Prepulse inhibition (PPI) of startle response is a well-established neurophysiological marker of sensorimotor gating ability in psychiatric patients including those with autism spectrum disorders ...(ASD). PPI has been utilized as an indicator of the central inhibitory function and is potentially linked to the clinical features of this disease. However, it remains inconclusive whether ASD patients exhibit PPI deficits compared with healthy controls. The present meta-analysis aimed to explore the pooled effect sizes of PPI in ASD patients. We searched major electronic databases from 1990 to January 2017. Seven studies, consisting of 21 individual investigations with 135 healthy controls and 99 ASD patients, were obtained. The effect size, calculated as Hedges's g and 95% confidence interval, were estimated. Overall, we found ASD patients exhibited an impaired PPI compared with healthy controls (p = 0.008). Specifically, significant PPI deficits were observed among ASD children/adolescents, compared with their healthy counterparts (p = 0.019). However, differences in PPI responses were not observed among adults. Conclusively, our results reconciled the previous studies and showed that ASD children/adolescents, but not adults, exhibit reduced sensorimotor gating function compared to healthy controls. We also suggest that the parameters of PPI are particularly important and the results should be interpreted with cautions.
•PPI is a psychophysiological indicator for translational research in psychiatry.•PPI deficits could be interpreted as an inhibitory failure.•It remained unclear whether patients with ASD exhibited a deficit in PPI function.•We performed a meta-analysis of PPI studies on ASD to examine the mean effect size.•ASD exhibited an impaired PPI, particularly in the children/adolescent population.
Inhibiting the responses to irrelevant stimuli is an essential component of human cognitive function. Pre-attentive auditory sensory gating (SG), an attenuated neural activation to the second ...identical stimulus, has been found to be related to the performance of higher-hierarchical brain function. However, it remains unclear whether other cortical regions, such as somatosensory cortex, also possess similar characteristics, or if such a relationship is modality-specific. This study used magnetoencephalography to record neuromagnetic responses to paired-pulse electrical stimulation to median nerve in 22 healthy participants. Somatosensory SG ratio and cortical brain oscillations were obtained and compared with the behavioral performance of inhibition control, as evaluated by somatosensory and auditory Go-Nogo tasks. The results showed that somatosensory P35m SG ratio correlated with behavioral performance of inhibition control. Such relationship was also established in relation to the auditory Go-Nogo task. Finally, a higher frequency value of evoked gamma oscillations was found to relate to a better somatosensory SG ability. In conclusion, our data provided an empirical link between automatic cortical inhibition and behavioral performance of attentive inhibition control. This study invites further research on the relationships among gamma oscillations, neurophysiological indices, and behavioral performance in clinical populations in terms of SG or cortical inhibition.
Background Acute kidney injury (AKI) is an emerging global healthcare issue without effective therapy yet. Autophagy recycles damaged organelles and helps maintain tissue homeostasis in acute renal ...ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury. Hypoxic mesenchymal stem cells (HMSCs) represent an innovative cell-based therapy in AKI. Moreover, the conditioned medium of HMSCs (HMSC-CM) rich in beneficial trophic factors may serve as a cell-free alternative therapy. Nonetheless, whether HMSCs or HMSC-CM mitigate renal I/R injury via modulating tubular autophagy remains unclear. Methods Renal I/R injury was induced by clamping of the left renal artery with right nephrectomy in male Sprague-Dawley rats. The rats were injected with either PBS, HMSCs, or HMSC-CM immediately after the surgery and sacrificed 48 h later. Renal tubular NRK-52E cells subjected to hypoxia-reoxygenation (H/R) injury were co-cultured with HMSCs or treated with HMSC-CM to assess the regulatory effects of HSMCs on tubular autophagy and apoptosis. The association of tubular autophagy gene expression and renal recovery was also investigated in patients with ischemic AKI. Result HMSCs had a superior anti-oxidative effect in I/R-injured rat kidneys as compared to normoxia-cultured mesenchymal stem cells. HMSCs further attenuated renal macrophage infiltration and inflammation, reduced tubular apoptosis, enhanced tubular proliferation, and improved