Translation, cross-cultural adaptation, reliability, and validity of the Chinese version of the intensive care unit environment stress scale for pediatric patients.

PURPOSE: There is currently a lack of understanding of children's experience in the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) environment. Additionally, pediatric patients may experience post-PICU syndrome following discharge. Thus, we aimed to adapt and evaluate the psychometric properties of a tool specifically for use with children in the PICU. DESIGN AND METHODS: According to Brislin's Model, the Intensive Care Unit Environment Stress Scale (ICUESS) was translated both forward and backward and adapted cross-culturally. A total of 210 PICU patients were selected from four hospitals in XXX to analyze the final translated version of the questionnaire, the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit Environmental Stress Scale (PICUESS). Content validity, exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) were used to assess the validity, while reliability was assessed using Cronbach's alpha and split-half reliability analysis. RESULTS: For PICUESS, seven of 42 items were modified. Content validity was high (overall = 0.96, item validity = 0.8 to 1.0). Exploratory factor analysis revealed eight common factors (Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin = 0.857, significant Bartlett's test). The results of the CFA indicate that the scale model fits well across the 8 factors. The entire scale demonstrated excellent internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha = 0.934). The overall split-half reliability was 0.935. CONCLUSIONS: The Chinese version of PICUESS demonstrates good reliability and validity, making it suitable for assessing pediatric patients' perceptions of the PICU environment. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: The PICUESS can assist healthcare professionals in providing personalized environment care for PICU patients. It has the potential to serve as a tool for further testing and international comparisons of pediatric patients' perceptions of the PICU environment.

Correction: Boorboori, M.R.; Zhang, H.-Y. Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi Are an Influential Factor in Improving the Phytoremediation of Arsenic, Cadmium, Lead, and Chromium. J. Fungi 2022, 8, 176.

In the original publication [...].

Understanding the drivers of PM2.5 concentrations in Chinese cities: A comprehensive study of anthropogenic and environmental factors.

Understanding the factors that drive PM2.5 concentrations in cities with varying population and land areas is crucial for promoting sustainable urban population health. This knowledge is particularly important for countries where air pollution is a significant challenge. Most existing studies have investigated either anthropogenic or environmental factors in isolation, often in limited geographic contexts; however, this study fills this knowledge gap. We employed a multimethodological approach, using both multiple linear regression models and geographically weighted regression (GWR), to assess the combined and individual effects of these factors across different cities in China. The variables considered were urban built-up area, land consumption rate (LCR), population size, population growth rate (PGR), longitude, and latitude. Compared with other studies, this study provides a more comprehensive understanding of PM2.5 drivers. The findings of this study showed that PGR and population size are key factors affecting PM2.5 concentrations in smaller cities. In addition, the extent of urban built-up areas exerts significant influence in medium and large cities. Latitude was found to be a positive predictor for PM2.5 concentrations across all city sizes. Interestingly, the northeast, south, and southwest regions demonstrated lower PM2.5 levels than the central, east, north, and northwest regions. The GWR model underscored the importance of considering spatial heterogeneity in policy interventions. However, this research is not without limitations. For instance, international pollution transfers were not considered. Despite the limitation, this study advances the existing literature by providing an understanding of how both anthropogenic and environmental factors, in conjunction with city scale, shape PM2.5 concentrations. This integrated approach offers invaluable insights for tailoring more effective air pollution management strategies across cities of different sizes and characteristics.

Research Progress on Structure-Activity Relationship of 1,8-Naphthalimide DNA Chimeras Against Tumor.

