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Background: Previous studies have examined patients with chronic lateral ankle instability (CLAI) undergoing open and arthroscopic anterior talofibular ligament (ATFL) reconstruction, reporting equivalent clinical results between the 2 procedures. However, data on the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) outcomes on cartilage health after the 2 procedures are limited. Purpose: To compare the cartilage MRI T2 values of the talar and subtalar joints between patients with CLAI undergoing open and arthroscopic ATFL reconstruction. Study Design: Cohort study; Level of evidence, 3. Methods: A prospective study was conducted on patients who underwent open or arthroscopic ATFL reconstruction between January 2018 and December 2019, with a mean follow-up duration of 3 years. MRI scans and American Orthopaedic Foot & Ankle Society (AOFAS) and Tegner score estimations were completed by patients ≤1 week before surgery, as a baseline measurement, and at a 3-year follow-up. A total of 21 healthy volunteers were included who underwent MRI at baseline. Cartilage health was evaluated using MRI T2 mapping. The talar and subtalar cartilage regions were segmented into 14 subregions. Results: At baseline, patients with CLAI had substantially higher T2 values in the medial anterior, medial center, medial posterior, and lateral center regions on the talus compared with the healthy controls (P =.009,.003,.001, and.025, respectively). Remarkable increases in T2 values in the lateral posterior region on the talus were observed from baseline to follow-up in the open group (P =.007). Furthermore, T2 values were considerably higher in the medial center, medial posterior, lateral posterior, and lateral posterior calcaneal facets of the posterior subtalar joint at follow-up in the arthroscopic group compared with the baseline values (P =.025,.002,.006, and.044, respectively). No obvious differences in ΔT2 values were noted between the 2 groups at follow-up. The AOFAS and Tegner scores remarkably improved from baseline to follow-up for the 2 groups (open: 3.25 ± 0.58 vs 5.13 ± 0.81, P <.001; arthroscopic: 3.11 ± 0.90 vs 5.11 ± 1.08, P <.001), with no considerable difference between them. Conclusion: The elevated T2 values of cartilage could not be fully recovered after open or arthroscopic ATFL reconstruction. Both arthroscopic and open ATFL reconstruction displayed similar effects on cartilage health concerning ΔT2, but the arthroscopic group demonstrated more degenerative cartilage subregions than the open group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Osteoporosis is a systemic bone disease which can increase the risk of osteoporotic fractures. Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) is considered as the clinical standard for diagnosing osteoporosis by detecting the bone mineral density (BMD) in patients, but it has flaws in distinguishing between calcification and other degenerative diseases, thus leading to inaccurate BMD levels in subjects. Mindways quantitative computed tomography (Mindways QCT) is a classical QCT system. Similar to DXA, Mindways QCT can directly present the density of trabecular bone, vascular or tissue calcification; therefore, it is more accurate and sensitive than DXA and has been widely applied in clinic to evaluate osteoporosis. iCare QCT osteodensitometry was a new phantom-based QCT system, recently developed by iCare Inc. (China). It has been gradually applied in clinic by its superiority of taking 3-dimensional BMD of bone and converting BMD values to T value automatically. This study aimed at evaluating the osteoporosis detection rate of iCare QCT, compared with synchronous Mindways QCT (USA). Methods: In this study, 131 patients who underwent hip phantom-based CT scan were included. Bone mineral density (BMD) of the unified region of interests (ROI) defined at the European spine phantom (ESP, German QRM) including L1 (low), L2 (medium), and L3 (high) vertebral bodies was detected for QCT quality control and horizontal calibration. Every ESP scan were taken for 10 times, and the mean BMD values measured by iCare QCT and Mindways QCT were compared. Hip CT scan was conducted with ESP as calibration individually. T-scores gained from iCare QCT and Mindways QCT were analyzed with Pearson correlation test. The detection rates of osteoporosis were compared between iCare QCT and Mindways QCT. The unified region of interests (ROI) was delineated in the QCT software. Results: The results showed that there was no significant difference between iCare QCT and Mindways QCT in the evaluation of L1, L2, and L3 vertebrae bodies in ESP. A strong correlation between iCare QCT and Mindways QCT in the assessment of hip T-score was found. It was illustrated that iCare QCT had a higher detection rate of osteoporosis with the assessment of hip T-score than Mindways QCT did. In patients < 50 years subgroup, the detection rate of osteoporosis with iCare QCT and Mindways QCT was equal. In patients ≥ 50 years subgroup, the detection rate of osteoporosis with iCare QCT (35/92, 38.0%) was higher than that with Mindways QCT. In female subgroup, the detection rate of osteoporosis with iCare QCT was significantly higher than