Neuro-stimulating effect of Citri Reticulata Pericarpium Viride essential oil through regulating Glu/NMDAR on olfactory bulb to improve anxiety-like behavior.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Citri Reticulata Pericarpium Viride (also known Qing-Pi or QP) is a plant in the Rutaceae family, QP is a traditional Qi-regulating medicine in Chinese medicine that is compatible with other Chinese medicine components and has extensive clinical practice in treating anxiety and depression. Reports on the pharmacological effects of QP have demonstrated its neuroprotective effects and antioxidant capacities. Numerous pharmacological benefits of QP are attributed to its antioxidant abilities. Anxiety disorders are a broadly defined category of mental illnesses. Oxidative stress and an imbalance in the antioxidant defense system are typical pathological features of these disorders. AIM OF THE STUDY: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of QP essential oil on anxiety using animal models and investigate the underlying neurobiological mechanisms. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study aimed to develop an animal model of anxiety using chronic restraint stress and investigate the effects of inhalation of Citri Reticulata Pericarpium Viride essential oil on anxiety-like behavior, olfactory function, and olfactory bulb neurogenesis in mice with anxiety. RESULTS: The results showed that long-term chronic restraint stimulation caused a decrease in olfactory function, significant anxiety-like behavior, and a notable reduction in the number of neurons in the olfactory bulb. However, inhalation of Citri Reticulata Pericarpium Viride essential oil reversed these effects, improving the olfactory function, neuro-stimulating effect, alleviating anxiety-like behavior, and regulating theta (4-12Hz) oscillation in the hippocampus DG area. These effects were associated with changes in the expression levels of glutamate receptor NMDAR and NeuN in olfactory bulb. CONCLUSIONS: The study revealed that mice with anxiety induced by chronic restraint stress exhibited significant olfactory dysfunction, providing strong evidence for the causal relationship between anxiety disorders and olfactory dysfunction. Moreover, QP essential oil has the potential to be developed as a therapeutic drug for anxiety disorders, in addition to its role as a complementary anxiolytic.

Real-world humanoid locomotion with reinforcement learning.

Humanoid robots that can autonomously operate in diverse environments have the potential to help address labor shortages in factories, assist elderly at home, and colonize new planets. Although classical controllers for humanoid robots have shown impressive results in a number of settings, they are challenging to generalize and adapt to new environments. Here, we present a fully learning-based approach for real-world humanoid locomotion. Our controller is a causal transformer that takes the history of proprioceptive observations and actions as input and predicts the next action. We hypothesized that the observation-action history contains useful information about the world that a powerful transformer model can use to adapt its behavior in context, without updating its weights. We trained our model with large-scale model-free reinforcement learning on an ensemble of randomized environments in simulation and deployed it to the real-world zero-shot. Our controller could walk over various outdoor terrains, was robust to external disturbances, and could adapt in context.

[Distribution of vitamin K_2 content in Chinese traditional fermented soybean products].

OBJECTIVE: To determine the content of vitamin K_2 in different types of fermented bean products and analyze the difference of vitamin K_(2 )content. METHODS: A total of 98 kinds of typical fermented bean products were included in Chinese traditional fermented bean products(Douchi, Sufu, soybean paste). Process, region, sales volume, raw materials and flavor were considered, and the content of vitamin K_2 in fermented bean products was determined by high performance liquid chromatography. RESULTS: Chinese bean fermented foods generally contained vitamin K_2, and the subtype menaquinone-7(MK-7)was the main one. The content of vitamin K_2 in Douchi was the highest(437.55 µg/100 g), the content of vitamin K_2 in Sufu and Soybean paste were lower(7.48 µg/100 g and 2.47 µg/100 g). The content of vitamin K_2 in bacterial Douchi was higher than that in Mucor type and Aspergillus oryzae type which were 403.94, 232.98 and 81.00 µg/100 g(P<0.05). Soybean type Douchi was higher than that in black bean type of Douchi which were 610.41, 178.08 µg/100 g(P<0.05), and the content of vitamin K_2 in dry Douchi was higher than the content of vitamin K_2 in water Douchi which were 1 517.45 µg/100 g, 297.58 µg/100 g(P<0.05). However, there were no significant difference in the content of vitamin K_2 in Soybean paste and Sufu in different types and regions(P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: Vitamin K_2 is widely contained in Chinese fermented bean products, and its content is mainly affected by fermentation microorganisms and processing technology.

