Psychological factors associated with exercise self-efficacy in the recipients of an implantable cardioverter defibrillator.

BACKGROUND: Insufficient exercise affects the health of patients who have implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICD). The purpose of this study was to investigate the correlations between exercise self-efficacy (ESE) and its associated psychological factors in ICD recipients. METHODS: This cross-sectional study included individuals who had undergone ICD implantation at the cardiology department of a medical centre in Taiwan. A face-to-face survey was conducted. The survey questionnaire included questions regarding the participants' demographics, perceived health (PH), ICD shock-related anxiety (ICD-SRA), self-care self-efficacy (SSE), perceived exercise benefit (PE-benefit), perceived exercise barrier (PE-barrier), and ESE. Data were analysed using SPSS 20.0 Software. Stepwise multiple regression analyses were also performed to evaluate the predictive effects of the aforementioned factors on ESE. RESULTS: A total of 52 ICD recipients were enrolled. ESE was negatively correlated with ICD-SRA (r = -0.511; p < 0.01) and PE-barrier (r = -0.563; p < 0.01), but positively correlated with SSE (r = 0.339; p < 0.05) and PE-benefit (r = 0.464; p < 0.01). The stepwise multiple regression analysis revealed that PE-barrier, PE-benefit, and ICD-SRA effectively predicted ESE in the participants. CONCLUSIONS: ESE may be improved by overcoming PE-barrier, ICD-SRA and enhancing PE-benefit. Consequently, improving ESE may enhance the health benefits of exercise.

Evaluating the performance of an AI-powered VBAC prediction system within a decision-aid birth choice platform for shared decision-making.

Background: Vaginal birth after cesarean (VBAC) is generally regarded as a safe and viable birthing option for most women with prior cesarean delivery. Nonetheless, concerns about heightened risks of adverse maternal and perinatal outcomes have often dissuaded women from considering VBAC. This study aimed to assess the performance of an artificial intelligence (AI)-powered VBAC prediction system integrated into a decision-aid birth choice platform for shared decision-making (SDM). Materials and Methods: Employing a retrospective design, we collected medical records from a regional hospital in northern Taiwan from January 2019 to May 2023. To explore a suitable model for tabular data, we compared two prevailing modeling approaches: tree-based models and logistic regression models. We subjected the tree-based algorithm, CatBoost, to binary classification. Results: Forty pregnant women with 347 records were included. The CatBoost model demonstrated a robust performance, boasting an accuracy rate of 0.91 (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.86-0.94) and an area under the curve of 0.89 (95% CI: 0.86-0.93), surpassing both regression models and other boosting techniques. CatBoost captured the data characteristics on the significant impact of gravidity and the positive influence of previous vaginal birth, reinforcing established clinical guidelines, as substantiated by the SHapley Additive exPlanations analysis. Conclusion: Using AI techniques offers a more accurate assessment of VBAC risks, boosting women's confidence in selecting VBAC as a viable birthing option. The seamless integration of AI prediction systems with SDM platforms holds a promising potential for enhancing the effectiveness of clinical applications in the domain of women's healthcare.

Subjective experience of parent-child relationship in adolescents with congenital heart disease: A qualitative study.

PURPOSE: To explore the parent-child relationship through the subjective experience of adolescents with congenital heart disease (CHD). DESIGN AND METHODS: A descriptive phenomenology approach was adopted. Twelve adolescents aged from 12 to 18 years with CHD were recruited from the pediatric cardiology clinics at two medical centers in Taiwan. Data were collected through in-depth interviews. Data were analyzed using Colaizzi's phenomenological analysis method, and results were reported in accordance with the Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Research guidelines. RESULTS: The experiences of the adolescents with CHD revealed five themes: 1. the enhancement of self-worth through parents' love; 2. the importance of parental support in desperate situations; 3. the development of a sense of security through mutual understanding; 4. growth under parental expectations; and 5. parental overcontrol disguised as love. CONCLUSIONS: The parent-child relationship encompasses both positive and negative experiences. Adolescents prioritize their relationship with parents over that with peers. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: Nurses caring for adolescents with CHD can improve care by recognizing the influence of parental love, support in challenges, mutual understanding, parental expectations, and potential negative consequences of overcontrol. This insight guides effective guidance for adolescents, enhancing parent-child interactions and overall well-being.