Mindways QCT. In male subgroup, the detection rate of osteoporosis with iCare QCT was also markedly higher than Mindways QCT. The detection rate of osteoporosis by iCare QCT was higher than Mindways QCT with hip bone assessment. Of course, the results of the present study remain to be further verified by multicenter studies in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This study focused on casual sex motivation to explore why some users tend to have more sexual partners and are more likely to take risks in sexual practices, thereby raising their chances of contracting sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Methods: We recruited Chinese heterosexual dating app users (N = 582) online to investigate the serial mediation model. Results: Casual sex motivation for dating app use was not directly related to the diagnoses of STIs. Number of sexual partners and frequency of risky sexual behavior serially mediated the relationship between casual sex motivation and STI diagnoses. Conclusions: Using dating apps for casual sex motivation is not necessarily associated with higher incidences of STIs, provided that users do not engage in risky sexual practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coxsackievirus B (CVB) 3C protease (3Cpro) plays a specific cleavage role on AU-rich binding factor (AUF1, also called hnRNP D), which consequently disputes the regulation of AUF1 on downstream molecules. In our study, the iTRAQ approach was first used to quantify the differentially expressed cellular proteins in AUF1-overexpressing HeLa cells, which provides straightforward insight into the role of AUF1 during viral infection. A total of 1,290 differentially expressed proteins (DEPs), including 882 upregulated and 408 downregulated proteins, were identified. The DEPs are involved in a variety of cellular processes via GO terms, protein–protein interactions, and a series of further bioinformatics analyses. Among the DEPs, some demonstrated important roles in cellular metabolism. In particular, DDX5 was further verified to be negatively regulated by AUF1 and increased in CVB-infected cells, which in turn promoted CVB replication. These findings provide potential novel ideas for exploring new antiviral therapy targets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Mirror therapy has been gradually adopted for lower limb rehabilitation, but its efficacy and neural mechanism are not well understood. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to investigate the effect and neural mechanism of mirror therapy on lower limb rehabilitation after ischemic stroke by using resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI). METHODS: A single-blind and randomized controlled pilot study was conducted. 32 patients with ischemic stroke were included in this study and randomly divided into two groups – the control group (CT, n = 16) and the mirror therapy group (MT, n = 16). Both the CT and MT groups received medication and routine rehabilitation training. In addition, mirror therapy was added to the MT group 5 times a week for 30 minutes each time over a period of 3 weeks. Patients' motor functions, functional connectivity (FC), regional homogeneity (ReHo), and fractional amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations (fALFF) were analyzed both before and immediately after the treatment. RESULTS: Patients' motor functions showed significant improvement in both groups compared to those before treatment (p < 0.01). Moreover, the MT group showed significantly better improvement than the CT group after the treatment (p < 0.05). FC, ReHo and fALFF indicated enhanced neuronal activities in motor function-related brain regions in the MT group compared to the CT group. CONCLUSION: Mirror therapy promotes the recovery of lower limb motor functions in patients with ischemic stroke. Through the comparative rs-fMRI analysis, it is found that the mirror therapy promotes the functional reorganization of the injured brain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives. To introduce a new implementation of radiomics analysis for cartilage and subchondral bone of the knee and to compare the performance of the proposed models to classic T2 relaxation time in distinguishing knees predisposed to posttraumatic osteoarthritis (PTOA) after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR) and healthy controls. Methods. 114 patients following ACLR after at least 2 years and 43 healthy controls were reviewed and allocated to training (n = 110) and testing (n = 47) cohorts. Radiomics models are built for cartilage and subchondral bone regions of different compartments: lateral femur (LF), lateral tibia (LT), medial femur (MF), and medial tibia (MT) and combined models of four compartments on T2 mapping images. The model performance of discrimination between patients and controls was illustrated with the receiver operating characteristic curve and compared with a classic T2 value-based model. Results. The T2 value model of cartilage yielded moderate predictive performance in discerning patients and controls, with an AUC of 0.731 (95% confidence interval, 0.556–0.875) in the testing cohort, while the radiomics signature of cartilage and subchondral bone of different compartments demonstrated excellent performance, with AUCs of 0.864–0.979. Furthermore, the combined model reported an even better performance, with AUCs of 0.977 (95% confidence interval, 0.919–1.000) for the cartilage and 0.934 (95% confidence interval, 0.865–0.994) for the subchondral bone in the testing cohort. Conclusion. The radiomics features of the cartilage and subchondral bone may be able to provide powerful tools with more sensitive detection than T2 values in differentiating knees at risk for PTOA after ACLR from healthy knees. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Cartilage degeneration is a common issue in patients with chronic lateral ankle instability. However, there are limited studies regarding the effectiveness of lateral ligament surgery on preventing talar and subtalar joint cartilage from further degenerative changes. Purpose: To longitudinally evaluate talar and subtalar cartilage compositional changes using magnetic resonance imaging T2* mapping in anatomic anterior talofibular ligament (ATFL)–repaired and ATFL-reconstructed ankles and to compare them with measures in asymptomatic controls. Study Design: Cohort study; Level of evidence, 3. Methods: Between January 2015 and December 2016, patients with chronic lateral ankle instability who underwent anatomic ATFL repair (n = 19) and reconstruction (n = 20) were prospectively recruited. Patients underwent 3.0-T magnetic resonance imaging at baseline and 3-year follow-up. As asymptomatic controls, 21 healthy volunteers were recruited and underwent imaging at baseline. Talar dome cartilage was divided into (1) medial anterior, central, and posterior and (2) lateral anterior, central, and posterior. Posterior subtalar cartilage was divided into (1) central talus and calcaneus and (2) lateral talus and calcaneus. Ankle function was assessed using the American Orthopaedic Foot & Ankle Society scores. Results: There were significant increases in T2* values in medial and lateral posterior and central talus cartilage from baseline to 3-year follow-up in patients who underwent repair. T2* values were significantly higher in ATFL-repaired ankles at follow-up for all cartilage regions of interest, except medial and lateral anterior and lateral central, compared with those in healthy controls. From baseline to 3-year follow-up, ATFL-reconstructed ankles had a significant increase in T2* values in lateral central and posterior cartilage. T2* values in ATFL-reconstructed ankles at follow-up were elevated in all cartilage regions of interest, except medial and lateral anterior, compared with those in healthy controls. ATFL-repaired ankles showed a greater decrease of T2* values from baseline to follow-up in lateral calcaneus cartilage than did ATFL-reconstructed ankles (P =.031). No significant differences in American Orthopaedic Foot & Ankle Society score were found between repair and reconstruction procedures (mean ± SD, 19.11 ± 7.45 vs 16.85 ± 6.24; P =.311). Conclusion: Neither anatomic ATFL repair nor reconstruction could prevent the progression of talar dome and posterior subtalar cartilage degeneration; however, ankle function and activity levels were not affected over a short period. Patients who underwent ATFL repair exhibited lower T2* values in the lateral calcaneus cartilage than did those who underwent reconstruction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Quantitative ultrashort echo time–T2* (UTE-T2*) mapping shows promise for the detection of potential tendon biochemical conditions, while validation against established clinical studies in the shoulder is needed. Purpose: To evaluate and characterize the healing process of the repaired rotator cuff based on longitudinal changes in UTE-T2* values, clinical outcomes, and repair status in patients after arthroscopic rotator cuff repair (ARCR). Study Design: Cohort study; Level of evidence, 2. Methods: Patients with ARCR (n = 25) underwent quantitative MRI and clinical examinations at serial follow-up time points: 3, 6, 12, and 24 months postoperatively. Age-matched healthy controls (n = 15) were evaluated at 3 and 12 months after enrollment. Clinical scores included the Constant, American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons, and Fudan University Shoulder score, and visual analog scale for pain. The MRI examination included UTE-T2*mapping. UTE-T2* maps were generated for T2* values at the healing site. Sugaya classification was adopted to evaluate the repair status. Longitudinal analyses of clinical outcomes, UTE-T2* changes, and Sugaya classification were conducted. Results: The overall retear rate was 8% (2/25, all Sugaya type IV). All patients (including the ones with retear) achieved satisfactory outcomes at 12 months that lasted to 24 months on the basis of clinical scores. The mean UTE-T2* values at the healing site showed an increase from 3 to 6 months (P =.03) and then decreased to a level similar to that observed in age-matched healthy tendons at 12 months (P =.1). No significant differences were found between UTE-T2* values at 12 and 24 months (P =.6). UTE-T2* values at the healing site significantly varied with the repair status according to Sugaya classification (P <.05). Moreover, significant correlations were noted between clinical scores and UTE-T2* values at 6 months (r = −0.6 to −0.3; all P <.05) and 12 months (r = −0.6 to −0.2; all P <.05). Conclusion: This study indicated a healing-related relationship between clinical outcomes and quantitative UTE-T2* values, which highlights the potential of using UTE-T2* mapping to track the tendon-healing process noninvasively. Moreover, the repaired tendon was comparable to age-matched healthy controls at 12-month follow-up based on UTE-T2* values. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Graft healing within the femoral tunnel after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR) using suspensory fixation could be reflected in graft maturation and tunnel morphological changes. However, the correlation between graft maturation and femoral tunnel changes remains unclear. Purpose: To quantitatively evaluate femoral tunnel morphological changes and graft maturation and to analyze their correlation after ACLR using femoral cortical suspension. Study Design: Case series; Level of evidence, 4. Methods: Patients who underwent single-bundle ACLR with a hamstring tendon autograft using femoral cortical suspension were included. Preoperative and postoperative (at 6, 12, and 24 months) knee function were evaluated using KT-1000 arthrometer testing, the Lysholm knee scoring scale, and the International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC) questionnaire. At 1 day, 6 months, 12 months, and 24 months after ACLR, 3-dimensional magnetic resonance imaging was performed to observe the morphology of the femoral tunnel and to evaluate graft maturation using the graft signal/noise quotient (SNQ). The Pearson product moment correlation coefficients (r) of femoral tunnel radii versus clinical outcomes and graft SNQs at last follow-up were analyzed. Results: A total of 22 patients completed full follow-up. KT-1000 arthrometer, Lysholm, and IKDC scores improved over time postoperatively, but no significant improvement was seen after 12 months (P <.05). The radius of the tunnel containing the graft and the SNQs of the femoral intraosseous graft and intra-articular graft were the highest at 6 months, and they decreased by 24 months but remained higher than their 1-day postoperative values (P <.05). Expansion mainly occurred at the anteroinferior wall of the femoral tunnel. The tunnel aperture radius was positively correlated with SNQs of the intraosseous graft (r = 0.591; P <.05) and intra-articular graft (r = 0.359; P <.05) but not with clinical outcomes. Conclusion: After ACLR using suspensory fixation, morphological changes of the femoral tunnel were mainly observed in the part of the tunnel containing the graft, which expanded at 6 months and reduced by 24 months. Expansion mainly occurred at the anteroinferior wall of the femoral tunnel. Femoral tunnel expansion was correlated with inferior graft maturation but not with clinical outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims and objectives To identify self-acceptance and associated socio-demographic and disease factors among Chinese women with breast cancer. Background Although it is recognised that breast cancer can affect a woman's feelings of self-acceptance, there are few studies concerning the level of self-acceptance among women with breast cancer and factors associated with self-acceptance in this population. Design Cross-sectional research design. Methods Data were collected using the convenience sampling method. A total of 308 women with breast cancer were investigated using the Self-Acceptance Questionnaire. Results The mean score on the Self-Acceptance Questionnaire was 39·79 ± 5·14, indicating that the women in this study had low levels of self-acceptance. Multiple regression analysis indicated that self-acceptance was positively associated with the time since diagnosis, household income and the presence of medical insurance/government-funded medical treatment, while Tumour, Lymph Node, Metastasis stage was negatively associated with self-acceptance. With respect to work status, retired patients had the highest levels of self-acceptance, those who had returned to work had moderate levels of self-acceptance and those who had not yet returned to work had the lowest levels of self-acceptance. Conclusions This study demonstrates that the level of self-acceptance among women with breast cancer in China is low, and suggests that there is room to improve. Several factors are significantly associated with the self-acceptance of women with breast cancer. Relevance to clinical practice Medical staff should realise that the level of self-acceptance among women with breast cancer in China is low and has room to improve. It is important to conduct appropriate interventions to improve self-acceptance among these women, based on an understanding of the factors associated with self-acceptance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective. To compare T2⁎ value of healthy and diseased Achilles tendons (AT) with a recently introduced three-dimensional ultrashort echo time (3D-UTE) sequence and analyze the correlation between T2⁎ value and clinical scores. Methods. Ten patients with symptomatic Achilles tendon and ten healthy volunteers were investigated with 3D-UTE