Recent advances in cryotolerance biomarkers for semen preservation in frozen form-A systematic review.

Spermatozoa cryopreservation has been practiced for decades and is a very useful technique for long-term preservation of sperm fertility. The capability for semen cryopreservation varies across species, seasons, latitudes, and even for different ejaculates from the same animal. This article summarizes research results on sperm cryotolerance biomarkers in several species, focusing on three areas: spermatozoa cryotolerance biomarkers, seminal plasma proteins cryotolerance biomarkers, and other cryotolerance biomarkers. We discovered that sperm cryoresistance biomarkers are primarily related to sperm plasma membrane stability, the presence of antioxidant substances in sperm or seminal plasma, sperm cell energy metabolism, water and small molecule transport channels in the sperm plasma membrane, and antistress substances in sperm or seminal plasma. The research conducted using diverse livestock models can be employed to enhance the basic and applied reproduction of other mammals through the study of sperm cryotolerance biomarkers, as well as the substantial similarities between livestock and other organisms, including endangered species.

Wanting-liking dissociation and altered dopaminergic functioning: Similarities between internet gaming disorder and tobacco use disorder.

Background: Although internet gaming disorder (IGD) has been included in the DSM-5 for approximately 10 years, debate remains regarding its existence and classification. Methods: The current research incorporated three approaches. First, implicit association tests were used to examine for potential dissociation between wanting and liking in IGD. Second, brain features in wanting and liking circuits were tested and compared with tobacco use disorder (TUD) when performing a cue-craving task to explore the neural features of wanting and liking. Third, dopaminergic systems were investigated in IGD and TUD using neuromelanin-sensitive MRI. Results: The implicit association test results supported a wanting-liking dissociation in IGD participants. Functional MRI data suggested neural correlates underlying wanting-liking dissociation in IGD and TUD participants, with positive correlations suggesting greater dissociation with increasing addiction severity. Neuromelanin results suggest dopaminergic differences in IGD and TUD relative to healthy control participants. Conclusions: A wanting-liking dissociation in IGD participants suggests gaming motivations in IGD relating to incentive sensitization rather than hedonic responses. The neuromelanin-sensitive MRI results suggest dopaminergic involvement in IGD and TUD. The findings suggest similar brain-behaviour mechanisms for IGD and TUD based on an incentive-sensitization model for addiction, having implications for potential therapeutic strategies and policy-based interventions.

Linkage and association mapping in multi-parental populations reveal the genetic basis of carotenoid variation in maize kernels.

Carotenoids are indispensable to plants and critical components of the human diet. The carotenoid metabolic pathway is conserved across plant species, but our understanding of the genetic basis of carotenoid variation remains limited for the seeds of most cereal crops. To address this issue, we systematically performed linkage and association mapping for eight carotenoid traits using six recombinant inbred line (RIL) populations. Single linkage mapping (SLM) and joint linkage mapping (JLM) identified 77 unique additive QTLs and 104 pairs of epistatic QTLs. Among these QTLs, we identified 22 overlapping hotspots of additive and epistatic loci, highlighting the important contributions of some QTLs to carotenoid levels through additive or epistatic mechanisms. A genome-wide association study based on all RILs detected 244 candidate genes significantly associated with carotenoid traits, 23 of which were annotated as carotenoid pathway genes. Effect comparisons suggested that a small number of loci linked to pathway genes have substantial effects on carotenoid variation in our tested populations, but many loci not associated with pathway genes also make important contributions to carotenoid variation. We identified ZmPTOX as the causal gene for a QTL hotspot (Q10/JLM10/GWAS019); this gene encodes a putative plastid terminal oxidase that produces plastoquinone-9 used by two enzymes in the carotenoid pathway. Natural variants in the promoter and second exon of ZmPTOX were found to alter carotenoid levels. This comprehensive assessment of the genetic mechanisms underlying carotenoid variation establishes a foundation for rewiring carotenoid metabolism and accumulation for efficient carotenoid biofortification.

Design and experiment of high-field asymmetric waveform ion mobility spectrometry chip based on an integrated temperature control printed circuit board structure.

