UNASSIGNED: How often hypertensive patients could achieve remission to normal blood pressure (BP) (i.e., <140/90 mmHg) in the absence of antihypertensive drugs, which is important for the management of hypertension, remains largely unknown. This observational study aimed to investigate the change of BP in older adults with hypertension who did not take antihypertensive drugs and preliminarily examine whether the remission from hypertension to normal BP observed in this setting was associated with lower risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD).
UNASSIGNED: 2760 participants aged 33-99 years (median 60 years, interquartile 54-68 years) from the Health and Retirement Study (wave 2006 to wave 2018) and the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (wave 1998 to wave 2016), who had no major CVD, were hypertensive, and were not on antihypertensive drugs at the time of baseline BP measurement, and had at least one follow-up BP measurement before which no antihypertensive drugs were taken, were included for analysis. The main outcome was the proportion of patients who achieved remission of hypertension at the last wave of measurement.
UNASSIGNED: During a median follow-up of six years, 52% of the participants showed a reduction of ≥6 mmHg in systolic BP and 60% a reduction of ≥3 mmHg in diastolic BP. 1171 participants (42%, 95% CI: 41-44%) achieved remission at the last measurement, and by that time 67%, 43%, and 29% of them had maintained the normotensive state for around 4, 8, and 12 years, respectively. Various supplementary analyses that aimed to examine the impact of chance and bias yielded similar results. Preliminary analyses showed that being non-smokers at baseline, achieving a normal body mass index during follow-up, and quitting alcohol drinking during follow-up, among others, were associated with the remission of hypertension. Compared with the participants who remained hypertensive, those who achieved remission had a lower CVD risk (adjusted hazard ratio 0.66, 95% CI: 0.47-0.92).
UNASSIGNED: In many of this study population, hypertension could be reversed without the intervention of drug treatment in the first few years after diagnosis. This finding may have implications for more individualized management of hypertension. Further studies to identify the factors or algorithms predictive of such hypertension remission are warranted.
UNASSIGNED: The Chinese University of Hong Kong (7106452; 7105959),Shenzhen Science and Technology Program (KQTD20190929172835662), Strategic Priority Research Program of Chinese Academy of Sciences (XDB 38040200), National Institute on Aging (R01AG017644; NIA U01AG009740).

UNASSIGNED: Schizophrenia is considered to be a disorder of dysconnectivity characterized by abnormal functional integration between distinct brain regions. Different brain connection abnormalities were found to be correlated with various clinical manifestations, but whether a common deficit in functional connectivity (FC) in relation to both clinical symptoms and cognitive impairments could present in first-episode patients who have never received any medication remains elusive.
UNASSIGNED: To find a core deficit in the brain connectome that is related to both psychopathological and cognitive manifestations.
UNASSIGNED: A total of 75 patients with first-episode schizophrenia and 51 healthy control participants underwent scanning of the brain and clinical ratings of behaviors. A principal component analysis was performed on the clinical ratings of symptom and cognition. Partial correlation analyses were conducted between the main psychopathological components and resting-state FC that were found abnormal in schizophrenia patients.
UNASSIGNED: Using the principal component analysis, the first principal component (PC1) explained 37% of the total variance of seven clinical features. The ratings of GAF and BACS contributed negatively to PC1, while those of PANSS, HAMD, and HAMA contributed positively. The FCs positively correlated with PC1 mainly included connections related to the insula, precuneus gyrus, and some frontal brain regions. FCs negatively correlated with PC1 mainly included connections between the left middle cingulate cortex and superior and middle occipital regions.
UNASSIGNED: In conclusion, we found a linked pattern of FC associated with both psychopathological and cognitive manifestations in drug-naïve first-episode schizophrenia characterized as the dysconnection related to the frontal and visual cortex, which may represent a core deficit of brain FC in patients with schizophrenia.

暂无摘要。

OBJECTIVE: This cross-sectional study aimed to observe the occurrence of metabolic syndrome in untreated individuals with bipolar disorders.
METHODS: A total of 125 untreated individuals with bipolar disorders were collected as the study group, and 201 cases from the health examination centre of our hospital were selected as the control group. The participants enrolled were assessed for general demographic data, case characteristics, and metabolic indexes including body mass index (BMI), blood pressure, triglyceride, high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol, cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol, and fasting plasma glucose.
RESULTS: The incidence of metabolic syndrome in the bipolar disorders group was higher compared to the control group (9.6% VS. 8.5%). After calibrating sex and age data, a significant difference between the two groups was observed (P < 0.05). Diastolic and systolic blood pressure were higher in the bipolar disorders group compared to the control group (P < 0.01). Men with bipolar disorders had a higher risk of developing metabolic syndrome than women (14.5% vs. 5.8%). Bipolar disorders, sex, age, and BMI were identified as independent risk factors for metabolic syndrome. No significant difference was found in terms of metabolic index and incidence of metabolic syndrome between individuals with depressive episodes (n = 37) and manic episodes (n = 75).
CONCLUSIONS: Patients with bipolar disorders were found to have a higher risk of developing metabolic syndrome than healthy individuals. Bipolar disorders, male sex, age, and BMI may contribute to an increased risk of developing metabolic syndrome.

