Diffusion tensor imaging brain structural clustering patterns in major depressive disorder.

Using magnetic resonance diffusion tensor imaging data from 45 patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) and 41 healthy controls (HCs), network indices based on a 246-region Brainnetcome Atlas were investigated in the two groups, and in the MDD subgroups that were subgrouped based on their duration of the disease. Correlation between the network indices and the duration of illness was also examined. Differences were observed between the MDDS subgroup (short disease duration) and the HC group, but not between the MDD and HC groups. Compared with the HCs, the clustering coefficient (CC) values of MDDS were higher in precentral gyrus, and caudal lingual gyrus; the CC of MDDL subgroup (long disease duration) was higher in postcentral gyrus and dorsal granular insula in the right hemisphere. Network resilience analyses showed that the MDDS group was higher than the HC group, representing relatively more randomized networks in the diseased brains. The correlation analyses showed that the caudal lingual gyrus in the right hemisphere and the rostral lingual gyrus in the left hemisphere were particularly correlated with disease duration. The analyses showed that duration of the illness appears to have an impact on the networking patterns. Networking abnormalities in MDD patients could be blurred or hidden by the heterogeneity of the MDD clinical subgroups. Brain plasticity may introduce a recovery effect to the abnormal network patterns seen in patients with a relative short term of the illness, as the abnormalities may disappear in MDDL .

Factors that affect the duration of wearing disposable personal protective equipment by healthcare professionals in Wuhan during treatment of COVID-19 patients: An epidemiological study.

The purpose of this study of healthcare workers who cared for COVID-19 patients was to identify factors that affected the duration of wearing personal protective equipment (PPE). The results of this study will provide initial guidance to practicing clinicians and a foundation for further research on this topic. This cross-sectional study examined 139 frontline healthcare professionals who worked at a single hospital in Wuhan, China, from March 16 to April 1, 2020. General and demographic data, physical and mental status, use of personal protective equipment, type of hospital work, and duration of wearing personal protective equipment were recorded. The mean duration of wearing personal protective equipment was 194.17 min (standard deviation: 3.71). Multiple linear regression analysis indicated that the duration of wearing personal protective equipment was significantly associated with the presence of a chronic disease, working hours when feeling discomfort, lack of patient cooperation and subsequent psychological pressure, prolonged continuous wearing of personal protective equipment, feeling anxious about physical strength, and the presence of fatigue when wearing personal protective equipment. These factors should be considered by practicing healthcare professionals and in future studies that examine the optimal duration of wearing personal protective equipment.

Altered coupling of spontaneous brain activities and brain temperature in patients with adolescent-onset, first-episode, drug-naïve schizophrenia.

PURPOSE: A recent study has reported that schizophrenia patients show an uncoupled association between intraventricular brain temperature (BT) and cerebral blood flow (CBF). CBF has been found to be closely coupled with spontaneous brain activities (SBAs) derived from resting-state BOLD fMRI metrics. Yet, it is unclear so far whether the relationship between the intraventricular BT and the SBAs may change in patients with adolescent-onset schizophrenia (AOS) compared with that in healthy controls (HCs). METHODS: The present study recruited 28 first-episode, drug-naïve AOS patients and 22 matched HCs. We measured the temperature of the lateral ventricles (LV) using diffusion-weighted imaging thermometry and measured SBAs using both regional homogeneity and amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation methods. A nonparametric Wilcoxon rank sum test was used to detect the difference in intraventricular BT between AOS patients and HCs with LV volume, age, and sex as covariates. We also evaluated the relationship between the intraventricular BT and the SBAs using partial correlation analysis controlling for LV volume, age, and sex. RESULTS: We found that HCs showed a significant negative correlation between the intraventricular BT and the local SBAs in the bilateral putamina and left superior temporal gyrus, while such a correlation was absent in AOS patients. Additionally, no significant difference between the two groups was found in the intraventricular BT. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that AOS patients may experience an uncoupling between intraventricular BT and SBAs in several schizophrenia-related brain areas, which may be associated with the altered relationships among intraventricular BT, CBF, and metabolism.

