Biomarkers.

Background: Speech impairment appears at early stages of Alzheimer's disease. A mobile voice recognition-based cognitive assessment tool, Shanghai Cognitive Screening (SCS), was developed for detecting mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and dementia in the community. The objective of this study is to investigate speech biomarkers associated with cognitive impairments based on SCS, and to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of speech feature-based machine learning (ML) models for detecting MCI.

High-resolution hemodynamic estimation from ultrafast ultrasound image velocimetry using a physics-informed neural network.

Estimating the high-resolution (HR) blood flow velocity and pressure fields for the diagnosis and treatment of vascular diseases remains challenging.. In this study, a physics-informed neural network (PINN) with a refined mapping capability was combined with ultrafast ultrasound image velocimetry (u-UIV) to predict HR hemodynamic parameters.

Biomarkers.

Background: Alzheimer's disease (AD) is characterized by the deposition of amyloid plaques and tau neurofibrillary tangles in the brain with continuous cognitive impairment. Although the mechanism underlying AD pathogenesis remains unclear, more evidence suggests that synaptic dysfunction and loss may be an early event in disease progression. Metabotropic glutamate receptor 5 (mGluR5), a kind of G protein-coupled receptor, is involved in AD pathology through modulating synaptic transmission and plasticity and thus exhibits therapeutic effects.

Machine Learning Approach for Sepsis Risk Assessment in Ischemic Stroke Patients.

Background: Ischemic stroke is a critical neurological condition, with infection representing a significant aspect of its clinical management. Sepsis, a life-threatening organ dysfunction resulting from infection, is among the most dangerous complications in the intensive care unit (ICU). Currently, no model exists to predict the onset of sepsis in ischemic stroke patients.

Biomarkers.

Background: Social isolation (SI) and loneliness are related to several negative health outcomes, including cognitive decline and dementia. While both males and females experience increased SI as a function of age, studies have found that females experience greater loneliness than males, despite males reporting more physical isolation and smaller social networks. Females, independent of SI-status, are also at increased risk of Alzheimer's disease (AD).

Biomarkers.

Background: Alpha-internexin (AINX) is a type IV intermediate filament alongside the neurofilament triplet proteins. Although AINX is mostly expressed during the development of the brain, it is still present in mature neurons and reported to be involved in axonal outgrowth. Because of a lack of previously published studies quantifying AINX in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), and its high sequence similarity with other neurofilaments, the objective of this project was to specifically detect AINX via antibody-based techniques and assess its biomarker capabilities.

Biomarkers.

Background: Quantitative transport mapping (QTM) has been developed for estimation of blood flow velocity with 4D dynamic tracer concentration data (Zhou et. al., Magn.

In Situ Infared Optical Fiber Sensor Monitoring Reactants and Products Changes during Photocatalytic Reaction.

An in situ monitoring reaction can better obtain the variations during the progression of the photocatalytic reaction. However, the complexity of the apparatus and the limited applicability of substances are the common challenges faced by most in situ monitoring methods. Here, we invented an in situ infrared optical fiber sensor to monitor the reactants and products during photocatalytic reaction.

Benzothiazolium salts as versatile primary alcohol derivatives in Ni-catalyzed cross-electrophile arylation/vinylation.

Herein, we report a Ni-catalyzed cross-electrophile coupling of aryl/vinyl halides with benzothiazolium salts derived from alcohols. Our findings demonstrate that primary alkyl benzothiazolium salts serve as effective C(sp)-O substrates, facilitating coupling with aryl and vinyl halides. This method not only enables the formal functionalization of primary alcohols but also provides experimental support for previously established sequential alcohol halogenation and Ni-catalyzed reductive coupling platforms.

Atomistic dynamics of elimination and substitution driven by entrance channel.

E2 elimination and SN2 substitution reactions are of central importance in preparative organic synthesis due to their stereospecificity. Herein, atomistic dynamics of a prototype reaction of ethyl chloride with hydroxide ion are uncovered that show strikingly distinct features from the case with fluoride anion. Chemical dynamics simulations reproduce the experimental reaction rate and reveal that the E2 proceeding through a direct elimination mechanism dominates over SN2 for the hydroxide ion reaction.

