Exploring novel function of Gpx5 antioxidant activity: Assisting epididymal cells secrete functional extracellular vesicles.

Glutathione peroxisomal-5 (Gpx5) promotes the elimination of H2O2 or organic hydrogen peroxide, and plays an important role in the physiological process of resistance to oxidative stress (OS). To directly and better understand the protection of Gpx5 against OS in epididymal cells and sperm, we studied its mechanism of antioxidant protection from multiple aspects. To more directly investigate the role of Gpx5 in combating oxidative damage, we started with epididymal tissue morphology and Gpx5 expression profiles in combination with the mouse epididymal epithelial cell line PC1 (proximal caput 1) expressing recombinant Gpx5. The Gpx5 is highly expressed in adult male epididymal caput, and its protein signal can be detected in the sperm of the whole epididymis. Gpx5 has been shown to alleviate OS damage induced by 3-Nitropropionic Acid (3-NPA), including enhancing antioxidant activity, reducing mitochondrial damage, and suppressing cell apoptosis. Gpx5 reduces OS damage in PC1 and maintains the well-functioning extracellular vesicles (EVs) secreted by PC1, and the additional epididymal EVs play a role in the response of sperm to OS damage, including reducing plasma membrane oxidation and death, and increasing sperm motility and sperm-egg binding ability. Our study suggests that GPX5 plays an important role as an antioxidant in the antioxidant processes of epididymal cells and sperm, including plasma membrane oxidation, mitochondrial oxidation, apoptosis, sperm motility, and sperm-egg binding ability.

Parenting Measures and Their Psychometrics in LGBTQIA+ Families: A Systematic Review.

Parenting significantly influences youth development, yet there's a dearth of research on measuring parenting among LGBTQIA+ caregivers, or caregivers of LGBTQIA+ children (hereafter LGBTQIA+ families). In this systematic review we identified and evaluated the psychometrics of parenting scales validated for this population. The inclusion criteria encompassed studies with LGBTQIA+ families in major databases and secondary sources, psychometric assessment, and English language. Eight studies validating ten scales measuring parenting practices, parental attitudes, beliefs, and perceptions were identified. Generally, studies reported promising psychometrics, showing evidence of construct validity in all and reliability in seven. However, the review also unveiled crucial gaps: a paucity of scales validated among LGBTQIA+ fathers, and predominantly featured non-Hispanic White participants. Findings underscore the necessity for more inclusive samples that reflect the diversity of LGBTQIA+ families. The validation of parenting scales is crucial for understanding parenting in LGBTQIA+ families and developing parenting interventions to promote their well-being.

Seasonal modulation of the testis transcriptome reveals insights into hibernation and reproductive adaptation in Onychostoma macrolepis.

The Onychostoma macrolepis have a unique survival strategy, overwintering in caves and returning to the river for reproduction in summer. The current knowledge on the developmental status of its testes during winter and summer is still undiscovered. We performed RNA-seq analysis on O. macrolepis testes between January and June, using the published genome (NCBI, ASM1243209v1). Through KEGG and GO enrichment analysis, we were able to identify 2111 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and demonstrate their functions in signaling networks associated with the development of organism. At the genomic level, we found that during the overwintering phase, genes associated with cell proliferation (ccnb1, spag5, hdac7) were downregulated while genes linked to testicular fat metabolism (slc27a2, scd, pltp) were upregulated. This indicates suppression of both mitosis and meiosis, thereby inhibiting energy expenditure through genetic regulation of testicular degeneration. Furthermore, in January, we observed the regulation of autophagy and apoptosis (becn1, casp13), which may have the function of protecting reproductive organs and ensuring their maturity for the breeding season. The results provide a basis for the development of specialized feed formulations to regulate the expression of specific genes, or editing of genes during the fish egg stage, to ensure that the testes of O. macrolepis can mature more efficiently after overwintering, thereby enhancing reproductive performance.

Analysis of morphology, histology characteristics, and circadian clock gene expression of Onychostoma macrolepis at the overwintering period and the breeding period.

