Psychosomatic Aspects of Problem Cases in the Practice of Medicine

The improvement that follows the use of cortisone and corticotropin in most diseases of the skin is of short duration. Maintenance therapy may control, but does not cure, any of the serious dermatoses. Relapses are common, both during and after treatment. In order to produce even temporary successful effects, the physiologic actions of the drugs must be understood.     

Modified constraint-induced movement therapy alters synaptic plasticity of rat contralateral hippocampus following middle cerebral artery occlusion

Modified constraint-induced movement therapy is an effective treatment for neurological and motor impairments in patients with stroke by increasing the use of their affected limb and limiting the contralateral limb.However,the molecular mechanism underlying its efficacy remains unclear.In this study,a middle cerebral artery occlusion(MCAO)rat model was produced by the suture method.Rats received modified constraint-induced movement therapy 1 hour a day for 14 consecutive days,starting from the 7^th day after middle cerebral artery occlusion.Day 1 of treatment lasted for 10 minutes at 2r/min,day 2 for 20 minutes at 2 r/min,and from day 3 onward for 20 minutes at 4 r/min.CatWalk gait analysis,adhesive removal test,and Y-maze test were used to investigate motor function,sensory function as well as cognitive function in rodent animals from the 1st day before MCAO to the 21^st day after MCAO.On the 21^st day after MCAO,the neurotransmitter receptor-related genes from both contralateral and ipsilateral hippocampi were tested by micro-array and then verified by western blot assay.The glutamate related receptor was shown by transmission electron microscopy and the glutamate content was determined by high-performance liquid chromatography.The results of behavior tests showed that modified constraint-induced movement therapy promoted motor and sensory functional recovery in the middle cerebral artery-occluded rats,but had no effect on cognitive function.The modified constraint-induced movement therapy upregulated the expression of glutamate ionotropic receptor AMPA type subunit 3(Gria3)in the hippocampus and downregulated the expression of the beta3-adrenergic receptor gene Adrb3 and arginine vasopressin receptor 1 A,Avprla in the middle cerebral artery-occluded rats.In the ipsilateral hippocampus,only Adra2 a was downregulated,and there was no significant change in Gria3.Transmission electron microscopy revealed a denser distribution the more distribution of postsynaptic glutamate receptor 2/3,which is an a-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazole-propionic acid receptor,within 240 nm of the postsynaptic density in the contralateral cornu ammonis 3 region.The size and distribution of the synaptic vesicles within 100 nm of the presynaptic active zone were unchanged.Western blot analysis showed that modified constraint-induced movement therapy also increased the expression of glutamate receptor 2/3 and brain-derived neurotrophic factor in the hippocampus of rats with middle cerebral artery occlusion,but had no effect on Synapsin I levels.Besides,we also found modified constraint-induced movement therapy effectively reduced glutamate content in the contralateral hippocampus.This study demonstrated that modified constraint-induced movement therapy is an effective rehabilitation therapy in middle cerebral artery-occluded rats,and suggests that these positive effects occur via the upregulation of the postsynaptic membrane a-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazole-propionic acid receptor expression.This study was approved by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee of Fudan University,China(approval No.201802173 S)on March 3,2018.     

CIMT促进脑缺血大鼠运动功能恢复与局部脑区葡萄糖代谢的相关性

目的 研究脑缺血再灌注(middle cerebral artery occlusion，MCAO)模型大鼠在强制性运动疗法(constraint-induced movement therapy，CIMT)干预前后局部脑区葡萄糖代谢水平与行为学评分的相关性，及MCAO模型大鼠自然恢复过程及CIMT干预后的运动恢复情况与脑区激活的相关性，并进一步探讨CIMT的作用机制。方法 将22只健康雄性SD大鼠随机分为实验组(6只)、对照组(6只)、假手术组(6只)和正常组(4只)。实验组和对照组通过线栓法建立大鼠MCAO模型，假手术组在手术中不阻断大脑中动脉，正常组不予特殊处理。术后对实验组和假手术组大鼠进行CIMT治疗。在术后第7天和第22天，利用错步实验(foot-fault test，FFT)和平衡木实验(beam balance and walking，BBW)进行前肢运动功能评估；采用微型正电子发射断层扫描仪(micro PET/CT)对大鼠大脑的葡萄糖代谢情况进行扫描；采用皮尔逊相关分析法分别将脑缺血组大鼠的行为学评分与各脑区葡萄糖代谢水平进行相关性分析。结果 术后第7天，实验组和对照组大鼠的BBW得分分别与左侧脑区的岛叶皮层、听觉皮层的葡萄糖代谢水平呈负相关，与右侧的脑区后腹部海马、上丘和下丘的葡萄糖代谢水平呈正相关，差异均有统计学意义；错步率分别与左侧脑区的躯体感觉皮层、岛叶皮层和眶额叶皮层的葡萄糖代谢水平呈负相关，与右侧的中脑葡萄糖代谢水平呈正相关，差异均有统计学意义。术后22天，实验组和对照组大鼠的BBW得分分别与左侧脑区的杏仁核、壳尾核、岛叶皮层和内嗅皮层的葡萄糖代谢水平呈正相关，且与右侧脑区的伏隔核和壳尾核的葡萄糖代谢水平呈负相关，差异均有统计学意义；错步率与右侧内嗅皮层呈负相关，差异具有统计学意义。结论 CIMT促进大鼠运动功能恢复与双侧大脑半球的激活有关。CIMT促进脑缺血大鼠平衡功能的改善主要与右侧伏隔核的激活有关，其促进大鼠精细抓握功能的恢复可能与右侧内嗅皮层的激活有关。     

