Low awareness of venous thromboembolism among neurosurgical hospitalized patients: a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Venous thromboembolism (VTE) including Deep Venous Thrombosis (DVT) and Pulmonary Embolism (PE), is a serious cause of patient morbidity and mortality in hospitals. Neurosurgical hospitalized patients have higher rates of immobility and bed rest, thus increasing their risk of developing VTE. This highlights the need for their thromboprophylaxis regimens. Patients' awareness of VTE is essential for promoting strategies such as early ambulation and encouraging self-assessment and self-reporting of VTE signs and symptoms. This study evaluated neurosurgical hospitalized patients' awareness of VTE and explored the influencing factors to provide a theoretical basis for nursing intervention. METHODS: We selected one tertiary level hospital in Hunan Province and randomly sampled eligible patients from each five neurosurgical units. We conducted a cross-sectional survey of the hospitalized patients of neurosurgery using the self-designed and validated VTE knowledge questionnaire, and the influencing factors were analyzed using SPSS 26.0. RESULTS: A total of 386 neurosurgical hospitalized patients completed the survey. The score of VTE knowledge in neurosurgical hospitalized patients was 13.22 (SD = 11.52). 36.0% and 21.2% of participants reported they had heard of DVT and PE, respectively. 38.9% of participants were unable to correctly identify any symptoms of VTE. The most frequently identified risk factor was 'immobility or bed rest for more than three days' (50.0% of participants), and 38.1% of patients agreed that PE could cause death. 29.5% of participants were unable to identify any prophylactic measures of VTE. The results of Negative Binomial Regression showed that the influencing factors of VTE knowledge in neurosurgical hospitalized patients were education level (P < 0.004) and sources of information related to VTE, including nurses (95% CI = 2.201-4.374, P < 0.001), and family member/friend (95% CI = 2.038-4.331, P < 0.001), Internet/TV (95% CI = 1.382-2.834, P < 0.001). Other sources included patient /pamphlet/poster /professional books (95% CI = 1.492-3.350, P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates the lack of awareness of VTE among neurosurgical hospitalized patients. More attention must be paid to carrying out training on VTE knowledge according to different characteristics of neurosurgical hospitalized patients, so as to ensure safe and high-quality patient care.

Knowledge, attitude, and practice of pediatric nurses in prevention of central venous access device-related thrombosis in hospitalized children: a nationwide cross-sectional survey.

Central venous access device-related thrombosis (CRT) is a common complication in hospitalized children. The pediatric nurses' knowledge, attitude, and practice are of great significance for CRT prevention in hospitalized children. The purpose of this study was to elaborate on the level and influencing factors of pediatric nurses' knowledge, attitude, and practice on the prevention related to CRT in hospitalized children. This national cross-sectional study was carried out in China from January 16, 2021, to April 23, 2021. A multi-stage sampling method was adopted, and 1060 pediatric nurses from 21 hospitals participated in this study. The current situation and influencing factors of pediatric nurses' knowledge, attitude, and practice were investigated by descriptive statistics, approximate t test or independent-sample t test, nonparametric Kruskal-Wallis H test, one-way analysis of variance, and multiple linear regression analysis. The relationship among pediatric nurses' knowledge, attitude, and practice was explored by the Pearson correlation analysis. Among all pediatric nurses involved in this study, 25% had insufficient knowledge, 18% had negative attitudes, and 24% had poor behaviors. The main influencing factors on the knowledge, attitude, and practice included the highest education level of pediatric nurses (ß = 0.10, P = .001), whether received training related to CRT prevention (ß = 0.09-0.14, P < .01), whether CRT-related knowledge was enough for dealing with clinical work (ß = 0.18-0.21, P < .001), and the importance of hospitals/departments on children CRT prevention (ß = 0.16-0.24, P < .001). There was a positive correlation between knowledge, attitude, and practice (r = 0.24-0.77, P < .01).    Conclusion: Pediatric nurses' CRT-prevention knowledge and practice are unsatisfactory, while their preventive attitude toward CRT prevention is optimistic. This study assists the formulation of comprehensive intervention strategies for pediatric nurses in preventing CRT in hospitalized children by hospital-related organizations and nursing managers, so as to improve the participation of pediatric nurses in CRT prevention and reduce the occurrence of CRT for hospitalized children. What is Known: • As a common complication in hospitalized children, CRT can induce many potentially serious complications. • A professional nursing team is an important prerequisite for reducing CRT incidence. What is New: • The levels of pediatric nurses' knowledge and practice are not satisfactory, while pediatric nurses' preventive attitude toward CRT prevention is optimistic. • Hospital-related organizations and nursing managers should highlight the importance of CRT prevention and encourage pediatric nurses to improve their expertise and strengthen the training related to CRT prevention.

