Screening of phosphate-solubilizing bacteria and their abilities of phosphorus solubilization and wheat growth promotion.

BACKGROUND: Phosphate-solubilizing bacteria (PSB) can enhance plant growth and phosphorus (P) solubilization, it also has been reported to reduce the negative effects of overused agricultural fertilizer in farmland and protect the soil environment. However, the mechanism behind this interaction has not been fully elucidated. RESULTS: In this study, we screened out Pseudomonas moraviensis, Bacillus safensis, and Falsibacillus pallidus which can both solubilize P efficiently and produce indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) from sandy fluvo-aquic soils. The yield of wheat (Triticum aestivum) under PSB inoculation significantly increased up to 14.42% (P < 0.05) compared with the control treatment in phosphate fertilizer-used farmland. Besides promoting wheat growth, we found the labile P fraction in soil was significantly increased by over 122.04% (P < 0.05) under PSB inoculation compared with it in soils without, in parallel, the stable P fraction was significantly reduced by over 46.89% (P < 0.05). Furthermore, PSB inoculation increased the soil microbial biomass and activity, indicating that PSB screened out in this work performed a remarkable ability to colonize the soils in the wheat field. CONCLUSION: PSB from sandy fluvo-aquic soil improve wheat growth and crop productivity by increasing the labile P fraction and IAA content in the greenhouse and wheat field. Our work provides an environment and economy-friendly bacterial resource that potentially promotes sustainable agricultural development in the long term.

Clinicoradiologic characteristics of endolymphatic sac tumors.

PURPOSE: Endolymphatic sac tumor (ELST) is a rare, slow-growing, and low-grade malignant tumor arising from the endolymphatic sac in the posterior petrous bone. The purpose of this study is to describe the clinical and radiologic features, and investigate the clinicoradiologic correlation of ELST. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the clinical, computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and pathologic findings of 14 patients with 15 ELSTs. RESULTS: Patients comprised of eight women and six men with a mean age of 42.3 years at the time of diagnosis and 35.2 years at the time of initial symptoms. The mean interval between initial symptoms and diagnosis was 84.7 months. The most frequent cochleovestibular symptom was hearing loss in 14 patients (100%); other cochleovestibular symptoms were tinnitus in eight patients (57.1%), vertigo in three patients (21.4%), and aural fullness in three patients (21.4%). Ten patients (71.4%) presented with facial paralyses and five patients (14.3%) presented lower cranial nerve deficits. CT findings revealed spiculated, stippled, or reticular high density within the tumors. The lesions involved mastoid cells, vertical facial nerve canal, semicircular canal, cochlea, tympanum, jugular foramen, internal auditory canal, or petrous apex. On the available MRI, all the eight lesions showed patchy and/or speckled hyperintensity on unenhanced T1WI. Five lesions showed flow voids on T2WI and T1WI. Three lesions had blood fluid levels within cysts. CONCLUSION: CT and MRI findings of ELSTs are associated with clinical features. Imaging tests should be performed to identify ELSTs early and ensure greater potential for hearing preservation in patients with cochleovestibular symptoms.

Neural Activity During Mental Rotation in Deaf Signers: The Influence of Long-Term Sign Language Experience.

