Predictors of changes in resilience among spousal caregivers of patients with advanced cancer within the first 6 months after initial treatment.

BACKGROUND: While previous research has established that resilience is affected by various factors, these studies have primarily focussed on individual variables associated with resilience, without providing insights into how to influence the rate of change in resilience. AIM: To examine the trajectory of resilience and identify the factors associated with changes in resilience among spousal caregivers of patients with newly diagnosed advanced cancer receiving treatment during the first 6 months. DESIGN: An observational longitudinal study. METHODS: A total of 312 spousal caregivers of patients with newly diagnosed advanced cancer were recruited from January 2022 to December 2022 in Yancheng, China. Three data collection points were established, spanning from the first month to 6 months after initial cancer treatment. A latent growth model was employed to depict the resilience trajectory at various time points. A latent growth model with time-invariant covariates was adopted to determine the factors influencing resilience trajectory. The study adhered to the STROBE checklist for proper reporting. RESULTS: Throughout the follow-up period, the participants experienced a significant increase in resilience. Gender, family income, the patient's health status, spirituality and belief in familism were significantly associated with the baseline resilience level. Moreover, family income, the patient's health status, spirituality, caregiver burden and belief in familism were significantly associated with the rate of resilience change over time. CONCLUSIONS: Spousal caregivers demonstrated a linear increase in resilience during the first 6 months after initial treatment. Meanwhile, changes in resilience were influenced by multiple factors during the early phase of cancer treatment. Thus, more attention should be paid to early identification and implementation of targeted interventions. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: Healthcare professionals should understand the change in resilience among spousal caregivers and conduct timely mental health interventions to enhance the resilience of families affected by cancer. PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION: The Guidance for Reporting Involvement of Patients and the Public-Short Form reporting checklists were used to improve patient and public involvement.

[Relationship between Blood Glucose and Lipid Levels and Intestinal Bifidobacteriumin Middle-Aged and Older Adults in Chengdu].

Objective: To explore characteristics of the species structure of the genus Bifidobacterium at different levels of blood glucose and lipid in middle-aged and older adults in Chengdu so as to provide research basis for applying bifidobacteria in the prevention and treatment of hyperglycemia and dyslipidemia. Methods: A total of 289 middle-aged and older adults of 45 and older were recruited in Chengdu between April and August 2018. They were divided into the healthy group, the dyslipidemia group, the hyperglycemia group, and the combination group (of subjects with both dyslipidemia and hyperglycemia). The levels of their fasting blood glucose (GLU), total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) were examined. In addition, stool samples were collected and real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR was used for quantitative analysis of the genus Bifidobacteriumand the 8 bifidobacteria most commonly found in human intestines, the results of which were then examined to identify their correlation to blood glucose and lipid levels. Results: A total of 289 samples were collected and findings of inter-group comparison of the species structure of Bifidobacterium were as follows: 1) findings regarding the Bifidobacterium species examined--there was no significant difference between groups in the detection rate and the number of species detected; the quantity of B. angulatum was significantly higher in the dyslipidemia group than that in the healthy group and that in the combination group, the quantify of B. catenulatum was significantly higher in the hyperglycemia group than that in the healthy group, and the quantity of B. dentium was significantly higher in the dyslipidemia group than that in the combination group. 2) Findings regarding the correlation between the quantity of bifidobacteria and blood glucose and lipid--at the genus level, only the dyslipidemia group showed negative correlation (r=-0.346) between Bifidobacterium and TC. At the species level, B. bifidum was negatively correlated with TG (r=-0.761), B. breve was negatively correlated with GLU, TC, and LDL-C (r=-0.256, r=-0.261, and r=-0.362), B.dentium was positively correlated with GLU (r=0.206), and B. infantis was negatively correlated with TC (r=-0.334) in the healthy group. In the hyperglycemia group, B. catenulatum and B. infantis were both positively correlated with HDL-C (r=0.307 and r=0.525). In the combination group, B. bifidum was negatively correlated with HDL-C (r=-0.828), while B. breve was positively correlated with TG and HDL-C (r=0.427 and r=0.375). Conclusion: Middle-aged and older adults with dyslipidemia and/or hyperglycemia were significantly different from healthy subjects in their testing results for Bifidobacterium. Compared with the structure of Bifidobacterium species, the changes in the number of Bifidobacterium species detected were more closely correlated to the levels of blood glucose and blood lipid, showing unique characteristics in different situations, which may indicate potential application as indicators for glucose and lipid metabolism.

Parentage identification of Odontobutis potamophlia based on microsatellite DNA markers.

Microsatellite lociwere used for parentage identification of Odontobutis potamophlia in five full-sib families. The combined exclusion probability of the first (E-1P) and the second parent (E-2P) revealed an obvious increase with the increase of number of microsatellite loci. The combined exclusion probability based on allele frequency suggested that at least eight microsatellite loci were needed for the identification of the 150 individuals from five families supported by the genetic distance analysis of individuals of these families. The double-blind test results indicated that the candidate individuals could find their correct parents through these loci thus eight microsatellite markers can be used for pedigree analysis of O. potamophlia in breeding industry as well as for future selection studies.

Molecular characterization and expression of Piwil1 and Piwil2 during gonadal development and treatment with HCG and LHRH-A2 in Odontobutis potamophila.

