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A chemoenzymatic cascade system (GA&GOx@Au–SiO2) was fabricated by immobilizing Au nanoparticles onto silica (SiO2) followed by the co-immobilization of glucoamylase (GA) and glucose oxidase (GOx) for the production of gluconic acid from starch.

In natural photosynthesis, photosynthetic organisms such as green plants realize efficient solar energy conversion and storage by integrating photosynthetic components on the thylakoid membrane of chloroplasts. Inspired by natural photosynthesis, researchers have developed many artificial photosynthesis systems (APS's) that integrate various photocatalysts and biocatalysts to convert and store solar energy in the fields of resource, environment, food, and energy. To improve the system efficiency and reduce the operation cost, reaction platforms are introduced in APS's since they allow for great stability and continuous processing. A systematic understanding of how a reaction platform affects the performance of artificial photosynthesis is conducive for designing an APS with superb solar energy utilization. In this review, we discuss the recent APS's researches, especially those confined on/in platforms. The importance of different platforms and their influences on APS's performance are emphasized. Generally, confined platforms can enhance the stability and repeatability of both photocatalysts and biocatalysts in APS's as well as improve the photosynthetic performance due to the proximity effect. For functional platforms that can participate in the artificial photosynthesis reactions as active parts, a high integration of APS's components on/in these platforms can lead to efficient electron transfer, enhanced light-harvesting, or synergistic catalysis, resulting in superior photosynthesis performance. Therefore, the integration of APS's components is beneficial for the transfer of substrates and photoexcited electrons in artificial photosynthesis. We finally summarize the current challenges of APS's development and further efforts on the improvement of APS's.

Sustainable and efficient production of chiral amines was realized with an oriented co-immobilized dual-enzyme system via SiBP-tag.

Objective Recent data have shown that regular exercise may ameliorate motor symptoms in Parkinson’s disease (PD). This study aims to investigate how intended exercise impacts motor and non-movement symptoms of PD. Methods 88 patients were randomly assigned to an early exercise group (E-EG), late exercise group (L-EG), or a control group (CG) using a randomized delayed-start design. The E-EG carried out a rigorous, formal exercise program for one hour, twice per week, for 18 months (May 2018 - November 2019). The L-EG took part in the exercise program in the final 6–12 months of the study. We assessed outcomes using the Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS), PDQ-39 Questionnaire, Line A test, Line B test, Nine-hole column test, 30 seconds squat and stand-up test (30s SST), 10m Walk test(10mW), Balance Evaluation Systems Mini Test (MiniBESTest), FAB and Time Up and Go Test(TUG). Results The patients with PD in the E-EG had lower performance in the UPDRS and Line B test compared to those in the L-EG at post-exercise(p

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a common neurodegenerative disease characterized by motor symptoms and non-motor symptoms, and affects millions of people worldwide. Growing evidence implies β-Hydroxybutyrate (BHB), one of the ketone bodies generated by ketogenesis, plays a neuroprotective role in neurodegenerative diseases. We aimed to verify the anti-inflammatory effect of BHB on PD and further explore potential molecular mechanisms.We performed the experiments on 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP)-induced mice model in vivo and 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridinium (MPPBHB treatment reversed motor deficits, loss of dopaminergic neurons and glial cell activation in PD mice induced by MPTP. Moreover, BHB inhibited microglia pyroptosis by negatively regulating STAT3/NLRP3/GSDMD signal pathway, resulting in downregulation of proinflammatory cytokines (IL-1β and IL-18) in vivo and vitro.These data suggested BHB supplement inhibited pyroptosis by down-regulating STAT3-mediated NLRP3 inflammasome activation for PD models in vivo and in vitro. Our findings provided novel insights and available interventions for the prevention and treatment of PD, and highlighted pyroptosis as a potential therapeutic target for PD.

