Online photography intervention reduces internet addiction during COVID-19: A randomised controlled trial.

The COVID-19 pandemic has escalated concerns regarding internet addiction. This study investigated the impact of an online photograph intervention on internet addiction and identified its effectiveness mechanisms. Individuals diagnosed with internet addiction (internet addiction test score > 36, Mage = 22.85, 78.6% women) were randomly allocated to either the intervention (n = 64) or control (n = 81) groups. For 10 days, the intervention group was tasked with photographing "things that make you feel a sense of control in life" and writing 100-word descriptions explaining the reason for the sense of control elicited by the image. Meanwhile, the control group participated only in the assessments. Assessments were conducted before the intervention, immediately afterward and 7 days later. A significant interaction between group and time was observed, with the intervention group showing a notable reduction in internet addiction and an increase in sense of control. The sense of control at post-test significantly mediated the intervention's effect on reducing internet addiction at follow-up, but only among individuals with high perceived social support. The findings indicate that online photography interventions can effectively diminish internet addiction, with a sense of control acting as a potent mechanism for intervention, particularly in individuals with substantial perceived social support.

Reviving Cost-Effective Organic Cathodes in Halide-Based All-Solid-State Lithium Batteries.

The evolution of inorganic solid electrolytes has revolutionized the field of sustainable organic cathode materials, particularly by addressing the dissolution problems in traditional liquid electrolytes. However, current sulfide-based all-solid-state lithium-organic batteries still face challenges such as high working temperatures, high costs, and low voltages. Here, we design an all-solid-state lithium battery based on a cost-effective organic cathode material phenanthrenequinone (PQ) and a halide solid electrolyte Li2ZrCl6. Thanks to the good compatibility between PQ and Li2ZrCl6, the PQ cathode achieved a high specific capacity of 248 mAh g-1 (96 % of the theoretical capacity), a high average discharge voltage of 2.74 V (vs. Li+/Li), and a good capacity retention of 95 % after 100 cycles at room temperature (25 °C). Furthermore, the interactions between the high-voltage carbonyl PQ cathode and both sulfide and halide solid electrolytes, as well as the redox mechanism of the PQ cathode in all-solid-state batteries, were carefully studied by a variety of advanced characterizations. We believe such a design and the corresponding investigations into the underlying chemistry give insights for the further development of practical all-solid-state lithium-organic batteries.

The evolutionary mechanism and function analysis of two subgroups of histamine-producing and non-histamine-producing Tetragenococcus halophilus.

Tetragenococcus halophilus is a halophilic bacterium that existed in the fermentation of soy sauce and miso for flavor production and probiotic benefits. However, it is composed of two subgroups, histamine-producing and non-histamine-producing, with the former causing histamine accumulation and offering risks to food safety. Exploring the evolutionary mechanisms and physiological function of histamine-biosynthesis is of significance for understanding the formative mechanism of T. halophilus's strain-specificity and is helpful for microbial control. Using systematic genomic analysis, we found that plasmid acquisition and loss is the evolutionary form resulting in the two subgroups of T. halophilus. Two plasmids, plasmid α with 30 kb and plasmid ß with 4 kb existed in histamine-producing T. halophilus. We investigated the whole genetic information and proposed their genetic function in both two plasmids. The acquisition of histamine-producing plasmid enhanced the acid tolerance of histamine-producing T. halophilus but did not affect salt tolerance. More interestingly, we found that the existence of plasmid will promote the co-culture growth of T. halophilus. This study deepens our understanding of the formative mechanism of microbial species diversity, and provides our knowledge of the physiological function of histamine-producing plasmids.

Early versus delayed enteral nutrition in ICU patients with sepsis: a propensity score-matched analysis based on the MIMIC-IV database.

