Meningeal lymphatic vessel crosstalk with central nervous system immune cells in aging and neurodegenerative diseases.

Meningeal lymphatic vessels form a relationship between the nervous system and periphery, which is relevant in both health and disease. Meningeal lymphatic vessels not only play a key role in the drainage of brain metabolites but also contribute to antigen delivery and immune cell activation. The advent of novel genomic technologies has enabled rapid progress in the characterization of myeloid and lymphoid cells and their interactions with meningeal lymphatic vessels within the central nervous system. In this review, we provide an overview of the multifaceted roles of meningeal lymphatic vessels within the context of the central nervous system immune network, highlighting recent discoveries on the immunological niche provided by meningeal lymphatic vessels. Furthermore, we delve into the mechanisms of crosstalk between meningeal lymphatic vessels and immune cells in the central nervous system under both homeostatic conditions and neurodegenerative diseases, discussing how these interactions shape the pathological outcomes. Regulation of meningeal lymphatic vessel function and structure can influence lymphatic drainage, cerebrospinal fluid-borne immune modulators, and immune cell populations in aging and neurodegenerative disorders, thereby playing a key role in shaping meningeal and brain parenchyma immunity.

Differential distribution of PINK1 and Parkin in the primate brain implies distinct roles.

JOURNAL/nrgr/04.03/01300535-202504000-00028/figure1/v/2024-07-06T104127Z/r/image-tiff The vast majority of in vitro studies have demonstrated that PINK1 phosphorylates Parkin to work together in mitophagy to protect against neuronal degeneration. However, it remains largely unclear how PINK1 and Parkin are expressed in mammalian brains. This has been difficult to address because of the intrinsically low levels of PINK1 and undetectable levels of phosphorylated Parkin in small animals. Understanding this issue is critical for elucidating the in vivo roles of PINK1 and Parkin. Recently, we showed that the PINK1 kinase is selectively expressed as a truncated form (PINK1-55) in the primate brain. In the present study, we used multiple antibodies, including our recently developed monoclonal anti-PINK1, to validate the selective expression of PINK1 in the primate brain. We found that PINK1 was stably expressed in the monkey brain at postnatal and adulthood stages, which is consistent with the findings that depleting PINK1 can cause neuronal loss in developing and adult monkey brains. PINK1 was enriched in the membrane-bound fractionations, whereas Parkin was soluble with a distinguishable distribution. Immunofluorescent double staining experiments showed that PINK1 and Parkin did not colocalize under physiological conditions in cultured monkey astrocytes, though they did colocalize on mitochondria when the cells were exposed to mitochondrial stress. These findings suggest that PINK1 and Parkin may have distinct roles beyond their well-known function in mitophagy during mitochondrial damage.

Enhanced Lithium Storage Performance: Dual-Modified Electrospun Si@MnO@CNFs Composites for Advanced Anodes.

Due to its many benefits, including high specific capacity, low voltage plateau, and plentiful supplies, silicon-based anode materials are a strong contender to replace graphite anodes. However, silicon has drawbacks such as poor electrical conductivity, abrupt volume changes during the discharge process, and continuous growth of the solid electrolyte interfacial (SEI) film during cycling, which would cause the electrode capacity to degrade quickly. Coating the silicon's exterior with carbon or metal oxide is a popular method to resolve the above-mentioned problems. In light of those above, the liquid-phase approach and electrostatic spinning technique were used in this work to create Si@MnO@CNFs bilayer-coated silicon-based anode materials. Because of the well-thought-out design, MnO and C bilaterally coat the silicon nanoparticles, significantly reducing their volume effect during cycling. Furthermore, manganese oxide has outstanding electrochemical kinetics and an excellent theoretical capacity. The carbon nanofibers' outermost layer increases the material's conductivity and stabilizes the composite material's structure, reducing the volume effect. After 1100 cycles at 2 A g-1, the composite anode material prepared in this work can still maintain a high capacity of 994.4 mAh g-1. This study offers an unusual combination of silicon and MnO that might set the way for the application of silicon-based composites in lithium-ion batteries.

