Evaluation of tubal patency based on peak injection pressure in four-dimensional hysterosalpingo-contrast sonography among infertile females: a preliminary study.

Background: Although the application of four-dimensional hysterosalpingo-contrast sonography (4D-HyCoSy) has relatively good diagnostic accuracy for assessing the patency of the fallopian tubes, the evaluation process mainly relies on morphological findings of the fallopian tubes and pelvic cavity. The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship of peak injection pressure during 4D-HyCoSy and tubal patency to provide a quantitative indicator for the evaluation of fallopian tube patency. Methods: This study included infertile patients who underwent 4D-HyCoSy and laparoscopic chromopertubation (LC) between 2020 and 2022, with LC serving as the reference test for assessing tubal patency. For the HyCoSy procedure, the ultrasound contrast agent was injected automatically using a liquid injection machine, and real-time pressure values were recorded. Patients were classified based on tubal patency status in LC as bilaterally patent, unilaterally patent, or bilaterally nonpatent. The average peak injection pressure and contrast agent volume of different groups were compared. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was employed to determine the cutoff value. Results: A total of 268 infertile patients were enrolled in the study. With LC as the standard examination, the sensitivity and specificity of 4D-HyCoSy in diagnosing nonpatent fallopian tubes were 91.1% and 95.1%, respectively. In general, peak injection pressure was observed to gradually increase as tubal patency decreased (P<0.001), with average peak injection pressures of 233.5±66.3, 338.8±99.8, and 469.6±63.1 mmHg in the bilaterally patent, unilaterally patent, and bilaterally nonpatent groups, respectively. The volume of contrast agent used in patients in the bilaterally nonpatent group was significantly lower than that in the other two groups (P<0.01), with average volumes of 22.7±6.3, 24.3±9.3, and 18.9±9.2 mL, respectively. When one fallopian tube was patent, the area under the curve (AUC) for distinguishing obstruction from patency of the other fallopian tube was 0.827, with a sensitivity of 79.8% and a specificity of 74.3% (cutoff value: 254.3 mmHg). Similarly, when one fallopian tube was nonpatent, the AUC was 0.866, with a sensitivity of 90.6% and a specificity of 78.3% (cutoff value: 401.3 mmHg). Conclusions: Peak injection pressure during 4D-HyCoSy demonstrates promising diagnostic performance in evaluating fallopian tube patency in infertile patients.

Propranolol can correct prolonged QT intervals in patients with cirrhosis.

Background: Prolonged QT intervals are extremely common in patients with cirrhosis and affect their treatment outcomes. Propranolol is often used to prevent gastroesophageal variceal hemorrhage in patients with cirrhosis; however, it is uncertain whether propranolol exerts a corrective effect on QT interval prolongation in patients with cirrhosis. Aim: The study aimed to investigate the therapeutic effects of propranolol on patients with cirrhosis and prolonged QT intervals. Methods: A retrospective cohort study approach was adopted. Patients with cirrhosis complicated by moderate-to-severe gastroesophageal varices, who were hospitalized at the Affiliated Hospital of Guangdong Medical University between 1 December 2020 and 31 November 2022, were included in the study. The patients were divided into the propranolol and control groups based on whether they had received propranolol. Upon admission, the patients underwent tests on liver and kidney functions, electrolytes, and coagulation function, as well as abdominal ultrasonography and electrocardiography. In addition to conventional treatment, the patients were followed up after the use or non-use of propranolol for treatment and subsequently underwent reexamination of the aforementioned tests. Results: The propranolol group (26 patients) had an average baseline corrected QT (QTc) interval of 450.23 ± 37.18 ms, of which 14 patients (53.8%) exhibited QTc interval prolongation. Follow-up was continued for a median duration of 7.00 days after the administration of propranolol and conventional treatment. Electrocardiographic reexamination revealed a decrease in the QTc interval to 431.04 ± 34.64 ms (p = 0.014), and the number of patients with QTc interval prolongation decreased to five (19.2%; p < 0.001). After treatment with propranolol and multimodal therapy, QTc interval normalization occurred in nine patients with QTc interval prolongation, leading to a normalization rate of 64.3% (9/14). The control group (n = 58) had an average baseline QTc interval of 453.74 ± 30.03 ms, of which 33 patients (56.9%) exhibited QTc interval prolongation. After follow-up for a median duration of 7.50 days, the QTc interval was 451.79 ± 34.56 ms (p = 0.482), and the number of patients with QTc interval prolongation decreased to 30 (51.7%; p = 0.457). The QTc interval normalization rate of patients in the control group with QTc interval prolongation was merely 10.0% (3/33), which was significantly lower than that in the propranolol group (p < 0.001). Conclusion: In patients with cirrhosis complicated by QT interval prolongation, the short-term use of propranolol aids in correction of a long QT interval and provides positive therapeutic value for cirrhotic cardiomyopathy.

