Research progress of inland river water quality monitoring technology based on unmanned aerial vehicle hyperspectral imaging technology.

In recent years, increasing demand for inland river water quality precision management has heightened the necessity for real-time, rapid, and continuous monitoring of water conditions. By analyzing the optical properties of water bodies remotely, unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) hyperspectral imaging technology can assess water quality without direct contact, presenting a novel method for monitoring river conditions. However, there are currently some challenges to this technology that limit the promotion application of this technology, such as underdeveloped sensor calibration, atmospheric correction algorithms, and limitations in modeling non-water color parameters. This article evaluates the advantages and disadvantages of traditional sensor calibration methods and considers factors like sensor aging and adverse weather conditions that impact calibration accuracy. It suggests that future improvements should target hardware enhancements, refining models, and mitigating external interferences to ensure precise spectral data acquisition. Furthermore, the article summarizes the limitations of various traditional atmospheric correction methods, such as complex computational requirements and the need for multiple atmospheric parameters. It discusses the evolving trends in this technology and proposes streamlining atmospheric correction processes by simplifying input parameters and establishing adaptable correction algorithms. Simplifying these processes could significantly enhance the accuracy and feasibility of atmospheric correction. To address issues with the transferability of water quality inversion models regarding non-water color parameters and varying hydrological conditions, the article recommends exploring the physical relationships between spectral irradiance, solar zenith angle, and interactions with water constituents. By understanding these relationships, more accurate and transferable inversion models can be developed, improving the overall effectiveness of water quality assessment. By leveraging the sensitivity and versatility of hyperspectral sensors and integrating interdisciplinary approaches, a comprehensive database for water quality assessment can be established. This database enables rapid, real-time monitoring of non-water color parameters which offers valuable insights for the precision management of inland river water quality.

Functional connectome predicting individual gait function and its relationship with molecular architecture in Parkinson's disease.

Gait impairment is a common symptom of Parkinson's disease (PD), but its neural signature remains unclear due to the interindividual variability of gait performance. Identifying a robust gait-brain correlation at the individual level would provide insight into a generalizable neural basis of gait impairment. In this context, this study aimed to detect connectome that can predict individual gait function of PD, and follow-up analyses assess the molecular architecture underlying the connectome by relating it to the neurotransmitter-receptor/transporter density maps. Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging was used to detect the functional connectome, and gait function was assessed via a 10 m-walking test. The functional connectome was first detected within drug-naive patients (N = 48) by using connectome-based predictive modeling following cross-validation and then successfully validated within drug-managed patients (N = 30). The results showed that the motor, subcortical, and visual networks played an important role in predicting gait function. The connectome generated from patients failed to predict the gait function of 33 normal controls (NCs) and had distinct connection patterns compared to NCs. The negative connections (connection negatively correlated with 10 m-walking-time) pattern of the PD connectome was associated with the density of the D2 receptor and VAChT transporter. These findings suggested that gait-associated functional alteration induced by PD pathology differed from that induced by aging degeneration. The brain dysfunction related to gait impairment was more commonly found in regions expressing more dopaminergic and cholinergic neurotransmitters, which may aid in developing targeted treatments.

Altered brain iron depositions from aging to Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease: A quantitative susceptibility mapping study.

Brain iron deposition is a promising marker for human brain health, providing insightful information for understanding aging as well as neurodegenerations, e.g., Parkinson's disease (PD) and Alzheimer's disease (AD). To comprehensively evaluate brain iron deposition along with aging, PD-related neurodegeneration, from prodromal PD (pPD) to clinical PD (cPD), and AD-related neurodegeneration, from mild cognitive impairment (MCI) to AD, a total of 726 participants from July 2013 to December 2020, including 100 young adults, 189 old adults, 184 pPD, 171 cPD, 31 MCI and 51 AD patients, were included. Quantitative susceptibility mapping data were acquired and used to quantify regional magnetic susceptibility, and the resulting spatial standard deviations were recorded. A general linear model was applied to perform the inter-group comparison. As a result, relative to young adults, old adults showed significantly higher iron deposition with higher spatial variation in all of the subcortical nuclei (p < 0.01). pPD showed a high spatial variation of iron distribution in the subcortical nuclei except for substantia nigra (SN); and iron deposition in SN and red nucleus (RN) were progressively increased from pPD to cPD (p < 0.01). AD showed significantly higher iron deposition in caudate and putamen with higher spatial variation compared with old adults, pPD and cPD (p < 0.01), and significant iron deposition in SN compared with old adults (p < 0.01). Also, linear regression models had significances in predicting motor score in pPD and cPD (Rmean = 0.443, Ppermutation = 0.001) and cognition score in MCI and AD (Rmean = 0.243, Ppermutation = 0.037). In conclusion, progressive iron deposition in the SN and RN may characterize PD-related neurodegeneration, namely aging to cPD through pPD. On the other hand, extreme iron deposition in the caudate and putamen may characterize AD-related neurodegeneration.

