GLK transcription factors accompany ELONGATED HYPOCOTYL5 to orchestrate light-induced seedling development in Arabidopsis.

Light-induced de-etiolation is an important aspect of seedling photomorphogenesis. GOLDEN2 LIKE (GLK) transcriptional regulators are involved in chloroplast development, but to what extent they participate in photomorphogenesis is not clear. Here, we show that ELONGATED HYPOCOTYL5 (HY5) binds to GLK promoters to activate their expression, and also interacts with GLK proteins in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana). The chlorophyll content in the de-etiolating Arabidopsis seedlings of the hy5 glk2 double mutants was lower than that in the hy5 single mutant. GLKs inhibited hypocotyl elongation, and the phenotype could superimpose on the hy5 phenotype. Correspondingly, GLK2 regulated the expression of photosynthesis and cell elongation genes partially independent of HY5. Before exposure to light, DE-ETIOLATED 1 (DET1) affected accumulation of GLK proteins. The enhanced etioplast development and photosystem gene expression observed in the det1 mutant were attenuated in the det1 glk2 double mutant. Our study reveals that GLKs act downstream of HY5, or additive to HY5, and are likely quantitatively adjusted by DET1, to orchestrate multiple developmental traits during the light-induced skotomorphogenesis-to-photomorphogenesis transition in Arabidopsis.

Targeted chemical profiling for p-HAP glycosides by using molecular networking and comparative analysis of their contents between Artemisia japonica and Artemisia capillaris.

A total of 65 phenolic acid compounds were annotated or identified by UHPLC-MS/MS method, among them, 17 p-HAP (p-hydroxyacetophenone) glycosides were firstly targeted profiled based on molecular networking. Their characteristic product ions of MS/MS spectra were found and examined on the guideline of targeted isolation. As a result, a new p-HAP glycoside was thus obtained and determined as 2'-O-caffeoyl-p-HAP-4-O-ß-D-glucopyranoside (33) based on 1D and 2D NMR data. Besides, multicomponents quantitative analysis indicated the distinct regional variability in chemicals distribution of A. japonica, and meanwhile, the contents of p-HAP glycosides from A. japonica were higher than those in A. capillaris as a whole, which further suggested the potential medicinal value of A. japonica.

Phylogenomic conflict analyses in the apple genus Malus s.l. reveal widespread hybridization and allopolyploidy driving diversification, with insights into the complex biogeographic history in the Northern Hemisphere.

Phylogenomic evidence from an increasing number of studies has demonstrated that different data sets and analytical approaches often reconstruct strongly supported but conflicting relationships. In this study, 785 single-copy nuclear genes and 75 complete plastomes were used to infer the phylogenetic relationships and estimate the historical biogeography of the apple genus Malus sensu lato, an economically important lineage disjunctly distributed in the Northern Hemisphere and involved in known and suspected hybridization and allopolyploidy events. The nuclear phylogeny recovered the monophyly of Malus s.l. (including Docynia); however, the genus was supported to be biphyletic in the plastid phylogeny. An ancient chloroplast capture event in the Eocene in western North America best explains the cytonuclear discordance. Our conflict analysis demonstrated that ILS, hybridization, and allopolyploidy could explain the widespread nuclear gene tree discordance. One deep hybridization event (Malus doumeri) and one recent event (Malus coronaria) were detected in Malus s.l. Furthermore, our historical biogeographic analysis integrating living and fossil data supported a widespread East Asian-western North American origin of Malus s.l. in the Eocene, followed by several extinction and dispersal events in the Northern Hemisphere. We also propose a general workflow for assessing phylogenomic discordance and biogeographic analysis using deep genome skimming data sets.

