Factors influencing cognitive function in patients with Huntington's disease from China: A cross-sectional clinical study.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Huntington's disease (HD) is an autosomal dominant inherited neurodegenerative disorder caused by CAG repeats expansion. Cognitive decline contributes to the loss of daily activity in manifest HD. We aimed to examine the cognition status in a Chinese HD cohort and explore factors influencing the diverse cognitive domains. METHODS: A total of 205 participants were recruited in the study with the assessment by neuropsychological batteries, including the mini-mental state examination (MMSE), Stroop test, symbol digit modalities test (SDMT), trail making test (TMT), verbal fluency test (VFT), and Hopkins verbal learning test-revised, as well as motor and psychiatric assessment. Pearson correlation and multiple linear regression models were applied to investigate the correlation. RESULTS: Only 41.46% of patients had normal global function first come to our center. There was a significantly difference in MMSE, Stroop test, SDMT, TMT, and VFT across each stage of HD patients (p < .05). Apathy of PBA-s was correlated to MMSE, animal VFT and Stroop-interference tests performance. Severity of motor symptoms, functional capacity, age, and age of motor symptom onset were correlated to all neuropsychological scores, whereas education attainment and diagnostic delay were correlated to most neuropsychological scores except TMT. Severity of motor symptoms, functional capacity, and education attainment showed independent predicting effect (p < .05) in diverse cognitive domains. CONCLUSION: Cognitive impairment was very common in Chinese HD patients at the first visit and worse in the patients in advanced phase. The severity of motor symptoms and functional capacity were correlated to the diverse cognitive domains.

Application of fast susceptibility weighted imaging based on deep learning in assessment of acute ischemic stroke / 中华放射学杂志

Objective:To explore the value of fast susceptibility weighted imaging (SWI) generated by a deep learning model in assessment of acute ischemic stroke (AIS).Methods:From January 2019 to January 2021, 118 AIS patients [75 males and 43 females, aged 23-100 (66±14) years] who underwent MR examination and SWI sequence scanning within 24 h of symptom onset in the First Medical Center of PLA General Hospital were retrospectively analyzed. MATLAB ′s randperm function was used to divide 118 patients into a training set of 96 cases and a test set of 22 cases at a ratio of 8∶2. Fourty-seven AIS patients [38 males and 9 females, aged 16-75 (58±12) years] from one center of a multicenter study were selected to build the external validation set. SWI image and filtered phase image were combined into complex value image as full sampling reference image. Undersampled SWI images were obtained by retrospective undersampling of reference fully sampled images, and the undersampling multiple was five times which could save 80% of the scanning time, then the complex-valued convolutional neural network (ComplexNet) was used to develop reconstruct fast SWI. Interclass correlation coefficient (ICC) or Kappa tests were used to compare the consistency of image quality and the diagnostic consistency for the presence of susceptibility vessel sign (SVS), cerebral microbleeds and asymmetry of cerebral deep medullary veins (DMVs) in AIS patient on fully sampled SWI and fast SWI based on ComplexNet.Results:In test set, score of image quality was 4.5±0.6 for fully sampled SWI image and 4.6±0.7 for fast SWI based on ComplexNet, and coefficient was excellent (ICC=0.86, P<0.05). Full sampling SWI had good agreement with fast SWI based on ComplexNet in detecting SVS (Kappa=0.79, P<0.05), microbleeds (Kappa=0.86, P<0.05), and DMVs asymmetry (Kappa=0.82, P<0.05) in AIS patients. In the external validation set, score of image quality was 4.1±1.0 for fully sampled SWI image and 4.0±0.9 for fast SWI based on ComplexNet, and coefficient was excellent (ICC=0.97, P<0.05). Full sampling SWI had good agreement with fast SWI based on ComplexNet in detecting SVS (Kappa=0.74, P<0.05), microbleeds (Kappa=0.83, P<0.05), and DMVs asymmetry (Kappa=0.74, P<0.05) in AIS patients. Conclusions:Deep learning techniques can significantly accelerate the speed of SWI, and the consistency of image quality and detected AIS signs between fast SWI based on ComplexNet and fully sampled SWI is good. The fast SWI based on ComplexNet can be applied to the radiographic assessment of clinical AIS patients

