[Screening for spinal muscular atrophy mutation carriers among 4931 pregnant women from Liuzhou region of Guangxi].

Objective: To screen for carriers of SMN1 gene mutation, which underlies spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), in 4931 pregnant women from Liuzhou region of Guangxi, and to determine the carrier rate.

Methods: Combined denaturing high-performance liquid chromatography (DHPLC) and multiple PCR techniques were used to detect the copy number of SMN1 gene. The carrier frequency was calculated.

[Establishment of reference ranges of sex hormones for healthy children in Shenzhen, China based on chemiluminescence].

Objective: To study the reference ranges of six sex hormones, i.e., luteinizing hormone, follicle-stimulating hormone, progesterone, prolactin, estradiol, and testosterone, for healthy children aged 0-18 years in Shenzhen, China.

Prevalence of respiratory viruses among children hospitalized from respiratory infections in Shenzhen, China.

Background: The prevalence of local dominant viral etiologies is important for clinical management and prevention of common viral respiratory tract infections. Unfortunately, there is limited large-scale data about common viral respiratory infection in south China. To survey dominant viral etiology and seasonality of acute respiratory infections in hospitalized children, a 4-year consecutive study was conducted in Shenzhen, China.

Allopregnanolone attenuates Aβ25-35-induced neurotoxicity in PC12 cells by reducing oxidative stress.

Massive accumulation of amyloid beta (Aβ) has been implicated as a pivotal event in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease. The underlying mechanisms of Aβ-induced neurotoxicity include generation of reactive oxidative species (ROS), inflammation, and neurons loss. Allopregnano-lone (APα), a neurosteroid derive from neuroactive progesterone, has been demonstrated to have neuroprotective properties in vivo and vitro.

[Curcumin improves the impaired working memory in cerebral ischemia-reperfusion rats by inhibiting proinflammatory cytokines].

Objective: To investigate the ameliorative effect of curcumin pretreatment against impaired spatial working memory on global cerebral ischemia-reperfusion rats and to explore its mechanism.

Methods: After trained on a modified T-maze, 120 adult SD rats were randomly divided into 5 groups: sham group (S group), cerebral ischemia-reperfusion group (IR group), curcumin group (C group), LPS group (L group) and curcumin+LPS group (C+L group). Rats were treated with drugs or vehicles 1 h before 10 min global cerebral ischemia.

[Application of multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification to diagnosis and prenatal diagnosis of common aneuploidies].

Objective: To investigate the application value of the multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification (MLPA) technique in diagnosis and prenatal diagnosis of chromosomes 13, 18, 21, X and Y aneuploidy.

Methods: Forty-four cases including 30 peripheral blood samples, 10 fetal cord blood samples, and 4 amniotic fluid samples were collected in this study. DNA was isolated from the samples and detected by MLPA, followed by analyzing in ABI310 Genetic Analyzer.