Objective To investigate the leukoaraiosis(LA)influencing factors of sleep disorder patients. Meth-ods 90 cases of LA patients which were conformed MRI diagnostic criteria were chosen as LA group,90 cases of normal old people which the gender and age were matched with LA group were chosen as NC group;by asking the medical history to inquirying blood vessel hazards;pittsburgh sleep quality index(PSQI)was adopted to evaluate the condition of sleep disorders,according to the performance MRI of skull to part LA group as four grades. Results In LA group,hypertension and diabetes incidence were significantly higher than that in group NC(P < 0. 05);LA group,PSQI score was significantly higher than that of NC group(P < 0. 01). LA group with the LA increasing grade,PSQI score increased(P < 0. 05). Regression analysis showed that age,hypertension,diabetes and MoCA were associated with LA in patients with sleep disorders. Conclusion Patients with LA have a sleep disorder, which is closely related with the degree of cognitive impairment,LA lesions,age,hypertension,diabetes etc.

Herbalogical study shows that Xiakucao used in ancient times came from Prunella vulgaris and P. asiotica. The Portion used for medical purpose in ancient times was its stem and leaf, collected during the period of blooming. The portion used today was the spike, collected approach withering. Modern analytical determination showed that the aerial parts of three Prunella specics can also be used as medicine when collected in june and july.

Effects of total saponins from Prunella vulgaris (PVS)on acute myocardial infarction and hypertension of anesthetized rats were assessed. Pretreatment with PVS at a dose of 40mg/kg ip lowered Lg PVC, Lg (VT+VF) and ischemic arrhythmic scores; at a dose of 20mg/kg ip,resulted in a significant reduction of infarct size as compared with the controls; 2. 5mg/kg iv showed an hypotensive action to both systolic and diastolic blood pressure.

Objective To investigate the effect of metabolic syndrome and its components on imaging of brain impairment in subcortical ischemic vascular disease.Methods 120 patients with subcortical ischemic vascular disease (SIVD) including 25 cases without metabolic syndrome,25 cases with the risk of metabolic syndrome,70 cases with metabolic syndrome.The diagnostic criteria of metabolic syndrome was the National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel Ⅲ (NCEP-ATP Ⅲ).Brain MRI was assessed by the Scheltens scale,and divided into 3 regions:periventricular hyper intensities (PVH),leukoaraiosis (LA),basal ganglia hyper-intensities (BG).Results The assessment scores of PVH,LA,BG and Scheltens scores were higher in patients with the risk of metabolic syndrome and patient with metabolic syndrome than in patient without metabolic syndrome [(3.75±1.60),(4.21±1.09) us.(2.76±1.62),(10.67±5.26),(13.79±5.25) us.(6.36±3.93),(3.21±2.62),(6.90±4.25) us.(1.52±1.50),(17.62±8.32),(24.90±9.25)vs.(10.58± 5.89),respectively,all P＜0.05].Waist circumference had positive correlations with LA and Scheltens scores (r=0.185,P=0.046; r=0.488,P＜0.001).Positive correlation was found between triglyceride (TG) and LA,BG scores (r=0.188,P=0.042; r=0.311,P =0.001).The positive correlations of impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) with LA,BG and Scheltens scores were found (r=0.235,P=0.011; r=0.229,P=0.013; r=0.206,P=0.027).High density lipoproteincholesterol (HDL-C) was correlated negatively with LA,BG and Scheltens scores (r=-0.238,P=0.010;r=-0.189,P=0.042; r=-0.335,P＜0.001).The further multivariate linear regression analysis showed that IGT,HDL-C had significant correlations with LA assessment score (both P＜0.05),TG had significant correlation with BG assessment score (P＜0.05),and waist circumfernce,IGT,HDL-C had significant correlations with Scheltens scores (all P＜ 0.05).Conclusions Metabolic syndrome and its components correlate with the imagings of cerebral damage in SIVD.Abdominal obesity,TG,IGT,HDL-C are the important risk factors for SIVD.