In vivo and in vitro chemical composition and biological activity of traditional vs. dispensing granule decoctions of Coptidis Rhizoma: A comparative study.

Coptidis Rhizoma (CR) holds significant clinical importance. In this study, we conducted a comparative analysis of CR's dispensing granule decoction (DGD) and traditional decoction (TD) to establish a comprehensive evaluation method for the quality of DGD. We selected nine batches of DGD (three from each of manufacturers A, B and C) and 10 batches of decoction pieces for analysis. We determined the content of representative components using high-performance liquid chromatography and assessed the content of blood components in vivo post-administration using ultra-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. The antibacterial activity was measured using the drug-sensitive tablet method. To evaluate the overall consistency of DGD and TD, we employed the CRITIC method and Grey relational analysis method. Our CRITIC results indicated no significant difference between the CRITIC scores of DGD-B and TD, with DGD-B exhibiting the highest consistency and overall quality. However, DGD-A and DGD-C showed variations in CRITIC scores compared with TD. After equivalent correction, the quality of DGD-A and DGD-C approached that of TD. Furthermore, our Grey relational analysis results supported the findings of the CRITIC method. This study offers a novel approach to evaluate the consistency between DGD and TD, providing insights into improving the quality of DGD.

BRG1 promotes liver cancer cell proliferation and metastasis by enhancing mitochondrial function and ATP5A1 synthesis through TOMM40.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most lethal malignant tumors worldwide. Brahma-related gene 1 (BRG1), as a catalytic ATPase, is a major regulator of gene expression and is known to mutate and overexpress in HCC. The purpose of this study was to investigate the mechanism of action of BRG1 in HCC cells. In our study, BRG1 was silenced or overexpressed in human HCC cell lines. Transwell and wound healing assays were used to analyze cell invasiveness and migration. Mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) and mitochondrial permeability transition pore (mPTP) detection were used to evaluate mitochondrial function in HCC cells. Colony formation and cell apoptosis assays were used to evaluate the effect of BRG1/TOMM40/ATP5A1 on HCC cell proliferation and apoptosis/death. Immunocytochemistry (ICC), immunofluorescence (IF) staining and western blot analysis were used to determine the effect of BRG1 on TOMM40, ATP5A1 pathway in HCC cells. As a result, knockdown of BRG1 significantly inhibited cell proliferation and invasion, promoted apoptosis in HCC cells, whereas BRG1 overexpression reversed the above effects. Overexpression of BRG1 can up-regulate MMP level, inhibit mPTP opening and activate TOMM40, ATP5A1 expression. Our results suggest that BRG1, as an oncogene, promotes HCC progression by regulating TOMM40 affecting mitochondrial function and ATP5A1 synthesis. Targeting BRG1 may represent a new and effective way to prevent HCC development.

Uncovering the mechanism of Clostridium butyricum CBX 2021 to improve pig health based on in vivo and in vitro studies.

