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This study shows the application of microwave sintering (MS) on preparing NbC–10Ni and NbC–12Ni cermets, as well as the effect of its microstructure, phase formation, and mechanical properties. Results indicated that NbC–Ni cermets with a fine and uniform structure can be obtained by MS in a relatively short time. And the sintering temperature greatly influenced the microstructure and mechanical properties of NbC–Ni cermets, whereas the effect of dwell time is relatively small. With the increase of the sintering temperature, the microstructure of NbC–Ni cermets experienced sintering densification and grain growth. The strength and toughness increased first and then decreased, and the hardness increased with the increase of sintering temperature. According to the comprehensive mechanical properties, the optimized sintering process is 1,390°C and the dwell time is 15 min. At this time, no new phase formed, but the diffraction peak of the Ni phase shifted. Through analysis, it is found that the improvement mechanisms for comprehensive mechanical properties of NbC–Ni cermets mainly include grain refinement, crack deflection and bridging, and energy absorption of the ductile phase of Ni.

Xiaomei Zhong,1 Cong Ouyang,2 Wanyuan Liang,2 Cunying Dai,2 Weiru Zhang2 1Department of Geriatric Psychiatry, The Affiliated Brain Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510370, People’s Republic of China; 2Institute of Neuroscience, The Affiliated Brain Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510370, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Xiaomei ZhongDepartment of Geriatric Psychiatry, The Affiliated Brain Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510370, People’s Republic of ChinaTel +8620-8126-8084Fax +8620-8189-1391Email lovlaugh@163.comPurpose: Learning impairment after electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is common. Ketamine, an anesthetic used for ECT, has been demonstrated to attenuate cognitive impairment after ECT. However, the mechanism by which ketamine occurs in this case is still unknown. We aimed to explore the role of ketamine metabolite (2R,6R)-hydroxynorketamine [(2R,6R)-HNK] in the protection against learning impairment and investigate whether autophagy is involved in the protective effect.Materials and Methods: A rat depression model received electroconvulsive shock (ECS; simulated ECT in animal models) daily for 3 days. The Morris water maze was used to assess the spatial learning function of the rats. Western blotting was used to detect the expression of Beclin-1, light chain (LC)3-II/LC3-I, p62, mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), and p-mTOR in the hippocampus.Results: The escape latency for the maze in the ECS group was significantly longer than that in the sham ECS group (P=0.042). Meanwhile, the escape latency in the (2R,6R)-HNK+ECS group was significantly shorter than that in the ECS group (P=0.005). The LC3-II/LC3-I ratio and Beclin-1 expression level significantly increased, and the p62 expression level significantly decreased in the ECS group, compared with those in the sham ECS group (all P< 0.001). The (2R,6R)-HNK+ECS group showed lower LC3-II/LC3-I ratio (P< 0.001) and Beclin-1 expression level (P< 0.001) and higher p62 (P< 0.001) and p-mTOR expression levels (P=0.048) than did the ECS group. After small-molecule enhancer of rapamycin 28 (SMER28) administration, the role of (2R,6R)-HNK in protecting against learning impairment and inhibiting autophagy was abrogated, showing no difference in the escape latency; the difference in the LC3-II/LC3-I ratio and p62 expression level between the SMER28+(2R,6R)-HNK+ECS and ECS groups was not as significant as that between the (2R,6R)-HNK+ECS and ECS groups (P< 0.05– 0.01 vs P< 0.001).Conclusion: (2R,6R)-HNK yields cognitive protection by suppressing autophagy through the mTOR signaling pathway in the ECS-treated rat hippocampus.Keywords: electroconvulsive shock, learning impairment, (2R 6R)-hydroxynorketamine, autophagy

This paper mainly introduced a virtual image phased array (VIPA)-based Brillouin spectroscopy technology, analysed VIPA in principle, deduced the Brillouin shift calculation equations, analysed the output spectral characteristics of VIPA through simulation, and proposed the most effective way to avoid interference cancellation in the spectrum. We built a single-stage VIPA spontaneous Brillouin backscattering system, and made multiple measurements on water, ethanol and glycerol, and the measurement results are consistent with the theoretical values reported in other literature. Finally, it is compared with another method mentioned in the literature, and the results show that the method in this paper has higher accuracy.

