Chemical composition, pharmacological effects, and parasitic mechanisms of Cistanche deserticola: An update.

BACKGROUND: C. deserticola, a highly esteemed medicinal herb in China, commonly referred to as "desert ginseng", has been renowned for its unique pharmacological properties in clinical use for countless centuries. Despite its long-standing reputation, our current comprehension of its active components and pharmacological effects remains shallow and incomplete. Moreover, the unclear mechanism underlying its pharmacological actions hinders the advancement and utilization of novel drug formulations derived from C. deserticola. Furthermore, as a unique parasitic plant, the current research on its parasitic mechanisms is limited, hampering efforts to enhance both its medicinal composition and overall yields. PURPOSE: The objective of this review is to meticulously assess, condense, and evaluate the salient aspects pertaining to the chemical composition, pharmacological impacts, and parasitic mechanisms of C. deserticola. Furthermore, the aim is to furnish valuable references that can inform and guide future research endeavors and developmental activities related to C. deserticola. METHODS: This review adheres to the rigorous standards outlined in the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. A thorough examination and analysis of pertinent research findings, published up to February 6, 2024, has been conducted. Databases such as PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, Cochrane, and Science Direct were exhaustively searched using targeted keywords and operators to delve into the chemical constituents, pharmacological effects, and parasitic mechanisms exhibited by C. deserticola. RESULTS: The review comprehensively summarizes the advancements in research regarding the chemical composition, pharmacological impacts, and toxicological safety of C. deserticola. It delves into the parasitic mechanisms of C. deserticola from three distinct angles: seed germination, haustorium induction, and recognition of signal substances. Furthermore, the review pinpoints pertinent issues and offers insightful recommendations for future exploration and research pertaining to C. deserticola. CONCLUSION: In recent years, C. deserticola has garnered considerable attention due to its distinctive pharmacological properties. This comprehensive review aims to establish a scientific foundation for the development of potential novel drugs and the enhancement of both the quantity and quality of C. deserticola. It accomplishes this by meticulously analyzing and evaluating the latest research findings pertaining to its chemical composition, pharmacological impacts, and parasitic mechanisms.

DeepStroke: An efficient stroke screening framework for emergency rooms with multimodal adversarial deep learning.

In an emergency room (ER) setting, stroke triage or screening is a common challenge. A quick CT is usually done instead of MRI due to MRI's slow throughput and high cost. Clinical tests are commonly referred to during the process, but the misdiagnosis rate remains high. We propose a novel multimodal deep learning framework, DeepStroke, to achieve computer-aided stroke presence assessment by recognizing patterns of minor facial muscles incoordination and speech inability for patients with suspicion of stroke in an acute setting. Our proposed DeepStroke takes one-minute facial video data and audio data readily available during stroke triage for local facial paralysis detection and global speech disorder analysis. Transfer learning was adopted to reduce face-attribute biases and improve generalizability. We leverage a multi-modal lateral fusion to combine the low- and high-level features and provide mutual regularization for joint training. Novel adversarial training is introduced to obtain identity-free and stroke-discriminative features. Experiments on our video-audio dataset with actual ER patients show that DeepStroke outperforms state-of-the-art models and achieves better performance than both a triage team and ER doctors, attaining a 10.94% higher sensitivity and maintaining 7.37% higher accuracy than traditional stroke triage when specificity is aligned. Meanwhile, each assessment can be completed in less than six minutes, demonstrating the framework's great potential for clinical translation.

The effect of fear of progression on quality of life among breast cancer patients: the mediating role of social support.

