The association between air pollutant exposure and cerebral small vessel disease imaging markers with modifying effects of PRS-defined genetic susceptibility.

Studies have highlighted a possible link between air pollution and cerebral small vessel disease (CSVD) imaging markers. However, the exact association and effects of polygenic risk score (PRS) defined genetic susceptibility remains unclear. This cross-sectional study used data from the UK Biobank. Participants aged 40-69 years were recruited between the year 2006 and 2010. The annual average concentrations of NOX, NO2, PM2.5, PM2.5-10, PM2.5 absorbance, and PM10, were estimated, and joint exposure to multiple air pollutants was reflected in the air pollution index (APEX). Air pollutant exposure was classified into the low (T1), intermediate (T2), and high (T3) tertiles. Three CSVD markers were used: white matter hyper-intensity (WMH), mean diffusivity (MD), and fractional anisotropy (FA). The first principal components of the MD and FA measures in the 48 white matter tracts were analysed. The sample consisted of 44,470 participants from the UK Biobank. The median (T1-T3) concentrations of pollutants were as follows: NO2, 25.5 (22.4-28.7) µg/m3; NOx, 41.3 (36.2-46.7) µg/m3; PM10, 15.9 (15.4-16.4) µg/m3; PM2.5, 9.9 (9.5-10.3) µg/m3; PM2.5 absorbance, 1.1 (1.0-1.2) per metre; and PM2.5-10, 6.1 (5.9-6.3) µg/m3. Compared with the low group, the high group's APEX, NOX, and PM2.5 levels were associated with increased WMH volumes, and the estimates (95 %CI) were 0.024 (0.003, 0.044), 0.030 (0.010, 0.050), and 0.032 (0.011, 0.053), respectively, after adjusting for potential confounders. APEX, PM10, PM2.5 absorbance, and PM2.5-10 exposure in the high group were associated with increased FA values compared to that in the low group. Sex-specific analyses revealed associations only in females. Regarding the combined associations of air pollutant exposure and PRS-defined genetic susceptibility with CSVD markers, the associations of NO2, NOX, PM2.5, and PM2.5-10 with WMH were more profound in females with low PRS-defined genetic susceptibility, and the associations of PM10, PM2.5, and PM2.5 absorbance with FA were more profound in females with higher PRS-defined genetic susceptibility. Our study demonstrated that air pollutant exposure may be associated with CSVD imaging markers, with females being more susceptible, and that PRS-defined genetic susceptibility may modify the associations of air pollutants.

[Status and related factors on knowledge, attitude and practice of adults environmental health in four cities in 2021].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the current situation and related factors of adults environmental health knowledge-attitude-practice(KAP)in four cities. METHODS: From March to April 2021, 1252 permanent residents in Mianyang City, Ya'an City in Sichuan Province, Suzhou City and Yangzhou City in Jiangsu Province were investigated on environmental health KAP by using a self-made electronic questionnaire. Analysis of variance, multiple linear regression and Person rank correlation were used to analyze the difference of public environmental KAP level, related factors, and the correlation of knowledge, attitude and behavior scores. RESULTS: There were significant differences in the level of environmental health KAP among people in different cities(F=47.632, P<0.001), age group(F=34.676, P<0.001), education level(F=49.574, P<0.001), BMI(F=4.560, P=0.003), total annual family income(F=27.977, P<0.001), smoking status(t=11.121, P=0.001)and ways of ingesting environmental health knowledge(F=88.405, P<0.001), and except BMI, other items were the related factors of environmental health KAP. The score of environmental health attitude was higher than that of behavior and knowledge(F=154.34, P<0.001). The scores of knowledge and behavior, knowledge and attitude, attitude and behavior were correlated, and the correlation coefficients were 0.667, 0.414 and 0.450 respectively(P<0.01). CONCLUSION: The number of ways to acquire environmental health knowledge, total annual family income, education level, age and smoking status are all related factors of the adults environmental knowledge-attitude-practice level in four cities in 2021.

Association of indoor noise level with depression in hotel workers: A multicenter study from 111 China's cities.

