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The combination of straw returning and nitrogen (N) fertilization is a popular tillage mode and essential strategy for achieving stable yield and high quality. However, the optimal combination strategy and the influence of tillage mode on the morphological, crystalline, and molecular structures of maize starch remain unclear. We conducted a long-term field experiment over 7 years in Northeast China using two tillage modes, rotary tillage with straw returning (RTS) and plow tillage with straw returning (PTS), and four N application rates. The relative crystallinity, 1045/1022 cm -1 value, and B2 and B3 chains of maize starch were higher under RTS than under PTS, resulting in increased stability of starch and improvements in gelatinization enthalpy and temperature. The surface of the starch granules induced by N fertilizer was smoother than that under the N0 (0 kg N ha -1 ) treatment. The proportion of amylose content, solubility, swelling power, and light transmittance increased under N2 (262 kg N ha -1 ) treatment, along with improvement in starch pasting properties. These results suggest that RTS combined with N2 treatment can regulate the morphological, structural, and physicochemical characteristics of maize starch, providing an essential reference for improving the quality of maize starch from an agronomic point of view., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no competing financial interests., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

The processes by which small nanoplastics (NPs) accumulate in soil are unclear. To clarify the different deposition processes that affect small NPs (< 30 nm) compared to larger NPs in the soil environment, due to their interaction with clays as major soil components, the transport behavior of two-sized NPs (20 and 80 nm) with two clays (diatomite (Diat) and montmorillonite (Mont)) in NaCl and CaCl 2 solutions were investigated in water-saturated quartz sand columns. The experimental results showed that more 20 nm NPs could enter the lattice structure of Diat than Mont in NaCl solution. This contributed to the stronger deposition of 20 nm NPs by Diat on sand, which was associated with a lower k 1d / k1 value (obtained from two-site kinetic attachment model). In contrast, 80 nm NPs had a stronger reversible retention than 20 nm NPs with Mont, even though both sizes of NPs-Mont displayed a similar transportability. In CaCl 2 solution, the larger NPs-Mont hetero-aggregates formed with a stronger suppressed depth of φ max based on Derjaguin-Landau-Verwey-Overbeek theory. Thus, Mont had a stronger transport inhibition than Diat for both NPs sizes, with a lower k 1d /k 1 . These findings could benefit in predicting the size-based deposition of NPs in a heterogenous soil environment., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

In recent years, the application of nanoparticles formed by coupling metal nanomaterials of photothermal therapy with polysaccharides as modified carriers in the targeted treatment of liver cancer has attracted extensive attention. In the present work, an undescribed homogeneous polysaccharide BCP50-2 was obtained from Belamcanda chinensis (L.) DC. The structural analysis displayed that BCP50-2 contained galactose and a small amount of arabinose, and was mainly composed of six monosaccharide residues: →3,5)-α-l-Araf-(1→, →4)-β-d-Galp-(1→, →4,6)-β-d-Galp-(1→, →3)-α-l-Galp-(1→, terminal α-l-Araf, and terminal β-d-Galp. To enhance the antitumor activity of BCP50-2, BCP50-2-AuNRs were prepared by coupling BCP50-2 with gold nanorods for the treatment of liver cancer. BCP50-2-AuNRs were rod-shaped with a long diameter of 26.8 nm and had good photothermal conversion effects. Under near-infrared (NIR) light irradiation, BCP50-2-AuNRs possessed photothermal effects and suppressed the growth of HepG2, A549, and MCF-7 cells. In addition, BCP50-2-AuNRs inhibited the development of liver cancer by inducing cell apoptosis, arresting the cell cycle in G2/M phases, and inhibiting cell migration. Moreover, BCP50-2-AuNRs inhibited tumor proliferation, migration, and angiogenesis in zebrafish. In summary, BCP50-2-AuNRs may be potentially useful for cancer treatment., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest Each author has completed the corresponding work, and there is no conflict of interest between the authors., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: Few studies have focused on subthalamic nucleus deep brain stimulation for refractory isolated dystonia, and the long-term outcomes are unclear. In this study, we evaluated the efficacy of subthalamic stimulation for generalized isolated dystonia for more than five years and explored the factors predicting clinical outcomes., Materials and Methods: A total of 16 patients with generalized isolated dystonia underwent a two-phase procedure for stimulation system implantation. After implanting the leads, we performed a test stimulation and observed the stimulation response. The severity of dystonia was assessed using a blinded rating of the Burke-Fahn-Marsden Dystonia Rating Scale based on videos