Brain lipidomics as a rising field in neurodegenerative contexts: Perspectives with Machine Learning approaches

Lipids are essential for cellular functioning considering their role in membrane composition, signaling, and energy metabolism. The brain is the second most abundant organ in terms of lipid concentration and diversity only after adipose tissue. However, in the central system (CNS) lipid dysregulation has been linked to the etiology, progression, and severity of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimeŕs, Parkinson, and Multiple Sclerosis. Advances in the human genome and subsequent sequencing technologies allowed us the study of lipidomics as a promising approach to diagnosis and treatment of neurodegeneration. Lipidomics advances rapidly increased the amount and quality of data allowing the integration with other omic types as well as implementing novel bioinformatic and quantitative tools such as machine learning (ML). Integration of lipidomics data with ML, as a powerful quantitative predictive approach, led to improvements in diagnostic biomarker prediction, clinical data integration, network, and systems approaches for neural behavior, novel etiology markers for inflammation, and neurodegeneration progression and even Mass Spectrometry image analysis. In this sense, by exploiting lipidomics data with ML is possible to improve the identification of new biomarkers or unveil new molecular mechanisms associated with lipid impairment across neurodegeneration. In this review, we present the lipidomic neurobiology state-of-the-art highlighting its potential applications to study neurodegenerative conditions. Also, we present theoretical background, applications, and advances in the integration of lipidomics with ML. This review opens the door to new approaches in this rising field.     

香萱益神方对血管性痴呆模型大鼠神经元凋亡机制研究

目的:探讨香萱益神方治疗血管性痴呆(VD)模型大鼠认知功能作用及其对神经元凋亡机制的研究。方法:两血管阻断法建立VD大鼠模型,给予中药方香萱益神方灌胃治疗6周,分别于造模后、中药喂养6周后进行Morris水迷宫行为学检测,测试大鼠认知行为能力改变,行为学测试结束后,检测VD模型大鼠海马中海马组织脑源性神经营养因子(BDNF)表达水平的变化。结果:香萱益神方治疗6周后,血管性痴呆大鼠模型学习记忆能力得到改善,上调脑内海马组织神经营养因子水平,海马神经元凋亡率下降。结论:香萱益神方是治疗血管性痴呆的有效方剂,可以有效改善VD大鼠模型认知行为功能的障碍情况,起到减少海马神经元细胞凋亡,诱导海马神经元细胞修复的作用。香萱益神方可能是通过激活BDNF相关通路,起到保护海马神经元的作用。     

标准三步法在改善经腹入路腹腔镜肾癌根治术学习曲线中的应用

目的探讨标准化三步法操作流程在改善经腹入路腹腔镜肾癌根治学习曲线中的应用。 方法回顾性分析我院自2015年2月至2017年5月间由同一位医师实施的经腹入路腹腔镜肾癌根治术的60例患者病历资料，患者资料入院时间先后顺序整理，分实验组和对照组两组，每组选取患者30例，对照组时间范围为2015年2月至2016年7月，期间主刀医生未按照标准三步法手术流程操作，实验组时间范围为2016年8月至2017年5月，期间主刀医师均按照"标准化三步法"操作流程进行操作。 结果两组的年龄，体重，肿瘤侧别以及肿瘤大小比较差异无统计学意义（P>0.05）。实验组手术时间为（100±27）min，低于对照组（117±33）min，两者比较差异有统计学意义（t=6.374，P<0.05），实验组手术出血量为（142±50）ml，显著低于对照组（201±75）ml，差异有统计学意义（P<0.01），实验组术后并发症发生率3.33%，对照组术后并发症发生率6.66%，差异有统计学意义（P<0.05），两者住院时间差异无统计学意义（P>0.05）。我们以手术时间为参照，描绘两组的学习曲线，发现实验组约15例达到平台期，对照组25例左右达到平台期，两组比较差异有统计学意义（P<0.05）。 结论通过标准化三步法操作流程实施经腹腔入路肾癌根治术，能够减少手术时间，减少术中出血量，缩短手术的进程，改善手术的学习曲线。     

Expectation affects neural repetition suppression in infancy

Recent work provides evidence that the infant brain is able to make top-down predictions, but this has been explored only in limited contexts and domains. We build upon this evidence of predictive processing in infants using a new paradigm to examine auditory repetition suppression (RS). RS is a well-documented neural phenomenon in which repeated presentations of the same stimulus result in reduced neural activation compared to non-repeating stimuli. Many theories explain RS using bottom-up mechanisms, but recent work has posited that top-down expectation and predictive coding may bias, or even explain, RS. Here, we investigate whether RS in the infant brain is similarly sensitive to top-down mechanisms. We use fNIRS to measure infants’ neural response in two experimental conditions, one in which variability in stimulus presentation is expected (occurs 75% of the time) and a control condition where variability and repetition are equally likely (50% of the time). We show that 6-month-old infants exhibit attenuated frontal lobe response to blocks of variable auditory stimuli during contexts when variability is expected as compared to the control condition. These findings suggest that young infants’ neural responses are modulated by predictions gained from experience and not simply by bottom-up mechanisms.     

Effets de l’huile des fruits de Dacryodes edulis sur les symptômes de l’anxiété et les performances cognitives chez la souris,après administration prolongée

ObjectiveTo study the effects of prolonged administration of Dacryodes edulis (G. Don) H.J. Lam (HDE) fruit oil on the symptoms of anxiety and cognitive performance in mice.MethodsAnxiolytic activity and effects of HDE (5 and 10 ml/kg) on cognitive performance were evaluated in male mice after oral administration for 45 days. Anxiolytic effects were investigated in open field test, elevated plus Maze and hole board test. The Morris Water Maze test was used to evaluate cognitive performance in mice. Efficacy of HDE (5 and 10 ml/kg) was compared with that of fluoxetine (2 mg/kg p.o).ResultsHDE decreases the total distance traveled, significantly increases the number of adjustments and the number of entries in the central area of open field. In the elevated cross labyrinth test, HDE increases the number of entries and the time spent in the open arms. HDE significantly increases the number of head insertion into the holes. In the Morris Water Maze test, HDE reduces latency before finding the platform and increases the time spent in the target quadrant.ConclusionThe results confirm anxiolytic effects and improved cognitive performance after prolonged oral administration of HDE in rodents.     

基于机器学习的脑胶质瘤多模态影像分析

脑部胶质瘤是临床中常见的一种原发性脑肿瘤，具有复发率高、死亡率高以及治愈率低的特点。常规临床诊断主要依靠计算机断层扫描(CT)和磁共振成像(MRI)检查技术进行鉴别。随着成像技术和机器学习方法的不断发展，多模态影像智能分析技术已经逐步成为研究热点，在脑胶质瘤的病灶分割测量、肿瘤分级、预后生存周期预测和基因型辨别等方面具有重要的应用前景。本文重点介绍基于机器学习和多模态影像在脑胶质瘤临床辅助诊断和预后评估中的应用进展。