sequence on a 3T magnetic resonance (MR) scanner. T2⁎ values of four regions in Achilles tendons were calculated. The clinical outcomes of patients were evaluated according to the American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society (AOFAS) score and Achilles Tendon Rupture Score (ATRS). An independent sample t-test was used to compare the differences of T2⁎ value and clinical scores between two groups. The Pearson correlation coefficient between clinical scores and T2⁎ values was assessed. Results. The T2⁎ values of Achilles tendon were statistically significantly different between patients and volunteers. The Pearson correlation coefficients between T2⁎ and AOFAS or ATRS scores of patients were r=-0.733 and r=-0.634, respectively. Conclusion. The variability of T2⁎ in healthy and pathologic AT can be quantified by UTE-T2⁎. T2⁎ may be a promising marker to detect and diagnose AT tendinopathy. UTE-T2⁎ could give a precise guidance to clinical outcome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Associated meniscal injury is well recognized at anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction, and it is a known risk factor for osteoarthritis. Purpose: To evaluate and characterize the postoperative appearance of articular cartilage after different meniscal treatment inACL-reconstructed knees using T2 relaxation time evaluation on MRI.Study Design: Cohort study; Level of evidence, 3. Methods: A total of 62 consecutive patients who under ACL reconstruction were recruited in this study, including 23 patients undergoing partial meniscectomy (MS group), 21 patients undergoing meniscal repair (MR group), and 18 patients with intact menisci (MI group) at time of surgery. Clinical evaluation, including subjective functional scores and physical examination, was performed on the same day as the MRI examination and at follow-up times ranging from 2 to 4.2 years. The MRI multiecho sagittal images were segmented to determine the T2 relaxation time value of each meniscus and articular cartilage plate. Differences ineach measurement were compared among groups. Results: No patient had joint-line tenderness or reported pain or clicking on McMurray test or instability. There were also no statistically significant differences in functional scores or medial or lateral meniscus T2 values among the 3 groups (P > .05 for both). There was a significantly higher articular cartilage T2 value in the medial femorotibial articular cartilage for the MS group (P < .01) and the MR group (P < .05) compared with that of the MI group, while there was no significant difference in articular cartilage T2 value between the MS and MR groups (P > .05) in each articular cartilage plate. The medial tibial articular cartilage T2 value had a significant positive correlation with medial meniscus T2 value (r = 0.287; P = .024) Conclusion: This study demonstrates that knees with meniscectomy or meniscal repair had articular cartilage degeneration at 2 to 4 years postoperatively, with higher articular cartilage T2 relaxation time values compared with the knees with an intact meniscus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The relationship between conscientiousness and job performance has been found to be nonlinear in the West, which challenges conceptually and empirically the traditional assumption of the single linear relationship. In this research, we examined the nonlinear effects of conscientiousness on both overall job performance and performance dimensions (i.e., task performance, adaptive performance and contextual performance) in the Chinese context. The results of our two studies supported some evidence for the nonlinear effect of conscientiousness on overall job performance. In addition, it was found that conscientiousness has different (linear or nonlinear) effects on performance dimensions. These findings suggest that the nonlinear effects of conscientiousness on job performance deserve further investigation, and a distinction should be made with regard to job performance in personnel evaluation. Results are discussed in terms of the significance of considering the nonlinear relationship between conscientiousness and performance criteria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Currently, there is an ongoing debate regarding the optimal graft choice between autograft and allograft tendons in reconstruction of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL). It has been reported that allograft tendons have a slower onset and rate of revascularization compared with autograft tendons. Hypothesis: Allograft tendons might have inferior graft maturity compared with autograft tendons in ACL reconstruction at 2 years postoperatively. Study Design: Cohort study; Level of evidence, 3. Methods: A total of 52 participants with ACL reconstruction were recruited in this study, including 30 using allograft tendons and 22 using autograft tendons. All of them had unilateral ACL reconstruction and were followed up using 3.0-T magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) at least 2 years postoperatively. Clinical examination was performed on the same day when the MRI examination was performed, including subjective functional examinations (International Knee Documentation