Surface-based map plasticity of brain regions related to sensory motor and pain information processing after osteonecrosis of the femoral head

Pain is one of the manifestations of hip disorder and has been proven to lead to the remodeling of somatotopic map plasticity in the cortex.However,most studies are volume-based which may lead to inaccurate anatomical positioning of functional data.The methods that work on the cortical surface may be more sensitive than those using the full brain volume and thus be more suitable for map plasticity study.In this prospective cross-sectional study performed in Yueyang Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine,Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine,China,20 patients with osteonecrosis of the femoral head(12 males and 8 females,aged 56.80±13.60 years)and 20 healthy controls(9 males and 11 females,aged 54.56±10.23 years)were included in this study.Data of resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging were collected.The results revealed that compared with healthy controls,compared with the healthy controls,patients with osteonecrosis of the femoral head(ONFH)showed significantly increased surface-based regional homogeneity(Re Ho)in areas distributed mainly in the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex,frontal eye field,right frontal eye field,and the premotor cortex and decreased surface-based Re Ho in the right primary motor cortex and primary sensory cortex.Regions showing significant differences in surfacebased Re Ho values between the healthy controls and patients with ONFH were defined as the regions of interests.Seed-based functional connectivity was performed to investigate interregional functional synchronization.When the areas with decreased surface-based Re Ho in the frontal eye field and right premotor cortex were used as the regions of interest,compared with the healthy controls,the patients with ONFH displayed increased functional connectivity in the right middle frontal cortex and right inferior parietal cortex and decreased functional connectivity in the right precentral cortex and right middle occipital cortex.Compared with healthy controls,patients with ONFH showed significantly decreased cortical thickness in the para-insular area,posterior insular area,anterior superior temporal area,frontal eye field and supplementary motor cortex and reduced volume of subcortical gray matter nuclei in the right nucleus accumbens.These findings suggest that hip disorder patients showed cortical plasticity changes,mainly in sensorimotor-and pain-related regions.This study was approved by the Medical Ethics Committee of Yueyang Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine,Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine(approval No.2018-041)on August 1,2018.

Ray tracing/correlation approach to estimation of surface-based duct parameters from radar clutter

This paper describes a technique to estimate surface-based duct parameters by using a simple ray tracing/correlation method. The approach is novel in that it incorporates the Spearman rank-order correlation scheme between the observed surface clutter and the surface ray density for a given propagation path. The simulation results and the real data results both demonstrate the ability of this method to estimate surface-based duct parameters. Compared with the results obtained by a modified genetic algorithm combined with the parabolic wave equation, the results retrieved from the ray tracing/correlation scheme show a minor reduction in accuracy but a great improvement on computation time. Therefore the ray tracing/correlation method might be used as a precursor to more sophisticated and slower techniques, such as genetic algorithm and particle filters, by narrowing the parameter search space and providing a comprehensive and more efficient estimation algorithm.

Applying Surface-Based DNA Computing for Solving the Dominating Set Problem

The surface-based DNA computing is one of the methods of DNA computing which uses DNA strands immobilized on a solid surface. In this paper, we applied surface-based DNA computing for solving the dominating set problem. At first step, surface-based DNA solution space was constructed by using appropriate DNA strands. Then, by application of a DNA parallel algorithm, dominating set problem was resolved in polynomial time.

Abnormal cortical surface-based spontaneous and functional connectivity in the whole brain in lifelong premature ejaculation patients

Recent research has highlighted structural and functional abnormalities in the cerebral cortex of patients with premature ejaculation(PE).These anomalies could play a pivotal role in the physiological mechanisms underlying PE.This study leveraged functional magnetic resonance imaging(fMRI),a noninvasive technique,to explore these neural mechanisms.We conducted resting-state fMRI scans on 36 PE patients and 22 healthy controls(HC),and collected data on Premature Ejaculation Diagnostic Tool(PEDT)scores and intravaginal ejaculation latency time(IELT).Employing a surface-based regional homogeneity(ReHo)approach,we analyzed local neural synchronous spontaneous activity,diverging from previous studies that utilized a volume-based ReHo method.Areas with significant ReHo differences between PE and HC groups underwent surface-based functional connectivity(FC)analysis.Significant discrepancies in ReHo and FC across the cortical surface were observed in the PE cohort.Notably,PE patients exhibited decreased ReHo in the left triangular inferior frontal gyrus and enhanced ReHo in the right middle frontal gyrus.The latter showed heightened connectivity with the left lingual gyrus and the right orbital superior frontal gyrus.Furthermore,a correlation between ReHo and FC values with PEDT scores and IELT was found in the PE group.Our findings,derived from surface-based fMRI data,underscore specific brain regions linked to the neurobiological underpinnings of PE.