OBJECTIVES: Mental rotation is the brain's visuospatial understanding of what objects are and where they belong. Previous research indicated that deaf signers showed behavioral enhancement for nonlinguistic visual tasks, including mental rotation. In this study, we investigated the neural difference of mental rotation processing between deaf signers and hearing nonsigners using blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). DESIGN: The participants performed a block-designed experiment, consisting of alternating blocks of comparison and rotation periods, separated by a baseline or fixation period. Mental rotation tasks were performed using three-dimensional figures. fMRI images were acquired during the entire experiment, and the fMRI data were analyzed with Analysis of Functional NeuroImages. A factorial design analysis of variance was designed for fMRI analyses. The differences of activation were analyzed for the main effects of group and task, as well as for the interaction of group by task. RESULTS: The study showed differences in activated areas between deaf signers and hearing nonsigners on the mental rotation of three-dimensional figures. Subtracting activations of fixation from activations of rotation, both groups showed consistent activation in bilateral occipital lobe, bilateral parietal lobe, and bilateral posterior temporal lobe. There were different main effects of task (rotation versus comparison) with significant activation clusters in the bilateral precuneus, the right middle frontal gyrus, the bilateral medial frontal gyrus, the right interior frontal gyrus, the right superior frontal gyrus, the right anterior cingulate, and the bilateral posterior cingulate. There were significant interaction effects of group by task in the bilateral anterior cingulate, the right inferior frontal gyrus, the left superior frontal gyrus, the left posterior cingulate, the left middle temporal gyrus, and the right inferior parietal lobe. In simple effects of deaf and hearing groups with rotation minus comparison, deaf signers mainly showed activity in the right hemisphere, while hearing nonsigners showed bilateral activity. In the simple effects of rotation task, decreased activities were shown for deaf signers compared with hearing nonsigners throughout several regions, including the bilateral parahippocampal gyrus, the left posterior cingulate cortex, the right anterior cingulate cortex, and the right inferior parietal lobe. CONCLUSION: Decreased activations in several brain regions of deaf signers when compared to hearing nonsigners reflected increased neural efficiency and a precise functional circuitry, which was generated through long-term experience with sign language processing. In addition, we inferred tentatively that there may be a lateralization pattern to the right hemisphere for deaf signers when performing mental rotation tasks.

Association between serum non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol and cognitive impairment in patients with acute ischemic stroke.

BACKGROUND: Non-high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) could be a good predictor of vascular disease outcomes. To evaluate the association between serum non-HDL-C and cognitive impairment in patients with acute ischemic stroke. METHODS: A total of 725 hospitalized patients with acute ischemic stroke were enrolled. They received conventional treatment. Cognitive function was assessed on the 3rd day after admission using mini-mental state examination (MMSE), Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), Activity of Daily Living Scale (ADL), and Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI, and Hamilton depression rating scale 21-item (HAMD-21). Lipid profile and biochemical markers were measured, and non-HDL-C was calculated. RESULTS: Compared with patients with normal non-HDL-C, those with high non-HDL-C showed lower MMSE (23.1 ± 4.9 vs. 26.0 ± 4.6, P < 0.001) and MoCA (20.4 ± 6.4 vs. 22.2 ± 5.3 P = 0.01) scores, higher NPI (6.2 ± 1.2 vs. 3.3 ± 1.5, P < 0.001) and HADM-21 (6.0 ± 2.2 vs. 4.5 ± 1.9, P < 0.001) scores, and higher homocysteine (16.0 ± 3.8 vs. 14.3 ± 2.0 mmol/L, P = 0.044), fasting blood glucose (6.4 ± 2.7 vs. 6.1 ± 2.1 mmol/L, P = 0.041), and HbA1c (6.80 ± 1.32 % vs. 6.52 ± 1.17 %, P = 0.013) levels. MMSE (r = -0.526, P < 0.001), MoCA (r = -0.216, P < 0.001), and NPI (r = 0.403, P < 0.001) scores were correlated with non-HDL-C levels. High non-HDL-C levels were an independent risk factor for cognitive disorders after acute ischemic stroke (P = 0.034, odds ratio = 3.115, 95 % confidence interval: 1.088-8.917). CONCLUSIONS: High serum non-HDL-C levels, age, education, homocysteine levels, and HAMD score were independent risk factors of cognitive impairment in patients with acute ischemic stroke. The risk of cognitive disorders after acute ischemic stroke increased with increasing non-HDL-C levels. This parameter is easy to assess in the clinical setting.

Correlated patterns of neuropsychological and behavioral symptoms in frontal variant of Alzheimer disease and behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia: a comparative case study.

