OBJECTIVE: To compare the clinical efficacy of jingjin needling combined with rehabilitation training and conventional acupuncture combined with rehabilitation training for post-stroke spastic paralysis. METHODS: A total of 60 patients with post-stroke spastic paralysis were randomly divided into an observation group and a control group, 30 cases in each one. Both groups received conventional rehabilitation training. In the observation group, jingjin needling was applied at tendon blockage points of the shoulder, elbow, wrist, hip, knee, and ankle. In the control group, conventional acupuncture was applied at Jianyu (LI15), Quchi (LI11), Hegu (LI4), Biguan (ST31), Fengshi (GB31), Taichong (LR3), etc. on the affected side. Treatment was given once daily, 5 days a week for 4 weeks in both groups. The scores of clinical spasticity index (CSI), modified Ashworth scale, modified Barthel index (MBI), and Fugl-Meyer assessment scale (FMA) were evaluated before and after treatment, and the onset time was compared between the two groups. RESULTS: After treatment, the scores of CSI and modified Ashworth scale were decreased compared with those before treatment (P<0.001), while the scores of MBI and FMA were increased compared with those before treatment (P<0.001) in the two groups. After treatment, the scores of CSI and modified Ashworth scale in the observation group were lower than those in the control group (P<0.05), the MBI score in the observation group was higher than that in the control group (P<0.05). There was no statistically significant difference in FMA scores between the two groups (P>0.05). The onset time of the observation group was earlier than that in the control group (P<0.05). CONCLUSION Both jingjin needling combined with rehabilitation training and conventional acupuncture combined with rehabilitation training can effectively treat post-stroke spastic paralysis, jingjin needling combined with rehabilitation training exhibits better therapeutic effect and rapider onset.
Humans ; Acupuncture Therapy ; Male ; Female ; Middle Aged ; Aged ; Stroke/complications* ; Adult ; Acupuncture Points ; Muscle Spasticity/etiology* ; Treatment Outcome ; Stroke Rehabilitation ; Paralysis/therapy* ; Combined Modality Therapy

OBJECTIVE: To carry out genetic testing and prenatal diagnosis for a woman featuring moderate intellectual disability (ID). METHODS: The patient had presented at the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University on April 28, 2021. With informed consent, peripheral blood and amniotic fluid samples were collected for the extraction of genomic DNA. Pathogenic copy number variations (CNVs) were detected with CNV-seq, and single gene variants were detected by whole exome sequencing (WES) and Sanger sequencing. Candidate variant was verified by Sanger sequencing, and CNV-seq and multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification (MLPA) were used to detect fetal CNVs. RESULTS: The 23-year-old woman had moderate ID, sideway walking, and unstable holding. Ultrasonography at 18⁺³ weeks' gestation had revealed no fetal abnormality. No pathogenic CNV was detected in the woman by CNV-Seq, while WES revealed that she has harbored a heterozygous c.1675C>T (p.Arg559*) variant of the DLG4 gene, which was verified by Sanger sequencing. Based on guidelines from the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics, the variant was predicted to be likely pathogenic (PVS1+PM2_supporting). Sanger sequencing has confirmed that the fetus has inherited this variant, and CNV-Seq also revealed that that fetus has harbored a 0.1 Mb heterozygous deletion at Xp21.1, which has encompassed the DMD gene, and the result was verified by MLPA. CONCLUSION The heterozygous c.1675C>T variant of the DLG4 gene probably underlay the mental retardation in this woman, and her fetus was found to harbor the same variant in addition with deletion of the DMD gene, which may predispose to ID type 62.
Female ; Humans ; Pregnancy ; Young Adult ; Disks Large Homolog 4 Protein ; DNA Copy Number Variations ; Fetus ; Genetic Testing ; Intellectual Disability/genetics* ; Pregnant Women

E2F1, a nucleoprotein gene belongs to transcription factor, is closely associated with the development of malignant tumours. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are aberrantly expressed in a variety of tumors. In studies of molecular mechanisms associated with lncRNAs and tumours, E2F1 has been identified as a key factor that can play a critical role as an upstream regulator or downstream target of lncRNAs, and even inter-regulate to form a positive feedback loop. This paper reviews the significance of the interaction between E2F1 and lncRNA in malignant tumors in recent years, and aims to provide ideas for the study of tumor mechanisms.

