Search

Objective The 3D motion capture system was used to measure the upper limb bradykinesia in Parkinson's disease (PD) to make up for the lack of artificial measurement. Methods Ninteen patients with PD (PD group) and 10 healthy subjects (control group) were recruited from June to December 2019 in Tianjin Huanhu Hospital. All the subjects completed the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating ScaleⅢ (UPDRS⁃Ⅲ) evaluation in the room equipped with 3D motion capture system. The thumb and index finger of the subjects were fixed with reflective markers to collect motion information. In this study, only the action of finger tapping was evaluated digitally, and five parameters were extracted from the evaluation results: 1) average maximum amplitude of finger taps (amp). 2) Average finger tapping interval (intval). 3) Average zero⁃crossing occurrences of acceleration (zc). 4) Average of the forward maximum velocity (v1). 5) Average of the negative maximum velocity (v2). Using receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) to evaluate the value of intval, zc and their combination indexes in the diagnosis of upper limb bradykinesia in PD. Results In PD group, UPDRS⁃Ⅲ score was 33.79±13.14, bradykinesia score was 13.61±5.26, upper limb bradykinesia score was 6.61±2.65, finger tapping score was 1.68±0.78. Intval (P=0.001) and zc (P=0.004) in PD group were higher than those in control group, and the difference was statistically significant. The ROC curves of intval and zc for upper limb bradykinesia showed that the AUC of them were 0.858 (95%CI: 0.743-0.973, P=0.000) and 0.799 (95%CI: 0.642-0.955, P=0.008); the sensitivity was 0.737, 0.921, and the specificity was 0.900 and 0.600, respectively. After the combination ofintvaland zc,the AUC was 0.858(95%CI:0.752-0.964, P=0.001),the sensitivity and specificity were 0.711and0.100,respectively. Conclusions The digital evaluation of upper limb bradykinesia in PD can be realized by using 3D motion capture system, which makes up for the deficiency of manual evaluation to a certain extent. The extracted parameters intval and zc have high sensitivity and specificity, which are expected to be used as characteristic indicators for early screening of PD. DOI：10.3969/j.issn.1672⁃6731.2020.08.012

Objective To investigate the effect of vocalization training in improving drooling in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD). Methods A total of 60 PD patients from August 2018 to July 2019 were randomly divided into control group (N = 30) and observation group (N = 30). The patients in control group received routine rehabilitation therapy and the observation group received routine rehabilitation therapy combined with vocalization training. All patients were treated for 4 weeks. Standardized Swallowing Assessment (SSA) was used to evaluate the swallowing function of 2 groups before and after 4⁃week training. Maximum phonation time (MPT) and maximum phonation decibel were used to evaluate the laryngeal function and vocal cord vibration. Drooling part of Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale Ⅱ (UPDRS Ⅱ), Drooling Severity and Frequency Scale (DSFS) were used to evaluate drooling severity (DSFS⁃S) and frequency (DSFS⁃F). All the tests were carried out before and after 4⁃week training. Results After 4⁃week training, SSA score (P = 0.000) was lower than the score before training in both groups. MPT (P = 0.000) and maximum phonation decibel (P = 0.000) were significantly increased, moreover, drooling part of UPDRS Ⅱ score (P = 0.000), DSFS⁃S score (P = 0.000) and DSFS⁃F score (P = 0.000) were significantly decreased after 4⁃week training in both groups. Compared with control group, MPT (P = 0.010) and maximum phonation decibel (P = 0.000) were increased, and SSA score (P = 0.044), drooling part of UPDRS Ⅱ score (P = 0.020), DSFS⁃S score (P = 0.044) and DSFS⁃F score (P = 0.049) were decreased in the observation group. Conclusions Vocalization training could mitigate drooling severity and frequency of the patients with PD by improving the swallowing function. DOI：10.3969/j.issn.1672⁃6731.2019.11.014

