Basic research of meridian-tendon based on fascia: review and prospects. / åŸºäºŽç­‹è†œçš„ç»ç­‹åŸºç¡€ç ”ç©¶ï¼šè¿°è¯„ä¸Žå±•æœ›.

Meridian-tendon is a central concept in meridian theory of TCM, and its basic research has been increasingly emphasized. While there is no unified understanding of the essence of meridian-tendon, the concept that function of fascia could partially reflect the functions of meridian-tendons has reached consensus in the academic community. This article suggests that under the guidance of meridian-tendon theory, based on previous research foundation of fascia, focusing on adopting fascia research methods, the mechanisms of tender point hyperalgesia and abnormal proliferation related to meridian lesions should be adopted to explain yitong weishu (taking the worst painful sites of muscle spasm as the points), and the mechanisms of meridian intervention efficacy should be adopted to explain yizhi weishu (feelings from patients and acupuncture operators). Furthermore, this article provides an analysis of the future trends in basic research of meridian tendons.

Pharmacokinetics, Safety, and Tolerability of the siRNA JNJ-73763989 in Healthy Chinese Adult Participants.

JNJ-73763989, composed of the 2 short-interfering RNA triggers JNJ-73763976 and JNJ-73763924, targets all hepatitis B virus messenger RNAs, thereby reducing all viral proteins. In this phase 1, single-site, open-label, parallel-group, randomized study, participants were given 1 subcutaneous injection of JNJ-73763989 (100 or 200 mg) to investigate the pharmacokinetics, safety, and tolerability of JNJ-73763989 in healthy Chinese adult participants. Plasma and urine pharmacokinetic parameters were determined for each trigger up to 48 hours after dosing. Eighteen participants, 9 per dose group, were enrolled. The median age and weight were 33.0 years and 73.65 kg; 83.3% were male. Exposure of both triggers increased dose proportionally. Median time to maximum concentration ranged from 6.0 to 10.0 hours, and mean elimination half-life ranged from 4.5 to 4.8 hours across both triggers and doses. Mean urinary excretion for JNJ-73763976 and JNJ-73763924 ranged from 17.7% to 19.4% and 13.1% to 13.2% for the 100- and 200-mg dose groups, respectively. All treatment-emergent adverse events (AEs) were mild and resolved by study end, and no AEs or serious AEs resulted in premature study discontinuation or death. Overall, the pharmacokinetics of JNJ-73763989 in healthy Chinese participants were consistent with previous studies, and JNJ-73763989 was generally safe and well tolerated after a single dose.

Treatment Response Prediction for Major Depressive Disorder Patients via Multivariate Pattern Analysis of Thalamic Features.

Antidepressant treatment, as an important method in clinical practice, is not suitable for all major depressive disorder (MDD) patients. Although magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies have found thalamic abnormalities in MDD patients, it is not clear whether the features of the thalamus are suitable to serve as predictive aids for treatment responses at the individual level. Here, we tested the predictive value of gray matter density (GMD), gray matter volume (GMV), amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations (ALFF), and fractional ALFF (fALFF) of the thalamus using multivariate pattern analysis (MVPA). A total of 74 MDD patients and 44 healthy control (HC) subjects were recruited. Thirty-nine MDD patients and 35 HC subjects underwent scanning twice. Between the two scanning sessions, patients in the MDD group received selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) treatment for 3-month, and HC group did not receive any treatment. Gaussian process regression (GPR) was trained to predict the percentage decrease in the Hamilton Depression Scale (HAMD) score after treatment. The percentage decrease in HAMD score after SSRI treatment was predicted by building GPRs trained with baseline thalamic data. The results showed significant correlations between the true percentage of HAMD score decreases and predictions (p < 0.01, r 2 = 0.11) in GPRs trained with GMD. We did not find significant correlations between the true percentage of HAMD score decreases and predictions in GMV (p = 0.16, r 2 = 0.00), ALFF (p = 0.125, r 2 = 0.00), and fALFF (p = 0.485, r 2 = 0.10). Our results suggest that GMD of the thalamus has good potential as an aid in individualized treatment response predictions of MDD patients.

Prevalence of Food Insecurity Among Pregnant Women: A Canadian Study in a Large Urban Setting.

