The association between diabetes mellitus and prostate cancer: a meta-analysis and Mendelian randomization.

BACKGROUND: Prostate cancer is one of the most common types of cancer in the US, and it has a high mortality rate. Diabetes mellitus is also a dangerous health condition. While some studies have examined the relationship between diabetes mellitus and the risk of prostate cancer, there is still some debate on the matter. This study aims to carefully assess the relationship between prostate cancer and diabetes from both real-world and genetic-level data. METHODS: This meta-analysis was conducted following the PRISMA 2020 reporting guidelines. The study searched three databases including Medline, Embase and Cochrane. The studies about the incidence risk of prostate cancer with diabetes mellitus were included and used to evaluate the association. The odds ratio (OR), risk ratio (RR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) were estimated using Random Effects models and Fixed Effects models. Mendelian randomization study using genetic variants was also conducted. RESULTS: A total of 72 articles were included in this study. The results showed that risk of prostate cancer decreased in diabetes patients. And the influence was different in different regions. This study also estimated the impact of body mass index (BMI) in the diabetes populations and found that the risk decreased in higher BMI populations. The MR analysis found that diabetes mellitus exposure reduced the risk of prostate cancer in the European population and Asia populations. Conclusions The diabetes mellitus has a protective effect on prostate cancer. And the influence of obesity in diabetes mellitus plays an important role in this effect.

Effects of conversion of natural forest to plantations on the abundance of nitrite reducing genes in soil aggregates in subtropical forest region.

Large proportion of natural forest has been transformed into plantations in subtropical regions, with consequences on forest ecosystem structure and function. In order to understand the responses of two nitrite reducing genes (nirK and nirS) in N2O production to forest conversion, we collected soil samples from Castanopsis carlesii natural forest, Cunninghamia lanceolata plantation and Pinus massoniana plantation and examined the abundance of nirK and nirS genes in soils and aggregates. Results showed that forest conversion increased soil pH, while decreased soil ammonium content. Forest conversion did not influence the mass proportion of soil aggregates. The abundance of nirK and nirS genes varied in aggregates with different particle sizes. The abundance of nirK and nirS genes was the highest in small macraoaggregates and the lowest in the silt-clay particles. Moreover, the abundance of nirK was significantly higher than that of nirS in soils of all forest types, indicating that nirK dominated in the acidic forest soils. Conversion of natural forest to plantations significantly increased the abundance of nirK and nirS genes in the bulk soil and aggregates, indicating that forest conversion would be beneficial for the growth of microorganisms bearing nirK and nirS genes, which might be associated with the increases of soil pH. Taken together, conversion of natural forest to C. lanceolata plantation or P. massoniana plantation significantly increased the abundance of nirK and nirS in soils and aggregates, but did not affect the mass proportions of aggregates.

Contribution of the Ultrasound Techniques in the Evaluation of Knee Joint Damage in the Case of Pigmented Villonodular Synovitis and Rheumatoid Arthritis.

OBJECTIVES: This is a prospective study to evaluate the clinical value of high-frequency ultrasound (HFUS), superb microvascular imaging (SMI), and contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) in differentiation of pigmented villonodular synovitis (PVNS) and highly active rheumatoid arthritis (RA). METHODS: Twenty PVNS patients and 24 active RA patients were selected to undergo HFUS, SMI, and CEUS examinations. The characteristics of HFUS, SMI, and CEUS in PVNS and RA were compared, and the differential diagnosis performances of HFUS, SMI, and CEUS in PVNS and RA were evaluated by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis. RESULTS: There were statistically significant in joint effusion, synovial thickness, synovial morphology, synovial echo, synovial vessel shape, synovial enhanced direction, and enhanced pattern between PVNS and RA (P < .05). However, no statistically significant were found in bone erosion, synovial boundary, blood signal grading of synovium, synovial enhanced strength, and CEUS quantitative parameters (including PI, TTP, S, MTT, and AUC) (P > .05). The AUC of HFUS, SMI, and CEUS for differential diagnosis PVNS and RA were 0.832, 0.675, and 0.817, respectively. The AUC of HFUS + SMI, HFUS + CEUS, SMI + CEUS, HFUS + SMI + CEUS were 0.923, 0.940, 0.817, and 0.940, respectively. The AUC of HFUS + SMI and HFUS + CEUS was higher than that of each alone (P < .05). CONCLUSIONS: HFUS, SMI, and CEUS can be used as supplementary methods for diagnosis and differential diagnosis in PVNS and active RA. What is more, the combination of HFUS + SMI and HFUS + CEUS was suggested.

