Drug use and relapse involve learned associations between drug-associated environmental cues and drug effects. Extinction procedures in the clinic can suppress conditioned responses to drug cues, but ...the extinguished responses typically reemerge after exposure to the drug itself (reinstatement), the drug-associated environment (renewal), or the passage of time (spontaneous recovery). We describe a memory retrieval-extinction procedure that decreases conditioned drug effects and drug seeking in rat models of relapse, and drug craving in abstinent heroin addicts. In rats, daily retrieval of drug-associated memories 10 minutes or 1 hour but not 6 hours before extinction sessions attenuated drug-induced reinstatement, spontaneous recovery, and renewal of conditioned drug effects and drug seeking. In heroin addicts, retrieval of drug-associated memories 10 minutes before extinction sessions attenuated cue-induced heroin craving 1, 30, and 180 days later. The memory retrieval-extinction procedure is a promising nonpharmacological method for decreasing drug craving and relapse during abstinence.
Sleep deprivation (SD) is increasingly common in modern society, which can lead to the dysregulation of inflammatory responses and cognitive impairment, but the mechanisms remain unclear. Emerging ...evidence suggests that gut microbiota plays a critical role in the pathogenesis and development of inflammatory and psychiatric diseases, possibly via gut microbiota-brain interactions and neuroinflammation. The present study investigated the impact of SD on gut microbiota composition and explored whether alterations of the gut microbiota play a causal role in chronic inflammatory states and cognitive impairment that are induced by SD. We found that SD-induced gut dysbiosis, inflammatory responses, and cognitive impairment in humans. Moreover, the absence of the gut microbiota suppressed inflammatory response and cognitive impairment induced by SD in germ-free (GF) mice. Transplantation of the "SD microbiota" into GF mice activated the Toll-like receptor 4/nuclear factor-κB signaling pathway and impaired cognitive function in the recipient mice. Mice that harbored "SD microbiota" also exhibited increases in neuroinflammation and microglial activity in the hippocampus and medial prefrontal cortex. These findings indicate that gut dysbiosis contributes to both peripheral and central inflammatory processes and cognitive deficits that are induced by SD, which may open avenues for potential interventions that can relieve the detrimental consequences of sleep loss.
Summary In China, where air pollution has become a major threat to public health, public awareness of the detrimental effects of air pollution on respiratory health is increasing—particularly in ...relation to haze days. Air pollutant emission levels in China remain substantially higher than are those in developed countries. Moreover, industry, traffic, and household biomass combustion have become major sources of air pollutant emissions, with substantial spatial and temporal variations. In this Review, we focus on the major constituents of air pollutants and their impacts on chronic respiratory diseases. We highlight targets for interventions and recommendations for pollution reduction through industrial upgrading, vehicle and fuel renovation, improvements in public transportation, lowering of personal exposure, mitigation of the direct effects of air pollution through healthy city development, intervention at population-based level (systematic health education, intensive and individualised intervention, pre-emptive measures, and rehabilitation), and improvement in air quality. The implementation of a national environmental protection policy has become urgent.
Instead of carbon, Mo2C is used to modify the MoO2 material for the first time. The presence of highly conductive and electrochemical inactive Mo2C decreases the resistance of the charge transport ...and enhances the structural stability of MoO2 nanoparticles upon lithiation and delithiation, ensuring the superior cycling stability and high rate capability of the heteronanotubes. Cycled at 200 and 1000 mA g−1 for 140 cycles, the discharge capacities of the MoO2/Mo2C heteronanotubes remain to be 790 and 510 mAh g−1, respectively. This work demonstrates the potential of the novel heteronanotubes for application as an electrode material for high‐performance Li‐ion batteries.
Hierarchical porous MoO2/Mo2C heteronanotubes are obtained by using a mesoporous carbon CMK‐3 as both the template and the reactant. Taking advantage of the incorporation of high electronic conductive Mo2C and the hierarchical porous structure, the cycling and rate performance of the heteronanotubes is markedly enhanced.
Air pollution constitutes a significant stimulus of asthma exacerbations; however, the impacts of exposure to major air pollutants on asthma-related hospital admissions and emergency room visits ...(ERVs) have not been fully determined.
We sought to quantify the associations between short-term exposure to air pollutants ozone (O3), carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), sulfur dioxide (SO2), and particulate matter ≤10 μm (PM10) and PM2.5 and the asthma-related emergency room visits (ERV) and hospitalizations.
Systematic computerized searches without language limitation were performed. Pooled relative risks (RRs) and 95% confidence intervals (95%CIs) were estimated using the random-effect models. Sensitivity analyses and subgroup analyses were also performed.
After screening of 246 studies, 87 were included in our analyses. Air pollutants were associated with significantly increased risks of asthma ERVs and hospitalizations O3: RR(95%CI), 1.009 (1.006, 1.011); I2 = 87.8%, population-attributable fraction (PAF) (95%CI): 0.8 (0.6, 1.1); CO: RR(95%CI), 1.045 (1.029, 1.061); I2 = 85.7%, PAF (95%CI): 4.3 (2.8, 5.7); NO2: RR(95%CI), 1.018 (1.014, 1.022); I2 = 87.6%, PAF (95%CI): 1.8 (1.4, 2.2); SO2: RR(95%CI), 1.011 (1.007, 1.015); I2 = 77.1%, PAF (95%CI): 1.1 (0.7, 1.5); PM10: RR(95%CI), 1.010 (1.008, 1.013); I2 = 69.1%, PAF (95%CI): 1.1 (0.8, 1.3); PM2.5: RR(95%CI), 1.023 (1.015, 1.031); I2 = 82.8%, PAF (95%CI): 2.3 (1.5, 3.1). Sensitivity analyses yielded compatible findings as compared with the overall analyses without publication bias. Stronger associations were found in hospitalized males, children and elderly patients in warm seasons with lag of 2 days or greater.
