Exploring potential predictors of Henoch-Schönlein purpura nephritis: a pilot investigation on urinary metabolites.

Henoch-Schönlein purpura nephritis (HSPN) is the most severe manifestation of Henoch-Schönlein purpura (HSP). This study aimed to determine the role of urine metabolomics in predicting HSPN and explore the potential mechanisms of HSP. A liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry-based untargeted metabolomics analysis was performed to investigate the urinary metabolic profiles of 90 participants, comprising 30 healthy children (group CON) and 60 patients with HSP, including 30 HSP patients without renal involvement (group H) and 30 HSPN patients (group HSPN). The differentially expressed metabolites (DEMs) were identified using orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA), and subsequent bioinformatics analysis was conducted to elucidate the perturbed metabolic pathways. A total of 43 DEMs between H and HSPN groups were analyzed by the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Gene and Genome (KEGG) database, and the result indicates that glycine, serine and threonine metabolism, and cysteine and methionine metabolism were significantly disturbed. A composite model incorporating propionylcarnitine and indophenol sulfate was developed to assess the risk of renal involvement in pediatric patients with HSP.   Conclusion: This study reveals the metabolic alterations in healthy children, HSPN patients, and HSP patients without renal involvement. Furthermore, propionylcarnitine and indophenol sulfate may be potential predictive biomarkers of the occurrence of HSPN. What is Known: • HSP is the predominant type of vasculitis observed in children. The long-term prognosis of HSP is contingent upon the extent of renal impairment. In severe nephritis, a delay in appropriate treatment may lead to fibrosis progression and subsequent development of chronic kidney disease (CKD), even leading to renal failure. • The application of metabolomics in investigating diverse renal disorders has been documented. Urine is a robust and sensitive medium for metabolomics detection. What is New: • The metabolic profiles were identified in urine samples of healthy children and those with HSP at the early stage of the disease. Different metabolites were identified between HSP patients without nephritis and those who developed HSPN. • These different metabolites may affect oxidative stress in the progression of HSPN.

2D Metal Porphyrin-Based MOFs and ZIF-8 Composite-Derived Carbon Materials Containing M-Nx Active Sites as Bifunctional Electrocatalysts for Zinc-Air Batteries.

The main impediment to the development of zinc-air batteries is the sluggish kinetics of the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and the oxygen evolution reaction (OER). Transition metal N-doped carbon catalysts offer a promising alternative to noble metal catalysts, with metal-organic framework (MOF)-derived carbon material catalysts being particularly noteworthy. Here, we synthesized MxP-Z-C carbon catalysts by combining two-dimensional (2D) metal porphyrin-based MOFs (MxPMFs, x = Fe, Co, Ni, Mn) and three-dimensional zeolitic imidazole framework-8 (ZIF-8) through electrostatic interaction, followed by carbonization. ZIF-8 was inserted between the layers of MxPMFs to prevent its Π-Π stacking, allowing the active sites to become fully exposed. MxP-Z-C demonstrated an impressive catalytic activity for both the ORR and the OER reactions. Among them, FeP-Z-C showed the best catalytic activity. The half-wave potential for ORR was 0.92 V (vs the reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE)), while the overpotential for the OER was 290 mV. In addition, the zinc-air battery assembled by FeP-Z-C exhibited high power density (133.14 mW cm-2) and significant specific capacity (816 mAh gZn-1), indicating considerable potential as a bifunctional catalyst for electronic devices.

Prevalence and associated factors for workplace violence among general practitioners in China: a national cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: General practitioners (GPs) were at risk of violence in their everyday working lives. Workplace violence (WPV) among GPs is a global public health concern. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence and factors associated with WPV among GPs in China. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 4376 GPs in eastern, central, and western China between March and May 2021 using a structured self-administered questionnaire. The multivariable stepwise logistic regression model was used to examine the factors associated with WPV among GPs in China. RESULTS: Among these respondents, 14.26% of them reported exposure to WPV in the past 12 months. GPs who were female, practised in a rural area, made home visits occasionally, worked in a fair or good practice environment or work environment, and had a fair or good relationship with patients were less likely to encounter any type of WPV. In addition, GPs who served patients over 20 per day and worked overtime occasionally or frequently were more likely to be exposed to WPV. The determinants of WPV varied in different types of WPV and sexes. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of WPV among GPs is low in China. Our findings could inform the measures to reduce the WPV among GPs.

Changes in cell wall components and polysaccharide-degrading enzymes in relation to differences in texture during sweetpotato storage root growth.

