The Impact Of Small Artery Disease (SAD) and Medial Arterial Calcification (MAC) Scores on Chronic Wound and Amputation Healing: Can It Tell Us More?

Plenary Session Presentation at the Vascular and Endovascular Surgical Society 28th Annual Winter Meeting; Sun Valley Resort, Sun Valley, ID January 18 - 21, 2024 OBJECTIVES: In 2021, Ferraresi et al. created a novel scoring system based on the impact of small artery disease (SAD) and medial arterial calcification (MAC) on wound healing. SAD and MAC scores functioned similar to WIfI but with minimal resource expenditure. Despite its potential, few studies have expanded on the original dataset. We aim to validate SAD and MAC's impact on wound healing outcomes and determine their utility in relation to current predictive models. METHODS: Single-institution retrospective review was used to identify amputations for chronic (>1mo) podiatric wounds between 2015-2020. Foot x-ray (MAC) or angiography (SAD) <6 months of index procedure was required. Primary outcomes included major amputation, wound healing, major adverse limb events (MALE), and amputation-free survival (AFS). Statistical analysis included chi-square, one-way ANOVA, non-parametric correlation, Kaplan-Meier, Cox regression, and Akaike (AIC)/ Bayesian Inclusion Criteria (BIC) model comparison. RESULTS: Of 136 limbs, 67 received SAD scores (0-2) and 128 received MAC scores (0-2). SAD cohorts exhibited similar comorbidity profiles with exception of coronary disease, heart failure, and chronic kidney disease. MAC cohorts were notably disparate in prevalence of multiple conditions. High mean SAD/MAC scores were seen in severe (3-vessel) below-ankle disease (p=.001* [SAD], p=.041* [MAC]). Both SAD and MAC correlated with lower mean toe pressure (p=.043* [SAD], p=<.001* [MAC]), while only MAC correlated with higher overall WIfI score (p=.029*). No significant procedural differences were noted. However, higher re-admission rates (73.9% [2] vs. 46.9% [0], p=.014*) and all-cause mortality (65.2% [2] vs. 26.0% [0], p=.002*) were noted with higher MAC. Survival analysis revealed higher one-year major amputation rates (p=.036*), impaired wound healing (p<.001*), and lower amputation-free survival (p=.001*) with increasing MAC severity. Additionally, MAC-2 patients underwent amputation at faster rates than MAC-0 patients (HR 5.25, 95% CI [1.82, 9.77]) with longer times to wound healing (HR 0.21, 95% CI [0.08, 0.53]). Model comparison suggested a combination of WIfI and MAC could improve accuracy of predicted time to major amputation, wound healing, and amputation-free survival. CONCLUSIONS: MAC scoring showed significant promise both as individual predictor and adjunct to current predictive models of long-term wound healing outcomes. Routine use of MAC scoring in CLTI evaluation, especially when non-invasive testing is unavailable, could promote timely referral for intervention and efficient resource utilization in limited-resource or critical care settings. Further investigation is necessary to determine MAC's impact on revascularization and how scoring can be used to guide surgical decision making.

Therapeutic potential of cannabidiol (CBD) in anxiety disorders: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Cannabidiol (CBD), as one of the phytocannabinoids, has a wide range of therapeutic properties for various neuropsychiatric disorders due to central nervous system effects. These therapeutic properties demonstrated by preclinical and clinical studies encompass more than just anticonvulsant, anti-arthritic, analgesic, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antitumor, antiemetic, antipsychotic and neuroprotective effects. It has been hypothesized that CBD holds potential in the treatment of various neuropsychiatric and anxiety disorders. Thus, PRISMA was used as a guide for our systematic review. Eight of the 1550 articles screened in June 2023 were eligible for meta-analysis. Based on the 316 participants included in these eight articles, this meta-analysis revealed a substantial significant impact of CBD on anxiety with a considerable effect size (Hedges' g = -0.92, 95% CI -1.80 to -0.04). In addition, this meta-analysis focuses on the efficacy of CBD in treating anxiety disorders such as generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), social anxiety disorder (SAD), and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). However, caution should be exercised in interpreting our findings due to the limited size of the clinical sample, and additional trials ought to be carried out if deemed necessary.

