Striatal and Extrastriatal Monoaminergic Disruption in Progressive Supranuclear Palsy.

BACKGROUND: As a biomarker targeting vesicular monoamine transporter 2 (VMAT2), 18F-9-fluoropropyldihydrotetrabenazine (18F-FP-DTBZ) positron emission tomography (PET) is highly accurate in diagnosing Parkinson's disease (PD) and assessing its severity. However, evidence is insufficient in patients with progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP). OBJECTIVE: We evaluated the striatal and extrastriatal monoaminergic disruption of PSP and differences in patterns between patients with PSP, PD, and healthy controls (HCs) using 18F-FP-DTBZ PET, as well as its correlations with the clinical characteristics of PSP. METHODS: We recruited 58 patients with PSP, 23 age- and duration-matched patients with PD, as well as 17 HCs. Patients were scanned using 18F-FP-DTBZ PET/computed tomography, and images were spatially normalized and analyzed based on the volume of interest. RESULTS: VMAT2 binding differed significantly in the striatum and substantia nigra among the groups (P < 0.001). A more severe disruption in the caudate was noted in the PSP group (P < 0.001) than in the PD group. However, no differences were found in the nucleus accumbens, hippocampus, amygdala, or raphe between the PD and PSP groups. Within the PSP group, striatal VMAT2 binding was significantly associated with the fall/postural stability subscore of the PSP Rating Scale, especially in the putamen. Furthermore, VMAT2 binding was correlated with Mini-Mental State Examination or Montreal Cognitive Assessment in the hippocampus. CONCLUSIONS: Caudate disruptions showed prominent differences among the groups. VAMT2 binding in the striatum and hippocampus reflects the severity of fall/postural stability and cognition, respectively. © 2024 International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society.

Brain microglia activation and peripheral adaptive immunity in Parkinson's disease: a multimodal PET study.

BACKGROUND: Abnormal activation of immune system is an important pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease, but the relationship between peripheral inflammation, central microglia activation and dopaminergic degeneration remains unclear. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the brain regional microglia activation and its relationship with clinical severity, dopaminergic presynaptic function, and peripheral inflammatory biomarkers related to adaptive immunity. METHODS: In this case-control study, we recruited 23 healthy participants and 24 participants with early-stage Parkinson's disease. 18F-PBR06 PET/MR for microglia activation, 18F-FP-DTBZ for dopaminergic denervation, total account of T cells and subpopulations of T helper (Th1/Th2/Th17) cells, and the levels of serum inflammatory cytokines were assessed. Sanger sequencing was used to exclude the mix-affinity binders of 18F-PBR06-PET. RESULTS: Compared to healthy controls, patients with Parkinson's disease had an increased 18F-PBR06-PET standardized uptake value ratio (SUVR) in the putamen, particularly in the ipsilateral side of the motor onset. 18F-PBR06-PET SUVR was positively associated with 18F-FP-DTBZ-PET SUVR in the brainstem and not associated with disease severity measured by Hoehn and Yahr stage, MDS-UPDRS III scores. Patients with Parkinson's disease had elevated frequencies of Th1 cells and serum levels of IL10 and IL17A as compared to healthy controls. No significant association between peripheral inflammation markers and microglia activation in the brain of PD was observed. CONCLUSION: Parkinson's disease is associated with early putaminal microglial activation and peripheral phenotypic Th1 bias. Peripheral adaptive immunity might be involved in microglia activation in the process of neurodegeneration in PD indirectly, which may be a potential biomarker for the early detection and the target for immunomodulating therapy.

Cabbage defense response provoked by Trichoderma Th-LAAO.

