[Changes in Plasma Amyloid-ß Level and Their Relationship With White Matter Microstructure in Patients With Mild Cognitive Impairment].

Objective To investigate the changes in plasma amyloid-ß (Aß) level and their relationship with white matter microstructure in the patients with amnesic mild cognitive impairment(aMCI) and vascular mild cognitive impairment (vMCI).Methods A total of 36 aMCI patients,20 vMCI patients,and 34 sex and age matched healthy controls (HC) in the outpatient and inpatient departments of the First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University were enrolled in this study.Neuropsychological scales,including the Mini-Mental State Examination,the Montreal Cognitive Assessment,and the Activity of Daily Living Scale,were employed to assess the participants.Plasma samples of all the participants were collected for the measurement of Aß42 and Aß40 levels.All the participants underwent magnetic resonance scanning to obtain diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) data.The DTI indexes of 48 white matter regions of each individual were measured (based on the ICBM-DTI-81 white-matter labels atlas developed by Johns Hopkins University),including fractional anisotropy (FA) and mean diffusivity (MD).The cognitive function,plasma Aß42,Aß40,and Aß42/40 levels,and DTI index were compared among the three groups.The correlations between the plasma Aß42/40 levels and DTI index of aMCI and vMCI patients were analyzed.Results The Mini-Mental State Examination and the Montreal Cognitive Assessment scores of aMCI and vMCI groups were lower than those of the HC group (all P<0.001).There was no significant difference in the Activity of Daily Living Scale score among the three groups (P=0.654).The plasma Aß42 level showed no significant difference among the three groups (P=0.227).The plasma Aß40 level in the vMCI group was higher than that in the HC group (P=0.014),while it showed no significant difference between aMCI and HC groups (P=1.000).The plasma Aß42/40 levels in aMCI and vMCI groups showed no significant differences from that in the HC group (P=1.000,P=0.105),while the plasma Aß42/40 level was lower in the vMCI group than in the aMCI group (P=0.016).The FA value of the left anterior limb of internal capsule in the vMCI group was lower than those in HC and aMCI groups (all P=0.001).The MD values of the left superior corona radiata,left external capsule,left cingulum (cingulate gyrus),and left superior fronto-occipital fasciculus in the vMCI group were higher than those in HC (P=0.024,P=0.001,P=0.003,P<0.001) and aMCI (P=0.015,P=0.004,P=0.019,P=0.001) groups,while the MD values of the right posterior limb of internal capsule (P=0.005,P=0.001) and left cingulum (hippocampus) (P=0.017,P=0.031) in the aMCI and vMCI groups were higher than those in the HC group.In the aMCI group,plasma Aß42/40 level was positively correlated with FA of left posterior limb of internal capsule (r=0.403,P=0.015) and negatively correlated with MD of the right fonix (r=-0.395,P=0.017).In the vMCI group,plasma Aß42/40 level was positively correlated with FA of the right superior cerebellar peduncle and the right anterior limb of internal capsule (r=0.575,P=0.008;r=0.639,P=0.002),while it was negatively correlated with MD of the right superior cerebellar peduncle and the right anterior limb of internal capsule (r=-0.558,P=0.011;r=-0.626,P=0.003).Conclusions Plasma Aß levels vary differently in the patients with aMCI and vMCI.The white matter regions of impaired microstructural integrity differ in the patients with different dementia types in the early stage.The plasma Aß levels in the patients with aMCI and vMCI are associated with the structural integrity of white matter,and there is regional specificity between them.

Risk factors for relapse and nomogram for relapse probability prediction in patients with minor ischemic stroke.

BACKGROUND: The identification of risk factors for recurrence in patients with minor ischemic stroke (MIS) is a critical medical need. AIM: To develop a nomogram for individualized prediction of in-hospital recurrence in MIS patients. METHODS: Based on retrospective collection, a single-center study was conducted at the First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University from January 2014 to December 2019. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to determine the risk factors associated with MIS recurrence. The least absolute shrinkage and selection operator regression was performed for preliminary identification of potential risk factors. Uric acid, systolic blood pressure, serum total bilirubin (STBL), and ferritin were integrated for nomogram construction. The predictive accuracy and calibration of the nomogram model were assessed by the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC-ROC) and Hosmer-Lemeshow test, respectively. RESULTS: A total of 2216 MIS patients were screened. Among them, 155 were excluded for intravascular therapy, 146 for unknown National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score, 195 for intracranial hemorrhage, and 247 for progressive stroke. Finally, 1244 patients were subjected to further analysis and divided into a training set (n = 796) and a validation set (n = 448). Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that uric acid [odds ratio (OR): 0.997, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.993-0.999], ferritin (OR: 1.004, 95%CI: 1.002-1.006), and STBL (OR: 0.973, 95%CI: 0.956-0.990) were independently associated with in-hospital recurrence in MIS patients. Our model showed good discrimination; the AUC-ROC value was 0.725 (95%CI: 0.646-0.804) in the training set and 0.717 (95%CI: 0.580-0.785) in the validation set. Moreover, the calibration between nomogram prediction and the actual observation showed good consistency. Hosmer-Lemeshow test results confirmed that the nomogram was well-calibrated (P = 0.850). CONCLUSION: Our present findings suggest that the nomogram may provide individualized prediction of recurrence in MIS patients.

A highly efficient bifunctional heterogeneous catalyst for morphological control of discharged products in Na-air batteries.

Heterogeneous catalysts with Co3O4 and liquid redox mediators were utilized for the morphological control of discharged products in SABs. With Co3O4 nanowires/C as air cathodes, the discharge product tended to be like nanoflakes. However, after the addition of ferrocene to the electrolyte, the discharge product tended to be like nanofilms and the cyclic performance can achieve 570 cycles.

A quinary layer transition metal oxide of NaNi1/4Co1/4Fe1/4Mn1/8Ti1/8O2 as a high-rate-capability and long-cycle-life cathode material for rechargeable sodium ion batteries.

A well-crystallized single-phase quinary layer transition metal oxide of NaNi1/4Co1/4Fe1/4Mn1/8Ti1/8O2 was successfully synthesized. It exhibited excellent cycle performance and high rate capability as a cathode material for sodium-ion batteries.

A long-life Na-air battery based on a soluble NaI catalyst.

A Na-air battery with NaI dissolved in a typical organic electrolyte could run up to 150 cycles with a capacity limit of 1000 mA h g(-1). The low charge voltage plateau of 3.2 V vs. Na(+)/Na in a Na-air battery should mainly be attributed to the oxidation reaction of active iodine anions.

[SAR of benzoyl sulfathiazole derivatives as PTP1B inhibitors].

Protein tyrosine phosphatase (PTP) 1B is a potential target for the treatment of diabetes and obesity. We have previously identified the benzoyl sulfathiazole derivative II as a non-competitive PTP1B inhibitor with in vivo insulin sensitizing effects. Preliminary SAR study on this compound series has been carried out herein, and thirteen new compounds have been designed and synthesized. Among them, compound 10 exhibited potent inhibition against human recombinant PTP1B with the IC50 value of 3.97 micromol x L(-1), and is comparable to that of compound II.