Theoretical model of dynamics and stability of nanobubbles on heterogeneous surfaces.

Surface nanobubbles have revealed a new mechanism of gas-liquid-solid interaction at the nanoscale; however, the nanobubble evolution on real substrates is still veiled, because the experimental observation of contact line motions at the nanoscale is too difficult. HYPOTHESIS: This study proposes a theoretical model to describe the dynamics and stability of nanobubbles on heterogeneous substrates. It simultaneously considers the diffusive equilibrium of the liquid-gas interface and the mechanical equilibrium at the contact line, and introduces a surface energy function to express the substrate's heterogeneity. VALIDATION: The present model unifies the nanoscale stability and the microscale instability of surface bubbles. The theoretical predictions are highly consistent to the nanobubble morphology on heterogeneous surfaces observed in experiments. As the nanobubbles grow, a lower Laplace pressure leads to weaker gas adsorption, and the mechanical equilibrium can eventually revert to the classical Young-Laplace equation above microscale. FINDINGS: The analysis results indicate that both the decrease in substrate surface energy and the increase in gas oversaturation are more conducive to the nucleation and growth of surface nanobubbles, leading to larger stable sizes. The larger surface energy barriers result in the stronger pinning, which is beneficial for achieving stability of the pinned bubbles. The present model is able to reproduce the continual behaviors of the three-phase contact line during the nanobubble evolution, e.g., "pinning, depinning, slipping and jumping" induced by the nanoscale defects.

Emergency treatment of tongue bite after rat poison poisoning in a patient with recurrent depressive disorder: a case report.

BACKGROUND: Recurrent depressive disorder (RDD) is mainly manifested as a low mood, negative and pessimistic mood, and often presents suicidal tendencies when severe. This study reports on a patient with RDD who experienced rat poison poisoning occurring tongue biting. The patient's psychiatric symptoms improved after receiving emergency management and subsequent combined medical care. CASE PRESENTATION: The patient was a 51-year-old female with RDD complicated with rat poison poisoning. Tongue bite occurred on the third day of hospitalization. She received emergency treatment. Depression, anxiety and suicide risk assessment, safety management and caregiver-health education were conducted on the day of admission and before discharge. At the follow-up after discharge, the risk of suicide was reduced. CONCLUSIONS: Suicide in patients with RDD is characterized by repetition and complexity. The occurrence of clinical cases involving tongue bite after gastric lavage is rare. Suicide assessment and emergency management play an auxiliary role in the treatment of patients with recurrent depressive disorder.

In-Situ Algal Control by Two-stage Nanobubble Technology in Taihu Lake: Efficacy and Ecological Impact.

Hydrodynamic cavitation and ozone nanobubble-coupled hydrodynamic cavitation have demonstrated effective algae control in laboratories, but their in-situ potential, especially impact on nutrient salt degradation and microbial communities remain unclear. This study applied two-stage nanobubble technology, combining hydrodynamic cavitation and ozone nanobubbles, in a 3300 m2 semi-enclosed area of Taihu Lake to address these gaps. Results show that the technology efficiently controls algae, reduces odors, improves anaerobic conditions, and lowers ammonia nitrogen. Over 20 days, chlorophyll-a concentration reduced by 77.46% and cyanobacterial phycocyanin by 89.47%. Additionally, the concentrations of 2-MIB, GSM, and DMTS fell below threshold values. Notably, the relative abundance of Cyanobacteria in sediment dropped from 8.53% in the control area to only 1.59% ∼ 3.65% in the experimental area. The technology also achieved a significant reduction in ammonia nitrogen, with removal efficiencies of 78.53% in the water column and 39.17% in sediments, though the removal of total phosphorus was limited. Furthermore, the two-stage nanobubble system enhanced the abundance of nitrogen-cycling microorganisms and genes in the water, while promoting nitrogen- and phosphorus-related microbial communities in sediments and inhibiting the cyanobacteria-associated genus Cyanobium PCC-6307. Thus, Two-stage nanobubble technology can be employed for in-situ algal control in aquatic ecosystems.

EryDB: A Transcriptomic Profile Database for Erythropoiesis and Erythroid-related Diseases.

