Deficits of case marker processing in persons with mild cognitive impairment

The purpose of the current study was to investigate whether persons with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) showed deficits in processing case markers compared to normal elderly adults (NEA). Results revealed that individuals with MCI presented significantly lower accuracy than the NEA group on a case marker processing (CMP) task. Both groups showed greater difficulties in the passive sentences than sentences with the transitive verbs. The current results suggested that individuals with early stage of dementia started presenting deficits in case marker processing compared to the control group

Fundamental Bounds in Measurements for Estimating Quantum States

Quantum measurement unavoidably disturbs the state of a quantum system if any information about the system is extracted. Recently, the concept of reversing quantum measurement has been introduced and has attracted much attention. Numerous efforts have thus been devoted to understanding the fundamental relation of the amount of information obtained by measurement to either state disturbance or reversibility. Here, we experimentally prove the trade-off relations in quantum measurement with respect to both state disturbance and reversibility. By demonstrating the quantitative bound of the trade-off relations, we realize an optimal measurement for estimating quantum systems with minimum disturbance and maximum reversibility. Our results offer fundamental insights on quantum measurement and practical guidelines for implementing various quantum information protocols

Sorafenib Modulates the LPS- and A beta-Induced Neuroinflammatory Response in Cells, Wild-Type Mice, and 5xFAD Mice

Sorafenib is FDA-approved for the treatment of primary kidney or liver cancer, but its ability to inhibit many types of kinases suggests it may have potential for treating other diseases. Here, the effects of sorafenib on neuroinflammatory responses in vitro and in vivo and the underlying mechanisms were assessed. Sorafenib reduced the induction of mRNA levels of the proinflammatory cytokines COX-2 and IL-1 beta by LPS in BV2 microglial cells, but in primary astrocytes, only COX-2 mRNA levels were altered by sorafenib. Interestingly, sorafenib altered the LPS-mediated neuroinflammatory response in BV2 microglial cells by modulating AKT/P38-linked STAT3/NF-kB signaling pathways. In LPS-stimulated wild-type mice, sorafenib administration suppressed microglial/astroglial kinetics and morphological changes and COX-2 mRNA levels by decreasing AKT phosphorylation in the brain. In 5xFAD mice (an Alzheimer's disease model), sorafenib treatment daily for 3 days significantly reduced astrogliosis but not microgliosis. Thus, sorafenib may have therapeutic potential for suppressing neuroinflammatory responses in the brain. © 2021 Kim, Park, Park and Hoe.1

Predictive Scale for Amyloid PET Positivity Based on Clinical and MRI Variables in Patients with Amnestic Mild Cognitive Impairment

The presence of amyloid-β (Aβ) deposition is considered important in patients with amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI), since they can progress to Alzheimer's disease dementia. Amyloid positron emission tomography (PET) has been used for detecting Aβ deposition, but its high cost is a significant barrier for clinical usage. Therefore, we aimed to develop a new predictive scale for amyloid PET positivity using easily accessible tools. Overall, 161 aMCI patients were recruited from six memory clinics and underwent neuropsychological tests, brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), apolipoprotein E (APOE) genotype testing, and amyloid PET. Among the potential predictors, verbal and visual memory tests, medial temporal lobe atrophy, APOE genotype, and age showed significant differences between the Aβ-positive and Aβ-negative groups and were combined to make a model for predicting amyloid PET positivity with the area under the curve (AUC) of 0.856. Based on the best model, we developed the new predictive scale comprising integers, which had an optimal cutoff score ≥ 3. The new predictive scale was validated in another cohort of 98 participants and showed a good performance with AUC of 0.835. This new predictive scale with accessible variables may be useful for predicting Aβ positivity in aMCI patients in clinical practice

Association between harmful alcohol use and periodontal status according to gender and smoking

