Gray matter atrophy in Parkinson's disease with dementia: evidence from meta-analysis of voxel-based morphometry studies.

Voxel-based morphometry (VBM) studies have provided cumulative evidence of gray matter (GM) atrophy in patients with Parkinson's disease with dementia (PDD) relative to healthy controls (HC). However, not all the studies reported entirely consistent findings. A systematic search for VBM studies of PDD patients and HC subjects published in PubMed and Embase databases from January 2000 to June 2012 was conducted. Meta-analysis was performed by using a newly improved voxel-based meta-analytic technique, effect size signed differential mapping, to quantitatively explore the GM abnormalities between PDD patients and HC subjects. A total of 6 cross-sectional VBM studies involving 105 PDD patients and 131 HC subjects met the inclusion criteria. Considerable regional GM decrease was detected in the medial temporal lobe (MTL) and basal ganglia. The findings of the present study remained largely unchanged in the entire brain jackknife sensitivity analyses. Meta-regression showed dementia severity correlated with the left MTL. The present meta-analysis provided evidence of PDD-related GM atrophy, which suggested MTL and basal ganglia were implicated in PDD. This finding could give us further insight about the pathophysiological basis revealed by structure abnormalities in PDD.

Gray matter atrophy in progressive supranuclear palsy: meta-analysis of voxel-based morphometry studies.

Voxel-based morphometry (VBM) studies have provided cumulative evidence of gray matter (GM) atrophy in patients with progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) relative to healthy controls (HC). However, not all findings have been entirely concordant. Herein, we performed a quantitative meta-analysis study in order to consistently quantify GM anomalies in PSP. We conducted a systematic search for VBM studies of PSP patients and HC using PubMed and Embase databases from January 2000 to May 2012. Meta-analysis of these VBM studies was performed using a newly improved voxel-based meta-analytic technique, effect-size signed differential mapping. A total of 9 cross-sectional VBM studies that involved 143 PSP patients and 216 HC subjects met the inclusion criteria. Considerable regional GM volume decrease was detected in the thalamus, basal ganglia, midbrain, insular cortex, and frontal cortex. These findings remained largely unchanged following jackknife sensitivity analyses. The present meta-analysis provided evidence of PSP-specific GM atrophy. This finding might help contribute to our understanding of the neurobiological basis underlying PSP.

[Primary lymphoma of breast: a clinicopathologic, immunophenotypic and prognostic study of 21 cases].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the clinicopathologic and immunophenotypic features of primary breast lymphoma (PBL) and to discuss the diagnosis of the tumor. METHODS: Twenty-one cases of PBL with follow up data were clinically reviewed. The histologic diagnosis of the tumor was based on the updated WHO Classification of tumors of hematopoietic and lymphoid tissues (2008). Immunohistochemistry was performed by SP method and antibodies selected were as follows: CD20, CD3epsilon, CD10, Bcl-6, MUM-1, CD5, Bcl-2, CD23, CD10, cyclin D1, CD43 and Ki67. RESULTS: (1) All 21 patients were female and the median age of patients was 48 years. The right and the left breasts were involved in 11 (52.4%) and 10 patients (47.6%), respectively. According to Ann Arbor staging system, 20 cases were stage I-II (95.2%), and the remaining case was stage IV (4.8%). For the international prognostic index (IPI), 19 cases were score 0-1, and 2 cases were score 2-3. For ECOG score, 19 cases were 0, and the remaining 2 cases were 1. (2) Histologically, all 21 cases (100%) were DLBCL. Immunohistochemically, the frequency of antigen expression was as follows: CD20 (100%), MUM-1 (14/21, 66.7%), bcl-6 (5/21, 23.8%), CD10 (0), bcl-2 (13/21, 61.9%), CD5 (1/21, 4.8%); Ki-67 index: 10 cases (47.6%) were less than 59%, with the expression of seven cases (33.3%) being 60% - 89%, and more than 90% in the remaining four cases (19.1%). The median Ki-67 index was 60%. All the cases were considered non germinal center B-cell-like type of DLBCL. (3) Follow-up data was available in 64% of the cases. One, two and five-year survival rates were 11 cases, 7 cases and 3 cases, respectively. CONCLUSION: All the cases of PBL in the current study were DLBCL, non germinal center B-cell-like type, and a diagnosis of PBL can only be established after excluding breast involvement in systemic lymphoma.

[Inorganic N deposition in the Bayinbuluk alpine grassland of the central Tianshan mountains].

N deposition has increased significantly with economic development and intensive human activities in China and has affected natural ecosystems in remote areas. To evaluate the atmospheric N deposition of the Bayinbuluk alpine grassland of the central Tianshan Mountains, the dry and wet N depositions were monitored from May 2010 to December 2011. Fluxes of HNO3, NH3, NO2, particulate ammonium and nitrate (pNH4+ and pNO3-) averaged at 1.47, 0.68, 0.13, 0.23 and 0.25 kg N x hm(-2) x a(-1), respectively. Wet depositions of NH(4+)-N and NO(3-)-N were 2.47 and 1.59 kg N x hm(-2) x a(-1), respectively. Total atmospheric inorganic N deposition fluxes averaged at 6.82 kg N x hm(-2) x a(-1), and the wet and dry depositions were 4.06 and 2.76 kg N x hm(-2) x a(-1), respectively. Nitrogen deposition fluxes showed a significant seasonal change, with 72.1% of dry N deposition occurring in spring and summer, and 78.3% of wet N deposition concentrating in summer and autumn.

[Cloning and sequencing of alpha, beta globin coding genes in Tibetans living at high altitude].

AIM: To explore the molecular biological mechanism of hemoglobin with high oxygen affinity in Tibetans by determining the sequence of globin cDNA in Tibetans living at high altitude. METHODS: Total RNA was isolated from human bone marrow samples of three Tibetans who live in Qinghai-Tibet plateau. cDNA fragments coding for alpha and beta genes of human hemoglobin were obtained through RT-PCR and were ligated to plasmid pGEM-T easy vectors, and then the ligation liquid were transformed to Escherichia coli and cloned and sequenced. Nucleotide sequences were compared with GenBank data by BLAST method. RESULTS: sequence of a globin cDNA in Tibetans were the same with the registering globin genes in the GenBank, and Hb Abruzzo (beta143 (H21), His- > Arg) gene mutation, a high oxygen affinity beta globin mutation, was found in one Tibetan' beta goblin coding gene (CAC- > CGC). CONCLUSION: This hemoglobin gene mutation may be associated with high altitude adaptation of Tibetans living at high altitude.