of material to liquid being 1∶8,and 2 h extraction,the oil extraction rate was 30.7%. The cercaria directly contacting tests showed that 6 kinds of Jatropha seed oil killed all cercaria within 30 min. In the mouse immediate contacting cercaria infection trials,the worm declined rate of Jatropha seed oil liquid was 70.97%,and the worm declined rate of the sample added with benzyl benzoate was 58.87%,and the worm declined rate of the sample added with laurocapram was 77.42%. The worm declined rate of the sam-ples added with benzyl benzoate,dibutyl phthalate and laurocapram was 100%. Conclusion The process with 95%ethanol,the ratio of material to liquid being 1∶8,and 2 h extraction is the optimum,and the Jatropha seed oil has a good killing schistosome cercaria effect.

AIM: To study the effects of apolipoprotein (apo) A-Ⅰon ATP binding cassette transporter A1 (ABCA1) degradation and cholesterol efflux in THP-1 macrophage-derived foam cells. METHODS: After exposure of the cultured THP-1 macrophage-derived foam cells to apolipoprotein A-Ⅰ for different time, cholesterol efflux, ABCA1 mRNA and protein level were determined by liquid scintillation counting, reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction and Western blotting, respectively. The mean ABCA1 fluorescence intensity on THP-1 macrophage-derived foam cells was detected by flow cytometry. RESULTS: ApoA-Ⅰ markedly increased ABCA1-mediated cholesterol efflux from THP-1 macrophage-derived foam cells. This was accompanied by an increase in the content of ABCA1. ApoA-Ⅰ did not alter ABCA1 mRNA abundance. Thiol protease inhibitors increased the level of ABCA1 protein and slowed its decay in THP-1 macrophage-derived foam cells, whereas none of the proteosome-specific inhibitor lactacystin, other protease inhibitors, or the lysosomal inhibitor NH_4Cl showed such effects. The apoA-Ⅰ mediated cellular cholesterol efflux was enhanced by thiol protease inhibitors. CONCLUSION: Thiol protease inhibitors might provide an alternative way to upregulate ABCA1 protein. This strategy is especially appealing since it may mimic the stabilizing effect of the natural ligands apoA-Ⅰ.

OBJECTIVETo study correlation of brain hypoxia of different degrees with brain function and damage.

METHODSThe brain regional oxygen saturation (rSO2) was determined by using a non-invasive near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) technique in 15 piglets; the piglets were subjected to inhale 3% - 11% oxygen-nitrogen mixed gas through mechanical ventilation for 30 min. The piglets were divided into groups according to the level of brain rSO2 (i.e. < 30%, 30% - 35%, 35% - 40%, and 40% - 50%), and the data were compared with those of the control group (rSO2 > 60%). Changes of brain function were detected through amplitude and frequency of EEG waves and signal complexity. The piglets were sacrificed via decapitation 72 h after brain damage, and then histopathological and ultrastructural examinations were performed on cerebral cortex and hippocampal CA1 area.

RESULTSIn the group with rSO2 > 40%, the mean arterial pressure (MAP) after hypoxia was (56 +/- 0.00) mm Hg (1 mm Hg = 0.133 kPa), the blood lactic acid (LA) was (2.3 +/- 1.2) mmol/L, the EEG findings were within normal range, and there was no change in brain tissue ultrastructure. In the group with brain rSO2 = 30% approximately 40%, the MAP was (73 +/- 8) mm Hg, the LA was (8.2 +/- 3.9) mmol/L, the EEG waves showed decreased amplitude, frequency and complexity, but restored to some extent after hypoxia. The brain tissue ultrastructure showed damages to the cerebral cortex and neuron mitochondria at hippocampal CA1 area. In the group with brain rSO2 < 30%, the MAP was (35 +/- 0) mm Hg, the LA was (12 +/- 2) mmol/L, the EEG showed decreased amplitude, frequency, and complexity of signals compared with those of the normal control group, and was difficult to restore after hypoxia in some of the piglets; the brain tissue ultrastructure appeared to be similar to the changes seen with high-degree swollen cerebral cortex and neuron mitochondria at hippocampal CA1 area.

CONCLUSIONDifferent degrees of hypoxia had different influence on brain function and brain damage. The lower the brain rSO2, the more severe the damages to the brain and its function. The rSO2 of brain tissues detected with noninvasive NIRS can reflect brain injury and its severity during cerebral anoxia.

