Rhizophagus irregularis and biochar can synergistically improve the physiological characteristics of saline-alkali resistance of switchgrass.

Inoculation of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) or biochar (BC) application can improve photosynthesis and promote plant growth under saline-alkali stress. However, little is known about the effects of the two combined on growth and physiological characteristics of switchgrass under saline-alkali stress. This study examined the effects of four treatments: (1) no AMF inoculation and no biochar addition (control), (2) biochar (BC) alone, (3) AMF (Rhizophagus irregularis, Ri) alone, and (4) the combination of both (BC+Ri) on the plant biomass, antioxidant enzymes, chlorophyll, and photosynthetic parameters of switchgrass under saline-alkali stress. The results showed that the above-ground, belowground and total biomass of switchgrass in the BC+Ri treatment group was significantly higher (+136.7%, 120.2% and 132.4%, respectively) than in other treatments compared with Control. BC+Ri treatment significantly increased plant leaves' relative chlorophyll content, antioxidant enzyme activity, and photosynthesis parameters. It is worth noting that the transpiration rate, stomatal conductance, net photosynthetic rate, PSII efficiency and other photosynthetic-related indexes of the BC+Ri treatment group were the highest (38% to 54% higher than other treatments). The fitting results of light response and CO2 response curves showed that the light saturation point, light compensation point, maximum carboxylation rate and maximum electron transfer rate of switchgrass in the Ri+BC treatment group were the highest. In conclusion, biochar combined with Ri has potential beneficial effects on promoting switchgrass growth under saline-alkali stress and improving the activity of antioxidant enzymes and photosynthetic characteristics of plants.

Top-down modulation and cortical-AMG/HPC interaction in familiar face processing.

Humans can accurately recognize familiar faces in only a few hundred milliseconds, but the underlying neural mechanism remains unclear. Here, we recorded intracranial electrophysiological signals from ventral temporal cortex (VTC), superior/middle temporal cortex (STC/MTC), medial parietal cortex (MPC), and amygdala/hippocampus (AMG/HPC) in 20 epilepsy patients while they viewed faces of famous people and strangers as well as common objects. In posterior VTC and MPC, familiarity-sensitive responses emerged significantly later than initial face-selective responses, suggesting that familiarity enhances face representations after they are first being extracted. Moreover, viewing famous faces increased the coupling between cortical areas and AMG/HPC in multiple frequency bands. These findings advance our understanding of the neural basis of familiar face perception by identifying the top-down modulation in local face-selective response and interactions between cortical face areas and AMG/HPC.

Performance of atrazine adsorption behavior and microbial community structure in Mollisol aggregate fraction.

Owing to complex pore systems and chemical substances, soil aggregates provide a spatially heterogeneous microenvironment for adsorption capacity and microbial survival. As the widely used pesticide in farmlands, atrazine environmental behavior is not well known at the aggregate scale. In this study, Mollisol soil samples were sieved into four aggregate-size classes: large macroaggregates (>2 mm, LMa), small macroaggregates (1-2 mm, SMa), microaggregates (0.25-1 mm, Mia) and primary particles (<0.25 mm, P). The pore characteristics of each aggregate fraction was visualized by non-invasive X-ray three-dimensional microscopic computed tomography (3D-CT) combined with pore network extraction. The adsorption kinetics of atrazine in each aggregate-size fraction can be described well by a pseudo-second-order kinetic model. The adsorption isothermal process of atrazine can be better fitted by the Langmuir isotherm model than Freundlich isotherm model. There was an obvious linear correlation between the maximum atrazine adsorption capacity and aggregate SOC content as well as TN. In addition, the abundance of bacteria, actinomycetes and anaerobic bacteria in P was totally higher than those in SMa and Mia. Although pH is strongly linked to the bacterial community in the aggregate fraction, aggregate particle size explained 18 % for shaping the microbial community. Therefore, chemical properties and pore characteristics of each soil aggregate fraction both contributed to performance of atrazine adsorption behavior and microbial community.

Cocultivation with Solanum nigrum and inoculation with Rhizophagus intraradices can improve plant photosynthesis and antioxidant defense to alleviate cadmium toxicity to soybean.

