Urinary profiles of bisphenol S derivatives and their exposure pathway analysis in maternal and infant populations of Beijing.

Bisphenol S (BPS) derivatives have potential reproductive developmental toxicity and have been found in the environment and in breast milk. The level of infant exposure and the source are currently unknown. In this study, we investigated BPS and six derivatives (together referred to as BPs) in urine samples from mothers and infants, indoor dust, breast milk and infant formula in Beijing, China.

Kaixinsan regulates neuronal mitochondrial homeostasis to improve the cognitive function of Alzheimer's disease by activating CaMKKβ-AMPK-PGC-1α signaling axis.

Background: Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease primarily characterized by cognitive impairments. With the intensification of population aging, AD has become a major health concern affecting the elderly. Kaixinsan, a classical traditional Chinese formula, consists of Ginseng Panax et Rhizoma, Polygalae Radix, Poria and Acori Tatarinowii Rhizoma, and is commonly used in clinical for treating memory decline.

Molecular mechanisms of mitochondrial homeostasis regulation in neurons and possible therapeutic approaches for Alzheimer's disease.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurological disease with memory loss and cognitive decline, which affects a large proportion of the aging population. Regrettably, there are no drug to reverse or cure AD and drug development for the primary theory of amyloid beta deposition has mostly failed. Therefore, there is an urgent need to investigate novel strategies for preventing AD.

Deactivation of dorsal CA1 pyramidal neurons projecting to medial prefrontal cortex contributes to neuropathic pain and short-term memory impairment.

Neuropathic pain after peripheral nerve injury is a multidimensional experience that includes sensory, affective, and cognitive components that interact with one another. Hypoexcitation of the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) was observed in mice with peripheral nerve injury, but the changes in neural inputs onto the mPFC have not been completely explored. Here, we report that the neural terminals from the dorsal hippocampus CA1 (dCA1) form excitatory connection with layer 5 pyramidal neurons in the prelimbic area (PrL) of the mPFC.

Anisotropic charge transfer and gate tuning for p-SnS/n-MoS vertical van der Waals diodes.

2D-material-based van der Waals heterostructures (vdWhs) have shown great potential in next-generation multi-functional microelectronic devices. Thanks to their sharp interface and ultrathin thickness, 2D p-n junctions with high rectification properties have been established by combining p-type monochalcogenides with n-type transition metal dichalcogenides. However, the anisotropic rectification together with the charge transfer and gate effect has not been clarified.

Impaired Lactate Release in Dorsal CA1 Astrocytes Contributed to Nociceptive Sensitization and Comorbid Memory Deficits in Rodents.

Background: Memory deficits are a common comorbid disorder in patients suffering from neuropathic pain. The mechanisms underlying the comorbidities remain elusive. The hypothesis of this study was that impaired lactate release from dysfunctional astrocytes in dorsal hippocampal CA1 contributed to memory deficits.

A Transformer-Based Neural Network for Gait Prediction in Lower Limb Exoskeleton Robots Using Plantar Force.

Lower limb exoskeleton robots have shown significant research value due to their capabilities of providing assistance to wearers and improving physical motion functions. As a type of robotic technology, wearable robots are directly in contact with the wearer's limbs during operation, necessitating a high level of human-robot collaboration to ensure safety and efficacy. Furthermore, gait prediction for the wearer, which helps to compensate for sensor delays and provide references for controller design, is crucial for improving the the human-robot collaboration capability.

Tail nerve electrical stimulation promoted the efficiency of transplanted spinal cord-like tissue as a neuronal relay to repair the motor function of rats with transected spinal cord injury.

Following transected spinal cord injury (SCI), there is a critical need to restore nerve conduction at the injury site and activate the silent neural circuits caudal to the injury to promote the recovery of voluntary movement. In this study, we generated a rat model of SCI, constructed neural stem cell (NSC)-derived spinal cord-like tissue (SCLT), and evaluated its ability to replace injured spinal cord and repair nerve conduction in the spinal cord as a neuronal relay. The lumbosacral spinal cord was further activated with tail nerve electrical stimulation (TNES) as a synergistic electrical stimulation to better receive the neural information transmitted by the SCLT.

Bisphenol A exposure induces testicular oxidative damage via FTO/m6A/Nrf2 axis during postnatal development in mice.

Bisphenol A (BPA), a commonly used plasticizer in the production of polycarbonate plastics and epoxy resins, has been shown to induce male reproductive toxicity. However, the effects of BPA exposure on early testicular development have not been thoroughly studied, and the underlying mechanism is yet to be elucidated. In the current study, neonatal male mice were exposed to BPA at 0, 0.