BACKGROUND: Women with breast cancer are prone to have mental stress and be stimulated by the fear of progression (FOP), then giving rise to a lower quality of life (QOL). The study aimed to examine the relationships between FOP, social support and QOL, and further explore whether social support mediates the association between FOP and QOL among Chinese patients with breast cancer. METHODS: The cross-sectional study was conducted from October 2019 to May 2020 at Anshan Cancer Hospital in Liaoning, China. 244 female breast cancer patients completed questionnaires including the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy for Breast (FACT-B), Multi-Dimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS), and Fear of Progression (FOP). Hierarchical multiple regression analysis was performed to assess the associations between FOP, social support and QOL. Asymptotic and resampling strategies were used to explore the mediating role of social support. RESULTS: The mean QOL score was 90.6 ± 17.0 among the patients with breast cancer. FOP was negatively correlated with QOL, while social support was positively related to QOL. Social support partly mediated the association between FOP and QOL, and the proportion of the mediating effect accounted for by social support was 25%. CONCLUSIONS: Chinese breast cancer patients expressed low QOL. Social support could mediate the association between FOP and QOL. Medical staffs and cancer caregivers should alleviate patients' FOP to improve their QOL by facilitating social support.

Association Between Anxiety Symptoms and Problematic Smartphone Use Among Chinese University Students: The Mediating/Moderating Role of Self-Efficacy.

Problematic smartphone use (PSU) is a novel manifestation of addictive behaviors. It is frequently reported to be correlated with anxiety symptoms among University students. However, the underlying mechanism has not yet been thoroughly studied. Whether the association between anxiety symptoms and PSU is mediated or moderated by self-efficacy remains unclarified. A cluster sampling cross-sectional study was thus conducted to explore the potential mediating or moderating effect of self-efficacy in Chinese University students. Participants (N = 1,113) were recruited from eight Universities in Shenyang, China. Of them, 146 did not effectively respond to the questionnaires. Thus, 967 participants were eligible for the final analysis. The mediating or moderating role of self-efficacy in the anxiety-PSU relationship was explored using hierarchical multiple regression. Then the mediation model was further verified using the SPSS macros program (PROCESS v3.0). Our results showed that anxiety symptoms was positively correlated with PSU (r = 0.302, P < 0.01), while self-efficacy was negatively correlated with anxiety symptoms and PSU (r = -0.271 and -0.181, P < 0.01). Self-efficacy partly mediated the relationship between anxiety symptoms and PSU, which accounted for ~17.5% of the total effect that anxiety symptoms have on PSU. However, the moderating effect of self-efficacy on the anxiety-PSU relationship was insignificant. In summary, our findings suggested that self-efficacy partly mediates but not moderates the link between anxiety symptoms and PSU among Chinese University students. Therefore, multicomponent interventions should be made to restrict the frequency of smartphone usage, enhance the level of self-efficacy, and thus promote the mental health status of University students.

Prevalence and its associated factors of depressive symptoms among Chinese college students during the COVID-19 pandemic.

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic has caused a mental health crisis around the world. The psychological health of college students also faces great challenges. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence and the related factors of depressive symptoms among Chinese college students. METHODS: This online cross-sectional survey was conducted via Wenjuanxing platform from March 3-15, 2020 and received 1681 effective questionnaires. Each questionnaire contains the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression scale, the Multi-Dimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, the Herth Hope Index, and the self-designed items. Multivariable logistic regression was conducted to determine the significantly associated factors of depressive symptoms. RESULTS: The prevalence of depressive symptoms among college students was 56.8%. Sleep problems (OR 2.678, 95%CI 2.094-3.424), family members' going out (OR 1.775, 95%CI 1.089-2.894), perceived more stress for online education (OR 1.642, 95%CI 1.191-2.263), fear of COVID-19 (OR 1.450, 95%CI 1.121-1.876), influence on social interaction (OR 1.354, 95%CI 1.053-1.741) and higher grade (OR 1.378, 95%CI 1.046-1.816) were considered as risk factors of depressive symptoms. Perceived social support (OR 0.354, 95%CI 0.259-0.484), hope (OR 0.052, 95%CI 0.034-0.080), female (OR:0.557, 95%CI 0.427-0.725) and higher monthly disposable income (OR 0.666, 95%CI 0.447-0.993) were identified as protective factors against depressive symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: There was a high prevalence of depressive symptoms among Chinese college students during the COVID-19 pandemic. It is important to find ways to alleviate the pressure and fear of college students, to provide them with more social support, and to help them adapt to the changes in learning style and lifestyle.