Introduction: As a symbiotic probiotic for the host, Clostridium butyricum (CB) has the potential to strengthen the body's immune system and improve intestinal health. However, the probiotic mechanism of CB is not completely understood. The Clostridium butyricum CBX 2021 strain isolated by our team from a health pig independently exhibits strong butyric acid production ability and stress resistance. Therefore, this study comprehensively investigated the efficacy of CBX 2021 in pigs and its mechanism of improving pig health. Methods: In this study, we systematically revealed the probiotic effect and potential mechanism of the strain by using various methods such as microbiome, metabolites and transcriptome through animal experiments in vivo and cell experiments in vitro. Results: Our in vivo study showed that CBX 2021 improved growth indicators such as daily weight gain in weaned piglets and also reduced diarrhea rates. Meanwhile, CBX 2021 significantly increased immunoglobulin levels in piglets, reduced contents of inflammatory factors and improved the intestinal barrier. Subsequently, 16S rRNA sequencing showed that CBX 2021 treatment implanted more butyric acid-producing bacteria (such as Faecalibacterium) in piglets and reduced the number of potentially pathogenic bacteria (like Rikenellaceae RC9_gut_group). With significant changes in the microbial community, CBX 2021 improved tryptophan metabolism and several alkaloids synthesis in piglets. Further in vitro experiments showed that CBX 2021 adhesion directly promoted the proliferation of a porcine intestinal epithelial cell line (IPEC-J2). Moreover, transcriptome analysis revealed that bacterial adhesion increased the expression of intracellular G protein-coupled receptors, inhibited the Notch signaling pathway, and led to a decrease in intracellular pro-inflammatory molecules. Discussion: These results suggest that CBX 2021 may accelerate piglet growth by optimizing the intestinal microbiota, improving metabolic function and enhancing intestinal health.

Remembering the good and bad and the self and others in a culturally modulated self-memory system.

Wang and Conway (2006, Autobiographical memory, self, and culture. In L.-G. Nilsson, & N. Ohta (Eds.), Memory and society: Psychological perspectives (pp. 9-27). Psychology Press) posit that remembering takes place in a culturally modulated self-memory system in which working self-goals are shaped by society and, in turn, influence the encoding and construction of memories in a culturally canonical fashion. The current research examined the self-goal of competence, which manifests through self-enhancement versus self-improvement motivations, in influencing remembering in different cultural contexts. We conducted two cross-cultural studies to examine memories for personal successes and failures (Study 1) and autobiographical and vicarious experiences (Study 2) in connection with individuals' positive self-views. European Americans recalled a greater number of success than failure memories (Study 1) and US participants recalled a greater number of autobiographical than vicarious memories (Study 2), which was further associated with positive self-views at the individual level. In contrast, Asian (Study 1) and Chinese participants (Study 2) recalled even-handedly the different types of memories, and the memory retrieval was unrelated to individuals' self-views. We discuss the findings in light of the different manifestations of the competence goal in shaping memory in the culturally modulated self-memory system.

Reduced PIN1 expression in neocortical and limbic brain regions in female Alzheimer's patients correlates with cognitive and neuropathological phenotypes.

Women have a higher incidence of Alzheimer's disease (AD), even after adjusting for increased longevity. Thus, there is an urgent need to identify genes that underpin sex-associated risk of AD. PIN1 is a key regulator of the tau phosphorylation signaling pathway; however, potential differences in PIN1 expression, in males and females, are still unknown. We analyzed brain transcriptomic datasets focusing on sex differences in PIN1 mRNA levels in an aging and AD cohort, which revealed reduced PIN1 levels primarily within females. We validated this observation in an independent dataset (ROS/MAP), which also revealed that PIN1 is negatively correlated with multiregional neurofibrillary tangle density and global cognitive function in females only. Additional analysis revealed a decrease in PIN1 in subjects with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) compared with aged individuals, again driven predominantly by female subjects. Histochemical analysis of PIN1 in AD and control male and female neocortex revealed an overall decrease in axonal PIN1 protein levels in females. These findings emphasize the importance of considering sex differences in AD research.

Synthesis and biological evaluation of novel penindolone derivatives as potential antiproliferative agents against SCLC in vitro.

Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) keeps on the leading cause of cancer mortality world widely, while there is lack of efficient therapeutic drugs especially for the resistant ones. In this work, a compound named penindolone (PND) with new skeleton was found to show weak inhibitory effect (IC50 = 42.5 µM) on H69AR cells (SCLC, adriamycin-resistant) proliferation by screening our in-house compound library. With the aim of improving its low potency, a series of PND derivatives were synthesized and biologically evaluated by the Sulforhodamine B (SRB) assay. Among all tested derivatives, compound 5h possessed higher antiproliferation potency (IC50 = 1.6 µM). Furthermore, preliminary mechanism investigation revealed that 5h was able to induce apoptosis and arrest the cell cycle at G0/G1 phase. These findings suggest that this novel skeleton has expanded the anti-SCLC compound reservoir and provided a new drug lead.

