The structure and function of FUN14 domain-containing protein 1 and its contribution to cardioprotection by mediating mitophagy.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a serious public health risk, and prevention and treatment efforts are urgently needed. Effective preventive and therapeutic programs for cardiovascular disease are still lacking, as the causes of CVD are varied and may be the result of a multifactorial combination. Mitophagy is a form of cell-selective autophagy, and there is increasing evidence that mitophagy is involved in cardioprotective processes. Recently, many studies have shown that FUN14 domain-containing protein 1 (FUNDC1) levels and phosphorylation status are highly associated with many diseases, including heart disease. Here, we review the structure and functions of FUNDC1 and the path-ways of its mediated mitophagy, and show that mitophagy can be effectively activated by dephosphorylation of Ser13 and Tyr18 sites, phosphorylation of Ser17 site and ubiquitination of Lys119 site in FUNDC1. By effectively activating or inhibiting excessive mitophagy, the quality of mitochondria can be effectively controlled. The main reason is that, on the one hand, improper clearance of mitochondria and accumulation of damaged mitochondria are avoided, and on the other hand, excessive mitophagy causing apoptosis is avoided, both serving to protect the heart. In addition, we explore the possible mechanisms by which FUNDC1-mediated mitophagy is involved in exercise preconditioning (EP) for cardioprotection. Finally, we also point out unresolved issues in FUNDC1 and its mediated mitophagy and give directions where further research may be needed.

Scaling the Functional Nanopore (FuN) Screen: Systematic Evaluation of Self-Assembling Membrane Peptides and Extension with a K+-Responsive Fluorescent Protein Sensor.

The functional analysis of protein nanopores is typically conducted in planar lipid bilayers or liposomes exploiting high-resolution but low-throughput electrical and optical read-outs. Yet, the reconstitution of protein nanopores in vitro still constitutes an empiric and low-throughput process. Addressing these limitations, nanopores can now be analyzed using the functional nanopore (FuN) screen exploiting genetically encoded fluorescent protein sensors that resolve distinct nanopore-dependent Ca2+ in- and efflux patterns across the inner membrane of Escherichia coli. With a primary proof-of-concept established for the S2168 holin, and thereof based recombinant nanopore assemblies, the question arises to what extent alternative nanopores can be analyzed with the FuN screen and to what extent alternative fluorescent protein sensors can be adapted. Focusing on self-assembling membrane peptides, three sets of 13 different nanopores are assessed for their capacity to form nanopores in the context of the FuN screen. Nanopores tested comprise both natural and computationally designed nanopores. Further, the FuN screen is extended to K+-specific fluorescent protein sensors and now provides a capacity to assess the specificity of a nanopore or ion channel. Finally, a comparison to high-resolution biophysical and electrophysiological studies in planar lipid bilayers provides an experimental benchmark for future studies.

Dose-response relationship between 15 weeks of running and aerobic fitness: a retrospective analysis based on the fun running program.

BACKGROUND: Students' physical fitness, particularly aerobic fitness, has seriously declined during the COVID-19 epidemic. However, in the post-epidemic era, there are few studies on the methods of improving aerobic fitness. Understanding the dose-response relationship between physical activity and aerobic fitness is crucial for developing effective exercise prescriptions. METHOD: This retrospective study reviewed the Fun Running program at Wannan Medical College in China. We conducted a pre-post study design to analyze the impact of 15 weeks of Fun Running training on aerobic fitness. Middle and long-distance running pace (MLDR-P) was used as the primary indicator of aerobic fitness. A paired sample T-test was used to analyze the differences between the two MLDR-Ps. Pearson's correlation was used to examine the correlation between variables. Multiple linear regression was used to determine the extent to which Fun Running components explain the variance in MLDR-P. RESULTS: A total of 3244 college students participated in this study. 15 weeks of Fun Running training can significantly improve the MLDR-P in both females (P < 0.001, ES = 0.68) and males (P < 0.001, ES = 0.72). The MLDR-P was significantly correlated with Fun Running (R2 = 0.95, p < 0.05, for females; R2 = 0.96, p < 0.05, for males). The component that had the greatest impact on MLDR-P was pace (ß = 1.39, for females; ß = 1.09, for males), followed by distance (ß = 0.49, for females; ß = 0.15, for males), and last frequency (ß = -0.03, for all). CONCLUSION: This study fills the gap in research on the dose-response relationship between running and aerobic fitness among college students in the post-epidemic era. The results show that 15 weeks of Fun Running training can significantly improve aerobic fitness. Examination of the dose-response relationship between Fun Running and MLDR-P provides practitioners with valuable insights into prescribing aerobic fitness training, allowing them to develop more effective training programs. Future research should focus on how to implement a hierarchical Fun Running program effectively.

