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Air pollution is a societal and cross-boundary environmental problem that can be visualized using a satellite. Satellite imaging is not only useful to the home country but also to the neighboring countries. Moreover, monitoring the movement of air pollution can help susceptible people avoid acid rain and photochemical smog. Using advanced remote sensing (RS) images, substantial information can be obtained, which can produce numerous effective methods for visualizing air pollution. In this article, a novel method for extracting air pollution has been proposed; it applies various pipeline networks along with a focus area method to exploit the spectral aspect information. Afterward, three indices with numerous modified fully convolutional networks (FCNs) were extracted. Then, by employing a multivote module, visualized air pollution can be presented. In the conducted experiments, five-year Himawari-8 satellite images have been utilized in the North–East Asia area to validate the frameworks. Furthermore, the experimental result indicating that the given methods could effectively visualize air pollution. Source code and data sets are available at https://github.com/ark1234/Himawari-8-based-visualized-understanding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective Methods Results Interpretation Prevalence, susceptibility genes, and clinical and radiological features may differ across different ethnic groups of multiple sclerosis (MS). We aim to characterize brain lesions in Chinese patients with MS by use of 7‐T MRI.MS participants were enrolled from the ongoing China National Registry of Neuro‐Inflammatory Diseases (CNRID) cohort. 7‐T MRI of the brain was performed. Each lesion was evaluated according to a standardized procedure. Central vein sign (CVS) and paramagnetic rim lesions were identified. The characteristics of lesions at patient‐level and at lesion‐level from previous 7‐T MRI literature were also summarized.We included 120 MS patients. Their mean (SD) age was 34.6 (9.4) years. The female‐to‐male ratio was 1.7:1 and mean disease duration of patients with MS was 5.5 ± 6.1 years. The median EDSS score was 2 (range, 0–8). A total of 8502 lesions were identified with a median lesion count of 45 (IQR, 18–90) (range, 2–370). The median (IQR) percentage for these special locations were as follows: cortical lesions (CLs) 2.7% (0%–5.7%), juxtacortical lesions 16.2% (7.8%–25.7%), periventricular lesions 30.2% (17.2%–38.7%), and infratentorial lesions 5.8% (0.4%–11.9%). CLs occurred in 70 (58%) patients, accounting for only 443 (5%) of the total lesions. Out of the 443 CLs, 309 (69.8%) were leukocortical lesions. CVS appeared in 5392 (63%) lesions from 117 (98%) patients. 1792 (21%) lesions and 104 (87%) patients exhibited a paramagnetic rim.Our study elaborated on the lesion features of Chinese patients with MS by use of 7‐T MRI. Lesion burden is heavy in Chinese patients with MS. The median lesion count and proportion of PRL are high. The reported heavy lesion burden calls for ramping up regional and global efforts to care for MS patients. The management and research of Chinese population with MS needs to be further strengthened. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The impact of myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein antibody disease (MOGAD) on brain structure and function is unknown. Objectives: The aim of this study was to study the multimodal brain MRI alterations in MOGAD and to investigate their clinical significance. Methods: A total of 17 MOGAD, 20 aquaporin-4 antibody seropositive neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders (AQP4 + NMOSD), and 28 healthy controls (HC) were prospectively recruited. Voxel-wise gray matter (GM) volume, fractional anisotropy (FA), mean diffusivity (MD), and degree centrality (DC) were compared between groups. Clinical associations and differential diagnosis were determined using partial correlation and stepwise logistic regression. Results: In comparison with HC, MOGAD had GM atrophy in frontal and temporal lobe, insula, thalamus, and hippocampus, and WM fiber disruption in optic radiation and anterior/posterior corona radiata; DC decreased in cerebellum and increased in temporal lobe. Compared to AQP4 + NMOSD, MOGAD presented lower GM volume in postcentral gyrus and decreased DC in cerebellum. Hippocampus/parahippocampus atrophy associated with Expanded Disability Status Scale (R = −0.55, p = 0.04) and California Verbal Learning Test (R = 0.62, p = 0.031). The differentiation of MOGAD from AQP4 + NMOSD achieved an accuracy of 95% using FA in splenium of corpus callosum and DC in occipital gyrus. Conclusion: Distinct structural and functional alterations were identified in MOGAD. Hippocampus/parahippocampus atrophy associated with clinical disability and cognitive impairment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Brain