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Context: Meal replacement (MR) is beneficial for the management of type 2 diabetes (T2D). However, MR prescription and patient characteristics vary substantially between studies using MR in T2D patients. Objective: This work aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of MR in T2D patients by meta-analysis, with a focus on subgroup analysis of variable participant characteristics and MR prescription. Methods: We searched PubMed, CENTRAL, Embase, Web of Science, and the clinical trial registration database up to March 2022. We included randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of 2 weeks or more assessing the effect and safety of MR in T2D patients in comparison with conventional diabetic diets (CDs). Results: A total of 17 RCTs involving 2112 participants were ultimately included. Compared with CDs, MR significantly reduced glycated hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) (MD -0.46%; P < .001), fasting blood glucose (FBG, -0.62 mmol/L; P < .001), body weight (-2.43 kg; P < .001), and body mass index (BMI, -0.65; P < .001), and improved other cardiometabolic risk factors. In subgroup analyses, total MR showed greater improvement in HbA1c (-0.72% vs -0.32%; P = .01), FBG (-1.45 vs -0.56 mmol/L; P = .02), body weight (-6.57 vs -1.58 kg; P < .001), and BMI (-2.78 vs -0.37; P < .001) than partial MR. MR with caloric restriction showed more reduction in body weight (-3.20 vs -0.75 kg; P < .001) and BMI (-0.84 vs -0.24; P = .003) compared with those without caloric restriction. MR showed similar benefits in studies that included patients using insulin and those that did not. Both partial and total MR were well tolerated. Conclusion: Compared with CDs, the MR-based dietary pattern further improved the glycemic control and adipose indicators in T2D patients. Appropriate calorie restriction and total MR might be more beneficial, while both patients treated with or without insulin treatment could similarly benefit from MR usage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

piRNA and PIWI proteins have been confirmed for disease diagnosis and treatment as novel biomarkers due to its abnormal expression in various cancers. However, the current research is not strong enough to further clarify the functions of piRNA in cancer and its underlying mechanism. Therefore, how to provide large-scale and serious piRNA candidates for biological research has grown up to be a pressing issue. In this study, a novel computational model based on the structural perturbation method is proposed to predict potential disease-associated piRNAs, called SPRDA. Notably, SPRDA belongs to positive-unlabeled learning, which is unaffected by negative examples in contrast to previous approaches. In the 5-fold cross-validation, SPRDA shows high performance on the benchmark dataset piRDisease, with an AUC of 0.9529. Furthermore, the predictive performance of SPRDA for 10 diseases shows the robustness of the proposed method. Overall, the proposed approach can provide unique insights into the pathogenesis of the disease and will advance the field of oncology diagnosis and treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

PIWI proteins and Piwi-Interacting RNAs (piRNAs) are commonly detected in human cancers, especially in germline and somatic tissues, and correlate with poorer clinical outcomes, suggesting that they play a functional role in cancer. As the problem of combinatorial explosions between ncRNA and disease exposes gradually, new bioinformatics methods for large-scale identification and prioritization of potential associations are therefore of interest. However, in the real world, the network of interactions between molecules is enormously intricate and noisy, which poses a problem for efficient graph mining. Line graphs can extend many heterogeneous networks to replace dichotomous networks. In this study, we present a new graph neural network framework, line graph attention networks (LGAT). And we apply it to predict PiRNA disease association (GAPDA). In the experiment, GAPDA performs excellently in 5-fold cross-validation with an AUC of 0.9038. Not only that, it still has superior performance compared with methods based on collaborative filtering and attribute features. The experimental results show that GAPDA ensures the prospect of the graph neural network on such problems and can be an excellent supplement for future biomedical research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spinal cord impairment involving motor neuron degeneration and demyelination can cause lifelong disabilities, but effective clinical interventions for restoring neurological functions have yet to be developed. In early spinal cord development, neural progenitors of the motor neuron (pMN) domain, defined by the expression of oligodendrocyte transcription factor 2 (OLIG2), in the ventral spinal cord first generate motor neurons and then switch the fate to produce myelin-forming oligodendrocytes. Given their differentiation potential, pMN progenitors could be a valuable cell source for cell therapy in relevant neurological conditions such as spinal cord injury. However, fast generation and expansion of pMN progenitors in vitro while conserving their differentiation potential has so far been technically challenging. In this study, based on chemical screening, we have developed a new recipe for efficient induction of pMN progenitors from human embryonic stem cells. More importantly, these