Chinese medicinal formula Fu Xin decoction against chronic heart failure by inhibiting the NLRP3/caspase-1/GSDMD pyroptotic pathway.

BACKGROUND: Various heart diseases ultimately lead to chronic heart failure (CHF). In CHF, the inflammatory response is associated with pyroptosis, which is mediated by the NOD-like receptor protein 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome. Fu Xin decoction (FXD) is commonly used in clinical practice to treat CHF and improve inflammatory conditions. However, the specific pharmacological mechanisms of action for FXD in these processes have yet to be fully understood. PURPOSE: The objective of this study was to examine the protective mechanism of FXT against CHF, both in H9c2 cells and mice. METHOD: A CHF mouse model was established, and the effect of FXD was observed via gavage. Cardiac function was evaluated using echocardiography, while serum BNP and LDH levels were analyzed to assess the severity of CHF. Hematoxylin and eosin staining (H&E) and Masson staining were performed to evaluate myocardial pathological changes, and TdT-mediated dUTP Nick-End Labeling staining was used to detect DNA damage. Additionally, doxorubicin was utilized to induce myocardial cell injury in H9c2 cells, establishing a relevant model. CCK8 was used to observe cell viability and detect LDH levels in the cell supernatant. Subsequently, the expression of pyroptosis-related proteins was detected using immunohistochemistry, immunofluorescence, and western blotting. Finally, the pharmacological mechanism of FXD against CHF was further validated by treating H9c2 cells with an NLRP3 activator and inducing NLRP3 overexpression. RESULT: According to current research findings, echocardiography demonstrated a significant improvement of cardiac function by FXD, accompanied by reduced levels of BNP and LDH, indicating the amelioration of cardiac injury in CHF mice. FXD exhibited the ability to diminish serum CRP and MCP inflammatory markers in CHF mice. The results of HE and Masson staining analyses revealed a significant reduction in pathological damage of the heart tissue following FXD treatment. The CCK8 assay demonstrated the ability of FXD to enhance H9c2 cell viability, improve cell morphology, decrease LDH levels in the cell supernatant, and alleviate cell damage. Immunohistochemistry, Western blotting, and immunofluorescence staining substantiated the inhibitory effect of FXD on the NLRP3/caspase-1/GSDMD pyroptosis signaling pathway in both CHF and H9c2 cell injury models. Ultimately, the administration of the NLRP3 activator (Nigericin) and the overexpression of NLRP3 counteract the effects of FXD on cardiac protection and pyroptosis inhibition in vitro. CONCLUSION: FXD exhibits a cardioprotective effect, improving CHF and alleviating pyroptosis by inhibiting the NLRP3/caspase-1/GSDMD pathway.

The Social Dynamics of Fun: Can Fun Youth Bring Peers Together and Positively Influence Their Friends?

There is a critical gap in our understanding of how peer relationships contribute to positive youth development. To address this gap the current study uses longitudinal social network data to examine if fun youth were socially desirable, inclusive of peers, and positive agents of social influence during the transition to adolescence. Participants were 210 students (47% female; Mage = 11.55 years at the outset) from 8 classes in 3 schools in a small Lithuanian city. Each child received a fun score consisting of nominations from classmates as "someone who is fun to be around". Participants also nominated up to five classmates as friends. Fun students received more friendship nominations than their peers and they maintained higher levels of social desirability over time. Fun youth appeared to be inclusive of their peers in that fun youth did not appear to have preferences to befriend only those like themselves. The friends of fun youth were positively influenced such that they were perceived to be more fun over time. The findings suggests that fun youth may promote positive social change within peer groups.

More about being fun: Making friends to maximize social status.

OBJECTIVE: Children perceived by peers as someone who is fun reap interpersonal rewards, but little is known about what makes someone fun or how being fun leads to social success. The present study is designed to identify what qualities makes someone fun and how being fun leads to social success. METHOD: Two studies of children in primary and middle school are reported. Participants in the present investigation attended a public-school representative of Florida school children in terms of ethnicity and income. In the first study, 351 (179 girls, 172 boys) students (8-11 years old) completed surveys twice (M = 8.5 weeks apart) during an academic year, describing the qualities of "someone who is fun." RESULTS: At both time points, kindness and humor were rated as more important than buffoonery. In the second study, 394 (210 girls, 184 boys) students (8-13 years old) completed peer nomination surveys thrice (M = 8.5 weeks apart) during an academic year. Replicating previous findings, being fun predicted increases in social status (i.e., likeability and popularity). CONCLUSIONS: Unique to this study, full longitudinal mediation analyses indicated that being perceived as fun early in the school year predicted friend gain from the beginning to the middle of the school year, which, in turn, predicted increases in perceived likeability and popularity from the middle to the end of the school year. The findings were unique to being fun. Kindness and humor did not predict friend gain.

Transcription Factor Forkhead Box P (Foxp) 1 Reduces Brain Damage During Cerebral Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury in Mice Through FUN14 Domain-containing Protein 1.

Mitophagy plays a significant role in modulating the activation of pyrin domain-containing protein 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome, which is a major contributor to the inflammatory response that exacerbates cerebral ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury. Despite this, the transcriptional regulation mechanism that governs mitophagy remains unclear. This study sought to explore the potential mechanism of Forkhead Box P1 (Foxp1) and its impact on cerebral I/R injury. We investigated the potential neuroprotective role of Foxp1 in cerebral I/R injury by the middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) mouse model. Additionally, we assessed whether FUN14 domain-containing protein 1 (FUNDC1) could rescue the protective effect of Foxp1. Our results showed that overexpression of Foxp1 prevented brain damage during cerebral I/R injury and promoted NLRP3 inflammasome activation, whereas knockdown of Foxp1 had the opposite effect. Notably, Foxp1 overexpression directly promotes FUNDC1 expression, enhanced mitophagy activation, and inhibited the inflammatory response mediated by the NLRP3 inflammasome. Furthermore, we confirmed through chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) and luciferase reporter assays that FUNDC1 is a direct target gene of Foxp1 downstream. Furthermore, the knockdown of FUNDC1 reversed the increased activation of mitophagy and suppressed NLRP3 inflammasome activation induced by Foxp1 overexpression. Collectively, our findings suggest that Foxp1 inhibits NLRP3 inflammasome activation through FUNDC1 to reduce cerebral I/R injury.

Evaluating the effectiveness of a social and emotional learning program among preschool children in Japan: an experimental cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Research on school maladjustment has increasingly focused on social skills, such as the ability to control emotions, collaborate with others, and achieve goals. Social and emotional learning (SEL) is one approach to nurturing social skills. However, few preventive interventions to promote SEL have been conducted among young children, particularly in Asian countries, including Japan. Therefore, this study examined the effectiveness of an SEL program-Fun FRIENDS-among children in Japan. METHODS: In mid-2022, the Fun FRIENDS program was administered to 115 children aged 4-5 years, who were enrolled in two kindergartens. The program was administered to the entire class as part of their kindergarten activities. The control group included 93 children in three kindergartens. This study included 94 participants (81.7%) in the intervention group and 66 (71.0%) in the control group, whose parents agreed with the assessment of their skills. Fun FRIENDS is a support program based on a cognitive-behavioral approach. The program aims to teach children how to cope with anxiety and stress and develop resilience and confidence to face difficulties. The program includes 10 sessions, each lasting approximately 1 h and conducted once per week. To examine the program's effectiveness, teachers evaluated these children's social skills before and after program implementation using the Social Skill Scale. RESULTS: Results showed significant post-intervention improvements in self-control and cooperation scores among children in the intervention group, compared with pre-intervention. Further, post-intervention self-control and cooperation scores were significantly higher among children in the intervention group than the control group. CONCLUSIONS: SEL implemented on a class-wide basis could be effective in early childhood. An early approach targeting preschool-aged children is necessary to prevent school maladjustment. A universal approach implemented on a whole-class basis could contribute to improving children's social skills.

Effects of honokiol protects against chronic kidney disease via BNIP3/NIX and FUNDC1-mediated mitophagy and AMPK pathways.

BACKGROUND: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a serious health threat worldwide. Defective mitophagy has been reported to induce mitochondrial dysfunction, which is closely associated with CKD pathogenesis. Honokiol (HKL) is a bioactive component of Magnolia officinalis that has multiple efficacies. Our study aimed to investigate the effect of HKL on a CKD rat model and explore the possible mechanisms of mitophagy mediated by Bcl-2 interacting protein 3 and BNIP3-like (NIX) (also known as the BNIP3/NIX pathway) and FUN14 domain-containing 1 (the FUNDC1 pathway) and the role of the AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) pathway. METHODS: A CKD rat model was established by feeding the animals dietary adenine (0.75% w/w, 3 weeks). Simultaneously, the treatment group was given HKL (5 mg/kg/day, 4 weeks) by gavage. Renal function was assessed by measuring serum creatinine (Scr) and blood urea nitrogen (BUN) levels. Pathological changes were analyzed by periodic acid-Schiff (PAS) and Masson's trichrome staining. Protein expression was evaluated by Western blotting and immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: HKL treatment ameliorated the decline in renal function and reduced tubular lesions and interstitial fibrosis in CKD rats. Accordingly, the renal fibrosis markers Col-IV and α-SMA were decreased by HKL. Moreover, HKL suppressed the upregulation of the proapoptotic proteins Bad and Bax and Cleaved caspase-3 expression in CKD rats. Furthermore, HKL suppressed BNIP3, NIX and FUNDC1 expression, leading to the reduction of excessive mitophagy in CKD rats. Additionally, AMPK was activated by adenine, and HKL reversed this change and significantly decreased the level of activated AMPK (phosphorylated AMPK, P-AMPK). CONCLUSION: HKL exerted a renoprotective effect on CKD rats, which was possibly associated with BNIP3/NIX and FUNDC1-mediated mitophagy and the AMPK pathway.

Targeting neuronal mitophagy in ischemic stroke: an update.

Cerebral ischemia is a neurological disorder associated with complex pathological mechanisms, including autophagic degradation of neuronal mitochondria, or termed mitophagy, following ischemic events. Despite being well-documented, the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying the regulation of neuronal mitophagy remain unknown. So far, the evidence suggests neuronal autophagy and mitophagy are separately regulated in ischemic neurons, the latter being more likely activated by reperfusional injury. Specifically, given the polarized morphology of neurons, mitophagy is regulated by different neuronal compartments, with axonal mitochondria being degraded by autophagy in the cell body following ischemia-reperfusion insult. A variety of molecules have been associated with neuronal adaptation to ischemia, including PTEN-induced kinase 1, Parkin, BCL2 and adenovirus E1B 19-kDa-interacting protein 3 (Bnip3), Bnip3-like (Bnip3l) and FUN14 domain-containing 1. Moreover, it is still controversial whether mitophagy protects against or instead aggravates ischemic brain injury. Here, we review recent studies on this topic and provide an updated overview of the role and regulation of mitophagy during ischemic events.

Enrichment and response of iron-metabolizing microorganisms and metabolic genes in the contaminated area of stratified stacking coal gangue dumps, Northern China.

In the Xishan coalfield of northern China, the stratified stacking of soil and gangue was applied to limit the acid pollution from high-sulfur coal gangue. In this study, we found that stratified stacking can effectively neutralize the acidity, with the pH value of gangue-leaching water being 6.02-8.13. In contrast to the acidic contaminated area, most of the microorganisms in the study area sediment were neutrophilic, with the main genera being Arthrobacter, Pseudorhodobacter, Pseudomonas, and Rhodoferax. A variety of iron- and sulfur-metabolizing bacteria was discovered in the gangue-leaching sediment, with the total relative abundance ranging from 4.20 to 23.75%, of which the iron-reducing bacteria (FeRB) accounted for the highest percentage. The distributions of these functional microorganisms in the samples were significantly influenced by Fe and S. The co-occurrence network analysis revealed a significant positive correlation between the iron- and sulfur-metabolizing bacteria in the sediment (93.75%), indicating a strong reciprocal symbiotic relationship between these bacteria. The iron and sulfur metabolism genes in the sediment were predicted and compared based on the Tax4Fun functional prediction method. Results showed that functional genes related to iron metabolism were highly expressed in the gangue-leaching sediment. This study enhances the understanding of iron and sulfur metabolism in gangue-leaching contaminated areas.

