Intertwined associations between oxytocin, immune system and major depressive disorder.

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a prominent psychiatric disorder with a high prevalence rate. The recent COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated the already high prevalence of MDD. Unfortunately, a significant proportion of patients are unresponsive to conventional treatments, necessitating the exploration of novel therapeutic strategies. Oxytocin, an endogenous neuropeptide, has emerged as a promising candidate with anxiolytic and antidepressant properties. Oxytocin has been shown to alleviate emotional disorders by modulating the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and the central immune system. The dysfunction of the immune system has been strongly linked to the onset and progression of depression. The central immune system is believed to be a key target of oxytocin in ameliorating emotional disorders. In this review, we examine the evidence regarding the interactions between oxytocin, the immune system, and depressive disorder. Moreover, we summarize and speculate on the potential roles of the intertwined association between oxytocin and the central immune system in treating emotional disorders.

Relational Capital and Post-Traumatic Growth: The Role of Work Meaning.

Through a statistical survey of 760 front-line medical staff during the COVID-19 epidemic, this study attempts to explore the relationships between relational capital, psychological security, post-traumatic growth and the meaning of work. Data analysis verifies that trust, reciprocity, and identification can promote post-traumatic growth by enhancing the individual's psychological security. A high level of work meaning can enhance the role of trust, reciprocity and identification in promoting psychological security. Work meaning has a moderated mediating effect when trust and reciprocity affect post-traumatic growth through psychological security, but no moderated mediating effect is found when identification affects post-traumatic growth through psychological security.

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and control measures on air quality and aerosol light absorption in Southwestern China.

China has been performing nationwide social lockdown by releasing the Level 1 response to major public health emergencies (RMPHE) to struggle against the COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2) outbreak since late January 2020. During the Level 1 RMPHE, social production and public transport were maintained at minimal levels, and residents stayed in and worked from home. The universal impact of anthropogenic activities on air pollution can be evaluated by comparing it with air quality under such extreme conditions. We investigated the concentration of both gaseous and particulate pollutants and aerosol light absorption at different levels of (RMPHE) in an urban area of southwestern China. During the lockdown, PM2.5, PM10, SO2, NOx, and BC decreased by 30-50%, compared to the pre-Level 1 RMPHE period. Meanwhile, the decrease of NOx caused the rise of O3 by up to 2.3 times due to the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) limitation. The aerosol light absorption coefficient at multiple wavelengths decreased by 50%, and AAE decreased by 20% during the Level 1 RMPHE. BrC played essential roles in light absorption after the RMPHE was announced, accounting for 54.0% of the aerosol absorption coefficient at 370 nm. Moreover, the lockdown down-weighted the fraction of fossil fuel in BC concentrations to 0.43 (minima). This study characterizes air pollution at the most basic level and can provide policymakers with references for the "baseline."