Neurons for infant social behaviors in the mouse zona incerta.

Understanding the neural basis of infant social behaviors is crucial for elucidating the mechanisms of early social and emotional development. In this work, we report a specific population of somatostatin-expressing neurons in the zona incerta (ZI) of preweaning mice that responds dynamically to social interactions, particularly those with their mother. Bidirectional neural activity manipulations in pups revealed that widespread connectivity of preweaning ZI neurons to sensory, emotional, and cognitive brain centers mediates two key adaptive functions associated with maternal presence: the reduction of behavior distress and the facilitation of learning.

Fe-Mn binary oxides improve the methanogenic performance and reduce the environmental health risks associated with antibiotic resistance genes during anaerobic digestion.

Increasing evidence indicates that metal oxides can improve the methanogenic performance during anaerobic digestion (AD) of piggery wastewater. However, the impacts of composite metal oxides on the methanogenic performance and risk of antibiotic resistance gene (ARG) transmission during AD are not fully understood. In this study, different concentrations of Fe-Mn binary oxides (FMBO at 0, 250, 500, and 1000 mg/L) were added to AD to explore the effects of FMBO on the process.

Peptide targeting improves the delivery and therapeutic index of glucocorticoids to treat rheumatoid arthritis.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a prevalent autoimmune disease characterized by excessive inflammation in the joints. Glucocorticoid drugs are used clinically to manage RA symptoms, while their dosage and duration need to be tightly controlled due to severe adverse effects. Using dexamethasone (DEX) as a model drug, we explored here whether peptide-guided delivery could increase the safety and therapeutic index of glucocorticoids for RA treatment.

Facile and selective separation of anthraquinones by alizarin-modified iron oxide magnetic nanoparticles.

Anthraquinones are widely distributed in higher plants and possess broad biological activities. The conventional separation procedures for isolating anthraquinones from the plant crude extracts require multiple extraction, concentration, and column chromatography steps. In this study, we synthesized three alizarin (AZ)-modified FeO nanoparticles (FeO@AZ, FeO@SiO-AZ, and FeO@SiO-PEI-AZ) by thermal solubilization method.

Identification of an ALK-2 inhibitor as an agonist for intercellular exchange and tumor delivery of nanomaterial.

Inefficient extravasation and penetration in solid tissues hinder the clinical outcome of nanoparticles (NPs). Recent studies have shown that the extravasation and penetration of NPs in solid tumor was mostly achieved via an active transcellular route. For this transport process, numerous efforts have been devoted to elucidate the endocytosis and subcellular trafficking of NPs.

The effects on type 2 diabetes mellitus mouse femoral bone achieved by anti-osteoporosis exercise interventions.

Purpose: Exercise therapy and key regulators of bone quality exert anti-hyperglycemic effects on type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) mice. A number of programs have been reported to have an effect on bone disease in T2DM. Major unanswered questions concern the potential correlation of exercise with the improvement of bone quality in T2DM mice and how the nonlinear optical properties of bone are correlated with changes to its crystal structure.

A case of Kernohan-Woltman notch phenomenon caused by an epidural hematoma: the diagnostic and prognostic value of PET/CT imaging.

Background: Kernohan-Woltman notch phenomenon (KWNP) classically occurs when a lesion causes compression of the contralateral cerebral peduncle against the tentorium, resulting in ipsilateral hemiparesis. It has been studied clinically, radiologically and electrophysiologically which all confirmed to cause false localizing motor signs. Here, we demonstrate the potential use of fluorine-18 fluorodeoxyglucose (18 F-FDG) positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) to identify KWNP caused by an epidural hematoma.

Electrochemical Reduction and Oxidation of Chlorinated Aromatic Compounds Enhanced by the Fe-ZSM-5 Catalyst: Kinetics and Mechanisms.

Devising cost-effective electrochemical catalyst system for the efficient degradation of chlorinated aromatic compounds is urgently needed for environmental pollution control. Herein, a Fe-ZSM-5 zeolite was used as a suspended catalyst to facilitate the degradation of lindane as a model chlorinated pesticide in an electrochemical system consisting of the commercial DSA (Ti/RuO-IrO) anode and graphite cathode. It was found that the Fe-ZSM-5 zeolite greatly accelerated the degradation of lindane, with the degradation rate constant more than 8 times higher than that without Fe-ZSM-5.

