Kui was first recorded in The Rites of Zhou and is the earliest domesticated wild vegetable in China. In the Qi Min Yao Shu, Kui was called “the master of all vegetables” and has a long history of application in China. As a medicine, Kuizi was first recorded in Shen Nong’s Herbal Classic, which has a history of more than 2 000 years of medicinal use and a long history of clinical application. By researching the ancient and modern herbal literature, the first herbs texts of Kui were examined, various recorded texts, confused products and the history of the original medicinal use were clarified. It was concluded that the ancient herbal texts recorded the base plant of Kui as Malva verticillata L. belonging to family Malvaceae, which provided scientific basis for the development and utilization of Kui.

Astrocytes are the largest glial population in the mammalian brain. However, we have a minimal understanding of astrocyte development, especially fate specification in different regions of the brain. Through lineage tracing of the progenitors of the third ventricle (3V) wall via in-utero electroporation in the embryonic mouse brain, we show the fate specification and migration pattern of astrocytes derived from radial glia along the 3V wall. Unexpectedly, radial glia located in different regions along the 3V wall of the diencephalon produce distinct cell types: radial glia in the upper region produce astrocytes and those in the lower region produce neurons in the diencephalon. With genetic fate mapping analysis, we reveal that the first population of astrocytes appears along the zona incerta in the diencephalon. Astrogenesis occurs at an early time point in the dorsal region relative to that in the ventral region of the developing diencephalon. With transcriptomic analysis of the region-specific 3V wall and lateral ventricle (LV) wall, we identified cohorts of differentially-expressed genes in the dorsal 3V wall compared to the ventral 3V wall and LV wall that may regulate astrogenesis in the dorsal diencephalon. Together, these results demonstrate that the generation of astrocytes shows a spatiotemporal pattern in the developing mouse diencephalon.
Mice ; Animals ; Astrocytes ; Neuroglia/physiology* ; Diencephalon ; Brain ; Neurons ; Mammals

Atypical sensory responsivity is widely reported in autistic individuals and is related to elevated functional difficulties. Dynamically, altered initial responses and/or habituation rates could underlie their atypical averaged responses to repeated sensory stimuli. In this study we aimed to measure the arousal level in response to different types of auditory stimuli and the dynamic change of atypical arousal level using pupillometry in autistic children. In Experiment 1, 43 autistic children and 49 neurotypical (NT) children were asked to passively listen to a mild sound and an aversive sound repeatedly. In Experiment 2, 39 autistic children and 44 NT children who went through Experiment 1 listened to a gradually emerging non-startling sound and a suddenly emerging startling sound in a random order. We found that the autistic group showed hyper-arousal in response to the aversive sound and the startling sound as reflected by their larger change in pupil area. In comparison, these autistic children demonstrated normal arousal in response to the mild sound and the non-startling sound. Dynamically, the autistic group had a larger peak pupil area change than the NT group in the first trial and a normal habituation rate to the aversive sound. In summary, our results suggest hyper-arousal to aversive and startling stimuli and the role of larger initial responses in hyper-arousal in autism. Minimizing aversive and startling sensory stimuli or gradually increasing the volume of aversive auditory stimuli to allow autistic children to adapt using the principle of habituation is recommended to reduce the arousal level and problematic behaviors of autistic children.
Humans ; Male ; Child ; Female ; Acoustic Stimulation ; Autistic Disorder/physiopathology* ; Arousal/physiology* ; Pupil/physiology* ; Habituation, Psychophysiologic/physiology* ; Auditory Perception ; Child, Preschool

