Altered regional homogeneity in patients with diabetic vitreous hemorrhage

BACKGROUND Diabetic vitreous hemorrhage(DVH)is a common complication of diabetes.While the diagnostic methods nowadays only concentrate on the eye injury in DVH patients,whether DVH leads to abnormalities of other visual systems,including the eye,the visual cortex,and other brain regions,remains unknown.AIM To explore the potential changes of brain activity in DVH using regional homogeneity(ReHo)and their relationships with clinical features.METHODS Thirty-one DVH patients and 31 matched healthy controls(HCs)were recruited.All subjects were examined by resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging.The neural homogeneity in the brain region was estimated by ReHo method.Pearson correlation analysis was used to evaluate the relationships between average ReHo values and clinical manifestations in DVH patients.RESULTS Compared with HCs,the ReHo values in the bilateral cerebellar posterior lobes,right superior(RS)/middle occipital gyrus(MOG),and bilateral superior frontal gyrus were significantly increased.In contrast,in the right insula,bilateral medial frontal gyri,and right middle frontal gyrus,the ReHo values were significantly decreased.Furthermore,we found that best-corrected visual acuity of the contralateral eye in patients with DVH presented a positive correlation with the mean ReHo value of the RS/MOG.We also found that depression score of the DVH group presented a negative correlation with the mean ReHo values of the right insula,bilateral medial frontal gyrus,and right middle frontal gyrus.CONCLUSION We found that DVH may cause dysfunction in multiple brain areas,which may benefit the exploration of pathologic mechanisms in DVH patients.

Altered spontaneous brain activity in patients with diabetic optic neuropathy:A resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging study using regional homogeneity

BACKGROUND Diabetes is a common chronic disease.Given the increasing incidence of diabetes,more individuals are affected by diabetic optic neuropathy(DON),which results in decreased vision.Whether DON leads to abnormalities of other visual systems,including the eye,the visual cortex,and other brain regions,remains unknown.AIM To investigate the local characteristics of spontaneous brain activity using regional homogeneity(ReHo)in patients with DON.METHODS We matched 22 patients with DON with 22 healthy controls(HCs).All subjects underwent resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging.The ReHo technique was used to record spontaneous changes in brain activity.Receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curves were applied to differentiate between ReHo values for patients with DON and HCs.We also assessed the correlation between Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale scores and ReHo values in DON patients using Pearson correlation analysis.RESULTS ReHo values of the right middle frontal gyrus(RMFG),left anterior cingulate(LAC),and superior frontal gyrus(SFG)/left frontal superior orbital gyrus(LFSO)were significantly lower in DON patients compared to HCs.Among these,the greatest difference was observed in the RMFG.The result of the ROC curves suggest that ReHo values in altered brain regions may help diagnose DON,and the RMFG and LAC ReHo values are more clinically relevant than SFG/LFSO.We also found that anxiety and depression scores of the DON group were extremely negatively correlated with the LAC ReHo values(r=-0.9336,P<0.0001 and r=-0.8453,P<0.0001,respectively).CONCLUSION Three different brain regions show ReHo changes in DON patients,and these changes could serve as diagnostic and/or prognostic biomarkers to further guide the prevention and treatment of DON patients.

Regional homogeneity of intrinsic brain activity related to the main alexithymia dimensions

Background Alexithymia is a multidimensional personality construct.Objective This study aims to investigate the neuronal correlates of each alexithymia dimension by examining the regional homogeneity （ReHo） of intrinsic brain activity in a resting situation.Methods From university freshmen, students with alexithymia and non-alexithymia were recruited. Their alexithymic traits were assessed using the Toronto Alexithymia Scale-20. The ReHo was examined using a resting-state functional MRI approach.Results This study suggests signifcant group differences in ReHo in multiple brain regions distributed in the frontal lobe, parietal lobe, temporal lobe, occipital lobe and insular cortex. However, only the ReHo in the insula was positively associated with diffculty identifying feelings, a main dimension of alexithymia. The ReHo in the lingual gyrus, precentral gyrus and postcentral gyrus was？positively associated with diffculty describing feelings in？participants with？alexithymia. Lastly, the ReHo in the right dorsomedial prefrontal cortex （DMPFC_R） was negatively related to the externally oriented thinking style of participants with？alexithymia.Conclusion In conclusion, these results suggest that the main dimensions of alexithymia are correlated with specifc brain regions’ function, and the role of the insula, lingual gyrus, precentral gyrus, postcentral gyrus and DMPFC_R in the neuropathology of alexithymia should be further investigated.