Yueju volatile oil plays an integral role in the antidepressant effect by up-regulating ERK/AKT-mediated GLT-1 expression to clear glutamate.

Phytochemical investigation of the volatile oil of Yueju (YJVO) and its constituent herbs induced the detection of 52 compounds in YJVO, mainly monoterpenes and sesquiterpenes as well as a small amount of aromatic and aliphatic compounds. 5 of these compounds were found only in the YJVO instead of the volatile oil of its constituent herbs. The anti-depressant effect of YJVO was proved by behavioral tests in chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS) mice. An acute oral toxicity evaluation determined the LD50 of YJVO was 5.780 mL/kg. Doppler ultrasound and laser speckle imaging have detected that the YJVO could improve depression-related cerebral blood flow. In addition, related neurotransmitters and proteins were analyzed through targeted metabolomics and immunofluorescence. The potential antidepressant mechanisms of YJVO related to significantly decreasing Glu in CUMS mice by up-regulating the ERK/AKT-mediated expression of GLT-1.

A Robust Approach to In Situ Exsolve Highly Dispersed and Stable Electrocatalysts.

Catalysts made of in situ exsolved metal nanoparticles often demonstrate promising activity and high stability in many applications. However, the traditional approach is limited by perovskites as prevailing precursor and requires high temperature typically above 900 K. Here, with the guidance of theoretical calculation, an unprecedented and substantially facile technique is demonstrated for Cu nanoparticles exsolved from interstitially Cu cations doped nickel-based hydroxide, which is accomplished swiftly at room temperature and results in metal nanoparticles with a quasi-uniform size of 4 nm, delivering an exceptional CO faradaic efficiency of 95.6% for the electrochemical reduction of CO2 with a notable durability. This design principle is further proven to be generally applicable to other metals and foregrounded for guiding the development of advanced catalytic materials.

Antibody seroprevalence in the epicenter Wuhan, Hubei, and six selected provinces after containment of the first epidemic wave of COVID-19 in China.

BACKGROUND: China implemented containment measures to stop SARS-CoV-2 transmission in response to the COVID-19 epidemic. After the first epidemic wave, we conducted population-based serological surveys to determine extent of infection, risk factors for infection, and neutralization antibody levels to assess the real infections in the random sampled population. METHODS: We used a multistage, stratified cluster random sampling strategy to conduct serological surveys in three areas - Wuhan, Hubei Province outside Wuhan, and six provinces selected on COVID-19 incidence and containment strategy. Participants were consenting individuals >1 year old who resided in the survey area >14 days during the epidemic. Provinces screened sera for SARS-CoV-2-specific IgM, IgG, and total antibody by two lateral flow immunoassays and one magnetic chemiluminescence enzyme immunoassay; positive samples were verified by micro-neutralization assay. FINDINGS: We enrolled 34,857 participants (overall response rate, 92%); 427 were positive by micro-neutralization assay. Wuhan had the highest weighted seroprevalence (4•43%, 95% confidence interval [95%CI]=3•48%-5•62%), followed by Hubei-ex-Wuhan (0•44%, 95%CI=0•26%-0•76%), and the other provinces (<0•1%). Living in Wuhan (adjusted odds ratio aOR=13•70, 95%CI= 7•91-23•75), contact with COVID-19 patients (aOR=7•35, 95%CI=5•05-10•69), and age over 40 (aOR=1•36, 95%CI=1•07-1•72) were significantly associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection. Among seropositives, 101 (24%) reported symptoms and had higher geometric mean neutralizing antibody titers than among the 326 (76%) without symptoms (30±2•4 vs 15±2•1, p<0•001). INTERPRETATION: The low overall extent of infection and steep gradient of seropositivity from Wuhan to the outer provinces provide evidence supporting the success of containment of the first wave of COVID-19 in China. SARS-CoV-2 infection was largely asymptomatic, emphasizing the importance of active case finding and physical distancing. Virtually the entire population of China remains susceptible to SARS-CoV-2; vaccination will be needed for long-term protection. FUNDING: This study was supported by the Ministry of Science and Technology (2020YFC0846900) and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (82041026, 82041027, 82041028, 82041029, 82041030, 82041032, 82041033).

