Investigating the Prevalence of Dementia and Its Associated Risk Factors in a Chinese Nursing Home

Shanhu Xu,Xiaoqing Jin,Caixia Liu,Yu Jin,Yingxu Chen,Linhui Chen,Saizhu Xu,Hongying Tang,Jing Yang 대한신경과학회 2017 Journal of Clinical Neurology Vol.13 No.1

Background and Purpose The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of and risk factors for dementia in residents aged 65 years and older in a Chinese nursing home. Methods A cross-sectional study was carried out in a nursing home located in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China. Cognitive status, including the presence of dementia and mild cognitive impairment (MCI), was measured using a combination of medical history and objective cognitive assessments. Logistic regression analysis was conducted to predict the associated risk factors. Results In total, 943 residents (334 males and 609 females) aged 84.00±6.67 years (mean± SD) were included. Dementia was diagnosed in 420 (44.5%) residents, and MCI was diagnosed in 195 (20.7%). Mild, moderate, and severe dementia were present in 20.3%, 14.0%, and 65.7% of those in the dementia group, respectively. Logistic regression analysis revealed that dementia was associated with a low education level (p=0.000), an advanced age (p=0.010), and a history of stroke (p=0.023). Conclusions Our study found a high prevalence of dementia in a Chinese nursing home, and a high prevalence of patients with severe dementia. Risk factors for dementia included a low educational level, an advanced age, and a history of stroke. Appropriate interventions need to be applied to this population.

Glia maturation factor beta deficiency protects against diabetic osteoporosis by suppressing osteoclast hyperactivity

Shi Si,Gu Huijie,Xu Jinyuan,Sun Wan,Liu Caiyin,Zhu Tong,Wang Juan,Gao Furong,Zhang Jieping,Ou Qingjian,Jin Caixia,Xu Jingying,Chen Hao,Li Jiao,Xu Guotong,Tian Haibin,Lu Lixia 생화학분자생물학회 2023 Experimental and molecular medicine Vol.55 No.-

Excessive osteoclast activation, which depends on dramatic changes in actin dynamics, causes osteoporosis (OP). The molecular mechanism of osteoclast activation in OP related to type 1 diabetes (T1D) remains unclear. Glia maturation factor beta (GMFB) is considered a growth and differentiation factor for both glia and neurons. Here, we demonstrated that Gmfb deficiency effectively ameliorated the phenotype of T1D-OP in rats by inhibiting osteoclast hyperactivity. In vitro assays showed that GMFB participated in osteoclast activation rather than proliferation. Gmfb deficiency did not affect osteoclast sealing zone (SZ) formation but effectively decreased the SZ area by decreasing actin depolymerization. When GMFB was overexpressed in Gmfb-deficient osteoclasts, the size of the SZ area was enlarged in a dose-dependent manner. Moreover, decreased actin depolymerization led to a decrease in nuclear G-actin, which activated MKL1/SRF-dependent gene transcription. We found that pro-osteoclastogenic factors (Mmp9 and Mmp14) were downregulated, while anti-osteoclastogenic factors (Cftr and Fhl2) were upregulated in Gmfb KO osteoclasts. A GMFB inhibitor, DS-30, targeting the binding site of GMFB and Arp2/3, was obtained. Biocore analysis revealed a high affinity between DS-30 and GMFB in a dose-dependent manner. As expected, DS-30 strongly suppressed osteoclast hyperactivity in vivo and in vitro. In conclusion, our work identified a new therapeutic strategy for T1D-OP treatment. The discovery of GMFB inhibitors will contribute to translational research on T1D-OP.

Transcranial direct current stimulation for spinal cord injury-associated neuropathic pain

( Caixia Li ),( Sukunya Jirachaipitak ),( Paul Wrigley ),( Hua Xu ),( Pramote Euasobhon ) 대한통증학회 2021 The Korean Journal of Pain Vol.34 No.2

Several types of pain occur following spinal cord injury (SCI); however, neuropathic pain (NP) is one of the most intractable. Invasive and non-invasive brain stimulation techniques have been studied in clinical trials to treat chronic NP following SCI. The evidence for invasive stimulation including motor cortex and deep brain stimulation via the use of implanted electrodes to reduce SCI-related NP remains limited, due to the small scale of existing studies. The lower risk of complications associated with non-invasive stimulation, including transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) and repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS), provide potentially attractive alternative central neuromodulation techniques. Compared to rTMS, tDCS is technically easier to apply, more affordable, available, and potentially feasible for home use. Accordingly, several new studies have investigated the efficacy of tDCS to treat NP after SCI. In this review, articles relating to the mechanisms, clinical efficacy and safety of tDCS on SCI-related NP were searched from inception to December 2019. Six clinical trials, including five randomized placebo-controlled trials and one prospective controlled trial, were included for evidence specific to the efficacy of tDCS for treating SCI-related NP. The mechanisms of action of tDCS are complex and not fully understood. Several factors including stimulation parameters and individual patient characteristics may affect the efficacy of tDCS intervention. Current evidence to support the efficacy of utilizing tDCS for relieving chronic NP after SCI remains limited. Further strong evidence is needed to confirm the efficacy of tDCS intervention for treating SCI-related NP.

