Altered dynamic functional connectivity of striatal-cortical circuits in Juvenile Myoclonic Epilepsy.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether the dynamic functional connectivity (dFC) of striatal-cortical circuits changes in juvenile myoclonic epilepsy (JME). METHODS: The resting-state EEG-fMRI and the sliding-window approach were adopted to explore the dynamic striatal-cortical circuitry in thirty JME patients compared with 30 well-matched health controls (HCs). Six pairs of striatal seeds were selected as regions of interests. The correlation analysis was performed to reveal the relationship between the altered dFC variability and clinical variables in JME group. RESULTS: JME patients exhibited increased dFC variability mainly involved in fronto-striatal and striatal-thalamic networks; decreased dFC variability between striatum subdivisions and default mode network (DMN) regions compared with HCs (p<0.05, GRF corrected). In addition, the hypervariability between left ventral-rostral putamen and left medial superior frontal gyrus was positively (r= 0.493, p=0.008) correlated with the mean frequency score of myoclonic seizures in JME group. CONCLUSION: JME presented altered dFC variability in striatal-cortical circuits. The pattern of altered circuits showed increased variability in fronto-striatal and striatal-thalamic networks and decreased variability in striatal-DMN. These results provide novel information about the dynamic neural striatal-cortical circuitry of JME.

Role of trace elements in anaerobic digestion of food waste: Process stability, recovery from volatile fatty acid inhibition and microbial community dynamics.

Role of trace elements (TEs) in long-term anaerobic digestion of food waste (FW) under fixed and stepwise increasing loads and under early and medium volatile fatty acid (VFA) inhibition was investigated. Digesters under high load suffered VFA inhibition. Mismatch between scarce TEs in FW and essential TEs for sustainable methanogenesis suppressed Methanosaeta causing blocked aceticlastic methanogenesis and shift to CO2 reduction pathway, as indicated by decreased Methanosaeta from above 70.0% to below 42.0% and enriched hydrogenotrophic methanogens (Methanospirillum, Methanoculleus, Methanobacterium) from below 15.0% to above 53.6%. Dual stresses of VFA inhibition and TEs deficiency resulted in recession of syntrophic Bacteria Syntrophomonadaceae. Conversely, digesters with TEs supplementation maintained high activity of Syntrophomonadaceae and ensured predominant aceticlastic methanogenesis and powerful methanogenic community functions. Early and medium VFA inhibition were reversed by TEs supplementation or coupling with pH adjustment by stimulating VFAs degradation via syntrophic metabolism and unclogging acetate conversion via aceticlastic methanogenesis.

Brain structural connectome in relation to PRRT2 mutations in paroxysmal kinesigenic dyskinesia.

This study explored the topological characteristics of brain white matter structural networks in patients with Paroxysmal Kinesigenic Dyskinesia (PKD), and the potential influence of the brain network stability gene PRRT2 on the structural connectome in PKD. Thirty-five PKD patients with PRRT2 mutations (PKD-M), 43 PKD patients without PRRT2 mutations (PKD-N), and 40 demographically-matched healthy control (HC) subjects underwent diffusion tensor imaging. Graph theory and network-based statistic (NBS) approaches were performed; the topological properties of the white matter structural connectome were compared across the groups, and their relationships with the clinical variables were assessed. Both disease groups PKD-M and PKD-N showed lower local efficiency (implying decreased segregation ability) compared to the HC group; PKD-M had longer characteristic path length and lower global efficiency (implying decreased integration ability) compared to PKD-N and HC, independently of the potential effects of medication. Both PKD-M and PKD-N had decreased nodal characteristics in the left thalamus and left inferior frontal gyrus, the alterations being more pronounced in PKD-M patients, who also showed abnormalities in the left fusiform and bilateral middle temporal gyrus. In the connectivity characteristics assessed by NBS, the alterations were more pronounced in the PKD-M group versus HC than in PKD-N versus HC. As well as the white matter alterations in the basal ganglia-thalamo-cortical circuit related to PKD with or without PRRT2 mutations, findings in the PKD-M group of weaker small-worldness and more pronounced regional disturbance show the adverse effects of PRRT2 gene mutations on brain structural connectome.

Mechanism of process imbalance of long-term anaerobic digestion of food waste and role of trace elements in maintaining anaerobic process stability.

This study investigated mechanism of process imbalance of long-term anaerobic digestion (AD) of food waste (FW) and role of trace elements (TEs) in maintaining process stability. AD of FW was strongly inhibited by volatile fatty acids (VFA, mainly propionate). The deficiency of essential TEs in FW was the fundamental reason. TEs contents in digester gradually decreased with regular substrate feeding and digestate discharge, which greatly limited growth and metabolism of hydrogenotrophic methanogens and Methanosarcina. Finally, Methanosaeta replaced Methanosarcina and became dominant methanogen and hydrogenotrophic methanogens almost disappeared accompanied by declining methanogenic community diversity, which greatly suppressed ecological functions of methanogens and led to propionate inhibition. TEs supplementation eliminated all factors causing process imbalance and significantly enhanced process stability by maintaining strong ecological functions of methanogens via stimulating dominant growth of Methanosarcina (relative abundance between 67.2% and 87.5%), sustaining stable relative abundances of hydrogenotrophic methanogens (about 10%) and enhancing methanogenic community diversity.

Behaviors of rice straw two-step liquefaction with sub/supercritical ethanol in carbon dioxide atmosphere.

