Loneliness among older Chinese individuals: the status quo and relationships with activity-related factors.

BACKGROUND: With the rapid population aging, healthy aging has become a concern for society as a whole. In this study, loneliness and its relationships with activity-related individual factors were examined among older Chinese individuals from the perspective of mental health and daily leisure activities. METHODS: The data were from the fourth investigation of the Sample Survey of the Aged Population in Urban and Rural China, which had a total of 220,506 participants. Activity ability was assessed by the Barthel Activity of Daily Living Index, a self-designed activity type questionnaire was used to evaluate activity participation, and loneliness was measured with a single-item question. RESULTS: The prevalence of varying degrees of loneliness among Chinese older individuals was 36.6%. The prevalence of loneliness among the older individuals differed significantly by age gender, age, physical health status, annual household income, education level, marital status, living status, ethnic minority status, religious faith and territory of residence. There were differences in activity participation among older Chinese adults in terms of all the demographic factors mentioned above, while there were no significant differences in living status or religious faith, and significant differences in several other demographic factors in terms of activity ability. Self-care ability, as a form of activity ability, and activity participation significantly predicted loneliness among the older participants. CONCLUSION: The topic of loneliness among Chinese older individuals is complex and requires greater attention. The buffering effect of activity-related factors on loneliness suggests that old people should improve their activity ability and participate more in daily activities.

A Latent Transition Analysis of Aggression Victimization Patterns During the Transition from Primary to Middle School.

School transitions provide contexts for adolescents to reconstruct peer relationships and re-establish social positions. Scarce research has captured the transition of aggressor and victim roles during this period and examined associated factors. To investigate the stability and shifts of aggressor and victim roles following the transition to middle school, this study conducted latent transition analysis with 1261 Chinese adolescents (32.6% female, Mage in Grade 6 = 12.1 years, SD = 0.7). Three subgroups were identified across Grades 5 to 8: aggressive-victims, victims and uninvolved. Adolescents were more likely to transition from aggressive-victim and victim roles to the uninvolved group during the transition to middle school compared to the transitions within the same educational phase. Males and those with insecure parental attachment were at higher risk of being and remaining in the involved groups. The findings underscore the dynamic nature of adolescent aggression and victimization and highlight the transition to middle school as a critical window for interventions aimed at helping adolescents disengage from aggression and victimization.

Genetic and environmental sources of familial resemblance in anxiety: a nuclear twin family design.

BACKGROUND: A dominant feature of anxiety disorders is familial aggregation. However, the underlying mechanisms of between- and within-generational anxiety resemblance remain poorly understood. By disentangling the genetic v. environmental sources of familial resemblance in anxiety, we can help prevent within-family transmission of anxiety disorders. Therefore, data from both parents and twins are needed to obtain unbiased and detailed estimations of genetic and environmental sources of similarity between family members. METHODS: We examined data from 991 families with same-sex twins. Trait anxiety in twins was assessed via self-report and parent report, while parental trait anxiety was assessed via self-report. We established a nuclear twin family model and estimated genetic and environmental variances using two survey waves. RESULTS: The results suggested that additive genetic (A), dominant genetic (D), and non-shared environmental (E) influences significantly contributed to trait anxiety, whereas familial environmental influences (F) and passive gene-environment correlations (rGE) did not. Sibling environmental influences (S) were only found in self-report data, and increased when genetic influences decreased from Wave 1 to Wave 2. CONCLUSIONS: Our study highlights the important role of broad heritability in intrafamilial trait anxiety similarity. Parent-child resemblance occurred primarily due to shared genetic makeup rather than direct environmental transmission. Sibling-specific environments, as the only source of shared environments, need further investigation. These findings have both theoretical and practical significance for anxiety disorders. Future research can expand our understanding by examining the gene-environment interplay and sex differences.

Identification and Characterization of 5-HT Receptor 1 from Scylla paramamosain: The Essential Roles of 5-HT and Its Receptor Gene during Aggressive Behavior in Crab Species.

