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Alzheimer's disease(AD), vascular dementia(VD), and traumatic brain injury(TBI) are more common cognitive impairment diseases characterized by high disability and mortality rates, imposing a heavy burden on individuals and their families. Although AD, VD, and TBI have different specific mechanisms, their pathogenesis is closely related to the nucleotide-binding oligome-rization domain-like receptor protein 3(NLRP3). The NLRP3 inflammasome is involved in neuroinflammatory responses, mediating microglial polarization, regulating the reduction of amyloid β-protein(Aβ) deposition, neurofibrillary tangles(NFTs) formation, autophagy regulation, and maintaining brain homeostasis, and synaptic stability, thereby contributing to the development of AD, VD, and TBI. Previous studies have shown that traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) can alleviate neuroinflammation, promote microglial polarization towards the M2 phenotype, reduce Aβ deposition and NFTs formation, regulate autophagy, and maintain brain homeostasis by intervening in NLRP3 inflammasome, hence exerting a role in preventing and treating cognitive impairment-related diseases, reducing psychological and economic pressure on patients, and improving their quality of life. Therefore, this article elucidated the role of NLRP3 inflammasome in AD, VS, and TBI, and provided a detailed summary of the latest research results on TCM intervention in NLRP3 inflammasome for the prevention and treatment of these diseases, aiming to inherit the essence of TCM and provide references and foundations for clinical prevention and treatment of cognitive impairment-related diseases with TCM. Meanwhile, this also offers insights and directions for further research in TCM for the prevention and treatment of cognitive impairment-related diseases.

The Integrated Care for Old People (ICOPE) guidelines were developed by the World Health Organization. These guidelines address functional abilities in older adults in six intrinsic capacity domains, including cognitive decline, limited mobility, malnutrition, visual impairment, hearing loss, and depressive symptoms with the goal of improving their assessment and management. In this article, aging is interpreted from the perspective of Chinese medicine and guided by the theory of Yin Yang, the five elements, the six ICOPE domains, and the five organs (liver, heart, spleen, lungs, and kidneys). Huang Di Nei Jing's concept of disease prevention is proposed in a manner that corresponds to the three-stage preventive public health strategy for promoting health, delaying the effects of aging, and improving quality of life in older adults.

This study aims to explore the effect of preventive administration of Yigong Powder on the learning and memory abilities of the mouse model of aging induced by D-galactose and decipher the underlying mechanism, so as to provide a basis for the application of Yigong Powder in the prevention and treatment of cognitive decline. Forty KM mice were randomized into control, model, donepezil(1.5 mg·kg~(-1)), and high-dose(7.5 g·kg~(-1)) and low-dose(3.75 g·kg~(-1)) Yigong Powder groups. The mice in other groups except the control group were injected with D-galactose(200 g·kg~(-1)) at the back of the neck for the modeling of aging. At the same time, the mice were administrated with corresponding drugs by gavage for one month. Morris water maze was used to examine the learning and memory abilities of the mice. Hematoxylin-eosin staining was employed to observe the pathological and morphological changes of the hippocampus. The immunofluorescence assay was employed to detect the expression of ionized calcium-binding adapter molecule 1(IBA1), glial fibrillary acidic protein(GFAP), chemokine C-X-C-motif ligand 12(CXCL12), chemokine C-X-C-motif receptor 4(CXCR4) in the hippocampus and observe the positional relationship between IBA1, GFAP, and CXCR4. Western blot was employed to determine the protein levels of extracellular regulated kinase(ERK), p-ERK, and tumor necrosis factor receptor 1(TNFR1). Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was employed to measure the levels of glutamate and tumor necrosis factor(TNF-α) in the brain tissue and the level of TNF-α in the serum and spleen. Yigong Powder significantly shortened the escape latency, increased the times crossing platforms, and prolonged the cumulative time in quadrants of the aging mice. It alleviated the nerve cell disarrangement, increased intercellular space, and cell degeneration or death in the hippocampus and reduced the pathology score of the damaged nerve. Moreover, Yigong Powder reduced the positive area of IBA1 and GFAP, reduced the levels of TNF-α in the brain tissue, serum, and spleen, and decreased spleen index. Furthermore, Yigong Powder decreased the average fluorescence intensity of CXCL12 and CXCR4, reduced CXCR4-positive astrocytes and microglia, down-regulated the protein levels of p-ERK/ERK and TNFR1, and lowered the level of glutamate in the brain tissue. This study showed that the preventive administration of Yigong Powder can ameliorate the learning and memory decline of the D-galactose-induced aging mice by regulating the immune function of the spleen and the CXCL12/CXCR4 signaling in the brain to reduce glutamate release. However, the mechanism of Yigong San in preventing and treating dementia via regulating spleen and stomach function remains to be studied.