Several studies have elucidated the link between outdoor noise and depression, but the relationship between indoor noise levels and depression symptoms in residential and public places remains unclear. This study was a multicenter observational study with a cross-sectional design. In 2019, a total of 10 545 indoor noise levels on-site and 26 018 health data from practitioners were collected from 2402 hotels in 111 cities. Indoor daily noise data levels were detected, and PHQ-9 questionnaires were used to collect health data. Logistic analysis was used to determine the association between depression score and noise level, negative binomial regression was used to determine potential risks. The geometric mean indoor noise level was 38.9 dB (A), with approximately 40.9% of hotels exceeding the 45 dB value (A). Approximately 19.1% of hotel workers exhibited mild and above depressive symptoms. In addition to functional zoning, geographic location, central air conditioner, decoration status, and other factors had an impact on noise levels (p < 0.05). Results of logistic and negative binomial regression showed the following: (1) there was significantly positive association between indoor noise and high depression scores above 2 (OR = 1.007, 95% CI: 1.002, 1.012) and (2) some sub-groups were more susceptible to this effect, especially for the younger female workers working in the first-tier cities, having higher education level, lower level of income, smoking, and longer working hours. This study confirms an early potential effect of indoor noise on depression. It is recommended to implement evidence-based measures to control noise sources in hotels.

Exploring Use Acceptance of Electric Bicycle-Sharing Systems: An Empirical Study Based on PLS-SEM Analysis.

The electric bicycle-sharing system (EBSS) is the fourth-generation urban shared bicycle travel system, which effectively improves the travel efficiency of urban residents and solve the problem of urban congestion. This study attempts to use an extended technology acceptance model (TAM) method to study the acceptance of EBSSs. We had introduced four potential variables, including perceived pleasure (PP), perceived environmental value (PEV), perceived cost (PC), and perceived reliability (PR), into the classic TAM to form a new EBSS-TAM. Data were obtained by using a Likert scale questionnaire from 399 citizens in China. Partial least-squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) with reflective constructs was employed as the analysis method. The results showed that: (1) the EBSS-TAM can explain user behaviors regarding the use of EBSSs. PP has a positive impact on behavior attitude (BA) while having no impact on behavior intention (BI). PEV has no impact on BA and BI. PC has a negative impact on BA and has no impact on BI. PR has a positive impact on BA while having no impact on BI. Perceived ease of use (PEU) has a positive impact on PP and PEV. (2) Younger users (under 35 years old) are more likely to change from liking CBSSs to using EBSSs than older users are. Male users are more satisfied with EBSSs because of their ease of use. The users who never used CBSSs are more likely to perceive the environmental protection value of EBSSs. Some managerial implications were proposed for the EBSSs.

Whole-Genome Metalloproteases in the Wheat Sharp Eyespot Pathogen Rhizoctonia cerealis and a Role in Fungal Virulence.

Rhizoctonia cerealis is the causal agent of sharp eyespot, a devastating disease of cereal crops including wheat. Several metalloproteases have been implicated in pathogenic virulence, but little is known about whole-genome metalloproteases in R. cerealis. In this study, a total of 116 metalloproteases-encoding genes were identified and characterized from the R. cerealis Rc207 genome. The gene expression profiles and phylogenetic relationship of 11 MEP36/fungalysin metalloproteases were examined during the fungal infection to wheat, and function of an upregulated secretory MEP36 named RcFL1 was validated. Of 11 MEP36 family metalloproteases, ten, except RcFL5, were predicted to be secreted proteins and nine encoding genes, but not RcFL5 and RcFL2, were expressed during the R. cerealis infection process. Phylogenetic analysis suggested that MEP36 metalloproteases in R. cerealis were closely related to those of Rhizoctonia solani but were remote to those of Bipolaris sorokiniana, Fusarium graminearum, F. pseudograminearum, and Pyricularia oryzae. Expression of RcFL1 was significantly upregulated during the infection process and induced plant cell death in wheat to promote the virulence of the pathogen. The MEP36 domain was necessary for the activities of RcFL1. Furthermore, RcFL1 could repress the expression of wheat genes coding for the chitin elicitor receptor kinase TaCERK1 and chitinases. These results suggest that this MEP36 metalloprotease RcFL1 may function as a virulence factor of R. cerealis through inhibiting host chitin-triggered immunity and chitinases. This study provides insights on pathogenic mechanisms of R. cerealis. RcFL1 likely is an important gene resource for improving resistance of wheat to R. cerealis through host-induced gene silencing strategy.