Correlation between plant cell wall stiffening and root extension arrest phenotype in the combined abiotic stress of Fe and Al.

The plasticity and growth of plant cell walls (CWs) remain poorly understood at the molecular level. In this work, we used atomic force microscopy (AFM) to observe elastic responses of the root transition zone of 4-day-old Arabidopsis thaliana wild-type and almt1-mutant seedlings grown under Fe or Al stresses. Elastic parameters were deduced from force-distance curve measurements using the trimechanic-3PCS framework. The presence of single metal species Fe2+ or Al3+ at 10 µM exerts no noticeable effect on the root growth compared with the control conditions. On the contrary, a mix of both the metal ions produced a strong root-extension arrest concomitant with significant increase of CW stiffness. Raising the concentration of either Fe2+ or Al3+ to 20 µM, no root-extension arrest was observed; nevertheless, an increase in root stiffness occurred. In the presence of both the metal ions at 10 µM, root-extension arrest was not observed in the almt1 mutant, which substantially abolishes the ability to exude malate. Our results indicate that the combination of Fe2+ and Al3+ with exuded malate is crucial for both CW stiffening and root-extension arrest. However, stiffness increase induced by single Fe2+ or Al3+ is not sufficient for arresting root growth in our experimental conditions.

Loss of LBP triggers lipid metabolic disorder through H3K27 acetylation-mediated C/EBPß- SCD activation in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is associated with mutations in lipopolysaccharide-binding protein ( LBP), but the underlying epigenetic mechanisms remain understudied. Herein, LBP -/- rats with NAFLD were established and used to conduct integrative targeting-active enhancer histone H3 lysine 27 acetylation (H3K27ac) chromatin immunoprecipitation coupled with high-throughput and transcriptomic sequencing analysis to explore the potential epigenetic pathomechanisms of active enhancers of NAFLD exacerbation upon LBP deficiency. Notably, LBP -/- reduced the inflammatory response but markedly aggravated high-fat diet (HFD)-induced NAFLD in rats, with pronounced alterations in the histone acetylome and regulatory transcriptome. In total, 1 128 differential enhancer-target genes significantly enriched in cholesterol and fatty acid metabolism were identified between wild-type (WT) and LBP -/- NAFLD rats. Based on integrative analysis, CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein ß (C/EBPß) was identified as a pivotal transcription factor (TF) and contributor to dysregulated histone acetylome H3K27ac, and the lipid metabolism gene SCD was identified as a downstream effector exacerbating NAFLD. This study not only broadens our understanding of the essential role of LBP in the pathogenesis of NAFLD from an epigenetics perspective but also identifies key TF C/EBPß and functional gene SCD as potential regulators and therapeutic targets.

Cry11Aa and Cyt1Aa exhibit different structural orders in crystal topography.

Cry11Aa and Cyt1Aa are two pesticidal toxins produced by Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. israelensis. To improve our understanding of the nature of their oligomers in the toxic actions and synergistic effects, we performed the atomic force microscopy to probe the surfaces of their natively grown crystals, and used the L-weight filter to enhance the structural features. By L-weight filtering, molecular sizes of the Cry11Aa and Cyt1Aa monomers obtained are in excellent agreement with the three-dimensional structures determined by x-ray crystallography. Moreover, our results show that the layered feature of a structural element distinguishes the topographic characteristics of Cry11Aa and Cyt1Aa crystals, suggesting that the Cry11Aa toxin has a better chance than Cyt1Aa for multimerization and therefore cooperativeness of the toxic actions.

Comprehensive analysis of endoplasmic reticulum stress-related mechanisms in type 2 diabetes mellitus.

