Investigating the effects and efficacy of self-compassion intervention on generalized anxiety disorders.

BACKGROUND: Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) is the least successfully treated anxiety disorder. This clinical trial investigated the effects and efficacy of a novel self-compassion intervention in GAD. METHODS: A total of 75 GAD patients were assigned to a self-compassion intervention group (n = 25), a mindfulness intervention group (n = 25), or a treat-as-usual group (n = 25). Patients in the two active groups received eight intervention sessions in two weeks in addition to usual treatment i.e., pharmacotherapy. Primary outcomes were anxiety and worry, assessed at pre-intervention, post-intervention, and three-month follow-up. Secondary outcomes included depression, sleep, as well as self-compassion and mindfulness. RESULTS: Both the self-compassion and mindfulness intervention induced a more rapid decrease in anxiety and depression than pharmacological treatment alone with excellent response and remission rate. Self-compassion intervention also induced a more rapid improvement in sleep quality compared to mindfulness intervention and pharmacological treatment alone. We also presented a mechanism for the self-compassion intervention in which decreased anxiety led to improvement in sleep quality. There was also a higher pleasure, acceptance, and willingness to re-attend in the self-compassion compared to the mindfulness intervention. LIMITATIONS: This study was single blinded and nonrandomized which may bring risks of bias. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, we provided novel evidence that self-compassion intervention is an alternative psychotherapy for GAD with excellent response and acceptability.

A novel "turn-off" photoelectrochemical aptasensing platform for selective detection of tobramycin based on the Ti3C2-MoS2/BiOI heterojunction.

Tobramycin (TOB), as a widely used antibiotic, poses severe unpredictable risks to ecology and health. In this study, a novel photoelectrochemical (PEC) adapter sensor, based on its "turn-off" PEC mode, was constructed for TOB detection. This visible-light-driven photoelectrochemical (PEC) aptasensor was successfully developed for TOB detection using Ti3C2-MoS2/BiOI and TOB aptamer probes. When TOB was captured by probes anchored on the modified electrode, a decreased photocurrent was also noted due to steric hindrance and this further hindered electron transfer. Under optimal conditions, 0.001 ng mL-1 to 40 ng mL-1 of TOB could be identified, with the detection limit being as low as 0.5 pg mL-1. At the same time, actual samples were also explored. Finally, the proposed sensor exhibited high specificity, satisfactory detectability and great reproducibility, thereby providing a novel approach for the detection of pollutants.

Numerical study on the impact of wall structure on the thermal performance of double-channel porous solar wall.

With the improvement of people's living standards, they have higher requirements for indoor thermal comfort in the cold season. Solar wall utilizing solar energy for heating can reduce carbon emissions and achieve carbon neutrality. In the aspect of solar wall research, the influence of wall structure on the thermal performance of double-channel porous solar wall is limitedly investigated. In fact, the optimization design of wall structure is important for the thermal performance of solar wall and its applications. Therefore, a simplified three dimensional room model is built to study the influence of the wall structure on the thermal performance of porous solar wall by numerical simulation. With this model, different channel spacing and thickness of porous walls were used to determine the optimal design for a double-channel porous solar wall in terms of enhancing the heat storage. Moreover, the influence of the surface emissivity on the characteristics of heating and temperature field of double-channel porous solar wall are studied based on the optimal structure. The CFD simulation results indicate that the optimal structure parameters should include spacing of 0.08 m for channel 1, the porous wall thickness should be 0.08 m, and the air channel 2 spacing should be 0.06 m. The temperature of air channel 1 and air channel 2, the indoor temperature, and the heat storage of porous wall decrease with the increase of the surface emissivity of the porous wall. In order to improve the heat storage performance of double-channel porous solar wall, the outer surface of the porous wall should use a lower emissivity material. The outer surface emissivity of porous wall has a significant impact on the heat storage of the porous wall and little effect on the thermal storage wall. The temperature of porous wall is always higher than that of outdoor environment temperature.

