Cognition and motion dysfunction-associated brain functional network disruption in diabetic peripheral neuropathy.

Neuroimaging studies have demonstrated extensive brain functional alterations in cognitive and motor functional areas in Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) with diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN), suggesting potential alterations in large-scale brain networks related to DPN and associated cognition and motor dysfunction. In this study, using resting-state functional connectivity (FC) and graph theory computational approaches, we investigated the topological disruptions of brain functional networks in 28 DPN, 43 T2DM without DPN (NDPN), and 32 healthy controls (HCs) and examined the correlations between altered network topological metrics and cognitive/motor function parameters in T2DM. For global topology, NDPN exhibited a significantly decreased shortest path length compared with HCs, suggesting increased efficient global integration. For regional topology, DPN and NDPN had separated topological reorganization of functional hubs compared with HCs. In addition, DPN showed significantly decreased nodal efficiency (Enodal ), mainly in the bilateral superior occipital gyrus (SOG), right cuneus, middle temporal gyrus (MTG), and left inferior parietal gyrus (IPL), compared with NDPN, whereas NDPN showed significantly increased Enodal compared with HCs. Intriguingly, in T2DM patients, the Enodal of the right SOG was significantly negatively correlated with Toronto Clinical Scoring System scores, while the Enodal of the right postcentral gyrus (PoCG) and MTG were significantly positively correlated with Montreal Cognitive Assessment scores. Conclusively, DPN and NDPN patients had segregated disruptions in the brain functional network, which were related to cognition and motion dysfunctions. Our findings provide a theoretical basis for understanding the neurophysiological mechanism of DPN and its effective prevention and treatment in T2DM.

Electrosynthesis of Amides through Cu- and Co-Incorporated Nickel Hydroxide-Catalyzed Oxidation of Primary Amines Coupled with Hydrogen Evolution.

The electrocatalytic oxidation of organic molecules coupled with hydrogen evolution reaction can reduce overpotential and can be connected in series with nonelectrochemical processes to achieve the preparation of more high-value compounds. Herein, Cu- and Co-incorporated nickel hydroxide (CuCo-Ni(OH)2) was synthesized and applied to the anodic benzylamine oxidation reaction, which is 280 mV lower than the corresponding oxygen evolution reaction to reach the current density of 50 mA cm-2. When the electrocatalytic oxidation of benzylamine and hydrogen evolution reaction are coupled to form an electrolytic cell, the potential to reach 10 mA cm-2 is reduced by 197 mV compared to the overall water splitting. The benzylamine is converted to benzamide with 99.3% conversion and 90.2% faraday efficiency under 1.45 V constant voltage electrolysis, and the catalytic performance remains at a high level after 4 cycles. The characterization and density functional theory calculations show that Cu and Co share the transfer charge from Ni, making it easy for CuCo-Ni(OH)2 to deprotonate Ni-O* sites. The formed Ni-O* sites exhibit lower energy barriers in the proton transfer of benzylamine to benzonitrile and hydration intermediates, resulting in a better catalytic performance of CuCo-Ni(OH)2 than Ni(OH)2 in the electrocatalytic oxidation of benzylamine to benzamide.

MDSi: Multi-omics Database for Setaria italica.

BACKGROUND: Foxtail millet (Setaria italica) harbors the small diploid genome (~ 450 Mb) and shows the high inbreeding rate and close relationship to several major foods, feed, fuel and bioenergy grasses. Previously, we created a mini foxtail millet, xiaomi, with an Arabidopsis-like life cycle. The de novo assembled genome data with high-quality and an efficient Agrobacterium-mediated genetic transformation system made xiaomi an ideal C4 model system. The mini foxtail millet has been widely shared in the research community and as a result there is a growing need for a user-friendly portal and intuitive interface to perform exploratory analysis of the data. RESULTS: Here, we built a Multi-omics Database for Setaria italica (MDSi, http://sky.sxau.edu.cn/MDSi.htm ), that contains xiaomi genome of 161,844 annotations, 34,436 protein-coding genes and their expression information in 29 different tissues of xiaomi (6) and JG21 (23) samples that can be showed as an Electronic Fluorescent Pictograph (xEFP) in-situ. Moreover, the whole-genome resequencing (WGS) data of 398 germplasms, including 360 foxtail millets and 38 green foxtails and the corresponding metabolic data were available in MDSi. The SNPs and Indels of these germplasms were called in advance and can be searched and compared in an interactive manner. Common tools including BLAST, GBrowse, JBrowse, map viewer, and data downloads were implemented in MDSi. CONCLUSION: The MDSi constructed in this study integrated and visualized data from three levels of genomics, transcriptomics and metabolomics, and also provides information on the variation of hundreds of germplasm resources that can satisfies the mainstream requirements and supports the corresponding research community.