Development and validation of a nomogram model for central venous access device-related thrombosis in hospitalized children.

This study aimed to develop and validate a nomogram model of central venous access device-related thrombosis (CRT) for hospitalized children. A total of 503 consecutive cases from a hospital in Changsha City, Hunan Province were stochastically classified into the training set and internal validation set at a ratio of 7:3, and 85 consecutive cases in two hospitals in Urumqi City, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region were collected as an external validation set. Univariate analysis and multivariate analysis on CRT-related risk factors of hospitalized children were conducted, a logistic regression model was employed to establish the nomogram, and the discrimination, calibration, and decision curve analysis was performed to assess the proposed nomogram model. The nomogram model involved seven independent risk factors, including blind catheterization, abnormal liver function, central line-associated bloodstream infection, infection, number of catheter lines, leukemia, and bed rest > 72 h. The discrimination results showed that the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of the training set, internal validation set, and external validation set was 0.74, 0.71, and 0.76 respectively, and the accuracy rates of the proposed nomogram model were 79%, 72%, and 71% in the training set, internal validation set, and external validation set. The calibration results also showed that the calibration curve had great fitness for each dataset. More importantly, the decision curve suggested that the proposed nomogram model had a prominent clinical significance. CONCLUSION: The nomogram model can be used as a risk assessment tool to reduce the missed diagnosis rate and the incidence of CRT in hospitalized children. WHAT IS KNOWN: • Central venous access device-related thrombosis is generally asymptomatic for hospitalized children, causing the missed diagnosis of central venous access device-related thrombosis easily. • No risk prediction nomogram model for central venous access device-related thrombosis in hospitalized children has been established. WHAT IS NEW: • A visual and personalized nomogram model was built by seven accessible variables (blind catheterization, abnormal liver function, central line-associated bloodstream infection, infection, number of catheter lines, leukemia, and bed rest > 72 h). • The model can effectively predict the risk of central venous access device-related thrombosis for hospitalized children.

Long Noncoding RNA Metastasis-Associated Lung Adenocarcinoma Transcript 1 Promotes the Osteoblast Differentiation of Human Bone Marrow-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells by Targeting the microRNA-96/Osterix Axis.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate whether and how the long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) metastasis-associated lung adenocarcinoma transcript 1 (MALAT1) sponges microRNA-96 (miR-96) to achieve the osteogenic differentiation of human bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (hBMSCs). METHODS: Protein levels were detected by Western blot. Mineralized bone matrix formation was studied by alizarin red staining. Metastasis-associated lung adenocarcinoma transcript 1, miR-96, and osteogenesis-related Messenger RNA expression was assessed by Quantitative Real-time Polymerase Chain Reaction (qRT-PCR). The interactions between miR-96 and osterix (Osx), MALAT1, and miR-96 were determined by luciferase reporter assay. RESULTS: The expression of MALAT1 was upregulated whereas that of miR-96 was downregulated in osteogenic hBMSCs. In addition, the expression of MALAT1 significantly decreased whereas that of miR-96 increased in the hBMSCs of osteoporosis (OP) patients. qRT-PCR and alizarin red staining assays showed that MALAT1 silencing or miR-96 overexpression inhibits hBMSC osteogenic differentiation and vice versa. overexpression of miR-96 reversed the promotive effect of MALAT1 on the osteogenic differentiation of hBMSCs. Dual luciferase report assay verified that miR-96 is a regulatory target of MALAT1 and that Osx is a gene target of miR-96. CONCLUSIONS: Taken together, the results demonstrate that MALAT1 promotes the osteogenic differentiation of hBMSCs by regulating the miR-96/Osx axis. Our study provides novel mechanistic insights into the critical role of lncRNA MALAT1 as a microRNA sponge in OP patients and sheds new light on lncRNA-directed diagnostics and therapeutics in OP.

