Functional characterization of D-type cyclins involved in cell division in rice.

BACKGROUND: D-type cyclins (CYCD) regulate the cell cycle G1/S transition and are thus closely involved in cell cycle progression. However, little is known about their functions in rice. RESULTS: We identified 14 CYCD genes in the rice genome and confirmed the presence of characteristic cyclin domains in each. The expression of the OsCYCD genes in different tissues was investigated. Most OsCYCD genes were expressed at least in one of the analyzed tissues, with varying degrees of expression. Ten OsCYCD proteins could interact with both retinoblastoma-related protein (RBR) and A-type cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKA) forming holistic complexes, while OsCYCD3;1, OsCYCD6;1, and OsCYCD7;1 bound only one component, and OsCYCD4;2 bound to neither protein. Interestingly, all OsCYCD genes except OsCYCD7;1, were able to induce tobacco pavement cells to re-enter mitosis with different efficiencies. Transgenic rice plants overexpressing OsCYCD2;2, OsCYCD6;1, and OsCYCD7;1 (which induced cell division in tobacco with high-, low-, and zero-efficiency, respectively) were created. Higher levels of cell division were observed in both the stomatal lineage and epidermal cells of the OsCYCD2;2- and OsCYCD6;1-overexpressing plants, with lower levels seen in OsCYCD7;1-overexpressing plants. CONCLUSIONS: The distinct expression patterns and varying effects on the cell cycle suggest different functions for the various OsCYCD proteins. Our findings will enhance understanding of the CYCD family in rice and provide a preliminary foundation for the future functional verification of these genes.

ALBINO EMBRYO AND SEEDLING is required for RNA splicing and chloroplast homeostasis in Arabidopsis.

Pentatricopeptide repeat (PPR) proteins form a large protein family and have diverse functions in plant development. Here, we identified an ALBINO EMBRYO AND SEEDLING (AES) gene that encodes a P-type PPR protein expressed in various tissues, especially the young leaves of Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana). Its null mutant aes exhibited a collapsed chloroplast membrane system, reduced pigment content and photosynthetic activity, decreased transcript levels of PEP (plastid-encoded polymerase)-dependent chloroplast genes, and defective RNA splicing. Further work revealed that AES could directly bind to psbB-psbT, psbH-petB, rps8-rpl36, clpP, ycf3, and ndhA in vivo and in vitro and that the splicing efficiencies of these genes and the expression levels of ycf3, ndhA, and cis-tron psbB-psbT-psbH-petB-petD decreased dramatically, leading to defective PSI, PSII, and Cyt b6f in aes. Moreover, AES could be transported into the chloroplast stroma via the TOC-TIC channel with the assistance of Tic110 and cpSRP54 and may recruit HCF244, SOT1, and CAF1 to participate in the target RNA process. These findings suggested that AES is an essential protein for the assembly of photosynthetic complexes, providing insights into the splicing of psbB operon (psbB-psbT-psbH-petB-petD), ycf3, and ndhA, as well as maintaining chloroplast homeostasis.

Central obesity may affect bone development in adolescents: association between abdominal obesity index ABSI and adolescent bone mineral density.

PURPOSE: Previous studies have suggested that obesity defined by body mass index(BMI) is a protective factor for bone mineral density(BMD), but have overlooked the potential influence of different types of obesity. This study aims to evaluate the correlation between abdominal obesity index A Body Shape Index(ABSI) and adolescent bone density, and analyze the relationship between abdominal obesity and bone metabolism. METHODS: A total of 1557 adolescent participants were included in NHANES from 2007 to 2018. Calculate the ABSI using a specific formula that takes into account waist circumference and BMI. A weighted multiple linear regression model is used to evaluate the linear correlation between ABSI and BMD. Forest plots are used to analyze the correlations between subgroups, and cubic splines are limited to evaluate the nonlinear correlations and saturation effects between ABSI and BMD. RESULTS: After adjusting for confounding factors, there was a significant linear correlation (P < 0.01) between ABSI and femoral BMD, both as a continuous variable and an ordered categorical variable. The restrictive cubic spline curve indicates a significant nonlinear correlation and saturation effect between adolescent ABSI and BMD. CONCLUSION: Research has shown a significant negative correlation between ABSI and BMD at the four detection sites of the femur, and this correlation may vary slightly due to age, race, family income, and different detection sites. The research results indicate that compared to overall body weight, fat distribution and content may be more closely related to bone metabolism.

