Modified Risk of Paradoxical Embolism More Effectively Evaluates the Risk of Stroke Associated with Patent Foramen Ovale.

BACKGROUND: Through an analysis of the risk factors associated with patent foramen ovale (PFO)-related stroke (PS), we aimed to modify the Risk of Paradoxical Embolism (RoPE) to assess the risk of PS. METHODS: A retrospective collection of ischemic stroke (IS) patients with PFO admitted to the Department of Neurology at Beijing Chaoyang Hospital was conducted. The patients were classified into PS and non-PS groups. PS risk factors and RoPE scoring were analyzed based on clinical data, laboratory indicators, and imaging data. Independent risk factors were incorporated into the RoPE scoring system for enhancement. RESULTS: Significant differences were observed between the two groups regarding total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C), and uric acid levels. The transverse diameter of the left atrium was significantly larger in the non-PS group compared to the PS group. Multivariate logistic regression revealed that higher LDL-C levels and a smaller transverse diameter of the left atrium increased the risk of PS. The modified RoPE score was derived by assigning 1 point each for high LDL-C levels and the absence of transverse diameter enlargement in the left atrium. The area under the curve (AUC) of the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves for the classical and modified RoPE score distinguishing PS were 0.661 and 0.798, respectively. CONCLUSION: LDL-C levels and transverse diameter of the left atrium were identified as independent risk factors for PS. The modified RoPE scoring system exhibited superior performance in assessing the risk of PS compared to the original RoPE score.

A study of linear measurement and clinical correlation of brain atrophy in Wilson's disease.

Background: The aim of this study was to explore the clinical relevance of linear measures of Wilson's disease (WD). Methods: Relative values of brain atrophy in 30 patients with WD and 30 healthy volunteers were measured and compared using a manual measurement method. Linear measurement indicators of brain atrophy in patients with and without mental disorders were also compared. In addition, correlations of patients' age, disease duration, and Unified Wilson's Disease Rating Scale (UWDRS) scores with brain atrophy indicators were determined. Results: The results showed that the e-value, Huckman number, Evans index, and lateral ventricular body index were higher in the WD group compared with the control group. The age of patients with WD was negatively correlated with the k-value and significantly positively correlated with the brainstem index. WD duration was prominently positively correlated with the d-value and negatively correlated with the j-value. In addition, neurological function scores were significantly positively correlated with the c-value, e-value, caudate nucleus index, Huckman number, Evans index, and lateral ventricular body index. By contrast, patients with psychiatric symptoms had a higher a-value and fourth ventricular index than those without psychiatric symptoms. Conclusion: Therefore, it can be concluded that patients with WD and those with psychiatric symptoms have more severe brain atrophy compared to normal subjects. The patient's age, disease duration, and neurological function scores were positively correlated with the severity of brain atrophy.

Multi-Fidelity Aerodynamic Data Fusion with a Deep Neural Network Modeling Method.

To generate more high-quality aerodynamic data using the information provided by different fidelity data, where low-fidelity aerodynamic data provides the trend information and high-fidelity aerodynamic data provides value information, we applied a deep neural network (DNN) algorithm to fuse the information of multi-fidelity aerodynamic data. We discuss the relationships between the low-fidelity and high-fidelity data, and then we describe the proposed architecture for an aerodynamic data fusion model. The architecture consists of three fully-connected neural networks that are employed to approximate low-fidelity data, and the linear part and nonlinear part of correlation for the low- and high-fidelity data, respectively. To test the proposed multi-fidelity aerodynamic data fusion method, we calculated Euler and Navier-Stokes simulations for a typical airfoil at various Mach numbers and angles of attack to obtain the aerodynamic coefficients as low- and high-fidelity data. A fusion model of the longitudinal coefficients of lift CL and drag CD was constructed with the proposed method. For comparisons, variable complexity modeling and cokriging models were also built. The accuracy spread between the predicted value and true value was discussed for both the training and test data of the three different methods. We calculated the root mean square error and average relative deviation to demonstrate the performance of the three different methods. The fusion result of the proposed method was satisfactory on the test case, and showed a better performance compared with the other two traditional methods presented. The results provide evidence that the method proposed in this paper can be useful in dealing with the multi-fidelity aerodynamic data fusion problem.

