Upregulated lncRNA NORAD can diagnose acute cerebral ischemic stroke patients and predict poor prognosis.

INTRODUCTION: Acute cerebral ischemic stroke (AIS) dramatically influences patients' quality of life. lncRNA NORAD (NORAD) has been studied in cerebrovascular diseases, which are potential risk factors for AIS. The specific significance of NORAD is unclear. This study aimed to assess the role of NORAD in AIS, and to provide therapeutic value for its' treatment. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A total of 103 AIS patients and 95 healthy individuals (control) were enrolled into this study. Expression level of NORAD in the plasma of all participants was analyzed by PCR. Diagnostic potential of NORAD in AIS was evaluated by ROC analysis, while Kaplan-Meier and Cox regression analyses were conducted to assess its' prognostic value in AIS. RESULTS: A significantly increased level of NORAD was observed in AIS patients compared with healthy individuals. The upregulation of NORAD could dramatically discriminate AIS patients from healthy individuals with high sensitivity (81.60%) and specificity (88.40%). NORAD was positively correlated with patients' high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs CRP, r = 0.796), matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP9, r = 0.757), and NIHSS scores ( r = 0.840), and negatively related to pc-ASPECTS scores ( r = -0.607). Moreover, NORAD upregulation was associated with patients' unfavorable prognosis and served as an independent prognostic biomarker, together with NIHSS and pc-ASPECTS scores of AIS patients. CONCLUSIONS: NORAD was upregulated in AIS, which can discriminate AIS patients, and was closely correlated with severe development and poor prognosis of patients.

Analysis of mental health status of graduate students in clinical medical discipline and its countermeasures / 中国学校卫生

Objective@#To analyze the mental health status of clinical medical standardized training graduate students (referred to as: graduate students).@*Methods@#Through the online questionnaire, the Symptom Checklist (SCL-90), adult psychological stress scale, and occupational satisfaction were used to compare the first affiliated hospital of Bengbu Medical College from January 2018 to June 2019. 498 graduate students of the Department of Neurology, the Second Affiliated Hospital of Bengbu Medical College and the Third People’s Hospital of Bengbu City, and 420 medical non-regular graduate students conducted a survey on the status of psychological stress and statistical analysis of the results.@*Results@#The psychological stress of graduate students(40.28±10.43) was significantly higher than that of non-regular graduate students(36.95±5.13)， and the psychological stress of male students(41.75±11.17) in medical disciplines was significantly higher than that of female students(38.81±9.43). The difference was statistically significant(t=2.44，3.16，P<0.05); There was no significant difference in the occupational satisfaction scores between the two groups(t=1.94，1.27，P>0.05). The SCL-90 factor evaluation results of graduate students were significantly higher than those of non-regular graduate students. The scores of depression, anxiety and terror factor of male students in the graduate students were significantly higher than those of girls, and the differences were statistically significant(P<0.05).@*Conclusion@#The mental health status of postgraduates in clinical medicine is generally poor, and the mental health of boys is worse than that of girls.

DL­3­n­butylphthalide reduces microglial activation in lipopolysaccharide­induced Parkinson's disease model mice.

As microglial activation is a key factor in the pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease (PD), drugs that target this process may help to prevent or delay the development of PD. The present study investigated the effects of dl­3­n­butylphthalide (NBP) on microglia in a lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced PD mouse model. The mice were randomly divided into a blank control group, LPS control group and NBP + LPS treatment group. Mice in the treatment group were given an intragastric infusion of 120 mg/kg NBP daily for 30 days during the establishment of the PD mouse model. At 4 and 28 weeks post­treatment, the motor behaviours of the mice in each group were observed using the rotarod test and the open field test. In addition, immunohistochemical staining was performed to determine the levels of activated microglia, tumour necrosis factor­α and α­synuclein, and the number of tyrosine hydroxylase (TH)­positive cells in the substantia nigra. NBP significantly improved dyskinesia, reduced microglial activation, decreased nuclear α­synuclein deposition and increased the survival of TH­positive cells in the substantia nigra of LPS­induced PD model mice. These findings suggested that NBP may exert its therapeutic effect by reducing microglial activation in a mouse model of PD.

Clinical characteristics and peripheral T cell subsets in Parkinson's disease patients with constipation.

Constipation is frequently reported in Parkinson's disease (PD). We evaluated the characteristics of patients with PD and constipation and explored the role of T cell subsets in PD-associated constipation. One hundred and two patients with PD treated at the First Affiliated Hospital of Bengbu Medical College were enrolled in this study between January 2012 and October 2013. All patients completed KESS questionnaires and constipation was rated. The proportions of peripheral blood Thl7 and Treg cells were assessed by flow cytometry in 45 patients. Colonoscopies were performed in six patients. Thirty-one patients with PD reported slow-transit constipation (STC), 15 rectal evacuation disorder (RED) and 33 mixed constipation (Mixed). STC most frequently occurred before onset of PD motor symptoms, while Mixed occurred before or after motor symptoms, and RED occurred most frequently after motor symptoms. CD4+ T cell infiltration in the colonic mucosa was observed in patients with PD and constipation. The frequency of Th17 and Treg cells in patients with PD and constipation was significantly higher than in those without constipation (P<0.001). Among patients with PD and constipation, the frequency of Th17 and Treg cells in STC was the highest. However, there was no difference in the ratio of Th17/Tregs between the patients with PD with and without constipation, or patients with PD and different types of constipations (P>0.05). Constipation reported before the onset of PD motor symptoms was most often STC or Mixed, and PD constipation may be associated with immune activation in the colonic mucosa.

Fc receptor like 3 in Chinese patients of Han nationality with Guillain-Barré syndrome.

Fc receptor like 3 gene (FcRL3) has been associated with some autoimmune diseases. Here, its role in Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) was evaluated by studying nine FcRL3 gene SNPs in a Chinese cohort of GBS patients. The frequencies of FcRL3-3-169C, FcRL3-6 intron3A, and FcRL3-8 exon15G alleles were significantly increased in GBS patients compared with healthy controls. The frequency of FcRL3-1→9 CCTGGAGAA haplotype was significantly increased, and the frequencies of FcRL3-1→9 CCTACAAAA,CCCACGAAA, and CCTGCGGAA haplotypes were significantly decreased compared with healthy controls. These results suggest that FcRL3 is associated with GBS incidence.