Optimize individualized energy delivery for septic patients using predictive deep learning models.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: We aim to establish deep learning models to optimize the individualized energy delivery for septic patients. METHODS AND STUDY DESIGN: We conducted a study of adult septic patients in ICU, collecting 47 indicators for 14 days. We filtered out nutrition-related features and divided the data into datasets according to the three metabolic phases proposed by ESPEN: acute early, acute late, and rehabilitation. We then established optimal energy target models for each phase using deep learning and conducted external validation. RESULTS: A total of 179 patients in training dataset and 98 patients in external validation dataset were included in this study, and total data size was 3115 elements. The age, weight and BMI of the patients were 63.05 (95%CI 60.42-65.68), 61.31(95%CI 59.62-63.00) and 22.70 (95%CI 22.21-23.19), respectively. And 26.0% (72) of the patients were female. The models indicated that the optimal energy targets in the three phases were 900kcal/d, 2300kcal/d, and 2000kcal/d, respectively. Excessive energy intake increased mortality rapidly in the early period of the acute phase. Insufficient energy in the late period of the acute phase significantly raised the mortality as well. For the rehabilitation phase, too much or too little energy delivery were both associated with elevated death risk. CONCLUSIONS: Our study established time-series prediction models for septic patients to optimize energy delivery in the ICU. We recommended permissive underfeeding only in the early acute phase. Later, increased energy intake may improve survival and settle energy debts caused by underfeeding.

Metal-Coordinated NIR-II Nanoadjuvants with Nanobody Conjugation for Potentiating Immunotherapy by Tumor Metabolism Reprogramming.

Immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) immunotherapy remains hampered by insufficient immunogenicity and a high-lactate immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment (TME). Herein, a nanobody-engineered NIR-II nanoadjuvant with targeting metabolic reprogramming capability is constructed for potentiating NIR-II photothermal-ferroptosis immunotherapy. Specifically, the nanoadjuvant (2DG@FS-Nb) is prepared by metallic iron ion-mediated coordination self-assembly of D-A-D type NIR-II molecules and loading of glycolysis inhibitor, 2-deoxy-D-glucose (2DG), followed by modification with aPD-L1 nanobody (Nb), which can effectively target the immunosuppressive TME and trigger in situ immune checkpoint blockade. The nanoadjuvants responsively release therapeutic components in the acidic TME, enabling the precise tumor location by NIR-II fluorescence/photoacoustic imaging while initiating NIR-II photothermal-ferroptosis therapy. The remarkable NIR-II photothermal efficiency and elevated glutathione (GSH) depletion further sensitize ferroptosis to induce severe lipid peroxidation, provoking robust immunogenic cell death (ICD) to trigger anti-tumor immune response. Importantly, the released 2DG markedly inhibits lactate generation through glycolysis obstruction. Decreased lactate efflux remodels the immunosuppressive TME by suppressing M2 macrophage proliferation and downregulating regulatory T cell levels. This work provides a new paradigm for the integration of NIR-II phototheranostics and lactate metabolism regulation into a single nanoplatform for amplified anti-tumor immunotherapy combined with ICB therapy.

Anion-Carbonyl Interactions.

Presented herein is the exploration of a novel non-covalent anion-carbonyl (X-···C═O) interaction using aromatic imides as receptors and halides as lone pair donors. Combined theoretical calculations and experimental methods including 13C NMR, IR, and crystallographic analyses were performed to provide the physical origin and experimental evidence of anion-carbonyl interactions. The EDA analysis (energy decomposition analysis) based on DFT calculation indicates that electrostatic terms are the dominant contributions for the binding energy while electron delocalization also significantly contributes alongside the electrostatic attraction. Orbital interaction (n → π*) involving the delocalization of halide lone pairs on the carbonyl antibonding orbitals was visualized with NBO (Natural Bond Orbital) analysis. 13C NMR and IR spectra demonstrated upfield chemical shifts and red-shift frequency of hosts upon the addition of halides, reflecting the effect of orbital overlap between the halide lone pairs and π* of carbonyl (n → π* contribution). The anion-carbonyl interactions were directly revealed by X-ray structural analysis of anion and benzene triimide complexes.