RATIONALE: During the detection of volatile organic compounds (VOC) using high-field asymmetric waveform ion mobility spectrometry (FAIMS), the ambient temperature significantly impacts the accuracy of planar FAIMS. To mitigate the influence of ambient temperature on detection accuracy and enhance resolution, a FAIMS system based on the inner impedance characteristics of a printed circuit board (PCB) was designed for temperature control. METHODS: This study, conducted under standard atmospheric pressure, aimed to assess the signal stability of a planar FAIMS instrument with and without temperature control, and the effect of temperature change on the detection ability of acetone, ethanol, and their mixture was studied using PCB self-heating. RESULTS: Experimental results demonstrated that the base noise in FAIMS with temperature control was 0.2 pA, whereas that in FAIMS without temperature control was 1.8 pA. Notably, with increasing temperature, the detection ability of FAIMS changes accordingly. The optimal relative detection ability of acetone was observed when the electrode plate was heated to 45°C under an electric field of 15 kV/cm. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides a novel approach to improve the resolving power of FAIMS systems and their signal-to-noise ratio. The utilization of a PCB-based temperature control proved effective in stabilizing FAIMS signal characteristics and optimizing detection capabilities, particularly for VOCs such as acetone. These findings have significant implications for improving the accuracy and resolving power of FAIMS systems in VOC detection applications.

Altered neurovascular coupling in migraine without aura.

Neurovascular coupling (NVC) provides new insights into migraine, a neurological disorder impacting over one billion people worldwide. This study compared NVC and cerebral blood flow (CBF) in patients with migraine without aura (MwoA) and healthy controls. About 55 MwoA patients in the interictal phase and 40 age- and sex-matched healthy controls underwent resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging and arterial spin-labeling perfusion imaging scans. The CBF and resting-state neuronal activity indicators, including the amplitudes of low-frequency fluctuation (ALFF), regional homogeneity (ReHo), and degree centrality (DC), were calculated for each participant. The global and regional NVCs were assessed using cross-voxel CBF-neuronal activity correlations and CBF/neuronal activity ratios. Patients with MwoA showed increased CBF/ALFF ratios in the left media, superior and inferior frontal gyri, and anterior cingulate gyrus, increased CBF/DC ratios in the left middle and inferior frontal gyri, and increased CBF/ReHo ratios in the right corpus callosum and right posterior cingulate gyrus. Lower CBF/ALFF ratios in the right rectal gyrus, the left orbital gyrus, the right inferior frontal gyrus, and the right superior temporal gyrus were also found in the MwoA patients. Furthermore, the CBF/ALFF ratios in the inferior frontal and superior temporal gyri were positively correlated with the Headache Impact Test scores and Hamilton anxiety scale scores in the MwoA patients. These findings provide evidence for the theory that abnormal NVC contributes to MwoA.

The severity of addiction mediates loneliness and cortical volume in internet gaming disorder.

Internet gaming disorder (IGD) subjects reported higher loneliness scores than healthy controls. However, the neural correlates underlying the association between loneliness and IGD remain unclear. Thus, the aim of this study was to explore the relationship between loneliness, online gaming addiction and brain structure. In the current study, structural MRI data were acquired from 84 IGD subjects and 103 matched recreational game users (RGUs). We assessed and compared their addiction severity, loneliness scores, and cortical volumes and analyzed the correlations among these values. Significant correlations were found between loneliness scores and brain volumes in the postcentral cortex, the medial orbitofrontal cortex, the rostral anterior cingulate cortex, and the temporal cortex. In addition, the addiction severity scores partly mediated the relationship between loneliness score and cortical volume in IGD. The results showed that participants with extreme loneliness had significant correlations with brain regions responsible for executive control, social threat surveillance and avoidance. More importantly, the severity of addiction mediates loneliness and cortical volume. The findings shed new insight into the neural mechanisms of loneliness and IGD and have implications for potential treatment.

Application and integration of deep learning in FAIMS for identifying acetone concentration.

In practical applications, analytical instruments are used for both qualitative and quantitative analysis. However, for high-field asymmetric-waveform ion mobility spectrometry (FAIMS), most studies to date have been focused on the qualitative analysis of substances, with limited research on quantitative analysis. Explored here is the feasibility of using deep learning in FAIMS for quantitative analysis, aided by redesigning the FAIMS upper computer. Integrating spectrum creation and deep learning analysis into the FAIMS upper computer boosts the processing and analysis of FAIMS data, laying a foundation for applying FAIMS practically. For analysis using image processing, multiple FAIMS spectral lines obtained under different conditions are converted into a three-dimensional thermodynamic map known as a FAIMS spectrum, and multiple FAIMS spectrum are preprocessed to obtain the data set of this experiment. The principles of partial-least-squares regression and the XGBoost and ResNeXt models are introduced in detail, and the data are analyzed using these models, while exploring the effects of different model parameters and determining their optimal values. The experimental results show that the pre-trained ResNeXt deep learning model performs the best on the test set, with a root mean square error of 0.86 mg/mL, indicating the potential of deep learning in realizing quantitative analysis of substances in FAIMS.