Clinicopathological features, prognostic factor analysis, and survival nomogram of patients with double primary cancers involving lung cancer.

BACKGROUND: Although the incidence of double primary cancers (DPCs) involving lung cancer is rising, they have not been studied sufficiently. This study retrospectively analyzed the clinicopathological and prognostic characteristics of DPC patients with lung cancer and developed a survival nomogram to predict the individual OS rates. METHODS: We included 103 DPC patients with lung cancer from Shengjing Hospital between 2016 and 2021. Based on the 6-month cancer occurrence interval, the cases were categorized as synchronous DPCs (sDPCs) or metachronous DPCs (mDPCs). Furthermore, the mDPCs were subdivided based on whether the lung cancer occurred first (LCF cohort) or the other cancer occurred first (OCF cohort). RESULTS: Among the patients, 35 (33.98%) and 68 (66.02%) had sDPCs and mDPCs, respectively. In the mDPCs cohort, 18 (26.47%) belonged to the LCF cohort and 50 (73.53%) to the OCF cohort. The most frequent primary cancer sites were the breast (27.18%), colorectum (22.33%), and urinary system (18.45%). Independent risk factors for progression-free survival were Stage IV lung cancer (p = 0.008) and failure to undergo radical lung cancer surgery (p = 0.028). The risk factors for OS included squamous carcinoma (p = 0.048), Stage IV lung cancer (p = 0.001), single cancer resection plus drug therapy (p < 0.001), drug therapy alone (p = 0.002), failure to undergo radical lung cancer surgery (p = 0.014), and chemotherapy (p = 0.042). The median OS was 37 months, with 3- and 5-year rates of 50.9% and 35.9%, respectively. CONCLUSION: DPCs involving lung cancer account for 1.11% of cases. The breast, colorectum, and urinary system were the most common extra-pulmonary sites, and mDPCs were more frequent than sDPCs. Radical lung cancer surgery significantly affects prognosis, and drug therapy alone may be preferable when only one tumor is operable. The developed nomogram can accurately predict individual 3-year and 5-year OS rates.

Case report and literature review: plexiform schwannoma in the penile and inguinal region in a child.

Penile schwannoma is an uncommonly seen peripheral nerve tumor, of which penile plexiform schwannomas (PS) is extremely rare that has only been reported in several adults. We present a case of penile PS with a similar lesion in inguinal region in a 9-year-old child, which appeared as painless masses and rapidly growing within one year. Penile ultrasonography suggested well-defined lesions with limited vascularity. Both masses presented with low-to-intermediated signal intensity and no definite enhancement in computed tomography. The lesions were completely resected with minimal intraoperative bleeding, and a diagnose of benign PS was confirmed based on H&E staining and positive S-100 expression in immunohistochemistry. There was no evidence of tumor recurrence or metastasis after 6 months of follow-up. Only 6 cases of penile schwannoma in children were recorded, of which 5 were malignant, and none was PS. The malignancy rate of penile schwannoma in children may be overestimated due to delayed diagnose of benign ones. A rapidly growing penile mass with a suspected metastatic lesion in inguinal region could be easily misdiagnosed as malignant. This case report and literature review is expected to assist clinicians in getting a comprehensive understanding of children penile schwannomas and choosing the best management strategy when faced with this rare condition.