Sweetpotato has special texture characteristics, which directly affect the eating quality and post-production processing quality of sweetpotato. To investigate the texture change mechanism of sweetpotato during the growth process, this study selected two varieties with significant differences in texture from 35 varieties. The storage roots were sampled at 50, 80, 110, and 140 days after planting. Measure the texture parameters, the cell wall composition content, cell wall-related enzyme activities and the expression of expansin genes of sweetpotato storage roots. The results show that the hardness, adhesiveness and chewiness parameters of 'Yushu No 10' were significantly lower than those of 'Mianfen No 1', they have significantly different texture properties. In terms of cell wall composition, the soluble pectin content of 'Yushu No 10' was more than twice that of 'Mianfen No 1', whereas the insoluble pectin content was lower than that of 'Mianfen No 1', with the cellulose content of 'Yushu No 10' being significantly higher than that of 'Mianfen No 1'. In terms of cell wall-related enzymes, 'Yushu No 10' hardness gumminess and chewiness had a significant correlation with hemicellulose activity, and 'Mianfen No 1' had insignificant correlation with four cell wall-related enzymes. Expansin genes were also expressed differently during the various stages of root tubers expansin. The expressions of IbEXP1, IbEXP2 and IbEXPL1 were significantly correlated with the changes in cell wall component content, and were related to the qualitative structure changes. The research conclusion shows that the texture changes during the growth of sweetpotato are related to cell wall composition, cell wall-related enzyme activity changes, and the expression of expansin genes. This study provides theoretical guidance for in-depth study of texture changes of sweetpotato, post-harvest processing and utilization and quality improvement of storage roots.

Electrochemical biosensor for detection of MON89788 gene fragments with spiny trisoctahedron gold nanocrystal and target DNA recycling amplification.

The shape-controlled synthesis of gold nanocrystals via shape induction of hexadecyltrimethylammonium chloride, potassium bromide, and potassium iodide and enantioselective direction of L-cysteine is reported. The resulting gold nanocrystals (STO-Au) offer spiny trisoctahedron nanostructures with good monodispersity and enhanced exposed high-index facets and high catalytic activity. Construction of the electrochemical sensing platform for MON89788 gene involves the modification of STO-Au, thionine (Thi), and labeled bipedal DNA probe 1 or 2 (P1 or P2) for target DNA-induced recycling amplification. In the detection, two surface DNA probes were immobilized on gold electrode via the Au-S bond. Then, hairpin DNA 1 (H1), Thi-STO-Au-P1, and Thi-STO-Au-P2 self-assemble into two-dimensional DNA nanopores (DNPs) on the electrode surface. Target DNA hybridizes with hairpin DNA 2 (H2) to open hairpin structure of H2. The opened H2 binds with H1 in the DNPs to release Thi-STO-Au-P1, Thi-STO-Au-P2, and target DNA by toehold-mediated strand-displacement. The utilization of target DNA-induced recycling allows one target DNA to release 2N STO-Au-labeled DNA strands, promoting significant signal amplification. The detection signal is further enhanced by the catalyzed redox reaction of Thi with STO-Au. The differential pulse voltammetric signal, best measured at - 0.18 V vs. Ag/AgCl, decreases linearly with increasing concentration of MON89788 in the range 0.02-8 × 104 fM, and the detection limit is 0.0048 fM (S/N = 3). The proposed method was successfully applied for electrochemical detection of MON89788 gene fragments in the PCR products from genetically modified soybean. Graphical Abstract We develop l-cysteine controlled synthesis of spiny trisoctahedron gold nanocrystals with good monodispersity and highly exposed high-index facets. The architecture achieves to ultrahigh catalytic activity. The electrochemical biosensor based on gold nanocrystals and target DNA recycling amplification provides advantage of sensitivity, repeatability, and regeneration-free.

Job Satisfaction and Its Associated Factors Among General Practitioners in China.

OBJECTIVES: Investigation is scare on job satisfaction among general practitioners (GPs) in China. This study aimed to investigate job satisfaction of GPs in China and explore its determinants. METHODS: A multistage-stratified random sampling method was used to collect data with a structured self-administered questionnaire from 3236 GPs (response rate, 99.8%) working in community health institutions in China between October 2017 and February 2018. Multiple linear stepwise regression analysis was used to analyze the associated factors with job satisfaction among GPs. RESULTS: Among these respondents, 1215 (37.5%), 352 (10.9%), and 1669 (51.6%) GPs were dissatisfied, moderate, and satisfied for their current job, respectively. Male GPs, a higher education level, at a higher professional title, at a lower level of income, and those with heavy work stress had a lower job satisfaction. In addition, GPs who often worked overtime, who were at a higher level of emotional exhaustion, at a higher level of depersonalization, at a lower level of personal accomplishment, and who had less occupational development opportunities reported a lower level of job satisfaction. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that job satisfaction among Chinese GPs is at a moderate level. Region, sex, professional title, education level, working overtime, income level, emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, personal accomplishment, work stress, and occupational development opportunities were significant predictors of job satisfaction.

tRNA-derived fragments (tRFs) contribute to podocyte differentiation.

