The novel peptide PFAP1 promotes primordial follicle activation by binding to MCM5.

Premature ovarian failure (POF) is a complication of ovarian dysfunction resulting from the depletion or dysfunction of primordial follicles (PFs) in the ovaries. However, residual follicles that have the potential to be activated are present in POF or aged women. Little is known about the mechanisms by which the remaining dormant PFs in POF patients are activated. Using mass spectrometry, we screened differentially generated peptides extracted from the ovarian cortical tissue biopsies of patients with or without POF, during which we identified PFAP1, a peptide that significantly promoted the activation of PFs in the ovaries of 3 dpp mice in vitro. PFAP1 reversed age-related fertility damage in vivo to a certain extent, promoted estrogen (E2) and anti-mullerian hormone (AMH) production (p < .05), and decreased the levels of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) (p < .05). In newborn mouse ovaries, PFAP1 could bind to the protein minichromosome maintenance protein 5 (MCM5) and inhibit its ubiquitination and degradation. In addition, PFAP1 promoted the proliferation of GCs, probably by regulating the function and production of MCM5. In conclusion, PFAP1 could promote the activation of PFs in the ovaries of newborn mice, partially restore the ovarian function of aged mice, and increase the proliferation of primary granulosa cells (GCs) by regulating the function of MCM5. PFAP1 is a promising novel peptide that may be developed into a new therapeutic agent for POF and other ovarian diseases.

High-Performance Ir1/CeO2 Single-Atom Catalyst for the Oxidation of Toluene.

The elimination of toluene is an obligatory target with increasing VOC emission in recent years. This study successfully prepared a single-atom Ir catalyst (Ir1/CeO2) by a simple incipient wetness impregnation method, confirmed by in situ CO DRIFTS and AC-HAADF-STEM. Compared to the cluster Ir catalyst (Ir/CeO2-C), Ir1/CeO2 exhibited excellent catalytic performance, stability, and water resistance for the oxidation of toluene. By Raman, H2-TPR, O2-TPD, and XPS experiments, abundant oxygen defects and a unique Ir3+-Ov-Ce3+ structure were formed for the Ir1/CeO2 sample because it had a lower oxygen vacancy formation energy. Furthermore, the DFT results revealed that the Ir1/CeO2 sample had a lower ring-opening energy barrier and adsorption energy of the ring-opening products, which was the rate-determining step for the oxidation of toluene. This work provides instructive insights into the construction of Ir/CeO2 catalysts for the highly efficient removal of VOCs.

Effects of hyperbaric oxygen combined cabin ventilator on critically ill patients with liberation difficulty after tracheostomy.

BACKGROUND: Critically ill patients undergoing liberation often encounter various physiological and clinical complexities and challenges. However, whether the combination of hyperbaric oxygen and in-cabin ventilator therapy could offer a comprehensive approach that may simultaneously address respiratory and potentially improve outcomes in this challenging patient population remain unclear. METHODS: This retrospective study involved 148 patients experiencing difficulty in liberation after tracheotomy. Inclusion criteria comprised ongoing mechanical ventilation need, lung inflammation on computed tomography (CT) scans, and Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) scores of ≤ 9. Exclusion criteria excluded patients with active bleeding, untreated pneumothorax, cerebrospinal fluid leakage, and a heart rate below 50 beats per minute. Following exclusions, 111 cases were treated with hyperbaric oxygen combined cabin ventilator, of which 72 cases were successfully liberated (SL group) and 28 cases (NSL group) were not successfully liberated. The hyperbaric oxygen chamber group received pressurization to 0.20 MPa (2.0 ATA) for 20 min, followed by 60 min of ventilator oxygen inhalation. Successful liberation was determined by a strict process, including subjective and objective criteria, with a prolonged spontaneous breathing trial. GCS assessments were conducted to evaluate consciousness levels, with scores categorized as normal, mildly impaired, moderately impaired, or severely impaired. RESULTS: Patients who underwent treatment exhibited improved GCS, blood gas indicators, and cardiac function indexes. The improvement of GCS, partial pressure of oxygen (PaO2), oxygen saturation of blood (SaO2), oxygenation index (OI) in the SL group was significantly higher than that of the NSL group. However, there was no significant difference in the improvement of left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), left ventricular end-systolic volume (LVESV), left ventricular end-diastolic volume (LVEDV), and stroke volume (SV) between the SL group and the NSL group after treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Hyperbaric oxygen combined with in-cabin ventilator therapy effectively enhances respiratory function, cardiopulmonary function, and various indicators of critically ill patients with liberation difficulty after tracheostomy.

