Non-KREEP origin for Chang'e-5 basalts in the Procellarum KREEP Terrane.

Mare volcanics on the Moon are the key record of thermo-chemical evolution throughout most of lunar history1-3. Young mare basalts-mainly distributed in a region rich in potassium, rare-earth elements and phosphorus (KREEP) in Oceanus Procellarum, called the Procellarum KREEP Terrane (PKT)4-were thought to be formed from KREEP-rich sources at depth5-7. However, this hypothesis has not been tested with young basalts from the PKT. Here we present a petrological and geochemical study of the basalt clasts from the PKT returned by the Chang'e-5 mission8. These two-billion-year-old basalts are the youngest lunar samples reported so far9. Bulk rock compositions have moderate titanium and high iron contents  with KREEP-like rare-earth-element and high thorium concentrations. However, strontium-neodymium isotopes indicate that these basalts were derived from a non-KREEP mantle source. To produce the high abundances of rare-earth elements and thorium, low-degree partial melting and extensive fractional crystallization are required. Our results indicate that the KREEP association may not be a prerequisite for young mare volcanism. Absolving the need to invoke heat-producing elements in their source implies a more sustained cooling history of the lunar interior to generate the Moon's youngest melts.

"How difficult it is to change dietary behaviour" experience of older people with sarcopenic obesity: a qualitative study.

BACKGROUND: Dietary intervention is an important method to manage sarcopenic obesity, but the implementation in real world is difficult to achieve an ideal condition. This study aimed to the experiences of older people with sarcopenic obesity during the implementation of dietary behavioural change (DBC) intervention. METHODS: This study is a semi-structured individual interview embedded within a pilot randomized controlled trial on community-dwelling older people with sarcopenic obesity. Purposive sampling was applied to invite 21 participants who had received a 15-week DBC intervention. The interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. Content analysis was performed to analyze the data. RESULTS: The themes for facilitators included: (a) Attach importance to self's health; (b) Family's support; (c) Concern self's body shape; (d) Instructor's support; (e) Regular food diary taken. The themes for barriers included: (a) Difficulties of taking food diary; (b) Difficulties of calculating the food amount; (c) Yield to offspring's appetite; (d) Misjudging self's or family's appetite. CONCLUSION: Support from family members and instructor, caring about self's health and body image facilitated the intervention implementation. The complication of food amount estimation and diary record, personal sacrifice for next generations, and previous living experience were barriers for implementing the intervention. Overall, the older people with sarcopenic obesity can accept the design of DBC intervention program and have great willing to join.

The mediation effect of health literacy on social support and health lifestyle of patients with chronic diseases.

BACKGROUND: Previous studies have identified the antecedents of the lifestyle of many patients with chronic diseases. However, the mechanism of social support affecting the lifestyle of patients with chronic diseases is unclear, and the role of health literacy in social support affecting the lifestyle of patients with chronic diseases has not been found. Therefore, this study aims to explore the status quo of social support, health literacy and healthy lifestyle of patients with chronic diseases in China and the relationship among them. METHODS: Through convenient sampling, 356 patients with chronic diseases were surveyed using a health promoting lifestyle scale, a chronic disease patients' health literacy scale and a social support scale. RESULTS: There was a pairwise positive correlation between social support, health lifestyle and health literacy (R = 0.397,0.356,0.556, P < 0.01). After controlling gender, age and education level, it is found that social support has a positive impact on health lifestyle, and health literacy plays an intermediary role between social support and health lifestyle, accounting for 45.78 % of the total effect. CONCLUSION: To promote the healthy lifestyle of patients with chronic diseases and delay the development of the disease, we should strengthen social support for patients with chronic diseases; We should simultaneously take various measures to improve their health literacy.

Sub-pm linewidth, high pulse energy, high beam quality microsecond-pulse Ti:sapphire laser at 766.699†nm.