Analytical derivative approaches for vibro-polaritonic structures and properties. I. Formalism and implementation.

Vibro-polaritons are hybrid light-matter states that arise from the strong coupling between the molecular vibrational transitions and the photons in an optical cavity. Developing theoretical and computational methods to describe and predict the unique properties of vibro-polaritons is of great significance for guiding the design of new materials and experiments. Here, we present the ab initio cavity Born-Oppenheimer density functional theory (CBO-DFT) and formulate the analytic energy gradient and Hessian as well as the nuclear and photonic derivatives of dipole and polarizability within the framework of CBO-DFT to efficiently calculate the harmonic vibrational frequencies, infrared absorption, and Raman scattering spectra of vibro-polaritons as well as to explore the critical points on the cavity potential energy surface.

Biomarkers.

Background: The thresholds of plasma β-amyloid(Aβ)/Aβ and phosphorylated Tau (p-Tau) to detect Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathophysiology in Chinese community older adults have not been well established. Besides, it is still unclear about the role of astrocyte reactivity in Aβ plaque deposition, tau tangle aggregation, and neurodegeneration in AD.

Method: In this study, we analyzed plasma Aβ/Aβ, p-Tau, glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), and neurofilament light (NfL) using the Simoa platform in 470 Chinese older participants.

Biomarkers.

Background: Glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) is an astrocytic cytoskeletal protein and a promising blood biomarker for Alzheimer's disease (AD) and other neurodegenerative diseases. To date, the genetic architecture of plasma GFAP has not been characterized. We conducted a multi-ancestry meta-analyses of genome-wide association studies (GWAS) in diverse population-based cohorts to identify genetic variants associated with plasma levels of GFAP and to investigate their implication for neurological diseases.

The prevalence of self-neglect among older adults: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Purpose: To quantitatively pool the overall prevalence of self-neglect in older adults and provide evidence-based information for healthcare professionals to develop preventive measures.

Methods: Systematically and thoroughly searched ten databases from inception to September 1, 2024 and we pooled the prevalence of self-neglect in older adults using a random-effects model based on the Stata 15.0 software.

Effective Gene Expression Prediction and Optimization from Protein Sequences.

High soluble protein expression in heterologous hosts is crucial for various research and applications. Despite considerable research on the impact of codon usage on expression levels, the relationship between protein sequence and expression is often overlooked. In this study, a novel connection between protein expression and sequence is uncovered, leading to the development of SRAB (Strength of Relative Amino Acid Bias) based on AEI (Amino Acid Expression Index).

Folding an RCA Scaffold into an Intelligent Coiled Nanosnake for Precise/Synergistic RNAi-/Chemotherapy of Cancer.

An RCA product is a promising scaffold for the construction of DNA nanostructures, but so far, there is no RCA scaffold-based dynamic reconfigurable nanorobot for biological applications. In this contribution, we develop an intracellular stimuli-responsive reconfigurable coiled DNA nanosnake (N-Snake) by using incomplete aptamer-functionalized (A) DNA tetrahedrons (T) to fold a long tandemly repetitive DNA strand synthesized by rolling circle amplification reaction (R) with the help of palindromic fragment (P). A DNA-assembled product, ARTP, including spiked aptamers, can retain the structural integrity even if exposed to fetal bovine serum (FBS) for 24 h and displays substantially enhanced target molecule-dependent cellular internalization efficiency.

Bioactive Glycyrrhizic Acid Ionic Liquid Self-Assembled Nanomicelles for Enhanced Transdermal Delivery of Anti-Photoaging Signal Peptides.