Although the neuropathologic changes and diagnostic criteria for the neurodegenerative disorder Alzheimer's disease (AD) are well-established, the clinical symptoms vary largely. Symptomatically, frontal variant of AD (fv-AD) presents very similarly to behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD), which creates major challenges for differential diagnosis. Here, we report two patients who present with progressive cognitive impairment, early and prominent behavioral features, and significant frontotemporal lobe atrophy on magnetic resonance imaging, consistent with an initial diagnosis of probable bvFTD. However, multimodal functional neuroimaging revealed neuropathological data consistent with a diagnosis of probable AD for one patient (pathology distributed in the frontal lobes) and a diagnosis of probable bvFTD for the other patient (hypometabolism in the bilateral frontal lobes). In addition, the fv-AD patient presented with greater executive impairment and milder behavioral symptoms relative to the bvFTD patient. These cases highlight that recognition of these atypical syndromes using detailed neuropsychological tests, biomarkers, and multimodal neuroimaging will lead to greater accuracy in diagnosis and patient management.

Biodegradation of phenol-contaminated soil and plant growth promotion by Myroides xuanwuensis H13.

Physicochemical methods for remediating phenol-contaminated soils are costly and inefficient, making biodegradation an environmentally friendly alternative approach. This study aims to screen for potential phenol-degrading bacteria and to verify the removal capacities of a selected strain in a bioaugmentation experiment at the greenhouse level using Brassica chinensis L. (Chinese cabbage) as the model plant and phenol-contaminated soil. In parallel, pot experiments were conducted using a collaborative approach based on this model system. We found that Myroides xuanwuensis strain H13 showed a high degradation capability, with a 97.67% efficiency in degrading 100 mg/L phenol. Under shaking flask conditions, H13 facilitated the solubilization of tricalcium phosphate and potassium feldspar powder. Pot experiments suggested a phenol removal percentage of 89.22% and enhanced availability of soil phosphorus and potassium for plants with H13 inoculation. In this case, the abundance of soil microbes and the activity of soil enzymes significantly increased as well. Furthermore, both photosynthesis and the antioxidant system in Chinese cabbage were enhanced following H13 inoculation, resulting in its increased yield and quality. Partial least squares path modeling revealed that H13 can primarily affect plant root growth, with a secondary impact on photosynthesis. These findings highlight the potential of biodegradation from phenol-degrading bacteria as a promising strategy for efficient phenol removal from soil while promoting plant growth and health.IMPORTANCEThis study is significant for environmental remediation and agriculture by its exploration of a more environmentally friendly and cost-effective bio-strategy in treating phenol-contaminated soil. These findings have essential implications for environmental remediation efforts and sustainable agriculture. By utilizing the biodegradation capabilities of Myroides xuanwuensis strain H13, it is possible to remove phenol contaminants from the soil efficiently, reducing their negative effects. Furthermore, the enhanced growth and health of the Chinese cabbage plants indicate the potential of this approach to promote sustainable crop production.

[Effects of Exogenous Zinc on Growth and Root Architecture Classification of Maize Seedlings Under Cadmium Stress].

