Triad-conditioning Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation in Parkinson's Disease

BackgroundTranscranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) has been used to reveal excitability changes of the primary motor cortex (M1) in Parkinson's disease (PD). Abnormal rhythmic neural activities are considered to play pathophysiological roles in the motor symptoms of PD. The cortical responses to external rhythmic stimulation have not been studied in PD. We recently reported a new method of triad-conditioning TMS to detect the excitability changes after rhythmic conditioning stimuli, which induce facilitation by 40-Hz stimulation in healthy volunteers.ObjectiveWe applied a triad-conditioning TMS to PD patients to reveal the motor cortical response characteristics to rhythmic TMS.MethodsThe subjects included 13 PD patients and 14 healthy volunteers. Three conditioning stimuli over M1 at an intensity of 110% active motor threshold preceded the test TMS at various inter-stimulus intervals corresponding to 10–200 Hz.ResultsThe triad-conditioning TMS at 40 Hz induced no MEP enhancement in PD patients in either the On or Off state, in contrast to the facilitation observed in the normal subjects. Triad-conditioning TMS at 20–33 Hz in the beta frequency elicited significant MEP suppression in PD patients. The amount of suppression at 20 Hz positively correlated with the UPDRS III score.ConclusionWe observed abnormal M1 responses to rhythmic TMS in PD. The suppression induced by beta frequency stimulation and no facilitation by 40-Hz stimulation may be related to abnormal beta and gamma band activities within the cortical-basal ganglia network in PD patients. The motor cortical response to rhythmic TMS may be an additional method to detect physiological changes in humans.     

The clinical use of cerebrospinal fluid biomarker testing for Alzheimer's disease diagnosis: A consensus paper from the Alzheimer's Biomarkers Standardization Initiative

BackgroundCerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarkers β-amyloid 1-42 (Aβ_1-42), also expressed as Aβ_1-42:Aβ_1-40 ratio, T-tau, and P-tau_181P, have proven diagnostic accuracy for mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease (AD). How to use, interpret, and disclose biomarker results drives the need for standardization.MethodsPrevious Alzheimer's Biomarkers Standardization Initiative meetings discussed preanalytical issues affecting Aβ_1-42 and tau in CSF. This second round of consensus meetings focused on issues related to clinical use of AD CSF biomarkers.ResultsConsensus was reached that lumbar puncture for AD CSF biomarker analysis be considered as a routine clinical test in patients with early-onset dementia, at the prodromal stage or with atypical AD. Moreover, consensus was reached on which biomarkers to use, how results should be interpreted, and potential confounding factors.ConclusionsChanges in Aβ_1-42, T-tau, and P-tau_181P allow diagnosis of AD in its prodromal stage. Conversely, having all three biomarkers in the normal range rules out AD. Intermediate conditions require further patient follow-up.     

血清胱抑素C对多发性骨髓瘤肾损害的早期评估

目的检测多发性骨髓瘤（MM）患者血清胱抑素C（Cys-C）水平的变化,探讨其对肾损害的早期评估意义。方法选择42例初发MM患者（MM组）和30例健康体检者（对照组）,MM组按照国际分期标准（ISS）分期：I期9例,Ⅱ期23例,Ⅲ期10例。分别测定其血清Cys-C、肌酐（SCr）及β2-微球蛋白（β2-MG）水平,并比较。结果MM组血清Cys-C水平高于对照组[（2．34±0．57）mg／L比（0．66±0．12）mg／L],且Cys-C水平随ISS分期的升高而升高[I,Ⅱ,Ⅲ期分别为（1．77±0．38）,（2．11±0．46）,（3．14±1．07）mg／L],差异均有统计学意义（P〈0．05）。血清Cys-C水平与β2-MG水平以及SCr水平呈正相关（r=0．760,0．694,P〈0．05）。结论MM患者血清Cys-C水平上调,并与肾损害及肿瘤负荷有关;其可作为评价早期肾损害及肿瘤负荷的潜在指标。     