Symptoms of premenstrual dysphoric disorder and cycle phase are associated with enhanced facial emotion detection: An online cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Premenstrual dysphoric disorder is a depressive disorder affecting 5%-8% of people with menstrual cycles. Despite evidence that facial emotion detection is altered in depressive disorders, with enhanced detection of negative emotions (negativity bias), minimal research exists on premenstrual dysphoric disorder. OBJECTIVES: The goal of this study was to investigate the effect of premenstrual dysphoric disorder symptoms and the premenstrual phase on accuracy and intensity at detection of facial emotions. DESIGN: Cross-sectional quasi-experimental design. METHOD: The Facial Emotion Detection Task was administered to 72 individuals assigned female at birth with no premenstrual dysphoric disorder (n = 30), and provisional PMDD (n = 42), based on a retrospective Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-Fifth Edition-based measure of premenstrual dysphoric disorder. Facial emotion detection was examined both irrespective of menstrual cycle phase, and as a function of premenstrual phase (yes, no). The task used neutral-to-emotional facial expression morphs (15 images/morph). Participants indicated the emotion detected for each image within the progressive intensity morph. For all six basic emotions (sad, angry, fearful, happy, disgust, and surprise), two scores were calculated: accuracy of responses and the intensity within the morph at which the correct emotion was first detected (image number). RESULTS: Individuals reporting moderate/severe symptoms of premenstrual dysphoric disorder had more accurate and earlier detection of disgust, regardless of cycle phase. In addition, those with provisional premenstrual dysphoric disorder detected sad emotions earlier. A premenstrual dysphoric disorder group × cycle phase interaction also emerged: individuals reporting premenstrual dysphoric disorder symptoms were more accurate at detecting facial emotions during the premenstrual phase compared to the rest of the cycle, with a large effect size for sad emotions. CONCLUSION: The findings suggest enhanced facial emotion processing in individuals reporting symptoms of premenstrual dysphoric disorder, particularly for sadness and disgust. However, replication is required with larger samples and prospective designs. This premenstrual dysphoric disorder premenstrual emotion detection advantage suggests an adaptive cognitive mechanism in premenstrual syndrome/premenstrual dysphoric disorder, and challenges stigma surrounding premenstrual experiences.

Women with Severe Premenstrual Syndrome or Probable Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder are Better at Identifying Emotional Expressions on People's Faces, Especially During the Premenstrual PhasePremenstrual dysphoric disorder is a depressive disorder affecting women where they experience emotional and physical symptoms during the premenstrual phase (i.e. the week before one's period). It is a severe form of premenstrual syndrome. Research indicates that depression can affect facial emotion recognition. Accurately recognizing other people's emotions is an important skill that helps us develop social connections and keep ourselves and others safe. Quick recognition of facial emotions allows us to understand and support others, and quickly identify dangerous situations by recognizing other people's emotional responses. The goal of this study was to examine how premenstrual dysphoric disorder symptoms and the premenstrual phase may affect the ability of women to recognize and identify emotions on other people's faces. A total of 72 women (42 with premenstrual dysphoric disorder, 30 without premenstrual dysphoric disorder) completed the Facial Emotion Detection Task. This task measured how accurate and early the women were able to detect happiness, sadness, anger, fear, surprise, and disgust in faces. Women with moderate/severe symptoms of premenstrual dysphoric disorder had more accurate and earlier detection of disgust, regardless of where they were in their menstrual cycle. Women with premenstrual dysphoric disorder detected sad emotions earlier. Furthermore, women with premenstrual dysphoric disorder were more accurate at detecting facial emotions when they were tested in the premenstrual phase, and were especially more accurate in detecting sad emotions. The findings suggest that women with premenstrual dysphoric disorder are better at detecting facial emotions and show a premenstrual dysphoric disorder premenstrual emotion detection advantage. This tendency for women with premenstrual dysphoric disorder to better detect emotions in others, particularly when they are in the premenstrual cycle phase, would have benefits. As one of the first reports of a potentially beneficial effect of premenstrual syndrome for women, the findings may help decrease stigma associated with premenstrual dysphoric disorder and premenstrual syndrome. Further research is needed to replicate and extend these findings.

