Do Victims Really Help Their Abusive Supervisors? Reevaluating the Positive Consequences of Abusive Supervision.

Do victims really help their abusive supervisors? Does abusive supervision have any positive consequence? The study aims to address this concern through extending the work by Tröster and Van Quaquebeke (2021). Using subordinates' self-reports, Tröster and Van Quaquebeke (2021) found that abusive supervision in high-quality leader-member exchange (LMX) relationship motivates subordinates to blame themselves, subsequently making them feel guilty and make up for it by being more helpful. By integrating both subordinates' and supervisors' perspectives, and using multi-wave, multi-source, and multi-level data collected in China, we obtain three major findings. First, as a replication of their findings, LMX moderates the direct effect of abusive supervision on workplace self-blame, and the indirect effect of abusive supervision on workplace guilt via workplace self-blame. The positive direct and indirect effects are stronger when LMX quality is higher. Second, different from their findings, LMX moderates the indirect effect of abusive supervision on supervisor-directed helping (evaluated by supervisors) via workplace self-blame and workplace guilt such that the negative indirect effect is stronger when LMX quality is higher. Third, as an extension, supervisor-evaluated LMX (SLMX) moderates the effect of workplace guilt on supervisor-directed helping such that the negative effect is stronger when SLMX is lower-quality. Put together, LMX and SLMX moderate the indirect effect of abusive supervision on supervisor-directed helping via workplace self-blame and workplace guilt. The negative indirect effect is stronger when LMX quality is higher, but SLMX quality is lower. Our study challenges previous speculations on the positive or beneficial consequences of abusive supervision, and thus contributes to the literature on abusive supervision.

Identification and characterization of a Streptococcus suis immunogenic ornithine carbamoytransferase involved in bacterial adherence.

BACKGROUND: Streptococcus suis (SS) is a major swine pathogen and a serious zoonotic pathogen causing septicemia and meningitis in piglets and humans. Using an immunoproteomic approach, we previously brought evidence that ornithine carbamoytransferase (OCT) may represent a vaccine candidate to protect against S. suis biofilm-related and acute infections. METHOD: In this study, the gene encoding OCT was cloned into the expression vector pET-28a and the recombinant protein was expressed in Escherichia coli BL21. The immunogenicity and protective efficacy of the SS OCT was further investigated in a mouse model. RESULTS: The protein was found to be expressed in vivo and elicited high antibody titers following SS infections in mice. An animal challenge experiment with SS showed that 62.5% of mice immunized with the OCT protein were protected. Using an in vitro competitive adherence inhibition assay of adherence, evidence was obtained that OCT could significantly reduce the number of SS cells adhered to porcine kidney PK-15 cells. The bacterial levels recovered in mice of the OCT immunized group were significantly decreased in some organs, compared with the control group. CONCLUSION: In summary, our results suggest that the recombinant SS OCT protein, which is involved in bacterial adherence, may efficiently stimulate an immune response conferring protection against SS infections. It may therefore be considered as a potential vaccine candidate, although further studies are necessary to evaluate their use in swine.

A Newly Authenticated Compound from Traditional Chinese Medicine Decoction Induces Melanogenesis in B16-F10 Cells by Increasing Tyrosinase Activity.

Vitiligo is a kind of skin dysfunction on melanogenesis. The highly prevalent, chronic, and distinctive complexion changes on patients have imposed enormous psychic and economic burden on both individuals and society. Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is a kind of precious source on chronic disease treatment, including skin dysfunctional diseases. In our previous study, a new compound named apigenin-7-butylene glucoside has been authenticated and purified from a prescription of Chinese traditional medicine formula which has been used clinically in vitiligo treatment. The aim of this work is to evaluate the effects of this compound on melanogenesis using melanoma cell B16-F10 in vitro. The results showed that apigenin-7-butylene glucoside had almost no cytotoxicity on B16-F10 cells within a lower dose of 5.0 µg ml-1 and enhanced the melanin level to about 41% and tyrosinase activity to 1.32-fold when compared with controls. The compound showed minor cytotoxicity to B16-F10 cells at the higher concentration of 10 µg ml-1 and 50 µg ml-1, the inhibition rate was 8.4% and 11.8%, and the melanin level and tyrosinase activity showed a decreased trend because of the lower cell number at the higher concentrations. The results indicated that apigenin-7-butylene glucoside was safe to B16-F10 cells within a lower concentration, <5.0 µg ml-1. Incubated with 5.0 ug ml-1of apigenin-7-butylene glucoside for 48 hours, the mRNA and protein levels of Tyr, Trp-1, and Trp-2 genes were all increased except Mitf in B16-F10 cells. The stimulation of apigenin-7-butylene glucoside on melanogenesis of B16-F10 cells through Tyr, Trp-1, and Trp-2 pathway highlighted the potential usage of the compound in vitiligo treatment.