Objective:To investigate the risk factors for severe distal curve progression after posterior hemivertebra (HV) resection and short-segment fixation in patients with congenital cervicothoracic scoliosis (CTS), and to analyze the surgical revision strategy.Methods:Imaging and clinical data of patients who underwent posterior HV resection and short-segment fixation for CTS between August 2012 and August 2021 at Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital were retrospectively analyzed. A total of 55 patients were recruited, including 27 females and 28 males with an average age of 8.5±3.6 years (range 3-15 years) at surgery and an average Risser grade of 0.7±1.4 (range 0-4). The number of fused segments averaged 6.9±1.6 (range 4-10), and the mean follow-up was 38.7±18.9 months (range 9-94 months). According to the severity of distal curve progression, the recruited patients were divided into three groups: non-progression group (NPG), mild progression group (MPG), and severe progression group (SPG). The latter two groups were collectively called the progression group (PG). The cervicothoracic Cobb angle, T1 tilt angle, coronal balance distance (CBD), neck tilt angle, clavicular angle, head tilt angle, head shift, and upper (UIV) and lower instrument vertebra (LIV) tilt angle on the standing whole spine X-ray were measured before and after surgery and at the last follow-up. The correction rate of the Cobb angle in the osteotomy area was measured and calculated on CT three-dimensional reconstruction, and the proportion of patients with Klippel-Feil syndrome (KFS) was recorded. Statistical analysis was conducted on the various parameters between the two groups. For factors with statistical significance in the single-factor analysis, binary logistic regression analysis was performed to identify the high-risk factors for distal curve progression.Results:There were 38 cases in the NPG, 11 in the MPG, and 6 in the SPG. Compared to the NPG, the PG showed more severe coronal imbalance preoperatively, with CBD of 35.6±22.3 mm and 11.6±7.1 mm respectively; more severe neck tilt and head shift, with neck tilt angle of 17.4°±8.3° and 12.4°±6.9° respectively, and head shift of 22.8±17.7 mm and 13.9±9.8 mm respectively; and a higher proportion of KFS, 65% (11/17) and 34% (13/38) respectively, all with statistical significance ( P<0.05). Postoperatively, the PG showed more severe coronal imbalance compared with the NPG, with 17.3±12.7 mm and 9.6±8.1 mm respectively; more evident residual deformity, with cervical tilt angles of 9.4°±4.6° and 6.4°±5.3° respectively, and head shift of 14.7±7.4 mm and 9.1±5.9 mm respectively; lower correction of Cobb angle in the apical osteotomy region, with rates of 40.1%±15.2% and 50.3%±19.9% respectively; more significant UIV and LIV tilt, with UIV tilt angles of 14.3°±7.4° and 9.8°±5.3° respectively, and LIV tilt angles of 8.1°±5.5° and 4.5°±3.6° respectively, all with statistical significance ( P<0.05). SPG showed only more severe coronal imbalance preoperatively compared with the MPG, with 50.7±31.3 mm and 27.3±9.6 mm respectively; and head shift, with 33.5±25.0 mm and 16.9±11.0 mm respectively, all with statistical significance ( P<0.05). Logistic regression analysis demonstrated a significant correlation between significant preoperative coronal imbalance and postoperative distal scoliosis progression [ OR=1.299, 95% CI (1.101, 1.531), P=0.002]. Five cases (83.3%) in SPG underwent revision surgery with an average follow-up of 25 months, and selecting the LIV down to the stable region was the major revision strategy. Conclusion:Combined KFS, residual cervicothoracic deformities, and tilting of UIV and LIV are key causes, whereas significant preoperative coronal imbalance is an independent risk factor predisposing to the distal curve progression.