Altered intra- and inter-network functional coupling of resting-state networks associated with motor dysfunction in stroke.

Motor functions are supported through functional integration across the extended motor system network. Individuals following stroke often show deficits on motor performance requiring coordination of multiple brain networks; however, the assessment of connectivity patterns after stroke was still unclear. This study aimed to investigate the changes in intra- and inter-network functional connectivity (FC) of multiple networks following stroke and further correlate FC with motor performance. Thirty-three left subcortical chronic stroke patients and 34 healthy controls underwent resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging. Eleven resting-state networks were identified via independent component analysis (ICA). Compared with healthy controls, the stroke group showed abnormal FC within the motor network (MN), visual network (VN), dorsal attention network (DAN), and executive control network (ECN). Additionally, the FC values of the ipsilesional inferior parietal lobule (IPL) within the ECN were negatively correlated with the Fugl-Meyer Assessment (FMA) scores (hand + wrist). With respect to inter-network interactions, the ipsilesional frontoparietal network (FPN) decreased FC with the MN and DAN; the contralesional FPN decreased FC with the ECN, but it increased FC with the default mode network (DMN); and the posterior DMN decreased FC with the VN. In sum, this study demonstrated the coexistence of intra- and inter-network alterations associated with motor-visual attention and high-order cognitive control function in chronic stroke, which might provide insights into brain network plasticity following stroke.

[Epidemiological characteristics of imported malaria in Sichuan Province in 2015].

Objective: To analyze the epidemiological characteristics of imported malaria in Sichuan Province in 2015 in the aim of providing scientific basis for malaria control. Methods: The epidemiological data of malaria in Sichuan Province reported through the Infectious Disease Reporting and Management System of China Information System for Disease Control and Prevention in 2015 were collected and analyzed. Results: In 2015,290 malaria cases were reported in Sichuan Provinc, consisting of 158 falciparum malaria cases (54.5%),107 vivax malaria cases (36.9%),14 ovale malaria cases (4.8%), one quartan malaria case(0.3%), and 10 mixed infections of vivax malaria and falciparum malaria (3.5%). Five cases of falciparum malaria died. The reported cases were all imported, with a major source of Africa (271, 93.4%), in which Ethiopia (83) and Angola (49) were two major sources. The cases were reported continuously from January to December, with the majority(139, 47.9%) being reported in December, August, June and July. The cases distributed mainly in Guangan, Chengdu, Nanchong, Mianyang, Deyang, Luzhou and Suining(243, 83.8%). Among the 209 cases who first visited medical units after onset, 118 cases were diagnosed as malaria, the misdiagnosis rate at first visit was 43.5%(91/209). Conclusion: The malaria cases reported in Sichuan Province in 2015 are all imported from overseas, mainly infected with P. falciparum and P. vivax, and imported mostly from Africa. There is a high rate of misdiagnosis in medical units in Sichuan Province.

[Study on the Lateral Growth of Ag Nanowires and Its Inhibition].

Ag nanowires (Ag NWs) are synthesized by polyol method under the conditions of different temperature of reaction solution, different addition amount and injection rate of polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP). The structure and the process of lateral growth of Ag NWs were observed and analyzed by X-ray diffraction (XRD), ultraviolet-visible absorption spectrum (UV-VIS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscope (TEM). It showed that the lateral growth of Ag NWs and longitudinal growth of Ag NWs occurrs at the same time by UV-VIS. And in the later stage of synthesis of Ag NWs, the peak in UV-VIS, which indicated the lateral growth of Ag NWs, red-shifted obviously from 384 nm to 388 nm. This rapid redshift implied that the diameters of Ag NWs increased quickly. In other words, rapid lateral growth of Ag NWs occurred in the later stage of synthesis of Ag NWs. According to the SEM of Ag NWs, in the early stage of the reaction (15~23 min), the diameter of Ag NWs increased by only 20 nm, but in the later stage of reaction (23~30 min), the diameter of Ag NWs increased by nearly 150 nm. The result of SEM observation is consistent with the analysis of UV-VIS. It was also found that the lateral growth of Ag NWs is related not only to the sizes of seeds but also to the thicknesses of the outer Ag layers. Tiny Ag particles with diameters of several nanometers adsorbed onto the side facets of Ag NWs and acted as adsorption points for Ag source. The lateral growth of Ag NWs was caused by the continuous multipoint adsorption of Ag source on the side of Ag NWs. Decreasing the temperature of the reaction solution (from 165 to 155 degree), reducing the injection rate (from 67 to 49 mL·h-1) and the addition amount of PVP in the later stage could inhibit the lateral growth of Ag NWs and increase the aspect ratios of Ag NWs remarkably. The diameters of Ag NWs decreased from 200 nm to 100 nm, but their lengths still maintained above 100 µm.

