Dissection of 3D chromosome organization in Streptomyces coelicolor A3(2) leads to biosynthetic gene cluster overexpression.

The soil-dwelling filamentous bacteria, Streptomyces, is widely known for its ability to produce numerous bioactive natural products. Despite many efforts toward their overproduction and reconstitution, our limited understanding of the relationship between the host's chromosome three dimension (3D) structure and the yield of the natural products escaped notice. Here, we report the 3D chromosome organization and its dynamics of the model strain, Streptomyces coelicolor, during the different growth phases. The chromosome undergoes a dramatic global structural change from primary to secondary metabolism, while some biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs) form special local structures when highly expressed. Strikingly, transcription levels of endogenous genes are found to be highly correlated to the local chromosomal interaction frequency as defined by the value of the frequently interacting regions (FIREs). Following the criterion, an exogenous single reporter gene and even complex BGC can achieve a higher expression after being integrated into the chosen loci, which may represent a unique strategy to activate or enhance the production of natural products based on the local chromosomal 3D organization.

Reconstituting the transcriptome and DNA methylome landscapes of human implantation.

Implantation is a milestone event during mammalian embryogenesis. Implantation failure is a considerable cause of early pregnancy loss in humans1. Owing to the difficulty of obtaining human embryos early after implantation in vivo, it remains unclear how the gene regulatory network and epigenetic mechanisms control the implantation process. Here, by combining an in vitro culture system for the development human embryos after implantation and single-cell multi-omics sequencing technologies, more than 8,000 individual cells from 65 human peri-implantation embryos were systematically analysed. Unsupervised dimensionality reduction and clustering algorithms of the transcriptome data show stepwise implantation routes for the epiblast, primitive endoderm and trophectoderm lineages, suggesting robust preparation for the proper establishment of a mother-to-offspring connection during implantation. Female embryos showed initiation of random X chromosome inactivation based on analysis of parental allele-specific expression of X-chromosome-linked genes during implantation. Notably, using single-cell triple omics sequencing analysis, the re-methylation of the genome in cells from the primitive endoderm lineage was shown to be much slower than in cells of both epiblast and trophectoderm lineages during the implantation process, which indicates that there are distinct re-establishment features in the DNA methylome of the epiblast and primitive endoderm-even though both lineages are derived from the inner cell mass. Collectively, our work provides insights into the complex molecular mechanisms that regulate the implantation of human embryos, and helps to advance future efforts to understanding early embryonic development and reproductive medicine.

A novel RHH family transcription factor aCcr1 and its viral homologs dictate cell cycle progression in archaea.

Cell cycle regulation is of paramount importance for all forms of life. Here, we report that a conserved and essential cell cycle-specific transcription factor (designated as aCcr1) and its viral homologs control cell division in Sulfolobales. We show that the transcription level of accr1 reaches peak during active cell division (D-phase) subsequent to the expression of CdvA, an archaea-specific cell division protein. Cells over-expressing the 58-aa-long RHH (ribbon-helix-helix) family cellular transcription factor as well as the homologs encoded by large spindle-shaped viruses Acidianus two-tailed virus (ATV) and Sulfolobus monocaudavirus 3 (SMV3) display significant growth retardation and cell division failure, manifesting as enlarged cells with multiple chromosomes. aCcr1 over-expression results in downregulation of 17 genes (>4-fold), including cdvA. A conserved motif, aCcr1-box, located between the TATA-binding box and the translation initiation site of 13 out of the 17 highly repressed genes, is critical for aCcr1 binding. The aCcr1-box is present in the promoters and 5' UTRs of cdvA genes across Sulfolobales, suggesting that aCcr1-mediated cdvA repression is an evolutionarily conserved mechanism by which archaeal cells dictate cytokinesis progression, whereas their viruses take advantage of this mechanism to manipulate the host cell cycle.

The entry of unclosed autophagosomes into vacuoles and its physiological relevance.

