Urinary iodine and serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D are associated with depression in adolescents

Purpose: To determine whether depressive disorder (DD) in adolescents is associated with the levels of serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D {25(OH)D} and urinary iodine.Methods: A total of 270 adolescent participants from 8 to 16 years old were enrolled in this study (male, n = 125; female, n = 145). Of these, 160 paticipants (male, n = 75; female, n = 85) were diagnosed with DD and 110 paticipants (male, n = 50; female, n = 60) were non-DD. Urinary iodine level, serum 25(OH)D level, and thyroid function were measured and adjusted for sex, age, body mass index, and disease progression. Vitamin D (25(OH)D) < 15 ng/mL was considered as VD deficiency, and iodine <100 μg/L was viewed as iodine deficiency. Mean VD and iodine levels were compared between DD and control groups.Results: DD patients had lower concentrations of 25(OH)D3 (p < 0.005) and urinary iodine (p < 0.05) than non-DD control, in both male and female cohorts. However, serum 25(OH)D2 concentration did not significantly correlate with depressive symptoms.Conclusion: Adolescents with DD have markedly lower serum 25(OH)D concentrations and urinary iodine levels than control patients. This relationship is positively associated with disease progression, suggesting possible nutritional intervention measures for neuroprotection.Keywords: 25-Hydroxyvitamin D, Iodine, Adolescence, Depressio

Experimental Investigation of Forchheimer Coefficients for Non-Darcy Flow in Conglomerate-Confined Aquifer

The research is financially supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China (No. 2016YFC0801401 and No. 2016YFC0600708), Major Consulting Project of Chinese Academy of Engineering (No. 2017-ZD-2), Yue Qi Distinguished Scholar Project of China University of Mining & Technology (Beijing), and Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (No. 2009QM01).Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Excess charge-carrier induced instability of hybrid perovskites

Identifying the origin of intrinsic instability for organic–inorganic halide perovskites (OIHPs) is crucial for their application in electronic devices, including solar cells, photodetectors, radiation detectors, and light-emitting diodes, as their efficiencies or sensitivities have already been demonstrated to be competitive with commercial available devices. Here we show that free charges in OIHPs, whether generated by incident light or by current-injection from electrodes, can reduce their stability, while efficient charge extraction effectively stabilizes the perovskite materials. The excess of both holes and electrons reduce the activation energy for ion migration within OIHPs, accelerating the degradation of OIHPs, while the excess holes and electrons facilitate the migration of cations or anions, respectively. OIHP solar cells capable of efficient charge-carrier extraction show improved light stability under regular operation conditions compared to an open-circuit condition where the photo-generated charges are confined in the perovskite layers

SOHLHs Might Be Gametogenesis-Specific bHLH Transcriptional Regulation Factors in Crassostrea gigas

The self-renewal and differentiation of germ cells are essential for gametogenesis and reproduction. In mammals, the transcription factors SOHLH1 and SOHLH2, two members of the bHLH family, are specifically expressed in the gonads, and play an important role in spermatocyte and oocyte differentiation. In our previous study, we performed a phylogenetic analysis of the Lophotrochozoa bHLH genes, and two Sohlh were identified in the Pacific oyster Crassostrea gigas. Based on the genomes of other species that have complete genomic information, we further analyzed the phylogenetics of the Sohlh in this study. The results indicate that the Sohlh are ancient genes that were lost in many species during evolution, including in some invertebrates, and lower vertebrates. The phylogenetic tree shows that Sohlh1 and Sohlh2 are located in different scaffolds and that they have low similarity, suggesting early separation in invertebrates. We used RNA-seq and RT-PCR to examine the mRNA expression of the Sohlh in C. gigas (termed Cg-Sohlh), we found that Cg-Sohlh1, and Cg-Sohlh2 are specifically expressed in the gonads. During gonadal development, the mRNA expression levels of both genes increased from the proliferative stage and reached the highest level at the growth stage (P < 0.05). Then, the expression level decreased until the resting stage. In addition, immunohistochemistry was used to determine that the Cg-SOHLH1 protein was specifically expressed in the spermatogonia and spermatocytes. Cg-Sohlh2 mRNA was expressed in both the male and female gonads, while Cg-Sohlh1 mRNA was highly expressed in the female gonads at all developmental stages except for the resting stage. These data indicate that Cg-SOHLH might be gonad-specific regulatory factors, similar to mammalian SOHLH, and that Cg-SOHLH1 might be involved in spermatogonial differentiation. This study lays the foundation to further determine the functional role of SOHLH in mollusk gametogenesis and provides a foundation to better understand the regulatory mechanism of gametogenesis in invertebrates

Ultra-high mobility transparent organic thin film transistors grown by an off-centre spin-coating method

Organic semiconductors with higher carrier mobility and better transparency have been actively pursued for numerous applications, such as flat-panel display backplane and sensor arrays. The carrier mobility is an important figure of merit and is sensitively influenced by the crystallinity and the molecular arrangement in a crystal lattice. Here we describe the growth of a highly aligned meta-stable structure of 2,7-dioctyl[1]benzothieno[3,2-b][1]benzothiophene (C8-BTBT) from a blended solution of C8-BTBT and polystyrene by using a novel offcentre spin-coating method. Combined with a vertical phase separation of the blend, the highly aligned, meta-stable C8-BTBT films provide a significantly increased thin film transistor hole mobility up to 43 cm2 Vs�1 (25 cm2 Vs�1 on average), which is the highest value reported to date for all organic molecules. The resulting transistors show high transparency of 490% over the visible spectrum, indicating their potential for transparent, high-performance organic electronics

