Pre-Adolescent Diet Normalization Restores Cognitive Function in Young Mice.

Mastication is a fundamental function critical for human health. Controlled by the central nervous system (CNS), it influences CNS development and function. A poor masticatory performance causes cognitive dysfunction in both older adults and children. Improving mastication may prevent cognitive decline. However, no study has determined the period of masticatory dysfunction that impairs children's later acquisition of cognitive function. Herein, we developed an animal model wherein a soft diet was switched to a normal diet at early and late time points in young mice. We aimed to investigate the impact of restored mastication on learning and memory function. Behavioral studies were conducted to evaluate learning and memory. Micro-CT was used to evaluate orofacial structural differences, while histological and biochemical approaches were employed to assess differences in the hippocampal morphology and function. Correction to a hard-textured diet before adolescence restored mastication and cognitive function through the stimulation of neurogenesis, extracellular signal-regulated kinases, the cyclic adenosine monophosphate-response element-binding protein pathway, and the brain-derived neurotrophic factor, tyrosine receptor B. In contrast, post-adolescent diet normalization failed to rescue full mastication and led to impaired cognitive function, neuronal loss, and decreased hippocampal neurogenesis. These findings revealed a functional linkage between the masticatory and cognitive function in mice during the juvenile to adolescent period, highlighting the need for adequate food texture and early intervention for mastication-related cognitive impairment in children.

Effect of self-determination theory-based integrated creative art (SDTICA) program on older adults with mild cognitive impairment in nursing homes: Study protocol for a cluster randomised controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: The cognitive benefits of early non-pharmacological approaches have been demonstrated in older adults with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). However, older adults living in nursing homes have more severe cognitive impairment problems and lower initiative and compliance to participate in complex interventions. Hence, it important to investigate more attractive and sustainable methods to prevent or delay cognitive decline. The present study adopts the self-determination theory (SDT) as a theoretical framework to innovatively develop an integrated art-based intervention for older adults with MCI in nursing homes in China and aims to evaluate its effects on cognitive function, mental health, and other health-related outcomes. METHODS: The study is a nursing home-based, cluster randomised controlled trial (RCT) that targets older adults (aged ≥ 60 years) with MCI in Fuzhou City, China. All nursing homes in the area covered by Fuzhou City are invited to participate. Eligible nursing homes are randomised to one of two groups: intervention group (receive a 14-week, 27-session intervention) and waitlist control group (receive the usual care). The SDT-based integrated creative art (SDTICA) program reasonably adopts the SDT as a theoretical framework to innovatively develop an integrated art-based intervention for older adults with MCI in nursing homes. The primary (global cognitive function and psychological indicator) and secondary (daily activity function, social function, and specific domains of cognitive function) outcomes will be measured at baseline, after the intervention, and during follow-up. DISCUSSION: This study aims to evaluate the effects of SDTICA program on neuropsychological outcomes in older adults with MCI and provide scientific evidence for art-based non-pharmacologic interventions in nursing homes, which may reduce dementia risk in older adults with MCI. TRIAL REGISTRATION: The trial was prospectively registered at the Chinese Clinical Trials Registry with the registration number ChiCTR2200061681 on 30 June 2022.

Geometric mapping from rectilinear material orthotropy to isotropy: Insights into plates and shells.

Orthotropic shell structures are ubiquitous in biology and engineering, from bacterial cell walls to reinforced domes. We present a rescaling transformation that maps an orthotropic shallow shell to an isotropic one with a different local geometry. The mapping is applicable to any shell section for which the material orthotropy directions match the principal curvature directions, assuming the commonly used Huber form for the orthotropic shear modulus. Using the rescaling transformation, we derive exact expressions for the buckling pressure as well as the linear indentation response of orthotropic cylinders and general ellipsoids of revolution, which we verify against numerical simulations. Our analysis disentangles the separate contributions of geometric and material anisotropy to shell rigidity. In particular, we identify the geometric mean of orthotropic elastic constants as the key quantifier of material stiffness, playing a role akin to the Gaussian curvature which captures the geometric stiffness contribution. Besides providing insights into the mechanical response of orthotropic shells, our work rigorously establishes the validity of isotropic approximations to orthotropic shells and also identifies situations in which these approximations might fail.

Fluoro-functionalized ionic covalent organic frameworks (F-iCOFs) for highly selective enrichment and sensitive determination of perfluorinated sulfonates by MALDI-MS.

