Task-switching mechanisms under methamphetamine cravings: sex differences in cued and voluntary task-switching.

Introduction: This study explored the effects of task-switching type and sex on the task-switching ability of methamphetamine abstainers, as well as the differences in brain mechanisms under drug cravings under drug cravings using near-infrared spectroscopy.

Methods: Craving-inducing videos were used to arouse 20 methamphetamine abstainers (including 10 men), whose switching ability was then assessed using voluntary and cued task-switching exercises.

Results: During task-switching under methamphetamine cravings, the activation of the premotor cortex (PMC), supplementary motor area (SMA), frontal eye field (FEF), and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) in women was significantly stronger than in men, while the activation of FEF in men was significantly stronger than in women.

Engineering HT66 for the Biosynthesis of Copolymers Containing 3-Hydroxybutyrate and Medium-Chain-Length 3-Hydroxyalkanoates.

Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) are promising alternatives to petroleum-based plastics, owing to their biodegradability and superior material properties. Here, the controllable biosynthesis of scl--mcl PHA containing 3-hydroxybutyrate (3HB) and mcl 3-hydroxyalkanoates was achieved in HT66. First, key genes involved in fatty acid β-oxidation, the fatty acid biosynthesis pathway, and the -- operon were deleted to develop a chassis strain.

Construction and Hierarchical Self-Assembly of a Supramolecular Metal-Carbene Complex with Multifunctional Units.

Hierarchical combinations involving metal-ligand interactions and host-guest interactions can consolidate building blocks with unique functions into material properties. This study reports the construction and hierarchical self-assembly of multifunctional trinuclear Au tricarbene complex containing three crown ether units and three ferrocene units. Host-guest interactions between the multifunctional trinuclear Au tricarbene complex and organic ammonium salts were investigated, revealing that crown ether-based host-guest interactions can effectively regulate the electrochemical properties of the complex.

Construction and Hierarchical Self-Assembly of Multifunctional Coordination Cages with Triangular Metal-Metal-Bonded Units.

Herein, a series of face-capped (TrM)L (Tr = cycloheptatrienyl cationic ring; M = metal; L = organosulfur ligand) tetrahedral cages - functionalized with 12 appended crown ether moieties were designed and synthesized. The reversible binding of ammonium cations with peripheral crown ether moieties to adjust internal guest-binding was realized. Combination of a bisammonium linker and cage led to the formation of a supramolecular gel via host-guest interactions between the crown ether moieties and ammonium salts.

Effect of doctor-patient news-induced moral judgments on pain empathy for doctors and patients in China.

Objective: Pain empathy's preferential nature tends to trigger prejudice and intergroup conflicts. Given the current degree of proliferation of doctor-patient conflict news in China, this study aims to determine whether readers of doctor-patient news-initiated moral judgments prefer pain empathy for doctors or patients.

Materials And Methods: This study utilized localized doctor-patient news with high or low moral performance (based on morality ratings of patients' behaviors) as moral-judgment-eliciting materials, and painful pictures as pain empathy-eliciting materials.

China rheumatoid arthritis registry of patients with Chinese medicine (CERTAIN): Rationale, design, and baseline characteristics of the first 11,764 enrollees.

Background: Chinese medicine (CM) has become a popular interventional treatment for rheumatoid arthritis (RA). However, limited knowledge about general characteristics and long-term clinical outcomes hampers the development of CM for RA.

Purpose: The main objectives of the China Rheumatoid Arthritis Registry of Patients with Chinese Medicine (CERTAIN) were to describe the population of RA patients receiving CM treatment in multiple centers in China using different variables and compare these findings with internationally reported data.

Reduction of psychological cravings and anxiety in women compulsorily isolated for detoxification using autonomous sensory meridian response (ASMR).

Objective: To explore the effects of the autonomous sensory meridian response (ASMR) on the psychological cravings and anxiety of women compulsorily isolated for detoxification.

Method: Around 122 women were recruited in a female drug detoxification center. Except for the 12-week training of ASMR, the experimental conditions of the experimental group (n = 60) were the same as those of the control group (n = 62).

Are There Neural Overlaps of Reactivity to Illegal Drugs, Tobacco, and Alcohol Cues? With Evidence From ALE and CMA.

Abuses of most illegal drugs, including methamphetamine, marijuana, cocaine, heroin, and polydrug, are usually in conjunction with alcohol and tobacco. There are similarities and associations between the behavior, gene, and neurophysiology of such abusers, but the neural overlaps of their cue-reactivity and the correlation of neural overlap with drug craving still needs to be further explored. In this study, an Activation Likelihood Estimation (ALE) was performed on brain activation under legal (tobacco, alcohol) and illegal drug cues, for identifying the similarities in brain functions between different craving states.

ACE2-independent infection of T lymphocytes by SARS-CoV-2.

SARS-CoV-2 induced marked lymphopenia in severe patients with COVID-19. However, whether lymphocytes are targets of viral infection is yet to be determined, although SARS-CoV-2 RNA or antigen has been identified in T cells from patients. Here, we confirmed that SARS-CoV-2 viral antigen could be detected in patient peripheral blood cells (PBCs) or postmortem lung T cells, and the infectious virus could also be detected from viral antigen-positive PBCs.

A qualitative exploration of "empathic labor" in Chinese hospice nurses.

Background: Hospice nurses may devote more emotional labor during the empathy process with patients, and this empathy can be used as a form of psychological behavior of emotional labor in the hospice care model. The aim of this study was to analyze hospice nurses' empathy characteristics in the context of emotional labor theory, and explore the impact of empathy on patient care.

