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The leftward asymmetry of the visual field and posterior brain regions, a feature of the normal attention process, can be strengthened by brain stimulation, e.g. administering alpha frequency stimulation to the left posterior cortex. However, whether it can be strengthened by cognitive training, especially with nonlateralized tasks, is unknown. We used a dataset from a 2-month-long randomized controlled trial and compared the control group with 2 training groups trained with backward or forward memory span tasks. A lateralized change detection task with varied memory loads was administered as the pre-, mid-, and post-tests with simultaneous electroencephalographic recording. Intrasubject response variability (IRV) and the alpha modulation index (MI) were calculated. Analysis of IRV showed more enhanced leftward attentional bias in the backward group than in the other groups. Consistently, analysis of MI found that its enhancements in the left hemisphere (but not the right hemisphere) of the backward group were significantly higher than those of the other groups. Further analysis revealed that left MI changes predicted left IRV improvement. All of these results indicated that backward memory span training enhanced leftward attentional asymmetry at both the behavioral and neural levels.

Endometrial tumor has increased in occurrence and fatality in China during the last 11 years, owing to inconsistent hormone use and modifications in people living surrounding and lifestyles. One of the three main gynaecological tumors is endometrial carcinoma (EC). Longer waiting duration of operation was linked to a lower chance of sustainability in endometrial tumor patients. Despite the great sustainability rate of endometrial tumor, only around 46 percent of patients undergo adjuvant treatment. Circulating tumor cells (CTCs), circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA), and circulating free DNA (cfDNA) are the most investigated tumor noninvasive indicators. These circulating biomarkers are important in the knowledge of metastasis and tumorigenesis, and they could help researchers comprehend how cancer dynamics evolve throughout the therapy and illness development. In patients with solid tumor, the existence of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in the peripheral blood is linked to a weak prognosis. However, there is a scarcity of information on how to detect CTCs in endometrial cancer (EC). Hence, in this paper, we analyze the guiding effect of CTCs on postoperative adjuvant treatment for sufferers with initial phase endometrial tumor using multi-cox regression method. The dataset is selected and the blood samples are collected using plasma separation method. The CTC is detected using differential diagnosis. The morphology and biological features, Immunocytochemistry, Genomic analysis, Transcriptomic analysis, Proteomic analysis, and molecular analysis are performed and the outcomes are evaluated.

In order to omit the step of removing organic items in Cu–Cu joint with Cu paste and improve the interface of the Cu–Cu bonding, a novel method based on cold spray deposition and subsequent oxidation–reduction process was proposed to achieve solid-state Cu–Cu joint with cheap micro-sized Cu particles at low temperature with different applied pressures. The micro-sized Cu particles were tightly deposited on surface of Cu substrate to make a robust interface. Cu2O nanoparticles were formed on the surface of Cu particles with the oxidation, which were completely reduced to metal Cu nanoparticles in formic acid atmosphere at 300 °C to realize the Cu–Cu joint with a shear strength of 32.9 MPa. Moreover, due to the stronger interfacial bonding between cold spray deposit and Cu substrate, the joint fracture exhibited ductile fracture feature which is expected to improve the reliability of Cu–Cu joint.

Both forward and backward working memory span tasks have been used in cognitive training, but no study has been conducted to test whether the two types of trainings are equally effective. Based on data from a randomized controlled trial, this study (N = 60 healthy college students) tested the effects of backward span training, forward span training, and no intervention. Event-related potential (ERP) signals were recorded at the pre-, mid-, and post-tests while the subjects were performing a distractor version of the change detection task, which included three conditions (2 targets and 0 distractor [2T0D]; 4 targets and 0 distractor [4T0D]; and 2 targets and 2 distractors [2T2D]). Behavioral data were collected from two additional tasks: a multi-object version of the change detection task, and a suppress task. Compared to no intervention, both forward and backward span trainings led to significantly greater improvement in working memory maintenance, based on indices from both behavioral (Kmax) and ERP data (CDA_2T0D and CDA_4T0D). Backward span training also improved interference control based on the ERP data (CDA_filtering efficiency) to a greater extent than did forward span training and no intervention, but the three groups did not differ in terms of behavioral indices of interference control. These results have potential implications for optimizing the current cognitive training on working memory.

