Extrapontine myelinolysis presenting as acute parkinsonism

Background

Extrapontine myelinolysis presenting with extra pyramidal features suggestive of parkinsonism may be a challenging clinical syndrome. Clinicians should maintain their vigilance while correcting electrolyte imbalances, especially with associated co-morbidity.

Case presentation

A 41-year-old woman presented with acute parkinsonism like features while on a holiday. This followed slow correction of hyponatraemia after repeated vomiting. MRI changes were suggestive of Extrapontine myelinolysis(EPM). This case is at variance with four previous cases reported in the medical literature in that the patient made a full clinical recovery and the MR changes resolved with symptomatic support alone.

Conclusion

Extrapontine myelinolysis could make a complete recovery with symptomatic support alone. During hyponatraemia correction, rapid osmotic shifts of fluid that cause hypernatremia, causes myelinolysis rather than absolute serum sodium level. Even gradual correction of hyponatraemia can produce myelinolysis, especially with pre-existing malnourishment, alcoholism, drug misuse, Addison's disease and immuno-suppression. Pallidial sparing is typical of EPM in MRI scans.     

Dialysis delivery of an adenosine A2A agonist into the pontine reticular formation of C57BL/6J mouse increases pontine acetylcholine release and sleep

In vivo microdialysis in C57BL/6J (B6) mouse was used to test the hypothesis that activating adenosine A(2A) receptors in the pontine reticular formation (PRF) increases acetylcholine (ACh) release and rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. Eight concentrations of the adenosine A(2A) receptor agonist 2-p-(2-carboxyethyl)phenethylamino-5'-N-ethylcarboxamidoadenosine hydrochloride (CGS 21680; CGS) were delivered to the PRF and ACh in the PRF was quantified. ACh release was significantly increased by dialysis with 3 mum CGS and significantly decreased by dialysis with 10 and 100 microm CGS. Co-administration of the adenosine A(2A) receptor antagonist 4-(2-[7-amino-2-(2-furyl)[1,2,4]triazolo[2,3-a][1,3,5]triazin-5-ylamino]ethyl)phenol (ZM 241385; 30 nM) blocked the CGS-induced increase in ACh release. In a second series of experiments, CGS (3 microm) was delivered by dialysis to the PRF for 2 h while recording sleep and wakefulness. CGS significantly decreased time in wakefulness (-51% in h 1; -54% in h 2), increased time in non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep (90% in h 1; 151% in h 2), and increased both time in REM sleep (331% in h 2) and the number of REM sleep episodes (488% in h 2). The enhancement of REM sleep is consistent with the interpretation that adenosine A(2A) receptors in the PRF of the B6 mouse contribute to REM sleep regulation, in part, by increasing ACh release in the PRF. A(2A) receptor activation may promote NREM sleep via GABAergic inhibition of arousal promoting neurons in the PRF.     

隐喻加工复合模式的ERP研究

本研究使用S1→S2范式研究中国人大脑隐喻加工模式是否与"等级显性理论"一致。被试对隐喻匹配任务和不相关匹配模式进行"是"和"否"隐喻的判断,同时脑电设备记录他们进行任务加工时的事件相关电位(ERP)。通过对相关电极N400的分析发现,右脑加工两个任务时,激活程度呈递增的趋势,与"等级显性理论"一致。另外,两个任务中顶叶空间加工区参与程度的差异说明,隐喻意义的整合需要对相似性、熟悉度等确定后再进行空间联系。     

Mercury‐associated DNA hypomethylation in polar bear brains via the LUminometric Methylation Assay: a sensitive method to study epigenetics in wildlife

In this paper we describe a novel approach that may shed light on the genomic DNA methylation of organisms with non‐resolved genomes. The LUminometric Methylation Assay (LUMA) is permissive for genomic DNA methylation studies of any genome as it relies on the use of methyl‐sensitive and ‐insensitive restriction enzymes followed by polymerase extension via Pyrosequencing technology. Here, LUMA was used to characterize genomic DNA methylation in the lower brain stem region from 47 polar bears subsistence hunted in central East Greenland between 1999 and 2001. In these samples, average genomic DNA methylation was 57.9% ± 6.69 (SD; range was 42.0 to 72.4%). When genomic DNA methylation was related to brain mercury (Hg) exposure levels, an inverse association was seen between these two variables for the entire study population (P for trend = 0.17). After dichotomizing animals by gender and controlling for age, a negative trend was seen amongst male animals (P for trend = 0.07) but no associations were found in female bears. Such sexually dimorphic responses have been found in other toxicological studies. Our results show that genomic DNA methylation can be quantitatively studied in a highly reproducible manner in tissue samples from a wild organism with a non‐resolved genome. As such, LUMA holds great promise as a novel method to explore consequential questions across the ecological sciences that may require an epigenetic understanding.     

