Midbrain dopaminergic (DAergic) regions including ventral tegmental area (VTA) and substantia nigra pars compacta (SNc) are involved in diverse brain functions. Previous studies demonstrated that the VTA/SNc to nucleus accumbens (NAc) pathway is critical in reward and motivation. Moreover, DAergic innervations within the insular cortex (IC) are reported to play important roles in pain regulation. To investigate whether VTA/SNc sends collateral projections to NAc and IC, we injected retrograde tracer Fluoro-Gold (FG) into the NAc and Fluorescent retrograde tracer beads (RetroBeads) into the ipsilateral IC in rats. Then, to detect whether collateral projection neurons participate in neuropathic pain, parts of the rats received the spare nerve injury (SNI) surgery. The immunofluorescence staining results showed that FG, RetroBeads, and FG/RetroBeads double-labeled neurons were distributed in the VTA/SNc bilaterally with an ipsilateral predominance. The proportion of FG/RetroBeads double-labeled neurons to the total number of FG and RetroBeads-labeled neurons was 16.7% and 30.3%, respectively. About 90.3% of FG/RetroBeads double-labeled neurons showed DAergic neuron marker tyrosine hydroxylase (TH)-immunoreactive (IR), whereas, only 7.5% exhibited a subset of GABAergic inhibitory projection neuron marker parvalbumin (PV)-IR. One week after SNI, about 53.1% and 33.6% of FG- and RetroBeads-labeled neurons were FG/Fos- and RetroBeads/Fos-IR neurons, respectively. Finally, about 35.9% of the FG/RetroBeads double-labeled neurons showed Fos-IR. The present study indicates that parts of DAergic and PV-IR GABAergic neurons in the VTA/SNc send collateral projections to both NAc and IC, which are activated under SNI-induced neuropathic pain, and probably contribute to the regulation of nociception.

Objectives: Risk factors associated with recurrent febrile convulsions in children in southwest China were the main objective of this study.To summarize the effect of telephone follow-up continuous nursing on preventing recurrence after hyperthermia in emergency children.To study the influencing factors and preventive measures of febrile convulsion recurrence in children.Methods: This study was carried out in the pediatrics department of the Affiliated Hospital of Yunnan University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, which is prospective and longitudinal.Children aged 6 months to 6 years who had febrile convulsions for the first time and were seen between October 2016 and September 2019 were included in the study and followed up for recurrence.From The clinical data of 290 children with febrile convulsion were analyzed retrospectively, and the influencing factors of recurrence were analyzed by single factor analysis.Patients were randomly divided into control group and experimental group with 47 cases in each group.The control group was given routine discharge guidance, and the experimental group was given continuous telephone follow-up nursing.Results: Of the 1728 children, 605 (35.1%) had recurrences and 1123 (64.9%) had single febrile convulsions.The recurrence rate was higher in children <6 months of age (41.3%) than in children ≥6 months of age (24.1%).The recurrence rate was 52.5% in children with a temperature of 38°C at the time of the attack, compared to 17.2% in children with a temperature ≥105°F.There was a significant downward trend in the recurrence rate as the temperature increased.Children with a family history of febrile convulsions (45.5%) were more likely to have a relapse than those without a family history of febrile convulsions (27.8%).Multiple logistic regression analysis showed that younger age at onset, lower temperature at onset, shorter time between fever and onset, and family history of febrile convulsions were risk factors for recurrence of febrile convulsions in children.After nursing, the recurrence rate of children in the experimental group within 0.5 years was significantly lower than that in the control group (4.26% vs21.28%,P<0.05);Compared with the control group, the test group had the highest knowledge knowledge score, and the difference was significant (P<0.05).Conclusion: The main risk factors of recurrent febrile attacks in children are young age of onset, short febrile time before the first febrile attack, low body temperature at onset, and family history of febrile attacks.Age < 3 years old, family history of high fever convulsion, season of onset < 6 months, onset temperature ≥39°C, frequency ≥2, complex onset and duration ≥3 min are all risk factors for recurrence of high fever convulsion.Prevention should be conducted against the above risk factors to avoid recurrence of convulsion.

