HIV disclosure and intimate partner violence among HIV-infected men who have sex with men in marriage of convenience in China.

Marriage of convenience is a unique phenomenon in China where a gay man and a lesbian get married to fulfill social expectations while retaining their homosexual identities. Men who have sex with men (MSM) are at increased risk of HIV infection and intimate partner violence (IPV) following HIV disclosure. A sample of 232 HIV-infected MSM in the marriage of convenience was recruited online and completed questionnaires about experiences of IPV, HIV disclosure, and their sociodemographic, clinical, and psychosocial characteristics. Our results showed that over half (57.3%) of HIV-infected MSM had disclosed their HIV status to their lesbian spouses. Bisexual men, having children with their lesbian spouse, HIV diagnosis time >24 months, having a current fixed gay partner, having disclosed HIV to their current fixed gay partners, higher levels of social support, lower levels of self-stigma related to HIV infection, no depression, and no suicidal ideation were all independently associated with an increased likelihood of disclosing to lesbian spouses. Approximately 61.6% of participants experienced at least one type of IPV from either a gay partner, a lesbian spouse, or both in the past 12 months. HIV disclosure to lesbian spouses was associated with an increased risk of IPV. Our findings reveal the high prevalence of IPV among HIV-infected MSM in the marriage of convenience and its association with HIV disclosure, which warrants policy, clinical, and research efforts to design targeted and comprehensive interventions to improve HIV disclosure while preventing IPV among this population.

Effectiveness of mindfulness-based intervention in schizophrenia: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

Schizophrenia poses significant societal challenges, including interpersonal tension, an increased risk of suicide, and soaring medical costs. Although antipsychotics can prevent relapses, they often give rise to adverse effects and do not provide lasting relief. Mindfulness-based interventions (MBI) emerge as a hopeful avenue for improving outcomes. However, existing research and meta-analyses of the efficacy of MBI in schizophrenia remain limited. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of MBI as an adjunctive therapy for schizophrenia. Relevant randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were searched across PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library from inception dates up to January 12, 2023. Statistical analyses were conducted using Stata software (version 15.0) and Review Manager 5.4. The quality of the included RCTs was assessed using the revised Cochrane risk of bias tool. A total of 18 RCTs were included, with 675 patients and 704 health controls. Our meta-analysis revealed that MBI significantly improved psychosocial function, insight, and mindfulness in individuals with schizophrenia. The quality of the included RCTs had a low to moderate risk of bias. These findings suggest that MBI holds promise for improving the mental health of individuals with schizophrenia.

Intimate partner violence and its associations among HIV-infected MSM with new drug abuse in Jinan, China.

BACKGROUND: Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) is prevalent among HIV-infected men who have sex with men (MSM), with well-established risk factors and adverse outcomes. However, there is a lack of comprehensive investigation of both upstream risk factors and downstream adverse outcomes among HIV-infected MSM in a Chinese context. This study aimed to examine IPV and its associations among a Chinese sample of HIV-infected MSM. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 294 HIV-infected MSM in Jinan City from June to December 2020. All data were collected through an online questionnaire, which included IPV, sexual risk behavior, antiretroviral therapy (ART) adherence, depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation. Chi-square tests and multivariate logistic regressions were performed to examine risk factors and adverse outcomes of IPV. RESULTS: Of the 294 HIV-infected MSM, 71.1% experienced any IPV, including control (37.1%), threat of public identity (30.6%), emotional violence (25.2%), security threat (18.4%), and physical violence (13.9%). The prevalence of sexual risk behavior, good ART adherence, depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation was 55.1%, 53.4%, 48.3%, 32.3%, and 65.0%, respectively. Abuse of methamphetamine (METH) (aOR:2.79; 95%CI:1.43 ~ 5.45), capsule 0 or stimulating liquid (aOR:2.68; 95%CI:1.31 ~ 5.47), Magu (aOR:3.16; 95%CI:1.51 ~ 6.60), and other new drugs (aOR:2.87; 95%CI:1.52 ~ 5.43), disclosing HIV infection to partners (aOR:2.03; 95%CI:1.10 ~ 3.78), and gay sexual orientation (aOR = 3.32; 95%CI: 1.82 ~ 6.05) were significantly correlated with the experience of IPV. In addition, IPV was significantly associated with sexual risk behavior (aOR = 2.02; 95%CI:1.16 ~ 3.53), ART adherence (aOR = 2.63; 95%CI:1.46 ~ 4.74), depression (aOR = 3.83; 95%CI:2.09 ~ 7.02), anxiety (aOR = 2.27; 95%CI:1.19 ~ 4.35), and suicidal ideation (aOR = 3.78; 95%CI:2.11 ~ 6.80). CONCLUSIONS: IPV is prevalent among HIV-infected MSM and is associated with poor behavioral and mental health, highlighting more efforts are needed to address this issue. The finding that new drug abuse, HIV disclosure, and gay sexual orientation are associated with increased risk of IPV provides essential insights for the development of comprehensive and targeted IPV prevention and intervention programs in the future.