recorded at scheduled times., Results: The mean follow-up time was 7.4 ± 2.2 years (5-12.5 years). The severity of dystonia improved significantly one year after surgery. The movement score decreased from 49.3 (40.9) points at baseline to 26.5 (43.5) points (-44.6%) at six months, 12.0 (22.5) points (-66.8%) at one year, 11.25 (17.6) points (-72.7%) at three years, and 12.5 (21.0) points (-72.6%) at the last follow-up. The improvement in motor symptoms resulted in a corresponding improvement in activities of daily living. Greater long-term outcomes were correlated with early stimulation responses, lower baseline movement scores, and female sex. When analyzed comprehensively, only the baseline movement score had meaningful predictive value for the outcome., Conclusions: Our results indicate that subthalamic stimulation is effective and durable in treating generalized isolated dystonia. The subthalamic nucleus may be an alternative target for the treatment of refractory dystonia. Patients with less severe motor symptoms may benefit more from this treatment., (Copyright © 2022 International Neuromodulation Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Polysaccharides, an important class of carbohydrate polymers, are considered as one of the sources of drug molecules. To discover bioactive polysaccharides as potential agents against cancer, a homogeneous polysaccharide (IJP70-1) has been purified from the flowers of Inula japonica, which is a traditional medicinal plant used for various medical indications. IJP70-1 with a molecular weight of 1.019 × 10 5  Da was mainly composed of →5)-α-l-Araf-(1→, →2,5)-α-l-Araf-(1→, →3,5)-α-l-Araf-(1→, →2,3,5)-α-l-Araf-(1→, →6)-α-d-Glcp-(1→, →3,6)-α-d-Galp-(1→, and t-α-l-Araf. Apart from the characteristics and structure elucidated by various techniques, the in vivo antitumor activity of IJP70-1 was assayed using zebrafish models. In the subsequent mechanism investigation, it was found that the in vivo antitumor activity of IJP70-1 was not cytotoxic mechanism caused, but related to the activation of the immune system and inhibition of angiogenesis by interacting with the proteins toll-like receptor-4 (TLR-4), programmed death receptor-1 (PD-1), and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). The chemical and biological studies have shown that the homogeneous polysaccharide IJP70-1 has the potential to be developed into an anticancer agent., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

The combination of selenium and polysaccharides is one of the significant ways to ameliorate the anti-cancer effects of polysaccharides. PLP50-1, a homogeneous polysaccharide purified from the aqueous extract of Paeonia lactiflora, had a molecular weight of 1.52 × 10 4  Da and consisted of α-D-Glcp-(1→, →4)-α-D-Glcp-(1→, →6)-α-D-Glcp-(1→, →4,6)-α-D-Glcp-(1→, and →6)-β-D-Fruf-(2→. PLP50-1 showed weak anti-tumor effects against A549 cells. To ameliorate the activity of PLP50-1, the complex nanoparticles combining P. lactiflora polysaccharide with selenium were constructed successfully. Structural properties of the polysaccharide-based selenium nanoparticles (PLP-SeNPs) were clarified using various means. The results displayed that a kind of monodisperse spherical nanoparticles containing high selenium content (39.1 %) with controllable size was constructed and showed satisfactory stability. The cellular anti-tumor assay indicated that PLP-SeNPs had stronger antiproliferative activity against A549 cells than PLP50-1. Additionally, the zebrafish experiments displayed that PLP-SeNPs inhibited the proliferation and migration of A549 cells significantly and blocked the angiogenesis., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors have no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: Long-term levodopa use is frequently associated with fluctuations in motor response and can have a serious adverse effect on the quality of life (QoL) of patients with Parkinson's disease (PD). Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is effective in improving symptoms of diminished levodopa responsiveness. QoL improvements with DBS have been shown in several randomized control trials, mostly in Europe and the United States; however, there is a need for evidence from regions around the world., Objective: The study aimed to demonstrate improvement in PD-related QoL in patients undergoing DBS in a prospective, multicenter study conducted in China., Materials and Methods: To evaluate the effect of neurostimulation on the QoL of patients with PD, a Parkinson's Disease Questionnaire (PDQ-8); Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) I, II, III, and IV; and EuroQol 5-dimension questionnaire (EQ-5D) were administered at baseline and 12 months after DBS implantation. The mean change and percent change from baseline were reported for these clinical outcomes., Results: Assessments were completed for 85 of the 89 implanted patients. DBS substantially improved patients' QoL and function. Implanted patients showed statistically significant mean improvement in PDQ-8 and UPDRS III (on stimulation/off medication). In the patients who completed the 12-month