Switching of brain networks across different cerebral perfusion states: insights from EEG dynamic microstate analyses.

The alteration of neural interactions across different cerebral perfusion states remains unclear. This study aimed to fulfill this gap by examining the longitudinal brain dynamic information interactions before and after cerebral reperfusion. Electroencephalogram in eyes-closed state at baseline and postoperative 7-d and 3-month follow-ups (moyamoya disease: 20, health controls: 23) were recorded. Dynamic network analyses were focused on the features and networks of electroencephalogram microstates across different microstates and perfusion states. Considering the microstate features, the parameters were disturbed of microstate B, C, and D but preserved of microstate A. The transition probabilities of microstates A-B and B-D were increased to play a complementary role across different perfusion states. Moreover, the microstate variability was decreased, but was significantly improved after cerebral reperfusion. Regarding microstate networks, the functional connectivity strengths were declined, mainly within frontal, parietal, and occipital lobes and between parietal and occipital lobes in different perfusion states, but were ameliorated after cerebral reperfusion. This study elucidates how dynamic interaction patterns of brain neurons change after cerebral reperfusion, which allows for the observation of brain network transitions across various perfusion states in a live clinical setting through direct intervention.

TMEM100 Regulates Neuropathic Pain by Reducing the Expression of Inflammatory Factors.

There is no effective treatment for peripheral nerve injury-induced chronic neuropathic pain (NP), which profoundly impacts the quality of life of those affected. Transmembraneprotein100 (TMEM100) is considered to be a pain regulatory protein and is expressed in the dorsal root ganglion (DRG) of rats. However, the mechanism of pain regulation and the expression of TMEM100 following various peripheral nerve injuries are unclear. In this study, we constructed two pain models of peripheral nerve injury: tibial nerve injury (TNI) and chronic constriction injury (CCI). This study found that the Paw Withdrawal Mechanical Threshold (PWMT) and Paw Withdraw Thermal Latency (PWTL) of the rats in the two pain models decreased significantly, and the expression of TMEM100 in the DRG of two groups also decreased significantly. Furthermore, the decrease in the CCI group was more obvious than in the TNI group. There was no significant statistical significance (P > 0.05). We constructed an adeno-associated virus 6 (AAV6) vector expressing recombinant fluorescent TMEM100 protein and injected it into the sciatic nerve (SN) of two pain models: CCI and TNI. PWMT and PWTL were significantly increased in the two groups, along with the expression of TMEM100 in the spinal cord and DRG. It also significantly inhibited the activation of microglia, astrocytes, and several inflammatory mediators (TNF- α, IL-1 ß, and IL-6). In summary, the results of this study suggested that TMEM100 might be a promising molecular strategy for the treatment of NP, and its anti-inflammatory effects might play an important role in pain relief.

Targeting Mitochondrial Oxidative Stress: Potential Neuroprotective Therapy for Spinal Cord Injury.

Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a serious central nervous system (CNS) injury disease related to hypoxia-ischemia and inflammation. It is characterized by excessive reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, oxidative damage to nerve cells, and mitochondrial dysfunction. Mitochondria serve as the primary cellular origin of ROS, wherein the electron transfer chain complexes within oxidative phosphorylation frequently encounter electron leakage. These leaked electrons react with molecular oxygen, engendering the production of ROS, which culminates in the occurrence of oxidative stress. Oxidative stress is one of the common forms of secondary injury after SCI. Mitochondrial oxidative stress can lead to impaired mitochondrial function and disrupt cellular signal transduction pathways. Hence, restoring mitochondrial electron transport chain (ETC), reducing ROS production and enhancing mitochondrial function may be potential strategies for the treatment of SCI. This article focuses on the pathophysiological role of mitochondrial oxidative stress in SCI and evaluates in detail the neuroprotective effects of various mitochondrial-targeted antioxidant therapies in SCI, including both drug and non-drug therapy. The objective is to provide valuable insights and serve as a valuable reference for future research in the field of SCI.

Biomolecule-Interactive Flexible Light Emitting Capacitor Display.