Correction: Pan et al. Genome-Wide Identification of M35 Family Metalloproteases in Rhizoctonia cerealis and Functional Analysis of RcMEP2 as a Virulence Factor during the Fungal Infection to Wheat. Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2020, 21, 2984.

In the original article, there was a mistake in Figure 8 as published [...].

Crossed cerebellar diaschisis after stroke detected noninvasively by arterial spin-labeling MR imaging.

BACKGROUND: As a noninvasive perfusion-weighted MRI technique, arterial spin-labeling (ASL) was becoming increasingly used to evaluate cerebral hemodynamics in many studies. The relation between ASL-MRI and crossed cerebellar diaschisis (CCD) was rarely discussed. In this study, the aim of our study was to assess the performance of ASL-MRI in the detection of crossed cerebellar diaschisis after stroke in compared with single-photon emission CT (SPECT). RESULTS: 17 of 51(33.3%) patients revealed CCD phenomenon by the SPECT method. In CCD-positive group, CBFASL of ipsilateral cerebellar were significantly increased compared with contralateral cerebellar (p < 0.0001) while no significant differences (p = 0.063, > 0.001) in the CCD-negative group. Positive correlation was detected between admission National institute of health stroke scale (NIHSS) and asymmetry index of SPECT (AISPECT) (r = 0.351, p = 0.011), AIASL (r = 0.372, p = 0.007); infract volume and AISPECT (r = 0.443, p = 0.001), AIASL (r = 0.426, p = 0.002). Significant correlation was also found between cerebral blood flow of SPECT (CBFSPECT) and CBFASL, AISPECT and AIASL (r = 0.204, p = 0.04; r = 0.467, p = 0.001, respectively). Furthermore, the area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve value of AIASL was 0.829. CONCLUSIONS: CBF derived from ASL-MRI could be valuable for assessment of CCD in supratentorial stroke patients. Additionally, CCD was significantly associated with larger ischemic volume and higher initial NIHSS score.

Construction of a nomogram for predicting the risk of allergic rhinitis among employees of long-distance bus stations in China.

This study examined indoor air pollutants and their health effects on allergic rhinitis in 3194 employees of 226 bus station halls and then constructed a nomogram model to predict allergic rhinitis risk in those employees. Indoor air temperature, relative humidity, PM10 , PM2.5 , total bacteria, and total fungi were measured, and questionnaires were used to collect basic station information and employee health information. The results revealed that the over-standard rates of PM10 , PM2.5 , total bacteria, and total fungi were 18.16%, 31.13%, 2.22%, and 55.89%, respectively. Seasonal variations were found in temperature, relative humidity, and PM2.5 . Passenger flow could affect temperature, and total bacteria. Central air conditioning could affect total bacteria. A total of 15.90% of the employees were diagnosed as allergic rhinitis by physicians. Relative humidity, fungi, self-reported allergic rhinitis symptoms, and exposure to smoking were the influencing factors for allergic rhinitis. These four variables were incorporated to construct a nomogram. The concordance index of the nomogram was 0.775 (95% CI: 0.745-0.806) and 0.749 (95% CI: 0.715-0.783) for the training cohort and test cohort, respectively. The calibration plot revealed that the nomogram model exhibited good discrimination and consistency. This nomogram model may help predict the occurrence of allergic rhinitis.

Genome-Wide Identification of M35 Family Metalloproteases in Rhizoctonia cerealis and Functional Analysis of RcMEP2 as a Virulence Factor during the Fungal Infection to Wheat.