Co-administration of Transportan Peptide Enhances the Cellular Entry of Liposomes in the Bystander Manner Both In Vitro and In Vivo.

Liposomes have been widely used as a drug delivery vector. One way to further improve its therapeutic efficacy is to increase the cell entry efficiency. Covalent conjugation with cell-penetrating peptides (CPPs) and other types of ligands has been the mainstream strategy to tackle this issue.

Fully Endoscopic Microvascular Decompression for Hemifacial Spasm Using Improved Retrosigmoid Infrafloccular Approach: Clinical Analysis of 81 Cases.

Background: Microvascular decompression (MVD) is widely accepted as the preferred treatment for hemifacial spasm (HFS). Endoscopy has been implemented to provide a comprehensive view of neurovascular conflicts and minimize the damage caused by brain retraction while exploring the facial nerve root exit zone of the brain stem.

Objective: To preliminarily evaluate the surgical safety and efficacy of fully endoscopic MVD for HFS using an improved retrosigmoid infrafloccular approach.

Microscale magnetic field modulation using rapidly patterned soft magnetic microstructures.

The ability to locally modulate the magnetic field distribution is a prerequisite for efficient manipulation in magnetic force-based microfluidic devices. Here, we report a simple, robust, and fast fabrication method of magnetic microstructures for locally modulating magnetic fields. In the proposed method, a photosensitive magnetic composite consisting of carbonyl-iron microparticles in a poly(ethylene glycol) diacrylate (PEGDA) matrix was utilized to photolithographically fabricate magnetic microstructures.

Synergistic Entry of Individual Nanoparticles into Mammalian Cells Driven by Free Energy Decline and Regulated by Their Sizes.

Cell entry is one of the common prerequisites for nanomaterial applications. Despite extensive studies on a homogeneous group of nanoparticles (NPs), fewer studies have been performed when two or more types of NPs were coadministrated. We previously described a synergistic cell entry process for two heterogeneous groups of NPs, where NPs functionalized with TAT (transactivator of transcription) peptide (T-NPs) stimulate the cellular uptake of coadministered unfunctionalized NPs (bystander NPs, B-NPs).

The fate of antibiotic resistance genes and their influential factors in swine manure composting with sepiolite as additive.

Manures are storages for antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) entering the environment. This study investigated the effects of adding sepiolite at 0%, 2.5%, 5%, and 7.

Elucidating the beneficial effects of diatomite for reducing abundances of antibiotic resistance genes during swine manure composting.

Diatomite (DE) has been used for nitrogen conservation during the composting of feces but its effects on antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) and the associated mechanisms are still unclear. In this study, DE was added at three different proportions (0%, 4%, and 8%) to swine manure during composting. The results showed that adding DE helped to reduce the abundances of ARGs and the maximum decrease (88.

The Role of Long Non-coding RNA, Nuclear Enriched Abundant Transcript 1 (NEAT1) in Cancer and Other Pathologies.

Nuclear enriched abundant transcript 1 (NEAT1), consisting of two kinds of lncRNAs of 3.7 kB NEAT1-1 and 23 kB NEAT1-2, can be highly expressed in organs and tissues such as the ovary, prostate, colon, and pancreas, and is involved in paraspeckle formation and mRNA editing and gene expression. Therefore, NEAT1 is a potential biomarker for the treatment of a variety of diseases, which may be caused by two factors (isoforms of NEAT1 and NEAT1 sponging miRNA as ceRNA).

Transportan Peptide Stimulates the Nanomaterial Internalization into Mammalian Cells in the Bystander Manner through Macropinocytosis.

Covalent coupling with cell-penetrating peptides (CPPs) has been a common strategy to facilitate the cell entry of nanomaterial and other macromolecules. Though efficient, this strategy requires chemical modifications on nanomaterials, which is not always desired for their applications. Recent studies on a few cationic CPPs have revealed that they can stimulate the cellular uptake of nanoparticles (NPs) simply via co-administration (bystander manner), which bypasses the requirement of chemical modification.