Community assembly of comammox Nitrospira in coastal wetlands across southeastern China.

Complete ammonia oxidizers (comammox Nitrospira) are ubiquitous in coastal wetland sediments and play an important role in nitrification. Our study examined the impact of habitat modifications on comammox Nitrospira communities in coastal wetland sediments across tropical and subtropical regions of southeastern China. Samples were collected from 21 coastal wetlands in five provinces where native mudflats were invaded by Spartina alterniflora and subsequently converted to aquaculture ponds. The results showed that comammox Nitrospira abundances were mainly influenced by sediment grain size rather than by habitat modifications. Compared to S. alterniflora marshes and native mudflats, aquaculture pond sediments had lower comammox Nitrospira diversity, lower clade A.1 abundance, and higher clade A.2 abundance. Sulfate concentration was the most important factor controlling the diversity of comammox Nitrospira. The response of comammox Nitrospira community to habitat change varied significantly by location, and environmental variables accounted for only 11.2% of the variations in community structure across all sites. In all three habitat types, dispersal limitation largely controlled the comammox Nitrospira community assembly process, indicating the stochastic nature of these sediment communities in coastal wetlands. IMPORTANCE Comammox Nitrospira have recently gained attention for their potential role in nitrification and nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions in soil and sediment. However, their distribution and assembly in impacted coastal wetland are poorly understood, particularly on a large spatial scale. Our study provides novel evidence that the effects of habitat modification on comammox Nitrospira communities are dependent on the location of the wetland. We also found that the assembly of comammox Nitrospira communities in coastal wetlands was mainly governed by stochastic processes. Nevertheless, sediment grain size and sulfate concentration were identified as key variables affecting comammox Nitrospira abundance and diversity in coastal sediments. These findings are significant as they advance our understanding of the environmental adaptation of comammox Nitrospira and how future landscape modifications may impact their abundance and diversity in coastal wetlands.

Plant Species-Driven Distribution of Individual Clades of Comammox Nitrospira in a Subtropical Estuarine Wetland.

Plant species play a crucial role in mediating the activity and community structure of soil microbiomes through differential inputs of litter and rhizosphere exudates, but we have a poor understanding of how plant species influence comammox Nitrospira, a newly discovered ammonia oxidizer with pivotal functionality. Here, we investigate the abundance, diversity, and community structure of comammox Nitrospira underneath five plant species and a bare tidal flat at three soil depths in a subtropical estuarine wetland. Plant species played a critical role in driving the distribution of individual clades of comammox Nitrospira, explaining 59.3% of the variation of community structure. Clade A.1 was widely detected in all samples, while clades A.2.1, A.2.2, A.3 and B showed plant species-dependent distribution patterns. Compared with the native species Cyperus malaccensis, the invasion of Spartina alterniflora increased the network complexity and changed the community structure of comammox Nitrospira, while the invasive effects from Kandelia obovata and Phragmites australis were relatively weak. Soil depths significantly influenced the community structure of comammox Nitrospira, but the effect was much weaker than that from plant species. Altogether, our results highlight the previously unrecognized critical role of plant species in driving the distribution of comammox Nitrospira in a subtropical estuarine wetland.

Altered static and dynamic indices of intrinsic brain activity in patients with subcortical ischemic vascular disease: a resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging analysis.

