[Analysis of factors influencing the efficacy and prognosis of surgical treatment for primary malignant pelvic bone tumors].

Objective: To analyze the prognostic factors and the influence of surgical margin to prognosis. Methods: A retrospective analysis was performed for 208 pelvic tumors who received surgical treatment from January 2000 to December 2017 in our instituition. Survival analysis was performed using the Kaplan-Meier method and Log rank test, and impact factor analysis was performed using Cox regression models. Results: There were 183 initial patients and 25 recurrent cases. According to Enneking staging, 110 cases were stage ⅠB and 98 cases were stage ⅡB. 19 lesions were in zone Ⅰ, 1 in zone Ⅱ, 15 in zone Ⅲ, 29 in zone Ⅰ+Ⅱ, 71 in zone Ⅱ+Ⅲ, 29 in zone Ⅰ+Ⅳ, 35 in zone Ⅰ+Ⅱ+Ⅲ, 3 in zone Ⅰ+Ⅱ+Ⅳ, and 6 in zone Ⅰ+Ⅱ+Ⅲ+Ⅳ. Surgical margins including Intralesional excision in 7 cases, contaminated margin in 21 cases, marginal resection in 67 cases, and wide resection in 113 cases. Local recurrence occurred in 37 cases (17.8%), 25 cases were performed by reoperation and 12 cases received amputation finally. The 5-year recurrence rate of marginal resection was higher than wide resection (P＜0.05), and the recurrence-free survival rate of marginal resection was lower than wide resection (P＜0.05). There was significant differences in recurrence rate and recurrence-free survival rate between R0 and R1 resection (P＜0.05). 92 cases were not reconstructed and 116 cases were reconstructed after pelvic surgery. At the last follow-up, 63 patients (30.3%) died, and the 5-year, 10-year and 15-year survival rates were 70.4%, 66.8% and 61.3%, respectively. The 5-year survival rate of stage ⅠB and ⅡB tumor was 90.4% and 46.8%, respectively. There were 29 cases had postoperative wound complications (13.8%), 1 case with pelvic organ injury. The final function was evaluated in 132 patients, with an average MSTS score of 25.1±3.6. Cox multivariate analysis showed that surgical staging, R0/R1 margin and metastasis were independent prognostic factors for pelvic tumors. Conclusions: The safe surgical margin is the key factor for recurrence-free of pelvic tumor. The survival rate of stage ⅡB pelvic tumors was significantly lower than that of stage ⅠB tumors. Wound infection is the main postoperative complication. Surgical staging, R0/R1 margin and metastasis were independent prognostic factors of pelvic tumors.

[Immunogenicity and safety of a boost dose of measles, mumps, and rubella combined vaccine for 4-6 years old children].

Objective: To investigate the immunogenicity and safety of a boost dose of measles, mumps, and rubella combined vaccine (MMR) for children 4 to 6 years old. Methods: Children, aged 4 to 6 years old, had vaccinated with 1 dose of measles and rubella combined vaccine(MR) at the age of 8 months and 1 dose of MMR vaccine at 18-months, were recruited in Shanxi, Inner Mongolia, and Beijing, respectively. All children were assigned into 4, 5 and 6-year-old group. The children who met inclusion and exclusion criteria were vaccinated with 1 dose MMR vaccine, and were collected blood samples before vaccination and 35 to 42 d after the vaccination. During the study period, adverse events were collected at 30 min, 1 d, 2 d, 3 d, 4-12 d, and 13 to 42 days after vaccination. Serum was tested for IgG antibodies against measles, mumps and rubella. Geometric mean concentrations (GMC) of measles, mumps, and rubella antibodies were compared among groups by analysis of variance or non-parametric test. Seropositive rates and adverse event rates were compared among groups by Chi-square test or Fisher exact test. Results: A total of 500 children were included in immunogenicity analysis and 535 children were included in safety analysis. The overall adverse event rate was 20.37%, the most of severity for adverse events was mild. The rates of local and systemic adverse events were 0.37% and 20.00%, respectively. Symptoms of local adverse events were redness. The main systemic adverse events were fever, followed by cough, rash and runny nose. Received a dose of MMR vaccine for booster immunization, the seropositive rates of measles antibody, mumps antibody and rubella antibody were above 99% for all 3 age groups, and there was no significant difference between groups. There were significant differences in mumps antibody GMC among groups (P=0.042), but no significant differences in measles and rubella antibodies GMC. Conclusion: The immunogenicity and safety of a boosted MMR vaccintion in children aged 4, 5 and 6 years were all similar good.