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.

Lifetime over 10000 hours for organic solar cells with Ir/IrOx electron-transporting layer.

The stability of organic solar cells is a key issue to promote practical applications. Herein, we demonstrate that the device performance of organic solar cells is enhanced by an Ir/IrOx electron-transporting layer, benefiting from its suitable work function and heterogeneous distribution of surface energy in nanoscale. Notably, the champion Ir/IrOx-based devices exhibit superior stabilities under shelf storing (T80 = 56696 h), thermal aging (T70 = 13920 h), and maximum power point tracking (T80 = 1058 h), compared to the ZnO-based devices. It can be attributed to the stable morphology of photoactive layer resulting from the optimized molecular distribution of the donor and acceptor and the absence of photocatalysis in the Ir/IrOx-based devices, which helps to maintain the improved charge extraction and inhibited charge recombination in the aged devices. This work provides a reliable and efficient electron-transporting material toward stable organic solar cells.

A new cytotoxic phenalenone derivative from Penicillium oxalicum.

From the supernatant of the fermentation broth of Penicillium oxalicum, we isolated a previously undescribed peniciphenalenin G (1) and three known compounds 2-4. Their chemical structures were established through spectroscopic analysis as well as comparing with data in the literature. Compound 1 displayed a moderate cytotoxicity with IC50 value 21.4 µM (positive drug regorafenib with IC50 value of 8.2 µM) against Caco2 cells while compounds 2 and 3 showed weak cytotoxicities with IC50 value of 52.1 and 39.2 µM, respectively.

Engineering the Electronic Structure of Single-Atom Iron Sites with Boosted Oxygen Bifunctional Activity for Zinc-Air Batteries.

Rechargeable zinc-air batteries typically require efficient, durable, and inexpensive bifunctional electrocatalysts to support oxygen reduction/evolution reactions (ORR/OER). However, sluggish kinetics and mass transportation challenges must be addressed if the performance of these catalysts is to be enhanced. Herein, a strategy to fabricate a catalyst comprising atomically dispersed iron atoms supported on a mesoporous nitrogen-doped carbon support (Fe SAs/NC) with accessible metal sites and optimized electronic metal-support interactions is developed. Both the experimental results and theoretical calculations reveal that the engineered electronic structures of the metal active sites can regulate the charge distribution of Fe centers to optimize the adsorption/desorption of oxygenated intermediates. The Fe SAs/NC containing Fe1 N4 O1 sites achieves remarkable ORR activity over the entire pH range, with half-wave potentials of 0.93, 0.83, and 0.75 V (vs reversible hydrogen electrode) in alkaline, acidic, and neutral electrolytes, respectively. In addition, it demonstrates a promising low overpotential of 320 mV at 10 mA cm-2 for OER in alkaline conditions. The zinc-air battery assembled with Fe SAs/NC exhibits superior performance than that of Pt/C+RuO2 counterpart in terms of peak power density, specific capacity, and cycling stability. These findings demonstrate the importance of the electronic structure engineering of metal sites in directing catalytic activity.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Changes in Brain Functional Network Connectivity in Adult Moyamoya Diseases.

Moyamoya disease (MMD) is a cerebrovascular disease that is characterized by progressive stenosis or occlusion of the internal carotid arteries and its main branches, which leads to the formation of abnormal small collateral vessels. However, little is known about how these special vascular structures affect cortical network connectivity and brain function. By applying EEG analysis and graphic network analyses undergoing EEG recording of subjects with eyes-closed (EC) and eyes-open (EO) resting states, and working memory (WM) tasks, we examined the brain network features of hemorrhagic (HMMD) and ischemic MMD (IMMD) brains. For the first time, we observed that IMMD had the much lower alpha-blocking rate during EO state than healthy controls while HMMD exhibited the relatively low EEG activity rate across all the behavior states. Further, IMMD showed strong network connections in the alpha-wave band in frontal and parietal regions during EO and WM states. EEG frequency and network topological maps during both resting and WM states indicated that the left frontal lobe and left parietal lobe in HMMD patients and the right parietal lobe and temporal lobe in IMMD patients have clear differences compared with controls, which provides a new insight to understand distinct electrophysiological features of MMD. However, due to the small sample size of recruited patient subjects, the result conclusion may be limited. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at (10.1007/s11571-021-09666-1).

