bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Distinct common signatures of gut microbiota associated with damp-heat syndrome in patients with different chronic liver diseases
Authors: Pan Yuqing , Guo Jianchun , Hu Na , Xun Yunhao , Zhang Binbin , Feng Qin , Chen Si , Li Xiaojing , Liu Qiaohong , Hu Yiyang , Zhao Yu 
Published: November 2022

Background: Chronic hepatitis B (CHB) and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) are prevalent in China. According to traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) theory, damp-heat (DH) syndrome is common in chronic liver disease. However, the biological characteristics related to quantitative diagnosis remain to be determined. This study aimed to identify the consistent alterations in the gut microbiota associated with DH syndrome in patients with CHB or NAFLD.Methods: A total of 405 individuals were recruited, of which 146 were participants who met the consistent TCM diagnosis by three senior TCM physicians and were typical syndromes. All participants were required to provide fresh stool and serum samples. The gut microbiota was assessed by fecal 16S rRNA gene sequencing, and the serum metabolite profiles of participants were quantified by an ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) system. DH syndrome-related bacteria taxa were identified based on the 146 individuals with typical syndromes and validated in all 405 volunteers.Results: The results showed that CHB and NAFLD patients with typical TCM DH syndrome had consistently elevated serum total bile acid (TBA) levels. Significant alterations in microbial community were observed according to TCM syndromes identification. A total of 870 microbial operational taxonomic units and 21 serum metabolites showed the same variation trends in both the CHB and NAFLD DH syndrome groups. The functional analysis predicts consistent dysregulation of bile acid metabolism. Five genera (Agathobacter, Dorea, Lachnospiraceae_NC2004_group, Subdoligranulum, and unclassified_c__Clostridia) significantly decreased in abundance in patients with DH syndrome. We utilize these five genera combined with TBA to construct a random forest classifier model to predict TCM diagnosis. The diagnostic receiver-operator characteristic (ROC) areas for DH syndrome were 0.818 and 0.791 in internal tenfold cross-validation and the test set based on all 405 individuals, respectively.Conclusion: There are common signatures of gut microbiota associated with DH syndrome in patients with different chronic liver diseases. Serum TBA combined with DH-related genera provides a good diagnostic potential for DH syndrome in chronic liver disease.
Protein phosphatase 2A regulates xanthine oxidase-derived ROS production in macrophages and influx of inflammatory monocytes in a murine gout model
Authors: Elsayed Sandy , Elsaid Khaled A. 
Published: November 2022

Background: Gout is a common arthritis, due to deposition of monosodium urate (MSU) crystals which results in IL-1β secretion by tissue-resident macrophages. Xanthine oxidase (XO) catalyzes uric acid (UA) production and in the process, reactive oxygen species (ROS) are generated which contributes to NLRP3 inflammasome activation. Protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A) may be involved in regulating inflammatory pathways in macrophages. The objective of this study was to investigate whether PP2A regulates gout inflammation, mediated by XO activity modulation. We studied UA and ROS generations in MSU stimulated murine bone marrow derived macrophages (BMDMs) in response to fingolimod phosphate, a PP2A activator, and compared its anti-inflammatory efficacy to that of an XO inhibitor, febuxostat.Methods: BMDMs were stimulated with MSU, GM-CSF/IL-1β or nigericin ± fingolimod (2.5 μM) or febuxostat (200 μM) and UA levels, ROS, XO, and PP2A activities, Xdh (XO) expression and secreted IL-1β levels were determined. PP2A activity and IL-1β in MSU stimulated BMDMs ± N-acetylcysteine (NAC) (10 μM) ± okadaic acid (a PP2A inhibitor) were also determined. M1 polarization of BMDMs in response to MSU ± fingolimod treatment was assessed by a combination of iNOS expression and multiplex cytokine assay. The in vivo efficacy of fingolimod was assessed in a murine peritoneal model of acute gout where peritoneal lavages were studied for pro-inflammatory classical monocytes (CMs), anti-inflammatory nonclassical monocytes (NCMs) and neutrophils by flow cytometry and IL-1β by ELISA.Results: Fingolimod reduced intracellular and secreted UA levels (p &lt; 0.05), Xdh expression (p &lt; 0.001), XO activity (p &lt; 0.001), ROS generation (p &lt; 0.0001) and IL-1β secretion (p &lt; 0.0001), whereas febuxostat enhanced PP2A activity (p &lt; 0.05). NAC treatment enhanced PP2A activity and reduced XO activity and PP2A restoration mediated NAC’s efficacy as co-treatment with okadaic acid increased IL-1β secretion (p &lt; 0.05). Nigericin activated caspase-1 and reduced PP2A activity (p &lt; 0.001) and fingolimod reduced caspase-1 activity in BMDMs (p &lt; 0.001). Fingolimod reduced iNOS expression (p &lt; 0.0001) and secretion of IL-6 and TNF-α (p &lt; 0.05). Fingolimod reduced CMs (p &lt; 0.0001), neutrophil (p &lt; 0.001) and IL-1β (p &lt; 0.05) lavage levels while increasing NCMs (p &lt; 0.001).Conclusion: Macrophage PP2A is inactivated in acute gout by ROS and a PP2A activator exhibited a broad anti-inflammatory effect in acute gout in vitro and in vivo.
Blocking VCAM-1 ameliorates hypertensive cardiac remodeling by impeding macrophage infiltration
Authors: Qiu Ze-Yang , Yu Wei-Jia , Bai Jie , Lin Qiu-Yue 
Published: November 2022