A retrospective study on sperm cryopreservation in 1034 patients diagnosed with cancer in southern China.

Sperm cryopreservation is an effective fertility preservation method for cancer patients before anticancer treatments. However, there are little data on fertility preservation in large cohorts of patients with cancer in southern China. This retrospective cross-sectional study aimed to assess the fertility preservation status of 1034 newly diagnosed male patients with cancer in the Human Sperm Bank of Guangdong Province in southern China (Guangzhou, China). Of these, 302 patients had reproductive system tumors, mostly testicular cancers (99.0%), and 732 had other tumors, including lymphoma (33.1%), gastrointestinal cancer (16.3%), nasopharyngeal carcinoma (15.7%), leukemia (7.7%), sarcoma (3.6%), and others (23.6%). Patients with reproductive system tumors had lower sperm concentration and prefreezing and post-thawing progressive motility than those with non-reproductive system tumors (all P < 0.001). Differences in sperm concentration, progressive motility, and normal morphology rate were observed between patients with and without anticancer surgery before sperm cryopreservation (all P < 0.05). As of April 30, 2022, 63 patients used their cryopreserved sperm for assisted reproductive technology treatments and 39 pregnancies were achieved. This study provides valuable data on the fertility preservation status in newly diagnosed cancer patients in southern China, demonstrating that patients with reproductive system tumors had poor sperm quality for their pretreatment fertility preservation.

Heptazine-Based Ordered-Distorted Copolymers with Enhanced Visible-Light Absorption for Photocatalytic Hydrogen Production.

Poly(heptazine imide) (PHI), one of the attractive allotropes of polymeric carbon nitride, has recently received extensive attention in photocatalysis due to its extended conjugation for fast separation and transfer of the charges. However, pristine PHI bears an intrinsic optical absorption band edge at 460 nm, which largely restrains the visible light utilization. Herein, the narrow-bandgap PHI (N-PHI) with an ordered-distorted interface was fabricated from polycondensation of the mixture of NaSCN, cyanuric chloride, and LiCl. Results revealed that the enhanced optical absorption and the promoted separation and transfer of the charge carriers at the interface greatly improved the photocatalytic performance, which endowed N-PHI with an apparent quantum yield of 20 % for hydrogen production at 450 nm.

Evaluating an external quality assurance program for semen analysis in China during 2009-2020.

INTRODUCTION: Semen analysis (SA) plays a key role in guiding treatments of male reproductive diseases and infertility due to male factors; however, it remains challenging to conduct an accurate SA due to lack of standardization, highly subjective assessments, and problems with automated procedures. Therefore, quality assurance (QA) and teaching courses are essential for making the laboratory results more consistent. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The external quality assurance (EQA) scheme was organized by national human sperm bank technology training bases in Guangdong province in China between 2009 and 2020. Until 2020, 124 laboratories from China participated in the EQA program. The EQA scheme per year has been organized involving two semen aliquots for sperm concentration, two video recordings for motility, and two smears for sperm morphology. All samples used in the EQA scheme were obtained from different healthy donors or patients. RESULTS: We estimated that the median coefficient of variation (CV) of sperm concentration, ignoring the method used, was 26.6%. Using a 100 µm deep counting chamber led to a decreasing CV of 13.6%. For sperm motility, the median CV of nonprogressive motility was high (50.8%), but the CV of progressive motility (13.2%), immotile sperm (14.3%), and total motility (11.8%) were acceptable. The morphology assessment revealed large variability (44.4%) irrespective of the classification criteria. DISCUSSION: The reduction of interlaboratory variability is still a challenge during SA in China. Therefore, it is critical to increase awareness of joining EQA schemes and establish standardized training centers to follow WHO-recommended procedures toward Chinese standards.

[Responses of soil ammonia-oxidizing microorganisms to simulated nitrogen deposition in a natural Castanopsis carlesii forest]. / äºšçƒ­å¸¦ç±³æ§ å¤©ç„¶æž—åœŸå£¤æ°¨æ°§åŒ–å¾®ç”Ÿç‰©å¯¹æ¨¡æ‹Ÿæ°®æ²‰é™çš„å“åº”.

Subtropical region of China is one of the global hotspots receiving nitrogen deposition. Nitrogen deposition could affect the abundance and community structure of ammonia oxidizers including ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB), ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) and complete ammonia oxidizer (comammox Nitrospira), with consequences on soil nutrient cycling that are driven by microorganisms. There is limited understanding for the newly discovered comammox Nitrospira in the subtropical forest soils. Here, we investigated the effect of simulated N deposition on abundances of soil ammonia oxidizers in the Castanopsis fargesii Nature Reserve in Xinkou Town, Sanming City, Fujian Province, China. Soil samples were collected from the field plots which received long-term nitrogen deposition with different dosages, including: CK, no additional treatment; LN, low nitrogen deposition treatment, dosage of 40 kg N·hm-2·a-1; and HN, high nitrogen deposition treatment, dosage of 80 kg N·hm-2·a-1. After 8-year treatment, simulated N deposition decreased soil pH and organic matter content, and increased nitrate content. We failed to amplify the amoA gene of AOB in the tested soils. High nitrogen deposition increased the abundance of AOA, but did not affect the abundance of comammox Nitrospira clade A and clade B. The ratio of comammox Nitrospira to AOA decreased with N addition, indicating that N addition weakened the role of comammox Nitrospira in nitrification in the subtropical forest soils. However, there were strong non-specific amplifications for both comammox Nitrospira clades A and B, highlighting the demand for the development of high coverage and specificity primers for comammox Nitrospira investigations in the future. The abundance of comammox Nitrospira clade A was positively correlated with total nitrogen (TN) and NH4+ concentration, while that of clade B was positively associated with soil organic carbon (SOC), TN and NH4+ Concentration. Overall, our findings demonstrated that simulated N deposition increased the relative importance of AOA in nitrification in the natural Castanopsis carlesii forest soil. These findings could provide theoretical support in coping with global change and N deposition in these regions.

[Role of full-time nurses in reception of sperm donors in the sperm bank].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the necessity of reception of sperm donors by full-time nurses in the sperm bank by analyzing the efficiency of sperm donation before and after staffing Guangdong Sperm Bank (GSB) with full-time nurses. METHODS: We selected 9 712 qualified sperm donors in GSB from January 1, 2016 to December 31, 2021 and compared the efficiency of sperm donation before and after staffing GSB with full-time nurses. RESULTS: After staffing GSB with full-time nurses, the proportion of qualified sperm donors screened from the quasi-qualified ones was dramatically increased from 66.2% (1 230/1 858) to 77.1% (3 252/4 218) (P < 0.01), that of HIV re-examinees after 6-month suspension from sperm donation increased from 84.6% (137/162) to 93.4% (599/641) (P < 0.01), and that of the candidate donors lost to follow-up during the screening period decreased from 23.2% (831/3 583) to 21.3% (1 308/6 129) (P = 0.034). CONCLUSION: After Guangdong Sperm Bank was staffed with full-time nurses for reception of sperm donors, the proportion of the candidate donors lost to follow-up was reduced and the efficiency of sperm donation was significantly improved. Individualized psychological intervention for the sperm donors by the nurses could dispel the worries of the donors and improve the compliance and efficiency of sperm donation.

