Microalgae polyphosphate nanoparticles deliver bioavailable calcium against phytate antagonism: Ex vivo and in vivo studies.

Biogenic nanoparticles are promising carriers to deliver essential minerals. Here, calcium-enriched polyphosphate nanoparticles (CaPNPs) with a Ca/P molar ratio > 0.5 were produced by Synechococcus sp. PCC 7002 in the growth medium containing 1.08 g/L CaCl2, and had nearly spherical morphologies with a wide size distribution of 5-75 nm and strongly anionic surface properties with an average ζ-potential of -39 mV, according to dynamic light-scattering analysis, transmission and scanning electron microscopy, and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. The ex-vivo ligated mouse ileal loop assays found that calcium in CaPNPs was readily available to intestinal absorption via both ion channel-mediated and endocytic pathways, specifically invoking macropinocytic internalization, lysosomal degradation, and transcytosis. Rat oral pharmacokinetics revealed that CaPNPs had a calcium bioavailability approximately 100 % relative to that of CaCl2 and more than 1.6 times of that of CaCO3. CaPNPs corrected the retinoic acid-induced increase in serum calcium, phosphorus, and bone-specific alkaline phosphatase, and decrease in serum osteocalcin, bone mineral content/density, and femoral geometric parameters with an efficacy equivalent to CaCl2 and markedly greater than CaCO3. In contrast to CaCl2, CaPNPs possessed desirable resistance against phytate's antagonistic action on calcium absorption in these ex vivo and in vivo studies. Overall, CaPNPs are attractive as a candidate agent for calcium supplementation, especially to populations on high-phytate diets.

Shimmering emerging adulthood: in search of the invariant IDEA model for collectivistic countries.

Emerging adulthood is the youth trajectory characterized by self-focus, identity exploration, feeling between adolescence and adulthood, instability, and experimentation. This trajectory was first identified in industrialized individualistic countries with gender equality and technological progress. To measure transition to adulthood, the Inventory of the Dimensions of Emerging Adulthood (IDEA) was created. Although emerging adulthood is considered universal, adaptations of the questionnaire across the 12 countries show different patterns, and its cross-cultural invariance has been underinvestigated. This study tests IDEA in three collectivistic countries - Armenia, China, and Russia. The sample consisted of 868 students (total male - 152, total female - 716) aged 18 to 29 years old. We tested the questionnaire separately in the three countries to check that this model fits, but we failed to prove it. After that we used a factor-analytic approach to find a common version for the three countries. We got a five-factor correlated model in accordance with the theory, but it was reduced from 31 items to 21, and three items moved to other factors. Finally, we provided measurement invariance and reached configural level. To test the narrower facets of factors we used multi-group alignment and found that variances in six parameters differ, mainly in Instability. Despite the difference in the questionnaire items, we proposed a common model for three countries that we called questionnaire IDEA-collectivistic countries (IDEA-CC).

Caseinophosphopeptides Overcome Calcium Phytate Inhibition on Zinc Bioavailability by Retaining Zinc from Coprecipitation as Zinc/Calcium Phytate Nanocomplexes.

Caseinophosphopeptides have shown great potential to increase zinc bioavailability from phytate-rich diets, but the mechanism of action remains unclear. Here, caseinophosphopeptides from a sodium caseinate hydrolysate dose-dependently retained zinc in solution against calcium phytate coprecipitation under physiologically relevant conditions. The 3 kDa ultrafiltration separation unveiled no added low-molecular-weight chelates of zinc and calcium by caseinophosphopeptides. Tyndall effect, dynamic light scattering measurements, transmission electron microscopy observation, electron diffraction pattern, X-ray diffraction spectrum, and energy-dispersive X-ray analysis demonstrated the caseinophosphopeptides-mediated formation of single-crystal zinc/calcium phytate nanocomplexes (Zn/CaPA-NCs) with a size and ζ-potential of 10-30 nm and -25 mV, respectively. Caseinophosphopeptides-stabilized Zn/CaPA-NCs were found to deliver bioavailable nanoparticulate zinc in mouse jejunal loop ex vivo model and polarized Caco-2 cells, and the treatments with specific inhibitors revealed that intestinal zinc absorption from Zn/CaPA-NCs invoked macropinocytosis, lysosomal release into the cytosol, and transcytosis. Overall, our study proposes a new paradigm for the benefit of caseinophosphopeptides for zinc bioaccessibility and bioavailability in phytate-rich diets.

