The mechanism of Qingwen Gupi decoction on pulmonary fibrosis based on metabolomics and intestinal flora.

AIMS: To evaluate the effects of the Qingwen Gupi decoction (QGT) in a rat model of bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis (PF), and explore the underlying mechanisms by integrating UPLC-Q-TOF/MS metabolomics and 16S rDNA sequencing of gut microbiota. METHODS AND RESULTS: The animals were randomly divided into the control, PF model, pirfenidone-treated, and low-, medium-, and high-dose QGT groups. The lung tissues were examined and the expression of TGF-ß, SMAD-3, and SMAD-7 mRNAs in the lung tissues were analyzed. Metabolomic profiles were analyzed by UPLC-QTOF/MS, and the intestinal flora were examined by prokaryotic 16 rDNA sequencing. Pathological examination and biochemical indices revealed that QGT treatment improved the symptoms of PF by varying degrees. Furthermore, QGT significantly downregulated TGF-ß1 and Smad-3 mRNAs and increased the expression levels of Smad-7. QGT-L in particular increased the levels of 18 key metabolic biomarkers that were associated with nine gut microbial species and may exert antifibrosis effects through arachidonic acid metabolism, glycerophospholipid metabolism, and phenylalanine metabolism. CONCLUSIONS: QGT alleviated PF in a rat model through its anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and anti-fibrotic effects, and by reversing bleomycin-induced gut dysbiosis.This study lays the foundation for further research on the pathological mechanisms of PF and the development of new drug candidates.

Self-compassion predicted joint trajectories of depression and anxiety symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic: A five-wave longitudinal study on Chinese college students.

OBJECTIVE: The long-term protective effect of self-compassion on mental health remained unclear in the pandemic context. This study aimed to investigate the trajectories of depression and anxiety symptoms and the role of self-compassion during the pandemic. METHODS: In this one-year five-wave longitudinal study (retested every three months from February 2020 to February 2021), 494 Chinese college students completed the study through online questionnaires and provided information on depression and anxiety symptoms, self-compassion, and sociodemographic variables. Independent and joint trajectories of depression and anxiety symptoms were explored by growth mixture models. Predictive effects of self-compassion on trajectories were examined by logistic regression models. RESULTS: Four and three heterogeneous latent trajectories were identified for depression and anxiety symptoms, respectively. Three distinct joint trajectories of depression and anxiety were determined: low symptoms group (54.0 %), mild symptoms group (34.4 %), and risk group (11.5 %). Participants with higher levels of self-compassion were more likely to follow the low symptoms trajectory of depression and anxiety symptoms (all p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Group heterogeneity existed in the trajectories of depression and anxiety symptoms. Improving the levels of self-compassion would help to prevent and alleviate depression and anxiety symptoms. Programs based on self-compassion are encouraged to cope with the mental health challenges in the pandemic context.

The Online Strength-Informed Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Among COVID-19-Affected Adolescents

Purpose: This study develops and investigates the changes in anxiety symptoms and quality of life (QoL) among participants of the online Strength-informed Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (SACT) across three tests. Methods: A small-scale, quasi-experiment with no control group was conducted. Repeated-measures analysis was employed to assess the changes of the three tests, which were the pre-experimental, post-test, and 3-month follow-up test. A total of 47 adolescents (ages 10–12) completed the 45-min intervention that lasted 10 weeks. Results: Compared with the pre-experimental, the post-test indicated significant anxiety symptoms reduction but not a statistically significant increase in QoL. The 3-month follow-up test indicated reduced anxiety symptoms and improved QoL compared with the pre-experimental. The with-in subject changes were substantial. Conclusions: The online SACT is a promising model to reduce anxiety symptoms and promote QoL among adolescents during the current COVID-19 pandemic, which show both short- and long-term benefit to the participants. [ FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Research on Social Work Practice is the property of Sage Publications Inc. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full . (Copyright applies to all s.)

Sleep as a Priority: 24-Hour Movement Guidelines and Mental Health of Chinese College Students during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Research on the combined role of 24-hour movement behaviors (sleep, sedentary behavior [SB], and physical activity) in adult mental health, though important, is in its infancy. In the context of Canadian 24-hour movement guidelines integrating quantitative recommendations for sleep, SB, and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA), this study aimed to examine the associations between meeting guidelines and mental health among college students. The study used a cross-sectional sample of 1846 Chinese college students surveyed online in August 2020. Through network analysis and multivariate analysis of covariance, the individual and combined associations between meeting 24-hour movement guidelines and the levels of depression and anxiety after adjusting sociodemographic factors were analyzed. Results indicated that meeting the sleep guideline had stronger associations with depression and anxiety than meeting the SB or MVPA guideline. Specifically, compared to meeting no guidelines, meeting the sleep guideline (alone or in combination with other guidelines) was associated with significantly lower levels of depression and anxiety; meeting both SB and MVPA guidelines was also associated with a significantly lower level of depression. Hence, meeting more guidelines, especially adhering to a healthy sleep routine, may play an important role in promoting the mental health of young adults.

A brief measure of perceived courtesy and affiliate stigma on COVID-19: A study with a sample from China.

The present study aimed to assist public health efforts by developing and conducting psychometric testing of a brief measure of COVID-19-related stigma among people who were potentially but not necessarily infected. All the items were generated and selected based on extensive literature review, participant interviews, and expert evaluations. The psychometric properties were evaluated through performing confirmatory factor analysis tests, exploration structure equation modeling, measurement invariance, internal consistency coefficient, composite reliability, and criterion-related validity, using a sample of 2812 adults (600 male, 2212 female; mean age = 37.23, SD = 6.17) from Hubei Province, China. A clear two-factor structure of the COVID-19-related stigma among people who were potentially but not necessarily infected (i.e., perceived courtesy and affiliate stigma) was identified through the literature review and interviews. Results suggest that the two-factor model of COVID-19-related stigma (5 items for each factor) model fit the data, and the psychometric properties were acceptable. Measurement invariance across gender was supported. A two-factor 10-item scale was finally obtained.

COVID-19-related stigma profiles and risk factors among people who are at high risk of contagion.

RATIONALE: COVID-19 is likely to be stigmatized. The people of Hubei province perceived courtesy and affiliate stigma due to the geographic linkage to COVID-19. Perceived courtesy stigma refers to the perception of stigma of people who are associated with COVID-19 (e.g., the geographic linkage). Affiliate stigma is the internalization and psychological responses of perceived courtesy stigma among the associates. OBJECTIVE: The current study aims to reveal different patterns of perceived courtesy and affiliate stigma among people who are at high risk of contagion of COVID-19, and to examine the possible risk factors. METHOD: A sample including 2813 adults who located in Hubei Province, China (female: n = 2,184, 77.64%; male: n = 629, 22.36%; mean age = 37.85 years, SD = 6.61 years, range = 18-63 years) were employed in the current study, using latent profile analysis for searching stigma profiles. RESULTS: Three profiles of stigma were found: the "Denier" (35.98%), "Confused moderate" (48.13%) and "Perceiver" (15.89%) displaying the low, moderate and high level of perceived courtesy and affiliate stigma, respectively. Multinomial logistic regression analyses revealed that generally people with a high level of education, perceived threats, anxiety symptoms, and familiarity with quarantined cases have a high likelihood to be distributed into the "Perceiver". DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS: Our findings highlight the issues of COVID-19-related stigma and provide evidence for launching effective health actions to promote a cohesive society and culture of health. The media can transmit scientific knowledge, promote positive interactions and social cohesion between the stigmatized group and the dominant group, and create spaces for stories that nurture group identification among the implicated people. Future studies should use more representative sample and improve the measures.