China is facing the peak of an ageing population, and there is an increase in demand for intelligent healthcare services for the elderly. The metaverse, as a new internet social communication space, has shown infinite potential for application. This paper focuses on the application of the metaverse in medicine in the intervention of cognitive decline in the elderly population. The problems in assessment and intervention of cognitive decline in the elderly group were analyzed. The basic data required to construct the metaverse in medicine was introduced. Moreover, it is demonstrated that the elderly users can conduct self-monitoring, experience immersive self-healing and health-care through the metaverse in medicine technology. Furthermore, we proposed that it is feasible that the metaverse in medicine has obvious advantages in prediction and diagnosis, prevention and rehabilitation, as well as assisting patients with cognitive decline. Risks for its application were pointed out as well. The metaverse in medicine technology solves the problem of non-face-to-face social communication for elderly users, which may help to reconstruct the social medical system and service mode for the elderly population.

Objective: To investigate the association between adherence to healthy dietary patterns, such as Mediterranean dietary pattern(MED), dietary approaches to stop hypertension(DASH), Mediterranean-DASH intervention for neurodegenerative delay with cognitive disorders(MIND), and the incidence of cognitive disorders., Methods: Prospective studies on the association of MED, DASH and MIND with cognitive disorders in Chinese and English literatures were retrieved from PubMed, Wanfang, CNKI and VIP databases by title/abstract retrieval strategy from database establishment to February 28, 2022. Relative risk and its 95% confidence intervals were extracted to calculated the pooled effect and dose-response relationship. Heterogeneity was calculated by using Q test and I~2, and publication bias were analyzed by funnel plot, Begg's test and Egger's test., Results: Totally, 124 977 participants and 15 studies about the relationship between healthy dietary patterns and cognitive impairment diseases were included in this study. Compared with the lower adherence group, the relative risks of cognitive disorders were 0.84(95%CI 0.84-0.97) for participants with higher adherence to MED, 0.79(95%CI 0.79-1.00) for participants with higher adherence to DASH, 0.48(95%CI 0.32-0.71) for participants with higher adherence to MIND, respectively. Subgroup analysis showed that the risk of mild cognitive impairment was 0.76(95%CI 0.65-0.90) for participants with higher adherence to MED, and 0.63(95%CI 0.48-0.82) for DASH. No significant association were observed in the relationship of MED, DASH with dementia. Different scoring method for dietary patterns, dietary survey method, study area, follow-up time and sample size might be the main sources of heterogeneity., Conclusion: Higher adherence to MED, DASH and MIND were associated with lower risk of cognitive disorders. MED and DASH were associated with a reduced risk of mild cognitive impairment rather than dementia.