The Epidemiological Characteristics of Mpox Cases - China, 2023.

What is already known about this topic?: Since May 2022, a global outbreak of mpox has emerged in more than 100 non-endemic countries. As of December 2023, over 90,000 cases had been reported. The outbreak has predominantly affected men who have sex with men (MSM), with sexual contact identified as the principal mode of transmission. What is added by this report?: Since June 2023, China has faced an occurrence of mpox, predominantly affecting the MSM population. Approximately 90% of those affected reported engaging in homosexual behavior within 21 days prior to symptom onset, a trend that aligns with the global outbreak pattern. The prompt identification of cases, diligent tracing of close contacts, and the implementation of appropriate management strategies have successfully mitigated the spread of mpox virus in China. What are the implications for public health practice?: We propose that mpox is transmitted locally within China. Drawing from our experiences in controlling the virus spread, it is crucial to investigate and formulate effective surveillance and educational strategies. Importantly, we must encourage high-risk populations to promptly seek medical care upon the onset of symptoms.

Magnetic anisotropy and GGG substrate stray field in YIG films down to millikelvin temperatures.

Quantum magnonics investigates the quantum-mechanical properties of magnons, such as quantum coherence or entanglement for solid-state quantum information technologies at the nanoscale. The most promising material for quantum magnonics is the ferrimagnetic yttrium iron garnet (YIG), which hosts magnons with the longest lifetimes. YIG films of the highest quality are grown on a paramagnetic gadolinium gallium garnet (GGG) substrate. The literature has reported that ferromagnetic resonance (FMR) frequencies of YIG/GGG decrease at temperatures below 50 K despite the increase in YIG magnetization. We investigated a 97 nm-thick YIG film grown on 500 µm-thick GGG substrate through a series of experiments conducted at temperatures as low as 30 mK, and using both analytical and numerical methods. Our findings suggest that the primary factor contributing to the FMR frequency shift is the stray magnetic field created by the partially magnetized GGG substrate. This stray field is antiparallel to the applied external field and is highly inhomogeneous, reaching up to 40 mT in the center of the sample. At temperatures below 500 mK, the GGG field exhibits a saturation that cannot be described by the standard Brillouin function for a paramagnet. Including the calculated GGG field in the analysis of the FMR frequency versus temperature dependence allowed the determination of the cubic and uniaxial anisotropies. We find that the total crystallographic anisotropy increases more than three times with the decrease in temperature down to 2 K. Our findings enable accurate predictions of the YIG/GGG magnetic systems behavior at low and ultralow millikelvin temperatures, crucial for developing quantum magnonic devices.

Amphiphilic Interface-Mediated Ion Doping for High Performance Organic Electrochemical Transistors with Hydrophobic Polymers.

An organic electrochemical transistor (OECT) is one of the promising devices for bioelectronics due to its high transconductance, encompassing low operation voltage, and good compatibility with aqueous conditions. Despite these advantages, the challenge of balancing ion penetration and electron transport remains a significant issue in OECTs. Herein, we present an amphiphilic interface modification strategy to successfully prepare OECTs in aqueous conditions based on a high-mobility hydrophobic polypyrrole derivative. An amphiphilic interface mixed with an amphiphilic polymer and the active layer markedly promotes ion penetration and results in a significant improvement in performance, with the switch time reduced from several seconds to nearly 100 ms and the transconductance increased by an order of magnitude. The high-performance OECTs fabricated by this method show promising applications in high-performance neuromorphic devices and ECG recording in advancing the field of electrochemical transistors.

