Music-based casual video game training alleviates symptoms of subthreshold depression.

Objectives: In this preregistered study, we investigated the beneficial effects of music-based casual video game training on the depression, anxiety and stress symptoms in a cohort of young individuals with subthreshold depression and the underlying mechanisms. Methods: The study included 56 young individuals (18-26 years of age) with subthreshold or mild depression based on the Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II) scores between 14 and 19. They were randomly assigned into the experimental group (n = 28) or the control group (n = 28). The experimental group underwent music-based casual video game training for 4 weeks. During the same time, the control group participants conducted daily life activities without any intervention. The study participants in the two groups were analyzed using the Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-21) during the baseline before the intervention, as well as DASS-21, Positive and negative Affect Scale (PANAS), General Self-efficacy Scale (GSES), and the Emotional Regulation Questionnaire (ERQ) twice a week during the 4 weeks of intervention. Results: The depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms were significantly reduced in the experimental group participants after 4 weeks of music-based video game training compared with the control group. The DAS scores in the experimental group were alleviated in the third and fourth weeks of training compared with the control group. Moreover, analysis using the general linear model demonstrated that the number of training weeks and self-efficacy were associated with significant reduction in depression, anxiety and stress. Furthermore, our results demonstrated that self-efficacy was correlated with positive emotion and emotional regulation. Conclusion: Our study showed that music-based casual video game training significantly decreased depression, anxiety, and stress in the young individuals with subthreshold depression by enhancing self-efficacy.

CircSCAPER knockdown attenuates IL-1ß-induced chondrocyte injury by miR-127-5p/TLR4 axis in osteoarthritis.

PURPOSE: Osteoarthritis (OA) is a chronic inflammatory degenerative disease characterized by articular cartilage degradation. Circular RNAs have been shown to play significant roles in OA process. Herein, this work aimed to investigate the potential role and mechanism of circSCAPER in OA progression. METHODS: Levels of circSCAPER, miR-127-5p and toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) were detected by qRT-PCR or western blotting. Cell apoptosis was determined by flow cytometry. The expression of Aggrecan and Matrix metallopeptidase was examined using western blot to assess extracellular matrix (ECM) degradation. Inflammatory response and oxidative stress were determined by measuring the release of inflammatory factors, along with the generation of intracellular reactive oxygen species and malondialdehyde. The interaction between miR-127-5p and circSCAPER or TLR4 was determined by dual-luciferase reporter, RNA immunoprecipitation and pull-down assays. RESULTS: Chondrocytes were treated with interleukin-1ß (IL-1ß) to mimic OA condition in vitro. CircSCAPER was increased in OA cartilages and IL-1ß-induced chondrocytes. Functionally, knockdown of circSCAPER attenuated IL-1ß-evoked apoptosis, ECM degradation, inflammation and oxidative stress in vitro. CircSCAPER up-regulation in OA cartilages was discovered to be accompanied by decreased miR-127-5p and increased TLR4. Mechanistically, circSCAPER acted as a sponge for miR-127-5p to positively regulate TLR4 expression in chondrocytes. IL-1ß treatment reduced miR-127-5p expression but up-regulated TLR4 expression, re-expression of miR-127-5p suppressed IL-1ß-caused chondrocyte injury, which was abolished by TLR4 overexpression. Moreover, miR-127-5p inhibition reversed the protective action of circSCAPER knockdown on chondrocytes under IL-1ß treatment. CONCLUSION: CircSCAPER silencing protected against IL-1ß-induced apoptosis, ECM degradation, inflammation and oxidative stress in chondrocytes via miR-127-5p/TLR4 axis.

Efficient removal of radioactive iodide ions from water by three-dimensional Ag2O-Ag/TiO2 composites under visible light irradiation.

Three-dimensional Ag2O and Ag co-loaded TiO2 (3D Ag2O-Ag/TiO2) composites have been synthesized through a facile method, characterized using SEM, EDX, TEM, XRD, XPS, UV-vis DRS, BET techniques, and applied to remove radioactive iodide ions (I(-)). The photocatalytic adsorption capacity (207.6 mg/g) of the 3D Ag2O-Ag/TiO2 spheres under visible light is four times higher than that in the dark, which is barely affected by other ions, even in simulated salt lake water where the concentration of Cl(-) is up to 590 times that of I(-). The capability of the composites to remove even trace amounts of I(-) from different types of water, e.g., deionized or salt lake water, is demonstrated. The composites also feature good reusability, as they were separated after photocatalytic adsorption and still performed well after a simple regeneration. Furthermore, a mechanism explaining the highly efficient removal of radioactive I(-) has been proposed according to characterization analyses of the composites after adsorption and subsequently been verified by adsorption and desorption experiments. The proposed cooperative effects mechanism considers the interplay of three different phenomena, namely, the adsorption performance of Ag2O for I(-), the photocatalytic ability of Ag/TiO2 for oxidation of I(-), and the readsorption performance of AgI for I2.

Adsorption of soluble oil from water to graphene.

The toxicity of soluble oil to the aquatic environment has started to attract wide attention in recent years. In the present work, we prepare graphene according to oxidation and thermal reduction methods for the removal of soluble oil from the solution. Characterization of the as-prepared graphene are performed by scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, Raman spectra, Brunauer-Emmett-Teller, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and contact angle analysis. The adsorption behavior of soluble oil on graphene is examined, and the obtained adsorption data are modeled using conventional theoretical models. Adsorption experiments reveal that the adsorption rate of soluble oil on graphene is notably fast, especially for the soluble diesel oil, which could reach equilibrium within 30 min, and the kinetics of adsorption is perfectly consistent with a pseudo-second-order model. Furthermore, it is determined that the adsorption isotherm of soluble diesel oil with graphene fit the Freundlich model best, and graphene has a very strong adsorption capacity for soluble diesel oil in the solution. These results demonstrate that graphene is the material that provided both good adsorptive capacity and good kinetics, implying that it could be used as a promising sorbent for soluble oil removal from wastewater.

[Investigations and analysis of traumatic condition of Longnan area in Wenchuan earthquake].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate and analyze the traumatic conditions of Longnan area of Gansu in Wenchuan earthquake, and to explore the measures coping with unexpected disasters. METHODS: A sample survey including questionnaire survey, interviews and other methods was adopted to investigate the conditions of affected population of Longnan area in earthquake, especially on the traumatic conditions, the injured causes, treatment methods. RESULTS: In the sample survey of a total of 1652 earthquake casualties, the dead were 16 and the patients with extremities fractures were 750 (45.4%). Organized and timely rescue of the wounded could reduce the complications and the mortality . CONCLUSION: Strengthening the prevention and treatment of earthquake trauma can effectively decrease the death rate and disabled rate.