To investigate the molecular mechanism of Trichoderma L-amino acid oxidase (Th-LAAO) in protecting and in promoting growth of cabbage infected with Botrytis cinerea, a three-way interaction system was established. Cabbage leaves treated with purified Th-LAAO significantly constrained damaged leaf area caused by B. cinerea infection. In response to Th-LAAO treatment, the expression levels of genes involved in photosynthesis, such as ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase oxygenase, Rubisco activase, and ATP synthase increased 2.54, 2.18, and 1.41 folds, respectively. The transcription levels of sucrose transport protein 1 increased 7.6 fold. As to the expression of defense-related genes, the transcription level of ascorbate peroxidase increased 1.46 fold. On the contrary, pathogenesis-related protein 1, chitinase, ß-1,3 glucanase, and glutathione S-transferase decreased significantly. Overall, the results indicated that Th-LAAO may stimulate CO2 fixation and sucrose transport and elicit host defense responses in cabbage against B. cinerea, and this elicitation of defense response is likely to contribute to induced systemic resistance of host plant.

Pharmacological Treatment of Osteoporosis in Elderly People: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

BACKGROUND: The evidence supporting the use of antiresorptive and anabolic agents for fracture prevention in elderly patients is still inconclusive. Whether it is too late to alter the course of the disease in this age-group has remained uncertain. OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study was to determine the efficacy and safety of antiresorptive and anabolic agents in elderly patients. METHODS: PubMed, Web of Science, MEDLINE, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials were searched for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and post hoc analyses of RCTs reporting efficacy outcomes or adverse events of antiresorptive and anabolic agents in elderly patients. Statistical heterogeneity was assessed with the Cochran Q χ2 test and I2 statistic. All results were expressed as relative risk (RR) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). RESULTS: The meta-analysis included 1 RCT and 11 post hoc analyses of data from 10 double-blind placebo-controlled RCTs. Antiresorptive therapy significantly reduced the pooled incidence of vertebral fractures (RR = 0.43; 95% CI = 0.35-0.53; and p < 0.001). It was also associated with lower risk of nonvertebral and hip fractures (RR = 0.84; 95% CI = 0.74-0.96; and p = 0.009 and RR = 0.75; 95% CI = 0.58-0.97; and p = 0.028, respectively). For any adverse events, no difference was observed between antiresorptive agents and placebo groups (RR = 1.01; 95% CI = 1.00-1.02; and p = 0.23). CONCLUSIONS: Both antiresorptive and anabolic agents represented potentially important osteoporosis treatments, showing significant effects on reducing vertebral, nonvertebral, or hip fracture risk, and were well-tolerated by elderly patients. Even in the elderly, maybe it is not too late to alter the course of the disease.

[Application of UPLC-QTOF-MS non-targeted metabonomics in mechanism study of property differences of ginseng and American ginseng].

This study adopted ultra-performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry(UPLC-QTOF-MS)-based untargeted metabolomic approaches for exploring the changes in endogenous metabolites of rat serum related to property differences between ginseng and American ginseng. Then the action mechanisms of them with warm and cool properties and the effects of processing on their property changes were investigated. Based on principal component analysis(PCA), the differences in metabolite profiles between ginseng, red ginseng, American ginseng, and red American ginseng were compared. After that, 16 potential differential endogenous biomarkers were identified by orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis(OPLS-DA) and online database searching. And the related metabolic pathways were systematically analyzed. By comparing content variations of these 16 potential differential endogenous biomarkers, we have found that 10 potential differential biomarkers were responsible for the warm property of ginseng and red ginseng, and 9 were related to the cool property of American ginseng and red American ginseng. As demonstrated by in-depth analysis of related metabolic pathways of differential biomarkers, ginseng and American ginseng mainly played a role in regulating the energy metabolism of amino acid, glycolysis, and fatty acids, during which they exhibited differences in property. The comparison of content variations of these differential endogenous between groups revealed that the energy metabolism of red ginseng group was stronger than that of ginseng group, consistent with the traditional processing theory that the warming and tonifying effects of ginseng could be enhanced after processing. The property of red American ginseng was similar to that of American ginseng, both cool in property, but American ginseng was cooler than red American ginseng. It can be seen that non-targeted metabolomic approaches can be utilized to study mechanisms underlying property differences of Chinese medicines and the effects of processing on their property changes.

