Research on pear residue dietary fiber and Monascus pigments extracted through liquid fermentation.

Pear residue, a byproduct of pear juice extraction, is rich in soluble sugar, vitamins, minerals, and cellulose. This study utilized Monascus anka in liquid fermentation to extract dietary fiber (DF) from pear residue, and the structural and functional characteristics of the DF were analyzed. Soluble DF (SDF) content was increased from 7.9/100 g to 12.6 g/100 g, with a reduction of average particle size from 532.4 to 383.0 nm by fermenting with M. anka. Scanning electron microscopy and infrared spectroscopic analysis revealed more porous and looser structures in Monascus pear residue DF (MPDF). Water-, oil-holding, and swelling capacities of MPDF were also enhanced. UV-visible spectral analysis showed that the yield of yellow pigment in Monascus pear residue fermentation broth (MPFB) was slightly higher than that in the Monascus blank control fermentation broth. The citrinin content in MPFB and M. anka seed broth was 0.90 and 0.98 ug/mL, respectively. Therefore, liquid fermentation with M. anka improved the structural and functional properties of MPDF, suggesting its potential as a functional ingredient in food.

CsMIEL1 effectively inhibits the accumulation of anthocyanins under low temperatures in tea plants (Camelliasinensis).

Tea is one of the most prevalent non-alcoholic beverages. The leaves of tea plants hyperaccumulate anthocyanins under cold stress, resulting in enhanced bitterness. Previously, we determined that the RING-type E3 ubiquitin ligase CsMIEL1 from the tea plant (Camellia sinensis (L.) O. Kuntze) is involved in the response to stress conditions. This study aimed to determine the role of CsMIEL1 in anthocyanin accumulation at the post-translational modification level. The results showed that the heterologous expression of CsMIEL1 led to an 86% decrease in anthocyanin levels, resulting in a significant decrease in the mRNA levels of related genes in Arabidopsis at low temperatures but no significant differences in other phenotypes. Furthermore, multi-omics analysis and yeast two-hybrid library screening were performed to identify potential downstream targets of CsMIEL1. The results showed that the overexpression of CsMIEL1 resulted in 45% (448) of proteins being differentially expressed, of which 8% (36) were downregulated in A.thaliana, and most of these differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) were clustered in the plant growth and secondary metabolic pathways. Among the 71 potential targets that may interact with CsMIEL1, CsMYB90 and CsGSTa, which are related to anthocyanin accumulation, were selected. In subsequent analyses, these two proteins were verified to interact with CsMIEL1 via yeast two-hybrid (Y2H) and pull-down analyses in vitro. In summary, we explored the potential mechanism by which the E3 ligase relieves anthocyanin hyperaccumulation at low temperatures in tea plants. These results provide a new perspective on the mechanisms of anthocyanin regulation and the molecular breeding of tea plants.

Developing and validating machine learning-based prediction models for frailty occurrence in those with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Background: Frailty is a medical syndrome caused by multiple factors, characterized by decreased strength, endurance, and diminished physiological function, resulting in increased susceptibility to dependence and/or death. Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) tend to be more vulnerable to frailty due to their physical and psychological burdens. Therefore, the aim of this study was to develop a reliable and accurate vulnerability risk prediction model for frailty in patients with COPD in order to improve the identification and prediction of patient frailty. The specific objectives of this study were to determine the prevalence of frailty in patients with COPD and develop a prediction model and evaluate its predictive power. Methods: Clinical information was analyzed using data from the 2018 China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS) database, and 34 indicators, including behavioral factors, health status, mental health parameters, and various sociodemographic variables, were examined in the study. The adaptive synthetic sampling technique was used for unbalanced data. Three methods, ridge regressor, extreme gradient boosting (XGBoost) classifier, and random forest (RF) regressor, were used to filter predictors. Seven machine learning (ML) techniques including logistic regression (LR), support vector machines (SVM), multilayer perceptron, light gradient-boosting machine, XGBoost, RF, and K-nearest neighbors were used to analyze and determine the optimal model. For customized risk assessment, an online predictive risk modeling website was created, along with Shapley additive explanation (SHAP) interpretations. Results: Depression, smoking, gender, social activities, dyslipidemia, asthma, and residence type (urban vs. rural) were predictors for the development of frailty in patients with COPD. In the test set, the XGBoost model had an area under the curve of 0.942 (95% confidence interval: 0.925-0.959), an accuracy of 0.915, a sensitivity of 0.873, and a specificity of 0.911, indicating that it was the best model. Conclusions: The ML predictive model developed in this study is a useful and easy-to-use instrument for assessing the vulnerability risk of patients with COPD and may aid clinical physicians in screening high-risk patients.

