Sucrose ester embedded lipid carrier for DNA delivery.

Sucrose esters (SEs) have great potential in the field of nucleic acid delivery due to their unique physical and chemical properties and good biosafety. However, the mechanism of the effect of SEs structure on delivery efficiency has not been studied. The liposomes containing peptide lipids and SEs were constructed, and the effects of SEs on the interaction between the liposomes and DNA were studied. The addition of SEs affects the binding rate of liposomes to DNA, and the binding rate gradually decreases with the increase of SEs' carbon chain length. SEs also affect the binding site and affinity of liposomes to DNA, promoting the aggregation of lipids to form liposomes, where DNA wraps around or compresses inside the liposomes, allowing it to compress DNA without damaging the DNA structure. COL-6, which is composed of sucrose laurate, exhibits the optimal affinity for DNA, and SE promotes the formation of ordered membrane structure and enhances membrane stability, so that COL-6 exhibits a balance between rigidity and flexibility, and thus exhibits the highest delivery efficiency of DNA among these formulations. This work provides theoretical foundations for the application of SE in gene delivery and guides for the rational design of delivery systems.

Clinical trial and performance evaluation of the Wantai HBsAg (CMIA) diagnostic kit for screening blood donors in China.

In China, according to the 'Technical Operating Procedures for Blood Stations (2019 Edition),' blood stations are authorized to utilize Chemiluminescence Immunoassay (CLIA) to detect pathogen markers linked with transfusion-transmissible infections. However, currently, there is no approved CLIA reagent for the screening of blood-borne diseases in China, specifically for the detection of Hepatitis B surface antigen. The objective of this research project is to conduct a comprehensive evaluation of the performance of the Wantai Chemiluminescent Microparticle Hepatitis B surface antigen reagent. This study evaluates the performance of the Wantai Chemiluminescent Microparticle Immunoassay (CMIA) on the Wan200 + analyzer in screening for Hepatitis B Surface Antigen (HBsAg) in blood samples. The clinical trial component of this evaluation is included as part of the documentation submitted to the National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) of China for the approval of blood screening reagents. The evaluation plan of this study encompasses two main components: clinical trials and performance assessment. We adopted a controlled trial design, utilizing the WanTai Chemiluminescent Microparticle Immunoassay (CMIA) on the Wan200 + analyzer and the Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) to screen for Hepatitis B Surface Antigen (HBsAg) in routine blood donor samples and reference serum panel samples. To ensure the accuracy of the screening, we additionally employed Abbott's ELISA reagents and HBV DNA for validation. The assessment primarily focused on key performance indicators such as sensitivity, specificity, and analytical sensitivity. Moreover, this clinical trial data has been included as part of the submission to China's National Medical Products Administration (NMPA). In the clinical trials of this study, a total of 10,470 blood donor samples underwent simultaneous testing using both CMIA and ELISA methods. Across two clinical trials, there was remarkable concordance between CMIA and the two ELISA reagents, with Kappa values exceeding 0.82. Among the 269 samples that were double-reactive in the enzyme immunoassay (ELISA) tests, CMIA exhibited a 100% reactivity detection rate. However, CMIA produced 14 and 6 false-positive results in the respective clinical trials, resulting in specificities of 99.73% and 99.89%. In contrast, the specificities for Wantai ELISA and Xin Chuang ELISA were both greater than 99.94%.When testing samples in the gray zone serum plates, CMIA's detection limit significantly exceeded that of the two ELISA assays. CMIA had a detection cutoff of 0.05 IU/mL, while the two ELISA reagents had cutoffs of 0.1 IU/mL and 0.09 IU/mL, respectively. CMIA's detection limits for the adr and adw subtypes were 0.05 IU/mL, and for the ay subtype, it was 0.1 U/mL. The detection limit for 10 HBV mutant samples was 0.5 U/mL. In 165 cases where ELISA tested negative but HBV DNA tested positive, CMIA detected 5 HBsAg-positive samples. This study evaluated the performance of the Wantai CMIA in screening for HBsAg among blood donors. The results demonstrate outstanding performance of CMIA in both clinical trials and performance assessments, detecting all true positive samples with a sensitivity of 100%. It exhibits excellent concordance with the two ELISA assays. Of particular note is its superiority in early detection of HBsAg in the screening of early-stage hepatitis B infections, reducing the window period compared to ELISA. CMIA achieves a specificity exceeding 99.73% for negative blood donors, aligning with the European Union's standards for blood screening assay specificity. In summary, Wantai's CMIA displays high sensitivity and specificity in blood donor screening, making it suitable for screening blood donors in China.

