Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is an age‐associated neurodegenerative disorder with multifactorial etiology, intersecting genetic and environmental risk factors, and a lack of disease‐modifying ...therapeutics. While the abnormal accumulation of lipids was described in the very first report of AD neuropathology, it was not until recent decades that lipid dyshomeostasis became a focus of AD research. Clinically, lipidomic and metabolomic studies have consistently shown alterations in the levels of various lipid classes emerging in early stages of AD brains. Mechanistically, decades of discovery research have revealed multifaceted interactions between lipid metabolism and key AD pathogenic mechanisms including amyloidogenesis, bioenergetic deficit, oxidative stress, neuroinflammation, and myelin degeneration. In the present review, converging evidence defining lipid dyshomeostasis in AD is summarized, followed by discussions on mechanisms by which lipid metabolism contributes to pathogenesis and modifies disease risk. Furthermore, lipid‐targeting therapeutic strategies, and the modification of their efficacy by disease stage, ApoE status, and metabolic and vascular profiles, are reviewed.
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease with multifactorial etiology, intersecting risk factors, and a lack of disease‐modifying therapeutics. In this review, converging clinical evidence defining lipid dyshomeostasis in early stages of AD is summarized followed by discussions on mechanisms by which lipid metabolism contributes to pathogenesis and modifies disease risk. Furthermore, existing and potential lipid‐targeting therapeutic strategies are reviewed.
The recent HAWC observations of a very-high-energy γ-ray halo around Geminga and Monogem indicate a very slow diffusion of cosmic rays that results in a tiny contribution of positrons from these two ...pulsars to the local flux. This makes the cosmic positron excess anomaly observed by PAMELA and AMS-02 even more puzzling. However, from the boron-to-carbon ratio data one can infer that the average diffusion coefficient in the Galaxy should be much larger. In this work we propose a two-zone diffusion model in which the diffusion is slow only in a small region around the source, outside of which the propagation is as fast as usual. We find that this scenario can naturally explain the positron excess data with parameters even more reasonable than those in the conventional one-zone diffusion model. The reason is that during the lifetime of Geminga (∼300 kyr), the electrons/positrons have propagated too far away with a fast diffusion and led to a low local flux. The slow-diffusion region in the two-zone model helps to confine the electrons/positrons for a long time and lead to an enhancement of the local flux. So under the constraint of the HAWC observations, pulsars are still the probable origin of the cosmic-ray positron excess.
The academic success of Chinese students has drawn much attention from researchers and the public. Evidence suggests that Chinese parents’ learning‐related practices contribute to their children’s ...high achievement, but what motivates these practices? In this article, we address this question by focusing on Chinese parents’ beliefs, which can serve as a framework that guides their practices. First, we review recent research on Chinese parents’ learning‐related practices as well as their beliefs about children’s learning and parenting. Then, we consider how these beliefs, which are constantly shaped by the cultural and social context, may underlie Chinese parents’ learning‐related practices. We conclude by discussing directions for research in a changing world.
Chinese parents exert more control over children than do American parents. The current research examined whether this is due in part to Chinese parents' feelings of worth being more contingent on ...children's performance. Twice over a year, 215 mothers and children (M age = 12.86 years) in China and the United States (European and African American) reported on psychologically controlling parenting. Mothers also indicated the extent to which their worth is contingent on children's performance. Psychologically controlling parenting was higher among Chinese than American mothers, particularly European (vs. African) American mothers. Chinese (vs. American) mothers' feelings of worth were more contingent on children's performance, with this contributing to their heightened psychological control relative to American mothers.
Controlling the architectures and crystal phases of metal@semiconductor heterostructures is very important for modulating their physicochemical properties and enhancing their application ...performances. Here, a facile one‐pot wet‐chemical method to synthesize three types of amorphous SnO2‐encapsulated crystalline Cu heterostructures, i.e., hemicapsule, yolk–shell, and core–shell nanostructures, in which unconventional crystal phases (e.g., 2H, 4H, and 6H) and defects (e.g., stacking faults and twin boundaries) are observed in the crystalline Cu cores, is reported. The hemicapsule Cu@SnO2 heterostructures, with voids that not only expose the Cu core with unconventional phases but also retain the interface between Cu and SnO2, show an excellent electrocatalytic CO2 reduction reaction (CO2RR) selectivity toward the production of CO and formate with high Faradaic efficiency (FE) above 90% in a wide potential window from −1.05 to −1.55 V (vs reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE)), and the highest FE of CO2RR (95.3%) is obtained at −1.45 V (vs RHE). This work opens up a new way for the synthesis of new heterostructured nanomaterials with promising catalytic application.
