Morphological Study on Lenticulostriate Arteries in Patients With Middle Cerebral Artery Stenosis at 7 T MRI.

Background: Middle cerebral artery (MCA) stenosis affects lenticulostriate arteries (LSAs) that supply the basal ganglia. Increased spatial resolution and signal-to-noise ratio of 7 T could facilitate morphological imaging of very-small-diameter LSAs.

Purpose: To evaluate differences in morphological characteristics of LSA among different MCA stenoses.

Assessing Gene Therapy Efficacy in Infantile-Onset Pompe Disease: Myocardial Native T1 Values of CMR.

We report the novel finding of a widespread reduction in myocardial native T1 values and size of abnormal regions following gene therapy in a pediatric patient with infantile-onset Pompe disease. We emphasize the importance of serial cardiac magnetic resonance in assessing the efficacy of gene therapy and monitoring myocardial alterations in Pompe disease.

Predictors of discordance between CT-derived fractional flow reserve (CT-FFR) and △CT-FFR in deep coronary myocardial bridging.

Objective: To compare the performance between CT-derived fractional flow reserve (CT-FFR) and ΔCT-FFR measurements in patients with deep myocardial bridging (MB) along the left anterior descending artery, and explore the potential predictors of discordance.

Methods: 175 patients with deep MB who underwent coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) and CT-FFR assessment were included. Clinical, anatomical and atherosclerotic variables were compared between patients with concordant and discordant CT-FFR and ΔCT-FFR.

Altered intrinsic functional brain architecture in patients with functional constipation: a surface-based network study.

Background: Functional constipation (FCon) is a common functional gastrointestinal disorder (FGID). Studies have indicated a higher likelihood of psychiatric disorders, such as anxiety, depression, sleep disturbances, and impaired concentration, among patients with FCon. However, the underlying pathophysiological mechanisms responsible for these symptoms in FCon patients remain to be fully elucidated.

E674Q (Shanghai mutant), a novel amyloid precursor protein mutation, in familial late-onset Alzheimer's disease.

Identified as the pathogenic genes of Alzheimer's disease (AD), , , mainly lead to early-onset AD, whose course is more aggressive, and atypical symptoms are more common than sporadic AD. Here, a novel missense mutation, E674Q (also named "Shanghai "), was detected in a Chinese index patient with typical late-onset AD (LOAD) who developed memory decline in his mid-70s. The results from neuroimaging were consistent with AD, where widespread amyloid β deposition was demonstrated in F-florbetapir Positron Emission Tomography (PET).

TREM2 receptor protects against complement-mediated synaptic loss by binding to complement C1q during neurodegeneration.

Triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells 2 (TREM2) is strongly linked to Alzheimer's disease (AD) risk, but its functions are not fully understood. Here, we found that TREM2 specifically attenuated the activation of classical complement cascade via high-affinity binding to its initiator C1q. In the human AD brains, the formation of TREM2-C1q complexes was detected, and the increased density of the complexes was associated with lower deposition of C3 but higher amounts of synaptic proteins.

Aberrant intrinsic functional brain networks in patients with functional constipation.

Purpose: Patients with functional constipation (FCon) often suffer from mental and psychological problems. To explore the possible neurological interaction, we used resting-state functional magnetic imaging (RS-fMRI) to compare the alterations in intrinsic brain functional networks at multiple levels between patients with FCon and healthy controls (HC).

Methods: Twenty-eight patients with FCon and twenty-nine HC were recruited for a series of examinations and RS-fMRI.

Identification of the minimal active soluble TREM2 sequence for modulating microglial phenotypes and amyloid pathology.

Background: TREM2 is a microglial receptor genetically linked to the risk for Alzheimer's disease (AD). The cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) levels of soluble TREM2 (sTREM2) have emerged as a valuable biomarker for the disease progression in AD and higher CSF levels of sTREM2 are linked to slower cognitive decline. Increasing sTREM2 in mouse models of amyloidosis reduces amyloid-related pathology through modulating microglial functions, suggesting a beneficial role of sTREM2 in microglia biology and AD pathology.

The PB1 protein of influenza A virus inhibits the innate immune response by targeting MAVS for NBR1-mediated selective autophagic degradation.

Influenza A virus (IAV) has evolved various strategies to counteract the innate immune response using different viral proteins. However, the mechanism is not fully elucidated. In this study, we identified the PB1 protein of H7N9 virus as a new negative regulator of virus- or poly(I:C)-stimulated IFN induction and specifically interacted with and destabilized MAVS.

A Naturally Occurring Deletion in the Effector Domain of H5N1 Swine Influenza Virus Nonstructural Protein 1 Regulates Viral Fitness and Host Innate Immunity.

Nonstructural protein 1 (NS1) of influenza A virus regulates innate immune responses via various mechanisms. We previously showed that a naturally occurring deletion (the EALQR motif) in the NS1 effector domain of an H5N1 swine-origin avian influenza virus impairs the inhibition of type I interferon (IFN) in chicken fibroblasts and attenuates virulence in chickens. Here we found that the virus bearing this deletion in its NS1 effector domain showed diminished inhibition of IFN-related cytokine expression and attenuated virulence in mice.

Extraction, preliminary characterization and antioxidant properties of polysaccharides from the testa of Salicornia herbacea.

Response surface methodology and central composite design based on single-factor experiments were used to optimize the extraction parameters (i.e., extraction time, extraction temperature, and solid-liquid ratio) of polysaccharides from the testa of Salicornia herbacea (STP).