High Cd pollution can damage plant physiology and seriously threaten ecological security and human health. Therefore, we designed a cropping system, arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) - soybean - Solanum nigrum L., to solve the high Cd pollution problem in an environmentally and economically friendly way. The results showed that AMF were able to break free from the constraints of cocultivation and still promote plant photosynthesis and growth in combined treatments to resist Cd stress. In addition, cocultivation combined with AMF improved the antioxidant defense to scavenge reactive oxygen species by promoting the production of antioxidant enzymes and nonenzyme substances in host plants. The glutathione content in soybean and the catalase activity in nightshade were recorded at the highest values under cocultivation combined with AMF treatment, which were 23.68% and 129.12% higher than those of monoculture without AMF treatments. The improvement in antioxidant defense alleviated oxidative stress, which was manifested by the reduction in Cd dense electronic particles in the ultrastructure and a 26.38% decrease in MDA content. Furthermore, this cropping mode combined the advantages of cocultivation to improve the Cd extraction efficiency and Rhizophagus intraradices to limit Cd accumulation and transport so that Cd was more accumulated and restricted in the roots of the cocultivated Solanum nigrum L., and the Cd concentration in soybean beans was reduced by 56% compared with the soybean monoculture without AMF treatment. Therefore, we suggest that this cropping system is a comprehensive and mild remediation technology suitable for highly Cd-contaminated soil.

Temporally flexible feedback signal to foveal cortex for peripheral object recognition.

Recent studies have shown that information from peripherally presented images is present in the human foveal retinotopic cortex, presumably because of feedback signals. We investigated this potential feedback signal by presenting noise in fovea at different object-noise stimulus onset asynchronies (SOAs), whereas subjects performed a discrimination task on peripheral objects. Results revealed a selective impairment of performance when foveal noise was presented at 250-ms SOA, but only for tasks that required comparing objects' spatial details, suggesting a task- and stimulus-dependent foveal processing mechanism. Critically, the temporal window of foveal processing was shifted when mental rotation was required for the peripheral objects, indicating that the foveal retinotopic processing is not automatically engaged at a fixed time following peripheral stimulation; rather, it occurs at a stage when detailed information is required. Moreover, fMRI measurements using multivoxel pattern analysis showed that both image and object category-relevant information of peripheral objects was represented in the foveal cortex. Taken together, our results support the hypothesis of a temporally flexible feedback signal to the foveal retinotopic cortex when discriminating objects in the visual periphery.

Proteomics Analysis of E. angustifolia Seedlings Inoculated with Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi under Salt Stress.

To reveal the mechanism of salinity stress alleviation by arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), we investigated the growth parameter, soluble sugar, soluble protein, and protein abundance pattern of E. angustifolia seedlings that were cultured under salinity stress (300 mmol/L NaCl) and inoculated by Rhizophagus irregularis (RI). Furthermore, a label-free quantitative proteomics approach was used to reveal the stress-responsive proteins in the leaves of E. angustifolia. The result indicates that the abundance of 75 proteins in the leaves was significantly influenced when E. angustifolia was inoculated with AMF, which were mainly involved in the metabolism, signal transduction, and reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavenging. Furthermore, we identified chorismate mutase, elongation factor mitochondrial, peptidyl-prolyl cis-trans isomerase, calcium-dependent kinase, glutathione S-transferase, glutathione peroxidase, NADH dehydrogenase, alkaline neutral invertase, peroxidase, and other proteins closely related to the salt tolerance process. The proteomic results indicated that E. angustifolia seedlings inoculated with AMF increased the secondary metabolism level of phenylpropane metabolism, enhanced the signal transduction of Ca2+ and ROS scavenging ability, promoted the biosynthesis of protein, accelerated the protein folding, and inhibited the degradation of protein under salt stress. Moreover, AMF enhanced the synthesis of ATP and provided sufficient energy for plant cell activity. This study implied that symbiosis of halophytes and AMF has potential as an application for the improvement of saline-alkali soils.

Molecular Characterization of African Swine Fever Virus, China, 2018.

On August 3, 2018, an outbreak of African swine fever in pigs was reported in China. We subjected a virus from an African swine fever-positive pig sample to phylogenetic analysis. This analysis showed that the causative strain belonged to the p72 genotype II and CD2v serogroup 8.

Proteomic analysis of the response of Funnelifor mismosseae/Medicago sativa to atrazine stress.

