Objective:To explore the impact of CACNA1C rs58619945 genotype on the cortical thickness of attentional networks in patients with Bipolar 1 disorder type (BD-Ⅰ). Methods:From August 2013 and August 2019, a total of 155 BD-Ⅰ patients were recruited from the outpatient and inpatient Departments of the Affiliated Brain Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, along with 82 healthy controls (HC) from the community and university. Genotype for the CACNA1C rs58619945 locus was determined for all BD-I patients and HC subjects, followed by 3.0 T magnetic resonance imaging scans to measure the cortical thickness in the alert, orienting, and executive control subnetworks. General linear models (GLMs) were used to evaluate the impact of CACNA1C rs58619945 on the cortical thickness of attentional networks. Concurrently, attentional dimension functions were assessed using repeatable battery for the assessment of neuropsychological status (RBANS) and Cambridge neuropsychological test automated battery rapid visual information processing (CANTAB RVP) test. This study was approved by the Medical Ethics Committee of the Affiliated Brain Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University(Ethics No. 2023-056). Results:Compared with the HC group, the BD-Ⅰ patients had shown reduced thickness in bilateral prefrontal cortex, bilateral posterior cingulate cortex, and bilateral superior temporal cortex( P<0.05). A significant interaction between the CACNA1C genotype and the cortical thickness(HC vs.BD) of right prefrontal cortex, right posterior parietal cortex and right superior temporal cortex was noted( P<0.05). Partial correlation analysis has demonstrated a significant correlation between CANTAB RVP and RBANS attention indices and cortical thickness in the right prefrontal cortex, right posterior cingulate cortex( P<0.05), and right superior temporal cortex predominantly among carriers of the BD-Ⅰ G allele. Conclusion:The G allele of CACNA1C rs58619945 is associated with cortical thickness of the right prefrontal cortex, right posterior cingulate cortex, and right superior temporal cortex in BD-Ⅰ, which are part of the alerting and orienting network.

Objective:To explore the effect of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) on interleukin-33 (IL-33)/growth stimulation expressed gene 2 (ST2) signaling pathway in the dorsal root ganglia (DRGs) of rats modeling hyperalgesia (HP).Methods:This study consisted of two experiments. In the first, 30 Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were randomly divided into a blank group, a Sham-HP group, an HP group, an antibody group and an inhibitor group, each of 6. HP was induced in all except the rats of the blank and Sham-HP groups by injecting carrageenan (Car) and prostaglandin E2 subcutaneously at the bottom of the left hind feet. The antibody and inhibitor groups were then given intrathecal injections of anti-ST2 antibody and a tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α)-specific inhibitor, respectively. In the second experiment, 42 SD rats were randomly divided into a Sham-HP group, an HP group, a TENSⅠgroup, a TENS II group, a TENS I inhibitor group, a TENS II inhibitor group, and a Sham-TENS group, each of 6. All of the groups had HP induced as in experiment one. All of the rats except those in the Sham-HP, HP and Sham-TENS groups were then given TENS, and the TENS I and II inhibitor groups were offered intrathecal injection of TNF-α-specific inhibitors. Mechanical pain thresholds (MPTs) were documented 4h, 24h, 48h, 72h, 6d, 7d 4h, 7d 1h, and 7d after the Car injections. Western blotting was used to measure the protein expressions of IL-33, ST2 and TNF-α 6d after the Car injection in both experiments.Results:In experiment one, the average MPTs of the HP, antibody and inhibitor groups had decreased significantly 4 hours after the Car injection compared with the blank and Sham-HP groups. However, 7d 1h after the Car injection the value had increased significantly in the Sham-HP, antibody and inhibitor groups compared with the HP group, while the expressions of IL-33, ST2 and TNF-α had decreased significantly. In experiment two, by 4 hours after the Car injection, the average MPT of all the other groups had decreased significantly compared with the Sham-HP group. Moreover, by 7d 1h after the Car injection, the average MPTs of the groups receiving TENS had increased significantly, with significantly lower MPT in the TENS Ⅱ group than in group Ⅰ, on average. There was also significantly higher expression of IL-33, ST2 and TNF-α in group II. Compared with the TENS Ⅰ and Ⅱ groups, the average MPT was significantly higher in the TENS I and Ⅱ inhibitor groups, but IL-33, ST2 and TNF-α expression was lower.Conclusions:TENS can inhibit TNF-α expression, which influences the signals of the DRG IL-33/ST2 signaling pathway to reverse hyperalgesia. TENS combined with anti-TNF-α treatment is superior to TENS alone in treating hyperalgesia.