Comparison of long non-coding RNAs in adipose and muscle tissues between seven indigenous Chinese and the Yorkshire pig breeds.

lncRNAs play crucial roles in fat metabolism in animals. Previously, we have compared the mRNA transcriptome profiles between seven fat-type Chinese pig breeds and one lean-type Western breed (Yorkshire, YY). The associations between differentially expressed (DE) genes and phenotypical traits were investigated. In the present study, to further explore the underlying regulatory mechanisms, lncRNAs were sequenced and compared between YY and Chinese indigenous breeds. The results showed 9114 and 7538 DE lncRNAs between at least one Chinese breed and the YY breed in the adipose and muscle tissue respectively. KEGG enrichment analysis revealed that the target genes of these DE lncRNAs mainly influenced the glucolipid metabolism, which is an important process affecting meat quality. Correlation analyses between the DE lncRNA and DE mRNA genes related to meat quality and growth traits were performed. The results showed that LTCONS_00073280 was associated with intramuscular fat content. Four lncRNAs (LTCONS_00101781, LTCONS_00037879, LTCONS_00088260 and LTCONS-00128343) might mediate backfat thickness. Overall, this study provides candidate lncRNAs that potentially affect meat quality, which might be useful for molecular breeding of pig breeds in future.

[Evaluation of safety of two inactivated COVID-19 vaccines in a large-scale emergency use].

Objective: To evaluate the safety of two inactivated COVID-19 vaccines in a large-scale emergency use. Methods: Based on the "Vaccination Information Collection System", the incidence data of adverse reactions in the population vaccinated with the inactivated COVID-19 vaccines developed by Beijing Institute of Biological Products Co., Ltd and Wuhan Institute of Biological Products Co., Ltd, respectively, in emergency use were collected, and the relevant information were analyzed with descriptive epidemiological and statistical methods. Results: By December 1, 2020, the vaccination information of 519 543 individuals had been collected. The overall incidence rate of adverse reactions was 1.06%, the incidence rate of systemic adverse reactions was 0.69% and the incidence rate of local adverse reactions was 0.37%. The main systemic adverse reactions included fatigue, headache, fever, cough and loss of appetite with the incidence rates of 0.21%, 0.14%, 0.06%, 0.05% and 0.05%, respectively; the main local adverse reactions were injection site pain and injection site swelling with the incidence rates of 0.24% and 0.05%, respectively. Conclusion: The two inactivated COVID-19 vaccines by Beijing Institute of Biological Products Co., Ltd and Wuhan Institute of Biological Products Co., Ltd showed that in the large-scale emergency use, the incidence rate of general reactions was low and no serious adverse reactions were observed after the vaccinations, demonstrating that the vaccines have good safety.

