Neurological Soft Signs Predict Auditory Verbal Hallucinations in Patients With Schizophrenia

Neurological soft signs (NSS) are well documented in individuals with schizophrenia (SZ), yet so far, the relationship between NSS and specific symptom expression is unclear. We studied 76 SZ patients using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to determine associations between NSS, positive symptoms, gray matter volume (GMV), and neural activity at rest. SZ patients were hypothesis-driven stratified according to the presence or absence of auditory verbal hallucinations (AVH; n = 34 without vs 42 with AVH) according to the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale. Structural MRI data were analyzed using voxel-based morphometry, whereas intrinsic neural activity was investigated using regional homogeneity (ReHo) measures. Using ANCOVA, AVH patients showed significantly higher NSS in motor and integrative functions (IF) compared with non-hallucinating (nAVH) patients. Partial correlation revealed that NSS IF were positively associated with AVH symptom severity in AVH patients. Such associations were not confirmed for delusions. In region-of-interest ANCOVAs comprising the left middle and superior temporal gyri, right paracentral lobule, and right inferior parietal lobule (IPL) structure and function, significant differences between AVH and nAVH subgroups were not detected. In a binary logistic regression model, IF scores and right IPL ReHo were significant predictors of AVH. These data suggest significant interrelationships between sensorimotor integration abilities, brain structure and function, and AVH symptom expression.     

基于灰度共生矩阵和人工神经网络的肺癌CT图像的分类研究

目的研究小细胞肺癌（SCLC）和非小细胞肺癌（NSCLC）的分类问题。方法217例肺癌患者．其中男性165例．殳性52例;年龄35～80岁,平均年龄61．5岁。其中SCLC108例,NSCLC109例。提取患者764幅肺癌CT图像的灰度共生矩阵,选取对比度、熵、能量和逆差矩4个特征值,借助临床确诊结果,利用多层前向（BP）、径向基函数（RBF）人工神经网络对特征进行训练测试。结果BP人工神经网络对10％的78例样本进行测试,SCLC42例预测正确．NSCLC33例预测正确．3例预测失败。RBF神经网络对10％的78例测试样本进行测试,SCLC42例预测正确．NSCLC36例预测正确、类似方法对样本总数的70％进行训练,用30％的230例进行测试;BP人工神经网络有209例预测正确。正确率为90．9％：其中SCLC111例预测正确,正确检出率为88．8％;NSCLC98例预测正确,正确检出率为93.3％。RBF人工神经网络有216例预测正确．正确率为93．9％,其中SCLC117例预测正确,正确率为93．6％;NSCLC99例预测正确,止确检出率为94.3％。可见BP、RBF人1二神经网络对SCLC和NSCLC均具有90％以上的正确率,高于人工诊断结果。结论基于灰度共生矩阵的对比度、熵、能量和逆差矩4个特征值能反映SCLC和NSCLC的有效特征参量．通过人工神经网络能达到分类目的,辅助临床治疗。     

基于体素的形态学MRI观察未经药物治疗的强迫症患者脑灰质结构改变

目的 探查未经药物治疗的强迫症患者脑灰质结构存在异常的区域,并探讨脑灰质体积改变与临床症状之间的关系.方法 用基于体素的形态学方法(voxel-based morphometry,VBM),对比分析21例未经药物治疗的强迫症患者和21例年龄、性别及受教育程度相匹配的正常对照者脑灰质体积存在差异的脑区,并采用耶鲁-布郎量表(Y-BOCS)、汉密尔顿抑郁量表(HAMD)及汉密尔顿焦虑量表(HAMA)评估临床症状.结果 强迫症患者与正常对照者相比脑灰质结构存在明显萎缩的区域主要位于双侧眶额叶、前扣带回、右侧丘脑以及右侧小脑(P＜0.05,FDR校正),患者左侧眶额叶的灰质体积与耶鲁布朗量表评分之间存在负相关(r=-0.63,P＜0.01).结论“皮质-纹状体-丘脑-皮质”环路的结构异常在强迫症的发病机制中起着重要作用,同时表明环路外小脑等结构的异常也可能参与了强迫症的病理生理学进程.     