In this letter, a sub-pm linewidth, high pulse energy and high beam quality microsecond-pulse 766.699 nm Ti:sapphire laser pumped by a frequency-doubled Nd:YAG laser is demonstrated. At an incident pump energy of 824 mJ, the maximum output energy of 132.5 mJ at 766.699 nm with linewidth of 0.66 pm and a pulse width of 100 µs is achieved at a repetition rate of 5 Hz. To the best of our knowledge, this is the highest pulse energy at 766.699 nm with pulse width of hundred micro-seconds for a Ti:sapphire laser. The beam quality factor M2 is measured to be 1.21. It could be precisely tuned from 766.623 to 766.755 nm with a tuning resolution of 0.8 pm. The wavelength stability is measured to be less than ±0.7 pm over 30 min. The sub-pm linewidth, high pulse energy and high beam quality Ti:sapphire laser at 766.699 nm can be used to create a polychromatic laser guide star together with a home-made 589 nm laser in the mesospheric sodium and potassium layer for the tip-tilt correction resulting in the near-diffraction limited imagery on a large telescope.

Dietary behaviour change intervention for managing sarcopenic obesity among community-dwelling older people: a pilot randomised controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: The effects of dietary intervention in managing sarcopenic obesity are controversial, and behavior change techniques are lacking in previous studies which are important for the success of dietary intervention. This study aimed to evaluate the feasibility and preliminary effects of a dietary behaviour change (DBC) intervention on managing sarcopenic obesity among community-dwelling older people in the community. METHODS: A two-armed, RCT was conducted. Sixty community-dwelling older adults (≥ 60 years old) with sarcopenic obesity were randomised into either the experimental group (n = 30), receiving a 15-week dietary intervention combined with behaviour change techniques guided by the Health Action Process Approach model, or the control group (n = 30), receiving regular health talks. Individual semi-structured interviews were conducted with 21 experimental group participants to determine the barriers and facilitators of dietary behaviour changes after the intervention. RESULTS: The feasibility of the DBC intervention was confirmed by an acceptable recruitment rate (57.14%) and a good retention rate (83.33%). Compared with the control group, the experimental group significantly reduced their body weight (p = 0.027, d = 1.22) and improved their dietary quality (p < 0.001, d = 1.31). A positive improvement in handgrip strength (from 15.37 ± 1.08 kg to 18.21 ± 1.68 kg), waist circumference (from 99.28 ± 1.32 cm to 98.42 ± 1.39 cm), and gait speed (from 0.91 ± 0.02 m/s to 0.99 ± 0.03 m/s) was observed only in the experimental group. However, the skeletal muscle mass index in the experimental group decreased. The interview indicated that behaviour change techniques enhanced the partcipants' compliance with their dietary regimen, while cultural contextual factors (e.g., family dining style) led to some barriers. CONCLUSION: The DBC intervention could reduce body weight, and has positive trends in managing handgrip strength, gait speed, and waist circumference. Interestingly, the subtle difference between the two groups in the change of muscle mass index warrants futures investigation. This study demonstrated the potential for employing dietary behaviour change interventions in community healthcare. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Registered retrospectively on ClinicalTrailas.gov (31/12/2020, NCT04690985).

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.

Effects of an individualised exercise programme plus Behavioural Change Enhancement (BCE) strategies for managing fatigue in frail older adults: a cluster randomised controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: To the best of our knowledge, although ageing-induced fatigue could cause adverse outcomes such as frailty, there is currently no intervention for it. This study evaluated the effects of an individualised exercise programme with/without BCE strategies on reducing fatigue in older adults. METHODS: A three-armed cluster-randomised controlled trial (RCT) was conducted with 184 participants (mean age: 79.1 ± 6.4; mean frailty score: 2.8 + 0.8) from 21 community centres (ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT03394495). They were randomised into either: the COMB group (n = 64), receiving 16 weeks of exercise training plus the BCE programme; the EXER group (n = 65), receiving exercise training and health talks; or the control group (n = 55), receiving only health talks. Fatigue was assessed using the Multi-dimensional Fatigue Inventory (range: 20 to 100, with higher scores indicating higher fatigue levels) at baseline, and immediately, 6 months, and 12 months post-intervention. RESULTS: The GEE analyses showed significant interaction (time x group) between the COMB and control groups immediately (p < 0.001), 6 months (p < 0.001), and 12 months (p < 0.001) post-intervention. Comparing the COMB and EXER groups, there was a significant interaction immediately (p = 0.013) and at 12 months post-intervention (p = 0.007). However, no significant difference was seen between the EXER group and control group at any time point. CONCLUSIONS: The COMB intervention showed better immediate and sustainable effects (i.e., 12 months after the intervention) on reducing fatigue in frail older adults than exercise training or health education alone. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT03394495), registered on 09/01/2018.

