Altered gut microbiota and metabolites in untreated myasthenia gravis patients.

Objective: The homeostasis of the immune system is influenced by the gut microbiota. Previous studies have reported dysbiosis in the gut microbiota of myasthenia gravis (MG) patients. To investigate potential alterations in gut microbiota and metabolites in newly diagnosed and untreated MG patients, we conducted a case-control study. Methods: Fecal samples were collected from 11 newly diagnosed and untreated MG patients as well as 11 age-and sex-matched healthy controls. These samples underwent analysis for gut microbiota using 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) gene sequencing, while fecal metabolome was analyzed using liquid chromatography-electrospray tandem mass spectrometry system (LC-ESI-MS/MS). Results: The microbial community richness (observed species) and diversity (Shannon and Simpson indices) were significantly lower in the MG group compared to the control group. Microbiota composition analysis revealed significant differences between the MG and control groups at phylum, family, and genus levels. Linear discriminant analysis effect size (LEfSe) analysis showed a substantial decrease in abundance of the genus Faecalibacterium within the MG group. Fecal metabolome analysis identified three up-regulated metabolites involved in amino acid metabolism (taurine, creatinine, L-carnitine), one up-regulated metabolite involved in lipid metabolism (oleic acid), with correlation analysis indicating a positive association between Faecalibacterium abundance and creatinine levels. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that dysbiosis already exists in newly diagnosed and untreated MG patients, implying that dysbiosis within the gut microbiota may be an initiating factor contributing to MG pathogenesis. Furthermore, F. prausnitzii may hold promise as a probiotic for treating MG.

Mechanical behavior and reloading reinforcement characteristics of fractured coal under low confining pressure.

To study the basic mechanical behavior and the reloading reinforcement characteristics of fractured coal, conventional triaxial loading tests with different fissure angle were first carried out. On this basis, conventional triaxial loading and unloading tests were conducted to investigate the reloading reinforcement characteristics of fractured coal. The results reveal that when the fissure angle was small, the stress-strain curve exhibited the multi-peak phenomena. As the fissure angle increased, the stress drop phenomenon in the peak region was weakened. With the increase of the fissure angle, the peak stress of the specimens increased and then decreased, while the elastic modulus showed an overall increasing trend, demonstrating the controlling effect of the crack angle. Meanwhile, the cyclic loading exhibited a certain enhancement effect on the strength of the fractured coals when the specimens was unloaded near the crack closure stress. The findings can provide a better understanding of the failure mechanism and reloading reinforcement characteristics of fractured coal.

Huangqin decoction mitigates hepatic inflammation in high-fat diet-challenged rats by inhibiting TLR4/NF-κB/NLRP3 pathway.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has become the most common chronic hepatopathy worldwide, in which ectopic steatosis (5%) and inflammatory infiltration in the liver are the principal clinical characteristics. Huangqin decoction (HQD), a Chinese medicine formula used in the clinic for thousands of years, presents appreciable anti-inflammatory effects. Nevertheless, the role and mechanism of HQD against inflammation in NAFLD are still undefined. AIM OF THE STUDY: The objective of this study was to evaluate the curative efficacy and unravel the involved mechanism of HQD on a high-fat diet (HFD)-induced NAFLD. MATERIALS AND METHODS: First, HPLC was utilized to analyze the main chemical components of HQD. Then, NAFLD model was introduced by subjecting the rats to HFD for 16 weeks, and HQD (400 and 800 mg/kg) or polyene lecithin choline (PLC, 8 mg/kg) was given orally from week 8-16. Pharmacodynamic indicators including body weight, liver weight, liver index, as well as biochemical and histological parameters were assessed. As to mechanism exploration, the expressions of TLR4/NF-κB/NLRP3 pathway and molecular docking between major phytochemicals of HQD and key targets of TLR4/NF-κB/NLRP3 pathway were investigated. RESULTS: Seven main monomeric constituents of HQD were revealed by HPLC analysis. Of note, HQD could effectively attenuate the body weight, liver weight, and liver index, rescue disorders in serum transaminases and lipid profile, correct hepatic histological abnormalities, and reduce phagocytes infiltration into the liver and pro-inflammatory cytokines release in NAFLD rats. Mechanism investigation discovered that HQD harbored inhibitory effects on TLR4/NF-κB/NLRP3 pathway-regulated liver inflammation. Further exploration found that seven phytochemicals in HQD exhibited better binding modes with TLR4/NF-κB/NLRP3 pathway, in which baicalein, baicalin and liquiritin presented the highest affinity and docking score for protein TLR4, NF-κB, and NLRP3, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: These findings confirmed that HQD ameliorated hepatic inflammation in NAFLD rats by blocking the TLR4/NF-κB/NLRP3 pathway, with multi-components and multi-targets action pattern.