The mutation spectrum of Parkinson-disease-related genes in early-onset Parkinson's disease in ethnic Chinese.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Recent genetic progress has shown many causative/risk genes linked to Parkinson's disease (PD), mainly in patients of European ancestry. The study aimed to investigate the PD-related genes and determine the mutational spectrum of early-onset PD in ethnic Chinese. METHODS: In this study, whole-exome sequencing and/or gene dosage analysis were performed in 704 early-onset PD (EOPD) patients (onset age ≤45 years) and 1866 controls. Twenty-six PD-related genes and 20 other genes linked to neurodegenerative and lysosome diseases were analysed. RESULTS: Eighty-two (11.6%, 82/704) EOPD patients carrying rare pathogenic/likely pathogenic variants in PD-related genes were identified. The mutation frequency in autosomal recessive inheritance EOPD (42.9%, 27/63) was much higher than that in autosomal dominant inheritance EOPD (0.9%, 12/110) or sporadic EOPD (8.1%, 43/531). Bi-allelic mutations in PRKN were the most frequent, accounting for 5.1% of EOPD cases. Three common pathogenic variants, p.A53V in SNCA, p.G284R in PRKN and p.P53Afs*38 in CHCHD2, occur exclusively in Asians. The putative damaging variants from GBA, PRKN, DJ1, PLA2G6 and GCH1 contributed to the collective risk for EOPD. Notably, the protein-truncating variants in CHCHD2 were enriched in EOPD, especially for p.P53Afs*38, which was also found in three patients from an independent cohort of patients with late-onset PD (n = 1300). Functional experiments confirmed that truncated CHCHD2 variants cause loss of function and are linked to mitochondrial dysfunction. CONCLUSIONS: Our study reveals that the genetic spectrum of EOPD in Chinese, which may help develop genetic scanning strategies, provided more evidence supporting CHCHD2 in PD.

Spatial Distribution and Climate Warming Impact on Abies kawakamii Forest on a Subtropical Island.

Species distribution modeling (SDM) is currently the primary tool for predicting suitable habitats for species. In this study, we used Abies kawakamii, a species endemic to Taiwan. Being the only Abies species distributed in high mountains, it acts as an ecological indicator on the subtropical island. We analyzed a vegetation map derived from remote sensing and ground surveys using SDM. The actual distribution of A. kawakamii in Taiwan has a total area of 16,857 ha distributed at an altitude of 2700-3600 m, and it often forms a monodominant forest at 3100-3600 m with the higher altitude edge as a forest line. Exploring the potential distribution of A. kawakamii through MaxEnt showed that the suitable habitat was 73,151 ha under the current climate. Under the scenarios of temperature increases of 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, and 2.0 °C, suitable habitat for A. kawakamii will gradually decrease to 70.2%, 47.1%, 30.2%, and 10.0% of this area, respectively, indicating that A. kawakamii will greatly decline under these climate warming scenarios. Fire burning disturbance may be the most significant damage to A. kawakamii at present. Although A. kawakamii has been protected by conservation areas and its natural regeneration is in good condition, it rarely has the opportunity to migrate upwards during climate warming. We suggest that in the future, research on the natural regeneration and artificial restoration of A. kawakamii should be emphasized, especially in the forest line ecotone.

The complete chloroplast genome of Pseudosasa usawae (Poaceae: Bambusoideae: Arundinarieae) in Taiwan.

Pseudosasa usawae is an endemic species in Taiwan, and grows at an altitude of 600-1200 m. In this study, we fully characterized the complete chloroplast genome of P. usawae. The complete chloroplast sequence was 139,660 bp, including large single-copy (LSC), small single-copy (SSC), and a pair of invert repeats (IR) region of 83,271, 12,803, and 21,793 bp. Besides, the plastid genome comprised a total of 129 genes, including protein-coding, tRNA, and rRNA genes as 83, 38, and 8 genes. Phylogenetic analysis reveals that P. usawae is closely associated with Phyllostachys genus clade, sister to the lineage of Phyllostachys.

Role of genetics in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: a large cohort study in Chinese mainland population.