OBJECTIVE: Nutritional and financial needs increase during pregnancy, making pregnant women particularly vulnerable to food insecurity. Our objective was to document the prevalence of food insecurity among pregnant women receiving prenatal care in an urban centre in Canada and to identify factors associated with food insecurity. METHODS: This cross-sectional study recruited pregnant women receiving prenatal care at one of two Toronto hospitals: Site 1 and Site 2 (serving a more disadvantaged population) between October 1, 2018 and October 1, 2019. Demographic information was collected, and the U.S. Household Food Security Survey Module was used to assess food security. Comparisons were made using χ2 tests, two-tailed t tests, or Mann-Whitney tests for categorical and continuous variables, as appropriate. Binary logistic regression and multivariate analyses were performed to assess associations with food insecurity and differences between hospitals sites. RESULTS: We recruited 626 participants (316 at Site 1 and 310 at Site 2). Prevalence of food insecurity was 12.8% among all participants with Site 2 having nearly 5 times the prevalence of Site 1 (66/310 [21.3%] vs. 14/316 [4.4%]; P = 0.001). Several factors were associated with food insecurity, with non-White ethnicity (OR 2.04; 95% CI 0.98-4.25, P = 0.055] and lower household income (OR 37.53; 95% CI 14.04-100, P < 0.001 when less than CAD $23 000/y) being the most robust. CONCLUSION: This Canadian study documented the prevalence of and factors associated with food insecurity in pregnancy. Targeted interventions to help low-income women and programs geared towards non-White women may be beneficial in addressing food insecurity among pregnant women.

Microstructures and Properties of AlMgTi-Based Metal-Intermetallic Laminate Composites by Dual-Steps Vacuum Hot Pressing.

AlMgTi-based metal-intermetallic laminated composites were successfully fabricated through an innovative dual-step vacuum hot pressing. First, this study prepares the AlTi-based laminated composites by vacuum hot pressing at 650 °C. Then, the researchers place the Mg-Al-1Zn (AZ31) magnesium alloy between the prepared AlTi-based laminated composites at 430 °C for hot pressing. This study investigates the microstructure, phase composition, and microhardness distribution across interfaces of the intermetallics and metal. A multilayer phase (Mg17Al12, Al3Mg2, and transition layers) structure can be found from the diffusion layers between Al and AZ31. The microhardness of the material presents a wavy distribution in the direction perpendicular to the layers; the maximum can be up to 600.0 HV0.2 with a minimum of 28.7 HV0.2 The microhardness gradient of an AlMgTi-based composite is smoother due to the different microhardness of the layers, and reduces the interface stress concentration. The bending strength of AlMgTi-based composites can reach 265 MPa, and the specific strength is 105 × 103 Nm/kg, higher than AlTi-based composites.

TiO2 microspheres with cross-linked cyclodextrin coating exhibit improved stability and sustained photocatalytic degradation of bisphenol A in secondary effluent.

Photocatalytic water treatment has significant potential to disinfect and degrade recalcitrant organic pollutants while minimizing the need to add chemicals, but current approaches have poor energy efficiency due, in part, to inefficient utilization of photo-generated reactive oxygen species (ROS). Organic coatings such as cyclodextrin (CD) can adsorb target contaminants and bring them close to the photocatalyst surface to enhance ROS utilization efficiency, but the coatings themselves are susceptible to ROS attack. Here, we report an ROS-resistant fluorinated CD polymer (CDP) that can both adsorb contaminants and resist degradation by ROS, yielding a more efficient material for "trap and zap" water treatment. We produced the CDP through condensation polymerization of ß-cyclodextrin and tetrafluoroterephthalonitrile, resulting in a cross-linked, covalently bound CD film that is much more stable than prior approaches involving physi-sorption. We optimized the coating thickness on TiO2 microspheres to improve the efficiency of contaminant degradation, and found that increasing the CDP content enhanced BPA adsorption but also occluded photocatalytic sites and hindered photocatalytic degradation. The optimum content of CDP was 5% by weight, and this optimal CDP-TiO2 composition had a BPA adsorption capacity of 36.9 ± 1.0 mg g-1 compared with 24.1 ± 1.1 mg g-1 for CD-coated TiO2 (CD-TiO2) and 21.9 ± 1.5 mg g-1 for bare TiO2. CDP-TiO2 exhibited minimal photoactivity loss after 1000 h of repeated use in DI water under UVA irradiation (365 nm, 3.83 × 10-6 E L-1s-1), and no release of organic carbon from the coating was detected. Photocatalytic treatment using CDP-TiO2 only showed a small decrease in BPA removal efficiency in secondary effluent after four 3-h cycles, from 80.2% to 71.7%. In contrast, CD-TiO2 and P25 removed only 29.8% and 6.2% of BPA after 4 cycles, respectively. Altogether, the CDP-TiO2 microspheres represent promising materials for potential use in photocatalytic water treatment.

Selective Adsorption and Photocatalytic Degradation of Extracellular Antibiotic Resistance Genes by Molecularly-Imprinted Graphitic Carbon Nitride.

There is a growing need to mitigate the discharge of extracellular antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) from municipal wastewater treatment systems. Here, molecularly-imprinted graphitic carbon nitride (MIP-C3N4) nanosheets were synthesized for selective photocatalytic degradation of a plasmid-encoded ARG (blaNDM-1, coding for multidrug resistance New Delhi metallo-ß-lactamase-1) in secondary effluent. Molecular imprinting with guanine enhanced ARG adsorption, which improved the utilization of photogenerated oxidizing species to degrade blaNDM-1 rather than being scavenged by background nontarget constituents. Consequently, photocatalytic removal of blaNDM-1 in secondary effluent with MIP-C3N4 (k = 0.111 ± 0.028 min-1) was 37 times faster than with bare graphitic carbon nitride (k = 0.003 ± 0.001 min-1) under UVA irradiation (365 nm, 3.64 × 10-6 Einstein/L·s). MIP-C3N4 can efficiently catalyze the fragmentation of blaNDM-1, which decreased the potential for ARG repair by transformed bacteria. Molecular imprinting also changed the primary degradation pathway; electron holes (h+) were the predominant oxidizing species responsible for blaNDM-1 removal with MIP-C3N4 versus free radicals (i.e., ·OH and O2-) for coated but nonimprinted C3N4. Overall, MIP-C3N4 efficiently removed blaNDM-1 from secondary effluent, demonstrating the potential for molecular imprinting to enhance the selectivity and efficacy of photocatalytic processes to mitigate dissemination of antibiotic resistance from sewage treatment systems.

Discerning the inefficacy of hydroxyl radicals during perfluorooctanoic acid degradation.

Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) is a recalcitrant contaminant of emerging concern, and there is growing interest in advanced oxidation processes to degrade it. However, there is ambiguity in the literature about the efficacy of hydroxyl radicals (OH) for degrading PFOA. Here, we resolve this controversy by comparing PFOA degradation by UV photolysis (254 nm, 6 × 10-6 E/L.s) versus UV + H2O2, which produces OH. We optimized OH production in a UV + H2O2 system using nitrobenzene (NB) as a OH probe, but even under optimized conditions (i.e., 5 g/L H2O2), no significant difference occurred in PFOA removal by UV photolysis (21.1 ± 0.4%) versus UV + H2O2 (19.7 ± 0.7%) after 1-day treatment. Both treatments also resulted in similar daughter by-product concentrations and defluorination efficiencies (9.5 ± 1.7% for UV photolysis and 6.8 ± 1.0% for UV + H2O2), which indicates that OH is ineffective towards PFOA degradation and infers that other degradation mechanisms that are independent of OH production should be explored.

3'UTR polymorphisms in NRAMP1 are associated with the susceptibility to pulmonary tuberculosis: A MOOSE-compliant meta-analysis.

Many studies have investigated the association between the 3'UTR polymorphism in natural resistance-associated macrophage protein 1 (NRAMP1) and the risk of pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB), Revealing inconclusive results. This study aimed to investigate the correlation between the NRAMP1 3'UTR polymorphism and the risk of PTB.This meta-analysis included 29 case-control studies to better and comprehensively assess this correlation. Pooled odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence interval (95% CIs) were calculated to assess the strength of the association.These 29 case-control studies included 4672 cases and 6177 controls. The NRAMP1 3'UTR polymorphism displayed a significant positive correlation with the risk of PTB in 3 models (for del/del vs ins/ins: OR = 1.22, 95% CI = 1.01-1.47; for Ins/del vs ins/ins: OR = 1.19, 95% CI 1.08-1.30; for Ins/del + del/del vs ins/ins: OR = 1.25, 95% CI = 1.08-1.45). A stratified analysis by ethnicity revealed that the NRAMP1 3'UTR polymorphism was associated with an increased risk of PTB in the Asian population, but not in Caucasian, African, and South American populations.The present results indicate that the NRAMP1 3'UTR polymorphism may be considered a risk factor for PTB in the Asian population.

