Abstract
Most chemical vapor deposition methods for transition metal dichalcogenides use an extremely small amount of precursor to render large single-crystal flakes, which usually causes low ...coverage of the materials on the substrate. In this study, a self-capping vapor-liquid-solid reaction is proposed to fabricate large-grain, continuous MoS
2
films. An intermediate liquid phase-Na
2
Mo
2
O
7
is formed through a eutectic reaction of MoO
3
and NaF, followed by being sulfurized into MoS
2
. The as-formed MoS
2
seeds function as a capping layer that reduces the nucleation density and promotes lateral growth. By tuning the driving force of the reaction, large mono/bilayer (1.1 mm/200 μm) flakes or full-coverage films (with a record-high average grain size of 450 μm) can be grown on centimeter-scale substrates. The field-effect transistors fabricated from the full-coverage films show high mobility (33 and 49 cm
2
V
−1
s
−1
for the mono and bilayer regions) and on/off ratio (1 ~ 5 × 10
8
) across a 1.5 cm × 1.5 cm region.
Neuroinflammation is a critical factor in developing and progressing numerous brain diseases, including neurodegenerative diseases. Chronic or excessive neuroinflammation can lead to neurotoxicity, ...causing brain damage and contributing to the onset and progression of various brain diseases. Therefore, understanding neuroinflammation mechanisms and developing strategies to control them is crucial for treating brain diseases. Studies have shown that neuroinflammation plays a vital role in the progression of neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's (AD) and Parkinson's (PD), and stroke. Additionally, the effects of PM
pollution on the brain, including neuroinflammation and neurotoxicity, are well-documented. Quercetin is a flavonoid, a plant pigment in many fruits, vegetables, and grains. Quercetin has been studied for its potential health benefits, including its anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and anti-cancer properties. Quercetin may also have a positive impact on immune function and allergy symptoms. In addition, quercetin has been shown to have anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective properties and can activate AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), a cellular energy sensor that modulates inflammation and oxidative stress. By reducing inflammation and protecting against neuroinflammatory toxicity, quercetin holds promise as a safe and effective adjunctive therapy for treating neurodegenerative diseases and other brain disorders. Understanding and controlling the mechanisms of NF-κB and NLRP3 inflammasome pathways are crucial for preventing and treating conditions, and quercetin may be a promising tool in this effort. This review article aims to discuss the role of neuroinflammation in the development and progression of various brain disorders, including neurodegenerative diseases and stroke, and the impact of PM
pollution on the brain. The paper also highlights quercetin's potential health benefits and anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective properties.
Neuroimaging has revolutionized our understanding of brain function and has become an essential tool for researchers studying neurological disorders. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and ...electroencephalography (EEG) are two widely used neuroimaging techniques to review changes in brain activity. fMRI is a noninvasive technique that uses magnetic fields and radio waves to produce detailed brain images. An EEG is a noninvasive technique that records the brain's electrical activity through electrodes placed on the scalp. This review overviews recent developments in noninvasive functional neuroimaging methods, including fMRI and EEG. Recent advances in fMRI technology, its application to studying brain function, and the impact of neuroimaging techniques on neuroscience research are discussed. Advances in EEG technology and its applications to analyzing brain function and neural oscillations are also highlighted. In addition, advanced courses in neuroimaging, such as diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) and transcranial electrical stimulation (TES), are described, along with their role in studying brain connectivity, white matter tracts, and potential treatments for schizophrenia and chronic pain. Application. The review concludes by examining neuroimaging studies of neurodevelopmental and neurological disorders such as autism spectrum disorder (ASD), attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), Alzheimer's disease (AD), and Parkinson's disease (PD). We also described the role of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) in ASD, ADHD, AD, and PD. Neuroimaging techniques have significantly advanced our understanding of brain function and provided essential insights into neurological disorders. However, further research into noninvasive treatments such as EEG, MRI, and TES is necessary to continue to develop new diagnostic and therapeutic strategies for neurological disorders.
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disorder with progressive memory loss resulting in dementia. Amyloid-beta (Aβ) peptides play a critical role in the pathogenesis of this disease, and ...are thought to promote inflammation and oxidative stress leading to neurodegeneration in the neocortex and hippocampus of the AD brains. AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is a master regulator of cellular energy homeostasis, and cell survival in response to inflammation and oxidative stress. However, the neuroprotective mechanisms by which AMPK achieves these beneficial effects in human neural stem cells (hNSCs) exposed to Aβ is still not well understood. Resveratrol is a potent activator of AMPK suggesting it may have therapeutic potential against AD. Therefore, we will test the hypothesis that the AMPK activator resveratrol protects against Aβ mediated neuronal impairment (inflammation and oxidative stress) in hNSCs. Here, Aβ-treated hNSCs had significantly decreased cell viability that correlated with increased TNF-α and IL-1β inflammatory cytokine expression. Co-treatment with resveratrol significantly abrogated the Aβ-mediated effects in hNSCs, and was effectively blocked by the addition of the AMPK-specific antagonist (Compound C). These results suggest the neuroprotective effects of resveratrol are mediated by an AMPK-dependent pathway. In addition, resveratrol rescued the transcript expression levels of inhibitory kappa B kinase (IKK) in Aβ-treated hNSCs. NF-κB is a transcription factor with a key role in the expression of a variety of genes involved in inflammatory responses. Resveratrol prevented the Aβ-mediated increases in NF-κB mRNA and protein levels, and its nuclear translocation in hNSCs. Co-treatment with resveratrol also significantly restored iNOS and COX-2 levels in Aβ-treated hNSCs. Furthermore, hNSCs co-treated with resveratrol were significantly rescued from Aβ-induced oxidative stress, which correlated with reversal of the Aβ-induced mRNA decrease in oxidative defense genes (SOD-1, NRF2, Gpx1, Catalase, GSH and HO-1). Taken together, these novel findings show that activation of AMPK-dependent signaling by resveratrol rescues Aβ-mediated neurotoxicity in hNSCs, and provides evidence supporting a neuroprotective role for AMPK activating drugs in Aβ-related diseases such as AD.