kidney function decline in rats with renal I/R injury. Moreover, HMSCs suppressed superoxide formation, reduced DNA damage and lipid peroxidation, and increased anti-oxidants expression in renal tubular epithelial cells during I/R injury. Co-culture of HMSCs with H/R-injured NRK-52E cells also lessened tubular cell death. Mechanistically, HMSCs downregulated the expression of pro-inflammatory interleukin-1beta, proapoptotic Bax, and caspase 3. Notably, HMSCs also upregulated the expression of autophagy-related LC3B, Atg5 and Beclin 1 in renal tubular cells both in vivo and in vitro. Addition of 3-methyladenine suppressed the activity of autophagy and abrogated the renoprotective effects of HMSCs. The renoprotective effect of tubular autophagy was further validated in patients with ischemic AKI. AKI patients with higher renal LC3B expression were associated with better renal recovery. Conclusion The present study describes that the enhancing effect of MSCs, and especially of HMCSs, on tissue autophagy can be applied to suppress renal tubular apoptosis and attenuate renal impairment during renal I/R injury in the rat. Our findings provide further mechanistic support to HMSCs therapy and its investigation in clinical trials of ischemic AKI. Keywords: Acute kidney injury, Autophagy, Hypoxic mesenchymal stem cells, Ischemia-reperfusion injury
A facile surface self-assembled zwitterionization process is presented, aiming at improving the blood compatibility of poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) membranes. Zwitterionic diblock copolymers ...containing hydrophobic propylene oxide and hydrophilic sulfobetaine methacrylate blocks were prepared with well controlled molecular weights via atom-transfer radical polymerization (ATRP). Poly(propylene oxide)-block-poly(sulfobetaine methacrylate) (PPO-b-PSBMA) copolymers with varying zwitterionic PSBMA lengths were coated by self-assembling process onto the surface of PVDF microfiltration membranes in order to enhance their surface hydrophilicity and protein resistance. A systematic study regarding the effect of block lengths of PPO-b-PSBMA copolymers on the hemocompatibility of zwitterionic PVDF membranes in human blood solution was then performed. Protein adsorption from single-protein solutions and 100% blood plasma solutions was measured on the PVDF surfaces covered with PPO-b-PSBMA brushes. If the increase in PPO content in copolymer increased the efficiency of coating on the membrane, resistance to human fibrinogen adsorption was enhanced when increasing the PSBMA content. The control of the anchoring structures of zwitterionic copolymer layers highly regulates the adsorption of plasma proteins, the adhesion of platelets, and the coagulation of human plasma. PVDF membranes coated with PPO-b-PSBMA containing a high amount of zwitterionic SBMA units presented a high hydration capability, believed to allow improving significantly the hemocompatible character of PVDF membranes. This work suggests that the hemocompatible nature of self-assembled zwitterionic brushes gives them a great potential in the molecular design of antithrombogenic membranes for use in human blood applications.
Aims
This study examined the changes and the predictors of suicide ideation/suicide attempt and the moderating effects of psychosocial factors on the suicide ideation/suicide attempts among human ...immunodeficiency virus (HIV)‐positive patients at 6–12 months post‐diagnosis.
Background
Suicide behaviours are prevalent among newly diagnosed HIV‐positive patients, but the changes in suicide behaviours after diagnosis and the role of psychosocial factors in these behaviours are not well studied.
Design
This study used a prospective longitudinal design.
Methods
A total of 113 participants diagnosed as HIV‐positive for 6–12 months were recruited from the outpatient department. Data were collected from June 2015 – October 2016. They were asked to complete Beck's Scale for Suicide Ideation, the Beck Depression Inventory‐II, the Body Image Scale, the Meaning in Life Questionnaire and the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support at baseline, the third month and the sixth month.
Results
The results showed the high occurrence rates for suicide ideation ranging from 27.2%, 21.6%, and 25.8% and suicide attempt ranging from 14.7%, 8.6%, and 13.3% at the baseline, the third month and the sixth month, respectively. The education level, social support from family and depressive symptoms were the predictors of suicide ideation. The history of depression disorders, depressive symptoms and social support from friends significantly predicted suicide attempt. Meaning in life‐presence moderated the relationship between depressive symptoms and suicide ideation.
