Effectiveness of Group Patient-Led Life Skills Training on Function and Self-Efficacy for People With Schizophrenia: A Quasi-Experimental Study.

The current quasi-experimental study evaluated the effectiveness of group patient-led life skills training (LST) on functional recovery and self-efficacy of people with schizophrenia. Two psychiatric units in a mental health center were randomly assigned to intervention (first psychiatric unit) and control (second psychiatric unit) groups. Convenience sampling was used to recruit participants. The intervention group (n = 51) received group patient-led LST, and the control group (n = 53) received routine mental health care services. Outcomes on patients' functional recovery and self-efficacy between groups were compared at baseline, during the intervention (4 weeks), and immediately after the intervention (8 weeks). Repeated measures analysis of variance was used to analyze the data. Results showed that the intervention improved functional recovery and self-efficacy of people with schizophrenia (p < 0.05). Therefore, it is recommended that group patient-led LST be integrated in therapy for people with schizophrenia to facilitate their functional recovery and help them achieve their highest potential for independent living. [Journal of Psychosocial Nursing and Mental Health Services, 61(2), 60-67.].

Suicidal Ideation and Mental Health Help-Seeking Behaviors Among Older Chinese Adults During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

OBJECTIVE: To examine prevalence and correlates of suicidal ideation in older Chinese adults (OCAs) during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as mental health help-seeking behaviors of suicidal OCAs. BACKGROUND: Few data on suicidal behaviors of older adults during the pandemic are available. METHODS: In this cross-sectional survey, 1159 OCAs completed an online self-administered questionnaire between 23 February and 25 March 2020. A standardized single question and the 12-item General Health Questionnaire were used to assess the presence of suicidal ideation and common mental health problems (CMHPs), respectively. Suicidal ideators were further asked about their perceived need for mental health care and help-seeking from mental health workers. RESULTS: 4.1% of the OCAs experienced suicidal ideation during the past 2 weeks. Among the suicidal OCAs, 31.9% perceived a need for mental health care but only 10.6% had sought help from mental health workers. Factors significantly associated with suicidal ideation were a marital status of "others" (OR=2.39, P = .021), disagreement regarding the successful containment of the pandemic (OR=2.43, P = .022), physical health problems (OR=2.23, P = .012), and CMHPs (OR=4.99, P < .001). CONCLUSIONS: During the COVID-19 pandemic, OCAs constitute a subpopulation that needs mental health services for suicidal problems but tends not to seek mental health help. Mental health services for OCAs may include mental health education, periodic evaluation of risk of suicide, expanded psychosocial support, and, when necessary, psychological crisis intervention and psychiatric treatment.

Relative Entropy Method Applied for the Fatigue Life Distribution of Carbon Fiber/Epoxy Composites.

This paper verifies the feasibility of the relative entropy method in selecting the most suitable statistical distribution for the experimental data, which do not follow an exponential distribution. The efficiency of the relative entropy method is tested through the fractional order moment and the logarithmic moment in terms of the experimental data of carbon fiber/epoxy composites with different stress amplitudes. For better usage of the relative entropy method, the efficient range of its application is also studied. The application results show that the relative entropy method is not very fit for choosing the proper distribution for non-exponential random data when the heavy tail trait of the experimental data is emphasized. It is not consistent with the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test but is consistent with the residual sum of squares in the least squares method whenever it is calculated by the fractional moment or the logarithmic moment. Under different stress amplitudes, the relative entropy method has different performances.

Time course of diffusion tensor imaging metrics in the chronic spinal cord compression rat model.

