Aims: Metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) has been utilized for diagnosing infectious diseases. It is a culture-free and hypothesis-free nucleic acid test for diagnosing all pathogens with known genomic sequences, including bacteria, fungi, viruses and parasites. While this technique greatly expands the clinical capacity of pathogen detection, it is a second-line choice due to lengthy procedures and microbial contaminations introduced from wetlab processes. As a result, we aimed to reduce the hands-on time and exogenous contaminations in mNGS. Methods and Results: We developed a device (NGSmaster) that automates the wet-lab workflow, including nucleic acid extraction, PCR-free library preparation and purification. It shortens the sample-to-results time to 16 and 18Á5 h for DNA and RNA sequencing respectively. We used it to test cultured bacteria for validation of the workflow and bioinformatic pipeline. We also compared PCR-free with PCR-based library prep and discovered no differences in microbial reads. Moreover we analysed results by automation and manual testing and found that automation can significantly reduce microbial contaminations. Finally, we tested artificial and clinical samples and showed mNGS results were concordant with traditional culture. Conclusion: NGSmaster can fulfil the microbiological diagnostic needs in a variety of sample types. Significance and Impact of the Study: This study opens up an opportunity of performing in-house mNGS to reduce turnaround time and workload, instead of transferring potentially contagious specimen to a third-party laboratory.
Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA)-based interventions, particularly when utilised to support children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD), are typically conducted in Western societies and published in the English language. However, little is known about the utilisation of applied behavior analysis for children with autism in China. This paper provides systematic reviews of English and Chinese studies conducted in Mainland China. The search generated 33 articles that met the selection criteria. The results suggest that Chinese ABA-based programmes appear to be equally as effective as programmes elsewhere. One of the key differences of the Chinese programmes was the strong emphasis on parental involvement. The review also revealed the wide use of non-behavioral eclectic methods and the lack of well-designed experimental studies in Chinese studies. The implications of these findings for future researchers and practitioners are discussed.
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a serious neurodevelopmental disorder with no clinical biomarker. This study used untargeted metabolomic analysis to identify metabolic characteristics in plasma that can distinguish ASD children. 29 boys with ASD (3.02 ± 0.67 years) and 30 typically developing (TD) boys (3.13 ± 0.46 years) were recruited. Developmental and behavioral assessments were conducted in ASD group. Samples of plasma were analyzed using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). The association between metabolite concentration and scale score was assessed by Spearman rank correlation. Altered metabolic characteristics were found in boys with ASD. In Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) analysis, ornithine had the highest AUC (Area under ROC) value. Furthermore, the concentration of choline and ornithine was negatively correlated with ABC-language score in ASD group.
The oxytocinergic system is crucial for sociality and well-being and is associated with empathy. It is suggested that the oxytocinergic system exerts context- and person-dependent effects. We examined how sexual sadistic contexts influenced the effects of the oxytocinergic system on empathic-related behaviors and brain activity in healthy adults. Combining genetic neuroimaging, pharmacological techniques and a psychological paradigm of empathy, we recorded EEG neural responses in female OXTR rs53756 G/G and A/A carriers and measured subjective empathic ratings after intranasal administration of oxytocin/placebo in healthy male adults during the perception of painful facial expressions in sadistic/general social contexts. The results revealed that sadistic contexts modulate oxytocinergic effects on empathy at both behavioral and neural levels. The oxytocinergic system preferentially modulated empathic responses to sadistic contexts. These effects are moderated by individual’s trait empathy. Our combined genetic-pharmacological-imaging results provide a neurochemical mechanism for sadistic context-dependent effects of the oxytocinergic system on empathy.
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