Methods: We conducted semi-participant observations from three hospitals and multicenter in-depth interviews with n = 26 hospice nurses from eight cities.

Antibody-Dependent Enhancement of SARS-CoV-2 Infection of Human Immune Cells: In Vitro Assessment Provides Insight in COVID-19 Pathogenesis.

Patients with COVID-19 generally raise antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 following infection, and the antibody level is positively correlated to the severity of disease. Whether the viral antibodies exacerbate COVID-19 through antibody-dependent enhancement (ADE) is still not fully understood. Here, we conducted in vitro assessment of whether convalescent serum enhanced SARS-CoV-2 infection or induced excessive immune responses in immune cells.

Case Report: Metagenomics Next-Generation Sequencing Can Be Performed for the Diagnosis of Disseminated Mucormycosis.

Mucormycosis is an infection caused by a group of filamentous molds with in the order Mucorales. In developing countries, most cases of mucormycosis occur in persons with poorly controlled diabetes mellitus or subjects with normal post-traumatic immune function. Mucormycosis exhibits a marked propensity for invading blood vessels.

Biosynthesis and Characterization of Medium-Chain-Length Polyhydroxyalkanoate with an Enriched 3-Hydroxydodecanoate Monomer from a Cell Factory.

Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) have been reported with agricultural and medical applications in virtue of their biodegradable and biocompatible properties. Here, we systematically engineered three modules for the enhanced biosynthesis of medium-chain-length polyhydroxyalkanoate (mcl-PHA) in HT66. The , , and genes were deleted to block the native phenazine pathway and weaken the fatty acid β-oxidation pathway.

Identification of a Novel Bioactive Phenazine Derivative and Regulation of on Its Production in S015.

Natural phenazines are a class of multifunctional secondary metabolites of bacteria that play an important role in the biocontrol of plant pathogens. In this paper, a novel bioactive phenazine derivative was isolated from S015 through silica gel chromatography and preparative high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The structure was identified as 1-carboxyl-6-formyl-4,7,9-trihydroxy-phenazine (CFTHP) by NMR spectroscopy in combination with ultraperformance liquid chromatography & mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS).

[Effect of electro-nape-acupuncture on hearing in patients with refractory flat descending idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss].

Objective: To compare the therapeutic effect of electro-nape-acupuncture (ENA) combined with hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) and single HBOT on refractory flat descending idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss (ISSNHL).

Methods: A total of 78 patients were randomized into an ENA combined with HBOT (ENA+HBOT) group and a HBOT group, 39 cases in each one. Patients in both groups were treated with oral extract of ginkgo biloba leaves and mecobalamin tablets.

Mobile device use and the cognitive function and depressive symptoms of older adults living in residential care homes.

Background: With the fast-paced aging and increasing digitalization of society, there has been a growing interest in the effect of mobile device use on cognitive function and depression in older adults. However, research examining this issue among older adults in residential care homes (RCHs) is scant. Therefore, this study aimed to examine the impact of mobile device use on the cognitive function and depressive symptoms of older adults living in RCHs.

Beneficial Effects of Probiotic Treatment on Gut Microbiota in Very Low Birth Weight Infants.

The very low birth weight (VLBW) infant is at great risk for marked dysbiosis of the gut microbiota. In the present study, a total of 36 VLBW infants were randomly divided into two groups, who were treated with combined probiotics and placebo, and 72 fecal specimens on days 14 and 28 of life were collected from them. Finally, 32 fecal specimens extracted from 16 preterm VLBW infants were qualified and analyzed using 16S rRNA gene sequencing.

Studying perceived needs for information on maternal and infant health care in the puerperium period among fathers of newborns in China.

Objective: The objective of this study is to understand the perceived needs for information on maternal and infant healthcare during the puerperium among the fathers of newborns in China, and to examine factors that are associated with the patterns of perceived needs.

Design: A cross-sectional study was conducted.

Methods: A survey was conducted in the obstetrics department of the First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University in Suzhou, China.

Overexpression of GP73 promotes cell invasion, migration and metastasis by inducing epithelial-mesenchymal transition in pancreatic cancer.

Pancreatic cancer is one of the most difficult clinical cases to diagnose with a very low 5-year survival rate of 5%, regardless of the advances made in both the medical and surgical treatment of the disease. One of the contributing factors for the high mortality rate seen of pancreatic cancer patients is the lack of effective chemotherapies, which is believed to be due to drug-resistance. Based on recent evidence, epithelial-mesenchymal transition (ETM) of pancreatic cancer cells has been found to be associated with the development of drug resistance and an increase in cell invasion.

The analgesic efficacy of subcostal transversus abdominis plane block with Mercedes incision.

Background: Conventional perioperative analgesic modalities (e.g. opioids, epidural analgesia) have their own drawbacks, which limit their clinical application.

KNAT7 positively regulates xylan biosynthesis by directly activating IRX9 expression in Arabidopsis.

Xylan is the major plant hemicellulosic polysaccharide in the secondary cell wall. The transcription factor KNOTTED-LIKE HOMEOBOX OF ARABIDOPSIS THALIANA 7 (KNAT7) regulates secondary cell wall biosynthesis, but its exact role in regulating xylan biosynthesis remains unclear. Using transactivation analyses, we demonstrate that KNAT7 activates the promoters of the xylan biosynthetic genes, IRREGULAR XYLEM 9 (IRX9), IRX10, IRREGULAR XYLEM 14-LIKE (IRX14L), and FRAGILE FIBER 8 (FRA8).