Cognitive impairment in Chinese adult patients with type III spinal muscular atrophy without disease-modifying treatment.

Objective: Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by the degeneration of motor neurons in the spinal cord. It remains uncertain whether the cognitive performance of adult patients with SMA is impaired. The objective of this study was to assess the cognitive profile of adult Chinese patients with SMA and the association between clinical features and cognitive ability, particularly executive function.

Baricitinib treatment for refractory skin changes in POEMS syndrome: a case report.

Polyneuropathy, organomegaly, endocrinopathy, monoclonal plasma cell disorder, and skin changes (POEMS) syndrome is a multisystem disorder that has limited treatment options. Here, we described a case of a 55-year-old female subject who was treated for multiple drugs, but the skin symptoms continued to progress; the patient responded well to baricitinib. This suggests that JAK/STAT signaling pathways play an essential role in the pathological process of POEMS syndrome.

Neutrophil extracellular traps induce the bone erosion of gout.

Objective: To investigate the relationships between monosodium urate (MSU) crystals -induced neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) and bone erosion in gout.

Methods: Animal models were used to study the relationship between NETs induced by MSU crystals and bone erosion. Neutrophils were treated with MSU crystals to induce NETs.

Case report: Anti-GAD65 antibody-associated autoimmune encephalitis following HPV vaccination.

Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection is a sexually transmitted disease that may lead to cervical cancer. HPV vaccines have been implemented widely to prevent this. While generally few complications of vaccination are reported, there have been occasional reports of adverse reactions post-vaccination.

The Inhibition of Osteoblast Viability by Monosodium Urate Crystal-Stimulated Neutrophil-Derived Exosomes.

Background And Objective: Bone erosion is common in patients with gout. The role of neutrophil-derived exosomes in gouty bone erosion remains elusive. This study aimed to investigate the functions of the neutrophil-derived exosomes in the development of bone erosion in gout.

Zhengqing fengtongning sustained-release tablets prevents gout flares in the process of ULT: A randomized, positive control, double-blind, double-simulation, multicenter trial.

Introduction: When initiating urate-lowering therapy, using anti-inflammatory prophylaxis therapy for at least 3 to 6 months is strongly recommended. Previous studies have found that zhengqing fengtongning sustained-release tablets (sinomenine) can improve inflammation in the acute phase of gout; however, the efficacy of urate-lowering therapy in reducing frequency of acute flares still needs to be investigated. The aim of the present study is to explore the efficacy and safety of sinomenine for prophylaxis of acute flares when initiating urate-lowering therapy.

The effect of initiation of urate-lowering treatment during a gout flare on the current episode: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

Objective: The objective was to evaluate whether initiation of urate-lowering treatment (ULT) during an acute gout flare prolonged the current episode.

Methods: A comprehensive search of MEDLINE and Web of Science databases was conducted from their inception to 15 March 2021. Five randomized controlled trials (RCTs) with 381 patients met the inclusion criteria.

Altered Resting-State Electroencephalography Microstates in Idiopathic Generalized Epilepsy: A Prospective Case-Control Study.

Idiopathic generalized epilepsy (IGE) involves aberrant organization and functioning of large-scale brain networks. This study aims to investigate whether the resting-state EEG microstate analysis could provide novel insights into the abnormal temporal and spatial properties of intrinsic brain activities in patients with IGE. Three groups of participants were chosen for this study (namely IGE-Seizure, IGE-Seizure Free, and Healthy Controls).

Interictal Activity Is Associated With Slower Binocular Rivalry in Idiopathic Generalized Epilepsy.

Perceptual alternations evoked by binocular rivalry (BR) reflect cortical dynamics strongly dependent on the excitatory-inhibitory balance, suggesting potential utility as a biomarker for epileptogenesis. Therefore, we investigated the characteristics of BR in patients with idiopathic generalized epilepsy (IGE) and potential associations with clinical variables. Sixty-two healthy controls (HCs) and 94 IGE patients completed BR task.

Initiation of febuxostat for acute gout flare does not prolong the current episode: a randomized clinical trial.

Objective: Our objective was to determine whether initiation of febuxostat during an acute gout flare prolongs the current episode.

Methods: In this randomized, placebo-controlled, single-blinded, multicentre trial, patients with acute gout flares within 72 h were randomized (1:1) to the placebo and febuxostat (40 mg/day) groups. All patients were administered diclofenac (150 mg/day) for 7 days and then open-labelled on the eighth day.

Impaired empathy in patients with idiopathic generalized epilepsy: An event-related potentials study.

Purpose: Epilepsy is a common neurological disorder that may be complicated by neurobehavioral comorbidities. In a previous study, we identified impairment of empathy in patients with idiopathic generalized epilepsy (IGE). However, the temporal processing of empathy in patients with IGE is not well understood.

Serum Metabolic Profiling Analysis of Gout Patients Treated with Traditional Chinese Medicine Tongfengtai Granules Based on Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry.

