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Background: Reliable and individualized biomarkers are crucial for identifying early cognitive impairment in subcortical small-vessel disease (SSVD) patients. Personalized brain age prediction can effectively reflect cognitive impairment. Thus, the present study aimed to investigate the association of brain age with cognitive function in SSVD patients and assess the potential value of brain age in clinical assessment of SSVD. Materials and methods: A prediction model for brain age using the relevance vector regression algorithm was developed using 35 healthy controls. Subsequently, the prediction model was tested using 51 SSVD patients [24 subjective cognitive impairment (SCI) patients and 27 mild cognitive impairment (MCI) patients] to identify brain age-related imaging features. A support vector machine (SVM)-based classification model was constructed to differentiate MCI from SCI patients. The neurobiological basis of brain agerelated imaging features was also investigated based on cognitive assessments and oxidative stress biomarkers. Results: The gray matter volume (GMV) imaging features accurately predicted brain age in individual patients with SSVD (R² = 0.535, p < 0.001). The GMV features were primarily distributed across the subcortical system (e.g., thalamus) and dorsal attention network. SSVD patients with age acceleration showed significantly poorer Mini-Mental State Examination and Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) scores. The classification model based on GMV features could accurately distinguish MCI patients from SCI patients (area under the curve = 0.883). The classification outputs of the classification model exhibited significant associations with MoCA scores, Trail Making Tests A and B scores, Stroop Color and Word Test C scores, information processing speed total scores, and plasma levels of total antioxidant capacity in SSVD patients. Conclusion: Brain age can be accurately quantified using GMV imaging data and shows potential clinical value for identifying early cognitive impairment in SSVD patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In 2012 a large outbreak of hand, foot, and mouth disease (HFMD) widely spread over China, causing more than 2 million cases and 567 deaths. Our purpose was to characterize the major pathogens responsible for the 2012 HFMD outbreak and analyze the genetic characterization of the enterovirus 71 (EV71) strains in Shanghai; also, to analyze the dynamic patterns of neutralizing antibody (NAb) against EV71 and evaluate the diagnostic value of several methods for clinical detection of EV71. Methods: Clinical samples including stool, serum and CSF were collected from 396 enrolled HFMD inpatients during the peak seasons in 2012. We analyzed the molecular epidemiology, clinical feature, and diagnostic tests of EV71 infection. Results: EV71 was responsible for 60.35 % of HFMD inpatients and 88.46 % of severe cases. The circulating EV71 strains belonged to subgenogroup C4a. The nucleotide sequences of VP1 between severe cases and uncomplicated cases shared 99.2 ~ 100 % of homology. Among 218 cases with EV71 infection, 211 (96.79 %) serum samples showed NAb positive against EV71 and NAb titer reached higher level 3 days after disease onset. Of 92 cases with EV71-associated meningitis or encephalitis, 5 (5.43 %) of 92 had EV71 RNA detected in CSF samples. The blood anti-EV71 IgM assay showed a sensitivity of 93.30 % and a specificity of 50 %. Conclusions: EV71 C4a remained the predominant subgenotype circulating in Shanghai. The severity of the EV71 infection is not associated with the virulence determinants in VP1. RT-PCR together with IgM detection can enhance the early diagnosis of severe EV71-associated HFMD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dietary meats play a crucial role in human health. The objective of this survey was to determine the fatty acid content and omega-6/omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-6/n-3 PUFA) ratio of fresh red meat (beef and pork) from four cities (Shanghai, Nanjing, Yinchuan and Hohhot) in China. The results showed that the n-6/n-3 PUFA ratio from all the samples ranged from 6 to 23. The total n-6 PUFA concentrations ranged from 290.54 mg/100 g in beef from Nanjing to 1601.48 mg/100 g in pork from Hohhot, whereas the total concentrations of n-3 PUFA ranged from 46.34 mg/100 g in beef from Nanjing to 96.03 mg/100 g in pork from Nanjing. The results indicated that the n-6/n-3 ratio in the red meat from all four regions is unbalanced and is much higher than that (< 5:1) recommended by the WHO/FAO. The total amount of n-3 PUFA was far lower than the required daily dose. Therefore, potential solutions to increase the n-3 PUFA content in meat products or to provide alternative source of n-3 PUFA should be explored. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]