Major depressive disorder (MDD) has been shown to be associated with structural abnormalities in a variety of spatially diverse brain regions. However, the correlation between brain structural ...changes in MDD and gene expression is unclear. Here, we examine the link between brain-wide gene expression and morphometric changes in individuals with MDD, using neuroimaging data from two independent cohorts and a publicly available transcriptomic dataset. Morphometric similarity network (MSN) analysis shows replicable cortical structural differences in individuals with MDD compared to control subjects. Using human brain gene expression data, we observe that the expression of MDD-associated genes spatially correlates with MSN differences. Analysis of cell type-specific signature genes suggests that microglia and neuronal specific transcriptional changes account for most of the observed correlation with MDD-specific MSN differences. Collectively, our findings link molecular and structural changes relevant for MDD.
Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder with dysfunction in cortices as well as white matter (WM) tracts. While the changes to WM structure have been extensively investigated in PD, ...the nature of the functional changes to WM remains unknown. In this study, the regional activity and functional connectivity of WM were compared between PD patients (n = 57) and matched healthy controls (n = 52), based on multimodel magnetic resonance imaging data sets. By tract‐based spatial statistical analyses of regional activity, patients showed decreased structural‐functional coupling in the left corticospinal tract compared to controls. This tract also displayed abnormally increased functional connectivity within the left post‐central gyrus and left putamen in PD patients. At the network level, the WM functional network showed small‐worldness in both controls and PD patients, yet it was abnormally increased in the latter group. Based on the features of the WM functional connectome, previously un‐evaluated individuals could be classified with fair accuracy (73%) and area under the curve of the receiver operating characteristics (75%). These neuroimaging findings provide direct evidence for WM functional changes in PD, which is crucial to understand the functional role of fiber tracts in the pathology of neural circuits.
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FZAB, GIS, IJS, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, SAZU, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
For seeking high enantiopurity, the previously reported thermal asymmetric catalysis is usually carried out at low temperature sometimes with limited yield, that is, the high enantiomeric excess (ee) ...usually at the cost of high yield. Thus, the achieving both high stereoselectivity and yield is an enormous challenge. We report herein two metal nanoparticle (M NP)-loaded and porphyrin-containing homochiral covalent organic framework (CCOF)-based composite catalysts, and their application in the thermally-driven asymmetric one-pot Henry and A
-coupling reactions. All the reactions are conducted at elevated temperatures with both excellent stereoselectivity and yield which resulted from the synergy of CCOF confinement effect and M NP catalytic activation. Notably, the needed thermal energy for the asymmetric reactions herein is derived from the photothermal conversion via porphyrin-based CCOF upon irradiation with visible light. Remarkably, the CCOF confinement effect can be effectively maintained up to 100 °C for the asymmetric one-pot Henry and A
-coupling reactions herein.
Organic ferroelectrics are highly desirable for their light weight, mechanical flexibility and biocompatibility. However, the rational design of organic ferroelectrics has always faced great ...challenges. Anilinium bromide (AB) has two structures reported in the Cambridge Crystallographic Data Centre, which might be an mmmF2/m type ferroelastic (AB‐1). When we studied its ferroelasticity, we were surprised to discover that there was another crystal (AB‐2) in H2O besides this one, and they were very difficult to separate. By changing the solvent, we found that AB‐1 crystals could be formed in ethanol, where ferroelastic domains were visualized by polarized light microscopy, and AB‐2 crystals could be obtained from various crystallization solvents of methanol, isopropanol, N‐butanol, acetonitrile, dimethyl sulfoxide, and N,N‐dimethylformamide, which undergo a ferroelectric phase transition with mm2Fm, showing clear ferroelectricity in two phases. To our knowledge, the regulation of ferroelasticity to ferroelectricity by solvent selective effect is unprecedented in the field of ferroelectrics. This work reveals the important role of solvent effect in organic ferroelectrics.
