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Abstract Diffuse axonal injury (DAI) results in aberrant functional connectivity and is significantly linked to cognitive impairment. Nevertheless, the network mechanisms influencing neurocognitive function following DAI remain unclear. This study aimed to examine the characteristics of static and dynamic functional network connectivity (FNC) in patients with DAI. Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging data were collected from 26 patients with DAI and 27 healthy controls. Resting-state networks were extracted using independent component analysis. We evaluated the connectivity strength through spatial maps and static FNC, and then further dynamic properties were identified using a sliding time-window approach and k-means clustering, and investigated their associations with clinical variables. Patients with DAI showed stronger intra-network spatial maps in the default mode network and subcortical network than healthy controls, but static inter-network functional connectivity remained stable. Furthermore, three recurring states for dynamic connectivity were identified in all participants, and state 1 occurred most frequently in patients with DAI and exhibited higher fractional time, and as well as longer mean dwell time, which was positively associated with MMSE scores. Meanwhile, patients with DAI exhibited mostly increased functional connectivity strength of dynamic FNC in all states, particularly within the default mode network and visual network. These findings suggest that patients with DAI are characterized by altered dynamic FNC and temporal properties, which provide distinct complementary information different from static functional connectivity, and new insights into the neural pathophysiology of DAI associated with cognitive impairment.

Abstract To explore altered patterns of static and dynamic functional brain network connectivity (sFNC and dFNC) in Primary angle-closure glaucoma (PACG) patients. Clinically confirmed 34 PACG patients and 33 age- and gender-matched healthy controls (HCs) underwent evaluation using T1 anatomical and functional MRI on a 3 T scanner. Independent component analysis, sliding window, and the K-means clustering method were employed to investigate the functional network connectivity (FNC) and temporal metrics based on eight resting-state networks. Differences in FNC and temporal metrics were identified and subsequently correlated with clinical variables. For sFNC, compared with HCs, PACG patients showed three decreased interactions, including SMN-AN, SMN-VN and VN-AN pairs. For dFNC, we derived four highly structured states of FC that occurred repeatedly between individual scans and subjects, and the results are highly congruent with sFNC. In addition, PACG patients had a decreased fraction of time in state 3 and negatively correlated with IOP (p

【Objective】It aims to investigate resistance phenotypes and resistance genes of Klebsiella pneumoniae in drinking water of chicken farm, and analyze the correlation between them, to provide references for effective prevention of the disease.【Method】Strains of K. pneumoniae were isolated and identified from the drinking water system of a chicken farm.The resistances of the isolated strains to 25 antibiotics were detected by the drug-sensitive disk diffusion method. The presence of common drug-resistance genes in all these strains was detected by PCR. The whole genomes of four strains of K. pneumoniae were sequenced to analyze and predict the carrying of drug resistance genes by the Comprehensive Antibiotic Research Database (CARD).【Result】Nine strains of K. pneumoniae were isolated from the drinking water system of the chicken farm.The results of drug sensitivity testing revealed that these strains were multiple drug resistant, and only susceptive to colistin sulfate. Thirteen common drug resistance genes carried by all nine strains were confirmed by PCR, and consistency between drug resistance phenotypes and genes was observed in 12 resistant genes including β-lactamase resistance genes CMY-1, BlaSHV and BlaCTX-M; carbapenem resistance gene KPC; quinolone resistance genes QnrB, QnrS and QnrA; aminoglycoside resistance gene Aph(3')-Ia; sulfa resistance gene Sul2 and etc; while inconsistency between the presence of Mcr-1 and its corresponding phenotype was observed. A total of 59 resistance genes, involving 31 classes of antibiotics, were carried by four strains of K. pneumoniae through whole genome scanning analysis. Among these, the number of genes resistant to tetracycline antibiotics was maximum, followed by genes resistant to macrolide and fluoroquinolone antibiotics. Additionally, a total of 23 drug-resistant genes were predicted when the coverage and homology were both set at a rate of higher than 98%, including FosA6, CRP, KpnF, KpnFG, KpnE, OqxA, OqsB, SHV-11, Tet(D), CTX-M-27, QnrB65, DHA-1, Aph(4')-Ia, MsrE, QnrB2, Aph(3')-Ia, Sul1, CmlA6, FloR, AadA12, Ant(3'')-IIa, ArmA and Sul2.【Conclusion】Strains of K. pneumoniae isolated from the drinking water of the chicken farm show serious drug resistance and carried multiple drug resistance genes, among which Mcr-1 gene is detected on the isolated strains. However, the isolated strains are sensitive to polymyxin, and the D-type carbapenemase OXA-48 gene was not detected in the isolated strains.

