Personal mastery and quality of life in patients with atrial fibrillation after radiofrequency ablation: The mediating role of health promoting behavior.

BACKGROUND: Improving quality of life is vital for patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) after radiofrequency ablation. Quality of life can be affected not only by personal mastery but also by health promoting behavior as previously studied. However, it remains unclear whether health promoting behavior mediates the relationship between personal mastery and quality of life. OBJECTIVES: To explore whether health promoting behavior mediates the relationship between personal mastery and quality of life in patients with AF after radiofrequency ablation. METHODS: A cross-sectional design and convenience sampling were conducted at a tertiary hospital in China. Self-reported questionnaires were used to assess personal mastery, health promoting behavior and quality of life. SPSS and AMOS software were used for statistical analysis. RESULTS: A total of 202 patients with AF after radiofrequency ablation were enrolled (mean age 58.28 ± 12.70 years). The scores for personal mastery and quality of life were 22.52 ± 2.53 points and 62.58 ± 8.59 points, respectively, indicating a limited level. The health promoting behavior exhibited a moderate level, with scores averaging 103.82 ± 8.47 points. There was a positive correlation between the three variables (all P < 0.05). Health promoting behavior played a partial mediating role in the relationship between personal mastery and quality of life in patients with AF after radiofrequency ablation, accounting for 44.79 % of the total effect. CONCLUSIONS: In order to improve quality of life and prognosis, it is necessary to consider enhancing personal mastery and increasing patient compliance with health promoting behavior, which are important ways to improve their quality of life.

The fungal quorum-sensing molecule, farnesol, regulates the immune response of vaginal epithelial cells against Candida albicans.

BACKGROUND: Farnesol is a Candida-secreted quorum-sensing molecule of great interest as a potential antifungal agent for serious and hardly curable infections-candidiasis, especially vulvovaginal candidiasis (VVC). METHODS: The effect of farnesol on cellular morphology and viability and evaluated the production of Th1 (IL-2), Th2 (IL-4), proinflammatory (IL-6), chemotactic (IL-8), and Th17 (IL-17) cytokines in the culture supernatants of vaginal epithelial cell line (VK2) were evaluated. Moreover, we tested the inhibitory effect of farnesol on C. albicans adhesion. Scanning electron microscopy was conducted to observe any VK2 cell ultrastructural changes. RESULTS: Only low concentrations (≤ 50 µmol/L) of farnesol did not affect the morphology and viability of the VK2 cells (P > 0.05). Farnesol reduced the adhesion of C. albicans to the VK2 cells. When treated with farnesol, statistical elevated levels of both IL-4 and IL-17 secreted by the infected VK2 cells were present in the culture supernatants (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Farnesol acts as a stimulator to up-regulate the Th17-type innate immune response, as well as Th2-type humoral immunity following C. albicans infection. Further research is required to select the optimal therapeutic dose to develop efficacious and safe mucosal immune adjuvant for treating VVCs.

Cause of death and influencing factors of chronic renal failure on maintenance hemodialysis.

Objective: To investigate the causes of death in patients with chronic renal failure (CRF) on maintenance hemodialysis and its influencing factors. Methods: This is a retrospective study. A total of 300 patients with chronic renal failure undergoing maintenance hemodialysis who were admitted to the Affiliated Hospital of Hebei University from March 2020 to October 2022 were selected as subjects. Various information of patients were collected. In addition, 80 dead patients in this group were investigated for the cause of death, including cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, infections, multi organ failure, and other causes, and the death-related conditions of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, such as triglyceridr,,total cholesterol, and in blood lipid levels were analyzed. Results: Among the 80 dead patients, cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases accounted for a higher proportion of death (66%). Univariate Logistic regression analysis showed that advanced age, plasma homocysteine, blood parathyroid hormone, hyperphosphatemia, hypertension, high volume load and left ventricular hypertrophy were risk factors for death in patients with chronic renal failure on maintenance hemodialysis. Multivariate Logistic regression analysis showed that high volume load, left ventricular hypertrophy and anemia were risk factors for death on maintenance hemodialysis. The levels of hemoglobin (HGB) and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) in patients who died of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases were significantly lower than those in the non-cardio-cerebrovascular death group (P=0.00), and the levels of serum phosphorus, TG and TC were significantly higher than those in the non-cardio-cerebrovascular death group (P, P=0.00; TG, P=0.02; TC, P=0.01). Conclusion: Cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases are the leading cause of death in patients with chronic renal failure on maintenance hemodialysis. Adequate dialysis and normal hemoglobin levels are favorable protective factors.

miR-146a promotes proliferation, invasion, and epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition in oral squamous carcinoma cells.

Epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is key to invasion and metastasis by oral squamous carcinoma (OSCC) cells. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) such as miRNA-146a are known to be upregulated in OSCC. However, it is unclear whether they are involved in driving EMT. Here, we investigated the effect of miR-146a overexpression on proliferation, migration, and EMT in OSCC cells. OSCC cells were transfected with a plasmid expressing miR-146a precursor. Cell lines that stably overexpressed miRNA-146a were assessed for proliferation, colony formation, and invasiveness in vitro. Expression of markers and regulators of EMT, cell motility, and invasion were measured by qRT-PCR and western blot. Potential miRNA-146a binding sites in the 3'UTR of ST8SIA4 were identified by bioinformatic analysis. To confirm that miRNA-146a binds to and regulates ST8SIA4, we transfected OSCC cell lines with miRNA-146a mimics and a luciferase reporter construct containing either the wild type or mutant 3'UTR of ST8SIA4. OSCC cell lines that overexpressed miR-146a displayed higher proliferation, colony formation, invasion, and MMP-2 activity than cells transfected with a control vector. Overexpression of miR-146a also decreased expression of the epithelial cell marker E-cadherin and increased expression of Twist1, a transcription factor that promotes EMT, as well as markers associated with mesenchymal cells (vimentin and N-cadherin) and tumor invasion (p-paxillin and p-cortactin). Luciferase expression was lower in OSCC cells transfected with miRNA-146a mimics or with luciferase constructs carrying the wild type, but not mutant, 3'UTR of ST8SIA4. Overexpression of miR-146a promotes EMT phenotypes and may drive tumorigenesis and progression in OSCC, making it a useful target for future OSCC treatments.

Systematic analysis of protein expression in Candida albicans exposed to farnesol.

BACKGROUND: The phenotypic switching of Candida spp. plays an important role in the development of vulvovaginal candidiasis (VVC). Farnesol, as a quorum-sensing molecule in Candida albicans, has the ability to prevent yeast-to-hyphal conversion in vitro. However, the mechanism underlying this ability is unclear. This study aimed to investigate changes in protein levels to better understand how farnesol impacts processes contributing to VVC. METHODS: The isobaric tag for relative and absolute quantitation technique was used to detect protein expression in C. albicans strain SC5314 (ATCC MYA-2876) with or without farnesol exposure. Proteins with a threshold fold change greater than 1.5 were screened and considered differentially expressed proteins. All the altered proteins were analyzed using Gene Ontology annotation, Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) annotation, and metabolic pathway annotation. RESULTS: Between the farnesol-exposed group and the farnesol-unexposd group, we detected 297 altered proteins among all 2047 tested proteins based on a threshold fold change of more than 1.5 (P < 0.05). Eighty-seven of the 297 altered proteins exhibited metabolic enzyme activity and participated in 85 metabolic pathways according to KEGG pathway analysis. Most of these metabolic pathways were associated with central carbon metabolism processes. In the sterol synthesis pathway, which involves the synthesis of farnesol, ERG25 (methylsterol monooxygenase) and ERG4 (delta 24(24(1))-sterol reductase) were both down-regulated in the farnesol-exposed group. All six altered proteases associated with the oxidative phosphorylation process were down-regulated in the farnesol-exposed group relative to the farnesol-unexposed group. CONCLUSIONS: The mechanisms underlying farnesol-induced phenotype switching involves the adjustment of metabolic activities and epigenetic modification. Exogenous farnesol had an evident, but non-deterministic effect on the synthesis of ergosterol. The potential drug activity of farnesol warrants further investigation.

Motor skill learning induces brain network plasticity: A diffusion-tensor imaging study.

Motor skills and the acquisition of brain plasticity are important topics in current research. The development of non-invasive white matter imaging technology, such as diffusion-tensor imaging and the introduction of graph theory make it possible to study the effects of learning skills on the connection patterns of brain networks. However, few studies have characterized the brain network topological features of motor skill learning, especially open skill. Given the need to interact with environmental changes in real time, we hypothesized that the brain network of high-level open-skilled athletes had higher transmission efficiency and stronger interaction in attention, visual and sensorimotor networks. We selected 21 high-level basketball players and 25 ordinary individuals as control subjects, collected their DTI data, built a network of brain structures, and used graph theory to analyze and compare the network properties of the two groups at global and regional levels. In addition, we conducted a correlation analysis on the training years of high-level athletes and brain network nodal parameters on the regional level to assess the relationship between brain network topological characteristics and skills learning. We found that on the global-level, the brain network of high-level basketball players had a shorter path length, small-worldness, and higher global efficiency. On the regional level, the brain nodes of the high-level athletes had nodal parameters that were significantly higher than those of control groups, and were mainly distributed in the visual network, the default mode network, and the attention network. The changes in brain node parameters were significantly related to the number of training years.

