磁共振氢谱和CT在非酒精性脂肪性肝病中的对比应用

目的 应用磁共振氢谱(1HMRS)技术和CT定量诊断非酒精性脂肪性肝病(NAFLD).方法 按中华医学会NAFLD诊断标准诊断, NAFLD患者22例(NAFLD组),并以20名健康人为对照组.两组均进行常规体检、肝脏1HMRS扫描和CT平扫,计算肝内脂质含量(IHCL)和CT检测的肝/脾比值,应用SPSS软件包进行多因素相关性分析、独立样本t检验.结果 NAFLD组体重指数、腰臀比,ALT、甘油三酯、尿酸和IHCL较正常组明显升高,分别为(28.4±2.4)kg/m2、0.91±0.04、(71.5±24.8)U/L、(2.48±1.46)mmol/L、(420.7±57.5)μmol/L,27.49%±12.27%对比(21.7±2.2)kg/m2、0.83±0.04、(20.4±10.1)U/L、(372.1±50.6)μmol/L、1.34%±0.79%,P值分别<0.01或<0.05;肝/脾比值较正常组明显下降(0.69±0.24对比1.21±0.14,P<0.01).但IHCL、肝/脾比值和上述指标之间没有明显的相关性,IHCL和肝/脾比值呈负相关.结论 肝脏1HMRS扫描可对肝脏内脂质含量进行准确定量,在非酒精性脂肪性肝病的定量诊断上优于CT平扫.     

Assessment of the American Heart Association's “Life's simple 7” score in French-speaking adults from Québec

Background and aimsThe “Life's Simple 7” (LS7) metrics were developed by the American Heart Association (AHA) to assess and promote cardiovascular health in the American population. The purpose of this study was to assess the overall cardiovascular health of French-speaking adults from the Province of Quebec using the LS7 score.Methods and resultsA total of 777 age and sex-representative participants of five different administrative regions in the Province of Quebec (387 men and 390 women; mean age ± SEM: 41.9 ± 0.1 years) were included in these analyses. Metrics of the LS7 score (smoking, physical activity, diet, body mass index, blood pressure, fasting total cholesterol and blood glucose) were analysed to generate a final score ranging from 0 to 7.Only 0.5% of participants met all criteria for ideal cardiovascular health. The diet metric showed the lowest prevalence of “ideal” scores (4.8%) whereas not smoking was the metric with the highest prevalence (88.1%). Women had a higher LS7 score than men, while age and education level (negative and positive association, respectively; p < 0.0001) were also associated with the LS7 score.ConclusionConsistent with studies conducted among other populations, very few French-speaking adults from the Province of Quebec achieve an ideal cardiovascular health. These data indicate that further public health efforts aimed at promoting the LS7 metrics, focusing primarily on diet, are urgently needed. Specific groups, including older adults and those with lower levels of education, should be targeted when developing cardiovascular health promotion interventions.     

龙岩市764例儿童病毒性脑炎流行病学特征分析

目的分析龙岩市儿童病毒性脑炎（EV）流行病学特征,为制定防治策略提供依据。方法对2004—2011年764例患者进行流行病学、临床表现和检查分析。结果病例无聚集现象,以≤7岁为主,男性较多,5~7月为发病高峰。患儿多出现发热（86.1%）、头痛（64.8%）、呕吐（61.5%）、颅内压增高（72.4%）、脑脊液白细胞数增加（58.4%）、脑电图异常（79.0%）;脑积液病毒分离阳性率18.6%,以埃可病毒（ECV）为主（90.1%）。2004和2010年的暴发疫情分别由ECV19和ECV6引起。结论病毒性脑炎多散在发生,临床表现以无菌性脑膜炎为主,实验室检查有利于病例诊断。ECV是主要病原体,ECV30为当地持续流行的毒株。     

Trends in the prevalence of major cardiovascular disease risk factors among Korean adults: Results from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 1998–2012

Background

Mortality from coronary heart disease in Korea has increased continuously, but there are few comprehensive national data on trend in the prevalence of risk factors for cardiovascular disease in this population. We examined the trends in the prevalence of major risk factors for cardiovascular disease, including smoking, obesity, hypertension, diabetes, and hypercholesterolemia, from 1998 through 2012 in a representative Korean population.

Methods

Using data from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey I (1998) to V (2010–2012), we selected the adults aged ≥ 30 yr who participated in both a health examination and health interview survey.

Results

From 1998 to 2012, significant decrease in the prevalence of hypertension was observed in both men (32.5 to 31.5%) and women (26.9 to 24.3%). Smoking rates decreased only in men (65.1 to 47.0%), whereas the prevalence of diabetes did not change over time. Conversely, the prevalence of hypercholesterolemia significantly increased from 7.2% to 12.6% for men and from 8.4% to 14.9% for women, whereas the rates of awareness and treatment for hypercholesterolemia were relatively lower than that of hypertension and diabetes. During the period, prevalence of obesity significantly increased from 26.8% to 38.1% only in men.

Conclusions

The increased prevalence of hypercholesterolemia and obesity may have contributed to the increasing trend in the mortality from coronary heart disease in Korea. Further population-based surveillance of blood cholesterol levels and obesity needs to be performed, and national strategies for improvement of these factors should be established in Korea.     

Estrogen receptor α is not a candidate gene for metabolic syndrome in Caucasian elderly subjects

Objective

Variants of estrogen receptor α (ERα) have been associated with obesity, dyslipidemia, diabetes and blood pressure. The Middle East registers some of the highest rate of metabolic syndrome worldwide. The aim of this study is to investigate the relationship between metabolic syndrome, a clustered combination of these metabolic factors, and polymorphisms PvuII and XbaI of ERα in Lebanese Caucasian elderly overweight subjects.