Identifying a whole-brain connectome-based model in drug-naïve Parkinson's disease for predicting motor impairment.

Identifying a whole-brain connectome-based predictive model in drug-naïve patients with Parkinson's disease and verifying its predictions on drug-managed patients would be useful in determining the intrinsic functional underpinnings of motor impairment and establishing general brain-behavior associations. In this study, we constructed a predictive model from the resting-state functional data of 47 drug-naïve patients by using a connectome-based approach. This model was subsequently validated in 115 drug-managed patients. The severity of motor impairment was assessed by calculating Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale Part III scores. The predictive performance of model was evaluated using the correlation coefficient (rtrue ) between predicted and observed scores. As a result, a connectome-based model for predicting individual motor impairment in drug-naïve patients was identified with significant performance (rtrue  = .845, p < .001, ppermu  = .002). Two patterns of connection were identified according to correlations between connection strength and the severity of motor impairment. The negative motor-impairment-related network contained more within-network connections in the motor, visual-related, and default mode networks, whereas the positive motor-impairment-related network was constructed mostly with between-network connections coupling the motor-visual, motor-limbic, and motor-basal ganglia networks. Finally, this predictive model constructed around drug-naïve patients was confirmed with significant predictive efficacy on drug-managed patients (r = .209, p = .025), suggesting a generalizability in Parkinson's disease patients under long-term drug influence. In conclusion, this study identified a whole-brain connectome-based model that could predict the severity of motor impairment in Parkinson's patients and furthers our understanding of the functional underpinnings of the disease.

Detection of Ylide Formation between an Alkylidenecarbene and Acetonitrile by Femtosecond Transient Absorption Spectroscopy.

Femtosecond laser flash photolysis of 3-(1a,9b-dihydro-1H-cyclopropa[l]phenanthren-1-ylidene)tetrahydrofuran produces singlet 3-oxacyclopentylidenecarbene which reacts with acetonitrile solvent to form an ylide. This is the first direct detection of ylide formation by an alkylidenecarbene. This new type of ylide was observed to have a broad absorption band in the visible region with λmax ∼450 nm and a lifetime of ∼13.5 ps. As with other "conventional" carbenes (the divalent carbon atom is separately bound to two substituents), this ylide formation method could be also useful for detecting alkylidenecarbenes, especially those that do not absorb at wavelengths suitable for direct observation. Furthermore, the mechanisms by which 3-oxacyclopentylidenecarbene forms the ylide and the overall favorability of ylide formation, vis-à-vis ring expansion of the carbene to strained 3-oxacyclohexyne, were supported by results from density functional theory calculations.

Defective Nanographenes Containing Seven-Five-Seven (7-5-7)-Membered Rings.

Defects have been observed in graphene and are expected to play a key role in its optical, electronic, and magnetic properties. However, because most of the studies focused on the structural characterization, the implications of topological defects on the physicochemical properties of graphene remain poorly understood. Here, we demonstrate a bottom-up synthesis of three novel nanographenes (1-3) with well-defined defects in which seven-five-seven (7-5-7)-membered rings were introduced to their sp2 carbon frameworks. From the X-ray crystallographic analysis, compound 1 adopts a nearly planar structure. Compound 2, with an additional five-membered ring compared to 1, possesses a slightly saddle-shaped geometry. Compound 3, which can be regarded as the "head-to-head" fusion of 1 with two bonds, features two saddles connected together. The resultant defective nanographenes 1-3 were well-investigated by UV-vis absorption, cyclic voltammetry, and time-resolved absorption spectra and further corroborated by density functional theory (DFT) calculations. Detailed experimental and theoretical investigations elucidate that these three nanographenes 1-3 exhibit an anti-aromatic character in their ground states and display a high stability under ambient conditions, which contrast with the reported unstable biradicaloid nanographenes that contain heptagons. Our work reported herein offers insights into the understanding of structure-related properties and enables the control of the electronic structures of expanded nanographenes with atomically precise defects.

