SiamFDA: feature dynamic activation siamese network for visual tracking.

In this paper, we present a novel anchor-free visual tracking framework, referred to as feature dynamic activation siamese network (SiamFDA), which addresses the issue of ignoring global spatial information in current Siamese network-based tracking algorithms. Our approach captures long-range dependencies between distant pixels in space, which enables robustness to unreliable regions. Additionally, we introduce a hierarchical feature selector that adaptively activates features at different layers, and an adaptive sample label assignment method to further improve tracking performance. Our extensive evaluations on six benchmark datasets, including VOT-2018, VOT-2019, GOT10k, LaSOT, OTB-2015, and OTB-2013, demonstrate that SiamFDA outperforms several state-of-the-art trackers in various challenging scenarios, with a real-time frame rate of 40 frames per second.

Effect of ice popsicle treatment on emergence agitation in children undergoing oral surgery with sevoflurane anaesthesia: A prospective randomized controlled study.

PURPOSE: Emergence agitation is a common postoperative complication during recovery in children. The purpose of this study is to explore whether the use of ice popsicle could prevent emergence agitation in children undergoing oral surgery with sevoflurane anaesthesia. DESIGN AND METHODS: In this prospective randomized controlled study, 100 children undergoing oral surgery were randomly assigned to Group 1 which received ice popsicle after emergence (intervention, n = 50) or Group 2 which received verbal encouragement from their parents (control, n = 50). The primary outcome was the 2-hour postoperative incidence of EA. RESULTS: Group 1 had a significant lower incidence of emergence agitation (22% vs 58%, P < 0.001) compared with Group 2. The mean agitation score was significantly lower in Group 1 vs Group 2 at 10  minutes (1.64 vs 2.12, P = 0.024) and 20 min (1.60 vs 2.14, P = 0.004) after emergence. The peak agitation and pain scores were significantly lower in Group 1 than in Group 2 (P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Findings from this study suggest that ice popsicle is an effective, cheap, pleasurable, and easily administered method for alleviating emergence agitation in paediatric patients after oral surgery under general anaesthesia. These results are worthy of confirmation in other surgeries. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: This approach is highly accepted by both children and their parents, and our findings support the effectiveness of ice popsicle in relieving emergence agitation and pain after oral surgery in children. CLINICAL TRIALS REGISTRATION: Chinese Clinical Trial Registry, ChiCTR1800015634.

Calpain-TRPC6 signaling pathway contributes to propofol-induced developmental neurotoxicity in rats.

Growing animal studies suggest a risk of neuronal damage following early childhood exposure to anesthesia and sedation drugs including propofol. Inhibition of transient receptor potential canonical 6 (TRPC6) degradation has been shown to protect neurons from neuronal damage induced by multiple brain injury models. Our aim was to investigate whether calpain-TRPC6 pathway is a target in propofol-induced neurotoxicity. Postnatal day (PND) 7 rats were exposed to five bolus injections of 25 mg/kg propofol or 10 % intralipid at hourly intervals. Neuronal injury was assessed by the expression pattern of TUNEL staining and cleaved-caspase-3. The Morris water maze test was used to evaluate learning and memory functions in later life. Pretreatments consisting of intracerebroventricular injections of a TRPC6 agonist, TRPC6 inhibitor, or calpain inhibitor were used to confirm the potential role of the calpain-TRPC6 pathway in propofol-induced neurotoxicity. Prolonged exposure to propofol induced neuronal injury, downregulation of TRPC6, and enhancement of calpain activity in the cerebral cortex up to 24 h after anesthesia. It also induced long-term behavioral disorders, manifesting as longer escape latency at PND40 and PND41 and as fewer platform-crossing times and less time spent in the target quadrant at PND42. These propofol-induced effects were attenuated by treatment with the TRPC6 agonist and exaggerated by the TRPC6 inhibitor. Pretreatment with the calpain inhibitor alleviated the propofol-induced TRPC6 downregulation and neuronal injury in the cerebral cortex. In conclusion, our data suggest that a calpain-TRPC6 signaling pathway contributes to propofol-induced acute cortical neuron injury and long-term behavioral disorders in rats.

Ketamine modulates neural stem cell differentiation by regulating TRPC3 expression through the GSK3ß/ß-catenin pathway.