BACKGROUND: A large number of new causative and risk genes for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) have been identified mostly in patients of European ancestry. In contrast, we know relatively little regarding the genetics of ALS in other ethnic populations. This study aims to provide a comprehensive analysis of the genetics of ALS in an unprecedented large cohort of Chinese mainland population and correlate with the clinical features of rare variants carriers. METHODS: A total of 1587 patients, including 64 familial ALS (FALS) and 1523 sporadic ALS (SALS), and 1866 in-house controls were analysed by whole-exome sequencing and/or testing for G4C2 repeats in C9orf72. Forty-one ALS-associated genes were analysed. FINDINGS: 155 patients, including 26 (40.6%) FALS and 129 (8.5%) SALS, carrying rare pathogenic/likely pathogenic (P/LP) variants of ALS causative genes were identified. SOD1 was the most common mutated gene, followed by C9orf72, FUS, NEK1, TARDBP and TBK1. By burden analysis, rare variants in SOD1, FUS and TARDBP contributed to the collective risk for ALS (p<2.5e-6) at the gene level, but at the allelic level TARDBP p.Gly294Val and FUS p.Arg521Cys and p.Arg521His were the most important single variants causing ALS. Clinically, P/LP variants in TARDBP and C9orf72 were associated with poor prognosis, in FUS linked with younger age of onset, and C9orf72 repeats tended to affect cognition. CONCLUSIONS: Our data provide essential information for understanding the genetic and clinical features of ALS in China and for optimal design of genetic testing and evaluation of disease prognosis.

Experimental study and clinical significance of intravascular angiography in vivo / 中华骨科杂志

Objective:To study the method of intravascular angiography in vivo, analyze the clinical significance, and supply the basis of diagnosis and treatment of related orthopaedic diseases.Methods:The development was realized by improving the developer to increase the local concentration. Based on the study of Lijianmin-Chengkun Complexes and using the theory of magnetic microspheres, Fe 3O 4 magnetic microspheres with amino (negatively charged) shell are used to adsorb the aggregated ionic developer meglumine diatrizoate (positively charged diatrizoate). That is, by improving the method of developer, the magnetic microspheres can carry the developer to make new nanoparticles magnetic imaging composite particles. Under the action of external magnetic field, the magnetic imaging composite particles brought by blood circulation continue to stay and gather in the blood vessels in the magnetic field area, and the developer carried by the magnetic microspheres in the blood vessels in the magnetic field area is concentrated to reach the imaging concentration, so as to realize in vivo intravascular vascular imaging. By adjusting the ratio of the two reagents, the charge can be neutralized and condensed into small groups to improve the development efficiency. Thus, the electron microscope experiment, CT in vivo experiment, rabbit imaging experiment, experimental rabbit tissue picture confirmation, CT in vivo human body (the author is a volunteer) imaging experiment were carried out step by step. Results:Electron microscope experiment: meglumine diatrizoate, scanning electron microscope, the particle diameter is about 20 nm. Scanning electron microscope showed that the diameter of the magnetic microspheres was about 100 nm and the distribution was uniform. After the two reagents are mixed in a certain proportion, the neutralizing charge condenses into small groups, but it still has magnetohydrodynamic properties and strong paramagnetism. In vivo rabbit imaging experiment: the ideal intraosseous vascular imaging of the proximal tibia was captured. The tissue pictures of experimental rabbits confirmed that the distribution of Fe 3O 4 was obviously visible in the blood vessels in the proximal tibia on the side with magnetic field, but not on the side without magnetic field. In vivo human imaging experiment: the ideal intraosseous vascular imaging of the proximal fibula was captured. Conclusion:Through the preparation of new reagent of magnetic imaging composite particles (magnetic microspheres + meglumine diatrizoate), the concentration of in vivo bone developer can be achieved under the action of external magnetic field, and the in vivo external diameter ≥ 0.5mm can be achieved under CT thin-layer scanning.

Re-appraisal of Nertera (Rubiaceae) in Taiwan.

A revision of Nertera (Rubiaceae) in Taiwan was carried out by classical taxonomic methods and the presence of two endemic species was confirmed. Only one species, misapplied as N.granadensis, had been reported in the second edition of "Flora of Taiwan", but there were two additional endemic species in this genus: N.nigricarpa and N.taiwaniana confirmed. Nerteranigricarpa is characterised by the entire leaf, purple-black petals, black fruits and dark-purple seeds with raised striate. Nerterataiwaniana has leaves with undulated margins, yellowish-green petals, red fruits and yellow-white seeds without striate. N.granadensis is excluded from the flora of this Island.

