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In the realm of acute respiratory infections, coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), poses a global public health challenge. The application of corticosteroids (CSs) in COVID-19 remains a contentious topic among researchers. Accordingly, our team performed a comprehensive meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) to meticulously evaluate the safety and efficacy of CSs in hospitalized COVID-19 patients. To explore efficacy of CSs in the treatment of COVID-19 patients, we meticulously screened RCTs across key databases, including PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, Cochrane Library, ClinicalTrials.gov, as well as China's CNKI and Wanfang Data. We focused on assessing the 28 days mortality rates. We evaluated the data heterogeneity using the Chi-square test and I2 values, setting significance at 0.1 and 50%. Data from 21 RCTs involving 5721 participants were analyzed. The analysis did not demonstrate a significant association between CSs intervention and the 28 days mortality risk in hospitalized COVID-19 patients (relative risk [RR] = 0.93; 95% confidence interval [95% CI]: 0.84–1.03; P = 0.15). However, subgroup analysis revealed a significant reduction in 28 days mortality among patients with moderate-to-severe COVID-19 (RR at 0.85; 95% CI: 0.76–0.95; P = 0.004). Specifically, short-term CS administration (≤ 3 days) was associated with a substantial improvement in clinical outcomes (RR = 0.24; 95% CI: 0.09–0.63; P = 0.004), as was longer-term use (≥ 8 days) (RR = 0.88; 95% CI: 0.77–0.99; P = 0.04). Additionally, in patients with moderate-to-severe COVID-19, the administration of dexamethasone increased the number of 28 days ventilator-free days (Mean Difference = 1.92; 95% CI: 0.44–3.40; P = 0.01). Methylprednisolone also demonstrated significant benefits in improving clinical outcomes (RR = 0.24; 95% CI: 0.09–0.63; P = 0.004). Our meta-analysis demonstrated that although there is no significant difference in 28 days mortality rates among hospitalized COVID-19 patients, the use of CSs may be beneficial in improving clinical outcomes in moderate or severe COVID-19 patients. There was no significant increase in the occurrence of adverse events associated with the use of CSs. Our meta-analysis provides evidence that while CSs may not be suitable for all COVID-19 patients, they could be effective and safe in severely ill COVID-19 patients. Consequently, it is recommended to administer CSs for personalized treatments in COVID-19 cases to improve the clinical outcomes while minimizing adverse events. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Intervertebral disc disease (IDD) is a primary cause of low back pain, affecting 5% of individuals. Previous study have shown that dual-specificity (Thr/Tyr) phosphatase 1 (DUSP1) regulates p38 MAPK activity and DUSP1 level is regulated by ubiquitination. As an E3 ubiquitin-protein ligase, UBR3 has been shown to regulate a variety of biological processes through ubiquitination. However, the role of UBR3/DUSP1/p38 in IDD remains to be elucidated. In the current study, we found that UBR3 was significantly increased in the nucleus pulposus tissues of IDD patients and was correlated with IDD severity. Silencing UBR3 promoted the growth, inhibited apoptosis, and inhibited inflammation in primary NPCs. Mechanism study suggested that UBR3 exerted its effects through p38. Co-immunoprecipitation assay indicated that UBR3 promoted DUSP1 ubiquitination. Overexpression of DUSP1 reversed the effect of UBR3 overexpression. Our data also supported that UBR3 was positively correlated with p-p38, but negatively correlated with DUSP1 in IDD. In summary, UBR3 promotes inflammation and apoptosis via inhibiting the p38 signaling pathway by DUSP1 ubiquitination in the NPCs of IDD patients. These findings highlight the importance of UBR3/DUSP1/p38 signaling pathway in IDD and provide new insights for the prevention and treatment of IDD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In response to the research demand in spatial frequency domain techniques at continuous wavelengths in the field of agricultural and food products, a line scan hyperspectral spatial frequency domain combined imaging (LSH-SFDI) system was developed for quantitative hyperspectral optical imaging in the spatial frequency domain for detecting absorption (μa) and reduced scattering (μ′s) parameters of tissues in the continuous spectral range. Systematic calibration of the LSH-SFDI system was performed using the configured liquid phantoms, and the average errors of μa and μ′s at 56 wavelength bands between 450 and 740 nm were obtained as 9.24% and 6.08%, respectively. The optical parameters of milk were measured using the LSH-SFDI system, and the μa and μ′s values of milk samples at continuous wavelengths were analyzed by linear regression with the fat and protein contents of the corresponding milk, and the final results verified the correlation between the fat content and μ′s and the protein content and μa of milk. The developed system can be further used for milk quality evaluation and classification subsequently, as well as for other agricultural products and foods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Disturbance of the triple network model was recently proposed to be associated with the occurrence of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms. Based on resting-state dynamic causal modeling (rs-DCM) analysis, we investigated the neurobiological model at a neuronal level along with potential neuroimaging biomarkers for identifying individuals with PTSD.Methods: We recruited survivors of a devastating typhoon including 27 PTSD patients, 33 trauma-exposed controls (TECs), and 30 healthy controls without trauma exposure. All subjects underwent resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging. Independent components analysis was used to identify triple networks. Detailed effective connectivity patterns were estimated by rs-DCM analysis. Spearman correlation analysis was performed on aberrant DCM parameters with clinical assessment results relevant to PTSD diagnosis. We also carried out step-wise binary logistic regression and receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) analysis