Effect of Milk Processed Arnebiae Radix on Body Temperature of Fever Rats

[Objectives]To investigate the synergistic effect of Arnebiae Radix after processing.[Methods]The effects of raw Arnebiae Radix and milk processed Arnebiae Radix on hypothermia in yeast-induced febrile rats were compared.[Results]The processed and unprocessed Arnebiae Radix at high,medium and low doses all had a certain effect on inhibiting the rise of body temperature in rats.The high dose unprocessed group,the medium dose processed group and the high dose processed group had the best inhibitory effect on body temperature,the low dose processed group could delay the fever time,and the low dose unprocessed group had poor inhibitory effect on fever.[Conclusions]The prepared Arnebiae Radix has enhanced drug effect,and milk processed Arnebiae Radix can be used to replace common Arnebiae Radix to reduce the dosage of Arnebiae Radix and save Arnebiae Radix resources.

Histogram analysis of apparent diffusion coefficient predicts response to radiofrequency ablation in hepatocellular carcinoma

Objective: The aim of this study was to predict tumor progression in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC) treated with radiofrequency ablation(RFA) using histogram analysis of apparent diffusion coefficients(ADC).Methods: Breath-hold diffusion weighted imaging(DWI) was performed in 64 patients(33 progressive and 31 stable) with biopsy-proven HCC prior to RFA. All patients had pre-treatment magnetic resonance imaging(MRI)and follow-up computed tomography(CT) or MRI. The ADC values(ADC_(10), ADC_(30_, ADC_(median) and ADC_(max))were obtained from the histogram's 10 th, 30 th, 50 th and 100 th percentiles. The ratios of ADC_(10), ADC_(30_,ADCmedian and ADCmax to the mean non-lesion area-ADC(RADC_(10), RADC_(30_, RADC_(median), and RADC_(max)) were calculated. The two patient groups were compared. Key predictive factors for survival were determined using the univariate and multivariate analysis of the Cox model. The Kaplan-Meier survival analysis was performed, and pairs of survival curves based on the key factors were compared using the log-rank test.Results: The ADC_(30_, ADCmedian, ADCmax, RADC_(30_, RADC_(median), and RADC_(max) were significantly larger in the progressive group than in the stable group(P<0.05). The median progression-free survival(PFS) was 22.9 months for all patients. The mean PFS for the stable and progressive groups were 47.7±1.3 and 9.8±1.3 months,respectively. Univariate analysis indicated that RADC_(10), RADC_(30_, and RADC_(median) were significantly correlated with the PFS [hazard ratio(HR)=31.02, 43.84, and 44.29, respectively, P<0.05 for all]. Multivariate analysis showed that RADCmedian was the only independent predictor of tumor progression(P=0.04). And the cutoff value of RADC_(median) was 0.71.Conclusions: Pre-RFA ADC histogram analysis might serve as a useful biomarker for predicting tumor progression and survival in patients with HCC treated with RFA.

京津冀三地婚育行为比较—基于中国妇女社会地位调查数据

京津冀协同发展是我国政府作出的重大战略决策。三地婚育行为的特征与差异研究对京津冀地区人口总量和结构的预测有重要意义。本文基于中国妇女社会地位调查1990,2000和2010年三期数据,对京津冀三地婚育行为进行了比较研究。研究发现:在结婚行为上,京津冀三地传统模式仍是主流,但现代性日益增加,北京现代性更趋显著;在生育行为上,三地均深受发展和政策的双重影响,人口转变程度呈现明显的北京、天津和河北的梯度效应。在此基础上,文章对京津冀协同战略的实施对三地婚育行为的影响进行了讨论。

A rapid classification method of aluminum alloy based on laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy and random forest algorithm

As an important non-ferrous metal structural material most used in industry and production,aluminum(Al) alloy shows its great value in the national economy and industrial manufacturing.How to classify Al alloy rapidly and accurately is a significant, popular and meaningful task.Classification methods based on laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy(LIBS) have been reported in recent years. Although LIBS is an advanced detection technology, it is necessary to combine it with some algorithm to reach the goal of rapid and accurate classification. As an important machine learning method, the random forest(RF) algorithm plays a great role in pattern recognition and material classification. This paper introduces a rapid classification method of Al alloy based on LIBS and the RF algorithm. The results show that the best accuracy that can be reached using this method to classify Al alloy samples is 98.59%, the average of which is 98.45%. It also reveals through the relationship laws that the accuracy varies with the number of trees in the RF and the size of the training sample set in the RF. According to the laws, researchers can find out the optimized parameters in the RF algorithm in order to achieve,as expected, a good result. These results prove that LIBS with the RF algorithm can exactly classify Al alloy effectively, precisely and rapidly with high accuracy, which obviously has significant practical value.

