The Effect of Intermittent Theta Burst Stimulation (iTBS) in Patients With Alcohol Use Disorder: Study Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial.

BACKGROUND: Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) is a non-invasive stimulation technique which has a treatment potential for alcohol use disorder. Intermittent theta burst stimulation (iTBS) is a new rTMS technique which is shorter in duration and thus with better tolerability and shows similar efficacy as rTMS for the treatment of depression. The effect of iTBS on reducing craving in alcohol use disorder patients requires further investigation. METHODS: A randomized, controlled, single-blind, multicenter study with 60 alcohol use disorder patients randomized (2:1) to the iTBS group or the control group (sham iTBS). The stimulation target will be identical in the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC). Baseline evaluations will be occurred before the intervention, after the intervention immediately, and 1 and 3 months after the intervention. The primary outcome of the study will be decrease of visual analogue scale (VAS) scores from baseline to the end of treatment. DISCUSSION: This study is a randomized controlled trial to investigate the efficacy of left DLPFC iTBS in a population of alcohol use disorder patients, compared with sham iTBS. If it is effective for alcohol use disorder, it may provide a potential treatment which is tolerable, accessible, and clinical useful. CINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: This study is registered in the ClinicalTrials with trial number NCT03932149. Registered 17 April 2019

Characteristics and assessment of the electricity consumption of metro systems: A case study of Tianjin, China

Owing to the complexity of metros, the energy consumption characteristics of metro systems exhibit variability and the energy‐saving management of the systems encounters challenges. To encapsulate the essential characteristics of energy usage and to objectively assess the energy performance of metro systems, this study presents a generalized framework and applies it to a case study conducted in Tianjin. The study also employs correlation analysis to investigate the applicability of the indicators relevant to ridership. The results indicate that the monthly traction electricity consumption exhibits slight variation, while station electricity usage demonstrates substantial fluctuation with seasonal changes. For Tianjin Metro, the passenger factor hardly shows any effect on the electricity use of metro lines. The median value of traction electricity use is approximately 2.0 kWh/(car‐km) and that of the average annual station electricity use of underground lines ranges from 95 to 155 kWh/m2. The emission from the traction sector is 12.2 kgCO2/(vehicle‐km) and from the station sector is 118.6 kgCO2/m2. The study also identifies the energy‐intensive lines of the Tianjin Metro and compares the energy utilization among various global metro systems. The authors hope that this study can help shed light on the assessment of the energy status of metro systems and serve as a source of information for other City‐Metros to implement energy‐saving management

Application Progress of Deep Learning in Imaging Examination of Breast Cancer

Breast cancer is the most common malignant tumor in women and its early detection is decisive. Breast imaging plays an important role in early detection of breast cancer as well as monitoring and evaluation during treatment, but manual detection of medical images is usually time-consuming and labor-intensive. Recently, deep learning algorithms have made significant progress in early breast cancer diagnosis. By combing the relevant literature in recent years, a systematic review of the application of deep learning techniques in breast cancer diagnosis with different imaging modalities is conducted, aiming to provide a reference for in-depth research on deep learning-based breast cancer diagnosis. Firstly, four breast cancer imaging modalities, namely mammography, ultrasonography, magnetic resonance imaging and positron emission tomography, are outlined and briefly compared, and the public datasets corresponding to multiple imaging modalities are listed. Focusing on the different tasks (lesion detection, segmentation and classification) of deep learning architectures based on the above four different imaging modalities, a systematic review of the algorithms is conducted, and the performance of each algorithm, improvement ideas, and their advantages and disadvantages are compared and analyzed. Finally, the problems of the existing techniques are analyzed and the future development direction is prospected with respect to the limitations of the current work

The p38 MAPK Inhibitor SB203580 Abrogates Tumor Necrosis Factor-Induced Proliferative Expansion of Mouse CD4+Foxp3+ Regulatory T Cells