Biogenic amines (BAs) play an important role in the aggressive behavior of crustaceans. In mammals and birds, 5-HT and its receptor genes (5-HTRs) are characterized as essential regulators involved in neural signaling pathways during aggressive behavior. However, only one 5-HTR transcript has been reported in crabs. In this study, the full-length cDNA of the 5-HTR1 gene, named Sp5-HTR1, was first isolated from the muscle of the mud crab Scylla paramamosain using the reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and rapid-amplification of cDNA ends (RACE) methods. The transcript encoded a peptide of 587 amino acid residues with a molecular mass of 63.36 kDa. Western blot results indicate that the 5-HTR1 protein was expressed at the highest level in the thoracic ganglion. Furthermore, the results of quantitative real-time PCR show that the expression levels of Sp5-HTR1 in the ganglion at 0.5, 1, 2, and 4 h after 5-HT injection were significantly upregulated compared with the control group (p < 0.05). Meanwhile, the behavioral changes in 5-HT-injected crabs were analyzed with EthoVision. After 0.5 h of injection, the speed and movement distance of the crab, the duration of aggressive behavior, and the intensity of aggressiveness in the low-5-HT-concentration injection group were significantly higher than those in the saline-injection and control groups (p < 0.05). In this study, we found that the Sp5-HTR1 gene plays a role in the regulation of aggressive behavior by BAs, including 5-HT in the mud crab. The results provide reference data for the analysis of the genetic mechanism of aggressive behaviors in crabs.

The association between anxiety and esophageal cancer: A nationwide population-based study.

OBJECTIVE: Research on generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) and its association with esophageal cancer (EC) is sparse. The study aimed to explore the association between GAD and EC. METHODS: A multicenter, population-based study in high-risk regions for EC (ECHRRs) was conducted from 2017 to 2019. All participants received free endoscopy screening. If the esophageal endoscopy results were suspicious, the pathological biopsy was performed to confirm normal, esophagitis, low-grade intraepithelial neoplasia (LGIN), high-grade intraepithelial neoplasia (HGIN), and EC. Information on participants' exposure to risk factors was collected. GAD was assessed with Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale-7. RESULTS: With esophageal endoscopy, 25,650 participants in ECHRRs were examined, 9586 of whom were suspicious and confirmed by esophageal pathology. The detection rate of EC and precancerous lesions was 6.83% (1751/25,650), with 1377 LGIN (5.37%), 272 HGIN (1.06%), and 102 EC (0.40%) cases. The overall mean GAD score (95% CI) and prevalence among 25,650 participants with endoscopy were 1.96 (1.93-1.99) and 16.90%, respectively. The mean GAD score and prevalence among 9586 participants with pathology were 1.96 (1.91-2.02) and 17.98%, respectively. The mean GAD scores of patients confirmed with normal, esophagitis, LGIN, HGIN, and EC were 1.73 (1.62-1.85), 1.91 (1.85-1.97), 1.94 (1.80-2.08), 3.98 (3.73-4.23). and 2.97 (2.49-3.45), respectively (p < 0.001). The corresponding prevalence of GAD were 5.21%, 18.72%, 17.72%, 43.75%, and 36.27%, respectively (p < 0.001). The age- and gender-adjusted odds ratios (ORs) between GAD and each esophageal lesion type were 1.02 (0.99-1.04), 1.01 (0.98-1.04), 1.27 (1.21-1.33), and 1.16 (1.08-1.24), respectively. The ORs (95% CIs) of the positive associations were 1.08 (1.05-1.12), 1.03 (0.99-1.07), 1.35 (1.29-1.42), and 1.19 (1.10-1.29) after further adjustment for potential confounders (all p < 0.001). Sensitivity analysis showed that the positive association persisted. CONCLUSIONS: GAD was significantly higher in patients with EC and precancerous lesions. Focusing on and alleviating anxiety in high-risk groups (including patients with HGIN and EC) may be an effective strategy for EC prevention and control. Further prospective studies are warranted to validate the results.

The association between depression and esophageal cancer in China: a multicentre population-based study.