A novel coupling process to replace the traditional multi-stage anammox process-sulfur autotrophic denitrification coupled anammox system.

A novel coupling process to replace the traditional multi-stage anammox process-sulfur autotrophic denitrification (SAD) coupled anaerobic ammonium oxidation (anammox) system was designed, which solved problems of nitrate produced in anammox process and low nitrate conversion rate caused by nitrite accumulation in SAD process. Different filter structures (SAD filter and anammox granular sludge) were investigated to further explore the excellent performance of the novel integrated reactor. The results of sequential batch experiments indicated that nitrite accumulation occurred during SAD, which inhibited the conversion of nitrate to dinitrogen gas. When SAD filter and anammox granular sludge were added to packed bed reactor simultaneously, the nitrate removal rate increased by 37.21% and effluent nitrite concentration decreased by 100% compared to that achieved using SAD. The stratified filter structure solved groove flow. Different proportion influence of SAD filter and anammox granular sludge on the stratified filter structure was evaluated. More suitable ratio of SAD filter to anammox granular sludge was 2:1. Proteobacteria (57.26%), Bacteroidetes (20.12%) and Chloroflexi (9.95%) were the main phyla. The dominant genera of denitrification functional bacteria were Thiobacillus (39.80%), Chlorobaculum (3.99%), norank_f_PHOs-HE36 (2.90%) and Ignavibacterium (2.64%). The dominant genus of anammox bacterium was Candidatus_Kuenenia (3.05%).

A modified phase-retrieval algorithm to facilitate automatic de novo macromolecular structure determination in single-wavelength anomalous diffraction.

The success of experimental phasing in macromolecular crystallography relies primarily on the accurate locations of heavy atoms bound to the target crystal. To improve the process of substructure determination, a modified phase-retrieval algorithm built on the framework of the relaxed alternating averaged reflection (RAAR) algorithm has been developed. Importantly, the proposed algorithm features a combination of the π-half phase perturbation for weak reflections and enforces the direct-method-based tangent formula for strong reflections in reciprocal space. The proposed algorithm is extensively demonstrated on a total of 100 single-wavelength anomalous diffraction (SAD) experimental datasets, comprising both protein and nucleic acid structures of different qualities. Compared with the standard RAAR algorithm, the modified phase-retrieval algorithm exhibits significantly improved effectiveness and accuracy in SAD substructure determination, highlighting the importance of additional constraints for algorithmic performance. Furthermore, the proposed algorithm can be performed without human intervention under most conditions owing to the self-adaptive property of the input parameters, thus making it convenient to be integrated into the structural determination pipeline. In conjunction with the IPCAS software suite, we demonstrated experimentally that automatic de novo structure determination is possible on the basis of our proposed algorithm.

Effectiveness of vortioxetine for winter depression in bipolar disorder: A case report.

Background: We present a case report on the efficacy of the short-term application of vortioxetine in managing winter depression in patients with seasonal bipolar disorder (BP). Standard treatment strategies for BP may not adequately address seasonal depressive symptoms during winter in patients with seasonal BP patterns. Depressive symptoms during winter may be linked to seasonal changes in serotonin transporter binding, such as a decrease in synaptic serotonin levels, necessitating alternative approaches. Although antidepressants, including vortioxetine, are effective in treating seasonal monopolar depression, their efficacy and safety in treating depression in patients with seasonal BP patterns remain unclear. Case Presentation: This case report focuses on a 44-year-old male patient diagnosed with seasonal BP who had recurrent depressive episodes, specifically during winter. Notably, the patient had a significant decrease in recurrent episodes after short-term seasonal vortioxetine use without inducing mania or rapid cycling. Conclusion: Our study highlights the potential effectiveness of a seasonal, short-term treatment strategy with antidepressants, including vortioxetine, for winter depression in individuals with BP.

