A comparative study of cognitive function in young patients with bipolar disorder with and without non-suicidal self-injury.

OBJECTIVE: Bipolar disorder (BD) is a chronic mental disorder characterized by alternating or mixed episodes of mania or hypomania and depression. Cognitive function impairment is a frequent associated feature of the disease. While many BD patients also engage in non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI), there is a lack of studies on the cognitive function of BD patients with NSSI. This study aimed to evaluate cognitive functioning of BD patients with NSSI and provide a clinical basis for the differential diagnosis and treatment of BD and NSSI. METHODS: A total of 60 BD patients with NSSI, 60 BD patients without NSSI, and 60 healthy controls (HC) were selected for the study. All participants met the inclusion criteria and were not taking any medications, excluding the potential effects of medication on cognitive functions. The following neurocognitive tests were used to measure the cognitive functions in areas such as speed of processing, reasoning and problem solving, attention/vigilance, working memory, visual learning, and verbal learning: The Trail Making Test (TMT), Category Fluency, Digit Symbol Coding Test (DSCT), Brief Visuospatial Memory Test-Revised (BVMT-R), The Neuropsychological Assessment Battery Mazes (NABM), Wechsler Memory Scale Third Edition Spatial Span Test (WMS III-SST), Hopkins Verbal Learning Test-Revised (HVLTR) and Continuous Performance Test and Identical Prs (CPT-IP). RESULTS: The findings indicated that BD patients with NSSI exhibited cognitive impairment in all measured cognitive domains. On the other hand, BD patients without NSSI showed less pronounced impairment in terms of speed of processing, but exhibited significant cognitive impairment in the remaining five areas compared to the HC group. CONCLUSION: The study underscores the presence of cognitive impairment in BD, and the cognitive impairment is more severe in BD patients with NSSI compared to those without NSSI. In conclusion, both individuals with NSSI and those without NSSI in BD exhibit cognitive impairment, which provides ideas and strategies for using cognitive-behavioral therapy to treat BD and NSSI.

How does equity restriction affect innovation quality? Evidence from listed manufacturing companies in China.

Improving the innovation quality of manufacturing companies has currently received increasing attention in the transformation from "Made in China" to "Created in China". Equity restriction is now one of the most talked about issues in China's corporate governance structures, but we have a limited understanding of the impact of equity restriction on innovation quality. This paper empirically analyzes the relationship and intrinsic mechanism between equity restriction and innovation quality using all A-share listed manufacturing companies in China from 2007 to 2021 as the research sample. First, the Tobit regression model is used to analyze the impact of equity restriction on innovation quality, and the Heckman two-stage model is used for the endogenous test. Then, the three-step regression model with mediating effects is used to validate the intrinsic mechanism of equity restriction to promote innovation quality from two paths, namely equity incentives and R&D investment. The research results show that equity restriction has a significant positive impact on innovation quality; equity incentives and R&D investment play a mediating role between equity restriction and innovation quality. This paper enriches the research on the influencing factors of innovation quality and provides a theoretical basis based on equity restriction for the transformation of manufacturing towards high-quality innovation, and explores the intrinsic mechanisms by which equity restriction affects innovation quality.

Regional homogeneity in patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder and depression: A resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging study.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the brain functional impairment of patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) with and without depressive symptoms and analyze the correlation between the degree of impairment and the severity of symptoms. METHOD: Fourteen patients with OCD who met the ICD-10 diagnostic criteria for OCD were included. The group having OCD with depression (OCDd) consisted of 15 patients, and 17 healthy controls (HC) matched for age and education were also included. The Yale-Brown OCD Scale (Y-BOCS) and the 24-item Hamilton Assessment of Depression Scale (HAMD) were administered to the OCD and OCDd groups. Resting-state functional brain magnetic resonance imaging was performed in the three groups of participants. RESULT: The OCDd group had lower scores on the HAMD, Y-BOCS, and obsessive-compulsive thinking subscales compared with the OCD group (P < 0.05). The scores on the OCDd subscale were negatively correlated with the HAMD scores (R =  - 0.568, P = 0.027). The OCDd group had higher regional homogeneity (ReHo) values in the lingual gyrus than the OCD group. The OCDd group had higher ReHo values in the lingual gyrus than the HC group, and the OCDd group had higher ReHo values than the HC group. These differences were statistically significant (P < 0.05). After correction for multiple comparisons, significant difference was observed between the OCDd and HC groups (P＜0.05). In the OCD group, the ReHo value of the lingual gyrus was negatively correlated with the Y-BOCS total score and the compulsive behavior subscale score (R =  - 0.609, -0.552; P = 0.016, 0.033). CONCLUSION: Abnormal ReHo values in the lingual gyrus and right medial superior frontal gyrus were found in the patients with OCDd. In the OCDd group, the ReHo values of the lingual gyrus were negatively correlated with the scores on the Y-BOCS total and obsessive-compulsive subscales, suggesting that abnormal local coherence of the lingual gyrus may be related to the severity of OCD.

