1.Eight cases of hereditary hyperhomocysteinemia with neurological involvement: clinical and genetic analysis
Xianru CHENG ; Xinghua LUAN ; Jingjiong CHEN ; Bo XUE ; Wenzheng WANG ; Hui WEN ; Xiuzhe WANG ; Li CAO ; Wotu TIAN
Chinese Journal of Neurology 2025;58(1):64-75
Objective:To investigate the clinical, phenotypic and genotypic features of hereditary hyperhomocysteinemia mainly involving the nervous system.Methods:The clinical data, physical examination, imaging results, blood-urine tandem mass spectrometry analysis and genetic results of 8 patients with hyperhomocysteinemia from the Department of Neurology of the Shanghai Sixth People′s Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine from September 2020 to December 2023 were collected, and the clinical, genetic features and pathogenic mechanisms of these patients were summarized and analyzed.Results:Among all the 8 patients (male∶female=5∶3), the age of onset was 7 to 74 (40.4±7.4) years. Seven had adult-onset and 1 had juvenile-onset, with various types of onset symptoms, including progressive stiffness in lower limbs and walking difficulty, limb numbness, tremor, mental and behavioral abnormalities, cerebrovascular events, etc. Moderate to severe hyperhomocysteine (38.4-190.6 μmol/L) was present in all patients at first diagnosis. Among the 5 patients with cranial imaging examinations, all had white matter lesions. The genetic testing showed 7 patients with MTHFR gene pathogenic mutations (1 case with c.416C>T, and 6 cases with c.665C>T), and 1 patient with MMACHC gene pathogenic mutation (c.482G>A). Conclusions:Hereditary hyperhomocysteinemia is a metabolic disease, with complicated manifestations, varying degrees of severity, and diverse pathogenic genes. The cases with neurological involvement are not rare, such as spastic paraplegia-like manifestations, tremor, peripheral neuropathy, mental and behavioral abnormalities, cerebrovascular events.
2.Regulatory effect of electroacupuncture at "Neiguan" (PC6) on mitochondrial autophagy during the ischemia and reperfusion phases in rats with myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury.
Qirui YANG ; Xinghua QIU ; Xingye DAI ; Daonan LIU ; Baichuan ZHAO ; Wenyi JIANG ; Yanhua SONG ; Tong PU ; Kai CHENG
Chinese Acupuncture & Moxibustion 2025;45(5):646-656
OBJECTIVE:
To investigate the regulatory effect of electroacupuncture (EA) at "Neiguan" (PC6) on mitochondrial autophagy in rats with myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury (MIRI) at different phases (ischemia and reperfusion phases), and to explore the bidirectional regulatory effects of EA at "Neiguan" (PC6) and its potential mechanism.
METHODS:
Forty-five male SD rats were randomly divided into 6 groups according to the random number table method, namely, sham-operation group (n=9), model-A group (n=6), model-B group (n=9), EA-A1 group (n=6), EA-B1 group (n=6), and EA-B2 group (n=9). Except the rats in the sham-operation group, the MIRI model was established in the other groups with the physical ligation and tube pushing method. In the model-A group, the samples were collected directly after ligation, and in the model-B group, the samples were collected after ligation and reperfusion. In the EA-A1 group, EA was delivered while the ligation was performed, and afterwards, the samples were collected. In the EA-B1 group, while the ligation was performed, EA was operated at the same time, and after reperfusion, the samples were collected. In the EA-B2 group, during ligation and the opening of the left anterior descending branch of the coronary artery, EA was delivered, and after reperfusion, the samples were collected. EA was performed at bilateral "Neiguan" (PC6), with a disperse-dense wave, a frequency of 2 Hz/100 Hz, a current of 1 mA, and a duration of 30 min. HE staining was employed to observe the morphology of cardiomyocytes, TUNEL was adopted to detect the apoptosis of cardiomyocytes, transcriptome sequencing was to detect the differentially expressed genes in the left ventricle, JC-1 flow cytometry was to detect the mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) of cardiomyocytes, Western blot was to detect the protein expression of phosphatase and tensin homolog-induced kinase 1 (Pink1), Parkin and p62 in the left ventricle of rats, and ELISA was to detect the levels of serum creatine kinase isoenzyme (CK-MB) and cardiac troponin I (cTn-I) in the rats.