follow-up visit, the percent change was -22.2% for PDQ-8 and -51.6% for UPDRS III (on stimulation/off medication). Percent change from baseline to 12 months for UPDRS I, II, III, and IV and EQ-5D were -16.8%, -39.4%, -18.5%, and -50.0% and 22.7%, respectively. The overall rate of incidence for adverse events was low at 15.7%. Favorable outcomes were also reported based on patient opinion; 95.3% were satisfied with DBS results., Conclusions: These data were comparable to other studies around the world and showed alignment with the ability of DBS to meaningfully improve the QoL of patients with PD. More studies investigating DBS therapy for patients with PD are necessary to accurately characterize clinical outcomes for the global PD population., Clinical Trial Registration: The ClinicalTrials.gov registration number for this study is NCT02937688., (Copyright © 2022 International Neuromodulation Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Recurrence is a significant adverse outcome of ischemic stroke (IS), particularly in cases of intracranial arteriosclerosis (ICAS). In this study, we investigated the impact of imaging features of culprit plaque using high-resolution magnetic resonance vessel wall imaging (HR-MR-VWI) on the prediction of IS recurrence. A total of 86 patients diagnosed with ICAS-related IS within the middle cerebral artery (MCA) territory were included, of which 23.25% experienced recurrent IS within one year. Our findings revealed significant differences between the recurrence and non-recurrence groups in terms of age (p = 0.007), diabetes mellitus (p = 0.031), hyperhomocysteinemia (p = 0.021), artery-artery embolism (AAE) infarction (p = 0.019), prominent enhancement (p = 0.013), and surface irregularity of the culprit plaque (p = 0.009). Age (HR = 1.063, p = 0.005), AAE infarction (HR = 5.708, p = 0.008), and prominent enhancement of the culprit plaque (HR = 4.105, p = 0.025) were identified as independent risk factors for stroke recurrence. The areas under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUCs) for predicting IS recurrence using clinical factors, conventional imaging findings, HR-MR-VWI plaque features, and a combination of clinical and conventional imaging models were 0.728, 0.645, 0.705, and 0.814, respectively. Notably, the combination model demonstrated superior predictive performance with an AUC of 0.870. Similarly, AUC of combination model for predicting IS recurrence in validation cohort which enrolled another 37 patients was 0.865. In conclusion, the presence of obvious enhancement in culprit plaque on HR-MR-VWI is a valuable factor in predicting IS recurrence in ICAS-related strokes within the MCA territory. Furthermore, our combination model, incorporating plaque features, exhibited improved prediction accuracy., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Due to the presence of several hydroxyl and amino groups on the surface, chitosan (CS) has been reported to be a potential candidate to solve the pollution caused by dyes in different industrial wastewater. However, it is associated with the recycling issues. Nano-Fe 3 O 4 has the advantages of easy magnetic separation and surface functionalization, which can improve the efficiency as well as selectivity of separation. However, its tendency for agglomeration can reduce the adsorption capacity. MXene can provide suitable support for both CS and Fe 3 O 4 to construct new MXene@Fe 3 O 4 @CS composites. In this study, MXene@Fe 3 O 4 @CSmagnetic nanosphere was synthesized by ultrasonic self-assembly to remove Congo red (CR). Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy were employed to characterize the nanocomposites. According to the batch experiments, the adsorption kinetics were found to predominantly follow quasi-secondary rate kinetics. The adsorption followed Langmuir isotherm model. The adsorption process was found to be endothermic, entropy-driven, and thermodynamically spontaneous process. The adsorption capacity for CR was estimated as 620.22 mg·g -1 ., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Isolating high-purity nucleic acids from complex biological samples is critical to nucleic acid analysis. In the current work, four hydrophobic magnetic deep eutectic solvents (HMDESs) were firstly designed and prepared for the extraction of DNA. The conformations of the HMDESs were simulated and H-bonding interactions in the HMDESs were investigated by density functional theory (DFT) calculation. Characterization of HMDESs' physical (magnetism, density, viscosity and hydrophobicity), and thermal (melting point and decomposition temperature) properties were conducted. Single stranded DNA (ssDNA), double stranded DNA (dsDNA) and DNA sodium salts (stDNA) that were extracted by HMDESs could be quickly collected by an external magnet. Three auxiliary extraction methods, including vortex auxiliary extraction, mechanical shaking auxiliary extraction and ultrasonic auxiliary extraction, were introduced to extract DNA with HMDESs and the extraction efficiencies were evaluated using NanoDrop. Factors that could impact the DNA extraction process, such as HMDESs