Hippo dictates signaling for cellular homeostasis and immune defense in Crassostrea hongkongensis hemocytes

IntroductionThe Hippo signaling pathway is an evolutionarily conserved signaling cascade that plays a crucial role in regulating cell proliferation, differentiation, and apoptosis. It has been shown to be a key regulator of cell fate and cellular homeostasis in various immune processes. Despite its well-established functions in vertebrate immunity, its roles in marine invertebrate immunity remain poorly understood. Therefore, our present work provides fresh mechanistic insights into how the Hippo pathway orchestrates hemocytic functions in Crassostrea hongkongensis, with implications for studies on its major forms and modifications in animal evolution.MethodThe complete set of Hippo pathway genes, including SAV1, MOB1, LATS, YAP/TAZ, TEAD, and MST, were identified from the C. hongkongensis genome. Quantitative PCR assays were conducted to examine the mRNA expression levels of these genes in different tissues and the levels of these genes in hemocytes before and after bacterial challenges. The study also examined the crosstalk between the Hippo pathway and other immune pathways, such as the AP-1 and p53-dependent p21 signaling cascades. RNA interference was used to knock down MST and TEAD, and MST is a core orchestrator of non-canonical Hippo signaling, to investigate its impact on phagocytosis and bacterial clearance in hemocytes.ResultThe results demonstrated that members of the Hippo pathway were highly expressed in hemocytes, with their expression levels significantly increasing following bacterial challenges. Crosstalk between the Hippo pathway and other immune pathways triggered hemocytic apoptosis, which functioned similarly to the canonical Mst-Lats-Yap signaling pathway in Drosophila and mammals. Knocking down MST resulted in increased phagocytosis and boosted the efficiency of bacterial clearance in hemocytes, presumably due to mobilized antioxidant transcription by Nrf for maintaining immune homeostasis.DiscussionThis study provides novel insights into the regulatory mechanisms underlying the Hippo pathway in immune responses of C. hongkongensis hemocytes. The study highlights the importance of the Hippo pathway in maintaining immune homeostasis and orchestrating hemocytic functions in oysters. Moreover, this study demonstrates the divergence of the Hippo pathway's roles in marine invertebrate immunity from mammalian observations, indicating the need for further comparative studies across species. These findings have significant implications for future research aimed at elucidating the evolutionary trajectory and functional diversity of the Hippo signaling pathway in animal evolution

A kinetic model for isotopologue signatures of methane generated by biotic and abiotic CO \u3csub\u3e2\u3c/sub\u3e methanation

© 2019 Elsevier Ltd Methane has both biotic and abiotic origins, and the identification of its origins has important implications in understanding terrestrial processes as well as in searching for extraterrestrial life. Bulk stable isotope ratios ( 13 C/ 12 C and D/H) and multiply substituted isotopologues ( 13 CH 3 D and 12 CH 2 D 2 ) have been used to distinguish methane\u27s origins, and kinetic models are essential to understanding and quantifying these isotopologue signatures. Although different kinetic models have been developed, inconsistencies exist within these models. Here we constructed an isotopologue-specific kinetic model to quantify isotopologue signatures of methane generated by biological- and metal-catalyzed CO 2 methanation. The Monte Carlo method and data from two experiments were used to constrain the kinetic reversibility and associated isotope effects. The results show that the reversibility can be the same for the biotic and abiotic CO 2 methanation pathways, and their distinct isotopic signatures depend on their respective hydrogen sources. Biotic methane sources hydrogen from carbon-hydrogen and sulfur-hydrogen bonds while abiotic methane sources from metal-hydrogen adsorption bonds. This hydrogen source difference results in abiotic methane being more depleted in 12 CH 2 D 2 relative to biotic methane. Although kinetic and dynamic complexities may prevent differentiation between biotic and abiotic methane in multiple and clumped isotope spaces, our proposed molecular-level difference in hydrogen source provides a universal basis for analyzing the isotopologue signatures of methane of diverse origins

New morphological observations for Paleoproterozoic acritarchs from the Chuanlinggou Formation, North China

Acritarchs from the Chuanlinggou Formation (ca. 1700 Ma) were first reported by Xing and Liu (1973) [Xing, Y.S., Liu, G.Z., 1973. On Sinian micro-flora in Yenliao Region of China and its geological significance. Acta Geological Sinica 1, 1-64] and some were later described as eukaryotes by Yan (1982) [Yan, Y.Z., 1982. Schizofusa from the Chuanlinggou Fromation of Changzhougou System in Jixian county. Bulletin of the Tianjin Institute of Geology and Mineral Resources 6, 1-7]. The eukaryotic affinity has been questionable, however, for lack of indisputable morphological evidence. Chuanlinggou acritarchs are some of the oldest acritarchs found on Earth and are well preserved for ultrastructure study. In this study, Chuanlinggou acritarchs were examined by jointly using optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). In most cases, an ovoidal group of acritarchs represents a half vesicle following a complete longitudinal rupture, which is a morphological model different from a whole envelope with medial splits as proposed by earlier studies. This ovoidal group displays a bipolar morphology, longitudinal rupture, and occasionally striated wall structures that are consistent with a eukaryotic affinity. Thus, the Chuanlinggou ovoidal acritarchs probably extends the eukaryotes body fossil record into the Paleoproterozoic, ∼200 million years earlier than the morphologically more complex acritarchs from Mesoproterozoic Roper Group (ca. 1500 Ma). © 2008 Elsevier B.V