Cross-asset momentum and the hybrid fund transmission mechanism in China's stock and bond markets.

The allocation of assets across different markets is a crucial element of investment strategy. In this regard, stocks and bonds are two significant assets that form the backbone of multi-asset allocation. Among publicly offered funds (The publicly offered funds in China correspond to the mutual funds in the United States, with different names and details in terms of legal form and sales channels), the stock-bond hybrid fund gives investors a return while minimizing the risk through capital flow between the stock and bond markets. Our research on China's financial market data from 2006 to 2022 reveals a cross-asset momentum between the stock and bond markets. We find that the momentum in the stock market negatively influences the bond market's return, while the momentum in the bond market positively influences the stock market's return. Portfolios that exploit cross-asset momentum have excess returns that other asset pricing factors cannot explain. Our analysis reveals that hybrid funds play an intermediary role in the transmission mechanism of cross-asset momentum. We observe that the more flexible the asset allocation ratio of the fund, the more crucial the intermediary role played by the fund. Hence, encouraging the development of hybrid funds and relaxing restrictions on asset allocation ratios could improve liquidity and pricing efficiency. These findings have significant implications for investors seeking to optimize their asset allocation across different markets and for policymakers seeking to enhance the efficiency of China's financial market.

Potassium Decahydrido-closo-Decaborane Urea Complex as a Potential Solid-State Electrolyte for Potassium Metal Batteries.

All-solid-state potassium metal batteries have been considered promising candidates for large-scale energy storage because of abundance and wide availability of K resources, elimination of flammable liquid organic electrolytes, and incorporation of high-capacity K metal anode. However, unideal K-ion conductivities of most reported K-ion solid electrolytes have restricted the development of these batteries. Herein, a novel K2B10H10·CO(NH2)2 complex is reported, forming by incorporating urea into K2B10H10, to achieve an enhanced K-ion conductivity. The crystal structure of K2B10H10·CO(NH2)2 was determined as a monoclinic lattice with the space group of C2/c (No. 15). K2B10H10·CO(NH2)2 delivers an ionic conductivity of 2.7 × 10-8 S cm-1 at 25 °C, and reaching 1.3 × 10-4 S cm-1 at 80 °C, which is about 4 orders of magnitude higher than that of K2B10H10. One possible reason is the anion expansion in size due to the presence of dihydrogen bonds in K2B10H10·CO(NH2)2, resulting in an increase in the K-H bond distance and the electrostatic potential, thereby enhancing the mobility of K+. The K-ion conductivity is also higher than those of most hydridoborate-based K-ion conductors reported. Besides, K2B10H10·CO(NH2)2 reveals a wide electrochemical stability window and remarkable interface compatibility with K metal electrodes, suggesting a promising electrolyte for all-solid-state K metal batteries.

A High-Rate and Long-Life Sodium Metal Battery Based on a NaB3H8 ⋠xNH3@NaB3H8 Composite Solid-State Electrolyte.

All-solid-state sodium metal batteries are promising for large-scale energy storage applications owing to their intrinsic safety and cost-effectiveness. However, they generally suffer from sodium dendrite growth or rapid capacity fading, especially at high rates, mainly due to poor wettability, sluggish ionic transport, or low interfacial stability of the solid electrolytes. Herein, we report a novel composite, NaB3H8 ⋅ xNH3@NaB3H8 (x<1), as a new class of solid electrolyte for high-rate batteries. NaB3H8 ⋅ xNH3@NaB3H8 is obtained from the sticky NaB3H8 ⋅ NH3 after removal of NH3 partially at room temperature. It delivers an ionic conductivity of 0.84 mS cm-1 at 25 °C and reaches 20.64 mS cm-1 at 45 °C after an order-disorder phase transformation. It also reveals a good capability of dendrite suppression and remarkable stability against sodium metal. These performances enable the all-solid-state Na//TiS2 battery with a high capacity of 232.4 mAh g-1 (97.2 % of theoretical capacity) and long-term cycling stability at 1 C. Notably, this battery shows superior long-life cycling stability even at 5 and 10 C, which has been rarely reported in all-solid-state sodium metal batteries. This work opens a new group of solid electrolytes, contributing to fast-charging or high-power-density sodium metal batteries.

Bilobalide Induces Apoptosis in 3T3-L1 Mature Adipocytes through ROS-Mediated Mitochondria Pathway.

