Effects of non-pharmacological interventions for adults with subjective cognitive decline: a network meta-analysis and component network meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Non-pharmacological interventions have a myriad of available intervention options and contain multiple components. Whether specific components of non-pharmacological interventions or combinations are superior to others remains unclear. The main aim of this study is to compare the effects of different combinations of non-pharmacological interventions and their specific components on health-related outcomes in adults with subjective cognitive decline. METHODS: PubMed, Embase, Cochrane, CINAHL, PsycINFO, CENTRAL, Web of Science, and China's two largest databases, CNKI and Wanfang, were searched from inception to 22nd, January 2023. Randomized controlled trials using non-pharmacological interventions and reporting health outcomes in adults with subjective cognitive decline were included. Two independent reviewers screened studies, extracted data, and assessed risk of bias. Component network meta-analysis was conducted employing an additive component model for network meta-analysis. This study followed the PRISMA reporting guideline and the PRISMA checklist is presented in Additional file 2. RESULTS: A total of 39 trials with 2959 patients were included (range of mean ages, 58.79-77.41 years). Resistance exercise might be the optimal intervention for reducing memory complaints in adults with subjective cognitive decline; the surface under the cumulative ranking p score was 0.888, followed by balance exercise (p = 0.859), aerobic exercise (p = 0.832), and cognitive interventions (p = 0.618). Music therapy, cognitive training, transcranial direct current stimulation, mindfulness therapy, and balance exercises might be the most effective intervention components for improving global cognitive function (iSMD, 0.83; 95% CI, 0.36 to 1.29), language (iSMD, 0.31; 95% CI, 0.24 to 0.38), ability to perform activities of daily living (iSMD, 0.55; 95% CI, 0.21 to 0.89), physical health (iSMD, 3.29; 95% CI, 2.57 to 4.00), and anxiety relief (iSMD, 0.71; 95% CI, 0.26 to 1.16), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The form of physical activity performed appears to be more beneficial than cognitive interventions in reducing subjective memory complaints for adults with subjective cognitive decline, and this difference was reflected in resistance, aerobic, and balance exercises. Randomized clinical trials with high-quality and large-scale are warranted to validate the findings. TRIAL REGISTRATION: PROSPERO registry number. CRD42022355363.

Physical frailty intensifies the positive association of oral frailty with poor global cognitive function and executive function among older adults especially for females: a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Oral frailty is reported to increase the risk of new onset of mild cognitive impairment. Whereas, the association of oral frailty with cognition among older adults in both physical frail and non-physical frail status has not been sufficiently explored, and whether there are sex differences in the association is unclear. This study investigated the association of oral frailty and physical frailty with global cognitive function and executive function among older adults, as well as the sex differences in such association. METHODS: This cross-sectional study included 307 participants aged ≥ 60 years old from communities between June 2023 and August 2023, in Nanjing, China. Global cognitive function and executive function were assessed by using the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) and Trail Making Tests A (TMT-A), respectively. Oral frailty was identified by the combination of natural tooth, Oral Frailty Index-8 (OFI-8), and oral diadochokinesis. Physical frailty was measured by using Fried phenotype model which contained 5 criteria: unintentional weight loss, weakness, exhaustion, slowness, and low physical activity. Multiple linear regression analyses for overall participants and stratified by sex and presence or absence of physical frailty were performed, respectively, to examine the association between oral frailty and cognitive functions. RESULTS: The median age of participants was 70 years old. The study included 158 (51.5%) females, 53 (17.3%) individuals with physical frailty, and 65 (21.2%) participants with oral frailty. After adjustment, the association between oral frailty and global cognitive function was observed in the physical frailty group (B = -2.67, 95% Confidence Interval [CI]: -5.27 to -0.07, p = 0.045) and the females with physical frailty (B = -4, 95% CI: -7.41 to -0.58, p = 0.024). Oral frailty was associated with executive function in overall participants (B = 0.12, 95% CI: 0.01 to 0.22, p = 0.037), physical frailty group (B = 23.68, 95% CI: 1.37 to 45.99, p = 0.038). In the adjusted models, oral frailty was significantly associated with executive function in all females (B = 0.21, 95% CI: 0.05 to 0.36, p = 0.009), in females without physical frailty (B = 0.19, 95% CI: 0.02 to 0.36, p = 0.027), and in females with physical frailty (B = 48.69, 95% CI: 7.17 to 90.21, p = 0.024). CONCLUSIONS: Physical frailty intensifies the positive association of oral frailty with poor global cognitive function and executive function among older adults, particularly among females. It is ponderable to consider sex differences and facilitate the management of physical frailty when it comes to promoting cognitive health based on the perspective of oral health among older adults.