Conclusions
After diagnosed for 6–12 months, HIV‐positive patients remain the high‐risk group for suicide ideation and attempt. Suicide intervention targeting the risk and protective factors are required for HIV‐positive patients.
目的
研究HIV阳性患者确诊后6‐12个月自杀意念/自杀企图的变化与预测因素,以及心理社会因素对自杀意念/自杀企图的调节作用。
背景
自杀行为在新确诊的HIV阳性患者中非常普遍,但诊断后自杀行为的变化及心理社会因素在这些行为中的作用尚未得到很好的研究。
设计
本研究采用前瞻性纵向设计。
方法
共从门诊部招募了113名参与者,他们在6‐12个月内被确诊为HIV阳性。收集2015年6月—2016年10月间的数据。要求参与者在基线期、第3个月和第6个月填写Beck自杀意念量表、Beck抑郁问卷II、体象量表、生活意义问卷及多维领悟社会支持量表。
结果
研究结果表明,在基线期、第3个月和第6个月,自杀意念的高发率分别为27.2%、21.6%和25.8%;自杀企图的高发率分别为14.7%、8.6%和3.3%。自杀意念的预测因素为教育水平、来自家庭的社会支持及抑郁症状。抑郁症史、抑郁症状、和来自朋友的社会支持明显预测了自杀企图。生活意义缓和了抑郁症状和自杀意念之间的关系。
结论
HIV阳性患者在确诊6‐12个月后,仍是自杀意念和自杀企图的高危人群。HIV阳性患者需要针对风险和保护因素的自杀干预。
The 2-D transition metal dichalcogenide (TMD) semiconductors, has received great attention due to its excellent optical and electronic properties and potential applications in field-effect ...transistors, light emitting and sensing devices. Recently surface plasmon enhanced photoluminescence (PL) of the weak 2-D TMD atomic layers was developed to realize the potential optoelectronic devices. However, we noticed that the enhancement would not increase monotonically with increasing of metal plasmonic objects and the emission drop after the certain coverage. This study presents the optimized PL enhancement of a monolayer MoS2 in the presence of gold (Au) nanorods. A localized surface plasmon wave of Au nanorods that generated around the monolayer MoS2 can provide resonance wavelength overlapping with that of the MoS2 gain spectrum. These spatial and spectral overlapping between the localized surface plasmon polariton waves and that from MoS2 emission drastically enhanced the light emission from the MoS2 monolayer. We gave a simple model and physical interpretations to explain the phenomena. The plasmonic Au nanostructures approach provides a valuable avenue to enhancing the emitting efficiency of the 2-D nano-materials and their devices for the future optoelectronic devices and systems.
Abstract Background Sensory gating (SG) refers to the attenuation of neural response to the second identical stimulus and is conceptualized as an automatic process to inhibit redundant information. ...Although its deficit in schizophrenia has been well-documented, the degree to which SG is modulated by bipolar disorders (BD) remains elusive. Thus, the present meta-analysis study aimed to explore the pooled effect sizes of SG ability in BD patients. Methods Ten studies consisting of 14 individual investigations were included, consisting of 699 healthy controls and 568 BD patients. The effect sizes, calculated as Cohen's d, were estimated individually for S2/S1 ratio and S1-S2 difference. Additionally, S2/S1 ratio was examined in two conditions: BD with and without a history of psychosis. Results We found that BD patients with (d = 0.847, p < 0.001) or without (d = 0.589, p < 0.001) a psychotic history exhibited an impaired SG ability compared to the healthy controls. Furthermore, both S1-S2 difference score and S2/S1 ratio, at a group level, can differentiate BD patients from healthy controls. Limitations We were not able to divide patients with BD into different subtypes, and thus our data should be interpreted with cautions. Conclusion These findings suggest BD itself impairs SG ability, which worsens with a psychotic history. The current understanding invites future research to ascertain the role of SG in subtypes of BD.
