Rhei Radix et Rhizoma and its anthraquinone derivatives: Potential candidates for pancreatitis treatment.

BACKGROUND: Pancreatitis is a common exocrine inflammatory disease of the pancreas and lacks specific medication currently. Rhei Radix et Rhizoma (RR) and its anthraquinone derivatives (AQs) have been successively reported for their pharmacological effects and molecular mechanisms in experimental and clinical pancreatitis. However, an overview of the anti-pancreatitis potential of RR and its AQs is limited. PURPOSE: To summarize and analyze the pharmacological effects of RR and its AQs on pancreatitis and the underlying mechanisms, and discuss their drug-like properties and future perspectives. METHODS: The articles related to RR and its AQs were collected from the Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wanfang data, PubMed, and the Web of Science using relevant keywords from the study's inception until April first, 2024. Studies involving RR or its AQs in cell or animal pancreatitis models as well as structure-activity relationship, pharmacokinetics, toxicology, and clinical trials were included. RESULTS: Most experimental studies are based on severe acute pancreatitis rat models and a few on chronic pancreatitis. Several bioactive anthraquinone derivatives of Rhei Radix et Rhizoma (RRAQs) exert local protective effects on the pancreas by maintaining pancreatic acinar cell homeostasis, inhibiting inflammatory signaling, and anti-fibrosis, and they improve systemic organ function by alleviating intestinal and lung injury. Pharmacokinetic and toxicity studies have revealed the low bioavailability and wide distribution of RRAQs, as well as hepatotoxicity and nephrotoxicity. However, there is insufficient research on the clinical application of RRAQs in pancreatitis. Furthermore, we propose effective strategies for subsequent improvement in terms of balancing effectiveness and safety. CONCLUSION: RRAQs can be developed as either candidate drugs or novel lead structures for pancreatitis treatment. The comprehensive review of RR and its AQs provides references for optimizing drugs, developing therapies, and conducting future studies on pancreatitis.

Establishing a screening strategy for non-discriminatory reactive blood donors by constructing a predictive model of hepatitis B virus infection status from a single blood center in China.

Background: When employing the transcription-mediated amplification method for screening blood donors, there are some non-discriminatory reactive results which are screening assay reactive but HBV-DNA discriminatory assay negative. This raises concerns regarding the possibility of false positives among donors, which may lead to permanent deferral of blood donors and affect blood supply. This study aimed to elucidate the infection status of these non-discriminatory reactive blood donors and develop and validate a model to predict individualized hepatitis B status to establish an optimal screening strategy. Methods: Supplementary tests were conducted on initial non-discriminating reactive donations to determine their HBV infection status, including repeat testing, viral load, serological marker detection, and follow-up. Primary clinical variables of the donors were recorded. Based on the Akaike information criterion, a stepwise forward algorithm was used to identify the predictive factors for information and construct a predictive model. The optimal screening strategy was determined through cost-effectiveness analysis. Results: At the Blood Center of Zhejiang Province, 435 cases of initial non-discriminatory reactive donations were collected over two successive periods and sub-categorized through repeated testing into the following three groups: non-repeated positive group, non-discriminated positive group, and non-repeated HBV-DNA positive group. The HBV discriminatory rate increased after repeated testing (110/435, 25.29%). According to supplementary tests, the HBV-DNA positivity rate was 65.52% (285/435), and occult HBV infection was a significantly different among groups (χ2 = 93.22, p < 0.01). The HBV serological markers and viral load in the non-repeated positive group differed from those in the other two groups, with a lower viral load and a higher proportion of false positives. The predictive model constructed using a stepwise forward algorithm exhibited high discrimination, good fit, high calibration, and effectiveness. A cost-effectiveness analysis indicated that utilizing repeated discriminatory testing and the predictive model is an extremely beneficial screening approach for non-discriminatory reactive blood donors. Conclusion: Nearly two-third (65.52%) of the non-discriminatory reactive blood donors were HBV-DNA positive. Our innovative approach of constructing a predictive model as a supplementary screening strategy, combined with repeated discriminatory experiments, can effectively identify the infection status of non-discriminatory reactive blood donors, thereby increasing the safety of blood transfusions.

Postoperative leukocyte counts as a surrogate for surgical stress response in matched robot- and video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery cohorts of patients: A preliminary report.