New sagittal abdominal diameter and transverse abdominal diameter based equations to estimate visceral fat area in type 2 diabetes patients.

OBJECTIVE: Computed Tomography (CT) or Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) are considered gold standards for measuring visceral fat area (VFA). However, their relatively high prices and potential radiation exposure limit their widespread use in clinical practice and everyday life. Therefore, our study aims to develop a VFA estimated equation based on sagittal abdominal diameter (SAD) and transverse abdominal diameter (TAD) using anthropometric indexes. To the best of our knowledge, there have been limited studies investigating this aspect thus far. METHODS: This study was designed as a cross-sectional, retrospective cohort survey. A total of 288 patients (167 males and 121 females) aged 18-80 with type 2 diabetes (T2D) were consecutively collected from a multicenter hospital, and VFA was measured by CT. Subsequently, variables highly correlated with VFA were screened through general linear correlation analysis. A stepwise regression analysis was then conducted to develop a VFA estimated equation. Discrepancies between the estimated and actual VFA values were assessed using the Bland-Altman method to validate the accuracy of the equation. RESULTS: In the female T2D population, triglyceride (TG), SAD, TAD were found to be independently correlated with VFA; in the male T2D population, BMI, TG, SAD and TAD showed independent correlations with VFA. Among these variables, SAD exhibited the strongest correlation with VFA (r = 0.83 for females, r = 0.88 for males), followed by TAD (r = 0.69 for females, r = 0.79 for males). Based on these findings, a VFA estimated equation was developed for the T2D population: VFA (male) =-364.16 + 15.36*SAD + 0.77*TG + 9.41*TAD - 5.00*BMI (R2 = 0.75, adjusted R2 = 0.74); VFA(female)=-170.87 + 9.72*SAD-24.29*(TG^-1) + 3.93*TAD (R2 = 0.69, adjusted R2 = 0.68). Both models demonstrated a good fit. The Bland-Altman plot indicated a strong agreement between the actual VFA values and the estimated values, the mean differences were close to 0, and the majority of differences fell within the 95% confidence interval. CONCLUSIONS: In the T2D population, a VFA estimated equation is developed by incorporating SAD and TAD along with other measurement indices. This equation demonstrates a favorable estimated performance, suggesting to the development of novel and practical VFA estimation models in the future study.

Reduction of heavy metals in municipal solid waste incineration fly ash followed by making transparent glass.

Municipal solid waste incineration (MSWI) fly ash is a hazardous waste containing heavy metals. Secondary aluminum dross (SAD) is a hazardous waste discharged from aluminum smelting, containing active aluminum nitride (AlN). In this work, heavy metals from MSWI fly ash were reduced into alloy by AlN from SAD, and the slag was manufactured into transparent glass for building. Reduction of iron and zinc was 67 and 100 %, respectively. Reduction mechanism was explored after applying XRD, XRF and thermodynamics analysis. It was found that the reduction reaction was an ion reaction. The AlN and heavy metal oxide transformed into anionic group containing nitrogen and heavy metal cation, after entering slag. The heavy metals were reduced into alloy after electron was transferred from anionic group to cation. In addition, the reduced iron and zinc could merge into alloy, which inhibited evaporation of zinc. Yellow transparent glass was obtained after the reduction process. Yellow was come from titanium oxide, which could not be reduced by AlN. Microhardness, density and water absorption of the transparent glass were 741 HV, 2.86 g·cm-3 and 0.04 %, respectively. Leaching content of Ni, Cu, Zn and Pb of the glass were 0.1, <0.1, 0.6 and < 0.1 mg/L, respectively, all below the TCLP limit. About 115 âˆ¼ 213 dollars were earned after manufacturing 500 kg of MSWI fly ash into transparent glass. This work provided a novel idea of recycling solid waste into alloy and transparent glass for building.

The use of happy faces as visual stimuli improves the performance of the hybrid SSVEP+P300 brain computer interface.