Priority index for critical Covid-19 identifies clinically actionable targets and drugs.

While genome-wide studies have identified genomic loci in hosts associated with life-threatening Covid-19 (critical Covid-19), the challenge of resolving these loci hinders further identification of clinically actionable targets and drugs. Building upon our previous success, we here present a priority index solution designed to address this challenge, generating the target and drug resource that consists of two indexes: the target index and the drug index. The primary purpose of the target index is to identify clinically actionable targets by prioritising genes associated with Covid-19. We illustrate the validity of the target index by demonstrating its ability to identify pre-existing Covid-19 phase-III drug targets, with the majority of these targets being found at the leading prioritisation (leading targets). These leading targets have their evolutionary origins in Amniota ('four-leg vertebrates') and are predominantly involved in cytokine-cytokine receptor interactions and JAK-STAT signaling. The drug index highlights opportunities for repurposing clinically approved JAK-STAT inhibitors, either individually or in combination. This proposed strategic focus on the JAK-STAT pathway is supported by the active pursuit of therapeutic agents targeting this pathway in ongoing phase-II/III clinical trials for Covid-19.

Testis cell pyroptosis mediated by CASP1 and CASP4: possible sertoli cell-only syndrome pathogenesis.

BACKGROUND: Sertoli cell-only syndrome (SCOS) is the most serious pathological type of non-obstructive azoospermia. Recently, several genes related to SCOS have been identified, including FANCM, TEX14, NR5A1, NANOS2, PLK4, WNK3, and FANCA, but they cannot fully explain the pathogenesis of SCOS. This study attempted to explain spermatogenesis dysfunction in SCOS through testicular tissue RNA sequencing and to provide new targets for SCOS diagnosis and therapy. METHODS: We analyzed differentially expressed genes (DEGs) based on RNA sequencing of nine patients with SCOS and three patients with obstructive azoospermia and normal spermatogenesis. We further explored the identified genes using ELISA and immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: In total, 9406 DEGs were expressed (Log2|FC|≥ 1; adjusted P value < 0.05) in SCOS samples, and 21 hub genes were identified. Three upregulated core genes were found, including CASP4, CASP1, and PLA2G4A. Thus, we hypothesized that testis cell pyroptosis mediated by CASP1 and CASP4 might be involved in SCOS occurrence and development. ELISA verified that CASP1 and CASP4 activities in the testes of patients with SCOS were significantly higher than those in patients with normal spermatogenesis. Immunohistochemical results showed that CASP1 and CASP4 in the normal spermatogenesis group were mainly expressed in the nuclei of spermatogenic, Sertoli, and interstitial cells. CASP1 and CASP4 in the SCOS group were mainly expressed in the nuclei of Sertoli and interstitial cells because of the loss of spermatogonia and spermatocytes. CASP1 and CASP4 expression levels in the testes of patients with SCOS were significantly higher than those in patients with normal spermatogenisis. Furthermore, the pyroptosis-related proteins GSDMD and GSDME in the testes of patients with SCOS were also significantly higher than those in control patients. ELISA also showed that inflammatory factors (IL-1 ß, IL-18, LDH, and ROS) were significantly increased in the SCOS group. CONCLUSIONS: For the first time, we found that cell pyroptosis-related genes and key markers were significantly increased in the testes of patients with SCOS. We also observed many inflammatory and oxidative stress reactions in SCOS. Thus, we propose that testis cell pyroptosis mediated by CASP1 and CASP4 could participate in SCOS occurrence and development.

[Different processed products of Polygonati Rhizoma treat Alzheimer's disease in rats: urine metabolomics based on UPLC-Q/TOF-MS].

