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In patients with hypertension and pre‐frailty or frailty, the influence of systolic (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) time in target range (TTR) on clinical outcomes is unclear. Thus, we conducted a post hoc analysis of the Systolic Blood Pressure Intervention Trial (SPRINT). Classifying 4208 participants into frail and non‐frail groups using a frailty index, the study calculated blood pressure time in target range (BP‐TTR) for the first three months using the Rosendaal method. The primary endpoint included a composite of nonfatal myocardial infarction (MI), acute coronary syndromes, stroke, acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF), and cardiovascular death. Relationships between BP‐TTR and outcomes were analyzed using Kaplan‐Meier curves, Cox models, and restricted cubic spline curves, with subgroup analysis for further insights. In a median follow‐up of 3.17 years, primary outcomes occurred in 6.7% of participants. Kaplan‐Meier analysis showed that a lower systolic blood pressure time in target range (SBP‐TTR) (0%–25%) correlated with an increased cumulative incidence of the primary outcome (p <.001), nonfatal MI (P =.021), stroke (P =.004), and cardiovascular death (P =.002). A higher SBP‐TTR (75%–<100%) was linked to a reduced risk of these outcomes. The restricted cubic spline (RCS) curve revealed a linear association between SBP‐TTR and the primary outcome (non‐linear P =.704). Similar patterns were observed for diastolic blood pressure time in target range (DBP‐TTR). Subgroup analysis showed that the protective effect of higher SBP‐TTR was less pronounced at low DBP‐TTR levels (P for interaction =.023). In conclusion, this study highlights the importance of maintaining BP within the target range to mitigate cardiovascular risks in this population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The phosphate‐coordination triple helicates A2L3 (A=anion) with azobenzene‐spaced bis‐bis(urea) ligands (L) have proven to undergo a rare in situ photoisomerization (without disassembly of the structure) rather than the typically known, stepwise "disassembly‐isomerization‐reassembly" process. This is enabled by the structural self‐adaptability of the "aniono" assembly arising from multiple relatively weak and flexible hydrogen bonds between the phosphate anion and bis(urea) units. Notably, the Z→E thermal relaxation rate of the isomerized azobenzene unit is significantly decreased (up to 20‐fold) for the triple helicates compared to the free ligands. Moreover, the binding of chiral guest cations inside the cavity of the Z‐isomerized triple helicate can induce optically pure diastereomers, thus demonstrating a new strategy for making light‐activated chiroptical materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The phosphate‐coordination triple helicates A2L3 (A=anion) with azobenzene‐spaced bis‐bis(urea) ligands (L) have proven to undergo a rare in situ photoisomerization (without disassembly of the structure) rather than the typically known, stepwise "disassembly‐isomerization‐reassembly" process. This is enabled by the structural self‐adaptability of the "aniono" assembly arising from multiple relatively weak and flexible hydrogen bonds between the phosphate anion and bis(urea) units. Notably, the Z→E thermal relaxation rate of the isomerized azobenzene unit is significantly decreased (up to 20‐fold) for the triple helicates compared to the free ligands. Moreover, the binding of chiral guest cations inside the cavity of the Z‐isomerized triple helicate can induce optically pure diastereomers, thus demonstrating a new strategy for making light‐activated chiroptical materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gastrointestinal infection is a leading cause of gut diseases attracting global health concerns. The emerging antimicrobial resistance in enteric pathogens drives the search of viable and renewable alternatives to antibiotics for the health of both human beings and animals. Spore-forming probiotic Bacillus have received extensively interests for their multiple health benefits, including the restoration of microbiota dysbiosis and the reduction of drug-resistant pathogens. These promising benefits are mainly attributed to the activity of structurally diverse Bacillus-derived metabolites, such as antibacterial compounds, short-chain fatty acids, and other small molecules. Such metabolites show the capacity to directly target either the individual or community of bacterial pathogens, and to potentiate both host cells and gut microbiota. The better understanding of the mechanisms by which probiotic Bacillus and the metabolites modulate the metabolism of hosts and microbiota will advance the screening and development of probiotic Bacillus. In this review, we discuss the interaction among probiotic Bacillus, microbiota and host, and summarize the Bacillus-derived metabolites that act as key players in such interactions, shedding light on the mechanistic understanding of probiotic Bacillus against enteric bacterial infections. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carbon dots (CDs) are spherical zero-dimensional carbon nanomaterials, generally below 10 nm in size, which have received increasing attention in the field of corrosion because of various advantages such as good water solubility, abundant raw materials, and environmental protection. In this work, water-soluble carbon dots (CDs) with particle sizes of 5–10 nm are obtained by electrochemical oxidation with anhydrous ethanol. FTIR, Raman, UV–Vis, XPS, and TEM are used to characterize the obtained CDs, and electrochemical tests are used to investigate the anti-corrosion performance of the CDs. The results reveal that the corrosion inhibition performance increased with the addition of CDs, and the highest corrosion inhibition efficiency reaches 98% when the addition amount is 200 mg/L. Moreover, the inhibition mechanism for CDs needs to be further investigated, and the stable adsorption of CDs on carbon steel to form adsorption film may be the key factor for its good corrosion inhibition performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and purpose: As psychosis is associated with decreased quality of life, increased institutionalization, and mortality in Parkinson disease (PD), it is essential to identify individuals at risk for future psychosis. This longitudinal study aimed to investigate whether diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) metrics of white matter hold independent utility for predicting future psychosis in PD, and whether they could be combined with clinical predictors to improve the prognostication of PD psychosis. Methods: This study included 123 newly diagnosed PD patients collected in the Parkinson's Progression Markers Initiative. Tract‐based spatial statistics were used to compare baseline DTI metrics between PD patients who developed psychosis and those who did not during follow‐up. Binary logistic regression analyses were performed to identify the clinical and white matter markers predictive of psychosis. Results: Among DTI measures, both higher baseline whole brain (odds ratio [OR] = 1.711, p = 0.016) free water (FW) and visual processing system (OR = 1.680, p < 0.001) FW were associated with an increased risk of future psychosis. Baseline FW remained a significant indicator of future psychosis in PD after controlling for clinical predictors. Moreover, the accuracy of prediction of psychosis using clinical predictors alone (area under the curve [AUC] = 0.742, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.655–0.816) was significantly improved by the addition of the visual processing system FW (AUC = 0.856, 95% CI = 0.781–0.912; Delong method, p = 0.022). Conclusions: Baseline FW of the visual processing system incurs an independent risk of future psychosis in PD, thus providing an opportunity for multiple‐modality marker models to include a white matter marker. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a common complication of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) that has been associated with high morbidity and mortality in patients with STEMI. Acute tubular damage may be reflected by serum creatinine (Scr) values that do not meet the criteria for AKI. Methods. This analysis included 19,424 patients from the Improving Care for Cardiovascular Disease in China, Acute Coronary Syndrome Project (n = 5,221 (36.8%), patients with a small increase in Scr within 48 h of hospitalization; n = 14,203 patients with no increase in Scr). The primary outcome was the incidence of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE). Secondary outcomes included the incidence of massive hemorrhage, in-hospital death, atrial fibrillation, heart failure, cardiogenic shock, cardiac arrest, and stroke. Logistic regression analysis was used to evaluate associations between a small increase in Scr within 48 h of hospitalization (>0.1 to <0.3 mg/dl) and MACE or massive hemorrhage during hospitalization. Results. Patients with a small increase in Scr within 48 h of hospitalization were significantly more likely to experience MACE (11.2% vs. 9.1%; P < 0.001) or massive hemorrhage (3.2% vs. 2.2%; P < 0.001) compared to patients with no increase in Scr, but there was no significant difference in in-hospital mortality (0.8% vs. 0.9%; P = 0.301). Logistic regression analysis showed that a small increase in Scr within 48 h of hospital admission was a risk factor for MACE (OR, 1.168; 95% CI, 1.044–1.306; P = 0.006) or massive hemorrhage (OR, 1.413; 95% CI, 1.164–1.715; P < 0.001). Other risk factors included age ˃65 years, history of heart failure, use of glycoprotein IIb/IIIa inhibitors, aspirin or ACEI/ARB, LVEF <40%, Killip class III-IV, and increased SBP and heart rate. Conclusion. A small increase in Scr during hospitalization in patients with STEMI undergoing primary PCI that does not meet the criteria for AKI is a risk factor for in-hospital adverse outcomes. This effect is maintained in patients with normal Scr at hospitalization. Trial Registration. Clinical trial registration: URL: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT02306616. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, high‐yield carbon quantum dots (CQDs) are successfully synthesized by a simple chemical oxidation method using acetaldehyde as raw material. Fourier‐transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), thermogravimetry (TGA), and XPS are used to analyze the structural characteristics of CQDs. The results demonstrate that many oxygen‐containing functional groups are on the surface of carbon nuclei. The inhibitive efficiency of electrochemical experiments and weight loss is 87.1 % and 95.3 %, respectively. SEM observes the surface morphology of the sample after 72 h corrosion with or without CQDs, and EDS analysis confirms that CQDs are effectively adsorbed on the surface of carbon steel. Furthermore, through calculation, the standard adsorption‐free energy of CQDs is −25 kJ/mol, concluding that the adsorption process is a combination of physisorption and chemisorption. This work is helping to solve the corrosion problem of metal equipment in the acid process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

HoFe1−xCrxO3 (x = 0.4–0.6) near half-doping were prepared by conventional solid-state reaction method. A great correlation between the structural distortion and the competition of magnetic order is reported in this work. Fe2+/Fe3+ and Cr3+/Cr4+ ions were checked to coexist in these compounds. With the increase of Cr concentration, the reduction of Fe (Cr)–O–Fe (Cr) bond angle and the rising of octahedral distortion were investigated by X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy. The spin reorientation and the magnetic compensation temperatures of TSR and Tcomp move to high temperatures. The competition of antiferromagnetic (AFM) and ferromagnetic (FM) orders results in a complex magnetic phase transition. There is a Griffiths-like phase at the temperature range between AFM transition temperature TN and Griffiths temperature TG. Weak FM and AFM orders coexist at a temperature below TN, and spin order transforms from Γ4 to Γ2 at TSR. The evolution of the magnetic phase diagram is given for HoFe1−xCrxO3 near half-doping. The results show that the magnetic ground state could be adjusted by controlling the mixed valence states and structural distortion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social norms can coordinate individuals and groups during collective threats. Pandemic-related social norms (e.g., wearing masks, social distancing) emerged to curb the spread of COVID-19. However, little is known about the psychological consequences of the emerging norms. We conducted three experiments cross-culturally, during the early period of the COVID-19 pandemic in China (Study 1), the recovery period in China (Study 2), and the severe period in the United States and Canada (Study 3). Across the three studies, we first distinguished the opposite effects of social norms and risk perception on individuals' psychological characteristics during the COVID-19 pandemic and further revealed that individuals who perceived stronger pandemic norms reported a lower level of COVID-19 risk perception, which in turn would be associated with fewer negative emotions, lower pressure, more positive emotions, higher levels of trusts, and more confidence in fighting against COVID-19. Our findings show that perceived tighter social norms are linked to beneficial psychological outcomes. This research helps governments, institutions, and individuals understand the mechanism and benefits of social norms during the pandemic, thereby facilitating policy formulation and better responses to social crises. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The two-stage aging treatment with different initial loading stresses were carried out in the Inconel 718 alloy after solution annealing process to investigate the stress relaxation and age hardening behaviors on basis of microstructural evolution. The result showed that the stress relaxation behavior mainly occurred in the first aging stage and the corresponding mechanism changed from diffusion creep with initial loading stress of 100 MPa into dislocation slip with initial stress of 600 MPa. Simultaneously, the influence of initial stress on yield strength was counteracted balanced the creep recovery and dislocation hardening, resulting in nearly constant value if yield strength. During the secondary aging stage, the strength of the purely aged sample is 3% higher than that of the high initial stress sample, and the precipitated phase morphology distribution is more uniform. The stress relaxation occurred in the secondary aging stage was negligible, irrespective of initial stress status. In condition, the application of initial stress gave rise to the precipitation behavior, which presented faster growth and coarsening with increasing initial stress value. As a comparison, the distribution of precipitates in sample without loading stress relatively more homogeneous and revealed denser, leading to higher yield strength compared with other samples with initial stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Neuroimaging studies have linked inter-individual variability in the brain to individualized personality traits. However, only one or several aspects of personality have been effectively predicted based on brain imaging features. The objective of this study was to construct a reliable prediction model of personality in a large sample by using connectome-based predictive modeling (CPM), a recently developed machine learning approach. High-quality resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging data of 810 healthy young participants from the Human Connectome Project dataset were used to construct large-scale brain networks. Personality traits of the five-factor model (FFM) were assessed by the NEO Five Factor Inventory. We found that CPM successfully and reliably predicted all the FFM personality factors (agreeableness, openness, conscientiousness and neuroticism) other than extraversion in novel individuals. At the neural level, we found that the personality-associated functional networks mainly included brain regions within default mode, frontoparietal executive control, visual and cerebellar systems. Although different feature selection thresholds and parcellation strategies did not significantly influence the prediction results, some findings lost significance after controlling for confounds including age, gender, intelligence and head motion. Our finding of robust personality prediction from an individual's unique functional connectome may help advance the translation of 'brain connectivity fingerprinting' into real-world personality psychological settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: A variety of functional metrics derived from resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) have been employed to explore spontaneous brain activity changes in major depressive disorder (MDD) and have enjoyed significant success in unraveling the neurobiological mechanisms underlying this disorder. However, it is unclear whether spatial and temporal coupling relationships among these rs-fMRI metrics are altered in MDD.Methods: 50 patients with MDD and 36 well-matched healthy controls underwent rs-fMRI scans. A dynamic analysis was applied