Distinct resting-state functional connectivity patterns of Anterior Insula affected by smoking in mild cognitive impairment.

Smoking is a modifiable risk factor for Alzheimer's disease (AD). The insula plays a vital role in both smoking and cognition. However, the smoking effects on insula-related networks in cognitively normal controls (CN) and mild cognitive impairment (MCI) patients remain unknown.

Effects of APOE ε2 allele on basal forebrain functional connectivity in mild cognitive impairment.

Background: Basal forebrain cholinergic system (BFCS) dysfunction is associated with cognitive decline in Alzheimer's disease (AD) and mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Apolipoprotein E (APOE) ε2 is a protective genetic factor in AD and MCI, and cholinergic sprouting depends on APOE.

Objective: We investigated the effect of the APOE ε2 allele on BFCS functional connectivity (FC) in cognitively normal (CN) subjects and MCI patients.

The longitudinal association between cognitive impairment and incident visual impairment in a multiethnic Asian population: a prospective cohort study.

Background: The relationship between baseline cognitive impairment (CI) and incident visual impairment (VI) in Asians is unclear.

Objective: To determine the associations between baseline CI with incident VI and visual acuity (VA) at 6-year follow-up in multiethnic Asians.

Design: Cohort.

Intrinsic Brain Activity of Inferior Temporal Region Increased in Prodromal Alzheimer's Disease With Hearing Loss.

Background And Objective: Hearing loss (HL) is one of the modifiable risk factors for Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, the underlying mechanism behind HL in AD remains elusive. A possible mechanism is cognitive load hypothesis, which postulates that over-processing of degraded auditory signals in the auditory cortex leads to deficits in other cognitive functions.

Exploration of the Mechanism Underlying the Association of Incident Microinfarct and Motor Deficit: A Preliminary Functional MRI Study.

Background: Cerebral microinfarcts (CMIs) might cause measurable disruption to brain connections and are associated with cognitive decline, but the association between CMIs and motor impairment is still unclear.

Objective: To assess the CMIs effect on motor function in vivo and explore the potential neuropathological mechanism based on graph-based network method.

Methods: We identified 133 non-demented middle-aged and elderly participants who underwent MRI scanning, cognitive, and motor assessment.

Effects of APOE ε2 on the Fractional Amplitude of Low-Frequency Fluctuation in Mild Cognitive Impairment: A Study Based on the Resting-State Functional MRI.

Background: Apolipoprotein E (APOE) ε2 is a protective genetic factor for Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, the potential interaction effects between the APOE ε2 allele and disease status on the intrinsic brain activity remain elusive.

Methods: We identified 73 healthy control (HC) with APOE ε3/ε3, 61 mild cognitive impairment (MCI) subjects with APOE ε3/ε3, 24 HC with APOE ε2/ε3, and 10 MCI subjects with APOE ε2/ε3 from the ADNI database.

Distinct fiber-specific white matter reductions pattern in early- and late-onset Alzheimer's disease.

Background: The underlying white matter impairment in patients with early and late-onset Alzheimer's disease (EOAD and LOAD) is still unclear, and this might due to the complex AD pathology.

Methods: We included 31 EOAD, 45 LOAD, and 64 younger, 46 elder controls in our study to undergo MRI examinations. Fiber density (FD) and fiber bundle cross-section (FC) were measured using fixel-based analysis based on diffusion weighted images.

Distinct impaired patterns of intrinsic functional network centrality in patients with early- and late-onset Alzheimer's disease.

Early-onset Alzheimer's disease (EOAD) involves multiple cognitive domains and shows more rapid progression than late-onset Alzheimer's disease (LOAD). However, the difference in pathogenesis between EOAD and LOAD is still unclear. Accordingly, we applied intrinsic network analysis to explore the potential neuropathological mechanism underlying distinct clinical phenotypes.