The study investigated the effects of different processed products of Polygonati Rhizoma(black bean-processed Polygonati Rhizoma, BBPR; stewed Polygonati Rhizoma, SPR) on the urinary metabolites in a rat model of Alzheimer's disease(AD). Sixty SPF-grade male SD rats were randomized into a control group, a model group, a donepezil group, a BBPR group, and a SPR group, with twelve rats in each group. Other groups except the control group were administrated with D-galactose injection(100 mg·kg~(-1)) once a day for seven weeks. The control group was administrated with an equal volume of normal saline once a day for seven consecutive weeks. After three weeks of D-galactose injection, bilateral hippocampal Aß_(25-35) injections were performed for modeling. The rats were administrated with corresponding drugs(10 mL·kg~(-1)) by gavage since week 2, and the rats in the model and control group with an equal volume of double distilled water once a day for 35 continuous days. The memory behaviour and pathological changes in the hippocampal tissue were observed. The untargeted metabolites in the urine were detected by ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry(UPLC-Q/TOF-MS). Principal component analysis(PCA) and orthogonal partial least square-discriminant analysis(OPLS-DA) were employed to characterize and screen differential metabolites and potential biomarkers, for which the metabolic pathway enrichment analysis was conducted. The results indicated that BBPR and SPR increased the new object recognition index, shortened the escape latency, and increased the times of crossing the platform of AD rats in the Morris water maze test. The results of hematoxylin-eosin(HE) staining showed that the cells in the hippocampal tissue of the drug administration groups were closely arranged. Moreover, the drugs reduced the content of interleukin-6(IL-6, P<0.01) and tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α) in the hippocampal tissue, which were more obvious in the BBPR group(P<0.05). After screening, 15 potential biomarkers were identified, involving two metabolic pathways: dicoumarol pathway and piroxicam pathway. BBPR and SPR may alleviate AD by regulating the metabolism of dicoumarol and piroxicam.

Cytotoxic Guaianolide Sesquiterpenoids from Ainsliaea fragrans.

Twelve guaianolide-type sesquiterpene oligomers with diverse structures were isolated from the whole plants of Ainsliaea fragrans, including a novel trimer (1) and two new dimers (2, 3). The chemical structures of the new compounds were elucidated through spectroscopic data interpretation and computational calculations. Ainsfragolide (1) is an unusual guaianolide sesquiterpene trimer generated with a novel C-C linkage at C2'-C15″, which may be biosynthesized prospectively through a further Michael addition. Cytotoxicity results showed that ainsfragolide (1) was the most potent compound against five cancer cell lines with IC50 values in the range of 0.4-8.3 µM.

The Effect of the Intensity of Happy Expression on Social Perception of Chinese Faces.

Numerous studies have shown that facial expressions influence trait impressions in the Western context. There are cultural differences in the perception and recognition rules of different intensities of happy expressions, and researchers have only explored the influence of the intensity of happy expressions on a few facial traits (warmth, trustworthiness, and competence). Therefore, we examined the effect of different intensities of Chinese happy expressions on the social perception of faces from 11 traits, namely trustworthiness, responsibility, attractiveness, sociability, confidence, intelligence, aggressiveness, dominance, competence, warmth, and tenacity. In this study, participants were asked to view a series of photographs of faces with high-intensity or low-intensity happy expressions and rate the 11 traits on a 7-point Likert scale (1 = "not very ××," 7 = "very ××"). The results indicated that high-intensity happy expression had higher-rated scores for sociability and warmth but lower scores for dominance, aggressiveness, intelligence, and competence than the low-intensity happy expression; there was no significant difference in the rated scores for trustworthiness, attractiveness, responsibility, confidence, and tenacity between the high-intensity and low-intensity happy expressions. These results suggested that, compared to the low-intensity happy expression, the high-intensity happy expression will enhance the perceptual outcome of the traits related to approachability, reduce the perceptual outcome of traits related to capability, and have no significant effect on trustworthiness, attractiveness, responsibility, confidence, and tenacity.

Hsa_circ_0043265 Restrains Cell Proliferation, Migration and Invasion of Tongue Squamous Cell Carcinoma via Targeting the miR-1243/SALL1 Axis.