Consequences of Preoperative Oral Carbohydrate Consumption in Septal Deviation Patients Undergoing Endoscopic Septoplasty: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

PURPOSE: Multiple reports have demonstrated the benefits of preoperative oral carbohydrates (CHO) in patients receiving open abdominal, thoracic, and orthopedic surgeries. However, thus far, no reports have investigated the benefits of CHO in patients undergoing nasal endoscopic surgery. Our goal was to evaluate the outcome of preoperative oral of administration of CHO in septal deviation patients, undergoing endoscopic septoplasty, under general anesthesia. DESIGN: A retrospective cohort study from a prospectively collected database. METHODS: Consecutive 400 septal deviation patients, undergoing endoscopic septoplasty, were randomly assigned to receive CHO or plain water (80 CHO cohort vs. 320 control cohort) before general anesthesia. The primary outcome was the risk of acute postoperative hypertension (APH). The secondary outcomes included length of hospital stay (LOS), hospitalization cost, sleep time the day before surgery, fluid infusion volume on surgical day, as well the incidence of postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) and aspiration. FINDINGS: Patients in the CHO cohort experienced a lower risk of both diastolic blood pressure (DBP)-based APH (OR, 0.49; 95% CI, 0.25 to 0.96; P = 0.0375) and total APH (OR, 0.49; 95% CI, 0.26 to 0.92; P = 0.0258), lower LOS, lower hospitalization cost, longer sleep time and less fluid infusion volume after adjusting for gender, age, BMI, preoperative blood pressure and pulse. Besides, data showed no significant differences in the incidence of (P = 0.4173) and aspiration (P > 0.99). CONCLUSIONS: Preoperative CHO administration can reduce APH risk in patients undergoing endoscopic septoplasty under general anesthesia. Besides, preoperative CHO administration can improve other clinical outcomes, such as, LOS, hospitalization cost, sleep time, and fluid infusion volume. Moreover, CHO safety was confirmed in our study. In the future, additional investigation is necessary to confirm our results.

Optimization of the cut-offs in acetylcholine receptor antibodies and diagnostic performance in myasthenia gravis patients.

OBJECTIVE: This study aims to establish an optimization procedure to define the cut-offs of quantitative assays for acetylcholine receptor antibody (AChRAb), evaluate their diagnostic performance in myasthenia gravis (MG), and explore the association with clinical features. METHODS: Samples from a representative cohort of 77 MG patients, 80 healthy controls (HC) and 80 other autoimmune diseases (OAD) patients were tested using competitive inhibition ELISA and RIA. Raw values (OD and cpm) and processed values (inhibition rate, binding rate and concentration) were used to define the cut-offs with statistical methods, a rough method, and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. Optimal cut-offs were selected by comparing false positive rates in HC and OAD individuals. The diagnostic performance was evaluated in whole MG cohort and subgroups. Agreement between ELISA and RIA for AChRAb positivity were examined with Kappa test and McNemar test. Clinical association with AChRAb was explored by comparison among subgroups and with Spearman rank correlation. RESULTS: The optimal cut-offs for AChRAb positivity were determined as OD ≤ 1.79 for ELISA and cpm ≥ 1234.12 for RIA, which derived from statistical method and performed better than those derived from ROC curves. The sensitivity and specificity were 74.03%, 100% for ELISA, and 74.03%, 99.37% for RIA. There was good agreement between ELISA and RIA for AChRAb positivity in whole cohort and subgroups (weighted к ≥ 0.71, p < 0.01; McNemar test, p > 0.05). Levels of AChRAb were different in MG subgroups (p < 0.01). Correlation between Quantitative Myasthenia Gravis scores and AChRAb levels was moderate for ELISA and RIA (rs = -0.60 and 0.57, p < 0.01). CONCLUSION: The raw testing values of ELISA and RIA were found as optimal quantitative measures of AChRAb levels. There are good agreements on diagnostic performance between two assays. Quantitative values are more informative than positivity in association with clinical features.