The present paper deals with the problem of autonomous LotkaVolterra systems by L´evy noise. The essential mathematical features are analyzed with the help of the existence and uniqueness of the positive solution, the pth moment boundedness, asymptotic pathwise estimation, extinction, asymptotic stability and persistence by Lyapunov analysis methods. An example of three species predator-prey chain model is presented to illustrate the analytical findings.

Research on the role of early relationships with parents on youth's anxiety and depression, especially in collectivist societies such as China, is limited. To fill this gap, we investigated the unique role of early relationship with mothers and fathers, respectively, in Chinese youth's anxiety and depression outcomes. The participants were 347 Chinese college students from 20 provinces. They first separately rated the frequency of experiencing 13 emotions (e.g., anger) from recalling early relationships with their mothers and fathers, then completed the Zung Self-Rating Anxiety Scale and the Zung Self-Rating Depression Scale. Logistic regression was performed to determine the unique contribution of early relationships with mothers and fathers, respectively, to the participants' clinical-level anxiety and depression. Based on the final model of our logistical regression, we found that an increase in negative affective representation of early relationship with the mother was associated with a higher likelihood of clinical level anxiety (OR = 3.58; 95% CI = 1.32-9.70), while an increase in positive affective representation of early relationship with the mother was associated with a lower likelihood of clinical-level depression (OR = 0.47; 95% CI = 0.25-0.87). Furthermore, an increase in negative affective representation of early relationship with the father was associated with a higher likelihood of clinical-level anxiety (OR = 3.36; 95% CI = 1.37-8.26) and depression (OR = 3.68; 95% CI = 1.59-8.52), above and beyond their affective representation of early relationship with the mother.

Cervical cancer is one of the major malignancies, the pathophysiology and progression of which remain to be scarcely understood. Long non‐coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been previously implicated in the progression of cervical cancer. Here, the purpose of this study was to identify whether lncRNA heart‐ and neural crest derivative‐expressed 2‐antisense RNA 1 (HAND2‐AS1) affect the development of cervical cancer through regulation of chromosome 16 open reading frame 74 (C16orf74) by mediating a transcription factor E2F4. RT‐qPCR was performed to determine the expression of HAND2‐AS1 in cervical cancer cells. Then, cervical cancer cells were treated with HAND2‐AS1 or si‐E2F4 RNA, or C16orf74, after which the proliferation, colony formation, migration and invasion were detected. Moreover, the binding between HAND2‐AS1 and E2F4 or between E2F4 and C16orf74 was explored. Finally, the tumorigenesis of cervical cancer cells was measured in nude mice with altered HAND2‐AS1/E2F4/C16orf74 expression. HAND2‐AS1 exhibited poor expression in cervical cancer, and HAND2‐AS1 overexpression suppressed the proliferation, colony formation, migration and invasion of cervical cancer cells. In addition, HAND2‐AS1 was found to recruit transcription factor E2F4 to C16orf74 promoter region and down‐regulate C16orf74 expression. Lastly, HAND2‐AS1/E2F4/C16orf74 modulated the tumorigenesis of cervical cancer in nude mice. In conclusion, this study provided evidence on the inhibitory effect of HAND2‐AS1 on the development of cervical cancer through the suppression of C16orf74 expression by recruiting transcription factor E2F4. This study highlights the potential of lncRNA HAND2‐AS1 as a target in the treatment of cervical cancer.

