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ObjectiveTo study the characteristics of imprinting template of flavonoid clusters in four Chinese medicines attributed to the lung meridian， and to establish an in vitro experimental approach for the study of the attribution of Chinese medicines to the lung meridian. MethodBased on 13 Chinese medicines， including Xanthii Fructus， Houttuyniae Herba， Fagopyri Dibotryis Rhizoma， Belamcandae Rhizoma and so on， which only belong to the lung meridian in Chinese Materia Medica（the 13th Five-Year planning textbook of general higher education）， we identified four representative Chinese medicines， namely Houttuyniae Herba， Fagopyri Dibotryis Rhizoma， Belamcandae Rhizoma and Mori Cortex， and set up their fingerprints by high performance liquid chromatography（HPLC） and calculated the molecular connectivity indices of various components in the four Chinese medicines， the similarity to their mean value was calculated by included angle cosine method， so as to establish the quantitative relationship of construction versus imprinting ability， and to determine the order of each component in the lung meridian. A total of 7 reference substances， including chlorogenic acid， rutin， quercetin， isoquercitrin， hyperoside， epicatechin， and iridin， were selected to validate the overall conformational relationships of flavonoids of the model， as well as its predictive ability. ResultHouttuyniae Herba， Fagopyri Dibotryis Rhizoma， Belamcandae Rhizoma and Mori Cortex contained a total of 437 chemical components with an average molecular connectivity index similarity of 0.995 6. The four Chinese medicines contained a total of 204 flavonoids with an average molecular connectivity index similarity of 0.978 0， which was second only to the alkaloids with 0.985 1. The retention time（tR） of the 7 reference substances showed a good conformational relationship with the similarity of the molecular connectivity index（tR=831.4×S-790.3， r=0.861 4， P<0.01）， which was applicable to the in vitro attribution study of the position， similarity， and relative similarity with tR of the cluster of 98.04% of flavonoids. Accordingly， the 1st position was kuwanon D， with a similarity of molecular connectivity index of 0.987 7 and a tR of 30.88 min， the 200th position was chlorogenic acid， with a similarity of molecular connectivity index of 0.958 2 and a tR of 6.36 min. The total first-order moment of the four Chinese medicines calculated by total statistical moment method of fingerprint was 24.26 min， ranked 21， which could characterize 99.19% of the whole， and the total first-order moment of the total peak area of the 7 reference substances in the four Chinese medicines was 20.00 min， with a rank of 46， which could characterize 98.68% of the whole. ConclusionFlavonoid clusters are suitable probes for the characterization of imprinting template for the study of the lung meridian， which can be established a quantitative imprinting method for meridian tropism of Chinese medicines in vitro.
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ObjectiveTo investigate the material basis of homologous and heterogeneous effect of Aurantii Fructus Immaturus（AFI） and Aurantii Fructus（AF） based on the total statistical moment analysis and molecular connectivity index（MCI）. MethodRelevant literature at home and abroad and Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology Database and Analysis Platform（TCMSP） were consulted to establish the chemical composition database of AFI and AF， and set up their fingerprints by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography（UPLC）， and the total statistical moments and similarity parameters of the fingerprint were calculated. According to MCI， all components of AFI and AF were divided into different component groups， the average values of 0-8th order（0χ-8χ） MCI of the common component groups of AFI and AF were calculated. ResultThe values of total zero-order moment（AUCT） of AFI and AF were （10.57±2.45）×106， （5.09±0.89）×106 μV·s， the values of total first-order moment（MCRTT） were （11.57±1.58）， （12.10±1.29） min， the values of total second-order moments（VCRTT） were（24.49±2.30）， （26.49±2.54） min2， respectively. It showed that qualitative and quantitative parameters of AFI and AF were significantly different. The components with high similarity such as neohesperidin， hesperidin and narirutin were screened as the common potential pharmacodynamic components of AFI and AF. The non-common components of AFI， such as alysifolinone and imperatorin， and the non-common components of AF， such as neoeriocitrin and isosakuranin， with high similarity were screened out as potential heterogeneous components of AFI and AF. The composition groups of AFI and AF were classified into six categories， and the similarities between the composition groups of AFI and AF and the total constituents were 0.872-0.979 and 0.918-0.997， the average values of 0χ-8χ MCI of alkaloids in AFI and AF were 3.65 and 3.14， the average values of 0χ-8χ MCI of flavonoids were 8.47 and 8.47， the average values of 0χ-8χ MCI of volatile oils were 2.71 and 3.48， respectively. It showed that there were some differences in MCI of chemical constituents（groups） between AFI and AF. ConclusionThe chemical constituents（groups） of AFI and AF not only differ in content and species， but also in structural characteristics and structure-activity relationship， which can provide a basis for further explaining the scientific connotation of homologous and heterogeneous effect of AFI and AF.
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The organization of the brain follows a topological hierarchy that changes dynamically during development. However, it remains unknown whether and how cognitive training administered over multiple years during development can modify this hierarchical topology. By measuring the brain and behavior of school children who had carried out abacus-based mental calculation (AMC) training for five years (starting from 7 years to 12 years old) in pre-training and post-training, we revealed the reshaping effect of long-term AMC intervention during development on the brain hierarchical topology. We observed the development-induced emergence of the default network, AMC training-promoted shifting, and regional changes in cortical gradients. Moreover, the training-induced gradient changes were located in visual and somatomotor areas in association with the visuospatial/motor-imagery strategy. We found that gradient-based features can predict the math ability within groups. Our findings provide novel insights into the dynamic nature of network recruitment impacted by long-term cognitive training during development.
