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Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) harboring activating EGFR mutations were initially treated by first-generation EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors (EGFR-TKIs), unfortunately, the efficacy of these drugs is limited, mostly frequent due to T790M mutation. Although osimertinib has been approved to treat patients with T790M-positive NSCLC, the majority of patients will develop C797S mutation and suffer diseases again. Therefore, more novel therapeutic strategies for T790M mutation-positive NSCLC are urgently required. We hypothesized that wighteone, a natural compound isolated from plant derivatives, has antitumor effects against NSCLC with T790M mutation. In this study, we created a Ba/F3 cell line harboring EGFR L858R/T790M mutation (Ba/F3 EGFR L858R/T790M cell line), and then used this cell line and a human NSCLC cell line with EGFR L858R/T790M mutation (NCI-H1975) to investigate the effects and mechanism of wighteone. The results showed that wighteone inhibited cell proliferation, suppressed EGFR signaling pathway, caused cell cycle redistribution and induced cell apoptosis. Our studies suggest that wighteone may provide a novel potential therapeutic strategy for NSCLC patients with T790M mutation.

Non-small-cell lung cancer is one of the principal causes of cancer-related death around the world. Chemotherapy is commonly used to treat wild type of epidermal growth factor receptor non-small-cell lung cancer. (-)-Epigallocatechin-3-gallate is the most abundant and active catechin. However, (-)-epigallocatechin-3-gallate has limited clinical application due to its poor stability and absorption. Herein, we report that a glycosylated azide undergoes a click reaction with the terminal alkyne of (-)-epigallocatechin-3-gallate to yield a triazole-linked glucose-(-)-epigallocatechin-3-gallate derivative and have evaluated its in vitro anticancer activity against human non-small-cell lung cancer cells using the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay. The product inhibits human non-small-cell lung cancer cell lines with wild type of epidermal growth factor receptor and in combination with cisplatin/paclitaxel results in more pronounced proliferation inhibition than when used alone. Stability investigations indicates that the conjugated glucose residue can improve the stability of the (-)-epigallocatechin-3-gallate scaffold. Our studies suggest that the combination of the glucose-(-)-epigallocatechin-3-gallate derivative and chemotherapeutic drugs may provide a novel strategy for the treatment of non-small-cell lung cancer.

Viral diarrhea is one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality in children. This study was conducted to disclose the etiological cause and epidemiological features of viral diarrhea among children in China. From 2009 to 2021, active surveillance was performed on pediatric patients with acute diarrhea and tested for five enteric viruses. Positive detection was determined in 65.56% (3325/5072) patients and an age-specific infection pattern was observed. A significantly higher positive rate was observed in 12-23-month-old children for rotavirus (47.46%) and adenovirus (7.06%), while a significantly higher positive rate was observed for norovirus (37.62%) in 6-11-month-old patients, and for astrovirus (11.60%) and sapovirus (10.79%) in 24-47-month-old patients. A higher positive rate of rotavirus in girls and norovirus in boys was observed only among 6-11 months of patients. We also observed more norovirus among patients from rural areas in the 0-5- and 36-47-month groups and more rotavirus among those from rural areas in the 12-23-month group. Diarrhea severity was greater for rotavirus in the 6-23-month group and norovirus in the 6-11-month group. Coinfections were observed in 29.26% (973/3325) of positive patients, and were most frequently observed between rotavirus and others (89.31%). Our findings could help the prediction, prevention, and potential therapeutic approaches to viral diarrhea in children.

Mukawa virus (MKWV), a novel tick-borne virus (TBV) of the genus

T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) is an aggressive hematological malignancy, and commonly associated with activating mutations in the Notch1 pathway. (−)-Epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) is the most abundant and active catechin and has been shown to regulate Notch signaling. Taking into account the highly oxidizable and unstable of EGCG, we proposed that EGCG oxides may have greater potential to regulate Notch signaling than EGCG. In this study, we isolated and identified EGCG oxides (compound 2–4), using a chemical oxidation strategy, and evaluated for cytotoxicity against T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia cell line (HPB-ALL) by using the MTS assay. We found compound 3 significantly induced cell proliferation inhibition (38.3858 ± 1.67106 μM), cell apoptosis and cell cycle arrest in a dose-dependent manner. Remarkably, compound 3 inhibited expression of Notch1 compared with EGCG in HPB-ALL cells. Meanwhile, we found that compound 3 significantly inhibited c-Myc and Hes1, which are downstream target genes of Notch1. The findings demonstrate for the first time that an oxidation product of EGCG (compound 3) inhibits T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia cell line (HPB-ALL) and is a promising agent for cancer therapy deserving further research.