Piwi proteins play an important regulatory role in germ cell division during gametogenesis and gonad development. In order to understand the function of Piwi genes in the reproductive process of the dark sleeper, we identified and characterized Piwil1 and Piwil2 from gonad tissue. The tissue distribution demonstrated that Piwils were highly expressed in the gonad of the dark sleeper. During gonad development, higher expression was observed in stage I of both the testes and ovaries than in subsequent stages at mRNA and protein levels. The results of immunohistochemistry demonstrated that Piwils were predominantly distributed in the spermatogonia, spermatocytes, and early oocytes. When treated with the HPG axis hormone (HCG and LHRH-A2), the expression of Piwils was significantly decreased in the testes and ovaries at mRNA and protein levels. All of these results indicated that Piwils play a vital role in gonad development and gametogenesis. Our findings provide valuable evidence to further clarify the underlying modulation mechanism of Piwils in teleosts.

Integrated analysis of mRNA-seq and miRNA-seq reveals the potential roles of sex-biased miRNA-mRNA pairs in gonad tissue of dark sleeper (Odontobutis potamophila).

BACKGROUND: The dark sleeper (Odontobutis potamophila) is an important commercial fish species which shows a sexually dimorphic growth pattern. However, the lack of sex transcriptomic data is hindering further research and genetically selective breeding of the dark sleeper. In this study, integrated analysis of mRNA and miRNA was performed on gonad tissue to elucidate the molecular mechanisms of sex determination and differentiation in the dark sleeper. RESULTS: A total of 143 differentially expressed miRNAs and 16,540 differentially expressed genes were identified. Of these, 8103 mRNAs and 75 miRNAs were upregulated in testes, and 8437 mRNAs and 68 miRNAs were upregulated in ovaries. Integrated analysis of miRNA and mRNA expression profiles predicted more than 50,000 miRNA-mRNA interaction sites, and among them 27,583 negative miRNA-mRNA interactions. A number of sex related genes were targeted by sex-biased miRNAs. The relationship between 15 sex-biased genes and 15 sex-biased miRNAs verified by using qRT-PCR were described. Additionally, a number of SNPs were revealed through the transcriptome data. CONCLUSIONS: The overall results of this study facilitate our understanding of the molecular mechanism underlying sex determination and differentiation and provide valuable genomic information for selective breeding of the dark sleeper.

Integrated analysis of mRNA-seq and miRNA-seq in the liver of Pelteobagrus vachelli in response to hypoxia.

Pelteobagrus vachelli is a well-known commercial species in Asia. However, a sudden lack of oxygen will result in mortality and eventually to pond turnover. Studying the molecular mechanisms of hypoxia adaptation in fishes will not only help us to understand fish speciation and the evolution of the hypoxia-signaling pathway, but will also guide us in the breeding of hypoxia-tolerant fish strains. Despite this, the genetic regulatory network for miRNA-mRNA and the signaling pathways involved in hypoxia responses in fish have remained unexamined. In the present study, we used next-generation sequencing technology to characterise mRNA-seq and miRNA-seq of control- and hypoxia-treated P. vachelli livers to elucidate the molecular mechanisms of hypoxia adaptation. We were able to find miRNA-mRNA pairs using bioinformatics analysis and miRNA prediction algorithms. Furthermore, we compared several key pathways which were identified as involved in the hypoxia response of P. vachelli. Our study is the first report on integrated analysis of mRNA-seq and miRNA-seq in fishes and offers a deeper insight into the molecular mechanisms of hypoxia adaptation. qRT-PCR analysis further confirmed the results of mRNA-Seq and miRNA-Seq analysis. We provide a good case study for analyzing mRNA/miRNA expression and profiling a non-model fish species using next-generation sequencing technology.

Modulated expression and enzymatic activities of Darkbarbel catfish, Pelteobagrus vachelli for oxidative stress induced by acute hypoxia and reoxygenation.

Large changes in oxygen availability in aquatic environments, ranging from anoxia through to hyperoxia, can lead to corresponding wide variation in the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) by fish with aquatic respiration. In order to evaluate the effects of hypoxia and reoxygenation on oxidative stress in fish, the mRNA and protein expression of SODs (Cu/Zn-SOD and Mn-SOD) as well as indices (CP, LPO and MDA) and enzymatic activities (SOD, CAT, GPx, GR and GST) were analyzed in liver and brain tissues of Pelteobagrus vachelli. Predominant expression of PvSOD2 was detected in heart, brain, and liver. In contrast, PvSOD1 was highly expressed in liver. Based on the expression patterns of above parameters, we inferred that brain tissue of P. vachelli under 0.7 mg/L degree of acute hypoxia condition could experience hypometabolic states or no suffering stress, but brain tissue has effective mechanisms to minimize or prevent oxidative stress during the transition from hypoxia to reoxygenation. Our results also demonstrated an increased expression of SODs and enzymatic activities for oxidative stress in liver under hypoxic conditions, which supports the hypothesis that anticipatory preparation takes place in order to deal with the encountered oxidative stress during the recovery from hypoxia as proposed by M. Hermes-Lima. Therefore, this study will provide a clue to better understand the action mode of antioxidant genes and enzymes under oxidative stress in fish.

The complete mitochondrial genome and phylogenic analysis of Pseudobagrus vachelli.

The complete mitochondrial genome of Pseudobagrus vachelli has been sequenced. The mitochondrial genome is 16 529 bp in length, with the base composition of 31.61% A, 26.88% T, 26.55% C, and 14.96% G, containing 2 ribosomal RNA genes, 13 protein-coding genes, 22 transfer RNA genes and a major non-coding control region (D-loop region). The gene order and orientation are similar with some typical fish species. The data will provide useful molecular information for phylogenetic studies concerning P. vachelli and its related species.