Targeting MyD88: Therapeutic mechanisms and potential applications of the specific inhibitor ST2825.

BACKGROUND: Myeloid differentiation factor-88 (MyD88) is a crucial adapter protein that coordinates the innate immune response and establishes an adaptive immune response. The interaction of the Toll/Interleukin-1 receptor (IL-1R) superfamily with MyD88 triggers the activation of various signalling pathways such as nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) and activator protein-1 (AP-1), promoting the production of a variety of immune and inflammatory mediators and potentially driving the development of a variety of diseases. OBJECTIVE: This article will explore the therapeutic potential and mechanism of the MyD88-specific inhibitor ST2825 and describe its use in the treatment of several diseases. We envision future research and clinical applications of ST2825 to provide new ideas for the development of anti-inflammatory drugs and disease-specific drugs to open new horizons for the prevention and treatment of related inflammatory diseases. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This review analysed relevant literature in PubMed and other databases. All relevant studies on MyD88 inhibitors and ST2825 that were published in the last 20 years were used as screening criteria. These studies looked at the development and improvement of MyD88 inhibitors and ST2825. RESULTS: Recent evidence using the small-molecule inhibitor of ST2825 has suggested that blocking MyD88 activity can be used to treat diseases such as neuroinflammation, inflammatory diseases such as acute liver/kidney injury, or autoimmune diseases such as systemic lupus erythematosus and can affect transplantation immunity. In addition, ST2825 has potential therapeutic value in B-cell lymphoma with the MyD88 L265P mutation. CONCLUSION: Targeting MyD88 is a novel therapeutic strategy, and scientific research is presently focused on the development of MyD88 inhibitors. The peptidomimetic compound ST2825 is a widely studied small-molecule inhibitor of MyD88. Thus, ST2825 may be a potential therapeutic small-molecule agent for modulating host immune regulation in inflammatory diseases and inflammatory therapy.

The TLR/MyD88 signalling cascade in inflammation and gastric cancer: the immune regulatory network of Helicobacter pylori.

Helicobacter pylori-induced chronic gastritis represents a well-established risk factor for gastric cancer (GC). However, the mechanism by which chronic inflammation caused by H. pylori induces the development of GC is unclear. H. pylori can influence host cell signalling pathways to induce gastric disease development and mediate cancer promotion and progression. Toll-like receptors (TLRs), as pattern recognition receptors (PRRs), play a key role in the gastrointestinal innate immune response, and their signalling has been implicated in the pathogenesis of an increasing number of inflammation-associated cancers. The core adapter myeloid differentiation factor-88 (MyD88) is shared by most TLRs and functions primarily in H. pylori-triggered innate immune signalling. MyD88 is envisioned as a potential target for the regulation of immune responses and is involved in the regulation of tumourigenesis in a variety of cancer models. In recent years, the TLR/MyD88 signalling pathway has received increasing attention for its role in regulating innate and adaptive immune responses, inducing inflammatory activation and promoting tumour formation. In addition, TLR/MyD88 signalling can manipulate the expression of infiltrating immune cells and various cytokines in the tumour microenvironment (TME). In this review, we discuss the pathogenetic regulatory mechanisms of the TLR/MyD88 signalling cascade pathway and its downstream molecules in H. pylori infection-induced-associated GC. The focus is to elucidate the immunomolecular mechanisms of pathogen recognition and innate immune system activation of H. pylori in the TME of inflammation-associated GC. Ultimately, this study will provide insight into the mechanism of H. pylori-induced chronic inflammation-induced GC development and provide thoughts for GC prevention and treatment strategies.

