Rapidly reversible persistent long-term potentiation inhibition by patient-derived brain tau and amyloid ß proteins.

How the two pathognomonic proteins of Alzheimer's disease (AD); amyloid ß (Aß) and tau, cause synaptic failure remains enigmatic. Certain synthetic and recombinant forms of these proteins are known to act concurrently to acutely inhibit long-term potentiation (LTP). Here, we examined the effect of early amyloidosis on the acute disruptive action of synaptotoxic tau prepared from recombinant protein and tau in patient-derived aqueous brain extracts. We also explored the persistence of the inhibition of LTP by different synaptotoxic tau preparations. A single intracerebral injection of aggregates of recombinant human tau that had been prepared by either sonication of fibrils (SτAs) or disulfide bond formation (oTau) rapidly and persistently inhibited LTP in rat hippocampus. The threshold for the acute inhibitory effect of oTau was lowered in amyloid precursor protein (APP)-transgenic rats. A single injection of synaptotoxic tau-containing AD or Pick's disease brain extracts also inhibited LTP, for over two weeks. Remarkably, the persistent disruption of synaptic plasticity by patient-derived brain tau was rapidly reversed by a single intracerebral injection of different anti-tau monoclonal antibodies, including one directed to a specific human tau amino acid sequence. We conclude that patient-derived LTP-disrupting tau species persist in the brain for weeks, maintaining their neuroactivity often in concert with Aß. This article is part of a discussion meeting issue 'Long-term potentiation: 50 years on'.

Residual Temporal Convolutional Network With Dual Attention Mechanism for Multilead-Time Interpretable Runoff Forecasting.

As a pivotal subfield within the domain of time series forecasting, runoff forecasting plays a crucial role in water resource management and scheduling. Recent advancements in the application of artificial neural networks (ANNs) and attention mechanisms have markedly enhanced the accuracy of runoff forecasting models. This article introduces an innovative hybrid model, ResTCN-DAM, which synergizes the strengths of deep residual network (ResNet), temporal convolutional networks (TCNs), and dual attention mechanisms (DAMs). The proposed ResTCN-DAM is designed to leverage the unique attributes of these three modules: TCN has outstanding capability to process time series data in parallel. By combining with modified ResNet, multiple TCN layers can be densely stacked to capture more hidden information in the temporal dimension. DAM module adeptly captures the interdependencies within both temporal and feature dimensions, adeptly accentuating relevant time steps/features while diminishing less significant ones with minimal computational cost. Furthermore, the snapshot ensemble method is able to obtain the effect of training multiple models through one single training process, which ensures the accuracy and robustness of the forecasts. The deep integration and collaborative cooperation of these modules comprehensively enhance the model's forecasting capability from various perspectives. Ablation studies conducted validate the efficacy of each module, and through multiple sets of comparative experiments, it is shown that the proposed ResTCN-DAM has exceptional and consistent performance across varying lead times. We also employ visualization techniques to display heatmaps of the model's weights, thereby enhancing the interpretability of the model. When compared with the prevailing neural network-based runoff forecasting models, ResTCN-DAM exhibits state-of-the-art accuracy, temporal robustness, and interpretability, positioning it at the forefront of contemporary research.

Nanometabolomics Elucidated Biological Prospective of Mo4/3B2-x Nanosheets: Toward Metabolic Reprogramming of Amino Acid Metabolism.

Mo4/3B2-x nanosheets are newly developed, and 2D transition metal borides (MBene) were reported in 2021, but there is no report on their further applications and modification; hence, this article sheds light on the significance of potential biological prospects for future biomedical applications. Therefore, elucidation of the biocompatibility, biotoxicology, and bioactivity of Mo4/3B2-x nanosheets has been an urgent need to be fulfilled. Nanometabolomics (also referred as nanomaterials-based metabolomics) was first proposed and utilized in our previous work, which specialized in interpreting nanomaterials-induced metabolic reprogramming through aqueous metabolomics and lipidomics approach. Hence, nanometabolomics could be considered as a novel concept combining nanoscience and metabolomics to provide bioinformation on nanomaterials' biomedical applications. In this work, the safe range of concentration (<50 mg/L) with good biosafety toward human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) was discovered. The low concentration (5 mg/L) and high concentration (50 mg/L) of Mo4/3B2-x nanosheets were utilized for the in vitro Mo4/3B2-x-cell interaction. Nanometabolomics has elucidated the biological prospective of Mo4/3B2-x nanosheets via monitoring its biocompatibility and metabolic shift of HUVECs. The results revealed that 50 mg/L Mo4/3B2-x nanosheets could lead to a stronger alteration of amino acid metabolism with disturbance of the corresponding amino acid-related pathways (including amino acid metabolism, amino acid degradation, fatty acid biosynthesis, and lipid biosynthesis and metabolism). These interesting results were closely involved with the oxidative stress and production of excess ROS. This work could be regarded as a pathbreaking study on Mo4/3B2-x nanosheets at a biological level, which also designates their further biochemical, medical, and industrial application and development based on nanometabolomics bioinformation.

