Therapeutic potency of compound RMY-205 for pulmonary fibrosis induced by SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid protein.

Pulmonary fibrosis is a typical sequela of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), which is linked with a poor prognosis for COVID-19 patients. However, the underlying mechanism of pulmonary fibrosis induced by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is unclear. Here, we demonstrated that the nucleocapsid (N) protein of SARS-CoV-2 induced pulmonary fibrosis by activating pulmonary fibroblasts. N protein interacted with the transforming growth factor ß receptor I (TßRI), to disrupt the interaction of TßRI-FK506 Binding Protein12 (FKBP12), which led to activation of TßRI to phosphorylate Smad3 and boost expression of pro-fibrotic genes and secretion of cytokines to promote pulmonary fibrosis. Furthermore, we identified a compound, RMY-205, that bound to Smad3 to disrupt TßRI-induced Smad3 activation. The therapeutic potential of RMY-205 was strengthened in mouse models of N protein-induced pulmonary fibrosis. This study highlights a signaling pathway of pulmonary fibrosis induced by N protein and demonstrates a novel therapeutic strategy for treating pulmonary fibrosis by a compound targeting Smad3.

The relationship between the sources of confidence in overcoming COVID-19 and the improvement of medical students' professional identity: mediation by medical students' attention to COVID-19.

BACKGROUND: The prevalence of COVID-19 highlights the shortage of human medical resources, and improving medical students' professional identity is crucial to improving this situation. The sources of confidence in overcoming COVID-19 and medical students' attention to COVID-19 were significant factors affecting their professional identity. However, no study has investigated the mediating role of medical students' attention to COVID-19 in their relationship. This study investigates the relationship between these three factors in three medical university students in Hunan Province. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey study that used convenience sampling method was conducted on 2775 medical students from three universities in the Hunan Province of China from March 15 to April 19, 2020. An intermediary model was established to evaluate the role of medical students' attention to COVID-19 in the sources of confidence in overcoming COVID-19 and the improvement of medical students' professional identity. RESULTS: The sources of confidence in overcoming COVID-19, medical students' attention to national crisis events, and the improvement of medical students' professional identity was positively associated with each other (ß = 0.328 ~ 0.464, P < 0.001). The mediating effect accounted for 23.3% of the total effect and 30.4% of the direct effect. Medical students' attention to COVID-19 partially mediates the relationship between the sources of confidence to overcome COVID-19 and the improvement of medical students' professional identity. CONCLUSIONS: This study found that the sources of confidence in overcoming COVID-19 and medical students' attention to national crisis events have a significant predictive effect on the improvement of medical students' professional identity. Medical students' attention to COVID-19 mediated the relationship between the sources of confidence to overcome COVID-19 and the improvement of medical students' professional identity. The findings have emphasized the theoretical and practical significance of professional identity education for medical students.

Light-driven high-precision cell adhesion kinetics.

Existing single-cell adhesion kinetics methods are performed under conditions highly unlike the physiological cell adhesion conditions. Now, researchers have developed a new optical technique for high-precision measurement of cell lateral adhesion kinetics in complex clinical samples.

The hedge and safe haven properties of non-fungible tokens (NFTs): Evidence from the nonlinear autoregressive distributed lag (NARDL) model

In this paper, we employ the NARDL model to examine whether non-fungible tokens (NFTs) can act as hedges and safe havens for stocks, bonds, US dollar, gold, crude oil and Bitcoin. In addition to examining whether NFTs can act as hedges for other assets during the full period (January 1, 2018–March 31, 2022), we also study the hedging properties of NFTs during the pre-COVID-19 period and the safe haven properties of NFTs in times of stress after the COVID-19 outbreak. The empirical results show that in the full period, NFTs are hedges for bonds, US dollar and gold on average;in the pre-COVID-19 period, NFTs are hedges for stocks and US dollar on average;in the COVID-19 period, NFTs can act as safe havens for US dollar. Our empirical findings have important implications for investors looking for hedging and safe haven instruments for major asset classes.

Distribution, Biotransformation, Pharmacological Effects, Metabolic Mechanism and Safety Evaluation of Platycodin D: A Comprehensive Review.