Bilobalide exhibits numerous beneficial bioactivities, including neuroprotective, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant activity. Our previous study demonstrated that bilobalide inhibits adipogenesis and promotes lipolysis. The dose-dependent cytotoxicity was found to be specific to the mature adipocytes only, indicating the potential for regulating apoptosis in them. Herein, we aimed to investigate the apoptotic effects of bilobalide on 3T3-L1 mature adipocytes and elucidate the underlying mechanisms thereof. Flow cytometry analysis (FACS) revealed the pro-apoptotic effects of bilobalide on these cells. Bilobalide induced early apoptosis by reducing the mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP). DNA fragmentation was confirmed using TUNEL staining. Additionally, bilobalide increased the intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels and activities of Caspases 3/9. Pre-treatment with NAC (an ROS scavenger) confirmed the role of ROS in inducing apoptosis. Moreover, bilobalide up- and down-regulated the expression of Bax and Bcl-2, respectively, at the mRNA and protein expression levels; upregulated the Bax/Bcl-2 ratio; triggered the release of cytochrome c from the mitochondria; and increased the protein expression of cleaved Caspase 3, cleaved Caspase 9, and PARP cleavage. These results support the conclusion that bilobalide induces apoptosis in mature 3T3-L1 adipocytes through the ROS-mediated mitochondrial pathway, and offers potential novel treatment for obesity.

Cry1Δ11 mutation induces ADHD-like symptoms through hyperactive dopamine D1 receptor signaling.

Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a highly heritable neurodevelopmental disorder that affects approximately 5.3% of children and approximately 2.5% of adults. There is an intimate relationship between ADHD and sleep disturbance. Specifically, individuals carry a mutation in the core circadian gene CRY1 (c. 1657 + 3A > C), which results in the deletion of exon 11 expression in the CRY1 protein (CRY1Δ11), causing them to exhibit typical ADHD symptoms. However, the underlying mechanism is still elusive. In this study, we demonstrate that Cry1Δ11 (c. 1717 + 3A > C) mice showed ADHD-like symptoms, including hyperactivity, impulsivity, and deficits in learning and memory. A hyperactive cAMP signaling pathway was found in the nucleus accumbens (NAc) of Cry1Δ11 mice. We further demonstrated that upregulated c-Fos was mainly localized in dopamine D1 receptor-expressing medium spiny neurons (DRD1-MSNs) in the NAc. Neuronal excitability of DRD1-MSNs in the NAc of Cry1Δ11 mice was significantly higher than that of WT controls. Mechanistically, the CRY1Δ11 protein, in contrast to the WT CRY1 protein, failed to interact with the Gαs protein and inhibit DRD1 signaling. Finally, the DRD1 antagonist SCH23390 normalized most ADHD-like symptoms in Cry1Δ11 mice. Thus, our results reveal hyperactive DRD1 signaling as an underlying mechanism and therapeutic target for ADHD induced by the highly prevalent CRY1Δ11 mutation.

Analysing Home Pharmaceutical Care Under the Combination of Medical Care and Nursing.

Objective: Home pharmaceutical care delivers individualised, whole-process and continuous pharmaceutical services and health education. This study aims to explore the feasibility of home pharmaceutical services as a combination of medical and nursing care. Methods: Patient information was collected from 1 October 2020 to 30 September 2021 and was analysed and evaluated. We then developed a family medication plan and investigated its effectiveness and any issues encountered during the implementation process. Results: A total of 102 patients received services, and 100% of the patients were satisfied with these. Moreover, using home pharmaceutical care saved approximately USD1,359.64 (RMB9,360.45) in outpatient costs and USD41,077.76 (RMB282,700) in inpatient costs, and the number of hospitalisations was reduced by 16%. Conclusion: It is beneficial to make home pharmaceutical services available as a combination of medical and nursing care. Pharmacists can help patients solve medication-related problems and reduce the number of hospitalisations and medical costs through standardised service models while ensuring safe, effective, economical and rational drug use for patients.

Update on the Pathogenesis of the Hirschsprung-Associated Enterocolitis.

