Comparing saccades in Visually Enhanced Vestibular-Ocular Reflex and video head impulse test in vestibular assessment

Objective:This study aimed to develop and evaluate a novel software tool for robust analysis of the Visually Enhanced Vestibular-Ocular Reflex(VVOR)and video head impulse test(vHIT)saccades.Methods:A retrospective study was conducted on 94 patients with Meniere’s Disease(MD),unilateral vestibular hypofunction(UVH),and vestibular migraine(VM).The MATLAB-based VVOR Analysis System and Saccades All in One software were utilized for data processing.New techniques,VVOR_diff and VVOR_cycle,were deployed for saccade parameter extraction.Results:Saccade incidence rates,examined through vHIT,VVOR_diff,and VVOR_cycle,exhibited distinct patterns in MD,UVH,and VM patients.Frequent instances of multiple saccades within a single cycle were noted on the affected side in MD and UVH patients.Statistically significant differences in saccade gain and incidence rates between the affected and unaffected sides were evident in MD and UVH patients.Notably,high inter-method and intra-method correlations suggested consistency across different methods and potential interactions within one.Conclusion:The software proved effective in extracting saccades and reducing noise in VVOR data,thereby enhancing the evaluation of vestibular function and potentially improving diagnostic accuracy for vestibular disorders.

Selective hydrocracking of light cycle oil into high-octane gasoline over bi-functional catalysts

Light cycle oil(LCO) with high content of poly-aromatics was difficult to upgrade and convert,which had hindered upgrading fuel quality to meet with the standard of automotive diesel for the purpose of sustainable development.The hydrocracking behaviors of typical aromatics in LCO of naphthalene and tetralin were investigated over NiMo and CoMo catalysts.Several characterization methods including N2-adsoprtion and desorption,ammonia temperature-programmed desorption(NH3-TPD),Pyridine infrared spectroscopy(Py-IR),CO infrared spectroscopy(CO-IR),Raman and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy(XPS) were applied to determine the properties of different catalysts.The results showed that CoMo catalyst with high concentration of S-edges could hydrosaturate more naphthalene to tetralin but exhibit lower yield of high-value light aromatics(carbon numbers less than 10) than NiMo catalyst.NiMo catalyst with high concentration of Mo-edges also presented a higher selectivity of converting naphthalene into cyclanes than CoMo catalyst.Subsequently,the naphthalene and LCO hydrocracking performances were also investigated over different catalysts systems.The activity evaluation and kinetic analysis results showed that the naphthalene hydrocracking conversion and the yield of light aromatics for CoMo-AY/NiMo-AY grading catalysts were higher than NiMo-AY/CoMo-AY grading catalysts at same condition.A stepwise reaction principle was proposed to explain the high efficiency of CoMo-AY/NiMoAY grading catalysts.Finally,the LCO hydrocracking evaluation results confirmed that CoMo-AY/NiMoAY catalysts grading system with low carbon deposition and high stability could remain high percentage of active phases,which was more efficient to convert LCO to high-octane gasoline.

Saccades of video head impulse test in Meniere's disease and Vestibular Migraine: What can we learn from?

Background:Saccades are often observed on video head impulse tests(vHIT)in patients with Meniere's Disease(MD)and Vestibular Migraine(VM).However,their saccadic features are not fully described.Objective:This study aims to identify the saccades characteristics of MD and VM.Methods:75 VM patients and 103 definite unilateral MD patients were enrolled in this study.First raw saccades were exported and analyzed.The VM patients were divided into left and right based on their ears,while the MD patients were separated into affected and unaffected subgroups based on their audiograms and symptoms.Results:The MD patients have more saccades on the affected side(85%vs.69%),and saccade velocity is more consistent than the contralateral side(shown by the coefficient of variation).The saccades occurrence rates on both sides are similar in VM(77%vs.76%),as are other saccadic parameters.The MD patients have more significant inter-aural differences than the VM patients,manifested in higher velocity(p-value 0.000),earlier arriving(p-value 0.010),and more time-domain gathered(p-value 0.003)on the affected side.Conclusions:Bilateral saccades are commonly observed in MD and VM.In contrast to MD,saccades on VM are subtle,scattered,and late-arrived.Furthermore,the MD patients showed inconsistent saccadic distribution with more velocity-uniform saccades on the affected side.