BACKGROUND: This study illustrates a hybrid brain-computer interface (BCI) in which steady-state visual evoked potentials (SSVEP) and event-related potentials (P300) are evoked simultaneously. The goal of this study was to improve the performance of the current hybrid SSVEP+P300 BCI systems by incorporating a happy face into visual stimuli. NEW METHOD: In this study, happy and sad faces were added to a visual stimulus to induce stronger cortical signals in a hybrid SSVEP+P300 BCI. Additionally, we developed a paradigm in which SSVEP responses were triggered by non-face stimuli, whereas P300 responses were triggered by face stimuli. We tested four paradigms: happy face paradigm (HF), sad face paradigm (SF), happy face and flicker paradigm (HFF), and sad face and flicker paradigm (SFF). RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: The results demonstrated that the HFF paradigm elicited more robust cortical responses, which resulted in enhanced system accuracy and information transfer rate (ITR). The HFF paradigm has a system communication rate of 25.9 bits per second and an average accuracy of 96.1%. Compared with other paradigms, the HFF paradigm is the best choice for BCI applications because it has the highest ITR and maximum level of comfort.

The Relationship Between Social Anxiety Disorder and ADHD in Adolescents and Adults: A Systematic Review.

OBJECTIVE: This review aimed to systematically gather empirical data on the link between social anxiety disorder and ADHD in both clinical and non-clinical populations among adolescents and adults. METHOD: Literature searches were conducted in PsycInfo, PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science, resulting in 1,739 articles. After screening, 41 articles were included. Results were summarized using a narrative approach. RESULTS: The prevalence of ADHD in adolescents and adults with SAD ranged from 1.1% to 72.3%, while the prevalence of SAD in those with ADHD ranged from 0.04% to 49.5%. Studies indicate that individuals with both SAD and ADHD exhibit greater impairments. All studies were judged to be of weak quality, except for two studies which were rated moderate quality. DISCUSSION: Individuals with SAD should be screened for ADHD and vice versa, to identify this common comorbidity earlier. Further research is needed to better understand the prevalence of comorbid ADHD and SAD in adolescents.

Event centrality in social anxiety disorder and major depressive disorder.

Event centrality is defined by the extent to which a memory of an event has become central to an individual's identity and life story. Previous research predominantly focused on the link between event centrality and trauma-related symptomatology. Nevertheless, it can be argued that the perception of (adverse) events as central to one's self is not exclusive to Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Other disorders where adverse events are linked to the onset of symptoms might also be related to event centrality. This study examined the relevance of event centrality for Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD) and for Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) separately. Moreover, we examined which cognitive and emotion regulation variables (i.e., trait anxiety, rumination, worry, intrusions and avoidance, and posttraumatic cognitions) mediated these relationships. No significant correlation was found between event centrality and social anxiety. However, a significant positive correlation was found between event centrality and depression. In a combined group, this relation was mediated by all cognitive and emotion regulation variables except for worry.

Coronatine orchestrates ABI1-mediated stomatal opening to facilitate bacterial pathogen infection through importin ß protein SAD2.

Stomatal immunity plays an important role during bacterial pathogen invasion. Abscisic acid (ABA) induces plants to close their stomata and halt pathogen invasion, but many bacterial pathogens secrete phytotoxin coronatine (COR) to antagonize ABA signaling and reopen the stomata to promote infection at early stage of invasion. However, the underlining mechanism is not clear. SAD2 is an importin ß family protein, and the sad2 mutant shows hypersensitivity to ABA. We discovered ABI1, which negatively regulated ABA signaling and reduced plant sensitivity to ABA, was accumulated in the plant nucleus after COR treatment. This event required SAD2 to import ABI1 to the plant nucleus. Abolition of SAD2 undermined ABI1 accumulation. Our study answers the long-standing question of how bacterial COR antagonizes ABA signaling and reopens plant stomata during pathogen invasion.

SAD2 functions in plant pathogen Pseudomonas syringae pv tomato DC3000 defense by regulating the nuclear accumulation of MYB30 in Arabidopsis thaliana.