Study of family environmental factor on only-children’s personality

Objective: To analyze the impact of family environment on only-children’s personality. Methods: Using cross-sectional design to recruit only-children aged 6 - 16 years old;using EPQ to evaluate the children’s personality. The general questionnaire, PSDQ (Parenting Styles and Dimensions Questionnaire), FAD-GFS (The General Functioning Scale of MacMaster family activity device), SLE(Stressful Life Events), FSQ (Family Stresses Questionnaire), FLQ (Family Life Questionnaire), EFQ (Everyday Feelings Questionnaire) were used to collect information about family environment from parents. Results: In only-child family, standardized regression equations of family environment influence on children personality include: 1) EPQ-p = 0.087 × SLE + 0.207 × father autocratic parenting + 0.131 × education of father + 0.110 × family type - 0.110 × role of discipline - 0.080 × parental attitude + 0.087 × family adaptability;2) EPQ-e = 0.105 × EFQ- 0.088 × SLE - 0.101 × family income;3) EPQ-n = 0.143 × SLE - 0.090 × family cohesion + 0.089 × family income + 0.117 × the orderly’s attitude - 0.138 × the child’s role experience of FLQ - 0.101 × parents shaping the behavior of children of FLQ and 4) EPQ - l = -0.136× SLE - 0.093 × relationship between parents - 0.155 × attitude of the old. Conclusion: It is important for children to develop personality normally if the father doesn’t choose autocratic parent style. Children tend to be optimistic if the parent can feel happy. The stressful life events are a double-blade sword depending on the parent’s handling. The difference of the parenting style can influence the lie-personality of children.

Disrupted association between structural and functional coupling of the supplementary motor area and neurocognition in major depressive disorder

To the Editor:Major depressive disorder(MDD)is a common mood disorder that contributes considerably to disability worldwide.Abnormalities in either structural connectivity or functional connectivity in the brains of patients with MDD have been widely reported,which greatly extends our knowledge of the pathophysiology of MDD.

White Matter Abnormalities in Major Depression Biotypes Identified by Diffusion Tensor Imaging

Identifying data-driven biotypes of major depressive disorder(MDD) has promise for the clarification of diagnostic heterogeneity. However, few studies have focused on white-matter abnormalities for MDD subtyping. This study included 116 patients with MDD and118 demographically-matched healthy controls assessed by diffusion tensor imaging and neurocognitive evaluation.Hierarchical clustering was applied to the major fiber tracts, in conjunction with tract-based spatial statistics, to reveal white-matter alterations associated with MDD.Clinical and neurocognitive differences were compared between identified subgroups and healthy controls. With fractional anisotropy extracted from 20 fiber tracts, cluster analysis revealed 3 subgroups based on the patterns of abnormalities. Patients in each subgroup versus healthy controls showed a stepwise pattern of white-matter alterations as follows: subgroup 1(25.9% of patient sample),widespread white-matter disruption;subgroup 2(43.1% of patient sample), intermediate and more localized abnormalities in aspects of the corpus callosum and left cingulate;and subgroup 3(31.0% of patient sample),possible mild alterations, but no statistically significant tract disruption after controlling for family-wise error. The neurocognitive impairment in each subgroup accompanied the white-matter alterations: subgroup 1, deficits in sustained attention and delayed memory;subgroup 2, dysfunction in delayed memory;and subgroup 3, no significant deficits. Three subtypes of white-matter abnormality exist in individuals with major depression, those having widespread abnormalities suffering more neurocognitive impairments, which may provide evidence for parsing the heterogeneity of the disorder and help optimize typespecific treatment approaches.