Purification and Structure Characterization of the Crude Polysaccharide from the Fruiting Bodies of Butyriboletus pseudospeciosus and Its Modulation Effects on Gut Microbiota.

Polysaccharides from the species of Boletaceae (Boletales, Agaricomycetes, Basidiomycota) are economically significant to both functional foods and medicinal industries. The crude polysaccharide from Butyriboletus pseudospeciosus (BPP) was prepared, and its physicochemical properties were characterized through the use of consecutive experimental apparatus, and its impact on the gut microbiota of Kunming mice was evaluated. Analyses of the structure characteristics revealed that BPP was mainly composed of Man, Glc, and Gal, possessing the pyranose ring and ß/α-glycosidic linkages. TG analysis exhibited that BPP had great heat stability. The SEM observation performed demonstrated that BPP appeared with a rough, dense, and porous shape. Through the BPP intervention, the serum and fecal biochemical index in mice can be improved obviously (p < 0.05). The abundance of beneficial microbiota in the BPP-treated group was significantly increased, while the abundance of harmful microbiota was significantly decreased (p < 0.05). Based on the Tax4Fun, we also revealed the relationship between the species of gut microbiota and showed that the high dose of BPP has significantly changed the functional diversities compared with those in other groups (p < 0.05). The results suggest that B. pseudospeciosus could serve as potential functional food or medicine.

Having fun! The role of workplace fun in enhancing employees' creative behaviors in Chinese work settings.

Digital platforms and tech giants have led to a rapid shift in values and traditional ways of working. Although "diligence" has long been essential for work success and promotion, employees in modern companies are reluctant to blindly follow this attitude. Many well-known Western companies, such as Facebook and Google, see fun in the workplace as conducive to productivity and creative behavior. We investigated the associations of fun at work with experienced fun, employees' creative behavior, managers' support for fun, and trust in a Chinese context using different scales. Discriminant validity was confirmed by confirmatory factor analysis. A total of 508 workers from Taiwan and mainland China participated in the study and completed questionnaires. A key finding was that fun at work was positively related to employees' creative behavior. In addition, moderators of managerial support for fun and trust between the workplace and experienced fun were confirmed. These results can serve as a reference for Chinese managers who want to encourage creative behaviors and prevent negative behaviors in the workplace. In practice, results suggest that fun should be allowed more in the workplace because it could contribute to positive outcomes. However, managers should create a workplace that is fun, allows for creativity, and at the same time leads to high productivity.

Fun30 nucleosome remodeller regulates white-to-opaque switching in Candida albicans.

Candida albicans ( C. albicans) is an opportunistic pathogen in humans and possesses a white-opaque heritable switching system. Wor1 is a master regulator of white-opaque switching and is essential for opaque cell formation in C. albicans. However, the regulatory network of Wor1 in white-opaque switching is still vague. In this study, we obtain a series of Wor1-interacting proteins using LexA-Wor1 as bait. Among these proteins, function unknown now 30 (Fun30) interacts with Wor1 in vitro and in vivo. Fun30 expression is upregulated in opaque cells at the transcriptional and protein levels. Loss of FUN30 attenuates white-to-opaque switching, while ectopic expression of FUN30 significantly increases white-to-opaque switching in an ATPase activity-dependent manner. Furthermore, FUN30 upregulation is dependent on CO 2; loss of FLO8, a key CO 2-sensing transcriptional regulator, abolishes FUN30 upregulation. Interestingly, deletion of FUN30 affects the WOR1 expression regulation feedback loop. Thus, our results indicate that the chromatin remodeller Fun30 interacts with Wor1 and is required for WOR1 expression and opaque cell formation.

Impact of aerobic/anoxic alternation number on performance, microbial community and functional genes of sequencing batch biofilm reactor treating mariculture wastewater.

The performance, microbial community and functional genes of a sequencing batch biofilm reactor (SBBR) were investigated in treating mariculture wastewater under different aerobic/anoxic alternation number. The removal efficiency of chemical oxygen demand (COD) and NH4+-N kept at 95.66 ± 1.83 % and 90.28 ± 2.42 % under aerobic/anoxic alternation number between 1 and 4. The total nitrogen (TN) removal efficiency gradually decreased from 94.45 ± 1.12 % to 83.06 ± 1.25 % with the increase of aerobic/anoxic alternative number from 1 to 4. The nitrification rates and their corresponding enzymatic activities increased slightly with the increase of aerobic/anoxic alternation number, whereas the denitrifying process had the contrary results. The variation of aerobic/anoxic alternation number obviously affected the microbial diversity and abundance. The microbial network structure and keystone taxa were different under different aerobic/anoxic alternation number. The functional genes abundance for the denitrification pathway decreased with the increase of aerobic/anoxic alternation number.

Role of Mitophagy in Myocardial Ischemia/Reperfusion Injury and Chinese Medicine Treatment.

Mitophagy is one of the important targets for the prevention and treatment of myocardial ischemia/reperfusion injury (MIRI). Moderate mitophagy can remove damaged mitochondria, inhibit excessive reactive oxygen species accumulation, and protect mitochondria from damage. However, excessive enhancement of mitophagy greatly reduces adenosine triphosphate production and energy supply for cell survival, and aggravates cell death. How dysfunctional mitochondria are selectively recognized and engulfed is related to the interaction of adaptors on the mitochondrial membrane, which mainly include phosphatase and tensin homolog deleted on chromosome ten (PTEN)-induced kinase 1/Parkin, hypoxia-inducible factor-1 α/Bcl-2 and adenovirus e1b19k Da interacting protein 3, FUN-14 domain containing protein 1 receptor-mediated mitophagy pathway and so on. In this review, the authors briefly summarize the main pathways currently studied on mitophagy and the relationship between mitophagy and MIRI, and incorporate and analyze research data on prevention and treatment of MIRI with Chinese medicine, thereby provide relevant theoretical basis and treatment ideas for clinical prevention of MIRI.

Three-layer model with absorption for conservative estimation of the maximum acoustic transmission coefficient through the human skull for transcranial ultrasound stimulation.

Transcranial ultrasound stimulation (TUS) has been shown to be a safe and effective technique for non-invasive superficial and deep brain stimulation. Safe and efficient translation to humans requires estimating the acoustic attenuation of the human skull. Nevertheless, there are no international guidelines for estimating the impact of the skull bone. A tissue independent, arbitrary derating was developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to take into account tissue absorption (0.3 dB/cm-MHz) for diagnostic ultrasound. However, for the case of transcranial ultrasound imaging, the FDA model does not take into account the insertion loss induced by the skull bone, nor the absorption by brain tissue. Therefore, the estimated absorption is overly conservative which could potentially limit TUS applications if the same guidelines were to be adopted. Here we propose a three-layer model including bone absorption to calculate the maximum pressure transmission through the human skull for frequencies ranging between 100 kHz and 1.5 MHz. The calculated pressure transmission decreases with the frequency and the thickness of the bone, with peaks for each thickness corresponding to a multiple of half the wavelength. The 95th percentile maximum transmission was calculated over the accessible surface of 20 human skulls for 12 typical diameters of the ultrasound beam on the skull surface, and varies between 40% and 78%. To facilitate the safe adjustment of the acoustic pressure for short ultrasound pulses, such as transcranial imaging or transcranial ultrasound stimulation, a table summarizes the maximum pressure transmission for each ultrasound beam diameter and each frequency.

Effects of acupoint application therapy with Chinese medicine combined with tiotropium bromide inhalation on quality of life in patients with stable chronic obstructive pulmonary disease / 中国基层医药

