1.Association between Tau protein deposition and brain metabolites: N-acetylaspartate and creatine as potential biomarkers for advanced Alzheimer's disease.
Xiaoyuan LI ; Yiyue ZHANG ; Yucheng GU ; Nihong CHEN ; Xinyu QIAN ; Pengjun ZHANG ; Jiaxin HAO ; Feng WANG
Journal of Southern Medical University 2025;45(11):2350-2357
OBJECTIVES:
To investigate the associations between Tau protein deposition and brain biochemical metabolites detected by proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H-MRS) in patients with advanced Alzheimer's disease (AD).
METHODS:
From April, 2022 to December, 2024, 64 Tau-positive AD patients and 29 healthy individuals underwent 18F-APN-1607 PET/MR and simultaneously acquired multi-voxel 1H-MRS in the Department of Nuclear Medicine, Nanjing First Hospital. Visual analysis and voxel-based analysis of PET/MR data were performed to investigate the Tau protein deposition patterns in AD patients. Valid voxels within the 1H-MRS field of view were selected, and their standardized uptake value ratio (SUVr) in PET and metabolite levels of N-acetylaspartate (NAA), choline (Cho), creatine (Cr), NAA/Cr, and Cho/Cr were recorded. The Tau-positive (Tau+) voxels and Tau-negative (Tau-) voxels of the AD patients were compared for PET and 1H-MRS parameters, and the correlations between the metabolites and Tau PET SUVr within Tau+ voxels were analyzed.
RESULTS:
Significant Tau protein deposition were observed in the AD patients, involving mainly the bilateral frontal lobes (30.07%), parietal lobes (29.96%), temporal lobes (21.07%), and occipital lobes (15.89%). A total of 1422 valid voxels in AD group (including 994 Tau+ and 428 Tau- voxels) and 814 voxels in the control group were selected. The AD patients showed significantly decreased NAA level and increased SUVr compared with the control group (P<0.05). Subgroup analyses revealed that Tau+ voxels had higher SUVr and lower Cr and Cho/Cr than Tau- voxels (P<0.05). Compared with the control group, Tau+ voxels exhibited higher SUVr and lower Cr (P<0.05), while Tau- voxels showed lower NAA (P=0.004). No significant differences were found in Cho or NAA/Cr among the subgroups (P>0.05). Within Tau+ voxels, NAA, Cho, and Cr were negatively correlated with SUVr (P<0.001).
CONCLUSIONS
The patients with progressive AD have significant Tau protein deposition in the brain, which is correlated with alterations in metabolite levels. Decreased NAA is more prominent in early or pre-tau deposition stages, while Cr changes is more significant in the regions with Tau protein deposition, suggesting the potential of NAA and Cr as biomarkers for Tau protein deposition in AD for disease monitoring and treatment evaluation.
Humans
;
Alzheimer Disease/diagnostic imaging*
;
Aspartic Acid/metabolism*
;
tau Proteins/metabolism*
;
Creatine/metabolism*
;
Brain/metabolism*
;
Biomarkers/metabolism*
;
Positron-Emission Tomography
;
Male
;
Female
;
Proton Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy
;
Choline/metabolism*
;
Aged
;
Middle Aged
2.The Influence of Internet Use on the Health status of the Elderly: a Mediating Effect Analysis Based on Social Interaction
Mengyao REN ; Ruijia TAO ; Qiang GAO ; Miao XU ; Pengjun ZHANG ; Chen WANG
Chinese Journal of Geriatrics 2024;43(5):609-615
Objective:To investigate the mediating effect of social interaction on the relationship between internet use and the health status of the elderly.The findings of this research can potentially contribute new insights into improving the health status of the elderly population.Methods:Based on the data from the Chinese General Social Survey(CGSS)in 2021, a total of 2 675 elderly individuals aged 60 and above were included in the study.The researchers analyzed the linear regression relationship between Internet use, social interaction, and the health status of the elderly using a hierarchical regression model.Additionally, a mediation effect test was conducted using the Bootstrap test.Furthermore, heterogeneity analysis of the mediation effect was performed considering factors such as gender, place of residence, working conditions, and physical exercise among the elderly participants.Results:The total effect value was 0.170.The direct effect of Internet use on the health status of older adults was 0.160(95% CI: 0.078-0.240), accounting for 93.66% of the effect value.The indirect effect of social interaction was 0.011(95% CI: 0.003-0.021), accounting for 6.34% of the effect value.The mediating effect of social interaction on the health status of older adults varied among different groups.Among female elderly, rural elderly, elderly who are currently unemployed, and those who are physically active, the mediating effects were 5.16%, 7.86%, 10.18%, and 9.91%, respectively. Conclusions:The impact of internet use and social interaction on the health status of the elderly is notably positive.Additionally, social interaction partially mediates the relationship between internet use and the health status of the elderly.
