In situ pain relief during photodynamic therapy by ROS-responsive nanomicelle through blocking VGSC.

Pain in photodynamic therapy (PDT), resulting from the stimulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and local acute inflammation, is a primary side effect of PDT that often leads to treatment interruption or termination, significantly compromising the efficacy of PDT and posing an enduring challenge for clinical practice. Herein, a ROS-responsive nanomicelle, poly(ethylene glycol)-b-poly(propylene sulphide) (PEG-PPS) encapsulated Ce6 and Lidocaine (LC), (ESCL) was used to address these problems. The tumor preferentially accumulated micelles could realize enhanced PDT effect, as well as in situ quickly release LC due to its ROS generation ability after light irradiation, which owes to the ROS-responsive property of PSS. In addition, PSS can suppress inflammatory pain which is one of the mechanisms of PDT induced pain. High LC-loaded efficiency (94.56 %) owing to the presence of the thioether bond of the PPS made an additional pain relief by inhibiting excessive inflammation besides blocking voltage-gated sodium channels (VGSC). Moreover, the anti-angiogenic effect of LC offers further therapeutic effects of PDT. The in vitro and in vivo anti-tumor results revealed significant PDT efficacy. The signals of the sciatic nerve in mice were measured by electrophysiological study to evaluate the pain relief, results showed that the relative integral area of neural signals in ESCL-treated mice decreased by 49.90 % compared to the micelles without loaded LC. Therefore, our study not only develops a very simple but effective tumor treatment PDT and in situ pain relief strategy during PDT, but also provides a quantitative pain evaluation method.

Epidemiological characteristics and antibody kinetics of elderly population with booster vaccination following both Omicron BA.5 and XBB waves in China.

After the termination of zero-COVID-19 policy, the populace in China has experienced both Omicron BA.5 and XBB waves. Considering the poor antibody responses and severe outcomes observed among the elderly following infection, we conducted a longitudinal investigation to examine the epidemiological characteristics and antibody kinetics among 107 boosted elderly participants following the Omicron BA.5 and XBB waves. We observed that 96 participants (89.7%) were infected with Omicron BA.5, while 59 (55.1%) participants were infected with Omicron XBB. Notably, 52 participants (48.6%) experienced dual infections of both Omicron BA.5 and XBB. The proportion of symptomatic cases appeared to decrease following the XBB wave (18.6%) compared to that after the BA.5 wave (59.3%). Omicron BA.5 breakthrough infection induced lower neutralizing antibody titers against XBB.1.5, BA.2.86, and JN.1, while reinfection with Omicron XBB broadened the antibody responses against all measured Omicron subvariants and may alleviate the wild type-vaccination induced immune imprinting. Boosted vaccination type and comorbidities were the significant factors associated with antibody responses. Updated vaccines based on emerging severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 variants are needed to control the Coronavirus Disease 2019 pandemic in the elderly.

Characteristics and immune functions of the endogenous CRISPR-Cas systems in myxobacteria.

The clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats and their associated proteins (CRISPR-Cas) system widely occurs in prokaryotic organisms to recognize and destruct genetic invaders. Systematic collation and characterization of endogenous CRISPR-Cas systems are conducive to our understanding and potential utilization of this natural genetic machinery. In this study, we screened 39 complete and 692 incomplete genomes of myxobacteria using a combined strategy to dispose of the abridged genome information and revealed at least 19 CRISPR-Cas subtypes, which were distributed with a taxonomic difference and often lost stochastically in intraspecies strains. The cas genes in each subtype were evolutionarily clustered but deeply separated, while most of the CRISPRs were divided into four types based on the motif characteristics of repeat sequences. The spacers recorded in myxobacterial CRISPRs were in high G+C content, matching lots of phages, tiny amounts of plasmids, and, surprisingly, massive organismic genomes. We experimentally demonstrated the immune and self-target immune activities of three endogenous systems in Myxococcus xanthus DK1622 against artificial genetic invaders and revealed the microhomology-mediated end-joining mechanism for the immunity-induced DNA repair but not homology-directed repair. The panoramic view and immune activities imply potential omnipotent immune functions and applications of the endogenous CRISPR-Cas machinery. IMPORTANCE: Serving as an adaptive immune system, clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats and their associated proteins (CRISPR-Cas) empower prokaryotes to fend off the intrusion of external genetic materials. Myxobacteria are a collective of swarming Gram-stain-negative predatory bacteria distinguished by intricate multicellular social behavior. An in-depth analysis of their intrinsic CRISPR-Cas systems is beneficial for our understanding of the survival strategies employed by host cells within their environmental niches. Moreover, the experimental findings presented in this study not only suggest the robust immune functions of CRISPR-Cas in myxobacteria but also their potential applications.

