Can the best management practices resist the combined effects of climate and land-use changes on non-point source pollution control?

Climate and land-use changes have an overlying impact on non-point source (NPS) pollution in river basins. However, the control effect of Best Management Practices (BMPs) for NPS pollution is not yet clear under future scenarios. The Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) model was coupled with the entropy-weighted method, global climate patterns and land-use data to explore the dynamic variations in total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphorus (TP) loads in the Jing River Basin during the baseline (2000-2020) and future periods (2021-2065), evaluate the pollution reduction effectiveness of individual and combined BMPs, and propose practical BMP configurations. Results indicate that a future trend of urban land expansion, particularly in the economic scenario (LU_SSP585), leads to weakened environmental ecosystems, while the sustainable scenario (LU_SSP126) exhibits more balanced land development. The MIROC-ES2L model demonstrates higher Taylor skill scores, forecasted significant increases in precipitation, maximum, and minimum temperatures under the SSP585 scenario. Spatial heterogeneity in TN and TP loads is notable, showing an upward trajectory in the future. The interaction between land-use and climate change has complex effects on TN and TP loads, with land-use-induced TN changes being relatively small (4.6 %) and TP changes substantial (24.3 %). The spatial distribution, under overlying effects, leans towards the influence of climate change, emphasizing its dominant role in TN and TP load variations. Distinct differences exist in the reduction of NPS pollution loads among different BMPs, with combined BMPs demonstrating superior effectiveness. The environmental-cost effectiveness trends of BMPs remain consistent across various future scenarios. RG (Return agricultural land to grass), RG + TT (Terracing), and RG + FR10 (Fertilizer reduction: 10 %) + GW (Grassed waterway) + FS (Filter strip) + TT emerge as the most effective single, double, and multiple BMP combinations, respectively. The results offer valuable insights for preventing and mitigating future NPS pollution risks, optimizing land-use layouts, and enhancing watershed management decisions.

Lifestyle Influence on Mild Cognitive Impairment Progression: A Decision Tree Prediction Model Study.

Purpose: This study assessed the influences of different lifestyle on mild cognitive impairment (MCI) progression and established a decision tree prediction model to analyse their predictive significance on MCI progression incidence. Patients and Methods: From October 2015 to February 2020,330 patients with MCI were recruited, and demographic and lifestyle information collected. They were followed up for 19.04 ± 10.227 months. Cognitive function was assessed using the Mini-Mental State Examination Scale every 6 months, and they were divided into MCI stable group and MCI progression group. Results: The Kaplan Meier survival analysis showed an overall cohort survival rate of 33.2%; the annual conversion rate of MCI progression was 20%. Physical exercise, social engagement, high-fat diet, age, napping, and tea drinking were decision tree prediction model nodes. Hobbies were the most important factor for predicting MCI progression. The MCI progression probability rates were: with hobbies 26.829% (44 cases), without hobbies 57.831% (96 cases); for those withot hobbies, with physical exercise 43.077% (28 cases) without physical exercise 72.340% (68 cases); for those without hobbies with physical exercise and social engagement 20.000% (4 cases), without social engagement 53.333% (24 cases); for those without hobbies, physical exercises and social engagement and with nap habits 48.485% (16 cases), without nap habits 66.667% (8 cases). The decision tree prediction model AUC for predicting the MCI progression receiver operating characteristic curve was 0.737 (95% confidence interval: 0.685-0.785) (75.71% sensitivity, 71.75% specificity, P < 0.001. Conclusion: Hobbies, physical exercise, social engagement, napping, and drinking tea can help prevent MCI progression, while a high-fat diet may exacerbate MCI progression. In this study the rule with the lowest MCI progress probability for those who had hobbies, high-fat diet, and social engagement. And the decision tree model had good prediction efficiency.