[Causes of failure in autologous sperm preservation in the human sperm bank and countermeasures].

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the causes of failure in autologous sperm cryopreservation (ASCP) in the human sperm bank and propose some countermeasures to improve the success rate of ASCP and promote it in human sperm banks. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed the reasons for and causes of failure in ASCP 1 156 males undergoing ASCP in the Human Sperm Bank of Guangdong Province from January 1, 2016 to December 31, 2019. RESULTS: Of the 1 156 cases of ASCP, 857 (74.1%) succeeded and 299 (25.9%) failed, with a failure rate of 56.1% (96/171) in the microdissection testicular sperm extraction (micro-TESE) group, 29.9% (67/224) in the reproduction insurance group, 21.2% (27/100) in the non-tumor disease group and 17.2% (109/525) in the tumor group, with statistically significant difference between the four groups (χ2 = 109.926, P < 0.01). The causes of failed ASCP included failure to extract semen (14.0% ï¼»42/299ï¼½), failure to meet the standard of sperm cryopreservation (67.6% ï¼»202/299ï¼½), giving up ASCP for low semen quality (7.4% ï¼»22/299ï¼½), and giving up ASCP for some other reasons (11.0% ï¼»33/299ï¼½), including worry about the reliability of cryopreservation technology (6.0% ï¼»18/299ï¼½), suspicion about the complexity of the ASCP procedures (3.0% ï¼»9/299ï¼½) and expectation for fertility recovery after chemotherapy withdrawal (2.0% ï¼»6/299ï¼½). CONCLUSIONS: In view of different causes of failure in ASCP, human sperm banks can provide individualized cryopreservation schemes, including guidance with masturbation or the use of sperm extraction instrument in sperm extraction, strengthening sperm preservation-related education and the awareness of reproduction protection and earlier sperm preservation among cancer patients, promoting the cryopreservation of microsamples of motile sperm by microsample or single sperm freezing, and development of testis tissue cryopreservation to preserve the fertility of children with cancer.

[Long-term effects of imbalanced fertilization with lime and gypsum additions on denitrifying functional genes of an Ultisol at Yingtan, Jiangxi, China]. / é•¿æœŸç¼ºç´ æ–½è‚¥åŠçŸ³ç°çŸ³è†æ–½ç”¨å¯¹æ±Ÿè¥¿é¹°æ½­çº¢å£¤åç¡åŒ–å¾®ç”Ÿç‰©åŠŸèƒ½åŸºå› ä¸°åº¦çš„å½±å“.

The abundance of denitrifying functional genes plays a key role in driving the soil nitrous oxide (N2O) emission potential. Nitrite reductase genes (nirK and nirS) and nitrous oxide reductase genes (nosZ I and nosZ II) are the dominant denitrifying funtional genes. In this study, real-time quantitative PCR was conducted to evaluate the effects of 32-year imbalanced fertilization and lime and gypsum additions on the abundances of nirK, nirS, nosZ I and nosZ II genes in an Ultisol at Yingtan, Jiangxi Province. We further explored the underlying driving factors. The results showed that, compared with the balanced fertilization treatment, fertilization without phosphorus (P) signifi-cantly decreased the abundances of nirK, nirS, nosZ I and nosZ II genes. Fertilization without nitrogen (N) significantly reduced the abundances of nirK, nosZ I and nosZ II, but did not affect the abundance of nirS. Fertilization without potassium (K) did not affect the abundances of all denitri-fying functional genes. Results of stepwise regression analysis and random forest analysis showed that soil pH was a key environmental factor affecting the abundances of nosZ I and nosZ II. The application of lime or lime + gypsum significantly increased soil pH, which subsequently increased the abundances of nosZ II and nosZ II/nosZ I by 150%-231% and 127%-155%, respectively. Our results suggested that application of lime or lime + gypsum favored nosZ II more than nosZ I in upland Ultisols, which might enhance the relative importance of nosZ II in N2O reduction. Overall, fertilization without P would reduce denitrifying gene abundances, while the application of lime or lime + gypsum enriched nosZ II and increased ratio of nosZ II/nosZ I, which might be beneficial for reducing N2O emission potential in the Ultisols.