LITAF acts as a novel regulator for pathological cardiac hypertrophy.

Pathological hypertrophy generally progresses to heart failure. Exploring effective and promising therapeutic targets might lead to progress in preventing its detrimental outcomes. Our current knowledge about lipopolysaccharide-induced tumor necrosis factor-α factor (LITAF) is mainly limited to regulate inflammation. However, the role of LITAF in other settings that are not that relevant to inflammation, such as cardiac remodeling and heart failure, remains largely unknown. In the present study, we found that the expression of LITAF decreased in hypertrophic hearts and cardiomyocytes. Meanwhile, LITAF protected cultured neonatal rat cardiomyocytes against phenylephrine-induced hypertrophy. Moreover, using LITAF knockout mice, we demonstrated that LITAF deficiency exacerbated cardiac hypertrophy and fibrosis compared with wild-type mice. Mechanistically, LITAF directly binds to the N-terminal of ASK1, thus disrupting the dimerization of ASK1 and blocking ASK1 activation, ultimately inhibiting ASK1-JNK/p38 signaling over-activation and protecting against cardiac hypertrophy. Furthermore, AAV9-mediated LITAF overexpression attenuated cardiac hypertrophy in vivo. Conclusions: Our findings uncover the novel role of LITAF as a negative regulator of cardiac remodeling. Targeting the interaction between LITAF and ASK1 could be a promising therapeutic strategy for pathological cardiac remodeling.

Combining prostate health index and multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging in the diagnosis of clinically significant prostate cancer in an Asian population.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the practicability of combining prostate health index (PHI) and multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging (mpMRI) for the detection of clinically significant prostate cancer (csPC) in an Asian population. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We prospectively enrolled patients who underwent prostate biopsy due to elevated serum prostate-specific antigen (PSA > 4 ng/mL) and/or abnormal digital rectal examination in a tertiary referral center. Before prostate biopsy, the serum samples were tested for PSA, free PSA, and p2PSA to calculate PHI. Besides, mpMRI was performed using a 3-T scanner and reported in the Prostate Imaging Reporting and Data System version 2 (PI-RADS v2). The diagnostic performance of PHI, mpMRI, and combination of both was assessed. RESULT: Among 102 subjects, 39 (38.2%) were diagnosed with PC, including 24 (23.5%) with csPC (Gleason ≥ 7). By the threshold of PI-RADS ≥ 3, the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV) to predict csPC were 100%, 44.9%, 35.8%, and 100%, respectively. By the threshold of PHI ≥ 30, the sensitivity, specificity, PPV, and NPV to predict csPC were 91.7%, 43.6%, 33.3%, and 94.4%, respectively. The area under the receiver operator characteristic curve of combining PHI and mpMRI was greater than that of PHI alone (0.873 vs. 0.735, p = 0.002) and mpMRI alone (0.873 vs. 0.830, p = 0.035). If biopsy was restricted to patients with PI-RADS 5 as well as PI-RADS 3 or 4 and PHI ≥ 30, 50% of biopsy could be avoided with one csPC patient being missed. CONCLUSION: The combination of PHI and mpMRI had higher accuracy for detection of csPC compared with PHI or mpMRI alone in an Asian population.

