Brain metabolic profile assessed by magnetic resonance spectroscopy in children with Down syndrome:Relation to intelligence quotient

BACKGROUND Down syndrome(DS)is one of the most common causes of intellectual disability.Children with DS have varying intelligence quotient(IQ)that can predict their learning abilities.AIM To assess the brain metabolic profiles of children with DS and compare them to standard controls,using magnetic resonance spectroscopy(MRS)and correlating the results with IQ.METHODS This case-control study included 40 children with DS aged 6-15 years and 40 age and sex-matched healthy children as controls.MRS was used to evaluate ratios of choline/creatine(Cho/Cr),N-acetyl aspartic acid/creatine(NAA/Cr),and myoinositol/creatine(MI/Cr(in the frontal,temporal,and occipital lobes and basal ganglia and compared to controls and correlated with IQ.RESULTS Children with DS showed significant reductions in NAA/Cr and MI/Cr and a non-significant reduction in Cho/Cr in frontal lobes compared to controls.Additionally,we observed significant decreases in NAA/Cr,MI/Cr,and Cho/Cr in the temporal and occipital lobes and basal ganglia in children with DS compared to controls.Furthermore,there was a significant correlation between IQ and metabolic ratios in the brains of children with DS.CONCLUSION Brain metabolic profile could be a good predictor of IQ in children with DS.

The City Intelligence Quotient （City IQ） Evaluation System＂ Conception and Evaluation

After a systematic review of 38 current intelligent city evaluation systems （ICESs） from around the world, this research analyzes the secondary and tertiary indicators of these 38 ICESs from the perspec- tives of scale structuring, approaches and indicator selection, and determines their common base. From this base, the fundamentals of the City Intelligence Quotient （City IOD Evaluation System are developed and five dimensions are selected after a clustering analysis. The basic version, City IQ Evaluation System 1.0, involves 275 experts from 14 high-end research institutions, which include the Chinese Academy of Engineering, the National Academy of Science and Engineering （Germany）, the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences, the Planning Management Center of the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development of China, and the Development Research Center of the State Council of China. City IQ Evaluation System 2.0 is further developed, with improvements in its universality, openness, and dy- namic adjustment capability. After employing deviation evaluation methods in the IQ assessment, City IQ Evaluation System 3.0 was conceived. The research team has conducted a repeated assessment of 41 intelligent cities around the world using City IQ Evaluation System 3.0. The results have proved that the City IQ Evaluation System, developed on the basis of intelligent life, features more rational indicators selected from data sources that can offer better universality, openness, and dynamics, and is more sen- sitive and precise.

Does the smartest designer design better？ Effect of intelligence quotient on students＇ design skills in architectural design studio

Understanding the cognitive processes of the human mind is necessary to further learn about design thinking processes. Cognitive studies are also significant in the research about design studio. The aim of this study is to examine the effect of designers intelligence quotient （lOJ on their designs. The statistical population in this study consisted of all Deylaman Institute of Higher Education architecture graduate students enrolled in 2011. Sixty of these students were selected via simple random sampling based on the finite population sample size calculation formula. The students＇ IQ was measured using Raven＇s Progressive Matrices. The students＇ scores in Architecture Design Studio （ADS） courses from first grade （ADS-l） to fifth grade （ADS-5） and the mean scores of the design courses were used in determining the students＇ design ability. Inferential statistics, as well as correlation analysis and mean comparison test for independent samples with SPSS, were also employed to analyze the research data. Results indicated that the students＇ IQ ADS-1 to ADS-4 scores, and the mean scores of the students＇ design courses were not significantly correlated. By contrast, the students＇ IQ and ADS-5 scores were significantly correlated. As the complexity of the design problem and designers＇ experience increased, the effect of IQ on design seemingly intensified.

Prospective Study on Intelligence Quotient of Hepatic Lenticular Degeneration Patients Treated with Combined Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine

Objective: To assess the efficacy of hepatic lenticular degeneration (HLD) relief decoction in treating HLD. Methods: Intelligence quotient (IQ) of 28 (HLD) patients was analysed with Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-revised by China (WAIS-RC) before and after treatment by the HLD-Relief decoction supplemented with copper-clearing drug, and the result was compared with that of 30 healthy persons for control. Results: The Vocable to (VIQ), Performance to (PIQ) and Full to (FIQ) of HLD patients were markedly lower than those of the control (P < 0. 005), especially in visual space disorder, which indicated that the copper ion depositing in patient's brain not only damaged neuronic motorial functions but also produced a marked effect on the patient's intelligence. After treatment, the intelligence levels including VIQ, PIQ and FIQ was raised, particularly in PIQ in which all scores were obviously increased (P < 0. 001 ). It was also shown that the damage of intelligence in HLD patients became more serious as the course of disease was prolonged and early treatment facilitated the to level to approach the normal criterion. Conclusion: The combined treatment is effective to the recovery of intelligence and extrapyramidal symptoms in HLD patients.