Short-term exposures to air pollutants account for increased risks of asthma-related ERVs and hospitalizations that constitute a considerable healthcare utilization and socioeconomic burden.
Since the industrial revolution, it has been assumed that fossil-fuel combustions dominate increasing nitrogen oxide (NO
) emissions. However, it remains uncertain to the actual contribution of the ...non-fossil fuel NO
to total NO
emissions. Natural N isotopes of NO
in precipitation (δ
N
) have been widely employed for tracing atmospheric NO
sources. Here, we compiled global δ
N
observations to evaluate the relative importance of fossil and non-fossil fuel NO
emissions. We found that regional differences in human activities directly influenced spatial-temporal patterns of δ
N
variations. Further, isotope mass-balance and bottom-up calculations suggest that the non-fossil fuel NO
accounts for 55 ± 7% of total NO
emissions, reaching up to 21.6 ± 16.6Mt yr
in East Asia, 7.4 ± 5.5Mt yr
in Europe, and 21.8 ± 18.5Mt yr
in North America, respectively. These results reveal the importance of non-fossil fuel NO
emissions and provide direct evidence for making strategies on mitigating atmospheric NO
pollution.
This paper investigates the strategies for adopting blockchain technology in the fresh product supply chain (FPSC) consisting of a supplier, a third-party logistics service provider (3PL) and an ...e-tailer. We analyse the optimal strategies of FPSC members under the benchmark scenario where the FPSC does not adopt blockchain technology and those under the three scenarios where the supplier, 3PL and e-tailer lead the construction of the blockchain-based traceability system (BTS), respectively. We find that adopting blockchain technology is not always the optimal decision for the FPSC, which is related to the consumers' acceptance degree for the product without blockchain technology, the deterioration rate of the fresh product and the allocation proportion of traceability cost of FPSC members when adopting blockchain technology. Regardless of the power and status of each member in the FPSC, it can lead the construction of the BTS. From the perspective of whole FPSC's profit maximisation, the leader of the FPSC should lead the construction of the BTS under the coordination of a two-part tariff contract. This study provides valuable insights for FPSCs to adopt blockchain technology.
Chiral 2,3‐allenols were constructed through copper(I)‐catalyzed asymmetric direct alkynylogous aldol reaction. With aromatic and heteroaromatic aldehydes, the alkynylogous aldol reaction with ...(R)‐DTBM‐SEGPHOS as the ligand proceeded smoothly to furnish the products in excellent regioselectivity with good to high diastereoselectivity and excellent enantioselectivity. In the cases of aliphatic aldehydes, esters of but‐2‐yn‐1‐ol as the substrates and (R,R)‐Ph‐BPE as the ligand were found to be crucial to get good to high regio‐ and diastereoselectivity. The produced chiral 2,3‐allenols are easily transformed into synthetically useful 2‐furanones through cyclization. Finally, the developed method was successfully applied in the rapid synthesis of two chiral intermediates toward the synthesis of two pharmaceutically active compounds that have been proposed for the treatment of neurological disorders.
Two by two: A copper(I)‐catalyzed asymmetric direct alkynylogous aldol reaction was developed that delivers chiral 2,3‐allenols with good to excellent regio‐, diastereo‐, and enantioselectivity. The produced chiral 2,3‐allenols are easily transformed into synthetically useful 2‐furanones through cyclization.
Blockchain technology is an emerging technology developed in recent years. It has powerful information traceability function. The blockchain technology plays an important role in monitoring product ...quality and responding to product safety problems. Under considering the traceability awareness of consumers and the cost of using the blockchain technology, should the supply chain adopt the blockchain technology? The research on this issue deserves great attentions. In this paper, for a three-stage supply chain consisting of a supplier, a manufacturer and a retailer, we study the optimal pricing strategies of the supply chain considering the traceability awareness of consumers in two scenarios. These two scenarios are: scenario N (i.e., the supply chain does not adopt the blockchain technology) and scenario B (i.e., the supply chain adopts the blockchain technology). On this basis, we discuss the conditions that the supply chain adopts the blockchain technology by comparing the optimal profits of the supply chain and its members in two scenarios. Further, we discuss the problem of supply chain coordination when adopting the blockchain technology. The results show that it is conditional for the supply chain to adopt the blockchain technology, and the condition is related to the traceability awareness of consumers, the production costs of the supplier and manufacturer, and the cost of using the blockchain technology. We also find that under a certain condition, the revenue sharing contract can realize a Pareto improvement for the supply chain that adopts the blockchain technology.
Inferior charge transport in insulating and bulk discharge products is one of the main factors resulting in poor cycling stability of lithium-oxygen batteries with high overpotential and large ...capacity decay. Here we report a two-step oxygen reduction approach by pre-depositing a potassium carbonate layer on the cathode surface in a potassium-oxygen battery to direct the growth of defective film-like discharge products in the successive cycling of lithium-oxygen batteries. The formation of defective film with improved charge transport and large contact area with a catalyst plays a critical role in the facile decomposition of discharge products and the sustained stability of the battery. Multistaged discharge constructing lithium peroxide-based heterostructure with band discontinuities and a relatively low lithium diffusion barrier may be responsible for the growth of defective film-like discharge products. This strategy offers a promising route for future development of cathode catalysts that can be used to extend the cycling life of lithium-oxygen batteries.