Objectives:Cognitive impairment in late-life depression is common and associated with a higher risk of all-cause dementia. Late-life depression patients with comorbid cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) or related risk factors may experience higher risks of cognitive deterioration in the short term. We aim to investigate the effect of CVDs and their related risk factors on the cognitive function of patients with late-life depression.Methods:A total of 148 participants were recruited (67 individuals with late-life depression and 81 normal controls). The presence of hypertension, coronary heart disease, diabetes mellitus, or hyperlipidemia was defined as the presence of comorbid CVDs or related risk factors. Global cognitive functions were assessed at baseline and after a one-year follow-up by the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE). Global cognitive deterioration was defined by the reliable change index (RCI) of the MMSE.Results:Late-life depression patients with CVDs or related risk factors were associated with 6.8 times higher risk of global cognitive deterioration than those without any of these comorbidities at a one-year follow-up. This result remained robust after adjusting for age, gender, and changes in the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAMD) scores.Conclusions:This study suggests that late-life depression patients with comorbid CVDs or their related risk factors showed a higher risk of cognitive deterioration in the short-term (one-year follow up). Given that CVDs and their related risk factors are currently modifiable, active treatment of these comorbidities may delay rapid cognitive deterioration in patients with late-life depression.

Background Our previous study in animal models revealed that bilirubin could induce Aβ formation and deposition. Bilirubin may be important in neurodegenerative dementia with Aβ deposition. Hence, lowering the concentration of the free bilirubin capable of crossing the blood brain-barrier may benefit the treatment of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Objectives The objectives of this study were to examine the change in the serum bilirubin and albumin concentrations of dementia patients with Aβ deposition, and to determine the effects of intravenous administration of albumin in the treatment of AD. Methods Bilirubin and albumin concentrations in dementia patients with Aβ deposition were examined. Cell viability and apoptosis were determined in dopaminergic neuron-like cells MN9D treated with bilirubin in the presence of diverse concentrations of serum. Human albumin at a dose of 10 g every 2 weeks for 24 weeks was administered intravenously to AD patients to examine the effect of albumin on AD symptoms. Results Significantly higher indirect bilirubin (IBIL) concentrations, lower albumin concentrations, and higher ratio of IBIL to albumin (IBIL/ALB) were observed in dementia patients with Aβ deposition, including AD, dementia with Lewy bodies, and general paresis of insane. In vitro assays showed that bilirubin-induced injury in cultured dopaminergic neuron-like cells negatively depends on the concentration of serum in the culture medium. General linear model with repeated measures analysis indicated a main effect of group on the change in albumin concentrations and Alzheimer's Disease Cooperative Study Activities of Daily Living Inventory scale (ADCS-ADL) scores, and the main effect of time and group, and group-by-time interaction on the change of Clinical Dementia Rating Scale-Sum of Boxes (CDR-SB) scores. Analysis of the combined data of the entire 28 weeks of assessment period using the area under curve convincingly showed significantly improvements in the change of albumin concentrations, ADCS-ADL scores, and CDR-SB scores. Conclusion IBIL and the IBIL/ALB ratio are significantly higher in dementia patients with Aβ deposition, and intravenous administration of albumin is beneficial to AD treatment. Trial registration The intervention study was registered at http://www.chictr.org.cn (ChiCTR-IOR-17011539). Date of registration: June 1, 2017.

Background: Patients with spirochetal infection, which causes neurosyphilis (NS) and at a later stage general paresis of the insane (GPI), present with brain pathology features of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). However, the relationships among these illnesses regarding biomarker levels are still unclear. Objective: To explore biomarker levels in NS and GPI compared with those in AD and the relationship between biomarker levels and cognitive function in NS and GPI. Methods: Levels of neurogranin (NGRN) and β-amyloid precursor protein cleaving enzyme (BACE1) in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF)/plasma, together with amyloid-β 1–40 (Aβ40), Aβ42, and total tau in the CSF of 23 AD patients, 55 GPI patients, and 13 NS patients were measured. Patients were classified into none-to-mild, moderate, and severe stages of cognitive impairment. Results: Levels of CSF NGRN, BACE1, and tau as well as plasma BACE1 levels were significantly different among groups. In the none-to-mild stage, plasma BACE1 levels correlated with the protein levels in CSF and were significantly increased in AD patients versus GPI patients. The CSF tau levels in AD patients were significantly increased versus GPI patients in the moderate and severe stages. Pooling data from GPI and NS patients, both CSF tau and plasma NGRN levels correlated with cognitive scale scores. Conclusion: GPI and NS patients might have different biomarker level patterns compared to AD patients. While plasma BACE1 could be a promising early biomarker for distinguishing AD from GPI, CSF tau and plasma NGRN levels might be valuable in indications of cognitive function in pooled NS populations.

