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Background: Ambient air pollution has been linked to postpartum depression. However, few studies have investigated the effects of traffic-related NO x on postpartum depression and whether any pregnancy-related factors might increase susceptibility., Objectives: To evaluate the association between traffic-related NO x and postpartum depressive and anxiety symptoms, and effect modification by pregnancy-related hypertension., Methods: This study included 453 predominantly low-income Hispanic/Latina women in the MADRES cohort. Daily traffic-related NO x concentrations by road class were estimated using the California LINE-source dispersion model (CALINE4) at participants' residential locations and averaged across pregnancy. Postpartum depressive and anxiety symptoms were evaluated by a validated questionnaire (Postpartum Distress Measure, PDM) at 1, 3, 6 and 12 months postpartum. Multivariate linear regressions were performed to estimate the associations at each timepoint. Interaction terms were added to the linear models to assess effect modification by hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDPs). Repeated measurement analyses were conducted by using mixed effect models., Results: We found prenatal traffic-related NO x was associated with increased PDM scores. Specifically, mothers exposed to an IQR (0.22 ppb) increase in NO x from major roads had 3.78% (95% CI: 0.53-7.14%) and 5.27% (95% CI: 0.33-10.45%) significantly higher 3-month and 12-month PDM scores, respectively. Similarly, in repeated measurement analyses, higher NO x from major roads was associated with 3.06% (95% CI: 0.43-5.76%) significantly higher PDM scores across the first year postpartum. Effect modification by HDPs was observed: higher freeway/highway and total NO x among mothers with HDPs were associated with significantly higher PDM scores at 12 months postpartum compared to those without HDPs., Impact: This study shows that prenatal traffic-related air pollution was associated with postpartum depressive and anxiety symptoms. The study also found novel evidence of greater susceptibility among women with HDPs, which advances the understanding of the relationships between air pollution, maternal cardiometabolic health during pregnancy and postpartum mental health. Our study has potential implications for clinical intervention to mitigate the effects of traffic-related pollution on postpartum mental health disorders. The findings can also offer valuable insights into urban planning strategies concerning the implementation of emission control measures and the creation of green spaces., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Introduction: Secondhand smoke (SHS) exposure during pregnancy is linked to adverse birth outcomes, such as low birth weight and preterm birth. While questionnaires are commonly used to assess SHS exposure, their ability to capture true exposure can vary, making it difficult for researchers to harmonize SHS measures. This study aimed to compare self-reported SHS exposure with measurements of airborne SHS in personal samples of pregnant women., Methods: SHS was measured on 48-hour integrated personal PM2.5 Teflon filters collected from 204 pregnant women, and self-reported SHS exposure measures were obtained via questionnaires. Descriptive statistics were calculated for airborne SHS measures, and analysis of variance tests assessed group differences in airborne SHS concentrations by self-reported SHS exposure., Results: Participants were 81% Hispanic, with a mean (standard deviation [SD]) age of 28.2 (6.0) years. Geometric mean (SD) personal airborne SHS concentrations were 0.14 (9.41) µg/m3. Participants reporting lower education have significantly higher airborne SHS exposure (p = .015). Mean airborne SHS concentrations were greater in those reporting longer duration with windows open in the home. There was no association between airborne SHS and self-reported SHS exposure; however, asking about the number of smokers nearby in the 48-hour monitoring period was most correlated with measured airborne SHS (Two + smokers: 0.30 µg/m3 vs. One: 0.12 µg/m3 and Zero: 0.15 µg/m3; p = .230)., Conclusions: Self-reported SHS exposure was not associated with measured airborne SHS in personal PM2.5 samples. This suggests exposure misclassification using SHS questionnaires and the need for harmonized and validated questions to characterize this exposure in health studies., Implications: This study adds to the growing body of evidence that measurement error is a major concern in pregnancy research, particularly in studies that rely on self-report questionnaires to measure SHS exposure. The study introduces an alternative method of SHS exposure assessment using objective optical measurements, which can help improve the accuracy of exposure assessment. The findings emphasize the importance of using harmonized and validated SHS questionnaires in pregnancy health research to avoid biased effect estimates. This study can inform future research, practice, and policy development to reduce SHS exposure and its adverse health effects., (Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco 2023.)

Introduction: When piglets are exposed to pathogens for a long period, the immune system organs, among them the spleen, play a major role in combating the stress caused by those pathogens. In the present study, the effect on splenocyte function was investigated in a model of weaned piglets in which stress was induced by multiple low doses of lipopolysaccharide (LPS)., Material and Methods: Forty-eight 28-day-old piglets were divided into two groups: the LPS group and the control group. During the experimental period of thirteen days, the LPS group was intraperitoneally injected with LPS (100 μg/kg) once per day, and the control group was injected with the same volume of 0.9% sterile saline. On the 1 st , 5 th , 9 th and 13 th days, the piglets' spleens were collected for isolating splenocytes. The proliferation ability of splenocytes was evaluated by the cell-counting-kit 8 method. Flow cytometry was used to detect cell cycle stage and apoptosis, and the nitric oxide level of cell supernatant was also tested., Results: In the experimental group, the proliferation ability of splenocytes was enhanced, the proportion of cells in the G0/G1 phase was smaller, and cells were promoted to the S and G2/M phases. Meanwhile, apoptosis was suppressed and nitric oxide release upregulated. The results were significantly different between the LPS group and the control group on the 5 th and 9 th days., Conclusion: The difference between the results of one group and those of the other suggest that after the 5 th LPS injection, multiple low doses of LPS activated splenocytes and restored the number of splenocytes, which maintained and possibly enhanced the regulation of the immune function of the spleen., Competing Interests: Conflict of Interests Statement: The authors declare that there is no conflict of interests regarding the publication of this article., (© 2024 Tingyu Yang et al., published by Sciendo.)

Compounds 8a - j were designed to adjust the mode of interaction and lipophilicity of FTT by scaffold hopping and changing the length of the alkoxy groups. Compounds 8a , 8d , 8g , and BIBD-300 were screened for high-affinity PARP-1 through enzyme inhibition assays and are worthy of further evaluation. PET imaging of MCF-7 subcutaneous tumors with moderate expression of PARP-1 showed that compared to [ 18 F]FTT, [ 18 F]8a , [ 18 F]8d , and [ 18 F]8g exhibited greater nonspecific uptake, a lower target-to-nontarget ratio, and severe defluorination, while [ 18 F]BIBD-300 exhibited lower nonspecific uptake and a greater target-to-nontarget ratio. PET imaging of 22Rv1 subcutaneous tumors, which highly express PARP-1, confirmed that the uptake of [ 18 F]BIBD-300 in normal organs, such as the liver, muscle, and bone, was lower than that of [ 18 F]FTT, and the ratio of tumor-to-muscle and tumor-to-liver [ 18 F]BIBD-300 was greater than that of [ 18 F]FTT. The biodistribution results in mice with MCF-7 and 22Rv1 subcutaneous tumors further validated the results of PET imaging. Unlike [ 18 F]FTT, which mainly relies on hepatobiliary clearance, [ 18 F]BIBD-300, which has lower lipophilicity, undergoes a partial shift from hepatobiliary to renal clearance, providing the possibility for [ 18 F]BIBD-300 to indicate liver cancer. The difference in the PET imaging results for [ 18 F]FTT, [ 18 F]BIBD-300, and [ 18 F]8j in 22Rv1 mice and the corresponding molecular docking results further confirmed that subtle structural modifications in lipophilicity greatly optimize the properties of the tracer. Cell uptake experiments also demonstrated that [ 18 F]BIBD-300 has a high affinity for PARP-1. Metabolized and unmetabolized [ 18 F]FTT and [ 18 F]BIBD-300 were detected in the brain, indicating that they could not accurately quantify the amount of PARP-1 in the brain. However, PET imaging of glioma showed that both [ 18 F]FTT and [ 18 F]BIBD-300 could accurately localize both in situ to C6 and U87MG tumors. Based on its potential advantages in the diagnosis of breast cancer, prostate cancer, and glioma, as well as liver cancer, [ 18 F]BIBD-300 is a new option for an excellent PARP-1 tracer.