Rhizoctonia cerealis is the causal pathogen of the devastating disease, sharp eyespot, of the important crop wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). In phytopathogenic fungi, several M36 metalloproteases have been implicated in virulence, but pathogenesis roles of M35 family metalloproteases are largely unknown. Here, we identified four M35 family metalloproteases from R. cerealis genome, designated RcMEP2-RcMEP5, measured their transcriptional profiles, and investigated RcMEP2 function. RcMEP2-RcMEP5 are predicted as secreted metalloproteases since each protein sequence contains a signal peptide and an M35 domain that includes two characteristic motifs HEXXE and GTXDXXYG. Transcription levels of RcMEP2-RcMEP5 markedly elevated during the fungus infection to wheat, among which RcMEP2 expressed with the highest level. Functional dissection indicated that RcMEP2 and its M35 domain could trigger H2O2 rapidly-excessive accumulation, induce cell death, and inhibit expression of host chitinases. This consequently enhanced the susceptibility of wheat to R. cerealis and the predicated signal peptide of RcMEP2 functions required for secretion and cell death-induction. These results demonstrate that RcMEP2 is a virulence factor and that its M35 domain and signal peptide are necessary for the virulence role of RcMEP2. This study facilitates a better understanding of the pathogenesis mechanism of metalloproteases in phytopathogens including R. cerealis.

[Povidone-iodine versus the benzethonium chloride wipe for penile skin disinfection before semen collection from sperm donors].

Objective: To study the influence of povidone-iodine (PI) versus that of the benzethonium chloride wipe (BCW) on semen collection and semen quality of sperm donors undergoing penile skin disinfection and provide some evidence for the selection of disinfection methods for semen collection. METHODS: We used PI from August to December 2015 and BCWs from January to July 2016 for penile skin disinfection before semen collection, with two samples from each donor, one collected with and the other without penis skin disinfection (the blank control group). After semen collection, we conducted a questionnaire investigation on the influence of the two disinfection methods on semen collection and compared the semen parameters between the two groups of sperm donors. RESULTS: Totally, 185 sperm donors were included in this study, of whom 63 underwent penile skin disinfection with PI and the other 122 with BCWs before semen collection. Statistically significant differences were found between the PI and BCW groups in the adaptability to the disinfectant and rigid disinfection procedures (P <0.05), but not in the other items of the questionnaire (P >0.05). Compared with the sperm donors of the blank control group, those of the PI group showed statistically significant difference in the percentage of progressively motile sperm (PMS) (ï¼»63.02 ± 3.18ï¼½% vs ï¼»61.45 ± 4.78ï¼½%, P<0.05), but not in the abstinence time (ï¼»4.97 ± 1.79ï¼½ vs ï¼»4.7 ± 0.94ï¼½ d, P >0.05), semen volume (ï¼»4.11 ± 1.54ï¼½ vs ï¼»4.15 ± 1.61ï¼½ ml, P >0.05), sperm concentration (ï¼»110 ± 29.6ï¼½ vs ï¼»107.5 ± 31.79ï¼½ ×106/ml, P >0.05), or total sperm count (ï¼»439.10 ± 170.13ï¼½ vs ï¼»434.02 ± 186.91ï¼½ ×106/ejaculate, P >0.05), while those of the BCW group exhibited no remarkable difference in any of the above parameters (P >0.05). Among the samples with abnormal semen quality, significantly fewer were found with abnormal PMS in the BCW than in the PI group (1.64% ï¼»2/122ï¼½ vs 9.68% ï¼»6/62ï¼½, P <0.05). However, there were no significant differences between the PI and BCW groups in the abnormal semen volume, abnormal sperm concentration, or the rate of semen bacterial contamination (P >0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Before semen collection from donors, penile skin disinfection with povidone-iodine may affect both the semen collection process and the quality of donor sperm, while the benzethonium chloride wipe can reduce the influence on the semen collection process and does not affect the semen parameters.

Formation and catalytic activity of Pt supported on oxidized graphene for the CO oxidation reaction.

The geometries, stabilities, electronic properties and catalytic capability of the platinum catalyst supported on oxidized graphene (Pt/OG) are investigated using the first-principles density-functional theory. Compared with the oxygen adatom, the hydroxyl molecule adsorbs weakly and aggregates easily on graphene, while the single oxygen adatom will form the epoxy group (EG) on pristine graphene or the oxygen dopant (OD) in defective graphene. The formation of EG and OD are used to model oxidized graphene (OG). The OD at the vacancy site forms the most stable configuration with a small formation energy and large diffusion barrier, indicating that an OD is easier to incorporate into the graphene sheet. The OD sheet as a substrate can effectively enhance the stability of the Pt catalyst as compared with pristine graphene or the graphene sheet with EG. Moreover, the complete CO oxidation reactions on the Pt/OD system include a two-step process with the Langmuir-Hinshelwood (LH) reaction as a starting step followed by the Eley-Rideal (ER) reaction. The results suggest that the OD sheet can be used as the reactive support to control the stability and reactivity of catalysts, which opens up a new avenue for fabrication of low cost and highly efficient graphene-based catalysts.

