Linking COVID-19 stress and Chinese nurses' life well-being: The influence of work-family conflict and work centrality.

The COVID-19 pandemic has placed enormous stress on health workers, exposing them to high levels of work-family conflict (WFC), which in turn affects their life well-being（LWB). To date, whether WFC is involved in the association between COVID-19 stress and the well-being of life has not been investigated. The purpose of this paper was to explore the connection between COVID-19 stress and LWB in Chinese nurses and to analyse the mediating role of WFC and the moderating effect of work centrality. The link between COVID-19 stress and LWB was examined by performing multiple regression analysis, common method bias analysis, and confirmatory factor analysis on data for 227 nurses.COVID-19 stress exerted a remarkable direct impact on nurses' LWB, and WFC mediated the link between COVID-19 stress and nurses' LWB. Work centrality moderated the link between COVID-19 stress and nurses' WFC. COVID-19 stress decreases nurses' LWB and increases their WFC, which also decreases their LWB. For nurses with higher work centrality, the connection of COVID-19 stress to work-family conflict was stronger. Hospital managers should focus on nurses' work-family balance and pay particular attention to the work-family balance of work-centered nurses to avoid compromising their LWB.

Cerebral venous sinus stenting and jugular bulb embolization for pulsatile tinnitus: A case report.

Background: Pulsatile tinnitus (PT) is a rare form of tinnitus that aligns with the heartbeat. It is typically brought on by lesions with significant vascularity, which produce aberrant sound conduction and increase the risk of mental health issues and hearing loss. Venous PT is more prevalent than arterial PT. Open procedures or interventional procedures can be used to treat PT. We present here a case of PT caused by venous luminal stenosis combined with jugular bulb (JB) malformation, which was improved by stenting and JB embolization. Case presentation: A 59-year-old woman presented with long-term tinnitus consistent with heart rhythm and hearing loss, accompanied by anxiety, insomnia, and depression. The results of brain MRV, CT, and DSA showed stenosis of the right sigmoid sinus and high jugular bulb (JB) with dehiscence of the JB wall. The patient saw a significant improvement in PT symptoms following sigmoid sinus stenting and spring coil embolization of the high JB, following the diagnosis of PT. The patient had no PT recurrence for the course of the 31-month follow-up period. Conclusion: In the present PT case, there was a simultaneous onset of the right sigmoid sinus stenosis and the high JB with the JB wall abnormalities. Sigmoid sinus stenting and spring coil embolization of high JB may be a treatment for the PT, but the prevention of post-stenting complications is still an issue that requires great attention and needs further study.

Non-thermal treatments of strawberry pulp: The relationship between quality attributes and microstructure.

The relationship between quality attributes and microstructure in strawberry pulp after pasteurization (PS), ultrasound (US), electron beam irradiation (EB), and high pressure (HP) treatments was investigated. The results showed that US treatment decreased the viscosity to the lowest by 80.15% and increased the a* value, cloudy stability, and contents of titratable acid, total soluble solid, organic acids, total phenols, total flavonoids, and total anthocyanins (TAC), as well as its antioxidant capacity, due to the decrease in particle size, the destruction of microstructure, and the release of intracellular compounds. US and EB treatments could maintain the volatile compounds. The greatest deterioration in TAC and volatile compound content was found in the pulp treated with PS and HP treatments. HP treatment was beneficial to the enhancement of apparent viscosity, organic acids, and soluble sugar. These results provided insights into the enhancement of quality attributes in strawberry pulp due to the microstructure change.

Novel Umami Peptides from Hypsizygus marmoreus and Interaction with Umami Receptor T1R1/T1R3.