MiR-376a-3p alleviates the development of glioma through negatively regulating KLF15.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to uncover the role of microRNA-376a-3p (miR-376a-3p) in mediating migratory and invasive capacities of glioma, as well as the underlying mechanism. PATIENTS AND METHODS: MiR-376a-3p levels in 39 collected glioma tissues were detected. After collecting clinical data of included glioma patients, the relationship between miR-376a-3p level and clinical features of glioma was analyzed. Next, regulatory effects of miR-376a-3p on proliferative and metastatic capacities of U251 and T98-G cells were assessed. Downstream genes of miR-376a-3p were searched by bioinformatics approach. At last, the involvement of KLF15 in the development of glioma regulated by miR-376a-3p was explored. RESULTS: It was found that miR-376a-3p was lowly expressed in glioma tissues. Low level of miR-376a-3p was linked to high metastasis rate and poor prognosis in glioma. Besides, overexpression of miR-376a-3p suppressed proliferative and metastatic capacities of glioma cells. KLF15, the downstream gene binding miR-376a-3p, was highly expressed in glioma, and displayed a negative correlation to miR-376a-3p. Notably, KLF15 was able to abolish the regulatory effects of miR-376a-3p on phenotypes of glioma cells. CONCLUSIONS: MiR-376a-3p is related to lymphatic metastasis and distant metastasis of glioma, and alleviates metastasis of glioma by negatively regulating KLF15.

[Effectiveness and safety of polyethylene glycol liposome doxorubicin in the treatment of osteosarcoma].

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of polyethylene glycol liposome doxorubicin (PLD) in the treatment of osteosarcoma. Methods: This study was a single-center retrospective clinical study. Two hundreds and seventy-six classical osteosarcoma treated in Beijing Jishuitan Hospital from 2015 to 2016 were enrolled. There were 213 patients who received combined chemotherapy of high dose methotrexate, ifosfamide, cisplatin and doxorubicin (ADM) were classified in ADM group. Other 63 patients received the same types, doses and cycles of chemotherapy drugs except ADM replaced by PLD were identified as PLD group. Clinical and imaging evaluation and surgical treatment were performed after neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Tumor necrosis rate was examined according to Huvos method. The efficacy of neoadjuvant chemotherapy was evaluated based on 90% necrosis rate. The recurrence, metastasis and survival were followed up regularly after operation. The adverse reactions of hematology, hepatorenal toxicity, gastrointestinal reaction and cardiotoxicity were evaluated. Results: There were no significant differences between PLD group and ADM group in age, sex, location, stage and surgical margin (all P>0.05). There were no significant differences in clinical symptoms and imaging evaluation between PLD group and ADM group after preoperative chemotherapy (all P>0.05). The tumor necrosis rate was detected in 134 cases. Among 27 cases of PLD group, tumor necrosis rates more than 90% were 11 cases, while among 107 cases of ADM group, tumor necrosis rates more than 90% were 45 cases. No significant difference of tumor necrosis rate between this two group was observed (P=0.901). The recurrence rates of PLD group and ADM group were 7.8% (4/51) and 7.3% (12/164), the metastasis rates were 19.6% (10/51) and 16.5% (27/164), the median progression free survival (PFS) were 42 and 37 months, respectively, without significant differences (all P>0.05). The incidence of granulocytopenia and decrease degree of granulocytes in PLD group were significantly lower than those in ADM group (P<0.001). There were no significant differences in the incidences of thrombocytopenia, anemia, gastrointestinal reaction, liver function damage and stomatitis between two groups (all P>0.05). Conclusions: PLD and ADM have similar chemotherapeutic effects in osteosarcoma. The incidences of adverse reactions of PLD are lower, especially the hematological toxicity represented by granulocytopenia is significantly reduced. PLD has a better application prospect.

[Epidemiological characteristic and current status of surgical treatment for esophageal cancer by analysis of national registry database].