Potential of circulating pro-angiogenic microRNA expressions as biomarkers for rapid angiographic stenotic progression and restenosis risks in coronary artery disease patients underwent percutaneous coronary intervention.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to investigate the correlation of pro-angiogenic microRNA (miRNA) expressions with rapid angiographic stenotic progression (RASP) and restenosis risks in coronary artery disease (CAD) patients underwent percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with drug-eluting stents (DES). METHODS: A total of 286 CAD patients underwent PCI with DES were consecutively recruited in this study. Plasma samples were collected before PCI operation, and 14 pro-angiogenic miRNAs were measured by real-time quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. Rapid angiographic stenotic progression at nontarget lesions and restenosis at stented lesions were evaluated by quantitative coronary angiography at 12 months after PCI operation. RESULTS: The occurrence rates of RASP and restenosis were 39.5% and 22.4%, respectively. Let-7f, miR-19a, miR-19b-1, miR-92a, miR-126, miR-210, and miR-296 were decreased in RASP patients than non-RASP patients, among which let-7f, miR-19a, miR-126, miR-210, and miR-296 independently correlated with lower RASP occurrence by multivariate analysis, followed by receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curve exhibited that these five miRNAs showed great value in predicting RASP risk with area under curve (AUC) 0.879 (95% CI: 0.841-0.917). Besides, let-7f, miR-19a, miR-92a, miR-126, miR-130a, and miR-210 were reduced in restenosis patients than non-restenosis patients, among them miR-19a, miR-126, miR-210, and miR-378 independently correlated with lower restenosis occurrence by multivariate analysis, followed by ROC curve disclosed that these four miRNAs had good value in predicting restenosis risk with AUC 0.776 (95% CI: 0.722-0.831). CONCLUSIONS: Circulating let-7f, miR-19a, miR-126, miR-210, and miR-296 independently correlate with reduced RASP risk, while miR-19a, miR-126, miR-210, and miR-378 independently correlate with decreased restenosis risk in CAD patients underwent PCI with DES.

Notch Pathway Is Activated via Genetic and Epigenetic Alterations and Is a Therapeutic Target in Clear Cell Renal Cancer.

Clear cell renal cell carcinoma (CCRCC) is an incurable malignancy in advanced stages and needs newer therapeutic targets. Transcriptomic analysis of CCRCCs and matched microdissected renal tubular controls revealed overexpression of NOTCH ligands and receptors in tumor tissues. Examination of the TCGA RNA-seq data set also revealed widespread activation of NOTCH pathway in a large cohort of CCRCC samples. Samples with NOTCH pathway activation were also clinically distinct and were associated with better overall survival. Parallel DNA methylation and copy number analysis demonstrated that both genetic and epigenetic alterations led to NOTCH pathway activation in CCRCC. NOTCH ligand JAGGED1 was overexpressed and associated with loss of CpG methylation of H3K4me1-associated enhancer regions. JAGGED2 was also overexpressed and associated with gene amplification in distinct CCRCC samples. Transgenic expression of intracellular NOTCH1 in mice with tubule-specific deletion of VHL led to dysplastic hyperproliferation of tubular epithelial cells, confirming the procarcinogenic role of NOTCH in vivo Alteration of cell cycle pathways was seen in murine renal tubular cells with NOTCH overexpression, and molecular similarity to human tumors was observed, demonstrating that human CCRCC recapitulates features and gene expression changes observed in mice with transgenic overexpression of the Notch intracellular domain. Treatment with the γ-secretase inhibitor LY3039478 led to inhibition of CCRCC cells in vitro and in vivo In summary, these data reveal the mechanistic basis of NOTCH pathway activation in CCRCC and demonstrate this pathway to a potential therapeutic target.

Resting Heart Rate Trajectory Pattern Predicts Arterial Stiffness in a Community-Based Chinese Cohort.