Increasing evidence has displayed critical roles of circular RNAs (circRNAs) in tongue squamous cell carcinoma (TSCC). Hsa_circ_0043265 (circ_0043265) has been identified as a tumor suppressor in various tumors. Nevertheless, the critical roles of circ_0043265 in the initiation and progression of TSCC are yet to be fully elucidated. In our study, RNA and protein expressions were detected via qRT-PCR and Western blot. Cell proliferation, migration and invasion were evaluated via CCK-8 and transwell assays. The interactions between circ_0043265, miR-1243 and SALL1 were analyzed via bioinformatics analyses, RNA pull-down and luciferase assays, respectively. The current study demonstrated that circ_0043265 expression was downmodulated in TSCC tissues and cell lines (SCC25, SCC15, SCC9 and Cal27). Functionally, circ_0043265 overexpression led to an attenuation of cell proliferation, migration and invasion of SCC25 and Cal27 cells. Mechanistically, circ_0043265 acted as a competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) via competitively sponging miR-1243, and restoration of miR-1243 rescued the inhibitory effects of circ_0043265 on cell proliferation, migration and invasion of SCC25 and Cal27 cells. Finally, it was observed that spalt like transcription factor 1 (SALL1), a potential target of miR-1243, was positively modulated via circ_0043265 in SCC25 and Cal27 cells, and SALL1 knockdown reversed the inhibitory effects of circ_0043265 on SCC25 and Cal27 cells. Collectively, the current study demonstrated that circ_0043265 was downmodulated in TSCC and was identified as a ceRNA that restrained the cell proliferation, migration and invasion of SCC25 and Cal27 cells via modulating the miR-1243/SALL1 axis.

Medical students' preclinical service-learning experience and its effects on empathy in clinical training.

BACKGROUND: Service learning (SL) is an educational methodology presumed to help medical students be more empathetic and compassionate. We longitudinally investigated the level of empathy in medical students and how preclinical SL experience was related to their level of empathy in their clinical clerkships. METHODS: Our cohort comprised fifth-year medical students engaged in clerkships as part of a 7-year medical programme at one medical school in Taiwan. Surveys were conducted at the beginning of the clerkship in September 2015 (T1) to collect data on the medical students' preclinical SL experience in curriculum-based service teams (CBSTs) and extracurricular service teams (ECSTs) and their SL self-efficacy, demographic characteristics, and empathy level. Subsequently, three follow-up surveys were conducted once every 3 months to determine the empathy level of the students during their clinical clerkships (T2-T4). Seventy students who returned the written informed consent and completed the baseline (T1) and two or more follow-up surveys (T2-T4) were included in our analysis with the response rate of 34%. In total, 247 responses across the 1-year clerkship were analysed. Descriptive statistics, paired t tests, and generalised estimating equations were employed. RESULTS: Our study revealed that changes in empathy level in the dimensions of perspective taking, compassionate care, and standing in patients' shoes in their clinical clerkships. Relative to that at T1, their empathy decreased in perspective taking and compassionate care at T2-T4 but increased in standing in patients' shoes at T3. Additionally, our study verified the positive effect of medical students' preclinical SL experience in CBSTs and ECSTs on empathy in terms of compassionate care and perspective taking, respectively, but not on that of standing in patients' shoes. CONCLUSIONS: Separate investigations into subconstructs of empathy, such as perspective taking, compassionate care, and standing in patients' shoes, in medical students may be necessary for exploring the various driving forces or barriers to developing empathy in medical students. Moreover, SL experience through both CBSTs and ECSTs at medical academies may have positive effects on medical students' empathy in their clinical clerkships and should be promoted at medical schools.

Abnormal Gait Patterns in Autism Spectrum Disorder and Their Correlations with Social Impairments.

Ground walking in humans is typically stable, symmetrical, characterized by smooth heel-to-toe ground contact. Previous studies on children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) identified various gait abnormalities. However, they produced inconsistent findings, particularly for the occurrence of toe walking and gait symmetry between feet, owing to their reliance on retrospective reports, visual analysis of videos, or kinematic analysis of the gait. The present study examined gait functions in children with ASD using plantar pressure that quantified foot-ground interaction with high spatial and temporal resolutions. Fifty-eight 4-6-year-old children with ASD (12 low-functioning and 46 high-functioning autism) and 28 age-matched typically developed children walked straight 6 m at their preferred speed for 10 repetitions. We found that both ASD groups walked with more flat-footed contact pattern, more left-right asymmetry, and larger step-to-step variability than their controls. Furthermore, these abnormal gait characteristics were related to social impairments measured by the Autism Spectrum Quotient and Social Responsive Scale, supporting a close association between impaired motor coordination and core symptoms of autism. Autism Res 2020, 13: 1215-1226. © 2020 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc. LAY SUMMARY: We examined gait functions among children with autism by measuring their foot plantar pressure during simple straight walking. Children with ASD walked with a characteristic foot-ground contact pattern with inappropriate contact forces and large step-to-step variability when compared with their age-matched controls. These walking abnormalities were dependent on their social impairments but independent from their intelligence, indicating a close relationship between atypical motor coordination and core symptoms of autism.

