The diversity of gut microbiota in type 2 diabetes with or without cognitive impairment.

BACKGROUND: Diabetes is associated with a high risk of developing cognitive impairment, but the underlying mechanism remains unclear. Recent studies have found that gut microbiota may be involved in the progression of diabetes-associated cognitive impairment. AIMS: To analyze the diversity of gut microbiota in type 2 diabetes with or without cognitive impairment METHODS: 16S rRNA sequencing was used to detect the gut microbiota composition in 154 type 2 diabetes (T2DM) subjects RESULTS: Among 154 elderly T2DM participants included in our study, 73 with normal and 81 with impaired cognition. Lower levels of hemoglobin and HDL were observed in subjects with cognitive impairment. Patients with cognitive impairment had a lower abundance of Tenericutes. Comparison at the genus level revealed that T2DM patients with cognitive impairment had a decreased abundance of Bifidobacterium and unranked-RF39 and an increased abundance of Peptococcus and unranked-Leuconostocaceae. Additionally, the relative abundance of Veillonella and Pediococcus were decreased in subjects with cognitive impairment. Furthermore, the relative abundance of 7 sub-functions was significantly changed in the group with cognitive impairment. Calcium signaling pathways and the Renin-angiotensin system were upregulated in the cognitive impairment group while GnRH signaling, Fc gamma R-mediated phagocytosis, endocytosis, isoflavonoid biosynthesis, and cytochrome P450 were deregulated. CONCLUSION: Bifidobacterium may be associated with cognition in T2DM. Calcium signaling and renin-angiotensin system were shown to be associated with diabetes-associated cognitive impairment through gut microbiota.

Classification of emotional stress and physical stress using a multispectral based deep feature extraction model.

A classification model (Stress Classification-Net) of emotional stress and physical stress is proposed, which can extract classification features based on multispectral and tissue blood oxygen saturation (StO2) characteristics. Related features are extracted on this basis, and the learning model with frequency domain and signal amplification is proposed for the first time. Given that multispectral imaging signals are time series data, time series StO2 is extracted from spectral signals. The proper region of interest (ROI) is obtained by a composite criterion, and the ROI source is determined by the universality and robustness of the signal. The frequency-domain signals of ROI are further obtained by wavelet transform. To fully utilize the frequency-domain characteristics, the multi-neighbor vector of locally aggregated descriptors (MN-VLAD) model is proposed to extract useful features. The acquired time series features are finally put into the long short-term memory (LSTM) model to learn the classification characteristics. Through SC-NET model, the classification signals of emotional stress and physical stress are successfully obtained. Experiments show that the classification result is encouraging, and the accuracy of the proposed algorithm is over 90%.

[A medium term analysis on of therapeutic effects of bio-lengthend stem hemiarthroplasty in the treatment of unstable osteoporotic intertrochanteric fractures in elderly patients].

OBJECTIVE: To retrospectively study medium term follow up outcomes effects of effect of bio-lengthend stem hemiarthroplasty in the treatment of unstable osteoporotic intertrochanteric fractures in elderly patients. METHODS: Total of 32 elderly patients with the osteoporotic intertrochanteric fractures were treated with bio-lengthend stem hemiarthroplasty from Jan. 2016 to Jan. 2019 including 14 males and 22 females, aged from 85 to 95 years old with an average of (89.5±4.5) years old. According to classification of Evans, there were 12 cases with type Ⅲ, 11 with type Ⅳ and 9 with type Ⅳ. The time from injury to operation ranged from 0.5 to 9 days with an average of (4.5±3.9) days. The operation time, blood loss and postoperative complications were analyzed. Functional outcome was assessed by Parker Palmer mobility score(PPMS) and Harris hip score. RESULTS: Four patients died within one year after operation, and the mortality was 12.5%. The follow up time for the rest 28 patients ranged from 24 to 60 months with an average of (28.5±4.5) months. The mean operative time was (54.2±22.5) min;the mean blood loss (hidden blood loss+obvious blood loss) was (450±140) ml;the first weight bearing was (3.35±1.35) days. No perioperative death occurred. PPMS were(6.63±1.25), (6.94±1.18), (7.11±0.83), (7.32±1.11) and Harris scores were(67.85±6.19), (71.42±5.57), (73.41±5.62), (77.32±5.24) respectively at 1, 3, 6 months and the final follow-up after operation. There were no significant difference in PPMS and Harris score at 1, 3, 6 months after operation and the final follow-up(P>0.05). There were no complications such as joint dislocation and prosthesis loosening occure at the final follow-up. CONCLUSION: On the premise of strictly mastering the case selection criteria, the bio-lengthend stem hemiarthroplasty in the treatment of unstable osteoporotic intertrochanteric fractures in elderly patients has a satisfied medium term follow-up outcomes. It can restore hip function in the early stage and improve the quality of life of patients.

