Objective: To observe the effect of Tuina (Chinese therapeutic massage) on creatine kinase (CK), mitochondrial Ca2+ concentration, and ultrastructure of skeletal muscle in delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) model rats.Methods: A total of 130 healthy male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into a blank group, an exercise control group, a pre-exercise Tuina group, and a post-exercise Tuina group. According to the time points for sample collection, the exercise control group was divided into a 0 h exercise control group, a 24 h exercise control group, a 48 h exercise control group, and a 72 h exercise control group; the pre-exercise Tuina group was further divided into a 0 h pre-exercise Tuina group, a 24 h pre-exercise Tuina group, a 48 h pre-exercise Tuina group, and a 72 h pre-exercise Tuina group; and the post-exercise Tuina group was divided into a 0 h post-exercise Tuina group, a 24 h post-exercise Tuina group, a 48 h post-exercise Tuina group, and a 72 h post-exercise Tuina group. Rats in all groups except for the blank group received DOMS modeling. Professionals performed Nie-Pinching manipulation and finger Nian-Twisting manipulation on the lower limbs of the rats. The samples were collected at 0 h, 24 h, 48 h, or 72 h after exhaustive exercise for each pre-exercise Tuina group. The samples were collected at 0 h, 24 h, 48 h, or 72 h after Tuina for each post-exercise Tuina group. The changes in serum CK, skeletal muscle mitochondrial Ca2+ concentration, and Ca2+-adenosine triphosphatase (ATPase) were determined. The ultrastructure changes of skeletal muscles in each group were observed by a transmission electron microscope. Results: The electron microscope showed that compared with the exercise control group, the skeletal muscle structures of the pre-exercise Tuina group and the post-exercise Tuina group were significantly improved, and the overall performance of skeletal muscle in the pre-exercise Tuina group was more similar to that of the blank group. The level of serum CK in the pre-exercise Tuina group and the post-exercise Tuina group was significantly lower than that in the exercise control group (P<0.01). The Ca2+ concentration of skeletal muscle in the 24 h, 48 h, and 72 h pre-exercise Tuina groups was lower than that in the post-exercise Tuina group at the same time point (P<0.01). The Ca2+-ATPase concentration of skeletal muscle in the 24 h and 72 h pre-exercise Tuina groups was lower than that in the post-exercise Tuina group at the same time point (P<0.05).Conclusion: Tuina effectively prevents muscle damage caused by heavy exercise and long-term exercise, which may be related to the increase of skeletal muscle Ca2+-ATPase activity and mitochondrial Ca2+ transport.

Objective:To explore the clinical efficacy of computer-assisted cognitive training in the treatment of cognitive impairment after stroke.Methods:A total of 155 stroke survivors with vascular cognitive impairment were identified at 31 hospitals. They were randomly divided into a control group of 72 and an experimental group of 77 (6 failed to follow up). The control group received 30 minutes of conventional cognition training 5 times a week for 2 weeks, while the experimental group was given computer-assisted cognition training. Before and after the treatment, both groups′ cognition was evaluated using Chinese versions of the Mini Mental State Assessment Scale (MMSE) and the Montreal Cognitive Test (MoCA).Results:After the treatment, the average MMSE and MoCA scores of the observation group [(22.5±3.62) and (19.69±4.43)] and the control group [(21.7±4.30) and (19.10±5.58)] were significantly better than those before the treatment [(19.3±3.08) and (16.79±4.58); (19.7±3.11) and (17.74±5.25)]. The post-treatment difference between the groups′ averages was not significant, but the observation group′s improvements on the immediate memory, delayed memory and calculation portions of the MMSE were significantly greater than those of the control group.Conclusions:Computer-assisted cognition training can improve the overall cognitive functioning of stroke survivors, achieving the same therapeutic effect as conventional cognitive therapy. It is more effective than conventional cognitive therapy in promoting immediate memory, delayed memory and calculation ability.

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the safety and effectiveness of direct gastroscopy for detecting gastric cancer.

METHODSClinical screening by direct gastroscopy was performed for gastric cancer (GC) from September 1985 to July 1998. 3048 elderly people were screened. Their age ranged from 60 to 93 years, and 2034 of the 3084 were followed up.

RESULTSNinety-two patients with gastric cancer were discovered by gastroscopy, representing 3.02% of the screened population. The rate of early gastric cancer (EGC) was 63.04% (58/92) of all gastric cancers detected. The rate was up to 79.59% (39/49) on follow-up, and was 74.14% (43/51) in asymptomatic patients with gastric cancer. The excision rate was 88.89% for patients with gastric cancer, and 100% for patients with early gastric cancer. The 5-year survival rate was 91.89% for patients with gastric cancer, and 96.30% for patients with early gastric cancer.

