Instability of brain connectivity during nonrapid eye movement sleep reflects altered properties of information integration.

Nonrapid eye movement (NREM) sleep is associated with fading consciousness in humans. Recent neuroimaging studies have demonstrated the spatiotemporal alterations of the brain functional connectivity (FC) in NREM sleep, suggesting the changes of information integration in the sleeping brain. However, the common stationarity assumption in FC does not satisfactorily explain the dynamic process of information integration during sleep. The dynamic FC (dFC) across brain networks is speculated to better reflect the time-varying information propagation during sleep. Accordingly, we conducted simultaneous EEG-fMRI recordings involving 12 healthy men during sleep and observed dFC across sleep stages using the sliding-window approach. We divided dFC into two aspects: mean dFC (dFCmean ) and variance dFC (dFCvar ). A high dFCmean indicates stable brain network integrity, whereas a high dFCvar indicates instability of information transfer within and between functional networks. For the network-based dFC, the dFCvar were negatively correlated with the dFCmean across the waking and three NREM sleep stages. As sleep deepened, the dFCmean decreased (N0~N1 > N2 > N3), whereas the dFCvar peaked during the N2 stage (N0~N1 < N3 < N2). The highest dFCvar during the N2 stage indicated the unstable synchronizations across the entire brain. In the N3 stage, the overall disrupted network integration was observed through the lowest dFCmean and elevated dFCvar, compared with N0 and N1. Conclusively, when the network specificity (dFCmean ) breaks down, the consciousness dissipates with increasing variability of information exchange (dFCvar ).

Effects of the Acute and Chronic Ethanol Intoxication on Acetate Metabolism and Kinetics in the Rat Brain.

BACKGROUND: Ethanol (EtOH) intoxication inhibits glucose transport and decreases overall brain glucose metabolism; however, humans with long-term EtOH consumption were found to have a significant increase in [1-11 C]-acetate uptake in the brain. The relationship between the cause and effect of [1-11 C]-acetate kinetics and acute/chronic EtOH intoxication, however, is still unclear. METHODS: [1-11 C]-acetate positron emission tomography (PET) with dynamic measurement of K1 and k2 rate constants was used to investigate the changes in acetate metabolism in different brain regions of rats with acute or chronic EtOH intoxication. RESULTS: PET imaging demonstrated decreased [1-11 C]-acetate uptake in rat brain with acute EtOH intoxication, but this increased with chronic EtOH intoxication. Tracer uptake rate constant K1 and clearance rate constant k2 were decreased in acutely intoxicated rats. No significant change was noted in K1 and k2 in chronic EtOH intoxication, although 6 of 7 brain regions showed slightly higher k2 than baseline. These results indicate that acute EtOH intoxication accelerated acetate transport and metabolism in the rat brain, whereas chronic EtOH intoxication status showed no significant effect. CONCLUSIONS: In vivo PET study confirmed the modulatory role of EtOH, administered acutely or chronically, in [1-11 C]-acetate kinetics and metabolism in the rat brain. Acute EtOH intoxication may inhibit the transport and metabolism of acetate in the brain, whereas chronic EtOH exposure may lead to the adaptation of the rat brain to EtOH in acetate utilization. [1-11 C]-acetate PET imaging is a feasible approach to study the effect of EtOH on acetate metabolism in rat brain.

Basal sympathetic predominance in periodic limb movements in sleep after continuous positive airway pressure.

PURPOSE: This study investigated the basal autonomic regulation in patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) showing periodic limb movements in sleep (PLMS) emerging after therapy with continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP). METHODS: Data of patients with OSA undergoing a first polysomnography for diagnosis and a second polysomnography for therapy with CPAP were reviewed. Patients with OSA showing PLMS on the first polysomnography were excluded. By using heart rate variability analysis, epochs without any sleep events and continuous effects from the second polysomnography were retrospectively analyzed. RESULTS: Of 125 eligible patients, 30 with PLMS after therapy with CPAP (PLMS group) and 30 not showing PLMS on both polysomnography (non-PLMS group) were randomly selected for the analysis. No significant differences in the demographic characteristics and variables of polysomnographies were identified between the groups. Although one trend of low root mean square of successive differences (RMSSD) between intervals of adjacent normal heart beats (NN intervals) in the PLMS group was observed, patients in the PLMS group had significantly low normalized high-frequency (n-HF) and high-frequency (HF) values, but high normalized low frequency (n-LF) and high ratio of LF to HF (LF/HF ratio). After adjustment for confounding variables, PLMS on the second polysomnography was significantly associated with RMSSD (ß = - 6.7587, p = 0.0338), n-LF (ß = 0.0907, p = 0.0148), n-HF (ß = - 0.0895, p = 0.0163), log LF/HF ratio (ß = 0.4923, p = 0.0090), and log HF (ß = - 0.6134, p = 0.0199). CONCLUSIONS: Patients with OSA showing PLMS emerging after therapy with CPAP may have a basal sympathetic predominance with potential negative cardiovascular effects.