Functional magnetic resonance imaging of regional homogeneity changes in parkinsonian resting tremor

Regional homogeneity analysis of low-frequency blood oxygenation level-dependent signals from neighboring voxels enables the analysis of local neuronal synchrony. Both structural magnetic resonance imaging and resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging scans were collected from nine Parkinson＇s disease patients with right resting tremor, and from eight age-matched normal controls. Regional homogeneity was compared between Parkinson＇s disease patients and controls. The results revealed that regional homogeneity was increased in several brain regions, including the right precuneus, right superior parietal gyrus, left anterior cingulate cortex, right middle frontal gyrus and right inferior frontal gyrus. Conversely, regional homogeneity was decreased in the cerebellar vermis in Parkinson＇s disease patients compared with healthy controls.

Decreased regional homogeneity in major depression as revealed by resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging

Backgroud Functional imaging studies indicate abnormal activities in cortico-limbic network in depression during either task or resting state. The present work was to explore the abnormal spontaneous activity shown with regional homogeneity （ReHo） in depression by resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging （fMRI）.Methods Using fMRI, the differences of regional brain activity were measured in resting state in depressed vs. healthy participants. Sixteen participants firstly diagnosed with major depressive disorder and 16 controls were scanned during resting state. A novel method based on ReHo was used to detect spontaneous hemodynamic responses across the whole brain.Results ReHo in the left thalamus, left temporal lobe, left cerebellar posterior lobe, and the bilateral occipital lobe was found to be significantly decreased in depression compared to healthy controls in resting state of depression.Conclusions Abnormal spontaneous activity exists in the left thalamus, left temporal lobe, left cerebellar posterior lobe,and the bilateral occipital lobe. And the ReHo may be a potential reference in understanding the distinct brain activity in resting state of depression.

Altered Brain Regional Homogeneity Following Contralateral Acupuncture at Quchi (LI 11) and Zusanli (ST 36) in Ischemic Stroke Patients with Left Hemiplegia: An fMRI Study

Objective: To study the effect of contralateral acupuncture(CAT) at acupoints of Quchi(LI 11) and Zusanli(ST 36) on the unaffected limbs of ischemic stroke patients with left hemiplegia based on regional homogeneity(ReHo) indices. Methods: Ten ischemic stroke patients with left hemiplegia received CAT on right side at LI 11 and ST 36. Functional magnetic resonance imaging(fMRI) was performed before and after acupuncture. A ReHo analytical method was used to compare brain responses of patients before and after CAT operated by REST software. Results: The stimulation at both LI 11 and ST 36 on the unaffected limbs produced significantly different neural activities. CAT elicited increased ReHo values at the right precentral gyrus and superior frontal gyrus, decreased ReHo value at right superior parietal lobule, left fusiform gyrus and left supplementary motor area. Conclusions: Acupuncture at one side could stimulate bilateral regions. CAT could evoke the gyrus which was possibly related to motor recovery from stroke. A promising indicator of neurobiological deficiencies could be represented by ReHo values in post-stroke patients.

