The role of glutamate receptors in attention‐deficit/hyperactivity disorder: From physiology to disease

Attention‐deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is the most common psychiatric disorder in children and adolescents, which is characterized by behavioral problems such as attention deficit, hyperactivity, and impulsivity. As the receptors of the major excitatory neurotransmitter in the mammalian central nervous system (CNS), glutamate receptors (GluRs) are strongly linked to normal brain functioning and pathological processes. Extensive investigations have been made about the structure, function, and regulation of GluR family, describing evidences that support the disruption of these mechanisms in mental disorders, including ADHD. In this review, we briefly described the family and function of GluRs in the CNS, and discussed what is recently known about the role of GluRs in ADHD, that including GluR genes, animal models, and the treatment, which would help us further elucidate the etiology of ADHD.     

Three additional de novo CTCF mutations in Chinese patients help to define an emerging neurodevelopmental disorder

CCCTC‐binding factor (CTCF) is an important regulator for global genomic organization and gene expression. CTCF gene had been implicated in a novel disorder characterized by intellectual disability, feeding difficulty, developmental delay and microcephaly. So far, four patients have been reported with de novo CTCF mutations. We reported three additional Chinese patients with de novo variants in CTCF. The new evidence helped to establish the clinical validity between CTCF and the emerging disorder. We described the consistent phenotypes shared by all patients and revealed additional clinical features such as delayed or abnormal teeth development and a unique pattern of the eyebrow that may help to define a potential recognizable neurodevelopmental disorder. We also reported the first CTCF patient treated with recombinant human growth hormone. Follow‐up and more case studies will further our understanding to the clinical presentations of this novel disorder and the prognosis of patients with this disorder.     

血管生成的调节在瘢痕形成过程中的作用

血管生成的调节主要发生在创面愈合过程中的后2个阶段,即增生期、重塑期。正常情况下,创面形成大量排列紊乱的毛细血管床,但随着创面逐渐愈合,大部分血管凋亡、退化,并重新排列,最终恢复正常皮肤毛细血管结构与密度。该过程受一系列复杂分子及信号通路的调控,主要包括促血管生成和抗血管生成2方面因子的刺激,但关于创面血管功能和毛细血管增生如何影响瘢痕形成的关键问题仍未得到解答。本综述总结国内外现有研究成果,全面阐述创面血管生成的调控机制,深入探讨血管生成和瘢痕形成之间的关系以及血管异常生长影响瘢痕形成的潜在机制,介绍针对血管形成的相关治疗方案,为减少创面瘢痕形成提供新的思路。     

社区常见恶性肿瘤筛查研究

目的探寻一种简便的恶性肿瘤初筛自查方法。方法将人体肿瘤分为三类:体表肿瘤约占15％;空腔脏器肿瘤占65％;深层实体脏器肿瘤20％。通过科普宣传教育,让群众学会自查体表部位肿瘤,每年用自查盒助查各空腔脏器有无微量出血,隐血阳性时,去医院进一步精查。北京部分大学选40～70岁居民1万人,分成试验组、对照组各5千人。结果试验四年后:试验组共查出79例癌,年平均癌检出率482.5人/10万,癌死亡率为12.2/10万;对照组癌死亡率206.2人/10万,两组有显著性差异。在癌症高发区,同时作扩大普查试验:广东四会市肿瘤所,在门诊普查1669人,检出25例癌,鼻咽癌占24例。1999～2000年,江苏省食管胃癌高发区,普查近8万人,检出480例癌。加上“九五”以前的普查统计,用秦氏自查盒已筛查431075人,检出1272例癌,癌前病变1万多例。结论试验证明该方案设计合理,在当前是一种最简便的恶性肿瘤初筛自查方法。     

A cross-sectional serum investigation of a clustering hepatitis C virus infection in Southwest China

Serum samples were collected in a village with a clustering hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. HCV antibody, HCV RNA loads, liver function indexes, HCV envelope antibody, and neutralizing activity were assessed. Among 851 adult sera, 342 samples were positive for anti-HCV. Of these positive samples, 254 (74.3%) were HCV RNA positive (≥800 copies/mL). None of the 69 children's sera were positive for HCV antibody or RNA. Among the HCV antibody positive sera, alanine aminotransferase, and aspartate aminotransferase levels increased with the higher virus loads, but decreased when virus loads were higher than 1 × 10 ⁶ copies/mL. HCV envelope antibody and neutralizing antibody levels increased with viral load.     

