[en] Objective: To investigate alternations of effective connections between robustly impaired regions at resting state in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2DM) by using employing Granger causality analysis, so that to explore the neuromechanism of diabetic brain damage. Methods: Twenty T2DM patients and 20 matched healthy controls were prospectively enrolled. All subjects underwent resting state functional MRI (fMRI) scans and a battery of neuropsychological assessments. T2DM robustly impaired regions were determined based on previous meta-analysis results (left lingual gyrus, right posterior cerebellum, left postcentral gyrus, and right insula). REST-GCA package was used to calculate Granger causality values (effective connectivity) between any two robustly impaired regions. The normalized ratios of granger causality values were calculated with SPSS software. The neuropsychological assessments, clinical variables, Granger causality values, and normalized ratios of Granger causality values were compared between the two groups by t test. Linear correlation model was used to evaluate the correlations between the Granger causality values and the neuropsychological assessments or clinical variables. Results: The glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) was higher, and the clock drawing test (CDT) score was lower in the T2DM group than in the HC group (both P < 0.05). Compared with the HC group, the normalized ratios of Granger causality were significantly decreased from right posterior cerebellum to right insula, from left lingual gyrus to left postcentral gyrus, and were significantly increased from right insula to left postcentral gyrus in the T2DM group (all P < 0.05). The effective connectivity form left postcentral gyrus to right insula was decreased (P < 0.05). The Granger causality value of T2DM patients from left postcentral gyrus to right insula was negatively correlated with HbA1c (r = -0.523, P = 0.02). Conclusion: This study suggests a specific directional alteration of effective connections in T2DM, the decreased connections may reveal the neurological basis of peripheral neuropathy in patients with T2DM. (authors)

[en] Objective: To explore the changes and effect of functional connectivity(FC) of reward network in chronic heroin addicts(HA) using resting-state fMRl(rs-fMRI). Methods: rs-fMRI was performed on 26 chronic heroin addicts(HA group) and 25 matched normal volunteers(control group). The rs-fMRI data were proceeded by using rs-fMRI(DPARSF) software on Matlab 2009a. Bilateral nucleus accumbens(Nacc) were set as ROIs. Then the mean time series of ROI were compared with other voxels within the brain by the rs-fMRI data analysis toolkit(REST). Intra-and inter-group analysis was performed with single sample and two sample t test respectively. The association of intensity of FC in brain regions and the duration/doses of heroin consumption was investigated. Results: In HA group, positive resting-state FC compared with the ROIs was found in frontal gyms, dorsal striatum, thalamus and pons, while temporal lobe, negative found in part of parietal cortex and occipital cortex, part of dorsal lateral prefrontal cortex and cerebellum. Within control group, positive FC compared with the ROIs was found in frontal gyms, dorsal striatum, thalamus, hippocampal gyrus and pons, occipital cortex, negative FC with ROIs found in part of dorsal lateral prefrontal cortex and cerebellum(P < 0.005, voxels > 26). Compared with the control group,the FC between the right Nacc and the bilateral calcarinegyrus, left middle occipital gyrus (voxel number = 31, 28, 47; t = 3.99, 3.74, 3.74; and P < 0.005, respectively) were significantly increased in the HA group. The FC between the left Nacc and left fusiform gyrus and right precuneus (voxel number = 40, 26; t = 3.77, 3.57; and P < 0.005, respectively) were significantly increased, while between the left Nacc and left dorsal medial/lateral prefrontal cortex and bilateral dorsal anterior cingulate (voxel number = 98; t = -4.14; and P < 0.005) were significantly decreased in the HA group. There was no correlation between the abnormal FC and the duration/doses of heroin consumption in HA group (P > 0.05). Conclusion: The abnormal interaction between Nacc and the regions involved in cognitive control and visual spatial attention nay contribute to the heroin addiction. (authors)