狭果茶藨子果实多糖提取及其抗氧化和流变特性

以狭果茶藨子果实为原料,多糖提取量为考察指标,通过单因素试验及响应面试验对多糖提取工艺进行优化,结果表明最佳多糖制备工艺条件为:提取温度40℃,时间30 min,料液比1∶30 g/mL,此时狭果茶藨子中多糖提取量达115.32 mg/g;流变学特性研究表明狭果茶藨子果实多糖溶液属于非牛顿流体,多糖溶液表现出剪切稀化的现象,当多糖质量浓度为1.0%时,其流变学特性与0.1%的羧甲基纤维素钠溶液相似,且过酸、过碱的环境均不会改变狭果茶藨子果实多糖溶液的流变学特性;抗氧化试验结果表明狭果茶藨子果实多糖具有潜在的抗氧化能力,对DPPH自由基的清除能力低于抗坏血酸,而对羟自由基的清除能力显著高于抗坏血酸。本研究结果可为狭果茶藨子果实多糖在食品领域的开发利用提供理论依据。     

A targeted lipidomics approach to the study of eicosanoid release in synovial joints

Introduction  

Articular tissues are capable of producing a range of eicosanoid mediators, each of which has individual biological effects and may be affected by anti-inflammatory treatment. We set out to develop and evaluate a high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS) approach for the simultaneous analysis of multiple eicosanoid lipid mediators in equine synovial fluid (SF), and to illustrate its use for investigation of the in vivo effects of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) treatment.     

诱导型一氧化氮合酶基因多态性与2型糖尿病关系研究

目的：观察诱导型一氧化氮合酶（iNOs）基因Ser608Leu位点基因多态性与2型糖尿病的相关性。方法：采用测序法测定261例2型糖尿病患者和128例正常对照者iNOS基因Ser608Leu位点基因多态性。结果：两组间iNOS基因Ser608Leu位点基因型及等位基因频率构成存在差异。结论：iNOS基因Ser608Leu位点多态性与2型糖尿病有关。     

水牛、大额牛和牦牛抑制素α亚基编码基因外显子1多态性分析

为了揭示牛科物种INHA基因的遗传特征,该文采用PCR产物直接测序法对水牛、大额牛和牦牛INHA基因外显子1及其侧翼序列进行多态性检测,并结合已发表的包括牛科物种在内的一些哺乳动物数据进行了比较分析。结果表明,在水牛INHA基因外显子1中存在c.73C>A替换,为同义替换,河流型和沼泽型水牛编码产物一致;在大额牛的INHA基因外显子1中发现c.62C>T、c.187G>A替换,分别引起INHA中氨基酸发生p.P21L、p.V63M改变,两者均为相同性质氨基酸的替换;在牦牛中发现c.62C>T、c.129A>G替换,前者也引起编码氨基酸发生p.P21L替换,后者为同义替换。在INHA基因5’侧翼区所测出的序列中,水牛、大额牛和牦牛等物种内均未发现SNP位点,但在种间发现存在c.-6T>G的替换,大额牛、牦牛和普通牛均为c.-6G,而水牛为c.-6T。在INHA基因内含子中,水牛的第31～36位核苷酸处发现有6个碱基的缺失,即c.262+31₂62+36delTCTGAC;该位点在河流型水牛中野生型（+/+）占主体,而在沼泽型水牛中则缺失型（-/-）占主体。在大额牛、牦牛和普通牛等其它牛科物种的内含子中均未发现该缺失,但与水牛相比,大额牛、牦牛和普通牛内含子中发现缺失c.262+78₂62+79delTG。序列比对显示,INHA基因外显子1序列中c.43A和c.67G为水牛中所特有,而c.173A和c.255G为大额牛、牦牛和普通牛所共有,c.24C、c.47G、c.174T和c.206T为山羊所特有。大额牛、牦牛和普通牛间INHA基因外显子1序列差异较小,而山羊和水牛与它们间的差异相对较大。     

重组腺病毒Ad-HGF体外感染成纤维细胞后转染效率及表达的检测

押检测携带人肝细胞生长因子基因的重组腺病毒Ad-HGF在体外对成纤维细胞的感染效率以及感染细胞对目的蛋白的表达。以不同感染复数(m.o.i.)(25,50,100,200)的Ad-GFP感染NIH3T3细胞,48h时用流式细胞仪检测转染效率;以50m.o.i.感染NIH3T3细胞后48h,用ELISA和Western印迹杂交法分别检测感染上清中HGF的表达。分别以50m.o.i.的Ad-GFP和Ad-HGF感染原代培养人瘢痕成纤维细胞,以检测重组腺病毒对原代培养人瘢痕成纤维细胞的转染效率和其对HGF的表达。结果表明,当m.o.i.为50时,重组腺病毒对NIH3T3细胞的转染效率已达95%以上;HGF的表达量可达每2×106细胞249ng;并可检测到HGF蛋白的一特异杂交带。以50m.o.i.的Ad-GFP感染原代培养人瘢痕成纤维细胞,72h时GFP表达达高峰,此时转染效率可高达36.75%。Ad-HGF感染原代培养人瘢痕成纤维细胞后HGF的表达在72h时达高峰,表达量可达每3.3×105细胞66ng。初步认为重组腺病毒可有效地介导HGF基因转染正常或瘢痕成纤维细胞,且感染细胞可有效表达目的蛋白。