Perceived stress and suicidal ideation among transgender women in Shenyang and Kunming, China: Exploring the mediating roles of thwarted belongingness, perceived burdensomeness and social exclusion.

BACKGROUND: Transgender women have a high prevalence of suicidal ideation, with stress and low interpersonal needs as its main risk factors. This study aimed to investigate the mediating role of interpersonal needs on the relationship between perceived stress and suicidal ideation among transgender women in China. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted in Shenyang and Kunming from April to September 2018. 247 transgender women were recruited. Sociodemographic statistics, perceived stress, interpersonal needs and suicidal ideation were obtained. Correlation analysis and mediation analysis were performed to test the relationship among perceived stress, suicidal ideation and interpersonal needs. RESULTS: 14.6 % of the participants reported suicidal ideation within a year. Perceived stress was positively correlated with suicidal ideation (r = 0.228, p < 0.001), interpersonal needs and its three dimensions (r = 0.300-0.583, ps < 0.001)-thwarted belongingness, perceived burdensomeness and social exclusion. Interpersonal needs and its three dimensions were also positively correlated with suicidal ideation (r = 0.148-0.299, ps < 0.05). Interpersonal needs, perceived burdensomeness and social exclusion partly mediated the relationship between perceived stress and suicidal ideation, while thwarted belongingness didn't play a mediating role. LIMITATIONS: Cross-sectional study limited confirmation of causality between variables. The investigation didn't aim at the specific stressors of sexual minorities. And that participants came from only two regions might affect the generalization of the results. CONCLUSIONS: We found a partial mediating role of interpersonal needs between stress and suicidal ideation. Stress reduction and increased social inclusion are needed to reduce suicidal ideation in transgender women.

Development and Validation of a Prognostic Model to Predict Overall Survival for Lung Adenocarcinoma: A Population-Based Study From the SEER Database and the Chinese Multicenter Lung Cancer Database.

Background: Lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) is the most common subtype of non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The aim of our study was to determine prognostic risk factors and establish a novel nomogram for lung adenocarcinoma patients. Methods: This retrospective cohort study is based on the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database and the Chinese multicenter lung cancer database. We selected 22,368 eligible LUAD patients diagnosed between 2010 and 2015 from the SEER database and screened them based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Subsequently, the patients were randomly divided into the training cohort (n = 15,657) and the testing cohort (n = 6711), with a ratio of 7:3. Meanwhile, 736 eligible LUAD patients from the Chinese multicenter lung cancer database diagnosed between 2011 and 2021 were considered as the validation cohort. Results: We established a nomogram based on each independent prognostic factor analysis for 1-, 3-, and 5-year overall survival (OS) . For the training cohort, the area under the curves (AUCs) for predicting the 1-, 3-, and 5-year OS were 0.806, 0.856, and 0.886. For the testing cohort, AUCs for predicting the 1-, 3-, and 5-year OS were 0.804, 0.849, and 0.873. For the validation cohort, AUCs for predicting the 1-, 3-, and 5-year OS were 0.86, 0.874, and 0.861. The calibration curves were observed to be closer to the ideal 45° dotted line with regard to 1-, 3-, and 5-year OS in the training cohort, the testing cohort, and the validation cohort. The decision curve analysis (DCA) plots indicated that the established nomogram had greater net benefits in comparison with the Tumor-Node-Metastasis (TNM) staging system for predicting 1-, 3-, and 5-year OS of lung adenocarcinoma patients. The Kaplan-Meier curves indicated that patients' survival in the low-risk group was better than that in the high-risk group (P < .001). Conclusion: The nomogram performed very well with excellent predictive ability in both the US population and the Chinese population.

1,8-cineole ameliorates ischaemic brain damage via TRPC6/CREB pathways in rats.

