Circ-CARD6 inhibits oxidative stress-induced apoptosis and autophagy in ARPE-19 cells via the miR-29b-3p/PRDX6/PI3K/Akt axis.

BACKGROUND: Oxidative stress-induced damage and dysfunction of retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) cells are important pathogenetic factors of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and hereditary retinopathy diseases (HRDs). This study aimed to elucidate the roles and mechanisms of circ-CARD6 and miR-29b-3p in oxidative stress-induced RPE and provide new ideas for the diagnosis and treatment of retinopathy disease (RD). METHODS: A model of oxidative stress-induced RPE (ARPE-19) was established, and the level of malondialdehyde (MDA) and concentration of reactive oxygen species (ROS) were detected by a DCFH-DA fluorescent probe and MDA kit. The cell viability was measured by a CCK-8 assay. The expression of PRDX6/PI3K/Akt axis genes and proteins related to apoptosis and autophagy were determined by RT‒qPCR and Western blot analyses. The dual-luciferase reporter system confirmed the targeting relationship between miR-29b-3p and circ-CARD6 and between miR-29b-3p and PRDX6. RESULTS: In H2O2-treated ARPE-19 cells, the expression of circ-CARD6 and PRDX6 was decreased, while the expression of miR-29b-3p was increased. The overexpression of circ-CARD6 inhibits oxidative stress-induced increases in ROS, apoptosis and autophagy in ARPE-19 cells. circ-CARD6 targets miR-29b-3p, miR-29b-3p targets PRDX6, and circ-CARD6 regulates PRDX6 via miR-29b-3p. Further studies showed that circ-CARD6 acts as a competitive endogenous RNA of miR-29b-3p to affect the expression of PRDX6, thereby inhibiting autophagy and apoptosis in ARPE-19 cells. CONCLUSION: circ-CARD6 can inhibit oxidative stress and apoptosis by regulating the miR-29b-3p/PRDX6/PI3K/Akt axis.

GnT-V-mediated aberrant N-glycosylation of TIMP-1 promotes diabetic retinopathy progression.

BACKGROUND: Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) signaling pathway plays an important role in the progression of diabetic retinopathy (DR). The glycosylation modification process of many key functional proteins in DR patients is abnormal. However, the potential involvement of abnormal N-glycoproteins in DR progression remains unclear. METHODS: Glycoproteomic profiling of the vitreous humor was performed. The level of protein and N-glycoprotein was confirmed by Western blot and Lectin blot, respectively. The cell viability and migration efficiency were detected by CCK-8 and Transwell assay. Flow cytometry was conducted to analyze the level of cell apoptosis and reactive oxygen specie. Malondialdehyde, superoxide dismutase activity and VEGF content were detected by Enzyme linked immunosorbent assays. The interaction of metalloproteinase 1 (TIMP-1) with N-acetylglucosamine transferase V (GnT-V) was detected by GST pull-down. Hematoxylin and eosin staining and choroidal and retinal flat mount stained with fluorescein isothiocyanate-Dextran assay were used for functional research in vivo. RESULTS: We found that N-glycosylation was up-regulated in DR rats and high glucose (HG)-induced human retinal pigment epithelium cell line ARPE-19. HG-induced inhibited the viability of ARPE-19 cells and promoted cell apoptosis and oxidative stress (OS), but these effects were reversed with kifunensine treatment, GnT-V knockdown and TIMP-1 mutation. Additionally, GnT-V binds to TIMP-1 to promote N-glycosylation of TIMP-1. Over-expression of GnT-V inhibited the viability of ARPE-19 cells and promoted cell apoptosis, OS and VEGF release, which these effects were reversed with TIMP-1 mutation. Interestingly, over-expression of GnT-V promoted retinal microvascular endothelial cells (RMECs) angiogenesis but was revered with TIMP-1 mutation, which was terminally boosted by VEGF-A treatment. Finally, knockdown of GnT-V relieved DR progression. CONCLUSION: The findings indicate that GnT-V can promote RMECs angiogenesis and ARPE-19 cells injury through activation VEGF signaling pathway by increasing TIMP-1 N-glycosylation level, which provides a new theoretical basis for the prevention of DR.