Fish typically adapt to their environment through evolutionary traits, and this adaptive strategy plays a critical role in promoting species diversity. Onychostoma macrolepis is a rare and endangered wild species that exhibits a life history of overwintering in caves and breeding in mountain streams. We analyzed the morphological characteristics, histological structure, and expression of circadian clock genes in O. macrolepis to elucidate its adaptive strategies to environmental changes in this study. The results showed that the relative values of O. macrolepis eye diameter, body height, and caudal peduncle height enlarged significantly during the breeding period. The outer layer of the heart was dense; the ventricular myocardial wall was thickened; the fat was accumulated in the liver cells; the red and white pulp structures of the spleen, renal tubules, and glomeruli were increased; and the goblet cells of the intestine were decreased in the breeding period. In addition, the spermatogenic cyst contained mature sperm, and the ovaries were filled with eggs at various stages of development. Throughout the overwintering period, the melano-macrophage center is located between the spleen and kidney, and the melano-macrophage center in the cytoplasm has the ability to synthesize melanin, and is arranged in clusters to form cell clusters or white pulp scattered in it. Circadian clock genes were identified in all organs, exhibiting significant differences between the before/after overwintering period and the breeding period. These findings indicate that the environment plays an important role in shaping the behavior of O. macrolepis, helping the animals to build self-defense mechanisms during cyclical habitat changes. Studying the morphological, histological structure and circadian clock gene expression of O. macrolepis during the overwintering and breeding periods is beneficial for understanding its unique hibernation behavior in caves. Additionally, it provides an excellent biological sample for investigating the environmental adaptability of atypical cavefish species.

Structural and functional correlates of the response to deep brain stimulation at ventral capsule/ventral striatum region for treatment-resistant depression.

BACKGROUND: Though deep brain stimulation (DBS) shows increasing potential in treatment-resistant depression (TRD), the underlying neural mechanisms remain unclear. Here, we investigated functional and structural connectivities related to and predictive of clinical effectiveness of DBS at ventral capsule/ventral striatum region for TRD. METHODS: Stimulation effects of 71 stimulation settings in 10 TRD patients were assessed. The electric fields were estimated and combined with normative functional and structural connectomes to identify connections as well as fibre tracts beneficial for outcome. We calculated stimulation-dependent optimal connectivity and constructed models to predict outcome. Leave-one-out cross-validation was used to validate the prediction value. RESULTS: Successful prediction of antidepressant effectiveness in out-of-sample patients was achieved by the optimal connectivity profiles constructed with both the functional connectivity (R=0.49 at p<10-4; deviated by 14.4±10.9% from actual, p<0.001) and structural connectivity (R=0.51 at p<10-5; deviated by 15.2±11.5% from actual, p<10-5). Frontothalamic pathways and cortical projections were delineated for optimal clinical outcome. Similarity estimates between optimal connectivity profile from one modality (functional/structural) and individual brain connectivity in the other modality (structural/functional) significantly cross-predicted the outcome of DBS. The optimal structural and functional connectivity mainly converged at the ventral and dorsal lateral prefrontal cortex and orbitofrontal cortex. CONCLUSIONS: Connectivity profiles and fibre tracts following frontothalamic streamlines appear to predict outcome of DBS for TRD. The findings shed light on the neural pathways in depression and may be used to guide both presurgical planning and postsurgical programming after further validation.

Intraindividual phenotyping of depression in high-risk youth: An application of a multilevel hidden Markov model.

