Elevated visceral adiposity index linked to improved cognitive function in middle-aged and elderly Chinese: evidence from the China health and retirement longitudinal study.

Object: Cognitive decline and obesity are major global public health issues, and their association has been widely acknowledged. The link between the visceral adiposity index (VAI) and cognitive function in the Chinese population remains uncertain. This study aims to investigate the effects of VAI levels on cognitive function in the Chinese middle-aged and elderly population. Methods: We analyzed longitudinal data from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS) collected in 2011, 2013, 2015, and 2018. VAI levels were divided into three tertiles. Generalized estimating equation (GEE) models were used to explore the relationships between VAI levels and cognitive function, including overall cognitive scores, episodic memory, and mental status. Adjustments were made for potential confounders. Results: The study consisted of 2,677 participants. Contrary to expectations, higher VAI levels were associated with higher overall cognitive scores and improved episodic memory scores, while no significant effect was observed on mental status. The GEE models consistently indicated that higher VAI levels were associated with higher overall cognitive scores, primarily due to their association with episodic memory. Stratified analyses revealed that the VAI was associated with better cognitive function primarily in males, individuals under 60 years old, those with lower education levels, rural residents, and married individuals, mainly in relation to episodic memory. No significant interactions were observed between VAI and demographic factors. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that higher visceral adiposity is associated with slower cognitive decline in the Chinese middle-aged and elderly population, especially in its association with episodic memory. These results underline the need to further investigate the potential protective role of visceral fat in cognitive function, potentially offering new insights for interventions to enhance cognitive function and prevent dementia in this population.

Haemorrhagic cystitis following the administration of voriconazole in the treatment of central nervous system aspergillosis: a case report.

Central nervous system aspergillosis (CNS-A) is a rare and fatal fungal infection. Voriconazole is the recommended treatment for CNS-A. The therapeutic effect of voriconazole is good, but its use is limited due to adverse reactions. This case report describes a 37-year-old male patient that had previously been diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia. He had received immunosuppressive agents for 1 year following a haematopoietic bone marrow transplant. He presented with a 1-month history of left limb weakness as well as recurrent fever. Brain magnetic resonance imaging showed that he had multiple cerebral infarctions. Subsequently, he was diagnosed with CNS-A by metagenomic next-generation sequencing. Voriconazole was added to his treatment regimen, but it resulted in severe haemorrhagic cystitis and possibly bladder rupture. The dose of voriconazole was adjusted and reparative bladder surgery was undertaken immediately. Eventually, the patient was successfully treated with voriconazole and there was no recurrence of symptoms after 1 year of follow-up. Haemorrhagic cystitis is a rare adverse drug reaction associated with voriconazole use. Based on the experience with this current case, physicians should be aware of urinary tract complications with voriconazole including haemorrhagic cystitis.

Environmental enrichment and abstinence attenuate ketamine-induced cardiac and renal toxicity.

The current study was designed to investigate the effect of abstinence in combination with environmental enrichment (EE) on cardiac and renal toxicity induced by 2 weeks of ketamine self-administration (SA) in rodents. In Experiment 1, one group of rats underwent ketamine SA for 14 days. In Experiment 2, the animals completed 2 weeks of ketamine SA followed by 2 and 4 weeks of abstinence. In Experiment 3, animals underwent 14 days of ketamine SA and 4 weeks of abstinence in which isolated environment (IE) and EE was introduced. The corresponding control groups were included for each experiment. Two weeks of ketamine SA caused significant increases in organ weight, Apoptosis Stimulating Fragment/Kidney Injury Molecule-1, and apoptotic level of heart and kidney. The extended length of withdrawal from ketamine SA partially reduced toxicity on the heart and kidney. Finally, introduction of EE during the period of abstinence greatly promoted the effect of abstinence on ketamine-induced cardiac and renal toxicity. The interactive effect of EE and abstinence was promising to promote the recovery of cardiac and renal toxicity of ketamine.

The effects of GSK-3ß blockade on ketamine self-administration and relapse to drug-seeking behavior in rats.