Serum Ceruloplasmin Depletion is Associated With Magnetic Resonance Evidence of Widespread Accumulation of Brain Iron in Parkinson's Disease.

BACKGROUND: Excessive iron accumulation is one of the main pathogeneses of Parkinson's disease (PD). Ceruloplasmin plays an important role in keeping the iron homoeostasis. PURPOSE: To explore the association between serum ceruloplasmin depletion and subcortical iron distribution in PD. STUDY TYPE: Prospective. POPULATION: One hundred and twenty-one normal controls, 34 PD patients with low serum ceruloplasmin (PD-LC), and 28 patients with normal serum ceruloplasmin (PD-NC). SEQUENCE: Enhanced susceptibility-weighted angiography (ESWAN) on a 3 T scanner. ASSESSMENT: Quantitative susceptibility mapping was employed to quantify the regional iron content by using a semi-automatic method. Serum ceruloplasmin concentration was measured from peripheral blood sample. Clinical assessments were conducted by a neurologist. STATISTICAL TESTS: General linear model was used to compare the intergroup difference of region iron distribution among groups, and the statistics was adjusted by Bonferroni method (P < 0.01). Partial correlation analysis was used to detect the association between regional iron distribution and serum ceruloplasmin concentration (P < 0.05). RESULTS: Compared with normal controls, significant iron accumulation in substantia nigra, putamen, and red nucleus was observed in PD-LC, while the only region showing significant iron accumulation was SN in PD-NC. Between PD-NC and PD-LC, the iron accumulation in putamen remained significantly different, which had a negative correlation with serum ceruloplasmin in whole PD patients (r = -0.338, P = 0.008). DATA CONCLUSION: Nigral iron accumulation characterizes PD patients without significant association with serum ceruloplasmin. Differentially, when PD patients appear with reduced serum ceruloplasmin, more widespread iron accumulation would be expected with additionally involving putamen and red nucleus. All these findings provide insightful evidence for the abnormal iron metabolism behind the ceruloplasmin depletion in PD. EVIDENCE LEVEL: 2 TECHNICAL EFFICACY: 2.

Steering Electron-Hole Migration Pathways Using Oxygen Vacancies in Tungsten Oxides to Enhance Their Photocatalytic Oxygen Evolution Performance.

The overall water splitting efficiency is mainly restricted by the slow kinetics of oxygen evolution. Therefore, it is essential to develop active oxygen evolution catalysts. In this context, we designed and synthesized a tungsten oxide catalyst with oxygen vacancies for photocatalytic oxygen evolution, which exhibited a higher oxygen evolution rate of 683 µmol h-1 g-1 than that of pure WO3 (159 µmol h-1 g-1 ). Subsequent studies through transient absorption spectroscopy found that the oxygen vacancies can produce electron trapping states to inhibit the direct recombination of photogenerated carriers. Additionally, a Pt cocatalyst can promote electron trap states to participate in the reaction to improve the photocatalytic performance further. This work uses femtosecond transient absorption spectroscopy to explain the photocatalytic oxygen evolution mechanism of inorganic materials and provides new insights into the design of high-efficiency water-splitting catalysts.

Aberrant Fiber Coherence of Amygdala-Accumbens-Pallidum Pathway Is Associated With Disorganized Nigrostriatal-Nigropallidal Pathway in Parkinson's Disease.