OLIG2+ pMN progenitors can be stably maintained for multiple passages without losing their ability to produce spinal motor neurons and oligodendrocytes rapidly. Our results suggest that these self-renewing pMN progenitors could potentially be useful as a renewable source of cell transplants for spinal cord injury and demyelinating disorders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cerebellar dysfunction is associated with neurological soft signs (NSS), which is a promising endophenotype for schizophrenia spectrum disorders. However, the relationship between cerebellar-cerebral resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC) and NSS is largely unexplored. Moreover, both NSS and cerebellar-cerebral rsFC have been found to be correlated with negative symptoms of schizophrenia. Here, we investigated the correlations between NSS and cerebellar-cerebral rsFC, explored their relationship with negative symptoms in a main dataset, and validated the significant findings in a replication dataset. Both datasets comprised schizophrenia patients and healthy controls. In schizophrenia patients, we found positive correlations between NSS and rsFC of the cerebellum with the inferior frontal gyrus and the precuneus, and negative correlations between NSS and rsFC of the cerebellum with the inferior temporal gyrus. In healthy controls, NSS scores were positively correlated with rsFC of the cerebellum with the superior frontal gyrus and negatively correlated with rsFC between the cerebellum and the middle occipital gyrus. Cerebellar-prefrontal rsFC was also positively correlated with negative symptoms in schizophrenia patients. These findings were validated in the replication dataset. Our results suggest that the uncoupling of rsFC between the cerebellum and the cerebral cortex may underlie the expression of NSS in schizophrenia. NSS-related cerebellar-prefrontal rsFC may be a potential neural pathway for possible neural modulation to alleviate negative symptoms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A phenomenon in schizophrenia patients that deserves attention is the high comorbidity rate with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Little is known about the neurobiological basis of schizo-obsessive comorbidity (SOC). We aimed to investigate whether specific changes in white matter exist in patients with SOC and the relationship between such abnormalities and clinical parameters. Twenty-eight patients with SOC, 28 schizophrenia patients, 30 OCD patients, and 30 demographically matched healthy controls were recruited. Using Tract-based Spatial Statistics and Probabilistic Tractography, we examined the pattern of white matter abnormalities in these participants. We also used ANOVA and Support Vector Classification of various white matter indices and structural connection probability to further examine white matter changes among the 4 groups. We found that patients with SOC had decreased fractional anisotropy (FA) and increased radial diffusivity in the right sagittal stratum and the left crescent of the fornix/stria terminalis compared with healthy controls. We also found changed connection probability in the Default Mode Network, the Subcortical Network, the Attention Network, the Task Control Network, the Visual Network, the Somatosensory Network, and the cerebellum in the SOC group compared with the other 3 groups. The classification results further revealed that FA features could differentiate the SOC group from the other 3 groups with an accuracy of.78. These findings highlight the specific white matter abnormalities found in patients with SOC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Functional magnetic resonance imaging is capable of estimating functional activation and connectivity in the human brain, and lately there has been increased interest in the use of these functional modalities combined with machine learning for identification of psychiatric traits. While these methods bear great potential for early diagnosis and better understanding of disease processes, there are wide ranges of processing choices and pitfalls that may severely hamper interpretation and generalization performance unless carefully considered. In this perspective article, we aim to motivate the use of machine learning schizotypy research. To this end, we describe common data processing steps while commenting on best practices and procedures. First, we introduce the important role of schizotypy to motivate the importance of reliable classification, and summarize existing machine learning literature on schizotypy. Then, we describe procedures for extraction of features based on fMRI data, including statistical parametric mapping, parcellation, complex network analysis, and decomposition methods, as well as classification with a special focus on support vector classification and deep learning. We provide more detailed descriptions and software as supplementary material. Finally, we present current challenges in machine learning for classification of schizotypy and comment on future trends and perspectives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sugarcane, derived from the hybridization of Saccharum officinarumxSaccharum spontaneum, is a vegetative crop in which the final yield is highly driven by culm biomass production. Cane yield under irrigated or rain-fed conditions could be improved by developing genotypes with leaves that have high intrinsic transpiration efficiency, TEi (CO2 assimilation/stomatal