Sparsely Wiring Connectivity in the Upper Beta Band Characterizes the Brains of Top Swimming Athletes.

Human brains are extremely energy costly in neural connections and activities. However, it is unknown what is the difference in the brain connectivity between top athletes with long-term professional trainings and age-matched controls. Here we ask whether long-term training can lower brain-wiring cost while have better performance. Since elite swimming requires athletes to move their arms and legs at different tempos in time with high coordination skills, we selected an eye-hand-foot complex reaction (CR) task to examine the relations between the task performance and the brain connections and activities, as well as to explore the energy cost-efficiency of top athletes. Twenty-one master-level professional swimmers and 23 age-matched non-professional swimmers as controls were recruited to perform the CR task with concurrent 8-channel EEG recordings. Reaction time and accuracy of the CR task were recorded. Topological network analysis of various frequency bands was performed using the phase lag index (PLI) technique to avoid volume conduction effects. The wiring number of connections and mean frequency were calculated to reflect the wiring and activity cost, respectively. Results showed that professional athletes demonstrated better eye-hand-foot coordination than controls when performing the CR task, indexing by faster reaction time and higher accuracy. Comparing to controls, athletes' brain demonstrated significantly less connections and weaker correlations in upper beta frequency band between the frontal and parietal regions, while demonstrated stronger connectivity in the low theta frequency band between sites of F3 and Cz/C4. Additionally, athletes showed highly stable and low eye-blinking rates across different reaction performance, while controls had high blinking frequency with high variance. Elite athletes' brain may be characterized with energy efficient sparsely wiring connections in support of superior motor performance and better cognitive performance in the eye-hand-foot complex reaction task.

Effect of Very Advanced Maternal Age on Pregnant Women and Fetuses.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the difference in the effect on pregnant women and fetuses between very advanced maternal age (age of or over 45 years) and other ages (age below 45 years). STUDY DESIGN: A descriptive study. PLACE AND DURATION OF STUDY: Changyi People's Hospital, China, from June 2017 and September 2020. METHODOLOGY: Four-hundred singleton pregnancies were selected. One hundred and three pregnant women at age of or over 45 years (Group A) and 297 pregnant women at age below 45 years (Group B) were grouped by age. Serum total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) and low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), incidence of pregnancy complications and fetal outcomes were compared. RESULT: Group A had higher TC and HDL-C than Group B at 12-week, 32-week pregnancy and 3 days after delivery (all p <0.001); Group A had higher TG than Group B at 12-week, 32-week pregnancy and 3 days after delivery (p=0.003, p <0.001 and p <0.001), respectively. Group A had higher incidence of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), pregnancy complicated with leiomyoma, gestational hypertension, placenta previa, placental abruption, anemia and postpartum hemorrhage than Group B (all p <0.001). Group A had higher incidence of fetal distress and preterm birth than Group B (both p <0.001). The difference in fetal weight and Apgar score of 5-min infants compared between the two groups was significant (both p<0.001). CONCLUSION: The incidence of gestational complications and adverse perinatal outcomes may be increased in very advanced maternal age singleton pregnant women aged over 45 years. Key Words: Very advanced maternal age, Pregnant women, Pregnancy, Fetus, Complications.

Faded Critical Dynamics in Adult Moyamoya Disease Revealed by EEG and fMRI.