The Effects of Immersive Virtual Reality Applications on Enhancing the Learning Outcomes of Undergraduate Health Care Students: Systematic Review With Meta-synthesis.

BACKGROUND: Immersive virtual reality (IVR) applications are gaining popularity in health care education. They provide an uninterrupted, scaled environment capable of simulating the full magnitude of sensory stimuli present in busy health care settings and increase students' competence and confidence by providing them with accessible and repeatable learning opportunities in a fail-safe environment. OBJECTIVE: This systematic review aimed to evaluate the effects of IVR teaching on the learning outcomes and experiences of undergraduate health care students compared with other teaching methods. METHODS: MEDLINE, Embase, PubMed, and Scopus were searched (last search on May 2022) for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) or quasi-experimental studies published in English between January 2000 and March 2022. The inclusion criteria were studies involving undergraduate students majoring in health care, IVR teaching, and evaluations of students' learning outcomes and experiences. The methodological validity of the studies was examined using the Joanna Briggs Institute standard critical appraisal instruments for RCTs or quasi-experimental studies. The findings were synthesized without a meta-analysis using vote counting as the synthesis metric. A binomial test with P<.05 was used to test for statistical significance using SPSS (version 28; IBM Corp). The overall quality of evidence was evaluated using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation tool. RESULTS: A total of 17 articles from 16 studies totaling 1787 participants conducted between 2007 and 2021 were included. The undergraduate students in the studies majored in medicine, nursing, rehabilitation, pharmacy, biomedicine, radiography, audiology, or stomatology. The IVR teaching domains included procedural training (13/16, 81%), anatomical knowledge (2/16, 12%), and orientation to the operating room setting (1/16, 6%). The quality of the 75% (12/16) of RCT studies was poor, with unclear descriptions of randomization, allocation concealment, and outcome assessor blinding procedures. The overall risk of bias was relatively low in the 25% (4/16) of quasi-experimental studies. A vote count showed that 60% (9/15; 95% CI 16.3%-67.7%; P=.61) of the studies identified similar learning outcomes between IVR teaching and other teaching approaches regardless of teaching domains. The vote count showed that 62% (8/13) of the studies favored using IVR as a teaching medium. The results of the binomial test (95% CI 34.9%-90%; P=.59) did not show a statistically significant difference. Low-level evidence was identified based on the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation tool. CONCLUSIONS: This review found that undergraduate students had positive learning outcomes and experiences after engaging with IVR teaching, although the effects may be similar to those of other forms of virtual reality or conventional teaching methods. Given the identification of risk of bias and low level of the overall evidence, more studies with a larger sample size and robust study design are required to evaluate the effects of IVR teaching. TRIAL REGISTRATION: International prospective register of systematic reviews (PROSPERO) CRD42022313706; https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?RecordID=313706.

[Effect of Suanzaoren Decoction on expression of ionotropic glutamate receptors and synaptic plasticity in hippocampus of anxiety rats].

This study investigated the effect of Suanzaoren Decoction on the expression of N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors(NMDAR) and α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazole-propionic acid receptors(AMPAR) in the hippocampus and synaptic plasticity in rats with conditioned fear-induced anxiety. The effect of Suanzaoren Decoction on rat behaviors were evaluated through open field experiment, elevated plus maze experiment, and light/dark box experiment. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA) was used to measure the levels of glutamate(Glu) and γ-aminobutyric acid(GABA) in the rat hippocampus. Real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR(qRT-PCR) and Western blot were employed to assess the gene and protein expression of ionotropic glutamate receptors in the hippocampal region. Transmission electron microscopy was utilized to observe the changes in the ultrastructure of synaptic neurons in the hippocampal region. Long-term potentiation(LTP) detection technique was employed to record the changes in population spike(PS) amplitude in the hippocampal region of mice in each group. The behavioral results showed that compared with the model group, the Suanzaoren Decoction group effectively increased the number of entries into open arms, time spent in open arms, percentage of time spent in open arms out of total movement time, number of entries into open arms out of total entries into both arms(P<0.01), and significantly increased the time spent in the light box and the number of shuttle crossings(P<0.01). There was an increasing trend in the number of grid crossings, entries into the center grid, and time spent in the center grid, indicating a significant anxiolytic effect. ELISA results showed that compared with the model group, the Suanzaoren Decoction group exhibited significantly reduced levels of Glu, Glu/GABA ratio(P<0.01), and significantly increased levels of GABA(P<0.01) in the rat hippocampus. Furthermore, Suanzaoren Decoction significantly decreased the gene and protein expression of NMDAR(GluN2B and GluN2A) and AMPAR(GluA1 and GluA2) compared with the model group. Transmission electron microscopy results demonstrated improvements in synapses, neuronal cells, and organelles in the hippocampal region of the Suanzaoren Decoction group compared with the model group. LTP detection results showed a significant increase in the PS amplitude changes in the hippocampal region of Suanzaoren Decoction group from 5 to 35 min compared with the model group(P<0.05, P<0.01). In conclusion, Suanzaoren Decoction exhibits significant anxiolytic effects, which may be attributed to the reduction in NMDAR and AMPAR expression levels and the improvement of synaptic plasticity.

