Objective:To observe the effect of high-frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) at different frequencies on cognitive impairment due to high-altitude hypoxia.Methods:Sixty officers and soldiers displaying cognitive impairment in a hypoxic high-altitude environment were randomly divided into 15Hz, 20Hz and 25Hz groups, each of 20. They were given rTMS at those frequencies for 30 days. Before the stimulation and after 15 and 30 days, event-related potentials, latencies of mismatched negativity (MMN) and P300 signals were recorded. The participants′ cognition was also evaluated using the Montreal Cognitive Assessment Scale (MoCA). Correlation between the electrophysiological indexes and the MoCA scores was computed.Results:After 15 days, all had shorter MMN latencies, higher total MoCA scores and better memory scores. The only significant difference among the three groups was in the average memory scores. After 15 days, MMN latency was significantly negatively correlated with the memory scores in all three groups ( r=0.44 to -0.54). Conclusions:rTMS at frequencies above 15Hz can effectively relieve cognitive impairment, especially memory dysfunction, resulting from high-altitude hypoxia.

Objective:To evaluate the causal relationship between IL-7 and IL-7Rα and ankylosing spondylitis(AS)using the Mendelian randomization(MR)method.Methods:This study was based on gene-wide association study(GWAS)summary data,con-structing instrumental variables(IV)using single nucleotide polymorphisms(SNPs).We respectively adopt Inverse variance weighted(IVW),MR-Egger mode and Weighted median(WM)mode to assess the causal relation between IL-7/IL-7Rα and AS.In addition,we also conducted sensitivity tests,including the heterogeneity test,the pleiotropy test,the leave-one-out approach and the MR-PRESSO test.Results:IL-7 and IL-7Rα were respectively included in 9 and 5 IVs that could be used for MR analysis.Results of IVW analysis revealed a reliable causal relationship between IL-7 and IL-7Rα and AS[IL-7:P=0.025 2,OR(95%CI)=0.999 4(0.989 1～0.999 9);IL-7Rα:P=0.008 3,OR(95%CI)=1.000 6(1.000 2～1.001 0)].Cochranes Q test(IL-7:P=0.999 7;IL-7Rα:P=0.946 9)showed that all studies had good homogeneity.The results of a leave-one-out sensitivity analysis suggested that causal associations were not strongly influenced by any selected IVs.The intercept of the MR-Egger regression further showed that pleiotropy did not bias the causal effect in this study.Conclusion:Both IL-7 and IL-7Rα have a strong causal relationship with AS,among which IL-7 is a protec-tive factor for AS,and IL-7Rα is a risk factor for AS.

Objective:To evaluate the causal relationship between IL-7 and IL-7Rα and ankylosing spondylitis(AS)using the Mendelian randomization(MR)method.Methods:This study was based on gene-wide association study(GWAS)summary data,con-structing instrumental variables(IV)using single nucleotide polymorphisms(SNPs).We respectively adopt Inverse variance weighted(IVW),MR-Egger mode and Weighted median(WM)mode to assess the causal relation between IL-7/IL-7Rα and AS.In addition,we also conducted sensitivity tests,including the heterogeneity test,the pleiotropy test,the leave-one-out approach and the MR-PRESSO test.Results:IL-7 and IL-7Rα were respectively included in 9 and 5 IVs that could be used for MR analysis.Results of IVW analysis revealed a reliable causal relationship between IL-7 and IL-7Rα and AS[IL-7:P=0.025 2,OR(95%CI)=0.999 4(0.989 1～0.999 9);IL-7Rα:P=0.008 3,OR(95%CI)=1.000 6(1.000 2～1.001 0)].Cochranes Q test(IL-7:P=0.999 7;IL-7Rα:P=0.946 9)showed that all studies had good homogeneity.The results of a leave-one-out sensitivity analysis suggested that causal associations were not strongly influenced by any selected IVs.The intercept of the MR-Egger regression further showed that pleiotropy did not bias the causal effect in this study.Conclusion:Both IL-7 and IL-7Rα have a strong causal relationship with AS,among which IL-7 is a protec-tive factor for AS,and IL-7Rα is a risk factor for AS.

Objective:To observe the effect of high-frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) at different frequencies on cognitive impairment due to high-altitude hypoxia.Methods:Sixty officers and soldiers displaying cognitive impairment in a hypoxic high-altitude environment were randomly divided into 15Hz, 20Hz and 25Hz groups, each of 20. They were given rTMS at those frequencies for 30 days. Before the stimulation and after 15 and 30 days, event-related potentials, latencies of mismatched negativity (MMN) and P300 signals were recorded. The participants′ cognition was also evaluated using the Montreal Cognitive Assessment Scale (MoCA). Correlation between the electrophysiological indexes and the MoCA scores was computed.Results:After 15 days, all had shorter MMN latencies, higher total MoCA scores and better memory scores. The only significant difference among the three groups was in the average memory scores. After 15 days, MMN latency was significantly negatively correlated with the memory scores in all three groups ( r=0.44 to -0.54). Conclusions:rTMS at frequencies above 15Hz can effectively relieve cognitive impairment, especially memory dysfunction, resulting from high-altitude hypoxia.

OBJECTIVE: To study the mechanism of tumor necrosis factor( TNF)-α and its receptor( TNFR) signal transduction pathways in regulating cell apoptosis of alveolar macrophage( AM) in coal workers' pneumoconiosis( CWP).METHODS: Twenty-four coal workers with pneumoconiosis at stage Ⅰ were selected as CWP group and four observation subjects exposed to coal were chosen as observation group by using simple random sampling method. The bronchoalveolar lavage fluids of whole-lung lavage of two groups were collected. AMs were separated and purified. Then they were divided into 6 groups: a control group,a superoxide dismutase( SOD) group,a TNF/TNFR group,an anti-TNF-α antibody group,a Caspase-8 suppression group and a nuclear factor-κB( NF-κB) suppression group. The AMs of 6 groups with corresponding treatment were cultivated. After 24 hours,the cells were harvested and proteins extracted. The relative expression of TNF-α,TNFR1,TNFR2,Caspase-8,Caspase-3,NF-κB P50 and NF-κB P65 protein was detected by Western blotting. RESULTS: The protein relative expression of TNF-α,TNFR2,Caspase-8,Caspase-3,NF-κB P50 and NF-κB P65 in CWP group was significantly higher than those in the observation group( P < 0. 05). The protein relative expression of TNF-α,TNFR1,Caspase-8,Caspase-3 and NF-κB P50 in the TNF/TNFR group and the anti-TNF-αantibody group was lower than that of the control group( P < 0. 05). The above indexes in the anti-TNF-α antibody group were lower than that of the NF-κB suppression group( P < 0. 05). The protein relative expression of TNFR1,Caspase-8and Caspase-3 in the TNF/TNFR group was higher than that of the SOD group and the Caspase-8 suppression group( P <0. 05). The protein relative expression of TNFR1,Caspase-8 and NF-κB P50 in the TNF/TNFR group was lower than that of the NF-κB suppression group( P < 0. 05). Among the CWP patients,the relative expression of TNFR2 and NF-κB P65 in the TNF/TNFR group was lower than that of the control group( P < 0. 05),and higher than that of the SOD group( P <0. 05). CONCLUSION: AM apoptosis mediated by TNF-α/TNFR/NF-κB signal transduction pathway plays an important role in the occurrence and development of CWP. The TNF-α/TNFR/NF-κB signal transduction pathways inhibited or blocked at different stages can affect the expression of proteins related to AM apoptosis.