Visual and Action-control Expressway Associated with Efficient Information Transmission in Elite Athletes.

Effective information transmission for open skill performance requires fine-scale coordination of distributed networks of brain regions linked by white matter tracts. However, how patterns of connectivity in these anatomical pathways may improve global efficiency remains unclear. In this study, we hypothesized that the feeder edges in visual and motor systems have the potential to become "expressways" that increase the efficiency of information communication across brain networks of open skill experts. Thirty elite athletes and thirty novice subjects were recruited to participate in visual tracking and motor imagery tasks. We collected structural imaging data from these subjects, and then resolved structural neural networks using deterministic tractography to identify streamlines connecting cortical and subcortical brain regions of each participant. We observed that superior skill performance in elite athletes was associated with increased information transmission efficiency in feeder edges distributed between orbitofrontal and basal ganglia modules, as well as among temporal, occipital, and limbic system modules. These findings suggest that there is an expressway linking visual and action-control system of skill experts that enables more efficient interactions of peripheral and central information in support of effective performance of an open skill.

Expression of nerve growth factor and brain-derived neurotrophic factor in astrocytomas.

Neurotrophic factors (NTFs) are well known to serve critical functions in neural survival, neurite growth and cell differentiation in vivo and in vitro. Previous progress has indicated that nerve growth factor (NGF) and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), two NTF family members, may be involved in the process of tumor progression. In the present study, the expression of NGF and BDNF was detected using immunohistochemistry on 70 adult astrocytoma samples collected from distinct locations as well as of various pathological grades, with an additional 15 samples being collected from normal adult brain tissue to be used as controls. NGF and BDNF were identified to be expressed in all samples, and their positive cell expression rates in astrocytomas demonstrated a significant increase compared with that in the normal controls (P<0.05), particularly in grade III (P<0.05). In addition, the expression of NGF and BDNF exhibited a gradual decrease ranging from the temporal lobe, parietal lobe and cerebellum to the frontal lobe (P<0.05). The results of the present study suggest that the expression of NGF and BDNF is increased in astrocytomas, which is associated with the pathological grade and the astrocytoma location.

Association of CYP2B6 gene polymorphisms and anti-tuberculosis drug-induced hepatotoxicity in a Chinese population.

OBJECTIVES: Antituberculosis drug-induced hepatotoxicity (ATDH) remains a common and severe challenge in tuberculosis (TB) chemotherapy. A growing number of studies have revealed that genetic polymorphisms affect an individual's susceptibility to ATDH. The aim of this study was to explore the role of cytochrome P450 family 2 subfamily B member 6 (CYP2B6) gene polymorphisms in the development of ATDH in Chinese TB patients. METHODS: CYP2B6*6 genotypes were determined in TB patients with and without ATDH. Association between polymorphisms and risk of ATDH was estimated by multiple logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: A total of 343 eligible TB patients (166 with ATDH; 177 without ATDH) were included in this study. Analysis of all subjects revealed no statistical differences in genotype distribution between the two groups. However, the CYP2B6 *6/*6 genotype was significantly associated with decreased risk of ATDH in the male subgroup (P=0.039, OR=0.097, 95% CI: 0.011-0.885). Furthermore, in male patients, the presence of the CYP2B6*6 allele was significantly higher in the non-ATDH group compared with the ATDH group (26.2% vs. 15.5%, P=0.020, OR=0.522, 95% CI: 0.301-0.903). CONCLUSIONS: This study is the first to demonstrate an association between CYP2B6 polymorphisms and the risk of ATDH in the Chinese population. We have shown that males who have the CYP2B6 *6/*6 genotype may be less susceptible to the development of ATDH. Further studies are required to confirm this genetic association result.

Species Distribution and In Vitro Antifungal Susceptibility of Vulvovaginal Candida Isolates in China.