Committee [IKDC] and Tegner Lysholm Knee Scoring Scale [TLKS]) and physical examinations (anterior drawer test and Lachman test). Four measurements based on MRI were focused on graft orientation (including tibial tunnel position and graft angles), the edematous condition of the graft, intra-articular graft width at different sites, and signal intensity of the ACL graft using the signal/noise quotient (SNQ) from a region of interest analysis. Differences in each measurement were compared between the allograft group and the autograft group. Results:All the participants returned to normal sports activities at the follow-up time point, as all of them acquired full functional strength and stability. There was no significant difference between the autograft and the allograft group with respect to IKDC or TLKS score. The knees in both of the groups were confirmed stable by physical examination before MRI. On MRI measurements, the allograft group displayed no significant difference in graft orientation compared with the autograft group (P > .05). Moreover, there was also no significant difference between allograft group and autograft group in graft width of the distal site (P > .05), middle site (P > .05), and proximal site (P > .05). However, the mean SNQ value of the allograft group was significantly higher than that of the autograft group in the distal site (6.54 ± 6.58 vs 2.98 ± 5.48; P = .0173), the middle site (7.21 ± 6.31 vs 3.56 ± 4.62; P = .0149), and the proximal site (6.61 ± 8.08 vs 2.45 ± 8.12; P = .0018). Conclusion: The allograft group had a significantly higher SNQ value compared with the autograft group in this study, indicating that allograft tendons might have inferior graft maturity than autograft tendons in ACL reconstruction at 2 years postoperatively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Our previous studies indicated that oxidative stress up-regulated the expression of β-amyloid precursor protein cleavage enzyme-1 (BACE1) in rat retina. Pharmacological reports have shown Timosaponin-BII, a purified extract originating from Chinese medical herb Rhizoma Anemarrhenae, is characterized as an antioxidant.Our present study aimed to determine whether Timosaponin-BII affected the expression of BACE1, β-amyloid precursor protein cleavage production of Aβ1-40 and β-C-terminal fragment (β-CTF) in rat retina, which were pre-treated with the oxidizing agent (solution of FeCl3).Results: Few distinctions of BACE1 distribution were observed among all groups (normal control group, model group, Timosaponin-BII treated and vehicle control groups). Rat retinas in model group and vehicle control group manifested an apparent up-regulation of BACE1 expression. Meanwhile, the level of malonaldehyde (MDA), Aβ1-40and β-CTF were increased. However, when comparing with the vehicle control group, the retinas in Timosaponin-BII treated group showed significantly less BACE1 (p<0.05) and accumulated less Aβ1-40 or β-CTF(p<0.05). It also showed significantly decreased level of MDA (p<0.05) and prolonged partial thromboplastin time(p<0.05).Conclusion: Our data suggested that Timosaponin-BII remarkably inhibited the up-regulation of BACE1 and reduced the over-production of β-CTF and Aβ in rat retina, which was induced by FeCl3. The mechanism of Timosaponin-BII on BACE1 expression may be related to its antioxidant property. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Joint deafferentation after post-ankle sprain ligament healing can disrupt sensory input from the ankle and induce maladaptive neuroplasticity, especially in the cerebellum. This study aimed to determine whether the regional homogeneity of intrinsic cerebellar activity differs between patients with ankle instability and healthy controls without a history of ankle injury. Methods: The current study used a primary data set of 18 patients and 22 healthy controls and an external UK Biobank data set of 16 patients with ankle instability and 69 healthy controls for a cross-database, cross-sectional investigation. All participants underwent resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging to calculate their regional homogeneity (ReHo) value. Between-group comparisons of the sensorimotor-related subregions of the cerebellum were first performed in the primary data set to identify low cerebellar ReHo in patients with multiple comparison corrections, and the surviving subregions were then externally validated in the UK Biobank data set. Correlation analyses between the ReHo values and clinical features were also performed. Results: The ReHo value of cerebellar lobule VIIIb was significantly lower in the ankle instability group than in the controls (0.170 ± 0.016 vs 0.184 ± 0.019 in the primary data set, 0.157 ± 0.026 vs 0.180 ± 0.042 in the UK Biobank data set). The ReHo values of this subregion showed a significant positive correlation with the Cumberland Ankle Instability Tool scores in the ankle instability group (r = 0.553, P -corrected = 0.0348). Conclusions: Patients with ankle instability had lower intraregional coherence in cerebellar lobule VIIIb than that of controls, which was also positively correlated with the intensity of self-reported ankle instability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]