[Predictive Value of the Huaxi Emotional Index in Assessing and Identifying High Suicide Risk Among Inpatients With Depression]. / åŽè¥¿å¿ƒæ™´æŒ‡æ•°åœ¨æŠ‘éƒç—‡ä½é™¢æ‚£è€ é«˜è‡ªæ€é£Žé™©è¯„ä¼°ä¸­çš„é¢„æµ‹ä½œç”¨.

Objective: This study aims to investigate the agreement between the Huaxi Emotional Index (HEI) and the Nurses' Global Assessment of Suicide Risk (NGASR) in assessing high suicide risk and to explore the predictive value of HEI in identifying high suicide risk among patients with depression. Methods: Convenience sampling was used and 386 inpatients with depression were included in this cross-sectional study. All patients were admitted to the Mental Health Center, West China Hospital between June and December 2023. The inclusion criteria were as follows, a diagnosis of depression according to the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10), age over 18, and completion of both NGASR and HEI assessments. According to the exclusion criteria, depression patients who had other comorbid mental disorders or those who had severe cognitive impairments and were unable to communicate effectively were excluded. The study was approved by the Biomedical Ethics Review Committee of West China Hospital (Approval No. 647, 2021). Demographic data such as age, sex, ethnicity, marital status, and educational attainment were collected using a self-designed questionnaire. Both the HEI and NGASR were applied to evaluate the patients. We conducted statistical analyses with SPSS 27, employing Spearman's rank correlation for correlation analysis, Kappa tests for consistency between the two instruments, and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves for evaluating the predictive performance of HEI scores for high suicide risk, with the optimal HEI cutoff value determined on the basis of the Youden Index. Results: The study included 386 depression inpatients with an average age of 32 years and an average length-of-stay of 14 days. Of these participants, 252 were female (65.3%) and 134 were male (34.7%). Regarding ethnicity, most of the participants were Han Chinese (89.4%), Tibetans accounted for 7.3%, and other minorities, 3.3%. Regarding marital status, 51.3% of the participants were married, 41.2% single, 6.5% divorced, and 1.0% widowed. Regarding educational attainment, 26.2% had an undergraduate or graduate education, 20.7% had junior college education, 24.8% had high school or secondary technical school education, and 28.2% had middle school education or less. The NGASR identified 57.3% of the participants as being at high suicide risk, while the HEI identified 53.6% as having severe emotional distress. There was a moderate agreement between the HEI and the NGASR scores, with a Kappa value of 0.518 ( P<0.001), indicating statistically significant differences. At an HEI score of 17, the Youden Index peaked at 0.52, predicting high suicide risk with a specificity of 76.36%, a sensitivity of 76.02%, and an area under the ROC curve of 0.829 (95% CI: 0.787-0.871), demonstrating statistically significant differences. Conclusion: HEI and NGASR demonstrate moderate agreement in assessing high suicide risk among depression patients. The HEI questionnaire effectively predicts high suicide risk in patients with depression, with 17 being the optimal cutoff value for assessing high suicide risk.

MAA868, a novel FXI antibody with a unique binding mode, shows durable effects on markers of anticoagulation in humans.

A large unmet medical need exists for safer antithrombotic drugs because all currently approved anticoagulant agents interfere with hemostasis, leading to an increased risk of bleeding. Genetic and pharmacologic evidence in humans and animals suggests that reducing factor XI (FXI) levels has the potential to effectively prevent and treat thrombosis with a minimal risk of bleeding. We generated a fully human antibody (MAA868) that binds the catalytic domain of both FXI (zymogen) and activated FXI. Our structural studies show that MAA868 traps FXI and activated FXI in an inactive, zymogen-like conformation, explaining its equally high binding affinity for both forms of the enzyme. This binding mode allows the enzyme to be neutralized before entering the coagulation process, revealing a particularly attractive anticoagulant profile of the antibody. MAA868 exhibited favorable anticoagulant activity in mice with a dose-dependent protection from carotid occlusion in a ferric chloride-induced thrombosis model. MAA868 also caused robust and sustained anticoagulant activity in cynomolgus monkeys as assessed by activated partial thromboplastin time without any evidence of bleeding. Based on these preclinical findings, we conducted a first-in-human study in healthy subjects and showed that single subcutaneous doses of MAA868 were safe and well tolerated. MAA868 resulted in dose- and time-dependent robust and sustained prolongation of activated partial thromboplastin time and FXI suppression for up to 4 weeks or longer, supporting further clinical investigation as a potential once-monthly subcutaneous anticoagulant therapy.