Synthesis and Characterization of Magnetic Nanoparticles and Its Application in Lipase Immobilization

Xu, Jiakun,Ju, Caixia,Sheng, Jun,Wang, Fang,Zhang, Quan,Sun, Guolong,Sun, Mi Korean Chemical Society 2013 Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society Vol.34 No.8

We demonstrate herein the synthesis and modification of magnetic nanoparticles and its use in the immobilization of the lipase. Magnetic $Fe_3O_4$ nanoparticles (MNPs) were prepared by simple co-precipitation method in aqueous medium and then subsequently modified with tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) and 3-aminopropyl triethylenesilane (APTES). Silanization magnetic nanoparticles (SMNP) and amino magnetic nanomicrosphere (AMNP) were synthesized successfully. The morphology, structure, magnetic property and chemical composition of the synthetic MNP and its derivatives were characterized using transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) analysis, X-ray diffraction, superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) and thermogravimetric analyses (TGA). All of these three nanoparticles exhibited good crystallization performance, apparent superparamagnetism, and the saturation magnetization of MNP, SMNP, AMNP were 47.9 emu/g, 33.0 emu/g and 19.5 emu/g, respectively. The amino content was 5.66%. The AMNP was used to immobilize lipase, and the maximum adsorption capacity of the protein was 26.3 mg/g. The maximum maintained activity (88 percent) was achieved while the amount of immobilized lipase was 23.7 mg $g^{-1}$. Immobilization of enzyme on the magnetic nanoparticles can facilitate the isolation of reaction products from reaction mixture and thus lowers the cost of enzyme application.

The Improved Wavelet Threshold Function and Its Application

DENG Caixia,CHEN Xiaxia,LI Siqi,XU Yanxin 보안공학연구지원센터 2016 International Journal of Signal Processing, Image Vol.9 No.7

Images will produce noise in the process of storage and collection. Wavelet threshold de-noising is a simple and effective de-noising method, but the choice of threshold function is a key. The hard-threshold function is discontinuous and there is the deviation between the signal processed by the soft-threshold function and the real signal, so this paper constructs a new threshold function at the origin sufficiently smooth to deal with above problems. A parameter is added to the new threshold function, which is between the soft-threshold and hard-threshold function by adjusting the parameter. The new threshold function can remove the noise effectively, and the image information is well preserved. Hence it plays an important role in follow-up edge detection. The de-noising method with improved wavelet threshold is presented, and then uses morphological edge detection on the new image in this paper. The result shows that the method can detect the complete edge effectively, and the visual effect and objective evaluation are good.

Synthesis and Characterization of Magnetic Nanoparticles and Its Application in Lipase Immobilization

Jiakun Xu,Caixia Ju,Jun Sheng,Fang Wang,Quan Zhang,Guolong Sun,Mi Sun 대한화학회 2013 Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society Vol.34 No.8

We demonstrate herein the synthesis and modification of magnetic nanoparticles and its use in the immobilization of the lipase. Magnetic Fe3O4 nanoparticles (MNPs) were prepared by simple co-precipitation method in aqueous medium and then subsequently modified with tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) and 3- aminopropyl triethylenesilane (APTES). Silanization magnetic nanoparticles (SMNP) and amino magnetic nanomicrosphere (AMNP) were synthesized successfully. The morphology, structure, magnetic property and chemical composition of the synthetic MNP and its derivatives were characterized using transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) analysis, X-ray diffraction, superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) and thermogravimetric analyses (TGA). All of these three nanoparticles exhibited good crystallization performance, apparent superparamagnetism, and the saturation magnetization of MNP, SMNP, AMNP were 47.9 emu/g, 33.0 emu/g and 19.5 emu/g, respectively. The amino content was 5.66%. The AMNP was used to immobilize lipase, and the maximum adsorption capacity of the protein was 26.3 mg/g. The maximum maintained activity (88 percent) was achieved while the amount of immobilized lipase was 23.7 mg g−1. Immobilization of enzyme on the magnetic nanoparticles can facilitate the isolation of reaction products from reaction mixture and thus lowers the cost of enzyme application.

