RETRACTED: Effect of the Extract of Fructus Tribuli on Growth of Lactobacillus Acidophilus

This article has been retracted: please see Elsevier Policy on Article Withdrawal (http://www.elsevier.com/locate/withdrawalpolicy).This article has been retracted at the request of the Editors.This article was accidentally included in this Proceedings, which neither the Editors nor the Authors intended

Inefficient DMN Suppression in Schizophrenia Patients with Impaired Cognitive Function but not Patients with Preserved Cognitive Function

Previous studies have observed reduced suppression of the default mode network (DMN) during cognitive tasks in schizophrenia, suggesting inefficient DMN suppression is critical for the cognitive deficits of schizophrenia. Cognitive function in schizophrenia patients, however, varies from relatively intact to severely impaired. This study, which compared the DMN suppression patterns between first-episode schizophrenia patients with (SZ-Imp) and without (SZ-Pre) impaired cognitive function, may provide further insight into the role of DMN dysfunction in cognitive deficits of schizophrenia. Independent component analysis (ICA) was applied to resting-state fMRI data to identify the DMN in each subject, and then general linear modeling based on the task-fMRI data was used to examine the different DMN activation patterns between groups. We observed that the SZ-Imp group, but not the SZ-Pre group, showed reduced suppression in the medial prefrontal cortex and posterior cingulated cortexPrevious studies have observed reduced suppression of the default mode network (DMN) when compared to the healthy controls (HC) group. Moreover, less DMN suppression was associated with poorer task performance in both HC and patient groups. Our findings provide the first direct evidence that disrupted DMN activity only exists in schizophrenia patients with impaired cognitive function, supporting the specific neuro-pathological role of inefficient DMN suppression in cognitive deficits of first-episode schizophrenia

The role of autophagy in cardiovascular disease: Cross-interference of signaling pathways and underlying therapeutic targets

Autophagy is a conserved lysosomal pathway for the degradation of cytoplasmic proteins and organelles, which realizes the metabolic needs of cells and the renewal of organelles. Autophagy-related genes (ATGs) are the main molecular mechanisms controlling autophagy, and their functions can coordinate the whole autophagic process. Autophagy can also play a role in cardiovascular disease through several key signaling pathways, including PI3K/Akt/mTOR, IGF/EGF, AMPK/mTOR, MAPKs, p53, Nrf2/p62, Wnt/β-catenin and NF-κB pathways. In this paper, we reviewed the signaling pathway of cross-interference between autophagy and cardiovascular diseases, and analyzed the development status of novel cardiovascular disease treatment by targeting the core molecular mechanism of autophagy as well as the critical signaling pathway. Induction or inhibition of autophagy through molecular mechanisms and signaling pathways can provide therapeutic benefits for patients. Meanwhile, we hope to provide a unique insight into cardiovascular treatment strategies by understanding the molecular mechanism and signaling pathway of crosstalk between autophagy and cardiovascular diseases

Two-Dimensional Platinum Telluride with Ordered Te Vacancy Superlattice for Efficient and Robust Hydrogen Evolution

Defect engineering to activate the basal planes of transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) is critical for the development of TMD-based electrocatalysts as the chemical inertness of basal planes restrict their potential applications in hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). Here, we report the synthesis and evaluation of few-layer (7x7)-PtTe2-x with an ordered, well-defined and high-density Te vacancy superlattice. Compared with pristine PtTe2, (2x2)-PtTe2-x and Pt(111), (7x7)-PtTe2-x exhibits superior HER activities in both acidic and alkaline electrolytes due to its rich structures of undercoordinated Pt sites. Furthermore, the (7x7)-PtTe2-x sample features outstanding catalytic stability even compared to the state-of-the-art Pt/C catalyst. Theoretical calculations reveal that the interactions between various undercoordinated Pt sites due to proximity effect can provide superior undercoordinated Pt sites for hydrogen adsorption and water dissociation. This work will enrich the understanding of the relationship between defect structures and electrocatalytic activities and provide a promising route to develop efficient Pt-based TMD electrocatalysts

Potent Neutralization of Influenza A Virus by a Single-Domain Antibody Blocking M2 Ion Channel Protein

Influenza A virus poses serious health threat to humans. Neutralizing antibodies against the highly conserved M2 ion channel is thought to offer broad protection against influenza A viruses. Here, we screened synthetic Camel single-domain antibody (VHH) libraries against native M2 ion channel protein. One of the isolated VHHs, M2-7A, specifically bound to M2-expressed cell membrane as well as influenza A virion, inhibited replication of both amantadine-sensitive and resistant influenza A viruses in vitro, and protected mice from a lethal influenza virus challenge. Moreover, M2-7A showed blocking activity for proton influx through M2 ion channel. These pieces of evidence collectively demonstrate for the first time that a neutralizing antibody against M2 with broad specificity is achievable, and M2-7A may have potential for cross protection against a number of variants and subtypes of influenza A viruses

Robust estimation of bacterial cell count from optical density

Optical density (OD) is widely used to estimate the density of cells in liquid culture, but cannot be compared between instruments without a standardized calibration protocol and is challenging to relate to actual cell count. We address this with an interlaboratory study comparing three simple, low-cost, and highly accessible OD calibration protocols across 244 laboratories, applied to eight strains of constitutive GFP-expressing E. coli. Based on our results, we recommend calibrating OD to estimated cell count using serial dilution of silica microspheres, which produces highly precise calibration (95.5% of residuals <1.2-fold), is easily assessed for quality control, also assesses instrument effective linear range, and can be combined with fluorescence calibration to obtain units of Molecules of Equivalent Fluorescein (MEFL) per cell, allowing direct comparison and data fusion with flow cytometry measurements: in our study, fluorescence per cell measurements showed only a 1.07-fold mean difference between plate reader and flow cytometry data