Brain functional changes in facial expression recognition in patients with major depressive disorder before and after antidepressant treatment A functional magnetic resonance imaging study

Functional magnetic resonance imaging was used during emotion recognition to identify changes in functional brain activation in 21 first-episode, treatment-naive major depressive disorder patients before and after antidepressant treatment. Following escitalopram oxalate treatment, patients exhibited decreased activation in bilateral precentral gyrus, bilateral middle frontal gyrus, left middle temporal gyrus, bilateral postcentral gyrus, left cingulate and right parahippocampal gyrus, and increased activation in right superior frontal gyrus, bilateral superior parietal Iobule and left occipital gyrus during sad facial expression recognition. After antidepressant treatment, patients also exhibited decreased activation in the bilateral middle frontal gyrus, bilateral cingulate and right parahippocampal gyrus, and increased activation in the right inferior frontal gyrus, left fusiform gyrus and right precuneus during happy facial expression recognition. Our experimental findings indicate that the limbic-cortical network might be a key target region for antidepressant treatment in major depressive disorder.

Effect of Low Temperature Storage on Seed Germination and Seedling Growth of Dragon Fruit

In order to explore the best storage temperature and storage period of dragon fruit seeds,with the constant-humidity germplasm cold storage of Guangxi Academy of Agricultural Sciences as a platform and storage temperature as an environmental factor,the germination characteristics of dragon fruit seeds and seedling growth characteristics under low temperature storage(8,4,-1,-10℃)and room temperature storage(25-30℃)over time were explored.The results showed that with the extension of the storage time,the seed germination rates,germination index,healthy seedling rates,seedling heights and fresh weights of 10 seedlings of the three dragon fruit varieties showed basically the same trends,showing a downward trend.After 367 d of cold storage,the germination rate decreased from 100%to 92.33%-98.00%,and the room temperature treatments decreased to 54.00%-86.30%;and the healthy seedling rates of cold-stored seeds decreased from 96.33%-98.00%to 77.33%-97.3%,and the values of the room temperature treatments dropped to 12.00%-68.33%.The germination rates,germination index,healthy seedling rates and seedling heights of the three dragon fruit varieties stored at low temperatures were basically significantly higher than those of the room temperature treatments within 367 d of storage.The germination rates of the three varieties stored at 8℃had no significant differences from other low temperature treatments,but the germination index was significantly lower than other low temperature treatments at 367 d.It showed that low temperature storage at-10-8℃could significantly prolong the vigor and storage time of dragon fruit seeds.Considering cost and other factors,it is better to store dragon fruit seeds in a dry environment at 4℃.The seeds stored at 4℃for 1 year showed a germination rate maintained over 90%and a healthy seedling rate over 85%.