More severe hypoxemia is associated with better subjective sleep quality in obstructive sleep apnea.

BACKGROUND: Perceived sleep quality may play an important role in diagnosis and therapy for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). However, few studies have assessed factors that are associated with perceived sleep quality in OSA patients. Hypoxemia depresses the central nervous system and attenuates the perceived respiratory load in asthmatic patients. This study aimed to investigate the factors related to perceived sleep quality, focusing on the role of hypoxemia. METHODS: Polysomnography studies of 156 OSA patients were reviewed. Traditional polysomnographic parameters, including parameters of oxy-hemoglobin saturation (SpO2), were calculated, and the sleep questionnaire and scales were used. Considering the possible pitfalls of absolute values of SpO2 and individualized responses to hypoxemia, the amplitude of desaturation was further computed as "median SpO2 minus lowest 5 % SpO2 "and "highest 5 % SpO2 minus median 5 % SpO2". Correlations between these parameters and perceived sleep quality, represented as the Pittsburgh sleep quality index (PSQI), were performed. Multiple linear regression analysis was also conducted to investigate the factors associated with the PSQI. RESULTS: Although the PSQI was not correlated with the apnea-hypopnea index (r = -0.113, p = 0.162) and oxygen desaturation index (r = -0.085, p = 0.291), the PSQI was negatively correlated with "median SpO2 minus lowest 5 % SpO2" (r = -0.161, p = 0.045). After adjusting for age, total sleep time, the periodic limb movements index, tendency of depression, and the lowest 5 % SpO2, the "median SpO2 minus lowest SpO2" was still a significant predictor for a lower PSQI (ß = -0.357, p = 0.015). CONCLUSIONS: More severe hypoxemia is associated with better perceived sleep quality among OSA patients. This paradox may be associated with hypoxemia-related impairment of perception. The effect of hypoxemia did not appear to be significant in relatively mild hypoxemia but become significant in severe hypoxemia." Median SpO2 minus lowest 5 % SpO2" may also be a better predictor of perceived sleep quality than the apnea-hypopnea index because of the disproportionate effects of hypoxemia. Additionally, further studies are necessary to confirm the role of hypoxemia on perceived sleep quality and identify the possible threshold of hypoxemia in OSA patients.

Local awakening: regional reorganizations of brain oscillations after sleep.

Brain functions express rhythmic fluctuations accompanied by sleep and wakefulness each day, but how sleep regulates brain rhythms remains unclear. Following the dose-dependent local sleep concept, two succeeding questions emerge: (1) is the sleep regulation a network-specific process; and (2) is the awakening state dependent on the previous sleep stages? To answer the questions, we conducted simultaneous EEG and fMRI recordings over 22 healthy male participants, along pre-sleep, nocturnal sleep and awakening. Using paired comparisons between awakening and pre-sleep conditions, three scenarios of the regional specificity were demonstrated on awakening: (1) the default-mode and hippocampal networks maintained similar connectivity and spectral power; (2) the sensorimotor network presented reduced connectivity and spectral power; and (3) the thalamus demonstrated substantially enhanced connectivity to the neo-cortex with decreased spectral power. With regard to the stage effect, the deep sleep group had significant changes in both functional connectivity and spectral power on awakening, whereas the indices of light sleep group remained relatively quiescent after sleep. The phenomena implied that slow-wave sleep could be key to rebooting the BOLD fluctuations after sleep. In conclusion, the regional specificity and the stage effect were verified in support of the local awakening concept, indicating that sleep regulation leads to the reorganization of brain networks upon awakening.

The Association between Electronegative Low-Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol L5 and Cognitive Functions in Patients with Mild Cognitive Impairment.