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Niño , Humanos , Entrenamiento Cognitivo , Imagen por Resonancia Magnética , Encéfalo , Mapeo Encefálico , Corteza MotoraRESUMEN
Resumen Las huellas digitales que se dejan al participar de un mundo altamente digitalizado e hiperconectado acompañan a los individuos durante toda su vida y son elementos constitutivos de la identidad digital. Este estudio de caso de tipo descriptivo, no experimental, de corte transversal basado en el paradigma cuantitativo tiene por objetivo describir el yo físico en medios digitales,considerando las diferencias prresentes según el género bajo su conceptualización binaria de hombre y mujer, de manera de identificar conductas estereotípicas que debiesen ser consideradas en el proceso formativo en estudiantes del área de ciencias de la salud chilenos. Se evaluó a 224 estudiantes universitarios a través de una encuesta, para identificar el tipo de información de su yo físico compartido en la red y cuáles son los medios de conectividad que utilizan para ingresar a la red. En términos generales, se concluyó que los universitarios utilizan preferentemente el celular como dispositivo de acceso a internet, son altamente transparentes y veraces al momento de autentificarse en plataformas y redes sociales, pero son las mujeres las más proclives a autentificarse con datos personales fidedignos. Este hecho abre la necesidad de incluir en el proceso formativo de los futuros profesionales de la salud competencias digitales relativas al autocuidado y la gestión identitaria.
Abstract The fingerprints left by participating in a highly digitized and hyper-connected world accompany individuals throughout their lives and are constitutive elements of their digital identity. This descriptive, non-experimental, cross-sectional case study based on the quantitative paradigm aims to describe the physical self in digital media, according to gender under its binary conceptualization of man and woman, in order to identify stereotypical gender behaviors that should be considered in the training process in students of the Chilean Health Sciences area. From the perspective of the participants, this research considered a non-probabilistic sample of 224 university students (164 women and 60 men) who participated voluntarily. Nonparametric tests were used since the data is ordinal and one of the advantages of these tests is that they should not fit any distribution and can be applied even if the parametric validity conditions are not met. To look for differences by gender, the Mann-Whitney-Wilcoxon U test was applied (95 %; .05). Among the relevant results is the fact that men preferably use the internet connection available at home, women choose the one provided by their cell phone (p = .0469 and p = .0404, respectively). Likewise, the cellphone is the main technological device from which both prefer to access the network. From the sample, 79.88 % of women and 76.67 % of men state that they are, at least, 3 hours a day connected to the network. Women tend to identify themselves on digital platforms more frequently than men, using their real name and surname. Meanwhile, men tend to use nicknames more often than women. In this research it was concluded that students in the Health Sciences area are highly truthful in relation to the information they share in digital media, leaving data available that allows for a clear identification of their physical self on the internet. In addition, their main means of connection are their cellphones and the data networks that they provide through the use of their phone plans. There is a clear reflection of correspondence between their face-to-face and digital life, maintaining certain behaviors that can be attributed to gender stereotypes, but to a low degree. Finally, there is a clear need to include aspects related to digital competences in the training process that address the importance and proper management of communications in digital media, as well as the development and management of digital identity from a professional ethics perspective, since their actions on the network can involve and affect not only the construction of their own personal and professional digital identity, but also the personal lives of their patients and colleagues. It is important to note that these conclusions have some limitations, since this research is a cross-sectional study, and the sample was intentional per volunteer subject and not random. This implies that the results obtained are limited to the sample studied and describe its behavior at a given time. However, according to the purpose of the study, this type of sample manages to build a theoretical body that describes the common elements and the differences inherent in a collective case study, so it can be considered a good approximation to the Chilean reality. From a practical point of view, the conclusions of this research provide higher education institutions with evidence that allows progress towards a comprehensive, solid, and coherent training regarding the digital skills required by a university professional graduating in a highly digitized world. Considering the above, it would be advisable to advance in future studies that consider knowing what digital protection measures are incorporated in the training of university students.