Altered resting-state effective connectivity of trigeminal vascular system in migraine without aura: A spectral dynamic causal modeling study.

BACKGROUND: The trigeminal vascular system is an important part of the anatomical and physiological basis of migraine. The effective connectivity (EC) among the regions of interest (ROIs) in the trigeminal vascular system involved in migraine without aura (MWoA) remains unclear. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, 48 patients (mean [SD] age 38.06 [10.35] years; male, 14/48 [29%]) with MWoA during the interictal phase and 48 healthy controls of similar age and sex (mean [SD] age 38.96 [10.96] years; male, 14/48 [29%]) underwent resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Dynamic causal modeling analysis was conducted to investigate directional EC among ROIs in the trigeminal vascular system including the bilateral brainstem, the primary somatosensory cortex (S1), the thalamus, and the insula. RESULTS: Compared with the healthy control group, MWoA represented significantly reduced EC from the left brainstem (Brainstem.L) to the left insula (MWoA: mean [SD] -0.16 [0.36]; healthy controls: mean [SD] 0.11 [0.41]; Pcorrected = 0.021), reduced EC from the Brainstem.L to the right insula (MWoA: mean [SD] -0.15 [0.39]; healthy controls: mean [SD] 0.03 [0.35]; Pcorrected = 0.021), and decreased EC from the left thalamus (Thalamus.L) to the Brainstem.L (MWoA: mean [SD] -0.13 [0.56]; healthy controls: mean [SD] 0.10 [0.45]; Pcorrected = 0.021). Altered EC parameters were not significantly correlated with MWoA clinical data. CONCLUSION: These results further provide increasing evidence that disturbed homeostasis of the trigeminovascular nociceptive pathway is involved in the pathophysiological mechanisms of migraine. Patients with MWoA exhibited a regional interaction distinct from healthy controls in the neural pathway of the Bilateral Insula-Brainstem.L-Thalamus.L, which may shed light on the future understanding of brain mechanisms for MWoA. Future brain-based interventions are suggested to consider the dysregulation in the Bilateral Insula-Brainstem.L-Thalamus.L circuits.

Brain responses to positive and negative events in individuals with internet gaming disorder during real gaming.

Objective: This study sought to investigate brain responses to positive and negative events in individuals with internet gaming disorder (IGD) during real gaming as a direct assessment of the neural features of IGD. This investigation reflects the neural deficits in individuals with IGD while playing games, providing direct and effective targets for prevention and treatment of IGD. Methods: Thirty subjects with IGD and fifty-two matched recreational game use (RGU) subjects were scanned while playing an online game. Abnormal brain activities during positive and negative events were detected using a general linear model. Functional connectivity (FC) and correlation analyses between neural features and addiction severity were conducted to provide additional support for the underlying neural features. Results: Compared to the RGU subjects, the IGD subjects exhibited decreased activation in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) during positive events and decreased activation in the middle frontal gyrus (MFG), precentral gyrus and postcentral gyrus during negative events. Decreased FC between the DLPFC and putamen during positive events and between the MFG and amygdala during negative events were observed among the IGD subjects. Neural features and addiction severity were significantly correlated. Conclusions: Individuals with IGD exhibited deficits in regulating game craving, maladaptive habitual gaming behaviors and negative emotions when experiencing positive and negative events during real game-playing compared to RGU gamers. These abnormalities in neural substrates during real gaming provide direct evidence for explaining why individuals with IGD uncontrollably and continuously engage in game playing, despite negative consequences.

Articulation-Function-Associated Cortical Developmental Changes in Patients with Cleft Lip and Palate.