A solvent selective effect for the regulation of ferroelasticity and ferroelectricity of anilinium bromide is described, which is unprecedented in organic molecular ferroelectrics. Two forms of crystal structure were obtained from different crystallization solvents: ferroelastic AB‐1 and ferroelectric AB‐2. Atom key: Br (green), N (blue), H (light blue), C (gray).
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BFBNIB, FZAB, GIS, IJS, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, SAZU, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
The amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation (ALFF) measures resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (RS-fMRI) signal of each voxel. However, the unit of blood oxygenation level-dependent ...(BOLD) signal is arbitrary and hence ALFF is sensitive to the scale of raw signal. A well-accepted standardization procedure is to divide each voxel's ALFF by the global mean ALFF, named mALFF. Although fractional ALFF (fALFF), a ratio of the ALFF to the total amplitude within the full frequency band, offers possible solution of the standardization, it actually mixes with the fluctuation power within the full frequency band and thus cannot reveal the true amplitude characteristics of a given frequency band. The current study borrowed the percent signal change in task fMRI studies and proposed percent amplitude of fluctuation (PerAF) for RS-fMRI. We firstly applied PerAF and mPerAF (i.e., divided by global mean PerAF) to eyes open (EO) vs. eyes closed (EC) RS-fMRI data. PerAF and mPerAF yielded prominently difference between EO and EC, being well consistent with previous studies. We secondly performed test-retest reliability analysis and found that (PerAF ≈ mPerAF ≈ mALFF) > (fALFF ≈ mfALFF). Head motion regression (Friston-24) increased the reliability of PerAF, but decreased all other metrics (e.g. mPerAF, mALFF, fALFF, and mfALFF). The above results suggest that mPerAF is a valid, more reliable, more straightforward, and hence a promising metric for voxel-level RS-fMRI studies. Future study could use both PerAF and mPerAF metrics. For prompting future application of PerAF, we implemented PerAF in a new version of REST package named RESTplus.
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DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
The cobalt‐catalyzed alkoxylation of C(sp2)H bonds in aromatic and olefinic carboxamides has been developed. The reaction proceeded under mild conditions in the presence of Co(OAc)2⋅4H2O as the ...catalyst and tolerates a wide range of both alcohols and benzamide substrates, including even olefinic carboxamides. In addition, this reaction is the first example of the direct alkoxylation of alkenes through CH bond activation.
Alcohols in action: A wide range of alcohols and benzamide substrates functionalized with electron‐rich or electron‐poor substituents are tolerated in the title reaction. This practical reaction occurs under mild conditions.
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BFBNIB, FZAB, GIS, IJS, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, SAZU, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
Owing to their permanent porosity, highly ordered and extended structure, good chemical stability, and tunability, covalent organic frameworks (COFs) have emerged as a new type of organic materials ...that can offer various applications in different fields. Benefiting from the huge database of organic reactions, the required functionality of COFs can be readily achieved by modification of the corresponding organic functional groups on either polymerizable monomers or established COF frameworks. This striking feature allows homochiral covalent organic frameworks (HCCOFs) to be reasonably designed and synthesized, as well as their use as a unique platform to fabricate asymmetric catalysts. This contribution provides an overview of new progress in HCCOF‐based asymmetric catalysis, including design, synthesis, and their application in asymmetric organic synthesis. Moreover, major challenges and developing trends in this field are also discussed. It is anticipated that this review article will provide some new insights into HCCOFs for heterogeneous asymmetric catalysis and help to encourage further contributions in this young but promising field.
Chirality from COFs: Owing to their permanent porosity, highly ordered and extended structure, good chemical stability, and tunability, covalent organic frameworks have emerged as a new type of organic materials that can offer various applications in different fields. Herein, the design and synthesis of chiral covalent organic frameworks and their applications in asymmetric catalysis are highlighted.