Gut Microbiota and Targeted Biomarkers Analysis in Patients With Cognitive Impairment.

Gut microbial alteration is closely associated with brain disorders including cognitive impairment (CI). Gut microbes have the potential to predicate the development of diseases. However, the gut microbial markers for CI remain to be elucidated. In this study, the gut microbial alterations were assessed using16S rRNA sequencing, and identified the gut microbial markers using a random forest model. The results showed that there were significant gut microbial differences between the control and CI groups based on beta diversity (p < 0.002). Patients with CI had higher abundances of Actinobacteria and Proteobacteria but lower proportions of Bcateroidetes and Firmicutes vs. that in the control group. Patients had 39 special genera and the control subjects had 11 special genera. Furthermore, 11 genera such as Blautia, Roseburia, and Lactococcus and 18 genera such as Lactobacillus, Ruminococcus 2, and Akkermansia were the differential taxa in the control and CI groups, respectively. Gene functions related to nutrient metabolisms were upregulated in patients with CI. This suggested that the huge differences in gut microbes between the two groups and gut microbiota had the potential to predicate the development of CI. Based on machine learning results, 15 genera such as Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium, and Akkermansia were selected as the optimal marker set to predicate CI with an area under curve (AUC) value of 78.4%. The results revealed the gut microbial markers for CI and provided a potential diagnosis tool to prevent the development of CI in the elderly.

A recommended amount of hydrolyzed protein improves physiological function by regulating gut microbiota in aged mice.

Dietary proteins play a critical role in maintaining the health of elderly people. Although experts recommend that elderly people consume more protein, a high-protein diet may add to the burden of elderly people with degraded digestion and absorption functions. The effects of a normal or high-protein diet and those of a whole or hydrolyzed protein diet on bone and muscle health and gastrointestinal function were evaluated in aged female C57BL/6J mice. The hydrolyzed protein diet with 14.7% protein energy ratio (HNP) contributed to the maintenance of weight and an increase in bone and muscle mass. Further, the overall aging situation was improved by the consumption of this diet. However, the hydrolyzed protein diet with 21.3% protein energy ratio (HHP) increased the levels of LPS, IL-6, IL-10, and TNF-α in serum. Additionally, the small intestine structure was damaged, and the goblet cell number was decreased in the HHP and whole protein with 21.3% protein energy ratio (HP) groups. The relative abundances of Streptococcus and Peptococcus were decreased while that of Bifidobacterium was increased in HNP group compared with the whole protein with 14.7% protein energy ratio (NP) and HP groups. Undigested proteins entering the intestine may cause undesirable changes in gut microbiota, which adversely affect the aging body in NP and HP groups. In summary, hydrolyzed proteins are more advisable than untreated dietary protein in aged mice. This study aimed to provide guidance for daily diet for elderly people, and provide additional information to industry in order to guide their future food development.

Prevalence and possible factors of cognitive frailty in the elderly with hypertension and diabetes.