L5, the most electronegative subfraction of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), may play a role in the pathogenesis of cerebrovascular dysfunction and neurodegeneration. We hypothesized that serum L5 is associated with cognitive impairment and investigated the association between serum L5 levels and cognitive performance in patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). This cross-sectional study conducted in Taiwan included 22 patients with MCI and 40 older people with normal cognition (healthy controls). All participants were assessed with the Cognitive Abilities Screening Instrument (CASI) and a CASI-estimated Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE-CE). We compared the serum total cholesterol (TC), LDL-C, and L5 levels between the MCI and control groups and examined the association between lipid profiles and cognitive performance in these groups. The serum L5 concentration and total CASI scores were significantly negatively correlated in the MCI group. Serum L5% was negatively correlated with MMSE-CE and total CASI scores, particularly in the orientation and language subdomains. No significant correlation between the serum L5 level and cognitive performance was noted in the control group. Conclusions: Serum L5, instead of TC or total LDL-C, could be associated with cognitive impairment through a disease stage-dependent mode that occurs during neurodegeneration.

Exhaled Hydrogen after Lactulose Hydrogen Breath Test in Patient with Duodenal Ulcer Disease-A Pilot Study for Helicobacter-pylori-Associated Gastroduodenal Disease.

OBJECTIVES: The precipitating mechanism(s) from the inactive to the active stage of duodenal ulcer disease (DU) is unclear. It has been shown that hydrogen gas from colonic fermentation provides an important energy source for Helicobacter pylori (Hp) colonization. The lactulose hydrogen breath test (LHBT) is a useful tool to assess the small intestinal and/or colon fermentation. This study examines the association(s) between the status of gastroduodenal disease and the result of a lactulose hydrogen breath test (LHBT). MATERIALS AND METHODS: We enrolled Hp-positive active duodenal ulcer (aDU) patients, inactive DU (iDU) patients and patients with a positive Hp infection without structural gastroduodenal lesion, i.e., simple gastritis (SG Hp+). The patients with simple gastritis without Hp infection (SG Hp-) served as controls. Histological examinations of the gastric mucosa and lactulose hydrogen breath test (LHBT) were performed. RESULTS: SG Hp+ patients tend to have advanced gastritis (pangastritis or corpus-predominant gastritis) compared with SG Hp- patients (7/29 vs. 0/14, p = 0.08). More iDU patients had advanced gastritis than either the SG Hp+ (7/9 vs. 7/29, p = 0.006) or aDU patients (7/9 vs. 6/24, p = 0.013). In comparison with the aDU patients, the iDU patients were also older (52.1 ± 12.6 vs. 42.2 ± 11.9 years, p = 0.02) and had a lower mean area under the curve value of the LHBT(AUC) (209.1 ± 86.0 vs. 421.9 ± 70.9, p = 0.023). CONCLUSION: aDU patients with a positive Hp infection have a lower grade of gastric mucosa damage than iDU patients and tend to have a higher level of exhaled hydrogen after LHBT.

Characterization of ADAM28 as a biomarker of bladder transitional cell carcinomas by urinary proteome analysis.

Human urine contains a large number of proteins and peptides (the urinary proteome). Global analysis of the human urinary proteome is important for understanding urinary tract diseases. Bladder cancer is the most common urological cancer with higher incidence rates in endemic areas of Blackfoot disease (BFD) in southern Taiwan. The aim of this study was to use the proteomic approach to establish urinary protein biomarkers of bladder cancer. ADAM28, identified by proteomic approaches and confirmed by Western blotting, showed significant differences compared with normal individuals, so it may be a biomarker of bladder cancer.

Protein profiling of human nonpigmented ciliary epithelium cell secretome: the differentiation factors characterization for retinal ganglion cell line.

The purpose of this paper was to characterize proteins secreted from the human nonpigmented ciliary epithelial (HNPE) cells, which have differentiated a rat retinal ganglion cell line, RGC-5. Undifferentiated RGC-5 cells have been shown to express several marker proteins characteristic of retinal ganglion cells. However, RGC-5 cells do not respond to N-methyl-D aspartate (NMDA), or glutamate. HNPE cells have been shown to secrete numbers of neuropeptides or neuroproteins also found in the aqueous humor, many of which have the ability to influence the activity of neuronal cells. This paper details the profile of HNPE cell-secreted proteins by proteomic approaches. The experimental results revealed the identification of 132 unique proteins from the HNPE cell-conditioned SF-medium. The biological functions of a portion of these identified proteins are involved in cell differentiation. We hypothesized that a differentiation system of HNPE cell-conditioned SF-medium with RGC-5 cells can induce a differentiated phenotype in RGC-5 cells, with functional characteristics that more closely resemble primary cultures of rat retinal ganglion cells. These proteins may replace harsh chemicals, which are currently used to induce cell differentiation.