The Association Between Rumination and Craving in Chinese Methamphetamine-Dependent Patients: The Masking Effect of Depression.

BACKGROUND: Craving is a core feature of addiction. Rumination and depression play a crucial role in the process of methamphetamine addiction. The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between rumination, depression and craving in methamphetamine patients, which has not been explored yet. METHODS: A total of 778 patients with methamphetamine user disorder (MUD) at the Xinhua Drug Rehabilitation Center, located in Mianyang City, Sichuan Province, China. We used a set of self-administered questionnaires that included socio-demographic, detailed drug use history, rumination, depression and craving information. The Rumination Response Scale (RRS) was used to measure rumination, the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) to measure depression and the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) to measure craving. RESULTS: There was a significant positive correlation between rumination and craving, or depression, and between depression and craving. Furthermore, depression mediated between rumination and craving, with a mediation effect of 160%. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that there is a close interrelationship between rumination, craving and depression in MUD patients, and that depression may play a mediating role between rumination and craving.

This is the first study to investigate the relationship between rumination and craving during withdrawal in methamphetamine dependent patients and the mediating role of depression.Among methamphetamine patients, it was found that reflection was positively correlated with rumination and depression, depression and craving, rumination and craving, and depression plays the mediating role between rumination and craving.These findings suggest that interventions to reduce depression and rumination may also be effective for withdrawal and relapse reduction in methamphetamine patients, providing further rationale for the treatment of methamphetamine patients.

Melissopalynological Analysis of Honey from French Guiana.

Beekeeping directly depends on the floral biodiversity available to honey bees. In tropical regions, where nectar and pollen resources are numerous, the botanical origin of some honey is still under discussion. A precise knowledge of plants foraged by honey bees is useful to understand and certify the botanical origin of honey. In this study, attention was paid to honey samples from the French Guiana Atlantic coast where beekeepers generally place their hives in four types of biotopes: seaside vegetation, mangrove, savannah, and secondary forest. Pollen analysis of 87 honey samples enabled the identification of major plants visited by Africanized honey bees during the dry season (approximately from July to January). Through melissopalynologic analysis, 51 pollen types were identified and classified according to their relative presence. Frequently observed pollens (with relative presence > 50%) in French Guiana kinds of honey were those from Mimosa pudica, Cocos sp., Rhyncospora sp., Avicennia germinans, Paspalum sp., Spermacoce verticillata, Tapirira guianensis, Cecropia sp., Myrtaceae sp., Mauritia flexuosa sp., Solanum sp., and Protium sp. In many honeys, only M. pudica was over-represented (relative frequency > 90%). Color and electrical conductivity in French Guiana honeys exhibit significant variations, with color ranging from 27 mm to 110 mm Pfund, and electrical conductivity ranging from 0.35 to 1.22 mS/cm.

The research of river basin ecological compensation based on water emissions trading mechanism.

By integrating the successful case of the European Union emissions trading system, this study proposes a water emissions trading system, a novel method of reducing water pollution. Assuming that upstream governments allocate initial quotas to upstream businesses as the compensation standard, this approach defines the foundational principles of market trading mechanisms and establishes a robust watershed ecological compensation model to address challenges in water pollution prevention. To be specific, the government establishes a reasonable initial quota for upstream enterprises, which can be used to limit the emissions of upstream pollution. When enterprises exceed their allocated emissions quota, they face financial penalties. Conversely, these emissions rights can be transformed into profitable assets by participating in the trading market as a form of ecological compensation. Numerical simulations demonstrate that various pollutant emissions from upstream businesses will have various effects on the profits of other businesses. Businesses in the upstream region received reimbursement from the assigned emission rights through the market mechanism, demonstrating that ecological compensation for the watershed can be achieved through the market mechanism. This novel market trading system aims at controlling emissions management from the perspectives of individual enterprises and ultimately optimizing the aquatic environment.

