Serum brain-derived neurotrophic factor concentration is different between autism spectrum disorders and intellectual disability children and adolescents.

PURPOSE: Recent studies showed that mature brain-derived neurotrophic factor (mBDNF) and its precursor proBDNF are associated with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Whether their levels are different between ASD and intellectual disability (ID) subjects is not clear. The aim of this study is to compare the serum mBDNF and proBDNF concentration, and mBNDF/proBDNF ratio in ASD and ID volunteers. METHODS: Children and adolescents with ASD or ID between the ages of 4 and 22 were recruited in Tianjin, China. Serum mBDNF and proBDNF level were tested and Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence (WPPSI), Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC), and Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS) evaluations were conducted. RESULTS: Serum mBDNF concentration and the ratio of mBDNF to proBDNF was higher in ASD subjects than that in ID subjects (P = 0.035 and P < 0.001, respectively), while serum proBDNF of ASD participants was lower compared to that of ID participants (P < 0.001). CARS score was positively correlated with serum mBDNF level (r = 0.33, P = 0.004) and m/p ratio (r = 0.39, P < 0.001), and negatively correlated with serum proBDNF level (r = -0.39, <0.001) after adjusting for age and IQ. The AUC of mBDNF, proBDNF, and m/p ratio were 0.741, 0.790, and 0.854, respectively, after adjusted for age and IQ. CONCLUSION: Serum mBDNF, proBDNF and m/p ratio were different between ASD and ID group. The three biomarkers displayed good diagnostic values for classification of ASD and ID subjects.

Effect of Circadian Distribution of Energy and Macronutrients on Gestational Weight Gain in Chinese Pregnant Women.

Gestational weight gain (GWG) may be affected by the timing of dietary intake. Previous studies have reported contradictory findings, possibly due to inconsistent characterizations of meal timing. We conducted a birth cohort study in Tianjin to determine the effect of daily energy and macronutrient distribution in mid and late pregnancy on GWG. Dietary intake information in the second and third trimesters used three 24-h dietary recalls, and meal timing was defined in relation to sleep/wake timing. The adequacy of GWG was assessed using recommendations from the Institute of Medicine guidelines. Pregnant women who had a relatively high average energy and macronutrient distribution in the late afternoon-early evening time window exhibited a greater GWG rate and a greater total GWG than that in morning time window during the third trimester (ß = 0.707; ß = 0.316). Carbohydrate intake in the morning of the second and third trimesters (ß = 0.005; ß = 0.008) was positively associated with GWG rates. Morning carbohydrate intake in the second trimester was also positively associated with total GWG (ß = 0.004). Fat intake in the morning of the third trimester (ß = 0.051; ß = 0.020) was positively associated with the GWG rates and total GWG. Excessive GWG of Chinese pregnant women was related closely to eating behavior focused on the late afternoon-early evening and carbohydrate and fat intake in the morning during the second and third trimesters.

Association of urinary polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon metabolites with symptoms among autistic children: A case-control study in Tianjin, China.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are ubiquitous pollutants that are associated with altered neurodevelopment and various neurodevelopmental disorders. However, studies evaluating internal biomarkers of PAH exposure in reference to the severity of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) symptomology and autistic behaviors are scarce. Hence, we conducted a case-control study evaluating 12 urinary hydroxylated PAH metabolites (i.e., hydroxy-PAHs) in 101 children with autism and 101 neurotypical children, matching according to sex and age in a 1:1 ratio. In children with ASD, the severity of symptomology and autistic behaviors were assessed using the child autism rating scale (CARS) and the autism behavior checklist (ABC). We found that urinary levels of nine of the hydroxy-PAHs were statistically significantly higher in the ASD group, with the exception of 2-hydroxynaphthalene (2-OHNap) and 4-hydroxyphenanthrene (4-OHPhe). Moreover, urinary hydroxy-PAH levels were associated with ASD risk, with odds ratios ranging from 1.86 to 17.19. Exposures to 1-hydroxynaphthalene (1-OHNap, ß = 3.32), hydroxyphenanthrenes (1/2/3 + 9-OHPhes, ß = 3.41-5.12), 1-hydroxypyrene (1-OH-Pyr; ß = 3.91), 2-hydroxybenzofuran (2-OHDBF; ß = 3.93), and ∑OH-PAHs (ß = 4.67) were positively associated with CARS scores after adjusting for covariates (all p < 0.05). When applying the ABC scale, 1-OHPyr levels were positively associated with ABC total scores (ß = 18.54), with the strongest associations evidenced in regard to the social relatedness (ß = 6.51) and language domains (ß = 6.51) (all p < 0.05). Bayesian kernel machine regression (BKMR) showed consistent positive exposure responses for 1-OHNap, 1-OHPhe, and 3 + 9-OHPhe levels in regard to CARS scores, and for 1-OHPyr levels in regard to ABC total scores. Our findings suggest that children with ASD may have higher urinary levels of hydroxy-PAHs, and that these biomarker levels are associated with an increased odds of ASD, an increased severity of autism symptomology, and increased autistic behaviors in children with autism. LAY SUMMARY: We conducted an epidemiologic study evaluating the associations of urinary hydroxy-PAH levels with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), autism symptomology, and autistic behaviors. We found that urinary hydroxy-PAHs were statistically significantly associated with ASD. We note strong statistically significant associations between 1-OHNap, 1-OHPhe, and 3 + 9-OHPhe levels and increased severity of autism symptomology, as well as a strong statistically significant association between 1-OHPyr levels and behavioral characteristics within the social and linguistic domains. This work, if confirmed, will contribute to the future development of diagnostics for children with mild autism, as well as to environmental measures to promote the health and wellbeing of children with autism spectrum disorders.

