Study on modified shengmai yin injection for prevention and treatment of brain impairment in endotoxin shock rats

Objective:To examine the effects of modified Shenmai Yin on invigorating vital energy, promoting blood flow, and protection against neural impairment in an endotoxin-induced shock rat model. Methods: Ninety-six SD rats were randomly divided into four groups: sham operation (saline 20 ml/kg), shock model (lipopolysaccharide, LPS, 8 mg/kg), Reformed Shengmai Yin (加味生脉饮 Pulse-activating Decoction) (LPS 8 mg/kg + reformed Shengmai Yin Injection 10 ml/kg), and dexamethasone (LPS 8 mg/kg + dexamethasone 5 mg/kg) groups. Each group was subdivided into 1 h, 2 h, 3 h, and 6 h time points for observation. The carotid artery was separated and connected with a biological functional system to monitor mean arterial pressure (MAP). Brain water levels, malonaldehyde (MDA) content, and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity were also determined. Results: In the shock model group, MAP was progressively decreased after injection of LPS, brain water and MDA contents were increased, brain SOD activity was decreased, and capillary vessel edema in brain tissue was also observed. All these parameters were improved significantly in both treatment groups, although the effects were more marked with Shengmai Yin than with dexamethasone. Conclusion: Modified Shengmai Yin exhibits strong anti-shock and neuroprotective effects against Endotoxininduced shock.     

Brief Report: Adenosine A2A receptor blockade prevents cisplatin-induced impairments in neurogenesis and cognitive function

Chemotherapy-induced cognitive impairment (CICI) has emerged as a significant medical problem without therapeutic options. Using the platinum-based chemotherapy cisplatin to model CICI, we revealed robust elevations in the adenosine A_2A receptor (A_2AR) and its downstream effectors, cAMP and CREB, by cisplatin in the adult mouse hippocampus, a critical brain structure for learning and memory. Notably, A_2AR inhibition by the Food and Drug Administration–approved A_2AR antagonist KW-6002 prevented cisplatin-induced impairments in neural progenitor proliferation and dendrite morphogenesis of adult-born neurons, while improving memory and anxiety-like behavior, without affecting tumor growth or cisplatin’s antitumor activity. Collectively, our study identifies A_2AR signaling as a key pathway that can be therapeutically targeted to prevent cisplatin-induced cognitive impairments.     

Identification of Nordic Berries with Beneficial Effects on Cognitive Outcomes and Gut Microbiota in High-Fat-Fed Middle-Aged C57BL/6J Mice

High-fat diets are associated with neuronal and memory dysfunction. Berries may be useful in improving age-related memory deficits in humans, as well as in mice receiving high-fat diets. Emerging research has also demonstrated that brain health and cognitive function may be related to the dynamic changes in the gut microbiota. In this study, the impact of Nordic berries on the brain and the gut microbiota was investigated in middle-aged C57BL/6J mice. The mice were fed high-fat diets (60%E fat) supplemented with freeze-dried powder (6% dwb) of bilberry, lingonberry, cloudberry, blueberry, blackcurrant, and sea buckthorn for 4 months. The results suggest that supplementation with bilberry, blackcurrant, blueberry, lingonberry, and (to some extent) cloudberry has beneficial effects on spatial cognition, as seen by the enhanced performance following the T-maze alternation test, as well as a greater proportion of DCX-expressing cells with prolongation in hippocampus. Furthermore, the proportion of the mucosa-associated symbiotic bacteria Akkermansia muciniphila increased by 4–14 times in the cecal microbiota of mice fed diets supplemented with lingonberry, bilberry, sea buckthorn, and blueberry. These findings demonstrate the potential of Nordic berries to preserve memory and cognitive function, and to induce alterations of the gut microbiota composition.     