Deep learning in cortical surface-based neuroimage analysis:a systematic review

Deep learning approaches,especially convolutional neural networks(CNNs),have become the method of choice in the field of medical image analysis over the last few years.This prevalence is attributed to their excellent abilities to learn features in a more effective and efficient manner,not only for 2D/3D images in the Euclidean space,but also for meshes and graphs in non-Euclidean space such as cortical surfaces in neuroimaging analysis field.The brain cerebral cortex is a highly convoluted and thin sheet of gray matter(GM)that is thus typically represented by triangular surface meshes with an intrinsic spherical topology for each hemisphere.Accordingly,novel tailored deep learning methods have been developed for cortical surface-based analysis of neuroimaging data.This paper reviewsed the representative deep learning techniques relevant to cortical surface-based analysis and summarizes recent major contributions to the field.Specifically,we surveyed the use of deep learning techniques for cortical surface reconstruction,registration,parcellation,prediction,and other applications.We concluded by discussing the open challenges,limitations,and potentials of these techniques,and suggested directions for future research.

基于内聚力模型的圆形夹杂与基体界面渐进脱粘分析

采用ABAQUS中基于内聚力模型的Surface-based cohesive方法,对圆形夹杂和基体的二维界面脱粘问题进行了数值分析,通过数值模拟再现了界面的脱粘过程和多个夹杂相互作用对脱粘过程的影响。模拟结果表明,其加载过程的力学行为可划分成3个阶段:无脱粘阶段、渐进脱粘阶段和完全脱粘后。对颗粒复合材料界面脱粘的研究有一定的理论和工程参考价值。

Structural remodeling in related brain regions in patients with facial synkinesis

Facial synkinesis is a troublesome sequelae of facial nerve malfunction.It is difficult to recover from synkinesis,despite improved surgical techniques for isolating the peripheral facial nerve branches.Furthermore,it remains unclear whether long-term dysfunction of motor control can lead to irreversible plasticity-induced structural brain changes.This case-control study thus investigated the structural brain alterations associated with facial synkinesis.The study was conducted at Shanghai Ninth People’s Hospital,Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine,China.Twenty patients with facial synkinesis(2 male and 18 female,aged 33.35±6.97 years)and 19 healthy volunteers(2 male and 17 female,aged 33.21±6.75 years)underwent magnetic resonance imaging,and voxel-based and surface-based morphometry techniques were used to analyze data.There was no significant difference in brain volume between patients with facial synkinesis and healthy volunteers.Patients with facial synkinesis exhibited a significantly reduced cortical thickness in the contralateral superior and inferior temporal gyri and a reduced sulcal depth of the ipsilateral precuneus compared with healthy volunteers.In addition,sulcal depth of the ipsilateral precuneus was negatively correlated with the severity of depression.These findings suggest that there is a structural remodeling of gray matter in patients with facial synkinesis after facial nerve malfunction.This study was approved by the Ethics Review Committee of the Ninth People’s Hospital,Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine,China(approval No.2017-365-T267)on September 13,2017,and was registered with the Chinese Clinical Trial Registry(registration number:ChiCTR1800014630)on January 25,2018.

Morphometric changes in the cortex following acute mild traumatic brain injury

Morphometric changes in cortical thickness(CT),cortical surface area(CSA),and cortical volume(CV) can reflect pathological changes after acute mild traumatic brain injury(m TBI).Most previous studies focused on changes in CT,CSA,and CV in subacute or chronic m TBI,and few studies have examined changes in CT,CSA,and CV in acute m TBI.Furthermore,acute m TBI patients typically show transient cognitive impairment,and few studies have reported on the relationship between cerebral morphological changes and cognitive function in patients with m TBI.This prospective cohort study included 30 patients with acute m TBI(15 males,15 females,mean age 33.7 years) and 27 matched healthy controls(12 males,15 females,mean age 37.7 years) who were recruited from the Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University between September and December 2019.High-resolution T1-weighted images were acquired within 7 days after the onset of m TBI.The results of analyses using Free Surfer software revealed significantly increased CSA and CV in the right lateral occipital gyrus of acutestage m TBI patients compared with healthy controls,but no significant changes in CT.The acute-stage m TBI patients also showed reduced executive function and processing speed indicated by a lower score in the Digital Symbol Substitution Test,and reduced cognitive ability indicated by a longer time to complete the Trail Making Test-B.Both increased CSA and CV in the right lateral occipital gyrus were negatively correlated with performance in the Trail Making Test part A.These findings suggest that cognitive deficits and cortical alterations in CSA and CV can be detected in the acute stage of m TBI,and that increased CSA and CV in the right lateral occipital gyrus may be a compensatory mechanism for cognitive dysfunction in acute-stage m TBI patients.This study was approved by the Ethics Committee of the Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University,China(approval No.086) on February 9,2019.