Accurate nucleocytoplasmic transport of signal molecules is essential for plant growth and development. Multiple studies have confirmed that nucleocytoplasmic transport and receptors are involved in regulating plant disease resistance responses, however, little is known about the regulatory mechanism in plants. In this study, we showed that the mutant of the importin beta-like protein SAD2 exhibited a more susceptible phenotype than wild-type Col-0 after treatment with Pseudomonas syringae pv tomato DC3000 (Pst DC3000). Coimmunoprecipitation (Co-IP) and bimolecular fluorescence complementation (BiFC) experiments demonstrated that SAD2 interacts with the hypersensitive response (HR)-positive transcriptional regulator MYB30. Subcellular localization showed that MYB30 was not fully localized in the nucleus in sad2-5 mutants, and western-blot experiments further indicated that SAD2 was required for MYB30 nuclear trafficking during the pathogen infection process. A phenotypic test of pathogen inoculation demonstrated that MYB30 partially rescued the disease symptoms of sad2-5 caused by Pst DC3000, and that MYB30 worked downstream of SAD2 in plant pathogen defense. These results suggested that SAD2 might be involved in plant pathogen defense by mediating MYB30 nuclear trafficking. Taken together, our results revealed the important function of SAD2 in plant pathogen defense and enriched understanding of the mechanism of nucleocytoplasmic transport-mediated plant pathogen defense.

Expression of FAD and SAD Genes in Developing Seeds of Flax Varieties under Different Growth Conditions.

Flax seed is one of the richest plant sources of linolenic acid (LIN) and also contains unsaturated linoleic acid (LIO) and oleic acid (OLE). Stearoyl-ACP desaturases (SADs) and fatty acid desaturases (FADs) play key roles in the synthesis of flax fatty acids (FAs). However, there is no holistic view of which genes from the SAD and FAD families and at which developmental stages have the highest expression levels in flax seeds, as well as the influence of genotype and growth conditions on the expression profiles of these genes. We sequenced flax seed transcriptomes at 3, 7, 14, 21, and 28 days after flowering (DAF) for ten flax varieties with different oil FA compositions grown under three temperature/watering conditions. The expression levels of 25 genes of the SAD, FAD2, and FAD3 families were evaluated. FAD3b, FAD3a, FAD2b-2, SAD3-1, SAD2-1, SAD2-2, SAD3-2, FAD2a-1, and FAD2a-2 had the highest expression levels, which changed significantly during seed development. These genes probably play a key role in FA synthesis in flax seeds. High temperature and insufficient watering shifted the maximum expression levels of FAD and SAD genes to earlier developmental stages, while the opposite trend was observed for low temperature and excessive watering. Differences in the FAD and SAD expression profiles under different growth conditions may affect the FA composition of linseed oil. Stop codons in the FAD3a gene, resulting in a reduced LIN content, decreased the level of FAD3a transcript. The obtained results provide new insights into the synthesis of linseed oil.

Relationship between sacral-abdominal wall distance, movement performance, and spinal alignment in osteoporosis: a retrospective study.

BACKGROUND: Aging is associated with muscle atrophy, as typified by sarcopenia. Loss of abdominal muscle strength can cause abdominal wall laxity. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between the sacral vertebra-abdominal wall distance (SAD) and movement performance using a simple lateral spine X-ray image for measuring the SAD. METHODS: In this retrospective study, we included women aged ≥ 65 years who were attending the outpatient clinic for osteoporosis at our hospital. A total of 287 patients (mean age ± SD, 76.8 ± 7.1 years) with measured SAD were included in the analysis. Patients were divided into two groups based on SAD cutoff (160 mm) and age (75 years), respectively. The patients were examined using the two-foot 20 cm rise test, 3 m Timed Up and Go (TUG) test, two-step test, open-eyed one-leg standing time, and spinal alignment. Normally distributed data are expressed as means (standard deviations) and non-normally distributed data as medians (interquartile range), depending on the results of the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test. Student's t-test and χ2 test were used for between-group comparisons. Regression analysis was performed with SAD as the objective variable. A two-sided p < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS: The shorter SAD group performed better in the two-step test, TUG test, and open-eyed one-leg standing time (p < 0.001) as well as in the two-foot 20 cm rise test (p < 0.01) compared to the longer SAD group. Spinal alignment was better in the shorter SAD group than in the longer SAD group, with a shorter sagittal vertical axis (p < 0.001), smaller pelvic tilt (p < 0.001), and greater sacral slope (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: SAD was associated with posterior pelvic tilt and movement performance parameters. In addition to testing for osteoporosis, movement performance parameters should be evaluated in women with osteoporosis who are aged ≥ 65 and have greater SAD (≥ 160 mm in this study). The SAD is a new assessment method, and further research is required to verify its validity and reproducibility. This is the first attempt to determine how age and SAD affect movement performance in older adults.