It is widely stated in the literature that closed mature autophagosomes (APs) fuse with lysosomes/vacuoles during macroautophagy/autophagy. Previously, we showed that unclosed APs accumulated as clusters outside vacuoles in Vps21/Rab5 and ESCRT mutants after a short period of nitrogen starvation. However, the fate of such unclosed APs remains unclear. In this study, we used a combination of cellular and biochemical approaches to show that unclosed double-membrane APs entered vacuoles and formed unclosed single-membrane autophagic bodies after prolonged nitrogen starvation or rapamycin treatment. Vacuolar hydrolases, vacuolar transport chaperon (VTC) proteins, Ypt7, and Vam3 were all involved in the entry of unclosed double-membrane APs into vacuoles in Vps21-mutant cells. Overexpression of the vacuolar hydrolases, Pep4 or Prb1, or depletion of most VTC proteins promoted the entry of unclosed APs into vacuoles in Vps21-mutant cells, whereas depletion of Pep4 and/or Prb1 delayed the entry into vacuoles. In contrast to the complete infertility of diploid cells of typical autophagy mutants, diploid cells of Vps21 mutant progressed through meiosis to sporulation, benefiting from the entry of unclosed APs into vacuoles after prolonged nitrogen starvation. Overall, these data represent a new observation that unclosed double-membrane APs can enter vacuoles after prolonged autophagy induction, most likely as a survival strategy.

Genomic insights into Penicillium chrysogenum adaptation to subseafloor sedimentary environments.

BACKGROUND: Penicillium chrysogenum is a filamentous fungal species with diverse habitats, yet little is known about its genetics in adapting to extreme subseafloor sedimental environments. RESULTS: Here, we report the discovery of P. chrysogenum strain 28R-6-F01, isolated from deep coal-bearing sediments 2306 m beneath the seafloor. This strain possesses exceptional characteristics, including the ability to thrive in extreme conditions such as high temperature (45 °C), high pressure (35 Mpa), and anaerobic environments, and exhibits broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity, producing the antibiotic penicillin at a concentration of 358 µg/mL. Genome sequencing and assembly revealed a genome size of 33.19 Mb with a GC content of 48.84%, containing 6959 coding genes. Comparative analysis with eight terrestrial strains identified 88 unique genes primarily associated with penicillin and aflatoxins biosynthesis, carbohydrate degradation, viral resistance, and three secondary metabolism gene clusters. Furthermore, significant expansions in gene families related to DNA repair were observed, likely linked to the strain's adaptation to its environmental niche. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings provide insights into the genomic and biological characteristics of P. chrysogenum adaptation to extreme anaerobic subseafloor sedimentary environments, such as high temperature and pressure.

Dynamics of circulating lymphocytes responding to human experimental enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli infection.

Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) is an important cause of children's and travelers' diarrhea, with no licensed vaccine. This study aimed to explore the role of cellular immunity in protection against human ETEC infection. Nine volunteers were experimentally infected with ETEC, of which six developed diarrhea. Lymphocytes were collected from peripheral blood buffy coats, before and 3, 5, 6, 7, 10, and 28 days after dose ingestion, and 34 phenotypic and functional markers were examined by mass cytometry. Thirty-three cell populations, derived by manually merging 139 cell clusters from the X-shift unsupervised clustering algorithm, were analyzed. Initially, the diarrhea group responded with increased CD56dim CD16+ natural killer cells, dendritic cells tended to rise, and mucosal-associated invariant T cells decreased. On day 5-7, an increase in plasmablasts was paralleled by a consistent rise in CD4+ Th17-like effector memory and regulatory cell subsets. CD4+ Th17-like central memory cells peaked on day 10. All Th17-like cell populations showed increased expression of activation, gut-homing, and proliferation markers. Interestingly, in the nondiarrhea group, these same CD4+ Th17-like cell populations expanded earlier, normalizing around day 7. Earlier development of these CD4+ Th17-like cell populations in the nondiarrhea group may suggest a recall response and a potential role in controlling ETEC infections.