RESULTS:
Compared with the sham-operation group, the cardiomyocytes of rats in the model-B group were severely damaged, with disordered arrangement, unclear boundaries, broken muscle fibers, edema and loose distribution; and the cardiomyocytes in the EA-B2 group were slightly damaged, the cell structure was partially unclear, the cells were arranged more regularly, and the intact cardiomyocytes were visible. Compared with the sham-operation group, the apoptosis of cardiomyocytes increased in the model-B group (P<0.001); and when compared with the model-B group, the apoptosis alleviated in the EA-B2 group (P<0.001). The differentially expressed genes among the EA-B2 group, the sham-operation group and the model-B group were closely related to cell autophagy and mitochondrial autophagy. Compared with the sham-operation group, MMP of cardiomyocytes was reduced (P<0.001), the protein expression of Pink1, Parkin, and p62 of the left ventricle and the levels of serum CK-MB and cTn-I were elevated in the model B group (P<0.001). In comparison with model-A group, the MMP of cardiomyocytes and the levels of serum CK-MB and cTn-I were reduced (P<0.001, P<0.05), and the protein expression of Pink1 in the left ventricle rose in the EA-A1 group (P<0.01). Compared with the model-B group, MMP of cardiomyocytes increased (P<0.001), the protein expression of Pink1, Parkin, and p62 of the left ventricle, and the levels of serum CK-MB and cTn-I decreased (P<0.001) in the EA-B1 group and the EA-B2 group. When compared with the EA-A1 group, MMP of cardiomyocytes increased (P<0.001), and the protein expression of Pink1, Parkin, and p62 of the left ventricle, and the levels of serum CK-MB and cTn-I decreased in the EA-B1 group (P<0.01).
CONCLUSION
EA at "Neiguan" (PC6) can ameliorate MIRI in rats, which may be achieved through the Pink1/Parkin-mediated mitochondrial autophagy pathway. EA can alleviate myocardial injury by enhancing mitochondrial autophagy at the ischemia phase, and it can reduce reperfusion injury by weakening mitochondrial autophagy at the reperfusion phase.
Animals
;
Electroacupuncture
;
Male
;
Myocardial Reperfusion Injury/metabolism*
;
Rats, Sprague-Dawley
;
Rats
;
Acupuncture Points
;
Autophagy
;
Humans
;
Mitochondria/genetics*
3.A case of cerebral small vascular disease and hyperhomocysteinemia caused by methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase deficiency
Xianru CHENG ; Xinghua LUAN ; Li CAO ; Wotu TIAN
Chinese Journal of Nervous and Mental Diseases 2025;51(2):126-128,后插1
A case of small cerebral vascular disease and moderate hyperhomocysteinemia caused by methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase gene mutation is reported.The patient was a 61-year-old man who presented with tongue stiffness and slurred speech,bilateral hand numbness and lower limb weakness.He had a history of recurrent cerebral infarction,cerebral hemorrhage,accompanied by leukoencephalopathy and cerebral microhemorrhage etc.Blood homocysteine(Hcy)66.2 μmol/L.Head magnetic resonance imaging revealed subacute cerebral infarction and white matter lesions in right parieto-occipital lobe and left pressor corpus callosum.The skin pathology showed normal density of small fibers,infiltration of perivasculitis cells in the epidermis and dermis,and swelling of endothelial cells in a wide range of small vessels in the dermis.Whole exon sequencing indicated homozygous pathogenic mutation of MTHFR gene c.665C>T(p.A222V).After 1 month of treatment,Hcy decreased to 20.5 μmol/L.This report suggests that HHcy is not only associated with leucoencephalopathy,but also can lead to skin small vessel lesions.Attention should be paid to peripheral vascular screening in this population for early intervention of potential risks.
4.A case of cerebral small vascular disease and hyperhomocysteinemia caused by methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase deficiency
Xianru CHENG ; Xinghua LUAN ; Li CAO ; Wotu TIAN
Chinese Journal of Nervous and Mental Diseases 2025;51(2):126-128,后插1
A case of small cerebral vascular disease and moderate hyperhomocysteinemia caused by methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase gene mutation is reported.The patient was a 61-year-old man who presented with tongue stiffness and slurred speech,bilateral hand numbness and lower limb weakness.He had a history of recurrent cerebral infarction,cerebral hemorrhage,accompanied by leukoencephalopathy and cerebral microhemorrhage etc.Blood homocysteine(Hcy)66.2 μmol/L.Head magnetic resonance imaging revealed subacute cerebral infarction and white matter lesions in right parieto-occipital lobe and left pressor corpus callosum.The skin pathology showed normal density of small fibers,infiltration of perivasculitis cells in the epidermis and dermis,and swelling of endothelial cells in a wide range of small vessels in the dermis.Whole exon sequencing indicated homozygous pathogenic mutation of MTHFR gene c.665C>T(p.A222V).After 1 month of treatment,Hcy decreased to 20.5 μmol/L.This report suggests that HHcy is not only associated with leucoencephalopathy,but also can lead to skin small vessel lesions.Attention should be paid to peripheral vascular screening in this population for early intervention of potential risks.