Rare Variants Analysis of Lysosomal Related Genes in Early-Onset and Familial Parkinson's Disease in a Chinese Cohort.

BACKGROUND: Genetic studies have indicated that variants in several lysosomal genes are risk factors for idiopathic Parkinson's disease (PD). However, the role of lysosomal genes in PD in Asian populations is largely unknown. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to analyze rare variants in lysosomal related genes in Chinese population with early-onset and familial PD. METHODS: In total, 1,136 participants, including 536 and 600 patients with sporadic early-onset PD (SEOPD) and familial PD, respectively, underwent whole-exome sequencing to assess the genetic etiology. Rare variants in PD were investigated in 67 candidate lysosomal related genes (LRGs), including 15 lysosomal function-related genes and 52 lysosomal storage disorder genes. RESULTS: Compared with the autosomal dominant PD (ADPD) or SEOPD cohorts, a much higher proportion of patients with multiple rare damaging variants of LRGs were found in the autosomal recessive PD (ARPD) cohort. At a gene level, rare damaging variants in GBA and MAN2B1 were enriched in PD, but in SCARB2, MCOLN1, LYST, VPS16, and VPS13C were much less in patients. At an allele level, GBA p. Leu483Pro was found to increase the risk of PD. Genotype-phenotype correlation showed no significance in the clinical features among patients carrying a discrepant number of rare variants in LRGs. CONCLUSION: Our study suggests rare variants in LRGs might be more important in the pathogenicity of ARPD cases compared with ADPD or SEOPD. We further confirm rare variants in GBA are involve in PD pathogenecity and other genes associated with PD identified in this study should be supported with more evidence.

Genetic Analysis of ZNF Protein Family Members for Early-Onset Parkinson's Disease in Chinese Population.

Functional and genetic studies have identified association between several Zinc finger (ZNF) proteins and Parkinson's disease (PD). However, most of them were still awaiting further replications, especially in the Asian population. Here, we systematically selected PD-relevant ZNF genes and analyzed the genetic associations between these ZNFs and PD in a large Chinese PD cohort. We identified rare variants (minor allele frequency < 0.01) in 743 unrelated patients with early-onset PD (EOPD, age at onset < 50 years) using whole exome sequencing and evaluated the association between rare variants and EOPD at both allele and gene levels. Totally 91 rare variants were identified in ZNF746, ZNF646, ZNF184, ZNF165, ZND219, and GLIS1. One variant p.R373H in ZNF219 and two variants p.G161D and p.R158H in ZNF746 were significantly associated with EOPD, and gene-based burden analysis showed enrichment of rare variants of ZNF746 in EOPD. Our findings build up the connection between ZNF746 and PD from a genetic perspective for the first time, supplement current understanding for the genetic role of ZNFs in EOPD, and broaden the mutation spectrum in PD.

Low Distortion of Noise Filter Realization with 6.34 V/µs Fast Slew Rate and 120 mVp-p Output Noise Signal.

In order to reduce Gaussian noise, this paper proposes a method via taking the average of the upper and lower envelopes generated by capturing the high and low peaks of the input signal. The designed fast response filter has no cut-off frequency, so the high order harmonics of the actual signal remain unchanged. Therefore, it can immediately respond to the changes of input signal and retain the integrity of the actual signal. In addition, it has only a small phase delay. The slew rate, phase delay and frequency response can be confirmed from the simulation results of Multisim 13.0. The filter outlined in this article can retain the high order harmonics of the original signal, achieving a slew rate of 6.34 V/µs and an almost zero phase difference. When using our filter to physically test the input signal with a noise level of 3 Vp-p Gaussian noise, a reduced noise signal of 120 mVp-p is obtained. The noise can be suppressed by up to 4% of the raw signal.

Quality Classification of Injection-Molded Components by Using Quality Indices, Grading, and Machine Learning.