Cleft lip and palate (CLP) is one of the most common craniofacial malformations. Overall, 40-80% of CLP patients have varying degrees of articulation problems after palatoplasty. Previous studies revealed abnormal articulation-related brain function in CLP patients. However, the association between articulation disorders and cortical structure development in CLP patients remains unclear. Twenty-six CLP adolescents (aged 5-14 years; mean 8.88 years; female/male 8/18), twenty-three CLP adults (aged 18-35 years; mean 23.35 years; female/male 6/17), thirty-seven healthy adolescents (aged 5-16 years; mean 9.89 years; female/male 5/16), and twenty-two healthy adults (aged 19-37 years; mean 24.41 years; female/male 19/37) took part in the experiment. The current study aims to investigate developmental changes in cortical structures in CLP patients with articulation disorders using both structural and functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Our results reveal the distinct distribution of abnormal cortical structures in adolescent and adult CLP patients. We also found that the developmental pattern of cortical structures in CLP patients differed from the pattern in healthy controls (delayed cortical development in the left lingual gyrus (t = 4.02, cluster-wise p < 0.05), inferior temporal cortex (z = -4.36, cluster-wise p < 0.05) and right precentral cortex (t = 4.19, cluster-wise p < 0.05)). Mediation analysis identified the cortical thickness of the left pericalcarine cortex as the mediator between age and articulation function (partial mediation effect (a*b = -0.48), 95% confident interval (-0.75, -0.26)). In conclusion, our results demonstrate an abnormal developmental pattern of cortical structures in CLP patients, which is directly related to their articulation disorders.

Circulating mid-regional proadrenomedullin is a predictor of mortality in patients with COVID-19: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Although there is increasing understanding of the changes in the laboratory parameters of Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), the correlation between circulating Mid-regional Proadrenomedullin (MR-proADM) and mortality of patients with COVID-19 is not fully understood. In this study, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate the prognostic value of MR-proADM in patients with COVID-19. METHODS: The PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, Wanfang, SinoMed and Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) databases were searched from 1 January 2020 to 20 March 2022 for relevant literature. The Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies (QUADAS-2) was used to assess quality bias, STATA was employed to pool the effect size by a random effects model, and potential publication bias and sensitivity analyses were performed. RESULTS: 14 studies comprising 1822 patients with COVID-19 met the inclusion criteria, there were 1145 (62.8%) males and 677 (31.2%) females, and the mean age was 63.8 ± 16.1 years. The concentration of MR-proADM was compared between the survivors and non-survivors in 9 studies and the difference was significant (P < 0.01), I2 = 46%. The combined sensitivity was 0.86 [0.73-0.92], and the combined specificity was 0.78 [0.68-0.86]. We drew the summary receiver operating characteristic (SROC) curve and calculated the area under curve (AUC) = 0.90 [0.87-0.92]. An increase of 1 nmol/L of MR-proADM was independently associated with a more than threefold increase in mortality (odds ratio (OR) 3.03, 95% confidence interval (CI) 2.26-4.06, I2 = 0.0%, P = 0.633). The predictive value of MR-proADM for mortality was better than many other biomarkers. CONCLUSION: MR-proADM had a very good predictive value for the poor prognosis of COVID-19 patients. Increased levels of MR-proADM were independently associated with mortality in COVID-19 patients and may allow a better risk stratification.

Altered Spontaneous Brain Activity in Poststroke Aphasia: A Resting-State fMRI Study.

PURPOSE: Brain areas frequently implicated in language recovery after stroke comprise perilesional sites in the left hemisphere and homotopic regions in the right hemisphere. However, the neuronal mechanisms underlying language restoration are still largely unclear. METHODS AND MATERIALS: In the present study, we investigated the brain function in 15 patients with poststroke aphasia and 30 matched control subjects by combining the regional homogeneity (ReHo) and amplitudes of low-frequency fluctuation (ALFF) analysis methods based on resting-state fMRI. RESULTS: Compared to the control subjects, the patients with aphasia exhibited increased ReHo and ALFF values in the ipsilateral perilesional areas and increased ReHo in the contralesional right middle frontal gyrus. CONCLUSIONS: The increased spontaneous brain activity in patients with poststroke aphasia during the recovery period, specifically in the ipsilateral perilesional regions and the homologous language regions of the right hemisphere, has potential implications for the treatment of patients with aphasia.

Deficient dynamics of prefrontal-striatal and striatal-default mode network (DMN) neural circuits in internet gaming disorder.

