Simultaneously recorded intracranial and scalp high frequency oscillations help identify patients with poor postsurgical seizure outcome

ObjectiveHigh frequency oscillations (HFO) between 80–500 Hz are markers of epileptic areas in intracranial and maybe also scalp EEG. We investigate simultaneous recordings of scalp and intracranial EEG and hypothesize that scalp HFOs provide important additional clinical information in the presurgical setting.MethodsSpikes and HFOs were visually identified in all intracranial scalp EEG channels. Analysis of correlation of event location between intracranial and scalp EEG as well as relationship between events and the SOZ and zone of surgical removal was performed.Results24 patients could be included, 23 showed spikes and 19 HFOs on scalp recordings. In 15/19 patients highest scalp HFO rate was located over the implantation side, with 13 patients having the highest scalp and intracranial HFO rate over the same region. 17 patients underwent surgery, 7 became seizure free. Patients with poor post-operative outcome showed significantly more regions with HFO than those with seizure free outcome.ConclusionsScalp HFOs are mostly located over the SOZ. Widespread scalp HFOs are indicative of a larger epileptic network and associated with poor postsurgical outcome.SignificanceAnalysis of scalp HFO add clinically important information about the extent of epileptic areas during presurgical simultaneous scalp and intracranial EEG recordings.     

Paresthesia‐Free Spinal Nerve Root Stimulation for the Treatment of Chronic Neuropathic Pain

ObjectiveStimulation of the dorsal spinal roots, or spinal nerve root stimulation (SNRS), is a neuromodulation modality that can target pain within specific dermatomal distributions. The use of paresthesia-free stimulation has been described with conventional dorsal column spinal cord stimulation, although has yet to be described for SNRS. This objective of this study was to investigate the efficacy of paresthesia-free high-frequency (1000–1200 Hz) SNRS in the treatment of intractable, dermatomal neuropathic pain.Materials and MethodsA retrospective chart review was performed on 14 patients implanted with SNRS in varying distributions: Ten patients initially received tonic stimulation and crossed over to a paresthesia-free paradigm and four patients received only paresthesia-free stimulation. The primary outcome was reduction in pain severity (visual analog scale [VAS]), measured at baseline and follow-up to 24 months with paresthesia-free stimulation.ResultsAll 14 patients who received paresthesia-free stimulation had significant improvement in pain severity at a mean follow-up of 1.39 ± 0.15 years (VAS 7.46 at baseline vs. 3.25 at most recent follow-up, p < 0.001). Ten patients were initially treated with tonic stimulation and crossed over to paresthesia-free stimulation after a mean of 61.7 months. Baseline pain in these crossover patients was significantly improved at last follow-up with tonic stimulation (VAS 7.65 at baseline vs. 2.83 at 48 months, p < 0.001), although all patients developed uncomfortable paresthesias. There was no significant difference in pain severity between patients receiving tonic and paresthesia-free stimulation.ConclusionsWe present real-world outcomes of patients with intractable dermatomal neuropathic pain treated with paresthesia-free, high-frequency SNRS. We demonstrate its effectiveness in providing pain reduction at a level comparable to tonic SNRS up to 24 months follow-up, without producing uncomfortable paresthesias.     

磁共振结合高分辨率CT在中耳乳突炎患者术前评估中的临床应用

目的探讨磁共振结合高分辨率CT在中耳乳突炎患者术前评估中的临床应用。方法选取我院2018年11月~2020年12月接收患有中耳乳突炎的患者40例为研究对象,所有患者均采用磁共振以及高分辨率CT进行诊断检查,比较两组患者诊断后手术特征显示度。结果诊断后,磁共振联合高分辨率CT检查图像显示度高于单独使用磁共振或高分辨率CT诊断(P<0.05)。结论使用磁共振结合高分辨率CT对中耳乳突炎患者进行术前评估,显示度较高,提高诊断准确度,值得推广。     

Everyday footwear: An overview of what we know and what we should know on ill-fitting footwear and associated pain and pathology

Footwear has been used to protect feet for millennia with socially exclusive population adopting stylish and fashionable shoes with expensive materials. In terms of historic timeline, only more recently footwear has been worn by all classes in the western world as an integral part of their apparel. Traditionally, footwear has been constructed from natural materials, mainly leather, but has recently benefitted from the flexibility that technology has provided with a plethora materials and new design innovations. Although it has expanded the availability for a variety of consumers, the choice and fit continue to be problematic with many individuals wearing shoes that are ill-fitting. Provision of specific footwear advice for problem feet is poorly evidenced and is heavily practitioner dependant limiting its efficacy. There is limited understanding as to the changes that can occur from regularly wearing footwear that is unsuitable in shape, style and construction which is referred to as ill-fitting. Current research on the effect that everyday footwear has on foot function and pain focuses mainly on women’s shoes, particularly high heels. Defining what is a good fitting shoe, that does not damage the foot or mechanics of walking, may need to be individualised, but best fit is based on loose historical parameters rather than research evidence. The aim of this overview is to highlight aspects of current research, establishing what is known about the effect’s shoes have on the feet as well as exploring the mythology around footwear fit and advice that is often historical in nature.     

