Category-based attention facilitates memory search.

We often need to decide whether the object we look at is also the object we look for. When we look for one specific object, this process can be facilitated by feature-based attention. However, when we look for many objects at the same time (e.g., the products on our shopping list) such a strategy may no longer be possible, as research has shown that we can actively prepare to detect only one or two objects at a time. Therefore, looking for multiple objects additionally requires long-term memory search, slowing down decision making. Interestingly, however, previous research has shown that distractor objects can be efficiently rejected during memory search when they are from a different category than the items in the memory set. Here, using EEG, we show that this efficiency is supported by top-down attention at the category level. In Experiment 1, human participants (both sexes) performed a memory search task on individually presented objects from different categories, most of which were distractors. We observed category-level attentional modulation of distractor processing from ∼150 ms after stimulus onset, expressed both as an evoked response modulation and as an increase in decoding accuracy of same-category distractors. In Experiment 2, memory search was performed on two concurrently presented objects. When both objects were distractors, spatial attention (indexed by the N2pc component) was directed to the object that was of the same category as the objects in the memory set. Together, these results demonstrate how top-down attention can facilitate memory search.Significance statement When we are in the supermarket, we repeatedly decide whether a product we look at (e.g., a banana) is on our memorized shopping list (e.g., apples, oranges, kiwis). This requires searching our memory, which takes time. However, when the product is of an entirely different category (e.g., dairy instead of fruit), the decision can be made quickly. Here, we used EEG to show that this between-category advantage in memory search tasks is supported by top-down attentional modulation of visual processing: The visual response evoked by distractor objects was modulated by category membership, and spatial attention was quickly directed to the location of within-category (vs. between-category) distractors. These results demonstrate a close link between attention and memory.

How National Health Insurance Coverage Policy Affected the Use of Trastuzumab and Rituximab in China: A Bicentric Retrospective Study.

Background: Cancer is a significant health concern and is China's leading cause of mortality. Targeted therapies, such as trastuzumab and rituximab, have enhanced clinical treatment efficacy. However, their high costs burden patients and healthcare systems considerably. Patient demographic factors further influence the utilization of these expensive drugs. On September 1, 2017, China implemented the National Health Insurance Coverage (NHIC) policy, necessitating additional real-world evidence to assess its impact on patients. Methods: Data on human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-positive breast cancer and CD20-positive non-Hodgkin B-cell lymphoma patients were gathered in Jiangsu Cancer Hospital and Fujian Cancer Hospital from September 2015 to August 2019, including demographic and clinical information. All eligible patients were divided into two groups. Univariate analysis and multivariable logistic regression were used to investigate the differences between subgroups. An interrupted time-series regression was used to examine the change in trastuzumab and rituximab utilization percentages. Results: Before and after the NHIC policy, utilization of trastuzumab increased from 61.13% to 75.10%, and the increase was statistically significant. Rituximab therapy increased statistically significantly from 64.79% to 74.88%. The key factor influencing trastuzumab and rituximab use was the NHIC policy. With policy implementation, medical insurance status, occupations, and cancer disease stage affected trastuzumab and rituximab use. Conclusion: The NHIC policy is essential to the utilization of trastuzumab and rituximab, and the patient's income level and repayment abilities continue to impact the use of innovative anti-cancer drugs. Appropriate steps, such as reducing the urban-rural gap and broadening medical insurance coverage, would enable more people to access novel anti-cancer drugs.

The workload capacity of semantic search in convergent thinking.

The present study used Systems Factorial Technology (Townsend & Nozawa, 1995) to investigate how people combine dual cues in semantic memory search. Our aims were (a) to understand how cues interact during the process of semantic search in convergent thinking and (b) to determine how workload capacity (i.e. cue-processing efficiency) is related to search performance. In two experiments, participants completed a typical convergent thinking test and a word production task. The results revealed that: (a) collective evidence supports similar patterns in cue-combination strategy despite individual differences in workload capacity, and (b) there exists a negative correlation between workload capacity and performance on convergent thinking test. A potential explanation is that, for the creative individual, loading many candidate answers leads to consumption of substantial processing resources that obtains as low workload capacity but also allows creative individuals to switch more easily from one candidate to another so that there is a higher probability of successfully producing an answer within a limited time. Our results further imply that workload capacity is a significant factor for the semantic search process in convergent thinking and provides new insight on the model of semantic search and creativity. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Impact of the National Health Insurance Coverage Policy on the Utilisation and Accessibility of Innovative Anti-cancer Medicines in China: An Interrupted Time-Series Study.