A novel coordination polymer, {[Cd4(Ccbp)3(dpe)4·4H2O]·(ClO4)5·4H2O} (CP 1) (Ccbp = 3-carboxy-1-(3-carboxybenzyl)pyridin-1-ium, dpe = 1,2-di(pyridin-4-yl)ethane), was synthesized under hydrothermal conditions by a zwitterionic organic ligand and dipyridine ligand, and was fully characterized. This CP 1 with a pyridine cation basic skeleton can be used as the first potential dual-function luminescence sensing material for the selective, sensitive and recyclable sensing of acetone molecules in aqueous phase and for the quantitative detection of ultra-low temperatures of 10 to 70 K.

A novel water-stable coordination polymer, {[Zn(L)(dpa)]·(ClO4)} (CP 1) (L = 3-carboxy-1-(3-carboxybenzyl)pyridin-1-ium, dpa = 1,2-di(pyridin-4-yl)ethane), was synthesized under hydrothermal conditions by a zwitterionic organic ligand and fully characterized. This is the first water-stable coordination polymer based on the zwitterionic type of organic ligand that can selective, sensitive, and recyclable detect ascorbic acid in aqueous phase.

Background Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS), an emerging tickborne infectious disease caused by a novel banyangvirus (SFTS virus, SFTSV), was endemic in several Asian countries with a high mortality up to 30%. Until recently, SFTSV-associated re-infection have not been reported and investigated. Case presentation A 42-year-old female patient was identified as a case of SFTS with re-infection, with two episodes of SFTSV infection on June 2018 and May 2020. The diagnosis of SFTS was confirmed by detection of SFTSV RNA in the blood samples using real-time reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction and antibodies specific for SFTSV using enzyme linked immunosorbent assay. The changes of viremia and antibody response differed between the two episodes. Phylogenetic analysis showed the two viral genome sequences were in the same clade, but showing 0.6% dissimilarity of the nearly whole nucleotide sequence. Analysis of clinical data revealed that the second episode showed milder illness than that of the first episode. Conclusions Epidemiological and clinical findings, viral whole genomic sequences, and serological evidence, provided evidence for the re-infection of SFTSV rather than prolonged viral shedding or relapse of the original infection. The patients with re-infection of SFTSV may be at high odds of clinically inapparent or mildly symptomatic. More attention should be directed towards the long-term follow up of the recovered patients in the future, to explicitly acquire the decay profile of their immunity response. Graphic abstract

Background The natural history of disease in patients infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) remained obscure during the early pandemic. Aim Our objective was to estimate epidemiological parameters of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and assess the relative infectivity of the incubation period. Methods We estimated the distributions of four epidemiological parameters of SARS-CoV-2 transmission using a large database of COVID-19 cases and potential transmission pairs of cases, and assessed their heterogeneity by demographics, epidemic phase and geographical region. We further calculated the time of peak infectivity and quantified the proportion of secondary infections during the incubation period. Results The median incubation period was 7.2 (95% confidence interval (CI): 6.9‒7.5) days. The median serial and generation intervals were similar, 4.7 (95% CI: 4.2‒5.3) and 4.6 (95% CI: 4.2‒5.1) days, respectively. Paediatric cases Conclusion The high infectivity during the incubation period led to short generation and serial intervals, necessitating aggressive control measures such as early case finding and quarantine of close contacts.

A 3D metal–organic framework {[Cd(5-Brp)(dpa)]·0.5DMF·H2O}n (1) was successfully synthesized and characterized, which markedly recognized iron ions under the induction of an amino group. With the concentration of Fe3+ increasing, the emission of 1 first declined, then enhanced with a red shift and was finally quenched, which was different from the reference compound [Cd(5-Brp)(bpp)(H2O)]n (2). This result drew our attention to amine induced ion-exchange. This peculiar phenomenon inspired us to construct an effective ion detector.

