Desmosterol-driven atypical macrophage polarization regulates podocyte dynamics in diabetic nephropathy.

BACKGROUND: Diabetic nephropathy (DN) stands as a leading diabetes complication, with macrophages intricately involved in its evolution. While glucose metabolism's impact on macrophage activity is well-established, cholesterol metabolism's contributions remain less explored. Our study seeks to elucidate this association. METHODS AND RESULTS: Methods and Results: Gene expression analysis of monocytes from the blood of both normal and diabetic patients was conducted using public databases, showing that cholesterol metabolism pathways, especially Bloch and Kandutsch-Russell, were more altered in diabetic monocytes/macrophages than glucose-responsive pathways. When bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMDMs) were subjected to desmosterol, they exhibited an unconventional polarization. These BMDMs displayed heightened levels of both M1-related pro-inflammatory cytokines and M2-linked anti-inflammatory factors. Further, in co-culture, desmosterol-conditioned BMDMs paralleled M2 macrophages in augmenting Ki-67 + podocyte populations while mimicking M1 macrophages in elevating TUNEL + apoptotic podocytes. Comparable outcomes on podocytes were obtained using conditioned media from the respective BMDMs. CONCLUSIONS: Our data underscores the pivotal role of cholesterol metabolism, particularly via desmosterol, in steering macrophages toward an unconventional polarization marked by both inflammatory and regulatory traits. Such unique macrophage behavior concurrently impacts podocyte proliferation and apoptosis, shedding fresh light on DN pathogenesis and hinting at potential therapeutic interventions.

Risk and Protective Factors of Depression in Family and School Domains for Chinese Early Adolescents: An Association Rule Mining Approach.

Depression is one of the most common psychological problems in adolescence. Familial and school-related factors are closely related to adolescents' depression, but their combined effects need further examination. The purpose of this study was to explore the combined effects of risk/protective factors of depression in family and school domains using a sample of Chinese adolescents differing in gender, age group and left-behind status. A total of 2455 Chinese students in primary and secondary school participated in the cross-sectional survey and reported multiple risk/protective factors in family and school environments and depressive symptoms. Association rule mining, a machine learning method, was used in the data analyses to identify the correlation between risk/protective factor combinations and depression. We found that (1) Family cohesion, family conflict, peer support, and teacher support emerged as the strongest factors associated with adolescent depression; (2) The combination of these aforementioned factors further strengthened their association with depression; (3) Female gender, middle school students, and family socioeconomic disadvantages attenuated the protective effects of positive relational factors while exacerbating the deleterious effects of negative relational factors; (4) For individuals at risk, lack of mental health education resources at school intensified the negative impact; (5) The risk and protective factors of depression varied according to gender, age stage and left-behind status. In conclusion, the findings shed light on the identification of high-risk adolescents for depression and underscore the importance of tailored programs targeting specific subgroups based on gender, age, or left-behind status.

Omic horizon expression: a database of gene expression based on RNA sequencing data.

BACKGROUND: Gene expression profiles have important significance for gene expression characteristics and further functional studies. More attention has been given to the expression databases in humans and mice, but less attention has been given to rats, while rat models also play an irreplaceable role in biomedical experiments. RESULTS: To depict the rat gene expression profiles in mRNA expression levels, we analyzed over 2,700 RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq) samples from 48 tissues, 40 primary cell types and 25 cell lines; and then mapped them to the latest version of the rat genome reference, mRatBN7.2. Based on these datasets and reanalysis, we constructed a new database, the Omic Horizon Expression Database ( http://immudb.bjmu.edu.cn/expression.html ), which allows expressional profile query of over 25,000 rat genes based on non-redundant gene symbols. The database supports requests using gene symbols (or alias), Ensemble and Entrez gene IDs. Gene expression profiles can be queried in three categories: tissues, primary cells and cell lines. Application examples including expression profiling and comparison, as well as identification of novel rat genes, were illustrated to show the utility of the database. CONCLUSIONS: As an omic resource, the Omic Horizon Expression Database provides horizons of gene expression profiles across various tissues and cells, which greatly facilitates the identification of rat genes as well as functional clues.

Enhanced Oxygen Evolution Rate and Anti-interfacial Delamination Property of the SrCo0.9Ta0.1O3-δ@La0.6Sr0.4Co0.2Fe0.8O3-δ Oxygen-Electrode for Solid Oxide Electrolysis Cells.