Nutritional Management of Lung Cancer Patients Undergoing Chemotherapy: A Qualitative Exploration of Patients' and Healthcare Professionals' Perspectives.

OBJECTIVES: To describe the experiences of lung cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy in nutrition management and the problems in the process of implementing nutrition management for patients by healthcare professionals. METHODS: This is a qualitative descriptive study. Qualitative data were collected through semistructured interviews with lung cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy (N = 16) and healthcare professionals (N = 24) from the oncology department at three tertiary grade A hospitals. RESULTS: Three themes emerged from the patients' interviews: deficiency in nutritional management capabilities; barriers to implementing nutritional management; incentives to implementing nutritional management. Five themes emerged from the healthcare professionals' interviews: insufficient attention to nutritional management of lung cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy; lack of standardization in nutritional management; inadequate support for nutritional management; weak multidisciplinary awareness; poor compliance from patients and their families. CONCLUSIONS: The nutritional management of lung cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy is a complicated and vital process that requires the joint efforts of healthcare professionals and patients. Formulating corresponding strategies from multiple perspectives is suggested to provide targeted nutritional guidance for patients. IMPLICATION FOR NURSING PRACTICE: This study can help nurses better understand the nutritional management needs and challenges of patients to provide individualized nutritional guidance to patients. Meanwhile, the study also found the existing problems of nutrition management in clinical work, which can help nurses to reflect on and better participate in the nutrition management of patients.

Perceived control, self-management efficacy, and quality of life in patients treated with radiation therapy for breast cancer: a longitudinal study.

OBJECTIVE: This longitudinal study aims to examine the present state of perceived control, self-management efficacy, and overall quality of life (QoL) in patients with breast cancer undergoing radiotherapy, and gain insight into the dynamic trends and factors that influence the quality of life experienced by patients during the course of radiotherapy. METHODS: Participants completed the Cancer Experience and Efficacy Scale (CEES), Strategies Used by People to Promote Health (SUPPH), and Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy- Breast (FACT-B). The data was analyzed using the software SPSS26.0. Repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) and mixed-effects linear models were used to analyze trends in perceived control, self-management efficacy, and QoL at three-time points, as well as factors affecting QoL during radiotherapy. RESULTS: Perceived control and self-management efficacy were associated with QoL over the course of the radiotherapy. Self-management efficacy (ß = 0.30, P < 0.001), presence of chemotherapy (ß = 18.33, P = 0.024), and duration of illness (ß = 2.25, P = 0.028) had a positive effect on the change in QoL, while time (ß = - 2.95, P < 0.001), cancer experience (ß = - 0.46, P < 0.001), and type of medical insurance (ß = - 2.77, P = 0.021) had the negative effect on the change in QoL. CONCLUSION: The QoL, perceived control, and self-efficacy of patients with breast cancer show dynamic changes during radiotherapy. The higher the self-efficacy, the better the QoL, and the worse the QoL when the sense of disease control is poor. At the same time, more attention should be paid to the QoL of breast cancer radiotherapy patients with a long course of the disease, receiving chemotherapy, and different medical payment methods.

Inhibitory Effect of P22077 on Airway Inflammation in Rats with COPD and Its Mechanism.