Conventional methods for assessing the quality of components mass produced using injection molding are expensive and time-consuming or involve imprecise statistical process control parameters. A suitable alternative would be to employ machine learning to classify the quality of parts by using quality indices and quality grading. In this study, we used a multilayer perceptron (MLP) neural network along with a few quality indices to accurately predict the quality of "qualified" and "unqualified" geometric shapes of a finished product. These quality indices, which exhibited a strong correlation with part quality, were extracted from pressure curves and input into the MLP model for learning and prediction. By filtering outliers from the input data and converting the measured quality into quality grades used as output data, we increased the prediction accuracy of the MLP model and classified the quality of finished parts into various quality levels. The MLP model may misjudge datapoints in the "to-be-confirmed" area, which is located between the "qualified" and "unqualified" areas. We classified the "to-be-confirmed" area, and only the quality of products in this area were evaluated further, which reduced the cost of quality control considerably. An integrated circuit tray was manufactured to experimentally demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed method.

Genetic Analysis of Prosaposin, the Lysosomal Storage Disorder Gene in Parkinson's Disease.

Recent genetic studies clearly indicate that variants in several lysosomal genes act as risk factors for idiopathic Parkinson's disease (PD). Variants in the co-activator of glucocerebrosidase gene (GBA) and the four active saposins (Sap A-D) which are encoded by the prosaposin gene (PSAP) are of particular interest; however, their genetic roles in PD are unknown. Whole-exome sequencing and Sanger sequencing were used to assess the genetic etiology of 400 autosomal dominant inherited PD (ADPD) and 300 sporadic PD (SPD) patients. Variants from public databases, including Genome Aggregation Database-East Asian (GnomAD_EAS) and Chinese Millionome Database (CMDB), were used as control groups. Burden analysis based on gene and domains level were performed to investigate the role of rare PSAP variants in PD. Six rare and likely pathogenic variants, located in the Sap A-D domains, were identified and accounted for 0.75% (3/400) of ADPD and 1.33% (4/300) of SPD in the Chinese population. Based on the gene or domain, burden analysis showed that damaging missense variants in SapC had statistical significance on the risk of developing PD. Interestingly, rs4747203, an intronic variant potentially linked to PSAP expression, was associated with reduced risk for PD (p = 8.6e-7 in GnomAD EAS and p = 0.002 in Chinese). Clinically, patients carrying the likely pathogenic variants presented typical PD motor symptoms and responded well to levodopa treatment. Six out of seven patients carrying the likely pathogenic variants of PSAP presented slow disease progression, and none of the patients developed cognitive impairment. Our study expands the spectrum of mutations associated with the risk of developing PD and enhances the understanding of the relationship of the clinical phenotype of PD with PSAP variants.

Lung Cancer Screening Study in Macao Smoking Individuals / 中国肺癌杂志

BACKGROUND@#Lung cancer incidence in Macao increases gradually, smoking is one of the important high risk factors. The purpose of this study is to observe the detection rate of lung cancer and nodules in long-term smoking Macao individuals.@*METHODS@#We recruited eligible Macao residents by publicity, all subjects were arranged to receive low-dose computed tomography screening. Image features of lung nodules were analyzed by radiologist. For suspicious lung cancer, multiple disciplinary team (MDT) was arranged.@*RESULTS@#A total of 291 were adopted, 10 lung cancers were detected, the detection rate of lung cancer was 3.44% (95%CI: 2.78%-4.01%), all were males. There were 5 adenocarcinoma patients, each 2 squamous-cell carcinoma and small cell lung carcinoma patients; 1 adenosquamous cancer patient. Among 10 lung cancers, 40% had stage 1 disease. The detection rate of lung nodules was 72.9% (95%CI: 67.8%-78.0%); The number of suspicious lung nodules were 44, and the detection rate was 15.1% (95%CI: 11.0%-19.2%). There was no significant differences in the lung cancer detection rate between the single and multiple lung nodule groups (P>0.05). There were 168 subjects in the <6 mm solid lung nodule (SN) and <5 mm no-solid lung nodule (NSN) group and no lung cancer was found, 44 subjects in the ≥6 mm SN and ≥5 mm NSN group. All 9 lung cancer patients were detected in this group. The detection rate of lung cancer was higher than that of the <6 mm SN and <5 mm NSN group (P<0.05).@*CONCLUSIONS@#There are high detection rate of lung cancer and lung nodule in the long-term smoking individuals. The lung cancer rate increases when the lung nodule size is larger than 6 mm in SN and 5 mm in NSN. Adenocarcinoma is the major type in the smokers' lung cancers. We suggest long-term smokers should join in the future lung cancer screening trial in Macao. Female lung cancer screening should be established different standard.