Increased regional homogeneity in internet addiction disorder： a resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging study

Background Internet addition disorder （lAD） is currently becoming a serious mental health problem among Chinese adolescents. The pathogenesis of lAD, however, remains unclear. The purpose of this study applied regional homogeneity （ReHo） method to analyze encephalic functional characteristic of lAD college students under resting state. Methods Functional magnetic resonanc image （fMRI） was performed in 19 lAD college students and 19 controls under resting state. ReHo method was used to analyze the differences between the average ReHo in two groups. Results The following increased ReHo brain regions were found in lAD group compared with control group： cerebellum, brainstem, right cingulate gyrus, bilateral parahippocampus, right frontal lobe （rectal gyrus, inferior frontal gyrus and middle frontal gyrus）, left superior frontal gyrus, left precuneus, right postcentral gyrus, right middle occipital gyrus, right inferior temporal gyrus, left superior temporal gyrus and middle temporal gyrus. The decreased ReHo brain regions were not found in the lAD group compared with the control group. Conclusions There are abnormalities in regional homogeneity in lAD college students compared with the controls and enhancement of synchronization in most encephalic regions can be found. The results reflect the functional change of brain in lAD college students. The connections between the enhancement of synchronization among cerebellum, brainstem, limbic lobe, frontal lobe and apical lobe may be relative to reward pathways.

Altered regional homogeneity in post-traumatic stress disorder: a resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging study

Objective Little is known about the brain systems that contribute to vulnerability to post-traumatic stress disorder （PTSD）. Comparison of the resting-state patterns of intrinsic functional synchronization, as measured by functional magnetic resonance imaging （fMRI）, between groups with and without PTSD following a traumatic event can help identify the neural mechanisms of the disorder and targets for intervention. Methods Fifty-four PTSD patients and 72 matched traumatized subjects who experienced the 2008 Sichuan earthquake were imaged with blood oxygen level-dependent （BOLD） fMRI and analyzed using the measure of regional homogeneity （ReHo） during the resting state. Results PTSD patients presented enhanced ReHo in the left inferior parietal lobule and right superior frontal gyrus, and reduced ReHo in the right middle temporal gyrus and lingual gyrus, relative to traumatized individuals without PTSD. Conclusion Our findings showed that abnormal brain activity exists under resting conditions in PTSD patients who had been exposed to a major earthquake. Alterations in the local functional connectivity of cortical regions are likely to contribute to the neural mechanisms underlying PTSD.

Frequency-specific abnormalities in regional homogeneity among children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: a resting-state f MRI study

Although many functional magnetic resonance imaging(f MRI) studies have investigated the neurophysiology of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder(ADHD),the existing studies have not yielded consistent findings.This may be related to the different properties of different frequency bands. To investigate the frequency-specific regional homogeneity(Re Ho) of spontaneous neural activities in ADHD, the current study used resting-state f MRI to explore the Re Ho properties of five frequency bands, slow-5(0.01–0.027 Hz), slow-4(0.027–0.073 Hz),slow-3(0.073–0.198 Hz), slow-2(0.198–0.25 Hz) and the extra-low frequency(0–0.01 Hz), in 30 drug-naive boys with ADHD and 30 healthy controls. Compared with controls, the ADHD group showed decreased Re Ho in the default mode network(DMN) including the medial prefrontal cortex and precuneus, middle frontal gyrus and angular gyrus. ADHD patients also showed increased Re Ho in the posterior cerebellum. Significant interactions between frequency band and group were observed predominantly in the dorsolateral prefrontal and parietal cortices, orbital frontal cortex, supplementary motor area,inferior occipital gyrus, thalamus and anterior cerebellum.In particular, we found that the between-group difference in the extra-low frequency band(0–0.01 Hz) seemed to be greater than that in the other frequency bands for most brain regions. The findings suggest that ADHD children display widespread abnormalities in regional brain activity,particularly in the DMN and attention network, and these abnormalities show frequency specificity.