Phenylketonuria (PKU) is an inborn error of metabolism caused by variants in the phenylalanine hydroxylase (PAH) gene and it is characterized by excessively high levels of phenylalanine in body fluids. PKU is a paradigm for a genetic disease that can be treated and majority of developed countries have a population-based newborn screening. Thus, the combination of early diagnosis and immediate initiation of treatment has resulted in normal intelligence for treated PKU patients. Although PKU is a monogenic disease, decades of research and clinical practice have shown that the correlation between the genotype and corresponding phenotype is not simple at all. Attempts have been made to discover modifier genes for PKU cognitive phenotype but without any success so far. We conducted whole genome sequencing of 4 subjects from unrelated non-consanguineous families who presented with pathogenic mutations in the PAH gene, high blood phenylalanine concentrations and near-normal cognitive development despite no treatment. We used cross sample analysis to select genes common for more than one patient. Thus, the SHANK gene family emerged as the only relevant gene family with variants detected in 3 of 4 analyzed patients. We detected two novel variants, p.Pro1591Ala in SHANK1 and p.Asp18Asn in SHANK2, as well as SHANK2:p.Gly46Ser, SHANK2:p.Pro1388_Phe1389insLeuPro and SHANK3:p.Pro1716Thr variants that were previously described. Computational analysis indicated that the identified variants do not abolish the function of SHANK proteins. However, changes in posttranslational modifications of SHANK proteins could influence functioning of the glutamatergic synapses, cytoskeleton regulation and contribute to maintaining optimal synaptic density and number of dendritic spines. Our findings are linking SHANK gene family and brain plasticity in PKU for the first time. We hypothesize that variant SHANK proteins maintain optimal synaptic density and number of dendritic spines under high concentrations of phenylalanine and could have protective modifying effect on cognitive development of PKU patients.

Serum hepatitis B virus (HBV) RNA quantitation may be useful for managing untreated chronic HBV-infected patients, but its distribution characteristics and relationship to HBV DNA are unclear. A retrospective cohort including 149 untreated HBV-infected patients was divided into four clinical phenotypes: hepatitis B envelope antigen (HBeAg) positive with normal alanine transaminase (ALT; EPNA) or with elevated ALT (EPEA), HBeAg-negative with normal ALT (ENNA) or with elevated ALT (ENEA). Serum HBV RNA levels were quantified by a high-sensitivity real-time fluorescent quantitative PCR method and liver biopsy was performed in those with undetectable serum HBV DNA or RNA. The detectable serum HBV RNA levels (log10 copies/mL) in EPNA, EPEA, ENNA, and ENEA were 6.02±1.48, 6.54±1.27, 2.51±0.78 and 3.54±1.25, respectively. The low level (< 2.0 log10 copies/mL) comprised mainly of ENNA phenotype (76.9%), while the high level (> 6.0 log10 copies/mL) was HBeAg-positive patients (98.1%). Serum HBV RNA level were significantly correlated with serum HBV DNA and HBsAg in HBeAg-positive phenotypes, but a correlation only with HBV DNA was observed in ENEA patients. Serum HBV DNA and RNA were both independent risk factors associated with elevated ALT in HBeAg-negative patients. Seven serum HBV DNA-undetectable but RNA-detectable patients underwent liver biopsy, showing moderate or severe liver inflammation. Varying serum HBV RNA levels can reflect natural disease phases in untreated HBV-infected patients, indicating that this biomarker could reflect liver inflammation in untreated HBeAg-negative patients as successfully as serum HBV DNA. Serum HBV RNA can complement clinical management strategies when serum HBV DNA is undetectable.

