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Introduction: Pregnant women may need to undergo non‐obstetric surgery under general anesthesia owing to medical needs, and pregnant women frequently experience sleep disturbances during late gestation. Preclinical studies demonstrated that maternal isoflurane exposure (MISO) or maternal sleep deprivation (MSD) contributed to cognitive impairments in offspring. Research studies in mice have revealed that SD can aggravate isoflurane‐induced cognitive deficits. However, it remains unclear whether MSD aggravates MISO‐induced cognitive deficits in offspring. The purpose of this research was to explore the combined effects of MSD and MISO on offspring cognitive function and the role of neuroinflammation and synaptic function in the process of MSD + MISO. Methods: Pregnant mice were exposed to 1.4% isoflurane by inhalation for 4 h on gestational day (GD) 14. Dams were then subjected to SD for 6 h (12:00–18:00 h) during GD15–21. At 3 months of age, the offspring mice were subjected to the Morris water maze test to assess cognitive function. Then the levels of inflammatory and anti‐inflammatory markers and synaptic function‐related proteins were assessed using molecular biology methods. Results: The results of this study demonstrated that MISO led to cognitive dysfunction, an effect that was aggravated by MSD. In addition, MSD exacerbated the maternal isoflurane inhalation, leading to an enhancement in the expression levels of interleukin (IL)‐1β, IL‐6, and tumor necrosis factor‐alpha and a reduction in the hippocampal levels of IL‐10, synaptophysin, post‐synaptic density‐95, growth‐associated protein‐43, and brain‐derived neurotrophic factor. Conclusion: Our findings revealed that MSD aggravated the cognitive deficits induced by MISO in male offspring mice, and these results were associated with neuroinflammation and alternations in synaptic function. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The primary aim of this study was to examine the extent of nutritional awareness concerning dietary requisites within a cohort comprising pediatric recipients of liver and kidney transplants, along with their respective caregivers. The overarching goal was to establish a foundation for enhancing the dietary nutrition of this specific population.Methods: This was a qualitative research study, involving in-depth interviews and subsequent qualitative data analysis. Our sample included pediatric patients in a specific age range who had undergone a liver or kidney transplant, as well as their parents. The data analysis technique we used was content analysis.Results: The survey focused on knowledge of dietary requirements and restrictions, nutritional needs, and adherence to daily dietary requirements among pediatric patients and their respective caregivers. Approximately 30% of the parents lacked relevant nutritional awareness, 30% relied on a single source for acquiring nutritional knowledge, and 40% expressed a considerable need for nutritional guidance. Our findings revealed a deficiency in the understanding of nutritional and dietary requirements for children who have undergone a liver or kidney transplant. Their nutrient intake was unbalanced, and their dietary habits were irregular, highlighting the need for better nutritional guidance and monitoring.Conclusion: The nutritional awareness and knowledge of dietary requirements among pediatric liver and kidney transplant recipients and their care providers are inadequate. Medical professionals are urged to tackle this concern by imparting comprehensive education to parents regarding the nutritional prerequisites essential for their children post-transplant. This approach empowers parents to implement requisite dietary modifications effectively. Furthermore, healthcare institutions should augment the nutritional proficiency of their medical staff through meticulously structured training initiatives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One two‐dimensional (2D) GdIII coordination polymer based on isonicotinic acid N‐oxide (HINNO), {[Gd(INNO)2(HCOO)] ⋅ 2H2O}n (1), was successfully synthesized and characterized. Magnetic studies reveal the presence of weak antiferromagnetic couplings between adjacent GdIII ions in the 1D chain units of 1 and large cryogenic magnetocaloric effect with maximum −ΔSm of 31.84 J kg−1 K−1 at T=2 K and ΔH=7 T. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A thermodynamic model is established to investigate the effects of internal stress in PbZrO3 (PZ) antiferroelectric (AFE) film on the barocaloric effect (BCE), electrocaloric effect (ECE), and energy storage properties. It is found that the internal stress can change the phase transition behaviors and free energy barriers among AFE, ferroelectric (FE), and paraelectric (PE) phases. For the BCE, it occurs only in the FE phase induced by stress or temperature. Under a certain temperature, the optimized negative and positive ECE can be obtained by controlling the internal stress and electric field. In addition, the switching electric field of the AFE→FE phase transition increases and causes a larger recoverable energy density with decreasing tensile stress. These results are analyzed and explained by tricritical points (3 cp) with different stresses, temperatures, and electric fields. Therefore, this thermodynamic model provides an effective route to optimize the BCE, ECE, and energy storage properties of PZ films. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pb0.99Nb0.02(Zr0.85Sn0.13Ti0.02)O3 (PNZST) antiferroelectric (AFE) thick films are successfully deposited on silicon‐based Pt and LaNiO3 electrodes by a sol‐gel method. The coexistence of ferroelectric (FE) and AFE phases are revealed in PNZST films by XRD, electric‐induced hysteresis loops, dielectric, and leakage current properties. Comparing with PNZST/Pt film, larger recoverable energy density and efficiency are obtained in PNZST/LaNiO3 film due to the lower FE phase proportion. It is analyzed and demonstrated by a thermodynamic model of AFE and FE coexistence system. In addition, the fatigue behaviors of both AFE films are also affected by the proportion of the coexisting FE phase. PNZST/LaNiO3 film exhibits good fatigue resistance on energy storage even after 1010 switching cycles, which is attractive to pulsed power applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The polycyclic p-quinodimethanes are proposed to be the novel candidates of the high-performance nonlinear optical (NLO) materials because of their large third order polarizabilities ( γ). We investigate the switchable NLO responses of a series of polycyclic p-quinodimethanes with redox properties by employing the density functional theory (DFT). The polycyclic p-quinodimethanes are forecasted to exhibit obvious pure diradical characters because of their large y0 index (the y0 index is a value between 0 [closed-shell state] and 1 [pure biradical state]). The γ values of these polycyclic p-quinodimethanes and their corresponding one-electron and two-electron reduced/oxidized species are calculated by the (U)BHandHLYP method. The γ values of polycyclic p-quinodimethanes and their corresponding one-electron reduced species are all positive and significantly different. The large differences of the γ values are due to a change in the transition energy and are related to the different delocalization of the spin density, which demonstrates that the NLO switching is more effective on one-electron reduction reactions. Therefore, the study on these polycyclic p-quinodimethanes provides a guideline for a molecular design of highly efficient NLO switching. [Figure not available: see fulltext.] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Density functional theory (DFT) calculations have been carried out to investigate the substituent effects and redox switching of the second-order nonlinear optical (NLO) properties of a series of the two-dimensional (2D) diaryl-substituted benzenes/carboranes. The calculated static first hyperpolarizabilities (β tot) of the neutral compounds increase with replacing the central benzene with carborane, extending the π-conjugated bridge, and introducing an electron donor into carbazole moiety. Particularly, a dramatic enhancement of the β tot values for the oxidized/reduced species is observed. The β tot values of one-electron oxidized/reduced species for compound 3 are 14 times and 32 times as large as that of its neutral counterpart, respectively. Furthermore, the electronic structure analysis shows that the carbazole performs as an oxidized center and the benzene/carborane performs as a reduced center. Interestingly, the second-order NLO responses are two-dimensional in characteristic with the large off-diagonal tensor values. This work not only provides more penetrating insight into the second-order NLO properties of 2D benzene/carborane-based compounds, but also obtains an efficient approach for devising redox-switchable NLO materials. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Acute pancreatitis (AP) is a common acute abdominal disease with local or systemic inflammatory response, caused by abnormal activation of digestive enzymes. Baicalein has been shown to exert anti-inflammatory effects and to attenuate the pathological changes of AP. The aim of the research was to investigate the effects of baicalein on caerulein induced pancreatitis, and to elucidate the putative underlying mechanism. In this study, the therapeutic potential of baicalein and its mechanism were investigated in a caerulein-induced AP in vivo and in vitro model. The results indicate that baicalein treatment alleviates the caerulein-induced pathological damage in the pancreas. Baicalein decreased the expression level of pro-inflammatory cytokines and chemokines of the pancreas in caerulein treated mice and of isolated pancreatic acinar cells. Moreover, baicalein inhibited the expression of NF-κB p65 and the phosphorylation of p38 MAPK, ERK (extracellular signal-regulated kinase) as well as STAT 3, which indicates that baicalein exerts its anti-inflammatory effects via dampening the NF-κB, MAPK and STAT 3 signaling pathways. Together, this study provides experimental evidence for the clinical application of Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi or baicalein and indicates that baicalein may be a promising candidate for treatment of AP patients in the future. The machenism of effects of baicalein on caerulein induced acute pancreatitis. Unlabelled Image • Baicalein attenuates pancreatic inflammatory injury induced by caerulein. • Baicalein inhibits expression of inflammatory mediators via various signaling pathway. • Baicalein differentially regulate the expression of distinguish inflammatory mediator. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Intermittent hypoxia (IH), a major pathophysiologic alteration in obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS), is an important contributor to cognitive impairment. Increasing research suggests that melatonin has anti-inflammatory properties and improves functions related to synaptic plasticity. However, it is unclear whether melatonin has a protective effect against OSAS-induced cognitive dysfunction in aged individuals and the involved mechanisms are also unclear. Therefore, in the study, the effects of exposure to IH alone and IH in combination with daily melatonin treatment were investigated in C57BL/6 J mice aged 18 months. Assessment of the cognitive ability of mice in a Morris water maze showed that melatonin attenuated IH-induced impairment of learning and memory in aged mice. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, polymerase chain reaction, and western blotting molecular techniques showed that melatonin treatment reduced the levels of the proinflammatory cytokines, interleukin-1β, interleukin-6, and tumor necrosis factor-α, decreased the levels of NOD-like receptor thermal protein domain associated protein 3 and nuclear factor kappa-B, lowered the levels of ionized calcium-binding adapter molecule 1 and glial fibrillary acidic protein, and increased the levels of the synaptic proteins, activity-regulated cytoskeleton-associated protein, growth-associated protein-43, postsynaptic density protein 95, and synaptophysin in IH-exposed mice. Moreover, electrophysiological results showed that melatonin ameliorated the decline in long-term potentiation induced by IH. The results suggest that melatonin can ameliorate IH-induced cognitive deficits by inhibiting neuroinflammation and improving synaptic plasticity in aged mice., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest All authors declare no competing financial interests or potential conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

Maternal exposure to inflammation may represent a major risk factor for neuropsychiatric disorders with associated cognitive dysfunction in offspring in later life. Growing evidence has suggested that resveratrol exerts a beneficial effect on cognitive impairment via its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties and by ameliorating synaptic dysfunction. However, how resveratrol affects maternal immune activation-induced cognitive dysfunction and the underlying mechanisms are unclear. In the present study, pregnant dams were given an intraperitoneal injection of lipopolysaccharide (LPS; 50 μg/kg) on gestational day 15. Subsequently, the offspring mice were treated or not with resveratrol (40 mg/kg) from postnatal day (PND) 60 to PND 88. Male offspring were selected for the evaluation of cognitive function using the Morris water maze test. The hippocampal levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines were examined by ELISA. The mRNA and protein levels of sirtuin-1 (SIRT1), brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), postsynaptic density protein 95 (PSD-95), and synaptophysin (SYP) were determined by RT-qPCR and western blot, respectively. The results showed that male offspring mice exposed to LPS in utero exhibited learning and memory impairment. Additionally, the levels of interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) were increased while those of SIRT1, BDNF, PSD-95, and SYP were decreased in male offspring of LPS-treated mothers. Treatment with resveratrol reversed cognitive impairment and attenuated the increase in the levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines induced by maternal immune activation in the offspring mice. Furthermore, resveratrol reversed the deleterious effects of maternal immune activation on SIRT1, BDNF, PSD-95, and SYP levels in the hippocampus. Collectively, our results suggested that resveratrol can effectively improve learning and memory impairment induced by maternal immune activation via the modulation of inflammation and synaptic dysfunction., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Zhang, Wei, Zhang, Zhang, Zhang, Fang, Ge, Kong, Chen and Li.)

Objective: Studies have suggested that prenatal exposure to inflammation increases the risk of neuropsychiatric disorders, including anxiety, depression, and cognitive dysfunction. Because of anatomical and hormonal alterations, pregnant women frequently experience sleep dysfunction, which can enhance the inflammatory response. The aim of this study was to explore the effects of maternal sleep deprivation on prenatal inflammation exposure-induced behavioral phenotypes in offspring and identify the associated mechanisms., Methods: Pregnant mice received an intraperitoneal injection of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) on gestational day 15 and were subsequently subjected to sleep deprivation during gestational days 15-21. Anxiety-like behavior was evaluated by the open field test and the elevated plus maze test. Depression-like behavior was assessed by the tail suspension test and the forced swimming test. Cognitive function was determined using the Morris water maze test. The levels of markers of inflammation and synaptic function were examined employing general molecular biological techniques., Results: The results showed that prenatal exposure to LPS resulted in anxiety- and depression-like symptoms and learning and memory deficits, and these effects were exacerbated by maternal sleep deprivation. Furthermore, maternal sleep deprivation aggravated the prenatal LPS exposure-induced increase in the expression of interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, and tumor necrosis factor-α and decrease in the levels of postsynaptic density-95 and synaptophysin in the hippocampus., Discussion: Collectively, these results suggested that maternal sleep deprivation exacerbates anxiety, depression, and cognitive impairment induced by prenatal LPS exposure, effects that were associated with an inflammatory response and synaptic dysfunction., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Zhang, Zhang, Wei, Zhang, Zhang, Luo, Ge, Kong, Li and Chen.)