Criticality is considered a dynamic signature of healthy brain activity that can be measured on the short-term timescale with neural avalanches and long-term timescale with long-range temporal correlation (LRTC). It is unclear how the brain dynamics change in adult moyamoya disease (MMD). We used BOLD-fMRI for LRTC analysis from 16 hemorrhagic (H MMD) and 34 ischemic (I MMD) patients and 25 healthy controls. Afterwards, they were examined by EEG recordings in the eyes-closed (EC), eyes-open (EO), and working memory (WM) states. The EEG data of 11 H MMD and 13 I MMD patients and 21 healthy controls were in good quality for analysis. Regarding the 4 metrics of neural avalanches (e.g., size (α), duration (ß), κ value, and branching parameter (σ)), both MMD subtypes exhibited subcritical states in the EC state. When switching to the WM state, H MMD remained inactive, while I MMD surpassed controls and became supercritical (p < 0.05). Regarding LRTC, the amplitude envelope in the EC state was more analogous to random noise in the MMD patients than in controls. During state transitions, LRTC decreased sharply in the controls but remained chaotic in the MMD individuals (p < 0.05). The spatial LRTC reduction distribution based on both EEG and fMRI in the EC state implied that, compared with controls, the two MMD subtypes might exhibit mutually independent but partially overlapping patterns. The regions showing decreased LRTC in both EEG and fMRI were the left supplemental motor area of H MMD and right pre-/postcentral gyrus and right inferior temporal gyrus of I MMD. This study not only sheds light on the decayed critical dynamics of MMD in both the resting and task states for the first time but also proposes several EEG and fMRI features to identify its two subtypes.

Effects of exercise programs on neuroelectric dynamics in drug addiction.

Exercise interventions have been considered to be an effective treatment for drug addiction. However, there is little dirct evidence that exercise affects brain activity in individuals afftected by drug addiction. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of different exercise programs on detoxification. Cognitive recovery with 64-channel electroencephalography (EEG) recordings was obtained before and after three months of daily aerobic and anaerobic exercise. A total of 63 subjects with methamphetamine addiction were recruited and randomly divided into three groups for cognitive study in four behavioral states: an anaerobic resistance treatment group, an aerobic cycling treatment group and a control group. In addition, four behavioral states were examined: eyes-closed and eyes-open resting states, and exploratory behavior states following either drug- or neutral-cue exposure. Over a 12-week period,the alpha block ratio in the control group showed a slight decrease, while clear increases were observed in the resistance exercise and cycling treatment groups, particularly under the frontal and temporal regions in the eyes-open and drug-cue conditions. The major EEG activity frequency in the resistance treatment group during the drug-cue behavior task decreased compared with the frequencies of the cycling exercise and control groups. Meanwhile, the power of higher brain rhythms in the resistance treatment group was increased. Finally, the brain alpha wave left-lateralization index from EEG recording sites, F1-F2, in the resistance and cycling treatment groups under the eyes-closed condition positively decreased, while the control groups only showed slight decreases. Taken together, these results suggest that different types of exercise may induce distince and different positive therapeutic effects to facilitate detoxification.

Mental Calculation Drives Reliable and Weak Distant Connectivity While Music Listening Induces Dense Local Connectivity.

Mathematical calculation usually requires sustained attention to manipulate numbers in the mind, while listening to light music has a relaxing effect on the brain. The differences in the corresponding brain functional network topologies underlying these behaviors remain rarely known. Here, we systematically examined the brain dynamics of four behaviors (resting with eyes closed and eyes open, tasks of music listening and mental calculation) using 64-channel electroencephalogram (EEG) recordings and graph theory analysis. We developed static and dynamic minimum spanning tree (MST) analysis method and demonstrated that the brain network topology under mental calculation is a more line-like structure with less tree hierarchy and leaf fraction; however, the hub regions, which are mainly located in the frontal, temporal and parietal regions, grow more stable over time. In contrast, music-listening drives the brain to exhibit a highly rich network of star structure, and the hub regions are mainly located in the posterior regions. We then adopted the dynamic dissimilarity of different MSTs over time based on the graph Laplacian and revealed low dissimilarity during mental calculation. These results suggest that the human brain functional connectivity of individuals has unique dynamic diversity and flexibility under various behaviors. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s43657-021-00027-w.