Characteristics of recovered COVID-19 patients with recurrent positive RT-PCR findings in Wuhan, China: a retrospective study.

BACKGROUND: Two months after the outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Wuhan, China, tens of thousands of hospitalized patients had recovered, and little is known about the follow-up of the recovered patients. METHODS: The clinical characteristics, reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) results from throat swab specimens and the results of serological COVID-19 rapid diagnostic test (RDT) for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) were retrospectively reviewed for a total of 758 recovered patients who were previously hospitalized in 17 hospitals and quarantined at 32 rehabilitation stations in Wuhan, China. RESULTS: In total, 59 patients (7.78%) had recurrent positive findings for COVID-19 on RT-PCR from throat swabs. With regard to antibody detection, 50/59 (84.75%) and 4/59 (6.78%) patients had positive IgG or dual positive IgG/IgM RDT results, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Some patients who had been quarantined and had subsequently recovered from COVID-19 had recurrent positive RT-PCR results for SARS-CoV-2, and the possibility of transmission of the virus by recovered patients needs further investigation. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Current Controlled Trials ChiCTR2000033580 , Jun 6th 2020. Retrospectively registered.

Transcriptional Regulation of PLETHORA1 in the Root Meristem Through an Importin and Its Two Antagonistic Cargos.

Plant roots are sustained through meristem activity at the root tip. Two transcriptional pathways, one mediated by PLETHORAs (PLTs) and the other by SHORTROOT and SCARECROW, play major roles in root meristem development. The role of PLTs during root meristem development requires a concentration gradient, which is not only contributed by posttranslational regulation such as growth dilution and intercellular movement but also likely by a largely unknown fine-tuned transcriptional regulatory mechanism. We report here that Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) JANUS positively regulates PLT1 expression in the root meristem by recruiting RNA polymerase II (Pol II) to PLT1 and by interacting with PLT1. JANUS-dependent recruitment of Pol II is inhibited through the competitive binding of JANUS by GRF-INTERACTING FACTOR1 (GIF1)/ANGUSTIFOLIA3, a transcriptional cofactor that negatively regulates PLT1 expression. Finally, GIF1 and JANUS, the antagonistic regulators of PLT1, both depend on Arabidopsis IMPORTIN ß4 for their nuclear accumulation. The combination of an importin and its two antagonistic cargos in PLT1 transcription may have logistic benefits in fine-tuning the transcription of PLT1 in root meristem.

Arabidopsis JANUS Regulates Embryonic Pattern Formation through Pol II-Mediated Transcription of WOX2 and PIN7.

Embryonic pattern formation relies on positional coordination of cell division and specification. Early axis formation during Arabidopsis embryogenesis requires WUSCHEL RELATED HOMEOBOX (WOX)-mediated transcription activation and PIN-FORMED7 (PIN7)-mediated auxin asymmetry. How these events are regulated is obscure. We report that Arabidopsis JANUS, a putative subunit of spliceosome, is essential for embryonic pattern formation. Significantly reduced transcription but not mRNA processing of WOX2 and PIN7 in janus suggested its role in transcriptional regulation. JANUS interacts with RNA polymerase II (Pol II) through a region outside of its spliceosome-association domain. We further show that Pol II mediates the transcription of WOX2 and PIN7 in a JANUS-dependent way and is essential for embryonic pattern formation. These findings reveal that JANUS recruits Pol II for the activation of two parallel pathways to ensure proper pattern formation during embryogenesis.

Hybrid Control Interface of a Semi-soft Assistive Glove for People with Spinal Cord Injuries.

Active assistive devices have been designed to augment the hand grasping capabilities of individuals with spinal cord injuries (SCI). An intuitive bio-signal of wrist extension has been utilized in the device control, which imitates the passive grasping effect of tenodesis. However, controlling these devices in this manner limits the wrist joint motion while grasping. This paper presents a novel hybrid control interface and corresponding algorithms (i.e., a hybrid control method) of the Semi-soft Assistive Glove (SAG) developed for individuals with C6/C7-SCI. The secondary control interface is implemented to enable/disable the grasp trigger signal generated by the primary interface detecting the wrist extension. A simulation study reveals that the hybrid control method can facilitate grasping situations faced in daily activities. Empirical results with three healthy subjects suggest that the proposed method can assist the user to reach and grasp objects with the SAG naturally.