OBJECTIVE: To examine whether the long-term resting heart rate (RHR) pattern can predict the risk of having arterial stiffness in a large ongoing cohort. APPROACH AND RESULTS: This community-based cohort included 12 554 participants in the Kailun study, who were free of myocardial infarction, stroke, arrhythmia, and cancer. We used latent mixture modeling to identify RHR trajectories in 2006, 2008, and 2010. We used multivariate linear regression model to examine the association between RHR trajectory patterns and the risk of having arterial stiffness, which was assessed by brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity in 2010 to 2016. We adjusted for possible confounding factors, including socioeconomic status, lifestyle factors, use of medications, comorbidities, and serum concentrations of lipids, glucose, and high-sensitivity C-reactive proteins. We identified 5 distinct RHR trajectory patterns based on their 2006 status and on the pattern of change during 2006 to 2010 (low-stable, moderate-stable, moderate-increasing, elevated-decreasing, and elevated-stable). We found that individuals with elevated-stable RHR trajectory pattern had the highest brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity value and individuals with the low-stable RHR trajectory pattern had the lowest value (adjusted mean difference=157 cm/s; P<0.001). Adjusted odds ratio for risk of having arterial stiffness (brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity ≥1400 cm/s) was 4.14 (95% confidence interval, 2.61-6.57) relative to these 2 extreme categories. Consistently, a higher average RHR, a higher annual RHR increase rate, and a higher RHR variability were all associated with a higher risk of having arterial stiffness. CONCLUSIONS: Long-term RHR pattern is a strong predictor of having arterial stiffness.

[Psoralen inhibits RAW264.7 differentiation into osteoclasts and bone resorption by regulating CD4+T cell differentiation].

This paper aimed to investigate whether psoralen inhibits the differentiation and bone resorption by regulating CD4+T cell differentiation in RANKL-induced osteoclastogenesis in RAW264.7 cells, and elucidate its mechanism for osteoporosis. CD4+T cells were isolated from spleen cells of Balb/c mice by immunomagnetic separation method. The cells were divided into blank control group and psoralen group. The cells were cultured in 24-well plates and cultured for 3 days, and then they were collected for co-culture experiments after 4 days. Co-culture experiments were divided into RAW264.7 cell group, psoralen+RAW264.7 cell group, without psoralen treatment of CD4+T cells+RAW264.7 cell group, psoralen treatment of CD4+T cells+RAW264.7 cell group. After 5 days of co-culture, TRAP staining was used to detect the number of osteoclasts, and after 8 days of co-culture, bone resorption was evaluated by toluidine blue staining. The expressions of RORγt, Foxp3, IL-17, TNF-α, TGF-ß and IL-10 in CD4+T cells and osteoclast differentiation-related genes MMP-9, TRAP and Cat-K were detected by Real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR); ELISA kit was used to detect IL-17, TNF-α, TGF-ß and IL-10 and other cytokines levels. Our data confirmed that the psoralen significantly promoted the expression of Foxp3, TGF-ß and IL-10 in CD4+T, and inhibited the expression of RORγt, IL-17 and TNF-α in CD4+T, the CD4+T cells without treatment by psoralen can significantly promote RANKL-induced differentiation of RAW264.7 to osteoclasts, and psoralen treatment of CD4+T can significantly inhibit RANKL-induced RAW264.7 osteoclast differentiation and bone resorption. Taken together, psoralen inhibits the differentiation and bone resorption of RAW264.7 into osteoclasts by promoting the development of CD4+ CD25+ Treg/Th17 balance in CD4+T cells to CD4+CD25+T.

IL8-CXCR2 pathway inhibition as a therapeutic strategy against MDS and AML stem cells.