Relationship between carotid intima-media thickness (cIMT) and dual-system imbalance in tobacco dependence: An rs-fMRI research.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: According to the classic cognitive behavioral theory proposes, dysfunctional goal-directed and habit control systems are considered central to the pathogenesis of dependent behavior and impair recovery from addictions. The functional connectivity (FC) of the brain circuits for goal-directed or habitual behavior has not been clearly reported in tobacco-dependent groups. Smoking is one of the factors in the formation of atherosclerosis. Studies have shown that the thickness of carotid intima-media (cIMT) is associated with attention-executive-psychomotor functioning. Therefore, we hypothesized whether cIMT in tobacco-dependent individuals is associated with changes in the FC of the dual-system network. METHODS: A total of 29 male tobacco-dependent subjects (tobacco-dependent group) (mean age: 64.20 years, standard deviation [SD]: 4.81 years) underwent resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI). Exactly 28 male nonsmokers (control group) (mean age: 61.95 years, SD: 5.52 years) were also recruited to undergo rs-fMRI. We used the dorsolateral striatum (putamen) and dorsomedial striatum (caudate) as regions of interest for whole-brain resting-state connectivity to construct habitual and goal-directed brain networks, respectively. In addition, all participants were evaluated by carotid artery ultrasound to obtain the cIMT values. Then, we compared the dual-system brain networks between the tobacco dependence and control groups and the relationship between cIMT and imbalance of dual-system brain networks in tobacco dependence. RESULTS: The results showed a reduction in the connection between the caudate and precuneus and an increased connection between the putamen and prefrontal cortex; and supplementary motor area. The bilateral connectivity between the caudate and inferior frontal gyrus showed a significant negative correlation with the cIMT, and no positive correlation was observed with cIMT in the brain region that connects to the caudate. However, for the putamen, increased connectivity with the inferior temporal and medial frontal gyri was strongly associated with a high cIMT. CONCLUSIONS: The results indicate that the formation of tobacco dependence behavior is related to changes in the dual-system brain network. Carotid sclerosis is associated with the weakening of the goal-directed network and enhancement of the habit network in tobacco dependence. This finding suggests that tobacco dependence behavior and clinical vascular diseases are related to changes in brain functional networks.

Hippocampal miRNA-144 Modulates Depressive-Like Behaviors in Rats by Targeting PTP1B.

BACKGROUND: Depression is the common mental disorder in the world. However, the pathophysiology mechanism underlying depression remains elusive. It has been reported that aberrant expression of miR-144 is closely related to depression. This study was to investigate whether and how miR-144 involves in depressive-like behaviors in a chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS) animal model. METHODS: A rat model of CUMS was established, and qRT-PCR was performed to detect the expression of miR-144 in the hippocampus of a depressed rat. The lentiviral vector carried miR-144 (LV-miR-144) was injected into the hippocampus of the CUMS rat to investigate the effects of miR-144 on the behaviors and PTP1B/TrkB/BDNF signal transduction in the hippocampus of the rat. The interaction between miR-144 and PTP1B was investigated by biological analyses and dual-luciferase reporter assay. RESULTS: The results showed that CUMS rats had typical depressive behaviors, and the expression of miR-144 in the hippocampus of CUMS rats was significantly lower than that of the control group. In addition, PTP1B protein expression was significantly up-regulated, while the expression of pTrkB and BDNF protein was significantly down-regulated in the hippocampus of CUMS rats. Moreover, PTP1B was a direct target of miR-144, and miR-144 could activate the downstream TrkB/BDNF signaling pathway by inhibiting the expression of PTP1B in primary hippocampus neurons. CONCLUSION: MiR-144 played an anti-depressive role in hippocampus dysfunction by inhibiting PTP1B and activating the TrkB/BDNF signaling pathway in the hippocampus of CUMS rats.

Resting-State Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging Reveals Overactivation of the Habitual Control Brain System in Tobacco Dependence.

INTRODUCTION: We studied the regulatory mechanism of the habitual brain network in tobacco dependence to provide a theoretical basis for the regulation and cessation of tobacco dependence. METHODS: We used resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) to explore the Fractional amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations (fALFF) and functional connectivity (FC) of the habitual brain network in tobacco-dependent subjects and to evaluate the relationship between the FC level and tobacco selection preference behavior. In total, 29 male tobacco-dependent participants and 28 male nonsmoking participants were recruited. rs-fMRI was used to collect blood oxygen level-dependent signals of the participants in the resting and awake states. After rs-fMRI, all subjects completed cigarette/coin selection tasks (task 1 and task 2). RESULTS: Compared with the control group, the tobacco dependence group showed increased fractional amplitude values of fALFF in the left posterior cingulate cortex and right parahippocampus. FC in the tobacco-dependent group was increased in the right inferior temporal gyrus, left middle frontal gyrus, left cingulated gyrus, and bilateral superior frontal gyrus, compared with that in the control group. Moreover, the preference selection behavior was associated with the enhancement of FC about parts of the brain regions in the habitual brain network of the tobacco-dependent participants. Thus, habitual network activity was significantly enhanced in tobacco-dependent participants in the resting state. Moreover, a positive correlation was found between the cigarette selection preference of the smokers and certain brain regions related to the habitual network. DISCUSSION: This suggests that increased activity of the habitual brain network may be essential in the development of tobacco-dependent behavior.