Interfacial delamination between the oxygen-electrode and electrolyte is a significant factor impacting the reliability of solid oxide electrolysis cells (SOECs) when operating at high voltages. The most effective method to mitigate this delamination is to decrease the interfacial oxygen partial pressure, which can be accomplished by amplifying the oxygen exsolution rate and the O2- transport rate of the oxygen-electrode. In this study, a SrCo0.9Ta0.1O3-δ (SCT) film with an outstanding oxygen surface exchange coefficient and an outstanding O2- conductivity was introduced onto the La0.6Sr0.4Co0.2Fe0.8O3-δ (LSCF) surface by infiltration. This composite oxygen-electrode exhibited a notably high electrochemical catalytic activity primarily due to the significantly improved O2- transport and oxygen surface exchange rate. Single cells with a 15-LSCF oxygen-electrode achieved a peak power density of 1.33 W cm-2 at 700 °C and a current density of 1.25 A cm-2 at 1.3 V (60% H2O-H2) at 750 °C. Additionally, an electrolysis cell with a 15 wt % SCT-infiltrated LSCF oxygen-electrode demonstrated stable operation even at high current densities for over 330 h with no noticeable delamination. The remarkable durability of the 15-LSCF oxygen-electrode can be attributed to the boosted oxygen exsolution reaction (OER) activity and the suppression of Sr segregation due to SCT infiltration. The impressive OER activity and resistance to interfacial delamination make the 15-LSCF a promising candidate for a composite oxygen-electrode in SOECs.

Areas of Research Focus and Trends in the Research on the Application of VR in Rehabilitation Medicine.

OBJECTIVE: To establish the areas of research focus in the application of VR in rehabilitation medicine, analyze its themes and trends, and offer a reference for future related research in this field. METHODS: This paper provides an in-depth analysis of the development process, areas of research focus, and research trends in the field of the application of VR in rehabilitation medicine, using the Web of Science core dataset as the source and using a bibliometric analysis with CiteSpace. RESULTS: The application of VR in rehabilitation medicine was composed of three stages, and the research topics were reviewed from five perspectives: neurological rehabilitation, psychological treatment, pain distraction, cardiopulmonary rehabilitation, and visual-spatial disorder. LIMITATIONS: The research data were sourced from the Web of Science core dataset only, and the data-sample size was not comprehensive. CONCLUSIONS: Overcoming VR-technology-induced vertigo, mental disorders from the overuse of VR, individualized treatments, and integration with traditional therapy are all challenges in the application of VR in rehabilitation medicine that require research. In addition, developing VR products with better experiences, constructing standardized guidelines, and conducting more high-quality clinical studies are all future research topics related to the application of VR in rehabilitation medicine.

Environmental heterogeneity affecting spatial distribution of phytoplankton community structure and functional groups in a large eutrophic lake, Lake Chaohu, China.

The growth and development of phytoplankton are influenced by physico-chemical parameters, which can also affect the spatial distribution of phytoplankton community structure. However, it is unclear whether environmental heterogeneity caused by multiple physico-chemical factors can affect the spatial distribution of phytoplankton and its functional groups. In this study, we investigated the seasonal variation and spatial distribution of phytoplankton community structure and its relationships with environmental factors in Lake Chaohu from August 2020 to July 2021. We recorded a total of 190 species from 8 phyla, which were divided into 30 functional groups, including 13 dominating functional groups. The average annual phytoplankton density and biomass were (5.46 ± 7.17) × 107 cells/L and 4.80 ± 4.61 mg/L, respectively. The density and biomass of phytoplankton were higher in summer ((14.64 ± 20.34) × 107 cells/L, 10.61 ± 13.16 mg/L) and autumn ((6.79 ± 3.97) × 107 cells/L, 5.57 ± 2.40 mg/L), with the M and H2 of dominant functional groups. The dominant functional groups were N, C, D, J, MP, H2, and M in spring, whereas functional groups C, N, T, and Y dominated in winter. The distribution of phytoplankton community structure and dominant functional groups exhibited significant spatial heterogeneity in the lake, which was consistent with the environmental heterogeneity of the lake and could be classified into four locations. Location I had higher phytoplankton density and biomass than the other three locations. Additionally, dominant functional groups M, C, and H2 were present throughout the lake, and all 13 dominant functional groups were observed in Location II. Our findings suggest that environmental heterogeneity is a key factor influencing the spatial distribution of phytoplankton functional groups in Lake Chaohu.