PURPOSE: To explore the static and dynamic characteristics of intrinsic brain activity (IBA) in subcortical ischemic vascular disease (SIVD) patients with or without cognitive impairment. METHODS: In total, 90 participants were recruited, including 32 SIVD patients with cognitive impairment (SIVD-CI, N = 32), 26 SIVD patients with no cognitive impairment (SIVD-NCI, N = 26), and 32 healthy controls (HC, N = 32) matched for age, gender, and education. All subjects underwent resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) scanning and neuropsychological tests. Amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation (ALFF) was calculated to reflect static alterations of regional IBA. Sliding window analysis was conducted in order to explore the dynamic characteristics. RESULTS: Both SIVD-CI and SIVD-NCI group showed significantly decreased ALFF in left angular gyrus (ANG), whereas SIVD-CI group showed increased ALFF in right superior frontal gyrus (SFG), compared with HCs. Furthermore, SIVD-CI group showed significantly decreased ALFF dynamics (dALFF) in right precuneus (PreCu) and left dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC), compared with HC and SIVD-NCI groups (Gaussian random field-corrected, voxel-level P < 0.001, cluster-level P < 0.05). No dynamic changes were detected between SIVD-NCI group and HC group. The mean ALFF value in left ANG of SIVD-CI group was correlated with the score of delayed memory scale. CONCLUSION: ANG may be a vulnerable brain region in SIVD patients. Temporal dynamic analysis could serve as a sensitive and promising method to investigate IBA alterations in SIVD patients.

Disrupted topological organization of resting-state functional brain networks in cerebral small vessel disease.

We aimed to investigate alterations in functional brain networks and assess the relationship between functional impairment and topological network changes in cerebral small vessel disease (CSVD) patients with and without cerebral microbleeds (CMBs). We constructed individual whole-brain, region of interest (ROI) level functional connectivity (FC) networks for 24 CSVD patients with CMBs (CSVD-c), 42 CSVD patients without CMBs (CSVD-n), and 36 healthy controls (HCs). Then, we used graph theory analysis to investigate the global and nodal topological disruptions between groups and relate network topological alterations to clinical parameters. We found that both the CSVD and control groups showed efficient small-world organization in FC networks. However, compared to CSVD-n patients and controls, CSVD-c patients exhibited a significantly decreased clustering coefficient, global efficiency, and local efficiency and an increased shortest path length, indicating a disrupted balance between local specialization and global integration in FC networks. Although both the CSVD and control groups showed highly similar hub distributions, the CSVD-c group exhibited significantly altered nodal betweenness centrality (BC), mainly distributed in the default mode network (DMN), attention, and visual functional areas. There were almost no global or regional alterations between CSVD-n patients and controls. Furthermore, the altered nodal BC of the right anterior/posterior cingulate gyrus and left cuneus were significantly correlated with cognitive parameters in CSVD patients. These results suggest that CSVD patients with and without CMBs had segregated disruptions in the topological organization of the intrinsic functional brain network. This study advances our current understanding of the pathophysiological mechanisms underlying CSVD.

Texture analysis of MR images to identify the differentiated degree in hepatocellular carcinoma: a retrospective study.

BACKGROUND: To explore the clinical value of texture analysis of MR images (multiphase Gd-EOB-DTPA-enhanced MRI and T2 weighted imaging (T2WI) to identify the differentiated degree of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). METHOD: One hundred four participants were enrolled in this retrospective study. Each participant performed preoperative Gd-EOB-DTPA-enhanced MR scanning. Texture features were analyzed by MaZda, and B11 program was used for data analysis and classification. The diagnosis efficiencies of texture features and conventional imaging features in identifying the differentiated degree of HCC were assessed by receiver operating characteristic analysis. The relationship between texture features and differentiated degree of HCC was evaluated by Spearman's correlation coefficient. RESULTS: The grey-level co-occurrence matrix -based texture features were most frequently extracted and the nonlinear discriminant analysis was excellent with the misclassification rate ranging from 3.33 to 14.93%. The area under the curve (AUC) of the combined texture features between poorly- and well-differentiated HCC, poorly- and moderately-differentiated HCC, moderately- and well-differentiated HCC was 0.812, 0.879 and 0.808 respectively, while the AUC of tumor size was 0.649, 0.660 and 0.517 respectively. The tumor size was significantly different between poorly- and moderately-HCC (p = 0.014). The COMBINE AUC values were not increased with tumor size combined. CONCLUSIONS: Texture analysis of Gd-EOB-DTPA-enhanced MRI and T2WI was valuable and might be a promising method in identifying the differentiated degree of HCC. The poorly-differentiated HCC was more heterogeneous than well- and moderately-differentiated HCC.