Bifacial and Semitransparent Sb2 (S,Se)3 Solar Cells for Single-Junction and Tandem Photovoltaic Applications.

Thin-film solar cells are expected to play a significant role in the space industry, building integrated photovoltaic (BIPV), indoor applications, and tandem solar cells, where bifaciality and semitransparency are highly desired. Sb2 (S,Se)3 has emerged as a promising new photovoltaic (PV) material for its high absorption coefficient, tunable bandgap, and nontoxic and earth-abundant constituents. However, high-efficiency Sb2 (S,Se)3 solar cells exclusively employ monofacial architectures, leaving a considerable gap toward large-scale application in aforementioned fields. Here, a bifacial and semitransparent Sb2 (S,Se)3 solar cell and its extended application in tandem solar cells are reported. The transparent conductive oxides (TCOs) and the ultrathin inner n-i-p structure provide high long-wavelength transmittance. Despite the MnS/ITO Schottky junction, power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) of 7.41% and 6.36% are achieved with front and rear illumination, respectively, contributing to a great bifaciality of 0.86. Consequently, the reported device gains great enhancement in PV performance by exploiting albedo of surroundings and shows exceptional capability in absorbing tilt incident light. Moreover, an Sb2 (S,Se)3 /Si tandem solar cell with a PCE of 11.66% is achieved in preliminary trials. These exciting findings imply that bifacial and semitransparent Sb2 (S,Se)3 solar cells possess tremendous potential in practical applications based on their unique characteristics.

Distinctive Deep-Level Defects in Non-Stoichiometric Sb2 Se3 Photovoltaic Materials.

Characterizing defect levels and identifying the compositional elements in semiconducting materials are important research subject for understanding the mechanism of photogenerated carrier recombination and reducing energy loss during solar energy conversion. Here it shows that deep-level defect in antimony triselenide (Sb2 Se3 ) is sensitively dependent on the stoichiometry. For the first time it experimentally observes the formation of amphoteric SbSe defect in Sb-rich Sb2 Se3 . This amphoteric defect possesses equivalent capability of trapping electron and hole, which plays critical role in charge recombination and device performance. In comparative investigation, it also uncovers the reason why Se-rich Sb2 Se3 is able to deliver high device performance from the defect formation perspective. This study demonstrates the crucial defect types in Sb2 Se3 and provides a guidance toward the fabrication of efficient Sb2 Se3 photovoltaic device and relevant optoelectronic devices.

Allosteric inhibition of SARS-CoV-2 3CL protease by colloidal bismuth subcitrate.

The SARS-CoV-2 3-chymotrypsin-like protease (3CLpro or Mpro) is a key cysteine protease for viral replication and transcription, making it an attractive target for antiviral therapies to combat the COVID-19 disease. Here, we demonstrate that bismuth drug colloidal bismuth subcitrate (CBS) is a potent inhibitor for 3CLpro in vitro and in cellulo. Rather than targeting the cysteine residue at the catalytic site, CBS binds to an allosteric site and results in dissociation of the 3CLpro dimer and proteolytic dysfunction. Our work provides direct evidence that CBS is an allosteric inhibitor of SARS-CoV-2 3CLpro.