Cloning and functional analysis of the molting gene CYP302A1 of Daphnia sinensis.

BACKGROUND: Molting is an important physiological process in the growth and development of arthropoda, which is mainly regulated by juvenile hormone and ecdysone. CYP302A1 is a key enzyme which plays a critical role in the synthesis of ecdysone in insects, but it has not been identified in cladocera. RESULTS: The CYP302Al gene of Daphnia sinensis was cloned and its function was analyzed in this paper. The CYP302Al gene of D. sinensis was 5926 bp in full-length, with an open reading frame (ORF) of 1596 bp that encoded 531 amino acids (aa), a molecular weight of 60.82 kDa and an isoelectric point of 9.29. The amino acid sequence analysis revealed that there were five characteristic conserved regions of cytochrome P450 family (namely helix-C, helix-K, helix-I, PERF and heme-binding). In dsRNA mediated experiment, the expression level of CYP302A1 gene decreased significantly (knock-down of 56.22%) in the 5% Escherichia coli concentration treatment. In addition, the expression levels of EcR and USP and HR3 genes in the downstream were also significantly decreased, whereas that of FTZ-f1 gene increased significantly. In the 5% E. coli treatment, the molting time at maturity of D. sinensis prolonged, and the development of embryos in the incubation capsule appeared abnormal or disintegrated. The whole-mount in situ hybridization showed that the CYP302A1 gene of D. sinensis had six expression sites before RNA interference (RNAi), which located in the first antennal ganglion, ovary, cecae, olfactory hair, thoracic limb and tail spine. However, the expression signal of the CYP302A1 gene of D. sinensis disappeared in the first antennal ganglion and obviously attenuated in the ovary after RNAi. CONCLUSION: The CYP302A1 gene played an important role in the ecdysone synthesis pathway of D. sinensis, and the knock-down of the gene affected the molting and reproduction of D. sinensis.

Study on the Relationships between Doctor Characteristics and Online Consultation Volume in the Online Medical Community.

BACKGROUND: As a new medical service model, the online health community can integrate various medical resources to the maximum extent and improve the accessibility and utilization rate of hospital high-quality medical resources. OBJECTIVE: Research based on the characteristics of doctors can enable doctors to display themselves on the network platform better, provide better services for patients, and improve the quality of medical services for doctors. METHOD: By crawling the characteristic data of doctors in Good Doctor Online, using dynamic analysis, correlation analysis and regression analysis, this study explores the relationships between each characteristic data and online consultation volume. RESULTS: The doctor's title and city level representing the static characteristics of the doctor have a weak impact on the doctor's online consultation volume, and the doctor's dynamic characteristics such as the number of patient completions, the number of gifts received, and the number of published articles can have a positive impact on the doctor's online consultation volume. However, the recommended heat will negatively affect the online consultation volume, and the comment text has no significant impact on the doctor's online consultation volume. CONCLUSION: Therefore, doctors should actively publicize and show their professional level and constantly optimize their dynamic characteristics, increasing the number of online consultations and thus improving their influence.

ImmuMethy, a database of DNA methylation plasticity at a single cytosine resolution in human blood and immune cells.

Differential DNA methylation is a feature of numerous physiological and pathological processes. However, the extent to which single-base cytosine methylation modifies cellular responses to various stimuli has not been well characterized. In this study, we carried out a systematic analysis of methylome data derived from human blood and immune cells and constructed the ImmuMethy database. ImmuMethy allows interrogation of DNA methylation plasticity (MPL) at the single cytosine level. MPL, which refers to the variability of DNA methylation, is quantitatively measured in multiple ways, such as quartiles and standard deviations. ImmuMethy comprises over 36 000 samples from the Human Methylation450 and MethylationEPIC BeadChips platforms and provides multiple applications, such as an overview of methylation status and plasticity, differential methylation analysis, identification of methylation markers and sample stratification. An analysis of all datasets revealed that DNA methylation is generally stable, with minimal changes in beta values. This further supports the characteristics of DNA methylation homeostasis. Based on the beta value distribution, we identified three types of methylation sites: methylation tendency sites, unmethylation tendency sites and dual tendency or nonbiased methylation sites. These sites represent different methylation tendentiousness of DNA methylation across samples. The occurrence of multiple methylation tendencies in a site means split methylation, which generally corresponds to high MPL. Inverted methylation tendencies from methylation tendency sites to unmethylation tendency sites, or vice versa, represent strong differential methylation in response to conditions. All these sites can be identified in ImmuMethy, making it a useful tool for omics-based data-driven knowledge discovery. Database URL: http://immudb.bjmu.edu.cn/immumethy/.