Cerebral blood flow and gray matter volume covariance patterns of cognition in aging

Advancing age results in altered cognitive and neuroimaging‐derived markers of neural integrity. Whether cognitive changes are the result of variations in brain measures remains unclear and relating the two across the lifespan poses a unique set of problems. It must be determined whether statistical associations between cognitive and brain measures truly exist and are not epiphenomenal due solely to their shared relationships with age. The purpose of this study was to determine whether cerebral blood flow (CBF) and gray matter volume (GMV) measures make unique and better predictions of cognition than age alone. Multivariate analyses identified brain‐wide covariance patterns from 35 healthy young and 23 healthy older adults using MRI‐derived measures of CBF and GMV related to three cognitive composite scores (i.e., memory, fluid ability, and speed/attention). These brain‐cognitive relationships were consistent across the age range, and not the result of epiphenomenal associations with age and each imaging modality provided its own unique information. The CBF and GMV patterns each accounted for unique aspects of cognition and accounted for nearly all the age‐related variance in the cognitive composite scores. The findings suggest that measures derived from multiple imaging modalities explain larger amounts of variance in cognition providing a more complete understanding of the aging brain. Hum Brain Mapp 34:3267–3279, 2013. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Differential distribution of parvalbumin- and calbindin-D28K-immunoreactive neurons in the rat periaqueductal gray matter and their colocalization with enzymes producing nitric oxide

The distribution, colocalization with enzymes producing nitric oxide (NO), and the synaptic organization of neurons containing two calcium-binding proteins (CaBPs) – parvalbumin (Parv) and calbindin-D28K (Calb) – were investigated in the rat periaqueductal gray matter (PAG). Parv-immunopositive (Parv_IP) neurons were detected in the mesencephalic nucleus and rarely in the PAG. Calb_IP neurons were found both in the dorsolateral (PAG-dl) and ventrolateral PAG (PAG-vl); their size ranged from 112.96 μm² (PAG-dl) to 125.13 μm² (PAG-vl). Ultrastructurally Parv and Calb immunoreactivity was mostly found in dendritic profiles. Axon terminals containing each of the two CaBPs formed symmetric synapses. Moreover both Parv and Calb were used to label a subpopulation of NO-producing neurons. Colocalization was investigated using two protocols: (i) a combination of Calb and Parv immunocytochemistry (Icc) with nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate diaphorase (NADPH-d) histochemistry (Hi) and (ii) neuronal NO synthase-Icc (nNOS) (immunofluorescence).Both techniques demonstrated a complete lack of colocalization of Parv and NADPH-d/nNOS in PAG neurons.Double-labeled (DL) neurons (Calb-NADPH-d; Calb-nNOS) were detected in PAG-dl. NADPH-d-Hi/Calb-Icc indicated that 41–47% of NADPH-d-positive neurons contained Calb, whereas 17–23% of Calb_IP cells contained NADPH-d. Two-color immunofluorescence revealed that 53–66% of nNOS_IP cells colocalized with Calb and 24–34% of Calb_IP neurons contained nNOS. DL neuron size was 104.44 μm²; neurons labeled only with NADPH-d or Calb measured 89.793 μm² and 113.48 μm², respectively.Together with previous findings (Barbaresi et al. [2012]) these data suggest that:

• (i) PAG-dl and PAG-vl contain fast CaBPs, (ii) a high degree of heterogeneity exists in PAG-dl, (iii) two subpopulations of NO-producing neurons containing distinct CaBPs are found in PAG-dl.

Therefore the important aspect of the PAG intrinsic organization emerging from this and previous double-labeling studies is the chemical diversity of NO-synthesizing neurons, which is likely related to the different functions in which these neurons are involved.     

A longitudinal study of age‐ and gender‐related annual rate of volume changes in regional gray matter in healthy adults

The aim of this study was to analyze correlations among the annual rate of gray matter volume change, age, gender, and cerebrovascular risk factors in 381 healthy community‐dwelling subjects with a large age range by applying a longitudinal design over 6 years using brain magnetic resonance images (MRIs). Brain MRI data were processed with voxel‐based morphometry using a custom template by applying diffeomorphic anatomical registration using the exponentiated lie algebra procedure. The annual rate of regional gray matter volume change showed significant positive correlations with age in several regions, including the bilateral temporal pole, caudate nucleus, ventral and dorsolateral prefrontal cortices, insula, hippocampus, and temporoparietal cortex, whereas significant negative correlations with age were observed in several regions including the bilateral cingulate gyri and anterior lobe of the cerebellum. Additionally, a significant age‐by‐gender interaction was found for the annual rate of regional gray matter volume change in the bilateral hippocampus. No significant correlations were observed between the annual rate of regional gray matter volume change and body mass index or systolic blood pressure. A significant positive correlation between the annual rate of gray matter volume change and age indicates that the region shows not linear but accelerated gray matter loss with age. Therefore, evaluating the annual rate of the gray matter volume change with age in healthy subjects is important in understanding how gray matter volume changes with aging in each brain region and in anticipating what cognitive functions are likely to show accelerated decline with aging. Hum Brain Mapp 34:2292–2301, 2013. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