Umami peptides are important taste components of foods. In this study, umami peptides from Hypsizygus marmoreus hydrolysate were purified through ultrafiltration, gel filtration chromatography, and RP-HPLC, and then identified using LC-MS/MS. The binding mechanism of umami peptides with the receptor, T1R1/T1R3, was investigated using computational simulations. Five novel umami peptides were obtained: VYPFPGPL, YIHGGS, SGSLGGGSG, SGLAEGSG, and VEAGP. Molecular docking results demonstrated that all five umami peptides could enter the active pocket in T1R1; Arg277, Tyr220, and Glu301 were key binding sites; and hydrogen bonding and hydrophobic interaction were critical interaction forces. VL-8 had the highest affinity for T1R3. Molecular dynamics simulations demonstrated that VYPFPGPL (VL-8) could be steadily packed inside the binding pocket of T1R1 and the electrostatic interaction was the dominant driving force of the complex (VL-8-T1R1/T1R3) formation. Arg residues (151, 277, 307, and 365) were important contributors to binding affinities. These findings provide valuable insights for the development of umami peptides in edible mushrooms.

TCDD induces cleft palate through exosomes derived from mesenchymal cells.

TCDD (2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin) is a ubiquitous environmental toxicant and a notable teratogenic agent for cleft palate (CP), a common congenital structural malformation that can result from abnormalities during palatal shelf connection and/or fusion. The development of the palate requires precise coordination between mesenchymal and epithelial cells. Exosomes are vesicles secreted by cells and participate in organ development by transferring various bioactive molecules between cells and regulating cell proliferation, migration, apoptosis, and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT); these vesicles represent a new method of intercellular communication. To explore how TCDD could influence palatal cell behaviors and communication, we treated mesenchymal cells with TCDD, collected the exosomes secreted by the cells, assessed the 2 types of palatal cells, and then observed the effects of TCDD-induced exosomes. We found that the effects of TCDD-induced exosomes were equal to those of TCDD. Thus, TCDD might change the genetic materials of palatal cells and exosomes to cause dysregulated gene expression from parental cells, affect cellular information communicators, and induce abnormal cellular behaviors that could lead to CP.

Prediction of the potential distribution pattern of the great gerbil (Rhombomys opimus) under climate change based on ensemble modelling.

BACKGROUND: Rodent infestation is a global biological problem. Rodents are widely distributed worldwide, cause harm to agriculture, forestry, and animal husbandry production and spread a variety of natural focal diseases. In this study, 10 ecological niche models were combined into an ensemble model to assess the distribution of suitable habitats for Rhombomys opimus and to predict the impact of future climate change on the distribution of R. opimus under low, medium and high socioeconomic pathway scenarios of CMIP6. RESULTS: In general, with the exception of extreme climates (2090-SSP585), the current and potential future ranges of R. opimus habitat are maintained at approximately 220 × 104 km2 . In combination with human footprint data, the potential distribution area of R. opimus was found to coincide with areas with a moderate human footprint. In addition, this distribution area will gradually shift to higher-latitude regions, and the suitable habitat area of R. opimus will gradually shrink in China, Iran, Afghanistan, and Turkmenistan while increasing in Mongolia and Kazakhstan. CONCLUSIONS: These results help identify the impact of climate change on the potential distribution of R. opimus and provide supportive information for the development of management strategies to protect against future ecological and human health risks. © 2022 Society of Chemical Industry.

Recent Advances in Postharvest Irradiation Preservation Technology of Edible Fungi: A Review.

Edible fungi have high edible, medicinal and economic value. Rapid development of the edible fungi industry can meet people's consumption demands. However, due to lack of suitable preservation technology after harvest, edible fungi are susceptible to mechanical damage, microbial infection, and discoloration, which could affect the quality and shelf life of fresh edible fungi. Many techniques have been developed to extend the postharvest storage time of fresh edible fungi and irradiation technology has been proven to be one of the potential technologies. This review summarizes the internal and external factors affecting the postharvest quality deterioration of edible fungi, introduces the types of irradiation preservation technology and describes comprehensive advances in the effects of irradiation on shelf life, microbiology, organoleptic qualities, nutritional qualities (proteins, fats, sugars and vitamins) and enzymatic activities of edible fungi from different regions and of different species worldwide. This review uncovers that the postharvest quality decay of edible fungi is a complex process. The irradiation preservation of edible fungi is affected not only by the edible fungus itself and the storage environment but also by the radiation type, radiation dose and radiation source conditions. Future studies need to consider the combined application of irradiation and other novel technologies to further improve the preservation effect of edible fungi, in particular in the area of irradiation's influence on the flavor of edible fungus.