Erythropoiesis is a finely regulated and complex process that involves multiple transformations from hematopoietic stem cells to mature red blood cells at hematopoietic sites from the embryonic to the adult stages. Investigations into its molecular mechanisms have generated a wealth of expression data, including bulk and single-cell RNA sequencing data. A comprehensively integrated and well-curated erythropoiesis-specific database will greatly facilitate the mining of gene expression data and enable large-scale research of erythropoiesis and erythroid-related diseases. Here, we present EryDB, an open-access and comprehensive database dedicated to the collection, integration, analysis, and visualization of transcriptomic data for erythropoiesis and erythroid-related diseases. Currently, the database includes expertly curated quality-assured data of 3803 samples and 1,187,119 single cells derived from 107 public studies of three species (Homo sapiens, Mus musculus, and Danio rerio), nine tissue types, and five diseases. EryDB provides users with the ability to not only browse the molecular features of erythropoiesis between tissues and species, but also perform computational analyses of single-cell and bulk RNA sequencing data, thus serving as a convenient platform for customized queries and analyses. EryDB v1.0 is freely accessible at https://ngdc.cncb.ac.cn/EryDB/home.

Hydrogen-Bond-Assisted Electrocatalytic Semi-Oxidation of 5-Hydroxymethylfurfural into 2,5-Diformylfuran by Operando Dissociated N-Oxyl Mediator.

The conversion of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) to 2,5-diformylfuran (DFF) is a promising approach for enhancing biomass utilization. Nevertheless, traditional methods using noble metal catalysts face challenges due to high costs and poor selectivity towards DFF. Herein, we developed a novel catalytic electrode integrating N-hydroxyphthalimide (NHPI) into a metal-organic framework on a hydrophilic carbon cloth. This design significantly enhances the selective adsorption of HMF due to stronger hydrogen-bond interaction between the electrode's hydrophilic surface and the C(sp3)-OH group in HMF compared to the C(sp2)=O in DFF. Additionally, the electro-driven dissociation of the NHPI-linker generates stabilized N-Oxyl radicals that promote selective semi-oxidation of HMF under neutral conditions. As a result, this approach achieves a high yield rate of 138.2 mol molcat-1 h-1 with a selectivity of 96.7% for the HMF-to-DFF conversion. This work introduces a novel strategy for designing catalytic electrodes with stabilized N-Oxyl radicals, and offers a promising method for electrocatalytic DFF synthesis, leveraging hydrogen-bond interaction between electrode surface and HMF.

Lighting up arginine metabolism reveals its functional diversity in physiology and pathology.

Arginine is one of the most metabolically versatile amino acids and plays pivotal roles in diverse biological and pathological processes; however, sensitive tracking of arginine dynamics in situ remains technically challenging. Here, we engineer high-performance fluorescent biosensors, denoted sensitive to arginine (STAR), to illuminate arginine metabolism in cells, mice, and clinical samples. Utilizing STAR, we demonstrate the effects of different amino acids in regulating intra- and extracellular arginine levels. STAR enabled live-cell monitoring of arginine fluctuations during macrophage activation, phagocytosis, efferocytosis, and senescence and revealed cellular senescence depending on arginine availability. Moreover, a simple and fast assay based on STAR revealed that serum arginine levels tended to increase with age, and the elevated serum arginine level is a potential indicator for discriminating the progression and severity of vitiligo. Collectively, our study provides important insights into the metabolic and functional roles of arginine, as well as its potential in diagnostic and therapeutic applications.

Comprehensive analysis reveals that P4HA3 is a prognostic and diagnostic gastric cancer biomarker that can predict immunotherapy efficacy.

Gastric cancer (GC) is one of the most challenging malignant tumors worldwide, primarily because of its high incidence and mortality rates. Prolyl 4-hydroxylase subunit alpha 3 (P4HA3) has been established as a pivotal factor for facilitating cell proliferation, invasion, and metastasis across multiple human tumors. Nevertheless, the precise role of P4HA3in GC has not been fully elucidated. In this study, we used data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) to examine the role of P4HA3 as a potential biomarker for predicting immunotherapy response in patients with GC. Our comprehensive analysis of data from the TCGA, TIMER, and other databases revealed a significant association between elevated P4HA3 expression in GC and adverse prognostic outcomes. Furthermore, we confirmed that P4HA3 expression was strongly correlated with immune infiltrating cells, immune infiltration markers, the tumor mutational burden (TMB), microsatellite instability (MSI), the immune score, the stromal score, and immune checkpoints, thus highlighting P4HA3 as a crucial and dependable therapeutic target within the context of immune-based antitumor strategies. Our findings suggest that P4HA3 may function as an immune-related biomarker in the pathogenesis and treatment of GC, indicating that P4HA3 is a promising prognostic and therapeutic target for this malignancy.

