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A substantial percentage of late‐life depression patients also have an cognitive impairment, which severely affects the life quality, while the co‐occurring mechanisms are still unclear. Physical exercise can ameliorate both depressive behaviors and cognitive dysfunction, but the molecular mechanisms underlying its beneficial effects remain elusive. In this study, we uncover a novel adipose tissue to hippocampus crosstalk mediated by Adiponectin‐Notch pathway, with an impact on hippocampal neurogenesis and cognitive function. Adiponectin, an adipocyte‐derived hormone, could activate Notch signaling in the hippocampus through upregulating ADAM10 and Notch1, two key molecules in the Notch signaling. Chronic stress inhibits the Adiponectin‐Notch pathway and induces impaired hippocampal neurogenesis and cognitive dysfunction, which can be rescued by AdipoRon and running. Inhibition Notch signaling by DAPT mimics the adverse effects of chronic stress on hippocampal neurogenesis and cognitive function. Adiponectin knockout mice display depressive‐like behaviors, associated with inhibited Notch signaling, impaired hippocampal neurogenesis and cognitive dysfunction. Physical exercise could activate Adiponectin‐Notch pathway, and improve hippocampal neurogenesis and cognitive function, while deleting adiponectin gene or inhibiting Notch signaling blocks its beneficial effects. Together, our data not only suggest that Adiponectin‐Notch pathway is involved in the pathogenesis of cognitive dysfunction associated with depression, but also contributes to the therapeutic effect of physical exercise. This work helps to decipher the etiology of cognitive impairment associated with depression and hence will provide a potential innovative therapeutic target for these patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To develop an artificial intelligence (AI) agent for fully automated rapid head‐and‐neck intensity‐modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) plan generation without time‐consuming dose‐volume‐based inverse planning. Methods: This AI agent was trained via implementing a conditional generative adversarial network (cGAN) architecture. The generator, PyraNet, is a novel deep learning network that implements 28 classic ResNet blocks in pyramid‐like concatenations. The discriminator is a customized four‐layer DenseNet. The AI agent first generates multiple customized two‐dimensional projections at nine template beam angles from a patient's three‐dimensional computed tomography (CT) volume and structures. These projections are then stacked as four‐dimensional inputs of PyraNet, from which nine radiation fluence maps of the corresponding template beam angles are generated simultaneously. Finally, the predicted fluence maps are automatically postprocessed by Gaussian deconvolution operations and imported into a commercial treatment planning system (TPS) for plan integrity check and visualization. The AI agent was built and tested upon 231 oropharyngeal IMRT plans from a TPS plan library. 200/16/15 plans were assigned for training/validation/testing, respectively. Only the primary plans in the sequential boost regime were studied. All plans were normalized to 44 Gy prescription (2 Gy/fx). A customized Harr wavelet loss was adopted for fluence map comparison during the training of the PyraNet. For test cases, isodose distributions in AI plans and TPS plans were qualitatively evaluated for overall dose distributions. Key dosimetric metrics were compared by Wilcoxon signed‐rank tests with a significance level of 0.05. Results: All 15 AI plans were successfully generated. Isodose gradients outside of PTV in AI plans were comparable to those of the TPS plans. After PTV coverage normalization, Dmean of left parotid (DAI = 23.1 ± 2.4 Gy; DTPS = 23.1 ± 2.0 Gy), right parotid (DAI = 23.8 ± 3.0 Gy; DTPS = 23.9 ± 2.3 Gy), and oral cavity (DAI = 24.7 ± 6.0 Gy; DTPS = 23.9 ± 4.3 Gy) in the AI plans and the TPS plans were comparable without statistical significance. AI plans achieved comparable results for maximum dose at 0.01cc of brainstem (DAI = 15.0 ± 2.1 Gy; DTPS = 15.5 ± 2.7 Gy) and cord + 5mm (DAI = 27.5 ± 2.3 Gy; DTPS = 25.8 ± 1.9 Gy) without clinically relevant differences, but body Dmax results (DAI = 121.1 ± 3.9 Gy; DTPS = 109.0 ± 0.9 Gy) were higher than the TPS plan results. The AI agent needed ~3 s for predicting fluence maps of an IMRT plan. Conclusions: With rapid and fully automated execution, the developed AI agent can generate complex head‐and‐neck IMRT plans with acceptable dosimetry quality. This approach holds great potential for clinical applications in preplanning decision‐making and real‐time planning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is an age‐related neurodegenerative disease, and the imbalance between production