to compute multiple frequently used metrics including fractional amplitude of low frequency fluctuations, regional homogeneity, voxel-mirrored homotopic connectivity, degree centrality and global signal connectivity. Kendall's W was used to calculate volume-wise (across voxels) and voxel-wise (across time windows) concordance among these metrics. Inter-group differences in the concordance and their associations with clinical and cognitive variables were tested.Results: Compared to healthy controls, patients with MDD showed decreased whole gray matter volume-wise concordance. Despite similar spatial distributions, quantitative comparison analysis revealed that MDD patients exhibited reduced voxel-wise concordance in multiple cortical and subcortical regions. Moreover, the lower concordance was associated with worse performances in prospective memory and sustained attention in the MDD group.Limitations: The study design of fairly modest sample size did not allow us to perform a full analysis of the potential effects of medication and illness duration.Conclusions: Our findings suggest that spatial and temporal decoupling of multiple resting-state brain activity metrics may help elucidate the neural mechanisms of cognitive deficits in depression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract A three-dimensional (3D) hierarchically MXene-derived carbon/nickel‑manganese layered double hydroxide nanosheets composite (MDC/NiMn-LDH) is constructed by a facile in situ growth route. Such unique 3D structure could provide fast and short pathway for electron and ion transfer, but also sufficiently expose active area for redox reactions of NiMn-LDH. The electrochemical investigation indicates that the optimized MDC/Ni 5 Mn 1 -LDH composite delivers a high specific capacity of 228 mAh g−1 at 1 A g−1, remarkable rate capability with 158 mAh g−1 retention at 10 A g−1, and excellent cycling stability of 74% retention with 122 mAh g−1 after 4500 cycle tests at 8 A g−1. In addition, a high-performance alkaline hybrid capacitor is fabricated based on the MDC/Ni 5 Mn 1 -LDH positive electrode and the 3D ordered porous carbon nanosheets (aPCNs) negative electrode, which manifests a high energy density of 45.2 Wh kg−1 at a power density of 802 W kg−1. Graphical abstract Unlabelled Image Highlights • MXene-derived carbon/nickel‑manganese layered double hydroxide (MDC/NiMn-LDH) was prepared through a simple strategy. • MDC/NiMn-LDH composite possesses 3D hierarchical structure with fast and short pathway for electron and ion transfer. • Hybrid capacitor was fabricated based on MDC/NiMn-LDH with high energy and power performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Neurovascular coupling reflects the close relationship between neuronal activity and cerebral blood flow (CBF), providing a new mechanistic insight into health and disease. Neuromyelitis optica (NMO) is an autoimmune inflammatory demyelinating disease of the central nervous system and shows cognitive decline‐related brain gray matter abnormalities besides the damage of optic nerve and spinal cord. We aimed to investigate neurovascular coupling alteration and its clinical significance in NMO by using regional homogeneity (ReHo) to measure neuronal activity and CBF to measure vascular response. ReHo was calculated from functional MRI and CBF was computed from arterial spin labeling (ASL) in 56 patients with NMO and 63 healthy controls. Global neurovascular coupling was assessed by across‐voxel CBF‐ReHo correlations and regional neurovascular coupling was evaluated by CBF/ReHo ratio. Correlations between CBF/ReHo ratio and clinical variables were explored in patients with NMO. Global CBF‐ReHo coupling was decreased in patients with NMO relative to healthy controls (p = .009). Patients with NMO showed decreased CBF/ReHo ratio (10.9%–17.3% reduction) in the parietal and occipital regions and increased CBF/ReHo ratio (8.0%–13.3% increase) in the insular, sensorimotor, temporal and prefrontal regions. Some of these abnormalities cannot be identified by a single CBF or ReHo analysis. Both abnormally decreased and increased CBF/ReHo ratios were correlated with more severe clinical impairments and cognitive decline in patients with NMO. These findings suggested that patients with NMO show abnormal neurovascular coupling, which is associated with disease severity and cognitive impairments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Supercapacitors (SCs) with high gravimetric and volumetric performances are highly demanded for diverse applications, but still remain challenge to achieve for traditional porous carbon materials due to the unbalance between porous properties and high density. Herein, we report a novel oxygen-enriched crumpled graphene (OCGN) with high density prepared through a simple and facile strategy. The as-prepared OCGN possesses several advantageous features of abundant stable active oxygen-containing functional groups (17.26%), high packing density (1.28 g cm−3) and facile ion channel, resulting in high gravimetric and volumetric specific capacitance (300.5 F g−1, 384.6 F cm−3), outstanding rate performance and cyclic stability. In addition, the assembled symmetric SC exhibits a large gravimetric and volumetric energy density of 20.4 Wh kg−1 and 26.1 Wh L−1 in aqueous electrolyte, which is higher than majority of previously reported carbon-based aqueous SCs. The encouraging results demonstrate that designing oxygen-enriched carbon materials with high density may be a novel strategy to realize both high gravimetric and volumetric performance. Graphical abstract Unlabelled Image Highlights • Oxygen-enriched crumpled graphene with high density was prepared through a simple and facile strategy. • Oxygen-enriched crumpled graphene possesses high specific gravimetric and volumetric capacitance. • Symmetric supercapacitor was fabricated based on oxygen-enriched crumpled graphene with a high volumetric performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Regional collaborative development mainly emphasizes the relationship and degree of connection between cities. Linkages among cities are more complex and diversified in the age of globalization, so that regional economic collaborative development has become even more important than ever. Domestic and foreign competition must be dealt with to enhance the comprehensive strengths of urban agglomeration. This study takes the Yangtze River Delta (YRD) as a representative case to analyze and evaluate the economic synergistic development capacities of the Yangtze River Delta Urban Agglomeration (YRDUA). Location quotients and industrial structure similarity coefficients show that cities with high levels of economic development provide advantages for secondary and tertiary industries, while cities with relatively low economic development levels provide clearer advantages for primary industries. Regarding the movement of the economic barycenter from 2001 to 2016, the overall directional trend was towards the northwest cities. The strength of economic linkages between cities is closely related to distance, population, and levels of economic development. The degree of economic development directly affects the capacity of collaborative development among cities, which then influences the extent of regional collaborative development. Highlights • Yangtze River Delta (YRD) collaborative economic development is progressing. • Economic linkage strength is dependent on distance, population, and economic development levels. • Cities vary depending on primary, secondary, and tertiary development levels. • Development of tertiary industry is key to urban agglomeration. • Coordinated and integrated economic development is essential across industries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The role of glycocalyx in blood–brain barrier (BBB) integrity and brain damage is poorly understood. Our study aimed to investigate the impacts of endothelial glycocalyx on BBB function in a rat model of cardiac arrest (CA) and cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). Male Sprague-Dawley rats subjected to 8-min asphyxia CA/CPR. Compared to controls, glycocalyx was mildly injured by CA, severely disrupted by hyaluronidase (HAase) with CA, and mitigated by hydrocortisone (HC) with CA. More importantly, the disruption of glycocalyx caused by HAase treatment was associated with higher BBB permeability and aggravated brain edema at 24 h after return of spontaneous circulation, as well as lower survival rate and poorer neurologic outcome at seventh day. Reversely, less degradation of glycocalyx by HC treatment was accompanied by higher seven-day survival rate and better neurologic outcome. Mechanistically, HAase treatment