Ketamine, a popular anesthetic, is often abused by people for its hallucinogenic effect. Thus, the safety of ketamine in pediatric populations has been called into question for potential neurotoxic effects. However, ketamine also has neuroprotective effects in many brain injury models. The differentiation of neural stem cells (NSCs) was influenced significantly by ketamine, but the molecular mechanism is still unclear. NSCs were extracted from the hippocampi of postnatal day 1 rats and treated with ketamine to induce NSCs differentiation. Our results found that ketamine promoted neuronal differentiation of NSCs dose-dependently in a small dose range (P < 0.001). The main types of neurons from NSCs were cholinergic (51 ± 4 %; 95 % CI: 41-61 %) and glutamatergic neurons (34 ± 3 %; 95 % CI: 27-42 %). Furthermore, we performed RNA sequencing to promise a more comprehensive understanding of the molecules regulated by ketamine. Finally, we combined bioimaging and multiple molecular biology techniques to clarify that ketamine influences NSC differentiation by regulating transient receptor potential canonical 3 (TRPC3) expressions. Ketamine dramatically repressed TRPC3 expression (MD [95 % CI]=0.67 [0.40-0.95], P < 0.001) with a significant increase of phosphorylated glycogen synthase kinase 3ß (p-GSK3ß; MD [95 % CI]=1.00 [0.74-1.27], P < 0.001) and a decrease of ß-catenin protein expression (MD [95 % CI]=0.60 [0.32-0.89], P = 0.001), thereby promoting the differentiation of NSCs into neurons and inhibiting their differentiation into astrocytes. These results suggest that TRPC3 is necessary for ketamine to modulate NSC differentiation, which occurs partly via regulation of the GSK3ß/ß-catenin pathway.

Efficacy of different doses of intranasal dexmedetomidine in preventing emergence agitation in children with inhalational anaesthesia: A prospective randomised trial.

BACKGROUND: Emergence agitation is a common paediatric complication after inhalational anaesthesia. Intranasal dexmedetomidine can prevent emergence agitation effectively, but the optimal dose is uncertain. OBJECTIVE: The aim of our study was to investigate the 95% effective dose (ED 95 ) of intranasal dexmedetomidine for the prevention of emergence agitation after inhalational anaesthesia for paediatric ambulatory surgery. DESIGN: A prospective, randomised, placebo-controlled, double-blind, clinical trial. SETTING: The study was conducted in Guangzhou Women and Children's Medical Center in China from August 2017 to December 2018. PATIENTS: Three hundred and eighteen children scheduled for ambulatory surgery were enrolled into two age groups of less than 3 years and at least 3 years. INTERVENTIONS: The children in each age group were randomised into five equal subgroups to receive either intranasal dexmedetomidine 0.5, 1.0, 1.5 or 2.0 µg kg -1 (Groups D 0.5 , D 1.0 , D 1.5 and D 2.0 ), or intranasal isotonic saline (group C) after induction. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The primary outcome was the ED 95 dose of intranasal dexmedetomidine for preventing emergence agitation after inhalational anaesthesia for paediatric ambulatory surgery. RESULTS: The incidences of emergence agitation for Groups C, D 0.5 , D 1.0 , D 1.5 and D 2.0 were 63, 40, 23, 13 and 3% in children less than 3 years, and 43, 27, 17, 7 and 3% in children at least 3 years. The ED 95 of intranasal dexmedetomidine for preventing emergence agitation was 1.99 µg kg -1 [95% confidence interval (CI), 1.83 to 3.80 µg kg -1 ] in children less than 3 years, and 1.78  µg kg -1 (95% CI, 0.93 to 4.29 µg kg -1 ) in children at least 3 years. LMA removal time for groups D 1.5 and D 2.0 was 9.6 ±â€Š2.2 and 9.7 ±â€Š2.5 min, respectively, for children less than 3 years, and 9.4 ±â€Š2.0 and 9.9 ±â€Š2.7 min in children at least 3 years, respectively. Length of stay in the postanaesthesia care unit for Groups D 1.5 and D 2.0 was 34.3 ±â€Š9.6 and 37.1 ±â€Š11.2 min, respectively, in children less than 3 years, and 34.7 ±â€Š10.2 and 37.3 ±â€Š8.3 min in children at least 3 years, respectively. These times were longer in the D 1.5 and D 2.0 subgroups than in the control subgroup in the two age groups of less than 3 years and at least 3 years, respectively: 7.2 ±â€Š1.9 min in children less than 3 years and 7.3 ±â€Š2.5 min in children at least 3 years for LMA removal time, 22.2 ±â€Š7.9 min in children less than 3 years and 22.0 ±â€Š7.7 min in children at least 3 years for PACU stay time in control subgroup, respectively ( P  < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Intranasal dexmedetomidine prevented emergence agitation after paediatric surgery in a dose-dependent manner. The optimal dose of intranasal dexmedetomidine for preventing emergence agitation was higher in younger children. TRIAL REGISTRY: chictr.org.cn: ChiCTR-IOR-17012415.

