Industrial fluoride emissions and their spatial characteristics in the Nansi Lake Basin, Eastern China.

Excessive fluoride emissions threaten ecological stability and human health. Previous studies have noted that industrial sources could be significant. However, quantifying industrial fluoride emissions has not been yet reported. In this study, both bottom-up and top-down approaches were used to estimate the fluoride emissions in the Nansi Lake Basin. Global and local spatial autocorrelation were adopted to reveal the spatial agglomeration effects. The fluoride emissions calculated by the bottom-up approach were larger than those calculated by the top-down method. The highest fluoride input mainly occurred in Zoucheng and Mudan. The highest fluoride emissions mainly occurred in Zoucheng and Rencheng using the bottom-up approach. The highest fluoride emissions mainly occurred in Zoucheng and Yanzhou using the top-down approach. Mining and washing of bituminous coal and anthracite (BAW) was the most significant source of fluoride input and emissions. A significant spatial agglomeration effect of fluoride emissions was found. These findings could provide a method for accurate industrial fluoride emission estimation, complement the critical data on the fluoride emissions of main industrial sectors, and provide a scientific basis for tracing fluoride sources.

Re-exploration of prognosis in type B thymomas: establishment of a predictive nomogram model.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the risk factors for disease progression after initial treatment of type B thymomas using a predictive nomogram model. METHODS: A single-center retrospective study of patients with type B thymoma was performed. The Cox proportional hazard model was used for univariate and multivariate analyses. Variables with statistical and clinical significance in the multivariate Cox regression were integrated into a nomogram to establish a predictive model for disease progression. RESULTS: A total of 353 cases with type B thymoma were retrieved between January 2012 and December 2021. The median follow-up was 58 months (range: 1-128 months). The 10-year progression-free survival (PFS) was 91.8%. The final nomogram model included R0 resection status and Masaoka stage, with a concordance index of 0.880. Non-R0 resection and advanced Masaoka stage were negative prognostic factors for disease progression (p < 0.001). No benefits of postoperative radiotherapy (PORT) were observed in patients with advanced stage and non-R0 resection (p = 0.114 and 0.284, respectively). CONCLUSION: The best treatment strategy for type B thymoma is the detection and achievement of R0 resection as early as possible. Long-term follow-up is necessary, especially for patients with advanced Masaoka stage and who have not achieved R0 resection. No prognostic benefits were observed for PORT.

Development and evaluation of a new high-TOF-resolution all-digital brain PET system.

Objective.Time-of-flight (TOF) capability and high sensitivity are essential for brain-dedicated positron emission tomography (PET) imaging, as they improve the contrast and the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) enabling a precise localization of functional mechanisms in the different brain regions.Approach.We present a new brain PET system with transverse and axial field-of-view (FOV) of 320 mm and 255 mm, respectively. The system head is an array of 6 × 6 detection elements, each consisting of a 3.9 × 3.9 × 20 mm3lutetium-yttrium oxyorthosilicate crystal coupled with a 3.93 × 3.93 mm2SiPM. The SiPMs analog signals are individually digitized using the multi-voltage threshold (MVT) technology, employing a 1:1:1 coupling configuration.Main results.The brain PET system exhibits a TOF resolution of 249 ps at 5.3 kBq ml-1, an average sensitivity of 22.1 cps kBq-1, and a noise equivalent count rate (NECR) peak of 150.9 kcps at 8.36 kBq ml-1. Furthermore, the mini-Derenzo phantom study demonstrated the system's ability to distinguish rods with a diameter of 2.0 mm. Moreover, incorporating the TOF reconstruction algorithm in an image quality phantom study optimizes the background variability, resulting in reductions ranging from 44% (37 mm) to 75% (10 mm) with comparable contrast. In the human brain imaging study, the SNR improved by a factor of 1.7 with the inclusion of TOF, increasing from 27.07 to 46.05. Time-dynamic human brain imaging was performed, showing the distinctive traits of cortex and thalamus uptake, as well as of the arterial and venous flow with 2 s per time frame.Significance.The system exhibited a good TOF capability, which is coupled with the high sensitivity and count rate performance based on the MVT digital sampling technique. The developed TOF-enabled brain PET system opens the possibility of precise kinetic brain PET imaging, towards new quantitative predictive brain diagnostics.