The objective is to preliminary evaluated postoperative leukocyte counts as a surrogate for the surgical stress response in NSCLC patients who underwent RATS or VATS for further prospective analyses with proper assessment of surgical stress response and tissue trauma. We retrospectively analyzed patients with stageI-IIIA NSCLC who underwent RATS or VATS at a hospital between 8 May 2020 and 31 December 2021. Analysis of leukocytes (including neutrophils and lymphocytes) and albumin on postoperative days (PODs) 1 and 3 in patients with NSCLC treated with RATS or VATS after propensity score matching (PSM). In total, 1824 patients (565 RATS and 1259 VATS) were investigated. The two MIS groups differed significantly with regard to operative time (p < 0.001), chronic lung disease (p < 0.001), the type of pulmonary resection (p < 0.001), the excision site of lobectomy (p = 0.004), and histology of the tumor (p = 0.028). After PSM, leukocyte and neutrophil levels in the RATS group were lower than those in the VATS group on PODs 1 and 3, with those on POD 3 (p < 0.001) being particularly notable. While lymphocyte levels in the RATS group were significantly lower than those in the VATS group only at POD 1 (p = 0.016). There was no difference in albumin levels between the RATS and VATS groups on PODs 1 and 3. The surgical stress response and tissue trauma was less severe in NSCLC patients who underwent RATS than in those who underwent VATS, especially reflected in the neutrophils of leukocytes.

Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids play a protective role in a mouse model of Parkinson's disease by increasing intestinal inducible Treg cells.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is defined as a progressive neurodegenerative disease in middle-aged and elderly people. The therapeutic effect of ω-3 PUFAs in several neurodegenerative diseases has been well recognized. Nevertheless, whether nutrition supplementing ω-3 PUFAs exerts a neuroprotective role in PD remains elusive. Bioinformatics revealed 2D chemical structural formula of three components. Mice received indicated treatment with saline, MPTP or ω-3 PUFAs according to grouping. Behavioral function of mice was measured through motor tests such as rearing, akinesia, and rotarod tests. OFT test measured anxiety-like behaviors of mice. Western blotting and TUNEL staining measured dopaminergic fibers and neurons of mice. Western blotting measured inflammation and apoptosis-related protein levels in mouse tissue. FACS measured iTreg cell proportion in colon and brain tissues of mice. ω-3 PUFAs repaired MPTP-stimulated motor function damage in PD mice. ω-3 PUFAs mitigated MPTP-stimulated comorbid anxiety in PD mice. ω-3 PUFAs relieved MPTP-stimulated deficits of dopaminergic fibers and neurons in PD mice. ω-3 PUFAs repressed MPTP-stimulated inflammation and apoptosis pathway activation in PD mice. ω-3 PUFAs repaired MPTP-stimulated immune function damage in PD mice. ω-3 PUFAs exert a protective role in PD mice through alleviating motor function impairment and neuroinflammation by increasing intestinal inducible Treg cells, which may provide a new direction for seeking targeted therapy plans for PD in humans.

Fecal microbiota related to postoperative endoscopic recurrence in patients with Crohn's disease.

Background: Postoperative recurrence (POR) remains a major challenge for patients with Crohn's disease (CD). Gut microbial dysbiosis has been reported to be involved in the pathogenesis of POR. This study aims to investigate the relationship between fecal microbiome and endoscopic recurrence in patients with CD after ileocolonic resection. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study. Fecal samples were collected from 52 patients with CD after surgical intervention from 6 to 12 months before endoscopic examination. Endoscopic recurrence was defined as Rutgeerts score ≥ i2. The microbiome was analyzed by sequencing the V3-V4 hypervariable regions of the 16S rRNA gene. Results: A total of 52 patients were included and classified into POR (n = 27) and non-POR (n = 25) groups. Compared with the non-POR group, the POR group had a significantly lower community richness (Chao1 index: 106.5 vs 124, P = 0.013) and separated microbial community (P = 0.007 for Adonis, P = 0.032 for Anosim), combined with different distribution of 16 gut microbiotas and decrease of 11 predicted metabolic pathways (P < 0.05). Lactobacillus and Streptococcus were identified to closely correlate to non-POR (P < 0.05) after controlling for confounding factors. Kaplan-Meier analysis indicated that the patients with higher abundance of Streptococcus experienced longer remission periods (P < 0.01), but this was not for Lactobacillus. The predicted ethylmalonyl-coA pathway related to increased amount of succinate was positively correlated with Streptococcus (r > 0.5, P < 0.05). Conclusions: The characteristic alterations of fecal microbiota are associated with postoperative endoscopic recurrence in patients with CD; particularly, high abundance of Streptococcus may be closely related to endoscopic remission.