Activated phosphoinositide 3-kinase δ syndrome(APDS) is an autosomal dominant inherited primary immunodeficiency disease that is caused by mutations in PIK3CD or PIK3R1 genes leading to overactivation of the PI3Kδ signaling pathway, first reported by Angulo et al in 2013. The clinical manifestations of the disease are recurrent respiratory tract infections, benign lymph node hyperplasia, autoimmune diseases, lymphoma and so on. Although most patients develop the disease in childhood, there are also reports of adult onset and asymptomatic patients. In addition, the immunophenotype of activated phosphoinositide 3-kinase δ syndrome is changeable, usually the IgA levels are reduced, the IgM levels can be normal or elevated, and the IgG levels are variable, so it is easy to be misdiagnosed at first diagnosis. There is no unified diagnostic standard at present, and timely genetic testing is required to confirm the diagnosis.

Objective:To identify the clinical phenotypes, diagnosis, and treatment of five children with DiGeorge syndrome finally diagnosed by gene, with review of the literature.Methods:The clinical data of five children with DiGeorge syndrome admitted to our hospital were collected and sorted out. Copy number variation sequencing (CNV-seq) based on next generation sequencing (NGS) technology was used to diagnose the genetic etiology of the children. The relationship between phenotypes and genotype among these five children were emphatically compared.Results:The five children collected in this study were all younger than 6 months. The course of the disease was more than 2 months to 1 year. Most of the first symptoms were convulsions and/or repeated infection. All of them had different degrees of growth retardation, with or without special facial features, epilepsy, congenital heart disease, etc. The similar blood ionized calcium levels revealed hypocalcemia, but the frequency and severity of convulsions were different. The copy number variation of chromosome 22q11.21 was detected in all these five children, and the deletion fragment was between 2.56-2.6 Mb, which was mostly coincident with the classical deletion region of DiGeorge syndrome (chr22: 19009792-21452445) recorded in Decipher database. One case was suggested to be a novel mutation, and the rest were of unknown origin.Conclusions:DiGeorge syndrome has great clinical heterogeneity. CNV-seq based on NGS technology is not only conducive to accurate genetic etiological diagnosis, but also helpful for understanding the corresponding relationship between clinical phenotype and genotype of hereditary syndrome, improving clinicians′ understanding and avoiding misdiagnosis.

Objective: To investigate the relationship between exposure to famine in fetus and infant period and the risks for hypertension in adulthood. Methods: A total of 5 960 participants born between 1956 and 1965 were included in the study and were divided into unexposed group (1963-1965), fetal exposed group (1959-1961), early- childhood exposed group (1956-1958) and transitional group (1962). Logistic regression model was used to explore the association between famine exposure in early life and the risk for hypertension in adulthood. Results: Both the fetal exposure and the early-childhood exposure were the risk factors for hypertension in adulthood (OR=1.249, 95%CI: 1.049-1.486 and OR=1.360, 95%CI: 1.102-1.679). Meanwhile, in rural area, compared with unexposed group, the fetal exposure (OR=1.401, 95%CI: 1.091-1.798) and the early-childhood exposure (OR=1.460, 95%CI: 1.145-1.862) were also associated with a greater risk of hypertension in adulthood. In addition, fetal exposure and early-childhood exposure to famine in women were associated with 36.0% and 31.9% increased risks for hypertension (95%CI: 7.8%-71.7% and 95%CI: 4.8%-66.0%) according to the stratified analysis. Conclusion Fetal exposure to famine might increase the risk for hypertension in adulthood.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the genetic basis for a child with multiple malformation and growth retardation. METHODS: The child was subjected to low-coverage massively parallel copy number variation sequencing (CNV-seq) based on next generation sequencing (NGS) technique. RESULTS: G-banding karyotyping analysis has found no abnormality in the boy and his parents. CNV-seq analysis discovered that the child has carried a heterozygous 4.36 Mb deletion (24 020 000-28 380 000) at 7p15.3p15.1. The same deletion was not found in either parent. The deletion has encompassed 28 OMIM genes including HOXA13, CYCS, DFNA5, HOXA11 and HOXA2. Among these, HOXA13 has been associated with distal limb deformity, hypospadias and cryptorchidism. HOXA1, HOXA3 and HOXA4 are involved in the formation of cardiac primordia and primordial tube, and HOXA2 is involved in the development of auditory system. The clinical phenotype of the child was consistent with that of 7p15 deletion syndrome. CONCLUSION Haploinsufficiency of HOXA1, HOXA2, HOXA3, HOXA4 and HOXA13 genes may underlie the clinical phenotype of the child, which is comparable to 7p15 deletion syndrome.