A comparative study of cognitive functions between schizophrenia and obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Background: Schizophrenia (SZ) and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) are closely linked, have a high comorbidity rate, and their differential diagnosis is challenging in clinic. Some studies have found common cognitive deficits in some domains between them. The goal of this research was to compare the cognitive functions of SZ and OCD in order to offer a clinical foundation for differential diagnosis and treatment of the two disorders. Methods: A control design was used in this study, which comprised 61 patients with SZ, 60 individuals with OCD, and 51 healthy controls (HC). We assessed patients' cognitive functions by testing six domains, including visual learning, reasoning and problem solving, verbal learning, attention/vigilance, speed of processing and working memory. Results: The results showed that patients with SZ had cognitive impairments in all areas except attention/vigilance, while patients with OCD only had cognitive impairment in reasoning and problem-solving. Overall, patients with SZ did not perform as well as patients with OCD in all domains. Conclusions: In terms of neurocognition, both of SZ and OCD patients have defects in reasoning and problem solving. In addition to this, SZ patients also performed worse than HC in other areas such as speed of processing, working memory, verbal learning and visual learning. On the overall level, cognitive performance is better in OCD patients than in SZ patients. The field of reasoning and problem solving can be used as a new goal to study the relationship and treatment strategies between them in the future.

Roles of TGF­ß signalling pathway­related lncRNAs in cancer (Review).

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are a class of RNAs that are >200 nucleotides in length that do not have the ability to be translated into protein but are associated with numerous diseases, including cancer. The involvement of lncRNAs in the signalling of certain signalling pathways can promote tumour progression; these pathways include the transforming growth factor (TGF)-ß signalling pathway, which is related to tumour development. The expression of lncRNAs in various tumour tissues is specific, and their interaction with the TGF-ß signalling pathway indicates that they may serve as new tumour markers and therapeutic targets. The present review summarized the role of TGF-ß pathway-associated lncRNAs in regulating tumorigenesis in different types of cancer and their effects on the TGF-ß signalling pathway.

Mindfulness on Rumination in Patients with Depressive Disorder: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.

Objective: To systematically evaluate the effectiveness of mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) on rumination among patients with depression and their efficacy across countries and year of publication and control conditions. Methods: Web of Science Core Collection, Medline, BIOSIS Citation Index, KCI-Korean Journal Database, SciELO Citation Index, PubMed, Cochrane Library, and Embase were searched to include randomized controlled trials of MBIs for depressive rumination that met the criteria. The Rumination Scale was used as the primary outcome indicator; Depression, mindfulness, and anxiety indexes were selected as the secondary outcome indicators. An evaluation of bias risk was conducted to identify possible sources of bias based on methodological and clinical factors. RevMan5.3 software was used to perform a meta-analysis of the extracted data. Results: Nineteen studies with 1138 patients were included. Meta-analysis showed that MBIs could significantly reduce rumination levels in patients with depression (standardized mean difference (SMD) = −0.46; 95% confidence interval (CI): −0.58, −0.34; p < 0.001), notably improve depression (SMD = −0.58; 95% CI: −0.83, −0.32; p < 0.001), enhance mindfulness ability (SMD = 0.95; 95% CI: 0.57, 1.32; p < 0.001), and reduce the anxiety of patients with depression (SMD = −0.45, 95% CI: −0.62, −0.27; p < 0.001). MBIs conducted in Asia improved rumination better than studies in Europe and North America (SMD = −2.05 95% CI: −4.08, −0.01; p < 0.001) but had no greater effect than behavior activation on depression. The interventions carried out in the past 5 years were significantly better than earlier studies in improving mindfulness levels (SMD = 2.74; 95% CI: 0.81, 4.66; p = 0.005). Conclusions: MBIs are effective in the treatment of depression as they produce pleasant improvement in rumination and depression, decrease the degree of anxiety, and enhance mindfulness levels compared to controls. In newer forms of MBIs, regional differences need to be considered when designing the intervention program. More large, high-quality randomized controlled studies are needed to confirm the conclusion that the effectiveness of MBIs has differences in terms of the trial area and year of publication.

Effects of childhood trauma on nonsuicidal self-injury in adolescent patients with bipolar II depression.