Long non-coding RNA ACTA2-AS1 suppresses metastasis of papillary thyroid cancer via regulation of miR-4428/KLF9 axis.

BACKGROUND: Metastasis is the primary cause of recurrence and death in patients with papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC). LncRNA ACTA2-AS1, a long non-coding RNA, acts as a tumor suppressor in multiple types of human malignancies, while the role of ACTA2-AS1 in PTC metastasis remains unclear. METHODS: The ACTA2-AS1 expression in PTC tissues was analyzed. The sponged roles of ACTA2-AS1 via miR-4428/KLF9 axis were identified using starBase tool. The function of ACTA2-AS1 in PTC was performed with in vitro and in vivo experiments. The correlation between DNA methylation and mRNA expressions of these gene in the TCGA dataset was explored. RESULTS: ACTA2-AS1 expression was downregulated in PTC tissues without metastasis and further decreased in PTC tissues with lymph node metastasis compared with that in normal tissues. Functionally, the overexpression of ACTA2-AS1 inhibited the growth, proliferation, and invasion of PTC cells, whereas its depletion exerted opposite effect. In vivo, ACTA2-AS1 expression inhibited PTC metastasis. Furthermore, ACTA2-AS1 acted as a competing endogenous RNA for miR-4428, thereby positively regulating the expression of miR-4428 target gene, KLF9. Finally, miR-4428 overexpression enhanced invasive potential of PTC cells and significantly weakened the effects of ACTA2-AS1 on promotion and inhibition of KLF9 expression as well as invasive ability of PTC cells, respectively. In the TCGA dataset, the methylation level of ACTA2-AS1 was significantly correlated with its mRNA expression (r = 0.21, p = 2.1 × e-6). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings demonstrate that ACTA2-AS1 functions as a tumor suppressor in PTC progression at least partly by regulating the miR-4428-dependent expression of KLF9.

TRIM3 inhibits colorectal cancer cell migration and lipid droplet formation by promoting FABP4 degradation.

This study is to investigate the regulation of TRIM3/FABP4 on colorectal cancer (CRC) cell migration and lipid metabolism. After transfection of HCT116, LoVo, or SW480 cells, the expression of FABP4, TRIM3, N-cadherin, Vimentin, E-cadherin, and lipid droplet (LD) formation-related genes was measured by qRT-PCR or western blot assays. Wound healing and Transwell assays were applied to detect CRC cell migration and invasion abilities. The levels of triglyceride (TG) and total cholesterol (TC) were measured and the formation of LDs was observed. Additionally, the relationship between FABP4 and TRIM3 was confirmed by Co-IP and ubiquitination assays. Furthermore, a liver metastasis model of CRC was established to explore the effect of FABP4 on CRC tumor metastasis in vivo. FABP4 was upregulated in CRC cells. Downregulation of FABP4 or upregulation of TRIM3 resulted in repressed cell migration and invasion, decreased TG and TC levels, and reduced numbers of LDs. In nude mice, knockdown of FABP4 reduced metastatic nodules in the liver. Mechanistically, TRIM3 combined FABP4 and decreased its protein expression by ubiquitination. Overexpressed FABP4 reversed the influence of TRIM3 upregulation on CRC cell migration and LD formation. In conclusion, underexpressed TRIM3 suppressed FABP4 ubiquitination and accelerated CRC cell migration and LD formation.

The use of large language models in medicine: proceeding with caution.

Large language models, like ChatGPT and Bard, have potential clinical applications due to their ability to generate conversational responses and encode medical knowledge. However, their clinical adoption faces challenges including hallucinations, lack of transparency, and lack of consistency. Ethicolegal concerns surrounding patient consent, legal liability, and data privacy further complicate matters. Despite their promise, an optimistic but cautious approach is essential for the safe integration of large language models into clinical settings.