Policy implementation deviation of government purchase of old age care services in Jiangsu, China: based on empirical and policy analysis.

BACKGROUND: Government purchase of social forces to participate in old age care services can release the burden of social care. Current research on performance evaluation in this field mainly focussed on the establishment of appropriate evaluation indices. However, discussion on the policy implementation deviation is scarce. This study aimed to evaluate the performance of China's local government purchase of old age care services, analyse the characteristics of related policies and explore their deviation. METHODS: The persons who participated in the Training of the Trainer (ToT) organized by the Red Cross Society were enrolled. The policy documents were obtained from the official websites. The K-means cluster was used to determine the project performance grades. We compared the project performance grades between service objects and undertakers with different characteristics utilizing the non-parametric test. Based on the framework of 'Collaborative Participation - Project Performance Objective', we analysed the content of relevant policy aiding by NVivo 12. RESULTS: Data of project performance were collected from 306 participants. The standardized mean score of the efficiency dimension was the lowest (0.70 ± 0.24). The projects were divided into four grades: poor (17.0%), average (27.5%), good (12.4%) and excellent (43.1%). There were statistically significant differences in project performance grades only between advanced ageing groups (Z = 2.429, P = 0.015). As well, the policy also mentioned that the services focus should be tilted towards the oldest old. The purchasers mainly involved the Ministry of Civil Affairs and Health management departments in the policy. Respite services were less mentioned in the responsibilities of the undertakers. The requirement for efficiency and effectiveness was mentioned in less than half of the policy documents. CONCLUSION: Policy attention is needed for the responsibilities and functions of the intermediate purchasing force, as well as more precise directions and responsibilities of undertakers. The purchasers and undertakers should improve management abilities and capacity of old age care services and focus on associated factors to achieve the best marginal benefit. In addition, the embedded performance evaluation needs to be updated periodically to bridge the deviation between policy implementation and policy formulation.

The effectiveness of chin-down manoeuvre in patients with dysphagia: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

AIM: The chin-down posture is a widely used compensatory manoeuvre for patients with dysphagia. The aim of this study was designed to systematically measure the effectiveness of chin-down manoeuvre application. METHODOLOGY: We retrieved the PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, Cochrane Library, EBSCO, Medline, CNKI, WANFANG, VIP and SinoMed databases from inception to 30 August 2022. Raters independently screened literature according to inclusion and exclusion criteria. The quality of the included literature was evaluated, and data were extracted. The software Review Manager software 5.3 was used for statistical analysis. RESULTS: Fourteen studies with a total of 571 patients were included in this meta-analysis. The meta-analysis indicated that chin-down manoeuvre could significantly reduce the risk of aspiration (MD = -1.35, 95% CI [-2.25, -0.44], Z = 2.92, p < .01), decrease the chin angle (MD = -12.20, 95% CI [-14.61, -9.79], Z = 9.91, p < .001), shorten oral transit time (MD = -0.81, 95% CI [-1.20, -0.43], Z = 4.17, p < .001), reduce the maximum swallowing pressure at upper oesophageal sphincter (MD = -82.07, 95% CI [-112.77, -51.37], Z = 5.24, p < .001) and decrease pharyngeal residue. CONCLUSIONS: Existing evidence indicated that chin-down manoeuvre could reduce the risk of aspiration and pharyngeal residue, decrease the maximum swallowing pressure at UES. More large-sample, high-quality clinical trials are still needed in the future to further ascertain the results of this research.