Depressive symptoms in amnesic mild cognitive impairment: an FDG-PET/CT study

IntroductionThe detection in mild cognitive impairment (MCI) of metabolic alterations suggestive of depression and/or of evolution to dementia.MethodsSixty-nine MCI patients underwent clinical and imaging evaluation including position emission tomography/computed tomography with fluorodeoxy-glucose (FDG-PET/CT).ResultsThe metabolism mean values in parietal, temporal and pre-cuneus areas were lower in subjects who evolved to dementia, and in frontal and in anterior cingulate areas in depressed subjects. Abnormal metabolism values were higher in the frontal and parietal lobes, and in the precuneus in subjects who evolved to dementia independently from depression.ConclusionsIn MCI FDG-PET/CT abnormality patterns suggest the presence of depression or the evolution to dementia.     

The past,present, and future of sleep measurement in mild cognitive impairment and early dementia—towards a core outcome set: a scoping review

Study ObjectivesSleep abnormalities emerge early in dementia and may accelerate cognitive decline. Their accurate characterization may facilitate earlier clinical identification of dementia and allow for assessment of sleep intervention efficacy. This scoping review determines how sleep is currently measured and reported in Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) and early dementia, as a basis for future core outcome alignment.MethodsThis review follows the PRISMA Guidelines for Scoping Reviews. CINAHL, Embase, Medline, Psychinfo, and British Nursing Index databases were searched from inception—March 12, 2021. Included studies had participants diagnosed with MCI and early dementia and reported on sleep as a key objective/ outcome measure.ResultsNineteen thousand five hundred and ninety-six titles were returned following duplicate removal with 188 studies [N] included in final analysis. Sleep data was reported on 17 139 unique, diagnostically diverse participants (n). “Unspecified MCI” was the most common diagnosis amongst patients with MCI (n = 5003, 60.6%). Despite technological advances, sleep was measured most commonly by validated questionnaires (n = 12 586, N = 131). Fewer participants underwent polysomnography (PSG) (n = 3492, N = 88) and actigraphy (n = 3359, N = 38) with little adoption of non-PSG electroencephalograms (EEG) (n = 74, N = 3). Sleep outcome parameters were reported heterogeneously. 62/165 (37.6%) were described only once in the literature (33/60 (60%) in interventional studies). There was underrepresentation of circadian (n = 725, N = 25) and micro-architectural (n = 360, N = 12) sleep parameters.ConclusionsAlongside under-researched areas, there is a need for more detailed diagnostic characterization. Due to outcome heterogeneity, we advocate for international consensus on core sleep outcome parameters to support causal inference and comparison of therapeutic sleep interventions.     

Special manifestations and treatment of rare cases of snoring with special facial features and hearing loss in children

This current case report describes two rare cases of children with both hearing loss and snoring. Case 1, a 17-month-old male patient, and case 2, an 11-year-old male patient, both presented with nasal obstruction, snoring and hearing loss. Physical examinations showed obvious enlargement of the head circumference and special facial features. The two children underwent otolaryngology examinations, endoscopy, hearing tests, laboratory examinations for bone metabolism markers, cranial computed tomography, X-rays and genome-wide exon sequencing. The first case was diagnosed with craniometaphyseal dysplasia, which was relieved after giving a low-calcium diet. The second case was diagnosed with osteopathia striata with cranial sclerosis by gene sequencing. Snoring improved after medication and the speech and quality of life improved with a hearing aid. Paediatric otolaryngological physicians need to have a deeper understanding of congenital diseases involving the bones. Only by genetic testing to determine the pathogenesis can those children be given the correct treatment, which is of great importance for improving their prognosis.     

The sexual brain,genes, and cognition: A machine‐predicted brain sex score explains individual differences in cognitive intelligence and genetic influence in young children