Effects of 45° prone position ventilation in the treatment of acute respiratory distress syndrome: A protocol for a randomized controlled trial study.

BACKGROUND: Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is an increasingly common acute respiratory failure that seriously threaten people's health. ARDS has a case fatality rate of up to 40%. ARDS is a serious threat to the life safety of patients and the quality of life, causing a huge economic burden to individuals, families and society. ARDS has become a large worldwide public health problem. Prone position ventilation (PPV) is an important auxiliary treatment for ARDS, which could improve oxygenation. However, PPV could cause Pressure injuries (PI) and other complications easily. We found that 45° PPV could reduce the incidence of PI, but lack of robust Evidence-based medicine evidence proving its efficacy. Therefore, we designed a randomized controlled trial to evaluate the efficacy of 45° PPV in the treatment of ARDS. METHODS: A total of 268 patients will be randomly assigned to the control group and the test group (n = 134 each) in a ratio of 1:1. The treatment period is 7 days. The primary outcome measure will be the incidence of PI. The secondary outcomes will include APACHE II score, Braden Scale score, heart rate, systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, central venous pressure, mean arterial pressure, pH of arterial blood, oxygenation index, oxygen partial pressure, and carbon dioxide partial pressure. The evaluation will be performed at baseline, 1 hour, 12 hour, 48 hour, 5days, 7days after PPPV. RESULTS: This study is helpful to evaluate the efficacy of 45° PPV in the treatment of ARDS. CONCLUSION: 45° PPV may reduce the incidence of PI and improve oxygenation in patients with ARDS, which has important value in practical application. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ChiCTR2000040436, registration time: November 28, 2020.

Non-visual effects of indoor light environment on humans: A review✰.

As a result of the desire to improve living standards, increasing attention is paid to creating a comfortable and healthy lighting environment that contributes to human health and well-being. It is crucial to understand the effects of environmental lighting regulation on humans' physical responses and mental activities. In this review, we focus on the scientific research on light-induced non-visual effects on humans, providing a systematic review of how the quantity of light, spectral changes, time of day, and duration have effects on the circadian rhythm, alertness, and mood based on eligible literature. The key findings are as follows: (1) The increase of illuminance and correlated colour temperature (CCT) at night were both positively associated with melatonin suppression, thus affecting the circadian rhythm. Meanwhile, a high CCT is conducive to the stimulation of positive mood. (2) Blue light and high CCT light at night induced delayed phase shift, and the objective alertness was reduced under the condition of lack of blue components. (3) High illuminance was positively correlated with subjective alertness during daytime, and increased the positive mood in the morning and decreased it in the afternoon. These findings serve as an important reference for stakeholders to optimise lighting in constructed environments to improve health and well-being considering the non-visual effects above and beyond visual performance.

Highly oriented GeSe thin film: self-assembly growth via the sandwiching post-annealing treatment and its solar cell performance.

GeSe is considered as a potential absorber material for thin film solar cells owing to its ideal band gap, strong light absorption, remarkable air durability, Earth-abundance and non-toxic constituents. However, the high vapor pressure of GeSe at a temperature below its melting point makes it difficult to synthesize a high-quality GeSe film. To alleviate this limitation, in this work, a thermal evaporation combining a novel sandwiching post-annealing method was introduced to deposit high quality GeSe thin films with (100)-orientation. The self-assembling mechanism of the highly oriented GeSe film was carefully investigated by the systematic experiments and confirmed by the lowest total energy of the (100) crystal plane. Finally, the fully-inorganic, low-cost and non-toxic planar device with the superstrate configuration of FTO/TiO2/GeSe/carbon/Ag was also successfully fabricated. Notably, as a result, an impressive open circuit voltage (VOC) of 340 mV (maximum: 456 mV) was achieved, which is the highest VOC of GeSe solar cells reported so far. Furthermore, through current-voltage, capacitance-voltage profiling and drive level capacitance profiling measurements, it was demonstrated that the limiting factors of the GeSe solar cell performance were the narrow depletion width (138 nm) and the drastic recombination at the TiO2/GeSe interface.