volume, temperature, time, and pH, were systematically investigated via single-factor experimental analysis. The proposed extraction method can successfully extract DNA from complex matrices and E. coli cell lysate. The DNA extracted by using HMDESs are well suitable for PCR amplifications. The interaction and corresponding binding sites between HMDESs and DNA were investigated by FT-IR and DFT calculation. The extraction mechanisms were discussed: hydrophobic interaction and electrostatic interaction are two main forces driving DNA extraction by HMDESs., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare no competing financial interest., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Fast extraction of high-purity nucleic acid from complex biological sample is the key to downstream nucleic acid analysis. In this work, two low-viscosity hydrophobic magnetic deep eutectic solvents (HMDESs) were synthesized for the selective extraction of DNA. The conformation of the HMDES was simulated by density functional theory (DFT) calculation. Characterization of HMDESs' physical (magnetism, density, viscosity, and hydrophobicity) properties and thermal (melting point and decomposition temperature) properties were conducted. Based on the HMDESs, a vortex-assisted liquid-liquid micro-extraction (VALLME) DNA method was developed. Single stranded DNA that was extracted by HMDESs could be quickly collected by an external magnet. Factors that could impact the DNA extraction process, such as HMDESs volume, temperature, extraction time, and pH were systematically investigated via single-factor experimental analysis. Under the optimized condition, the proposed extraction method has been demonstrated with the extraction of DNA from a series of complex sample matrices, including metal mixture, protein mixture and E. coli cell lysate. The DNA extracted by using HMDES-based VALLME method was well suitable for PCR amplifications. After extraction, the retained DNAs could be readily recovered by simply using Britton-Robison (BR) buffer. In addition, the interaction and corresponding binding sites between HMDESs and DNA were investigated by FT-IR and DFT calculation. This work provides a new green magnetic solvent and a rapid and environmental-friendly extraction method for the enrichment of DNA and other biological macromolecules., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare no competing financial interest., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

A water-soluble polysaccharide identified here as ADP80-2 was acquired from Angelica dahurica. ADP80-2 was a gluco-arabinan composed of arabinose and a trace of glucose with a molecular weight of 9950 g/mol. The backbone of ADP80-2 comprised →5)-α-L-Araf-(1→, →3, 5)-α-L-Araf-(1→, →6)-α-D-Glcp-(1→, with a terminal branch α-L-Araf-(1 → residue. In terms of immunoregulatory activity, ADP80-2 can significantly promote the phagocytosis, the production of nitric oxide (NO), and the secretion of cytokines (IL-6, IL-1β, and TNF-α) of macrophage. In addition to the cellular immunomodulatory activities, the chemokines related to immunoregulation were significantly increased in the zebrafish model after treated with ADP80-2. These biological results indicated that ADP80-2 with immunomodulatory effects was expected to be useful for the development of new immunomodulatory agents. Simultaneously, the discovery of ADP80-2 further revealed the chemical composition of A. dahurica used as a traditional Chinese medicine and spice., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

In the present study, an immunological arabinan, LCP70-2A, was isolated from Ligusticum chuanxiong for the first time. The absolute molecular weight of LCP70-2A was determined to be 6.46 × 10 4  g/mol using the HPSEC-MALLS-RID method. The absolute configuration of arabinose in LCP70-2A was determined to be L-configuration. Physicochemical characterization revealed that LCP70-2A was a homogeneous polysaccharide and had a backbone of (1 → 5)-linked α-L-Araf with terminal α-L-arabinose residues at position O-2 and O-3. Molecular conformation analysis showed that LCP70-2A was a branching polysaccharide with a compact coil chain conformation in 0.1 M NaCl solution. In addition, in vitro cell assays showed that LCP70-2A can activate macrophages by enhancing the phagocytosis and potentiating the secretion of immunoregulatory factors including NO, TNF-α, IL-6, and IL-1β. Furthermore, LCP70-2A was proved to promote the production of ROS and NO using the zebrafish model, suggesting that LCP70-2A can be further developed as a candidate supplement for immunological enhancement., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors have no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Bioactive natural products play an important role in the research and development of new drugs. In our search for bioactive natural substances as potential lead compounds for inflammation, four new (1-4) and six known (6-10) triterpenoids were acquired from Lantana camara. Using NMR and MS techniques and electronic circular dichroism (ECD) calculations, these isolates were characterized and the new compounds (1-4) were found to be euphane-type triterpenoids. The in vitro anti-inflammatory effects of all the isolates were evaluated and the more bioactive compounds were selected for the investigation of preliminary mechanism using molecular docking and Western blotting experiments, as well as the in vivo anti-inflammatory evaluation using a zebrafish model., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