A multi-stakeholder collaboration model of dementia-friendly communities: Experiences from Nanjing, China.

The care for people with dementia (PwD) in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) is dominated by home care and supplemented sporadically by public care provided using public resources. In the context of community resources cannot meet the demand for high-quality services for PwD, dementia-friendly communities (DFCs) provide ideas for alleviating this situation by integrating resources from multiple stakeholders. However, there is still a considerable gap between the capacity of services and the demand of PwD. Based on the experience of elderly services and DFCs construction in Nanjing, China, this study developed a stakeholder collaboration model and clarified the collaborative relationship among stakeholders such as the government, communities, and medical institutions in meeting the needs of PwD. This work summarizes the partnerships and specific actions of stakeholders and highlights the importance of facilitating resource integration to provide comprehensive services.

Epidemiology and risk factors of oral frailty among older people: an observational study from China.

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to compare the prevalence of oral frailty among community-dwelling older people in Nanjing, China with the usage of different measurements, and to investigate the potential risk factors of oral frailty. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: A total of 338 community-dwelling older people in Nanjing, China were recruited. METHODS: Oral frailty was measured based on the Oral Frailty Index-8 (OFI-8) scale and other measurement methods including the number of natural teeth (TN), repetitive saliva-swallowing test (RSST), and oral diadochokinesis (ODK). The chi-square test and the binary logistic regression analysis were performed to identify potential risk factors for oral frailty. RESULTS: There were 310 participants included in the analysis. Prevalence of oral frailty by using the OFI-8, OFI-8 + TN, OFI-8 + ODK, OFI-8 + TN + ODK and RSST measurement methods were 69.0%, 27.4%, 51.9%, 21.0% and 2.9%, respectively. Passive smoking (OR = 2.04; 95%CI 1.03-4.03), being widowed/unmarried (OR1 = 2.53; 95%CI 1.25-5.10; OR2 = 2.94; 95%CI 1.12-7.77), pre-frailty (OR = 1.76; 95%CI 1.03-3.01), frailty (OR = 3.01; 95%CI 1.39-6.54), and aged 80 years and above (OR = 3.99; 95%CI 1.35-11.81) were found to be risk factors of oral frailty by the usage of the four kinds of measurement methods. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: The definition and diagnostic criteria of oral frailty are strongly needed to be unified in future research. Only subjective assessment is not enough for assessing oral frailty. Among objective indicators, RSST is not suitable as a screening method for oral frailty. In addition, objective indicators including TN and ODK should be valued for early screening and preventive interventions. The risk factors of oral frailty include physical frailty, passive smoking, and being widowed.

Integrated profiling identifies CACNG3 as a prognostic biomarker for patients with glioma.

Gliomas are the most common malignant primary brain tumors in adults with poor prognoses. The purpose of this study is to explore CACNG3 as a prognostic factor that is closely related to the progression and survival outcome of gliomas and to provide a potential new molecular target for the diagnosis and treatment of glioma patients. CACNG3 expression and related clinical data were collected from three major databases of The Chinese Glioma Genome Atlas (CGGA), The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), and Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO). The CGGA dataset was used as a training set, and TCGA and GEO datasets obtained from the GEO database were used for validation. CACNG3 was expressed at low levels in the tumor group, and the overall survival (OS) in patients with low CACNG3 expression is shorter. Furthermore, CACNG3 expression was negatively associated with glioma grades, which was confirmed in the IHC results of clinical samples. The expression level of CACNG3 in the IDH1 wide-type group, 1p/19q non-codel group, and mesenchymal subtype group was significantly reduced, and the results showed that CACNG3 could serve as a biomarker for the mesenchymal molecular subtype. In addition, the univariate and multivariate analysis verified the prognostic value of CACNG3 in predicting the OS of gliomas of all grades. The results of functional annotation and pathway enrichment analysis of differently expressed genes(DEGs), showed that CACNG3 might affect the development of glioma by interfering with synaptic transmission. Moreover, temozolomide (TMZ), commonly used in the treatment of glioma, increased CACNG3 expression in a dose and time-dependent manner. Therefore, CACNG3 plays a vital role in the occurrence and development of gliomas and can serve as a potential biomarker for targeted therapy and further investigation in the future.