to confirm the capacity of altered effective connectivity parameters to distinguish PTSD patients.Results: Within the executive control network, enhanced positive connectivity from the left posterior parietal cortex to the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex was correlated with intrusion symptoms and showed good performance (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve = 0.879) in detecting PTSD patients. In the salience network, we observed a decreased causal flow from the right amygdala to the right insula and a lower transit value for the right amygdala in PTSD patients relative to TECs.Conclusion: Altered effective connectivity patterns in the triple network may reflect the occurrence of PTSD symptoms, providing a potential biomarker for detecting patients. Our findings shed new insight into the neural pathophysiology of PTSD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is well known that extracellular deposition of amyloid-β (Aβ) peptide and microglia-mediated neuroinflammation are major hallmarks of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Interferon regulatory factor-8 (IRF-8), an important transcription factor of the IRF family, is highly restricted in microglia in brains. The expression pattern and function of IRF-8 in AD need to be elucidated in order to provide novel therapies for the treatment of AD. In this study, our results indicated that expression of IRF-8 is significantly elevated in the brains and microglia of AD transgenic model Tg2576 mice. Notably, in vitro cell culture and reporter luciferase assay show that Aβ treatment promotes expression of IRF-8 at the transcriptional level. Silencing of IRF-8 in microglia abolished Aβ-induced elevation in typical activated microglia-related genes, including the microglial innate response receptor toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2), the chemotaxis gene purinergic receptor PYR, and the proinflammatory cytokine IL-1β. However, overexpression of IRF-8 exacerbated the elevated expression of these proteins. Finally, the JAK2/STAT-1 pathway was found to mediate Aβ-induced elevation of IRF-8. Overall, this is the first time to report that IRF-8 is involved in microglial activation and neuroinflammation in AD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Investigating hippocampal subfields may provide new and important insights into the pathophysiology of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). However, no study has examined the hippocampal subfield volume changes in parents with or without PTSD who had lost their only child and could no longer conceive in China. Fifty-seven parents with PTSD (PTSD+), 11 trauma-exposed parents without PTSD (PTSD-), and 39 non-traumatized controls were recruited to examine the hippocampal subfield volumes using magnetic resonance imaging. Correlations of the volumes with the time since trauma and Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale (CAPS) scores were investigated in the PTSD+ group. The volumes of the bilateral cornu ammonis (CA) 2-3, CA4-dentate gyrus (DG), and left subiculum were significantly smaller in the PTSD+ and PTSD- groups than in the controls, but there were no significant differences between the PTSD+ and PTSD- groups. Additionally, the left CA2-3 and CA4-DG volumes reduced more than those on the right side in the PTSD+ and PTSD- groups. The subfield volumes were not related to the time since trauma and the CAPS scores in the PTSD+ group. In conclusion, hippocampal subfield volumes decreased in parents who lost their only child with or without PTSD, and the volumetric reduction may be independent of PTSD and trauma-related. Moreover, the hippocampal volume deficits showed laterality that the left side was affected more than the right, and the hippocampal subfields may show differential vulnerabilities to trauma/PTSD, with the CA2-3 and CA4-DG subfields more sensitive than others. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The reduction of hippocampal volume remains controversial in depression because of the variability among individuals in clinical studies. Here, a reliable experimental rat model of depression, established by chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS), was used. Thirty rats were randomly divided into two groups (CUMS group and control group). Hippocampal volume was dynamically measured every 2 weeks in a 56-day chronic stress procedure using structural magnetic resonance imaging, and the correlation between the hippocampal volume and the learning and memory changes was investigated. Our results demonstrated that CUMS rats showed significantly smaller volumes of the bilateral hippocampus compared to that of the controls, changing dramatically with the development of CUMS procedure. The left hippocampal volume was reduced earlier and more markedly than the right one from the 2nd week to the 8th week of the CUMS procedure (on the 8th week: left: approximately 15.3 %; right: approximately 8.4 % reduction). Additionally, the hippocampal volume of CUMS rats was significantly negatively correlated with the learning and memory changes. Of note, it showed that the more obviously the hippocampal volume reduced, the more severely the learning and memory damaged. In conclusion, the hippocampal volume decreased gradually and dynamically and was correlated with the impairment of the learning and memory in depression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The representation of spatiotemporal pattern of brain electrical activity is an important issue in the research of neural assemblies. This paper describes methods of parametric 3D head or brain modeling and its corresponding interpolation for functional imaging based on brain waves. The 3D interpolation method is an extension of cortical imaging technique. It can be used with features of either transformed domains or higher order statistics of brain waves on realistic head or brain models. The simulating result suggests that it is a better method in comparison with the global nearest neighbor technique. With those techniques, an example of brainwave imaging was given using partial coherence of event-related potentials estimated by multivariate autoregressive model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]