An easily prepared fluoro-functionalized ionic covalent organic framework (F-iCOF) has been implemented into MALDI-TOF MS, enabling the highly selective enrichment and sensitive determination of perfluorinated sulfonate (PFS) contaminants in a rapid and convenient manner. The good thermal stability and excellent optical absorption properties of F-iCOF makes it a brilliant matrix with no background noise. Moreover, benefitting from the large surface area, appropriate pore size, good water dispersibility, and abundant fluorine atom and cationic characteristic of F-iCOF, it exhibited superior adsorption capacity and enrichment selectivity towards PFSs. Good signal responses for PFSs were obtained in the presence of various interfering compounds such as BSA, HA, or even more than 100-fold excess of glutamic acid and similar in structure sodium alkyl sulfonates, highlighting the specific selectivity of F-iCOF. Calibration curves for potassium perflurobutane sulfonate (PFBSK) in tap water and whole blood were established with good linear correlation in the range 1-500 pg mL-1. The limits of detection and quantification for PFBSK were as low as 0.04 pg mL-1 and 0.05 pg mL-1, respectively, which are comparable or better than the existing methods for the determination of PFSs.

Indentation responses of pressurized ellipsoidal and cylindrical elastic shells: Insights from shallow-shell theory.

Pressurized elastic shells are ubiquitous in nature and technology, from the outer walls of yeast and bacterial cells to artificial pressure vessels. Indentation measurements simultaneously probe the internal pressure and elastic properties of thin shells and serve as a useful tool for strength testing and for inferring internal biological functions of living cells. We study the effects of geometry and pressure-induced stress on the indentation stiffness of ellipsoidal and cylindrical elastic shells using shallow-shell theory. We show that the linear indentation response reduces to a single integral with two dimensionless parameters that encode the asphericity and internal pressure. This integral can be numerically evaluated in all regimes and is used to generate compact analytical expressions for the indentation stiffness in various regimes of technological and biological importance. Our results provide theoretical support for previous scaling and numerical results describing the stiffness of ellipsoids, reveal a new pressure scale that dictates the large-pressure response, and give new insights to the linear indentation response of pressurized cylinders.

Fullerenol as a water-soluble MALDI-MS matrix for rapid analysis of small molecules and efficient quantification of saccharin sodium in foods.

Due to the strong background interferences in the low-mass region and poor reproducibility of conventional organic matrices, it is of great importance to develop a novel matrix for matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (MALDI-MS) to qualitatively and quantitatively analyze small molecules. In this work, water-soluble fullerenol C60(OH)24-26 was selected as a MALDI matrix for the analysis of low-molecular-weight compounds in consideration of optical absorption property, water solubility and stability. Compared with the traditional matrices, fullerenol demonstrated lower background interference and stronger peak intensity. In addition, the hydrophilic fullerenol could avoid the heterogeneous crystallization in sample preparation, increase the reproducibility and sensitivity of MALDI-MS, and ameliorate quantitative analysis of small molecules. With saccharin as model analyte, quantitative analysis was carried out using fullerenol as matrix. The results demonstrated satisfying reproducibility and good tolerance to salt. The limit-of-detection of the quantitative analysis was as low as 4 pmol, and the linear range is 1-100 µg mL-1 with R2 greater than 0.99. The analytical results also showed excellent precision and accuracy, low matrix effect and good recovery rate. Fullerenol as a potential matrix was further validated in the quantification of saccharin sodium in different real food samples, such as nuts and drinks. This work not only confirms the potential of fullerenol for the quantitative analysis in food field, but also provides a new technique for rapid analysis of small molecules.

Skeletal effects of monocortical and bicortical mini-implant anchorage on maxillary expansion using cone-beam computed tomography in young adults.

INTRODUCTION: This study aimed to evaluate and compare the skeletal effects of monocortical and bicortical mini-implant anchorage on maxillary skeletal expansion (MSE) using cone-beam computed tomography in young adults. METHODS: The sample comprised 48 patients (aged 19.4 ± 3.3 years; 19 male, 29 female) treated with maxillary skeletal expander and was divided into 3 groups according to insertion pattern of mini-implants used. G1, 4-all-bicortical penetration (n = 17); G2, 2-rear-bicortical penetration (n = 17); G3, non-4-bicortical penetration (n = 14). Cone-beam computed tomography scans were taken before treatment and 3 months after activation. RESULTS: The transverse width of maxilla, nasal bone, lateral pterygoid plate, zygomatic bone, and temporal bone increased similarly in G1 and G2. Contrarily, G3 produced less skeletal expansion, having no effects on the temporal bone. Significant increases in width were seen in all 3 groups regarding transverse dentolinear measurements. A triangular expansion pattern was also observed, but G1 and G2 showed more parallel expansion than G3. In addition, G1 and G2 showed less inclination of anchorage teeth compared with G3. The loss of vertical alveolar bone, although only in a small amount, was observed in all groups. CONCLUSIONS: MSE with non-4-bicortical penetration produced fewer orthopedic effects and more unwanted dentoalveolar side effects, whereas MSE with 2-rear-bicortical and 4-all-bicortical penetration showed similar skeletal effects, which means that 2-rear-bicortical penetrating mini-implants were critical to skeletal expansion.

