Search

ObjectiveTo identify common genetic variants associated with the presence of brain microbleeds (BMBs).MethodsWe performed genome-wide association studies in 11 population-based cohort studies and 3 case-control or case-only stroke cohorts. Genotypes were imputed to the Haplotype Reference Consortium or 1000 Genomes reference panel. BMBs were rated on susceptibility-weighted or T2*-weighted gradient echo MRI sequences, and further classified as lobar or mixed (including strictly deep and infratentorial, possibly with lobar BMB). In a subset, we assessed the effects of APOE ε2 and ε4 alleles on BMB counts. We also related previously identified cerebral small vessel disease variants to BMBs.ResultsBMBs were detected in 3,556 of the 25,862 participants, of which 2,179 were strictly lobar and 1,293 mixed. One locus in the APOE region reached genome-wide significance for its association with BMB (lead single nucleotide polymorphism rs769449; odds ratio [OR]any BMB [95% confidence interval (CI)] 1.33 [1.21-1.45]; p = 2.5 × 10-10). APOE ε4 alleles were associated with strictly lobar (OR [95% CI] 1.34 [1.19-1.50]; p = 1.0 × 10-6) but not with mixed BMB counts (OR [95% CI] 1.04 [0.86-1.25]; p = 0.68). APOE ε2 alleles did not show associations with BMB counts. Variants previously related to deep intracerebral hemorrhage and lacunar stroke, and a risk score of cerebral white matter hyperintensity variants, were associated with BMB.ConclusionsGenetic variants in the APOE region are associated with the presence of BMB, most likely due to the APOE ε4 allele count related to a higher number of strictly lobar BMBs. Genetic predisposition to small vessel disease confers risk of BMB, indicating genetic overlap with other cerebral small vessel disease markers.

Abstract Introduction High glucose levels are associated with cognitive impairment and total hippocampal volume reductions. However, the effects of the blood glucose level on hippocampal subfield volumes remain unclear, especially in the prediabetes stage. Methods Sixty participants were enrolled in this cross‐sectional study and were divided into the nondiabetes, prediabetes, and diabetes groups according to their medical history and A1c level. A full battery of neuropsychological tests was used to assess the global cognition, executive function, attention, verbal fluency, working memory, immediate memory, and delayed memory. FreeSurfer 6.0 was used for the hippocampus parcellation. Hippocampal subfield volumes were adjusted by intracranial volume. Analyses of covariance, multiple linear regression, and partial correlation analysis were used to explore the relationship between A1c level, cognitive function, and hippocampal subfields volume, in which age, sex, education years, body mass index, history of hypertension, level of cholesterol, and the presence of ApoE4‐positive status were adjusted. Results Significant differences in the total left hippocampal volume (p = 0.046) and left hippocampal tail volume (p = 0.014) were noted among three groups. Significant correlation was identified between the A1c level and the volume of left hippocampal tail (r = −0.334, p = 0.009) after adjusting all the covariants. Increased A1c level was significantly associated with executive dysfunction, as assessed by trail making test B (R = 0.503, p = 0.0016) and Stroop test C (R = 0.506, p = 0.001). Conclusions Our results support that the left hippocampal tail volume may be served as an early marker of diabetes‐related brain damage, associated with executive dysfunction. Clinicians should pay closer attention to adults in the prediabetes stage to prevent later cognitive impairment.

This study is based on the application requirements of fully polarimetric radar for aircraft detection and target recognition. We focus on fully polarimetric scattering characteristics of air targets, particularly the cross-polarimetric scattering mechanism and its availability. In the ultra-high frequency band, we conduct numerical modeling and simulation of stealth and non-stealth aircraft targets. The spatial distribution characteristics of polarimetric scattering for different aircraft targets are studied and compared, and the structures that could cause strong cross polarization are analyzed. The results of this study suggest that nonstealth aircraft have more polarimetric characteristics; this will help people use polarimetric radar for detecting aircraft.

A low-cost natural silicate ore supported Fe 2 O 3 (FeSO) was synthesized for catalytic ozonation of sulfamethoxazole (SMX). XRD, SEM-EDS, BET, FTIR and XPS results of the FeSO catalyst confirmed that the natural silicate ore was successfully modified with iron oxide. The effects of key factors, such as catalyst dosage, initial solution pH, reaction temperature, inorganic anions and initial concentration, on ozonation degradation were systemically investigated. The degradation rate of SMX (20 mg L -1 ) was 88.1% after 30 min, compared with only 35.1% SMX degradation rate in the absence of the catalyst, and the total organic carbon (TOC) removal reached 49.1% after 60 min. Reaction mechanisms revealed that surface hydroxyl groups of FeSO were a critical factor for hydroxyl radical (˙OH) production leading to fast SMX degradation in the ozone decomposition process. The degradation products were detected, and the possible pathways of SMX were then proposed. This study provides guidance for preparing a low-cost catalyst and analyzing the degradation products and pathways of SMX in the ozonation process, which is of significance in practical industrial applications., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts to declare., (This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry.)