Platycodonis Radix (Jiegeng), the dried root of Platycodon grandiflorum, is a traditional herb used as both medicine and food. Its clinical application for the treatment of cough, phlegm, sore throat, pulmonary and respiratory diseases has been thousands of years in China. Platycodin D is the main active ingredient in Platycodonis Radix, which belongs to the family of pentacyclic triterpenoid saponins because it contains an oleanolane type aglycone linked with double sugar chains. Modern pharmacology has demonstrated that Platycodin D displays various biological activities, such as analgesics, expectoration and cough suppression, promoting weight loss, anti-tumor and immune regulation, suggesting that Platycodin D has the potential to be a drug candidate and an interesting target as a natural product for clinical research. In this review, the distribution and biotransformation, pharmacological effects, metabolic mechanism and safety evaluation of Platycodin D are summarized to lay the foundation for further studies.

Preparation of hemodialysis centers in fighting against the novel coronavirus disease during the 2019-2020 epidemic: the experience in Sichuan province, China.

BACKGROUND: Dialysis patients are at high risk of being infected by the novel coronavirus. This article aimed to share our experience in preparing hemodialysis centers in fighting against the COVID-19 in Sichuan province. METHODS: To control COVID-19, the Sichuan Renal Disease Quality Control Center (SRDQCC) organized a multidisciplinary team to draft and distribute documents for dialysis centers. The SRDQCC also established an online education system and a registry. A survey was used to assess the resources and the preparation of the dialysis centers. Patients with infected COVID-19 were transferred to the referral hospitals and treated with continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT) in isolated rooms. RESULTS: All 21 regions in Sichuan province had designated specific referral hospitals for COVID-19. The documents drafted by the SRDQCC were distributed to all dialysis centers. A total of 313 records from the survey showed that 96% (301/313) of the dialysis centers had set up an emergency program based on the relevant documents. Only 39% (121/313) of the centers had emergency isolated room(s) for COVID-19. Also, 22% (68/313) of the centers had their patient(s) moved to other centers. The online system educated medical staff in 87% (271/313) of the centers. The online registry received 329 records. Four cases of COVID-19-infected dialysis patients were reported until March 3rd, 2020. There were no outbreaks of COVID-19 in any dialysis center in Sichuan province. CONCLUSIONS: The experience of dialysis centers in Sichuan province in fighting against COVID-19 is worth sharing. Dialysis centers need to be prepared to cope with infectious epidemics guided by national as well as regional quality control centers or other similar organizations.

The Relationship Between Family Support and e-Learning Engagement in College Students: The Mediating Role of e-Learning Normative Consciousness and Behaviors and Self-Efficacy.

Due to the current COVID-19 pandemic, colleges and universities have implemented network teaching. E-learning engagement is the most important concern of educators and parents because this will directly affect student academic performance. Hence, this study focuses on students' perceived family support and their e-learning engagement and analyzes the effects of e-learning normative consciousness and behaviors and self-efficacy on the relationship between family support and e-learning engagement in college students. Prior to this study, the relationship between these variables was unknown. Four structural equation models revealed the multiple mediating roles of e-learning normative consciousness and behaviors and self-efficacy in the relationship between family support and e-learning engagement. A total of 1,317 college students (mean age=19.51; 52.2% freshman) voluntarily participated in our study. The results showed that e-learning normative consciousness and behaviors and self-efficacy played significant and mediating roles between students' perceived family support and e-learning engagement. Specifically, these two individual variables fully mediated the relationship between students' perceived family support and e-learning engagement. The multiple mediation model showed that family members can increase family support of their children by creating a household environment conducive to learning, displaying positive emotions, demonstrating the capability to assist their children, advocating the significance of learning normative consciousness and behaviors, and encouraging dedicated and efficient learning. The findings complement and extend the understanding of factors influencing student e-learning engagement.

[Instructions for clinical research of oral diseases under the first level response to public health emergencies]

Corona virus disease 2019(COVID-19) has swept across our country and local governments have successively initiated first level response to public health emergencies. The outbreak of COVID-19 poses a huge challenge to the implementation of various clinical researches including oral diseases. In view of the specialty of oral diseases, it is particularly necessary to protect the health and rights of the participators and related practitioners, and to standardize the implementation of clinical trials. Based on the normative standards issued by the National Health Commission of China, consensus on clinical trial management formulated by the organization of clinical research, and regulations for the diagnosis and treatment of oral diseases during public health emergencies by Chinese Stomatological Association, we drafted the guideline for clinical research of oral diseases, with a view to provide reference for the clinical studies of oral diseases under the first level response to major public health emergencies.