Transforming brain signals related to value evaluation and self‐control into behavioral choices

The processes involved in value evaluation and self‐control are critical when making behavioral choices. However, the evidence linking these two types of processes to behavioral choices in intertemporal decision‐making remains elusive. As the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC), striatum, and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC) have been associated with these two processes, we focused on these three regions. We employed functional magnetic resonance imaging during a delayed discounting task (DDT) using a relatively large sample size, three independent samples. We evaluated how much information about a specific choice could be decoded from local patterns in each brain area using multivoxel pattern analysis (MVPA). To investigate the relationship between the dlPFC and vmPFC/striatum regions, we performed a psychophysiological interaction (PPI) analysis. In Experiment I, we found that the vmPFC and dlPFC, but not the striatum, could determine choices in healthy participants. Furthermore, we found that the dlPFC showed significant functional connectivity with the vmPFC, but not the striatum, when making decisions. These results could be replicated in Experiment II with an independent sample of healthy participants. In Experiment III, the choice‐decoding accuracy in the vmPFC and dlPFC was lower in patients with addiction (smokers and participants with Internet gaming disorder) than in healthy participants, and decoding accuracy in the dlPFC was related to impulsivity in addicts. Taken together, our findings may provide neural evidence supporting the hypothesis that value evaluation and self‐control processes both guide the intertemporal choices, and might provide potential neural targets for the diagnosis and treatment of impulsivity‐related brain disorders.     

Increased intracranial hemorrhage of mechanical thrombectomy in acute ischemic stroke patients with atrial fibrillation

Journal of Thrombosis and Thrombolysis - The impact of atrial fibrillation (AF) on outcomes of mechanical thrombectomy (MT) for acute ischemic stroke (AIS) is controversial, and with a paucity of...     

I125 irradiation stent for treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma with portal vein thrombosis: A meta-analysis

PurposeA meta-analysis aimed to systematically evaluate the safety and efficiency of I¹²⁵ irradiation stent placement for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) combined with portal vein tumor thrombosis (PVTT).Materials and methodsThe Cochrane library, PubMed/Medline, EMBASE, CNKI, Wanfang Data and CQVIP were systematically screened out from the earliest to December 2019. The qualities of all included studies were assessed. The primary endpoints were the 6-month, 12-month stent cumulative patency rate and 6-month, 12-month, 24-month overall survival rate while the secondary endpoints were the objective response rate of PVTT, main portal venous pressure changes and treatment-related adverse events. Our meta-analysis was conducted using Stata 12.0 software.ResultsTotally seven studies with 1018 patients were included in the final analysis, in which 602 patients received TACE and I¹²⁵ irradiation stent placement, and 416 patients in control group underwent TACE and stent placement without endovascular brachytherapy (EVBT). Meta-analysis showed that the I¹²⁵ irradiation stent improved the cumulative stent patency rates in 6 months [OR = 1.65, 95% CI (1.32–2.05), P < 0.001] and 12 months [OR = 2.55, 95% CI (1.90–3.42), P < 0.001] and the survival rates in 6 months [OR = 1.77, 95% CI (1.41–2.22), P < 0.001], 12 months [OR = 3.14, 95% CI (2.24–4.40), P < 0.001] and 24 months [OR = 7.39, 95% CI (3.55–15.41), P < 0.001]. However, there was no difference in the objective response rate of PVTT [OR = 1.13, 95% CI (0.87–1.48), P = 0.365], main portal venous pressure and the occurrence adverse event [OR = 0.88, CI = 0.72–1.08, P = 0.212] between two groups.ConclusionI¹²⁵ irradiation stent seems to be more effective in treating hepatocellular carcinoma with portal vein tumor thrombosis. The usage of portal vein stent combined endovascular brachytherapy has the potential to act as an alternative therapy for HCC with PVTT. On account of the limitation of studies included, more studies with high-level evidence, such as RCTs, are requisite to support the above promising results.     

