Association analysis of imbalanced interhemispheric functional coordination and early therapeutic efficacy in major depressive disorder: Evidence from resting state fMRI

Introduction

Emerging evidences indicate that the alteration of interhemispheric functional coordination may be involved in the pathogenesis of major depressive disorder (MDD). In present study, we aim to explore the potential marker by using the voxel-mirrored homotopic connectivity (VMHC) approach, which may be contributing to predict the clinical prognosis in MDD.

Methods

Eighty-two MDD patients and 50 normal control (NC) subjects participated in this study. We divided the MDD group into unremitted and remitted group according to the reduction rate of Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HAMD) within 2 weeks.

Results

The study detected significantly decreased VMHC in bilateral precuneus (pCu), inferior temporal gyrus (ITG) and increased VMHC in middle frontal gyrus (MFG) and caudate nucleus when compared remitted depression (RD) group to unremitted depression (URD) group. Meanwhile, when compared with NC group, the URD group presented reduced VMHC in bilateral cerebellum anterior lobe, thalamus and postcentral gyrus. Furthermore, the VHMC in media frontal gyrus, postcentral gyrus and precentral gyrus were significantly decreased in RD group. Correlation analysis suggested that reduced VMHC in bilateral pCu was negatively correlated with the baseline HAMD score of URD (r = −0.325, P = 0.041). Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve indicated that three regional VMHC changes could identify depressed patient with poorer treatment response: ITG [area under curve (AUC) = 0.699, P = 0.002, 95% CI = 0.586–0.812], MFG (AUC = 0.692, P = 0.003, 95% CI = 0.580–0.805), pCu (AUC = 0.714, P = 0.001, 95% CI = 0.603–0.825).

Conclusion

The current study combined with previous evidence indicates that the subdued intrinsic interhemispheric functional connectivity might represents a novel neural trait involved in the pathophysiology of MDD.

Disclosure of interest

The authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.

Decreased interhemispheric functional coordination underlying the cognitive impairment in late-onset depression

Background

The intuitive association between cognitive dysfunction in late onset depression (LOD) and the aberrant functional activity in the brain's default-mode network (DMN) has prompted interest in exploring the role of the DMN in LOD. The altered pattern of resting state voxel-mirrored homotopic connectivity (VMHC) in cognitive processes is not yet well understood in LOD.

Methods

The study was designed to examine the implicit coupling between the alteration of interhemispheric functional coordination and cognitive impairment in LOD. Thirty-one LOD patients and 37 matched healthy controls (HC) underwent neuropsychological tests and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) in this study.

Results

Compared to HC group, attenuated VMHC in superior frontal gyrus, superior temporal gyrus, posterior cerebellar lobe, postcentral and precentral gyrus was observed in LOD. Neuro-behavioral relevancy approach revealed that the imbalanced interhemispheric functional coordination in bilateral cerebellum was positively correlated with the performance of trail making test in LOD (r = 0.367, P = 0.040).

Conclusion

Altered linkage pattern of intrinsic homotopic connectivity and cognition was firstly investigated in LOD, and it would provide a novel clue to reveal the neural substrates underlying the cognitive dysfunction in LOD.

Disclosure of interest

The authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.

[Analysis of quality of life and emotion symptoms in adolescents with allergic rhinitis in middle area of Jiangsu Province]

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the quality of life and emotion symptoms (anxiety symptom and depressive symptom) of adolescents with allergic rhinitis (AR) in middle area of Jiangsu province.

METHODS

A case-control study on quality of life and emotion symptoms among 220 AR adolescents and 240 controls was performed. The participants were investigated by questionnaires of RQLQ, ICD, and SCARED.SPSS 13.0 software was used to analyze the data.

RESULTS

The scores of RQLQ five dimensions with AR were higher than the controlled subjects respectively(all P<0.01). The score of SCARED((24.15±4.89) vs (19.13±3.17)) but not ICD((20.78±4.4) vs (19.97±3.45)) in AR was higher than the controlled subjects(t=12.79, P<0.05; t=2.34, P>0.05). Furthermore, anxiety symptom was significantly associated with nasal symptoms, other problems and behavior problems.