Evaluating fluvoxamine for the outpatient treatment of COVID-19: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

This systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials (RCTs) aimed to evaluate the efficacy, safety, and tolerability of fluvoxamine for the outpatient management of COVID-19. We conducted this review in accordance with the PRISMA 2020 guidelines. Literature searches were conducted in MEDLINE, EMBASE, International Pharmaceutical Abstracts, CINAHL, Web of Science, and CENTRAL up to 14 September 2023. Outcomes included incidence of hospitalisation, healthcare utilization (emergency room visits and/or hospitalisation), mortality, supplemental oxygen and mechanical ventilation requirements, serious adverse events (SAEs) and non-adherence. Fluvoxamine 100 mg twice a day was associated with reductions in the risk of hospitalisation (risk ratio [RR] 0.75, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.58-0.97; I 2  = 0%) and reductions in the risk of healthcare utilization (RR 0.68, 95% CI 0.53-0.86; I 2  = 0%). While no increased SAEs were observed, fluvoxamine 100 mg twice a day was associated with higher treatment non-adherence compared to placebo (RR 1.61, 95% CI 1.22-2.14; I 2  = 53%). In subgroup analyses, fluvoxamine reduced healthcare utilization in outpatients with BMI ≥30 kg/m2 , but not in those with lower BMIs. While fluvoxamine offers potential benefits in reducing healthcare utilization, its efficacy may be most pronounced in high-risk patient populations. The observed non-adherence rates highlight the need for better patient education and counselling. Future investigations should reassess trial endpoints to include outcomes relating to post-COVID sequelaes. Registration: This review was prospectively registered on PROSPERO (CRD42023463829).

Current status of research on emergency surgery score in trauma patients: a bibliometric analysis.

Background: The use of a relevant emergency score can provide an accurate assessment of the patient's condition and prognosis. However, the status of related studies remains unclear. The current study analyzed the research status of emergency surgery score (ESS) of trauma patients by using bibliometric methods. Methods: The Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-E) database in the Web of Science Core Collection (WOSCC) was searched using keywords "trauma" and "emergency surgery score". All records from the search results and cited references were exported to Excel, duplicate literature records were removed, information for the same author and organization in different signature forms were merged. The resulting literatures were analyzed by year of publication, citation, discipline, countries and research institutions, journals, authors, and use of keywords. The cooperation among countries, institutions, and authors was also examined. Results: A total of 2,175 document were retrieved. The number of published literature and the number of citations per year increased annually. The number of published documents (n=1,029) and research cooperation (centrality score, 0.44) in the United States were significantly ahead of those in other countries. The ten research institutions with the largest number of published documents were all from the United States, with much cooperation between research institutions and authors. There were many publications from China (n=108), but with few cooperations (centrality score, 0.22). The journals with the largest number of published articles were professional in the fields of trauma, emergency, and critical care. Keyword analysis showed that infection and shock were important issues besides surgery in the research related to ESS of trauma patients. Conclusions: Research related to ESS of trauma patients has been mainly conducted in the United States, and Chinese researchers should increase their level of cooperation.

Tripterygium glycosides sensitizes cisplatin chemotherapeutic potency by modulating gut microbiota in epithelial ovarian cancer.

Epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) is a fatal gynecological malignancy with limited therapeutic options. Previous research has demonstrated that Tripterygium glycosides (GTW) can enhance effectiveness of cisplatin (DDP) chemotherapy against EOC. However, the underlying mechanism of GTW alleviating EOC still remains unclear. In this article, an ID8 cell-derived xenograft mouse model was established to evaluate the anti-tumor efficacy of GTW combined with DDP. Consistent with previous findings, the results suggested that GTW combined with DDP can exhibit a stronger tumor suppressive effect than DDP alone. Additionally, GTW was found can further exert gastrointestinal protection against DDP by reducing pathological damage on colon tissue. Secondly, to verify whether gut microbiota play an instrumental role in GTW's anticancer effect, we treated mice models with antibiotic to eliminate gut microbiota. And our experimental results indicated that all drug groups showed a weaker tumor suppressive effect and more severe gastrointestinal damage post antibiotic supplement. At genus level, the relative abundance of Lactobacillus was dramatically diminished by the antibiotic treatment, while combined treatment of GTW and DDP can significantly restore the level. Moreover, we performed Lactobacillus acidophilus transplantation and healthy mice fecal microbiota transplantation experiments to further investigate the link between the anticancer effect of GTW and gut microbiota. Our results suggested that both cisplatin-sensitizing and intestinal barrier-protecting effects of GTW can be recovered to a different extent. In conclusion, our results indicated that GTW is a promising chemosensitization and intestinal barrier repair drug for EOC, and the potential mechanism may corelate with the restoration of the compromised intestinal microbial balance.