A ratiometric electrochemical aptasensor for ultrasensitive determination of adenosine triphosphate via a triple-helix molecular switch.

A ratiometric electrochemical aptamer-based assay is described for the ultrasensitive and highly specific determination of adenosine triphosphate (ATP). It is based on ATP aptamer-mediated triple-helix molecular switch (THMS). The method uses (a) a hairpin DNA (MB-DNA-SH) labeled with the redox probe Methylene Blue (MB) at the 3' end, and a thiol group at the 5' end, and (b) a single strand ATP aptamer modified with two ferrocenes at each end (Fc-DNA-Fc). The labeled probe of type MB-DNA-SH was self-assembled onto the surface of a gold electrode via gold-thiol binding. On exposure to Fc-DNA-Fc, it will hybridize with MB-DNA-SH to form a stable THMS structure on electrode surface. In the presence of ATP, it hybridizes with the loop portion of Fc-DNA-Fc, and this results in the unwinding of the THMS structure. Such variation caused the changes of the differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) peak currents of both MB (at around -0.25 V) and Fc (at around 0.39 V; both vs. Ag/AgCl). A significant enhancement is found for the ratio of the two DPV peaks. Under the optimum experimental conditions, this assay has a response that covers the 0.05 to 100 pM ATP concentration range, and the detection limit is 5.2 fM (for S/N = 3). The method is highly selective for ATP over its analogs. Graphical abstract Schematic presentation of a novel ratiometric electrochemical aptasensor for ATP via triple-helix molecular switch (THMS) strategy. MB-DNA-SH was self-assembled on GE surface through gold-thiol binding. Fc-DNA-Fc hybridized with MB-DNA-SH to form THMS structure. ATP specifically bond with its aptamer sequence of Fc-DNA-Fc to unwind the THMS structure. The ratio of DPV peak currents of MB and Fc was applied to monitor the concentration of ATP in real samples over its analogs.

A label-free and ultrasensitive electrochemical aptasensor for lead(ii) using a N,P dual-doped carbon dot-chitosan composite as a signal-enhancing platform and thionine as a signaling molecule.

Herein, a label-free and ultrasensitive electrochemical aptasensor for the determination of lead(ii) (Pb2+) was described. It was based on the application of a N,P dual-doped carbon dot-chitosan (N,P-CD-CS) composite as the signal molecule carrier and an aptamer (APT) as the specific binding probe for Pb2+ that were self-assembled on the surface of a gold electrode (GE). 6-Mercapto-1-hexanol (MCH) was used to block the nonspecific binding sites, and the electro-active molecule thionine (THi) was used as the signaling probe. The differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) response of THi at a rather low working potential of -0.17 V (vs. Ag/AgCl) was used to detect Pb2+. The electrochemical performances of the resulting modified electrode were investigated by cyclic voltammetry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. Under optimal experimental conditions, the modified electrode exhibited excellent DPV response depending on the concentration of Pb2+ in the 0.01 nM to 10 nM range. The limit of detection was 3.8 pM (at S/N = 3). The modified electrode displayed good reproducibility and excellent stability. It was successfully applied for the determination of Pb2+ in real water samples.

Voltammetric determination of attomolar levels of a sequence derived from the genom of hepatitis B virus by using molecular beacon mediated circular strand displacement and rolling circle amplification.

The authors describe an electrochemical method for the determination of the single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) oligonucleotide with a sequence derived from the genom of hepatitis B virus (HBV). It is making use of circular strand displacement (CSD) and rolling circle amplification (RCA) strategies mediated by a molecular beacon (MB). This ssDNA hybridizes with the loop portion of the MB immobilized on the surface of a gold electrode, while primer DNA also hybridizes with the rest of partial DNA sequences of MB. This triggers the MB-mediated CSD. The RCA is then initiated to produce a long DNA strand with multiple tandem-repeat sequences, and this results in a significant increase of the differential pulse voltammetric response of the electrochemical probe Methylene Blue at a rather low working potential of -0.24 V (vs. Ag/AgCl). Under optimal experimental conditions, the assay displays an ultrahigh sensitivity (with a 2.6 aM detection limit) and excellent selectivity. Response is linear in the 10 to 700 aM DNA concentration range. Graphical abstract Schematic of a voltammetric method for the determination of attomolar levels of target DNA. It is based on molecular beacon mediated circular strand displacement and rolling circle amplification strategies. Under optimal experimental conditions, the assay displays an ultrahigh sensitivity with a 2.6 aM detection limit and excellent selectivity.