and clearance of β‐amyloid (Aβ) is involved in its pathogenesis. Autophagy is an intracellular degradation pathway whereby leads to removal of aggregated proteins, up‐regulation of which may be a plausible therapeutic strategy for the treatment of AD. Histamine H3 receptor (H3R) is a presynaptic autoreceptor regulating histamine release via negative feedback way. Our previous study showed that thioperamide, as an antagonist of H3R, enhances autophagy and protects against ischemic injury. However, the effect of thioperamide on autophagic function and Aβ pathology in AD remains unknown. In this study, we found that thioperamide promoted cognitive function, ameliorated neuronal loss, and Aβ pathology in APP/PS1 transgenic (Tg) mice. Interestingly, thioperamide up‐regulated autophagic level and lysosomal function both in APP/PS1 Tg mice and in primary neurons under Aβ‐induced injury. The neuroprotection by thioperamide against AD was reversed by 3‐MA, inhibitor of autophagy, and siRNA of Atg7, key autophagic‐related gene. Furthermore, inhibition of activity of CREB, H3R downstream signaling, by H89 reversed the effect of thioperamide on promoted cell viability, activated autophagic flux, and increased autophagic‐lysosomal proteins expression, including Atg7, TFEB, and LAMP1, suggesting a CREB‐dependent autophagic activation by thioperamide in AD. Taken together, these results suggested that H3R antagonist thioperamide improved cognitive impairment in APP/PS1 Tg mice via modulation of the CREB‐mediated autophagy and lysosomal pathway, which contributed to Aβ clearance. This study uncovered a novel mechanism involving autophagic regulating behind the therapeutic effect of thioperamide in AD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High‐temperature pretreatment that is currently used in camellia oil extraction can have negative effects on the quality of camellia oil. In this study, the enzymatic pretreatment of camellia seeds is explored as an alternative to high‐temperature pretreatment. The main conditions for enzymatic pretreatment of camellia seeds including enzyme, pH, temperature, time, and buffer solution are optimized using the response surface methodology. Under the optimal conditions of enzymatic pretreatment, the oil recovery is close to 75%. Moreover, residual oil recovery from camellia seeds subjected to 1398 neutral protease pretreatment (4 g per kg seeds) and high‐temperature pretreatment are 5.62 ± 0.08% and 9.97 ± 0.18%, respectively. The enzymatic pretreatment is further applied to pre‐pressing solvent extraction of camellia oil, the cake oil recovery from camellia seeds subjected to enzymatic pretreatment is higher than that from high‐temperature pretreatment. These results show that enzymatic pretreatment of camellia seeds has potential for application in the oil industry. Practical Applications : This study suggests that enzymatic pretreatment can replace high‐temperature pretreatment and improve oil recovery and oil quality. Ultimately, this method can be used to extract camellia oil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Research about the long‐term outcomes of oesophagogastric devascularization and splenectomy (OGDS) to treat portal hypertension (PH) is scarce. This study aimed to evaluate the safety and long‐term treatment efficacy of OGDS, especially in elderly patients. Methods: During 2010–2016, open splenectomy and oesophagogastric devascularization (OSOD) and laparoscopic splenectomy and oesophagogastric devascularization were performed in 124 (group A) and 29 (group C) patients diagnosed with PH and liver cirrhosis, respectively. All patients aged less than 65 years. Besides, 39 patients aged 65 years or older undergoing open splenectomy and oesophagogastric devascularization were classified into group B. All clinical data were retrospectively analysed. Results: Compared with group A, patients in group C had longer operative time, less blood loss and shorter post‐operative hospitalization time. However, for perioperative data, there was no significant difference between group A and group B. During post‐operative follow‐up, compared with pre‐operative condition, all haematology and liver function parameters significantly changed, except for alanine aminotransferase. For post‐operative complications, only the portal vein system thrombosis rate was significantly higher in group C than group A. No significant difference was found in the overall survival rate among three groups, when non‐variceal‐rebleeding‐related deaths were excluded. Conclusion: OGDS remains safe and effective to treat PH secondary to liver cirrhosis and it can be performed successfully in elderly patients and achieve a curative effect that is not inferior to young patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: To explore the effect of dexamethasone combined with