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Abstract Isolated rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder is a prodrome of α-synucleinopathies. Using positron emission tomography, we assessed changes in Parkinson’s disease-related motor and cognitive metabolic networks and caudate/putamen dopaminergic input in a 4-year longitudinal imaging study of 13 male subjects with this disorder. We also correlated times to phenoconversion with baseline network expression in an independent validation sample. Expression values of both Parkinson’s disease-related networks increased over time while dopaminergic input gradually declined in the longitudinal cohort. While abnormal functional connections were identified at baseline in both networks, others bridging these networks appeared later. These changes resulted in compromised information flow through the networks years before phenoconversion. We noted an inverse correlation between baseline network expression and times to phenoconversion to Parkinson’s disease or dementia with Lewy bodies in the validation sample. Here, we show that the rate of network progression is a useful outcome measure in disease modification trials.

17–7 PH stainless steel is a highly versatile material with a multitude of applications in a diverse range of fields, including aerospace, chemistry and petrochemistry, and medicine. The material’s exceptional mechanical properties and corrosion resistance render it the optimal selection for numerous components and instruments. Nevertheless, the surface properties of 17–7 PH stainless steel are inadequate for applications requiring high hardness and wear resistance in certain extreme environments. Due to its excellent mechanical properties and corrosion resistance, it can be utilized in the manufacturing of pharmaceutical equipment components. However, certain specialized environments still require surface nitriding treatment. Considering the complex heat treatment process required for this material, this paper reports a detailed study of the surface performance changes of 17–7 PH steel before and after ion nitriding following aging heat treatment. The study employs rolled 17–7 PH stainless steel as the subject material. The impact of heat treatment on plasma nitriding of stainless steel is investigated by comparing and analyzing the influence of martensite content and dislocation density within the martensite of the material prior to and following heat treatment on the hardness, thickness, and corrosion resistance of the nitrided layer on the surface of the steel after nitriding. The results demonstrate that 17–7 PH stainless steel, which does not undergo heat treatment, exhibits a high internal dislocation density, a high nitriding efficiency, and consequently, a high surface hardness. Following the application of a heat treatment, there is an increase in the martensite content of 17–7 PH stainless steel, a decrease in the dislocation content, and an increase in the matrix hardness.

Abstract Background Vascular dysfunction, including cerebral hypoperfusion, plays an important role in the pathogenesis and progression of Alzheimer’s disease (AD), independent of amyloid and tau pathology. We established an AD-related perfusion pattern (ADRP) measured with arterial spin labeling (ASL) MRI using multivariate spatial covariance analysis. Methods We obtained multimodal MRI including pseudo-continuous ASL and neurocognitive testing in a total of 55 patients with a diagnosis of mild to moderate AD supported by amyloid PET and 46 normal controls (NCs). An ADRP was established from an identification cohort of 32 patients with AD and 32 NCs using a multivariate analysis method based on scaled subprofile model/principal component analysis, and pattern expression in individual subjects was quantified for both the identification cohort and a validation cohort (23 patients with AD and 14 NCs). Subject expression score of the ADRP was then used to assess diagnostic accuracy and cognitive correlations in AD patients and compared with global and regional cerebral blood flow (CBF) in specific areas identified from voxel-based univariate analysis. Results The ADRP featured negative loading in the bilateral middle and posterior cingulate and precuneus, inferior parietal lobule, and frontal areas, and positive loading in the right cerebellum and bilateral basal areas. Subject expression score of the ADRP was significantly elevated in AD patients compared with NCs (P