Cardiac remodeling is an important mechanism of heart failure, which frequently results from leukocyte infiltration. Vascular cellular adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1) plays a critical role in leukocyte adhesion and transmigration. However, the importance of VCAM-1 in the development of angiotensin II (Ang II)-induced cardiac remodeling remains unclear. Wild-type (WT) mice were infused with Ang II (1,000 ng/kg/min) for 14 days and simultaneously treated with VCAM-1 neutralizing antibody (0.1 or 0.2 mg) or IgG control. Systolic blood pressure (SBP) and cardiac function were detected by a tail-cuff and echocardiography. Cardiac remodeling was evaluated by histological staining. Adhesion and migration of bone marrow macrophages (BMMs) were evaluated in vitro. Our results indicated that VCAM-1 levels were increased in the serum of patients with heart failure (HF) and the hearts of Ang II-infused mice. Furthermore, Ang II-caused hypertension, cardiac dysfunction, hypertrophy, fibrosis, infiltration of VLA-4+ BMMs and oxidative stress were dose-dependently attenuated in mice administered VCAM-1 neutralizing antibody. In addition, blocking VCAM-1 markedly alleviated Ang II-induced BMMs adhesion and migration, therefore inhibited cardiomyocyte hypertrophy and fibroblast activation. In conclusion, the data reveal that blocking VCAM-1 ameliorates hypertensive cardiac remodeling by impeding VLA-4+ macrophage infiltration. Selective blockage of VCAM-1 may be a novel therapeutic strategy for hypertensive cardiac diseases.
Disturbing effect of cepharanthine on valve interstitial cells calcification via regulating glycolytic metabolism pathways
Authors: Xie Fei , Han Juanjuan , Wang Dashuai , Liu Peng , Liu Chao , Sun Fuqiang , Xu Kang 
Published: November 2022

Osteogenic differentiation of valve interstitial cells (VICs) directly leads to aortic valve calcification, which is a common cardiovascular disease caused by inflammation and metabolic disorder. There is still no ideal drug for its treatment and prevention. The purpose of this study was to explore the effect and molecular mechanism of cepharanthine (CEP), a natural product, on inhibiting the osteogenic differentiation of VICs. First, CCK8 assay was used to evaluate cell viability of CEP on VICs. CEP concentration of 10 μM was the effective dose with slight cytotoxicity, which was used for further study. The alizarin red staining analysis showed that CEP significantly inhibited calcium deposition caused by osteogenic medium related calcification induction. In order to explore the anti-calcification molecular mechanism of CEP, transcriptome and metabolome were synchronously used to discover the possible molecular mechanism and target of CEP. The results showed that CEP inhibited valve calcification by regulating the glycolytic pathway. The molecular docking of CEP and selected key factors in glycolysis showed significant binding energies for GLUT1 (−11.3 kcal/mol), ENO1 (−10.6 kcal/mol), PKM (−9.8 kcal/mol), HK2 (−9.2 kcal/mol), PFKM (−9.0 kcal/mol), and PFKP (−8.9 kcal/mol). The correlation analysis of RUNX2 expression and cellular lactate content showed R2 of 0.7 (p &lt; 0.001). In conclusion, this study demonstrated that CEP inhibited osteoblastic differentiation of VICs by interfering with glycolytic metabolisms via downregulation of the production of lactate and glycolysis-associated metabolites.
Endothelial dysfunction due to the inhibition of the synthesis of nitric oxide: Proposal and characterization of an in vitro cellular model
Authors: Silva Fernanda Cardoso da , Araújo Bruna Juber de , Cordeiro Carina Santos , Arruda Vinícius Marques , Faria Bruno Quintanilha , Guerra Joyce Ferreira Da Costa , Araújo Thaise Gonçalves De , Fürstenau Cristina Ribas 
Published: November 2022

