Diminished hedonic capacity in social activities as a mediator of the link between dysfunctional behavioral activation system and depressive symptoms.

Background: Adolescence is a crucial period for the development of depression, and previous studies have suggested that the Behavioral Activation System (BAS) plays a significant role. However, little is known about the underlying mechanisms. This study aimed to explore the mediating role of anhedonia in the relationship between BAS and depressive symptoms among Chinese adolescents. Method: A total of 1,023 high-school students aged 15-18 years participated in the study, with 916 continuing their participation three months later. All participants completed the Behavioral Inhibition System/Activation System (BIS/BAS) scale, Dimensional Anhedonia Rating Scale (DARS), Children's Depression Inventory (CDI), and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI-S/T). Pathway model analysis was performed to examine the concurrent and prospective mediating effects of anhedonia and the potential moderating effect of sex. Result: Anhedonia in the domains of social activities, hobbies and sensory experiences significantly mediated the cross-sectional relationship between BAS and depressive level three months later. Furthermore, the beta-value of the mediating effect of social activities was significantly higher than that of the other domains of hedonic capacity cross-sectionally and longitudinally. However, sex showed no significant moderating effect. Conclusion: Our findings underscore the importance of hedonic capacity, especially within the social domain, in the development of depressive symptoms. These findings contribute to the early diagnosis and prevention of depressive disorders.

Polystyrene nanoplastics exposure caused defective neural tube morphogenesis through caveolae-mediated endocytosis and faulty apoptosis.

Growing evidence demonstrated that bioaccumulation of polystyrene nanoplastics (PS-NPs) in various organisms including human beings caused destructive effects on health. Nanoplastics may adversely affect fetal development potentially since they can pass through the placental barrier. However, very little has been known about the embryonic toxicity of polystyrene nanoplastics, especially in embryonic neurulation, the early developmental stage of the fetus, as well as the corresponding mechanisms. In this study, we first observed that 60- or 900-nm PS-NPs (especially 60-nm PS-NPs) could cross mouse placentas and affect developing mice fetuses. To avoid the indirect adverse effects derived from the restricted placenta, we employed early chick embryos as a developmental model to evaluate direct adverse effects of PS-NPs on embryo/fetal development, revealing suppressive effects on embryo development and an increased frequency of congenital abnormalities (especially in the nervous system), including neural tube defects. Thus, we focused on the potential negative effects of PS-NPs on neurulation, the earliest stage of nervous system development. Using caveolin-1 immunofluorescent staining of SH-SY5Y cells exposed to PS-NPs-GFP, we demonstrated that PS-NPs were internalized by SH-SY5Y cells via caveolae-mediated endocytosis. Transmission electron microscopy; LC3B immunofluorescent staining; and Atg7, Atg5, p62 and LC3B western blot results revealed that autophagy was activated in SH-SY5Y cells exposed to PS-NPs. However, PS-NPs were not degraded by the autophagic-lysosomal system given the lack of LAMP1 changes and minimal PS-NPs-GFP and LAMP1 colocalization. Furthermore, the cytoplasmic accumulation of PS-NPs caused faulty apoptotic cell death in SH-SY5Y cells and the developing neural tube as revealed by c-caspase3 immunofluorescent staining. Thus, defective neural tube morphogenesis, as demonstrated by neural tube defects, occurred during embryogenesis in the context of PS-NP exposure.

Three-Dimensional (3D) Nanostructured Skeleton Substrate Composed of Hollow Carbon Fiber/Carbon Nanosheet/ZnO for Stable Lithium Anode.

The practical applications of Li metal batteries (LMBs) have long been limited by the obstacles of low Coulombic efficiency (CE) and formation of dendrites on Li metal electrode. Herein, we demonstrated the synthesis of a novel three-dimensional (3D) nanostructured skeleton substrate composed of nitrogen-doped hollow carbon fiber/carbon nanosheets/ZnO (NHCF/CN/ZnO) using 2-methylimidazole (2-MIZ)-coated 3D cloth as a scaffold. The mechanism of formation of this novel hierarchical structure was investigated. The multilayered hierarchical structure and abundant lithiophilic nucleation sites of the substrate provide a stable environment for the deposition and stripping of lithium metal, thus preventing the generation of lithium dendrites. Consequently, the lithium anode based on the NHCF/CN/ZnO current collector demonstrated an excellent Coulombic efficiency of 96.47% after 400 cycles at 0.5 mA cm-2. The prepared NHCF/CN/ZnO/Li electrode also showed outstanding cycling performance of over 800 h and an ultralow voltage hysteresis of less than 30 mV in a symmetric cell at 5 mA cm-2 and 5 mAh cm-2. Even at a high loading of the cathode with 10.4 mg cm-2, the full cell of NHCF/CN/ZnO/Li anode with LiFePO4 can also work very well. Our work offers a path toward the facial preparation of 3D hierarchical structure for high-performance lithium metal batteries.

Uncovering the anti-proliferation mechanism and bioactive compounds in red kidney bean coat against B16-F10 melanoma cells by metabolomics and network pharmacology analysis.

In this study, coat (RKBC) and kernel (RKBK) extracts of red kidney bean were prepared, and their chemical compositions and potential anti-cancer activity against B16-F10 cells were evaluated. Then the anti-proliferation mechanisms of the active RKBC extract were investigated by flow cytometry analysis, cellular metabolomics, network pharmacology and western blotting. The RKBC extract inhibited B16-F10 cell proliferation and migration in a dose-dependent manner. Further analysis showed that RKBC induced G1 and G2/M phase arrest, and triggered apoptosis and vacuolization. Mechanistically, RKBC significantly increased the cellular content of cGMP, decreased the levels of AKT1/2/3 and cleaved-MMP2, and up-regulated the expression of Bcl-xl. Besides, network pharmacology revealed that RKBC potentially influenced the cell cycle via the regulation of CDK2 and CDK4. Finally, quercetin might serve as the major active component in the RKBC extract. In conclusion, our study showed the potential of the RKBC extract for the prevention or treatment of melanoma.

Sulforaphane Rescues Ethanol-Suppressed Angiogenesis through Oxidative and Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress in Chick Embryos.

Our previous study showed that ethanol exposure inhibited embryonic angiogenesis mainly due to the excessive stimulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) production. In this study, we investigated whether sulforaphane (SFN), a known dietary bioactive compound, could ameliorate ethanol-suppressed angiogenesis using chick embryo angiogenesis models. Using chick yolk sac membrane (YSM) and chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) models, we demonstrated that administration of low concentrations of SFN (2.5-10 µM) alone increased angiogenesis, but high concentrations of SFN (20-40 µM) inhibited angiogenesis. SFN administration alleviated ethanol-suppressed angiogenesis and angiogenesis-related gene expression in both angiogenesis models. Ethanol exposure caused cell apoptosis in chick CAM, and the cell apoptosis could be remitted by administration of SFN. Subsequently, we demonstrated that the ethanol-induced increase in production of ROS and reduction of antioxidant enzymes' activity were partially rescued by SFN. Similar results were obtained in endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress determination, indicated by ATF6 and GRP78 expression or thapsigargin-induced ER stress in the presence or absence of SFN. Taken together, our experiments show that SFN administration can ameliorate ethanol-suppressed embryonic angiogenesis, and this is mainly achieved by alleviating excessive ROS production and ER stress. This study suggests that SFN, in appropriate concentrations, could be a potential candidate compound for preventing the negative impact of alcohol on angiogenesis.