Background: Early enteral nutrition (EN) is recommended for sepsis management, but its optimal timing and clinical benefits remain uncertain. This study evaluates whether early EN improves outcomes compared to delayed EN in patients with sepsis. Methods: We analyzed data of septic patients from the MIMIC-IV 2.2 database, focusing on those in the Medical Intensive Care Unit (MICU) and Surgical Intensive Care Unit (SICU). Patients who initiated EN within 3 days were classified into the early EN group, while those who started EN between 3 and 7 days were classified into the delayed EN group. Propensity score matching was used to compare outcomes between the groups. Results: Among 1,111 patients, 786 (70.7%) were in the early EN group and 325 (29.3%) were in the delayed EN group. Before propensity score matching, the early EN group demonstrated lower mortality (crude OR = 0.694; 95% CI: 0.514-0.936; p = 0.018) and shorter ICU stays (8.3 [5.2, 12.3] vs. 10.0 [7.5, 14.2] days; p < 0.001). After matching, no significant difference in mortality was observed. However, the early EN group had shorter ICU stays (8.3 [5.2, 12.4] vs. 10.1 [7.5, 14.2] days; p < 0.001) and a lower incidence of AKI stage 3 (49.3% vs. 55.5%; p = 0.030). Subgroup analysis revealed that early EN significantly reduced the 28-day mortality rate in sepsis patients with lactate levels ≤4 mmol/L, with an adjusted odds ratio (aOR) of 0.579 (95% CI: 0.361, 0.930; p = 0.024). Conclusion: Early enteral nutrition may not significantly reduce overall mortality in sepsis patients but may shorten ICU stays and decrease the incidence of AKI stage 3. Further research is needed to identify specific patient characteristics that benefit most from early EN.

Occurrence and spatiotemporal distribution of arsenic biotransformation genes in urban dust.

Microbially-mediated arsenic biotransformation plays a pivotal role in the biogeochemical cycling of arsenic; however, the presence of arsenic biotransformation genes (ABGs) in urban dust remains unclear. To investigate the occurrence and spatiotemporal distributions of ABGs, a total of one hundred and eighteen urban dust samples were collected from different districts of Xiamen city, China in summer and winter. Although inorganic arsenic species, including arsenate [As(V)] and arsenite [As(III)], were found to be predominant, the methylated arsenicals, particularly trimethylarsine oxide [TMAs(V)O] and dimethylarsenate [DMAs(V)], were detected in urban dust. Abundant ABGs were identified in urban dust via AsChip analysis (a high-throughput qPCR chip for ABGs), of which As(III) S-adenosylmethionine methyltransferase genes (arsM), As(V) reductase genes (arsC), As(III) oxidase genes (aioA), As(III) transporter genes (arsB), and arsenic-sensing regulator genes (arsR) were the most prevalent, collectively constituting more than 90 % of ABGs in urban dust. Microbes involved in arsenic methylation were assigned to bacteria (e.g., Actinomycetes and Alphaproteobacteria), archaea (e.g., Halobacteria), and eukaryotes (e.g., Chlamydomonadaceae) in urban dust via the arsM amplicon sequencing. Temperature, a season-dependent environmental factor, profoundly affected the abundance of ABGs and the composition of microbes involved in arsenic methylation. This study provides new insights into the presence of ARGs within the urban dust.

Combining "waste utilization" and "tissue to tissue" strategies to accelerate vascularization for bone repair.