Objective: To investigate the epidemiological characteristics and current status of surgical management for esophageal cancer in China. Methods: A national database was setup through a network platform. The clinical data of esophageal cancer treated by surgery was collected from 70 major hospitals in China between January 2009 and December 2014. Results: Complete data of 8 181 cases of esophageal cancer patients who underwent surgery were recorded in the database and recruited in the analysis. Among them, 6 052 cases were male and 2 129 were female, the average age was 60.5 years.The epidemiological investigation results showed that 148 cases (1.8%) had history of psychological trauma, 7 527 cases (92.0%) were lower social economic status, 5 072 cases (62.0%) were short of fresh vegetables and fruits, 6 544 cases (80.0%) ate rough food frequently, 3 722 cases (45.5%) drank untreated water directly from lake or river or shallow well, 3 436 cases (42.0%) had a unhealthy eating habit, including habits of eating food fast (507 cases, 6.2%), eating hot food or drinking hot tea/soup (998 cases, 12.2%), eating fried food (1 939 cases, 23.7%), 4 410 cases (53.9%) had the habits of smoking cigarettes and 2 822 cases (34.5%) drank white wine frequently.The pathological results showed that 7 813 cases (95.5%) were squamous cell carcinoma, 267 cases were adenocarcinoma (3.3%), 25 cases were adenosquamous cell carcinoma (0.3%) and 50 cases were small cell carcinoma (0.6%). A total of 1 800 cases (22.0%) received preoperative neoadjuvant therapy due to locally advanced disease or difficulty of resection. The esophagectomies were performed through left thoracotomy approach in 5 870 cases (71.8%), through right chest approach in 2 215 cases (27.1%), and the remain 96 cases (1.2%) received surgery though other approaches.A total of 8 001 cases (97.8%) underwent radical resection, the other 180 cases (2.2%) received palliative resection. The 30-day postoperative mortality rate was 0.5%, the overall ≥ grade Ⅱ postoperative complication rate was 11.6% (951 cases). The 1-yr, 3-yr, and 5-yr overall actual survival rates were 82.6%, 61.6%, and 52.9%, respectively. Conclusions: The data analysis of the national database for esophageal cancer shows that bad eating habits or eating rough food without enough nutrients, lower social and economic status, drinking white wine and smoking cigarettes frequently may be correlated with tumorigenesis of esophageal cancer. However, strong evidences produced by prospective observation studies are needed. Overall, the long-term survival of esophageal cancer patients has been improved gradually due to the application of advanced surgical techniques and reasonable multimodality treatment.

Analysis of a registry database for esophageal cancer from high-volume centers in China.

Esophageal cancer has a high incidence among malignancies in China, but a comprehensive picture of the status of its surgical management in China has hitherto not been available. A nationwide database has recently been established to address this issue. METHOD: A National Database was setup through a network platform, and data was collected from 70 high-volume centers (>100 esophagectomies/per year) across China. Data was entered between January 2009 and December 2014, and was analyzed in June 2015 after a minimal follow-up of 6 months for all patients. 8181 patients with complete data who received surgery for primary esophageal cancer on the Database were included in the analysis. RESULT: In this series, there were 6052 males and 2129 females, with a mean age of 60.5 years (range: 22-90 years). The pathology in 95.5% of patients was squamous cell carcinoma. The pathological stage distribution was 1.2% in stage 0, 2.5% in Ia, 11.5% in Ib, 14.8% in IIa, 36.1% in IIb, 19.3% in IIIa, 8.3% in IIIb, 6.2% in IIIc. 1800 patients (22.0%) with locally advanced disease received preoperative neoadjuvant therapy and 3592 patients (43.9%) underwent postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy. The esophagectomies were performed through left thoracotomy approach in 5870 cases (72.6%), through right chest approach in 2215 cases (27.4%) including right thoracotomy (21.3%) and VATS (6.1%). The 30-day postoperative mortality rate was 0.6% (43 patients), and the overall postoperative complication rate was 11.6% (951 patients). The 1-, 3-, and 5-year overall survival rates were 82.6%, 61.6%, and 52.9%, respectively. CONCLUSION: This National Registry Database from high-volume centers provides a comprehensive picture of surgical management for esophageal cancer in China for the first time. Squamous cell carcinoma predominates, but there is heterogeneity with respect to the surgical approach and perioperative oncologic management. Overall, surgical mortality and morbidity rates are low, and good survival rates have been achieved due to improvement of surgical treatment technology in recent years.

[Synchronous multicentric osteosarcoma: treatment and prognostic factor analysis].

