Association between body mass index and mental health among nurses: a cross-sectional study in China.

PURPOSE: To examine the correlation between body mass index (BMI) and mental well-being in Chinese nurses during the COVID-19 epidemic. METHOD: This study was conducted in a tertiary hospital using a cross-sectional design. A total of 2,811 nurses were enlisted at Shengjing Hospital in China during the period from March to April, 2022. Information was gathered through a questionnaire that individuals completed themselves. The mental health of the participants was assessed using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 and the Generalized Anxiety Disorder Assessment-7. Binary logistic regression was used to calculate adjusted odds ratios (ORs) and their corresponding 95% confidence intervals. RESULTS: The prevalence of nurses experiencing depression and anxiety was 7.8% (219) and 6.7% (189), respectively. Regarding depression after adjustment, the odds ratios (ORs) for each quartile, compared to the lowest quartile, were as follows: 0.91 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.53, 1.56), 2.28 (95% CI: 0.98, 3.77), and 2.32 (95% CI: 1.41, 3.83). The p-value for trend was found to be 0.001. The odds ratios (ORs) for anxiety after adjustment were 2.39 (0.83, 4.36), 4.46 (0.51, 7.93), and 2.81 (1.56, 5.08) when comparing the highest quartiles to the lowest quartile. The p-value for trend was 0.009. CONCLUSION: This study found a positive association between BMI and poor mental health among nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly in those who were overweight or obesity. The findings could assist in developing interventions and help policy-makers establish appropriate strategies to support the mental health of frontline nurses, especially those who are overweight or obesity.

Cyfluthrin exposure during pregnancy causes neurotoxicity in offspring-Ca2+ overload via IP3R-GRP75-VDAC1 pathway.

Cyfluthrin (Cy) is a widely used pyrethroid insecticide. There is growing evidence that Cy can cause damage to the nervous, reproductive, and immune systems, but there is limited evidence on the potential effects of maternal Cy exposure on offspring. A model of maternal Cy exposure was used to assess its neurobehavioral effects on young-adult offspring. We found that gestational Cy exposure affected pregnancy outcomes and fetal development, and that offspring showed impairments in anxiety as well as learning and memory, accompanied by impairments in hippocampal synaptic ultrastructure and synaptic plasticity. In addition, the IP3R-GRP75-VDAC1 apoptogenic pathway was also upregulated, and in vitro models showed that inhibition of this pathway alleviated neuronal apoptosis as well as synaptic plasticity damage. In conclusion, maternal Cy exposure during pregnancy can cause neurobehavioral abnormalities and synaptic damage in offspring, which may be related to neuronal apoptosis induced by activation of the IP3R-GRP75-VDAC1 pathway in the hippocampus of offspring. Our findings provide clues to understand the neurotoxicity mechanism of maternal Cy exposure to offspring during pregnancy.

Association of Body Composition with Pulmonary Function in Ningxia: The China Northwest Cohort.

Background: In recent decades, obesity has become an epidemic worldwide and is a risk factor for many chronic diseases. Lung function is also a predictor of various chronic diseases. However, research results on the association between obesity and lung function are inconsistent and few studies have evaluated the association between central obesity indicators and lung function. Therefore, this study explored the correlation between central obesity and lung function. Methods: This study is a cross-sectional study. The basic participant characteristics were collected by questionnaire. A tape measure was used to measure waist circumference (WC) and hip circumference (HC). Body fat percentage was measured using an InBody370. Lung function parameters were measured using a digital spirometer connected to a computer (Chestgraph HI-101). R (R4.0.5) software was used for data analysis. A generalized linear model was used to analyze the association between obesity and lung function. Results: This study found that body mass index (BMI) adjusted for WC was negatively correlated with forced vital capacity (FVC) (ß=-0.05 [-0.06, -0.03] in men, ß=-0.05 [-0.07, -0.04] in women) and forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1)(ß=-0.02 [-0.03, -0.00] in men, ß=-0.03 [-0.04, -0.02] in women). Body fat percentage was negatively correlated with FVC (ß=-0.01 [-0.01, -0.01] in men, ß=-0.01 [-0.01, -0.00] in women). Conclusion: Central obesity and combined central and general obesity were more strongly positively correlated with lung function. WC-adjusted BMI was negatively correlated with lung function. Body fat percentage was negatively correlated with lung function.

Long non-coding RNA expression in silicosis and MRAK050699 function in epithelial-mesenchymal transition.

Silicosis is a lung fibrotic disease caused by chronic silica exposure. Aberrations in long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) expression are associated with fibrotic diseases, but the role of lncRNAs in silicosis pathogenesis remains unclear. Here, we investigated the expression of lncRNAs during silicosis and the role of MRAK050699 in epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). Differentially expressed lncRNAs in the lung tissues of normal and silicosis rats were compared, and their biological effects were determined using the Gene Ontology term and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway enrichment analyses. There were 1077 differentially expressed lncRNAs (378 upregulated and 699 downregulated). MRAK052509, MRAK139674, AY539881, MRAK050699, XR_6113, and BC167061 were selected to verify expression in silicosis rats using quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. MRAK050699 was knocked down in rat alveolar type II epithelial cells, and the molecular mechanism of transforming growth factor-ß (TGF-ß)-induced EMT in these cells was studied. All selected lncRNAs were upregulated in the silicosis rats, consistent with the sequencing results. MRAK050699 knockdown inhibited EMT of RLE-6TN cells by regulating the TGF-ß/Smad3 signaling pathway. Thus, the differential expression of lncRNAs is related to silicosis development, and MRAK050699 plays an important role in EMT, suggesting a potential therapeutic target for silicosis.

[Study on growth mechanism and crystallization phase state of pentacene thin films on p-Si wafer].

The growth mechanism and crystallization phase state were investigated by the methods of atomic force microscopy (AFM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The pentacene films were deposited with a self-assembling monolayer by thermal evaporation on p(+)-Si wafer substrates at room temperature and annealed at a constant temperature (80 degrees C) for 120 min. The experimental results show that pentacene films were grown with terraces island structure with the diameter of island of about 100 nm and constituted a layer consisting of faceted grains with a average step height between terraces of 1.54 nm x s(-1), which were accord with the long axis length of pentacene molecule, and the film were vertically grown on the substrate surface. The crystallization of pentacene thin films is shown in XRD pattern. The increase in the thin film thickness introduced a second set of diffraction peaks, which were attributed to the pentacene triclinic bulk phase. The critical thickness of both phases is 150 and 80 nm, respectively. At a film thickness of 150 nm, the triclinic phase diffraction peaks become the dominant phase. This is contrast to the XRD spectrum of very thin film of 80 thickness, where the thin film phase is the only contribution.