Clinical features, diagnosis and treatment of Paget's disease of bone in mainland China: A systematic review.

Paget's disease of bone (PDB) is a metabolic bone disease with distinct geographical and ethnic differences in its pathogenesis. In this study, we aimed to retrospectively analyze the clinical features and the status of diagnosis and treatment of PDB in mainland China to improve the clinician's understanding of this disease. For this purpose, we conducted a systematic review of 118 articles, including a total of 332 patients with PDB. The results showed that the onset age of PDB in mainland China was 46-60 years. The number of male patients in most age groups was slightly higher than that of female patients, but there was no statistical difference (p > 0.05). The gender ratio (male to female) of PDB in mainland China was significantly different from that in Japan (p < 0.05), but not from that in the USA (p > 0.05). The clinical manifestations of PDB patients in mainland China mainly included ostealgia, bone malformation, hearing loss, and fracture, and bisphosphonate was used as the main treatment drug. These findings were similar to those in Japan, UK, and USA. Total alkaline phosphatase (TALP) level was elevated in about 89.7% of patients, and no correlation between TALP level and ostealgia was observed (p > 0.05). In addition, no difference in TALP level between males and females in each group was observed (p > 0.05).

[Untargeted metabonomics study of ginseng in treatment of spleen-Qi deficiency].

Ginseng has been used to treat Qi-deficiency syndrome up to now, while the therapeutic mechanism is still unclear. In order to explore the mechanism of ginseng in the treatment of Qi-deficiency constitution, the untargeted metabonomics with blood was studied based on rapid resolution high performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry(RRLC-Q-TOF-MS). In the results, 13 potential biomarkers were found and identified, which mainly involved in the body's antioxidant and immune functions and energy, glycerol, fatty acid, sugar metabolism and bile acid metabolism. The results of blood biochemical analysis also indicated that ginseng could regulate the body's energy metabolism, immune functions and antioxidant capacity in spleen-Qi deficiency constitution. This study revealed the mechanism of ginseng in the treatment of spleen-Qi deficiency using the blood metabonomics, which could provide technological support and scientific basis for further research on ginseng treatment of Qi-deficiency.

Mammography and MRI manifestations of breast angiosarcoma.

BACKGROUND: Breast angiosarcoma is rare and previous studies only focus on its pathology. This study aimed to summarize its imaging features. METHODS: Overall 17 patients pathologically confirmed with breast angiosarcoma were recruited. Eight patients underwent preoperative mammography, and 13 received preoperative MRI scan. The mammography and MRI findings were classified according to the ACR-BI-RADS-mammography/MR lexicon. RESULTS: Mammography showed that 3 cases developed diffuse asymmetry occupying two or more quadrants of the affected breast and that 5 patients had lobulated or oval masses. The 13 patients' lesions presented as diffuse and slightly/significantly high homogeneous or heterogeneous signals on T1-weighted images, while the necrotic and cystic parts had relatively low signals. The hemorrhagic lesions in 7 cases had high signals on both T1- and T2-weighted images. A hemosiderin ring at the edge of an old hemorrhagic lesion had long and short signals on the T1- and T2-weighted images, respectively. Contrast-enhanced MRI revealed that the 13 patients' lesions had significant heterogeneous enhancement. Significant enhancement was observed in the early phase, and varying degrees of concentric enhancement was seen in the delayed phase. CONCLUSIONS: The mammography findings are nonspecific. MRI scan is helpful in determining the malignancy of the lesions. Breast angiosarcoma usually shows heterogeneous signals on both T1-weighted and T2-weighted images. Due to their incomplete lumens and lack of thrombocytes, patients with angiosarcoma have a higher incidence of bleeding (nearly 50% in this study) than those with other malignant tumors. The pattern of the enhancement curve helps to distinguish this disease from the typical types of breast cancer.