CONCLUSIONS

The quality of life and emotion symptoms were significantly affected by AR. It is important to pay attention to overall health in AR adolescents.

Dosimetric and clinical toxicity comparison of critical organ preservation with three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy, intensity-modulated radiotherapy, and RapidArc for the treatment of locally advanced cancer of the pancreatic head

PURPOSE

We compared dosimetry and clinical toxicity for 3-dimensional conformal radiotherapy (3D-crt), intensity-modulated radiotherapy (imrt), and RapidArc (Varian Medical Systems, Palo Alto, CA, U.S.A.) in locally advanced pancreatic cancer (lapcc). We hypothesized that the technique with better sparing of organs at risk (oars) and better target dose distributions could lead to decreased clinical toxicity.

METHODS

The study analyzed 280 patients with lapcc who had undergone radiotherapy. The dosimetry comparison was performed using 20 of those patients. Dose-volume histograms for the target volume and the oars were compared. The clinical toxicity comparison used the 280 patients who received radiation with 3D-crt, imrt, or RapidArc.

RESULTS

Compared with 3D-crt, RapidArc and imrt both achieved a better conformal index, homogeneity index, V95%, and V110%. Compared with 3D-crt or imrt, RapidArc reduced the V10, V20, and mean dose to duodenum, the V20 of the right kidney, and the liver mean dose. Compared with 3D-crt, RapidArc reduced the V35, and V45 of duodenum, the mean dose to small bowel, and the V15 of right kidney. The incidences of grades 3 and 4 diarrhea (p = 0.037) and anorexia (p = 0.042) were lower with RapidArc than with 3D-crt, and the incidences of grades 3 and 4 diarrhea (p = 0.027) were lower with RapidArc than with imrt.

CONCLUSIONS

Compared with 3D-crt or imrt, RapidArc showed better sparing of oars, especially duodenum, small bowel, and right kidney. Also, fewer acute grades 3 and 4 gastrointestinal toxicities were seen with RapidArc than with 3D-crt or imrt. A technique with better sparing of oars and better target dose distributions could result in decreased clinical toxicities during radiation treatment for lapcc.

A silica-based gel electrolyte system for improving the cycle performance of LiFePO4 batteries in an aqueous medium

Cycling performance of LiFePO₄ electrodes in aqueous and gel electrolytes at a 0.5C rate.

SOX9 is a regulator of ADAMTSs-induced cartilage degeneration at the early stage of human osteoarthritis

OBJECTIVE

To identify whether cartilage master regulator SRY-related protein 9 (SOX9) mediates A disintegrin and metalloproteinase with thrombospondin motifs (ADAMTS) dysregulation during osteoarthritis (OA) cartilage degeneration.

METHOD

Twenty-two randomly selected OA patients were evaluated using Outerbridge Classification via arthroscopy. Haematoxylin-eosin (HE), Safranin O and Masson staining were performed for the histopathological assessment. The expression of ADAMTSs, collagen 2A1 (COL2A1), aggrecan (ACAN), cartilage oligomeric matrix protein (COMP) and SOX9 were examined using real-time quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) (RT-qPCR) and western blotting analysis. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) analysis was performed to investigate the production of ADAMTSs in cartilage tissues. The association between SOX9 production and ADAMTSs, COL2A1, ACAN, and COMP expression was established by full-depth cartilage biopsies.

RESULTS

ADAMTSs expression levels were repressed at stage 1, while a significant increase was observed at the progressive stage of OA. SOX9 was upregulated at stage 1 and suppressed at a later stage of cartilage development, particularly in cartilage with severe damage. In addition, SOX9 repressed the expression of ADAMTSs and promoted COL2A1, ACAN and COMP expression in human chondrocytes. SOX9 was recruited to the promoters of ADAMTS-4 and ADAMTS-7. SOX9 expression was negatively correlated with ADAMTSs production and was positively associated with COL2A1, ACAN and COMP expression. Inhibition of ADAMTSs markedly increased the production of COL2A1, ACAN and COMP in chondrocytes isolated from the early stage of OA.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings indicated that SOX9 upregulation might mediate ADAMTSs suppression at the early stage of human OA. In addition, SOX9 could be used as a potential therapeutic agent for human OA at an early stage.