conductance), provided this is not offset by negative impacts from reduced conductance and growth rates. This study was conducted to partition genotypic variation in TEiiamong a sample of diverse clones from the Chinese collection of sugarcane-related germplasm into that due to variation in stomatal conductance versus that due to variation in photosynthetic capacity. A secondary goal was to define protocols for optimized larger-scale screening of germplasm collections. Genotypic variation in TEiiwas attributed to significant variation in both stomatal and photosynthetic components. A number of genotypes were found to possess high TEi as a result of high photosynthetic capacity. This trait combination is expected to be of significant breeding value. It was determined that a small number of observations (16) is sufficient for efficiently screening TEi in larger populations of sugarcane genotypes The research methodology and results reported are encouraging in supporting a larger-scale screening and introgression of high transpiration efficiency in sugarcane breeding. However, further research is required to quantify narrow sense heritability as well as the leaf-to-field translational potential of genotypic variation in transpiration efficiency-related traits observed in this study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Let f : S → B be a non-hyperelliptic semi-stable surface fibration in positive characteristic with genus g ≥ 17. We show that K²f ≥ 4χf. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Seminal roots of maize are pivotal for early seedling establishment. The maize mutant rootless concerning crown and seminal roots (rtcs) is defective in seminal root initiation during embryogenesis. In this study, the transcriptomes of wild-type and rtcs embryos were analyzed by RNA-Seq based on histological results at three stages of seminal root primordia formation. Hierarchical clustering highlighted that samples of each genotype grouped together along development. Determination of their gene activity status revealed hundreds of genes specifically transcribed in wildtype or rtcs embryos, while K-mean clustering revealed changes in gene expression dynamics between wild-type and rtcs during embryo development. Pairwise comparisons of rtcs and wild-type embryo transcriptomes identified 131 transcription factors among 3526 differentially expressed genes [false discovery rate (FDR) <5% and llog2Fcl≥1]. Among those, functional annotation highlighted genes involved in cell cycle control and phytohormone action, particularly auxin signaling. Moreover, in silico promoter analyses identified putative RTCS target genes associated with transcription factor action and hormone metabolism and signaling. Significantly, non-syntenic genes that emerged after the separation of maize and sorghum were over-represented among genes displaying RTCS-dependent expression during seminal root primordia formation. This might suggest that these non-syntenic genes came under the transcriptional control of the syntenic gene rtcs during seminal root evolution. Taken together, this study provides first insights into the molecular framework underlying seminal root initiation in maize and provides a starting point for further investigations of the molecular networks underlying RTCS-dependent seminal root initiation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hosts of brood parasites may vary geographically in their ability to resist parasitism. In contrast, geographic variation in defenses, such as egg rejection, is not expected to be present or vary geographically in unsuitable hosts. We examined spatial patterns of resistance in the great tit Parus major, a passerine that is a textbook example of an unsuitable host for brood parasites because of its hole-nesting habits. We experimentally tested for spatial variation in foreign egg rejection in 395 nests across latitudinal gradients in China (5 populations) and Europe (7 populations). In China, egg rejection rates were very high but showed a latitudinal gradient from 100% in the south to 52% in the north. In Europe, rejection rates were very low (on average only 4%) and did not vary latitudinally. The egg ejection rate patterns matched geographic patterns of parasitism risk with rejection probabilities decreasing with latitude (a surrogate measure of the diversity of brood parasites). The present study for the first time challenges the idea that hole-nesting birds did not evolve resistance mechanisms against brood parasites and highlights the importance of large-scale geographic comparisons in ecological research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Maize develops a complex root system composed of embryonic and post-embryonic roots. Spatio-temporal differences in the formation of these root types imply specific functions during maize development. A comparative transcriptomic study of embryonic primary and seminal, and post-embryonic crown roots of the maize inbred line B73 by RNA sequencing along with anatomical studies were conducted early in development. Seminal roots displayed unique anatomical features, whereas the organization of primary and crown roots was similar. For instance, seminal roots displayed fewer cortical cell files and their stele contained more meta-xylem vessels. Global expression profiling revealed diverse patterns of gene activity across all root types and highlighted the unique transcriptome of seminal roots. While functions in cell remodeling and cell wall formation were prominent in primary and crown roots, stress-related genes and transcriptional regulators were over-represented in seminal roots, suggesting functional specialization of the different root types. Dynamic expression of lignin biosynthesis genes and histochemical staining suggested diversification of cell wall lignification among the three root types. Our findings highlight a cost-efficient anatomical structure and a unique expression profile of seminal roots of the maize inbred line B73 different from primary and crown roots. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Several authors have investigated the challenges of statistical analyses and inference in the presence of early treatment termination, including a loss of efficiency in randomized controlled trials and a connection to dynamic regimes in observational studies. Popular estimation strategies for causal estimands in dynamic regimes lend themselves to studies where treatment is assigned at a finite number of points and the extension to continuous treatment assignment is nontrivial. We re-examine this from a different perspective and propose a new estimator for the mean outcome of a target treatment length policy that does not involve a treatment model. Because this strategy avoids modelling the treatment assignment mechanism, the estimator works for both discrete and continuous treatment length data and eschews bias and imprecision that arise as a result of coarsening continuous time data into intervals. We show how the competition of treatment length assignment and terminating event lead to a competing risks problem. We exemplify the direct estimator through numerical studies and the analysis of two real datasets. When all modelling assumptions for both the direct and inverse weighted estimators are correct, our simulation studies suggest that the direct estimator is more precise. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective. To evaluate the impact of RA on work capacity and identify factors related to work capacity impairment in patients with RA. Methods. A cross-sectional multicentre study was performed in 21 tertiary care hospitals across China. A consecutive sample of 846 patients with RA was recruited, of which 589 patients of working age at disease onset constituted the study population. Information on the socio-demographic, clinical, working and financial conditions of the patients was collected. Logistic regression analyses were used to identify factors associated with work capacity impairment. Results. The rate of work capacity impairment was 48.0% in RA patients with a mean disease duration of 60 months (interquartile range 14-134 months), including 11.7% leaving the labour force early, 33.6% working reduced hours and 2.7% changing job. Multivariable logistic regression analysis showed that reduced working hours was significantly related to current smoking [odds ratio (OR) 2.07 (95% CI 1.08, 3.97)], no insurance [OR 1.94 (95% CI 1.20, 3.12)], in manual labour [OR 2.66 (95% CI 1.68, 4.20)] and higher HAQ score [OR 2.22 (95% CI 1.36, 3.60)]. There was an association of current smoking [OR 3.75 (95% CI 1.54, 9.15)], in manual labour [OR 2.33 (95% CI 1.17, 4.64)], longer disease duration [OR 1.01 (95% CI 1.00, 1.01)] and lower BMI [OR 0.90 (95% CI 0.82, 0.99)] with leaving the labour force early. Conclusion. There is a substantial impact of RA on the work capacity of patients in China. Social-demographic, disease- and work-related factors are all associated with work capacity impairment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Theory predicts that because males are more variable in reproductive success than females, a mother should produce more sons to maximize fitness return from the sex allocation if she is of high-quality (the female quality hypothesis) or mates with a high-quality male (the male quality hypothesis). While most previous studies have looked at each hypothesis, we tested both of them simultaneously in the white-rumped snowfinch Montifringilla taczanowskii, a socially monogamous, sexually monomorphic passerine where body size is a potential indicator of individual quality in intrasexual competition and territory defense. Brood sex ratios at the population level did not deviate from random expectation. Among individual broods, the proportion of sons did not depend on body size of either male or female parent, but on interaction of this trait of both parents. Further analyses revealed that brood sex ratios were independent of body size of male or female parents when their mates were smaller, but positively related with body size of male or female parents when their mates were larger. These results suggest that mechanisms underlying the two hypotheses may act jointly on offspring sex allocation. The mechanisms are expected to evolve through size-assortative mating which is often reached by sexual selection [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Why do two sexes of the same species differ in body size holds a long-standing question of evolutionary biology. While many across-species comparisons have focused on ultimate causes behind sexual size dimorphism (SSD), only have a few been directed toward elucidating its ontogenetic basis. Urodeles are an amphibian group in which the direction and degree of SSD vary greatly among species. Using demographic data yielded by skeletochronology for 33 urodele species, the current study reveals a positive across-species correlation between SSD and the sex difference in