The prediction of urban growth boundary based on the ANN-CA model: An application to Guangzhou.

Urban growth boundary (UGB) delineation is critical not only for China's urban planning policies, such as the "three control lines" of the Ministry of Natural Resources, but also for addressing global challenges related to sustainable urban development. This study contributes to the international discourse on urban growth management by developing an innovative artificial neural network-cellular automata (ANN-CA) model, tailored for cities experiencing rapid expansion. Using Guangzhou as a case study, we constructed an impact factor model that incorporates a wide range of factors, including urban spatial terrain, natural environment, current urban land classification, and industrial and economic conditions, along with the layout of modern service networks. The ANN-CA model was then employed to simulate urban spatial expansion and UGB delineation for the year 2030 under various constraints, such as strict protection zones and sustainable development scenarios. Our findings indicate that between 2020 and 2030, Nansha, Panyu, and Zengcheng districts will witness the most significant urban expansion, with respective area increases of 13.81 km2, 8.94 km2, and 5.8 km2, marking them as key growth areas. Furthermore, we propose that future urban expansion in Guangzhou should prioritize the southern and eastern regions, aligning with the city's strategic spatial objectives of "moving east, expanding south, connecting west, and optimizing north." By emphasizing ecological protection and intensive land use, this study provides a robust framework for urban planning in Guangzhou and offers insights applicable to rapidly urbanizing regions worldwide.

Comparison of Three Different Extraction Methods on Schizonepeta tenuifolia (Benth.) Briq Essential Oil: Chemical Constituents and in Vitro and in Silico Biological Activities.

This study evaluated the effects of three extraction methods, hydrodistillation (HD), steam distillation (SD), and lipophilic solvent extraction (LSE), on the yield, chemical composition, and in vitro / in silico biological activities of Schizonepeta tenuifolia (Benth.) Briq essential oil (STEO). The highest yield of STEO was obtained by HD (0.750±0.040%), followed by SD (0.440±0.020%) and LSE (0.350±0.030%). Although their contents varied, menthone and pulegone predominated in HDEO, SDEO, and LSEO. HDEO displayed the strongest antioxidant ability, with a 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) IC50 value of 14.164±0.090 mg/mL and 2,2'-azinobis-(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonate) (ABTS) value of 0.326±0.023 mg/mL. SDEO demonstrated the highest antimicrobial activity against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli and HDEO the highest potent anti-inflammatory activity. The molecular docking of menthone and pulegone demonstrated strong binding to inflammatory targets, including prostaglandin-endoperoxide synthase 1 (PTGS1) and 2 (PTGS2) and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α). In short, the extraction method significantly affected the yield, composition, and biological activity of STEO.

Predictors of irreversible renal dysfunction in patients with idiopathic retroperitoneal fibrosis.

OBJECTIVES: Idiopathic retroperitoneal fibrosis (iRPF) can lead to irreversible kidney damage. This study aimed to investigate predictors of irreversible renal dysfunction in patients with iRPF. METHODS: Eighty-three patients with newly diagnosed iRPF were enrolled between January 2010 and Sep 2022 at Zhongshan Hospital of Fudan University, including 60 in the training set and 23 in the validation set. They were regularly contacted or followed up via outpatient examinations by specialist doctors, who documented their condition and treatment progress. Predictors of irreversible renal dysfunction were identified using univariate and multivariate regression, logistic model, and receiver operating curve analyses. RESULTS: In the training set, over a median follow-up of 29 months, 16.7% of patients had an estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) of < 60 ml/min/1.73m2 at the last follow-up, and 25% had hydronephrosis or required prolonged double-J stents. A prognostic score was developed by assigning 1, 1, and 2 points for peripheral CD19+ B cells <9.3%, serum creatinine (sCr) ≥120 µmol/l, and no response at 6 months, respectively. A score of ≥ 2 for predicting irreversible renal dysfunction had sensitivity and specificity of 100% and 92%, respectively. In the validation set, 21.7% of patients suffered from irreversible renal dysfunction. The sensitivity and specificity for predicting irreversible renal dysfunction were 100% and 94.4%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: A prognostic score based on factors including CD19+ B cells <9.3% and sCr ≥120 µmol/l at baseline, and no response at 6 months, is suitable for predicting irreversible renal dysfunction in iRPF.

The Bidirectional Effects of Periodontal Disease and Oral Dysbiosis on Gut Inflammation in Inflammatory Bowel Disease.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) flares can lead to excessive morbidity and mortality. This study aimed to determine whether oral dysbiosis/periodontal disease (PD) is common in IBD and is associated with disease activity in IBD. METHODS: This single-center, prospective, cross-sectional, proof-of-concept, observational study assessed the frequency of periodontal inflammatory disease and interrogated oral and stool microbiota using 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing of active-IBD (aIBD), inactive-IBD (iIBD), and healthy controls (HC). Questionnaires assessed diet, alcohol usage, oral hygiene behavior, and disease activity. A subset of participants underwent comprehensive dental examinations to evaluate PD. RESULTS: PD was severer in aIBD subjects than in HC, as aIBD had poorer quality diets (lower Mediterranean diet scores) than iIBD and HC. Significant differences in microbial community structure were observed in unstimulated saliva, stimulated saliva, gingiva, and stool samples, primarily between aIBD and HC. Saliva from aIBD had higher relative abundances of putative oral pathobionts from the genera Streptococcus, Granulicatella, Rothia, and Actinomyces relative to HC, despite similar oral hygiene behaviors between groups. CONCLUSION: Our study suggests that patients with aIBD have severer periodontal disorders and higher relative abundances of putative "pro-inflammatory" microbiota in their oral cavity, despite normal oral hygiene behaviors. Our data are consistent with the potential presence of an oral-gut inflammatory-axis that could trigger IBD flare-ups in at-risk patients. Routine dental health assessments in all IBD patients should be encouraged as part of the health maintenance of IBD and as a potential strategy to decrease the risk of IBD flares.

Electrokinetic Analysis-Driven Promotion of Electrocatalytic CO Reduction to n-Propanol.

The electrocatalytic carbon dioxide or carbon monoxide reduction reaction (CO2RR or CORR) features a sustainable method for reducing carbon emissions and producing value-added chemicals. However, the generation of C3 products with higher energy density and market values, such as n-propanol, remains highly challenging, which is attributed to the unclear formation mechanism of C3+ versus C2 products. In this work, by the Tafel slope analysis, electrolyte pH correlation exploration, and the kinetic analysis of CO partial pressure fitting, it is identified that both n-propanol and C2 products share the same rate-determining step, which is the coupling of two C1 intermediates via the derivation of the Butler-Volmer equation. In addition, inspired by the mechanistic study, it is proposed that a high OH─ concentration and a water-limited environment are beneficial for promoting the subsequent *C2-*C1 coupling to n-propanol. At 5.0 m [OH-], the partial current density of producing n-propanol (jn-propanol) reached 45 mA cm-2, which is 35 and 1.3 times higher than that at 0.01 m [OH-] and 1.0 m [OH-], respectively. This study provides a comprehensive kinetic analysis of n-propanol production and suggests opportunities for designing new catalytic systems for promoting the C3 production.

Passivation of metal sulfides by a marine bacterium for acid mine drainage control.

Acid mine drainage originates from metal sulfides oxidation, which results in acidic metal-rich leachate. In this study, a novel and environmentally friendly approach was demonstrated to passivate pyrite and lead-zinc tailings, respectively. The key to this approach is to develop biofilms of the marine bacterium Qipengyuania flava S1. Biofilms can induce biomineralization, thereby isolating metal sulfides from air and water. The stability and biological toxicity of the bio-passivation layers were evaluated by leaching bio-passivated pyrite or tailings in initially acidic H2O2 solutions with shaking for 180 days and then cultivating Brassica chinensis and Allium cepa with the leachates. Our results showed that after passivation, the amount of iron released by pyrite decreased by at least 99.2 ± 0.2 (in wt%). For lead-zinc tailings after passivation, the released metal ions (Fe+Al+Pb+Zn) decreased by at least 52.0 ± 3.2 (in wt%). The bio-passivation layers also maintained the pH of the leachate in the range of 7.5-8.0. Before bio-passivation, compared with mineral water, the pyrite leachate significantly inhibited the growth of the two plants, and the tailings leachate significantly inhibited the growth of A. cepa, whereas the bio-passivated pyrite or tailings leachate did not show any inhibitory effect.

Deep learning assists early-detection of hypertension-mediated heart change on ECG signals.