Altered regional homogeneity in spontaneous cluster headache attacks： a resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging study

Background Functional neuroimaging study has opened an avenue for exploring the pathophysiology of cluster headache （CH）.The aim of our study was to assess the changes in brain activity in CH patients by the regional homogeneity method using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging technique.Methods The functional magnetic resonance imaging scans were obtained for 12 male CH patients with spontaneous right-sided headache attacks during “in attack” and “out of attack” periods and 12 age- and sex-matched normal controls.The data were analyzed to detect the altered brain activity by the regional homogeneity method using statistical parametric mapping software.Results Altered regional homogeneity was detected in the anterior cingulate cortex,the posterior cingulate cortex,the prefrontal cortex,insular cortex,and other brain regions involved in pain processing and modulation among different groups.Conclusion It is referred that these brain regions with altered regional homogeneity might be related to the pain processing and modulation of CH.

Effect of acupuncture plus conventional treatment on brain activity in ischemic stroke patients: a regional homogeneity analysis

OBJECTIVE: To determine differences in cerebral activity evoked by acupuncture and conventional stroke treatment, and identify the treatment targets.METHODS: In total, 21 patients were randomly divided into two groups. Group A(11 patients) received both acupuncture and conventional treatment, while group B(10 patients) received conventional treatment only. Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging(f MRI) was performed on each participant before and after treatment. Regional homogeneity analysis was performed to investigate the potential mechanism of acupuncture treatment by comparing differences in cerebral activity between treatments.RESULTS: Group A showed higher Re Ho in the frontal lobe(BA6, BA46), supra-marginal gyrus(BA40),middle temporal gyrus(BA21), cerebellum, and insula. Group B showed higher Re Ho in the frontal lobe(BA6) and parietal lobe(BA3, BA7).CONCLUSION: Acupuncture and conventional treatment triggered relatively different clinical efficacy and brain responses. Acupuncture treatment more significantly improved the symptoms of stroke patients. More marked changes in sensory,emotional, and motor areas(including the frontal lobe, middle temporal gyrus, cerebellum, and insula) might reflect the specific acupuncture mechanism.

Frequency-dependent alterations in regional homogeneity in young carriers of the apolipoprotein E genotype

Using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging(rf MRI),previous studies showed that the APOE e4 allele might affect the functional connectivity between remote brain regions[1,2].However,the local functional connectivity of APOE e4 carriers has rarely been explored.Regional homogeneity(Re Ho)has been widely used to

Is ecstasy-induced protracted symptom of motion perception associated with altered regional homogeneity of brain？

The synthetic hallucinogen 3,4-methylenedioxymet hamphetamine （MDMA） is the main psychoactive constituent of the popular recreational drug ＂ecstasy.＂ Whether its neurotoxic effects are fully reversible is unknown. Here we report a patient with protracted syndrome induced by ecstasy.

Altered regional homogeneity of prefrontal cortex in Parkinson's disease with mild cognitive impairment

Background:Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is a common non-motor symptom of early Parkinson's disease (PD),but the neural mechanisms underlying it remain poorly understood.The aim of the present study was to investigate the characteristics of cognition-related brain activities in the PD patients with MCI.Methods:The brain fMRIs and cognition tests were acquired in 39 PD patients and 22 healthy controls (HC) from September 2013 to January 2015.The patients were divided into two groups:PD-MCI (n--18) and PD with normal cognition (PDNC,n =19).we used resting state fMRI and a regional homogeneity (ReHo) method to explore patterns of intrinsic brain activity in patients with PD-MCI as compared with PDNC subjects and HC.Results:Compared with the PDNC group,the PD-MCI group exhibited significantly increased ReHo in parts of the prefrontal cortex regions (e.g.right superior frontal gyrus,right middle frontal gyrus and orbitofrontal cortex).Compared to the HC group,a decrease of ReHo value in left thalamus was found in PD-MCI.However,this reduction was not found in the left thalamus of PDNC group,but in the above prefrontal regions (p ＜ 0.05,with Bonferroni correction).Conclusions:These results demonstrate that the ReHo of prefrontal cortex in resting state is changed in PD patients with MCI.The presence of MCI in PD may be attributed to abnormal regional activity in prefrontal cortex regions.