Determination of the chromosomal position effects for plug-and-play application in the Myxococcus xanthus chassis cells.

The chromosomal position effect can significantly affect the transgene expression, which may provide an efficient strategy for the inauguration of alien genes in new hosts, but has been less explored rationally. The bacterium Myxococcus xanthus harbors a large circular high-GC genome, and the position effect in this chassis may result in a thousand-fold expression variation of alien natural products. In this study, we conducted transposon insertion at TA sites on the M. xanthus genome, and used enrichment and dilution indexes to respectively appraise high and low expression potentials of alien genes at insertion sites. The enrichment sites are characteristically distributed along the genome, and the dilution sites are overlapped well with the horizontal transfer genes. We experimentally demonstrated the enrichment sites as high expression integration sites (HEISs), and the dilution sites unsuitable for gene integration expression. This work highlights that HEISs are the plug-and-play sites for efficient expression of integrated genes.

S100 calcium­binding protein A16 suppresses the osteogenic differentiation of rat bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells by inhibiting SMAD family member 4 signaling.

Osteogenesis is a complex process of bone formation regulated by various factors, yet its underlying molecular mechanisms remain incompletely understood. The present study aimed to investigate the role of S100A16, a novel member of the S100 protein family, in the osteogenic differentiation of rat bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) and uncover a novel Smad4-mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK)/Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) signaling axis. In the present study, the expression level of S100A16 in bone tissues and BMSCs from ovariectomized rats was evaluated and then the impact of S100A16 silencing on osteogenic differentiation was examined. Increased S100A16 expression was observed in bone tissues and BMSCs from ovariectomized rats, and S100A16 silencing promoted osteogenic differentiation. Further transcriptomic sequencing revealed that the Smad4 pathway was involved in S100A16 silencing-induced osteogenesis. The results of western blot analysis revealed that S100A16 overexpression not only downregulated Smad4 but also activated MAPK/JNK signaling, which was validated by treatment with MAPK and JNK inhibitors U0126 and SP600125. Overall, in the present study, the novel regulatory factors influencing osteogenic differentiation were elucidated and mechanistic insights that could aid in the development of targeted therapeutic strategies for patients with osteoporosis were provided.

Comparison of 3 diagnostic methods for pulmonary tuberculosis in suspected patients with negative sputum smear or no sputum.

STUDY DESIGN: To explore the diagnostic value of 3 methods for sputum smear-negative and non-sputum patients with suspected pulmonary tuberculosis (TB). METHODS: This prospective study enrolled sputum smear-negative and non-sputum patients with suspected TB admitted to Jiangxi Chest Hospital between January 2020 and December 2022. The 3 methods were bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF)-acid-fast bacillus (AFB) smear, GeneXpert MTB/RIF, and gene chip for Mycobacterium strain identification. The diagnostic performance of the 3 tests was evaluated with BALF Mycobacterium culture + BALF-AFB smear + GeneXpert MTB/RIF + Gene chip as the gold standard. RESULTS: A total of 456 samples were collected from 114 patients with suspected TB. Twenty-four patients were diagnosed with TB. The combination of GeneXpert MTB/RIF and gene chip for Mycobacterium strain identification yielded the highest area under the receiver operating characteristics curve (AUC) of 0.953 and had sensitivity of 90.57%, specificity of 100%, positive predictive value (PPV) of 100%, negative predictive value (NPV) of 92.42%, accuracy of 95.61%. GeneXpert MTB/RIF achieved AUC of 0.906, sensitivity of 81.13%, specificity of 100%, PPV of 100%, NPV of 85.92%, accuracy of 91.23%. BALF-AFB smear had AUC of 0.519, sensitivity of 3.77%, specificity of 100%, PPV of 100%, NPV of 54.46%, and accuracy of 55.26%. The combination of GeneXpert MTB/RIF and gene chip for Mycobacterium strain identification yielded the highest κ of 0.911, while BALF-AFB smear had the lowest κ value of 0.040. CONCLUSION: For TB in sputum smear-negative and non-sputum patients using BALF Mycobacterium culture + BALF-AFB smear + GeneXpert MTB/RIF + Gene chip as the gold standard, BALF-AFB smear showed low diagnostic performance, while, though GeneXpert MTB/RIF and gene chip had good diagnostic performance, combining GeneXpert MTB/RIF and gene chip improved the diagnostic value to a great extent.