NLRP3-like protein negatively regulates the expression of antimicrobial peptides in Penaeus vannamei hemocyates.

NACHT, LRR and PYD domains-containing protein 3 (NLRP3) protein is the core actor involved in inflammasome formation, and plays a pivotal role in the innate immune response. However, whether NLRP3 participates in the regulation of innate immunity in invertebrates is still unknown. In the present study, we characterized a NLRP3 ortholog in Penaeus vannamei (designated PvNLRP3-like) with 2514 bp length of open reading frame (ORF) encoding a putative protein of 837 amino acids. Sequence analysis revealed that PvNLRP3-like contained only NACHT domain and shared closely homology with other invertebrates, but the topological structure of NACHT domain of PvNLRP3-like is similar with that in human NLRP3. PvNLRP3-like was ubiquitously expressed in tissues and induced in hemocytes by Vibrio parahaemolyticus, Streptococcus iniae and White Spot Syndrome Virus (WSSV) challenge, suggesting that PvNLRP3-like participated in the immune responses to pathogens. Furthermore, silencing of PvNLRP3-like followed by V. parahaemolyticus stimulation negatively regulated the transcripts of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) including Lysozyme (LYZ) 3, Crustin (CRU) 2, Anti-lipopolysaccharide factor (ALF) 2/3 and Penaeidins (PEN) 3/4. This study enriches our current knowledge on shrimp innate immunity, and provides novel perspective to understand the immune regulation role of PvNLRP3-like.

Factors Influencing Vitamin D Levels in Neonatal Umbilical Cord Blood: A Two-Center Study From Tibet and Shenyang.

Objective: To investigate the factors influencing the levels of vitamin D (vitD) in the umbilical cord blood of neonates born in Naqu, Tibet (4,500 m above sea level), and Shenyang, Liaoning Province (500 m above sea level). Methods: This prospective study was conducted from June 2017 to October 2018 in Naqu (the plateau group) and Shenyang, (the non-plateau group). Healthy mothers that gave birth to healthy neonates of >2,000g after 38 weeks' gestation were enrolled in the study, as were their neonates. After separation of serum from the umbilical cord and mothers for routine biochemical tests, discarded samples were remained for analyses of vitD, calcium, phosphorus, alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and parathyroid hormone (PTH). Questionnaires were developed covering the demographic characteristics and possible risk factors for neonatal vitD deficiency of mothers. Statistical analysis was performed to identify associations between the calcium, phosphorus, ALP, PTH, maternal factors and neonatal vitD levels. Results: In total, 295 neonates and 225 mothers were enrolled in the study. VitD deficiency was common in neonates and mothers. The risk of vitD deficiency was higher in the plateau group than in the non-plateau group. The mean levels of 25-hydroxy vitD (25(OH)D) in mothers and neonates from the plateau group were 8.49 ± 4.12 ng/mL and 10.17 ± 5.07 ng/mL, respectively. Such levels were significantly lower than those in the non-plateau group (19.77 ± 9.57 ng/mL and 23.93 ± 11.01 ng/mL, respectively). The vitD levels of neonates and mothers were highest in the summer and lowest in the winter. Cord blood vitD was positively correlated with the vitD levels in mothers' serum (r = 0.75, P < 0.05). Increased PTH levels in mothers and decreased cord blood calcium levels were risk factors for neonatal vitD deficiency. A lack of vitD supplementation during pregnancy was associated with an 8.91-fold higher probability of neonatal vitD deficiency (OR = 8.91, 95% CI = 1.521-9.429, P < 0.001). Conclusions: The levels of neonatal and maternal vitD in the plateau group were generally lower than those in the non-plateau group. VitD supplementation during pregnancy could effectively reduce the risk of vitD deficiency in neonates.