As the second largest natural polymer in nature, lignin has a large amount of reserves and has important practical application value, which has attracted increasing attention. Ag@LPAH, a nanometer silver catalyst with a 3D structure, was successfully prepared in a simple operation. In batch experiment and fixed-bed experiment, it showed excellent catalytic degradation ability and stability of 4-NP. Thanks to the large number of carboxyl groups present in the lignin-polyacrylic acid hydrogel, the silver nanoparticles are well controlled to grow with no agglomeration. Ag@LPAH-20 exhibited optimal catalytic performance and stability, requiring only 123 s to complete the reaction and maintaining 99% catalytic efficiency after 10 cycles. In addition, the catalytic efficiency can be maintained over 90% for more than 120 min in fixed bed experiment., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Lignin, as the second largest natural polymer in nature, has great practical application value. Three-dimensional silver/lignin/PAM hydrogels have been successfully prepared via a rapid and convenient assembly process, showing good catalytic hydrogenation ability and stability in batch and dynamic catalytic processes of p-nitrophenol. It can be seen from the characterization results that abundant amino groups in the catalyst carrier can disperse silver ions homogeneously and limit the growth of silver nanoparticles in the reduction process with sodium borohydride. At room temperature, the catalytic process can be completed in about 5 min by using this catalyst and can maintain about 100 min of efficient catalysis in the dynamic catalytic experiment, the conversion rate can reach about 80%. After 10 times use, the catalyst still maintained good catalytic performance and the conversion rate could be kept at 97%., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: Methamphetamine (MA) addiction is one of the most prevalent socioeconomic and health problems worldwide. In recent years, deep brain stimulation (DBS) has increasingly been used for the treatment of addiction., Case Description: This study reports on 2 MA-dependent patients who received DBS of the nucleus accumbens (NAc). During the approximately 2-year follow-up period, one patient (A) remained abstinent and presented with positive emotional experiences, whereas the other (B) had no significant psychobehavioral changes during stimulation at low-to-moderate voltages and subsequently relapsed. Through coregistration of preoperative magnetic resonance imaging with postoperative computed tomography/magnetic resonance imaging, the DBS electrode of patient A was confirmed to be accurately implanted in the NAc, whereas one side of the electrode of patient B deviated from the target., Conclusions: These case reports demonstrate that NAc-DBS maybe a possible treatment option for MA addiction., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is currently used to treat addiction, with the nucleus accumbens (NAc) as one promising target. The anterior limb of the internal capsule (ALIC) is also a potential target, as it carries fiber tracts connecting the mesocorticolimbic circuits that are crucially involved in several psychiatric disorders, including addiction. Stimulating the NAc and ALIC simultaneously may have a synergistic effect against addiction., Methods: Eight patients with a long history of heroin use and multiple relapses, despite optimal conventional treatments, were enrolled. Customized electrodes were implanted through the ALIC into the NAc, and deep brain stimulation (DBS) treatment began two weeks after surgery. The patients were followed for at least 24 months. The duration of drug-free time, severity of drug cravings, psychometric evaluations, and PET studies of glucose metabolism before and after DBS were conducted. All adverse events were recorded., Results: With DBS, five patients were abstinent for more than three years, two relapsed after abstaining for six months, and one was lost of follow-up at three months. The degree of cravings for drug use after DBS was reduced if the patients remained abstinent (p < 0.001). Simultaneous DBS of the NAc and ALIC also improved the quality of life, alleviated psychiatric symptoms, and increased glucose metabolism in addiction-related brain regions. Moreover, stimulation-related adverse events were few and reversible., Conclusions: Simultaneous DBS of the NAc and ALIC appears to be safe, with few side effects, and may prevent long-term heroin relapse after detoxification in certain patients. (This trial was registered at ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT01274988)., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To evaluate the clinical effect of the position of