BACKGROUND: Esophageal cancer (EC) is one of the leading contributors to the global burden of cancer, and the underlying mechanism is still unknown. Recently, there has been a growing interest in understanding modifiable psychosocial risk factors, particularly depression, to prevent EC and reduce morbidity and mortality. However, related research is sparse and has been ignored. The study was designed to assess the association between depression and EC in China. METHODS: From 2017 to 2019, a population-based multicenter study was conducted in high-risk regions of EC. Participants underwent a free endoscopy screening. If the endoscopic results were suspicious, a pathological biopsy was applied to confirm. Depression was measured with Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9). In addition, information on demographic characteristics and risk factors was collected from participants by trained interviewers using uniform questionnaires. RESULTS: After Endoscopy and pathologic diagnosis, 15,936 participants in high-risk regions of EC (ECHRRs) were enrolled, 10,907 (68.44%) of which were diagnosed health, 4048 (25.40%) with esophagitis, 769 (4.83%) with low-grade intraepithelial neoplasia (LGIN), 157 (0.99%) with high-grade intraepithelial neoplasia (HGIN), and 55 (0.35%) with EC, respectively. The overall prevalence of depression symptoms of participants was 4.16% (health: 4.63%, esophagitis: 2.99%, LGIN: 2.99%, HGIN: 5.73%, and EC: 9.09%). Multiple logistic regression analyses revealed that the unadjusted OR (95% CI) between depression and each esophageal pathology grades were esophagitis 0.93 (0.92-0.95), LGIN 0.97 (0.94-0.99), HGIN 1.05 (1.00-1.10), and EC 1.04 (0.97-1.14), respectively. However, after adjustment for potential confounders (age, gender, region, alcohol consumption, BMI), no statistically significant associations between depression and EC (adjusted OR = 1.10, 0.99-1.21) and esophageal lesions (esophagitis: adjusted OR = 1.02, 0.99-1.04; LGIN: adjusted OR = 0.98, 0.95-1.01; HGIN: adjusted OR = 1.04, 0.98-1.11) were observed in this study. CONCLUSIONS: No significant association was observed between depression and EC in the study. Future prospective cohort studies are needed to verify this preliminary finding.

Maternal insomnia during the COVID-19 pandemic: associations with depression and anxiety.

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 outbreak has made people more prone to depression, anxiety and insomnia, and females are at a high risk of developing these conditions. As a special group, pregnant and lying-in women must pay close attention to their physical and mental health, as both have consequences for the mother and the fetus. However, knowledge regarding the status of depression, anxiety and insomnia among these women is limited. AIM: This study aimed to examine insomnia and psychological factors among pregnant and lying-in women during the COVID-19 pandemic and provide theoretical support for intervention research. METHODS: In total, 2235 pregnant and lying-in women from 12 provinces in China were surveyed; their average age was 30.25 years (SD = 3.99, range = 19-47 years). PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING: The participants completed electronic questionnaires designed to collect demographic information and assess levels of depression, anxiety and insomnia. RESULTS: The prevalence of insomnia in the sample was 18.9%. Depression and anxiety were significant predictors of insomnia. Participants in high-risk areas, those with a disease history, those with economic losses due to the outbreak, and those in the postpartum period had significantly higher insomnia scores. DISCUSSION: The incidence of insomnia among pregnant and lying-in women is not serious in the context of the epidemic, which may be related to the sociocultural background and current epidemic situation in China. CONCLUSION: Depression and anxiety are more indicative of insomnia than demographic variables.

Familial genetic and environmental transmission of depression: A multi-informant twin family study.

The phenomenon of familial clustering in depression is well established, yet the mechanisms by which depression is transmitted within families remain poorly understood. In the current study, we investigate the familial genetic and environmental transmission of depression by incorporating data from both adolescent twins and their parents. A total of 987 twin families were recruited from the Beijing Twin Study. Depression assessments were conducted for both adolescents and their parents. Twins' depression was assessed through reports from both the twins themselves and their parents, while parental depression was assessed by parental self-report. We employed a nuclear twin family model to examine genetic and environmental influences on adolescent depression. Our results, based on both self- and parent-report, demonstrate significant additive and dominant genetic influences on depression. We also found mild yet significant sibling environmental influences, while familial environmental influences were absent. Notably, parent-reported depression showed higher heritability but lower unique environmental influences compared with self-reported depression. These results highlight the important role of genetic transmission and sibling environmental transmission in explaining depression. Our study delineates the underlying mechanism of familial transmission in depression and can inform early treatments to halt transmission during adolescence.

