Shunting branch of portal vein and stent position predict survival after transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt

AIM: To evaluate the effect of the shunting branch of the portal vein (PV) (left or right) and the initial stent position (optimal or suboptimal) of a transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS).

A natural model of behavioral depression in postpartum adult female cynomolgus monkeys (Macaca fascicularis)

Postpartum depression （PPD） is a modified form of major depressive disorders （MDD） that can exert profound negative effects on both mothers and infants than MDD. Within the postpartum period, both mothers and infants are susceptible; but because PPD typically occurs for short durations and has moderate symptoms, there exists challenges in exploring and addressing the underlying cause of the depression. This fact highlights the need for relevant animal models. In the present study, postpartum adult female cynomolgus monkeys （Macaca fascicularis） living in breeding groups were observed for typical depressive behavior. The huddle posture behavior was utilized as an indicator of behavioral depression postpartum （BDP） as it has been established as the core depressive-like behavior in primates. Monkeys were divided into two groups： A t3DP group （n=6）, which were found to spend more time huddling over the first two weeks postpartum than other individuals that formed a non-depression control group （n=4）. The two groups were then further analyzed for locomotive activity, stressful events, hair cortisol levels and for maternal interactive behaviors. No differences were found between the BDP and control groups in locomotive activity, in the frequencies of stressful events experienced and in hair cortisol levels. These findings suggested that the postpartum depression witnessed in the monkeys was not related to external factors other than puerperium period. Interestingly, the BDP monkeys displayed an abnormal maternal relationship consisting of increased infant grooming. Taken together, these findings suggest that the adult female cynomolgus monkeys provide a natural model of behavioral postpartum depression that holds a number of advantages over commonly used rodent systems in PPD modeling. The cynomolgus monkeys have a highly-organized social hierarchy and reproductive characteristics without seasonal restriction--similar to humans--as well as much greater homology to humans than rodents. As such, this model may provide a greater translational efficiency and research platform for systematically investigating the etiology, treatment, prevention of PPD.

Abdominal lymphangiomatosis in a 38-year-old female:Case report and literature review

Lymphangioma is an uncommon benign tumor that develops in the lymphatic system. Abdominal lymphangiomatosis is extremely rare in adult patients, and the clinical symptoms of this condition are complicated and atypical. We report a case of abdominal lymphangiomatosis in a 38-year-old female who presented with intestinal bleeding and protein-losing enteropathy, as well as lesions in the lung and bones. A computed tomography scan revealed multiple small cystic lesions without enhancement. Histological examination revealed microscopic cysts were submucosal, with walls composed of thin fibrous tissue, and D2-40 stained highlight the lining of the lymphatic channels by immunohistochemical method. We make a comparison with the cases reported before, and also discuss the diagnose of diffuse pulmonary lymphangiomatosis and Gorham’s disease.

Non-human primate models in drug addiction deserve more attention

Dear Editor, The process of relapse involves firm or aberrant memories of environmental cues associated with drug craving or addiction. To date, it is not known where these memories are stored in the brain, what kinds of regulatory biological factors or molecules are involved, nor why it is so difficult to stop addiction psychologically. Currently, rodent animal models, such as the self-administration and conditioning place preference / aversion paradigm are still widely used in the studies of drug withdrawal syndromes or drug-associate memories. However, the differences between humans and rodents--particularly in terms of genetics, and pathology and pharmacology--have significantly limited the application of further studies on this topic. Essentially, rodents lack the longterm or life-time memories humans possess and lose their drug-associated memory only after a few weeks of withdrawal.

Effects of cold narcosis on memory acquisition, consolidation and retrieval in honeybees （Apis mellifera）

In learning and memory studies on honeybees （Apis mellifera）, cold-induced narcosis has been widely used to temporarily immobilize honeybees. In this study, we investigated the effects of cold narcosis on the associative memories in honeybees by using the proboscis extension response （PER） paradigm. Severe impairments in memory acquisition was found when cold narcosis was performed 30 rain, instead of 1 h before training. Locomotor activities were reduced when honeybees were tested 15 min, instead of 30 rain after cold narcosis. These results indicate that cold narcosis impairs locomotor activities, as well as memory acquisition in a time-dependent manner, but by comparison no such effects on memory retrieval have yet been observed.[0]

Computed tomography perfusion and computed tomography angiography for prediction of clinical outcomes in ischemic stroke patients after thrombolysis

Cerebral blood perfusion and cerebrovascular lesions are important factors that can affect the therapeutic efficacy of thrombolysis.At present,the majority of studies focus on assessing the accuracy of lesion location using imaging methods before treatment,with less attention to predictions of outcomes after thrombolysis.Thus,in the present study,we assessed the efficacy of combined computed tomography（CT） perfusion and CT angiography in predicting clinical outcomes after thrombolysis in ischemic stroke patients.The study included 52 patients who received both CT perfusion and CT angiography.Patients were grouped based on the following criteria to compare clinical outcomes：（1） thrombolytic and non-thrombolytic patients,（2） thrombolytic patients with CT angiography showing the presence or absence of a vascular stenosis,（3） thrombolytic patients with CT perfusion showing the presence or absence of hemodynamic mismatch,and（4） different CT angiography and CT perfusion results.Short-term outcome was assessed by the 24-hour National Institution of Health Stroke Scale score change.Long-term outcome was assessed by the 3-month modified Rankin Scale score.Of 52 ischemic stroke patients,29 were treated with thrombolysis and exhibited improved short-term outcomes compared with those without thrombolysis treatment（23 patients）.Patients with both vascular stenosis and blood flow mismatch（13 patients） exhibited the best short-term outcome,while there was no correlation of long-term outcome with CT angiography or CT perfusion findings.These data suggest that combined CT perfusion and CT angiography are useful for predicting short-term outcome,but not long-term outcome,after thrombolysis.

Visuospatial properties of caudal area 7b in Macaca fascicularis

To proceed from sensation to movement,integration and transformation of information from different senses and reference frames are required.Several brain areas are involved in this transformation process,but previous neuroanatomical and neurophysiological studies have implicated the caudal area 7b as one particular component of this transformation system.In this study,we present the first quantitative report on the spatial coding properties of caudal area 7b.The results showed that neurons in this area had intermediate component characteristics in the transformation system;the area contained bimodal neurons,and neurons in this area encode spatial information using a hybrid reference frame.These results provide evidence that caudal area 7b may belong to the reference frame transformation system,thus contributing to our general understanding of the transformation system.

Visuospatial properties of caudal area 7b in Macaca fascicularis

To proceed from sensation to movement, integration and transformation of information from different senses and reference frames are required. Several brain areas are involved in this transformation process, but previous neuroanatomical and neurophysiological studies have implicated the caudal area 7b as one particular component of this transformation system. In this study, we present the first quantitative report on the spatial coding properties of caudal area 7b. The results showed that neurons in this area had intermediate component characteristics in the transformation system; the area contained bimodal neurons, and neurons in this area encode spatial information using a hybrid reference frame. These results provide evidence that caudal area 7b may belong to the reference frame transformation system, thus contributing to our general understanding of the transformation system.

Sulfonated Hollow Covalent Organic Polymer： Highly-Selective Adsorption toward Cationic Organic Dyes over Anionic Ones in Aqueous Solution

A sulfonated hollow covalent organic polymer （sh-COP-P） was prepared by post sulfonation of hollow covalent organic polymer （h-COP-P） synthesized through poly-condensation of tetrabiphenylporphyrin （TBPP）. In comparison with h-COP-P, sh-COP-P exhibits significantly enhanced adsorp- tion capacity of organic cationic dyes in aqueous solutions accompanied with notably reduced adsorption capacity of anionic dyes. This gives sh-COP-P a satisfactory performance in selectively separating cationic organic dyes from anionic ones, mainly attributed to the electrostatic interaction between polymer backbone and the guest molecules.

CSF Brain-Reactive Autoantibodies are Elevated in Patients with Viral Encephalitis

Dear Editor,Brain-reactive autoantibodies are thought to play an important role in mediating disorders of the central nervous system(CNS).These antibodies direct the processes underlying several diseases,such as multiple sclerosis(MS),neuromyelitis optica(NMO),and neuropsychiatric systemic lupus erythematosus[1-3].In infectious diseases of the CNS,the pathogen itself is regarded to play a major role in the pathogenesis[4].

What interests them in the pictures? — Differences in eyetracking between rhesus monkeys and humans

Studies estimating eye movements have demonstrated that non-human primates have fixation patterns similar to humans at the first sight of a picture.In the current study,three sets of pictures containing monkeys,humans or both were presented to rhesus monkeys and humans.The eye movements on these pictures by the two species were recorded using a Tobii eye-tracking system.We found that monkeys paid more attention to the head and body in pictures containing monkeys,whereas both monkeys and humans paid more attention to the head in pictures containing humans.The humans always concentrated on the eyes and head in all the pictures,indicating the social role of facial cues in society.Although humans paid more attention to the hands than monkeys,both monkeys and humans were interested in the hands and what was being done with them in the pictures.This may suggest the importance and necessity of hands for survival.Finally,monkeys scored lower in eye-tracking when fixating on the pictures,as if they were less interested in looking at the screen than humans.The locations of fixation in monkeys may provide insight into the role of eye movements in an evolutionary context.

A coordination compound featuring a supramolecular hydrogen-bonding network for proton conduction

A new coordination compound [Mg（L）（H2 O）5·H2 O]（NKU-109, H2 L=5-（4 H-1,2,4-triazol-4-yl）benzene-1,3-dicarboxylic acid） was solvothermally synthesized, featuring a supramolecular hydrogen-bonding network. A good proton conductivity of 5.87×10^-4S/cm was recorded at 70℃ and a relative humidity of75% in alternating current（AC） impedance experiment, which sheds a new light on the design of proton conduction materials based on coordination compounds.

Interactive effects of morphine and dopaminergic compounds on spatial working memory in rhesus monkeys

Opiates and dopamine （DA） play key roles in learning and memory in humans and animals. Although interactions between these neurotransmitters have been found, their functional roles remain to be fully elucidated, and their dysfunction may contribute to human diseases and addiction. Here we investigated the interactions of morphine and dopaminergic neurotransmitter systems with respect to learning and memory in rhesus monkeys by using the Wisconsin General Test Apparatus （WGTA） delayed-response task. Morphine and DA agonists （SKF-38393, apomorphine and bromocriptine） or DA antagonists （SKF-83566, haloperidol and sulpiride） were co-administered to the monkeys 30 min prior to the task. We found that dose-patterned co-administration of morphine with D1 or D2 antagonists or agonists reversed the impaired spatial working memory induced by morphine or the compounds alone. For example, morphine at 0.01 mg/kg impaired spatial working memory, while morphine （0.01 mg/kg） and apomorphine （0.01 or 0.06 mg/kg） co-treatment ameliorated this effect. Our findings suggest that the interactions between morphine and dopaminergic compounds influence spatial working memory in rhesus monkeys. A better understanding of these interactive relationships may provide insights into human addiction.