Despite the significant progress that has been made in terms of understanding the pathophysiology and risk factors of Hirschsprung-associated enterocolitis (HAEC), the morbidity rate has remained unsatisfactorily stable, and clinical management of the condition continues to be challenging. Therefore, in the present literature review, we summarized the up-to-date advances that have been made regarding basic research on the pathogenesis of HAEC. Original articles published between August 2013 and October 2022 were searched in a number of databases, including PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus. The keywords "Hirschsprung enterocolitis", "Hirschsprung's enterocolitis", "Hirschsprung's-associated enterocolitis", and "Hirschsprung-associated enterocolitis" were selected and reviewed. A total of 50 eligible articles were obtained. The latest findings of these research articles were grouped into gene, microbiome, barrier function, enteric nervous system, and immune state categories. The present review concludes that HAEC is shown to be a multifactorial clinical syndrome. Only deep insights into this syndrome, with an accrual of knowledge in terms of understanding its pathogenesis, will elicit the necessary changes that are required for managing this disease.

The Association Between FGF21 and Diabetic Erectile Dysfunction: Evidence from Clinical and Animal Studies.

Erectile dysfunction (ED), a complication of diabetes mellitus (DM), affects 50-75% of men with diabetes. Fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21) is a liver-derived metabolic regulator which plays a role in insulin-independent glucose uptake in adipocytes. We designed a clinical study and an animal experiment to investigate the relationship between FGF21 and DM-induced ED. The clinical study enrolled 93 participants aged > 18 years (61 patients with type 2 DM and 32 healthy controls) from Taian City Central Hospital (TCCH) in Shandong Province, China, amongst whom the association between serum FGF21 and diabetic ED was analyzed. To further validate this association, we developed animal model of diabetic ED using Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats. Serum FGF21 concentration and FGF21 mRNA expression in penile samples of the rats were determined with Western blotting and quantitative real-time PCR. Among the 93 participants, the level of serum FGF21 was negatively correlated with the IIEF-5 score (r = -0.74, P < 0.001). The analysis on the performance of FGF21 for ED diagnosis showed that the area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was 0.875 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.803 to 0.946). In the animal experiment, the levels of serum FGF21, 2-Δ Δ Ct values of FGF21 mRNA expression, and relative levels of FGF21 in penile samples were higher in the ED group compared to the DM and control groups. Our findings demonstrated an association between the FGF21 level and diabetic ED, indicating the potential of this cytokine in predicting diabetic ED.

Quality Improvement of GaN Epi-layers Grown with a Strain-Releasing Scheme on Suspended Ultrathin Si Nanofilm Substrate.

The material quality of III-nitrides is severely limited by the lack of cost-effective substrates with suitable lattice and thermal expansion coefficients. A suspended ultrathin silicon membrane substrate ([Formula: see text]16 nm), fabricated by an easy process on SOI substrates, is thus designed for nitride epitaxial growth, which can effectively release the strain in the epi-layers, and has demonstrated large-area (Al)GaN growth with a smooth surface and greatly reduced defect density. This research provides a promising CMOS-compatible method for growing cost-effectively high-quality III-nitrides that can be used for the development of high-performance devices.

Acute Ischemic Stroke Comorbid with Type 2 Diabetes: Long-Term Prognosis Determinants in a 36-Month Prospective Study for Personalized Medicine.

Ischemic stroke (IS) is often comorbid with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) wherein the determinants of long-term outcomes, beyond the acute stroke phase, are not adequately known. This study identified the determinants of long-term outcomes for diabetic IS patients through a prospective nested case-control study in 624 patients treated with conservative measures (38.60% females, mean age: 63.85 years). After 36-month follow-up, 117 (18.8%) patients with poor outcome were enrolled in the case group. The poor outcome was defined with a modified Rankin Scale (mRS) score ≥3. Meanwhile, 374 (59.9%) patients with good outcome, defined as (mRS score <3), were included in the control group. Patients who died (n = 32) or lost to follow-up (n = 101) were excluded in analysis. Poor prognostic outcome was positively associated with (1) the pulse rate at admission, (2) diastolic blood pressure (DBP), and (3) fasting blood glucose (FBG) during follow-up, whereas physical activity and lipid-lowering treatment during follow-up were negatively associated. Importantly, a forecasting model with these indicators distinguished the patients with good versus poor outcomes with 70.1% sensitivity and 73.5% specificity. Health care professionals and laboratory medicine scholars may want to monitor an increase in DBP and FBG during follow-up, as well as physical activity and lipid-lowering treatment, in relationship to the prognosis of IS with comorbid T2DM after conservative therapies. The proposed predictive model for personalized/precision medicine requires field testing in independent studies, and might help risk stratification with theranostic tests for patients with acute IS who also have a diagnosis of T2DM.

Novel Biphasically and Reversibly Transparent Phase Change Material to Solve the Thermal Issues in Transparent Electronics.

