Predicting physical activity in kidney transplant recipients: an application of the Health Action Process Approach model.

Despite numerous physical, psychological, and social benefits of physical activity (PA), few kidney transplant recipients (KTRs) positively participate in PA. It is essential to understand the influencing factors of PA in KTRs. This study aimed to apply the Health Action Process Approach (HAPA) model to explore the influencing factors of PA in KTRs. This was a prospective study involving 320 participants. Pre-actional self-efficacy, outcome expectancies, risk perception, social support, PA intention, and demographic and clinical data were measured at Time 1. Coping self-efficacy, planning, recovery self-efficacy, and PA behavior were assessed 3 months later. The hypothesized relationships were examined by structural equation modeling. Findings revealed significant direct effects of pre-actional self-efficacy, negative outcome expectancies, positive outcome expectancies, and social support on intention. Planning and recovery self-efficacy were significant predictors of PA. The HAPA model provided a validated and useful framework for predicting the factors influencing PA behavior in KTRs.

Efficient Oxygen Vacancy Defect Engineering for Enhancing Visible-Light Photocatalytic Performance over SnO2-x Ultrafine Nanocrystals.

Regardless of its good electron-transfer ability and chemical stability, pure Zn2SnO4 (ZSO) still has intrinsic deficiencies of a narrow spectral response region, poor absorption ability, and high photo-activated carrier recombination rate. Aiming to overcome the deficiencies above-mentioned, we designed a facile hydrothermal route for etching ZSO nanoparticles in a dilute acetic acid solution, through which efficient oxygen vacancy defect engineering was accomplished and SnO2-x nanocrystals were obtained with an ultrafine particle size. In comparison with the untreated ZSO nanoparticles, the specific surface area of SnO2-x nanocrystals was substantially enlarged, subsequently leading to the notable augmentation of active sites for the photo-degradation reaction. Aside from the above, it is worth noting that SnO2-x nanocrystals were endowed with a broad spectral response, enhancing light absorption capacity and the photo-activated carrier transfer rate with the aid of oxygen vacancy defect engineering. Accordingly, SnO2-x nanocrystals exhibited significantly enhanced photoactivity toward the degradation of the organic dye rhodamine B (RhB), which could be imputed to the synergistic effect of increasing active sites, intensified visible-light harvesting, and the separation rate of the photo-activated charge carrier caused by the oxygen vacancy defect engineering. In addition, these findings will inspire us to open up a novel pathway to design and prepare oxide compound photocatalysts modified by oxygen vacancy defects in pursuing excellent visible-light photoactivity.

MAT2A-Mediated S-Adenosylmethionine Level in CD4+ T Cells Regulates HIV-1 Latent Infection.

Antiretroviral drugs effectively halt HIV-1 replication and disease progression, however, due to the presence of a stable viral latent reservoir, the infection cannot be cured by antiretroviral drugs alone. Elucidating the molecular mechanisms underlying HIV-1 latent infection remains a critical hurdle that precludes the development of novel therapeutic strategies aiming for a potential functional cure. Cellular metabolism has been reported to affect HIV-1 replication in CD4+ T cells, but it remains largely unclear whether it is involved in the regulation of HIV-1 latency. Here, we performed a sub-pooled CRISPR library knockout screen targeting 1773 metabolic-related genes in a cell model of HIV-1 latent infection and found that Methionine Adenosyltransferase 2A (MAT2A) contributes to HIV-1 latency. MAT2A knockout enhanced the reactivation of latent HIV-1 while MAT2A overexpression did the opposite. Mechanistically, MAT2A modulates HIV-1 latency through S-Adenosylmethionine (SAM)-mediated one-carbon flux. MAT2A knockout resulted in a significant downregulation of DNA and histone methylation at the HIV-1 5'-LTR. Importantly, we found that the plasma level of SAM is positively correlated with HIV-1 DNA in PBMCs from ART-treated infected individuals, suggesting SAM could serve as a potential biomarker for the latent viral reservoir. Overall, this study reveals an important role of MAT2A-mediated one-carbon metabolism in regulating HIV-1 latency and provides a promising target for the development of new strategies for a functional cure of HIV-1.

Infection with a newly designed dual fluorescent reporter HIV-1 effectively identifies latently infected CD4+ T cells.

The major barrier to curing HIV-1 infection is a small pool of latently infected cells that harbor replication-competent viruses, which are widely considered the origin of viral rebound when antiretroviral therapy (ART) is interrupted. The difficulty in distinguishing latently infected cells from the vast majority of uninfected cells has represented a significant bottleneck precluding comprehensive understandings of HIV-1 latency. Here we reported and validated a newly designed dual fluorescent reporter virus, DFV-B, infection with which primary CD4+ T cells can directly label latently infected cells and generate a latency model that was highly physiological relevant. Applying DFV-B infection in Jurkat T cells, we generated a stable cell line model of HIV-1 latency with diverse viral integration sites. High-throughput compound screening with this model identified ACY-1215 as a potent latency reversing agent, which could be verified in other cell models and in primary CD4+ T cells from ART-suppressed individuals ex vivo. In summary, we have generated a meaningful and feasible model to directly study latently infected cells, which could open up new avenues to explore the critical events of HIV-1 latency and become a valuable tool for the research of AIDS functional cure.