Seasonal Variation in Neurological Severity and Clinical Outcomes in Ischemic Stroke Patients　- A 9-Year Study of 5,238 Patients.

BACKGROUND: Because the effects of extreme weather conditions on stroke severity and outcomes are unclear, we evaluated seasonal variations in stroke severity and clinical outcomes.Methods and Results: Between 2012 and 2020 we enrolled 5,238 patients with acute ischemic stroke, who were divided into 4 seasons according to stroke onset: spring, summer, autumn and winter. We analyzed the effect of season on the severity and outcomes of all subjects. Multivariable analysis showed that the winter group had 1.234-fold increased risk of moderate-to-severe neurological deficits than the summer group (95% confidence interval (CI): 1.034-1.472, P=0.020). Compared with the summer group, the winter and the spring groups experienced 1.243- and 1.251-fold the risk of suffering from worse outcomes among all patients at 6-month follow-up (95% CI 1.008-1.534, P=0.042, 95% CI 1.013-1.544, P=0.037). The 1-year follow-up revealed similar results. Further comparison of each season in the 2012-2015 and 2016-2020 periods found that the proportion of poor outcomes in the latter autumn group was lower than that in the former time period, with significant differences in both 6-month and 1-year follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: The onset season was related to the severity and clinical outcomes of ischemic stroke. Patients with winter onset had more severe neurological deficits and worse outcomes than those with summer onset.

Immunogenicity and safety of quadrivalent influenza vaccine among young and older adults in Tianjin, China: implication of immunosenescence as a risk factor.

BACKGROUND: Older adults are more vulnerable to seasonal influenza than younger adults. The immune responses of older persons to the influenza vaccine are usually poorer than those of young individuals, which is hypothesized due to immunosenescence. We conducted a study to evaluate the immunogenicity and safety of a quadrivalent inactivated influenza vaccine (IIV4) in a total of 167 young (< 65 years, n = 79) and older (≥ 65 years, n = 88) adults from October 2021 to March 2022 in Tianjin, China. A single dose was administered to all participants. Blood samples were collected and strain-specific hemagglutination inhibition (HAI) antibody titers were measured before and 21 to 28 days after vaccination. Safety information was also collected for 28 days and 6 months after vaccination. Differences in immunogenicity and safety were compared between young and old age groups, and multivariate logistic regression was used to estimate the effect of age and other factors on HAI antibody responses. RESULTS: Overall, geometric mean titers (GMTs) against all four vaccine strains in older adults were lower than those in the young, whereas the seroconversion rates (SCRs) were similar. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that age, influenza vaccination history, and pre-vaccination HAI titers were independent factors affecting SCRs and seroprotection rates (SCRs). Older age had significant negative impact on SCRs against H1N1 (OR, 0.971; 95% CI: 0.944-0.999; P = 0.042) and B/Victoria (OR, 0.964; 95% CI: 0.937-0.992; P = 0.011). In addition, there was a significant negative correlation between chronological age (years) and post-vaccination HAI titers against H1N1 (rho = -0.2298, P < 0.0001), B/Victoria (rho = -0.2235, P = 0.0037), and B/Yamagata (rho = -0.3689, P < 0.0001). All adverse events were mild (grade 1 or grade 2) that occurred within 28 days after vaccination, and no serious adverse event was observed. CONCLUSIONS: IIV4 is immunogenic and well-tolerated in young and older adults living in Tianjin, China. Our findings also indicate that age is an independent factor associated with poorer humoral immune responses to IIV4.

Malnutrition on admission increases the in-hospital mortality and length of stay in elder adults with acute ischemic stroke.