Germline mutations in hereditary diffuse gastric cancer.

Gastric cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer-related deaths worldwide. Among which, about 1%-3% of gastric cancer patients were characterized by inherited gastric cancer predisposition syndromes, knowing as hereditary diffuse gastric cancer (HDGC). Studies reported that CDH1 germline mutations are the main cause of HDGC. With the help of rapid development of genetic testing technologies and data analysis tools, more and more researchers focus on seeking candidate susceptibility genes for hereditary cancer syndromes. In addition, National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) guidelines recommend that the patients of HDGC carrying CDH1 mutations should undergo prophylactic gastrectomy or routine endoscopic surveillances. Therefore, genetic counseling plays a key role in helping individuals with pathogenic mutations make appropriate risk management plans. Moreover, experienced and professional genetic counselors as well as a systematic multidisciplinary team (MDT) are also required to facilitate the development of genetic counseling and benefit pathogenic mutation carriers who are in need of regular and standardized risk management solutions. In this review, we provided an overview about the germline mutations of several genes identified in HDGC, suggesting that these genes may potentially act as susceptibility genes for this malignant cancer syndrome. Furthermore, we introduced information for prevention, diagnosis and risk management of HDGC. Investigations on key factors that may have effect on risk management decision-making and genetic data collection of more cancer syndrome family pedigrees are required for the development of HDGC therapeutic strategies.

Association of Wnt1-inducible signaling pathway protein-1 with the proliferation, migration and invasion in gastric cancer cells.

Wnt1-inducible signaling pathway protein-1 is a cysteine-rich protein that belongs to the CCN family, which has been implicated in mediating the occurrence and progression through distinct molecular mechanisms in several tumor types. However, the association of Wnt1-inducible signaling pathway protein-1 with gastric cancer and the related molecular mechanisms remain to be elucidated. Therefore, this study aimed to clarify the biological role of Wnt1-inducible signaling pathway protein-1 in the proliferation, migration, and invasion in gastric cancer cells and further investigated the associated molecular mechanism on these biological functions. We first detected the expression level of Wnt1-inducible signaling pathway protein-1 in gastric cancer, and the reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction have shown that Wnt1-inducible signaling pathway protein-1 expression levels were upregulated in gastric cancer tissues. The expression of Wnt1-inducible signaling pathway protein-1 in gastric cancer cell lines was also detected by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction and Western blotting. Furthermore, two gastric cancer cell lines with high expression of Wnt1-inducible signaling pathway protein-1 were selected to explore the biological function of Wnt1-inducible signaling pathway protein-1 in gastric cancer. Function assays indicated that knockdown of Wnt1-inducible signaling pathway protein-1 suppressed cell proliferation, migration, and invasion in BGC-823 and AGS gastric cancer cells. Further investigation of mechanisms suggested that cyclinD1 was identified as one of Wnt1-inducible signaling pathway protein-1 related genes to accelerate proliferation in gastric cancer cells. In addition, one pathway of Wnt1-inducible signaling pathway protein-1 induced migration and invasion was mainly through the enhancement of epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition progression. Taken together, our findings presented the first evidence that Wnt1-inducible signaling pathway protein-1 was upregulated in gastric cancer and acted as an oncogene by promoting proliferation, migration, and invasion in gastric cancer cells.

Dual effect of WISP-1 in diverse pathological processes.

