NLRP3 inflammasome up-regulates major histocompatibility complex class I expression and promotes inflammatory infiltration in polymyositis.

Objective: This study was designed to investigate the role of the nucleotide-binding-domain -and leucine-rich repeat -containing (NLR) family, pyrin-domain-containing 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome in the pathogenesis of polymyositis (PM).

Methods: Immunochemistry was performed to analyze the NLRP3, caspase-1 and interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β) expression in the muscle tissue of PM patients. Rat model of PM and C2C12 cell were used to investigate the potential role of NLRP3 inflammasome in PM.

Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo in spontaneous intracranial hypotension.

Objectives: To assess the prevalence and related factors of benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) in patients with spontaneous intracranial hypotension (SIH).

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed 156 consecutive inpatients with SIH, and collected the clinical and radiological data. These patients were divided into BPPV group and non-BPPV group according to the clinical manifestation and the results of Dix-Hallpike or supine roll tests during hospitalization period.

[An algorithm study on telecardiogram diagnosis based on multivariate autoregressive model and two-lead ECG signals].

Objective: In view of the time delay caused by reconstruction of signals at remote sites, a direct classification method with high accuracy suitable for telediagnosis of electrocardiogram (ECG) signals is studied.

Method: The data for analysis and classification was obtained from MIT-BIH database, including 300 samples each of normal sinus rhythm (NSR), atria premature contraction (APC), premature ventricular contraction (PVC), ventricular tachycardia (VT), ventricular fibrillation (VF) and superventricular tachycardia (SVT). An multivariate autoregressive (MAR) model based technique that could combine the signals of two ECG leads was presented to classify the ECGs directly, including MAR modeling performed on ECGs, and quadratic discrimination function (QDF) based classification by using MAR coefficients and K-L MAR coefficients.

Investigating the role of 99mTc-TRODAT-1 SPECT imaging in idiopathic Parkinson's disease.

Objective: To investigate the role of 99mTc-TRODAT-1 SPECT in diagnosis and assessing severity of idiopathic Parkinson's disease (PD).

Methods: Thirty-eight patients with primary, tentative diagnosis of PD and eighteen age-matched normal controls were studied with 99mTc-TRODAT-1 SPECT imaging. The regions of interests (ROIs) were drawn manually on cerebellum (CB), occipital cortex (OC) and three transverse plane slice-views of striatums, the semiquantitative BG (background)/[(OC+CB)/2] were then calculated.