Computerized Cognitive Training Enhances Episodic Memory by Down-Modulating Posterior Cingulate-Precuneus Connectivity in Older Persons With Mild Cognitive Impairment: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

OBJECTIVE: The neural mechanisms underlying the beneficial effects of a computerized cognitive training (CCT) program for improving episodic memory in older persons with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) remain unclear. This study aimed to use both functional and structural brain changes to elucidate the treatment effects of CCT on enhancing episodic memory. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: Single-blinded, multicenter randomized controlled trial on 60 older adults with MCI in Fuzhou, China. INTERVENTION: Participants were randomly assigned to either an 8-week 24-hour CCT program or a health education program as the control. MEASUREMENTS: Clinical outcomes included changes in scores on the immediate and/or delayed recall subtests of the Chinese auditory verbal learning test (CAVLT) and rey complex figure test (CFT), and changes in gray matter volume and the functional connectivity of the posterior cingulate cortex (PCC) and hippocampus in the Papez circuit on magnetic resonance imaging. RESULTS: Significant group-by-time effects showed greater improvements in both immediate and delayed recall scores of CAVLT and delayed recall scores of Rey CFT in participants receiving the CCT program compared to those in the health education program. Among the CCT participants, seed-based analyses revealed decreases in functional connectivity of the PCC and hippocampus with neural substrates in the parietal and occipital regions. The decreased PCC and precuneus connectivity were found to mediate patients' improvements in immediate recall function. CONCLUSION: An 8-week CCT program was effective for improving episodic memory in older individuals with MCI. The decrease in connectivity originating from the PCC and hippocampus is suggestive of potential plastic changes in the Papez circuit, which could have alleviated the age-related compensatory mechanism. The findings of this study also shed light on expanding the content and extending the frequency and duration of the CCT program in future studies.

An Effective Test (EOmciSS) for Screening Older Adults With Mild Cognitive Impairment in a Community Setting: Development and Validation Study.

BACKGROUND: Early detection of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) symptoms is an important step to its diagnosis and intervention. We developed a new screening test called "Efficient Online MCI Screening System" (EOmciSS) for use in community-dwelling older adults. It is a self-paced cognitive test to be completed within 10 minutes on tablets or smartphones in homes or care centers for older adults. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to test the validity of EOmciSS for identifying community-dwelling older adults with MCI risks. METHODS: Participants (N=827) completed EOmciSS and other screening tests for MCI. The psychometric properties tested were "subscale item difficulty," "discriminative index," "internal consistency," and "construct validity." We also tested between-group discrimination using the cross-validation method in an MCI group and a normal cognitive function (NCF) group. RESULTS: A total of 3 accuracy factors and 1 reaction time factor explained the structure of the 20 item factors. The difficulty level of accuracy factors (ie, "trail making," "clock drawing," "cube copying," "delayed recall") was 0.63-0.99, whereas that of the reaction time factor was 0.77-0.95. The discriminative index of the medium-to-high-difficulty item factors was 0.39-0.97. The internal consistency (Cronbach α) ranged from .41 (for few item factors) to .96. The training data set contained 9 item factors (CC-Acc1, P<.001; CD-Acc1, P=.07; CD-Acc2, P=.06; CD-Acc3, P<.001; TM-Acc4, P=.07; DR-Acc1, P=.03; RS, P=.06; DR-RT1, P=.02; and DR-RT2, P=.05) that were significant predictors for an MCI classification versus NCF classification. Depressive symptoms were identified as significant factors (P<.001) influencing the performance of participants, and were an integral part of our test system. Age (P=.15), number of years of education (P=.18), and proficiency in using an electronic device (P=.39) did not significantly influence the scores nor classification of participants. Application of the MCI/NCF cutoff score (7.90 out of 9.67) to the validation data set yielded an area under the curve of 0.912 (P<.001; 95% CI 0.868-0.955). The sensitivity was 84.9%, specificity was 85.1%, and the Youden index was 0.70. CONCLUSIONS: EOmciSS was valid and reliable for identifying older adults with significant risks of MCI. Our results indicate that EOmciSS has higher sensitivity and specificity than those of the Computer-Administered Neuropsychological Screen for Mild Cognitive Impairment and the Computerized Cognitive Screen. The user interface, online operation, and self-paced format allowed the test system to be operated by older adults or their caregivers in different settings (eg, home or care centers for older adults). Depressive symptoms should be an integral part in future MCI screening systems because they influence the test performance and, hence, MCI risk. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Chinese Clinical Trial Registry ChiCTR2000039411; http://www.chictr.org.cn/showprojen.aspx?proj=62903.

