Intermittent fasting alleviates IMQ-induced psoriasis-like dermatitis via reduced γδT17 and monocytes in mice.

Psoriasis is a chronic immune mediated inflammatory skin disease with systemic manifestations. It has been reported that caloric restriction could improve severity of psoriasis patients. However, the mechanism of intermittent fasting effects on psoriasis has not been investigated. Caloric restriction is known to reduce the number of circulating inflammatory monocytes in a CCL2-dependent manner. However, it is still unknown whether caloric restriction can improve psoriasis by regulating monocytes through CCL2. In this study, we used imiquimod (IMQ)-induced psoriasis-like mouse model to explore the effects and the mechanisms of intermittent fasting on psoriasis-like dermatitis. We found that intermittent fasting could significantly improve IMQ-induced psoriasis-like dermatitis, and reduce the number of γδT17 cells and IL-17 production in draining lymph nodes and psoriatic lesion via inhibiting proliferation and increasing death of γδT17 cells. Furthermore, intermittent fasting could significantly decrease monocytes in blood, and this was associated with decreased monocytes, macrophages and DC in psoriasis-like skin inflammation. Reduced monocytes in circulation and increased monocytes in BM of fasting IMQ-induced psoriasis-like mice is through reducing the production of CCL2 from BM to inhibit monocyte egress to the periphery. Our above data shads light on the mechanisms of intermittent fasting on psoriasis.

Fractional amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations in sensory-motor networks and limbic system as a potential predictor of treatment response in patients with schizophrenia.

BACKGROUND: Previous investigations have revealed substantial differences in neuroimaging characteristics between healthy controls (HCs) and individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia (SCZ). However, we are not entirely sure how brain activity links to symptoms in schizophrenia, and there is a need for reliable brain imaging markers for treatment prediction. METHODS: In this longitudinal study, we examined 56 individuals diagnosed with 56 SCZ and 51 HCs. The SCZ patients underwent a three-month course of antipsychotic treatment. We employed resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) along with fractional Amplitude of Low Frequency Fluctuations (fALFF) and support vector regression (SVR) methods for data acquisition and subsequent analysis. RESULTS: In this study, we initially noted lower fALFF values in the right postcentral/precentral gyrus and left postcentral gyrus, coupled with higher fALFF values in the left hippocampus and right putamen in SCZ patients compared to the HCs at baseline. However, when comparing fALFF values in brain regions with abnormal baseline fALFF values for SCZ patients who completed the follow-up, no significant differences in fALFF values were observed after 3 months of treatment compared to baseline data. The fALFF values in the right postcentral/precentral gyrus and left postcentral gyrus, and the left postcentral gyrus were useful in predicting treatment effects. CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that reduced fALFF values in the sensory-motor networks and increased fALFF values in the limbic system may constitute distinctive neurobiological features in SCZ patients. These findings may serve as potential neuroimaging markers for the prognosis of SCZ patients.

Potential correlations between asymmetric disruption of functional connectivity and metabolism in major depressive disorder.

OBJECTIVE: Previous research has suggested a connection between major depressive disorder (MDD) and certain comorbidities, including gastrointestinal issues, thyroid dysfunctions, and glycolipid metabolism abnormalities. However, the relationships between these factors and asymmetrical alterations in functional connectivity (FC) in adults with MDD remain unclear. METHOD: We conducted a study on a cohort of 42 MDD patients and 42 healthy controls (HCs). Participants underwent comprehensive clinical assessments, including evaluations of blood lipids and thyroid hormone levels, as well as resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (Rs-fMRI) scans. Data analysis involved correlation analysis to compute the parameter of asymmetry (PAS) for the entire brain's functional connectome. We then examined the interrelationships between abnormal PAS regions in the brain, thyroid hormone levels, and blood lipid levels. RESULTS: The third-generation ultra-sensitive thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH3UL) level was found to be significantly lower in MDD patients compared to HCs. The PAS score of the left inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) decreased, while the bilateral posterior cingulate cortex (Bi-PCC) PAS increased in MDD patients relative to HCs. Notably, the PAS score of the left IFG negatively correlated with both TSH and total cholesterol (CHOL) levels. However, these correlations lose significance after the Bonferroni correction. CONCLUSION: MDD patients demonstrated abnormal asymmetry in resting-state FC (Rs-FC) within the fronto-limbic system, which may be associated with CHOL and thyroid hormone levels.