Ultrathin, lightweight, flexible, and conformable interactive displays that transduce external stimuli into human-readable signals are essential for emerging applications, such as wearable electronics, human-machine interfaces, and soft robots. Herein, a biomolecule-interactive flexible light emitting capacitor (LEC) display (BIO-LEC) capable of dynamic and quantitative visualization of biomolecules through naked-eye detectable electroluminescence (EL) emission is reported. BIO-LEC comprises a coplanar LEC light source at the bottom, and a designed microfluidic chip as sampling compartment at the top. The quantitative measurement feature of BIO-LEC is achieved by introducing the top liquid electrode, which possesses a unique long dielectric realization time, in the microfluidic chip. BIO-LEC is novel for the following reasons, 1) simple stimuli response principle based on correlating EL intensity to dielectric properties of the top liquid electrode; 2) simple test conditions whereby no labeling is required in the analyte solution to optically detect biomolecules; 3) effective sampling method through the design of an integrated microfluidic chip for hosting the top liquid electrode, ensuring good reproducibility and preventing contamination; 4) sensitive detection limit for heparin concentrations at clinically relevant levels, and 5) high compliance with industrial manufacturing standards.

GAD1 alleviates injury-induced optic neurodegeneration by inhibiting retinal ganglion cell apoptosis.

The degeneration of the optic nerve narrows the visual field, eventually causing overall vision loss. This study aimed to identify global protein changes in the retina of optic nerve crushing (ONC) mice and to identify key regulators and pathways involved in injury-induced cell death during the progression of optic neurodegeneration. Label-free quantitative proteomics combined with bioinformatic analysis was performed on retinal protein extracts from ONC and sham-operated mice. Among the 1433 proteins detected, 121 proteins were differentially expressed in the retina of ONC mice. Further bioinformatic analysis showed that various metabolic pathways, including glutamate metabolism and γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) synthesis, were significantly dysregulated in the injured mouse retinas. Glutamate decarboxylase 1 (GAD1) is the enzyme that converts glutamate into GABA, which was significantly up-regulated during ONC injury. Exogenous GAD1 treatment increased retinal ganglion cell (RGC) survival in the ONC-injured retina. In addition, changes in GAD1 expression were also observed in several other ophthalmic diseases. Vascular endothelial growth factor B (VEGF-B) has previously been reported to protect RGCs from apoptosis and positively regulated the expression of GAD1 in the retina. Notably, combination treatment with GAD1 and VEGF-B also provided strong protection against injury-induced RGC apoptosis. These results suggest that GAD1 expression may serve as an intrinsic protective mechanism that is commonly activated during retinal injury. Targeting GAD1 may serve as a potential strategy to treat optic neurodegenerative diseases.

Association between polymorphisms rs2228001 and rs2228000 in XPC and genetic susceptibility to preeclampsia: a case control study.

BACKGROUND: Xeroderma pigmentosum complementation group C (XPC) is a DNA damage recognition protein that plays an important role in nucleotide excision repair and can reduce oxidative stress, which may be involved in the development of preeclampsia (PE). Therefore, the aim of this study was to explore whether XPC polymorphisms were relevant to the genetic susceptibility to PE in Chinese Han women. METHOD: A total of 1276 healthy pregnant women were included as the control group and 958 pregnant women with PE as the case group. DNA was extracted from peripheral blood samples to perform genotyping of loci rs2228001 and rs2228000 in XPC through real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The relationship between XPC and susceptibility to PE was evaluated by comparing the genotypic and allelic frequencies between the two groups of pregnant women. RESULTS: Polymorphism of rs2228000 may be associated with PE risk and allele T may play a protective role (genotype, χ2 = 38.961, P < 0.001 and allele χ2 = 21.746 P < 0.001, odds ratio (OR) = 0.885, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.840-0.932). No significant difference was found between the two groups in rs2228001,(genotype χ2 = 3.148, P = 0.207 and allele χ2 = 0.59, P = 0.442, OR = 1.017, 95% CI = 0.974-1.062). When the frequencies of genotypes and alleles for early- and late-onset PE, mild PE and severe PE were compared with those of controls, the results were consistent with the large clinical sample. CONCLUSION: Our data suggest that the genetic variant rs2228000 in XPC may be associated with PE risk in Chinese Han women, and that pregnant women with the TT genotype have a reduced risk of PE. Further investigations are needed to confirm these findings in other regions or larger prospective populations.