Loss of glomerular podocytes is the crucial event in the progression of chronic kidney disease (CKD). tRNA-derived fragments (tRFs), a newfangled branch of small non-coding RNA (sncRNA), recently reported to play a vital part in several diseases. In present study, we aimed to detect and reveal the role of tRFs in podocyte differentiation. The expression levels of tRFs between undifferentiated and differentiated podocytes were sequenced by illumina nextseq 500, and further verified by quantitative RT-PCR. 69 upregulated and 70 downregulated tRFs in total were singled out (Fold change > 2, P < 0.05). Gene ontology (GO) analysis indicated they are involved in the biological processes of transcription, DNA-templated, positive regulation of transcription from RNA polymerase II promoter, angiogenesis, cell adhesion. Besides, KEGG analysis suggested that these differentially tRFs are associated with PI3K-Akt signaling pathway, Rap1 signaling pathway, Ras signaling pathway, MAPK signaling pathway, and Wnt signaling pathway. Therefore, the differentially tRFs might regulate the differentiation of podocyte and the process of CKD. The functions and mechanisms of tRFs in podocytes are needed to be further explored.

A national survey of turnover intention among general practitioners in China.

Studies on turnover intention among Chinese general practitioners (GPs) at the national level are limited. This study aimed to assess intention to leave and its associated factors among a nationally representative sample of GPs. The participants were selected using a multistage stratified random sampling method. A self-administered structured questionnaire was used to collect data from 3236 GPs in China between October 2017 and February 2018. A multiple linear stepwise regression analysis was used to identify factors associated with turnover intention. Over 70.0% GPs had a moderate or high turnover intention. GPs who were male, were younger, had a higher education level, had a lower professional title, had a lower income level, and had a temporal work contract had higher turnover intention. In addition, GPs who worked night shifts, had low job satisfaction, and had few opportunities for professional development reported higher turnover intention. Substantial gender and regional differences in predictors of turnover intention among GPs were observed. The study showed that turnover intention in Chinese GPs is high, and the factors influencing turnover intention were low professional title and income level, high education level, having a temporary work contract, working night shifts, and limited opportunities for professional development.

Gene expression profiling analysis reveals that the long non­coding RNA uc.412 is involved in mesangial cell proliferation.

Hyperproliferation of mesangial cells (MCs) is the central pathological feature observed in certain human renal diseases. Furthermore, the long non­coding RNA uc.412 is regulated by transforming growth factor ß1 in mesangial cells in vitro. The present study aimed to investigate whether uc.412 serves a role in renal fibrosis and whether it may be considered as a therapeutic target in mesangial proliferative kidney diseases. The results demonstrated that uc.412 overexpression significantly increased MC proliferation. The transcriptional profile of MCs overexpressing uc.412 was assessed by RNA sequencing. A total of 462 up­ and 843 downregulated genes were identified (|fold change| ≥1.5), and reverse transcription­quantitative PCR was used to determine the expression of these differentially expressed genes (DEGs). Subsequently, the potential function of these DEGs was determined by bioinformatics analyses. The results indicated that these DEGs were involved in numerous signaling pathways associated with MC proliferation. The downstream association between up­ and downregulated genes was constructed via the STRING database. The protein­protein interaction network indicated that serpin family E member 1 and matrix metallopeptidase 3 may be hub proteins. In conclusion, the present study provided novel insight into the role of uc.412 in MC proliferation, which may aid in the development of novel treatment for mesangial proliferative kidney diseases.

Profile analysis reveals transfer RNA fragments involved in mesangial cells proliferation.

Mesangial cell (MCs) proliferation is an essential component of glomerulonephritis. To find some bio-markers of mesangial cell proliferation, we investigate the relationship between transfer RNA fragments (tRFs) and proliferating mesangial cells. The model of proliferating mesangial cells was built by using transforming growth factor-1(TGF-ß1) treated mesangial cells. Then we analyzed the expression of tRFs in normal mesangial cells and mesangial cells treated by TGF-ß1 through high-throughput sequencing technique. qRT-PCR was conducted to validate the differently expressed tRFs in normal mesangial cells and mesangial cells treated by TGF-ß1. tDR-000064 and tDR-000103 were notably down-regulated in mesangial cells treated by TGF-ß1 compared with normal mesangial cells. Then we confirmed that tDR-000064 and tDR-000103 were correlated with proliferation of mesangial cells through receiver operating characteristic curve analysis. Furthermore, Gene ontology (GO) and pathway analysis demonstrated that the two dys-regulated tRFs were mostly involved in mesangial cells and TGF-ß1 receptor-mediated signaling pathway. Our research provides a comprehensive analysis of tRFs in proliferating mesangial cells. (Figure 1A).