structural alterations and their clinical significance of myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein antibody disease (MOGAD) have not been determined.Methods: We recruited 35 MOGAD, 38 aquaporin 4 antibody positive neuromyelitis optica spectrum diseases (AQP4+ NMOSD), 37 multiple sclerosis (MS) and 60 healthy controls (HC) who underwent multimodal brain MRI from two centres. Brain lesions, volumes of the whole brain parenchyma, cortical and subcortical grey matter (GM), brainstem, cerebellum and cerebral white matter (WM) and diffusion measures (fractional anisotropy, FA and mean diffusivity, MD) were compared among the groups. Associations between the MRI measurements and the clinical variables were assessed by partial correlations. Logistic regression was performed to differentiate MOGAD from AQP4+ NMOSD and MS.Results: In MOGAD, 19 (54%) patients had lesions on MRI, with cortical/juxtacortical (68%) as the most common location. MOGAD and MS showed lower cortical and subcortical GM volumes than HC, while AQP4+ NMOSD only demonstrated a decreased cortical GM volume. MS demonstrated a lower cerebellar volume, a lower FA and an increased MD than MOGAD and HC. The subcortical GM volume was negatively correlated with Expanded Disability Status Scale in MOGAD (R=-0.51; p=0.004). A combination of MRI and clinical measures could achieve an accuracy of 85% and 93% for the classification of MOGAD versus AQP4+ NMOSD and MOGAD versus MS, respectively.Conclusion: MOGAD demonstrated cortical and subcortical atrophy without severe WM rarefaction. The subcortical GM volume correlated with clinical disability and a combination of MRI and clinical measures could separate MOGAD from AQP4+ NMOSD and MS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mitogen‐activated protein kinase (MAPK) cascades are highly conserved signaling modules that regulate plant immune responses. The Arabidopsis thaliana Raf‐like MAPK kinase kinase ENHANCED DISEASE RESISTANCE1 (EDR1) is a key negative regulator of plant immunity that affects the protein levels of MKK4 and MKK5, two important MAPK cascade members, but the underlying mechanism is poorly understood. Here, genome‐wide phosphorylation analysis demonstrated that the E3 ligase KEEP ON GOING (KEG) is phosphorylated in the edr1 mutant but not the wild type, suggesting that EDR1 negatively affects KEG phosphorylation. The identified phosphorylation sites in KEG appear to be important for its accumulation. The keg‐4 mutant, a previously identified edr1 suppressor, enhances susceptibility to the powdery mildew pathogen Golovinomyces cichoracearum. In addition, MKK4 and MKK5 protein levels are reduced in the keg‐4 mutant. Furthermore, we demonstrate that MKK4 and MKK5 associate with full‐length KEG, but not with truncated KEG‐RK or KEG‐RKA, and that KEG ubiquitinates and mediates the degradation of MKK4 and MKK5. Taken together, these results indicate that MKK4 and MKK5 protein levels are regulated by KEG via ubiquitination, uncovering a mechanism by which plants fine‐tune immune responses by regulating the homeostasis of key MAPK cascade members via ubiquitination and degradation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gender differences in psychological processes have been of great interest in a variety of fields including verbal fluency, emotion processing and working memory. Previous studies suggested that women outperform men in verbal working memory (VWM). However, the inherent mechanisms are still unclear. To obtain a deeper insight into the gender differences in brain networks in VWM, this study used near‐infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) and electro‐encephalography (EEG) simultaneously to investigate gender‐related brain networks during verbal Sternberg tasks. NIRS results confirmed that women surpass men in VWM from the perspective of both brain activation and connectivity. Results of EEG (effective connectivity and event‐related spectral power) showed that men tend to use a more visuospatial strategy to encode memory. In addition, novel analysis methods of brain networks can provide useful information about the gender specifics of brain functions. Gender‐related pseudo‐color maps constructed from all channels of average HbO2 activity during low‐ and high‐load tasks (from 0 to 6 seconds after beginning). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spinel lithium ferrite (LiFe5O8) has attracted a great deal of attention due to its potential applications in isolators, circulators, and phase shifters. In this work, thin films of LiFe5O8 were fabricated on (001) MgO substrates using pulsed laser deposition technology. Thin films with excellent crystallization qualities were acquired by controlling the growth temperature. Interestingly, the results from reciprocal space mappings (RSMs) indicate that the in-plane lattice parameter a and the out-of-plane lattice parameter c were modulated by changing the film growth temperature. Moreover, the magnetism of LiFe5O8 thin films with different temperatures was significantly studied by vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM) and ferromagnetic resonance (FMR) measurements. These findings illustrate that controlling the growth temperature of the films is an effective method to tailor the lattice parameter and to further modify the magnetic properties of epitaxial LiFe5O8 thin films. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microwave resonators combined with polymer absorption layers are widely used in volatile organic compound (VOC) detection based on their variable resonant frequencies. However, the response time is limited due to the polymer's slow volumetric absorption of VOC molecules. By constructing a porous structure in Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), resulting in reduced the response time to as short as 71.1%. To mitigate the sensitivity decline caused by the porous PDMS, a trenched-substrate complementary split-ring resonator (CSRR) is proposed for enhancing the interaction between the electromagnetic fields (EMFs) and the porous PDMS with VOCs. The removal of the substrate beneath CSRR's sensing region enhances the effective EMF, increasing frequency and amplitude sensitivities up to 175.5% and 137.8%, respectively. Responses to four common VOCs by the sensor show a maximum sensitivity of 217 Hz/ppm and a minimum limit of detection of 295 ppm. Additionally, resonant parameters and extracted lumped parameters are utilized to establish two decision-tree-based VOC classification models, achieving high accuracies of 98.71% and 99.59%, respectively. And the latter one fully utilizing responses throughout the swept band, proves superior in identifying similar substances. This sensor technology helps promote the sensitive detection and accurate classification of diverse VOCs. [Display omitted] • The improving response speed owing to the porous structure of the absorption layer. • The improving sensitivity by structural optimization involving the reduction of resonator's substrate capacitance. • Linear detection of VOCs within a wide concentration range from 10 2 to 10 4 ppm. • Multiple VOCs classification with a high accuracy of 99.59%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • A route is proposed to load nanoparticles and electrolyte into ceramic paper separator. • The proposed route is efficient and safe, which can be promoted to used in large scales. • Electrochemical performance of thermal batteries can be obviously improved with ceramic paper as separator. Composites consisted of ceramic paper, nanoparticles as well as molten salt electrolyte, are developed as the new electrolyte separators to substitute the traditional ones in thermal batteries, due to their flexible manufacture and good exhibition in electrochemical performance. However, the existed methods for fabricating the composites by roughly dip-coating with aqueous solutions, are suffering from drawbacks such as inefficiency, low consistence, or high temperature risk. Therefore, a new approach based on a melting-absorption-diffusion process, by using precursors without solvent, is developed. Firstly, the salts are accurately weighted. Then they melt on surfaces of ceramic papers and diffuse inside. After being treated at appropriate temperature for hours, high quality electrolyte separators based on ceramic papers are achieved. Compared to the traditional approaches, the new method can obviously increase and accurately control the amount of loaded nanoparticles and molten salts for each time. The achieved electrolyte separators also exhibit good electrochemical performance in single cells of thermal batteries compared with the traditional ones. With advantages like easy operation, high efficiency, and improved performance, this melting and in situ loading method holds broad prospect in preparing electrolyte separators at large scale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Cosmos Propagation Network is a novel neural network for 3D point cloud completion. • Multi-Edge Encoder with Dense Edge-Conv module is a new module for the method. • Another new module, Point Expand Decoder and Mirror Expand module were also used. • Our method provides the highest performance among the existing methods. Point clouds measured by 3D scanning devices often have partially missing data due to the view positioning of the scanner. The missing data can reduce the performance of a point cloud in downstream tasks such as segmentation, location, and pose estimation. Consequently, 3D point cloud completion aims to predict the missing regions of incomplete objects for these fundamental 3D vision tasks. However, predicting the complete object can easily diminish the detail or structure of a measured region, which usually does