3.Investigation on the demand and management status quo of scientific research assistants in hospitals and analysis of their development path based on the perspective of scientific research managers
Boya PENG ; Pengjun ZHANG ; Miao MIAO ; Qiang GAO ; Yuqing WANG ; Chen WANG
Chinese Journal of Medical Science Research Management 2023;36(3):220-224
Objective:This study aims to explore the possible development path of hospital research assistants in China based on the cognition of the demand and management status quo from research management personnel in tertiary hospitals.Methods:62 scientific research management personnel from all over the country were surveyed, data about their cognition and the current status of scientific research assistants, that including the willingness of employ, position cognition, eligibility and competence, quantity and efficiency, management implementation, influencing factors and difficulties in team development, were collected and analyzed. Regarding to the practical needs and management status, the results were described by frequency, percentage and average score, and the rank sum test was used to verify whether there was any difference in the employment intention between the management department and the project team in the cognition of the survey subjects.Results:From the perspective of scientific research managers, there is a strong willingness at hospital level to employ the research assistant, positions require applicants with bachelor′s degree or above in medicine or other related majors. The most urgent needs are management of project funds, equipment and consumables, research integrity and ethics.The interviewees who work with research assistants think that the effect of research assistants on improving scientific research efficiency is obvious.However, the percentage of formulation of research assistants management measures is less than 40%, and the percentages of uniformly organized training and assessment are relatively low. There are still problems and challenges, such as incomplete cognition of the positioning and function, incomplete functional and vocational system, imperfect incentive mechanism and insufficient support for ability cultivation and improvement.Conclusions:It′s necessary to strengthen the top-down design of the development of scientific research assistant team and the construction of career system, improve the management basis and implementation mechanism, supporting resources should be in place, and promote capacity building system in order to develop a long-term mechanism of mutual promotion between the team building of scientific research assistants and the innovation of hospital scientific research management.
4.Construction of drug clinical comprehensive evaluation index system and quantitative grading by using analytic hierarchy model
Mingyang DONG ; Pengjun CHEN ; Shu WANG ; Lingyan JIAN
China Pharmacy 2023;34(11):1298-1301
OBJECTIVE To construct the drug clinical comprehensive evaluation index system and quantitative grading in China, and to provide a reference for scientifically carrying out comprehensive clinical evaluation of drugs. METHODS The analytic hierarchy model was used to establish the drug clinical comprehensive evaluation index system, the weight of the evaluation index and the quantitative grading of each index were determined through expert consultation and model calculation. RESULTS The results of expert consultation were integrated by using the analytic hierarchy model, and the drug clinical comprehensive evaluation index system was obtained: including six first-level indicators of effectiveness, safety, economy, suitability, accessibility and innovation, as well as twenty-three second-level indicators of recommended status, medication for special populations, and drug treatment costs; the weight of each indicator was calculated through estimation-matrix method. CONCLUSIONS The analytic hierarchy model can construct the drug clinical comprehensive evaluation index system and quantitative grading in China, which can provide methodological references for comprehensive analysis and decision-making, thus making the clinical comprehensive evaluation of drugs completer and more scientific.