OBJECTIVES: A previous in vitro study reported that the monoterpene oxide 1,8-cineole (cineole) attenuates neuronal caused by oxygen-glucose deprivation/reoxygenation in culture. However, to date, there is no in vivo evidence showing neuroprotective effects of cineole against stroke. This study aimed to investigate whether cineole attenuates cerebral ischaemic damage in rats. METHODS: A rat model of middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) followed by 24 h reperfusion was applied. Male rats were treated with oral cineole (100 mg/kg) for 7 consecutive days, then subjected to MCAO surgery. Infarct volume, neurologic deficits, apoptosis and expression levels of all-spectrin breakdown products of 145 kDa (SBDP145), transient receptor potential canonical (subtype) 6 (TRPC6) and phosphorylated CREB (p-CREB) were measured in ischaemic brain tissues. KEY FINDINGS: Cineole treatment significantly reduced infarct volume, neurological dysfunction, neuronal apoptosis, SBDP145 formation and TRPC6 degradation and enhanced p-CREB expression in MCAO rats compared with vehicle treatment. These neuroprotective effects were markedly suppressed by pharmacological inhibition of MEK or CaMKIV signalling. CONCLUSIONS: Our study provides in vivo evidence demonstrating that cineole pretreatment attenuates ischaemic stroke-induced brain damage, mainly through blocking calpain-induced TRPC6 degradation and activating CREB via MEK/CREB and CaMKIV/CREB signalling pathways.

Amphiregulin inhibits TNF-α-induced alveolar epithelial cell death through EGFR signaling pathway.

BACKGROUND: We previously observed that amphiregulin (Areg), a ligand of epithelial growth factor receptor (EGFR), was highly expressed in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced acute lung injury (ALI) lung tissues mainly by the classically activated (M1) alveolar macrophages (AMs). Areg also plays a protective role in LPS-induced injury in lung tissues and alveolar epithelial cells (AECs). However, whether Areg is co-expressed with tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α in ALI lung tissues, and can directly inhibit TNF-α-induced AEC injury remains unclear. METHODS: We first detected the kinetic expressions of Areg and TNF-α in LPS-stimulated lung tissues and M1 AMs and then identified the role of exogenous recombinant Areg (rmAreg) in the injured lung tissues. The effect of Areg on TNF-α-induced apoptosis in MLE-12 cells, a kind of AECs, was examined by terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling staining. The activation of the EGFR-AKT pathway and caspase-3, -8, and -9 were detected by Western blotting. The EGFR knockdown by small interfering RNA was used to assess the role of EGFR in Areg functions. RESULTS: Areg production occurred in close parallel with TNF-α expression in M1 AMs and ALI lung tissues, and rmAreg attenuated LPS-induced ALI in mice. TNF-α stimulation induced significant apoptosis in MLE-12 cells, but this apoptosis was inhibited under rmAreg treatment. Moreover, rmAreg enhanced the activation of EGFR and AKT, and reduced the expressions of cleaved caspase-3, -8, and -9 in ALI lung tissues and TNF-α-challenged MLE-12 cells. However, the EGFR knockdown significantly inhibited the Areg-induced improvement in apoptosis, enhancement of EGFR and AKT activation, and reduction of cleaved caspase-3, -8, and -9 expressions. CONCLUSIONS: Areg and TNF-α were synchronously produced by ALI lung tissues and M1 AMs, and Areg directly inhibited the TNF-induced apoptosis and transduction of caspase death signals in AECs via the EGFR pathway.

Chemical constituents of the stems of Celastrus rugosus.

Two new sesquiterpene pyridine alkaloids rugosusines A and B (1 and 2), and thirty-one known compounds were isolated from the stems of Celastrus rugosus. The structures of new compounds were elucidated by detailed spectroscopic analysis, including HR-ESI-MS and 2D NMR spectroscopic data. All the compounds were isolated from this plant for the first time. The cytotoxicities of these compounds were tested against SKOV3 and MGC-803 cell lines by CCK-8 method.

Sesquiterpene lactones from Inula falconeri, a plant endemic to the Himalayas, as potential anti-inflammatory agents.

A phytochemical investigation of Inula falconeri, a plant endemic to the Himalayas, afforded 10 new sesquiterpenoids and 26 known sesquiterpene lactones, including those bearing guaiane, pseudoguaiane, xanthane, eudesmane, germacrane, rare secocaryophyllane, chromolaevane, and carabrane frameworks. The structures were elucidated via spectroscopic analysis and compared with data from literature. All the isolates were assessed for their inhibitory effects against LPS-induced nitric oxide production in RAW264.7 macrophages. Compounds 4, 11, 24, and 31 showed stronger inhibitory activities than the positive control with IC(50) values of 0.13, 0.07, 0.11, and 0.11 µM, respectively. These studies also led to a better understanding of the structure-activity relationships for the sesquiterpene lactone family of compounds.