Objective To explore the pathological mechanism of brain function and structure in young patients with major depressive disorder by diffusion tensor imaging(DTI)and resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging(fMRI).Methods Sixteen participants diagnosed with major depression (MD) and 16 healthy age and gender-matched controls(HC) were recruited. Resting state fMRI and DTI brain scans were performed on all participants. A voxel-based method (VBM) was used to analyze the DTI datasets, and regional homogeneity (ReHo) approach was applied to preprocess the fMRI datasets. The value of fractional anisotropy (FA) and ReHo maps were obtained in the whole brain.Results FA values in the MD group were significantly lower than those of the healthy controls in the white matter of the left middle temporal gyrus, right middle frontal gyrus, left medial frontal gyrus, right precentral gyrus, left angular gyrus, left fusiform gyrus, left superior temporal gyrus, right middle temporal gyrus, right sub-gyral, left insula, and left pyramis (P＜0.01). ReHo in the MD group decreased in the left superior frontal gyrus, right superior frontal gyrus, left middle frontal gyrus, right middle frontal gyrus, left medial frontal gyrus, right medial frontal gyrus, left paracentral lobule, right paracentral lobule, right inferior parietal lobule, left postcentral gyrus, right postcentral gyrus, left middle occipital gyrus, left lingual gyrus, right putamen, right cingulate gyrus, right cuneus, left superior temporal gyrus, and right middle temporal gyrus (P＜0.01). Conclusion Abnormality of brain white microstructure and function exist widely in young patients with major depressive disorder. Abnormal connection of structures and function between the brain areas may be the key reason for the depression.

Objective To investigate the relationship between the gene polymorphism of TLR3c.1377,TLR9-1486,and TLR9 2848 and susceptibility to multiple sclerosis(MS)in Han people of south China. Methods A total of 123 unrelated MS patients from South China with a clinical or laboratory definition MS according to 2005 Revisions to the McDonald Criteria were studied. Another 126 controls were randomly selected from hospital staff of non-autoimmune diseases and healthy individuals. Toll like receptor (TLR) 3 and TLR 9 genotypes were determined by PCR and digested by specific restriction enzymes.Results There was significant difference in genotype and allele distribution of TLR3c.1377 polymorphism between the MS patients and the controls (P<0.05), and the MS patients with T allele had a lower risk (OR=0.532, P=0.014). There was no significant difference in genotypes and allele distribution of TLR9-1486 polymorphism between the MS patients and the controls. There was higher TLR9 2848 A allele frequency in the MS patients than in the controls ((39.8%) vs. 30.6%;P=0.037), and higher risk in MS patients with A allele than those without ((OR=)(1.837), P=0.020). There was no significant interaction among the TLR3c.1377, TLR9-1486 and TLR9 2848 allele. Strong linkage disequilibrium was found between TLR9-1486 and TLR9 2848, but there was no significant interaction between the polymorphism of TLR9-1486 and TLR9 2848 in the MS patients.Conclusion TLR3c.1377 and TLR9 2848 polymorphisms may be related to MS in Han people in south China. TLR3c.1377 and TLR9 2848 may be linked with susceptibility genes.

Objective Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a typical type Ⅲ hypersensitivity with a large number of immune complexes (IC) and complement deposits in the synovial tissue , but its specific pathogenesis is not yet clear.This article was to explore the expression of the antigenic profile of serum ICs in RA.Methods ICs were isolated from the serum of 55 patients with RA (41 cases of anti-CCP antibody [+] and 14 cases of anti-CCP antibody [-]), 41 with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), and another 41 healthy controls by polyethylene glycol (PEG) precipitation, separated by immunoprecipitation, digested with trypsin in gel, and then subjected to mass spectrometry for identification.The levels of total proteins were compared among different groups using Vennny 2.1.0.The protein expression was considered to be up-regulated when the total protein level of the RA group was >2 times and down-regulated when it was <0.5 times that of the control.Further functional analysis was performed on the differential proteins in RA using the STRING software.Results Totally, 277 proteins were identified in the serum ICs of the RA patients, including 162 in the anti-CCP (+) and 248 in the anti-CCP (-) RA group.Compared with the SLE and healthy control groups, only 129 proteins were found in the RA patients, including 38 in the anti-CCP (+), 109 in the anti-CCP (-) RA group, and 18 in both the two groups.Among the proteins identified in the RA patients and healthy controls, 2 and 11 were up-regulated while 17 and 21 down-regulated in the anti-CCP (+) and anti-CCP (-) RA group, respectively.Conclusion More differentially expressed proteins were identified in the anti-CCP (-) than in the anti-CCP (+) RA patients.The identification of differentially expressed proteins provides a new idea and direction for the investigation of the pathogenesis and new biomarkers of RA.