Atypical brain lateralization for speech processing at the sublexical level in autistic children revealed by fNIRS.

Autistic children often exhibit atypical brain lateralization of language processing, but it is unclear what aspects of language contribute to this phenomenon. This study employed functional near-infrared spectroscopy to measure hemispheric lateralization by estimating hemodynamic responses associated with processing linguistic and non-linguistic auditory stimuli. The study involved a group of autistic children (N = 20, mean age = 5.8 years) and a comparison group of nonautistic peers (N = 20, mean age = 6.5 years). The children were presented with stimuli with systematically decreasing linguistic relevance: naturalistic native speech, meaningless native speech with scrambled word order, nonnative speech, and music. The results revealed that both groups showed left lateralization in the temporal lobe when listening to naturalistic native speech. However, the distinction emerged between autism and nonautistic in terms of processing the linguistic hierarchy. Specifically, the nonautistic comparison group demonstrated a systematic reduction in left lateralization as linguistic relevance decreased. In contrast, the autism group displayed no such pattern and showed no lateralization when listening to scrambled native speech accompanied by enhanced response in the right hemisphere. These results provide evidence of atypical neural specialization for spoken language in preschool- and school-age autistic children and shed new light on the underlying linguistic correlates contributing to such atypicality at the sublexical level.

Soluble Nanographene C222: Synthesis and Applications for Synergistic Photodynamic/Photothermal Therapy.

Nanographene C222, which consists of a planar graphenic plane containing 222 carbon atoms, holds the record as the largest planar nanographene synthesized to date. However, its complete insolubility makes the processing of C222 difficult. Here we addressed this issue by introducing peripheral substituents perpendicular to the graphene plane, effectively disrupting the interlayer stacking and endowing C222 with good solubility. We also found that the electron-withdrawing substituents played a crucial role in the cyclodehydrogenation process, converting the dendritic polyphenylene precursor to C222. After disrupting the interlayer stacking, the introduction of only a few peripheral carboxylic groups allowed C222 to dissolve in phosphate buffer saline, reaching a concentration of up to 0.5 mg/mL. Taking advantage of the good photosensitizing and photothermal properties of the inner C222 core, the resulting water-soluble C222 emerged as a single-component agent for both photothermal and photodynamic tumor therapy, exhibiting an impressive tumor inhibition rate of 96%.

Efficient Tin-Based Perovskite Solar Cells Enabled by Precisely Synthesized Single-Isomer Fullerene Bisadducts with Regulated Molecular Packing.

Designing and synthesizing fullerene bisadducts with a higher-lying conduction band minimum is promising to further improve the device performance of tin-based perovskite solar cells (TPSCs). However, the commonly obtained fullerene bisadduct products are isomeric mixtures and require complicated separation. Moreover, the isomeric mixtures are prone to resulting in energy alignment disorders, interfacial charge loss, and limited device performance improvement. Herein, we synthesized single-isomer C60- and C70-based diethylmalonate functionalized bisadducts (C60BB and C70BB) by utilizing the steric-hindrance-assisted strategy and determined all molecular structures involved by single crystal diffraction. Meanwhile, we found that the different solvents used for processing the fullerene bisadducts can effectively regulate the molecular packing in their films. The dense and amorphous fullerene bisadduct films prepared by using anisole exhibited the highest electron mobility. Finally, C60BB- and C70BB-based TPSCs showed impressive efficiencies up to 14.51 and 14.28%, respectively. These devices also exhibited excellent long-term stability. This work highlights the importance of developing strategies to synthesize single-isomer fullerene bisadducts and regulate their molecular packing to improve TPSCs' performance.

Genome-wide analysis of lipolytic enzymes and characterization of a high-tolerant carboxylesterase from Sorangium cellulosum.

