[Effect of exogenous calcium on seed germination and seedling physiological characteristics of Lycium ruthenium].

OBJECTIVE: In order to get the method for improving the salt resistance of Lycium ruthenium seeds and seedlings under NaCl stress, the seed germination and physiological characteristics of L. ruthenium seedlings was studied. METHOD: Several physiological indexes of L. ruthenium seeds under NaCl stress, such as the germination rate (Gr), germination vigor (Gv), germination index (Gi), vigor index (Vi), and relative salt damage rate were measured. Other indexes of the seedlings like relative water contents (RWC) , chlorophyll contents, soluble protein contents, electrolyte leakage, the contents of malondialdehyde (MDA), and peroxidase (POD) were also measured. RESULT: NaCl at lower concentration could promote the seed germination but inhibit the seed germination at higher concentration. After the treatment by CaCl2 at the different concentrations, all germination indexes were increased. With the increase of salt concentration, the relative water contents and the contents of chlorophyll were decreased, the content of MDA and electrolyte leakage were increased. The change trend of POD activity showed the first increase and then decrease with the increase of salt concentration, which was similar to that of the soluble protein. After the treatment by CaCl2, relative water contents, chlorophyll and POD activities were decreased more slowly, and also electrolyte leakage and MDA contents increased slowly. CONCLUSION: The CaCl2 could significantly alleviate the damages to the seeds and seedlings of L. ruthenium under NaCl stress, and promote the salt resistance to the seeds and seedlings of L. ruthenium.

Ovarian teratoma related anti-N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor encephalitis: A case series and review of the literature.

BACKGROUND: Anti-N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) encephalitis is a rare but important complication of ovarian teratoma. Between July 2012 and December 2019, six patients with ovarian teratoma-associated anti-NMDAR encephalitis were enrolled in our hospital and their clinical characteristics, treatment, and follow-up were reviewed. We also conducted a systematic literature review of ovarian teratoma related anti-NMDAR encephalitis reports between January 2014 and December 2019. AIM: To better understand anti-NMDAR encephalitis through literature review and patients enrolled in our hospital. METHODS: The six patients enrolled in the study were those diagnosed with anti-NMDAR encephalitis. Their history, clinical manifestations, and medications were recorded and optimum treatment provided in addition to maintaining a record of the follow-ups. In addition, we also extensively surveyed the literature and provide summarized data from 155 published cases of anti-NMDAR encephalitis from 130 case reports. PubMed and Scopus were the sources of these publications and the time period covered was 6 years ranging from January 2014 through December 2019. RESULTS: The six patients enrolled for this study presented with typical symptoms resulting in a diagnosis of ovarian teratoma induced anti-NMDAR encephalitis. Appropriate interventions led to a positive outcome in all the patients, with five of six patients reporting full recovery and the sixth patient recovering with a few deficits. No death was recorded. The literature survey comprising of 155 patients cases across 130 case reports of anti-NMDAR encephalitis clearly indicated an upward trend in the reports/diagnosis in China, particularly in the surveyed time from 2014 through 2019. The majority of patients (150/155) underwent surgical intervention resulting in positive outcome. No treatment intervention was mentioned for one case while the four patients who were not surgically operated succumbed to the disease. CONCLUSION: Suspected anti-NMDAR encephalitis should be quickly evaluated for anti-NMDAR antibodies since early diagnosis is important. In case of a tumor, its earliest and complete removal is recommended. Finally, early use of corticosteroids and IgG-depleting strategies (intravenous immunoglobulin or plasma exchange) may improve outcome.

Diffuse uterine leiomyomatosis: A case report and review of literature.

BACKGROUND: Diffuse uterine leiomyomatosis (DUL) is a benign uterine smooth muscle neoplasm with unknown etiology. Since DUL is rarely reported, knowledge regarding it is limited. The rate of early diagnosis is low, and DUL is often misdiagnosed as common multiple uterine leiomyomas before surgery. CASE SUMMARY: A 27-year-old patient with no sexual activity presented to the Emergency Department of our hospital complaining of heavy vaginal bleeding. She had a history of uterine fibroids and menorrhagia. Pelvic examination showed a regularly enlarged uterus, similar in size to that associated with a 4-mo pregnancy. Pelvic magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed numerous multiple uterine fibroids, and a transabdominal myomectomy (TM) was performed. Intraoperative exploration revealed that the myometrium was full of myoma nodules of variable sizes. Over 50 leiomyomas were removed. The pathology report confirmed leiomyoma. The patient was discharged and received a gonadotropin-releasing hormone analog (3.75 mg) for 6 mo. Ten months after surgery, the patient presented to the hospital again for abnormal uterine bleeding. MRI showed an irregular mass with a diameter of 5.2 cm without sharp demarcation in the uterine cavity. Submucosal leiomyoma was considered first, and the patient underwent a hysteroscopic myomectomy plus hymen repair. Intraoperative exploration showed that there were several leiomyomatosis masses in the cavity. Postoperative pathological examination confirmed submucosal leiomyoma and necrotic and generative tissue. Although the menstrual cycle was still irregular, the patient did not have symptoms of menorrhagia for a period of 28 mo after the second surgery. CONCLUSION: Individuals with DUL are easily misdiagnosed due to the lack of specific manifestations of this disease. MRI is helpful for early identification and preoperative evaluation. There is currently no unified method of diagnosis. For women who want to preserve fertility, conservative surgery should be made an option. When TM is chosen, a modified new myomectomy should be considered to avoid the drawbacks of traditional TM.

Neurosurgical brain tumor detection based on intraoperative optical intrinsic signal imaging technique: A case report of glioblastoma.

The delineation of brain tumor margins has been a challenging objective in neurosurgery for decades. Despite the development of various preoperative imaging techniques, the current methodology is still insufficient for clinical practice. We present an intraoperative optical intrinsic signal imaging system for brain tumor surgery and establish a data processing procedure model to localize tumors. From the experimental result of a glioblastoma patient, we observe a relative small oscillation of ΔHbD in tumor region and speculate that vessels in tumor region have poor ability to provide oxygen. We applied the same data processing procedure on the second time data and proclaimed a successful surgery. Figure: Merged ΔHbD image captured prior and posterior to tumor removal.

Relationships between faecal phytate and mineral excretion depend on dietary phytate and age.

We investigated the adverse effect of phytate on mineral absorption and the effect of dietary phytate and age on the relationship between faecal phytate and faecal mineral excretion. Fourteen young women (aged 19-24 years) and fourteen elderly women (64-75 years) were studied for two metabolic periods (MP). In MP1, the subjects consumed a controlled high-phytate (HP) diet for 10 d; in MP2, they were on a low-phytate (LP) diet for 10 d. In each period, diet samples and complete faecal samples for 5 d were collected to analyse phytate and mineral contents. Mineral concentrations in diet and faeces were measured by inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectrometry. Linear regression analysis was used to examine the associations between faecal phytate and mineral excretion. The degradation rate of dietary phytate was about 77% for young women, which was significantly lower than that of elderly women (86%) (P < 0.05). Faecal phytate excretion was positively correlated with mineral excretion (Ca, P, Fe and Zn) in both the HP and LP diet groups in young women (P < 0.05). The linear relationship tended to be greater during the LP diet period compared with the HP diet period in young women. However, no association was found between phytate excretion and mineral excretion in elderly women. In summary, undegraded dietary phytate (10-20%) had a negative effect on mineral absorption in young women, and the relationship between faecal phytate and mineral excretion was affected by both dietary phytate and age.

Dietary patterns are associated with physical growth among school girls aged 9-11 years.

The purpose of this study was to identify dietary patterns among Korean elementary school girls based on the change in body mass index (BMI), body fat, bone mineral density (BMD), and bone mineral content (BMC) during 22 months and to explore the characteristics of dietary patterns identified. Girls aged 9-11 years were recruited and 3-day dietary data were collected four times. Subjects with a diet record of 8 or more days and anthropometric data measured at baseline and 22 months later were included (n = 198). Reduced rank regression was utilized to derive dietary patterns using a change in BMI, body fat, and calcaneus BMD and BMC as response variables. Two dietary patterns were identified: the "Egg and Rice" dietary pattern and "Fruit, Nuts, Milk Beverage, Egg, Grain" (FNMBEG) dietary pattern. Subjects who had high score on the FNMBEG pattern consumed various food groups, including fruits, nuts and seeds, and dairy products, whereas subjects in the "Egg and Rice" dietary pattern group did not. Both dietary patterns showed a positive association with change in BMI and body fat. However, subjects who had a higher score on the "Egg and Rice" dietary pattern had less of a BMC increase, whereas subjects who had a higher score on the FMBEG dietary pattern had more increased BMC over 22 months after adjusting for age, body and bone mass, and Tanner stage at baseline. Our results provide evidence that a well-balanced diet contributes to lean body mass growth among young girls.

Establishment of an isoflavone database for usual Korean foods and evaluation of isoflavone intake among Korean children.

Asian populations including Koreans are assumed to have a higher isoflavone intake due to the higher consumption of soybean. However, it is difficult to estimate isoflavone intake because there is no isoflavone database in Korea. In this study, an isoflavone database was established with systematic review. Literature with analytical values of Korean soybeans and its products were collected and evaluated to establish an isoflavone database. A total of 142 food items containing isoflavones were selected among 2,932 food items in the Korean Nutrient Database. Among these, only 25 food items were evaluated with analytical values and the remaining 98 items were replaced with adaptations or calculations from similar items. Dietary intake of isoflavones was assessed for 426 boys and 365 girls aged 8 to 11 years with 3-day food records. The daily mean isoflavone intake was 8.3 mg among boys and 7.2 mg among girls. More than 70% of subjects had a daily isoflavone intake below 10 mg. The most contributory food item to the isoflavone intake among adolescents was tofu in quantity and soybean sauce in frequency. This database could be used to estimate isoflavone intakes from dietary data among various populations and to evaluate the relationships between isoflavone intake and chronic disease.

Dietary patterns are associated with sexual maturation in Korean children.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between dietary patterns and sexual maturation among Korean children. A cross-sectional study was conducted in 422 boys and 365 girls aged 9-12 years living in Seoul, Korea. Three-day food records were obtained, and pubertal stages were determined with a questionnaire using Tanner stages. Body fat was measured by bioelectrical impedance analysis, and bone mass content at the right calcaneus was measured by portable dual-emission X-ray absorptiometry. Exploratory factor analysis with a Varimax rotation was applied to identify dietary patterns using twenty-four food groups. Four distinct dietary patterns--"rice and Kimchi", "shellfish and processed meat", "pizza and drinks" and "milk and cereal"--were obtained. Twenty-six per cent (24 % stage 2, 2 % stage 3) of boys had genital development, and 79 % (63 % stage 2, 16 % stage 3) of girls showed breast development. In boys, genital development was weakly positively associated with "shellfish and processed meat" dietary factor scores (odds ratio 1.65, CI 0.95, 2.89, P for trend 0.07) after adjusting for confounders. In girls, breast development was significantly positively associated with the factor score of "shellfish and processed meat" (odds ratio 1.88, CI 1.08, 3.26, P for trend 0.05). These results suggest that dietary patterns were related to body composition and sexual maturation among the Korean children. Further investigations are needed to identify components of the foods consumed in high amounts in these patterns and how they are related to sexual maturation.