Background: Synaptic abnormalities in synaptic proteins are the initial hallmarks of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). The higher level of palmitoylation of synaptic proteins was closely associated with amyloid-β (Aβ) in AD. Cattle encephalon glycoside and ignotin (CEGI) have been shown to act as multitarget neurotrophic agents in APPswe/PS1dE9 (APP/PS1) transgenic AD mice. However, it is not clear whether CEGI can influence Aβ deposition or whether it does so by the regulation of protein palmitoylation and expression of synaptic proteins in transgenic AD mice. Objective: In this study, we investigated the roles of CEGI in modulating postsynaptic density protein 95 (PSD-95) palmitoylation, Aβ pathologies, and expression of synaptic-associated proteins in APP/PS1 mice. Methods: Five-month-old APP/PS1 mice were treated intraperitoneally with 6.6 mL/kg of CEGI for 6 weeks. At the end of the treatment period, APP/PS1 mice were subjected to Morris water maze to test their cognitive functions. Acyl-biotinyl exchange (ABE) for PSD-95 palmitoylation, immunofluorescent staining for expression of PSD-95, N-methyl-D-aspartic acid receptor subunit 2B (NR2B), and synaptotagmin 1 (SYT1) were assessed in mouse brain sections. Results: CEGI treatment in APP/PS1 mice significantly reduced Aβ deposition, relieved memory deficits, and decreased PSD-95 palmitoylation while markedly increasing the expression of PSD-95, NR2B, and SYT1 in the frontal cortex. There was a significant correlation between Aβ expression and PSD-95 palmitoylation in APP/PS1 mice. Conclusion: Our findings demonstrate that CEGI improved AD-like neuropathology, possibly by inhibiting PSD-95 palmitoylation, improving learning memory, and enhancing expression of synaptic-associated proteins, representing a potential therapy for AD treatment.

Nemaline myopathy (NM) is a congenital myopathy of great heterogeneity, characterized by the presence of rods in the cytoplasm of muscle fibers. The samples of 16 nemaline myopathy patients diagnosed by characteristically pathological features went through whole exon sequencing. Clinico-pathological and genetic features of the cases were systematically analyzed. According to the classification of nemaline myopathy by ENMC, 8 cases are typical congenital subtype, 6 cases are childhood/juvenile onset subtype and 2 case are adult onset subtype. In histological findings, characteristic purple-colored rods are discovered under modified gömöri trichrome staining (MGT). Electron microscopy revealed the presence of high electron-dense nemaline bodies around the submucosa and the nucleus nine patients (9/16 56.3%) were detected pathogenic causative mutations, among whom mutations in the NEB gene were the most frequent (6 patients, 66.7%). KBTBD13 gene mutation was discovered in two patients and ACTA1 gene mutation was discovered in 1 patient. Nemaline myopathy is a congenital myopathy with highly clinico-pathological and genetic heterogeneity. NEB gene mutation is the most common mutation, in which splicing change c.21522 +3A > G is hotspot mutation in Chinese NM patients.

This is the document corresponding to the talk the first author gave at IHES for the Laurent Schwartz seminar on November 19, 2019. It concerns our recent introduction of a modulated free energy in mean-field theory in BrJaWa [4]. This physical object may be seen as a combination of the modulated potential energy introduced by S. Serfaty [See Proc. Int. Cong. Math. (2018)] and of the relative entropy introduced in mean field limit theory by P.-E. Jabin, Z. Wang [See Inventiones 2018]. It allows to obtain, for the first time, a convergence rate in the mean field limit for Riesz and Coulomb repulsive kernels in the presence of viscosity using the estimates in Du [8] and Se1 [20]. The main objective in this paper is to explain how it is possible to cover more general repulsive kernels through a Fourier transform approach as announced in BrJaWa [4] first in the case σN → 0 when N → +∞ and then if σ > 0 is fixed. Then we end the paper with comments on the particle approximation of the Patlak-Keller-Segel system which is associated to an attractive kernel and refer to [C.R.

The ketogenic diet (KD) is a low-carbohydrate, high-fat and adequate-protein diet. As a diet mimicking fasting, it triggers the production of ketone bodies (KBs) and brings the body into a state of ketosis. Recent and accumulating studies on humans and animal models have shown that KD is beneficial to neurodegenerative diseases through modulating central and peripheral metabolism, mitochondrial function, inflammation, oxidative stress, autophagy, and the gut microbiome. Complicated interplay of metabolism, gut microbiome, and other mechanisms can regulate neuroinflammation in neurodegenerative diseases by activating multiple molecular and cellular pathways. In this review, we detail the physiological basis of the KD, its functions in regulating neuroinflammation, and its protective role in normal brain aging and neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease (AD), Parkinson's disease (PD), amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), and Huntington's disease (HD). We aimed to elucidate the underlying neuroinflammatory mechanisms of KD therapies in neurodegenerative diseases and provide novel insights into their application for neurodegenerative disease prevention and treatment.