To explore the effects of different concentrations of zinc （Zn） on the growth and root architecture classification of maize seedlings under cadmium （Cd） stress， a hydroponic experiment was conducted to study the effects of different concentrations of Zn （0， 10， 25， 50， 100， 200， and 400 µmol·L-1） on the growth， root architecture and classification characteristics， Cd content， root Cd uptake capacity， and photosynthetic system of maize seedlings under Cd stress （50 µmol·L-1） by using Zhengdan 958 as the experimental material. Principal component analysis and the membership function method were used for comprehensive evaluation. The results showed that the 50 µmol·L-1 Cd stress had a significant toxic effect on maize seedlings， which significantly reduced chlorophyll content and photosynthetic parameters. The main root length， plant height， biomass， root forks， and root tips， including the root length and root surface area of the grade Ⅰ-Ⅲ diameter range and the root volume of the grade Ⅰ-Ⅱ diameter range， decreased significantly， which hindered the normal growth and development of maize seedlings. Compared with that under no Zn application， 100 µmol·L-1 and 200 µmol·L-1 Zn application reduced the uptake of Cd by maize seedlings， significantly reduced the Cd content in shoots and roots and the Cd uptake efficiency. The toxic effect on maize seedlings was alleviated， and the fresh weight， dry weight， tolerance index， and root forks of shoots and roots were significantly increased. The photosynthesis of maize seedlings was significantly enhanced， and the photosynthetic rate and the total chlorophyll content was significantly increased. The RL， SA， and RV in the Ⅰ-Ⅱ diameter range reached the maximum at 100 µmol·L-1 Zn， and the RL， SA， and RV in the Ⅲ diameter range reached the maximum at 200 µmol·L-1 Zn， which were significantly higher than those without Zn treatment. The comprehensive evaluation of the growth tolerance of maize seedlings showed that 100 µmol·L-1 and 200 µmol·L-1 Zn had better effects on alleviating Cd toxicity. Comprehensive analysis showed that the application of appropriate concentration of Zn could reduce the Cd content in maize seedlings， the Cd uptake capacity， and Cd uptake efficiency of roots； increase the biomass accumulation of maize seedlings； reduce the effect of Cd toxicity on root architecture； reduce the effect on the light and system； and improve the tolerance of maize seedlings to Cd.

Adsorption of soil invertase to goethite, gibbsite and their organic complexes and the effects on enzyme catalytic performance.

Soil invertase plays important role in the enzyme-driven degradation of soil organic carbon, and influenced by the adsorption of minerals or clays. We studied the adsorption effects of goethite, gibbsite and their organic complexes (with tannic acid) on invertase, aiming to explore the influence on the mobility and catalytic behavior of invertase. Results showed that both minerals and mineral-tannic acid complexes (henceforth 'complexes') had considerable adsorption capacity for invertase and restricted its mobility. The catalytic performance of invertase was characterized. Under optimum conditions, the kinetics of the enzyme was reduced markedly after adsorption, indicating the decreased enzyme-substrate affinity. Adsorbed invertases retained 30.9-46.1% of the original activity and the mineral-adsorbed enzymes showed lower activities than the complex-adsorbed enzymes. All minerals and complexes had similar patterns on the influence on the pH and thermal properties of invertase, in which the adsorption improved the pH stability of the enzyme at various pH values, lowered the pH sensitivity and shifted the optimum pH towards the acid sites; while decreased thermal stability at various temperature values and higher temperature sensitivity of the adsorbed invertase were observed. In a 150-h incubation under soil-like conditions, all adsorbed invertases showed greater long-term stability than free invertase, and higher total activities (sum of adsorbed activities and dissolved activities) in adsorption system were observed after the incubation. These results implied that, in a soil microenvironment, the goethite, gibbsite and their organic complexes have a protection effect on invertase through adsorption.

A lightweight convolutional neural network hardware implementation for wearable heart rate anomaly detection.

In this article, we propose a lightweight and competitively accurate heart rhythm abnormality classification model based on classical convolutional neural networks in deep neural networks and hardware acceleration techniques to address the shortcomings of existing wearable devices for ECG detection. The proposed approach to build a high-performance ECG rhythm abnormality monitoring coprocessor achieves a high degree of data reuse in time and space, which reduces the number of data flows, provides a more efficient hardware implementation and reduces hardware resource consumption than most existing models. The designed hardware circuit relies on 16-bit floating-point numbers for data inference at the convolutional, pooling, and fully connected layers, and implements acceleration of the computational subsystem through a 21-group floating-point multiplicative-additive computational array and an adder tree. The front- and back-end design of the chip was completed on the TSMC 65 nm process. The device has an area of 0.191 mm2, a core voltage of 1 V, an operating frequency of 20 MHz, a power consumption of 1.1419 mW, and requires 5.12 kByte of storage space. The architecture was evaluated using the MIT-BIH arrhythmia database dataset, which showed a classification accuracy of 97.69% and a classification time of 0.3 ms for a single heartbeat. The hardware architecture offers high accuracy with a simple structure, low resource footprint, and the ability to operate on edge devices with relatively low hardware configurations.