Urinary protein profiling by liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry: ADAM28 is overexpressed in bladder transitional cell carcinoma.

Bladder cancer is the most common urological cancer with higher incidence rate in the endemic areas of Blackfoot disease (BFD) in southern Taiwan. The aim of this study was to utilize the proteomic approach to establish urinary protein patterns of bladder cancer. The experimental results showed that most patients with bladder cancer had proteinuria or albuminuria. The urine arsenic concentrations of bladder cancer patients in BFD areas were significantly higher than those patients from non-BFD areas. In the proteomic analysis, the urinary proteome was identified by nano-high-performance liquid chromatography/electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (nano-HPLC/ESI-MS/MS) followed by peptide fragmentation pattern analysis. We categorized 2782 unique proteins of which 89 proteins were identified with at least three unique matching peptide sequences. Among these 89 proteins, thirteen of them were not found in the control group and may represent proteins specific for bladder cancer. In this study, three proteins, SPINK5, ADAM28 and PTP1, were also confirmed by Western blotting and showed significant differential expression compared with the control group. ADAM28 may be used as a possible biomarker of bladder cancer.

Immediate effects of noxious and innocuous thermal stimulation on brain activation in patients with stroke.

Case-control studies have shown that noxious thermal stimulation (TS) can improve arm function in patients with stroke. However, the neural mechanisms underlying this improvement are largely unknown. We explored functional neural activation due to noxious and innocuous TS intervention applied to the paretic arm of patients with stroke. Sixteen participants with unilateral cortical infarctions were allocated to one of two groups: noxious TS (8 patients; temperature combination: hot pain 46°C to 47°C, cold pain 7°C-8°C) or innocuous TS (n = 8; temperature combination: hot 40°C-41°C, cold 20°C-21°C). All subjects underwent fMRI scanning before and after 30 min TS intervention and performed a finger tapping task with the affected hand. Immediate brain activation effects were assessed according to thermal type (noxious vs. innocuous TS) and time (pre-TS vs post-TS). Regions activated by noxious TS relative to innocuous TS (P < .05, adjusted for multiple comparisons) were related to motor performance and sensory function in the bilateral primary somatosensory cortices, anterior cingulate cortex, insula, thalamus, hippocampus and unilateral primary motor cortex, secondary somatosensory cortex at the contralateral side of lesion, and unilateral supplementary motor area at the ipsilateral side of lesion. Greater activation responses were observed in the side contralateral to the lesion, suggesting a significant intervention effect. Our preliminary findings suggest that noxious TS may induce neuroplastic changes unconstrained to the local area.Trial registration: NCT01418404.

Influence of Alternate Hot and Cold Thermal Stimulation in Cortical Excitability in Healthy Adults: An fMRI Study.

Stroke rehabilitation using alternate hot and cold thermal stimulation (altTS) has been reported to improve motor function in hemiplegia; however, the influence of brain excitability induced by altTS remains unclear. This study examined cortical activation induced by altTS in healthy adults, focusing on motor-related areas. This involved a repeated crossover experimental design with two temperature settings (innocuous altTS with alternate heat-pain and cold-pain thermal and noxious altTS with alternate heat and cold thermal) testing both arms (left side and right side). Thirty-one healthy, right-handed participants received four episodes of altTS on four separate days. Functional magnetic resonance imaging scans were performed both before and after each intervention to determine whether altTS intervention affects cortical excitability, while participants performed a finger-tapping task during scanning. The findings revealed greater response intensity of cortical excitability in participants who received noxious altTS in the primary motor cortex, supplementary motor cortex, and somatosensory cortex than in those who received innocuous altTS. Moreover, there was more motor-related excitability in the contra-lateral brain when heat was applied to the dominant arm, and more sensory-associated excitability in the contra-lateral brain when heat was applied to the nondominant arm. The findings highlight the effect of heat on cortical excitability and provide insights into the application of altTS in stroke rehabilitation.

Compensatory Neural Recruitment for Error-Related Cerebral Activity in Patients with Moderate-To-Severe Obstructive Sleep Apnea.