Neuroprotection by Propofol Post-Conditioning: Focus on PKMζ/KCC2 Pathway Activity.

Critical and major operations are often accompanied by brain ischemic complications. Previous studies found that propofol post-conditioning provided neuroprotective functions through upregulating the expression of potassium chloride cotransporter 2 (KCC2) in gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) interneurons. Membrane expression and phosphorylation represents KCC2 activity, which were modulated by a protein kinase C (PKC)-dependent mechanism. However, the role of propofol in increasing KCC2 phosphorylation and the involvement of protein kinase Mζ (PKMζ), a major subtype of PKC, in the KCC2 pathway remained unclear. In this study, we established middle cerebral artery occlusion model in rats to evaluate the long-term recovery of brain functions using behavioral experiments. KCC2 and PKMζ were assessed via western blot. We used the selective inhibitor, zeta inhibitory peptide (ZIP), to investigate the relationship between KCC2 and PKMζ. Intracellular chloride concentration in the hippocampal CA1 area was measured to determine KCC2 activity. We found that propofol, infused at a speed of 20 mg kg-1 h-1 for 2 h at the onset of reperfusion, improved neurological deficits and cognitive dysfunction following ischemia/reperfusion injury. PKMζ expression was significantly upregulated, which improved KCC2 membrane expression and phosphorylation in the ischemic hippocampal CA1 area, and these effects could last up to 28 days. But ZIP inhibited this process. Ultimately, we showed that propofol increased KCC2 phosphorylation and PKMζ was the upstream of KCC2. Propofol led to long-term recovery of brain functions by upregulating the activity of the PKMζ/KCC2 pathway.

[Study on Effects of Incompatible Herbal Medicine on Intestinal Bacterial Metabolism of Wu-Tou-Tang by ESI-MS].

OBJECTIVE: Electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) was used to detect samples of Wu-Tou-Tang as well as the co-decoction of it with Pinelliae Rhizoma, Fritillariae Thunbergii Bulbus and Fritillariae Cirrhosae Bulbus before and after intestinal bacterial metabolism. METHODS: Semi-quantitative method of mass spectrometry was established for analyzing the biotransformation of major chemical constituents in Chinese medicine formula. Based on the changes of relative abundance ratio of alkaloids to internal standard for each decoction before and after intestinal bacterial metabolism, effects of incompatible herbal medicine on the intestinal bacterial metabolism of aconite alkaloids from Wu-Tou-Tang were analyzed. RESULTS: Pinelliae Rhizoma, Fritillariae Thunbergii and Fritillariae Cirrhosae Bulbus inhibited the intestinal bacterial biotransformation of diester-alkaloids, which could be considered that the above three Chinese herbal medicines increased the toxicity of Wu-Tou-Tang. CONCLUSION: This study illustrates the scientific connotation of traditional Chinese medicine "eighteen incompatible medicaments" theory from the point of intestinal bacterial metabolism.

[Progress of the regulation effect of ginsenosides on HPA axis].

Ginseng is a typical adaptogen which has resistance to various stresses. This effect is related to the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. As the main active ingredients, saponin has the similar structure to steroids. The regulation characteristics of ginseng saponin on the HPA axis are narrated from the aspects of total saponin and saponin monomers in this paper after the introduction of adaptation definition and HPA axis regulation mechanisms. Pharmacological effects of ginseng saponin and the regulation effect of HPA axis are summarized finally.

18F-FP-DTBZ PET/CT detectable associations between monoaminergic depletion in the putamen with rigidity and the pallidus with tremor in Parkinson's disease.

