Stimuli-responsive AIEgens with an ultra acidochromic scope for self-reporting soft actuators.

This study develops a series of NBI-based acidochromic AIEgens engineered for ultra-wide acidochromic scope in self-reporting soft actuators, establishing the relationship between the photophysical properties and structural configurations of the AIEgens, further investigating their acidochromic behavior and fabricating acidity monitoring chips. The acidochromic behaviors were thoroughly investigated, and high-precision acidity monitoring chips were fabricated. We confirmed the protonation order of nitrogen atoms within the molecules and elucidated the acidochromic mechanisms through DFT and 1H NMR analyses. Utilizing these findings, we designed acid-driven hydrogel-based biomimetic actuators that can self-report and control the release of heavy loads under acidic conditions. These actuators hold significant potential for applications in targeted drug delivery within acidic biological environments, controlled release systems, and specialized transportation of heavy loads under acidic conditions.

High-intensity interval training (HIIT) and slow breathing interventions alleviate premature ejaculation (PE) symptoms.

Background: Physical exercise may alleviate premature ejaculation symptoms, a prevalent male sexual dysfunction linked to a series of negative outcomes for men and their partners. Objective: We investigated the effectiveness of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) and slow breathing interventions on premature ejaculation symptoms and their relation to autonomic activity and attention regulation. Method: Chinese adult men (N = 76, M = 21.89, SD = 3.32) with premature ejaculation completed one of the two-week interventions in their homes or as participants in a normal breathing control group; they reported their age, height, weight, physical activity level, premature ejaculation symptoms, and attention regulation. In the HIIT group, 26 participants engaged in a 7-minute HIIT each day. In the slow breathing group, 25 participants performed 7-minute slow breathing exercises per day while the 25 participants in the normal breathing group similarly performed normal breathing exercises. All participants measured their heart rate once before and five times (with one-minute intervals) after the intervention. When participants had penile-vaginal sex with their partners, they measured their heart rate once after ejaculation. Results: Time × Intervention interaction was significant with lower levels of premature ejaculation symptoms on Days 12, 13, and 14 in the HIIT group (M ± SD = 16.19 ± 3.45, 15.96 ± 3.43, and 15.15 ± 3.62) compared to the normal breathing group (M ± SD = 17.68 ± 3.06, 17.68 ± 3.15, and 17.44 ± 3.25). Higher levels of attention regulation were associated with fewer premature ejaculation symptoms. We also found that a larger increase in heart rate from resting to after sex was associated with fewer premature ejaculation symptoms. Conclusion: Compared to the control group, the efficacy of two weeks of HIIT exercise in mitigating PE symptoms suggests its potential as a novel treatment for PE.

A 2-week high-intensity interval training intervention improves ejaculation control among men with premature ejaculation.

BACKGROUND: Premature ejaculation (PE), which leads to substantial distress in men and their partners, is a common male sexual dysfunction worldwide. However, there is still a lack of effective treatments without side effects. OBJECTIVES: We investigated the effect of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) on PE symptoms. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We recruited 92 Chinese men aged 18-36 to complete the experiment. There were 22 (13 in the control group; 9 in the HIIT group) men diagnosed with PE and 70 (41 in the control group; 29 in the HIIT group) men with normal ejaculatory function. In the HIIT group, participants completed HIIT exercises every morning for 14 days. Participants also completed surveys inquiring about demographic information, erectile function, PE symptoms, body image (including sexual body image), physical activity, and sexual desire. The heart rate was measured before and after each HIIT. In the control group, participants were instructed not to do HIIT, but other procedures were the same as in the HIIT group. RESULTS: Results indicated that the HIIT intervention alleviated PE symptoms in men with PE. In addition, in the HIIT group, men with PE who had a higher heart-rate increase during the HIIT intervention reported the greatest overall decrements in PE symptoms. In men with normal ejaculatory function, HIIT did not decrease PE symptoms. In addition, increments in the heart rate during the intervention were associated with more pronounced PE symptoms post-intervention in this group. Analyses of secondary outcome measures suggested that the HIIT intervention improved general and sexual body image satisfaction of men with PE compared to before the intervention. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: In summary, HIIT intervention may reduce PE symptoms in men with PE. The heart-rate increase during the intervention may be a key factor influencing the effect of the HIIT intervention on PE symptoms.

Tuftelin1 drives experimental pulmonary fibrosis progression by facilitating stress fiber assembly.