Effects of toxic Microcystis aeruginosa on the expression of Hox genes in Daphnia similoides sinensis.

Lake eutrophication and cyanobacterial blooms have become worldwide environmental issues. Under cyanobacterial blooms (especially Microcystis), Daphnia spp. can transfer beneficial information to their offspring in order to improve adaptability. Hox genes are important regulatory factors of transcription in metazoans, and are involved in the growth and development of organisms. However, the mechanisms of Microcystis on the expression of Hox genes in Daphnia are unclear. In this study, the effects of Microcystis aeruginosa on Hox gene expression in the mothers and offspring (F1) of two Daphnia similoides sinensis clones were investigated using a mixed diet of M. aeruginosa and Scenedesmus obliquus. Compared with the 100%S food treatment, the survival rates at the end of the experiment of clone 1-F1 in the food treatments containing M. aeruginosa were significantly lower, but it was significantly higher for clone 2-F1 in the 20%M + 80%S food treatment. Moreover, the survival rates at the end of the experiment of clone 1-F1 in the food treatments containing M. aeruginosa were significantly higher than those of their mother. Based on previous transcriptome data, 14 Hox genes of D. similoides sinensis were identified, including Abd-B, CDX-1, Dll, HOX-1, HOX-2, HOXA1, HOXA2, HOXB3, HOXB3-2, HOXB7, HOXC4, HOXC7, HOXC8, and HOXD10. The expressions of Abd-B, HOX-2, HOXA1, HOXC7, and HOXD10 of clone 2-mothers in the 40%M + 60%S food treatment were 2.9-22.5 times as high as in the 100%S food treatment, whereas the expressions of CDX-1, HOX-1, HOXB3, and HOXD10 of clone 1-mothers were 4.8-13.1 times at same food level. The expression of HOXA2, HOXC7, HOXC8, and HOXD10 of clone 1-F1 in the 40%M + 60%S food treatment was 8.2-21.1 times as high as in the 100%S food treatment. However, compared with the 100%S food treatment, the expressions of CDX-1 in the mothers and F1 of clone 2 and HOXB7 in the mothers of clone 1 in the food treatments containing M. aeruginosa were significantly lower (p < .05). Our results suggest that the offspring (F1) produced by D. similoides sinensis mother pre-exposed to toxic M. aeruginosa had stronger adaptability to M. aeruginosa than their mothers. Moreover, Hox gene expressions of D. similoides sinensis had obvious differences between clones under stress of toxic M. aeruginosa.

Study on the Types of Elderly Intelligent Health Management Technology and the Influencing Factors of Its Adoption.

[Background]: In recent years, aging has become a global social problem. Intelligent health management technology (IHMT) provides solutions for the elderly to deal with various health risks. However, the elderly are facing many difficulties in using IHMT. Studying the application types of IHMT and the influencing factors of the elderly's acceptance of it will help to improve the use behavior of the elderly. [Methods]: This paper summarizes the application types of IHMT, identifies the influencing factors of the elderly's adaption of IHMT, and makes a systematic comment on the influencing factors. [Results]: We divide the different functions of IHMT for the elderly into four types: self-monitoring, medical care, remote monitoring, and health education. The influencing factors are divided into three types: individual, social, and technology. [Conclusions]: This study finds that IHMT's application covers all aspects of the health services of the elderly. Among these applications, self-monitoring is the most used. We divided the influencing factors of the elderly's acceptance of IHMT into three categories and nine subcategories, having 25 variables.

Field Effect Conductivities of P-I-N Heterostructure Films in Fuel Cells.