Arterial hypertension is a major risk factor for cardiovascular diseases. While cardiac ultrasound is a typical way to diagnose hypertension-mediated heart change, it often fails to detect early subtle structural changes. Electrocardiogram(ECG) represents electrical activity of heart muscle, affected by the changes in heart's structure. It is crucial to explore whether ECG can capture slight signals of hypertension-mediated heart change. However, reading ECG records is complex and some signals are too subtle to be captured by cardiologist's visual inspection. In this study, we designed a deep learning model to predict hypertension on ECG signals and then to identify hypertension-associated ECG segments. From The First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University, we collected 210,120 10-s 12-lead ECGs using the FX-8322 manufactured by FUKUDA and 812 ECGs using the RAGE-12 manufactured by NALONG. We proposed a deep learning framework, including MML-Net, a multi-branch, multi-scale LSTM neural network to evaluate the potential of ECG signals to detect hypertension, and ECG-XAI, an ECG-oriented wave-alignment AI explanation pipeline to identify hypertension-associated ECG segments. MML-Net achieved an 82% recall and an 87% precision in the testing, and an 80% recall and an 82% precision in the independent testing. In contrast, experienced clinical cardiologists typically attain recall rates ranging from 30 to 50% by visual inspection. The experiments demonstrate that ECG signals are sensitive to slight changes in heart structure caused by hypertension. ECG-XAI detects that R-wave and P-wave are the hypertension-associated ECG segments. The proposed framework has the potential to facilitate early diagnosis of heart change.

Quinolone antibiotics stimulate bacterial mercury methylation by Geobacter metallireducens GS-15.

Bacterial mercury (Hg) methylation is critical for bioremediating Hg pollution, but the impact of emerging antibiotics on this process has rarely been reported. This study innovatively investigated the interactions between Hg-methylating bacteria of Geobacter metallireducens GS-15 and two quinolone antibiotics: lomefloxacin (LOM) and ciprofloxacin (CIP) at 5 µg/L. Short-term LOM exposure increased methylmercury (MeHg) yield by 36 % compared to antibiotic-free conditions, caused by hormesis to alter bioactivities of single GS-15 cells. Long-term CIP exposure led to more antibiotic resistance and mercury tolerance in GS-15 cells, doubling MeHg productivity and significantly increasing expression of Hg methylation (hgcA by 95 folds) and antibiotic resistance (gyrA by 54 folds) genes, while mercury resistance gene merA only increased by 2.5 folds than without selective pressure. These results suggest quinolone antibiotics at environmentally contaminated concentrations stimulate bacterial Hg methylation to form highly toxic MeHg, raising considerable concern for the Hg-antibiotic complex in contaminated environments.

Genomic profiling of cell-free DNA from dogs with benign and malignant tumors.

OBJECTIVE: Cancer is currently the most common cause of death in adult dogs. Like humans, dogs have a one-third chance of developing cancer in their lifetime. We used shallow whole-genome sequencing (sWGS) to analyze blood cell-free DNA (cfDNA) from four tumor-bearing dogs (one with benign and three with malignant tumors) and 38 healthy dogs. RESULTS: Similar to the results observed in the healthy dogs, no copy number aberration (CNA) was detected in the dog with benign lipomas, and the distribution of cfDNA fragment size (FS) closely resembled that of the healthy dogs. However, among the three dogs diagnosed with malignant tumors, two dogs exhibited varying degrees and quantities of CNAs. Compared to the distribution of FS in the healthy dogs, the cancer dogs exhibited a noticeable shift towards shorter lengths. These findings indicated that CNA and FS profiles derived from sWGS data can be used for non-invasive cancer detection in dogs.

Electroplating sludge derived CuFe2O4/MgFe2O4 metal oxide composites for highly efficient removal of Congo red.

The utilization of electroplating sludge (ES) to derive metal oxide functional materials is a key strategy, as it enables the recycling of valuable elements, mitigates environmental risks, and aligns with green, low-carbon development strategies. Nevertheless, the development of metal oxide composite functional materials with distinctive structures and properties derived from ES continues to present several challenges. Herein, we synthesized CuFe2O4/MgFe2O4 metal oxide composites from ES by one-step hydrothermal method. As-obtained CuFe2O4/MgFe2O4 metal oxide composites (MMOs) have a unique layered structure, richer mesoporous and microporous structures, activity sites. When evaluated as an adsorbent for Congo red (CR), as-synthesized CuFe2O4/MgFe2O4 with layered structure composite exhibited excellent adsorption capacity (1039.1 mg/g) and reusability (85.55% after five cycles), which was superior to most similar adsorbents reported till date. Such improvement is explored to mainly originate from two respects: the physical adsorption facilitated by the abundant pores formed through the stacking and growth of CuFe2O4 and MgFe2O4, and the chemisorption resulting from surface complexation and hydrogen bonding between the MMOs and CR. This strategy to directly transform ES into functional materials shows great promise both in waste management and preparation of robust adsorbents for wastewater treatment.