Supramolecular self-assembled gold nanoparticle clusters for synergistic photothermal-chemo tumor therapy.

The combination of photothermal therapy and chemotherapy has emerged as a promising strategy to improve cancer therapeutic efficacy. However, developing a versatile nanoplatform that simultaneously possesses commendable photothermal effect and high drug encapsulation efficiency remains a challenging problem yet to be addressed. Herein, we report a facile supramolecular self-assembly strategy to construct gold nanoparticle clusters (AuNCs) for synergistic photothermal-chemo therapy. By utilizing the functional polysaccharide as a targeted ligand, hyaluronic acid-enriched AuNCs were endowed with targeting CD44 receptor overexpressed on the B16 cancer cells. Importantly, these hyaluronic acid modified AuNCs can shelter therapeutic cargo of doxorubicin (DOX) to aggregate larger nanoparticles via a host-guest interaction with the anchored ß-cyclodextrin, as a "nanocluster-bomb" (DOX@AuNCs). The in vitro results revealed that these DOX@AuNCs showed light-triggered drug release behavior and synergistic photothermal-chemo therapy. The improved efficacy of synergistic therapy was further demonstrated by treating a xenografted B16 tumor model in vivo. We envision that our multipronged design of DOX@AuNCs provides a potent theranostic platform for precise cancer therapy and could be further enriched by introducing different imaging probes and therapeutic drugs as appropriate suitable guest molecules.

Transcriptome-based analysis reveals a crucial role of the 20E/HR3 pathway in the diapause of Pieris rapae.

Pieris rapae is among the most damaging pests globally, and diapause makes it highly resistant to environmental stresses, playing a crucial role in the survival and reproduction of P. rapae while exacerbating the challenges of pest management and control. However, the mechanisms of its diapause regulation remain poorly understood. This research used RNA sequencing to profile the transcriptomes of three diapause phases (induction and preparation, initiation, maintenance) and synchronous nondiapause phases in P. rapae. During each comparison phase, 759, 1045, and 4721 genes were found to be differentially expressed. Among these, seven clock genes and seven pivotal hormone synthesis and metabolism genes were identified as having differential expression patterns in diapause type and nondiapause type. The weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) revealed the red and blue modules as pivotal for diapause initiation, while the grey module was identified to be crucial to diapause maintenance. Meanwhile, the hub genes HDAC11, METLL16D, Dyw-like, GST, and so on, were identified within these hub modules. Moreover, an ecdysone downstream nuclear receptor gene, HR3, was found to be a shared transcription factor across all three phases. RNA interference of HR3 resulted in delayed pupal development, indicating its involvement in regulating pupal dipause in P. rapae. The further hormone assays revealed that the 20-hydroxyecdysone (20E) titer in diapause type pupae was lower than that in nondiapause type pupae, which exhibited a similar trend to HR3. When 20E was injected into diapause pupae, the HR3 expression levels were improved, and the pupal diapause were broken. These results indicate that the 20E/HR3 pathway is a critical pathway for the diapause regulation of P. rapae, and perturbing this pathway by ecdysone treatment or RNAi would result in the disruption of diapause. These findings provide initial insights into the molecular mechanisms of P. rapae diapause and suggest the potential use of ecdysone analogs and HR3 RNAi pesticides, which specifically target to diapause, as a means of pest control in P. rapae.

Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy analysis reveals biochemical difference in urine of patients with perianal fistula.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Perianal fistulising Crohn's disease (PFCD) is different from the characteristics and outcomes of traditional non-inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) anal fistulas. The presence of perianal disease was a poor prognostic indicator for Crohn's disease (CD) patients and PFCD patients were more likely to bear an increased risk of recurrence. However, the effective and accurate diagnosis methods to early distinguish PFCD from simple perianal fistula were still scarce. The purpose of this study is to develop a non-invasive detecting approach to predict CD in patients with perianal fistulas. METHODS: Data on patients with anal fistulizing disease were collected from July 2020 to September 2020 in two IBD centers. Urine samples from PFCD and simple perianal fistula patients were investigated by surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS). Principal component analysis (PCA)-support vector machine (SVM) was utilized to establish classification models to distinguish PFCD from simple perianal fistula. RESULTS: After a case-matched 1:1 selection by age and gender, 110 patients were included in the study. By analyzing the average SERS spectra of PFCD and simple perianal fistula patients, it revealed that there were significant differences in intensities at 11 Raman peaks. The established PCA-SVM model distinguished PFCD from simple perianal fistula with a sensitivity of 71.43%, specificity 80.00% and accuracy 75.71% in the leave-one-patient-out cross-validation. The accuracy of the model in validation cohort was 77.5%. CONCLUSIONS: Investigation of urine samples by SERS helps clinicians to predict Crohn's disease from perianal fistulas, which make patients achieve benefit from a more individualized treatment strategy.