Animals ; Blood Gas Analysis ; Brain Injuries ; complications ; Cerebral Cortex ; physiopathology ; Cerebrovascular Circulation ; physiology ; Electroencephalography ; Female ; Hypoxia ; metabolism ; pathology ; Hypoxia, Brain ; complications ; Hypoxia-Ischemia, Brain ; physiopathology ; Male ; Neurons ; pathology ; Oximetry ; instrumentation ; Oxygen ; metabolism ; Oxygen Consumption ; Spectroscopy, Near-Infrared ; methods ; Statistics as Topic ; Swine

Long-tem culture initiating cells(LTC-IC), and in vitro assay of hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells, still represent a heterogeneous population in terms of proliferative capacity and sensitivity to different growth factors. Human umbilical cord (CB) is rich of hematopoietic progenitor cells measured by clonogenic assays and stem cells capable of reconstituting the marrow after transplantation. The influence of culture conditions on the in vitro behavior of LTC-IC from CB was evaluated. First, by using IRES sequence, FL and TPO cDNA were recombined with retroviral vector pLXSN by gene recombination technology. The recombinant plasmid pLFSN, pLTSN, pLFTSN were transfected into human stromal cell line HFCL. Then, LTC-IC were evaluated in long term cultures, comparing five types of stromal feeder layers: human bone marrow stromal cell, human stromal cell line HFCL, and stromal cell lines HDF tranfected with FL gene, HLT transfected with TPO gene or HFT co-transfected with FL and TPO genes. The results were demonstrated that after 8 weeks of coculture, three types of stromal cell lines that supported the maintenance of CFU-C for up to 3 weeks in vitro were identified. However, cocultivation of human bone marrow stromal cell and CB CD34(+) cells on HFT, CFU-C production continued up to 6 weeks or longer on these stroma. The absolute LTC-IC frequency in CD34(+) cells on human bone marrow stromal cell (2.65 +/- 0.76/1 000 cells) was no significant difference with on HFT (3.65 +/- 0.58/1 000 cells). Thus, HFT acts by direct contact to maintain the phenotype and function of the most primitive and quiescent human progenitors. Furthermore, HFT cell line was selected as the optimal one for supporting long-term culture feeder. It was concluded that LTC-IC progenitors from cord blood maintain growing upon the FL/TPO gene-modified stromal feeder layers in vitro.

Background: and Purpose Most of the knowledge of Mycoplasma pneumonia (M. pneumoniae) encephalitis (MPE) in children is based on case reports or small case series. This study aimed to describe the clinical features and prognostic factors of MPE, and the efficacy of azithromycin with or without immunomodulatory therapy. Methods: The medical data of 87 patients with MPE from 3 medical centers in southwestern China over a 7-year period were reviewed. Results: MPE was found in children of all ages except for neonates. The most common neurological manifestations included consciousness disturbance (90%) and headache (87.4%), the most common extraneurological manifestations included fever (96.5%) and respiratory system involvement (94.3%); multisystem involvement (98.2%) and elevated C-reactive protein (CRP) (90.8%) were also prominent. M. pneumoniae was detected in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) less often than in blood and respiratory tract secretions. Azithromycin with intravenous immunoglobulin or/and corticosteroid treatment can shorten the hospitalization duration and the clinical improvement process. Most patients (82.8%) received a favorable prognosis; serum lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and CSF protein levels were higher in the poor-outcome group than in the good-outcome group (p<0.05). Neurological sequelae are likely to continue when the onset of this condition occurs during teenage years. Conclusions MPE generally presented with nonspecific clinical manifestations. In children with acute encephalitis accompanied by multi-system involvement and prominently elevated CRP, M. pneumoniae should be considered as a possible pathogen. Immunomodulating therapies should be recommended regardless of the duration of the prodromal period. High CSF protein

BACKGROUNDType 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) has traditionally been considered to affect mainly the elderly; however, the age at diagnosis has gradually reduced in recent years. Although the incidence of young-onset T2DM is increasing, it is still not fully clear the onset characteristics and risk factors of early-onset T2DM. The aim of this study was to describe the initiating characteristics of early-onset T2DM in Chinese patients and evaluate the risk factors for diabetes mellitus.

METHODSThis cross-sectional controlled study was performed using a questionnaire survey method in outpatients of multiple centers in China. A total of 1545 patients with T2DM with an age at onset of <40 years were included, and the control group consisted of subjects aged <40 years with normal blood glucose level.

RESULTSIn patients with young-onset T2DM, the mean age and initial hemoglobin 1Ac at diagnosis were 32.96 ± 5.40 years and 9.59 ± 2.71%, respectively. Most of the patients were obese, followed irregular diet pattern and sedentary lifestyle, had life or work pressure, and had a family history of diabetes mellitus. Compared with subjects with normal blood glucose level, logistic regression analysis showed that waist-to-hip ratio (odds ratio [OR] 446.99, 95% confidence interval [CI] 42.37-4714.87), family history of diabetes mellitus (OR 23.46, CI 14.47-38.03), dyslipidemia (OR 2.65, CI 1.54-4.56), diastolic blood pressure (OR 1.02, CI 1.00-1.04), and body mass index (OR 0.95, CI 0.92-0.99) are independent factors for early-onset T2DM.