Highly integrated transparent electronic systems are experiencing significant thermal bottlenecks due to the rapid growth of transparent electronics and the lack of suitable transparent thermal management solutions. Therefore, transparent thermal management materials are highly desirable in modern transparent electronics. Based on the phase change properties of polyethylene glycol (PEG) and the encapsulable properties of epoxy resin (EP), we synthesize a biphasically and reversibly transparent PEG/EP composite for thermal energy storage (TPE-TES). Energy-driven structural rearrangements in cross-linked networks are responsible for the high transparency with practical thickness. According to SEM and TEM investigations, PEG and EP achieve submicron phase dispersion, while TPE-TES forms a smooth and continuous surface that suppresses diffuse reflections and contributes to improved visible light penetration. The unique combination of phase change and optical transparency gives TPE-TES the ability to regulate thermal storage, rapid temperature change, and spatial temperature uniformity of transparent electronics. Due to its flexibility, stability, and processability, TPE-TES is also suitable and ideal as thin surface coating films or thick transparent flexible substrates for a wide range of applications in the integration of electronic devices.

KB3H8·NH3B3H7 Complex as a Potential Solid-State Electrolyte with Excellent Stability against K Metal.

All-solid-state potassium batteries are promising candidates in the fields of large-scale energy storage owing to their intrinsic safety, stability, and cost-effectiveness. However, a suitable solid-state electrolyte with high ionic conductivity and favorable interfacial stability is a major challenge for the design and development of these batteries. Herein, we report the synthesis of new KB3H8·nNH3B3H7 (n = 0.5 and 1) complexes to develop suitable solid-state K-ion conductors for batteries. Both the complexes undergo a reversible phase transition below the thermal decomposition temperature. The optimal KB3H8·NH3B3H7 delivers a solid-state K-ion conductivity of 1.3 × 10-4 S cm-1 at 55 °C with an activation energy of 0.44 eV after a transition from a monoclinic to an orthorhombic phase, which is the highest value of K borohydrides reported to date and places KB3H8·NH3B3H7 among the leading solid-state K-ion conductors. Moreover, KB3H8·NH3B3H7 reveals a K-ion transference number of nearly 0.93, an electrochemical stability window of 1.2 to 3.5 V vs K+/K, a good capability of K dendrite suppression, and a remarkable stability against the K metal anode due to the formation of the stable interface. These performances make KB3H8·NH3B3H7 a promising electrolyte for all-solid-state potassium batteries.

Synthesis of K[B3H7NH2BH2NH2B3H7] for a K-ion solid-state electrolyte.

All-solid-state K batteries are ideal energy storage devices for grid-scale applications of renewable energies. A novel electrolyte K[B3H7NH2BH2NH2B3H7] with weakly coordinating anions was synthesized. It has a high K+ conductivity of 1.01 × 10-4 S cm-1 at 75 °C, which is probably due to the increased electrostatic potential and size of the anions.

Population-Based Incidence of Guillain-Barré Syndrome During Mass Immunization With Viral Vaccines: A Pooled Analysis.

Misunderstanding temporal coincidence of adverse events during mass vaccination and invalid assessment of possible safety concerns have negative effects on immunization programs, leading to low immunization coverage. We conducted this systematic review and meta-analysis to identify the incidence rates of GBS that are temporally associated with viral vaccine administration but might not be attributable to the vaccines. By literature search in Embase and PubMed, we included 48 publications and 2,110,441,600 participants. The pooled incidence rate of GBS was 3.09 per million persons (95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.67 to 3.51) within six weeks of vaccination, equally 2.47 per 100,000 person-year (95%CI: 2.14 to 2.81). Subgroup analyses illustrated that the pooled rates were 2.77 per million persons (95%CI: 2.47 to 3.07) for individuals who received the influenza vaccine and 2.44 per million persons (95%CI: 0.97 to 3.91) for human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines, respectively. Our findings evidence the GBS-associated safety of virus vaccines. We present a reference for the evaluation of post-vaccination GBS rates in mass immunization campaigns, including the SARS-CoV-2 vaccine.

Concentrated extract of Prunus mume fruit exerts dual effects in 3T3-L1 adipocytes by inhibiting adipogenesis and inducing beiging/browning.

