Attitudes and intentions toward seeking professional psychological help among Chinese healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Background: It has been suggested that healthcare workers (HCWs) are experiencing massive stressors that threaten their mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic, but little is known about their attitudes and intentions toward seeking professional psychological help. This study aimed to investigate the attitudes and intentions of Chinese HCWs toward seeking professional psychological help during the COVID-19 pandemic and the associated factors. Methods: A total of 1,224 Chinese HCWs working in hospitals were recruited online from 12 hospitals in Hunan province in China for a survey conducted in November 2022. The Chinese version of the attitudes toward seeking professional psychological help scale-short form (ATSPPH-SF) and the general help-seeking questionnaire (GHSQ) were separately used to assess the attitudes and intentions of the respondents toward seeking professional psychological help. Demographic and socio-psychological data were collected using a self-developed questionnaire, the perceived social support scale, the self-stigma of seeking help scale, and the patient health questionnaire-9 scale. Results: The 1,208 HCWs in the final analysis showed relatively negative attitudes and low intentions toward seeking professional psychological help during the COVID-19 pandemic. Results of the multiple linear regression analysis showed that female sex (p = 0.031), experience of psychological learning (p < 0.001), and social support (p < 0.001) had a positive predictive effect on the attitudes of these HCWs toward seeking professional psychological help, whereas self-stigma of seeking help (p < 0.001) and depressive symptoms (p < 0.001) exerted negative effects. Moreover, experience of psychological learning (p = 0.004) and social support (p < 0.001) had a positive predictive effect on the intentions of these HCWs toward seeking professional psychological help, whereas divorced marital status (p = 0.011) and self-stigma of seeking help (p < 0.001) exerted negative effects. Conclusion: The overall attitudes and intentions of HCWs toward seeking professional psychological help were not optimistic. Effective interventions targeted at influencing factors should be formulated to promote the professional psychological help-seeking attitudes and intentions of HCWs who are at risk of developing mental health problems.

Mechanism of Mepiquat Chloride Regulating Soybean Response to Drought Stress Revealed by Proteomics.

Soybeans are the main sources of oil and protein for most of the global population. As the population grows, so does the demand for soybeans. However, drought is a major factor that limits soybean production. Regulating soybean response to drought stress using mepiquat chloride (MC) is a feasible method; however, its mechanism is still unclear. This study used PEG-6000 to simulate drought stress and quantitative proteomic techniques to reveal changes in Heinong44 (HN44) and Heinong65 (HN65) subjected to drought following the application of 100 mg/L of MC. The results showed that SOD in HN44 did not change significantly but decreased by 22.61% in HN65 after MC pretreatment, and MDA content decreased by 22.75% and 21.54% in HN44 and HN65, respectively. Furthermore, MC improved the GSH-ASA cycle and simultaneously promoted the Calvin cycle process to enable the plant to maintain a certain carbon assimilation rate under osmotic stress. In addition, MC upregulated some proteins during gluconeogenesis and starch metabolism and increased soluble sugar content by 8.41% in HN44. MC also reduced ribosomal protein abundance, affecting translation and amino acid metabolism. In summary, MC improved GSH-ASA cycle and Calvin cycle under stress to alleviate oxidative damage and maintain crop growth. Our study is the first to report the mechanism of MC regulation in soybean under osmotic stress, providing new insights for the rational application of MC in soybean.

Asarinin attenuates bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis by activating PPARγ.

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a chronic progressive interstitial lung disease that lacks effective treatment modalities. Once patients are diagnosed with IPF, their median survival is approximately 3-5 years. PPARγ is an important target for the prevention and treatment of pulmonary fibrosis. Asarinin is a lignan compound that can be extracted from food plant Asarum heterotropoides. In this study, we investigated the therapeutic effects of asarinin in a pulmonary fibrosis model constructed using bleomycin in mice and explored the underlying mechanisms. Intraperitoneal administration of asarinin to mice with pulmonary fibrosis showed that asarinin effectively attenuated pulmonary fibrosis, and this effect was significantly inhibited by the PPARγ inhibitor GW9662. Asarinin inhibited TGF-ß1-induced fibroblast-to-myofibroblast transition in vitro, while GW9662 and PPARγ gene silencing significantly inhibited this effect. In addition, asarinin inhibited not only the canonical Smad pathway of TGF-ß but also the non-canonical AKT and MAPK pathways by activating PPARγ. Our study demonstrates that asarinin can be used as a therapeutic agent for pulmonary fibrosis, and that PPARγ is its key target.