Microorganisms are important sources of lipolytic enzymes with characteristics for wide promising usages in the specific industrial biotechnology. The cellulolytic myxobacterium Sorangium cellulosum is rich of lipolytic enzymes in the genome, but little has been investigated. Here, we discerned 406 potential lipolytic enzymes in 13 sequenced S. cellulosum genomes. These lipolytic enzymes belonged to 12 families, and most are novel with low identities (14-37%) to those reported. We characterized a new carboxylesterase, LipB, from the alkaline-adaptive So0157-2. This enzyme, belonging to family VIII, hydrolyzed glyceryl tributyrate and p-nitrophenyl esters with short chain fatty acids (≤C12), and exhibited the highest activity against p-nitrophenyl butyrate. It retained over 50% of the activities in a broad temperature range (from 20°C to 60°C), alkaline conditions (pH 8.0-9.5), and the enzymatic activity was stable with methanol, ethanol and isopropanol, and stimulated significantly in the presence of 5 mM Ni2+. LipB also exhibited ß-lactamase activity on nitrocefin, but not ampicillin, cefotaxime and imipenem. The bioinformatic analysis and specific enzymatic characteristics indicate that S. cellulosum is a promising resource to explore lipolytic enzymes for industrial adaptations.

Interlayer interaction-force-tuned magnetic responses in CoII-tetrazolate-carboxylate system from canted antiferromagnet to field-induced metamagnet.

Interlayer magnetic couplings of low-dimensional magnets have significantly dominated magnetic behavior through skillful regulation of interlayer interacting forces. To identify interaction-force-regulated interlayer magnetic communications, two air-stable Co(II)-based coordination polymers (CPs), a well-isolated layered structure with approximately 12.6 Å interlayer separation and a carboxylate-extended three-dimensional framework with an inter-ribbon distance of 5.8 Å, have been solvothermally fabricated by varying polycarboxylate mediators in a ternary CoII-tetrazolate-carboxylate system. The layered CP with antiparallel-arranged {Co2(COO)2}n chains interconnected only via cyclic tetrazolyl linkages behaves as a spin-canted antiferromagnet with a Néel temperature of 2.6 K, due to strong intralayer antiferromagnetic couplings and negligible interlayer magnetic interactions. In contrast, the compact three-dimensional framework with corner-sharing Δ-ribbons tightly aggregated through µ2-η1:η1-COO- is a field-induced metamagnet from a canted antiferromagnet to a weak ferromagnet with a small critical field of Hc = 90 Oe. Apparently, these interesting magnetic responses reveal the importance of an interacting force from the magnetic subunits for the magnetic behavior of the molecular magnet, greatly enriching the magnetostructural correlations of transition-metal-based molecular magnets.

Length-Dependent Magnetic Evolution of Anthenes on Au(111).

Nanographenes with zigzag edges, for example, anthenes, exhibit a unique nonbonding π-electron state, which can be described as a spin-polarized edge state that yields specific magnetic ground state. However, prior researches on the magnetism of anthenes with varying lengths on a surface is lacking. This study systematically fabricated anthenes with inherent zigzag carbon atoms of different lengths ranging from bisanthene to hexanthene. Their magnetic evolution on the Au(111) surface was analyzed through bond-resolved scanning probe techniques and density functional theory calculations. The analyses revealed a transition in magnetic properties associated with the length of the anthenes, arising from the imbalance between hybridization energy and the Coulomb repulsion between valence electrons. With the increasing length of the anthenes, the ground state transforms gradually from a closed-shell to an antiferromagnetic open-shell singlet, exhibiting a weak exchange coupling of 4 meV and a charge transfer-induced doublet. Therefore, this study formulated a chemically tunable platform to explore size-dependent π magnetism at the atomic scale, providing a framework for research in organic spintronics.

[Spatiotemporal Simulation and Prediction of Grassland Carbon Budget in Gansu Under Different Climate Scenarios].

Under the background of carbon peak and carbon neutrality, grassland carbon sinks are a key pathway to carbon neutrality. Based on the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 6 (CMIP6) climate scenario data, the Daycent model was used to simulate the carbon budget of Gansu grasslands from 2015 to 2100, and the trend analysis was used to study the spatial and temporal changes in grassland carbon budget in the next 78 years. The results revealed that, under the future climate scenario of SSP245, the net ecosystem productivity (NEP) indicated a non-significant fluctuating downward trend with a rate of -0.20 g·(m2·a)-1(in C, the same below), and the grassland carbon sink was in a declining state. Under the future climate scenario of SSP585, the grassland NEP indicated a significant fluctuating increase trend with a growth rate of 1.36 g·(m2·a)-1, and the grassland carbon sink gradually increased under this scenario; the spatial distribution of grassland carbon budget increased from northwest to southeast. The increase in temperature and precipitation under the SSP585 climate scenario was higher than that under the SSP245 climate scenario, and the grassland carbon budget strongly correlated positively with precipitation. However, a negative correlation was observed between grassland carbon budget and temperature. We identified the carbon sink intensity in Gansu grasslands under different climate conditions, which provides a reference for and contribution to effective carbon sequestration.