As an autoimmune central nervous system disease characterized by inflammation and demyelination, neuromyelitis optica (NMO) has been extensively investigated. A specific antigenic target, astrocytic water channel aquaporin-4 (AQP4) has already been identified, and it can be recognized explicitly by the autoantibody marker NMO-IgG. Along with the immune attacks, clinical disabilities would gradually accumulate. As there has been no validated and well-recognized therapy for NMO till now, preventing and postponing attack using immunosuppressive therapies is the primary treatment option. In the current retrospective study, the effect of immunosuppressive agents was investigated through a long-term follow-up. To assess the long-term effectiveness and safety of rituximab (RTX), azathioprine (AZA), and mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) therapies, all 129 patients with NMO spectrum disorders (NMOSD) who received at least one of these treatments were studied, including 55 seropositive for AQP4-Ab and 74 seronegative for AQP4-Ab. The median post-treatment annualized relapse rate (ARR) was lower than the pre-treatment rates in all AQP4+Ab groups (from 1.0 to 0.7 in RTX, from 0.8 to 0.3 in AZA, and from 0.85 to 0.35 in MMF). Meanwhile, the ARR also decreased in all AQP4−Ab groups (from 0.3 to 0.2 in RTX, from 0.9 to 0.5 in AZA, and from 0.9 to 0.4 in MMF). Disability condition improved in the Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) in all AQP4+Ab groups (from 4.0 to 2.75 in RTX, from 3.5 to 2.5 in AZA, and from 3.0 to 2.0 in MMF) and in all AQP4−Ab groups (from 3.0 to 2.5 in RTX, from 3.0 to 2.5 in AZA, and from 3.5 to 2.0 in MMF). There was no statistically significant difference between the post-treatment and pre-treatment changes of EDSS and ARR in the RTX, AZA, and MMF groups (P > 0.05). However, according to Kaplan–Meier survival analysis, RTX-treated patients were more likely to be relapse-free after long-term follow-up than those who received AZA or MMF therapy. Meanwhile, adverse effects were noted in three out of 23 patients with RTX treatment, five of 32 with AZA treatment, and three of 21 with MMF treatment. No serious adverse events were observed in all treatment groups during the study. RTX, AZA, and MMF therapies efficiently lowered the relapse frequency and disability in both of the AQP4-Ab seropositive or seronegative patients with NMO. Furthermore, low dosage of RTX is recommended for the patients with NMO owing to its long-term effectiveness and safety.

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a common neurodegenerative disease, and the mechanism underlying PD pathogenesis is not completely understood. Increasing evidence indicates that microRNAs (miRNAs) play a critical regulatory role in the pathogenesis of PD. This study aimed to explore the miRNA-mRNA regulatory network for PD. The differentially expressed miRNAs (DEmis) and genes (DEGs) between PD patients and healthy donors were screened from the miRNA dataset GSE16658 and mRNA dataset GSE100054 downloaded from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. Target genes of the DEmis were selected when they were predicted by three or four online databases and overlapped with DEGs from GSE100054. Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analysis were then conducted by Database for Annotation, Visualization and Integrated Discovery (DAVID) and Metascape analytic tools. The correlation between the screened genes and PD was evaluated with the online tool Comparative Toxicogenomics Database (CTD), and protein-protein interaction (PPI) networks were built by the STRING platform. We further investigated the expression of genes in the miRNA-mRNA regulatory network in blood samples collected from PD patients and healthy donors via qRT-PCR. We identified 1505 upregulated and 1302 downregulated DEGs, and 77 upregulated and 112 downregulated DEmis were preliminarily screened from the GEO database. Further functional enrichment analysis identified 10 PD-related hub genes, including RAC1, IRS2, LEPR, PPARGC1A, CAMKK2, RAB10, RAB13, RAB27B, RAB11A, and JAK2, which were mainly involved in Rab protein signaling transduction, AMPK signaling pathway, and signaling by Leptin. A miRNA-mRNA regulatory network was then constructed with 10 hub genes, and their interacting miRNAs overlapped with DEmis, including miR-30e-5p, miR-142-3p, miR-101-3p, miR-32-3p, miR-508-5p, miR-642a-5p, miR-19a-3p, and miR-21-5p. Analysis of clinical samples verified significant upregulation of LEPR and downregulation of miR-101-3p and miR-30e-5p in PD patients as compared with healthy donors. Thus, the miRNA-mRNA regulatory network was initially constructed and has the potential to provide novel insights into the pathogenesis and treatment of PD.