Preliminary investigation on the dissected methods of intraosseous vasculature and the clinical significances of intraosse-ous vascularity / 中华骨科杂志

Objective:The vasculature and canal were located using radiography after the fresh osseous specimens were decalcified, after which the anatomic investigation of intraosseous vasculature was conducted based on the orientation of the canals.Methods:To investigate the basic dissected methods for intraosseous vasculature and the related clinical significance. Methods The materials were obtained from seven fresh knee joint specimens from patients with amputation due to car accidents, nine fresh knee joint specimens from patients with amputation due to oncological radical surgery, and 44 knee joint specimens from 24 cadavers. Among them, 22 were males (55%) and 18 were females (45%), 28 were left knees (46.7%) and 32 were right knees (53.3%). 10 were aged from 16-90 years old (from 8 donors) and 50 were aged from 15-85 years old (from 32 donors). The tributaries of middle genicular vein which penetrate into the proximal tibial epiphysis and metaphysis via our previously discovered and denominated "foramen of tibial intercondylar eminence (FTIE)" were dissected as an example. After obtaining the fresh knee joint specimen, angiography was performed to observe the continuous extraosseous and intraosseous blood vessels. The first group of specimens with the removal of cortical bone was reserved in formalin solution at 4 °C for 7 d, sequentially immersed in Ethylene Diamine Tetraacetic Acid (EDTA), the decalcification agent, for 30 d with replacement for each two days. Based on the CT scanning and three-dimensional reconstruction, the orientation of bony canal which enclosed the vasculature was exposed to guide the anatomic incision. The exquisite dissection was achieved with the help of ophthalmological microsurgical instruments. The anatomical dissection were intuitively observed, compared with the angiographic images, and verified by histological examinations. The second group of samples was decalcified with strong acid as another strategy, and the comparison between different groups was conducted. To estimate the advantages and disadvantages of the two decalcification and dissection methods, and the distribution and universality of specific intraosseous vasculatures and canals, the methods can be utilized to dissect the diameter of the intraosseous vessels. Based on the anatomical study of intraosseous vasculature, the mechanisms including etiology, recurrence and spread of bone tumors and epiphyseal injuries were analyzed to improve the therapeutic regimen.Results:The intraosseous tributaries of middle genicular vein which penetrate into the tibial intercondylar eminence from the articular cavity were dissected, these vessels extended to the tibial metaphysis from epiphysis through the epiphyseal line or senescent physes. The diameter of the vessel entering the FTIE was 1.2 mm, and the intraosseous vessels divided into several tinier tributaries with the diameter of 0.3 mm to cross the epiphyseal line or closed physeal plate and differentiated into capillaries in the distal regions, therefore was difficult to dissect directly. The histological examinations confirmed the authenticity of intraosseous vessels. Compared with the samples decalcified with strong acid, the blood vessels were obviously dissolved, and only a few residual epithelial cells were observed under the light microscope. Based on the anatomical study of intraosseous vessels, the treatment protocols for some related bone tumors and epiphyseal injuries were modified and satisfactory results were achieved.Conclusion:The methods can realize the ideal direct dissection for the intraosseous blood vessels with the outer diameter greater than or equal to 0.3 mm.

Sleep-related symptoms in multiple system atrophy: determinants and impact on disease severity.