A series of five new ZnII and CdII mixed-ligand coordination polymers, namely, {[Zn(L1)(4,4′-bpy)]·(ClO4)·2H2O} (1), {[Zn(L2)(4,4′-bpy)0.5]·(ClO4)} (2), {[Zn(L3)(4,4′-bpy)]·(NO3)·2H2O} (3), {[Cd(L4)(4,4′-bpy)0.5(NO3)]·5H2O} (4), and {[Zn(L4)(4,4′-bpy)]·Cl·H2O} (5) [4,4′-bpy = 4,4′-bipyridine, L1 = 4-carboxy-1-(4-carboxybenzyl)pyridin-1-ium chloride, L2 = 3-carboxy-1-(4-carboxybenzyl)pyridin-1-ium chloride, L3 = 4-carboxy-1-(3-carboxybenzyl)pyridin-1-ium chloride, and L4 = 3-carboxy-1-(3-carboxybenzyl)pyridin-1-ium chloride], were obtained by the reactions of the 4,4′-bipyridine with four dicarboxylate zwitterionic pyridine ligands. Single-crystal X-ray structural analyses reveal that the five complexes demonstrate different molecular frameworks coming from various coordination modes and flexibilities of different dicarboxylate zwitterionic pyridine ligands and central metal atoms. Mononuclear twofold dinuclear 2D twofold interpenetrating net for 2, four-coordinate mononuclear twofold interpenetrating 2D layer for 3, mononuclear 2D layer arranged in parallel and with large grids for 4, and twofold trans interpenetrating 2D network for compound 5. The structural diversities in 1–5 indicate that the nature of the ligands and the presence of different metal atoms have a great influence on central metal coordination modes and the structural topologies of the metal-organic molecular architectures. In addition, π···π stacking interactions also play important roles in the final crystal packing and supramolecular frameworks. The powder X-ray diffraction, elemental analysis, and photoluminescence properties of 1–5 were studied, which show that architectures play an important role in emission bands and intensities.

Three novel Zn-based coordination polymers (CPs), [Zn(MIPA)]n (1), {[Zn(MIPA)(4,4&prime, bipy)0.5(H2O)]&middot, 1.5H2O}n (2), and {[Zn(MIPA)(bpe)]&middot, H2O}n (3) (MIPA = 4-methoxyisophthalic acid, 4,4&prime, bipy = 4,4&prime, bipyridine, bpe = (E)-1,2-di(pyridine-4-yl)ethane), were constructed by ligand 4-methoxyisophthalic acid under solvothermal conditions. Compound 1 features a beaded 2D-layer architecture, while compound 2 presents a 2-fold interpenetrating structure with a uninodal three-connected hcb topology. Compound 3 has a 3-fold interpenetrated four-connected dmp topology. Photoluminescence investigations of compound 2 were explored in detail, by which ions were detected, and it was observed to have the highest quenching efficiency toward Al3+ and S2&minus, ions. The possible fluorescence quenching mechanisms of 2 toward Al3+ and S2&minus, ions were also explored. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first potential dual-responsive luminescent probe based on a Zn(II) coordination polymer for detecting Al3+ and S2&minus, ions via a luminescence quenching effect in ethanol.

T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) is an aggressive hematological malignancy, and commonly associated with activating mutations in the Notch1 pathway. (-)-Epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) is the most abundant and active catechin and has been shown to regulate Notch signaling. Taking into account the highly oxidizable and unstable of EGCG, we proposed that EGCG oxides may have greater potential to regulate Notch signaling than EGCG. In this study, we isolated and identified EGCG oxides (compound 2-4), using a chemical oxidation strategy, and evaluated for cytotoxicity against T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia cell line (HPB-ALL) by using the MTS assay. We found compound 3 significantly induced cell proliferation inhibition (38.3858 ± 1.67106 μM), cell apoptosis and cell cycle arrest in a dose-dependent manner. Remarkably, compound 3 inhibited expression of Notch1 compared with EGCG in HPB-ALL cells. Meanwhile, we found that compound 3 significantly inhibited c-Myc and Hes1, which are downstream target genes of Notch1. The findings demonstrate for the first time that an oxidation product of EGCG (compound 3) inhibits T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia cell line (HPB-ALL) and is a promising agent for cancer therapy deserving further research.