QRS duration shortening predicts left ventricular reverse remodelling in patients with dilated cardiomyopathy after cardiac resynchronization therapy.

OBJECTIVE: The relationship between the QRS duration, severity of mechanical dyssynchrony and efficacy of cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) is poorly understood. We determined if QRS duration shortening in patients with dilated cardiomyopathy after treatment with CRT was predictive of left ventricular (LV) reverse remodelling. METHODS: Thirty patients with dilated cardiomyopathy were enrolled. Electrocardiographic and echocardiographic recordings were obtained before and 6 months after CRT. Patients were classified as CRT responders or non-responders based on their echocardiographic parameters 6 months following CRT. RESULTS: After 6 months of CRT, 9 patients (30%) were classified as non-responders. Surprisingly, no significant differences in any of the preoperative metrics were found between CRT responders and non-responders. In sharp contrast, the postoperative parameters of the CRT responder group had significantly improved compared to the non-responder group. The average QRS duration of the CRT responders was significantly shorter than that of the non-responders (-37 +/- 23 ms vs. 0 +/- 23 ms; P < 0.01). The relationships between preoperative parameters, the change in QRS duration and LV end-diastolic diameter were analysed for each patient using multi-linear correlation and regression analyses. We found that the change in QRS duration positively cor- related with the change in LV endiastolic diameter (R = 0.583, P = 0.001). Furthermore, multi-linear regression analysis suggested that changes in QRS duration had a significant effect on LV end-diastolic diameter (y = 9.739 + 0.272 x, P = 0.006). CONCLUSION: CRT-mediated changes in the QRS duration are predictive of LV reverse remodelling in patients with dilated cardiomyopathy.

[Association of VKORC1 gene -1639G/A polymorphism with atrial fibrillation in ethnic Uygurs and Hans from Xinjiang].

OBJECTIVE: To assess the association of VKORC1 gene -1639G/A polymorphism with atrial fibrillation (AF) in ethnic Uygurs and Hans from Xinjiang. METHODS: The above polymorphism was detected among 100 Uygur and 102 Han AF patients and 103 Uygur and 111 Han subjects that have no AF with polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) method. RESULTS: A statistically significant difference was detected between the patient and control groups of Uygur origin in terms of genotypic and allelic frequencies (P<0.05). Logistic regression analysis also indicated the -1639G/A polymorphism as an independent risk factor for AF in Uygur population (OR=2.085, 95% CI: 1.067-4.072, P=0.031). No similar statistical difference was found between the patient and control groups of Han origin (P>0.05). CONCLUSION: The -1639G/A polymorphism of VKORC1 gene is associated with AF in the Uygur population but not in Hans.