Enhanced Co-adsorption of Alcohols and Amines for Visible Light Driven Oxidative Condensation Using Iron-based MOF.

Imines are essential intermediates in organic transformations, and is generally produced by dehydrogenative condensation of alcohols and amines with the assist of specialized catalysts and additives. Heterogeneous photocatalysis provides a sustainable platform for such process without the using of toxic oxidants, yet a functionalized photocatalyst with optimized co-adsorption of reactants needs to be developed to promote the stoichiometric oxidative condensation under ambient conditions. Here, we show that benzyl alcohol and aniline adsorb non-interferingly on the Fe node and the linker sites of the MIL-53(Fe) metal organic frameworks (MOFs), respectively. The co-adsorption of both reactants barely influences the reduction of molecular oxygen to generate oxygen radicals, resulting in efficient formation of benzaldehyde under visible light. Additionally, the weak adsorption of water together with surface acidity of the MIL-53(Fe) promote a rapid condensation of benzaldehyde with aniline and the depletion of generated water, achieving an efficient C-N bond creation for a wide range of substrates.

Application of Platysma Myocutaneous Flap in Surgical Repair after T2-3 Glottic Carcinoma Resection.

OBJECTIVE: Numerous methods and materials are available for vertical partial laryngectomy. In this study, the reparative effects of the platysma myocutaneous flap (PMF) and ribbon myocutaneous flap (RMF) on the postoperative voice quality of patients were compared to provide a reference for selecting a method conducive to improving postoperative voice quality. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was performed on patients with unilateral T2-3 glottic carcinoma. Following vertical partial laryngectomy, the defect was repaired with a PMF or simple RMF. Twelve months after surgery, voice quality was assessed according to voice acoustics, aerodynamics, and subjective perceptual evaluation, and glottic morphology was recorded using a laryngeal stroboscopy. RESULTS: A total of 70 patients were identified, including 54 in the PMF group and 16 in the RMF group. The PMF group was superior to the RMF group in terms of voice quality assessed by voice acoustics, aerodynamics, and subjective perceptual evaluation. In the PMF group, 72.2% of patients performed phonation with their vocal cords, and approximately 27.8% of patients were affected by supraglottic compression. In the RMF group, 81.3% of patients were affected by supraglottic compression. No significant difference was found in the 5-year survival rate between the two groups. CONCLUSION: For defect repair following vertical partial laryngectomy, a PMF can allow better postoperative voice quality to be achieved than an RMF because a PMF can provide more tissue (including strap muscle under the flap) for padding, which enables the glottic portion corresponding to the vocal cord to close well. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level 3 Laryngoscope, 2024.

Over 19 % Efficiency Organic Solar Cells Enabled by Manipulating the Intermolecular Interactions through Side Chain Fluorine Functionalization.

Fluorine side chain functionalization of non-fullerene acceptors (NFAs) represents an effective strategy for enhancing the performance of organic solar cells (OSCs). However, a knowledge gap persists regarding the relationship between structural changes induced by fluorine functionalization and the resultant impact on device performance. In this work, varying amounts of fluorine atoms were introduced into the outer side chains of Y-series NFAs to construct two acceptors named BTP-F0 and BTP-F5. Theoretical and experimental investigations reveal that side-chain fluorination significantly increase the overall average electrostatic potential (ESP) and charge balance factor, thereby effectively improving the ESP-induced intermolecular electrostatic interaction, and thus precisely tuning the molecular packing and bulk-heterojunction morphology. Therefore, the BTP-F5-based OSC exhibited enhanced crystallinity, domain purity, reduced domain spacing, and optimized phase distribution in the vertical direction. This facilitates exciton diffusion, suppresses charge recombination, and improves charge extraction. Consequently, the promising power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 17.3 % and 19.2 % were achieved in BTP-F5-based binary and ternary devices, respectively, surpassing the PCE of 16.1 % for BTP-F0-based OSCs. This work establishes a structure-performance relationship and demonstrates that fluorine functionalization of the outer side chains of Y-series NFAs is a compelling strategy for achieving ideal phase separation for highly efficient OSCs.

