10 research outputs found

    Protection of flunarizine on cerebral mitochondria injury induced by cortical spreading depression under hypoxic conditions

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    A rat cortical spreading depression (CSD) model was established to explore whether cerebral mitochondria injury was induced by CSD under both normoxic and hypoxic conditions and whether flunarizine had a protective effect on cerebral mitochondria. SD rats, which were divided into seven groups, received treatment as follows: no intervention (control Group I); 1Ā M NaCl injections (Group II); 1Ā M KCl injections (Group III); intraperitoneal flunarizine (3Ā mg/kg) 30Ā min before KCl injections (Group IV); 14% O2 inhalation before NaCl injections (Group V); 14% O2 inhalation followed by KCl injections (Group VI); 14% O2 inhalation and intraperitoneal flunarizine followed by KCl injections (Group VII). Following treatment, brains were removed for the analysis of mitochondria transmembrane potential (MMP) and oxidative respiratory function after recording the number, amplitude and duration of CSD. The duration of CSD was significantly longer in Group VI than that in Group III. The number and duration of CSD in Group VII was significantly lower than that in Group VI. MMP in Group VI was significantly lower than that in Group III, and MMP in Group VII was significantly higher than that in Group VI. State 4 respiration in Group VI was significantly higher than that in Group III, and state 3 respiration in Group VII was significantly higher than that in Group VI. Respiration control of rate in Group VII was also significantly higher than that in Group VI. Thus, we concluded that aggravated cerebral mitochondria injury might be attributed to CSD under hypoxic conditions. Flunarizine can alleviate such cerebral mitochondria injury under both normoxic and hypoxic conditions

    Abnormal brain functional connectivity of the hypothalamus in cluster headaches.

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    The aim of this study was to detect the abnormality of the brain functional connectivity of the hypothalamus during acute spontaneous cluster headache (CH) attacks ('in attack') and headache-free intervals ('out of attack') using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (RS-fMRI) technique. The RS-fMRI data from twelve male CH patients during 'in attack' and 'out of attack' periods and twelve age- and sex-matched normal controls were analyzed by the region-of-interest -based functional connectivity method using SPM5 software. Abnormal brain functional connectivity of the hypothalamus is present in CH, which is located mainly in the pain system during the spontaneous CH attacks. It extends beyond the pain system during CH attack intervals

    Investigation into the nitrate removal efficiency and microbial communities in a sequencing batch reactor treating reverse osmosis concentrate produced by a coking wastewater treatment plant

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    <p>In this study, a biological denitrifying process using a sequencing batch reactor (SBR) was employed to treat reverse osmosis (RO) concentrate with high conductivity produced from a coking wastewater plant. From the results, the average removal efficiencies for chemical oxygen demand, total nitrogen, and nitrate were 79.5%, 90.5%, and 93.1%, respectively. Different microbial communities were identified after sequencing the V1ā€“V3 region of the 16S rRNA gene using the MiSeq platform, and the major bacterial phyla in the SBR system were <i>Proteobacteria</i> and <i>Bacteroidetes</i>. The main microorganisms responsible for denitrification were from the genera <i>Hyphomicrobium, Thauera, Methyloversatilis</i>, and <i>Rhodobacter</i>. Quantitative real-time PCR was used to quantify the absolute levels of denitrifying genes, including <i>narG, nirS, nirK, and nosZ</i>, during the start-up and stable operation of the SBR. The abundances of <i>narG, nirK</i>, and <i>nosZ</i> were lower during stable operation than those in the start-up period. The abundance of <i>nirS</i> at a concentration of 10<sup>4</sup>ā€“10<sup>5</sup> copies/ng in DNA was much higher than that of <i>nirK</i>, making it the dominant functional gene responsible for nitrite reduction. The higher nitrate removal efficiency suggests that biological denitrification using SBR is an effective technique for treating RO concentrate produced from coking wastewater plants.</p

    The concurrent disturbance of dynamic functional and structural brain connectome in major depressive disorder: the prefronto-insular pathway