Rice is a staple food crop that feeds billions globally. Addressing Zn deficiency in rice is crucial for improving nutrition and food security. Zn deficiency in rice is a widespread issue, especially in purple tidal mud substrates, which often exhibit low Zn availability. The objective of this two-year pot study was to explore the relationship between Zn content, yield components, and Zn absorption in rice grown in purple tidal mud substrate with varying amounts of Chinese milk vetch (Astragalus sinicus L.) incorporation. The experimental design consisted of seven treatments: an unfertilized control, a Chinese milk vetch control, a chemical fertilizer control, and four treatment variations incorporating Chinese milk vetch alongside chemical fertilizer applications. The results indicated that planting and applying Chinese milk vetch improved the grain yield of rice in purple tidal mud substrate, and the yield increased with higher levels of Chinese milk vetch applied. The increased grain yield resulted in higher Zn absorption in rice grains. The application of Chinese milk vetch, both solely and in combination with chemical fertilizers, had varying effects on zinc uptake and grain zinc formation efficiency in early and late rice, with the control and low-level Chinese milk vetch treatments generally exhibiting the highest performance across the two-year period. By introducing Chinese milkvetch following the use of chemical fertilizers, the Zn content in rice grains increased starting from the second year. The treatment with Chinese milkvetch applied at a rate of 2.25 t/hm2 showed the best results in increasing the Zn content in rice grains. The increase in Zn content and Zn uptake by the rice plants gave rise to a lowering of the DTPA-extractable Zn content in the purple tidal mud substrate. Sole Chinese milk vetch application and using Chinese milk vetch following chemical fertilizer application both increased Zn content extracted by DTPA in purple tidal mud substrate.

【Objective】The trial explores the effect of compound plant essential oil from the nutmeg and basill on the performance and intestinal microflora of yellow-feathered broilers.【Method】3 942 1-day-old Jiangcun yellow broilers were divided into three treatments groups (low-dose compound essential oil group, high-dose compound essential oil group and blank control group). The experiment lasted for 60 days. At the age of 60 days, all broilers were weighed, and the number of survival chickens, the number of dead and unqualified chickens, feed consumption of each replicates were recorded, and the percentage of survival chickens, weight gain and feed-gain ratio were calculated. At the same time, 5 chickens were randomly selected from each group and killed with neck cut. The contents of jejunum and cecum were respectively extracted, and bacterial nucleic acid was extracted, the 16S rDNA V3-V4 variable region was high-throughput sequencing to analyze the intestinal microflora of jejunum and cecum of broilers.【Result】The feed-gain ratio of the high dose group and the low dose group was 2.40, which was significantly lower than that of the blank control group (2.71, P < 0.01), and the feed conversion rate was increased by 11.4%. The results of jejunum microflora analysis showed that Firmicutes were the dominant bacteria at phylum level followed by Actinobacteriota, and Lactobacillus was the dominant bacteria at genus level. The relative abundance of Verrucomicrobiota in jejunum in high-dose and low-dose groups was significantly lower than that in blank control group (P < 0.05). The relative abundance of Aeriscardovia, Bifidobacterium and Weissella in jejunum of compound essential oil low-dose group was significantly higher than that of blank control group (P < 0.05). The results of cecal microflora analysis showed that Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes were dominant bacteria at phylum level. The relative abundance of Clostridia_vadinBB60_group and Alistipes in high-dose and low-dose compound essential oil groups was significantly lower than that in blank control group (P < 0.05), and that of Clostridia_UCG-014 in high-dose compound essential oil group was significantly lower than that in blank control group (P < 0.05). The relative abundance of Bacteroides in high dose compound essential oil group was significantly higher than that in blank control group and low dose compound essential oil group (P < 0.05), and the relative abundance of Ruminococcus_torques_group in low dose compound essential oil group was significantly higher than that in blank control group (P < 0.05).【Conclusion】Feeding nutmeg and basil compound essential oil can promote the growth of beneficial bacteria in jejunum and cecum of yellow-feathered broilers, inhibit the proliferation of harmful bacteria, maintain the balance of bacteria, and promote intestinal health, and obviously improve the performance of yellow-feathered broilers.

This study aimed to investigate the impact of different levels of Chinese milk vetch (Astragalus sinicus L.) incorporation on the availability and transformation of zinc in purple tidal mud soil under rice cultivation. A two-year pot experiment was conducted, comprising seven treatments: a control group without fertilizer, a control group with Chinese milk vetch application, a control group with chemical fertilizer application, and four treatment groups with varying levels of Chinese milk vetch application following chemical fertilizer application. Results showed that Chinese milk vetch application increased the content of available zinc (DTPA-Zn) in purple tidal mud soil. Sole application of Chinese milk vetch ultimately enhanced the transfer factor of zinc in purple tidal mud soil and reduced the distribution index. However, applying Chinese milk vetch after chemical fertilizer application ultimately decreased the transfer factor of zinc and increased the distribution index. Furthermore, sole application of Chinese milk vetch facilitated the conversion of zinc in purple tidal mud soil into available forms, while applying it after chemical fertilizer application promoted the transformation of zinc into ineffective forms, with a greater conversion observed at higher levels of Chinese milk vetch application.