Engineering Yarrowia lipolytica for Sustainable Production of the Pomegranate Seed Oil-Derived Punicic Acid.

Punicic acid is a conjugated linolenic acid with various biological activities including antiobesity, antioxidant, anticancer, and anti-inflammatory effects. It is often used as a nutraceutical, dietary additive, and animal feed. Currently, punicic acid is primarily extracted from pomegranate seed oil, but it is restricted due to the extended growth cycle, climatic limitations, and low recovery level. There have also been reports on the chemical synthesis of punicic acid, but it resulted in a mixture of structurally similar isomers, requiring additional purification/separation steps. In this study, a comprehensive strategy for the production of punicic acid in Yarrowia lipolytica was implemented by pushing the supply of linoleic acid precursors in a high-oleic oil strain, expressing multiple copies of the fatty acid conjugase gene from Punica granatum, engineering the acyl-editing pathway to improve the phosphatidylcholine pool, and promoting the assembly of punicic acid in the form of triglycerides. The optimal strain with high oil production capacity and a significantly increased punicic acid ratio accumulated 3072.72 mg/L punicic acid, accounting for 6.19% of total fatty acids in fed-batch fermentation, providing a viable, sustainable, and green approach for punicic acid production to substitute plant extraction and chemical synthesis production.

Enhancing Pseudomonas cell growth for the production of medium-chain-length polyhydroxyalkanoates from Antarctic krill shell waste.

Antarctic krill shell waste (AKSW), a byproduct of Antarctic krill processing, has substantial quantity but low utilization. Utilizing microbial-based cell factories, with Pseudomonas putida as a promising candidate, offers an ecofriendly and sustainable approach to producing valuable bioproducts from renewable sources. However, the high fluoride content in AKSW impedes the cell growth of P. putida. This study aims to investigate the transcriptional response of P. putida to fluoride stress from AKSW and subsequently conduct genetic modification of the strain based on insights gained from transcriptomic analysis. Notably, the engineered strain KT+16840+03100 exhibited a remarkable 33.7-fold increase in cell growth, capable of fermenting AKSW for medium-chain-length-polyhydroxyalkanoates (mcl-PHA) biosynthesis, achieving a 40.3-fold increase in mcl-PHA yield compared to the control strain. This research advances our understanding of how P. putida responds to fluoride stress from AKSW and provides engineered strains that serve as excellent platforms for producing mcl-PHA through AKSW.

Molecular Cloning and Expression Analysis of the Typical Class III Chitinase Genes from Three Mangrove Species under Heavy Metal Stress.

Chitinases are considered to act as defense proteins when plants are exposed to heavy metal stresses. Typical class III chitinase genes were cloned from Kandelia obovate, Bruguiera gymnorrhiza, and Rhizophora stylosa by using RT-PCR and RACE and named KoCHI III, BgCHI III, and RsCHI III. Bioinformatics analysis revealed that the three genes encoding proteins were all typical class III chitinases with the characteristic catalytic structure belonging to the family GH18 and located outside the cell. In addition, there are heavy metal binding sites in the three-dimensional spatial structure of the type III chitinase gene. Phylogenetic tree analysis indicated that CHI had the closest relationship with chitinase in Rhizophora apiculata. In mangrove plants, the balance of the oxidative system in the body is disrupted under heavy metal stress, resulting in increased H2O2 content. Real-time PCR illustrated that the expression level under heavy metal stress was significantly higher than that in the control group. Expression levels of CHI III were higher in K. obovate than in B. gymnorrhiza and R. stylosa. With the increase in heavy metal stress time, the expression level increased continuously. These results suggest that chitinase plays an important role in improving the heavy metal tolerance of mangrove plants.

LDHA and LDHB overexpression promoted the Warburg effect in malignantly transformed GES-1 cells induced by N-nitroso compounds.