Comparing the Salt Tolerance of Different Spring Soybean Varieties at the Germination Stage.

Salinization is a global agricultural problem with many negative effects on crops, including delaying germination, inhibiting growth, and reducing crop yield and quality. This study compared the salt tolerance of 20 soybean varieties at the germination stage to identify soybean germplasm with a high salt tolerance. Germination tests were conducted in Petri dishes containing 0, 50, 100, 150, and 200 mmol L-1 NaCl. Each Petri dish contained 20 soybean seeds, and each treatment was repeated five times. The indicators of germination potential, germination rate, hypocotyl length, and radicle length were measured. The salt tolerance of 20 soybean varieties was graded, and the theoretical identification concentration was determined by cluster analysis, the membership function method, one-way analysis of variance, and quadratic equation analysis. The relative germination rate, relative germination potential, relative root length, and relative bud length of the 20 soybean germplasms decreased when the salt concentration was >50 mmol L-1, compared with that of the Ctrl. The half-lethal salt concentration of soybean was 164.50 mmol L-1, and the coefficient of variation was 18.90%. Twenty soybean varieties were divided into three salt tolerance levels following cluster analysis: Dongnong 254, Heike 123, Heike 58, Heihe 49, and Heike 68 were salt-tolerant varieties, and Xihai 2, Suinong 94, Kenfeng 16, and Heinong 84 were salt-sensitive varieties, respectively. This study identified suitable soybean varieties for planting in areas severely affected by salt and provided materials for screening and extracting parents or genes to breed salt-tolerant varieties in areas where direct planting is impossible. It assists crop breeding at the molecular level to cope with increasingly serious salt stress.

SNP application improves drought tolerance in soybean.

As an important bioactive molecule, nitric oxide (NO) can effectively alleviate the effects of drought stress on crops. However, it is still unclear whether it can increase the stress resistance of soybean. Therefore, in this study, our objective was to explore the effect of exogenous NO application on the physiological characteristics of soybean seedlings under drought stress. As test material, two soybean varieties, HN65 and HN44, were used, while sodium nitroprusside (SNP) of 100 µmol L-1, 200 µmol L-1, 500 µmol L-1, 1000 µmol L-1 served as an exogenous NO donor, and PEG-6000 as an osmotic regulator to simulate drought stress. The effects of irrigation with different SNP concentrations for different days on the physiological characteristics of the soybean seedlings under drought conditions were then investigated. The results obtained showed that the activities of antioxidant enzymes, osmotic regulator contents, as well as the abscisic acid and salicylic acid contents of the plant leaves increased with increasing SNP concentration and treatment time. However, we observed that excessively high SNP concentrations decreased the activities of key nitrogen metabolism enzymes significantly. This study provides a theoretical basis for determining a suitable exogenous NO concentration and application duration. It also highlights strategies for exploring the mechanism by which exogenous NO regulates crop drought resistance.

Efficacy and safety of consolidation durvalumab after chemoradiation therapy for stage III non-small-cell lung cancer: a systematic review, meta-analysis, and meta-regression of real-world studies.