Background Non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is the leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide. The inhibition of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) signaling by tyrosine kinase inhibitors or monoclonal antibodies plays a key role in NSCLC treatment. Unfortunately, these treatment strategies are limited by eventual resistance and cell lines with differential EGFR status. Therefore, new therapeutic strategies for NSCLC are urgently required. Methods To improve the stability and absorption of (−)-epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), we synthesized a series of EGCG derivatives. The antitumor activities of EGCG derivatives with or without cisplatin were investigated in vitro and vivo. Cell proliferation, cell cycle distribution and apoptosis were measured in NSCLC cell lines and in vivo in a NCI-H441 xenograft model. Results We found that the EGCG derivatives inhibited cell viability and colony formation, caused cell cycle redistribution, and induced apoptosis. More importantly, the combination of the EGCG derivative and cisplatin led to increased growth inhibition, caused cell cycle redistribution, and enhanced the apoptosis rate compared to either compound alone. Consistent with the experiments in vitro, EGCG derivatives plus cisplatin significantly reduced tumor growth. Conclusions The combination treatment was found to inhibit the EGFR signaling pathway and decrease the expression of p-EGFR, p-AKT, and p-ERK in vitro and vivo. Our results suggest that compound 3 is a novel potential compound for NSCLC patients.

Lung cancer is one of the most common malignancies in the world, non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) accounting for 85% of all cases of lung cancers [1]..

Four coordination polymers, namely, [Zn2(TIYM)(2,6-PYDC)2]n·n(CH3OH)·3n(H2O) (1), [Cu(TIYM)(2,6-PYDC)]n·3n(H2O) (2), [Co(TIYM)(2,6-PYDC)]n·n(CH3OH)·3n(H2O) (3), and [Cd2(TIYM)(2,6-PYDC)2(H2O)]n·n(H2O) (4) with the flexible N-containing ligand [tetrakis(imidazol-1-ylmethyl)methane (TIYM)] and the N-containing dicarboxylic acid [2,6-pyridinedicarboxylic acid (2,6-PYDC)] were prepared. Compounds 1–4 show various structures because of different N–Ccenter–N angles (θ) of TIYM ligands and changing coordination modes of 2,6-PYDC. Compounds 1, 2, and 3 display a similar 1D ladder-like chain, whereas 4 gives a 1D quad-core lifting platform shaped belt. The structural diversities in 1–4 suggest that the multiple coordination modes or the different freely twist angles of ligands and the presence of different metal atoms play important roles in the resulting structures of the coordination polymers. Furthermore, the solid-state luminescence properties of 1 and 4, and the magnetic properties of 3 were investigated.

This research aimed to validate a simplified Chinese version of the Empathy Quotient (EQ; 60 items) for use with Mainland Chinese people. The original English version of the EQ was translated into simplified Chinese. Through an online survey, 588 Mainland Chinese participants completed the EQ and 3 other questionnaires: the Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI), the Autism-Spectrum Quotient (AQ), and the 20-item Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS–20). Thirty-five participants completed retesting of the EQ 3 to 4 weeks later. Sex differences on the EQ scores and psychometric properties of the EQ items were examined. Confirmatory factor analysis suggested that an EQ 15-item structural model fitted the data quite well. Self-report empathy, as assessed by the current simplified Chinese version of the EQ, appeared to relate to participants' autistic and alexithymic traits but not sex.

The corrosion behavior of galvanized steel for grounding grids in the red clay soil was studied by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and polarization curve measurement. The results show that the Iron-Aluminitma oxides can promote the galvanized steel corrosion in red solution. The resistance decreased with the increase of immersion time and the latter stage is less than the early stage. The corrosion current density of galvanized steel decreased with the increase of the content of Iron-Aluminitma oxides of soil solution.

The corrosion behavior of copper-clad steel for grounding grids in the coastal soil have been investigated using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), polarization curve measurement and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The results show that the corrosion current density of copper-clad steel increase with the increase of soil salinity, and the latter stage is less than the mid-term stage. The resistance increase and then tend to be stable with the increase of immersion time. The corrosion resistance of copper-clad steel in the non-salinized and light salinized soil is fine.