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    Background: Robust evidence has shown that abnormal function networks, particularly the salience network (SN), are observed in depressed patients. Although white matter structural connectivity may predict time-varying functional connectivity, including symptom phenotype, in psychiatric disorders, there is still a gap in elucidating the concurrent dynamic functional and structural connectivity profiles of the SN in depressed patients. Methods: We measured static and dynamic functional connectivity (FC) of the SN using resting-state fMRI BOLD time series in 76 subjects (21 with major depressive disorder (MDD), 27 with bipolar depression (BD), and 28 healthy controls (HC)). Hamilton Depression Scale total score was used to measure depression severity. Furthermore, we investigated the concurrent structural connectivity using diffusion kurtosis imaging (DKI)-based tractography. Results: Our findings suggested that in the presence of MDD, both structural and dynamic (but not static) FC were reduced in the SN, particularly affecting the left prefronto-insular pathways (L.aPFC-L.insula). MDD patients showed decreased connectivity variability within the SN compared with HC. The aberrant dynamic FC in the prefronto-insular pathways of the SN related to severity of depressive symptoms in MDD. Furthermore, compared with BD patients, those with MDD showed significantly decreased dynamic FC in the left prefronto-parietal system (L.aPFC-lateral parietal cortex). Limitations: The generalizability of our findings is, to some extent, constrained by the small sample size. Conclusions: The integrity of SN connectivity, particularly the prefronto-insular pathway, appears to be a crucial signature of MDD. The perturbed dynamic interaction of SN with prefrontal regions may underlie the clinical severity in depressed patients

    Altered functional connectivity of the hypothalamus and the mean functional connectivity with the right hypothalamus for each subject in CH patients during the <i>ā€˜in attackā€™</i> periods vs.

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    <p>those during the <i>ā€˜out of attackā€™</i> periods. (A) Brain regions showing significantly increased functional connectivity with the right hypothalamus in CH patients during the <i>ā€˜in attackā€™</i> periods in comparison to those during the <i>ā€˜out of attackā€™</i> periods, thresholded at P<0.05, corrected by Monte Carlo simulations. Color bar indicates the <i>t</i>-score. <i>R</i>, right; <i>L</i>, Left. Brain regions in three dimensions including the bilateral anterior cingulate cortex (B), the right parahippocampal gyrus, hippocampus and amygdale (C), and the bilateral frontal cortex (D), together with other brain regions such as the right angular, supramarginal gyrus, insula, superior temporal gyrus and precuneus (E), and the left precuneus, parietal lobe, posterior cingulate cortex and occipital lobe (F) showing the corresponding scattergram of the mean functional connectivity with the right hypothalamus for each subject in CH patients during the <i>ā€˜in attackā€™</i> and <i>ā€˜out of attackā€™</i> periods.</p

    Increased functional connectivity of the hypothalamus in CH patients during the <i>ā€˜in attackā€™</i> periods vs. those during the <i>ā€˜out of attackā€™</i> periods.

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    <p>Threshold: <i>P</i><0.05 (corrected by Monte Carlo simulation).</p><p>R, right; L, left; B, bilateral; BA, Broadmann Area; ACC, anterior cingulate cortex; SFG, superior frontal gyrus; MFG, middle frontal gyrus; IFG, inferior frontal gyrus; RG, rectal gyrus; OG, orbital gyrus; STG, superior temporal gyrus; PCC, posterior cingulate cortex; -, no BA.</p

    Altered functional connectivity of the hypothalamus in CH patients during the <i>ā€˜out of attackā€™</i> periods vs. that in normal controls.

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    <p>Threshold: <i>P</i><0.05 (corrected by Monte Carlo simulation).</p><p><i>t</i>-score >0 and <i>t</i>-score <0 respectively signify the brain region had increased and decreased functional connectivity with the right hypothalamus in CH patients during the ā€˜<i>out of attack</i>ā€™ period vs. normal controls.</p><p>R, right; L, left; BA, Broadmann Area; IFG, inferior frontal gyrus; STG, superior temporal gyrus; MTG, middle temporal gyrus; TP, temporal pole; SPL, superior parietal lobule; IPL, inferior parietal lobule.</p
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