Comparison of the efficacy and safety of ciprofol and propofol in sedating patients in the operating room and outside the operating room: a meta-analysis and systematic review.

BACKGROUND: As a new type of intravenous anesthetic, ciprofol has the advantages of fast onset of action, fast recovery and high clearance rate. This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness and safety of ciprofol versus traditional propofol for anesthesia and sedation in and out of the operating room. METHODS: We searched the literature in PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, and Embase databases from January 2021 to December 2023. All clinical studies comparing the sedative effects of propofol and ciprofol, both inside and outside the operating room, were included in our trial. The main outcome measures were induction time and incidence of injection-site pain. Data are merged using risk ratio and standardized mean difference with 95% confidence interval. Subgroup analysis, meta-regression, sensitivity analysis, and publication bias were performed. The study protocol was prospectively registered with PROSPERO (CRD42023447747). RESULTS: A total of 15 randomized, controlled trials involving 2002 patients were included in this study. Compared with propofol, ciprofol has a longer induction time in the operating room but a shorter induction time in non-operating room settings. Ciprofol can effectively reduce the risk of injection-site pain and respiratory depression both inside and outside the operating room. In addition, the risk of drug-related hypotension induced with ciprofol in the operating room is lower, but the awakening time is also longer. Meta-regression analysis showed that neither age nor BMI were potential sources of heterogeneity. Funnel plot, egger and begg tests showed no significant publication bias. Sensitivity analyzes indicate that our results are robust and reliable. CONCLUSION: Ciprofol has absolute advantages in reducing the risk of injection-site pain and respiratory depression, both in and outside operating room. Intraoperative use of ciprofol reduces the risk of drug-related hypotension and may also reduce the risk of intraoperative physical movements. However, ciprofol may have longer induction and awakening time than propofol.

Drought Stress Induced Different Response Mechanisms in Three Dendrobium Species under Different Photosynthetic Pathways.

Many Dendrobium species, which hold a high status and value in traditional Chinese medicine, grow on barks and rocks in the wild, often encountering harsh environments and facing droughts. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying the shift in the photosynthetic pathway induced by drought remain unclear. To address this issue, three Dendrobium species with different photosynthetic pathways were selected for sequencing and transcriptome data analysis after drought treatment. The findings included 134.43 GB of sequencing data, with numerous Differentially Expressed Genes (DEGs) exhibiting different response mechanisms under drought stress. Gene Ontology (GO)-KEGG-based enrichment analysis of DEGs revealed that metabolic pathways contributed to drought tolerance and alterations in photosynthetic pathways. Phosphoenolpyruvate Carboxylase (PEPC) was subjected to phylogenetic tree construction, sequence alignment, and domain analysis. Under drought stress, variations were observed in the PEPC gene structure and expression among different Dendrobium species; the upregulation of Dc_gene2609 expression may be caused by dof-miR-384, which resulted in the shift from C3 photosynthesis to CAM, thereby improving drought tolerance in Dendrobium. This study revealed the expression patterns and roles of PEPC genes in enhancing plant drought tolerance and will provide an important basis for in-depth research on Dendrobium's adaptation mechanisms in arid environments.

