Altered spontaneous brain activity patterns in patients with diabetic retinopathy using amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation

BACKGROUND Diabetes mellitus is a metabolic disorder characterized by prolonged elevation of blood glucose due to various causes.Currently,the relationship between diabetic retinopathy(DR)and altered connectivity of brain function is unclear.AIM To investigate the relationship between this brain activity and clinical manifestations and behaviors of DR patients by using the amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation(ALFF)technique.METHODS Twenty-four DR patients and 24 healthy controls(HCs)matched for age and gender were enrolled.We measured and recorded average ALFF values of DR patients and HCs and then classified them using receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curves.RESULTS ALFF values of both left and right posterior cerebellar lobe and right anterior cingulate gyrus were remarkably higher in the DR patients than in the HCs;however,DR patients had lower values in the bilateral calcarine area.ROC curve analysis of different brain regions demonstrated high accuracy in the area under the curve analysis.There was no significant relationship between mean ALFF values for different regions and clinical presentations in DR patients.Neuronal synchronization abnormalities in some brain regions of DR patients were associated with cognitive and visual disorders.CONCLUSION Abnormal spontaneous brain activity was observed in many areas of DR patients’brains,which may suggest a possible link between clinical manifestations and behaviors in DR patients.

Altered regional homogeneity in patients with diabetic vitreous hemorrhage

BACKGROUND Diabetic vitreous hemorrhage(DVH)is a common complication of diabetes.While the diagnostic methods nowadays only concentrate on the eye injury in DVH patients,whether DVH leads to abnormalities of other visual systems,including the eye,the visual cortex,and other brain regions,remains unknown.AIM To explore the potential changes of brain activity in DVH using regional homogeneity(ReHo)and their relationships with clinical features.METHODS Thirty-one DVH patients and 31 matched healthy controls(HCs)were recruited.All subjects were examined by resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging.The neural homogeneity in the brain region was estimated by ReHo method.Pearson correlation analysis was used to evaluate the relationships between average ReHo values and clinical manifestations in DVH patients.RESULTS Compared with HCs,the ReHo values in the bilateral cerebellar posterior lobes,right superior(RS)/middle occipital gyrus(MOG),and bilateral superior frontal gyrus were significantly increased.In contrast,in the right insula,bilateral medial frontal gyri,and right middle frontal gyrus,the ReHo values were significantly decreased.Furthermore,we found that best-corrected visual acuity of the contralateral eye in patients with DVH presented a positive correlation with the mean ReHo value of the RS/MOG.We also found that depression score of the DVH group presented a negative correlation with the mean ReHo values of the right insula,bilateral medial frontal gyrus,and right middle frontal gyrus.CONCLUSION We found that DVH may cause dysfunction in multiple brain areas,which may benefit the exploration of pathologic mechanisms in DVH patients.

Characteristic of red eye related diseases of Han and Uygur population in Urumchi compared with Shanghai, China

AIM: To study the characteristics, relative distribution and to compare causes of red eye in ophthalmic clinics in Urumchi and Shanghai, China.METHODS: Data on continuous cases of red-eye patients admitted to the Ophthalmology Center of Xinhua Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University and the First Affiliated Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University were collected between November 2018 and September 2019. Demographic data, the incidence of red eye and related disease distribution of all cases were obtained. The independent t-test method was used for age comparison, while the Chi-square test was used to compare classified data information.RESULTS: The information on 335 and 415 patients with red eyes in Shanghai and Urumchi were collected, respectively. The main causes of red eye were conjunctival disease and dry eye. The age of female patients with red eyes was significantly higher than that of males, and the proportion of female patients with dry eyes was also higher.Red-eye-related diseases occurred more frequently in patients over 46 years old than in those under 18, and dry eye was more common with increasing age. The incidence of infectious conjunctivitis in Urumchi was significantly higher than that in Shanghai, and allergic conjunctivitis occurred more frequently in spring, summer, or autumn than in winter(all P<0.05).CONCLUSION: Significant differences exist in the distribution of red-eye-related diseases in Urumchi and Shanghai regions of China, and distribution varies with age and season, the latter being an important feature of allergic conjunctivitis.

The mechanism and research progress of non-drug analgesic labor

Non-drug analgesic labor is of great significance to protect,promote and support natural labor.The purpose of this paper is to review the mechanism of non-drug analgesia,the significance of non-drug analgesia delivery,and the methods of non-drug analgesia delivery,so as to provide reference for the research of clinical non-drug analgesia delivery and promote the development of non-drug analgesia delivery.

Quality Evaluation of Astragali Radix based on DPPH Radical Scavenging Activity and Chemical Analysis

Objective To assess the quality of Astragali Radix from different areas based on the biological evaluation and chemical analysis. Methods The bioassay method of 1,1- diphenyl-2-picryl-hydrazyl （DPPH） radical scavenging activity for Astragali Radix was established. The parameters of DPPH assay including sample extraction time, reaction time, repeatability, and stability were detected. Furthermore, a method of HPLC-MS was developed to simultaneously determine calycosin-7-O-glucoside, ononin, formononetin, and astragaloside IV in Astragali Radix samples. And the total flavonoids and total saponins were detected by spectrophotometry. The relationship between DPPH evaluation and chemical analysis was studied by Pearson correlation analysis. Results Twelve batches of Astragali Radix from different origins showed a wide range of DPPH radical scavenging activities （ICso = 1.395-9.894 tJg/mL）. Based on DPPH assay, Sample ]0 derived from Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region （ICso = 1.395 iJg/mL） showed the best quality of all samples. Chemical analysis showed that different compounds selected as indices would cause different results for quality evaluation. Pearson correlation analysis revealed that the contents of total flavonoids （P = 0.032）, calycosin-7-giucoside （P = 0.035）, and astragaloside IV （P = 0.010） were positively correlated with DPPH radical scavenging activity. Conclusion Except for chemical analysis, DPPH radical scavenging activity can be used as a good alternative to assess and control the quality of Astragal/Radix.

Rapid Determination of Total Content of Five Major Anthraquinones in Rhei Radix et Rhizoma by NIR Spectroscopy

Objective To establish a new method with near-infrared（NIR） spectroscopy to determine the total content of emodin, chrysophanol, rhein, aloeemodin, and physcion. NIR was used in this study to provide rapid and nondestructive analysis results. Methods In the first place, HPLC was used to measure the total content of emodin, chrysophanol, rhein, aloe-emodin and physcion in Rhei Radix et Rhizoma（RR） as a reference. In the second place, the spectral regions, regression methods, pretreatment methods, and partial least squares（PLS） factors were compared to increase the feasibility of the model. In the last, the root mean square error of calibration（RMSEC）, root mean square error of cross validation（RMSECV）, root mean square error of prediction（RMSEP）, and correlation coefficient（r） were used as assessment parameters. Results PLS with first derivative pretreatment in the ranges of 4242-5581 cm^（-1）, 5885-6233 cm^（-1） and 6394-7011 cm^（-1） provided the best results. The RMSEC and RMSEP obtained were 0.134 and 0.226 respectively. The according determination coefficients of the quantitative model were 0.99 and 0.94. Conclusion NIR spectroscopy as a quick and nondestructive analytical method may be used to determine the total content of emodin, chrysophanol, rhein, aloeemodin, and physcion for the quality control of RR.