Objective: The study aimed to evaluate the impact of the National Health Insurance Coverage (NHIC) policy on the utilisation and accessibility of innovative anti-cancer medicines in Nanjing, China. Methods: We used the adjusted World Health Organisation and Health Action International methodology to calculate the price and availability of 15 innovative anti-cancer medicines included in the National Health Insurance drug list in 20 tertiary hospitals and six secondary hospitals in Nanjing before and after NHIC policy implementation. Interrupted time-series regression was used to analyse the changes in the utilisation of the study medicines. Results: The price reduction rates of innovative anti-cancer medicines ranged between 34 and 65%. The mean availability rate was 27.44% before policy implementation and increased to 47.33% after policy implementation. The utilisation of anti-cancer medicines suddenly increased with a slope of 33.19-2,628.39 when the policy was implemented. Moreover, the usage rate of bevacizumab, bortezomib, and apatinib significantly increased (p < 0.001, p = 0.009, and p < 0.001, respectively) after policy implementation. With regard to price reduction and medical insurance reimbursement, the medicines became more affordable after policy implementation (0.06-1.90 times the per capita annual disposable income for urban patients and 0.13-4.46 times the per capita annual disposable income for rural patients). Conclusion: The NHIC policy, which was released by the central government, effectively improved the utilisation and affordability of innovative anti-cancer medicines. However, the availability of innovative anti-cancer medicines in hospitals remained low and the utilisation of innovative anti-cancer medicines was affected by some factors, including the incidence of cancer, limitation of indications within the insurance program, and the rational use of innovative anti-cancer medicines. It is necessary to improve relevant supporting policies to promote the affordability of patients. The government should speed up the process of price negotiation to include more innovative anti-cancer medicines in the medical insurance coverage, consider including both medical examinations and adjuvant chemotherapy in the medical insurance, and increase investment in health care.

Cellular uptake of chitosan and its role in antifungal action against Penicillium expansum.

Chitosan has wide-spectrum antimicrobial activity but knowledge of its antifungal mechanism is still incomplete. In this study, transcriptome of Penicillium expansum upon chitosan treatment was analyzed by RNA-Seq. KEGG enrichment analysis revealed that endocytosis as well as other physiological pathways was regulated by chitosan treatment. Clathrin adaptor protein mu-subunit (PeCAM) gene, which encodes a protein associated with clathrin-dependent endocytosis, was up-regulated after chitosan treatment. Deletion of PeCAM resulted in changes of conidial, hyphal and colonial morphology. Confocal microscopy images of the distribution of fluorescein isothiocyanate-labeled chitosan confirmed cellular internalization of chitosan. However, deletion of PeCAM almost completely blocked uptake of chitosan into fungal cells and ΔPeCAM mutant exhibited less sensitivity to chitosan compared with wild type, suggesting that chitosan uptake is mediated by clathrin-dependent endocytosis and internalized chitosan also plays an important role in its antifungal activity. Collectively, our results provide a new insight into the antifungal mechanism of chitosan.

Systolic overload-induced pulmonary inflammation, fibrosis, oxidative stress and heart failure progression through interleukin-1ß.

Chronic heart failure is associated with increased interleukin-1ß (IL-1ß), leukocyte infiltration, and fibrosis in the heart and lungs. Here we further studied the role of IL-1ß in the transition from left heart failure to pulmonary hypertension and right ventricular hypertrophy in mice with existing left heart failure produced by transverse aortic constriction. We demonstrated that transverse aortic constriction-induced heart failure was associated with increased lung inflammation and cleaved IL-1ß, and inhibition of IL-1ß signaling using blocking antibodies of clone B122 effectively attenuated further decrease of left ventricular systolic function in mice with existing heart failure. We found that inhibition of IL-1ß attenuated lung inflammation, inflammasome activation, fibrosis, oxidative stress, and right ventricular hypertrophy. IL-1ß blocking antibodies of clone B122 also significantly attenuated lung T cell activation. Together, these data indicate that IL-1ß signaling exerts a causal role for heart failure progression, or the transition from left heart failure to lung remodeling and right heart hypertrophy.