Dynamic nomogram prediction model for diabetic retinopathy in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

BACKGROUND: To develop a dynamic prediction model for diabetic retinopathy (DR) using systemic risk factors. METHODS: This retrospective study included type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients discharged from the Second Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University between May 2020 and February 2022. The early patients (80%) were used for the training set and the late ones (20%) for the validation set. RESULTS: Finally, 1257 patients (1049 [80%] in the training set and 208 [20%] in the validation set) were included; 360 (28.6%) of them had DR. The areas under the curves (AUCs) for the multivariate regression (MR), least absolute shrinkage and selection operator regression (LASSO), and backward elimination stepwise regression (BESR) models were 0.719, 0.727, and 0.728, respectively. The Delong test showed that the BESR model had a better predictive value than the MR (p = 0.04899) and LASSO (P = 0.04999) models. The DR nomogram risk model was established according to the BESR model, and it included disease duration, age at onset, treatment method, total cholesterol, urinary albumin to creatinine ratio (UACR), and urine sugar. The AUC, kappa coefficient, sensitivity, specificity, and compliance of the nomogram risk model in the validation set were 0.79, 0.48, 71.2%, 78.9%, and 76.4%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: A relatively reliable DR nomogram risk model was established based on the BESR model.

Information interaction and social support: exploring help-seeking in online communities during public health emergencies.

BACKGROUND: During public health emergencies, online community users can obtain social support and assistance through information interaction in the online community. This study takes the COVID-19 pandemic as the context and aims to analyze the influence of user information interaction in online communities on the acquisition of social support during this public health emergency. METHODS: Data collected from help-seeking posts in the "COVID-19 Patients Help-Seeking Dialog" subforum on China's Sina Weibo were used as the research sample. The influence of the frequency of interaction and responsiveness on help seekers' receipt of online social support was analyzed, and the moderating effect of help seekers' identity type and intensity of online community use was explored. RESULTS: The results reveal that the frequency of interaction positively impacts informational support (ß = 0.367, p < 0.001) and negatively impacts emotional support (ß=-0.240, p < 0.001), and the responsiveness of other users toward help-seeking posts positively impacts emotional support (ß = 0.145, p < 0.01). Moreover, help seeker's identity type and intensity of online community use significantly moderate the relationship between the frequency of interaction and the emotional support obtained by the help seeker. CONCLUSIONS: The study highlights the impact of user information interaction on obtaining help-seeking information from online communities for social support. The initiative would facilitate the resolution of issues related to users' information help-seeking during public health emergencies.

Comparative Genomic Analysis of a Methylorubrum rhodesianum MB200 Isolated from Biogas Digesters Provided New Insights into the Carbon Metabolism of Methylotrophic Bacteria.

Methylotrophic bacteria are widely distributed in nature and can be applied in bioconversion because of their ability to use one-carbon source. The aim of this study was to investigate the mechanism underlying utilization of high methanol content and other carbon sources by Methylorubrum rhodesianum strain MB200 via comparative genomics and analysis of carbon metabolism pathway. The genomic analysis revealed that the strain MB200 had a genome size of 5.7 Mb and two plasmids. Its genome was presented and compared with that of the 25 fully sequenced strains of Methylobacterium genus. Comparative genomics revealed that the Methylorubrum strains had closer collinearity, more shared orthogroups, and more conservative MDH cluster. The transcriptome analysis of the strain MB200 in the presence of various carbon sources revealed that a battery of genes was involved in the methanol metabolism. These genes are involved in the following functions: carbon fixation, electron transfer chain, ATP energy release, and resistance to oxidation. Particularly, the central carbon metabolism pathway of the strain MB200 was reconstructed to reflect the possible reality of the carbon metabolism, including ethanol metabolism. Partial propionate metabolism involved in ethyl malonyl-CoA (EMC) pathway might help to relieve the restriction of the serine cycle. In addition, the glycine cleavage system (GCS) was observed to participate in the central carbon metabolism pathway. The study revealed the coordination of several metabolic pathways, where various carbon sources could induce associated metabolic pathways. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study providing a more comprehensive understanding of the central carbon metabolism in Methylorubrum. This study provided a reference for potential synthetic and industrial applications of this genus and its use as chassis cells.

Bergapten mediated inflammatory and apoptosis through AMPK/eNOS/AKT signaling pathway of isoproterenol-induced myocardial infarction in Wistar rats.