Objective:To compare the clinical outcomes between three-column osteotomy and posterior-column osteotomy for correcting dystrophic kyphoscoliosis secondary to neurofibromatosis type 1 (DKS-NF1).Methods:ALL of 84 patients with DKS-NF1 were retrospectively analyzed, and the average age was 17.7±6.9 years. There were 50 cases with single curve, 18 cases with double curves, and 16 cases with triple curves; kyphosis was found in 42 cases in the thoracic area, 31 cases in the thoracolumbar area, and 11 cases in the lumbar area. The patients were divided into two groups: posterior column osteotomy group and three column osteotomy group based on surgical strategy. The radiographic parameters (including the magnitude of kyphosis, scoliosis, coronal balance distance, etc.) were compared between the two groups before and after surgery, and during the follow-up. The surgical efficacy was also compared based on the spinal correction and complications (such as cerebrospinal fluid leakage, pneumothorax, rod breakage, etc.).Results:The posterior column osteotomy group consisted of 74 patients and the column osteotomy group consisted of 10 patients. The age of patients in the posterior column osteotomy group was significantly younger than that in the three-column osteotomy group (15.8±4.8 years vs. 29.4±10.2 years, t=7.088, P<0.001), and the proportion of preoperative traction in this group was significantly higher than that in the three column osteotomy group (26/74 vs. 0, P=0.027). The apex of kyphosis in the three-column osteotomy group mainly located in the thoracolumbar and lumbar area, significantly higher than that in the posterior column osteotomy group (10/10 vs. 32/74, P=0.001). The magnitude of kyphosis in the two groups were 73.8°±20.9° and 63.1°±21.4° before surgery, respectively ( t=1.506, P=0.136). After surgery, they were corrected to 43.1°±20.9° and 21.1°±22.8°, respectively ( t=3.066, P=0.003), with correction rates of 43.7% ±19.6% and 84.1% ±78.7%, respectively ( t=3.677, P<0.001). At the last follow-up, they were maintained at 46.5°±20.9° and 24.6°±25.5°, respectively ( t=3.016, P=0.003). The Cobb angle of the main curve was corrected from preoperative 83.0°±29.0° and 66.3°±17.7° ( t=1.766, P=0.081) to postoperative 50.6°±20.8° and 40.8°±15.6° ( t=1.436, P=0.155), with correction rates of 38.3% ±16.6% and 39.3% ±12.7% ( t=0.191, P=0.849), respectively. At the last follow-up, they were maintained at 52.3°±20.5° and 43.1°±18.2°, respectively ( t=1.339, P=0.185). The proportion of multi-rod system application and screw density in three column osteotomy group was significantly higher than that in posterior column osteotomy group (8/10 vs. 20/74, P=0.002; 72.0% ±11.3% vs. 61.4% ±14.6%, t=2.173, P=0.033). The incidence of complications in the two groups was 12.2% (posterior column osteotomy group, 9/74) and 20% (three column osteotomy group, 2/10), respectively, with no statistically significant difference ( P=0.613). Conclusion:Three-column osteotomy is mainly used to treat adult kyphosis in DKS-NF1 patients. While the posterior column osteotomy methods were mainly applied in young patients. Most patients can achieve the purpose of deformity correction by posterior column osteotomy alone or combined with anterior complementary fusion. For patients with severe kyphosis, preoperative Halo gravity traction can help to further correct the intraoperative deformities.

Objective:To evaluate whether pelvic fixation is needed in patients undergoing posterior lumbosacral hemivertebra (LSHV) resection and long fusion.Methods:All 32 adult spinal deformity patients with posterior hemivertebra (HV) resection and long segment fixation treated from April 2005 to August 2019 were analyzed retrospectively, including 12 males and 20 females with a mean age of 32.9±8.8 years. According to the state of coronal balance distance (CBD), there were 15 cases of type A (preoperative CBD≤ 30 mm), 1 case of type B (preoperative CBD>30 mm and C 7 plumb line offset to the concave side), and 16 cases of type C (preoperative CBD>30 mm and C 7 plumb line offset to the convex side). The clinical and imaging data before operation, immediately after operation and at the last follow-up were collected, and the short-term and long-term complications related to operation were recorded. The improvement of Cobb angle and coronal balance of primary curve and compensatory curve were evaluated on the whole spine frontal and lateral X-ray films, and the change of coronal balance type after operation was evaluated. According to the mode of distal internal fixation, the patients were divided into two groups: PF group (pelvic fixation): distal fixation to iliac or sacroiliac; NPF group (non-pelvic fixation): distal fixation to L 5 or S 1. Results:All 32 patients were followed up with an average time of 3.9±2.6 years (range 2-11 years). The Cobb angle of primary curve in PF and NPF groups were 42.6°±13.5° and 41.3°±10.9° respectively before operation, and corrected to 13.1°±5.4° and 17.7°±5.8° respectively after operation. It maintained at 13.4°±5.1°and 18.5°±6.7° in the two groups at the last follow-up, respectively ( FPF=32.58, FNPF=28.64, P<0.001). The correction rates were 69.3%±11.8% and 57.6%±10.3%, respectively ( t=2.14, P=0.012). The compensatory curves of in the two groups were corrected from 54.9°±14.8° and 46.8°±13.6° before operation to 17.3°±9.6° and 15.4°±8.4° after operation. It also maintained at 18.5°±8.8°and 17.6°±9.5° in the two groups at the last follow-up, respectively ( FPF=42.97, FNPF=38.56, P<0.001). The correction rates were 68.4%±16.7% and 67.2%±14.9%, respectively ( t=0.17, P=0.849) in the two groups. In PF group, the primary and compensatory curve were similar (69.3%±11.8% vs. 68.4%±16.7%, t=0.15, P=0.837), while the correction rate of compensatory curve in NPF group was significantly higher than that of the primary curve (67.2%±14.9% vs. 57.6%±10.3%, t=2.13, P=0.013). Coronal decompensation occurred in 12 patients (12/32, 37.5%). The CBD in PF and NPF groups was corrected from 33.3±11.2 mm and 28.8±8.1 mm preoperatively to 18.5±3.5 mm and 27.1±6.8 mm postoperatively, respectively, and it showed no significant change at the last follow-up ( FPF=41.61, P<0.001; FNPF=0.38, P=0.896). While the CBD in PF group was significantly better than that in NPF group ( t=3.23, P=0.002; t=2.94, P=0.008). The incidence of coronal decompensation in PF group was 0%, which was significantly lower than 50% (12/24) in NPF group (χ 2=6.40, P=0.014). In addition, 6 cases in PF group were type C coronal decompensation before operation, and the coronal balance was corrected to type A after surgery (100%). Among 10 patients with type C coronal decompensation in NFP, 4 (40%) patients returned to type A after operation, and the difference was statistically significant (6/6 vs. 4/10, χ 2=5.76, P=0.034). Conclusion:Coronal decompensation (12/32, 37.5%) is not rare in patients after posterior LSHV resection and long fusion. Attention should be paid to the match of the corrections between lumbosacral deformity and compensatory curve, which is of great significance in coronal balance reconstruction. Pelvic fixation is helpful to reduce the incidence of postoperative coronal decompensation, especially for the type C patients.