BACKGROUND: Studies have proven that individuals with internet gaming disorder (IGD) show impaired cognitive control over game craving; however, the neural mechanism underlying this process remains unclear. Accordingly, the present study aimed to investigate the dynamic features of brain functional networks of individuals with IGD during rest, which have barely been understood until now. METHODS: Resting-state fMRI data were collected from 333 subjects (123 subjects with IGD (males/females: 73/50) and 210 healthy controls (males/females: 135/75)). First, the data-driven methodology, named co-activation pattern analysis, was applied to investigate the dynamic features of nucleus accumbens (the core region involved in craving/reward processing and addiction)-centered brain networks in IGD. Further, machine learning analysis was conducted to investigate the prediction effect of the dynamic features on participants' addiction severity. RESULTS: Compared to controls, subjects in the IGD group showed decreased resilience, betweenness centrality and occurrence in the prefrontal-striatal neural circuit, and decreased in-degree in the striatal-default mode network (DMN) circuit. Moreover, these decreased dynamic features could significantly predict participants' addiction severity. LIMITATIONS: The causal relationship between IGD and the abnormal dynamic features cannot be identified in this study. All the subjects were university students. CONCLUSIONS: The present results revealed the underlying brain networks of uncontrollable craving and game-seeking behaviors in individuals with IGD during rest. The decreased dynamics of the prefrontal-striatal and striatal-DMN neural circuits might be potential biomarkers for predicting the addiction severity of IGD and potential targets for effective interventions to reduce game craving of this disorder.

Microstructural Differences of the Cerebellum-Thalamus-Basal Ganglia-Limbic Cortex in Patients with Somatic Symptom Disorders: a Diffusion Kurtosis Imaging Study.

Somatic symp tom disorders (SSDs) are a group of psychiatric disorders characterized by persistent disproportionate concern and obsessive behaviors regarding physical conditions. Currently, SSDs lack effective treatments and their pathophysiology is unclear. In this paper, we aimed to examine microstructural abnormalities in the brains of patients with SSD using diffusion kurtosis imaging (DKI) and to investigate the correlation between these abnormalities and clinical indicators. Diffusion kurtosis images were acquired from 30 patients with SSD and 30 healthy controls (HCs). Whole-brain maps of multiple diffusion measures, including fractional anisotropy (FA), axial diffusivity (AD), radial diffusivity (RD), mean diffusivity (MD), mean kurtosis (MK), radial kurtosis (RK), and axial kurtosis (AK), were calculated. To analyze differences between the two groups, nonparametric permutation testing with 10,000 randomized permutations and threshold-free cluster enhancement was used with family-wise error-corrected p values < 0.05 as the threshold for statistical significance. Then, the correlations between significant changes in these diffusion measures and clinical factors were examined. Compared to HCs, patients with SSD had significantly higher FA, MK, and RK and significantly lower MD and RD in the cerebellum, thalamus, basal ganglia, and limbic cortex. The FA in the left caudate and the pontine crossing tract were negatively correlated with disease duration; the MD and the RD in the genu of the corpus callosum were positively correlated with disease duration. Our findings highlight the role of the cerebellum-thalamus-basal ganglia-limbic cortex pathway, especially the cerebellum, in SSDs and enhance our understanding of the pathogenesis of SSDs.

Precise Control of Glioma Cell Apoptosis Induced by Micro-Plasma-Activated Water (µ-PAW).

To verify the existence of plasma with the potential to kill tumor cells, this paper designed a novel helium (He) micro-plasma jet array device and detected the concentration of typical long-lived reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (RONS) with oxidative activity generated by it. The paper described a new He micro-plasma jet array device consisting of nine flexible quartz capillaries with an inner diameter of 75 µm arranged in a 3 × 3 array. Sterilized ultrapure water (up water) was first treated with the He micro-plasma jet array device to activate it to form enriched RONS micro-plasma-activated water (µ-PAW), and then µ-PAW was added to the cell culture medium (with cells) to observe the proliferation of human glioma cells. The concentration of long-lived RONS, such as nitrate (NO3-), was detected according to Beer-Lambert's law in combination with UV spectrophotometry as well as a color development method. The MTT Cell Proliferation and Cytotoxicity Assay Kit combined with the Hoechst Staining Kit were used to assess the proliferation status of the cells. The results showed that the range of RONS concentration variation could be controlled in the order of micromoles (µmol), while plasma-induced tumor cell death is apoptosis that does not affect the surrounding environment.

Gender differences in brain response to infant emotional faces.