Characteristics and response to next-generation sequencing-guided therapy in locally advanced or metastatic esophageal cancer.

Esophageal cancer (EC) is a main cause of cancer-related deaths. However, genomic alterations and the clinical value of next-generation sequencing (NGS) in advanced or metastatic EC for precision therapy remain largely unclear. Herein, we performed comprehensive analyses on a cohort of 47 individuals with advanced or metastatic EC who underwent NGS between May 2017 and February 2020. Eventually, 227 mutated genes were identified in the cohort. TP53, NQO1, DPYD, GSTM1, XRCC1 and ERCC1 were the most mutated genes and associated with immune cell infiltration, autophagy and hypoxia. Patients who received NGS-guided treatments exhibited better objective remission rate (ORR) (72.22%), disease control rate (DCR) (88.89%), overall survival (OS) (P = .0019) and progression-free survival (PFS) (P = .0077) than those not receiving NGS-guided therapies. The multivariate analyses further demonstrated that the NGS-guided therapy was an independently prognostic factor (OS: hazard radio [HR] 0.31, 95% coincidence interval [CI] 0.1-0.97, P = .04). In conclusion, we depicted a comprehensive mutational landscape of 47 patients with locally advanced or metastatic EC and illustrated the utility of NGS testing to guide clinical management in improving ORR, DCR, OS and PFS.

CAA-derived IL-6 induced M2 macrophage polarization by activating STAT3.

BACKGROUND: Tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) are the most abundant types of immune cells in the tumor microenvironment (TME) of breast cancer (BC). TAMs usually exhibit an M2 phenotype and promote tumor progression by facilitating immunosuppression. This study aimed to investigate the effect of CAA-derived IL-6 on macrophage polarization in promoting BC progression. METHODS: Human BC samples and adipocytes co-cultured with 4T1 BC cells were employed to explore the properties of CAAs. The co-implantation of adipocytes and 4T1 cells in mouse tumor-bearing model and tail vein pulmonary metastasis model were constructed to investigate the impact of CAAs on BC malignant progression in vivo. The functional assays, qRT-PCR, western blotting assay and ELISA assay were employed to explore the effect of CAA-derived IL-6 on macrophage polarization and programmed cell death protein ligand 1 (PD-L1) expression. RESULTS: CAAs were located at the invasive front of BC and possessed a de-differentiated fibroblast phenotype. CAAs facilitated the malignant behaviors of 4T1 cells in vitro, and promoted 4T1 tumor growth and pulmonary metastasis in vivo. The IHC staining of both human BC specimens and xenograft and the in vitro experiment indicated that CAAs could enhance infiltration of M2 macrophages in the TME of 4T1 BC. Furthermore, CAA-educated macrophages could enhance malignant behaviors of 4T1 cells in vitro. More importantly, CAAs could secret abundant IL-6 and thus induce M2 macrophage polarization by activating STAT3. In addition, CAAs could upregulate PD-L1 expression in macrophages. CONCLUSIONS: Our study revealed that CAAs and CAA-educated macrophages enhanced the malignant behaviors of BC. Specifically, CAA-derived IL-6 induced migration and M2 polarization of macrophages via activation STAT3 and promoted macrophage PD-L1 expression, thereby leading to BC progression.