Genetic Contributions to Attachment Stability Over Time: the Roles of CRHR1 Polymorphisms.

Corticotropin-releasing hormone receptor 1 (CRHR1), a hormone receptor essential to the activation of HPA axis and the subsequent release of cortisol, plays critical roles in emotional and behavioral responses relevant to attachment. However, the specific roles of CRHR1 polymorphisms in attachment remain unclear. To further clarify these genetic effects, this research conducted a three-wave study to investigate whether the CRHR1 polymorphisms (i.e., rs110402 and rs242924) are associated with the stability and variability of attachment by using a sample of freshmen (N = 604; Mage = 18.57 years, SD = 1.90; 68.8% girls). The results showed that rs110402 and rs242924 were associated with the stability of closeness-dependence. The G alleles of the both polymorphisms were found not to be related to lower attachment stability. However, these polymorphisms were not associated with the variability of attachment. Overall, these findings provide evidence for the contribution of CRHR1 to attachment stability.

Tailoring carboxylatopillar[5]arene-modified magnetic graphene oxide nanocomposites for the efficient removal of cationic dyes.

A carboxylatopillar[5]arene-embellished (CP5) magnetic graphene oxide nanocomposite (MGO@CP5) was smoothly constructed via a mild layer-by-layer method. The morphology, structure, and surface characteristics of this nanocomposite was investigated by field-emission scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, zeta potential, and other techniques. Benefiting from a high capture ability for small molecules of CP5 as a supramolecular host molecule, along with a negative surface charge and large surface area of MGO@CP5, this nanocomposite exhibits an ultrafast, efficient adsorption property for representative cationic dyes: methylene blue (MB) and basic fuchsin (BF). The removal efficiency of MB and BF can reach nearly 99% within 3 min, while the maximum adsorption capacity of the two dyes reaches 240 mg g-1 for MB and 132 mg g-1 for BF. Furthermore, owing to excellent magnetic responsiveness from the tight loading of Fe3O4 nanoparticles on graphene oxide, MGO@CP5 could be easily and magnetically separated, regenerated, and reused four times without an evident reduction in the removal efficiency (>95%). Impressively, the adsorption property of MGO@CP5 reveals a strong tolerance to pH changes and ionic strength interference, which renders it a promising adsorbent in the field of water treatment.

Automatic depression diagnosis through hybrid EEG and near-infrared spectroscopy features using support vector machine.

Depression is a common mental disorder that seriously affects patients' social function and daily life. Its accurate diagnosis remains a big challenge in depression treatment. In this study, we used electroencephalography (EEG) and functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) and measured the whole brain EEG signals and forehead hemodynamic signals from 25 depression patients and 30 healthy subjects during the resting state. On one hand, we explored the EEG brain functional network properties, and found that the clustering coefficient and local efficiency of the delta and theta bands in patients were significantly higher than those in normal subjects. On the other hand, we extracted brain network properties, asymmetry, and brain oxygen entropy as alternative features, used a data-driven automated method to select features, and established a support vector machine model for automatic depression classification. The results showed the classification accuracy was 81.8% when using EEG features alone and increased to 92.7% when using hybrid EEG and fNIRS features. The brain network local efficiency in the delta band, hemispheric asymmetry in the theta band and brain oxygen sample entropy features differed significantly between the two groups (p < 0.05) and showed high depression distinguishing ability indicating that they may be effective biological markers for identifying depression. EEG, fNIRS and machine learning constitute an effective method for classifying depression at the individual level.

Deviant spontaneous neural activity as a potential early-response predictor for therapeutic interventions in patients with schizophrenia.