Objective:To investigate the alteration of glymphatic system based on diffusion tensor image-analysis along the perivascular space(DTI-ALPS)in bipolar disorder Ⅰ(BD-Ⅰ).Methods:A total of 44 BD-Ⅰ patients(BD-Ⅰ group) admitted to the Affiliated Brain Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University from January 2012 to December 2017 were selected.In addition, totally 30 healthy controls (HC group) were recruited. The diffusion tensor image data were analyzed retrospectively, and along the perivascular space (ALPS) index was calculated. Hamilton anxiety scale (HAMA), 17-item Hamilton depression rating scale (HAMD-17), Young mania rating scale (YMRS) and global assessment function (GAF) were used to evaluate the severity of anxiety, depression, mania and social function respectively. SPSS 25.0 software was used for t-test, Z-test and chi-square test, and the differences in clinical data and DTI-ALPS index between the two groups were compared. The partial correlation test was used to analyze the correlations between DTI-ALPS index and the clinical indicators such as HAMA, HAMD-17, YMRS and GAF. Results:The DTI-ALPS indexes in left(1.69±0.17), right(1.44±0.15) and bilateral cerebral hemispheres(1.56±0.15) of BD-Ⅰ group were lower than those in HC group ((1.71±0.15), (1.46±0.13) and (1.58±0.12)), but the differences were not statistically significant ( t=-0.441, -0.545, -0.556, all P>0.05). After controlling for gender, age, years of education and course of disease, there were significant negative correlations between bilateral average DTI-ALPS index and somatic anxiety ( r=-0.334, P=0.038), as well as between right DTI-ALPS index and somatic anxiety( r=-0.349, P=0.030) in BD-Ⅰ group. Conclusion:The dysfunction of cerebral glymphatic system is not obvious in BD-Ⅰ patients, but their anxiety may be related to dysfunction cerebral glymphatic system.

Depression is a common psychiatric symptom in cerebral small vessel disease (CSVD), which has a certain relationship with impairment of cognitive function and can significantly increase the mortality and morbidity of CSVD patients. The occurrence of CVSD-associated depression is less related to psychological stress, but is associated with the impairment of the brain's emotional circuit. This article reviewed the correlation between the imaging features of CVSD and the occurrence and development of depression in recent years, and the neuroimaging mechanism of depression associated with CVSD. Many literatures have shown that deep white matter hyperintensities and asymptomatic lacunar infarction in the basal ganglia are independent risk factors for depression in CSVD, and the reduction of local brain volume is associated with depression. The neuroimaging mechanism of depression associated with CSVD suggests that the occurrence of depressive symptoms is related to the neural circuits in the lobar cortex-subcortical limbic area. These findings provide clues for exploring the neuropathological mechanisms and specific treatment methods of depression associated with CVSD.

Objective:To investigate the psychology status and quality of life in patients with inflammatory bowel disease(IBD) in China, and to analyze the influencing factors.Methods:From September 2021 to May 2022, 42 hospitals in 22 provinces(autonomous regions and municipalities directly under the central government) in China, the clinical data of 2 478 IBD patients were collected, which included age, gender, weight, first visit or not, disease activity, disease course, main clinical manifestations(diarrhea, abdominal pain, hematochezia, extraintestinal manifestations), complications, treatment medication(5-aminosalicylic acid, glucocorticoids, immunosuppressive agents, and biological agents), and whether to have surgery. Anxiety, depression, sleep quality and quality of life of IBD patients were evaluated by generalized anxiety disorder-7 items, patient health questionnaire-9 items, Pittsburgh sleep quality index and inflammatory bowel disease questionnaire, and the related influencing factors were analyzed. Univariate analysis and multiple linear regression analysis were used for statistical analysis.Results:The average age of 2 478 IBD patients was 37.96 years old, and male counted for 62.43%(1 547/2 478). There were 61.82%(1 532/2 478) of the IBD patients in the active stage of disease, mostly mild or moderate(588 and 734 cases). There were 60.61%(1 502/2 478) of the IBD patients with different degrees of anxiety, 58.35%(1 446/2 478) of the IBD patients with different degrees of depression, and 48.87%(1 211/2 478) of the IBD patients had different degrees of sleep problems. The results of multiple linear regression analysis indicated that female, higher level of disease activity and longer disease course were independent risk factors of anxiety, depression and sleep quality in the IBD patients(unstandardized regression coefficient(95% confidence interval) 1.08(0.65 to 1.50), 0.45(0.23 to 0.68), 0.19(0.02 to 0.36), 0.83(0.33 to 1.32), 0.62(0.36 to 0.88), 0.28(0.08 to 0.47), 0.47(0.16 to 0.77), 0.39(0.23 to 0.55), 0.14(0.02 to 0.26); P<0.001, <0.001, =0.025 , =0.001, <0.001, =0.005, =0.003, <0.001, =0.027). The usage of biological agents was an independent protective factor of anxiety(unstandardized regression coefficient(95% confidence interval) -0.67(-1.17 to -0.17), P=0.008), and older age was an independent risk factor of sleep quality(unstandardized regression coefficient(95% confidence interval) 0.35(0.09 to 0.61), P=0.008). Higher level of disease activity, symptoms of diarrhea, abdominal pain, presence of extraintestinal manifestations, usage of 5-aminosalicylic acid and glucocorticoid, and with surgical treatment were independent risk factors of quality of life(unstandardized regression coefficient(95% confidence interval) -11.00(-12.24 to -9.76), -2.90(-5.26 to -0.55), -3.93(-6.25 to -1.61), -5.79(-9.87 to -1.71), -4.78(-7.79 to -1.76), -7.71(-11.07 to -4.35), -4.37(-8.00 to -0.73); P<0.001, =0.016, =0.001, =0.005 , =0.002, <0.001, =0.019), while the usage of biological agents was an independent protective factor of quality of life (unstandardized regression coefficient(95% confidence interval) 4.72(1.97 to 7.48), P=0.001). Conclusion:IBD patients generally have different degrees of anxiety, depression and sleep problems, which affect the quality of life of patients. Gender, disease activity and disease course are the influencing factors of mental disorders in IBD patients.