Prognostic Ability of Nutritional Indices for Outcomes of Bladder Cancer: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

BACKGROUND: Nutrition has become an important parameter influencing the prognosis of several cancers. However, its impact on outcomes for bladder cancer (BC) is still unclear. This review examines the association between three commonly used nutritional indices, namely, the prognostic nutritional index (PNI), controlling nutritional status (CONUT), and the geriatric nutritional risk index (GNRI) and outcomes of BC. METHODS: PubMed, CENTRAL, Scopus, Web of Science, Embase, and Google Scholar were explored for studies published up to April 13, 2023. Data from studies were pooled to examine the association between PNI, CONUT, or GNRI and overall survival (OS) and recurrence-free survival (RFS). RESULTS: Thirteen studies were included. Meta-analysis demonstrated significantly poor OS with low PNI versus high PNI in BC patients (hazard ratio [HR]: 1.71; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.37, 2.14; I2 = 0%). This result remained significant in various subgroup analyses. However, no association was noted between PNI and RFS (HR: 1.22; 95% CI: 0.67, 2.24; I2 = 84%). Meta-analysis showed that patients with high CONUT scores had significantly poor OS (HR: 2.43; 95% CI: 1.82, 3.25; I2 = 0%) as well as RFS (HR: 2.90; 95% CI: 2.10, 4.01; I2 = 0%). Data on GNRI were scarce and conflicting. CONCLUSION: Limited data show that PNI and CONUT are predictive of outcomes in BC. Low PNI was associated with poor OS, while high CONUT was associated with poor OS and RFS. Data on GNRI are too scarce to obtain conclusions. Further studies are needed to supplement the results.

Application Value of Early Warning Nursing Model with "Evidence-based Concept" as the Core in Peri-anesthesia Period for Gastric Cancer.

Objective: To assess the effectiveness of an evidence-based early warning nursing model in reducing postoperative complications and enhancing care satisfaction for gastric cancer (GC) patients undergoing elective surgery. Methods: A retrospective analysis was performed on patients who received laparoscopic assisted radical gastrectomy in Tumor Hospital Affiliated To Nantong University from January 2020 to January 2022 as the research subjects. According to the anesthesia plan, the patients were divided into a comprehensive (intervention plans that received an early warning care model centered on evidence-based concepts) and a conventional group (routine evidence-based nursing plan). The postoperative anesthesia recovery, complications, pain level at 24 hours after surgery, anxiety at different times after surgery, and nursing satisfaction were compared between the two groups. Results: The postoperative spontaneous breathing time, consciousness recovery time, tracheal removal time, and defecation recovery time in the patients who received the early warning nursing based on the evidence-based concept were lower than those receiving only evidence-based care (P < .05). The total incidence of postoperative complications in the patients who received the early warning nursing based on the evidence-based concept were lower than those receiving only evidence-based care (P < .05). The postoperative pain levels of patients receiving the early warning nursing model were significantly lower than those receiving only evidence-based care (Z = -2.199, P = .028). After the intervention of different peri-anesthesia nursing modes, the anxiety scores of the two groups showed a downward trend with time (Ftime = 8.552, Ptime < .05), and the decrease in the comprehensive were greater than that in the routine group (F groups = 135.100, Ptime < .05), and there were no interaction (Finteraction = 2.424, Pinteraction < .05). Patients in the group that received the comprehensive early warning nursing model had significantly higher satisfaction with peri-anesthesia care compared to those receiving only evidence-based care (Z = -1.965, P < .05). Conclusion: Under the evidence-based early warning nursing model, nurses accurately assess patients' conditions during the peri-anesthesia period, leading to improved care plans that reduce complications and postoperative pain while enhancing patient satisfaction.

Naturalistic Face Learning in Infants and Adults.

Everyday face recognition presents a difficult challenge because faces vary naturally in appearance as a result of changes in lighting, expression, viewing angle, and hairstyle. We know little about how humans develop the ability to learn faces despite natural facial variability. In the current study, we provide the first examination of attentional mechanisms underlying adults' and infants' learning of naturally varying faces. Adults (n = 48) and 6- to 12-month-old infants (n = 48) viewed videos of models reading a storybook; the facial appearance of these models was either high or low in variability. Participants then viewed the learned face paired with a novel face. Infants showed adultlike prioritization of face over nonface regions; both age groups fixated the face region more in the high- than low-variability condition. Overall, however, infants showed less ability to resist contextual distractions during learning, which potentially contributed to their lack of discrimination between the learned and novel faces. Mechanisms underlying face learning across natural variability are discussed.

