bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi contribute to reactive oxygen species homeostasis of Bombax ceiba L. under drought stress
Authors: Li Zhumei , Zhang Yanan , Liu Chao , Gao Yong , Han Lihong , Chu Honglong
Published: September 2022

Drought stress is one of the major abiotic factors limiting plant growth and causing ecological degradation. The regulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation and ROS scavenging is essential to plant growth under drought stress. To investigate the role of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) on ROS generation and ROS scavenging ability under drought stress in Bombax ceiba, the ROS content, the expression levels of respiratory burst oxidase homologue (Rbohs), and the antioxidant response were evaluated in AMF and NMF (non-inoculated AMF) plants under drought stress. 14 BcRboh genes were identified in the B. ceiba genome and divided into five subgroups based on phylogenetic analysis. The effect of AMF on the expression profiles of BcRbohs were different under our conditions. AMF mainly downregulated the expression of Rbohs (BcRbohA, BcRbohD, BcRbohDX2, BcRbohE, BcRbohFX1, and BcRbohI) in drought-stressed seedlings. For well-water (WW) treatment, AMF slightly upregulated Rbohs in seedlings. AMF inoculation decreased the malondialdehyde (MDA) content by 19.11 and 20.85%, decreased the O2⋅– production rate by 39.69 and 65.20% and decreased H2O2 content by 20.06 and 43.21% compared with non-mycorrhizal (NMF) plants under drought stress in root and shoot, respectively. In addition, AMF inoculation increased the non-enzymatic antioxidants glutathione (GSH) and ascorbic acid (AsA) content in roots by 153.52 and 28.18% under drought stress, respectively. The activities of antioxidant enzymes (SOD, PX, CAT, APX, GPX, GR, MDAR, and DHAR) all increased ranging from 19.47 - 131.54% due to AMF inoculation under drought stress. In conclusion, these results reveal that AMF inoculation can maintain ROS homeostasis by mitigating drought-induced ROS burst, via decreasing ROS generation and enhancing ROS scavenging ability of B. ceiba seedlings.
Factors promoting and limiting antimicrobial resistance in the environment – Existing knowledge gaps
Authors: Goryluk-Salmonowicz Agata , Popowska Magdalena
Published: September 2022

The dissemination of multidrug-resistant bacteria strains and genes carrying antibiotic resistance is currently considered to be one of the most important global problem. The WHO calls for the need to contain the spread of Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) from all possible sources. There have been many international actions grouping scientists studying this phenomenon, and quite a lot of scientific projects devoted to this problem have already been carried out. As well, so far several strategies have been developed that can inhibit the AMR spread. In this mini-review, we highlight overlooked aspects that seem to be crucial for creating a comprehensive picture of AMR, especially in the context of One Health approach.
Comparison of molecular and MALDI-TOF MS identification and antifungal susceptibility of clinical Fusarium isolates in Southern China
Authors: Guo Penghao , Chen Jianlong , Tan Yiwei , Xia Li , Zhang Weizheng , Li Xiaojie , Jiang Yujie , Li Ruiying , Chen Chunmei , Liao Kang , Peng Yaqin
Published: September 2022

Background

Fusarium species are opportunistic causative agents of superficial and disseminated human infections. Fast and accurate identification and targeted antifungal therapy give help to improve the patients’ prognosis.

Objectives

This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of matrix-assisted laser desorption ionisation time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) for Fusarium identification, and investigate the epidemiology and antifungal susceptibility profiles of clinical Fusarium isolates in Southern China.

Methods

There were 95 clinical Fusarium isolates identified by DNA sequencing of translation elongation factor 1-alpha (TEF1α) and MALDI-TOF MS, respectively. Antifungal susceptibility testing of isolates was performed by broth microdilution according to the CLSI approved standard M38-A3 document.

Results

Seven species complexes (SC) with 17 Fusarium species were identified. The most prevalent SC was the F. solani SC (70.5%, 67/95), followed by the F. fujikuroi SC (16.8%, 16/95). F. keratoplasticum within the F. solani SC was the most prevalent species (32.6%, 31/95). There were 91.6% (87/95) of isolates identified by MALDI-TOF MS at the SC level. In most of species, amphotericin B and voriconazole showed lower MICs compared to itraconazole and terbinafine. The F. solani SC showed higher MICs to these antifungal agents compared to the other SCs. There were 10.5% (10/95) of strains with high MICs for amphotericin B (≥8 μg/ml), terbinafine (≥32 μg/ml) and itraconazole (≥32 μg/ml) simultaneously, mostly focusing on F. keratoplasticum (9/10).