BACKGROUND: Traditionally, depression phenotypes have been defined based on interindividual differences that distinguish between subgroups of individuals expressing distinct depressive symptoms often from cross-sectional data. Alternatively, depression phenotypes can be defined based on intraindividual differences, differentiating between transitory states of distinct symptoms profiles that a person transitions into or out of over time. Such within-person phenotypic states are less examined, despite their potential significance for understanding and treating depression. METHODS: The current study used intensive longitudinal data of youths (N = 120) at risk for depression. Clinical interviews (at baseline, 4, 10, 16, and 22 months) yielded 90 weekly assessments. We applied a multilevel hidden Markov model to identify intraindividual phenotypes of weekly depressive symptoms for at-risk youth. RESULTS: Three intraindividual phenotypes emerged: a low-depression state, an elevated-depression state, and a cognitive-physical-symptom state. Youth had a high probability of remaining in the same state over time. Furthermore, probabilities of transitioning from one state to another did not differ by age or ethnoracial minority status; girls were more likely than boys to transition from a low-depression state to either the elevated-depression state or the cognitive-physical symptom state. Finally, these intraindividual phenotypes and their dynamics were associated with comorbid externalizing symptoms. CONCLUSION: Identifying these states as well as the transitions between them characterizes how symptoms of depression change over time and provide potential directions for intervention efforts.

Passive directivity detection of acoustic sources based on acoustic Luneburg lens.

This article reports an acoustic Luneburg lens (ALL) design with graded refractive index for passive directivity detection of acoustic sources. The refractive index profile of the lens is realized based on square pillars with graded variation of their dimensions. Numerical and experimental studies are conducted to investigate the performance of directivity detection. The results demonstrate that the lens designed and developed in this study is capable of precisely detecting the directivity of one acoustic source. Furthermore, the directivities of two acoustic sources can also be detected with a resolution of 15°. In addition, different methods are investigated, including introducing phase difference by tuning input signals or moving ALL, and increasing the aperture size of ALL, to improve the resolution of dual sources directivity detection.

Stress proliferation in ethnoracial disparities of mental health among U.S. sexual minority adults.

OBJECTIVE: Non-White sexual minorities experience disproportionate adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and adulthood discrimination, as compared to their White or heterosexual counterparts. These stressors lead to increased psychological distress and worsened clinical outcomes, including suicidality. Minority stress theory posits that systemic marginalization, as experienced by minoritized individuals, leads to distress. Intersectionality theory suggests that marginalization compounds over time for individuals with intersectional minority identities. Yet, the mechanisms underlying the stress proliferation process for individuals with intersectional minority identities remain largely unexamined. METHOD: The present study used nationally representative data of sexual minority individuals (n = 1,518, Mage = 31 years, ethnoracial minority = 38.7%, female and gender minority = 50.6%) to investigate the relations among ethnoracial minoritization, ACEs, discrimination, distress, and self-injurious/suicidal outcomes. We proposed a novel integration of minority stress, intersectionality, and stress proliferation theories. Via longitudinal mediation, we tested models of stress persistence, stress accumulation, and stress sensitization. RESULTS: Our results confirmed disparities between White versus non-White sexual minorities on ACEs, discrimination experiences, and psychological distress. We found support for the stress persistence and the stress accumulation models, but not the stress sensitization model. Moreover, we found distress and discrimination were associated with future nonsuicidal self-injurious behaviors and suicidal outcomes, highlighting the deleterious consequences of intersectional minority stress proliferation. CONCLUSION: Our results support our proposed theory of intersectional minority stress proliferation where ethnoracial and sexual minoritization intersect and beget disproportionate ACEs, which in turn contribute to accumulation and persistence of psychological distress and discrimination experiences in adulthood. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Prospective and Contemporaneous Relations of Self-Esteem and Depressed Affect in the Context of Parent-Child Closeness during Adolescence: A Random-Intercept Cross-Lagged Panel Model.

Adolescent self-esteem and depression are influenced by important psychosocial factors such as parental relationships, yet it is unclear how these within-person relations present over time. The current study investigates the longitudinal relations between self-esteem, depressed affect, and parent-adolescent closeness during middle adolescence. Adolescents (n = 562; mean age = 14.73, SD = 0.82; 52% female; 72% White, 28% Racial Minority) were surveyed annually over four years (1988-1991). A random-intercept cross-lagged panel model was applied to disaggregate between- and within-person associations. Consistent with the scar model, adolescents experiencing heightened depressed affect were likely to have lower self-esteem. Furthermore, perceived mother-adolescent, but not father-adolescent, closeness positively predicted adolescent self-esteem. The results highlight the importance of considering interpersonal relationships and age in developmental models of self-esteem and depression.

