Associations between psychopathic traits and brain activity during instructed false responding

Lying is one of the characteristic features of psychopathy, and has been recognized in clinical and diagnostic descriptions of the disorder, yet individuals with psychopathic traits have been found to have reduced neural activity in many of the brain regions that are important for lying. In this study, we examine brain activity in sixteen individuals with varying degrees of psychopathic traits during a task in which they are instructed to falsify information or tell the truth about autobiographical and non-autobiographical facts, some of which was related to criminal behavior. We found that psychopathic traits were primarily associated with increased activity in the anterior cingulate, various regions of the prefrontal cortex, insula, angular gyrus, and the inferior parietal lobe when participants falsified information of any type. Associations tended to be stronger when participants falsified information about criminal behaviors. Although this study was conducted in a small sample of individuals and the task used has limited ecological validity, these findings support a growing body of literature suggesting that in some contexts, individuals with higher levels of psychopathic traits may demonstrate heightened levels of brain activity

The Physiological Mechanism of Improved Formaldehyde Resistance in Petunia hybrida Harboring a Mammalian cyp2e1 Gene

AbstractCytochrome P450 CYP2E1 is mainly present in hepatocytes in the livers of mammals, where it plays an important role in the metabolism of xenobiotic organic substances. Previous studies showed that transgenic petunia (Petunia hybrid) plants harboring a mammalian cyp2e1 gene (designated cyp2e1-transgenic petunia) exhibited increased resistance to formaldehyde stress. In this study, we used cyp2e1-transgenic petunia plants to analyze physiological indexes related to formaldehyde stress responses. The results indicated that under formaldehyde stress, the malondialdehyde content in cyp2e1-transgenic petunia plants was lower than in β-glucuronidase gene (gus)-transgenic and wild-type petunia plants. The activities of both superoxide dismutase and peroxidase in the cyp2e1-transgenic plants were higher than in gus-transgenic and wild-type plants. The alcohol dehydrogenase activity was slightly increased and more glutathione was consumed. Additionally, under formaldehyde stress, the levels of plant hormones including indole-3-acetic acid, zeatin and abscisic acid in cyp2e1-transgenic petunia plants displayed decreasing trends, whereas the level of gibberellic acid displayed an increasing trend. In contrast, the indole-3-acetic acid, zeatin and abscisic acid levels in gus-transgenic and wild-type petunia plants displayed increasing trends, whereas the gibberellic acid level displayed a decreasing trend. At 72h after incubation of 0.5g of cyp2e1-transgenic petunia plants in 40mL of treatment solution containing formaldehyde at 50mg · L−1, the formaldehyde content remaining in the treatment solution was close to zero while approximately half of original formaldehyde remained in the treatment solutions containing gus-transgenic and wild-type petunia plants

SU6668 suppresses proliferation of triple negative breast cancer cells through down-regulating MTDH expression

BACKGROUND: The multiple tyrosine kinase inhibitors SU6668 have a promising therapeutic effect on the progression of hematological malignancies and some solid tumors. Here, we determined its effect on triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) cells and explored the potential molecular mechanism. METHODS: In this study, MDA-MB-231 cells were treated with SU6668 (15 μM, 30 μM) for 72 h and the change of proliferation was examined by MTT and tablet cloning. DNA ploidy was detected by flow cytometric analysis with PI staining. Double-label immunofluorescence method was used to detect the expression and distribution of MTDH proteins. VEGFR2, HIF-1α, MTDH, E-cadhrein, and SMA expressions were detected by Western bolt assay. RESULTS: This study showed that SU6668 inhibited the proliferation and induced polyploidization of MDA-MB-231 cells in a dose dependent form. SU6668 exposure increased the distribution of MTDH in cytoplasm and decreased its distribution in nuclei. After the treatment of SU6668, VEGFR2, HIF-1α, MTDH and SMA proteins were down-regulated, while E-cadhrein was up-regulated in MDA-MB-231 cells. CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, SU6668 exposure maybe induces polyploidization, inhibit EMT and influence the expression of MTDH, which suppresses the proliferation in TNBC cells. MTDH is a key signal protein in downstream of VEGF/HIF-1αpathway in MDA-MB-231 cells, which may be used as the potential target in the treatment of TNBC