Background Both an elevated homocysteine (Hcy) level and depression are risk factors for cognitive impairment in the general population, but no study has analyzed whether the coexistence of an elevated Hcy level and late‐life depression (LLD) is associated with worse cognitive performance. Objective We aimed to investigate the relationship between Hcy levels and cognitive function in individuals with LLD and whether the coexistence of an elevated Hcy level and LLD is associated with worse cognitive performance. Methods A total of 113 LLD patients and 89 normal controls underwent a standardized clinical interview and comprehensive neuropsychological assessment battery. Plasma concentrations of Hcy were detected. Factorial analyses were performed to examine the impact of the coexistence of an elevated Hcy level and LLD on cognitive performance. Results Plasma Hcy levels in patients with LLD were significantly higher than that in normal controls. Only for LLD patients, Hcy level was negatively correlated with global cognition, executive function, attention, and visual space. The factorial analysis showed that there was a significant interactive effect of Hcy level (normal and elevated levels) and LLD (with and without LLD) on global cognition. In post hoc comparisons, the elderly individuals with both elevated Hcy levels and LLD tended to have the worst global cognitive function compared with those with LLD or elevated Hcy levels alone. Conclusions The coexistence of an elevated Hcy level and LLD was associated with worse cognitive performance. Early intervention should be initiated to protect cognition in LLD patients with elevated Hcy levels.

Olfactory identification (OI) deficits have been regarded as an indicator of cognitive impairment in the elderly, but few studies have analyzed the mixed effect of depression on OI. Since depression is common in the elderly and strongly associated with OI, we aimed to explore whether the comorbidity of depression and cognitive impairment may be associated with worse outcomes. In total, 153 elderly patients with depression and 154 normal elderly were recruited. Subjects underwent assessments of depression, cognitive function, and OI. Information on the factors that may affect OI performance was collected (age, sex, smoking history, diabetes, etc.). Correlation analysis showed that several factors had a significant influence on OI performance in the elderly, including severity of depression, cognitive scores, age, sex, and years of education (p < 0.05). Among the different cognitive domains, OI was positively associated with global cognition, memory, language, executive function, and attention performance (p < 0.05). The multiple linear regression analysis indicated that memory scores, age, HAMD scores, and sex were the most relevant factors to OI scores across all elderly participants. The factorial analysis suggested that elderly with comorbidity of depression and cognitive impairment (memory deficits or language deficits) had worse OI impairment, and there was an interactive effect of depression and memory deficits on OI in elderly people. The present study suggested that the coexistence of depressive symptoms and cognitive impairment was associated with worse OI in the elderly. Studies exploring the association between OI and cognitive function should include an assessment of depression and adjust the interactive effects of depression.

Background Late-life depression is a risk factor of dementia. It may increase the risk of reliable cognitive decline in the short term, and its associated risk factors remain unclear. Cortisol level may be one of the important predictors. Objectives To estimate whether patients with late-life depression are at an increased risk for reliable global cognitive declines in 1 year, and explore associated risk factors predicting cognitive declines. Methods This prospective 1-year follow-up study involved 148 participants (67 with late-life depression and 81 normal elderly). Global cognitive function was assessed by the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE). The reliable global cognitive decline was defined by the reliable change index (RCI) of the MMSE. Factors related to cognitive function (e.g., age, gender, education, duration of depression and severity of depression) were obtained. Serum cortisol levels were measured at baseline. Results At the 1-year follow-up assessment, 19 patients with late-life depression (28.4%) showed reliable global cognitive declines, a risk that was 6.4 times (95% CIs = 1.3–31.1, p = 0.021) higher than that of normal elderly. Elevated serum cortisol levels and older age were associated with the risk of cognitive decline that was 1.6- and 1.2-times higher (95% CIs = 1.07–2.5, p = 0.02, and 95% CIs = 1.04–1.4, p = 0.01 respectively). Limitations Serum cortisol levels were measured only in the morning. Conclusions Late-life depression is associated with a greatly increased risk of reliable cognitive decline in short term. Cortisol dysregulation may contribute to the pathology of cognitive decline.