Background: The current review aimed to pool real-world evidence on the efficacy and toxicity of consolidation durvalumab for stage III unresectable non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) after curative chemoradiotherapy. Methods: PubMed, CENTRAL, ScienceDirect, Embase, and Google Scholar were searched for observational studies reporting the use of durvalumab for NSCLC till 12th April 2022. Twenty-three studies with 4,400 patients were included. Results: The pooled 1-year overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival rates (PFS) were 85% (95% CI: 81%-89%) and 60% (95% CI: 56%-64%) respectively. Pooled incidence of all-grade pneumonitis, grade ≥3 pneumonitis and discontinuation of durvalumab due to pneumonitis were 27% (95% CI: 19%-36%), 8% (95% CI: 6%-10%) and 17% (95% CI: 12%-23%) respectively. The pooled proportion of patients experiencing endocrine, cutaneous, musculoskeletal, and gastrointestinal adverse events was 11% (95% CI: 7%-18%), 8% (95% CI: 3%-17%), 5% (95% CI: 3%-6%), and 6% (95% CI: 3%-12%), respectively. Conclusion: Meta-regression indicated that performance status significantly influenced PFS, while age, time to durvalumab, and programmed death-ligand 1 status significantly affected pneumonitis rates. Real-world evidence suggests that the short-term efficacy and safety of durvalumab are consistent with that of the PACIFIC trial. The congruence of results lends support to durvalumab use in improving outcomes of unresectable stage III NSCLC. Systematic Review Registration: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?ID=CRD42022324663, identifier CRD42022324663.

Effects of Exogenous Sodium Nitroprusside Spraying on Physiological Characteristics of Soybean Leaves at the Flowering Stage under Drought Stress.

Nitric oxide (NO) plays a significant role in plant drought resistance. However, the effects of the exogenous application of NO to crops under drought stress vary within and among species. In this study, we explored the influence of exogenous sodium nitroprusside (SNP) on the drought resistance of soybean leaves in the full flowering stage using two varieties: drought-tolerant HN44 and non-drought-tolerant HN65. Spraying SNP on soybean leaves at the full flowering period under drought stress improved the NO content in soybean leaves. The activities of nitrite reductase (NiR) and nitrate reductase (NR) in leaves were affected by NO inhibition. The activity of antioxidant enzymes in leaves increased with the extension of SNP application time. Contents of osmomodulatory substances, including proline (Pro), soluble sugar (SS), and soluble protein (SP) increased gradually with the extension of SNP application time. The malondialdehyde (MDA) content decreased as the NO content increased, thus reducing membrane system damage. Overall, spraying SNP reduced damage and improved the ability of soybean to cope with drought. This study explored the physiological changes of SNP soybean under drought stress and provided theoretical basis for improving drought-resistant cultivation of soybean.

Effects of pulmonary rehabilitation therapy combined with conventional drugs on BODE and pulmonary function indexes in elderly patients with interstitial pneumonia.

Objectives: To investigate the effect of pulmonary rehabilitation therapy combined with conventional drugs on BODE and pulmonary function (PFT) indexes in elderly patients with interstitial pneumonia. Methods: Records of 89 elderly patients with interstitial pneumonia treated in the First Affiliated Hospital of Hunan Medical College from April 2020 to April 2021 were retrospectively selected. Of them, 41 patients received conventional drug treatment (Group-I) and 48 patients received pulmonary rehabilitation treatment and conventional drug treatment (Group-II). The clinical efficacy of therapy, BODE and PFT indexes of the two groups were compared. Results: The total efficacy of patients in the Group-II (93.75%) was significantly higher than that of Group-I (75.61%) (P<0.05). After the treatment, the BODE index score of Group-II was lower than that of Group-I, and the forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory volume in the first second (FEV1) and peak expiratory flow rate (PEF) were higher than those of Group-I (P<0.001). Conclusion: Combination of pulmonary rehabilitation therapy and conventional drugs can further improve the curative effect of the treatment and help to improve BODE and PFT indexes in patients with senile interstitial pneumonia.

Trends and age-period-cohort effects on incidence and mortality of asthma in Sichuan Province, China, 1990-2019.