First and Second Language Reading Difficulty Among Chinese-English Bilingual Children: The Prevalence and Influences From Demographic Characteristics.

Learning to read a second language (L2) can pose a great challenge for children who have already been struggling to read in their first language (L1). Moreover, it is not clear whether, to what extent, and under what circumstances L1 reading difficulty increases the risk of L2 reading difficulty. This study investigated Chinese (L1) and English (L2) reading skills in a large representative sample of 1,824 Chinese-English bilingual children in Grades 4 and 5 from both urban and rural schools in Beijing. We examined the prevalence of reading difficulty in Chinese only (poor Chinese readers, PC), English only (poor English readers, PE), and both Chinese and English (poor bilingual readers, PB) and calculated the co-occurrence, that is, the chances of becoming a poor reader in English given that the child was already a poor reader in Chinese. We then conducted a multinomial logistic regression analysis and compared the prevalence of PC, PE, and PB between children in Grade 4 versus Grade 5, in urban versus rural areas, and in boys versus girls. Results showed that compared to girls, boys demonstrated significantly higher risk of PC, PE, and PB. Meanwhile, compared to the 5th graders, the 4th graders demonstrated significantly higher risk of PC and PB. In addition, children enrolled in the urban schools were more likely to become better second language readers, thus leading to a concerning rural-urban gap in the prevalence of L2 reading difficulty. Finally, among these Chinese-English bilingual children, regardless of sex and school location, poor reading skill in Chinese significantly increased the risk of also being a poor English reader, with a considerable and stable co-occurrence of approximately 36%. In sum, this study suggests that despite striking differences between alphabetic and logographic writing systems, L1 reading difficulty still significantly increases the risk of L2 reading difficulty. This indicates the shared meta-linguistic skills in reading different writing systems and the importance of understanding the universality and the interdependent relationship of reading between different writing systems. Furthermore, the male disadvantage (in both L1 and L2) and the urban-rural gap (in L2) found in the prevalence of reading difficulty calls for special attention to disadvantaged populations in educational practice.

Isolevuglandin scavenger attenuates pressure overload-induced cardiac oxidative stress, cardiac hypertrophy, heart failure and lung remodeling.

Increased levels of reactive isolevuglandins (IsoLGs) are associated with vascular inflammation and hypertension, two important factors affect heart failure (HF) development. The role of IsoLGs in HF development is unknown. Here we studied the role of IsoLG scavenger 2-hydroxybenzylamine (2-HOBA) in transverse aortic constriction (TAC) induced heart failure. We observed that TAC caused a significant increase of IsoLG protein adducts in cardiac and lung tissues in mice. Both IsoLG scavenger 2-hydroxybenzylamine (2-HOBA) and its less reactive isomer 4-hydroxybenzylamine (4-HOBA) significantly attenuated the left ventricular (LV) and lung IsoLGs in mice after TAC. 2-HOBA and 4-HOBA attenuated TAC-induced LV hypertrophy, heart failure, and the increase of lung weight in mice, and also improved TAC-induced LV dysfunction. Moreover, both 2-HOBA and 4-HOBA effectively attenuated LV cardiomyocyte hypertrophy, lung inflammation, lung fibrosis. These findings suggest that methods to reduce IsoLGs may be useful for HF therapy.

Plantamajoside attenuates isoproterenol-induced cardiac hypertrophy associated with the HDAC2 and AKT/ GSK-3ß signaling pathway.

