Whether cognitive behavioral therapy is effective for Alzheimer's disease: A protocol for systematic review and network meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Alzheimer disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease characterized by impaired memory and cognitive judgment. It is the leading cause of dementia in the elderly, and its high morbidity and mortality have also brought a significant social burden. So far, there is no method can completely cure Alzheimer's dementia, but there are many non-drug treatments that have been praised by people, especially the cognitive behavioral therapy proposed in recent years. The main purpose of this article is to evaluate the effect of cognitive behavioral therapy on the cognitive function improvement of patients with Alzheimer's dementia. METHODS: We did a network meta-analysis to identify both direct and indirect evidence in relevant studies. A systematic literature search will be performed in the Cochrane Library, PubMed, and EMBASE from inception to October 2020. We extracted the relevant information from these trials with a predefined data extraction sheet and assessed the risk of bias with the Cochrane risk of bias tool.The outcomes investigated were Mini-Mental State Examination and AD Assessment Scale-Cognitive section scores. We did a pair-wise meta-analysis using the fixed-effects model and then did a random-effects network meta-analysis within a Bayesian framework. The = the Assessment of Multiple Systematic Reviews-2 scale, Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses scale and Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation were used to assess the quality and evidence grade of the literature. General characteristics of the eligible randomized controlled trials will be summarized and described. Meanwhile, The ADDIS software will be used to perform the network meta-analysis, and the result figures will be generated by STATA 15.0 software. RESULTS: Using the draft search strategy of databases and after screening,7 randomized controlled trials met the a priori criteria and were included. This network mate-analysis will be published in a peer-reviewed journal. CONCLUSION: Our study will provide evidence for cognitive behavioral intervention in AD patients. And provide recommendations and guidelines for the clinic. PROTOCOL REGISTRATION: INPLASY2020110052.

Genomics-guided discovery and structure identification of cyclic lipopeptides from the Bacillus siamensis JFL15.

In this research, a strain with broad-spectrum antimicrobial activities was isolated from the gastrointestinal tract of hairtail (Trichiurus haumela) and identified as Bacillus siamensis JFL15 through morphological, 16S rRNA, and average nucleotide identity analyses. The genome of B. siamensis JFL15 was sequenced, and three gene clusters involved in the biosynthesis of surfactin (srf), bacillibactin (dhb), and fengycin (fen) were predicted through antiSMASH analysis. The combined genomics-metabolics profiling of the strain revealed 20 active compounds, which belong to four main types of cyclic lipopeptides produced by Bacillus species: bacillibactin, iturin, fengycin, and surfactin. Among these lipopeptides, two high-purity antifungal components, namely, components b and c, were successfully identified as iturin A and bacillomycin F. The minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of iturin A for Magnapothe grisea, Rhizoctorzia solani, and Colletotrichum gloeosporioides were 125.00, 62.50, and 125.00 µg/ml, respectively, whereas the MICs of bacillomycin F for these three organisms were 62.50, 31.25, and 62.50 µg/ml, respectively. The mechanism of bacillomycin F and iturin A against M. grisea was also investigated. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) indicated that the surface of the hypha treated with iturin A or bacillomycin F became sunk, lumpy, and wrinkled. The diversity of the identified and predicted compounds from B. siamensis JFL15 suggested that this strain might be a promising biocontrol agent for an effective and environmentally friendly control of pathogenic microorganisms. To the best of our knowledge, this study is the first to describe cyclic lipopeptides purified and identified from B. siamensis.

Hydroxysafflor yellow A ameliorates homocysteine-induced Alzheimer-like pathologic dysfunction and memory/synaptic disorder.

Homocysteine (Hcy) could induce amyloid ß (Aß) accumulation, synaptic dysfunction, and memory impairment as seen in Alzheimer disease (AD), the most prevalent neurodegenerative disorder, which affects more than 25 million people worldwide. Here we investigated the protective effect of hydroxysafflor yellow A (HSYA) on Hcy-induced Aß accumulation, synaptic dysfunction, and learning and memory deficits. Rats were randomly divided into four groups: Control group, which received normal saline (NS); Hcy group, which received a daily vena caudalis injection of Hcy (400 µg/kg per day); Hcy+HSYA group, which received the same amount of Hcy plus 6 mg/kg per day HSYA intraperitoneally; and HSYA group, which received 6 mg/kg per day HSYA intraperitoneally for 2 weeks. Results showed that simultaneous supplementation of HSYA significantly attenuated Aß accumulation, improved synaptic function, and reversed Hcy-induced cognitive impairment. Our data suggest that HSYA might be a promising therapeutic candidate for attenuating Hcy-induced AD-like pathological and behavioral deficits.

[Correlation between myocardial ischemia and carotid atherosclerosis in hypertensive patients].

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the correlation between myocardial ischemia and carotid atherosclerosis in hypertensive patients. METHODS: The clinical data were collected from 85 hospitalized hypertensive patients admitted between May 2005 and September 2008 without the complication of coronary artery disease as confirmed by cardiac computed tomographic angiography (CTA). According to the results of treadmill exercise test, the patients were divided myocardial ischemia group and ischemia-free group. Univariate and multivariate analyses were used to screen the risk factors of myocardial ischemia. The correlations were analyzed between myocardial ischemia, common carotid artery intima-media thickness (IMT), Crouse score of the carotid plaque, thickness of the intraventricular septum and left artrium. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were used to evaluate the sensitivity and specificity of IMT and Crouse score in predicting the presence of myocardial ischemia in hypertensive patients. RESULTS: Carotid plaque formation was identified as the major risk factor of myocardial ischemia in hypertensive patients (OR=4.982, P=0.004). The incidence of myocardial ischemia in the hypertensive patients with carotid plaques was significantly higher than that in the patients without the plaque (Chi2=9.317, P=0.002). Myocardial ischemia in hypertensive patients was positively correlated to the thickness of the intraventricular septum (r=0.362, P=0.001) and left artrium (r=0.298, P=0.009), and the IMT of the common carotid artery was positively correlated to the thickness of the intraventricular septum (r=0.231, P=0.045). The area under cure (AUC) of the ROC curve of Crouse score was 0.726-/+0.061 in predicting the presence of myocardial ischemia in the hypertensive patients (P=0.001), and that of IMT was 0.682-/+0.061 (P=0.006). CONCLUSION: Carotid plaque formation is the major risk factor of myocardial ischemia in hypertensive patients and shows a positive correlation to the onset of myocardial ischemia, but both the common carotid artery IMT and the Crouse score of the carotid plaque are not accurate markers for predicting myocardial ischemia in patients with hypertension.

[Determination of major and minor components in standard talc samples by ICP-AES].

The standard talc sample was fused with Na2CO3 and Na2B4O7 and then the fused disc was dissolved with HCl solution. SiO2, MgO, Al2O3, Fe3O2 and CaO in talc samples were determined simultaneously by ICP-AES. The optimum analytical line with high sensitivity and low spectral interference were carefully chosen. The sources and properties of the interference were discussed. The recoveries for these elements were 98.8%-104.4%, with precision of 0.12%-2.4% RSD (n = 6). The results of major and minor components in talc samples by this method were in agreement with those provided by the standard method.