Effectiveness of family centred interventions for family caregivers: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: To examine the effectiveness of family-centred interventions among family caregivers. BACKGROUND: Family-centred interventions are an emerging form of intervention that can be effective at improving physical and mental health outcomes for patients and family caregivers. To date, no reviews have examined the effectiveness of family-centred interventions for family caregivers. DESIGN: A systematic review, including a meta-analysis, was conducted according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA 2020) checklist. METHODS: Seven English and two Chinese electronic databases were compressively searched from the outset to March 2023. Two researchers independently reviewed the abstracts and full texts, extracted the data and assessed the risk of bias independently by using the Cochrane 'Risk of bias assessment tool'. RESULTS: This systematic review and meta-analysis included 20 articles. The results of the meta-analysis showed that family-centred interventions could significantly improve caregiver burden (p=0.003), quality of life (p = 0.007), depression (p = 0.0002), and stress (p < 0.0001) but not anxiety or family functioning. According to our subgroup analysis, the family-centred empowerment model (p = 0.009) was superior to the other family intervention (p=0.004) in reducing caregiver burden. Family-centred interventions are more effective at reducing the burden of caregiving on family caregivers of adolescent patients (SMD=-0.79, 95% CI[-1.22,-0.36], p = 0.0003) than on adult patients (SMD=-0.37, 95% CI [-0.61,-0.12], p = 0.004). CONCLUSIONS: Family-centred interventions could enhance family caregivers' burden, quality of life, stress and depression but had no significant impact on anxiety or family functioning. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: Family-centred interventions have the potential to improve the health status and caregiving burden of family caregivers. Rigorous and high-quality evidence is needed to confirm the long-term effects of these interventions on family caregivers. TRIAL REGISTRATION DETAILS: The protocol has been registered in the PROSPERO international prospective register of systematic reviews (Protocol registration ID: CRD42023453607).

Cognitive appraisal of health and its influencing factors among pregnant women with gestational diabetes mellitus: A cross-sectional study.

AIM: To investigate the status quo of cognitive appraisal of health and its influencing factors among pregnant women with gestational diabetes mellitus. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was conducted from June 2020 to November 2020. Participants were recruited from a tertiary hospital by a convenient sample method. A total of 300 pregnant women with gestational diabetes mellitus completed the survey, including self-compiled individual information questionnaire, Cognitive Appraisal of Health Scale, Pregnancy Stress Rating Scale and General Self-Efficacy Scale. RESULTS: For cognitive appraisal of health, the median score of challenge dimension was 3.75 (3.50, 4.00), benign/irrelevant was 2.75 (2.00, 3.50), harm/loss was 2.38 (2.00, 3.00) and threat was 2.40 (2.00, 2.80), respectively. Regression analyses showed that gestational age, mode of conception, history of abortion, insulin usage, pregnancy stress and self-efficacy were the predictors of cognitive appraisal of health. CONCLUSIONS: This study revealed that pregnant women with gestational diabetes mellitus tended to make positive cognitive appraisal of health. And healthcare providers need to make full use of their predictors of cognitive appraisal of health to improve cognitive appraisal to manage stress and ameliorate pregnancy outcomes.