BACKGROUND: The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is closely related to a wide range of cellular functions and is a key component to maintain and restore metabolic health. Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a serious threat to human health, but the ER stress (ERS)-related mechanisms in T2DM have not been fully elucidated. AIM: To identify potential ERS-related mechanisms and crucial biomarkers in T2DM. METHODS: We conducted gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) and gene set variation analysis (GSVA) in myoblast and myotube form GSE166502, and obtained the differentially expressed genes (DEGs). After intersecting with ERS-related genes, we obtained ERS-related DEGs. Finally, functional analyses, immune infiltration, and several networks were established. RESULTS: Through GSEA and GSVA, we identified several metabolic and immune-related pathways. We obtained 227 ERS-related DEGs and constructed several important networks that help to understand the mechanisms and treatment of T2DM. Finally, memory CD4+ T cells accounted for the largest proportion of immune cells. CONCLUSION: This study revealed ERS-related mechanisms in T2DM, which might contribute to new ideas and insights into the mechanisms and treatment of T2DM.

Measuring external primary cell wall elasticity of seedling roots using atomic force microscopy.

Stiffness plays a central action in plant cell extension. Here, we present a protocol to detect changes in stiffness on the external epidermal cell wall of living plant roots using atomic force microscopy (AFM). We provide generalized instructions for collecting force-distance curves and analysis of stiffness using contact-based mechanical model. With this protocol, and some initial training in AFM, a user is able to perform indentation experiments on 4- and 5-day-old Arabidopsis thaliana and determine stiffness properties. For complete details on the use and execution of this protocol, please refer to Godon et al.1.

[Tennis Ball Massage Therapy in Clinical Nurses: Effect on Relieving Musculoskeletal Disorders and Enhancing Self-Efficacy].

BACKGROUND: Musculoskeletal disorders are a common occupational disease. The prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders among nurses is estimated at 65.1%-87.3%, with neck, shoulders, and lower back being most affected. PURPOSE: To explore the effectiveness of tennis ball massage therapy in alleviating muscle soreness and improving pain relief self-efficacy. METHODS: In this quasi-experimental, single-group, pre- and post-test study, 216 nurses in regional teaching hospitals were screened for neck, shoulder, and back pain. Based on the unit attributes, systematic random sampling was employed to recruit 36 nurses to participate in a four-week "fighting pain" intervention program. The "Pain Visual Scale" and "Pain Relief Self-efficacy Scale" were used as the assessment tools. One-way and two-way repeated measure analysis of variance, a signed ranks test, and the Friedman test were used to assess longitudinal change in the data. RESULTS: Shoulders were the most reported site of muscle pain (94.4%), followed by the neck (88.9%) and the upper back (55.6%). The locations of neck, shoulder, and back pain were interacted differently with the four measurement times (F = 2.69, p = .020). In the post hoc comparison, pain relief effectiveness was most significant in the third posttest, followed by the second. The pain relief was significantly different between the pre-test and the third post-test (t = 6.39, 8.68, 6.96, p < .001). There was a significant difference before and after the intervention of the pain relief self-efficacy (F = 53.49, p < .001). The post hoc comparison results revealed that self-efficacy was lowest at pretest and highest at the third posttest. Significant differences were observed between the pre-test and third post-test at the end of the intervention (t = -10.25, p < .001). CONCLUSIONS / IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: This study shows that tennis ball massage can improve neck, shoulder, and back pain in nurses and improve pain relief self-efficacy. Tennis ball massage is easy to implement, has no time and space restrictions, and requires no assistance to operate. This equipment can be used to effectively reduce muscle pain, improve the comfort of performing regular activities, and raise work efficiency, reducing the negative impact of muscle pain on work.

Interleukin-37 promotes DMBA/TPA skin cancer through SIGIRR-mediated inhibition of glycolysis in CD103+DC cells.