Gene HCN1 polymorphism (rs1501357) has been proposed to be one of the candidate risk genes for schizophrenia in the second report of the Psychiatric Genomics Consortium–Schizophrenia Workgroup. Although animal studies repeatedly showed a role of this gene in working memory, its contribution to working memory in human samples, especially in schizophrenia patients, is still unknown. To explore the association between rs1501357 and working memory at both behavioral (Study 1) and neural (Study 2) levels, the current study involved two independent samples. Study 1 included 876 schizophrenia patients and 842 healthy controls, all of whom were assessed on a 2-back task, a dot pattern expectancy task (DPX), and a digit span task. Study 2 included 56 schizophrenia patients and 155 healthy controls, all of whom performed a 2-back task during functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scanning. In both studies, we consistently found significant genotype-by-diagnosis interaction effects. For Study 1, the interaction effects were significant for the three tasks. Patients carrying the risk allele performed worse than noncarriers, while healthy controls showed the opposite pattern. For Study 2, the interaction effects were observed at the parietal cortex and the medial frontal cortex. Patients carrying the risk allele showed increased activation at right parietal cortex and increased deactivation at the medial frontal cortex, while healthy controls showed the opposite pattern. These results suggest that the contributions of rs1501357 to working memory capability vary in different populations (i.e., schizophrenia patients vs. healthy controls), which expands our understanding of the functional impact of the HCN1 gene. Future studies should examine its associations with other cognitive functions.

In this study, from the perspective of simulating the milk fat globule (MFG) emulsion, the interaction between soybean lecithin (SL) and the main protein in milk, whey protein (WP), and its effect on physical characteristics and lipid digestion were investigated through multiple spectroscopic techniques and in vitro digestion. The mechanism of SL and WP was static quenching, indicating that a complex formed between WP and SL through hydrophobic interaction and hydrogen bonding. The addition of SL changed the secondary structure of WP. When the ratio of SL to WP was 1:3, the obtained SL-WP emulsion that simulated milk fat globule exhibited the smallest particle size distribution and the highest absolute value of zeta potential. In addition, the emulsion exhibited high encapsulation efficiency (91.67 ± 1.24 %) and good stability. Compared with commercially available infant formula (IF), the final free fatty acid release of prepared SL-WP emulsion was close to that of human milk (HM). The addition of lecithin increased the digestibility of fat and the release of free fatty acids, and the digestive characteristic and particle size change also were closer to that of HM from results of kinetics of free fatty acid release and microstructure analysis.

Hypertension is the leading single contributor to all-cause death and disability worldwide. However, there is scarce evidence on the prevalence and risk factors of hypertension for Chinese youth. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of hypertension among Chinese college freshmen and to identify the influencing factors. We conducted a cross-sectional study of all freshmen from 2015 to 2017 at a university in Wuhan, China by physical examination and standard-structured questionnaire. The Pearson chi-square test was used to compare categorical variables. Forward stepwise logistic regression method was used in the multivariate analysis to identify independent predictors of hypertension in youth. A total of 12,849 participants were included, and the prevalence of hypertension of Chinese college freshmen was 4.3% (7.9% in men and 1.6% in women). Men had a higher risk of hypertension than women (odds ratio [OR]: 5.358, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 4.345–6.607, P P P P P P P

A recent Chinese genome-wide association study found evidence for 58 out of the 128 schizophrenia-associated variants previously discovered in Western samples by the Schizophrenia Working Group of the Psychiatric Genomics Consortium (PGC). However, the functional impact of these trans-ancestry genome-wide single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) is not clear. In the current study, we examined the roles of trans-ancestry SNPs in cognitive and neural plasticity. We first performed a behavioral study of 547 healthy volunteers, who received month-long working memory training, and working memory capability assessment both before and after the training. A separate sample of 101 subjects received the same training and received fMRI scans during a working memory task, both before and after the training. The behavioral study found a significant association between the polygenic risk score (PRS) and behavioral plasticity, with higher schizophrenia risk scores being linked to less plasticity. At the SNP level, rs36068923 showed a significant signal, with the risk allele being associated with less plasticity. The fMRI study further found that the PRS and rs36068923 polymorphism were associated with training-induced changes in striatal activation, with higher PRS and the risk allele of rs36068923 being linked to less brain plasticity. In sum, this study found that a high genetic risk for schizophrenia was associated with less plasticity at both behavioral and neural levels. These results provide new insights into the neural and cognitive mechanisms linking genes to schizophrenia.