BACKGROUND: Motor disturbances in Parkinson's disease (PD) mainly result from the degeneration of classic motor pathways. Given that the specific limbic pathway participates in movements, it is reasonable to consider that limbic pathway have the pathologic potential of motor disturbance in PD. PURPOSE: To explore the white matter changes of limbic and motor pathways and their relations in PD patients. STUDY TYPE: Prospective. POPULATION: 39 PD patients and 55 normal controls. SEQUENCE: Sagittal 3D T1 -weighted fast spoiled gradient recalled sequence, diffusion-weighted spin echo-echo planar imaging sequence on a 3T scanner. ASSESSMENT: Probabilistic tractography was used to reconstruct the motor pathways (nigrostriatal-nigropallidal and basal ganglia-motor cortex pathways) and limbic pathway (amygdala-accumbens-pallidum pathway). White matter alterations of these pathways were evaluated by fractional anisotropy (FA), mean diffusivity (MD), axial diffusivity (AD), radial diffusivity (RD), neurite density (NDI), and orientation dispersion (ODI). Clinical assessment was conducted by a neurologist. STATISTICAL TESTS: Group comparisons were performed using unpaired t-tests. Pearson or Spearman correlation was used to explore the relationships between variables. RESULTS: Compared with normal controls, PD patients showed decreased ODI as well as increased MD and AD in the bilateral nigrostriatal-nigropallidal pathway (P < 0.05), decreased FA in left basal ganglia-motor cortex pathway (P < 0.05), and decreased ODI in left limbic pathway (P < 0.05). MD and AD in the left nigrostriatal-nigropallidal pathway was negatively correlated with FA in left basal ganglia-motor cortex pathway (r = -0.597, P < 0.05 and r = -0.433, P < 0.05, respectively). MD in the left nigrostriatal-nigropallidal pathway was significantly correlated with ODI in the left limbic pathway (r = -0.404, P < 0.05). ODI was associated with AD within each hemisphere of the nigrostriatal-nigropallidal pathway (r = -0.591, P < 0.05 for left; r = -0.589, P < 0.05 for right). DATA CONCLUSION: The relationship between the degenerated motor pathways and aberrant limbic pathway suggest the existence of neuronal modulation between motor and limbic pathways, providing novel evidence of the neuromechanism for motor disruption in PD patients. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 2 TECHNICAL EFFICACY STAGE: 1 J. MAGN. RESON. IMAGING 2020;52:1799-1808.

Outcomes and Predictors of Endovascular Treatment for Type B Aortic Dissection Complicated by Unilateral Renal Ischemia.

PURPOSE: This study investigated the outcomes of endovascular treatment for type B aortic dissection (TBAD) complicated by unilateral renal ischemia and determined the associated predictors. MATERIALS AND METHODS: From January 2010 to December 2016, 44 patients (mean : 54 years of age) with TBAD complicated by a clearly involved unilateral renal artery and a decreased mean density of the unilateral renal parenchyma were enrolled. The volumes and mean densities of each kidney were generated with postprocessing software based on computed tomography angiography. The degree of renal malperfusion (RMD) was defined as the bilateral density difference-to-the mean density ratio of the healthy kidney. The primary outcomes were renal atrophy and renal dysfunction; the secondary outcomes were aorta-related complications. RESULTS: The median follow-up time was 51 months (range: 12-102 months). During follow-up, unilateral renal atrophy and renal dysfunction were observed in 12 patients (27.3%) and 7 patients (15.9%), respectively. RMD showed a moderate predictive value for renal atrophy, with an area under the characteristic curve (AUC) of 0.78. The optimal cutoff value was 27% for RMD in terms of predicting renal atrophy (sensitivity: 91.7%; specificity: 56.2%). Moreover, aorta-related adverse events occurred in 14 patients (31.8%). Preoperative abnormal creatinine level was an independent risk factor for aorta-related complications (odds ratio [OR]: 17.5; P = 0.022) and renal dysfunction (OR: 14.2; P = 0.02). CONCLUSIONS: Preoperative serum creatinine was an effective index used to predict renal and aortic outcomes in this patient cohort. Active imaging follow-up and aggressive endovascular intervention are suggested in patients with RMD >27%.

Schisandrin B attenuates epidural fibrosis in postlaminectomy rats by inhibiting proliferation and extracellular matrix production of fibroblasts.

Laminectomy has been widely considered one of the most common treatments for lumbar disorders. Epidural fibrosis (EF) is a common complication after laminectomy, causing recurrent postoperative pain. Schisandrin B (Sch.B), the active ingredient extracted from Schisandra chinensis Fructus, has been found to have potent antiproliferative and antifibrotic effects on several cells. This study aimed to investigate the effects of Sch.B on the prevention of postlaminectomy EF formation. In vitro, we studied the effects of Sch.B on transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGF-ß1)-induced proliferation and extracellular matrix (ECM) production of primary fibroblasts, as well as its underlying mechanism. We found that Sch.B not only inhibited the proliferation of fibroblasts but also reduced ECM production, including that of connective tissue growth factor, fibronectin, and type I collagen, in a dose-dependent manner. Mechanistically, we found that Sch.B suppressed TGF-ß1-stimulated activation of the Smad2/3 and mitogen-activated protein kinase pathways. Moreover, the in vivo study demonstrated that Sch.B treatment attenuated the progression of EF in a postlaminectomy rat model via reducing the cell number and ECM production of scar tissue. Taken together, these data suggested that Sch.B possesses great potential value as a preventative agent for EF.