Histone methyltransferase WHSC1 loss dampens MHC-I antigen presentation pathway to impair IFN-γ-stimulated antitumor immunity.

IFN-γ-stimulated MHC class I (MHC-I) antigen presentation underlies the core of antitumor immunity. However, sustained IFN-γ signaling also enhances the programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1) checkpoint pathway to dampen antitumor immunity. It remains unclear how these opposing effects of IFN-γ are regulated.

Governor Vessel Electro-Acupuncture Promotes the Intrinsic Growth Ability of Spinal Neurons through Activating Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide/α-Calcium/Calmodulin-Dependent Protein Kinase/Neurotrophin-3 Pathway after Spinal Cord Injury.

Spinal cord injury (SCI) invariably results in neuronal death and failure of axonal regeneration. This is attributed mainly to the hostile microenvironment and the poor intrinsic regrowth capacity of the injured spinal neurons. We have reported previously that electro-acupuncture on Governor Vessel acupoints (GV-EA) can promote neuronal survival and axonal regeneration of injured spinal cord.

Circulating apelin, chemerin and omentin levels in patients with gestational diabetes mellitus: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: The available data on the significance of circulating apelin, chemerin and omentin in women with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) are inconsistent. This analysis includes a systematic review of the evidence associating the serum concentrations of these adipokines with GDM.

Methods: Publications through December 2019 were retrieved from PubMed, Embase, the Cochrane Library, and Web of Science.

Associations of serum citrate levels with knee structural changes and cartilage enzymes in patients with knee osteoarthritis.

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate cross-sectional associations between serum levels of citrate and knee structural changes and cartilage enzymes in patients with knee osteoarthritis (OA).

Method: A total of 137 subjects with symptomatic knee OA (mean age 55.0 years, range 34-74, 84% female) were included.

Associations between circulating adipokines and bone mineral density in patients with knee osteoarthritis: a cross-sectional study.

Background: Associations between adipokines and bone mineral density (BMD) in knee osteoarthritis (OA) remain indistinct. The aim of this study was to investigate the cross-sectional associations between serum levels of adipokines and BMD in patients with knee OA.

Methods: This study included 164 patients with symptomatic knee OA from the Anhui Osteoarthritis study.

Histone methyltransferase SETD2 modulates alternative splicing to inhibit intestinal tumorigenesis.

The histone H3K36 methyltransferase SETD2 is frequently mutated or deleted in a variety of human tumors. Nevertheless, the role of SETD2 loss in oncogenesis remains largely undefined. Here, we found that SETD2 counteracts Wnt signaling and its inactivation promotes intestinal tumorigenesis in mouse models of colorectal cancer (CRC).

Associations between systemic bone mineral density, knee cartilage defects and bone marrow lesions in patients with knee osteoarthritis.

Aim: The relationship between bone mineral density (BMD) and osteoarthritis (OA) remains controversial. This study aimed to explore the cross-sectional associations between BMD at the total body, hip and spine and joint structural abnormalities including cartilage defects and bone marrow lesions (BMLs) in patients with knee OA.

Method: One hundred and eight-five subjects with symptomatic knee OA were included in this study.

Epithelial EZH2 serves as an epigenetic determinant in experimental colitis by inhibiting TNFα-mediated inflammation and apoptosis.

Epithelial barrier disruption is a major cause of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD); however, the mechanism through which epigenetic regulation modulates intestinal epithelial integrity remains largely undefined. Here we show that EZH2, the catalytic subunit of polycomb repressive complex (PRC2), is indispensable for maintaining epithelial cell barrier integrity and homeostasis under inflammatory conditions. In accordance with reduced EZH2 expression in patients, the inactivation of EZH2 in IECs sensitizes mice to DSS- and TNBS-induced experimental colitis.

AKT-mediated stabilization of histone methyltransferase WHSC1 promotes prostate cancer metastasis.

Loss of phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN) and activation of the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway are hallmarks of prostate cancer (PCa). However, these alterations alone are insufficient for cells to acquire metastatic traits. Here, we have shown that the histone dimethyl transferase WHSC1 critically drives indolent PTEN-null tumors to become metastatic PCa.

Domain-confined catalytic soot combustion over Co3O4 anchored on a TiO2 nanotube array catalyst prepared by mercaptoacetic acid induced surface-grafting.

Herein, we introduce a specially designed domain-confined macroporous catalyst, namely, the Co3O4 nanocrystals anchored on a TiO2 nanotube array catalyst, which was synthesized by using the mercaptoacetic acid induced surface-grafting method. This catalyst exhibits much better performance for catalytic soot combustion than the conventional TiO2 powder supported one in gravitational contact mode (GMC).