GABAergic Abnormalities Associated with Sensorimotor Corticostriatal Community Structural Deficits in ErbB4 Knockout Mice and First-Episode Treatment-Naive Patients with Schizophrenia

The current study was designed to explore how disruption of specific molecular circuits in the cerebral cortex may cause sensorimotor cortico-striatal community structure deficits in both a mouse model and patients with schizophrenia.We used prepulse inhibition(PPI)and brain structural and diffusion MRI scans in 23 mice with conditional ErbB4 knockout in parvalbumin interneurons and 27 matched controls.Quantitative real-time PCR was used to assess the differential levels of GABA-related transcripts in brain regions.Concurrently,we measured structural and diffusion MRI and the cumulative contribution of risk alleles in the GABA pathway genes in firstepisode treatment-naı¨ve schizophrenic patients(n=117)and in age-and sex-matched healthy controls(n=86).We present the first evidence of gray and white matter impairment of right sensorimotor cortico-striatal networks and reproduced the sensorimotor gating deficit in a mouse model of schizophrenia.Significant correlations between gray matter volumes(GMVs)in the somatosensory cortex and PPI as well as glutamate decarboxylase 1 mRNA expression were found in controls but not in knockout mice.Furthermore,these findings were confirmed in a human sample in which we found significantly decreased gray and white matter in sensorimotor cortico-striatal networks in schizophrenic patients.The psychiatric risk alleles of the GABA pathway also displayed a significant negative correlation with the GMVs of the somatosensory cortex in patients.Our study identified that ErbB4 ablation in parvalbumin interneurons induced GABAergic dysregulation,providing valuable mechanistic insights into the sensorimotor cortico-striatal community structure deficits associated with schizophrenia.

Neurocognitive Graphs of First-Episode Schizophrenia and Major Depression Based on Cognitive Features

Neurocognitive deficits are frequently observed in patients with schizophrenia and major depressive disorder(MDD). The relations between cognitive features may be represented by neurocognitive graphs based on cognitive features, modeled as Gaussian Markov random fields. However, it is unclear whether it is possible to differentiate between phenotypic patterns associated with the differential diagnosis of schizophrenia and depression using this neurocognitive graph approach. In this study, we enrolled 215 first-episode patients with schizophrenia(FES), 125 with MDD, and 237 demographically-matched healthy controls(HCs). The cognitive performance of all participants was evaluated using a battery of neurocognitive tests. The graphical LASSO model was trained with aone-vs-one scenario to learn the conditional independent structure of neurocognitive features of each group. Participants in the holdout dataset were classified into different groups with the highest likelihood. A partial correlation matrix was transformed from the graphical model to further explore the neurocognitive graph for each group. The classification approach identified the diagnostic class for individuals with an average accuracy of 73.41% for FES vs HC, 67.07% for MDD vs HC, and 59.48% for FES vs MDD. Both of the neurocognitive graphs for FES and MDD had more connections and higher node centrality than those for HC. The neurocognitive graph for FES was less sparse and had more connections than that for MDD.Thus, neurocognitive graphs based on cognitive features are promising for describing endophenotypes that may discriminate schizophrenia from depression.

EasySVM: A visual analysis approach for open-box support vector machines

Support vector machines(SVMs) are supervised learning models traditionally employed for classification and regression analysis. In classification analysis, a set of training data is chosen, and each instance in the training data is assigned a categorical class. An SVM then constructs a model based on a separating plane that maximizes the margin between different classes. Despite being one of the most popular classification models because of its strong performance empirically, understanding the knowledge captured in an SVM remains difficult. SVMs are typically applied in a black-box manner where the details of parameter tuning, training, and even the final constructed model are hidden from the users. This is natural since these details are often complex and difficult to understand without proper visualization tools. However, such an approach often brings about various problems including trial-and-error tuning and suspicious users who are forced to trust these models blindly.The contribution of this paper is a visual analysis approach for building SVMs in an open-box manner.Our goal is to improve an analyst's understanding of the SVM modeling process through a suite of visualization techniques that allow users to have full interactive visual control over the entire SVM training process.Our visual exploration tools have been developed to enable intuitive parameter tuning, training datamanipulation, and rule extraction as part of the SVM training process. To demonstrate the efficacy of our approach, we conduct a case study using a real-world robot control dataset.