An Improved Q-Learning-Based Sensor-Scheduling Algorithm for Multi-Target Tracking.

Target tracking is an essential issue in wireless sensor networks (WSNs). Compared with single-target tracking, how to guarantee the performance of multi-target tracking is more challenging because the system needs to balance the tracking resource for each target according to different target properties and network status. However, the balance of tracking task allocation is rarely considered in those prior sensor-scheduling algorithms, which may result in the degradation of tracking accuracy for some targets and additional system energy consumption. To address this issue, we propose in this paper an improved Q-learning-based sensor-scheduling algorithm for multi-target tracking (MTT-SS). First, we devise an entropy weight method (EWM)-based strategy to evaluate the priority of targets being tracked according to target properties and network status. Moreover, we develop a Q-learning-based task allocation mechanism to obtain a balanced resource scheduling result in multi-target-tracking scenarios. Simulation results demonstrate that our proposed algorithm can obtain a significant enhancement in terms of tracking accuracy and energy efficiency compared with the existing sensor-scheduling algorithms.

An Energy-Efficient Clustering Method for Target Tracking Based on Tracking Anchors in Wireless Sensor Networks.

As a key technology in wireless sensor networks (WSNs), target tracking plays an essential role in many applications. To improve energy efficiency, clustering is widely used in tracking to organize the network to achieve data fusion and reduce communication costs. Many existing studies make dynamic adjustments based on static clusters to track moving targets. However, the additional overhead caused by frequent cluster reconstruction and redundant data transmission is rarely considered. To address this issue, we propose a tracking-anchor-based clustering method (TACM) in this paper, in which tracking anchors are introduced to provide activation indications for sensors according to the target position. We use the rough fuzzy C-means (RFCM) algorithm to locate the anchors and use the membership table to activate sensors to form a cluster. Since there are no sending, receiving, and fusing data tasks for anchors, they are lightly burdened and can significantly reduce the frequency of being rotated. Moreover, the state of cluster members (CMs) is scheduled using the linear 0-1 programming to reduce redundant transmissions. The simulation results demonstrate that, compared with some existing clustering methods, the proposed TACM effectively reduces the energy consumption when tracking a moving target, thus prolonging the network lifetime.

Exploring associations between urine levels of phthalates and autism spectrum disorder symptoms: a case-control study in Tianjin, China.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) comprises a group of neurodevelopmental disorders. The etiology of autism remains unclear, but a growing body of evidence indicates that phthalates play a role in its pathogenesis. The aim of this study was to compare the urine levels of phthalates in children with ASD and healthy children. We also explored whether phthalates have an effect on ASD symptoms. The participants in this study included 101 children with ASD (79 boys and 22 girls) and 101 sex- and age-matched controls. The levels of phthalates were analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). We detected significant differences in monoethyl phthalate (MEP) levels between the severe ASD and control groups (p < 0.05). Mono-n-butyl phthalate (MBP) concentration was positively correlated with language skill impairment in ASD (ß: 0.387, p = 0.041). MEP levels were associated with the CARS "Imitation" score in all children (OR: 1.470). MBP levels were associated with the "Nonverbal Communication" score among boys (OR: 1.233), and MEP levels were associated with the "Nonverbal Communication" score among girls (OR: 2.648). MEP levels were related to the CARS total score after adjustment for sex (ß: 1.524, p = 0.047). Compared with the reference mono(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (MEHP) group, children with ASD in the medium-exposure group had an OR of 3.370 for aggravating ASD severity. These results suggested that increased exposure to phthalates contributes to more ASD symptoms and that there are potentially sex-specific associations. These findings warrant further confirmation.

Relationship between the Dietary Inflammatory Index Score and Cytokine Levels in Chinese Pregnant Women during the Second and Third Trimesters.