Background: Cognitive frailty is the coexistence of physical frailty and mild cognitive impairment. Research shows that cognitive frailty is related to an increased risk of hospitalization, mortality, disability, and dementia. Diabetes and hypertension are common risk factors for physical frailty and cognitive impairment. However, the factors influencing cognitive frailty in the elderly with hypertension and diabetes are still unclear. This study aimed to investigate the possible factors influencing cognitive frailty in the elderly with hypertension and diabetes. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted. We evaluated people over 60 years with hypertension and diabetes who underwent physical examination in Wuxi Xin'an Community Health Service Center. Frail scale, Montreal Cognitive Assessment-Basic and clinical dementia rating were used to assess cognitive frailty. We collected demographic characteristics, hypertension and diabetes-related laboratory indicators of the participants. We also used various scales to assess the overall health status of the elderly. Results: Approximately 20.8% of the participants were determined to have cognitive frailty in elderly adults with hypertension and diabetes. These participants were older, had a lower monthly income, and included a higher proportion of peasants. They also had a higher level of depression (p = 0.037), higher risk of falls (p = 0.000), higher risk of malnutrition (p = 0.002), poorer ability to perform activities of daily living (ADL) (p = 0.000), and less social support (p = 0.030). Multivariate regression analysis was used to further assess the factors for cognitive frailty. After adjusting for possible confounders, age and ADL score emerged as risk factors, whereas high monthly income decreased the risk of cognitive frailty. Conclusion: Cognitive frailty is correlated with age, income, and ability to perform daily living activities in the elderly with diabetes and hypertension. Closer attention to the elderly who have low income and poor self-care ability may play an important role in the early prevention of cognitive frailty and even dementia.

Biomimetic Hydroxyapatite Nanorods Promote Bone Regeneration via Accelerating Osteogenesis of BMSCs through T Cell-Derived IL-22.

Manipulations of morphological properties of nanobiomaterials have been demonstrated to modulate the outcome of osteoimmunomodulation and eventually osteogenesis through innate immune response. However, the functions and mechanisms of adaptive immune cells in the process of nanobiomaterials-mediated bone regeneration have remained unknown. Herein, we developed bone-mimicking hydroxyapatite (HAp) nanorods with different aspect ratios as model materials to investigate the impacts of the nanoshape features on osteogenesis and to explore the underlying mechanisms focusing on the functions of T cells and T cell-derived cytokines. HAp nanorods with different aspect ratios (HAp-0, HAp-30, and HAp-100) were implanted into mouse mandibular defect models. Micro-CT and hematoxylin and eosin staining demonstrated that HAp-100 had the best osteogenic effects. Flow cytometry analysis revealed that HAp-100 increased the percentage of T cells in injured mandibles. The osteogenic effects of HAp-100 were significantly blunted in injured mandibles of TCRß-/- mice. The Luminex xMAP assay and ELISA showed that HAp-100 induced a marked increase of interleukin (IL)-22 in injured mandibles. In cultured T cells, HAp-100 manifested the best capacity to induce the production of IL-22. Conditioned media from HAp-100-primed T cells promoted osteogenesis and JAK1/STAT3 activation in bone marrow stromal cells, all of which were abolished by neutralizing antibodies against IL-22. In summary, bone-mimicking HAp nanorods with different aspect ratios could regulate osteogenesis through modulation of T cells and IL-22 in the bone regeneration process. These findings provided insights for mediation of the immune response of T cells by nanomaterials on osteogenesis and strategies for designing biomaterials with osteoimmunomodulative functions.

Akkermansia muciniphila Exerts Strain-Specific Effects on DSS-Induced Ulcerative Colitis in Mice.