BACKGROUND: Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) provides information about water molecule diffusion in spinal cord. PURPOSE: This study was aimed to investigate DTI changes in the different stages of compressive spinal cord induced by water-absorbing material implantation. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The spinal cord compression was administered over the fourth cervical vertebral level in rat. Rat models were divided into five subgroups according to compression stages: sham group, group A: three-day compression rat models; group B: 12-day compression rat models; group C: 20-day compression rat models; group D: 60-day compression rat models. DTI including fractional anisotropy (FA) and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) in the compressive spinal cord were collected. The relationship between the Basso, Beattie, and Bresnahan (BBB) scores and DTI metrics was further explored. RESULTS: Compared with the sham group, BBB scoring of rat model showed a decreased tendency from group A ( P < 0.05) to group B ( P < 0.05). Then the motor function of rat model hindlimbs was recovered in some degree from group C ( P < 0.05) to group D ( P < 0.05) but had significant motor defects when compared with the normal level ( P < 0.05). The DTI metrics results revealed that chronic spinal cord compression resulted in lower FA value and higher ADC value at the compressive spinal cord level assessed at all four time-points ( P < 0.05). DTI metrics also showed a close correlation with motor function ( P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: DTI is an optimal pre-clinical imaging tool to reflect locomotor performance and pathological status of compressive spinal cord epicenter in chronic spinal cord compression rat model.

Overexpression of NKX6.1 is closely associated with progressive features and predicts unfavorable prognosis in human primary hepatocellular carcinoma.

The homeobox gene NKX6.1 was recently identified in cervical tumors. This study was designed to explore the clinical and prognostic significance of NKX6.1 further in patients with primary hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The expression levels of NKX6.1 were examined using real-time PCR, Western blotting, and immunohistochemistry in HCC cell lines and HCC tissues. The invasion capability of cell lines following silencing or overexpression of NKX6.1 was investigated by Transwell assay. Cells proliferation was tested by MTT assays. Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) marker expression levels were detected in relation to NKX6.1 expression. Correlation between NKX6.1 immunohistochemical staining, clinicopathologic parameters, and follow-up data of HCC patients was analyzed statistically. NKX6.1 expression was higher in HCC tissues compared to the adjacent noncancerous tissue. NKX6.1 overexpression was significantly correlated with tumor size, tumor differentiation, clinical stage, metastasis, and relapse. Kaplan-Meier analysis revealed that NKX6.1 overexpression was related to unfavorable 5-year disease-free survival and overall survival. Importantly, multivariate analysis indicated that NKX6.1 overexpression was an independent unfavorable marker for overall survival. Moreover, a significant relationship was observed between NKX6.1 and EMT marker expression levels, and NKX6.1 knockdown inhibited cell invasion, and overexpression of NKX6.1 promotes cell proliferation in vitro. NKX6.1 is upregulated in HCC and is a reliable prognostic marker for patients with HCC.

Riemann equation for prime number diffusion.

This study makes the first attempt to propose the Riemann diffusion equation to describe in a manner of partial differential equation and interpret in physics of diffusion the classical Riemann method for prime number distribution. The analytical solution of this equation is the well-known Riemann representation. The diffusion coefficient is dependent on natural number, a kind of position-dependent diffusivity diffusion. We find that the diffusion coefficient of the Riemann diffusion equation is nearly a straight line having a slope 0.99734 in the double-logarithmic axis. Consequently, an approximate solution of the Riemann diffusion equation is obtained, which agrees well with the Riemann representation in predicting the prime number distribution. Moreover, we interpret the scale-free property of prime number distribution via a power law function with 1.0169 the scale-free exponent in respect to logarithmic transform of the natural number, and then the fractal characteristic of prime number distribution is disclosed.

Mutation breeding of Saccharomyces cerevisiae with lower methanol content and the effects of pectinase, cellulase and glycine in sugar cane spirits.

BACKGROUND: To decrease the methanol content of the sugar cane sprits, mutagenesis of ultraviolet (UV) coupled with diethyl sulfate (DES) was used to generate a mutant of Saccharomyces cerevisiae with lower methanol content. Meanwhile, the effects of the additions of pectinase, cellulase and glycine on the production of methanol in sugar cane spirits were evaluated. RESULTS: After mutagenesis of UV coupled with DES, a mutant S. cerevisiae DU9 with low production of methanol (97.3 ± 1.7 mg/L) was selected, with a 12.3% decrease of that of S. cerevisiae D4 only with DES treatment, and with a 27.8% reduction of that of the strain without any treatment. Pectinase and cellulase significantly increased the methanol levels of the sugar cane spirits. The results showed that there was linear relationship between glycine (concentration within 0∼0.9 g/L) and methanol in sugar cane sprits and the linear equation was y = 104.7 × -4.79 with the conversion rate of glycine conversion to methanol as 24.56%. CONCLUSION: Mutagenesis of UV coupled with DES is an efficient way to generate a mutant of S. cerevisiae with lower methanol content. Also, it is necessary to control the additions of pectinase, cellulase and glycine in the fermentation medium, and other unknown ways to generate methanol metabolic pathway in yeasts may need further study.