mean age of adult animals, and the latter increases with the corresponding difference in age at maturity; annual growth rate does not differ between the sexes. We conclude that extended longevities in one sex, which is mediated by delayed maturation, would allow it to grow for longer and get larger, with growth rate making a weak contribution to body size. The sex-specific divergence in ontogenetic trajectory might be explained by potentially high growth costs of reproduction to females in association with stronger fecundity selection, and to males that are expected to experience stronger sexual selection [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Age and body size are two important demographic traits that determine the life history strategies of populations and species. We measured these two parameters of Rana amurensis, at a 900 m and a 500 m altitude site in northeastern China. At the two sites, age at first reproduction was 2 years for males and 3 years for females. The maximum age of males and females at the high-altitude site was 6 and 7 years, and 5 and 7 years at the low-altitude population, respectively. Females were significantly larger than males in both populations, due to greater age in both the high- and low-altitude sites. Body size of either males or females did not differ significantly between populations; only males showed increased body size at the high-altitude site when age effect was statistically controlled for. The increased cline of male body size may be attributable to delayed maturation of the sex due to a shorter growing season at high altitudes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Data on breeding ecology of a color-band marked population of the ground tit Parus humilis were collected in north Qinghai on the Tibetan plateau, during 2008 and 2009. In spring the birds excavated 0.8−3.2 m long nesting burrows under the ground. First-egg laying occurred between late April and late June during which a pair produced one brood. Incubation was done by female alone for 15−16 days and nestling-feeding by both sexes and helpers in any for 23−25 days. Average brood size at fledging was 5.8 (± 1.4 SD, 3−8) and all the 27 observed nesting attempts fledged at least one young. At the population level, brood sex ratio did not differ from 1:1. The birds are a territory-living resident, with annual resight rates being 48% (22 of 46) in adult breeders and 10% (7 of 67) in yearlings. Pairs were socially monogamous, of which 23% (9 of 40) contained one and sometimes two male helpers, most likely being philopatric sons of the breeders. The formation of cooperative groups is similar to the population in central Tibet but differs from that in south Guansu where breeding ground tits exhibit a high level of annual turnover [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a typical hypervascular tumor, and increased levels of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) are associated with progression of HCC. Tumor suppression gene PTEN (phosphatase and tensin homolog deleted on chromosome 10), an important antagonist of the phosphoinositide-3-kinase (PI3K)/adenosine triphosphate-dependent tyrosine kinase (Akt) pathway, is also commonly lost or mutated in HCC. However, the effect of PTEN on VEGF-mediated angiogenesis in HCC remains unknown. To explore this relationship, we expressed a panel of PTEN mutants in human HCC cells with low expression of PTEN (HepG2 cells). Overexpression of PTEN in HepG2 cells resulted in the downregulation of proliferation and migration of cocultured endothelial cells and decreased expression of hypoxia-inducible factor 1 (HIF-1) and VEGF. Similarly, using a nude mouse model, we demonstrated that PTEN decreased expression of HIF-1 and VEGF and suppressed HepG2-induced angiogenesis. This inhibitory effect was not observed in cells expressing a phosphatase-deficient PTEN mutant, suggesting that PTEN inhibits angiogenesis and VEGF through a phosphatase-dependent pathway. Strikingly, reintroducing the C2 domain of PTEN also resulted in a significant decrease in angiogenesis and VEGF expression, although it did not affect Akt phosphorylation or HIF-1 expression. In summary, this study suggests the novel viewpoint that PTEN suppresses angiogenesis and VEGF expression in HCC through both phosphatase-dependent and -independent mechanisms. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

BACKGROUND: Our previous studies have demonstrated the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) is important for capacitation and male fertility in mouse and guinea pig spermatozoa. However, the exact function of CFTR on human sperm fertilizing capacity, and correlation with sperm quality has not been established. The present study may shed light on some unexplained male infertility, and on a possible new method for diagnosis of male infertility and strategy for male contraception. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The article reports on the study on breeding ecology of White-browed Tit-Warbler, Leptopoecile sophiae, in the alpine zone of southern Tibet, China. It states that the said bird started egg-laying in early April and ended by late July. Its domed nests were located in 13 species of shrubs at an average height of 0.9 meter above the ground. It found that clutch size averaged 4.7 eggs, declining through the season, while brood size was 4.3 at hatching and 3.8 at fledging. Furthermore, most pairs were monogamous, and both sexes shared all nesting duties.