Establishment and evaluation of a prediction model for acute gastrointestinal injury in patients with prolonged disorder of consciousness.

OBJECTIVE: To establish a prediction model for acute gastrointestinal injury (AGI) in patients with prolonged disorder of consciousness (pDOC) and to evaluate and apply the prediction model.  METHODS: The clinical data of 165 patients with pDOC admitted to the hyperbaric oxygen department from January 2021 to December 2021 were retrospectively reviewed, and the patients were divided into an AGI group (n = 91) and an N-AGI group (n = 74) according to whether AGI occurred. A prediction model was built by fitting multiple independent influencing factors through logistic regression. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to evaluate the predictive value of the model, the Hosmer-Lemeshow (H-L) test was used to evaluate the goodness-of-fit of the model, and the ROC curve and calibration curve were drawn to evaluate the predictive performance. A nomogram was plotted to visualize the prediction model. RESULTS: According to the multivariate logistic regression analysis results, the prediction model was finally constructed with the CRS-R score, DAO, PCT, ALB, and I-FABP, and a nomogram was generated. The area under the ROC curve (AUC) of the prediction model was 0.931, the sensitivity was 83.5%, and the specificity was 93.2%. The data were divided into 5 groups for the H-L test (χ2 = 2.54, P = 0.468 > 0.05) and into 10 groups for the H-L test (χ2 = 9.98, P = 0.267 > 0.05). A calibration curve was drawn based on the test results, indicating that the prediction model has a good goodness-of-fit and good prediction stability. CONCLUSION: The prediction model for AGI in pDOC patients constructed in this study can be used in clinical practice and is helpful to predict the occurrence of AGI in pDOC patients.

Fractionation and characterization of sialyl linkage isomers of serum N-glycans by CE-MS.

Structural isomers of sialylated N-glycans contribute to the diversity of the N-glycome and to a range of biological functions. Sialyl linkage isomers can be readily distinguished by mass spectrometry with mass differences between α2,3- and α2,6-linkages generated by a two-step sialic acid linkage-specific alkylamidation. To improve the identification of N-glycans from complex mixtures, we added a delactonization step after the first alkylamidation step, which regenerates negatively charged carboxylic acids on α2,3-sialic acids. N-glycan isomers with α2,3-sialic acids are then fractionated by ion-exchange chromatography prior to the second alkylamidation step. With this modified alkylamidation method, sialylated N-glycans were enriched and stabilized for structural characterization by capillary electrophoresis-mass spectrometry and tandem mass spectrometry. We identified 52 sialylated N-glycan structures, including 107 linkage isomers, in human serum and confirmed the presence of positional isomers of specific sialyl linkage isomers. Due to the reduced sample complexity after ion-exchange fractionation and CE separation, substructural features of N-glycans were rapidly evaluated and included core- and antenna-fucosylation and poly-lactosamine.

[Drying effect of Chinese medicinal pills based on new spiral vibration drying technology].

The present study explored the drying effect of new spiral vibration drying technology on Chinese medicinal pills with Liuwei Dihuang Pills, Zhuanggu Guanjie Pills, and Muxiang Shunqi Pills as model drugs. With the drying uniformity, drying time, energy consumption, pill split, dissolution time, and change of index components as evaluation indicators, the drying effect of spiral vibration drying technology on model drugs was evaluated and compared with traditional drying methods, such as hot air drying and vacuum drying in the oven. The dynamic changes of moisture in Liuwei Dihuang Pills with different drying time were investigated. Compared with the traditional drying methods in the oven(hot air drying and vacuum drying) at 80 ℃, the spiral vibration drying only took 80 min, shortened by 80%, with 10%-13% energy consumed. The results showed that the moisture of Liuwei Dihuang Pills was negatively related to the drying time. By virtue of multi-layer countercurrent drying and super resonant fluidization techniques, the new spiral vibration drying technology can significantly improve the drying quality of Chinese medicinal pills, improve the drying efficiency, and enhance the manufacturing capacity of Chinese medicinal pills. This study is expected to provide references for the innovation and development of new drying technology of Chinese medicinal pills.