Exploring factors affecting Chinese adolescents' perceived usefulness and engagement with a stress management app: a qualitative study.

Introduction: Providing adolescents with stress management interventions via mobile apps has potential for overcoming barriers to traditional in-person services, such as stigma, cost and travel. However, the effectiveness remains uncertain and engagement level remains low. Therefore, it is essential to understand adolescents' user experience of such apps, however, such research is scarce. This study aimed to address this research gap by exploring factors affecting Chinese adolescents' perceived usefulness and engagement of a stress management app, which was developed for them. Methods: A qualitative study design involving focus group interviews and inductive thematic analysis was adopted. A purposive sampling method was employed, resulting in five focus groups (n = 39 adolescents). Results: Two themes emerged: (1) mechanism and determinants of usefulness and (2) facilitators and barriers to engagement. The app was found to be helpful in managing chronic and simple stressors by promoting positive behavior, cognition, and physical changes. Relevance to real-life situations, peer support, and planning and monitoring features were found to increase usefulness. Participants suggested adding one-on-one chat support for managing acute stressors. Multimedia, logical content arrangement, combining psychoeducation and skills training, gamification, customization, and an appealing user interface were engaging factors for adolescents, whilst text-heavy content, pedagogical and monotonous tones, technical issues were found to disengage adolescents. Conclusion: Stress management apps should involve simple and evidence-based coping skills training, target adolescents' real-life problems, promote positive peer influence, address both chronic and acute stressors. Additionally, such apps should have logical arrangement of content, be interactive and customizable, and involve multimedia and gamification features to engage adolescents.

The feasibility, acceptability and efficacy of an app-based intervention (the Coping Camp) in reducing stress among Chinese school adolescents: A cluster randomised controlled trial.

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to determine the efficacies of the Coping Camp app in reducing stress, depression, and anxiety and improving stress-coping behaviours and mental health wellbeing. Additionally, feasibility and acceptability of Coping Camp were evaluated. METHODS: In this unblinded cluster RCT, 540 participants from two high schools in China were randomly assigned to the Coping Camp intervention (n = 6 classes; 275 students) or treatment as usual (n = 5 classes; 265 students) at the class level. Coping Camp was an automated self-help app, consisting of 11 sessions delivered over 11 weeks, with primary outcomes including perceived stress, depression, anxiety, stress-coping behaviours, and mental health well-being. All outcomes were assessed at baseline, post-intervention (11 weeks), and follow-up (19 weeks), with efficacy analysed using linear mixed models and feasibility/acceptability measured by a 5-point Likert scale and qualitative feedback. RESULTS: At post-intervention and follow-up assessments, 75.4% and 81.7% of participants respectively attended. On average, participants logged in for 8.56 out of 11 sessions. Compared to the control group, the intervention group had significant reductions in levels of perceived stress (p = 0.01, d = 0.15 at T1; p < 0.001, d = 0.18 at T2), anxiety (p = 0.11; d = 0.08 at T1; p = 0.01; d = 0.13 at T2) and depression (p = 0.04, d = 0.11 at T1; p = 0.05, d = 0.10 at T2) but did not have a greater increase in stress-coping behaviours (p = 0.10 at T1; p = 0.97 at T2) or mental health wellbeing (p = 0.93 at T1; p = 0.08 at T2). The average ratings for each session were above 4, and qualitative feedback showed that most participants found the intervention to be "great," "good," and "useful." CONCLUSIONS: The Coping Camp is feasible, acceptable and effective in stress management among Chinese school adolescents.

Identification of key genes responsible for green and white colored spathes in Anthurium andraeanum (Hort.).

Modern anthuriums, Anthurium andraeanum (Hort.) are among the most popular flowering plants and widely used for interior decoration. Their popularity is largely attributed to the exotic spathes with different colors. Previous studies have reported color development in red spathe cultivars, but limited information is available on key genes regulating white and green colored spathes. This study analyzed anthocyanin, chlorophyll, and carotenoid contents as well as transcript differences in spathes of eight cultivars that differed in spathe colors ranging from red to white and green. Results showed that increased expression of a transcription factor AaMYB2 was associated with elevated levels of anthocyanin in spathes, but decreased expression of AaMYB2 and increased expression of AaLAR (leucoanthocyanidin reductase) and AaANR (anthocyanidin reductase) were accompanied with the accumulation of colorless proanthocyanidin, thus the white spathe. As to the green colored spathe, chlorophyll content in the green spathe cultivar was substantially higher than the other cultivars. Correspondingly, transcripts of chlorophyll biosynthesis-related genes AaHemB (porphobilinogen synthase) and AaPor (protochlorophyllide oxidoreductase) were highly upregulated but almost undetectable in white and red spathes. The increased expression of AaHemB and AaPor was correlated with the expression of transcription factor AaMYB124. Subsequently, qRT-PCR analysis confirmed their expression levels in nine additional cultivars with red, white, and green spathes. A working model for the formation of white and green spathes was proposed. White colored spathes are likely due to the decreased expression of AaMYB2 which results in increased expression of AaLAR and AaANR, and the green spathes are attributed to AaMYB124 enhanced expression of AaHemB and AaPor. Further research is warranted to test this working model.

Chinese school adolescents' stress experience and coping strategies: a qualitative study.

BACKGROUND: Stress in adolescence is associated with adverse mental health outcomes. Coping resources have been proved by literature to have buffering effects on the impact of stress on mental health. It is imperative to understand the stress and coping strategies of adolescents. However, to date, there has been a scarce of qualitative examination of stress and coping strategies in adolescents in a Chinese population. OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to understand the stress experience and coping strategies of high school students in China. METHODS: This study adopted a qualitative design involving three focus group interviews. A purposive sampling method was used to recruit high school students who were enrolled in grades 10 to 11, and their teachers, at a Chinese high school which resulted in 20 students and 9 teacher participants. Data were analysed using inductive thematic analysis. RESULTS: A total of 4 themes were identified: (i) sources of stress; (ii) impacts of stress (iii) coping strategies used by students; and (iv) recommendations for stress management programs. Students experienced excessive stress in their daily lives. The primary source of stress came from high expectations for academic achievement. Other sources of stress were peer relationships and family issues. The stress had negative impacts on students' emotions, sleep, study, and mental wellbeing. The students demonstrated various coping strategies, with the most common being avoidant coping. Students and teachers agreed that the coping strategies were not effective in reducing stress in the long run and that more coping skills training was needed. CONCLUSIONS: This study is the first to assess the perceptions of Chinese high school students and their teachers regarding adolescent stress experiences and coping strategies. Chinese high school students experienced significant stress in their daily lives and demonstrated unhelpful coping strategies. Participants demonstrated consensus that they did not have the skills to cope. There is a demonstrated need for interventions that focus on increasing coping skills in this population.

Methyltransferase Inhibition Enables Tgfß Driven Induction of CDKN2A and B in Cancer Cells.

CDKN2A/B deletion or silencing is common across human cancer, reinforcing the general importance of bypassing its tumor suppression in cancer formation or progression. In rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) and neuroblastoma, two common childhood cancers, the three CDKN2A/B transcripts are independently expressed to varying degrees, but one, ARF, is uniformly silenced. Although TGFß induces certain CDKN2A/B transcripts in HeLa cells, it was unable to do so in five tested RMS lines unless the cells were pretreated with a broadly acting methyltransferase inhibitor, DZNep, or one targeting EZH2. CDKN2A/B induction by TGFß correlated with de novo appearance of three H3K27Ac peaks within a 20 kb cis element ∼150 kb proximal to CDKN2A/B. Deleting that segment prevented their induction by TGFß but not a basal increase driven by methyltransferase inhibition alone. Expression of two CDKN2A/B transcripts was enhanced by dCas9/CRISPR activation targeting either the relevant promoter or the 20 kb cis elements, and this "precise" manipulation diminished RMS cell propagation in vitro. Our findings show crosstalk between methyltransferase inhibition and TGFß-dependent activation of a remote enhancer to reverse CDKN2A/B silencing. Though focused on CDKN2A/B here, such crosstalk may apply to other TGFß-responsive genes and perhaps govern this signaling protein's complex effects promoting or blocking cancer.

DNA methylation mediates gonadal development via regulating the expression levels of cyp19a1a in loach Misgurnus anguillicaudatus.

DNA methylation-mediated transcriptional regulation has been considered to significantly impact some steroidogenic enzyme genes expression. To uncover the roles of DNA methylation on the regulation of aromatase gene expression during gametogenesis in Misgurnus anguillicaudatus, the expression profiles and cellular localization of cyp19a1a and cyp19a1b were analyzed, and the landscape of DNA methylation dynamics was investigated. We found that cyp19a1a was predominantly expressed in granulosa cells of oocytes, while cyp19a1b expression was enriched in radial glial cells of the forebrain. In ovary, cyp19a1a was highly expressed until the vitellogenesis stage. The average methylation levels, especially for two CpG sites within the cAMP response element, were negatively correlated with cyp19a1a expression levels, indicating that methylation could regulate cyp19a1a transcriptional activity by modulating the binding efficiency of cAMP to its response elements. Compared with in ovary, cyp19a1a showed lower expression in testis but was hypermethylated. Cyp19a1b in female brain weakly expressed before the vitellogenesis stage, but significantly elevated at the maturation stage. In both sexes, it maintained high methylation levels in brain despite the obvious fluctuation of the cyp19a1b expression. This study revealed that DNA methylation plays a key role in establishing cyp19a1a spatiotemporal expression patterns and thus mediates gonadal development in teleosts.

An Annealing Mechanism for Adversarial Training Acceleration.

Despite the empirical success in various domains, it has been revealed that deep neural networks are vulnerable to maliciously perturbed input data that can dramatically degrade their performance. These are known as adversarial attacks. To counter adversarial attacks, adversarial training formulated as a form of robust optimization has been demonstrated to be effective. However, conducting adversarial training brings much computational overhead compared with standard training. In order to reduce the computational cost, we propose an annealing mechanism, annealing mechanism for adversarial training acceleration (Amata), to reduce the overhead associated with adversarial training. The proposed Amata is provably convergent, well-motivated from the lens of optimal control theory, and can be combined with existing acceleration methods to further enhance performance. It is demonstrated that, on standard datasets, Amata can achieve similar or better robustness with around 1/3-1/2 the computational time compared with traditional methods. In addition, Amata can be incorporated into other adversarial training acceleration algorithms (e.g., YOPO, Free, Fast, and ATTA), which leads to a further reduction in computational time on large-scale problems.

Hydroxyl-Rich Hydrophilic Endocytosis-Promoting Peptide with No Positive Charge.

Delivering cargo molecules across the plasma membrane is critical for biomedical research, and the need to develop molecularly well-defined tags that enable cargo transportation is ever-increasing. We report here a hydrophilic endocytosis-promoting peptide (EPP6) rich in hydroxyl groups with no positive charge. EPP6 can transport a wide array of small-molecule cargos into a diverse panel of animal cells. Mechanistic studies revealed that it entered the cells through a caveolin- and dynamin-dependent endocytosis pathway, mediated by the surface receptor fibrinogen C domain-containing protein 1. After endocytosis, EPP6 trafficked through early and late endosomes within 30 min. Over time, EPP6 partitioned among cytosol, lysosomes, and some long-lived compartments. It also demonstrated prominent transcytosis abilities in both in vitro and in vivo models. Our study proves that positive charge is not an indispensable feature for hydrophilic cell-penetrating peptides and provides a new category of molecularly well-defined delivery tags for biomedical applications.

Automated radiosynthesis and preclinical in vivo evaluation of [18F]Fluoroethylpuromycin as a potential radiotracer for imaging protein synthesis with PET.

PURPOSE: From a series of fluorinated analogues of puromycin, we recently identified [18F]fluoroethylpuromycin (FEPURO) as a potential candidate for imaging the rate of protein synthesis in vivo. Herein, we describe the automation of the radiosynthesis, and evaluation of [18F]FEPURO in vivo. PROCEDURES: [18F]FEPURO was radiosynthesised in an automated module. PET imaging was conducted in Wistar rats under control and blocking conditions using the protein synthesis inhibitor cycloheximide. Biodistribution and metabolite studies at 30, 60 and 120 min were conducted in healthy rats. RESULTS: Automation of the radiosynthesis resulted in reduction of the synthesis time by half from the manual method. A steady increase in the SUV was observed in the time-activity curves for the whole brain as expected for a protein synthesis marker. However, rapid in vivo metabolism of [18F]FEPURO within 15 min in plasma as well as the brain (4 % of parent 30 min p.i.) indicated formation of the [18F]FET radio-metabolite in >90 % thus suggesting that observed increase in the brain uptake was due to the radiometabolite. CONCLUSIONS: [18F]FEPURO is not a suitable PET radiotracer for imaging protein synthesis rates in brain in vivo due to its rapid metabolism. Further structural modifications to prevent in vivo metabolism are underway.

One-Step Co-Electrodeposition of Copper Nanoparticles-Chitosan Film-Carbon Nanoparticles-Multiwalled Carbon Nanotubes Composite for Electroanalysis of Indole-3-Acetic Acid and Salicylic Acid.

A sensitive simultaneous electroanalysis of phytohormones indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) and salicylic acid (SA) based on a novel copper nanoparticles-chitosan film-carbon nanoparticles-multiwalled carbon nanotubes (CuNPs-CSF-CNPs-MWCNTs) composite was reported. CNPs were prepared by hydrothermal reaction of chitosan. Then the CuNPs-CSF-CNPs-MWCNTs composite was facilely prepared by one-step co-electrodeposition of CuNPs and CNPs fixed chitosan residues on modified electrode. Scanning electron microscope (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), selected area electron diffraction (SAED), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), cyclic voltammetry (CV), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), and linear sweep voltammetry (LSV) were used to characterize the properties of the composite. Under optimal conditions, the composite modified electrode had a good linear relationship with IAA in the range of 0.01-50 µM, and a good linear relationship with SA in the range of 4-30 µM. The detection limits were 0.0086 µM and 0.7 µM (S/N = 3), respectively. In addition, the sensor could also be used for the simultaneous detection of IAA and SA in real leaf samples with satisfactory recovery.

HLA-DQB1-AS1 Promotes Cell Proliferation, Inhibits Apoptosis, and Binds with ZRANB2 Protein in Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