Bergapten (BeG) is explored for its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. Myocardial infarction (MI) is reported to be one of the leading cardiovascular diseases characterized by mitochondrial dysfunction and apoptosis. The main purpose of this study is to assess the cardiopreventive effects of BeG (50 mg/kg) in isoproterenol (ISO)-induced MI in Wistar rats. The increased infarct size after ISO induction was reduced simultaneously on treatment with BeG. Similarly, augmented levels of cardiac biomarkers, namely cardiac troponin T, creatine kinase (CK), cardiac troponin I, and CK-MB were also suppressed by BeG. The increased rate of lipid hydroperoxides and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances owing to the oxidative stress caused by free radical generation in ISO-induced rats were also inhibited by BeG. Antioxidants reduce oxidative stress by scavenging free radicals. ISO induction reduces these antioxidant enzymes glutathione peroxidase, catalase, superoxide dismutase, and glutathione, and levels causing oxidative cardiac damage to the heart tissue. BeG supplementation improved these enzymes synthesis preventing potential damage to the myocardium. Inflammation caused by ISO pretreatment increased the secretion of proinflammatory cytokines in ISO-induced rats. Pretreatment with BeG suppressed these inflammatory cytokines to a normal level in ISO + BeG-treated rats. The histopathological examination of the morphological characteristics showed that the intensity of cardiac damage caused by ISO induction was less in BeG pretreated rats with less inflammatory cells and no necrosis. BeG also showed promising results in the molecular alteration of AMP-activated protein kinase/endothelial nitric oxide synthase/protein kinase B signaling molecules. These observations emphasize the cardioprotective effects of BeG and its potential use as a drug in the near future.

A health promoting-lifestyle prediction model for dementia prevention among chinese adults: based on the health belief model.

BACKGROUND: People's health belief is an important factor affecting health behavior. However, there has been little use of the health belief model (HBM) in determining the pathway effect of patients' beliefs on health behavior in dementia prevention in China. The aim of our study was to evaluate the impact of dementia prevention beliefs on health promoting lifestyle among Chinese adults. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted on line by convenience sampling from January to March 2020. A survey about dementia prevention knowledge, health belief of dementia prevention and health-promoting lifestyle was completed by 1201 adults in China. Data was analyzed using a structural equation model with the analysis of moment program. RESULTS: The participants were aged 40.50 ± 12.72 years. About 70.3% of participants were female. The purposed model fit the data from the study well. Perceived barriers (total effect-0.322, P < 0.01) and perceived susceptibility (total effect -0.242, P < 0.01) had negative effects on lifestyle. Self-efficacy had promoting effects on lifestyle (total effect 0.207, P < 0.01). Perceived severity had positive effects both on perceived benefits (total effect 0.137, P < 0.01) and perceived barriers (total effect 0.202, P < 0.01), which had a contradictory effect in the formation of health belief. Perceived benefits, cues to action and self-efficacy played a partial mediating role between knowledge and health behavior. The belief of changing lifestyle to reduce the risk of dementia could explain 24.5% of health behavior (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The findings indicate that in dementia prevention, dementia prevention health belief has important influences on health behavior. Community medical staff can develop targeted dementia prevention interventions based on the health belief model in the future.

Online selection of a physician by patients: the impression formation perspective.