Phonon Transport in Defect-Laden Bilayer Janus PtSTe Studied Using Neural-Network Force Fields.

We explore the phonon transport properties of defect-laden bilayer PtSTe using equilibrium molecular dynamics simulations based on a neural-network force field. Defects prove very efficient at depressing the thermal conductivity of the structure, and flower defects have a particularly powerful effect, comparable to that of double vacancies. Furthermore, the conductivity of the structure with flower defects exhibits an unusual temperature dependence due to structural instability at high temperatures. We look into the distortion to normal modes around the defect by means of the projected phonon density of states and find diverse phenomena including localized modes and blue shifts.

[Gene expression patterns of offsprings' hepatocytes induced by prenatal Benzo[a]pyrene exposure].

OBJECTIVE: To study the gene expression patterns in livers of infant rats after Benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) exposure during pregnancy and explore the important gene and signaling pathways in the toxic mechanism of BaP. METHODS: Thirty-two pregnant SD rats were randomly divided into four groups: vehicle control (corn oil) and treatment groups (0.75, 1.50 and 3.00 mg/kg BaP in corn oil). BaP solutions were given by gastric infusion from the 3rd to the 17th day of pregnancy. After delivery the offspring's liver were taken to detect the gene expression by RatRef-12 gene chip. The stability of gene chip was tested by repeated experiments. RESULTS: After prenatal BaP exposure 1232 genes with different expression variations in hepatocytes of offsprings were identified. Three expression patterns of genes related to the dose of prenatal BaP exposure were identified with significant difference (P < 0.05). As the dose of prenatal BaP exposure increased, the gene expression patterns were downregulated, upregulated, and fluctuated. Twenty-six signaling pathways with differently expressed genes mainly focused on: growth and development, toxicant metabolism and inflammation (P < 0.05). The data from gene network analysis demonstrated that CYP2C13, GSTO1, Rela, MAPK8 and Plcg1 were the key genes in the gene network. CONCLUSION: Gene expression patterns of offsprings' hepatocytes were influenced by prenatal BaP exposure. Some key genes and signal pathways were also found. The study provides an important clue for the toxicity and mechanisms of the prenatal BaP exposure on the growth and development of offspring.

Preparation and evaluation of antioxidant activities of peptides obtained from defatted wheat germ by fermentation.

Defatted wheat germ peptides (DWGPs) were prepared by fermentation with Bacillus Subtilis B1 and the antioxidant activities of DWGPs were investigated. The fermentation condition was optimized by response surface method (RSM) with three factors and three levels according to Box-Behnken theory. A maximal yield of DWGPs was achieved 8.69 mg/mL under optimal conditions: inoculum size 8%, fermentation temperature 31 °C and time 48 h. The main portion in the hydrolysates after fermentation was not free amino acid but peptide. The main molecular weight distribution of DWGPs was lower than 1000 Da. A positive correlation (R(2) = 0.9911) was found between concentration of DWGPs and total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC). DWGPs presented a significant does-dependent on scavenging activities of DPPH, hydroxyl and superoxide anion radicals. The EC50 values for the scavenging rates of DPPH, hydroxyl and superoxide anion radicals were 3.16 mg/mL, 6.04 mg/mL and 7.46 mg/mL, respectively. The results suggested that DWGPs produced by fermentation could be used as a promising antioxidant ingredient.

Interventional effects of oral microecological agents on perioperative indicators of colorectal cancer: a meta-analysis.