Influence of Lifestyles on Mild Cognitive Impairment: A Decision Tree Model Study.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the effects of different lifestyle choices on mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and to establish a decision tree model to analyse their predictive significance on the incidence of MCI. METHODS: Study participants were recruited from geriatric and physical examination centres from October 2015 to October 2019: 330 MCI patients and 295 normal cognitive (NC) patients. Cognitive function was evaluated by the Mini-Mental State Examination Scale (MMSE) and Clinical Dementia Scale (CDR), while the Barthel Index (BI) was used to evaluate life ability. Statistical analysis included the χ 2 test, logistic regression, and decision tree. The ROC curve was drawn to evaluate the predictive ability of the decision tree model. RESULTS: Logistic regression analysis showed that low education, living alone, smoking, and a high-fat diet were risk factors for MCI, while young age, tea drinking, afternoon naps, social engagement, and hobbies were protective factors for MCI. Social engagement, a high-fat diet, hobbies, living condition, tea drinking, and smoking entered all nodes of the decision tree model, with social engagement as the root node variable. The importance of predictive variables in the decision tree model showed social engagement, a high-fat diet, tea drinking, hobbies, living condition, and smoking as 33.57%, 27.74%, 22.14%, 11.94%, 4.61%, and 0%, respectively. The area under the ROC curve predicted by the decision tree model was 0.827 (95% CI: 0.795~0.856). CONCLUSION: The decision tree model has good predictive ability. MCI was closely related to lifestyle; social engagement was the most important factor in predicting the occurrence of MCI.

Cyanidin-3-O-glucoside attenuates endothelial cell dysfunction by modulating miR-204-5p/SIRT1-mediated inflammation and apoptosis.

Endothelial cell (EC) dysfunction is a major symptom associated with the initiation of atherosclerosis (AS). Cyanidin-3-O-glucoside (C3G) has the potentials to attenuate AS symptoms. In the current study, the mechanism driving the effects of C3G on AS rabbits and injured ECs were explored by focusing on the changes in miR-204-5p/SIRT1 axis. AS symptoms were induced in rabbits using high-fatty diet (HFD) plus balloon catheter injured method and handled with C3G of two doses. Then the changes in artery wall structure, hemodynamics parameters, blood lipid level, systemic inflammation, and miR-204-5p/SIRT1 axis were detected. EC dysfunction was imitated by subjecting human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) to TNF-α, which was then handled with C3G. The changes in apoptosis, inflammation, and miR-204-5p/SIRT1 axis were detected. The results showed that the administrations of C3G improved artery wall structure and hemodynamics parameters, decreased blood lipid levels, and suppressed pro-inflammatory cytokine production in HFD rabbits, which was associated with the down-regulation of miR-204-5p and the up-regulation of SIRT1. In in vitro assays, the treatments of C3G suppressed apoptosis, inhibited inflammation, down-regulated miR-204-5p level, and induced SIRT1 level in HUVECs. The overexpression of miR-204-5p impaired the protective effects of C3G on the injured HUVECs by increasing cell apoptosis and inflammation. The findings outlined in the current study confirmed the protective effects of C3G on EC function, which was associated with the down-regulation of miR-204-5p and the up-regulation of SIRT1.

Evaluation of Peripheral Immune Dysregulation in Alzheimer's Disease and Vascular Dementia.