Morbidity and mortality of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are exceedingly high worldwide. Researchers have found that the occurrence and development of CVDs are closely related to intestinal microecology. Imbalances in intestinal microecology caused by changes in the composition of the intestinal microbiota will eventually alter intestinal metabolites, thus transforming the host physiological state from healthy mode to pathological mode. Trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO) is produced from the metabolism of dietary choline and L-carnitine by intestinal microbiota, and many studies have shown that this important product inhibits cholesterol metabolism, induces platelet aggregation and thrombosis, and promotes atherosclerosis. TMAO is directly or indirectly involved in the pathogenesis of CVDs and is an important risk factor affecting the occurrence and even prognosis of CVDs. This review presents the biological and chemical characteristics of TMAO, and the process of TMAO produced by gut microbiota. In particular, the review focuses on summarizing how the increase of gut microbial metabolite TMAO affects CVDs including atherosclerosis, heart failure, hypertension, arrhythmia, coronary artery disease, and other CVD-related diseases. Understanding the mechanism of how increases in TMAO promotes CVDs will potentially facilitate the identification and development of targeted therapy for CVDs., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Zhen, Zhou, He, Han, Lv, Wen, Liu, Wang, Cai, Tian, Zhang, Xiao and Kang.)

Saikosaponin A (SSA)-a natural compound extracted from Radix bupleuri-possesses antitumor properties in several types of carcinomas. However, the role of SSA on bladder cancer and the mechanisms remain unclear. In this study, we have described the effect of SSA on human bladder cancer cell lines T24 and 5637 in the context of the regulation of mitochondrial pathways of apoptosis. In vitro, the Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) assay and cell wound healing assays were used to determine the proliferative effect of SSA treatment. Flow cytometry and Western blotting were performed to evaluate the apoptosis and related mechanisms. To further confirm that apoptosis is mediated through Caspase activation, Hoechst 33258 fluorescence staining assay was done after cells were treated with SSA and caspase inhibitor-Z-VAD-FMK. In vivo, an orthotopic xenograft mice model was adopted to evaluate the effect of SSA. The tumors were analyzed by hematoxylin-eosin (H&E) staining, immunohistochemical analysis, and Western blotting. In vitro, the results with CCK-8 assay showed obvious SSA-induced suppression in cell growth in a dose- and time-dependent manner. Flow cytometry analysis, Hoechst 33258 fluorescence staining assay and the assessment of the changes in the B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2) family protein expression level revealed that SSA could significantly induce cell apoptosis, which was associated with apoptosis via the mitochondrial pathways. In vivo, the results revealed a reduction in cell proliferation. In conclusion, our data suggest that SSA inhibits the growth of bladder cancer cells by activating the mitochondrial apoptosis pathway and inducing cell apoptosis.

Men who have sex with men (MSM) are at risk for contracting hu- man immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. The objective of this study was to explore the characteristics and factors influencing unprotected anal intercourse (UAI) among MSM in Fuyang, China in order to develop an intervention program to prevent the spread of HIV infection among MSM. We conducted this cross sectional study among 413 MSM in 2013. Participants completed an interviewer- administered questionnaire and were tested for HIV and syphilis infections. Three hundred fifty of 413 subjects reported sexual activity with a male partner during the previous 6 months; of these 27(7.7%) had unprotected sex. Forty-four subjects had sex with a female partner during the previous 6 months; of these 25 (58.1%) had unprotected sex. The frequency of having unprotected sex with a female was significantly greater than with a male (χ2 = 84.52, p < 0.001). Multivariate logistic analysis showed education level (OR = 0.45, p = 0.003), length of time of current residence (OR = 0.47, p = 0.014), knowledge about HIV infection (OR = 0.09, p = 0.022) and integrated interventions (OR = 0.32, p < 0.001) were all significantly associated with UAI. High-risk sex behavior was common among the study population. A targeted interventions needs to be developed urgently.

The second-order nonlinear optical (NLO) properties of a series of Pt(II) dithienylethene (DTE) complexes possessing the reversible photochromic behavior have been investigated by density functional theory (DFT) combined with the analytic derivatives method. The results show that the calculated static first hyperpolarizabilities (βtot) of the open-ring and closed-ring systems significantly increase in the range of 2.1-4.5 times through strengthening of the electron-withdrawing ability of the substituent R (R = H, CF3, NO2) and an increase of the number of thiophene rings. Moreover, there is a large enhancement of the βtot values from the open-ring systems to the corresponding closed-ring systems. This efficient enhancement is attributed to the better delocalization of the π-electron system, the more obvious degree of charge transfer, and the larger f(os)/E(gm)(3) (f(os) is the oscillator strength, and E(gm) is the transition energy between the ground and the excited states) values in the closed forms according to the bond length alternation (BLA) and time-dependent density functional theory (TDDFT) calculations. In addition, the dispersion has less influence on the frequency-dependent first hyperpolarizabilities (βtot(ω)) of the studied systems at the low-frequency area ω (0.000-0.040 au). Our present work would be beneficial for further theoretical and experimental studies on large second-order NLO responses of metal complexes.