The aim of this study was to develop a brief version of cognitive assessment test for evaluating the efficacy of treatments targeting cognitive impairments in Chinese schizophrenia patients, to examine its reliability, and establish normative data. Stratified according to age, gender, and educational level, healthy adult subjects were recruited from fifteen institutions in seven administrative regions of China and 723 valid samples were obtained, of which 50 were retested. Generalized Linear Models were conducted to analyze the effects of age, sex, and education. There was no significant difference between genders, while significant effects were demonstrated respectively among age and education on the normative data of C-BCT. The Cronbach α of C-BCT is 0.75, and the test-retest reliability (ICC) ranged from 0.62 to 0.76. Normative data of C-BCT were generated by gender, age and education, and the effects of these demographic factors were analyzed. It revealed good internal consistency and test-retest reliability of C-BCT.

Previous studies have demonstrated that both dorsal raphe nucleus (DR) and insular cortex (IC) are critical for somatic sensory information transmission and regulation, especially for pain, and neurons in the DR send projection fibers to the IC. However, whether these ascending connections are involved in the processing of itch sensation remains unknown. In order to provide evidence for that, fluoro-gold (FG) retrograde tracing combined with immunofluorescent histochemical staining was performed for revealing the chemical nature of the projection neurons and the FOS expression induced by acute itch stimulation via intradermal histamine or chloroquine injection in the mouse. Both FOS- and p-ERK-containing neurons were increased in the DR and IC in the acute itch mice compared to those in the sham group. After FG was injected into the IC, FG-labeled retrograde neuronal cell bodies were observed in the whole extent of the brainstem, especially in the DR. About 81% of the total number of FG-labeled neurons in the DR showed serotonin (5-HT)-immunopositive staining. About 32% FG-labeled 5-HT-ergic neurons within DR expressed FOS in chroloquine-induced acute itch, whereas only 6% FG-labeled 5-HT-ergic neurons within DR expressed FOS in histamine-induced acute itch. These results provide morphological evidence for that there are 5-HT-ergic projections from the DR to IC which might be involved in the sensory information processing of acute itch. These results are helpful for understanding functional roles of 5-HT-ergic ascending projection under the condition of acute itch.

Objective To investigate the correlations of four genetic single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Methods A total of 300 patients with sporadic PTSD and 150 healthy subjects (the control group) were selected according to the diagnostic criteria of PTSD (DSM-IV), and the genotypes of the BDNF SNPs G-712A, C270T, rs6265, and rs7103411 were detected by polymerase chain reaction and direct DNA sequencing to determine intergroup differences in the genotypes and allele frequencies; the p values were corrected with the permutation test. Results The genotypes and allele frequencies of the SNPs G-712A, rs6265, and rs7103411 of BDNF showed no significant intergroup differences (p>0.05). However, the genotype and allele frequencies of C270T showed significant differences between the PTSD group and the control group (p<0.05). Conclusion The SNP C270T of BDNF may be associated with PTSD. Individuals carrying the polymorphic T allele of C270T may be more likely to suffer from PTSD.

Background Cancer patients with posttraumatic stress disorder can lead to their noncompliant behaviors. However, less is known about the neurocognitive functioning of posttraumatic stress disorder in general cancer types or patient populations. The current study attempted to examine the prevalence of posttraumatic stress disorder and their relationships with executive function in individuals with cancer. Methods A total of 285 cancer patients with posttraumatic stress disorder and 150 healthy individuals were recruited for the present study. The Clinician Administered PTSD Scale, Tower of Hanoi, Wisconsin Card Sorting Test, and Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Revised Chinese revision were administered to all participants. Results Significant differences in the score of Tower of Hanoi, Wisconsin Card Sorting Test, and Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Revised Chinese revision were observed between the posttraumatic stress disorder group and the healthy control group ( p < 0.001). Significant correlations were found between all posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms and executive function. Conclusions These findings suggest that individuals with cancer-related posttraumatic stress disorder exhibit more severe impairment in executive function than healthy controls do.