Immune dysregulation has been observed in the brain and blood of patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, a convenient assay to evaluate peripheral immune dysregulation in AD has not been developed, partly due to the inconsistent observations from different studies. We hypothesized that peripheral immune dysregulation may only exist in a subpopulation of AD patients; therefore it may be valuable to identify this subpopulation with a convenient assay. Along this line, we selected 14 candidate genes based on our analysis of microarray data on peripheral blood of AD and other diseases. We used RT-qPCR to examine the expression of these 14 genes in a cohort of 288 subjects, including 74 patients with AD, 64 patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), 51 patients with vascular dementia (VaD), and 99 elderly controls with no cognitive dysfunction/impairment. Seven of these 14 genes displayed significant difference in group comparison. Switching from group comparison to individualized evaluation revealed more in-depth information. First, there existed a wide dynamic range for the expression of these immune genes in peripheral blood even within the control group. Second, for the vast majority of the patients (AD, VaD, and MCI patients), the expression of these genes fell within the dynamic range of the control group. Third, a small portion of outliers were observed in the patient groups, more so in the VaD group than that in the AD or MCI groups. This is our first attempt to conduct personalized evaluation of peripheral immune dysregulation in AD and VaD. These findings may be applicable to the identification of peripheral immune dysregulation in AD and VaD patients which may lead to tailored treatment toward those patients.

Emerging function and potential diagnostic value of circular RNAs in cancer.

As a novel class of endogenous RNAs, circRNAs, have a covalently closed continuous loop, with neither a 5'to 3'polarity, nor a polyadenylated tail. Numerous circRNAs have been characterized by abundance, stabilization, conservation, and exhibit tissue/developmental stage-specific expression. Furthermore, circRNAs play vital roles in tumorigenesis and metastasis, such as functioning as a ceRNA or miRNA sponge, interacting with protein and encoding protein. Increasing evidence has revealed that it potentially serves as a required novel biomarker for cancer diagnosis. This review summarized the latest research on circRNAs, including its classification and biogenesis, mechanism and functions, as well as circRNAs in different cancers, as a potential biomarker.

[Relationship between episodic memory and resting-state brain functional connectivity network in patients with Alzheimer's disease and mild cognition impairment].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the relationship between the scores of episodic memory (EM) encoding and retrieving and the resting-state changes of brain functional connectivity (FC) network of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and mild cognition impairment (MCI) patients. METHODS: All subjects were recruited from special care clinic and ward and health physical examination center, Qingdao Huanxiu Community and Affiliated Hospital, Medical College of Qingdao university from January 2009 to July 2012.They were divided into AD group (n = 16), MCI group (n = 24) and normal control (NC) group (n = 24). The resting-state fMRI scans were performed with GE3.0T to acquire the blood oxygenation level dependent signals for EM encoding and retrieving. The two-sample t test was conducted between the groups and linear correlation analysis performed between EM and FC. RESULTS: Compared to the NC group, the AD and MCI groups exhibited decreased FC to posterior cingulated cortex (PCC) mainly in bilateral lateral temporal lobe, medial prefrontal cortex and right insula.Increased regions existed in posterior cerebellar lobe. Compared with the MCI group, the AD group showed decreased FC to PCC in medial prefrontal cortex, bilateral insulas, right inferior temporal gyrus and right fusiform gyrus.And increased regions lied in posterior cerebellar lobe, right occipital lobe and left superior parietal lobule. Compared with the NC group, the MCI group exhibited decreased FC to PCC in left lingualis gyrus, left frontal lobe, right middle temporal gyrus and corpus callosum.And increased regions lied in posterior cerebellar lobe.EM encoding scores (%) (AD group 34 ± 20, MCI group 47 ± 17, NC group 69 ± 15) were significantly different among three groups (P < 0.05).And retrieving scores (%) (AD group 31 ± 18, MCI group 57 ± 22, NC group 81 ± 16) were significantly different among three groups (P < 0.05). Altered functional connectivity regions of left triangle orbital-inferior frontal gyrus (r = 0.642 98), left cuneus (r = 0.642 98) and left caudate nucleus (r = 0.642 68) showed positive correlations with the EM encoding scores in AD group (all P < 0.005). Other groups were not statistically significant. CONCLUSION: The resting-state FC networks of AD and MCI groups show significant differences. The MCI and AD patients have progressively decreased scores of episodic memory encoding and retrieving.And the declines of episodic memory encoding and partial regions of resting-state FC network are positively correlated in the AD group.

Brain areas activated by uncertain reward-based decision-making in healthy volunteers.