[The clinical analysis of atrial fibrillation of 1 310 in patients in Urumqi of China].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the clinical features and current therapy of atrial fibrillation (AF) of inpatients in Urumqi, China. METHODS: The clinical data of inpatients diagnosed with AF from January, 2008 to December, 2012, in 12 hospitals in Urumqi were retrospectively analyzed. RESULTS: Totally 1 310 AF inpatients were enrolled in this study with the age of (64.8 ± 3.3) years old and a men to women ratio of 1.39. Most patients were in age groups of 61-70 years (26.5%) and 71-80 years (27.6%). More patients with paroxysmal AF were at cardiac function class I-II (75.2%), while more patients with persistent AF were at cardiac function class III-IV (31.0%) (both P values < 0.05). The most common co-morbidities of AF were hypertension (49.2%), coronary heart disease (38.5%), diabetes mellitus (20.1%). Compared with patients of chronic AF, the patients of paroxysmal AF had higher success rates in amiodarone conversation and sinus rhythm maintenance after ablation (44.8% vs 29.9%, 87.5% vs 68.9%, P values < 0.05). Among the 1 310 inpatients, 992 patients (75.7%) received antithrombotic therapy. There were statistically significant differences in CHA2DS2 score and incidence rate of cerebral infarction among patients receiving aspirin, warfarin or rivaroxaban/other anticoagulation drugs [2(1, 3) vs 3(2, 4) vs 3(2, 5) and 6.3% vs 23.8% vs 30.2%, both P values < 0.05]. CONCLUSION: Our results of AF inpatients' age, gender, related disease distribution, AF types, incidence of stoke, therapeutic and epidemiological features are in accordance with the domestic and abroad reports.

Individual Deviation-Based Functional Hypergraph for Identifying Subtypes of Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Heterogeneity has been one of the main barriers to understanding and treatment of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Previous studies have identified several subtypes of ASD through unsupervised clustering analysis. However, most of them primarily depicted the pairwise similarity between individuals through second-order relationships, relying solely on patient data for their calculation. This leads to an underestimation of the complexity inherent in inter-individual relationships and the diagnostic information provided by typical development (TD). To address this, we utilized an elastic net model to construct an individual deviation-based hypergraph (ID-Hypergraph) based on functional MRI data. We then conducted a novel community detection clustering algorithm to the ID-Hypergraph, with the aim of identifying subtypes of ASD. By applying this framework to the Autism Brain Imaging Data Exchange repository data (discovery: 147/125, ASD/TD; replication: 134/132, ASD/TD), we identified four reproducible ASD subtypes with roughly similar patterns of ALFF between the discovery and replication datasets. Moreover, these subtypes significantly varied in communication domains. In addition, we achieved over 80% accuracy for the classification between these subtypes. Taken together, our study demonstrated the effectiveness of identifying subtypes of ASD through the ID-hypergraph, highlighting its potential in elucidating the heterogeneity of ASD and diagnosing ASD subtypes.

Age-related changes in cellular electrophysiology and calcium handling for atrial fibrillation.

This study was to investigate whether or not the dysfunction of atrial repolarization and abnormality of the intracellular Ca(2+) handling protein was augmented with ageing. Four groups of dogs were studied, adult and aged dogs in sinus rhythm (SR) and atrial fibrillation (AF) induced by rapid atrial pacing. We used whole cell patch clamp recording techniques to measure L-type Ca(2+) current in cardiomyocytes dispersed from the left atria. Expressions of the Ca(2+) handling protein were measured by real-time quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and Western blot methods. Cardiomyocytes from old atria showed longer action potential (AP) duration to 90% repolarization, lower AP plateau potential and peak L-type Ca(2+) current densities at both age groups in SR. AF led to a higher maximum diastolic potential, an increase of amplitude of phase 0, decreases of AP duration to 90% repolarization, plateau potential and peak L-type Ca(2+) current densities. Compared to the adult group, mRNA and protein expressions of the L-type calcium channel a1c were decreased, whereas expressions of calcium adenosine triphosphatase were increased in the aged group. Compared to SR group, expressions of Ca(2+) handling protein except for phospholamban were significantly decreased in both age groups with AF. We conclude that these ageing-induced electrophysiological and molecular changes showed that general pathophysiological adaptations might provide a substrate conducive to AF.

Comparison of standard and modified transvenous techniques for complex pacemaker lead extractions in the context of cardiac implantable electronic device-related infections: a 10-year experience.