Social support and depressive symptoms: exploring stigma and self-efficacy in a moderated mediation model.

BACKGROUND: Although some psychological processes, such as stigma and self-efficacy, affect the complicated relationship between social support and depressive symptoms, few studies explored a similar psychological mechanism among individuals with substance use disorders (SUDs). Hence, this research investigates the mediating effects of stigma and the moderating effects of self-efficacy among the psychological mechanism that social support affects depressive symptoms. METHODS: The study included 1040 Chinese participants with SUDs and completed a series of self-report questionnaires. R software was used to organize and clean up data sets and analyze mediation and moderation effects. RESULTS: The result showed that stigma partially mediated depressive symptoms, while self-efficacy moderated this relationship. More specifically, less social support increased depression symptoms by bringing about higher stigma. Besides, subjects with higher self-efficacy are less susceptible to stigma and therefore have mild depressive symptoms. Furthermore, clinical and theoretical implications are discussed in our study. CONCLUSIONS: Chinese SUDs patients' depressive symptoms were indirectly affected by perceived social support via stigma and less affected by stigma with improved self-efficacy. The theoretical and practical implications of these results are discussed.

Sarcopenia and its association with objectively measured life-space mobility and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity in the oldest-old amid the COVID-19 pandemic when a physical distancing policy is in force.

INTRODUCTION: The oldest-old are highly vulnerable to sarcopenia. Physical distancing remains a common and effective infection-control policy to minimize the risk of COVID-19 transmission during the pandemic. Sarcopenia is known to be associated with impaired immunity. Moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and life-space mobility (LSM) are potential strategies for minimizing the risk of sarcopenia. However, a physical distancing policy might jeopardize the practice of MVPA and LSM. The purposes of this study were to identify the prevalence of sarcopenia and examine the association between MVPA and LSM with sarcopenia in the community-dwelling oldest-old during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: This study employed a cross-sectional and observational design. The study was conducted in 10 community centres for older people in Hong Kong during the period of the COVID-19 pandemic (September to December 2020). Eligible participants were the oldest-old people aged ≥85 years, who were community-dwelling and had no overt symptoms of cognitive impairment or depression. Key variables included sarcopenia as measured by SARC-F, LSM as measured by a GPS built into smartphones, and MVPA as measured by a wrist-worn ActiGraph GT3X+. Variables were described by mean and frequency. A multiple linear regression was employed to test the hypotheses. The dependent variable was sarcopenia and the independent variables included LSM and MVPA. RESULTS: This study recruited 151 eligible participants. Their mean age was 89.8 years and the majority of them were female (n = 93/151, 61.6%). The prevalence of sarcopenia was 24.5% (n = 37/151) with a margin of error of 6.86%. MVPA was negatively associated with sarcopenia in older people (ß = - 0.002, SE = 0.001, p = 0.029). However, LSM was not associated with sarcopenia. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of sarcopenia in the community-dwelling oldest-old population is high. MVPA is negatively associated with sarcopenia. LSM is unrelated to sarcopenia. Sarcopenia should be recognized and the oldest-old with sarcopenia should be accorded priority treatment during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Acceptance of clinical decision support system to prevent venous thromboembolism among nurses: an extension of the UTAUT model.