The role of cGAS/STING signaling in ophthalmological diseases.

The eye is one of the most vulnerable parts of the human body. There are many kinds of ophthalmic diseases, which are caused by multiple factors. Generally, ophthalmic diseases have the characteristics of complicated etiology and difficult therapy. With the development of the times, ophthalmic diseases have become a major problem that affects people's lives. Inflammation, a major factor inducing ocular diseases, is one of the most popular research directions. The cGAS/STING pathway is a recently discovered inflammatory signaling pathway, which recognizes double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) as an activation signal to promote the expression of downstream cytokines that promote inflammatory response or autoimmune response. Since most of the current treatments for ophthalmic diseases mainly rely on surgery, it is of positive significance to explore the pathogenesis for the discovery of drug targets. This review summarize the research progress of the cGAS/STING pathway in major ophthalmic diseases by introducing the correlation between classical inflammatory pathway and ophthalmic diseases, in order to predict the research direction and methods targeting the cGAS/STING pathway in the pathogenesis of ophthalmic diseases, and also provide guidance for the mechanism as well as molecular targets of ophthalmic diseases.

Reproductive factors and their association with physical and comprehensive frailty in middle-aged and older women: a large-scale population-based study.

STUDY QUESTION: Are women's reproductive factors associated with physical frailty and comprehensive frailty in middle-age and later life? SUMMARY ANSWER: Early menarche at <13 years, age at menopause <45 years, surgical menopause, experiencing miscarriage and a shorter reproductive period of <35 years were associated with increased odds of frailty, while having two or three children was related to decreased likelihood of frailty. WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY: Evidence has shown that women are frailer than men in all age groups and across different populations, although women have longer lifespans. Female-specific reproductive factors may be related to risk of frailty in women. STUDY DESIGN SIZE DURATION: A population-based cross-sectional study involved 189 898 women from the UK Biobank. PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS SETTING METHODS: Frailty phenotype and frailty index were used to assess physical frailty and comprehensive frailty (assessed using 38 health indicators for physical and mental wellbeing), respectively. Multivariable logistic regression models were used to estimate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% CI between reproductive factors and likelihood of physical frailty and comprehensive frailty. Restricted cubic spline models were used to test the non-linear associations between them. In addition, we examined the combined effect of categorized age at menopause and menopause hormone therapy (MHT) on frailty. MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE: There was a J-shape relationship between age at menarche, reproductive period, and frailty; age at menarche <13 years and >16 years, and reproductive period <35 years or >40 years were all associated with increased odds of frailty. There was a negative linear relationship between menopausal age (either natural or surgical) and odds of frailty. Surgical menopause was associated with 30% higher odds of physical frailty (1.34, 1.27-1.43) and 30% higher odds of comprehensive frailty (1.30, 1.25-1.35). Having two or three children was linked to the lowest likelihood of physical frailty (0.48, 0.38-0.59) and comprehensive frailty (0.72, 0.64-0.81). Experiencing a miscarriage increased the odds of frailty. MHT use was linked to increased odds of physical frailty in women with normal age at natural menopause (after 45 years), while no elevated likelihood was observed in women with early natural menopause taking MHT. LIMITATIONS REASONS FOR CAUTION: The reproductive factors were self-reported and the data might be subject to recall bias. We lacked information on the types and initiation time of MHT, could not identify infertile women who later became pregnant, and the number of infertile women may be underestimated. Individuals participating in the UK Biobank are not representative of the general UK population, limiting the generalization of our findings. WIDER IMPLICATION OF THE FINDINGS: The reproductive factors experienced by women throughout their life course can potentially predict frailty in middle and old age. Identifying these reproductive factors as potential predictors of frailty can inform healthcare providers and policymakers about the importance of considering a woman's reproductive history when assessing their risk for frailty. STUDY FUNDING/COMPETING INTERESTS: This work was supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China (2022YFC2703800), National Natural Science Foundation of China (82273702), Science Fund Program for Excellent Young Scholars of Shandong Province (Overseas) (2022HWYQ-030), Taishan Scholars Project Special Fund (No. tsqnz20221103), and the Qilu Young Scholar (Tier-1) Program (202099000066). All authors have no conflicts of interest to declare. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: N/A.