Three types of Cu@SnO2 nanostructures with hemicapsule, yolk–shell, and core–shell architectures are synthesized, in which a series of unconventional phases of Cu (i.e., 2H, 4H, and 6H) is observed. The obtained hemicapsule heterostructures exhibit superior CO2 reduction reaction selectivity toward CO and formate with high Faradaic efficiency (above 90%) in a wide potential window, outperforming their yolk–shell and core–shell counterparts.
Heterogeneous noble‐metal‐based catalysis plays an essential role in the production of fine chemicals. Rh‐based catalysts are one of the most active candidates for indole synthesis. However, it is ...still highly desired to develop heterogeneous Rh‐based catalysts with high activity and selectivity. In this work, a general, facile wet‐chemical method is reported to synthesize ultrathin amorphous/crystalline heterophase Rh and Rh‐based bimetallic alloy nanosheets (NSs), including RhCu, RhZn, and RhRu. Impressively, the amorphous/crystalline heterophase Rh NSs exhibit enhanced catalytic activity toward the direct synthesis of indole compared to the crystalline counterpart. Importantly, the obtained amorphous/crystalline heterophase RhCu alloy NSs can further enhance the selectivity to indole of >99.9% and the conversion is 100%. This work demonstrates the importance of phase engineering and metal alloying in the rational design and synthesis of tandem heterogeneous catalysts toward fine chemical synthesis.
Ultrathin Rh and RhM (M = Cu, Zn, Ru) alloy nanosheets with amorphous/crystalline heterophases are successfully synthesized. In tandem catalysis to directly synthesize indole, the amorphous/crystalline heterophase Rh nanosheets (NSs) outperform their crystalline counterpart, demonstrating much higher catalytic activity. Impressively, the amorphous/crystalline heterophase RhCu NSs show dramatically enhanced indole selectivity of over 99.9% and excellent activity.
Distributed quantum metrology can enhance the sensitivity for sensing spatially distributed parameters beyond the classical limits. Here we demonstrate distributed quantum phase estimation with ...discrete variables to achieve Heisenberg limit phase measurements. Based on parallel entanglement in modes and particles, we demonstrate distributed quantum sensing for both individual phase shifts and an averaged phase shift, with an error reduction up to 1.4 dB and 2.7 dB below the shot-noise limit. Furthermore, we demonstrate a combined strategy with parallel mode entanglement and multiple passes of the phase shifter in each mode. In particular, our experiment uses six entangled photons with each photon passing the phase shifter up to six times, and achieves a total number of photon passes N = 21 at an error reduction up to 4.7 dB below the shot-noise limit. Our research provides a faithful verification of the benefit of entanglement and coherence for distributed quantum sensing in general quantum networks.Distributed quantum metrology is demonstrated for both individual and averaged phase shifts by using discrete-variable entangled photons. An error reduction of 4.7 dB below the shot-noise limit is achieved when a total number of photon passes is 21.