OBJECTIVE: This study was performed to explore the effect of childhood trauma on nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) in adolescents with bipolar II (BD II) depression. METHODS: Based on the diagnostic criteria of the DSM-5 and structured interviews to assess the presence or absence of NSSI, 184 adolescent patients with BD II depression were divided into the NSSI (n = 112) and non-NSSI (n = 72) groups. The Adolescent Nonsuicidal Self-Injury Assessment Questionnaire (ANSAQ), Childhood Trauma Questionnaire-Short Form (CTQ-SF), Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20), Hamilton Depression Scale (HAMD), and Hamilton Anxiety Scale (HAMA) were used to assess the subjects. RESULT: The CTQ-SF, HAMD, HAMA, and TAS-20 scores were significantly higher in the NSSI group than in the non-NSSI group (p < .01). Logistic regression analysis showed emotional abuse (p = .028, OR = 1.14, 95% CI = 1.01-1.28) and age of onset (p = .009) as risk factors for NSSI. Adolescents with onset age 12-13 years (OR = 6.30, 95% CI = 1.72-23.10) and 14-15 years (OR = 2.24, 95% CI = 1.04-4.84) had a higher risk of self-injury relative to adolescents aged 16-18 years. CONCLUSION: Childhood trauma and alexithymia were important influencing factors in adolescent patients with BD II depression. Emotional abuse and age of onset as risk factors for NSSI, and difficulties in emotion recognition were positively associated with the patients' NSSI.

Verbal learning, working memory, and attention/vigilance may be candidate phenotypes of bipolar II depression in Chinese Han nationality.

OBJECTIVES: Bipolar II depression (BD-II) is a subtype of bipolar disorder with recurrent depressive, manic, and frequent depressive episodes as the main clinical manifestations. This study aimed to compare the cognitive function of patients with BD-II with those of healthy siblings and controls to explore the internal phenotype of BD-II in the field of cognitive function. METHODS: 66 BD-II patients, 58 healthy siblings, and 55 healthy controls were assessed with the Trail Making Test (TMT), Digit Symbol Coding Test (DSCT), Category Fluency, Hopkins Verbal Learning Test-Revised (HVLTR), Brief Visuospatial Memory Test-Revised (BVMT-R), Wechsler Memory Scale 3rd ed. Spatial Span Subtest (WMS-III SS), Neuropsychological Assessment Battery Mazes (NABM), Continuous Performance Test, and Identical Pairs (CPT-IP). RESULTS: Patients with BD-II showed cognitive deficits in visual learning, reasoning and problem solving, verbal learning, attention/vigilance, working memory, and speed of processing. Healthy siblings showed cognitive deficits in reasoning and problem solving, verbal learning, attention/vigilance, working memory, and speed of processing. Substantial differences were observed among the three groups in reasoning and problem solving. CONCLUSIONS: Verbal learning, working memory, and attention/vigilance may be potential endophenotypes that can be used to identify BD-II among Han Chinese in the early stage.

Purification of polysaccharides from Phellinus linteus by using an aqueous two-phase system and evaluation of the physicochemical and antioxidant properties of polysaccharides in vitro.

In this study, Phellinus linteus polysaccharides (PLPS) and proteins were simultaneously separated from P. linteus mycelia by using an aqueous two-phase system (ATPS) based on choline chloride ([Chol]Cl)/K2HPO4, and the physicochemical and antioxidant properties of PLPS after ATPS extraction were evaluated. Results demonstrated that the maximal extraction efficiencies of 68.53% ± 0.29% PLPS and 82.37% ± 0.41% proteins were obtained when the cholinium-based ATPS contained 68.9% K2HPO4, 20% [Chol]Cl, 10.0 mg mL-1 crude water extract (1.0 mL), and distilled water (4.0 mL) at shaking time and temperature of 30 min and 21.2 °C, respectively. Compared with C-PLPS obtained using traditional ethanol precipitation and isolation protocols, PLPS had higher carbohydrate content (63.58% ± 1.12%), lower molecular weight (15.2 kDa, 80%), different monosaccharide compositions, and showed similar preliminary structural characterizations. Moreover, PLPS exhibited more evident scavenging effects on free radicals and in vitro antioxidant activities than C-PLPS. Therefore, the method of [Chol]Cl/K2HPO4 ATPS can be developed as an effective strategy for the separation/purification of highly bioactive polysaccharides.

Relationship among self-injury, experiential avoidance, cognitive fusion, anxiety, and depression in Chinese adolescent patients with nonsuicidal self-injury.

