Slower and Less Variable Binocular Rivalry Rates in Patients With Bipolar Disorder, OCD, Major Depression, and Schizophrenia

When two different images are presented to the two eyes dichoptically, observers usually experience a perceptual alternation between the two images. This phenomenon, known as binocular rivalry, has been used as a powerful tool to investigate mechanisms of visual awareness. It was also found that the rates of perceptual alternation are slower in patients with bipolar disorder than in healthy controls (Pettigrew and Miller, 1998; Miller et al., 2003). To investigate the broader clinical relevance of binocular rivalry in psychiatric disorders, we measured the perceptual alternation rates during rivalry in healthy controls (n = 39) and in patients with different types of psychiatric disorders, including bipolar disorder type I (BD, n = 28), obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD, n = 22), major depression (MD, n = 50), schizophrenia (SCZ, n = 44), and first-degree relatives (FDRs) of SCZ patients (n = 32). Participants viewed competing red–green images on a computer monitor through red–green anaglyph glasses and pressed buttons to record their perceptual alternations. The distributions of the rivalry rates were well described by a lognormal function in all groups. Critically, the median rate of perceptual alternation was 0.27 Hz for BD patients, 0.26 Hz for the OCD patients, 0.25 Hz for the MD patients, and 0.23 Hz and 0.27 Hz for the SCZ patients and their FDRs, respectively. All of which were significantly slower than the rate of 0.41 Hz obtained for the healthy controls, suggesting there may be shared genotypes between these different disorders. While rivalry alternations were generally slower in different types of psychiatric disorders compared to healthy controls, adding variance of rivalry rates in the analysis helped to partially separate among the different patient groups. Our results suggest that the slowing of binocular rivalry is likely due to certain common factors among the patient groups, but more subtle differences between different patient groups could be revealed when additional properties of rivalry dynamics are considered

Changes in Volatile Profiles and Activity of Hydroperoxide Lyase and Alcohol Dehydrogenase During the Development of Cabernet Sauvignon Grapes (Vitis vinifera L.)

In this study we focused on the development of Cabernet Sauvignon grapes and investigated changes in theactivity of alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) and hydroperoxide lyase (HPL) in different tissues. We sampledgrape skin at four, six, seven, eight, nine, 10, 12, 14 and 16 weeks after anthesis; developing flowers whenblooming at 0%, 5%, 50%, and 90%; and leaves at two and four weeks before anthesis and at two, four,six, eight, nine, and 10 weeks after anthesis. We also examined the type and fluctuation of volatile contents.ADH activity increased with the development of flowers and grape skins, which led to the increasing oftypes and concentration of alcohols. Low levels of 9-HPL led to low concentrations of C9 compounds.According to this paper, C6 compounds became abundant with the development of grape berries, while theactivity of 13-HPL kept at a low level in the flowers and grape skins. There might have been a high level of13-HPL activity from the end of flowering until fruit setting that we did not detect. Furthermore, similarC6 and C5 compounds were detected across all tissues, including hexanal, (E)-2-hexenal, (Z)-3-hexenal,(Z)-2-penten-1-ol, (Z)-3-hexen-1-ol, 1-hexanol and 3-hexen-1-ol. Generally speaking, the concentrations ofC6 and C5 compounds could be used as the criterion of maturation of the three grape tissues

Sequencing and analysis of the complete genome of Rana grylio virus (RGV)

Infection with Rana grylio virus (RGV), an iridovirus isolated in China in 1995, resulted in a high mortality rate in frogs. The complete genome sequence of RGV was determined and analyzed. The genomic DNA was 105,791 bp long, with 106 open reading frames (ORFs). Dot plot analysis showed that the gene order of RGV shared colinearity with three completely sequenced ranaviruses. A phylogenetic tree was constructed based on concatenated sequences of iridovirus 26 core-gene-encoded proteins, and the result showed high bootstrap support for RGV being a member of the genus Ranavirus and that iridoviruses of other genera also clustered closely. A microRNA (miRNA) prediction revealed that RGV could encode 18 mature miRNAs, many of which were located near genes associated with virus replication. Thirty-three repeated sequences were found in the RGV genome. These results provide insight into the genetic nature of RGV and are useful for laboratory diagnosis for vertebrate iridoviruses.Infection with Rana grylio virus (RGV), an iridovirus isolated in China in 1995, resulted in a high mortality rate in frogs. The complete genome sequence of RGV was determined and analyzed. The genomic DNA was 105,791 bp long, with 106 open reading frames (ORFs). Dot plot analysis showed that the gene order of RGV shared colinearity with three completely sequenced ranaviruses. A phylogenetic tree was constructed based on concatenated sequences of iridovirus 26 core-gene-encoded proteins, and the result showed high bootstrap support for RGV being a member of the genus Ranavirus and that iridoviruses of other genera also clustered closely. A microRNA (miRNA) prediction revealed that RGV could encode 18 mature miRNAs, many of which were located near genes associated with virus replication. Thirty-three repeated sequences were found in the RGV genome. These results provide insight into the genetic nature of RGV and are useful for laboratory diagnosis for vertebrate iridoviruses

Deciphering neo-sex and B chromosome evolution by the draft genome of Drosophila albomicans