Self-Reconstructed Two-Dimensional Cluster-Based Co-Organic Layer Heterojunctions for Enhanced Oxygen Evolution Reactions.

When it comes to an efficient catalytic oxygen evolution reaction (OER) in the production of renewable energy and chemicals, the construction of heterogeneous structures is crucial to break the linear scalar relationship of a single catalyst. This heterogeneous structure construction helps creatively achieve high activity and stability. However, the synthesis process of heterogeneous crystalline materials is often complex and challenging to capture and reproduce, which limits their application. Here, the dynamic process of structural changes in Co-MOFs in alkali was captured by in situ powder X-ray diffraction, FT-IR spectroscopy, and Raman spectroscopy, and several self-reconfigured MOF heterogeneous materials with different structures were stably isolated. The created ß-Co(OH)2/Co-MOF heterojunction structure facilitates rapid mass-charge transfer and exposure of active sites, which significantly enhanced OER activity. Experimental results show that this heterogeneous structure achieves a low overpotential of 333 mV at 10 mA cm-2. The findings provide new insights and directions for the search for highly reactive cobalt-based MOFs for sustainable energy technologies.

Tectorigenin: A Review of Its Sources, Pharmacology, Toxicity, and Pharmacokinetics.

Tectorigenin is a well-known natural flavonoid aglycone and an active component that exists in numerous plants. Growing evidence suggests that tectorigenin has multiple pharmacological effects, such as anticancer, antidiabetic, hepatoprotective, anti-inflammatory, antioxidative, antimicrobial, cardioprotective, and neuroprotective. These pharmacological properties provide the basis for the treatment of many kinds of illnesses, including several types of cancer, diabetes, hepatic fibrosis, osteoarthritis, Alzheimer's disease, etc. The purpose of this paper is to provide a comprehensive summary and review of the sources, extraction and synthesis, pharmacological effects, toxicity, pharmacokinetics, and delivery strategy aspects of tectorigenin. Tectorigenin may exert certain cytotoxicity, which is related to the administration time and concentration. Pharmacokinetic studies have demonstrated that the main metabolic pathways in rats for tectorigenin are glucuronidation, sulfation, demethylation and methoxylation, but that it exhibits poor bioavailability. From our perspective, further research on tectorigenin should cover: exploring the pharmacological targets and mechanisms of action; finding an appropriate concentration to balance pharmacological effects and toxicity; attempting diversified delivery strategies to improve the bioavailability; and structural modification to obtain tectorigenin derivatives with higher pharmacological activity.

The Effects of a Beauty Program on Self-Perception of Aging and Depression among Community-Dwelling Older Adults in an Agricultural Area in Taiwan.

This study aimed to investigate the effects of a beauty program on the self-perception of aging and depression among the community-dwelling older adults in an agricultural area in Taiwan. Twenty-nine older adults aged 65 and above in one agricultural community care center completed the program. Based on cosmetic therapy, the beauty program consisted of 13 sessions focused on facial skin care, make-up application, and massage with essential oils. Each 90 min session of the program was conducted in groups once a week for 13 weeks. This study applied the mixed methods approach, and data were gathered through questionnaire surveys, interviews, and observation. Before and after the beauty program, the elderly individuals' self-perceptions of aging and depression were assessed using the Attitudes towards Old People Scale (ATOPS) and Taiwanese Depression Questionnaire (TDQ), respectively. The participants' ATOPS scores after the program were significantly higher than those examined before the program (p < 0.001), and their TDQ scores were significantly lower than those before the program (p < 0.001). Additionally, the participants' body images were improved, the participants disrupted their stereotypes about makeup, and they were willing to gradually maintain their appearance. Overall, the beauty program was effective for enhancing the self-perceptions of aging and reducing depression in older adults in rural Taiwan. Further research with a larger population of older individuals, male older adults, or frail older adults is needed to examine the specific effects of the beauty program.