Schizophrenia is a severe mental disorder, and the onset of which is preceded by a stage of ultrahigh risk (UHR) for developing psychosis. Therefore, analyzing individuals with UHR is essential for identifying predictive biomarkers for the onset of schizophrenia. The current study aimed to identify such biomarkers based on a voxelwise whole-brain functional degree centrality (FDC) analysis. Conjunction analysis showed that, compared with healthy controls, both UHR subjects and patients with schizophrenia showed significantly increased FDC at the medial prefrontal cortex (MPFC) and significantly decreased FDC at the right fusiform gyrus (FG). The subsequent partial correlation analysis showed significant correlations between the disorganization symptoms and FDCs at the MPFC and the right FG for both UHR subjects and patients with schizophrenia. These findings suggest that FDC within the MPFC and the right FG could be candidate biomarkers for the onset of schizophrenia.

Emerging evidence has demonstrated the antitumor activity of allicin in various tumors. However, little study has been carried out on the functional role of allicin in cervical cancer. Our data showed that allicin suppressed cervical cancer cell viability in a time- and dose-dependent manner. Allicin treatment could reverse H2O2-induced reactive oxygen species accumulation. Meanwhile, levels of glutathione and superoxide dismutase were increased, but malondialdehyde was decreased after allicin incubation for 48 h. Furthermore, TUNEL staining showed that H2O2 treatment induced cell apoptosis, but allicin treatment could decrease cell apoptosis. Western blot assay showed that allicin could suppress the expression of nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (NRF2) and heme oxygenase 1. We also showed that NRF2 prompted SiHa cell proliferation and reduced SiHa cell apoptosis. More importantly, allicin-inactivated phosphoinositide 3-kinase/protein kinase B (PI3K/AKT) signaling could be partially reversed by overexpressing of NRF2. We also evaluated cell apoptosis in SiHa cells transfected with plasmid NRF2. Our data showed that allicin-induced cell apoptosis (43.5±3.8%) could largely be abolished by upregulation of NRF2 (12.3±2.08%). In summary, our data showed allicin was effective in suppressing the malignant phenotype of cervical cancer cells mainly by inhibiting the expression of NRF2, showing the potential clinical benefits of allicin in cervical cancer patients.

One of the main goals of the new generation of antipsychotics is to improve cognitive functions of schizophrenia patients, which makes it necessary to identify genes related to not only schizophrenia but also its cognitive impairments. Starting with 58 trans-ancestry risk variants found in a genome-wide association study of Chinese schizophrenia patients, we conducted two studies with four samples to systematically examine these variants’ potential roles in working memory. Study 1 was a behavioral study (Sample I included 510 healthy volunteers who completed the n-back, dot-pattern expectancy [DPX], delayed match-to-sample [DMS], and spatial span tasks; Sample II included 819 healthy volunteers and 893 schizophrenia patients who completed the n-back and DPX tasks). Study 2 was an fMRI study (Sample III included 163 healthy volunteers and 52 schizophrenia patients, who were scanned with fMRI during an n-back task; and Sample IV included 89 healthy volunteers, who were scanned during a spatial span task). Sample I identified rs11210892 as the only SNP that was associated with performance on multiple tasks (n-back, DPX, and DMS) after Bonferroni correction. Sample II replicated this association on the n-back task and the DPX task. FMRI data showed that the risk allele “G” of rs11210892 was associated with an increased activation within the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (Sample III) and the bilateral striatum (Sample IV). We conclude that rs11210892 is significantly associated with working memory and its neural underpinnings, so the genes near this SNP might be potential gene targets for treating cognitive impairment associated with schizophrenia.

