CircRNA Arf3 suppresses glomerular mesangial cell proliferation and fibrosis in diabetic nephropathy via miR-107-3p/Tmbim6 axis.

Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is one of microvascular complication associated with diabetes. Circular RNAs (circRNAs) have been shown to be involved in DN pathogenesis. Hence, this work aimed to explore the role and mechanism of circ_Arf3 in DN. Mouse mesangial cells (MCs) cultured in high glucose (HG) condition were used for functional analysis. Cell proliferation was determined using 5-ethynyl-2'-deoxyuridine (EdU) and cell counting kit-8 assays. Western blotting was used to measure the levels of proliferation indicator PCNA and fibrosis-related proteins α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA), collagen I (Col I), fibronectin (FN), and collagen IV (Col IV). The binding interaction between miR-107-3p and circ_Arf3 or Tmbim6 (transmembrane BAX inhibitor motif containing 6) was confirmed using dual-luciferase reporter and pull-down assays. Circ_Arf3 is a stable circRNA, and the expression of circ_Arf3 was decreased after HG treatment in MCs. Functionally, ectopic overexpression of circ_Arf3 protected against HG-induced proliferation and elevation of fibrosis-related proteins in MCs. Mechanistically, circ_Arf3 directly bound to miR-107-3p, and Tmbim6 was a target of miR-107-3p. Further rescue assay showed miR-107-3p reversed the protective action of circ_Arf3 on MCs function under HG condition. Moreover, inhibition of miR-107-3p suppressed HG-induced proliferation and fibrosis, which were attenuated by Tmbim6 knockdown in MCs. CircRNA Arf3 could suppress HG-evoked mesangial cell proliferation and fibrosis via miR-107-3p/Tmbim6 axis, indicating the potential involvement of this axis in DN progression.

The mediating effect of self-efficacy on social support and cancer screening behavior among Chinese women: a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Breast and cervical cancer are the most common cancers in women, and are associated with high morbidity and mortality rates. Cancer screening can facilitate early diagnosis, reduce mortality, and ease the burden of cancer. Social support and self-efficacy are strongly associated with cancer screening behavior. The present study aimed to explore the mediating effect of self-efficacy on social support and cancer screening behavior. METHODS: In this cross-sectional survey study conducted from June to October 2023, 312 women aged 35-65 years were recruited from the East Coast area of China. A general information questionnaire, cancer screening behavior questionnaire, social support scale and self-efficacy scale were used to collect data. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the general characteristics of participants; one-way analysis of variance was used to test for differences in the measured variables; and Pearson's correlation analyses were used to describe the relationship among social support, self-efficacy, and cancer screening behavior. A mediation model was constructed and analyzed using the PROCESS macro for SPSS. RESULTS: The mean (standard deviation) screening behavior score for breast cancer and cervical cancer was 3.98 (2.79), representing an intermediate level. Self-efficacy was closely related to social support and cancer screening behavior. Social support showed a significant positive correlation with self-efficacy (r = 0.37, p < 0.01) and cancer screening behavior (r = 0.18, p < 0.01). Self-efficacy was also significantly positively correlated with cancer screening behavior (r = 0.19, p < 0.05). Self-efficacy showed a full mediating effect between social support and cancer screening behavior, with an explanatory power of 32%. CONCLUSIONS: The findings emphasize the need to increase women's level of social support and self-efficacy, which in turn can increase women's participation in breast and cervical cancer screening.

Effects of Funneliformis mosseae on Growth and Photosynthetic Characteristics of Camellia oleifera under Different Nitrogen Forms.