CONCLUSIONClinical screening and follow-up by direct gastroscopy in persons over 60 years of age are a safe and effective method for raising the 5-year survival and detection rate of gastric cancer, especially early gastric cancer.

Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Gastroscopy ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Prognosis ; Stomach Neoplasms ; diagnosis ; mortality ; Survival Rate

Objective:To investigate the therapeutic effect of artesunate on mice with acute Toxoplasma gondii ( T. gondii) infection. Methods:Based on body weight (16 - 18 g), sixty-four C57BL/6 female mice aged 6 - 8 weeks were divided into 4 groups by random number table method: uninfected control group without treatment; T. gondii-infected group (Tg group), each mouse was intraperitoneally (i.p.) infected with 100 tachyzoites of T. gondii RH strain; T. gondii-infected + artesunate treatment group (Tg + ART group), 3 hours after each mouse i.p. infected with 100 tachyzoites of T. gondii RH strain, artesunate solution was i.p. injected at a dose of 30 mg/kg, once a day for a total of 7 consecutive days; T. gondii-infected + sulfadiazine treatment group (Tg + SDZ group), 3 hours after each mouse i.p. infected with 100 tachyzoites of T. gondii RH strain, sulfadiazine solution was orally administrated at a dose of 100 mg/kg, once a day for a total of 7 consecutive days. There were 16 mice in each group, in which 10 mice were used to observe survival time and 6 mice were used to monitor body weight and collect tissue samples. Mice were weighed every day from day 1 post infection (p.i.); mice were sacrificed at day 7 p.i., the liver weights of mice were weighed and the liver indexes were calculated; liver tissues were paraffin-embedded, sectioned, and stained with hematoxylin-eosin (HE), and the pathological changes of liver tissues of mice in each group were observed under a light microscope. The expression levels of T. gondii major surface antigen 1 (SAG1) in the liver tissues of mice in each group were detected by real-time quantitative PCR for evaluating parasite load. Results:All mice in the uninfected control group were survived. The survival time was 7 - 9 days in Tg group, 8 - 11 days in Tg + ART group, and 9 - 13 days in Tg + SDZ group. Compared with Tg group, the survival times of mice in Tg + ART group and Tg + SDZ group were significantly longer ( P < 0.05). On day 7 p.i., compared with uninfected control group, Tg + ART group or Tg + SDZ group, the body weight of mice in Tg group was lower ( P < 0.05); however, there was no significant difference of body weight in Tg + ART group and Tg + SDZ group compared with uninfected control group ( P > 0.05). Compared with Tg group, Tg + ART group and Tg + SDZ group had lower liver indexes and SAG1 mRNA expression levels in the liver tissues ( P < 0.05 or < 0.001), and liver histopathological changes were milder. Compared with Tg + SDZ group, there was no significant difference in both liver index and SAG1 mRNA expression level in the liver tissue of Tg + ART group ( P > 0.05). Conclusion:Artesunate solution i.p. injection can prolong the survival time, reduce parasite load in the liver, and attenuate hepatic pathological damage, to a certain extent, of mice with acute T. gondii infection.

OBJECTIVETo identify novel common mutations among patients with non-syndromic hearing loss (NSHL).

METHODSHigh-throughput gene capture technology was used to analyze 18 patients with NSHL in whom common mutations of deafness genes including GJB2, SLC26A4, GJB3, and mtDNA were excluded. Suspected mutation was verified with Sanger sequencing.

RESULTSNext generation sequencing has identified 62 mutations in 29 genes associated with hearing loss, which included 54 missense mutations, 4 splicing mutations, 3 deletional mutations, and 1 nonsense mutation. Mutations occurring more than twice in the 18 patients were verified by Sanger sequencing. This has confirmed 15 mutations in 8 genes, including 3 missense mutations (p.C2184G, p.L2825P, p.H1888Y) which have not been reported previously. Meanwhile, p.L445W, p.D866N, and IVS919-2A>G were common causative mutations.

CONCLUSIONA number of common causative mutations, e.g., p.L445W, p.D866N, IVS919-2A>G, have been identified by high-throughput capture technology, which may facilitate the research and genetic diagnosis for hearing loss.

DNA, Mitochondrial ; genetics ; Deafness ; genetics ; Female ; Hearing Loss ; genetics ; High-Throughput Nucleotide Sequencing ; methods ; Humans ; Male ; Mutation ; genetics

OBJECTIVETo explore the common causative genes and mutation sites for hereditary non-syndromic deafness in Shanxi.