Objective: To identify the clinical outcome and prognostic factors of synchronous multicentric osteosarcoma (SMOS). Methods: The clinical data of 2 602 conventional osteosarcoma patients admitted to Beijing Jishuitan Hospital from January 1995 to June 2018 were retrospectively analyzed. Finally, 56 (2.1%) cases were confirmed as SMOS according to clinical and imaging database, medical record and pathological results.All epidemiological data of SMOS cases,initial diagnosis time, tumor site, number of lesions, chemotherapy, surgical treatment, alkline phosphatase (AKP),lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and oncological results were collected in our institution. The Survival rate, comparison of various parameters, univariate analysis and multivariate Cox regression were performed with statistical software. Results: There were 41 males and 15 females enrolled in this research, the median and mean ages were 15 and 18 years (range, 8-50 years) respectively. All of them were multi-site involved, whereas the initial complaints of sites distribution were 32 cases of femur, 13 cases of tibia, 4 cases of humerus, 3 cases of fibula, 2 cases of spine, 1 case of sternum and 1 case of calcaneus. Forty-four of 56 cases performed adjuvant chemotherapy and 31 of them underwent surgical treatment. The mean follow-up time was 15.4 (range, 1-186) months. Thirty-five cases died of disease at the end of the follow-up. The 5-year survival rate was 10.4%. According to the number of lesions stratification, the 2-year survival rates in patients with low (<5 sites) and high (≥5 sites) tumor load was 33.6% and 0, respectively (χ(2)=6.697, P=0.010). The 2-year survival rate of chemotherapy and non-chemotherapy patients was 20.8% and 0, respectively (χ(2)=6.998, P=0.008), the value of AKP after chemotherapy(median: 272 IU/L) significantly decreased when compared with that at the initial diagnosis (median: 454 U/L) (Z=-3.274, P=0.001).The 2-year survival rate in patients with and without standard chemotherapy was 55.6% and 0, respectively (χ(2)=8.798, P=0.003). The 2-year survival rate was 25.0% in the surgical group and 0 in the non-surgical group, respectively (χ(2)=7.942, P=0.005). Multivariate cox regression analysis with the forward Wald method indicated that standard chemotherapy was the only variable contributor to survival and prognosis of multifocal osteosarcoma. Conclusions: SMOS has low survival rate and poor prognosis. Chemotherapy and surgery can improve the survival rate, standard chemotherapy is an independent prognostic factor.

[Clinical, radiologic and pathologic features of giant cell tumor of bone treated with denosumab].

Objective: To investigate the radiological and histopathological features of giant cell tumor of bone treated with RANKL inhibitor denosumab. Methods: Eleven cases were retrieved from the surgical pathology records between March 2015 and June 2017 in Beijing Jishuitan Hospital. Formalin fixed, paraffin embedded specimens were collected and the histological features were evaluated. The imaging features including X ray, magnetic resonance imaging, and computed tomography were also reviewed. Results: These 11 cases of giant cell tumor of bone were derived from five female and six male patients, with age ranged from 20 to 62 years (mean age, 35 years). The tumors were located in the sacrum (6 cases), femur (2 cases), radius (1 case), tibia (1 case) and patella (1 case), respectively. Histologically, all cases showed depletion of giant cells, proliferation of mononuclear cells and different degrees of ossification 3 to 6 months after denosumab therapy. Radiography showed marked osteosclerosis and sclerotic rim formation. Three cases of the sacrum recurred after 5, 6 and 11 months of surgery, and the remaining cases showed no recurrence within follow-up of 1 to 14 months. Conclusions: Denosumab treated giant cell tumors morphologically differ from untreated tumors. Careful attention to a history of denosumab administration is crucial to avoid misdiagnosis and to allow proper differentiation from other tumors and tumor-like lesions.

A longitudinal study of the association between the GNB3 C825T polymorphism and metabolic disturbance in bipolar II patients treated with valproate.