Species Richness of Papilionidae Butterflies (Lepidoptera: Papilionoidea) in the Hengduan Mountains and Its Future Shifts under Climate Change.

The family of Papilionidae (Lepidoptera: Papilionoidea) is a group of butterflies with high ecological and conservation value. The Hengduan Mountains (HMDs) in Southwest China is an important diversity centre for these butterflies. However, the spatial distribution pattern and the climate vulnerability of Papilionidae butterflies in the HDMs remain unknown to date. The lack of such knowledge has already become an obstacle in formulating effective butterfly conservation strategies. The present research compiled a 59-species dataset with 1938 occurrence points. The Maxent model was applied to analyse the spatial pattern of species richness in subfamilies Parnassiinae and Papilioninae, as well as to predict the response under the influence of climate change. The spatial pattern of both subfamilies in the HDMs has obvious elevation prevalence, with Parnassiinae concentrated in the subalpine to alpine areas (2500-5500 m) in western Sichuan, northwestern Yunnan and eastern Tibet, while Papilioninae is concentrated in the low- to medium-elevation areas (1500-3500 m) in the river valleys of western Yunnan and western Sichuan. Under the influence of climate change, both subfamilies would exhibit northward and upward range shifts. The majority of Parnassiinae species would experience drastic habitat contraction, resulting in lower species richness across the HDMs. In contrast, most Papilioninae species would experience habitat expansion, and the species richness would also increase significantly. The findings of this research should provide new insights and a clue for butterfly diversity and climatic vulnerability in southwestern China. Future conservation efforts should be focused on species with habitat contraction, narrow-ranged distribution and endemicity with both in situ and ex situ measures, especially in protected areas. Commercialised collecting targeting these species must also be regulated by future legislation.

Corrigendum: New Insights and Advances in Pathogenesis and Treatment of Very Early Onset Inflammatory Bowel Disease.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fped.2022.714054.].

New Insights and Advances in Pathogenesis and Treatment of Very Early Onset Inflammatory Bowel Disease.

Very early onset inflammatory bowel disease (VEO-IBD) is characterized by multifactorial chronic recurrent intestinal inflammation. Compared with elderly patients, those with VEO-IBD have a more serious condition, not responsive to conventional treatments, with a poor prognosis. Recent studies found that genetic and immunologic abnormalities are closely related to VEO-IBD. Intestinal immune homeostasis monogenic defects (IIHMDs) are changed through various mechanisms. Recent studies have also revealed that abnormalities in genes and immune molecular mechanisms are closely related to VEO-IBD. IIHMDs change through various mechanisms. Epigenetic factors can mediate the interaction between the environment and genome, and genetic factors and immune molecules may be involved in the pathogenesis of the environment and gut microbiota. These discoveries will provide new directions and ideas for the treatment of VEO-IBD.

Case analysis of early-onset Alzheimer's disease associated with TBK1 p.Tyr235Phe gene mutation.

TANK1-binding kinase 1 (TBK1) is mainly involved in the regulation of various cellular pathways through the autophagic lysosomal system, and the loss of function or hypofunction caused by TBK1 gene mutation mainly leads to frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD), amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), and ALS-FTLD. Alzheimer's disease (AD) due to TBK1 gene mutation is extremely rare, and only one case has been reported in China so far. In this report, we described a patient with early-onset AD (EOAD) in whom a new probable pathogenic variant c.704A>T (p.Tyr235Phe) in the TBK1 gene was identified by a whole-genome sequencing analysis. It is suggested that FTLD gene mutation may exist in patients with clinical manifestations of AD.

