Prevalence of depressive symptoms in patients with advanced schistosomiasis in China: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Advanced schistosomiasis is the most serious outcome of infection and has a negative impact on both physical fitness and mental health of patients, the latter of which has long been overlooked. Therefore, we performed this systematic review and meta-analysis to estimate the overall prevalence of depressive symptoms, one of the most common mental problems, in patients with advanced schistosomiasis in China. METHODS: Six electronic databases were searched for studies reporting the prevalence of depressive symptoms in the targeted patients. Assessments were pooled using a fixed- or random-effects model based on heterogeneity test. Subgroup analyses were further performed and differences between/among groups were examined using the chi-squared test. The protocol had previously been registered in PROSPERO (CRD42023406708). RESULTS: A total of 11 studies with 1,673 participants were included. The pooled prevalence of depressive symptoms in advanced schistosomiasis in China was 62.01% (95% CI: 51.30% - 72.72%), with a significant heterogeneity among studies. Depressive symptoms were more prevalent in patients with complications and more than half of the patients suffered a mild- or moderate-level of depression. No publication bias was found, and sensitivity analysis showed a stable result. CONCLUSIONS: The overall prevalence of depressive symptoms in advanced schistosomiasis in China was high enough to warrant psychotherapeutic interventions, especially for patients with complications. This would greatly prevent or/and reduce depression and improve their quality of life.

Research Progress of Caspase in Endometriosis.

Endometriosis, a common chronic gynecological disease, refers to the presence and proliferation of endometrial tissue in locations other than the uterine cavity. Approximately 6 to 10% of the population of women of childbearing age are known to have endometriosis; the most common clinical signs are pelvic pain and infertility. Although endometriosis is a benign disease, it exhibits some typical features of malignant tumors, such as proliferation, invasion, metastasis, and recurrence. Endometriosis is considered a chronic, inflammatory, and estrogen-dependent disease, and multiple factors contribute to its occurrence and development. In recent years, increasing attention has been given to the role of apoptosis in the pathogenesis of this disease. Some researchers believe that spontaneous apoptosis of the endometrium is critical in maintaining its normal structure and function, and abnormal apoptosis can promote the occurrence and development of endometriosis. Inflammation is another likely process in the pathogenesis of endometriosis. Inflammation mediates the adhesion, proliferation, differentiation, and invasion of ectopic lesions of endometriosis, primarily by regulating the function of immune cells and increasing the level of proinflammatory cytokines in body fluids. The ultimate initiators of apoptosis and inflammatory cell death (pyroptosis) are the caspase family proteases. In this article, we review the progress in recent years in caspase function as well as the possible role of these enzymes in the pathogenesis of endometriosis, indicating potential treatment strategies.

Comparing genomes of Fructus Amomi-producing species reveals genetic basis of volatile terpenoid divergence.

Wurfbainia longiligularis and Wurfbainia villosa are both rich in volatile terpenoids and are 2 primary plant sources of Fructus Amomi used for curing gastrointestinal diseases. Metabolomic profiling has demonstrated that bornyl diphosphate (BPP)-related terpenoids are more abundant in the W. villosa seeds and have a wider tissue distribution in W. longiligularis. To explore the genetic mechanisms underlying the volatile terpenoid divergence, a high-quality chromosome-level genome of W. longiligularis (2.29 Gb, contig N50 of 80.39 Mb) was assembled. Functional characterization of 17 terpene synthases (WlTPSs) revealed that WlBPPS, along with WlTPS 24/26/28 with bornyl diphosphate synthase (BPPS) activity, contributes to the wider tissue distribution of BPP-related terpenoids in W. longiligularis compared to W. villosa. Furthermore, transgenic Nicotiana tabacum showed that the GCN4-motif element positively regulates seed expression of WvBPPS and thus promotes the enrichment of BPP-related terpenoids in W. villosa seeds. Systematic identification and analysis of candidate TPS in 29 monocot plants from 16 families indicated that substantial expansion of TPS-a and TPS-b subfamily genes in Zingiberaceae may have driven increased diversity and production of volatile terpenoids. Evolutionary analysis and functional identification of BPPS genes showed that BPP-related terpenoids may be distributed only in the Zingiberaceae of monocot plants. This research provides valuable genomic resources for breeding and improving Fructus Amomi with medicinal and edible value and sheds light on the evolution of terpenoid biosynthesis in Zingiberaceae.

Investigation of the enhancement for Echinocandin B fermentation with methyl oleate from transcription level.

Echinocandin B (ECB) is the key precursor compound of the antifungal drug Anidulafungin. The effects of the five precursor amino acids on ECB biosynthesis were firstly investigated. It showed that although L-threonine was a main compound of the hexapeptide scaffold of ECB, exogenous addition of L-threonine had no significant effect on the increase of ECB fermentation titer. Meanwhile, the ECB fermentation titer with methyl oleate showed two times higher than that of the other carbon sources. Transcription level analysis of the key genes for ECB biosynthesis indicated that the gene an655543 related to L-threonine biosynthesis showed higher value during the fermentation process, therefore, the exogenous addition of L-threonine had no obvious affection. Furthermore, it indicated that the transcription level of gene ecdA might be the main restriction factor for the ECB biosynthesis. The study provided the research foundation for the modification of the ECB producing strains in the following work.