Analysis of Geological Background of Seismic Activity in the Chengdu Plain from Data of Seismic Prospecting for Oil

Summarizing the existing data of seismological and geological investigations and of strong and intermediate-strong earthquakes in the Sichuan basin and its adjacent areas accumulated by the seismological and petroleum organizations in Sichuan and of the results of seismic prospecting and detailed exploration in Chengdu depression during the last 20 years permitted us to study the types and distribution of hidden structures in Chengdu depression and its adjacent areas, in particular, to identify in detail the “hidden faults" in the Chenngdu-Deyang area on the one hand; The obtained data indicate that the NE-trending Xinjin fault runs northward and dies out in the south of Penzhen town of Shuangliu County. Meanwhile, we studied genetic relations of seismic activity to active faults and their corresponding movement characteristics on the other hand. Moreover, the surface faults and deep-seated faults are clearly defined and outlined, and 5 types of seismogenic faults suggested. The knowledge thus obtained enables us to delimit the focal zones for potential strong earthquakes in Chengdu depression. The study suggests that a zone of 40 km wide and more than 100 km long on sides along the Chengdu-Deyang line has a stable seismogeological background and good engineering-seismological conditions.

Kinect-Based Automatic Spatial Registration Framework for Neurosurgical Navigation

As image-guided navigation plays an important role in neurosurgery, the spatial registration mapping the pre-operative images with the intra-operative patient position becomes crucial for a high accurate surgical output. Conventional landmark-based registration requires expensive and time-consuming logistic support.Surface-based registration is a plausible alternative due to its simplicity and efficacy. In this paper, we propose a comprehensive framework for surface-based registration in neurosurgical navigation, where Kinect is used to automatically acquire patient's facial surface in a real time manner. Coherent point drift(CPD) algorithm is employed to register the facial surface with pre-operative images(e.g., computed tomography(CT) or magnetic resonance imaging(MRI)) using a coarse-to-fine scheme. The spatial registration results of 6 volunteers demonstrate that the proposed framework has potential for clinical use.

Altered cortical morphology in major depression disorder patients with suicidality

Background:Major depressive disorder(MDD)is associated with high risk of suicide,but the biological under-pinnings of suicidality in MDD patients are far from conclusive.Previous neuroimaging studies using voxel-based morphometry(VBM)demonstrated that depressed individuals with suicidal thoughts or behaviors exhibit specific cortical structure alterations.To complement VBM findings,surface-based morphometry(SBM)can pro-vide more details into gray matter structure,including the cortical complexity,cortical thickness and sulcal depth for brain images.Objective:This study aims to use SBM to investigate cortical morphology alterations to obtain evidence for neuroanatomical alterations in depressed patients with suicidality.Methods:Here,3D T1-weighted MR images of brain from 39 healthy controls,40 depressed patients without suicidality(patient controls),and 39 with suicidality(suicidal groups)were analyzed based on SBM to estimate the fractal dimension,gyrification index,sulcal depth,and cortical thickness using the Computational Anatomy Toolbox.Correlation analyses were performed between clinical data and cortical surface measurements from patients.Results:Surface-based morphometry showed decreased sulcal depth in the parietal,frontal,limbic,occipital and temporal regions and decreased fractal dimension in the frontal regions in depressed patients with sui-cidality compared to both healthy and patient controls.Additionally,in patients with depression,the sulcal depth of the left caudal anterior cingulate cortex was negatively correlated with Hamilton Depression Rating Scale scores.Conclusions:Depressed patients with suicidality had abnormal cortical morphology in some brain regions within the default mode network,frontolimbic circuitry and temporal regions.These structural deficits may be associated with the dysfunction of emotional processing and impulsivity control.This study provides insights into the underlying neurobiology of the suicidal brain.