BACKGROUND: Sleep disorders are common but under-researched symptoms in patients with multiple system atrophy (MSA). We investigated the frequency and factors associated with sleep-related symptoms in patients with MSA and the impact of sleep disturbances on disease severity. METHODS: This cross-sectional study involved 165 patients with MSA. Three sleep-related symptoms, namely Parkinson's disease (PD)-related sleep problems (PD-SP), excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS), and rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder (RBD), were evaluated using the PD Sleep Scale-2 (PDSS-2), Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS), and RBD Screening Questionnaire (RBDSQ), respectively. Disease severity was evaluated using the Unified MSA Rating Scale (UMSARS). RESULTS: The frequency of PD-SP (PDSS-2 score of ≥18), EDS (ESS score of ≥10), and RBD (RBDSQ score of ≥5) in patients with MSA was 18.8%, 27.3%, and 49.7%, respectively. The frequency of coexistence of all three sleep-related symptoms was 7.3%. Compared with the cerebellar subtype of MSA (MSA-C), the parkinsonism subtype of MSA (MSA-P) was associated with a higher frequency of PD-SP and EDS, but not of RBD. Binary logistic regression revealed that the MSA-P subtype, a higher total UMSARS score, and anxiety were associated with PD-SP; that male sex, a higher total UMSARS score, the MSA-P subtype, and fatigue were associated with EDS; and that male sex, a higher total UMSARS score, and autonomic onset were associated with RBD in patients with MSA. Stepwise linear regression showed that the number of sleep-related symptoms (PD-SP, EDS, and RBD), disease duration, depression, fatigue, and total Montreal Cognitive Assessment score were predictors of disease severity in patients with MSA. CONCLUSIONS: Sleep-related disorders were associated with both MSA subtypes and the severity of disease in patients with MSA, indicating that sleep disorders may reflect the distribution and degree of dopaminergic/non-dopaminergic neuron degeneration in MSA.

Pyrolyzed biowastes deactivated potentially toxic metals and eliminated antibiotic resistant genes for healthy vegetable production.

Potentially toxic metals (PTEs) and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) present in bio-wastes were the major environmental and health risks for soil use. If pyrolyzing bio-wastes into biochar could minimize such risks had not been elucidated. This study evaluated PTE pools, microbial and ARGs abundances of wheat straw (WS), swine manure (SM) and sewage sludge (SS) before and after pyrolysis, which were again tested for soil amendment at a 2% dosage in a pot experiment with a vegetable crop of pak choi (Brassica campestris L.). Pyrolysis led to PTEs concentration in biochars but reduced greatly their mobility, availability and migration potential, as revealed respectively by leaching, CaCl2 extraction and risk assessment coding. In SM and SS after pyrolysis, gene abundance was removed by 4-5 orders for bacterial, by 2-3 orders for fungi and by 3-5 orders for total ARGs. With these material amended, PTEs available pool decreased by 25%-85% while all ARGs eliminated to background in the pot soil. Unlike a >50% yield decrease and a >30% quality decline with unpyrolyzed SM and SS, their biochars significantly increased biomass production and overall quality of pak choi grown in the amended soil. Comparatively, amendment of the biochars decreased plant PTEs content by 23-57% and greatly reduced health risk of pak choi, with total target hazard quotient values well below the guideline limit for subsistence diet by adult. Furthermore, biochar soil amendment enabled a synergic improvement on soil fertility, product quality, and biomass production as well as metal stabilization in the soil-plant system. Thus, biowastes pyrolysis and reuse in vegetable production could help build up a closed loop of production-waste-biochar-production, addressing not only circular economy but healthy food and climate nexus also and contributing to achieving the United Nations sustainable development goals.

Quality Prediction for Injection Molding by Using a Multilayer Perceptron Neural Network.

Injection molding has been widely used in the mass production of high-precision products. The finished products obtained through injection molding must have a high quality. Machine parameters do not accurately reflect the molding conditions of the polymer melt; thus, the use of machine parameters leads to erroneous quality judgments. Moreover, the cost of mass inspections of finished products has led to strict restrictions on comprehensive quality testing. Therefore, an automatic quality inspection that provides effective and accurate quality judgment for each injection-molded part is required. This study proposes a multilayer perceptron (MLP) neural network model combined with quality indices for performing fast and automatic prediction of the geometry of finished products. The pressure curves detected by the in-mold pressure sensor, which reflect the flow state of the melt, changes in various indicators and molding quality, were considered in this study. Furthermore, the quality indices extracted from pressure curves with a strong correlation with the part quality were input into the MLP model for learning and prediction. The results indicate that the training and testing of the first-stage holding pressure index, pressure integral index, residual pressure drop index and peak pressure index with respect to the geometric widths were accurate (accuracy rate exceeded 92%), which demonstrates the feasibility of the proposed method.