N-nitroso compounds (NOCs) exposure is a major risk factor for the development of gastric cancer. However, the carcinogenic mechanisms by which NOCs induce gastric and other cancers, especially the NOCs-induced Warburg effect, have not been comprehensively studied. Lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), which has two subunits (LDHA and LDHB), plays an important role in the Warburg effect of tumor cells. Therefore, we hypothesized that LDHA and LDHB could promote Warburg effect in malignant transformed GES-1 cells induced by Nmethyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine (MNNG). GES-1 cells were exposed to 1 µmol/L MNNG and cultured for 40 passages. During the culturing process, cell proliferation, migration, and soft agar colony formation significantly increased after 30 passages. Following MNNG exposure, lactate, LDH, glucose uptake, and the expression levels of key enzymes in glycolysis were significantly increased. Knocking down LDHA or LDHB alone reduced lactate secretion, inhibited cell viability, and impaired migratory capacities. Knocking down LDHA and LDHB together fully suppressed lactate secretion and effectively suppressed the malignant phenotype of cells transformed by long-term MNNG exposure. Finally, we demonstrated that overexpression of LDHA and LDHB promotes the malignant transformation of GES-1 cells by enhancing the Warburg effect during long-term exposure to NOCs.

Cloning and Expression of Class I Chitinase Genes from Four Mangrove Species under Heavy Metal Stress.

Chitinases are believed to act as defense proteins when plants are exposed to heavy metal stress. Typical Class I chitinase genes were cloned from Bruguiera gymnorrhiza, Rhizophora stylosa, Kandelia obovata, and Avicennia marina using the methods of reverse-transcription-polymerase chain reaction and rapid amplification of cDNA ends. All four cDNA sequences of chitinase from the mangrove plants were 1092 bp in length and consisted of an open reading frame of 831 bp, encoding 276 amino acids. However, there were differences in the sequences among the four mangrove species. Four gene proteins have a signal peptide, are located in the vacuole, and belong to the GH19 chitinase family. The sequence of chitinase was highly similar to the protein sequences of Camellia fraternal chitinases. A real-time polymerase chain reaction was used to analyze the chitinase expressions of the above four mangrove species exposed to different concentrations of heavy metal at different times. The gene expression of chitinase was higher in Bruguiera gymnorrhiza leaves than in other mangrove plant species. With an increase in heavy metal stress, the expression level of Bruguiera gymnorrhiza increased continuously. These results suggest that chitinase plays an important role in improving the heavy metal tolerance of mangrove plants.

Network structure and temporal stability of depressive symptoms after a natural disaster among children and adolescents.

Background: Previous studies have found that the postdisaster developmental course of depression is more stable than that of other mental disorders among children and adolescents. However, the network structure and temporal stability of depressive symptoms after natural disasters among children and adolescents remain unknown.Objective: This study aims to understand the depressive symptom network and evaluate its temporal stability among children and adolescents after natural disasters.Methods: Three-wave measurements were conducted among 1,466 children and adolescents at 3, 15, and 27 months following the Zhouqu debris flow. Depressive symptoms were evaluated by the Child Depression Inventory (CDI), which was dichotomised to signify the presence or absence of depressive symptoms. Depression networks were estimated with the Ising model, and expected influence was used to assess node centrality. A network comparison test was used to test the differences in the depression networks among the three temporal points.Results: Overall, the depressive symptom network was temporally stable regarding symptom centrality and global connectivity over the two-year study period. Self-hate, loneliness, and sleep disturbance were central symptoms and had low variability in the depressive networks at the three temporal points. Crying and self-deprecation had large temporal variability in centrality.Conclusion: The present study provides the first evidence for the temporal stability of the youth depressive symptom network postdisaster. The similar central symptoms and connectivity of depression symptoms at different temporal points after natural disasters may partially explain the stable prevalence and developmental trajectory of depression. Self-hate, loneliness, and sleep disturbance could be central characteristics, and sleep disturbance and reduced appetite, sadness and crying, and misbehaviour and disobedience could be key associations in the endurance of depression among children and adolescents after experiencing a natural disaster.

This study provides the first evidence for the temporal stability of the youth depressive symptom network.The depressive symptom network had temporal stability.Self-hate, loneliness, and sleep disturbance were the central symptoms among youths after a natural disaster.

Unraveling the roles of coastal bacterial consortia in degradation of various lignocellulosic substrates.