Economic evaluations of electronic health interventions for people with age-related cognitive impairment and their caregivers: A systematic review.

OBJECTS: Dementia has physical, social and economic impacts, causing considerable distress for people with age-related cognitive impairment (PWACI) and their caregivers. Electronic health (e-health) interventions can provide convenient education to improve the coping competence of caregivers and have become an important approach to supporting them. Understanding the economic evidence of e-health interventions will facilitate the decision making and implementation of integrating e-health into routine health services. The present review aimed to appraise economic evidence related to e-health interventions for PWACI and their caregivers. METHODS: We systematically searched multiple cross-disciplinary databases from inception to February 28, 2023. Two reviewers independently selected the trials, assessed the quality, and checked the data. A descriptive-analytical narrative method was used to analyze the review findings. RESULTS: Thirteen studies were analyzed, including 12 randomized controlled trials and one quasi-experimental study. All included studies were conducted in developed countries. The included studies reported limited economic information. There were six cost-effectiveness analysis, five cost-consequence analysis and one partial economic evaluation. The included studies were heterogeneous, and varied in quality. The results demonstrated that e-health multicomponent interventions can reduce the cost of health service utilization in short term (10-104 weeks). CONCLUSIONS: Few studies calculated the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of e-health interventions. Preliminary evidence indicates that e-health interventions can reduce the cost of health service utilization in the short term, but the cost-effectiveness of e-health interventions hasn't been identified. More robust evidence is needed to clarify the value of e-health interventions for PWACI and their caregivers.

RNA-seq reveals novel mechanistic targets of Livin in bladder cancer.

BACKGROUND: Bladder cancer is a very common malignancy with a high recurrence rate. The survival of patients with muscle-invasive bladder cancer is poor, and new therapies are needed. Livin has been reported to be upregulated in bladder cancer and influence the proliferation of cancer cells. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The Livin gene in human bladder cancer cell line T24 was knocked out, and the differentially expressed genes were identified by RNA-seq and qPCR. RESULTS: Livin knockdown affects gene expression and has strong negative effects on some cancer-promoting pathways. Furthermore, combined with bladder cancer clinical sample data downloaded from TCGA and GEO, 2 co-up-regulated genes and 58 co-down-regulated genes were identified and validated, which were associated with cancer proliferation and invasion. CONCLUSION: All these results suggest that Livin plays an important role in bladder cancer and could be a potential anticancer target in clinical therapy.

Multimorbidity patterns and the association with health status of the oldest-old in long-term care facilities in China: a two-step analysis.

