The current study seeks to illustrate the relationships between child bilinguals' mother tongue language (MTL) exposure and reading activities at home, children's receptive MTL proficiency, and their ...socio-emotional and behavioral skills (SEBS). Data from 202 Singapore preschoolers (4-5 years old) who are learning English and Mandarin were analyzed. A parental questionnaire and standard Mandarin tests (i.e., receptive vocabulary, receptive grammar) were used to assess children's Mandarin language-literacy environment at home, as well as their receptive language skills in Mandarin. Children's SEBS were evaluated with the strengths and difficulties questionnaire (SDQ) (parental version). A series of variables which might influence SEBS and MTL proficiency (e.g., gender and SES) were controlled and SEMs were used to conduct data analysis. Results demonstrated that both Mandarin language and literacy environmental factors are related to children's receptive language outcomes in Mandarin, while only literacy environmental factors associate with children's difficulty level, and prosocial skills. This suggests that good parental support in bilingual children's MTL literacy should be promoted not only for the sake of their early language development but also because of the potential benefits to their social emotional wellbeing.
A photocontrolled, interconvertible supramolecular 2D‐nanosheet/1D‐nanotube system was constructed through the supramolecular assembly of adamantanyl‐modified diphenylalanine with azobenzene‐bridged ...bis(β‐cyclodextrin). The nanosheet exhibited a greater fluorescence enhancement effect than the nanotube. Significantly, these nanosheets and nanotubes could interconvert via the photocontrolled trans/cis isomerization of azobenzene linkers in bis(β‐cyclodextrin), and this photo‐switchable one‐dimensional/two‐dimensional morphological interconversion was reversible and recyclable. This enables convenient routes to highly ordered nanostructures with various morphologies and dimensions that can be controlled by external stimuli.
Flip the switch: Nanofibers, self‐assembled by adamantanyl‐modified diphenylalanine, are converted into nanosheets and nanotubes upon the addition of trans‐ and cis‐azobenzene‐bridged bis(β‐cyclodextrin), respectively. Significantly, these nanosheets and nanotubes can reversibly and repeatedly interconvert upon light irradiation at 365 nm or 450 nm.
A photochemically interconvertible supramolecular nanotube–nanoparticle system was constructed through secondary assembling of self‐aggregates of amphiphilic porphyrin derivatives mediated by trans‐ ...and cis‐azobenzene‐bridged bis(permethyl‐β‐cyclodextrin). Significantly, these nanotubes and nanoparticles were able to interconvert upon irradiation at different wavelengths, and this photocontrolled morphological conversion is reversible and recyclable for tens of times, which will provide a feasible and convenient way to construct the ordered nanostructure with various morphologies that can be smartly controlled by the environmentally benign external stimulus.
Photodriven interconversion: A photoswitchable supramolecular nanotube–nanoparticle system was constructed through secondary assembly of self‐aggregates of amphiphilic porphyrin derivatives (see picture). These nanoassemblies repeatedly interconvert upon irradiation at 365 and 450 nm.
The proper interactions between blood vessels and neurons are critical for maintaining the strength of neural circuits and cognitive function. However, the precise molecular events underlying these ...interactions remain largely unknown. Here, we report that the selective knockout of semaphorin 3G (Sema3G) in endothelial cells impaired hippocampal-dependent memory and reduced dendritic spine density in CA1 neurons in mice; these effects were reversed after restoration of Sema3G levels in the hippocampus by AAV transfection. We further show that Sema3G increased excitatory synapse density via neuropilin-2/PlexinA4 signaling and through activation of Rac1. These results provide the first evidence that, in the central nervous system, endothelial Sema3G serves as a vascular-derived synaptic organizer that regulates synaptic plasticity and hippocampal-dependent memory. Our findings highlight the role of vascular endothelial cells in regulating cognitive function through intercellular communication with neurons in the hippocampus.
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•Endothelium-derived Sema3G is necessary for synaptic plasticity in the hippocampus•Loss of Sema3G in the vascular endothelium results in behavioral and memory deficits•Sema3G regulates synaptic structure and function via the neuropilin-2/PlexinA4 receptor•Sema3G functionally links the endothelium to signaling cascades activated in neurons
Tan et al. reveal a key mechanism that underlies signaling from endothelial cells to neurons in the brain. They identify that the endothelium-secreted protein semaphorin 3G (Sema3G) regulates synaptic structure and plasticity in hippocampal neurons through its neuronal neuropilin-2/PlexinA4 holoreceptor.