Clinical and biological significance of hepatoma-derived growth factor in Ewing's sarcoma.

We sought to investigate the clinicopathological significance and biological function of hepatoma-derived growth factor (HDGF) in Ewing's sarcoma. Our results showed that HDGF expression is up-regulated in Ewing's sarcoma. Nuclear HDGF expression is significantly associated with tumour volume (p < 0.001), metastases at diagnosis (p < 0.001), low overall survival rate (p < 0.001) and low disease-free survival rate (p < 0.001). HDGF knock-down results in significant reduction of Ewing's sarcoma cell growth, proliferation and enhances tumourigenesis, both in vitro and in vivo. Meanwhile, HDGF knock-down causes cell cycle arrest and enhanced sensitization to serum starvation-induced apoptosis. Furthermore, recombinant HDGF promotes proliferation and colony formation of Ewing's sarcoma cells. Ninety-eight candidate HDGF downstream genes were identified in Ewing's sarcoma cells using cDNA microarray analysis. In addition, we found that HDGF knock-down inhibited FLI1 expression in Ewing's sarcoma cells at the mRNA and protein levels. Our findings suggest that HDGF exhibits oncogenic properties and may be a novel prognostic factor in Ewing's sarcoma. Targeting HDGF might be a potential therapeutic strategy for Ewing's sarcoma.

Aging and confinement in subordinated fractional Brownian motion.

We study the effects of aging properties of subordinated fractional Brownian motion (FBM) with drift and in harmonic confinement, when the measurement of the stochastic process starts a time t_{a}>0 after its original initiation at t=0. Specifically, we consider the aged versions of the ensemble mean-squared displacement (MSD) and the time-averaged MSD (TAMSD), along with the aging factor. Our results are favorably compared with simulations results. The aging subordinated FBM exhibits a disparity between MSD and TAMSD and is thus weakly nonergodic, while strong aging is shown to effect a convergence of the MSD and TAMSD. The information on the aging factor with respect to the lag time exhibits an identical form to the aging behavior of subdiffusive continuous-time random walks (CTRW). The statistical properties of the MSD and TAMSD for the confined subordinated FBM are also derived. At long times, the MSD in the harmonic potential has a stationary value, that depends on the Hurst index of the parental (nonequilibrium) FBM. The TAMSD of confined subordinated FBM does not relax to a stationary value but increases sublinearly with lag time, analogously to confined CTRW. Specifically, short aging times t_{a} in confined subordinated FBM do not affect the aged MSD, while for long aging times the aged MSD has a power-law increase and is identical to the aged TAMSD.

Astrocyte elevated gene-1 interacts with ß-catenin and increases migration and invasion of colorectal carcinoma.

To investigate the astrocyte elevated gene-1 (AEG-1) expression and its relationship with the clinicopathological features of colorectal carcinoma (CRC) and ß-catenin signaling pathway. Real-time PCR, Western blot, immunohistochemistry, and immunofluorescence staining were performed to detect AEG-1 expression in CRC cell lines, 8 pairs of fresh CRC and adjacent nontumor tissues (ANT), 120 pairs of paraffin-embedded CRC specimens and ANT tissues, and 60 samples of lymph node metastatic CRC tissues. Scratch wound assay and transwell matrix penetration assay were performed to determine migration and invasion of SW480 cell lines with stable AEG-1 overexpression or SW620 cell lines with AEG-1 knockdown. AEG-1 expression was upregulated in CRC cell lines and tissues compared with ANT. Furthermore, AEG-1 expression level significantly correlated with UICC stage, and the N classification. AEG-1 overexpression significantly enhanced migration and invasion of SW480 cell lines. However, AEG-1 knockdown suppressed migration and invasion of SW620 cell lines. Meanwhile, there was a positive correlation between AEG-1 high expression and ß-catenin nuclear expression in CRC. AEG-1 overexpression increased nuclear ß-catenin accumulation in CRC cell lines. AEG-1 knockdown decreased nuclear ß-catenin accumulation in CRC cell lines. Moreover, we firstly found that AEG-1 interacted with ß-catenin in SW480 cell lines. Our results for the first time showed that AEG-1 interacted with ß-catenin in CRC cells and AEG-1 expression was closely associated with progression of CRC. AEG-1 might be a potential therapeutic target in CRC.