Objective: Previous studies have established significant differences in the neuroimaging characteristics between healthy controls (HCs) and patients with schizophrenia (SCZ). However, the relationship between homotopic connectivity and clinical features in patients with SCZ is not yet fully understood. Furthermore, there are currently no established neuroimaging biomarkers available for the diagnosis of SCZ or for predicting early treatment response. The aim of this study is to investigate the association between regional homogeneity and specific clinical features in SCZ patients. Methods: We conducted a longitudinal investigation involving 56 patients with SCZ and 51 HCs. The SCZ patients underwent a 3-month antipsychotic treatment. Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), regional homogeneity (ReHo), support vector machine (SVM), and support vector regression (SVR) were used for data acquisition and analysis. Results: In comparison to HCs, individuals with SCZ demonstrated reduced ReHo values in the right postcentral/precentral gyrus, left postcentral/inferior parietal gyrus, left middle/inferior occipital gyrus, and right middle temporal/inferior occipital gyrus, and increased ReHo values in the right putamen. It is noteworthy that there was decreased ReHo values in the right inferior parietal gyrus after treatment compared to baseline data. Conclusion: The observed decrease in ReHo values in the sensorimotor network and increase in ReHo values in the right putamen may represent distinctive neurobiological characteristics of patients with SCZ, as well as a potential neuroimaging biomarker for distinguishing between patients with SCZ and HCs. Furthermore, ReHo values in the sensorimotor network and right putamen may serve as predictive indicators for early treatment response in patients with SCZ.

High-Performance Nonfused Electron Acceptor with Precisely Controlled Side Chain Fluorination.

Modification of the molecular packing of nonfullerene acceptors through fluorination represents one of the most promising strategies to achieve highly efficient organic solar cells (OSCs). In this work, three nonfused electron acceptors, namely, DTCBT-Fx (x = 0, 5, 9) with precisely controlled amounts of fluorine atoms in the side chains are designed and synthesized, and the effect of side chain fluorination is systematically studied. The results demonstrate that the light absorption, energy levels, molecular ordering, and film morphology could be effectively tuned by precisely controlling the side chain fluorination. DTCBT-F5 with an appropriate fluorine functionalization exhibits suitable miscibility with the donor polymer (PM6), leading to diminished charge recombination and improved charge carrier mobility. Consequently, a promising power conversion efficiency of 12.7% was obtained for DTCBT-F5-based solar cells, which outperforms those OSCs based on DTCBT-F0 (11.4%) and DTCBT-F9 (11.6%), respectively. This work demonstrates that precise control of the fluorine functionalization in side chains of nonfused electron acceptors is an effective strategy for realizing highly efficient OSCs.

Supramolecular recognition enhanced electrochemical sensing: ß-cyclodextrin and Pd nanoparticle co-decorated 3D reduced graphene oxide nanocomposite-modified glassy carbon electrode for the quantification of ractopamine.

Ractopamine (RAC) is universally known for improving lean meat percentage in livestock and thus is widely introduced as a feed additive. However, it is difficult to eliminate the RAC residue in animal tissues from the biological system and will inevitably harm human health. Hence, detecting RAC molecules in biological samples is extremely significant. Herein, a novel strategy of supramolecular recognition-enhanced electrochemical sensing is presented. This platform was constructed by coupling ß-cyclodextrin (ß-CD) with palladium nanoparticles (Pd NPs)-functionalized three-dimensional reduced graphene oxide (3D-rGO) to form a nanocomposite (3D-rGO/Pd/ß-CD), which was further used to modify a glassy carbon electrode (GCE) for RAC detection. Benefiting from the attractive electrical conductivity and catalytic activity of 3D-rGO/Pd, as well as the unique small-molecule-recognition ability of ß-CD demonstrated by 1H NMR spectrum, which revealed the 1 : 2 binding mode of RAC with ß-CD, increased peak current signals of RAC were observed in the cyclic voltammetry (CV) test. Under optimized conditions, the wide linear concentration range spanned 1-95 µM, along with a relatively low detection limit of 0.12 µM (S/N = 3), as evidenced by the differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) approach. The platform also exhibited satisfactory stability and fine reproducibility, as well as high selectivity and good anti-interference capability. Moreover, this as-obtained sensor was efficiently applied in pork samples with a high recovery rate (96.44-103.99%), which provides a promising view of its electrochemical biosensing ability in practical applications.