BACKGROUND: Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi form symbiotic associations with host plants can protect host plants against diverse biotic and abiotic stresses, and promote biodegradation of various contaminants. However, the molecular mechanisms of how the arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and host plant association on atrazine stress were still poorly understood. To better characterize how arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and host plant interactions increase atrazine stress, we performed physiological and proteomic analysis of Funneliformis mosseae (mycorrhizal fungi) and Medicago sativa (alfalfa) association under atrazine stress. RESULTS: The results showed that in the Arbuscular mycorrhizal, protective enzymes were up regulated and the malondialdehyde content increased relative to those of non-mycorrhizal M.sativa. We also examined the atrazine degradation rates within the nutrient solution, and a 44.43% reduction was observed with the mycorrhizal M.sativa, with 30.83% of the reduction attributed to F. mosseae. The accumulation content in root and stem of mycorrhizal M.sativa were obviously increased 11.89% and 16.33% than those of non- mycorrhizal M.sativa. The activity of PPO, POD, CAT and SOD in mycorrhizal M.sativa were obviously higher than non mycorrhizal M.sativa under atrazine stess. We identified differential root proteins using isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantization coupled with liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry, with 533 proteins identified (276 unregulated and 257 downregulated). The differentially expressed proteins were further examined using GO, BLAST comparisons, and a literature inquiry and were classified into the categories of atrazine degradation (37.1%); atrazine stress response (28.6%); plant immune responses (14.3%); translation, synthesis, and processing (10%); and signal transduction and biological processes (10%). Furthermore, we identified glycosyl transferase, glutathione S-transferase, laccase, cytochrome P450 monooxygenase, peroxidase, and other proteins closely related to the degradation process. CONCLUSIONS: Mycorrhizal Medicago showed improved atrazine degradation within the culturing medium and increased atrazine enrichment in the roots and stems. Additionally, AMF increased the plant root response to atrazine, with relevant enzymes up regulated and toxic effects alleviated. Overall, the findings of this study show that AMF played an important role in easing atrazine stress in plants and contributed to atrazine remediation and further contributed to the understanding of the molecular mechanism associated with atrazine stresses and potential mycorrhizal contributions in M.sativa.

Responses of photosynthesis-related parameters and chloroplast ultrastructure to atrazine in alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) inoculated with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi.

Atrazine is an ingredient in photosynthesis-inhibiting herbicides and has been widely used to combat weeds in farmland. However, most atrazine that is applied fails to degrade in the soil and subsequently affects non-target plants. In this study, we investigated the influence of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), Funneliformis mosseae on the photosynthesis-related parameters, chlorophyll content, and chloroplast ultrastructure in alfalfa plants, some of which had been exposed to atrazine. Our results showed that the percentage of AMF hyphal colonization reached 91.23% 35 days after the alfalfa was planted, which suggests a symbiotic relationship between F. mosseae and alfalfa roots. F. mosseae alleviated the inhibition of net photosynthesis and stomatal function significantly in alfalfa exposed to atrazine for 24 h. A chlorophyll fluorescence analysis revealed that F. mosseae prevented a major reduction in the performance of photosystem II (PSII) photochemistry in the presence of atrazine, such as the relative decrease of Fv/Fm between the non-mycorrhizal and F. mosseae mycorrhizal treatments was 4.4% and 5.8% after 24 and 48 h of atrazine exposure time. However, F. mosseae has no significant alleviation on a sharp reduction in the chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b and carotenoid content in alfalfa exposed to atrazine. For the chloroplast ultrastructure in alfalfa exposed to atrazine, the number of both plastoglobules and partial granal stacks was greater in the presence of F. mosseae. In general, our results indicate that the F. mosseae inoculation was beneficial to sustain photosynthesis-related performance, such as net photosynthesis, stomatal conductance, the maximum quantum yield (Fv/Fm) and effective quantum yield (ΦPSII) of PSII photochemistry in alfalfa after exposure to atrazine, because the mycorrhizal alfalfa had a greater number of plastoglobules and granal stacks in the chloroplast, thereby enhancing its resistance to the oxidative damage induced by atrazine.

Responses of nonenzymatic antioxidants to atrazine in arbuscular mycorrhizal roots of Medicago sativa L.