Conclusion

MALDI-TOF MS exhibited good performance on the identification of Fusarium strains at the SC level. The F. solani SC was the most prevalent clinical SC in Southern China. The MICs varied significantly among different species or SCs to different antifungal agents.
Potential antagonistic relationship of fgf9 and rspo1 genes in WNT4 pathway to regulate the sex differentiation in Chinese giant salamander (Andrias davidianus)
Authors: Zhang Jiankang , Xia Xueping , Zhu Ying , Lian Zitong , Tian Haifeng , Xiao Hanbing , Hu Qiaomu
Published: September 2022

Farmed chinese giant salamander (Andrias davidianus) was an important distinctive economically amphibian that exhibited male-biased sexual size dimorphism. Fgf9 and rspo1 genes antagonize each other in Wnt4 signal pathway to regulate mammalian gonadal differentiation has been demonstrated. However, their expression profile and function in A. davidianus are unclear. In this study, we firstly characterized fgf9 and rspo1 genes expression in developing gonad. Results showed that fgf9 expression level was higher in testes than in ovaries and increased from 1 to 6 years while rspo1 expression was higher in ovaries than in testes. In situ hybridization assay showed that both fgf9 and rspo1 genes expressed at 62 dpf in undifferentiated gonad, and fgf9 gene was mainly expressed in spermatogonia and sertoli cells in testis while strong positive signal of rspo1 was detected in granular cell in ovary. During sex-reversal, fgf9 expression was significantly higher in reversed testes and normal testes than in ovaries, and opposite expression pattern was detected for rspo1. When FH535 was used to inhibit Wnt/β-catenin pathway, expression of rspo1, wnt4 and β-catenin was down-regulated. Conversely, expression of fgf9, dmrt1, ftz-f1 and cyp17 were up-regulated. Furthermore, when rspo1 and fgf9 were knocked down using RNAi technology, respectively. We observed that female biased genes were down regulated in ovary primordial cells after rspo1 was knocked down, while the opposite expression profile was observed in testis primordial cells after fgf9 was knocked down. These results suggested that fgf9 and rspo1 played an antagonistic role to regulate sex differentiation in the process of the gonadal development and provided a foundation for further functional characterizations. The data also provided basic information for genome editing breeding to improve the Chinese giant salamander farming industry.
Screening of ferroptosis-related genes with prognostic effect in colorectal cancer by bioinformatic analysis
Authors: Hu Dongzhi , Zhou Zhengyang , Wang Junyi , Zhu Kegan
Published: September 2022

Colorectal cancer (CRC) remains a common malignant tumor of digestive tract with high incidence rate and high mortality in the worldwide. The current clinical treatments of CRC often fail to achieve satisfactory results. Searching for more effective prediction or prognosis biomarkers, or developing more targeted therapeutic schedule may help to improve the outcomes of CRC patients. Here, we tried to study the effect of ferroptosis-related genes on CRC prognosis and make it clearer that ferroptosis has connection with immune environment. First, we obtained gene expression data of CRC and normal tissues, as well as corresponding clinical data from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database and the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. The differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were intersected with ferroptosis-related gene set downloaded from FerrDb database, and 93 abnormally expressed ferroptosis-related genes were obtained. Then, these genes were analyzed for functional enrichment. Univariate Cox regression and multivariate Cox regression analyses were performed to establish prognostic model based on ferroptosis-related genes. In the process of exploring the correlation between prognostic genes and immune infiltration, we found that these genes were closely related to B cells, CD8+ T cells, CD4+ T cells, macrophages and other cells in CRC. In addition, we found a large proportion of plasma cells and macrophages in TCGA-COADREAD. Finally, a prognostic nomogram of ferroptosis-related genes was established, including age, sex, grade and other predicted values. To summary, we established a prognostic model of colorectal cancer (CRC) based on ferroptosis-related genes and further explored the relationship between these genes with immune microenvironment.
Progressive attenuation of visual global precedence across healthy aging and Alzheimer’s disease
Authors: Álvarez-San Millán Andrea , Iglesias Jaime , Gutkin Anahí , Olivares Ela I.
Published: September 2022

In the perception of Navon hierarchical stimuli (e.g., large letters made up of small letters), young adults identify large letters faster than small ones (known as ‘global advantage’) and identify more slowly small letters when they form a different (or incongruent) large letter (known as ‘unidirectional global interference’). Since some global/local perceptual alterations might be occurring with aging, we investigated whether these effects vary across healthy aging and Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Here, the Navon letter task was administered to 26 healthy elderly (HE), 21 adults with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and 26 adults with AD. The same task was administered 1 year later, and different neuropsychological variables were incorporated into the analyses. The cross-sectional study revealed no global advantage but did reveal both global and local interferences in all groups when response times were analyzed. Regarding discrimination sensitivity, HE showed unidirectional global interference, while AD displayed better discrimination of local than global letters in the incongruent condition, which denotes less interference by global distractors than by local ones. The longitudinal study revealed that 1 year later the participants with MCI showed a slowdown in inhibiting local distractors in the global task, revealing a certain bias toward focus in their attention on small stimuli. The elders with AD reflected a generalized slowing of their responses with a clear bias toward local analysis of stimuli, also suggested by their better discrimination in the incongruent local task at the second moment of assessment. Furthermore, all response timing measures in the Navon task were correlated with several neuropsychological indexes of highly sensitive neuropsychological tests, suggesting that performance in this task may also have a potential diagnostic value for differentiating typical from atypical cognitive aging. All these results support the need for a multidomain approach to define neuropsychological markers of progression toward AD, including visual perceptual organization evaluated via measures of performance quality.
Sensing red blood cell nano-mechanics: Toward a novel blood biomarker for Alzheimer’s disease
Authors: Nardini Matteo , Ciasca Gabriele , Lauria Alessandra , Rossi Cristina , Di Giacinto Flavio , Romanò Sabrina , Di Santo Riccardo , Papi Massimiliano , Palmieri Valentina , Perini Giordano , Basile Umberto , Alcaro Francesca D. , Di Stasio Enrico , Bizzarro Alessandra , Masullo Carlo , De Spirito Marco
Published: September 2022