Effects of decision aids on breast reconstruction: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: To systematically evaluate the effects of decision aids for women facing breast reconstruction decision on decision conflict, decision regret, knowledge, satisfaction, anxiety and depression. BACKGROUND: Breast reconstruction decision is not good or bad and should be guided by clinical evidence and patient preferences. Decision aids can increase the patient's decision-making enthusiasm and ability, improve the quality of decision and promote shared decision-making between patients and medical staff. DESIGN: Systematic review and meta-analysis. METHODS: Eight databases were conducted from the establishment of the database until October 2021. The PRISMA checklist was selected for analysis in this paper. The meta-analysis was conducted in Review Manager 5.3. The quality of the studies was assessed using the Cochrane risk-of-bias tool. The result is decision conflict, decision regret, knowledge and other secondary outcomes. Sensitivity analysis and subgroup analysis were also conducted. RESULTS: A total of twelve randomised controlled trials (RCTs) were included in the systematic review and meta-analysis. Meta-analysis revealed that decision aids could significantly reduce decision conflict and decision regret, improve knowledge, satisfaction and depression and had no influence on anxiety. CONCLUSIONS: The results of the systematic review and meta-analysis reviewed the positive effect of decision aids on the decision-making of women facing postmastectomy breast reconstruction. In the future, more well-designed RCTs are needed to confirm the effects of decision aids on the decision-making of breast reconstruction and nurses should be encouraged to take part in the development of decision aids in accordance with strict standards and apply them to breast cancer patients considering postmastectomy breast reconstruction. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: Our study provides evidence for the effectiveness of decision aids on breast reconstruction and points to the important role of healthcare providers in the use of decision aids and in facilitating shared decision-making.

Arabidopsis SMC6A and SMC6B have redundant function in seed and gametophyte development.

Reproductive development is a crucial process during plant growth. The structural maintenance of chromosome (SMC) 5/6 complex has been studied in various species. However, there are few studies on the biological function of SMC6 in plant development, especially during reproduction. In this study, knocking out of both AtSMC6A and AtSMC6B led to severe defects in Arabidopsis seed development, and expression of AtSMC6A or AtSMC6B could completely restore seed abortion in the smc6a-/-smc6b-/-double mutant. Knocking down AtSMC6A in the smc6b-/- mutant led to defects in female and male development and decreased fertility. The double mutation also resulted in loss of cell viability, and caused embryo and endosperm cell death through vacuolar cell death and necrosis. Furthermore, the expression of genes involved in embryo patterning, endosperm cellularisation, DNA damage repair, cell cycle regulation, and DNA replication were significantly changed in the albino seeds of the double mutant. Moreover, we found that the SMC5/6 complex may participate in the SOG1 (SUPPRESSOR OF GAMMA RESPONSE1)-dependent DNA damage repair pathway. These findings suggest that both AtSMC6A and AtSMC6B are functionally redundant and play important roles in seed and gametophyte development through maintaining chromosome stability in Arabidopsis.

An ATP-Binding Cassette Transporter, LaABCB11, Contributes to Alkaloid Transport in Lycoris aurea.

As a kind of Amaryllidaceae alkaloid which is accumulated in the species of Lycoris plants, lycorine has a range of physiological effects. The biosynthesis pathway of lycorine has been partly revealed, but the transport and accumulation mechanisms of lycorine have rarely been studied. In this study, an ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporter from Lycoris aurea (L'Hér) Herb., namely LaABCB11, was cloned and functionally characterized. Heterologous expression showed that LaABCB11 transported lycorine in an outward direction, increased the tolerance of yeast cells to lycorine, and caused a lower lycorine accumulation in transformants than control or mutant in yeast. LaABCB11 is associated with the plasma membrane, and in situ hybridization indicated that LaABCB11 was mainly expressed in the phloem of leaves and bulbs, as well as in the cortical cells of roots. These findings suggest that LaABCB11 functions as a lycorine transport and it might be related to the translocation and accumulation of lycorine from the leaves and bulbs to the roots.

A systematic review and meta-analysis of higher expression of folate receptor alpha (FOLR1) predicts poor cancer prognosis.