Purpose: Here, we studied the pharmacological effect of P22077 on airway inflammation induced by lipopolysaccharide and cigarette smoke and explored the therapeutic mechanism of P22077 in COPD model RAT. Patients and Methods: The COPD model was established by lipopolysaccharide combined with fumigation; animals were treated with vehicle or P22077. Serum, bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF), and lung tissues were collected for analysis. Results: Our results showed that P22077 treatment significantly improved the airway inflammation of COPD model RAT and reduced the recruitment of leukocytes in BALF, and hypersecretion of interleukin-18 (IL-18), interleukin-1ß (IL-1ß) in BALF and serum. H&E staining showed that P22077 treatment could effectively reduce emphysema, immune cell infiltration and airway wall destruction. PAS staining showed that The proliferation of cup cells in the airway wall and the number of bronchial cup cells were significantly reduced in rats treated with P22077. In addition, we found that P22077 treatment suppressed the generation of the NLRP3/ASC/Caspase 1 inflammasome complex to inhibit the inflammatory response caused by IL-1ß and IL-18. Conclusion: Conclusion: P22077 inhibits expression of NLRP3 pathway-related inflammatory factors and proteins and reduces the airway inflammatory response and inflammatory cell aggregation in COPD rats. The underlying mechanism may be related to the down-regulation of NLRP3 inflammatory vesicle signaling pathway expression.

Profiles of financial toxicity and influencing factors among cancer patients: A latent profile analysis.

BACKGROUND: While cancer treatment has improved patient prognosis, it has also become more costly. The high hospitalization expenses for cancer patients place a significant financial burden on individuals, families, and society. OBJECTIVES: To identify the potential categories and characteristics of Financial Toxicity (FT) among cancer patients and explore the associated influencing factors. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 299 cancer patients in southwest China from February 2023 to May 2023(response rate 96.45 %). FT was measured by Financial Toxicity based on Patient-Reported Outcome Measures (COST-PROM), emotional inhibition was measured by the emotional inhibition scale (EIS), and treatment burden was measured by the Treatment Burden Questionnaire (TBQ). We used latent profile analysis (LPA) by Mplus.8.0 to identify latent classes of the FT. Multinomial logistic regression analysis was used to analyze the relevant factors on the different categories. RESULTS: The FT of cancer patients can be identified into 3 groups: high-level (43.1 %), medium-level (36.1 %), and low-level (20.7 %) groups. Literacy, annual household income, health problem dimension scores, verbal inhibition scores, and self-control scores can be the predictors of FT among different profiles. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings may provide a new viewpoint for managing FT among cancer patients. Healthcare providers should pay attention to the FT of cancer patients and develop targeted interventions to reduce their FT levels.

The potential influences of professional identity for undergraduate nursing students during the COVID-19 pandemic: A cross-sectional study.

AIM: We aimed to investigate the level of undergraduate nursing students' professional identity (PI) during the COVID-19 pandemic and its potential influences. METHODS: This cross-sectional study included 742 undergraduate nursing students from Chengdu Medical College. Basic demographics, personal characteristics and PI score were collected. Chi-squared test, one-way analysis of variance, and multivariable logistic regression analysis were used to analyze the data. RESULTS: In the classes of 2019, 2020, and 2021, the PI score was 96.85 ± 18.26, 105.37 ± 17.46, 106.67 ± 22.08 (P < .001). PI score was the independent predictive factor for both "want to be a nurse" and "willingness to serve during COVID-19 or other pandemics". CONCLUSIONS: PI contributes greatly to nursing students' willingness to be a nurse and overcome pandemics. The challenge of culturing PI during COVID-19 pandemic revealed the necessity of developing individual management strategies for nursing education.

Association between self-disclosure and benefit finding of Chinese cancer patients caregivers: the mediation effect of coping styles.

