Long‐term effects of rapid weight gain in children,adolescents and young adults with appropriate birth weight for gestational age: the kiel obesity prevention study

Aim: This study investigates the effect of rapid weight gain in term children, adolescents and young adults born appropriate for gestational age. Methods: In all, 173 girls and 178 boys aged 6.1–19.9 (12.5 ± 3.1)years participated. Rapid weight gain (group 1) was defined as a change in weight‐SDS (standard deviation score) from birth till two years >0.67, ‘no change’ as ≥?0.67 and ≤0.67 (group 2) vs ‘slow weight gain’ as 90th age‐/sex‐specific BMI‐percentile was defined as overweight. Parental BMI, socio‐economic status and lifestyle were assessed as confounders. Results: A total of 22.8% gained weight rapidly, and 15.7% was overweight. Group 1 compared with group 2 and 3 subjects was taller, heavier and had a higher prevalence of overweight (girls/boys: 26.2%/28.9% vs 11.6%/19.0% vs 2.8%/5.0%; p < 0.01/p < 0.05). Concomitantly, a higher WC, %FM and FFM were observed. Rapid weight gain was positively associated with REE (adjusted for FFM) in boys (r = 0.26; p < 0.01), but not with cardio‐metabolic risk factors. Conclusion: Rapid weight gain was related to increases in height, weight, a higher prevalence of overweight and central fat distribution. In addition, rapid weight gain was related to a higher REE in boys, but not to cardio‐metabolic risk factors.     

金环蛇毒的分离及组分Ⅸ的初步研究

从金环蛇毒中分离到一个神经毒—组分Ⅸ。该组分阻断小鸡颈二腹肌神经肌肉接头传递;阻断标本对乙酰胆碱的反应,标本对直接电刺激以及对高浓度钾离子的反应性仍然存在;组分Ⅸ使蛙缝匠肌终板电位,微终板电位振幅逐渐减小,最后完全消失;但不影响微终板电位的发放频率,也不影响肌纤维的静息膜电位。实验表明组分Ⅸ是作用于突触后膜的神经毒。     

The quantification of levator muscle resting tone by digital assessment

The biomechanical properties of the puborectalis muscle are likely to be important for pelvic organ support. However, neither elasticity nor its clinical correlate, muscle resting tone, have received much attention to date. We therefore conducted a prospective study to test a newly developed resting tone scale for validity and reproducibility. Ninety-eight patients underwent a physical examination including prolapse staging and palpation of the levator ani. They were also assessed by 4D translabial ultrasound for levator hiatal dimensions and prolapse assessment. Resting tone was negatively associated with anterior and posterior compartment prolapse. An independent test–retest series yielded a weighted kappa of 0.55 (CI 0.44–0.66), implying “moderate” repeatability. Resting tone of the puborectalis muscle can be determined by digital palpation. It is moderately repeatable and associated with pelvic organ prolapse. Palpation of resting tone may be a useful new tool for assessing women with pelvic floor dysfunction.     

Resting metabolic rate and weight loss after bariatric surgery

Background

There is an increased interest in understanding how variation in body composition (BC) and energy expenditure is related to successful weight loss after surgery. It has been suggested that low resting metabolic rate (RMR) could be associated with poor weight loss.

Polymicrogyric Cortex may Predispose to Seizures via Abnormal Network Topology: An fMRI Connectomics Study

Polymicrogyria is a significant malformation of cortical development with a high incidence of epilepsy and cognitive deficits. Graph theoretic analysis is a useful approach to studying network organization in brain disorders. In this study, we used task‐free functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data from four patients with polymicrogyria and refractory epilepsy. Gray matter masks from structural MRI data were parcellated into 1,024 network nodes. Functional “connectomes” were obtained based on fMRI time series between the parcellated network nodes; network analysis was conducted using clustering coefficient, path length, node degree, and participation coefficient. These graph metrics were compared between nodes within polymicrogyric cortex and normal brain tissue in contralateral homologous cortical regions. Polymicrogyric nodes showed significantly increased clustering coefficient and characteristic path length. This is the first study using functional connectivity analysis in polymicrogyria—our results indicate a shift toward a regular network topology in polymicrogyric nodes. Regularized network topology has been demonstrated previously in patients with focal epilepsy and during focal seizures. Thus, we postulate that these network alterations predispose to seizures and may be relevant to cognitive deficits in patients with polymicrogyria.     

Isolating physiologic noise sources with independently determined spatial measures

To properly account for the presence of physiologic noise in fMRI data, parallel measurement of pulse and respiratory data is necessary. In some cases, this parallel measurement is difficult or impossible due to the experimental paradigm or lack of available monitoring equipment. We present a robust method for determining the direct-sampled pulse and respiratory data for a subject from the fMRI data itself, utilizing an independently determined spatial weighting matrix. It is shown that temporal independent component analysis can reliably separate the spatial and temporal patterns of physiologic noise through correlation if the parallel measurement is made. The spatial patterns thus determined can be applied to a separate scan of the same subject to produce the temporal pattern specific to this independent scan. The robustness of this method leads to the more general method of creating spatial weight matrices in standard brain space averaged over multiple subjects in order to acquire the physiologic signals without the necessity of any (further) parallel measurements. The resulting cardiac and respiratory estimators can effectively be used in a manner similar to that of a direct-sampled physiologic signal, e.g., direct input to retrospective correction methods, evaluation of cardiac and respiratory effects of tasks, etc. Spatial mixing matrices for estimating cardiac and respiratory sources for the acquisition protocols described here (and others as they are developed) are offered to investigators and can be obtained through e-mail from the corresponding author.     

基于静息态功能连接模式的正常人脑扣带皮层亚区划分

基于静息态功能连接(rsFC)模式对正常人脑扣带皮层进行亚区划分,并分析不同亚区的功能连接模式。方法 收集47名右利手健康志愿者。采集结构磁共振图像及静息态功能磁共振图像。在蒙特利尔脑研究所标准空间勾画扣带皮层ROI。基于个体计算ROI中每个体素与全脑其他体素时间序列的Pearson线性相关系数,得到互相关矩阵,采用K-均值聚类算法自动聚类。采用交互验证的方法选择合适分割数。最终计算最大概率图谱。通过单样本t检验确定与每个亚区具有正功能连接的脑区。结果 扣带皮层被分为6个亚区:前扣带皮层、背侧中前扣带皮层、腹侧中前扣带皮层、中后扣带皮层、背侧后扣带皮层及腹侧后扣带皮层亚区。每个亚区有特异的静息态功能连接模式。结论 人脑扣带皮层依据不同的静息态功能连接模式分为6个亚区,每个亚区分属不同的脑功能网络,参与不同的功能。     

慢性疼痛的功能MRI研究进展

慢性疼痛是一种关乎人体生理和心理的疾病,近年来学者应用功能MRI技术(functional magnetic resonance imaging,fMRI)对慢性疼痛进行了大量研究,作者从慢性疼痛的特点、静息态fMRI对慢性疼痛的研究方法、实验和分析等方面对慢性疼痛的静息态fMRI研究进展进行综述。