[Effect of hypophosphatemia on the prognosis of critically ill patients].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the impact of hypophosphatemia on the occurrence and prognosis of critically ill patient. METHODS: The clinical data of critically ill patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) of Tianjin First Central Hospital from October 2021 to April 2022 were retrospectively analyzed. Patients were divided into hypophosphatemia group (serum phosphorus level < 0.80 mmol/L) and non-hypophosphatemia group (serum phosphorus level ≥ 0.80 mmol/L) when they were admitted to the ICU. The following variables were also collected, including gender, age, acute physiology and chronic health evaluation II (APACHE II), sequential organ failure assessment (SOFA), serum phosphorus level, serum calcium level, serum magnesium level, white blood cell count (WBC), neutrophil count (NEU), lymphocyte count (LYM), neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (NLR), C-reactive protein (CRP), presence of infection and infection site, length of hospital stay, ICU stay, 28-day mortality, and mechanical ventilation time. Multivariate Logistic regression analysis was used to evaluate the relationship between each variable and the 28-day mortality. The receiver operator characteristic curve (ROC curve) was drawn, and the area under the ROC curve (AUC) and 95% confidence interval (95%CI) were calculated to evaluate the predictive value of serum phosphorus levels for the prognosis of ICU patients. RESULTS: A total of 263 patients were enrolled, including 54 patients with hypophosphatemia and 209 patients without. The SOFA score, LYM level and the infection rate of patients in the hypophosphatemia group were significantly higher than those in the non-hypophosphatemia group [SOFA score: 6.70±3.17 vs. 5.64±3.59, LYM (×109/L): 0.99±0.54 vs. 0.77±0.54, infection rate: 77.78% (42/54) vs. 59.33% (124/209), all P < 0.05], the NLR was significantly lower than that of the non-hypophosphatemia group [10.67 (7.08, 18.02) vs. 12.25 (7.25, 21.68), P < 0.05]. The length of hospital stay, ICU stay, and mechanical ventilation duration in the hypophosphatemia group were significantly longer than those in the non-hypophosphatemia group [length of hospital stay (days): 15 (11, 28) vs. 12 (6, 21), length of ICU stay (days): 10.35±7.80 vs. 7.15±6.61, mechanical ventilation duration (days): 3 (0, 12) vs. 2 (0, 5), all P < 0.05]. There was no significant difference in the 28-day mortality between the hypophosphatemia group and the non-hypophosphatemia group [9.26% (5/54) vs. 11.00% (23/209), P > 0.05]. Multivariate Logistic regression analysis showed that APACHE II score [odds ratio (OR) = 1.188, 95%CI was 1.110-1.271], CRP (OR = 1.016, 95%CI was 1.007-1.026), and NLR (OR = 1.002, 95%CI was 0.996-1.008) were independent risk factors affecting the 28-day mortality of critically ill patients in ICU (all P < 0.05). ROC curve analysis showed that the AUC of serum phosphorus levels for predicting the length of hospital stay of critically ill patients in ICU > 10 days, ICU stay > 5 days, and mechanical ventilation duration > 5 days were 0.701 (95%CI was 0.632-0.770), 0.771 (95%CI was 0.691-0.852), 0.617 (95%CI was 0.541-0.692), respectively, all P < 0.01. CONCLUSIONS: Hypophosphatemia has some predictive value for the length of hospital and ICU stay and mechanical ventilation time in critically ill patients, but it cannot predict the 28-day mortality.

Preparation and Characterization of Electrospun PAN-CuCl2 Composite Nanofiber Membranes with a Special Net Structure for High-Performance Air Filters.