In this study, we analyzed and compared the fat globule interfacial compositions and structures in human milk and three types of infant formulas (IF1: supplied with MFGM, IF2: without MFGM and soy lecithin, IF3: supplied with soy lecithin). The results suggested that the interfacial protein composition of IF1 was comparatively closer to human milk, but still lacked certain bioactive MFGM proteins including XO, ADPH and PAS6/7. Considering the interfacial phospholipid, we observed 23, 31, and 29 phospholipid species that could be used to distinguish human milk and infant formulas (IF1, IF2 and IF3). We also found that phosphatidylinositol (PI) and phosphatidylserine (PS), which can absorb lipase, phosphatidylethanolamine (PE), and phosphatidylcholine (PC) and connect functional fatty acids, were lacking in infant formulas. Moreover, the infant formulas had a smaller average particle size of 0.38 μm and a thicker interfacial layer that interacted with the casein micelles. Even if IF1 included MFGM, fat globules structures like those found in human milk did not form, and the majority of the MFGM was still in the aqueous phase in free form. Overall, the comprehensive analysis in this study could be used to simulate or mimic human milk lipids at the supramolecular level.

ObjectiveThis study aimed to investigate the prevalence of accelerated resting heart rates (RHRs) among freshmen in a university in Wuhan and to explore the influencing factors.MethodsWe conducted a cross-sectional survey and physical examinations in a university in Wuhan from 2015 to 2017, including 12428 freshmen. A binary logistic regression model was undertaken to identify the influencing factors associated with their accelerated RHRs.ResultsThe prevalence of accelerated RHRs was 47.5% among the 12428 freshmen surveyed. Accelerated RHR of freshmen was related to female (odds ratio [OR]: 1.484, 95% confidence interval [95% CI]: 1.368 - 1.610, P < 0.001) and high blood pressure (OR: 2.709, 95% CI: 2.212 - 3.318, P < 0.001). Compared with rural students, accelerated RHR was more likely to occur in urban students (OR: 1.452, 95% CI: 1.333 - 1.583, P < 0.001). Additionally, students who came from the central and the eastern regions (OR: 1.452, 95% CI: 1.254 - 1.682, P < 0.001; OR: 1.363, 95% CI: 1.149 - 1.618, P < 0.001), rather than who came from the western regions, were more likely to have accelerated RHRs.ConclusionsStudents with accelerated RHRs made up a high proportion of college freshmen entering the university in 2015 – 2017 in Wuhan. For people aged around 18 years, more attention was needed to pay to RHRs and specific measures such as blood pressure management were required in advance to prevent accelerated RHRs.Key questionsWhat is already known about this subject?Accelerated resting heart rate (RHR) could significantly increase the risk of suffering from cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). However, little research had reported the influencing factors associated with accelerated RHR among the young around 18 years old.What does this study add?We conducted a survey on freshmen to investigate the influencing factors associated with accelerated RHR, so as to provide early warning information for the occurrence of CVDs in a visual way.How might this impact on clinical practice?This study might serve as a reminder to young people to pay more attention to RHRs and provide early warning information about CVDs.

Macrophage-dependent inflammation plays a critical role in atherogenesis. Inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) is one of key pro-inflammatory mediators produced in macrophages and its levels can be upregulated by lipopolysaccharide (LPS). The epigenetic mechanism whereby LPS induces iNOS transcription is incompletely understood. We show here myocardin-related transcription factor A (MRTF-A) potentiated iNOS promoter activity in macrophages. There was a decrease in LPS-induced iNOS expression in several cell models due to the lack of MRTF-A. LPS treatment promoted nuclear accumulation of MRTF-A and its interaction with NF-κB/p65 on the iNOS promoter. The absence of MRTF-A prevented the accumulation of active histone marks on the iNOS promoter in response to LPS treatment. Mechanistically, MRTF-A recruited ASH2, a key component of the mammalian histone H3K4 methyltransferase complex, to the iNOS promoter. Silencing of ASH2 attenuated iNOS expression following LPS treatment. Together, our data highlight a role for MRTF-A-dependent recruitment of H3K4 methyltransferase in iNOS induction and as such provide a novel target in the intervention of atherosclerosis.