Tissue-specific reprogramming of host tRNA transcriptome by the microbiome.

Transfer RNAs (tRNAs) are essential for translation, and tRNA expression and modifications are regulated by many factors. However, the interplay between the microbiome and host tRNA profiles through host-microbiome interactions has not been explored. In this study, we investigated host-microbiome interactions via the tRNA profiling of four tissue types from germ-free and specific pathogen-free mice. Our analyses reveal that cytosolic and mitochondrial tRNA expression and tRNA modifications in the host are reprogrammed in a tissue-specific and microbiome-dependent manner. In terms of tRNA expression, the intestines and brains are more sensitive to the influence of the microbiome than the livers and kidneys. In terms of tRNA modifications, cytosolic tRNAs show more obvious changes in the livers and kidneys in the presence of the microbiome. Our findings reveal a previously unexplored relationship among the microbiome, tRNA abundance, and epitranscriptome in a mammalian host.

Wafer-Scale Transferrable GaN Enabled by Hexagonal Boron Nitride for Flexible Light-Emitting Diode.

Epitaxy growth and mechanical transfer of high-quality III-nitrides using 2D materials, weakly bonded by van der Waals force, becomes an important technology for semiconductor industry. In this work, wafer-scale transferrable GaN epilayer with low dislocation density is successfully achieved through AlN/h-BN composite buffer layer and its application in flexible InGaN-based light-emitting diodes (LEDs) is demonstrated. Guided by first-principles calculations, the nucleation and bonding mechanism of GaN and AlN on h-BN is presented, and it is confirmed that the adsorption energy of Al atoms on O2 -plasma-treated h-BN is over 1 eV larger than that of Ga atoms. It is found that the introduced high-temperature AlN buffer layer induces sufficient tensile strain during rapid coalescence to compensate the compressive strain generated by the heteromismatch, and a strain-relaxation model for III-nitrides on h-BN is proposed. Eventually, the mechanical exfoliation of single-crystalline GaN film and LED through weak interaction between multilayer h-BN is realized. The flexible free-standing thin-film LED exhibits ≈66% luminescence enhancement with good reliability compared to that before transfer. This work proposes a new approach for the development of flexible semiconductor devices.

Leukemia inhibitory factor protects against graft-versus-host disease while preserving graft-versus-leukemia activity.

Graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) remains a major complication after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, a widely used therapy for hematologic malignancies and blood disorders. Here, we report an unexpected role of cytokine leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF) in protecting against GVHD development. Administrating recombinant LIF protein (rLIF) protects mice from GVHD-induced tissue damage and lethality without compromising the graft-versus-leukemia activity, which is crucial to prevent tumor relapse. We found that rLIF decreases the infiltration and activation of donor immune cells and protects intestinal stem cells to ameliorate GVHD. Mechanistically, rLIF downregulates IL-12-p40 expression in recipient dendritic cells after irradiation through activating STAT1 signaling, which results in decreased major histocompatibility complex II levels on intestinal epithelial cells and decreased donor T-cell activation and infiltration. This study reveals a previously unidentified protective role of LIF for GVHD-induced tissue pathology and provides a potential effective therapeutic strategy to limit tissue pathology without compromising antileukemic efficacy.

Morphological and phylogenetic analyses reveal a new species of Anthracophyllum (Omphalotaceae, Agaricales) in Zhejiang Province, China.

During the investigations of macrofungi resources in Zhejiang Province, China, an interesting wood rot fungus was collected. Based on morphological and molecular phylogenetic studies, it is described as a new species, Anthracophyllum sinense. A. sinense is characterized by its sessile, charcoal black and pleurotoid pileus, sparse lamellae occasionally branching, clavate basidia with long sterigmata [(3-)6-7(-8) µm], and non-heteromorphous cystidia. A. sinense establishes a separate lineage close to A. archeri and A. lateritium in the phylogenetic tree.