Ascorbate exacerbates iron toxicity on intestinal barrier function against Salmonella infection.

Ascorbic acid is often used to enhance iron absorption in nutritional interventions, but it produces pro-oxidant effects in the presence of iron. This study aimed to evaluate ascorbate's role in iron toxicity on intestinal resistance against foodborne pathogens during iron supplementation/fortification. In polarized Caco-2 cell monolayers, compared to the iron-alone treatment, the iron-ascorbate co-treatment caused more than 2-fold increase in adhesion, invasion and translocation of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium. According to 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay, lactate dehydrogenase release and transepithelial electrical resistance, the iron-ascorbate co-treatment resulted in reduced cell viability and increased impairment of cell membrane and paracellular permeability compared to the iron-alone treatment. Butylated hydroxytoluene protected cells against these prooxidant toxicities of ascorbate. Ascorbate completely restored iron-induced intracellular oxidant burst and depletion of cytosolic antioxidant reserve, according to dichlorodihydrofluorescein fluorescence and intracellular reduced glutathione levels. In Salmonella-infected C57BL/6 mice, iron-ascorbate co-supplementation resulted in greater loss of body weight and appetite, lower survival rate, shorter colon length, heavier intestinal microvilli damage, and more intestinal pathogen colonization and translocation than the iron-alone supplementation. Overall, ascorbate would exacerbate iron toxicity on intestinal resistance against Salmonella infection through pro-oxidant impairment of intestinal epithelial barrier from extracellular side and/or by facilitating intestinal pathogen colonization.

Young people with left-behind experiences in childhood have higher levels of psychological resilience.

This study investigated the development of psychological capital and its relationship with adult attachment in Chinese college students with left-behind experiences in childhood. The results show that the psychological capital of left-behind experiences in childhood was moderate, and their self-efficacy, optimism, hope, and overall psychological capital were significantly lower than those without left-behind experiences. However, their psychological resilience was remarkably higher than the latter. As for adult attachment, their attachment anxiety and attachment avoidance were also remarkably higher. The findings suggest that left-behind experiences impaired the development of the emotional-motivation system of left-behind experiences in childhood, but facilitated the development of their survival-protection system.

Microalgae aqueous extracts exert intestinal protective effects in Caco-2 cells and dextran sodium sulphate-induced mouse colitis.

Microalgae are emerging as a good source of natural nutraceuticals. Here, we examined the intestinal protective effects of microalgae aqueous extracts (MAEs) from Chlorella pyrenoidosa, Spirulina platensis, and Synechococcus sp. PCC 7002 in human intestinal epithelial Caco-2 cells and dextran sodium sulphate (DSS)-induced colitis in C57BL/6 mice. MAEs displayed intestinal barrier-protective activities in Caco-2 cells by increasing the expression of heat shock protein (Hsp)-27 and tight junction proteins of occludin and claudin-4 and attenuating the H2O2-induced intracellular reactive oxygen species production, plasma membrane impairment and apoptosis. They also showed anti-inflammatory potential in tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α-, interleukin (IL)-1ß- and H2O2-stimulated Caco-2 cells by suppressing the secretion of IL-8 and the expression of cyclooxygenase 2 (COX-2) and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS). The 8 d daily intragastric administration of MAEs during and after 4 d DSS exposure effectively alleviated colitis symptoms of weight loss, diarrhea, rectal bleeding, and colon shortening and histopathology, protected intestinal barrier function by increasing colonic Hsp-25, occludin and claudin-4, and attenuated colonic and systemic inflammation by suppressing colonic myeloperoxidase activity, production of TNF-α, IL-1ß and IL-6, expression of COX-2 and iNOS, and peripheral leukocytosis, monocytosis and granulocytosis. Microalgae can thus serve as a functional food to maintain gut health.