Regional homogeneity and functional connectivity in resting-state brain activity in tinnitus patients

Objective:Subjective tinnitus is characterized by the perception of sound in the absence of any external auditory stimuli.This perceived sound may be related to altered intrinsic neural activity generated along the central auditory pathway.This retrospective study was designed to investigate regional homogeneity and functional connectivity in the resting-state brain activity of patients with tinnitus.Methods:We recruited tinnitus patients with normal hearing or mild hearing loss(n=17)and age-matched healthy controls(n=20),and examined regional homogeneity and functional connectivity in resting-state brain activity using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging data.The present study protocol was approved by the Institutional Review Board on Experimental Ethics at Sun Yat-sen University,China(approval No.SYSEC-KY-KS-2019-083).Results:Compared with normal controls,patients with tinnitus had significantly decreased regional homogeneity in the anterior lobe of the cerebellum and increased homogeneity in the inferior frontal gyrus(P<0.05 corrected at a cluster-level).In addition,tinnitus patients showed enhanced functional connectivity between the inferior frontal gyrus and the ventral striatum and midbrain,as well as increased connectivity between the cerebellum and ventromedial prefrontal cortex(P<0.05 corrected at a cluster-level).We also found decreased connectivity between the cerebellum and the anterior insula compared with controls(P<0.05 corrected at a cluster-level).Conclusion:Abnormal connectivity in non-auditory brain structures,particularly those related to emotion processing,may be associated with tinnitus persistence.

Neuropathological characteristics of abnormal white matter functional signaling in adolescents with major depression

BACKGROUND Major depression disorder(MDD)constitutes a significant mental health concern.Epidemiological surveys indicate that the lifetime prevalence of depression in adolescents is much higher than that in adults,with a corresponding increased risk of suicide.In studying brain dysfunction associated with MDD in adolescents,research on brain white matter(WM)is sparse.Some researchers even mistakenly regard the signals generated by the WM as noise points.In fact,studies have shown that WM exhibits similar blood oxygen level-dependent signal fluctuations.The alterations in WM signals and their relationship with disease severity in adolescents with MDD remain unclear.AIM To explore potential abnormalities in WM functional signals in adolescents with MDD.METHODS This study involved 48 adolescent patients with MDD and 31 healthy controls(HC).All participants were assessed using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 Scale and the mini international neuropsychiatric interview(MINI)suicide inventory.In addition,a Siemens Skyra 3.0T magnetic resonance scanner was used to obtain the subjects'image data.The DPABI software was utilized to calculate the WM signal of the fractional amplitude of low frequency fluctuations(fALFF)and regional homogeneity,followed by a two-sample t-test between the MDD and HC groups.Independent component analysis(ICA)was also used to evaluate the WM functional signal.Pearson’s correlation was performed to assess the relationship between statistical test results and clinical scales.RESULTS Compared to HC,individuals with MDD demonstrated a decrease in the fALFF of WM in the corpus callosum body,left posterior limb of the internal capsule,right superior corona radiata,and bilateral posterior corona radiata[P<0.001,family-wise error(FWE)voxel correction].The regional homogeneity of WM increased in the right posterior limb of internal capsule and left superior corona radiata,and decreased in the left superior longitudinal fasciculus(P<0.001,FWE voxel correction).The ICA results of WM overlapped with those of regional homogeneity.The fALFF of WM signal in the left posterior limb of the internal capsule was negatively correlated with the MINI suicide scale(P=0.026,r=-0.32),and the right posterior corona radiata was also negatively correlated with the MINI suicide scale(P=0.047,r=-0.288).CONCLUSION Adolescents with MDD involves changes in WM functional signals,and these differences in brain regions may increase the risk of suicide.