BACKGROUND: The provinces in western China have undergone rapid urbanization and industrialization, particularly since the Chinese government launched the Great Western Development Strategy in 2000. We examined the time trends and contributions of age, period, and cohort effects to asthma incidence and mortality in Sichuan Province, a populous province in western China, from 1990 to 2019. METHODS: The data of Sichuan Province from 1990 to 2019 were extracted from the Global Burden of Disease study 2019. Trends and average annual percentage change were estimated using joinpoint regression. Age, period, and cohort effects were estimated using an age-period-cohort model with the intrinsic estimator method. RESULTS: In the latest period (2015-2019), the highest incidence of asthma was 2004.49/100,000 in children aged < 5 years, and the highest mortality rate was 22.04/100,000 for elderly people aged > 80 years. Age-standardized rates generally remained stable (95% confidence interval [CI] - 0.21, 0.11) for incidence and declined by 4.74% (95% CI - 5.09, - 4.39) for mortality over the last 30 years. After controlling for other effects, the age effect on asthma showed that the incidence rate ratio (RR) was highest in the < 5 years age group, and the mortality RR was highest in the > 80 years age group. The period effect on incidence and mortality decreased from 1990 to 2019, respectively. A cohort effect was found the incidence RR increased slowly from the early birth cohorts to the later birth cohorts, especially after the 2005 birth cohort, whereas the mortality RR continued to decline. CONCLUSIONS: There was a significant effect of older age on the asthma mortality rate over the last 30 years, and the incidence rate in children aged < 5 years increased. The relative risk of asthma incidence in the later birth cohorts increased. Effective preventive measures and public health policies should be to protect children and elderly people from potentially harmful chronic diseases.

MicroRNA-122-3p plays as the target of long non-coding RNA LINC00665 in repressing the progress of arthritis.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play important roles in many diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis (RA). However, the mechanisms underlying the effects of miR-122-3p-3p on RA are not distinct and require further investigation. Patients with RA and healthy controls were recruited to analyze the miR-122-3p levels. The MH7A cells were stimulated with interleukin (IL)-1ß to mimic the local inflammation of RA. Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) and flow cytometry were performed to measure the viability and apoptosis of MH7A cells. Diana tools and TargetScan were used to predict the target relationships. Luciferase reporter assay was used to validate the target relationship. miR-122-3p is downregulated in RA patients and IL-1ß-stimulated MH7A cells. miR-122-3p suppresses MH7A cell viability and promotes MH7A cell apoptosis. miR-122-3p targets LINC00665. LINC00665 eliminates the inhibitory effect of miR-122-3p on IL-1ß-stimulated MH7A cells. Eukaryotic translation initiation factor 2 alpha kinase 1 (EIF2AK1) targets miR-122-3p. In addition, EIF2AK1 is highly expressed in patients with RA. In addition, EIF2AK1 activates the mTOR signaling pathway. miR-122-3p represses RA progression by reducing cell viability and increasing synoviocyte apoptosis.

Activation of type 4 metabotropic glutamate receptor attenuates oxygen and glucose deprivation-induced apoptosis in human neural stem cells via inhibition of ASK1-p38 signaling pathway.

Hypoxic ischemic brain injury (HIBI) has been one of the most severe central nervous system (CNS) diseases with high fatality and disability rate. Neural stem cells (NSCs) persist in the mammalian brain throughout life and NSCs-associated therapies might be a promising strategy for the HIBI treatment. In this study, we identified that type 4 metabotropic glutamate receptor (mGluR4) was expressed in cultured human NSCs (hNSCs) isolated from the human fetus cortex and further established the oxygen and glucose deprivation (OGD) model in hNSCs to study the role of mGluR4 in hypoxic and ischemic injury. The results indicated that mGluR4 activation by using VU0155041 (mGluR4-specific agonist) markedly attenuated the OGD-induced alterations in TUNEL staining, apoptosis rate, cleavages of pro-caspase-8, -9, -3, and Bcl-2/Bax expression balance. Furthermore, mGluR4 activation inhibited the ASK1/p38 signaling pathway. Asiatic acid, as a p38 MAPK activator, is capable of abolishing the neuroprotective effect of mGluR4, while both NQDI-1 (ASK-1 inhibitor) and SB203580 (p38 MAPK inhibitor) exerted similar effects to VU0155041 in the OGD-induced hNSC damage. In conclusion, this study indicates that mGluR4 activation protects hNSCs against the OGD-induced cell death via inhibiting the ASK1-p38 pathway. Activation of mGluR4 might be a promising strategy for enhancing NSCs survival in hypoxic and ischemic injury.