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•NO2– oxidation and sorption on oxyhydroxides was studied at constant potential.•NiOOH played a rule of diffusive capacitance effective in NO2– oxidation.•Adsorption capacity of ...Ni/CoOOH composite was facilitated by carbon support.•Langmuir model assessed NO2– monolayer capacity under given electrode potentials.•NiCo/AC had synergist effect on NO2– eliminated.
The composite electrode of NiCo oxide supported by porous carbon was synthesized for nitrite oxidation and nitrate electro-sorption. The crystal structure and chemical state of the Co and Ni oxyhydroxides which were precipitated on loofah-derived activated carbon (AC) using hypochlorite were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and BET surface area. The voltammetry showed that the redox couple of Co(II)/Co(III) and Ni(II)/Ni(III) as the mediator catalytically transferred the electrons of NO2–/NO3–; the Ni site had a relatively high transfer coefficient and diffusive current, while the Co site was better in the capacitive removal of the nitrite and nitrate compounds. A batch electrolysis of nitrite ions was operated under constant anodic potential mode (0 to + 1.5 V vs. Ag/AgCl) to assess the performance of the composite electrodes. The adsorption capacity of NiCo/AC (Ni = 5% and Co = 5% on AC by weight) was 23.5 mg-N g−1, which was twice that of AC substrate (7.5 mg-N g−1), based on a multilayer adsorption model. The steady-state kinetics of the consecutive reaction were derived to determine the rate steps of the electrochemical oxidation of NO2– and adsorption of NO3–.
Osteomyelitis (OM), or inflammation of bone tissue, occurs most frequently as a result of bacterial infection and severely perturbs bone structure. OM is predominantly caused by
, and even with ...proper treatment, OM has a high rate of recurrence and chronicity. While
has been shown to infect osteoblasts, it remains unclear whether osteoclasts (OCs) are also a target of intracellular infection. Here, we demonstrate the ability of
to intracellularly infect and divide within OCs. OCs were differentiated from bone marrow macrophages (BMMs) by exposure to receptor activator of nuclear factor kappa-B ligand (RANKL). By utilizing an intracellular survival assay and flow cytometry, we found that at 18 h postinfection the intracellular burden of
increased dramatically in cells with at least 2 days of RANKL exposure, while the bacterial burden decreased in BMMs. To further explore the signals downstream of RANKL, we manipulated factors controlling OC differentiation, NFATc1 and alternative NF-κB, and found that intracellular bacterial growth correlates with NFATc1 levels in RANKL-treated cells. Confocal and time-lapse microscopy in mature OCs showed a range of intracellular infection that correlated inversely with
-phagolysosome colocalization. The propensity of OCs to become infected, paired with their diminished bactericidal capacity compared to BMMs, could promote OM progression by allowing
to evade initial immune regulation and proliferate at the periphery of lesions where OCs are most abundant.
The inflammation of bone tissue is called osteomyelitis, and most cases are caused by an infection with the bacterium
To date, the bone-building cells, osteoblasts, have been implicated in the progression of these infections, but not much is known about how the bone-resorbing cells, osteoclasts, participate. In this study, we show that
can infect osteoclasts and proliferate inside these cells, whereas bone-residing macrophages, immune cells related to osteoclasts, destroy the bacteria. These findings elucidate a unique role for osteoclasts to harbor bacteria during infection, providing a possible mechanism by which bacteria could evade destruction by the immune system.
The expected explosive growth of big data, the Internet of Things, artificial intelligence, and 5G mobile networks will not only challenge but also offer new opportunities to solid-state memories in ...the next decade. Mainstream technologies such as the 3-D NAND Flash and the 1T-1C DRAM technology will have to keep evolving to prolong their scaling trends and maintain their undisputed leadership in the standalone memory arena. At the same time, other memory technologies may take advantage of the rise of the new market applications, likely changing the balance among cost, performance, and reliability. Phase-change memories (PCM), magnetoresistive random-access memories (MRAM), resistive random-access memories (ReRAM), and ferroelectric memories have the potential to play a role both in the embedded and in the standalone memory market. However, all of them will need innovations to fully demonstrate their long-term performance. Finally, all the memory technologies will have to compete to prove the benefits of new applications and solutions, such as the mixing of storage and computing with in-memory computing, neuromorphic computing, and nonvolatile logic.
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