Prognostic implications of pre-transcatheter aortic valve replacement computed tomography-derived coronary plaque characteristics and stenosis severity.

OBJECTIVES: The study aimed to investigate the prognostic value of pre-transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) computed tomography angiography (CTA) in assessing physiological stenosis severity (CTA-derived fractional flow reserve (CT-FFR)) and high-risk plaque characteristics (HRPC). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Among TAVR patients who underwent pre-procedure CTA, the presence and number of HRPCs (minimum lumen area of < 4 mm2, plaque burden ≥ 70%, low-attenuating plaques, positive remodeling, napkin-ring sign, or spotty calcification) as well as CT-FFR were assessed. The risk of vessel-oriented composite outcome (VOCO, a composite of vessel-related ischemia-driven revascularization, vessel-related myocardial infarction, or cardiac death) was compared according to the number of HRPC and CT-FFR categories. RESULTS: Four hundred and twenty-seven patients (68.4% were male) with 1072 vessels were included. Their mean age was 70.6 ± 10.6 years. Vessels with low CT-FFR (≤ 0.80) (41.7% vs. 15.8%, adjusted hazard ratio (HRadj) 1.96; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.28-2.96; p = 0.001) or lesions with ≥ 3 HRPC (38.7% vs. 16.0%, HRadj 1.81; 95%CI 1.20-2.71; p = 0.005) demonstrated higher VOCO risk. In the CT-FFR (> 0.80) group, lesions with ≥ 3 HRPC showed a significantly higher risk of VOCO than those with < 3 HRPC (34.7% vs. 13.0%; HRadj 2.04; 95%CI 1.18-3.52; p = 0.011). However, this relative increase in risk was not observed in vessels with positive CT-FFR (≤ 0.80). CONCLUSIONS: In TAVR candidates, both CT-FFR and the presence of ≥ 3 HRPC were associated with an increased risk of adverse clinical events. However, the value of HRPC differed with the CT-FFR category, with more incremental predictability among vessels with negative CT-FFR but not among vessels with positive CT-FFR. CLINICAL RELEVANCE STATEMENT: In transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) candidates, pre-TAVR CTA provided the opportunity to assess coronary physiological stenosis severity and high-risk plaque characteristics, both of which are associated with worse clinical outcomes. KEY POINTS: • The current study investigated the prognostic value of coronary physiology significance and plaque characteristics in transcatheter aortic valve replacement patients. • The combination of coronary plaque vulnerability and physiological significance showed improved accuracy in predicting clinical outcomes in transcatheter aortic valve replacement patients. • Pre-transcatheter aortic valve replacement CT can be a one-stop-shop tool for coronary assessments in clinical practice.

Base-Promoted Synthesis of Isoquinolines through a Tandem Reaction of 2-Methyl-arylaldehydes and Nitriles.

A convenient method for preparing 3-aryl isoquinolines via a base-promoted tandem reaction is presented. Simply combining commercially available 2-methyl-arylaldehydes, benzonitriles, NaN(SiMe3)2, and Cs2CO3 enabled the synthesis of a variety of isoquinolines (23 examples, ≤90% yield). Among the syntheses of isoquinolines, the transition metal-free method described here is straightforward, practical, and operationally simple.

Creating a functional single-chromosome yeast.

Eukaryotic genomes are generally organized in multiple chromosomes. Here we have created a functional single-chromosome yeast from a Saccharomyces cerevisiae haploid cell containing sixteen linear chromosomes, by successive end-to-end chromosome fusions and centromere deletions. The fusion of sixteen native linear chromosomes into a single chromosome results in marked changes to the global three-dimensional structure of the chromosome due to the loss of all centromere-associated inter-chromosomal interactions, most telomere-associated inter-chromosomal interactions and 67.4% of intra-chromosomal interactions. However, the single-chromosome and wild-type yeast cells have nearly identical transcriptome and similar phenome profiles. The giant single chromosome can support cell life, although this strain shows reduced growth across environments, competitiveness, gamete production and viability. This synthetic biology study demonstrates an approach to exploration of eukaryote evolution with respect to chromosome structure and function.