Combination of enzymatic and chemical reactions provides tremendous possibilities for chemoenzymatic cascade processes. However, constructing efficient hybrid catalysts still faces great challenges. Herein, we develop a hybrid catalyst by in situ encapsulating organophosphorus hydrolase (OPH) into a Zn-doped Co-based ZIF (0.8CoZIF) via biomimetic mineralization for the chemoenzymatic cascade conversion of methyl parathion to 4-nitrophenol and then 4-aminophenol. The exsolved Co nanoclusters in Zn/Co-ZIF are found to catalyze 4-nitrophenol reduction into 4-aminophenol in the presence of sodium borohydride (NaBH4). The as-synthesized OPH@0.8CoZIF catalyzes the complete conversion of 95 μM methyl parathion at nearly 100% 4-aminophenol production in the presence of 50 mM NaBH4 within 15 min, which is 1/4 that of the physical mixture of OPH and 0.8CoZIF, benefiting from the MP accumulation and substrate channeling in the hybrid catalyst. The maximum cascade conversion rate of MP to 4-AP reaches 8.07 μmol·min-1·g-catalyst-1, which is higher than most of the reported chemoenzymatic cascade catalysts. Therefore, the hybrid nanocatalyst containing Co-ZIF-based catalyst and OPH is successfully fabricated and enables to catalyze the complete conversion of a toxic pollutant like methyl parathion into a non-toxic resource like 4-aminophenol for recycling in useful chemical synthesis through efficient one-pot cascade reactions.

In order to solve the toxic and hazardous issues of the agents in the chemical reduction process of graphene oxide (GO), disodium guanosine 5′-monophosphate (GMP-2Na) was used as an ideal reducing agent for the synthesis of functionalized GO (FGO) for lipase immobilization. At the condition of low amount adsorption of GMP-2Na indicated by the N1s spectra of X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), the C/O atomic ratio of the FGO increased from 2.09 to 3.12, indicating the reduction of GO. As the amount of GMP-2Na increased, the intensity of the characteristic peak of GO in the XRD pattern decreased, and the I D /I G peak intensity of Raman spectra increased during the functionalization process. It was found that when the concentration of GMP-2Na is 0.20 mg/mL, the degree of hydrophobicity of FGO is conducive to the formation of optimal conformation of lipase. After immobilization, the activity of the immobilized enzyme reaches twice the value of free enzyme. At the same time, the protein loading reaches to 600 mg/g. The immobilized enzyme showed enhanced durability since no obvious decrease was observed after incubation for 8 h at pH 6.0 and pH 7.0. After storage for 35 days, the activity of GO-G@ enzyme was 54.47% higher than that of free enzyme. GO reduced by GMP-2Na provides a possibility to obtain a highly efficient lipase immobilization carrier.

In this note, we propose a modulated free energy combination of the methods developed by P.-E. Jabin and Z. Wang [Inventiones (2018)] and by S. Serfaty [Proc. Int. Cong. Math. (2018) and references therein] to treat more general kernels in mean-field limit theory. This modulated free energy may be understood as introducing appropriate weights in the relative entropy developed by P.-E. Jabin and Z. Wang (in the spirit of what has been recently developed by D. Bresch and P.-E. Jabin [Ann. of Math. (2) (2018)]) to cancel the most singular terms involving the divergence of the flow. Our modulated free energy allows us to treat singular potentials that combine large smooth part, small attractive singular part, and large repulsive singular part. As an example, a full rigorous derivation (with quantitative estimates) of some chemotaxis models, such as the Patlak–Keller–Segel system in subcritical regimes, is obtained.