Experience predicts the duration of exclusive breastfeeding: The serial mediating roles of attitude and self-efficacy.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: The relationship between prior breastfeeding experience and the duration of exclusive breastfeeding is of significant interest, but few studies have explored the mechanisms underlying this relationship. The purpose of this study is to address two hypotheses: (a) that attitude and self-efficacy mediate the relationship between previous breastfeeding experience and the duration of exclusive breastfeeding; and (b) that attitude and self-efficacy have serial mediation functions in this relationship. METHODS: The data collection process was divided into two stages. The original stage included 394 women hospitalized after delivery who completed socio-demographic questionnaires (including previous breastfeeding experience), the Iowa Infant Feeding Attitude Scale (IIFAS), and the Breastfeeding Self-efficacy Short-Form Scale (BSES-SF). Follow-up data about duration of exclusive breastfeeding were obtained at six months postpartum. RESULTS: Mediation analysis indicated that previous breastfeeding experience directly affected the duration of exclusive breastfeeding and that the rate of the total indirect effect was 22.878%. Self-efficacy mediated previous breastfeeding experience and duration of exclusive breastfeeding, whereas attitude and self-efficacy played the series mediational role between previous breastfeeding experience and duration of exclusive breastfeeding. Cluster analysis supported these results. CONCLUSIONS: The duration of exclusive breastfeeding can be promoted by improving breastfeeding attitude and self-efficacy in women without breastfeeding experience.

[Coridius Decoction increases penile erection hardness, IIEF-5 scores and testosterone level in patients with erectile dysfunction].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the effect of Coridius Decoction on penile erection hardness, IIEF-5 scores and the testosterone level in ED patients. METHODS: We selected 120 ED patients diagnosed and treated in our hospital between July 2018 and January 2020 and, using the random number table, divided them into a control (n = 55) and an observation (n = 65), the former treated with oral sildenafil and the latter with warm Coridius Decoction in addition, both for 8 weeks and followed up for 6 months. We compared the TCM syndrome scores, clinical effects, penile erection hardness, IIEF-5 scores, testosterone (T) level and adverse reactions between the two groups of patients. RESULTS: The TCM syndrome score, compared with the baseline, was significantly decreased in the observation (9.81 ± 0.61 vs 17.63 ± 1.16, P < 0.05) and the control group (17.56 ± 1.23 vs 13.18 ± 0.75, P < 0.05) after treatment, even lower in the former than in the latter group (P < 0.01). The total therapeutic effectiveness rate was markedly higher in the observation group than in the control (92.31% ï¼»60/65ï¼½ vs 80.00% ï¼»44/55ï¼½, P < 0.05). After medication, the erection hardness score (EHS) was dramatically higher than the baseline in the observation (4.21 ± 0.55 vs 2.55 ± 0.73, P < 0.01) and the control group (3.14 ± 0.54 vs 2.61 ± 0.73, P < 0.01), and so were the IIEF-5 score (18.58 ± 5.26 vs 12.00 ± 4.68, P < 0.05 and 15.29 ± 4.70 vs 11.94 ± 5.54, P < 0.05) and the T level (ï¼»13.27 ± 4.21ï¼½ vs ï¼»9.43 ± 4.31ï¼½ nmol/L, P < 0.05 and ï¼»10.74 ± 4.15ï¼½ vs ï¼»9.01 ± 4.72ï¼½ nmol/L, P < 0.05), both even higher in the former than in the latter group (P < 0.01). There were no statistically significant differences in the incidence rates of adverse reactions between the observation and control groups (6.15% ï¼»4/65ï¼½ vs 3.64% ï¼»2/55ï¼½, P = 0.834). CONCLUSIONS: Coridius Decoction is safe and effective for the treatment of ED, which can significantly improve the clinical symptoms, increase penile erectile hardness and the T level, and repair the erectile function of the patient.

Three new cytotoxic oleanane triterpenoid saponins from Cylindrokelupha dalatensis.

Three new minor oleanane triterpenoid saponins, cylindrosides B (1), C (2), and D (3), were isolated from the seed of Cylindrokelupha dalatensis using chromatographic method. Their structures were established on the basis of the chemical and spectroscopic evidences. They displayed significant antitumor activity in vitro against HL60 cancer cell lines and IC50 values were 7.15 ± 0.63, 10.07 ± 0.97, and 4.74 ± 0.57 µM, respectively, by MTT method.