Effects of Drying Process on the Volatile and Non-Volatile Flavor Compounds of Lentinula edodes.

In this study, fresh Lentinula edodes was dehydrated using freeze-drying (FD), hot-air drying (HAD), and natural drying (ND), and the volatile and non-volatile flavor compounds were analyzed. The drying process changed the contents of eight-carbon compounds and resulted in a weaker "mushroom flavor" for dried L. edodes. HAD mushrooms had higher levels of cyclic sulfur compounds (56.55 µg/g) and showed a stronger typical shiitake mushroom aroma than those of fresh (7.24 µg/g), ND (0.04 µg/g), and FD mushrooms (3.90 µg/g). The levels of 5'-nucleotide increased, whereas the levels of organic acids and free amino acids decreased after the drying process. The dried L. edodes treated with FD had the lowest levels of total free amino acids (29.13 mg/g). However, it had the highest levels of umami taste amino acids (3.97 mg/g), bitter taste amino acids (6.28 mg/g) and equivalent umami concentration (EUC) value (29.88 g monosodium glutamate (MSG) per 100 g). The results indicated that FD was an effective drying method to produce umami flavor in dried mushrooms. Meanwhile, HAD can be used to produce a typical shiitake mushroom aroma. Our results provide a theoretical basis to manufacture L. edodes products with a desirable flavor for daily cuisine or in a processed form.

MTHFR A1298C gene polymorphism on stroke risk: an updated meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Previous studies have shown the effect of MTHFR A1298C gene polymorphism on stroke risk. But the results of published studies remained inconclusive and controversial. So we conducted a meta-analysis to accurately estimate the potential association between MTHFR A1298C gene polymorphism and stroke susceptibility. METHODS: A systematic literature search on Embase, Pubmed, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) and WanFang electronic database identified 40 articles including 5725 cases and 8655 controls. Strength of association was evaluated by pooled odds ratio (OR), 95% confidence interval (CI) and p value. Funnel plots and Begger's regression test were applied for testing the publication bias. Statistical analysis of all data was performed by Stata 12.0. RESULTS: The meta-analysis results indicated a significant relationship between MTHFR gene A1298C polymorphisms and stoke risk under the C allelic genetic model (OR = 1.19, 95%CI = 1.07-1.32, p = 0.001), dominant genetic model (OR = 1.19, 95%CI = 1.06-1.33, p = 0.004) and recessive genetic model (OR = 1.43, 95%CI =1.15-1.77, p = 0.001). In subgroup analysis, we discovered obvious correlation in three genetic model of Asian, stroke type, adult by ethnicity, population, stroke type, source of control and case size. Additionally, in studies of control from hospital and case size equal 100, obvious correlation was also found in the three genetic model. CONCLUSIONS: Our meta-analysis results indicated that there was evidence to support the correlation between MTHFR A1298C polymorphism and stroke susceptibility, especially in adults and ischemic stroke.

Polymers and Solvents Used in Membrane Fabrication: A Review Focusing on Sustainable Membrane Development.

(1) Different methods have been applied to fabricate polymeric membranes with non-solvent induced phase separation (NIPS) being one of the mostly widely used. In NIPS, a solvent or solvent blend is required to dissolve a polymer or polymer blend. N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP), dimethylacetamide (DMAc), dimethylformamide (DMF) and other petroleum-derived solvents are commonly used to dissolve some petroleum-based polymers. However, these components may have negative impacts on the environment and human health. Therefore, using greener and less toxic components is of great interest for increasing membrane fabrication sustainability. The chemical structure of membranes is not affected by the use of different solvents, polymers, or by the differences in fabrication scale. On the other hand, membrane pore structures and surface roughness can change due to differences in diffusion rates associated with different solvents/co-solvents diffusing into the non-solvent and with differences in evaporation time. (2) Therefore, in this review, solvents and polymers involved in the manufacturing process of membranes are proposed to be replaced by greener/less toxic alternatives. The methods and feasibility of scaling up green polymeric membrane manufacturing are also examined.

Physcion Protects Rats Against Cerebral Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury via Inhibition of TLR4/NF-kB Signaling Pathway.