MNAT1 promotes proliferation and the chemo-resistance of osteosarcoma cell to cisplatin through regulating PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway.

BACKGROUND: MNAT1 (menage a trois 1, MAT1), a cyclin-dependent kinase-activating kinase (CAK) complex, highly expressed in diverse cancers and was involved in cancer molecular pathogenesis. However, its deliverance profile and biological function in osteosarcoma (OS) remain unclear. METHODS: The expression of MNAT1 in OS was detected by western blot (WB) and immunohistochemistry (IHC). The potential relationship between MNAT1 molecular level expression and OS clinical expectations were analyzed according to tissues microarray (TMA). Proliferation potential of OS cells was evaluated in vitro based on CCK8 and OS cells colony formation assays, while OS cells transwell and in situ tissue source wound healing assays were employed to analyze the OS cells invasion and migration ability in vitro. A nude mouse xenograft model was used to detect tumor growth in vivo. In addition, ordinary bioinformatics analysis and experimental correlation verification were performed to investigate the underlying regulation mechanism of OS by MNAT1. RESULTS: In this research, we found and confirmed that MNAT1 was markedly over-expressed in OS tissue derived in situ, also, highly MNAT1 expression was closely associated with bad clinical expectations. Functional studies had shown that MNAT1 silencing could weaken the invasion, migration and proliferation of OS cells in vitro, and inhibit OS tumor growth in vivo. Mechanism study indicated that MNAT1 contributed to the progression of OS via the PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway. We further verified that the MNAT1 was required in the regulation of OS chemo-sensitivity to cisplatin (DDP). CONCLUSIONS: Taken together, the data of the present study demonstrate a novel molecular mechanism of MNAT1 involved in the formation of DDP resistance of OS cells.

Identification of prothymosin alpha (PTMA) as a biomarker for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) by label-free quantitative proteomics and Quantitative Dot Blot (QDB).

BACKGROUND: Esophageal cancer (EC) is one of the malignant tumors with a poor prognosis. The early stage of EC is asymptomatic, so identification of cancer biomarkers is important for early detection and clinical practice. METHODS: In this study, we compared the protein expression profiles in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) tissues and adjacent normal esophageal tissues from five patients through high-resolution label-free mass spectrometry. Through bioinformatics analysis, we found the differentially expressed proteins of ESCC. To perform the rapid identification of biomarkers, we adopted a high-throughput protein identification technique of Quantitative Dot Blot (QDB). Meanwhile, the QDB results were verified by classical immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: In total 2297 proteins were identified, out of which 308 proteins were differentially expressed between ESCC tissues and normal tissues. By bioinformatics analysis, the four up-regulated proteins (PTMA, PAK2, PPP1CA, HMGB2) and the five down-regulated proteins (Caveolin, Integrin beta-1, Collagen alpha-2(VI), Leiomodin-1 and Vinculin) were selected and validated in ESCC by Western Blot. Furthermore, we performed the QDB and IHC analysis in 64 patients and 117 patients, respectively. The PTMA expression was up-regulated gradually along the progression of ESCC, and the PTMA expression ratio between tumor and adjacent normal tissue was significantly increased along with the progression. Therefore, we suggest that PTMA might be a potential candidate biomarker for ESCC. CONCLUSION: In this study, label-free quantitative proteomics combined with QDB revealed that PTMA expression was up-regulated in ESCC tissues, and PTMA might be a potential candidate for ESCC. Since Western Blot cannot achieve rapid and high-throughput screening of mass spectrometry results, the emergence of QDB meets this demand and provides an effective method for the identification of biomarkers.

Oxygenic Hybrid Semiconducting Nanoparticles for Enhanced Photodynamic Therapy.