Effect of tetrahedral DNA nanostructures on LPS-induced neuroinflammation in mice

Neuroinflammation plays a significant role in inducing depression-like behavior. Tetrahedral DNA nanostructures(TDNs) are molecules that exhibit anti-inflammatory properties and can effectively penetrate the blood-brain barrier. Thus, researchers have hypothesized that TDNs regulate the secretion of proinflammatory cytokines and consequently alleviate depression-like behavior. To test this hypothesis, we investigated the effect of TDNs on the depression-like behavior of C57 mice induced by lipopolysaccharide(LPS). We performed open-field, tail suspension, and sucrose preference tests on LPS-and LPS/TDNtreated mice. The results indicated that the injection of TDNs into LPS-treated mice resulted in increased velocity, center zone duration, frequency to the center zone, and sucrose preference, and decreased immobility time. Immunofluorescence results indicated that peripheral administration of LPS in the mice activated inflammation, which culminated in distinct depression-like behavior. However, TDNs effectively alleviated the inflammation and depression-like behavior through the reduction of the expression levels of proinflammatory cytokines, such as interleukin-1β and tumor necrosis factor-α in the brain. Additionally, TDNs normalized the expression level of microglia cell activation markers, such as ionized calcium binding adaptor molecule 1, in the hippocampus of mice. These results indicated that TDNs attenuated the LPS-induced secretion of inflammatory factors and consequently alleviated depression-like behavior.

Age-Related Reduction in Cortical Thickness in First-Episode Treatment-Na?ve Patients with Schizophrenia

Substantial evidence supports the neurodevelopmental hypothesis of schizophrenia.Meanwhile,progressive neurodegenerative processes have also been reported,leading to the hypothesis that neurodegeneration is a characteristic component in the neuropathology of schizophrenia.However,a major challenge for the neurodegenerative hypothesis is that antipsychotic drugs used by patients have profound impact on brain structures.To clarify this potential confounding factor,we measured the cortical thickness across the whole brain using highresolution T1-weighted magnetic resonance imaging in 145 first-episode and treatment-naive patients with schizophrenia and 147 healthy controls.The results showed that,in the patient group,the frontal,temporal,parietal,and cingulate gyri displayed a significant age-related reduction of cortical thickness.In the control group,age-related cortical thickness reduction was mostly located in the frontal,temporal,and cingulate gyri,albeit to a lesser extent.Importantly,relative to healthy controls,patients exhibited a significantly smaller age-related cortical thickness in the anterior cingulate,inferior temporal,and insular gyri in the right hemisphere.These results provide evidence supporting the existence of neurodegenerative processes in schizophrenia and suggest that these processes already occur in the early stage of the illness.

Testing the role of genetic variation of the MC4R gene in Chinese population in antipsychotic-induced metabolic disturbance

Antipsychotic-induced metabolic disturbance(AIMD) is a common adverse effect of antipsychotics with genetics partly underpinning variation in susceptibility among schizophrenia patients. Melanocortin4 receptor(MC4 R) gene, one of the candidate genes for AIMD, has been under-studied in the Chinese patients. We conducted a pharmacogenetic study in a large cohort of Chinese patients with schizophrenia. In this study, we investigated the genetic variation of MC4 R in Chinese population by genotyping two SNPs(rs489693 and rs17782313) in 1,991 Chinese patients and examined association of these variants with the metabolic effects that were often observed to be related to AIMD. Metabolic measures, including body mass index(BMI), waist circumference(WC), glucose, triglyceride, high-density lipoprotein(HDL), and low-density lipoprotein(LDL) levels were assessed at baseline and after 6-week antipsychotic treatment. We found that interaction of SNP×medication status(drug-na?ve/medicated) was significantly associated with BMI, WC, and HDL change %, respectively. Both SNPs were significantly associated with baseline BMI and WC in the medicated group. Moderate association of rs489693 with WC, Triglyceride, and HDL change % were observed in the whole sample. In the drug-na?ve group, we found recessive effects of rs489693 on BMI gain more than 7%, WC and Triglyceride change %, with AA incurring more metabolic adverse effects. In conclusion, the association between rs489693 and the metabolic measures is ubiquitous but moderate. Rs17782313 is less involved in AIMD. Two SNPs confer risk of AIMD to patients treated with different antipsychotics in a similar way.

Interaction Between Variations in Dopamine D2 and Serotonin 2A Receptor is Associated with Short-Term Response to Antipsychotics in Schizophrenia

Dear Editor,Schizophrenia is a chronic and debilitating brain disorder,which has a strong genetic component with heritability ranging from 66%to 85%[1,2].Currently,antipsychotic drugs remain the most effective treatment for the psychotic symptoms of schizophrenia[3].Because of the severe sideeffects of first-generation antipsychotics(FGAs),secondgeneration antipsychotics(SGAs)have become more widely used in the treatment of schizophrenia.