OBJECTIVE: To explore relationship among self-injury behavior, experiential avoidance, cognitive fusion, anxiety, and depression in Chinese adolescent patients with nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI). METHODS: Cognitive fusion questionnaire (CFQ), Acceptance and Action Questionnaire-2nd edition (AAQ-II), adolescent nonsuicidal self-injury behavior questionnaire (ANSAQ), Hamilton Anxiety Scale (HAMA), and Hamilton Depression Scale (HAMD) were used as research tools to investigate 120 subjects with NSSI and 130 healthy controls. RESULTS: The scores of CFQ and AAQ-II in the NSSI group were significantly higher than those in the healthy control group (p < .001). The results of regression analysis showed that the experiential avoidance score of patients with NSSI could predict the score of self-injury questionnaire (ß = 0.585, p < .001); when predicting anxiety, only CFQ (ß = 0.361, p < .001) entered the equation, with an explanatory variation of 12.3%; when predicting depression, CFQ (ß = 0.287, p < .01) entered the equation, with an explanatory variation of 7.4%. CONCLUSION: A high level of cognitive fusion and experiential avoidance may be important factors for the maintenance of self-injury behavior in patients with NSSI.

Resistance mechanisms and fitness of pyraclostrobin-resistant isolates of Lasiodiplodia theobromae from mango orchards.

BACKGROUND: Stem-end rot, caused by Lasiodiplodia theobromae (Pat.) Griffon & Maubl is a serious postharvest disease in mango. In China, a high prevalence of the QoI fungicides resistance has been reported in the last decade. The study aimed to discuss factors determining rapid development of pyraclostrobin-resistance and its resistance mechanisms. METHODS: To determine the resistance stability and fitness of pyraclostrobin resistance in L. theobromae, three phenotypes of pyraclostrobin resistance were compared and analyzed for the EC50 values, mycelial growth, virulence and temperature sensitivity and osmotic stress sensitivity. The relative conductivity and enzyme activities of different phenotypes were compared under fungicide stress to explore possible biochemical mechanisms of pyraclostrobin resistance in L. theobromae. The Cytb gene sequences of different phenotypes were analysed. RESULTS: All isolates retained their original resistance phenotypes during the 10 subcultures on a fungicide-free PDA, factor of sensitivity change (FSC) was approximately equal to 1. The resistance-pyraclostrobin of the field isolates should be relatively stable. Two pyraclostrobin-resistant phenotypes shared similar mycelial growth, virulence and temperature sensitivity with pyraclostrobin-sensitive phenotype. After treated by pyraclostrobin, the relative conductivity of the sensitive phenotype was significantly increased. The time of Pyr-R and Pyr-HR reached the most conductivity was about 8-10 times than that of Pyr-S, the time for the maximum value appearance showed significant differences between sensitive and resistant phenotypes. The activities of Glutathione S-transferase (GST), catalase (CAT) and peroxidase (POD) of Pyr-HR were 1.78, 5.45 and 1.65 times respectively, significantly higher than that of Pyr-S after treated by 200 mg/l pyraclostrobin. CONCLUSION: The results showed that the pyraclostrobin-resistant phenotypes displayed high fitness and high-risk. The nucleotide sequences were identical among all pyraclostrobin-resistant and -sensitive isolates. The pyraclostrobin resistance was not attributable to Cytb gene alterations, there may be some of other resistance mechanisms. Differential response of enzyme activity and cell membrane permeability were observed in resistant- and sensitive-isolates suggesting a mechanism of metabolic resistance.

Long non-coding RNAs in Epstein-Barr virus-related cancer.

Epstein Barr-virus (EBV) is related to several cancers. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) act by regulating target genes and are involved in tumourigenesis. However, the role of lncRNAs in EBV-associated cancers is rarely reported. Understanding the role and mechanism of lncRNAs in EBV-associated cancers may contribute to diagnosis, prognosis and clinical therapy in the future. EBV encodes not only miRNAs, but also BART lncRNAs during latency and the BHLF1 lncRNA during both the latent and lytic phases. These lncRNAs can be targeted regulate inflammation, invasion, and migration and thus tumourigenesis. The products of EBV also directly and indirectly regulate host lncRNAs, including LINC00312, NORAD CYTOR, SHNG8, SHNG5, MINCR, lncRNA-BC200, LINC00672, MALATI1, LINC00982, LINC02067, IGFBP7-AS1, LOC100505716, LOC100128494, NAG7 and RP4-794H19.1, to facilitate tumourigenesis using different mechanisms. Additionally, lncRNAs have been previously validated to interact with microRNAs (miRNAs), and lncRNAs and miRNAs mutually suppress each other. The EBV-miR-BART6-3p/LOC553103/STMN1 axis inhibits EBV-associated tumour cell proliferation. Additionally, H. pylori-EBV co-infection promotes inflammatory lesions and results in EMT. HPV-EBV co-infection inhibits the transition from latency to lytic replication. KSHV-EBV co-infection aggravates tumourigenesis in huNSG mice. COVID-19-EBV co-infection may activate the immune system to destroy a tumour, although this situation is rare and the mechanism requires further confirmation. Hopefully, this information will shed some light on tumour therapy strategies tumourigenesis. Additionally, this strategy benefits for infected patients by preventing latency to lytic replication. Understanding the role and expression of lnRNAs in these two phases of EBV is critical to control the transition from latency to the lytic replication phase. This review presents differential expressed lncRNAs in EBV-associated cancers and provides resources to aid in developing superior strategies for clinical therapy.