Sex impacts the development of the brain and cognition differently across individuals. However, the literature on brain sex dimorphism in humans is mixed. We aim to investigate the biological underpinnings of the individual variability of sexual dimorphism in the brain and its impact on cognitive performance. To this end, we tested whether the individual difference in brain sex would be linked to that in cognitive performance that is influenced by genetic factors in prepubertal children (N = 9,658, ages 9–10 years old; the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development study). To capture the interindividual variability of the brain, we estimated the probability of being male or female based on the brain morphometry and connectivity features using machine learning (herein called a brain sex score). The models accurately classified the biological sex with a test ROC–AUC of 93.32%. As a result, a greater brain sex score correlated significantly with greater intelligence (p _fdr < .001, ηp2 = .011–.034; adjusted for covariates) and higher cognitive genome‐wide polygenic scores (GPSs) (p _fdr < .001, ηp2 < .005). Structural equation models revealed that the GPS‐intelligence association was significantly modulated by the brain sex score, such that a brain with a higher maleness score (or a lower femaleness score) mediated a positive GPS effect on intelligence (indirect effects = .006–.009; p = .002–.022; sex‐stratified analysis). The finding of the sex modulatory effect on the gene–brain–cognition relationship presents a likely biological pathway to the individual and sex differences in the brain and cognitive performance in preadolescence.     

Copper Biology in Health and Disease: The accumulation of copper in the brain of Down syndrome promotes oxidative stress: possible mechanism underlying cognitive impairment

Individuals with Down syndrome (DS), which is caused by triplication of human chromosome 21 (Hsa21), show numerous characteristic symptoms, such as intellectual disability, an impaired cognitive function, and accelerated aging-like phenotypes. Enhanced oxidative stress is assumed to be implicated as a mechanism underlying many of these symptoms of DS. Some genes coded in Hsa21, such as App, Sod1, and Ets2, are suggested as being involved in the exacerbation of oxidative stress. In addition, enhanced oxidative stress has been recently shown to be caused by dyshomeostasis of the redox-active bio-metal copper in the brain of a mouse model of DS. This review aims to summarize the current knowledge on enhanced oxidative stress in DS and suggest a possible molecular mechanism underlying the cognitive impairment of DS mediated by enhanced oxidative stress.     

Hearing-related,health-related quality of life in patients who have undergone otosclerosis surgery: A long-term follow-up study

Objectives: The aims of the study were to assess health-related quality of life and hearing-related disability in subjects with otosclerosis 30 years after surgery. Design: An observational study was performed. Medical records were reviewed, a clinical examination as well as audiometric assessments were performed. Generic health-related quality of life was assessed by the SF-36v2 and hearing disability by a shortened version of SSQ (speech spatial and qualities of hearing scale). Study sample: Sixty-five individuals, who had undergone stapedectomy in 1977-79 at a tertiary referral center. Results: Generic health-related quality of life according to SF-36 subscale scores was comparable to that of an age- and sex-matched reference population. The SF-36 mental component summary score (MCS) was, however, significantly better than that of the reference population. The mental and physical summary component scores correlated significantly to hearing disability measured by the SSQ but not to hearing impairment. Hearing disability was displayed in all SSQ sub-scores, especially in more complex listening situations and in the localization of sounds. Conclusions: This study shows that individuals with otosclerosis, 30 years after surgery, have a good generic health-related quality of life, despite moderate to severe hearing loss and significant hearing disabilities.     

江苏省≥10岁人群的眩晕流行病学调查研究

目的调查江苏省人群中眩晕的分布情况及相关因素，为制订防治策略提供科学依据。方法采用按容量比例概率抽样（PPS）方法，在江苏省常住人口中抽样，对其中≥10岁的6854人进行眩晕问卷调查、纯音测听和耳科检查。结果本研究实际接受调查6333人，应答率92．4％，男3035人（47．9％），女3298人（52．1％），年龄10～93岁。被调查人群中眩晕的总体患病率为4．1％（标化患病率：全国3．4％，江苏3．6％），眩晕患病率随年龄增加呈上升趋势（P=0．000）。女性眩晕患病率（5．3％）高于男性（2．8％）（P=0．000），城乡之间差异无显著性（农村4．3％。城镇3．8％．P=0．459）。听力减退、中耳炎病史、噪声暴露史是眩晕的危险因素，OR值分别为2．186、2．135、1．609。结论眩晕在江苏省人群中较为常见，其发生与多种因素有关，必须加强这些方面的防治研究。