Photodynamic nanotheranostics has shown great promise for cancer therapy; however, its therapeutic efficacy is limited due to the hypoxia of tumor microenvironment and the unfavorable bioavailability of existing photodynamic agents. We herein develop hybrid core-shell semiconducting nanoparticles (SPN-Ms) that can undergo O2 evolution in hypoxic solid tumor to promote photodynamic process. Such oxygenic nanoparticles are synthesized through a one-pot surface growth reaction and have a unique multilayer structure cored and coated with semiconducting polymer nanoparticles (SPNs) and manganese dioxide (MnO2) nanosheets, respectively. The SPN core serves as both NIR fluorescence imaging and photodynamic agent, while the MnO2 nanosheets act as a sacrificing component to convert H2O2 to O2 under hypoxic and acidic tumor microenvironment. As compared with the uncoated SPN (SPN-0), the oxygenic nanoparticles (SPN-M1) generate 2.68-fold more 1O2 at hypoxic and acidic conditions under NIR laser irradiation at 808 nm. Because of such an oxygen-evolution property, SPN-M1 can effectively eradicate cancer cells both in vitro and in vivo. Our study thus not only reports an in situ synthetic method to coat organic nanoparticles but also develops a tumor-microenvironment-sensitive theranostic nanoagent to overcome hypoxia for amplified therapy.

Ternary Chalcogenide Nanosheets with Ultrahigh Photothermal Conversion Efficiency for Photoacoustic Theranostics.

2D materials (TDMs) have been explored for photonic theranostics. To achieve deep-tissue penetration, near-infrared (NIR) light is essential for photoacoustic (PA) theranostics. However, because the absorption profiles of existing TDMs are generally featureless with no obvious NIR absorption peaks, their PA signals and therapeutic efficacies are limited. This paper herein reports the synthesis and application of ternary chalcogenide nanosheets (Ta2 NiS5 -P) for PA theranostics. In contrast to the current TDMs for such application, Ta2 NiS5 -P has a ternary instead of binary composition. This difference brings in the strong and featured NIR for Ta2 NiS5 -P. To the best of the knowledge, this is the first example using ternary chalcogenide nanosheets for such application; moreover, the photothermal conversion efficiency of Ta2 NiS5 -P is the highest (35%) among all the reported TDMs based on the same calculation method. These advantages allow Ta2 NiS5 -P to passively target, effectively delineate, and completely eradicate the tumor of living mice after systemic administration.

[Research on analysis method of multi-fractal de-trended fluctuation of electroencephalogram focus on mental stress evaluation].

The multi-fractal de-trended fluctuation analysis was used to estimate the mental stress in the present study. In order to obtain the optimal fractal order of the multi-fractal de-trended fluctuation analysis, we analyzed the relationship between singular index and Hurst index with order. We recorded the electroencephalogram (EEG) of 14 students, compared the relationship between singular index, Hurst index and quality index, ensured the optimal order being [-5, 5] and achieved the estimation of mental stress with the ß wave in the EEGs. The result indicated that Hurst index and quality index of the EEGs under mental stress were greater than those of EEGs in the relaxing state. The Hurst index was gradually decreasing with the order increasing and was finally approaching a constant, while the quality index was amplified and variation of amplitude of the singular index was more obvious. We also compared the amplitude and the width of singular spectrum of the EEGs under the two conditions, and results indicated that the characteristics of multi-fractal spectrum of the EEGs under different conditions were different, namely the width of singular spectrum of the EEGs under mental stress was greater than that under relax condition.

Synthesis of WOn -WX2 (n=2.7, 2.9; X=S, Se) Heterostructures for Highly Efficient Green Quantum Dot Light-Emitting Diodes.

Preparation of two-dimensional (2D) heterostructures is important not only fundamentally, but also technologically for applications in electronics and optoelectronics. Herein, we report a facile colloidal method for the synthesis of WOn -WX2 (n=2.7, 2.9; X=S, Se) heterostructures by sulfurization or selenization of WOn nanomaterials. The WOn -WX2 heterostructures are composed of WO2.9 nanoparticles (NPs) or WO2.7 nanowires (NWs) grown together with single- or few-layer WX2 nanosheets (NSs). As a proof-of-concept application, the WOn -WX2 heterostructures are used as the anode interfacial buffer layer for green quantum dot light-emitting diodes (QLEDs). The QLED prepared with WO2.9 NP-WSe2 NS heterostructures achieves external quantum efficiency (EQE) of 8.53 %. To our knowledge, this is the highest efficiency in the reported green QLEDs using inorganic materials as the hole injection layer.