We prove the uniqueness of weak solutions to the spatially homogeneous special relativistic Landau equation under the conditional assumption that the solution satisfies $(p^0)^7 F(t,p) \in L^1 ([0,T]; L^\infty)$. The existence of standard weak solutions to the relativistic Landau equation has been shown recently in (arXiv:1806.08720), Comment: 37 pages, published version

To achieve efficient one-step production of gluconic acid, cascade reactions of glucose oxidase (GOD) and catalase (CAT) have been advocated in the biocatalysis system. In this work, the methodology of co-immobilization of GOD and CAT was investigated in details for obtaining improved enzyme loading and activity. The maximum adsorption capability of GOD and CAT was 24.18 and 14.33 mg·g−1, respectively. The matching between dimensions of enzymes and hierarchical pore sizes of carriers are critical to the success of immobilization process. The simultaneous self-assembly on glutaraldehyde cross-linked mesoporous carriers exhibited favorable properties in comparison with sequential immobilization of GOD and CAT. The conversion of glucose under adequate air by co-localized GOD&CAT sustained the activity more than 90% after repeated utilization in the production of sodium gluconate and gluconic acid, suggesting that the co-immobilized GOD&CAT could be a promising catalyst for gluconate and gluconic acid production in some chemical and food industries.

Surface amine modification could not only improve the microenvironment near the active sites of enzyme, but also enhance the multi-point chemical crosslinking between the enzyme and carrier. The linear structured polymer of e-poly- l -lysine (EPL) is an ideal donor of amino with much more exposed on the surface for enzyme attachment. Analysis of the result of dynamic light scattering (DLS) and circular dichroism (CD) demonstrated the favorable electrostatic interactions and negligible impact on the conformation of enzymes, Glucose Oxidase and Catalase (GOx&CAT). Titration and dissociation curve together with Zeta-potential characterization revealed that enzymes (EPL@GOx&CAT) under the protection of EPL had more stable structure and better activity and stability in acidic reaction environment. Meanwhile, the activity recovery of immobilized EPL@GOx&CAT increased to 1.56 times higher than that of GOx&CAT, and the acid resistance was improved by 1.44 times with the optimum pH shifting to acidic by 0.50 unit. The substrate affinity was raised with the decrease of Km from 5.98 to 4.35 mg mL−1. Thus, the gluconic acid production in low pH system could be increased by pH-engineering of the enzyme microenvironment via conjugation with positively charged polyelectrolyte.

We report on the development of a 940-nm diode laser bar based on epitaxially stacked active regions by employing a tunnel junction structure. The tunnel junction and the device parameters were systematically optimized to achieve high output and power conversion efficiency. A record quasi-continuous wave (QCW) peak power of 1.91 kW at 25 °C was demonstrated from a 1-cm wide bar with a 2-mm cavity length at 1 kA drive current (200 μs pulse width and 10 Hz repetition rate). Below the onset of the thermal rollover, the slope efficiency was as high as 2.23 W/A. The maximum power conversion efficiency of 61.1% at 25 °C was measured at 300 A. Reducing the heatsink temperature to 15 °C led to a marginal increase in the peak power to 1.95 kW.

Recent data have shown that regular exercise may ameliorate motor symptoms in Parkinson's disease (PD). This study aims to investigate how intended exercise impacts motor and non-movement symptoms of PD.Eighty-eight patients were randomly assigned to an early exercise group (E-EG), late exercise group (L-EG), or a control group (CG) using a randomized delayed-start design. The E-EG carried out a rigorous, formal exercise program for 1 h, twice per week, for 18 months (May 2018-November 2019). The L-EG took part in the exercise program in the final 6-12 months of the study. We assessed outcomes using the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS), PDQ-39 Questionnaire, Line A test, Line B test, Nine-hole column test, 30 s squat and stand-up test (30 s SST), 10-m walk test (10mW), Balance Evaluation Systems Mini Test (MiniBESTest), FAB, and Time Up and Go Test (TUG).The patients with PD in the E-EG had lower performance in the UPDRS and Line B test compared to those in the L-EG at post-exercise (p 0.05). Moreover, the patients with PD in the E-EG had much lower performance in the PDQ-39 and 9-Hole Peg test compared to those in the L-EG at post-exercise (p 0.01).Implementation of an exercise regimen improved the movement abilities and quality of life in PD patients, especially in the E-EG. This data supports the idea that intended exercise should be implemented as part of the treatment strategy for PD patients as early as possible.