Background: Glaucoma patients frequently present with depressive symptoms, the development of which is closely associated with amygdalar activity. However, no studies to date have documented glaucoma-related changes in the functional connectivity (FC) of the amygdala. Accordingly, resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) analyses were herein used to evaluate changes in amygdalar FC in primary angle-closure glaucoma (PACG) patients. Methods: In total, this study enrolled 36 PACG patients and 33 healthy controls (HCs). Complete eye exams were conducted for all PACG patients. After the preprocessing of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data, the bilateral amygdala was selected as a seed point, followed by the comparison of resting-state FC between the PACG and HC groups. Then, those brain regions exhibiting significant differences between these groups were identified, and relationships between the FC coefficient values for these regions and clinical variables of interest were assessed. Results: These analyses revealed that as compared to HC individuals, PACG patients exhibited reductions in FC between the amygdala and the cerebellum_8, vermis_4_5, anterior central gyrus, supplementary motor area, paracentral lobule, putamen, middle frontal gyrus, and posterior cingulate gyrus, while enhanced FC was detected between the right and left amygdala. No significant correlations between these changes in amygdalar any any disease-related clinical parameters or disease duration were noted. Conclusions: Patients with PACG exhibit extensive resting state abnormalities with respect to the FC between the amygdala and other regions of the brain, suggesting that dysregulated amygdalar FC may play a role in the pathophysiology of PACG.

Abstract Purpose Current research has shown a link between ABO blood group and many diseases. The purpose of this study aimed to investigate the influence of the ABO blood group on the risk of developing different pathological types of lung cancer. Materials and methods This retrospective study was composed of 7681 patients with lung cancer and 12, 671 non-lung cancer patients who were admitted to the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University from January 2016 to January 2021. The subjects with lung cancer were grouped into small cell lung cancer group (n = 725), lung adenocarcinoma group (n = 4520), and lung squamous cell carcinoma group (n = 2286) according to pathological types. The ABO blood group distribution of each lung cancer type group was compared with that of the control group. Statistical analysis was determined with chi-square and logistic regression. Results Univariate analysis showed that the ABO blood group distribution of lung adenocarcinoma, lung squamous cell carcinoma, and small cell lung cancer was different from that of the control group (P < 0.01). After adjusting for age, sex, smoking history, and drinking history, logistic regression analysis showed that the risk of lung adenocarcinoma in blood type O was higher than that in blood type A (P < 0.01). There was no significant difference in ABO blood group composition between small cell lung cancer group, lung squamous cell carcinoma group, and control group (P > 0.05). In addition, gender and age have an influence on all three types of lung cancer (P < 0.01). Smoking was a risk factor in lung squamous cell carcinoma and small cell carcinoma (P < 0.01). Alcohol consumption was a risk factor in lung adenocarcinoma (P < 0.01). Conclusion ABO blood group may be correlated with the occurrence of lung adenocarcinoma in Jiangxi province, but not with lung squamous cell carcinoma and small cell carcinoma.

To investigate the changes of flavor compounds of chicken liver by different deodorization methods, the volatile flavor compounds of raw and cooked chicken liver samples were analyzed by sensory evaluation, electronic nose and headspace-solid phase microextraction-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (HS-SPME-GC-MS). The results showed that deodorization methods of ginger juice/alcohol immersion, β-cyclodextrin embedding and yeast fermentation could significantly reduce the odor value (P

Composite plates are widely used in the aircraft manufacturing industry. The projectile damage of composite plates is affected by complex factors such as material, structure, impact velocity, and impact angle. A reliable method is needed for efficient structural health monitoring. In this paper, a composite plate damage prediction and evaluation model based on the cloud model and neural network is proposed; the five types of experimental characteristics are used as input parameters, and the depth and diameter of the damage area are used as output parameters to train the neural network–cloud model. This method transforms the quantitative data of impact damage of the composite plate into qualitative damage by introducing the cloud model, which makes the damage situation more intuitive. The results show that the accuracy of the prediction model is 97.23%, the accuracy of the evaluation model is 92.41%, and the comprehensive accuracy of the model is 89.85%. The composite damage prediction model has a good prediction performance.

【Objective】The study was carried out to investigate the effect of biological shuttle program using coccidia vaccines and anticoccidial drugs on the drug resistance of chicken coccidia in broiler farms.【Method】Huadu isolates of Eimeria tenella were isolated and identified from five chicken farms in Huadu District, and these farms have been using coccidial vaccine and anti-coccidial drug shuttle program. Yingde isolates of E. tenella were isolated from five chicken farms in Yinde City, and the five farms have been using only anti-coccidial drugs to control coccidiosis. The resistances of Huadu and Yingde isolates to 6 anticoccidial drugs were tested respectively by using indicators including anticoccidial index (ACI), rate of reduction in lesion score (RLS), percentage of optimum anticoccidial activity (POAA) and relative oocyst production (ROP).【Result】The cecal tissue sections of chickens of the two challenged groups showed that the mucosal layer was extensively affected with loss of intestinal glands, inflammatory cell infiltration, and many coccidial oocysts were found in the mucosa and submucosa. The results of ACI showed that the Huadu isolates were resistant seriously to nicarbazine, clodipidine and maduramycin, and moderately resistant to other 3 drugs; and the Yingde isolates were moderately resistant to all 6 drugs. The results of POAA showed that the Huadu isolates were sensitive to the mixture of maduramycin and nicarbazine, but resistant to other drugs, while the Yingde isolates were sensitive to all 6 drugs. The results of RLS and ROP showed that the two mixed isolates were resistant to all 6 drugs. Based on comprehensive evaluation, the Huadu isolates were resistant moderately to mixture of maduramycin and nicarbazine, and resistant seriously to other five drugs; while the Yingde isolates were resistant moderately to all six drugs.【Conclusion】The field isolates of chicken coccidia were resistant to anticoccidial drugs at different levels with multi-drug resistances. Both isolates from Huadu District and Yingde City showed resistance to six drugs moderately or seriously, suggesting that biological shuttle program could not significantly restore sensitivity of E. tenella compared to program using anticoccidial drugs only.

BackgroundPrevious studies on primary angle-closure glaucoma (PACG) primarily focused on local brain regions or global abnormal brain activity; however, the alteration of interhemispheric functional homotopy and its possible cause of brain-wide functional connectivity abnormalities have not been well-studied. Little is known about whether brain functional alteration could be used to differentiate from healthy controls (HCs) and its correlation with neurocognitive impairment.MethodsForty patients with PACG and 40 age- and sex-matched healthy controls were recruited for this study; resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI), and clinical data were collected. We used the voxel-mirrored homotopic connectivity (VMHC) method to explore between-group differences and selected brain regions with statistically significant differences as regions of interest for whole-brain functional connectivity analysis. Partial correlation was used to evaluate the association between abnormal VMHC values in significantly different regions and clinical parameters, with with age and sex as covariates. Finally, the support vector machine (SVM) model was performed in classification prediction of PACG.ResultsCompared with healthy controls, patients with PACG exhibited significantly decreased VMHC values in the lingual gyrus, insula, cuneus, and pre- and post-central gyri; no regions exhibited increased VMHC values. Subsequent functional connectivity analysis revealed extensive functional changes in functional networks, particularly the default mode, salience, visual, and sensorimotor networks. The SVM model showed good performance in classification prediction of PACG, with an area under curve (AUC) of 0.85.ConclusionAltered functional homotopy of the visual cortex, sensorimotor network, and insula may lead to impairment of visual function in PACG, suggesting that patients with PACG may have visual information interaction and integration dysfunction.

Abstract This paper proposes a new scheme for locating the faults of three‐terminal double‐circuit transmission line without transposer in the phase domain that is not affected by type of fault. Synchronous voltage and current were measured by phasor measurement units (PMUs) installed at three busbars. Considering the coupling effect of parallel lines, the distribution line model was used to obtain more accurate results and third‐order Taylor series expansion to decouple distributed line model. The phase and branch of all faults on the transmission lines were effectively identified, and various types of faults were accurately located including normal shunt fault, evolving fault and cross‐country fault. The proposed algorithm was tested under different fault locations, resistances, initial angles and types (including cross‐country faults and evolving faults). In addition, the effects of different sampling rates, measurement errors, earth resistivities and transmission line parameter errors were also considered. The simulation calculation was performed in MATLAB software and three‐terminal transmission lines were simulated in PSCAD/EMTP software. The results indicate that maximum estimated error was less than 1.8631%.