脉冲振荡肺功能支气管舒张试验阳性患儿的肺功能特征

目的 探讨脉冲振荡肺功能（IOS）支气管舒张试验阳性患儿的肺功能特征,为临床诊治及IOS测定提供依据.方法 选取进行IOS支气管舒张试验测定的患儿70例,其中支气管舒张试验阳性40例,定为阳性组,支气管舒张试验阴性30例,定为阴性组,对两组患儿的主要肺功能参数呼吸总阻抗（Z5）、气道总黏性阻力（R5）、周边气道弹性阻力（X5）、周边气道黏性阻力（Rp）进行分析.结果 阳性组Z5、R5、X5分别为（123.45±24.75）％、（120.09±25.40）％、（138.62±33.48）％,均高于阴性组的（103.89±16.30）％、（102.67±18.16）％,（111.85±14.93）％,差异均有统计学意义（P＜0.05）;阳性组Rp≥19.89 cmH2O/（L·s）（1 cmH2O=0.098 kPa）比例为50.00％（20/40）,高于阴性组的23.33％（7/30）,差异有统计学意义（P＜0.05）.结论 IOS支气管舒张试验阳性患儿的气道阻力明显增高,以X5增高最显著;在各项参数≥100％时,尤其是在X5≥100％时,建议行支气管舒张试验,以降低支气管哮喘的漏诊率.     

一氧化氮吸入联合高频震荡通气治疗新生儿严重呼吸衰竭的疗效分析

目的 探讨一氧化氮吸入(iNO)联合高频震荡通气(HFOV)治疗新生儿严重呼吸衰竭疗效。 方法 选取2013年3月至2016年3月60例HFOV中高参数设置下氧合差的患儿[吸入氧浓度(FIO₂)＞60%,经皮血氧饱和度(TcSO₂)＜80%],采用随机数字表法分为观察组及对照组,观察组予iNO联合HFOV治疗,对照组予单纯HFOV治疗,治疗中监测血气分析、血氧饱和度、血压、心率,监测血常规、出凝血时间、高铁血红蛋白等指标。比较两组的机械通气时间、救治成功率以及并发症发生率。 结果 iNO联合HFOV,能显著改善患儿氧合指数,使呼吸机参数逐渐下调至安全范围,且合理调整参数后患儿无明显不适,缩短患儿机械通气时间,提高呼吸衰竭患儿的抢救成功率。机械通气时间对照组为(107.00±39.60)h,观察组为(89.34±22.75)h,两组比较,差异有统计学意义(P＜0.05);死亡率对照组32.14%,观察组9.37%,两组比较,差异有统计学意义(P＜0.05)。观察组在未用iNO之前PH值、氧分压(PaO₂)、二氧化碳分压(PaCO₂)、动脉氧分压与吸入氧浓度比(PaO₂/FiO₂)、氧合指数(OI)值均差异无统计学意义(P＞0.05)。iNO后2 h、24 h比较差异有统计学意义(P＜0.05)。     

Reproductive actions of prolactin mediated through short and long receptor isoforms

Prolactin (PRL) is a polypeptide hormone with a wide range of physiological functions, and is critical for female reproduction. PRL exerts its action by binding to membrane bound receptor isoforms broadly classified as the long form and the short form receptors. Both receptor isoforms are highly expressed in the ovary as well as in the uterus. Although signaling through the long form is believed to be more predominant, it remains unclear whether activation of this isoform alone is sufficient to support reproductive functions or whether both types of receptor are required. The generation of transgenic mice selectively expressing either the short or the long form of PRL receptor has provided insight into the differential signaling mechanisms and physiological functions of these receptors. This review describes the essential finding that both long and short receptor isoforms are crucial for ovarian functions and female fertility, and highlights novel mechanisms of action for these receptors.     

Spectrotemporal dynamics of the EEG during working memory encoding and maintenance predicts individual behavioral capacity

We investigated the effect of memory load on encoding and maintenance of information in working memory. Electroencephalography (EEG) signals were recorded while participants performed a modified Sternberg visual memory task. Independent component analysis (ICA) was used to factorise the EEG signals into distinct temporal activations to perform spectrotemporal analysis and localisation of source activities. We found ‘encoding’ and ‘maintenance’ operations were correlated with negative and positive changes in α‐band power, respectively. Transient activities were observed during encoding of information in the bilateral cuneus, precuneus, inferior parietal gyrus and fusiform gyrus, and a sustained activity in the inferior frontal gyrus. Strong correlations were also observed between changes in α‐power and behavioral performance during both encoding and maintenance. Furthermore, it was also found that individuals with higher working memory capacity experienced stronger neural oscillatory responses during the encoding of visual objects into working memory. Our results suggest an interplay between two distinct neural pathways and different spatiotemporal operations during the encoding and maintenance of information which predict individual differences in working memory capacity observed at the behavioral level.