Background The Arsenic (+3 oxidation state) methyltransferase (AS3MT) gene has been identified as a top risk gene for schizophrenia in several large-scale genome-wide association studies. A variable number tandem repeat (VNTR) of this gene is the most significant expression quantitative trait locus, but its role in brain activity in vivo is still unknown. Methods We first performed a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scan of 101 healthy subjects during a memory span task, trained all subjects on an adaptive memory span task for 1 month, and finally performed another fMRI scan after the training. After excluding subjects with excessive head movements for one or more scanning sessions, data from 93 subjects were included in the final analyses. Results The VNTR was significantly associated with both baseline brain activation and training-induced changes in multiple regions including the prefrontal cortex and the anterior and posterior cingulate cortex. Additionally, it was associated with baseline brain activation in the striatum and the parietal cortex. All these results were corrected based on the family-wise error rate method across the whole brain at the peak level. Conclusions This study sheds light on the role of AS3MT gene variants in neural plasticity related to memory span training.

Highlights • The working memory training strengthened the right DLPFC-left HF functional coupling. • Rs1344706 was associated with the right DLPFC-left HF functional coupling at pretest. • Rs1344706 impacted the plasticity of the right DLPFC-left HF functional coupling., ZNF804A has now been recognized as a schizophrenia risk gene by multiple genome-wide association studies with its intronic polymorphism rs1344706 being reported as the first genome-wide significant risk variant for schizophrenia. Although the functional impact of this gene is still unknown, rs1344706’s contribution to the functional coupling between the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) and the contralateral hippocampal formation (HF) has been reported by several studies. The current study tested whether the right DLPFC-left HF functional coupling showed plasticity during cognitive training (Study I) and whether rs1344706 affected the plasticity (Study II). In Study I, we conducted a randomized controlled trial with 30 subjects receiving 20 sessions of adaptive training on a memory span task (the training group) and 30 subjects practicing on a non-adaptive easy version of the same memory span task for 20 sessions (the control group). All subjects were scanned using fMRI before and after the training. Analyses of resting-state and task-state fMRI data consistently showed that the adaptive memory span training significantly strengthened the right DLPFC-left HF functional coupling. In Study II, we conducted a genetic association study with 101 subjects (combining the data from the training group in Study I with those from an additional subsequent sample of 71 subjects who received the same training and fMRI scans). Results showed that rs1344706 was significantly associated with training-induced changes in functional coupling. Subjects carrying the non-risk allele (C) of rs1344706 showed greater training-induced plasticity than the risk allele (A) homozygotes. These findings expanded our current understanding of the functional impact of the schizophrenia risk variant of ZNF804A gene and suggested that the ZNF804A gene could be used as a prospective target for future antipsychotic drugs and clinical research.

ZNF804A rs1344706 (A/C) was the first SNP that reached genome-wide significance for schizophrenia. Recent studies have linked rs1344706 to functional connectivity among specific brain regions. However, no study thus far has examined the role of this SNP in the entire functional connectome. In this study, we used degree centrality to test the role of rs1344706 in the whole-brain voxel-wise functional connectome during the resting state. 52 schizophrenia patients and 128 healthy controls were included in the final analysis. In our whole-brain analysis, we found a significant interaction effect of genotype×diagnosis at the precuneus (PCU) (cluster size=52 voxels, peak voxel MNI coordinates: x=9, y=−69, z=63, F=32.57, FWE corrected P