Tuning Mass Transport in Electrocatalysis Down to Sub-5†nm through Nanoscale Grade Separation.

Nano and single-atom catalysis open new possibilities of producing green hydrogen (H2 ) by water electrolysis. However, for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) which occurs at a characteristic reaction rate proportional to the potential, the fast generation of H2 nanobubbles at atomic-scale interfaces often leads to the blockage of active sites. Herein, a nanoscale grade-separation strategy is proposed to tackle mass-transport problem by utilizing ordered three-dimensional (3d) interconnected sub-5 nm pores. The results reveal that 3d criss-crossing mesopores with grade separation allow efficient diffusion of H2 bubbles along the interconnected channels. After the support of ultrafine ruthenium (Ru), the 3d mesopores are on a superior level to two-dimensional system at maximizing the catalyst performance and the obtained Ru catalyst outperforms most of the other HER catalysts. This work provides a potential route to fine-tuning few-nanometer mass transport during water electrolysis.

Relationships between Inflammation and Age-Related Neurocognitive Changes.

The relationship between inflammation and age-related neurocognitive changes is significant, which may relate to the age-related immune dysfunctions characterized by the senescence of immune cells and elevated inflammatory markers in the peripheral circulation and the central nervous system. In this review, we discuss the potential mechanisms, including the development of vascular inflammation, neuroinflammation, organelle dysfunctions, abnormal cholesterol metabolism, and glymphatic dysfunctions as well as the role that the key molecules play in the immune-cognition interplay. We propose potential therapeutic pharmacological and behavioral strategies for ameliorating age-related neurocognitive changes associated with inflammation. Further research to decipher the multidimensional roles of chronic inflammation in normal and pathological aging processes will help unfold the pathophysiological mechanisms underpinning neurocognitive disorders. The insight gained will lay the path for developing cost-effective preventative measures and the buffering or delaying of age-related neurocognitive decline.

The modulation effect of non-invasive brain stimulation on cognitive function in patients with mild cognitive impairment: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

BACKGROUND: To prevent and control dementia, many scholars have focused on the transition stage between normal ageing and dementia, mild cognitive impairment (MCI) which is a key interventional target for dementia. Studies have shown that non-invasive brain stimulation (NIBS) is beneficial to improve cognitive function of MCI patients. However, whether NIBS is conducive to the protection of cognitive ability in MCI patients remains unknown due to limited evidence. The aim of the study was to systematically evaluate the modulation effect of NIBS on cognitive function (global cognitive ability and specific domains of cognition) in patients with MCI. RESULTS: A total of 11 RCTs comprising a total of 367 MCI participants. Meta-analysis showed that NIBS can significantly improve global cognition (n = 271, SMD = 0.94, 95% CI 0.47-1.41, p < 0.0001) and verbal fluency (n = 72, MD = 2.03, 95% CI 0.17-3.88, p = 0.03). However, there was no significant improvement in other domains of cognition. CONCLUSIONS: NIBS has a positive effect on improving global cognitive function and verbal fluency. At the same time, it has a small positive effect on improving executive function. However, these findings should be interpreted carefully due to the limitations of the study.