Health effects of long-term care insurance on spouses of disabled people: a quasi-experimental study.

BACKGROUND: It is still uncertain whether and how formal long-term care (LTC) systems affect the health status of family members. This paper examines the health effects of long-term care insurance (LTCI) on spouses of disabled people in China. METHODS: The data is from China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Survey (CHARLS), a longitudinal survey of a nationally representative sample of Chinese residents aged 45 or older and their spouses, and China City Statistical Yearbook. Exploiting the regional variation in the implementation of LTCI in the first round of pilot cities in China, a difference-in-difference (DID) strategy is applied to identify the causal effects of LTCI on the health status of spouses of disabled people. We carefully identify the causal effects by controlling for city-level covariates, testing common trends between the treatment and control groups, combining propensity score matching (PSM) with DID, selecting the second round of pilot cities as the control group, controlling for city fixed effects (FE) instead of individual FE, and evaluating selection bias from omitted observable and unobservable factors. RESULTS: The introduction of LTCI in China reduces the number of painful body parts and the self-reported health score significantly, indicating that spouses of disabled people get physical health benefits from LTCI coverage. However, the impact of LTCI on the depression index remains ambiguous and needs to be analyzed further. LTCI improves the physical health status of spouses of disabled individuals mainly through the time reallocation channel, while the impact of the consumption promotion channel has not been verified. Furthermore, the beneficial effects of LTCI on physical health are stronger for spouse caregivers and spouses with lower-level education and lower household income. CONCLUSION: These findings demonstrate that LTCI not only improves the health status of family caregivers by reducing their caregiving burden but also has beneficial health effects on non-caregiver family members. Policy designs of LTCI should emphasize the orientation of home and community-based care services (HCBS), which can not only satisfy the care preferences of disabled individuals, reduce the care burden on family caregivers, promote the health of all family members, but also prevent a large number of disabled individuals from choosing high-cost institutional care and reduce the financial burden of the LTCI Fund.

Hexa-Branched Nanographenes with Large Two-Photon Absorption.

The conventional approach toward molecules with large two-photon absorption (TPA) involves donor-acceptor conjugation. Herein we show a new strategy involving the use of hexa-branched nanographenes. We synthesized two hexa-branched nanographenes, one with six benzoaceanthrylene arms fused to the coronene core and the other with six pyrenyl arms fused to the coronene core. Neither of these hexa-branched nanographenes has a donor-acceptor structure, yet they exhibited high TPA values of 3.6 × 103 and 1.9 × 104 GM, respectively, which are the highest values recorded for heteroatom-free hydrocarbon molecules. Theoretical analysis suggests that the fused branched structures are responsible for the large TPA cross-section. These findings illustrate the importance of the topology of the fused conjugated skeleton in TPA and provide an alternative structural design toward large TPA.

The role of non-coding RNAs in diabetes-induced osteoporosis.

Diabetes mellitus (DM) and osteoporosis are two major health care problems worldwide. Emerging evidence suggests that DM poses a risk for osteoporosis and can contribute to the development of diabetes-induced osteoporosis (DOP). Interestingly, some epidemiological studies suggest that DOP may be at least partially distinct from those skeletal abnormalities associated with old age or postmenopausal osteoporosis. The increasing number of DM patients who also have DOP calls for a discussion of the pathogenesis of DOP and the investigation of drugs to treat DOP. Recently, non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) have received more attention due to their significant role in cellular functions and bone formation. It is worth noting that ncRNAs have also been demonstrated to participate in the progression of DOP. Meanwhile, nano-delivery systems are considered a promising strategy to treat DOP because of their cellular targeting, sustained release, and controlled release characteristics. Additionally, the utilization of novel technologies such as the CRISPR system has expanded the scope of available options for treating DOP. Hence, this paper explores the functions and regulatory mechanisms of ncRNAs in DOP and highlights the advantages of employing nanoparticle-based drug delivery techniques to treat DOP. Finally, this paper also explores the potential of ncRNAs as diagnostic DOP biomarkers.

A syndrome featuring developmental disorder of the nervous system induced by a novel mutation in the TCF20 gene, rarely concurrent immune disorders: a case report.