BACKGROUND: The fruit Prunus mume has beneficial effects in the treatment of obesity and metabolic syndrome. However, its mechanism of action is unclear. OBJECTIVE: We assessed the effect of a concentrated water extract of P. mume fruit (CEPM) on adipogenesis and beiging/browning in 3T3-L1 cells. METHODS: The cell viability was determined by MTT assay. Lipid accumulation was assessed with Oil Red O (ORO) staining under different concentrations of CEPM. The effects of CEPM treatment during differentiation on beiging/browning and mitochondrial biogenesis in 3T3-L1 cells were investigated. RESULTS: CEPM treatment suppressed differentiation and decreased lipid accumulation by downregulating the expression of key adipogenic genes, including PPARγ, C/EBPα, SREBP-1c, FAS, and perilipin A. In contrast, CEPM treatment increased the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) content and mRNA levels of mitochondrial biogenesis genes, including NAMPT, Nrf1, Nrf2, and CPT1α, and reduced reactive oxygen species levels. Importantly, CEPM increased the expression of brown/beige hallmark genes (Pgc-1α, Ucp1, Cidea, Cox7α1, Cox8b, Cd137, and Pdk-4), as well as proteins (UCP1, PGC-1α, NRF1, TBX1, and CPT1α). The high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis reveals that CEPM contains mumefural, naringin, 5-HMF, citric acid, caffeic acid, and hesperidin. CONCLUSION: The first evidence we provided showed that CEPM has a dual role in 3T3-L1 cells inhibiting adipogenesis and promoting beiging/browning, and hence, could be a potential agent in the fight against obesity.

Exploring Somatic Alteration Associating With Aggressive Behaviors of Papillary Thyroid Carcinomas by Targeted Sequencing.

Wisely differentiating high-risk papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) patients from low-risk PTC patients preoperatively is necessary when comes to making a personalized treatment plan. It is not easy to stratify the risk of patients according to sonography or lab results before surgery. This study aims to seek out potential mutation gene markers that may be helpful in stratifying the risk of PTC. A custom panel of 439 PTC relevant and classic tumor metabolic pathway relevant genes was designed. Targeted capture sequencing was performed on 35 pairs of samples from 35 PTC tumors and 35 para-tumor thyroid tissues obtained during surgery. Variant calling and detection of cancer gene mutations were identified by bio-information analysis. Ingenuity Pathway Analysis (IPA) was performed to do functional enrichment analysis of high-frequency mutant genes. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) was performed on 6 PTC patients to explore the expression of protein associated with interested genes. Event-free survival (EFS) was calculated to determine which genes might affect the prognosis of patients. We have identified 32 high-frequency mutant genes in PTC including BRAF. RBL2 was found to be significantly correlated to event-free survival, FOXO1, MUC6, PCDHB9, NOTCH1, FIZ1, and RTN1 were significantly associated with EFS, while BRAF mutant was not correlated to any of the prognosis indicators. Our findings in this study might open more choices when designing thyroid gene panels used in FNA samples to diagnose PTC and predict the potentially aggressive behavior of PTC.

Iodine-Substituted Lithium/Sodium closo-Decaborates: Syntheses, Characterization, and Solid-State Ionic Conductivity.

Solid-state electrolytes based on closo-decaborates have caught increasing interest owing to the impressive room-temperature ionic conductivity, remarkable thermal/chemical stability, and excellent deformability. In order to develop new solid-state ion conductors, we investigated the influence of iodine substitution on the thermal, structural, and ionic conduction properties of closo-decaborates. A series of iodinated closo-decaborates, M2[B10H10-nIn] (M = Li, Na; n = 1, 2, 10), were synthesized and characterized by thermal analysis, powder X-ray diffraction, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy; the stability and ionic conductivity of these compounds were studied. It was found that with the increase of iodine substitution on the closo-decaborate anion cage, the thermal decomposition temperature increases. All M2[B10H10-nIn] exhibit an amorphous structure. The ionic conductivity of Li2[B10H10-nIn] is higher than that of the Li2[B10H10] parent compound. An ionic conductivity of 2.96 × 10-2 S cm-1 with an activation energy of 0.23 eV was observed for Li2[B10I10] at 300 °C, implying that iodine substitution can improve the ionic conductivity. However, the ionic conductivity of Na2[B10H10-nIn] is lower than that of Na2[B10H10] and increases with the increase of iodine substitution, which could be associated with the increase of the electrostatic potential, mass, and volume of the iodinated anions. Moreover, Li2[B10I10] offers a Li-ion transference number of 0.999, an electrochemical stability window of 3.3 V and good compatibility with the Li anode, demonstrating its potential for application in high-temperature batteries.