Preparation of Ultrathin Two-Dimensional Tix Ta1-x Sy Oz Nanosheets as Highly Efficient Photothermal Agents.

Although two-dimensional (2D) metal oxide/sulfide hybrid nanostructures have been synthesized, the facile preparation of ultrathin 2D nanosheets in high yield still remains a challenge. Herein, we report the first high-yield preparation of solution-processed ultrathin 2D metal oxide/sulfide hybrid nanosheets, that is, Tix Ta1-x Sy Oz (x=0.71, 0.49, and 0.30), from Tix Ta1-x S2 precursors. The nanosheet exhibits strong absorbance in the near-infrared region, giving a large extinction coefficient of 54.1 L g-1 cm-1 at 808 nm, and a high photothermal conversion efficiency of 39.2 %. After modification with lipoic acid-conjugated polyethylene glycol, the nanosheet is a suitable photothermal agent for treatment of cancer cells under 808 nm laser irradiation. This work provides a facile and general method for the preparation of 2D metal oxide/sulfide hybrid nanosheets.

Stiffness Value and Serum Biomarkers in Liver Fibrosis Staging: Study in Large Surgical Specimens in Patients with Chronic Hepatitis B.

Purpose To investigate the capabilities of stiffness value and serum biomarkers in the staging of liver fibrosis in patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB), with pathologic findings in large surgical specimens serving as the reference standard. Materials and Methods This study was approved by the institutional review board, and informed consent was obtained from all patients. Liver stiffness (determined by means of ultrasonography-based elastography point quantification), aspartate aminotransferase-platelet ratio index (APRI), and fibrosis index (based on the four-factor Fibrosis-4 [FIB-4] calculation) were obtained in 386 patients with CHB. With pathologic fibrosis stages in large surgical specimens as the reference standard, capabilities and cutoffs of stiffness and serum biomarkers were first investigated in a cohort of 284 patients and then validated in an independent cohort of 102 patients by means of area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) analysis. Results Liver stiffness demonstrated significantly stronger correlation with fibrosis stages than did APRI and FIB-4 (r = 0.738 vs r = 0.477 vs r = 0.427, respectively; P < .05 for all). In the development cohort, liver stiffness had significantly higher AUCs in identifying fibrosis of stage 1 or higher, stage 2 or higher, stage 3 or higher, and stage 4 or higher (0.97, 0.96, 0.91, and 0.87, respectively) than APRI (0.89, 0.84, 0.73, and 0.74, respectively) and FIB-4 (0.82, 0.79, 0.70, and 0.72, respectively). In the validation cohort, liver stiffness was validated as showing significantly higher AUCs in identifying fibrosis of stage 1 or higher, stage 2 or higher, stage 3 or higher, and stage 4 or higher (0.99, 0.95, 0.89, and 0.88, respectively) than APRI (0.83, 0.76, 0.78, and 0.68, respectively) and FIB-4 (0.76, 0.69, 0.75, and 0.67, respectively). Conclusion Liver stiffness demonstrated considerable capability in identifying each stage of liver fibrosis in patients with CHB, whereas serum biomarkers showed limited capabilities. (©) RSNA, 2016 Online supplemental material is available for this article.

Preparation of Single-Layer MoS(2x)Se2(1-x) and Mo(x)W(1-x)S2 Nanosheets with High-Concentration Metallic 1T Phase.

The high-yield and scalable production of single-layer ternary transition metal dichalcogenide nanosheets with ≈66% of metallic 1T phase, including MoS(2x)Se2(1-x) and Mo(x)W(1-x)S2 is achieved via electrochemical Li-intercalation and the exfoliation method. Thin film MoS(2x)Se2(1- x) nanosheets drop-cast on a fluorine-doped tin oxide substrate are used as an efficient electrocatalyst on the counter electrode for the tri-iodide reduction in a dye-sensitized solar cell.

[Affective Stress Rating Method Based on Improved Hidden Markov Model].