Comparative analysis of rabies pathogenic and vaccine strains detection by RIG-I-like receptors.

Rabies virus (RABV) is a lethal neurotropic virus that causes 60,000 human deaths every year globally. RABV infection is characterized by the suppression of the interferon (IFN)-mediated antiviral response. However, molecular mechanisms leading to RABV sensing by RIG-I-like receptors (RLR) that initiates IFN signaling currently remain elusive. Here, we showed that RABV RNAs are primarily recognized by the RIG-I RLR, resulting in an IFN response in the infected cells, but this response varied according to the type of RABV used. Pathogenic RABV strain RNAs, Tha, were poorly detected in the cytosol by RIG-I and therefore caused a weak antiviral response. However, we revealed a strong IFN activity triggered by the attenuated RABV vaccine strain RNAs, SAD, mediated by RIG-I. We characterized two major 5' copy-back defective interfering (5'cb DI) genomes generated during SAD replication. Furthermore, we identified an interaction between 5'cb DI genomes, and RIG-I correlated with a high stimulation of the type I IFN signaling. This study indicates that wild-type RABV RNAs poorly activate the RIG-I pathway, while the presence of 5'cb DIs in the live-attenuated vaccine strain serves as an intrinsic adjuvant that strengthens its efficiency by enhancing RIG-I detection thus strongly stimulates the IFN response.

Proportions and risk factors of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and preserved ratio impaired spirometry, and association with small airway disease, in the positive screening older population from China: a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Early diagnosing Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is relatively difficult. Therefore, the concepts of preserved ratio impaired spirometry (PRISm) and small airway disease (SAD) were proposed to achieve early diagnosis for COPD. Besides, the occurrence of COPD is positively related to age. However, the relationship among COPD, PRISm, and SAD still requires clarification. Thus, we estimated the proportions and risk factors of COPD and PRISm in the positive screening participants, and searched the methods of early diagnosing COPD via the SAD indicators. METHODS: A total of 53,641 residents aged more than 60 years old from Shaoxing City, Zhejiang Province, China, completed a series of screening projects. And 2327 of positive screening participants ultimately finished bronchodilator tests. The data were statistically analyzed to figure out the proportions and risk factors of COPD and PRISm, and the efficacy of early diagnosing COPD by the SAD indicators. RESULTS: Totally 2229 positive screening participants were included, the proportion of PRISm was 6.3% (141/2229), and of COPD was 78.2% (1743/2229). Statistical analyses showed that COPD patients were more likely to be smokers, males, and older. And COPD patients had higher questionnaire scores, meaning that they were more prone to have family history of respiratory diseases and more severe respiratory symptoms. Additionally, COPD patients had lower maximal mid-expiratory flow (MMEF) pred, forced expiratory flow (FEF) 75pred, and FEF50pred. And we found that male sex and presence of respiratory symptoms might lead to COPD and PRISm. Also, the methods of early diagnosing COPD through the SAD indicators might be acceptable. CONCLUSION: There is a close association between COPD and decreased small airway function (SAF) among the participants included. Age, smoking, male sex, worse SAF, and respiratory symptoms might cause the progressing from normal people to PRISm, then to COPD patients. Besides, the SAD indicators such as MMEFpred, FEF75pred, and FEF50pred were included in lung function tests and bronchodilator tests. Intriguingly, it was found that early diagnosing COPD via the SAD indicators might be feasible. In the future, early diagnosis for COPD requires further research.