MWCNT modified Ni-Fe LDH/BiVO4 heterojunction: boosted visible-light-driven photoelectrochemical aptasensor for ofloxacin detection.

Sensitivity and selectivity, which can be identified by the photosensitivity of materials and the identification of elements, are two important factors for a photoelectrochemical aptasensor (PEC aptasensor). Herein, a patent PEC aptasensor for specifically detecting ofloxacin (OFL) was exploited, and a visible-light-active MWCNT/LDH/BiVO4 heterostructure was introduced as a photoactive material and identification elements, respectively. The combination of LDH with BiVO4 enhanced the photocurrent response, and MWCNT provided higher electron conductivity, which are advantageous for structuring PEC sensors. Furthermore, the two-pot synthesis of MWCNT/LDH/BiVO4 has the advantage of possessing an environmentally friendly character. Under optimal conditions, the photocurrent response of MWCNT/LDH/BiVO4 presents a linear trend with OFL concentration from 0.1 to 16 000 nM, and the limit of detection (S/N = 3) is as low as 0.03 nM. This new PEC sensing device afforded an ultra-sensitive sensor which has high selectivity and stability for detecting OFL.

Experimental study of the catalytic effect of iron on low-rank coal gasification.

Acid-washing low-rank coal samples were loaded with different content of iron catalyst and then pyrolyzed. FT-IR, Raman spectra, and temperature-programmed experiments were used to investigate the influence of iron on the coal char. The FT-IR results revealed that iron catalyst rises the number of -OH, -CH3, and -CH2 functional groups. The Raman spectra results showed that partial large polyaromatic ring structures transform into small polyaromatic ring structures after the addition of iron. The results of temperature-programmed desorption indicated that the number of surface active sites is increased due to the addition of iron. For low-rank coal char with 3% Fe, the number of active sites increased with the increase of adsorption temperature until 800 °C and then start to decrease. At 750 °C, the adsorption capacity of CO2 increased with the increase of time and reached saturation state after 45 min. The results of the char-steam isothermal gasification experiment suggested that the iron catalyst enhances the gasification reactivity of low-rank coal. It is verified that iron catalysts can improve the gasification reactivity of low-rank coal by increasing the number of surface active sites.

Printing 3D vagina tissue analogues with vagina decellularized extracellular matrix bioink.

A variety of factors can cause vaginal loss. The patients are suffering from great psychological and physical pain, and there is an urgent need for vagina reconstruction. 3D-bioprinting is expected to achieve vaginal morphological restoration and true functional reconstruction. The current study aimed to explore the biomimetic 3D vagina tissue printing with acellular vagina matrix (AVM) bioink. The AVM from pig was converted to bioink by 15% gelatin and 3% sodium alginate mixed with the AVM solution. Rheology, scanning electron microscopy and HE staining were performed to characterize the bioink's viscosity, morphologies and biocompatibility. After printing, the viability of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) in the printed 3D scaffolds in vitro was investigated by a live/dead assay kit. Then, subcutaneous transplantation in rats were divided randomly into 3D scaffold group and 3D scaffold encapsulating CM-Dil-labeled BMSCs group. The results of HE, immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescence staining revealed that 3D scaffold encapsulating BMSCs expressed significant effects on the vascularization and epithelization of the printed vagina tissue, and the BMSCs could acquire the phenotype of vaginal epithelial cells and endothelial-like cells. The work showed that the biomimetic 3D vagina tissue with AVM bioink encapsulating BMSCs is a promising approach for vagina reconstruction.

A stereological study of 3D printed tissues engineered from rat vaginas.