5.Quality control of the technology method of clinical comprehensive drug evaluation
Shu WANG ; Mingyang DONG ; Pengjun CHEN ; Lingyan JIAN
China Pharmacy 2023;34(3):275-279
At present, there are still some problems in China’s clinical comprehensive drug evaluation, such as the unscientific design of the evaluation content, the nonstandard evaluation method and organizational process, and the evaluation results not meeting the decision-making needs. It is urgent to carry out quality control over the whole process of the clinical comprehensive drug evaluation project. From the technical point of view, the quality control methods of clinical comprehensive drug evaluation are discussed through three links of the evaluation content and design (giving the quality control key points of the theme selection process and scheme design), the evaluation method (discussing the quality control elements of two common evaluation methods, i. e. documentary evidence method and real-world research) and result application transformation (giving suggestions on quality control from the comprehensive analysis of evaluation results, transformation of evaluation results and decision-making), so as to promote the quality improvement of clinical comprehensive drug evaluation.
6.Discussion of full-time research assistants in China′s large hospitals: current development status and management review
Yuqing WANG ; Ruifeng LI ; Boya PENG ; Cunbo JIA ; Pengjun ZHANG
Chinese Journal of Medical Science Research Management 2022;35(6):458-462
Objective:To discuss the development and management of full-time research assistants in China′s large hospitals.Methods:Through the methods of policy sorting, literature research, summarization, and classification, this study focused on the policy background, development opportunities, and the needs of the times for the position establishment of research assistants in China′s large hospitals, comprehensively classified the practical exploration and existing problems of employing and managing full-time research assistants in typical large hospitals in the country, and discussed the relevant management strategies learned from international experience.Results:In addition to hospitals directly affiliated with colleges and universities, dozens of large local hospitals in more than ten provinces have carried out beneficial practices of establishing the employment, management, and assessment systems for research assistants positions and achieved some progress. However, there are still common problems such as limited cognition of ″temporary positions″, insufficient coverage of the positions, low salary and welfare, and lack of training and development mechanisms as well as promotion and career development paths.Conclusions:The development and management of research assistants in large hospitals have gradually shifted their purpose from alleviating the employment issue of the graduates to reserving talented people in medical teaching, researching and managing, forming a high-quality, professional, and full-time medical scientific team, and continuously innovating. This article puts forward some suggestions about establishing the management system of research assistants, strengthening the standardized training for talented people, and constructing a diversified incentive mechanism combining performance appraisal and target management for research assistants.
7.Analysis of causes and countermeasures against marine organisms blocking event at cold source intake of coastal nuclear power plant
Xun WANG ; Qiang SHI ; Xiaofeng WANG ; Pengjun XIAO ; Tianheng CHENG
Chinese Journal of Radiological Medicine and Protection 2022;42(4):309-314
The cold source system of a nuclear power plant, as important part of a nuclear power project, is of great significance to guarantee the safe operation of a nuclear power plant. In recent years, there have been some cases of marine organism blockage at cold source intake at coastal nuclear power plants in China, which has adversely affected the safety and economy of nuclear power plants. According to the research result of cold source safety in coastal nuclear power plants in China and in compliance with the requirements of nuclear safety regulatory control and the engineering practice experience, the causes of, and countermeasures against, marine organism blockage at cold source intake are analyzed to further improve the safety and economy of nuclear power plants.
8.Analysis and enlightenment of the layout of the national science and technology innovation platform in the medical field
Mei ZHANG ; Pengjun ZHANG ; Haitao LIU ; Chen WANG
Chinese Journal of Medical Science Research Management 2022;35(1):6-11
Objective:To understand the current situation of the layout of the national science and technology innovation platform in the medical field, and provides a basis for departments to improve the formulation of scientific and technological innovation policies and promote the reform of the mechanism.Methods:The report and the evaluation list of the official websites are the main reference, supplemented by the public information of each platform and the information retrieval and mining of database, select quantitative statistical indicator to analyze data.Results:Platforms rely on a rich variety of units, mainly concentrated in Beijing, Shanghai and other areas with strong research ability, including major disease areas, covering many key medical disciplines.Conclusions:The regional layout is not balanced, and the layout of the type of disease at the subdivision level needs to be further complemented and improved.
