Structural and functional connectivity abnormalities of the default mode network in patients with Alzheimer's disease and mild cognitive impairment within two independent datasets.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a chronic neurodegenerative disease characterized by progressive dementia, and amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) has been defined as a transitional stage between normal aging and AD. Accumulating evidence has shown that altered functional connectivity (FC) and structural connectivity (SC) in the default mode network (DMN) is the prominent hallmarks of AD. However, the relationship between the changes in SC and FC of the DMN is not yet clear.

Acupuncture treatment of hypertension with insomnia: A protocol for randomized, double-blind, placebo controlled trial research.

Introduction: Hypertension patients often suffered from insomnia problems which lowered the quality of life. Studies have shown that acupuncture is effective to treat perimenopausal and cancer-related insomnia. However, there is a lack of randomized controlled trials to support the effectiveness of acupuncture on insomnia of hypertension patients.

Turning a blind eye: Meritocracy moderates the impacts of social status on corruption perception.

Findings on the effect of social status on corruption perception are mixed. To make sense of the mixed results, three studies were conducted to examine whether meritocracy moderates this effect. In Study 1, we measured all variables using a questionnaire-based correlational design.

Characterizing white matter connectivity in Alzheimer's disease and mild cognitive impairment: An automated fiber quantification analysis with two independent datasets.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a chronic neurodegenerative disease characterized by progressive dementia. Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) has been widely used to show structural integrity and delineate white matter (WM) degeneration in AD. The automated fiber quantification (AFQ) method is a fully automated approach that can rapidly and reliably identify major WM fiber tracts and evaluate WM properties.

Default mode network integrity changes contribute to cognitive deficits in subcortical vascular cognitive impairment, no dementia.

Vascular cognitive impairment, no dementia (VCIND) refers to cognitive deficits associated with underlying vascular causes that are insufficient to confirm a diagnosis of dementia. The default mode network (DMN) is a large-scale brain network of interacting brain regions involved in attention, working memory and executive function. The role of DMN white matter integrity in cognitive deficits of VCIND patients is unclear.

Dexmedetomidine Ameliorates Post-CPB Lung Injury in Rats by Activating the PI3K/Akt Pathway.

To investigate the protective effects of dexmedetomidine (Dex) on post cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) lung injury in rats and to explore the possibility of underlying mechanisms involving phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/Akt. Forty healthy male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into five groups ( = 8 for each). A left lung ischemia-reperfusion injury model of CPB was established in all five groups.

[Treatment of knee flexion contracture with Ilizarov technology after burns].

Objective: To summarize the effectiveness of Ilizarov technique in the correction of flexion contracture deformity of the knee after burn.

Methods: Between April 2012 and July 2017, Ilizarov technique was used to treat 14 cases (17 knees) of knee flexion contracture patients. There were 11 males (13 knees) and 3 females (4 knees), with an age of 20-48 years (mean, 37 years).

Role of PI3K/Akt/NF-κB and GSK-3β pathways in the rat model of cardiopulmonary bypass-related lung injury.

Background: Apoptosis is a cellular mechanism contributing to cardiac surgery using cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB)-induced lung injury. The ubiquitous PI3K/Akt pathway regulates proliferation, apoptosis and differentiation by controlling a broad range of target proteins including NF-κB and GSK-3β. The roles of the PI3K/Akt/NF-κB and PI3K/Akt/GSK-3β pathways in CPB-related lung injury are unclear.

Pharmacological postconditioning with sevoflurane activates PI3K/AKT signaling and attenuates cardiopulmonary bypass-induced lung injury in dog.

Aims: Sevoflurane, a widely used inhaled anesthetic, showed valid protective effect against ischemia reperfusion injury in lung, however, the underlying molecular mechanisms has yet to be explained.

Materials And Methods: Dogs were divided into four groups: control group, cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) group, sevoflurane postconditioning group and wortmannin group. Arterial blood was obtained from each group to test the respiratory index and oxygenation index and pulmonary tissues were sampled for apoptotic TUNEL stain.