BACKGROUND: The increasing prevalence of multimorbidity has created a serious global public health problem in aging populations. Certain multimorbidity patterns across different age ranges and their association with health status remain unclear. The main aim of this study is to identify multimorbidity patterns discrepancies and associated health status between younger-old and oldest-old. METHODS: The Ethics Committee of Nanjing Medical University approved the study protocol (No.2019-473). Convenience sampling method was used to recruit older adults aged ≥ 60 years with multimorbidity from July to December 2021 from 38 Landsea long-term care facilities in China. The multimorbidity patterns were analyzed using network analysis and two-step cluster analysis. One-Way ANOVA was utilized to explore their association with health status including body function, activity of daily living, and social participation. A Sankey diagram visualized the flow of health status within different multimorbidity patterns. This study is reported following the STROBE guidelines. RESULTS: A total of 214 younger-old (60-84 years) and 173 oldest-old (≥ 85 years) were included. Leading coexisting diseases were cardiovascular disease (CD), metabolic and endocrine disease (MED), neurological disease (ND), and orthopedic disease (OD). Cluster 1 (53, 24.8%) of CD-ND (50, 94.3%; 31, 58.8%), cluster 2 (39, 18.2%) of MED-ND-CD (39, 100%; 39, 100%; 37, 94.9%), cluster 3 (37, 17.3%) of OD-CD-MED-ND (37, 100%; 33, 89.2%; 27, 73.0%; 16, 43.2%), and cluster 4 (34, 15.9%) of CD-MED (34, 100%; 34, 100%) were identified in the younger-old. In the oldest-old, the primary multimorbidity patterns were: cluster 1 (33, 19.1%) of CD-respiratory disease-digestive disease-urogenital disease (CD-RD-DSD-UD) (32, 97.0%; 9, 27.3%; 8, 24.2%; 7, 21.2%), cluster 2 (42, 24.3%) of ND-CD-MED (42, 100%; 35, 83.3%; 14, 33.3%), cluster 3 (28, 16.2%) of OD-CD-MED (28, 100%; 25, 89.3%; 18, 64.3%), and cluster 4 (35, 20.2%) of CD-MED (35, 100%; 35, 100%). Younger-old with CD-ND or MED-ND-CD, and oldest-old with ND-CD-MED have worse health status compared with other multimorbidity patterns (e.g., CD-MED and OD-CD-MED). CONCLUSION: Discrepancies in common patterns of multimorbidity across age groups suggest that caregivers in long-term care facilities should consider changes in multimorbidity patterns with ageing when developing prevention plans for individualized management. Neurological disease concurrent with other diseases was the major determinant of health status, especially for the oldest-old. Interventions targeting multimorbidity need to be focused, yet generic. It is essential to assess complex needs and health outcomes that arise from different multimorbidity patterns and manage them through an interdisciplinary approach and consider their priorities to gain high-quality primary care for older adults living in long-term care facilities.

A Cartoon Version of Braden Scale to Assess the Risk of Pressure Injury: Content Validity and Interrater Reliability Study.

INTRODUCTION: The Braden Scale is widely used to assess the risk of pressure injury. However, the vague literal description of the items creates difficulties for bedside nurses and limits its sensitivity. To solve this problem, we developed a cartoon version of the Braden scale (CVBS) to improve the pressure injury risk assessment ability of bedside nurses. METHODS: The CVBS was constructed by two nurses, and the final version was determined through a two-round Delphi consultation. The scale's content validity was calculated based on expert ratings. A total of 265 patients were evaluated simultaneously with the CVBS by 119 bedside nurses and 46 wound care specialists; and 114 bedside nurses and the same 46 wound care specialists evaluated 239 patients with the original Braden scale (OBS). The interrater reliability between the two groups was calculated as Kappa value, and then the Kappa values of the two versions were compared. RESULTS: The content validity for the draft scale was not good enough. After modification, the indices of all the items in the final CVBS reached 1.00. The Kappa value of the OBS was 0.69 (95% CI 0.61-0.76); for each item, it ranged from 0.60 to 0.80. The interrater reliabilities of the CVBS were higher than those of the OBS, with an overall kappa value of 0.87 (95% CI 0.81-0.92) and a range of 0.77 to 0.93 for each item. The differences between the Kappa values of the CVBS and those of the OBS were all statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS: The CVBS had good validity and showed higher interrater reliability than the OBS, indicating that it may improve bedside nurses' ability to assess pressure injury risk.

The adaptation of older adults' transition to residential care facilities and cultural factors: a meta-synthesis.

BACKGROUND: The transition to residential care facilities can be stressful for older people, entailing numerous challenges. Many qualitative studies focused on the adjustment and the experiences associated with older adults' admission to residential care facilities. However, there have been few studies to synthesize qualitative studies and pay attention to the cultural factors influencing adaptation. The aim is to appraise the adaptation of older people' s transition to the residential care facilities. METHODS: We followed the method of Preferred Reporting Items of Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA). Six databases (CINHAL, Cochrane, Embase, Pubmed, PsycInfo, and Web of Science) were searched systematically from their inception until April 2020 using Medical Subject Headings (MSH) or Subject Headings plus free-text words. The CASP evaluation for qualitative studies was used for quality appraisal and meta-aggregation was used in the data analysis. RESULTS: Ten studies (from 7 countries on 3 continents) were included in this review. We synthesized two main findings: the impacts of culture on adaptation and the transition process. CONCLUSIONS: Understanding the cultural factors helps nursing staff to gain new insight into older adults' transition to residential care facilities. The consideration of cultural factors might be incorporated into tailored interventions for residents during transition. Nursing staff is advised to pay attention to the decision-making process before residents' admission to the residential care facilities, and care plans are best made by residents, family members, and staff members together at the beginning of the decision-making process.