Local excision as a viable alternative to hysterectomy for early-stage cervical cancer in women of reproductive age: a population-based cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Local excision as the main alternative for fertility-sparing surgery (FSS) has been widely used in patients with early-stage cervical cancer to achieve fertility preservation, but its safety and practicability are still questioned. Therefore, The authors evaluated the current application of local excision in early-stage cervical cancer with this population-based study and compared its efficacy with hysterectomy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Women diagnosed with International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) stage I cervical cancer at childbearing age (18-49 years) recorded in the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) database from 2000 to 2017 were included. Overall survival (OS) and disease-specific survival (DSS) rates were compared between local excision and hysterectomy. RESULTS: A total of 18 519 patients of reproductive age with cervical cancer were included, and 2268 deaths were observed. 17.0% of patients underwent FSS via local excision, and 70.1% underwent hysterectomy. Among patients younger than 39 years, OS and DSS of local excision were comparable to those of hysterectomy, whereas, in patients older than 40 years, OS and DSS of local excision were significantly worse than those of hysterectomy. In addition, OS and DSS of local excision were similar to hysterectomy in patients with stage IA cervical cancer, but OS and DSS were inferior to hysterectomy in patients with stage IB cervical cancer who underwent local excision. CONCLUSION: For patients without fertility requirements, hysterectomy remains the best therapeutic option. However, for patients under 40 years of age diagnosed with stage IA cervical cancer, FSS via local excision is a viable option that can achieve a well-balanced outcome between tumour control and fertility preservation.

Unveiling uterine aging: Much more to learn.

Uterine aging is an important factor that impacts fertility, reproductive health, and uterus-related diseases; however, it remains poorly explored. Functionally, these disturbances have been associated with an abnormal hormonal response in the endometrium and decreased endometrial receptivity. Based on emerging evidence, these alterations are mediated via the senescence of endometrial stem cells and impaired decidualization of endometrial stromal cells. Multiple molecular activities may participate in uterine aging, including oxidative stress, inflammation, fibrosis, DNA damage response, and cellular senescence. Over the past decade, several protective strategies targeting these biological processes have afforded promising results, including stem cell therapy, anti-aging drugs, and herbal medicines. However, the currently available evidence is fragmented and scattered. Here, we summarize the most recent findings regarding uterine aging, including functional and structural alterations and potential cellular and molecular mechanisms, and discuss potential protective interventions against uterine aging. Thereby, we hope to provide a comprehensive understanding of the pathophysiological processes and underlying mechanisms associated with uterine aging, as well as improve fecundity and reproductive outcomes in females of advanced reproductive age.

Study on the evolution of the pore structure of low rank coal during spontaneous combustion.

Studying the evolution of the pore structure of coal during spontaneous combustion is of great value in further understanding the mechanism of coal spontaneous combustion (CSC) and its prevention. In this study, we selected three low-rank coals and used nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) to visualize the macroscopic evolution of the pore structure of coal after heat treatment and to analyze the effect of temperature (25-500 °C) on the pore structure of coal, including porosity, permeability, and fractal dimensions. The obtained results show that the overall NMR signal in coal increases with increasing temperature, indicating that heat treatment can induce the enlargement, opening, and interconnection of pores and fractures in coal. The equivalent average pore radius (rm) of coal shows a positive correlation with temperature, with a substantial increase in rm, especially after temperatures above 200 °C. During heating, the porosity and permeability of all three coals tended to increase with temperature. At temperatures above 300 °C, the permeability of coal dramatically increases, predicting a higher fluid transport capacity. Furthermore, NMR multifractal theory was proposed for quantitative pore space dimensional characterization. The obtained results show that the fractal dimensions of the adsorption space of coal pores increase and then decrease with temperature during heating, while the fractal dimensions of percolation space are negatively correlated with temperature. In addition, the dimensions of adsorption space vary more strongly than those of percolation space, meaning that the adsorption capacity of low-rank coals is more significantly influenced by temperature.

Label-Free SERS Analysis of Serum Using Ag NPs/Cellulose Nanocrystal/Graphene Oxide Nanocomposite Film Substrate in Screening Colon Cancer.

