Discovery and characterization of BRBV-sheep virus in nasal swabs from domestic sheep in China.

Introduction: The escalating occurrence of infectious disease outbreaks in humans and animals necessitates innovative, effective, and integrated research to better comprehend their transmission and dynamics. Viral infection in livestock has led to profound economic losses globally. Pneumonia is the prevalent cause of death in sheep. However, very few studies exist regarding virus-related pathogens in sheep. Metagenomics sequencing technologies in livestock research hold significant potential to elucidate these contingencies and enhance our understanding. Methods: Therefore, this study aims to characterize respiratory viromes in paired nasal swabs from Inner Mongolian feedlot sheep in China using metaviromic sequencing. Through deep sequencing, de novo assembly, and similarity searches using translated protein sequences, several previously uncharacterized and known viruses were identified in this study. Results: Among these discoveries, a novel Bovine Rhinitis B Virus (BRBV) (BRBV-sheep) strain was serendipitously detected in the nasal swabs of domestic sheep (Ovis aries). To facilitate further molecular epidemiological studies, the entire genome of BRBV-sheep was also determined. Owing to the unique sequence characteristics and phylogenetic position of BRBV-sheep, genetically distinct lineages of BRBV in sheep may exist. A TaqMan-based qRT-PCR assay targeting the 3D polymerase gene was developed and used to screen 592 clinical sheep specimens. The results showed that 44.59% of the samples (264/592) were positive. These findings suggest that BRBV sheep are widespread among Inner Mongolian herds. Conclusion: This discovery marks the initial identification of BRBV in sheep within Inner Mongolia, China. These findings contribute to our understanding of the epidemiology and genetic evolution of BRBV. Recognizing the presence of BRBV in sheep informs strategies for disease management and surveillance and the potential development of targeted interventions to control its spread.

Comparable repetition blindness effect in patients with schizophrenia.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Repetition blindness (RB) refers to the difficulty to report repetitions of stimuli visually presented in a rapid list. To date only two studies have examined RB in patients with schizophrenia and the results are not clear-cut. The current study was designed to employ a task with reduced memory load, more trials in each experimental condition, and more participants to obtain a more reliable RB effect. METHODS: A 2x2x3x2 mixed factor repeated measure design was used, with stimulus repetition, lag, and presentation rate as within-subject factors, and group (patient or control) as a between-subject factor. A rapid serial visual presentation (RSVP) procedure was used. Twenty eight inpatients with schizophrenia and 28 healthy controls participated in the experiment. RESULTS: The patient group showed significantly impaired performance when compared tothe control group in every experimental condition. Nevertheless, the patient group demonstrated similar RB effect as the control group. Furthermore, the overall RB effect observed in patients did not relate to their illness severity or psychotic symptoms. Neither was it related to their age or education. LIMITATIONS: It was difficult to match the age and education of the control group to that of the inpatient group. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with schizophrenia performed worse than healthy controls in each experimental condition. Both the control and patient group showed robust RB effect in the short lag with faster rates. In addition, RB effect seemed to be irrelevant to patients' illness severity and clinical symptoms.

A mongolian pine specific endoplasmic reticulum localized CALMODULIN-LIKE calcium binding protein enhances arabidopsis growth.

Stress-adapted wild plants are natural sources of novel genes for molecular breeding. Here, we conducted a transcriptional analysis of Pinus sylvestris var. mongolica Litv, an evergreen pine in northeastern China, to identify a novel CALMODULIN-LIKE protein-encoding gene, PsCML1, no significant homologs found in other plant species. PsCML1 encodes a protein predicted to have a single trans-membrane domain at its N-terminal. Four EF-hand motifs (calcium [Ca]-binding structures) are located at its C-terminal and showed Ca2+-specific affinity in isothermal titration calorimetric analysis. Transient expression of PsCML1 in Nicotiana benthamiana showed that the PsCML1 localizes to the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). Heterologous expression of PsCML1 in Arabidopsis significantly promoted seedling growth, and increased resistance to stress from NaCl and Ca2+ deficiency. The roots of the transgenic seedlings had higher contents of cellulose and pectin, but less hemicellulose than those of the wild type (WT). The biosynthesis of cell wall components is linked with protein glycosylation in the ER and reactive oxygen species (ROS) homeostasis. No significant difference was found in the extent of protein glycosylation between the transgenic and WT plants. However, the transgenic roots had higher steady-state levels of ROS, NADPH oxidase activity, and endo-membrane dynamics than those of the WT. A working model was proposed to delineate the interaction among Ca2+, ROS homeostasis, and cell wall loosening-dependent cell division.

Measuring stability of cognitive impairment in inpatients with schizophrenia with alternate forms of the Montreal Cognitive Assessment during acute hospitalization.