Activation of metabotropic glutamate receptor 4 regulates proliferation and neural differentiation in neural stem/progenitor cells of the rat subventricular zone and increases phosphatase and tensin homolog protein expression.

Neural stem/progenitor cells (NSPCs) persist in the mammalian subventricular zone throughout life, where they can be activated in response to physiological and pathophysiological stimuli. A recent study indicates metabotropic glutamate receptor 4 (mGluR4) is involved in regulating NSPCs behaviors. Therefore, defining mGluR4 function in NSPCs is necessary for determining novel strategies to enhance the intrinsic potential for brain regeneration after injuries. In this study, mGluR4 was functionally expressed in SVZ-derived NSPCs from male Sprague-Dawley rats, in which the cyclic adenosine monophosphate concentration was reduced after treatment with the mGluR4-specific agonist VU0155041. Additionally, lateral ventricle injection of VU0155041 significantly decreased 5-bromo-2'-deoxyuridine (BrdU)+ and Ki67+ cells, while increased Doublecortin (DCX)/BrdU double-positive cells in SVZ. In cultured NSPCs, mGluR4 activation decreased the ratio of BrdU+ cells, G2/M-phase cells, and inhibited Cyclin D1 expression, whereas it increased neuron-specific class III ß-tubulin (Tuj1) expression and the number of Tuj1, DCX, and PSA-NCAM-positive cells. However, pharmacological blocking mGluR4 with the antagonist MSOP or knockdown of mGluR4 abolished the effects of VU0155041 on NSPCs proliferation and neuronal differentiation. Further investigation demonstrated that VU0155041 treatment down-regulated AKT phosphorylation and up-regulated expression of the phosphatase and tensin homolog protein (PTEN) in NSPCs culture. Moreover VU0155041-induced proliferating inhibition and neuronal differentiating amplification in NSPCs were significantly hampered by VO-OHpic, a PTEN inhibitor. We conclude that activation of mGluR4 in SVZ-derived NSPCs suppresses proliferation and enhances their neuronal differentiation, and regulation of PTEN may be involved as a potential intracellular target of mGluR4 signal. Cover Image for this issue: https://doi.org/10.1111/jnc.15052.

Effectiveness of peer support intervention on perinatal depression: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: It has been suggested that peer support intervention may offer an alternative approach to prevent or treat perinatal depression, but little is known about its effectiveness, economics, and satisfaction in the prenatal and postpartum populations. This review summarizes available evidence on the effectiveness, economics, and satisfaction of peer support intervention on perinatal depression. METHODS: Multiple electronic databases were searched in five English databases (MEDLINE, Embase, Cochrane Library, Psyc INFO, and CINAHL) and three Chinese databases (Wang Fang, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, and Chinese Biomedical Literature Database) from inception to April 2019. Hand searching of references was also performed. Randomized controlled trials reporting peer support intervention targeting on perinatal depression were included. The quality of evidence was assessed using the Cochrane risk of bias tool. RESULTS: Ten randomized controlled trials met the inclusion criteria and were included in the final analysis. Peer support intervention reduced standardized mean depressive scores (-0.37, 95% CI -0.66 to -0.08) and reduced risk ratio (0.69, 95% CI 0.49-0.96) of depression. LIMITATIONS: Clinical heterogeneity was observed among the included studies in peer support intervention, suggesting the existence of potential mediators, such as intensity, frequency, or type of peer support intervention. CONCLUSION: Peer support intervention may have the potential to effectively prevent perinatal depression or reduce the harm of perinatal depression. Future studies with better design/execution and larger sample size are needed to investigate potential mediators associated with the beneficial effects of peer support intervention on perinatal depression.