The vascular endothelium plays a pivotal role in the maintenance of vascular homeostasis, mediated by vasoactive molecules produced by endothelial cells. The balance between vasoconstrictor and vasodilator biomolecules is what guarantees this equilibrium. Therefore, an increase in the bioavailability of vasoconstrictors along with a reduction in vasodilators may indicate a condition known as endothelial dysfunction. Endothelial dysfunction is marked by an inflammatory process and reduced activity of vasoprotective enzymes, being characterized by some factors like the reduction of the bioavailability of nitric oxide (NO) and increase in the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), pro-inflammatory and vasoconstrictor molecules. This condition is a predictive marker of several cardiovascular diseases (e.g., atherosclerosis, hypertension, and diabetes). Research is affected by the scarcity of suitable in vitro models that simulate endothelial dysfunction. The goal of this study was to induce an in vitro condition to mimic endothelial dysfunction by inhibiting NO synthesis in cells. Thymus-derived endothelial cells (tEnd.1) were treated with different concentrations of L-NAME (from 1 to 1,000 μM) for different times (12, 24, 48, 72, 96, and 120 h without and with retreatment every 24 h). Cell viability, nitrite concentration, p22phox, NOX2, NOX4, IL-6, and ACE genes expression and lipid peroxidation were evaluated. The results indicate that the treatment with 100 μM L-NAME for 72 h without retreatment reduced NO concentration and NOX4 gene expression while increasing ACE expression, thus mimicking reduced vascular protection and possibly increased vasoconstriction. On the other hand, treatment with 100 μM L-NAME for 96 h with retreatment reduced the concentration of NO and the expression of the p22phox gene while increasing the expression of the IL-6 and ACE genes, mimicking the increase in inflammation and vasoconstriction parameters. Based on these results, we thus propose that both 100 μM L-NAME for 72 h without retreatment and 100 μM L-NAME for 96 h with retreatment may be used as models for in vitro endothelial dysfunction according to the purpose of the study to be conducted.
Pseudopollen in Camellia oleifera and its implications for pollination ecology and taxonomy
Authors: Yuan Bin , Yuan Jing-Kun , Huang Cheng-Gong , Lian Jia-Rui , Li Yi-Huan , Fan Xiao-Ming , Yuan De-Yi 
Published: November 2022

Background and aimsIn 1997, Tsou described the special differentiation of the connective tissues of some species of Theaceae to produce single-celled powders with unique patterns called pseudopollen. The purpose of this study was to investigate the morphological structure of the pseudopollen of Camellia oleifera (Theaceae) and to study the morphology of pseudopollen in seven other Camellia species.MethodsScanning electron microscopy, paraffin section, light microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, histochemistry.Key resultC. oleifera pseudopollen was similar to normal pollen in macroscopic morphology but different microscopically. The normal pollen was starch-rich and yellow, with mostly reticulate exine ornamentation. In contrast, the pseudopollen was a white powder, single-celled and rich in protein, with parallel unbranched ridge lines on the outer wall, and originated from the parenchyma of the connective tissues. There are also differences in the micro-characteristics of normal and pseudopollen among different species in Camellia.ConclusionThere are great differences in morphological structure between C. oleifera and other species in Camellia normal pollen and pseudopollen; these results may indicate that the pseudopollen can be used as a taxonomic basis for Camellia, and the macroscopic similarity between pseudopollen and pollen and histochemical characteristics of pseudopollen can be a pollination strategy.
Comparing the impact of social support on the life satisfaction of widowed and non-widowed elders
Authors: Tian Hua , Chen Jie 
Published: November 2022

