Alexithymia characteristics are associated with salience network activity in healthy participants: an arterial spin labeling study.

Background: Alexithymia, a personality trait characterized by difficulties in identifying and expressing their emotions despite having a range of emotional experiences, can impact individuals' stress coping mechanisms. While many studies have investigated brain functions associated with specific tasks in relation to emotion processing, research focusing on resting-state brain functions has been limited. Thus, the aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between alexithymia and brain function by analyzing arterial spin labeling (ASL) data obtained during the resting state.

Efficient Upconversion by Highly Water-Soluble Cationic Sensitizer and Emitter in Aqueous Solutions with DNA.

Highly water-soluble cationic palladium porphyrin as a sensitizer and 9,10-bis(4-trimethylammoniumphenyl)anthracene as an emitter were newly synthesized. They were shown to be bound and immobilized in DNA double helix assembly from absorption, fluorescence, phosphorescence, and circular dichroism spectra. Upon excitation at 532 nm in deaerated aqueous solutions, they showed weak blue upconversion fluorescence, the efficiency of which increased dramatically in the presence of DNA.