Drug-induced change in transmitter identity is a shared mechanism generating cognitive deficits.

Cognitive deficits are long-lasting consequences of drug use, yet the convergent mechanism by which classes of drugs with different pharmacological properties cause similar deficits is unclear. We find that both phencyclidine and methamphetamine, despite differing in their targets in the brain, cause the same glutamatergic neurons in the medial prefrontal cortex of male mice to gain a GABAergic phenotype and decrease expression of their glutamatergic phenotype. Suppressing drug-induced gain of GABA with RNA-interference prevents appearance of memory deficits.

Characterization of the complete mitochondrial genome of Ergasilus anchoratus Markevich, 1946 (Ergasilidae) and phylogeny of Copepoda.

The mitochondrial (mt) genome can provide data for phylogenetic analyses and evolutionary biology. Herein, we sequenced and annotated the complete mt genome of Ergasilus anchoratus. This mt genome was 13852 bp long and comprised 13 protein-coding genes (PCGs), 22 tRNAs and 2 rRNAs.

Postsynaptic receptors regulate presynaptic transmitter stability through transsynaptic bridges.

Stable matching of neurotransmitters with their receptors is fundamental to synapse function and reliable communication in neural circuits. Presynaptic neurotransmitters regulate the stabilization of postsynaptic transmitter receptors. Whether postsynaptic receptors regulate stabilization of presynaptic transmitters has received less attention.

Limitations and modifications in the clinical application of calcium sulfate.

Calcium sulfate and calcium sulfate-based biomaterials have been widely used in non-load-bearing bone defects for hundreds of years due to their superior biocompatibility, biodegradability, and non-toxicity. However, lower compressive strength and rapid degradation rate are the main limitations in clinical applications. Excessive absorption causes a sharp increase in sulfate ion and calcium ion concentrations around the bone defect site, resulting in delayed wound healing and hypercalcemia.

Generalized fear after acute stress is caused by change in neuronal cotransmitter identity.

Overgeneralization of fear to harmless situations is a core feature of anxiety disorders resulting from acute stress, yet the mechanisms by which fear becomes generalized are poorly understood. In this study, we show that generalized fear in mice results from a transmitter switch from glutamate to γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) in serotonergic neurons of the lateral wings of the dorsal raphe. Similar change in transmitter identity was found in the postmortem brains of individuals with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Drug-induced change in transmitter identity is a shared mechanism generating cognitive deficits.

Cognitive deficits are a long-lasting consequence of drug use, yet the convergent mechanism by which classes of drugs with different pharmacological properties cause similar deficits is unclear. We find that both phencyclidine and methamphetamine, despite differing in their targets in the brain, cause the same glutamatergic neurons in the medial prefrontal cortex to gain a GABAergic phenotype and decrease their expression of the vesicular glutamate transporter. Suppressing the drug-induced gain of GABA with RNA-interference prevents the appearance of memory deficits.

Generalized fear following acute stress is caused by change in co-transmitter identity of serotonergic neurons.

Overgeneralization of fear to harmless situations is a core feature of anxiety disorders resulting from acute stress, yet the mechanisms by which fear becomes generalized are poorly understood. Here we show that generalized fear in mice in response to footshock results from a transmitter switch from glutamate to GABA in serotonergic neurons of the lateral wings of the dorsal raphe. We observe a similar change in transmitter identity in the postmortem brains of PTSD patients.

Noble-metal-free FeO/CoS nanosheets with oxygen vacancies as an efficient electrocatalyst for highly sensitive electrochemical detection of As(III).

The electrochemical method for highly sensitive determination of arsenic(III) in real water samples with noble-metal-free nanomaterials is still a difficult but significant task. Here, an electrochemical sensor driven by noble-metal-free layered porous FeO/CoS nanosheets was successfully employed for As(III) analysis, which was prepared via a facile two-step method involves a hydrothermal treatment and a subsequent sulfurization process. As expected, the electrochemical detection of As(III) in 0.

Copy number variation in the CES1 gene and the risk of non-alcoholic fatty liver in a Chinese Han population.

A recent genome-wide copy number variations (CNVs) scan identified a 16q12.2 deletion that included the carboxylesterase 1 (CES1) gene, which is important in the metabolism of fatty acids and cholesterol. We aimed to investigate whether CES1 CNVs was associated with susceptibility to non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in a Chinese Han population.

Identifying potential biomarkers of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease via genome-wide analysis of copy number variation.

Background: The prevalence of Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is increasing and emerging as a global health burden. In addition to environmental factors, numerous studies have shown that genetic factors play an important role in the development of NAFLD. Copy number variation (CNV) as a genetic variation plays an important role in the evaluation of disease susceptibility and genetic differences.

Decoding Neurotransmitter Switching: The Road Forward.

Neurotransmitter switching is a form of brain plasticity in which an environmental stimulus causes neurons to replace one neurotransmitter with another, often resulting in changes in behavior. This raises the possibility of applying a specific environmental stimulus to induce a switch that can enhance a desirable behavior or ameliorate symptoms of a specific pathology. For example, a stimulus inducing an increase in the number of neurons expressing dopamine could treat Parkinson's disease, or one affecting the number expressing serotonin could alleviate depression.