Efficient photoelectrochemical aptasensing of di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate in environmental samples based on N, S co-doped graphene quantum dots/TiO2 nanorods.

An efficient photoelectrochemical (PEC) sensing platform was developed for detection of di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP) based on nitrogen and sulfur co-doped graphene quantum dots/TiO2 nanorods (N, S-GQDs/TiO2 NRs) coupling with exonuclease I (Exo I)-assisted target recycling for remarkable signal amplification. N, S-GQDs uniformly grown on TiO2 NRs by simple hydrothermal method showed high electron-hole separation efficiency and superior photoelectric performance, which was explored as the photoactive substrate for anchoring anti-DEHP aptamer and its complementary DNA (cDNA). With the addition of DEHP, aptamer molecules fell from the electrode surface owing to the specific recognition of aptamer to DEHP, resulting in the increment of photocurrent signal. At this moment, Exo I could stimulate aptamer hydrolysis in the aptamer-DEHP complexes, so that DEHP was released from the complexes to take part in the next reaction cycling, which remarkably increasing the photocurrent response and achieving signal amplification. The designed PEC sensing platform exhibited excellent analytical performance for DEHP with a low detection limit of 0.1 pg L-1. Also, its applications in real samples were further investigated in detail. Thus, the established method would provide a simple and efficient tool for DEHP or other pollutants monitoring in the environment.

Differences and correlations of biochemical index levels in patients with bipolar disorder and major depressive disorder during a stable period.

The differences and correlation of biochemical indexes between bipolar disorder (BPD) and major depressive disorder (MDD) in stable stage were analyzed and discussed. Patients diagnosed with BPD and MDD in the Third People's Hospital of Foshan from January 2019 to December 2021 were selected as the research subjects, with 200 cases in each. Fasting serum was collected from patients and then detected regarding TC, TG, high-density lipoprotein, low-density lipoprotein (LDL), aspartate aminotransferase, lactic dehydrogenase, creatine kinase, creatine kinase-MB, urea, creatinine, uric acid, alanine aminotransferase, glucose (GLU), hemoglobin A1c, prolactin, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, homocysteine. The results showed that the mean age and serum LDL, GLU, and HbAc1 levels of the MDD group were significantly higher than those of the BPD group (P < .05), while there was no significant difference in other indexes (P > .05). The prevalence of BPD was significantly negatively correlated with patient age (r = -0.164, P = .020), LDL (r = -0.150, P = .034), GLU (r = -0.140, P = .048), and HbAc1 (r = -0.215, P = .002) (P < .05). There were no significant differences in serum Hcy and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein levels between the BPD and MDD groups. The age, fasting blood glucose, glycosylated hemoglobin, and LDL of BPD patients were negatively correlated with their incidence.

Synthesis of a Red-Emitting Polarity-Sensitive Fluorescent Probe Based on ICT and Visualization for Lipid Droplet Dynamic Processes.

Abnormal lipid droplets (LDs) have been recognized as critical factors in many diseases because they are metabolically active and dynamic organelles. Visualization for LD dynamic processes is fundamental for elucidating the relationship of LDs and related diseases. Herein, a red-emitting polarity-sensitive fluorescent probe (TPA-CYP) based on intramolecular charge transfer (ICT) was proposed, which was constructed by employing triphenylamine (TPA) and 2-(5,5-dimethyl-2-cyclohex-1-ylidene)propanedinitrile (CYP) as electron donor and acceptor moiety, respectively. The spectra results underlined the excellent characteristics of TPA-CYP, such as high polarity sensitivity (Δf = 0.209 to 0.312), strong solvatochromic effect (λem 595-699 nm), and the large Stokes shifts (174 nm). Moreover, TPA-CYP exhibited a specific ability to target LDs and effectively differentiated cancer cells and normal cells. Surprisingly, TPA-CYP had been successfully applied to dynamic tracking of LDs, not only in inflammation induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS), the process of oxidative stress, but also in live zebrafish. We believe that TPA-CYP could serve as a powerful tool to gain insight into the dynamics of LDs and to understand and diagnose LD-associated diseases.

