Huge Free-Floating Thrombus in the Internal Carotid Artery Under Duplex Ultrasound Surveillance: A Case Report.

INTRODUCTION: Carotid free-floating thrombus (FFT) is an unusual finding in acute ischemic stroke. Atherosclerosis is the most common etiology of FFT formation. CASE REPORT: Here we report a 42-year-old male patient admitted to our department with left temporal and parietal lobe ischemic stroke with normal magnetic resonance angiography. A huge FFT in the left internal carotid artery were found by duplex ultrasound. Acute thrombosis based on atherosclerotic plaque were considered as the reason of this embolization. The thrombus shrunk significantly under anticoagulation and antiplatelet treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Evaluation of the intracranial vessel in the emergency is not enough and early carotid duplex ultrasound can help find of the FFT in time, which help to choose the early intervene by neurosurgeon. Early antithrombotic treatment can be a safe treatment option for reducing huge thrombus based on the nature of thrombus formation. Computed tomography angiography and high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging to certify the character of the plaque are recommended for plaque evaluation.

The Characteristics of Human Resources and Related Research Activities among Basic Stem Cell Research Groups in China.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to evaluate the characteristics of faculty and research activities of basic stem cell research groups in China. METHODS: A questionnaire was administered to persons who knew the information among 46 basic stem cell research groups in China. Multiple linear regression models and repeated-measures analyses of variance were used. Repeated-measures analyses of variance were used. RESULTS: Of the 46 groups, 39.1% did not have any faculty recruited from abroad from 2009 to 2013, 37.0% did not have any faculty with junior-level title, 34.8% had ≤25.0% faculty with either M.D. or Ph.D. degree. Papers published in SCI journals per faculty and having faculty recruited from abroad were positively associated with research funding per faculty. The groups with faculty recruited from abroad had significantly higher research funding per faculty over time compared with the group without faculty recruited from abroad. Repeated-measures analyses of variance showed the group with faculty recruited from abroad had significantly higher research funding per faculty over time compared with the group without faculty recruited from abroad. CONCLUSION: To increase the development of basic stem cell research, some characteristics of human resources should be improved, and the groups should recruit more faculty with overseas experience.

Association between HLA class II locus and the susceptibility to Artemisia pollen-induced allergic rhinitis in Chinese population.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to determine whether susceptibility or resistance to Artemisia pollen-induced allergic rhinitis was associated with HLA class II DQA1, DQB1 loci. Study design and setting Forty-one subjects with allergic rhinitis and 41 healthy controls from Beijing were genotyped at HLA class II DQA1, DQB1 alleles by polymerase chain reaction amplification with sequence-specific primers-based technique. RESULTS: The allele frequencies of HLA-DQA1*0201, DQB1*0602 were lower in patients with allergic rhinitis compared with the controls (24.39% versus 46.34%, P = 0.038; 4.88% versus 26.83%, P = 0.007), and the frequency of DQA1*0302 was higher among patients than the controls (58.54% versus 14.63%, P = 0.00004, Pc = 0.0004). CONCLUSION AND SIGNIFICANCE: HLA-DQA1 and -DQB1 genes may be involved in the development of Artemisia pollen-induced allergic rhinitis. HLA-DQA1*0201, DQB1*0602 alleles may be a protective factor and DQA1*0302 may be a susceptible factor for Artemisia pollen-induced allergic rhinitis.

A common IL-13 Arg130Gln single nucleotide polymorphism among Chinese atopy patients with allergic rhinitis.

Allergic rhinitis is a major public health problem and has seen its prevalence increase during the past few decades. Interleukin 13 (IL-13) has been implicated in the pathogenesis and in the regulation of immunoglobulin E (IgE) production. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) have been found in both the coding sequence and the promoter region of IL-13, and such SNPs have been associated with allergic asthma. We have investigated whether IL-13 SNPs are associated with allergic rhinitis. Among 188 Chinese adult patients with allergic rhinitis and 87 normal controls, no significant difference was found in either allele or haplotype frequency of the SNPs between the two groups. Within patients, there was a significant association of the IL-13 Arg130Gln SNP, but not of the IL-13 promoter -1112(C/T) SNP, with serum total IgE levels. Patients with a Gln/Gln genotype showed much higher serum total IgE than those with an Arg/Arg genotype. When tested for serum-specific IgE, patients allergic to Derp 1, but not those allergic to Artemisia pollen, showed a significant association with the IL-13 promoter SNP. Thus, our results suggest a possible involvement of IL-13 SNPs in the regulation of IgE production in response to allergens in this Chinese population.