As a compensatory response to cardiac overload, cardiac hypertrophy is closely associated with the occurrence and development of a variety of cardiovascular diseases, in which histone deacetylase 2 (HDAC2) has been reported to play an important role. Plantamajoside (PMS) is an active component extracted from Herba Plantaginis, which is a traditional Chinese medicine, and many biological activities of PMS have been reported. Here, we investigated the effects and mechanism of PMS on isoproterenol (ISO)-induced cardiac hypertrophy. ISO at 10 µmol/L was used in vitro to induce H9c2 cardiomyocyte hypertrophy. Cell viability and cell surface area were determined by MTT assay and immunocytochemistry, respectively. Furthermore, an in vivo, cardiac hypertrophy model was established by subcutaneous injection of ISO. Pathological alterations and fibrosis in the myocardium were studied by H&E and Masson's trichrome staining, respectively. Myocardial injury-related genes and proteins were detected by real-time PCR and western blotting. HDAC2 and its downstream proteins, AKT and GSK3ß, were analyzed by western blotting. Our results showed that, in vitro, PMS inhibited the ISO-induced increase in H9c2 cell surface area and the mRNA expression of ANP, BNP and Myh7. In vivo, PMS improved the ISO-induced decrease in cardiac function, inhibited the increase in cardiac anatomical parameters and alleviated the histopathological changes in cardiac tissues. Moreover, PMS inhibited the mRNA and protein expression of ANP, BNP, Myh7, COL1 and COL3. Furthermore, PMS suppressed the activity of HDAC2 and down-regulated the expression of the downstream proteins p-AKT and p-GSK3ß both in vitro and in vivo. Overall, our results indicated that PMS exerts significant cardioprotective effects against ISO-induced cardiac hypertrophy, and this protective effect may be mediated by inhibition of the HDAC2 and AKT/GSK-3ß signaling pathway.

Analysis of multidrug-resistant bacteria in 3223 patients with hospital-acquired infections (HAI) from a tertiary general hospital in China.

The frequency of antimicrobial resistance has increased globally due to misuse and overuse of antibiotics, and multi-drug resistant (MDR) bacteria are now recognized as a major cause of hospital-acquired infections (HAI). Our aim was to investigate the prevalence, distribution, and antimicrobial susceptibility rates of MDR bacteria in patients with HAI from a tertiary hospital in China. We retrospectively evaluated all patients with a confirmed diagnosis of bacterial infection at a tertiary general hospital in Jining, for the period between January 2012 and December 2014. The following clinical and demographic data were collected: age, sex, specimens, treatment, microbiology results, and antibiotic resistance patterns of isolates. Bacterial identification and susceptibility testing were performed using VITEK 2 COMPACT system. We screened a total of 15,588 patients, out of which 7579 (48.6%) had an HAI. MDR showed 3223 out of 7579 isolates (42.5%). The most frequently isolated MDR bacteria in patients with HAI were extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL)-producing Escherichia coli (n = 1216/3223, 37.7%), MDR Pseudomonas aeruginosa (n = 627/3223, 19.5%) and MDR Acinetobacter baumannii (n = 588/3223, 18.2%). MDR-HAI were more common in males (2074/3223, 64.4%) and in elderly patients (≥60 years; 1196/3223, 37.1%). Sputum was the main source of MDR isolates (2056/3223, 63.8%). Patients with MDR-HAI were predominantly distributed in different types of intensive care units. MDR strains in our study showed resistance to most current antibiotics. Overall, patients with HAI infections attributed to MDR bacteria were widely distributed in our hospital. Enhanced surveillance of MDR bacteria is critical for guiding the rational use of antibiotics and reducing the incidence of HAI.