Time-Resolved Spectroscopic Study of N,N-Di(4-bromo)nitrenium Ions in Acidic Aqueous Solution.

Nitrenium ions are common reactive intermediates with high activities towards some biological nucleophiles. In this paper, we employed femtosecond transient absorption (fs-TA) and nanosecond transient absorption (ns-TA) as well as nanosecond time-resolved resonance Raman (ns-TR3) spectroscopy and density function theory (DFT) calculations to study the spectroscopic properties of the N(4,4'-dibromodiphenylamino)-2,4,6-trimethylpyridinium BF4- salt (1) in an acidic aqueous solution. Efficient cleavage of the N-N bond (4 ps) to form the N,N-di(4-bromophenyl)nitrenium ion (DN) was also observed in the acidic aqueous solution. As a result, the dication intermediate 4 appears more likely to be produced after abstracting a proton for the nitrenium ion DN in the acid solution first, followed by an electron abstraction to form the radical cation intermediate 3. These new and more extensive time-resolved spectroscopic data will be useful to help to develop an improved understanding of the identity, nature, and properties of nitrenium ions involved in reactions under acidic aqueous conditions.

Morphology and Outcomes of Total Endovascular Treatment of Type B Aortic Dissection with Aberrant Right Subclavian Artery.

OBJECTIVES: To characterize the morphology of type B aortic dissection with aberrant right subclavian artery (ARSA) and present early and midterm outcomes of total endovascular treatment for affected patients. METHODS: From January 2010 to December 2015, patients with ARSA and type B aortic dissection treated with total endovascular techniques were enrolled. The angle of the aortic arch was measured on pre-operative CTA. Sixty age and gender matched normal aortic arch patients with type B aortic dissection served as controls. Primary outcomes were technical success, 30 day mortality, and late survival. Secondary outcomes included in hospital morbidity, re-intervention rate, and patency of the subclavian artery. RESULTS: A total of 13 patients (8 men, 5 women; mean age 58 years) were included. The mean angle of the aortic arch in patients with ARSA was significantly smaller than in normal aortic arch patients (117.2° ± 10.8° vs. 124.2° ± 9.4°, respectively; p = .024). Simple thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR) and TEVAR plus a parallel graft technique were performed in six and seven patients, respectively. Primary technique success was achieved in 11 of the 13 (84.6%) patients. A bird beak configuration occurred significantly more frequently in patients with ARSA than in normal aortic arch patients (91.7% vs. 48.3%, respectively; p = .035). The median follow-up time was 36 months. One patient received a secondary procedure because of a new onset entry tear at the distal end of the stent graft. No posterior circulation stroke, permanent spinal cord ischaemia, or ischaemia of the upper arm was observed. CONCLUSIONS: Type B aortic dissection with ARSA was associated with a steep aortic arch. Total endovascular treatment for these patients was feasible and safe. Stent grafts with better flexibility and appropriate extension of the proximal landing zone with a parallel graft technique are suggested based on the observed outcomes.

Evaluation of three-dimensional reconstructed palatal morphology in skeletal class III subjects with different vertical patterns using cone beam computed tomography.

BACKGROUND: This study aims to evaluate the difference of three-dimensional (3D) reconstructed palatal morphology between subjects with skeletal Class III and skeletal Class I in different vertical patterns using cone beam computed tomography (CBCT). METHODS: In this study, 89 subjects with skeletal Class III (49 females, 40 males; 25.45 ± 3.81 years) and 85 subjects with skeletal Class I (45 females, 40 males; 23.95 ± 4.45 years) were collected retrospectively and divided into hyperdivergent, normodivergent and hypodivergent groups. Dolphin software was used to reorient the CBCT images of these subjects. After segmenting 3D object of maxilla from the 3D skull by ProPlan software, Geomagic Studio was used to reconstruct 3D palatal morphology and establish an average 3D palatal morphology for each group. The differences of 3D palatal morphology between different groups were compared by deviation patterns on 3D colored map analysis. RESULTS: 3D colored map analysis showed the posterior part of male's palate was higher and wider than that of female's palate in skeletal Class III subjects. In skeletal Class III subjects, males with hyperdivergent pattern had a higher and narrower palate compared with hypodivergent subjects, while females with hyperdivergent had a higher but not obviously narrower palate compared with hypodivergent subjects. In the similar vertical patterns, skeletal Class III subjects had a flatter but not narrower palate compared with skeletal Class I subjects, along with a smaller palate volume. CONCLUSIONS: This method allows more intuitive between-group comparisons of the differences of 3D palatal morphology. In skeletal Class III subjects, as the vertical dimension increased, the palate tends to be higher and narrower. Therefore, the influence of vertical patterns on the palatal morphology should be fully considered in the orthodontic and orthognathic treatment of skeletal Class III subjects.