Adeno-associated virus (AAV)-mediated neuroprotective effects on the degenerative retina: the therapeutic potential of erythropoietin

Retinal degeneration (RD) results in photoreceptor loss and irreversible visual impairments. This study sought to alleviate the photoreceptor degeneration via the adeno-associated virus (AAV)-mediated erythropoietin (EPO) therapy. AAV-2/2-mCMV-EPO vectors were constructed and delivered into the subretinal space of a RD model. The retinal morphology, optokinetic behaviour and electrophysiological function of the treated animals were analysed. The subretinal delivery of AAV-2/2 vectors induced robust EPO gene expressions in the retinas. AAV2/2-mediated EPO therapy ameliorated the photoreceptor degeneration and visual impairments of the RD animal model. Furthermore, the multi-electrodes array (MEA) was used to detect the firing activities of retinal ganglion cells. MEA recording showed that the EPO therapy could restrain the spontaneous firing response, enhance the light-induced firing response and preserve the basic configurations of visual signal pathway in RD model. Our MEA assay provided an example to evaluate the potency of pharmacological compounds on retinal plasticity. In conclusion, AAV2/2-mediated EPO therapy can ameliorate the photoreceptor degeneration and rectify the abnormities in visual signal transmission. These beneficial results suggest the AAV vector is a viable therapeutic option for retinopathies with rapidly degenerating kinetics and lay the groundwork for future development of EPO gene therapy.     

Euxanthone Impairs the Metastatic Potential of Osteosarcoma by Reducing COX-2 Expression

Osteosarcoma (OS) is one of the most common malignancies of bone. This study was aimed to explore the anti-metastatic effect of euxanthone on OS. Adhesion assay and Transwell assay were used to examine the effect of euxanthone on adhesion, migration and invasion of OS cells. COX-2-over-expressing plasmid was applied to transfect OS cells to assess whether COX-2 affects the anti-metastatic function of euxanthone. PDCD4 knockdown and miR-21 mimic were applied to assess whether euxanthone suppresses the transactivation of c-jun via modulating miR-21-PDCD4 signaling. The effect of euxanthone in vivo was also examined by lung metastasis assay. Euxanthone, a xanthone derivative extracted from Polygala caudata, has been found to exhibit anti-neoplastic activities. In present study, our results showed that euxanthone suppressed cell adhesion, migration, and invasion in OS cells. Our experimental data also showed that repression of COX-2 by euxanthone mediated its anti-metastatic activities. Moreover, our findings revealed that euxanthone modulated the COX-2 expression through the miR-21/PDCD4/c-jun signaling pathway. The anti-metastatic activities of euxanthone were also validated in a pulmonary metastasis model. Taken together, our results highlighted the potential of euxanthone to be used in the treatment of OS. Anat Rec, 302:1399–1408, 2019. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

缺血性脑卒中治疗时间窗后辅助溶栓治疗的进展

组织纤溶酶原激活物（tPA）溶栓是缺血性脑卒中治疗的金标准,然而,tPA的治疗时间窗和超过治疗时间窗后再应用所致的致命性副作用限制其的临床应用。为了解决tPA应用的限制性,可联合应用tPA与其他药物或非药物的介入方式治疗,且部分联合治疗方案经实验验证可以减轻治疗时间窗外应用tPA所致并发症,尤其是出血性转化（HT）。联合应用药物的作用机制包括保护血脑屏障,增强血管生成作用和保护脑血管。非药物介入方式则包括干细胞移植和有多方面生物效应的气体治疗。tPA与上述治疗方式的联合应用旨在减轻滞后tPA治疗所致的副作用和脑卒中所诱发的神经性缺损和行为损伤。因此,辅助治疗是一种创新的治疗形式,可解决tPA治疗的限制因素,并可能延长缺血性脑卒中的治疗时间窗。     

多维分析法在住院病案首页数据质量评价中的应用

目的利用多维分析法对住院病案首页数据质量进行评价,以形成科学、系统的住院病案首页质控管理模式,提升住院病案首页填写质量。方法对某三甲医院2019年1月至12月的住院病案按照随机数字表法抽取3000份,采用多维分析法,从住院病案首页填报的完整性、准确性、住院病案首页优质率三个方面进行分析。结果该院住院病案首页数据的完整率、准确率及住院病案首页质量优质率分别为92.40%,96.03%和91.80%。住院病案首页中缺失较多的项目为RH血型、ABO血型、是否有31天再入院计划等;错误较多的项目为主要诊断、主要手术及操作及主要诊断、主要手术及操作编码。其中内科系统及重症医学科完整率高于外科系统,内科系统正确性及住院病案首页优质率高于外科系统和重症医学科,差异均有统计学意义(均P<0.05)。结论多维分析方法是住院病案首页数据质量控制的重要辅助工具,可为临床及医院管理人员进行住院病案首页数据质量控制提供科学的依据。