Akkermansia muciniphila is a commensal bacterium of the gut mucus layer. Although both in vitro and in vivo data have shown that A. muciniphila strains exhibit strain-specific modulation of gut functions, its ability to moderate immunity to ulcerative colitis have not been verified. We selected three isolated human A. muciniphila strains (FSDLZ39M14, FSDLZ36M5 and FSDLZ20M4) and the A. muciniphila type strain ATCC BAA-835 to examine the effects of different A. muciniphila strains on dextran sulfate sodium-induced colitis. All of the A. muciniphila strains were cultured anaerobically in brain heart infusion medium supplemented with 0.25% type II mucin from porcine stomach. To create animal models, colitis was established in C57BL/6 mice which randomly divided into six groups with 10 mice in each group by adding 3% dextran sulfate sodium to drinking water for 7 days. A. muciniphila strains were orally administered to the mice at a dose of 1 × 109 CFU. Only A. muciniphila FSDLZ36M5 exerted significant protection against ulcerative colitis (UC) by increasing the colon length, restoring body weight, decreasing gut permeability and promoting anti-inflammatory cytokine expression. However, the other strains (FSDLZ39M14, ATCC BAA-835 and FSDLZ20M4) failed to provide these effects. Notably, A. muciniphila FSDLZ20M4 showed a tendency to exacerbate inflammation according to several indicators. Gut microbiota sequencing showed that A. muciniphila FSDLZ36M5 supplementation recovered the gut microbiota of mice to a similar state to that of the control group. A comparative genomic analysis demonstrated that the positive effects of A. muciniphila FSDLZ36M5 compared with the FSDLZ20M4 strain may be associated with specific functional genes that are involved in immune defense mechanisms and protein synthesis. Our results verify the efficacy of A. muciniphila in improving UC and provide gene targets for the efficient and rapid screening of A. muciniphila strains with UC-alleviating effects.

The roles of different Bacteroides fragilis strains in protecting against DSS-induced ulcerative colitis and related functional genes.

The role of supplementation with different Bacteroides fragilis (B. fragilis) strains in alleviating ulcerative colitis (UC) is unclear due to the controversial results from animal experiments. In this study, three B. fragilis strains were evaluated for their ability to alleviate dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced UC in C57BL/6J mice. We analyzed the anti-inflammatory effects of different B. fragilis strains and the changes they caused in the intestinal microbiota composition, intestinal epithelial permeability, cytokine concentrations, protein expression of nuclear factor kappa-B (NF-κB) and the underlying specific genes. The results showed that when orally administered, the different B. fragilis strains exerted different effects on the assessed parameters of the mice. The results of real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction and immunofluorescence staining showed that the supplementation of B. fragilis FSHCM14E1, but not FJSWX11BF, enhanced the expression of the tight-junction proteins ZO-1, occludin and claudin-1. Western blot analysis showed that the anti-inflammatory effects of B. fragilis FSHCM14E1 were related to the NF-κB pathway. Genomic analysis suggested that the anti-inflammatory effects of FSHCM14E1 may be mediated through specific genes associated with defense mechanisms and the secretion of SCFAs. Overall, this study indicates the therapeutic potential of B. fragilis FSHCM14E1 for the prevention of UC.

Predictive Value of Gut Microbiome for Cognitive Impairment in Patients with Hypertension.

A connection exists between hypertension (HTN) and cognitive impairment (CI) or gut microbiota (GM) and neuropsychiatric disease. However, the link between GM and HTNCI has not been illustrated. This study endeavoured to profile the landscape of GM in HTNCI patients and evaluate the value of GM as HTNCI biomarkers. We recruited 128 patients with hypertension and assigned them to two groups of different MoCA scores. Clinical and biological data were recorded. GM composition was illustrated with 16S ribosomal RNA sequencing, and the dominant species were identified by linear discriminant analysis Effect Size (LEfSe). It showed higher abundance of TM7 and lower abundances of Veillonella and Peptoniphilus in the HTNCI group than in the HTN without cognitive impairment (HTNnCI) group. We next clarified the link between GM and MoCA scores or HTNCI factors. KEGG analysis revealed the involvement of decreased bile secretion. An evident correlation showed up between HTNCI and Veillonella abundance (P = 0.0340). We concluded that some representative GM species, especially Veillonella, could predict cognitive impairment in hypertension patients, making them potential benchmarks of HTNCI.

A new method for evaluating the bioaccessibility of different foodborne forms of cadmium.