Quantitative analysis of the morphing wing mechanism of raptors: Bionic design of Falco Peregrinus wing skeleton.

The wing is one of the most important parts of a bird's locomotor system and is the inspiration origination for bionic wing design. During wing motions, the wing shape is closely related to the rotation angles of wing bones. Therefore, the research on the law of bone movement in the process of wing movement can be good guidance for the design of the bionic morphing wing. In this paper, the skeletal posture of the peregrine falcon wing during the extension/flexion is studied to obtain critical data on skeletal posture. Since an elbow joint and a wrist joint rotate correlatively to drive a wing to flex/extend, the wing skeleton is simplified as a four-bar mechanism in this paper. The degree of reproduction of wing skeleton postures was quantitatively analyzed using the four-bar mechanism model, and the bionic wing skeleton was designed. It is found that the wing motions have been reproduced with high precision.

The malignant transformation potential of the oncogene STYK1/NOK at early lymphocyte development in transgenic mice.

B-cell Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (B-CLL) is a malignancy caused by the clonal expansion of mature B lymphocytes bearing a CD5+CD19+ (B1) phenotype. However, the origin of B-CLL remains controversial. We showed previously that STYK1/NOK transgenic mice develop a CLL-like disease. Using this model system in this study, we attempt to define the stage of CLL initiation. Here, we show that the phenotype of STYK1/NOK-induced B-CLL is heterogeneous. The expanded B1 lymphocyte pool was detected within peripheral lymphoid organs and was frequently associated with the expansions of memory B cells. Despite this immunophenotypic heterogeneity, suppression of B cell development at an early stage consistently occurred within the bone marrow (BM) of STYK1/NOK-tg mice. Overall, we suggest that enforced expression of STYK1/NOK in transgenic mice might significantly predispose BM hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) towards the development of B-CLL.

A memristive all-inclusive hypernetwork for parallel analog deployment of full search space architectures.

In recent years, there has been a significant advancement in memristor-based neural networks, positioning them as a pivotal processing-in-memory deployment architecture for a wide array of deep learning applications. Within this realm of progress, the emerging parallel analog memristive platforms are prominent for their ability to generate multiple feature maps in a single processing cycle. However, a notable limitation is that they are specifically tailored for neural networks with fixed structures. As an orthogonal direction, recent research reveals that neural architecture should be specialized for tasks and deployment platforms. Building upon this, the neural architecture search (NAS) methods effectively explore promising architectures in a large design space. However, these NAS-based architectures are generally heterogeneous and diversified, making it challenging for deployment on current single-prototype, customized, parallel analog memristive hardware circuits. Therefore, investigating memristive analog deployment that overrides the full search space is a promising and challenging problem. Inspired by this, and beginning with the DARTS search space, we study the memristive hardware design of primitive operations and propose the memristive all-inclusive hypernetwork that covers 2×1025 network architectures. Our computational simulation results on 3 representative architectures (DARTS-V1, DARTS-V2, PDARTS) show that our memristive all-inclusive hypernetwork achieves promising results on the CIFAR10 dataset (89.2% of PDARTS with 8-bit quantization precision), and is compatible with all architectures in the DARTS full-space. The hardware performance simulation indicates that the memristive all-inclusive hypernetwork costs slightly more resource consumption (nearly the same in power, 22%∼25% increase in Latency, 1.5× in Area) relative to the individual deployment, which is reasonable and may reach a tolerable trade-off deployment scheme for industrial scenarios.