Atrazine induces the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), which are detoxified by enzymatic and nonenzymatic mechanisms in plants. Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi improve on this first level of plant resistance to environmental stresses through the antioxidant defense system, but the way in which nonenzymatic antioxidants relate to atrazine in arbuscular mycorrhizal roots is not well-known. In this study, a symbiotic relationship between Funneliformis mosseae and Medicago sativa L. roots was established successfully. Then, a non-targeted metabolite analysis which was hypothesis-free concerning particular metabolites was used to provide a comprehensive metabolic fingerprint and to subsequently identify, quantify, and finally find different nonenzymatic antioxidants in mycorrhizal and non-mycorrhizal roots following atrazine addition. Tocotrienol, (iso)flavonoids, and their derivate concentrations in F. mosseae-M. sativa mycorrhizal roots were significantly higher than in non-mycorrhizal roots. The majority of (iso)flavonoids and their derivates increased significantly via methylation or glycosylation, but dehydroascorbic acid in its oxidized form decreased significantly in mycorrhizal roots. In general, F. mosseae colonization results in significantly greater nonenzymatic antioxidant tocotrienol and (iso)flavonoids derivate concentrations in M. sativa roots, which may be associated with resistance to atrazine.

Physicochemical Properties of C-Type Starch from Root Tuber of Apios fortunei in Comparison with Maize, Potato, and Pea Starches.

The dry root tuber of Apios fortunei contained about 75% starch, indicating that it is an important starch resource. Starch displayed spherical, polygonal, and ellipsoidal granules with central hila. Granule sizes ranged from 3 to 30 µm with a 9.6 µm volume-weighted mean diameter. The starch had 35% apparent amylose content and exhibited CA-type crystalline structure with 25.9% relative crystallinity. The short-range ordered degree in the granule external region was approximately 0.65, and the lamellar thickness was approximately 9.6 nm. The swelling power and water solubility began to increase from 70 °C and reached 28.7 g/g and 10.8% at 95 °C. Starch had typical bimodal thermal curve in water with gelatinization temperatures from 61.8 to 83.9 °C. The 7% (w/w) starch-water slurry had peak, hot, breakdown, final, and setback viscosities of 1689, 1420, 269, 2103, and 683 mPa s, respectively. Rapidly digestible starch, slowly digestible starch, and resistant starch were 6.04%, 10.96%, and 83.00% in native starch; 83.16%, 15.23%, and 1.61% in gelatinized starch; and 78.13%, 17.88%, and 3.99% in retrograded starch, respectively. The above physicochemical properties of A. fortunei starch were compared with those of maize A-type starch, potato B-type starch, and pea C-type starch. The hierarchical cluster analysis based on starch structural and functional property parameters showed that A. fortunei and pea starches had similar physicochemical properties and were more related to maize starch than potato starch.

CD8+ Treg cells suppress CD8+ T cell-responses by IL-10-dependent mechanism during H5N1 influenza virus infection.

Although Treg-cell-mediated suppression during infection or autoimmunity has been described, functions of Treg cells during highly pathogenic avian influenza virus infection remain poorly characterized. Here we found that in Foxp3-GFP transgenic mice, CD8(+) Foxp3(+) Treg cells, but not CD4(+) Foxp3(+) Treg cells, were remarkably induced during H5N1 infection. In addition to expressing CD25, the CD8(+) Foxp3(+) Treg cells showed a high level of GITR and produced IL-10. In an adoptive transfer model, CD8(+) Treg cells suppressed CD8(+) T-cell responses and promoted H5N1 virus infection, resulting in enhanced mortality and increased virus load in the lung. Furthermore, in vitro neutralization of IL-10 and studies with IL-10R-deficient mice in vitro and in vivo demonstrated an important role for IL-10 production in the capacity of CD8(+) Treg cells to inhibit CD8(+) T-cell responses. Our findings identify a previously unrecognized role of CD8(+) Treg cells in the negative regulation of CD8(+) T-cell responses and suggest that modulation of CD8(+) Treg cells may be a therapeutic strategy to control H5N1 viral infection.

RIG-I-dependent antiviral immunity is effective against an RNA virus encoding a potent suppressor of RNAi.