As the long-term consequences of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) have not been defined, it is necessary to explore persistent symptoms, long-term respiratory impairment, and impact on quality of life over time in COVID-19 survivors. In this prospective cohort study, convalescent individuals diagnosed with COVID-19 were followed-up 2 and 3 years after discharge from hospital. Participants completed an in-person interview to assess persistent symptoms and underwent blood tests, pulmonary function tests, chest high-resolution computed tomography, and the 6-min walking test. There were 762 patients at the 2-year follow-up and 613 patients at the 3-year follow-up. The mean age was 60 years and 415 (54.5%) were men. At 3 years, 39.80% of the participants had at least one symptom; most frequently, fatigue, difficulty sleeping, joint pain, shortness of breath, muscle aches, and cough. The participants experienced different degrees of pulmonary function impairment, with decreased carbon monoxide diffusion capacity being the main feature; results remained relatively stable over the 2-3 years. Multiple logistic regression analysis demonstrated that female sex and smoking were independently associated with impaired diffusion capacity. A subgroup analysis based on disease severity was performed, indicating that there was no difference in other parameters of lung function except forced vital capacity at 3-year follow-up. Persistent radiographic abnormalities, most commonly fibrotic-like changes, were observed at both timepoints. At 3 years, patients had a significantly improved Mental Component Score compared with that at 2 years, with a lower percentage with anxiety. Our study indicated that symptoms and pulmonary abnormalities persisted in COVID-19 survivors at 3 years. Further studies are warranted to explore the long-term effects of COVID-19 and develop appropriate rehabilitation strategies., (© 2024 The Authors. Journal of Medical Virology published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Background: Cognitive control deficits are one of the main symptoms of psychosis. The basic neural oscillation patterns associated with cognitive control are already present in early adolescence. However, as previous studies have focused on adults with psychosis, it is unclear whether neurobiological impairments in cognitive control are present in children and adolescents with first-episode psychosis (FEP) or clinical high-risk (CHR) state for psychosis., Aims: To explore the deficits of electroencephalogram related to cognitive control tasks in children and adolescents with FEP and CHR., Method: Electroencephalogram was recorded in untreated 48 patients with FEP, 24 patients with CHR and 42 healthy controls aged 10-17 years, while performing the visual oddball task. The N2 amplitude, theta and alpha oscillations were then analysed and compared between groups., Results: There was no significant group difference in N2 amplitude ( P = 0.099). All groups showed increased theta and alpha oscillations relative to baseline before the stimulus in the frontal, central, left fronto-central and right fronto-central areas. These changes differed significantly between groups, with the FEP group showing significantly smaller theta ( P < 0.001) and alpha ( P < 0.01) oscillation than healthy controls. Theta and alpha oscillations in the CHR group did not differ significantly from the FEP group and healthy controls., Conclusions: These results suggest that neural damage has already occurred in the early stage of psychosis, and that abnormal rhythmic activity of neurons may constitute the pathophysiological mechanism of cognitive dysfunction related to early-onset psychosis.

By modifying the structures of targeted A 2A R antagonists and tracers, novel compounds 3 , 7a , 9 , 12c , and BIBD-399 were designed and synthesized. In vitro inhibition experiments demonstrated that 3 , 12c , and BIBD-399 have high affinity for A 2A R. [ 18 F]3 and [ 18 F]BIBD-399 were successfully synthesized. In terms of biological distribution, the brain uptake of [ 18 F]MNI-444 exhibits greater than that of [ 18 F]3 and [ 18 F]BIBD-399. PET imaging shows that [ 18 F]3 is off-target in the brain, while [ 18 F]BIBD-399 and [ 18 F]MNI-444 can be specifically imaged in regions with high A 2A R expression. Differently, [ 18 F]BIBD-399 could quickly reach equilibrium in the targeted region within 10 min after administration, while [ 18 F]MNI-444 shows a slowly increasing trend within 2 h of administration. [ 18 F]BIBD-399 is mainly metabolized by the liver and kidney, and there is no obvious defluorination in vivo. Additional in vitro autoradiography showed that the striatal signals of [ 18 F]BIBD-399 and [ 18 F]MNI-444 were inhibited by the A 2A R antagonist SCH442416 but not by the A 1 R antagonist DPCPX, demonstrating the high A 2A R binding specificity of [ 18 F]BIBD-399. Molecular docking further confirms the high affinity of MNI-444 and BIBD-399 for A 2A R. Further tMCAo imaging showed that [ 18 F]BIBD-399 can sensitively distinguish between infarcted and noninfarcted sides, a capability not observed with [ 18 F]MNI-444. Given its pharmacokinetic properties and the ability to identify lesion regions, [ 18 F]BIBD-399 has potential advantages in monitoring A 2A R changes, meriting further clinical investigation.