Numerical investigation of the transverse instability on the radiation-pressure-driven foil

The development of transverse instability in the radiation-pressure-acceleration dominant laser-foil interaction is numerically examined by two-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations. When a plane laser impinges on a foil with modulated surface, the transverse instability is incited, and periodic perturbations of the proton density develop. The growth rate of the transverse instability is numerically diagnosed. It is found that the linear growth of the transverse instability lasts only a few laser periods, then the instability gets saturated. In order to optimize the modulation wavelength of the target, a method of information entropy is put forward to describe the chaos degree of the transverse instability. With appropriate modulation, the transverse instability shows a low chaos degree, and a quasi-monoenergetic proton beam is produced.

GDF10 is a signal for axonal sprouting and functional recovery after stroke

Stroke produces a limited process of neural repair. Axonal sprouting in cortex adjacent to the infarct is part of this recovery process, but the signal that initiates axonal sprouting is not known. Growth and differentiation factor 10 (GDF10) is induced in peri-infarct neurons in mice, non-human primates and humans. GDF10 promotes axonal outgrowth in vitro in mouse, rat and human neurons through TGFβRI and TGFβRII signaling. Using pharmacogenetic gain- and loss-of-function studies, we found that GDF10 produced axonal sprouting and enhanced functional recovery after stroke; knocking down GDF10 blocked axonal sprouting and reduced recovery. RNA sequencing from peri-infarct cortical neurons revealed that GDF10 downregulated PTEN, upregulated PI3 kinase signaling and induced specific axonal guidance molecules. Using unsupervised genome-wide association analysis of the GDF10 transcriptome, we found that it was not related to neurodevelopment, but may partially overlap with other CNS injury patterns. Thus, GDF10 is a stroke-induced signal for axonal sprouting and functional recovery.

A quantitative study about thyroid stunning after diagnostic whole-body scanning with 74 MBq 131I in patients with differentiated thyroid carcinoma

AIM

The aim of this paper was to explore by a quantitative method whether a 74 MBq 131I scanning activity produces a stunning effect in patients with differentiated thyroid carcinoma (DTC).

METHODS

We included 70 patients with DTC who had their first radioiodine treatment for ablation of thyroid remnants and/or metastases. All the patients received 1850~7400 MBq 131I. Before ablation, 34 patients (group A) performed a diagnostic scan (Dscan) 24 hours after the administration of 74 MBq 131I; 36 patients (group B) received 131I therapy without a previous Dscan. A therapeutic scan (Tscan) was performed after the ablation. The fractional concentrations of 131I in remnants or functional metastases were quantified on Dscan and Tscan, and were expressed as Dx and Tx respectively. The level of significance was set at 0.05.

RESULTS

For group A, 67 foci were found both on Dscan and Tscan, the mean Dx and Tx was 26.13±37.98 and 7.46±10.63 (P=0.000), respectively. For group B, 70 foci were found on Tscan, the mean Tx was 15.23±17.23, which was higher than group A significantly (P=0.002).

CONCLUSION

74 MBq 131I for diagnostic scan can decrease the uptake of 131I by thyroid remnants or metastases, the thyroid stunning exists.