Nitrogen fertilizer increases agricultural yields but increases economic costs and causes a series of environmental problems. Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) have the potential to be used as biological fertilizer. However, the influence of nitrogen form on plant growth responsiveness to AMF inoculation is poorly understood. In this study, we investigated the effects of Funneliformis mosseae on growth, root morphology and photosynthetic characteristics of Camellia oleifera under different nitrogen forms during three harvest periods and clarified the most suitable nitrogen form for C. oleifera-AMF symbiosis. The results showed that urea, ammonium and nitrate nitrogen promoted plant growth and photosynthetic capacity, among which urea treatment had the highest value in all three harvests. No significant difference in plant growth parameters was observed between ammonium and nitrate nitrogen treatments in the first two harvests, while the plant height was significantly lower under ammonium nitrogen treatment than nitrate nitrogen treatment in the third harvest. Inoculation with F. mosseae in the presence of indigenous AMF could promote AMF colonization and plant growth at all three harvest times. Inoculation with F. mosseae significantly increased gas exchange parameters, the maximum photochemical efficiency (Fv/Fm) and the actual photochemical efficiency (ΦPSII). Inoculation with AMF increased the photochemical quenching coefficient (qP) better under urea treatment and improved the non-photochemical quenching coefficient (qN) better under ammonium nitrogen treatment. Principal component analysis showed that urea is the most beneficial nitrogen fertilizer for C. oleifera-AMF symbiosis. The results of this study provide a theoretical basis for the combination use of AMF and nitrogen fertilizer in agroforestry.

Lightweight and robust cellulose/MXene/polyurethane composite aerogels as personal protective wearable devices for electromagnetic interference shielding.

The increasing electromagnetic pollution is urgently needed as an electromagnetic interference shielding protection device for wearable devices. Two-dimensional transition metal carbides and nitrides (MXene), due to their interesting layered structure and high electrical conductivity, are ideal candidates for constructing efficient conductive networks in electromagnetic interference shielding materials. In this work, lightweight and robust cellulose/MXene/polyurethane composite aerogels were prepared by mixing cellulose nanofiber (CNF) suspensions with MXene, followed by freeze-drying and coating with polyurethane. In this process, CNF effectively assembled MXene nanosheets into a conductive network by enhancing the interactions between MXene nanosheets. The prepared aerogel exhibited the shielding effectiveness of 48.59 dB in the X-band and an electrical conductivity of 0.34 S·cm-1. Meanwhile, the composite aerogel also possessed excellent thermal insulation, infrared stealth, mechanical and hydrophobic properties, and can be used as a wearable protective device to protect the human body from injuries in different scenarios while providing electromagnetic interference shielding protection.

Scalable, Controlled Bimodal Pore-Structured Polymer Coating for Efficient Passive Daytime Radiative Cooling.

Outdoor thermal irritation poses a serious threat to public health, with the frequent occurrence of increasingly intense heat waves. With the global goal of carbon peaking and carbon neutrality, there is an urgent need for a strategy that is efficient and can provide localized outdoor cooling without an intensive energy input. This paper demonstrated a rapidly formable polyurethane-based coating with controlled bimodal spherical micropores. Nano-Al2O3 particles (300 nm) embedded in the polymer were used for targeted enhancement of reflectance at 0.38-0.5 wavelengths. The enhanced film reflected 93% solar irradiance and selectively transmitted 95% thermal radiation (8-13 µm), enabling rapid cooling and the creation of a comfortable thermal microclimate to avoid overheating of 6-11 °C during daytime conditions. The ultrawide material compatibility and excellent adaptive mechanical strength of polyurethane-based coatings are expected to benefit the sustainable development of society in a wide range of fields, from health to economics.

The role expectations of young women as wives after breast cancer treatment: A qualitative study.