This longitudinal study aimed to investigate the associations between the polymorphisms of guanine nucleotide-binding protein subunit ß-3 (GNB3) C825T and metabolic disturbance in bipolar II disorder (BP-II) patients being treated with valproate (VPA). A 100 BP-II patients received a 12-week course of VPA treatment, and their body weight and metabolic indices were measured. At baseline, the GNB3 C825T polymorphisms were associated with the triglyceride level (P=0.032) in BP-II patients. During the VPA treatment course, the polymorphisms were not only associated with body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference (P-values=0.009 and 0.001, respectively), but also with total cholesterol, triglyceride, low-density lipoprotein and leptin levels (P-values=0.004, 0.002, 0.031 and 0.015, respectively). Patients with the TT genotype had a lower BMI, smaller waist circumference, and lower levels of lipids and leptin than those with the CT or CC genotypes undergoing the VPA treatment course.

[A cohort study of abnormal routine blood test results in landfill workers].

Objective: To investigate the abnormalities of the blood system in landfill workers. Methods: A cohort study was conducted for 224 landfill workers who were followed up for 6 consecutive years with abnormal routine blood test results and a low platelet count as the outcome events. The life-table method was used to analyze the incidence rates of these two outcome events, and the incidence rates were compared between first-and second-line workers. Results: A total of 71 workers had abnormal routine blood test results, among whom 29 had abnormal leukocyte count, 14 had abnormal erythrocyte count, 40 had abnormal platelet count, 17 had abnormal hemoglobin, and 29 had a reduction in platelet count. For these landfill workers, the 6-year abnormal rate of routine blood test results was 43.2%, and the incidence rate of low platelet count within 6 years was 13.5%. The first-line workers had a significantly lower abnormal rate of routine blood test results than the second-line workers (P=0.020) , and the relative risk of abnormal routine blood test results in the first-and second-line workers was 0.592. There was no significant difference in the incidence rate of low platelet count between the two groups of workers (P≥0.05) . Conclusion: The landfill has an adverse effect on the blood system of landfill workers, and the second-line workers have greater impairment than the first-line workers.

Clinical characteristics and treatment of renal artery fibromuscular dysplasia with percutaneous transluminal angioplasty: a long-term follow-up study.

BACKGROUND: Renal artery fibromuscular dysplasia (RAFMD) is a non-atherosclerotic cause of renal artery stenosis often affecting the young. Percutaneous transluminal renal angioplasty (PTRA) is the treatment of choice but there are few studies of the outcome of the procedure. METHODS: This retrospective analysis included 64 patients (56.2 % female; mean age at diagnosis, 28.0 years) with RAFMD who underwent PTRA between November 2003 and August 2015. Technical and clinical success rates and restenosis rates were evaluated. RESULTS: Seventy-six procedures were performed on 64 RAFMD patients. Technical success was 96.9 %, as defined by <30 % residual stenosis, with stent placement required in 11 patients (17.2 %). In the short term (1 month), the majority (79.7 %) had an immediate clinical benefit, with cure of hypertension in 35.9 %, and improvement in hypertension and a lower requirement for antihypertensive medications in 43.8 %. In the long term (mean, 47.5 months; range, 5-141 months), the survival rate was 96.9 %, freedom from restenosis was 84.4 %, and 76.6 % of patients showed a sustained clinical benefit (cure rate 40.6 %, improvement rate 35.9 %). Eight patients were treated with a second procedure and two had a third procedure, with half of these patients showing an improvement in hypertension. CONCLUSION: PTRA for symptomatic RAFMD is safe and clinically successful. More than half of patients experience an immediate clinical benefit with sustained long-term effects. For patients with restenosis, there was a good response to a second PTRA.

Clinical significance of angiopoietin-like protein 3 expression in patients with glioblastoma.