Current mechanisms of primordial follicle activation and new strategies for fertility preservation.

Premature ovarian insufficiency (POI) is characterized by symptoms caused by ovarian dysfunction in patients aged <40 years. It is associated with a shortened reproductive lifespan. The only effective treatment for patients who are eager to become pregnant is IVF/Embryo Transfer (ET) using oocytes donated by young women. However, the use of the technique is constrained by the limited supply of oocytes and ethical issues. Some patients with POI still have some residual follicles in the ovarian cortex, which are not regulated by gonadotropin. These follicles are dormant. Therefore, activating dormant primordial follicles (PFs) to obtain high-quality oocytes for assisted reproductive technology may bring new hope for patients with POI. Therefore, this study aimed to explore the factors related to PF activation, such as the intercellular signaling network, the internal microenvironment of the ovary and the environment of the organism. In addition, we discussed new strategies for fertility preservation, such as in vitro activation and stem cell transplantation.

Prevalence/potential risk factors for motoric cognitive risk and its relationship to falls in elderly Chinese people: a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Motoric cognitive risk syndrome (MCR) is characterized by slow walking speed and subjective memory complaints (SMCs). This study investigated the prevalence and potential risk factors of MCR and its association with falls in Chinese community-dwelling older adults. METHODS: The analysis was based on data from the Rugao Longevity and Aging Study (RuLAS). MCR was defined as the presence of both SMCs and slow walking speed in participants free of major neurocognitive disorders. SMCs were determined according to a positive answer to the question 'Do you feel you have more problems with memory than most?' in the 15-item Geriatric Depression Scale. Slow walking speed was defined as one standard deviation or more below the mean value for patients' age and sex. Data on falls were derived from a standardized questionnaire. RESULTS: The prevalence of SMCs, slow walking speed and MCR in the RuLAS cohort (N = 1592) was 51.9%, 15.6% and 8.3%, respectively. After adjusting for other covariates, an occupation of farming (odds ratio [OR] 2.358, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.007-5.521, p = 0.048), history of cerebrovascular disease (OR 2.215, 95% CI 1.032-4.752, p = 0.041) and hospitalization (OR 2.008, 95% CI 1.120-3.602, p = 0.019) were risk factors for MCR. Binary logistic regression analysis indicated that the risk of falls was increased by MCR (OR 1.547, 95% CI 1.009-2.371), SMC (OR 1.308, 95% CI 1.003-1.707) and slow walking speed (OR 1.442, 95% CI 1.030-2.017). CONCLUSIONS: Early identification of potential risk factors of MCR can prevent the occurrence of adverse health events such as falls in the elderly.

Identification of a consensus DNA-binding site for the TCP domain transcription factor TCP2 and its important roles in the growth and development of Arabidopsis.

TEOSINTE BRANCHED 1/CYCLOIDEA/PROLIFERATING CELL FACTOR 1 (TCP) transcription factors control multiple aspects of growth and development in various plant species. However, few genes were reported to be directly targeted and regulated by them through their specific binding sites, and then uncover their functions in plants. A consensus DNA-binding site motif of TCP2 was identified by random binding site selection (RBSS). DNA recognized by TCP2 contained the motif G(G/T)GGNCC(A/C), which showed high consistency with motifs bound by other TCP domain proteins. Consequently, this motif was regarded as the specific DNA-binding sites of TCP2. Circadian clock associated 1 (CCA1) and EARLY FLOWERING 3 (ELF3) were subsequently considered as potential target genes owing to the containing of the similar TCP2 binding sites or core binding sites GGNCC and found to be positively regulated by TCP2 via DNA binding. Phenotype analysis results showed that mutation and over-expression of TCP2 resulted in variations in leaf morphogenesis, especially the double or triple mutations of TCP2, 4 and 10. Mutations in TCPs caused late flowering. Finally, TCP2 was shown to influence hypocotyl elongation by mediating the jasmonate signaling pathway. Overall, these results provide a basis for future studies aimed at distinguishing the target genes of TCP2 and elucidating the important roles of TCP2 in plant growth and development.