High luminescent N,S,P co-doped carbon dots for the fluorescence sensing of extreme acidity and folic acid.

Carbon dots are popular luminescent materials because of their excellent fluorescence properties, but the low quantum yield limits their application. Heteroatom doping is a more convenient and popular approach to increase the quantum yield of carbon dots. Here, novel N,S,P heteroatom co-doped carbon dots (N,S,P-CDs) were synthesized by a simple one-step hydrothermal method using m-phenylenediamine, L-cysteine and phosphoric acid as raw materials. The as-prepared N,S,P-CDs showed excellent photoluminescence properties with a fluorescence quantum yield of up to 41%, which greatly encourages their application in fluorescence sensing. The N,S,P-CDs exhibited good fluorescence stability under salt solution, xenon lamp irradiation and ultraviolet lamp irradiation except for a high sensitivity to extreme acidity. The fluorescence intensity of the N,S,P-CDs can be decreased by as much as 85% when the pH of the solution changes from 2.50 to 4.75, that is, a small fluctuation in pH can cause an intense response of the fluorescence of the N,S,P-CDs. Therefore, an excellent fluorescence sensing platform for accurately monitoring the pH of extreme acidity has been constructed. In addition, the N,S,P-CDs can be applied for quantitative detection of folic acid based on the strong quenching effect of folic acid on the fluorescence of the N,S,P-CDs. Good linearity was obtained in the concentration range of 4.85-82.45 µM, with a detection limit of 0.148 µM. The constructed sensing platform was used for the determination of folic acid in actual samples of orange juice, oatmeal and tablets with satisfactory results.

Folic acid-maltodextrin polymer coated magnetic graphene oxide as a NIR-responsive nano-drug delivery system for chemo-photothermal synergistic inhibition of tumor cells.

The combination of chemo-photothermal therapy with high efficiency and fewer side effects has a good application prospect in cancer treatment. It is of great significance to construct a nano-drug delivery system with cancer cell targeting, high drug loading and excellent photothermal conversion efficiency. Therefore, a novel nano-drug carrier MGO-MDP-FA was successfully constructed by coating folic acid-grafted maltodextrin polymers (MDP-FA) on the surface of Fe3O4-modified graphene oxide (MGO). The nano-drug carrier combined the cancer cell targeting of FA and the magnetic targeting of MGO. A large amount of anti-cancer drug doxorubicin (DOX) was loaded by π-π interaction, hydrogen bond interaction and hydrophobic interaction, with the maximum loading amount and loading capacity of 657.9 mg g-1 and 39.68 wt%, respectively. Based on the excellent photothermal conversion efficiency of MGO, MGO-MDP-FA showed good thermal ablation effect of tumor cells in vitro under NIR irradiation. In addition, MGO-MDP-FA@DOX showed excellent chemo-photothermal synergistic tumor inhibition in vitro (tumor cell killing rate reached 80%). In conclusion, the novel nano-drug delivery system MGO-MDP-FA constructed in this paper provides a promising nano-platform for chemo-photothermal synergistic treatment of cancer.

Amygdala signal abnormality and cognitive impairment in drug-naïve schizophrenia.