•Resveratrol rescues viability, TNFα and IL-1β in Aβ-treated hNSCs.•Resveratrol improves inflammatory responses and genes in Aβ-treated hNSCs.•Resveratrol normalizes oxidative stress and defense genes in Aβ-treated hNSCs.
Animal behavior is governed by the activity of interconnected brain circuits. Comprehensive brain wiring maps are thus needed in order to formulate hypotheses about information flow and also to guide ...genetic manipulations aimed at understanding how genes and circuits orchestrate complex behaviors.
To assemble this map, we deconstructed the adult Drosophila brain into approximately 16,000 single neurons and reconstructed them into a common standardized framework to produce a virtual fly brain. We have constructed a mesoscopic map and found that it consists of 41 local processing units (LPUs), six hubs, and 58 tracts covering the whole Drosophila brain. Despite individual local variation, the architecture of the Drosophila brain shows invariance for both the aggregation of local neurons (LNs) within specific LPUs and for the connectivity of projection neurons (PNs) between the same set of LPUs. An open-access image database, named FlyCircuit, has been constructed for online data archiving, mining, analysis, and three-dimensional visualization of all single neurons, brain-wide LPUs, their wiring diagrams, and neural tracts.
We found that the Drosophila brain is assembled from families of multiple LPUs and their interconnections. This provides an essential first step in the analysis of information processing within and between neurons in a complete brain.
► Standard model brains are generated for assembling a brain from single neurons ► The Drosophila brain consists of families of local processing units ► Processing units consist of aggregates of local neurons linked by tracts ► A mesoscopic map of wiring networks is constructed for predicting information flow
This study sought to emphasize how disciplines such as neuroscience and marketing can be applied in advertising and consumer behavior. The application of neuroscience methods in analyzing and ...understanding human behavior related to the Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM) and brain activity has recently garnered attention. This study examines brain processes while participants attempted to elicit preferences for a product, and demonstrates factors that influence consumer behavior using eye-tracking, electroencephalography (EEG), and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) from a neuroscience approach. We planned two conditions of online advertising, namely, peripheral cues without argument and central cues with argument strength. Thirty respondents participated in the experiment, consisting of eye-tracking, EEG, and MRI instruments to explore brain activity in central cue conditions. We investigated whether diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) analysis could detect regional brain changes. Using eye-tracking, we found that the responses were mainly in the mean fixation duration, number of fixations, mean saccade duration, and number of saccade durations for the central cue condition. Moreover, the findings show that the fusiform gyrus and frontal cortex are significantly associated with building a relationship by inferring central cues in the EEG assay. The MRI images show that the fusiform gyrus and frontal cortex are significantly active in the central cue condition. DTI analysis indicates that the corpus callosum has changed in the central cue condition. We used eye-tracking, EEG, MRI, and DTI to understand that these connections may apprehend responses when viewing advertisements, especially in the fusiform gyrus, frontal cortex, and corpus callosum.
Intracellular galectins are carbohydrate-binding proteins capable of sensing and repairing damaged lysosomes. As in the physiological conditions glycosylated moieties are mostly in the lysosomal ...lumen but not cytosol, it is unclear whether galectins reside in lysosomes, bind to glycosylated proteins, and regulate lysosome functions. Here, we show in gut epithelial cells, galectin-9 is enriched in lysosomes and predominantly binds to lysosome-associated membrane protein 2 (Lamp2) in a Asn(N)-glycan dependent manner. At the steady state, galectin-9 binding to glycosylated Asn
of Lamp2 is essential for functionality of lysosomes and autophagy. Loss of N-glycan-binding capability of galectin-9 causes its complete depletion from lysosomes and defective autophagy, leading to increased endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress preferentially in autophagy-active Paneth cells and acinar cells. Unresolved ER stress consequently causes cell degeneration or apoptosis that associates with colitis and pancreatic disorders in mice. Therefore, lysosomal galectins maintain homeostatic function of lysosomes to prevent organ pathogenesis.