Wnt-1 inducible signaling pathway-1 (WISP-1), also known as CCN-4, belongs to the connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) family. WISP-1 is primarily expressed in embryonic stem cells and is involved in adult organ development. WISP-1 participates in many cellular processes, including proliferation, differentiation, apoptosis and adhesion. In addition, WISP-1 plays an important role in diverse pathophysiological processes, such as embryonic development, inflammation, injury repairs and cancers. Recent studies showed that WISP-1 was highly correlated with tumor progression and malignant transformation, whereas it played an oncogenic role in colorectal cancer, cholangiocarcinoma, hepatocellular carcinoma and breast cancer. However, interestingly, WISP-1 exerts a tumor-suppressing role in lung and prostate cancers. WISP-1 promotes cell proliferation, adhesion, motility, invasion, metastasis and epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition via particular signaling pathways. In this review, we discussed the structure, expression profile, functions, clinical significance and potential mechanisms of WISP-1 in cancer and non-neoplastic diseases.

Hydroxytyrosol permeability comparisons and strategies to improve hydroxytyrosol stability in formulations.

There has been a growing interest in hydroxytyrosol (HT) due to its powerful antioxidant and free-radical scavenging properties when added to formulations such as pharmaceuticals and cosmetics. To study the stability and transdermal properties of hydrogels and creams (HT-based formulations), a high-performance liquid chromatography method was developed for determining HT. In the Franz diffusion cell system, both hydrogel and cream show a rapid and similar penetration profile through the Bama miniature pig skin. However, the Strat-M® membrane exhibits slightly lower permeability and is selective to different formulations; that is, the cream has a permeability value of 10.69%, while the hydrogel has a value of 5.27%. The dynamics parameters from the permeation assays indicate that the model using the Strat-M® membrane can be used as a screening tool to evaluate the skin uptake and permeation efficacy of different formulations. Adding 3-O-ethyl-L-ascorbic acid to HT-based formulations can effectively prevent discoloration under prolonged high-temperature storage, while combining multiple antioxidants delays degradation most effectively. This study provides novel ideas for functional formulation optimization to enhance the realism and reproducibility of cosmetic products containing HT and provides scientific evidence for the production, packaging, shelf life, storage, and transportation of products.

The Effect of Bystander Features on Displaced Aggression in Provocative Situations among Male Juvenile Delinquents.

Two studies were conducted to explore the influence of bystander features of displaced aggression in provocative situations among male juvenile delinquents. Study 1 examined the differences in displaced aggression between provoked male juvenile delinquents in the presence or absence of bystanders. The results revealed that provoked male juvenile delinquents exhibited significantly higher levels of displaced aggression when bystanders were present compared to when they were not. Study 2 further manipulated the bystanders' trigger level and investigated the differences in displaced aggression exhibited by provoked male juvenile delinquents towards highly versus lowly triggered bystanders. The results indicated that after low provocation, male juvenile delinquents exhibited significantly higher levels of displaced aggression towards highly triggered bystanders compared to lowly triggered bystanders. These findings demonstrated that male juvenile delinquents exhibited a high level of displaced aggression towards bystanders in provocative situations, particularly with highly triggered bystanders. This study supported the personality and social model of displaced aggression, emphasizing that bystanders, especially those with high triggers, were more likely to become targets of displaced aggression. The current study provides references for subsequent criminal rehabilitation and crime prevention.

Emotional Regulation of Displaced Aggression in Provocative Situations among Junior High School Students.

This study investigated the emotion regulation effect of displaced aggression among junior high school students after provocation through two experiments. Experiment 1 examined the effect of displaced aggression on the negative and positive emotions of junior high school students after low- and high-level provocation. The results showed that only after high-level provocation did individuals experience a significant decrease in negative emotions and a significant increase in positive emotions after engaging in displaced aggression. Experiment 2 explored the effect of aggressive intensity on negative and positive emotions after provocation. The results indicated that, in terms of changes in positive emotions, low-intensity aggression showed a significant increase in positive emotions after aggression. Regarding changes in negative emotions, both low-intensity aggression and high-intensity aggression resulted in significant decreases in negative emotions after aggression. In conclusion, this research showed that, in highly provocative situations, displaced aggression among junior school students, especially low-intensity displaced aggression, could increase positive emotions and decrease negative emotions. These results support the emotional regulation theory of aggression. However, considering that displaced aggression violates social norms, efforts should be made to avoid individuals regulating their emotions through displaced aggression, instead guiding them toward using more appropriate methods for emotional regulation in future research and practical applications.