Red blood cells (RBCs) are characterized by a remarkable elasticity, which allows them to undergo very large deformation when passing through small vessels and capillaries. This extreme deformability is altered in various clinical conditions, suggesting that the analysis of red blood cell (RBC) mechanics has potential applications in the search for non-invasive and cost-effective blood biomarkers. Here, we provide a comparative study of the mechanical response of RBCs in patients with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and healthy subjects. For this purpose, RBC viscoelastic response was investigated using atomic force microscopy (AFM) in the force spectroscopy mode. Two types of analyses were performed: (i) a conventional analysis of AFM force–distance (FD) curves, which allowed us to retrieve the apparent Young’s modulus, E; and (ii) a more in-depth analysis of time-dependent relaxation curves in the framework of the standard linear solid (SLS) model, which allowed us to estimate cell viscosity and elasticity, independently. Our data demonstrate that, while conventional analysis of AFM FD curves fails in distinguishing the two groups, the mechanical parameters obtained with the SLS model show a very good classification ability. The diagnostic performance of mechanical parameters was assessed using receiving operator characteristic (ROC) curves, showing very large areas under the curves (AUC) for selected biomarkers (AUC > 0.9). Taken all together, the data presented here demonstrate that RBC mechanics are significantly altered in AD, also highlighting the key role played by viscous forces. These RBC abnormalities in AD, which include both a modified elasticity and viscosity, could be considered a potential source of plasmatic biomarkers in the field of liquid biopsy to be used in combination with more established indicators of the pathology.
Neighborhood characteristics and dementia symptomology among community-dwelling older adults with Alzheimer’s disease
Authors: Alhasan Dana M. , Lohman Matthew C. , Hirsch Jana A. , Miller Maggi C. , Cai Bo , Jackson Chandra L.
Published: September 2022

Background

Neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPSs) lead to myriad poor health outcomes among individuals with Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Prior studies have observed associations between the various aspects of the home environment and NPSs, but macro-level environmental stressors (e.g., neighborhood income) may also disrupt the neuronal microenvironment and exacerbate NPSs. Yet, to our knowledge, no studies have investigated the relationship between the neighborhood environment and NPSs.

Methods

Using 2010 data among older adults with AD collected from a sample of the South Carolina Alzheimer’s Disease Registry, we estimated cross-sectional associations between neighborhood characteristics and NPSs in the overall population and by race/ethnicity. Neighborhood measures (within a 1/2-mile radius of residence) came from the American Community Survey and Rural Urban Commuting Area Code. We categorized median household income into tertiles: < $30,500, $30,500–40,000, and > $40,000, and rurality as: rural, small urban, and large urban. Residential instability was defined as the percent of residents who moved within the past year. NPSs were defined using the Neuropsychiatric Inventory Questionnaire that included the composite measure of all 12 domains. Adjusting for age, sex/gender, race/ethnicity, and caregiver educational attainment, we used negative binomial regression to estimate prevalence ratios (PR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for NPSs by neighborhood characteristics.

Results

Among 212 eligible participants, mean age was 82 ± 8.7 years, 72% were women, and 55% non-Hispanic (NH)-Black. Individuals with AD living in < $30,500 vs. > $40,000 income neighborhoods had a 53% (PR = 1.53; 95% CI = 1.06–2.23) higher prevalence of NPSs while individuals living in rural vs. large urban neighborhoods had a 36% lower prevalence of NPSs (PR = 0.64; 95% CI = 0.45–0.90), after adjustment. We did not observe an association between residential instability and NPSs (PR = 0.92; 95% CI = 0.86–1.00); however, our estimates suggested differences by race/ethnicity where NH-White older adults living in residential instable areas had lower NPSs (PR = 0.89; 95% CI = 0.82–0.96) compared to NH-Black older adults (PR = 0.96; 95% CI = 0.86–1.07).

Discussion

Across racial/ethnic groups, individuals with AD had more symptomology when living in lower income areas. Pending replication, intervention efforts should consider resource allocation to high-need neighborhoods (e.g., lower income), and studies should investigate underlying mechanisms for this relationship.
Short-term spinal cord stimulation is an effective therapeutic approach for herpetic-related neuralgia—A Chinese nationwide expert consensus
Authors: Sun Wuping , Jin Yi , Liu Hongjun , Yang Dong , Sun Tao , Wang Yaping , Fan Yinghui , Fan Xiaochong , Jin Xiaohong , Wan Li , Gu Ke , Feng Zhiying , Liu Yiming , Mao Peng , Song Tao , Dequan Wang , Xiong Donglin , Luan Guoming , Wang Xiaoping , Fan Bifa , Xiao Lizu
Published: September 2022

Purpose

Short-term spinal cord stimulation (st-SCS) has been widely used to treat herpetic-related neuralgia (HN) in China for several years, but is still heavily debated as it has no strong evidence in clinical application. Therefore, a questionnaire survey among the Chinese pain specialist workgroup of the Chinese Neuromodulation Society and Chinese Medical Doctor Association was carried out to achieve a consensus about the clinical use of st-SCS for HN treatment.

Methods

The contents of the questionnaire include basic information about doctors (hospital level, work experience, training, procedure numbers, etc.), efficacy, indications, and contraindications of st-SCS, operation conditions, and preoperative preparation of st-SCS, and the prospect of the st-SCS procedure. Initially, the survey was conducted on 110 experts who have practiced the st-SCS procedure from all over the provinces in China. Finally, valuable data was calculated from the 110 questionnaires excluding the doctors with <1 year of experience of st-SCS, <10 cases of procedures per year, and no standard training in SCS technique.