Ionic conductivity enables the technologies of fuel cells, electrolysis cells, and batteries. However, the ambiguous origins of the extraordinary ionic conductivity impede its implementation in heterostructure films for the devices. Here, we disclosed that the extraordinary ionic and electronic conductivities come from field effect. We found in Ce0.8Gd0.2O2-δ (CGO)/Zr0.85Y0.15O2-δ (YSZ) heterostructures that the ionic conductivity of CGO layer (n-i conductor) and the electronic conductivity of YSZ layer (p-i conductor) exponentially increased with potential. The potential occurred from electron transfer and stoichiometric polarization in p-i-n junction. Field effect ionic conductivity contributed the major increment in the maximum power density. The results demonstrated field effect ionic and electronic conductivities, their dependences on heterostructures, and impacts on fuel cells.

Influencing Factors of Acceptance and Use Behavior of Mobile Health Application Users: Systematic Review.

Purpose/Significance: Mobile health applications provide a convenient way for users to obtain health information and services. Studying the factors that influence users' acceptance and use of mobile health applications (apps or Apps) will help to improve users' actual usage behavior. Method/Process: Based on the literature review method and using the Web of Science core database as the data source, this paper summarizes the relevant research results regarding the influencing factors of the acceptance and use behavior of mobile health application users and makes a systematic review of the influencing factors from the perspectives of the individual, society, and application (app or App) design. Result/Conclusion: In terms of the individual dimension, the users' behavior is influenced by demographic characteristics and motivations. Social attributes, source credibility, and legal issues all affect user behavior in the social dimension. In the application design dimension, functionality, perceived ease of use and usefulness, security, and cost are the main factors. At the end of the paper, suggestions are given to improve the users' acceptability of mobile health applications and improve their use behavior.

Visualising the knowledge structure and evolution of wearable device research.

In recent years, the literature associated with wearable devices has grown rapidly, but few studies have used bibliometrics and a visualisation approach to conduct deep mining and reveal a panorama of the wearable devices field. To explore the foundational knowledge and research hotspots of the wearable devices field, this study conducted a series of bibliometric analyses on the related literature, including papers' production trends in the field and the distribution of countries, a keyword co-occurrence analysis, theme evolution analysis and research hotspots and trends for the future. By conducting a literature content analysis and structure analysis, we found the following: (a) The subject evolution path includes sensor research, sensitivity research and multi-functional device research. (b) Wearable device research focuses on information collection, sensor materials, manufacturing technology and application, artificial intelligence technology application, energy supply and medical applications. The future development trend will be further studied in combination with big data analysis, telemedicine and personalised precision medical application.

A Comprehensive Analysis of E-Health Literacy Research Focuses and Trends.

OBJECTIVE: To sort out the research focuses in the field of e-health literacy, analyze its research topics and development trends, and provide a reference for relevant research in this field in the future. METHODS: The literature search yielded a total of 431 articles retrieved from the core dataset of Web of Science using the keywords "ehealth literacy", "E-health literacy" and "electronic health literacy". A bibliometric analysis was performed by using CiteSpace to explore the development history, hot themes, and trends of future research in the field of e-health literacy. RESULTS: The thematic evolution path in e-health literacy was divided into three stages. The research focuses were inspected from four aspects: evaluation, correlation with health-promotion behaviors, influencing factors, and intervention measures for improvement. CONCLUSION: E-health literacy research faces challenges such as the development of the connotation of the term, the objectivity of evaluation methods, and the long-term impact of interventions. Future research themes in e-health literacy will include the standardization of evaluation instruments and the individualization of therapeutic strategies.

ImmuCo: a database of gene co-expression in immune cells.

Current gene co-expression databases and correlation networks do not support cell-specific analysis. Gene co-expression and expression correlation are subtly different phenomena, although both are likely to be functionally significant. Here, we report a new database, ImmuCo (http://immuco.bjmu.edu.cn), which is a cell-specific database that contains information about gene co-expression in immune cells, identifying co-expression and correlation between any two genes. The strength of co-expression of queried genes is indicated by signal values and detection calls, whereas expression correlation and strength are reflected by Pearson correlation coefficients. A scatter plot of the signal values is provided to directly illustrate the extent of co-expression and correlation. In addition, the database allows the analysis of cell-specific gene expression profile across multiple experimental conditions and can generate a list of genes that are highly correlated with the queried genes. Currently, the database covers 18 human cell groups and 10 mouse cell groups, including 20,283 human genes and 20,963 mouse genes. More than 8.6 × 10(8) and 7.4 × 10(8) probe set combinations are provided for querying each human and mouse cell group, respectively. Sample applications support the distinctive advantages of the database.