metronidazole in the treatment of mammary duct ectasia (MDE) and its relationship with changes in serum interleukin‐10 (IL‐10) and IL‐17 expression. Methods: One hundred and twenty patients with MDE were divided into two groups randomly, control and observation groups (each n = 60). Another 50 patients with normal physical examination were recruited in the normal group. The expressions of serum IL‐10 and IL‐17 in three groups before and after treatment were observed. The prediction value of IL‐10 and IL‐17 in clinical efficacy was evaluated. Results: Among three groups, the expression of IL‐10 in the normal group was the highest (P < 0.001), but the expression of IL‐17 was the lowest (P < 0.001). After treatment, the expression of IL‐17 in observation group was lower (P < 0.001), the expression of IL‐10 was higher (P < 0.05) than that in the control group. The areas under the IL‐10 and IL‐17 curve were 0.874 and 0.806, respectively. Conclusions: Dexamethasone combined with metronidazole can effectively improve the clinical efficacy of MDE patient treatment and serum IL‐10 and IL‐17 can be used as potential predictors of treatment efficacy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Hepatic angiomyolipoma (HAML) is a rare and difficult‐to‐diagnose liver tumour. The aim of this study was to summarize experiences in the management of HAML and to recommend a practical treatment strategy. Methods: We retrospectively studied 92 patients who were diagnosed with HAML and analysed the clinical presentation, histopathological features and treatment of the tumours encountered at our institute from May 2009 to June 2016. Results: The patients included 67 females and 25 males who underwent at least one radiographic examination. Sixty‐eight patients underwent radical hepatectomy, two patients underwent liver biopsy, and 22 patients were treated with radiofrequency ablation after liver biopsy. The tumour cells correspondingly expressed both melanoma cell markers (HMB45, MART‐1) and smooth muscle cell markers. Two patients were found to have tumour recurrence (2/92, 2.2%) after radical hepatectomy, and none of the patients died. Conclusion: Diagnosis of HAML depends on pathological findings. The treatment strategy for HAML should be selected according to the tumour size, liver biopsy, location and clinical symptoms of HAML. Patients should be followed closely after surgery because of the malignant potential of HAML. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Hydrothermally stable, acid‐resistant nickel catalysts are highly desired in hydrogenation reactions, but such a catalyst remains absent owing to the inherent vulnerability of nickel under acidic conditions. An ultra‐durable Ni‐N‐C single‐atom catalyst (SAC) has now been developed that possesses a remarkable Ni content (7.5 wt %) required for practical usage. This SAC shows not only high activities for hydrogenation of various unsaturated substrates but also unprecedented durability for the one‐pot conversion of cellulose under very harsh conditions (245 °C, 60 bar H2, presence of tungstic acid in hot water). Using integrated spectroscopy characterization and computational modeling, the active site structure is identified as (Ni‐N4)⋅⋅⋅N, where significantly distorted octahedral coordination and pyridinic N constitute a frustrated Lewis pair for the heterolytic dissociation of dihydrogen, and the robust covalent chemical bonding between Ni and N atoms accounts for its ultrastability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Hydrothermally stable, acid‐resistant nickel catalysts are highly desired in hydrogenation reactions, but such a catalyst remains absent owing to the inherent vulnerability of nickel under acidic conditions. An ultra‐durable Ni‐N‐C single‐atom catalyst (SAC) has now been developed that possesses a remarkable Ni content (7.5 wt %) required for practical usage. This SAC shows not only high activities for hydrogenation of various unsaturated substrates but also unprecedented durability for the one‐pot conversion of cellulose under very harsh conditions (245 °C, 60 bar H2, presence of tungstic acid in hot water). Using integrated spectroscopy characterization and computational modeling, the active site structure is identified as (Ni‐N4)⋅⋅⋅N, where significantly distorted octahedral coordination and pyridinic N constitute a frustrated Lewis pair for the heterolytic dissociation of dihydrogen, and the robust covalent chemical bonding between Ni and N atoms accounts for its ultrastability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The mechanism of the influence of organically modified montmorillonites (OMts) with different modification extents on starch/OMt nanocomposites was investigated. The nanostructures of OMts and their dispersion in starch films were analyzed using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM), respectively. The