Complement C3 polymorphism is associated with the susceptibility of myasthenia gravis in Chinese adult patients.

Complement component 3 (C3) had been proved to be involved in the pathogenesis and exacerbation of both myasthenia gravis (MG) patients and experimental autoimmune myasthenia gravis (EAMG) models. We evaluated the underlying association between five SNPs (rs344555, rs7951, rs3745568, rs366510 and rs163913) in C3 gene and Chinese adult MG patients. Our study consisted of 409 adult MG patients and 487 healthy controls. Subgroups were classified by gender, onset age, thymoma, anti-AChR antibody, onset muscle involvement (ocular/generalized) and severity (Oosterhuis score at the maximal severity during the initial two years after the onset of MG). We found significant differences in allele frequencies between MG and the control group, between various MG subgroups and the control group in rs344555 and rs3745568. There were significant differences in genotype frequencies between MG group and the control group, between MG subgroups and the control group under the codominant and additive inheritance models in rs344555 and rs3745568. No association was found between the frequencies of these SNPs and the severity of MG. We also used a comprehensive classification which was close to the clinical scenario to minimize the interaction among clinical features. In rs344555, the T allele frequency in thymoma (-) AChR-Ab (+) subgroup was significantly higher than that in the control group. Our results indicated that rs344555 was associated with the susceptibility of Chinese adult MG patients; rs3745568 was probably associated with the susceptibility of Chinese adult MG patients. No association was found between the frequencies of these SNPs and the severity of MG.

Effect of breast-conserving surgery and modified radical mastectomy on operation index, symptom checklist-90 score and prognosis in patients with early breast cancer.

The present study aims to analyze the effects of breast-conserving surgery and modified radical mastectomy on operation indexes, Symptom checklist-90 scores and prognosis in patients with early breast cancer.The clinical data of 128 patients with breast cancer who were treated in our hospital from May 2015 to May 2016 were included into the analysis. These patients were divided into 2 groups, according to the different modes of operation (n = 64): control group, patients underwent modified radical mastectomy; observation group, patients underwent early breast conserving surgery. Then, the surgical indexes and prognosis were compared between these 2 groups.Intraoperative bleeding volume, incision length and hospitalization duration were better in the observation group than in the control group (P < .05). Furthermore, postoperative symptom checklist-90 scores in the observation group were better than scores before the operation, and were better than the scores in the control group (P < .05). Moreover, the incidence of postoperative complications was lower in the observation group (3.13%) than in the control group (21.88%, P < .05).Early breast-conserving surgery is more advantageous for breast cancers and results to lesser bleeding, rapid recovery, and fewer complications.

IL-4Rα Polymorphism Is Associated With Myasthenia Gravis in Chinese Han Population.

Interleukin-4 (IL-4) is a potent growth and differentiation factor for B cells which play a vital role in the pathogenesis of myasthenia gravis (MG). IL-4 exerts its function by binding to three types of IL-4 receptor (IL-4R) complexes. IL-4Rα is the key component of the IL-4R complex. We hypothesize that polymorphism of IL-4Rα gene may be associated with the susceptibility and severity of MG. A Chinese cohort of 480 MG patients and 487 healthy controls were recruited. Polymorphisms of IL-4Rα gene were determined with SNPscan™ methods and compared between MG and control groups, as well as among MG subgroups. Rs2107356 and rs1805010 were found to be associated with adult thymoma associated MG, and rs1801275 was found to be associated with adult non-thymoma AChR-Ab positive MG. We did not found association between IL-4Rα polymorphism and the severity of MG. Genetic variations of IL-4Rα were found associated with the susceptibility of MG in Chinese Han population.