The Influence of Cerebral Small Vessel Disease on Static and Dynamic Functional Network Connectivity in Subjects Along Alzheimer's Disease Continuum.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a chronic neurodegenerative disorder frequently accompanied by cerebral small vessel disease (CSVD). However, the influence of CSVD on the brain functional connectivity in subjects along the AD continuum is still largely unknown. The current study combined the static and dynamic functional network connectivity (FNC) to explore the underlying mechanism.

Nursing rounds: A quality improvement project to improve outpatient satisfaction.

Aim: To implement the nursing rounds to improve the quality and patient satisfaction of the outpatient department.

Background: Patient satisfaction is one of the most critical standards for judging the quality of hospitals. Clinical daily nursing rounds significantly increase patient satisfaction and influence safety.

The clinical role of contrast enhanced ultrasound in differential diagnosis of BI-RADS 4 breast disease.

Objective: To clarify the clinical role of contrast enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) in predicting BI-RADS 4 breast disease.

Methods: A total of 92 sites of BI-RADS 4 breast diseases were reassessed by routine ultrasound and CEUS. The main indicators of routine ultrasound, CEUS and the combination of the two modalities were picked up by binary logistic regression analysis, scoring 0 for benign and 1 for malignant characteristics with pathology as referential standard to generate corresponding score systems of them.

Genetic Variation of the Kalirin Gene is Associated with ICAS in the Chinese Population.

Intracranial atherosclerotic stenosis (ICAS) is one of the most common causes of ischemic stroke (IS), especially in recurrent patients. Several studies have demonstrated an intimate association between the genetic mutation of the KALRN gene and IS. The main aim of this study was to clarify the relationship between three single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of KALRN and ICAS in a northern Chinese population and further explore the underlining mechanism.

Altered effective connectivity anchored in the posterior cingulate cortex and the medial prefrontal cortex in cognitively intact elderly APOE ε4 carriers: a preliminary study.

The APOE ε4 allele is associated with impaired intrinsic functional connectivity in neural networks, especially in the default mode network (DMN). However, effective connectivity (EC) reflects the direct causal effects of one brain region to another, which has rarely been investigated. Recently, Granger causality analysis (GCA) proved suitable for the study of directionality in neuronal interactions.

Abnormal of inter-hemispheric functional connectivity in elderly subjects with overweight/obesity.

Background: There is a growing literature documenting a variety of brain abnormalities associated with obesity. However, little is known about the effects of obesity on inter-hemispheric connectivity in aging people.

Methods: Participants included 61 cognitively intact elderly (including people with obesity, overweight, and lean controls) who underwent structural MRI, resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rsfMRI) and standard neuropsychological batteries.

Alteration of regional homogeneity and white matter hyperintensities in amnestic mild cognitive impairment subtypes are related to cognition and CSF biomarkers.

Amnestic mild cognitive impairment can be further classified as single-domain aMCI (SD-aMCI) with isolated memory deficit, or multi-domain aMCI (MD-aMCI) if memory deficit is combined with impairment in other cognitive domains. Prior studies reported these clinical subtypes presumably differ in etiology. Thus, we aimed to explore the possible mechanisms between different aMCI subtypes by assessing alteration in brain activity and brain vasculature, and their relations with CSF AD biomarkers.

Affect of APOE on information processing speed in non-demented elderly population: a preliminary structural MRI study.

APOE is one of the strongest genetic factors associated with information processing speed (IPS). Herein, we explored the neural substrates underlying APOE-related IPS alteration by measuring lobar distribution of white matter hyperintensities (WMH), cortical grey matter volume (GMV) and thickness. Using the ADNI database, we evaluated 178 cognitively normal elderly individuals including 34 APOE ε2 carriers, 54 APOE ε4 carriers and 90 ε3 homozygotes.

Efficacy and safety of quetiapine extended release monotherapy in bipolar depression: a multi-center, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.

Rationale: Quetiapine extended release (XR) has been used to treat various psychiatric disorders, including depressive episodes associated with bipolar I and II disorders. Quetiapine XR is the first approved drug in China for the treatment of bipolar disorder.

Objectives: The study evaluated the efficacy and safety of short-term quetiapine XR monotherapy in the treatment of depressive episodes of bipolar I and II disorders.