Objective To investigate the correlation of sex hormone levels with depression and anxiety in Parkinson's disease (PD). Methods A total of 46 PD patients (27 male and 19 female) were enrolled in this study. After withdrawing anti-PD drugs for 12 h, their fasting blood was taken from cubital vein. Electrochemiluminescence (ECL) assay was used to detect serum estradiol, progesterone and testosterone. Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAMD) and Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HAMA) were used to evaluate depression and anxiety. Results Fourteen cases (30.43%) were diagnosed as possible depression (HAMD score 8-19), and 5 cases (10.87% ) were diagnosed as definite depression (HAMD score ≥ 20). Nine cases (19.57%) were diagnosed as possible anxiety (HAMA score 7-13), and 7 cases (15.22%) were diagnosed as definite anxiety (HAMA score ≥ 14). The body mass index (BMI) of female PD patients was significantly higher than that of male [(26.93 ± 1.29) kg/m2 vs. (23.99 ± 1.51) kg/m2; t = 6.872, P = 0.000]. The serum estradiol [(46.29 ± 17.87) pmol/L vs. (129.64 ± 32.34) pmol/L; t = 10.080, P = 0.000], progesterone [0.99 (0.67, 1.18) nmol/L vs. 1.30 (0.86, 2.04) nmol/L; Z = -2.722, P = 0.006] and testosterone [(0.38 ± 0.17) nmol/L vs. (13.52 ± 5.41) nmol/L; t = 10.538, P = 0.000] in female PD patients were significantly lower than those in male patients. In female PD patients, BMI was negatively correlated with HAMA score (r = -0.591, P = 0.020), serum estradiol level was negatively correlated with HAMD score (r = -0.558, P = 0.031) and HAMA score (r = -0.675, P = 0.006), serum testosterone level was positively correlated with HAMA score (r = 0.674, P = 0.006). In male PD patients, only serum testosterone level was negatively correlated with HAMD score (r = -0.450, P = 0.031) and HAMA score (r = -0.507, P = 0.013). Conclusions Non-motor symptoms, such as depression and anxiety, are very common in PD. The lower serum estradiol level, the more severe depression was in female PD patients. The lower BMI and serum estradiol level and the higher serum testosterone level, the more severe anxiety was in female PD patients. The lower serum testosterone level, the more severe depression and anxiety were in male PD patients. Therefore, hormone replacement therapy may become a new method for improving depression and anxiety symptoms in PD. DOI: 10.3969/j.issn.1672-6731.2018.04.007

Objective To explore the effect of cueing strategies on balance function and gait in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD). Methods A total of 40 PD patients were randomly divided into control group (N = 20) and observation group (N = 20). The patients in control group received routine drug treatment and rehabilitation therapy according to the disease. The patients in observation group received rhythmic recurring cues and one - off cues on the basis of routine treatment. All patients were given rehabilitation therapy for 4 weeks (30 minutes, 5 times a week). Berg Balance Scale (BBS), 10-Meter Walk Test (10MWT), Timed Up and Go Test (TUGT) and Freezing of Gait Questionnaire (FOGQ) were used to evaluate balance function and gait of patients before and after 4 - week training. 10MWT was used to calculate step length and velocity. Results After 4-week training, BBS score (P = 0.000), step length (P = 0.000) and velocity (P = 0.000) of 10MWT were significantly increased, while TUGT time (P = 0.000) and FOGQ score (P = 0.000) were significantly reduced in both groups. Compared with control group, step length (P = 0.048) and velocity (P = 0.025) of 10MWT were significantly increased, while TUGT time (P =0.023) and FOGQ score (P = 0.034) had a significant decrease in observation group. Conclusions Both routine rehabilitation therapy and cueing strategies can improve the balance function and gait of PD patients, but cueing strategies had better effect on gait than routine rehabilitation therapy. DOI: 10.3969/j.issn.1672-6731.2017.06.007

Abstract Autophagy is one of the underlying causes of resistance to many antitumor drugs, including cisplatin (DDP). The low‐density lipoprotein receptor (LDLR) is a regulator of ovarian cancer (OC) progression. However, whether LDLR regulates DDP resistance in OC via autophagy‐related pathways remains unclear. LDLR expression was measured by quantitative real‐time PCR, western blot (WB) and IHC staining. A Cell Counting Kit 8 assay was employed to evaluate DDP resistance and cell viability, and flow cytometry was used to assess apoptosis. WB analysis was employed to evaluate the expression of autophagy‐related proteins and PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling pathway proteins. The autophagolysosomes and the fluorescence intensity of LC3 were observed by transmission electron microscopy and immunofluorescence staining, respectively. A xenograft tumor model was established to explore the role of LDLR in vivo. LDLR was highly expressed in OC cells, which was correlated with disease progression. In DDP‐resistant OC cells, high LDLR expression was related to DDP resistance and autophagy. Downregulation of LDLR repressed autophagy and growth in DDP‐resistant OC cell lines by activating the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway, and these effects were eliminated by an mTOR inhibitor. In addition, LDLR knockdown also reduced OC tumor growth by suppressing autophagy associated with the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway. LDLR promoted autophagy‐mediated DDP resistance in OC associated with the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway, indicating that LDLR might be a new target to prevent DDP resistance in OC patients.