Folate receptor alpha (FOLR1), a glycosylphosphatidylinositol-linked protein, is a well characterized folate transporter. However, the prognostic power of FOLR1 in cancer remains controversial. We conducted a meta-analysis to assess the prognostic roles of FOLR1 on different cancers. Twelve studies involving 4471 patients were included in this meta-analysis. The pooled analysis indicated that high FOLR1 significantly predicted poor overall survival (OS) (pooled hazard ratio (HR) = 0.78, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.64-0.94, p = 0.009) and the disease-free survival (DFS) (HR = 1.25, 95% CI = 1.07-1.47, p = 0.005). Subgroup analyses based on tumour type found that high FOLR1 level was associated with poor OS in breast cancer (HR = 2.66, 95% CI = 1.54-4.59, p = 0.0005) and endometrial carcinoma (HR = 1.30, 95% CI = 1.05-1.61, p = 0.02). However, FOLR1 has relatively weakly correlation with gender, tumour size and chemotherapy. Additionally, overexpression of FOLR1 was correlated with grade, FIGO stage, vital status and nodule status. The present meta-analysis indicated that the high expression of FOLR1 is associated with the poor survival of cancer patients, which is helpful for the clinical decision-making process.

Malignant Pleural Effusion and ascites Induce Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition and Cancer Stem-like Cell Properties via the Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF)/Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinase (PI3K)/Akt/Mechanistic Target of Rapamycin (mTOR) Pathway.

Malignant pleural effusion (PE) and ascites, common clinical manifestations in advanced cancer patients, are associated with a poor prognosis. However, the biological characteristics of malignant PE and ascites are not clarified. Here we report that malignant PE and ascites can induce a frequent epithelial-mesenchymal transition program and endow tumor cells with stem cell properties with high efficiency, which promotes tumor growth, chemoresistance, and immune evasion. We determine that this epithelial-mesenchymal transition process is mainly dependent on VEGF, one initiator of the PI3K/Akt/mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway. From the clinical observation, we define a therapeutic option with VEGF antibody for malignant PE and ascites. Taken together, our findings clarify a novel biological characteristic of malignant PE and ascites in cancer progression and provide a promising and available strategy for cancer patients with recurrent/refractory malignant PE and ascites.

[Infiltrated T Cells Induce the Accumulation of Myeloid-derived Suppressor Cells in Tumor Microenvironment].

OBJECTIVE: To determine the role of infiltrated T cells in the accumulation of myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) in tumor microenvironment. METHODS: T-cell-deficient nude mice models were established using BALB/c mice. Growth of tumors was compared between those with and without adoptive transfer of T cells. Pathological changes of the tumors were examined with HE histological analysis. The levels of MDSCs were detected with flow cytometry (FACS). RESULTS: Tumor growth was promoted in T-cell-deficient nude mice, which was accompanied with lower levels of MDSCs compared with BALB/c mice (P < 0.05). T cell transfer increased the level of MDSCs significantly (P < 0.05). T cells depletion decreased the level of MDSCs (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Infiltrated T cells induce the accumulation of MDSCs in tumor microenvironment, and influence tumor growth.

An explanatory study of factors influencing engagement in AI education at the K-12 Level: an extension of the classic TAM model.

Artificial intelligence (AI) holds immense promise for K-12 education, yet understanding the factors influencing students' engagement with AI courses remains a challenge. This study addresses this gap by extending the technology acceptance model (TAM) to incorporate cognitive factors such as AI intrinsic motivation (AIIM), AI readiness (AIRD), AI confidence (AICF), and AI anxiety (AIAX), alongside human-computer interaction (HCI) elements like user interface (UI), content (C), and learner-interface interactivity (LINT) in the context of using generative AI (GenAI) tools. By including these factors, an expanded model is presented to capture the complexity of student engagement with AI education. To validate the model, 210 Chinese students spanning grades K7 to K9 participated in a 1 month artificial intelligence course. Survey data and structural equation modeling reveal significant relationships between cognitive and HCI factors and perceived usefulness (PU) and ease of use (PEOU). Specifically, AIIM, AIRD, AICF, UI, C, and LINT positively influence PU and PEOU, while AIAX negatively affects both. Furthermore, PU and PEOU significantly predict students' attitudes toward AI curriculum learning. These findings underscore the importance of considering cognitive and HCI factors in the design and implementation of AI education initiatives. By providing a theoretical foundation and practical insights, this study informs curriculum development and aids educational institutions and businesses in evaluating and optimizing AI4K12 curriculum design and implementation strategies.