PURPOSE: Malnutrition, as determined by the Controlling Nutritional Status (CONUT), has an effect on the 3-month and long-term prognosis of stroke patients. The association between malnutrition and in-hospital mortality has not been well established. We aimed to investigate the relationship between the CONUT score on admission and in-hospital mortality and length of stay (LOS) in elderly patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS). METHODS: This study analyzed controls and patients with AIS. Malnutrition was determined using the CONUT score. A CONUT score of 5-12 was defined as undernutrition status. Based on the CONUT scores, the patients were divided into the low CONUT (0-4) and high CONUT (5-12) groups. RESULTS: In total, 1079 participants were recruited, comprising 288 controls and 791 AIS patients. Among the 791 patients, 64 (8.1%) had malnutrition and 63 (7.9%) had an in-hospital death. Compared to the controls, the AIS patients presented higher CONUT scores, higher proportion of in-hospital mortality (8.0%), and longer length of stay. Malnutrition was independently associated with in-hospital mortality in the AIS patients (adjusted odds ratio: 3.77, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.55-9.15; p = 0.003). The general linear models showed an association between the CONUT score and LOS (ß = 0.574, 95% CI: 0.208-0.934; p = 0.002). Furthermore, the effect of the interaction between infection and nutrition status on in-hospital mortality showed borderline statistical significance (p = 0.06). CONCLUSIONS: Malnutrition estimated by the CONUT score on admission can be a predictor of in-hospital mortality and increased LOS in elderly AIS patients.

Temporal trend of comorbidity and increasing impacts on mortality, length of stay, and hospital costs of first stroke in Tianjin, North of China.

BACKGROUND: Stroke patients have a high incidence of comorbidity. Previous studies have shown that comorbidity can impact on the short-term and long-term mortality after stroke. METHODS: Our study aimed to explore the trend of comorbidity among patients with first stroke from 2010 to 2020, and the influence of comorbidity on admission mortality, length of stay and hospitalization costs. 5988 eligible patients were enrolled in our study, and divided into 4 comorbidity burden groups according to Charlson comorbidity index (CCI): none, moderate, severe, very severe. Survival analysis was expressed by Kaplan-Meier curve. Cox regression model was used to analyze the effect of comorbidity on 7-day and in-hospital mortality. Generalized linear model (GLM) was used to analyze the association between comorbidity and hospitalization days and cost. RESULTS: Compared to patients without comorbidity, those with very severe comorbidity were more likely to be male (342, 57.7%), suffer from ischemic stroke (565, 95.3%), afford higher expense (Midian, 19339.3RMB, IQR13020.7-27485.9RMB), and have a higher in-hospital mortality (60, 10.1%). From 2010 to 2020, proportion of patients with severe and very severe comorbidity increased 12.9%. The heaviest comorbidity burden increased the risk of 7-day mortality (adjusted hazard ratio, 3.51, 95% CI 2.22-5.53) and in-hospital mortality (adjusted hazard ratio, 3.83, 95% CI 2.70-5.45). Patients with very severe comorbidity had a 12% longer LOS and extra 27% expense than those without comorbidity. CONCLUSIONS: Comorbidity burden showed an increasing trend year in past eleven years. The heavy comorbidity burden increased in-hospital mortality, LOS, and hospitalization cost, especially in patients aged 55 years or more. The findings also provide some reference on improvement of health care reform policies and allocation of resources.

Short-term effects of outdoor air pollution on acute ischaemic stroke occurrence: a case-crossover study in Tianjin, China.

OBJECTIVE: Ambient air pollution is associated with ischaemic stroke incidence. However, most of the previous studies used stroke-related hospital admission rather than stroke onset itself. This study aimed to evaluate the relationship between ambient air pollutant exposures and acute ischaemic stroke based on the timing of symptom onset. METHODS: A time-stratified, case-crossover analysis was performed among 520 patients who had ischaemic stroke admitted to the Second Hospital of Tianjin Medical University (Tianjin, China) between 1 April 2018 and 31 March 2019 (365 days). Daily air pollutant concentrations of particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter 2.5 µm, particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter 10 µm (PM10), sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide and ozone were obtained from fixed-site monitoring stations. We used conditional logistic regression to estimate OR and 95% CI corresponding to an increase in IQR of each air pollutant after adjusting for the effects of temperature and relative humidity. RESULTS: Overall, a higher risk of ischaemic stroke was found between April and September. During this period PM10 was associated with an increased risk of ischaemic stroke (1-day lag: OR=1.49, 95% CI 1.09 to 2.02; 3-day mean: OR=1.58, 95% CI 1.09 to 2.29) among patients between 34 and 70 years old. Positive associations were also observed between PM10 (1-day lag: OR=1.51, 95% CI 1.10 to 2.07; 3-day mean: OR=1.57, 95% CI 1.08 to 2.29), ozone (1-day lag: OR=1.83, 95% CI 1.16 to 2.87; 3-day mean: OR=1.90, 95% CI 1.06 to 3.42) and ischaemic stroke occurrence among those with hyperlipidaemia. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that air pollution is associated with a higher risk of ischaemic stroke in younger people or people with hyperlipidemia. These findings still need to be further investigated.