Purpose: To investigate the efficacy of the application of microecological agents in patients with perioperative colorectal cancer. Methods: The seven electronic databases including PubMed, Cochrane Library, Excerpt Medica Database (Embase), Web of Science (WOS), Chinese Biomedical Literature Database (CBM), China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), and Wan-fang Database were systematically searched for eligible studies from 2000 to February 2023. Results: A total of 38 randomized controlled clinical trials were included in this study, with a total of 1765 patients in the microecological preparation group and 1769 patients in the control group. All data were analyzed using Review Manager 5.4 and R 4.2.2 software. Meta-analysis showed that in the perioperative period of colorectal cancer, the microecological agents group reduced patients' adverse drug reactions, improved intestinal flora with Lactobacillus (SMD, 3.0858, [2.0197; 4.1520], p< 0. 0001), Bifidobacterium (SMD, 2.1551, [1.6145; 2.6956], p< 0.0001) and Escherichia coli (SMD, -1.1393, [-1.6247; -0.6538], p< 0.0001); protection of intestinal mucosal barrier function, endotoxin (SMD, -2.6850 [-4.1399; -1.2301], p=0.0003), DAO (SMD, -2.5916, [-3.4694; -1.7137], p<0.0001) and plasma D-lactate (SMD, -5.4726, [-9.8901; -1.0551], p= 0.0152), reduced inflammatory response, IL-6 (SMD, -3.1279 [-5.7706; -0.4852], p=0.0204) and CRP (SMD, -3.9698 [-7.6296; -0.3100], p=0.0335); improved the immune function of the organism, CD4+ (SMD, 1.5817 [1.0818; 2.0817], p< 0.0001), CD4+/CD8+ (SMD, 1.2938 [0.9693; 1.6183] p< 0.0001) and IgG (SMD, 1.1376 [0.2993; 1.9759] p=0.0078), improved short-term clinical efficacy, ORR (RR, 1.5105 [1.2306; 1.8541], p< 0.0001) and DCR (RR, 0.3896 [0.2620; 0.5795], p< 0.0001). Conclusion: By increasing the number of beneficial flora such as Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium and decreasing the number of harmful flora such as Escherichia coli, the micro-ecological preparation group is beneficial in improving the ecological dysregulation in colorectal cancer patients receiving different treatments in the perioperative period. The microecological preparation group was able to reduce many types of adverse drug reactions, such as infections and gastrointestinal discomfort, compared to the control group. The microecological agents also reduced inflammatory responses, decreased the increase in harmful metabolites, enhanced patients' immune function, protected intestinal mucosal barrier function, and improved short-term clinical outcomes. Systematic review registration: https://inplasy.com/inplasy-2023-4-0051/, identifier INPLASY202340051.

Overexpression of TCP9-like gene enhances salt tolerance in transgenic soybean.

TEOSINTE BRANCHED1/CYCLOIDEA/PROLIFERATING CELL FACTOR (TCP) transcription factors are a plant-specific family and play roles in plant growth, development, and responses to biotic and abiotic stresses. However, little is known about the functions of the TCP transcription factors in the soybean cultivars with tolerance to salt stress. In this study, TCP9-like, a TCP transcription factor, was identified in the soybean cultivars exposed to salt stress. The expression of TCP9-like gene in the roots of salt-tolerant soybean cultivars was higher than that in salt-sensitive cultivars treated with NaCl. The overexpression of TCP9-like enhanced the salt tolerance of the salt-sensitive soybean cultivar 'DN50'. In T2 generation, the plants with TCP9-like overexpression had significantly lower Na+ accumulation and higher K+ accumulation than the WT plants exposed to 200 or 250 mmol/L NaCl. The K+/Na+ ratio in the plants overexpressing TCP9-like was significantly higher than that in WT plants treated with 200 mmol/L NaCl. Meanwhile, the overexpression of TCP9-like up-regulated the expression levels of GmNHX1, GmNHX3, GmSOS1, GmSOS2-like, and GmHKT1, which were involved in the K+/Na+ homeostasis pathway. The findings indicated that TCP9-like mediated the regulation of both Na+ and K+ accumulation to improve the tolerance of soybean to salt stress.

Recent advances in arterial spin labeling perfusion MRI in patients with vascular cognitive impairment.