Nitrogen cycle is crucial for the Earth's ecosystem and human-nature coexistence. However, excessive fertilizer use and industrial contamination disrupt this balance. Semiconductor-based artificial nitrogen cycle strategies are being actively researched to address this issue. Black phosphorus (BP) exhibits remarkable performance and significant potential in this area due to its unique physical and chemical properties. Nevertheless, its practical application is hindered by ambient instability. This review covers the synthesis methods of BP materials, analyzes their instability factors under environmental conditions, discusses stability improvement strategies, and provides an overview of the applications of ambient-stable BP materials in nitrogen cycle, including N 2 fixation, NO 3 - reduction, NO x removal and nitrides sensing. The review concludes by summarizing the challenges and prospects of BP materials in the nitrogen cycle, offering valuable guidance to researchers., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: Diet during pregnancy may be a potential intervention for preventing hypertensive disorders of pregnancy that disproportionally burdens Hispanic/Latina women., Methods and Results: The MADRES (Maternal And Developmental Risks from Environmental and Social stressors) study (n=451) is a prospective pregnancy cohort of predominantly low-income Hispanic/Latina women in Los Angeles, California, who completed up to 2 staff-administered 24-hour dietary recalls in the third trimester of pregnancy. Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy were abstracted from medical records and based on a physician's diagnosis or systolic or diastolic blood pressure (≥140 or ≥90 mm Hg, respectively) at ≥2 consecutive prenatal visits. Using multivariable logistic regression, we evaluated associations of 2 previously derived dietary patterns in this population (solid fats, refined grains, and cheese and vegetables, oils, and fruit) and the Healthy Eating Index 2015 with (1) gestational hypertension, (2) preeclampsia, and (3) any hypertensive disorder of pregnancy (either gestational hypertension or preeclampsia). In separate models, we additionally tested interactions with prepregnancy body mass index. Comparing highest-to-lowest quartiles, the solid fats, refined grains, and cheese dietary pattern was associated with an increased odds of any hypertensive disorder of pregnancy (odds ratio [OR], 3.99 [95% CI, 1.44-11.0]; P trend =0.014) and preeclampsia (OR, 4.10 [95% CI, 1.25-13.5]; P trend =0.036), whereas the vegetables, oils, and fruit pattern was associated with reduced odds of preeclampsia (OR, 0.32 [95% CI, 0.10-0.99]; P trend =0.041). Among the overweight prepregnancy body mass index category, inverse associations of vegetables, oils, and fruit and Healthy Eating Index 2015 with preeclampsia were more pronounced (both P interactions =0.017). Healthy Eating Index 2015 findings were generally nonsignificant., Conclusions: While the solid fats, refined grains, and cheese diet was strongly associated with preeclampsia during pregnancy, findings suggest the vegetables, oils, and fruit diet may be more relevant than Healthy Eating Index 2015 for preventing preeclampsia among low-income Hispanic/Latina women.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has an insidious onset and high malignancy. Most patients have progressed to intermediate and advanced stages by the time of diagnosis, and the long-term efficacy of traditional treatments is not satisfactory. Immunotherapy has shown great promise in the treatment of HCC in recent years; however, the low immunogenicity and severe immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment result in a low response rate to immunotherapy in HCC patients. Therefore, it is of great significance to improve the immunogenicity of HCC and thus enhance its sensitivity to immunotherapy. Here, we prepared the boronophenylalanine-modified dual drug-loaded polydopamine nanoparticles by a facile method. This system used boronophenylalanine-modified polydopamine nanoparticles as a delivery vehicle and photothermal material for the chemotherapeutic drug doxorubicin and the immune agonist CpG oligodeoxynucleotides (CpG-ODN), with both active targeting and lysosomal escape functions. The cancer cells are rapidly killed by photothermal treatment, and then chemotherapy is used to further kill cancer cells that are inadequately treated by photothermal treatment. The combination of photothermal-chemotherapy synergistically induces the release of relevant antigens from tumor cells, thus initiating anti-tumor immunity; and then cooperates with CpG-ODN to trigger a powerful anti-tumor immune memory effect, potently and durably inhibiting HCC recurrence., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: Personal exposure to fine particulate matter (PM 2.5 ) is impacted by different sources each with different chemical composition. Determining these sources is important for reducing personal exposure and its health risks especially during pregnancy., Objective: Identify main sources and their contributions to the personal PM 2.5 exposure in 213 women in the 3rd trimester of pregnancy in Los Angeles, CA., Methods: We measured 48-hr integrated personal PM 2.5 exposure and analyzed filters for PM 2.5 mass, elemental composition, and optical carbon fractions. We used the EPA Positive Matrix Factorization (PMF) model to resolve and quantify the major sources of personal PM 2.5 exposure. We then investigated bivariate relationships between sources, time-activity patterns, and environmental exposures in activity spaces and residential neighborhoods to further understand sources., Results: Mean personal PM 2.5 mass concentration was 22.3 (SD = 16.6) μg/m 3 . Twenty-five species and PM 2.5 mass were used in PMF with a final R 2 of 0.48. We identified six sources (with major species in profiles and % contribution to PM 2.5 mass) as follows: secondhand smoking (SHS) (brown carbon, environmental tobacco smoke; 65.3%), fuel oil (nickel, vanadium; 11.7%), crustal (aluminum, calcium, silicon; 11.5%), fresh sea salt (sodium, chlorine; 4.7%), aged sea salt (sodium, magnesium, sulfur; 4.3%), and traffic (black carbon, zinc; 2.6%). SHS was significantly greater in apartments compared to houses. Crustal source was correlated with more occupants in the household. Aged sea salt increased with temperature and outdoor ozone, while fresh sea salt was highest on days with westerly winds from the Pacific Ocean. Traffic was positively correlated with ambient NO 2 and traffic-related NO x at residence. Overall, 76.8% of personal PM 2.5 mass came from indoor or personal compared to outdoor sources., Impact: We conducted source apportionment of personal PM 2.5 samples in pregnancy in Los Angeles, CA. Among identified sources, secondhand smoking contributed the most to the personal exposure. In addition, traffic, crustal, fuel oil, fresh and aged sea salt sources were also identified as main sources. Traffic sources contained markers of combustion and non-exhaust wear emissions. Crustal source was correlated with more occupants in the household. Aged sea salt source increased with temperature and outdoor ozone and fresh sea salt source was highest on days with westerly winds from the Pacific Ocean., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

We examined the associations between social support and postpartum mental health in 137 U.S. and foreign-born Latinas in the MADRES pregnancy cohort. We also examined whether language, years in the U.S., and country of birth moderates these relationships. Participants were administered PROMIS support measures 1 month postpartum; the Perceived Stress and Postpartum Distress Measure 3, 6, and 12 months postpartum; and the CESD scale 12 months postpartum. Perceived stress was lower at 6 months postpartum for women reporting higher emotional (p = 0.01), informational (p = 0.03), and instrumental support (p < 0.001); and lower at 12 months postpartum for women reporting higher emotional support (p = 0.01). Distress at 6 months was lower in women reporting higher emotional support (p = 0.03). Interactions suggest that associations were stronger for mothers that speak Spanish, spent fewer years in the U.S., and were born in Central America., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Organophosphate esters (OPEs) are increasingly considered neurotoxicants which may impact gross and fine motor development. We evaluated associations between prenatal OPE exposures and infant motor development. Third trimester urinary concentrations of nine OPE metabolites were measured in 329 mother-infant dyads participating in the Maternal And Developmental Risks from Environmental and Social Stressors (MADRES) cohort. Child gross and fine motor development at 6, 9, 12, and 18-months were assessed with the Ages and Stages Questionnaire-3 (ASQ-3) and operationalized in models using dichotomous instrument-specific cutoffs for typical motor development. Five OPE metabolites with >60% detection were specific-gravity-adjusted, natural log-transformed, and modeled continuously, while four metabolites with <60% detection were modeled dichotomously (detected/not-detected). We fit mixed effects logistic regression between OPE metabolites and fine/gross motor development and assessed sex-specific effects using a statistical interaction term and sex-stratified models. Among children, 31% and 23% had gross and fine motor scores, respectively, below the ASQ-3 at-risk cutoffs at least once across infancy. A doubling in prenatal diphenyl phosphate (DPHP) exposure was associated with 26% increased odds of potential fine motor delays (OR fine  = 1.26, 95% CI: 1.02, 1.57, p = 0.04). We also observed significant interactions by infant sex for associations of detected dipropyl phosphate (DPRP) with gross motor development (p interaction  = 0.048) and detected bis(1-chloro-2-propyl) phosphate (BCIPP) with fine motor development (p interaction  = 0.02). Females had greater odds of potential motor delays for both detected DPRP (females vs males OR gross (95% CI) = 1.48 (0.71, 3.09), p = 0.30 vs 0.27 (0.06, 1.29), p = 0.10) and detected BCIPP (females vs males OR fine (95% CI) = 2.72 (1.27, 5.85), p = 0.01 vs 0.76 (0.31, 1.90), p = 0.56). There were no other significant associations between other metabolites and motor development, despite similar patterns. We found evidence of adverse effects of prenatal OPE exposures on infant motor development with greater adverse effects among female infants with some OPE metabolites., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: Severe community-acquired pneumonia (S-CAP) is a public health threat, making it essential to identify novel biomarkers and investigate the underlying mechanisms of disease severity., Methods: Here, we profiled host responses to S-CAP through proteomics analysis of plasma samples from a cohort of S-CAP patients, non-severe (NS)-CAP patients, diseases controls (DCs), and healthy controls (HCs). Then, typical differentially expressed proteins were then validated by ELISA in an independent cohort. Metabolomics analysis was further performed on both the cohort 1 and cohort 2. Then, the proteomic and metabolomic signatures were compared between the adult and child cohorts to explore the characteristics of severe pneumonia patients., Results: There were clear differences between CAP patients and controls, as well as substantial differences between the S-CAP and NS-CAP. Pathway analysis of changes revealed excessive inflammation, suppressed immunity, and lipid metabolic disorders in S-CAP cases. Interestingly, comparing these signatures between the adult and child cohorts confirmed that overactive inflammation and dysregulated lipid metabolism were common features of S-CAP patients, independent of age. The change proportion of glycerophospholipids, glycerolipids, and sphingolipids were obviously different in the adult and child S-CAP cases., Conclusion: The plasma multi-omics profiling revealed that excessive inflammation, suppressed humoral immunity, and disordered metabolism are involved in S-CAP pathogenesis., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