High fat diet increases the severity of collagen-induced arthritis in mice by altering the gut microbial community.

OBJECTIVES: Research has demonstrated that obesity may be associated with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). In addition, gut microbiota and its metabolites contribute to the occurrence and development of RA and obesity. However, the mechanism by which obesity affects RA remains unclear. In this study, we aimed to investigate whether gut microbiota and their metabolites alter the effects of high fat diet (HFD) on the severity of collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) in mice. METHODS: Briefly, mice were divided into normal group (N), CIA model group (C), HFD group (T), and HFD CIA group (CT). Hematoxylin and Eosin staining(HE) and Safranin O-fast green staining were conducted, and levels of blood lipid and inflammatory cytokines were measured. 16S rDNA sequencing technique and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS)-based metabolomics were performed to explore changes in the microbiota structure to further reveal the pathomechanism of HFD on CIA. RESULTS: HFD aggravated the severity of CIA in mice. The CT group had the highest proportion of microbial abundance of Blautia, Oscillibacter, Ruminiclostridium-9, and Lachnospiraceae UCG 006 at the genus level, but had a lower proportion of Alistipes. Additionally, the fecal metabolic phenotype of the combined CT group shows significant changes, with differential metabolites enriched in 9 metabolic pathways, including primary bile acid biosynthesis, arginine biosynthesis, sphingolipid metabolism, purine metabolism, linoleic acid metabolism, oxytocin signaling pathway, aminoacyl-tRNA biosynthesis, the pentose phosphate pathway, and sphingolipid signaling pathway. Correlation analysis revealed that some of the altered gut microbiota genera were strongly correlated with changes in fecal metabolites, total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), and inflammatory cytokine levels. CONCLUSIONS: This study shows that HFD may aggravate inflammatory reaction in CIA mice by altering the gut microbiota and metabolic pathways.

The role of autophagy/lipophagy in the response of osteoblastic cells to hyperlipidemia (Review).

There has been interest in the connection between cardiovascular diseases and osteoporosis, both of which share hyperlipidemia as a common pathological basis. Osteoporosis is a progressive metabolic bone disease characterized by reduced bone mass, deteriorated bone microstructure, increased bone fragility and heightened risk of bone fractures. Dysfunction of osteoblastic cells, vital for bone formation, is induced by excessive internalization of lipids under hyperlipidemic conditions, forming the crux of hyperlipidemia-associated osteoporosis. Autophagy, a process fundamental to cell self-regulation, serves a critical role in osteoblastic cell function and bone formation. When activated by lipids, lipophagy inhibits osteoblastic cell differentiation in response to elevated lipid concentrations, resulting in reduced bone mass and osteoporosis. However, an in-depth understanding of the precise roles and mechanisms of lipophagy in the regulation of osteoblastic cell function is required. Study of the molecular mechanisms governing osteoblastic cell response to excessive lipids can result in a clearer understanding of osteoporosis; therefore, potential strategies for preventing hyperlipidemia-induced osteoporosis can be developed. The present review discusses recent progress in elucidating the molecular mechanisms of lipophagy in the regulation of osteoblastic cell function, offering insights into hyperlipidemia-induced osteoporosis.

Gradient Hydrogels Spatially Trapped Optical Cell Profiling for Quantitative Blood Cellular Osmotic Analysis.