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) are associated with disease-initiating stem cells that are not eliminated by conventional therapies. Novel therapeutic targets against preleukemic stem cells need to be identified for potentially curative strategies. We conducted parallel transcriptional analysis of highly fractionated stem and progenitor populations in MDS, AML, and control samples and found interleukin 8 (IL8) to be consistently overexpressed in patient samples. The receptor for IL8, CXCR2, was also significantly increased in MDS CD34(+) cells from a large clinical cohort and was predictive of increased transfusion dependence. High CXCR2 expression was also an adverse prognostic factor in The Cancer Genome Atlas AML cohort, further pointing to the critical role of the IL8-CXCR2 axis in AML/MDS. Functionally, CXCR2 inhibition by knockdown and pharmacologic approaches led to a significant reduction in proliferation in several leukemic cell lines and primary MDS/AML samples via induction of G0/G1 cell cycle arrest. Importantly, inhibition of CXCR2 selectively inhibited immature hematopoietic stem cells from MDS/AML samples without an effect on healthy controls. CXCR2 knockdown also impaired leukemic growth in vivo. Together, these studies demonstrate that the IL8 receptor CXCR2 is an adverse prognostic factor in MDS/AML and is a potential therapeutic target against immature leukemic stem cell-enriched cell fractions in MDS and AML.

Dextranase from Arthrobacter oxydans KQ11-1 inhibits biofilm formation by polysaccharide hydrolysis.

Dental plaque is a biofilm of water-soluble and water-insoluble polysaccharides, produced primarily by Streptococcus mutans. Dextranase can inhibit biofilm formation. Here, a dextranase gene from the marine microorganism Arthrobacter oxydans KQ11-1 is described, and cloned and expressed using E. coli DH5α competent cells. The recombinant enzyme was then purified and its properties were characterized. The optimal temperature and pH were determined to be 60°C and 6.5, respectively. High-performance liquid chromatography data show that the final hydrolysis products were glucose, maltose, maltotriose, and maltotetraose. Thus, dextranase can inhibit the adhesive ability of S. mutans. The minimum biofilm inhibition and reduction concentrations (MBIC50 and MBRC50) of dextranase were 2 U ml-1 and 5 U ml-1, respectively. Scanning electron microscopy and confocal laser scanning microscope (CLSM) observations confirmed that dextranase inhibited biofilm formation and removed previously formed biofilms.

[Study on sub-health status and the relationship between it and personal life habits of grade one students in high school in Nanchang City].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the prevalence and its influential factors about personal life habits of sub-health of grade one students in high school in Nanchang City. METHODS: A self-designed sub-health questionnaire was used to measure the sub-health of 653 grade one students in high school in Nanchang sampled with stratified randomly cluster sampling. RESULTS: The prevalence of sub-health among the students was 85. 2% , and the prevalence. of physiological sub-health, psychological sub-health and social sub-health was 64. 3%, 55. 9% and 74. 7% respectively. In their personal life habits, the degree of activity, vegetables and fruits consumed, staying up late were the main influencing factors of sub-health (P < 0. 05). Girls, students in non-key class, cadres students, dieting students, those spending less time on physical exercises or eating less vegetables and fruits or staying up late more often were reported a higher rate of physiological sub-health (P <0. 05). Boarders or students in non-key class had a higher rate of psychological sub-health (P < 0. 05). Non-cadres students, those having less activity or having more time for entertainment or eating less vegetables and fruits had a higher risk of suffering social sub-health (P < 0. 05). CONCLUSION: The grade one students of high school in Nanchang had a high prevalence of sub-health. The prevalence of their sub-health could be effectively reduced by changing their bad habits of personal life. More attention should be given to girls, boarders, non-cadres students and students in non-key class.

[Distribution and main influential factors of mental workload of middle school teachers in Nanchang City].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the distribution and main influential factors of mental workload of middle school teachers in Nanchang City. METHODS: A total of 504 middle school teachers were sampled by random cluster sampling from middle schools in Nanchang City, and the mental workload level was assessed with National Aeronautics and Space Administration-Task Load Index (NASA-TLX) which was verified in reliability and validity. RESULTS: The mental workload scores of middle school teachers in Nanchang was approximately normal distribution. The mental workload level of middle school teachers aged 31 -35 years old was the highest. For those no more than 35 years old, there was positive correlation between mental workload and age (r = 0.146, P < 0.05). For those more than 35 years old, the levels of their mental workload had no statistically significant difference. There was a negative correlation between mental workload and educational level(r = -0.172, P < 0.05). The middle school teachers with lower educational level seemed to have a higher mental workload (P < 0.01). The longer a middle school teacher worked per day, the higher the mental workload was. Working hours per day was the most influential factor on mental workload in all influential factors (P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Mental workload of middle school teachers was closely related to age, educational level and work hours per day. Working hours per day was the important risk factor of mental workload. Reducing working hours per day, especially reducing it to be no more than 8 hours per day, may be a significant and useful approach alleviating mental workload of middle school teachers in Nanchang City.