In-utero exposure to fine particulate matter (PM 2.5 ) and specific sources and components of PM 2.5 have been linked with lower birthweight. However, previous results have been mixed, likely due to heterogeneity in sources impacting PM 2.5 and due to measurement error from using ambient data. Therefore, we investigated the effect of PM 2.5 sources and their high-loading components on birthweight using data from 198 women in the 3rd trimester from the MADRES cohort 48-h personal PM 2.5 exposure monitoring sub-study. The mass contributions of six major sources of personal PM 2.5 exposure were estimated for 198 pregnant women in the 3rd trimester using the EPA Positive Matrix Factorization v5.0 model, along with their 17 high-loading chemical components using optical carbon and X-ray fluorescence approaches. Single- and multi-pollutant linear regressions evaluated the association between personal PM 2.5 sources/components and birthweight, adjusting for gestational age, maternal age, race, infant sex, parity, diabetes status, temperature, maternal education, and smoking history. Participants were predominately Hispanic (81%), with a mean (SD) gestational age of 39.1 (1.5) weeks and age of 28.2 (6.0) years. Mean birthweight was 3295.8 g (484.1) and mean PM 2.5 exposure was 21.3 (14.4) µg/m 3 . A 1 SD increase in the mass contribution of the fresh sea salt source was associated with a 99.2 g decrease in birthweight (95% CI - 197.7, - 0.6), and aged sea salt was associated with a 70.1 g decrease in birthweight (95% CI - 141.7, 1.4). Magnesium, sodium, and chlorine were associated with lower birthweight, which remained after adjusting for PM 2.5 mass. This study found evidence that major sources of personal PM 2.5 including fresh and aged sea salt were negatively associated with birthweight, with the strongest effect on birthweight from Na and Mg. The effect of crustal and fuel oil sources differed by infant sex with negative associations seen in boys compared to positive associations in girls., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Early-onset preeclampsia (EOPE) is a severe pregnancy complication associated with defective trophoblast differentiation and functions at implantation, but manifestation of its phenotypes is in late pregnancy. There is no reliable method for early prediction and treatment of EOPE. Adrenomedullin (ADM) is an abundant placental peptide in early pregnancy. Integrated single-cell sequencing and spatial transcriptomics confirm a high ADM expression in the human villous cytotrophoblast and syncytiotrophoblast. The levels of ADM in chorionic villi and serum were lower in first-trimester pregnant women who later developed EOPE than those with normotensive pregnancy. ADM stimulates differentiation of trophoblast stem cells and trophoblast organoids in vitro. In pregnant mice, placenta-specific ADM suppression led to EOPE-like phenotypes. The EOPE-like phenotypes in a mouse PE model were reduced by a placenta-specific nanoparticle-based forced expression of ADM. Our study reveals the roles of trophoblastic ADM in placental development, EOPE pathogenesis, and its potential clinical uses.

Background: Identifying the characteristic neurobiological changes of early psychosis is helpful for early clinical diagnosis. However, previous studies on the brain electrophysiology of children and adolescents with psychosis are rare., Methods: This study compared P300 amplitude at multiple electrodes between children and adolescents with first-episode schizophrenia (FES, n = 48), children and adolescents with psychosis risk syndrome (PRS, n = 24), and healthy controls (HC, n = 30). Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was used to test the ability of P300 amplitude to distinguish FES, PRS and HC individuals., Results: The P300 amplitude in the FES group were significantly lower than those in the HC at the Cz, Pz, and Oz electrodes. The P300 amplitude was also significantly lower in the prodromal group than in the HC at the Pz and Oz electrodes. ROC curve analysis showed that at the Pz electrode, the P300 amplitude evoked by the target and standard stimulus showed high sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, and area under the curve value for distinguishing FES from HC individuals., Conclusions: This study found early visual P300 deficits in children and adolescents with FES and PRS, with the exclusion of possible influence of medication and chronic medical conditions, suggesting the value of P300 amplitude for the identification of early psychosis., (© 2023. BioMed Central Ltd., part of Springer Nature.)

Background: Evidence suggests organophosphate esters (OPEs) are neurotoxic; however, the epidemiological literature remains scarce. We investigated whether prenatal exposures to OPEs were associated with child neurobehavior in the MADRES cohort., Methods: We measured nine OPE metabolites in 204 maternal urine samples (gestational age at collection: 31.4 ± 1.8 weeks). Neurobehavior problems were assessed among 36-month-old children using the Child Behavior Checklist's (CBCL) three composite scales [internalizing, externalizing, and total problems]. We examined associations between tertiles of prenatal OPE metabolites (> 50% detection) and detect/non-detect categories (< 50% detection) and CBCL composite scales using linear regression and generalized additive models. We also examined mixtures for widely detected OPEs (n = 5) using Bayesian kernel machine regression., Results: Maternal participants with detectable versus non-detectable levels of bis(2-methylphenyl) phosphate (BMPP) had children with 42% (95% CI: 4%, 96%) higher externalizing, 45% (-2%, 114%) higher internalizing, and 35% (3%, 78%) higher total problems. Participants in the second versus first tertile of bis(butoxethyl) phosphate (BBOEP) had children with 43% (-1%, 109%) higher externalizing scores. Bis(1-chloro-2-propyl) phosphate (BCIPP) and child sex had a statistically significant interaction in internalizing (p = 0.02) and total problems (p = 0.03) models, with 120% (23%, 295%) and 57% (6%, 134%) higher scores in the third versus first BCIPP tertile among males. Among females, detectable vs non-detectable levels of prenatal BMPP were associated with 69% higher externalizing scores (5%, 170%) while the third versus first tertile of prenatal BBOEP was associated with 45% lower total problems (-68%, -6%). Although the metabolite mixture and each CBCL outcome had null associations, we observed marginal associations between di-n-butyl phosphate and di-isobutyl phosphate (DNBP + DIBP) and higher internalizing scores (0.15; 95% CrI: -0.02, 0.32), holding other metabolites at their median., Conclusions: Our results generally suggest adverse and sex-specific effects of prenatal exposure to previously understudied OPEs on neurobehavioral outcomes in 36-month children, providing evidence of potential OPE neurotoxicity., (© 2023. BioMed Central Ltd., part of Springer Nature.)

Cancer has keeping the main threat to the health of human being. Its overall survival rate has shown rare substantial progress in spite of the improving diagnostic and treatment techniques for cancer in recent years. Indeed, such classic strategies for malignant tumor as surgery, radiation and chemotherapy have been developed and bring more hope to the patients, but still been accompanied by certain limitations, which include the challenge of managing large wound sizes, systemic toxic side effects, and harmful to the healthy tissues caused by imprecise alignment with tumors in radiotherapy. Furthermore, immunotherapy exhibits a limited therapeutic effect in advanced tumors which is reported only up to 25%-30%. The combination of nanomaterials and cancer treatment offers new hope for cancer patients, demonstrating strong potential in the field of medical research. Among the extensively utilized nanomaterials, calcium carbonate nanomaterials (CCNM) exhibit a broad spectrum of biomedical applications due to their abundant availability, cost-effectiveness, and exceptional safety profile. CCNM have the potential to elevate intracellular Ca 2+ levels in tumor cells, trigger the mitochondrial damage and ultimately lead to tumor cell death. Moreover, compared with other types of nanomaterials, CCNM exhibit remarkable advantages as delivery systems owing to their high loading capacity, biocompatibility and biodegradability. The purpose of this review is to provide an overview of CCNM synthesis, focusing on summarizing its diverse roles in cancer treatment and the benefits and challenges associated with CCNM in cancer therapy. Hoping to present the significance of CCNM as for the clinical application, and summarize information for the design of CCNM and other types of nanomaterials in the future., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Liang, Feng, Zhang, Li, Yang and Yu.)