Association of genetic variants at MYP10 and MYP15 with high myopia in a Han Chinese population

Background: Previous genome-wide association study (GWAS) has revealed the association between MYP10 at 8p23 and MYP15 at 10q21.1 and high myopia (HM) in a French population. This study is managed to discover the connection between some single nucleotide polymorphism (located at MYP10 and MYP15) and Han Chinese HM.

Methods and Results: This case-control association study contained 1673 samples, including 869 ophthalmic patients and 804 controls. Twelve tag SNPs have been selected from the MYP10 and MYP15 loci and genotyped by SNaPshot method. Among 12 SNPs, rs4840437 and rs6989782 in TNKS gene were found significant association with HM. Carriers of rs4840437G allele and rs4840437GG genotype created a low risk of high myopia (P = .036, OR = 0.81, 95%CI = 0.71–0.93; P = .016, OR = 0.73, 95%CI = 0.56–0.96; respectively). Carriers of rs6989782T allele and rs6989782TT+CT genotype also had a decreased risk of high myopia (P = .048, OR = 0.82, 95%CI = 0.71–0.94; P = .006, OR = 0.74, 95%CI = 0.59–0.92; respectively). Other 10 SNPs displaced nonsignificant association with HM. Additionally, the risk haplotype AC and the protective haplotype GT, generated by two SNPs in TNKS, were considerably more likely to be association with HM (for AC, P = .002 and OR = 1.26; for GT, P = .027 and OR = 0.84).

Conclusions: Our results demonstrated that some heritable variants in the TNKS gene are associated with HM in the Han population. The possible functions of TNKS in the development and pathogenesis of hereditary high myopia still require further researches to identify.     

500 Cases of High-intensity Focused Ultrasound (HIFU) Ablated Uterine Fibroids and Adenomyosis

ObjectiveClinical outcomes of 500 high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU)-treated uterine fibroids and adenomyosis are analyzed and presented.Materials and methodsThis is a retrospective cross-sectional analysis from a single tertiary medical center. From April 2015 to October 2018, 546 cases were enrolled for the study. After excluding 46 patients with less than 3 months of follow-up period, there were 404 fibroids, 149 adenomyosis and 53 mixed conditions entered for analysis. The patients’ uterine fibroids and adenomyosis were treated by HIFU according to Chongqing Haifu protocol, with 12 cm diameter transducer of focal length 10–16  cm at 0.8 or 1.6 MHz T2-weight MRI imaging was rendered prior to and 3 month post treatment to assess lesion volume change using non-perfusion volume, which was the primary outcome. Secondary outcomes including quality of life, subjective satisfaction, adverse events and pregnancy rate were determined using self-reported questionnaires. The mean follow up period ranged from 3 to 38 months with an average of 21 months.ResultsThree months after HIFU-treated uterine fibroids and adenomyosis, the lesion size reduced 40.2% and 46.3%, respectively. Symptoms all improved with better quality of life for the fibroid group, while those with adenomyosis or combined diseases benefit the most from pain control. Serum CA125 decreased significantly for all studied groups, and LDH only showed improvement for fibroids group. Number of adverse events is comparable to Chongqing data (approximately 10.2%), with mostly mild and self-resolving conditions. No permanent sequelae or death was documented. Twelve pregnancies are reported in this cohort.ConclusionHIFU is safe and effective in treating uterine fibroids and adenomyosis. The results are reproducible if standardized treatment schedules are followed. It is a promising treatment alternative with the advantages of precision, non-invasiveness, rapid recovery and readiness for pregnancy.     