The mediating role of perceived social support between anxiety symptoms and life satisfaction in pregnant women: a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Pregnancy can be stressful for women and families, so the life satisfaction of pregnant women may face significant challenges. This study aimed to identify the relationship among anxiety symptoms, perceived social support and life satisfaction, and to further explore whether perceived social support can play a mediating role. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted from June to September in Shenyang City, China in 2019. 290 effective questionnaires were collected. The Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS), the Zung's Self-Rating Anxiety Scale (SAS), the Multi-Dimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS) as well as demographic variables were included in each questionnaire. Hierarchical multiple regression was conducted to explore the mediating role of perceived social support in the relationship between anxiety symptoms and life satisfaction. Then the mediation model was examined by the PROCESS macro for SPSS. RESULTS: After adjusting control variables, anxiety symptoms were negatively associated with life satisfaction and explained 14.7% of the variance. Higher level of perceived social support was related to higher level of life satisfaction, explaining 21.0% of the variance. Perceived social support partly mediated the relationship between anxiety symptoms and life satisfaction for pregnant women. CONCLUSIONS: Perceived social support played a mediating role between anxiety symptoms and life satisfaction among pregnant women. Strategies and measures to improve perceived social support may be expected to buffer the impact of anxiety symptoms on pregnant women's life satisfaction.

Association of MTHFR gene polymorphisms with pancreatic cancer: meta-analysis of 17 case-control studies.

BACKGROUND: Pancreatic cancer (PC) is a seriously malignant tumor with a low 5-year survival rate. The relationship between methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) gene polymorphisms and PC has been reported by several studies. However, the results were controversial. Thus, we conducted a meta-analysis to summarize available data on MTHFR gene and PC. METHODS: We searched PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Wanfang, CNKI databases prior to July 2019. Data were analyzed by RevMan 5.3 and STATA 12.0 software. Odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) were used to evaluate the strength of the association. Subgroup analysis, sensitivity analysis and assessment of publication bias were performed in this study. RESULTS: Ten articles with 17 reports (10 for C677T, 7 for A1298C) were eligible for inclusion in the meta-analysis (1864 cases and 3165 controls for C677T, and 1488 cases and 1946 controls for A1298C). Our meta-analysis detected that C677T was associated with PC for three genetic models (allele model: OR = 1.24, 95% CI: 1.00-1.53, P = 0.047; recessive model: OR = 1.39, 95% CI: 1.04-1.86, P = 0.027; homozygous model: OR = 1.60, 95% CI: 1.04-2.45, P = 0.034). In the stratified analyses according to ethnicity, source of controls and genotyping method, significant association was observed in genotyping method subgroup. For the A1298C polymorphism, no significant association was observed either in overall analysis or in subgroup analysis under all genetic models. CONCLUSIONS: MTHFR gene C677T rather than A1298C polymorphism may be associated with PC. Larger sample size studies should be performed to find the association between MTHFR gene and PC.

Moderating Role of Self-Esteem Between Perceived Organizational Support and Subjective Well-Being in Chinese Nurses: A Cross-Sectional Study.

PURPOSE: Nurses are undertaking tremendous physical and psychological pressure, which may reduce their subjective well-being (SWB). This study is aimed to identify the relationship among perceived organizational support (POS), self-esteem, and SWB, and to further explore whether self-esteem could be a moderator in the association between POS and SWB in Chinese nurses. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study was conducted in Liaoning Province in China, in 2018. 606 valid questionnaires were collected. Demographic factors, job conditions, the Index of Well-Being, Survey of Perceived Organizational Support (SPOS), and Rosenberg's Self Esteem Scale (RSES) were included in each questionnaire. The association among POS, self-esteem, and POS × self-esteem interaction with SWB were examined by hierarchical multiple regression analysis. The interaction was visualized by using simple slope analysis. RESULTS: Average score of SWB in Chinese nurses was 8.27 ± 2.64. Being married was positively related to SWB, while having longer work time per week, having night shift and dissatisfied with nurse-patient relationship were correlated with lower SWB. POS and self-esteem were important factors for SWB. Self-esteem could moderate the relationship between POS and SWB. When self-esteem was higher, POS had a greater effect on SWB. CONCLUSION: Subjective well-being of nurses in the study was at a low level. Self-esteem could moderate the association between POS and SWB. More interventions related to POS and self-esteem will be helpful to improve SWB among nurses.