Regulatory circuit of PKM2/NF-κB/miR-148a/152-modulated tumor angiogenesis and cancer progression

Upregulation of the embryonic M2 isoform of pyruvate kinase (PKM2) emerges as a critical player in the cancer development and metabolism, yet the underlying mechanism of PKM2 overexpression remains to be elucidated. Here we demonstrate that IGF-1/IGF-IR regulates PKM2 expression by enhancing HIF-1α-p65 complex binding to PKM2 promoter. PKM2 expression is regulated by miR-148a/152 suppression. PKM2 directly interacts with NF-κB p65 subunit to promote EGR1 expression for regulating miR-148a/152 feedback circuit in normal cells, but not in cancer cells because of the DNA hypermethylation of miR-148a and miR-152 gene promoters. The silencing of miR-148a/152 contributes to the overexpression of PKM2, NF-κB or/and IGF-IR in some cancer cells. We show that disruption of PKM2/NF-κB/miR-148a/152 feedback loop can regulate cancer cell growth and angiogenesis, and is also associated with triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) phenotype, which may have clinical implication for providing novel biomarker(s) of TNBC and potential therapeutic target(s) in the future.

Modification of artificial sea water for the mass production of (+)-terrein by Aspergillus terreus strain PF26 derived from marine sponge Phakellia fusca

(+)-Terrein shows multiple bioactivities, however, its mass production is a big challenge. Aspergillus terreus strain PF26 derived from South China Sea sponge Phakellia fusca has been cultured to produce (+)-terrein successfully, but artificial sea water (ASW) of high salinity used in the fermentation medium may cause the corrosion risk of metal bioreactor, which limits the fermentation on a large scale. In this study, we modified the components of ASW by removing NaCl and CaCl2 from the original formula, which reduced about 80% salinity of ASW. As a result, 7·56 g l(-1) (+)-terrein production was achieved in shake flask, which was 78·72% higher than using the original ASW, and the cultivation time was decreased from 24 to 15 days. Then, the modified ASW was used for the fermentation of A. terreus strain PF26 in a 500 l stirred bioreactor, consequently 2·5 g l(-1) of (+)-terrein production was achieved.

SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY

The fermentation of marine micro-organisms always needs to use sea water or artificial sea water (ASW), which limits the fermentation on a large scale, as the high-salinity medium may cause the corrosion risk of bioreactor. In this study, the ASW formula is simplified to reduce the sea water salinity and improve the yield of (+)-terrein, finally, the modified ASW was successfully used for the mass production of (+)-terrein by A. terreus strain PF26 in a 500 l bioreactor.

Macrophage proinflammatory response to the titanium alloy equipment in dental implantation

Titanium alloy and stainless steel (SS) had been widely used as dental implant materials because of their affinity with epithelial tissue and connective tissue, and good physical, chemical, biological, mechanical properties and processability. We compared the effects of titanium alloy and SS on macrophage cytokine expression as well as their biocompatibility. Mouse macrophage RAW264.7 cells were cultured on titanium alloy and SS surfaces. Cells were counted by scanning electron microscopy. A nitride oxide kit was used to detect released nitric oxide by macrophages on the different materials. An enzyme linked immunosorbent assay was used to detect monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 levels. Scanning electron microscopy revealed fewer macrophages on the surface of titanium alloy (48.2 ± 6.4 x 10(3) cells/cm(2)) than on SS (135 ± 7.3 x 10(3) cells/cm(2)). The nitric oxide content stimulated by titanium alloy was 22.5 mM, which was lower than that stimulated by SS (26.8 mM), but the difference was not statistically significant (P = 0.07). The level of monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 released was significantly higher in the SS group (OD value = 0.128) than in the titanium alloy group (OD value = 0.081) (P = 0.024). The transforming growth factor-b1 mRNA expression levels in macrophages after stimulation by titanium alloy for 12 and 36 h were significantly higher than that after stimulation by SS (P = 0.31 and 0.25, respectively). Macrophages participate in the inflammatory response by regulating cytokines such as nitric oxide, monocyte chemoattractant protein-1, and transforming growth factor-b1. There were fewer macrophages and lower inflammation on the titanium alloy surface than on the SS surface. Titanium alloy materials exhibited better biological compatibility than did SS.