further increased CA/CPR-induced activation of glia cells and expression of inflammatory factors, whereas HC decreased them in the brain cortex and hippocampus. Glycocalyx degradation results in BBB leakage, brain edema, and deteriorates neurologic outcome after asphyxia CA/CPR in rats. Preservation of glycocalyx by HC could improve neurologic outcome and reduce BBB permeability, apparently through reduced gene transcription-protein synthesis and inflammation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Various data-driven voxel-wise measures derived from resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) have been developed to characterize spontaneous brain activity. These measures have been widely applied to explore brain functional changes in schizophrenia and have enjoyed significant success in unraveling the neural mechanisms of this disorder. However, their spatial and temporal coupling alterations in schizophrenia remain largely unknown. To address this issue, 88 schizophrenia patients and 116 gender- and age-matched healthy controls underwent rs-fMRI examinations. Kendall's W was used to calculate volume-wise (across voxels) and voxel-wise (across time windows) concordance among multiple commonly used measures, including fractional amplitude of low frequency fluctuations, regional homogeneity, voxel-mirrored homotopic connectivity, degree centrality and global signal connectivity. Inter-group differences in the concordance were investigated. Results revealed that whole gray matter volume-wise concordance was reduced in schizophrenia patients relative to healthy controls. Although two groups showed similar spatial distributions of the voxel-wise concordance, quantitative comparison analysis revealed that schizophrenia patients exhibited decreased voxel-wise concordance in gray matter areas spanning the bilateral frontal, parietal, occipital, temporal and insular cortices. In addition, these concordance changes were negatively correlated with onset age in schizophrenia patients. Our findings suggest that the concordance approaches may provide new insights into the neural mechanisms of schizophrenia and have the potential to be extended to neuropsychiatric disorders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • This study aimed to identify changes in the topological organization of the motor execution network in alcohol dependence (AD). • At the global level, AD patients exhibited increased local specialization, indicative of a shift toward regular networks. • At the node level, nodal degree was higher in AD patients in the cerebellum. • At the edge level, we observed a cerebello–thalamo–striato–cortical circuit with altered functional connectivity strength in AD. • These findings may provide important insights into the neurobiology of the AD-related motor impairments. Abstract Motor function damage is one of the most common symptoms in patients with alcohol dependence (AD). However, relatively little is known about the neuropathology of the motor impairments in AD. The aim of this study was to identify changes in the topological organization of the motor execution network in AD. Here, a total of 39 male individuals, including 19 AD patients and 20 age-matched healthy controls, underwent resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). The motor execution network was constructed and analyzed using graph theoretical approaches. Topological properties (including global, nodal and edge measures) were compared between the two groups. At the global level, AD patients exhibited increased local specialization (indexed by increased clustering coefficient and local efficiency) relative to healthy controls, indicating that the motor execution network of AD patients shifts toward regularization. At the node level, nodal degree was higher in AD patients in the cerebellum. At the edge level, we observed a cerebello–thalamo–striato–cortical circuit with altered functional connectivity strength in AD patients. These findings suggest that topological architecture of the motor execution network is disrupted in AD patients, which may provide important insights into the neurobiology of the AD-related motor impairments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. The correlation between H-type hypertension and acute ischemic stroke remains uncertain. Objective. The present study was designed to explore the possible relationship between H-type hypertension and severity and prognosis of acute ischemic stroke. Method. We included 372 patients with acute ischemic stroke and divided them into four groups: H-type hypertension group, simple hypertension group, simple hyperhomocysteinemia (HHcy) group, and the control group. NIHSS score was measured at both admission and two weeks later. mRS score, stroke recurrence, cardiovascular event, or all-cause mortality was recorded at 3-month and 1-year follow-up. Result. The results showed that the NIHSS score on admission in the H-type hypertension group (6.32 ± 5.91) was significantly higher than that in the control group (3.97 ± 3.59) (P < 0.05), while there was no obvious association between H-type hypertension and NIHSS score after 2-week treatment (P = 0.106). Endpoint events incidence in H-type hypertension group was the highest; however, in the cox regression model of multiple factor analysis, H-type hypertension was not an independent risk factor. Conclusion. H-type hypertension may result in early functional deterioration and higher incidence rate of endpoint events but not act as an independent risk factor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Structural and functional deficits associated with schizophrenia are observed prior to the onset of psychosis and differ according to the stage of illness. However, most previous studies concentrated on a limited period during the illness, and it remains uncertain how these abnormalities develop throughout the entire disease course. In the current study, we investigated the gray matter (GM) and regional neural activity alterations in subjects at 4 different stages of schizophrenia. The subjects comprised 53 genetic high risk (HR) individuals, 26 ultra-high risk (UHR) individuals, 58 patients with first-episode schizophrenia (FES), 41 patients with chronic schizophrenia (ChSz) and 39 healthy controls (HC), all of whom underwent structural and resting-state functional MRI scanning. Gray matter volume (GMV), amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations (ALFF) and regional homogeneity (ReHo) values were compared voxelwise among the five groups using voxel-based morphometry (VBM) and the software REST. Correlations among structural, functional abnormalities and PANSS scores in the FES group were evaluated by partial correlation analysis and multiple stepwise regression. Pronounced GMV decline was observed in the bilateral occipital lobe, left orbital frontal cortex, bilateral superior parietal lobule (SPL), right middle temporal gyrus (MTG), gyrus rectus and medial superior frontal gyrus (SFG) in the FES group and in the bilateral occipital lobe in the HR group. The FES patients also showed increased ALFF in the caudate and decreased ReHo in the bilateral inferior parietal lobule (IPL) and precuneus. The ChSz patients displayed increased ALFF in the right hippocampus. The GMV of the right MTG and SPL and the ReHo of the precuneus were negatively correlated with the general psychopathology scale, while the GMV of the right MTG was negatively correlated with the total score on the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS). The GMV of the right occipital cortex and SPL were associated with the ALFF of the caudate, the GMV of the right SPL was associated with the ReHo of the bilateral IPL and precuneus. GM deficits and regional dysfunction are evident prior to the onset of psychotic symptoms and are more prominent during the onset of illness than during any other phase. The right MTG and SPL, the striatum and the DMN may play important roles in the pathological changes underlying schizophrenia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We propose a novel binary electrolyte of lithium bis(fluorosulfonyl)imide/1,3-dioxolane, that exhibits excellent performance for the suppression of lithium-dendrite growth and stability against lithium metal. With 2.5 M lithium bis(fluorosulfonyl)imide in 1,3-dioxolane, long short-circuit onset-times of 72.3 and > 190 h are observed in Li/Li cells polarized at galvanostatic current densities of 1.0 and 0.5 mA cm − 2 , respectively. The coulombic efficiencies for the repeated Li plating/stripping in the 2.5 M electrolyte at 1.0 and 0.5 mA cm − 2 are as high as 99.0% and 99.5%, respectively. The electrolyte structure is changed with an increase in