The impact of dietary inflammatory potential on serum cytokine concentrations in second and third trimesters of Chinese pregnant women is not clear. A total of 175 pregnant women from the Tianjin Maternal and Child Health Education and Service Cohort (TMCHESC) were included. The dietary inflammatory index (DII) was calculated based on 24-h food records. Serum tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin 1ß (IL-1ß), IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, C-reactive protein (CRP), and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) levels in the second and third trimesters were measured. The mean DII scores (mean ± SD) were -0.07 ± 1.65 and 0.06 ± 1.65 in the second and third trimesters, respectively. In the third trimester, IL-1ß (p = 0.039) and MCP-1 (p = 0.035) levels decreased and then increased with increasing DII scores. IL-10 concentrations decreased in pregnant women whose DII scores increased between the second and third trimesters (p = 0.011). Thiamin and vitamin C were negatively correlated with MCP-1 (ß = -0.879, and ß = -0.003) and IL-6 (ß = -0.602, and ß = -0.002) levels in the third trimester. In conclusion, the DII score had a U-shaped association with cytokine levels during the third trimester. Changes in DII scores between the second and third trimesters of pregnancy were correlated with cytokine levels during the third trimester.

The Sensory Abnormality Mediated Partially the Efficacy of Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation on Treating Comorbid Sleep Disorder in Autism Spectrum Disorder Children.

Sleep disorder emerges as a common comorbidity in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and the interaction between the core symptoms of ASD and its sleep disorder remains unclear. Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) was used on the bilateral dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) to investigate the efficacy of rTMS on the core symptoms of ASD and comorbid sleep problems as well as the mediation role of the ASD symptoms between rTMS intervention and sleep improvement. A total of 41 Chinese children with ASD and who met the criteria in the fifth edition of the American Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders were recruited, and 39 of them (mean age: 9.0 ± 4.4 years old; the male-female ratio was 3.9: 1) completed the study with the stimulating protocol of high frequency on the left DLPFC and low frequency on the right DLPFC. They were all assessed three times (before, at 4 weeks after, and at 8 weeks after the stimulation) by the Children's Sleep Habits Questionnaire (CSHQ), Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ), Childhood Autism Rating Scale, Repetitive Behavior Questionnaire-2, and Short Sensory Profile (SSP). The repeated-measures ANOVA showed that the main effect of "intervention time" of CSHQ (F = 25.103, P < 0.001), SSP (F = 6.345, P = 0.003), and SDQ (F = 9.975, P < 0.001) was statistically significant. By Bayesian mediation analysis, we only found that the total score of SSP mediated the treating efficacy of rTMS on CSHQ (αß = 5.11 ± 1.51, 95% CI: 2.50-8.41). The percentage of mediation effect in total effect was 37.94%. Our results indicated the treating efficacy of rTMS modulation on bilateral DLPFC for both autistic symptoms and sleep disturbances. The sensory abnormality of ASD mediated the improvement of rTMS on sleep problems of ASD.

An improved real-time endovascular guidewire position simulation using shortest path algorithm.

In this study, we propose a new graph-theoretical method to simulate guidewire paths inside the carotid artery. The minimum energy guidewire path can be obtained by applying the shortest path algorithm, such as Dijkstra's algorithm for graphs, based on the principle of the minimal total energy. Compared to previous results, experiments of three phantoms were validated, revealing that the first and second phantoms overlap completely between simulated and real guidewires. In addition, 95 % of the third phantom overlaps completely, and the remaining 5 % closely coincides. The results demonstrate that our method achieves 87 and 80 % improvements for the first and third phantoms under the same conditions, respectively. Furthermore, 91 % improvements were obtained for the second phantom under the condition with reduced graph construction complexity.

Interference in character processing reflects common perceptual expertise across writing systems.

Perceptual expertise, even within the visual domain, can take many forms, depending on the goals of the practiced task and the visual information available to support performance. Given the same goals, expertise for different categories can recruit common perceptual resources, which could lead to interference during concurrent processing. We measured whether irrelevant characters of one writing system produce interference during visual search for characters of another writing system, as a function of expertise. Chinese-English bilinguals and English readers searched for target Roman letters among other distractors in a rapid serial visual presentation (RSVP) sequence. Chinese character distractors interfered with Roman letter search more than pseudoletter distractors, only for bilingual readers, suggesting a common perceptual bottleneck for Roman and Chinese processing in experts with both domains. We ruled out an explanation at the level of phonetic codes, by showing that concurrent verbal rehearsal has no effect on the magnitude of such interference. These findings converge with results showing competition between faces and cars in car experts to suggest that different domains of expertise that overlap in their cortical representations also possess a common perceptual bottleneck.