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Objective:To investigate the regional homogeneity (ReHo) among the major depressive disorder patients without mixed features (MDD noMF), major depressive disorder with mixed features (MMF), bipolar disorder with mixed features (BMF) and bipolar disorder patients without mixed features (BD noMF) patients, and to explore the brain activity and functional connectivity patterns of the MMF and BMF patients. Methods:This was a cross-sectional study. The MDD noMF patients (MDD noMF group), MMF patients (MMF group), BMF patients (BMF group), BD noMF patients (BD noMF group), and age-and gender-matched healthy controls (HC group) were recruited from Beijing Anding Hospital, Capital Medical University between April, 2021 and June, 2022. All the participants underwent resting-state functional MRI scanning. The ReHo values was computed with the DPABI software based on the MATLAB. Firstly, the difference in ReHo among the patients with MDD noMF, MMF, BMF, BD noMF and HC group were estimated by the analysis of covariance and the post-hoc method (LSD or Games-Howell). And then, the brain regions with significant different ReHo values were selected as the seeds to calculate the functional connectivity with the whole brain. Results:A total of 29 cases in the MDD noMF group, 24 cases in the MMF group, 26 cases in the BMF group, 29 cases in the BD noMF group, and 42 in the HC group were included. The differences in ReHo values in the left fusiform and the left precuneus of the 5 groups were statistically significant ( P<0.05). Among of them, the ReHo values of the left fusiform were lower in the MMF, BMF and BD noMF groups compared with the HC group ( P<0.05), while the ReHo values of the left precuneus in MDD noMF, MMF, BMF and BD noMF groups were higher than that in the HC group ( P<0.05). The ReHo value of the left fusiform was lower in the MMF group compared with the MDD noMF group ( P=0.001); the ReHo value of the left fusiform was lower in the BMF group compared with the MDD noMF and BD noMF groups ( P<0.05). The functional connectivity between the left fusiform and vermis, left insula, right putamen, and left medial superior frontal gyrus, and functional connectivity between the left precuneus and right superior frontal gyrus (dorsolateral) showed significant difference among the MDD noMF, MMF, BMF, BD noMF and HC groups ( P<0.05). Compared with HC group, MDD noMF, MMF, BD noMF groups showed higher functional connectivity between the left fusiform and the vermis, and MDD noMF, MMF, BMF, BD noMF group showed higher functional connectivityy between the the left fusiform and the left insula, left medial superior frontal gyrus and right putamen ( P<0.05). Compared with the MDD noMF group, the MMF, BMF and BD noMF groups showed higher functional connectivity between the left fusiform and the left insula ( P<0.05). Compared with the MDD noMF group, the BMF and BD noMF groups had higher functional connectivity between the left fusiform and the left medial superior frontal gyrus ( P<0.05). The BMF group showed higher functional connectivity of the left fusiform with the right putamen than the MDD noMF and BD noMF groups. Additonally, the BMF and BD noMF groups showed higher functional connectivity between the left precuneus and the right superior frontal gyrus (dorsolateral) than HC, MDD noMF and MMF groups ( P<0.05). Conclusions:MMF and BMF patients have local abnormalities of functional activity synchronization in the left fusiform and precuneus and abnormal functional connectivity patterns with multiple brain regions. MMF and BMF patients have specific neuroimaging features compared to MDD noMF or BD noMF patients and also share similar neuroimaging pathogenesis.
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Objective:To investigate the changes in dynamic functional connectivity density (dFCD) and its relationship with Fagerstr?m test for nicotine dependence (FTND) scores in individuals with smoking addiction based on functional MR.Methods:The clinical and imaging data of 176 volunteers recruited through wechat and other online platforms from September 2019 to December 2020 in the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University were retrospectively analyzed. The 176 volunteers were male, aged 20 to 55 years old, and were divided into light smoking addiction group (59 cases), heavy smoking addiction group (61 cases) and control group (56 cases). All subjects underwent resting state functional MR scanning and dFCD was calculated. The dFCD values of three groups were analyzed by ANOVA analysis (GRF corrected, voxel level P<0.005, cluster level P<0.01). Bonferroni correction was used for pairwise comparison. Pearson partial correlation analysis was used to analyze the correlation between dFCD values of brain regions with statistically significant differences and FTND scores. Results:Differences in dFCD among light smoking addiction group, heavy smoking addiction group and control group were mainly distributed in the right orbitofrontal cortex, left caudate nucleus, right putamen, bilateral calcarine sulcus cortex, right cuneus, left parahippocampal gyrus, left precuneus, left middle temporal gyrus and bilateral thalamus (GRF corrected, voxel level P<0.005, cluster level P<0.01). Compared with the control group, both the light and heavy smoking addiction groups showed decreased dFCD in the bilateral calcarine sulcus cortex, right cuneus and left precuneus, as well as increased dFCD in the right orbitofrontal cortex, right putamen, left caudate nucleus and left thalamus (Bonferroni corrected, P<0.05). Compared with the control group, the heavy smoking addiction group showed increased dFCD in the right thalamus, and the light smoking addiction group showed decreased dFCD in the left middle temporal gyrus (Bonferroni corrected, P<0.001). Compared with the light smoking addiction group, the heavy smoking addiction group showed increased dFCD in the left middle temporal gyrus and right thalamus, and decreased dFCD in the left parahippocampal gyrus (Bonferroni corrected, P<0.05). The mean value of dFCD in the right thalamus was positively correlated with FTND scores in smoking addiction patients ( r=0.227, P=0.014), and the mean value of dFCD in the right thalamus of the heavy smoking addiction subgroup was positively correlated with FTND scores ( r=0.323, P=0.013). There was no correlation between FTND scores and dFCD in the right thalamus of the light smoking addiction group ( P>0.05). Conclusion:There are changes of neural activity in brain regions related to smoking behaviors among people with different severity of smoking addiction, and smoking behaviors of people with heavy smoking addiction tend to be habitual compared with those with light smoking addiction.