Analysis of video head impulse test saccades data in patients with vestibular migraine or probable vestibular migraine

Objective:Saccades accompanied by normal gain in video head impulse tests(vHIT)are often observed in patients with vestibular migraine(VM).However,they are not considered as an independent indicator,reducing their utility in diagnosing VM.To better understand clinical features of VM,it is necessary to understand raw saccades data.Methods:Fourteen patients with confirmed VM,45 patients with probable VM(p-VM)and 14 agematched healthy volunteers were included in this study.Clinical findings related to spontaneous nystagmus(SN),positional nystagmus(PN),head-shaking nystagmus(HSN),caloric test and vHIT were recorded.Raw saccades data were exported and numbered by their sequences,and their features analyzed.Results:VM patients showed no SN,PN or HSN,and less than half of them showed unilateral weakness(UW)on caloric test.The first saccades from lateral semicircular canal stimulation were the most predominant for both left and right sides.Neither velocity nor time parameters were significantly different when compared between the two sides.Most VM patients(86%)exhibited small saccades,around 35%of the head peak velocity,with a latency of 200e400 ms.Characteristics of saccades were similar in patients with p-VM.Only four normal subjects showed saccades,all unilateral and seemingly random.Conclusions:Small saccades involving bilateral semicircular canals with a scattered distribution pattern are common in patients with VM and p-VM.

Clock component OsPRR59 delays heading date by repressing transcription of Ehd3 in rice

Heading date(or flowering time),an important agronomic trait in crop species,is closely associated with regional adaptation and yield.Members of the Pseudo-Response Regulator(PRR)family play key roles in regulating flowering.However,their role and molecular mechanism controlling heading date in rice is not very clear.Here,we identified rice OsPRR protein,OsPRR59,which delayed heading under longday conditions.OsPRR59 positively regulates yield by affecting plant height,secondary branches number per panicle,grain number per panicle,seed setting rate,and grain weight per plant.OsPRR59 is expressed in most tissues and its protein is localized to the nucleus.We also found that OsPRR59 directly binds to the promoter of Ehd3 to inhibit its expression.Compared with the WT,osprr59 ehd3 showed a significantly delayed heading phenotype,as did the ehd3 mutant.This was opposite to the phenotype of the osprr59 mutant,confirming that Ehd3 acted downstream of OsPRR59 in regulating rice flowering.Our results identified a direct regulator of Ehd3,and revealed a novel molecular mechanism of clock component OsPRR proteins in regulating heading date and provide a new genetic resource for fine-tuning heading date in rice.

Zyxin promotes hepatocellular carcinoma progression via the activation of AKT/mTOR signaling pathway

Hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC)is a common malignancy that is driven by multiple genes and pathways.The aim of this study was to investigate the role and specific mechanism of the actin-interacting protein zyxin(ZYX)in HCC.We found that the expression of ZYX was significantly higher in HCC tissues compared to that in normal liver tissues.In addition,overexpression of ZYX in hepatoma cell lines(PLC/PRF/5,HCCLM3)enhanced their proliferation,migration and invasion,whereas ZYX knockdown had the opposite effects(SK HEP-1,Huh-7).Furthermore,the change in the expression levels of ZYX also altered that of proteins related to cell cycle,migration and invasion.Similar results were obtained with xenograft models.The AKT/mTOR signaling pathway is one of the key mediators of cancer development.While ZYX overexpression upregulated the levels of phosphorylated AKT/mTOR proteins,its knockdown had the opposite effect.In addition,the AKT inhibitor MK2206 neutralized the pro-oncogenic effects of ZYX on the HCC cells,whereas the AKT activator SC79 restored the proliferation,migration and invasion of HCC cells with ZYX knockdown.Taken together,ZYX promotes the malignant progression of HCC by activating AKT/mTOR signaling pathway,and is a potential therapeutic target in HCC.

Trends in Incidence of HIV and Syphilis Among Men Who Have Sex with Men—Tianjin Municipality,China,2013-2022

Summary What is already known about this topic?Given the common modes of transmission,outbreaks of both human immunodeficiency virus(HIV)and syphilis are primarily observed in men who have sex with men(MSM).However,minimal research has been conducted to concurrently evaluate the rates and trends of HIV and syphilis incidence within this community in China.What is added by this report?