Reasoning, problem solving, attention/vigilance, and working memory are candidate phenotypes of non-suicidal self-injury in Chinese Han nationality.

BACKGROUND: Non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) is an act of deliberately hurting one's body without the purpose of death. Internal phenotypes have been used in numerous studies of mental disorders, suicide, and self-injury. This research aimed to evaluate the cognitive function of patients with NSSI and determine their potential endophenotype. METHODS: This study used a comparative control design and included 61 patients with NSSI, 55 healthy siblings (HS), and 53 healthy controls. Visual learning, reasoning and problem, verbal learning, attention/vigilance, working memory, and speed of processing were used to evaluate the cognitive function of the subjects. RESULTS: Patients with NSSI and their HS showed cognitive defects in reasoning and problem, attention/vigilance, and working memory. Substantial differences were observed in verbal learning among the three groups, but no significant difference was recorded in the scores in Brief Assessment of Cognition in Schizophrenia. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that reasoning and problem, attention/vigilance, and working memory may be potential endophenotypes in early identification of Chinese Han people with NSSI behavior.

Effects of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation on Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder.

Objective: This study aims to explore the difference of clinical efficacy and psychological flexibility of sertraline hydrochloride combined with acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) or repeated transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) in patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Materials and Methods: Sixty-three inpatients diagnosed with OCD were randomly divided into ACT group (N = 32) and rTMS group (N = 31), both of which were combined with sertraline hydrochloride. The following assessments were completed by the Hamilton Depression Scale (HAMD), Hamilton Anxiety Scale (HAMA), Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS), Symptom Checklist 90 (SCL-90), Acceptance and Action Questionnaire (AAQ-II), and Cognitive Fusion Questionnaire (CFQ) during pretreatment, 4 weeks posttreatment, and 8-week follow-up. Results: After treatment: (1) the SCL-90 score of two groups significantly decreased from pretreatment to 8-week follow-up (P < 0.01 and P < 0.001); (2) The HAMA, HAMD, and Y-BOCS scores of the two groups significantly decreased from pretreatment to 8-week follow-up (P < 0.001 and P < 0.05); (3) No statistically significant difference of the SCL-90, HAMA, HAMD and Y-BOCS between two groups; (4) The AAQ-II and CFQ scores of the ACT group significantly decreased from 4 weeks posttreatment to 8-week follow-up (P < 0.01). However, no statistically significant difference was observed in the rTMS group (P > 0.05). Conclusions: Overall, our study suggested that sertraline hydrochloride combined with ACT or rTMS can improve the obsessive-compulsive symptoms, anxiety, and depression and has equivalent efficacy. Moreover, ACT can more effectively and durably improve the psychological flexibility of patients compared with rTMS.

Repellent activities of essential oils rich in sesquiterpenoids from Saussurea amara (L.) DC. and Sigesbeckia pubescens Makino against two stored-product insects.