(1) Background: Although it is known that obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) impairs action-monitoring function, there is only limited information regarding the associated cerebral substrate underlying this phenomenon. (2) Methods: The modified Flanker task, error-related event-related potentials (ERPs), namely, error-related negativity (ERN) and error positivity (Pe), and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) were used to evaluate neural activities and the functional connectivity underlying action-monitoring dysfunction in patients with different severities of OSA. (3) Results: A total of 14 control (Cont) subjects, 17 patients with moderate OSA (mOSA), and 10 patients with severe OSA (sOSA) were enrolled. A significant decline in posterror correction rate was observed in the modified Flanker task when patients with mOSA were compared with Cont subjects. Comparison between patients with mOSA and sOSA did not reveal any significant difference. In the analysis of ERPs, ERN and Pe exhibited declined amplitudes in patients with mOSA compared with Cont subjects, which were found to increase in patients with sOSA. Results of fMRI revealed a decreased correlation in multiple anterior cingulate cortex functional-connected areas in patients with mOSA compared with Cont subjects. However, these areas appeared to be reconnected in patients with sOSA. (4) Conclusions: The behavioral, neurophysiological, and functional image findings obtained in this study suggest that mOSA leads to action-monitoring dysfunction; however, compensatory neural recruitment might have contributed to the maintenance of the action-monitoring function in patients with sOSA.

The effectiveness of the computerized visual perceptual training program on individuals with Down syndrome: An fMRI study.

This study investigated the effectiveness of the Computerized Visual Perception Training (CVPT) program on individuals with Down syndrome (DS, mean age=13.17±4.35years, age range: 6.54-20.75 years). All participants have mild intellectual disability classified by the standard IQ measures (mean=61.2, ranges from 55 to 68). Both the Test of Visual Perceptual Skill- Third Edition (TVPS-3) and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) were used to evaluate the training outcomes. Results of TVPS-3 and fMRI showed that DS group had visual perceptual deficits and abnormal neural networks related to visual organization. The results showed that DS intervention group had significant improvements on TVPS-3 after intervention. The fMRI results indicated more activation in superior and inferior parietal lobes (spatial manipulation), as well as precentral gyrus and dorsal premotor cortex (motor imagery) in DS intervention group. The CVPT program was effective in improving visual perceptual functions and enhancing associated cortical activations in DS.

Adapted estimate of neural activity based on blood-oxygen-level dependent signal by a model-free spatio-temporal clustering analysis.

In this study, we detected brain activity by comparing the overall temporal response of the blood oxygen level referring to hemodynamic response with a modeled hemodynamic response (MHR). However, in a conventional analysis by statistical parametric mapping (SPM) method, the MHR is assumed to be a fixed-response function, which may bias the conclusions about brain activation, such as the shapes of the response curve or the different response delays to stimuli. Therefore, to improve detection efficacy, we applied a spatio-temporal clustering analysis (sTCA) to determine the MHR, which is calculated from the prospective voxels with no a priori information about the experiment design. With the sTCA method, these prospective voxels are detected by the feature with the largest temporal clustering within which these voxels react simultaneously, irrespective of where the variant hemodynamic response occurs. This estimated MHR (eMHR) is then applied to search for brain activation. Preliminary results show that the eMHR signal response closely resembles the real signal response of the target area. Moreover, the activation detection using eMHR method is more sensitive for the human visual and motor tasks than that with the canonical hemodynamic response embedded in the SPM analysis as the default MHR (dMHR). The more precise location of brain activation made possible by the improved sensitivity should provide helpful information about the stimulation of neuron activity.

Classification Preictal and Interictal Stages via Integrating Interchannel and Time-Domain Analysis of EEG Features.

The life quality of patients with refractory epilepsy is extremely affected by abrupt and unpredictable seizures. A reliable method for predicting seizures is important in the management of refractory epilepsy. A critical factor in seizure prediction involves the classification of the preictal and interictal stages. This study aimed to develop an efficient, automatic, quantitative, and individualized approach for preictal/interictal stage identification. Five epileptic children, who had experienced at least 2 episodes of seizures during a 24-hour video EEG recording, were included. Artifact-free preictal and interictal EEG epochs were acquired, respectively, and characterized with 216 global feature descriptors. The best subset of 5 discriminative descriptors was identified. The best subsets showed differences among the patients. Statistical analysis revealed most of the 5 descriptors in each subset were significantly different between the preictal and interictal stages for each patient. The proposed approach yielded weighted averages of 97.50% correctness, 96.92% sensitivity, 97.78% specificity, and 95.45% precision on classifying test epochs. Although the case number was limited, this study successfully integrated a new EEG analytical method to classify preictal and interictal EEG segments and might be used further in predicting the occurrence of seizures.