Anti-Sry-like high mobility group box (SOX) 1 antibodies (abs) are partly characterized onconeural autoantibodies (autoabs) due to their correlation with neoplastic diseases. Anti-SOX1 abs are associated with various clinical manifestations, including Lambert-Eaton myasthenic syndrome (LEMS) and paraneoplastic cerebellar degeneration (PCD). However, the clinical characteristics of patients with anti-SOX1 abs have not been described in detail. This review systematically explores the reported patients with anti-SOX1 abs and analyzes these cases for demographic characteristics, clinical features, coexisting neuronal autoabs, neuroimaging findings, treatment, and clinical outcomes. In addition, considering that PCD is the most common paraneoplastic neurological syndrome and that the association between PCD and anti-SOX1 abs remains unclear, we focus on the presence of autoabs in relation to PCD and associated tumors. PCD-associated autoabs include various intracellular autoabs (e.g., anti-Hu, anti-Yo, anti-Ri, and anti-SOX1) and cell-surface autoabs (anti-P/Q-type voltage-gated calcium channel). Commonly involved tumors in PCD are small-cell lung cancer (SCLC), gynecological, and breast tumors. LEMS is the most common clinical symptom in patients with anti-SOX1 abs, followed by PCD, and multiple neuronal autoabs coexist in 47.1% of these patients. SCLC is still the predominant tumor in patients with anti-SOX1 abs, while non-SCLC is uncommon. No consistent imaging feature is found in patients with anti-SOX1 abs, and there is no consensus on either the therapy choice or therapeutic efficacy. In conclusion, the presence of anti-SOX1 abs alone is a potential predictor of an uncommon paraneoplastic neurological disorder, usually occurring in the setting of LEMS, PCD, and SCLC. The detection of anti-SOX1 abs contributes to an early diagnosis of underlying tumors, given the diversity of clinical symptoms and the absence of characteristic neuroimaging features.

We derive quantitative estimates proving the propagation of chaos for large stochastic systems of interacting particles. We obtain explicit bounds on the relative entropy between the joint law of the particles and the tensorized law at the limit. We have to develop for this new laws of large numbers at the exponential scale. But our result only requires very weak regularity on the interaction kernel in the negative Sobolev space $\dot W^{-1,\infty}$, thus including the Biot-Savart law and the point vortices dynamics for the 2d incompressible Navier-Stokes., 59 pages

Thermomechanical behavior has an important effect on reliability and lifetime of high-power diode lasers (HPDLs). Finite-element analysis (FEA) model and analytical solution model of the conduction-cooled package (CS) HPDL are established to analyze the thermomechanical behavior including normal stress, shearing stress, and displacement in reflowing process and working process. Moreover, in order to simulate and analyze the thermomechanical behavior in total process, reflowing thermal stress and displacement are considered as the residual stress and the initial condition of working process. We find that shearing stress is the origin of other thermomechanical behavior due to coefficient thermal expansion (CTE) mismatch, while both CTE mismatch and temperature gradient cause the thermal stress and displacement in working process. Although thermal stresses and displacement induced in reflowing process are larger than working process, the working process has great impact on smile and causes much worse total smile. The influence of different working temperatures on smile is also studied in total process with analytical solution, FEA, and experiment. For analytical solution, the total smile value is inversely proportional to the working temperature, while for FEA the smile value is proportional to the working temperature and FEA result accords with experimental result.

Objective Dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) is a common type of neurodegenerative dementia. Molecular neuroimaging using dopamine transporter (DaT), Pittsburgh compound B (PIB), and fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography (PET) has advantages in detecting dopaminergic neuron loss, abnormal amyloid β-protein deposition, and glucose metabolism changes in patients with neurodegenerative disorders. However, the multi-modality molecular imaging features of patients with DLB have rarely been reported. Methods Five patients with a probable diagnosis of DLB were enrolled. PET/magnetic resonance imaging was performed with three tracers: 11C-β-CFT, 11C-PIB, and 18F-FDG. Clinical and imaging characteristics were analyzed. Results All patients with DLB showed reduced uptake in the bilateral putamen on DaT PET, increased uptake throughout the cerebral cortex on PIB PET, and intact metabolism of the posterior cingulate gyrus on FDG PET. Conclusion Multimodal molecular imaging is helpful for early diagnosis of DLB. Studies with larger sample sizes are needed to confirm the molecular imaging differences between DLB and Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease dementia.