Gout has become a public health problem that seriously threatens human health. Traditional Chinese medicines (TCMs) have a long history of treating gout and have some advantages compared with the conventional medicines. Compound TCM Tongfengtai granules are gradually being used for clinical treatment of gout, but its mechanism is still unclear.

Diffuse pruritic erythema as a clinical manifestation in anti-SAE antibody-associated dermatomyositis: a case report and literature review.

Anti-small ubiquitin-like modifier-1 activating enzyme (anti-SAE) antibodies have been recently discovered especially for myosin and identified as dermatomyositis (DM) marker. The frequency of anti-SAE antibodies in DM patients is extremely low. Diffuse pruritic erythema may be one kind of clinical manifestations of DM with anti-SAE antibodies.

Kaempferol inhibits the migration and invasion of rheumatoid arthritis fibroblast-like synoviocytes by blocking activation of the MAPK pathway.

In rheumatoid arthritis (RA), fibroblast-like synoviocytes (FLSs) play an essential role in cartilage destruction. Aggressive migration and invasion by FLSs significantly affect RA pathology. Kaempferol has been shown to inhibit cancer cell migration and invasion.

Leonurine attenuates fibroblast-like synoviocyte-mediated synovial inflammation and joint destruction in rheumatoid arthritis.

Objective: To explore the role of leonurine in the regulation of synovial inflammation and joint destruction inRA.

Methods: Fibroblast-like synoviocytes were isolated from synovial tissue from RA patients. Pro-inflammatory cytokine and MMP expression was evaluated using real-time PCR and a cytometric bead array.

Moral judgment in patients with idiopathic generalized epilepsy.

Purpose: The aim of the current study was to investigate morality while also investigating frontal lobe function with the goal of studying the relationship between frontal lobe and morality in patients with idiopathic generalized epilepsy.

Method: A total of 23 right-handed patients with IGE and 25 right-handed healthy participants agreed to participate. Participants made judgments on a series of 50 hypothetical scenarios, which were adapted from a previously published set.

Impaired social cognition in patients with interictal epileptiform discharges in the frontal lobe.

Background: Patients with epilepsy frequently experience cognitive impairments, including impairments in social cognition. However, there is a lack of direct examinations of the affective and cognitive aspects of social cognition in such patients. The neural correlates remain to be identified.

Repression of Esophageal Neoplasia and Inflammatory Signaling by Anti-miR-31 Delivery In Vivo.

Background: Overexpression of microRNA-31 (miR-31) is implicated in the pathogenesis of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC), a deadly disease associated with dietary zinc deficiency. Using a rat model that recapitulates features of human ESCC, the mechanism whereby Zn regulates miR-31 expression to promote ESCC is examined.

Methods: To inhibit in vivo esophageal miR-31 overexpression in Zn-deficient rats (n = 12-20 per group), locked nucleic acid-modified anti-miR-31 oligonucleotides were administered over five weeks.

Empathy and emotion recognition in patients with idiopathic generalized epilepsy.

Patients with epilepsy have deficits in social cognition. In this study, we examined the changes in empathy and eye emotion recognition using the Interpersonal Reactivity Index and eye emotion recognition tasks. Forty-two patients with idiopathic generalized epilepsy and 47 healthy controls were involved.

The change of attentional blink and repetition blindness after cerebellar lesions.

Attentional blink is the failure to identify a second target following a first target when both have appeared in a rapid serial visual presentation (RSVP) task. Repetition blindness is an additional difficulty to recognize the second same target in a RSVP task. Attentional blink and repetition blindness have many phenomenal similarities and can be experimentally dissociated.

[Decision-making under ambiguity condition in epileptics].

Objective: To investigate the ability of decision making under ambiguity condition in epileptics.

Methods: Twenty-five epileptics (EP) at our hospital during June 2011 to March 2012 and 25 healthy controls (HC) were surveyed by Iowa Gambling Task (IGT) with ambiguous probability. Statistical analyses were performed with analysis of variance (ANOVA) and independent sample t test.

Genome-wide association analyses in Han Chinese identify two new susceptibility loci for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

To identify susceptibility genes for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), we conducted a genome-wide association study (GWAS) in 506 individuals with sporadic ALS and 1,859 controls of Han Chinese ancestry. Ninety top SNPs suggested by the current GWAS and 6 SNPs identified by previous GWAS were analyzed in an independent cohort of 706 individuals with ALS and 1,777 controls of Han Chinese ancestry. We discovered two new susceptibility loci for ALS at 1q32 (CAMK1G, rs6703183, Pcombined = 2.

The study of time perception in migraineurs.

Objective: The study aimed to explore the impairment of time perception in migraineurs.

Background: Headache is the most common pain syndrome in middle-aged adults, and migraine is highly prevalent and severely disabling. Although the mechanisms of and the therapies for migraines have long been explored, less is known about the functional impairments associated with them, especially the impairment in time perception, that is, the ability to estimate the passage of time.