Infant emotional stimuli can preferentially engage adults' attention and provide valuable information essential for successful interaction between adults and infants. Exploring the neural processes of recognizing infant stimuli promotes better understandings of the mother-infant attachment mechanisms. Here, combining task-functional magnetic resonance imaging (Task-fMRI) and resting-state fMRI (rs-fMRI), we investigated the effects of infants' faces on the brain activity of adults. Two groups including 26 women and 25 men were recruited to participate in the current study. During the task-fMRI, subjects were exposed to images of infant emotional faces (including happy, neutral, and sad) randomly. We found that the brains of women and men reacted differently to infants' faces, and these differential areas are in facial processing, attention, and empathetic networks. The rs-fMRI further showed that the connectivity of the default-mode network-related regions increased in women than in men. Additionally, brain activations in regions related to emotional networks were associated with the empathetic abilities of women. These differences in women might facilitate them to more effective and quick adjustments in behaviors and emotions during the nurturing infant period. The findings provide special implications and insights for understanding the neural processing of reacting to infant cues in adults.

High-field asymmetric waveform ion mobility spectrometry for xylene isomer separation assisted by helium-chemical modifiers.

We propose a combined helium-chemical modifier method for a faster and more convenient separation and detection of xylene isomers. The method employs high-field asymmetric waveform ion mobility spectrometry (FAIMS) to investigate the separation and identification of three xylene isomers. A homemade hollow needle-ring ion source was used, and five chemical modifiers, represented by methanol, ethanol, acetone, ethyl acetate, and acetic acid, were doped into the xylene target analytes to observe the separation and identification of the three isomers. This was based on the fact that the addition of helium and the increase of the RF voltage could no longer improve the resolution of the field asymmetric waveform ion mobility spectrometry system. The experimental results at an RF field voltage of 15 kV cm-1 showed that the spectral peak shifts of o-, m-, and p-xylene in a normal nitrogen environment were -0.21, -0.21, and -0.24 V, respectively. o-Xylene showed a spectral peak of -1.33 V after the addition of helium; however, the separation was not evident. The FAIMS spectrum of xylene showed multiple cluster ion peaks upon addition of the chemical modifiers on top of helium. The alcohol chemical modifiers caused three spectral peaks, with the best effect for methanol, and the characteristic ion peak positions of -7.16, -6.90, and -6.01 V for o-, m-, and p-xylene, respectively. The separation using proton-based chemical modifiers was confirmed to be stronger than that using non-proton-based chemical modifiers, and appropriate volume fractions of chemical modifiers provided a better separation of the target analytes. This study introduces a novel concept and method for the separation and identification of xylene isomers.

Sex differences in neural substrates of risk taking: Implications for sex-specific vulnerabilities to internet gaming disorder.

Background and aims: Sex differences in internet gaming disorder (IGD) remain unknown. Investigating sex-specific neural features that underlie the core risk factor (i.e., risk-taking) of IGD would help in understanding sex-specific vulnerabilities to IGD and advance sex-specific treatments and prevention for IGD. Methods: 111 participants (28 IGD males, 27 IGD females, 26 recreational game user (RGU) males, 30 RGU females) completed a probability discounting task during fMRI scanning. Results: First, among RGUs, males showed a higher risk-taking tendency and greater neural activation associated with risk/value evaluation for reward (the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC), anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), left putamen) and smaller activation associated with cognitive control (the inferior frontal gyrus) than females during the contrast of risky-safe choices. Moreover, males showed a greater modulatory effect of risky choices on the connection from the vmPFC/ACC to the left putamen than females. Second, IGD males showed decreased activation in the vmPFC/ACC and left putamen compared to RGU males, whereas this decrease did not exist in IGD females. Discussion: Males show a higher risk-taking tendency than females. Altered neural substrates associated with risky decision-making exist in IGD males but not in IGD females. Conclusions: The present findings fill the gap in information on the behavioral and neural substrates underlying IGD among females and demonstrate that a high risk-taking tendency is a risk factor and core symptom only in IGD males but not in IGD females. It is necessary to design and adopt distinct treatments and prevention strategies for IGD in males and females.

Abnormal resting-state functional connectivity of hippocampal subregions in children with primary nocturnal enuresis.

