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To investigate the polymorphism of T cell receptor β chain variable region (TCRV β) in peripheral blood of clinically isoiated syndrome (CIS) patients. To preliminarily predict the specific TCRV β fragment of CIS and its diagnostic value for CIS. Methods Hospitalized patients of Beijing Xuanwu Hospital from September 2012 to March 2014, were divided into 2 groups including CIS group (experimental pateints, n = 30) and normal control group (healthy volunteers, n = 30). The routine immune indexes and expression of TCRVβ subfamilies were detected by flow cytometry. CELL Quest Pro 5.1 software was used to analyze 24 subfamilies of TCRVβ. Calculated the statistic of amplification rate, amplification number and amplification fraction of the total 24 subfamilies of TCRVβ. Results Compared to the normal control group, the quantitative expression of CD4+ TCRVβ2, 4, 5.2, 5.3, 7.1, 8, 14, 17, 20, 21.3 and CD8+TCRVβ4, 14 were significantly expanded in CIS group, CD4+TCRVβ11 and CD8+TCRVβ9, 11 were significantly reduced in CIS group (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01). The amplification rate of CD4+TCRVβ2 (P = 0.002) and CD8+TCRVβ14 (P = 0.010) in CIS group were higher than those in normal control group, but there was no significant difference in the other subfamilies. There was no statistical difference in the expansion rate of the TCRVβ between CIS group and normal control group. The amplification number (P = 0.001) and amplification fraction (P = 0.006) of the TCRVβ in CIS group were significantly higher than the normal control group. Receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) analysis indicated that the area under the curve (AUC) of CD4+TCRVβ4 in the diagnosis of CIS was 0.719 (95%CI: 0.592-0.851, P = 0.003). The sensitivity was 83.33%, the specificity was 56.67%. The AUC of CD4+TCRVβ14 in the diagnosis of CIS was 0.713 (95%CI: 0.581-0.845, P = 0.005). The sensitivity was 70%, the specificity was 56.23%. The AUC of CD8+TCRVβ4 in the diagnosis of CIS was 0.727 (95%CI: 0.600-0.854, P = 0.002). The sensitivity was 93.33%, the specificity was 50%. The three fragments have medium diagnostic value for CIS. Conclusions Although the expression levels of CD4+TCRV β4, CD4+TCRV β14 and CD8+TCRV β4 in peripheral blood are increased in CIS group, their diagnostic value is limited. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective To assess the diffusion changes of normal appearing spinal cord (NASC) in MRI examination in patients with neuromyelitis optica (NMO) and multiple sclerosis (MS). Methods Axial diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) of cervical cord was performed in 10 patients with NMO, 14 patients with MS and 13 sex- and age-matched healthy controls. Mean diffusivity (MD) and fractional anisotropy (FA) were measured in the C2-5 level of spinal cord. Regions of interest (ROIs) were placed in the anterior, lateral, posterior funiculi of spinal cord, and the central gray matter of spinal cord. Results Compared with healthy controls, the values of FA in anterior, lateral and posterior funiculi of spinal cord were significantly decreased (P < 0.05, for all) and MD in left lateral funiculus, posterior funiculus and gray matter were significantly increased (P ⩽ 0.05, for all) in NMO group, and the FA values of right lateral and posterior funiculi in MS group were significantly decreased (P < 0.05, for all). Compared with MS group, FA value in patients with NMO was significantly decreased in lateral funiculus, and MD value in left lateral and right posterior funiculi were significantly increased (P < 0.05, for all). Conclusions NASC diffusion abnormalities were found both in patients with NMO and MS. The difference of DTI indicators between NMO and MS patients may offer important information in the early diagnosis and differential diagnosis of NMO and MS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We synthesized a novel mesoporous Mn2O3 nanostructure as an electrocatalyst support, then Pd–Mn2O3 with different Pd loading amounts were obtained by a facile solvothermal method. The Pd–Mn2O3 demonstrated a good competitive ORR activity and a high selectivity in alkaline medium, which can be comparable to commercial Pt/C catalysts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Acute disseminated encephalomyelitis (ADEM) is a disease that is characterized by an immune-mediated inflammatory reaction and demyelination in the central nervous system, including optic nerve, brain and spinal cord, which is common in children, but also appears in adults. ADEM happens probably with a causative relationship to viral diseases or prior vaccinations. It can also occur without any cause. The clinical symptoms of ADEM can begin with fever, headache and meningeal signs, followed by abnormal mental status, seizures and focal neurological signs, such as limb pareses, visual decline and speech disturbances. And their clinical courses may be monophasic, recurrent or multiphasic, mild but also very aggressive. Neuroimaging may be characterized by large demyelinating lesions in the brain involving both the white and the grey matter, and spinal cord. Lesions in ADEM are typically large globular lesions, multiple, and asymmetric, partially with diffuse or ring - like gadolinium enhancement. The diagnosis of ADEM requires both multifocal involvement and encephalopathy by consensus criteria. The differential diagnoses of ADEM include a variety of disorders, such as viral encephalitis, multiple sclerosis, neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders and primary central nervous system vasculitis, etc. Treatments of ADEM include corticosteroids, intravenous immunoglobulin, plasmapheresis and other immunosuppressive agents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: As the fight against the COVID-19 epidemic continues, medical workers may have allostatic load., Objective: During the reopening of society, medical and nonmedical workers were compared in terms of allostatic load., Methods: An online study was performed; 3,590 Chinese subjects were analyzed. Socio-demographic variables, allostatic load, stress, abnormal illness behavior, global well-being, mental status, and social support were assessed., Results: There was no difference in allostatic load in medical workers compared to nonmedical workers (15.8 vs. 17.8%; p = 0.22). Multivariate conditional logistic regression revealed that anxiety (OR = 1.24; 95% CI 1.18-1.31; p < 0.01), depression (OR = 1.23; 95% CI 1.17-1.29; p < 0.01), somatization (OR = 1.20; 95% CI 1.14-1.25; p < 0.01), hostility (OR = 1.24; 95% CI 1.18-1.30; p < 0.01), and abnormal illness behavior (OR = 1.49; 95% CI 1.34-1.66; p < 0.01) were positively associated with allostatic load, while objective support (OR = 0.84; 95% CI 0.78-0.89; p < 0.01), subjective support (OR = 0.84; 95% CI 0.80-0.88; p < 0.01), utilization of support (OR = 0.80; 95% CI 0.72-0.88; p < 0.01), social support (OR = 0.90; 95% CI 0.87-0.93; p < 0.01), and global well-being (OR = 0.30; 95% CI 0.22-0.41; p < 0.01) were negatively associated., Conclusions: In the post-COVID-19 epidemic time, medical and nonmedical workers had similar allostatic load. Psychological distress and abnormal illness behavior were risk factors for it, while social support could relieve it., (© 2020 The Author(s) Published by S. Karger AG, Basel.)