Prevention of Zinc Precipitation with Calcium Phosphate by Casein Hydrolysate Improves Zinc Absorption in Mouse Small Intestine ex Vivo via a Nanoparticle-Mediated Mechanism.

Casein phosphopeptides are known to enhance zinc absorption, but the underlying mechanism remains unclear. Here, a gastrointestinal casein hydrolysate (CH) was found to keep zinc in solution despite heavy precipitation of calcium and phosphate, the omnipresent mineral nutrients that could co-precipitate zinc out of solution instantly and almost completely under physiologically relevant conditions. Dynamic light scattering, transmission electron microscopy, and energy-dispersive X-ray analysis displayed the CH-mediated formation of zinc/calcium phosphate (Zn/CaP) nanocomplexes aggregated from rather small nanoclusters. The ex vivo mouse ileal loop experiments revealed enhanced intestinal zinc absorption by CH's prevention of zinc co-precipitation with CaP, and the treatments with specific inhibitors unveiled the involvement of macropinocytic internalization, lysosomal degradation, and transcytosis in the intestinal uptake of zinc from Zn/CaP nanocomplexes. A low calcium-to-phosphorus ratio adversely affected CH's efficiency to enhance zinc solubility and absorption. Overall, our study provides a new paradigm for casein phosphopeptides to improve zinc bioavailability.

Formation of calcium phosphate nanoparticles mediated by animal protein hydrolysates enhances calcium absorption by murine small intestine ex vivo.

Animal protein intake appears to exert beneficial effects on bone health. Here, animal protein hydrolysates (APHs) originated from casein, whey protein isolate, egg white, myofibrillar protein, sarcoplasmic protein and gelatin were shown to prevent calcium phosphate (CaP) precipitation by increasing the surface charge and slowing the crystal growth of CaP particles. Dynamic light scattering, transmission electron microscopy and energy-dispersive X-ray analysis revealed the APH-mediated formation of irregularly shaped secondary nanoparticles aggregated from rather small amorphous CaP nanoclusters. APHs effectively counteracted the detrimental effect of the low calcium-to-phosphorus ratio on calcium transportation across ligated murine ileum, and by treating with NaN3, amiloride and low temperature, macropinocytosis was found to involve the intestinal uptake of CaP nanoparticles. APHs of meat origin had weaker potential to increase CaP solubility and ileal calcium transportation than those of dairy and egg origins. Overall, our study reports a novel mechanism for animal protein intake to promote intestinal calcium absorption.

Language and Color Perception: Evidence From Mongolian and Chinese Speakers.

The present research contributes to the debate in cognitive sentence on the relationship between language and perception by comparing Mongolian and Chinese speakers' color perception. In this study, featuring a free sorting task and a visual search task comparing Mongolian and Chinese performances, the results show that both universal and relativistic forces are at play. Chinese (Mandarin) and Mongolian color terms divide the blue spectrum differently but the green spectrum, similarly. In Mongolian, light blue ("qinker") and dark blue ("huhe") are strictly distinct, while both light green and dark green are described as one word, nogvgan. In Chinese, however, both light blue and dark blue are simply described by one word, lan, and both light green and dark green are described by a single word, lv. The current study used a free-sorting task and a visual search task to investigate whether this linguistic difference between Chinese and Mongolian speakers leads to a difference in color discrimination. In the free-sorting task, compared with Chinese speakers, Mongolian speakers exhibited different sorting in the blue region (by distinguishing light and dark blue) and the same sorting in the green region. Further results showed that Mongolian speakers discriminated visual search displays that fall into different linguistic categories in Mongolian (e.g., qinker or huhe) more quickly than visual search displays that belong to the same linguistic category (e.g., both qinker) in a visual search task. Moreover, this effect was disrupted in Mongolian participants who performed a secondary task engaging involving verbal working memory (but not a task engaging involving spatial working memory), suggested linguistic interference. Chinese (Mandarin) speakers performing the visual search task did not show such a category advantage under any of the conditions. The finding provides support for the Whorf hypothesis with evidence from an Altay language. Meanwhile, both Chinese and Mongolian speakers reacted faster to the green color than the blue color in the visual search task, suggesting that the variation in human color perception is constrained by certain universal forces. The difference in categorical effects between Chinese and Mongolian speakers in the blue region suggests a relativistic aspect of language and color perception, while the speed of visual search in blue and green suggests a universalistic aspect of language and color perception. Thus, our findings suggest that our perception is shaped by both relativistic and universal forces.