BACKGROUND: Ischemic stroke (IS) is characterized by the rapid loss of brain function due to ischemia. Physcion has been found to have a neuroprotective effect against cerebral ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury. However, the mechanism by which physcion regulates cerebral I/R injury remains largely unknown. METHODS: An oxygen-glucose deprivation/reperfusion (OGD/R) model in SH-SY5Y cells and a rat cerebral ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) model were established, respectively. CCK-8 and flow cytometry assays were used to detect the viability and apoptosis of SH-SY5Y cells. Moreover, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to measure the levels of SOD, MDA, GSH-Px, TNF-α, IL-1ß, IL-6 and IL-10 in the supernatant of SH-SY5Y cells. Meanwhile, Western blot assay was used to detect the expressions of TLR4, p-p65 and p-IκB in SH-SY5Y cells and I/R rats. RESULTS: In this study, physcion treatment significantly rescued OGD/R-induced neuronal injury. In addition, physcion decreased inflammatory response in SH-SY5Y cells after OGD/R insult, as shown by the decreased levels of the pro-inflammatory factors TNF-α, IL-1ß, IL-6 and IL-10. Moreover, physcion attenuated the oxidative stress in OGD/R-treated SY-SY5Y cells, as evidenced by the increased SOD and GSH levels and the decreased ROS and MDA levels. Meanwhile, physcion significantly reduced cerebral infarction, attenuated neuronal injury and apoptosis in I/R rats. Furthermore, physcion markedly decreased the expressions of TLR4, p-NF-κB p65 and p-IκB in the brain tissues of rats subjected to I/R and in SH-SY5Y cells exposed to OGD/R. CONCLUSION: In conclusion, our study indicated that physcion protected neuron cells against I/R injury in vitro and in vivo by inhibition of the TLR4/NF-kB pathway; thus, physcion might serve as a promising therapeutic candidate for IS.

Resection of bilateral occipital lobe lesions during a single operation as a treatment for bilateral occipital lobe epilepsy.

BACKGROUND: Neurosurgical treatment of severe bilateral occipital lobe epilepsy usually involves two operations several mos apart. AIM: To evaluate surgical resection of bilateral occipital lobe lesions during a single operation as a treatment for bilateral occipital lobe epilepsy. METHODS: This retrospective case series included patients with drug-refractory bilateral occipital lobe epilepsy treated surgically between March 2006 and November 2015. RESULTS: Preoperative evaluation included scalp video-electroencephalography (EEG), magnetic resonance imaging, and PET-CT. During surgery (bilateral occipital craniotomy), epileptic foci and important functional areas were identified by EEG (intracranial cortical electrodes) and cortical functional mapping, respectively. Patients were followed up for at least 5 years to evaluate treatment outcome (Engel grade) and visual function. The 20 patients (12 males) were aged 4-30 years (median age, 12 years). Time since onset was 3-20 years (median, 8 years), and episode frequency was 4-270/mo (median, 15/mo). Common manifestations were elementary visual hallucinations (65.0%), flashing lights (30.0%), blurred vision (20.0%) and visual field defects (20.0%). Most patients were free of disabling seizures (Engel grade I) postoperatively (18/20, 90.0%) and at 1 year (18/20, 90.0%), 3 years (17/20, 85.0%) and ≥ 5 years (17/20, 85.0%). No patients were classified Engel grade IV (no worthwhile improvement). After surgery, there was no change in visual function in 13/20 (65.0%), development of a new visual field defect in 3/20 (15.0%), and worsening of a preexisting defect in 4/20 (20.0%). CONCLUSION: Resection of bilateral occipital lobe lesions during a single operation may be applicable in bilateral occipital lobe epilepsy.

Thiol-Affinity Immobilization of Casein-Coated Silver Nanoparticles on Polymeric Membranes for Biofouling Control.

Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) have been widely studied for the control of biofouling on polymeric membranes due to their antimicrobial properties. However, nanoparticle leaching has posed a significant impediment against their widespread use. In this study, a one-step method of chemically embedding AgNPs on cellulose acetate (CA) membranes via their affinity to thiol group chemistry was investigated. The operational efficiency of the membranes was then determined via filtration and biofouling experiments. During filtration study, the average flux values of pure CA membranes was determined to be 11 ± 2 L/(m2·hr) (LMH), while membranes embedded with AgNPs showed significant increases in flux to 18 ± 2 LMH and 25 ± 9 LMH, with increasing amounts of AgNPs added, which is likely due to the NPs acting as pore formers. Leaching studies, performed both in dead-end and crossflow filtration, showed approximately 0.16 mg/L leaching of AgNPs after the first day of filtration, but afterwards the remaining chemically-attached AgNPs did not leach. Over 97% of AgNPs remained on the membranes after seven days of crossflow leaching filtration studies. Serratia marcescens were then used as target microorganisms in biofouling studies. It was observed that membranes embedded with AgNPs effectively suppressed the growth of Serratia marcescens, and specifically, membranes with AgNPs displayed a decrease in microbial growth by 59% and 99% as the amount of AgNP increased.

Remediation and Mechanisms of Cadmium Biosorption by a Cadmium-Binding Protein from Lentinula edodes.

Cadmium bioremediation with metal-binding proteins is primarily conducted using metallothioneins (MTs). However, in the present study, we investigated a non-MT cadmium-binding protein from Lentinula edodes (LECBP) as a remediation tool for cadmium biosorption in Escherichia coli. The results indicated that the expression of LECBP significantly enhanced the cadmium biosorption capacity of transgenic E. coli. The secondary structure and conformation of LECBP were changed after binding with cadmium as evidenced by circular dichroism and fluorescence spectroscopy. The results of Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy indicated that carboxyl oxygen and amino nitrogen atoms were involved in the interaction between LECBP and cadmium. The results further demonstrated that glutamic acid and histidine residues are the potential binding sites. Our results have thus provided new insights into cadmium bioremediation in an aquatic environment.

Purification and Characterization of a Cadmium-Binding Protein from Lentinula edodes.

Many organisms possess the ability to produce metal-binding proteins to absorb cadmium. Metallothioneins, an important family of cysteine-rich metal-binding proteins, have been isolated and well characterized. However, Lentinula edodes may have a different type of cadmium-binding protein that contains fewer cysteine residues. In the present study, we purified a cadmium-binding protein from L. edodes (LECBP) by gel filtration and anion exchange chromatography and then identified LECBP by LC-MS/MS. We found LECBP to be a novel cadmium-binding protein, which contained 220 amino acid residues but no cysteine residue. LECBP had a high binding affinity for Cd(II) with a Kd value of 97.3 µM. The percentages of α-helix, ß-sheet, ß-turn, and random coil in LECBP were 15.7%, 39.4%, 8.0%, and 37.1%, respectively. In addition, high temperatures and an acidic environment influenced the conformation of LECBP. Our results will thus provide a new perspective to understand the mechanism of cadmium accumulation in L. edodes.

The Pathogenesis of Diabetes Mellitus by Oxidative Stress and Inflammation: Its Inhibition by Berberine.

A substantial knowledge on the pathogenesis of diabetes mellitus (DM) by oxidative stress and inflammation is available. Berberine is a biologically active botanical that can combat oxidative stress and inflammation and thus ameliorate DM, especially type 2 DM. This article describes the potential of berberine against oxidative stress and inflammation with special emphasis on its mechanistic aspects. In diabetic animal studies, the modified levels of proinflammatory cytokines and oxidative stress markers were observed after administering berberine. In renal, fat, hepatic, pancreatic and several others tissues, berberine-mediated suppression of oxidative stress and inflammation was noted. Berberine acted against oxidative stress and inflammation through a very complex mechanism consisting of several kinases and signaling pathways involving various factors, including NF-κB (nuclear factor-κB) and AMPK (AMP-activated protein kinases). Moreover, MAPKs (mitogen-activated protein kinases) and Nrf2 (nuclear factor erythroid-2 related factor 2) also have mechanistic involvement in oxidative stress and inflammation. In spite of above advancements, the mechanistic aspects of the inhibitory role of berberine against oxidative stress and inflammation in diabetes mellitus still necessitate additional molecular studies. These studies will be useful to examine the new prospects of natural moieties against DM.