Background and objectivesGlaucoma is one of the leading irreversible causes of blindness worldwide, and previous studies have shown that there is abnormal functional connectivity (FC) in the visual cortex of glaucoma patients. The thalamus is a relay nucleus for visual signals; however, it is not yet clear how the FC of the thalamus is altered in glaucoma. This study investigated the alterations in thalamic FC in patients with primary angle-closure glaucoma (PACG) by using resting-state functional MRI (rs-fMRI). We hypothesized that PACG patients have abnormal FC between the thalamus and visual as well as extravisual brain regions.MethodsClinically confirmed PACG patients and age- and gender-matched healthy controls (HCs) were evaluated by T1 anatomical and functional MRI on a 3 T scanner. Thirty-four PACG patients and 33 HCs were included in the rs-fMRI analysis. All PACG patients underwent complete ophthalmological examinations; included retinal nerve fiber layer thickness (RNFLT), intraocular pressure (IOP), average cup-to-disc ratio (A-C/D), and vertical cup-to-disc ratio (V-C/D). After the MRI data were preprocessed, the bilateral thalamus was chosen as the seed point; and the differences in resting-state FC between groups were evaluated. The brain regions that significantly differed between PACG patients and HCs were identified, and the correlations were then evaluated between the FC coefficients of these regions and clinical variables.ResultsCompared with the HCs, the PACG patients showed decreased FC between the bilateral thalamus and right transverse temporal gyrus, between the bilateral thalamus and left anterior cingulate cortex, and between the left thalamus and left insula. Concurrently, increased FC was found between the bilateral thalamus and left superior frontal gyrus in PACG patients. The FC between the bilateral thalamus and left superior frontal gyrus was positively correlated with RNFLT and negatively correlated with the A-C/D and V-C/D. The FC between the left thalamus and left insula was negatively correlated with IOP.ConclusionExtensive abnormal resting-state functional connections between the thalamus and visual and extravisual brain areas were found in PACG patients, and there were certain correlations with clinical variables, suggesting that abnormal thalamic FC plays an important role in the progression of PACG.

In conventional ceramic–metal matrix composites, with the addition of the ceramic phase, although it can significantly improve the performance of the material in one aspect, it tends to weaken some of the excellent properties of the metal matrix as well. In order to meet the high toughness and high strength requirements of composites for practical production applications, researchers have searched for possible reinforcing structures from nature. They found that fractal structures, which are widely found in nature, have the potential to improve the mechanical properties of materials. However, it is often not feasible to manufacture these geometric structures using conventional processes. In this study, alumina ceramic fractal structures were prepared by 3D printing technology, and aluminum composites containing fractal ceramic structures were fabricated by spark plasma sintering technology. We have studied the effect of the fractal structure of alumina ceramics on the mechanical properties of composites. The compression strength of samples was measured by a universal testing machine and the torsional properties of samples were measured by a torsional modulus meter. The results show that a fractal structure improves the compressive strength of aluminum/alumina ceramic composites by 10.97% and the torsional properties by 17.45%. The results of the study will provide a new method for improving the mechanical properties of materials.

ObjectivesTo investigate the dynamic changes in gastric varices in patients with acute pancreatitis (AP) and to develop a novel nomogram for the early prediction of sinistral portal hypertension (SPH).MethodsThis was a retrospective, case-control study with an analysis of the quantitative, dynamic computed tomography imaging results of SPH in patients with moderate and severe AP with a long-term follow-up. Multivariate logistic regression analysis and nomogram were employed.ResultsThe SPH group (n = 94) and non-SPH group (n = 94) were matched. The dynamic changes showed an increasing trend in the diameter of gastric fundus, short gastric, gastric coronary, and gastroepiploic veins, which did not recover during the one-year follow-up. Multivariate analysis showed that male (adjusted odds ratio (adjOR), 8.71; 95% confidence interval (CI), 2.86–26.53; P < 0.001), body mass index ≥27.5 kg/m2 (adjOR, 5.49; 95% CI, 1.85–16.29; P = 0.002), prothrombin time ≥12.6 s (adjOR, 2.82; 95% CI, 1.11–7.17; P = 0.03), and the patency of splenic vein [stenosis (adjOR, 8.48; 95% CI, 2.13–33.71; P = 0.002), and occlusion (adjOR, 34.57; 95% CI, 10.87–110.00; P < 0.001)] were independently associated with the development of SPH. The nomogram incorporating these factors demonstrated good discrimination, calibration and clinical utility. The area under the curve was as high as 0.92 (95% CI, 0.87–0.95).ConclusionThe dynamic changes in varices in SPH are long-term and slowly progressing. Males and obese patients with abnormal splenic veins and coagulopathies are at high risk for developing SPH. A simple nomogram tool helps in the early, accurate prediction of SPH.

Abstract Background Although previous studies have shown that intra-network abnormalities in brain functional networks are correlated with clinical/cognitive impairment in multiple sclerosis (MS), there is little information regarding the pattern of causal interactions among cognition-related resting-state networks (RSNs) in different disease stages of relapsing–remitting MS (RRMS) patients. We hypothesized that abnormalities of causal interactions among RSNs occurred in RRMS patients in the acute and remitting phases. Methods Seventeen patients in the acute phases of RRMS, 24 patients in the remitting phases of RRMS, and 23 appropriately matched healthy controls participated in this study. First, we used group independent component analysis to extract the time courses of the spatially independent components from all the subjects. Then, the Granger causality analysis was used to investigate the causal relationships among RSNs in the spectral domain and to identify correlations with clinical indices. Results Compared with the patients in the acute phase of RRMS, patients in the remitting phase of RRMS showed a significantly lower expanded disability status scale, modified fatigue impact scale scores, and significantly higher paced auditory serial addition test (PASAT) scores. Compared with healthy subjects, during the acute phase, RRMS patients had significantly increased driving connectivity from the right executive control network (rECN) to the anterior salience network (aSN), and the causal coefficient was negatively correlated with the PASAT score. During the remitting phase, RRMS patients had significantly increased driving connectivity from the rECN to the aSN and from the rECN to the visuospatial network. Conclusions Together with the disease duration (mean disease duration