BACKGROUND: Drug-eluting beads transarterial chemoem-bolization (DEB-TACE) has the advantages of slow and steady release, high local concentration, and low incidence of adverse drug reactions compared to the traditional TACE. DEB-TACE combined with sequentially ultrasound-guided radiofrequency ablation (RFA) therapy has strong anti-cancer effects and little side effects, but there are fewer related long-term studies until now.
OBJECTIVE: To explore the outcome of DEB-TACE sequentially combined with RFA for patients with primary hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).
METHODS: Seventy-six patients with primary HCC who underwent DEB-TACE sequentially combined with RFA were recruited. Forty patients with untreated HCC were included in Group A, and 36 patients with recurrent HCC were included in Group B. In addition, 40 patients with untreated HCC who were treated with hepatectomy were included in Group C. The serological examination, preoperative magnetic resonance imaging examination, and post-treatment computed tomography enhanced examination were performed for all patients. The efficacy was graded as complete remission (CR), partial remission (PR), stable disease and progressive disease at the 3rd, 6th, and 9th. All patients were followed up for 3 years and their overall survival (OS), disease-free survival (DFS) were assessed.
RESULTS: The efficacy of Group A and Group C was similar (P > 0.05), but the alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase and total bilirubin of Group A were lower than those of Group C (all P < 0.05). The proportions of CR (32.5%), PR (37.5%) were slightly higher than Group A (CR: 27.5%, PR: 35%), but the difference was not statistically significant (χ 2 = 0.701, P = 0.873). No operational-related deaths occurred in Group A and Group C. The OS (97.5%, 84.7%, and 66.1%) and the DFS (75.0%, 51.7%, and 35.4%) of Group A at the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd year after treatment were similar with those of Group C (OS: 90.0%, 79.7%, and 63.8%; DFS: 80.0%, 59.7%, and 48.6%; P > 0.05). The OS rates in Group A and Group B (90%, 82.3%, and 66.4%) were similar (P > 0.05). The DFS rates in Group B (50%, 31.6%, and 17.2%) were lower than that of Group A (P = 0.013).
CONCLUSIONS: The efficacy of DEA-TACE combined with RFA for untreated HCC is similar with hepatectomy. Patients with recurrent HCC could get a longer survival time through the combined treatment.

Comparing the course of antipsychotic-naïve psychosis in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC) may help to illuminate core pathophysiologies associated with this condition. Previous reviews-primarily from high-income countries (HIC)-identified cognitive deficits in antipsychotic-naïve, first-episode psychosis, but did not examine whether individuals with psychosis with longer duration of untreated psychosis (DUP > 5 years) were included, nor whether LMIC were broadly represented.
A comprehensive search of PUBMED from January 2002-August 2018 identified 36 studies that compared cognitive functioning in antipsychotic-naïve individuals with psychosis (IWP) and healthy controls, 20 from HIC and 16 from LMIC.
A key gap was identified in that LMIC study samples were primarily shorter DUP (<5 years) and were primarily conducted in urban China. Most studies matched cases and controls for age and gender but only 9 (24%) had sufficient statistical power for cognitive comparisons. Compared with healthy controls, performance of antipsychotic-naïve IWP was significantly worse in 81.3% (230/283) of different tests of cognitive domains assessed (90.1% in LMIC [118/131] and 73.7% [112/152] in HIC).
Most LMIC studies of cognition in antipsychotic-naïve IWP adopted standardized procedures and, like HIC studies, found broad-based impairments in cognitive functioning. However, these LMIC studies were often underpowered and primarily included samples typical of HIC: primarily male, young-adult, high-school educated IWP, in their first episode of illness with relatively short DUP (<5 years). To enhance understanding of the long-term natural course of cognitive impairments in untreated psychosis, future studies from LMIC should recruit community-dwelling IWP from rural areas where DUP may be longer.

Infantile hemangioma (IH) is a type of benign tumor that develops during infancy and spontaneously involutes after 1 year of age. Before the introduction of propranolol in 2008, some patients with IH were instructed to wait for the involution without treatment. This long-term follow-up study was conducted to assess the prognosis of East-Asian children with untreated deep or mixed facial IH. Skin sequelae were assessed by comparing images obtained during the patients\' first and last visits in our clinic. Possible factors were assessed for their association with IH prognosis. The mean follow-up time was 7.4 years. Among the 48 patients with deep or mixed facial IH, 26 (54%) achieved complete involution without sequelae and 22 encountered various sequelae, including telangiectasia (36.3%), fibrofatty residue (68.2%), and scars (4%). The complete regression rate of deep or mixed IH occurring in the central facial region was significantly lower than for those in the perifacial region (33.3% vs 66.7%, respectively, χ2 , P = 0.025). Further, the most common sequelae in this area are fibrofatty residue.