Nodamura virus (NoV) lethally infects suckling mice and contains a segmented positive-strand RNA genome that encodes a potent suppressor of RNA interference (RNAi). Recent studies have demonstrated immune detection and subsequent processing of NoV dsRNA replicative intermediates by the mouse RNAi machinery. However, diverse RNA viruses, including Encephalomyocarditis virus that also triggers Dicer-dependent biogenesis of viral siRNAs in mouse cells, are targeted in mammals by RIG-I-like receptors that initiate an IFN-dependent antiviral response. Using mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs) for NoV infection, here we show that MEFs derived from mice knockout for RIG-I, but not those knockout for MDA5, LGP2, TLR3 or TLR7, exhibited an enhanced susceptibility to NoV. Further studies indicate that NoV infection induced an IFN-dependent antiviral response mediated by RIG-I. Our findings suggest that RIG-I directs a typical IFN-dependent antiviral response against an RNA virus capable of suppressing the RNAi response.

Coinoculation of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and rhizobia stimulates atrazine dissipation by changing the atrazine-degrading bacterial community at the soil aggregate scale.

As a potential low-cost and environmentally friendly strategy, bioremediation of herbicide polluted soil has attracted increasing attention. However, there is a lack of knowledge regarding the response of the atrazine-degrading bacterial community to coinoculation of arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi and rhizobia for atrazine dissipation. In this study, a pot experiment was conducted with AM fungi Glomus mosseae (AM), rhizobia Rhizobium trifolii TA-1 (R) and their coinoculation (AMR) with atrazine. In each treatment, the atrazine-degrading bacterial community of four soil size aggregates, namely large macroaggregates (LMa), small macroaggregates (SMa), microaggregates (Mia) and primary particles (P) were investigated. The results showed that the atrazine residue concentration was lowest in AMR, and that in LMa was also significantly lower than that in the other smaller aggregate sizes. Overall, inoculation, the aggregate fraction and their interaction had significant effects on soil TN, SOC, AP and pH. For the atrazine-degrading bacterial community, the Chao1 index increased with decreasing particle size, but the Shannon index decreased. Moreover, the abundances of the dominant atrazine-degrading bacterial genera Arthrobacter, Bacillus, Marmoricola and Nocardioides in the Mia and P particle size groups were greater than those in the LMa and SMa groups in each treatment. The bacterial communities in the Mia and P particle sizes in each treatment group were more complex. Therefore, coinoculation of AM fungi and rhizobia stimulated atrazine dissipation by changing the atrazine-degrading bacterial community, and the response of the atrazine-degrading bacterial community to each aggregate size varied depending on its distinct soil physicochemical properties.

Psychometric Properties of a Novel Affective Bias Task and its Application in Clinical and Non-Clinical Populations.

To mitigate limitations in self-reported mood assessments, we introduce a novel affective bias task (ABT). The task quantifies instantaneous emotional state by leveraging the phenomenon of affective bias, in which people interpret external emotional stimuli in a manner consistent with their current emotional state. This study establishes task stability in measuring and tracking depressive symptoms in clinical and non-clinical populations. Initial assessment in a large non-clinical sample established normative ratings. Depressive symptoms were tracked relative to task performance in a non-clinical sample, as well as in a clinical cohort undergoing surgical evaluation for severe epilepsy. In both cohorts, a stronger negative affective bias was associated with higher Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-II) scores. The ABT exhibits high stability and interrater reliability, as well as construct validity in predicting depression levels in both cohorts, suggesting the task as a reliable proxy for mood and a diagnostic tool for detecting depressive symptoms.

Production and evaluation of anti-BP26 monoclonal antibodies for the serological detection of animal brucellosis.

Brucella BP26 proves to be a highly immunogenic antigen with excellent specificity in brucellosis detection. In China, the authorized use of the Bp26-deleted vaccine M5ΔBP26 for preventing small ruminant brucellosis highlights the importance of developing accurate detection methods targeting BP26, particularly for the diagnosis of differentiation between infected and vaccinated animals (DIVA). Using the traditional mouse hybridoma technique, we successfully obtained 12 monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) targeting BP26. The efficacy of these mAbs in detecting various animal brucellosis cases using the competitive ELISA method was evaluated. Among them, only the E10 mAb exhibited significant efficiency, being inhibited by 100, 97.62, and 100% of brucellosis-positive sera from cattle, small ruminants, and canines, respectively. The E10-based competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (cELISA) outperformed the BP26-based indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (iELISA) in accuracy, particularly for cattle and small ruminant brucellosis, with cELISA sensitivity reaching 97.62% compared to 64.29% for iELISA for small ruminants. Although cELISA showed slightly lower specificity than iELISA, it still maintained high accuracy in canine brucellosis detection. The epitope of mAb E10 was identified in the amino acid sequence QPIYVYPDDKNNLKEPTITGY, suggesting its potential as a diagnostic antigen for brucellosis. In conclusion, the E10-based cELISA presents an effective means of detecting animal brucellosis, particularly significant for DIVA diagnosis in China, where the BP26-mutant vaccine is widely used.