MAVS integrates glucose metabolism and RIG-I-like receptor signaling.

MAVS is an adapter protein involved in RIG-I-like receptor (RLR) signaling in mitochondria, peroxisomes, and mitochondria-associated ER membranes (MAMs). However, the role of MAVS in glucose metabolism and RLR signaling cross-regulation and how these signaling pathways are coordinated among these organelles have not been defined. This study reports that RLR action drives a switch from glycolysis to the pentose phosphate pathway (PPP) and the hexosamine biosynthesis pathway (HBP) through MAVS. We show that peroxisomal MAVS is responsible for glucose flux shift into PPP and type III interferon (IFN) expression, whereas MAMs-located MAVS is responsible for glucose flux shift into HBP and type I IFN expression. Mechanistically, peroxisomal MAVS interacts with G6PD and the MAVS signalosome forms at peroxisomes by recruiting TNF receptor-associated factor 6 (TRAF6) and interferon regulatory factor 1 (IRF1). By contrast, MAMs-located MAVS interact with glutamine-fructose-6-phosphate transaminase, and the MAVS signalosome forms at MAMs by recruiting TRAF6 and TRAF2. Our findings suggest that MAVS mediates the interaction of RLR signaling and glucose metabolism.

Evaluating the cost-effectiveness of low-level HBV DNA screening in occult hepatitis B infection donors: A study from Shandong Blood Center, China.

Objective: This study aimed to assess the efficacy of individual-donation nucleic acid testing (ID-NAT) in detecting occult hepatitis B virus infection (OBI) among anti-HBc positive blood donors, compared to minipool nucleic acid testing (MP-NAT). Methods: The present study analyzed data from the Shandong Blood Center in China during the period from January 2018 to June 2022, where HBsAg-negative blood donors were screened using the 6-sample minipool nucleic acid testing (6-sample MP NAT) method. NAT-positive samples underwent subsequent anti-HBc and anti-HBs testing. Approximately 5000 samples that passed the nucleic acid mixing test were randomly selected for anti-HBc testing, and over 100 anti-HBc positive samples underwent individual donor nucleic acid testing (ID-NAT). Any HBV DNA positive samples detected by ID-NAT were subsequently confirmed using alternative nucleic acid testing methods. Results: Among 220,445 HBsAg-negative blood donors, the positivity rate of HBV DNA detection using the 6-sample minipool nucleic acid testing (MP NAT) method was found to be 0.031% (69/220,445). Of the 67 HBV DNA positive samples, 55 (82.09%) and 25 (37.31%) were found to be positive for anti-HBc and anti-HBs, respectively, using the supplementary chemiluminescent microparticle immunoassay (CMIA). Among the 4797 HBsAg-negative/MP NAT-negative samples, 909 (18.95%) tested positive for anti-HBc. Further NAT testing was performed on 164 arbitrarily selected anti-HBc-positive/MP HBV DNA-negative samples, revealing a HBV DNA positivity rate of 1.22% (2/164). Conclusion: Using individual donation nucleic acid testing can significantly increase the detection rate of occult hepatitis B virus infection in anti-HBc-positive blood donors, resulting in a detection rate of 0.22% (1.22 × 0.1895). This rate is 8.10 times higher than the detection rate achieved by mixed testing methods (0.031%) [calculated as (0.22 + 0.031)/0.031]. Therefore, it is recommended to perform single HBV DNA testing on anti-HBc-positive blood donors, discard plasma with weakly positive or negative anti-HBs but positive anti-HBc, or avoid transfusing anti-HBc-positive plasma to recipients with weakly positive or negative anti-HBs to prevent HBV infection.