INTRODUCTION: The motor subtypes of Parkinson's disease (PD) are widely accepted and implemented. However, the motor subtypes have been thought to represent different stages of PD recently because some patients experience tremor-dominant (TD) conversion to the non-tremor-dominant subtype, such as postural instability-gait difficulty (PIGD). In this study, we explore the monoaminergic denervation features of the striatal and extra-striatal areas in patients with different subtypes of PD with 18F-9-fluoropropyl-(+)-dihydrotetrabenazine (18F-FP-DTBZ) PET/CT. METHODS: Sixty-five patients diagnosed with PD were included and classified as TD (n = 25) and PIGD (n = 40). We evaluated the difference of monoaminergic features of each subregion of brain between motor subtypes of PD, as well as associations between these features and Parkinsonian motor symptoms. RESULTS: The striatal standardized uptake value ratios (SUVR) showed that dopaminergic disruption of patients with PIGD was more symmetrical in the posterior ventral putamen (p < 0.001) and more severe in the ipsilateral posterior dorsal putamen (p < 0.001 corrected) compared with that of patients with TD. The severity of PIGD scores was associated with striatal dopaminergic depletion, while tremor was associated with monoaminergic changes in extra-striatal areas, including pallidus, thalamus, and raphe nuclie. CONCLUSION: These results indicate that patients with different motor subtypes may have different underlying mechanisms of PD pathogenesis. Therefore, accurate diagnosis of PD subtypes can aid prognosis evaluation and treatment decision-making.

Relationship of family function and pre-hospital delay among Chinese patients with recurrent ischaemic stroke and the mediation effect of stigma.

AIMS: Pre-hospital delay refers to the time span from the onset of symptoms to arrival at a hospital ≥ 3 h and is the main limitation of stroke reperfusion therapies. Family factors and stroke-related stigma may influence pre-hospital delay. However, few studies have confirmed the influence of stigma on pre-hospital delay or explored the relationships between family function, stigma, and pre-hospital delay among patients with recurrent stroke. This study aimed to explore the relationship between family function and pre-hospital delay among patients with recurrent stroke and examine the mediation role of stigma in this relationship. METHODS AND RESULTS: A cross-sectional study was performed at the neurology departments of two hospitals in Guangzhou, China between July 2021 and April 2022. A total of 115 patients with recurrent stroke completed questionnaires and were included in the analysis. Data were collected using the Short Form Family Assessment Device, the Stroke Stigma Scale, and the Stroke Knowledge Questionnaire. Spearman's correlation and a structural equation model were used for data analysis. Family function directly influenced pre-hospital delay [ß=0.27, P = 0.033, 95%CI = (0.02-0.51)] and indirectly influenced pre-hospital delay [ß=0.17, P = 0.038, 95%CI = (0.02-0.34)] through stigma. Moreover, stigma partially mediated the effect of family function on pre-hospital delay. CONCLUSION: Family function and stigma directly and indirectly influenced pre-hospital delay among patients with recurrent stroke. Future health education and interventions need to focus on strengthening and improving emotional support from family members to improve family function and reduce stigma, thereby reducing pre-hospital delay among patients with recurrent stroke.

L-amino acid oxidase-induced apoptosis in filamentous Botrytis cinerea.

As opposed to single-cell yeast and mammalian cell lines, apoptosis has not been greatly investigated in filamentous fungi because antibodies to the relevant fungal apoptosis-related proteins are not available commercially and because multicellular organisms cannot be studied using flow cytometry. Here we demonstrate how antibodies from a nonfungal source could be used to investigate this pathway. We show that apoptosis in the filamentous fungus Botrytis cinerea is triggered by the mitochondria-mediated caspase pathway, with release of the apoptotic factors cytochrome c, caspase 3, and caspase 9, on treatment with Trichoderma harzianum-derived L-amino acid oxidase.

Effect of 20(S)-ginsenoside Rg3 on streptozotocin-induced experimental type 2 diabetic rats: a urinary metabonomics study by rapid-resolution liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry.