The quantitative exploration of cellular osmotic responses and a thorough analysis of osmotic pressure-responsive cellular behaviors are poised to offer novel clinical insights into current research. This underscores a paradigm shift in the long-standing approach of colorimetric measurements triggered by red cell lysis. In this study, we engineered a purpose-driven optofluidic platform to facilitate the goal. Specifically, creating photocurable hydrogel traps surmounts a persistent challenge─optical signal interference from fluid disturbances. This achievement ensures a stable spatial phase of cells and the acquisition of optical signals for accurate osmotic response analysis at the single-cell level. Leveraging a multigradient microfluidic system, we constructed gradient osmotic hydrogel traps and developed an imaging recognition algorithm, empowering comprehensive analysis of cellular behaviors. Notably, this system has successfully and precisely analyzed individual and clustered cellular responses within the osmotic dimension. Prospective clinical testing has further substantiated its feasibility and performance in that it demonstrates an accuracy of 92% in discriminating complete hemolysis values (n = 25) and 100% in identifying initial hemolysis values (n = 25). Foreseeably, this strategy should promise to advance osmotic pressure-related cellular response analysis, benefiting further investigation and diagnosis of related blood diseases, blood quality, drug development, etc.

The gut microbiota diversity of five Orthoptera (Insecta, Polyneoptera) insects determined by DNA metabarcoding.

Most orthopteran insects are phytophagous and some are important pests in agriculture and forests. Many intestinal microflora of Orthoptera insects have been reported, primarily from Acridoidea and there have been few reports of other taxa. In this study, we collected 15 individuals representing five species (Ruspolialineosa, Tetrixjaponica, Erianthusversicolor, Gryllotalpaorientalis and Teleogryllusemma) belonging to five orthopteran superfamilies (Tettigonioidea, Tetrigoidea, Eumastacoidea, Gryllotalpoidea and Grylloidea) to characterise and compare the gut microbiota with greater taxonomic width by performing sequencing analysis of the 16S rRNA V4 region in gut material. A total of 606,053 high-quality sequences and 3,105 OTUs were acquired from 15 gut samples representing 24 phyla, 48 classes, 69 orders, 133 families and 219 genera. Firmicutes and bacteria were the most abundant phyla, followed by Bacteroidetes, Cyanobacteria, Actinobacteria and Acidobacteria. At the genus level, Serratia, Citrobacter, Wolbachia, Lactobacillus and Parabacteroides were the most predominant genera in R.lineosa, T.japonica, E.versicolor, G.orientalis and T.emma, respectively. Both Principal Coordinates Analysis (PCoA) and heatmap results revealed significant differences in bacterial community composition across species. Additionally, alpha diversity analysis indicated the bacterial richness was significantly different amongst the five species.

Biomimetic Compound Eyes with Gradient Ommatidium Arrays.

Compound eyes are high-performing natural optical perception systems with compact configurations, generating extensive research interest. Existing compound eye systems are often combinations of simple uniform microlens arrays; there are still challenges in making more ommatidia on the compound eye surface to focus to the same plane. Here, a biomimetic gradient compound eye is presented by artificially mimicking dragonflies. The multiple replication process efficiently endows compound eyes with the gradient characteristics of dragonfly compound eyes. Experimental results show that the manufactured compound eye allows multifocus imaging by virtue of the gradient ommatidium array arranged closely in a honeycomb pattern while ensuring excellent optical properties and compact configurations. Thousands of ommatidia showing a gradient trend at the millimeter scale while remaining relatively uniform at the micron scale have gradient focal lengths ranging from 260 to 450 µm. This gradient compound eye allows more ommatidia to focus on the same plane than traditional uniform compound eyes, which have experimentally been shown to capture more than 1100 in-plane clear images simultaneously, promising potential applications in micro-optical devices, optical imaging, and biochemical sensing.

Cognitive engagement of nursing undergraduates in blended learning: A parallel mixed method study.