The growing issue of particulate matter (PM) air pollution has given rise to extensive research into the development of high-performance air filters recently. As the core of air filters, various types of electrospun nanofiber membranes have been fabricated and developed. With the novel poly(acrylonitrile) (PAN)-CuCl2 composite nanofiber membranes as the filter membranes, we demonstrate the high PM removal efficiency exceeding 99% and can last a long service time. The nanoscale morphological characteristics of nanofiber membranes were investigated by scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and mercury intrusion porosimeter. It is found that they appear to have a special net structure at specific CuCl2 concentrations, which substantially improves PM removal efficiency. We anticipate the PAN-CuCl2 composite nanofiber membranes will be expected to effectively solve some pressing problems in air filtration.

Early-stage differentiation between Alzheimer's disease and frontotemporal lobe degeneration: Clinical, neuropsychology, and neuroimaging features.

Background: Alzheimer's disease (AD) and frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD) are the two most common forms of neurodegenerative dementia. Although both of them have well-established diagnostic criteria, achieving early diagnosis remains challenging. Here, we aimed to make the differential diagnosis of AD and FTLD from clinical, neuropsychological, and neuroimaging features. Materials and methods: In this retrospective study, we selected 95 patients with PET-CT defined AD and 106 patients with PET-CT/biomarker-defined FTLD. We performed structured chart examination to collect clinical data and ascertain clinical features. A series of neuropsychological scales were used to assess the neuropsychological characteristics of patients. Automatic tissue segmentation of brain by Dr. Brain tool was used to collect multi-parameter volumetric measurements from different brain areas. All patients' structural neuroimage data were analyzed to obtain brain structure and white matter hyperintensities (WMH) quantitative data. Results: The prevalence of vascular disease associated factors was higher in AD patients than that in FTLD group. 56.84% of patients with AD carried at least one APOE ε4 allele, which is much high than that in FTLD patients. The first symptoms of AD patients were mostly cognitive impairment rather than behavioral abnormalities. In contrast, behavioral abnormalities were the prominent early manifestations of FTLD, and few patients may be accompanied by memory impairment and motor symptoms. In direct comparison, patients with AD had slightly more posterior lesions and less frontal atrophy, whereas patients with FTLD had more frontotemporal atrophy and less posterior lesions. The WMH burden of AD was significantly higher, especially in cortical areas, while the WMH burden of FTLD was higher in periventricular areas. Conclusion: These results indicate that dynamic evaluation of cognitive function, behavioral and psychological symptoms, and multimodal neuroimaging are helpful for the early diagnosis and differentiation between AD and FTLD.

A New Species of Aporia/ (Lepidoptera: Pieridae) from Northwest Yunnan, China with Taxonomic Notes on Its Similar Sympatric Taxa.

The northwest corner of Yunnan Province, China is the world-class diversity centre of the genus Aporia Hübner, 1819 (Lepidoptera: Pieridae). During our expeditions to this area in 2019 and 2020, a new species of Aporia was discovered from the upper Yangtze River valley in northwest Yunnan, China. The new taxon, A. chunhaoi sp. nov., is similar to A. lhamo (Oberthür, 1893) but can be easily identified by larger size, much paler (creamy) male hindwing, as well as different genitalic structures. Our field surveys and comparative studies also confirmed a new range of A. lhamo in the upper Yangtze River valley, and the morphological variation of this species is discussed herein.

Sirtuin 2 expression levels may predict the progression of sepsis survivors to chronic critical illness.