AimTo compare differences in life satisfaction between widowed and non-widowed elders based on social support.MethodsA total of 4,560 widowed and 3,655 non-widowed elders were selected from the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey (CLHLS-2018). Ordinal logistic regression models and t-tests were performed using SPSS v20.ResultsBoth widowed and non-widowed elders had high levels of life satisfaction. Personal characteristics had a significant impact on the life satisfaction of both widowed and non-widowed elders. Endowment insurance, social trust, residence, self-rated health, and living with family had a significant impact on the life satisfaction of widowed elders (p &lt; 0.001), while endowment insurance, government subsidy, and self-rated health significantly impacted non-widowed elders (p &lt; 0.001). Self-rated health had the greatest impact on the life satisfaction of widowed and non-widowed elders (OR = 4.62/4.45), followed by endowment insurance (OR = 1.24/1.32).ConclusionSocial support can significantly improve life satisfaction, but its impact is heterogeneous. Informal social support plays a greater role in improving the life satisfaction of widowed elders, but formal social support plays a greater role in the life satisfaction of non-widowed elders.
The impacts of innovation capability and social adaptability on undergraduates’ employability: The role of self-efficacy
Authors: Li Xiang , Pu Ruihui , Liao Hong 
Published: November 2022

Introduction: As the world is consistently driven by the infusion of new-generation information technology and the knowledge economy, college students are placed under mounting pressure in developing occupation-related competencies. Their employability has been receiving growing concerns from stakeholders such as higher education institutions, governments, employers, parents, and even student groups themselves as it plays a decisive role in occupational success, social stability, and economic prosperity. Under the theoretical guidance of social cognitive theory, this study set out to investigate the cognitive and psychological mechanisms through which innovation capability, social adaptability, and self-efficacy influence the employability of college students. It also attempts to analyze the mediating role of self-efficacy in the relations between innovation capability, social adaptability, and employability which has been rarely studied in academia.Methods: A quantitative approach was employed in this study. Data was collected from 726 undergraduates from 9 higher education institutions in the mainland of China by questionnaire survey method. The research model showed a good fit (χ2/df=4.46, RMSEA=0.069, SRMR=0.049, GFI=0.934, CFI=0.965, NFI=0.955, TLI=0.955). Structural equation modeling (SEM) was applied to this study for data analysis.Results: The findings showed that innovation capability, social adaptability, and self-efficacy significantly and positively correlates with undergraduates’ employability. University students with stronger innovation capability, social adaptability, and self-efficacy tend to be more employable in the job market. Model 4 of SPSS PROCESS Macro revealed that self-efficacy played a mediating role in the correlation between innovation capability, social adaptability, and employability.Discussion: Undergraduates with higher levels of innovation capability and social adaptability are more confident in their abilities to take specific actions and achieve expected goals, which in turn intensifies their employability. The study suggests the possibility of improving undergraduates’ employability through positive interference of innovation capability, social adaptability, and self-efficacy in the era of information technology and knowledge-based economy.
Effect of decrease of physical activity on depression and anxiety after the COVID-19 lockdown: A survey study
Authors: Kajtna Tanja , Vučković Vojko 
Published: November 2022

PurposeWe focused on changes in the amount of physical activity (PA) and depression and anxiety symptoms in people, who were previously regularly physically active, as they were all members of fitness centers at time of lockdown because of COVID-19.Materials and methodsWe sampled 150 fitness center members, tested individually in facilities of fitness centers. Depression and anxiety were measured with subscales of Personality Assessment Inventory (PAI) and PA was measured with global physical activity questionnaire (GPAQ).ResultsWe found that depression (t= −1.97;p&lt; 0.05) and anxiety (t= −2.66;p&lt; 0.05) was more present in female participants than male participants, single participants experienced more depression (t= 2.04;p&lt; 0.05) than participants in relationship, unemployed participants experienced more depression (F= 3,24;p&lt; 0.05) and anxiety (F= 5,32;p&lt; 0.01) than employed participants and participants with lower levels of education experienced higher levels of affective depression (F= 3,42;p&lt; 0.05) and physiological anxiety (F= 3,72;p&lt; 0.05) than participants with higher levels of education. Finally, we found that mental health can be influenced by changes in amount of movement–both anxiety (p&lt; 0.05) and depression (p&lt; 0.05) (in whole and its specific dimensions) increased for male participants when there is less strenuous work-related activity, less walking, or cycling to work and when they would spend more time each day sitting. For female participants, affective depression (t= 3.78;p&lt; 0.01) and anxiety (t= 3.23;p&lt; 0.01) increased with increased sitting time. Ex-competitive athletes are particularly immune to anxiety (t= −2.18;p&lt; 0.05) and depression (t= −2.09;p&lt; 0.05).DiscussionAs in some previous studies, our results show that because of lockdown, the most endangered groups for mood disorders are women, singles, unemployed and students, uneducated people and those, who had less PA, and more sitting time. Additionally, those who had some sport competitive history are less endangered for depression and anxiety.ConclusionIsolation has great impact on mental health, the most effective solution to stress relief and anxiety is physical exercise, which was limited or non-existent in the time of pandemic. Ex-professional athletes are especially immune to anxiety and depression in events such as COVID-19 lockdown. For future studies we recommend focusing on likelihood of increased depression and anxiety levels in individuals, who were physically active before the isolation period.
In the face of change: Which coping strategies predict better psychosocial outcomes in face transplant recipients?
Authors: Nizzi Marie-Christine , Pomahac Bohdan 
Published: November 2022