Results

Based on the 110 questionnaires, it is estimated that 5,000 to 10,000 cases of electrical stimulation are carried out nationwide each year. Sixty-nine valid questionnaires acquired from senior pain physicians were more valuable and specialized in the efficacy, indications, and contraindications of st-SCS for HN. It was commonly agreed (97.10%) that the HN patients with <3 months will obtain good effectiveness (patient satisfaction rate ≥50%). Almost all (98.55%) agreed that st-SCS can be used in SHN patients, there was a common agreement (72.46%) that AHN patients are an indication of st-SCS, and more than half agreement (53.62%) that st-SCS may be fit for early PHN (3–6 months). A common agreement (79.71%) was achieved that more than half of HN patients had the experience of nerve block or nerve pulsed RF. A similarly large number of experts 57/69 (82.61%) agreed that an 80% paresthesia coverage should be achieved at the test stimulation and 57/69 (82.61%) agreed that the treatment of st-SCS need be persistent for 1–2 weeks.

Conclusions

Early HN patients can get an effective outcome from the treatment of st-SCS and maybe the indication of st-SCS. Moreover, standardized training for pain physicians and basic research and clinical studies are warranted.
Risk of dementia or cognitive impairment in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Wang Luping , Sang Bowen , Zheng Zuyan
Published: September 2022

Objectives

To investigate whether non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) increases the risk of dementia or cognitive impairment.

Methods

A systematic search of the literature in the PubMed, Excerpta Medica Database (EMBASE), Cochrane Library, and Web of Science databases was conducted, covering the period from the inception of each database to 22 May 2022. Statistical analysis of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and the risk of cognitive impairment or dementia based on data extracted from each article was performed using Stata software v. 16.0. The quality of this study was assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS) for assessing the quality of cohort and case-control studies and the American Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) methodology checklist for assessing the quality of cross-sectional studies. Funnel plots and the Egger's test were used to assess publication bias.

Results

We included 7 studies comprising 891,562 individuals from 6 countries, which were published between 2020 and 2022. The pooling analysis showed that a history of NAFLD was associated with cognitive impairment [odds ratio (OR) = 1.44; 95% CI: 1.17–1.78; heterogeneity (I2) = 0%; P = 0.001]. A history of NAFLD was not associated with an increased risk of all-cause dementia (OR = 1.03; 95% CI: 0.97–1.09; I2 = 84.7%; P = 0.341) or Alzheimer disease (OR = 0.95; 95% CI: 0.83–1.09; I2 = 61.0%; P = 0.489). In contrast, NAFLD was associated with an obvious reduction of the risk of vascular dementia (OR = 0.88; 95% CI: 0.79–0.98; I2 = 0.0%; P = 0.020). In the subgroup analysis, male and female patients with NAFLD showed an equal risk of dementia or cognitive impairment. The risk of dementia or cognitive impairment in the cross-sectional study (OR = 1.49; 95% CI: 1.19–1.88; I2 = 0.0%; P = 0.001) was slightly higher than that in the retrospective cohort (OR = 1.03; 95% CI: 0.97–1.09; I2 = 84.3%; P = 0.294).

Conclusions

NAFLD was associated with an increased risk of cognitive impairment and a decreased risk of vascular dementia. More studies are needed to clarify the pathophysiological mechanism underlying the association between NAFLD and dementia or cognitive impairment.

Systematic review registration

https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/#recordDetails, identifier: CRD42022334492.
Mathematical study of neural feedback roles in small target motion detection
Authors: Ling Jun , Wang Hongxin , Xu Mingshuo , Chen Hao , Li Haiyang , Peng Jigen
Published: September 2022

Building an efficient and reliable small target motion detection visual system is challenging for artificial intelligence robotics because a small target only occupies few pixels and hardly displays visual features in images. Biological visual systems that have evolved over millions of years could be ideal templates for designing artificial visual systems. Insects benefit from a class of specialized neurons, called small target motion detectors (STMDs), which endow them with an excellent ability to detect small moving targets against a cluttered dynamic environment. Some bio-inspired models featured in feed-forward information processing architectures have been proposed to imitate the functions of the STMD neurons. However, feedback, a crucial mechanism for visual system regulation, has not been investigated deeply in the STMD-based neural circuits and its roles in small target motion detection remain unclear. In this paper, we propose a time-delay feedback STMD model for small target motion detection in complex backgrounds. The main contributions of this study are as follows. First, a feedback pathway is designed by transmitting information from output-layer neurons to lower-layer interneurons in the STMD pathway and the role of the feedback is analyzed from the view of mathematical analysis. Second, to estimate the feedback constant, the existence and uniqueness of solutions for nonlinear dynamical systems formed by feedback loop are analyzed via Schauder's fixed point theorem and contraction mapping theorem. Finally, an iterative algorithm is designed to solve the nonlinear problem and the performance of the proposed model is tested by experiments. Experimental results demonstrate that the feedback is able to weaken background false positives while maintaining a minor effect on small targets. It outperforms existing STMD-based models regarding the accuracy of fast-moving small target detection in visual clutter. The proposed feedback approach could inspire the relevant modeling of robust motion perception robotics visual systems.
Altered gray matter structural covariance networks in drug-naïve and treated early HIV-infected individuals
Authors: Li Ruili , Gao Yuxun , Wang Wei , Jiao Zengxin , Rao Bo , Liu Guangxue , Li Hongjun
Published: September 2022

Background

While regional brain structure and function alterations in HIV-infected individuals have been reported, knowledge about the topological organization in gray matter networks is limited. This research aims to investigate the effects of early HIV infection and combination antiretroviral therapy (cART) on gray matter structural covariance networks (SCNs) by employing graph theoretical analysis.