[Distribution of Different Phosphorus Species in Water and Sediments from Gaocun to Lijin Reaches of the Yellow River].

The Yellow River is the second longest river in China, which plays a very important role in the transportation of nutrients at the regional and even global scale. Water and sediment samples were collected at five sites located at the Gaocun to Lijin reaches along the Yellow River and the distribution characteristics of different phosphorus species were analyzed. The concentration of suspended particulate matter (SPM) in water ranged from 1.89 to 2.67 g·L-1 with an average of 2.26 g·L-1 in May and from 0.43 to 1.79 g·L-1 with an average of 1.21 g·L-1 in September. It almost had the same variation rule as the water flux, which reflects the influence of water flux on SPM transportation. The concentration of total phosphorus (TP) in water ranged from 0.05 to 2.31 mg·L-1 in May and from 0.03 to 0.1 mg·L-1 in September. Particulate phosphorus (PP) was the dominant TP species in both months, and TP and PP were significantly correlated (P<0.01), which implied that phosphorus loss in soil from Gaocun to Lijin reaches is still serious. Water runoff was positively correlated with TP and PP (P<0.05), but negatively correlated with total dissolved phosphorus (TDP) and dissolved inorganic phosphorus (DIP) (P<0.05, P<0.01, respectively). Increasing water runoff obviously increased the dilution of TDP and DIP. The concentration of SPM was negatively correlated with DIP (P<0.01), the adsorption of SPM on phosphorus was mainly the adsorption of DIP. The permanganate index in water was higher in fall suggesting more serious organic pollution and it was positively correlated with DIP (P<0.01). The phosphorus content in sediments was quite low in both months; the total phosphorus (TP) content in sediments ranged from 284.23 to 569.58 mg·kg-1 in May and from 287.97 to 355.39 mg·kg-1 in September. Calcium-bound phosphate (Ca-P) was the dominant species of inorganic phosphorus (IP). The labile organic phosphorus (L-OP) content was significantly correlated with runoff, SPM concentration, and permanganate index (P<0.01,P<0.05,P<0.01, respectively). The organic phosphorus (OP) content was significantly higher at the Lijin site in May, likely caused by the rainfall-runoff from the mining area around Lijin. The energy-based production activities from the Gaocun to Lijin reaches should also be further investigated.

[Effects of the extracts from Ajuga decumbens on anti-fatigue in mice].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects of extracts from Ajuga decumbens on anti-fatigue in mice. METHODS: One hundred and twenty female Kunming (KM) mice were randomly divided into quiet control group, sport control group, positive control group and 3 experimental groups which were the low, medium and high dose group given the extracts from Ajuga decumbens. The low, medium and high dose group were given the extracts with 100 mg/kg, 200 mg/kg, 400 mg/kg by body weight of mice for 30 d, respectively, but the positive control group was given American ginseng granules, while the quiet control group and the sport control groups were treated with saline. After this, the exhausting time, the physio-biochemical indexes (including lactic acid, blood urea nitrogen, blood sugar, total cholesterol and triglyceride) in serum, the contents of muscle and liver glycogen, and the antioxidative indexes (including glutathione peroxidase, superoxide dismutase, catalase and malondialdehyde) of organs in mice were investigated. RESULTS: The exhausting time, the number of red blood cell, the contents of hemoglobin and blood sugar, the contents of muscle and liver glycogen, and the activities of glutathione peroxidase, superoxide dismutase and catalase in organs of mice in the medium dose group and the high dose group were significantly more than those of the sport control group, but the contents of blood lactic acid, blood urea nitrogen and that of triglyceride and total cholesterol in serum, and the content of malondialdehyde in organs of mice in the medium dose group and the high dose group were significantly lower than those of the sport control group. And the effect of medium dose extracts from Ajuga decumbens on anti-fatigue was better than that of American ginseng granules. CONCLUSIONS: The extracts from Ajuga decumbens has significant anti-fatigue effect in mice.