续断“发汗”前后HPLC指纹图谱与细胞增殖分化药效的谱效关系研究

目的研究续断"发汗"前后水煎液HPLC指纹图谱与促进大鼠成骨细胞、人成骨样MG-63细胞增殖药效的谱效关系,寻找续断发汗前后发挥药效的物质基础,为明确"发汗"对药效的影响提供依据。方法采用DAD检测器建立续断"发汗"前后水煎液的HPLC指纹图谱,采用灰色关联度分析法建立其谱效关系。结果 14和4号峰代表的化学成分与成骨细胞的增殖分化及MG-63细胞的增殖都具有较高的关联度,关联度均在0.7以上。与成骨细胞增殖、MG-63细胞增殖、碱性磷酸酶(ALP)活性3个药效指标关联度排序比较靠前的特征峰有14、4、6、16、13、11、5号峰。结合前期研究推断,这些峰可能为川续断皂苷VI、绿原酸、马钱苷、川续断皂苷IV同分异构体、川续断皂苷X、异绿原酸C、咖啡酸。结论川续断皂苷VI、绿原酸、马钱苷、川续断皂苷IV同分异构体、川续断皂苷X、异绿原酸C、咖啡酸可能是续断"发汗"前后影响细胞增殖分化作用的主要物质基础,进而影响其药效。     

The Role of Platelets and ε‐Aminocaproic Acid in Arthrogryposis,Renal Dysfunction,and Cholestasis (ARC) Syndrome Associated Hemorrhage

Arthrogryposis, renal dysfunction, and cholestasis (ARC) syndrome is a rare disorder associated with platelet abnormalities resembling gray platelet syndrome. Affected patients have normal platelet numbers but abnormal morphology and function. Bleeding symptomatology ranges from postprocedural to spontaneous life‐threatening hemorrhage. We report a patient with ARC syndrome and compound heterozygous mutations in VPS33B (vacuolar protein sorting 33B) who presented with significant bleeding requiring numerous admissions and transfusions. She was treated with prophylactic platelet transfusions and ε‐aminocaproic acid. This was well‐tolerated and significantly decreased transfusion requirements and admissions for bleeding. Our experience provides support for consideration of prophylactic measures in these patients as well as the possibility of using prophylaxis in related disorders.     

Three-dimensional ultrasonographic placental volume in gestational diabetes mellitus

Objectives: We aimed to evaluate the placental volume and placental mean gray value in gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and healthy placentas using three-dimensional (3D) ultrasound and Virtual Organ Computer-aided AnaLysis (VOCAL).

Methods: This case-control prospective study consisted of 39 singleton pregnancies complicated by GDM and 42 healthy singleton pregnancies matched for gestational age, maternal age and parity. Placental volume and placental volumetric mean gray values were evaluated. The placental volume (cm³) was analyzed using the VOCAL imaging analysis program and 3D histogram was used to calculate the volumetric mean gray value (%).

Results: Placental volume was significantly larger in GDM (411.59?±?170.82 versus 343.86?±?128.94?cm³; p?=?0.046). There was no significant difference in mean gray value between GDM and healthy placentas (36.65?±?7.02 versus 38.71?±?7.91, respectively; p?=?0.277). Placental volume was significantly correlated with gestational week (r?=?0.219, p?=?0.035) and parity (r?=?0.228, p?=?0.048). There was negative significant relation between placental volume and umbilical artery systolic/diastolic ratio, pulsatility index and resistance index (r?=??0.278, p?=?0.007; r?=??0.315, p?=?0.002; r?=??0.322, p?=?0.001, respectively).

Conclusions: Placental volume increases significantly in GDM, whereas mean gray values do not alter significantly. These data may reflect the placental changes in GDM placentas that may help to understand the pathophysiology better.