Acupuncture Induces Divergent Alterations of Functional Connectivity within Conventional Frequency Bands: Evidence from MEG Recordings

As an ancient Chinese healing modality which has gained increasing popularity in modern society, acupuncture involves stimulation with fine needles inserted into acupoints. Both traditional literature and clinical data indicated that modulation effects largely depend on specific designated acupoints. However, scientific representations of acupoint specificity remain controversial. In the present study, considering the new findings on the sustained effects of acupuncture and its time-varied temporal characteristics, we employed an electrophysiological imaging modality namely magnetoencephalography with a temporal resolution on the order of milliseconds. Taken into account the differential band-limited signal modulations induced by acupuncture, we sought to explore whether or not stimulation at Stomach Meridian 36 (ST36) and a nearby non-meridian point (NAP) would evoke divergent functional connectivity alterations within delta, theta, alpha, beta and gamma bands. Whole-head scanning was performed on 28 healthy participants during an eyes-closed no-task condition both preceding and following acupuncture. Data analysis involved calculation of band-limited power (BLP) followed by pair-wise BLP correlations. Further averaging was conducted to obtain local and remote connectivity. Statistical analyses revealed the increased connection degree of the left temporal cortex within delta (0.5–4 Hz), beta (13–30 Hz) and gamma (30–48 Hz) bands following verum acupuncture. Moreover, we not only validated the closer linkage of the left temporal cortex with the prefrontal and frontal cortices, but further pinpointed that such patterns were more extensively distributed in the ST36 group in the delta and beta bands compared to the restriction only to the delta band for NAP. Psychophysical results for significant pain threshold elevation further confirmed the analgesic effect of acupuncture at ST36. In conclusion, our findings may provide a new perspective to lend support for the specificity of neural expression underlying acupuncture.     

Determination of Vascular Dementia Brain in Distinct Frequency Bands with Whole Brain Functional Connectivity Patterns

Recent studies have shown that multivariate pattern analysis (MVPA) can be useful for distinguishing brain disorders into categories. Such analyses can substantially enrich and facilitate clinical diagnoses. Using MPVA methods, whole brain functional networks, especially those derived using different frequency windows, can be applied to detect brain states. We constructed whole brain functional networks for groups of vascular dementia (VaD) patients and controls using resting state BOLD-fMRI (rsfMRI) data from three frequency bands - slow-5 (0.01∼0.027 Hz), slow-4 (0.027∼0.073 Hz), and whole-band (0.01∼0.073 Hz). Then we used the support vector machine (SVM), a type of MVPA classifier, to determine the patterns of functional connectivity. Our results showed that the brain functional networks derived from rsfMRI data (19 VaD patients and 20 controls) in these three frequency bands appear to reflect neurobiological changes in VaD patients. Such differences could be used to differentiate the brain states of VaD patients from those of healthy individuals. We also found that the functional connectivity patterns of the human brain in the three frequency bands differed, as did their ability to differentiate brain states. Specifically, the ability of the functional connectivity pattern to differentiate VaD brains from healthy ones was more efficient in the slow-5 (0.01∼0.027 Hz) band than in the other two frequency bands. Our findings suggest that the MVPA approach could be used to detect abnormalities in the functional connectivity of VaD patients in distinct frequency bands. Identifying such abnormalities may contribute to our understanding of the pathogenesis of VaD.     

Measuring Surgical Outcomes in Cervical Spondylotic Myelopathy Patients Undergoing Anterior Cervical Discectomy and Fusion: Assessment of Minimum Clinically Important Difference

Object

The concept of minimum clinically important difference (MCID) has been used to measure the threshold by which the effect of a specific treatment can be considered clinically meaningful. MCID has previously been studied in surgical patients, however few studies have assessed its role in spinal surgery. The goal of this study was to assess the role of MCID in patients undergoing anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) for cervical spondylotic myelopathy (CSM).

Methods

Data was collected on 30 patients who underwent ACDF for CSM between 2007 and 2012. Preoperative and 1-year postoperative Neck Disability Index (NDI), Visual-Analog Scale (VAS), and Short Form-36 (SF-36) Physical (PCS) and Mental (MCS) Component Summary PRO scores were collected. Five distribution- and anchor-based approaches were used to calculate MCID threshold values average change, change difference, receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC), minimum detectable change (MDC) and standard error of measurement (SEM). The Health Transition Item of the SF-36 (HTI) was used as an external anchor.

Results

Patients had a significant improvement in all mean physical PRO scores postoperatively (p<0.01) NDI (29.24 to 14.82), VAS (5.06 to 1.72), and PCS (36.98 to 44.22). The five MCID approaches yielded a range of values for each PRO: 2.00–8.78 for PCS, 2.06–5.73 for MCS, 4.83–13.39 for NDI, and 0.36–3.11 for VAS. PCS was the most representative PRO measure, presenting the greatest area under the ROC curve (0.94). MDC values were not affected by the choice of anchor and their threshold of improvement was statistically greater than the chance of error from unimproved patients.