Survival outcomes and adverse events in patients with chronic kidney disease after coronary artery bypass grafting and percutaneous coronary intervention: a meta-analysis of propensity score-matching studies.

BACKGROUND: The present meta-analysis of propensity score-matching studies aimed to compare the long-term survival outcomes and adverse events associated with coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) and percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). METHODS: Electronic databases were searched for studies comparing CABG and PCI in patients with CKD. The search period extended to 13 February 2021. The primary outcome was all-cause mortality, and the secondary endpoints included myocardial infarction, revascularization, and stroke. Odds ratios (ORs) and hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were used to express the pooled effect. Study quality was assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa scale. The analyses were performed using RevMan 5.3. RESULTS: Thirteen studies involving 18,005 patients were included in the meta-analysis. Long-term mortality risk was significantly lower in the CABG group than in the PCI group (HR: 0.76, 95% CI: 0.70-0.83, p < .001), and similar results were observed in the subgroup analysis of patients undergoing dialysis and for different estimated glomerular filtration rate ranges. The incidence rates of myocardial infarction (OR: 0.25, 95% CI: 0.12-0.54, p < .001) and revascularization (OR: 0.17, 95% CI: 0.08-0.35, p < .001) were lower in the CABG group than in the PCI group, although there were no significant differences in the incidence of stroke between the two groups (OR: 1.24; 95% CI: 0.89-1.73, p > .05). Subgroup analysis among patients on dialysis yielded similar results. CONCLUSIONS: Our propensity score matching analysis revealed that, based on long-term follow-up outcomes, CABG remains superior to PCI in patients with CKD.

Inhibition of extracellular signal-regulated kinase/calpain-2 pathway reduces neuroinflammation and necroptosis after cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury in a rat model of cardiac arrest.

BACKGROUND: Cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury (CIRI) is the leading cause of poor neurological prognosis after cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). We previously reported that the extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) activation mediates CIRI. Here, we explored the potential ERK/calpain-2 pathway role in CIRI using a rat model of cardiac arrest (CA). METHODS: Adult male Sprague-Dawley rats suffered from CA/CPR-induced CIRI, received saline, DMSO, PD98059 (ERK1/2 inhibitor, 0.3 mg/kg), or MDL28170 (calpain inhibitor, 3.0 mg/kg) after spontaneous circulation recovery. The survival rate and the neurological deficit score (NDS) were utilized to assess the brain function. Hematoxylin stain, Nissl staining, and transmission electron microscopy were used to evaluate the neuron injury. The expression levels of p-ERK, ERK, calpain-2, neuroinflammation-related markers (GFAP, Iba1, IL-1ß, TNF-α), and necroptosis proteins (TNFR1, RIPK1, RIPK3, p-MLKL, and MLKL) in the brain tissues were determined by western blotting and immunohistochemistry. Fluorescent multiplex immunohistochemistry was used to analyze the p-ERK, calpain-2, and RIPK3 co-expression in neurons, and RIPK3 expression levels in microglia or astrocytes. RESULTS: At 24 h after CA/CPR, the rats in the saline-treated and DMSO groups presented with injury tissue morphology, low NDS, ERK/calpain-2 pathway activation, and inflammatory cytokine and necroptosis protein over-expression in the brain tissue. After PD98059 and MDL28170 treatment, the brain function was improved, while inflammatory response and necroptosis were suppressed by ERK/calpain-2 pathway inhibition. CONCLUSION: Inflammation activation and necroptosis involved in CA/CPR-induced CIRI were regulated by the ERK/calpain-2 signaling pathway. Inhibition of that pathway can reduce neuroinflammation and necroptosis after CIRI in the CA model rats.