Background: The expression of TCF20 is the most widespread in brain tissue. TCF20 depletion or mutation can affect the proliferation and differentiation of embryonic neurons, leading to developmental disorder of the central nervous system and subsequent rare syndrome featuring. Case presentation: Here, we report a 3-year-old boy carrying a novel frameshift mutation in TCF20, c.1839_1872del (p.Met613IlefsTer159), resulting in multisystem disease. In addition to symptoms of neurodevelopmental disorder, a large head circumference, special appearance, overgrowth, abnormal testicular descent. Remarkably, previously infrequently reported symptoms of the immune system such as hyperimmunoglobulinemia E (hyper-IgE), immune thrombocytopenic purpura, cows milk protein allergy, and wheezy bronchitis, were observed. Conclusion: This study broadens the mutation spectrum of the TCF20 and the phenotypic spectrum of TCF20-associated disease.

Authenticity and species identification of Fritillariae cirrhosae: a data fusion method combining electronic nose, electronic tongue, electronic eye and near infrared spectroscopy.

This paper focuses on determining the authenticity and identifying the species of Fritillariae cirrhosae using electronic nose, electronic tongue, and electronic eye sensors, near infrared and mid-level data fusion. 80 batches of Fritillariae cirrhosae and its counterfeits (including several batches of Fritillaria unibracteata Hsiao et K.C. Hsia, Fritillaria przewalskii Maxim, Fritillaria delavayi Franch and Fritillaria ussuriensis Maxim) were initially identified by Chinese medicine specialists and by criteria in the 2020 edition of Chinese Pharmacopoeia. After obtaining the information from several sensors we constructed single-source PLS-DA models for authenticity identification and single-source PCA-DA models for species identification. We selected variables of interest by VIP value and Wilk's lambda value, and we subsequently constructed the three-source fusion model of intelligent senses and the four-source fusion model of intelligent senses and near-infrared spectroscopy. We then explained and analyzed the four-source fusion models based on the sensitive substances detected by key sensors. The accuracies of single-source authenticity PLS-DA identification models based on electronic nose, electronic eye, electronic tongue sensors and near-infrared were respectively 96.25%, 91.25%, 97.50% and 97.50%. The accuracies of single-source PCA-DA species identification models were respectively 85%, 71.25%, 97.50% and 97.50%. After three-source data fusion, the accuracy of the authenticity identification of the PLS-DA identification model was 97.50% and the accuracy of the species identification of the PCA-DA model was 95%. After four-source data fusion, the accuracy of the authenticity of the PLS-DA identification model was 98.75% and the accuracy of the species identification of the PCA-DA model was 97.50%. In terms of authenticity identification, four-source data fusion can improve the performance of the model, while for the identification of the species the four-source data fusion failed to optimize the performance of the model. We conclude that electronic nose, electronic tongue, electronic eye data and near-infrared spectroscopy combined with data fusion and chemometrics methods can identify the authenticity and determine the species of Fritillariae cirrhosae. Our model explanation and analysis can help other researchers identify key quality factors for sample identification. This study aims to provide a reference method for the quality evaluation of Chinese herbs.

Absence of associations with prefrontal cortex and cerebellum may link to early language and social deficits in preschool children with ASD.

Introduction: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a complex developmental disorder, characterized by language and social deficits that begin to appear in the first years of life. Research in preschool children with ASD has consistently reported increased global brain volume and abnormal cortical patterns, and the brain structure abnormalities have also been found to be clinically and behaviorally relevant. However, little is known regarding the associations between brain structure abnormalities and early language and social deficits in preschool children with ASD. Methods: In this study, we collected magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data from a cohort of Chinese preschool children with and without ASD (24 ASD/20 non-ASD) aged 12-52 months, explored group differences in brain gray matter (GM) volume, and examined associations between regional GM volume and early language and social abilities in these two groups, separately. Results: We observed significantly greater global GM volume in children with ASD as compared to those without ASD, but there were no regional GM volume differences between these two groups. For children without ASD, GM volume in bilateral prefrontal cortex and cerebellum was significantly correlated with language scores; GM volume in bilateral prefrontal cortex was significantly correlated with social scores. No significant correlations were found in children with ASD. Discussion: Our data demonstrate correlations of regional GM volume with early language and social abilities in preschool children without ASD, and the absence of these associations appear to underlie language and social deficits in children with ASD. These findings provide novel evidence for the neuroanatomical basis associated with language and social abilities in preschool children with and without ASD, which promotes a better understanding of early deficits in language and social functions in ASD.