Objective To investigate whether the 5-hydroxytryptamine 2A receptor (5-HT2A)gene T102 C polymorphism is associated with the severity symptoms and negative symptoms in the first episode Chinese Han nationality patients with schizophrenia. Methods Altogether 201 first episode Chinese Han nationality patients with schizophrenia were enrolled in this study. Genotyping of 5-HT2A gene T102 C polymorphism was performed by PCR-RFLP technique. The positive and negative Symptom Scale ( PANSS ) was used for the evaluation of the severity of psychotic symptoms before any drug treat-ment. Results 5-HT2A receptor 102-T/T genotype was significantly associated with both the PANSS total and negative symptom subscale baseline scores before the treatment, but not with the positive and general psychopathology subscales. Conclusion 5-HT2A T102 C functional polymorphism may play a role in negative symptoms and prognosis of Chinese Han nationality people with schizophrenia.

Tongue diagnosis is one of the essential methods of traditional Chinese medical diagnosis. The accuracy of tongue diagnosis can be improved by tongue characterization. Tongue area segmentation and homogeneous regions segmentation in tongue are important contents of preprocess of tongue image. An algorithm based on edge detection and Gradient vector flow (GVF) active contour for tongue area segmentation and another algorithm based on unsupervised segmentation of color-texture for homogeneous regions segmentation in tongue were presented. Totally about 1500 tongue images were collected. Results of tongue area segmentation achieved accuracy rate of 94.3% and results of homogeneous regions segmentation in tongue were approved by traditional Chinese medical experts. The experiments results show robustness of the algorithms. This work establishes solid foundation for feature selecting of Tongue diagnosis.
Algorithms ; Color ; Diagnosis, Computer-Assisted ; Humans ; Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted ; methods ; Image Processing, Computer-Assisted ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; methods ; Pattern Recognition, Automated ; methods ; Tongue ; pathology

Objective To scan protein expression profile of immune complexes (ICs) derived from the synovial tissue of the patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) based on liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS).Methods The samples of synovial fluid were obtained from knee joints of the patients with RA and osteoarthritis (OA) used as control during therapeutic arthrocentesis in knee jiont at the Department of Orthopedics of Jinling Hospital,School of Medicine,Nanjing University.The protein expression profile of ICs was identified by enrichment strategy based on immunoprecipitation and LC-MS analysis.The value of fraction of total (FOT) was used to estimate protein abundance and screen the up-and down-regulated proteins.The function enrichment,interaction network and signal pathway of differential proteins were analyzed using softwares David and String.Results A total of 511 and 526 protein spots in ICs of RA and OA patients were identified respectively.Among them,170 proteins existed only in RA group.45 and 85 proteins in RA group were statistically up-and down-expressed compared with controls.Conclusion HSP90AA1,HSP70,HLAG,Thioredoxin,Annexin A2 and vitronectin may be involved in the pathogenesis of RA through different paths and possible to become promising diagnostic indicators or new therapeutic targets for RA.

Objective:To discuss the effect of downregulating microRNA-208a(miR-208a)on the resistance of the colorectal cancer cells to 5-fluorouracil(5-FU),and to clarify its related molecular mechanism.Methods:Real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR(RT-qPCR)method was used to detect the expression levels of miR-208a and secreted frizzled-related protein 1(SFRP1)mRNA in the 5-FU-resistant colorectal cancer cell line HT-29/5-FU and its parent HT-29 cells.The HT-29/5-FU cells were transfected with miR-208a inhibitor plasmid and its negative control plasmid(inhibitor-NC),and SFRP1 small interfering RNA(si-SFRP1)and its negative control plasmid(si-NC),either separately or in combination,followed by treatment with 5-FU.The cells were divided into inhibitor-NC group,miR-208a inhibitor group,miR-208a inhibitor+si-NC group,and miR-208a inhibitor+si-SFRP1 group.MTT assay was used to detect the proliferation activities of the cells and the resistance indexes were calculated;Annexin V-FITC/PI double staining and flow cytometry were used to detect the apoptotic rates of the cells after treated with different concentrations of 5-FU;Western blotting method was used to detect the expression levels of SFRP1,β-catenin,P-glycoprotein(P-gp),and ATP-binding cassette subfamily B member 1(ABCB1)proteins in the cells in various groups;dual-luciferase reporter gene assay was used to validate the targeting relationship between miR-208a and SFRP1.Results:Compared with HT-29 cells,the expression level of miR-208a in the HT-29/5-FU cells was increased(P＜0.05),and the expression level of SFRP1 mRNA was decreased(P＜0.05).Compared with inhibitor-NC group,the proliferation activity of the cells in miR-208a inhibitor group was decreased(P＜0.05),the resistance index was decreased,the apoptotic rate was increased(P＜0.05),and the expression levels of β-catenin,P-gp,and ABCB1 proteins in the cells were decreased(P＜0.05).The dual-luciferase reporter gene assay results showed that SFRP1 was a target gene of miR-208a and miR-208a could negatively regulate the expression of SFRP1.Compared with miR-208a inhibitor+si-NC group,the proliferation activity of the cells in miR-208a inhibitor+si-SFRP1 group was increased(P＜0.05),the resistance index was increased,the apoptotic rate was decreased(P＜0.05),and the expression levels of β-catenin,P-gp,and ABCB1 proteins in the cells were increased(P＜0.05).Conclusion:Downregulation of miR-208a can improve the resistance of the HT-29/5-FU cells to 5-FU by targeting and upregulating the SFRP1 expression,thereby inhibiting the transmission of the Wnt signaling pathway.