One major strategy to generate genetically modified mouse models is gene targeting in mouse embryonic stem (ES) cells, which is used to produce gene-targeted mice for wide applications in biomedicine. However, a major bottleneck in this approach is that the robustness of germline transmission of gene-targeted ES cells can be significantly reduced by their genetic and epigenetic instability after long-term culturing, which impairs the efficiency and robustness of mouse model generation. Recently, we have established a new type of pluripotent cells termed extended pluripotent stem (EPS) cells, which have superior developmental potency and robust germline competence compared to conventional mouse ES cells. In this study, we demonstrate that mouse EPS cells well maintain developmental potency and genetic stability after long-term passage. Based on gene targeting in mouse EPS cells, we established a new approach to directly and rapidly generate gene-targeted mouse models through tetraploid complementation, which could be accomplished in approximately 2 months. Importantly, using this approach, we successfully constructed mouse models in which the human interleukin 3 (IL3) or interleukin 6 (IL6) gene was knocked into its corresponding locus in the mouse genome. Our study demonstrates the feasibility of using mouse EPS cells to rapidly generate mouse models by gene targeting, which have great application potential in biomedical research.

Aim To investigate the effects of dopamine(DA)on insulin secretion from rat islets and the possible mechanism.Methods Pancreatic islets were obtained from the pancreatic of male SD rats by collagenase P digestion and histopaque-1077 density gradient separation.Insulin secretion experiment was used to observe the change of insulin release after DA treatments.As to study the potential mechanisms of the effects of DA,patch-clamp experiment and calcuim image technique were applied to test the depolarization-evoked Ca2+ currents,action potential duration and intracellular Ca2+ concentration.Results In 2.8 mmol·L-1 glucose,DA had no effect on insulin secretion;in 16.7 mmol·L-1 glucose,dopamine inhibited insulin secretion in a dose-dependent manner.DA inhibited the inward calcium current,shorten the action potential duration,and reduced the intracellular Ca2+ concentration.Conclusion DA inhibits insulin secretion maybe by decreasing the inward calcium current leading to shorten the action potential duration and reduce the intracellular Ca2+ concentration.

OBJECTIVETo explore the correlation between propagated sensation along meridian (PSM) and TCM constitution at different age stages.

METHODSAccording to age, 840 participants were divided into a youth group (326 cases), a middle aged group (243 cases) and an elderly group (271 cases). The TCM constitution of all the participants was evaluated, and the PSM test was performed. The distribution of TCM constitution, the occurring rate and transmission of PSM in each group were observed and compared; the correlation between PSM and the TCM constitution was preliminary investigated by Logistic regression analysis.

RESULTSThe distribution of nine types of TCM constitution in three groups:the proportion of normal constitution and partial constitution were significantly different (all<0.05); the occurring rate and transmission of PSM in three groups were not significantly different (all>0.05); the proportion of occurring rate for nine types of TCM constitutions in the whole population, from high to low, presented special intrinsic quality, neutral quality,-deficiency quality,-deficiency quality,-deficiency quality, damp-heat quality, phlegm-dampness quality,-stagnation quality and blood-stasis quality; besides, the proportion of occurring rate for different TCM constitutions in the youth group, middle aged group and elderly group was similar to that of whole population. The Logistic regression analysis results indicated the neutral quality (=0.025) and special intrinsic quality (=0.018) were positively while blood-stasis quality (=0.043) was negatively related with PSM in all subjects; the-deficiency quality (=0.025), phlegm-dampness quality (=0.019), blood-stasis quality (=0.012) and-stagnation quality (=0.035) were negatively related with PSM in youth group; the neutral quality (=0.001) was positively related with PSM inthe middle aged group; the neutral quality (=0.006) anddeficiency quality (=0.004) were positively related with PSM in the elderly group.

CONCLUSIONSThe occurrence of PSM in different age stages is related with TCM constitution, which could be increased in clinical treatment to improve acupuncture efficacy.