[Effects of mental workload on work ability in primary and secondary school teachers].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the change pattern of primary and secondary school teachers' work ability with the changes in their mental workload. METHODS: A total of 901 primary and secondary school teachers were selected by random cluster sampling, and then their mental workload and work ability were assessed by National Aeronautics and Space Administration-Task Load Index (NASA-TLX) and Work Ability Index (WAI) questionnaires, whose reliability and validity had been tested. The effects of their mental workload on the work ability were analyzed. RESULTS: Primary and secondary school teachers' work ability reached the highest level at a certain level of mental workload (55.73< mental workload ≤ 64.10). When their mental workload was lower than the level, their work ability had a positive correlation with the mental workload. Their work ability increased or maintained stable with the increasing mental workload. Moreover, the percentage of teachers with good work ability increased, while that of teachers with moderate work ability decreased. But when their mental workload was higher than the level, their work ability had a negative correlation with the mental workload. Their work ability significantly decreased with the increasing mental workload (P < 0.01). Furthermore, the percentage of teachers with good work ability decreased, while that of teachers with moderate work ability increased (P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Too high or low mental workload will result in the decline of primary and secondary school teachers' work ability. Moderate mental workload (55.73∼64.10) will benefit the maintaining and stabilization of their work ability.

Characterization of a marine-derived dextranase and its application to the prevention of dental caries.

The dextranase added in current commercial dextranase-containing mouthwashes is largely from fungi. However, fungal dextranase has shown much higher optimum temperature than bacterial dextranase and relatively low activity when used in human oral cavities. Bacterial dextranase has been considered to be more effective and suitable for dental caries prevention. In this study, a dextranase (Dex410) from marine Arthrobacter sp. was purified and characterized. Dex410 is a 64-kDa endoglycosidase. The specific activity of Dex410 was 11.9 U/mg at optimum pH 5.5 and 45 °C. The main end-product of Dex410 was isomaltotriose, isomaltoteraose, and isomaltopentaose by hydrolyzing dextran T2000. In vitro studies showed that Dex410 effectively inhibited the Streptococcus mutans biofilm growth in coverage, biomass, and water-soluble glucan (WSG) by more than 80, 90, and 95 %, respectively. The animal experiment revealed that for short-term use (1.5 months), both Dex410 and the commercial mouthwash Biotene (Laclede Professional Products, Gardena, CA, USA) had a significant inhibitory effect on caries (p = 0.0008 and 0.0001, respectively), while for long-term use (3 months), only Dex410 showed significant inhibitory effect on dental caries (p = 0.005). The dextranase Dex410 from a marine-derived Arthrobacter sp. strain possessed the enzyme properties suitable to human oral environment and applicable to oral hygiene products.

The Influence of the Second Phase on the Microstructure Evolution of the Welding Heat-Affected Zone of Q690 Steel with High Heat Input.

