[A case of subacute combined degeneration of spinal cord caused by inhaling laughing gas].

Laughing gas (Nitrogen monoxide) is currently abused due to its low price and easy availability. This article discussed the clinical manifestations of a patient with subacute combined degeneration of the spinal cord caused by inhalation of laughing gas. The patient developed numbness of extremities, unstable walking, and decreased serum vitamin B(12) level. MRI of the cervical spine showed abnormal signals in the lateral and posterior cords of the cervical spinal cord (C2-6) , neuroelectrophysiological examination showed peripheral nerve damage in the extremities. After treatment with vitamin B(12) supplementation, the patient's condition gradually improved. Clinicians diagnose subacute combined degeneration of the spinal cord, especially when the patient has no gastrointestinal disease, diet, malnutrition, etc., they need to carefully inquire about the history of nitrous oxide inhalation to avoid missed diagnosis.

Contributions of the social environment to first-onset and recurrent mania.

In treated cohorts, individuals with bipolar disorder are more likely to report childhood adversities and recent stressors than individuals without bipolar disorder; similarly, in registry-based studies, childhood adversities are more common among individuals who later become hospitalized for bipolar disorder. Because these types of studies rely on treatment-seeking samples or hospital diagnoses, they leave unresolved the question of whether or not social experiences are involved in the etiology of bipolar disorder. We investigated the role of childhood adversities and adulthood stressors in liability for bipolar disorder using data from the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions (n=33 375). We analyzed risk for initial-onset and recurrent DSM-IV (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition) manic episodes during the study's 3-year follow-up period. Childhood physical abuse and sexual maltreatment were associated with significantly higher risks of both first-onset mania (odds ratio (OR) for abuse: 2.23; 95% confidence interval (CI)=1.71, 2.91; OR for maltreatment: 2.10; CI=1.55, 2.83) and recurrent mania (OR for abuse: 1.55; CI=1.00, 2.40; OR for maltreatment: 1.60; CI=1.00, 2.55). In addition, past-year stressors in the domains of interpersonal instability and financial hardship were associated with a significantly higher risk of incident and recurrent mania. Exposure to childhood adversity potentiated the effects of recent stressors on adult mania. Our findings demonstrate a role of social experiences in the initial onset of bipolar disorder, as well as in its prospective course, and are consistent with etiologic models of bipolar disorder that implicate deficits in developmentally established stress-response pathways.

Human infection with avian influenza A(H7N9) virus re-emerges in China in winter 2013.

Through a national surveillance system for unexplained pneumonia, a severe case of influenza A(H7N9) in a man in his mid-30s was identified in Zhejiang Province, China on 14 October 2013. Epidemiological and clinical findings were consistent with the patterns reported during the outbreak in spring 2013, and laboratory findings showed that the virus had 99.6% identity with earlier H7N9 viruses identified in humans in the spring except for five mutations in the NA gene.

[Studies on the chemical constituents of Ardisia crenata Sims].

A new bergenin derivative isolated from the root of Ardisia crenata was determined to be 11-o-syringylbergenin by spectral methods. Other compounds were identified as spinasterol, series fatty acids, beta-sitosterol-beta-D-glucoside, norbergenin and sucrose respectively. The last three were obtained for the first time from the genus of Ardisia.

[Analysis and comparison of free amino acids in Rehmannia glutinosa Libosch, and its processed products].

15 kinds of free amino acids were detected in Rehmannia glutinosa and its processed products, it was found that their contents were reduced in processed products.