Lignocellulose, as the most abundant natural organic carbon on earth, plays a key role in regulating the global carbon cycle, but there have been only few studies in marine ecosystems. Little information is available about the extant lignin-degrading bacteria in coastal wetlands, limiting our understanding of their ecological roles and traits in lignocellulose degradation. We utilized in situ lignocellulose enrichment experiments coupled with 16S rRNA amplicon and shotgun metagenomics sequencing to identify and characterize bacterial consortia attributed to different lignin/lignocellulosic substrates in the southern-east intertidal zone of East China Sea. We found the consortia enriched on woody lignocellulose showed higher diversity than those on herbaceous substrate. This also revealed substrate-dependent taxonomic groups. A time-dissimilarity pattern with increased alpha diversity over time was observed. Additionally, this study identified a comprehensive set of genes associated with lignin degradation potential, containing 23 gene families involved in lignin depolymerization, and 371 gene families involved in aerobic/anaerobic lignin-derived aromatic compound pathways, challenging the traditional view of lignin recalcitrance within marine ecosystems. In contrast to similar cellulase genes among the lignocellulose substrates, significantly different ligninolytic gene groups were observed between consortia under woody and herbaceous substrates. Importantly, we not only observed synergistic degradation of lignin and hemi-/cellulose, but also pinpointed the potential biological actors at the levels of taxa and functional genes, which indicated that the alternation of aerobic and anaerobic catabolism could facilitate lignocellulose degradation. Our study advances the understanding of coastal bacterial community assembly and metabolic potential for lignocellulose substrates. IMPORTANCE It is essential for the global carbon cycle that microorganisms drive lignocellulose transformation, due to its high abundance. Previous studies were primarily constrained to terrestrial ecosystems, with limited information about the role of microbes in marine ecosystems. Through in situ lignocellulose enrichment experiment coupled with high-throughput sequencing, this study demonstrated different impacts that substrates and exposure times had on long-term bacterial community assembly and pinpointed comprehensive, yet versatile, potential decomposers at the levels of taxa and functional genes in response to different lignocellulose substrates. Moreover, the links between ligninolytic functional traits and taxonomic groups of substrate-specific populations were revealed. It showed that the synergistic effect of lignin and hemi-/cellulose degradation could enhance lignocellulose degradation under alternation of aerobic and anaerobic conditions. This study provides valuable taxonomic and genomic insights into coastal bacterial consortia for lignocellulose degradation.

Developmental Trajectories of Adolescent Internet Addiction: Interpersonal Predictors and Adjustment Outcomes.

Despite the burgeoning literature on adolescent internet addiction (IA), the majority of studies have relied on cross-sectional designs and variable-centered analytical approaches. Therefore, little is understood about the heterogeneous developmental trajectories of adolescent IA as well as its antecedents and outcomes. This longitudinal study adopted growth mixture modeling (GMM), a person-centered approach, to identify the distinct trajectories of IA among adolescents during a three-year period. We further examined the interpersonal predictors along with a series of outcomes of different trajectories. Participants included 1,365 Chinese adolescents (Mage = 14.68 years, SD = 1.56; 46.8% girls) from two junior high schools and two senior high schools. The GMM results indicated three distinct trajectories: low-increasing (56.7%), moderate-declining (37.6%), and high-declining (5.7%) groups. In terms of interpersonal predictors, adolescents who reported poorer relationships with their parents, teachers, and schoolmates were more likely to belong to the high-declining and moderate-declining groups. In terms of outcomes, the high-declining and moderate-declining groups exhibited an increase in mental health problems (i.e., more depressive symptoms, lower self-esteem, and lower subjective well-being) and delinquent behaviors, even after controlling for their baseline levels. These findings highlight the heterogeneity of IA trajectories among adolescents, the predictive role of interpersonal factors, and different adjustment outcomes associated with IA trajectories. Therefore, prevention and intervention programs involving interpersonal relationships may be promising for adolescents at high or moderate risk of IA.

Optimizing Anesthetic Practices for Mud Crab: A Comparative Study of Clove Oil, MS-222, Ethanol, and Magnesium Chloride.