Q690 steel is widely used as building steel due to its excellent performance. In this paper, the microstructure evolution of the heat-affected zone of Q690 steel under simulated high heat input welding conditions was investigated. The results show that under the heat input of 150-300 kJ/cm, the microstructures of the heat-affected zone are lath bainite and granular bainite. The content of lath bainite gradually decreased with the increase in heat input, while the content of granular bainite steadily increased. The proportion of large-angle grain boundaries decreased from 51.1% to 40.3%. Overall, the average size of original austenite increased, and the precipitates changed from Ti (C, N) to Cr carbides. During the cooling process, the nucleation position of bainitic ferrite was from high to low according to the nucleation temperature, and in order of inclusions at grain boundaries, triple junctions, intragranular inclusions, bainitic ferrite/austenite phase boundaries, twin boundaries, grain boundaries, and intragranular inclusions at the bainitic ferrite/austenite phase interface. The growth rate of bainitic ferrite nucleated at the phase interface, grain boundary, and other plane defects was faster, while it was slow at the inclusions. Moreover, it was noted that the Mg-Al-Ti-O composite inclusions promote the nucleation of lath bainitic ferrite, while the Al-Ca-O inclusions do not facilitate the nucleation of bainitic ferrite.

Resilience of agricultural development in China's major grain-producing areas under the double security goals of "grain ecology".

The development of agriculture faces uncertainties due to global climate variability and the scarcity of agricultural resources. Enhancing agricultural development resilience is essential for improving agriculture's adaptability to the external environment and ensuring food security. It is imperative to prevent and control agricultural pollution as it worsens. Thus, enhancing the resilience of agricultural development requires balancing food security and ecological security. The present study constructs an evaluation system for agricultural development resilience in China with three levels: resistance, resilience, and reengineering ability. The agricultural development resilience of China's main grain-producing areas is evaluated using the entropy method, and regional differences are analyzed using kernel density estimation and the Theil index. The obstacle model was used to identify and analyze the obstacles that affect agricultural development's resilience to propose countermeasures. The results showed that (1) agricultural development resilience in China's main grain-producing areas has steadily increased from 0.317 to 0.427. The resilience of agrarian development in Heilongjiang, Shandong, and Henan provinces ranges from 0.473 to 0.575, which is far higher than the mean development level; (2) Regional differences in the main grain-producing areas are narrowing from 0.077 to 0.023; (3) The main grain-producing areas share common obstacle factors, emphasizing the critical role of technological innovation, investment, and machine-cultivated land resources in enhancing agricultural resilience against external risks. Paying attention to the amount of fertilizer usage is crucial to achieving ecological security goals.

Comparison of postoperative complications in mediastinal lymph node dissection versus mediastinal lymph node sampling for early stage non-small cell lung cancer: Protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis.

INTRODUCTION: Lung cancer is the primary cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide, with high rates of morbidity and mortality. The most effective treatment for early stage (I-II) non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is surgical resection. However, the extent of mediastinal lymph nodes removal required and the impact of their removal remains controversial. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the postoperative complications in patients with stage I-II NSCLC who received mediastinal lymph node dissection (MLND) or mediastinal lymph node sampling (MLNS). METHODS AND ANALYSIS: According to the predefined inclusion criteria, we will conduct a comprehensive search for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and observational studies examining the postoperative complications of MLND compared to MLNS in patients with stage I-II NSCLC. The search will be performed across multiple databases including PubMed, Embase, the Cochrane Library, CNKI, WanFang, Sinomed, VIP, Duxiu, and Web of Science from inception to February 2024. Additionally, relevant literature references will be retrieved and hand searching of pertinent journals will be conducted. Screening, data extraction, and quality assessment will be performed by two independent reviewers. Review Manager 5.4 will be applied in analyzing and synthesizing. The Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) will be used to assess the quality of evidence for the whole RCTs and used Newcastle-Ottawa scale to assess the methodologic quality of observational studies. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: This study did not include personal information. Ethical approval was not required for this study. This study is based on a secondary analysis of the literature, so ethical review approval is not required. The final report will be published in a peer-reviewed journal. CONCLUSION: This systematic review will contribute to compare the safety and survival benefits of these two surgical techniques for the treatment of early stage NSCLC, to further guide the selection of surgical approaches. TRIAL REGISTRATION: The protocol of the systematic review has been registered on Open Science Framework, with a registration number of DOI https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/N2Y5D.