RATIONALE: 20(S)-ginsenoside Rg3 is an active component of Panax ginseng. It is known that 20(S)-ginsenoside Rg3 has a protective effect against hyperglycemia, obesity and diabetes in vivo, but the precise mechanisms of these actions have not yet been entirely elucidated. METHODS: A urinary metabonomics method based on rapid-resolution liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (RRLC/MS) was developed to investigate the effect of 20(S)-ginsenoside Rg3 on type 2 diabetic rats. RESULTS: With multivariate statistical analysis, a clear separation between type 2 diabetic rats and those treated with 20(S)-ginsenoside Rg3 was achieved. Six potential biomarkers were found and identified. CONCLUSIONS: This work shows that the mechanism of the effect of 20(S)-ginsenoside Rg3 on type 2 diabetes may be involved with the regulation of nucleic acid metabolism, energy metabolism and gut flora metabolism.

Evaluation of storage period of fresh ginseng for quality improvement of dried and red processed varieties.

Background: Dried and red ginseng are well-known types of processed ginseng and are widely used as healthy food. The dried and red ginseng quality may vary with the storage period of raw ginseng. Therefore, herein, the effect of the storage period of fresh ginseng on processed ginseng quality was evaluated through multicomponent quantification with statistical analysis. Methods: A method based on ultrahigh performance liquid chromatography coupled to triple quadrupole mass spectrometry in multiple-reaction monitoring mode (UPLC-MRM-MS) was developed for quantitation of ginsenosides and oligosaccharides in dried and red ginseng. Principal component analysis and partial least squares discriminant analysis were conducted to evaluate the dynamic distributions of ginsenosides and oligosaccharides after different storage periods. Results: Eighteen PPD, PPT and OLE ginsenosides and nine reducing and nonreducing oligosaccharides were identified and quantified. With storage period extension, the ginsenoside content in the processed ginseng increased slightly in the first 2 weeks and decreased gradually in the following 9 weeks. The content of reducing oligosaccharides decreased continuously as storage time extending, while that of the nonreducing oligosaccharides increased. Chemical conversions occurred during storage, based on which potential chemical markers for the storage period evaluation of fresh ginseng were screened. Conclusion: According to ginsenoside and oligosaccharide distributions, it was found that the optimal storage period was 2 weeks and that the storage period of fresh ginseng should not exceed 4 weeks at 0 °C. This study provides deep insights into the quality control of processed ginseng and comprehensive factors for storage of raw ginseng.

Diagnostic value of striatal 18F-FP-DTBZ PET in Parkinson's disease.

Background: 18F-FP-DTBZ has been proven as a biomarker for quantifying the concentration of presynaptic vesicular monoamine transporter 2 (VMAT2). However, its clinical application is still limited. Objectives: To evaluate the difference in dopaminergic integrity between patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) and healthy controls (HC) using 18F-FP-DTBZ PET in vivo and to determine the diagnostic value of standardized uptake value ratios (SUVRs) using the Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve. Methods: A total of 34 PD and 31 HC participants were enrolled in the PET/MR derivation cohort, while 89 PD and 18 HC participants were recruited in the PET/CT validation cohort. The Hoehn-Yahr Scale and the third part of the MDS-Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (MDSUPDRS-III) were used to evaluate the disease staging and severity. All assessments and PET scanning were performed in drug-off states. The striatum was segmented into five subregions as follows: caudate, anterior dorsal putamen (ADP), anterior ventral putamen (AVP), posterior dorsal putamen (PDP), and posterior ventral putamen (PVP) using automatic pipeline built with the PMOD software (version 4.105). The SUVRs of the targeted subregions were calculated using the bilateral occipital cortex as the reference region. Results: Regarding the diagnostic value, ROC curve and blind validation showed that the contralateral PDP (SUVR = 3.43) had the best diagnostic accuracy (AUC = 0.973; P < 0.05), with a sensitivity of 97.1% (95% CI: 82.9-99.8%), specificity of 100% (95% CI: 86.3-100%), positive predictive value (PPV) of 100% (95% CI: 87.0-100%), negative predictive value (NPV) of 96.9% (95% CI: 82.0-99.8%), and an accuracy of 98.5% for the diagnosis of PD in the derivation cohort. Blind validation of 18F-FP-DTBZ PET imaging diagnosis was done using the PET/CT cohort, where participants with a SUVR of the PDP <3.43 were defined as PD. Kappa test showed a consistency of 0.933 (P < 0.05) between clinical diagnosis and imaging diagnosis, with a sensitivity of 98.9% (95% CI: 93.0-99.9%), specificity of 94.4% (95% CI: 70.6-99.7%), PPV of 98.9% (95% CI: 93.0-99.9%), NPV of 94.4% (95% CI: 70.6-99.7%), and a diagnostic accuracy of 98.1%. Conclusions: Our results showed that an SUVR threshold of 3.43 in the PDP could effectively distinguish patients with PD from HC.