AIMS: Complete lead extraction of cardiac implantable electronic devices (CIED) for device-related infections remains a complex procedure for chronically implantated leads. We present data from a single-centre registry of consecutive patients with extractions over 10 years. METHOD AND RESULTS: Patients were identified from the centre's electronic database with CIED-related infections who underwent lead extraction using either the standard technique and equipment or a modified innovative transvenous lead technique extraction using an ablation catheter. Of 151 patients with CIED-related infections, not responding to simple manual traction to effect lead extraction, average age 65 ± 8 years (range 45-82), 64% being male, 75 underwent standard (S) extraction, and 76 underwent modified (M) extraction. Procedural, lead extraction, and fluoroscopy exposure times with S and M methods, respectively, were 65 ± 14 vs. 52 ± 6 min (P < 0.01), 56 ± 12 vs. 36 ± 8 min (P < 0.001), and 48 ± 12 vs. 31 ± 7 min (P < 0.001). Retrieval rates were numerically lower with the standard technique at 92 vs. 96% but did not achieve significance, with respective complication rates of 6.7 and 5.3%. CONCLUSION: In our single-centre study, a modified extraction technique to retrieve leads for infections of CIEDs using a steerable ablation catheter has improved procedural parameters over the standard technique, without compromising clinical lead extraction success rates. This may be a promising approach for a future, prospective trial.

[Association of single nucleotide polymorphism of KCNE1 and KCNE4 gene with atrial fibrillation in Xinjiang Uygur and Han population].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the association between the KCNE1 gene G38S and the KCNE4 gene E145D and atrial fibrillation in Uygur and Han populations living in Xinjiang. METHODS: KCNE1 gene G38S and the KCNE4 gene E145D genotype and frequency were determined using PCR restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) in 488 atrial fibrillation patients (237 Uygur and 251 Han residents) and 488 age-and-gender matched controls (237 Uygur and 251 Han residents). RESULTS: Genotype and allele frequency of KCNE1 gene G38S were similar between atrial fibrillation group and control group in the Han population (P = 0.556, P = 0.946). In the Uygur population, there was a statistical difference between atrial fibrillation group and control group (P = 0.018, P = 0.003). Logistic regression analysis revealed the KCNE1 38 G was one of the independent risk factors for atrial fibrillation in the Uygur population (OR = 1.634, 95%CI: 1.192-2.240, P = 0.002). The KCNE4 gene E145D, genotype and allele frequency were significantly different between atrial fibrillation group and control group in the Uygur population and Han population (P = 0.041, P = 0.015;P = 0.032, P = 0.013) . Logistic regression analysis revealed the KCNE4 145D was one of the independent risk factors for atrial fibrillation in the Uygur population and Han population (OR = 1.636, 95%CI:1.173-2.281, P = 0.004; OR = 1.491, 95%CI:1.076-2.065, P = 0.016) . CONCLUSIONS: KCNE1 G38S is not associated with atrial fibrillation in the Han population while the KCNE1 G38S is associated with atrial fibrillation in the Uygur population. KCNE4 gene E145D is associated with atrial fibrillation in both Uygur population and Han population.

Pathway-Specific Mediation Effect Between Structure, Function, and Motor Impairment After Subcortical Stroke.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: To investigate the pathway-specific correspondence between structural and functional changes resulting from focal subcortical stroke and their causal influence on clinical symptom. METHODS: In this retrospective, cross-sectional study, we mainly focused on patients with unilateral subcortical chronic stroke with moderate-severe motor impairment assessed by Fugl-Meyer Assessment (upper extremity) and healthy controls. All participants underwent both resting-state fMRI and diffusion tensor imaging. To parse the pathway-specific structure-function covariation, we performed association analyses between the fine-grained corticospinal tracts (CSTs) originating from 6 subareas of the sensorimotor cortex and functional connectivity (FC) of the corresponding subarea, along with the refined corpus callosum (CC) sections and interhemispheric FC. A mediation analysis with FC as the mediator was used to further assess the pathway-specific effects of structural damage on motor impairment. RESULTS: Thirty-five patients (mean age 52.7 ± 10.2 years, 27 men) and 43 healthy controls (mean age 56.2 ± 9.3 years, 21 men) were enrolled. Among the 6 CSTs, we identified 9 structurally and functionally covaried pathways, originating from the ipsilesional primary motor area (M1), dorsal premotor area (PMd), and primary somatosensory cortex (p < 0.05, corrected). FC for the bilateral M1, PMd, and ventral premotor cortex covaried with secondary degeneration of the corresponding CC sections (p < 0.05, corrected). Moreover, these covarying structures and functions were significantly correlated with the Fugl-Meyer Assessment (upper extremity) scores (p < 0.05, uncorrected). In particular, FC between the ipsilesional PMd and contralesional cerebellum (ß = -0.141, p < 0.05, CI = [-0.319 to -0.015]) and interhemispheric FC of the PMd (ß = 0.169, p < 0.05, CI = [0.015-0.391]) showed significant mediation effects in the prediction of motor impairment with structural damage of the CST and CC. DISCUSSIONS: This study reveals causal influence of structural and functional pathways on motor impairment after subcortical stroke and provides a promising way to investigate pathway-specific structure-function coupling. Clinically, our findings may offer a circuit-based evidence for the PMd as a critical neuromodulation target in more impaired patients with stroke and also suggest the cerebellum as a potential target.