Objective To investigate the relationship between cognitive impairment and the other clinical features of subcortical damage in patients with magnetic resonance imaging(MRI)-defined subcortical ischemic vascular disease(SIVD).Methods The cohort for this study included 110 SIVD patients who were divided into 3 groups according to cognitive status:patients with noncognition impairment(SIVD-NCI group,n=34),patients with mild cognitive impairment(SIVD-MCI group,n =47) and patients with vascular dementia (SIVD-VaD group,n =29).The cognitive functions were evaluated by the mini-mental state examination (MMSE) and Montreal cognitive assessment(MoCA),the Cambridge cognitive examination-Chinese version(CAMCOG-C),activity of daily living scale(ADL) and clock drawing task(CDT),etc.Depression symptoms were assessed by the geriatric depression scale (GDS),while the other clinical features of subcortical damage were assessed by the timedGet-Up and Go test,etc.Results There were statistically significant differences in the MMSE,MoCA,CAMCOG-C,CDT and ADL scores among the three groups(H=85.36,F=50.32,55.03,H=27.39,40.87,respectively,all P＜0.05).Gait disturbance,urinary disorder,pseudobulbar palsy,depression and falls were statistically significantly different among the threegroups(x2=21.69,21.41,25.51,6.91,21.87,all P＜0.05).In addition,gait disturbance was increasingly aggravated with the severity of cognitive impairment.In SIVD-MCI group,urinary disorder,pseudobulbar palsy and falls were significantly increased as compared with SIVD-NCI group (x2 =15.57,16.31,8.92,both P＜0.017).Depression was statistically significant different between SIVD-NCIandSIVD-VaD group(x2 =6.90,P＜0.017).Among the three groups,there was no significant difference in the feature of emotional incontinence.Conclusions With the decline in cognitive function,the patients with SIVD can present with different clinical features of subcortical damage.Gait disturbance is gradually aggravated with the decline in cognitive function.Urinary disorder,pseudobulbar palsy,and falls can reflect the cognitive impairment from normal to mild on the other hand.Depression can be used as one of the signs that show cognitive impairment reached to dementia.

Objective To detect the levels of serum bilirubin and uric acid as well as their relationship with cognitive function in patients with subcortical ischemic vascular disease (SIVD).Methods Serum direct bilirubin (DBIL),indirect bilirubin (IBIL),total bilirubin (TBIL),uric acid (UA) and vascular risk factors were analyzed in 238 individuals comprising 161 patients with SIVD and 77 controls with normal cognitive function.SIVD patients were divided into two subgroups:those with cognitive impairment (SVMCI) and those with dementia (SVaD).All of them were subject to the cognitive assessment including Mini-mental State Examination(MMSE),the Cambridge Cognitive Examination-Chinese Version (CAMCOGC) and Clinical Demential Rating (CDR).Leukoaraiosis was graded according to the severity by their MRI scan appearances.Results MMSE and CAMCOG scores were significant lower in SVMCI and SVaD groups (17.9 ± 5.01,59.87 ± 12.89 ; 24.84 ± 1.57,83.66 ± 4.79) when compared to those in the controls (28.19 ± 1.03,91.66-± 4.93 ; Z =197.63,P =0.000 ; Z =186.54,P =0.000).In comparison with the controls,serum levels of DBIL,IBIL,and TBIL in SVaD group were significant lower ((2.85 ± 1.09) μmol/L vs (3.24 ± 1.30) iμmol/L; (7.50 ±3.27) μmol/L vs (9.06 ±3.52) μmol/L; (10.37 ±4.10) μ mol/L vs (12.31 ±4.64) μmol/L; P =0.035,P =0.005,P =0.006).Also,serum IBIL level was significant lower in SVMCI group compared to the controls ((7.86 ± 3.28) μmol/L vs (9.06 ± 3.52) μmol/L,P =0.034).While serum level of UA was significantly higher in SVMCI ((341.47 ± 92.80) μmol/L) and SVaD ((356.34 ±80.89) μmol/L) groups as compared to those in controls((310.52 ±79.85) μmol/L;P =0.025 ;P =0.001).The UA level was negatively correlated with MMSE scores and CAMCOG-C scores (r =-0.180,P =0.005; r =-0.203,P =0.002),while the bilirubin level was positively correlated with language (r =0.130,P =0.045) and recent memory (r =0.160,P =0.014) scores in CAMCOG-C.The UA level remained associated with MMSE after controlling for age,sex,education,hypertension,diabetes,smoking,and BMI (β =-0.121,P =0.044).While,after adjusting grading of a leukoaraiosis,UA has no significant association with MMSE.Conclusions The bilirubin level is decreased while the UA level is elevated in SIVD patients.The serum TBIL is negatively correlated with cognition dysfunction,while UA is strongly related to cognition dysfunction in SIVD patients.Cognitive dysfunction resulting from UA might have close association with leukoaraiosis.