[en] Objective: To explore local changes of spontaneous brain activity related to auditory hallucination in schizophrenia using amplitude of low frequency fluctuation (ALFF). Methods: 33 schizophrenia patients with (16) and without (17) auditory hallucination underwent resting functional MRI study. Values of ALFF were calculated and compared between the patients with and without auditory hallucination. Correlation analysis between ALFF values and the severity of auditory hallucination was performed. Results: The ALFF values were significantly lower in the occipital cortex and significantly higher in the left angular gyrus, supra marginal gyrus and superior temporal gyrus of patients with than that of patients without auditory hallucination. The correlation analysis showed that the ALFF value of left angular gyrus was positively correlated (P = 0.006, R = 0.550) and the ALFF value of the occipital cortex was negatively correlated (P = 0.007, R = -0.53) with severity of auditory hallucination. Conclusion: The functional abnormalities of local spontaneous brain activity in the schizophrenia patients with auditory hallucination suggest that the auditory language processing function is over-activated and the visual information processing function is impaired. (authors)

[en] Objective: This meta-analysis aims to identify consistent results of vulnerable brain regions through the existing resting-state fMRI studies, thus exploring the changes of neural spontaneous brain activity in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2 DM) patients. Methods: A systematic analysis of studies on brain resting-state changes in T2 DM patients using ALFF, fALFF and ReHo analysis. The meta-analysis was based on the activation likelihood estimation method, using the software of Ginger ALE 2.3. Results: Ten studies from 7 references (188 T2 DM patients and 170 healthy controls) were included. Based on the analysis of ALFF and ReHo data, this meta-analysis identified the robust reduction of resting-state spontaneous brain activity in T2 DM patients, including the left lingual gyrus of occipital lobe, right cerebellum posterior lobe, left postcentral gyrus and right insula (cluster size = 800, 488, 368, 256 mm³, P < 0.05 after FDR correction), while no increased spontaneous brain activation was found in any regions. The meta-analysis from ReHo studies showed reduced resting-state spontaneous brain activity in the left lingual gyrus of occipital lobe, left postcentral gyrus, right insula and posterior cingulum/lingual gyrus (cluster size = 832, 368, 280, 232 mm³, P < 0.05 after FDR correction), while no increased spontaneous brain activation was found in any regions. Conclusion: This meta-analysis study using the activation likelihood estimation method demonstrated that the resting-state spontaneous brain anomalies in T2 DM patients might contribute to exploring mechanism underlying diabetic encephalopathy. (authors)

[en] Objective: To investigate changes in cerebral cortical surface in patients with vestibular migraine using surface-based morphometry (SBM), and the correlations between regional cortical thickness and patients' clinical parameters. Methods: 20 healthy volunteers as normal control and 20 patients with vestibular migraine were enrolled according to the inclusion criteria. Each subject underwent 3-D whole brain MRI. By applying computational anatomy toolbox (CAT12), the cerebral cortical thickness of the two groups was compared. Correlations between patients' clinical parameters and the local cortical abnormality were computed by Pearson correlation analysis. Results: Compared to the normal controls, the patients with vestibular migraine had significantly (P < 0.05) decreased cortical thickness in the left lingual, left inferior frontal pars opercularis, right superior frontal, right superior temporal, right lingual, right pericalcarine, right inferior frontal pars opercularis and pars triangularis gyri. The right superior frontal cortical thickness was negatively correlated with disease duration (r = -0.065, P = 0.002). Conclusion: Multiple regions of cortical thinning are found in patients with vestibular migraine. The right superior frontal cortical thickness was inversely related to disease duration. (authors)

[en] Metallic actuators have received a wide range of attention in the past two decades because of their larger strains than piezoelectric ceramics and higher strength relative to conducting polymers. However, the metallic actuators composed of noble metals are limited to the high material cost for further development and practical applications. Here, nanoporous CuMnNi (np-CMN) alloys are fabricated from a ternary Mn${}_{70}$Cu${}_{20}$Ni${}_{10}$ precursor through an electrochemical dealloying method, and their microstructures/compositions are further regulated through different electrochemical processes (multi-step and two-step). The np-CMN alloys show good electrochemical actuation properties in 1 m NaOH solution, and the sample obtained from two-step dealloying exhibits much better actuation performance than that from multi-step dealloying. The maximum strain amplitude of np-CMN could reach up to 0.46%, which is comparable to or even better than that of noble metal-based actuators. Our work indicates that the low-cost np-CMN alloy could be a competitive material among electrochemical metallic actuators. (© 2022 Wiley‐VCH GmbH)

[en] ObjectiveTo explore an MRI-based radiomics nomogram for preoperatively predicting of pelvic lymph node (PLN) metastasis in patients with early-stage cervical cancer (ECC).