Objectives: Through the reflection of young breast cancer women on their selves and identities, we explored expectations of the wife role that they need to fulfill to return to their families, aimed to provide a reference basis for medical professionals to develop interventions related to cancer family rehabilitation. Methods: Descriptive phenomenological methods and purposive sampling were used. Young breast cancer patients and their spouses were selected for semi-structured face-to-face interviews in the study from March to April 2023 at the department of breast surgery and oncology center of a Class A tertiary hospital in Xuzhou City, China. The interviews were transcribed verbatim and analyzed using Colaizzi's phenomenological approach. Results: Twenty patients and six spouses were interviewed. The mean patient age was (35.95 ± 3.36) years, and the mean spouse was (37.67 ± 5.28) years. Young breast cancer patients were concerned about three main wife expectations during their treatment and rehabilitation: preserving self-love and self-esteem (paying attention to physical health, embracing the disease, and regaining confidence in female characters); adjustment of conjugal relationships (harmonious and effective couple communication, providing support for marriage and love, and creating a beautiful married life together); assisting in family recovery (relieving stress on spouses from caregiving and finances, and management of daily household chores). Conclusions: The wife role expectations of young breast cancer women and their spouses encompass three core aspects: self, couple, and family. Self-esteem and self-love are the most fundamental expectations of the wife role, while adjusting the couple's relationship and assistance in family rehabilitation represent higher expectations. This study can help healthcare professionals and cancer families gain a more comprehensive understanding of the wife role expectations for young cancer women, thereby enabling the development of couple-centered interventions to promote patient recovery and enhance the resilience of marriages and families.

A fast and effective way to measure the inner pore size distributions of wetted cotton fibers and their pretreatment performance using time-domain nuclear magnetic resonance.

This study reports the findings from using time-domain nuclear magnetic resonance (TD-NMR) to analyze the pore structures of cotton fibers. Cotton fibers, which swell and soften in water, present challenges for conventional pore measurement techniques. TD-NMR overcomes these by measuring the transverse relaxation time (T2) of water protons within the fibers, indicative of internal pore sizes. We established a T2-to-pore size conversion equation using mixed cellulose ester membranes. This enabled differentiation between strongly bound, loosely bound, and free water within the fibers, and detailed the water distribution. A method for measuring the pore size distribution of wet cotton fiber was developed using TD-NMR. We then examined how various pretreatments affect the fibers' internal pores by comparing their pore size distribution and porosity. Specifically, caustic mercerization primarily enlarges the porosity and size of larger pores, while liquid ammonia treatment increases porosity but reduces the size of smaller pores. This research confirms TD-NMR's utility in assessing cotton fabrics' wet processing performance.

Identification of a novel genomic variance of BRAF1 in papillary thyroid carcinoma: A case report.

RATIONALE: Papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC), the predominant subtypes accounting for approximately 85% of thyroid carcinomas, has a rapidly increasing global incidence rate. Statistically, approximately 74.6% PTC patients had the genomic variants of BRAF, especially BRAFV600E mutation, which has been reported to stratify patients and guide clinic-therapies. However, some PTC patients may carry other nonclassical mutation patterns of BRAF, due to the complex of genomic instability. And the spectrum of BRAF mutation was not fully characterized. We reported a novel BRAF mutation pattern of PTC. PATIENT CONCERNS: A 59-year-old woman was admitted to our hospital because of the slight enlargement of bilateral cervical lymph nodes in July 2023. DIAGNOSIS: Ultrasonography revealed that the bilateral thyroid nodules of the patients both presented 1 hypoechoic nodule, which was graded as 3 of the elastic score, and the small calcification in the right lobe (Chinese-Thyroid Imaging Reporting and Data System 4c). Pathological diagnosis showed the interstitial collagen change and focal follicular epithelial papillary hyperplasia with atypical hyperplasia of the bilateral thyroid. Further puncture pathology showed that the patient had a malignant thyroid lesion with the phenotypes of papillary carcinoma and diagnosed with malignancy subsequently. Additionally, the patient harbored a novel insert on BRAF exon 15, a 6-base fragment AGACAG inserting between c.1798 and c.1799. INTERVENTIONS: The patient was undergone on microwave ablation of thyroid carcinoma on July 28, 2023. After the surgery, the patient was treated on anti-infection, cold saline external application of bilateral thyroid swelling supportive treatment. OUTCOMES: No postoperative complications or recurrence and metastasis were found. LESSONS: This is the first case of the novel nonclassical genomic variant of BRAF. Our study extends the spectrum of BRAF mutations. The patient had a favorable response to microwave ablation, indicating that in spite of the association between this mutation and high-grade malignant phenotype, this genomic variant of BRAF did not have a detrimental effect on the response of clinical treatment.