BACKGROUND: With the rapid development of online health communities (OHCs), an increasing number of physicians provide services in OHCs that enable patients to consult online in China. However, it is difficult for patients to figure out the professional level of doctors before consultation and diagnosis because of information asymmetry. A wealth of information about physicians is displayed in their profiles as a new way to help patients evaluate and select quickly and accurately. OBJECTIVE: This research explores how the profile information (PI) presented in OHCs influences patients' impression formation, especially the perception of professional capital (i.e., status capital and decisional capital). The impression influences their intention to consult further, which is partially mediated by the initial trust. The Toulmin's model of argumentation is used to decide the strength of the argument presented in physicians' homepage information and divide it into claim, data, and backing. METHODS: This study conducts an internet experiment and recruits 386 subjects through the internet to investigate the effect of impression formation on online selection behavior by a patient. RESULTS: The results show that the strength of argument has a significant positive association with the perception of professional capital. Perceptions of professional capital are highest when a fully composed argument (claim/data/backing) is included in a profile, with claim/data being the next highest and claim only the lowest. Recommendations from connections have the strongest impact. In turn, patients' selection decisions are influenced by their perception of professional capital, which is partially mediated by initial trust. CONCLUSIONS: This study is significant in terms of its implications for theory and practice. On the one hand, this research contributes to the online health community literature and suggests that the perception of professional capital on physicians should be pre-presumed and built based on the information before in-person interaction online. On the other hand, this study is helpful in understanding the effect of various components included in PI on perceiving physicians' abilities, and not all information is equally important.

Interaction of Microplastics with Antibiotics in Aquatic Environment: Distribution, Adsorption, and Toxicity.

As two major types of pollutants of emerging concerns, microplastics (MPs) and antibiotics (ATs) coexist in aquatic environments, and their interactions are a source of increasing concern. Therefore, this work examines the interaction mechanisms of MPs and ATs, and the effect of MPs on ATs bioavailability and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) abundance in aquatic environments. First, the mechanisms for ATs adsorption on MPs are summarized, mainly including hydrophobic, hydrogen-bonding, and electrostatic interactions. But other possible mechanisms, such as halogen bonding, CH/π interaction, cation-π interaction, and negative charge-assisted hydrogen bonds, are newly proposed to explain the observed ATs adsorption. Additionally, environmental factors (such as pH, ionic strength, dissolved organic matters, minerals, and aging conditions) affecting ATs adsorption by MPs are specifically discussed. Moreover, MPs could change the bioaccumulation and toxicity of ATs to aquatic organisms, and the related mechanisms on the joint effect are reviewed and analyzed. Furthermore, MPs can enrich ARGs from the surrounding environment, and the effect of MPs on ARGs abundance is evaluated. Finally, research challenges and perspectives for MPs-ATs interactions and related environmental implications are presented. This review will facilitate a better understanding of the environmental fate and risk of both MPs and ATs.

Systems pharmacology reveals the mechanism of activity of Physalis alkekengi L. var. franchetii against lipopolysaccharide-induced acute lung injury.

Acute lung injury (ALI) is an important cause of mortality of patients with sepsis, shock, trauma, pneumonia, multiple transfusions and pancreatitis. Physalis alkekengi L. var. franchetii (Mast.) Makino (PAF) has been extensively used in Chinese folk medicine because of a good therapeutic effect in respiratory diseases. Here, an integrated approach combining network pharmacology, proton nuclear magnetic resonance-based metabolomics, histopathological analysis and biochemical assays was used to elucidate the mechanism of PAF against ALI induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in a mouse model. We found that the compounds present in PAF interact with 32 targets to effectively improve the damage in the lung undergoing ALI. We predicted the putative signalling pathway involved by using the network pharmacology and then used the orthogonal signal correction partial least-squares discriminant analysis to analyse the disturbances in the serum metabolome in mouse. We also used ELISA, RT-qPCR, Western blotting, immunohistochemistry and TUNEL assay to confirm the potential signalling pathways involved. We found that PAF reduced the release of cytokines, such as TNF-α, and the accumulation of oxidation products; decreased the levels of NF-κB, p-p38, ERK, JNK, p53, caspase-3 and COX-2; and enhanced the translocation of Nrf2 from the cytoplasm to the nucleus. Collectively, PAF significantly reduced oxidative stress injury and inflammation, at the same time correcting the energy metabolism imbalance caused by ALI, increasing the amount of antioxidant-related metabolites and reducing the apoptosis of lung cells. These observations suggest that PAF may be an effective candidate preparation alleviating ALI.

Systems pharmacology reveals the mechanism of activity of Ge-Gen-Qin-Lian decoction against LPS-induced acute lung injury: A novel strategy for exploring active components and effective mechanism of TCM formulae.

