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: Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is considered as an independent risk factor for mild cognitive impairment (MCI). This study was performed to investigate the prevalence, influencing factors and cognitive characteristics of MCI in elderly patients with T2DM in China. : In the cross-sectional study, we performed cluster random sampling of 3,246 people age 60 years and older across the country. All participants were interviewed and screened for T2DM and MCI. A total of 341 subjects were diagnosed of MCI according to the criteria of Petersen, and a total of 256 subjects were diagnosed of T2DM by using the American Diabetes Association criteria Among the 256 T2DM people, 56 were also diagnosed with MCI. Logistic regression analyses were performed to evaluate risk and protective factor for MCI with T2DM. We also assessed their cognitive function by using the Mini-mental State Examination (MMSE), Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), Digit span, Associative Learning Test (ALT), Visual Identification Test (VIT), Verbal Fluency (VF), Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS)-III Block Design, WAIS-III picture completion and Auditory Verbal Learning Test (AVLT). : Among the 256 T2DM patients, 56 were diagnosed with MCI, and the prevalence of MCI in T2DM was 21.8%. Multivariate logistic regression analyses showed that depression ( = 0.002, OR = 6.220, 95% CI: 2.005-19.290) was a risk factor for MCI among T2DM patients, while education ( < 0.001, OR = 0.869, 95% CI: 0.805-0.983) was a protective one. All the scores of neuropsychological tests (except for MMSE) in T2DM patients with MCI were lower than those without MCI ( < 0.05), but there was no statistical difference ( > 0.05) in neuropsychological tests between T2DM-MCI group and No-T2DM-MCI group. Linear regression analysis showed that the drug treatment of diabetes was positively correlated ( = 2.263, = 0.025) with the total score of auditory word tests. : The present study suggests a high prevalence of MCI among Chinese T2DM patients. Depression is a risk factor for MCI, while education is a protective one. T2DM patients with MCI often show comprehensive cognitive impairment, and the drug treatment of diabetes might help to improve cognitive function.

In this paper, an adaptive neural network (NN) synchronization controller is designed for two identical strict-feedback chaotic systems (SFCSs) subject to dead-zone input. The dead-zone models together with the system uncertainties are approximated by NNs. The dynamic surface control (DSC) approach is applied in the synchronization controller design, and the traditional problem of “explosion of complexity” that usually occurs in the backstepping design can be avoided. The proposed synchronization method guarantees the synchronization errors tend to an arbitrarily small region. Finally, this paper presents two simulation examples to confirm the effectiveness and the robustness of the proposed control method.

As an important part of urban public open space, pocket parks have become an important activity place for the elderly in the context of the aging society in China. With the pocket parks in Nanjing, Jiangsu province, China as research object, this paper set six landscape features to be studied, namely, Height of trees, Green color richness, Stratification of green landscapes, Green space ratio, Leisure facilities, and Water landscape. The elderly respondents with different demographic characteristics, such as age, gender, education level and residential type, were subjected to the picture stimulation experiment whose results were then statistically analyzed. The results indicate that gender and residential type exert certain influence on the elderly’s visual impact assessment of pocket park landscape. To be specific, the male elderly prefer the pocket park landscape with 3-6 m high trees, medium green space ratio, and more leisure facilities; the female elderly are in greater favor of pocket park landscapes with 0-3 m high trees, five or more colors, three or more layers; the elderly who live with their families prefer pocket park landscapes with medium green space ratio and more leisure facilities; to the elderly who live alone, pocket park landscapes with trees which are 0–3 m high, five or more colors, and medium leisure facilities are more attractive. This study can provide valuable reference for pocket park design in China.