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Objective:To investigate the alterations of amplitude of low frequency fluctuation (ALFF) and functional connectivity (FC) in patients with Parkinson′s disease (PD) with apathy.Methods:From May 2016 to August 2019, PD patients and age-, gender-and education level-matched healthy controls (HC) in the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University were prospectively recruited. The clinical and resting-state functional MRI (rs-fMRI) data of PD patients and HC were analyzed. According to the Starkstein Apathy Scale (SAS) scores, PD patients were divided into PD with apathy (PD-A) group and PD without apathy (PD-NA) group. Rs-fMRI images were processed by DPABI based on MATLAB. ALFF values were calculated and the standard ALFF (zALFF) were obtained. ANOVA and Post-Hoc t test were performed to compare the differences in local brain activity among the three groups. The brain regions with significant different zALFF values were selected as the seeds to calculate the FC values of the whole brain. The associations between FC values and the SAS scores were performed using pearson correlation analyses. Results:A total of 75 PD patients (50 males, 25 females, aged from 44 to 88 years) and 41 HC (25 males, 16 females, aged from 54 to 72 years) were enrolled. There were 42 patients in the PD-A group and 33 patients in the PD-NA group. Significant differences were found in zALFF values among the PD-A, PD-NA and HC groups ( P<0.05). After Post-Hoc t test, compared with the HC group, zALFF values were significantly increased in the right middle frontal gyrus in the PD-A group ( P<0.05) and significantly decreased in the left precuneus in the PD-NA group; The zALFF values of the right middle frontal gyrus and left precuneus in the PD-A group were significantly higher than those in PD-NA group ( P<0.05). Brain regions with different zALFF values were used as seeds for whole-brain FC. Compared with PD-NA group, FC values between the right middle frontal gyrus and bilateral precuneus, left superior frontal gyrus and its medial side, left middle frontal gyrus, left angular, left anterior cingulate gyrus, left posterior cingulate gyrus, left parahippocampal gyrus were significantly decreased in the PD-A group ( P<0.05). Additionally, FC values of PD patients between the right middle frontal gyrus with the left precuneus, the left superior frontal gyrus and its medial side, and the left middle frontal gyrus were negatively correlated with SAS scores ( r=-0.31, -0.30 and -0.34, both P<0.05). Conclusion:PD-A and PD-NA patients have different brain functional activities and connections in the frontal lobe, parietal lobe and limbic system, suggesting that apathy in PD may be associated with the abnormal functional connections of the frontal-parietal cortical circuit and the frontal-limbic-striatal loop.
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Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is a physical therapy method with rapid onset and remarkable effect for schizophrenia(SZ). It is widely used in patients with agitated impulses, stupor and refractory patients with poor drug treatment effect. The neurophysiological mechanism of ECT effect has not been elucidated. In the past decade, the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies of ECT for SZ have been gradually reported in domestic and international journal, involving magnetic resonance spectroscopy, structural state and resting state analysis, preliminary findings suggest that there may be a correlation between ECT efficacy and structural and functional brain changes, mainly involving morphological changes in brain regions such as the thalamus, hippocampus, insula and left medial prefrontal lobe, as well as functional changes in core resting state networks, particularly the dorsal frontoparietal network, default network and limbic network. More research and exploration are needed in the future to provide valuable clues to further explore the therapeutic mechanism of ECT treatment.
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Objective:To investigate the alterations of resting-state functional connectivity (RSFC) in ventral tegmental area (VTA) and substantia nigra (SN) among male smokers, and its correlation with clinical characteristics of smoking.Methods:The resting-state functional magnetic resonance data of 131 subjects recruited from January 2014 to December 2018 were analyzed retrospectively, including 76 smokers (smoking group) and 55 non-smokers (control group). VTA/SN was selected as regions of interest (ROI), and then calculated RSFC between VTA/SN and the whole brain.Based on SPM12 software, independent sample t-test was conducted to compare the differences in RSFC between smoking group and control group.Based on SPSS 22.0 software, Pearson correlation analysis was used to investigate the relationships between the RSFC of brain regions with significant differences and Fagerstr?m test for nicotine dependence (FTND) score, pack-year of smokers. Results:Compared with control group, the results showed decreased RSFC between VTA and the brain regions related default mode network (DMN)(including posterior cingulate cortex, right anterior cuneiform lobe, bilateral superior temporal gyrus, right middle temporal gyrus and right inferior parietal lobule), and regions of limbic system(including right marginal lobe and right angular gyrus), right calcarine (MNI: x, y, z=24, -55, -14) and left insula(MNI: x, y, z=-35, -11, 9) in smoking group(GRF corrected, voxel level P<0.005, cluster level P<0.05). Taking SN as the seed, there was no significant difference between smoking group and control group ( P>0.05). RSFC of VTA-left superior temporal gyrus was positively correlated with pack-year( r=0.243, P=0.034) and FTND ( r=0.282, P=0.014). VTA-left insula RSFC was positively correlated with FTND ( r=0.316, P=0.006). Conclusion:The RSFC in the mesolimbic system and the VTA-DMN circuit exist abnormal changes in smokers.To some extent, it may explain the reward deficits and dysfunction of emotion regulation in smokers, which may provide clues for further understanding the mechanism of tobacco addiction.
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Objective:To explore the relationship between work connectivity behavior after-hours, self-regulatory fatigue and work engagement of nurses, so as to provide reference for developing strategies to improve nurses′work engagement.Methods:This was a cross-sectional survey study. A total of 661 nurses from 10 hospitals in Shandong Province were selected as subjects by convenience sampling method from June to August 2022. The Work Connectivity Behavior After-hours Scale, Self-Regulatory Fatigue Scale and Work Engagement Scale were used to measure the work connectivity behavior after-hours, self-regulatory fatigue level and work engagement level. A structural equation model was constructed to evaluate the mediating effect of self-regulatory fatigue on work connectivity behavior after-hours and work engagement.Results:The scores of work connectivity behavior after-hours, self-regulatory fatigue and work engagement of nurses were (37.66 ± 7.05), (42.98 ± 10.55) and (34.29 ± 6.58) points, respectively. The total effect of work connectivity behavior after hours on work engagement was -0.336 6. The work connectivity behavior after-hours was positively correlated with self-regulatory fatigue ( r = 0.423, P<0.01) and work engagement was negatively correlated with work connectivity behavior after-hours and self-regulatory fatigue ( r = -0.361, -0.479, both P<0.01). Self-regulatory fatigue had a partial mediating effect on work connectivity behavior after-hours and work engagement, accounting for 46.61% of the total effect. Conclusions:Self-regulatory fatigue has a mediating effect on the relationship between nurses′ work connectivity behavior after-hours and work engagement. Nursing managers should reduce the degree of self-regulatory fatigue of nurses by preventing their work connectivity behavior after-hours, so as to improve the work involvement level of nurses.