Electrophoresis separation and MS analysis of proteins in fermentation broth of Poria cocos / 中草药

Objective: In order to carry out the study on proteins from Poria cocos fermentation broth, the proteins in the fermentation broth were separated and identified. Methods: Proteins were obtained by organic acid precipitation from the fermentation broth and the protein concentration was determined by Bradford method. The obtained P. cocos secreted proteins were separated on SDS-PAGE electrophoresis, subjected to in-gel digestion, then identified by mass spectrometric analysis followed by database searching. Results: The protein concentration in the fermentation broth was around 74.01 μg/mL, with the apparent molecular weight ranged from 2.8 × 104 to 1.3 × 105. A total of 52 P. cocos secreted proteins were identified, including catalase, protein kinase, alkaline protease, glucoamylase, lysozyme, and so on. Conclusion: P. cocos fermentation broth has abundant proteins, which could be a good material for the study of P. cocos protein and also a potential healthy food and beverage.

[Effects of Lonicera Japonica flavone on immunomodulation in mice].

OBJECTIVE: To study immunomodulating activity of Lonicera Japonica flavone by investigating immune enzymatic activity of serum and antoxidized activity of lymphoid organs in mice. METHODS: Fifty KM mice were randomly divided into control group, model group, low dose group, middle dose group and high dose group(n = 10), respectively. And low dose group, middle dose group and high dose group were given Lonicera Japonica flavone with 100 mg/kg, 200 mg/kg and 400 mg/kg every day, respectively, while control group and model group were administered with NS. After continuously giving drug 7 weeks, other groups were injected with Dexamethasome (Dex: 25 mg /kg) for 3 days by subcutaneous injection, but the control group were treated with NS. And after giving Lonicera Japonica flavone 1 week simultaneously, organ indexes , the activity of acid phosphatase (ACP), alkaline phosphatase (AKP) and lysozyme (LSZ) in serum , and the content of monoamine oxidase (MAO), total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC), total superoxide dismutase (SOD) and malondialdehyde (MDA) in lymphoid organs in mice were tested, respectively. RESULTS: Lonicera Japonica flavone could significantly improve the organ indexes, and significantly improve the activity of ACP, AKP and LSZ in serum, and significantly improve the contents of T-AOC and SOD, but reduce that of MAO and MDA in lymphoid organs in immunosuppressed mice. CONCLUSION: Ionicera Japonica flavone can significantly improve the activity of immune enzyme in serum and the antioxidized activity of lymphoid organs in mice. It suggests that Ionicera Japonica flavone has a good immunomodulatory effects.

Effects of Lonicera Japonica flavone on immunomodulation in mice / 中国应用生理学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To study immunomodulating activity of Lonicera Japonica flavone by investigating immune enzymatic activity of serum and antoxidized activity of lymphoid organs in mice.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Fifty KM mice were randomly divided into control group, model group, low dose group, middle dose group and high dose group(n = 10), respectively. And low dose group, middle dose group and high dose group were given Lonicera Japonica flavone with 100 mg/kg, 200 mg/kg and 400 mg/kg every day, respectively, while control group and model group were administered with NS. After continuously giving drug 7 weeks, other groups were injected with Dexamethasome (Dex: 25 mg /kg) for 3 days by subcutaneous injection, but the control group were treated with NS. And after giving Lonicera Japonica flavone 1 week simultaneously, organ indexes , the activity of acid phosphatase (ACP), alkaline phosphatase (AKP) and lysozyme (LSZ) in serum , and the content of monoamine oxidase (MAO), total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC), total superoxide dismutase (SOD) and malondialdehyde (MDA) in lymphoid organs in mice were tested, respectively.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Lonicera Japonica flavone could significantly improve the organ indexes, and significantly improve the activity of ACP, AKP and LSZ in serum, and significantly improve the contents of T-AOC and SOD, but reduce that of MAO and MDA in lymphoid organs in immunosuppressed mice.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Ionicera Japonica flavone can significantly improve the activity of immune enzyme in serum and the antioxidized activity of lymphoid organs in mice. It suggests that Ionicera Japonica flavone has a good immunomodulatory effects.</p>