Effect of telmisartan on the expression of adiponectin receptors and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate oxidase in the heart and aorta in type 2 diabetic rats.

BACKGROUND: Diabetic cardiovascular disease is associated with decreased adiponectin and increased oxidative stress. This study investigated the effect of telmisartan on the expression of adiponectin receptor 2 (adipoR2) and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) oxidase subunits in the heart and the expression of adiponectin receptor 1 (adipoR1) in aorta in type 2 diabetic rats. METHODS: Type 2 diabetes was induced by high-fat and high-sugar diet and intraperitoneal injection of a low dose of streptozotocin (STZ). Heart function, adipoR2, p22phox, NOX4, glucose transporter 4(GLUT4), monocyte chemoattractant protein-1(MCP-1) and connective tissue growth factor (CTGF)in the heart, and adipoR1, MCP-1 and nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) in aorta were analyzed in controls and diabetic rats treated with or without telmisartan (5mg/kg/d) by gavage for 12 weeks. RESULTS: Heart function, plasma and myocardial adiponectin levels, the expression of myocardial adipoR2 and GLUT4 were significantly decreased in diabetic rats (P <0.05). The expression of myocardial p22phox, NOX4, MCP-1, and CTGF was significantly increased in diabetic rats (P <0.05). The expression of adipoR1 was decreased and the expression of MCP-1 and NF-κB was increased in the abdominal aorta in diabetic rats (P <0.05). Telmisartan treatment significantly attenuated these changes in diabetic rats (P <0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that telmisartan upregulates the expression of myocardial adiponectin, its receptor 2 and GLUT4. Simultaneously, it downregulates the expression of myocardial p22phox, NOX4, MCP-1, and CTGF, contributing so to the improvement of heart function in diabetic rats. Telmisartan also induces a protective role on the vascular system by upregulating the expression of adipoR1 and downregulating the expression of MCP-1 and NF-κB in the abdominal aorta in diabetic rats.

[Aging-related ionic remodeling of L-type voltage dependent calcium channel in left atria of canine].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate aging-related ionic remodeling of L-type voltage dependent calcium channel (LVDCC) in left atria of canine. METHODS: Seven adult (2.0 - 2.5 years) and 10 aged (> 8 years) dogs were used. The current of LVDCC was recorded by patch clamp technique in the whole cell mode. The action potential duration (APD(90)), amplitude of action potential plateau (APA), I(Ca-L) peak current density of LVDCC were recorded. The mRNA and protein expressions of α1c subunit (Ca(V1.2)), sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca(2+)-ATPase (SECRA(2)), Calpain-I, ryanodine receptor (RYR(2)) were detected by quantitative RT-PCR and Western blot, respectively. RESULTS: I(Ca-L) peak current density [(-8.11 ± 0.54) pA/pF vs. (-14.04 ± 0.82) pA/pF, P < 0.05] was significantly reduced and action potential duration to 90% repolarization (APD(90)) significantly prolonged [(340.5 ± 10.1) ms vs. (320.0 ± 7.9) ms, P < 0.05] in aged group than in adult group. The mRNA gene expression level of Ca(V1.2) was significantly lower (0.90 ± 0.35 vs. 2.38 ± 0.40, P < 0.05) while mRNA expression of RYR(2) was significantly higher (4.39 ± 4.68 vs. 1.49 ± 1.69, P < 0.05) in the aged dogs than in the adult dogs. mRNA expression of SECRA(2) and Calpain-I was similar between the two groups. Similarly, the protein expression level of Ca(V1.2) was significantly lower (0.13 ± 0.10 vs. 0.29 ± 0.12, P < 0.05) while the protein expression level of RYR(2) was significantly higher (0.18 ± 0.21 vs. 0.08 ± 0.36, P < 0.05) in the aged dogs than in the adult dogs. Again, protein expression of SECRA(2), PLN(1) and Calpain-I was similar between the two groups. CONCLUSION: These data suggest that aging could induce mRNA and protein expression changes of Ca(V1.2) and RYR(2) of LVDCC which might serve as the molecular basis of I(Ca-L) remodeling in aged dogs and might be linked to the increased likelihood of developing atrial fibrillation (AF) in aged dogs.