Objective: Previous neuroimaging studies have shown abnormal brain-bladder control network in children with primary nocturnal enuresis (PNE). The hippocampus, which has long been considered to be an important nerve center for memory and emotion, has also been confirmed to be activating during micturition in several human imaging studies. However, few studies have explored hippocampus-related functional networks of PNE in children. In this study, the whole resting-state functional connectivity (RSFC) of hippocampus was investigated in children with PNE. Methods: Functional magnetic resonance imaging data of 30 children with PNE and 29 matched healthy controls (HCs) were analyzed in our study. We used the seed-based RSFC method to evaluate the functional connectivity of hippocampal subregions defined according to the Human Brainnetome Atlas. Correlation analyses were also processed to investigate their relationship with disease duration time, bed-wetting frequency, and bladder volume. Results: Compared with HCs, children with PNE showed abnormal RSFC of the left rostral hippocampus (rHipp) with right fusiform gyrus, right Rolandic operculum, left inferior parietal lobule, and right precentral gyrus, respectively. Moreover, decreased RSFC of the left caudal hippocampus (cHipp) with right fusiform gyrus and right supplementary motor area was discovered in the PNE group. There were no significant results in the right rHipp and cHipp seeds after multiple comparison corrections. In addition, disease duration time was negatively correlated with RSFC of the left rHipp with right Rolandic operculum (r = -0.386, p = 0.035, uncorrected) and the left cHipp with right fusiform gyrus (r = -0.483, p = 0.007, uncorrected) in the PNE group, respectively. In the Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) analysis, all the above results of RSFC achieved significant performance. Conclusions: To our knowledge, this is the first attempt to examine the RSFC patterns of hippocampal subregions in children with PNE. These findings indicated that children with PNE have potential dysfunctions in the limbic network, sensorimotor network, default mode network, and frontoparietal network. These networks may become less efficient with disease duration time, inducing impairments in brain-bladder control, cognition, memory, and emotion. Further prospective research with dynamic observation of brain imaging, bladder function, cognition, memory, and emotion is warranted.

A study of dynamic hand orthosis combined with unilateral task-oriented training in subacute stroke: A functional near-infrared spectroscopy case series.

Background: Motor dysfunction in the upper extremities after stroke prohibits people with stroke from being independent in daily living. The application of fNIRS to explore brain activity under rehabilitation intervention is a research focus on neurorehabilitation. Objective: The purpose of this study was to explore, using a grip-release ring motor task, the activated changes of regions of interest and changes in motor function utilizing fNIRS technology and test scales on persons with stroke who received unilateral task-oriented therapy with a hand orthosis in the early subacute stroke period before and after intervention. The study aimed to find a sensitive motor task and region of interest first, then to evaluate the feasibility and mechanism of this rehabilitation method by utilizing fNIRS technology in the next randomized controlled trial. Methods: In this case series, eight right-handed, right hemiplegia subacute stroke persons (6 males,2 females from age 47 to 72) were enrolled. They received 30 min of unilateral task-oriented therapy without orthosis and 30 min of unilateral task-oriented therapy with orthosis (5 days/week) for 4 weeks. Activated channel numbers and beta values based on oxygenated hemoglobin concentration change using a grip-release ring motor task were estimated with fNIRS. Clinical outcome measures, including grip strength evaluation, action research arm test, and Fugl-Meyer assessment of the arm, were evaluated at the same time. Results: Individual activation analysis showed that, after intervention, Subjects 1, 2, 6, 7, and 8 had the maximum mean beta value located in the left premotor cortex, while Subjects 4 and 5 had the maximum mean beta value located in the left sensorimotor cortex. The activation analysis of Subject 3 showed the maximum mean beta value located in the right premotor cortex. Deactivations of left sensorimotor cortex, left premotor cortex, and bilateral prefrontal cortex were observed after intervention which were different from other cases. Group activation analysis showed that bilateral cerebral hemispheres were activated in all eight participants, with right hemisphere and right supplementary motor cortex activated dominantly. After the intervention, the activation of bilateral hemispheres decreased but in different brain regions; there was a trend that the activation intensity of left sensorimotor cortex, right premotor cortex, and right prefrontal cortex decreased while activation intensity of left premotor cortex and left prefrontal cortex increased. Each participant demonstrated improvements in all the clinical test scales after intervention. Conclusions: Left premotor cortex, left sensorimotor cortex, and right supplementary motor cortex may be the primary regions of interest. Grasp-release ring task was not appropriate to achieve our fNIRS research objective and a more sensitive motor task or more sensitive evaluating indicator should be used in further studies.