the concentration speculated from Raman spectra, which enables the reactivity toward lithium metal to be lowered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) have shown altered resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC) of the precuneus; however, it is unknown whether rsFC of the precuneus subregions is differentially affected in this disorder.Methods: In this study, we aimed to clarify this issue by comparing rsFC of each precuneus subregion between patients with MDD and healthy controls. Forty-seven drug-naive patients with MDD and 47 sex-, age- and education-matched healthy controls underwent resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). The precuneus was divided into PCun-1 (dorsal-central portion; medial area 7), PCun-2 (dorsal-anterior portion; medial area 5), PCun-3 (dorsal-posterior portion; dorsomedial parietooccipital sulcus) and PCun-4 (ventral portion; area 31). The rsFC of each precuneus subregion was compared between the two groups.Results: Compared with healthy controls, patients with MDD exhibited increased rsFC between the left PCun-2 and the right fusiform gyrus, lateral prefrontal cortex, sensorimotor cortex and supramarginal gyrus. No significant inter-group difference was observed in the rsFC of other precuneus subregions. In addition, there was no difference in gray matter volume of all the precuneus subregions between patients with MDD and healthy controls.Limitations: Some of the patients had chronic MDD and relevant neuropsychological data were not collected.Conclusions: These findings suggest a selective functional dysconnectivity of the precuneus subregions in drug-naive MDD, characterized by the hyperconnnectivity between the dorsal-anterior subregion and regions involved in visual, executive control, sensorimotor and bottom-up attention functions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous studies using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) have found abnormal functional connectivity in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD). Yet, effect of distance thresholds on local functional connectivity changes in MDD is largely unknown. Here, we used resting-state fMRI data and functional connectivity strength (FCS) method to test local functional connectivity differences at different distance thresholds between 47 drug-naive patients with MDD and 47 healthy controls. For the distribution of functional brain hubs with high local FCS, the overall changing trend from distance thresholds of 10 mm to 100 mm was from lateral to medial. Compared to controls, MDD patients exhibited decreased local FCS independent of distance threshold in the sensorimotor system (postcentral gyrus, paracentral lobule, and supplementary motor area). MDD Patients exhibited increased local FCS in the inferior temporal gyrus at two lower distance thresholds (20 mm and 30 mm) and a higher distance threshold (100 mm). In addition, MDD patients showed increased local FCS in the putamen at higher distance thresholds (80–100 mm). These findings suggest that local functional connectivity abnormalities in MDD are dependent on distance thresholds and that future studies should take the distance thresholds into account when measuring local functional connectivity in MDD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study extends Flores et al.'s () 36-year analysis of racial/ethnic minority (REM) career research to identify recent trends in choice of topics and leading individual and institutional contributors. The authors identified 166 articles on REM career research published from 2005 to 2015 in the Journal of Vocational Behavior, The Career Development Quarterly, the Journal of Career Assessment, and the Journal of Career Development. Of these studies, 92% were empirical, with more than three quarters of these using quantitative rather than qualitative methodology. Most frequently, the empirical studies ( n = 153) were based on samples of high school (30.7%) or undergraduate (34.6%) students. The authors discuss the implications of their findings and suggest ways to expand REM career research in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The residual stress reduction, the precipitation behavior of γ" phase and the evolution of mechanical properties of Inconel 718 alloy in solid solution annealed with different pretreatment were investigated. The results show that the pretreatment process can effectively reduce the quenching residual stresses. With the increase of pretreatment temperature from 680 °C to 720 °C, the residual stress reduction rate increased from 52% to 65%, and the corresponding stress relaxation mechanism changed from dislocation slip dominated to both dislocation slip and grain boundary migration. Meanwhile, the pretreatment process promotes the nucleation and precipitation of the γ" phase, which is uniformly nucleated and always consistent with the matrix. The yield strength of the pretreated samples was slightly increased compared to the purely aged state, with an extreme value of 5.1%. The increase in strength is mainly attributed to the coherent hardening effect associated with the morphology and distribution of the γ" phase. • The pretreatment process can significantly reduce the residual stress of the alloy, with a maximum reduction of 65%. • The pretreatment process can improve the strength and plasticity of the alloy, with the maximum enhancement rate reaching 5% and 17%, respectively. • The kinetic behavior of γ″ phase precipitation and strength contribution under the pretreatment process were discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The relationship between the stress relaxation behavior and microstructure development of 300 M steel was explored using stress relaxation experiments from 100 to 600 °C at 300 MPa. Using the Norton, Arrhenius, and Bird-Murkherjee-Dorn (BMD) equations, the stress exponents within this temperature range were determined to range from 4.52 to 9.27, and dislocation slip was identified as the dominant stress relaxation mechanism. The results of transmission electron microscopy analysis and non-isothermal tempering tests revealed that the carbide evolution can be divided into four stages between 100 and 600 °C: carbon segregation, ε-carbide precipitation, ε-carbide to θ-carbide transition, and θ-carbide precipitation and growth. On this basis, the relationship between the stress relaxation behavior and specimen microstructure was further investigated by calculating the internal stresses in the specimens, yielding the following findings: when the relaxation temperature is 100–200 °C, the decrease in the dislocation density is the primary cause of stress relaxation, whereas when the relaxation temperature is 300–400 °C, the stress relaxation effect is determined by the decrease in the dislocation density and θ-carbide precipitation. Finally, when the temperature is 500–600 °C, carbide coarsening is the primary reason for further stress relaxation. • The stress relaxation mechanism of 300 M steel at 300 MPa and 100–600 °C is dislocation slip. • Carbide evolution can be divided into four stages of 100–600 °C. • The stress relaxation behavior of 300 M steel is determined by dislocations and carbides. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background The field of microbiota-gut-brain research in animals has progressed, while the exact nature of gut microbiota-brain-cognition relationship in humans is not completely elucidated, likely due to small sample sizes and single neuroimaging modality utilized to delineate limited aspects of the brain. We aimed to comprehensively investigate such association in a large sample using multimodal MRI. Methods Fecal samples were collected from 157 healthy young adults and 16S sequencing was used to assess gut microbial diversity and enterotypes. Five brain imaging measures, including regional homogeneity (ReHo) and functional connectivity density (FCD) from resting-state functional MRI, cerebral blood flow (CBF) from arterial spin labeling, gray matter volume (GMV) from structural MRI, and fractional anisotropy (FA) from diffusion tensor imaging, were jointly analyzed with a data-driven multivariate fusion method. Cognition was evaluated by 3-back and digit span tasks. Results We found significant associations of gut microbial diversity with ReHo, FCD, CBF, and GMV within the frontoparietal, default mode and visual networks, as well as with FA in a distributed set of juxtacortical white matter regions. In addition, there were FCD, CBF, GMV, and FA differences between Prevotella- versus Bacteroides-enterotypes in females and between Prevotella- versus Ruminococcaceae-enterotypes in males. Moreover, the identified neuroimaging fusion biomarkers could mediate the associations between microbial diversity and cognition. Conclusions Our findings not only expand existing knowledge of the microbiota-gut-brain axis, but also have potential clinical and translational implications by exposing the gut microbiota as a promising treatment and prevention target for cognitive impairment and related brain disorders. • Gut microbiota-brain-cognition association was assessed using multimodal MRI. • Multimodal MRI measures were jointly analyzed with a multivariate fusion method. • Gut microbial diversity was correlated with multiple neuroimaging fusion measures. • There were differences in multiple neuroimaging fusion measures between enterotypes. • Fusion biomarkers mediated the relations between microbial diversity and cognition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] Biorenewable tannic acid-based hyperbranched methacrylates (TAHAs) were synthesized. [•] TAHAs were applied to AESO based UV curable coatings as efficient toughening agents. [•] Hybrid UV-curable coatings produced good performance and high biorenewable content. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