Smiliogastrinae are recognized for their high nutritional and ornamental value. In this study, we employed high-throughput sequencing technology to acquire the complete mitochondrial genome sequences ...of
and
. The gene composition and arrangement order in these species were similar to those of typical vertebrates, comprising 13 protein-coding genes, 22 tRNA genes, 2 rRNA genes, and 1 non-coding region. The mitochondrial genomes of
and
measure 16,598 and 16,948 bp, respectively. Both
and
exhibit a significant preference for AT bases and an anti-G bias. Notably, the AT and GC skew values of the ND6 gene fluctuated markedly, suggesting that the selection and mutation pressures on this gene may differ from those affecting other genes. Phylogenetic analysis, based on the complete mitochondrial genomes of 23 Cyprinidae fishes, revealed that
is closely related to the sister group comprising
and
Similarly,
forms a sister group with
and
.
Despite its growing promise in cancer treatment, ferrotherapy has low therapeutic efficacy due to compromised Fenton catalytic efficiency in tumor milieu. We herein report a hybrid semiconducting ...nanozyme (HSN) with high photothermal conversion efficiency for photoacoustic (PA) imaging-guided second near-infrared photothermal ferrotherapy. HSN comprises an amphiphilic semiconducting polymer as photothermal converter, PA emitter and iron-chelating Fenton catalyst. Upon photoirradiation, HSN generates heat not only to induce cytotoxicity but also to enhance Fenton reaction. The increased ·OH generation promotes both ferroptosis and apoptosis, oxidizes HSN (42 nm) and transforms it into tiny segments (1.7 nm) with elevated intratumoral permeability. The non-invasive seamless synergism leads to amplified therapeutic effects including a deep ablation depth (9 mm), reduced expression of metastasis-related proteins and inhibition of metastasis from primary tumor to distant organs. Thereby, our study provides a generalized nanozyme strategy to compensate both ferrotherapy and phototherapeutics for complete tumor regression.
As porous materials, clayey soils are very prone to lose strength under wetting, which may trigger catastrophic engineering accidents or natural disasters. However, the underlying triggering ...mechanism of pore water fluids at microscale remains unknown due to limited experimental techniques. In the present work, the dynamic hydration process of charged kaolinites with counterions has been fully explored by applying large-scale full-atomistic molecular dynamics. Topology study showed that the dry kaolinites hydrated immediately when exposed to water. Under the control of the ionic hydration effect, the ionic bridging effect, the water bridging effect and the surface adsorption effect, the adsorption behavior of interparticle water molecules experienced instantaneous adsorption, rapid adsorption and expulsion to reach dynamic equilibrium. The interparticle pore water pressure underwent rapid growth, slow growth and exponential growth along with the adsorption of water molecules. After fully hydration, the net distance between two kaolinite particles decreased by 1/5–2/5 with two or three layers of water molecules occupying the interparticle space. The reported results enhanced the comprehension of the dynamic microstructure evolution of kaolinite clay during hydration, which could further sketch interesting scientific avenues for future researches.
•Inhibition of p38-MAPK pathway suppresses cell apoptosis of OA chondrocytes.•Inhibition of p38-MAPK pathway decreases cytokine expression in OA.•p38-MAPK pathway inhibitors reverse the effects of ...IL-1β.•p38-MAPK pathway-related proteins overexpressed in OA chondrocytes.•IL-1, IL-6, TNF-α overexpressed in OA chondrocytes.
This study aims to investigate the effects of p38-MAPK signaling pathway on the apoptosis and expression of proinflammatory cytokines in human osteoarthritis (OA) chondrocytes. Human articular cartilage specimens were obtained from 57 OA patients and 31 patients with lower extremity traumatic amputations. The expressions of p38-MAPK pathway-related proteins in cartilage tissue were detected by immunochemistry. Cultured chondrocytes isolated from human OA cartilage were assigned into the blank group, the IL-1β group, the PD (PD980959, ERK pathway inhibitors)+IL-1β group, the SB (SB203580, p38 pathway inhibitors)+IL-1β group, and the SP (SP600125, JNK signaling pathway inhibitors)+IL-1β group. Cell proliferation and apoptosis were detected by MTT assay and flow cytometry. Western blotting was used to detect the expressions of MAPK pathway-related proteins. The mRNA expressions of IL-1, IL-6, and TNF-α were detected by qRT-PCR. The positive rates of p-p38, p-JNK and p-ERK in OA cartilage were higher than those in normal cartilage. Compared with the blank group, cell proliferation rate was decreased, cell apoptotic rate was increased, the mRNA expressions of IL-1, IL-6, TNF-α and the expressions of p-p38, p-JNK and p-ERK were increased in the IL-1β group, while opposite trends were observed in the PD+IL-1β, SB+IL-1β, and SP+IL-1β groups. Our study provides evidence that inhibition of the p38-MAPK signaling pathway could suppress the apoptosis and expression of proinflammatory cytokines in human OA chondrocytes.
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