Acute lung injury (ALI), a severe and life-threatening inflammation of the lung, with high morbidity and mortality, underscoring the urgent need for novel treatments. Ge-Gen-Qin-Lian decoction (GQD), a classic Chinese herbal formula, has been widely used to treat intestine-related diseases in the clinic for centuries. In recent years, a growing number of studies have found that GQD has a favorable anti-inflammatory effect. With the further study on the viscera microbiota, the link between the lungs and the gut-the gut-lung axis has been established. Based on the theory of the gut-lung axis, we used systems pharmacology to explore the effects and mechanisms of GQD treatment in ALI. Hypothesizing that GQD inhibits ALI progression, we used the experimental model of lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced ALI in Balb/c mice to evaluate the therapeutic potential of GQD. Our results showed that GQD exerted protective effects against LPS-induced ALI by reducing pulmonary edema and microvascular permeability. Meanwhile, GQD can downregulate the expression of LPS-induced TNF-α, IL-1ß, and IL-6 in lung tissue, bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BLAF), and serum. To further understand the molecular mechanism of GQD in the treatment of ALI, we used the network pharmacology to predict the disease targets of the active components of GQD. Lung tissue and serum samples of the mice were separately analyzed by transcriptomics and metabolomics. KEGG pathway analysis of network pharmacology and transcriptomics indicated that PI3K/Akt signaling pathway was significantly enriched, suggesting that it may be the main regulatory pathway for GQD treatment of ALI. By immunohistochemical analysis and apoptosis detection, it was verified that GQD can inhibit ALI apoptosis through PI3K/Akt signaling pathway. Then, we used the PI3K inhibitor LY294002 to block the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway, and reversely verified that the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway is the main pathway of GQD anti-ALI. In addition, differential metabolites in mice serum samples indicate that GQD can inhibit the inflammatory process of ALI by reversing the imbalance of energy metabolism. Our study showed that, GQD did have a better therapeutic effect on ALI, and initially elucidated its molecular mechanism. Thus, GQD could be exploited to develop novel therapeutics for ALI. Moreover, our study also provides a novel strategy to explore active components and effective mechanism of TCM formula combined with TCM theory to treat ALI.

Vehicle Spatial Distribution and 3D Trajectory Extraction Algorithm in a Cross-Camera Traffic Scene.

The three-dimensional trajectory data of vehicles have important practical meaning for traffic behavior analysis. To solve the problems of narrow visual angle in single-camera scenes and lack of continuous trajectories in 3D space by current cross-camera trajectory extraction methods, we propose an algorithm of vehicle spatial distribution and 3D trajectory extraction in this paper. First, a panoramic image of a road with spatial information is generated based on camera calibration, which is used to convert cross-camera perspectives into 3D physical space. Then, we choose YOLOv4 to obtain 2D bounding boxes of vehicles in cross-camera scenes. Based on the above information, 3D bounding boxes around vehicles are built with geometric constraints which are used to obtain projection centroids of vehicles. Finally, by calculating the spatial distribution of projection centroids in the panoramic image, 3D trajectories of vehicles are extracted. The experimental results indicate that our algorithm can effectively complete vehicle spatial distribution and 3D trajectory extraction in various traffic scenes, which outperforms other comparison algorithms.

Transcriptional profiling reveals mechanisms of sexually dimorphic responses of Populus cathayana to potassium deficiency.

Potassium (K) deficiency causes a series of physiological and metabolic disorders in plants, and dioecious species exhibit different responses based on sex. Our previous morphological and physiological observations indicated that Populus cathayana males were more tolerant to K+ deficiency than females. To continue this work, comparative transcriptome analyses were carried out to investigate sexually differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in this study. The results indicate that 10 weeks of K+ deficiency result in 111 and 181 DEGs in males and females, respectively. These DEGs are mainly involved in photosynthesis, cell wall biosynthesis, secondary metabolism, transport, stress responses, gene expression regulation and protein synthesis and degradation. Comparing between sexes, P. cathayana females showed more changes in response to K+ deficiency than males with regard to photosynthesis, gene expression regulation and posttranslational modification but fewer changes in secondary metabolism, stress responses and redox homeostasis. These results provide evidence that P. cathayana females are more susceptible to K+ deficiency than males. Therefore, there are sex-related molecular strategies in response to K+ deficiency between sexes.