To solve the defect which is recognizing but not rating the stress,or rating but not considering the influence of the previous stress state to the current state of the existing affective stress evaluation method,this paper proposes an approach of affective stress rating model on electrocardiogram(ECG).An affective stress rating algorithm based on hidden Markov model(HMM)was established with the theory of affective computing.The individual's affective stress was rated using this affective rating model combining the investigation questionnaire.Features like complexity and approximate entropy of ECG were used in the model,and a matching process suggested that it improved the accuracy of affective stress rating.The result of the experiment illustrated that the model considering the environmental factors and the influence of previous stress state to the current state was an effective method in affective stress rating,and the accuracy of rating was improved by this affective stress rating method.

[Applications of Wavelet Transform Combining Empirical Mode Decomposition in EEG Analysis with Music Intervention].

In the present paper,wavelet transform and empirical mode decomposition(EMD)are combined to extracted the features of electroencephalogram(EEG)signal with music intervention,and to achieve a better classification accuracy rate and reliability in emotional assessment in order to provide a support for music therapy.The data were from Database for Emotion Analysis using Physiological Signals(DEAP).Based on wavelet transformα,ßandθrhythms were extracted at frontal(F3,F4),temporal(T7,T8)and central regions(C3,C4).Based on the EMD,the intrinsic mode function(IMF)was analyzed and extracted.Furthermore,average energy and amplitude difference of IMF were analyzed and obtained.The support vector machine was used to assess the state of emotion in order to support music therapy.According to this algorithm,the classification accuracy rate could reach 100% between no emotions,positive emotions and negative emotions,which made a 10%improvement between positive and negative emotion recognition.Effective evaluation result between positive and negative emotions was achieved.The states of emotion would influence the effect of music therapy,undoubtedly,the classification accuracy rate increasing of emotional assessment will further help improve the effect of music therapy and provide a better support to the therapy.

Self-assembled chiral nanofibers from ultrathin low-dimensional nanomaterials.

Despite many developed methods, it still remains a challenge to provide a simple and general strategy for the controlled preparation of chiral nanostructures. Here we report a facile and universal approach for the high-yield and scalable preparation of chiral nanofibers based on the self-assembly of various ultrathin one-dimensional and two-dimensional nanomaterials in vigorously stirred polymeric solutions. The obtained chiral nanofibers can be further transformed to same-handed chiral nanorings. As a proof-of-concept application, chiral MoS(2) and multiwalled carbon nanotube nanofibers were used as promising active layers for flexible nonvolatile data storage devices. Impressively, the chiral MoS(2) nanofiber-based memory device presents a typical nonvolatile flash memory effect with excellent reproducibility and good stability. Our method offers a general route for the preparation of various functional chiral nanostructures that might have wide applications.

Psychogenic fever in a patient with small cell lung cancer: a case report.

BACKGROUND: Fever is common in malignant tumors. We report an exceptional case of psychogenic fever in a patient with small cell lung cancer. This is the first case report of psychogenic fever in a patient with small cell lung cancer. CASE PRESENTATION: A 61-year-old Chinese man diagnosed with small cell carcinoma on June 30, 2012, came to our department with a complaint of fever lasting more than 1 month. He had undergone chemoradiotherapy for lung cancer 6 months previously. After admission, his body temperature fluctuated in the range of 37 °C to 39 °C. Somatic symptoms associated with anxiety were obvious. A 24-item Hamilton Anxiety Scale was used to assess the patient's condition. A score of 32 confirmed a diagnosis of severe anxiety. After a week of antianxiety treatment, the patient's temperature returned to normal. CONCLUSION: Psychogenic fever is common in cancer patients and deserves more attention. Patients with psychogenic fever must be distinguished from patients with infectious fever (including neutropenic fever), and tumor fever. Additionally, antianxiety or antidepression treatment should be provided. A concern is that continual anxiety may adversely affect anticancer therapy.

Graphene oxide architectures prepared by molecular combing on hydrophilic-hydrophobic micropatterns.

A novel graphene oxide (GO) architecture is fabricated on hydrophilic-hydrophobic patterned alkanethiol self-assembled monolayers on Au by molecular combing of GO sheets. With hydrazine reduction, the reduced GO architecture-based device is demonstrated to detect NO2 gas. This simple method shows the potential to control the shape, orientation and position of GO sheets over large areas.