A convenient method for the production of graphene is developed using the electrochemical reduction of graphite oxide (GO) in solution without assembling it onto the electrode. The samples were examined by X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and Raman spectroscopy. The results show that the number of oxygen functional groups can be significantly decreased. The electrochemical capacitance of the prepared graphene after 8 h of reduction is 158.5 F g at 0.5 A g, much higher than that of GO and carbon nanotubes. The mechanism for this reaction is also proposed in this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In plants, Photosystem I (PSI) is composed of a core complex and a membrane-associated antenna complex light-harvesting complex I that captures light and funnels its energy to the core complex. To obtain Raman structural information on β-carotenes embedded in the PSI core complex, a 'sandwich' system of roughened silver slice: target protein complexes: single silver nanoparticles was fabricated for Surface-Enhanced Resonance Raman Scattering (SERRS) measurements. This study provided a method to overcome spectral irreproducibility, which is the main drawback of Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering/SERRS-based studies. The Raman spectra of β-carotenes embedded in the PSI core complex can be obtained at very low sample concentrations (1-5 µg Chl/ml) and high signal/noise ratios. The β-carotenes in the spinach PSI core complex were predominantly all-trans configuration. The membrane protein-mediated adsorption of silver nanoparticles induced the uniform distribution of a large number of single nanoparticles, which contributed to achieving highly reproducible SERRS spectra. This study is the first to apply single silver nanoparticle-based SERRS analysis in membrane proteins. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• ADAR3 is downregulated in neuropathic pain. • ADAR3 suppresses inflammation and pyroptosis triggered by neuropathic pain. • NLRP3 is the downstream gene of ADAR3 in neuropathic pain. Adenosine deaminase acting on RNA 3 (ADAR3) was known as a prognosis factor in gliomas, while its function on neuropathic pain (NP) is barely investigated. Therefore, our present study concentrated on the potential role of ADAR3 in NP. The chronic constriction injury (CCI) mouse model was established to induce NP in vivo. Behavioral experiments were carried out to analyze mechanical allodynia and thermal hyperalgesia. RT-qPCR and western blotting assays were used to detect the mRNA and protein expressions. The ADAR3-overexpressed adenovirus was injected into the CCI mice through an intrathecal catheter. ELISA was used to detect the contents of IL (interleukin)-6, IL-10, TNF (tumor necrosis factor)-α, IL-1β and IL-18. NLR Family Pyrin Domain Containing 3 (NLRP3) was predicted to be the target gene of ADAR3 using Starbase. The interaction between ADAR3 and NLRP3 was verified via RNA pull-down, RNA immunoprecipitation and Pearson's correlation coefficient assays. Immunohistochemical staining assay visualized the expressions of NLRP3 and caspase1. Allodynia and hyperalgesia were exacerbated in the CCI mice, which implied a successful establishment of the NP model, while ADAR3 expression level was suppressed. After injecting ADAR3-overexpressed adenovirus into the CCI mice, allodynia, hyperalgesia and inflammation were all restrained. Moreover, NLRP3 was verified to negatively correlated with ADAR3. Additionally, the pyroptosis-related protein NLRP3, ASC, caspase1, IL-1β, IL-18 and GSDMD expressions were all decreased by ADAR3. In conclusion, ADAR3 alleviated inflammation and pyroptosis of NP through targeting NLRP3, which suggested a therapeutical target for NP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hexagonal Lu0.5−xZrxSc0.5FeO3 polycrystalline samples are synthesized by conventional solid‐state reaction. Effects of slight Zr4+ ions substitution on the structural distortion and magnetoelectric properties are investigated. The coexistence of Fe2+ and Fe3+ is checked by X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). X‐ray diffraction (XRD) and Raman spectrum (RS) microstructural analysis reveal that all samples are in the hexagonal structure with the polar space group of P63cm. With x increasing slightly, the tilting of FeO5 bipyramids and the bending of rare‐earth atomic layers are suppressed. The Néel temperature TN of antiferromagnetic (AFM) transition is decreased, whereas the weak ferromagnetic (WFM) order is strengthened. The permittivity εr of the samples is significantly increased. A dielectric anomaly near TN in Lu0.45Zr0.05Sc0.5FeO3 may indicate magnetoelectric coupling. It is attributed to the spin–phonon coupling as is evidenced by the Raman phonon modes. The improvement of dielectricity and magnetoelectric coupling is explained by considering the Dzyaloshinskii–Moriya interaction, structural distortion, and the incremental ratio of Fe2+ ions. These results provide an idea for sensitive control of electric and magnetic properties in related materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Extensive neuroimaging research on brain structural and functional correlates of suicide has produced inconsistent results. Despite increasing recognition that damage in multiple different brain locations that causes the same symptom can map to a common brain network, there is still a paucity of research investigating network localization of suicide. To clarify this issue, we initially identified brain structural and functional damage locations in relation to suicide from 63 published studies with 2135 suicidal and 2606 nonsuicidal individuals. By applying novel functional connectivity network mapping to large-scale discovery and validation resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging datasets, we mapped these affected brain locations to 3 suicide brain damage networks corresponding to different imaging modalities. The suicide gray matter volume damage network comprised widely distributed brain areas primarily involving the dorsal default mode, basal ganglia, and anterior salience networks. The suicide task-induced activation damage network was similar to but less extensive than the gray matter volume damage network, predominantly implicating the same canonical networks. The suicide resting-state activity damage network manifested as a localized set of brain regions encompassing the orbitofrontal cortex and middle cingulate cortex. Our findings not only may help reconcile prior heterogeneous neuroimaging results, but also may provide insights into the neurobiological mechanisms of suicide from a network perspective, which may ultimately inform more targeted and effective strategies to prevent suicide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sleep disturbance is one of the most frequent somatic symptoms in major depressive disorder (MDD), but the neural mechanisms behind it are not well understood. Sleep efficiency (SE) is a good indicator of early awakening and difficulty falling asleep in MDD patients. Our study aimed to investigate the relationship between sleep efficiency and brain function in MDD patients. We recruited 131 MDD patients from the Fourth People's Hospital in Hefei, and 71 well-matched healthy controls who were enrolled from the community. All subjects underwent resting-state functional MRI. Brain function was measured using the fractional amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation (fALFF), sleep efficiency was objectively measured by polysomnography (PSG), and clinical