Ce(IV)-Based Metal-Organic Gel for Ultrafast Removal of Trace Arsenate from Water.

As a potential replacement for metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), constructing metal-organic gels (MOGs) is an appealing but challenging topic since MOGs are a kind of shapeable MOF gels. Also, the rapid adsorption of trace heavy metal ions in aqueous media remains a serious challenge. Herein, a simple strategy for the synthesis of Ce(IV)-based metal-organic gel (Ce-MOG) was first developed for the rapid adsorption of trace As(V). The (NH4)2Ce(NO3)6 obtains hydroxide bridges after adding apposite NaOH, leading to [Ce6O4(OH)4]12+ clustering and inducing fast and excessive nucleation rates, which also leads to coordination disturbance of MOF nanocrystals to obtain Ce-MOG. The Ce-OH groups are the key to gel formation through hydrogen bonding and are the active site for the ultrafast adsorption of As(V). As expected, the resultant Ce-MOG has an excellent adsorption rate, making it possible to effectively decontaminate 500 ppb of As(V) to below the World Health Organization (WHO) recommended threshold for drinking water (10 ppb) within 1 min. It achieves equilibrium adsorption in 10 min, and the final arsenate-removing efficiency reaches 99.8%. For Ce-MOF, the effluent concentration of As(V) is higher than the drinking water standard, while equilibrium adsorption takes 60 min. The initial adsorption rate of Ce-MOG, h(k2qe2) is calculated and indicated to be 67.67 mg g-1 min-1, about 19.96 times that of Ce-MOF (3.39 mg g-1 min-1). As such, the excellent As(V) decontamination rate, selectivity, and reusability of Ce-MOG indicate its great potential for practical drinking water purification.

Kruppel-like factor 5 enhances proliferation, lipid droplet formation and oxaliplatin resistance in colorectal cancer by promoting fatty acid binding protein 6 transcription.

Oxaliplatin (OXA) is a standard agent for colorectal cancer (CRC) adjuvant chemotherapy. However, acquired and intrinsic OXA resistance is a primary challenge for CRC treatment. This study investigates the function of the Kruppel-like factor 5/fatty acid binding proteins 6 (KLF5/FABP6) axis in CRC proliferation, lipid droplet formation and OXA resistance. OXA-resistant CRC cell lines were constructed, and FABP6 and KLF5 expression was assessed in parental and OXA-resistant CRC cells. Subsequent to gain- and loss-of-function experiments, CRC cell proliferation was assessed by cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) and clone formation assays, the intracellular lipid synthesis by oil red O staining and the protein expression of lipid metabolism genes by western blot. OXA resistance of CRC cells was assessed by CCK-8 assay. The binding of KLF5 to FABP6 was analyzed by the dual-luciferase reporter and ChIP assays. A tumorigenicity assay in nude mice was adopted to examine the impact of KLF5 on CRC tumor growth and OXA resistance in vivo . FABP6 and KLF5 expression was high in CRC cell lines. Downregulation of FABP6 or KLF5 restrained CRC cell proliferation and lipid droplet formation in vitro . FABP6 and KLF5 expression was elevated in OXA-resistant CRC cells. Downregulation of FABP6 or KLF5 repressed the OXA resistance of OXA-resistant CRC cells. Mechanistically, KLF5 facilitated the transcription of FABP6. FABP6 overexpression counteracted the suppressive effects of KLF5 downregulation on CRC cell growth, lipid droplet formation and OXA resistance. KLF5 downregulation restrained CRC tumor growth and OXA resistance in vivo . In conclusion, KLF5 knockdown reduced FABP6 transcription to protect against proliferation, lipid droplet formation and OXA resistance in CRC.

Vanadium Extraction from the Flotation Concentrate of Vanadium-Bearing Shale by Process of Non-Roasting Enhanced Acid Leaching and Thermodynamics.

