Cross-lagged analysis of rumination and social anxiety among Chinese college students.

BACKGROUND: Social anxiety, which is widely prevalent among Chinese college students, poses a significant barrier to their holistic psychological and physiological development. Although numerous cross-sectional studies have examined the relationship between rumination and social anxiety, there is still a gap in understanding their interplay over time. This longitudinal study aimed to explore and analyze the intricate interrelations between these two factors, with the ultimate goal of informing the development of effective mental health education interventions for university students. METHODS: Using the Ruminative Responses Scale (RRS) and the Interaction Anxiousness Scale (IAS), a two-stage longitudinal follow-up study of 392 college students from three universities in Henan Province was conducted over a six-month period (October 2022 to March 2023) using a cross-lagged model to explore the correlation between rumination and social anxiety. The results of the correlation analysis showed that rumination was positively associated with social anxiety at both time points (r = 0.18,0.12, p < 0.01). RESULTS: Cross-lagged regression analyses revealed that the predictive effect of the first measure (T1) rumination on the second measure (T2) rumination was statistically significant (ß = 0.32, p < 0.001). The predictive effect of T1 social anxiety on T2 social anxiety was statistically significant (ß = 0.65, p < 0.001), the predictive effect of T1 rumination on T2 social anxiety was statistically significant (ß = 0.33, p < 0.001), and the prediction of T1 social anxiety on T2 rumination was statistically significant (ß = 0.28, p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: College students' rumination and social anxiety are mutually predictive of each other, and interventions by educators in either of these areas have the potential to interrupt the vicious cycle between ruminant thinking and social anxiety.

Astragalus polysaccharides alleviates cardiac hypertrophy in diabetic cardiomyopathy via inhibiting the BMP10-mediated signaling pathway.

BACKGROUND: Cardiac hypertrophy can lead to cardiac dysfunction and is closely associated with mortality in diabetic cardiomyopathy (DCM). Astragalus polysaccharides (APS) is the main component extracted from Astragalus membranaceus (Fisch.) Bunge (AM), which exhibits anti-hypertrophic effects on cardiomyocytes in various diseases. However, whether APS exerts anti-hypertrophic effects in DCM remains unclear. PURPOSE: To investigate whether APS can attenuate cardiac hypertrophy in DCM and exert anti-hypertrophic effects by inhibiting the bone morphogenetic protein 10 (BMP10) pathway. METHODS: The anti-hypertrophic effects of APS were studied in high-glucose (HG)-stimulated H9c2 cardiomyocytes and streptozotocin (STZ)-induced DCM rats. BMP10 siRNA was used to inhibit BMP10 expression in H9c2 cardiomyocytes. Cardiac function was assessed by echocardiography. Cardiac hypertrophy was evaluated using heart weight/body weight (HW/BW), RT-PCR, hematoxylin-eosin (HE), and rhodamine phalloidin staining. Changes in hypertrophic components, including BMP10 and downstream factors, were measured using western blotting. RESULTS: In vitro, HG treatment increased the relative cell surface area of H9c2 cardiomyocytes, whereas BMP10 siRNA transfection or APS treatment alleviated the increase induced by HG. APS treatment improved the general condition, increased cardiac function, and decreased the HW/BW ratio, ANP mRNA level, and cardiomyocyte cross-sectional area of DCM rats in vivo. Molecular experiments demonstrated that APS downregulated the levels of the pro-hypertrophic protein BMP10 and its downstream proteins ALK3, BMPRII, and p-Smad1/5/8 without affecting the level of total Smad1/5/8. CONCLUSIONS: Our study demonstrates that APS can alleviate cardiac hypertrophy and protect against DCM by inhibiting activation of the BMP10 pathway. APS is a promising candidate for DCM treatment.

Vitamin D, Folic Acid and Vitamin B12 Can Reverse Vitamin D Deficiency-Induced Learning and Memory Impairment by Altering 27-Hydroxycholesterol and S-Adenosylmethionine.

The cholesterol-oxidized metabolite 27-hydroxycholesterol (27-OHC) is synthesized by CYP27A1, which is a key factor in vitamin D and oxysterol metabolism. Both vitamin D and 27-OHC are considered to play important roles in Alzheimer's disease (AD). The study aims to research the effects of co-supplementation of vitamin D, folic acid, and vitamin B12 on learning and memory ability in vitamin D-deficient mice, and to explore the underlying mechanism. In this study, C57BL/6J mice were fed a vitamin D-deficient diet for 13 weeks to establish a vitamin D-deficient mice model. The vitamin D-deficient mice were then orally gavaged with vitamin D (VD), folic acid (FA), and vitamin B12 (VB12) alone or together for eight weeks. Following the gavage, the learning and memory ability of the mice were evaluated by Morris Water Maze and Novel object recognition test. The CYP27A1-related gene and protein expressions in the liver and brain were determined by qRT-PCR. The serum level of 27-OHC was detected by HPLC-MS. Serum levels of 25(OH)D, homocysteine (Hcy), and S-Adenosylmethionine (SAM) were measured by ELISA. After feeding with the vitamin D-deficient diet, the mice performed longer latency to a platform (p < 0.001), lower average speed (p = 0.026) in the Morris Water Maze, a lower time discrimination index (p = 0.009) in Novel object recognition, and performances were reversed after vitamin D, folic acid and vitamin B12 supplementation alone or together (p < 0.05). The gene expressions of CYP27A1 in the liver and brain were upregulated in the vitamin D-deficiency (VDD) group compared with the control (CON) group (p = 0.015), while it was downregulated in VDD + VD and VDD + VD-FA/VB12 groups compared with the VDD group (p < 0.05), with a similar trend in the protein expression of CYP27A1. The serum levels of 27-OHC were higher in the VDD group, compared with CON, VDD + VD, and VDD + VD-FA/VB12 group (p < 0.05), and a similar trend was found in the brain. The serum 25(OH)D levels were significantly decreased in the vitamin D-deficiency group (p = 0.008), and increased in the vitamin D-supplemented group (p < 0.001). The serum levels of SAM were higher in the B vitamins-supplemented group, compared with CON and VDD groups (p < 0.05). This study suggests that CYP27A1 expression may be involved in the mechanism of learning and memory impairment induced by vitamin D deficiency. Co-supplementation with vitamin D, folic acid, and vitamin B12 significantly reverses this effect by affecting the expression of CYP27A1, which in turn regulates the metabolism of 27-OHC, 25(OH)D, and SAM.

