Phosphorus deficiency alleviates iron limitation in Synechocystis cyanobacteria through direct PhoB-mediated gene regulation.

Iron and phosphorus are essential nutrients that exist at low concentrations in surface waters and may be co-limiting resources for phytoplankton growth. Here, we show that phosphorus deficiency increases the growth of iron-limited cyanobacteria (Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803) through a PhoB-mediated regulatory network. We find that PhoB, in addition to its well-recognized role in controlling phosphate homeostasis, also regulates key metabolic processes crucial for iron-limited cyanobacteria, including ROS detoxification and iron uptake. Transcript abundances of PhoB-targeted genes are enriched in samples from phosphorus-depleted seawater, and a conserved PhoB-binding site is widely present in the promoters of the target genes, suggesting that the PhoB-mediated regulation may be highly conserved. Our findings provide molecular insights into the responses of cyanobacteria to simultaneous iron/phosphorus nutrient limitation.

DRD4 VNTR 4/4 homozygosity as a genetic biomarker for treatment selection in patients with schizophrenia.

OBJECTIVE: There seems to be an association between the DRD4 48-bp VNTR polymorphisms and antipsychotic treatment response, but there is a rare reference to confirm this finding. Hence, the present study tried to investigate the association between DRD4 48-bp VNTR polymorphisms and the treatment response of antipsychotics in patients with schizophrenia in Taiwan, using a propensity score matching (PSM) method. METHODS: A total of 882 participants were enrolled in this study and completed informed consent, research questionnaires, including demographic information and the revised Chinese version Beliefs about Voices Questionnaire, and blood sampling. For descreasing of the selection bias and confounding variables, the PSM nearest neighbor matching method was used to select 765 paitents with schizophrenia (ratio of 1:8 between 85 persistent auditory hallucination and 680 controls) with matched and controlled the age and gender. RESULTS: Schizophrenia patients with DRD4 4 R homozygosity had a lower rate of good antipsychotic treatment response than the other DRD4 genotype carriers (DRD4 non-4/4). Among those 4 R homozygosity carriers, 60 cases of 503 (11.9%) retain persistent auditory hallucinations. Furthermore, this subgroup of patients is accounted for up to 70.6% of cases with poor neuroleptic treatment response. CONCLUSIONS: A poor treatment outcome for patients with the 4 R homozygosity had presented,that comparing with those DRD non-4/4 genotype carriers. DRD4 VNTR 4 R homozygosity could be a genetic biomarker to predict poor antipsychotic treatment response in schizophrenia. Patients with DRD 4/4 probably receive novel antipsychotic medications preferentially or in combination with alternative therapy, such as psychotherapy or milieu therapy.

[Characteristics and Mechanisms of Bacteriophage MS2 Inactivation in Water by UV Activated Sodium Persulfate].

Viruses in the aquatic environment have strong resistance to common disinfection techniques. To contribute to the development of efficient virus inactivation technologies, the characteristics and mechanisms of virus inactivation in a UV activated sodium persulfate(UV/PS) system were studied. The inactivation rate and kinetic characteristics of bacteriophage MS2 in water samples by the UV/PS were studied. The effects of PS dosage, pH, and the initial concentration of bacteriophages on the inactivation effect were also investigated. Furthermore, the morphologies of phages before and after UV/PS treatment were observed by transmission scanning electron microscope, and the free radicals in the reaction system were identified by electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy. By means of a free radical quenching experiment, the contribution rate of various factors in the UV/PS system to phage inactivation was also analyzed and calculated. The results showed that when the UV irradiation intensity was 160 µW·cm-2, the phage MS2 of 4.39 lg could be removed after UV/PS treatment for 4 min, which was 1.44 lg higher than that of the same UV dose alone. The inactivation of phage MS2 by the UV/PS system was in accordance with the first-order kinetic model. Increasing the initial concentration of PS in the system significantly improved the inactivation rate of phages, while pH and the initial concentration of phages had little effect on the inactivation rate. UV/PS treatment damages the capsid of phages and promotes the aggregation of phage particles. The presence of SO4-· and·OH in the UV/PS system was an important factor for the inactivation of MS2 phages. Finally, ·OH contributed more to MS2 phage inactivation than SO4-·.

Dramatically Enhanced Visible Light Response of Monolayer ZrS2 via Non-covalent Modification by Double-Ring Tubular B20 Cluster.

The ability to strongly absorb light is central to solar energy conversion. We demonstrate here that the hybrid of monolayer ZrS2 and double-ring tubular B20 cluster exhibits dramatically enhanced light absorption in the entire visible spectrum. The unique near-gap electronic structure and large built-in potential at the interface will lead to the robust separation of photoexcited charge carriers in the hybrid. Interestingly, some Zr and S atoms, which are catalytically inert in isolated monolayer ZrS2, turn into catalytic active sites. The dramatically enhanced absorption in the entire visible light makes the ZrS2/B20 hybrid having great applications in photocatalysis or photodetection.

Escitalopram-induced word finding difficulty.

Escitalopram is the most selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor used for treatment of major depressive disorder and generalized anxiety disorder. No available report indicating escitalopram may induce word finding difficulty. Here we are presenting a 50-year-old patient who suffered from escitalopram-induced word finding difficulty and the symptom resolved after replacing with bupropion. Carefully monitoring word finding difficulty and speech fluency during antidepressant treatment is important in clinical practice when using selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, especially escitalopram.