A brief web-based screening plus emotional-disorder health education was associated with improvement of mental health awareness and service-seeking attitudes among patients seeking nonpsychiatric clinical services in China.

OBJECTIVES: Low recognition and intervention rates of emotional disorders among nonpsychiatric clinical patients are primarily attributable to poor mental health awareness of patients and a paucity of mental health care resources. This study aims to investigate the association of a resource-saving brief web-based emotional-disorder self-screening plus a health self-education program (BWBED-SS + HSE) with improved mental health awareness and service-seeking attitudes among nonpsychiatric clinical patients. METHOD: A sample of 2065 patients seeking health services in nonpsychiatric clinical settings underwent BWBED-SS + HSE using mobile terminals. Participants were defined as being at high risk of anxiety and/or depression according to the optimal cut-off point of ≥11 on the Huaxi emotional-distress index (HEI). RESULTS: The rate of participants at high risk of anxiety and/or depression was 6.63%. Following participation in the BWBED-SS + HSE, after controlling for demographics, type of hospital, and test time, the rates of participants considering themselves as having an emotional disorder and willing to seek mental health services among those at high risk of anxiety and/or depression increased from 29.93% to 47.45% (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 2.28, p = .002) and from 11.68% to 29.93% (aOR = 3.65, p < .001), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The BWBED-SS + HSE were associated with improved mental health awareness and service-seeking attitudes among patients seeking nonpsychiatric clinical services in China.

[Association of CHRNA4 gene polymorphisms with response to antidepressant among ethnic Han Chinese].

OBJECTIVE: To assess the association of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) CHRNA4 gene with response to selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors (SSRIs) for the treatment of major depressive disorder (MDD). METHODS: For 304 patients receiving drug treatment for major depression, 2 SNPs, namely rs4522666 and rs4603829, of the CHRNA4 gene were determined by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time of flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectrometry. HAMD-17 was adopted as the primary rating tool to evaluate the severity of depression on the baseline and at the end of 1st, 2nd, 4th and 6th weeks treatment. RESULTS: The frequency of GG genotype/G allele for rs4522666 differed significantly from that of TT and GT genotypes/T allele between responders and non-responders (P=0.015 and P=0.006, respectively). No significant difference was found in genotypic and allelic frequencies of rs4603829 between the two groups (P> 0.05). CONCLUSION: SNPs of the CHRNA4 gene may play an important role in the response to antidepressant drugs among ethnic Han Chinese with MDD.

High rates of depression anxiety and suicidal ideation among inpatients in general hospital in China.

Objective: To investigate the prevalence rates of depression anxiety and suicidal ideation among Chinese general hospital inpatients and to identify the potential associations with sociodemographics. Method: A cross-sectional survey was applied in a Chinese general hospital. A questionnaire set, including sociodemographic variables, Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), and the Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale-7 (GAD-7), was completed by the participants. Clinically significant depression (CSD) and clinically significant anxiety (CSA) were defined as a score above 10 on the two scales. CSD and CSA are proxy measures but not specific diagnoses of mental disorders. Results: Data from 1329 patients were included in the final analysis. 422 (31.8%) reported clinically significant depressive symptoms, 83 (6.3%) reported frequent suicidal ideation, and 204 (15.3%) reported clinically significant anxiety. Household income was negatively associated with CSD. Inpatients with lower household incomes and educational levels had higher rates of CSA. Middle-aged inpatients were more prone to suicidal ideation, and stable marital status was related to less suicidal ideation. Conclusion: Depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation were determined to be common psychological problems in Chinese inpatients. Chinese medical personnel must pay attention to the mental health conditions of inpatients, particularly inpatients with lower income, educational levels, and poor marital status. Key Points This is one of the first studies focusing on the prevalence of depression and anxiety in Chinese hospitalized inpatients in non-psychiatric departments of a general hospital. The PHQ-9 and GAD-7 were determined to be potential screening tools to aid Chinese medical workers in recognizing depression and anxiety in nonpsychiatric departments. The prevalence of depression, anxiety and suicidal ideation was observed to be relatively high in inpatients, which requires more attention from Chinese clinicians.