SB-216763, a GSK-3ß inhibitor, protects against aldosterone-induced cardiac, and renal injury by activating autophagy.

Cardiovascular and renal inflammation induced by Aldosterone (Aldo) plays a pivotal role in the pathogenesis of hypertension and renal fibrosis. GSK-3ß contributes to inflammatory cardiovascular and renal diseases, but its role in Aldo-induced hypertension, and renal damage is not clear. In the present study, rats were treated with Aldo combined with SB-216763 (a GSK-3ß inhibitor) for 4 weeks. Hemodynamic, cardiac, and renal parameters were assayed at the indicated time. Here we found that rats treated with Aldo presented cardiac and renal hypertrophy and dysfunction. Cardiac and renal expression levels of molecular markers attesting inflammation and fibrosis were increased by Aldo infusion, whereas the treatment of SB-216763 reversed these alterations. SB-216763 suppressed cardiac and renal inflammatory cytokines levels (TNF-a, IL-1ß, and MCP-1). Meanwhile, SB-216763 increased the protein levels of LC3-II in the cardiorenal tissues as well as p62 degradation, indicating that SB-216763 induced autophagy activation in cardiac, and renal tissues. Importantly, inhibition of autophagy by 3-MA attenuated the role of SB-216763 in inhibiting perivascular fibrosis, and tubulointerstitial injury. These data suggest that SB-216763 protected against Aldo-induced cardiac and renal injury by activating autophagy, and might be a therapeutic option for salt-sensitive hypertension and renal fibrosis.

Effect of Intensive Personalized "5As+5Rs" Intervention on Smoking Cessation in Hospitalized Acute Coronary Syndrome Patients Not Ready to Quit Immediately: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Introduction: The acute coronary syndrome (ACS) patients who are not ready to quit smoking immediately have an extremely low rate of cessation. This study aims to investigate the efficacy of intensive personalized '5As+5Rs'intervention (IPANR intervention) on smoking cessation in this population. Methods: A parallel-group randomized controlled trial was carried out, which compared IPANR intervention with routine 5Rs (control) at Fu Xing Hospital, Capital Medical University, Bei Jing, China. Three hundred and twenty hospitalized ACS smokers who were not ready to quit were randomly distributed to IPANR intervention group comprising three individual counseling during hospitalization and 15 intensive follow-up sessions (weekly during months 1, 2, 3, and monthly thereafter until month 6) or 5Rs group in a 1:1 fashion by 8 cardiologists who were blinded to the allocation sequence. Primary end point was carbon monoxide-confirmed continuous abstinence rate (CAR) through week 9 to week 12. Secondary outcome included abstinence rate at 24 weeks. Results: Overall, 97.5% (312/320) participants completed the trial. An intention-to-treat analysis showed statistically significant advantage of IPANR compared with control group at 4 weeks CAR (27.5% vs. 17.5%, RR = 1.571, 95% CI = 1.032-2.392, p = 0.032, number needed to treat (NNT) = 10), and abstinence rate at 24 weeks (23.8% vs.15.0%, RR 1.583, 95% CI = 0.998-2.512, p = 0.048, NNT: 11.36). At 24 weeks, cigarettes smoked per day by the patients who failed to quit were significant lower in IPANR group than 5Rs group (13.21 ± 8.23 vs. 17.45 ± 10.71; p < 0.001). Conclusions: The IPANR initiated during hospitalization, is a feasible and effective approach for smoking cessation in ACS patients not ready to quit immediately. Implications: Smoking has a major impact on acute stages of ACS for recurrent ischemic events and long-term outcomes. However, there are few evidence-based treatments for smokers who are not ready to quit. This study described a cessation intervention initiated during hospitalization and included 15 intensive follow-up aimed at enabling ACS smokers who were not ready to quit immediately to deliver adequate motivational and behavior change counseling. Given its effectiveness demonstrated in this prospective study, this intervention in hospitalized ACS smokers might have the potential to substantially improve the cessation rate of ACS patients who are not ready to quit smoking immediately.