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Background Occupational aluminum exposure may associate with cognitive impairment in workers. At present, brain functional imaging data are not available for evaluating cognitive dysfunction in workers with occupational exposure to aluminum. The role of brain functional connectivity in cognitive decline associated with occupational aluminum exposure is not clear yet. Objective To explore potential mediating effect of brain functional connectivity value on cognitive decline induced by occupational aluminum exposure, to assess the relationship between cognitive impairment and brain functional connectivity, and to identify appropriate imaging evidence of early cognitive changes induced by occupational aluminum exposure. Methods This study used a subset data from a previous cross-sectional survey. Based on the data of aluminum-exposed workers, over 40 years old, aluminum-exposed working years >1 year, Montreal International Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) (Beijing version) score <26 points, 20 workers were selected as the case group, and 40 healthy workers with the same basic conditions (age, smoking, drinking, etc.) in non-aluminum production were selected as the control group with a 1∶2 matching ratio. The basic information of the subjects was collected, plasma aluminum level and cognitive function level were evaluated, and different brain functional connectivity values of default mode network (DMN) were measured by magnetic resonance imaging. The mediating effect analysis was conducted to examine the role of brain functional connectivity in the relationship between aluminum exposure and cognitive function. Results The plasma aluminum concentration of the case group was 1.76 times higher than that of the control group [(33.04±12.02) µg·L−1 vs (18.74±8.95) µg·L−1, P<0.05]; the MoCA score was 9.5 points lower [(18.35±2.64) vs (27.85±0.92), P<0.05]. The mean functional connection values of DMN1 and DMN2 in the case group were lower than those in the control group (P<0.05). The mean functional connection values of the left precuneus, left middle cingulate cortex, left superior medial gyrus, left precentral gyrus, and left cerebellum also decreased in the case group compared with the control group (P<0.05). Plasma aluminum concentration was negatively correlated with DMN1 functional connectivity value and MoCA scores (b=−0.004, 95%CI: −0.008–−0.001; b=−0.15, 95%CI: −0.233–−0.067; P<0.05). The mean functional connection values of DMN1 and DMN2 were positively correlated with MoCA scores (b=10.945, 95%CI: 5.574–16.316; b=10.107, 95%CI: 2.457–17.758; P<0.05). With the increase of plasma aluminum concentration, MoCA score decreased, but when the plasma aluminum concentration exceeded 19.50 µg·L−1, MoCA score decreased slowly. With the increase of the mean functional connectivity value of DMN1, MoCA score increased, but when the mean functional connectivity value of DMN1 exceeded 1.05 and continued to increase, the increase of MoCA score slowed down. The results of mediating effect analysis showed that the functional connectivity value of DMN1 partially mediated the relationship between plasma aluminum concentration and MoCA score, and the mediating effect was 25.80%. Conclusion Cognitive impairment in occupational aluminum-exposed workers is closely related to brain resting-state functional connectivity. There is a dose-response relationship of plasma aluminum concentration with DMN1 functional connectivity value and MoCA scores, and DMN1 functional connectivity value partially mediates the relationship between plasma aluminum concentration and MoCA scores. The brain functional connectivity value can be used as meaningful imaging data to study the cognitive decline induced by chronic aluminum exposure.
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ObjectiveTo analyze the fingerprint of six pungent herbs based on the molecular connectivity index（MCI）and the matching frequency total statistical moment method， and to study the division and integration of the "imprinting template" of their volatile components， so as to find the common "imprinting template" characteristics of the pungent herbs. MethodThe volatile components of six pungent herbs were extracted by steam distillation， and their fingerprints were established by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry（GC-MS） with a programmed temperature increase（80 ℃ for 5 min， 5 ℃·min-1 to 200 ℃ for 5 min， 2 ℃·min-1 to 230 ℃ for 10 min）， a splitting ratio of 20∶1， an electron bombardment ion source（EI） and the detection range of m/z 35-650， and the average MCI and total statistical moment parameters of the fingerprints were calculated. Then the matching frequency method was used to classify， integrate and confirm the chromatographic peaks of the fingerprints of six pungent herbs. ResultThe average zero order， first-order and second-order MCI values of the volatile components of Pogostemonis Herba， Artemisiae Argyi Folium， Atractylodis Rhizoma， Asari Radix et Rhizoma， Magnoliae Flos and Schizonepetae Herba were 9.02， 5.28 and 5.05， respectively. The average values of peak number， total zero-order moment， total first-order moment and total second-order moment were 60， 169×107， 22.49 min and 36.82 min2， respectively. The 20 integrated imprinting templates were obtained by the matching frequency method for the six pungent herbs， among which three were common imprinting templates with the retention times of （25.97±0.21），（26.90±0.20），（31.64±1.24） min， respectively， and the representative components were valencene，β-elemene， caryophyllin， etc. ConclusionMCI combined the matching frequency total statistical moment can divide and integrate the characteristics of imprinting templates of six pungent herbs， and find their common chromatographic imprinting characteristics， which can provide a reference for the determination of effective substances of pungent herbs.