PURPOSE: To examine the relationship between self-disclosure, coping styles, and benefit finding (BF) among caregivers of cancer patients. The study also aimed to identify the factors influencing BF and the impact of coping styles on the relationship between self-disclosure and BF. METHODS: Convenience sampling was used to select 300 caregivers of cancer patients aged greater than 18 years from October 2022 to April 2023 in Chengdu, China. The demographic and clinical characteristics questionnaire, the Benefit Finding Scale (BFS), the Distress Disclosure Index Scale (DDI), and the Simple Coping Style Scale (SCSQ) for caregivers were included in this study. Descriptive statistics, t-tests, one-way analysis of variance, Pearson's correlation analyses, and multiple linear regression models were used. The effect of mediation was tested by the PROCESS macro (Model 4) for SPSS 26.0 by Hayes using 5000 bootstrap samples. RESULTS: There were 292 valid questionnaires (effective response rate 97.33%). The total scores of BF, self-disclosure, negative coping style, and positive coping style of caregivers were 67.77 ± 14.78, 38.23 ± 8.59, 19.68 ± 5.98, and 9.88 ± 4.18, respectively; Pearson's correlation analysis showed that BF was positively correlated with self-disclosure, positive coping, and negatively correlated with negative coping; multiple linear regression analysis showed that self-disclosure, positive coping, and negative coping were influential factors of BF. The results revealed that the effect of self-disclosure on BF was partly mediated by coping styles. It also confirmed that the mediation effect accounted for 54.03% of the total effect. CONCLUSION: The BF of caregivers is at a moderate level. Self-disclosure may influence BF partly because of coping styles.

Identification of Genes and Key Pathways Associated with the Pathophysiology of Lung Cancer and Atrial Fibrillation.

Background: Lung cancer is a malignant tumor originating from respiratory epithelial cells in the bronchi, bronchioles, and alveoli, often associated with atrial fibrillation; However, there is a lack of in-depth understanding of its genetic basis and molecular mechanisms. Our goal is to study the genes and signaling networks associated with cancer and atrial fibrillation. Materials and methods: We obtained microarray datasets for lung tumors from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database and AF for this investigation: GSE30219, GSE79768, and screened the candidate specimens in both microarrays for differential genes at P < .05 using GEO2R. The outcomes were also examined using the Gene Ontology (GO) functional enrichment and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Gene and Gene Combinations (KEGG) pathway analysis methods. Using STRING and Cytoscape, protein interaction networks (PPI) were analyzed and visualized. The Molecular Complex Detection (MOCDE) plugin is responsible for filtering important compounds. Candidate genes are then screened by the cytoHubba plugin according to MCC criteria. After taking the intersection of the Hub genes by the Wayne diagram, the ROC curves were plotted separately by combining the data from one lung cancer dataset GSE19804, two AF datasets GSE41177/GSE14975 in the GEO database. Results: An aggregate of 49 co-expressed differentially expressed genes (co-DEGs) were discovered in lung cancer/AF and healthy controls. Most co-DEGs were found in neutrophil activation, where they were linked to immunological response and interactions between cytokines and cytokine receptors, according to GO and KEGG pathway analyses. Furthermore, due of their significant connectedness in both the lung carcinoma and AF datasets, we chose six key genes. They are MNDA, HP, LYZ, S100A9, S100A8, and S100A12, among others. Conclusions: The findings of this research indicate that the onset of lung cancer and AF depends on a small number of distinctive genes. We investigated the functional enrichment, differential gene expression, and PPI of DEGs in lung cancer and AF, and the results offer fresh perspectives on the discovery of prospective biomarkers and priceless therapeutic precursors in these two diseases.

Enhancing acid-base-water ternary aerosol nucleation with organic acid: a case of tartaric acid.

The new particle formation (NPF) process has been observed globally in clean and polluted environments, where the fundamental mechanisms leading to multicomponent aerosol formation remain elusive. Dicarboxylic acids play an important role in atmospheric NPF. In this study, theoretical calculations are performed to assess the effect of tartaric acid (TA) on the formation of clusters consisting of sulfuric acid (SA), ammonia (AM) or amines (methylamine or dimethylamine, MA/DMA) in the presence of water. Both carboxyl groups and hydroxyl groups in the carbon chain of TA could be involved in hydrogen bonds. The presence of TA triggers proton transfer from SA to the base molecule to form new covalent bonds or strengthens the preexisting covalent bonds, hence, all the hydrated (SA)(TA)(base) cluster formations by adding one TA molecule to the (SA)(base) hydrates are energetically favorable. The dipole-dipole interaction is not only related to the Gibbs energy change for acid affinity reactions to (SA)(W)n and (SA)(base)(W)n (n = 0-4) clusters but also positively related to the reaction rate constant. These results combined with preliminary kinetic results indicate that TA is very likely to participate in clustering and promote subsequent growth involving hydrated SA and (SA)(base) clusters. In addition, our results further indicate that the NPF process can be promoted by multicomponent nucleation involving organic acids, SA, and base species, which will help in understanding NPF in polluted areas and improving global and regional models.

Theoretical Study of the Gas-Phase Hydrolysis of Formaldehyde to Produce Methanediol and Its Implication to New Particle Formation.

Aldehydes were speculated to be important precursor species in new particle formation (NPF). The direct involvement of formaldehyde (CH2O) in sulfuric acid and water nucleation is negligible; however, whether its atmospheric hydrolysate, methanediol (CH2(OH)2), which contains two hydroxyl groups, participates in NPF is not known. This work investigates both CH2O hydrolysis and NPF from sulfuric acid and CH2(OH)2 with quantum chemistry calculations and atmospheric cluster dynamics modeling. Kinetic calculation shows that reaction rates of the gas-phase hydrolysis of CH2O catalyzed by sulfuric acid are 11-15 orders of magnitude faster than those of the naked path at 253-298 K. Based on structures and the calculated formation Gibbs free energies, the interaction between sulfuric acid/its dimer/its trimer and CH2(OH)2 is thermodynamically favorable, and CH2(OH)2 forms hydrogen bonds with sulfuric acid/its dimer/its trimer via two hydroxyl groups to stabilize clusters. Our further cluster kinetic calculations suggested that the particle formation rates of the system are higher than those of the binary system of sulfuric acid and water at ambient low sulfuric acid concentrations and low relative humidity. In addition, the formation rate is found to present a negative temperature dependence because evaporation rate constants contribute significantly to it. However, cluster growth is essentially limited by the weak formation of the largest clusters, which implies that other stabilizing vapors are required for stable cluster formation and growth.

Comparative analysis of bacterial diversity in two hot springs in Hefei, China.

Hot springs are extreme ecological environments of microbes. The study is the first comparative analysis of bacterial diversity of Tangchi and Bantang hot spring water samples collected in Hefei, China, which is conducive to the further development and utilization of microbial resources in hot springs. Illumina MiSeq system was utilized to sequence and analyze the bacterial 16S rRNA gene from hot spring water samples by bioinformatics, to probe into the bacterial abundance and diversity of two hot springs in Hefei. Results revealed that prevalent bacterial phyla in Tangchi hot spring were Bacillota and Aquificota, and the prevalent bacterial genus was Hydrogenobacter; prevalent phyla in Bantang hot spring were Pseudomonadota followed by Actinobacteriota, and prevalent genera were CL500-29_marine_group and Polynucleobacter. More species and higher evenness in Bantang hot spring than those in Tangchi hot spring. In MetaCyc pathway analysis, the major pathways of metabolism existed in the bacteria from the two hot springs were 'pyruvate fermentation to isobutanol (engineered)', 'acetylene degradation', 'carbon fixation pathways in prokaryotes', 'nitrate reduction I (denitrification)', 'methanogenesis from acetate', 'superpathway of glucose and xylose degradation', etc.

Drugs Targeting NLRP3 Inflammasome in the Treatment of Diabetic Bone Disorders.