Impact of Subthalamic Deep Brain Stimulation on Hyposmia in Patients With Parkinson's Disease Is Influenced by Constipation and Dysbiosis of Microbiota.

Non-motor symptoms in PD usually arise at very early stage and vary during the whole disease progression. Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is considered as a highly efficient treatment option for PD's motor function. However, the effect of DBS on NMS, especially hyposmia, has not been fully understood and the deep connection between different NMS such as hyposmia and constipation is still unknown.

Identification of minimal hepatic encephalopathy based on dynamic functional connectivity.

To investigate whether dynamic functional connectivity (DFC) metrics can better identify minimal hepatic encephalopathy (MHE) patients from cirrhotic patients without any hepatic encephalopathy (noHE) and healthy controls (HCs). Resting-state functional MRI data were acquired from 62 patients with cirrhosis (MHE, n = 30; noHE, n = 32) and 41 HCs. We used the sliding time window approach and functional connectivity analysis to extract the time-varying properties of brain connectivity.

Macropinocytosis as a cell entry route for peptide-functionalized and bystander nanoparticles.

Endocytic pathways provide the primary route for therapeutic and diagnostic nanoparticles (NPs) to enter cells and subcellular compartments. A better understanding of these cell entry processes will not only aid in nanomaterial applications but also broaden our knowledge of cell biology. Among the endocytic routes, macropinocytosis has unique characteristics for engulfing NPs and other large cargo, yet its molecular machinery and involvement in NP uptake are far less characterized relative to other pathways.

Searching for biological feedstock material: 3D printing of wood particles from house borer and drywood termite frass.

Frass (fine powdery refuse or fragile perforated wood produced by the activity of boring insects) of larvae of the European house borer (EHB) and of drywood termites was tested as a natural and novel feedstock for 3D-printing of wood-based materials. Small particles produced by the drywood termite Incisitermes marginipennis and the EHB Hylotrupes bajulus during feeding in construction timber, were used. Frass is a powdery material of particularly consistent quality that is essentially biologically processed wood mixed with debris of wood and faeces.

Curcumin suppresses colorectal tumorigenesis via the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway by downregulating Axin2.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common cancer worldwide, with high incidence and mortality rates. Conventional therapies, including surgery, chemotherapy and radiation, are extensively used for the treatment of CRC. However, patients present with adverse effects, such as toxicity, hepatic injury and drug resistance.

Identifying Mild Hepatic Encephalopathy Based on Multi-Layer Modular Algorithm and Machine Learning.

Hepatic encephalopathy (HE) is a neurocognitive dysfunction based on metabolic disorders caused by severe liver disease, which has a high one-year mortality. Mild hepatic encephalopathy (MHE) has a high risk of converting to overt HE, and thus the accurate identification of MHE from cirrhosis with no HE (noHE) is of great significance in reducing mortality. Previously, most studies focused on studying abnormality in the static brain networks of MHE to find biomarkers.

An optimized acetylcholine sensor for monitoring in vivo cholinergic activity.

The ability to directly measure acetylcholine (ACh) release is an essential step toward understanding its physiological function. Here we optimized the GRAB (GPCR-activation-based ACh) sensor to achieve substantially improved sensitivity in ACh detection, as well as reduced downstream coupling to intracellular pathways. The improved version of the ACh sensor retains the subsecond response kinetics, physiologically relevant affinity and precise molecular specificity for ACh of its predecessor.

Enhanced Microwave Absorption and Electromagnetic Properties of Si-Modified rGO@FeO/PVDF--HFP Composites.

Graphene has been regarded as one of the most promising two-dimensional nanomaterials. Even so, graphene was still faced with several key issues such as impedance mismatching and narrow bandwidth, which have hindered the practical applications of graphene-based nanocomposites in the field of microwave absorption materials. Herein, a series of Si-modified rGO@FeO composites were investigated and fabricated by a simple method.

Identification of the cleavage sites leading to the shed forms of human and mouse anti-aging and cognition-enhancing protein Klotho.

Klotho is an age-extending, cognition-enhancing protein found to be down-regulated in aged mammals when age-related diseases start to appear. Low levels of Klotho occur in neurodegenerative diseases, kidney disease and many cancers. Many normal and pathologic processes involve the proteolytic shedding of membrane proteins.