BACKGROUND: Vulvovaginal candidiasis (VVC) was a common infection associated with lifelong harassment of woman's social and sexual life. The purpose of this study was to describe the species distribution and in vitroCandidaCandida spp.) isolated from patients with VVC over 8 years. METHODS: Species which isolated from patients with VVC in Peking University First Hospital were identified using chromogenic culture media. Susceptibility to common antifungal agents was determined using agar diffusion method based on CLSI M44-A2 document. SPSS software (version 14.0, Inc., Chicago, IL, USA) was used for statistical analysis, involving statistical description and Chi-square test. RESULTS: The most common strains were Candida (C.) albicans, 80.5% (n = 1775) followed by C. glabrata, 18.1% (n = 400). Nystatin exhibited excellent activity against all species (<4% resistant [R]). Resistance to azole drugs varied among different species. C. albicans: clotrimazole (3.1% R) < fluconazole (16.6% R) < itraconazole (51.5% R) < miconazole (54.0% R); C. glabrata: miconazole (25.6% R) < clotrimazole (50.5% R) < itraconazole (61.9% R) < fluconazole (73.3% R); Candida krusei: clotrimazole (0 R) < fluconazole (57.7% R) < miconazole (73.1% R) < itraconazole (83.3% R). The susceptibility of fluconazole was noticeably decreasing among all species in the study period. CONCLUSIONS: Nystatin was the optimal choice for the treatment of VVC at present. The species distribution and in vitroCandida spp. isolated from patients with VVC had changed over time.

Epidemiologic characterization of 30 confirmed cases of human infection with avian influenza A(H7N9) virus in Hangzhou, China.

BACKGROUND: We examined the clinical and epidemiological characteristics of 30 cases of human infection with avian influenza A(H7N9) virus in Hangzhou and investigated their external environments to provide evidence for contact tracing and disease prevention and control. METHODS: The cases confirmed from April 1 through May 1, 2013 were studied. Field epidemiologic surveys were conducted to collect the clinical and epidemiologic data. Case-related and environmental specimens were collected for etiologic detection. RESULTS: Thirty cases of human infection with avian influenza A(H7N9) virus were confirmed in Hangzhou from April 1 through May 1, 2013, including one pregnant woman and three deaths. The median age of the patients was 62 years (range: 38-86 years). Twenty-three of the patients were men (76.67%). The median duration between disease onset and occurrence of respiratory failure and confirmed diagnosis was 5 and 6 days, respectively. Maximum medical observation of 666 close contacts of the patients revealed no irregularity. Of 314 external environmental specimens, the overall positive detection rate of H7N9 nucleic acid was 28.98%. Eight districts of Hangzhou city had positive detections in the external environments, the highest rate being in Yuhang District (78.13%). Statistical analysis of the specimen collection locations indicates a significant difference between the case-linked locations and the non-case locations (χ2 = 16.563, p < 0.05) in terms of H7N9 viral nucleic acid detection rate. No epidemiologic link has been found among the 30 cases. CONCLUSIONS: Most of the infected were retired individuals aged 60 years or older. Men made the majority. The cases are sporadic at present, with no evidence of human-to-human transmission. Exposures to poultry and live poultry markets may be important sources of infection.

[Morinda officialis how extract improves microwave-induced reproductive impairment in male rats].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects of different concentrations of Morinda Officialis How (MOH) extracts on microwave radiation-induced injury to the spermatogenic function of male rats. METHODS: Forty SD male rats were equally divided into four groups: control, microwave injury model, aqueous extract of MOH treatment, and alcohol extract of MOH treatment. Models of microwave-induced injury were made by exposing the rats to microwave radiation from a microwave signal generator (900 MHz 1.0 W) at 218 microm/cm2, 12 h/d, for 2 weeks. The model rats of the two treatment groups were intragastrically given aqueous extract and alcohol extract of MOH, respectively, both at 20 g per kg per day for 2 weeks. Then we observed the growth, capture incubation period (CIP), capture times (CT), changes in testicular and epididymal weight and morphology, sperm concentration and malformation, and levels of serum testosterone. RESULTS: Compared with the controls, the rats of the model group showed a slightly reduced body weight, markedly prolonged CIP and decreased CT (P < 0.05), significantly reduced sperm concentration (P < 0.05) and remarkably in- creased sperm malformation (P < 0.05), but no statistically significant differences in the testosterone level. The two treatment groups exhibited obviously decreased body weight, CIP and sperm malformation compared with the control group (P < 0.05) but markedly increased CT, sperm concentration and testosterone level as compared with the models (P < 0.05). The microwave radiation-induced testis injury was repaired perfectly in the two treatment groups, the epididymal ducts filled with sperm and cast-off cells. CONCLUSION: Both aqueous and alcohol extracts of MOH can promote spermatogenesis and repair of reproductive injury induced by microwave radiation.