[Association of TPH2 gene polymorphism with response to antidepressant treatment among ethnic Han Chinese population].

OBJECTIVE: To assess the association of TPH2 gene polymorphisms with the response or remission to selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) drugs during treatment of major depressive disorder. METHODS: For 304 patients receiving SSRIs treatment for major depression disorder, 3 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) (rs1007023, rs1023990 and rs4570625) in the TPH2 gene were genotyped by MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry using a MassArray Analyzer 4 system. HAMD-17 was adopted as the primary rating tool to evaluate the severity of depression on the baseline and at the end of 1st, 2nd, 4th and 6th week of treatment. RESULTS: The frequency of GG genotype/G allele for rs4570625 differed significantly with the frequency of TT and GT genotypes/T allele between responders and non-responders (P=0.013 and 0.007, respectively). Genotypic and allelic frequencies of the other polymorphisms did not differ significantly between the two groups (P>0.05). No association of TPH2 gene polymorphism with remission was found with the 3 SNPs. CONCLUSION: The polymorphisms of TPH2 gene may play an important role in response to antidepressant drug therapy.

The development and validation of Huaxi emotional-distress index (HEI): A Chinese questionnaire for screening depression and anxiety in non-psychiatric clinical settings.

BACKGROUND: Depression and anxiety among general hospital patients are common and under-recognized in China. This study aimed toward developing a short questionnaire for screening depression and anxiety in non-psychiatric clinical settings, and to test its reliability and validity. METHODS: The item pool which included 35 questions about emotional distress was drafted through a comprehensive literature review. An expert panel review and the first clinical test with 288 general hospital patients were conducted for the primary item selection. The second clinical test was performed to select the final item in 637 non-psychiatric patients. The reliability and validity of the final questionnaire were tested in 763 non-psychiatric patients, in which 211 subjects were interviewed by psychiatrists using Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI). Multiple data analysis methods including principal components analysis (PCA), item response theory (IRT), and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve were used to select items and validate the final questionnaire. RESULTS: The series selection of items resulted in a 9-item questionnaire, namely Huaxi Emotional-distress Index (HEI). The Cronbach's α coefficient of HEI was 0.90. The PCA results showed a unidimensional construct. The area under the ROC curve (AUC) was 0.88 when compared with MINI interview. Using the optimal cut-off score of HEI (≥11), the sensitivity and specificity were 0.880 and 0.766, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The HEI is considered as a reliable and valid instrument for screening depression and anxiety, which may have substantial clinical value to detect patients' emotional disturbances especially in the busy non-psychiatric clinical settings in China.

Validation of the Chinese version of the PHQ-15 in a tertiary hospital.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to investigate the reliability and validity of the Chinese version of the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-15) in a tertiary hospital. METHODS: Using a cross-sectional study design, the Chinese version of the PHQ-15 was administered to a total of 1329 inpatients. To examine the discriminant validity of this questionnaire, we investigated the correlation of the PHQ-15 score with sociodemographic data and the PHQ-9 and GAD-7 scale scores. Exploratory factor analysis was performed to assess the internal consistency of the PHQ-15. To evaluate the consistency of this questionnaire with item response theory (IRT), IRT analysis was performed. RESULTS: The Chinese version of the PHQ-15 showed good reliability (Cronbach's alpha = 0.83). The correlations of the PHQ-15 scores with the PHQ-9 depression scale scores (r = 0.565) and the GAD-7 anxiety scale scores (r = 0.512) were moderate; these results suggested that the PHQ-15 had discriminant validity. We identified three factors, referred to as "cardiopulmonary," "gastrointestinal," and "pain/neurological," which explained 56 % of the total variance. A second-order factor analysis including these three factors produced an acceptable model. Several items (4, 8 and 11) displayed extreme floor effects. Additionally, item 4 displayed a very small variance of 0.35 and showed very small differences in its thresholds based on IRT analysis. CONCLUSIONS: The PHQ-15 scale had good reliability and high validity to detect patients with high somatic symptom severity in a Chinese tertiary hospital. Several of the current findings were consistent with previous research on the PHQ-15 in Western countries and in China. To improve the diagnostic quality of this questionnaire, items 4, 8 and 11 can be omitted.