Cognitive impairment (CI) is a major health concern in aging populations. It impairs patients' independent life and may progress to dementia. Vascular cognitive impairment (VCI) encompasses all cerebrovascular pathologies that contribute to cognitive impairment (CI). Moreover, the majority of CI subtypes involve various aspects of vascular dysfunction. Recent research highlights the critical role of reduced cerebral blood flow (CBF) in the progress of VCI, and the detection of altered CBF may help to detect or even predict the onset of VCI. Arterial spin labeling (ASL) is a non-invasive, non-ionizing perfusion MRI technique for assessing CBF qualitatively and quantitatively. Recent methodological advances enabling improved signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and data acquisition have led to an increase in the use of ASL to assess CBF in VCI patients. Combined with other imaging modalities and biomarkers, ASL has great potential for identifying early VCI and guiding prediction and prevention strategies. This review focuses on recent advances in ASL-based perfusion MRI for identifying patients at high risk of VCI.

[In vitro anti-tumor effect of methotrexate modified by peptide].

This study is to investigate the anti-tumor effect in vitro of methotrexate modified by LH-RH peptide (LH-RH-MTX). LH-RH receptors highly expressing MCF-7 human breast carcinoma cell line and lowly expressing K562 human erythroleukemia cell line were served as the tested cells. The cell proliferation inhibition rates of LH-RH-MTX were detected by MTT colorimetric assay. The effects of LH-RH-MTX on the cell cycle and apoptosis rates were detected by flow cytometry. The inhibition rate of LH-RH-MTX on MCF-7 cells was much higher than that on K562 cells, and the inhibition rate of LH-RH-MTX on MCF-7 cells was much higher than that of free MTX at the same concentration. The inhibition rate of LH-RH-MTX on rat bone marrow mononuclear cells was less than that of free MTX. The number of MCF-7 cells in S phase increased after administration of LH-RH-MTX. The apoptosis rate of LH-RH-MTX group significantly increased compared with that of the control group and MTX group. The relative expression of LHRHR mRNA of LH-RH-MTX group markedly decreased compared with that of the control group and MTX group. LH-RH-MTX is realizable to reduce drug side effects, increase the therapeutic index and achieve tumor-targeted therapy.

Pinning Impulsive Synchronization of Stochastic Delayed Neural Networks via Uniformly Stable Function.

This article investigates the synchronization of stochastic delayed neural networks under pinning impulsive control, where a small fraction of nodes are selected as the pinned nodes at each impulsive moment. By proposing a uniformly stable function as a new tool, some novel mean square decay results are presented to analyze the error system obtained from the leader and the considered neural networks. For the divergent error system without impulsive effects, the impulsive gains of pinning impulsive controller can admit destabilizing impulse and the number of destabilizing impulse may be infinite. However, if the error system without impulsive effects is convergent, to achieve the synchronization of the stochastic neural networks, the growth exponent of the product of impulsive gains can not exceed some positive constant. It is shown that the obtained results increase the flexibility of the impulsive gains compared with the existing results. Finally, a numerical example is given to illustrate the practicality of synchronization criteria.

Akt-GSK3ß-mPTP pathway regulates the mitochondrial dysfunction contributing to odontoblasts apoptosis induced by glucose oxidative stress.

Diabetes Mellitus can cause dental pulp cells apoptosis by oxidative stress, and affect the integrity and function of dental pulp tissue. Mitochondria are the main attack targets of oxidative stress and have a critical role in apoptosis. However, whether mitochondria are involved in dental pulp damage caused by diabetes mellitus remains unclear. This study aimed to investigate the role of mitochondria in the apoptosis of odontoblast-like cell line (mDPC6T) induced by glucose oxidative stress, and to explore its possible mechanism. We established an oxidative stress model in vitro using glucose oxidase/glucose to simulate the pathological state under diabetic conditions. We found that the opening of mitochondrial permeability transition pore (mPTP) contributed to the apoptosis of mDPC6T treated with glucose oxidase, as evidenced by enhanced mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (mtROS) and intracellular Ca2+ disorder, significantly reduced mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) and ATP production. Antioxidant N-acetylcysteine (NAC) or Cyclosporine A (mPTP inhibitor) blocked the mPTP opening, which significantly attenuated mitochondrial dysfunction and apoptosis induced by glucose oxidative stress. In addition, we found that glucose oxidative stress stimulated mPTP opening may through inhibition of Akt-GSK3ß pathway. This study provides a new insight into the mitochondrial mechanism underlying diabetes-associated odontoblast-like cell apoptosis, laying a foundation for the prevention and treatment of diabetes-associated pulp injury.