Background: A pivotal determinant for the success of tissue regeneration lies in the establishment of sufficient vasculature. Utilizing autologous tissue grafts from donors offers the dual advantage of mitigating the risk of disease transmission and circumventing the necessity for post-transplant immunosuppression, rendering it an exemplary vascularization strategy. Among the various potential autologous donors, adipose tissue emerges as a particularly auspicious source, being both widely available and compositionally rich. Notably, adipose-derived microvascular fragments (ad-MVFs) are a promising candidate for vascularization. ad-MVFs can be isolated from adipose tissue in a short period of time and show high vascularized capacity. In this study, we extracted ad-MVFs from adipose tissue and utilized their strong angiogenic ability to accelerate bone repair by promoting vascularization. Methods: ad-MVFs were extracted from the rat epididymis using enzymatic hydrolysis. To preserve the integrity of the blood vessels, gelatin methacryloyl (GelMA) hydrogel was chosen as the carrier for ad-MVFs in three-dimensional (3D) culture. The ad-MVFs were cultured directly on the well plates for two-dimensional (2D) culture as a control. The morphology of ad-MVFs was observed under both 2D and 3D cultures, and the release levels of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and bone morphogenetic protein 2 (BMP-2) were assessed under both culture conditions. In vitro studies investigated the impact of ad-MVFs/GelMA hydrogel on the toxicity, osteoblastic activity, and mineralization of rat bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (rBMSCs), along with the examination of osteogenic gene and protein expression. In vivo experiments involved implanting the ad-MVFs/GelMA hydrogel into critical-size skull defects in rats, and its osteogenic ability was evaluated through radiographic and histological methods. Results: ad-MVFs were successfully isolated from rat adipose tissue. When cultured under 2D conditions, ad-MVFs exhibited a gradual disintegration and loss of their original vascular morphology. Compared with 2D culture, ad-MVFs can not only maintain the original vascular morphology, but also connect into a network in hydrogel under 3D culture condition. Moreover, the release levels of VEGF and BMP-2 were significantly higher than those in 2D culture. Moreover, the ad-MVFs/GelMA hydrogel exhibited superior osteoinductive activity. After implanting into the skull defect of rats, the ad-MVFs/GelMA hydrogel showed obvious effects for angiogenesis and osteogenesis. The translational potential of this article: The utilization of autologous adipose tissue as a donor presents a more direct route toward clinical translation. Anticipated future clinical applications envision the transformation of discarded adipose tissue into a valuable resource for personalized tissue repair, thereby realizing a paradigm shift in the utilization of this abundant biological material.

Delivery of dental pulp stem cells by an injectable ROS-responsive hydrogel promotes temporomandibular joint cartilage repair via enhancing anti-apoptosis and regulating microenvironment.

Temporomandibular joint (TMJ) cartilage repair poses a considerable clinical challenge, and tissue engineering has emerged as a promising solution. In this study, we developed an injectable reactive oxygen species (ROS)-responsive multifunctional hydrogel (RDGel) to encapsulate dental pulp stem cells (DPSCs/RDGel in short) for the targeted repair of condylar cartilage defect. The DPSCs/RDGel composite exhibited a synergistic effect in the elimination of TMJ OA (osteoarthritis) inflammation via the interaction between the hydrogel component and the DPSCs. We first demonstrated the applicability and biocompatibility of RDGel. RDGel encapsulation could enhance the anti-apoptotic ability of DPSCs by inhibiting P38/P53 mitochondrial apoptotic signal in vitro. We also proved that the utilization of DPSCs/RDGel composite effectively enhanced the expression of TMJOA cartilage matrix and promoted subchondral bone structure in vivo. Subsequently, we observed the synergistic improvement of DPSCs/RDGel composite on the oxidative stress microenvironment of TMJOA and its regulation and promotion of M2 polarization, thereby confirmed that M2 macrophages further promoted the condylar cartilage repair of DPSCs. This is the first time application of DPSCs/RDGel composite for the targeted repair of TMJOA condylar cartilage defects, presenting a novel and promising avenue for cell-based therapy.

The Prognostic Value of Serum Calcium Levels in Elderly Dilated Cardiomyopathy Patients.

Background: It is unclear whether serum calcium on admission is associated with clinical outcomes in dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM). In this study, we conducted a retrospective study spanning a decade to investigate the prognostic value of baseline calcium in elderly patients with DCM. Methods: A total of 1,089 consecutive elderly patients (age ≥60 years) diagnosed with DCM were retrospectively enrolled from January 2010 to December 2019. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to investigate the association of serum calcium with their clinical outcomes. Results: In this study, the average age of the subjects was 68.36 ± 6.31 years. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis showed that serum calcium level had a great sensitivity and specificity for predicting in-hospital death, with an AUC of 0.732. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis showed that patients with a serum calcium >8.62 mg/dL had a better prognosis than those with a serum calcium ≤8.62 mg/dL (log-rank χ2 40.84, p < 0.001). After adjusting for several common risk factors, a serum calcium ≤8.62 mg/dL was related to a higher risk of long-term mortality (HR: 1.449; 95% CI: 1.115~1.882; p = 0.005). Conclusions: Serum calcium level could be served as a simple and affordable tool to evaluate patients' prognosis in DCM.