5.Eight cases of hereditary hyperhomocysteinemia with neurological involvement: clinical and genetic analysis
Xianru CHENG ; Xinghua LUAN ; Jingjiong CHEN ; Bo XUE ; Wenzheng WANG ; Hui WEN ; Xiuzhe WANG ; Li CAO ; Wotu TIAN
Chinese Journal of Neurology 2025;58(1):64-75
Objective:To investigate the clinical, phenotypic and genotypic features of hereditary hyperhomocysteinemia mainly involving the nervous system.Methods:The clinical data, physical examination, imaging results, blood-urine tandem mass spectrometry analysis and genetic results of 8 patients with hyperhomocysteinemia from the Department of Neurology of the Shanghai Sixth People′s Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine from September 2020 to December 2023 were collected, and the clinical, genetic features and pathogenic mechanisms of these patients were summarized and analyzed.Results:Among all the 8 patients (male∶female=5∶3), the age of onset was 7 to 74 (40.4±7.4) years. Seven had adult-onset and 1 had juvenile-onset, with various types of onset symptoms, including progressive stiffness in lower limbs and walking difficulty, limb numbness, tremor, mental and behavioral abnormalities, cerebrovascular events, etc. Moderate to severe hyperhomocysteine (38.4-190.6 μmol/L) was present in all patients at first diagnosis. Among the 5 patients with cranial imaging examinations, all had white matter lesions. The genetic testing showed 7 patients with MTHFR gene pathogenic mutations (1 case with c.416C>T, and 6 cases with c.665C>T), and 1 patient with MMACHC gene pathogenic mutation (c.482G>A). Conclusions:Hereditary hyperhomocysteinemia is a metabolic disease, with complicated manifestations, varying degrees of severity, and diverse pathogenic genes. The cases with neurological involvement are not rare, such as spastic paraplegia-like manifestations, tremor, peripheral neuropathy, mental and behavioral abnormalities, cerebrovascular events.
6.A Novel Melanin-Targeted 18F-PFPN Positron Emission Tomography Imaging for Diagnosing Ocular and Orbital Melanoma
Yiyan WANG ; Xinghua WANG ; Jie ZHANG ; Xiao ZHANG ; Yang CHENG ; Fagang JIANG
Korean Journal of Radiology 2024;25(8):742-748
Objective:
18F-N-(2-(Diethylamino)ethyl)-5-(2-(2-(2-fluoroethoxy)ethoxy)ethoxy) picolinamide ( 18F-PFPN) is a novel positron emission tomography (PET) probe designed to specifically targets melanin. This study aimed to evaluate the diagnostic feasibility of 18F-PFPN in patients with ocular or orbital melanoma.
Materials and Methods:
Three patients with pathologically confirmed ocular or orbital melanoma (one male, two females; age 41–59 years) were retrospectively reviewed. Each patient underwent comprehensive 18F-PFPN and 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose ( 18F-FDG) PET scans. The maximum standardized uptake value (SUV max) of the lesion and the interference caused by background tissue were compared between 18F-PFPN and 18F-FDG PET imaging. In addition, the effect of intrinsic pigments in the uvea and retina on the interpretation of the results was examined. The contralateral non-tumorous eye of each patient served as a control.
Results:
All primary tumors (3/3) were detected using 18F-PFPN PET, while only two primary tumors were detected using 18F-FDG PET. Within each lesion, the SUV max of 18F-PFPN was 2.6 to 8.3 times higher than that of 18F-FDG. Regarding the quality of PET imaging, the physiological uptake of 18F-FDG PET in the brain and periocular tissues limited the imaging of tumors. However, 18F-PFPN PET minimized this interference. Notably, intrinsic pigments in the uvea and retina did not cause abnormal concentrations of 18F-PFPN, as no anomalous uptake of 18F-PFPN was detected in the healthy contralateral eyes.
Conclusion
Compared to 18F-FDG, 18F-PFPN demonstrated higher detection rates for ocular and orbital melanomas with minimal interference from surrounding tissues. This suggests that 18F-PFPN could be a promising clinical diagnostic tool for distinguishing malignant melanoma from benign pigmentation in ocular and orbital melanomas.
7.The future and challenges of robotics in lung cancer surgery
Tumor 2024;44(6):631-641
Cancer is one of the most serious public health issues globally and a leading cause of death among residents in China.Among various types of cancer,lung cancer has the highest incidence and mortality rates,posing a significant challenge to Chinese healthcare system.Currently,comprehensive treatment of lung cancer is thrivig,but surgical remains the primary curative treatment.The advent of surgical robots has opened up new possibilities for the surgical treatment of lung cancer.With flexibility,precision,minimally invasive nature,and intelligence,robotic surgery has addressed many challenges and shortcomings of traditional surgical treatments,representing a revolutionary achievement in the integration of medicine and engineering.As the installation and utilization of surgical robots rapidly increase,the prospects and potential risks of robotic surgery for lung cancer have garnered widespread attention.Looking ahead,new concepts and technologies,including artificial intelligence,remote control,haptic feedback,etc.,are expected to be implemented in robots for a further optimized lung cancer surgical process.This integration will influence the landscape of lung cancer surgical treatment,and ultimately benefit patients.