CpG DNA assists the whole inactivated H9N2 influenza virus in crossing the intestinal epithelial barriers via transepithelial uptake of dendritic cell dendrites

Intestinal mucosa remains a pivotal barrier for the oral vaccine absorption of H9N2 whole inactivated influenza virus (WIV). However, CpG DNA, as an adjuvant, can effectively improve relevant mucosal and systemic immunity. The downstream mechanism is well confirmed, yet the evidence of CpG DNA assisting H9N2 WIV in transepithelial delivery is lacking. Here, we reported both in vitro and in vivo that CpG DNA combined with H9N2 WIV was capable of recruiting additional dendritic cells (DCs) to the intestinal epithelial cells (ECs) to form transepithelial dendrites (TEDs) for luminal viral uptake. Both CD103(+) and CD103(-) DCs participated in this process. The engagement of the chemokine CCL20 from the apical ECs and the DCs drove DC recruitment and TED formation. Virus-loaded CD103(+) but not CD103(-) DCs also quickly migrated into mesenteric lymph nodes within 2 h. Moreover, the mechanism of CpG DNA was independent of epithelial transcytosis and disruption of the epithelial barriers. Finally, the subsequent phenotypic and functional maturation of DCs was also enhanced. Our findings indicated that CpG DNA improved the delivery of H9N2 WIV via TEDs of intestinal DCs, and this may be an important mechanism for downstream effective antigen-specific immune responses.

Associative memory realized by a reconfigurable memristive Hopfield neural network

Although synaptic behaviours of memristors have been widely demonstrated, implementation of an even simple artificial neural network is still a great challenge. In this work, we demonstrate the associative memory on the basis of a memristive Hopfield network. Different patterns can be stored into the memristive Hopfield network by tuning the resistance of the memristors, and the pre-stored patterns can be successfully retrieved directly or through some associative intermediate states, being analogous to the associative memory behaviour. Both single-associative memory and multi-associative memories can be realized with the memristive Hopfield network.

ALMS1 null mutations: a common cause of Leber congenital amaurosis and early-onset severe cone-rod dystrophy

In our previous studies, mutations in known candidate genes were detected in approximately 50% of Chinese patients with various forms of retinal degeneration. The next stage, identifying additional causative mutations in patients with various forms of genetic eye diseases based on whole exome sequencing of 1220 samples, revealed frequent homozygous or compound heterozygous null mutations in ALMS1, which are known to associate with Alström syndrome as well as individuals diagnosed with Leber congenital amaurosis (LCA) or early-onset severe cone-rod dystrophy (CORD) without signs of systemic phenotypes except that one had a congenital heart abnormity. Sanger sequencing, co-segregation analysis and analysis of normal individuals identified a total of 13 null mutations in ALMS1 in 11 probands, including 4 probands with homozygous mutations and 7 with compound heterozygous mutations. Follow-up examinations revealed absent or mild systemic manifestations of Alström syndrome in those available: 9 of 15 patients in 11 families. These findings not only expand the spectrum of phenotypes associated with ALMS1 mutations but also suggest that ALMS1 should be regarded as a candidate causative gene in patients diagnosed with isolated LCA and early-onset severe CORD.

The involvement of NADPH oxidase-mediated ROS in cytokine secretion from macrophages induced by Mycobacterium tuberculosis ESAT-6

The 6-kDa early secretory antigenic target (ESAT-6) of Mycobacterium tuberculosis is strongly correlated with subversion of innate immune responses against invading mycobacteria. To understand the role of ESAT-6 in macrophage response against M. tuberculosis, the effects of ESAT-6 on macrophage generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and production of cytokines were studied. ESAT-6-induced macrophage secretion of monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 and TNF-α was found in a time- and dose-dependent manner. Signaling inhibition experiments indicate that NF-κB activation mediated by p38/JNK mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) was involved in ESAT-6-triggered cytokine production. Moreover, TLR2 was engaged in ESAT-6-stimulated macrophage activation via rapidly induced ROS production and regulated activation of JNK/p38 MAPKs and NF-κB. More importantly, NADPH oxidase-mediated ROS generation is required during this process. Our study has identified a novel signal transduction pathway involving NADPH-ROS-JNK/p38-NF-κB in ESAT-6-induced cytokine production from macrophages. These findings provide an important evidence to understand the pathogenesis of M. tuberculosis infection in the modulation of the immune response.