Objective:To investigate the effectiveness of mindfulness training on the emotional regulation and resilience of college students.Methods:Eighty one college students were recruited and randomly divided into mindfulness training group and control group, of which 74 completed the study (36 in mindfulness training group and 38 in control group). Participants in mindfulness training group received an 8-week mindfulness training, while participants in control group received no intervention. Participants were assessed with the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ, measuring mindfulness level), Profile of Mood State (POMS, measuring emotion) and the Resilience Scale for Chinese Adolescent(RSCA, measuring resilience) before and after intervention (4 and 8 weeks).Results:Before and after the intervention, the interaction effects of total score of five factors mindfulness, scores of observing, actaware, non-judging, total score of resilience, scores of goal planning, help-seeking and the fatigue score were significant(all P<0.05). There were significant differences in mindfulness level, mood state and resilience scores in mindfulness training group before and after intervention(all P<0.05). There were significant differences of scores of FFMQ , POMS and RSCA post-training compared with baseline( P<0.05). The total score of FFMQ was improved significantly after 4 weeks of intervention ((114.92±11.70) vs(110.36±11.24), P<0.05), while the scores of observing((26.19±5.21) vs(24.00±5.34)), describing((23.36±4.82) vs(21.19±4.76)), non-judging((23.75±4.20) vs(22.06±4.99)) and non-reacting((19.72±3.16) vs(18.58±3.61)) were improved significantly after 8 weeks of intervention. There were significant differences of the scores of fatigue, depression-dejection, panic, vigor-activity and total mood disturbance before and after the intervention in mindfulness training group (all P<0.05). The scores of fatigue((12.31±4.08) vs(13.39±5.12)), panic((12.08±3.57) vs(13.67±4.35)) and total mood disturbance((132.94±17.71) vs(145.75±22.68)) were reduced significantly after 8 weeks of intervention (all P<0.05), while the scores of vigor-activity were improved significantly after 8 weeks of intervention ((18.31±4.61) vs (15.39±4.99), P<0.01). The participants in mindfulness training group got significantly higher total score, scores of goal planning, help-seeking, and affect control of RSCA after intervention compared with baseline (all P<0.05). Conclusion:Mindfulness training can enhance the mindfulness level and resilience of college students, decrease negative affect such as fatigue, depression, panic, and increase positive affect such as activity.

Objective This study aims to investigate the sex difference in the hippocampus and parahippocampus in patients with bipolar disorder. Methods We acquired T1－weighted structural MRI from 133 bipolar type I patients (60 males) and 144 normal controls (81 males). The General Linear Model was used to examine the relationship between sex and brain volumes of the hippocampus and parahippocampus, with age and intracranial volume as covariates. Results Patients showed significantly smaller volumes of the bilateral hippocampus and parahippocampus (P＜0.01). There were sex－by－diagnosis interactions in the left parahippocampus gyrus (F=6.534, P=0.044). Male patients had significant smaller volumes of the left parahippocampus gyrus compared to the male normal controls (P＜0.001) whereas the volumes were not significantly different between female patients and female normal controls (P＞0.05). Conclusion The results suggest sex difference in the left parahippocampus gyrus volume in patients with bipolar type I disorder, which deserves further investigation in the future bipolar imaging researches.