BACKGROUND: Growing pieces of evidence demonstrate a close relationship between bone regeneration disorders of diabetic patients and NOD-like receptor thermal protein domain associated protein 3 (NLRP3). Drugs targeting NLRP3 in the treatment of diabetic bone disorders have been heatedly discussed in recent years, and new R&D ideas should be explored. OBJECTIVE: This review analyzes molecular mechanisms of how hyperglycemia activates NLRP3 and leads to bone disorders in diabetic patients. Also, this review focuses on the research of drugs targeting NLRP3 inflammasome in the treatment of diabetic bone disorders, and eventually points out the ideas for new drug development. RESULTS: In diabetic patients, hyperglycemia ultimately increases the expression of NLRP3 inflammasome which cleaves pro-IL-1ß into mature IL-1ß by caspase-1, leading to impaired bone formation. Drugs targeting NLRP3 inflammasome are divided into two categories. Indirect-acting drugs for NLRP3 inflammasomes include dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors, lipoxygen A4, epigallocatechin gallate, and vitamin D3. Direct-acting drugs include Glyburide, Dioscin, and Pristimerin. CONCLUSION: The presented studies indicate that hyperglycemia is the initiating factor for NLRP3-induced bone disorders in diabetic patients. The main drug targets are the molecules relevant to the assembly and activation of NLRP3 inflammasome. These data may provide a theoretical basis for the further development of drugs targeting NLRP3 inflammasome in the treatment of diabetic bone disorders.

Spirituality as a Mediator Between Social Support and Benefit Finding Among Advanced Cancer Patients.

BACKGROUND: Social support and benefit finding (BF) are important for cancer patients. The relationship between social support and BF has not been studied sufficiently in patients with advanced cancer, and the mechanism through which social support might influence BF is unclear. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to investigate the relationship between social support and BF in Chinese patients with advanced cancer as mediated by their perceptions of spirituality. METHODS: This was a correlation study with a cross-sectional design. We recruited advanced-cancer patients (n = 208) from China. Patients' sociodemographic and clinical characteristics were collected, and they were asked to complete the Benefit Finding Scale, the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, and the Spiritual Attitude and Involvement List. RESULTS: Social support was associated with greater spirituality and greater BF ( P < .01). Spirituality was positively correlated with BF ( P < .01). Results from mediation analysis identified that both the indirect effect of social support on BF via spirituality (indirect effect, 0.268; 95% confidence interval, 0.147-0.419) and its direct effect on BF (direct effect, 0.233; 95% confidence interval, 0.031-0.429) were statistically significant, suggesting a partial mediatory effect of spirituality between social support and BF. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings supported a positive association between social support and BF among Chinese advanced-cancer patients. The mediatory role of spirituality should provide a new perspective for augmentation of BF in these patients. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: Interventions that help enhance social support and spirituality in patients with advanced cancer could facilitate their BF.

Construction of IMMS Containing Multi-site Liposomes for Dynamic Monitoring of Blood CTC in Patients with Osimertinib-resistant Non-small-cell Lung Cancer and its Mechanism.

OBJECTIVE: This article aims to establish a liquid biopsy system for gene detection of circulating tumor cells (CTC) in lung cancer, systematically analyze the significance of osimertinib resistance, and formulate an individualized diagnosis and treatment plan. METHODS: Liposome-contained magnetic microspheres coated with Fe3O4 nanoparticles were synthesized by microemulsion, and the surface was modified with EGFR antibody to form EGFR/EpCAM multi-site liposome-contained immunomagnetic microspheres (IMMSs). The CTCs were isolated and identified from peripheral blood samples and the cell lines of lung cancer patients collected by the multi-site liposome-contained IMMSs. To investigate the effects of the order of use of IMMSs sequence at different sites on the sorting and trapping efficiency of non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cells . The preliminary verification of drug-resistant gene function and dynamic monitoring of CTCs in 20 patients with EGFR-positive NSCLC were screened and statistically analyzed before and after osimertinib treatment. Sensitivity analysis and drug resistance evaluation of oxitidine were detected in vitro. RESULTS: Results showed the prepared multi-site liposome-contained IMMSs had high stability and specificity. The number of CTCs in blood samples of the patients with NSCLC was detected, revealing high sorting efficiency, and positive sorting rate reaching more than 90%. We investigated the effect of osimertinib on the HER-2 expression on the EGFR-mutated NSCLC cells and found that osimertinib increased the expression of HER-2 on the cell surface of NSCLC cell lines., And further explored the therapeutic potential of osimertinib combined with T-DM1 at different dosing times. CONCLUSION: Our results demonstrate that the prepared multi-site liposome-contained IMMSs can efficiently isolate CTCs from the peripheral blood in lung cancer. Combined with the experimental data about osimertinib can be effectively identified, the resistant genes of NSCLC including EGFR, which will provide a new scientific basis for guiding clinical medication and formulating individualized treatment plans.

