Previous studies have demonstrated altered metabolites in samples of Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients. However, the sample size from many of them is relatively small and the metabolites are relatively limited. Here we applied a comprehensive platform using ultraperformance liquid chromatography-time-of-flight mass spectrometry and gas chromatography-time-of-flight mass spectrometry to analyze plasma samples from AD patients, amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) patients, and normal controls. A biomarker panel consisting of six plasma metabolites (arachidonic acid, N,N-dimethylglycine, thymine, glutamine, glutamic acid, and cytidine) was identified to discriminate AD patients from normal control. Another panel of five plasma metabolites (thymine, arachidonic acid, 2-aminoadipic acid, N,N-dimethylglycine, and 5,8-tetradecadienoic acid) was able to differentiate aMCI patients from control subjects. Both biomarker panels had good agreements with clinical diagnosis. The 2 panels of metabolite markers were all involved in fatty acid metabolism, one-carbon metabolism, amino acid metabolism, and nucleic acid metabolism. Additionally, no altered metabolites were found among the patients at different stages, as well as among those on anticholinesterase medication and those without anticholinesterase medication. These findings provide a comprehensive global plasma metabolite profiling and may contribute to making early diagnosis as well as understanding the pathogenic mechanism of AD and aMCI.

Human-computer interaction-based comprehensive training may improve cognitive functions among cognitively impaired elderly individuals. The training effect was most prominent among those with milder cerebral atrophy.

Although the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD) is still not fully understood, it is acknowledged that intervention should be made at the early stage. Therefore, identifying biomarkers for the clinical diagnosis is critical.Metabolomics, a novel "omics", uses methods based on low-molecular-weight molecules, with high-throughput evaluation of a large number of metabolites that may lead to the identification of new disease-specific biomarkers and the elucidation of pathophysiological mechanisms. This review discusses metabolomics investigations of AD and potential future developments in this field.

Spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) is one of the most fatal form of stroke, with high mortality and disability rate. Small diffusion-weighed imaging lesions are not rare to see in regions remote from the hematoma after ICH and have been generally considered as related with poor outcome. In this review, we described the characteristics of remote ischemic lesions, discussed the possible mechanisms and clinical outcomes of these lesions, and evaluated the potential therapeutic implications.

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