Phase engineering of nanomaterials (PEN) offers a promising route to rationally tune the physicochemical properties of nanomaterials and further enhance their performance in various applications. ...However, it remains a great challenge to construct well‐defined crystalline@amorphous core–shell heterostructured nanomaterials with the same chemical components. Herein, the synthesis of binary (Pd‐P) crystalline@amorphous heterostructured nanoplates using Cu3−χP nanoplates as templates, via cation exchange, is reported. The obtained nanoplate possesses a crystalline core and an amorphous shell with the same elemental components, referred to as c‐Pd‐P@a‐Pd‐P. Moreover, the obtained c‐Pd‐P@a‐Pd‐P nanoplates can serve as templates to be further alloyed with Ni, forming ternary (Pd‐Ni‐P) crystalline@amorphous heterostructured nanoplates, referred to as c‐Pd‐Ni‐P@a‐Pd‐Ni‐P. The atomic content of Ni in the c‐Pd‐Ni‐P@a‐Pd‐Ni‐P nanoplates can be tuned in the range from 9.47 to 38.61 at%. When used as a catalyst, the c‐Pd‐Ni‐P@a‐Pd‐Ni‐P nanoplates with 9.47 at% Ni exhibit excellent electrocatalytic activity toward ethanol oxidation, showing a high mass current density up to 3.05 A mgPd−1, which is 4.5 times that of the commercial Pd/C catalyst (0.68 A mgPd−1).
Binary (Pd‐P) and ternary (Pd‐Ni‐P) nanoplates, both with crystalline@amorphous core–shell nanostructures, are synthesized using Cu3−χP nanoplates as templates. The obtained c‐Pd‐Ni‐P@a‐Pd‐Ni‐P heterostructured nanoplates exhibit superior electrocatalytic performance toward the ethanol oxidation reaction in alkaline media compared to c‐Pd‐P@a‐Pd‐P heterostructured nanoplates and commercial Pd/C catalysts.
Spinal cord ischemia-reperfusion injury (SCIRI) often leads to neurological damage and mortality. In this regard, understanding the pathology of SCIRI and preventing its development are of great ...clinic value.
Herein, we analyzed the role of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cell (BMMSC)-derived exosomal microRNA (miR)-124-3p in SCIRI. A SCIRI rat model was established, and the expression of Ern1 and M2 macrophage polarization markers (Arg1, Ym1, and Fizz) was determined using immunohistochemistry, immunofluorescence assay, RT-qPCR, and western blot analysis. Targeting relationship between miR-124-3p and Ern1 was predicted using bioinformatic analysis and verified by dual-luciferase reporter assay. Macrophages were co-cultured with miR-124-3p-containing BMMSC-derived exosomes. M2 macrophages were identified using flow cytometry, and the expression of Arg1, Ym1, and Fizz was determined. In addition, SCIRI rats were injected with miR-124-3p-containing exosomes, spinal cord cell apoptosis was observed using TUNEL assay, and the pathological condition was evaluated with H&E staining.
In SCIRI, Ern1 was highly expressed and M2 polarization markers were poorly expressed. Silencing Ern1 led to elevated expression of M2 polarization markers. MiR-124-3p targeted and negatively regulated Ern1. Exosomal miR-124-3p enhanced M2 polarization. Highly expressed exosomal miR-124-3p impeded cell apoptosis and attenuated SCIRI-induced tissue impairment and nerve injury. miR-124-3p from BMMSC-derived exosomes ameliorated SCIRI and its associated nerve injury through inhibiting Ern1 and promoting M2 polarization.
In summary, exosomal miR-124-3p derived from BMMSCs attenuated nerve injury induced by SCIRI by regulating Ern1 and M2 macrophage polarization.
As one of the most common chemical materials, titanium dioxide (TiO
2
) has been prepared and widely used for many years. Among all the applications, the biomedical applications of TiO
2
have ...motivated strong interest and intensive experimental and theoretical studies, owing to its unique photocatalytic properties, excellent biocompatibility, high chemical stability, and low toxicity. Advances in nanoscale science suggest that some of the current problems of life science could be resolved or greatly improved through applying TiO
2
. This paper presents a critical review of recent advances in the biomedical applications of TiO
2
, which includes the photodynamic therapy for cancer treatment, drug delivery systems, cell imaging, biosensors for biological assay, and genetic engineering. The characterizations and applications of TiO
2
nanoparticles, as well as nanocomposites and nanosystems of TiO
2
, which have been prepared by different modifications to improve the function of TiO
2
, are also offered in this review. Additionally, some perspectives on the challenges and new directions for future research in this emerging frontier are discussed.
As one of the most common chemical materials, titanium dioxide (TiO
2
) has been prepared and widely used for many years. This paper presents a critical review of recent advances in the biomedical applications of TiO
2
.
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