Proprioceptive and olfactory deficits in individuals with Parkinson disease and mild cognitive impairment.

BACKGROUND: Individuals with neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson disease (PD) and Alzheimer's (AD) disease often present with perceptual impairments at an early clinical stage. Therefore, early identification and quantification of these impairments could facilitate diagnosis and early intervention. OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to compare proprioceptive and olfactory sensitivities in individuals diagnosed with PD and mild cognitive impairment (MCI). METHODS: Proprioception in the forearm and olfactory function were measured in neurotypical older adults, individuals with PD, and individuals with MCI. Position and passive motion senses were assessed using a passive motion apparatus. The traditional Chinese version of the University of Pennsylvania smell identification test (UPSIT-TC) and the smell threshold test (STT) were used to identify and discriminate smell, respectively. RESULTS: Position sense threshold between the groups differed significantly (p < 0.001), with the PD (p < 0.001) and MCI (p = 0.004) groups showing significantly higher than the control group. The control group had significantly higher mean UPSIT-TC scores than the PD (p < 0.001) and MCI (p = 0.006) groups. The control group had a significantly lower mean STT threshold than the PD and MCI groups (p < 0.001 and p = 0.008, respectively). UPSIT-TC scores significantly correlated with disease progression in PD (r = - 0.50, p = 0.008) and MCI (r = 0.44, p = 0.04). CONCLUSIONS: Proprioceptive and olfactory sensitivities were reduced in individuals with PD and MCI, and these deficits were related to disease severity. These findings support previous findings indicating that perceptual loss may be a potential biomarker for diagnosing and monitoring disease progression in individuals with neurodegenerative diseases.

Controlled Synthesis and Enhanced Gas Sensing Performance of Zinc-Doped Indium Oxide Nanowires.

Indium oxide (In2O3) is a widely used n-type semiconductor for detection of pollutant gases; however, its gas selectivity and sensitivity have been suboptimal in previous studies. In this work, zinc-doped indium oxide nanowires with appropriate morphologies and high crystallinity were synthesized using chemical vapor deposition (CVD). An accurate method for electrical measurement was attained using a single nanowire microdevice, showing that electrical resistivity increased after doping with zinc. This is attributed to the lower valence of the dopant, which acts as an acceptor, leading to the decrease in electrical conductivity. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis confirms the increased oxygen vacancies due to doping a suitable number of atoms, which altered oxygen adsorption on the nanowires and contributed to improved gas sensing performance. The sensing performance was evaluated using reducing gases, including carbon monoxide, acetone, and ethanol. Overall, the response of the doped nanowires was found to be higher than that of undoped nanowires at a low concentration (5 ppm) and low operating temperatures. At 300 °C, the gas sensing response of zinc-doped In2O3 nanowires was 13 times higher than that of undoped In2O3 nanowires. The study concludes that higher zinc doping concentration in In2O3 nanowires improves gas sensing properties by increasing oxygen vacancies after doping and enhancing gas molecule adsorption. With better response to reducing gases, zinc-doped In2O3 nanowires will be applicable in environmental detection and life science.

Chemical Vapor Deposition-Fabricated Manganese-Doped and Potassium-Doped Hexagonal Tungsten Trioxide Nanowires with Enhanced Gas Sensing and Photocatalytic Properties.

Owing to its unique and variable lattice structure and stoichiometric ratio, tungsten oxide is suitable for material modification; for example, doping is expected to improve its catalytic properties. However, most of the doping experiments are conducted by hydrothermal or multi-step synthesis, which is not only time-consuming but also prone to solvent contamination, having little room for mass production. Here, without a catalyst, we report the formation of high-crystallinity manganese-doped and potassium-doped tungsten oxide nanowires through chemical vapor deposition (CVD) with interesting characterization, photocatalytic, and gas sensing properties. The structure and composition of the nanowires were characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), respectively, while the morphology and chemical valence were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), respectively. Electrical measurements showed that the single nanowires doped with manganese and potassium had resistivities of 1.81 × 0-5 Ω·m and 1.93 × 10-5 Ω·m, respectively. The doping contributed to the phase transition from monoclinic to metastable hexagonal for the tungsten oxide nanowires, the structure of which is known for its hexagonal electron channels. The hexagonal structure provided efficient charge transfer and enhanced the catalytic efficiency of the tungsten oxide nanowires, resulting in a catalytic efficiency of 98.5% for the manganese-doped tungsten oxide nanowires and 97.73% for the potassium-doped tungsten oxide nanowires after four hours of degradation of methylene blue. Additionally, the gas sensing response for 20 ppm of ethanol showed a positive dependence of doping with the manganese-doped and potassium-doped responses being 14.4% and 29.7%, respectively, higher than the pure response at 250 °C. The manganese-doped and potassium-doped tungsten oxide nanowires are attractive candidates in gas sensing, photocatalytic, and energy storage applications, including water splitting, photochromism, and rechargeable batteries.

THE USE OF THE TRADITIONAL CHINESE VERSION OF THE UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA SMELL IDENTIFICATION TEST AND THE SMELL THRESHOLD TEST FOR HEALTHY YOUNG AND OLD ADULTS IN TAIWAN.

This study investigated the use of the traditional Chinese version of the University of Pennsylvania Smell Identification Test and the Smell Threshold Test to assess olfactory function for healthy young and old adults in Taiwan. One hundred young adults (50 men; M = 24.34 yr., SD = 2.63; 50 women; M = 24.50 yr., SD = 2.96) and 49 old adults (20 men; M = 60.85 yr., SD = 4.21; 29 women; M = 59.93 yr., SD = 3.97) with normal olfaction completed the traditional Chinese versions of the University of Pennsylvania Smell Identification Test. Of these individuals, 40 young adults and 40 old adults also completed the Smell Threshold Test. The mean of the traditional Chinese versions of the University of Pennsylvania Smell Identification Test scores and Smell Threshold Test thresholds were significantly different between young and old adults. The threshold value for the Smell Threshold Test was lower in both young and old adults as compared to previously established American norms. Both tests require further modifications for clinical use in Taiwan.

Kinesthetic deficit in children with developmental coordination disorder.

The aim of this study was to measure and compare kinesthetic sensitivity in children with developmental coordination disorder (DCD) and typically developing (TD) children between 6 and 11 years old. 30 children with DCD aged 6 to 11 years (5 in each age group) and 30 TD children participated in the study. Participants placed their forearms on a passive motion apparatus which extended the elbow joint at constant velocities between 0.15 and 1.35°s(-1). Participants were required to concentrate on detection of passive arm motion and press a trigger held in their left hand once they sensed it. The detection time was measured for each trial. The DCD group was significantly less sensitive in detection of passive motion than TD children. Further analysis of individual age groups revealed that kinesthetic sensitivity was worse in DCD than TD children for age groups beyond six years of age. Our findings suggested that individual with DCD lag behind their TD counterparts in kinesthetic sensitivity. Between the ages of 7 and 11 years the difference between groups is quantifiable and significant with 11 year old children with DCD performing similar to 7 year old TD children.