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p><it>Drosophila albomicans </it>is a unique model organism for studying both sex chromosome and B chromosome evolution. A pair of its autosomes comprising roughly 40% of the whole genome has fused to the ancient X and Y chromosomes only about 0.12 million years ago, thereby creating the youngest and most gene-rich neo-sex system reported to date. This species also possesses recently derived B chromosomes that show non-Mendelian inheritance and significantly influence fertility.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We sequenced male flies with B chromosomes at 124.5-fold genome coverage using next-generation sequencing. To characterize neo-Y specific changes and B chromosome sequences, we also sequenced inbred female flies derived from the same strain but without B's at 28.5-fold.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We assembled a female genome and placed 53% of the sequence and 85% of the annotated proteins into specific chromosomes, by comparison with the 12 <it>Drosophila genomes</it>. Despite its very recent origin, the non-recombining neo-Y chromosome shows various signs of degeneration, including a significant enrichment of non-functional genes compared to the neo-X, and an excess of tandem duplications relative to other chromosomes. We also characterized a B-chromosome linked scaffold that contains an actively transcribed unit and shows sequence similarity to the subcentromeric regions of both the ancient X and the neo-X chromosome.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Our results provide novel insights into the very early stages of sex chromosome evolution and B chromosome origination, and suggest an unprecedented connection between the births of these two systems in <it>D. albomicans</it>.</p

Skin infectome of patients with a tick bite history

IntroductionTicks are the most important obligate blood-feeding vectors of human pathogens. With the advance of high-throughput sequencing, more and more bacterial community and virome in tick has been reported, which seems to pose a great threat to people.MethodsA total of 14 skin specimens collected from tick-bite patients with mild to severe symptoms were analyzed through meta-transcriptomic sequencings.ResultsFour bacteria genera were both detected in the skins and ticks, including Pseudomonas, Acinetobacter, Corynebacterium and Propionibacterium, and three tick-associated viruses, Jingmen tick virus (JMTV), Bole tick virus 4 (BLTV4) and Deer tick mononegavirales-like virus (DTMV) were identified in the skin samples. Except of known pathogens such as pathogenic rickettsia, Coxiella burnetii and JMTV, we suggest Roseomonas cervicalis and BLTV4 as potential new agents amplified in the skins and then disseminated into the blood. As early as 1 day after a tick-bite, these pathogens can transmit to skins and at most four ones can co-infect in skins.DiscussionAdvances in sequencing technologies have revealed that the diversity of tick microbiome and virome goes far beyond our previous understanding. This report not only identifies three new potential pathogens in humans but also shows that the skin barrier is vital in preventing horizontal transmissions of tick-associated bacteria or virus communities to the host. It is the first research on patients’ skin infectome after a tick bite and demonstrates that more attention should be paid to the cutaneous response to prevent tick-borne illness

The global response: How cities and provinces around the globe tackled Covid-19 outbreaks in 2021

Background: Tackling the spread of COVID-19 remains a crucial part of ending the pandemic. Its highly contagious nature and constant evolution coupled with a relative lack of immunity make the virus difficult to control. For this, various strategies have been proposed and adopted including limiting contact, social isolation, vaccination, contact tracing, etc. However, given the heterogeneity in the enforcement of these strategies and constant fluctuations in the strictness levels of these strategies, it becomes challenging to assess the true impact of these strategies in controlling the spread of COVID-19.Methods: In the present study, we evaluated various transmission control measures that were imposed in 10 global urban cities and provinces in 2021 Bangkok, Gauteng, Ho Chi Minh City, Jakarta, London, Manila City, New Delhi, New York City, Singapore, and Tokyo.Findings: Based on our analysis, we herein propose the population-level Swiss cheese model for the failures and pit-falls in various strategies that each of these cities and provinces had. Furthermore, whilst all the evaluated cities and provinces took a different personalized approach to managing the pandemic, what remained common was dynamic enforcement and monitoring of breaches of each barrier of protection. The measures taken to reinforce the barriers were adjusted continuously based on the evolving epidemiological situation.Interpretation: How an individual city or province handled the pandemic profoundly affected and determined how the entire country handled the pandemic since the chain of transmission needs to be broken at the very grassroot level to achieve nationwide control

Search for dark matter produced in association with bottom or top quarks in √s = 13 TeV pp collisions with the ATLAS detector

A search for weakly interacting massive particle dark matter produced in association with bottom or top quarks is presented. Final states containing third-generation quarks and miss- ing transverse momentum are considered. The analysis uses 36.1 fb−1 of proton–proton collision data recorded by the ATLAS experiment at √s = 13 TeV in 2015 and 2016. No significant excess of events above the estimated backgrounds is observed. The results are in- terpreted in the framework of simplified models of spin-0 dark-matter mediators. For colour- neutral spin-0 mediators produced in association with top quarks and decaying into a pair of dark-matter particles, mediator masses below 50 GeV are excluded assuming a dark-matter candidate mass of 1 GeV and unitary couplings. For scalar and pseudoscalar mediators produced in association with bottom quarks, the search sets limits on the production cross- section of 300 times the predicted rate for mediators with masses between 10 and 50 GeV and assuming a dark-matter mass of 1 GeV and unitary coupling. Constraints on colour- charged scalar simplified models are also presented. Assuming a dark-matter particle mass of 35 GeV, mediator particles with mass below 1.1 TeV are excluded for couplings yielding a dark-matter relic density consistent with measurements