Acute lung injury (ALI) is a fatal respiratory disease caused by excessive inflammation. Chelerythrine chloride (CH), an isoquinoline alkaloid, exhibits diverse biological activities. The research focused on assessing CH’s therapeutic effects against LPS-mediated ALI in mice and its underlying mechanisms. The anti-inflammatory effects of CH were evaluated both in LPS-induced RAW264.7 cells and ALI mouse model. An amount of 2.5 μM CH significantly inhibited the secretion of nitric oxide (NO), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-6 (IL-6) and IL-1β in RAW264.7 cells. CH treatment notably mitigated the thickened alveolar septa and reduced edema in LPS-induced ALI in mice. Activity-based protein profiling (ABPP) technology was employed to identify the targets of CH. Glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) was one of the direct targets of CH identified by ABPP. CH could downregulate the production of pyruvate. Furthermore, CH reduced the extracellular acidification rate (ECAR) while increasing the oxygen consumption rate (OCR) in LPS-stimulated RAW264.7 cells. All results suggest that CH mitigates LPS-induced ALI by targeting GAPDH and inhibiting glycolysis. This study reveals preliminary anti-inflammatory mechanisms of CH and its therapeutic potential for ALI.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the complex connection between apathy and cognitive decline that remains unclear. A total of 1057 non-dementia elderly from the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) database received up to 13 years of follow-up and were divided into an apathy negative (−) group of 943 participants and an apathy positive (+) group of 114 participants through the Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI)-apathy subitem. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) AD biomarkers and amyloid β (Aβ) PET were measured, and their longitudinal changes were assessed using linear mixed-effects models. Risk factors for cognitive decline and apathy conversion were explored through the Cox proportional hazards model. Mediation effects of Aβ pathology on cognition were investigated using the causal mediation analysis. Apathy syndrome was associated with faster impairment of cognition and elevation of the Aβ burden. The effects of apathy on cognitive function and life quality were mediated by Aβ pathology, including CSF Aβ42/total tau ratio, and Aβ deposition in the prefrontal regions. Apathy syndrome was the risk factor for cognitive deterioration; meanwhile, frontal Aβ burden was the risk factor for apathy conversion. Apathy syndrome is an early manifestation of cognitive decline and there are bidirectional roles between apathy syndrome and Aβ pathology. Prefrontal Aβ pathology influenced the pathway from apathy to cognitive decline.

Obesity is a critical issue in patients with schizophrenia, which is considered to be brought about by both environmental and genetic factors. Apolipoprotein E (APOE) gene polymorphisms might be involved in the pathogenesis of schizophrenia, however, the effect of APOE gene polymorphism on obesity has never been investigated in Chinese aging with schizophrenia. This cross-sectional study was to investigate the effect of obesity on cognitive and psychiatric symptoms in elderly participants with schizophrenia. At the same time, we also discussed the inner link between APOE E4 and obesity. 301 elderly participants with schizophrenia and 156 normal controls were included in the study. Their cognitive function was assessed using the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), psychiatric symptoms were assessed using the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS), and APOE gene polymorphism was determined by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The prevalence of obesity in elderly schizophrenic patients and healthy controls accounted for 15.9% (48/301) and 10.3% (16/156), respectively, with no statistically significant difference. By using stepwise linear regression analysis, we found that elevated fasting blood glucose, hypertension, and hyperlipidemia were risk factors for obesity in elderly schizophrenic patients. Although there was no direct correlation between APOE E4 and obesity in patients with schizophrenia, it was significantly correlated with hyperlipemia(r = − 0.154, p = 0.008), suggesting that APOE E4 may induce obesity in elderly patients with schizophrenia through hyperlipemia, However, the above conclusions do not apply to the normal elderly. What’s more, we did not find a link between obesity and cognitive function or mental symptoms for both patients with schizophrenia and normal controls. APOE E4 is associated with hyperlipidemia in elderly schizophrenic patients, which may be a risk factor for obesity, however, the above conclusion does not apply to the normal elderly.

With the increase in heat-treated rubberwood used in interior decoration materials, the odorous constituents have attracted people’s attention. In this study, a headspace solid-phase microextraction method coupled with gas chromatography–mass spectrometry was employed to analyze the odorous constituents released from heat-treated rubberwood and the gaseous components from the heat treatment process. The results showed that the odorous constituents were classed into aldehydes, esters, ketones, acids, alcohols, phenols, alkanes, aromatics, and others. During the four-month test period, the emissions of aldehydes (47.08% and 65.66%) were the most dominating compounds in VOCs emission from F180 °C and F200 °C. The changes in chemical structure of rubberwood before and after heat treatment were investigated by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. It was found that the O/C ratio of rubberwood decreased from 0.52 to 0.44 after heat treatment with increasing temperature; the contribution of C 1 and C 2 peaks is more important than C 3 and C 4 . With increasing treatment temperature, the C 1 contribution of rubberwood samples increased from 34.37 to 42.47%, whereas the C 2 decreased markedly from 55.50 to 48.24% and the C 3 began to decrease at higher temperature. These results corresponded to variations observed from the gas chromatographic mass spectrometry results of heat-treated rubberwood.