Ligand-assisted formation of mesoporous Zn-N-C to realize superior catalytic activity in solvent-free CO2 cycloaddition reactions.

Mesoporous nitrogen-doped carbon-anchored single atom Zn was synthesized through etching of ZIF-8 with 1,10-phenanthroline and subsequent pyrolysis based on the Kirkendall effect. The abundant pores and increased surface area promote CO2 adsorption and mass transfer, thus significantly improving the catalytic activity in solvent-free cycloaddition of epoxides with CO2.

The Effects of PICALM rs3851179 and Age on Brain Atrophy and Cognition Along the Alzheimer's Disease Continuum.

Rs3851179, a variant of PICALM gene, and age are the risk factors of Alzheimer's disease (AD). AD is divided into early-onset AD (EOAD, < 65 years) and late-onset AD (LOAD, ≥ 65 years) by age. The purpose was to investigate the impact of different genotypes of PICALM rs3851179 on brain atrophy and cognitive decline across the AD continuum in different age groups. Four hundred seven cognitive normal (CN) controls, 362 mild cognitive impairment (MCI) patients, and 94 AD patients were enrolled to assess the interaction between AD continuum, age status, and PICALM on gray matter volume (GMV), global cognition, memory function, and executive function using full factorial ANCOVA (3 × 2 × 2). The interaction between AD continuum and PICALM significantly affected the GMV of the left putamen (PUT.L). rs3851179 A-allele carriers did not show a significant decrease in PUT.L GMV from CN to MCI to AD, while GG-allele carriers did. The interaction between AD continuum and age status was significant on GMV of the left angular gyrus (ANG.L) and right superior occipital gyrus (SOG.R). LOAD had higher GMV of ANG.L and SOG.R than EOAD. The interactive effects among AD continuum, age status, and PICALM were not significant on GMV but were significant on global cognition and executive function. The A-allele was found to have a protective effect on global cognition and executive function in EOAD, but not significantly so in LOAD. PICALM rs3851179 A-allele might alleviate the atrophy of PUT.L across the AD continuum than GG-allele. Age status did not affect the interaction between AD continuum and PICALM on brain atrophy. The ANG.L and SOG.R atrophied more severely in EOAD than in LOAD. Rs3851179 A-allele was protective for global cognition and executive function in EOAD.

Decreased Local Specialization of Brain Structural Networks Associated with Cognitive Dysfuntion Revealed by Probabilistic Diffusion Tractography for Different Cerebral Small Vessel Disease Burdens.

To reveal the network-level structural disruptions associated with cognitive dysfunctions in different cerebral small vessel disease (CSVD) burdens, we used probabilistic diffusion tractography and graph theory to investigate the brain network topology in 67 patients with a severe CSVD burden (CSVD-s), 133 patients with a mild CSVD burden (CSVD-m) and 89 healthy controls. We used one-way analysis of covariance to assess the altered topological measures between groups, and then evaluated their Pearson correlation with cognitive parameters. Both the CSVD and control groups showed efficient small-world organization in white matter (WM) networks. However, compared with CSVD-m patients and controls, CSVD-s patients exhibited significantly decreased local efficiency, with partially reorganized hub distributions. For regional topology, CSVD-s patients showed significantly decreased nodal efficiency in the bilateral anterior cingulate gyrus, caudate nucleus, right opercular inferior frontal gyrus (IFGoperc), supplementary motor area (SMA), insula and left orbital superior frontal gyrus and angular gyrus. Intriguingly, global/local efficiency and nodal efficiency of the bilateral caudate nucleus, right IFGoperc, SMA and left angular gyrus showed significant correlations with cognitive parameters in the CSVD-s group, while only the left pallidum showed significant correlations with cognitive metrics in the CSVD-m group. In conclusion, the decreased local specialization of brain structural networks in patients with different CSVD burdens provides novel insights into understanding the brain structural alterations in relation to CSVD severity. Cognitive correlations with brain structural network efficiency suggest their potential use as neuroimaging biomarkers to assess the severity of CSVD.