METTL3-mediated TIM1 promotes macrophage M1 polarization and inflammation through IGF2BP2-dependent manner.

Macrophage polarization and inflammation may play an important role in the development of sepsis. T-cell immunoglobulin mucin 1 (TIM1) has been demonstrated to promote macrophage inflammatory responses. However, whether TIM1 regulates macrophage polarization and inflammation to affect sepsis development remains unclear. Human monocytic leukemia cell line was induced into macrophages, followed by stimulated with LPS and IL-4 to induce M1 polarization and M2 polarization. The expression levels of TIM1, methyltransferase 3 (METTL3), and insulin like growth factor 2 mRNA binding protein 2 (IGF2BP2) were examined by qRT-PCR and western blot. IL-6, IL-1ß, and TNF-α levels were tested by ELISA. CD86+cell rate was analyzed by flow cytometry. The m6A methylation level of TIM1 was assessed by MeRIP assay. The interaction of between TIM1 and METTL3 or IGF2BP2 was assessed by dual-luciferase reporter assay and RIP assay. TIM1 knockdown repressed LPS-induced macrophage M1 polarization and inflammation. In terms of mechanism, METTL3 promoted TIM1 expression through m6A modification, and this modification could be recognized by IGF2BP2. Besides, knockdown of METTL3/IGF2BP2 suppressed LPS-induced macrophage M1 polarization and inflammation, while this effect could be eliminated by TIM1 overexpression. METTL3/IGF2BP2/TIM1 axis promoted macrophage M1 polarization and inflammation, which might provide potential target for sepsis treatment.

Emulsions delivery systems of functional substances for precision nutrition.

Many functional substances are chemically unstable and exhibit variable water/oil solubility, reducing their bioavailability and efficacy. It is necessary to devise effective measures to improve the unfavorable properties of functional substances and maximize their potential benefits in nutritional interventions. Therefore, the development and application of edible emulsion-based delivery systems for these functional substances using food-grade materials would be highly beneficial for the food industry. In recent years, Pickering emulsions have garnered significant attention in the scientific community due to their characteristic of being free from surfactants. This section focuses on emphasizing the design and preparation of emulsion delivery systems based on functional substances. Additionally, we summarize the current applications of emulsion delivery systems in functional substances. This chapter also discusses the potential advantages of Pickering emulsion systems in the precise nutrition field, including high targeting specificity and nutritional intervention for various diseases. Well-designed Pickering emulsion delivery carriers for functional substances can enhance their stability in food processing and in vivo digestion. To meet the nutritional needs of specific populations for functional foods, utilizing emulsion delivery systems to improve the bioavailability of functional substances will provide a theoretical basis for the precise nutrition of functional substances in functional foods.

Mediating effect of cognitive appraisal and coping on anticipatory grief in family caregivers of patients with cancer: a Bayesian structural equation model study.

BACKGROUND: Anticipatory grief is common among family caregivers of cancer patients and may be related to caregiver burden, family resilience, psychological capital, cognitive appraisal, and coping strategies. The purpose of this study was to examine the mediating role of cognitive appraisal and coping strategies in the relationship between caregiver burden, family resilience, psychological capital, and anticipatory grief among caregivers of cancer patients. METHODS: This study surveyed from January to September 2023 among 265 caregivers of lung and breast cancer patients in two public hospitals. They completed measures of caregiver burden, family resilience, psychological capital, cognitive appraisal, coping, and anticipatory grief. AMOS software was used to model the data with Bayesian structural equation modeling. RESULTS: Bayesian structural equation modeling results showed that caregiver burden had a direct effect on anticipatory grief. The chain mediating effects for cognitive appraisal tendency and coping tendency between caregiver burden, family resilience, psychological capital, and anticipatory grief, respectively. Coping tendency acted as a mediator between psychological capital and anticipatory grief. CONCLUSIONS: The relationships between caregiver burden, family resilience, and psychological capital with anticipatory grief are embedded in the mediating effects of cognitive appraisal and coping. Early identification and intervention for caregiver burden, family resilience, psychological capital, cognitive appraisal, and coping methods may prevent anticipatory grief in caregivers of cancer patients.