低温常压等离子技术在肿瘤学中的应用

等离子医学是研究等离子技术在医学领域应用的一门新兴科学。简述低温常压等离子技术,着重介绍其在肿瘤学中的应用。在肿瘤学领域中,等离子技术通过直接处理肿瘤细胞,产生大量活性物质引起肿瘤细胞的凋亡、坏死和自噬,从而发挥对肿瘤组织的直接致死性作用;等离子技术也可通过活化液体,使活化液体具备细胞毒性作用,从而发挥对肿瘤组织的间接致死性作用;同时等离子技术也具有诸多对肿瘤组织的非致死性作用;此外等离子技术也可参与构建化疗药物的缓释系统,协助药物跨生物膜转运,与传统化疗药物产生协同抗肿瘤的作用等,在肿瘤药物学领域发挥重要作用。     

The life cycles of two species of Myxomycetes in Physarales,Physarum rigidum and Didymium squamulosum

Myxomycetes are eukaryotic microorganisms containing characteristics akin to both fungi and amoebae. They can complete their whole life cycles while being cultured on agar media, and under‐laboratory conditions, which favors taxonomic, phylogenetic, and cytological researches. Here, we describe the life cycles of two such species: Didymium squamulosum collected from the field and Physarum rigidum cultured from moist chamber both belonging to the Order Physarales. Three per cent oat‐agar media (OAM) was used to culture the plasmodia until they aggregated and were almost starved. Natural light was then applied to the plasmodia to induce fructification. Their life cycles share the same common stages, namely: spore, myxamoebae, swarm cell, plasmodia, and sporulation. In this study, we describe the morphogenesis from spore to spore of two species by differential interference contrast (DIC) and stereoscopic microscopies, as well as discuss the differences between the development of both species and interspecies. We found that the spore germination method of both species was the same. However, there were differences noted in time taken and fruiting body formation. Unlike P. rigidum, the species D. squamulosum did not require natural light stimulation. Moreover, the maturation process of both species had similar color transitions but exhibited distinct morphology in each developmental stage except during the swarm cell stage.     

Gallol‐Tethered Injectable AuNP Hydrogel with Desirable Self‐Healing and Catalytic Properties

Injectable self‐healing hydrogels have drawn growing attention for their extensive applications in biomedical fields. Hydrogels containing nanoparticles also exhibit promising potentials in catalysis, wastewater treatment, and organic synthesis. Inspired by the multifunction of gallol presented herein, a simple one‐pot method to produce a gallol‐tethered gelatin hydrogel via Schiff base under oxidizing conditions using various oxidants is presented. The hydrogels prepared by NaIO₄‐induced cross‐linking present a high self‐healing rate (up to 84.5%), injectable ability, tunable mechanical property, flexible viscoelasticity, and macroporous structure owing to the combination of covalent cross‐linking and supramolecular interactions. HAuCl₄ contributes to the 3D structure formation of the gelatin hydrogel via oxidation cross‐linking. It is reduced by the gallol groups to produce nanogold (AuNP)‐decorated hydrogel (Au‐gel). This Au‐gel is fully characterized by UV–vis, XRD, TEM, SEM, EDX, and ICP‐MS and exhibits a high‐catalytic activity for the reduction of 4‐nitrophenol. The solid Au‐gel catalyst is robust, easily recyclable, and reused at least eight times.     

Rapamycin attenuates Tc1 and Tc17 cell responses in cigarette smoke-induced emphysema in mice

Inflammation Research - Chronic exposure to cigarette smoke promotes airway inflammation and emphysema accompanied by enhanced CD8+ interferon (IFN)-γ+ T(Tc1) and CD8+ interleukin (IL)-17+...     

Novel missense mutation in VPS33B is associated with isolated low gamma‐glutamyltransferase cholestasis: Attenuated,incomplete phenotype of arthrogryposis,renal dysfunction,and cholestasis syndrome

The typical phenotype of arthrogryposis, renal dysfunction, and cholestasis (ARC) syndrome involves three cardinal symptoms as the name describes, harboring biallelic mutations on VPS33B or VIPAS39. Except for ARC syndrome, low gamma‐glutamyltransferase (GGT) cholestasis often implies hereditary hepatopathy of different severity; however, some remain undiagnosed. Several monogenic defects typically with multiorgan manifestations may only present liver dysfunction at times, such as DGUOK defect and AGL defect. Previously, four VPS33B mutated cases were reported without arthrogryposis, or with less severe symptoms and longer lifespan, indicating the possibility of incomplete ARC phenotype of isolated hepatopathy. So we retrospectively reviewed all patients with confirmed VPS33B/VIPARS39 defect in our center and identified three presenting isolated low‐GGT cholestasis with intractable pruritus. Distinguished from others with typical ARC phenotype, these patients did not suffer the other two typical characteristics, survived much longer, and shared a novel missense VPS33B variation c.1726T>C, p.Cys576Arg, causing declined protein expression and abolished interaction with VIPAS39 in‐vitro. Serum bile acid profiles of our VPS33B/VIPAS39 mutated patients revealed similar changes to primary defect of bile salt export pump, among which those with isolated cholestasis phenotype had a higher level of total secondary bile acids than that with typical ARC phenotype, indicating the partial residual function of VPS33B.