BACKGROUND: Venous thromboembolism has been a major public health problem and caused a heavy disease burden. Venous thromboembolism clinical decision support system was proved to have a positive influence on the prevention and management of venous thromboembolism. As the direct users, nurses' acceptance of this system is of great importance to support the successful implementation of it. However, there are few relevant studies to investigate nurses' acceptance and the associated factors are still unclear. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the determinant factors of nurses' acceptance of venous thromboembolism clinical decision support system with the modified Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology. METHODS: We designed a questionnaire based on the modified Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology and then a cross-sectional survey was conducted among nurses in a tertiary hospital in Nanjing, China. Statistically, a Structural Equation Modeling -Partial Least Squares path modeling approach was applied to examine the research model. RESULTS: A total of 1100 valid questionnaires were recycled. The modified model explained 74.7%, 83.0% and 86% of the variance in user satisfaction, behavioral intention and user behavior, respectively. The results showed that performance expectancy (ß = 0.254, p = 0.000), social influence (ß = 0.136, p = 0.047), facilitating conditions (ß = 0.245, p = 0.000), self-efficacy (ß = 0.121, p = 0.048) and user satisfaction (ß = 0.193, p = 0.001) all had significant effects on nurses' intention. Although effort expectancy (ß = 0.010, p = 0.785) did not have a direct effect on nurses' intention, it could indirectly influence nurses' intention with user satisfaction as the mediator (ß = 0.296, p = 0.000). User behavior was significantly predicted by facilitating conditions (ß = 0.298, p = 0.000) and user intention (ß = 0.654, p = 0.001). CONCLUSION: The research enhances our understanding of the determinants of nurses' acceptance of venous thromboembolism clinical decision support system. Among these factors, performance expectancy was considered as the top priority. It highlights the importance of optimizing system performance to fit the users' needs. Generally, the findings in our research provide clinical technology designers and administrators with valuable information to better meet users' requirements and promote the implementation of venous thromboembolism clinical decision support system.

Regulatory emotional self-efficacy and psychological distress among medical students: multiple mediating roles of interpersonal adaptation and self-acceptance.

BACKGROUND: Psychological distress (depression, anxiety and stress) is more common among medical students than in the general population, and is an important cause of insomnia, internet addiction, substance abuse, decreased academic performance and increased suicidality in medical students. METHODS: To examine the mechanism by which regulatory emotional self-efficacy affects medical students' psychological distress, a questionnaire of 539 medical students using an interpersonal adaptability scale, regulatory emotional self-efficacy scale, self-acceptance scale and depression-anxiety-stress scale was conducted. RESULTS: ① Regulatory emotional self-efficacy, interpersonal adaptability and self-acceptance are positively correlated, but they are negatively correlated with psychological distress. ② The mediation model shows that interpersonal adaptation and self-acceptance are the mediation variables of the effect of regulatory emotional self-efficacy on psychological distress, and the total mediation effect value is -0.37, accounting for 86.05% of the total effect (-0.43). Specifically, the effect involves three paths: first, regulatory emotional self-efficacy indirectly affects psychological distress through interpersonal adaptation (effect value-0.24); second, regulatory emotional self-efficacy indirectly affects psychological distress through interpersonal adaptation and self-acceptance (effect value-0.08); and third, regulatory emotional self-efficacy indirectly affects psychological distress through self-acceptance (effect value -0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Interpersonal adaptation and self-acceptance have a significant mediating effect between regulatory emotional self-efficacy and psychological distress, and the chain mediating effect of interpersonal adaptation and self-acceptance is also significant.

Real-Valued Direct Position Determination of Quasi-Stationary Signals for Nested Arrays: Khatri-Rao Subspace and Unitary Transformation.

The features of quasi-stationary signals (QSS) are considered to be in a direct position determination (DPD) framework, and a real-valued DPD algorithm of QSS for nested arrays is proposed. By stacking the vectorization form of the signal's covariance for different frames and further eliminating noise, a new noise-eliminated received signal matrix is obtained first. Then, the combination of the Khatri-Rao subspace method and subspace data fusion method was performed to form the cost function. High complexity can be reduced by matrix reconstruction, including the modification of the dimension-reduced matrix and unitary transformation. Ultimately, the advantage of lower complexity, compared with the previous algorithm, is verified by complexity analysis, and the superiority over the existing algorithms, in terms of the maximum number of identifiable sources, estimation accuracy, and resolution, are corroborated by some simulation results.

[Tanshinone IIa attenuates vascular calcification through inhibition of NF-κB and ß-catenin signaling pathways].