Phenotypic and genetic differences among group B Streptococcus recovered from neonates and pregnant women in Shenzhen, China: 8-year study.

BACKGROUND: Group B Streptococcus (GBS) is a leading cause of early-onset disease (EOD) and late-onset disease (LOD) in infants. We sought to investigate the antibiotic susceptibility profiles, resistance genes, virulence-related genes, serotype distribution and genotypic characteristics of GBS recovered from infected or colonized neonates and pregnant women in a tertiary teaching hospital in Shenzhen, China, from 2008 to 2015. RESULTS: High resistance rates of erythromycin (66.7-100%) were detected among early-onset GBS (EOGBS), late-onset GBS (LOGBS), neonatal colonizing GBS (NCGBS) and maternal colonizing GBS (MCGBS). 89.5-100% of four groups of GBS isolates showed resistance to tetracycline. More than 90 % of erythromycin resistant isolates of EOGBS (8/8, 100%), LOGBS (16/17, 94.1%) and NCGBS (10/11, 90.9%) harbored ermB, while only 9.1-17.6% harbored mefA/E. By contrast, 55.8% (24/43) and 62.8% (27/43) of erythromycin resistant MCGBS isolates carried ermB and mefA/E genes, respectively. The tetO gene was more common in tetracycline resistant EOGBS (10/11, 90.9%), LOGBS (17/17, 100%) and NCGBS (10/11, 90.9%), compared to tetracycline resistant MCGBS (12/51, 23.5%). Additionally, the tetM gene accounted for 90.9% (10/11), 76.5% (13/17), 45.5% (5/11) and 80.4% (41/51) of four groups of isolates, respectively. Serotype III was the most predominant in EOGBS (8/12, 66.7%) and LOGBS (15/17, 88.2%), while serotype Ib accounted for 50.0% (6/12) of NCGBS, and serotype Ia and III accounted for 45.6% (26/57) and 33.3% (19/57) of MCGBS, respectively. Sequence type 17 (ST17) was the most common in EOGBS (6/12, 50%) and LOGBS (12/17, 70.6%), while ST12 was predominant in NCGBS (5/12, 41.7%), and five STs (ST19, ST23, ST12, ST103 and ST485) accounted for 66.7% (38/57) of the MCGBS. All serotype III-ST17 isolates recovered from neonates were associated with invasive infections. CONCLUSIONS: This study shows the meaningful differences in molecular mechanisms of resistance to erythromycin and tetracycline, and the prevalence of serotypes and STs among GBS recovered from neonates and pregnant women. ST17 is predominant in neonatal invasive GBS, but rare in NCGBS and MCGBS.

Pediatric low-grade gliomas can be molecularly stratified for risk.

Pediatric low-grade gliomas (PLGGs) consist of a number of entities with overlapping histological features. PLGGs have much better prognosis than the adult counterparts, but a significant proportion of PLGGs suffers from tumor progression and recurrence. It has been shown that pediatric and adult low-grade gliomas are molecularly distinct. Yet the clinical significance of some of newer biomarkers discovered by genomic studies has not been fully investigated. In this study, we evaluated in a large cohort of 289 PLGGs a list of biomarkers and examined their clinical relevance. TERT promoter (TERTp), H3F3A and BRAF V600E mutations were detected by direct sequencing. ATRX nuclear loss was examined by immunohistochemistry. CDKN2A deletion, KIAA1549-BRAF fusion, and MYB amplification were determined by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). TERTp, H3F3A, and BRAF V600E mutations were identified in 2.5, 6.4, and 7.4% of PLGGs, respectively. ATRX loss was found in 4.9% of PLGGs. CDKN2A deletion, KIAA1549-BRAF fusion and MYB amplification were detected in 8.8, 32.0 and 10.6% of PLGGs, respectively. Survival analysis revealed that TERTp mutation, H3F3A mutation, and ATRX loss were significantly associated with poor PFS (p < 0.0001, p < 0.0001, and p = 0.0002) and OS (p < 0.0001, p < 0.0001, and p < 0.0001). BRAF V600E was associated with shorter PFS (p = 0.011) and OS (p = 0.032) in a subset of PLGGs. KIAA1549-BRAF fusion was a good prognostic marker for longer PFS (p = 0.0017) and OS (p = 0.0029). MYB amplification was also a favorable marker for a longer PFS (p = 0.040). Importantly, we showed that these molecular biomarkers can be used to stratify PLGGs into low- (KIAA1549-BRAF fusion or MYB amplification), intermediate-I (BRAF V600E and/or CDKN2A deletion), intermediate-II (no biomarker), and high-risk (TERTp or H3F3A mutation or ATRX loss) groups with distinct PFS (p < 0.0001) and OS (p < 0.0001). This scheme should aid in clinical decision-making.