Methods

Sixty-five adult HIV+ individuals (25–50 years old), including 34 with cART (HIV+/cART+) and 31 medication-naïve (HIV+/cART–), and 35 demographically matched healthy controls (HCs) underwent high-resolution T1-weighted images. A sliding-window method was employed to create “age bins,” and SCNs (based on cortical thickness) were constructed for each bin by calculating Pearson's correlation coefficients. The group differences of network indices, including the mean nodal path length (Nlp), betweenness centrality (Bc), number of modules, modularity, global efficiency, local efficiency, and small-worldness, were evaluated by ANOVA and post-hoc tests employing the network-based statistics method.

Results

Relative to HCs, less efficiency in terms of information transfer in the parietal and occipital lobe (decreased Bc) and a compensated increase in the frontal lobe (decreased Nlp) were exhibited in both HIV+/cART+ and HIV+/cART– individuals (P < 0.05, FDR-corrected). Compared with HIV+/cART– and HCs, less specialized function segregation (decreased modularity and small-worldness property) and stronger integration in the network (increased Eglob and little changed path length) were found in HIV+/cART+ group (P < 0.05, FDR-corrected).

Conclusion

Early HIV+ individuals exhibited a decrease in the efficiency of information transmission in sensory regions and a compensatory increase in the frontal lobe. HIV+/cART+ showed a less specialized regional segregation function, but a stronger global integration function in the network.
Case Report: A neurolinguistic and neuroimaging study on a Chinese follow-up case with logopenic-variant of primary progressive aphasia
Authors: Huang Binyao , Wang Xiaolu , Jiang Biao , Kong Linlin , Hou Haifeng , Zhou Jiong
Published: September 2022

Primary progressive aphasia (PPA), typically resulting from a neurodegenerative disease, is characterized by a progressive loss of specific language functions while other cognitive domains are relatively unaffected. The logopenic variant, characterized by impairments of word retrieval and sentence repetition along with preserved semantic, syntactic, and motor speech abilities, is the most recently described and remains less understood than other variants due to a comparatively small number of case studies and a lack of investigations with a thorough specification. In this article, we report a 2-year follow-up case study of a 74-year-old Chinese female patient with a logopenic variant of primary progressive aphasia, including its neurolinguistic study, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and 11C-Pittsburgh compound B-Positron emission tomography imaging analyses, as well as gene sequencing. This case confirms that, in addition to word-finding and sentence repetition difficulties, the logopenic variant may also present with mild auditory comprehension and naming deficits attributed to impaired access to lexical representations. The observation of clinical treatment suggests the efficacy of memantine hydrochloride tablet and rivastigmine transdermal patch in slowing down the cognitive deterioration of this patient. The description and exploration of this case may shed new insights into a better understanding of the Chinese logopenic variant of primary progressive aphasia.
Associations of neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio with intracranial and extracranial atherosclerotic stenosis
Authors: Xie Yu , Liu Zhenxing , Dan Bitang , Zou Li , Zhang Lei , Zhang Renwei , Li Huagang , Cai Qi , Aiziretiaili Nadire , Ren Shanling , Liu Yumin
Published: September 2022

Background

Neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) has been shown to be an important inflammatory maker. This study aims to investigate the association of NLR with intracranial and extracranial atherosclerotic stenosis.

Methods

We retrospectively recruited patients who underwent digital subtraction angiography (DSA) for evaluating intracranial/extracranial stenosis in the Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University from January 2017 to October 2021. Clinical characteristics, DSA data, blood routine, and lipid profile were recorded. Logistic regression was used to evaluate the association of NLR and intercranial/extracranial atherosclerotic stenosis in three aspects: distribution of stenosis, whether the stenosis is symptomatic, and degree of stenosis.

Results

A total of 1,129 patients were included in our analysis, with a median age of 62 y (interquartile range 55–68), and a median admission NLR of 2.39 (interquartile range 1.84–3.42). A total of 986 patients presented intracranial and/or extracranial atherosclerotic stenosis. Increased NLR were associated with intracranial stenosis [odds ratio (OR), 1.54; 95% CI, 1.27–1.85; p < 0.001], extracranial stenosis (OR, 1.56; 95% CI, 1.25–1.96; p < 0.001), and combined intracranial/extracranial stenosis (OR, 1.61; 95% CI, 1.28–2.03; p < 0.001). After adjustment of potential factors, higher NLR were independently associated with symptomatic stenosis (OR, 1.16; 95% CI, 1.05–1.27; p = 0.003) and degree of stenosis (OR, 1.32; 95% CI, 1.17–1.49; p < 0.001). Compared with the first quartile NLR, the second, third, and fourth quartiles NLR were independent risk factors for symptomatic stenosis and stenosis degree (both p for trend <0.001).