Breast cancer is a complex genetic disease characterized by the accumulation of multiple molecular alterations. The NMU breast cancer model induced in the rat is used for the study of mammary carcinogenesis because it closely mimics human breast disease. To assess the validity of this model from a more global molecular perspective, and also to devise a general technique to compare animal profiles with human microarray studies, we have characterized 25 NMU-induced mammary tumors and 11 normal glands using a combination of immunohistochemical and microarray analyses. The rat mammary carcinomas were classified as non-invasive, ER-positive ductal carcinomas with a composition of differentiated epithelial and myoepithelial cell lineages. Gene expression profiles generated using rat Affymetrix arrays containing 15 866 genes demonstrated that the rat mammary tumors are homogeneous and that H-ras mutations did not confer a unique molecular signature. We compared the resulting rat profiles with those obtained from a human dataset by merging the raw microarray data, using an approach that involves a combination of cross-species and cross-platform analysis. Using this novel strategy, we demonstrate the ability of 2305 rat orthologs to recapitulate the classification of human tumors derived from human Affymetrix arrays. The gene expression profiles of the NMU-induced primary tumors were most similar to ER-positive, low to intermediate grade breast cancer. Our technique provides a means to correlate gene expression data from animal models of cancer to human cancer and disease states. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

304 skulls of Cape hare (Lepus capensis) were collected from two climatically distinct localities in northern China. With eye lens weight as a continuous age variable, postnatal growth patterns of 25 cranial linear measurements in relation to sex, growth season and region were analysed to understand the morphological basis of life history adaptation. In almost all the skull measurements, no significant differences were found between either sex or growth seasons. Principal component analysis revealed that facial elements accounted for the greatest proportion of skull morphological variation. Von Bertalanffy function was applied to describe growth trajectories of the skull elements. Based on this model, the growth rates of skull elements and the age at which they reached a certain proportion (95%) of asymptotes were compared. The results showed that skull growth exhibited an allometric pattern, with neural components attaining their final size more rapidly (at about 2-3 months old in tympanic bulla and 4-6 months old in others) than did the facial, which continued to grow well into postnatal life (at 6-10 months old). The earlier establishment of neurocranial morphology was associated with a fully developed central nervous system, which may play a key role in improving the survival of animals during the early phase of life. There was a regional difference in developmental rate of the hare skull. For all the skull parameters, northern hares had a more rapid rate of cranial growth compared to the southern, i.e. skull elements of juveniles from northern population were relatively larger at comparable ages and achieved adult size 0.5-4.0 months earlier than those from the south. In adult hares, however, no significant regional differences in any of the skull parameters were present. Adaptive explanations for the regional difference in ontogenetic pattern of skull morphology include age-specific thermoregulation constraint, season-related food availability and... [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background The cerebellum is structurally and functionally connected with the cerebral cortex and limbic circuits and plays an important role in high level cognitive functions. Abnormalities of cerebellar connections have been observed in clinical samples including autism and schizophrenia. Increased volumes of lateral ventricle and pallidum together with a reduction in hippocampus, amygdala, thalamus, accumbens and intracranial volumes have been found in large-scale analyses of schizophrenia patients from the ENIGMA schizophrenia Working Group (van Erp et al. 2016). Reduction of total cerebellar grey matter volume in schizophrenia patients was also observed in a multisite mega-analysis (Moberget et al. 2017). In the present study we aimed to investigate the subcortical volumes and cerebellar grey matter volumes, as well as their structural covariance in individuals with schizotypy. Methods Six samples consisting of 352 valid participants (mean age, 19.8 years; range, 16–28 years; 41.5% male) from 4 imaging centers were included. The T1 weighted