Background: Intracranial artery dissection (IAD) is a pathological dissection of the arterial wall. .However, the morphological features and imaging characteristics of patients with intracranial artery dissection (IAD) remain poorly understood. Methods: The study reports on 70 IAD patients (30 culprit and 40 non-culprit). All participants underwent high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging (HR-MRI) scans. The morphological features and imaging characteristics of artery dissection were carefully investigated. Demographics and clinical characteristics of culprit and non-culprit patients were also collected. Apparent differences between the two groups, which could be used as biomarkers for ischemic event caused by the culprit dissection, were identified by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. Results: The IAD patients studied could be classified into five different types on the basis of morphological features: classical dissection (n = 31), fusiform aneurysm (n = 2), long dissected aneurysm (n = 9), dolichoectatic dissecting aneurysm (n = 6), and saccular aneurysm (n = 22). The direct sites of artery dissection (double lumen and intimal flap) can be seen in most IAD patients on HR-MRI. Additionally, the presence of hypertension, double lumen and intimal flap were associated with culprit lesions and might be considered biomarkers for the ischemic event caused by the culprit dissection. Conclusions: Analysis showed that HR-MRI allowed easy visualization of abnormal morphology of artery dissection lesions. This was of great significance for the diagnosis of IAD and gave a better understanding of its pathophysiological mechanism.

The composite-material laminate structure will inevitably encounter connection problems in use. Among them, mechanical connections are widely used in aerospace, automotive and other fields because of their high connection efficiency and reliable connection performance. Milling parameters are important for the opening quality. In this paper, continuous-glass-fiber-reinforced-polypropylene (GFRPP) laminates were chosen to investigate the effects of different cutters and process parameters on the hole quality. The delamination factor and burr area were taken as the index to characterize the opening quality. After determining the optimal milling tool, the process window was obtained according to the appearance of the milling hole. In the selected process parameter, the maximum temperature did not reach the PP melting temperature. The best hole quality was achieved when the spindle speed was 18,000 r/min and the feed speed was 1500 mm/min with the corn milling cutter.

Abstract Introduction Previous neuroimaging studies have suggested that brain functional impairment and hyperarousal occur during the daytime among patients with chronic insomnia disorder (CID); however, alterations to the brain's intrinsic functional architecture and their association with sleep quality have not yet been documented. Methods In this study, our aim was to investigate the insomnia‐related alterations to the intrinsic connectome in patients with CID (n = 27) at resting state, with a data‐driven approach based on graph theory assessment and functional connectivity density (FCD), which can be interpreted as short‐range (intraregional) or long‐range (interregional) mapping. Results Compared with healthy controls with good sleep, CID patients showed significantly decreased long‐range FCD in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortices and the putamen. These patients also showed decreased short‐range FCD in their multimodal‐processing regions, executive control network, and supplementary motor‐related areas. Furthermore, several regions showed increased short‐range FCD in patients with CID, implying hyper‐homogeneity of local activity. Conclusions Together, these findings suggest that insufficient sleep during chronic insomnia widely affects cortical functional activities, including disrupted FCD and increased short‐range FCD, which is associated with poor sleep quality.

Increasing evidence has suggested that central plasticity plays a crucial role in the development and maintenance of (chronic) nonspecific low back pain. However, it is unclear how local or short-distance functional interactions contribute to persisting low back-related leg pain (LBLP) due to a specific condition (i.e., lumbar disc herniation). In particular, the multiscale nature of local connectivity properties in various brain regions is still unclear. Here, we used voxelwise Kendall's coefficient of concordance (KCC) and coherence (Cohe) regional homogeneity (ReHo) in the typical (0.01–0.1 Hz) and five specific frequency (slow-6 to slow-2) bands to analyze individual whole-brain resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging scans in 25 persistent LBLP patients (duration: 36.7 ± 9.6 months) and 26 healthy control subjects. Between-group differences demonstrated significant alterations in the KCC- and Cohe- ReHo of the right cerebellum posterior lobe, brainstem, left medial prefrontal cortex and bilateral precuneus in LBLP patients in the typical and five specific frequency bands, respectively, along with interactions between disease status and the five specific frequency bands in several regions of the pain matrix and the default-mode network (P