Fractal relaxation model with a nonlinear diffusion coefficient for fitting anomalous diffusion data in magnetic resonance imaging.

In this paper a relaxation model of signal attenuation in diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (dMRI) with varying diffusion coefficient in terms of fractal derivative is proposed, in which the diffusion coefficient is a power law of the effective diffusion time. The relaxation model provides measures of diffusion constant, fractal dimension of diffusive trajectory of water molecule and the time power-law behavior of the diffusion coefficient. The proposed model was used to describe the magnetic resonance attenuation signal of the bullfrog sciatic nerve, and the corresponding spectral entropy was calculated to detect the environmental complexity in bullfrog sciatic nerve for water molecular diffusion. The results showed that the fractal derivative relaxation model (the VDC model) can accurately depict the diffusion pattern of water molecules in complex heterogeneous biological media at large b values. The VDC model provides an alternative theoretical reference for biological tissue detection based on time-dependent diffusion of water molecules.

A concise continuous time random-walk diffusion model for characterization of non-exponential signal decay in magnetic resonance imaging.

Diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (dMRI) is a method of capturing the signal of water molecules diffusing in heterogeneous materials. Gaussian diffusion is interrupted when water mobility is hampered by obstructions in complex structures, and the dMRI signal decay does not match the single exponential decay in Brownian motion. In this study, a concise continuous time random-walk diffusion model is derived with less parameters than the continuous time random walk (CTRW) model and used to characterize the attenuation signal of brain tissue. The fitting results are compared with the CTRW model and the mono-exponential model reflecting the sub-diffusion and the long tail phenomenon of signal decay. Three sample experiments on rat brain and human brain are chosen to evaluate the validity in explaining the anomalous diffusion of water molecules in biological tissues, particularly in brain tissues in diverse directions, which also extends the applications of the concise continuous time random-walk diffusion model. Furthermore, we note that the concise continuous time random-walk diffusion model has practical advantages over the classical exponential model from the perspective of computational accuracy especially in the case of large b values, and has less parameters and is comparable to the CTRW model.

Anomalous diffusion, non-Gaussianity, and nonergodicity for subordinated fractional Brownian motion with a drift.

The stochastic motion of a particle with long-range correlated increments (the moving phase) which is intermittently interrupted by immobilizations (the trapping phase) in a disordered medium is considered in the presence of an external drift. In particular, we consider trapping events whose times follow a scale-free distribution with diverging mean trapping time. We construct this process in terms of fractional Brownian motion with constant forcing in which the trapping effect is introduced by the subordination technique, connecting "operational time" with observable "real time." We derive the statistical properties of this process such as non-Gaussianity and nonergodicity, for both ensemble and single-trajectory (time) averages. We demonstrate nice agreement with extensive simulations for the probability density function, skewness, kurtosis, as well as ensemble and time-averaged mean-squared displacements. We place a specific emphasis on the comparisons between the cases with and without drift.

Anomalous diffusion, nonergodicity, non-Gaussianity, and aging of fractional Brownian motion with nonlinear clocks.