article i nfo Objective: This study aimed to examine semantic processing features in individuals with and without schizotypal personality disorder (SPD) features. Methods: An implicit semantic task was used to examine the automatic spreading semantic activation process which is relatively free from the influence of attention. An explicit semantic task was used to examine the controlled semantic processing which requires high involvement of attention. Individuals with stable SPD features (n=17) were those who scored higher than 36 on the schizotypal personality questionnaire (SPQ) at two time points. Individuals with unstable SPD features (n=15) were defined as participants who scored higher than 36 at the baseline time point but lower than 36 at the second time point. Their per- formances in the two semantic tasks were then compared to 17 individuals without SPD features (scoring below 36 at both time points). Event-related potentials (ERP) were recorded when participants were performing the two tasks. Results: Behavioral data, early ERP components and N400s were analyzed in each experiment. No between-group difference was observed in the implicit semantic task. In the explicit semantic task, the dif- ferences involved only the N400 component. When compared to the group without SPD features, partici- pants with stable and unstable SPD features showed enhanced N400 effects (difference wave), while there was no difference between the two groups with SPD features. Moreover, the larger N400 effects were found to be due to less negative N400 amplitudes to related target words. Conclusion: These findings suggest that individuals with SPD features were impaired in processing of context-related stimuli. The inhibition function to contextually unrelated materials in participants with SPD features appeared intact.

This study aimed to examine the subjective awareness of everyday dysexecutive function and the 'objective' executive function in individuals with schizotypal personality features. Forty-nine individuals with schizotypal personality disorder (SPD) proneness (25 negative schizotypy and 24 non-negative schizotypy were identified using cluster analysis) and 44 non-SPD individuals completed a battery of 'objective' executive function tests and a self-reported Dysexecutive Questionnaire (DEX) on everyday executive problems. The findings showed that individuals with SPD proneness including negative schizotypy and non-negative schizotypy did not have significant worse performance than non-SPD in most of 'objective' executive function tests, but self-reported significantly disproportionate more dysexecutive problems than non-SPD. Furthermore. SPD proneness, especially negative schizotypy was found to give undependable estimation on their everyday dysexecutive function while non-negative schizotypy was not. The current findings suggest that the subjective awareness of dysexecutive function may precede actual 'objective' executive function impairments in a subtype of SPD (non-negative schizotypy) and the subjective complaint of the daily dysexecutive behavior in SPD proneness, especially negative schizotypy might result from their unreliable estimation of executive function. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

A novel coordination polymer, {[Cd4(Dccbp)4]·H2O} (1) (Dccbp = 3,5-dicarboxy-1-(3-carboxybenzyl)pyridin-1-ium) was synthesized under hydrothermal conditions by a zwitterionic organic ligand and characterized by single crystal X-ray diffraction, infrared spectrum (IR), thermogravimetric analysis (TG), powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD) and luminescence. Complex 1 with a pyridine cation basic skeleton has the potential to serve as the first case of a luminescent material based on the zwitterionic type of organic ligand for selective, sensitive, and recyclable sensing of 2,4,6-trinitrophenol in the aqueous phase.

The SnO2 nanoparticles coated on SiO2 microspheres were prepared with the hydrous tin chloride, NH3·H2O and the slurry of amorphous silica microspheres in an aqueous medium. X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), Fourier transformed infrared (FTIR) spectra, field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray photoelectron spectrum (XPS), and UV–vis spectrophotometer were used to characterize the SiO2–SnO2 core–shell structured particles. The XRD of the SnO2 nanoparticles coated on SiO2 microspheres yields diffraction peaks corresponding to the cassiterite SnO2 phase. The FE-SEM and TEM images show that the SnO2 nanoparticles (diameter 3.9 nm) coated SiO2 surface as thin layers or nanoclusters, depending on the reactant concentration. UV–vis spectrum shows an absorption edge at around 315 nm, which is markedly blue-shifted compared to that of bulk SnO2 (350 nm).

Flake-like ZnO/surfactant ordered layered nanocomposite has been synthesized by self-assembly at room temperature with the presence of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB, CH3(CH2)15N+(CH3)3Br−) surfactant. The procedure described in this study is attractive since it gives high yields of ordered layered nanocomposite with flake-like architecture. XRD results showed the formation of a layered structure with two layered spacings ca. 18.56 A. SEM and FT-IR spectroscopy were used to further characterize ZnO/CTAB nanolayered composite. The ZnO/CTAB-ordered layered nanocomposite exhibits the room temperature photoluminescence (RTPL) characteristics. It is inferred that the RTPL of ZnO/CTAB-layered nanocomposite might be induced by the interfacial effect between the ZnO and the surfactant.