Immobilisation remediation of arsenic-contaminated soils with promising CaAl-layered double hydroxide and bioavailability, bioaccessibility, and speciation-based health risk assessment.

Arsenic (As)-contaminated soil poses great health risk to human mostly through inadvertent oral exposure. We investigated CaAl-layered double hydroxide (CaAl-LDH), a promising immobilising agent, for the remediation of As-contaminated Chinese soils. The effects on specific soil properties and As fractionation were analyzed, and changes in the health risk of soil As were accurately assessed by means of advanced in vivo mice model and in vitro PBET-SHIME model. Results showed that the application of CaAl-LDH significantly increased soil pH and concentration of Fe and Al oxides, and effectively converted active As fractions into the most stable residual fraction, guaranteeing long-term remediation stability. Based on in vivo test, As relative bioavailability was significantly reduced by 37.75%. Based on in vitro test, As bioaccessibility in small intestinal and colon phases was significantly reduced by 25.65% and 28.57%, respectively. Furthermore, As metabolism (reduction and methylation) by the gut microbiota inhabiting colon was clearly observed. After immobilisation with CaAl-LDH, the concentration of bioaccessible As(Ⅴ) in the colon fluid was significantly reduced by 61.91%, and organic As (least toxic MMA(V) and DMA(V)) became the main species, which further reduced the health risk of soil As. In summary, CaAl-LDH proved to be a feasible option for immobilisation remediation of As-contaminated soils, and considerable progress was made in relevant health risk assessment.

Influences of coexisting aged polystyrene microplastics on the ecological and health risks of cadmium in soils: A leachability and oral bioaccessibility based study.

Whether coexisting microplastics (MPs) affect the ecological and health risks of cadmium (Cd) in soils is a cutting-edge scientific issue. In this study, four typical Chinese soils were prepared as artificially Cd-contaminated soils with/without aged polystyrene (PS). TCLP and in vitro PBET model were used to determine the leachability (ecological risk) and oral bioaccessibility (human health risk) of soil Cd. The mechanisms by which MPs influence soil Cd were discussed from direct and indirect perspectives. Results showed that there was no significant difference in the leachability of soil Cd with/without aged PS. Additionally, aged PS led to a significant decrease in the bioaccessibility of soil Cd in gastric phase, but not in small intestinal phase. The increase in surface roughness and the new characteristic peaks (e.g., Si-O-Si) of aged PS directly accounted for the change in Cd bioaccessibility. The change in organic matter content indirectly accounted for the exceptional increase in Cd bioaccessibility of black soil with aged PS in small intestinal phase. Furthermore, the changes in cation exchange capacity and Cd mobility factor caused by aged PS explained the change in Cd leachability. These results contribute to a deeper understanding about environmental and public health in complicated emerging scenarios.

Diversity and community composition of strictly anaerobic and culturable bacteria from the feces of Styrofoam-fed Tenebrio molitor larvae: a culturomics-based study.

Introduction: In recent years, researchers have been exploring the plastic-degrading abilities of bacteria residing in the guts of Styrofoam-eating Tenebrio molitor larvae. However, none of the reported strains have displayed highly efficient plastic degradation capabilities, and it's noteworthy that none of the existing studies have focused on strictly anaerobic microbes. Methods: In this study, we exclusively fed Styrofoam to T. molitor larvae and examined how this dietary change influence the gut's bacterial community composition, as observed through fecal bacteria using bacterial 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing and the small-scale culturomics method with 20 types of anaerobic media under four different conditions. Results: The results revealed a significant shift in the dominant phylogroup from Lactococcus (37.8%) to Escherichia-Shigella (54.7%) when comparing the feces of larvae fed with bran and Styrofoam, as analyzing through the bacterial 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing. For small-scale culturomics method, a total of 226 strains of anaerobic bacteria were isolated and purified using the rolling-tube/strictly anaerobic technique. Among them, 226 strains were classified into 3 phyla, 7 classes, 9 orders, 17 families, 29 genera, 42 known species and 34 potential novel species. Discussion: Interestingly, 24 genera in total, identified through the culturomics method, were not found in the results obtained from amplicon sequencing. Here, we present a collection of culturable anaerobic bacteria from the feces of T. molitor larvae, which might be a promising avenue for investigating the biodegradability of plastics by combining specific strains, either randomly or intentionally, while considering the abundance ratio of the microbial community composition.