Conclusion

Increased NLR is an important factor associated with both intracranial and extracranial atherosclerotic stenosis. Patients with symptomatic intracranial/extracranial atherosclerotic stenosis or a more severe degree of stenosis presented elevated NLR levels.
Validation of a cloud-based tele-stroke system reliability in determining national institutes of health stroke scale scores for acute ischemic stroke screening in the emergency department
Authors: Saban Mor , Moskovitz Anner , Ohanyan Sona , Reznik Anna , Ribo Marc , Sivan-Hoffmann Rotem
Published: September 2022

Background and purpose

The National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) is the most recommended tool for objectively quantifying the impairment caused by a suspected stroke. Nevertheless, it is mainly used by trained neurologists in the emergency department (ED). To bring forward the NIHSS to the pre-hospital setting, a smartphone-based Telestroke system was developed. It captures the full NIHSS by video, transmits it off-line, and enables assessment by a distant stroke physician. We aimed to compare the reliability of an NIHSS score determined by a neurologist from afar, using the platform with a standard NIHSS assessment performed in the emergency departments.

Methods

A multi-center prospective study was conducted in two centers (Vall d'Hebron, Barcelona, and Rambam, Israel). Patients admitted to the ED with suspected stroke had a neurological exam based on the NIHSS, while being recorded by the system. A skilled neurologist rated the NIHSS according to the videos offline. The results were compared with the NIHSS score given by a neurologist at the bedside.

Results

A total of 95 patients with suspected stroke were included. The overall intraclass correlation coefficient was 0.936 (0.99 in VdH and 0.84 in Rambam), indicating excellent and good reliability, respectively.

Conclusion

Remote stroke assessment based on the NIHSS, using videos segments collected by a dedicated platform, installed on a standard smartphone, is a reliable measurement as compared with the bedside evaluation.
Time trends in the incidence of essential tremor: Evidences from UK and France primary care data
Authors: Antonazzo Ippazio Cosimo , Conti Sara , Rozza Davide , Fornari Carla , Eteve-Pitsaer Caroline , Paris Claire , Gantzer Laurène , Valentine Dennis , Mantovani Lorenzo Giovanni , Mazzaglia Giampiero
Published: September 2022

Introduction

Although essential tremor (ET) is considered a common adult movement disorder, evidence on its incidence is still scant. This study aims at estimating ET incidence in two European countries, namely, the UK and France.

Methods

Incident cases of ET were identified within the Health Improvement Network (THIN®) database between 1st January 2014 and 31 December 2019. Yearly crude and standardized incidence rates (IR) were estimated across the study period for both countries. Poisson regression models were built to assess temporal trends in IRs and differences between sexes and age classes.

Results

In total, 4,970 and 4,905 incident cases of ET were identified in the UK and France, respectively. The yearly average crude IR (per 100,000 person-years) was 18.20 (95%CI: 15.09–21.32) in UK and 21.42 (17.83–25.00) in France, whereas standardized ones were 19.51 (18.97–20.01) and 19.50 (18.97-20.05). Regression analyses showed slightly increasing trends in both countries, higher incidence among males, and a significant increase with age. Yearly average IR increased from 3.96 (0.95–6.97) and 5.28 (1.12–9.44) in subjects aged <20 years to 49.27 (26.29–72.24) and 51.52 (30.19–72.86) in those aged >80 year in UK and France.

Conclusions

Standardized ET incidence was comparable in the UK and France, showing a slight increase in both countries, reporting a higher value among people aged 60 years and older. This study outlines the need to conduct future studies to estimate the burden of ET in terms of disease control and healthcare resource utilization.
Atypical cortical thickness and folding of language regions in Chinese nonsyndromic cleft lip and palate children after speech rehabilitation
Authors: Wang Shi , Fang Lei , Miao Guofu , Li Zhichao , Rao Bo , Cheng Hua
Published: September 2022

Objective

Even after palatoplasty and speech rehabilitation, patients with cleft lip and palate (CLP) remain to produce pronunciation errors. We hypothesized that nonsyndromic CLP (NSCLP) after speech rehabilitation had structural abnormalities in language-related brain regions. This study investigates structural patterns in NSCLP children after speech rehabilitation using surface-based morphometry (SBM) analysis.

Methods

Forty-two children with NSCLP and 42 age- and gender-matched healthy controls were scanned for 3D T1-weighted images on a 3T MRI scanner. After reconstructing each brain surface, we computed SBM parameters and assessed between-group differences using two-sample t-tests and permutation tests (5,000 times). Then, we assessed the relationship between the SBM parameters and the Chinese language clear degree scale (CLCDS) using Pearson's correlation analysis.

Result

The speech-rehabilitated children with NSCLP showed lower cortical thickness and higher gyrification index mainly involving left language-related brain regions (permutation tests, p < 0.05). Furthermore, the lower cortical thickness of the left parahippocampal gyrus was positively correlated with CLCDS scores (r = 0.370, p = 0.017) in patients with NSCLP.