Background: The hopelessness theory of depression posits that individuals with negative cognitive styles are at risk of developing depression following negative life events. The purpose of this work was to examine whether individuals with cognitive vulnerability to depression (CVD) exhibit similar spontaneous brain activity patterns as compared to patients with major depressive disorder (MDD).Methods: Subjects with CVD (N=32), drug-naive first-episode patients with major depressive disorder (N=32), and sex-, age- and education-matched healthy controls (HCs; N=35) were subjected to resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging (RS-fMRI) and amplitudes of low-frequency fluctuation (ALFF) was compared between the groups. Pearson correlation analysis was performed between regional ALFFs and psychometric scores, namely the Cognitive Style Questionnaire (CSQ) and the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression (CES-D) scale scores.Results: Significant group differences in ALFF values were observed bilaterally in the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) and insular cortex (IC), and in the left fusiform gyrus (FFG). Compared to HCs, CVD subjects had reduced ALFFs in the bilateral OFC and increased ALFF in the bilateral IC and the left FFG, which were similar to the differences observed between the HCs and MDD patients. Compared to MDD patients, CVD subjects showed significant reduced ALFF values in right IC. Additionally, CSQ scores for the CVD group correlated with ALFF values in the left IC.Limitations: We did not conduct a longitudinal study. Our findings were limited in cross-sectional analysis.Conclusions: A hypoactive OFC and hyperactive IC in a resting-state may underlie an imbalance in the spontaneous brain activity in orbitofrontal-insular circuits, and these differences may represent a trait-related marker of vulnerability to depression. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Previous studies on the autobiographical memory (AM) of depressed patients had inconsistent findings. Various severities of depression in patients in these studies may lead to conflicting results. However, the differences in the procedure of the autobiographical memory tests (AMTs) may also influence the AM results. In this study, we analyse the results published so far to research the AM characteristics of patients with depressive disorders and identify moderators that affect the assessment results while using AMT in this field. A systematic search was conducted using following databases: MEDLINE, PubMed, ScienceDirect, Cnki, and Google Scholar, yielding 22 studies of patients with depressive disorders and autobiographical memory published between 1986 and 2010. The results of meta-analysis showed that, compared with the control group, the patients with depressive disorders reported less specific AMs ( g  = −1.051) and more overgeneralized AMs ( g  = 1.115). The patients with depressive disorders also recalled more slowly ( g  = 0.400). The effect sizes of overgeneral memory could be predicted by the self-reported depression score of the depressed patients ( B  = −.329, p  <   .01). The mean effect sizes of AMT indices were affected by the AMT characteristics (i.e., number of cue word, max response time, prompting, presentation of cue word, taping, and so on). Our results suggest that overgeneralization and response lag are the AM deficits in patients with depressive disorders. The parameters of AMT are important factors, which are related to the inconsistency in the assessment of AM in patients with depressive disorders. Some recommendations on AMT and programme research design are given for future research.

BACKGROUND:Previous studies on the autobiographical memory (AM) of depressed patients had inconsistent findings. Various severities of depression in patients in these studies may lead to conflicting results. However, the differences in the procedure of the autobiographical memory tests (AMTs) may also influence the AM results.OBJECTIVE:In this study, we analyse the results published so far to research the AM characteristics of patients with depressive disorders and identify moderators that affect the assessment results while using AMT in this field.METHOD:A systematic search was conducted using following databases: MEDLINE, PubMed, ScienceDirect, Cnki, and Google Scholar, yielding 22 studies of patients with depressive disorders and autobiographical memory published between 1986 and 2010.RESULTS:The results of meta-analysis showed that, compared with the control group, the patients with depressive disorders reported less specific AMs (g = -1.051) and more overgeneralized AMs (g = 1.115). The patients with depressive disorders also recalled more slowly (g = 0.400). The effect sizes of overgeneral memory could be predicted by the self-reported depression score of the depressed patients (B = -.329, p < .01). The mean effect sizes of AMT indices were affected by the AMT characteristics (i.e., number of cue word, max response time, prompting, presentation of cue word, taping, and so on).CONCLUSIONS:Our results suggest that overgeneralization and response lag are the AM deficits in patients with depressive disorders. The parameters of AMT are important factors, which are related to the inconsistency in the assessment of AM in patients with depressive disorders. Some recommendations on AMT and programme research design are given for future research.