Overproduction of a Dominant Mutant of the Conserved Era GTPase Inhibits Cell Division in Escherichia coli.

Cell growth and division are coordinated, ensuring homeostasis under any given growth condition, with division occurring as cell mass doubles. The signals and controlling circuit(s) between growth and division are not well understood; however, it is known in Escherichia coli that the essential GTPase Era, which is growth rate regulated, coordinates the two functions and may be a checkpoint regulator of both. We have isolated a mutant of Era that separates its effect on growth and division. When overproduced, the mutant protein Era647 is dominant to wild-type Era and blocks division, causing cells to filament. Multicopy suppressors that prevent the filamentation phenotype of Era647 either increase the expression of FtsZ or decrease the expression of the Era647 protein. Excess Era647 induces complete delocalization of Z rings, providing an explanation for why Era647 induces filamentation, but this effect is probably not due to direct interaction between Era647 and FtsZ. The hypermorphic ftsZ* allele at the native locus can suppress the effects of Era647 overproduction, indicating that extra FtsZ is not required for the suppression, but another hypermorphic allele that accelerates cell division through periplasmic signaling, ftsL*, cannot. Together, these results suggest that Era647 blocks cell division by destabilizing the Z ring.IMPORTANCE All cells need to coordinate their growth and division, and small GTPases that are conserved throughout life play a key role in this regulation. One of these, Era, provides an essential function in the assembly of the 30S ribosomal subunit in Escherichia coli, but its role in regulating E. coli cell division is much less well understood. Here, we characterize a novel dominant negative mutant of Era (Era647) that uncouples these two activities when overproduced; it inhibits cell division by disrupting assembly of the Z ring, without significantly affecting ribosome production. The unique properties of this mutant should help to elucidate how Era regulates cell division and coordinates this process with ribosome biogenesis.

Apolipoprotein B and renal function: across-sectional study from the China health and nutrition survey.

BACKGROUND: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a worldwide public health problem characterized by changes in kidney structure and function, usually leading to a loss of kidney function. The identification of risk factors and management of patients with early-stage CKD may slow or prevent the progression to end-stage renal disease. METHODS: This study used the population-based cohort database from the China Health and Nutrition Survey (CHNS). Data from 11,978 patients were collected from the 2009 to 2011 wave of the CHNS. After removing patients with missing data, we finally included 8322 participants. A cross-sectional design was used to assess the association between Apolipoprotein B (Apo-B) levels and CKD. We used overlapping covariates to develop 5 models to evaluate the odds ratios. RESULTS: Among the study participants, patients with estimated glomerular filtration rates (eGFR) < 60 ml/min/1.73m2were more likely to have increased Apo-B levels (> 1.2 mmol/L, 19.41%), likely to be elderly (> 65 years, 61.76%), likely to be female (61.21%), and likely to be less educated (< 6 years and > 6 & ≤12 years, 32.07 and 52.44%, respectively).The significant association between Apo-B and CKD defined by eGFR even after adjusting for confounders including demographic characteristics, nutritional status, comorbidities, biochemical indicators, and lifestyle factors. In addition, stratified analyses showed that young and middle age (< 65 years), being overweight (body mass index [BMI] > 25 kg/m2), and hyperuricemia were associated with higher risks of CKD stages. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this Chinese population-based study revealed a strong positive correlation between Apo-B and CKD stages. The current findings were obtained from an epidemiologic study; therefore, these data cannot directly address the mechanisms of disease progression. The underlying mechanisms require analysis in future independent validation and prospective cohort studies.

In-Depth Compositional and Structural Characterization of N-Glycans Derived from Human Urinary Exosomes.