The development of 1,8-naphthalimide derivatives as cell probes, DNA targeting agents, and anti-tumor drugs is one of the research hotspots in the field of medicine. Naphthalimide compounds are a kind of DNA embedder, which can change the topological structure of DNA by embedding in the middle of DNA base pairs, and then affect the recognition and action of topoisomerase on DNA. Aminofide and mitonafide are the first 2 drugs to undergo clinical trials. They have good DNA insertion ability, can embed DNA double-stranded structure, and induce topoisomerase II to cut part of pBR322DNA, but not yet entered the market due to their toxicity. In this paper, the design and structure-activity relationship of mononaphthalimide and bisaphthalimide compounds were studied, and the relationship between the structure of naphthalimide and anti-tumor activity was analyzed and discussed. It was found that a variety of structural modifications were significant in improving anti-tumor activity and reducing toxicity.

TSHR Variant Screening and Phenotype Analysis in 367 Chinese Patients With Congenital Hypothyroidism.

Background: Genetic defects in the human thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) receptor (TSHR) gene can cause congenital hypothyroidism (CH). However, the biological functions and comprehensive genotype-phenotype relationships for most TSHR variants associated with CH remain unexplored. We aimed to identify TSHR variants in Chinese patients with CH, analyze the functions of the variants, and explore the relationships between TSHR genotypes and clinical phenotypes. Methods: In total, 367 patients with CH were recruited for TSHR variant screening using whole-exome sequencing. The effects of the variants were evaluated by in-silico programs such as SIFT and polyphen2. Furthermore, these variants were transfected into 293T cells to detect their Gs/cyclic AMP and Gq/11 signaling activity. Results: Among the 367 patients with CH, 17 TSHR variants, including three novel variants, were identified in 45 patients, and 18 patients carried biallelic TSHR variants. In vitro experiments showed that 10 variants were associated with Gs/cyclic AMP and Gq/11 signaling pathway impairment to varying degrees. Patients with TSHR biallelic variants had lower serum TSH levels and higher free triiodothyronine and thyroxine levels at diagnosis than those with DUOX2 biallelic variants. Conclusions: We found a high frequency of TSHR variants in Chinese patients with CH (12.3%), and 4.9% of cases were caused by TSHR biallelic variants. Ten variants were identified as loss-of-function variants. The data suggest that the clinical phenotype of CH patients caused by TSHR biallelic variants is relatively mild. Our study expands the TSHR variant spectrum and provides further evidence for the elucidation of the genetic etiology of CH.

Contactin 6, A Novel Causative Gene for Congenital Hypothyroidism, Mediates Thyroid Hormone Biosynthesis Through Notch Signaling.

Background: Congenital hypothyroidism (CH) is the most common neonatal metabolic disorder. In patients with CH in China, thyroid dyshormonogenesis is more common than thyroid dysgenesis; however, the genetic causes of CH due to thyroid dyshormonogenesis remain largely unknown. Therefore, we aimed at identifying novel candidate causative genes for CH. Methods: To identify novel CH candidate genes, a total of 599 patients with CH were enrolled and next-generation sequencing was performed. The functions of the identified variants were confirmed using HEK293T and FTC-133 cell lines in vitro and in a mouse model organism in vivo. Results: Three pathogenic contactin 6 (CNTN6) variants were identified in two patients with CH. Pedigree analysis showed that CH caused by CNTN6 variants was inherited in an autosomal recessive pattern. The CNTN6 gene was highly expressed in the thyroid in humans and mice. Cntn6 knockout mice presented with thyroid dyshormonogenesis and CH due to the decreased expression of crucial genes for thyroid hormone biosynthesis (Slc5a5, Tpo, and Duox2). All three CNTN6 variants resulted in the blocking of the release of the Notch intracellular domain, which could not translocate into the nucleus, impaired NOTCH1 transcriptional activity, and decreased expression of SLC5A5, TPO, and DUOX2. Further, we found that DTX1 was required for CNTN6 to promote thyroid hormone biosynthesis through Notch signaling. Conclusions: This study demonstrated that CNTN6 is a novel causative gene for CH through the mediation of thyroid hormone biosynthesis via Notch signaling, which provides new insights into the genetic background and mechanisms involved in CH and thyroid dyshormonogenesis.