Predictors of family caregiving burden of persons with schizophrenia with and without transition of primary caregivers from 1994 to 2015 in rural China.

BACKGROUND: Little is known about how sociodemographic and clinical factors affect the caregiving burden of persons with schizophrenia (PwSs) with transition in primary caregivers. AIMS: This study aimed to examine the predictive effects of sociodemographic and clinical factors on the caregiving burden of PwSs with and without caregiver transition from 1994 to 2015 in rural China. METHOD: Using panel data, 206 dyads of PwSs and their primary caregivers were investigated in both 1994 and 2015. The generalised linear model approach was used to examine the predictive effects of sociodemographic factors, severity of symptoms and changes in social functioning on the caregiving burden with and without caregiver transition. RESULTS: The percentages of families with and without caregiver transition were 38.8% and 61.2%, respectively. Among families without caregiver transition, a heavier burden was significantly related to a larger family size and more severe symptoms in PwSs. Deteriorated functioning of 'social activities outside the household' and improved functioning of 'activity in the household' were protective factors against a heavy caregiving burden. Among families with caregiver transition, younger age, improved marital functioning, deteriorated self-care functioning, and better functioning of 'social interest or concern' were significant risk factors for caregiving burden. CONCLUSIONS: The effects of sociodemographic and clinical correlates on the caregiving burden were different among families with and without caregiver transition. It is crucial to explore the caregiver arrangement of PwSs and the risk factors for burden over time, which will facilitate culture-specific family interventions, community-based mental health services and recovery.

[Retracted] miR­218 suppresses tumor growth and enhances the chemosensitivity of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma to cisplatin.

Following the publication of this paper, it was drawn to the Editors' attention by a concerned reader that certain of the western blotting data shown in Fig. 6 and the tumor images shown in Fig. 7A were strikingly similar to data appearing in different form in other articles by different authors. Owing to the fact that the contentious data in the above article had already been published elsewhere, or were already under consideration for publication, prior to its submission to Oncology Reports, the Editor has decided that this paper should be retracted from the Journal. After having been in contact with the authors, they agreed with the decision to retract the paper. The Editor apologizes to the readership for any inconvenience caused. [the original article was published in Oncology Reports 33: 981­989, 2015; DOI: 10.3892/or.2014.3657].

The impact of height on the spread of spinal anesthesia and stress response in parturients undergoing caesarean section: a prospective observational study.

BACKGROUND: The spread of spinal anesthesia was influenced by many factors, and the effect of body height on spinal anesthesia is still arguable. This study aimed to explore the impact of height on the spread of spinal anesthesia and the stress response in parturients. METHODS: A total of ninety-seven parturients were allocated into two groups according to their height: the shorter group (body height was shorter than 158 cm) and taller group (body height was taller than 165 cm). Spinal anesthesia was performed with the same amount of 12 mg plain ropivacaine in mothers of different heights. The primary outcome of the study was the success or failure of the spinal anesthesia. The secondary outcomes of the study were stress response, time to T6 sensory level, the incidence of hypotension, the satisfaction of abdominal muscle relaxation and patient VAS scores. RESULTS: The rate of successful spinal anesthesia in the shorter group was significantly higher than that in the taller group (p = 0.02). The increase of maternal cortisol level in the shorter group was lower than that in the taller group at skin closure (p = 0.001). The incidence of hypotension (p = 0.013), time to T6 sensory block (p = 0.005), the quality of abdominal muscle relaxation (p <  0.001), and VAS values in stretching abdominal muscles and uterine exteriorization (p <  0.001) in the shorter group were significantly different from those in the taller group. Multivariate analysis showed that vertebral column length (p <  0.001), abdominal girth (p = 0.022), amniotic fluid index (p = 0.022) were significantly associated with successful spinal anesthesia. CONCLUSIONS: It's difficult to use a single factor to predict the spread of spinal anesthesia. Patient's vertebral column length, amniotic fluid index and abdominal girth were the high determinant factors for predicting the spread of spinal anesthesia. TRIALS REGISTRATION: ChiCTR-ROC-17012030 ( Chictr.org.cn ), registered on 18/07/2017.