Conclusion

The SBM analysis showed that the structural abnormalities of speech-rehabilitated children with NSCLP mainly involved language-related brain regions, especially the dominant cerebral hemisphere. The structural abnormalities of the cortical thickness and folding in the language-related brain regions might be the neural mechanisms of speech errors in NSCLP children after speech rehabilitation. The cortical thickness of the parahippocampal gyrus may be a biomarker to evaluate pronunciation function.
The impact of pulse timing on cortical and subthalamic nucleus deep brain stimulation evoked potentials
Authors: Campbell Brett A. , Favi Bocca Leonardo , Escobar Sanabria David , Almeida Julio , Rammo Richard , Nagel Sean J. , Machado Andre G. , Baker Kenneth B.
Published: September 2022

The impact of pulse timing is an important factor in our understanding of how to effectively modulate the basal ganglia thalamocortical (BGTC) circuit. Single pulse low-frequency DBS-evoked potentials generated through electrical stimulation of the subthalamic nucleus (STN) provide insight into circuit activation, but how the long-latency components change as a function of pulse timing is not well-understood. We investigated how timing between stimulation pulses delivered in the STN region influence the neural activity in the STN and cortex. DBS leads implanted in the STN of five patients with Parkinson's disease were temporarily externalized, allowing for the delivery of paired pulses with inter-pulse intervals (IPIs) ranging from 0.2 to 10 ms. Neural activation was measured through local field potential (LFP) recordings from the DBS lead and scalp EEG. DBS-evoked potentials were computed using contacts positioned in dorsolateral STN as determined through co-registered post-operative imaging. We quantified the degree to which distinct IPIs influenced the amplitude of evoked responses across frequencies and time using the wavelet transform and power spectral density curves. The beta frequency content of the DBS evoked responses in the STN and scalp EEG increased as a function of pulse-interval timing. Pulse intervals <1.0 ms apart were associated with minimal to no change in the evoked response. IPIs from 1.5 to 3.0 ms yielded a significant increase in the evoked response, while those >4 ms produced modest, but non-significant growth. Beta frequency activity in the scalp EEG and STN LFP response was maximal when IPIs were between 1.5 and 4.0 ms. These results demonstrate that long-latency components of DBS-evoked responses are pre-dominantly in the beta frequency range and that pulse interval timing impacts the level of BGTC circuit activation.
Exploration of acupuncture therapy in the treatment of mild cognitive impairment based on the brain-gut axis theory
Authors: Jin Yuanyuan , Hu Fen , Zhu Jianfang
Published: September 2022

Background

Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is an intermediary state between normal aging and dementia. Early intervention for MCI may be a key opportunity in managing dementia. Recent studies have demonstrated the alterations in the gut microbial communities associated with MCI. This study aims to evaluate if acupuncture can improve cognitive function in subjects with MCI and explore the possible mechanism of acupuncture by better defining the interactions of gut microbiota.

Methods

A randomized assessor-blind controlled study is proposed. A total of 62 subjects will be recruited and randomly allocated into two groups in a 1:1 ratio: the treatment and control groups. Participants in the treatment group will receive active acupuncture and exercise/cognitive training (conventional treatment). The control group will receive sham acupuncture and exercise/cognitive training. Each participant will receive active or sham acupuncture for 12 weeks. The primary outcome will be the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) score and intestinal flora. Secondary outcomes will include mini-mental state examination (MMSE) and activity of daily living (ADL) scores. Various scales will be collected at baseline, during the treatment (weeks 4 and 8), week 12, and months 4 and 6 after the intervention. Feces will be collected before and after the treatment based on 16S rRNA gene sequencing technology for each participant to characterize the intestinal flora. Adverse events will be recorded by monthly follow-up.

Results

The trial is expected to show that cognitive function can be improved by acupuncture and produce reliable clinical outcomes in MCI patients. It will also provide preliminary data on the possible mechanism based on the changes in the intestinal flora. Collected data will be used to support future large-scale fundamental studies.

Conclusion

Acupuncture is an effective method to improve cognitive function for MCI. This study will provide data on the relationship between gut microbiota and the effectiveness of acupuncture in patients with MCI from a new angle.

Clinical trial registration

[www.ClinicalTrials.gov], identifier [MR-33-22-002376].
The effect of ketamine on eye movement characteristics during free-viewing of natural images in common marmosets
Authors: Polyakova Zlata , Iwase Masao , Hashimoto Ryota , Yoshida Masatoshi
Published: September 2022

Various eye movement abnormalities and impairments in visual information processing have been reported in patients with schizophrenia. Therefore, dysfunction of saccadic eye movements is a potential biological marker for schizophrenia. In the present study, we used a pharmacological model of schizophrenia symptoms in marmosets and compared the eye movement characteristics of marmosets during free-viewing, using an image set identical to those used for human studies. It contains natural and complex images that were randomly presented for 8 s. As a pharmacological model of schizophrenia symptoms, a subanesthetic dose of ketamine was injected intramuscularly for transient and reversible manipulation. Eye movements were recorded and compared under a ketamine condition and a saline condition as a control. The results showed that ketamine affected eye movement characteristics during free-viewing. Saccades amplitude and scanpath length were significantly reduced in the ketamine condition. In addition, the duration of saccades was longer under the ketamine condition than under the saline condition. A similar tendency was observed for the duration of fixations. The number of saccades and fixations tended to decrease in the ketamine condition. The peak saccades velocity also decreased after ketamine injection whereas there was no difference in the main sequence relationship between saccades amplitude and peak velocity. These results suggest that ketamine affected visual exploration but did not affect the oculomotor aspect of saccades in marmosets, consistent with studies in patients with schizophrenia. Therefore, we conclude that the subanesthetic dose of ketamine is a promising pharmacological model of schizophrenia symptoms in common marmosets and can be used in combination with free-viewing paradigms to establish “translatable markers” for schizophrenia in primates.
RNA sequencing-based identification of the regulatory mechanism of microRNAs, transcription factors, and corresponding target genes involved in vascular dementia
Authors: Zhao Kaiyue , Zeng Li , Cai Zhongdi , Liu Mimin , Sun Ting , Li Zhuorong , Liu Rui
Published: September 2022