Impact of Sports Participation on Intelligence among Boys of Age 14 -17 Years

Sports are a meaningful context in which many young people participate,and youth sports teams may be a viable way to promote optimal development.Sports comprises all forms of physical activities that contribute to physical fitness,mental well-being and social interaction.Participation in sport improves the development of peer relationships,establishes the notion of trust and builds teamwork skills.The purpose of this study was to see the impact of sports participation on intelligence among boys.The present study was conducted on 300 male subjects between age group 14 and 17 years.Subjects were divided into following three groups(Group 1-Team Sports Group,Group 2-Individual Sports Group,Group 3-Non-participant Group)using a questionnaire for Sports Activity participation survey.Each group has 100 students.To assess intelligence of the selected subjects,verbal intelligence test prepared by Dr.P.Srinivasan was adopted.Appropriate tool was used to assess the parameters.The results show that majority i.e.64.7%of the subjects were found to be average intelligent and 22.7 superiorly intelligent.It was revealed that sports participation has no association withrelation to intelligence(IQ)and revealed that there was no significant effect found on intelligence level of the subjects who participated in sports as well as the non-participants.

Coverless Image Steganography System Based on Maze Game Generation

The trend of digital information transformation has become a topic of interest.Many data are threatening;thus,protecting such data from attackers is considered an essential process.Recently,a new methodology for data concealing has been suggested by researchers called coverless steganography.Coverless steganography can be accomplished either by building an image database to match its image subblocks with the secret message to obtain the stego image or by generating an image.This paper proposes a coverless image steganography system based on pure image generation using secret message bits with a capacity higher than the other traditional systems.The system uses the secret message to generate the stego image in the form of one of the Intelligence Quotient(IQ)games,the maze.Firstly,a full grid is generated with several specific rows and columns determined from the number of bits of the secret message.Then,these bits are fed to the full grid to form the maze game stego image.Finally,the generated maze game stego image is sent to the recipient.The experimental results,using the Bit Error Rate(BER),were conducted,and confirmed the strength of this system represented by a high capacity,perfect performance,robustness,and stronger hiding system compared with existing coverless steganography systems.

Cesarean delivery on maternal request and childhood intelligence： a cohort study

Background Cesarean section births have been steadily increasing over the past decade and have become an epidemic in China. Cesarean delivery on maternal request is a major contributor to this upward trend, and there has been of much concern about its impact on maternal and child health. Most of mothers believe that cesarean delivery on maternal request can improve the child＇s intelligence, but direct evidence is sparse. In this cohort study, we aimed to directly assess the impact of cesarean delivery on maternal request on childhood intelligence. Methods Intelligence quotient （IQ） of 4144 preschool children from 21 cities/counties of Zhejiang and Jiangsu province whose mothers were registered in a population-based perinatal surveillance program during 1993-1996 was assessed with Chinese Wechsler Young Children Scale of Intelligence （C-WYCSI） in 2000. The outcomes were full-scale IQ, verbal IQ, and performance IQ of C-WYCSI. Mode of delivery and covariates were obtained from the surveillance program. We estimated unadjusted and adjusted effects of cesarean delivery on maternal request and assisted vaginal delivery on IQ scores compared with spontaneous vaginal delivery using regression analysis. Results The mean full-scale, verbal, and performance IQ for all children was 99.3_＋16.1,93.6_＋17.7, and 105.3_＋14.3. In crude analysis, cesarean delivery on maternal request versus spontaneous vaginal delivery was associated with an increase of 3.9 （95% confidence interval, 0.6 to 7.2） points in full-scale IQ, 4.8 （1.2 to 8.4） points in verbal IQ, and 2.4 （-0.6 to 5.3） points in performance IQ. After adjusting for maternal education, occupation, and IQ, the advantage was reduced to 1.6 （-1.3 to 4.5）, 2.3 （-0.8 to 5.5）, and 0.6 （-2.0 to 3.3） points for full-scale, verbal, and performance IQ, respectively. Assisted vaginal delivery versus spontaneous vaginal delivery was not associated with IQ scores in any analysis. Conclusion Neither cesarean delivery on maternal request nor assisted vaginal delivery affected children＇s IQ.