Improved magnetic resonance myelin water imaging using multi-channel denoising convolutional neural networks (MCDnCNN).

Background: Myelin water imaging (MWI) is powerful and important for studying and diagnosing neurological and psychiatric diseases. In particular, myelin water fraction (MWF) is derived from MWI data for quantifying myelination. However, MWF estimation is typically sensitive to noise. Improving the accuracy of MWF estimation based on WMI data acquired using a magnetic resonance (MR) multiple gradient recalled echo (mGRE) imaging sequence is desired. Methods: The proposed method employs a recently introduced the multi-channel denoising convolutional neural networks (MCDnCNN). Five different MCDnCNN models, denoted as Delevel1, Delevel2, Delevel3, Delevel4 and DelevelMix corresponding to five noise levels (Level1, Level2, Level3, Level4 and LevelMix), were trained using the data of the first echo of the mGRE brain images acquired from 15 healthy human subjects. Using simulated noisy data that employed a hollow cylinder model, we first evaluated the improvement in estimating MWF based on data denoised by the five different MCDnCNNs, by comparing the MWF maps calculated from the denoised data with ground truth. Next, we again evaluated the improvement using real-world in vivo datasets of 11 human participants acquired using the mGRE sequence. The datasets were first denoised by five different MCDnCNNs (Delevel1, 2, 3, 4 and DelevelMix), and subsequently their MWF maps were calculated and compared with the MWF maps directly calculated from the raw mGRE images without being denoised. Results: Experiments using the simulation data denoised by the appropriate MCDnCNN models showed that the standard deviation (SD) of the absolute error (AE) of the derived MWF results was significantly reduced (maximal reduction =15.5%, Level3 simulated noisy data, orientation angle =0, all the five MCDnCNN models). In the test using in vivo data, estimating MWF based on data particularly denoised by the appropriate MCDnCNN models was found to be the best, compared to otherwise not using the appropriate models. The results demonstrated that the appropriate MCDnCNN models may permit high-quality MWF mapping, i.e., substantial reduction of random variation in estimating MWF-maps while preserving accuracy and structural details. Conclusions: Appropriate MCDnCNN models as proposed may improve both the accuracy and precision in estimating MWF maps, thereby making it a more clinically feasible alternative.

The Role of Honey Bee Derived Aliphatic Esters in the Host-Finding Behavior of Varroa destructor.

Varroa destructor is an obligate ectoparasite of honey bees and shifted from its original host Apis cerana to the new host Apis mellifera in the first half of the twentieth century. The host shift has resulted in a great threat to the health and survival of A. mellifera colonies worldwide. Chemical signals play a crucial role in all aspects of the Varroa life cycle, including host finding. However, the chemical cues that affect the host finding behavior of Varroa mites are still not fully understood. In this study, we systematically profiled the headspace volatiles of both worker and drone larvae of the two honey bee species by using solid phase micro-extraction coupled to gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (SPME-GC-MS), and then used electrophysiological recording and Y-tube olfactometer bioassay to study the potential roles of the selected compounds. The chemical profiling showed that there were four aliphatic esters, ethyl myristate (EM), methyl palmitate (MP), ethyl palmitate (EP), and ethyl oleate (EO) commonly detected from all four types of larval hosts. Among them, EM was a new substance identified from honey bee headspace volatiles. Results from electrophysiological recordings indicated that all the aliphatic esters could elicit significant responses of Varroa pit organs on its forelegs. Moreover, behavioral analyses revealed that EM could significantly attract V. destructor at a medium dosage (10 µg), while MP had no observable effect on the mites and both EP and EO were able to repel the parasites. Our findings suggest an important role of host-derived aliphatic esters in Varroa host finding, and provide new chemicals for Varroa monitoring and control.