Material/Methods

250 Caucasian Lebanese unrelated elderly men and women, median age 71 years, were studied. ERα intronic polymorphisms variants, PvuII and XbaI diplotypes and genotypes, were examined. Associations with metabolic syndrome, defined by the American Heart Association/National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (AHA/NHLBI), and its components, namely high density lipoprotein (HDL), fasting glucose levels, blood pressure, and waist circumference were evaluated in regression models.

Results

ER α diplotypes and genotypes distributions were similar between participants with and without metabolic syndrome, in the overall group of subjects, and by gender. No consistent associations between the diplotypes and genotypes tested and metabolic syndrome, or its components, could be detected.

Conclusions

Genetic variants in ERα were not associated with metabolic syndrome or its components, in a group of 250 Lebanese Caucasian elderly participants, a group with a high prevalence of metabolic syndrome.     

An examination of sex and racial/ethnic differences in the metabolic syndrome among adults: A confirmatory factor analysis and a resulting continuous severity score

Objective

The metabolic syndrome (MetS) is typically diagnosed based on abnormalities in specific clustered clinical measures that are associated with increased risk for coronary heart disease (CHD) and Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). However, current MetS criteria result in racial/ethnic discrepancies. Our goals were to use confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) to delineate differential contributions to MetS by sub-group, and if contributions were discovered, develop sex and racial/ethnic-specific equations to calculate MetS severity.

Research Design and Methods

Using data on adults from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 1999–2010, we performed a CFA of a single MetS factor that allowed differential loadings across groups, resulting in a sex and race/ethnicity-specific continuous MetS severity score.

Results

Loadings to the single MetS factor differed by sub-group for each MetS component (p < 0.001), with lower factor loadings among non-Hispanic-blacks for triglycerides and among Hispanics for waist circumference. Systolic blood pressure exhibited low factor loadings among all groups. MetS severity scores were correlated with biomarkers of future disease (high-sensitivity C-reactive-protein, uric acid, insulin resistance). Non-Hispanic-black-males with diabetics had a low prevalence of MetS but high MetS severity scores that were not significantly different from other racial/ethnic groups.

Conclusions

This analysis among adults uniquely demonstrated differences between sexes and racial/ethnic groups regarding contributions of traditional MetS components to an assumed single factor. The resulting equations provide a clinically-accessible and interpretable continuous measure of MetS for potential use in identifying adults at higher risk for MetS-related diseases and following changes within individuals over time. These equations hold potential to be a powerful new outcome for use in MetS-focused research and interventions.     

Review of radiographic findings in COVID-19

The purpose of this study is to review the published literature for the range of radiographic findings present in patients suffering from coronavirus disease 2019 infection. This novel corona virus is currently the cause of a worldwide pandemic. Pulmonary symptoms and signs dominate the clinical picture and radiologists are called upon to evaluate chest radiographs (CXR) and computed tomography (CT) images to assess for infiltrates and to define their extent, distribution and progression. Multiple studies attempt to characterize the disease course by looking at the timing of imaging relative to the onset of symptoms. In general, plain CXR show bilateral disease with a tendency toward the lung periphery and have an appearance most consistent with viral pneumonia. Chest CT images are most notable for showing bilateral and peripheral ground glass and consolidated opacities and are marked by an absence of concomitant pulmonary nodules, cavitation, adenopathy and pleural effusions. Published literature mentioning organ systems aside from pulmonary manifestations are relatively less common, yet present and are addressed in this review. Similarly, publications focusing on imaging modalities aside from CXR and chest CT are sparse in this evolving crisis and are likewise addressed in this review. The role of imaging is examined as it is currently being debated in the medical community, which is not at all surprising considering the highly infectious nature of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus 2.     

晚发性精神分裂症的研究进展

精神分裂症是一种常见的病因尚未完全阐明的精神病,常有特殊的思维、知觉、情感和行为等多方面的障碍和精神活动与环境的不协调。多起病于青壮年,而临床上起病年龄为40岁以上的精神分裂症患者并不少见。Bleuler于1943年首次提出“晚发性精神分裂症”（Late—onset Schizophrenia）,指出发病年龄在40岁以后的为晚发性精神分裂症。     

Does α-synuclein have a dual and opposing effect in preclinical vs. clinical Parkinson's disease?

α-Synuclein gene (SNCA) multiplications cause familial parkinsonism and allele-length polymorphisms within the SNCA dinucleotide repeat REP1 increase the risk for developing Parkinson's disease (PD). Since SNCA multiplications increase SNCA expression, and REP1 genotypes that increase the risk of developing PD show increased SNCA expression in cell-culture systems, animal models, and human blood and brain, PD therapies seek to reduce SNCA expression. We conducted an observational study of 1098 PD cases to test the hypothesis that REP1 genotypes correlated with reduced SNCA expression are associated with better motor and cognitive outcomes. We evaluated the association of REP1 genotypes with survival free of Hoehn and Yahr stages 4 or 5 (motor outcome) and of Modified Telephone Interview for Cognitive Status score ≤27 or Alzheimer's Disease Dementia Screening Interview score ≥2 (cognitive outcome). Median disease duration at baseline was 3.3 years and median lag time from baseline to follow-up was 7.8 years. Paradoxically, REP1 genotypes associated with increased risk of developing PD and increased SNCA expression were associated with better motor (HR = 0.87, p = 0.046, covariate-adjusted age-scale analysis; HR = 0.85, p = 0.020, covariate-adjusted time-scale analysis) and cognitive outcomes (HR = 0.90, p = 0.12, covariate-adjusted age-scale analysis; HR = 0.85, p = 0.023, covariate-adjusted time-scale analysis). Our findings raise the possibility that SNCA has a dual, opposing, and time-dependent role. This may have implications for the development of therapies that target SNCA expression.