Background Late-life depression patients are at a high risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease, and diminished olfactory identification is an indicator in early screening for Alzheimer’s disease in the elderly. However, whether diminished olfactory identification is associated with risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease in late-life depression patients remains unclear. Methods One hundred and twenty-five late-life depression patients, 50 Alzheimer’s disease patients, and 60 normal controls were continuously recruited. The participants underwent a clinical evaluation, olfactory test, neuropsychological assessment, and neuroimaging assessment. Results The olfactory identification impairment in late-life depression patients was milder than that in Alzheimer’s disease patients. Diminished olfactory identification was significantly correlated with worse cognitive performance (global function, memory language, executive function, and attention) and reduced grey matter volume (olfactory bulb and hippocampus) in the late-life depression patients. According to a multiple linear regression analysis, olfactory identification was significantly associated with the memory scores in late-life depression group (B=1.623, P

Background: Bilirubin may be an upstream activator inducing Alzheimer's disease (AD). Methods: Bilirubin/albumin (ALB) levels in dementia patients with Aβ deposition were explored. Human albumin at a dose of 10 g every 2 weeks for 24 weeks was prescribed to AD patients to examine the effect of albumin on AD symptoms. Findings: Significantly higher indirect bilirubin (IBIL) levels and higher ratio of IBIL to albumin (IBIL/ALB) were reported in dementia patients with Aβ deposition, including AD, dementia with Lewy bodies and general paresis of insane.Intravenous albumin significantly lowered the ratio of IBIL to albumin (IBIL/ALB) at week 24. Analysis of the combined data of the entire 28 weeks of assessment period using the area under curve show significantly improvements in change of Alzheimer's Disease Cooperative Study Activities of Daily Living Inventory scale scores and Clinical Dementia Rating Scale-Sum of Boxes scores. Interpretation: IBIL and IBIL/ALB was significantly higher in dementia patients with Aβ deposition. Bilirubin may be an upstream activator that induces AD. Consistent with these clinical findings, our intervention study shows that increasing serum bilirubin binding capacity from albumin by intravenous supplementation of human albumin yields benefit on daily function and dementia severity in AD patients. Targeting IBIL/ALB has highly potential for AD treatment. Trial Registration: The study was registered at chictr.org.cn (ChiCTR-IOR-17011539). Funding Statement: This work was supported by the National Funds for Developing Local Colleges and Universities (B16056001), Natural Science Foundation research team of Guangdong Province (2018B030312001) (to J.L), and Guangdong Natural Science Foundation (2017A030313662), Science and Technology Program of Guangzhou (201707010046) (to C.Z). Declaration of Interests: All authors declare that there are no conflicts of interest. Ethics Approval Statement: The Ethics Committee of the Affiliated Brain Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University (Guangzhou Huiai Hospital) approved this study. A written informed consent was obtained from the participants or their nearest relatives.

Aims Berberine is an isoquinoline alkaloid extracted from the root, rhizome and stem bark of Coptidis Rhizoma. Previous studies have revealed the anti-tumor potential of berberine against various types of cancer cells. However, the underlying mechanisms are not yet fully understood. In this study, we focused on the effects of berberine on fatty acid synthesis and extracellular vesicles formation in cancer cells, and revealed the internal mechanism of berberine inhibition on cancer cell proliferation. Materials and methods Anti-proliferative activity of berberine was determined by cell counting and microscope observation and cell cycle analysis. Activities of AMPK and ACC, expression of extracellular vesicles markers were detected by western blotting. 13C labeling metabolic flux analysis was used for determination of de novo synthesis of fatty acids. The excreted extracellular vesicles in culture mediums were separated by both polyethylene glycol enrichment of extracellular vesicles and differential centrifugation separation. Key findings Among our early experiments, 5–10 μmol/L berberine exhibited the substantial anti-proliferative effect against human colon cancer cell line HCT116, cervical cancer cell line HeLa and other cancer cells. It was also revealed that, through activating AMPK, berberine inhibited ACC activity then suppressed intracellular fatty acid synthesis, finally decreased the biogenesis of extracellular vesicles. Moreover, supplement with citrate acid, palmitic acid, as well as exogenous extracellular vesicles, could rescue the inhibitory effect of berberine on cell proliferation, suggesting that inhibited ACC activity, suppressed fatty acid synthesis and decreased extracellular vesicles production were important mechanisms account for berberine inhibiting cancer cell proliferation. Significance Our study indicates that berberine suppresses cancer cell proliferation through inhibiting the synthesis of fatty acids and decreasing biogenesis and secretion of extracellular vesicles, suggests that berberine is a promising candidate for the development of new therapies for cancer.