Conclusion

SF-36 PCS was the most representative PRO measure. MDC appears to be the most appropriate MCID method. When MDC was applied together with HTI anchor, the MCID thresholds were: 13.39 for NDI, 3.11 for VAS, 5.56 for PCS and 5.73 for MCS.     

Identification of the Pain Process by Cold Stimulation: Using Dynamic Causal Modeling of Effective Connectivity in Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS)

Background

Pain is an unpleasant sensory and emotional experience followed by anxiety, depression, and frustration. Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS) as an optical technique identifies the brain functional networks by investigating connectivity between functionally linked of different anatomical regions in response to pain stimulation.

MONONUCLEAR PHAGOCYTES (KUPFFER CELLS) AND ENDOTHELIAL CELLS : Identification of Two Functional Cell Types in Rat Liver Sinusoids by Endogenous Peroxidase Activity

The fine structural characteristics and phagocytic properties of peroxidase-positive and peroxidase-negative cells in rat hepatic sinusoids were investigated. Cells with a positive peroxidase reaction in the endoplasmic reticulum and the nuclear envelope make up approximately 40% of cells in rat hepatic sinusoids and have abundant cytoplasm containing numerous granules and vacuoles, and occasional tubular, vermiform invaginations. After intravenous injection of colloidal carbon, the luminal plasma membrane of these cells shows continuous sticking of carbon, and there is evidence of avid phagocytosis of colloidal carbon particles. Peroxidase-positive cells are the only cells in hepatic sinusoids which phagocytize large (0.8 µ in diameter) latex particles. In contrast, the peroxidase-negative endothelial cells, which make up 48% of cells, have scanty perinuclear cytoplasm and organelles, and their long cytoplasmic extensions that form the lining of the hepatic sinusoids have fenestrations; these cells ingest small amounts of colloidal carbon, principally by micropinocytosis, exhibit no sticking of carbon particles to their plasma membranes, and do not ingest the larger (latex) particles. The so-called fat-storing cells are peroxidase negative and totally nonphagocytic. The peroxidase reaction thus distinguishes the typical mononuclear phagocytes or Kupffer cells of rat liver from the endothelial-lining cells.     

Elemental Composition in Two Water Beetles (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Dytiscus thianschanicus</Emphasis>, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Dytiscus persicus</Emphasis>) (Dytiscidae: Coleoptera) as Revealed by WDXRF Spectroscopy

In this study, concentrations of 34 different inorganic elements between Dytiscus thianschanicus and Dytiscus persicus collected from the environs of five Turkish cities were measured by wavelength dispersive X-ray fluorescence spectrometry. The two species were found to differ in both elemental composition and amount. The concentrations of Na, As, Br and Ba were found to differ significantly between D. thianschanicus and D. persicus. In addition, Mn and I concentrations for D. thianschanicus and Si, Zn for D. persicus between males and females were statistically significant. It is thought that metabolic differences between males and females of these insects may be behind the observed differences in these species. Differences in elemental composition were also seen between beetles from different localities, and the content of non-essential elements in an insect’s body may be a useful measure of the level of these elements in their habitats.     

Nucleotide Sequence and Genetic Analysis of the Region Essential for Functional Expression of the Gene for Ferredoxin I, fdxN, in Rhodobacter capsulatus: Sharing of One Upstream Activator Sequence in Opposite Directions by Two Operons Related to Nitrogen Fixation

Nucleotide sequencing of the region upstream of two ferredoxingenes, fdxC and fdxN, of Rhodobacter capsulatus revealed theexistence of one open reading frame (ORF), ORFU1,in the sameorientation as these genes and two other ORFs, ORFU2 and ORFU3,in the opposite orientation. Two potential –24/–12promoters were found in front of ORFU1 and ORFU2, respectively,and there was a putative upstream activator sequence (UAS) orNifA-binding site between them. The ORFs corresponded to noknown nif genes. However, analysis of their putative productsshowed that the product of ORFU1 (M_r 47,912) and that of ORFU3(M_r 19,090) flavodoxin-like domain and a 2[4Fe-4S] ferredoxin-likedomain, respectively, and that the product of ORFU2 (M_r 20,424)was a hydrophobic protein with six potential membrane-spanningportions. Results of interposon mutagenesis and complementationexperiments indicated ORFU2 but not ORFU1 is essential for nitrogenfixation and that additional gene(s) essential nitrogen fixationmust be present in the unsequenced region adjacent to ORFU3.Translational fusion analysis involving lacZYA and fdxN or ORFU3provided evidence that the putative UAS responsible for regulationof both ORFUl-fdxC-fdxNand ORFU2-ORFU3 operons in opposite orientations,and that the control of the latter is stricter than that ofthe former. (Received August 19, 1992; Accepted November 16, 1992)