Patients with schizophrenia are known to have impairments in sensory processing. In order to understand the specific temporal perception deficits of schizophrenia, we investigated and determined to what extent impairments in temporal integration can be dissociated from attention deployment using Attentional Blink (AB). Our findings showed that there was no evident deficit in the deployment of attention in patients with schizophrenia. However, patients showed an increased temporal integration deficit within a hundred-millisecond timescale. The degree of such integration dysfunction was correlated with the clinical manifestations of schizophrenia. There was no difference between individuals with/without schizotypal personality disorder in temporal integration. Differently from previous studies using the AB, we did not find a significant impairment in deployment of attention in schizophrenia. Instead, we used both theoretical and empirical approaches to show that previous findings (using the suppression ratio to correct for the baseline difference) produced a systematic exaggeration of the attention deficits. Instead, we modulated the perceptual difficulty of the task to bring the baseline levels of target detection between the groups into closer alignment. We found that the integration dysfunction rather than deployment of attention is clinically relevant and thus should be an additional focus of research in schizophrenia.

This paper studied the surface modification of argon plasma to polyethylene by using ATR-FTIR analysis. The mass loss ratio has maximum value at discharge time of 70–120 s or discharge power of 62 W by using argon plasma treatment for polyethylene. New surface structure was formed after polyethylene was treated by argon plasma. The peroxide bond peak area also has maximum value at discharge time of 70–120 s or discharge power of 62 W. The C C nonsaturated double bond absorb peaks were appeared at 1640 cm −1 , 1549 cm −1 and 1528 cm −1 after polyethylene treated by argon plasma. The C C nonsaturated double bond absorb peak area has minimum value at discharge time of 60–70 s and the power of 65 W. The C C nonsaturated double bond absorb peak area has maximum value at discharge power of 62–72 W and the discharge time of 2 min. The absorption peak intensity of 2916 cm −1 methylene nonsymmetry stretch vibration, 2848 cm −1 methylene symmetry stretch vibration, 1463 cm −1 methylene nonsymmetry changing angle vibration, and 719 cm −1 methylene swing in plane vibration was decreased greatly. The four absorption peaks intensity has maximum value at discharge time of 120 s or discharge power of 62 W.

WRKY proteins form a large family of plant transcription factors implicated in the modulation of numerous biological processes, such as growth, development and responses to various environmental stresses. However, the roles of the majority WRKY family members, especially in non-model plants, remain poorly understood. We identified CaWRKY40 from pepper. Transient expression in onion epidermal cells showed that CaWRKY40 can be targeted to nuclei and activates expression of a W-box-containing reporter gene. CaWRKY40 transcripts are induced in pepper by Ralstonia solanacearum and heat shock. To assess roles of CaWRKY40 in plant stress responses we performed gain- and loss-of-function experiments. Overexpression of CaWRKY40 enhanced resistance to R. solanacearum and tolerance to heat shock in tobacco. In contrast, silencing of CaWRKY40 enhanced susceptibility to R. solanacearum and impaired thermotolerance in pepper. Consistent with its role in multiple stress responses, we found CaWRKY40 transcripts to be induced by signalling mechanisms mediated by the stress hormones salicylic acid (SA), jasmonic acid (JA) and ethylene (ET). Overexpression of CaWRKY40 in tobacco modified the expression of hypersensitive response (HR)-associated and pathogenesis-related genes. Collectively, our results suggest that CaWRKY40 orthologs are regulated by SA, JA and ET signalling and coordinate responses to R. solanacearum attacks and heat stress in pepper and tobacco.

Difficulties in feeling pleasure and expressing emotions are one of the key features of schizophrenia spectrum conditions, and are significant contributors to constricted interpersonal interactions. The current study examined the experience of pleasure and emotional expression in college students who demonstrated high and low levels of schizotypal personality disorder (SPD) traits on self-report questionnaires. One hundred and seventeen subjects with SPD traits and 116 comparison controls were recruited to participate. Cluster analyses conducted in the SPD group identified negative SPD and positive SPD subgroups. The negative SPD group exhibited deficient emotional expression and anticipatory pleasure, but showed intact consummatory pleasure. The positive SPD group reported significantly greater levels of anticipatory, consummatory and total pleasure compared to the control group. Both SPD groups reported significantly more problems in everyday memory and greater levels of depressive and anxiety-related symptoms., China. Ministry of Science and Technology. National Key Technologies R&D Program (2012BAI36B01), National Science Fund China (Grant no. 81088001), National Science Fund China (Grant no. 91132701), Chinese Academy of Sciences. Knowledge Innovation Project (KSCX2-EW-J-8)