BACKGROUND: Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a progressive interstitial lung disease (ILD) with unknown etiology, characterized by sustained damage repair of epithelial cells and abnormal activation of fibroblasts, the underlying mechanism of the disease remains elusive. METHODS: To evaluate the role of Tuftelin1 (TUFT1) in IPF and elucidate its molecular mechanism. We investigated the level of TUFT1 in the IPF and bleomycin-induced mouse models and explored the influence of TUFT1 deficiency on pulmonary fibrosis. Additionally, we explored the effect of TUFT1 on the cytoskeleton and illustrated the relationship between stress fiber and pulmonary fibrosis. RESULTS: Our results demonstrated a significant upregulation of TUFT1 in IPF and the bleomycin (BLM)-induced fibrosis model. Disruption of TUFT1 exerted inhibitory effects on pulmonary fibrosis in both in vivo and in vitro. TUFT1 facilitated the assembly of microfilaments in A549 and MRC-5 cells, with a pronounced association between TUFT1 and Neuronal Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome protein (N-WASP) observed during microfilament formation. TUFT1 can promote the phosphorylation of tyrosine residue 256 (Y256) of the N-WASP (pY256N-WASP). Furthermore, TUFT1 promoted transforming growth factor-ß1 (TGF-ß1) induced fibroblast activation by increasing nuclear translocation of pY256N-WASP in fibroblasts, while wiskostatin (Wis), an N-WASP inhibitor, suppressed these processes. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggested that TUFT1 plays a critical role in pulmonary fibrosis via its influence on stress fiber, and blockade of TUFT1 effectively reduces pro-fibrotic phenotypes. Pharmacological targeting of the TUFT1-N-WASP axis may represent a promising therapeutic approach for pulmonary fibrosis.

Effects of physical exercise interventions on ejaculation control.

INTRODUCTION: Premature ejaculation is a prevalent male sexual dysfunction that causes significant distress for men and their partners on a global scale. Despite its widespread impact, effective treatment options without undesirable side effects remain limited. OBJECTIVES: The present review aimed to provide an overview of experimental studies that analyzed the effects of physical exercise interventions on premature ejaculation. METHODS: The inclusion criteria for the review included: Population: Adult men. Intervention: An intervention designed to increase physical exercise was delivered in the study. Comparison: Before versus after intervention with or without a comparison group receiving a drug treatment or an active or no control intervention. Outcomes: Self-reported or clinician-rated premature ejaculation or its symptoms. Study type: Experimental designs. We conducted the search process in 9 databases: APA PsycNET, PubMed, Scopus, SPORTDiscus, JSTOR, ScienceDirect, Web of Science, Embase, and CAB Direct. This review included six intervention studies that included 433 participants (307 men with premature ejaculation) ranging from 18 to 50 years of age. All participants had a stable female sexual partner and had not any other physical or mental problems. RESULTS: The synthesized results indicated that yoga, running, and high-intensity interval training alleviate premature ejaculation symptoms in men with premature ejaculation after varying intervention duration times. The effectiveness of physical exercise for premature ejaculation symptoms was similar to that of drug treatments. CONCLUSION: Physical exercise can be one of the potential treatment modalities for premature ejaculation. The intensity of physical exercise and the effort of participants during exercise are key factors affecting improvements in ejaculation control. A potential limitation was that the review did not include any literature written in non-English languages.

Visualize intracellular ß-galactosidase using an asymmetric near-infrared fluorescent probe with a large Stokes shift.

ß-galactosidase (ß-Gal) is an important biomarker of cell senescence and primary ovarian cancer. Therefore, it is of great significance to construct a near-infrared fluorescent probe with deep tissue penetration and a high signal-to-noise ratio for visualization of ß-galactosidase in biological systems. However, most near-infrared probes tend to have small Stokes shifts and low signal-to-noise ratios due to crosstalk between excitation and emission spectra. Using d-galactose residues as specific recognition units and near-infrared dye TJ730 as fluorophores, a near-infrared fluorescence probe SN-CR with asymmetric structure was developed for the detection of ß-Gal. The probe has a fast reaction equilibrium time (<12 min) with ß-Gal, excellent biocompatibility, near-infrared emission (738 nm), low detection limit (0.0029 U/mL), and no crosstalk between the excitation spectrum and emission spectrum (Stokes shifts 142 nm) of the probe. Cell imaging studies have shown that SN-CR can visually trace ß-Gal in different cells and distinguish ovarian cancer cells from other cells.

Associations between sexually submissive and dominant behaviors and sexual function in men and women.

The current study investigated the associations between sexually submissive and dominant behaviors and sexual dysfunction in Finnish men and women. We analyzed three population-based data sets from 2006, 2009, and 2021-2022, including 29,821 participants in total. Participants filled out a questionnaire about their sexually submissive and dominant behaviors, Sexual Distress Scale, Checklist for Early Ejaculation Symptoms and International Index of Erectile Function Questionnaire-5 (men), and Female Sexual Function Index (women). Pearson Correlations showed that for both sexes, sexually submissive (men: r = 0.119, p < 0.001; women: r = 0.175, p < 0.001) and dominant (men: r = 0.150, p < 0.001; women: r = 0.147, p < 0.001) behaviors were both associated with more sexual distress. However, for men, sexually submissive (r = -0.126, p < 0.001) and dominant behaviors (r = -0.156, p < 0.001) were associated with less early ejaculation symptoms. Both sexually submissive (r = 0.040, p = 0.026) and dominant behaviors (r = 0.062, p < 0.001) were also associated with better erectile function while sexually dominant behavior alone was associated with better orgasmic function (r = 0.049, p = 0.007), intercourse satisfaction (r = 0.068, p < 0.001), and overall satisfaction (r = 0.042, p = 0.018). For women, both sexually submissive (r = 0.184, p < 0.001) and dominant behaviors (r = 0.173, p < 0.001) were also associated with better overall female sexual function. One possible explanation is that these individuals have a clear idea of what they prefer sexually facilitating arousal. Particularly, sexually submissive behavior may reduce high-level self-awareness and, in this way, contribute to reduced performance anxiety. However, non-normative interests seem to simultaneously result in increased sexual distress probably due to the absence of self-acceptance. Further research about the causal mechanisms between non-normative sexual interest and sexual function is needed.

Bidirectional relationship between sexual arousal and (sex-related) disgust.

Sexual stimuli provoke both sexual arousal and disgust, and the coaction between these emotions determines sexually behavioral outcomes. The current research includes two experiments to explore the bidirectional relationship between sexual arousal toward erotic stimuli and disgust induced by sexual body fluids. Study 1 presented 234 participants (117 women) with sexual body (vs. neutral) fluids followed by erotic stimuli, and Study 2 presented 235 participants (117 women) with erotic (vs. neutral) videos followed by sexual body fluids (and a non-sex-related stimulus). Study 1 showed that exposure to sexual body fluids reduced sexual arousal and the likelihood of sexual engagement toward erotic stimuli in participants with high sexual disgust sensitivity but increased sexual arousal and the likelihood of sexual engagement in participants with low sexual disgust sensitivity, while Study 2 suggested that men exposed to erotic (vs. neutral) stimuli reported lower disgust, stronger sexual arousal state, and higher willingness to interact with the sexual body fluids. There was no relationship between subjective feelings of sexual arousal and disgust in these experiments, while the balance of sexual arousal and disgust toward sexual body fluids and erotic stimuli had a positive association. Also, exposure to erotic stimuli had no effect on reactions to generally disgusting stimulus, but feelings of sexual arousal toward erotic stimuli were positively associated with disgust induced by generally disgusting fluid. These findings suggest that Behavior Immune System regulates disgust to establish a balance between benefit and cost related to sex as well as provide insight into the process underlying sexual dysfunctions.

Premature ejaculation among Chinese urban men: prevalence and correlates.

Background: Premature ejaculation (PE) is a common male sexual dysfunction worldwide. It leads to substantial distress in men and their partners, constitutes a serious threat to the quality and stability of romantic relationships, and results in a decreased quality of life in a large part of the population. Aim: We investigated the prevalence of PE and correlated factors in an urban sample of Chinese men. Methods: In total, 1976 Chinese men aged 18 to 50 years responded to an online questionnaire regarding background information, present and previous sexual experience, frequency of different types of sex, as well as erectile and ejaculatory function. Outcomes: Participants' age, assigned sex at birth, sexual identity, relationship status, present and previous sexual experience, frequency of sexual activities, International Index of Erectile Function-5, and Checklist for Early Ejaculation Symptoms were used in the analyses. Results: Forty-four (2.3%) participants had scores that were indicative or strongly indicative of PE, which was highly correlated with erectile problems. Men with more sexual experience (ie, more sexual partners and longer duration of being sexually active) had fewer ejaculatory problems. More frequent masturbation was associated with ejaculatory problems when controlling for age and education. More frequent partnered sex (ie, penile-vaginal sex) was associated with fewer ejaculatory problems. Ejaculation latency times for different types of sexual activities were positively correlated. Clinical Translation: The results indicated that ejaculatory problems have complex relationships with sexual experience that clinicians should be aware of. Strengths and Limitations: This study was the first to investigate PE with the Checklist for Early Ejaculation Symptoms as the measurement tool and the associations between PE and sexual experience, frequency of sexual activities, and sexual function in a large Chinese sample. However, self-reported ejaculation latency times may suffer from problems with validity. Conclusion: Men's sexual experience (ie, more sexual partners and longer duration of being sexually active) has an effect on their sexual function, which in turn affects their sexual activity.

Coupling photocatalytic water oxidation with reductive transformations of organic molecules.

The utilization of readily available and non-toxic water by photocatalytic water splitting is highly attractive in green chemistry. Herein we report that light-induced oxidative half-reaction of water splitting is effectively coupled with reduction of organic compounds, which provides a light-induced avenue to use water as an electron donor to enable reductive transformations of organic substances. The present strategy allows various aryl bromides to undergo smoothly the reductive coupling with Pd/g-C3N4* as the photocatalyst, giving a pollutive reductant-free method for synthesizing biaryl skeletons. Moreover, the use of green visible-light energy endows this process with more advantages including mild conditions and good functional group tolerance. Although this method has some disadvantages such as a use of environmentally unfriendly 1,2-dioxane, an addition of Na2CO3 and so on, it can guide chemists to use water as a reducing agent to develop clean procedures for various organic reactions.