Function of miR-25 in the invasion and metastasis of esophageal squamous carcinoma cells and bioinformatical analysis of the miR-106b-25 cluster.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs/miRs) are a class of small, non-coding RNA molecules that serve a key function in carcinogenesis and tumor progression. Recent evidence indicates that miRNAs may act as powerful regulators of migration and invasion. The present study aimed to investigate the effect of miR-25 on the invasion and metastasis of KYSE-150 and EC109 esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) cells, and predict the mechanism of this effect by bioinformatically analyzing the miR-106b-25 cluster. In order to alter the expression of miR-25 in the two cell lines, a miR-25 inhibitor or mimic were transfected into the cells, which were then studied via Transwell migration and invasion assays. Subsequently, the target genes of the miR-106b-25 cluster were predicted using miRanda, PicTar, TargetScan and miRTarbase, and the functions of the target genes were predicted via Gene Ontology term and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway enrichment analyses. Then, a protein-protein interaction (PPI) network was produced using the Search Tool for the Retrieval of Interacting Genes. The results revealed that overexpressing miR-25 led to significantly increased cell migration and invasion in KYSE150 and EC109 cells. Suppressing miR-25 resulted in significantly decreased cell migration and invasion in KYSE150 cells, while the result was not significant in EC109 cells. Target genes of the miR-106b-25 cluster were significantly enriched in the biological process regulation of cellular metabolic process and several cancer-associated pathways, such as those for glioma and melanoma. The PPI network revealed that PTEN, TP53, MDM2, E2F1, PRMT5, MCM2, RB1, CDKN1A, SHAD7 and EZH2 may serve core roles within the network and associate with one another during the pathogenesis of ESCC. These results indicate that a high expression of miR-25 promotes the invasion and metastasis of ESCC cells, while the influence of low expression of miR-25 differs with cells with different degrees of differentiation. Invasion and metastasis are not effected in cells with poor differentiation, while they were decreased in well differentiated cells. Furthermore, PTEN, TP53, MDM2, E2F1, PRMT5, MCM2, RB1, CDKN1A, SHAD7 and EZH2 may be targeted by the miR-106b-25 cluster, and act together to regulate the development of ESCC.

[Aerosol optical thickness of the atmospheric aerosol over Taihu Lake and its features: results of in-site measurements].

Based on the data measured in situ by an automatic sun tracking photometer (CE-318), the aerosol optical thickness (AOT) and the corresponding Angström coefficient alpha of the atmospheric aerosol over Taihu Lake from November 2005 to October 2010 were collected. The results showed that high values of AOT over Taihu Lake were measured in summer (June to July) whereas low values were detected in autumn and winter (October to January). However, the low and high values of a appeared in spring (March to April) and in autumn (September to November), respectively. The variations of AOT and a over Taihu Lake may be related to weather patterns in this region. Based on the frequency distribution, AOT (500 nm) had only one peak value, with a maximum frequency of 0.4-0.6 and a yearly average value of 0.80, accounting for 26% of the total sample. Calculated from the mean AOT (500 nm), the solar radiation reduction was reduced by at least 50% by the atmospheric aerosol, resulting in more turbid atmosphere in this region and consequently heavy fog and haze. There were two peak values of the Angström coefficient alpha, with the maximum frequency ranging from 1.1-1.3 and 1.3-1.5 and a yearly average value of 1.17, accounting for 30% of the total sample. Significant variations were also observed in the daily average values of AOT (500 nm) and a, indicating the coexistence of different types of aerosols over Taihu Lake. The mean value of AOT (500 nm) declined when a increased. To sum up, values of AOT (500 nm) over Taihu Lake changed greatly with time, and the aerosol should be classified as an urban-industrial aerosol.

Two-decade reconstruction of algal blooms in China's Lake Taihu.

The algal blooming in the inland lakes has become a critically important issue for its impacts not only on local natural and social environments, but also on global human community. However, the occurrences of blooming on larger spatial scale and longer time scale have rarely been studied. As the third largest freshwater lake in China, Lake Taihu has drawn increasing attention from both public and scientific communities concerning its degradation. Using available satellite images, we reconstructed the spatial and temporal patterns of algal blooms in Lake Taihu through the pasttwo decades. The blooming characteristics over the past two decades were examined with the dynamic of initial blooming date being highlighted. The initial blooming dates were gradually becoming later and later from 1987 to 1997. Since 1998, however, the initial blooming date came earlier and earlier year by year, with approximately 11.42 days advancement per year. From 1987 to 2007, the annual duration of algal blooms lengthened year by year, in line with the substantial increases in the occurrences of algal blooms in spring and summer months. The algal blooms usually occur in northern bays and spread to center and south parts of Lake Taihu. The increases in previous winter's mean daily minimum temperature partially contributed to the earlier blooming onset. However, human activities, expressed as total gross domestic product (GDP) and population, outweighed the climatic contribution on the initial blooming date and blooming duration. This study may provide insights for the policy makers who try to curb the algal blooming and improve the water quality of inland freshwater lakes.