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ObjectiveTo study the brain network during balance control tasks in older adults. MethodsFrom January to April, 2022, 22 healthy young adults and 20 healthy older adults were recruited from the Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University and communities. They were asked to finish standing tasks on the plantar pressure plate with eyes opening and closing, while the functional connectivities (FC) of prefrontal cortex (PFC) and primary motor cortex (PMC) were measured with functional near-infrared spectroscopy. ResultsCompared with the young adults, the area of the ellipse (Z = -2.884, P < 0.01) and the maximum swing (Z = -2.481, P < 0.05) increased in the older adults as eyes closing. During the standing task, the intra-FC of left (t = 2.978, P < 0.01) and right (Z = -3.123, P < 0.01) PFC decreased in the older adults, and the inter-FC of right PMC to left PFC (t = 2.087, P < 0.05) and right PFC to left PFC (t = 3.471, P < 0.001) decreased, too. ConclusionThe FC of PFC decreased in healthy older adults during balance control tasks, which may be a indicator for aging brain.
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ObjectiveTo explore the efficacy of acupuncture intervention for children with monocular refractive-parallax amblyopia and the possible mechanisms of brain function based on resting-state functional magnetic resonance （rs-fMRI）. MethodsSeventy-six children with anisometropic amblyopia were randomly divided into routine treatment group （38 cases） and acupuncture treatment group （38 cases）. In the conventional group， the children were given three regular treatments of red flash， grating and visual stimulation for 5 mins each time； in the acupuncture group， on the basis of the conventional treatment， the children were given acupuncture for 20 mins each time on bilateral Jingming （BL 1）， Cuanzhu （BL 2）， Guangming （GB 37） and Fengchi （GB 20）； the children in both groups were treated once every other day and three times a week for 4 weeks. The corrected visual acuity was compared between groups before and after treatment. Fifteen children with left-sided refractive amblyopia were randomly selected from each of the above two groups and underwent brain rs-fMRI scans before and after treatment， and 10 healthy children with normal visual acuity of the matched gender and age were included in the normal group and underwent brain rs-fMRI scans. Based on the activation likelihood estimation （ALE） method， we constructed the what visual pathway network， and compared and analyzed the spherical regions of interest （ROIs） of the children with normal children， and both groups of children with differences in functional connectivity （FC values） within the what pathway in the brain before and after treatment. ResultsTwo cases dropout in the acupuncture group， and finally 36 cases in the acupuncture group and 38 cases in the conventional group were included in the analysis. Compared with before treatment， the best corrected visual acuity of amblyopia in both groups was significantly improved after treatment （P＜0.05）， and the improvement of vision in the acupuncture group was significantly better than that in the conventional group （P＜0.05）. The results of rs-fMRI showed that the FC values of the primary optic cortex and the right fusiform gyrus， the left lingual gyrus and the right fusiform gyrus， and the right infraoccipital gyrus and the right middle temporal gyrus were significantly elevated in the brain of the refractive amblyopia children with the whitepathic amblyopia， compared with that of the normal children （P＜0.05）. The FC values of the left lingual gyrus， the right suboccipital gyrus with the right fusiform gyrus， the left lingual gyrus with the right middle temporal gyrus， the right and left lateral middle occipital gyrus， and the right and left lateral middle occipital gyrus with the right suboccipital gyrus were significantly （P＜0.05） lower in the conventional group compared with those in the conventional group before treatment. Compared with that before acupuncture treatment， the FC values of the right lingual gyrus and the right fusiform gyrus， the primary visual cortex and the right middle temporal gyrus increased significantly after acupuncture treatment （P＜0.05）， and the FC values of the left inferior occipital gyrus and the right middle temporal gyrus， the FC values of the left lingual gyrus and the right middle occipital gyrus decreased significantly （P＜0.05）. Compared between groups after treatment， the FC between the left suboccipital gyrus and the right fusiform gyrus in the acupuncture group was significantly higher than that in the conventional group （P＜0.05）， and the FC between the left middle occipital gyrus and the right and left suboccipital gyrus was significantly lower than that in the conventional group （P＜0.05）. ConclusionAcupuncture can significantly improve the corrected vision of anisometropic amblyopic children， and its effect mechanism may focus on regulating the occipito-temporal interlobular functional connectivity within the what pathway， thus improving the children's visual function of shape and color vision and visual learning and memory ability.
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The conventional approach to investigating functional connectivity in the block-designed study usually concatenates task blocks or employs residuals of task activation. While providing many insights into brain functions, the block design adds more manipulation in functional network analysis that may reduce the purity of the blood oxygenation level-dependent signal. Recent studies utilized one single long run for task trials of the same condition, the so-called continuous design, to investigate functional connectivity based on task functional magnetic resonance imaging. Continuous brain activities associated with the single-task condition can be directly utilized for task-related functional connectivity assessment, which has been examined for working memory, sensory, motor, and semantic task experiments in previous research. But it remains unclear how the block and continuous design influence the assessment of task-related functional connectivity networks. This study aimed to disentangle the separable effects of block/continuous design and working memory load on task-related functional connectivity networks, by using repeated-measures analysis of variance. Across 50 young healthy adults, behavioral results of accuracy and reaction time showed a significant main effect of design as well as interaction between design and load. Imaging results revealed that the cingulo-opercular, fronto-parietal, and default model networks were associated with not only task activation, but significant main effects of design and load as well as their interaction on intra- and inter-network functional connectivity and global network topology. Moreover, a significant behavior-brain association was identified for the continuous design. This work has extended the evidence that continuous design can be used to study task-related functional connectivity and subtle brain-behavioral relationships.