This study extended previous work investigating two-step liquefaction by supercritical ethanol of rice straw under CO2 atmosphere at temperatures of 270-345 °C. Subcritical CO2-subcritical ethanol (SubCO2-SubEtOH) pretreatment decreased the content of lignin in the rice stalk from 22.94 to 21.43 wt%. The results showed that although oxygen-transfer reaction, transesterification, carbonylation, and other reactions may occur with the supercritical CO2-supercritical ethanol (ScCO2-ScEtOH) liquefaction reactions, transesterification was the main reaction. The "de-oxygen-transfer" reaction mainly comprised de-oxygenation and decarboxylation. For temperatures exceeding 320 °C, the bio-oil yield decreased because the effects of esters decreased. The residence time affected the H/C and O/C ratios to a minor extent. It was shown that the nucleophilic and hydrolytic functions of ethanol might be strengthened, generating higher amounts of ester, phenolic, acidic, and hydrocarbon derivatives in the bio-oil fraction.

Transformation of apatite phosphorus and non-apatite inorganic phosphorus during incineration of sewage sludge.

The recovery of phosphorus from incinerated sewage sludge ash (SSA) is assumed to be economical. Transformation from non-apatite inorganic phosphorus (NAIP) to apatite phosphorus (AP), which has a higher bioavailability and more extensive industrial applications, was studied at 750-950°C by sewage sludge incineration and model compound incineration with a calcium oxide (CaO) additive. Thermogravimetric differential scanning calorimetry analysis and X-ray diffraction measurements were used to analyze the reactions between NAIP with CaO and crystallized phases in SSA. High temperatures stimulated the volatilization of NAIP instead of AP. Sewage sludge incineration with CaO transformed NAIP into AP, and the percentage of AP from the total phosphorus reached 99% at 950°C. Aluminum phosphate reacted with CaO, forming Ca2P2O7 and Ca3(PO4)2 at 750-950°C. Reactions between iron phosphate and CaO occurred at lower temperatures, forming Ca(PO3)2 before reaching 850°C.

White matter impairment in the basal ganglia-thalamocortical circuit of drug-naïve childhood absence epilepsy.

PURPOSE: It is unknown whether white matter abnormalities exist in childhood absence epilepsy (CAE), a syndrome of idiopathic epilepsy (IGE). Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) can noninvasively quantify white matter integrity. This study used DTI to investigate abnormal changes in white matter of untreated CAE patients. METHODS: Subjects included nine patients with untreated CAE and nine age-and sex-matched healthy controls. Diffusion tensor imaging parameters were voxel based and statistically compared between patients and controls. The correlations between DTI parameters in regions of interest (ROIs) and age of seizure onset or duration of epilepsy were analyzed. RESULTS: Untreated CAE patients had a significantly higher fractional anisotropy (FA) value in the bilateral thalamus, anterior corpus callosum and upper brainstem, while also displaying a lower FA value in prefrontal white matter, anterior cingulate, and bilateral posterior limbs of the internal capsule compared to control subjects. An increase in mean diffusivity (MD) value was observed in parietal lobe white matter, prefrontal white matter, and posterior cerebellar hemispheres, in addition to subcortical structures including bilateral putamen and posterior limb of internal capsule. MD significant correlations between ROI diffusion parameters and the duration of the disease or the age of onset. CONCLUSIONS: The results showed white matter integrity impairment in the basal ganglia-thalamocortical circuit of drug-naïve CAE patients. These abnormalities in white matter may be related to increased cortical excitability and cause cognitive, linguistic, and behavioral/emotional deficits both during and between seizures.

Transcranial ultrasound stimulation: a possible therapeutic approach to epilepsy.

Epilepsy threatens the health of more than 50 million people all over the world. Many patients with epilepsy, especially temporal lobe epilepsy, are resistant to the current therapeutic drugs. Different strategies for these patients are therefore necessary to achieve maximum therapeutic effect. Neuromodulation techniques have gained widespread attention due to their therapeutic utility in managing numerous neurological/psychiatric diseases. Transcranial ultrasound stimulation (TUS) is an emerging non-invasive neurostimulation tool that can both excite and reversibly suppress neuronal activity effectively within the brain. TUS can transmit through the skull with millimeter spatial resolutions. In the current work, we propose that TUS may be a promising alternative therapy for the suppression of seizure activity in epilepsy patients, minimizing poor post-seizure outcomes and improving life quality. Further investigation into stimulation parameters, including waveform parameters such as tone burst duration (pulse length), pulse repetition frequency, exposure time, acoustic frequency, and the acoustic intensity of TUS, is needed to verify the efficacy of this intervention in epilepsy.

Economic burden of epilepsy in a developing country: a retrospective cost analysis in China.

PURPOSE: To study the cost of epilepsy in China, and, therefore, provide essential information on the burden of the disease to individuals and society. METHODS: A cost-of-illness study was performed on a retrospective cohort of medically treated patients. Data on clinical characteristics, utilization of sources, and costs were collected from 289 patients in a standardized format. RESULTS: Direct medical care costs was Chinese yuan, renminbi (RMB) 2,529 (USD 372) per year per patient, of which antiepileptic drugs (RMB 1,651 or USD 243) accounted for the major cost component. Nonmedical direct costs were much less than direct health care costs, averaging approximately RMB 756 (USD 111). Costs due to loss of productivity averaged approximately RMB 1,968 (USD 289) per patient per year. Taken together, the overall mean annual cost for epilepsy per patient in our series was approximately RMB 5,253 (USD 773), and these costs accounted for more than half of the mean annual income. Total cost was significantly associated with disease severity and different responses to drug treatment. In addition, new antiepileptic drugs and the number of drugs taken were closely related with the drug cost. CONCLUSION: The results indicate that the economic burden of epilepsy to both Chinese patients and the nation is heavy, and the composition proportions of the costs in China have many similar features and some noteworthy differences with that of other countries.