Bio-Inspired Growth of Silver Nanoparticles on 2D Material's Scaffolds as Heterostructures with Their Enhanced Antibacterial Property.

We developed a facile and green bio-inspired strategy to fabricate silver nano-particles growth in-situ on different scaffolds materials, building novel heterostructures for promoting their antibacterial activities and durability. Firstly, fluorinated graphene oxide (FGO) nanosheets, layered molybdenum disulfide (MoS2), and layered tungsten disulfide (WS2) were exfoliated by chemical liquid with intense sonication. And silicon dioxide (SiO2) nano-spheres were prepared via wet chemical method. Then, silver nanoparticles were grown onto those surfaces of layered nanosheets and nano-spheres, hybridizing three dimensional hetero-architectures. The obtained silver-hybridized nanoarchitechtures were further analyzed by TEM and EDS. Additionally, three bacteria were applied to evaluate their antibacterial property, illustrating distinctive antibacterial effects, expecting to explore more applications in water disinfection and food packing fields.

Diffusional kurtosis imaging for differentiating between high-grade glioma and primary central nervous system lymphoma.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to assess the diagnostic accuracy of diffusion kurtosis magnetic resonance imaging parameters for differentiating high-grade gliomas (HGGs) from primary central nervous system lymphomas (PCNSLs). METHODS: Diffusion parameters, including fractional anisotropy (FA), mean diffusivity (MD), axial diffusivity (λ// ), radial diffusivity (λ⊥ ); and kurtosis parameters, including mean kurtosis (MK), axial kurtosis (K// ), and radial kurtosis (K⊥ ), were normalized to contralateral normal-appearing white matter (NAWMc) to decrease inter-individual and inter-regional changes across the entire brain, and then compared with the solid parts of 20 HGGs and 11 PCNSLs [median 95% confidence interval (CI), P < 0.004; 0.05/14], significance level, Kolmogorov-Smirnov test, Bonferroni correction]. RESULTS: FA, MD, λ// , and λ⊥ values were higher in HGGs than in PCNSLs, but not significantly [HGGs: 0.209 (95% CI, 0.134-0.338), 1.385 (95% CI, 1.05-1.710), 1.655 (95% CI, 1.30-2.060), 1.228 (95% CI, 0.932-1.480), respectively; PCNSLs: 0.143 (95% CI, 0.110-0.317), 1.070 (95% CI, 0.842-1.470), 1.260 (95% CI, 0.960-1.930), 1.010 (95% CI, 0.782-1.240)], respectively; P = 0.120, 0.010, 0.004, and 0.004, respectively). However, MK and K// were significantly higher in PCNSLs compared with HGGs [PCNSLs: 0.765 (95% CI, 0.697-0.890), 0.787 (95% CI, 0.615-1.030), respectively; HGGs: 0.531 (95% CI, 0.402-0.766), 0.532 (95% CI, 0.432-0.680], respectively; P = 0.001, 0.000, respectively); but not K⊥ [0.774 (95% CI, 0.681-0.899) for PCNSLs; 0.554 (95% CI, 0.389-0.954) for HGGs; P = 0.024]. CONCLUSION: There were significant differences in kurtosis parameters (MK and K// ) between HGGs and PCNSLs, while differences in diffusion parameters between them did not reach significance; hence, better separation was achieved with these parameters than with conventional diffusion imaging parameters. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2016;44:30-40.