NINJ2 Gene Polymorphisms and Susceptibility to Ischemic Stroke: An Updated Meta-Analysis.

BACKGROUND: Ischemic stroke (IS) is a significant disease which threatens human health condition. Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have demonstrated that two intergenic single- nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) rs11833579 and rs12425791 G>A on chromosome 12p13 are associated with IS susceptibility. However, later studies came to contradictory outcomes. Thus, we carried out a meta-analysis to identify the association between nerve injury-induced protein 2 (NINJ2) gene polymorphisms (rs11833579 and rs12425791) and the risk of IS. METHODS: PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, CBM, Wanfang, VIP, and CNKI databases were searched until March 2019. Data was analyzed by RevMan 5.3 and STATA 12.0 software. The pooled odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) were used to evaluate the strength of the association. RESULTS: Eighteen qualified articles were selected in total. For rs12425791 and rs11833579, a total of 14055 cases with 13148 controls and 10635 cases with 10462 controls, respectively, were identified for the present study. Our meta-analysis found that rs12425791 was associated with IS for three genetic models (allele model: OR=1.04, 95% CI: 1.00-1.08, P=0.04; dominant model: OR=1.06, 95% CI: 1.01-1.12, P=0.01 and heterozygous model: OR=1.07, 95% CI: 1.01-1.12, P=0.02). Whereas rs11833579 polymorphism was not associated with IS among different genetic models. CONCLUSION: NINJ2 gene rs12425791 confers a susceptible factor for IS, while there is no association between NINJ2 gene rs11833579 and IS. Larger sample size studies should be performed to find the association between NINJ2 gene and IS.

Production of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA, 20:5n-3) in transgenic peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) through the alternative Δ8-desaturase pathway.

An important alternative source of fish oil is its production by plants through metabolic engineering. To produce eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA, 20:5n-3) in peanut through the alternative Δ8-pathway, a plant expression vector containing five heterologous genes driven by the constitutive 35S promoter respectively, namely, ∆9-elongase (Isochrysis galbana), ∆8-desaturase (Euglena gracilis), ∆5-desaturase (Mortierella alpina), ∆15-desaturase (Arabidopsis thaliana) and ∆17-desaturase (Phytophthora infestans) were transferred into peanut through Agrobacterium-mediated transformation method. The gas chromatography results indicated that the average content of EPA in the leaves of the transgenic lines was 0.68%, and the highest accumulation of EPA in an individual line reached 0.84%. This finding indicates that it is feasible to synthesize EPA in peanut through metabolic engineering and lays the foundations for the production of very-long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (VLCPUFAs) in peanut seeds.

Bio-inspired self-assembly of waxberry-like core-shell SiO2@TiO2 nanoparticles towards antiglare coatings.

Waxberry-like core-shell SiO2@TiO2 nanoparticles were prepared by liquid-phase deposition (LPD) method. The dip-coating self-assembly of waxberry-like core-shell SiO2@TiO2 nanoparticles has been used to fabricate coatings with excellent antiglare properties in the large angle and wide wavelength range. The field emission scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) measurements showed that the surface of SiO2 nanoparticles were coated by titania as a shell with controllable and uniform thickness. The ultraviolet visible near-infrared spectrophotometer (UV-Vis-NIR) results indicate that the maximum transmittance of the antiglare coating is up to 95.80% in the visible band, whereas that of the pure glass substrate is only 92.10%. The scattering and haze of the films have been measured to show that such specifically structured coatings exhibited good antiglare properties in the large angle and wide wavelength range.

Analysis of Gene Expression During the Development of Congestive Heart Failure After Myocardial Infarction in Rat Models.