A Clinical Assessment of an Ultrasound Computer-Aided Diagnosis System in Differentiating Thyroid Nodules With Radiologists of Different Diagnostic Experience.

INTRODUCTION: This study aimed to assess the diagnostic performance and the added value to radiologists of different levels of a computer-aided diagnosis (CAD) system for the detection of thyroid cancers. METHODS: 303 patients who underwent thyroidectomy from October 2018 to July 2019 were retrospectively reviewed. The diagnostic performance of the senior radiologist, the junior radiologist, and the CAD system were compared. The added value of the CAD system was assessed and subgroup analyses were performed according to the size of thyroid nodules. RESULTS: In total, 186 malignant thyroid nodules, and 179 benign thyroid nodules were included; 168 were papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC), 7 were medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC), 11 were follicular carcinoma (FTC), 127 were follicular adenoma (FA) and 52 were nodular goiters. The CAD system showed a comparable specificity as the senior radiologist (86.0% vs. 86.0%, p > 0.99), but a lower sensitivity and a lower area under the receiver operating characteristic (AUROC) curve (sensitivity: 71.5% vs. 95.2%, p < 0.001; AUROC: 0.788 vs. 0.906, p < 0.001). The CAD system improved the diagnostic sensitivities of both the senior and the junior radiologists (97.8% vs. 95.2%, p = 0.063; 88.2% vs. 75.3%, p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: The use of the CAD system using artificial intelligence is a potential tool to distinguish malignant thyroid nodules and is preferable to serve as a second opinion for less experienced radiologists to improve their diagnosis performance.

Neuroprotective Effects of Adenosine A1 Receptor Signaling on Cognitive Impairment Induced by Chronic Intermittent Hypoxia in Mice.

Obstructive sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS) is a breathing disorder associated with cognitive impairment. However, the mechanisms leading to cognitive deficits in OSAHS remain uncertain. In this study, a mouse model of chronic intermittent hypoxia (CIH) exposures were applied for simulating the deoxygenation-reoxygenation events occurring in OSAHS. The conventional adenosine A1 receptor gene (A1R) knockout mice and the A1R agonist CCPA- or antagonist DPCPX-administrated mice were utilized to determine the precise function of A1R signaling in the process of OSAHS-relevant cognitive impairment. We demonstrated that CIH induced morphological changes and apoptosis in hippocampal neurons. Further, CIH blunted hippocampal long-term potentiation (LTP) and resulted in learning/memory impairment. Disruption of adenosine A1R exacerbated morphological, cellular, and functional damage induced by CIH. In contrast, activation of adenosine A1R signaling reduced morphological changes and apoptosis of hippocampal neurons, promoted LTP, and enhanced learning and memory. A1Rs may up-regulate protein kinase C (PKC) and its subtype PKC-ζ through the activation of Gα(i) improve spatial learning and memory disorder induced by CIH in mice. Taken together, A1R signaling plays a neuroprotective role in CIH-induced cognitive dysfunction and pathological changes in the hippocampus.

Professional Identity of Male Nursing Students in 3-Year Colleges and Junior Male Nurses in China.

PURPOSE: To investigate the changing tendency and influencing factors of the professional identity of male nursing students in 3-year colleges and junior male nurses in China. BACKGROUND: In China, the majority of nurses are 3-year nursing college graduates, among which male nurses are underrepresented. Many male nurses leave the profession 3 or 4 years after graduation. Little is known about the professional identity of Chinese male nursing students in 3-year colleges and junior male nurses. METHODS: This study included 237 male nursing students from a 3-year college and 33 junior male nurses with less than 3 years of experience in China. By using the data collected with the Professional Identity Questionnaire of Nursing Students and through in-depth semistructured interviews from November 2019 to April 2020, t-test, and ANOVA analysis in SPSS22.0 were conducted and thematic analysis was applied to interviews. RESULTS: Compared with undergraduate nursing students, Chinese male nursing students in 3-year colleges had a better professional identity, displaying a declining tendency with grades. Junior male nurses reported the lowest professional identity. Demographic factors such as family residence and presence of relatives in medical service were positively related to professional identity. Low professional identity was related to heavy workload as well as gender stereotypes. Two unique contextual factors influenced the professional identity: (a) curriculum setting and (b) nurse exams. CONCLUSION: College education and initial working experience were critical to professional identity formation for male nurses. Appropriate measures need to be taken to improve professional identity and promote gender diversity.