Development of two molecular approaches for differentiation of clinically relevant yeast species closely related to Candida guilliermondii and Candida famata.

The emerging pathogens Candida palmioleophila, Candida fermentati, and Debaryomyces nepalensis are often misidentified as Candida guilliermondii or Candida famata in the clinical laboratory. Due to the significant differences in antifungal susceptibilities and epidemiologies among these closely related species, a lot of studies have focused on the identification of these emerging yeast species in clinical specimens. Nevertheless, limited tools are currently available for their discrimination. Here, two new molecular approaches were established to distinguish these closely related species. The first approach differentiates these species by use of restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis of partial internal transcribed spacer 2 (ITS2) and large subunit ribosomal DNA with the enzymes BsaHI and XbaI in a double digestion. The second method involves a multiplex PCR based on the intron size differences of RPL18, a gene coding for a protein component of the large (60S) ribosomal subunit, and species-specific amplification. These two methods worked well in differentiation of these closely related yeast species and have the potential to serve as effective molecular tools suitable for laboratory diagnoses and epidemiological studies.

Proteomic analysis of cerebrospinal fluid: toward the identification of biomarkers for gliomas.

Gliomas are the most common primary brain tumors in adults and, despite advances in the understandings of glioma pathogenesis in the genetic era, they are still ineradicable, justifying the need to develop more reliable diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers for this malignancy. Because changes in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) are suggested to be capable of sensitively reflecting pathological processes, e.g., neoplastic conditions, in the central nervous system, CSF has been deemed a valuable source for potential biomarkers screening in this era of proteomics. This systematic review focused on the proteomic analysis of glioma CSF that has been published to date and identified a total of 19 differentially expressed proteins. Further functional and protein-protein interaction assessments were performed by using Protein Analysis Through Evolutionary Relationships (PANTHER) website and Ingenuity Pathway Analysis (IPA) software, which revealed several important protein networks (e.g., IL-6/STAT-3) and four novel focus proteins (IL-6, galanin (GAL), HSPA5, and WNT4) that might be involved in glioma pathogenesis. The concentrations of these focus proteins were subsequently determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) in an independent set of CSF and tumor cyst fluid (CF) samples. Specifically, glioblastoma (GBM) CF had significantly lower GAL, HSPA5, and WNT4 levels than CSF from different grades of glioma. In contrast, IL-6 level was significantly higher in GBM CF when compared with CSF and, among different CSF groups, was highest in GBM CSF. Therefore, these candidate protein biomarkers, identified from both the literatures and in silico analysis, may have potentials in clinical diagnosis, prognosis evaluation, treatment response monitoring, and novel therapeutic targets identification for patients with glioma.

Diffusion tensor magnetic resonance imaging for predicting the consistency of intracranial meningiomas.