A nomogram model for predicting intramyocardial hemorrhage post-PCI based on SYNTAX score and clinical features.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to develop a nomogram model for predicting the occurrence of intramyocardial hemorrhage (IMH) in patients with Acute Myocardial Infarction (AMI) following Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (PCI). The model is constructed utilizing clinical data and the SYNTAX Score (SS), and its predictive value is thoroughly evaluated. METHODS: A retrospective study was conducted, including 216 patients with AMI who underwent Cardiac Magnetic Resonance (CMR) within a week post-PCI. Clinical data were collected for all patients, and their SS were calculated based on coronary angiography results. Based on the presence or absence of IMH as indicated by CMR, patients were categorized into two groups: the IMH group (109 patients) and the non-IMH group (107 patients). The patients were randomly divided in a 7:3 ratio into a training set (151 patients) and a validation set (65 patients). A nomogram model was constructed using univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses. The predictive capability of the model was assessed using Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve analysis, comparing the predictive value based on the area under the ROC curve (AUC). RESULTS: In the training set, IMH post-PCI was observed in 78 AMI patients on CMR, while 73 did not show IMH. Variables with a significance level of P < 0.05 were screened using univariate logistic regression analysis. Twelve indicators were selected for multivariate logistic regression analysis: heart rate, diastolic blood pressure, ST segment elevation on electrocardiogram, culprit vessel, symptom onset to reperfusion time, C-reactive protein, aspartate aminotransferase, lactate dehydrogenase, creatine kinase, creatine kinase-MB, high-sensitivity troponin T (HS-TnT), and SYNTAX Score. Based on multivariate logistic regression results, two independent predictive factors were identified: HS-TnT (Odds Ratio [OR] = 1.61, 95% Confidence Interval [CI]: 1.21-2.25, P = 0.003) and SS (OR = 2.54, 95% CI: 1.42-4.90, P = 0.003). Consequently, a nomogram model was constructed based on these findings. The AUC of the nomogram model in the training set was 0.893 (95% CI: 0.840-0.946), and in the validation set, it was 0.910 (95% CI: 0.823-0.970). Good consistency and accuracy of the model were demonstrated by calibration and decision curve analysis. CONCLUSION: The nomogram model, constructed utilizing HS-TnT and SS, demonstrates accurate predictive capability for the risk of IMH post-PCI in patients with AMI. This model offers significant guidance and theoretical support for the clinical diagnosis and treatment of these patients.

Shotgun metagenomics reveals the gut microbial diversity and functions in Vespa mandarinia (Hymenoptera: Vespidae) at multiple life stages.

Wasps play important roles as predators and pollinators in the ecosystem. The Jingpo minority residing in Yunnan Province, China, has a traditional practice of using wine infused with mature wasps as a customary remedy for managing rheumatoid arthritis. The larva of the wasp is also a tasteful folk dish that has created a tremendous market. There is a paucity of survival knowledge, which has greatly restricted their potential applications in food and healthcare. Recent research has highlighted the importance of gut microbiota in insect growth. Nevertheless, there is still a lack of understanding regarding the composition, changes, and functions of the gut microbiota in Vespa mandarinia during development. In this research, the gut microbiota were investigated across three growth stages of Vespa mandarinia using a metagenomic technology. The result revealed that there are significant variations in the proportion of main gut microbes during the metamorphosis of Vespa mandarinia. Tenericutes were found to dominate during the larval stage, while Proteobacteria emerged as the dominant group post-pupation. Through a comprehensive analysis of the gut microbiota metagenome, this study revealed functional differences in the wasp gut microbiota at various growth stages. During the larval stage, the gut microbiota plays a central role in promoting metabolism. Following pupation, the gut microbiota exhibited diversified functions, likely due to the complex environments and diverse food sources encountered after metamorphosis. These functions included amino acid metabolism, compound degradation, and defense mechanisms. This research provides an extensive dataset on the gut microbiota during the metamorphosis of Vespa mandarinia, contributing to a deeper understanding of the influence of gut microbiota on wasp growth. Furthermore, this study uncovers a unique microbial treasure within insect guts, which is important for advancing the application of wasps in the fields of food and medicine.

Clinical and gonadal transcriptome analysis of 38,XX disorder of sex development pigs.

Pigs serve as a robust animal model for the study of human diseases, notably in the context of disorders of sex development (DSD). This study aims to investigate the phenotypic characteristics and molecular mechanisms underlying the reproductive and developmental abnormalities of 38,XX ovotestis-DSD (OT-DSD) and 38,XX testis-DSD (T-DSD) in pigs. Clinical and transcriptome sequencing analyses were performed on DSD and normal female pigs. Cytogenetic and SRY analyses confirmed that OT/T-DSD pigs exhibited a 38,XX karyotype and lacked the SRY gene. The DSD pigs had higher levels of follicle-stimulating hormone, luteinizing hormone, and progesterone, but lower testosterone levels when compared with normal male pigs. The reproductive organs of OT/T-DSD pigs exhibit abnormal development, displaying both male and female characteristics, with an absence of germ cells in the seminiferous tubules. Sex determination and development-related differentially-expressed genes (DEGs) shared between DSD pigs were identified in the gonads, including WT1, DKK1, CTNNB1, WTN9B, SHOC, PTPN11, NRG1 and NXK3-1. DKK1 is proposed as a candidate gene for investigating the regulatory mechanisms underlying gonadal phenotypic differences between OT-DSD and T-DSD pigs. Consequently, our findings provide insights into the molecular pathogenesis of DSD pigs and present an animal model for studying into DSD in humans.