Corrigendum: Diagnostic value of striatal 18F-FP-DTBZ PET in Parkinson's disease.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fnagi.2022.931015.].

Family Functioning is Associated with Post-Stroke Depression in First-Ever Stroke Survivors: A Longitudinal Study.

Background: Post-stroke depression (PSD) can aggravate the mortality and recurrence rate in stroke patients. The relationship between family functioning and PSD at different phases after a first-ever stroke is unclear. The purpose of this longitudinal study was to investigate the patterns and relationship of family functioning and PSD at acute hospitalization and 6 months post-discharge in first-ever stroke survivors. Methods: This is a longitudinal study conducted in Guangzhou, China. Family functioning and depression were measured by the Short Form Family Assessment Device (SF-FAD) and Self-Rating Depression Scale (SDS) at baseline and 6 months post-discharge. Multiple linear regression analysis was used to explore the relationship between family functioning and PSD. Results: The prevalence of PSD at acute hospitalization and 6 months post-discharge was 32.9% and 20.0%, respectively. SDS scores decreased significantly from baseline to 6 months post-discharge, while SF-FAD scores did not change significantly during this period. The Pearson correlation coefficient showed that SF-FAD scores were positively associated with SDS scores at the two time points (r 1 = 0.341, r 2 = 0.510, P < 0.05). Multiple linear regression analyses indicated that SF-FAD scores could predict PSD at baseline (unstandardized coefficient: 7.010, P < 0.05) and 6 months post-discharge (unstandardized coefficient: 9.672, P < 0.001). Conclusion: This study found that first-ever stroke survivors had good family functioning at baseline and 6 months post-discharge. The findings in this study verified that poor family functioning is positively associated with PSD at different phases post-stroke. Good family functioning is an important protective factor against PSD.

Formation of tungstate-containing cluster ions by polyoxotungstate anions under matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization conditions in the gas phase.

The gas-phase studies of transition-metal oxides continue to attract interest as such oxides are being used as catalysts in various oxidation processes. In this paper, singly negatively charged heteropolyoxotungstate and isopolyoxotungstate ion clusters were produced from Keggin-type polyoxotungstates by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (MALDI-FTICR MS). It was found that the ion series [(PO(3))(WO(3))(n)](-), [(WO(3))(n)](-) and [(OH)(WO(3))(n)](-) were the main fragment ions in the mass spectra and the matrix greatly influenced the resulting cluster ion abundances. [(PO(3))(WO(3))(3)](-), [(WO(3))(3)](-) and [(OH)(WO(3))(4)](-) were the most intense ions in each series when 2-(4-hydroxyphenylazo)benzoic acid was the matrix, whereas [(PO(3))(WO(3))(4)](-), [(WO(3))(6)](-) and [(OH)(WO(3))(4)](-) were the most intense when dithranol (DIT) was the matrix. In addition, a new kind of hybrid ion [W(2)C(14)H(7)O(8)](-) was produced through the reaction of DIT and [(OH)(WO(3))](-) in the plume of the gas phase. These results highlight the utility of the MALDI-FT method for obtaining novel ion clusters and also show the stability of these clusters.