Investigation of the Use of a Bio-Derived Solvent for Non-Solvent-Induced Phase Separation (NIPS) Fabrication of Polysulfone Membranes.

Organic solvents, such as N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP) and dimethylacetamide (DMAc), have been traditionally used to fabricate polymeric membranes. These solvents may have a negative impact on the environment and human health; therefore, using renewable solvents derived from biomass is of great interest to make membrane fabrication sustainable. Methyl-5-(dimethylamino)-2-methyl-5-oxopentanoate (Rhodiasolv PolarClean) is a bio-derived, biodegradable, nonflammable and nonvolatile solvent. Polysulfone is a commonly used polymer to fabricate membranes due to its thermal stability, strong mechanical strength and good chemical resistance. From cloud point curves, PolarClean showed potential to be a solvent for polysulfone. Membranes prepared with PolarClean were investigated in terms of their morphology, porosity, water permeability and protein rejection, and were compared to membranes prepared with traditional solvents. The pores of polysulfone/PolarClean membranes were sponge-like, and the membranes displayed higher water flux values (176.0 ± 8.8 LMH) along with slightly higher solute rejection (99.0 ± 0.51%). On the other hand, PSf/DMAc membrane pores were finger-like with lower water flux (63.1 ± 12.4 LMH) and slightly lower solute rejection (96 ± 2.00%) when compared to PSf/PolarClean membranes.

Intracranial electrodes monitoring improves seizure control and complication outcomes for patients with temporal lobe epilepsy - A retrospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Anterior temporal lobectomy (ATL) is the standard surgical treatment for temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE), but patients may suffer from recurrent seizures post-surgery. Invasive electrical monitoring plays a critical role in precisely identifying the epileptic foci. This study aimed to evaluate and compare the benefits of long-term invasive electroencephalography (EEG) monitoring and two-stage surgery with the classical approach to examine their effect on post-surgical brain function and complications. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Patients with TLE (N = 198) who underwent epilepsy surgery were retrospectively evaluated. Diagnosis of TLE was confirmed based on clinical grounds (semiology), EEG findings, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Long-term invasive video EEG was performed; epileptiform discharges were recorded. Patients underwent either classical ATL or modified two-step surgery with electrodes implantation. Histopathological examination was performed. The patients were followed up at 1, 3, and 5 years after surgery. RESULTS: Twenty-three and 175 patients underwent classical ATL and two-stage surgery, respectively. On histopathological examination, inflammation, hippocampal sclerosis, and cortical dysplasia were found to be the leading pathological causes of epileptic foci in both groups. MRI results were not consistent with the pathological findings. Grade II and III Engel scores were more frequent in the ATL group compared to two-stage surgery during follow-up. No postoperative complications were reported in two-stage surgery during follow-up, but one patient had mild hemiplegia in the ATL group. CONCLUSIONS: Preoperative invasive monitoring with long-term EEG helps locate the epileptic foci precisely. Postsurgical complications are rare compared to classical ATL, with better prognosis and seizure freedom after surgery.

Exploring key cellular processes and candidate genes regulating the primary thickening growth of Moso underground shoots.

The primary thickening growth of Moso (Phyllostachys edulis) underground shoots largely determines the culm circumference. However, its developmental mechanisms remain largely unknown. Using an integrated anatomy, mathematics and genomics approach, we systematically studied cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying the growth of Moso underground shoots. We discovered that the growth displayed a spiral pattern and pith played an important role in promoting the primary thickening process of Moso underground shoots and driving the evolution of culms with different sizes among different bamboo species. Different with model plants, the shoot apical meristem (SAM) of Moso is composed of six layers of cells. Comparative transcriptome analysis identified a large number of genes related to the vascular tissue formation that were significantly upregulated in a thick wall variant with narrow pith cavity, mildly spiral growth, and flat and enlarged SAM, including those related to plant hormones and those involved in cell wall development. These results provide a systematic perspective on the primary thickening growth of Moso underground shoots, and support a plausible mechanism resulting in the narrow pith cavity, weak spiral growth but increased vascular bundle of the thick wall Moso.