Background: Studies on eye movements found that children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) had abnormal gaze behavior to social stimuli. The current study aimed to investigate whether their eye movement patterns in relation to cartoon characters or real people could be useful in identifying ASD children., Methods: Eye-tracking tests based on videos of cartoon characters and real people were performed for ASD and typically developing (TD) children aged between 12 and 60 months. A three-level hierarchical structure including participants, events, and areas of interest was used to arrange the data obtained from eye-tracking tests. Random forest was adopted as the feature selection tool and classifier, and the flattened vectors and diagnostic information were used as features and labels. A logistic regression was used to evaluate the impact of the most important features., Results: A total of 161 children (117 ASD and 44 TD) with a mean age of 39.70 ± 12.27 months were recruited. The overall accuracy, precision, and recall of the model were 0.73, 0.73, and 0.75, respectively. Attention to human-related elements was positively related to the diagnosis of ASD, while fixation time for cartoons was negatively related to the diagnosis., Conclusion: Using eye-tracking techniques with machine learning algorithms might be promising for identifying ASD. The value of artificial faces, such as cartoon characters, in the field of ASD diagnosis and intervention is worth further exploring., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Meng, Li, Wu, Yang, Xiao, Zhang, Liu, Lu and Luo.)

Background: Air pollution has been associated with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). We aim to investigate susceptible windows of air pollution exposure and factors determining population vulnerability., Methods: We ascertained GDM status in the prospective Maternal and Developmental Risks from Environmental and Social Stressors (MADRES) pregnancy cohort from Los Angeles, California, USA. We calculated the relative risk of GDM by exposure to ambient particulate matter (PM 10 ; PM 2.5 ), nitrogen dioxide (NO 2 ), and ozone (O 3 ) in each week from 12 weeks before to 24 weeks after conception, adjusting for potential confounders, with distributed lag models to identify susceptible exposure windows. We examined effect modification by prenatal depression, median-split pre-pregnancy BMI (ppBMI) and age., Findings: Sixty (9.7%) participants were diagnosed with GDM among 617 participants (mean age: 28.2 years, SD: 5.9; 78.6% Hispanic, 11.8% non-Hispanic Black). GDM risk increased with exposure to PM 2.5 , PM 10 , and NO 2 in a periconceptional window ranging from 5 weeks before to 5 weeks after conception: interquartile-range increases in PM 2.5 , PM 10 , and NO 2 during this window were associated with increased GDM risk by 5.7% (95% CI: 4.6-6.8), 8.9% (8.1-9.6), and 15.0% (13.9-16.2), respectively. These sensitive windows generally widened, with greater effects, among those with prenatal depression, with age ≥28 years, or with ppBMI ≥27.5 kg/m 2 , than their counterparts., Interpretation: Preconception and early-pregnancy are susceptible windows of air pollutants exposure that increased GDM risk. Prenatal depression, higher age, or higher ppBMI may increase one's vulnerability to air pollution-associated GDM risk., Funding: National Institutes of Health, Environmental Protection Agency., Competing Interests: The authors declare they have no actual or potential competing financial interests., (© 2023 The Author(s).)

Herein, A-D-A type indacenodithiophene-based small conjugated molecule IDT-COOH and IDT-COOH/TiO 2 photocatalysts with stable non-covalent bonding have been successfully synthesized via in situ electrostatic assembly. The self-assembled three-dimensional π-conjugation structure IDT-COOH with high crystallinity not only broadens the visible absorption to produce more photogenerated carriers but also provides directional charge-transfer channels to accelerate the charge mobility. Thus, 7 log inactivation of S. aureus in 2 h and 92.5% decomposition of TC in 4 h under visible light exposure are achieved for optimized 30% IDT-COOH/TiO 2 . The dynamic constants ( k ) of S. aureus disinfection and TC degradation for 30% IDT-COOH/TiO 2 are 3.69 and 2.45 times compared to those of self-assembled IDT-COOH, respectively. The notable inactivation performance is among the best reported for conjugated semiconductor/TiO 2 photocatalysts for photocatalytic sterilization. ˙O 2 - , e - and ˙OH are the primary reactive species in the photocatalytic process. The strong interfacial interaction between TiO 2 and IDT-COOH is in favour of rapid charge transfer, which leads to enhanced photocatalytic performance. This work offers a feasible method to fabricate TiO 2 -based photocatalytic agents with a wide visible light response and improved exciton dissociation.

Accurate quantification of amyloid beta (Aβ) plaques is an important indicator for Alzheimer's disease diagnosis and treatment. For this purpose, new highly sensitive Aβ tracers were designed by regulating the position and number of nitrogen atoms. A series of derivatives of florbetapir (AV45) containing different numbers and positions of N atoms were synthesized and evaluated for in vitro affinity and in vivo biodistribution. Preliminary study results showed that [ 18 F]BIBD-124 and [ 18 F]BIBD-127 had better clearance rates and less in vivo defluorination than AV45 in ICR (ICR = Institute of Cancer Research) mice. Autoradiography and molecular docking indicated that the binding sites of [ 18 F]BIBD-124/127 were similar to that of [ 18 F]AV45. Micro-positron emission tomography-computed tomography imaging further demonstrated that [ 18 F]BIBD-124 could monitor Aβ plaques similar to [ 18 F]AV45. Besides, the imaging contrast of [ 18 F]BIBD-124 is better than that of [ 18 F]AV45. Mass spectrometric metabolic analysis showed that BIBD-124 was less demethylated than AV45 without subsequent acetylation, which might explain its less non-specific uptake and higher imaging contrast. Gauss calculations further confirmed that the introduction of N 5 in [ 18 F]BIBD-124 decreased demethylation. Considering imaging contrast and in vivo defluorination, [ 18 F]BIBD-124 is expected to be a promising radiotracer of Aβ plaques for further clinical trials.

Background: Studies examining diet and its links to birth outcomes among socioeconomically disadvantaged populations in the United States are scarce., Objectives: We aimed to identify prenatal dietary patterns, examine their relationships with birth outcomes, and evaluate the variation of these associations by maternal diabetes status [no diabetes, gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), preexisting diabetes]., Methods: Women in the Maternal and Developmental Risks from Environmental and Social Stressors (MADRES) study (n = 465)-an ongoing, prospective pregnancy cohort of predominantly low-income Hispanic/Latina women in Los Angeles-completed up to two 24-hour dietary recalls in the third trimester of pregnancy. We identified prenatal dietary patterns via factor analysis and evaluated their associations with infant birth weight and gestational age at birth (GA) z-scores, separately, using linear regression, as well as the associations of the dietary patterns with premature births, having an infant that was small for gestational age (SGA), and having an infant that was large for gestational age, using logistic regression and adjusting for relevant covariates. We additionally tested interaction terms between prenatal dietary patterns and maternal diabetes status in separate models. We adjusted for multiple comparisons using the false discovery rate., Results: We identified 2 dietary patterns: 1) a dietary pattern of solid fats, refined grains, and cheese (SRC); and 2) a dietary pattern of vegetables, oils, and fruit (VOF). Comparing the highest to lowest quartiles, the VOF was significantly associated with a greater infant birth weight (β = 0.40; 95% CIs: 0.10, 0.70; Ptrend = 0.011), a greater GA (β = 0.32; 95% CIs: 0.03, 0.61; Ptrend = 0.036), lower odds of a premature birth (OR = 0.31; 95% CIs: 0.10, 0.95; Ptrend = 0.049), and lower odds of having an infant that was SGA (OR = 0.18; 95% CIs: 0.06, 0.58; Ptrend = 0.028). Only among women with GDM, a 1-SD score increase in the prenatal SRC was significantly associated with a lower infant birth weight (β = -0.20; 95% CIs -0.39, -0.02; Pinteraction = 0.040)., Conclusions: Among low-income Hispanic/Latina pregnant women, greater adherence to the prenatal VOF may lower the risk of a premature birth and having an infant that is SGA. Greater adherence to the SRC, however, may adversely affect newborn birth weight among mothers with GDM, but future research is needed to verify our findings., (Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the American Society for Nutrition 2022.)