MIR137 gene has been repeatedly reported as a schizophrenia risk gene in genome-wide association studies (GWAS). A polymorphism (rs1625579) at the MIR137 gene has been associated with both neural activation and behavioral performance during a working memory task. This study examined MIR137's associations with task-related (N-back working memory) fMRI, resting state fMRI, and diffusion tensor images (DTI) data in 177 healthy adults. We found less deactivation of the PCC in risk allele homozygotes (TT) as compared to the GT heterozygotes (cluster size = 630 voxels, cluster level PFWE

The present paper deals with the problem of a stochastic predator-prey model with continuous time delay. In the case that the integral kernel is the function a e − a t , the persistence in the mean and extinction of this solution are derived by making use of Lyapunov analysis methods. Numerical simulations for a hypothetical set of parameter values are presented to illustrate the analytical findings.

This paper presents the analysis of asymptotic behavior of a stochastic population model with Allee effect by Levy jumps. The criteria of the asymptotic behavior for this perturbed model is given via using Lyapunov analysis methods. Numerical simulations for a set of parameter values are presented to illustrate the analytical findings.

In this paper, we consider a stochastic non-autonomous competitive Lotka–Volterra model in a polluted environment. We derive sufficient criteria for the existence and global attractivity of the boundary periodic solutions. Furthermore, we obtain conditions for the existence and global attractivity of a nontrivial positive periodic solution. Finally we make simulations to illustrate our analytical results.

Background Genetic factors have been suggested to affect the efficacy of working memory training. However, few studies have attempted to identify the relevant genes. Methods In this study, we first performed a randomized controlled trial (RCT) to identify brain regions that were specifically affected by working memory training. Sixty undergraduate students were randomly assigned to either the adaptive training group (N = 30) or the active control group (N = 30). Both groups were trained for 20 sessions during 4 weeks and received fMRI scans before and after the training. Afterward, we combined the data from the 30 participants in the RCT study who received adaptive training with data from 71 additional participants who also received the same adaptive training but were not part of the RCT study (total N = 101) to test the contribution of the COMT Val158/108Met polymorphism to the interindividual difference in the training effect within the identified brain regions. Results In the RCT study, we found that the adaptive training significantly decreased brain activation in the left prefrontal cortex (TFCE‐FWE corrected p = .030). In the genetic study, we found that compared with the Val allele homozygotes, the Met allele carriers' brain activation decreased more after the training at the left prefrontal cortex (TFCE‐FWE corrected p = .025). Conclusions This study provided evidence for the neural effect of a visual–spatial span training and suggested that genetic factors such as the COMT Val158/108Met polymorphism may have to be considered in future studies of such training., The adaptive spatial span training decreased brain activation in the prefrontal and parietal cortex. The COMT Val158Met polymorphism modulated the left frontal plasticity induced by training.

There is a lot of debate in the literature with regards to whether the effects of working memory span training generalize to working memory tasks that are different from the trained task, however, there is little evidence to date supporting this idea. The present randomized controlled trial included 80 undergraduate students who were randomly assigned to either the experimental group (N = 40) or the control group (N = 40) in order to receive a working memory span intervention for 20 sessions over the course of 4 weeks. Brain electrophysiological signals during a dot pattern expectancy (DPX) task and a change detection task were recorded both before and after the intervention. The amplitudes of characteristic event-related potential (ERP) components reflecting working memory maintenance capability during the delay period of both tasks (i.e., the contingent negative variation or CNV, derived from the DPX task, and the contralateral delay activity or CDA, derived from the change detection task) were used as the primary outcome measures. Our data indicated that the intervention resulted in specific changes in both, the CNV and the CDA, suggesting that working memory span training generalized to working memory maintenance processes as observed in working memory tasks that were different from the trained task. We conclude that working memory span training might serve as a useful tool to improve working memory maintenance capability. Trial Registration: Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (chiCTR-INR-17011728).