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OBJECTIVES@#To analyze the effect of acupuncture at the acupoints for Yizhi Tiaoshen (benefiting the intelligence and regulating the spirit) on the functional connectivity between the hippocampus and the whole brain in the patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD), and reveal the brain function mechanism of acupuncture in treatment of AD using resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI).@*METHODS@#Sixty patients with mild to moderate AD were randomly divided into an acupuncture + medication group (30 cases, 3 cases dropped out) and a western medication group (30 cases, 2 cases dropped out). In the western medication group, the donepezil hydrochloride tablets were administered orally, 2.5 mg to 5 mg each time, once daily; and adjusted to be 10 mg each time after 4 weeks of medication. Besides the therapy as the western medication group, in the acupuncture + medication group, acupuncture was supplemented at the acupoints for Yizhi Tiaoshen, i.e. Baihui (GV 20), Sishencong (EX-HN 1), and bilateral Shenmen (HT 7), Neiguan (PC 6), Zusanli (ST 36), Sanyinjiao (SP 6) and Xuanzhong (GB 39). The needles were retained for 30 min in one treatment, once daily; and 6 treatments were required weekly. The duration of treatment was 6 weeks in each group. The general cognitive function was assessed by the mini-mental state examination (MMSE) and Alzheimer's disease assessment scale-cognitive part (ADAS-Cog) before and after treatment in the two groups. Using the rs-fMRI, the changes in the functional connectivity (FC) of the left hippocampus and the whole brain before and after treatment were analyzed in the patients of the two groups (11 cases in the acupuncture + medication group and 12 cases in the western medication group).@*RESULTS@#After treatment, compared with those before treatment, MMSE scores increased and ADAS-Cog scores decreased in the two groups (P<0.05); MMSE score was higher, while the ADAS-Cog score was lower in the acupuncture + medication group when compared with those in the western medication group (P≤0.05). After treatment, in the western medication group, FC of the left hippocampus was enhanced with the left fusiform gyrus, the inferior frontal gyrus of the left triangular region, the bilateral superior temporal gyrus and the right superior parietal gyrus (P<0.05), while FC was weakened with the left inferior temporal gyrus, the left middle frontal gyrus and the right dorsolateral superior frontal gyrus when compared with that before treatment (P<0.05). After treatment, in the acupuncture + medication group, FC of the left hippocampus was increased with the right gyrus rectus, the left inferior occipital gyrus, the right superior temporal gyrus and the left middle occipital gyrus (P<0.05), and it was declined with the left thalamus (P<0.05) when compared with those before treatment. After treatment, in the acupuncture + medication group, FC of the left hippocampus was strengthened with the bilateral inferior temporal gyrus, the bilateral middle temporal gyrus, the right gyrus rectus, the bilateral superior occipital gyrus, the left lenticular nucleus putamen, the left calcarine fissure and surrounding cortex, the inferior frontal gyrus of the left insulae operculum, the left medial superior frontal gyrus and the right posterior central gyrus (P<0.05) compared with that of the western medication group.@*CONCLUSIONS@#Acupuncture at the acupoints for Yizhi Tiaoshen improves the cognitive function of AD patients, and its main brain functional mechanism is related to intensifying the functional connectivity of the left hippocampus with the default network (inferior temporal gyrus, middle temporal gyrus and superior frontal gyrus, gyrus rectus), as well as with the sensory (posterior central gyrus) and visual (calcarine fissure and surrounding cortex and superior occipital gyrus) brain regions.
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Humanos , Puntos de Acupuntura , Enfermedad de Alzheimer/terapia , Imagen por Resonancia Magnética , Encéfalo/fisiología , Terapia por Acupuntura , Hipocampo/diagnóstico por imagenRESUMEN
OBJECTIVES@#To investigate the role of brain functional connectivity and nonlinear dynamic analysis in brain function assessment for infants with controlled infantile spasm (IS).@*METHODS@#A retrospective analysis was performed on 14 children with controlled IS (IS group) who were admitted to the Department of Neurology, Anhui Provincial Children's Hospital, from January 2019 to January 2023. Twelve healthy children, matched for sex and age, were enrolled as the control group. Electroencephalogram (EEG) data were analyzed for both groups to compare the features of brain network, and nonlinear dynamic indicators were calculated, including approximate entropy, sample entropy, permutation entropy, and permutation Lempel-Ziv complexity.@*RESULTS@#Brain functional connectivity showed that compared with the control group, the IS group had an increase in the strength of functional connectivity, and there was a significant difference between the two groups in the connection strength between the Fp2 and F8 channels (P<0.05). The network stability analysis showed that the IS group had a significantly higher network stability than the control group at different time windows (P<0.05). The nonlinear dynamic analysis showed that compared with the control group, the IS group had a significantly lower sample entropy of Fz electrode (P<0.05).@*CONCLUSIONS@#Abnormalities in brain network and sample entropy may be observed in some children with controlled IS, and it is suggested that quantitative EEG analysis parameters can serve as neurological biomarkers for evaluating brain function in children with IS.