Background Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs)-derived extracellular vesicles (EVs) have been reported to exhibit therapeutic effects in various animal models of neurological diseases, such as stroke and hypoxic-ischemic brain injury. Objective The present study investigated the potential beneficial effect of MSC-derived EVs in an animal model of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Methods APP/PS1 mice and their non-transgenic littermates (WT) received intracerebroventricle injection of MSC-derived EVs once per two days for two weeks. Then novel object recognition and water maze tasks were carried out to measure the cognitive behaviors. Electrophysiological tests were carried out to measure hippocampal synaptic plasticity. Inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) mRNA and protein levels were measured by qRT-PCR and western blotting in primary cultured neurons treated with amyloid-β peptide (Aβ) or prepared from APP/PS1 mice. Results Treatment with MSC-derived EVs alleviates exogenous Aβ-induced iNOS mRNA and protein expression. In cultured primary neurons prepared from APP/PS1 pups, iNOS mRNA and protein levels were significantly reduced when treated with MSC-derived EVs. MSC-derived EVs improved cognitive behavior, rescued impairment of CA1 synaptic transmission, and long-term potentiation in APP/PS1 mice. Conclusion MSC-derived EVs possessed beneficial effects in a mouse model of AD, probably by suppressing Aβ induced iNOS expression.

The continuous-wave 100 W-class 808 nm laser diode arrays with extremely high power conversion efficiency of 68% were reported at the heatsink temperature of 25 °C. To the best of our knowledge, this was the highest power conversion efficiency at continuous-wave 106 W 808 nm laser diode array with 50% fill factor so far. An asymmetric broad waveguide epitaxial structure with very low internal optical loss of 0.5 cm −1 was presented. In order to improve the efficiency, various fill factor devices were studied. The 50 W laser diode array with 30% fill factoir and 1.0 mm cavity length demonstrated power conversion efficiency of 71% at heatsink temperature of 15 °C.

Semiconductor lasers with high power conversion efficiency (PCE) and output power are heavily investigated driven by more energy-efficient commercial applications. In this paper, an asymmetric broad area laser (A-BAL) design is studied and compared with a conventional symmetric broad area laser (S-BAL) design for 808 nm single emitter laser diodes. We present a comparative theoretical and experimental investigation by studying the thermal effects on the laser parameters. The output characteristics and efficiency loss paths for the designs were analyzed. The leakage of carriers was identified as the primary source of the PCE reduction with temperature. Suppressing this leakage by optimization of the A-BAL design, a record continuous-wave PCE of 68% at 25 °C and 60.4% at 75 °C were achieved for a single emitter laser with 10 W output power. These devices deliver high efficiency at high temperatures with reliable operation achieving 2000 h of an accelerated aging lifetime without failures.

Broad-area diode lasers with high output power and low lateral divergence angle are highly desired for extensive scientific and industrial applications. Here, we report on the epitaxial design for higher output power and a flared waveguide design for reduced divergence, which leads to high power operation with a low lateral divergence angle. A vertically asymmetric epitaxial structure was employed and optimized for low internal optical loss and high efficiency to realize high output power operation. Using a flared waveguide design, the lateral divergence angle was efficiently reduced by decreasing the number of high-order lateral optical modes significantly. The flared waveguide design introduces a smooth modification of the ridge width along the cavity without deteriorating laser performance. Based on the optimized epitaxial and waveguide design, we scaled the waveguide width to realize high continuous-wave power of 34.5 W at 25 °C. A low lateral divergence angle of 8° and high power conversion efficiency of 60% were achieved at the operating power level of 25 W. The life test data (30 A at 45 °C for 39 units, 0 failures in 1000 h) demonstrated reliable operation illustrating the efficient design for reduced lateral divergence angle and high operating power.