Human astrovirus (HastV) is recognized as one of the leading causes of acute viral diarrhea in infants. The HastV non-structural protein, nsPla, and C-terminal protein, nsPla/4, contain various conserved functional domains,and may play an important role in virus replication, transcription and the virus-host interactions of HastV. This study used an E. coli system to investigate the expression of nsPla and nsPla/4 proteins. Firstly,the nsPla and nsPla/4 genes of HAstV-1 were cloned into the prokaryotic expression vector,PGEX-4T-1, to build the PGEX-4T-1a and PGEX-4T-la/4 fusion protein plasmids. Then, the recombinant plasmids were transformed into Escherichia coli BL21 (DE3) and induced with isopropyl-β-D-thiogalactopyranoside (IPTG). The optimal expression conditions of the two fusion proteins were identified and then analyzed by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) and western blotting, respectively. The results showed that the pGEX-4T-la fusion protein was maximally expressed at 30 °C after 12 hours of induction with 1.0 mM IPTG. The pGEX-4T-la/4 fusion protein was maximally expressed at 20 °C after 8 hours of induction with 0.5 mM IPTG. Western blot analysis showed that the two fusion proteins specificity reacted with the anti-nsPla and anti-GST monoclonal antibodies, respectively. This study successfully obtained the HAstV non-structural protein, nsP1a, and its C-terminal protein nsP1a/4 protein using an E. coli system. This novel study lays the foundation for future research into the pathogenic mechanisms of human astrovirus and the functions of its non-structural protein.
Cloning, Molecular ; Escherichia coli ; genetics ; metabolism ; Gene Expression ; Humans ; Mamastrovirus ; genetics ; metabolism ; Viral Nonstructural Proteins ; genetics ; metabolism

Objective To estimate brain grey matter volume changes and location of abnormal brain regions cerebrum in early stage of bipolar disorder I (BD),in order to provided objective basis for diagnosing early stages BD.Methods 1 7 cases of BD with duration less than 2 years and 1 7 normal controls were recruited in this study.The volumetric difference of grey matter between two groups were analyzed by using voxel-based morphometry(VBM)software.Statistical threshold was voxel> 100,P <0.001 (uncor-rected).Results Compared to the normal controls,the grey matter volume of BD patients decreased in the left dorcial anterior cingu-late cortex(ACC),left insular,right sub-genu ACC,left superior temporal cortex,bilateral hippocampus-parahippocampus-amydala and left posterior lobe of cerebellum(P <0.001).Conclusion The grey matter volume of early stage BD patients is decreased,main-ly locating in the bilateral limbic system,the superior temporal gyrus and the cerebellar cortex,which probably is the morphological appearance of pathomechanism in early stages of BD.

ObjectiveTo examine biochemical characteristics of the frontal lobe and hippocampus in unaffected parentsof schizophreniaprohandsusingprotonmagneticresonancespectroscopy(1H-MRS).Method 19 unaffected fathers of schizophrenia probands with matched 19 male healthy control subjects and 24 unaffected mothers of schizophrenia probands with matched 24 female healthy control subjects were included in the study.1 H-MRS was performed in two sides of the hippocampus and frontal lobes regions.The ratios of N-Acetylaspartate ( NAA ),choline (Cho) to creatine (Cr) were measured.One-sample T test and paired-samples t test were used for statistic process.ResultsUnaffected mothers of schizophrenia probands had a higher Cho/Cr ratio ( left ( 1.10 ± 0.13,right ( 1.08 ± 0.12 ) ) in the frontal white matter compared with matched female health control subjects(left( 1.03 ± 0.10),right( 1.02 ± 0.09 )).The NAA/Cr ratio was significantly reduced in the left frontal white matter of female health control subjects compared to right( 1.64 ± 0.12 vs 1.74 ± 0.13 ),but this difference was not observed in unaffected mothers of schizophrenia probands.There were no significant differences in metabolites for frontal lobe and hippocampus regions between unaffected fathers of schizophrenia probands and male healthy control subjects groups( all P＞0.05 ).ConclusionThe results implicate that the metabolic abnormalities and disappeared asymmetry of NAA/Cr might exist in the frontal white matter among unaffected mothers of schizophrenia probands.