ObjectiveInvestigating functional specialization is crucial for a complete understanding of the neural mechanisms of primary insomnia (PI). Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) is a useful tool to explore the functional specialization of PI. However, only a few studies have focused on the functional specialization of PI using resting-state fMRI and results of these studies were far from consistent. Thus, the current study aimed to investigate functional specialization of PI using resting-state fMRI with amplitude of low frequency fluctuations (ALFFs) algorithm.MethodsIn this study, 55 PI patients and 44 healthy controls were included. ALFF values were compared between the two groups using two-sample t-test. The relationship of abnormal ALFF values with clinical characteristics and duration of insomnia was investigated using Pearson’s correlation analysis.ResultsPI patients showed lower ALFF values in the left orbitofrontal cortex/inferior frontal gyrus, right middle frontal gyrus, left inferior parietal lobule, and bilateral cerebellum posterior lobes, while higher ALFF values in the right middle/inferior temporal that extended to the right occipital lobe. In addition, we found that the duration of PI negatively correlated with ALFF values in the left orbitofrontal cortex/inferior frontal gyrus, and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index score negatively correlated with ALFF values in the left inferior parietal lobule.ConclusionThe present study added information to limited studies on functional specialization and provided evidence for hyperarousal hypothesis in PI.
The investigation of the mechanism of insomnia could provide the basis for improved understanding and treatment of insomnia. The aim of this study is to investigate the abnormal functional connectivity throughout the entire brain of insomnia patients, and analyze the global distribution of these abnormalities. Whole brains of 50 patients with insomnia and 40 healthy controls were divided into 116 regions and abnormal connectivities were identified by comparing the Pearson’s correlation coefficients of each pair using general linear model analyses with covariates of age, sex, and duration of education. In patients with insomnia, regions that relate to wakefulness, emotion, worry/rumination, saliency/attention, and sensory-motor showed increased positive connectivity with each other; however, regions that often restrain each other, such as regions in salience network with regions in default mode network, showed decreased positive connectivity. Correlation analysis indicated that some increased positive functional connectivity was associated with the Self-Rating Depression Scale, Insomnia Severity Index, and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index scores. According to our findings, increased and decreased positive connectivities suggest function strengthening and function disinhibition, respectively, which offers a parsimonious explanation for the hyperarousal hypothesis in the level of the whole-brain functional connectivity in patients with insomnia.
AimStomach adenocarcinoma (STAD) is a common malignancy worldwide. This study aimed to identify the aberrantly expressed long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) in STAD.ResultsTotal of 74 DElncRNAs and 449 DEmRNAs were identified in STAD compared with paired non-tumor tissues. The DElncRNA/DEmRNA co-expression network was constructed, which covered 519 nodes and 2993 edges. The qRT-PCR validation results of DElncRNAs were consistent with our bioinformatics analysis based on RNA-sequencing. The DEmRNAs co-expressed with DElncRNAs were significantly enriched in gastric acid secretion, complement and coagulation cascades, pancreatic secretion, cytokine-cytokine receptor interaction and Jak-STAT signaling pathway. The expression levels of the nine candidate DElncRNAs in TCGA database were compatible with our RNA-sequencing. FEZF1-AS1, HOTAIR and LINC01234 had the potential diagnosis value for STAD.Materials and MethodsThe lncRNA and mRNA expression profile of 3 STAD tissues and 3 matched adjacent non-tumor tissues was obtained through high-throughput RNA-sequencing. Differentially expressed lncRNAs/mRNAs (DElncRNAs/DEmRNAs) were identified in STAD. DElncRNA/DEmRNA co-expression network construction, Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analyses were conducted to predict the biological functions of DElncRNAs. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) was subjected to validate the expression levels of DEmRNAs and DElncRNAs. Moreover, the expression of DElncRNAs was validated through The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. The diagnosis value of candidate DElncRNAs was accessed by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis.ConclusionsOur work might provide useful information for exploring the tumorigenesis mechanism of STAD and pave the road for identification of diagnostic biomarkers in STAD.
BackgroundGastric cancer (GC) is one of the most common malignant tumors in the world and in China the incidence and mortality rates of gastric cancer are the second highest among all forms of cancer. Annexin A11 (ANXA11) is a member of the annexins family. Previous studies have shown that ANXA11 participates in many cellular functions and has significant influence on ovarian, breast, liver, and colorectal cancer. However, the expression and biological functions of ANXA11 in GC are still unknown.Material/MethodsA total of 63 paired gastric cancer tissues and matched adjacent mucosa were used to measure the ANXA11 levels and its correlation with clinical characteristics. We carried out the biological functions and underlying mechanism study using SGC-7901and AGS cell lines.ResultsThe expression of ANXA11 in cancer tissues was higher than in adjacent mucosa at mRNA and protein levels. In clinicopathological analysis, we found that increased expression of ANXA11 was significantly associated with tumor size, tumor infiltration, local lymph node metastasis, TNM staging, and vascular invasion. Small interfering RNA (siRNA) silencing of ANXA11 inhibits cell proliferation, colony formation, migration, and invasion through the AKT/GSK-3β pathway.ConclusionsANXA11 plays a critical role in regulating GC proliferation, migration, and invasion via the AKT/GSK-3β pathway, and can potentially be used as a prognostic factor and therapeutic target for gastric cancer patients.
Background: End-stage renal disease (ESRD) is a serious public health problem, which can often lead to multiorgan dysfunction, such as cerebrovascular disease and cognitive damage. It is essential to understand cognitive impairment in patients with ESRD to develop better ESRD treatment and prevent further cognitive impairment. Cognitive impairment is believed to be related to structural abnormalities in the brain.Purpose: To investigate white matter microstructural abnormalities in patients with ESRD using TBSS analysis of DTI and to explore the possible mechanisms underlying the impaired cognitive function.Materials and Methods: A TBSS analysis of DTI data was to investigate the microstructural changes in their WM over the whole brain. We chose the white matter tracts or regions with significantly reduced FA as the regions of interest (ROIs), Pearson's correlations were performed between clinical indicators (Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), digit span task scores, serum creatinine, blood urea nitrogen and hemodialysis duration) and the mean FA value of the ROIs in the ESRD patients.Results: Lower FA and higher MD, AD and RD values were observed in widespread and symmetrical WM in ESRD patients than healthy controls (HCs), Pearson correlation analysis revealed a significantly positive correlation between the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) scores and FA values in the right corona radiata and left anterior thalamic radiation (ATR) and demonstrated a significantly negative correlation between FA values and the serum creatinine and blood urea nitrogen in the ATR (P < 0.01) in addition, digit span task scores positively correlate with the FA value in the left anterior rather than in the corona radiata. No cluster survived when we adopted the False Discovery Rate (FDR) correction to multiple comparisons.Conclusion: Our study indicate widespread impairment of the white matter in ESRD patients. Damage to the thalamic radiation and corona radiata may affect cognitive function in ESRD patients, the reduced integrity of ATR may tend to affect the working memory while the damage to the corona radiata may involve the executive function impaired in ESRD patients. The accumulation of serum creatinine and blood urea nitrogen may contribute to the WM impairment.
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