Effect of caudal ketamine on minimum local anesthetic concentration of ropivacaine in children: a prospective randomized trial.

BACKGROUND: Caudal ketamine has been shown to provide an effective and prolonged post-operative analgesia with few adverse effects. However, the effect of caudal ketamine on the minimum local anesthetic concentration (MLAC) of ropivacaine for intra-operative analgesia is unclear. METHODS: One hundred and sixty-nine children were randomized to five groups: Group C (caudal ropivacaine only), Group K0.25 (caudal ropivacaine plus 0.25 mg/kg ketamine), Group K0.5 (caudal ropivacaine plus 0.5 mg/kg ketamine), Group K0.75 (caudal ropivacaine plus 0.75 mg/kg ketamine), and Group K1.0 (caudal ropivacaine plus 1.0 mg/kg ketamine). The primary outcome was the MLAC values of ropivacaine with/without ketamine for caudal block. RESULTS: The MLAC values of ropivacaine were 0.128% (0.028%) in the control group, 0.112% (0.021%) in Group K0.25, 0.112% (0.018%) in Group K0.5, 0.110% (0.019%) in Group K0.75, and 0.110% (0.020%) in Group K1.0. There were no significant differences among the five groups for the MLAC values (p = 0.11). During the post-operative period the mean durations of analgesia were 270, 381, 430, 494, and 591 min in the control, K0.25, K0. 5, K0.75, and K1.0 groups respectively, which shown that control group is significantly different from all ketamine groups. Also there were significant differences between K0.25 and K0.75 groups, and between K1.0 groups and the other ketamine groups. CONCLUSIONS: Adding caudal ketamine to ropivacaine prolong the duration of post-operative analgesia; however, it does not decrease the MLAC of caudal ropivacaine for intra-operative analgesia in children. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: ChiCTR-TRC-13003492. Registered on 13 August 2013.

A biopsychosocial-cultural model for understanding oral-health-related quality of life among adolescent orthodontic patients.

BACKGROUND: Based on previous theoretical oral-health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) models and most recently framework, as well as sociocultural model of body image dissatisfaction, the current study aimed to investigate the effect of individual (dental aesthetics and dental appearance social comparison) and sociocultural factors (social reinforcement from parents, peers and mass media on dental aesthetics) as well as their interaction on psychosocial dimension of OHRQoL among adolescent orthodontic patients. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study comprising 427 adolescent orthodontic patients (151 boys and 276 girls) aged between 11 and 16 years old, the psychosocial dimension of OHRQoL was measured by Psychosocial Impact of Dental Aesthetics Questionnaire. Individual predictor of dental aesthetics was defined by the Aesthetic Component of the Index of Orthodontic Treatment Need, and dental appearance social comparison was assessed by four items adapted from Physical Appearance Comparison Scale. Sociocultural predictor of social reinforcement was measured by six items adapted from Perceived Sociocultural Pressure Scale. Spearman correlations, path analyses, and structural equation modeling were used to build up several predictive models. RESULTS: As hypothesized, two direct pathways were observed that patients' dental aesthetics and all three sources of social reinforcement directly predicted the psychosocial dimension of OHRQoL. Meanwhile, we observed one indirect pathway, that three sources of social reinforcement predicted the psychosocial dimension of OHRQoL, in part, through dental appearance social comparison. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides preliminary evidence indicating that dental aesthetics, social reinforcement and dental appearance comparison are reliable predictors of psychosocial dimension of OHRQoL among adolescent orthodontic patients.

Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome detection based on ballistocardiogram via machine learning approach.