Safety and efficacy of early radiofrequency catheter ablation in patients with paroxysmal atrial fibrillation complicated with amiodarone-induced thyrotoxicosis.

BACKGROUND: Amiodarone is an antiarrhythmic drug that is frequently used to control atrial fibrillation (AF). Many patients with AF are afraid of the risk of ablation and take amiodar-one, some patients develop amiodarone-induced thyrotoxicosis (AIT). The purpose of the study was to investigate the safety and efficacy of early radiofrequency catheter ablation in patients with paroxysmal AF complicated with AIT. METHODS: From the 146 consecutive patients with paroxysmal AF who had been treated with amiodarone and underwent 3-dimensional mapping system guided circumferential pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) at our center from January 2013 to June 2014, 20 had developed AIT. Thirty controls with normal thyroid function and matched for baseline characteristics were selected. RESULTS: Pulmonary vein isolation was completed in all patients without serious complications and with similar procedural (170.60 ± 14.80 vs. 158.18 ± 9.06 min; p = 0.062) and X-ray exposure (16.48 ± 2.15 vs. 15.36 ± 1.57 min; p = 0.058) time in AIT vs. control groups; however, upon coronary sinus catheter pacing (from 300 ms to 200 ms) after intrave-nous isoproterenol administration 30 min post PVI, rates of induction of AF (35% vs. 3.33%; p = 0.005) and of non-pulmonary vein-related atrial tachyarrhythmias (50% vs. 6.67%; p = 0.01) were higher, while those for atrial flutter (15% vs. 3.33%; p = 0.17) and atrial tachycardia (15% vs. 6.67%; p = 0.31) were similar, as was the recovery of conduction of pulmonary vein potential (15% vs. 30%; p = 0.191). In AIT vs. control group, atrial tachyarrhythmia recurrence rate was higher at 3 months (45% vs. 16.67%, p = 0.032) but not between 3 and 12 months (30% vs. 23.33%; p = 0.418) follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: Early catheter ablation for paroxysmal AF in patients with AIT appeared safe and effective albeit with higher atrial tachyarrhythmia recurrence rate up to 3 months but not beyond 12 months after PVI relative to controls.

Preparation, in vitro and in vivo evaluation of mPEG-PLGA nanoparticles co-loaded with syringopicroside and hydroxytyrosol.

This study investigated the therapeutic efficiency of monomethoxy polyethylene glycol-poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (mPEG-PLGA) co-loaded with syringopicroside and hydroxytyrosol as a drug with effective targeting and loading capacity as well as persistent circulation in vivo. The nanoparticles were prepared using a nanoprecipitation method with mPEG-PLGA as nano-carrier co-loaded with syringopicroside and hydroxytyrosol (SH-NPs). The parameters like in vivo pharmacokinetics, biodistribution in vivo, fluorescence in vivo endomicroscopy, and cellular uptake of SH-NPs were investigated. Results showed that the total encapsulation efficiency was 32.38 ± 2.76 %. Total drug loading was 12.01 ± 0.42 %, particle size was 91.70 ± 2.11 nm, polydispersity index was 0.22 ± 0.01, and zeta potential was -24.5 ± 1.16 mV for the optimized SH-NPs. The nanoparticle morphology was characterized using transmission electron microscopy, which indicated that the particles of SH-NPs were in uniformity within the nanosize range and of spherical core shell morphology. Drug release followed Higuchi kinetics. Compared with syringopicroside and hydroxytyrosol mixture (SH), SH-NPs produced drug concentrations that persisted for a significantly longer time in plasma following second-order kinetics. The nanoparticles moved gradually into the cell, thereby increasing the quantity. ALT, AST, and MDA levels were significantly lower on exposure to SH-NPs than in controls. SH-NPs could inhibit the proliferation of HepG2.2.15 cells and could be taken up by HepG2.2.15 cells. The results confirmed that syringopicroside and hydroxytyrosol can be loaded simultaneously into mPEG-PLGA nanoparticles. Using mPEG-PLGA as nano-carrier, sustained release, high distribution in the liver, and protective effects against hepatic injury were observed in comparison to SH.