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Niño , Humanos , Lactante , Dinámicas no Lineales , Espasmos Infantiles , Estudios Retrospectivos , Encéfalo , ElectroencefalografíaRESUMEN
BackgroundCognitive impairment， a core clinical feature of schizophrenia， is considered to be associated with the aberrant functional connectivity in patients with schizophrenia， whereas previous studies on the characteristics of cognitive impairment in patients with chronic schizophrenia and its correlation with interhemispheric voxel-mirrored homotopic connectivity （VMHC） are somewhat inadequate. ObjectiveTo investigate the characteristics of cognitive impairment in patients with chronic schizophrenia who are clinically stable on their antipsychotic medication， and to explore its correlation with resting-state interhemispheric VMHC， so as to provide theoretical basis for the identification of neurobiological mechanism possibly responsible for cognitive impairment in chronic schizophrenia. MethodsA total of 15 patients with chronic schizophrenia who met the criteria of the International Classification of Diseases， tenth edition （ICD-10） and hospitalized in Suzhou Guangji Hospital from January 2021 to December 2022 were included. Another 15 healthy community-dwelling individuals were concurrently recruited. All participants were requested to complete the Positive and Negative Symptom Scale （PANSS）， Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status （RBANS） and resting-state functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging （rs-fMRI） scanning to evaluate their mental symptoms， cognitive function and interhemispheric functional connectivity. The rs-fMRI data were analyzed with VMHC method. Then Pearson correlation analysis was performed to examine the correlation between VMHC values of regions of interest and scores of RBANS and PANSS within patient group. ResultsPatient group obtained lower scores than control group based on RBANS immediate memory， visuospatial/constructional， language， attention and total score， with statistically significant differences （t=-2.853， -2.107， -5.576， -7.108， -5.354， P<0.05 or 0.01）. The VMHC values of left superior occipital gyrus （t=-5.188， P<0.05） and right cuneus （t=-5.188， P<0.05） in patient group were lower than those in control group， with statistical difference. Correlation analysis denoted that the VMHC values of left superior occipital gyrus （r=0.612， P=0.015） and right cuneus （r=0.612， P=0.015） were positively correlated with visuospatial/constructional index score in RBANS. ConclusionThe resting-state VMHC is abnormal in left superior occipital gyrus and right cuneus of patients with chronic schizophrenia， and yields a correlation with the visuospatial/constructional performance of patients. ［Funded by Suzhou Science and Technology Development Plan Project （number， SKJYD2021131； SKJY2021143）］
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Tinnitus refers to the perception of abnormal sound in the absence of external sound stimulation. It can have an impact on a person's mood, memory, attention, and mental state, although the mechanism of tinnitus is still unclear. In recent years, the research on the central neural mechanism of tinnitus has attracted the attention of scholars.Functional magnetic resonance imaging （fMRI）,as an effective imaging technology, has been actively employed in this field. This paper provides a systematic summary of studies on the central neural mechanism of tinnitus by fMRI in recent years,revealed the changes of functional connections among tinnitus-related neural networks,such as auditory network,limbic system,default mode network and salience network. The central neural mechanism of tinnitus involves multiple networks that interact with each other. By understanding this mechanism, we hope to develop more targeted prevention and treatment strategies to help patients alleviate long-term tinnitus.
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Humanos , Acúfeno/diagnóstico por imagen , Imagen por Resonancia Magnética/métodos , AtenciónRESUMEN
Objective:To observe the temporal variability of functional connectivity between the bilateral inferior frontal gyrus and rest of the brain in persons with Broca′s aphasia (BA) and to compare the connectivity between Uygur and Chinese aphasics.Methods:Thirty Chinese and Uygur BA patients (the patient group) and 30 healthy people speaking Uygur and Chinese (the healthy group) were included. rs-fMRI images were acquired, and the patient group was divided then into a Uygur language patient group (9 cases) and a Chinese language patient group (12 cases). The healthy group was divided into a Uygur language healthy group (13 cases) and a Chinese language healthy group (15 cases). Dynamic functional connectivity (dFC) calculations were performed, and a two-factor analysis of covariance was used to obtain the brain regions in which there was an interaction between language and aphasia and to analyze the correlation between the brain regions with abnormal dFCs and linguistic behavior.Results:Interaction between the bilateral inferior frontal gyrus and the left medial and paracentral cingulate gyrus and the right postcentral gyrus dFC was observed to vary. Temporal variability among the Uygur patients was significantly less than among the Uygur healthy and Chinese patient groups. The temporal variability of Broca′s mirror area and the right postcentral gyrus in the Chinese patient group was significantly greater than in the Chinese healthy group or the Uygur patient group. Variability of Broca′s area and the left medial and paracingulate cingulate gyrus in the Uygur patients group correlated positively with oral fluency, reading comprehension and writing.Conclusion:There are differences in the temporal variability of the dFC in the bilateral inferior frontal gyrus between Uygur and Chinese BA patients. The lower variability of Broca′s area with the left medial and paracingulate and cingulate gyrus may help to identify impaired language function in BA patients. The enhanced variability of the Broca′s mirror image area with the right postcentral gyrus may be the result of reorganization of the linguistic network in Chinese BA patients.