BACKGROUND: Blended learning is being integrated into undergraduate nursing education at all levels and from all directions. Cognitive engagement is not only an embodiment and guarantee of students' engagement into the curriculum from a cognitive level, deep engagement and high-level thinking, but also an important indicator of whether students are effectively engaged in the blended learning curricula. However, no studies have been seen to investigate the cognitive engagement of nursing undergraduates in the blended learning curricula and its influential factors. OBJECTIVES: To explore nursing undergraduates' cognitive engagement during the blended learning curricula and its influential factors. DESIGN: A convergent parallel mixed-methods was used. Data were collected between November 2021 and May 2022, inclusive. SETTINGS AND PARTICIPANTS: The study was carried out in the nursing school at a university in China. Participants including students undertaking entry to the blended learning curricula. METHODS: In the quantitative component (n = 142), participants' cognitive engagement was investigated and factors associated with it were examined using univariate analysis, correlation analysis and multiple regression analysis. During this period, personal, semi-structured interviews were conducted with a subset of these participants (n = 15) to understand participants' cognitive engagement experiences. RESULTS: The cognitive engagement of nursing undergraduates was at a moderate level and the cognitive engagement experiences were reflected in the four themes of Reconstitution, Connection, Elaboration and Retention. The influential factors of cognitive engagement were learning activities (ß = 0.226, p = 0.004), autonomy (ß = 0.158, p = 0.047), academic self-efficacy (ß = 0.311, p < 0.001, ß = 0.271, p < 0.001) and social interaction (ß = 0.358, p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The cognitive engagement of nursing undergraduates in the blended learning curricula needs to be improved. To maximize promote cognitive engagement of nursing undergraduates in the blended learning curricula, educators should design diverse learning activities, engage in high quality social interactions with students, and maximize students' autonomy and self-efficacy.

Effectiveness of Internet-Based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Patients With Cancer: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.

BACKGROUND: Internet-based cognitive behavioral therapy (ICBT) is a relatively new therapy with unknown effectiveness in patients with cancer. In addition, therapist-guided and self-guided ICBT patient-specific outcomes for cancer patients remain to be explored. OBJECTIVE: To explore the effects of ICBT on psychological outcomes, physical outcomes, and daily life outcomes in patients with cancer. METHODS: Electronic databases such as PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, EMBASE, APA PsycINFO, ProQuest, and ClinicalTrials.gov were searched for relevant studies published from their inception to October 2022. Five GRADE (Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluations) considerations were used to assess the quality of relevant evidence. Data analysis was performed via RevMan 5.4 (The Cochrane Collaboration, London, United Kingdom) and Stata 15.0 (StataCorp, College Station, Texas). RESULTS: Three thousand two hundred forty-nine participants from 20 studies were included in the meta-analysis. Statistically significant effects of ICBT were found on psychological distress, quality of life (QOL), anxiety, and depression, after the intervention. A separate analysis of follow-up data showed that ICBT had a sustainable effect on psychological distress, anxiety, and depression. Subgroup analyses showed that therapist-guided ICBT was more effective for psychological distress and QOL. CONCLUSION: Internet-based cognitive behavioral therapy can improve symptom management for patients with cancer. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: Internet-based cognitive behavioral therapy effectively improves psychological distress, anxiety, and depression in patients with cancer after intervention and at follow-up. Internet-based cognitive behavioral therapy improved QOL for cancer patients postintervention but not during follow-up. Internet-based cognitive behavioral therapy did not relieve fatigue or fear of recurrence in cancer patients. Therapist-guided ICBT is recommended for its superior outcomes in alleviating psychological distress and improving overall QOL in adults with cancer when compared with self-guided ICBT.

Convenient tumor 3D spheroid arrays manufacturing via acoustic excited bubbles for in situ drug screening.

The quick and convenient fabrication of in vitro tumor spheroids models has been pursued for clinical drug discovery and personalized therapy. Here, uniform three-dimensional (3D) tumor spheroids are quickly constructed by acoustically excited bubble arrays in a microfluidic chip and performed drug response testing in situ. In detail, bubble oscillation excited by acoustic waves induces second radiation force, resulting in the cells rotating and aggregating into tumor spheroids, which obtain controllable sizes ranging from 30 to 300 µm. These spherical tumor models are located in microfluidic networks, where drug solutions with gradient concentrations are generated from 0 to 18 mg mL-1, so that the cell spheroids response to drugs can be monitored conveniently and efficiently. This one-step tumor spheroids manufacturing method significantly reduces the model construction time to less than 15 s and increases efficiency by eliminating additional transfer processes. These significant advantages of convenience and high-throughput manufacturing make the tumor models promising for use in tumor treatment and point-of-care diagnosis.