White Matter Hyperintensities Predict Cognitive Decline: A Community-Based Study.

INTRODUCTION: White matter hyperintensities (WMHs) were commonly seen in brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the elderly. Many studies found that WMHs were associated with cognitive decline and dementia. However, the association between WMHs in different brain regions and cognitive decline remains debated. METHODS: We explored the association of the severity of WMHs and cognitive decline in 115 non-demented elderly (≥50 years old) sampled from the Wuliqiao Community located in urban area of Shanghai. MRI scans were done during 2009-2011 at the beginning of the study. Severity of WMHs in different brain regions was scored by Improved Scheltens Scale and Cholinergic Pathways Hyperintensities Scale (CHIPS). Cognitive function was evaluated by Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) every 2 to 4 years during 2009-2018. RESULTS: After adjusting for confounding factors including age, gender, education level, smoking status, alcohol consumption, depression, hypertension, diabetes, hyperlipidemia, brain infarcts, brain atrophy, apoE4 status, and baseline MMSE score, periventricular and subcortical WMH lesions as well as WMHs in cholinergic pathways were significantly associated with annual MMSE decline ( p < 0.05), in which the severity of periventricular WMHs predicted a faster MMSE decline (-0.187 points/year, 95% confidence interval: -0.349, -0.026, p = 0.024). CONCLUSIONS: The severity of WMHs at baseline was associated with cognitive decline in the non-demented elderly over time. Interventions on WMH lesions may offer some benefits for cognitive deterioration.

Des hyper-signaux de la substance blanche prédicteurs du déclin cognitif : une étude menée dans une communauté locale.Introduction: Des hyper-signaux de la substance blanche (HSSB) peuvent généralement être observés lors d'examens d'imagerie par résonnance magnétique (IRM) effectués chez des personnes âgées. Plusieurs études ont également montré que les HSSB étaient associés au déclin cognitif et à la démence. Cela dit, le lien pouvant exister entre ces HSSB détectés dans diverses régions cérébrales et le déclin cognitif demeure sujet à débat. Méthodes: Nous avons décidé d'explorer l'association existant entre l'intensité des HSSB et le déclin cognitif chez 115 personnes âgées n'étant pas atteintes de démence (≥50 ans). Ces personnes avaient été recrutées au sein du quartier de Wuliqiao situé dans le grand Shanghai. Signalons que ces examens d'IRM ont été effectués au début de cette étude entre 2009 et 2011. L'intensité des HSSB dans diverses régions cérébrales a été mesurée au moyen des échelles suivantes : la Improved Scheltens Scale et la Cholinergic Pathways Hyperintensities Scale (CHIPS). En ce qui concerne la fonction cognitive, elle a été évaluée à l'aide du test de Folstein (ou mini-mental state examination) tous les 2 à 4 ans entre 2009 et 2018. Résultats: Une fois la prise en compte d'un certain nombre de facteurs de confusion (l'âge, le sexe, le niveau de scolarité, le tabagisme, la consommation d'alcool, la dépression, l'hypertension, le diabète, l'hyperlipidémie, des accidents ischémiques cérébraux, une atrophie du cerveau, la situation de l'allèle 4 du gène ApoE et le score initial au test de Folstein), il est apparu que des lésions révélées par des hyper-signaux des régions péri-ventriculaire et sous-corticale, de même que des hyper-signaux détectés dans les voies cholinergiques, étaient nettement associés à des résultats en baisse au test de Folstein en cours d'année (p < 0,05). Fait à noter, l'intensité des HSSB de la région péri-ventriculaire a aussi permis de prédire un déclin plus rapide des scores au test de Folstein (- 0,187 points/année, IC 95 % : - 0,349 - 0,026; p = 0,024). Conclusions: L'intensité des HSSB observée au début de cette étude a été associée au fil du temps au déclin cognitif de personnes âgées n'étant pas atteintes de démence. Il est donc possible que des interventions ciblant des lésions révélées par des HSSB puissent offrir certains bienfaits quand il est question de déclin cognitif.