Objective:To investigate the effects of acupoint application therapy with Chinese medicine combined with tiotropium bromide inhalation on quality of life in patients with stable chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).Methods:A total of 109 patients with stable COPD admitted to People's Hospital of Gaomi from March 2019 to May 2020 were included in this study. They were randomly divided into a control group ( n = 54) and an observation group ( n = 55). Both groups were given tiotropium bromide powder inhalation and acupoint application therapy ( Dazhui, Shenque, Feishu, Pishu, Shenshu and Zusanli). Chinese medicine ointment was applied in the observation group, but not in the control group. All patients were treated for 6 consecutive months. Before and after treatment, pulmonary function indicators [forced expiratory volume in the first second (FEV 1), the percentage of expiratory volume in the first second (FEV 1%), forced vital capacity (FVC), FEV 1/FVC], modified Medical Research Council (mMRC) dyspnea scale score, and the Saint George's Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ) score were compared between the two groups before and after treatment to evaluate therapeutic efficacy and quality of life. Results:Before and after treatment, there were no significant differences in FEV 1, FEV 1% and FEV 1/FVC between the two groups (all P > 0.05). After treatment, mMRC score and SGRQ total score in the observation group were (1.91 ± 0.27) points and (38.54 ± 8.18) points, respectively, which were significantly lower than (2.43 ± 0.33) points and (43.12 ± 7.86) points in the control group ( t = 4.93, 4.47, both P < 0.05). The number of exacerbations and the number of hospitalizations were (0.42 ± 0.09) times/6 months and (0.27 ± 0.05) times/6 months in the observation group and they were (0.69 ± 0.17) times/6 months and (0.47 ± 0.13) times/6 months in the control group. There were significant differences in these indices between the two groups ( t = 3.90, 3.85, P < 0.05). Conclusion:Acupoint application therapy with Chinese medicine combined with tiotropium bromide inhalation has a good therapeutic effect on stable COPD. The combined therapy can reduce the number of acute attacks and improve patient's quality of life. This study is scientific and innovative.

Role of Mitophagy in Myocardial Ischemia/Reperfusion Injury and Chinese Medicine Treatment / 中国结合医学杂志

Mitophagy is one of the important targets for the prevention and treatment of myocardial ischemia/reperfusion injury (MIRI). Moderate mitophagy can remove damaged mitochondria, inhibit excessive reactive oxygen species accumulation, and protect mitochondria from damage. However, excessive enhancement of mitophagy greatly reduces adenosine triphosphate production and energy supply for cell survival, and aggravates cell death. How dysfunctional mitochondria are selectively recognized and engulfed is related to the interaction of adaptors on the mitochondrial membrane, which mainly include phosphatase and tensin homolog deleted on chromosome ten (PTEN)-induced kinase 1/Parkin, hypoxia-inducible factor-1 α/Bcl-2 and adenovirus e1b19k Da interacting protein 3, FUN-14 domain containing protein 1 receptor-mediated mitophagy pathway and so on. In this review, the authors briefly summarize the main pathways currently studied on mitophagy and the relationship between mitophagy and MIRI, and incorporate and analyze research data on prevention and treatment of MIRI with Chinese medicine, thereby provide relevant theoretical basis and treatment ideas for clinical prevention of MIRI.

Increased perceived autonomy-supportive teaching in physical education classes changes students' positive emotional perception compared to controlling teaching.

Teachers can expect that autonomy support positively influences students' affective-emotional perception in physical education (PE), when considering assumptions of the Self-Determination theory. Highly autonomy-supportive PE teaching comprises students' free choices regarding organizational, procedural, and cognitive aspects of a PE lesson, whereas low autonomy support addresses these aspects only partly and controlling teaching refers to students as recipients of the teacher's decisions. This quasi-experiment investigates effects to determine the effects of high autonomy-supportive (PEhigh), low autonomy-supportive (PElow) and controlling (PEcontrol) PE class teaching styles on affective valence and enjoyment. As such, we compare the effects of these teaching styles on beneficial psychological outcomes (i.e., affective valence, enjoyment) in students. In a sample of German students (N = 57; age: M ± SD = 15.6 ± 0.6; gender: 53% female, 47% male) perceived autonomy support, affective valence, and enjoyment were assessed via self-report questionnaires before and after a 20-min PE class intervention focusing on high or low autonomy-supportive, or controlling teaching. Students who participated in PEhigh perceived significantly more positive valence and enjoyment over time compared to students in the PElow and PEcontrol groups (affective valence: p = 0.025, ηp 2 = 0.13; enjoyment: p = 0.007, ηp 2 = 0.17). Differences between groups show significant results for valence between PEhigh and PEcontrol, and between PElow and PEcontrol. Thus, PEhigh should be preferred over PElow to intensify these effects. Based on these results, PE teachers can employ a high autonomy-supportive teaching style (e.g., through a combination of free choices, social interaction, and informative feedback) to improve students' positive affective-emotional perception and to foster an increase in students' time engaged in physical activity.