brain images were preprocessed using the FreeSurfer software v6.0 (http://www.freesurfer.net) and SUIT toolbox (http://www.diedrichsenlab.org/imaging/suit.htm) for the calculation of subcortical volumes and cerebellar volumes, respectively. Both the Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire (SPQ) and the Chapman scales (including Social Anhedonia Scale and Physical Anhedonia Scale) were used to measure the dimensional schizotypy. We split the participants into high schizotypy according to commonly used criteria (top 10%, total score>=36 for high SPQ group, n=56; >=MEAN+1SD for high Social Anhedonia group, n=88) and low schizotypy groups (<=MEAN scores on both SPQ and Social Anhedonia, n=68). The group differences on the subcortical and cerebellar volumes were examined using general linear model. The associations of subcortical volumes with cerebellar total grey matter volumes were then calculated in the high SPQ, high Social Anhedonia and low schizotypy groups, respectively. Age, gender, ICV and scanner were taken as covariates for subsequent analyses. Results No significant differences were found between the high SPQ and low schizotypy groups in subcortical and cerebellar volumes. However, increased caudate volume (F = 5.90, p = 0.016) and smaller cerebellar total volume (F = 3.94, p = 0.049) were observed in the high Social Anhedonia group compared to the low schizotypy group. For the cerebellar-subcortical volumes covariance, we found significant negative correlations between cerebellar grey matter volumes and volumes of thalamus (r = -0.31, p < 0.05) and pallidum (r = -0.37, p < 0.001) in the low schizotypy group. For the high Social Anhedonia group, we found a consistent negative correlation between cerebellar grey matter volumes and thalamus (r = -0.23, p < 0.05). However, no such correlation was found in the high SPQ group. Discussion Although several studies have examined the brain structural changes associated with schizotypy, few have focused on the unique changes concerning the different dimensions of schizotypy. Individuals with high negative schizotypy were found to exhibit local structural changes in the caudate and the cerebellum while maintaining an intact thalamic-cerebellar connection. However, individuals with high positive schizotypy exhibited relative intact local brain volumes but disrupted thalamic-cerebellar connection. These findings provide further evidence to support different patterns of structural brain changes associated with positive and negative dimensions of schizotypy. Indeed, our results suggest that cerebellar volumes as well as thalamic-cerebellar connections may serve as risk indicators for psychosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Haemophilus parasuis infection is of considerable economic importance in the swine industry due to the high costs associated with treatment and loss of animals all over the world. In the present study, loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) is described for the rapid and specific detection of this species. A primer set derived from the inf B gene of H. parasuis was used to validate the assay using 15 H. parasuis reference strains, 39 clinical isolates, 75 positive samples, and 18 other pathogens. The results indicated that positive reactions were confirmed for all H. parasuis strains and specimens by LAMP after 45 min reaction at 65 °C in a water bath, and no cross-reactivity was observed from other non- H. parasuis strains. The detection limit of the conventional PCR was 25 copies, while that of the LAMP was five copies per tube. Therefore, the sensitivity of LAMP was higher than that of PCR. LAMP is likely to be more suitable as a routine diagnostic tool, especially in clinics without complicated equipment such as thermal cycling machines and electrophoresis apparatus. In these scenarios, the H. parasuis LAMP assay has the potential for field diagnosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Cerebellum is not only responsible for motor functions but is also involving in cognitive and emotional processes (Strick et al. 2009). Recent advances in imaging technologies allow us to examine the cerebellum in a much more systematic way including functional parcellations of cerebellum (e.g. 7-Network parcellation based on the resting state functional connectivity, Buckner et al., 2011; and task-based functional parcellation, King et al., 2019). These functional parcellations further uncover the important roles of cerebellum in nonmotor functions. In the past two decades, altered cerebellar structure and function have been observed in schizophrenia patients, with the anterior (lobules III-V) and the posterior cerebellum (lobules VI, VIIa, Crus I, and