RBM38 is involved in TGF-ß-induced epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition by stabilising zonula occludens-1 mRNA in breast cancer.

BACKGROUND: The transforming growth factor-ß (TGF-ß) pathway plays a vital role in driving cancer cell epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). Zonula occludens-1 (ZO-1), which is downregulated in response to TGF-ß, is able to control endothelial cell-cell tension, cell migration, and barrier formation. However, the molecular mechanism of how TGF-ß regulates ZO-1 expression remains unclear. METHODS: Breast cancer cells were treated with TGF-ß to induce an EMT progress. Chromatin immunoprecipitation and dual-luciferase reporter assay were performed to investigate direct relationship between Snail and RNA binding motif protein 38 (RBM38). The RNA immunoprecipitation combined with RNA electrophoretic mobility shift assay and dual-luciferase reporter assay were conducted to testify direct relationship between RBM38 and ZO-1. The ZO-1 siRNA was transfected to breast cancer cells that overexpress RBM38 and the control, followed by transwell and Matrigel invasion assays to examine cell migratory and invasive ability. RESULTS: Transforming growth factor-ß induced a remarkable downregulation of RBM38 in breast cancer that was directly regulated by transcription repressor Snail targeting the E-box elements in promoter region of RBM38 gene. Additionally, RBM38 positively regulated ZO-1 transcript via directly binding to AU/U-rich elements in its mRNA 3'-UTR. Moreover, by magnifying RBM38 expression, cell migration and invasion mediated by knockdown of ZO-1 in breast cancer were reversed. CONCLUSIONS: All the results clarified a linear regulation relationship among Snail, RBM38, and ZO-1, implicating RBM38 as a pivotal mediator in TGF-ß-induced EMT in breast cancer.

Innovative method for the enrichment of high-polarity bioactive molecules present at low concentrations in complex matrices.

Ginsenoside Rg1 is a valuable bioactive molecule but its high polarity and low concentration in complex mixtures makes it a challenge to separate Ginsenoside Rg1 from other saponins with similar structures, resulting in low extraction efficiency. The successful development of effective Rg1 molecularly imprinted polymers that exhibit high selectivity and adsorption may offer an improved method for the enrichment of active compounds. In this work, molecularly imprinted polymers were prepared with two different methods, precipitation polymerization or surface imprinted polymerization. Comparison of the adsorption abilities showed higher adsorption of the surface molecularly imprinted polymers prepared by surface imprinted polymerization, 46.80 mg/g, compared to the 27.74 mg/g observed for the molecularly imprinted polymers prepared by precipitation polymerization. Therefore, for higher adsorption of the highly polar Rg1, surface imprinted polymerization is a superior technique to make Rg1 molecularly imprinted polymers. The prepared surface molecularly imprinted polymers were tested as a solid-phase extraction column to directionally enrich Rg1 and its analogues from ginseng tea and total ginseng extracts. The column with surface molecularly imprinted polymers showed higher enrichment efficiency and better selectivity than a C18 solid-phase extraction column. Overall, a new, innovative method was developed to efficiently enrich high-polarity bioactive molecules present at low concentrations in complex matrices.

miR-625 suppresses cell proliferation and migration by targeting HMGA1 in breast cancer.

Dysregulation of microRNA contributes to the high incidence and mortality of breast cancer. Here, we show that miR-625 was frequently down-regulated in breast cancer. Decrease of miR-625 was closely associated with estrogen receptor (P = 0.004), human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (P = 0.003) and clinical stage (P = 0.001). Kaplan-Meier and multivariate analyses indicated miR-625 as an independent factor for unfavorable prognosis (hazard ratio = 2.654, 95% confident interval: 1.300-5.382, P = 0.007). Re-expression of miR-625 impeded, whereas knockdown of miR-625 enhanced cell viabilities and migration abilities in breast cancer cells. HMGA1 was confirmed as a direct target of miR-625. The expressions of HMGA1 mRNA and protein were induced by miR-625 mimics, but reduced by miR-625 inhibitor. Re-introduction of HMGA1 in cells expressing miR-625 distinctly abrogated miR-625-mediated inhibition of cell growth. Taken together, our data demonstrate that miR-625 suppresses cell proliferation and migration by targeting HMGA1 and suggest miR-625 as a promising prognostic biomarker and a potential therapeutic target for breast cancer.