Biopsychosocial Health Outcomes and Experienced Intersectional Stigma in a Mixed HIV Serostatus Longitudinal Cohort of Aging Sexual Minority Men, United States, 2008‒2019.

Objectives. To determine whether intersectional stigma is longitudinally associated with biopsychosocial outcomes. Methods. We measured experienced intersectional stigma (EIS; ≥ 2 identity-related attributions) among sexual minority men (SMM) in the United States participating in the Multicenter AIDS Cohort Study. We assessed longitudinal associations between EIS (2008‒2009) and concurrent and future hypertension, diabetes, dyslipidemia, antiretroviral therapy adherence, HIV viremia, health care underutilization, and depression symptoms (2008‒2019). We conducted causal mediation to assess the contribution of intersectional stigma to the relationship between self-identified Black race and persistently uncontrolled outcomes. Results. The mean age (n = 1806) was 51.8 years (range = 22-84 years). Of participants, 23.1% self-identified as Black; 48.3% were living with HIV. Participants reporting EIS (30.8%) had higher odds of hypertension, dyslipidemia, diabetes, depression symptoms, health care underutilization, and suboptimal antiretroviral therapy adherence compared with participants who did not report EIS. EIS mediated the relationship between self-identified Black race and uncontrolled outcomes. Conclusions. Our findings demonstrate that EIS is a durable driver of biopsychosocial health outcomes over the life course. Public Health Implications. There is a critical need for interventions to reduce intersectional stigma, help SMM cope with intersectional stigma, and enact policies protecting minoritized people from discriminatory acts. (Am J Public Health. 2022;112(S4):S452-S462. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2022.306735).

Latent profile analyses of disordered eating behaviors and nonsuicidal self-injury among Vietnamese adolescents.

OBJECTIVE: Comorbidity of disordered eating (DE) behaviors and nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) is linked to increased functional impairment. The present study identified subtypes of DE and NSSI comorbidity in a non-Western, low- and middle-income country where there has been particularly little research in this area. METHOD: Latent profile analyses (LPA) were conducted to identify patterns of subgroup comorbidity in self-reported DE behaviors and NSSI behaviors, in a sample of Vietnamese high-school students (N = 1451, 51% female). Parallel-process LPA was used to predict NSSI subgroup membership from DE subgroup membership. RESULTS: A seven-class LPA model was identified for DE: (1) Low frequencies of all DE behaviors; (2) Frequent levels of all DE behaviors; (3) Frequent fasting and purging behaviors; (4) Frequent binge eating only; (5) Moderate binge eating; (6) Moderate fasting and purging behaviors; (7) Exercise and fasting. A two-class (high versus low) model was identified for NSSI. Odds of membership in the high-NSSI class were significantly increased for all DE classes except the class characterized by moderate binge eating. Odds of belonging to the high-NSSI class were highest for those in DE classes involving purging behaviors. Males predominated in classes characterized by high behavior dysregulation. DISCUSSION: DE and NSSI represent important clinical concerns among Vietnamese youth in urban contexts, and males may show particular vulnerability for certain risk behaviors. The association of classes of DE behaviors to NSSI was particularly strong for classes that involved purging, highlighting the importance of this specific behavior for understanding comorbidity of DE and NSSI. PUBLIC SIGNIFICANCE: Disordered eating and nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI; hurting oneself without intending to die) commonly co-occur. There has been less research on disordered eating and NSSI among individuals from non-Western or low/middle-income countries. We examined patterns of these behaviors in a school-based sample of Vietnamese adolescents. We found that patterns of disordered eating distinguished by purging showed particular links to NSSI, which could have implications for screening and treatment.

Gaining access to the unknown: Preschoolers privilege unknown information as the target of their questions about verbs.