Changes of resting cerebral activities in subacute ischemic stroke patients

This study aimed to detect the difference in resting cerebral activities between ischemic stroke pa- tients and healthy participants, define the abnormal site, and provide new evidence for pathological mechanisms, clinical diagnosis, prognosis prediction and efficacy evaluation of ischemic stroke. At present, the majority of functional magnetic resonance imaging studies focus on the motor dysfunc- tion and the acute stage of ischemic stroke. This study recruited 15 right-handed ischemic stroke patients at subacute stage （15 days to 11.5 weeks） and 15 age-matched healthy participants. A rest- ing-state functional magnetic resonance imaging scan was performed on each subject to detect cerebral activity. Regional homogeneity analysis was used to investigate the difference in cerebral activities between ischemic stroke patients and healthy participants. The results showed that the ischemic stroke patients had lower regional homogeneity in anterior cingulate and left cerebrum and higher regional homogeneity in cerebellum, left precuneus and left frontal lobe, compared with healthy participants. The experimental findings demonstrate that the areas in which regional homogeneity was different between ischemic stroke patients and healthy participants are in the cerebellum, left precuneus, left triangle inferior frontal gyrus, left inferior temporal gyrus and anterior cingulate. These locations, related to the motor, sensory and emotion areas, are likely po- tential targets for the neural regeneration of subacute ischemic stroke patients.

针刺治疗屈光参差性弱视:一项随机对照试验及其潜在起效机制

Objective:To evaluate the effect of acupuncture on anisometropic amblyopia(AA)and explore its potential mechanism for children with AA.Methods:Seventy-six children with monocular AA were randomized into a conventional treatment group and a combined treatment group of acupuncture and conventional treatment,with 38 patients in each group.In the conventional treatment group,on the base of patching regimen,the red flashing,grating and visual stimulation were delivered.Each approach lasted for 5 min per session and was given once every two days,three times a week,for 4 consecutive weeks.In the acupuncture-combined treatment group,on the base of the regimen of conventional treatment group,acupuncture was applied to Jingming(BL1),Cuanzhu(BL2),Fengchi(GB20)and Guangming(GB37),with needles retained for 20 min per session,once every two days,three times of intervention a week and for 4 consecutive weeks.Before and after treatment,the best corrected vision acuity(BCVA)was observed to evaluate the clinical effect in the two groups.Before treatment started,15 patients with AA on left side were randomized selected from each group and the resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging(rs-fMRI)was operated before and after treatment.Simultaneously,eight healthy children with normal visual acuity were recruited to be the normal control group and received one-time rs-fMRI scanning.Based on the activation likelihood estimation(ALE),the visual"what"pathway network was constructed.By analyzing the amplitude of low frequency fluctuation(ALFF)and the regional homogeneity(ReHo),the differences in the regional autonomous function activities in the key brain areas of the"what"pathway were compared among the three groups.Results:(1)Clinical effect:After treatment,BCVA was(0.6[0.5,0.6]),higher than that(0.4[0.3,0.5])before treatment,presenting the statistical difference(P<0.05)in the conventional treatment group.BCVA was(0.6[0.6,0.8]),higher than that(0.4[0.4,0.5])before treatment,presenting the statistical difference(P<0.05)in the acupuncture-combined treatment group.BCVA in the acupuncture-combined treatment group was higher than that of the conventional treatment group(P<0.05)after treatment.The total effective rate was 86.1%in the acupuncture-combined treatment group,higher than that(65.8%)of the conventional treatment group(P<0.05).(2)Mechanism:(1)ALFF:In comparison with the healthy control group,the ALFF in the primary visual cortex of the"what"pathway for AA children was reduced significantly(P<0.05),and ALFF in the right fusiform gyrus and the right inferior temporal gyrus increased significantly when compared with the healthy children(P<0.05).Compared with that before treatment,there was no significant difference in the brain areas of the"what"pathway after treatment in the conventional treatment group(P>0.05).In the acupuncture-combined treatment group,ALFF in the right inferior occipital gyrus and the right fusiform gyrus of the"what"pathway increased after treatment when compared with that before treatment(P<0.05).After treatment,in comparison with the conventional treatment group,there was no significant difference in the brain areas of"what"pathway in the acupuncture-combined treatment group(P>0.05).(2)ReHo:ReHo in the right inferior occipital gyrus,the right fusiform gyrus and the right inferior temporal gyrus in the"what"pathway was elevated significantly in AA children when compared with that in the healthy control group(P<0.05).ReHo of the left inferior occipital gyrus and the left fusiform gyrus increased significantly after treatment when compared with that before treatment in the conventional treatment group(P<0.05).ReHo of the right inferior occipital gyrus,the left and the right fusiform gyrus increased significantly after treatment when compared with that before treatment in the acupuncture-combined treatment group(P<0.05).After treatment,ReHo of the right inferior temporal gyrus in the"what"pathway in the acupuncture-combined treatment group was significantly higher than that of the conventional treatment group(P<0.05).Conclusion:The acupuncture combined with conventional treatment improves BCVA and the total effective rate of AA children.The changes in the regional function activity of the brain areas within the"what"pathway were dominated by the compensatory increase of the autonomous activity in the occipital lobe(inferior occipital gyrus)and the temporal lobe(inferior temporal gyrus)in AA children.Both conventional treatment and acupuncture can enhance the intensity of autonomous function activities in the occipital lobe(inferior occipital gyrus)and the temporal lobe(fusiform gyrus/inferior temporal gyrus)in the"what"pathway so as to relieve visual impairment.ReHo in the inferior temporal gyrus in the acupuncture-combined treatment group was higher than that of the conventional treatment group and it suggests that the inferior temporal gyrus may be the key brain area to the improvement of visual function in the"what"pathway.