Abstract Aim The transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) procedure has been performed in China for 30 years, but our understanding of the status and difficulties associated with the use of TIPS for portal hypertension is incomplete. This study aims to investigate the current situation of the use of TIPS for portal hypertension, which should aid the development of TIPS in China. Methods This study involved a questionnaire survey, initiated by the China Portal Hypertension Alliance (CHESS) to investigate the use of TIPS for portal hypertension in China. Questionnaires were released on the Internet between August 16, 2022 and September 16, 2022. Detailed information was collected from 545 hospitals contracted by the CHESS in China, which performed TIPS surgery in 2021. Results The 545 hospitals covers the majority of hospitals in China that conduct TIPS intervention. In the survey, a total of 13,527 TIPS interventions were carried out with 94.1% (498/545) of them had a system of routine follow‐up after TIPS. The majority (42.6% [232/545]) believed that the main indication of TIPS was the control of acute bleeding. Overall, 48.1% (262/545) carried out early or pre‐emptive TIPS, 53.0% (289/545) carried out TIPS for cavernous transformation of the portal vein, and 81.0% (441/545) chose routine embolization of collateral circulation during operation. Most used coils (97.0% [475/490]) and biological glue (72.0% [353/490]) as embolic materials, and 78.5% (428/545) routinely performed intraoperative portal pressure gradient measurements. When selecting TIPS stents, 57.1% (311/545) chose viator‐specific stents, and 57.2% (312/545) chose conventional anticoagulation after TIPS. Conventional anticoagulation after TIPS is over a time interval of 3–6 months (55.4% [173/312]). The limitation of TIPS surgery is mainly its cost (72.3% [394/545]) and insufficient understanding of the procedure by doctors in other related departments (77.4% [422/545]). Most of the hospital teams accept the use of domestic instruments in TIPS surgery (92.7% [505/545]). Conclusions This survey shows that TIPS is an essential part of the treatment of portal hypertension in China. TIPS is widely used in Chinese patients with portal hypertension, and this survey presents a more comprehensive picture of the options and difficulties encountered in the implementation of TIPS. In the future, it is necessary to promote TIPS technology and further standardize surgical indications, routine operations, and instrument application.

Abstract Background Brain metabolic alterations and neuroinflammation have been reported in several peripheral inflammatory conditions and present significant potential for targeting with new diagnostic approaches and treatments. However, non-invasive evaluation of these alterations remains a challenge. Methods Here, we studied the utility of a micro positron emission tomography (microPET) dual tracer ([11C]PBR28 – for microglial activation and [18F]FDG for energy metabolism) approach to assess brain dysfunction, including neuroinflammation in murine endotoxemia. MicroPET imaging data were subjected to advanced conjunction and individual analyses, followed by post-hoc analysis. Results There were significant increases in [11C]PBR28 and [18F]FDG uptake in the hippocampus of C57BL/6 J mice 6 h following LPS (2 mg/kg) intraperitoneal (i.p.) administration compared with saline administration. These results confirmed previous postmortem observations. In addition, patterns of significant simultaneous activation were demonstrated in the hippocampus, the thalamus, and the hypothalamus in parallel with other tracer-specific and region-specific alterations. These changes were observed in the presence of robust systemic inflammatory responses manifested by significantly increased serum cytokine levels. Conclusions Together, these findings demonstrate the applicability of [11C]PBR28 - [18F]FDG dual tracer microPET imaging for assessing neuroinflammation and brain metabolic alterations in conditions “classically” characterized by peripheral inflammatory and metabolic pathogenesis.

Bread was prepared using wheat flour with grape seed proanthocyanidin (GSP) (0.4%). GSP improved the textural properties of bread including hardness, cohesiviness, gumminess and chewiness. At the last stage of fermentation, GSP reinforced the gluten microstructure with increased the disulfide bonds and hydrophobic interaction and α-helix in the secondary structures. Moreover, GSP addition could increase the total phenolics and antioxidative acitivity of the bread significantly. In addition, the degree of fermentation had a strong influence on the dough forces, and the reasonable control of bread fermentation time was beneficial to improve the bread quality, which provided a reference for the bread processing industry.

In order to improve the properties of wood flour (WF)/poly(lactic acid) (PLA) 3D-printed composites, WF was treated with a silane coupling agent (KH550) and acetic anhydride (Ac2O), respectively. The effects of WF modification and the addition of acrylicester resin (ACR) as a toughening agent on the flowability of WF/PLA composite filament and the mechanical, thermal, dynamic mechanical thermal and water absorption properties of fused deposition modeling (FDM) 3D-printed WF/PLA specimens were investigated. The results indicated that the melt index (MI) of the specimens decreased after WF pretreatment or the addition of ACR, while the die swell ratio increased; KH550-modified WF/PLA had greater tensile strength, tensile modulus and impact strength, while Ac2O-modified WF/PLA had greater tensile modulus, flexural strength, flexural modulus and impact strength than unmodified WF/PLA; after the addition of ACR, all the strengths and moduli of WF/PLA could be improved; after WF pretreatment or the addition of ACR, the thermal decomposition temperature, storage modulus and glass transition temperature of WF/PLA were all increased, and water absorption was reduced.