There is strong evidence that angiopoietin-like peptide family is involved in the invasiveness and metastasis of cancer. Angiopoietin-like protein 3 (ANGPTL3) is proven to be involved in angiogenesis and tumor development. However, there is no published data on the role ANGPLT3 plays in glioblastomas. The present study was conducted to examine ANGPLT3 proteins expression and its association with clinicopathological factors and prognosis in human glioblastomas. Immunohistochemistry was used to evaluate the expression of ANGPTL3, EGFR and VEGFR. We found that 33 cases (57.9%) that showed strong immunostaining for ANGPTL3 proteins. However, there was no significant difference between the expression of ANGPTL3 and the proangiogenic factors, including EGFR or VEGFR. Patients with high/moderate expression of ANGPTL3 had a significantly shorter survival time (6.3 months) than those (median survival time 13.8 months) with low/negative expression. The overall survival (OS) was also investigated and analyzed by the Kaplan-Meier method, which showed a significant difference (P=0.0045, Breslow test). The present data leads to new insights into the role of ANGPTL3 in glioblastomas and provides an independent predictive factor.

Quantifying midbrain serotonin transporter in depression: a preliminary study of diagnosis and naturalistic treatment outcome.

INTRODUCTION: Serotonin may play an important role in the pathology of major depressive disorder (MDD). However, the relationship between serotonin transporter (SERT) availability and the medical outcome of antidepressant treatment is uncertain. METHODS: In this naturalistic study, SERT availability (expressed as the specific uptake ratio, SUR) in the midbrain of 17 drug-free patients with MDD and 17 controls matched for age and gender was measured using SPECT with [(123)I]ADAM. The severity of MDD was measured by the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale before, and after 6 weeks of non-standardized antidepressant treatment. RESULTS: A total of 12 patients completed the study. The SUR of the patients with MDD was significantly lower than that of the healthy controls. The SUR of SERT was not found to have a linear relationship with the treatment outcome; however, supplemental analysis found a curvilinear relationship between treatment outcome and the SUR of SERT. DISCUSSION: The findings indicate that the SUR of SERT is lower in patients with MDD; however it did not predict treatment outcome in a linear fashion. Studies with larger sample sizes are required.

Correlation of plasma brain-derived neurotrophic factor and metabolic profiles in drug-naïve patients with bipolar II disorder after a twelve-week pharmacological intervention.

OBJECTIVE: Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is thought to be involved in the pathophysiology of bipolar disorder (BD) and metabolic syndrome. We investigated the correlation between plasma BDNF with mood symptoms and metabolic indices in patients with BD-II over a 12-week pharmacological intervention. METHOD: Drug-naïve patients with BD-II (n=117) were recruited. Metabolic profiles [cholesterol, triglyceride, HbA1C, fasting serum glucose, body mass index (BMI)] and plasma BDNF wtrun "tblautotrun "tblsctrun "tbl_contere measured at baseline and 2, 8, and 12 weeks after beginning medication. To adjust within-subject dependence over repeated assessments, multiple linear regressions with generalized estimating equation methods were used. RESULTS: Seventy-six (65.0%) patients completed the intervention. Plasma BDNF levels were significantly associated with BMI (P=9.6E-5), low-density lipoprotein (P=0.034) and total (P=0.001) cholesterol, but not with the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale-17 and Young Mania Rating Scale scores over the 12-week treatment. CONCLUSION: We found initial evidence of a positive correlation between plasma BDNF levels and BMI, low-density lipoprotein and total cholesterol in drug-naïve patients with BD-II. The specific function of BDNF in regulating and maintaining peripheral metabolic health requires additional investigation.

The correlation between mid-brain serotonin transporter availability and intelligence quotient in healthy volunteers.

PURPOSE: This study was performed to investigate the association between the mid-brain serotonin transporter (SERT) availability and intelligence quotient (IQ). METHODS: One hundred and thirteen healthy participants, including 52 male and 61 female subjects, were recruited. We used SPECT with [(123)I]ADAM images to determine the SERT availability in the mid-brain, and measured the subjects' IQ using the WAIS-R. RESULTS: We found a significant positive correlation between the mid-brain SERT availability and the IQ of the participants. Even when controlling for age and sex, the significant association still existed. CONCLUSION: This result implied that the higher the SERT binding in the mid-brain, the better the IQ in healthy participants.

Identification crucial genes in peripheral neuropathic pain induced by spared nerve injury.