Interleukin 37 (IL-37), a member of the IL-1 family, is considered a suppressor of innate and adaptive immunity and, hence is a regulator of tumor immunity. However, the specific molecular mechanism and role of IL-37 in skin cancer remain unclear. Here, we report that IL-37b-transgenic mice (IL-37tg) treated with the carcinogenic 7,12-dimethylbenzoanthracene (DMBA)/12-o-tetradecylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA) exhibited enhanced skin cancer and increased tumor burden in the skin by inhibiting the function of CD103+ dendritic cells (DCs). Notably, IL-37 induced rapid phosphorylation of adenosine 5'-monophosphate (AMP)-activated protein kinase (AMPK), and via single immunoglobulin IL-1-related receptor (SIGIRR), inhibited the long-term Akt activation. Specifically, by affecting the SIGIRR-AMPK-Akt signaling axis, which is related to the regulation of glycolysis in CD103+DCs, IL-37 inhibited their anti-tumor function. Our results show that a marked correlation between the CD103+DC signature (IRF8, FMS-like tyrosine kinase 3 ligand, CLEC9A, CLNK, XCR1, BATF3, and ZBTB46) and chemokines C-X-C motif chemokine ligand 9, CXCL10, and CD8A in a mouse model with DMBA/TPA-induced skin cancer. In a word, our results highlight that IL-37 as an inhibitor of tumor immune surveillance through modulating CD103+DCs and establishing an important link between metabolism and immunity as a therapeutic target for skin cancer.

An innovative web-based decision-aid about birth after cesarean for shared decision making in Taiwan: study protocol for a randomized control trial.

BACKGROUND: Taiwan has a high national caesarean rate coupled with a low vaginal birth after caesarean (VBAC) rate. This study aims to develop and evaluate a web-based decision-aid with communication support tools, to increase shared decision making (SDM) about birth after caesarean. METHODS: A quantitative approach will be adopted using a randomized pre-test and post-test experimental design in a medical centre in northern Taiwan. The web-based decision aid consists of five sections. Section 1 provides a two-part video to introduce SDM and how to participate in SDM. Section 2 presents an overview of functions and features of the birth decision-aid. Section 3 presents relevant VBAC information, including definitions, benefits and risks, and an artificial intelligence (AI) calculator for rate and likelihood of VBAC success. Section 4 presents the information regarding elective repeat caesarean delivery (ERCD), involving definitions, benefits, and risks. Section 5 comprises four steps of decision making to meet women's values and preferences. Pregnant women who have had one previous caesarean and are eligible for VBAC, will be recruited at 14-16 weeks. Participants will complete a baseline survey prior to random allocation to either the control group (usual care) or intervention group (usual care plus an AI-decision aid). A follow up survey at 35-38 weeks will measure change in decisional conflict, knowledge, birth mode preference, and decision-aid acceptability. Actual birth outcomes and satisfaction will be assessed one month after birth. DISCUSSION: The innovative web-based decision-aid with support tools will help to promote pregnant women's decision-making engagement and communication with their providers and improve opportunities for supportive communication about VBAC SDM in Taiwan. Linking web-based AI data analysis into the medical record will also be assessed for feasibility during implementation in clinical practice. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov identifier (NCT05091944), Registered on October 24, 2021.

[The Moderating Effect of Veteran Status on the Relationship Between Fatigue and Sleep Disturbance in Primary Caregivers of Patients With Cancer].

BACKGROUND: Fatigue may lead to disordered sleep. Primary caregivers of patients with cancer may suffer from higher levels of disordered sleep because of care-related fatigue. Older-adult veterans with cancer tend to be emotionally negative, which increases the challenges of care. PURPOSE: This study was designed to investigate the veteran status of patients as a possible moderator in the relationship between fatigue and disordered sleep in primary caregivers. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, 127 primary caregivers of patients with cancer were randomly recruited from three hospitals in northern Taiwan. Data were collected using a demographics datasheet, the Taiwanese version of the Brief Fatigue Inventory, and the Chinese version of the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index. Descriptive statistics, independent t-tests, one-way ANOVA, Pearson correlation analyses, and hierarchical regression analyses were used to analyze the obtained data. RESULTS: Fatigue in the participants was shown to correlate significantly and positively with their sleep quality (r = .632, p < .01), with fatigue found to affect sleep quality positively (ß = .472, p < .001). The regression analyses showed the explanatory power of fatigue on sleep disorders (b = .148, p < .001) to be higher in caregivers of veteran patients than in caregivers of non-veteran patients (b = .091, p < .001). CONCLUSIONS / IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: Veteran patient status may moderate the relationship between fatigue and disordered sleep in primary caregivers. Nurses should assess caregiver fatigue status and offer appropriate resources.