Children are opportunistic word learners, making passive use of nearly any available cue to link labels and referents. However, children may also actively drive their word learning by inquiring about unknown labels. Until recently, research has largely overlooked active word learning mechanisms. In the current study, two experiments investigated the emergence of preschoolers' ability to tailor their questions about words and definitions to maximize information gains. Experiment 1 tested whether 3- and 5-year-olds' frequency of questionasking differed for known and unknown verbs in a referential communication task. Results revealed that 3- and 5-year-olds (N = 36) asked more questions about unknown verbs (M = 3.86) than about known verbs (M = 0.22, p < .001), but this tendency was greater for 5-year-olds (M = 6.11) than for 3-year-olds (M = 1.35, p < .001), suggesting a developmental difference in information-seeking proficiency. Experiment 2 tested whether 3- and 5-year-olds' frequency of question asking about unknown verbs differed when words were embedded in definitions of high- and low-informative quality. Results demonstrated that 3- and 5-year-olds (N = 42) asked questions about unknown verbs more when provided with uninformative definitions (M = 0.86) compared with informative definitions (M = 0.05, p = .028), suggesting a sensitivity to definition quality that drives preschoolers' information search for word meanings. These findings offer insight into children's information seeking during exposure to new words. Results advance the characterization of children's active verbal information seeking in shaping their word learning.

Gender differences in aggression: A multiplicative function of outward anger expression.

Individuals with a higher (vs. lower) tendency to outwardly express anger (i.e., greater anger-out) generally exhibit greater aggression; men (vs. women) also tend to be more aggressive. Although the general aggression model posits that multiple person variables trigger aggression, the combined effects of multiple person variables are poorly understood. Thus, the aim of this study was to examine the nature of the relation between gender, anger-out, and reactive aggression. In particular, we were interested in whether the effects of anger-out and gender are additive or multiplicative. Specifically, we tested whether men exhibit higher levels of aggression than women at a consistent ratio across all levels of anger-out (i.e., the multiplicative model) or at a fixed amount depending on the level of anger-out (i.e., the additive interaction model). To this end, undergraduate participants (N = 203) completed a task in which they were falsely instructed that their objective was to respond more quickly than a same-sex opponent. They were told that whoever responded more quickly would administer a white noise burst to the opponent and choose its intensity, which served as our measure of aggression. Compared to an additive interaction model, the multiplicative model exhibited a better fit. Specifically, men displayed proportionately more aggression than women with the same level of anger-out. Research on and treatment for aggression should consider the multiplicative effects of factors related to aggression.

t-Test and ANOVA for data with ceiling and/or floor effects.

Ceiling and floor effects are often observed in social and behavioral science. The current study examines ceiling/floor effects in the context of the t-test and ANOVA, two frequently used statistical methods in experimental studies. Our literature review indicated that most researchers treated ceiling or floor data as if these data were true values, and that some researchers used statistical methods such as discarding ceiling or floor data in conducting the t-test and ANOVA. The current study evaluates the performance of these conventional methods for t-test and ANOVA with ceiling or floor data. Our evaluation also includes censored regression with regard to its capacity for handling ceiling/floor data. Furthermore, we propose an easy-to-use method that handles ceiling or floor data in t-tests and ANOVA by using properties of truncated normal distributions. Simulation studies were conducted to compare the performance of the methods in handling ceiling or floor data for t-test and ANOVA. Overall, the proposed method showed greater accuracy in effect size estimation and better-controlled Type I error rates over other evaluated methods. We developed an easy-to-use software package and web applications to help researchers implement the proposed method. Recommendations and future directions are discussed.

Modeling of a fast-response magnetic-sensitive hydrogel for dynamic control of microfluidic flow.