Objective To investigate the level and value of serum uric acid (UA) in patients with multiple system atrophy (MSA).Methods One hundred and one MSA patients were selected as the MSA group and 101 age and sex-matched healthy controls as control group.The UA concentrations and other biochemical indexes were measured by an enzymatic method and carefully analyzed.By comparing the UA concentrations for different genders, subtypes, and different levels of certainty of the MSA group with their counterparts in the control group, we obtained the differences between these two groups and also discussed possible reasons and factors.Results The serum UA levels of MSA patients ((283.74 ± 87.76) μmol/L) were significantly lower than the controls ((317.86 ± 76.95) μmol/L;t =-2.94, P ＜ 0.05).In addition, when the male and female groups were investigated separately, the decrease of serum UA was more significant in the male group compared to the female group (t =-3.88, P ＜ 0.01).Furthermore, by comparing different subtypes of the MSA patients with the control group, we found that the serum UA levels in both P-type or C-type MSA patients were significantly lower than in controls (t =2.92, 2.02;all P ＜ 0.05).By comparing different levels of MSA with the control group, we obtained that UA levels in both probable MSA patients and possible MSA patients were significantly lower than in controls (t =3.13, 2.09;all P ＜ 0.05).By adjusting for the confounding factors, such as age, alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, urea nitrogen, creatinine, high density lipoprotein-cholesterol and low density lipoprotein-cholesterol, the multiple Logistic regression analysis showed that the numbers of MSA patients in the lowest level UA group (UA ＜ 263.0 μmol/L) were higher than the high level UA group (UA ＞ 370.5 μmol/L), though the difference did not reach statistical significance (P ＞ 0.05).Nevertheless, the numbers of male MSA patients in the lowest level and the lower level UA groups (UA =263.0-309.0 μmol/L) were 11.5 and 10.8 times that in the high level UA group (P =0.001, P =0.003).No obviously linear relation between the level of UA and disease progression was found.Conclusions The level of serum UA is significantly decreased in MSA patients, especially in the male patients.The UA, as an antioxidant, may be beneficial to the neurodegenerative diseases.

Objective To study the hip angle characteristics in hemiplegic gait.Methods Gait analysis was performed in 20 subjects with hemiplegia and 20 healthy subjects and the hip joint angle of all subjects was analyzed.Results The hip joint angle of affected-side lower limb of hemiplegic gait showed significant differences between 20 subjects with hemiplegia and 20 healthy subjects on hip flextion at heel-contact,maximum extension in stand phase,flextion toe-off,maximum flexion in swing phase and total excursion on sagittal plane.Conclusion The research on the characteristics of hemiplegic gait is helpful to make clinical assessment and treatment planning.

ObjectiveTo study the reliability and sensitivity of the gait analysis system based on digital video and image processing.Methods20 healthy subjects were assessed twice by the same doctor having one-week interval to investigate intraobserver reliability, they were also assessed twice separately by two doctors to investigate interobserver reliability. Gait parameters of affected limb of 20 hemiplegic patients were compared with 20 healthy subjects to investigate the sensitivity of this system.ResultsThere were high correlations in all the parameters between the two assessments. The parameters of the patients were significantly different from those of the controls.ConclusionThe system is sufficiently repeatable and sensitive in the assessment of gait.

Radiation biodosimetry is an important part of radiation medicine. Some new discoveries and progresses have been made in radiation biodosimetry studies in recent years. Cytogenetic method represented by chromosome aberration analysis as the golden standard of radiation biodosimeter is being transformed to automate analysis, and a number of international, regional and national laboratory networks of radiation biodosimetry are being established. As a widely acceptable molecular marker of DNA damage,γ-H2AX has made rapid progress in radiation dose estimation. Based on the expressions of protein and genes, further advancements have been made in the studies of metabolites and miRNAs. At the same time, with the development of proteomics technology, there are some breakthroughs in the study of using molecular expression profiling to evaluate radiation dose. The research progresses of radiation biodosimetry is reviewed in this paper.