Evaluation of a WeChat-based dementia-specific training program for nurses in primary care settings: A randomized controlled trial.

Community nurses play a crucial role in early detection and timely diagnosis of dementia. However, they are usually not prepared for the role through their formal education, particularly in low- and middle-income countries due to undeveloped nursing curriculum in dementia care. This paper describes a two-arm cluster-randomized controlled trial to improve community nurses' knowledge, attitudes, and practice changes using an innovative and interactive mobile phone applet-based activity in primary care settings. The intervention sites received dementia-specific training and control sites received care training for older people with disability. Both groups completed measures assessing dementia knowledge, attitudes, and intentions to make changes to achieve early detection and a timely diagnosis of dementia immediately after training and at 3-month follow-up. The intervention group provided feedback immediately after training and at 3-month follow-up. The main results show that the intervention group demonstrated significant improvement in dementia knowledge and attitudes from baseline immediately after training and at the 3-month follow-up. The intervention group also showed more intentions to make changes to achieve early detection of dementia. Feedback suggested the program was well-received. Overall, the program showed acceptability and feasibility in improving nurses' dementia knowledge, attitudes, and intentions to achieve early detection of dementia.

Male poplars have a stronger ability to balance growth and carbohydrate accumulation than do females in response to a short-term potassium deficiency.

Potassium (K) deficiency influences plant performance, such as ion uptake and carbohydrate transport. However, little is known about differences between males and females in response to K deficiency. In this study, dry matter accumulation, photosynthetic capacity, allocation patterns of K(+) , Na(+) and carbohydrates, and ultrastructural changes in males and females of Populus cathayana exposed to K deficiency were investigated. The results indicated that males maintained a significantly higher K(+) content and K(+) /Na(+) ratio in leaves and stems than did females under K deficiency. Moreover, K deficiency significantly increased the sucrose content of females, whereas no significant effect on males was detected. In addition, a comparative analysis showed that males allocated more resources to roots, while females allocated more to leaves, which resulted in sexually different root/shoot (R/S) ratios. Transmission electron microscopic (TEM) observations showed that males suffered fewer injuries than did females. These results suggested that males have a better ability to cope with K deficiency. In addition, the combined effects of salinity and K deficiency on poplars were studied. The results indicated that salt stress aggravates the negative effects caused by K deficiency. Taken together, our study provided evidence for gender-specific strategies in ion and carbohydrate allocation in poplars exposed to a short-term K deficiency. In leaves and stems, the lower K(+) accumulation inhibited sucrose translocation and resulted in a decreased R/S ratio, which may contribute to males having a stronger ability to balance growth and carbohydrate accumulation when compared with females.

IL-27 alleviates the bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis by regulating the Th17 cell differentiation.