GW29-e1129 Clinical Outcomes Associated with Medical Management versus Coronary Intervention in Patients with Acute Coronary Syndrome

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Overexpression of MsSAG113 gene promotes leaf senescence in alfalfa via participating in the hormone regulatory network

IntroductionAlfalfa (Medicago sativa) is a kind of high quality leguminous forage species, which was widely cultivated in the world. Leaf senescence is an essential process in plant development and life cycle. Here, we reported the isolation and functional analysis of an alfalfa SENESCENCE-ASSOCIATED GENE113 (MsSAG113), which belongs to the PP2C family and mainly plays a role in promoting plant senescence.MethodsIn the study, Agrobacterium-mediated, gene expression analysis, next generation sequencing, DNA pull-down, yeast single hybridization and transient expression were used to identify the function of MsSAG113 gene.ResultsThe MsSAG113 gene was isolated from alfalfa, and the transgenic plants were obtained by Agrobacterium-mediated method. Compared with the wildtype, transgenic plants showed premature senescence in leaves, especially when cultivated under dark conditions. Meanwhile, application of exogenous hormones ABA, SA, MeJA, obviously acclerated leaf senescence of transgenic plants. Furthermore, the detached leaves from transgenic plants turned yellow earlier with lower chlorophyll content. Transcriptome analysis identified a total of 1,392 differentially expressed genes (DEGs), involving 13 transcription factor families. Of which, 234 genes were related to phytohormone synthesis, metabolism and transduction. Pull-down assay and yeast one-hybrid assay confirmed that alfalfa zinc finger CCCH domain-containing protein 39 (MsC3H-39) could directly bind the upstream of MsSAG113 gene. In conclusion, the MsSAG113 gene plays a crucial role in promoting leaf senescence in alfalfa via participating in the hormone regulatory network.DiscussionThis provides an essential basis for further analysis on the regulatory network involving senescence-associated genes in alfalfa

The relationship between oxygen therapy, drug therapy, and COVID-19 mortality

Since December, 2019, Wuhan, China, has experienced an outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). We conducted a retrospective study of COVID-19 inpatients in Wuhan Pulmonary Hospital (Wuhan, China) from January 1 to February 29, 2020. The subjects were divided into four groups due to different treatment regimes. We used the Kaplan–Meier method to determine the cumulative rates of in-hospital death and the Cox proportional hazard model to calculate the risk factors and corresponding hazard ratios. A total of 185 patients were included in this study. The median age of the patients was 62 years, including 94 men and 91 women. Kaplan–Meier analysis demonstrated that mortality was higher in older patients, higher in men, and lower in the low-flow oxygen therapy group. Body mass index (BMI) had no influence on mortality, as well as high flow oxygen therapy, Lopinavir–ritonavir (LPV/r) therapy, and the interferon-alpha add LPV/r therapy. Cox proportional hazard regression confirmed that the low flow oxygen therapy was independent protective factor for in-hospital death after adjusting for age, gender, and BMI. In conclusion, the mortality was higher in older patients, higher in men, and lower in the low-flow oxygen therapy group. BMI had no influence on mortality, as well as high flow oxygen therapy, LPV/r therapy, and interferon-alpha add LPV/r therapy

Genomic analysis of oesophageal squamous-cell carcinoma identifies alcohol drinking-related mutation signature and genomic alterations

Approximately half of the world's 500,000 new oesophageal squamous-cell carcinoma (ESCC) cases each year occur in China. Here, we show whole-genome sequencing of DNA and RNA in 94 Chinese individuals with ESCC. We identify six mutational signatures (E1–E6), and Signature E4 is unique in ESCC linked to alcohol intake and genetic variants in alcohol-metabolizing enzymes. We discover significantly recurrent mutations in 20 protein-coding genes, 4 long non-coding RNAs and 10 untranslational regions. Functional analyses show six genes that have recurrent copy-number variants in three squamous-cell carcinomas (oesophageal, head and neck and lung) significantly promote cancer cell proliferation, migration and invasion. The most frequently affected genes by structural variation are LRP1B and TTC28. The aberrant cell cycle and PI3K-AKT pathways seem critical in ESCC. These results establish a comprehensive genomic landscape of ESCC and provide potential targets for precision treatment and prevention of the cancer