Rs3761389 polymorphism in autoimmune regulator (AIRE) gene is associated with susceptibility of myasthenia gravis in Chinese patients.

Polymorphism in autoimmune regulator (AIRE) gene is associated with various autoimmune disorders. Abnormal AIRE expression is associated with the development of myasthenia gravis (MG). We investigated the association of polymorphism in AIRE gene and the clinical features and severity of MG. The frequencies of alleles and genotypes were compared between 480MG patients and 487 healthy controls, as well as among subgroups of MG patients. The frequencies of rs3761389G allele in MG group (OR=1.213, CI 95% 1.014-1.451, p=0.035) and in mild (Oosterhuis score 0-2) subgroup (OR=1.393, CI 95% 1.110-1.751, p=0.004) were significantly higher than those in the control group. There were significant differences in the frequencies of rs3761389 genotypes (OR=1.20, CI 95% 1.00-1.43, p=0.046, log-additive model) and mild subgroup (OR=1.32, CI 95% 1.03-1.69, p=0.0058, log-additive model) compared with the control group. A Logistic regression analysis did not identify rs3761389 genotype as an independent risk factor to predict the severity of MG. This study provides the necessary preliminary data on the association with rs3761389 in AIRE gene with the susceptibility of MG, but not with the severity of MG.

Gene Polymorphisms for Both Auto-antigen and Immune-Modulating Proteins Are Associated with the Susceptibility of Autoimmune Myasthenia Gravis.

Myasthenia gravis (MG) is an antibody-mediated autoimmune disease against antigens at the neuromuscular junction. Both genetic and environmental factors contribute to the susceptibility of MG. We undertook a case-control study to explore the contribution of genes of the auto-antigen and immune-modulating proteins in the pathogenesis of MG. We enrolled 389 adult MG patients and 487 healthy controls. Eighteen SNPs were selected from genes of cholinergic receptor nicotinic alpha 1 (CHRNA1), autoimmune regulator (AIRE), cytotoxic T lymphocyte-associated protein 4 (CTLA-4), protein tyrosine phosphatase nonreceptor type 22 (PTPN22), and interleukin-10 (IL-10). Rs16862847 and rs2229957 in CHRNA1, rs3761389 in AIRE, and rs733618 in CTLA-4 were significantly associated with MG, with the highest association in SNPs of CHRNA1. Carrier of rs16862847 G allele was found to be an independent risk factor in predicting high-level acetylcholine receptor (AChR) antibodies (P = 0.003, OR = 10.296). Genetic interaction analysis revealed a synergistic effect of CHRNA1 (rs16862847), AIRE (rs3761389), and CTLA-4 (rs733618) in the susceptibility of MG (P < 0.0001, OR = 1.95). These findings highlight the role of auto-antigen gene (CHRNA1) in the autoimmune reactions against AChR and reveal synergistic contribution of genes of both auto-antigen and immune-regulating proteins (AIRE and CTLA-4) in the pathogenesis of MG.

[Effect of casein phosphopeptide-amorphouscalcium phosphate (CPP-ACP) treatment on the shear bond strength of orthodontic brackets after tooth bleaching].

PURPOSE: To evaluate the effect of casein phosphopeptide-amorphouscalcium phosphate (CPP-ACP) treatment on the shear bond strength of orthodontic brackets after tooth bleaching. METHODS: One hundred extracted human premolars were randomly divided and treated according to 5 groups (n=20) : (1) no treatment; (2) 10% carbamide peroxide bleaching; (3) 38% hydrogen peroxide bleaching; (4)10% carbamide peroxide bleaching and CPP-ACP paste; (5)38% hydrogen peroxide bleaching and CPP-ACP paste. In all groups, the brackets were bonded using a conventional acid-etch and bond system (Transbond XT, 3M Unitek, Monrovia, Calif). The shear bond strength adhesive remnant index (ARI) of the brackets were determined and the data was analyzed by ANOVA and Bonferroni test using SPSS13.0 software package. RESULTS: The use of 10% carbamide peroxide and 38% hydrogen peroxide bleaching significantly decreased the shear bond strength of orthodontic brackets when compared with untreated group (P<0.05). After combination of tooth bleaching and CPP-ACP treatment, group 4 (10% carbamide peroxide bleaching + CPP-ACP) and group 5 (38% hydrogen peroxide bleaching + CPP-ACP) showed higher levels of shear bond strength than group 2 and 3; however, no significant difference was found (P>0.05). The ARI did not show any significant difference before and after CPP-ACP treatment. CONCLUSIONS: After tooth bleaching, CPP-ACP treatment have little influence on the shear bond strength of orthodontic brackets.