[Microorganisms in the urethral secretions of chronic prostatitis patients: A genomic analysis].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the differences in the microbial floras in the urethral secretions of the patients with chronic prostatitis to provide some reliable pathogenic evidence for the diagnosis and treatment of the disease. METHODS: Using high-throughput second-generation sequencing technology, we detected the microorganisms in the urethral secretions from 33 chronic prostatitis patients and 30 normal healthy males. We analyzed the significant differences in the microbial flora between the two groups via the rank-sum test and performed data processing with the bioinformatics software, P < 0.05 considered as with statistically significant difference. RESULTS: Statistically significant differences were observed in 17 kinds of bacteria from the urethral secretions between the normal healthy controls and chronic prostatitis patients. LEfSe analysis showed that the microorganisms with most significant abundance difference in the urethral secretions of the chronic prostatitis patients included micrococcaceae, coriobacteriaceae, coriobacteriales, coriobacteriia, weeksellaceae, comamonadaceae, enterobacteriaceae, enterobacteriales, xanthomonadaceae, and xanthomonadales. Principal component analysis (PCA) revealed significant difference in the microbial composition between the two groups. CONCLUSIONS: There is a certain correlation between chronic prostatitis and changes in the composition of urethral microbial floras. Chronic prostatitis may result from concerted action of multiple microbes rather than a single one.

The factors of adaptation to nursing homes in mainland China: a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: China is one of the most rapidly ageing countries and has the largest ageing population in the world. The demand for long-term care is increasing. Nursing home placement is one of the most stressful events in a person's life. Although research on relocation adjustment has been conducted in many countries, few studies have been related to the predictors of nursing home adjustment in mainland China. This study aimed to identify the predictors of nursing home adjustment in the context of filial piety in mainland China. METHODS: This was a descriptive study that employed a cross-sectional survey. A total of 303 residents from 22 nursing homes in Nanjing, China, were recruited. A structured questionnaire about residents' characteristics, activities of daily living, social support, resilience, and nursing home adjustment was administered. Multiple linear regression was used to identify the predictors of adaptation to nursing homes. RESULTS: The predictors of nursing home adjustment were the satisfaction with services(ß = .158, P < .01), number of diseases(ß = -.091, P < .05), length of stay(ß = .088, P < .05), knowledge of the purpose of admission (ß = .092, P < .05), resilience(ß = .483, P < .001) and social support(ß = .186, P < .001). The total explained variance for this model was 61.6%. CONCLUSION: Nursing staff members should assess the characteristics of residents to promote their better adjustment. Resilience had the most significant influence on the level of adaptation, which has been the primary focus of interventions to improve adjustment. The management of disease comorbidities in nursing homes should be standardized and supervised by the government. More volunteers from universities and communities should be encouraged to provide social support to residents. Moreover, a caring culture needs to be emphasized, and the value of filial piety should be advocated in nursing homes of East Asian countries.

Satellite-Based Detection and Characterization of Industrial Heat Sources in China.

Despite their important contribution to the economic domain, active heat-releasing industrial plants have significant implications for human health and climate change. However, a spatially detailed dataset of various heat-releasing industrial sectors and large-scale characterization of heat emissions from industrial sources have not been reported yet. In this study, a dataset of heat-releasing industries was established using a national detection map of thermal anomalies produced by a novel and more accurate method employing daily nighttime visible infrared imaging radiometer suite thermal infrared images corresponding to 1 year. Subsequently, we quantified the dimensional features of heat radiation fluxes of China's industrial plants. A total of 12 114 industrial objects were structured in a two-level hierarchical dataset of heat-releasing industries, representing a magnitude of at least 1 order higher than the number enumerated in the state-of-the-art inventory of industrial heat sources across China. The satellite observations helped more completely characterize industrial heat plumes, which represent the industrial heat radiation fluxes with higher levels of densities that prevail in the central-eastern part of China having spatial clustering islands. Our results could be used to inform policy and environmental management in relation to meaningful dynamic industrial supervision, targeting extreme polluters and differentiated emission mitigation measurements.