Intraventricular infusion of clusterin ameliorated cognition and pathology in Tg6799 model of Alzheimer's disease.

BACKGROUND: Alzheimer's disease (AD) is characterized by the deposition of amyloid-ß (Aß) in brain parenchyma and cerebral blood vessels as cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA). Clusterin, a chaperon protein associated with Aß aggregation, toxicity and transport through blood-brain barrier, may play a key role in the development of AD. Recently, clusterin peptide D-[113-122] was shown to mimic clusterin's function and exerted therapeutic effect in atherosclerosis. In this study, we investigated whether this clusterin peptide also affected (Aß) deposition in AD transgenic mouse. RESULTS: Using a micropump, synthetic peptide 113-122 of clusterin protein (20 µg/200 µl) was infused into the lateral ventricle of 8-month 5 × FAD transgenic mouse model (Tg6799), for 2 weeks. Water-maze testing showed an improved cognitive function of the Tg6799 mice treated with clusterin. Immunocytochemistry and quantitative analysis revealed that intraventricular (icv) administration of clusterin peptide in Tg6799 mouse reduced Aß plaques as well the severity of cerebral amyloid angiopathy. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay demonstrated a decreased in the soluble levels of Aß (Aß40 and Aß42) in the brain. Western-blot revealed an increased level of LRP-2 after clusterin peptide treatment. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that icv infusion of clusterin peptide D-[113-122] offers a promising therapeutic approach to reduce Aß deposition as well as CAA. The LRP2-mediated clearance system might be involved in the mechanism of these effects.

Impact of patent foramen ovale with left-to-right shunt on atrial fibrillation ablation in young patients.

OBJECTIVE: The CABANA study shows that atrial fibrillation (AF) paitents younger than 65 years benefit more from the AF radiofrequency catheter ablation (RFCA) procedure. The aim of this study is to investigate the impact of inherent patent foramen ovale (PFO) with a Left-to-Right Shunt on the RFCA procedure in young AF patients. METHODS: Based on the presence or absence of inherent PFO, the AF patients were divided into the PFO groups and the non-PFO group. Clinical follow-up was also investigated. RESULTS: A total of 285 AF patients were enrolled. PFO was detected by TEE in 42 patients. The age of patients at initial AF onset was younger in the PFO group than in the non-PFO group (58.3 ± 8.9 vs. 62.3 ± 9.6 years, P = 0.012). There were more AF patients aged <55 years in the PFO group than in the non-PFO group. For the 9 AF patients with PFO who experienced AF recurrence and the left-to-right shunts decreased in size in 5 of the patients aged <65 years. The LAD decreased in those patients. In the PeAF patients, 53/64 patients aged <65 years and 23/40 patients aged older than 65 years were free of AF (82.8 % vs. 57.5 %, respectively; P = 0.005). CONCLUSION: Success is not affected when AF is combined PFO compared with AF without PFO. Young patients have better PeAF RFCA outcomes. AF in young patients with left atria enlargement and a serious AF burden, may lead to reduced EF and render PFO easy to detect.

Recognition of small faults in coal fields based on multi-scale seismic curvature attributes fusion.