The Mechanical Resistance of Asphalt Mixture with Steel Slag to Deformation and Skid Degradation Based on Laboratory Accelerated Heavy Loading Test.

Steel slag is a main form of solid waste. Using this component to replace part of the aggregate in an asphalt mixture is an effectively way of treating solid waste. To study the performance degradation of asphalt mixture with various content of steel slag under heavy loading, some large-sized basalt hot mixed asphalt mixture (BHMA) and steel slag hot mixed asphalt mixture (SHMA) in a form of specimens were prepared and a heavy loading wheel tracking test was conducted. The aggregate characteristics of basalt and steel slag were measured. The deformation and skid resistance of the asphalt mixture with different content of steel slag was tested and analyzed. Due to the particle characteristics of steel slag aggregate, it was found that a low content of steel slag can effectively improve the resistance to deformation and skid resistance of the asphalt mixture under heavy loading. The response of SHMA can still meet the pavement technical requirement after long-term heavy loading service. The main change in the mixture under heavy loading is the crushing of the 9.5-16 mm aggregate, and the content of this part also significantly affects the deformation. This study explains the mechanism of degradation of SHMA under heavy loading: the large aggregate is crushed and forms a new aggregate skeleton structure.

Effects of a virtual reality serious game training program on the cognitive function of people diagnosed with schizophrenia: A randomized controlled trial.

Background: Cognitive impairment persists through the course of schizophrenia and affects patients' activities of daily living. Aim: This study aims to investigate the effects of a virtual reality (VR) serious game training program on the cognitive function of people diagnosed with schizophrenia. Materials and Methods: Sixty-four eligible people diagnosed with schizophrenia were recruited and randomly assigned to the intervention group (n = 31) and the control group (n = 33). The control group received standard psychiatric care. The intervention group was trained with an additional VR game twice a day for at least 10 days during hospitalization. Cognitive function was measured at enrollment and before discharge using the Brief Cognitive Assessment Tool for Schizophrenia. Results: Compared with those of the control group, the results of the working memory (t = 3.463, Cohen's d = 0.87, p = 0.001) and executive function (TMTA: Z = -2.272, Cohen's d = 0.59, p = 0.023; TMTB:Z = -2.365, Cohen's d = 0.62, p = 0.018) of the intervention group after intervention were significantly better. However, there was no significant difference in the results of social cognition (Z = -1.394, Cohen's d = 0.35, p = 0.163) between the two groups. Conclusion: Intensive active virtual reality serious game training in addition to standard psychiatric care can significantly improve working memory and executive function in people diagnosed with schizophrenia. Implications for Practice: When helping improve the cognitive function of people diagnosed with schizophrenia, mental health professionals should identify cognitive domains to be enhanced and develop corresponding serious game training strategies.

Clinical effect of ultrasound-guided nerve block and dexmedetomidine anesthesia on lower extremity operative fracture reduction.

BACKGROUND: Lower extremity fractures are mainly treated by surgical reduction, but this operation is often affected by the patient's level of agitation and the type of anesthesia used. The main treatment for lower-extremity fractures is operative reduction. However, operations can often be affected by both agitation and the degree of anesthesia. Therefore, it is of great importance to develop an effective anesthesia program to effectively ensure the progress of surgery. AIM: To discuss the effect of ultrasound-guided nerve block combined with dexmedetomidine anesthesia in lower extremity fracture surgery. METHODS: A total of 120 hospital patients with lower extremity fractures were selected for this retrospective study and divided into an observation group (n = 60) and a control group (n = 60) according to the anesthesia scheme; the control group received ultrasound-guided nerve block; the observation group was treated with dextromethomidine on the basis of the control group, and the mean arterial pressure, heart rate (HR), and blood oxygen saturation were observed in the two groups. RESULTS: The mean arterial pressure of T1, T2 and T3 in the observation group were 94.40 ± 7.10, 90.84 ± 7.21 and 91.03 ± 6.84 mmHg, significantly higher than that of the control group (P < 0.05). The observation group's HR at T1 was 76.60 ± 7.52 times/min, significantly lower than that of the control group (P < 0.05); The observation group's HR at T2 and T3 was 75.40 ± 8.03 times/min and 76.64 ± 7.11 times/min, significantly higher than that of the control group (P < 0.05). The observation group's visual analog score at 2 h, 6 h and 12 h after operation was 3.55 ± 0.87, 2.84 ± 0.65 and 2.05 ± 0.40. the recovery time was 15.51 ± 4.21 min, significantly lower than that of the control group (P < 0.05). Six hours post-anesthesia, epinephrine and norepinephrine in the observation group were 81. 10 ± 21.19 pg/mL and 510. 20 ± 98.27 pg/mL, significantly lower than that of the control group (P < 0.05), and the mini-mental state exam score of the observation group was 25. 51 ± 1.15, significantly higher than that in the control group (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Ultrasound-guided nerve block combined with dexmedetomidine has a good anesthetic effect in the operation of lower limb fractures and has little effect on the hemodynamics of patients.