Cancer is a multi-factor systemic malignant disease, which has seriously threatened human health and created a heavy burden on the world economy. Metabolic reprogramming, one of the important signs of malignant tumours, provides necessary nutrition for tumorigenesis and cancer development; thus, it has recently become a research hot spot, even though the metabolic mechanism is quite intricate. Circular RNA (circRNA) affects cancer cell metabolism through various molecular mechanisms, playing an important role in promoting or suppressing cancer. Because of the structure characteristics, circRNA is quite stable, and can be utilized as biomarkers. In this review, we analysed and summarized the characteristics and biological functions of circRNA and comprehensively reviewed and discussed the important role of circRNA in cancer metabolic reprogramming. This review will provide new ideas for developing new anti-cancer therapeutic targets, mining cancer diagnostic and prognostic markers, and will provide guidance for other researchers to design circRNA-related experiments and develop anti-tumour drugs.

Background: It is well documented that persons of color experience disproportionate exposure to environmental contaminants, including air pollution, and have poorer pregnancy outcomes. This study assessed the critical windows of exposure to ambient air pollution on in utero fetal growth among structurally marginalized populations in urban Los Angeles., Methods: Participants (N = 281) from the larger ongoing MADRES pregnancy cohort study were included in this analysis. Fetal growth outcomes were measured on average at 32 [Formula: see text] 2 weeks of gestation by a certified sonographer and included estimated fetal weight, abdominal circumference, head circumference, biparietal diameter and femur length. Daily ambient air pollutant concentrations were estimated for four pollutants (particulate matter less than 2.5 µm (PM 2.5 ) and less than 10 µm (PM 10 ) in aerodynamic diameter, nitrogen dioxide (NO 2 ), and 8-h maximum ozone (O 3 )) at participant residences using inverse-distance squared spatial interpolation from ambient monitoring data. Weekly gestational averages were calculated from 12 weeks prior to conception to 32 weeks of gestation (44 total weeks), and their associations with growth outcomes were modeled using adjusted distributed lag models (DLMs)., Results: Participants were on average 29 years [Formula: see text] 6 old and predominately Hispanic (82%). We identified a significant sensitive window of PM 2.5 exposure (per IQR increase of 6 [Formula: see text] 3 ) between gestational weeks 4-16 for lower estimated fetal weight [Formula: see text] averaged4-16  = -8.7 g; 95% CI -16.7, -0.8). Exposure to PM 2.5 during gestational weeks 1-23 was also significantly associated with smaller fetal abdominal circumference ([Formula: see text] averaged1-23  = -0.6 mm; 95% CI -1.1, -0.2). Additionally, prenatal exposure to PM 10 (per IQR increase of 13 [Formula: see text] 3 ) between weeks 6-15 of pregnancy was significantly associated with smaller fetal abdominal circumference ([Formula: see text] averaged6-15 = -0.4 mm; 95% CI -0.8, -0.1)., Discussion: These results suggest that exposure to particulate matter in early to mid-pregnancy, but not preconception or late pregnancy, may have critical implications on fetal growth., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

Ferroptosis, a newly discovered irondependent form of regulated cell death caused by excessive accumulation of lipid peroxides, is linked to the development and treatment response of various types of cancer, including gastric cancer (GC). Noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs), as key regulators in cancer, have both oncogenic and tumor suppressive roles. However, studies on ferroptosis-related ncRNA networks in GC are still lacking. Here, we first identified 61 differentially expressed genes associated with ferroptosis in GC by computing and analyzing gene expression profile of tumor and normal tissues for GC. Then, upstream lncRNAs and miRNAs interacting with them were found through miRNet and miRBase databases, and hub lncRNAs and miRNAs were obtained through topological analysis. Finally, the ceRNA regulatory network linked to ferroptosis in GC was established, which includes two ferroptosis marker genes (TXNIP and TSC22D3), one driver gene (GABARAPL1), and one suppressor gene (CAV1). Kaplan-Meier survival analysis showed that changes in the expression of these genes were associated with the survival of GC patients. Furthermore, our study revealed that this ceRNA network may influence the progression of GC by regulating ferroptosis process. These results will help experimental researchers to design an experiment study to further explore the roles of this regulatory network in GC ferroptosis., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

Gene therapy is one of the target therapies with promising clinical use for gastric cancer (GC). However, the delivery of the CRISPR/Cas9/sgRNA (RNP) gene editing tool severely limits the practical therapeutic effect of GC. Therefore, it is a great challenge to develop an RNP delivery system that is simple to prepare and can rapidly encapsulate RNP while achieving high delivery and gene editing efficiency. We developed, for the first time, the CRISPR/Cas9@PDA nano-delivery system that can achieve high-efficiency delivery (95%) of CRISPR/Cas9 -3NLS /sgHMGA2 and high-efficient HMGA2 gene editing (82%) of GC cells. In particular, the experiment's weak alkaline environment can not only protect the activity of CRISPR/Cas9 -3NLS /sgHMGA2 but also trigger the self-polymerization of polydopamine (PDA). Meanwhile, the presence of KE in the CRISPR/Cas9 amino acid sequence can achieve the directional growth of PDA, thus forming a core-shell structure that protects CRISPR/Cas9 -3NLS /sgHMGA2. This efficient CRISPR/Cas9 -3NLS /sgHMGA2 delivery and HMGA2 gene editing ability has also been verified in mice, which can significantly inhibit tumor growth in mice. The success of building the delivery system and its ideal treating effect give hope to the efficacious treatment for the GC patients with HMGA2 high expression., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Wu, Huo, Yang, Liu, Wu, Feng, Wang, Li, Jia, Zhang, Gao and Yu.)

The abnormal expression of aromatase is associated with the occurrence and development of a variety of neurological diseases and tumors. A series of 18 F-labeled and 68 Ga-labeled potential aromatase-binding candidate compounds were designed and synthesized based on the structures of aromatase inhibitors. Competitive inhibition experiments in vitro and molecular docking showed that BIBD-069 and BIBD-071 have high affinity for aromatase. The radiolabeling conditions of [ 18 F]BIBD-069 and [ 18 F]BIBD-071 were simple, and the yields were high. Biodistribution and in vivo inhibition experiments confirmed that [ 18 F]BIBD-069 and [ 18 F]BIBD-071 specifically bind to aromatase. [ 18 F]BIBD-069 and [ 18 F]BIBD-071 selectively imaged the amygdala and nucleus of the stria terminalis, which is similar to the imaging result of [ 11 C]vorozole. Radiometabolites of [ 18 F]BIBD-069 and [ 18 F]BIBD-071 did not bind to aromatase and interfered with brain imaging. MicroPET-CT imaging further confirmed that [ 18 F]BIBD-069 and [ 18 F]BIBD-071 can specifically bind to aromatase and were not defluorinated in vivo. Given that [ 18 F]BIBD-069 and [ 18 F]BIBD-071 exhibit excellent aromatase binding affinities, mild radiolabeling conditions, and good pharmacokinetics, they can be important tools for the diagnosis and treatment of aromatase-related diseases.