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a common sleep-related respiratory disease that affects people's health, especially in the elderly. In the traditional PSG-based OSA detection, people's sleep may be disturbed, meanwhile the electrode slices are easily to fall off. In this paper, we study a sleep apnea detection method based on non-contact mattress, which can detect OSA accurately without disturbing sleep. Piezoelectric ceramics sensors are used to capture pressure changes in the chest and abdomen of the human body. Then heart rate and respiratory rate are extracted from impulse waveforms and respiratory waveforms that converted by filtering and processing of the pressure signals. Finally, the Heart Rate Variability (HRV) is obtained by processing the obtained heartbeat signals. The features of the heartbeat interval signal and the respiratory signal are extracted over a fixed length of time, wherein a classification model is used to predict whether sleep apnea will occur during this time interval. Model fusion technology is adopted to improve the detection accuracy of sleep apnea. Results show that the proposed algorithm can be used as an effective method to detect OSA.

Neural correlates of appearance-based social comparison: The modulating effects of body dissatisfaction and person perspective.

Appearance-based social comparison has been found to be both a risk and maintenance factor for body dissatisfaction. However, the brain mechanism involved in appearance-based social comparison has rarely been investigated. Utilizing ecologically valid pictorial stimuli depicting fat and thin female bodies, the current study investigated the temporal dynamics of brain activity underlying upward social comparison (viewing fat bodies) and downward social comparison (viewing slim bodies) as well as the modulating effects of body dissatisfaction and person perspective (with cues of "I am …her" or "She is …me"). Thirty-one young women participated in this study, during which they compared their own body sizes with the ones presented on the screen while their EEGs were recorded. The results showed that downward comparison elicited larger N1 amplitudes than upward comparison, suggesting an attentional vigilance to fat bodies during early processing stages in downward comparison. However, these effects were only obtained in the first-person perspective. Meanwhile, women with great body dissatisfaction showed initial attentional orienting biases toward fatness-related stimuli, which was indexed by the N2 components. During the late processing stages, upward comparison was processed faster and finished earlier than downward comparison. The modulating effects of body dissatisfaction were observed during the late processing stages as indexed by late positive components, suggesting an attentional maintenance on fat bodies and attentional avoidance of attractive thin bodies. Furthermore, compared with the first-person perspective, enhanced processing of both types of female bodies in the third-person perspective was observed during late processing stages. The current observations indicate patterns of hypervigilance-maintenance processing of fat bodies underlying downward comparison as well as hypervigilance-avoidance processing of slim bodies underlying upward comparison. Enhanced brain sensitivity to and attentional maintenance on fat body shapes might be important neural mechanisms that underlie body dissatisfaction or even body image disturbance among young women.

The Incidence of and Risk Factors for Postoperative Fever after Cleft Repair Surgery in Children.

PURPOSE: The characteristics of postoperative fever after cleft repair surgery in children are unknown. Thus, the purpose of this study was to determine the incidence of and risk factors for postoperative fever. DESIGN AND METHODS: We retrospectively assessed 328 children who underwent cleft surgery at our hospital between March 2016 and April 2017 and were followed up for at least 3 days postoperatively. Fever was defined as a body temperature ≥38.0 °C. RESULTS: Seventy-one percent (n = 233) of patients developed fever within 72 h postoperatively, and most cases of postoperative fever were benign. Patients most frequently developed fever within 24 h postoperatively, and the occurrence of fever significantly decreased between 24 and 72 h postoperatively (p < 0.001). The incidence of fever with temperatures between 38.0 °C and 39.0 °C was higher than that of fever with temperatures ≥39.0 °C (p < 0.001). The mean duration of an episode of fever was 4 h. The type of surgery, method of anesthesia, and duration of anesthesia and surgery were found to be correlated with postoperative fever after cleft surgery. CONCLUSIONS: Most cases of postoperative fever after cleft surgery were benign occurrences. Postoperative fever after cleft repair surgery was characterized by a low grade, an early onset and a short duration in children. The method of anesthesia, duration of surgery and duration of anesthesia were risk factors for postoperative fever. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: Our results could help healthcare providers to gain increased knowledge of the risk factors for fever and when and how to treat postoperative fever.