Acupuncture for Promoting Intelligence of Children—An Observation on 37 Cases with Mental Retardation

Objective: To observe the effect of acupuncture on intelligence quotient (IQ) in children with mental retardation (MR). Methods: One hundred children with MR were randomly divided into an acupuncture group and a control group, 50 in each. There were 37 and 36 cases with complete data in the former and latter group respectively. Four-week treatment constituted a course, the comprehensive therapeutic effect of two groups was compared after 3 courses of treatment, and the influence of acupuncture on IQ was estimated. Results: The total effective rate in the acupuncture group was 78.4%, better than 30.56% in the control group, the difference being significant (P<0.01). Both groups were improved in IQ but the effect of the former group was better than that of the latter group (P<0.05). Conclusion: Acupuncture can obviously improve IQ of children suffering from MR.

Neurocognitive outcomes in pediatric brain tumors after treatment with proton versus photon radiation:a systematic review and meta-analysis

Background Advances in cancer treatments,particularly the development of radiation therapy,have led to improvements in survival outcomes in children with brain tumors.However,radiation therapy is associated with significant long-term neurocognitive morbidity.The present systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to compare the neurocognitive outcomes of children and adolescents with brain tumors treated with photon radiation(XRT)or proton therapy(PBRT).Methods A systematic search was conducted(PubMed,Embase,Cochrane,and Web of Science from inception until 02/01/2022)for studies comparing the neurocognitive outcomes of children and adolescents with brain tumors treated with XRT vs.PBRT.The pooled mean differences(expressed as Z scores)were calculated using a random effects method for those endpoints analyzed by a minimum of three studies.Results Totally 10 studies(n=630 patients,average age range:1–20 years)met the inclusion criteria.Patients who had received PBRT achieved significantly higher scores(difference in Z scores ranging from 0.29–0.75,all P<0.05 and significant in sensitivity analyses)after treatment than those who had received XRT for most analyzed neurocognitive outcomes(i.e.,intelligence quotient,verbal comprehension and perceptual reasoning indices,visual motor integration,and verbal memory).No robust significant differences(P>0.05 in main analyses or sensitivity analyses)were found for nonverbal memory,verbal working memory and working memory index,processing speed index,or focused attention.Conclusions Pediatric brain tumor patients who receive PBRT achieve significantly higher scores on most neurocognitive outcomes than those who receive XRT.Larger studies with long-term follow-ups are needed to confirm these results.

Is there a difference in cognitive development between preschool singletons and twins born after intracytoplasmic sperm injection or in vitro fertilization？

Objective： To explore whether there exist differences in cognitive development between singletons and twins born after in vitro fertilization （IVF） or intracytoplasmic sperm injection （ICSI）. Methods： A total of 566 children were recruited for the study, including 388 children （singletons, n=175; twins, n=213） born after IVF and 178 children （singletons, n=87; twins, n=91 ） born after ICSI. The cognitive development was assessed using the Chinese-Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children （C-WISC）. Results： For all pre-term offspring, all the intelligence quotient （IQ） items between singletons and twins showed no significant differences no matter if they were born after IVF or ICSI. There was a significant difference in the cognitive development of IVF-conceived full-term singletons and twins. The twins born after IVF obtained significantly lower scores than the singletons in verbal IQ （containing information, picture ＆ vocabulary, arithmetic, picture completion, comprehension, and language）, performance IQ （containing maze, visual analysis, object assembly, and performance）, and full scale IQ （P〈0.05）. The cognitive development of full-term sin- gletons and twins born after ICSI did not show any significant differences. There was no significant difference between the parents of the singletons and twins in their characteristics where data were collected, including the age of the mothers, the current employment status, the educational backgrounds, and areas of residence. There were also no consistent differences in the duration of pregnancy, sex composition of the children, age, and height between sin- gletons and twins at the time of our study although there existed significant differences between the two groups in the sex composition of the full-term children born after ICSI （P〈0.05）. Conclusions： Compared to the full-term singletons born after IVF, the full-term twins have lower cognitive development. The cognitive development of full-term singletons and twins born after ICSI did not show any significant differences. For all pre-term offspring, singletons and twins born after IVF or ICSI, the results of the cognitive development showed no significant differences.

Understanding the mechanisms of brain functions from the angle of synchronization and complex network

The human brain is the most complicated and fascinated system and executes various important brain functions, but its underlying mechanism is a long-standing problem. In recent years, based on the progress of complex network science, much attention has been paid to this problem and many important results have been achieved, thus it is the time to make a summary to help further studies. For this purpose, we here make a brief but comprehensive review on those results from the aspect of brain networks, i.e., from the angle of synchronization and complex network. First, we briefly discuss the main features of human brain and its cognitive functions through synchronization. Then, we discuss how to construct both the anatomical and functional brain networks, including the pathological brain networks such as epilepsy and Alzheimer’s diseases. Next, we discuss the approaches of studying brain networks. After that, we discuss the current progress of understanding the mechanisms of brain functions, including the aspects of chimera state, remote synchronization, explosive synchronization, intelligence quotient, and remote propagation. Finally, we make a brief discussion on the envision of future study.