IL-35 Is Involved in the Pathogenesis of Guillain-Barré Syndrome Through Its Influence on the Function of CD4+ T Cells.

CD4+ T cells and many cytokines play critical roles in the pathogenesis of Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS), an immune-mediated inflammatory disease. However, the role of IL-35, a novel member of the IL-12 cytokine family, in this kind of disease has not yet been elucidated. In this study, we investigated the functional changes of CD4+ T cells from GBS patients with IL-35 treatment in vitro. This study involved 21 GBS patients and an equal number of healthy controls (HCs). The results indicated that the average concentration of IL-35 in the plasma of GBS patients was lower than that of healthy controls (HCs). Increased levels of STAT1, STAT3 and STAT4 proteins and T-bet, ROR γt, IFN-γ and IL-17A mRNA were observed in CD4+ T cells from GBS patients. In contrast, the levels of STAT5 and STAT6 proteins and GATA3, Foxp3, IL-4 and TGF-ß1 mRNAs were decreased in GBS patients in comparison with those of HCs. In addition, treatment of CD4+ T cells from GBS patients with IL-35 upregulated IL-35, STAT5 and STAT6 protein and T-bet, GATA3, Foxp3, IFN-γ, IL-4, IL-17A and TGF-ß1 mRNA while inhibited levels of STAT3 and STAT4 protein and RORγt and IL-17A mRNA. These results indicate that IL-35 might play a potential role in GBS pathogenesis. Further studies are required in order to evaluate its role in GBS.

Hepatotoxicity and pharmacokinetics of cisplatin in combination therapy with a traditional Chinese medicine compound of Zengmian Yiliu granules in ICR mice and SKOV-3-bearing nude mice.

BACKGROUND: Cisplatin (CDDP) is a highly effective chemotherapeutic agent used for therapy of many tumors and has been limited by its toxicity. Zengmian Yiliu granule (ZMYL), a compound preparation of traditional Chinese medicines, has been used in clinic as a complementary and alternative medicine for attenuating CDDP-induced toxicities and enhancing the tumor therapeutic effect of CDDP. The aim of the present study is to investigate hepaprotective effect of ZMYL against CDDP-induced hepatotoxicity. Further, the pharmacokinetic characteristics of CDDP in SKOV-3-bearing nude mice were observed. METHODS: The ICR mice were dosed orally with ZMYL for 7 days and then CDDP was injected intraperitoneally at a dose of 45 mg/kg body weight. The serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) levels were measured to evaluate the liver function. The total glutathione (T-GSH), reduced glutathione (GSH) and glutathione S-transferase (GST) levels were determined to evaluate the oxidant damage in liver homogenates. Tissue pathological change in liver was conducted by light microscopy analysis. The pharmacokinetic and tissue distribution of free and total platinum (Pt) after dosing of CDDP alone and combination with ZMYL were determined in SKOV-3-bearing nude mice by ICP-MS. RESULTS: Oral administration of ZMYL prior to the CDDP treatment could prevent the CDDP-induced in lifting of ALT and AST, reduction of T-GSH, R-GSH and GST, and some histopathological alterations in ICR mice. Some differences in pharmacokinetic parameters between the two groups have been observed in higher CL and decreased MRT of free platinum (Pt) in plasma and total Pt in spleen in CDDP co-administration with ZMYL group. It indicated CDDP was cleared more quickly from blood and spleen, and could reduce the accumulation and toxic possibility of CDDP in combination with ZMYL. CONCLUSIONS: ZMYL could be used as a beneficial supplement, which could attenuate CDDP-induced hepatotoxicity during CDDP chemotherapy and did not disturb the pharmacokinetics fate of CDDP significantly.

Pharmacokinetics of cisplatin in the absence or presence of zengmian yiliu granules (a traditional Chinese medicine compound) in rats determined via ICP-MS: an investigation on drug-herb interactions.