Impaired spontaneous regional activity and altered topology of the brain network have been observed in obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). However, the mechanisms of disrupted functional connectivity (FC) and topological reorganization of the default mode network (DMN) in patients with OSA remain largely unknown. We explored whether the FC is altered within the DMN and examined topological changes occur in the DMN in patients with OSA using a graph theory analysis of resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging data and evaluated the relationship between neuroimaging measures and clinical variables. Resting-state data were obtained from 46 male patients with untreated severe OSA and 46 male good sleepers (GSs). We specifically selected 20 DMN subregions to construct the DMN architecture. The disrupted FC and topological properties of the DMN in patients with OSA were characterized using graph theory. The OSA group showed significantly decreased FC of the anterior–posterior DMN and within the posterior DMN, and also showed increased FC within the DMN. The DMN exhibited small-world topology in both OSA and GS groups. Compared to GSs, patients with OSA showed a decreased clustering coefficient (Cp) and local efficiency, and decreased nodal centralities in the left posterior cingulate cortex and dorsal medial prefrontal cortex, and increased nodal centralities in the ventral medial prefrontal cortex and the right parahippocampal cortex. Finally, the abnormal DMN FC was significantly related to Cp, path length, global efficiency, and Montreal cognitive assessment score. OSA showed disrupted FC within the DMN, which may have contributed to the observed topological reorganization. These findings may provide further evidence of cognitive deficits in patients with OSA.

Objective This study was performed to investigate structural abnormalities of the white matter in patients with comitant exotropia using the tract-based spatial statistics (TBSS) method. Methods Diffusion tensor imaging data from magnetic resonance images of the brain were collected from 20 patients with comitant exotropia and 20 age- and sex-matched healthy controls. The FMRIB Software Library was used to compute the diffusion measures, including fractional anisotropy (FA), mean diffusivity (MD), axial diffusivity (AD), and radial diffusivity (RD). These measures were obtained using voxel-wise statistics with threshold-free cluster enhancement. Results The FA values in the right inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus (IFO) and right inferior longitudinal fasciculus were significantly higher and the RD values in the bilateral IFO, forceps minor, left anterior corona radiata, and left anterior thalamic radiation were significantly lower in the comitant exotropia group than in the healthy controls. No significant differences in the MD or AD values were found between the two groups. Conclusions Alterations in FA and RD values may indicate the underlying neuropathologic mechanism of comitant exotropia. The TBSS method can be a useful tool to investigate neuronal tract participation in patients with this disease.

Background and purpose: Previous voxel-based morphometry (VBM) studies have suggested that cortical atrophy is regionally distributed in middle-aged subjects with white matter hyperintense (WMH) lesions. However, few studies have assessed cortical thickness in middle-aged WMH subjects. In this study, we examined cortical thickness as well as cortical morphometry associated with the presence of WMH lesion load in middle-aged subjects.Participants and methods: Thirty-six middle-aged subjects with WMH lesions (WMH group) and without clinical cognitive impairment, and 34 demographically matched healthy control subjects (HCS group) participated in the study. Cortical thickness was estimated using an automated Computational Anatomy Toolbox (CAT12) as the distance between the gray-white matter border and the pial surface. Individual WMH lesions were manually segmented, and WMH loads were measured. Statistical cortical maps were created to estimate differences in cortical thickness between groups based on this cortex-wide analysis. The relationship between WMH lesion loads and cerebral cortical thickness was also analyzed in CAT12.Results: Cortical thickness was significantly lower in the WMH group than in the controls in multimodal integration regions, including the right and left dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC), right and left frontal operculum (fO), right and left operculum parietale (OP), right and left middle temporal gyrus (MTG), and left superior temporal gyrus (STG; P < 0.01, family-wise error (FWE)-corrected). Additionally, cortical thickness was also lower in the recognition regions that contained the right temporal pole (TP), the right and left fusiform gyrus, and the left rolandic operculum (RO; P < 0.01, FWE-corrected). The results revealed that in the left superior parietal lobule (SPL), cortical thickness was higher in the WMH group than in the HCS group (P < 0.01, FWE-corrected). A voxel-wise negative correlation was found between cortical thickness and WMH lesion loads in the right orbitofrontal cortex (OFC), right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), and right subcallosal cortex (P < 0.01, FWE-corrected).Conclusion: The main findings of this study suggest that middle-aged WMH subjects are more likely to exhibit cortical thinning, especially in multimodal integration and recognition- and motor-related regions. The current morphometry data provide further evidence for WMH-associated structural plasticity.