BACKGROUND: Interleukin-27 (IL-27) is a multifunctional cytokine with both pro-inflammatory and immunoregulatory functions. At present, the role of IL-27 in pulmonary fibrosis remains unknown. METHODS: In this study, we observed the expression of IL-27/IL-27R in a mouse model of bleomycin (BLM)-induced pulmonary fibrosis. We verified the role of IL-27 using hematoxylin and eosin as well as Masson's staining methods and measuring the content of hydroxyproline as well as collagen I and III. We assessed the differentiation of T lymphocytes in the spleen and measured the concentration of cytokines in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) and the expression level of relevant proteins in the JAK/STAT and TGF-ß/Smad signaling pathways in lung tissue. RESULTS: Increased IL-27 expression in BLM-induced pulmonary fibrosis was noted. IL-27 treatment may alleviate pulmonary fibrosis and increase the survival of mice. IL-27 inhibited the development of CD4(+) IL-17(+), CD4(+) IL-4(+) T, and CD4(+) Foxp3(+) cells and the secretion of IL-17, IL-4, IL-6, and TGF-ß. IL-27 induced the production of CD4(+) IL-10(+) and CD4(+) INF-γ(+) T cells. IL-27 decreased the levels of phosphorylated STAT1, STAT3, STAT5, Smad1, and Smad3 but increased the level of SOCS3. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates that IL-27 potentially attenuates BLM-induced pulmonary fibrosis by regulating Th17 differentiation and cytokine secretion.

Genomic and Expression Analysis of Cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) Chalcone Synthase Genes in Defense against Tetranychus cinnabarinus Infestation.

Cassava is susceptible to mites, especially Tetranychus cinnabarinus. Secondary metabolism products such as flavonoids play an important role as antimicrobial metabolites protecting plants against biotic stressors including fungal, pathogen, bacterial, and pest defense. The chalcone synthase (CHS) is the initial step of the phenylpropanoid pathway for producing flavonoids and is the gatekeeper of the pathway. Until recently, the CHS genes family has not been systematically studied in cassava. Thirty-nine CHS genes were identified from the cassava genome database. Based on phylogenetic and sequence composition analysis, these CHSs were divided into 3 subfamilies. Within the same subfamily, the gene structure and motif compositions of these CHS genes were found to be quite conserved. Duplication events, particularly segmental duplication of the cassava CHS genes, were identified as one of the main driving force of its expansion. Various cis-elements contained in the promoter might regulate the gene expression patterns of MeCHS. Protein-protein interaction (PPI) network analysis showed that MeCHS1 and MeCHS10 protein are more closely related to other family members. The expression of MeCHS genes in young leaves was higher than that in other tissues, and their expression varies even within the same tissue. Coincidentally, these CHS genes of most LAP subclasses were highly expressed in young leaves. The verified MeCHS genes showed consistent with the real-time reverse transcription quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) and proteomic expression in protected and affected leaves respectively, indicating that these MeCHS genes play crucial roles in the response to T. cinnabarinus. This study is the first to comprehensively expatiate the information on MeCHS family members. These data will further enhance our understanding both the molecular mechanisms and the effects of CHS genes. In addition, the results will help to further clarify the effects on T. cinnabarinus and provide a theoretical basis for the potential functions of the specific CHS gene in resistance to mites and other biotic stress.

Assessing usability of intelligent guidance chatbots in Chinese hospitals: Cross-sectional study.

Objective: This study aimed to assessing usability of intelligent guidance chatbots (IGCs) in Chinese hospitals. Methods: A cross-sectional study based on expert survey was conducted between August to December 2023. The survey assessed the usability of chatbots in 590 Chinese hospitals. One-way ANOVA was used to analyze the impact of the number of functions, human-like characteristics, number of outpatients, and staff size on the usability of the IGCs. Results: The results indicate that there are 273 (46.27%) hospitals scoring above 45 points. In terms of function development, 581(98.47%) hospitals have set the number of functions between 1 and 5. Besides, 350 hospitals have excellent function implementation, accounting for 59.32%. In terms of the IGC's human-like characteristic, 220 hospitals have both an avatar and a nickname. Results of One-way ANOVA show that, the number of functions(F = 202.667, P < 0.001), human-like characteristics(F = 372.29, P < 0.001), staff size(F = 9.846, P < 0.001), and the number of outpatients(F = 5.709, P = 0.004) have significant impact on the usability of hospital IGCs. Conclusions: This study found that the differences in the usability of hospital IGCs at various levels of the number of functions, human-like characteristics, number of outpatients, and staff size. These findings provide insights for deploying hospital IGCs and can inform improvements in patient's experience and adoption of chatbots.