DrugRep: an automatic virtual screening server for drug repurposing.

Computationally identifying new targets for existing drugs has drawn much attention in drug repurposing due to its advantages over de novo drugs, including low risk, low costs, and rapid pace. To facilitate the drug repurposing computation, we constructed an automated and parameter-free virtual screening server, namely DrugRep, which performed molecular 3D structure construction, binding pocket prediction, docking, similarity comparison and binding affinity screening in a fully automatic manner. DrugRep repurposed drugs not only by receptor-based screening but also by ligand-based screening. The former automatically detected possible binding pockets of the receptor with our cavity detection approach, and then performed batch docking over drugs with a widespread docking program, AutoDock Vina. The latter explored drugs using seven well-established similarity measuring tools, including our recently developed ligand-similarity-based methods LigMate and FitDock. DrugRep utilized easy-to-use graphic interfaces for the user operation, and offered interactive predictions with state-of-the-art accuracy. We expect that this freely available online drug repurposing tool could be beneficial to the drug discovery community. The web site is http://cao.labshare.cn/drugrep/ .

Unnecessary radiation exposure during diagnostic radiography in infants in a neonatal intensive care unit: a retrospective cohort study.

Unnecessary radiation exposure (URE) during radiographic examination is an issue among infants in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs). The causes of URE have not been fully explored. This study investigated the incidence and identified the causes of URE in infants during diagnostic radiography in a NICU. This was a retrospective cohort study. We retrieved and analysed requests and radiographs taken at a tertiary NICU between September and November 2018. URE was defined as the rate of discordance between requests and images taken (DisBRI) and unnecessary radiation exposure in irrelevant regions (UREIR) during radiography. We compared the rates of URE between very low-birth-weight (VLBW, birth weight < 1500 g) infants and non-VLBW infants. A total of 306 radiographs from 88 infants were taken. The means ± standard deviations (SDs) of gestational age and birth weight were 35.7 ± 3.6 weeks and 2471 ± 816 g, respectively. Each infant underwent an average of 3.5 radiographs. The DisBRI rate was 1.3% and was mostly related to poor adherence to requests. The UREIR rates in thoraco-abdominal babygrams were 89.6% for the head, 14.8% for the elbows and 18.4% for the knee and were mainly related to improper positioning of and collimation in infants while performing radiography. The UREIR rates for the head, knee and ankle were higher in VLBW infants than in non-VLBW infants (94.6% vs. 85.6%, 27.0% vs. 11.5% and 5.4% vs. 0.7%, respectively, p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: URE during diagnostic radiography is common in sick infants and is mainly related to improper positioning and collimation during examinations. Adherence to protocols when performing radiographic examination or using ultrasonography may be a solution to reduce URE in infants in NICUs. WHAT IS KNOWN: • The risk of unnecessary radiation exposure (URE) during radiography has been a common and important issue in sick infants in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs). • The new point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) technique decreases the need for chest films and prevents radiation exposure in neonates. WHAT IS NEW: • In the NICU, URE is still a common issue in critically ill infants during radiographic examinations. The causes of URE during diagnostic radiography are mainly due to improper positioning and collimation during examinations. • The incidence of URE in irrelevant regions is higher in very low-birth-weight (VLBW) infants than in non-VLBW infants.

Nano-structural stiffness measure for soft biomaterials of heterogeneous elasticity.