Transcript levels of orf288 are associated with the hau cytoplasmic male sterility system and altered nuclear gene expression in Brassica juncea.

Cytoplasmic male sterility (CMS) is primarily caused by chimeric genes located in the mitochondrial genomes. In Brassica juncea, orf288 has been identified as a CMS-associated gene in the hau CMS line; however, neither the specific abortive stage nor the molecular function of the gene have been determined. We therefore characterized the hau CMS line, and found that defective mitochondria affect the development of archesporial cells during the L2 stage, leading to male sterility. The expression level of the orf288 transcript was higher in the male-sterility line than in the fertility-restorer line, although no significant differences were apparent at the protein level. The toxicity region of ORF288 was found to be located near the N-terminus and repressed growth of Escherichia coli. However, transgenic expression of different portions of ORF288 indicated that the region that causes male sterility resides between amino acids 73 and 288, the expression of which in E. coli did not result in growth inhibition. Transcriptome analysis revealed a wide range of genes involved in anther development and mitochondrial function that were differentially expressed in the hau CMS line. This study provides new insights into the hau CMS mechanism by which orf288 affects the fertility of Brassica juncea.

Structure-Based Identification, Characterization, and Disruption of Human Securin-Binding SH3 Domains in Lung Cancer.

The human securin is an oncogenic transcription factor that has been found to promote migration and invasion of lung cancer and many other tumors. The protein contains a PxxP motif that can be recognized and bound by diverse cellular partners via Src homology (SH3) domain to regulate biological and pathological events. The motif is covered by a decapeptide segment (161)LGPPSPVKMP(170) (SecPeptide) as the potential binding site of SH3 domains. Here, we attempted to systemically identify the SH3 binding partners of human securin in lung cancer and to characterize the intermolecular interaction between SecPeptide and the identified SH3 domains. A bioinformatics protocol that integrated literature curation, complex structural modeling, and binding affinity analysis was described to perform systematic search against an array of SH3-containing proteins involved in lung cancer signaling pathway and, consequently, three putative domains, namely GRB2, CRK, and RasGAP, were identified that have high potential to recognize and bind SecPeptide. The molecular mechanism and biological implication underlying the intermolecular interaction between these domains and SecPetide were investigated at structural and energetic level. Surface plasmon resonance assay revealed a high or moderate affinity of SecPeptide and its two mutants binding to CRK-SH3 domain with dissociation constants Kd = 79.8, 24.2, and 64.6 µM, respectively.

[Effects of serum from the obesity patients with diabetic mellitus on TLR4/NF-κB pathway in human THP-1 monocytes].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects of serum from the obesity patients and obesity patients with Diabetic mellitus on toll-like receptor 4/Nuclear factor -κB p65 (TLR/NF-κB) pathway in human THP-1 monocytes and to explore the inflammatory immune response in obesity. METHODS: Peripheral serum was isolated from healthy volunteers (the control group), the obesity patients (Ob group) and the obesity patients with diabetic mellitus (the Ob with DM group), respectively, 20 in each group. THP-1 monocytes were incubated with the serum for 48 h. The monocytes and culture supernatant were collected. The phosphorylation level of NF-κB p65 protein in THP-1 monocytes was evaluated by Western blot as well as immunofluorescence assay. The TLR4 mRNA expression was evaluated by RT-PCR. ELISA was used to measure the monocyte chemotactic protein-1 (MCP-1) levels in the culture supernatant. RESULTS: In the presence of serum, the obesity group and the obesity with diabetic mellitus group showed the up-regulated phosphorylation level of NF-κB p65 protein and TLR4 mRNA expression in THP-1 monocytes compared with the healthy control group (both P<0.05), and the MCP-1 levels in the obesity patients were up-regulated significantly compared with the healthy control group [healthy control group (26.4 ± 3.9) pg/mL, Ob group (45.8 ± 10.0) pg/mL, Ob with DM group (58.0 ± 15.3) pg/mL; P<0.05]. These parameters were further up-regulated in the obesity patients with diabetic mellitus patients. CONCLUSION: The serum from the obesity patients or the obesity patients with diabetes can induce monocyte dysfunction, which might be related to the activation of TLR4/NF-κB signaling pathway.