Desloratadine alleviates ALS-like pathology in hSOD1G93A mice via targeting 5HTR2A on activated spinal astrocytes.

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a fatal neurodegenerative disease with progressive loss of motor neurons in the spinal cord, cerebral cortex and brain stem. ALS is characterized by gradual muscle atrophy and dyskinesia. The limited knowledge on the pathology of ALS has impeded the development of therapeutics for the disease. Previous studies have shown that autophagy and astrocyte-mediated neuroinflammation are involved in the pathogenesis of ALS, while 5HTR2A participates in the early stage of astrocyte activation, and 5HTR2A antagonism may suppress astrocyte activation. In this study, we evaluated the therapeutic effects of desloratadine (DLT), a selective 5HTR2A antagonist, in human SOD1G93A (hSOD1G93A) ALS model mice, and elucidated the underlying mechanisms. HSOD1G93A mice were administered DLT (20 mg·kg-1·d-1, i.g.) from the age of 8 weeks for 10 weeks or until death. ALS onset time and lifespan were determined using rotarod and righting reflex tests, respectively. We found that astrocyte activation accompanying with serotonin receptor 2 A (5HTR2A) upregulation in the spinal cord was tightly associated with ALS-like pathology, which was effectively attenuated by DLT administration. We showed that DLT administration significantly delayed ALS symptom onset time, prolonged lifespan and ameliorated movement disorders, gastrocnemius injury and spinal motor neuronal loss in hSOD1G93A mice. Spinal cord-specific knockdown of 5HTR2A by intrathecal injection of adeno-associated virus9 (AAV9)-si-5Htr2a also ameliorated ALS pathology in hSOD1G93A mice, and occluded the therapeutic effects of DLT administration. Furthermore, we demonstrated that DLT administration promoted autophagy to reduce mutant hSOD1 levels through 5HTR2A/cAMP/AMPK pathway, suppressed oxidative stress through 5HTR2A/cAMP/AMPK/Nrf2-HO-1/NQO-1 pathway, and inhibited astrocyte neuroinflammation through 5HTR2A/cAMP/AMPK/NF-κB/NLRP3 pathway in the spinal cord of hSOD1G93A mice. In summary, 5HTR2A antagonism shows promise as a therapeutic strategy for ALS, highlighting the potential of DLT in the treatment of the disease. DLT as a 5HTR2A antagonist effectively promoted autophagy to reduce mutant hSOD1 level through 5HTR2A/cAMP/AMPK pathway, suppressed oxidative stress through 5HTR2A/cAMP/AMPK/Nrf2-HO-1/NQO-1 pathway, and inhibited astrocytic neuroinflammation through 5HTR2A/cAMP/AMPK/NF-κB/NLRP3 pathway in the spinal cord of hSOD1G93A mice.

Neural functional network of early Parkinson's disease based on independent component analysis.

This work explored neural network changes in early Parkinson's disease: Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging was used to investigate functional alterations in different stages of Parkinson's disease (PD). Ninety-five PD patients (50 early/mild and 45 early/moderate) and 37 healthy controls (HCs) were included. Independent component analysis revealed significant differences in intra-network connectivity, specifically in the default mode network (DMN) and right frontoparietal network (RFPN), in both PD groups compared to HCs. Inter-network connectivity analysis showed reduced connectivity between the executive control network (ECN) and DMN, as well as ECN-left frontoparietal network (LFPN), in early/mild PD. Early/moderate PD exhibited decreased connectivity in ECN-LFPN, ECN-RFPN, ECN-DMN, and DMN-auditory network, along with increased connectivity in LFPN-cerebellar network. Correlations were found between ECN-DMN and ECN-LFPN connections with UPDRS-III scores in early/mild PD. These findings suggest that PD progression involves dysfunction in multiple intra- and inter-networks, particularly implicating the ECN, and a wider range of abnormal functional networks may mark the progression of the disease.