A magnetic-sensitive hydrogel-based microfluidic system is designed via a magneto-chemo-hydro-mechanical model for replicating various physiological and pathological conditions in the human body, by which the desired flow patterns can be generated in real time due to the fast-response deformation of the magnetic hydrogel. In the model, the fluid-structure interaction is characterized between the deformable magnetic hydrogel and surrounding fluid flow through the fully coupled arbitrary Lagrangian-Eulerian (ALE) method. Moreover, the physicochemical mechanisms including hydrogel magnetization, fluid diffusion, fluid flow, and hydrogel large deformation are characterized. After validation of the present model with both the finite difference and experimental results in the open literature, the transient behavior of the magnetic hydrogel is investigated, and the results show that the response time for the magnetic hydrogel is improved significantly in a uniform magnetic field compared with that of a hydrogel without the magnetic effect. Furthermore, various patterns of pulsatile flow are generated for mimicking the cell physiological microenvironment experienced by bone marrow stromal cells, and also for the pathological condition at the femoral artery during diastole and systole, respectively. Therefore, the present magnetic-sensitive hydrogel-based microfluidic system via the multiphysics model may provide a relevant humanized manipulation platform to investigate cell behavior and function through microfluidic chips.

Optimization of Deformable Magnetic-Sensitive Hydrogel-Based Targeting System in Suspension Fluid for Site-Specific Drug Delivery.

For optimization of the targeting performance of the magnetic hydrogel subject to the magneto-chemo-hydro-mechanical coupled stimuli, a multiphysics model for a suspension fluid flow in a blood vessel is developed, in which a deformable magnetic-sensitive hydrogel-based drug targeting system moves with fluid. In this model, the fluid-structure interaction of the movable and deformable magnetic hydrogel with surrounding fluid flow is characterized through the fully coupled arbitrary Lagrangian-Eulerian algorithm. Moreover, the four physicochemical responsive mechanisms are considered, including hydrogel magnetization, solvent diffusion, fluid flow, and nonlinear large deformation. After the present model is examined by the experimental data in open literature, the transient behaviors of the motion and deformation of the magnetic hydrogel are investigated in suspension flow. It is found that the higher flow velocity and/or the larger hydrogel size accelerate the movement of the hydrogel, while the smaller hydrogel size contributes to the larger swelling ratio. Furthermore, the performance of the magnetic targeting system is optimized for delivering the drug-loaded hydrogel to the desired site by tuning the maximum magnetic field strength, the maximum inlet flow velocity, and the magnet position. Therefore, it is confirmed that the present optimizable magnetic hydrogel-based drug targeting system via the multiphysics model may provide a promising efficient platform for site-specific drug delivery.

Feasibility of ultrasound-guided capsule-sheath space block combined with anterior cervical cutaneous nerves block for thyroidectomy: an observational pilot study.

BACKGROUND: We evaluated the efficacy of a new anesthetic technique termed ultrasound-guided capsule-sheath space block (CSSB) combined with anterior cervical cutaneous nerve block (CCNB) for thyroidectomy. METHODS: The study included two parts: Part one was an imaging study to determine technique feasibility. The CSSB was performed on five healthy volunteers by introducing the needle 0.5 cm lateral to the probe under in-plane needle ultrasound guidance. After puncture of the false capsule and its subsequent contraction with the true capsule of thyroid, 10 mL of contrast medium was deposited slowly in the capsule-sheath space. The CCNB was performed bilaterally as follows: Under ultrasound guidance, a subcutaneous injection was made along the sternocleidomastoid using 10 mL of contrast medium which was followed by a girdle-shaped picchu raised from the cricoid cartilage to supraclavicular region. The spreading pattern of contrast medium was imaged using computed tomographic scanning. In part two (a clinical case series) the technique efficacy was evaluated. Seventy-eight patients undergoing thyroidectomy had ultrasound-guided CSSB and CCNB with local anesthetics. The sensory onset of CCNB, intraoperative hemodynamic parameters, and analgesic effect were assessed and complications were noted. RESULTS: The distribution of contrast medium was well defined. In part two the onset time of CCNB was 2.2 ± 0.7 min, and the hemodynamic parameters remained stable intraoperatively. The recall of visual analogue scale scores during surgery was 2 [1-4] for median (range). The patients' and surgeons' satisfaction scores were 2 [1-4] and 1 [1-3] for median (range). No serious complications occurred. CONCLUSIONS: Combining ultrasound-guided CSSB and CCNB is a feasible, effective and safe technique for thyroidectomy. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Current Controlled Trials ChiCTR-ONC-12002025. Registered 19 March 2012.