Background/Aims Neurological abnormalities have been reported in normal aging population. However, most of them were limited to extrapyramidal signs and soft signs such as motor coordination and sensory integration have received much less attention. Very little is known about the relationship between neurological soft signs and neurocognitive function in healthy elder people. The current study aimed to examine the underlying relationships between neurological soft signs and neurocognition in a group of healthy elderly. Methods One hundred and eighty healthy elderly participated in the current study. Neurological soft signs were evaluated with the subscales of Cambridge Neurological Inventory. A set of neurocognitive tests was also administered to all the participants. Structural equation modeling was adopted to examine the underlying relationship between neurological soft signs and neurocognition. Results No significant differences were found between the male and female elder people in neurocognitive function performances and neurological soft signs. The model fitted well in the elderly and indicated the moderate associations between neurological soft signs and neurocognition, specifically verbal memory, visual memory and working memory. Conclusions The neurological soft signs are more or less statistically equivalent to capture the similar information done by conventional neurocognitive function tests in the elderly. The implication of these findings may serve as a potential neurological marker for the early detection of pathological aging diseases or related mental status such as mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease.

The current study examined characteristics of coping patterns adopted by college students in mainland China. In particular, it examined the coping strategies adopted by subjects with schizotypal personality (SPD) features compared to those without SPD features, and compared the relative effectiveness of their coping. Four types of coping flexibility were identified among the college sample (n=427), including active-inflexible, passive-inflexible, active-inconsistent, and passive-inconsistent styles. The passive-inconsistent style was related to the worst outcomes. When comparing subjects with SPD features with those without SPD features, subjects with SPD features endorsed significantly more emotion-focused strategies in uncontrollable situations than those without SPD features. The SPD group experienced higher levels of trait anxiety, depression, paranoid ideation and general health problems. The SPD group also generally perceived more, less controllable stress than the non-SPD group and randomly used all four categories of coping strategies.

Background The current study explored the prevalence of depressed mood among Chinese undergraduate students and examined the coping patterns and degree of flexibility of flexibility of such patterns associated with such mood. Methods A set of questionnaire assessing coping patterns, coping flexibility, and depressive symptoms were administered to 428 students (234 men and 194 women). Results A total of 266 participants both completed the entire set of questionnaires and reported a frequency of two or more stressful life events (the criterion needed to calculate variance in perceived controllability). Findings showed that higher levels of depressive symptoms were significantly associated with higher levels of both event frequency (r = .368, p < .001) and event impact (r = .245, p < .001) and lower levels of perceived controllability (r = -.261, p < .001), coping effectiveness (r = -.375, p < .001), and ratio of strategy to situation fit (r = -.108, p < .05). Depressive symptoms were not significantly associated with cognitive flexibility (variance of perceived controllability; r = .031, p = .527), Gender was not a significant moderator of any of the reported associations. Conclusions Findings indicate that Chinese university students with depressive symptoms reported experiencing a greater number of negative events than did non-depressed university students. In addition, undergraduates with depressive symptoms were more likely than other undergraduates to utilize maladaptive coping methods. Such findings highlight the potential importance of interventions aimed at helping undergraduate students with a lower coping flexibility develop skills to cope with stressful life events.

The current study aimed to determine whether there is a specific neurocognitive deficit in individuals with schizotypal personality features. One hundred and fifty-nine healthy participants and 62 schizotypal individuals completed a comprehensive battery of cognitive tests. The cognitive functions captured by the battery could be reduced to 6 factors. Significant difference was found between participants with schizotypal features and healthy controls in allocation, verbal memory and marginally in working memory. Schizotypal traits tended to correlate with some of the cognitive factors, especially allocation, verbal memory and working memory.

This study examined anticipatory and consummatory pleasure in schizophrenia patients with and without negative symptoms. Negative symptom patients experienced less anticipatory pleasure than non-negative symptom patients; only one facet of consummatory pleasure was unaffected in negative schizophrenia. Greater pleasure deficits were correlated with more severe positive and negative symptoms.

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