Measuring the structural stiffness aims to reveal the impact of nanostructured components or various physiological circumstances on the elastic response of material to an external indentation. With a pyramidal tip at a nano-scale, we employed the atomic force microscopy (AFM) to indent the surfaces of two compositions of polyacrylamide gels with different softness and seedling roots of Arabidopsis thaliana. We found that the stiffness-depth curve derived from the measured force exhibits a heterogeneous character in elasticity. According to the tendency of stiffness-depth curve, we decomposed the responding force into depth-impact (FC), Hookean (FH) and tip-shape (FS) components, called trimechanic, where FS and its gradient should be offset at the surface or subsurfaces of the indented material. Thereby, trimechnic theory allows us to observe how the three restoring nanomechanics change with varied depth. Their strengths are represented by the respective spring constants (kC, kH, kS) of three parallel-connected spring (3PCS) analogs to differentiate restoring nanomechansims of indented materials. The effective Young's modulus Ê and the total stiffness kT (= kH + kS) globally unambiguously distinguish the softness between the two gel categories. Data fluctuations were observed in the elasticity parameters of individual samples, reflecting nanostructural variations in the gel matrix. Similar tendencies were found in the results from growing plant roots, though the data fluctuations are expectedly much more dramatic. The zone-wise representation of stiffness by the trimechanic-3PCS framework demonstrates a stiffness measure that reflects beneath nanostructures encountered by deepened depth. The trimechanic-3PCS framework can apply any mechanical model of power-law based force-depth relationship and is compatible with thin layer corrections. It provides a new paradigm for analyzing restoring nanomechanics of soft biomaterials in response to indenting forces.

Effects of embryo density on cell number of day 3 embryos cultured in a 30-µl drop: a retrospective cohort study.

For individual cultures, findings on regulating embryo density by changing the microdrop volume are contradictory. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between embryo density and the developmental outcome of day 3 embryos after adjusting covariates. In total, 1196 embryos from 206 couples who had undergone in vitro fertilization treatment were analyzed retrospectively. Three embryo densities were used routinely, i.e. one embryo in a drop (30 µl/embryo), two embryos in a drop (15 µl/embryo) and three embryos in a drop (10 µl/embryo). Embryo quality on day 3 was evaluated, both the cell number of day 3 embryos and the proportion of successful implantations served as endpoints. Maternal age, paternal age, antral follicles and level of anti-Müllerian hormone, type of infertility, controlled ovarian stimulation protocol, length of stimulation, number of retrieved oocytes, number of zygotes (two pronuclei) and insemination type were covariates and adjusted. After adjusting fully for all covariates, the cell number of day 3 embryos was significantly increased by 0.40 (95% CI 0.00, 0.79; P = 0.048) and 0.78 (95% CI 0.02, 1.54; P = 0.044) in the 15 µl/embryo and 10 µl/embryo group separately, compared with the 30 µl/embryo group. The proportions of implanted embryos were 42.1%, 48.7% and 0.0% in the 30 µl/embryo, 15 µl/embryo and 10 µl/embryo groups respectively. There was no statistical significance (P = 0.22) between the 30 µl/embryo group and the 15 µl/embryo group. After adjusting for confounders that were significant in univariate analysis, embryo density was still not associated with day 3 embryo implantation potential (P > 0.05). In a 30-µl microdrop, culturing embryos with an embryo density of both 15 and 10 µl/embryo increased the cell number of day 3 embryos, which did not benefit embryo implanting potential, compared with individual culture of 30 µl/embryo.

Interleukin-37 promotes colitis-associated carcinogenesis via SIGIRR-mediated cytotoxic T cells dysfunction.

Interleukin-37b (hereafter called IL-37) was identified as fundamental inhibitor of natural and acquired immunity. The molecular mechanism and function of IL-37 in colorectal cancer (CRC) has been elusive. Here, we found that IL-37 transgenic (IL-37tg) mice were highly susceptible to colitis-associated colorectal cancer (CAC) and suffered from dramatically increased tumor burdens in colon. Nevertheless, IL-37 is dispensable for intestinal mutagenesis, and CRC cell proliferation, apoptosis, and migration. Notably, IL-37 dampened protective cytotoxic T cell-mediated immunity in CAC and B16-OVA models. CD8+ T cell dysfunction is defined by reduced retention and activation as well as failure to proliferate and produce cytotoxic cytokines in IL-37tg mice, enabling tumor evasion of immune surveillance. The dysfunction led by IL-37 antagonizes IL-18-induced proliferation and effector function of CD8+ T cells, which was dependent on SIGIRR (single immunoglobulin interleukin-1 receptor-related protein). Finally, we observed that IL-37 levels were significantly increased in CRC patients, and positively correlated with serum CRC biomarker CEA levels, but negatively correlated with the CD8+ T cell infiltration in CRC patients. Our findings highlight the role of IL-37 in harnessing antitumor immunity by inactivation of cytotoxic T cells and establish a new defined inhibitory factor IL-37/SIGIRR in cancer-immunity cycle as therapeutic targets in CRC.