Easily Recoverable, Micrometer-Sized TiO2 Hierarchical Spheres Decorated with Cyclodextrin for Enhanced Photocatalytic Degradation of Organic Micropollutants.

Micrometer-sized titanium dioxide hierarchical spheres (TiO2-HS) were assembled from nanosheets to address two common limitations of photocatalytic water treatment: (1) inefficiency associated with scavenging of oxidation capacity by nontarget water constituents and (2) energy-intensive separation and recovery of the photocatalyst slurry. These micrometer-sized spheres are amenable to low-energy separation, and over 99% were recaptured from both batch and continuous flow reactors using microfiltration. Using nanosheets as building blocks resulted in a large specific surface area-3 times larger than that of commercially available TiO2 powder (Evonik P25). Anchoring food-grade cyclodextrin onto TiO2-HS (i.e., CD-TiO2-HS) provided hydrophobic cavities to entrap organic contaminants for more effective utilization of photocatalytically generated reactive oxygen species. CD-TiO2-HS removed over 99% of various contaminants with dissimilar hydrophobicity (i.e., bisphenol A, bisphenol S, 2-naphthol, and 2,4-dichlorophenol) within 2 h under a low-intensity UVA input (3.64 × 10-6 einstein/L/s). As with other catalyst (including TiO2 slurry), periodic replacement or replenishment would be needed to maintain high treatment efficiency (e.g., we demonstrate full reactivation through simple reanchoring of CD). Nevertheless, this task would be offset by significant savings in photocatalyst separation. Thus, CD-TiO2-HS is an attractive candidate for photocatalytic water and wastewater treatment of recalcitrant organic pollutants.

Pharmacogenetic evaluation of a DISP1 gene variant in antidepressant treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder.

OBJECTIVES: A recent genome-wide association study (GWAS) in obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) reported a significant marker in the dispatched homolog 1 (Drosophila) gene (DISP1 gene) associated with serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SRI) antidepressant response (Qin et al., ). DISP1 has never been examined before in terms of association with SRI response until this GWAS. We attempt to replicate the GWAS finding by investigating the association of the DISP1 rs17162912 polymorphism with SRI response in our sample of 112 European Caucasian OCD patients. METHODS: Patients were previously treated naturalistically with up to 6 different SRIs sequentially, including 5 selective SRIs (fluoxetine, fluvoxamine, sertraline, paroxetine, and citalopram) and 1 SRI (clomipramine). Each medication trial was evaluated retrospectively for response and was rated categorically as either responder or nonresponder using the Clinical Global Impression-Improvement scale. Fisher's exact test was used to investigate the relationship between the DISP1 rs17162912 genotype distribution and SRI response. RESULTS: We did not observe a significant association between rs17162912 and SRI response (p = .32). CONCLUSION: This replication study did not support the role of DISP1 in predicting SRI response in OCD; however, methodological differences between the original GWAS and our study, as well as limited power and low minor allele frequency, may have hindered replication.

Porous Electrospun Fibers Embedding TiO2 for Adsorption and Photocatalytic Degradation of Water Pollutants.

Using a bipolymer system consisting of polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) and poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF), P25-TiO2 was immobilized into thin film mats of porous electrospun fibers. Pores were introduced by dissolving sacrificial PVP to increase surface area and enhance access to TiO2. The highest photocatalytic activity was achieved using a PVDF:PVP weight ratio of 2:1. Methylene blue (MB) was used to visualize contaminant removal, assess the sorption capacity (5.93 ± 0.23 mg/g) and demonstrate stable removal kinetics ( kMB > 0.045 min-1) under UVA irradiation (3.64 × 10-9 einstein/cm2/s) over 10 cycles. Treatment was also accomplished via sequential MB sorption in the dark and subsequent photocatalytic degradation under UVA irradiation, to illustrate that these processes could be uncoupled to overcome limited light penetration. The photocatalytic mat degraded bisphenol A and 17α-ethynylestradiol in secondary wastewater effluent (17 mg TOC/L), and (relative to TiO2 slurry) immobilization of TiO2 in the mat mitigated performance inhibition by co-occurring organics that scavenge oxidation capacity. This significantly lowered the electrical energy-per-order of reaction (EEO) needed to remove such endocrine disruptors in the presence of oxidant scavenging/inhibitory organics. Thus, effective TiO2 immobilization into polymers with affinity toward specific priority pollutants could both increase the efficiency and reduce energy requirements of photocatalytic water treatment.