[ 11 C]ER176 has adequate sensitivity to image the human brain translocator protein (TSPO) in all three genotypes by positron emission tomography (PET). However, its clinical application is limited by the short half-life of 11 C (20.38 min). To overcome the deficiency of [ 11 C]ER176 and keep the pharmacophore features of ER176 to the maximum extent, we designed four fluorine-labeled ER176 derivatives using the deuterium method. In vitro competition binding confirmed that the designed compounds had high affinity for TSPO. Biodistribution experiments showed that tissues with high expression of TSPO had high uptake of these compounds, as well as that the compound showed high brain penetration and mild defluorination in vivo. Therefore, [ 18 F]BIBD-239 with simple synthesis conditions was selected for further biological evaluation. Theoretical simulations showed that BIBD-239 and ER176 have similar binding modes and sites to Ala147-TSPO and Thr147-TSPO, which indicated that the tracers may have consistent sensitivity to the three affinity genotypes. In vitro autoradiography and in vivo PET studies of the ischemic rat brain showed dramatically higher uptake of [ 18 F]BIBD-239 on the lesion site compared to the contralateral side with good brain kinetics. Additionally, [ 18 F]BIBD-239 provided clear tumor PET images in a GL261 glioma model. Importantly, PET imaging and liquid chromatography-high-resolution mass spectrometry (LC-HRMS) results showed that in vivo defluorination and other metabolites of [ 18 F]BIBD-239 did not interfere with brain imaging. Conclusively, [ 18 F]BIBD-239, similar to ER176 with low polymorphism sensitivity, has simple labeling conditions, high labeling yield, high affinity, and high specificity for TSPO, and it is planned for further evaluation in higher species.

Background: Rabbit coccidiosis is a major disease caused by various Eimeria species and causes enormous economic losses to the rabbit industry. Coccidia infection has a wide impact on the gut microbiota and intestinal biochemical equilibrium. In the present study, we established a model of Eimeria intestinalis infection in rabbits to evaluate the jejunal microbiota and fecal metabolite profiles., Methods: Rabbits in the infected group were orally inoculated with 3 × 10 3 E. intestinalis oocysts. On the eighth day of infection, jejunal contents and feces were collected for 16S rRNA gene sequencing and liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) analysis, respectively. Jejunum tissues were harvested for hematoxylin and eosin (H&E), periodic acid-Schiff (PAS), and immunohistochemistry (IHC) staining., Results: Histopathological analysis showed that the whole jejunum was parasitized by E. intestinalis in a range of life cycle stages, and PAS staining showed that E. intestinalis infection caused extensive loss of goblet cells. IHC staining revealed that TNF-α expression was higher in the E. intestinalis infection group. Moreover, both the jejunal microbiota and metabolites significantly altered after E. intestinalis infection. At the genus level, the abundances of Escherichia and Enterococcus significantly increased in the infected group compared with the control group, while those of Oscillospira, Ruminococcus, Bacteroides, Akkermansia, Coprococcus, and Sarcina significantly decreased. In addition, 20 metabolites and two metabolic pathways were altered after E. intestinalis infection, and the major disrupted metabolic pathway was lipid metabolism., Conclusions: Eimeria intestinalis infection induced intestinal inflammation and destroyed the intestinal homeostasis at the parasitized sites, leading to significant changes in the gut microbiota and subsequent corresponding changes in metabolites., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

Methamphetamine (Meth), a central nervous system (CNS) stimulant with strong neurotoxicity, causes progressive cognitive impairment with characterized neurodegenerative changes. However, the mechanism underlying Meth-induced pathological changes remains poorly understood. In the current study, Meth elicited a striking accumulation of the pathological proteins hyperphosphorylated tau (p-tau) and amyloid beta (A β ) in primary hippocampal neurons, while the activation of autophagy dramatically ameliorated the high levels of these pathological proteins. Interestingly, after the Meth treatment, A β was massively deposited in autophagosomes, which were remarkably trapped in early endosomes. Mechanistically, syntaxin 17 (Stx17), a key soluble n-ethylmaleimide-sensitive fusion protein (NSF) attachment protein receptor (SNARE) protein responsible for autophagosome and mature endosome/lysosome fusion, was significantly downregulated and hindered in combination with autophagosomes. Notably, adenovirus overexpression of Stx17 in primary neurons facilitated autophagosome-mature endosome/lysosome fusion, which dramatically reversed the Meth-induced increases in the levels of p-tau, A β , beta-secretase (Bace-1), and C-terminal fragments (CTFs). Immunofluorescence assays showed that Stx17 retarded the Meth-induced A β , p-tau, and Bace-1 accumulation in autophagosomes and facilitated the translocation of these pathological proteins to lysosomes, which indicated the importance of Stx17 via enhanced autophagosome-mature endosome/lysosome fusion. Therefore, the current study reveals a novel mechanism involving Meth-induced high levels of pathological proteins in neurons. Targeting Stx17 may provide a novel therapeutic strategy for Meth-induced neurodegenerative changes., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Yuanhui Zhu et al.)

Dysfunction or decreased expression of synaptic vesicle glycoprotein 2A (SV2A) is closely related to the progression of neurodegenerative diseases and psychiatric disorders. The development of positron emission tomography (PET) tracers targeting SV2A can provide a strong imaging basis for the diagnosis and treatment of these diseases. Herein we report the synthesis of the novel radiotracer [ 18 F]BIBD-181 and its preclinical evaluation. The absolute configuration of BIBD-181 was confirmed by the single-crystal structure of its precursor. The in vitro binding assay of BIBD-181 showed high SV2A binding affinity. Compared with previously reported tracers, [ 18 F]BIBD-181 has mild labeling conditions, simple operation, and high yield. The in vivo metabolism of [ 18 F]BIBD-181 is similar to that of UCB derivatives, and the metabolites do not interfere with brain PET imaging. Biodistribution and PET studies showed that [ 18 F]BIBD-181 has high brain uptake and good pharmacokinetics. Autoradiography and PET inhibition studies indicated that [ 18 F]BIBD-181 specifically binds SV2A. Because [ 18 F]BIBD-181 exhibits excellent properties, it may be a reliable probe of quantities for SV2A-related disease diagnosis., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing financial interest., (© 2022 American Chemical Society.)

Renewable solar-driven carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) conversion to highly valuable fuels is an economical and prospective strategy for both the energy crisis and ecological environment disorder. However, the selectivity and activity of current photocatalysts have great room for improvement due to the diversification and complexity of products. Here, an ambient-stable 2D/2D Co 2 P@BP/g-C 3 N 4 heterojunction is designed for highly selective and efficient photocatalytic CO 2 reduction reaction. The resulting Co 2 P@BP/g-C 3 N 4 material has a remarkable conversion of CO 2 to carbon monoxide (CO) with an ≈96% selectivity, coupled with a dramatically increased CO generation rate of 16.21 µmol g -1 h -1 , which is 5.4 times higher than pristine graphitic carbon nitride (g-C 3 N 4 ). In addition, this photocatalyst exhibits good ambient stability of black phosphorus (BP) without oxidation even over 180 days. The excellent photocatalytic selectivity and activity of Co 2 P@BP/g-C 3 N 4 heterojunction are attributed to its lower energy barriers of *COOH, *CO, and *+CO in the process of CO 2 reduction, coupled with rapid charge transfer at the heterointerfaces of BP/g-C 3 N 4 and Co 2 P/BP. This is solidly verified by both density functional theory calculation and mechanism experiments. Therefore, this work holds great promise for an ambient-stable efficient and high selectivity photocatalyst in solar-driven CO 2 conversion., (© 2021 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

Background: This study investigated an association between schizoid tendencies and aggressive behaviors in Chinese adolescents, and explored the underlying mechanism., Methods: The data of 3094 adolescents aged 12 to 16 years were collected from an epidemiological survey in China. All the subjects or their parents completed the Achenbach's Child Behavior Checklist, the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire-Short Form, and the Adolescent Self-rating Life Event Checklist (ASLEC)., Results: Relative to the non-schizoid group, adolescents with schizoid tendencies (male or female) showed significantly higher scores for aggressive behaviors, emotional abuse, and ASLEC. Regarding females only, those with schizoid tendencies had significantly higher (lower) scores for physical abuse and emotional neglect (physical neglect). The aggressive behaviors score was predicted by scores for schizoid tendencies (β male  = 0.620, β female  = 0.638, both P < 0.001) and ASLEC (β male  = 0.125, β female  = 0.061, both P < 0.01), and by childhood trauma score (males: emotional neglect [β = 0.045, P = 0.021]; females: emotional abuse and sexual abuse [β = 0.118 and - 0.062, both P < 0.01]). The ASLEC and childhood trauma scores mediated the association between scores for schizoid tendencies and aggressive behaviors, specifically, emotional neglect (emotional abuse and sexual abuse) in males (females). In females, the interaction between scores for childhood trauma and ASLEC affected the aggressive behaviors score (P = 0.023)., Conclusions: Schizoid tendencies are associated with aggressive behaviors among Chinese adolescents. Recent life events and childhood trauma mediated an association between schizoid tendencies and aggressive behaviors. The interaction between childhood trauma and recent life events affected aggressive behaviors in females. Aggressive behaviors in adolescents may be ameliorated by reducing childhood trauma and life events., (© 2021. The Author(s).)