CONTEXT: Cisplatin is a highly effective chemotherapeutic agent against many tumors; however, it has potent adverse effects. Zengmian Yiliu granule (ZMYL), a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) compound, has been clinically used against platinum (Pt)-induced toxicity and to enhance the efficacy of cisplatin. OBJECTIVE: The study was conducted to investigate the likelihood of potential pharmacokinetics drug-herbs interaction (DHI) between cisplatin and ZMYL. MATERIALS AND METHODS: An improved ICP-MS method combined with ultrafiltration and microwave-assisted digestion was performed to determine the total and free Pt concentrations in rat plasma after intraperitoneal administration of cisplatin (9 mg/kg) or a combined administration with ZMYL (1 g/kg) by gavage. RESULTS: ZMYL produced a potential DHI on the pharmacokinetic parameters of cisplatin, calculated from the total Pt concentration. The clearance rate decreased from 110.52 to 66.12 mLh(-1 )kg(-1), the mean residence time extended from 63.1 to 164.54 h, the area under the plasma concentration-time curve increased from 86.58 to 152.93 µg h mL(-1), the elimination half-life extended from 48.38 to 126.4 h, and the elimination rate constant decreased from 0.017 to 0.006 h, in the ZMYL combination group (p < 0.05). In terms of free Pt concentration, the apparent volume of distribution and clearance rate was statistically different (p < 0.05). The Pt plasma protein binding ratios in the early dose stages were significantly boosted by the co-administration of ZMYL (p < 0.01). DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: ZMYL is a potential complementary and alternative medicine for cisplatin chemotherapy. The therapeutic benefits of ZMYL-cisplatin chemotherapy derived from pharmacokinetic interaction needs further investigation.

Study on active ingredient and mechanism in preventing vascular dementia of Tianzhusan coming from Tujia medicine.

To make clear of the absorbed components of Tianzhusan (TZS) and its possible mechanism in preventing vascular dementia (VD), the rats' models of VD were prepared by a permanent ligation of the bilateral common carotid arteries. After 60 days, rats were administrated with TZS for 0.1 g x kg(-1), and the volume is 0.02 mL x g(-1). After 3 days, the medicated serum was prepared and detected by UPLC, and then we predicted the possible chemical structure of the absorbed components of TZS. According to the absorbed components, the potential targets of TZS were found by ligand profiling of Discovery Studio 3.5. All of these target genes were submitted to DAVID onine for gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA). The 5 absorbed components of TZS have been predicted, and four of them have been identified as parishin B, parishin C, parishin, pennogenin-3-O-alpha-L-rhamnopyranosy-(1-->2)-beta-D-glucoside. Through reverse finding targets, we got 861 pharmacophore models and 9 pathways from KEGG, BIOCARTA after document verification. These results showed that the efficacy mechanism of TZS on VD perhaps were be related with these absorbed components and pathways. If the traditional herbs could be proved effective by efficacy tests, the serum pharmacochemistry, computer-aided drug design, system biology and other technologies can be used in the next experiments, which will be beneficial to fast discovery of material basis and mechanisms of traditional medicine coming form ethnic minorities.

The impact of psychological empowerment and organisational commitment on Chinese nurses' job satisfaction.

BACKGROUND: Research findings have shown that job satisfaction of Chinese nurses is at a low level. Limited studies have focused on the impact of psychological empowerment and organisational commitment on job satisfaction of Chinese nurses. AIMS: The aim of this study is to describe job satisfaction, psychological empowerment and organisational commitment of Chinese nurses and to explore the impact of psychological empowerment and organisational commitment on the nurses' job satisfaction. METHODS: A total of 726 nurses were recruited in a convenience sample from 10 tertiary hospitals. Data were collected using four questionnaires including Job Satisfaction Survey, Psychological Empowerment Scale, Organisational Commitment Scale and Demographic Questionnaire. Descriptive analysis, correlation and stepwise multiple regression were used for data analysis. RESULTS: Nurses' job satisfaction, psychological empowerment and organisational commitment were identified at moderate levels. Nurses' job satisfaction and psychological empowerment were significantly different in terms of age and length of service; nurse job satisfaction varied with respect to marital status. Findings further indicated that nurse job satisfaction was positively correlated with psychological empowerment and organisational commitment. Psychological empowerment, organisational commitment and marital status were significant predicting factors of nurse job satisfaction. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides evidence to help nursing managers and health policy-makers to develop intervention programs aimed at enhancing nurse job satisfaction and retaining nurses.