The bioabsorption and biotoxicity of cadmium are closely related to its binding form. Currently, total concentration is used as the indicator for evaluating cadmium toxicity in food, but it might not accurately reflect cadmium's toxic effects. This study attempted to evaluate the toxicity of the different forms of cadmium including cadmium-malate, cadmium-glutathione, and cadmium-metallothionein that are commonly found in food. The in vitro physiologically based extraction test (PBET) combined with Visual MINTEQ modeling was used to predict the toxicity of different forms of cadmium, and acute toxicity testing was performed in mice for validating their results. The in vivo experimental results showed that different forms of cadmium had diverse biotoxicities of which PBET was a good predictor. In particular, the simulation of cadmium ions in PBET using the MINTEQ software revealed that the free cadmium ion content in the simulated intestinal fluid had a superior linear relationship than the total cadmium concentration with the toxicology indexes. Verification using the other two forms of cadmium confirmed the accuracy of the prediction of their biotoxicity. These findings hopefully provide an important reference for a more accurate and rapid safety assessment of cadmium in food.

Gypenosides Prevent H2O2-Induced Retinal Ganglion Cell Apoptosis by Concurrently Suppressing the Neuronal Oxidative Stress and Inflammatory Response.

Our previous study demonstrated that gypenosides (Gp) exert protective effects on retinal nerve fibers and axons in a mouse model of experimental autoimmune optic neuritis. However, the therapeutic mechanisms remain unclear. Thus, in this study, a model of oxidative damage in retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) was established to investigate the protective effect of Gp, and its possible influence on oxidative stress in RGCs. Treatment of cells with H2O2 induced RGC injury owing to the generation of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS). In addition, the activities of antioxidative enzymes decreased and the expression of inflammatory factors increased, resulting in an increase in cellular apoptosis. Gp helped RGCs to become resistant to oxidation damage by directly reducing the amount of ROS in cells and exerting protective effects against H2O2-induced apoptosis. Treatment with Gp also reduced the generation of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), and increased nuclear respiratory factor 2 (Nrf-2) levels so as to increase the levels of heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) and glutathione peroxidase 1/2 (Gpx1/2), which can enhance antioxidation in RGCs. In conclusion, our data indicate that neuroprotection by Gp involves its antioxidation and anti-inflammation effects. Gp prevents apoptosis through a mitochondrial apoptotic pathway. This finding might provide novel insights into understanding the mechanism of the neuroprotective effects of gypenosides in the treatment of optic neuritis.

Modelling the volatility of international visitor arrivals to New Zealand.

International visitor arrivals are considered to be a major source of foreign exchange, tourism-related employment and other tourism-related activities. This study used SARIMAX/(E)GARCH volatility models to forecast visitor arrivals by air transport to New Zealand from its eight key tourist source markets (Australia, Canada, China, Japan, South Korea, Germany, the United Kingdom (UK) and the United States (US)) and control macroeconomic factors together with global and regional structural changes. The empirical models reveal that the macroeconomic factors contributed at various levels to different markets, and the models we provided made accurate and reliable forecasts for visitor arrivals by air transport from all studied markets. The results from the markets for Germany, Japan, South Korea and the UK showed that significantly negative tourism demand shocks increased the volatility of tourism arrivals, more than positive tourism demand shocks of equal magnitude. Accordingly, the findings of this study will allow policy-makers in the New Zealand tourism sector and other stakeholders (e.g. airline management) to better understand the impacts on the volatility of visitor arrivals to New Zealand.