How do nonlinear clocks in time and/or space affect the fundamental properties of a stochastic process? Specifically, how precisely may ergodic processes such as fractional Brownian motion (FBM) acquire predictable nonergodic and aging features being subjected to such conditions? We address these questions in the current study. To describe different types of non-Brownian motion of particles-including power-law anomalous, ultraslow or logarithmic, as well as superfast or exponential diffusion-we here develop and analyze a generalized stochastic process of scaled-fractional Brownian motion (SFBM). The time- and space-SFBM processes are, respectively, constructed based on FBM running with nonlinear time and space clocks. The fundamental statistical characteristics such as non-Gaussianity of particle displacements, nonergodicity, as well as aging are quantified for time- and space-SFBM by selecting different clocks. The latter parametrize power-law anomalous, ultraslow, and superfast diffusion. The results of our computer simulations are fully consistent with the analytical predictions for several functional forms of clocks. We thoroughly examine the behaviors of the probability-density function, the mean-squared displacement, the time-averaged mean-squared displacement, as well as the aging factor. Our results are applicable for rationalizing the impact of nonlinear time and space properties superimposed onto the FBM-type dynamics. SFBM offers a general framework for a universal and more precise model-based description of anomalous, nonergodic, non-Gaussian, and aging diffusion in single-molecule-tracking observations.

Nonergodicity of confined superdiffusive fractional Brownian motion.

Using stochastic simulations supported by analytics we determine the degree of nonergodicity of box-confined fractional Brownian motion for both sub- and superdiffusive Hurst exponents H. At H>1/2 the nonequivalence of the ensemble- and time-averaged mean-squared displacements (TAMSDs) is found to be most pronounced (with a giant spread of individual TAMSDs at H→1), with two distinct short-lag-time TAMSD exponents.

The nucleotide polymorphisms within the Epstein-Barr virus C and Q promoters from nasopharyngeal carcinoma affect transcriptional activity in vitro.

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is a ubiquitous human gamma herpesvirus that is associated with Burkitt's lymphoma (BL), gastric carcinoma, nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC), and NK/T-cell lymphoma. Two viral promoters, Cp and Qp, are important for EBV latent infection. The latency Cp, which is used in primary infection, drives expression of the full spectrum of EBV nuclear antigens. Qp is active in EBV-associated tumors and drives the latency I/II expression pattern. In this study, we determined nucleotides polymorphisms in the Cp and Qp promoter regions in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from Cantonese healthy carriers and in biopsies of NPC, nasal NK/T lymphoma, BL, and gastric carcinoma. The sequence changes of -12G>T and +69 C>T in Cp and -197 G>A and +1 G>C in Qp were frequently identified in NPC. Transient transfection studies using luciferase gene reporters revealed a significant reduction (57.11%) in gene expression from the Cp +69T variant and increased expression (43.5%) from the Qp +1C variant compared to the prototype, suggesting that these sequence variations affect promoter activity. Our results indicate that the nucleotides polymorphisms in Cp and Qp occur frequently in NPC and might contribute to the oncogenesis of EBV.

A quantitative detection of mung bean in chestnut paste using duplex digital PCR.

Highly manufacturing process of chestnut paste leaves a considerable space for Economically Motivated Adulteration (EMA) with cheaper ingredients such as mung bean. In this paper a novel quantitative detection of mung bean in chestnut paste using duplex digital PCR was reported. Two sets of primers and probes were designed according to mung bean and chestnut specific genomic genes suitable for duplex droplet digital PCR (ddPCR) and duplex chip digital PCR (cdPCR) to set up a mass ratio quantitative detection method for mung bean, a common alternative plant-derived ingredient in chestnut paste products. The manufacturing process of chestnut paste products was considered to establish the linear relationship formula between mass ratio and gene copy number (CN) ratio of the two ingredients. The limits of quantification for gene CN concentrations (LOQcopy) of mung bean and chestnut were both 6 copies/µL, at the same time a mass ratio of mung bean in chestnut paste range from 5% to 80% was able to be quantified accurately to provide technical support for the identification of fraudulent substitution or adventitious contamination.

Sleep Misperception and Associated Factors in Patients With Anxiety-Related Disorders and Complaint of Insomnia: A Retrospective Study.