Vascular dementia (VaD) is the second most common form of dementia with uncertain mechanisms and no effective treatments. microRNAs (miRNAs) and transcription factors (TFs) are considered regulatory factors of genes involved in many diseases. Therefore, this work investigated the aberrantly expressed miRNAs, TFs, corresponding target genes, and their co-regulatory networks in the cortex of rats with bilateral common carotid artery occlusion (2VO) to uncover the potential mechanism and biomarkers of VaD. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs), miRNAs (DEMs), and TFs (DETFs) were identified using RNA sequencing, and their interaction networks were constructed using Cytoscape. The results showed that rats with 2VO had declined cognitive abilities and neuronal loss in the cortex than sham rats. DEGs, DEMs, and DETFs were discriminated between rats with 2VO and sham rats in the cortex, as shown by the 13 aberrantly expressed miRNAs, 805 mRNAs, and 63 TFs. The miRNA-TF-target gene network was constructed, showing 523 nodes and 7237 edges. Five miRNAs (miR-5132-5p, miR-764-3p, miR-223-3p, miR-145-5p, and miR-122-5p), ten TFs (Mxi1, Nfatc4, Rxrg, Zfp523, Foxj2, Nkx6-1, Klf4, Klf5, Csrnp1, and Prdm6), and seven target genes (Serpine1, Nedd4l, Pxn, Col1a1, Plec, Trip12, and Tpm1) were chosen as the significant nodes to construct feed-forward loops (FFLs). Gene Ontology and pathway enrichment analysis revealed that these miRNA and TF-associated genes are mostly involved in the PI3K/Akt, neuroactive ligand–receptor interaction, calcium signaling, and Wnt signaling pathways, along with central locations around the cell membrane. They exert functions such as growth factor binding, integrin binding, and extracellular matrix structural constituent, with representative biological processes like vasculature development, cell–substrate adhesion, cellular response to growth factor stimulus, and synaptic transmission. Furthermore, the expression of three miRNAs (miR-145-5p, miR-122-5p, and miR-5132-5p), six TFs (Csrnp1, Klf4, Nfatc4, Rxrg, Foxj2, and Klf5), and five mRNAs (Serpine1, Plec, Nedd4l, Trip12, and Tpm1) were significantly changed in rats with VaD, in line with the outcome of RNA sequencing. In the potential FFL, miR-145-5p directly bound Csrnp1 and decreased its mRNA expression. These results might help the understanding of the underlying regulatory mechanisms of miRNA-TF-genes, providing potential therapeutic targets in VaD.
On the encoding of natural music in computational models and human brains
Authors: Kim Seung-Goo
Published: September 2022

This article discusses recent developments and advances in the neuroscience of music to understand the nature of musical emotion. In particular, it highlights how system identification techniques and computational models of music have advanced our understanding of how the human brain processes the textures and structures of music and how the processed information evokes emotions. Musical models relate physical properties of stimuli to internal representations called features, and predictive models relate features to neural or behavioral responses and test their predictions against independent unseen data. The new frameworks do not require orthogonalized stimuli in controlled experiments to establish reproducible knowledge, which has opened up a new wave of naturalistic neuroscience. The current review focuses on how this trend has transformed the domain of the neuroscience of music.
Unified framework for brain connectivity-based biomarkers in neurodegenerative disorders
Authors: Kim Sung-Woo , Song Yeong-Hun , Kim Hee Jin , Noh Young , Seo Sang Won , Na Duk L. , Seong Joon-Kyung
Published: September 2022

Background

Brain connectivity is useful for deciphering complex brain dynamics controlling interregional communication. Identifying specific brain phenomena based on brain connectivity and quantifying their levels can help explain or diagnose neurodegenerative disorders.

Objective

This study aimed to establish a unified framework to identify brain connectivity-based biomarkers associated with disease progression and summarize them into a single numerical value, with consideration for connectivity-specific structural attributes.

Methods

This study established a framework that unifies the processes of identifying a brain connectivity-based biomarker and mapping its abnormality level into a single numerical value, called a biomarker abnormality summarized from the identified connectivity (BASIC) score. A connectivity-based biomarker was extracted in the form of a connected component associated with disease progression. BASIC scores were constructed to maximize Kendall's rank correlation with the disease, considering the spatial autocorrelation between adjacent edges. Using functional connectivity networks, we validated the BASIC scores in various scenarios.

Results

Our proposed framework was successfully applied to construct connectivity-based biomarker scores associated with disease progression, characterized by two, three, and five stages of Alzheimer's disease, and reflected the continuity of brain alterations as the diseases advanced. The BASIC scores were not only sensitive to disease progression, but also specific to the trajectory of a particular disease. Moreover, this framework can be utilized when disease stages are measured on continuous scales, resulting in a notable prediction performance when applied to the prediction of the disease.

Conclusion

Our unified framework provides a method to identify brain connectivity-based biomarkers and continuity-reflecting BASIC scores that are sensitive and specific to disease progression.