Plasma EBV quantification is associated with the efficacy of immune checkpoint blockade and disease monitoring in patients with primary pulmonary lymphoepithelioma-like carcinoma.

Objectives: Primary pulmonary lymphoepithelioma-like carcinoma (PLELC) is a subtype of lung carcinoma associated with the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV). The clinical predictive biomarkers of immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) in PLELC require further investigation. Methods: We prospectively analysed EBV levels in the blood and immune tumor biomarkers of 31 patients with ICB-treated PLELC. Viral EBNA-1 and BamHI-W DNA fragments in the plasma were quantified in parallel using quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Results: Progression-free survival (PFS) was significantly longer in EBNA-1 high or BamHI-W high groups. A longer PFS was also observed in patients with both high plasma EBNA-1 or BamHI-W and PD-L1 ≥ 1%. Intriguingly, the tumor mutational burden was inversely correlated with EBNA-1 and BamHI-W. Plasma EBV load was negatively associated with intratumoral CD8+ immune cell infiltration. Dynamic changes in plasma EBV DNA level were in accordance with the changes in tumor volume. An increase in EBV DNA levels during treatment indicated molecular progression that preceded the imaging progression by several months. Conclusions: Plasma EBV DNA could be a useful and easy-to-use biomarker for predicting the clinical activity of ICB in PLELC and could serve to monitor disease progression earlier than computed tomography imaging.

Methanolysis of triterpenoid saponin from Ardisia gigantifolia stapf. and structure-activity relationship study against cancer cells.

Thirteen 13,28-epoxy triterpenoid saponins were isolated from Ardisia gigantifolia stapf. and one potential anti-tumor saponin was methanolysised by H2SO4 to afford four new compounds. The seventeen compounds were evaluated for their anti-proliferative activity on A549, HCT-8 and Bel-7402 cells. The structure-activity relationship analysis indicated that the incorporation of =O group at C-16, L-rhamnose at R(5) and acetyl group at OH-6 of the D-glucose lead to a significant increase of the cytotoxic activity on A549 and HCT-8 but significant reduction of the cytotoxic activity on Bel-7402 cells. The synthesized saponins losing 13,28-epoxy and CHO at C-30, losed their cytotoxicities on A549 and HCT-8 cells, suggesting that the two moieties play an essential role for activity. 3ß-O-α-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1→3)-[ß-D-xylopyranosyl-(1→2)]-ß-D-glucopyranosyl-(1→4)-[ß-D-glucopyranosyl-(1→2)]-α-l-arabinopyranoside-16α-hydroxy-13,28-epoxy-oleanane (2) showed better inhibitory activity to Bel-7402 (IC50 0.86 µM) than that of 5-FU (IC50 8.30 µM), which indicate that five saccharide and methyl moiety at C-30 are important for anti-proliferative activity. The activities of saponins 15>14, 17>16, suggested that the configuration of 28,30-epoxy is preferable to be 30(R) rather than 30(S) on Bel-7402 cells. Further molecular mechanism studies of saponins 1 and 2 were carried out on the cell cycle distribution of Bel-7402 cells.

Cylindroside A, a new triterpenoid saponin from Cylindrokelupha dalatensis and its cytotoxic activity.

A new triterpenoid saponin, named cylindroside A (1), was isolated from the seeds of Cylindrokelupha dalatensis (Kosterm.) T.L. Wu by using chromatographic method. The structure of 1 was established by comprehensive spectroscopic analysis and chemical degradation. Compound 1 displayed significant antitumor activity in vitro against BCG and MCF-7 cancer cell lines and IC50 values were 4.17 ± 0.23 and 3.07 ± 0.66 µM by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) method, respectively.

