Pathogenic genes associated with Parkinson’s disease:molecular mechanism overview

Parkinson’s disease(PD)is a common neurodegenerative disease in the elderly,accounting for more than 1%of the population aged 65 years.Monogenic inheritance is relatively rare in PD,accounting for approximately 5%to 10%of PD patients,and there is a growing body of evidence suggesting that multiple genetic risk factors play a significant role in the pathogenesis of PD.Several groups have identified and reported a number of genes carrying mutations associated with affected family members.Mutated genes associated with PD are also candidates for idiopathic PD,and these genes may also carry other mutation sites that increase risk.When multiple genetic risk factors are combined,the risk of PD is increased to a greater extent,and to unravel the pathogenic pathways that lead to different forms of PD.This review focuses on the association of PD genes,such as Parkinson Disease 1-24(PARK1-24),glucosylceramidase(GBA),GTP cyclohydrolase 1(GCH1),fibroblast growth factor 20(FGF20),nuclear receptor-related factor 1(NURR1),NUS1 dehydrodolichyl diphosphate synthase subunit(NUS1),diacylglycerol Lipase Beta(DAGLB),transmembrane protein(TMEM),ubiquinol-cytochrome c reductase core protein 1(UQCRC1),glycoprotein non-metastatic melanoma protein B protein(GPNMB),dynactin 1(DCTN1),LDL receptor related protein 10(LRP10),monoamine oxidase(MAO),ataxin 2(ATXN2),microtubule associated protein tau(MAPT),pantothenate kinase 2(PANK2),spastic parapplegia type 11(SPG11),polymer gamma(POLG),TATA-box binding protein associated factor 1(TAF1),dual specificity tyrosine phosphorylation regulated kinase 1A(Dyrk1a),and crystallin alpha A(CRYAA),with the pathogenesis of PD.We introduce what is currently known about the molecular genetics of PD to help explain the molecular mechanisms leading to the neurodegenerative disease.

Bioinspired Closed-loop CPG-based Control of a Robotic Manta for Autonomous Swimming

Fish in nature exhibit a variety of swimming modes such as forward swimming,backward swimming,turning,pitching,etc.,enabling them to swim in complex scenes such as coral reefs.It is still difficult for a robotic fish to swim autonomously in a confined area as a real fish.Here,we develop an untethered robotic manta as an experimental platform,which consists of two flexible pectoral fins and a tail fin,with three infrared sensors installed on the front,left,and right sides of the head to sense the surrounding obstacles.To generate multiple swimming modes of the robotic manta and online switching of different modes,we design a closed-loop Central Pattern Generator(CPG)controller based on distance information and use a combination of phase difference and amplitude of the CPG model to achieve stable and rapid adjustment of yaw angle.To verify the autonomous swimming ability of the robotic manta in complex scenes,we design an experimental scenario with a concave obstacle.The experimental results show that the robotic manta can achieve forward swimming,backward swimming,in situ turning within the concave obstacle,and finally exit from the area safely while relying on the perception of external obstacles,which can provide insight into the autonomous exploration of complex scenes by the biomimetic robotic fish.Finally,the swimming ability of the robotic manta is verified by field tests.

Effect of Active–Passive Deformation on the Thrust by the Pectoral Fins of Bionic Manta Robot

Bionic manta underwater vehicles will play an essential role in future oceans and can perform tasks,such as long-duration reconnaissance and exploration,due to their efficient propulsion.The manta wings’deformation is evident during the swimming process.To improve the propulsion performance of the unmanned submersible,the study of the deformation into the bionic pectoral fin is necessary.In this research,we designed and fabricated a flexible bionic pectoral fin,which is based on the Fin Ray®effect with active and passive deformation(APD)capability.The APD fin was actively controlled by two servo motors and could be passively deformed to variable degrees.The APD fin was moved at 0.5 Hz beat frequency,and the propulsive performance was experimentally verified of the bionic pectoral fins equipped with different extents of deformation.These results showed that the pectoral fin with active–passive deformed capabilities could achieve similar natural biological deformation in the wingspan direction.The average thrust(T)under the optimal wingspan deformation is 61.5%higher than the traditional passive deformed pectoral fins.The obtained results shed light on the design and optimization of the bionic pectoral fins to improve the propulsive performance of unmanned underwater vehicles(UUV).

Dynamic Changes of ORF1ab and N Gene Ct Values in COVID-19 Omicron Inpatients of Different Age Groups—Beijing Municipality,China,November-December 2022

Introduction:In November 2021,the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2(SARS-CoV-2)Omicron variant was identified as the variant of concern and has since spread globally,replacing other cocirculating variants.To better understand the dynamic changes in viral load over time and the natural history of the virus infection,we analyzed the expression of the open reading frames 1ab(ORF1ab)and nucleocapsid(N)genes in patients infected with Omicron.Methods:We included patients initially admitted to the hospital for SARS-CoV-2 infection between November 5 and December 25,2022.We collected daily oropharyngeal swabs for quantitative reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction tests using commercial kits.We depicted the cycle threshold(Ct)values for amplification of ORF1ab and N genes from individual patients in age-specific groups in a time series.Results:A total of 480 inpatients were included in the study,with a median age of 59 years(interquartile range,42 to 78;range,16 to 106).In the<45-year-old age group,the Ct values for ORF1ab and N gene amplification remained below 35 for 9.0 and 11.5 days,respectively.In the≥80-year-old age group,the Ct values for ORF1ab and N genes stayed below 35 for 11.5 and 15.0 days,respectively,which was the longest among all age groups.The Ct values for N gene amplification took longer to rise above 35 than those for ORF1ab gene amplification.Conclusion:The time to test negative varied among different age groups,with viral nucleic acid shedding taking longer in older age groups compared to younger age groups.As a result,the time to resolution of Omicron infection increased with increasing age.