not require repair. This study proposes a novel neural network architecture, Cosmos Propagation Network (CP-Net), for 3D point cloud completion. CP-Net extracts latent features in different scales from incomplete point clouds used as input. For point cloud generation, we propose a novel point expand method using a Mirror Expand module. Compared with existing methods, our Mirror Expand module introduces less information redundancy, which makes the distribution of points more reliable. CP-Net predicts the details of missing regions and maintains a clear general structure. The performance of CP-Net on several benchmarks was compared to that of current baseline methods. Compared to the existing methods, CP-Net showed the best performance for various metrics. Thus, CP-Net is expected to help address various problems related to 3D point cloud completion. Its source code is available at https://github.com/ark1234/CP-Net. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ENHANCED DISEASE RESISTANCE 1 (EDR1), a Raf-like mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) kinase kinase (MAPKKK), is a negative regulator of resistance. There are three homologs, RAF3/4/5, of EDR1 in Arabidopsis. However, the roles of RAF3/4/5 in resistance and their functional link with EDR1 in plant immunity remain unclear. Here, we showed that the raf3/4/5 triple mutant displayed wild-type-like phenotypes to the powdery mildew pathogen Golovinomyces cichoracearum UCSC1 and the bacterial pathogen Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato (Pto) DC3000. However, the edr1 raf3/4/5 quadruple mutant exhibited enhanced resistance to G. cichoracearum UCSC1 and Pto DC3000 compared to edr1. Consistently, MPK3/6 kinase activity was more highly activated in edr1 raf3/4/5 than that in edr1. Moreover, the enhanced resistance of edr1 raf3/4/5 required SALICYLIC ACID INDUCTION DEFICIENT 2 (SID2), an isochorismate synthase required for salicylic acid (SA) synthesis. Additionally, unlike EDR1, RAF3/4/5 weakly and indirectly associated with MKK4/5, and EDR1 was directly associated with RAF3/4/5. Taken together, these data indicate that EDR1 associates with RAF3/4/5, and they may function together to synergistically suppress MAPK cascades activation, which reveal the complexity and importance of Raf-like MAPKKKs in plant immunity regulation. • The edr1 raf3 / 4 / 5 mutant displays enhanced resistance to pathogens than edr1. • The edr1 raf3 / 4 / 5 mutant exhibits higher MPK3/6 activation than edr1 after infection with pathogens. • SID2 contributes to the robust resistance in the edr1 raf3 / 4 / 5 mutant. • EDR1 associates with RAF3/4/5 to form a Raf-like kinase complex. • RAF3/4/5 function together with EDR1 in plant immunity regulation by suppressing MAPK cascades activation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We prepared a series of highly dispersed tetrahedrally coordinated tungsten catalysts with different Si/Al ratios by a simple "top-down" method for catalytic cracking of 1-hexene to propene. High 1-hexene conversion (>97%) and propene selectivity (>40%) could be maintained at 575°C over the W-ZSM-5(60) catalyst. [Display omitted] • Stability of the Si-O-Al structure in the W-ZSM-5 framework was enhanced. • Active tetrahedrally coordinated W (VI) species were highly dispersed on ZSM-5 catalysts. • Superior propene selectivity was achieved over W-ZSM-5 (60) catalysts. • The mechanism of W-ZSM-5 on the 1-hexene cracking reaction path were clarified. Reasonable regulation of the acidity of ZSM-5 could fundamentally improve the catalytic performance for the cracking of low-carbon olefins to propene. Herein, a series of ZSM-5 catalysts with highly dispersed tetrahedrally coordinated W(VI) species were prepared for the catalytic cracking of 1-hexene to propene by a simple "top-down" method. Multi-characterizations revealed that the introduction of W enhanced the stability of the Si-O-Al structure in W-ZSM-5 by eliminating the non-skeleton aluminum and excessive Brønsted acid sites, leading to a superb resistance to carbon/coke deposition. Moreover, the Lewis acid sites originated from the active tetrahedrally coordinated W (VI) species improved the propene selectivity via inhibiting the polymerization of products. In addition, through the optimization of various parameters (such as Si/Al ratio, temperature and weight hourly space velocity), high 1-hexene conversion (>97%) and propene selectivity (>40%) could be maintained at 575 °C over the W-ZSM-5(60) catalyst during 30 h long period reaction. This work may provide some new insights for the effect of W-based catalysts on acid composition in the cracking of light olefins to propene. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Calcium is a crucial second messenger in plant cells and contributes to plant resistance against biotic and abiotic stress. Plant defense priming with natural or synthetic compounds leads to quicker and stronger resistance responses. However, whether pretreatment of plant seeds with calcium could improve their resistance to stress remains poorly understood. In this study, we showed that rice seedlings grown from calcium chloride (CaCl 2)-pretreated seeds displayed enhanced resistance to the rice blast fungus Magnaporthe oryzae and the rice bacterial pathogen Xanthomonas oryzae pv. Oryzae (Xoo). Seed priming with CaCl 2 also led to enhanced rice tolerance to salt and cold. Furthermore, the reactive oxygen species (ROS) burst increased significantly upon immunity activation in the leaves of rice seedlings grown from CaCl 2 -pretreated seeds. Additionally, we analyzed the rice calmodulin-binding protein 60 (OsCBP60) family and found that there were 19 OsCBP60s in rice cultivar Zhonghua 11 (ZH11). The transcripts of several OsCBP60 s were chitin- and M. oryzae -inducible, suggesting that they may contribute to rice resistance. Taken together, these data indicate that seed priming with CaCl 2 can effectively enhance rice tolerance to multiple stresses, perhaps by boosting the burst of ROS, and OsCBP60 family members may also play an essential role in this process. • Seed priming with CaCl 2 improves rice resistance to pathogens. • Rice seedlings grown from CaCl 2 -pretreated seeds display enhanced tolerance to salt and cold. • The ROS burst is enhanced in rice seedlings grown from CaCl 2 -pretreated seeds. • The transcripts of several OsCBP60s are upregulated upon immunity activation after seed priming with CaCl 2. • Seed priming with CaCl 2 can improve rice resistance by boosting the ROS burst and the OsCBP60s expression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Staphylococcus aureus sequence type (ST) 88, encompassing both methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) and methicillin-sensitive S. aureus (MSSA) phenotypes, is globally prevalent and commonly associated with skin and soft tissue infections. Despite its widespread occurrence, comprehensive genomic studies on this clone remain scarce. In this study, we performed detailed genomic analyses on 130 ST88 isolates derived from severe bloodstream infections alongside 275 publicly available ST88 sequences. Our phylogenetic analysis identified four distinct clades, with evidence suggesting independent evolution and significant clonal expansion of ST88 in China, particularly within clade I, which appeared to have emerged circa 1964. We documented notable interregional, international, and even intercontinental transmission of ST88 isolates. Variability in the distribution of SCC mec and spa types was observed across clades. Our in silico analyses indicated distinct patterns in the distribution of resistance genes, virulence genes, and mobile genetic elements among the clades, with clade I notably harboring the highest prevalence of the intact sraP gene and an independently acquired novel prophage, φST88-1. Conversely, clade IV exhibited deletions within the sasC gene, with certain sub-clades lacking the sdrDE and fnbB genes, underscoring the superior adhesive capabilities of clade I. In vitro experiments confirmed enhanced biofilm formation in clade I isolates, although the levels of hemolysis and cytotoxicity were similar across clades. Pan-genome-wide association study revealed that core SNPs, rather than the accessory genome, are the primary contributors to the diversification of the ST88 clades. These findings enrich our understanding of the genetic foundations underpinning the transmission dynamics and phenotypic diversity of ST88 clones globally.IMPORTANCEUnderstanding the evolution and transmission of Staphylococcus aureus ST88 clones is critically important due to their spread within food, hospital, and community environments, leading to significant health issues. Despite its prevalence, detailed genomic insights into ST88, particularly regarding its diversity and evolutionary dynamics, have been lacking. Our comprehensive genomic analysis of 130 ST88 isolates from severe bloodstream infections, alongside 275 sequences from public databases, significantly advances our understanding of this pathogen. We identified four distinct evolutionary clades, demonstrating the independent evolution and substantial clonal expansion of ST88 in China, as well as its ability to spread across regions and continents. The diversity among the isolates was evident in their unique profiles of SCCmec elements, antibiotic resistance genes, virulence genes, and mobile genetic elements. Our findings underscore the critical role of core genomic variations over accessory elements in driving the diversification of ST88. This enhanced understanding provides new insights that could inform more effective control strategies, crucial for developing interventions to combat the global spread of this formidable pathogen., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest.