Relationship Between Body Mass Index and Spread of Spinal Anesthsia in Pregnant Women: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

BACKGROUND The effect of body mass index (BMI) on the spread of spinal anesthesia is not completely clear. The aim of this study was to determine the dose requirements of ropivacaine and the incidence of hypotension in pregnant women with different BMIs during cesarean delivery. MATERIAL AND METHODS In this double-blind study, 405 women undergoing elective cesarean delivery were allocated to group S (BMI <25), group M (25 ≤BMI <30), or group L (BMI ≥30). Women in each group were further assigned to receive 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, or 15 mg of spinal ropivacaine. RESULTS The ED50 and ED95 values of ropivacaine were 9.487 mg and 13.239 mg in Group S, 9.984 mg and 13.737 mg in Group M, and 9.067 mg and 12.819 mg in Group L. There were no significant differences among the 3 groups (p=0.915). Group L had a higher incidence of hypotension and a greater change in MAP after spinal anesthesia compared to the other 2 groups, and also required more doses of ephedrine than the other 2 groups when a dose of 15 mg ropivacaine was used. The incidence of hypotension had a positive correlation with the dose of ropivacaine (OR=1.453, p<0.001) and gestational age (OR=1.894, p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS Spinal ropivacaine dose requirements were similar in the normal BMI range. However, higher doses of spinal ropivacaine were associated with an increased incidence and severity of hypotension in obese patients compared with that in non-obese patients.

Decreased resting-state BOLD regional homogeneity and the intrinsic functional connectivity within dorsal striatum is associated with greater impulsivity in food-related decision-making and BMI change at 6-month follow up.

Increasing animal models as well as brain imaging studies among human suggest an association between substance-related impulsivity in decision-making and decreased function of dorsal striatum. However, the resting-state intrinsic functional organization of dorsal striatum underlying food-choice impulsivity remains unknown. To address this issue, we used resting-state functional MRI (rs-fMRI) to measure brain activity among adult females. Subjects underwent the food rating task, during which they rated each food item according to their subjective perception of its taste (from Dislike it very much to Like it very much), its long term effect on health (from very unhealthy to very healthy) and decision strength to eat it (from Strong no to Strong yes). Behaviorally, impulsivity in food-choice was indexed by the decision strength of the palatable high-calorie food rather than of the low-caloric food. Results on rs-fMRI showed that greater impulsivity in food-related decision-making was inversely correlated with spontaneous regional homogeneity in the dorsal striatum (dorsal caudate), as well as the resting-state functional connectivity (rs-FC) between the dorsal caudate seed and the rostral putamen. Furthermore, the caudate-putamen rs-FC inversely predicted BMI change at six-month follow-up. These findings may suggest the insensitivity to reward signals in dorsal caudate in decision-making coupled with an imbalance between goal-directed behaviors (modulated by dorsal caudate) and habitual actions (modulated by putamen) underlying impulsivity and future weight gain. In sum, these findings extend our understanding on the neural basis of food-related impulsivity, and provide evidence for the dorsal striatum as one of the landmarks in over eating and weight change.

Correction: My Body Looks Like That Girl's: Body Mass Index Modulates Brain Activity during Body Image Self-Reflection among Young Women.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0164450.].

My Body Looks Like That Girl's: Body Mass Index Modulates Brain Activity during Body Image Self-Reflection among Young Women.

Body image distress or body dissatisfaction is one of the most common consequences of obesity and overweight. We investigated the neural bases of body image processing in overweight and average weight young women to understand whether brain regions that were previously found to be involved in processing self-reflective, perspective and affective components of body image would show different activation between two groups. Thirteen overweight (O-W group, age = 20.31±1.70 years) and thirteen average weight (A-W group, age = 20.15±1.62 years) young women underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging while performing a body image self-reflection task. Among both groups, whole-brain analysis revealed activations of a brain network related to perceptive and affective components of body image processing. ROI analysis showed a main effect of group in ACC as well as a group by condition interaction within bilateral EBA, bilateral FBA, right IPL, bilateral DLPFC, left amygdala and left MPFC. For the A-W group, simple effect analysis revealed stronger activations in Thin-Control compared to Fat-Control condition within regions related to perceptive (including bilateral EBA, bilateral FBA, right IPL) and affective components of body image processing (including bilateral DLPFC, left amygdala), as well as self-reference (left MPFC). The O-W group only showed stronger activations in Fat-Control than in Thin-Control condition within regions related to the perceptive component of body image processing (including left EBA and left FBA). Path analysis showed that in the Fat-Thin contrast, body dissatisfaction completely mediated the group difference in brain response in left amygdala across the whole sample. Our data are the first to demonstrate differences in brain response to body pictures between average weight and overweight young females involved in a body image self-reflection task. These results provide insights for understanding the vulnerability to body image distress among overweight or obese young females.