BACKGROUND: The ability of preoperative MRI-sequences to predict the consistency of intracranial meningiomas has not yet been clearly defined. We aim to demonstrate that diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) improves the prediction of intracranial meningiomas consistency. METHODS: We prospectively studied 110 meningioma patients operated on in a single center from March 1st to the 25th of May 2012. Demographic data, location and size of the tumor, peritumoral edema, T1WI, T2WI, proton density weighted (PDWI), fluid-attenuated inversion recover (FLAIR) sequences, and arterial spin labeling (ASL) perfusion were studied and compared with the gray matter signal to predict meningioma consistency. Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) with fractional anisotropy (FA) and mean diffusivity (MD) maps were included in the preoperative MRI. Meningioma consistency was evaluated by the operating surgeon who was unaware of the neuroradiological findings. RESULTS: In univariate analysis, meningioma size (diameter > 2 cm) and supratentorial or sphenoidal wing location were more frequently associated with hard-consistency meningiomas (p < 0.05). In addition, isointense signal on MD maps (p = 0.009), hyperintense signal on FA maps, and FA value > 0.3 (p = 0.00001) were associated with hard-consistency tumors. Age and sex, T1WI, T2WI, PDWI, FLAIR, or ASL perfusion sequences and peritumoral edema were not significantly associated with meningioma consistency. In logistic regression analysis, the most accurate model (AUC: 0.9459) for predicting a hard-consistency meningioma shows that an isointense signal in MD-maps, a hyperintense signal in FA-maps, and an FA value of more than 0.3 have a significant predictive value. CONCLUSIONS: FA value and MD and FA maps are useful for prediction of meningioma consistency and, therefore, may be considered in the preoperative routine MRI examination of all patients with intracranial meningiomas.

Changes in the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities of Rosa rugosa 'Mohong' during fermentation.

Fermented rose petals are a traditional delicacy of the Dali Bai community in Yunnan, China. Fermentation enhances the quality and nutritional value of roses, as well as their efficacy, by increasing the levels of phenolic compounds. This study aimed to investigate the significant variations in four active compounds throughout the traditional fermentation process. Four compounds in Rosa rugosa 'Mohong' were examined, and significant variations among polyphenols and antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities were observed. These variations were studied during fermentation by Saccharomyces rouxii at varying temperatures and durations. Moreover, the results showed that gallic acid and syringic acid content significantly increased (P < 0.05) with a rise in temperature from 20°C-35 °C during fermentation. Simultaneously, rutin and quercetin levels significantly decreased (P < 0.05) at all four temperatures throughout the five periods. The antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities of fermented R. rugosa 'Mohong' methanol extracts were dose-dependent. Our results provide valuable insights into optimizing the processing scale and quality control of fermented rose products.

Brain network hierarchy reorganization in subthreshold depression.

BACKGROUND: Hierarchy is the organizing principle of human brain network. How network hierarchy changes in subthreshold depression (StD) is unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate the altered brain network hierarchy and its clinical significance in patients with StD. METHODS: A total of 43 patients with StD and 43 healthy controls matched for age, gender and years of education participated in this study. Alterations in the hierarchy of StD brain networks were depicted by connectome gradient analysis. We assessed changes in network hierarchy by comparing gradient scores in each network in patients with StD and healthy controls. The study compared different brain subdivisions if there was a different network. Finally, we analysed the relationship between the altered gradient scores and clinical characteristics. RESULTS: Patients with StD had contracted network hierarchy and suppressed cortical range gradients. In the principal gradient, the gradient scores of default mode network were significantly reduced in patients with StD compared to controls. In the default network, the subdivisions of reduced gradient scores were mainly located in the precuneus, superior temporal gyrus, and anterior and posterior cingulate gyrus. Reduced gradient scores in the default mode network, the anterior and posterior cingulate gyrus were correlated with severity of depression. CONCLUSIONS: The network hierarchy of the StD changed and was significantly correlated with depressive symptoms and severity. These results provided new insights into further understanding of the neural mechanisms of StD.

Incidence, Etiology and Prognosis of Initial Liver Injury After Allogeneic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation: A Multi-Center Retrospective Study.