There is now compelling evidence that tumor necrosis factor (TNF) preferentially activates and expands CD4+Foxp3+ regulatory T cells (Tregs) through TNF receptor type II (TNFR2). However, it remains unclear which signaling transduction pathway(s) of TNFR2 is required for the stimulation of Tregs. Previously, it was shown that the interaction of TNF–TNFR2 resulted in the activation of a number of signaling pathways, including p38 MAPK, NF-κB, in T cells. We thus examined the role of p38 MAPK and NF-κB in TNF-mediated activation of Tregs, by using specific small molecule inhibitors. The results show that treatment with specific p38 MAPK inhibitor SB203580, rather than NF-κB inhibitors (Sulfasalazine and Bay 11-7082), abrogated TNF-induced expansion of Tregs in vitro. Furthermore, upregulation of TNFR2 and Foxp3 expression in Tregs by TNF was also markedly inhibited by SB203580. The proliferative expansion and the upregulation of TNFR2 expression on Tregs in LPS-treated mice were mediated by TNF–TNFR2 interaction, as shown by our previous study. The expansion of Tregs in LPS-treated mice were also markedly inhibited by in vivo treatment with SB203580. Taken together, our data clearly indicate that the activation of p38 MAPK is attributable to TNF/TNFR2-mediated activation and proliferative expansion of Tregs. Our results also suggest that targeting of p38 MAPK by pharmacological agent may represent a novel strategy to up- or downregulation of Treg activity for therapeutic purposes

Phase shift and magnetic anisotropy induced field splitting of impurity states in (Li1-xFex)OHFeSe superconductor

Revealing the energy and spatial characteristics of impurity induced states in superconductors is essential for understanding their mechanism and fabricating new quantum state by manipulating impurities. Here by using high-resolution scanning tunneling microscopy/spectroscopy, we investigated the spatial distribution and magnetic field response of the impurity states in (Li1-xFex)OHFeSe. We detected two pairs of strong in-gap states on the "dumbbell" shaped defects. They display clear damped oscillations with different phase shifts and a direct phase-energy correlation. These features have long been predicted for classical Yu-Shiba-Rusinov (YSR) state, which are demonstrated here with unprecedented resolution for the first time. Moreover, upon applying magnetic field, all the in-gap state peaks remarkably split into two rather than shift, and the splitting strength is field orientation dependent. Via detailed numerical model calculations, we found such anisotropic splitting behavior can be naturally induced by a high-spin impurity coupled to anisotropic environment, highlighting how magnetic anisotropy affects the behavior of YSR states.Comment: Main text with supplementary (accepted by Phys. Rev. Lett.

Behavioral and eye movement study of attention bias to alcohol-related cues in male alcohol-dependent patients and correlation analysis of psychological factors

Objective·To investigate if male alcohol-dependent patients have attention bias to alcohol-related pictures, show the behavioral and eye movement characteristics of attention bias, and explore the correlation between attention bias and sleep, anxiety, depression, impulsion and other psychological factors.Methods·Twenty-nine subjects in the case group (alcohol-dependent patients who were hospitalized in Shanghai Mental Health Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, from August 2021 to February 2022) and 29 healthy subjects in the healthy control group participated in the study. The experimental design was a mixed experimental design of three-factor hybrid. The cue types were alcohol-related and emotion pictures. The probe was on the same side or on the opposite side of the alcohol or emotional picture. The characteristics of subjects' attentional bias to alcohol cues were investigated by using the classical dot detection paradigm and eye movement monitoring technique. Groups were inter-group variables, and clue types and relative locations of probe points were intra-group variables. The behavioral and eye movement data were collected while the study subjects viewed pairs of alcohol-related and neutral pictures, or pairs of emotional and neutral pictures in a dot-probe paradigm. Dependent variables included behavioral indicators and eye movement indicators. Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), 7-tiem Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale (GAD-7), Patien Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), and Barratt Impulsiveness Scale (BIS-11) scales were used to assess psychosomatic conditions such as sleep, anxiety, depression, and impulsivity, respectively. Behavioral and eye movement characteristics of attention bias in the alcohol-dependent group were analyzed. In addition, the correlation with behavioral and eye movement characteristics of attention bias and scale scores was analyzed.Results·The behavioral results showed that the reaction time of the alcohol-dependent group was significantly longer than that of the healthy control group (P=0.006). The eye movement results showed that when the type of cue was alcohol-related picture, the alcohol-dependent group had slower attention detection (P=0.031) and longer attention maintenance (P=0.005) on alcohol-related cues. Moreover, the pupil size during the viewing of alcohol-related cues (P=0.001) and emotional cues (P=0.008) were significantly smaller than those of the healthy control group. It was also found that, there was a negative correlation between the correct rate of the alcohol-dependent group and the BIS-11 scale score (r=-0.437, P=0.032), and a positive correlation between reaction time and GAD-7 score (r=0.407, P=0.033). The time of the first visual fixation entry was positively correlated with GAD-7 score (r=0.414, P=0.045), and the PSQI score was positively correlated with PHQ-9 score (r=0.422, P=0.041) in the case group.Conclusion·Alcohol-dependent patients have attention bias towards alcohol-related cues according to the behavioral and eye movement result. Compared with the traditional behavioral regression of attention bias based on correct rate and reaction time results, eye movement provides more direct and multi indicator evidence for the evaluation of attention bias in alcohol-dependent patients