Safety Stressors and Construction Workers' Safety Performance: The Mediating Role of Ego Depletion and Self-Efficacy.

As an important influencing factor of construction workers' safety performance, safety stressor has received increasing attention. However, no consensus has been reached on the relationship between different types of safety stressors and the subdimensions of safety performance, and the mechanism by which safety stressors influence safety performance remains unclear. This study proposed a multiple mediation model with ego depletion and self-efficacy as mediators between safety stressors and workers' safety performance. Data were collected from 335 construction workers in China. Results demonstrated that: (1) the three types of safety stressors (i.e., safety role ambiguity, safety role conflict, and interpersonal safety conflict) all had negative effects on workers' safety performance (i.e., safety compliance and safety participation); (2) self-efficacy mediated all the relationships between the three safety stressors and safety performance; (3) ego depletion only mediated part of the relationships between the three safety stressors and safety performance; and (4) only part of the multiple-step mediating effects through ego depletion and self-efficacy were supported. This study made contributions by shedding light on the mechanism by which safety stressors influence workers' safety performance and providing more empirical evidence for the relationship between various safety stressors and the subdimensions of safety performance. Additionally, targeted strategies for improving workers' safety performance were proposed according to the findings.

The Impact of Social Support on Public Anxiety amidst the COVID-19 Pandemic in China.

The recent coronavirus outbreak has captured worldwide attention. This study investigated the anxiety of the Chinese public and its relationship with social support during the early stage of the COVID-19 pandemic, thereby providing empirical support for interventions on improving the public's mental health. On the basis of an online questionnaire survey conducted on 10-18 February 2020, this study shows that 19.8%, 68.5%, and 11.1% of the respondents suffered mild anxiety, moderate anxiety, and severe anxiety, respectively. Significant differences are reported in state anxiety between people with different household incomes. There are significant differences in trait anxiety and state anxiety between different social support groups. Social support and trait anxiety are negatively correlated. Social support and state anxiety are negatively correlated. Social support affects state anxiety both directly and indirectly (through the mediation of trait anxiety). Therefore, during the COVID-19 pandemic, increasing public support for society can effectively reduce public anxiety.

[Responses of denitrifying functional gene abundance to long-term fertilization regimes in an upland Ultisol]. / æ—±åœ°çº¢å£¤åç¡åŒ–åŠŸèƒ½åŸºå› ä¸°åº¦å¯¹é•¿æœŸæ–½è‚¥çš„å“åº”.

Fertilization affects soil nitrogen cycling and nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions, which are mainly driven by microbes. A 32-year field experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of chemical fertilizers and their combination with organic materials on the abundance of denitrifying functional genes (nirS, nirK, nosZ I and nosZ II) in Ultisol. The treatments comprised no fertilizer (CK), chemical fertilizer, chemical fertilizer+peanut straw, chemical fertilizer+rice straw, chemical fertilizer+radish and chemical fertilizer+pig manure. Compared with the single chemical fertilizer treatment, soil pH and organic carbon content increased in the chemical fertilizer plus organic material treatments, with chemical fertilizer+pig manure having the strongest effect. Long-term fertilization did not affect the abundance of nirK gene, but significantly altered the nirS gene abundance. Compared to CK, long-term chemical fertilizer application increased the abundance of nirS gene by 426%. However, partial replacement of chemical fertilizer by organic materials decreased the abundance of nirS gene. The abundance of nosZ I gene was one order of magnitude higher than that of nosZ II, indicating the domination of nosZ I in the acidic Ultisol. Long-term fertilization did not affect the abundance of nosZ II, whereas chemical fertilizer+pig manure increased the abundance of nosZ I by 138%. Results of stepwise regression analysis showed that available phosphorus content was the primary factor regulating the abundance of nosZ I gene, whereas the abundance of the nosZ II gene was mainly regulated by nitrate content. Moreover, the lowest (nirS+nirK)/(nosZ I+nosZ II) value in the chemical fertilizer+pig manure treatment indicated that long-term manure application might reduce N2O emission potential in Ultisols.