BACKGROUND: Recently studies had showed that the amygdala may take part in the cognitive impairment in schizophrenia (SC). However, the mechanism is still unclear, so we explored the relationship between the amygdala resting state magnetic resonance imaging (rsMRI) signal and cognitive function, to provide a reference for the follow-up study. METHODS: We collected 59 drug-naïve SCs and 46 healthy controls (HCs) from the Third People's Hospital of Foshan. The rsMRI technique and automatic segmentation tool were used to extract the volume and functional indicators of the SC's amygdala. The Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) was used to assess the severity of the disease, and the Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status (RBANS) was used to assess cognitive function. Pearson correlation analysis was used to compare the relationship between the structural and functional indicators of the amygdala and PANSS and RBANS. RESULTS: (1) There was no significant difference between SC and HC in age, gender and years of education. Compared with HC, the PANSS score of SC increased and the RBANS score decreased significantly. Meanwhile, the left amygdala volume decreased (t=-3.675, p < 0.001), and the Fractional amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations (FALFF) values of bilateral amygdala increased (tL=3.916, p < 0.001; tR=3.131, p = 0.002). (2) The volumes of the left amygdala were negatively correlated with the PANSS score (rL=-0.243, p = 0.039). While the FALFF values of the bilateral amygdala were positively correlated with the PANSS score (rL=0.257, p = 0.026; rR=0.259, p = 0.026). Bilateral amygdala volumes and FALFF values were positively correlated (rL=0.445, p < 0.001; rR=0.326, p = 0.006) and negatively correlated with RBANS score (rL=-0.284, p = 0.014; rR=-0.272, p = 0.020), respectively. CONCLUSION: The abnormal volume and function of the amygdala play important roles in the disease process of SC, and are closely related to cognitive impairment.

Disrupted interhemispheric coordination of sensory-motor networks and insula in major depressive disorder.

Objective: Prior researches have identified distinct differences in neuroimaging characteristics between healthy controls (HCs) and patients with major depressive disorder (MDD). However, the correlations between homotopic connectivity and clinical characteristics in patients with MDD have yet to be fully understood. The present study aimed to investigate common and unique patterns of homotopic connectivity and their relationships with clinical characteristics in patients with MDD. Methods: We recruited 42 patients diagnosed with MDD and 42 HCs. We collected a range of clinical variables, as well as exploratory eye movement (EEM), event-related potentials (ERPs) and resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) data. The data were analyzed using correlation analysis, support vector machine (SVM), and voxel-mirrored homotopic connectivity (VMHC). Results: Compared with HCs, patients with MDD showed decreased VMHC in the insula, and increased VMHC in the cerebellum 8/vermis 8/vermis 9 and superior/middle occipital gyrus. SVM analysis using VMHC values in the cerebellum 8/vermis 8/vermis 9 and insula, or VMHC values in the superior/middle occipital gyrus and insula as inputs can distinguish HCs and patients with MDD with high accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity. Conclusion: The study demonstrated that decreased VMHC in the insula and increased VMHC values in the sensory-motor networks may be a distinctive neurobiological feature for patients with MDD, which could potentially serve as imaging markers to discriminate HCs and patients with MDD.

Design an efficient photoelectrochemical aptasensor for PCB72 based on CdTe@CdS core@shell quantum dots-decorated TiO2 nanotubes.

In this work, an efficient and novel photoelectrochemical (PEC) aptasensor for 2,3',5,5'-tetrachlorobiphenyl (PCB72) was constructed based on CdTe@CdS core@shell quantum dots (CdTe@CdS QDs)-decorated TiO2 nanotubes (TiO2 NTs). CdTe@CdS QDs were prepared by the combination of CdTe and CdS with a proper lattice mismatch. Due to their large band offsets, core@shell QDs can reduce undesirable carrier recombination, significantly improving their charge separation efficiency. Then the synthesized CdTe@CdS QDs were modified on TiO2 NTs (CdTe@CdS QDs/TiO2 NTs) through electrostatic adsorption method. The as-prepared composites exhibit a wide visible light absorption range, good PEC activity and high photoelectric conversion efficiency. Also, the PEC aptasensor prepared via the immobilization of anti-PCB72 aptamer on the composites exhibits outstanding analytical performance with high sensitivity and specificity for PCB72 under visible-light irradiation, achieving a detection limit as low as 0.03 ng/L. It was also applied to detect PCB72 in four different real environmental samples with satisfactory results.