Anesthesia serves as an effective method to mitigate the stress response in aquatic animals during aquaculture and product transportation. In this study, we assessed the anesthetic efficacy of clove oil, tricaine methane-sulfonate (MS-222), ethanol, and magnesium chloride by anesthesia duration, recovery time, 24-hour survival rate, and the behavior of mud crabs (Scylla paramamosain). Additionally, the optimal anesthetic concentration for varying body weights of mud crabs was also investigated. The results revealed that clove oil emerged as the optimal anesthetic for mud crabs, with a 24-hour survival rate surpassing those observed in MS-222 and magnesium chloride treatments. Ethanol caused amputation and hyperactivity in mud crabs. Regression analyses between the optimal anesthetic concentration of clove oil and the weight categories of 0.03-27.50 g and 27.50-399.73 g for mud crabs yielded the following equations: y = 0.0036 x3 - 0.1629 x2 + 1.7314 x + 4.085 (R2 = 0.7115) and y = 0.0437 x + 2.9461 (R2 = 0.9549). Clove oil exhibited no significant impact on serum cortisol, glucose, lactate content, aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT) activities, or superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), and malondialdehyde (MDA) levels in mud crabs across different treatment groups. Anesthesia induced by clove oil in mud crabs resulted in an increase in inhibitory neurotransmitters such as glycine. However, the recovery from anesthesia was associated with elevated levels of the excitatory neurotransmitters L-aspartic acid and glutamate. In conclusion, clove oil proves to be a safe and optimal anesthetic agent for mud crabs, exerting no physiological stress on the species.

Synthesis, characterization and anti-breast cancer activities of stachydrine derivatives.

Stachydrine is a hydrophilic quaternary amine salt with good antitumor effect, but its application is limited due to its rapid metabolism and low bioavailability. We synthesized and evaluated nine prodrugs of stachydrine, which showed suitable hydrophobicity (CLogP: -2.58-4.78, vs SS-0: -3.32) and better in vitro anticancer activity (IC50: 0.34 µM-14.03 mM, vs SS-0: 38.97 mM-147.19 mM) in comparison with stachydrine. Among them, SS-12, SS-16 and SS-18 are the most effective compounds against 4T1 cells, and the IC50 is 2.15-24.14 µM. Especially, compared with stachydrine, SS-12 significantly blocked the cell cycle in the G0/G1 phase, reduced the mitochondrial membrane potential, and induced the apoptosis of 4T1 cells through mitochondria pathway, which increased the expressions of Bax and cleaved caspase-3 protein, decrease the expression of Bcl-2. The pharmacokinetics of SS-12 showed a rational bioavailability (79.6%), and a longer retention time (T1/2 = 7.62 h) than that of stachydrine (T1/2 ≈ 1.16 h) in rats. Compared with stachydrine, SS-12 significantly enhanced the anticancer efficacy (56.32% of tumor-inhibition rates, vs SS-0: 3.89%), meanwhile, ameliorated the tumor-induced organ damage in mice. Therefore, SS-12 may be a promising prodrug of stachydrine against breast cancer.

Correlation between Serum 25-Hydroxyvitamin D Levels and Gastric Cancer: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

The purpose of this meta-analysis was to evaluate the relationship between serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D[25(OH)D] levels and gastric cancer. PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, The China Academic Journals full-text database, Wanfang Database of Chinese Academic Journals, VIP Chinese Science and Technology Periodicals database, and Chinese Biomedical Literature database were systematically searched. Case-control studies on the correlation between serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels and gastric cancer were retrieved, and the data extracted were analyzed. The results of 9 case-control studies containing 671 patients showed that serum 25(OH)D levels in the gastric cancer group were lower than those in the control group (weighted mean difference (WMD) = -8.90, 95% confidence interval (CI): -11.5, -6.32, p < 0.01); the risk of vitamin D deficiency in the gastric cancer group was higher than that in the control group (Odds ratio = 3.09, 95% CI: 1.96, 4.87, p < 0.01). The serum 25(OH)D levels in patients with well and moderately differentiated gastric cancer were higher than those in patients with poorly differentiated gastric cancer (WMD = -3.58, 95% CI: -6.41, -0.74, p = 0.01). Thus, low levels of vitamin D may increase the risk of gastric cancer. Systematic review registration: PROSPERO CRD42022327942.