Objectives: Postoperative delirium (POD) and postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD) are common operative neurocognitive disorders, which places a heavy burden on patients, families and society. Therefore, it is very important to search for preventive drugs. Previous studies have demonstrated that perioperative use of dexmedetomidine resulted in a decrease the incidence of POD and POCD. But the specific effect of dexmedetomidine on elderly patients undergoing hepatic lobectomy and its potential mechanism are not clear. This study aims to evaluate the efficacy of intraoperative use of dexmedetomidine on preventing POD and POCD in elderly patients undergoing hepatic lobectomy and the influence on the balance between proinflammation and anti-inflammation., Methods: This trial was designed as a single-center, prospective, randomized, controlled study. One hundred and twenty hospitalized patients from January 2019 to December 2020, aged 60-80 years old with American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) II-III and scheduled for hepatic lobectomy, were randomly allocated into 3 groups ( n =40) using a random number table: A C group, a Dex1 group, and a Dex2 group. After anesthesia induction, saline in the C group, dexmedetomidine [0.3 μg/(kg·h)] in the Dex1 group, and dexmedetomidine [0.6 μg/(kg·h)] in the Dex2 group were infused until the end of operation. The incidences of hypotension and bradycardia were compared among the 3 groups. Confusion Assessment Method (CAM) for assessing POD and Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) for evaluating POCD were recorded and venous blood samples were obtained for the determination of neuron specific enolase (NSE), TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-10 at the different time below: the time before anesthesia (T0), and the first day (T1), the third day (T2), the fifth day (T3), and the seventh day (T4) after operation., Results: Compared with the C group, the incidences of bradycardia in the Dex1 group or the Dex2 group increased (both P <0.05) and there was no difference in hypotension in the Dex1 group or the Dex2 group (both P >0.05). The incidences of POD in the C group, the Dex1 group, and the Dex2 group were 22.5%, 5.0%, and 7.5%, respectively. The incidences of POD in the Dex1 group or the Dex2 group declined significantly as compared to the C group (both P <0.05). However, there is no difference in the incidence of POD between the Dex1 group and the Dex2 group ( P >0.05). The incidences of POCD in the C group, the Dex1 group, and the Dex2 group were 30.0%, 12.5%, and 10.0%, respectively. The incidences of POCD in the Dex1 group and the Dex2 group declined significantly as compared to the C group (both P <0.05). And no obvious difference was seen in the incidence of POCD in the Dex1 group and the Dex2 group ( P >0.05). Compared with the C group, the level of TNF-α and IL-1β decreased and the level of IL-10 increased at each time points (from T1 to T4) in the Dex1 group and the Dex2 group (all P <0.05). Compared with the Dex1 group, the level of IL-1β at T2 and IL-10 from T1 to T3 elevated in the Dex2 group (all P <0.05). Compared with the T0, the concentrations of NSE in C group at each time points (from T1 to T4) and in the Dex1 group and the Dex2 group from T1 to T3 increased (all P <0.05). Compared with the C group, the level of NSE decreased from T1 to T4 in the Dex1 group and the Dex2 group (all P <0.05)., Conclusions: Intraoperative dexmedetomidine infusion can reduce the incidence of POCD and POD in elderly patients undergoing hepatic lobectomy, and the protective mechanism appears to involve the down-regulation of TNF-α and IL-1β and upregulation of IL-10 expression, which lead to rebalance between proinflammation and anti-inflammation.

Objective: To investigate the characteristics of cognitive impairment in critical patients, and to explore the role of early cognitive intervention training in improving cognitive impairment in critical patients., Methods: A prospective cohort study was conducted. 133 patients in conscious and normal intelligence admitted to intensive care unit (ICU) of Hefei Second People's Hospital from January 2015 to June 2018 were enrolled. The patients were divided into control group (n = 66) and cognitive intervention group (n = 67) according to random number table based on chronological number for entry into the study. Cognitive function was assessed by Montreal cognitive assessment scale (MoCA scale) within 24 hours after ICU admission. The patients in the cognitive intervention group received a series of scientifically designed cognitive training sessions (playing electronic musical keyboard, learning simple Spanish, clock-drawing, psychological intervention) for 2 months, and follow-up was completed if the patient was discharged from ICU. While the patients in the control group did not undertake any cognitive training. After 2 months, the cognitive function of patients in both groups were assessed with MoCA scale. Subgroup analysis was conducted according to different age groups (20-40 years old, 41-60 years old, 61-80 years old) to explore the effect of cognitive intervention training in different age groups. According to the subjective evaluation of the patient's ability to live 2 months after cognitive intervention by the patient or his relatives, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was plotted to evaluate the predictive value of the total score of MoCA for patients' ability to live after cognitive intervention., Results: 133 critical patients were enrolled in the final analysis. There was no significant difference in gender, age, education, complications, ICU hospitalization, sedative or analgesic drug usage between the two groups, indicating that the data of the two groups were balanced and comparable. No significant difference in MoCA scale total score or sub-item cognitive domain score within 24 hours of ICU admission was found between the two groups. After 2 months of intervention, the incidence of cognitive impairment in the cognitive intervention group was significantly lower than that in the control group [38.8% (26/67) vs. 60.6% (40/66), χ 2 = 6.321, P = 0.015]. The total score of MoCA scale and four sub-item cognitive domain scores including visual space and execution power, protection of memory, attention execution, and orientation in the cognitive intervention group were significant higher than those in the control group (MoCA scale total score: 26.73±1.92 vs. 24.95±2.26, visual space and executive power score: 4.39±0.70 vs. 3.95±0.88, protection of memory score: 8.91±1.03 vs. 8.24±1.37, attention execution score: 5.21±0.77 vs. 4.79±1.00, orientation score: 5.67±0.53 vs. 5.44±0.68, all P < 0.05), but no significant difference was found in verbal skills score (2.55±0.56 vs. 2.53±0.56, P > 0.05). Subgroup analysis showed that the total MoCA scale score of the younger sample (20-40 years old, n = 20) was recovered by 2.10±1.55 in the cognitive intervention group after 2 months of cognitive intervention, which was significantly higher than that in the control group (n = 21; 0.24±2.76, P < 0.05). In the middle-aged and the older population [aged 41-60 years old (n = 20) and 61-80 years old (n = 27)], the total MoCA scale scores were recovered slightly after cognitive intervention as compared with those in the younger sample (0.43±1.47, -1.91±2.20 vs. 2.10±1.55, both P < 0.05), which were significantly lower than those in the control group [aged 41-60 years old (n = 21) and 61-80 years old (n = 24), -0.78±1.38, -4.41±2.17, both P < 0.01]. It was suggested that cognitive intervention training played an active role in the recovery of cognitive function in young critical patients. It was shown by ROC curve analysis that the area under ROC curve (AUC) of MoCA scale total score for predicting daily life ability after cognitive intervention was 0.732 with 95% confidence interval (95%CI) of 0.646-0.819. When the best cut-off value was 24.5, the sensitivity was 89.3%, the specificity was 60.2%, the positive predictive value was 85.7%, and the negative predictive value was 80.8%., Conclusions: Early cognitive intervention could efficiently abate the deterioration of cognitive function in critical patients in ICU and had significant effects on the visual space and executive power, protection of memory, attention execution and orientation. Cognitive intervention exerted significantly positive effects on the recovery of cognitive function in the younger sample population (aged 20-40 years old).