CONCLUSIONSWe observed that abdominal obesity, family history of diabetes mellitus, and medical history of hypertension and dyslipidemia are independent risk factors for early-onset T2DM. It is, therefore, necessary to apply early lifestyle intervention in young people with risk of diabetes mellitus.

Adult ; Blood Glucose ; analysis ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 ; blood ; etiology ; Female ; Glycated Hemoglobin A ; analysis ; Humans ; Male ; Risk Factors ; Waist-Hip Ratio

OBJECTIVETo observe the therapeutic effect of acpuncture treatment for chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS).

METHODSNighty cases of CFS were randomly divided into an observation group and a control group, 45 cases in each group. The observation group was treated with acupunture at Renying (ST 9), Fengfu (GV 16), Baihui (GV 20); the control group was treated with 250 mL 5% Glucose injectio combined with 20 mL Shenmai injectio. Fatigue Scale (FS) was used to compare the scores between the two groups after treatment.

RESULTSThe total scores in the observation group were 9.37 +/- 2.33 and 5.41 +/- 1.96 before and after treatment respectively, and in the control group, they were 9.08 +/- 2.27 and 7.34 +/- 2.03 respectively. FS brainwork integral, physical fatigue integral, and total integral all decreased after treatment in two groups (all P < 0.001), and it decreased much more obviously in the observation group (P < 0.05, P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONBoth of the acpuncture treatment and Shenmai injectio are able to decrease fatigue scale score, improve the fatigue symptoms of CFS patients, and the effect of acupucture treatment is obviously superior to that of Shenmai injectio.

Acupuncture Therapy ; Adult ; Fatigue Syndrome, Chronic ; therapy ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Treatment Outcome

Aim To study the apoptosis-inducing effect of rosmarinic acid derivative RAD-9 on gastric cancer MGC-803 cells and the underlying mechanisms.Methods MTT assay was taken to detect the survival of gastric cancer MGC-803 cells effected by RAD-9.Cell apoptosis was detected by flow cytometry.The apoptotic morphology of MGC-803 cells was observed by Hoechst 33258 staining.The protein expression levels of Bcl-2,Bax,caspase-3,Akt,p-Akt,p38 MAPK and p-p38 MAPK were measured by Western blot.Results The results of MTT assay showed that RAD-9 inhibited the viability of gastric cancer MGC-803 cells in a time and concentration-dependent manner.Flow cytometry showed that RAD-9 significantly promoted apoptotic cell percentage in gastric cancer MGC-803 cells (P ＜ 0.01).Hoechst 33258 staining showed that the nucleus of MGC-803 cells could be observed with typical apoptotic morphological changes after RAD-9 administration.Compared with the control group,the protein expression levels of Bcl-2,Akt,p-Akt were significantly down-regulated (P ＜ 0.01),while those of Bax,caspase-3,p38 MAPK,p-p38 MAPK were significantly up-regulated (P ＜ 0.01).Conclusion RAD-9 can inhibit the growth and further induce apoptosis in gastric cancer MGC-803 cells,which may involve inhibiting PI3K/Akt and activating p38 MAPK signaling pathway.

Aim To study the effect of genistein on apoptosis in human breast cancer MDA-MB-231 cells and the underlying mechanisms. Methods MTT as-say was used to observe the inhibitory rate on human breast cancer MDA-MB-231 cells treated with genistein. Colony assay was used to determine the cell colony formation rate on human breast cancer MDA-MB-231 cells treated with genistein. Western blot was used to detect the expression of Bcl-2, Bax, caspase-3,NF-κB, ERK, p-ERK, JNK and p-JNK in human breast cancer MDA-MB-231 cells treated with genistein. Results The results of MTT assay showed that genistein inhibited the viability of breast cancer MDA-MB-231 cells in a time- and concentration-de-pendent manner. Colony assay suggested that genistein had an antiproliferative effect on MDA-MB-231 cells. The expression levels of Bcl-2, NF-κB and p-ERK were significantly down-regulated compared with con-trol(P < 0.01). However, the expression of Bax, caspase-3 and p-JNK was significantly up-regulated(P<0.01). Conclusions Genistein could inhibit the growth of human breast cancer MDA-MB-231 cells and induce apoptosis,and the mechanism may be related to the inhibition of NF-κB, ERK/MAPK signaling path-ways and the activation of JNK/MAPK signaling path-way.