A cross-sectional evaluation of meditation experience on electroencephalography data by artificial neural network and support vector machine classifiers.

To quantitate the meditation experience is a subjective and complex issue because it is confounded by many factors such as emotional state, method of meditation, and personal physical condition. In this study, we propose a strategy with a cross-sectional analysis to evaluate the meditation experience with 2 artificial intelligence techniques: artificial neural network and support vector machine. Within this analysis system, 3 features of the electroencephalography alpha spectrum and variant normalizing scaling are manipulated as the evaluating variables for the detection of accuracy. Thereafter, by modulating the sliding window (the period of the analyzed data) and shifting interval of the window (the time interval to shift the analyzed data), the effect of immediate analysis for the 2 methods is compared. This analysis system is performed on 3 meditation groups, categorizing their meditation experiences in 10-year intervals from novice to junior and to senior. After an exhausted calculation and cross-validation across all variables, the high accuracy rate >98% is achievable under the criterion of 0.5-minute sliding window and 2 seconds shifting interval for both methods. In a word, the minimum analyzable data length is 0.5 minute and the minimum recognizable temporal resolution is 2 seconds in the decision of meditative classification. Our proposed classifier of the meditation experience promotes a rapid evaluation system to distinguish meditation experience and a beneficial utilization of artificial techniques for the big-data analysis.

Prognosis of Hippocampal Function after Sub-lethal Irradiation Brain Injury in Patients with Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma.

This work emphasizes the value of assessing hippocampal function by making a timely MRI-based prognosis following a minor dose of hippocampal irradiation after nasopharyngeal carcinomas (NPC) radiotherapy. A quasi-experiment with case-control design and functional assessments (e.g., neuroimaging analysis with fMRI) was conducted to assess hippocampal function after radiotherapy. We delivered 70 Gy of irradiation to nasopharyngeal carcinomas by 6MV helical radiotherapy and collected data from twenty NPC patients and 24 healthy age-matched subjects. Inevitably, hippocampi also received an average dose of 6.89 Gy (range, 2.0-14 Gy). Seed-based functional connectivity of the hippocampus was applied to estimate the cognitive alteration by time before, one month, and four months after irradiation. Afterward, longitudinal-and-cross-sessional statistical inference was determined with time-dependent measurement analysis of variance (ANOVA) with controlled covariance. Over time, there were longitudinal changes in the functional connectivity of hippocampal-related cortices, including the right middle frontal lobe, left superior temporal lobe, and left postcentral gyrus. The findings indicate the presence of functional plasticity, demonstrating how minor irradiation affects functional performance during the early delayed phase of irradiation-induced brain injury.

Proteomic Profiling of Neuroblastoma Cells Adhesion on Hyaluronic Acid-Based Surface for Neural Tissue Engineering.

The microenvironment of neuron cells plays a crucial role in regulating neural development and regeneration. Hyaluronic acid (HA) biomaterial has been applied in a wide range of medical and biological fields and plays important roles in neural regeneration. PC12 cells have been reported to be capable of endogenous NGF synthesis and secretion. The purpose of this research was to assess the effect of HA biomaterial combining with PC12 cells conditioned media (PC12 CM) in neural regeneration. Using SH-SY5Y cells as an experimental model, we found that supporting with PC12 CM enhanced HA function in SH-SY5Y cell proliferation and adhesion. Through RP-nano-UPLC-ESI-MS/MS analyses, we identified increased expression of HSP60 and RanBP2 in SH-SY5Y cells grown on HA-modified surface with cotreatment of PC12 CM. Moreover, we also identified factors that were secreted from PC12 cells and may promote SH-SY5Y cell proliferation and adhesion. Here, we proposed a biomaterial surface enriched with neurotrophic factors for nerve regeneration application.

Profiles of visual perceptual functions in Down syndrome.

The primary purpose of this study was to investigate the visual perceptual functions measured by the Test of Visual Perceptual Skill-Third Edition (TVPS-3) in Down syndrome (DS). Seventy individuals with DS, seventy with typical development (TD), and forty mental-age-matched participants with intellectual disabilities (ID) were recruited for the assessment session. Significant between-group differences in TVPS-3 were observed between either DS or ID and TD groups. There was no significant difference on TVPS-3 between DS and ID groups. Implications for clinical professionals and recommendations for further research are discussed.