ANK3 is one of the most promising candidate genes for bipolar disorder (BD). A polymorphism (rs10994336) within the ANK3 gene has been associated with BD in at least three genome-wide association studies of BD [McGuffin et al., 2003; Kieseppa, 2004; Edvardsen et al., 2008]. Because facial affect processing is disrupted in patients with BD, the current study aimed to explore whether the BD risk alleles are associated with the N170, an early event-related potential (ERP) component related to facial affect processing. We collected data from two independent samples of healthy individuals (Ns = 83 and 82, respectively) to test the association between rs10994336 and an early event-related potential (ERP) component (N170) that is sensitive to facial affect processing. Repeated-measures analysis of covariance in both samples consistently revealed significant main effects of rs10994336 genotype (Sample I: F (1, 72) = 7.24, P = 0.009; Sample II: F (1, 69) = 11.81, P = 0.001), but no significant interaction of genotype × electrodes (Ps > 0.05) or genotype × emotional conditions (Ps > 0.05). These results suggested that rs10994336 was linked to early ERP component reflecting facial structural encoding during facial affect processing. These results shed new light on the brain mechanism of this risk SNP and associated disorders such as BD. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Recently, a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in the CAMKK2 gene (rs1063843) was found to be associated with lower expression of the gene in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) and with schizophrenia (SCZ) and deficits in working memory and executive function. However, the brain mechanism underlying this association is poorly understood. A functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study (N = 84 healthy volunteers) involving multiple cognitive tasks, including a Stroop task (to measure attentional executive control), an N-back task (to measure working memory), and a delay discounting task (to measure decision making) to identify the brain regions affected by rs1063843 was performed. Across all three tasks, it was found that carriers of the risk allele consistently exhibited increased activation of the left DLPFC. In addition, the risk allele carriers also exhibited increased activation of the right DLPFC and the left cerebellum during the Stroop task and of the left caudate nucleus during the N-back task. These findings helped to elucidate the role of CAMKK2 in cognitive functions and in the etiology of SCZ. Hum Brain Mapp 37:2398-2406, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

The present paper deals with the problem of a chemostat model with Holling type II functional response by stochastic perturbation. The main objective of the work is to find out sufficient conditions which guarantee that the principle of competitive exclusion holds for this perturbed model. Numerical simulations for a hypothetical set of parameter values are presented to illustrate the analytical findings.

ZNF804A is one of the most promising candidate genes for schizophrenia. Previous fMRI studies have repeatedly shown an association between SNP rs1344706 in this gene and the functional connectivity from the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (rDLPFC) to the left hippocampal formation (lHF) during the N-back task. However, the rDLPFC-lHF functional connectivity included several subconnections and it is not known whether rs1344706 plays the same role in these subconnections. This study addressed that question using both fMRI and DTI data of 87 subjects. First, we replicated the association between rs1344706 and the rDLPFC-lHF functional connectivity using our fMRI data from the N-back task. Second, we reconstructed fiber connections between rDLPFC and lHF using our DTI data, which included three subconnections: from lHF to posterior cingulate cortex (PCC), from PCC to anterior cingulated cortex (ACC), and from ACC to rDLPFC. We found that only the lHF-PCC tract showed significantly lower fractional anisotropy (FA) in risk allele homozygotes. Finally, we analyzed the fMRI data (from the N-back task and the resting state). Both consistently showed relatively lower lHF-PCC functional connectivity in risk allele homozygotes. Taken together, the disconnectivity of the lHF-PCC tract seems to be a plausible intermediate phenotype that links rs1344706 and schizophrenia.

This paper considers a three species eco-epidemiological model perturbed by white noise. Stochastic stability and long time behavior around the equilibrium of deterministic eco-epidemiological model are analyzed by Lyapunov methods. Numerical simulations for a set of parameter values are presented to illustrate the analytical findings.