Purpose: Data on sleep parameters by polysomnography (PSG) in patients with anxiety-related disorders are limited. Although the disturbance and risk factors of sleep misperception have been implicated in psychopathology, its role in anxiety-related disorders remains unclear. This retrospective study aimed to explore the characteristics and sleep parameters in patients with anxiety-related disorders and different sleep perception types, and to explore the associated factors for sleep misperception. Methods: Patients with anxiety-related disorders who had complaint of insomnia for more than 3 months were collected at Wuhan Mental Health Center between December 2019 and July 2021. Patients underwent a two-night PSG monitoring and completed a self-reported sleep questionnaire. Behaviors were assessed using 30-item Nurses' Observation Scale for Inpatient Evaluation (NOSIE-30). Patients were divided into normal sleep perception (NSP), positive sleep perception abnormality [PSPA; overestimation of total sleep time (TST) >60 min], and negative sleep perception abnormality (NSPA; underestimation of TST >60 min) groups. PSG indicators and NOSIE-30 scores were compared among groups using the one-way analysis of variance and the Kruskal-Wallis test. Multiple linear regression analysis was performed to determine the associated factors for misperception index. Results: The subjective and objective TST were 5.5 ± 1.9 h and 6.4 ± 1.7 h in 305 patients, respectively. Sixty-nine (22.6%) had PSPA, 80 (26.2%) had NSP, and 156 (51.1%) had NSPA. Subjective TST and objective sleep parameters were significantly different among groups. No statistical differences in NOSIE-30 subscale and total scores were observed among groups. Sex, rapid eye movement (REM)/TST (%), sleep efficiency, number of awakenings, Non-rapid eye movement of stage 2 sleep (NREM)/TST (%), REM spontaneous arousal times, sleep latency, diagnosis, social competence, and manifest psychosis were associated with sleep misperception. Conclusion: Sleep misperception is common in patients with anxiety-related disorders. Various sleep perception types have different PSG profiles, but similar personal and social behaviors. These data may be helpful to conduct personalized treatment.

EBV-encoded LMP1 increases nuclear ß-catenin accumulation and its transcriptional activity in nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

This paper aimed to study whether Epstein-Barr virus-encoded latent membrane protein 1 (LMP1) regulates ß-catenin signaling pathway in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). Western blotting, immunofluorescence, luciferase reporter assay, co-immunoprecipitation assay, and immunohistochemistry staining were used. LMP1 increased ß-catenin transcriptional activity in NPC cell lines. The upregulation of ß-catenin transcriptional activity induced by LMP1 was much higher in poorly differentiated NPC cell line CNE2 than that in well-differentiated NPC cell line CNE1. Immunofluorescence staining and Western blotting also showed that LMP1 increased nuclear ß-catenin accumulation in NPC cell lines. Moreover, LMP1 expression was closely related to abnormal ß-catenin expression in NPC tissues by immunohistochemistry. LMP1 may be involved in nasopharyngeal carcinogenesis via ß-catenin signaling pathway.

SELL and IFI44 as potential biomarkers of Sjögren's syndrome and their correlation with immune cell infiltration.

The onset of Sjögren's syndrome (SS) is hidden, early diagnosis is difficult, and the disorder seriously endangers the physical and mental health of affected people. This study aims to identify potential biomarkers of SS and to investigate the characteristics of immune cell infiltration. We used four SS gene expression profile data series from the Gene Expression Omnibus database, and applied bioinformatics analysis and machine learning algorithms to screen two biomarkers, SELL (L-selectin) and IFI44 (interferon-induced protein 44), from 101 differentially expressed genes. The two-gene model comprising SELL and IFI44 showed good diagnostic ability for SS in the training set (AUC = 0.992) and verification set (AUC = 0.917). Analysis of infiltrating immune cells in SS identified naive B cells, resting CD4 memory T cells, activated CD4 memory T cells, gamma delta T cells, M0 macrophages, M1 macrophages, plasma cells, CD8 T cells, activated NK cells and monocytes as candidate participants in the SS process. Furthermore, SELL was associated with M2 macrophages, activated CD4 memory T cells, gamma delta T cells, resting NK cells and plasma cells, while IFI44 was associated with activated mast cells, resting NK cells, resting mast cells and CD8 T cells. This study demonstrates that SELL and IFI44 can serve as good diagnostic markers for SS and may also be new diagnostic and therapeutic targets for SS.