In order to meet the needs of intelligent development of coal mines in China for transparency of geological conditions, identifying small faults with a drop of about 3 m has become one of the important geological tasks in structural interpretation. However, the accuracy of conventional 3D seismic exploration data interpretation methods for detecting small faults is still low. On the basis of introducing the basic principles of S-transform time-frequency analysis, principal component analysis, and RGB fusion, this paper proposes a method for identifying small faults in coal fields using multi-scale seismic curvature attribute fusion. The method uses S-transform to perform time frequency analysis to obtain seismic data volumes with multiple frequencies and seismic data volumes at different frequencies correspond to different scales of underground geological information portrayal. Perform spectral analysis on seismic data, determine parameters such as the dominant frequency and frequency bandwidth of seismic signals, and extract the maximum positive curvature attributes of seismic data volumes at different frequencies. Then the principal component analysis (PCA) method is used to analyze the seismic attributes of different frequency seismic data, the GRB fusion method is used to fuse the first three principal components. The application results of actual seismic data show that the results of multi-scale seismic curvature attribute fusion have obvious advantages in identifying small faults, and can improve the accuracy and interpretation accuracy of small faults in seismic data.

Case Report: Four cases of SARS-CoV-2-associated Guillain-Barré Syndrome with SARS-CoV-2-positive cerebrospinal fluid detected by metagenomic next-generation sequencing: a retrospective case series from China.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is often absent or at low levels in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of patients with previous SARS-CoV-2-associated Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS). This has led to speculation that SARS-CoV-2-associated GBS is more likely mediated by post-infectious immunity or a parainfection. This understanding has influenced the development of treatment regimens for SARS-CoV-2-associated GBS. This paper reports our experience with four Chinese patients with SARS-CoV-2-associated GBS who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 RNA in the CSF. They developed symptoms of peripheral nerve damage 4-15 days after fever and confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection, all of whom presented with progressive weakness of both lower limbs; three with autonomic nerve function impairment such as constipation and urination disorder; and one with polycranial neuritis and Miller-Fisher syndrome. Three patients were tested for anti-ganglioside antibodies, and one tested positive for GD1a-IgG. Four patients recovered well after treatment with anti-viral drugs combined with intravenous immunoglobulin. The present results showed that SARS-CoV-2 RNA can be detected via mNGS in the CSF of some patients with SARS-CoV-2-associated GBS, suggesting that SARS-CoV-2-associated GBS may have multiple pathogeneses.

Self-grown oxygen vacancies-rich CeO2/BiOBr Z-scheme heterojunction decorated with rGO as charge transfer channel for enhanced photocatalytic oxidation of elemental mercury.

Oxygen vacancy-rich CeO2/BiOBr was prepared via solvothermal method combined with rGO to design a Z-scheme heterojunction, which was used for photocatalytic oxidation of gaseous elemental mercury. The Z-scheme heterojunction constructed by interface engineering significantly promotes charge carriers transfer at the interface. Moreover, the surface oxygen vacancies and Ce3+/Ce4+ redox centers tend to capture electrons to accelerate the Z-scheme path of charge transfer to maintain efficient redox performance and facilitate molecular oxygen activation to boost photocatalytic removal of Hg0. The collaboration of oxygen vacancies, Ce3+/Ce4+ and heterojunction enhances the photocatalytic oxidation activity, which achieves a removal efficiency of 76.53%, which is 1.29 times that of BiOBr and 1.91 times that of CeO2. The effect of actual flue gas components (SO2, NO and HCl) on the performance of photocatalytic Hg0 removal was further investigated. Combined with DFT theoretical calculations, the photocatalytic reaction mechanism of Z-scheme heterojunction with oxygen vacancies-rich was proposed. It provides a feasible strategy for the development of high-efficiency Z-scheme heterojunction photocatalytic system for environmental purification.

Nanosized ZnIn2S4 supported on facet-engineered CeO2 nanorods for efficient gaseous elemental mercury immobilization.