Contribution of xeroderma pigmentosum complementation group D gene polymorphisms in breast and ovarian cancer susceptibility: A protocol for systematic review and meta analysis.

BACKGROUND: The role of xeroderma pigmentosum complementation group D (XPD) gene polymorphisms in breast and ovarian cancer development has long been controversial and existing data were inconsistent. Here, we conducted a comprehensive systemic review and meta-analysis to better clarify the association. METHODS: Relevant case-control studies published in electronic data base from October 1999 to September 2019 were assessed. The statistical analyses of the pooled odds ratios (ORs) and the corresponding 95% confidence intervals (95%CIs) were calculated by using Revman 5.2 software (Cochrane Collaboration, Copenhagen). RESULTS: 31 articles including 38 case-control studies and 2 XPD polymorphisms (rs1799793 and rs238406) were analyzed. The results showed statistical significance in heterozygous mutants among Asian population for rs1799793 (GA vs GG + AA: OR = 1.38, 95%CI = 1.21-1.56), and Caucasian population for rs238406 (CA vs AA + CC: OR = 0.63, 95%CI = 0.49-0.80), while the rest comparisons including overall groups and subgroups stratified by cancer types and ethnicity failed to indicate any association with breast and ovarian cancer risk. CONCLUSIONS: The current meta-analysis suggested no concrete correlation of XPD rs1799793(G/A) and rs238406(C/A) polymorphisms with breast cancer or ovarian cancer susceptibility. However, it indicated that heterozygous genotypes might share different pathophysiologic mechanism from not only homozygous wildtypes but also homozygous mutants. More case-control studies with well-adjusted data and diverse populations are essential for validation of our conclusion.

The short- and long-term effectiveness of mother-infant psychotherapy on postpartum depression: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: It has been suggested that mother-infant psychotherapy may offer an alternative approach to treating postpartum depression, but little is known about its effectiveness. This review presents a summarized effectiveness of mother-infant psychotherapy on postpartum depression. METHODS: Multiple electronic databases were searched including Pubmed, Cochrane Library, EMBase, MEDLINE, et al. Hand searching of references was also performed. Randomized controlled trials reporting on mother-infant psychotherapy targeting postpartum depression were included if they used a validated measure of prescribing appropriateness. Evidence quality was assessed using the Cochrane risk of bias tool. RESULTS: A total of 13 randomized controlled trials met inclusion criteria and were included in the final analysis. In the short-term effect analysis, mother-infant psychotherapy reduced standardized mean depressive scores (-0.25, 95% CI -0.40, -0.09) and risk ratio (0.71, 95% CI 0.55, 0.91). In the long-term effect analysis, mother-infant psychotherapy did not improve maternal mood, mother-infant interaction and infant attachment. LIMITATIONS: Clinical heterogeneity was observed among included studies in mother-infant psychotherapy intervention, suggesting the existence of potential moderators such as intensity, frequency, trimester of pregnancy or type of mother-infant psychotherapy. CONCLUSION: Mother-infant psychotherapy appears to be effective for the treatment of maternal depression in the short-term. Future studies with better design/execution and larger sample size are needed to confirm the effect of mother-infant psychotherapy on short-term and to explore its effect on long-term depression.