While static conscientiousness is known to predict academic success, personality can be particularly dynamic during adolescence. This study adopted a unique change-oriented perspective to examine the longitudinal relationship between within-person changes in conscientiousness and changes in academic performance among Chinese high school students, while also exploring the moderating role of changes in parental academic expectations. Four waves of longitudinal data were collected from 453 students (265 males, Mage = 15.42, SD = 0.76), with each wave spaced 6 months apart. Results indicated that the changes in conscientiousness (T2-T1) predicted the changes in academic performance (T4-T3) through the changes in academic engagement (T3-T2). However, the moderating effect of changes in parental academic expectations on the relationship between changes in conscientiousness and academic engagement was not significant. These findings go beyond static trait approaches by illustrating how dynamic changes in personality relate to evolving academic outcomes via engagement during the crucial high school years. The study highlights the importance of a dynamic perspective on personality, particularly within the developmental context of adolescence, and offers implications for interventions targeting both student traits and parental support in the Chinese educational context.

Introduction Lung cancer is a prevalent malignancy globally, and immunotherapy has revolutionized its treatment. However, resistance to immunotherapy remains a challenge. Abnormal cholinesterase (ChE) activity and choline metabolism are associated with tumor oncogenesis, progression, and poor prognosis in multiple cancers. Yet, the precise mechanism underlying the relationship between ChE, choline metabolism and tumor immune microenvironment in lung cancer, and the response and resistance of immunotherapy still unclear. Methods Firstly, 277 advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients receiving first-line immunotherapy in Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center were enrolled in the study. Pretreatment and the alteration of ChE after 2 courses of immunotherapy and survival outcomes were collected. Kaplan–Meier survival and cox regression analysis were performed, and nomogram was conducted to identify the prognostic and predicted values. Secondly, choline metabolism-related genes were screened using Cox regression, and a prognostic model was constructed. Functional enrichment analysis and immune microenvironment analysis were also conducted. Lastly, to gain further insights into potential mechanisms, single-cell analysis was performed. Results Firstly, baseline high level ChE and the elevation of ChE after immunotherapy were significantly associated with better survival outcomes for advanced NSCLC. Constructed nomogram based on the significant variables from the multivariate Cox analysis performed well in discrimination and calibration. Secondly, 4 choline metabolism-related genes (MTHFD1, PDGFB, PIK3R3, CHKB) were screened and developed a risk signature that was found to be related to a poorer prognosis. Further analysis revealed that the choline metabolism-related genes signature was associated with immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment, immune escape and metabolic reprogramming. scRNA-seq showed that MTHFD1 was specifically distributed in tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs), mediating the differentiation and immunosuppressive functions of macrophages, which may potentially impact endothelial cell proliferation and tumor angiogenesis. Conclusion Our study highlights the discovery of ChE as a prognostic marker in advanced NSCLC, suggesting its potential for identifying patients who may benefit from immunotherapy. Additionally, we developed a prognostic signature based on choline metabolism-related genes, revealing the correlation with the immunosuppressive microenvironment and uncovering the role of MTHFD1 in macrophage differentiation and endothelial cell proliferation, providing insights into the intricate workings of choline metabolism in NSCLC pathogenesis.

The stability of coal pillars in fault areas is crucial for ensuring the safe passage of working faces. Based on field observations, frequent coal pillar spalling and substantial tectonic coal crumbs leakage, as well as tilting of hydraulic supports, are observed when working faces transition from primary coal to tectonic coal. To analyze the instability mechanisms behind these phenomena, this paper establishes a mechanical model of coal pillars in fault areas and analyzes the distribution of tectonic stresses and factors affecting the stability of coal pillars. The results indicate that horizontal tectonic stress adheres to an exponential function dependent on the angle factor, where ( k 0 ) is a parameter associated with the friction angle of the coal body, the dip angle of the fault, and the friction angle of the fault plane. The stability of coal pillars is influenced by factors such as roof and floor pressures, coal pillar integrity, mining height, and shield support force, with coal pillar integrity being the most critical. To ensure the smooth passage of working faces through faults, this study proposes a combined control technique of “inclined mining” and “grouting,” including reducing mining heights, adjusting the slope of working face advancement, and pre-grouting of coal pillars. Industrial experiments conducted on-site have shown improved integrity of tectonic coal, enabling the working face to pass through faults smoothly and significantly increasing production efficiency.