BACKGROUND: We aim to explore the association between self-reported snoring and hypertension among adults aged 30-79 in Chongqing, China. METHODS: A total of 23,342 individuals aged 30-79 were included at baseline from August 2018 to January 2019, and the final sample size for the analysis was 22,423. Face-to-face interviews and physical examinations were conducted by trained investigators. Logistic regression was performed to study age-specific and gender-specific associations between snoring and hypertension. RESULTS: Frequent snoring was associated with the risk of hypertension for each age and gender group, and the frequency of snoring was positively correlated with the risk for hypertension. For the three age groups (< 45, 45-59, ≥ 60), compared with the non-snoring group, those who snore often had a 64.5%, 53.3%, and 24.5% increased risk of hypertension (< 45: OR = 1.65, 95%CI 1.34-2.02; 45-59: OR = 1.53, 95%CI 1.37-1.72; ≥ 60: OR = 1.25, 95%CI 1.09-1.42), respectively. For men and women, those who snore often had a 46.8% and 97.2% increased risk of hypertension, respectively, than the non-snoring group (men: OR = 1.47, 95%CI 1.33-1.63; women: OR = 1.97, 95%CI 1.75-2.23). CONCLUSIONS People who snore frequently should pay close attention to their blood pressure levels in order to achieve early prevention of hypertension, particularly for snorers who are female and aged under 45; importance should be attached to their blood pressure control.
Adult ; Aged ; China/epidemiology* ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Female ; Humans ; Hypertension/etiology* ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Self Report ; Snoring/complications*

BACKGROUND: Nano-hydroxyapatite/polyamide 66 (nHA/PA66) is a composite used widely in the repair of bone defects. However, this material is insufficient bioactivity. In contrast, D-RADA16-RGD self-assembling peptide (D-RADA16-RGD sequence containing all D-amino acids is Ac-RADARADARADARADARGDS-CONH2) shows admirable bioactivity for both cell culture and bone regeneration. Here, we describe the fabrication of a favorable biomaterial material (nHA/PA66/D-RADA16-RGD). METHODS: Proteinase K and circular dichroism spectroscopy were employed to test the stability and secondary structural properties of peptide D-RADA16-RGD respectively. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) were used to characterize the surface of these materials. Confocal laser scanning (CLS), cell counting kit-8 tests (CCK-8), alizarin red S staining, cell immunofluorescence analysis and Western blotting were involved in vitro. Also biosafety and bioactivity of them have been evaluated in vivo. RESULTS: Proteinase K and circular dichroism spectroscopy demonstrated that D-RADA16-RGD in nHA/PA66 was able to form stable-sheet secondary structure. SEM and TEM showed that the D-RADA16-RGD material was 7–33 nm in width and 130–600 nm in length, and the interwoven pore size ranged from 40 to 200 nm. CLS suggests that cells in nHA/PA66/D-RADA16-RGD group were linked to adjacent cells with more actin filaments. CCK-8 analysis showed that nHA/PA66/D-RADA16-RGD revealed good biocompatibility. The results of Alizarin-red S staining and Western blotting as well as vivo osteogenesis suggest nHA/PA66/D-RADA16-RGD exhibits better bioactivity. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates that our nHA/PA66/D-RADA16-RGD composite exhibits reasonable mechanical properties, biocompatibility and bioactivity with promotion of bone formation.
Actin Cytoskeleton ; Blotting, Western ; Bone Regeneration ; Cell Count ; Cell Culture Techniques ; Circular Dichroism ; Endopeptidase K ; Fluorescent Antibody Technique ; In Vitro Techniques ; Microscopy, Electron, Scanning ; Microscopy, Electron, Transmission ; Osteogenesis ; Sincalide ; Spectrum Analysis