Our study aimed to investigate the gene expression at different myocardial infarction (MI) phases and to understand the development mechanisms of congestive heart failure (CHF) after MI. Dataset GSE1957 including 24 samples of rat left ventricles at 1-day post MI or sham operation and 7-day post MI or sham operation was downloaded from Gene Expression Ominibus. The data were normalized with an affyPLM package and differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified with a Linear Models for Microarray Data package. Heat maps of the DEGs were constructed using Cluster 3.0. GO (Gene Ontology) enrichment analysis of the DEGs was performed in Database for Annotation, Visualization, and Integrated Discovery. A protein-protein interaction (PPI) network was constructed by Biomolecular Interaction Network Database and visualized by Cytoscape, and a subnetwork was analyzed using plugin ClusterONE in Cytoscape. A total of 5 DEGs at 1-day post-MI, 5 DEGs at 7-day post-MI, and 7 DEGs between the MI and sham groups at 1-day and 7-day post-MI were identified. For the GO category analysis, DEGs at 1-day post-MI were enriched in response to cytokine stimulus. DEGs at 7-day post-MI were enriched in response to inorganic substance and chemical homeostasis. DEGs between 1-day and 7-day post-MI including CDK2 and CDC20 were significantly enriched in mitosis. CDK2, ANXA1, CDC20, and AQP2 were included in the PPI network, and CDK2 was the only DEG included in the subnetwork. In conclusion, the induction of DEGs at 7-day post-MI might participate in the response to a hormone and endogenous stimulus to regulate the development of CHF after MI.

New features of triacylglycerol biosynthetic pathways of peanut seeds in early developmental stages.

The peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) is one of the three most important oil crops in the world due to its high average oil content (50 %). To reveal the biosynthetic pathways of seed oil in the early developmental stages of peanut pods with the goal of improving the oil quality, we presented a method combining deep sequencing analysis of the peanut pod transcriptome and quantitative real-time PCR (RT-PCR) verification of seed oil-related genes. From the sequencing data, approximately 1500 lipid metabolism-associated Unigenes were identified. The RT-PCR results quantified the different expression patterns of these triacylglycerol (TAG) synthesis-related genes in the early developmental stages of peanut pods. Based on these results and analysis, we proposed a novel construct of the metabolic pathways involved in the biosynthesis of TAG, including the Kennedy pathway, acyl-CoA-independent pathway and proposed monoacylglycerol pathway. It showed that the biosynthetic pathways of TAG in the early developmental stages of peanut pods were much more complicated than a simple, unidirectional, linear pathway.

Global analysis of ankyrin repeat domain C3HC4-type RING finger gene family in plants.

Ankyrin repeat (ANK) C3HC4-type RING finger (RF) genes comprise a large family in plants and play important roles in various physiological processes of plant life. In this study, we identified 187 ANK C3HC4-type RF proteins from 29 species with complete genomes and named the ANK C3HC4-type RF proteins the XB3-like proteins because they are structurally related to the rice (Oryza sativa) XB3. A phylogenetic relationship analysis suggested that the XB3-like genes originated from ferns, and the encoded proteins fell into 3 major groups. Among these groups, we found that the spacing between the metal ligand position 6 and 7, and the conserved residues, which was in addition to the metal ligand amino acids, in the C3HC4-type RF were different. Using a wide range of protein structural analyses, protein models were established, and all XB3-like proteins were found to contain two to seven ANKs and a C3HC4-type RF. The microarray data for the XB3-like genes of Arabidopsis, Oryza sative, Zea mays and Glycine max revealed that the expression of XB3-like genes was in different tissues and during different life stages. The preferential expression of XB3-like genes in specified tissues and the response to phytohormone and abiotic stress treatments of Arabidopsis and Zea mays not only confirmed the microarray analysis data but also demonstrated that the XB3-like proteins play roles in plant growth and development as well as in stress responses. Our data provide a very useful reference for the identification and functional analysis of members of this gene family and also provide a new method for the genome-wide analysis of gene families.