Major histocompatibility complex, class II, DQ beta 1 antisense RNA 1 (HLA-DQB1-AS1) conferred the susceptibility to hepatocellular carcinoma. Sustaining cell growth and resisting apoptosis are two hallmarks of hepatocellular carcinoma. The present study explored the role of HLA-DQB1-AS1 in the proliferation and apoptosis of hepatocellular carcinoma cells and investigated its downstream pathway. Colony formation assay was performed to assess cell proliferation. Cell apoptosis was assessed with the TdT-mediated dUTP nick end labeling method. HLA-DQB1-AS1 deficiency exerts antiproliferative and proapoptotic effects on hepatocellular carcinoma cells. Moreover, based on bioinformatic analysis combined with the results of RNA immunoprecipitation assay, HLA-DQB1-AS1 was revealed to bind with zinc finger RANBP2-type containing 2 (ZRANB2) protein. ZRANB2 was upregulated in hepatocellular carcinoma at a clinical and cellular level. HLA-DQB1-AS1 caused no significant effects on ZRANB2 mRNA and protein expression. ZRANB2 knockdown suppressed cell proliferation and enhanced cell apoptosis of hepatocellular carcinoma. Moreover, ZRANB2 overexpression rescued the anticancer effect of silenced HLA-DQB1-AS1 in hepatocellular carcinoma cells. In conclusion, HLA-DQB1-AS1 promotes cell proliferation and inhibits apoptosis in hepatocellular carcinoma by the interaction with ZRANB2 protein.

Population Structure, Genetic Diversity and Differentiation of Triplophysa tenuis in Xinjiang Tarim River.

Triplophysa tenuis is an important indigenous fish in the Xinjiang Tarim River. In this study, we collected 120 T. tenuis individuals from 8 T. tenuis populations in the Tarim River. Through genotyping-by-sequencing (GBS), a total of 582,678,756 clean reads were generated for all the genotypes, and after quality filtering, 595,379 SNPs were obtained for the population genetic analyses. Multiple genetic parameters showed that the 8 T. tenuis populations had high genetic diversity. Phylogenetic tree analysis indicated that all T. tenuis individuals were divided into five branches, the individuals from the north of Tarim River were grouped into cluster 1 (SF and WS) and cluster 3 (DWQ, TKX, and KZE), while the AETS, WLWT and LF individuals from the south of Tarim River were clustered into cluster 2. The result was consistent with the admixture analysis, which supported that the 8 T. tenuis populations were clustered into three subgroups. Furthermore, the pairwise F ST values and genetic distance indicated that there was a large genetic differentiation between WS and other T. tenuis populations. Collectively, this study provides valuable genome-wide data for the conservation of natural T. tenuis populations in the Tarim River.

Medical students' perceptions and expectations regarding digital health education and training: A qualitative study.

INTRODUCTION: Digital health - the convergence of digital technologies within health and health care to enhance the efficiency of health-care delivery - is fast becoming an integral part of routine medical practice. The integration of digital health into traditional practice brings significant changes. Logic dictates that for medical practitioners to operate in this new digitally enabled environment, they require specific knowledge, skills and competencies relating to digital health. However, very few medical programmes in Australia and globally include digital health within their regular curriculum. This pilot study aimed to explore medical students' perceptions and expectations of digital health education and training (ET). METHODS: An online survey and focus groups were used to collect information about medical students' perceptions and expectations relating to digital health and ET relating to this field within the medical programme at the University of Queensland. Sixty-three students took part in the survey, and 17 students were involved in four focus groups. RESULTS: Most participants had no formal ET in digital health. Most participants (n = 43; 68%) expressed a willingness to learn about digital health as part of their medical programme. DISCUSSION: Primarily, knowledge- and practice-related factors have motivated students to learn about digital health. The analysis of focus group data identified two superordinate themes: (a) drivers of digital health ET and (b) expectations relating to digital health ET. Students agreed that digital health is a relevant field for their future practice that should be taught as part of their regular curriculum.

Transcriptomic analysis of gills in nitrite-tolerant and -sensitive families of Litopenaeus vannamei.