The purpose of this work is to significantly improve the vanadium grade of vanadium-bearing shale after flotation preconcentration, which is conducive to reducing the acid consumption and industrial costs in the subsequently enhanced acid leaching of vanadium. Vanadium concentrate from vanadium-bearing shale enriched by flotation is used for acid-leaching feed. The leaching effects of two kinds of acid-leaching systems were compared, and the mechanism of acid leaching on the mineral structure was also described. The difficulty of spontaneous reactions of vanadium-bearing minerals such as garnet in an acid-leaching system was studied through thermodynamics. Additionally, several characterization methods were used to evaluate the improvement of leaching performance. The addition of oxidants and fluorinating aids strengthens the acid-leaching process, which greatly destroys the structure of a garnet, which is conducive to the extraction of vanadium in a flotation concentrate. The leaching efficiency can reach 94.86%, and the acid consumption is also reduced. Through the mechanism study of the leaching system, it is expected that when the enhanced acid-leaching process is put into industrial production, the effective leaching of vanadium can be accurately controlled, and the difficulty of subsequent vanadium enrichment and purification can be reduced.

Surface adsorbed and lattice oxygen activated by the CeO2/Co3O4 interface for enhancive catalytic soot combustion: Experimental and theoretical investigations.

Metal oxide-oxide interface on supported catalyst has been rarely studied due to the complex interfacial structure and synthetic challenge. Herein, different Ag-supported CeO2/Co3O4 samples with various covered-state of CeO2 were prepared for catalytic soot oxidation. In comparison, catalytic activity was significantly improved by grafting CeO2 on Co3O4, in which the best performing Ag/CoCe-2 exhibited remarkable catalytic performance towards soot oxidation with a T50 of 290.5 â„ƒ under 10 % O2/N2. Catalyst characterization investigated by Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), quasi in-situ X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS), in-situ Raman, etc. revealed that this outstanding promotion in catalytic activity can be principally ascribed to the formation of the CeO2/Co3O4 interface. An appropriate CeO2 dosage maximized the contact and interaction between Co3O4 and CeO2, resulting in the largest CeO2/Co3O4 interface featured with abundant generated superoxide species and activated surface lattice oxygen. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations were also carried out for the oxygen vacancy formation energy, Gibbs free energy, etc. In presence of the CeO2/Co3O4 interface, a charge density redistribution around the adsorbed reactants at oxygen vacancies could be formed, owing to the efficient charge transfer enhanced by the electron-appealing effect. The change in electronic structure favored reducing the oxygen vacancy formation energy and boosting the lattice oxygen activation induced by the hybridized Co-O-Ce bonds, finally lowering the adsorption and activation barriers for reactive species and accelerating the reaction kinetics.

Facile green preparation of single- and two-component modified activated carbon fibers for efficient trace heavy metals removal from drinking water.

Trace heavy metals exist in drinking water, having great adverse effects on human health and making it a huge challenge to remove. Herein, novel materials have been prepared by a simple and green method using single- (polydopamine (PDA) or 2,3-dimercaptopropanesulfonic sodium (DMPS)) (PDA-OACF or DMPS-OACF) and two-component (PDA and DMPS) (DMPS-PDA-OACF) functionalized activated carbon fibers pretreated by hydrogen peroxide for the removal of trace heavy metals. The as-prepared DMPS-OACF (7.5,20) under DMPS addition of 7.5 mg and sonication time of 20 min retained large specific surface area, micro-mesoporous structure and rich functional groups and showed better adsorption performance for trace lead and mercury. It also exhibited wide applicable ranges of pH (3.50-10.50) and concentration (50-1136 µg L-1), rapid adsorption kinetics, and excellently selective removal performance for trace lead. The maximum lead adsorption capacity reached 16.03 mg g-1 when the effluent lead concentration met World Health Organization (WHO) standard and the adsorbent can be regenerated by EDTA solution. The fitting results of adsorption kinetics and isotherm models revealed that the lead adsorption process was multi-site adsorption on heterogeneous surfaces and chemical adsorption. The excellent adsorption properties for trace heavy metals were attributed that the sulfur/oxygen/nitrogen-containing functional groups boosted diffusion and adsorption by electrostatic attraction and coordination, suggesting that DMPS-OACF (7.5,20) has great application potential in the removal of trace heavy metals.

Prevalence of mental health symptoms in children and adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic: A meta-analysis.