Silencing of NONO inhibits abdominal aortic aneurysm in apolipoprotein E-knockout mice via collagen deposition and inflammatory inhibition.

The role of Non-POU-domain-containing octamer-binding protein (NONO) in the formation and development of angiotensin II (Ang II)-induced abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) in apolipoprotein E-knockout (ApoE-/- ) mice is still unknown. In Part I, the protein level of NONO was suggestively greater in the AAA tissues compare to that in the normal abdominal aortas. In Part II, 20 ApoE-/- male mice were used to examine the transfection efficiency of lentivirus by detecting GFP fluorescence. In Part III, mice were arbitrarily separated into two groups: one was the control group without Ang II infusion, and another was the Ang II group. Mice treated with Ang II were further randomly divided into three groups to receive the same volume of physiological saline (NT group), sh-negative control lentivirus (sh-NC group) and si-NONO lentivirus (sh-NONO group). NONO silencing suggestively reduced the occurrence of AAA and abdominal aortic diameter. Compare to the NT group, NONO silencing markedly augmented the content of collagen and vascular smooth muscle cells but reduced macrophage infiltration in AAA. In addition, knockdown of NONO also increased the expression of prolyl-4-hydroxylase α1, whereas also decreased the levels of collagen degradation and pro-inflammatory cytokines in AAA. We detected the interface of NONO and NF-κB p65, and found that NONO silencing inhibited both the nuclear translocation and the phosphorylation levels of NF-κB p65. Silencing of NONO prevented Ang II-influenced AAA in ApoE-/- mice through increasing collagen deposition and inhibiting inflammation. The mechanism may be that silencing of NONO decreases the nuclear translocation and phosphorylation of NF-κB.

3D graphene-based foam induced by phytic acid: An effective enzyme-mimic catalyst for electrochemical detection of cell-released superoxide anion.

Here we present a new method to fabricate enzyme-mimic metal-free catalysts for electrochemical detection of superoxide anion (O2•-) by introducing phosphate groups into graphene-based foam. Through a template-free hydrothermal process, graphene oxide (GO) was treated with different amount of phytic acid (PA) to obtain 3D porous graphene-based foam (PAGF). Characterizations demonstrate that phosphate groups were successfully modified on the surface and inter layer structure of PAGF materials and the defects and disorder degree of PAGF could be controlled by adjusting the addition of PA precursors. Meanwhile, the synthesized PAGF was successfully immobilized on screen printed carbon electrodes (SPCEs) and employed in O2•- detection. With PA treated on graphene structure, the resulted PAGF/SPCEs exhibit distinct characteristic redox peaks, showing enzyme-mimic catalytic activity toward O2•- dismutation. Also, the amount of modified phosphate groups has caused a considerable variety on the performance of PAGF-based electrodes. Apart from high sensitivity, wide liner range, low detection limit, good selectivity and long-term stability, our sensors also present satisfying performance in the real-time monitoring of drug-induced O2•- released from Hela cells. The reliability of the biological measurement was further demonstrated via electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) to characterize the released O2•- from stimulated cells by using 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine-1-oxyl (TEMPOL) to trap the transient O2•-. The above results indicate that our established sensors hold potential application in the real-time detection of O2•- in biological samples.

Fabricating carbon-nanotubes-based porous foam for superoxide electrochemical sensing through one-step hydrothermal process induced by phytic acid.