AIM: Peripheral neuropathic pain (PNP) is a kind of neuropathic pain caused by damage or disease that affects the peripheral nervous system. This study aimed to investigate the molecular mechanism of PNP and identify therapy targets for treating PNP in a spared nerve injury (SNI) model. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Gene expression data with accession number of GSE18803 were downloaded from Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO). This dataset included microarray data of four kinds of rat samples (adult rats with SNI, adult rats with sham injury, neonate rats with SNI, and neonate rats with sham injury). Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified by using Limma software package, and further, Gene Ontology (GO) function and pathway analysis of DEGs were performed through the DAVID online tools. Protein-protein interaction (PPI) network of DEGs were constructed by STRING online database, and co-expression networks were constructed through Cytoscape. RESULTS: Totally 111 DEGs which were specially differentially expressed in adult rats with SNI were identified. Functional enrichment analysis suggest the majority of DEGs were related with immune functions. By comparing the three lists of genes got from GO and KEGG enrichment analysis, PPI network, and co-expression network analysis, 15 crucial genes were identified. CONCLUSIONS: Pathological nerve pain might be associated with immune dysfunctions and the 15 crucial genes might play an important role in the development of pathological nerve pain and have potential to be therapy targets.

Lower availability of midbrain serotonin transporter between healthy subjects with and without a family history of major depressive disorder - a preliminary two-ligand SPECT study.

PURPOSE: Serotonin transporter (SERT) and dopamine transporter (DAT) levels differ in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) who are in a depressed state in comparison with healthy controls. In addition, a family history of depression is a potent risk factor for developing depression, and inherited vulnerability to serotonergic and dopaminergic dysfunction is suspected in this. The aim of this study was to examine the availabilities of midbrain SERT and striatal DAT in healthy subjects with and without a first-degree family history of MDD. METHODS: Eight healthy subjects with first-degree relatives with MDD and 16 sex- and age-matched healthy controls were recruited. The availabilities of SERT and DAT were approximated using SPECT, employing [¹²³I] 2-((2-((dimethylamino) methyl) phenyl)thio)-5-iodophenylamine (ADAM) and [(99m)Tc] TRODAT-1 as the ligands, respectively. There are missing data for one participant with a first-degree family history of MDD from the ADAM study, due to a lack of the radio-ligand at the time of experiment. RESULTS: SERT availability in the midbrain was significantly lower in subjects with a first-degree family history of MDD than in healthy subjects. However, DAT availability was no different between two groups. CONCLUSIONS: The results with regard to the midbrain SERT level suggest the heritability of MDD.

P300 waveform and dopamine transporter availability: a controlled EEG and SPECT study in medication-naive patients with schizophrenia and a meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Reduced P300 event-related potential (ERP) amplitude and latency prolongation have been reported in patients with schizophrenia compared to healthy controls. However, the influence of antipsychotics (and dopamine) on ERP measures are poorly understood and medication confounding remains a possibility. METHOD: We explored ERP differences between 36 drug-naive patients with schizophrenia and 138 healthy controls and examined whether P300 performance was related to dopamine transporter (DAT) availability, both without the confounding effects of medication. We also conducted a random effects meta-analysis of the available literature, synthesizing the results of three comparable published articles and our local study. RESULTS: No overall significant difference was found in mean P300 ERP between patients and controls in latency or in amplitude. There was a significant gender effect, with females showing greater P300 amplitude than males. A difference between patients and controls in P300 latency was evident with ageing, with latency increasing faster in patients. No effect of DAT availability on P300 latency or amplitude was detected. The meta-analysis computed the latency pooled standardized effect size (PSES; Cohen's d) of -0.13 and the amplitude PSES (Cohen's d) of 0.48, with patients showing a significant reduction in amplitude. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest the P300 ERP is not altered in the early stages of schizophrenia before medication is introduced, and the DAT availability does not influence the P300 ERP amplitude or latency. P300 ERP amplitude reduction could be an indicator of the progression of illness and chronicity.