Background: Placenta-specific 9 ( Plac9 ) is a putative secreted protein that was first discovered in the context of embryogenesis. The expression pattern of Plac9 during embryogenesis, together with the results of recent reports, suggest that Plac9 may play a role in liver development. This study was conducted to investigate the secretory characteristics of Plac9 and its potential role in liver cell physiology. Methods: Immunofluorescence was employed to identify the subcellular distribution of Plac9 . Cellular proliferative activity was analyzed by MTT assay and cell colony formation. The cell cycle distribution of Plac9 was analyzed by flow cytometry, and a functional analysis was performed using L02 cells following their stable infection with a lentivirus over-expressing Plac9 . Results: Plac9 is a novel protein that is localized to the cytoplasm and may be secreted through the classic Endoplasmic Reticulum (ER)-Golgi route. The overexpression of Plac9 inhibits cell growth and induces G2/M phase arrest. Conclusions: Our findings reveal a novel role for Plac9 in regulating cell growth.

Resistance to apoptosis and uncontrolled proliferation are two hallmarks of cancer cells. p53 is crucial for apoptosis triggered by a broad range of stresses and a well-known gatekeeper for neoplastic transformation. Here we show that oncogenic IDH1 R132H/R132Q mutants robustly inhibit p53 expression and such an effect is attributed to 2-HG production. Mechanistically, 2-hydroxyglutarate (2-HG) stabilizes hypoxia-inducible factor-2α, which in turn activates the expression of miR-380-5p, a characterized microRNA against p53 expression. Rescue expression of p53 can inhibit the proliferation rate and impair the resistance of apoptosis induced by doxorubicin in IDH1 R132Q mouse embryonic fibroblast cells. Furthermore, p53 protein levels correlates negatively with IDH1 R132H levels in human glioma samples. Our results thus shed a new light on how p53 is down-regulated by 2-HG and suggests that impairment of p53-mediated apoptosis contributes to the tumorigenesis driven by IDH1 mutants.

Patients with late-life depression (LLD) have a higher incident of developing dementia, especially individuals with memory deficits. However, little is known about the white matter characteristics of LLD with memory deficits (LLD-MD) in the human connectome, especially for the rich-club coefficient, which is an indicator that describes the organization pattern of hub in the network. To address this question, diffusion tensor imaging of 69 participants [15 LLD-MD patients; 24 patients with LLD with intact memory (LLD-IM); and 30 healthy controls (HC)] was applied to construct a brain network for each individual. A full-scale battery of neuropsychological tests were used for grouping, and evaluating executive function, processing speed and memory. Rich-club analysis and global network properties were utilized to describe the topological features in each group. Network-based statistics (NBS) were calculated to identify the impaired subnetwork in the LLD-MD group relative to that in the LLD-IM group. We found that compared with HC participants, patients with LLD (LLD-MD and LLD-IM) had relatively impaired rich-club organizations and rich-club connectivity. In addition, LLD-MD group exhibited lower feeder and local connective average strength than LLD-IM group. Furthermore, global network properties, such as the shortest path length, connective strength, efficiency and fault tolerant efficiency, were significantly decreased in the LLD-MD group relative to those in the LLD-IM and HC groups. According to NBS analysis, a subnetwork, including right cognitive control network (CCN) and corticostriatal circuits, were disrupted in LLD-MD patients. In conclusion, the disease effects of LLD were prevalent in rich-club organization. Feeder and local connections, especially in the subnetwork including right CCN and corticostriatal circuits, were further impaired in those with memory deficits. Global network properties were disrupted in LLD-MD patients relative to those in LLD-IM patients.