Nanosized ZnIn2S4 supported on facet-engineered CeO2 nanorods were prepared by solvothermal method to effectively capture gaseous elemental mercury from flue gas. The CeO2/ZnIn2S4 sorbent exhibited excellent mercury removal performance (>90%) in a wide temperature range from 60 to 240 â„ƒ and showed much higher mercury adsorption capacity than pure CeO2 due to the enlarged specific surface area and abundant active oxygen and sulfur sites on the surface. It was found that CeO2/ZnIn2S4 has good resistance to SO2, NO and H2O. At the optimal 120 â„ƒ, the equilibrium Hg0 adsorption capacity of CeO2/ZnIn2S4 can reach 19.172 mg/g, which is superior to the reported series of benchmark materials. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and temperature programmed desorption of mercury confirmed that the adsorbed mercury existed on the surface as HgO and HgS, indicating that catalytic oxidation and chemisorption occurred on the surface of the adsorbent. The adsorption energy of Hg0 on the CeO2 (110) and ZnIn2S4 (110) surfaces calculated with density functional theory (DFT), further confirms that the surface activated oxygen and sulfur sites are the most stable adsorption sites. Furthermore, the good regeneration capability of CeO2/ZnIn2S4 makes it more promising for Hg0 capture in practical applications.

The effects of heatwaves and cold spells on patients admitted with acute ischemic stroke.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to explore the effects of heatwaves and cold spells on blood pressure, thrombus formation, and systemic inflammation at admission in patients with ischemic stroke. METHODS: Data of patients with ischemic stroke who were admitted to the Second Hospital of Tianjin Medical University between May 2014 and March 2019 were reviewed, along with meteorological data from the same time period. A total of 806 clinically confirmed patients with ischemic stroke (34-97 years old) were included in the final analysis. Heatwaves and cold spells were defined as ≥2 consecutive days with average temperature >95th percentile (May-August) and <5th percentile (November-March), respectively. Coagulation parameters, inflammation indices, blood pressure, and neurological impairment were evaluated within 24 hours of admission. General linear and logistic regression models were created to investigate the relationships of heatwaves and cold spells with the examination results of patients with ischemic stroke at admission. RESULTS: After adjustment for potential environmental confounders, heatwaves were positively associated with high systolic blood pressure (SBP) (ß=8.693, P=0.019), diastolic blood pressure (DBP) (ß=3.665, P=0.040), reduced thrombin time (TT) (ß=-0.642, P=0.027), and activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT) (ß=-1.572, P=0.027) in ischemic stroke patients at admission. Cold spells were positively associated with high SBP (ß=5.277, P=0.028), DBP (ß=4.672, P=0.012), fibrinogen (ß=0.315, P=0.011), globulin (ß=1.523, P=0.011), and reduced TT (ß=-0.784, P<0.001) and APTT (ß=-1.062, P=0.024). Cold spells were also associated with a higher risk of respiratory infection [odds ratio (OR) =2.677, P=0.001]. CONCLUSIONS: Exposure to heatwaves or cold spells was associated with blood pressure and coagulation at admission in patients with ischemic stroke. Cold spells also resulted in higher levels of inflammation. These findings suggest that changes in coagulation, blood pressure, and inflammation may be the potential biological mechanisms underlying the cerebrovascular effects of exposure to extreme temperatures.

Potential Impacts of Meteorological Variables on Acute Ischemic Stroke Onset.

PURPOSE: The effects of meteorological parameters on stroke occurrence remain debated. The aim of the study was to assess the association between meteorological parameters and ischemic stroke onset in cold seasons in Tianjin. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients with acute ischemic stroke (946) were identified by standard sampling from one stroke unit in the Second Hospital of Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, China, from 10/1/2014 to 4/30/2019. Generalized linear Poisson regression models were used to explore the effect of meteorological parameters (air temperature, barometric pressure, and relative humidity) on daily ischemic stroke onset after adjusting for air pollutants, day of week, and public holiday. RESULTS: The results showed that ischemic stroke onset was positively associated with the diurnal variation of temperature (ß coefficient: 0.020, 95% CI [0.001, 0.038] p<0.05). Significant positive correlation between ischemic stroke onset and barometric pressure (mean, minimum) was found (ß coefficient: 0.010, 95% CI [0.001,0.019] p<0.05; 0.010, 95% CI [0.001,0.019] p<0.05). The subgroup analysis considering age and gender difference showed that the older and the female were more vulnerable to weather conditions. CONCLUSION: Our study demonstrated that there was a measurable effect of weather parameters on daily ischemic stroke onset in colder seasons, suggesting that meteorological variables may, at least in part, play as risk factors for ischemic stroke onset, especially for the aging and female population.