[Effect of transcutaneous neuromuscular electrical stimulation on prevention of intensive care unit-acquired weakness in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients with mechanical ventilation].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect of transcutaneous neuromuscular electrical stimulation on prevention of intensive care unit-acquired weakness (ICU-AW) in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients with mechanical ventilation. METHODS: A prospective randomized controlled study was conducted. Sixty COPD patients aged 18-85 years old who were accepted mechanical ventilation therapy admitted to general intensive care unit (ICU) of the First Affiliated Hospital of Hunan University of Medicine from October 2017 to October 2018 were enrolled. Patients were divided into control group (n = 30) and intervention group (n = 30) by random number table method. All patients were accepted routine treatment, and on this basis, the intervention group was applied transcutaneous neuromuscular electrical stimulation on the extremities (twice a day, 30 minutes each time) after 24 hours of admission until ICU discharge. The Medical Research Council muscle strength score (MRC-Score), grip strength, incidence of ICU-AW on the 7th day after admission and on the day of ICU discharge; modified Barthel index score on the day of ICU discharge; and duration of mechanical ventilation, the length of ICU stay, and the length of hospital stay were compared between the two groups. RESULTS: Twenty-nine and 27 patients in the control group and the intervention group respectively finally completed the study in dividually. There was no significant difference in gender, age, Barthel index score before 2 weeks of ICU admission, body mass index or acute physiology and chronic health evaluation (APACHE) in ICU between the two groups. There was no significant difference in the MRC-Score, grip strength or incidence of ICU-AW on the 7th day after ICU admission between the two groups. Compared to the control group, the MRC-Score, grip strength and Barthel index score in the intervention group were significantly increased [MRC-Score: 55.97±8.43 vs. 46.32±7.36, grip strength (kg): 33.46±11.62 vs. 27.42±9.64, Barthel index score: 46.04±5.46 vs. 42.13±3.32, all P < 0.05], the incidence rate of ICU-AW was significantly decreased [7.4% (2/27) vs. 31.0% (9/29), P < 0.05], and duration of mechanical ventilation, the length of ICU stay, the length of hospital stay were significantly shortened [duration of mechanical ventilation (days): 5.12±2.01 vs. 7.24±4.35, the length of ICU stay (days): 8.34±2.36 vs. 10.45±2.62, the length of hospital stay (days): 13.21±2.21 vs. 15.38±3.67, all P < 0.05]. CONCLUSIONS: Transcutaneous neuromuscular electrical stimulation can effectively improve the muscle strength of COPD patients with mechanical ventilation and reduce the incidence of ICU-AW.

Single nucleotide polymorphisms in ZNF208 are associated with increased risk for HBV in Chinese people.

Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in ZNF208 may be associated with susceptibility to Hepatitis B virus (HBV). In the current study, we analyzed the association between ZNF208 SNPs and risk of HBV in 242 HBV patients and 300 healthy subjects from the Xi'an area of Chinese Han Population. Of the five SNPs examined, rs2188971 (OR: 1.36, 95% CI: 1.04-1.76, P = 0.022), rs8103163 (OR: 1.40, 95% CI: 1.08-1.82, P = 0.010) and rs7248488 (OR: 1.38, 95% CI: 1.07-1.79, P = 0.014) were correlated with HBV susceptibility based on Chi-square tests. After the P-values were adjusted by Bonferroni correction, there only rs8103163 (P = 0.050) was slightly with increased HBV risk. Additionally, haplotype Ars2188972Trs2188971Ars8103163Ars7248488 (OR = 1.42; 95% C I, 1.10-1.85; P = 0.008) was found to increase susceptibility of suffering from HBV. These findings suggest that ZNF208 polymorphisms may contribute to the development of HBV.

Activation of Type 4 Metabotropic Glutamate Receptor Attenuates Oxidative Stress-Induced Death of Neural Stem Cells with Inhibition of JNK and p38 MAPK Signaling.