Modulatory Potential of LncRNA Zfas1 for Inflammation and Neuronal Apoptosis in Temporal Lobe Epilepsy

Chuan He,Caixia Su,Wentong Zhang,Qin Zhou,Xu Shen,Junjie Yang,Naixian Shi 연세대학교의과대학 2021 Yonsei medical journal Vol.62 No.3

Purpose: This study aimed to elucidate whether lncRNA ZFAS1 is involved in neuronal apoptosis and inflammation in temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE). Materials and Methods: Ninety-six TLE patients were recruited, and their peripheral venous blood was gathered to determine Zfas1 expression with polymerase chain reaction. Neurons were separated from hippocampal tissue of newborn SD rats, and siZfas1 or pcDNA3.1-Zfas1 was transfected into the neurons. Inflammatory cytokines released by neurons were determined, and neuronal activities were evaluated through MTT assay, colony formation assay, and flow cytometry. Results: Serum levels of Zfas1 were higher in TLE patients than in healthy controls (p<0.05). Furthermore, Zfas1 expression in neurons was raised by pcDNA3.1-Zfas1 and declined after silencing of Zfas1 (p<0.05). Transfection of pcDNA-Zfas1 weakened the viability and proliferation of neurons and increased neuronal apoptosis (p<0.05). Meanwhile, pcDNA3.1-Zfas1 transfection promoted lipopolysaccharide-induced release of cytokines, including tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin (IL)-1, IL-6, and intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (p<0.05), and boosted NF-κB activation by elevating the expression of NF-κB p65, pIκBα, and IKKβ in neurons (p<0.05). Conclusion: Our results indicated that lncRNA ZFAS1 exacerbates epilepsy development by promoting neuronal apoptosis and inflammation, implying ZFAS1 as a promising treatment target for epilepsy.

Equivalent Circuit Model of Novel Solid Rotor Induction Motor with Toroidal Winding

Haichao Feng,Xu Cui,Jikai Si,Caixia Gao,Chun Gan 한국자기학회 2019 Journal of Magnetics Vol.24 No.4

Solid rotor induction motor (SRIM) is widely used in many fields due to its sturdy construction, low maintenance costs, and soft mechanical characteristic. A novel SRIM with toroidal winding (N-TWSRIM) is proposed and its equivalent circuit model (ECM) is established herein. The structure of N-TWSRIM is introduced and its operating principle is analyzed according to the movement of armature magnetic field at different times. The main structural parameters of N-TWSRIM are given, an equivalent circuit model is established to analyze performance of motor, and the results of ECM and two-dimension finite element model (FEM) are compared. Finally, to validate the correctness of operating principle and equivalent circuit model, a prototype of N-TWS-RIM has been built and experimented. It shows that the experimental results are consistent with the finite element and analytical results.

A novel method for the synthesis of 1,2-benzisoxazoline-3-one and its application to hypochlorite recognition

Yang, Yutao,Huo, Fangjun,Yin, Caixia,Xu, Ming,Hu, Ying,Chao, Jianbin,Zhang, Yongbin,Glass, Timothy E.,Yoon, Juyoung The Royal Society of Chemistry 2016 Journal of Materials Chemistry B Vol.4 No.30

<P>The reaction of salicylhydroxamic acid with hypochlorite produces 1,2-benzisoxazoline-3-one, a heterocycle that contains a fluorophore. As a result, this reaction was used as the basis for a new, selective and sensitive fluorescence system for the recognition of hypochlorite. The effectiveness of the method was demonstrated by its use to detect hypochlorite in a disinfectant solution as well as to image hypochlorite in cells.</P>

Characteristics Analysis and Optimization of Secondary Permanent Magnet Flux-Switching Linear Machines

Haichao Feng,Yaohua Guo,Xiaozhuo Xu,Caixia Gao,Liwang Ai 한국자기학회 2023 Journal of Magnetics Vol.28 No.4

In order to meet the demand of high-power density, high-precision positioning and low cost direct drive system in ropeless lifting, precision machining and other fields, the modular secondary structure with permanent magnet synchronous magnetization is adopted in this paper, and the secondary permanent magnet flux-switching linear machine (SPMFSLM) is proposed. Compared with the traditional primary permanent magnet fluxswitching linear machine (PPMFSLM), it reduces the thrust ripple and strengthens the primary structure. According to the topology and operation principle of the machine, starting from the air-gap magnetic field modulation principle and the convex tooth effect, the contribution of the air-gap flux density harmonics of the permanent magnet magnetic field and the armature magnetic field for the two machines to the average thrust is compared and analyzed, reflecting the similarities and differences between the two FSLMs in the thrust generation mechanism. In addition, the no-load characteristics for back-EMF and the thrust characteristics for two machines under equal load are calculated and compared. Finally, the multi-objective optimization of the key structural parameters of the machine is carried out by combining the response surface method (RSM) with the NSGAII algorithm. Then, the 3D simulation of the machine was carried out and cross-validated with the 2D results. Finally, a double-sided SPMFSLM (DS-SPMFSLM) is proposed from the practical point of view. The performance of DS-SPMFSLM is significantly superior to that of single-sided SPMFSLM, which verifies the advantages of the secondary permanent magnet structure scheme.