Magnetic resonance temperature imaging of laser-induced thermotherapy using proton resonance frequency shift: evaluation of different sequences in phantom and porcine brain at 7 T.

PURPOSE: The present study aimed to evaluate magnetic resonance (MR) thermometry using proton resonance frequency shift (PRFS) during laser-induced thermotherapy (LITT), and to compare the results of using different sequences at a field strength of 7-Tesla to identify the optimal for use in ablation so that the surrounding healthy tissues may be protected from damaging in real time. MATERIALS AND METHODS: LITT was applied to agarose gel phantoms and ex-vivo porcine brains. We reconstructed both magnitude and phase images to perform MR thermometry based on PRFS methods. We tested four different sequences: a gradient-echo (GRE), a segmented gradient-echo echoplanar imaging (EPI-GRE), a fast-low angle shot (FLASH), and a true fast imaging with steady precession (TRUFI). Temperature was monitored and verified using a fiber-optic thermometry device. RESULTS: All sequences showed good linear correlations (R = 0.97-0.99) between the measured temperature and the calculated MR-thermometry measurements. The phantom/porcine brain experiments revealed the temperature precisions at 1.53/0.69 °C (GRE), 0.61/0.43 °C (EPI-GRE), 1.64/1.32 °C (FLASH), and 0.58/1.52 °C (TRUFI), respectively. Furthermore, we performed a Bland-Altman analysis and the temperature accuracies were found to be - 1.32/- 0.60 °C (GRE), 0.42/- 0.33 °C (EPI-GRE), - 1.28/- 0.98 °C (FLASH), and 0.14/0.46 °C (TRUFI) in the phantom/porcine brain experiments, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Our experiments recommend that EPI-GRE sequence be the best of the all sequences for MR temperature imaging with PRFS in the LITT on 7 T magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) systems because of its relatively higher precision and accuracy.

[Investigation on Anopheles species and their composition in villages at different altitudes of Motuo County, Tibet Autonomous Region].

OBJECTIVE: To study the anopheline species and composition in villages at different altitudes, Muotuo County. METHODS: Six villages with different altitudes were selected as the investigation spots, i.e. Gande, Zhucun, Damu, Motuo, Didong and Beibeng with an altitude 1 966 m, 1 510 m, 1 408 m, 1 178 m, 853 m and 831 m, respectively. Human-baited net traps, cow-baited traps and light traps were set up to collect adult mosquitoes. The trapped mosquitoes were counted and identified according to morphological criteria. Following the classification, the mosquitoes were killed by chloroform and dried on silica-gel, and transported to the laboratory where they were stored at -20 degrees C. Species of Anopheles maculatus complex were identified with multiple PCR method. RESULTS: 5 410 anopheline mosquitoes were collected. Two mosquitoes were captured in high altitude village, one was Anopheles gigas bailieyi, while the other was damaged and unable to identify. There were 541 (36.9%) An. pseudowillmori, 906 An. willmori (61.7%) and 21 An. peditaeniatus (1.4%) collected in semi-high altitude villages; 260 (76.3%) An. pseudowillmori, 2 An. willmori (0.6%) and 79 An. peditaeniatus (23.2%) trapped in middle altitude village; and 3265 (90.7%) An. pseudowillmori, 19 An. willmore (0.5%) and 315 An. peditaeniatus (8.8%) trapped in low altitude villages. CONCLUSION: An. pseudowillmori, An. willmore and An. peditaeniatus make the main anopheline composition. The proportion of An. willmore is higher than An. pseudowillmori in semi-high altitude villages, while An. pseudowillmori take the absolute predominance in middle and low altitude villages.