Reward-based decision-making has been found to activate several brain areas, including the ventrolateral prefrontal lobe, orbitofrontal cortex, anterior cingulate cortex, ventral striatum, and mesolimbic dopaminergic system. In this study, we observed brain areas activated under three degrees of uncertainty in a reward-based decision-making task (certain, risky, and ambiguous). The tasks were presented using a brain function audiovisual stimulation system. We conducted brain scans of 15 healthy volunteers using a 3.0T magnetic resonance scanner. We used SPM8 to analyze the location and intensity of activation during the reward-based decision-making task, with respect to the three conditions. We found that the orbitofrontal cortex was activated in the certain reward condition, while the prefrontal cortex, precentral gyrus, occipital visual cortex, inferior parietal lobe, cerebellar posterior lobe, middle temporal gyrus, inferior temporal gyrus, limbic lobe, and midbrain were activated during the 'risk' condition. The prefrontal cortex, temporal pole, inferior temporal gyrus, occipital visual cortex, and cerebellar posterior lobe were activated during ambiguous decision-making. The ventrolateral prefrontal lobe, frontal pole of the prefrontal lobe, orbitofrontal cortex, precentral gyrus, inferior temporal gyrus, fusiform gyrus, supramarginal gyrus, inferior parietal lobule, and cerebellar posterior lobe exhibited greater activation in the 'risk' than in the 'certain' condition (P < 0.05). The frontal pole and dorsolateral region of the prefrontal lobe, as well as the cerebellar posterior lobe, showed significantly greater activation in the 'ambiguous' condition compared to the 'risk' condition (P < 0.05). The prefrontal lobe, occipital lobe, parietal lobe, temporal lobe, limbic lobe, midbrain, and posterior lobe of the cerebellum were activated during decision-making about uncertain rewards. Thus, we observed different levels and regions of activation for different types of reward processing during decision-making. Specifically, when the degree of reward uncertainty increased, the number of activated brain areas increased, including greater activation of brain areas associated with loss.

Electroacupuncture stimulation of the brachial plexus trunk on the healthy side promotes brain-derived neurotrophic factor mRNA expression in the ischemic cerebral cortex of a rat model of cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury.

A rat model of cerebral ischemia/reperfusion was established by suture occlusion of the left middle cerebral artery. In situ hybridization results showed that the number of brain-derived neurotrophic factor mRNA-positive cells in the ischemic rat cerebral cortex increased after cerebral ischemia/ reperfusion injury. Low frequency continuous wave electroacupuncture (frequency 2-6 Hz, current intensity 2 mA) stimulation of the brachial plexus trunk on the healthy (right) side increased the number of brain-derived neurotrophic factor mRNA-positive cells in the ischemic cerebral cortex 14 days after cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury. At the same time, electroacupuncture stimulation of the healthy brachial plexus truck significantly decreased neurological function scores and alleviated neurological function deficits. These findings suggest that electroacupuncture stimulation of the brachial plexus trunk on the healthy (right) side can greatly increase brain-derived neurotrophic factor mRNA expression and improve neurological function.

[Observation of the cognition and the velocities of blood in the brain in cerebral arteriosclerosis and infarct patients].

OBJECTIVE: To observe the change of the cognition and the supply of blood in brain in healthy people and patients with arteriosclerosis (AS) and cerebral infarct. METHOD: 1) control group: healthy people, 30 cases. 2) AS group: 22 cases with cerebral arteriosclerosis. Cerebrovascular infarct patients were divided into two groups. 3) 2W group: 21 cases, the patients' course of disease was shorter than two weeks. 4) 6M group: 20 cases, the patients' course of disease was from six months to four years. All cases were checked with cognitive P300 and transcranial doppler ultrasound (TCD) and mini-mental status examination (MMSE). RESULT: The result revealed that the P300 incubation period in 2W group, 6M group and the AS group was remarkable extend than the control group (P<0.01), meanwhile the period of the 6M group was longer than the AS group (P<0.05); the amplitude of the wave of the 2W group and 6M group were shorter than the control group (P<0.05; 0.05). The velocities of bilateral MCA and right ACA were remarkable improved in AS group (P<0.05; 0.01), and the velocities of left MCA both in 2W and 6M group, the right ACA and BA in 6M group were remarkably decreased than the control group (P<0.05; 0.01). The grades of MMSE in all patients were lower than the control group and the grades in 6M group was lower than the AS group. CONCLUSION: There are some changes in the P300 and abnormality of brain blood supply in the cerebral infarct patients and AS patients. The longer the course, the more serious of the cognition with the patients.