9.Comparison of preparation for 177Lu-labeled radiopharmaceutical and its preliminary clinical application
Pengjun ZHANG ; Lulu ZHANG ; Ting BU ; Wenyu WU ; Fei YU ; Lei XU ; Zisong GUAN ; Yuqiong CHEN ; Jin DU ; Feng WANG
Chinese Journal of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging 2022;42(10):597-601
Objective:To investigate the preparation methods and quality control of 177Lu-labeled radiopharmaceuticals, and conduct preliminary clinical application research. Methods:177Lu-1, 4, 7, 10-tetraazacyclododecane-1, 4, 7, 10-tetraacetic acid (DOTA)- D-Phe1-Tyr3-octreotide (TOC) and 177Lu-prostate specific membrane antigen (PSMA)-I&T were labeled by manual labeling and automatic labeling, respectively. Factors such as the amount of precursor and nuclide, reaction temperature, pH value, reaction time, labeling yield and specific activity were investigated. Quality control of the products were carried out, such as clarity, pH value, sterility, bacterial endotoxin and stability in vitro. 177Lu-PSMA-I&T was applied to the treatment of prostate cancer patients, and the efficacy was evaluated by SPECT/CT imaging. Paired t test was used to analyze the data. Results:The amount of precursor and nuclide, reaction temperature, pH value and reaction time of the two methods were basically the same, both with high yield and specific activity. The yield of 177Lu-DOTA-TOC automatic labeling was significantly higher than that of manual labeling (99.2±0.4)% vs (95.3±1.5)% ( t=7.17, P<0.001), and the specific activity were (91.6±13.7) vs (89.1±13.2) GBq/μmol. The yield of 177Lu-PSMA-I&T automatic labeling was also significantly higher than that of manual labeling (99.6±0.3)% vs (95.7±1.3)% ( t=8.24, P<0.001), and the specific activity were (96.1±14.3) vs (93.2±13.8) GBq/μmol. The labeled products were colorless clear solution with pH value of 6.5-7.0. The sterility and bacterial endotoxin met the requirements. The radiochemical purity of the labeled products was more than 95% after 48 h, which showed good stability. The clinical application of 177Lu-PSMA-I&T in patients with prostate cancer showed that both primary and metastatic lesions had good uptake. Conclusions:The labeling of 177Lu radiopharmaceuticals is simple and has high yield and stability. The application of automatic labeling can simplify the process, improve the yield and reduce irradiation.
10.The clinical research process management indicator system based on the theory of Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point
Miao MIAO ; Lingling YU ; Xin WANG ; Haijuan ZHAO ; Qingqing WANG ; Fei LIU ; Pengjun ZHANG
Chinese Journal of Medical Science Research Management 2022;35(5):338-343
Objective:To build an investigator-initiated clinical research process management indicator system based on the theory of Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point(HACCP).Methods:A plan was developed according to HACCP principles, and 23 experts were invited to form an expert advisory group. Literature research, panel discussion, and Delphi method were used to collect clinical research process management indicators, and the weight of each indicator was calculated via Analytic Hierarchy Process(AHP).Results:Two rounds of expert consultation were carried out with a high positive coefficient and a high expert authority level, and finally formed 3 primary indicators and 14 secondary indicators. The primary indicators were project establishment, project process management, and project implementation assessment, with weights of 0.142 8, 0.714 4, and 0.142 8, respectively.Conclusions:This study established a clinical research process management system based on HACCP theory from 3 dimensions: project establishment, project process management, and project implementation assessment, carried out precise management of clinical research according to the weights of secondary indicators, focusing on the content of indicators with great weight, and provided an important reference for the management of investigator-initiated clinical research.

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