A new family of heterometal-organic frameworks has been prepared by two synthesis strategies, in which IFMC-26 and IFMC-27 are constructed by self-assembly and IFMC-28 is obtained by stepwise synthesis based on the metalloligand (IFMC=Institute of Functional Material Chemistry). IFMC-26 is a (3,6)-connected net and IFMC-27 is a (4,8)-connected 3D framework. The metalloligands {Ni(H4 L)}(NO3 )2 are connected by binuclear lanthanide clusters giving rise to a 2D sheet structure in IFMC-28. Notably, IFMC-26-Eux Tby and IFMC-28-Eux Tby have been obtained by changing the molar ratios of raw materials. Owing to the porosity of IFMC-26, Tb(3+) @IFMC-26-Eu and Eu(3+) @IFMC-26-Tb are obtained by postencapsulating Tb(III) and Eu(III) ions into the pores, respectively. Tunable luminescence in metal-organic frameworks is achieved by the two kinds of doping methods. In particular, the quantum yields of heterometal-organic frameworks are apparently enhanced by postencapsulation of Ln(III) ions., (Copyright © 2013 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

Objective: To study the relationship between the degrees of peripheral auditory dysfunction and clinical dementia rating (CDR) in the patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and Alzheimer's disease (AD)., Methods: Pure-tone thresholds (PT), word recognition scores (WRS), acoustic immittance and auditory brain-stem responses (ABR) were done to evaluate the auditory function in 24 cases of the patients with MCI and in 31 cases of the patients with AD and in 50 subjects of the control group. Clinical dementia rating (CDR) questionnaire was used to define the dementia degree of the subjects., Results: Twenty-four MCI patients and 31 AD patients were selected, with average age of 72.0 +/- 6. 5 and 73.1+/-7. 5 of whom 70.8% and 67.7% were female separately. There was no significant difference in PTT and WRS between the MCI and AD groups (P > 0.05). In order to ascertain the relationship between hearing level and degree of dementia, all subjects were divided into 4 groups according their hearing loss (PTA <25 dB:0, 25-30 dB:1, 31-35 dB:2, >35 dB:3) to compare their CDR scores (the control:0, MCI:0. 5, mild AD:1). The more the CDR scores have, the more hearing impairment after controlling the confounder factors (Kendalls tau b = - 0.285, P = 0.018). No significant difference was found between the two groups in audiometry reliability, acoustic immittance and ABR (P > 0.05)., Conclusion: The positive relationship was founded the peripheral hearing impairment and the score of CDR questionnaire in less than 0.5 score of CDR groups and mild AD patients.

Objective: To evaluate the pure tone hearing threshold and word recognition score of senile dementia of the Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients, and to analyze the relationship between hearing loss and the cognition impairment., Methods: Pure tone audiometry, word recognition score (WRS), acoustic immittance and auditory brainstem response (ABR) are used to evaluate the auditory function of 43 patients with AD and 50 subjects of the control group. The confounding factors are controlled., Results: The average age of 43 dementia patients was 72.7 +/- 6.4, and 69.7% was female. Bilateral hearing thresholds are similar in all subjects. All indices but Mini-mental scale of equastionnaire (MMSE) of patients and control group were not statistically different. There was no significant difference in pure tone audiometry (PTA), PTA2 (dB HL, mean +/- s) and WRS (%, mean +/- s) between the two groups (P > 0.05), therefore the hearing threshold of AD group (PTA = 26.3 +/- 8.5, PTA2 = 29.1 +/- 8.7, WRS = 85.5 +/- 15.5) is lower than that of control group (PTA = 23.2 +/- 10.6, PTA2 = 26.2 +/- 11.8, WRS = 87.6 +/- 16.8). No significant difference was found between the two groups in audiometry reliability, acoustic immittance and ABR (P < 0.05)., Conclusion: No significant difference was found between the peripheral hearing dysfunction of AD patients and that normal elderly people, i.e., PTA, PTA2 and WRS were not related to MMSE.