Label-free surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) analysis shows tremendous potential for the early diagnosis and screening of colon cancer, owing to the advantage of being noninvasive and sensitive. As a clinical diagnostic tool, however, the reproducibility of analytical methods is a priority. Herein, we successfully fabricated Ag NPs/cellulose nanocrystals/graphene oxide (Ag NPs/CNC/GO) nanocomposite film as a uniform SERS active substrate for label-free SERS analysis of clinical serum. The Ag NPs/CNC/GO suspensions by self-assembling GO into CNC solution through in-situ reduction method. Furthermore, we spin-coated the prepared suspensions on the bacterial cellulose membrane (BCM) to form Ag NPs/CNC/GO nanocomposite film. The nanofilm showed excellent sensitivity (LOD = 30 nM) and uniformity (RSD = 14.2%) for Nile Blue A detection. With a proof-of-concept demonstration for the label-free analysis of serum, the nanofilm combined with the principal component analysis-linear discriminant analysis (PCA-LDA) model can be effectively employed for colon cancer screening. The results showed that our model had an overall prediction accuracy of 84.1% for colon cancer (n = 28) and the normal (n = 28), and the specificity and sensitivity were 89.3% and 71.4%, respectively. This study indicated that label-free serum SERS analysis based on Ag NPs/CNC/GO nanocomposite film combined with machine learning holds promise for the early diagnosis of colon cancer.

Cloned antibodies from patients with HIT provide new clues to HIT pathogenesis.

Heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT) is a serious adverse drug reaction characterized by antibodies that recognize platelet factor 4/heparin complexes (PF4/H) and activate platelets to create a prothrombotic state. Although a high percentage of heparin-treated patients produce antibodies to PF4/H, only a subset also makes antibodies that are platelet activating (PA). A close correlation between PA antibodies and the likelihood of experiencing HIT has been demonstrated in clinical studies, but how PA (presumptively pathogenic) and nonactivating (NA) (presumptively benign) antibodies differ from each other at the molecular level is unknown. To address this issue, we cloned 7 PA and 47 NA PF4/H-binding antibodies from 6 patients with HIT and characterized their structural and functional properties. Findings showed that PA clones differed significantly from NA clones in possessing 1 of 2 heavy chain complementarity-determining region 3 (HCDR3) motifs, RX1-2R/KX1-2R/H (RKH) and YYYYY (Y5), in an unusually long complementarity-determining region 3 (≥20 residues). Mutagenic studies showed that modification of either motif in PA clones reduced or abolished their PA activity and that appropriate amino acid substitutions in HCDR3 of NA clones can cause them to become PA. Repertoire sequencing showed that the frequency of peripheral blood IgG+ B cells possessing RKH or Y5 was significantly higher in patients with HIT than in patients without HIT given heparin, indicating expansion of B cells possessing RKH or Y5 in HIT. These findings imply that antibodies possessing RKH or Y5 are relevant to HIT pathogenesis and suggest new approaches to diagnosis and treatment of this condition.

Social support and vicarious posttraumatic growth among psychological hotline counselors during COVID-19: the role of resilience and cognitive reappraisal.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic is a serious threat to people's lives and mental health. As a key worker providing psychological assistance services, the purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between social support and vicarious posttraumatic growth of psychological hotline counselors during COVID-19 and its mechanism. Methods: A questionnaire survey was conducted among 241 psychological hotline counselors. Path analysis was conducted through structural equation modeling. Results: The direct path from social support to vicarious posttraumatic growth of psychological hotline counselors was not significant, but the indirect path between them was significant. Social support can influence vicarious posttraumatic growth of psychological hotline counselors through the mediating effects of resilience and cognitive reappraisal as well as the chain mediating effects of these two factors. Conclusions: Social support does not directly stimulate vicarious posttraumatic growth in psychological hotline counselors, but social support can influence counselors' vicarious posttraumatic growth through the role of resilience, cognitive reappraisal, and the chain-mediated effects of psychological resilience and cognitive reappraisal. This encourages hotline counselors to be intentional about applying resources to balance the effects of trauma work on them as they face their clinical work.

Low WIP1 Expression Accelerates Ovarian Aging by Promoting Follicular Atresia and Primordial Follicle Activation.