Leukemia inhibitory factor, a double-edged sword with therapeutic implications in human diseases.

Leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF) is a pleiotropic cytokine of the interleukin-6 (IL-6) superfamily. LIF was initially discovered as a factor to induce the differentiation of myeloid leukemia cells and thus inhibit their proliferation. Subsequent studies have highlighted the multi-functions of LIF under a wide variety of physiological and pathological conditions in a highly cell-, tissue-, and context-dependent manner. Emerging evidence has demonstrated that LIF plays an essential role in the stem cell niche, where it maintains the homeostasis and regeneration of multiple somatic tissues, including intestine, neuron, and muscle. Further, LIF exerts a crucial regulatory role in immunity and functions as a protective factor against many immunopathological diseases, such as infection, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), and graft-verse-host disease (GVHD). It is worth noting that while LIF displays a tumor-suppressive function in leukemia, recent studies have highlighted the oncogenic role of LIF in many types of solid tumors, further demonstrating the complexities and context-dependent effects of LIF. In this review, we summarize the recent insights into the roles and mechanisms of LIF in stem cell homeostasis and regeneration, immunity, and cancer, and discuss the potential therapeutic options for human diseases by modulating LIF levels and functions.

Preimplantation genetic testing in couples with balanced chromosome rearrangement: a four-year period real world retrospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Couples with balanced chromosome rearrangement (BCR) are at high risk of recurrent miscarriages or birth defects due to chromosomally abnormal embryos. This study aimed to provide real-world evidence of the euploidy rate of blastocysts from couples with BCR using preimplantation genetic testing (PGT) and to guide pretesting genetic counselling. METHODS: A continuous four-year PGT data from couples with BCR were retrospectively analyzed. Biopsied trophectoderm cells were amplified using whole genome amplification, and next-generation sequencing was performed to detect the chromosomal numerical and segmental aberrations. Clinical data and molecular genetic testing results were analyzed and compared among the subgroups. RESULTS: A total of 1571 PGT cycles with 5942 blastocysts were performed chromosomal numerical and segmental aberrations detection during the four years. Of them, 1034 PGT cycles with 4129 blastocysts for BCR couples were included; 68.96% (713/1034) PGT cycles had transferable euploid embryos. The total euploidy rate of blastocysts in couples carrying the BCR was 35.29% (1457/4129). Couples with complex BCR had euploid blastocyst rates similar to those of couples with non-complex BCR (46.15% vs. 35.18%, P > 0.05). Chromosome inversion had the highest chance of obtaining a euploid blastocyst (57.27%), followed by Robertsonian translocation (RobT) (46.06%), and the lowest in reciprocal translocation (RecT) (30.11%) (P < 0.05). Couples with males carrying RobT had higher rates of euploid embryo both in each PGT cycles and total blastocysts than female RobT carriers did, despite the female age in male RobT is significant older than those with female RobT (P < 0.05). The proportions of non-carrier embryos were 52.78% (95/180) and 47.06% (40/85) in euploid blastocysts from couples with RecT and RobT, respectively (P > 0.05). RecT had the highest proportion of blastocysts with translocated chromosome-associated abnormalities (74.23%, 1527/2057), followed by RobT (54.60%, 273/500) and inversion (30.85%, 29/94) (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: In couples carrying BCR, the total euploidy rate of blastocysts was 35.29%, with the highest in inversion, followed by RobT and RecT. Even in couples carrying complex BCR, the probability of having a transferable blastocyst was 46.15%. Among the euploid blastocysts, the non-carrier ratios in RecT and RobT were 52.78% and 47.06%, respectively. RecT had the highest proportion of blastocysts with translocated chromosome-associated abnormalities.

Gut Microbe-Metabolite Profiles Are Associated with Microbial Pathways of Longevity in Women: A Cross-Sectional Study Conducted in China.