To investigate the altered intrinsic functional connectivity (iFC) of the primary visual cortex (V1) in primary angle-closure glaucoma (PACG) patients before and after surgery using resting-state functional MRI.Twenty-five preoperative PACG (pre-PACG) patients and 25 well-matched healthy controls (HCs) were included in this study, and 9 PACG patients were assessed again at least 3 months after treatment (post-PACG). We generated the iFC maps of the seed regions in the centers of the left and right V1 and conducted group comparisons. Then, the relationships between the altered iFC coefficients and clinical variables were investigated in the pre-PACG patients.Compared with the HCs, the pre-PACG patients showed decreased iFC between the left V1 and right V2 (covering the cuneus, calcarine and lingual gyrus) and increased iFC between the left V1 and left temporal-parietal region, left frontal opercula-insula-basal ganglia region, right insula-basal ganglia region, and right inferior parietal lobule (P < 0.01, corrected). Compared with the pre-PACG patients, the post-PACG patients showed increased iFC between the left V1 and bilateral V2, and between the left V1 and left or right postcentral gyrus; in addition, they showed decreased iFC between the left V1 and the dorsal-attention and frontoparietal-control networks. In the pre-PACG patients, visual activity (VA) was positively correlated with increased iFC between the left V1 and the left temporal-parietal region or the right inferior parietal lobule. Similar patterns of alterations were observed in the right V1-iFC in both the pre- and post-PACG patients.The primary findings have demonstrated a gradual decrease in visual information integration in the left V1-V2 pathway and VA-related functional compensation in the pre-PACG patients, generating further evidence of functional restoration in post-PACG patients.

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) has been associated with changes in brain structure and regional function in certain brain areas. However, the functional features of network organization in the whole brain remain largely uncertain. The purpose of this study was to identify the OSA-related spatial centrality distribution of the whole brain functional network and to investigate the potential altered intrinsic functional hubs.Forty male patients with newly confirmed severe OSA on polysomnography, and well-matched good sleepers, participated in this study. All participants underwent a resting-state functional MRI scan and clinical and cognitive evaluation. Voxel-wise degree centrality (DC) was measured across the whole brain, and group difference in DC was compared. The relationship between the abnormal DC value and clinical variables was assessed using a linear correlation analysis.Remarkably similar spatial distributions of the functional hubs (high DC) were found in both groups. However, OSA patients exhibited a pattern of significantly reduced regional DC in the left middle occipital gyrus, posterior cingulate cortex, left superior frontal gyrus, and bilateral inferior parietal lobule, and DC was increased in the right orbital frontal cortex, bilateral cerebellum posterior lobes, and bilateral lentiform nucleus, including the putamen, extending to the hippocampus, and the inferior temporal gyrus, which overlapped with the functional hubs. Furthermore, a linear correlation analysis revealed that the DC value in the posterior cingulate cortex and left superior frontal gyrus were positively correlated with Montreal cognitive assessment scores, The DC value in the left middle occipital gyrus and bilateral inferior parietal lobule were negatively correlated with apnea-hypopnea index and arousal index in OSA patients.Our findings suggest that OSA patients exhibited specific abnormal intrinsic functional hubs including relatively reduced and increased DC. This expands our understanding of the functional characteristics of OSA, which may provide new insights into understanding the dysfunction and pathophysiology of OSA patients.

Using voxel-wise degree centrality (DC), as measured by resting-state fMRI, we aimed to study alterations in the brain functional networks in patients with primary angle-closure glaucoma (PACG) and to reveal the plastic trajectories of surgery.A total of 23 preoperative PACG patients (49.48 ± 14.37 years old) were recruited to undergo a resting-state fMRI scan, and 9 of them were rescanned 3 months after surgery. All PACG patients underwent a complete ophthalmologic examination, including intraocular pressure (IOP), retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness, vertical cup to disc ratio (V C/D), and average cup to disc ratio (A C/D). Another 23 gender- and age-matched healthy controls (48.18 ± 9.40 years old) underwent scanning once for comparison. The group difference in DC was calculated in each voxel, and the correlations between the DC value and each of the clinical variables were analyzed in the PACG patients.Preoperative PACG (pre-PACG) patients showed significantly decreased DC in the bilateral visual cortices but increased DC in the left anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) and caudate (p < 0.05, corrected) compared with the controls. Statistical analysis showed a significantly negative correlation between DC in the bilateral visual cortices and the IOP score and between DC in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) and both the A C/D and V C/D scores in the pre-PACG patients. Three months after surgery, these postoperative PACG (post-PACG) patients showed a significantly increased DC in both the bilateral visual cortices and the left precentral gyrus compared with the pre-PACG patients.Our results suggest that PACG may contribute to decreased functional centrality in the visual system and to increased degree centrality in cognition-emotional processing regions. Alterations in visual areas seem to parallel the cup to disc ratio, but not the duration of angle closure. The changes of functional centrality in PACG patients after operation may reveal the plasticity or degeneration of the visual-associated brain areas. Our findings may provide further understanding of the pathophysiology of PACG.