The detection of superoxide anions (O2•-) is widely considered as a potential way for cancer diagnosis and the development of enzyme-mimic catalysts is the main challenge in the establishment of electrochemical sensors for O2•- sensing in real samples. Here we present a novel enzyme- and metal-free electrochemical catalyst for superoxide (O2•-) sensing based on the widely-used carbon nanotubes (CNT). Through a one-step hydrothermal process induced by phytic acid (PA), CNT-based porous foam (PACNTF) was successfully obtained. Characterizations demonstrated the enhanced defect and disorder degree of PACNTF after PA treatment, which leaded to the increased active sites of PACNTF for electron transfer and the adhesion of O2•- during the electrochemical process. As a result, the PACNTF presented higher conductivity and larger current response toward O2•- sensing when compared with CNT precursor and CNTF without PA treatment. The sensitivity of PACNTF/SPCE was calculated to be 1230 µA cm-2 mM-1 in the linear range of 0-193.6 µM (R2 = 0.965) and 373 µA cm-2 mM-1 in the linear range of 193.6-1153.6 µM (R2 = 0.995) with a limit of detection of 0.16 µM (S/N = 3). Further, the PACNTF/SPCE presented fast response toward cell-released O2•- stimulated by Zymosan A. The above results indicated that the fabricated sensor holds potential usage in biological samples.

A facile way to fabricate manganese phosphate self-assembled carbon networks as efficient electrochemical catalysts for real-time monitoring of superoxide anions released from HepG2 cells.

Quantification of superoxide anions (O2•-) is significant in the monitoring of many serious diseases and the design of enzyme-mimic catalysts plays the main role in the development of non-enzymatic O2•- sensors. Herein, we proposed a facile self-assembly process to synthesize manganese phosphate modified carbon networks using three kinds of widely-used carbon materials (MWCNTs, NGS and GO) as pillar connectors. Characterizations demonstrate that manganese phosphate is widely dispersed inside and on the surface of carbon networks without visible morphology. Meanwhile, all three kinds of synthesized catalysts were successfully immobilized on the screen-printed carbon electrodes to evaluate the electrochemical performance of fabricated sensors. The results indicate that sensors based on Mnx(PO4)y modified MWCNTs exhibit high sensitivity with an extremely low detection limit of 0.127µM (S/N = 3) and a wide liner range of 0-1.817mM (R2 = 0.998). We further employed the recommended sensors in the real-time monitoring of HepG2 cells released O2•- under the stimulating of Zymosan (20mg/mL). Noticeably, the proposed sensors exhibit not only sensitive response but also stable current steps upon different addition of Zymosan. The calculated concentrations of cell-released O2•- vary from 6.772 to 24.652pM cell-1 for the Zymosan amount used in this work. The established novel sensors display low background current and signal noises, thus holding unique advantages in the trace analysis of O2•- in biological samples and in vivo environment.

Identification of genomic regions and the isoamylase gene for reduced grain chalkiness in rice.

Grain chalkiness is an important grain quality related to starch granules in the endosperm. A high percentage of grain chalkiness is a major problem because it diminishes grain quality in rice. Here, we report quantitative trait loci identification for grain chalkiness using high-throughput single nucleotide polymorphism genotyping of a chromosomal segment substitution line population in which each line carried one or a few introduced japonica cultivar Nipponbare segments in the genetic background of the indica cultivar ZS97. Ten quantitative trait loci regions were commonly identified for the percentage of grain chalkiness and the degree of endosperm chalkiness. The allelic effects at nine of these quantitative trait loci reduced grain chalkiness. Furthermore, a quantitative trait locus (qPGC8-2) on chromosome 8 was validated in a chromosomal segment substitution line-derived segregation population, and had a stable effect on chalkiness in a multiple-environment evaluation of the near-isogenic lines. Residing on the qPGC8-2 region, the isoamylase gene (ISA1) was preferentially expressed in the endosperm and revealed some nucleotide polymorphisms between two varieties, Nipponbare and ZS97. Transgenic lines with suppression of ISA1 by RNA interference produced grains with 20% more chalkiness than the control. The results support that the gene may underlie qPGC8-2 for grain chalkiness. The multiple-environment trials of the near-isogenic lines also show that combination of the favorable alleles such as the ISA1 gene for low chalkiness and the GS3 gene for long grains considerably improved grain quality of ZS97, which proves useful for grain quality improvement in rice breeding programs.

2-(4-Methyl-2-phenyl-piperazin-4-ium-1-yl)pyridine-3-carboxyl-ate dihydrate.

The title compound, C(17)H(19)N(3)O(2)·2H(2)O, is particularly useful in the preparation of mirtaza-pine, which is the active agent in a new class of anti-depressants. It crystallized as a zwitterion with two mol-ecules of water in the asymmetric unit. The crystal structure is dominated by a system of hydrogen bonds involving the positively charged N atom and both water mol-ecules.