Objective: To observe the impacts of continuous lumbar plexus block (CLPB) on postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD) in elderly patients undergoing hip arthroplasty.
 Methods: Sixty elderly patients scheduled for hip arthroplasty with general anesthesia, were randomly allocated into a CLPB group and a PCIA group (n=30 each). In the CLPB group, lumbar plexus block was performed before trachea intubation, and CLPB was used for postoperative analgesia. In the PCIA group, intravenous analgesia was controlled in patients after operation. Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) at 12, 24, and 48 h after operation was recorded. Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) scale was used to evaluate the cognitive dysfunction at the 1st day before operation (D0) and at the 1st (D1), 3rd (D3), and 7th (D7) days after operation and the occurrence of POCD was recorded. S-100β concentrations were detected by ELISA at D1, D3, and D7. Postoperative adverse events were recorded.
 Results: VAS scores at 12, 24, and 48 h after operation in the CLPB group were significantly lower than those in the PCIA group (P<0.05). Compared with the PCIA group, the MMSE scores were significantly higher (P<0.05), and the incidence of POCD at D1 and D3 was obviously reduced in the CLPB group (P<0.05). S-100β concentration at D1 and D3 in the CLPB group was significantly lower than that in the PCIA group (P<0.05).
 Conclusion: Application of CLPB in elderly patients undergoing hip arthroplasty could obviously relieve their postoperative pain, inhibit the production of S-100β, and reduce the incidence of early postoperative cognitive dysfunction.

Postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD) is thought to be a mild cognitive disorder. It means that patients without cognitive diseases before surgery suffer from subtle changes in psychomotility, personality, social skills and cognitive function after the surgery. A decline in memory is the core characteristics of these symptoms. POCD is mainly seen in the elderly people following surgery. It can prolong hospital stay, reduce quality of life, increase mortality, and thus aggravate the burden of public health. It is urgent to take precautions to reduce the incidence. The precise mechanism of POCD remains unclear. Previous studies have shown that inflammation plays an important role in it. Sterile surgery can result in peripheral inflammation. Through several pathways, the signals from the peripheral immune response were sent to central system. Due to the individual difference, the degree of the central neuroinflammation was also heterogeneous. Some inflammations may lead to the occurrence of POCD. In order to prevent POCD, we should focus on the anti-inflammatory therapy.