Development and evaluation of a triplex droplet digital PCR method for differentiation of M. tuberculosis, M. bovis and BCG.

Introduction: Tuberculosis, caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTBC), remains a global health concern in both human and animals. However, the absence of rapid, accurate, and highly sensitive detection methods to differentiate the major pathogens of MTBC, including M. tuberculosis, M. bovis, and BCG, poses a potential challenge. Methods: In this study, we have established a triplex droplet digital polymerase chain reaction (ddPCR) method employing three types of probe fluorophores, with targets M. tuberculosis (targeting CFP-10-ESAT-6 gene of RD1 and Rv0222 genes of RD4), M. bovis (targeting CFP-10-ESATs-6 gene of RD1), and BCG (targeting Rv3871 and Rv3879c genes of ΔRD1), respectively. Results: Based on optimization of annealing temperature, sensitivity and repeatability, this method demonstrates a lower limit of detection (LOD) as 3.08 copies/reaction for M. tuberculosis, 4.47 copies/reaction for M. bovis and 3.59 copies/reaction for BCG, without cross-reaction to Mannheimia haemolytica, Mycoplasma bovis, Haemophilus parasuis, Escherichia coli, Pasteurella multocida, Ochrobactrum anthropi, Salmonella choleraesuis, Brucella melitensis, and Staphylococcus aureus, and showed repeatability with coefficients of variation (CV) lower than 10%. The method exhibits strong milk sample tolerance, the LOD of detecting in spike milk was 5 × 103 CFU/mL, which sensitivity is ten times higher than the triplex qPCR. 60 clinical DNA samples, including 20 milk, 20 tissue and 20 swab samples, were kept in China Animal Health and Epidemiology Center were tested by the triplex ddPCR and triplex qPCR. The triplex ddPCR presented a higher sensitivity (11.67%, 7/60) than that of the triplex qPCR method (8.33%, 5/60). The positive rates of M. tuberculosis, M. bovis, and BCG were 1.67, 10, and 0% by triplex ddPCR, and 1.67, 6.67, and 0% by triplex qPCR, with coincidence rates of 100, 96.7, and 100%, respectively. Discussion: Our data demonstrate that the established triplex ddPCR method is a sensitive, specific and rapid method for differentiation and identification of M. tuberculosis, M. bovis, and BCG.

Insula uses overlapping codes for emotion in self and others.

In daily life, we must recognize others' emotions so we can respond appropriately. This ability may rely, at least in part, on neural responses similar to those associated with our own emotions. We hypothesized that the insula, a cortical region near the junction of the temporal, parietal, and frontal lobes, may play a key role in this process. We recorded local field potential (LFP) activity in human neurosurgical patients performing two tasks, one focused on identifying their own emotional response and one on identifying facial emotional responses in others. We found matching patterns of gamma- and high-gamma band activity for the two tasks in the insula. Three other regions (MTL, ACC, and OFC) clearly encoded both self- and other-emotions, but used orthogonal activity patterns to do so. These results support the hypothesis that the insula plays a particularly important role in mediating between experienced vs. observed emotions.

Mast cell-induced lung injury in mice infected with H5N1 influenza virus.

Although an important role for mast cells in several viral infections has been demonstrated, its role in the invasion of highly pathogenic H5N1 influenza virus is unknown. In the present study, we demonstrate that mast cells were activated significantly by H5N1 virus (A/chicken/Henan/1/2004) infection both in vivo and in vitro. Mast cells could possibly intensify the lung injury that results from H5N1 infection by releasing proinflammatory mediators, including histamine, tryptase, and gamma interferon (IFN-γ). Lung lesions and apoptosis induced by H5N1 infection were reduced dramatically by treatment with ketotifen, which is a mast cell degranulation inhibitor. A combination of ketotifen and the neuraminidase inhibitor oseltamivir protected 100% of the mice from death postinfection. In conclusion, our data suggest that mast cells play a crucial role in the early stages of H5N1 influenza virus infection and provide a new approach to combat highly pathogenic influenza virus infection.