BACKGROUND: Liver injury post allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (Allo-HSCT), particularly first-time occurrences, is a prevalent and severe complication. METHODS: Clinical data from 262 patients treated at 3 medical centers in Shenzhen, China, between January 2018 and December 2021 were retrospectively collected. Risk factors and outcomes of initial liver injury post allo-HSCT were analyzed. RESULTS: Liver injury occurred in 70.8% of patients, with drug-induced liver injury (DILI) being the most common cause. Other causes included graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) and veno-occlusive disease (VOD). Pre-transplant HBsAg positivity was a significant risk factor. Differences in the timing and survival outcomes were observed among patients with different causes and types of liver injury. Patients with VOD or hepatic aGVHD had lower overall survival compared to those with DILI or hepatic cGVHD. Patients with isolated enzyme elevation had a more favorable prognosis than those with isolated bilirubin elevation or simultaneous enzyme and bilirubin elevation. CONCLUSION: Findings of our study serve as a crucial resource for clinicians, assisting in the challenging task of diagnosing and managing liver injuries after allo-HSCT, especially when it occurs for the first time, which may ultimately help to reduce early treatment-related mortality and enhance the long-term survival of transplant recipients.

A machine-learning approach to model risk and protective factors of vulnerability to depression.

There are multiple risk and protective factors for depression. The association between these factors with vulnerability to depression is unclear. Such knowledge is an important insight into assessing risk for developing depression for precision interventions. Based on the behavioral data of 496 participants (all unmarried and not cohabiting, with a college education level or above), we applied machine-learning approaches to model risk and protective factors in estimating depression and its symptoms. Then, we employed Random Forest to identify important factors which were then used to differentiate participants who had high risk of depression from those who had low risk. Results revealed that risk and protective factors could significantly estimate depression and depressive symptoms. Feature selection revealed four key factors including three risk factors (brooding, perceived loneliness, and perceived stress) and one protective factor (resilience). The classification model built by the four factors achieved an ROC-AUC score of 75.50% to classify the high- and low-risk groups, which was comparable to the classification performance based on all risk and protective factors (ROC-AUC = 77.83%). Based on the selected four factors, we generated a mood vulnerability index useful for identifying people's risk for depression. Our findings provide potential clinical insights for developing quick screening tools for mood disorders and potential targets for intervention programs designed to improve depressive symptoms.

Value of the virtual monoenergetic image from dual-layer dual-energy computed tomography enterography in the preoperative assessment of the internal penetrating complication of Crohn's disease.

BACKGROUND: To determine the utility of virtual-monoenergetic imaging (VMI) at low energy levels from contrast-enhanced dual-layer dual-energy (DLDE) computed tomography enterography (CTE) in the preoperative assessment of internal penetrating lesions of Crohn's disease (CD). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirty-eight patients with penetrating lesions of CD by surgery undergoing contrast-enhanced DLDE CTE were retrospectively included. Polyenergetic imaging (PEI) and VMIs at low energy levels [40-70 kiloelectron volts (keV)] with 10 keV intervals were reconstructed. The objective parameters of image quality [noise, signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR)] and the subjective parameter of image quality [diagnostic performance of lesions (DPL), overall image quality(OIQ)] of PEI and all VMIs at the low energy level were compared to determine the VMI on the optimal energy level. The lesion detection capability between PEI and the optimal VMI was compared. RESULTS: VMI40 was determined to be the optimal VMI among all VMIs at the low energy level for owning the best image quality. No significant difference was found in the detecting capability in penetrating lesions between VMI40 and PEI (p = 1.0), whereas a significant difference was found in the detecting capability in the bowel origin of the penetrating lesions (p = 0.004), the involved organ or structure by the fistula (p = 0.016) and the orifice of the fistula connected to the involved organ or structure ( p = 0.031) between them. CONCLUSIONS: Compared to conventional PEI, VMI40 improves the detection capability in anatomical details of penetrating lesions of CD, helping colorectal surgeons rationalizing preoperative plans of internal penetrating lesions of CD.

Abiotrophia defectiva causing infective endocarditis with brain infarction and subarachnoid hemorrhage: a case report.