Cognitive impairment is a core feature of schizophrenia. Measuring the stability of cognitive impairment is important for further understanding of this disorder. The Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) has been demonstrated to be a brief and effective screening tool in detecting cognitive impairment in patients with schizophrenia. It has alternative versions designed for longitudinal settings. The current study retrospectively analyzed the total and subscores of two versions of the MoCA, administered to a group of inpatients with severe schizophrenia at admission and discharge, to measure their cognitive stability during hospitalization. The results revealed that the test-retest reliability coefficient of the MoCA had good reliability, suggesting the two alternative versions of the MoCA are reliable measurements for assessing cognitive impairment repeatedly in patients with schizophrenia. The paired-samples t-test showed that the overall cognitive impairment of patients measured by two forms of the MoCA remained stable during acute hospital stay and across symptom changes. Furthermore, the results showed that patients' cognitive stability was not related to their symptom/illness severity improvement, age, education, or length of stay.

CNGC2 Is a Ca2+ Influx Channel That Prevents Accumulation of Apoplastic Ca2+ in the Leaf.

Ca2+ is absorbed by roots and transported upward through the xylem to the apoplastic space of the leaf, after which it is deposited into the leaf cell. In Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana), the tonoplast-localized Ca2+/H+ transporters CATION EXCHANGER1 (CAX1) and CAX3 sequester Ca2+ from the cytosol into the vacuole, but it is not known what transporter mediates the initial Ca2+ influx from the apoplast to the cytosol. Here, we report that Arabidopsis CYCLIC NUCLEOTIDE-GATED CHANNEL2 (CNGC2) encodes a protein with Ca2+ influx channel activity and is expressed in the leaf areas surrounding the free endings of minor veins, which is the primary site for Ca2+ unloading from the vasculature and influx into leaf cells. Under hydroponic growth conditions, with 0.1 mm Ca2+, both Arabidopsis cngc2 and cax1cax3 loss-of-function mutants grew normally. Increasing the Ca2+ concentration to 10 mm induced H2O2 accumulation, cell death, and leaf senescence and partially suppressed the hypersensitive response to avirulent pathogens in the mutants but not in the wild type. In vivo apoplastic Ca2+ overaccumulation was found in the leaves of cngc2 and cax1cax3 but not the wild type under the 10 mm Ca2+ condition, as monitored by Oregon Green BAPTA 488 5N, a low-affinity and membrane-impermeable Ca2+ probe. Our results indicate that CNGC2 likely has no direct roles in leaf development or the hypersensitive response but, instead, that CNGC2 could mediate Ca2+ influx into leaf cells. Finally, the in vivo extracellular Ca2+ imaging method developed in this study provides a new tool for investigating Ca2+ dynamics in plant cells.

A pilot study to measure cognitive impairment in patients with severe schizophrenia with the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA).

Cognitive impairment has been suggested to be a core feature of a schizophrenia diagnosis. Many comprehensive neuropsychological batteries and experimental procedures have been used to assess cognitive impairment in schizophrenia. A few brief performance-based cognitive assessments have been developed to fulfill the need of a more feasible cognitive assessment for schizophrenia in clinical settings. However, their usability is in question. The Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), a brief cognitive assessment tool, has been used widely in different clinical settings because of its high sensitivity and specificity for detecting cognitive impairments. This study assessed cognitive function in patients with schizophrenia by using the MoCA tool. The results showed that the MoCA was sensitive enough to detect cognitive impairment in patients with schizophrenia. It also provided normative data for the MoCA in schizophrenia patients. Furthermore, the results revealed that cognitive impairment measured by the MoCA was correlated with their education level, severity of illness, and negative symptoms. Lastly, the MoCA total score could be a significant predictor of patients' length of stay in the facility.

Eye movements and the identification of spatially ambiguous words during chinese sentence reading.

Readers of Chinese must generally determine word units in the absence of visually distinct inter-word spaces. In the present study, we examined how a sequence of Chinese characters is parsed into words under these conditions. Eye movements were monitored while participants read sentences with a critical four-character (C1234) sequence. Three partially overlapping character groupings formed legal words in the ambiguous condition (C12, C23, and C34), two of which corresponded to context-consistent words (C12 and C34). Two nonoverlapping groupings corresponded to legal words in the control conditions (C12 and C34). In two experiments, readers spent more time viewing the critical character sequence and its two center characters (C23) in the ambiguous condition. These results argue against the strictly serial assignment of characters to words during the reading of Chinese text.

Use of parafoveally visible characters during the reading of Chinese sentences.

Chinese readers' use of parafoveal character previews was examined. In Experiment 1, the preview of target characters consisted of targets or of graphemically similar, homophonic, or dissimilar characters. Each preview was replaced with the corresponding target when the eyes reached the target location. Oculomotor measures revealed preview benefits for targets, for graphemically similar characters, and for homophonic characters. Experiment 2 showed that parafoveal preview of graphemically similar characters yielded benefits primarily when they shared the phonetic radical with their targets. The phonological relationship between previewed radicals and subsequently viewed targets was ineffective. Chinese character processing thus involves the initial use of orthographic information from the phonetic radical and the activation of the character's phonological form.