INTRODUCTION: Recent research on the gut deepens people's understanding of the role of gut microbe-metabolites in longevity. However, most of the longevity population is female, and the gut microbe-metabolites associated with longevity in women remain unknown. Here, we hypothesize that the gut microbe-metabolite levels differed between the longevity women (LW, age ≥90) and the elderly women (EW, 60 < age <90). METHODS: We performed a cross-sectional study of 22 women in Guangxi longevity areas. 16S rRNA full-length sequencing, bioinformatic analysis, and nuclear magnetic resonance hydrogen spectra were determined to analyze the gut microbiota, microbial pathways, and fecal metabolites. We evaluated significant differences and relationships in gut microbe-metabolites and microbial pathways using the Mann-Whitney test and Spearman correlation, respectively. RESULTS: The EW experienced gut dysbiosis characterized by a higher Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes (F/B) value. The LW showed a higher abundance of Bacteroides and Alistipes, which might support health maintenance. Moreover, LW enriched alanine, aspartate, and glutamate metabolism, histidine metabolism, and pyruvate metabolism, leading to major changes in histidine, fumaric acid, acetate, valine, and aspartate. Interestingly, the most valuable metabolic pathway based on differential fecal metabolites confirmed the KEGG microbial pathway "alanine, aspartate, and glutamate metabolism" enriched in LW. Impressively, Bacteroides and Alistipes were positively correlated with alanine, aspartate, and glutamate metabolism, thus improving the level of aspartate, which could be a particular pathway related to longevity. CONCLUSION: The enriched gut genus and microbial pathways in LW showed a significant correlation, which might mediate the production of metabolites related to longevity.

Comparing two unitisation manipulations: effects on familiarity, recollection-based recognition, and semantic interference.

The recognition of associative memory can be significantly influenced by the use of an encoding strategy known as unitisation, which has been implemented through various manipulations. However, [Shao, H., Opitz, B., Yang, J., & Weng, X. (2016). Recollection reduces unitised familiarity effect. Memory (Hove, England), 24(4), 535-547. https://doi.org/10.1080/09658211.2015.1021258] found intriguing distinctions between two common manipulations, the compound task and the imagery task, leading to a dispute. We propose that differences in levels of processing in the imagery task may account for these discrepancies. This study tested our hypothesis using two approaches. The first two experiments utilised the R/K paradigm to investigate the effects of these methods on familiarity-based and recollection-based recognition. The results demonstrated that familiarity was increased in the compound task, while recollection was increased in the imagery task. In the subsequent two experiments, an interference paradigm was employed to examine differences in semantic processing within the two tasks. The results showed that the compound task did not impact participants' inclination towards lures, while the imagery task led to a bias towards semantic lures over episodic lures, suggesting that the two encodings in the imagery task involve different levels of semantic processing. These results support our hypothesis and underscore the importance of carefully choosing comparisons that account for other variables in the study of unitisation.

Barriers and facilitators to older adult participation in intergenerational physical activity program: a systematic review.

BACKGROUND: The intergenerational physical activity program aims to promote the health, social engagement, and well-being of older adults. It is essential to comprehend the barriers and facilitators that affect their involvement to develop successful intervention strategies. This systematic review critically examines available research to identify the factors that impact the participation of older adults in intergenerational physical activity programs. METHODS: This study retrieved 13 electronic databases (from January 2000 to March 2023) and used a social-ecological model to classify and analyze the identified facilitators and barriers. RESULTS: A total of 12 articles were included, which identified 73 facilitators and 37 barriers. These factors were condensed into 7 primary themes and 14 sub-themes in total. CONCLUSIONS: The factors influencing the participation of older adults in intergenerational physical activities are multifaceted. These factors guide project developers, policymakers, and practitioners in developing and implementing intergenerational physical activity programs to help address global aging issues and promote intergenerational connections. TRIAL REGISTRY: PROSPERO ID: CRD42023420758.