African swine fever virus (ASFV) causes severe disease in domestic pigs and wild boars, seriously threatening the development of the global pig industry. Type I interferon (IFN-I) is an important component of innate immunity, inducing the transcription and expression of antiviral cytokines by activating Janus-activated kinase-signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT). However, the underlying molecular mechanisms by which ASFV antagonizes IFN-I signaling have not been fully elucidated. Therefore, using coimmunoprecipitation, confocal microscopy, and dual luciferase reporter assay methods, we investigated these mechanisms and identified a novel ASFV immunosuppressive protein, pB475L, which interacts with the C-terminal domain of STAT2. Consequently, pB475L inhibited IFN-I signaling by inhibiting STAT1 and STAT2 heterodimerization and nuclear translocation. Furthermore, we constructed an ASFV-B475L 7PM mutant strain by homologous recombination, finding that ASFV-B475L 7PM attenuated the inhibitory effects on IFN-I signaling compared to ASFV-WT. In summary, this study reveals a new mechanism by which ASFV impairs host innate immunity., Competing Interests: Conflict of interest The research was conducted without commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest. The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest with the contents of this article., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Heterojunctions play a crucial role in improving the absorption of visible light and performance of photocatalysts for organic contaminants degradation in water. In this work, a novel type-II-II Ag 2 CO 3 /Bi 2 WO 6 (AB) heterojunction was synthesized by hydrothermal reaction and in situ-precipitation methods. The mechanisms of charge transfer and carrier separation at the interface of heterojunctions and the influence on the photocatalytic activity were investigated. The degradation of levofloxacin (LEV) under visible light irradiation was employed to evaluate the photocatalytic performance of AB. The results showed that 85.4% LEV was degraded by AB, which was 1.38 and 1.39 times higher than that of Bi 2 WO 6 and Ag 2 CO 3 , respectively. The work functions of the different crystal planes in the AB heterojunction, which was calculated by density functional theory, are a significant difference. The Fermi energy (E f ) of Ag 2 CO 3 (- 6.005 eV) is lower than Bi 2 WO 6 (- 3.659 eV), but the conduction band (CB) is higher. Therefore, using AB heterojunctions as an example, the research explored the mechanism of type-II-II which CB and E f of one semiconductor cannot simultaneously surpass those of another material, based on the built-in electric field theory. Through this analysis, a deeper understanding of type-II heterojunctions was achieved, and providing valuable insights into the behavior of this specific heterojunction system., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Working memory load (WML) is one of the widely applied signals in the areas of human-machine interaction. The precise evaluation of the WML is crucial for this kind of application. This study aims to propose a deep learning (DL) time series classification (TSC) model for inter-subject WML decoding. We used fNIRS to record the hemodynamic signals of 27 participants during visual working memory tasks. Traditional machine learning and deep time series classification algorithms were respectively used for intra-subject and inter-subject WML decoding from the collected blood oxygen signals. The intra-subject classification accuracy of LDA and SVM were 94.6% and 79.1%. Our proposed TAResnet-BiLSTM model had the highest inter-subject WML decoding accuracy, reaching 92.4%. This study provides a new idea and method for the brain-computer interface application of fNIRS in real-time WML detection., Competing Interests: No conflicts of interest are declared., (© 2024 Optica Publishing Group.)