Bioinformatics analysis reveals significant genes and pathways to target for oral squamous cell carcinoma.

PURPOSE: The purpose of our study was to explore the molecular mechanisms in the process of oral squamous cells carcinoma (OSCC) development. METHOD: We downloaded the affymetrix microarray data GSE31853 and identified differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between OSCC and normal tissues. Then Gene Ontology (GO) and Protein-Protein interaction (PPI) networks analysis was conducted to investigate the DEGs at the function level. RESULTS: A total 372 DEGs with logFC| >1 and P value < 0.05 were obtained , including NNMT, BAX, MMP9 and VEGF. The enriched GO terms mainly were associated with the nucleoplasm, response to DNA damage stimuli and DNA repair. PPI network analysis indicated that GMNN and TSPO were significant hub proteins and steroid biosynthesis and synthesis and degradation of ketone bodies were significantly dysregulated pathways. CONCLUSION: It is concluded that the genes and pathways identified in our work may play critical roles in OSCC development. Our data provides a comprehensive perspective to understand mechanisms underlying OSCC and the significant genes (proteins) and pathways may be targets for therapy in the future.

Absolute quantification of a steroid hormone that regulates development in Caenorhabditis elegans.

Under favorable conditions, Caenorhabditis elegans larvae grow into reproductive adults after a series of molting cycles. When environmental conditions are harsh, they arrest as dauer larvae. Dafachronic acid (DA), a C. elegans steroid hormone, is required for reproductive development. Here, we report a mass spectrometry (MS) method for absolute quantitation of DA in C. elegans. The extraction of DA from C. elegans was optimized to achieve a recovery rate of greater than 83%. The MS sensitivity to DA increased 100-fold after carboxyl group derivatization with 2-picolylamine. High-resolution selected ion monitoring (HR-SIM) on a Q-Orbitrap mass spectrometer Q Exactive outperformed targeted-MS2 on the same instrument and selected reaction monitoring (SRM) on a triple-quadrupole mass spectrometer TSQ Quantum Discovery. With a limit of quantification as low as 1 pg of DA, the HR-SIM method enables absolute quantification of endogenous DA during the reproductive development of C. elegans. We found that in wild-type (WT) worms, DA increases from 0.04 ± 0.02 ng/mg protein in the L1 larval stage to 1.21 ± 0.67 ng/mg protein in the L2 larval stage and decreases again after the L3 stage. In comparison, four genetic mutants that have a constitutive dauer-formation phenotype due to disrupted insulin, TGF-ß, or cGMP signaling all have a very low DA level in the L2 stage (below 15% of the WT). These mutants are able to escape the dauer fate and most of them grow into fertile adults when supplied with exogenous DA. Therefore, a DA spike in the L2 stage is critical for the reproductive development of C. elegans.

[Ashi points, Ashi method and pressing reaction].

The nomination of Ashi points was reviewed, and the meaning of Ashi method was discussed in this article. On the base of further study on Huangdi Neijing (The Yellow Emperor's Canon of Internal Medicine), the general meaning of palpation at acupoints, meridians and collaterals to the process of acupoint locating were expounded. The concept of pressing reaction was proposed as well. It is held that Ashi points are a category of acupoints without specific names and definite locations. They are a kind of manifestation of reactions of acupoints, meridians and collaterals, which embody their dynamic features. Pressing reaction mainly manifested by sensations of comfort, pain, and moreover, relieving of the primary symptoms. It is the most basic evidence for us to estimate Ashi points.

[Responsive changes to MPTP in rats with DAT inhibited by antisense oligonucleotides].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the inhibitory effect of antisense oligonucleotides (ODN) on dopamine transporter (DAT) in rats and observe the response of the rats to 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP). METHODS: The cannula was implanted in the substantia nigra compacta under a rat stereotaxic device, through which drugs were used. The rats with successful operation were divided randomly into four groups, and received injection of antisense, sense, missense oligonucleotides and saline respectively, in the substantia nigra compacta of each rat via the cannula, followed by MPTP (30 mg/kg) injection. Behavior of the rats was observed and immunohistochemistry was carried out to check the expression of DAT and apoptosis of dopamine cell. RESULTS: The expression of DAT (positive unit, PU) in the substantia nigra compacta in rats was 6.65+/- 1.67 in the antisense ODN group, 12.41+/- 2.46 in saline group, 11.45+/- 1.17 in sense ODN group, and 10.35+/- 2.89 in missense ODN group. The expression of DAT was lower in the antisense ODN group than that of the other three groups (P< 0.01). The rotation of the rats induced by apomorphine was slower than that of the other three groups(P< 0.05). The apoptotic cells (21.4+/- 5.6) in the antisense ODN group (200x ) were less than that of the other three groups (61.6+/- 19.7, 56.5+/- 16.3, 52.2+/- 12.5 respectively), (P< 0.01). CONCLUSION: The expression of DAT can be inhibited effectively by the antisense ODN, and the response of the rats to the MPTP was reduced upon DAT inhibition.

Differential cognitive responses to guqin music and piano music in Chinese subjects: an event-related potential study.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the cognitive effects of guqin (the oldest Chinese instrument) music and piano music. METHODS: Behavioral and event-related potential (ERP) data in a standard two-stimulus auditory oddball task were recorded and analyzed. RESULTS: This study replicated the previous results of culture-familiar music effect on Chinese subjects: the greater P300 amplitude in frontal areas in a culture-familiar music environment. At the same time, the difference between guqin music and piano music was observed in N1 and later positive complex (LPC: including P300 and P500): a relatively higher participation of right anterior-temporal areas in Chinese subjects. CONCLUSION: The results suggest that the special features of ERP responses to guqin music are the outcome of Chinese tonal language environments given the similarity between Guqinos tones and Mandarin lexical tones.

[Model for predicting survival of patients with severe virus hepatitis and its clinical application].

OBJECTIVE: To study prospectively the short-time survival of patients with severe virus hepatitis using model of severe liver diseases (MSLD) established by our previous study. METHODS: One hundred and three patients with severe hepatitis were included by cohort study. Of them, there were 85 patients with severe chronic hepatitis patients, 10 acute and 8 subacute severe hepatitis patients, respectively. The follow-up endpoint was 6 months. The cutoff score of the MSLD was determined by receiver operating characteristic cure (ROC) statistic analysis, and the survival of severe hepatitis patients in 2 weeks, 4 weeks, 3 months and 6 months were estimated by Kaplan-Meier statistic analysis. RESULTS: The cutoff MSLD score for predicting survival was 5. The survival curves of group A (total MSLD score< or =4) was significantly better than group B (total MSLD score> or =5, P<0.000). After treatment for 2 weeks, the survival rate in 2 weeks and 4 weeks was 37.9% and 3.5%, respectively, if MSLD score had no change or increased. The survival rate in 2 weeks, 4 weeks and 3 months was respectively 61.5%, 15.4%, 5.8% if the MSLD score decreased 1. Then, the survival in 2 weeks, 4 weeks, 3 months and 6 months was respectively 95.0%, 90.0%, 63.9% and 52.4% if MSLD score decreased 2 or more. CONCLUSION: It is suggested that MSLD may be valuable in predicting 6-month survival of severe virus hepatitis patients. It may be used to determine the efficacy of medical treatment and to guide clinical decision.