[Effect of caveolin-1 scaffolding domain peptides on heme oxygenase-1 activity increasing and M1/M2 phenotype polarization in rat alveolar macrophages induced by lipopolysaccharide].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of caveolin-1 scaffolding domain (CSD) peptides on heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) activity increasing and M1/M2 phenotype polarization in rat alveolar macrophages (AMs) induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS). METHODS: Bioinformatics was used to analyze the binding of full-length wild-type CSD polypeptide and 101 amino acid deleted truncated mutant CSD polypeptide (Δ101CSD) to HO-1. Primary AMs were isolated from rats, when cell fusion reached 80%, they were synchronized with serum-free medium and divided into five groups: no treatment was given to the blank control group; LPS group was treated with 100 µg/L LPS for 16 hours; LPS + hemin group was treated with 100 µg/L LPS and 20 µmol/L hemin for 16 hours; wild-type CSD polypeptide + LPS + hemin group was pretreated with 10 µmol/L wild-type CSD polypeptide 6 hours before LPS treatment; Δ101CSD + LPS + hemin group was pretreated with 10 µmol/L Δ101CSD polypeptide 6 hours before LPS treatment. After treatment for 16 hours, the co-localization between caveolin-1 (Cav-1) and HO-1 was displayed by confocal microscope; the mRNA expressions of inflammatory cytokines interleukin-1ß (IL-1ß) and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) and M1/M2 polarization cytokines tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), leukocyte differentiation antigen 206 (CD206) and IL-10 were determined by real-time fluorescent quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR); the HO-1 activity and nitric oxide (NO) production were determined by spectrophotometry. RESULTS: Bioinformatics analysis showed: both wild-type CSD and Δ101CSD peptides could bind to HO-1, and there was no significant difference in the binding ability between the two peptides, but the deletion of 101 Arg resulted in the disappearance of part of the binding region between Δ101CSD and HO-1. The results of laser confocal microscopy showed: the expressions of Cav-1 and HO-1 were lowed in the blank control group, and Cav-1 was bound to HO-1 in LPS group and LPS + hemin group. Both wild-type CSD and Δ101CSD peptides pretreatment could significantly reduce the binding of HO-1 to Cav-1 induced by LPS. HO-1 activity analysis showed: after LPS stimulation, the activity of HO-1 was significantly higher than that of the blank control group; the activity of HO-1 induced by LPS was increased by hemin; after pretreatment with two kinds of CSD peptides, the activity of HO-1 was further increased, and the effect of wild-type CSD peptide was more significant, which showed a statistically significant difference as compared with that of LPS + hemin group (pmol×mg-1×h-1: 3 683±266 vs. 2 408±132, P < 0.05). RT-qPCR results showed: LPS could induce elevation of cytokines and M1 markers and decrease of M2 markers, while hemin could inhibit LPS-induced inflammatory response and M1/M2 phenotypic polarization. Compared with LPS + hemin group, after pretreatment with wild-type CSD peptide, the levels of inflammatory factors in AMs were decreased, and the mRNA expression levels of TNF-α and iNOS, M1 markers, were decreased [TNF-α mRNA (2-ΔΔCt): 6.82±0.05 vs. 8.70±0.24, iNOS mRNA (2-ΔΔCt): 331.50±32.05 vs. 506.70±0.10, both P < 0.05], and IL-10 mRNA expression level was increased (2-ΔΔCt: 269.09±6.54 vs. 119.05±3.30, P < 0.05). The deletion of 101 site partially weakened the inhibitory effect of CSD peptides on inflammatory factors and only reduced the expression of iNOS mRNA (2-ΔΔCt: 429.11±8.92 vs. 506.70±0.10, P < 0.05), indicating that its ability to transform AMs from M1 phenotype to M2 phenotype was poor. The two peptides had no effect on the expression of CD206. CONCLUSIONS: Wild-type CSD had beneficial effects of anti-inflammation by reducing Cav-1 binding to HO-1 induced by LPS, restoring the HO-1 activity and driving M2 phenotype in alveolar macrophages.

Postoperative decrease of serum albumin predicts short-term complications in patients undergoing gastric cancer resection.

AIM: To find an accurate and simple predictor for postoperative short-term complications after gastrectomy. METHODS: Two hundred and twenty-three patients undergoing gastric cancer resection between October 1, 2015 and September 30, 2016 were enrolled in this study. Univariate and multivariate analyses were used to identify risk factors for complications after gastrectomy. The cutoff values and diagnostic accuracy were examined by receiver operating characteristic curves. RESULTS: Sixty-two (27.8%) patients had short-term complications after gastric cancer resection. The postoperative decrease in serum albumin (∆ALB) was an independent risk factor for complications (OR = 17.957, 95%CI: 6.073-53.095, P < 0.001). The cutoff value was 14.0% and the area under the curve was higher than that of C-reactive protein on postoperative day 3 (area under the curve: 0.806 vs 0.709). Patients with ∆ALB ≥ 14.0% were more likely to have short-term complications after gastrectomy (46.7% vs 5.0%, P < 0.001), prolonged hospital stay (17.2 ± 10.8 d vs 14.1 ± 4.2 d, P = 0.007) and higher comprehensive complication index (P < 0.001) than those with ∆ALB < 14.0%. CONCLUSION: Postoperative ∆ALB with a cutoff of 14.0% can be used to recognize patients who have high risk of short-term complications following gastric cancer resection.