Cardiovascular involvement in systemic rheumatic diseases: An integrated view for the treating physicians

Systemic autoimmune diseases can affect various kinds of organs including the kidney, the skin, soft tissue and the bone. Among others, cardiovascular involvement in rheumatic diseases has been shown to affect myocardium, pericardium, cardiac vessels, conduction system and valves, eventually leading to increased mortality. In general, underlying chronic inflammation leads to premature atherosclerosis, but also other manifestations such as arrhythmia and heart failure may have a ‘silent’ progress. Traditional cardiovascular risk factors play a secondary role, while disease-specific factors (i.e. disease duration, severity, antibody positivity, persistent disease activity) can directly influence the cardiovascular system. Therefore, early diagnosis is critical to optimize management and to control inflammatory activity and recent data suggest that risk factors (i.e. hypercholesterolemia and hypertension) need intensive treatment as well. With the advent of immunosuppressive agents, most rheumatic diseases are well controlled on treatment, but information related to their cardioprotective efficacy is not well-defined. In this review, we focus on cardiovascular involvement in rheumatic diseases and highlight current evidence which should be of help for the treating physicians. Moreover, cardiotoxicity of immunosuppressive drugs is a rare issue and such potential adverse events will be briefly discussed.     

强制性运动疗法对脑损伤后上肢灵活性和日常生活能力的影响

目的探讨强制性运动疗法（CIMT）对偏瘫患者上肢灵活性和日常生活能力的康复效果。方法36例偏瘫患者随机分成CIMT组和传统治疗组。CIMT组每天强化训练患侧上肢5h，5d／周，连续3周，同时使用休息位手夹板和吊带限制健手的使用，每天8h。对照组采用传统PT和OT等康复方法，每天训练患肢5h，5d／周，不限制健手的使用。使用上肢动作研究（ARk,）试验和Barthel指数分别在治疗前、治疗后即刻、治疗后1个月和3个月进行疗效评价；同时使用ARA试验比较CIMT组强化治疗2周和3周对上肢灵活性的疗效差异。结果CIMT组与对照组间ARA试验结果有显著性差异（P〈0．05）；CIMT组2周和3周强化训练的疗效无显著性差异；Barthel指数两组间无显著性差异，但CIMT组可见治疗前后BI明显改善（P〈0．01）。结论CIMT能明显提高偏瘫患者上肢灵活性，提高日常生活能力，其疗效优于传统康复治疗方法。     

Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation in Pediatric Motor Disorders: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Objective

To systematically examine the safety and effectiveness of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) interventions in pediatric motor disorders.

Increased carotid intima–media thickness associated with high hs-CRP levels is a predictor of unstable coronary artery disease

Abstract

Increased values of carotid intima–media thickness (CIMT) and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) are predictors of acute coronary events. We analysed the link between CIMT and hs-CRP in cases with coronary artery disease (CAD). From 1 January to 30 June 2012, we evaluated 43 patients with acute coronary syndrome (group A), 50 patients with stable coronary artery disease (group B) and 50 healthy volunteers (group C). All were analysed for CIMT and hs-CRP levels. CIMT values were higher in groups A and B (0.94 ± 0.21 mm, 0.89 ± 0.19 mm, respectively) and lower in group C (0.64 ± 0.09 mm), and this was statistically significant (p < 0.0001). However the values of hs-CRP were higher in group A (1.87 ± 0.36 mg/l) and lower in groups B and C (1.07 ± 0.28 mg/l, 0.97 ± 0.45 mg/l, respectively) and this was also statistically significant (p < 0.0001).     

Brain SPECT Analysis After Constraint-Induced Movement Therapy in Young Children with Hemiplegic Cerebral Palsy: Case Report

Constraint-induced movement therapy (CIMT) was shown recently to be promising for improving upper-limb function in children with cerebral palsy (CP). This study investigated the changes in cerebral perfusion with single-photon emission computerized tomography (SPECT) after modified CIMT (child-friendly CIMT) in young hemiplegic girls. Two young children with left hemiplegic CP were studied with SPECT at rest before and after the CIMT period, and they also performed standardized upper motor function tests [Jebsen hand function test, quality of upper extremity skills test (QUEST), and dynamic electromyography (EMG)]. The cerebral perfusion SPECT revealed regional perfusion increase in the motor cortex area in the affected hemisphere, and the changes associated with functional gain. Our cases showed that intensive movement therapy appears to change local cerebral perfusion and SPECT could show these changes in children with hemiplegic CP.     

Investigating air pollution and atherosclerosis in humans: concepts and outlook

Although ambient particulate matter contributes to atherosclerosis in animal models, its role in atherogenesis in humans needs to be established. This article discusses concepts, study design, and choice of health outcomes to efficiently investigate the atherogenic role of ambient air pollution, with an emphasis on early preclinical biomarkers of atherosclerosis that are unaffected by short-term exposure to air pollution (eg, carotid intima-media thickness [CIMT] and functional performance of the vessel). Air pollution studies using these end points are summarized. The CIMT is currently the most frequently used outcome in this field (6 studies). The continuous nature of CIMT, the lack of short-term variation, its relationship to atherosclerotic changes in the artery wall, its predictive value for coronary heart disease, and the noninvasiveness of the assessment make it a useful candidate for cross-sectional and longitudinal studies investigating the role of air pollution in atherogenesis.