Salvianolic acid A (SalA), a chemical type of caffeic acid trimer, has drawn great attention for its potent bioactivities against ischemia-induced injury both in vitro and in vivo. In this study, we ...evaluated SalA's protective effects against acute ischemic stroke by inducing middle cerebral artery occlusion/reperfusion (MCAO) injuries in mice. Treatment of the mice with SalA (50 and 100μg/kg, i.v.) at 2h after MCAO enhanced their survival rate, improved their moving activity, and ameliorated the severity of brain infarction and apoptosis seen in the mice by diminishing pathological changes such as the extensive breakdown of the blood-brain barrier (BBB), nitrosative stress, and the activation of an inflammatory transcriptional factor p65 nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) and a pro-apoptotic kinase p25/Cdk5. SalA also intensively limited cortical infarction and promoted the expression of neurogenesis protein near the peri-infarct cortex and subgranular zone of the hippocampal dentate gyrus by compromising the activation of GSK3β and p25/Cdk5, which in turn upregulated β-catenin, doublecortin (DCX), and Bcl-2, most possibly through the activation of PI3K/Akt signaling via the upregulation of brain-derived neurotrophic factor. We conclude that SalA blocks inflammatory responses by impairing NF-κB signaling, thereby limiting inflammation/nitrosative stress and preserving the integrity of the BBB; SalA also concomitantly promotes neurogenesis-related protein expression by compromising GSK3β/Cdk5 activity to enhance the expression levels of β-catenin/DCX and Bcl-2 for neuroprotection.
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•BDNF upregulation by SalA causes activation of the PI3K/Akt pathway.•Inhibition of GSK-3 pathways for anti-apoptosis and neurogenesis by SalA.•Prevention of p25 production/Cdk5 activation by SalA is beneficial in stroke.
Increasing evidence suggests that gut microbiota alterations are related to development and phenotypes of many neuropsychiatric diseases. Here, we evaluated the fecal microbiota and its clinical ...correlates in patients with hereditary transthyretin amyloidosis (ATTRv) and polyneuropathy. Fecal microbiota from 38 ATTRv patients and 39 age-matched controls was analyzed by sequencing 16S V3-V4 ribosomal RNA, and its relationships with clinical characteristics of polyneuropathy and cardiomyopathy were explored. The familial amyloidotic polyneuropathy stage was stage I, II, and III in 13, 18, and 7 patients.
Tc-PYP SPECT showed a visual score of 2 in 15 and 3 in 21 patients. The gut microbiota of ATTRv patients showed higher alpha diversity (ASV richness and Shannon effective numbers) and dissimilar beta diversity compared to controls. Relative abundance of microbiota was dominated by Firmicutes and decreased in Bacteroidetes in ATTRv patients than in controls. Patients with more myocardial amyloid deposition were associated with increased alpha diversity, and the abundance of Clostridia was significantly correlated with pathophysiology of polyneuropathy in ATTRv patients. These findings demonstrated alterations in the gut microbiota, especially Firmicutes, in ATTRv. The association between altered microbiota and phenotypes of cardiomyopathy and polyneuropathy might suggest potential contributions of gut microbiota to ATTRv pathogenesis.
Electrochromic devices (ECDs) play an important role in smart window applications for blocking heat from sunlight. Tungsten trioxide (WO3) is one of the best candidates for making electrochromic ...films. Current manufacturing processes are, however, costly, have long processing time, and often use non-eco-friendly precursors. Here an alternative facile method integrating electro-exploding wire and spray coating techniques is demonstrated for applications in large size ECDs. The electro-exploding wire technique is used to synthesize WO3 nanomaterials (NMs) in deionized water. The varied size distribution of WO3 NMs is achieved by changing the exploding voltage. The NMs are characterized by X-ray diffractometer (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The exploding voltage of 36 V is selected to generate WO3 NMs in a wide size distribution for making porous WO3 films. Subsequently, spray coating is used to disperse WO3 NM suspension on the ITO/glass substrate to form an electrochromic film. The films are characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and by cycle voltammetry, chronoamperometry, and chronocoulometry measurements in dilute sulfuric acid. The WO3 NM films prepared at a high exploding voltage and a high substrate temperature present a higher electrochemical stability. Considering porosity and electrochemical stability, WO3 NMs exploded at 36 V are used to prepare WO3 films on substrates heated at 300 °C. The electrochromic WO3 film can be operated for over 1000 cycles. We demonstrate an ECD with an area of 15 × 15 cm2 and propose a way to make large size ECDs with low cost and eco-friendly processes.
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•The preparation of WO3 nanomaterials is simply done in water. It's a completely green technology. The following spray coating is also carried out by the suspension of WO3 nanomaterials in water.•The size “distribution” of the nanomaterials can be tuned using the exploding voltage thus the optimal size distribution for preparing a better porous film structure can be selected.•The porosity of the electrochromic film can be adjusted by using different size distribution of electro-exploded nanomaterials.•The large-size electrochromic device of 15 cm by 15 cm is prepared with 125-μm thick, PMMA-based LiClO4 electrolyte.•The ECD shows a large transmittance different of 55.4% between the colored and the bleached states for light of 633 nm in wavelength.
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