A nutraceutical extract from Inula viscosa leaves: UHPLC-HR-MS/MS based polyphenol profile,and antioxidant and cytotoxic activities

Nowadays, advanced extraction techniques and highly sensitive metabolic profiling methods are effectively employed to get new information on plant chemical constituents. Among them wild medicinal plants or their parts, with large and ancient use in folk medicine, are investigated for their potential functional use and cultivation. In this context, Inula viscosa leaves engaged our attention. A simple experimental design, based on Soxhlet extraction and chromatographic fractionation, allowed us to obtain the investigated polyphenol fraction (IvE). UHPLC-HRMS analyses revealed shikimoyl depsides of caffeic acid and unusual dihydrobenzofuran lignans as main secondary metabolites. These compounds, together with cinchonain-type phenols, and hydroxycinnamoyl flavonol glycosides, are reported for the first time in inula. Overall, forty-three secondary metabolites were identified. The extract exerted a remarkable antiradical activity towards DPPH^? and ABTS^+?. Furthermore, it was able to inhibit cell viability and mitochondrial redox activity of neuroblastoma, hepatoblastoma and colon carcinoma cells, whereas it did not affect cell density of HaCaT cells immortalized human keratinocytes. As detected by the oxidant-sensing probe 2′,7′-dichlorodihydrofluorescein diacetate, the inhibitory responses seemed to be related to IvE-induced increase of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS). The obtained results highlighted that inula leaves, nowadays even undervalued and unexplored, could be considered a renewable source of nutraceutical compounds.     

hs-CRP、TAS联合血脂检测在早老性痴呆症诊断中的应用研究

[目的]研究超敏C反应蛋白（hs-CRP）、总抗氧化状态（TAS）联合血脂检测在早老性痴呆症诊断中的应用价值：[方法]选择浦东新区精神卫生中心早老性痴呆专科门诊患者54例，作超敏C反应蛋白、总抗氧化状态与血脂检测。[结果]与对照组比较，实验组hs-CRP、TAS差异非常显著，t1=4．55，t2=2．79，P1〈0．001，P2〈0．01；血脂中甘油三酯、低密度脂蛋白胆固醇、载脂蛋白B、Lp（a）差异显著；t1=3.01，P1〈0．01，t2=2．21，P2〈0．05，t3=2．64，P3〈0．01，t4=1．91，P4〈0．05。[结论]超敏C反应蛋白、总抗氧化状态联合血脂（甘油三酯、低密度脂蛋白胆固醇、载脂蛋白B、Lp（a））检测对实验室诊断早老性痴呆症具有较好敏感性和特异性，临床应用前景乐观。     

硫化氢及一氧化氦气体信号分子在高原高血压发病中的作用

目的 探讨气体信号分子硫化氢（H2S）及一氧化氮（NO）在高原高血压的病理生理意义。方法 平原体检正常者进入海拔5000m高原（1～3）月期间，在高原暴露时间、劳动强度及生活条件相同的施工群体中随机抽样127人。依血压变化将其分为高原高血压（Ⅰ～Ⅲ级）组78人（进一步分为收缩期高原高血压组与舒张期高原高血压组），高原正常血压组49人，采取肘静脉血，采用敏感硫电极法测定其H2S浓度，Griess法测定血清NO含量。结果 高原高血压组、收缩期高原高血压组、舒张期高原高血压组的血清H2S与NO平均含量均显著增加，分别比正常血压组高34．5％，36．9％，31.7％（均P〈0．001）与28．4％，33．1％，39．7％，（均P〈0．05），尤以H2S更为突出；随着血压分级程度的升高H2S与NO血清含量相应增高，也以H2S更显著（R^2=0．918）；H2S与NO、舒张压间均有密切正相关关系及良好的拟和优度、与氧饱和度呈显著的负相关与拟和优度（R^2=0．374，P=0．001）。结论 H2S与NO的代谢失常可能参与了高原高血压发病过程。     

高转换型肾性骨病中骨保护素及其配体的表达和形态计量学观察

目的 观察高转换型肾性骨病中骨保护素及其配体 (OPG，RANKL)的表达，并与骨形态计量学指标进行相关分析。 方法 选择10例慢性肾衰尿毒症患者和3例正常人进行髂骨活检术，获得骨组织标本。采用免疫组化方法检测OPG和RANKL蛋白质的表达。采用全自动图像分析系统进行骨组织形态计量学测定。结果 10例慢性肾衰尿毒症患者经骨病理学检查证实均为高转换型骨病，以破骨细胞活化形成骨吸收陷窝伴或不伴骨矿化不全为特点。免疫组化显示尿毒症患者骨组织中以RANKL阳性表达为主。与正常对照相比，RANKL阳性表达细胞数目显著增加，OPG阳性表达细胞数目显著减少。尿毒症患者RANKL的阳性表达细胞数目与骨吸收面积和破骨细胞数目呈显著正相关。结论 高转换型肾性骨病中，PTH的溶骨作用可能是通过OPG/RANKL/RANK系统介导的。