The effect of mental health on sleep quality of front-line medical staff during the COVID-19 outbreak in China: A cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: The 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic is a public health emergency of international concern and poses a challenge to the mental health and sleep quality of front-line medical staff (FMS). The aim of this study was to investigate the sleep quality of FMS during the COVID-19 outbreak in China and analyze the relationship between mental health and sleep quality of FMS. METHODS: From February 24, 2020 to March 22, 2020, a cross-sectional study was performed with 543 FMS from a medical center in Western China. A self-reported questionnaire was used to collect data anonymously. The following tests were used: The Self-Rating Anxiety Scale (SAS) for symptoms of anxiety, the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) for depressive symptoms, and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) for sleep quality assessment. RESULTS: Of the 543 FMS, 216 (39.8%) were classified as subjects with poor sleep quality. Anxiety (P<0.001), depression (P<0.001), and the prevalence of those divorced or widowed (P<0.05) were more common in FMS with poor sleep quality than in participants with good sleep quality. The FMS exhibiting co-occurrence of anxiety and depression were associated with worse scores on sleep quality than those medical staff in the other three groups/categories. The difference in sleep quality between the FMS with only depression and the FMS experiencing co-occurrence of anxiety and depression was statistically significant (P<0.05). However, there was no significant difference in sleep quality between the FMS experiencing only anxiety and the FMS with co-occurrence of anxiety and depression (P > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: During the COVID-19 pandemic, there was a noteworthy increase in the prevalence of negative emotions and sentiments among the medical staff, along with poor overall sleep quality. We anticipate that this study can stimulate more research into the mental state of FMS during outbreaks and other public health emergencies. In addition, particular attention must be paid to enhance the sleep quality of FMS, along with better planning and support for FMS who are continuously exposed to the existing viral epidemic by virtue of the nature of their profession.

MiR-21-3p Inhibits Adipose Browning by Targeting FGFR1 and Aggravates Atrial Fibrosis in Diabetes.

A relationship between excess epicardial adipose tissue (EAT) and the risk of atrial fibrillation (AF) has been reported. Browning of EAT may be a novel approach for the prevention or treatment of AF by attenuating atrial fibrosis. Previous studies have identified microRNA-21 (miR-21) as a regulatory factor in atrial fibrosis. The present study examined the role of different subtypes of miR-21 in adipose browning and atrial fibrosis under hyperglycemic conditions. Wild type and miR-21 knockout C57BL/6 mice were used to establish a diabetic model via intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin. A coculture model of atrial fibroblasts and adipocytes was also established. We identified miR-21-3p as a key regulator that controls adipocyte browning and participates in atrial fibrosis under hyperglycemic conditions. Moreover, fibroblast growth factor receptor (FGFR) 1, a direct target of miR-21-3p, decreased in this setting and controlled adipose browning. Gain and loss-of-function experiments identified a regulatory pathway in adipocytes involving miR-21a-3p, FGFR1, FGF21, and PPARγ that regulated adipocyte browning and participated in hyperglycemia-induced atrial fibrosis. Modulation of this signaling pathway may provide a therapeutic option for the prevention and treatment of atrial fibrosis or AF in DM.

Preparation of Ce0.9Zr0.1O2/SnIn4S8 composite photocatalyst and its degradation of typical antibiotic pollutants.