Promoting both endogenous and exogenous neural stem cells' (NSCs) survival in the hostile host environments is essential to cell replacement therapy for central nervous system (CNS) disorders. Type 4 metabotropic glutamate receptor (mGluR4), one of the members of mGluRs, has been shown to protect neurons from acute and chronic excitotoxic insults in various brain damages. The present study investigated the preventive effects of mGluR4 on NSC injury induced by oxidative stress. Under challenge with H2O2, loss of cell viability was observed in cultured rat NSCs, and treatment with selective mGluR4 agonist VU0155041 conferred protective effects against the loss of cellular viability in a concentration-dependent manner, as shown by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. Pretreatment of VU0155041 (30 µM) also inhibited the excessive NSC death induced by H2O2, and group III mGluRs antagonist (RS)-a-methylserine-O-phosphate (MSOP) or gene-targeted knockdown abolished the protective action of mGluR4, indicated by propidium iodide-Hoechst and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated UTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) staining. Western blot assay demonstrated that mGluR4 activation reversed the decreased procaspase-8/9/3and the destructed Bcl-2/Bax expressing balance, and likewise, MSOP and mGluR4 knockdown abrogated the action of mGluR4 activity. Furthermore, inhibition of JNK and p38 mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) were observed after mGluR4 activation, and as paralleling control, JNK-specific inhibitor SP600125 and p38-specific inhibitor SB203580 significantly rescued the H2O2-mediated NSC apoptosis and cleavage of procaspase-3. We suggest that activation of mGluR4 prevents oxidative stress-induced NSC death and apoptotic-associated protein activities with involvement of inhibiting the JNK and p38 pathways in cell culture. Our findings may help to develop strategies for enhancing the resided and transplanted NSC survival after oxidative stress insult of CNS.

Molecular cloning and function analysis of insulin-like growth factor-binding protein 1a in blunt snout bream (Megalobrama amblycephala).

Insulin-like growth factor-binding protein 1 (IGFBP-1), a hypoxia-induced protein, is a member of the IGFBP family that regulates vertebrate growth and development. In this study, full-length IGFBP-1a cDNA was cloned from a hypoxia-sensitive Cyprinidae fish species, the blunt snout bream (Megalobrama amblycephala). IGFBP-1a was expressed in various organs of adult blunt snout bream, including strongly in the liver and weakly in the gonads. Under hypoxia, IGFBP-1a mRNA levels increased sharply in the skin, liver, kidney, spleen, intestine and heart tissues of juvenile blunt snout bream, but recovered to normal levels after 24-hour exposure to normal dissolved oxygen. In blunt snout bream embryos, IGFBP-1a mRNA was expressed at very low levels at both four and eight hours post-fertilization, and strongly at later stages. Embryonic growth and development rates decreased significantly in embryos injected with IGFBP-1a mRNA. The average body length of IGFBP-1a-overexpressed embryos was 82.4% of that of the control group, and somite numbers decreased to 85.2%. These findings suggest that hypoxia-induced IGFBP-1a may inhibit growth in this species under hypoxic conditions.

The goldfish hAT-family transposon Tgf2 is capable of autonomous excision in zebrafish embryos.

The goldfish (Carassius auratus) Tgf2 transposon is a vertebrate DNA transposon that belongs to the hAT transposon family. In this study, we constructed plasmids containing either the full-length Tgf2 transposon (pTgf2 plasmid) or a partially-deleted Tgf2 transposon (ΔpTgf2 plasmid), and microinjected these plasmids into fertilized zebrafish (Danio rerio) eggs at the one- to two-cell stage. DNA extracted from the embryos was analyzed by PCR to assess transient excision, if any, of the exogenous plasmid and to verify whether Tgf2 is an autonomous transposon. The results showed that excision-specific bands were not detected in embryos injected with the ΔpTgf2 plasmid, while bands of 300-500bp were detected in embryos injected with pTgf2, which indicated that the full-length Tgf2-containing plasmid could undergo autonomous excision in zebrafish embryos. DNA cloned from 24 embryos injected with pTgf2 was sequenced, and the results suggested that Tgf2 underwent self-excision in zebrafish embryos. Cloning and PCR analysis of DNA extracted from embryos co-injected with ΔpTgf2 and in vitro-transcribed transposase mRNA indicated that partially-deleted-Tgf2-containing ΔpTgf2 plasmid also underwent excision, in the presence of functional transposase mRNA. DNA cloned from 25 embryos co-injected with ΔpTgf2 and transposase mRNA was sequenced, and the results suggested that partially-deleted Tgf2 transposons plasmids were excised. These results demonstrated that excisions of Tgf2 transposons were mediated by the Tgf2 transposase, which in turn confirmed that Tgf2 is an autonomous transposon.