Unnatural chiral α-tertiary amino acids containing two different carbon-based substituents at the α-carbon centre are widespread in biologically active molecules. This sterically rigid scaffold is becoming a growing research interest in drug discovery. However, a robust protocol for chiral α-tertiary amino acid synthesis remains scarce due to the challenge of stereoselectively constructing sterically encumbered tetrasubstituted stereogenic carbon centres. Herein we report a cobalt-catalysed enantioselective aza-Barbier reaction of ketimines with various unactivated alkyl halides, including alkyl iodides, alkyl bromides and alkyl chlorides, enabling the formation of chiral α-tertiary amino esters with a high level of enantioselectivity and excellent functional group tolerance. Primary, secondary and tertiary organoelectrophiles are all tolerated in this asymmetric reductive addition protocol, which provides a complementary method for the well-exploited enantioselective nucleophilic addition with moisture- and air-sensitive organometallic reagents. Moreover, the three-component transformation of α-ketoester, amine and alkyl halide represents a formal asymmetric deoxygenative alkylamination of the carbonyl group., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Limited.)

Objective: To characterize the susceptibility-weighted image (SWI) features including paramagnetic rim and nodular lesions with signal intensity changes and central vein sign (CVS) associated with aquaporin 4 (AQP4)-immunoglobulin G (IgG)-negative neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD), and explore whether they can be used as potential imaging biomarkers for differentiating multiple sclerosis (MS) from this disorder., Methods: We prospectively recruited NMOSD with AQP4-IgG-negative (AQP4- NMOSD) and IgG-positive (AQP4+ NMOSD), and MS subjects from the Clinical and Imaging Patterns of Neuroinflammation Diseases in China (CLUE) project (NCT0410683) between 2019 and 2021. The SWI features including paramagnetic rim and nodular lesions with signal intensity changes and CVS were analyzed and compared among groups, and the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV) were determined for distinguishing MS from AQP4- NMOSD., Results: We enrolled a total of 160 consecutive patients (22 AQP4- NMOSD, 65 AQP4+ NMOSD, and 73 MS). We observed paramagnetic rim lesion (0/120 lesions, 0 %) and nodular (1/120, 1 %) lesions with hypointense signals on SWI in the AQP4- NMOSD group. These characteristics were similar to those recorded from AQP4+ NMOSD patients (rim: 0/369 lesions, 0 %, P = 1.000; nodular: 10/369 lesions, 2.7 %, P = 1.000), but differed significantly from those observed in the MS group (rim: 162/1665 lesions, 9.7 %, P<0.001; nodular: 392/1665 lesions, 23.5 %, P < 0.001). AQP4- NMOSD patients had fewer average CVS+ rate (12 %) than MS patients (46 %, p<0.001), similar to AQP4+ NMOSD (13 %, p = 1.000). The SWI imaging features denoting lesions with paramagnetic rim or nodular hypointense SWI signals showed 90.4 % sensitivity, 95.5 % specificity, 98.5 % PPV, and 75 % NPV, and the criteria with≥3 CVS lesions showed sensitivity of 91.8 %, specificity of 90.9 %%, PPV of 97.1 %, and NPV of 76.9 % in distinguishing MS from AQP4- NMOSD., Discussion: The SWI imaging features including lesions with paramagnetic rim or nodular hypointense SWI signals and 3 CVS lesions carries useful information in distinguishing MS from AQP4- NMOSD., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest None, (Copyright © 2023. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

The pathogenesis of depression is unclear, and it responds poorly to treatment. It is thus urgent to identify the pathogenesis of depression and possible therapeutic targets. There may be interactions between insulin resistance (IR) and depression. The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between depression, triglyceride glucose (TyG) index. The study participants were 198 middle-aged and elderly patients who were admitted to the Hebei General Hospital between January 1, 2021, and August 31, 2022, together with 189 healthy adults as controls. Depression was diagnosed according to ICD-10 diagnostic criteria for depression. IR was assessed by the TyG index. Compared with the control group, patients suffering from depression had higher TyG index (P = .00); There were significant differences in the sex ratio (P = .00), family history (P = .00), body mass index (P = .008), total cholesterol (P = .00), fasting blood glucose (P = .004), high-density lipoprotein (P = .00), and low-density lipoprotein (P = .001) levels between the 2 groups. After excluding other confounding factors, the TyG index was found to be independently associated with depression, with an OR of 2.75. These data support an association of depression with the TyG index. IR thus appears to be a risk factor for depression., Competing Interests: The authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose., (Copyright © 2023 the Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.)