Introduction: A rare pathogen of Infective Endocarditis (IE), the Abiotrophia defectiva, has been known to trigger life-threatening complications. The case discussed here is of a teenager with brain infarction and subarachnoid hemorrhage caused by IE due to A. defectiva. Case report: A 15-year-old girl with movement disorders involving the left limbs and intermittent fevers was admitted to the hospital. A head CT scan revealed cerebral infarction in the right basal ganglia and subarachnoid hemorrhage. Moreover, vegetation on the mitral valve were confirmed by echocardiography. The blood cultures were found to be positive for Gram-positive streptococcus and identified by Vitek mass spectrometry as A. defectiva. She was prescribed vancomycin antibacterial therapy and underwent a surgical mitral valve replacement. Conclusion: This case is suggestive of the fact that A. defectiva is a rare but crucial pathogen of IE-associated stroke. Obtaining early blood cultures and using microbial mass spectrometry could help achieve an accurate diagnosis. Moreover, reasonable anti-infective medications and surgical interventions need to be combined to avoid and/or manage severe complications.

Global trends and hotspots in the digital therapeutics of autism spectrum disorders: a bibliometric analysis from 2002 to 2022.

Introduction: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a severe neurodevelopmental disorder that has become a major cause of disability in children. Digital therapeutics (DTx) delivers evidence-based therapeutic interventions to patients that are driven by software to prevent, manage, or treat a medical disorder or disease. This study objectively analyzed the current research status of global DTx in ASD from 2002 to 2022, aiming to explore the current global research status and trends in the field. Methods: The Web of Science database was searched for articles about DTx in ASD from January 2002 to October 2022. CiteSpace was used to analyze the co-occurrence of keywords in literature, partnerships between authors, institutions, and countries, the sudden occurrence of keywords, clustering of keywords over time, and analysis of references, cited authors, and cited journals. Results: A total of 509 articles were included. The most productive country and institution were the United States and Vanderbilt University. The largest contributing authors were Warren, Zachary, and Sarkar, Nilanjan. The most-cited journal was the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders. The most-cited and co-cited articles were Brian Scarselati (Robots for Use in Autism Research, 2012) and Ralph Adolphs (Abnormal processing of social information from faces in autism, 2001). "Artificial Intelligence," "machine learning," "Virtual Reality," and "eye tracking" were common new and cutting-edge trends in research on DTx in ASD. Discussion: The use of DTx in ASD is developing rapidly and gaining the attention of researchers worldwide. The publications in this field have increased year by year, mainly concentrated in the developed countries, especially in the United States. Both Vanderbilt University and Yale University are very important institutions in the field. The researcher from Vanderbilt University, Warren and Zachary, his dynamics or achievements in the field is also more worth our attention. The application of new technologies such as virtual reality, machine learning, and eye-tracking in this field has driven the development of DTx on ASD and is currently a popular research topic. More cross-regional and cross-disciplinary collaborations are recommended to advance the development and availability of DTx.

Systematic bibliometric and visualized analysis of research hotspots and trends in attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder neuroimaging.

Introduction: This study focused on the research hotspots and development trends of the neuroimaging of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in the past thirty years. Methods: The Web of Science database was searched for articles about ADHD neuroimaging from January 1992 to September 2022. CiteSpace was used to analyze the co-occurrence of keywords in literature, partnerships between authors, institutions, and countries, the sudden occurrence of keywords, clustering of keywords over time, and analysis of references, cited authors, and cited journals. Results: 2,621 articles were included. More and more articles have been published every year in the last years. These articles mainly come from 435 institutions and 65 countries/regions led by the United States. King's College London had the highest number of publications. The study identified 634 authors, among which Buitelaar, J. K. published the largest number of articles and Castellanos, F. X. was co-cited most often. The most productive and cited journal was Biological psychiatry. In recent years, burst keywords were resting-state fMRI, machine learning, functional connectivity, and networks. And a timeline chart of the cluster of keywords showed that "children" had the longest time span. Conclusions: Increased attention has been paid to ADHD neuroimaging. This work might assist researchers to identify new insight on potential collaborators and cooperative institutions, hot topics, and research directions.