Identification and characterization of novel immunomodulatory bursal-derived pentapeptide-II (BPP-II).

The bursa of Fabricius, the acknowledged central humoral immune organ, plays a vital role in B lymphocyte differentiation. However, there are few reports of the molecular basis of the mechanism on immune induction and potential antitumor activity of bursal-derived peptides. In this paper, a novel bursal-derived pentapeptide-II (BPP-II, MTLTG) was isolated and exerted immunomodulatory functions on antibody responses in vitro. Gene microarray analyses demonstrated that BPP-II regulated expression of 2478 genes in a mouse-derived hybridoma cell line. Immune-related gene ontology functional procedures were employed for further functional analysis. Furthermore, the majority of BPP-II-regulated pathways were associated with immune responses and tumor processes. Moreover, BPP-II exhibited immunomodulatory effects on antigen-specific immune responses in vivo, including enhancement of avian influenza virus (H9N2 subtype)-specific antibody and cytokine production and modification of T cell immunophenotypes and lymphocyte proliferation. Finally, BPP-II triggered p53 expression and stabilization and selectively inhibited tumor cell proliferation. These data identified the multifunctional factor, BPP-II, as a novel biomaterial representing an important linking between the humoral central immune system and immune induction, including antitumor. Information generated in this study elucidates further the mechanisms involved in humoral immune system and represents the potential basis of effective immunotherapeutic strategies for treating human tumors and immune improvement.

Exercise preconditioning initiates late cardioprotection against isoproterenol-induced myocardial injury in rats independent of protein kinase C.

The objective of this study was to investigate the late cardioprotective effect of exercise preconditioning (EP) on isoproterenol (ISO)-induced myocardial injury in rats and the role of protein kinase C (PKC) in EP. Rats were injected with ISO 24 h after running on a treadmill for four periods of 10 min each at 28-30 m/min with intervening periods of rest of 10 min. Nonselective PKC inhibitor chelerythrine (CHE) was injected before EP. The myocardial injury was evaluated quantitatively in terms of the serum cardiac troponin I (cTnI) levels, the myocardial ischemia/hypoxia area, and the integral optical density (IOD) of haematoxylin-basic fuchsin-picric acid (HBFP) staining, and qualitatively in terms of the myocardial ultrastructure. EP markedly attenuated the ISO-induced myocardial ischemia/hypoxia and ultrastructural damage with lower serum cTnI levels. CHE injection before EP did not block the protective effect of EP, displaying a mild myocardial ischemia/hypoxia and well-preserved ultrastructure with even lower serum cTnI levels. The results indicate that EP can exert a late cardioprotection against ISO-induced myocardial injury, and that an injection of the nonselective PKC inhibitor CHE before EP may have a different effect on ISO-induced myocardial injury. Further investigation needs to be conducted to define the role of different PKC isozymes in EP by using isozyme-selective inhibitors.

[Influence of clinical and pathomorphological parameters on prognosis in colon carcinoma and rectal carcinoma].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects of clinical and pathomorphological parameters on the prognosis of colon carcinoma and rectal carcinoma. METHODS: Univariate and multivariate COX proportional hazard models were used to study the effects of the clinical and pathomorphological factors on the prognosis in 101 cases of colon carcinoma, 219 of rectal carcinoma and 137 of rectal carcinoma under curative resections. RESULT: By using univariate analysis, we identified that lymph node metastasis and distant metastasis were the common prognostic factors for both colon carcinoma and rectal carcinoma. Smoking, deep infiltration, chemotherapy and serum albumin concentration were the uncertain prognostic factors for colon carcinoma. Signet-ring cell carcinoma, larger tumor size (>6 cm), deep infiltration, lack of radical surgery, and advanced TNM stage were the exclusive adverse prognostic factors for rectal carcinoma. Further studies showed that the adverse prognostic factors for the rectal carcinoma under curative resection included deep infiltration, lymph node metastasis, vessel invasion, less of peritumoral lymphocyte infiltration, lack of Crohn's like reactivity, high level of tumor budding, advanced TNM stage and positive urine glucose. By using multivariate analysis based on a COX proportional hazard model, it was identified that smoking, lymph node metastasis and serum albumin concentration were independent prognostic factors for colon carcinoma; advanced TNM stage, distant metastasis and palliative surgery for rectal carcinoma; and vessel invasion, lymph node metastasis and urine glucose for rectal carcinoma under curative resections. CONCLUSION: The various clinical and pathomorphological parameters show different prognostic value for colon carcinoma, rectal carcinoma and rectal carcinoma under curative resections.