Tanshinone IIa is a key ingredient extracted from the traditional Chinese medicine Salvia miltiorrhiza (Danshen), and is widely used to treat various cardiovascular diseases. Vascular calcification is a common pathological change of cardiovascular tissues in patients with chronic kidney disease, diabetes, hypertension and atherosclerosis. However, whether Tanshinone IIa inhibits vascular calcification and the underlying mechanisms remain largely unknown. This study aims to investigate whether Tanshinone IIa can inhibit vascular calcification using high phosphate-induced vascular smooth muscle cell and aortic ring calcification model, and high dose vitamin D3 (vD3)-induced mouse models of vascular calcification. Alizarin red staining and calcium quantitative assay showed that Tanshinone IIa significantly inhibited high phosphate-induced vascular smooth muscle cell and aortic ring calcification. qPCR and Western blot showed that Tanshinone IIa attenuated the osteogenic transition of vascular smooth muscle cells. In addition, Tanshinone IIa also significantly inhibited high dose vD3-induced mouse aortic calcification and aortic osteogenic transition. Mechanistically, Tanshinone IIa inhibited the activation of NF-κB and ß-catenin signaling in normal vascular smooth muscle cells. Similar to Tanshinone IIa, inhibition of NF-κB and ß-catenin signaling using the chemical inhibitors SC75741 and LF3 attenuated high phosphate-induced vascular smooth muscle cell calcification. These results suggest that Tanshinone IIa attenuates vascular calcification at least in part through inhibition of NF-κB and ß-catenin signaling, and Tanshinone IIa may be a potential drug for the treatment of vascular calcification.

A Chromatographic Method for Separation of Tungsten (W) from Silicate Samples for High-Precision Isotope Analysis Using Negative Thermal Ionization Mass Spectrometry.

A new chromatographic method for isolation of W from large masses of silicate samples (>1 g) for ultrahigh precision isotopic analysis was developed. The purification of W was achieved through two stages of rapid chromatographic separations. In the first step, Ti, Zr, Hf, and W were separated collectively from the sample matrix through an AG1-X8 (100-200 mesh) column with a 10 mL resin volume. Subsequently, W was rapidly separated from Ti and Zr-Hf with high purity by a two-step extraction chromatographic method using 0.6 and 0.3 mL TODGA resin columns (50-100 µm particle size), respectively. The total yield of W, including the anion exchange and the TODGA chromatographic separation steps, is greater than 90%. The procedure was employed to isolate W from rock reference materials GSJ JB-3 and USGS BHVO-2; the separated W was analyzed by TRITON Plus TIMS, yielding a 182W/184W of 0.864898 ± 0.000005 (n = 8, 2 SD) for JB-3 and 182W/184W of 0.864896 ± 0.000006 (n = 5, 2 SD) for BHVO-2, which are in agreement with previously reported values within analytical errors.

Factor structure and measurement invariance of the problematic mobile phone use questionnaire-short version across gender in Chinese adolescents and young adults.

BACKGROUND: Problematic mobile phone use (PMPU) has become a public health issue in China, particularly in adolescents and young adults. The Problematic Mobile Phone Use Questionnaire-Short Version (PMPUQ-SV) is a validated instrument that measures multiple aspects of PMPU. The current study aimed to test the psychometric characteristics of a Chinese adaption of the PMPUQ-SV and examine its measurement invariance across gender. METHODS: A total of 2086 participants were recruited form nine schools (six undergraduate colleges and three vocational colleges) through an online platform. Measures included socio-demographic variables, patterns of mobile phone use, the Chinese version of the PMPUQ-SV (C-PMPUQ-SV), the Chinese version of the Smartphone Addiction Proneness Scale (C-SAPS), and the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS-21). RESULTS: Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses conducted in two independent subsamples confirmed that the postulated dimensions fit the data well. Four items, judged as either outdated or not adapted to the Chinese context, performed poorly and were removed, resulting in a shorter 11-item scale. Convergent validity was established through correlations between emotional symptoms and the C-PMPUQ-SV and addictive smartphone use. Additional measurement invariance analyses showed that the scale performed largely similarly in male and female participants. CONCLUSIONS: The present study demonstrated that the C-PMPUQ-SV is an adequate instrument to study various types of PMPU in Chinese adolescents and young adults. The updated 11-item scale shortens the evaluation time and is adapted to assess contemporary smartphone use.

Root Anatomy and Root Canal Morphology of Maxillary Second Permanent Molars in a Chongqing Population: A Cone-Beam Computed Tomography Study.