scales were used to evaluate depressive symptoms and sleep status. Multivariate regression analysis was performed to assess the relationship between the amplitude of the low frequency fluctuation fraction and sleep efficiency. Three brain regions with relevance to sleep efficiency in MDD patients were found: inferior occipital gyrus (Number of voxels = 25, peak MNI coordinate x/y/z = −42/-81/-6, Peak intensity = 4.3148), middle occipital gyrus (Number of voxels = 55, peak MNI coordinate x/y/z = −30/-78/18, Peak intensity = 5.111), and postcentral gyrus (Number of voxels = 26, peak MNI coordinate x/y/z = −27/-33/60, Peak intensity = 4.1263). But there was no significant relationship between fALFF and SE in the healthy controls. The reduced sleep efficiency in MDD may be related to their lower neural activity in the inferior occipital gyrus, middle occipital gyrus, and postcentral gyrus. The findings may provide a potential neuroimaging basis for the clinical intervention in patients with major depressive disorder with sleep disturbances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An azobenzene‐functionalized bis‐bis(urea) ligand (Lazo) and phosphate anion assemble to give the first photoactive "aniono" constructs, tetrahedron (A4L6) and helicate (A2L3), which readily undergo interconversion through cis‐trans isomerization of the azo group under irradiation/heating. Most strikingly, the tetrahedral cage can accommodate an [18]crown‐6 molecule, which can capture two tetramethylammonium (TMA+) ions with an unusually high affinity, even capable of replacing K+ in [K([18]crown‐6)]+ to form a {(TMA)2⊂ ([18]crown‐6)}⊂ cage "Russian doll" structure. Thus, the current work may provide a model for the light‐driven binding and exchange of the biologically important K+ and TMA+ ions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An azobenzene‐functionalized bis‐bis(urea) ligand (Lazo) and phosphate anion assemble to give the first photoactive "aniono" constructs, tetrahedron (A4L6) and helicate (A2L3), which readily undergo interconversion through cis‐trans isomerization of the azo group under irradiation/heating. Most strikingly, the tetrahedral cage can accommodate an [18]crown‐6 molecule, which can capture two tetramethylammonium (TMA+) ions with an unusually high affinity, even capable of replacing K+ in [K([18]crown‐6)]+ to form a {(TMA)2⊂ ([18]crown‐6)}⊂ cage "Russian doll" structure. Thus, the current work may provide a model for the light‐driven binding and exchange of the biologically important K+ and TMA+ ions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Blood brain barrier (BBB) hyperpermeability and brain edema contribute to increased seizure susceptibility and brain injury in status epilepticus (SE). The endothelial glycocalyx is the coating on luminal side of the endothelium and can be considered as the first barrier of BBB. Currently, little is known about the effects of endothelial glycocalyx in SE. We hypothesized glycocalyx degradation could be considered as a first step in the pathophysiology of SE. The study aimed to investigate the impacts of glycocalyx integrity loss on brain damage in a C57BL/6 mouse model of SE induced by lithium-pilocarpine and whether heparin, a competitive antagonist against heparinase, improves survival and neurological outcome. Compared to controls, glycocalyx was significantly degraded after SE, which was mitigated by heparin. The glycocalyx disruption was associated with higher BBB permeability and aggravated brain edema at 72 h after SE, as well as lower survival rate and poorer neurologic outcome. Conversely, preservation of glycocalyx by heparin could reduce SE-induced activation of glia cells, BBB leakage, brain edema, decrease the expressions of inflammatory factors and improve neurologic outcome. The study highlights the importance of glycocalyx degradation in cerebral edema and SE outcome, and indicates heparin treatment may be a new strategy for brain protection in SE. Unlabelled Image • Glycocalyx degradation may be the first step in the pathogenesis of SE. • Heparin ameliorated the glycocalyx degradation in SE. • Preservation of glycocalyx by heparin reduce SE-induced injury and improve outcome. • Heparin ameliorated BBB disruption and cerebral edema in SE. • Heparin treatment may be a new strategy for brain protection in SE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prior studies have discussed rapid eye movement (REM) sleep disturbance as a potential endophenotype of major depressive disorder (MDD). However, the neural substrates underlying the percentage of REM sleep duration (REM%) and its association with disease progression in MDD remain unclear. One hundred and fourteen MDD patients and 74 healthy controls (HCs) underwent resting-state functional and perfusion magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans as well as overnight polysomnography examination to assess brain function and REM%, with 48 patients completing follow-up visits. Correlation and mediation analyses were conducted to investigate the associations among baseline REM%, multimodal brain imaging measures, and the improvement of depressive symptoms at follow-up in MDD. We found voxel-wise correlations between baseline REM% and multimodal brain imaging metrics in many brain regions involved in sensorimotor, visual processing, emotion, and cognition in patients with MDD. Moreover, the baseline REM% was correlated with the improvement of depressive symptoms from acute to remitted status in patients through regulating brain activity in the left inferior temporal gyrus and cerebral blood flow in the bilateral paracentral lobule. Our findings help to identify the neural underpinnings of REM% in depression and highlight REM% as a potential prognostic biomarker to predict disease progression. These may inform future novel interventions of MDD from the perspective of regulating REM sleep. • MDD patients exhibited abnormal rapid eye movement sleep duration (REM%). • REM% is related to multimodal brain functional imaging measures in MDD. • Baseline REM% could predict symptom improvement via changing brain function in MDD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Idiopathic or classical trigeminal neuralgia (TN) is a chronic painful condition characterized by intermittent pain attacks. Enough evidence demonstrates classical TN is related to neurovascular compression (NVC) at the trigeminal root entry zone (REZ), but white matter change secondary to TN are not totally known.Methods: Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) and diffusion tensor imaging were performed on 29 patients with right TN and 35 healthy individuals. Voxel-wise analyses were performed with TBSS using multiple diffusion metrics, including fractional anisotropy (FA), mean diffusivity (MD), axial diffusivity (AD) and radial diffusivity (RD). Group differences in these parameters were compared between right TN patients and controls using TBSS and correlations between the white matter change and disease duration and VAS in right TN patients were assessed. Multiple comparison correction were applied to test significant correlations.Results: The right TN patients showed significantly lower FA and higher RD in most left white matter (P < 0.05, FWE corrected). Moreover, negative correlations were observed between disease duration and the FA values of left corona radiata, genu of corpus callosum, left external capsule and left cerebral peduncle, and between VAS and the FA values of left corona radiata, left external capsule and left cerebral peduncle (P < 0.05). Positive correlations were observed for disease duration and the RD values of left corona radiata, right external capsule, left fornix cerebri and left cerebral peduncle, and for VAS and the RD values of left corona radiata and left external capsule (P < 0.05). However, once Bonferroni corrections were applied, these correlations were not statistically significant.Conclusion: These findings suggest that TN selectively impairs widespread white matter, especially contralateral hemisphere, which may be the hallmark of disease severity in TN patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A compact multiband rectangular dielectric resonator antenna (RDRA) is proposed in this study for worldwide interoperability for microwave access, wireless local area network, and fifth‐generation applications. The dielectric resonator antenna is fed by a 2‐slot etched coplanar waveguide with a conformal strip feed, a dielectric resonator with a dielectric constant of 37 is used and embedded into the substrate, and a foam substrate is used as a holder. The RDRA exhibits multiband and omnidirectional radiation patterns by generating a monopole mode as well as the typical TEδ11x and TEδ31x modes, which provides impedance bandwidths (|S11| < −10 dB) of 29.0% at the first band, 15.1% at the second band, and 6.2% at the third band. Additionally, the RDRA achieves a maximum total efficiency of 94.4% at 4.8 GHz and an overall total efficiency of 70% at the desired frequency bands. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Despite advances in our understanding of the critical role of the microbiota in stroke patients, the oral microbiome has rarely been reported to be associated with stroke-associated pneumonia (SAP). We sought to profile the oral microbial composition of SAP patients and to determine whether microbiome temporal instability and special taxa are associated with pneumonia progression and functional outcomes. Methods: This is a prospective, observational, single-center cohort study that examined patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS) who were admitted within 24 h of experiencing a stroke event. The patients were divided into three groups based on the occurrence of pneumonia and the use of mechanical ventilation: nonpneumonia group, SAP group, and ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) group. We collected oral swabs at different time points post-admission and analyzed the microbiota using 16 S rRNA high-throughput sequencing. The microbiota was then compared among the three groups. Results: In total, 104 nonpneumonia, 50 SAP and 10 VAP patients were included in the analysis. We found that SAP and VAP patients exhibited significant dynamic differences in the diversity and composition of the oral microbiota and that the magnitude of this dysbiosis and instability increased during hospitalization. Then, by controlling the potential effect of all latent confounding variables, we assessed the changes associated with pneumonia after stroke and explored patients with a lower abundance of Streptococcus were more likely to suffer from SAP. The logistic regression analysis revealed that an increase in specific taxa in the phylum Actinobacteriota was linked to a higher risk of poor outcomes. A model for SAP patients based on oral microbiota could accurately predict 30-day clinical outcomes after stroke onset. Conclusions: We concluded that specific oral microbiota signatures could be used to predict illness development and clinical outcomes in SAP patients. We proposed the potential of the oral microbiota as a non-invasive diagnostic biomarker in the clinical management of SAP patients. Clinical Trial registration: NCT04688138. Registered 29/12/2020, https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04688138. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Extensive research has shown abnormal cerebral blood flow (CBF) in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) that is a heritable disease. The objective of this study was to investigate the genetic mechanisms of CBF abnormalities in MDD. Methods: To achieve a more thorough characterization of CBF changes in MDD, we performed a comprehensive neuroimaging meta-analysis of previous literature as well as examined group CBF differences in an independent sample of 133 MDD patients and 133 controls. In combination with the Allen Human Brain Atlas, transcriptome-neuroimaging spatial association analyses were conducted to identify genes whose expression correlated with CBF changes in MDD, followed by a set of gene functional feature analyses. Results: We found increased CBF in the reward circuitry and default-mode network and decreased CBF in the visual system in MDD patients. Moreover, these CBF changes were spatially associated with expression of 1532 genes, which were enriched for important molecular functions, biological processes, and cellular components of the cerebral cortex as well as several common mental disorders. Concurrently, these genes were specifically expressed in the brain tissue, in immune cells and neurons, and during nearly all developmental stages. Regarding behavioral relevance, these genes were associated with domains involving emotion and sensation. In addition, these genes could construct a protein-protein interaction network supported by 60 putative hub genes with functional significance. Conclusions: Our findings suggest a cerebral perfusion redistribution in MDD, which may be a consequence of complex interactions of a wide range of genes with diverse functional features. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Patients with neuromyelitis optica (NMO) have shown structural and functional impairments in the visual cortex. We aimed to characterize subregional grey matter volume (GMV) and resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC) changes in the visual cortex in NMO. Thirty-seven NMO patients and forty-two controls underwent structural and functional MRI scans. The GMV and rsFC of each visual subregion were compared between the groups. Compared with controls, NMO patients had GMV reductions in the bilateral V1, V2, V3d, VP, and LO and in the left V3A. In canonical visual pathways, the relatively low-level subregions showed more significant GMV reductions than did the high-level ones. Regardless of GMV correction, NMO patients showed reduced rsFC in the bilateral LO and V4v and in the left V2. The GMVs of the bilateral V1 and LO and of the left V2 and V3d were negatively correlated with clinical disability in NMO patients; these correlation coefficients were associated with hierarchical positions in the visual pathways. These findings suggest that in NMO, the low-level visual subregions have more severe structural damage; structural damage is not the only factor affecting rsFC alterations of visual subregions; GMV reduction in the low-level visual subregions has the highest predictive value for clinical disability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, we report a novel cathode composed of three-dimensional intersected graphene nanoribbons skeleton decorated with RuO 2 catalyst, where graphene nanoribbons are obtained by unzipping multi-walled carbon nanotubes. The graphene nanoribbons framework exhibits a three-dimensional intersected structure and a large specific surface area, leading to a higher capacity than multi-walled carbon nanotubes. The RuO 2 introduced via a facile dropping method enhances the oxygen evolution reaction kinetics and obviously reduces the charge overpotential. More importantly, the Li–O 2 battery with RuO 2 decorated graphene nanoribbons cathode presents an excellent cycling stability of 424 cycles at a curtailed capacity of 1000 mAh g−1, which can be attributed to the synergistic effect between the intersected band-like graphene and highly effective RuO 2 particles. The Li 2 O 2 deposited on graphene nanoribbons shows a totally different surface morphology compared with that on multi-walled carbon nanotubes due to the different structures of carbon substrates. This work provides a promising design of highly efficient air electrodes for high-performance Li–O 2 batteries. Unlabelled Image • A 3D intersected graphene nanoribbons skeleton is prepared by chemical shear. • The ORR performance of the cell with GNRs is better than that with MWCNTs. • The battery with RuO 2 @GNRs shows an excellent cycling stability of 424 cycles. • The deposition of Li 2 O 2 shows two totally different morphologies on GNRs and MWCNTs. • The strip-like Li 2 O 2 deposited on the quasi-1D GNRs obeys conformal growth mode. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to prepare cefquinome-loaded polylactic acid microspheres and to evaluate their in vitro and in vivo characteristics and pharmacodynamics for the therapy of pneumonia in a rat model. Microspheres were prepared using a 0.7 mm two-fluid nozzle spray drier in one step resulting in spherical and smooth microspheres of uniform size (9.8 ± 3.6 μm). The encapsulation efficiency and drug loading of cefquinome were 91.6 ± 2.6% and 18.7 ± 1.2%, respectively. In vitro release of cefquinome from the microspheres was sustained for 36 h. Cefquinome-loaded polylactic acid microspheres as a drug delivery system was successful for clearing experimental Klebsiella pneumonia lung infections. A decrease in inflammatory cells and an inhibition of inflammatory cytokines TNF-α, IL-1β and IL-8 after microspheres treatment was found. Changes in cytokine levels and types are secondary manifestations of drug bactericidal effects. Rats were considered to be microbiologically cured because the bacterial load was less than 100 CFU/g. These results also indicated that the spray-drying method of loading therapeutic drug into polylactic acid microspheres is a straightforward and safe method for lung-targeting therapy in animals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]