METHODSPeripheral blood samples were collected from regional schools for children with deafness. The samples were analyzed by matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization of flight mass spectrometry, and the results were verified by DNA sequencing.

RESULTSFor all samples, the 20 mutational sites of the 4 common causative genes were tested. As revealed, c.235delC of GJB2 gene has the highest mutational rate (13.67%). c.IVS7-2A>G of SLC26A (PDS) gene has a mutation rate of 17.67%, and c.1555A>G of mitochondrial 12S rRNA has a mutation rate of 2.00%. No mutations have been found with GJB3 gene. Sequencing analysis has suggested that the above results have a consistency rate of 99%.

CONCLUSIONAnalysis of mutations of the 4 common deafness-related genes can facilitate early diagnosis and treatment for the disease. Matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time of flight mass spectrometry is a reliable method for such a task.

Adolescent ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; genetics ; Base Sequence ; Child ; China ; Connexin 26 ; Connexins ; genetics ; DNA Mutational Analysis ; Deafness ; genetics ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Molecular Sequence Data ; Mutation ; RNA, Ribosomal ; genetics ; Young Adult

Background: The treatment of trigeminal neuralgia remains a challenging issue.Stem cells from human exfoliated deciduous teeth (SHED) provide optimized therapy for chronic pain. This study aimed to investigate the mechanisms underlying the attenuation of trigeminal neuralgia by SHED. Methods: Trigeminal neuralgia was induced by chronic constriction injury of the infraorbital nerve. The mechanical threshold was assessed after model establishment and local SHED transplantation. Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) morphology and Caspase12 expression in trigeminal ganglion (TG) was evaluated as well. BiP expression was observed in PC12 cells induced by tunicamycin. Results: The local transplantation of SHED could relieve trigeminal neuralgia in rats.Further, transmission electron microscopy revealed swelling of the ER in rats with trigeminal neuralgia. Moreover, SHED inhibited the tunicamycin-induced up-regulated expression of BiP mRNA and protein in vitro. Additionally, SHED decreased the up-regulated expression of Caspase12 mRNA and protein in the TG of rats caused by trigeminal neuralgia after chronic constriction injury of the infraorbital nerve mode. Conclusions This findings demonstrated that SHED could alleviate pain by relieving ER stress which provide potential basic evidence for clinical pain treatment.

Prostate cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer-related deaths in adult males, and its morbidity and mortality keep growing year after year. However, the pathogenesis is not understood clearly yet. The development of prostate cancer is a synergistic, multi-gene process. MicroRNA (miRNA), as small ribonucleic acid molecules and a class of non-coding small RNAs, controls the expression of several genes and plays an important role in cell proliferation, differentiation, and apoptosis. In recent years, emerging evidence shows that the miRNAs are significantly abnormally expressed in prostate cancer and that they can target multiple signaling pathways involved in the occurrence and progression of prostate cancer, which has important value in the diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis of prostate cancer. In this paper, the origin, formation, and biological properties of miRNAs, as well as their potential application in the diagnosis and treatment of prostate cancer, were reviewed with the aim of providing an in-depth understanding of prostate cancer from the perspective of molecular biology and new thinking for clinical diagnosis and treatment.

Gastric cancer is a malignant tumor with worldwide high incidence and threatening the human health severely. It is a disease induced by multiple factors. Exosomes play an important role in the pathogenesis and development of many malignant tumors including gastric cancer. Exosomes can transport specific contents to regulate local and distant cell communications, and are able to promote or inhibit the development of gastric cancer through regulating the growth and proliferation of tumor cells, relevant immune function and angiogenesis of tumors. This article reviewed the effects of exosomes and their contents on the pathogenesis and development of gastric cancer.

This article reported a case of nemaline myopathy caused by KLHL40 gene complex heterozygous mutations. This baby girl presented with shortness of breath, low myodynamia, and low muscle tension immediately after birth. However, her symptoms became worse after conventional treatment. Physical examination found lower muscle strength and muscle tone in four limbs and no primitive reflexes. The biochemistry test showed increased serum creatine kinase (CK). A muscle biopsy was not performed. The second-generation gene test confirmed the KLHL40 gene complex heterozygous mutations, which was a known mutation c.932G>T (p.R311L) and a de novo mutation c.1487T>A (p.M496K), inherited from the father and mother, respectively. Nemaline myopathy is a rare congenital muscular disease characterized by nemaline bodies in muscle fibers. Pathological and genetic diagnoses are the gold standards for the diagnosis of this disease.