The Humanbecoming Concept Inventing Model: Feeling Sad.

In this paper, the scholar explored the universal humanuniverse living experience of feeling sad with the humanbecoming concept inventing model. The now-truth of feeling sad is penetrating discomfort arising with contemplating joy-sorrow of affiliations amid envisioning new possibilities. The theoretical statement as the ingenuous proclamation of feeling sad is imaging the connecting-separating of transforming with the scholar's chosen artform, Melancholy by Albert Gyorgy. The scholar aimed to advance nursing knowledge of the universal humanuniverse living experience of feeling sad.

Unraveling the mechanism of norfloxacin removal and fate of antibiotics resistance genes (ARGs) in the sulfur-mediated autotrophic denitrification via metagenomic and metatranscriptomic analyses.

The co-contamination of antibiotics and nitrogen has attracted widespread concerns due to its potential harm to ecological safety and human health. Sulfur-driven autotrophic denitrification (SAD) with low sludge production rate was adopted to treat antibiotics laden-organic deficient wastewater. Herein, a lab-scale sequencing batch reactor (SBR) was established to explore the simultaneous removal of nitrate and antibiotics, i.e. Norfloxacin (NOR), as well as microbial response mechanism of SAD sludge system towards NOR exposure. About 80.78 % of NOR was removed by SAD sludge when the influent NOR level was 0.5 mg/L, in which biodegradation was dominant removal route. The nitrate removal efficiency decreased slightly from 98.37 ± 0.58 % to 96.58 ± 1.03 % in the presence of NOR. Thiobacillus and Sulfurimonas were the most abundant sulfur-oxidizing bacteria (SOB) in SAD system, but Thiobacillus was more sensitive to NOR. The up-regulated genes related to Xenobiotics biodegradation and metabolism and CYP450 indicated the occurrence of NOR biotransformation in SAD system. The resistance of SAD sludge to the exposure of NOR was mainly ascribed to antibiotic efflux. And the effect of antibiotic inactivation was enhanced after long-term fed with NOR. The NOR exposure resulted in the increased level of antibiotics resistance genes (ARGs) and mobile genetic elements (MGEs). Besides, the enhanced ARG-MGE co-existence patterns further reveals the higher horizontal mobility potential of ARGs under NOR exposure pressures. The most enriched sulfur oxidizing bacterium Thiobacillus was a potential host for most of ARGs. This study provides a new insight for the treatment of NOR-laden wastewater with low C/N ratio based on the sulfur-mediated biological process.

Expectancies of the Effects of Cannabis Use in Individuals with Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD).

Previous research has indicated that anticipating positive effects from cannabis use may be linked with increased frequency of cannabis consumption, yet these expectancies remain poorly understood in adults with social anxiety disorder (SAD). Thus, our study aimed to investigate the expectancies of the effects of cannabis use in 26 frequently using adults with SAD (age: 27.9 ± 7.3 years; 54% female) and 26 (age: 27.4 ± 6.7 years; 50% female) without. While no between-group differences were observed, both groups reported expecting tension reduction and relaxation (F = 0.001; p = 0.974), cravings, and physical effects (F = 1.10; p = 0.300), but denied global negative effects (F = 0.11; p = 0.744). The trajectory of cannabis use perceptions (further investigated in 12/26 participants/group) also showed no between-group differences. Before the initial use, positive perceptions may have led to initial and continuous cannabis consumption, while the symptoms of cannabis use disorder may have contributed to repeated use. Our data indicate that, regardless of psychiatric history, frequent cannabis-using adults are more likely to report positive expectancies, which are often associated with increased patterns of cannabis consumption. Psychoeducational programs and openly discussing the risks of cannabis may be beneficial in preventing and/or reducing cannabis use in people with SAD.