The relationship between male and female endogenous reproductive hormones levels and subjective cognitive decline score: A cross-sectional analysis of the Pingyin cohort study.

OBJECTIVE: Reproductive hormones might impact disease course in cognitive decline. We examined the association between male and female endogenous reproductive hormones and subjective cognitive decline (SCD) score. DESIGN, PATIENTS AND MEASUREMENTS: A cross-sectional study design was used with baseline data from the Pingyin cohort study, involving 1943 participants aged 45-70 years. Oestrogen (E2), testosterone, follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH) were measured in females and E2 and testosterone were measured in males. We categorised hormones into three levels of low, intermediate and high level. The 9-item subjective cognitive decline questionnaire (SCD-Q9) scores were collected to assess the symptoms of SCD. Multivariable logistic regression models were used to estimate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence interval (CI) between categorised hormone levels and SCD status. Multivariable linear regression models were also used. RESULTS: Overall, 1943 participants were involved and 1285 (66.1%) were female. The mean age at baseline was 59.1 (standard deviation 7.1) years. Women with high testosterone levels had a higher probability of having SCD compared with those with low testosterone levels (OR 1.43, 95% CI 1.01-2.05). Men with a high level of testosterone (0.59, 0.35-0.98) and high testosterone/E2 ratio (0.55, 0.33-0.90) were related to decreased chances of having SCD. Each one-unit increase of testosterone was linked to reduced SCD score in males [(ß: -.029, 95% CI (-0.052, -0.007)]. CONCLUSION: There was sex-specific relationship between hormone levels and SCD abnormal. Those with higher testosterone levels in females may increase likelihood of experiencing SCD. Males with higher testosterone levels and higher testosterone/E2 ratio may be associated with reduced likelihood of SCD. The roles of endogenous reproductive hormone levels and their dynamic changes in cognitive function need further investigation.

Comparison of Single or Double Titanium Mesh Cage for Anterior Reconstruction After Total En Bloc Spondylectomy for Thoracic and Lumbar Spinal Tumors.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the clinical efficacy of anterior column reconstruction using single or double titanium mesh cage (TMC) after total en bloc spondylectomy (TES) of thoracic and lumbar spinal tumors. METHODS: A retrospective cohort study was performed involving 39 patients with thoracic or lumbar spinal tumors. All patients underwent TES, followed by anterior reconstruction and screw-rod instrumentation via a posterior-only procedure. Twenty-two patients in group A were treated with a single TMC to reconstruct the anterior column, whereas 17 patients in group B were reconstructed with double TMCs. RESULTS: The overall follow-up is 20.5 ± 4.6 months. There is no significant difference between the 2 groups regarding age, sex, body mass index, tumor location, operative time, and intraoperative blood loss. The time for TMC placement was significantly shortened in the double TMCs group (5.2 ± 1.3 minutes vs. 15.6 ± 3.3 minutes, p = 0.004). Additionally, postoperative neural complications were significantly reduced with double TMCs (5/22 vs. 0/17, p = 0.046). The kyphotic Cobb angle and mean intervertebral height were significantly corrected in both groups (p ≤ 0.001), without obvious loss of correction at the last follow-up in either group. The bone fusion rates for single TMC and double TMCs were 77.3% and 76.5%, respectively. CONCLUSION: Using 2 smaller TMCs instead of a single large one eases the placement of TMC by shortening the time and avoiding nerve impingement. Anterior column reconstruction with double TMC is a clinically feasible, and safe alternative following TES for thoracic and lumbar tumors.