Subcortical structure alteration in patients with drug-induced parkinsonism: Evidence from neuroimaging.

Parkinson's Disease (PD) and Drug-induced parkinsonism (DIP) are the most common subtypes of parkinsonism, yet no studies have reported that the subcortical volume alterations in DIP patients. This study aimed to identify specific alterations of subcortical structures volume in DIP patients, and investigate association between the subcortical structure modifications and clinical symptoms. We recruited 27 PD patients, 25 DIP patients and 30 healthy controls (HCs).

Apoptosis and developmental capacity of vitrified parthenogenetic pig blastocysts.

This study was conducted to evaluate whether the poor developmental capacity of pig embryos after vitrification was related to the occurrence of apoptosis. Parthenogenetic blastocysts were used as the research material. The blastocoel recovery rate, mitochondrial membrane potential (ΔΨm), amount of early apoptosis, activities of several caspases, and relative abundance of mRNA of apoptosis-related genes involved in mitochondria and death receptor apoptotic pathways were detected before or after vitrification.

Correlative factors of cognitive dysfunction in PD patients: a cross-sectional study from Southwest China.

Background: Cognitive dysfunction is common in Parkinson's disease (PD). A comprehensive understanding of cognitive dysfunction and its correlative factors in Chinese PD patients were not available.

Methods: This cross-sectional study included 454 PD patients.

Comparative proteomic analysis of hearts of adult SCNT Bama miniature pigs (Sus scrofa).

This study aims to determine the effects of SCNT on cardiac development of SCNT pigs through proteomic methods. Heart proteins from three adult SCNTs and two normal reproductive Bama miniature pigs were extracted, separated, and identified via comparative proteomic methods, including two-dimensional gel electrophoresis, mass spectrometry, and Western blot. Eleven differentially expressed spots were identified as differentially expressed proteins, of which five spots were upregulated proteins such as cardiac myosin heavy chain, cathepsin D, and heat shock protein beta-1 (HSP27).

The advantages of low-density lipoproteins in the cryopreservation of bull semen.

Egg low-density lipoprotein (LDL) was added at concentrations (w/v) of 7%, 8% or 9% to the extenders used to freeze bull semen and its effects on seminal parameters and anti-oxidant activities of frozen-thawed sperm were assessed. Analysis of data showed that sperm exposed to 8% LDL exhibited the greatest percentages of sperm motility, acrosome integrity and membrane integrity, compared to the control which differed from the treatment groups by replacing LDL with 20% egg yolk (P<0.05).

GCH1 mutation and clinical study of Chinese patients with dopa-responsive dystonia.

Dopa-responsive dystonia (DRD) is typically caused by heterozygous mutations in GTP cyclohydrolase 1 gene (GCH1). Our aim was to investigate the clinical and genetic features of Chinese DRD patients. We analyzed a cohort of Chinese DRD patients' clinical data.

Clinical and genetic features of patients with sporadic amyotrophic lateral sclerosis in south-west China.

The objective of this study was to analyse clinical and genetic features of patients with sporadic ALS in south-west China. All patients diagnosed with adult-onset sporadic ALS were consecutively followed up, and their clinical characteristics were collected. The frequencies of alleles of six SNPs in the FLJ10986 gene and the association between these SNPs and the clinical features of ALS were analysed.

A novel mutation of the epsilon-sarcoglycan gene in a Chinese family with myoclonus-dystonia syndrome.

In a Chinese myoclonus-dystonia syndrome (MDS) family presented with a phenotype including a typical MDS, cervical dystonia, and writer's cramp, genetic analyses revealed a novel 662 + 1insG heterozygous mutation in exon 5 in the epsilon-sarcoglycan (SGCE) gene, leading to a frameshift with a down stream stop codon. Low SGCE mRNA levels were detected in the mutation carriers by real-time PCR, suggesting that the nonsense mutation might interfere with the stability of SGCE mRNA. This is the first report on Chinese with a SGCE mutation leading to MDS.

Improvement of the quality of boar cryopreservation semen by supplementing with low density lipoprotein in diluents.

Low density lipoprotein was added at concentrations of 6%, 7%, 8%, 9% and 10% to the diluents used to freeze boar semen and its effect on the quality of cryopreservation was assessed The results indicated that 9% low density lipoprotein supplementation significantly improved the total motile sperm (p<0.05). The sperm straight-line velocity increased with the concentration of low density lipoprotein except at the concentration of 10%, at which concentration the sperm velocity declined (p<0.

Effect of low density lipoprotein on DNA integrity of freezing-thawing boar sperm by neutral comet assay.

A modified protocol of neutral comet assay was utilized to assess the effect of low density lipoprotein (LDL) on the DNA integrity of boar freezing-thawing semen. The results demonstrated that the method was high sensitive and easier manipulation and LDL significantly protected sperm DNA integrity (p<0.05) from the damage caused by cryopreservation except TD at the concentration of 6%, 7% and TM at 6%, the optimal LDL concentration in diluents was 9%.

Effects of ovarian cortex cell co-culture during in vitro maturation on porcine oocytes maturation, fertilization and embryo development.

The objective of the experiments was to evaluate the effects of porcine ovarian cortex cells (pOCCs) during in vitro maturation (IVM) of porcine oocytes on IVM of porcine oocytes, in vitro fertilization (IVF) parameters and subsequent embryo development. The pOCCs was cultured in the 500 microl TCM199 without hormone until the confluence, and then cultured in 500 microl TCM199 supplemented with hormone for 12 h before the oocytes added. Porcine oocytes were co-cultured with the pOCCs monolayers in the co-culture system for 44 h, following fertilized in the mTBM for 6 h.