modifier content in the OMts increased with an increase in the added amount and molecular weight of the modifiers. The highest d-spacing of 3.71 nm was achieved for the OMt modified with 30% dioctadecyl dimethyl ammonium chloride (DDAC). Intercalated nanostructures were formed between starch and the OMts modified with DDAC, whereas exfoliated nanostructures were formed between starch and the OMts modified with octadecyltrimethyl ammonium chloride (OAC) and octadecyl dimethyl benzyl ammonium chloride (ODBAC). The films with the OMt modified with 50% DDAC exhibited the highest tensile strength of 6.22 MPa. The water vapor permeability (WVP) of the film with the OMt modified with 30% DDAC exhibited a minimum value of 1.63 × 10−10 g · m/m2 · s · Pa. The amount and types of the modifiers in the OMts significantly influenced the structure and properties of the starch/clay nanocomposites. For a given polymer, the modification extent of Mt should be optimized to achieve high-performance nanocomposites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Our study aimed to determine and verify the establishment of visual to auditory cross-modal plasticity using manganese-enhanced MR imaging (MEMRI) combined with examinations of the visual evoked potential (VEP), auditory brainstem response (ABR) and bilateral visual cortex response to a bilateral auditory stimulus (AVR). Fourteen healthy male Sprague-Dawley newborn rats were randomly divided into 2 groups (n = 7 per group). Optic nerve transection was performed in the 7 rats of Group A three weeks after birth to obtain binocularly blind models, and the 7 rats of Group B were maintained as the control group. The VEP was measured to ensure complete binocular blindness. Four months after the operation, MnCl 2 was injected into the left inner ear perilymph of all rats, and an MRI examination was performed 24 h after injection. Then, ABR and AVR were measured to detect the generation of auditory compensatory function. The results of the VEP have confirmed complete binocular blindness. The normalized signal intensity of the bilateral medial geniculate nucleus, auditory cortex, visual center (including the lateral geniculate nucleus, superior colliculus and visual cortex) and right hippocampus in binocularly blind rats was significantly increased compared with that in normal rats (P ≤ 0.005), which was confirmed by measurement of the ABR and AVR. Our results suggested that MEMRI combined with electrophysiology can show changes in the auditory and visual pathways of binocularly blind rats and demonstrate the generation of an auditory compensatory pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose Our study aimed to explore the feasibility of manganese-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging ( MEMRI) combined with visual evoked potentials ( VEP) and auditory evoked visual cortex responses ( AVR) in evaluating for the establishment of visual/auditory compensatory pathways after monocular blindness. Materials and Methods A total of 14 healthy neonatal male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into two groups ( n = 7 for Groups A and B). Right optic nerve ( ON) transection was performed on the 7 rats of Group A to obtain a monocularly blind model, and the 7 rats of Group B were chosen as the control group. Four months later, 400 mmol MnCl2 was injected into the left eye in both groups via intravitreal injection. The changes in the visual pathways projected from the blind eye and the remaining eye in Group A and the normal eyes in Group B were compared to determine if new visual compensatory pathways were established. Additionally, VEP tests were performed to determine complete blindness, and AVR examinations were performed to help identify the generation of auditory compensatory function. Results The VEP test indicated complete visual loss after ON transection. In the monocularly blind rats, the contrast-to-noise ratio ( CNR) of ON, optic tract ( OT), lateral geniculate nucleus ( LGN), superior colliculus ( SC), optic radiation ( OR) and visual cortex ( VC) of visual pathway projected from the left eye was significantly higher than that of the right pathway ( p < .001). Moreover, the CNR of ON, OT, LGN, SC, OR and VC in the visual pathway projected from the left eye of monocularly blind rats was significantly lower than those of normal rats ( p < .05). The AVR results revealed that the corresponding bilateral visual cortex in monocularly blind rats did not respond to the auditory stimulus or showed dissimilation with the low frequency. Conclusion MEMRI combined with electrophysiology, including VEP and AVR, may be potentially helpful in the evaluation of the possible generation of new visual/auditory compensatory pathways after monocular blindness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]