Nitrite stress is a major environmental factor that limits aquatic animal growth, reproduction and survival. Even so, some shrimps still can withstand somewhat high concentrations of nitrite environment. However, few studies have been conducted about the tolerance molecular mechanism of Litopenaeus vannamei in the high concentration nitrite. To identify the genes and pathways involved in the regulation of nitrite tolerance, we performed comparative transcriptomic analysis in the L. vannamei nitrite-tolerant (NT) and nitrite-sensitive (NS) families, and untreated shrimps were used as the control group. After 24 h of nitrite exposure (NaNO2, 112.5 mg/L), a total of 1521 and 868 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were obtained from NT compared with NS and control group, respectively. Functional enrichment analysis revealed that most of these DEGs were involved in immune defense, energy metabolism processes and endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress. During nitrite stress, energy metabolism in NT was significantly enhanced by activating the related genes expression of oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) pathway and tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle. Meanwhile, some DEGs involved in innate immunity- related genes and pathways, and ER stress responses also were highly expressed in NT. Therefore, we speculate that accelerated energy metabolism, higher expression of immunity and ER related genes might be the important adaptive strategies for NT in relative to NS under nitrite stress. These results will provide new insights on the potential tolerant molecular mechanisms and the breeding of new varieties of nitrite tolerant L. vannamei.

circDENND4C Promotes Proliferation and Metastasis of Lung Cancer by Upregulating BRD4 Signaling Pathway.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects of circDENND4C on the malignant biological behavior of lung cancer and its downstream target genes and molecular mechanisms. METHODS: The expression of circDENND4C in lung cancer tissues and cells was detected. After transfection with silenced circDENND4C, the expression levels of circDENND4C, miR-141-3p, and BRD4 in lung cancer cells were detected by qRT-PCR. The targeting relationship between circDENND4C and miR-141-3p as well as miR-141-3p and BRD4 was verified. Cell activity was detected by CCK-8 and EdU assay. Transwell assay was used to detect the invasiveness of A549 and NCI-H1299 in each group. Effects of circDENND4C on proliferation and metastasis of lung cancer in nude mice were studied. RESULTS: In vitro and in vivo results showed that circDENND4C silencing reduced the proliferation, invasion, and metastasis of lung cancer cells. Mechanism studies showed that circDENND4C has a targeting relationship with miR-141-3p. However, miR-141-3p has a targeting relationship with BRD4. circDENND4C indirectly upregulated BRD4 through sponge adsorption of miR-141-3p, thereby promoting metastasis and proliferation of NSCLC. CONCLUSION: circDENND4C, as an oncogene, promotes the proliferation, invasion, and metastasis of lung cancer cells.

Are online mental health interventions for youth effective? A systematic review.

OBJECTIVES: This systematic review aims to examine the effectiveness of online mental health interventions for youth. METHODS: We searched seven electronic databases (PubMed, PsycINFO, Medline, Embase, CINAHL, Web of Science and SCOPUS) for the past 10 years to identify randomized controlled trials which have evaluated the use of telehealth interventions for young people with mental health problems. The included studies were assessed for quality and risk of bias. RESULTS: Forty-five randomized controlled trials (n = 13,291 participants) were eligible for this review. Most studies (35 trials) evaluated the use of web-based self-help platforms to deliver cognitive behavioural therapy (14 trials), mindfulness (four trials), acceptance commitment therapy (five trials) and positive psychology (two trials). Mobile/computer applications were used to deliver cognitive behavioural therapy (four trials) and coping strategies training (two trials). Web-based synchronous chat (one trial) was used to assist communication between counsellors and participants. Three studies used artificial intelligence-based conversational agents to deliver cognitive behavioural therapy (two trials) and problem-solving-strategy training (one trial). Eighty-two percent (n = 37) identified the participants as student population (i.e. university students, high school students). Sixty-four percent (n = 29) of the telehealth interventions were found to be effective in managing depression, anxiety, stress, insomnia and improving quality of life when compared with control conditions. CONCLUSIONS: Online mental health interventions were found to be effective in managing diverse mental health conditions among youth. Online self-help platforms were the most frequently used modality and artificial intelligence-based chatbots are merging as potential solutions. Future research is warranted to investigate the solutions to improve the retention rate and satisfaction of telehealth interventions among this population.