Intrinsically Disordered Tardigrade Proteins Self-Assemble into Fibrous Gels in Response to Environmental Stress.

Tardigrades are remarkable for their ability to survive harsh stress conditions as diverse as extreme temperature and desiccation. The molecular mechanisms that confer this unusual resistance to physical stress remain unknown. Recently, tardigrade-unique intrinsically disordered proteins have been shown to play an essential role in tardigrade anhydrobiosis. Here, we characterize the conformational and physical behaviour of CAHS-8 from Hypsibius exemplaris. NMR spectroscopy reveals that the protein comprises an extended central helical domain flanked by disordered termini. Upon concentration, the protein is shown to successively form oligomers, long fibres, and finally gels constituted of fibres in a strongly temperature-dependent manner. The helical domain forms the core of the fibrillar structure, with the disordered termini remaining highly dynamic within the gel. Soluble proteins can be encapsulated within cavities in the gel, maintaining their functional form. The ability to reversibly form fibrous gels may be associated with the enhanced protective properties of these proteins.

Sigma-1 Receptor and Binding Immunoglobulin Protein Interact with Ulinastatin Contributing to a Protective Effect in Rat Cerebral Ischemia/Reperfusion.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate impact of ulinastatin (UTI) on sigma-1 receptor (σ1R) and binding immunoglobulin protein (BiP) after cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury. METHODS: The middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) model was used to induce cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury. Eighty male Sprague Dawley rats were randomly divided into 6 groups: control, MCAO, MCAO+50,000 U/kg UTI, MCAO+100,000 U/kg UTI, MCAO+200,000 U/kg UTI, MCAO+300,000 U/kg UTI. At 24 and 48 hours after MCAO, infarct volume, neurological dysfunction, and grip strength test were measured, and level of σ1R and BiP proteins was further detected using Western blot. Molecular docking assays were carried out to verify interaction between σ1R, BiP, and UTI. The serum concentration of BiP and the binding assay between σ1R, BiP, and UTI were determined using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. RESULTS: UTI increased the modified neurological severity score and upregulated σ1R and BiP expression in the cerebral cortex after MCAO. The grip strength of forelimbs increased significantly in the MCAO+200,000 U/kg UTI and MCAO+300,000 U/kg UTI groups compared with the MCAO group, while BiP serum levels remained unchanged. The molecular docking assay indicated putative binding between σ1R, BiP, and UTI. The binding assay also revealed that both σ1R and BiP could be combined with UTI. CONCLUSIONS: UTI displays a neuroprotective effect via upregulation of σ1R and BiP during ischemia/reperfusion injury, suggesting that UTI modulates σ1R and BiP and their interaction may provide a novel insight into potential therapeutic mechanisms for stroke.

AIoT Used for COVID-19 Pandemic Prevention and Control.

The pandemic of COVID-19 is continuing to wreak havoc in 2021, with at least 170 million victims around the world. Healthcare systems are overwhelmed by the large-scale virus infection. Luckily, Internet of Things (IoT) is one of the most effective paradigms in the intelligent world, in which the technology of artificial intelligence (AI), like cloud computing and big data analysis, is playing a vital role in preventing the spread of the pandemic of COVID-19. AI and 5G technologies are advancing by leaps and bounds, further strengthening the intelligence and connectivity of IoT applications, and conventional IoT has been gradually upgraded to be more powerful AI + IoT (AIoT). For example, in terms of remote screening and diagnosis of COVID-19 patients, AI technology based on machine learning and deep learning has recently upgraded medical equipment significantly and has reshaped the workflow with minimal contact with patients, so medical specialists can make clinical decisions more efficiently, providing the best protection not only to patients but also to specialists themselves. This paper reviews the latest progress made in combating COVID-19 with both IoT and AI and also provides comprehensive details on how to combat the pandemic of COVID-19 as well as the technologies that may be applied in the future.