Gene Expression and Antiviral Activity of Interleukin-35 in Response to Influenza A Virus Infection.

Interleukin-35 (IL-35) is a newly described member of the IL-12 family. It has been reported to inhibit inflammation and autoimmune inflammatory disease and can increase apoptotic sensitivity. Little is known about the role of IL-35 during viral infection. Herein, high levels of IL-35 were found in peripheral blood mononuclear cells and throat swabs from patients with seasonal influenza A virus (IAV) relative to healthy individuals. IAV infection of human lung epithelial and primary cells increased levels of IL-35 mRNA and protein. Further studies demonstrated that IAV-induced IL-35 transcription is regulated by NF-κB. IL-35 expression was significantly suppressed by selective inhibitors of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and inducible nitric-oxide synthase, indicating their involvement in IL-35 expression. Interestingly, IL-35 production may have suppressed IAV RNA replication and viral protein synthesis via induction of type I and III interferons (IFN), leading to activation of downstream IFN effectors, including double-stranded RNA-dependent protein kinase, 2',5'-oligoadenylate synthetase, and myxovirus resistance protein. IL-35 exhibited extensive antiviral activity against the hepatitis B virus, enterovirus 71, and vesicular stomatitis virus. Our results demonstrate that IL-35 is a novel IAV-inducible cytokine, and its production elicits antiviral activity.

The complete mitochondrial genome of Teratoscincus roborowskii (Squamata: Gekkonidae).

The complete nucleotide sequence of the mitochondrial genome of Teratoscincus roborowskii was sequenced here. It was determined to be 16,644 base pairs in length and contained 13 protein-coding genes, 2 rRNA genes, 22 tRNA genes and a control region. The 22 tRNA genes could be folded into the typical cloverleaf structure described for vertebrate mitochondrial tRNAs. The base composition of the heavy strand was 30.33% A, 30.35% C, 14.65% G and 24.67% T. The control region was located between the tRNA-Pro and tRNA-Phe genes and is 1248 bp in length and some tandem repeat sequences were found in it.

Hyperbaric oxygen treatment at various stages following chronic constriction injury produces different antinociceptive effects via regulation of P2X4R expression and apoptosis.

PURPOSE: The aims of this study were to investigate the effect of hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) treatment at various stages following chronic constriction injury (CCI) and to explore the underlying mechanisms of HBO treatment. METHODS: Forty adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly assigned to five groups (n = 8 for each group): the sham group, CCI group, HBO1 group, HBO2 group, and HBO3 group. Neuropathic pain was induced by CCI of the sciatic nerve. HBO treatment began on postoperative days 1, 6, and 11 and continued for 5 days. The mechanical withdrawal threshold and thermal withdrawal latency were tested on preoperative day 3 and postoperative days 1, 3, 5, 7, 10, 14, and 21. The expression of P2X4R was determined by immunohistochemistry and western blot analysis. Cell apoptosis was measured using TUNEL staining. The expression of caspase 3 was measured using reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Electron microscopy was used to determine the ultrastructural changes. RESULTS: Early HBO treatment beginning on postoperative day 1 produced a persistent antinociceptive effect and inhibited the CCI-induced increase in the expression of P2X4R without changing CCI-induced apoptosis. In contrast, late HBO treatment beginning on postoperative day 11 produced a persistent antinociceptive effect and inhibited CCI-induced apoptosis and upregulation of caspase-3 without changing the expression of P2X4R. In addition, late HBO treatment reduced CCI-induced ultrastructural damage. However, HBO treatment beginning on postoperative day 6 produced a transient antinociceptive effect without changing the expression of P2X4R or CCI-induced apoptosis. CONCLUSION: HBO treatment at various stages following CCI can produce antinociceptive effects via different mechanisms. Early HBO treatment is associated with inhibition of P2X4R expression, and late HBO treatment is associated with inhibition of cell apoptosis.