BACKGROUND: the aim of this study is to assess the association of harmful alcohol use based on the alcohol use disorders identification test (AUDIT) score with periodontal status according to gender and smoking in a representative sample of Korean adults. METHODS: This study analyzed 5,291 participants older than 19 years whose data of harmful alcohol use and periodontal status were available. Harmful alcohol use was defined by the WHO guidelines for the administration of AUDIT. The periodontal status was assessed by the Community Periodontal Index (CPI). Multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed with adjustment for socio-demographic variables, oral and general health behavior, oral health status and systemic conditions. All analyses considered a complex sampling design, and multivariate analysis was also performed in the subgroups. RESULTS: Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed a marginal association between harmful alcohol use and higher CPI in the total sample. The adjusted odds ratio (OR) of harmful alcohol use was 1.16 (0.97 to 1.38) for higher CPI. Higher CPI was significantly associated with harmful alcohol use in men (OR: 1.28; 95% CI: 1.03-1.60) and non-smokers (OR: 1.29; 95% CI: 1.06-1.57). CONCLUSION: Periodontal status is significantly associated with harmful alcohol use in men and non-smokers in a representative sample of Korean adults

Comparison of cytokine expression profiles in infants with a rhinovirus induced lower respiratory tract infection with or without wheezing: a comparison with respiratory syncytial virus

PurposeThe aim of this study was to evaluate whether infants with rhinovirus (RV) infection-induced wheezing and those with respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection-induced wheezing have different cytokine profiles in the acute stage.MethodsOf the infants with lower respiratory tract infection (LRTI) between September 2011 and May 2012, 88 were confirmed using reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction and hospitalized. Systemic interferon-gamma (IFN-γ), interleukin (IL)-2, IL-12, IL-4, IL-5, IL-13, and Treg-type cytokine (IL-10) responses were examined with multiplex assay using acute phase serum samples.ResultsOf the 88 patients, 38 had an RV infection (RV group) and 50 had an RSV infection (RSV group). In the RV group, the IFN-γ and IL-10 concentrations were higher in the patients with than in the patients without wheezing (P=0.022 and P=0.007, respectively). In the RSV group, the differences in IFN-γ and IL-10 concentrations did not reach statistical significance between the patients with and the patients without wheezing (P=0.105 and P=0.965, respectively). The IFN-γ and IL-10 concentrations were not significantly different between the RV group with wheezing and the RSV group with wheezing (P=0.155 and P=0.801, respectively), in contrast to the significant difference between the RV group without wheezing and the RSV group without wheezing (P=0.019 and P=0.035, respectively).ConclusionIn comparison with RSV-induced LRTI, RV-induced LRTI combined with wheezing showed similar IFN-γ and IL-10 levels, which may have an important regulatory function

Combined Effects of Surface Morphology and Mechanical Straining Magnitudes on the Differentiation of Mesenchymal Stem Cells without Using Biochemical Reagents

Existing studies examining the control of mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) differentiation into desired cell types have used a variety of biochemical reagents such as growth factors despite possible side effects. Recently, the roles of biomimetic microphysical environments have drawn much attention in this field. We studied MSC differentiation and changes in gene expression in relation to osteoblast-like cell and smooth muscle-like cell type resulting from various microphysical environments, including differing magnitudes of tensile strain and substrate geometries for 8 days. In addition, we also investigated the residual effects of those selected microphysical environment factors on the differentiation by ceasing those factors for 3 days. The results of this study showed the effects of the strain magnitudes and surface geometries. However, the genes which are related to the same cell type showed different responses depending on the changes in strain magnitude and surface geometry. Also, different responses were observed three days after the straining was stopped. These data confirm that controlling microenvironments so that they mimic those in vivo contributes to the differentiation of MSCs into specific cell types. And duration of straining engagement was also found to play important roles along with surface geometry

Liquid crystal display using combined fringe and in-plane electric fields

A high performance liquid crystal display using combined fringe and in-plane horizontal electric fields is proposed. The strong electric fields cause more liquid crystals to reorient almost in plane above and between the pixel electrodes. As a result, the operation voltage is lower and transmittance is higher than those of fringe field switching and in-plane switching modes, while preserving a wide viewing angle. Such a high performance device is particularly attractive for large panel liquid crystal displays