The Ebola threat: China's response to the West African epidemic and national development of prevention and control policies and infrastructure.

There is growing concern in West Africa about the spread of the Ebola hemorrhagic fever virus. With the increasing global public health risk, a coordinated international response is necessary. The Chinese government is prepared to work in collaboration with West African countries to assist in the containment and control of the epidemic through the contribution of medical expertise and mobile laboratory testing teams. Nationally, China is implementing prevention programs in major cities and provinces, the distribution of Ebola test kits, and the deployment of a new national Ebola research laboratory.

Note: response characteristics of the sensor based on LaF3 thin film to different humidified gases.

Electromotive force (EMF) transient curves presented that the sensor showed good repeatable response in the humidity environments using ambient atmosphere as the carrier gas at different temperatures. The 90% response time and recovery time were within 40 s and 50 s, respectively. The sensor also presented stable response characteristics in 75.1% RH and 83.6% RH humidity environments using N(2), 5% O(2), and 50% O(2) as the carrier gases, respectively. The EMF always increased with the partial pressure of oxygen in certain relative humidity. However, the ΔEMF was decreased with the increase of O(2) content in the carrier gas under the condition of the variation of relative humidity from 75.1% to 83.6%. These phenomena revealed that the sensor was sensitive to water vapor without oxygen in the sample gas and too much water vapor had adverse effect on the response to oxygen. Non-Nernst behavior of the sensor was discussed in detail.

[Public health situation and needs assessment after Wenchuan earthquake in Anxian, Sichuan province].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the public health situation and needs in Anxian after Wenchuan earthquake so as to make an effective strategy for disease control and prevention. METHODS: 69 concentrated settlements with 100 residents were investigated. Probability proportion to size was adopted for sampling of 2200 residents from 687 scattered households (about 440 000 scattered residents). The content of this survey included drinking water, food hygiene, environment sanitation, planning immunity and medical health service, disease surveillance and so on. SPSS 16.0 was used for data analysis, and statistical interpretation was used to describe the results. RESULTS: 90.9% (31/66) resettled residents in Anxian lived in tents, 7.6% (5/66) lived in the movable-plate house, 93.3% (621/666) scattered households lived in tents and 71.9% (446/621) of them lived in tents which were built by residents themselves; the rate of drinking water disinfection in resettlement sites and scattered households were 97.1% (66/68) and 94.6% (650/687); 12.8% scattered residents had mouldy or food; 50% of resettlement sites raised animals; 43.6% (17/39) medical station didn't have bacterin inoculation service; 66.7% (10/15) lacked sufficient disinfection equipment; register rate was 50.0% (33/66) and report rate of symptoms and infectious diseases was 56.1% (37/66). CONCLUSION: There was still some risk of enteric and vector-borne diseases in Anxian, therefore, some tailored measures should be very important.

[Mental health assessment among scattered residents after Wenchuan earthquake in Anxian, Sichuan province].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the mental health status of residents scattered living in Anxian after Wenchuan earthquake so as to provide scientific basis for further mental health intervention. METHODS: A face to face interview was conducted among the scattered residents with designed questionnaire, which had three parts of the physical and emotional reaction, the relax methods and the social care and supports expected. Two-stage probability proportional to size (PPS) sample method was performed to sample 2184 from 0.44 million scattered residents in Anxian. On the basis of statistical description, mental health of different characteristics groups was compared. RESULTS: Three main symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorders in 2184 residents (11.23+/-3.44) were higher than the 103 fire victims in Hunan in 2003 (10.06+/-3.26), three factor scores of SCL-90 (5.76+/-1.74) were higher than normal in 1998 repair mode (n=23 891) (4.72+/-1.44), and the statistical difference was observed (t=10.77, P<0.05; t=706.04, P<0.05). Comparing the mental health of different groups, some significant differences were found by age, gender and education background. CONCLUSION: The earthquake disaster brought prevalent physical and emotional reaction. Elderly people, female, junior students need mental intervention immediately. Therefore, strengthen the mental education and assistance (especially in high risk groups) would be of more significance.