BACKGROUND: Sirtuin 2 (SIRT2) is a conserved deacetylase that participates in the regulation of inflammation in sepsis. In this observational prospective study, we investigated the predictive value of the SIRT2 expression level in the development of chronic critical illness (CCI) in patients with sepsis. METHODS: A total of 128 critically ill patients with sepsis or septic shock were enrolled and assigned to the CCI group, rapid recovery (RAP) group, or early death group according to their clinical trajectories. Patients' demographic and clinical information, as well as laboratory data, including C-reactive protein (CRP) level and total lymphocyte counts, were collected. Blood samples were obtained at admission and on days 1, 4, 7, 10, 14, and 21 (days 14 and 21 for the CCI group only). Peripheral blood mononuclear cells were isolated, and SIRT2 expression was measured by real-time polymerase chain reaction. Serum levels of interleukin (IL)-6 and IL-10 were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. RESULTS: Our cohort included 37 CCI and 82 RAP patients, and 9 early death patients, who died within 14 days of intensive care unit (ICU) admission. Compared with the RAP group, CCI patients showed elevated CRP and IL-6 levels throughout the observation period, reflecting a sustained inflammatory response. However, decreases in total lymphocyte count and IL-10 expression in these patients were indicative of immunosuppression. SIRT2 mRNA level was lower in CCI and RAP patients compared with healthy controls at the initial stage of hospitalization, but increased starting on day 4 and continued to increase for the duration of hospitalization. By day 10, SIRT2 expression had almost returned to normal in RAP patients; however, in CCI patients, it continued to increase until the end of the observation period. A receiver-operating characteristic curve analysis showed that the expression level of SIRT2 at 10 days predicts the occurrence of CCI (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: SIRT2 expression may be a useful marker for identifying sepsis survivors who are at risk of progressing to CCI.

The first record of the monospecific genus Rhinopalpa (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae) from China.

BACKGROUND: The family Nymphalidae is the largest group of butterflies with high species richeness. Rhinopalpapolynice (Cramer, [1779]), a forest species, was discovered in the mid-stream of the Yuanjiang-Red River Valley of Yunnan Province for the first time, which represents the first record of the genus Rhinopalpa in China. NEW INFORMATION: The species R. polynice (Cramer, [1779]) is the first record of the genus Rhinopalpa from China. The specimen was collected in the mid-stream of the Yuanjiang-Red River Valley of Yunnan Province. The female genitalia are described for the first time.

Objective Assessment of Hyposmia in Alzheimer's Disease From Image and Behavior by Combining Pleasant Odor With Unpleasant Odor.

Background: Olfactory functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) of responses to a pleasant odor (PO) (lavender) can objectively evaluate olfactory dysfunction in Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients. The brain responses to a PO and unpleasant odor (UPO) were shown to differ in normal young people. Whether AD patients with olfactory dysfunction have the same brain response is not yet known. Objective: Our aim was to explore whether olfactory fMRI with both a PO and UPO can provide more information regarding olfactory impairment in AD than a PO alone. Methods: Twenty-five normal controls (NC), 26 individuals with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and 22 AD patients underwent olfactory fMRI with lavender and pyridine odorants at three concentrations (0.10, 0.33, and 1.00%) with a 3.0-T MRI scanner. Results: There were no differences in the number of activated voxels in the primary olfactory cortex (POC) between PO and UPO conditions in the NC, MCI, and AD groups (SPM, paired t-test, uncorrected p < 0.001, extent threshold = 70). In the right inferior frontal gyrus, orbital part (F3O), the number of activated voxels was greater with the UPO than with the PO in the NC group (SPM, paired t-test, uncorrected p < 0.001, extent threshold = 70), but there were no differences in the MCI and AD groups. Regardless of PO or UPO conditions, there were significant differences in the number of activated voxels in the POC among the NC, MCI, and AD groups. With increasing odor concentration, the number of activated voxels in the POC decreased in the NC group but increased in the AD group. When 0.10% UPO was presented, the NC group (21/25) showed a lower breathing amplitude and shorter inhalation time, whereas the AD patients (0/22) did not show such changes in breathing. Conclusions: After PO and UPO inhalation, brain activation and respiratory behavior in AD patients were significantly different than in NC patients. Therefore, olfactory fMRI using both PO and UPO stimulation, compared with PO stimulation only, can provide more objective information regarding hyposmia associated with AD based on imaging and behavior.