Antecedents of safety behavior in construction: A literature review and an integrated conceptual framework.

There has been no scarcity in the literature of suggested antecedents of employee safety behavior, and this paper brings together the disaggregated antecedents of safety behavior in the construction field. In total, 101 eligible empirical articles are obtained. Bibliometric and context analyses are combined to identify the influential journals, scholars, keywords, use of theory, research methods, and countries or regions of the empirical samples. The 83 factors that are identified are divided into five groups, namely (a) individual characteristics, (b) workgroup interactions, (c) work and workplace design, (d) project management and organization, and (e) family, industry, and society. This indicates that the causes of safety behavior are manifold. Various factors from different systems likely work in concert to create situations in which an individual chooses to comply with safety rules and participate voluntarily in safety activities. Given this, we propose that safety behavior is only an ostensible symptom of more complex "The Self-Work-Home-Industry/Society" systems and establish a safety behavior antecedent analysis and classification model. Based on this model, we develop a resource flow model, illustrating why, how, and when the flow of resources between the five systems-namely the self system, work system, home system, work-home interface system, and industry/society system-either promotes or inhibits safety behavior. The safety behavior antecedent analysis and classification model and resource flow model are based mainly on bioecological system theory and resources theories. Avenues for future theoretical development and method designs are suggested based on the reviewed findings and the two conceptual models. The intention with this systematic review together with the two integrated conceptual models is to advance theoretical thinking on how safety behavior can be promoted, or instead, inhibited.

Progressive Degenerative Myopathy and Myosteatosis in ASNSD1-Deficient Mice.

Mice with an inactivating mutation in the gene encoding asparagine synthetase domain containing 1 (ASNSD1) develop a progressive degenerative myopathy that results in severe sarcopenia and myosteatosis. ASNSD1 is conserved across many species, and whole body gene expression surveys show maximal expression levels of ASNSD1 in skeletal muscle. However, potential functions of this protein have not been previously reported. Asnsd1-/- mice demonstrated severe muscle weakness, and their normalized body fat percentage on both normal chow and high fat diets was greater than 2 SD above the mean for 3651 chow-fed and 2463 high-fat-diet-fed knockout (KO) lines tested. Histologic lesions were essentially limited to the muscle and were characterized by a progressive degenerative myopathy with extensive transdifferentiation and replacement of muscle by well-differentiated adipose tissue. There was minimal inflammation, fibrosis, and muscle regeneration associated with this myopathy. In addition, the absence of any signs of lipotoxicity in Asnsd1-/- mice despite their extremely elevated body fat percentage and low muscle mass suggests a role for metabolic dysfunctions in the development of this phenotype. Asnsd1-/- mice provide the first insight into the function of this protein, and this mouse model could prove useful in elucidating fundamental metabolic interactions between skeletal muscle and adipose tissue.

Understanding the Sociocognitive Process of Construction Workers' Unsafe Behaviors: An Agent-Based Modeling Approach.

Previous literature has recognized that workers' unsafe behavior is the combined result of both isolated individual cognitive processes and their interaction with others. Based on the consideration of both individual cognitive factors and social organizational factors, this paper aims to develop an Agent-Based Modeling (ABM) approach to explore construction workers' sociocognitive processes under the interaction with managers, coworkers, and foremen. The developed model is applied to explore the causes of cognitive failure of construction workers and the influence of social groups and social organizational factors on the workers' unsafe behavior. The results indicate that (1) workers' unsafe behaviors are gradually reduced with the interaction with managers, foremen, and workers; (2) the foreman is most influential in reducing workers' unsafe behaviors, and their demonstration role can hardly be ignored; (3) the failure of sociocognitive process of construction workers is affected by many factors, and cognitive process errors could be corrected under social norms; and (4) among various social organizational factors, social identity has the most obvious effect on reducing workers' unsafe behaviors, and preventive measures are more effective than reactive measures in reducing workers' unsafe behaviors.