Neuroprotective effects of gypenosides in experimental autoimmune optic neuritis.

AIM: To determine whether gypenosides have protective effects in experimental autoimmune optic neuritis (EAON). METHODS: Mice were randomly divided into seven groups: control group, model group, three different density gypenosides monotherapy, methylprednisolone monotherapy, combination of gypenosides and methylprednisolone group. The control group was subcutaneously injected with oil emulsion adjuvant and all other groups were subcutaneously immunized with an emulsified mixture of myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG) 35-55 peptide to induce EAON. Mice in the gypenosides groups were administered injections daily with three concentrations (15 mg/kg, 30 mg/kg, 45 mg/kg) of gypenosides respectively. Mice in the methylprednisolone group and the combination treatment group were injected daily with methylprednisolone (20 mg/kg) or methylprednisolone (20 mg/kg) + gypenosides (30 mg/kg), respectively. After MOG immunization, visual evoked potential (VEP), optical coherence tomography (OCT), and histopathologic examination were performed at 14, 20, 30, and 40d post-inoculation (p.i.). All results were expressed as mean±SEM. The data were evaluated by one-way ANOVA followed by Tukey or Games-Howell test. RESULTS: Compared with the control group, p2 latency was prolonged in the model group (P=0.041). Combination treatment can alleviated the change in VEP at 20d p.i. (P=0.012). Average peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness was reduced in the model group (P=0.000, 30d; P=0.000, 40d) and gypenosides treatment remarkably diminished the degree of RNFL degeneration at 30d and 40d p.i (P=0.000, 30d; P=0.000, 40d). The pathomorphological results showed a decrease in demye-lination (P=0.020) and inflammatory reactions in the combination group compared with the model group (20d p.i.). Gypenosides treatment also alleviated the degree of axonal loss (40d p.i.) (P=0.003). CONCLUSION: Treatment with gypenosides exerts protective effects on retinal nerve fibers and axons in EAON. When combined with gypenosides, methylprednisolone reduces demyelination in the acute stage of EAON.

Analysing passenger network changes: The case of Hong Kong.

Passenger throughput at Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) has shown steady growth since its opening. Various aspects relating to HKIA have been studied in prior literature. This paper investigated changes in HKIA's passenger network for the period of 2001-2012 and used the gravity model to examine the key factors explaining its passenger traffic flows. The findings suggested that HKIA's passenger network has changed significantly and expanded to many new different destinations. Two regions (East Asia and Southeast Asia) were the most important markets for HKIA, and most key destinations connected by Hong Kong showed healthy growth. Nine factors could explain passenger traffic flows between Hong Kong and its key destinations: Hong Kong GDP per capita, GDP per capita of destinations connected by HKIA, distance, airport hub status of the destination airport, tourist destinations connected by HKIA, numbers of passenger airlines in service, bilateral trade flows, speaking a common language and having strong cultural/colonial links with Hong Kong, and the route presence of Cathay Pacific.

Design of assistive wheelchair system directly steered by human thoughts.

Integration of brain-computer interface (BCI) technique and assistive device is one of chief and promising applications of BCI system. With BCI technique, people with disabilities do not have to communicate with external environment through traditional and natural pathways like peripheral nerves and muscles, and could achieve it only by their brain activities. In this paper, we designed an electroencephalogram (EEG)-based wheelchair which can be steered by users' own thoughts without any other involvements. We evaluated the feasibility of BCI-based wheelchair in terms of accuracies and real-world testing. The results demonstrate that our BCI wheelchair is of good performance not only in accuracy, but also in practical running testing in a real environment. This fact implies that people can steer wheelchair only by their thoughts, and may have a potential perspective in daily application for disabled people.