stimulation contacts relative to the hyperdirect pathway (HDP) on the alleviation of motor symptoms in patients with Parkinson disease (PD)., Methods: A group of 11 patients diagnosed with idiopathic PD were included in this study, and all selected targets were in the subthalamic nucleus (STN). In 1 patient, a single side electrode was implanted because of unilateral symptoms; in all other patients, bilateral electrodes each containing 4 discrete contacts were implanted. Nine contacts were excluded due to adverse reactions caused by stimulation, and thus a total of 75 active contacts were evaluated using the same stimulus parameters. Fiber tractography results were individually processed using StealthViz software before all data were subjected to statistical analysis., Results: Under the same stimulus parameters, the shortest distance of each contact to the HDP was smaller in group I (n = 45; >50% improvement rate) compared with group II (n = 30; ≤50% improvement rate) (mean, 1.18 ± 0.86 mm vs. 2.14 ± 1.20 mm; t = 3.78; P < 0.05), and the shortest distance had a negative correlation with the improvement of motor symptoms (r = -0.48; P < 0.05)., Conclusions: Stimulation of the HDP coincided with the improvement of motor symptoms in patients with PD. We propose an improvement of the direct visualization method based on diffusion tensor imaging fiber tractography of the HDP to select the motor part of the STN. Further rigorous clinical trials are needed to verify the value of this method for achieving precise target location and individualized treatment., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: The nucleus accumbens (NAc) is known to regulate the motivation and underlie addictive behaviors, and the anterior limb of the internal capsule (ALIC) is involved in several psychiatric disorders. Our study aimed to explore the functions of NAc and ALIC electrophysiologically., Methods: The local field potentials (LFPs) of the NAc and ALIC were recorded from 7 heroin addicts treated with deep brain stimulation. Correlation analysis was made between LFP powers in various frequency bands and the subjects' neuropsychological test scores; coherence was calculated for the LFPs in NAc and ALIC., Results: Both the NAc and ALIC exhibited prominent theta and alpha frequency band activity in the LFP power spectra. Additionally, a distinct beta band peak was detected in the power spectra of ALIC LFPs, which may represent the activity of striatal bridge cells. There was a significant negative correlation between the power of the theta frequency band of ALIC LFPs and visual analogue scale (VAS) scores indicative of cravings (Spearman's ρ = -0.758, P = 0.002), and a significant positive correlation was found between the power of the alpha frequency band of NAc LFPs and subjects' scores on the Hamilton depression inventory (ρ = 0.727, P = 0.005). LFPs of the NAc and ALIC exhibited higher coherence values in the theta and alpha frequency bands., Conclusions: The results suggest that theta power in the ALIC/dorsal striatum and alpha power in the NAc may be associated with drug cravings and depressive symptoms, respectively, in heroin addicts. For these subjects, the neural activities in the dorsal and ventral striatum were mainly coordinated within the low-frequency band., Significance: The study illustrates the neurophysiologic characteristics of heroin addiction and its comorbidities, providing a potential theoretical basis for optimizing deep brain stimulation (DBS) therapy., (Copyright © 2018 International Federation of Clinical Neurophysiology. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Arsenic trioxide (As2O3; ATO) is clinically effective in treating acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL); however, it frequently causes cardiotoxic effects. This study was designed to investigate whether ATO could induce apoptosis of cardiac fibroblasts (CFs) that play very important roles in maintaining the structure integrity and function of the heart. Cardiac fibroblasts from guinea pigs administered with ATO (1mg/kgbw) were used to test the pro-apoptotic role of ATO in vivo. The current study demonstrated that ATO induced morphological characteristics of apoptosis and Caspase-3 activation in CFs of guinea pigs along with a significant up-regulation in TGF-β1 protein expression, Bax/Bcl-2 ratio and ERK1/2 phosphorylation. In vitro MTT assay showed that ATO remarkably reduced the viability of cultured cardiac fibroblasts (NRCFs) from neonatal rat in a concentration- and time-dependent manner. Consistent with the notions in vivo, ATO significantly induced the apoptosis in NRCFs, dramatically up-regulated TGF-β1 protein level and Bax/Bcl-2 ratio in a time-dependent fashion and activated Caspase-3 and ERK1/2. Finally, pretreatment with LY364947, an inhibitor of TGF-β signaling could apparently reverse these changes. We therefore conclude that TGF-β is functionally linked to ERK1/2 and that TGF-β signaling is responsible for ATO-induced CFs apoptosis, which provides a novel mechanism of ATO related cardiac toxicology., (Crown Copyright © 2013. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.)