Impact of histamine receptors H1 and H3 polymorphisms on antipsychotic-induced weight gain.

OBJECTIVES: A positive correlation between antipsychotic-induced weight gain (AIWG) and the antagonist effect of antipsychotic drugs at the histamine H1 receptor (HRH1) as well as the agonist effect at the histamine H3 receptor (HRH3) in the brain has been consistently demonstrated. We investigated the potential impact of single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in HRH1 and HRH3 genes on AIWG. METHODS: We analysed 40 tagSNPs in HRH1 (n = 34) and HRH3 (n = 6) in schizophrenia/schizoaffective disorder patients (n = 193) primarily treated with clozapine or olanzapine for up to 14 weeks. Linear regression was used to evaluate the association between SNPs and AIWG, with baseline weight and treatment duration as covariates. RESULTS: In HRH1, a nominal association of rs7639145 with AIWG was observed in patients of European ancestry treated with either clozapine or olanzapine (P = 0.043; ß = 1.658; n = 77). We observed nominal association for two HRH1 SNPs rs346074 (P = 0.002; ß = -5.024) and rs13064530 (P = 0.004; ß = -5.158) in patients of African ancestry treated with either clozapine or olanzapine (n = 37). However, the above associations are not significant after correcting for multiple testing. In HRH3, we did not observe association in either ancestry. CONCLUSIONS: The current study suggests that SNPs in HRH1 and HRH3 may not have a major role in AIWG.

Photochemically induced formation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) from effluent organic matter.

The formation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) from effluent organic matter (EfOM) was investigated under simulated solar irradiation. In this study, EfOM was isolated into three different fractions based on hydrophobicity. The productivity of ROS in EfOM was measured and compared with that of natural organic matter (NOM) isolates, including Suwannee River humic acid/fulvic acid (SRHA/FA) and Pony Lake fulvic acid (PLFA). The hydrophilic (HPI) component had a greater quantum yield of 1O2 than those of the hydrophobic (HPO) and transphilic (TPI) fractions because the HPI contained peptides and proteins. Regarding O2•-, the phenolic moieties acted as electron donating species after photochemical excitation and therefore electron transfer to oxygen. A positive correlation was found between the phenolic concentrations and the steady state O2•-concentrations. H2O2 accumulated during the irradiation process from superoxide as precursor. Potentially, due to the presence of proteins or other organic species in the HPI fraction, the decay rates of H2O2 in the dark for both the effluent wastewater and the HPI fraction were significantly faster than the rates observed in the standard NOM isolates, the HPO and TPI fractions. Autochthonous NOM showed a higher •OH productivity than terrestrial NOM. The [•OH]ss was lowest in the HPI fraction due to the lack of humic fraction and existence of soluble microbial products (SMPs), which easily reacted with •OH. Overall, the HPO and TPI fractions were the major sources of superoxide, H2O2 and •OH under simulated solar irradiation. The HPI fraction dominated the production of 1O2 and acted as a sink for H2O2 and •OH.

Clinical features and risk factors for post-partum depression in a large cohort of Chinese women with recurrent major depressive disorder.

BACKGROUND: Post partum depression (PPD) is relatively common in China but its clinical characteristics and risk factors have not been studied. We set out to investigate whether known risk factors for PPD could be found in Chinese women. METHODS: A case control design was used to determine the impact of known risk factors for PPD in a cohort of 1970 Chinese women with recurrent DSM-IV major depressive disorder (MDD). In a within-case design we examined the risk factors for PPD in patients with recurrent MDD. We compared the clinical features of MDD in cases with PPD to those without MDD. Odds ratios were calculated using logistic and ordinal regression. RESULTS: Lower occupational and educational statuses increased the risk of PPD, as did a history of pre-menstrual symptoms, stressful life events and elevated levels of the personality trait of neuroticism. Patients with PPD and MDD were more likely to experience a comorbid anxiety disorder, had a younger age of onset of MDD, have higher levels of neuroticism and dysthymia. LIMITATIONS: Results obtained in this clinical sample may not be applicable to PPD within the community. Data were obtained retrospectively and we do not know whether the correlations we observe have the same causes as those operating in other populations. CONCLUSIONS: Our results are consistent with the hypothesis that the despite cultural differences between Chinese and Western women, the phenomenology and risk factors for PPD are very similar.