Exercise enhances motor skill learning by neurotransmitter switching in the adult midbrain.

Physical exercise promotes motor skill learning in normal individuals and those with neurological disorders but its mechanism of action is unclear. We find that one week of voluntary wheel running enhances the acquisition of motor skills in normal adult mice. One week of running also induces switching from ACh to GABA expression in neurons in the caudal pedunculopontine nucleus (cPPN).

Physical activity intervention for non-diabetic patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

Background: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is currently the most common cause of chronic liver disease nowadays. Changes in diet and lifestyle have led to a dramatic increase in the prevalence of NAFLD around the world. This meta-analysis is to investigate the efficacy of physical activity intervention on liver-specific endpoints in the population with NAFLD, including hepatic enzyme, serum lipid, glucose metabolism and intra-hepatic lipid.

Neuronal activity regulates neurotransmitter switching in the adult brain following light-induced stress.

Neurotransmitter switching in the adult mammalian brain occurs following photoperiod-induced stress, but the mechanism of regulation is unknown. Here, we demonstrate that elevated activity of dopaminergic neurons in the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus (PaVN) in the adult rat is required for the loss of dopamine expression after long-day photoperiod exposure. The transmitter switch occurs exclusively in PaVN dopaminergic neurons that coexpress vesicular glutamate transporter 2 (VGLUT2), is accompanied by a loss of dopamine type 2 receptors (D2Rs) on corticotrophin-releasing factor (CRF) neurons, and can lead to increased release of CRF.

[The Latest Research Progress of Coupling between BiOX and Semiconductor Photocatalyst].

The heterojunction was formed between two kinds of coupling semiconductors , which improved the charge separation efficiency of system, widened the spectral response range of catalysts and improved photocatalytic propertirs of catalysts. The process of preparation of semiconductors coupling was easily affected by preparation methods and reaction temperature and so on, which would cause the changes in crystal structure and surface properties of coupling semiconductors, thus photocatalytic quantum efficiency of coupling semiconductors was increased. In this article, the following three aspects were mainly discussed.

[A Study on Preparation and Photocatalytic Activity of Mn-BiOCl].

Using Bi2O3 and MnC2 x 4H2O as raw materials, with HCl as solvent, photocatalysts of Mn-BiOCl with different molar ratio of Mn and Bi were prepared by a hydrolysis method. The obtained samples were characterized by XRD, HRTEM, TEM, UV-Vis DRS and SPS. The UV light photocatalytic activity of Mn-BiOCl was evaluated by using methyl orange as model compounds of photocatalytic reaction.

[Spectral Analysis of Trace Fluorine Phase in Phosphogypsum].

Phosphogypsum, which contains more than 90% of the calcium sulfate dehydrate (CaSO4 · 2H2O), is a kind of important renewable gypsum resources. Unlike the natural gypsum, however, phosphorus, fluorine, organic matter and other harmful impurities in phosphogypsum limit its practical use. To ascertain the existence form, content and phase distribution of trace fluoride in phosphogypsum has important theoretical values in removing trace fluoride effectively.

A novel size-based sorting mechanism of pinocytic luminal cargoes in microglia.

Microglia are the resident immune cells in the CNS and play diverse roles in the maintenance of CNS homeostasis. Recent studies have shown that microglia continually survey the CNS microenvironment and scavenge cell debris and aberrant proteins by phagocytosis and pinocytosis, and that reactive microglia are capable to present antigens to T cells and initiate immune responses. However, how microglia process the endocytosed contents and evoke an immune response remain unclear.

[Porphyrins with different electron groups: spectral and DFT study].

UV-Vis absorption spectra and electrochemical properties of 5-(o-hydroxyphenyl)-10, 15, 20-tri-(p-phenyl)porphyrin (TPPOH) and 5-(o-hydroxyphenyl)-10, 15, 20-tri-(p-methoxyphenyl) porphyrin [(p-OCH3)TPPOH] with different electron groups were investigated by experiments and density functional theory (DFT). Due to the introduction of para-methoxyl group (-OCH3), obvious red shift of 3 nm in the maximum absorbance of the UV-Vis spectra, negative shift in redox potential of (p-OCH3)TPPOH, and the decrease (0.06 eV) in the energy gap (DE) of the frontier highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) and the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) (of (p-OCH3)TPPOH occurred as compared to those of TPPOH.

P2Y4 receptor-mediated pinocytosis contributes to amyloid beta-induced self-uptake by microglia.

Brain disturbances, like injuries or aberrant protein deposits, evoke nucleotide release or leakage from cells, leading to microglial chemotaxis and ingestion. Recent studies have identified P2Y12 purinergic receptors as triggers for microglial chemotaxis and P2Y6 receptors as mediators for phagocytosis. However, pinocytosis, known as the internalization of fluid-phase materials, has received much less attention.