Background: Rabbit can produce meat, fur and leather, and serves as an important biomedical animal model. Understanding the microbial community of rabbits helps to raise rabbits healthily and better support their application as animal models., Results: In this study, we selected 4 healthy Belgium gray rabbits to collect the microbial samples from 12 body sites, including skin, lung, uterus, mouth, stomach, duodenum, ileum, jejunum, colon, cecum, cecal appendix and rectum. The microbiota across rabbit whole body was investigated via 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing. After quality control, 46 samples were retained, and 3,148 qualified ASVs were obtained, representing 23 phyla and 264 genera. Based on the weighted UniFrac distances, these samples were divided into the large intestine (Lin), stomach and small intestine (SSin), uterus (Uter), and skin, mouth and lung (SML) groups. The diversity of Lin microbiota was the highest, followed by those of the SSin, Uter and SML groups. In the whole body, Firmicutes (62.37%), Proteobacteria (13.44%) and Bacteroidota (11.84%) were the most predominant phyla. The relative abundance of Firmicutes in the intestinal tract was significantly higher than that in the non-intestinal site, while Proteobacteria was significantly higher in the non-intestinal site. Among the 264 genera, 35 were the core microbiota distributed in all body sites. Sixty-one genera were specific in the SML group, while 13, 8 and 1 were specifically found in the Lin, SSin and Uter groups, respectively. The Lin group had the most difference with other groups, there were average 72 differential genera between the Lin and other groups. The functional prediction analysis showed that microbial function within each group was similar, but there was a big difference between the intestinal tracts and the non-intestinal group. Notably, the function of microorganism in uterus and mouth were the most different from those in the gastrointestinal sites; rabbit's coprophagy of consuming soft feces possibly resulted in little differences of microbial function between stomach and large intestinal sites., Conclusion: Our findings improve the knowledge about rabbit microbial communities throughout whole body and give insights into the relationship of microbial communities among different body sites in health rabbits., (© 2021. The Author(s).)

Black phosphorus (BP), an emerging remarkable photocatalytic semiconductor, is arousing strong interests in this field of solar-driven CO 2 reduction, but its stability and activity are still facing huge challenges. Here, an ambient-stable and effective 2D/2D heterostructure of BP/bismuth tungstate (Bi 2 WO 6 ) with oxygen vacancy is innovatively designed for syngas production via photocatalytic CO 2 reduction. This work, not only resolves the stability problem of BP nanosheets by anchoring ultrasmall platinum (Pt) nanoparticles (∼2 nm) but also greatly improves the charge transfer efficiency by constructing S-scheme 2D/2D heterostructure with coupled oxygen defects. As a result, the generation rates of carbon monoxide (CO) and hydrogen (H 2 ) remarkably reach 20.5 and 16.8 μmol g -1 h -1 , respectively, which are much higher than that of reported BP-based materials, and the accomplished CO/H 2 ratios (1:1-2:1) are exactly the most desirable syngas for industrial applications. Thus, this work constructs an efficient and ambient-stable BP-based photocatalyst for syngas production by CO 2 reduction at mild conditions.

Background: Childhood trauma is associated with major depressive disorder (MDD) and bipolar disorder (BD) in adults. However, no meta-analysis was performed on the prevalence of different types of childhood trauma in adults with affective disorders, using the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ)., Methods: Four databases were used to search articles regarding the prevalence of childhood emotional abuse (CEA), childhood physical abuse (CPA), childhood sexual abuse (CSA), childhood physical neglect (CPN), and childhood emotional neglect (CEN) in patients with MDD and BD using the CTQ., Results: A total of 17 and 11 articles were found analyzing patients with MDD and BD, respectively. A pooled prevalence rate of 33.0% and 30.0% for CEA, 17.0% and 18.0% for CPA, 19.0% and 22.0% for CSA, 37.0% and 31.0% for CEN, and 31% and 30.0% for CPN was found in patients with MDD and BD respectively. A difference in 95% confidence interval in the CSA rate between men and women was found in patients with MDD in the gender subgroup and in the rate of some types of childhood trauma in the continent subgroup in both patient types., Limitations: A limited number of articles were included in some continents, thus, the heterogeneity in the meta-analysis was generally high., Conclusion: The prevalence of CEA, CEN, and CPN in patients with affective disorders was relatively high, whereas that of CPA and CSA was relatively low. These childhood traumas might be affected by continent and gender., (Copyright © 2020. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Methamphetamine (Meth), a highly addictive drug, can induce irreversible neuronal damage and cause neuropsychiatric and cognitive disorders. Meth's effects on modulating microglial neuroimmune functions and eliciting neuroinflammation have attracted considerable attention in recent years. Recent evident of the effect of the non-dependent domain containing adaptor inducing interferon (TRIF)/Pellino1 (Peli1) signaling axis on pro-inflammatory cytokine production provides novel clues for inflammation. Therefore, our study investigated Meth-induced neurotoxicity from a neuropathological perspective by examining TLR4-TRIF-Peli1 axis signaling activation. Meth significantly activated microglia accompanied by marked increase of TLR4 and TRIF expression, NF-kB and MAPK pathways activation and the production of IL-1β, TNF-α and IL-6. Peli1 was involved in Meth-mediated neuroinflammation and knockdown of Peli1 strongly reversed NF-kB and MAPK pathways activation and pro-inflammatory cytokine excretion. Intriguingly, Peli1 upregulation induced by Meth was dependent on TRIF rather than the myloid differentiation factor 88 (MyD88) pathway, since the silencing of TRIF significantly suppressed Meth-induced Peli1 upregulation, while MyD88 knockdown had no obvious impact. Additionally, an in vivo study verified TLR4-TRIF-Peli1 axis activation and an enhanced level of downstream cytokine expression in the cortex after Meth treatment. Therefore, these findings provide new insight regarding the specific contributions of the TRIF-Peli1 pathway to Meth-mediated neuroinflammation., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

In biomineralization, organisms have the abilities to produce biominerals with superior properties. One of the most attractive features of biominerals is the presence of the proteins consisting of different contents of amino acids in crystals. In the present work, L-phenylalanine (Phe) was used as an additive for the controllable crystallization of calcium carbonate (CaCO 3 ). The obtained CaCO 3 crystals were characterized by field emission scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), elemental analysis and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM). The experimental results suggest that single calcite crystals are formed at low Phe concentrations. High concentrations of Phe inhibit the nucleation and growth of calcite, and promote the formation of vaterite crystals with solid or hollow structures. The morphology and crystal form of CaCO 3 are also significantly affected by the flow rate of CO 2 . After that, a possible mechanism (competition mechanism) action of Phe in the formation of CaCO 3 is proposed. Finally, the effects of temperature on the formation of vaterite were determined to explore the growth mechanism of hexagonal vaterite. The work of controlling the preparation of CaCO 3 crystals in the presence of Phe will help us to imitate and learn nature, and bring new insights into understanding bionics. Meanwhile, it provides a new method for the synthesis of CaCO 3 biomaterials with different crystal forms and morphologies., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)