Cbf-14 is a novel antimicrobial peptide composed of 14 amino acids.An optimized reversed phase high-performance liquid chromatographic method with electrospray-ionization quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometer (LC-ESI-QTOF/MS) method was developed for separation, identification and characterization of structurally related peptide impurities in Cbf-14 gel.Chromatographic separation was carried out on an Agilent ZORBAX SB-Phenyl column (150 mm × 4.6 mm, 3.5 μm), with acetonitrile-20 mmol/L ammonium formate buffer (adjusted to pH 3.0 with formic acid) as eluent using gradient elution.Under the established conditions, Cbf-14 and its structurally related peptide impurities were well separated; and a total of 24 impurities were detected and identified, of which 5 were impurities in the preparation manufacturing process and 19 were stressed products.Based on high resolution mass spectrometry analysis, the origins and formation mechanisms of these impurities were located.The obtained results are useful for the establishment of the manufacturing process, storage condition and quality control of Cbf-14 gel.

To establish a method for the determination of formaldehyde and glyoxal simultaneously in varenicline tartrate active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) and its intermediate, formaldehyde and glyoxal were derivatized by 2, 4-dinitrophenylhydrazine (2,4-DNPH) to improve the HPLC retention and UV detection sensitivity. Separation was performed on a C8 (150 mm × 4.6 mm, 5 μm) column by linear gradient elution using acetonitrile and water as the mobile phase; the detective wavelength was set at 380 nm.Formaldehyde and glyoxal were quantitatively determined by an external reference method.Linear calibration was established for both formaldehyde and glyoxal in the range from 0.094 to 1.88 μg/mL.The detection and the quantification limits were 0.047 μg/mL (19 μg/g) and 0.094 μg/mL (38 μg/g), respectively.The recoveries were (95.0±1.1)% and (99.4 ± 2.6)% for formaldehyde and glyoxal, respectively.This method has been fully validated to be applicable to quantitative analysis of trace amount of formaldehyde and glyoxal in varenicline tartrate API and its intermediate.Test results demonstrated that the contents of both formaldehyde and glyoxal met the permitted daily exposure (PDE) limits for the finished products of varenicline tartrate API as well as its intermediate, though the glyoxal contents in the crude intermediates were likely to exceed the limit.The established method is valuable for the manufacturing process and quality control of varenicline tartrate.

To identify the amino alcohols related substances in atenolol. The related substances in atenolol and its stressed samples were pre-column derivatized with 9-fluorenylmethyl chloroformate. The separation was carried out on an Inertsil ODS-SP column (250 mm×4.6 mm, 5 μm) with linear gradient elution by methanol-ammonium acetate solution as the mobile phases. Electrospray positive ionization high-resolution Q-TOF/MS was used for the determination of the accurate masses and elemental compositions of the parent and fragment ions of these related substance derivatives. The structures of all the detected substances were identified by spectral analysis and synthetic analysis. Under the established conditions, atenolol and its amino alcohols related substances were well separated, and a total of 14 impurity peaks were detected and identified, of which 12 were related substances and 2 were derivatization reaction by-products. The established LC-MS method provides a reference for the examination and quality control of atenolol related substances.