The longitudinal volumetric and shape changes of subcortical nuclei in Parkinson's disease.

Brain structural changes in Parkinson's disease (PD) are progressive throughout the disease course. Changes in surface morphology with disease progression remain unclear. This study aimed to assess the volumetric and shape changes of the subcortical nuclei during disease progression and explore their association with clinical symptoms. Thirty-four patients and 32 healthy controls were enrolled. The global volume and shape of the subcortical nuclei were compared between patients and controls at baseline. The volume and shape changes of the subcortical nuclei were also explored between baseline and 2 years of follow-up. Association analysis was performed between the volume of subcortical structures and clinical symptoms. In patients with PD, there were significantly atrophied areas in the left pallidum and left putamen, while in healthy controls, the right putamen was dilated compared to baseline. The local morphology of the left pallidum was correlated with Mini Mental State Examination scores. The left putamen shape variation was negatively correlated with changes in Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale PART III scores. Local morphological atrophy of the putamen and pallidum is an important pathophysiological change in the development of PD, and is associated with motor symptoms and cognitive status in patients with PD.

Exploring Solvent Effects on the Proton Transfer Processes of Selected Benzoxazole Derivatives by Femtosecond Time-Resolved Fluorescence and Transient Absorption Spectroscopies.

Excited-state intramolecular proton transfer (ESIPT) is of great importance due to the large Stokes shift emission that can be observed in some ESIPT molecules. Although steady-state spectroscopies have been employed to study the properties of some ESIPT molecules, their excited-state dynamics have not been examined directly with time-resolved spectroscopy methods yet for a number of systems. Here, an in-depth investigation of the solvent effects on the excited-state dynamics of two prototypical ESIPT molecules, 2-(2'-hydroxyphenyl)-benzoxazole (HBO) and 2-(2'-hydroxynaphthalenyl)-benzoxazole (NAP), have been accomplished by using femtosecond time-resolved fluorescence and transient absorption spectroscopies. Solvent effects affect the excited-state dynamics of HBO more significantly than that of NAP. Particularly in the presence of water, the photodynamics pathways of HBO are changed, while only small changes can be found in NAP. An ultrafast ESIPT process that occurs within our instrumental response is observed for HBO, and this is followed by an isomerization process in ACN solution. However, in aqueous solution, the obtained syn-keto* after ESIPT can be solvated by water in about 3.0 ps, and the isomerization process is totally inhibited for HBO. The mechanism of NAP is different from HBO and is determined to be a two-step excited-state proton transfer process. Upon photoexcitation, NAP is deprotonated first in the excited state to generate the anion*, which can transfer to the syn-keto* form followed by an isomerization process.

Primary malignant melanoma of the esophagus combined with squamous cell carcinoma: A case report.

BACKGROUND: Primary malignant melanoma of the esophagus is a rare malignant tumor of the esophagus, and its combination with squamous cell carcinoma is also rare. Here, we report the diagnosis and treatment of a case of primary esophageal malignant melanoma combined with squamous cell carcinoma. CASE SUMMARY: A middle-aged man underwent gastroscopy for dysphagia. Gastroscopy revealed multiple bulging esophageal lesions, and after pathologic and immunohistochemical analyses, the patient was finally diagnosed with "malignant melanoma with squamous cell carcinoma". This patient received comprehensive treatment. After one year of follow-up, the patient was in good condition, and the esophageal lesions seen on gastroscopy were controlled, but unfortunately, liver metastasis occurred. CONCLUSION: When multiple esophageal lesions are present, the possibility of multiple pathological sources should be considered. This patient was diagnosed with primary esophageal malignant melanoma combined with squamous cell carcinoma.