The essential oils (EOs) from aerial parts of Saussurea amara (L.) DC. (SAEO) and Sigesbeckia pubescens Makino (SPEO) were analyzed for their chemical composition by GC-MS, and their repellent activities against adults of the red flour beetle, Tribolium castaneum Herbst, as well as the booklouse, Liposcelis bostrychophila Badonnel, were evaluated for the first time. Results of GC-MS analysis indicated that both SAEO and SPEO were characterized by high content of sesquiterpenoids (relative content > 70%) including oxygenated sesquiterpenoids. The two oil samples and their major component caryophyllene oxide exerted beneficial repellent effects on T. castaneum and L. bostrychophila at 2 and 4 h post-exposure. At 4 h post-exposure, the PR value of caryophyllene oxide could still reach 92% (class V) against T. castaneum at minimum testing concentration of 3.15 nL/cm2, and this compound was observed to result in the greatest repellency (PR = 100%) against L. bostrychophila at 12.63 nL/cm2. This work confirmed the potent repellent efficacy of SAEO and SPEO for controlling pest damage and suggested their potential to be developed into botanical repellents.

Pectin-decorated selenium nanoparticles as a nanocarrier of curcumin to achieve enhanced physicochemical and biological properties.

In this study, the authors developed pectin-stabilised selenium nanoparticles (pectin-SeNPs) for curcumin (Cur) encapsulation and evaluated their physicochemical properties and biological activities. Results showed that pectin-SeNPs and Cur-loaded pectin-SeNPs (pectin-SeNPs@Cur) exhibited monodisperse and homogeneous spherical structures in aqueous solutions with mean particle sizes of ∼61 and ∼119 nm, respectively. Cur was successfully encapsulated into pectin-SeNPs through hydrogen bonding interactions with an encapsulation efficiency of ∼60.6%, a loading content of ∼7.4%, and a pH-dependent and controlled drug release in vitro. After encapsulation was completed, pectin-SeNPs@Cur showed enhanced water solubility (∼500-fold), dispersibility, and storage stability compared with those of free Cur. Moreover, pectin-SeNPs@Cur possessed significant free radical scavenging ability and antioxidant capacity in vitro, which were stronger than those of pectin-SeNPs. Antitumour activity assay in vitro demonstrated that pectin-SeNPs@Cur could inhibit the growth of HepG2 cells in a concentration-dependent manner, and the nanocarrier pectin-SeNPs exhibited a low cytotoxic activity against HepG2 cells. Therefore, the results suggested that pectin-SeNPs could function as effective nanovectors for the enhancement of the water solubility, stability, and in vitro bioactivities of hydrophobic Cur.

Production, structural characterization, and antiproliferative activity of exopolysaccharide produced by Scleroderma areolatum Ehrenb with different carbon source.

The effects of different three carbon sources, that is, glucose, fructose, and sucrose, on production, molecular properties and antiproliferative activity of exopolysaccharide (EPS), were evaluated in the submerged culture of Scleroderma areolatum Ehrenb. Among carbon sources examined, the addition of sucrose maximizes the mycelia production, while fructose could maximize the EPS yield. Although the predominant carbohydrate compositions identified were gluconic acid and mannose, the monosaccharide composition of EPSs was also different significantly. FT-IR spectral analysis revealed there was no significant difference among the prominent characteristic groups in three EPSs. The molecular weight of EPSs was also affected by carbon source, being generally lower compared with that with glucose. However, all EPSs molecule existed as nearly globular shape form in aqueous solution. The variation of carbon sources also affected antiproliferative activity examined in vitro using cell proliferation assay. Fructose was optimal carbon source giving higher antiproliferative activity probably due to the relatively high contents of xylose in the EPS with low molecular weight.

Doping dependent crystal structures and optoelectronic properties of n-type CdSe:Ga nanowries.

Although CdSe nanostructures possess excellent electrical and optical properties, efforts to make nano-optoelectronic devices from CdSe nanostructures have been hampered by the lack of efficient methods to rationally control their structural and electrical characteristics. Here, we report CdSe nanowires (NWs) with doping dependent crystal structures and optoelectronic properties by using gallium (Ga) as the efficient n-type dopant via a simple thermal co-evaporation method. The phase change of CdSe NWs from wurtzite to zinc blende with increased doping level is observed. Systematical measurements on the transport properties of the CdSe:Ga NWs reveal that the NW conductivity could be tuned in a wide range of near nine orders of magnitude by adjusting the Ga doping level and a high electron concentration up to 4.5 × 10(19) cm(-3) is obtained. Moreover, high-performance top-gate field-effect transistors are constructed based on the individual CdSe:Ga NWs by using high-κ HfO(2) as the gate dielectric. The great potential of the CdSe:Ga NWs as high-sensitive photodetectors and nanoscale light emitters is also exploited, revealing the promising applications of the CdSe:Ga NWs in new-generation nano-optoelectronics.