Search

Hypoxia‐ischemia (HI) of the brain not only impairs neurodevelopment but also causes pineal gland dysfunction, which leads to circadian rhythm disruption. However, the underlying mechanism of circadian rhythm disruption associated with HI‐induced pineal dysfunction remains unknown. The zinc finger protein repressor protein with a predicted molecular mass of 58 kDa (RP58) is involved in the development and differentiation of nerve cells. In this study, we established an HI model in neonatal rats to investigate the expression of RP58 and its role in pineal dysfunction and circadian rhythm disruption induced by HI. We demonstrated that RP58 was highly expressed in the pineal gland under normal conditions and significantly downregulated in the pineal gland and primary pinealocytes following HI. Knockdown of RP58 decreased the expression of enzymes in the melatonin (Mel) synthesis pathway (tryptophan hydroxylase 1 [TPH1], acetylserotonin O‐methyltransferase [ASMT], and arylalkylamine N‐acetyltransferase [AANAT]) and clock genes (circadian locomotor output cycles kaput [CLOCK] and brain and muscle ARNT‐like 1 [BMAL1]), and it also reduced the production of Mel, caused pineal cell injury, and disrupted circadian rhythms in vivo and in vitro. Similarly, HI reduced the expression of Mel synthesis enzymes (TPH1, ASMT, and AANAT) and clock genes (CLOCK and BMAL1), and caused pineal injury and circadian rhythm disruption, which were exacerbated by RP58 knockdown. The detrimental effect of RP58 knockdown on pineal dysfunction and circadian rhythm disruption was reversed by the addition of exogenous Mel. Furthermore, exogenous Mel reversed HI‐induced pineal dysfunction and circadian rhythm disruption, as reflected by improvements in Mel production, voluntary activity periods, and activity frequency, as well as a diminished decrease in the expression of Mel synthesis enzymes and clock genes. The present study suggests that RP58 is an endogenous source of protection against pineal dysfunction and circadian rhythm disruption after neonatal HI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spatiotemporal reflectance fusion has received considerable attention in recent decades. However, various challenges remain despite varying levels of success, especially regarding the recovery of spatial details with complex land cover changes. Taking the blending of Landsat and Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) images as an example, this article presents a locally weighted unmixing-based spatiotemporal image fusion model (LWU-STFM) that focuses on recovering complex land cover changes. The core idea is to redefine the land use class of each pixel featuring land cover change at the prediction date. The spatial unmixing process is enhanced using a proposed geographically spectrum-weighted regression (GSWR), and then, we optimize similar neighboring pixels for the final weighted-based prediction. Experiments are conducted using semisimulated and actual time-series Landsat–MODIS datasets to demonstrate the performance of the proposed LWU-STFM compared with the classic spatial and temporal adaptive reflectance fusion model (STARFM), flexible spatiotemporal data fusion (FSDAF), two enhanced FSDAF models (SFSDAF and FSDAF 2.0), and a virtual image pair-based spatiotemporal fusion model for spatial weighting (VIPSTF-SW). The results reveal that the proposed LWU-STFM outperforms the other five models with the best quantitative accuracy. In terms of the relative dimensionless global error (ERGAS) index, the errors of Landsat-like images generated using LWU-STFM are 2.8%–63.4% lower than those of other models. From visual comparisons, LWU-STFM predictions illustrate encouraging improvements in recovering spatial details of pixels with complex land cover changes in heterogeneous landscapes and, thus, advancing applications of spatiotemporal image fusion for continuous and fine-scale land surface monitoring. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Cognitive impairment is a core feature of schizophrenia that is more serious in patients with early-onset schizophrenia (EOS). However, the neuroimaging basis of cognitive functions, including neurocognition and social cognition, remains unclear in patients with EOS. Methods: Forty-three patients with EOS underwent structural and resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging scans. Brain structure and function were evaluated through the analysis of brain gray matter volume (GMV) and amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations (ALFF). They underwent comprehensive assessments for neurocognition (verbal memory, verbal expression, attention, and executive function) and social cognition (theory of mind and attributional bias). Correlation analyses were conducted to detect the potential link between cognitive function indices and brain imaging parameters. Results: First, neurocognition was linked to brain structure characterized by higher immediate recall scores associated with increased GMV in the left temporal pole, higher verbal fluency scores associated with increased GMV in the left temporal pole: middle temporal gyrus, and