Relationship Between the Serum Total Bilirubin and Inflammation in Patients With Psoriasis Vulgaris.

BACKGROUND: Psoriasis is a chronic and recurrent inflammatory skin disease. Previous studies have shown that bilirubin has anti-inflammation and antioxidant effects. However, the various roles of bilirubin in psoriasis patients are still unclear. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the serum total bilirubin (TB) level in the individuals with psoriasis vulgaris and further evaluate the relationship between serum TB concentration and C-reactive protein (CRP) to clarify the effect of bilirubin on inflammation. METHODS: A total of 214 patients with psoriasis vulgaris and 165 age- and gender-matched healthy control subjects were recruited. The peripheral leukocyte count (white blood cell, WBC) and differential, serum biochemical and immunologic indexes including serum TB, immunoglobulin (Ig) G, IgA, IgM, complement C3 and C4 , as well as serum CRP concentrations were measured. RESULTS: Results showed that the serum TB level decreased significantly and peripheral WBC, neutrophil, and serum CRP concentrations increased significantly in patients with psoriasis vulgaris. Meanwhile, the serum CRP was negatively correlated with serum TB levels but positively correlated with peripheral WBC and the Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI). Logistic regression analysis showed that the serum TB was a protective factor for psoriasis vulgaris. CONCLUSION: The present study suggests that lower serum TB is associated with the enhancement of the inflammatory response in psoriasis vulgaris. Therefore, lower serum TB has a prognostic significance for worsening psoriasis vulgaris. Bilirubin may play a crucial role in inflammation by contributing to the inhibition of the inflammatory response.

Distribution and development of the TCM syndromes in psoriasis vulgaris.

OBJECTIVE: To study the distribution and development rules of the TCM syndromes in psoriasis vulgaris. METHODS: Based on the clinical epidemiologic mass survey, the study was carried out by means of a status survey, multi-center and large-sample research. The data base was set up by EPIINFO6.0. The SPSS was used to do the statistical analyses in 2651 cases of psoriasis vulgaris to study the correlations among the distribution and development of the TCM syndromes, the stages of the disease, nationality, psoriasis history, family history, smoking history, alcohol drinking history, and severity of the disease. RESULTS: The TCM syndromes in psoriasis vulgaris mainly include the blood-heat syndrome (53.8%), blood-dryness syndrome (27.4%), and blood-stasis syndrome (18.1%). Other syndromes were rarely seen, covering 0.6%. The concurrent syndromes mainly involve dampness, heat, blood stasis and toxin. The distribution differences of the main syndromes at different stages of the disease had statistical significance (P < 0.01). The syndrome distribution is not related with nationality and family history (P > 0.05), but it was closely related with the psoriasis history, smoking history, alcohol drinking history, and severity of the disease (P < 0.01). CONCLUSION: At the initial stage, psoriasis vulgaris usually manifests itself as the blood-heat syndrome, and later it may be improved or turn into the blood-dryness or blood-stasis syndrome. Smoking, alcohol consumption, and severity of the disease may play a role in the syndrome's transformation.

Antecedents and outcomes of abusive supervision: test of a trickle-down model.

The authors examined antecedents of abusive supervision and the relative importance of interactional and procedural justice as mediators of the relationship between abusive supervision and the work outcomes of affective organizational commitment and individual- and organization-directed citizenship behaviors. Data were obtained from subordinate-supervisor dyads from a telecommunication company located in southeastern China. Results of moderated regression analysis revealed that authoritarian leadership style moderated the relationship between supervisors' perceptions of interactional justice and abusive supervision such that the relationship was stronger for supervisors high rather than low in authoritarian leadership style. In addition, results of structural equation modeling analysis revealed that subordinates' perceptions of interactional but not procedural justice fully mediated the relationship between abusive supervision and the work outcomes. Implications for future investigations of abusive supervision are discussed.

[Determination of fibronectin-binding region of FBPS of Streptococcus suis type 2].

Fusion expression plasmid pFBPS, pFBPS (7 - 82), pFBPS (7 - 165) and pFBPS3 (87 - 320) of Streptococcus suis type strain HA9801 were generated by cloning different fragments of fbps amplified from pMD-T-FBPS by PCR into plasmid pET-32a(+). It has been confirmed that the recombinant proteins, FBPS, FBPS(87 -320), and FBPS(7 - 167), which are expressed by recombinant plasmid pFBPS, pFBPS(87 - 320) and pFBPS(7 - 165), respectively, bound human fibronectin by ligand affinity Western blot assay. The results indicate the primary fibronectin-binding domain of FBPS lies within 87 - 165 amino acid residues region.