Considering the high environmental risk, the remediation of antibiotic pollutants attracted numerous attentions. In this work, a novel photocatalyst, Ce0.9Zr0.1O2/SnIn4S8, was fabricated by in situ precipitation and hydrothermal method and then applied to the degradation of norfloxacin under the irritation of visible light. The SEM, TEM, XRD, XPS, and electrochemical results clearly showed that the n-type heterojunction between Ce0.9Zr0.1O2 and SnIn4S8 was successfully constructed, which greatly reduces the recombination of the photogenic electron and holes, leading to the improvement of photocatalytic performance and stability (recycled over eight times). Besides, the Ce0.9Zr0.1O2/SnIn4S8 composite also exhibited good ability to mineralize norfloxacin. Under the optimal condition (pH 3, 1 g L-1 of 10% Ce0.9Zr0.1O2/SnIn4S8, and 8 mg L-1 of initial norfloxacin concentration), norfloxacin could be fully and rapidly degraded in 60 min, and completely mineralized in 4 h (99.3 ± 1.7%). LC-QTOF-MS results evidently displayed eight intermediates during norfloxacin degradation. In addition, with the attack of the reactive oxygen species (h+, •OH, and •O2-), norfloxacin could be effectively decomposed via deoxygenation, hydroxylation, and carboxylation reactions. Notably, compared to photodegradation, the photocatalytic process could completely eliminate the norfloxacin from water because it could avoid the accumulation of toxic byproducts.

[Study of infective efficiency of two adenovirus vectors to rBMSC and its mechanism].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the infective efficiency of Ad5/EGFP versus AdF35/EGFP to rat bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (rBMSC) and understand its mechanism. METHODS: rBMSC were isolated from rat bone marrow by density gradient method. The expressions of CD90, CD29, CD44, CD34, CD11b and CD45 on the surface of rBMSC were measured by flow cytometry. The EGFP-carrying Ad5 and AdF35 were infected into rBMSC respectively. The effect of Ad5/EGFP and AdF35/EGFP with different MOIs to rBMSC was tested by MTT. Infected rBMSC were observed by fluorescence microscopy. The infective efficiency and mean fluorescence intensity were determined by flow cytometry after a cellular infection for 1 - 9 days. The expressions of CAR and CD46 on rBMSC were measured by real-time PCR. RESULTS: The expressions of CD90, CD29 and CD44 on rBMSC were positive while those of CD34, CD11b and CD45 were negative. When MOI

[Research on the mechanism of ginsenoside Rh2 reversing the resistance of lung adenocarcinoma cells to cisplatin].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the mechanism of ginsenoside Rh2 in reversing the resistance of lung adenocarcinoma cells to cisplatin. METHODS: In the Rh2, DDP and DDP + Rh2 group A549DDP cells were treated with Rh2, cisplatin, cisplatin + Rh2 respectively for 48 hours. In the control group the A549DDP cells were not treated with any kind of drugs. The state of mitochondrial permeability transition pore (PTP) was evaluated by ultra violate spectrofluorometer. Concentration of calcium in cells, membrane potential of mitochondrion and apoptosis cells were determined by flow cytometry. The expression of cyt-c and Caspase-3 was estimated by Western blots. Cellular shapes were observed by fluorescent microscopy. RESULTS: The concentrations of calcium were similar among the former three groups, but was obviously increased in the Rh2 + DDP group (t = 22.47, P < 0.01). A(540) of mitochondrion among the former three groups were not different, but decreased significantly in the Rh2 + DDP group (t = 8.21, P < 0.01). The membrane potentials of mitochondrion showed no difference in the former groups, that was remarkably lower in the Rh2 + DDP group than in the control group (chi(2) = 46.01, P < 0.01). There was little expression of cty-c and Caspase-3 in the former groups, but high expression of those in the Rh2 + DDP group. Fluorescence was distributed equally on the cells nucleus in the former groups. In the Rh2 + DDP group many cell nucleus shrank or were distorted. The apoptosis rate of the cells was 6.32%, 7.24%, 7.41% and 21.96% in the four groups respectively. Which in Rh2 + DDP group was higher than that in the control group (t = 10.92, P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The effect of ginsenoside Rh2 reversing resistance of lung adenocarcinoma A549DDP cells to cisplatin can be performed by apoptotic mitochondria pathway.