Fear of progression, loneliness, and hope in patients with gastrointestinal cancer: a cross-sectional relational study.

Introduction: In recent years, fear of disease progression (FoP) has become one of the most common psychological problems in cancer patients. However, there are fewer studies on the FoP in patients with gastrointestinal tumors. We aimed to assess the level of FoP in patients with gastrointestinal tumors and analyze the factors related to FoP. We also aimed to examine the relationship among loneliness, hope and FoP in patients with gastrointestinal cancer. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted on three Grade A hospitals in southwestern China from November 2021 to July 2022. The demographic and clinical characteristics questionnaire, Fear of Disease Progression Scale (FoP-Q-SF), Cancer Loneliness Scale (CLS), and Herth Hope Index (HHI) were included in this study. Data analysis included descriptive statistics, independent samples t-tests, one-way analysis of variance, and multiple linear regression analysis. Results: In total, 245 gastrointestinal cancer patients participated in this study. The average (standard deviation) FoP score in patients was 32.94 ± 10.64. In total, 245 gastrointestinal cancer patients participated in this study. The average (standard deviation) FoP score in patients was 32.94 ± 10.64. The average score of CLS was 17.65 ± 6.71, and that for the HHI was 31.27 ± 7.73. Pearson correlation analysis showed that FoP was negatively significant correlated with hope level (r = -0.522) and FoP was positively significant correlated with loneliness (r = 0.545). Linear regression analysis showed that educational level, age, living condition, hope, and loneliness were the significant predictors of FoP and explained 53.10% of the variability in FoP (F = 16.372). Conclusion: Findings highlight the need to strengthen attention to FoP in gastrointestinal cancer patients. Our study showed that gastrointestinal cancer patients who have a high school education, are age 45 to 59, live alone, high level of loneliness, and low level of hope have higher FoP. Medical staff should enhance clinical screening of FoP and consider the formulation of relevant interventions for high-risk groups to reduce loneliness among patients, raise their hope level, and reduce their FoP.

Mesenchymal Stem Cell-Derived Exosomal Long Noncoding RNA MALAT1-201 Regulated the Proliferation, Apoptosis and Migration of Trophoblast Cells via Targeting miR-141.

OBJECTIVE: MALAT1 has been confirmed to play a vital role in the progression of preeclampsia (PE). However, as one of the spliceosomes of MALAT1, the role and mechanism of MALAT1-201 in the progression of PE remain elusive. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) correlate with angiogenesis and trophoblast formation and could maintain successful pregnancy, while the molecular mechanisms are still unclear. The aim of the study was to investigate the role and potential mechanism of MALAT1-201 in PE. METHODS: We isolated MSCs from bone marrow and cultured in vitro. We overexpressed MALAT1-201 in MSCs and collected exosomes released by MSCs to treat trophoblast cells. Then, the proliferation, apoptosis and migration of MALAT1-201 elevated trophoblast cells were detected by CCK-8, flow cytometer and transwell assay, respectively. The binding site between MALAT1-201 and miR-141 was detected by dual-luciferase assays. The location of MALAT1-201 was detected by cytoplasmic and nuclear RNA fractionation. RESULTS: We successfully cultured bone marrow derived MSCs in vitro. MSC-Ex carrying MALAT1-201 promoted proliferation and migration, while suppressed apoptosis of trophoblast cells, which is similar to the effects of MALAT1-201 gene on trophoblast cells. In addition, MALAT1-201 was mainly localized in the nucleus and miR-141 was the target of MALAT1-201. CONCLUSIONS: MALAT1-201 derived from MSC-Ex regulated the proliferation, apoptosis and migration of HTR8-Svneo cells by targeting miR-141, which indicated a promising therapeutic target for PE.