Executive and Visuospatial Dysfunction in Patients With Primary Restless Legs Syndrome/Willis-Ekbom Disease: Study of a Chinese Population.

STUDY OBJECTIVES: The aim of the study was to investigate the cognitive function of patients with primary restless legs syndrome/Willis-Ekbom disease (RLS/ WED) in a Chinese population. METHODS: A total of 40 patients with RLS/WED who were drug naïve and 40 controls, matched by age, sex, and educational level, were evaluated by cognitive function assessments, including the Chinese version of the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE-C), clock drawing test (CDT), Auditory Verbal Learning Test (AVLT), Rey-Osterrieth Complex Figure Test (CFT), and Stroop Color Word Test (SCWT). RESULTS: Patients with RLS/WED showed worse performance on the SCWT (Stroop Card C time: 102.36 ± 17.12 versus 87.08 ± 7.73 seconds, P = .033; Interference Index: 3.39 ± 0.38 versus 2.90 ± 0.15, P < .0001), CFT (24.05 ± 9.28 versus 33.74 ± 1.59, P = .008), and CDT than controls (16-score method: 10.13 ± 3.94 versus 13.98 ± 1.79, P = .0002) after adjusting for Hamilton Anxiety Scale score, Hamilton Depression Scale score, Epworth Sleepiness Scale score, and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index total score to eliminate the confounders of concomitant sleep disturbances, anxiety, and depression. CONCLUSIONS: Our study suggested that cognitive functions involving executive and visuospatial domains might be disturbed in Chinese patients with primary RLS/WED.

A novel selection method of seismic attributes based on gray relational degree and support vector machine.

The selection of seismic attributes is a key process in reservoir prediction because the prediction accuracy relies on the reliability and credibility of the seismic attributes. However, effective selection method for useful seismic attributes is still a challenge. This paper presents a novel selection method of seismic attributes for reservoir prediction based on the gray relational degree (GRD) and support vector machine (SVM). The proposed method has a two-hierarchical structure. In the first hierarchy, the primary selection of seismic attributes is achieved by calculating the GRD between seismic attributes and reservoir parameters, and the GRD between the seismic attributes. The principle of the primary selection is that these seismic attributes with higher GRD to the reservoir parameters will have smaller GRD between themselves as compared to those with lower GRD to the reservoir parameters. Then the SVM is employed in the second hierarchy to perform an interactive error verification using training samples for the purpose of determining the final seismic attributes. A real-world case study was conducted to evaluate the proposed GRD-SVM method. Reliable seismic attributes were selected to predict the coalbed methane (CBM) content in southern Qinshui basin, China. In the analysis, the instantaneous amplitude, instantaneous bandwidth, instantaneous frequency, and minimum negative curvature were selected, and the predicted CBM content was fundamentally consistent with the measured CBM content. This real-world case study demonstrates that the proposed method is able to effectively select seismic attributes, and improve the prediction accuracy. Thus, the proposed GRD-SVM method can be used for the selection of seismic attributes in practice.

Association of Source of Memory Complaints and Increased Risk of Cognitive Impairment and Cognitive Decline: A Community-Based Study.