Crus II, VIII) as regions commonly reported (Bernard & Mittal 2015). Using the 7-Network taskfree parcellation, a recent multisite mega-analysis reported that patients with schizophrenia exhibited robust grey matter reduction in cerebellum (Moberget et al., 2018). The present study aimed to examine the cerebellar grey matter volumes in schizophrenia patients using anatomical, task-free connectivity-based and task-based functional parcellations. We also explored how the cerebellar volumes changes along with age in schizophrenia patients and healthy controls. Methods: Twenty-nine patients with schizophrenia (SCZ, mean age  =  22.0±2.5  years) and 55 healthy controls (HC, mean age = 23.5±3.6 years) were recruited to undertake structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) brain scan on a GE 750 scanner. Cerebellar volumes were measured by a high-resolution Spatially Unbiased Infratentorial (SUIT) toolbox (Diedrichsen, 2006). Regional cerebellar grey matter volumes were calculated for each participant based on anatomical (SUIT atlas) and functional atlases (7 regions of task-free parcellation; 10 regions of task-based parcellation) of the cerebellum. The group comparisons on regional cerebellar volumes were conducted in SPSS v19.0, taking total ICV as a covariate. The correlations between age and cerebellar volumes of those regions showing significant group differences were conducted. The significance threshold was set at p < 0.05. Results: Regarding the anatomical atlas, SCZ patients exhibited reduced grey matter volumes of the superior posterior cerebellum, mainly in lobules Crus II, VIIb and VIIIa. Regarding the task-free parcellation, SCZ patients exhibited smaller volumes in cerebellar regions showing functional connectivity with frontoparietal network and default mode network. Regarding the task-based parcellation, smaller volumes of cerebellar regions that activated during verbal fluency task (ROI9) was observed in SCZ patients. Correlation analyses between age and cerebellar volumes of those regions with significant group differences further reported negative correlations between age and lobule Crus II in both SCZ patients and HC (SCZ: r = -0.44, p < 0.05; HC: r = -0.43, p = 0.001). Moreover, negative correlations between age and cerebellar regions showing functional connectivity with frontoparietal network was observed in HC only (r = -0.30, p < 0.05), whereas negative correlations between age and lobules VIIb (r = -0.48, p < 0.01), VIIIa (r = -0.39, p < 0.05) and ROI9 of task-based atlas (r = -0.43, p < 0.05) were observed in SCZ patients. Discussion: Our findings showed reduced cerebellar grey matter volumes and the abnormal age-related changes of cerebellum in SCZ patients, especially in the regions related to frontoparietal network and cognitive function. These findings may highlight an important role of cerebellum underlying the mechanisms of cognitive dysfunction in mental disorders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background The blood clam, Scapharca (Anadara) broughtonii , is an economically and ecologically important marine bivalve of the family Arcidae. Efforts to study their population genetics, breeding, cultivation, and stock enrichment have been somewhat hindered by the lack of a reference genome. Herein, we report the complete genome sequence of S. broughtonii , a first reference genome of the family Arcidae. Findings A total of 75.79 Gb clean data were generated with the Pacific Biosciences and Oxford Nanopore platforms, which represented approximately 86× coverage of the S. broughtonii genome. De novo assembly of these long reads resulted in an 884.5-Mb genome, with a contig N50 of 1.80 Mb and scaffold N50 of 45.00 Mb. Genome Hi-C scaffolding resulted in 19 chromosomes containing 99.35% of bases in the assembled genome. Genome annotation revealed that nearly half of the genome (46.1%) is composed of repeated sequences, while 24,045 protein-coding genes were predicted and 84.7% of them were annotated. Conclusions We report here a chromosomal-level assembly of the S. broughtonii genome based on long-read sequencing and Hi-C scaffolding. The genomic data can serve as a reference for the family Arcidae and will provide a valuable resource for the scientific community and aquaculture sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Studies the immunohistochemical involvement of p27, a cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor, in the growth of normal human endometrium. Effect of progesterone on expression; Examination of patients with endometrial hyperplasia; Observation during menstrual cycle; Involvement of p27 in the progesterone-induced growth suppression of normal and hyperplastic endometria.