Sigal peptides have garnered remarkable efficacy in rejuvenating photoaged skin and delaying senescence. Nevertheless, their low solubility and poor permeability bring about a formidable challenge in their transdermal delivery. To address this challenge, bioactive ionic liquids (ILs) synthesized from natural glycyrrhizic acid (GA) and oxymatrine (OMT) with eminent biocompatibility is first prepared.

cyclicpeptide: a Python package for cyclic peptide drug design.

The unique cyclic structure of cyclic peptides grants them remarkable stability and bioactivity, making them powerful candidates for treating various diseases. However, the lack of standardized tools for cyclic peptide data has hindered their potential in today's artificial intelligence-driven efficient drug design landscape. To bridge this gap, here we introduce a Python package named cyclicpeptide specifically for cyclic peptide drug design.

ET-PROTACs: modeling ternary complex interactions using cross-modal learning and ternary attention for accurate PROTAC-induced degradation prediction.

Motivation: Accurately predicting the degradation capabilities of proteolysis-targeting chimeras (PROTACs) for given target proteins and E3 ligases is important for PROTAC design. The distinctive ternary structure of PROTACs presents a challenge to traditional drug-target interaction prediction methods, necessitating more innovative approaches. While current state-of-the-art (SOTA) methods using graph neural networks (GNNs) can discern the molecular structure of PROTACs and proteins, thus enabling the efficient prediction of PROTACs' degradation capabilities, they rely heavily on limited crystal structure data of the POI-PROTAC-E3 ternary complex.

Distinct molecular properties and functions of small EV subpopulations isolated from human umbilical cord MSCs using tangential flow filtration combined with size exclusion chromatography.

As functional derivatives of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), small extracellular vesicles (sEVs) have garnered significant attention and application in regenerative medicine. However, the technical limitations for large-scale isolation of sEVs and their heterogeneous nature have added complexity to their applications. It remains unclear if the heterogeneous sEVs represent different aspects of MSCs functions.

Artificial intelligence and food flavor: How AI models are shaping the future and revolutionary technologies for flavor food development.

The food flavor science, traditionally reliant on experimental methods, is now entering a promising era with the help of artificial intelligence (AI). By integrating existing technologies with AI, researchers can explore and develop new flavor substances in a digital environment, saving time and resources. More and more research will use AI and big data to enhance product flavor, improve product quality, meet consumer needs, and drive the industry toward a smarter and more sustainable future.

Menopausal hormone therapy is associated with worse levels of Alzheimer's disease biomarkers in APOE ε4-carrying women: An observational study.

Introduction: Menopausal hormone therapy (MHT), along with the apolipoprotein E (APOE) ε4 allele, has been suggested as a possible risk factor for Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, the relationship between MHT and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarkers is unknown: we investigated this association, and whether APOE ε4 carrier status moderates it.

Methods: In an observational study of 136 cognitively unimpaired female participants (M = 66.

High Selectivity Fluorescence and Electrochemical Dual-Mode Detection of Glutathione in the Serum of Parkinson's Disease Model Mice and Humans.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder characterized by the loss of dopaminergic neurons and the accumulation of alpha-synuclein. Glutathione (GSH), a key antioxidant, is significantly depleted in PD patients. This study presents a dual-mode detection strategy for selectively determining GSH using a single probe.

Topochemical Synthesis and Electronic Structure of High-Crystallinity Infinite-Layer Nickelates on an Orthorhombic Substrate.

Superconductivity in infinite-layer nickelates has stirred much research interest, to which questions regarding the nature of superconductivity remain elusive. A critical leap forward to address these intricate questions is through the growth of high-crystallinity infinite-layer nickelates, including the "parent" phase. Here, we report the synthesis of a high-quality thin-film nickelate, NdNiO.

The Effect of Expressive Writing on the Experiences of Head and Neck Cancer Patients Undergoing Radiotherapy: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background: Expressive writing (EW) has emerged as an innovative strategy for improving mood and quality of life. Nevertheless, insufficient research has been conducted on the impact of offering EW to patients with HNC. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of two forms of EW on anxiety, depression, nutrition, and sleep quality in HNC patients undergoing radiotherapy.