RATIONALE: The role of glycogen synthase kinase-3 (GSK-3) has recently been implicated in the neurochemical mechanism underlying ketamine-induced neuronal toxicity and behavioral disturbance. OBJECTIVES: The primary goal of the present study was to determine the role of GSK-3ß in ketamine self-administration (SA) and relapse to drug-seeking behavior after abstinence. METHODS: In Experiment 1, the level of phosphorylated GSK-3ß (p-GSK-3ß) and total GSK-3ß (t-GSK-3ß) was determined in various brain areas following 14 days of ketamine SA. In Experiments 2 and 3, the effects of a GSK-3ß inhibitor, SB216763 (2 and 4 mg/kg) and a GSK-3 inhibitor, lithium (LiCl, 100mg/kg) on the responding maintained by 0.5mg/kg/infusion ketamine SA were evaluated. In Experiments 4 and 5, rats underwent ketamine SA for 14 days followed by a 10-day abstinence period. The animals were treated with 2 or 4 mg/kg GSK-3ß inhibitor, or 100mg/kg LiCl during the cue-induced relapse test. Seven days later, animals received the same drug treatment and underwent the drug-induced relapse test. Finally, the effect of saline and DMSO on locomotor activity was evaluated in Experiment 6. RESULTS: Ketamine SA significantly decreased the ratio p-GSK-3ß and t-GSK-3ß (p-GSK-3ß:t-GSK-3ß) in the caudate putamen, nucleus accumbens, and ventral tegmental area. Both SB216763 and LiCl decreased responding on a progressive ratio schedule, but not on a fixed ratio schedule. Cue-induced relapse was suppressed only by 4mg/kg SB216763, whereas drug-induced relapse was inhibited by 2, 4 mg/kg SB216763 and LiCl. However, inactive responses were also suppressed by LiCl during progressive ratio and drug-induced relapse testing. CONCLUSIONS: SB216763 was effective at decreasing ketamine SA under the PR schedule and reducing drug-seeking behavior after abstinence.

[Simultaneous determination of four Sudan dyes in blood by solid-phase extraction combined with ultra-fast liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry].

A method for the simultaneous determination of Sudan I, II, III, and IV in blood samples by solid-phase extraction (SPE) combined with ultra-fast liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UFLC-MS/MS) has been established. The samples were extracted with acetonitrile by vortex and vibrate technique, and then the supernatant was diluted with equal volume of water and cleaned up by a C18 SPE column. The separation was performed on an Agilent Eclipse Plus C18 column (100 mm x 2.1 mm, 1.8 microm) by gradient elution with acetonitrile containing 0.1% (v/v) formic acid and 0.1% (v/v) formic acid aqueous solution as the mobile phases. The electrospray ionization (ESI) source in the positive mode and multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) mode were used for the quantitative analysis. In addition, the phenomenon of E-Z optical isomer occurred by the azo group from Sudan III and IV was found, and the influencing factors were discussed. The results showed that the calibration curves were in good linearity for the four Sudan dyes ranged from 0.1 to 20.0 microg/L with the correlation coefficients of more than 0.999. The average recoveries were from 93.0% to 108.2% with the relative standard deviations (RSDs) from 4.8% to 9.5%. The limits of detection (LODs) and the limits of quantification (LOQs) were 0.06 microg/L and 0.2 microg/L for the four analytes, respectively. The developed method is simple, rapid, and highly sensitive. It can be used for the determination of trace Sudan dyes in blood samples.

Chronic treatment with curcumin enhances methamphetamine locomotor sensitization and cue-induced reinstatement of methamphetamine self-administration.

OBJECTIVES: Curcumin, a major active component of Curcuma longa, possesses antidepressant effects that are mediated by the 5-HT system. However, little is known about the effect of curcumin on the behavioral consequences of methamphetamine (METH). METHODS: The subjects were male, adult Sprague-Dawley rats. In Experiment 1, the effects of 20 and 40 mg/kg curcumin (i.p.) on response rates and breakpoints of 0.06 mg/kg/infusion METH were evaluated. In Experiment 2, rats were self-administering METH for 10 days followed by a 14-day abstinence period. During the abstinence period, the animals were treated with DMSO, 20 or 40 mg/kg curcumin. All rats were then tested for extinction responding and cue-induced reinstatement. In Experiment 3, rats were treated with DMSO, 20, or 40 mg/kg curcumin 15 min before a METH-induced locomotor activity test for 14 consecutive days. In Experiment 4, rats were pretreated with DMSO or curcumin (20 mg/kg or 40 mg/kg) for 13 days and were subsequently tested for METH-induced locomotor activity on the 14th day. In Experiment 5, three groups were tested for locomotor activity after an injection of DMSO, 20, or 40 mg/kg curcumin. The test was repeated for 14 days. RESULTS: Curcumin produced little effect on response rates and breakpoints maintained by METH. Chronic treatment of only 40 mg/kg curcumin during the abstinence phase enhanced cue-induced reinstatement of METH self-administration. Chronic administration of curcumin increased METH-induced sensitization of locomotor activity at the lower (20 mg/kg) but not higher (40 mg/kg) dose. However pretreatment of curcumin alone showed no significant effect on acute locomotor responses to METH and locomotor responses per se. CONCLUSIONS: Curcumin enhanced, rather than inhibited the behavioral effects of METH.