Genes in the serotonin pathway are associated with bipolar affective disorder in a Han Chinese population

Serotonin plays an important role in mood regulation, but the involvement of serotonin pathway genes in the development of bipolar I disorder. （BP-I）, a mood disorder, is not clear. We selected 21 single- nucleotide polymorphisms （SNPs） within the HTR2A gene, 8 within the SLC6A4 gene and 23 within the TPH2 gene for genotyping using the GoldenGate genotyping assay. A total of 375 patients with BP-I and 475 normal controls were recruited. Two out of 21 SNPs （rs1475196 and rs9567747） in the HTR2A gene and 1/23 SNPs （rs17110566） in the TPH2 gene were significantly associated with BP-I, both genotype-wise and allele-wise. Furthermore, a specific haplotype in the HTR2A gene showed a significant association with BP-I. Our results indicate that the HTR2A and TPH2 genes in the serotonin pathway play important roles in susceptibility to BP-I.

Progress of Optical Fiber Sensors and Its Application in Harsh Environment

Fiber sensors have been developed for industry application with significant advantages.In this paper,Fiber sensors for oil field service and harsh environment monitoring which have been investigated in Tsinghua University are demonstrated.By discussing the requirements of practical applications,the key technologies of long-period fiber grating(LPFG)based fiber sensor,optical spectrum analyzer for oil detection,laser induced breakdown spectroscopy(LIBS)system for soil contamination monitoring,and seismic sensor arrays are described.

Applications of tetrahedral DNA nanostructures in wound repair and tissue regeneration

Tetrahedral DNA nanostructures(TDNs)are molecules with a pyramidal structure formed by folding four single strands of DNA based on the principle of base pairing.Although DNA has polyanionic properties,the special spatial structure of TDNs allows them to penetrate the cell membrane without the aid of transfection agents in a caveolin-dependent manner and enables them to participate in the regulation of cellular processes without obvious toxic side effects.Because of their stable spatial structure,TDNs resist the limitations imposed by nuclease activity and innate immune responses to DNA.In addition,TDNs have good editability and biocompatibility,giving them great advantages for biomedical applications.Previous studies have found that TDNs have a variety of biological properties,including promoting cell migration,proliferation and differentiation,as well as having anti-inflammatory,antioxidant,anti-infective and immune regulation capabilities.Moreover,we confirmed that TDNs can promote the regeneration and repair of skin,blood vessels,muscles and bone tissues.Based on these findings,we believe that TDNs have broad prospects for application in wound repair and regeneration.This article reviews recent progress in TDN research and its applications.

Molecular mechanisms of direct and indirect interplay between amyloid𝛽β42 oligomer and characteristic lipids

Accumulating evidence suggests that toxicity in patients with Alzheimer’s disease originates from the deposition of Aβ42 aggregates on the neuronal cell membrane.However,the molecular mechanism underlying Aβ42 aggrega-tion on the surface of different lipids is poorly understood.In this study,coarse-grained and all-atomic molecular dynamics(MD)simulations were used to characterize the assembly process of two Aβ42 pentameric oligomers and the perturbation“footprints”of three characteristic lipid constitute bilayer membranes:POPC,POPG,and their hybrid PcPg composed of POPG and POPC in a 1:3 ratio.Our results revealed that the Aβ decamer was first formed in the water phase prior to its contact with the lipid surface,indicating that the water phase plays an incubation role in Aβ42 oligomer aggregation.Moreover,the presence of any of the three lipids accelerated the assembly process of the two Aβ42 pentameric.The aggregation rate and aggregate conformation were strictly dependent on lipid charge,oligomer size,and degree of aggregation.In turn,the presence of oligomer impacted the surface of the lipid,generating a clear perturbation“footprint”,regardless of whether the interplay was direct or indirect,revealing for the first time that the indirect interaction is not seamless and can be detected clearly at the molecular level.Indirect interplay stands for the non-contacting interaction interfaced by the water phase,indicating a metastable state with long-range interaction under non-shaking conditions.Our results reveal the crucial role of non-contacting interactions in determining the phase status of zwitterionic membranes.