Insight into the solubilization mechanism of wheat gluten by protease modification from conformational change and molecular interaction perspective.

The low solubility limits the utilization of other functional characteristics of wheat gluten (WG). This study effectively improved the solubility of WG through protease modification and explored the potential mechanism of protease modification to enhance the solubility of WG, further stimulating the potential application of WG in the food industry. Solubility of WG modified with alkaline protease, complex protease, and neutral protease was enhanced by 98.99%, 54.59%, and 51.68%, respectively. Notably, the content of ß-sheet was reduced while the combined effect of hydrogen bond and ionic bond were increased after protease modification. Meanwhile, the reduced molecular size and viscoelasticity as well as the elevated surface hydrophobicity, thermostability, water absorption capacity, and crystallinity were observed in modified WG. Moreover, molecular docking indicated that protease was specifically bound to the amino acid residues of WG through hydrogen bonding, hydrophobic interaction, and salt bridge.

Ultrasound-Targeted Microbubble Destruction Increases BBB Permeability and Promotes Stem Cell-Induced Regeneration of Stroke by Downregulating MMP8.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the feasibility, safety, and effectiveness of intravenous stem cell delivery utilizing ultrasound-targeted microbubble destruction (UTMD) in a rat model of middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO), while investigating the underlying mechanisms. Acute cerebral infarction (ACI) was induced surgically in adult rats to create the MCAO rat model. Intravenous injection of SonoVue microbubbles and bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BMSC) was performed concurrently, with or without ultrasound targeting the stroke. The animals were divided into four groups: sham-operated group, ACI-MCAO rats treated with phosphate-buffered saline (ACI+PBS), rats receiving intravenous delivery of BMSC expressing green fluorescent protein (GFP-BMSC; ACI+BMSC), and rats receiving intravenous GFP-BMSC with simultaneous UTMD exposure (ACI+BMSC+UTMD). The efficacy of the treatments was assessed by evaluating the animals' neurological function using the Longa score and examining histopathological changes such as cerebral infarct volume, cerebral edema, and cell apoptosis. A rat cytokine array was utilized to identify the potential cytokines that may be responsible for the therapeutic effect of UTMD-mediated BMSC treatment. Optimal UTMD parameters resulted in an increase in blood-brain barrier (BBB) permeability after 30 min, which returned to baseline 72 h later without causing any residual injury. UTMD application significantly increased the homing of intravenously delivered BMSC, resulting in a 2.2-fold increase in GFP-BMSC cell count on day 3 and a 2.6-fold increase on day 7 compared with intravenous delivery alone. This effect persisted for up to 6 weeks after injection. Intravenous BMSC delivery significantly reduced the volume of cerebral infarct and decreased cerebral edema, leading to a lower Longa score. Furthermore, this effect was further enhanced by UTMD. Acute cerebral infarction induced by MCAO led to elevated matrix metalloproteinase 8 (MMP8) levels in the cerebrospinal fluid, which were significantly reduced following UTMD-mediated BMSC treatment. Ultrasound-targeted microbubble destruction facilitates the migration and homing of BMSC into the brain, possibly by transiently increasing blood-brain barrier (BBB) permeability, thereby improving therapeutic outcomes in an ACI rat model. The observed effect may be partly attributed to modulation of MMP8 levels.Advances in knowledge: UTMD-mediated intravenously delivered BMSC transplantation led to a significant increase in cell homing and reduction of MMP8 levels, resulting in increased therapeutic effect in an acute ischemic cerebral infarction model.

Integrated metabolomics revealed the photothermal therapy of melanoma by Mo2C nanosheets: toward rehabilitated homeostasis in metabolome combined lipidome.