higher Stroop-word scores associated with increased GMV in the right middle frontal gyrus. Second, social cognition was related to brain function characterized by lower sense of reality scores associated with increased ALFF in the left precentral gyrus, higher scores of accidental hostility bias associated with increased ALFF in the right middle temporal gyrus, and higher scores of accidental aggression bias associated with increased ALFF in the left precentral gyrus. Conclusion: These findings may add to the existing knowledge about the cognitive function-brain relationship. They may have clinical significance for studying the mechanism of neurocognitive and social cognitive impairment in patients with EOS and providing potential neural targets for their treatment and intervention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: A novel synbiotic multiparticulate microparticle containing alginate oligosaccharide (AOS), chitosan oligosaccharide (COS) and Bifidobacterium longum CICC 6259 was produced in the current study to expand the synbiotic industrial applications. The influences of these treatments on encapsulation yield, size, morphology, protective effect and stability of microcapsules and on mice gut microbiome were studied in vitro and in vivo. In vitro experiments detected no significant difference (P > 0.05) in encapsulation yield with different types of microcapsules. However, the microcapsule diameter of marine oligosaccharide was approximately 60 μm greater, and these microcapsules increased the number of surviving cells by more than 3 log cfu/g after treatment with simulated gastrointestinal juices, compared to basic alginate microcapsules. In vivo, these microcapsules significantly increased the content of Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus and reduced the content of Enterococcus and Escherichia in mice gut microbiome. Marine oligosaccharide probiotic microcapsules are promising as a novel functional food ingredient. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An artificial stent implantation is one of the most effective ways to treat coronary artery diseases. It is vital in vascular medical imaging, such as intravascular optical coherence tomography (IVOCT), to be able to track the position of stents in blood vessels effectively. We trained two models, the "You Only Look Once" version 3 (YOLOv3) and the Region-based Fully Convolutional Network (R-FCN), to detect metal support struts in IVOCT, respectively. After rotating the original images in the training set for data augmentation, and modifying the scale of the conventional anchor box in both two algorithms to fit the size of the target strut, YOLOv3 and R-FCN achieved precision, recall, and AP all above 95% in 0.4 IoU threshold. And R-FCN performs better than YOLOv3 in all relevant indicators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study investigated the effects of Porphyra yezoensis enzyme degradation extract (PYEDE) on the brain injuries and neurodegenerative diseases due to oxidative stress. We used in vitro antioxidant systems to verify the antioxidant potential of PYEDE. The results indicated that the PYEDE alleviated weight loss and organ atrophy, reduced the levels of lipid peroxidation and protein carbonylation and elevated reduced glutathione (GSH) content in the serum and brains of the d -galactose-induced ageing model mice. The PYEDE also renewed the glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), superoxide dismutase and total antioxidant capability activities, down-regulated the inducible nitric oxide synthase activity and nitric oxide levels, normalised the hippocampal neurons and modulated multiple neurotransmitter systems by inhibiting the activities of acetylcholinesterase and monoamine oxidase in the up-regulation of acetylcholine, dopamine and noradrenaline levels. Overall, the PYEDE is a promising supplement for the alleviation of oxidative stress and age-associated brain diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study was designed to examine the immunoregulatory effects of alginate-derived oligosaccharides (ADOs) on farm-cultured Pacific white shrimpPenaeus vannameiand its resistance toVibrio harveyi. Total hemocyte count, superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity, bacteriolytic activity, phagocytic rate (PR), the average number of beads ingested per cell (ABPC), and the protective efficacy forP. vannameichallenged withVibrio harveyiwere determined. The study showed that the administration of ADOs at 1.0 g/kg of diet improved SOD activity, bacteriolytic activity, and PR by 25.2, 20.4, and 20.9%, respectively, 30 d after exposure. Total hemocyte count and ABPC showed no significant differences. The 96-h survival of the shrimp reached 46.7% and 90.0% when they were challenged withV. harveyiat concentrations of 1 × 107and 1 × 106cfu/shrimp, which was significantly higher than that in the control group. The results obtained indicate that ADOs can act as an immunoregulant forP. vannamei. Received February 11, 2017; accepted July 29, 2017Published online September 18, 2017 [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]