BACKGROUND: This study aims to retrieve the stereological data from rat vaginas for 3D printing tissue-engineered vaginas. METHODS: In this study, five female Sprague-Dawley rats, aged 8-12 weeks, were used to obtaining the vagina tissues. Each vagina was divided into eight segments fixed in 4% paraformaldehyde and embedded in paraffin, whose two consecutive sections of each block were stained using hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) and anti-α-actin antibody with immunohistochemistry staining, respectively. The thickness of the epithelium, lamina propria, the smooth muscle layer, and the adventitia layer are measured. Then, the volume density of the epithelial cells and smooth muscle cells are counted using design-based stereology. RESULTS: The length and width of the rat vaginas were 2 and 1.5 cm, respectively. The thickness of the epithelium, lamina, propria, and adventitia layer was measured, and no significant difference was observed. However, the thickness of the smooth muscle layer was significantly different among these eight segments. The smooth muscle layer of the lower vagina is thicker than the upper vagina. The average volume density of epithelial cells and smooth muscle cells is 1.61×109/cm3 and 5.38×108/cm3. There was a significant difference observed. CONCLUSIONS: We had successfully retrieved the stereological data of the vaginas. The gained data will supply us with the information for 3D printing vaginas and new insights into the structure of the vagina.

Exosomes Derived from Adipose Mesenchymal Stem Cells Restore Functional Endometrium in a Rat Model of Intrauterine Adhesions.

Intrauterine adhesion (IUA) caused by endometrial injury is one of the important causes of infertility in women of reproductive age and requires advanced treatment strategies. Increasing evidence suggests that the therapeutic effects of mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) mainly depend on their capacity to secrete paracrine factors and are mediated by MSC-derived exosomes. This study aimed to identify exosomes derived from adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (ADSC-exo) and explore the therapeutic potential in IUA rat models. ADSC-exo exhibited classic cup-shaped morphology with a positive expression of Alix and CD63 and were mainly concentrated at 109.5 nm. In IUA model, treatment with ADSC-exo maintained normal uterine structure, promoted endometrial regeneration and collagen remodeling, and enhanced the expression of integrin-ß3, LIF, and VEGF. An improved receptivity of the regenerated endometrium was confirmed. Our findings demonstrated that ADSC-exo promoted endometrial regeneration and fertility restoration. It suggested that topical administration of ADSC-exo in uterus could be a promising strategy for patients suffering severe intrauterine adhesions and infertility.

Density functional theory study the effects of oxygen-containing functional groups on oxygen molecules and oxygen atoms adsorbed on carbonaceous materials.

Density functional theory was used to study the effects of different types of oxygen-containing functional groups on the adsorption of oxygen molecules and single active oxygen atoms on carbonaceous materials. During gasification or combustion reactions of carbonaceous materials, oxygen-containing functional groups such as hydroxyl(-OH), carbonyl(-CO), quinone(-O), and carboxyl(-COOH) are often present on the edge of graphite and can affect graphite's chemical properties. When oxygen-containing functional groups appear on a graphite surface, the oxygen molecules are strongly adsorbed onto the surface to form a four-member ring structure. At the same time, the O-O bond is greatly weakened and easily broken. The adsorption energy value indicates that the adsorption of oxygen molecules changes from physisorption to chemisorption for oxygen-containing functional groups on the edge of a graphite surface. In addition, our results indicate that the adsorption energy depends on the type of oxygen-containing functional group. When a single active oxygen atom is adsorbed on the bridge site of graphite, it gives rise to a stable epoxy structure. Epoxy can cause deformation of the graphite lattice due to the transition of graphite from sp2 to sp3 after the addition of an oxygen atom. For quinone group on the edge of graphite, oxygen atoms react with carbon atoms to form the precursor of CO2. Similarly, the single active oxygen atoms of carbonyl groups can interact with edge carbon atoms to form the precursor of CO2. The results show that oxygen-containing functional groups on graphite surfaces enhance the activity of graphite, which promotes adsorption on the graphite surface.

A community-based controlled trial of a comprehensive psychological intervention for community residents with diabetes or hypertension.