Melanoma, the most aggressive and life-threatening form of skin cancer, lacks innovative therapeutic approaches and deeper bioinformation. In this study, we developed a photothermal therapy (PTT) based on Mo2C nanosheets to eliminate melanoma while utilizing integrated metabolomics to investigate the metabolic shift of metabolome combined lipidome during PTT at the molecular level. Our results demonstrated that 1 mg ml-1 Mo2C nanosheets could efficiently convert laser energy into heat with a strong and stable photothermal effect (74 ± 0.9 °C within 7 cycles). Furthermore, Mo2C-based PTT led to a rapid decrease in melanoma volume (from 3.299 to 0 cm2) on the sixth day, indicating the effective elimination of melanoma. Subsequent integrated metabolomics analysis revealed significant changes in aqueous metabolites (including organic acids, amino acids, fatty acids, and amines) and lipid classes (including phospholipids, lysophospholipids, and sphingolipids), suggesting that melanoma caused substantial fluctuations in both metabolome and lipidome, while Mo2C-based PTT helped improve amino acid metabolism-related biological events (such as tryptophan metabolism) impaired by melanoma. These findings suggest that Mo2C nanosheets hold significant potential as an effective therapeutic agent for skin tumors, such as melanoma. Moreover, through exploring multidimensional bioinformation, integrated metabolomics technology provides novel insights for studying the metabolic effects of tumors, monitoring the correction of metabolic abnormalities by Mo2C nanosheet therapy, and evaluating the therapeutic effect on tumors.

Interactive effects of physical activity and sarcopenia on incident ischemic heart disease: Results from a nation-wide cohort study.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Lack of physical activity (PA) and sarcopenia is a known risk factors for ischemic heart disease (IHD). However, considering their coexistence in the middle-aged and elderly population, the interaction of these two factors remains uncertain. Here, we investigated the interactive effects of PA and sarcopenia on IHD. METHODS: We extracted 344,688 participants free of IHD at baseline from the UK Biobank. PA was classified into low, moderate, and high according to the International Physical Activity Questionnaire. Sarcopenia was identified in accordance with the European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People 2. Cox proportional hazard models were applied to estimate the effect of PA and sarcopenia on incident IHD and its subtypes. We also used objective PA data measured by wrist-worn devices to repeat these analyses. RESULTS: Over a median follow-up of 11.7 years, 24,809 (7.2%) participants developed incident IHD. Lack of PA was associated with a higher risk of IHD after adjusting for potential confounders. The hazard ratio (HR) was 1.09 (95% CI: 1.05-1.13) for individuals without sarcopenia and 1.29 (95% CI: 1.17-1.42) for those with sarcopenia. Regarding the joint effect, the combination of low PA and sarcopenia was associated with the highest risk of IHD, with an HR of 1.54 (95% CI: 1.44-1.66), and both additive and multiplicative interactions were significant (RERI 0.27, 95% CI: 0.14-0.39, p-interaction <0.01). For subtypes of IHD, the interaction was pronounced in acute myocardial infarction and chronic ischemic heart disease. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest a synergistic interaction between lack of PA and sarcopenia on the risk of IHD. Findings from this study may help facilitate more effective primary prevention of IHD.

Associations between maternal exposure to air pollution during pregnancy and trajectories of infant growth: A birth cohort study.

OBJECTIVE: We examined the relationships between infants' growth trajectories and prenatal exposure to air pollution, which is still under-investigated. METHODS: A birth cohort study was constructed using medical records of pregnant women and infants born between 2015 and 2019 in Foshan, China. Using satellite-based spatial-temporal models, prenatal exposure to air pollutants including particulate matter with an aerodynamic dimension of < 2.5 µm (PM2.5), sulfur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), and ozone (O3) was assessed at each woman's residence. Latent class growth modeling was used to identify trajectories of physical (body length and weight) growth and neurodevelopment, which were repeatedly measured within 1 year after birth. Logistic regression models were used to investigate the associations between prenatal exposure to air pollution and the risks of growth disorders, adjusting for an array of potential confounders. RESULTS: We identified two growth trajectories for body length [normal: 3829 (93%); retardation: 288 (7%)], three for weight [normal: 2475 (59.6%); retardation: 390 (9.4%); overgrowth: 1287 (31%)], and two for neurodevelopment [normal: 956 (66.1%); retardation: 491 (33.9%)]. For exposure over whole pregnancy, SO2 was associated with an increased risk of body length retardation (OR for per 1 µg/m3 increment: 1.09, 95%CI: 1.01-1.17); PM2.5 (OR: 1.05, 95%CI: 1.03-1.07), SO2 (OR: 1.15, 95%CI: 1.08-1.22), and NO2 (OR: 1.05, 95%CI: 1.03-1.07) were positively associated with neurodevelopmental retardation. Such associations appeared stronger for exposures over the first and second trimesters. No significant associations were detected for weight growth. CONCLUSIONS: Maternal exposure to air pollution during pregnancy was associated with higher risks of impairments in both physical growth, particularly body length, and neurodevelopment.