The study of exosomes has become increasingly popular due to their potentially important biological roles. Urine can be used as an effective source of exosomes for noninvasive investigations into the pathophysiological states of the urinary system, but first, detailed characterization of exosomal components in healthy individuals is essential. Here, we significantly extend the number of N-glycan compositions, including sulfated species, identified from urinary exosomes and determine the sialic acid linkages for many of those compositions. Capillary electrophoresis-mass spectrometry (CE-MS), matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (MALDI-MS), and capillary liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) were used to identify N-glycan and sulfated N-glycan compositions. Second, because the alteration of sialylation patterns has been previously implicated in various disease states, ion-exchange chromatography, microfluidic capillary electrophoresis (CE), and MALDI-MS were adopted to resolve positional isomers of sialic acids. Structures of the sialyl-linkage isomers were assigned indirectly through α2-3 sialidase treatment and sialic acid linkage-specific alkylamidation (SALSA). In total, we have identified 219 N-glycan structures that include 175 compositions, 64 sialic acid linkage isomers, 26 structural isomers, and 27 sulfated glycans.

Effect of multimedia-based nursing visit on perioperative anxiety in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma patients undergoing video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery.

Little is known about the multimedia-based preoperative nursing visit for squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) patients undergoing video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VAST). The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of preoperative multimedia-based nursing visit on perioperative anxiety in ESCC patients undergoing VAST. A total of 128 ESCC patients undergoing VAST were randomly divided into intervention group (n = 63) or control group (n = 65). The anxiety level was measured by state-trait anxiety inventory (STAI) and visual analog scale (VAS). The vital signs were also recorded. The data were collected at three different time points: before the intervention, 1 h before surgery and 24 h after surgery. There was no statistically significant difference in baseline STAI score, VAS scores and vital signs (P > 0.05). The intervention group reported significantly lower anxiety and improved vital signs in terms of systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure and heart rate at 1 h before surgery and 24 h after surgery (P < 0.05). However, no significant difference in respiratory rate was observed between two groups at 1 h before surgery and 24 h after surgery (P > 0.05). Preoperative nursing visit with multimedia could reduce perioperative anxiety levels as well as help to stabilize vital sign for ESCC patients undergoing VAST.

Becoming Familiar With a Newly Encountered Face: Evidence of an Own-Race Advantage.

Adults' ability to match identity in images of unfamiliar faces is impaired for other- compared with own-race faces; their ability to match identity in images of familiar faces is independent of face race. Exposure to within-person variability in appearance plays a key role in face learning. Past research suggests that children need exposure to higher levels of variability than adults to learn a new face-a difference that has been attributed to experience. We predicted that adults' limited experience with other-race faces would result in their needing exposure to higher levels of variability when learning other- compared with own-race faces. We introduced adults to four new identities (two own-race; two other-race) in one of the three conditions: a single image, a low-variability video (filmed on 1 day), or a high-variability video (filmed across 3 days). Adults' ability to recognize new instances of learned identities improved in the low-variability condition for own-race faces but only in the high-variability condition for other-race faces. We discuss learning mechanisms that might drive this difference-a difference we attribute to experience.

Double signal enhancement strategy based on rolling circle amplification and photoinduced electron transfer for ultrasensitive fluorometric detection of methylated DNA.

The authors describe a novel assay for the detection of methylated DNA site. Rolling circle amplification and CdSe/ZnS quantum dots with high fluorescence efficiency are applied in this method. The CdSe/ZnS quantum dots act as electron donors, and hemin and oxygen (derived from hydrogen peroxide act as acceptors in photoinduced electron transfer. The assay, best performed at excitation/emission peaks of 450/620 nm, is sensitive and specific. Fluorometric response is linear in the 1 pM to 100 nM DNA concentration range, and the lowest detectable concentration of methylated DNA is 142 fM (S/N = 3). The method is capable of recognizing 0.01% methylated DNA in a mixture of methylated/unmethylated DNA. Graphical abstract A novel method for methylated sites detection in DNA is established. Rolling circle amplification and photoinduced electron transfer. CdSe/ZnS quantum dots with high fluorescence efficiency act as the electron donor, while G-quadruplex/hemin and hydrogen peroxide derived oxygen act as electron acceptor. It presents a linear response towards 1 pM to 100 nM methylated DNA with a correlation coefficient of 0.9968, and the lowest detectable concentration of methylated DNA was 142 fM, with selectivity significantly superior to other methods.