BACKGROUND: Memory complaint is common in the elderly. Recently, it was shown that self-report memory complaint was predictive of cognitive decline. This study aimed to investigate the predictive value of the source of memory complaints on the risk of cognitive impairment and cognitive decline in a community-based cohort. METHODS: Data on memory complaints and cognitive function were collected among 1840 Chinese participants (aged ≥55 years old) in an urban community at baseline interview and 5-year follow-up. Incident cognitive impairment was identified based on education-adjusted Mini-Mental State Examination score. Logistic regression model was used to estimate the association between the source of memory complaints and risk of cognitive impairment conversion and cognitive decline, after adjusting for covariates. RESULTS: A total of 1840 participants were included into this study including 1713 normal participants and 127 cognitive impairment participants in 2009. Among 1713 normal participants in 2009, 130 participants were converted to cognitive impairment after 5 years of follow-up. In 2014, 606 participants were identified as cognitive decline. Both self- and informant-reported memory complaints were associated with an increased risk of cognitive impairment (odds ratio [OR] = 1.60, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.04-2.48) and cognitive decline (OR = 1.30, 95% CI: 1.01-1.68). Furthermore, this association was more significant in males (OR = 2.10, 95% CI: 1.04-4.24 for cognitive impairment and OR = 1.87, 95% CI: 1.20-2.99 for cognitive decline) and in higher education level (OR = 1.79, 95% CI: 1.02-3.15 for cognitive impairment and OR = 1.40, 95% CI: 1.02-1.91 for cognitive decline). CONCLUSIONS: Both self- and informant-reported memory complaints were associated with an increased risk of cognitive impairment conversion and cognitive decline, especially in persons with male gender and high educational background.

The role of amyloid beta clearance in cerebral amyloid angiopathy: more potential therapeutic targets.

Cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA) is characterized by the deposition of amyloid ß-protein (Aß) in the leptomeningeal and cortical blood vessels, which is an age-dependent risk factor for intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH), ischemic stroke and contributes to cerebrovascular dysfunction leading to cognitive impairment. However clinical prevention and treatment of the disease is very difficult because of its occult onset and severity of the symptoms. In recent years, many anti-amyloid ß immunotherapies have not demonstrated clinical efficacy in subjects with Alzheimer's disease (AD), and the failure may be due to the deposition of Aß in the cerebrovascular export pathway resulting in further damage to blood vessels and aggravating CAA. So decreased clearance of Aß in blood vessels plays a crucial role in the development of CAA and AD, and identification of the molecular pathways involved will provide new targets for treatment. In this review, we mainly describe the mechanisms of Aß clearance through vessels, especially in terms of some proteins and receptors involved in this process.

Association of BTBD9 and MAP2K5/SKOR1 With Restless Legs Syndrome in Chinese Population.

Study Objectives: The aim of the study was to investigate the relationship between genetic factors and primary restless legs syndrome (RLS) in Chinese population. Methods: A total of 116 RLS patients and 200 controls were recruited and the diagnosis of RLS was based on the criteria of International RLS Study Group. Polymer chain reaction (PCR) and sequencing were used to detect 19 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in six genetic loci (MEIS1, BTBD9, PTPRD, MAP2K5/SKOR1, TOX3, and Intergenic region of 2p14). Results: Our study found that one SNP increased the risk of RLS in Chinese population: rs6494696 of MAP2K5/SKOR1 (odds ratio [OR] = 0.09, p < .0001, recessive model). A further meta-analysis of RLS in Asian population found that two SNPs of BTBD9 increased the risk of RLS: rs9296249 of BTBD9 (OR = 1.44, p = .000, T allele), rs9357271 of BTBD9 (OR = 1.38, p = .021, dominant model). Conclusion: Our results confirmed the association of BTBD9 and MAP2K5/SKOR1 with primary RLS in Chinese population.

Multiple biomarkers response in maize (Zea mays L.) during exposure to copper.

Biomarkers in higher plants played an important role to estimate exposure effects of pollutants in soil ecosystem and have received increasing attention in recent years. The qualitative and quantitative modifications arising in amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) profiles as a measure of DNA effects were compared with a number of parameters, namely, the root length, total soluble protein content in root tips, chlorophylls content and shoot size to select the most sensitive biomarker responding to copper stress in the range of 0-600 mg/kg. The changes occurring in AFLP profiles of root tips following Cu treatment included loss of normal bands and appearance of new bands and variation in band intensity in comparison to that of the normal seedlings. A reduction in root length was observed at the 200 mg/kg of copper, which was accompanied with a decrease in total soluble protein content. According to their sensitivity to the copper toxicity, the above indicator rank in the following order: AFLP profiles > total soluble protein content > root length > chlorophylls content > shoot. We concluded that the AFLP offered a useful alternative biomarker assay for the detection of genotoxic effects of environmental pollutants.