Rainfall erosivity and erosivity density through rainfall synthetic series for Sao Paulo State,Brazil:Assessment,regionalization and modeling

Rainfall is the main cause of erosion of Brazilian soils,which makes assessing the rainfall erosivity factor(RE)and the erosivity density(ED)fundamental for soil and water conservation.Therefore,the objectives of this study were:i)to estimate the RE and ED for Sao Paulo State,Brazil,using synthetic series of pluviographic data;ii)to define homogeneous regions regarding rainfall erosivity;and iii)to generate regression models for rainfall erosivity estimates in each of the homogeneous regions.Synthetic series of pluviographic data were initially obtained on a sub-daily scale from the daily rainfall records of 696 rainfall gauges.The RE values were then estimated from the synthetic rainfall data,and ED was calculated from the relationship between erosivity and rainfall amounts.Monthly and annual maps for RE and ED were obtained.Hierarchical clustering analysis was used to define homogeneous regions in terms of rainfall erosivity,and regionalized regression models for estimating RE were generated.The results demonstrate high spatial variability of RE in Sao Paulo,where the highest annual values were observed in the coastal region.December to March concentrate approximately 60%of the intra-annual erosivity.The highest values of annual ED were observed in regions with intense agricultural activity.The definition of five homogeneous regions concerning the rainfall erosive potential evidenced distinct seasonal patterns of the spatial distribution of erosivity.Finally,the high predictive accuracy of the regionalized models obtained characterizes them as essential tools for reliable estimates of rainfall erosivity,and contribute to better soil conservation planning.

Effect and cerebral mechanism of moxibustion at heat-sensitized Yaoyangguan(GV3)in patients with lumbar disc herniation and myofascial pain syndrome by resting-state functionality magnetic resonance imaging:protocol for an observational study

We want to explore the analgesic brain effect of the moxibustion at heat-sensitized Yaoyangguan(GV3)in patients with lumbar disc herniation(LDH)and myofascial pain syndrome(MPS).In an assessor-blinded observational study,we will include 15 LDH and 15 MPS.They will accept same treatment of heat-sensitive moxibustion at Yaoyangguan(GV3).The resting-state functionality magnetic resonance imaging image data of brain activities before and after treatment will be analyzed by mean fractional amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation,regional homogeneity analysis and brain functional connection.We select seed of first sensory cortex,second sensory cortex,insula cortex,periaqueductal gray and anterior cingulate cortex as the regions of interest to analyse the relationship between brain functional connectivity of pain-related networks and clinical data.Our study could disclose key brain targets and central response characteristics of the analgesic brain effect and the brain functional connection of heat-sensitive moxibustion.