Downregulation of caveolin-1 contributes to the synaptic plasticity deficit in the hippocampus of aged rats

Caveolin-1 is involved in the regulation of synaptic plasticity, but the relationship between its ex-pression and cognitive function during aging remains controversial. To explore the relationship be-tween synaptic plasticity in the aging process and changes in learning and memory, we examined caveolin-1 expression in the hippocampus, cortex and cerebellum of rats at different ages. We also examined the relationship between the expression of caveolin-1 and synaptophysin, a marker of synaptic plasticity. Hippocampal caveolin-1 and synaptophysin expression in aged （22-24 month old） rats was significantly lower than that in young （1 month old） and adult （4 months old） rats. Ex- pression levels of both proteins were significantly greater in the cortex of aged rats than in that of young or adult rats, and levels were similar between the three age groups in the cerebellum. Linear regression analysis revealed that hippocampal expression of synaptophysin was associated with memory and learning abilities. Moreover, synaptophysin expression correlated positively with caveolin-1 expression in the hippocampus, cortex and cerebellum. These results confirm that caveolin-1 has a regulatory effect on synaptic plasticity, and suggest that the downregulation of hippocampal caveolin-1 expression causes a decrease in synaptic plasticity during physiological aging.

糖尿病预防研究的创举:大庆糖尿病预防研究36年回顾

糖尿病前期是血糖介于正常范围和糖尿病诊断标准之间的一类高血糖状态,该人群每年有5%~10%的风险会进展为糖尿病,终身患糖尿病的风险达70%.糖尿病是全球五大慢性病之一,每年造成近万亿美元的卫生支出.我国糖尿病患者数量和因糖尿病死亡数量均位居全球首位,且未来30年数量仍将增长,预防糖尿病刻不容缓.大庆糖尿病预防研究是世界上开始时间最早、干预时间和随访时间最长的通过改变生活方式预防糖尿病的随机对照研究,与美国糖尿病预防项目、芬兰糖尿病预防研究共同被誉为糖尿病一级预防领域的里程碑式研究,自1986年至今已有36年历史,首次提供通过改变生活方式可以预防糖尿病的强有力证据,并进一步证明生活方式干预在干预结束后能持续降低30年糖尿病发病风险和相关并发症(如视网膜病变、心血管疾病)及其死亡的发生风险,甚至延长1.44年的寿命,为糖尿病防控工作提供了科学证据.随着人口老龄化进程加快和人均预期寿命提高,糖尿病相关疾病负担日渐加重,学习和借鉴大庆糖尿病预防研究为应对当前糖尿病挑战具有重要意义.为此,本文对大庆糖尿病预防研究的时代背景、研究设计、主要成果和贡献做系统介绍与回顾,并对未来的糖尿病预防研究方向进行思考与展望.

Effect of cOVID-19 lockdown on the characterization and mixing state of carbonaceous particles in the urban atmosphere of Liaocheng, the North China Plain

To investigate the effect of covID-19 control measures on aerosol chemistry,the chemical compositions,mixing states,and formation mechanisms of carbonaceous particles in the urban atmosphere of Liao-cheng in the North China Plain(NCP)were compared before and during the pandemic using a single particle aerosol mass spectrometry(SPAMS).The results showed that the concentrations of five air pollutants including PM2.5,PM1o,SO2,NO2,and cO decreased by 41.2%-71.5%during the pandemic compared to those before the pandemic,whereas O3 increased by 1.3 times during the pandemic because of the depressed titration of O3 and more favorable meteorological conditions.The count and percentage contribution of carbonaceous particles in the total detected particles were lower during the pandemic than those before the pandemic.The carbonaceous particles were dominated by elemental and organic carbon(ECOC,35.9%),followed by elemental carbon-aged(EC-aged,19.6%)and organic carbon-fresh(OC-fresh,13.5%)before the pandemic,while EC-aged(25.3%),ECOC(17.9%),and secondary ions-rich(SEC,17.8%)became the predominant species during the pandemic.The carbonaceous particle sizes during the pandemic showed a broader distribution than that before the pandemic,due to the condensation and coagulation of carbonaceous particles in the aging processes.The relative aerosol acidity(Rra)was smaller before the pandemic than that during the pandemic,indicating the more acidic particle aerosol during the pandemic closely related to the secondary species and relative humidity(RH).More than 95.0%and 86.0%of carbonaceous particles in the whole period were internally mixed with nitrate and sulfate,implying that most of the carbonaceous particles were associated with secondary oxidation during their formation processes.The diurnal variations of oxalate particles and correlation analyses suggested that oxalate particles before the pandemic were derived from aqueous oxidation driven by RH and liquid water content(LwC),while oxalate particles during the pandemic were originated from O3-dominatedphotochemical oxidation.

Seasonal characteristics and provenance of organic aerosols in the urban atmosphere of Liaocheng in the North China Plain:Significant effect of biomass burning

To better understand the seasonal characteristics of urban organic aerosol(OA)in the North China Plain(NCP),PM2.5 samples in the urban atmosphere of Liaocheng were collected and analyzed.The molecular distribution of the organic markers in the urban atmosphere of Liaocheng reveals that n-alkanes(39.3%)was the most abundant species all year round,followed by saccharides(28.2%),phthalic acids(Ph,20.8%),biogenic secondary organic aerosol(BSOA)tracers(9.4%),and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon(PAHs,2.3%).PM2.5,organic carbon(OC),elemental carbon(EC),and primary organic markers exhibit the highest concentrations in winter,due largely to the increased biomass burning and coal combustion for house heating in local and surrounding regions.However,the concentration and relative abundance of BSOA are significantly higher in summer than other seasons,induced by the more favorable meteoro-logical conditions that would promote the emissions of biogenic volatile organic compounds(BVOCs)and the secondary production of BSOA.The ratios of OC/EC and 3-methyl-1,2,3-butanetricarboxylic acid to cis-pinic acid plus cis-pinonic acid(MBTCA/(PA+PNA)are higher in the warm seasons than those in the cold seasons,indicating that the oxidation of OA is sensitive to air temperature.Compared to 2017,the concentration level of PAHs during wintertime decreased by 40.8%,confirming that the stringent regulation of coal burning is effective.The highest concentration of high molecular weight(HMW)n-alkanes and three anhydrosugars in winter,and the close correlation of levoglucosan with HMW n-al-kanes suggests that the impact of biomass burning was more significant in winter.The same seasonal characteristic of the ratios of high-/low-NO_(x) products with NO_(x) and the strong correlation of high-/low-NO_(x) products with levoglucosan indicate that the formation of isoprene SOA(SOA1)tracers was signif-icantly influenced by anthropogenic emissions.The molecular compositions,the distributions of fire spots,backward trajectories of air masses,and correlation analysis suggest that air pollution events in spring were primarily resulted from biomass burning and secondary oxidation,while pollution events in winter were largely driven by the increased combustion sources,and promoted aqueous secondary formation.Our results suggest that the reduction of biomass and coal combustion should be taken into account to improve the urban air quality in the NCP.

Applications of post-translational modifications of FoxO family proteins in biological functions

The functions of the FoxO family proteins,in particular their transcriptional activities,are modulated by post-translational modifi-cations(PTMs),including phosphorylation,acetylation,ubiquitination,methylation and glycosylation.These PTMs occur in response to different cellular stresses,which in turn regulate the subcellular localization of FoxO family proteins,as well as their half-life,DNA binding,transcriptional activity and ability to interact with other cellular proteins.In this review,we summarize the role of PTMs of FoxO family proteins in linking their biological and functional relevance with various diseases.