The COVID-19 pandemic and its accompanying infection control measures introduced sudden and significant disruptions to the lives of children and adolescents around the world. Given the potential for negative impacts on the mental health of youths as a result of these changes, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to examine the prevalence of depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms, and sleep disturbances in children and adolescents during the pandemic. We searched major literature databases for relevant cross-sectional or longitudinal studies that included primary and secondary school students or children and adolescents ≤18 years of age. Prevalence values were extracted, logit-transformed, and pooled. Based on 191 included studies with 1,389,447 children and adolescents, we found the pooled prevalence of depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms, and sleep disturbances to be 31%, 31%, and 42%, respectively. Age, grade levels, education levels, gender, geographical regions, and electronics use were correlated with the prevalence of mental health symptoms. The prevalence of mental health symptoms also increased with time, although signs of recovery and stabilization were also observed. Overall, the results from this review demonstrate the need for increased mental health research, monitoring, and intervention for children and adolescents during the current and future pandemics.

The Electrical Conductivity and Mechanical Properties of Monolayer and Multilayer Nanofibre Membranes from Different Fillers: Calculated Based on Parallel Circuit.

Advanced research on improving the performance of conductive polymer composites is essential to exploring their potential in various applications. Thus, in this study, the electrical conductivity of multilayer nanofibre membranes composed of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) with different electroconductive fillers content including zinc oxide (ZnO), multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs), and Ferro ferric oxide (Fe3O4), were produced via electrospinning. The tensile property and electrical conductivity of monolayer membranes were explored. The results showed that PVA with 2 wt.% MWNTs nanofibre membrane has the best conductivity (1.0 × 10-5 S/cm) and tensile strength (29.36 MPa) compared with other fillers. Meanwhile, the combination of multilayer membrane ZnO/Fe3O4/Fe3O4/MWNTs/ZnO showed the highest conductivity (1.39 × 10-5 S/cm). The parallel circuit and calculation of parallel resistance were attempted to demonstrate the conductive mechanism of multilayer membranes, which can predict the conductivity of other multilayer films. The production of multilayer composites that enhance electrical conductivity and improve conductive predictions was successfully explored.

Efficacy and safety of corticosteroid regimens for the treatment of hospitalized COVID-19 patients: a meta-analysis.

Aim: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of corticosteroids for treating hospitalized COVID-19 patients. Materials & methods: Efficacy outcomes included time to negative SARS-CoV-2 tests, length of stay, duration and incidence of intensive unit care stay, incidence of mortality and duration and incidence of mechanical ventilation. Safety outcomes included the incidence of adverse events and severe adverse events, incidence of hyperglycemia and incidence of nosocomial infections. Results: Ninety-five randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and observational studies (n = 42,205) were included. Corticosteroids were associated with increased length of stay (based on RCT only), increased time to negative tests, decreased length of mechanical ventilation and increased odds of hyperglycemia. Conclusion: Corticosteroids should be considered in patients requiring mechanical ventilation, and glycemic monitoring may be needed when administering corticosteroids.

Dynamic mRNA degradome analyses indicate a role of histone H3K4 trimethylation in association with meiosis-coupled mRNA decay in oocyte aging.

A decrease in oocyte developmental potential is a major obstacle for successful pregnancy in women of advanced age. However, the age-related epigenetic modifications associated with dynamic transcriptome changes, particularly meiotic maturation-coupled mRNA clearance, have not been adequately characterized in human oocytes. This study demonstrates a decreased storage of transcripts encoding key factors regulating the maternal mRNA degradome in fully grown oocytes of women of advanced age. A similar defect in meiotic maturation-triggered mRNA clearance is also detected in aged mouse oocytes. Mechanistically, the epigenetic and cytoplasmic aspects of oocyte maturation are synchronized in both the normal development and aging processes. The level of histone H3K4 trimethylation (H3K4me3) is high in fully grown mouse and human oocytes derived from young females but decreased during aging due to the decreased expression of epigenetic factors responsible for H3K4me3 accumulation. Oocyte-specific knockout of the gene encoding CxxC-finger protein 1 (CXXC1), a DNA-binding subunit of SETD1 methyltransferase, causes ooplasm changes associated with accelerated aging and impaired maternal mRNA translation and degradation. These results suggest that a network of CXXC1-maintained H3K4me3, in association with mRNA decay competence, sets a timer for oocyte deterioration and plays a role in oocyte aging in both mouse and human oocytes.