ObjectivesFace transplantation aims to improve patients’ quality of life and psychosocial functioning in patients with a disfiguring injury. With 40 cases worldwide, little is known about coping strategies predicting resilient outcomes.DesignSix patients followed in Boston, completed the Brief COPE (Carver, 1997) along with validated measures of depression, self-esteem, and quality of life – every 3 months during the first year post-transplant and every 6 months thereafter, up to 36 months post-transplant.AnalysesDue to sample size and distribution of the data, nonparametric tests were used to characterize the relation of coping strategies with psychosocial outcomes.ResultsAs expected, active coping strategies were associated with better mental health pre-transplant, while avoidant coping strategies were associated with poorer mental health. Patients using support-based strategies reported better mental health at baseline. Post-transplant, the pattern reversed such that avoidant strategies appeared protective, when looking at mental health trajectories over 18 months. Importantly, trends identified during the first 18 months matched the trajectories of all patients with existing data up to 36 months post-transplant, for all outcomes measured.ConclusionDifferent coping strategies support optimal outcomes in the pre-versus post-transplant phases. Pre-transplant data may better inform interventions supporting mental health of transplant candidates than predict post-transplant behavior. Early post-transplant data seems to provide promising insight in long term psychosocial outcomes.Clinical implicationsOur data stresses the need for pre-transplant assessment of coping and post-transplant coping training. Research aiming to optimize post-transplant psychosocial outcomes should consider coping as a promising target for intervention.
Effects of aquatic exercise on mood and anxiety symptoms: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Tang Zhengyan , Wang Ye , Liu Jingmin , Liu Yujie 
Published: November 2022

ObjectiveExercise has beneficial effects on mood and anxiety symptoms. However, the impact of aquatic exercise on mood and anxiety symptoms has not been clearly confirmed. Therefore, this study aimed to synthesize and systematically analyze evidence available on boosting mental health through aquatic exercise.MethodA systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted under the PRISMA 2020 guidelines. PubMed, BIOSIS Previews, PsycINFO, Medline, SPORTDiscus, Education Source, and Web of Science Core Collection (WoSCC) were searched in May 2022. The research included the influence of aquatic exercises on mood and anxiety symptoms. After assessing trial quality and completing data extraction, a meta-analysis was carried out through R software. The results were presented as a standardized mean difference (SMD) and the corresponding 95% confidence interval.ResultsA total of 18 original trials were included. People who received aquatic exercise intervention had a statistically significant reduction in mental disorder symptoms compared with before. The results were aquatic exercise [SMD = −0.77, 95% CI (−1.08, −0.47), I2 = 77%, P &lt; 0.01], swimming [SMD = −0.51, 95% CI (−1.14, 0.12), I2 = 78%, P &lt; 0.01], aquatic aerobics [SMD = −0.92, 95% CI (−1.32, −0.53), I2 = 78%, P &lt; 0.01], moderate intensity [SMD = −0.75, 95% CI (−1.07, −0.43), I2 = 67%, P &lt; 0.01], and low intensity [SMD = −1.07, 95% CI (−1.08, −0.47), I2 = 85%, P &lt; 0.01].ConclusionAquatic exercise could statistically significantly improve mental health. Light aquatic aerobics probably has a better effect on mood and anxiety symptoms. However, given the number and quality of included research, verifying the aforementioned conclusions requires a larger sample of high-quality studies.