BACKGROUND To investigate variations in the anatomy of root canals in permanent second molars of the upper jaw in a population in Chongqing, China, using cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT). MATERIAL AND METHODS CBCT imaging data of 400 second permanent molars of the upper jaws of 200 patients were retrospectively reviewed. Patients' gender, age, numbers of roots and canals, root fusion of permanent second molars of the maxilla on both sides, and morphological categories of root canals of mesiobuccal roots were recorded. The distances from the apices of the distobuccal and mesiobuccal roots to the buccal bone plate were measured. RESULTS Of the 400 permanent second maxillary molars, 312 (78.0%) had three roots and 247 (61.75%) had three canals. Fused roots were observed in 126 (31.5%) teeth; of these, 67 (53.2%) had three canals and 44 (34.9%) had two canals. Morphologically, 297 (74.25%), 29 (7.25%), nine (2.25%) and 65 (16.25%) teeth had type I, II, III, and IV mesiobuccal root canals, respectively, with 103 (25.75%) having secondary mesiobuccal canals. The distances from the apices of the mesiobuccal, distobuccal, and single buccal roots to the surface of the buccal osseous lamella were 7.34±1.89 mm, 6.26±1.74 mm, and 8.60±2.56 mm, respectively. CONCLUSIONS The root form and canal shape of permanent second molars of the upper jaw varied greatly among the population of Chongqing, China. CBCT is a valuable method for assessing the complex anatomic morphology of teeth.

The Effects of a Toothpaste Containing the Active Ingredients of Galla chinensis and Sodium Fluoride on Dentin Hypersensitivity and Sealing of Dentinal Tubules: An In Vitro Study and an Eight-Week Clinical Study in 98 Patients.

BACKGROUND This study aimed to evaluate the desensitizing effect of toothpaste containing the active ingredients of an extract of Galla chinensis, both in vitro and in patients with dentin hypersensitivity. MATERIAL AND METHODS Ninety-eight patients with dentin hypersensitivity were divided into two study groups and given toothpaste containing either the active ingredients of Galla chinensis extract and sodium fluoride, or a control toothpaste containing only sodium fluoride. Assessments included the tactile stimulation test and the Schiff cold air sensitivity scale, which were conducted at the baseline examination and after 4 and 8 weeks of dental brushing. Twenty-five intact human premolars from 24 patients with dentin hypersensitivity were prepared and randomly divided into four groups, the untreated baseline group, the study group, the positive control group, and the control group. After brushing with different toothpaste for 7 days, the effects on dentinal tubule sealing in each group was determined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and the degree of dentinal tubule plugging and diameter of the open dentinal tubules were calculated. RESULTS Toothpaste containing the active ingredients of Galla chinensis and sodium fluoride significantly reduced the degree of dentin hypersensitivity when compared with toothpaste containing sodium fluoride alone after 4 weeks and 8 weeks of use. Toothpaste containing the active ingredients of Galla chinensis significantly reduced the number and diameter of the open dentinal tubules. CONCLUSIONS Toothpaste that contained the active ingredients of Galla chinensis and sodium fluoride reduced the symptoms of dentin hypersensitivity by sealing the dentinal tubules.

A Stochastic Model of the Germinal Center Integrating Local Antigen Competition, Individualistic T-B Interactions, and B Cell Receptor Signaling.

The germinal center (GC) reaction underlies productive humoral immunity by orchestrating competition-based affinity maturation to produce plasma cells and memory B cells. T cells are limiting in this process. How B cells integrate signals from T cells and BCRs to make fate decisions while subjected to a cyclic selection process is not clear. In this article, we present a spatiotemporally resolved stochastic model that describes cell behaviors as rate-limited stochastic reactions. We hypothesize a signal integrator protein integrates follicular helper T (Tfh)- and Ag-derived signals to drive different B cell fates in a probabilistic manner and a dedicated module of Tfh interaction promoting factors control the efficiency of contact-dependent Tfh help delivery to B cells. Without assuming deterministic affinity-based decisions or temporal event sequence, this model recapitulates GC characteristics, highlights the importance of efficient T cell help delivery during individual contacts with B cells and intercellular positive feedback for affinity maturation, reveals the possibility that antagonism between BCR signaling and T cell help accelerates affinity maturation, and suggests that the dichotomy between affinity and magnitude of GC reaction can be avoided by tuning the efficiency of contact-dependent help delivery during reiterative T-B interactions.