Genetic impacts on nigral iron deposition in Parkinson's disease: A preliminary quantitative susceptibility mapping study.

BACKGROUND: Dysfunction of iron metabolism, especially in substantia nigra (SN), is widely acknowledged in Parkinson's disease (PD), but the genetic influence on iron deposition remains largely unknown. Thus, in this study, we aimed to investigate potential genetic impacts on iron deposition in PD. METHODS: Seventy-four subjects, including 38 patients with PD and 36 age-matched normal controls, participated in this study. Imaging genetic association analysis was used to identify the specific influence of single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) on iron-related quantitative traits (QT). Genetic effects on iron deposition at the disease level, SNP level, and their interactive effect were highlighted. RESULTS: Four strong SNP-QT associations were detected: rs602201-susceptibility of bilateral SN, rs198440-susceptibility of left SN, and rs7895403-susceptibility of left caudate head. Detailed analyses showed that: (1) significant iron deposition was exclusively found in bilateral SN in PD; (2) altered polymorphisms of the A allele/A- genotype of rs602201 and G allele/G- genotype of rs198440 and rs7895403 were more frequently observed in PD; (3) for rs602201, among all subjects, A- genotype carriers showed significantly increased iron content than TT genotype in bilateral SN; for rs198440 and rs7895403, G- carriers showed increased iron content than AA genotype in left SN and left caudate head, respectively; and (4) rs602201 exhibited significant SNP-by-disease interaction in bilateral SN. CONCLUSIONS: This study shows that rs602201 and rs198440 have a stimulative impact on nigral iron deposition in PD, which provides improved understanding of iron-related pathogenesis in PD, and specifically, that vulnerability to iron deposition in SN is genetic-based.

Functional connectomes of akinetic-rigid and tremor within drug-naïve Parkinson's disease.

AIMS: To detect functional connectomes of akinetic-rigid (AR) and tremor and compare their connection pattern. METHODS: Resting-state functional MRI data of 78 drug-naïve PD patients were enrolled to construct connectomes of AR and tremor via connectome-based predictive modeling (CPM). The connectomes were further validated with 17 drug-naïve patients to verify their replication. RESULTS: The connectomes related to AR and tremor were identified via CPM method and successfully validated in the independent set. Additional regional-based CPM demonstrated neither AR nor tremor could be simplified to functional changes within a single brain region. Computational lesion version of CPM revealed that parietal lobe and limbic system were the most important regions among AR-related connectome, and motor strip and cerebellum were the most important regions among tremor-related connectome. Comparing two connectomes found that the patterns of connection between them were largely distinct, with only four overlapped connections identified. CONCLUSION: AR and tremor were found to be associated with functional changes in multiple brain regions. Distinct connection patterns of AR-related and tremor-related connectomes suggest different neural mechanisms underlying the two symptoms.

Two distinct trajectories of clinical and neurodegeneration events in Parkinson's disease.

Increasing evidence suggests that Parkinson's disease (PD) exhibits disparate spatial and temporal patterns of progression. Here we used a machine-learning technique-Subtype and Stage Inference (SuStaIn) - to uncover PD subtypes with distinct trajectories of clinical and neurodegeneration events. We enrolled 228 PD patients and 119 healthy controls with comprehensive assessments of olfactory, autonomic, cognitive, sleep, and emotional function. The integrity of substantia nigra (SN), locus coeruleus (LC), amygdala, hippocampus, entorhinal cortex, and basal forebrain were assessed using diffusion and neuromelanin-sensitive MRI. SuStaIn model with above clinical and neuroimaging variables as input was conducted to identify PD subtypes. An independent dataset consisting of 153 PD patients and 67 healthy controls was utilized to validate our findings. We identified two distinct PD subtypes: subtype 1 with rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder (RBD), autonomic dysfunction, and degeneration of the SN and LC as early manifestations, and cognitive impairment and limbic degeneration as advanced manifestations, while subtype 2 with hyposmia, cognitive impairment, and limbic degeneration as early manifestations, followed later by RBD and degeneration of the LC in advanced disease. Similar subtypes were shown in the validation dataset. Moreover, we found that subtype 1 had weaker levodopa response, more GBA mutations, and poorer prognosis than subtype 2. These findings provide new insights into the underlying disease biology and might be useful for personalized treatment for patients based on their subtype.