Our previous study demonstrated that ovarian wild-type P53-induced phosphatase 1 (WIP1) expression decreased with age. We hypothesized that WIP1 activity was related to ovarian aging. The role of WIP1 in regulating ovarian aging and its mechanisms remain to be elucidated. Adult female mice with or without WIP1 inhibitor (GSK2830371) treatment were divided into three groups (Veh, GSK-7.5, GSK-15) to evaluate the effect of WIP1 on ovarian endocrine and reproductive function and the ovarian reserve. In vitro follicle culture and primary granulosa cell culture were applied to explore the mechanisms of WIP1 in regulating follicular development. This study revealed that WIP1 expression in atretic follicle granulosa cells is significantly lower than that in healthy follicles. Inhibiting WIP1 phosphatase activity in mice induced irregular estrous cycles, caused fertility declines, and decreased the ovarian reserve through triggering excessive follicular atresia and primordial follicle activation. Primordial follicle depletion was accelerated via PI3K-AKT-rpS6 signaling pathway activation. In vitro follicle culture experiments revealed that inhibiting WIP1 activity impaired follicular development and oocyte quality. In vitro granulosa cell experiments further indicated that downregulating WIP1 expression promoted granulosa cell death via WIP1-p53-BAX signaling pathway-mediated apoptosis. These findings suggest that appropriate WIP1 expression is essential for healthy follicular development, and decreased WIP1 expression accelerates ovarian aging by promoting follicular atresia and primordial follicle activation.

Investigation into the Antibacterial Mechanism of Biogenic Tellurium Nanoparticles and Precursor Tellurite.

Antibacterial tellurium nanoparticles have the advantages of high activity and biocompatibility. Microbial synthesis of Te nanoparticles is not only a green technology but builds new ecological relationships in diverse environments. However, the antibacterial mechanism of Te nanoparticles is largely unclear. In this study, we report the bacterial synthesis of rod-shaped Te nanoparticles (BioTe) with high antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli. Morphology and permeability examination indicates that membrane damage is the primary reason for the antibacterial activity of BioTe, rather than ROS production and DNA damage. Moreover, a comparison of transcriptome and relative phenotypes reveals the difference in antibacterial mechanisms between BioTe and tellurite. Based on our evidence, we propose an antibacterial mode of rod-shaped BioTe, in which positively charged BioTe interact with the cell membrane through electrostatic attraction and then penetrate the membrane by using their sharp ends. In contrast, tellurite toxicity might be involved in sulfur metabolism.

Maternal exposure to PM2.5 decreases ovarian reserve in neonatal offspring mice through activating PI3K/AKT/FoxO3a pathway and ROS-dependent NF-κB pathway.

There is evidence of an association between exposure to ambient fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and female ovarian dysfunction in adults. However, it is not fully clear whether maternal exposure to PM2.5 negatively affects the ovarian function in offspring. The size of primordial follicle pool, definitely assembled during fetal life, determines ovarian reserve and ovarian function. In this study, female C57BL/6 mice were exposed to either ambient PM2.5 (mean daily concentration 49 µg/m3) or filtered air through a whole-body exposure system for 4 weeks before mating, and remained exposed until postpartum. We found that maternal exposure to PM2.5 reduces the initial size of primordial follicle pool and impairs its development in offspring mice. The number of primordial follicles and total follicles was decreased in PM2.5-exposed offspring mice on postnatal day 3 (PND3) and postnatal day 7 (PND7). Maternal PM2.5 exposure promoted the activation of primordial follicles and upregulated the level of p-AKT in offspring mice, accelerating the depletion of primordial follicle pool. While LY294002, a specific inhibitor of PI3K, reversed the overactivation of primordial follicles induced by PM2.5. Besides, maternal PM2.5 exposure induced follicular atresia and granulosa cell apoptosis, increased the accumulation of lipid peroxidation products 4-HNE, and elevated the expression of oxidative stress-related genes and p-p65, p-IκBα in offspring mice. While N-acetylcysteine (NAC) pretreatment abolished the increases of apoptosis, reactive oxygen species (ROS), p-p65 and p-IκBα levels in ovarian granulosa COV434 cells induced by PM2.5 exposure. These findings reveal that maternal exposure to PM2.5 decreases the initial size of primordial follicle pool, and impairs ovarian follicular development in offspring mice. Our data suggest that this involves the activation of the PI3K/AKT/FoxO3a pathway and the ROS-dependent NF-κB pathway. Our study implicates a link between maternal PM2.5 exposure and ovarian reserve in offspring, and improves our understanding of the effects of PM2.5 on reproductive health.