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BFBNIB, FZAB, GIS, IJS, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, SAZU, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
Extracellular vesicles (EVs), a class of heterogeneous membrane vesicles, are generally divided into exosomes and microvesicles on basis of their origination from the endosomal membrane or the plasma ...membrane, respectively. EV-mediated bidirectional communication among various cell types supports cancer cell growth and metastasis. EVs derived from different cell types and status have been shown to have distinct RNA profiles, comprising messenger RNAs and non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs). Recently, ncRNAs have attracted great interests in the field of EV-RNA research, and growing numbers of ncRNAs ranging from microRNAs to long ncRNAs have been investigated to reveal their specific functions and underlying mechanisms in the tumor microenvironment and premetastatic niches. Emerging evidence has indicated that EV-RNAs are essential functional cargoes in modulating hallmarks of cancers and in reciprocal crosstalk within tumor cells and between tumor and stromal cells over short and long distance, thereby regulating the initiation, development and progression of cancers. In this review, we discuss current findings regarding EV biogenesis, release and interaction with target cells as well as EV-RNA sorting, and highlight biological roles and molecular mechanisms of EV-ncRNAs in cancer biology.
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DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Early preclinical evidence provided the rationale for programmed cell death 1 (PD-1) and programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1) blockade as a potential form of cancer immunotherapy given that activation ...of the PD-1/PD-L1 axis putatively served as a mechanism for tumor evasion of host tumor antigen-specific T-cell immunity. Early-phase studies investigating several humanized monoclonal IgG4 antibodies targeting PD-1 and PD-L1 in advanced solid tumors paved way for the development of the first PD-1 inhibitors, nivolumab and pembrolizumab, approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2014. The number of FDA-approved agents of this class is rapidly enlarging with indications for treatment spanning across a spectrum of malignancies. The purpose of this review is to highlight the clinical development of PD-1 and PD-L1 inhibitors in cancer therapy to date. In particular, we focus on detailing the registration trials that have led to FDA-approved indications of anti-PD-1 and anti-PD-L1 therapies in cancer. As the number of PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors continues to grow, predictive biomarkers, mechanisms of resistance, hyperprogressors, treatment duration and treatment beyond progression, immune-related toxicities, and clinical trial design are key concepts in need of further consideration to optimize the anticancer potential of this class of immunotherapy.
The supplementary motor area (SMA) is a key node of the motor network. Inhibitory repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) of the SMA can potentially improve movement disorders. However, ...the aftereffects of inhibitory rTMS on brain function remain largely unknown. Using a single-blind, crossover within-subject design, we investigated the role of aftereffects with two inhibitory rTMS protocols 1800 pulses of either 1-Hz repetitive stimulation or continuous theta burst stimulation (cTBS) on the left SMA. A total of 19 healthy volunteers participated in the rTMS sessions on 2 separate days. Firstly, short-term aftereffects were estimated at three levels (functional connectivity, local activity, and network properties) by comparing the resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging datasets (9min) acquired before and after each rTMS session. Local activity and network properties were not significantly altered by either protocol. Functional connectivity within the SMA network was increased (in the left paracentral gyrus) by 1-Hz stimulation and decreased (in the left inferior frontal gyrus and SMA/middle cingulate cortex) by cTBS. The subsequent three-way analysis of variance (site×time×protocol) did not show a significant interaction effect or “protocol” main effect, suggesting that the two protocols share an underlying mechanism. Secondly, sliding-window analysis was used to evaluate the dynamic features of aftereffects in the ~29min after the end of stimulation. Aftereffects were maintained for a maximum of 9.8 and 6.6min after the 1-Hz and cTBS protocols, respectively. In summary, this study revealed topographical and temporal aftereffects in the SMA network following inhibitory rTMS protocols, providing valuable information for their application in future neuroscience and clinical studies.
•1Hz and continuous TBS can modulate the function of SMA network.•1Hz repetitive TMS increased the functional connectivity of paracentral gyrus.•Continuous TBS decreased the functional connectivity of IFG, SMA/MCC.•The two protocols show similar effective time (~10min) after the end of stimulation.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZRSKP