Source and variability of formaldehyde in the Fenwei Plain: An integrated multi-source satellite and emission inventory study.

Formaldehyde (HCHO) is a high-yield product of the oxidation of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) released by anthropogenic activities, fires, and vegetations. Hence, we examined the spatiotemporal variation trends in HCHO columns observed using the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) during 2005-2021 across the Fenwei Plain (FWP) and analysed the source and variability of HCHO using multi-source data, such as thermal anomalies. The spatial distribution of the annual mean HCHO in the FWP increased from northwest to southeast during 2005-2021, and the high-value aggregation areas contracted and gradually clustered, forming a belt-shaped distribution area from Xi'an to Baoji, north of the Qinling Mountains. The annual mean HCHO concentration generally showed a two-step increase over the 17 years. Fires showed a single-peak trend in March and a double-peak M-shaped trend in March and October, whereas urban thermal anomalies (UTAs) showed an inverted U-shaped trend over 17 years, with peaks occurring in May. The HCHO peaks are mainly caused by the alternating contributions of fires and UTAs. The fires and UTAs (predominantly industrial heat sources) played a role in controlling the background level of HCHO in the FWP. Precipitation and temperature were also important influencing variables for seasonal variations, and the influence of plant sources on HCHO concentrations had significant regional characteristics and contributions. In addition, the FWP has poor dispersion conditions and is an aggregated area for the long-range transport of air pollutants.

Cascade-responsive size/charge bidirectional-tunable nanodelivery penetrates pancreatic tumor barriers.

The pancreatic tumor microenvironment presents multiple obstacles for polymer-based drug delivery systems, limiting tumor penetration and treatment efficacy. Here, we engineer a hyaluronidase/reactive oxygen species cascade-responsive size/charge bidirectional-tunable nanodelivery (btND, G/R@TKP/HA) for co-delivery of gemcitabine and KRAS siRNA, capable of navigating through tumor barriers and augmenting anticancer efficiency. When penetrating the tumor stroma barrier, the hyaluronic acid shell of the nanodelivery undergoes degradation by hyaluronidase in an extracellular matrix, triggering size tuning from large to small and charge tuning from negative to positive, thereby facilitating deeper penetration and cellular internalization. After endocytosis, the nanodelivery protonizes in the endo/lysosome, prompting rapid endo/lysosomal escape, effectively overcoming the lysosome barrier. Intracellular ROS further disrupt the nanodelivery, inducing its size tuning again from small to large and a positive charge decrease for high tumor retention and controlled drug release. The btND shows remarkable antitumor activity in pancreatic cancer mouse models, highlighting the efficacy of this approach in penetrating tumor barriers and enhancing anticancer outcomes.

Effects of rhamnolipid replacement of chlortetracycline on growth performance, slaughtering traits, meat quality and antioxidant function in broilers.

BACKGROUND: Rhamnolipids (RLS) are surfactants that improve the growth performance of poultry by improving the absorption of nutrients. This study aims to investigate the effects of RLS replacement of chlortetracycline (CTC) on growth performance, slaughtering traits, meat quality, antioxidant function and nuclear-factor-E2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) signaling pathway in broilers. A total of 600 one-day-old Arbor Acres chicks were randomly assigned to five groups with eight replicates in each group, raised for 42 days. Broilers were respectively fed a basal diet with no CTC or RLS, 75 mg kg-1 CTC, and 250, 500, 1000 mg kg-1 RLS. RESULTS: Dietary supplementation with RLS linearly increased the average daily gain, average daily feed intake, carcass yield, eviscerated yield, ether extract, enhanced total superoxide and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) activities, overexpressed the relative expressions of Nrf2, heme oxygenase 1, Copper/zinc superoxide dismutase, Manganese superoxide dismutase, GPx and catalase and decreased the lightness value at 24 h, drip loss and malondialdehyde contents of broilers (P < 0.05). Compared with the control group, broilers fed 1000 mg kg-1 RLS reduced the drip loss and broilers fed 500 mg kg-1 RLS increased muscle crude fat content (P < 0.05). Compared with the CTC group, dietary supplementation with 1000 mg kg-1 RLS increased eviscerated yield (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: RLS could improve growth performance, crude fat content, meat quality and antioxidant capacity and activate relative expression of genes in the Nrf2 signaling pathway in broilers. It could be used as an antibiotic substitute in diets and the recommended supplemental dose of RLS in feed of broilers is 1000 mg kg-1. © 2024 Society of Chemical Industry.

Angelica sinensis polysaccharides ameliorate 5-FU-induced stress anemia via promoting extramedullary erythroblastic island central macrophage-mediated erythroid differentiation.

BACKGROUND: Chronic anemia, especially chemotherapy-induced anemia, is a common and intractable symptom. Puzzlingly, the conventional anemic treatment may lead to various side effects, and the mechanism of stress anemia remains unclear. METHODS: Here, peripheral blood, histopathological and transmission electron microscopical examination, colony forming test, flow cytometry, and qRT-PCR assay were used to investigate the effects of Angelia sinensis polysaccharide (ASP), one main active ingredient of Chinese herb medicine Angelica sinensis, on ameliorating 5-fluorouracil (5-FU)-induced stress anemia. RESULTS: We found that intraperitoneal injection to a C57BL/6J mouse ASP 100 mg/kg per day for consecutive 10 days or 14 days, remarkably accelerated the recovery of RBC, hemoglobin, and hematocrit in blood. ASP alleviated 5-FU-caused impairment of bone marrow cell and BFU-E enumeration. Meanwhile, ASP antagonized 5-FU promoting extramedullary erythropoiesis in the spleen, inducing splenomegaly due to stress erythroblastic islands, and occurrence of megakaryocytes and hematopoietic precursors in splenic colonies. ASP increased splenic stress BFU-E enumeration, driving BFU-E differentiation towards Pro-E and end-stage erythroblasts. Furthermore, ASP increased the number of F4/80+VCAM-1+ splenic erythroblastic island central macrophages, upregulating genetic expression of EPOR, Emp, VCAM-1, Hmox-1, Trf, TfR1, Fpn1, Spi-C, DNase2a, Tim4, MertK, and Klf1 in splenocytes. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings indicate that the possible mechanism of chemotherapy-induced anemia is related to stress erythroid maturation arrest. Whereas, ASP may promote stress erythroid differentiation via elevated EPO sensitivity in extramedullary hematopoietic organs and enhanced macrophage-mediated adhesion, iron homeostasis and transfer, and nuclear engulfment, which may represent a promising therapeutic strategy.

Development and validation of Social Support Needs Questionnaire (SSNQ) for the left-behind older adults in rural China.

Objectives: This study compiled a Social Support Needs Questionnaire (SSNQ) for the left-behind older adults in rural China and assessed its psychometric properties. Methods: The formation of the SSNQ included three stages. First, item pool was established based on literature analysis. Second, through expert consultation, the 1-version questionnaire items were determined. Third, pre-survey with 901 cases of rural left-behind older adults was used to develop and test final-version of the Social Support Needs Questionnaire (SSNQ). Results: The Cronbach's α of the SSNQ was 0.914, ranging from 0.815 to 0.886 for each factor. The item-content validity index ranged from 0.875 to 1.00, and the scale-content validity index was 0.969. Conclusions: The SSNQ prepared by this study can be used as an evaluation tool for the social support needs of left-behind older adults in rural China, providing a basis for further establishment of the social support system.

Comprehensive pan-cancer analysis reveals CDC6 as a potential immunomodulatory agent and promising therapeutic target in pancreatic cancer.

Background: CDC6 is critical in DNA replication initiation, but its expression patterns and clinical implications in cancer are underexplored. This study uses multi-omics data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) to comprehensively analyze CDC6 across various cancers, aiming to evaluate its potential as a prognostic biomarker and explore its role in immunotherapy. Methods: By leveraging multi-omics data from TCGA, we conducted a comprehensive analysis of CDC6 expression across a variety of cancer types. Least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression was employed to assess the association of CDC6 with key molecules implicated in pancreatic cancer. Results: CDC6 expression was found to be significantly upregulated across a broad spectrum of cancers. High levels of CDC6 expression were associated with poor prognosis in several cancer types. Notable associations were observed between CDC6 expression and tumor mutational burden (TMB), microsatellite instability (MSI), as well as immune cell infiltration. Co-expression analysis revealed significant associations between CDC6 and prevalent immune checkpoint genes. A risk model incorporating CDC6-related genes, including CCNA1, CCNA2, CCND1, CCND2, CDC25B, CDC6, and CDK2, was developed for pancreatic cancer. Conclusions: CDC6 emerges as a promising prognostic biomarker and a potential target for immunotherapy across various cancers, including pancreatic cancer. It appears to modulate immune responses across cancer types, highlighting its regulatory role. Further exploration into the biological functions and clinical implications of CDC6 is warranted.

Boosting hydrogen evolution performance of nanofiber membrane-based composite photocatalysts with multifunctional carbon dots.

Recent progress in the co-spinning of nanofibers and semiconductor particles offers a promising strategy for the development of photocatalytic devices, solving aggregation and catalyst recovery challenges. However, composite photocatalysts based on nanofiber membranes often suffer from poor conductivity, low hydrophilicity, and easy recombination of photogenerated electron-hole pairs in the semiconductor components. Here, to tackle the aforementioned issues of ZnIn2S4/polyacrylonitrile (ZIS/PAN) nanofiber-based catalysts, we prepared a composite carbon dots/ZnIn2S4/polyacrylonitrile (CZP) nanofiber membrane by blending carbon dots (CDs) with ZIS/PAN using the electrospinning process. The hydrogen evolution performance of the CZP photocatalyst was significantly improved by CDs, which enhanced the hydrophilicity, increased the light absorption, facilitated the transfer of photogenerated electrons, and reduced the recombination of photogenerated electron-hole pairs. Notably, the optimal CZP photocatalyst achieved a hydrogen evolution rate of 2250 µmol g-1h-1, which is about 23 % higher than that of the nanofiber membrane without CDs and 4.55 times higher than that of ZIS particles. The present work successfully improved the CZP nanofiber membrane of photocatalytic hydrogen evolution performance, and the membrane may benefit further device development by eliminating the need for stirring and simplifying the recovery process.

The association between the number of food kinds and risk of depression in U.S. adults.

BACKGROUND: The association between the number of food kinds and the risk of depression in adults was examined. METHODS: According to the inclusion and exclusion criteria, a total of 4593 adults were included in the study. The number of food kinds was collected via 24‒hour dietary recalls. Depression was assessed using the Patient Health Questionnaire‒9. Logistic regression and restricted cubic spline models were applied to assess the association between the number of food kinds and the risk of depression. RESULTS: This study included 4593 study participants, 451 of whom were diagnosed with depression. The revised advantage ratios (with corresponding confidence intervals) for the prevalence of depression among individuals in the fourth quartiles of the number of food kinds (Q4) in comparison to the lowest quartile (Q1) were determined to be 0.59 (0.36‒0.96), respectively. According to our subgroup analyses, the number of food kinds was negatively associated with the risk of depression in females, participants aged 18‒45 and 45‒65 years, and participants with a body mass index (BMI) of 25 to 24.9 kg/m2. According to our dose‒response analysis, the number of food kinds was linearly associated with the risk of depression (Pfor nonlinear=0.5896). CONCLUSION: The risk of depression exhibited a linear and negative correlation with the number of food kinds. The results indicated that a diversified diet was an effective nonpharmacological approach that deserved further generalization.

RNA-Seq Analysis of Glycolysis Regulation of Avian Leukosis Virus Subgroup J Replication.

Avian Leukosis virus (ALV) is a widely spread virus that causes major economic losses to the global poultry industry. This study aims to investigate the effect of glycolysis on the replication of the ALV-J virus and identify the key circular RNAs that regulate the replication of the ALV-J virus. We found that glucose uptake, pyruvate content, and lactate content in DF1 cells were increased after ALV-J infection. Moreover, inhibiting the glycolysis of ALV-J-infected DF1 cells reduced the replication of the ALV-J virus. To further study the mechanism of glycolysis in the replication of the ALV-J virus, we performed RNA-seq on ALV-J-infected and ALV-J-infected cells treated with glycolysis inhibition. RNA-seq results show that a total of 10,375 circular RNAs (circRNAs) were identified, of which the main types were exonic circular RNAs, and 28 circRNAs were differentially expressed between ALV-J-infected and ALV-J-infected cells treated with glycolysis inhibition. Then, we performed functional enrichment analysis of differentially expressed circRNA source and target genes. Functional enrichment analysis indicated that some circRNAs might be involved in regulating the replication of the ALV-J virus by influencing some pathways like glycolysis/gluconeogenesis, the NOD-like receptor signaling pathway, MAPK signaling pathway, p53 signaling pathway, Toll-like receptor signaling pathway, Insulin signaling pathway, and Apoptosis. This study revealed the effect of glycolysis on the replication of the ALV-J virus in DF1 cells and its possible regulatory mechanism, which provided a basis for understanding the factors influencing the replication of the ALV-J virus and reducing the rate of infection of the ALV-J virus in poultry.

Nanoarchitectonics of Fe-Doped Ni3S2 Arrays on Ni Foam from MOF Precursors for Promoted Oxygen Evolution Reaction Activity.

Oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is a critical half-reaction in electrochemical overall water splitting and metal-air battery fields; however, the exploitation of the high activity of non-noble metal electrocatalysts to promote the intrinsic slow kinetics of OER is a vital and urgent research topic. Herein, Fe-doped Ni3S2 arrays were derived from MOF precursors and directly grown on nickel foam via the traditional solvothermal way. The arrays integrated into nickel foam can be used as self-supported electrodes directly without any adhesive. Due to the synergistic effect of Fe and Ni elements in the Ni3S2 structure, the optimized Fe2.3%-Ni3S2/NF electrode delivers excellent OER activity in an alkaline medium. The optimized electrode only requires a small overpotential of 233 mV to reach the current density of 10 mA cm-2, and the catalytic activity of the electrode can surpass several related electrodes reported in the literature. In addition, the long-term stability of the Fe2.3%-Ni3S2/NF electrode showed no significant attenuation after 12 h of testing at a current density of 50 mA cm-2. The introduction of Fe ions could modulate the electrical conductivity and morphology of the Ni3S2 structure and thus provide a high electrochemically active area, fast reaction sites, and charge transfer rate for OER activity.

[Construction of Saccharomyces cerevisiae cell factories for fermentation production of retinol].

Retinol is one of the main active forms of vitamin A, crucial for the organism's growth, development, and maintenance of eye and skin functions. It is widely used in cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, and feed additives. Although animals lack a complete pathway for synthesizing vitamin A internally, they can obtain vitamin A directly through diet or convert ß-carotene acquired from the diet. To boost the research on the biosynthesis of retinol, three different sources of alcohol dehydrogenase were firstly screened based on the ß-carotene synthesis platform CAR*1. It was determined that ybbO from Escherichia coli exhibited the highest catalytic activity,with a conversion rate of 95. 6%. To further enhance the reaction rate and yield of retinol, protein fusion technology was employed to merge two adjacent enzymes, blh and ybbO, within the retinol synthesis module. The evaluation was conducted using the high-yield engineered strain CAR*3 of ß-carotene. The optimal combination, blh-GGGS-ybbO, was obtained, with a 44. 9% increase in yield after fusion, reaching(111. 1± 3. 5) mg·L~(-1). Furthermore, through the introduction of human-derived retinol-binding protein(RBP4) and transthyretin(TTR), the process of hepatic cell secreting retinol was simulated in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, leading to an increased retinol yield of(158. 0±13. 1)mg·L~(-1). Finally, optimization strategies including overexpressing INO2 to enhance the reaction area for ß-carotene synthesis, enhancing hemoglobin VHb expression to improve oxygen supply, and strengthening PDR3m expression to facilitate retinol transport were implemented. A two-stage fermentation process resulted in the successful elevation of retinol production to(2 320. 0±26. 0)mg·L~(-1) in the fermentation tank of 5 L, which provided a significant foundation for the industrial development of retinol.

Giant Hall Switching by Surface-State-Mediated Spin-Orbit Torque in a Hard Ferromagnetic Topological Insulator.

Topological insulators (TI) and magnetic topological insulators (MTI) can apply highly efficient spin-orbit torque (SOT) and manipulate the magnetization with their unique topological surface states (TSS) with ultrahigh efficiency. Here, efficient SOT switching of a hard MTI, V-doped (Bi,Sb)2Te3 (VBST), with a large coercive field that can prevent the influence of an external magnetic field, is demonstrated. A giant switched anomalous Hall resistance of 9.2 kΩ is realized, among the largest of all SOT systems, which makes the Hall channel a good readout and eliminates the need to fabricate complicated magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) structures. The SOT switching current density can be reduced to 2.8 × 105 A cm-2, indicating its high efficiency. Moreover, as the Fermi level is moved away from the Dirac point by both gate and composition tuning, VBST exhibits a transition from edge-state-mediated to surface-state-mediated transport, thus enhancing the SOT effective field to (1.56 ± 0.12) × 10-6 T A-1 cm2 and the interfacial charge-to-spin conversion efficiency to 3.9 ± 0.3 nm-1. The findings establish VBST as an extraordinary candidate for energy-efficient magnetic memory devices.

Co-doped MOF-5 and carbon nanotube nanoparticles enhancing stability and high output performance in core-shell nanofibers for piezoelectric nanogenerators.

The interfacial interaction of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) significantly enhances the output capability of piezoelectric nanogenerators (PENGs). However, overcoming the limitation of low specific surface area in one-dimensional materials remains a significant challenge. This paper introduces a hydrothermal method for composite MOF (C-M) using CNTs and MOF-5, demonstrating localized co-doping between them. Coaxial electrospun piezoelectric fiber membranes (C-MNF) were then prepared using PVDF/PAN as the matrix. Benefiting from C-M's excellent crystallinity and its synergistic interaction with the polymer matrix, the C-MNF-based PENG showed a 125 % increase in output voltage, reaching âˆ¼25 V, compared to coaxial membranes simply mixing MOF-5 and CNTs. As a result, its short-circuit current was âˆ¼1.8 µA, with a piezoelectric coefficient d33 of âˆ¼400 pC N-1. Consequently, this material exhibits superior piezoelectric output capabilities, paving the way for future functional material fabrication.

Association between sleep regularity and arterial stiffness among middle-age adults in Southwestern China.

BACKGROUND: Sleep regularity has been linked to a risk of arterial stiffness (AS). However, the association between sleep regularity indicators, which reflect 24-hour sleep variability, and AS has not yet been examined. METHODS: We analyzed data from 516 adults, aged 40-65 years (the median age of 51 years), from the 'Follow-up Study of Sleep Characteristics and Chronic Diseases in the Middle-aged and Elderly Population in Guizhou Province'. Participants underwent assessments of AS (OMRON HBP-8000, baPWV ≥ 1400 cm/s) and sleep (wrist smart band (Honor band 5i) for ≥ 7 days). Logistic regression was utilized to evaluate the odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) of the association between sleep regularity and AS. RESULTS: A total of 516 people were included in this study, of which 279 (54.07%) were in the AS group. The univariate results showed that the AS group (Median 71.18) had lower SRI compared to the No-AS group (Median 75.00) (p < 0.001). The multifactorial results showed participants with higher SRI scores were more likely to have a lower risk of AS compared to those with lower SRI scores (ORQ4 VS. Q1=0.46, 95%CI: 0.25-0.85, p = 0.013). The SRI effect was more pronounced in male (ORQ4 VS. Q1=0.28, 95%CI: 0.12-0.69, p = 0.005), snoring populations (ORQ4 VS. Q1=0.13, 95%CI: 0.04-0.48, p = 0.002), and non-retired populations (ORQ4 VS. Q1=0.45, 95%CI: 0.22-0.92, p = 0.028). CONCLUSIONS: The present findings indicated that the effect between SRI and AS may be more sensitive than the standard deviation of sleep duration as well as the standard deviation of sleep onset.

Effects of FGF21 overexpression in osteoporosis and bone mineral density: a two-sample, mediating Mendelian analysis.

Objective: Fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21) is a secreted protein that regulates body metabolism. In recent years, many observational studies have found that FGF21 is closely related to bone mineral density and osteoporosis, but the causal relationship between them is still unclear. Therefore, this study used two-sample, mediated Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis to explore the causal relationship between FGF21 and osteoporosis and bone mineral density. Methods: We conducted a two-sample, mediator MR Analysis using genetic data from publicly available genome-wide association studies (GWAS) that included genetic variants in the inflammatory cytokine FGF21, and Total body bone mineral density, Heel bone mineral density, Forearm bone mineral density, Femoral neck bone mineral density, osteoporosis. The main analysis method used was inverse variance weighting (IVW) to investigate the causal relationship between exposure and outcome. In addition, weighted median, simple median method, weighted median method and MR-Egger regression were used to supplement the explanation, and sensitivity analysis was performed to evaluate the reliability of the results. Results: MR Results showed that FGF21 overexpression reduced bone mineral density: Total body bone mineral density (OR=0.920, 95%CI: 0.876-0.966), P=0.001), Heel bone mineral density (OR=0.971, 95%CI (0.949-0.993); P=0.01), Forearm bone mineral density (OR=0.882, 95%CI(0.799-0.973); P=0.012), Femoral neck bone mineral density (OR=0.952, 95%CI(0.908-0.998), P=0.039); In addition, it also increased the risk of osteoporosis (OR=1.003, 95%CI (1.001-1.005), P=0.004). Sensitivity analysis supported the reliability of these results. The effect of FGF21 overexpression on osteoporosis may be mediated by type 2 diabetes mellitus and basal metabolic rate, with mediating effects of 14.96% and 12.21%, respectively. Conclusions: Our study suggests that the overexpression of FGF21 may lead to a decrease in bone mineral density and increase the risk of osteoporosis, and the effect of FGF21 on osteoporosis may be mediated through type 2 diabetes and basal metabolic rate. This study can provide a reference for analyzing the potential mechanism of osteoporosis and is of great significance for the prevention and treatment of osteoporosis.

Construction of circRNA-mediated ceRNA network and immunoassay for investigating pathogenesis of COPD.

Background: The chronic respiratory condition known as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) was one of the main causes of death and disability worldwide. This study aimed to explore and elucidate new targets and molecular mechanisms of COPD by constructing competitive endogenous RNA (ceRNA) networks. Methods: GSE38974 and GSE106986 were used to select DEGs in COPD samples and normal samples. Cytoscape software was used to construct and present protein-protein interaction (PPI) network, mRNA-miRNA co-expression network and ceRNA network. The CIBERSORT algorithm and the Lasso model were used to screen the immune infiltrating cells and hub genes associated with COPD, and the correlation between them was analyzed. COPD cell models were constructed in vitro and the expression level of ceRNA network factors mediated by hub gene was detected by reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). Results: In this study, 852 differentially expressed genes were screened in the GSE38974 dataset, including 439 upregulated genes and 413 downregulated genes. Gene clustering analysis of PPI network results was performed using the Minimum Common Tumor Data Element (MCODE) in Cytoscape, and seven hub genes were screened using five algorithms in cytoHubba. CCL20 was verified as an important hub gene based on mRNA-miRNA co-expression network, GSE106986 database validation and the analysis of ROC curve results. Finally, we successfully constructed the circDTL-hsa-miR-330-3p-CCL20 network by Cytoscape. Immune infiltration analysis suggested that CCL20 can co-regulate immune cell migration and infiltration through chemokines CCL7 and CXCL3. In vitro experiments, the expression of circDTL and CCL20 was increased, while the expression of hsa-miR-330-3p was decreased in the COPD cell model. Conclusion: By constructing the circDTL-hsa-miR-330-3p-CCL20 network, this study contributes to a better understanding of the molecular mechanism of COPD development, which also provides important clues for the development of new therapeutic strategies and drug targets.

The Association Between Social Support And Trying Smoking Among Rural Adolescents In Rural Western China: The Intermediary Role Of Mental Health Problems And Life Satisfaction.

INTRODUCTION: Most adult smokers develop their addiction by trying smoking during adolescence. Elucidation of the psychosocial mechanisms underlying smoking initiation may be crucial for the prevention of adolescent tobacco use. The study aimed to identify key psychosocial factors in order to provide a scientific basis for preventing and reducing the occurrence of initial smoking behaviour among adolescents. METHODS: A total of 2671 students from rural middle schools in western China were surveyed three times as part of a two-year longitudinal study. The adolescent health questionnaire included the Global Youth Tobacco Survey, the Mental Health Inventory of Middle-School Students, the Social Support Rating Scale and the Adolescent Life Satisfaction Scale. Structural equation modelling was used to analyse the direct or indirect relationships between smoking initiation and psychosocial factors. RESULTS: The prevalence of trying smoking among adolescents was 28.3%, with boys (38.3%) having a higher rate than girls (19.7%) (P<0.05). Mental health problems were positively associated with trying smoking (ß=0.112, P<0.05). Greater life satisfaction had a negative direct effect on trying smoking (ß=-0.125, P<0.05) and also played a mediating role in the relationship between mental health problems and trying smoking (ß=0.016, 95%CI: 0.008 to 0.025), accounting for 20.7% of the total effect. Social support had a full mediating effect on smoking initiation through both mental health problems and life satisfaction (ß=-0.022, 95%CI: -0.028 to -0.016). CONCLUSIONS: The behaviour of young people who try smoking is associated with complex psychosocial factors. Interventions aimed at preventing adolescent tobacco use should prioritize the provision of social support and the promotion of life satisfaction. IMPLICATIONS: The study elucidated the direct and indirect relationships between psychosocial factors and trying smoking behaviour. In order to prevent adolescents from trying smoking, it is essential to intervene through external social support and internal development of mental health and well-being to improve adolescents' social support, increase their life satisfaction and maintain their mental health.

Altered static brain activity and functional connectivity after heat stroke.

This study aimed to investigate the alteration of brain function based on resting-state functional MRI in patients after heat stroke. This study included 10 cases of patients after heat stroke and 10 cases of healthy controls. Abnormal brain function was calculated using amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations (ALFF) and degree centrality analysis, as well as functional connectivity analysis based on regions of interest (ROI). Correlation analyses were performed to evaluate the association between brain function changes and clinical scales. Combining ALFF and degree centrality results, the decreased brain regions included the left cuneus and the right angular gyrus, while the increased brain regions included the right cerebellar_Crus1. Using the left cuneus with significant differences in ALFF and degree centrality as ROI, the functional connectivity results revealed decreased brain regions including bilateral lingual gyrus, bilateral postcentral cingulate gyrus, and left precentral gyrus. The degree centrality value of the right cerebellar_Crus1 was positively correlated with glasgow coma scale (GCS) scores (r = 0.726, P = 0.027), and the functional connectivity value of the right posterior cingulate gyrus was positively correlated with GCS scores (r = 0.717, P = 0.030). Heat stroke patients exhibit abnormal activity in multiple brain regions, which has important clinical significance for evaluating the severity of the disease.

Hypoxia inducible factor (HIF) 3α prevents COPD by inhibiting alveolar epithelial cell ferroptosis via the HIF-3α-GPx4 axis.

Rationale: COPD patients are largely asymptomatic until the late stages when prognosis is generally poor. In this study, we shifted the focus to pre-COPD and smoking stages, and found enrichment of hypoxia inducible factor (HIF)-3α is in pre-COPD samples. Smoking induced regional tissue hypoxia and emphysema have been found in COPD patients. However, the mechanisms underlying hypoxia especially HIF-3α and COPD have not been investigated. Methods: We performed bulk-RNA sequencing on 36 peripheral lung tissue specimens from non-smokers, smokers, pre-COPD and COPD patients, and using "Mfuzz" algorithm to analysis the dataset dynamically. GSE171541 and EpCAM co-localization analyses were used to explore HIF-3α localization. Further, SftpcCreert2/+R26LSL-Hif3a knock-in mice and small molecular inhibitors in vitro were used to explore the involvement of HIF-3α in the pathophysiology of COPD. Results: Reactive oxygen species (ROS) and hypoxia were enriched in pre-COPD samples, and HIF-3α was downregulated in alveolar epithelial cells in COPD. In vitro experiments using lentivirus transfection, bulk-RNA seq, and RSL3 showed that the activation of the HIF-3α-GPx4 axis inhibited alveolar epithelial cell ferroptosis when treated with cigarettes smoking extracts (CSE). Further results from SftpcCreert2/+R26LSL-Hif3a knock-in mice demonstrated overexpression of HIF-3α inhibited alveolar epithelial cells ferroptosis and prevented the decline of lung function. Conclusion: Hypoxia and oxidation-related damage begins years before the onset of COPD symptoms, suggesting the imbalance and impairment of intracellular homeostatic system. The activation of the HIF-3α-GPx4 axis is a promising treatment target. By leveraging this comprehensive analysis method, more potential targets could be found and enhancing our understanding of the pathogenesis.