8.The future and challenges of robotics in lung cancer surgery
Tumor 2024;44(6):631-641
Cancer is one of the most serious public health issues globally and a leading cause of death among residents in China.Among various types of cancer,lung cancer has the highest incidence and mortality rates,posing a significant challenge to Chinese healthcare system.Currently,comprehensive treatment of lung cancer is thrivig,but surgical remains the primary curative treatment.The advent of surgical robots has opened up new possibilities for the surgical treatment of lung cancer.With flexibility,precision,minimally invasive nature,and intelligence,robotic surgery has addressed many challenges and shortcomings of traditional surgical treatments,representing a revolutionary achievement in the integration of medicine and engineering.As the installation and utilization of surgical robots rapidly increase,the prospects and potential risks of robotic surgery for lung cancer have garnered widespread attention.Looking ahead,new concepts and technologies,including artificial intelligence,remote control,haptic feedback,etc.,are expected to be implemented in robots for a further optimized lung cancer surgical process.This integration will influence the landscape of lung cancer surgical treatment,and ultimately benefit patients.
9.Study on the damage of primary branches of the Glisson system in the hepatic portal by argon plasma coagulation with different spraying time
Xiangyu PENG ; Shihua LIU ; Yuyang GUO ; Xinghua HUANG ; Jianyong LIU ; Yang CHENG ; Huanzhang HU
Chinese Journal of Hepatobiliary Surgery 2023;29(5):364-369
Objective:To investigate the effect of different spray-coagulation time of argon plasma coagulation (APC) injury on the Glisson system primary branche(G1) in the hepatic portal of pigs.Methods:Fifty clean healthy domestic pigs (27 females and 23 males, aged 7 to 14 months) were selected, with the body weighted (100.0±9.5) kg. They were randomly divided into five groups (A, B, C, D, and E), with 10 pigs in each group. G1 models were made and sprayed by APC for 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 seconds. The damage, maximum damage area, maximum damage depth, and damage of the three branches of the Glisson system (the first branches of the portal vein, intrahepatic bile duct, and hepatic artery) were compared among the groups. The pigs were divided into two groups based on whether the three branches were damaged or not: the three-branch damage group ( n=23) and the control group ( n=27). The maximum damage area and maximum damage depth were compared between the two groups. Results:After the APC spraying, circular or elliptical damage appeared on the surface of the G1, with changes such as yellow-brown color, brown color, charred appearance, and defects. Under the microscope, G1 capsule was found to be deficient, the fibrous tissue beneath the capsule was ruptured, and the structures of small blood vessels and small bile ducts were incomplete. " Burn marks" and damage to the three branches of the Glisson system in G1 were also observed, and the damage was more severe at the center of the spray-coagulation. As the spray-coagulation time increased, the maximum damage area of the G1 model also increased, and the two were positively correlated ( r=0.90, P<0.001). The maximum damage depth was also positively correlated with spray-coagulation time ( r=0.97, P<0.001). The numbers of pigs with damage to the three branches of the Glisson system in Groups A-E were 0, 2, 5, 6, and 10, respectively, and the number of pigs with damage increased with the spray-coagulation time. In the three-branch damage group, the spray-coagulation time, maximum damage area, and maximum damage depth were all higher than those in the control group (without three-branch damage), and the differences were statistically significant (all P<0.05). Conclusion:The degree of damage to G1 caused by APC is positively correlated with the spray-coagulation time, and damage to the three branches of the Glisson system in G1 is related to the maximum damage area, maximum damage depth, and APC spray-coagulation time.
10.Neurofibromatosis Type 1 in a Child with Plexiform Neurofibroma Pressing the Urinary System
Jianing XU ; Yaxin GUO ; Shanshan WANG ; Lei YIN ; Jiaming ZHU ; Wen CHENG ; Hongkun JIANG ; Xinghua GAO ; Xuegang XU
JOURNAL OF RARE DISEASES 2023;2(2):186-190
A 3-year-old male patient was diagnosed with neurofibromatosis type 1(NF1) for two years. The patient has multiple neurofibromas in retroperitoneum, lumbococcygeal paravertebral, lumbosacral spinal canal, and foramina. Due to retroperitoneal mass compression, the child suffered from urological complications such as hydronephrosis, ureterdilation, neurogenic bladder, etc., which seriously affected the urination function and resulted in multiple surgical treatments. Currently, the patient has been treated with mitogen activates extracelluar signal-regulated kinases(MEK) inhibitor selumetinib targeted therapy, and has voluntarily urinated, and his general state is better than before medication. The diagnosis and treatment of this case reflects the importance of multidisciplinary collaboration in the diagnosis and treatment of rare diseases.

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