A Research of Methamphetamine Induced Psychosis in 1,430 Individuals With Methamphetamine Use Disorder: Clinical Features and Possible Risk Factors

Background and Aims: Methamphetamine (MA) abuse is commonly associated with the development of psychotic symptoms. The predictors and related risk factors of MA induced psychosis (MIP) are poorly understood. We investigated the occurrence of MIP, and analyzed the clinical features and possible risk factors among individuals with MA use disorderMethod: One thousand four hundred and thirty participants with MA use disorder were recruited from compulsory rehabilitation centers in Shanghai. A structured questionnaire including demographic characteristics, drug use history, visual analog scales, Beck Depression Inventory-13 (BDI-13), and Hamilton anxiety scale-14 (HAMA-14) were used to collect clinical related information. Fifty-six participants had accomplished the test of CogState Battery.Results: Among the 1430 individuals with MA use disorder, 37.1% were diagnosed as MIP according DSM-IV. There were significant differences in age, marital status, age of drug use onset, MA use years, Average MA use dose, interval of MA use, maximum dose, concurrent use of alcohol, and other drugs, VAS score, MA dependence, BDI-13 scores, HAMA-14 scores, verbal learning memory, and visual learning memory between the MIP group and the none MIP group (P < 0.05). The age of drug use onset (OR = 0.978, p = 0.011), average drug use dose (OR = 1.800, p = 0.015), craving score (OR = 1.069, p = 0.031), MA dependence (OR = 2.214, p < 0.001), and HAMA scores (OR = 1.028, p < 0.001) were associated to MIP.Conclusion: Individuals with MIP had more severe drug use problems, emotional symptoms and cognitive impairment. Earlier onset of drug use, higher quantity of drug use, higher craving, middle or severe drug use disorder and more anxiety symptoms may be related risk factors of MIP

Identifying Functional Genes Influencing Gossypium hirsutum Fiber Quality

Fiber quality is an important economic index and a major breeding goal in cotton, but direct phenotypic selection is often hindered due to environmental influences and linkage with yield traits. A genome-wide association study (GWAS) is a powerful tool to identify genes associated with phenotypic traits. In this study, we identified fiber quality genes in upland cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) using GWAS based on a high-density CottonSNP80K array and multiple environment tests. A total of 30 and 23 significant single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with five fiber quality traits were identified across the 408 cotton accessions in six environments and the best linear unbiased predictions, respectively. Among these SNPs, seven loci were the same, and 128 candidate genes were predicted in a 1-Mb region (±500 kb of the peak SNP). Furthermore, two major genome regions (GR1 and GR2) associated with multiple fiber qualities in multiple environments on chromosomes A07 and A13 were identified, and within them, 22 candidate genes were annotated. Of these, 11 genes were expressed [log2(1 + FPKM)>1] in the fiber development stages (5, 10, 20, and 25 dpa) using RNA-Seq. This study provides fundamental insight relevant to identification of genes associated with fiber quality and will accelerate future efforts toward improving fiber quality of upland cotton