BACKGROUND: Depression and anxiety often occur in persons with chronic physical illnesses and typically magnify the impairment caused by these physical conditions, but little attention has been paid to this issue in low- and middle-income countries. AIM: Evaluate the effectiveness of a community-based psychological intervention administered by non-specialized clinicians and volunteers for alleviating depressive and anxiety symptoms in individuals with chronic physical illnesses. METHODS: A total of 10, 164 community residents receiving treatment for diabetes or hypertension in Shanghai were arbitrarily assigned to a treatment-as-usual condition (n=2042) or an intervention condition (n=8122) that included community-wide psychological health promotion, peer support groups, and individual counseling sessions. The self-report Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), Generalized Anxiety Disorder scale (GAD-7), and 12-item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-12) assessed depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms, and quality of life at baseline and after the 6-month intervention. RESULTS: Among the 8813 individuals who completed the baseline assessment, 16% had mild or more severe depressive or anxiety symptoms (PHQ-9 or GAD-7 ≥5) and 4% had moderate or severe depressive or anxiety symptoms (PHQ-9 or GAD-7 ≥10). The education component of the intervention was effectively implemented, but only 31% of those eligible for peer-support groups and only 9% of those eligible for individual counseling accepted these interventions. The dropout rate was high (51%), and there were significant differences between those who did and did not complete the follow-up assessment. After adjusting for these confounding factors, the results in individuals who completed both assessments indicated that the intervention was associated with significant improvements in depressive symptoms (F=9.98, p<0.001), anxiety symptoms (F=12.85, p<0.001), and in the Mental Component Summary score of the SF-12 (F=16.13, p<0.001). There was, however, no significant change in the self-reported rates of uncontrolled diabetes or hypertension. CONCLUSIONS: These results support the feasibility of implementing community-based interventions to reduce the severity of depressive and anxiety symptoms in persons with chronic medical conditions in low- and middle-income countries where psychiatric manpower is very limited. However, there are substantial methodological challenges to mounting such interventions that need to be resolved in future studies before the widespread up-scaling of this approach will be justified.

Mental health literacy among residents in Shanghai.

BACKGROUND: The recent adoption of China's new national mental health law provides a good opportunity to obtain baseline information about community mental health literacy in the country. AIM: Assess knowledge and attitudes about mental disorders among residents in Shanghai. METHODS: A total of 1953 residents aged 15 or above selected from all 19 districts in Shanghai completed two self-report questionnaires - the Mental Health Knowledge Questionnaire (MHKQ) and the Case Assessment Questionnaire (CAQ). MHKQ total scores range from 0 to 20 (higher scores indicate better mental health literacy). The CAQ presents respondents with five case vignettes and possesses nine questions after each vignette measuring respondents' knowledge and attitudes towards these mental illnesses. RESULTS: Correct response rates for the 20 MHKQ items ranged from 26 to 98%, with a mean rate of 72%. The internal consistency (alpha) of the 20 items on the MHKQ was 0.69, but this decreased to 0.59 after removing four items about mental health promotion. A 5-factor model for the 20 items in the MHKQ was identified using exploratory factor analysis on one-half of the surveys, but the model was only partially validated in the confirmatory factor analysis using the second half of the surveys. On the CAQ, rates of correct recognition of mania, depression, schizophrenia with positive symptoms, schizophrenia with negative symptoms and anxiety were 42%, 35%, 30%, 19% and 21%, respectively. Work stress (37.3%), problems with thinking (30.0%) and negative life events (24.4%) were reported to be the three main causes of mental disorders. Seeing a counselor (34.2%) or a psychiatrist (33.3%) were the two most common suggestions for help-seeking. Higher education and younger age were related with better mental health literacy and higher rates of recognition of common mental disorders. CONCLUSIONS: Mental health literacy in Shanghai appears to be increasing, but the reliability and validity of the instruments used to assess mental health literacy (MHKQ and CAQ) have not been adequately assessed so this result must be considered preliminary. Further work, preferably including both qualitative and quantitative components, is needed to revise these instruments before they can be used to assess the effectiveness of mental health promotion campaigns.