Longitudinal study on the trajectory and influencing factors of cognitive dysfunction in lung transplantation patients.

INTRODUCTION: Lung transplantation is an effective method for treating end-stage lung disease. It prolongs the survival time of patients, improves the quality of life, and prevents the degree of mental disability. In particular, postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD) is one of the complications after lung transplantation. Despite this, longitudinal studies on the identification and heterogeneity of cognitive dysfunction subgroup trajectories in transplant patients are lacking. Therefore, our study aimed to evaluate the factors that influence POCD in lung transplant patients. METHODS: This prospective longitudinal study included patients who underwent lung transplantation at the transplant center of Wuxi People's Hospital from September 2022 to September 2023. Patients with lung transplants were evaluated at 8 days (T1), 1 month (T2), 3 months (T3), and 6 months (T4) after the operation. The general information questionnaire evaluated cognitive functions using the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) numerical rating scale (NRS) and the digital pain assessment to obtain the POCD values. Latent category growth model (LCGM) analysis was used to identify heterogeneous POCD subgroups in the four observation periods. Univariate and logistic regression analyses were used to identify factors affecting POCD classification and independent risk factors. RESULTS: Based on clinical outcomes, 79 patients completed all four surveys, of whom 16 were lost during the follow-up period (loss rate, 16.8%). The cognitive function by MoCA NRS score was 14.18 ± 5.32 points on day 8 (T1), 22.51 ± 5.13 points at 1 month (T2), 25.44 ± 3.61 at 3 months (T3), and 27.04 ± 3.03 points at 6 months (T4) after lung transplantation, showing an increasing trend. The LCGM, used to fit the trajectory of MoCA scores, observed a heterogeneous trajectory of changes in lung transplant patients. Based on this analysis, patients could be divided into two categories: those with high risk (25,32%) and those with low risk (54,68%). The single-factor analysis identified that POCD values were affected by early postoperative rehabilitation exercise, degree of pain, intensive care unit (ICU) stay time, and donor lung cold ischemia time (all P < 0.05). Using the low-risk group as the reference class, logistic regression analysis showed that the model could correctly classify the subjects. CONCLUSION: Our 6-month observation of lung transplant patients showed that the degree of cognitive dysfunction had an overall downward trend and that patients could be divided into two trajectories of high and low risk for POCD. Early postoperative rehabilitation exercise, degree of pain, ICU stay time, and donor lung cold ischemia time were all influencing factors for POCD in lung transplant patients.

Effect of emotional stimulus on response inhibition in people with mild cognitive impairment: an event-related potential study.

Background: A few studies are emerging to explore the issue of how aging promotes emotional response inhibition. However, there is a lack of empirical study concerning the impact of pathological cognitive impairment on emotional response inhibition. The present study investigated the effect of emotion on response inhibition in people with mild cognitive impairment, the stage of cognitive impairment before dementia. Methods: We used two emotional stop-signal tasks to explore whether the dual competition framework considering limited cognitive resources could explain the relationship between emotion and response inhibition in mild cognitive impairment. Results: The results showed that negative emotions prolonged N2 latency. The Go trial accuracy was reduced in the high-arousal negative conditions and the stop-signal reaction time was prolonged under high-arousal conditions. This study also verified impaired response inhibition in mild cognitive impairment and found that negative emotions prolonged P3 latency in mild cognitive impairment. Conclusion: Emotional information interferes with response inhibition in mild cognitive impairment populations, possibly because emotional information captures more attentional resources, thus interfering with response inhibition that relies on common-pool resources.