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Subjective cognitive decline (SCD) is a high‐risk population in the preclinical stage of Alzheimer's disease (AD), and olfactory dysfunction is a risk factor for dementia progression. The present study aimed to explore the patterns of functional connectivity (FC) changes in the olfactory neural circuits during olfactory stimulation in SCD subjects. A total of 56 SCD subjects and 56 normal controls (NCs) were included. All subjects were assessed with a cognitive scale, an olfactory behavior test, and olfactory task‐based functional magnetic resonance imaging scanning. The FC differences in olfactory neural circuits between the two groups were analyzed by the generalized psychophysiological interaction. Additionally, we calculated and compared the activation of brain regions within the olfactory neural circuits during odor stimulation, the volumetric differences in brain regions showing FC differences between groups, and the correlations between neuroimaging indicators and olfactory behavioral and cognitive scale scores. During odor stimulation, the FC between the bilateral primary olfactory cortex (bPOC) and the right hippocampus in the SCD group was significantly reduced; while the FC between the right hippocampus and the right frontal cortex was significantly increased in the SCD group. The bPOC of all subjects showed significant activation, but no significant difference in activation between groups was found. No significant differences were observed in the volume of the brain regions within the olfactory neural circuits or in olfactory behavior between groups. The volume of the bPOC and right frontal cortex was significantly positively correlated with olfactory identification, and the volume of the right frontal cortex and right hippocampus was significantly correlated with cognitive functions. Furthermore, a significant correlation between the activation of bPOC and the olfactory threshold was found in the whole cohort. These results suggested that while the structure of the olfactory neural circuits and olfactory behavior in SCD subjects remained stable, there were significant changes observed in the FC of the olfactory neural circuits (specifically, the POC‐hippocampus‐frontal cortex neural circuits) during odor stimulation. These findings highlight the potential of FC alterations as sensitive imaging markers for identifying high‐risk individuals in the early stage of AD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[4‐(3,6‐dimethyl‐9H‐carbazol‐9yl)butyl]phosphonic acid (Me‐4PACz) self‐assembly material has been recognized as a highly effective approach for mitigating nickel oxide (NiOx) surface‐related challenges in inverted perovskite solar cells (IPSCs). However, its uneven film generation and failure to effectively passivate the buried interface defects limit the device‘s performance improvement potential. Herein, p‐xylylenediphosphonic acid (p‐XPA) containing bilateral phosphate groups (−PO3H2) is introduced as an interface layer between the NiOx/Me‐4PACz and the perovskite layer. P‐XPA can flatten the surface of hole transport layer and optimize interface contact. Meanwhile, p‐XPA achieves better energy level alignment and promotes interfacial hole transport. In addition, the bilateral −PO3H2 of p‐XPA can chelate with Pb2+ and form hydrogen bond with FA+ (formamidinium cation), thereby suppressing buried interface non‐radiative recombination loss. Consequently, the IPSC with p‐XPA buried interface modification achieves champion power conversion efficiency of 25.87 % (certified at 25.45 %) at laboratory scale (0.0448 cm2). The encapsulated target device exhibits better operational stability. Even after 1100 hours of maximum power point tracking at 50 °C, its efficiency remains at an impressive 82.7 % of the initial efficiency. Molecules featuring bilateral passivation groups optimize interfacial contact and inhibit interfacial recombination, providing an effective approach to enhancing the stability and efficiency of devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) are common complaint in urology practice and affecting the quality of life for patients. This article aims to perform a systematic review and meta-analysis on the global prevalence of LUTS overall, and according to different patient characteristics., Methods: We searched MEDLINE and Embase for population-based epidemiological studies reporting the prevalence of LUTS from inception to 1 Jan 2021. Studies which: (1) have enough information on sample size and prevalence; (2) investigate individuals aged 15 or above; and (3) have clear diagnostic criteria for LUTS. We extracted the following information: year of publication; name of the first author; study period; region of recruitment; race; age range; sex; severity; symptoms; and criteria. We pooled rate estimates with exact binomial and test score-based confidence intervals (CIs) using proportions with a random-effects model., Results: We included 222 studies from 36 countries involving 1,692,110 samples and 632,933 patients with LUTS. The overall prevalence of any and moderate-to-severe LUTS was 63.2% (95% CI = 58.0-68.1) and 31.3% (95% CI = 28.8-33.8), respectively. The most common symptom was storage symptoms (56.7%; 95% CI = 51.0-62.4), followed by voiding symptoms (36.4%; 95% CI = 27.8-45.4) and post-micturition symptoms (30.7%; 95% CI = 19.2-43.6). A higher prevalence of moderate-to-severe LUTS was observed in male subjects (35.2%; 95% CI = 32.1-38.5) and individuals aged ≥60 (39.0%; 95% CI = 33.4-44.8; I 2  = 99.9%). Its prevalence increased from 27.4% (95% CI = 24.5-30.3) in 1990-1999, to 31.9% (95% CI = 27.3-36.7) in 2000-2009 and 36.2% (95% CI = 30.7-41.9) in 2010-2019., Conclusions: This study was the first comprehensive meta-analysis examining the global prevalence of LUTS. We identified a high level of LUTS prevalence in the general population, with a higher burden in male subjects, older individuals, and the Asian population. There has been an increasing trend in the prevalence of LUTS since the 1990s., (© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Limited.)