Two new noroleanane-type triterpenoid saponins from the stems of Stauntonia chinensis.

Two new noroleanane-type triterpenoid saponins, 3ß,20α,24-trihydroxy-29-norolean-12-en-28-oic acid 24-O-ß-L-fucopyranosyl-(1→2)-[ß-D-xylopyranosyl-(1→3)]-ß-D-glucopyranoside (1) and 3ß,20α,24-trihydroxy-29-norolean-12-en-28-oic acid 24-O-ß-D-glucopyranosyl-(1→2)-[α-L-arabinopyranosyl-(1→3)]-ß-D-glucopyranoside (2) were isolated from the stems of Stauntonia chinensis DC., together with three known compounds, brachyantheraoside B2 (3), eupteleasaponin Ⅷ (4) and fargoside B (5). Their structures were elucidated by spectroscopic and chemical methods. The cytotoxic activities of compounds 1 and 2 were evaluated against five human tumor cell lines (HCT-116, HepG2, BGC-823, NCI-H1650, and A2780). Compounds 1 and 2 showed moderate cytotoxic activities toward the tested cell lines with IC50 values ranging from 12.71 to 32.04 µM.

The Psychological Capital of Left-Behind University Students: A Description and Intervention Study From China.

The migrant worker phenomenon in China has negatively impacted the psychological development of these workers' children, whom researchers have termed "left-behind children" (LC) or university students with left-behind experience (USWL). Since USWL are the best among the LC in some sense, we decided to perform two investigations to determine if they might possess unique positive psychological capital factors. Study 1 aimed to explore the development of the psychological capital of USWL, and Study 2 utilized a group intervention design to improve USWL psychological capital. A questionnaire was administered to 281 USWL and 284 control university students in study 1. The results showed that the psychological capital of USWL was moderate, and their self-efficacy, optimism, hope, and overall psychological capital were significantly lower than those with no left-behind experience. However, their psychological resilience was remarkably higher than those who were not left behind. It also suggested that some demographic factors such as gender, grade, only child status, student leadership experience, reunion frequency with parents, and relationship with guardians significantly influence the psychological capital of USWL. In Study 2, a single-factor interventional experimental design based on the psychological capital intervention theory (PCI) was conducted in 73 USWL (38 in the experimental group, 35 in the control group). There were significant post-test differences between groups. Both the pre- and post-test results differed greatly in the experimental and control groups. Overall, our findings indicate that although the left-behind experience in childhood moderately impairs psychological capital development, it also fosters resilience. The psychological intervention based on PCI is an effective "remedy scheme" to improve their psychological capital qualities.

The molecular pathways underlying early gonadal development.

The body of knowledge surrounding reproductive development spans the fields of genetics, anatomy, physiology and biomedicine, to build a comprehensive understanding of the later stages of reproductive development in humans and animal models. Despite this, there remains much to learn about the bi-potential progenitor structure that the ovary and testis arise from, known as the genital ridge (GR). This tissue forms relatively late in embryonic development and has the potential to form either the ovary or testis, which in turn produce hormones required for development of the rest of the reproductive tract. It is imperative that we understand the genetic networks underpinning GR development if we are to begin to understand abnormalities in the adult. This is particularly relevant in the contexts of disorders of sex development (DSDs) and infertility, two conditions that many individuals struggle with worldwide, with often no answers as to their aetiology. Here, we review what is known about the genetics of GR development. Investigating the genetic networks required for GR formation will not only contribute to our understanding of the genetic regulation of reproductive development, it may in turn open new avenues of investigation into reproductive abnormalities and later fertility issues in the adult.