[Chemistry and biological activities of Viburnum odoratissimum].

Viburnum odoratissimum is a folk medicinal plant, it can dredge the meridian passage and contains mainly diterpenes, triterpenes, flavonoids, sesquiterpenes, lignans, coumarin glycosides, etc. Vibsanin-type diterpenoids are the characteristic compounds of V. odoratissimum, and are divided into eleven-membered ring, seven-membered ring, and rearrangement-type. Vibsanin B, vibsanin C and neovibsanin A are the representative compounds of the three subtypes of vibsanin-type diterpenoids respectively. V. odoratissimum has cytotoxic activity, antibacterial activity, fish piscicidal activity and activity of inhibiting the growth of plants, Cytotoxic activity is the main biological activity.

Utilization of complementary and alternative medicine by perimenopausal women in China: a cross-sectional study.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the utilization of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) by perimenopausal women and explore factors associated with their preference. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted involving 558 perimenopausal women in Wuhan, China. Online questionnaires were available from December 2021 to April 2022. Instruments used were the International Complementary and Alternative Medicine Questionnaire and the Greene Climacteric Scale. The association between scores and participants' sociodemographic characteristics and perimenopausal symptoms was analyzed using multiple linear regression. RESULTS: The overall utilization of CAM by perimenopausal women was 50.4% (281/558). Perimenopausal symptoms affecting the frequency of CAM usage included anxiety (adjusted ß = 0.18), somatic (adjusted ß = 0.07), and vasomotor symptoms (adjusted ß = 0.76), P < 0.05. The most commonly used CAM were massage (37.7%), herbal therapies (19.9%), and dietary supplements (18.2%). Walking (58.6%) was the most popular self-practice therapy. Perimenopausal women consulted Western (38.4%) and Chinese medicine physicians (34.8%) and dentists (36.0%) most frequently. CONCLUSIONS: Perimenopausal women experience discomforts during this age-related stage, and their use of CAM to manage symptoms is common. The usage and preferences of these management strategies are worthy of further exploration. There is a need to understand cost-effective and appropriate management interventions to improve the quality of life of perimenopausal women.

Breastfeeding Practices of Women Returning to Full-Time Employment in China: Prevalence and Determinants.

BACKGROUND: Returning to work after childbirth is a common reason for women to stop breastfeeding. This study aimed to assess breastfeeding practices and breastfeeding support available to employed women in China, and factors affecting breastfeeding duration. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey of 1,243 breastfeeding women employed full-time was conducted. Participants completed a sociodemographic questionnaire and the Workplace Breastfeeding Support Scale (WBSS). Multiple linear regression analysis was used to explore the factors that are associated with breastfeeding. RESULTS: The mean exclusive breastfeeding duration and any breastfeeding duration of full-time employed women were 5.7 ± 0.5 months and 9.8 ± 1.5 months, respectively. The total WBSS score was 46.6 ± 5.3 (M ± SD). Generally, women perceived coworkers (M [SD] = 4.8 [1.0]) and supervisors (M [SD] = 5.7 [1.2]) to be supportive of breastfeeding. Lower scores on the WBSS were related to lack of technical and facility support, indicating no access to a refrigerator to store breast milk (M [SD] = 2.0 [1.5]) or to a breast pump (M [SD] = 1.7 [1.7]). Similarly, a private area for expressing breast milk (M [SD] = 1.4 [1.0]) was unavailable. Maternity leave, residential province, ethnicity, education level, average monthly household income, main reason for stopping exclusive breastfeeding, commute time greater than 1 hour, and the total WBSS score were also factors influencing breastfeeding duration of the full-time employed women. CONCLUSIONS: There were gaps in breastfeeding practices and workplace breastfeeding support of Chinese full-time employed women when compared with the World Health Organization recommendations. Occupational health providers should consider these findings when developing programs to support breastfeeding in the workplace.