Decision-making ability limitations and brain neural activity changes in healthcare workers after mild COVID-19.

Studies have demonstrated that the novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) extensively affects brain function. Although cognitive dysfunction is considered a common manifestation in COVID-19 patients during the recovery period, the potential changes in decision-making ability, are not yet clear. Decision-making functions are essential to the work of healthcare workers.

Attentional impairment and altered brain activity in healthcare workers after mild COVID-19.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-COV-2) is highly transmissible and pathogenic. Patients with mild cases account for the majority of those infected with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Although there is evidence that many patients with COVID-19 have varying degrees of attentional impairment, little is known about how SARS-COV-2 affects attentional function.

Rafting and redissolution of γ' phase in Ni-Al alloy under external stress.

The volume fraction and rafting degree of the γ'-NiAl phase under stress and high temperature are the key characteristics of mechanical properties in Ni-based superalloys, the rafting and redissolution of γ' phase caused by the creep at high temperature damage the morphology and properties of Ni-based superalloys. The phase-field simulation is performed to study the rafting accompany with the redissolution of γ' phase under high temperature and loading stress in Ni-Al alloy, the driving force and kinetics evolution of the γ' rafting were revealed. During the rafting under continuous heating, the elastic energy in the vertical γ channel is different to that of the horizontal γ channel, this difference in elastic energy drives the elements diffusion directionally to form the γ' rafts morphology.

Prevalence and risk factors of psychotic symptoms in middle-aged patients with first-episode drug-naïve major depressive disorder: A large-scale cross-sectional study.

Background: Psychotic symptoms are common in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD). However, few studies have assessed the incidence of comorbid psychotic symptoms in first-episode drug naïve (FEDN) MDD patients. The present study aimed to evaluate the prevalence and risk factors of psychotic symptoms in a large sample of middle-aged Chinese patients with FEDN MDD.

Fast-tracking antibody maturation using a B cell-based display system.

Affinity maturation, an essential component of antibody engineering, is crucial for developing therapeutic antibodies. Cell display system coupled with somatic hypermutation (SHM) initiated by activation-induced cytidine deaminase (AID) is a commonly used technique for affinity maturation. AID introduces targeted DNA lesions into hotspots of immunoglobulin (Ig) gene loci followed by erroneous DNA repair, leading to biased mutations in the complementary determining regions.

Assessment of Reporting Quality in Randomized Controlled Trials of Acupuncture for Primary Insomnia with CONSORT Statement and STRICTA Guidelines.

Aim: To assess the reporting quality of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on acupuncture for primary insomnia (PI).

Methods: Seven Chinese and English databases were searched for publication reporting RCTs on acupuncture for PI from the inception of the databases to August 6, 2021. The internationally recognized Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials (CONSORT) statement and the International Standards for Reporting Interventions in Controlled Trials of Acupuncture (STRICTA) guidelines were used to evaluate the reporting quality.

Caveolin-1 Is Essential for the Improvement of Insulin Sensitivity through AKT Activation during Glargine Treatment on Diabetic Mice.

Insulin treatment was confirmed to reduce insulin resistance, but the underlying mechanism remains unknown. Caveolin-1 (Cav-1) is a functional protein of the membrane lipid rafts, known as caveolae, and is widely expressed in mammalian adipose tissue. There is increasing evidence that show the involvement of Cav-1 in the AKT activation, which is responsible for insulin sensitivity.

In Situ Recombination of Elements in Spent Lithium-Ion Batteries to Recover High-Value γ-LiAlO and LiAlO.

Recovering valuable materials from spent lithium-ion batteries is an important task because of the asymmetry in resource distribution, supply, and demand around the world. A lithium-ion battery is a combination system of various elements and their oxides. Current recovering technologies focus on the separation of valuable metal elements.

Streamlined human antibody generation and optimization by exploiting designed immunoglobulin loci in a B cell line.

Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) are widely utilized as therapeutic drugs for various diseases, such as cancer, autoimmune diseases, and infectious diseases. Using the avian-derived B cell line DT40, we previously developed an antibody display technology, namely, the ADLib system, which rapidly generates antigen-specific mAbs. Here, we report the development of a human version of the ADLib system and showcase the streamlined generation and optimization of functional human mAbs.

A Randomized Trial of Insulin Glargine plus Oral Hypoglycemic Agents versus Continuous Subcutaneous Insulin Infusion to Treat Newly Diagnosed Type 2 Diabetes.

Aims: Basal insulin plus oral hypoglycemic agents (OHAs) has not been investigated for early intensive antihyperglycemic treatment in people with newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes. This study is aimed at comparing the short-term (over a period of 12 days) effects of basal insulin glargine plus OHAs and continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion (CSII) on glycemic control and beta-cell function in this setting.

Methods: An open-label parallel-group study.

Utility of Neck Circumference for Identifying Metabolic Syndrome by Different Definitions in Chinese Subjects over 50 Years Old: A Community-Based Study.

Aims: Whether neck circumference (NC) could be used as a valuable tool for identifying metabolic syndrome (MS) by different criteria in Chinese is still unclear.

Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional survey from October 2010 to January 2011 in Shipai community, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China. A total of 1473 subjects aged over 50 years were investigated.

Caveolin-1 deficiency protects pancreatic β cells against palmitate-induced dysfunction and apoptosis.

Lipotoxicity leads to insulin secretion deficiency, which is among the important causes for the onset of type 2 diabetes mellitus. Thus, the restoration of β-cell mass and preservation of its endocrine function are long-sought goals in diabetes research. Previous studies have suggested that the membrane protein caveolin-1 (Cav-1) is implicated in β-cell apoptosis and insulin secretion, however, the underlying mechanisms still remains unclear.

The effects of caveolin1 on β cell proliferation.

Our study aims to access the influence of caveolin1 (CAV1) on β cell expression profiles. We knocked down the expression of CAV1 in both NIT-1 cells and islets isolated from C57BL/6J mice using an RNA interference technique, which was realized by the transfer of an shRNA vector targeting CAV1 mRNA into NIT-1 cells or islets through latent virus infection. First, we identified the change in gene expression profiles in islets, in which the CAV1 expression level was down-regulated, as ascertained by mouse gene expression microarray, and the results showed that pathways related to β cell proliferation and pancreatic secretion functions were significantly influenced.

Probing the unfolding of myoglobin and domain C of PARP-1 with covalent labeling and top-down ultraviolet photodissociation mass spectrometry.

Ultraviolet photodissocation (UVPD) mass spectrometry was used for high mass accuracy top-down characterization of two proteins labeled by the chemical probe, S-ethylacetimidate (SETA), in order to evaluate conformational changes as a function of denaturation. The SETA labeling/UVPD-MS methodology was used to monitor the mild denaturation of horse heart myoglobin by acetonitrile, and the results showed good agreement with known acetonitrile and acid unfolding pathways of myoglobin. UVPD outperformed electron transfer dissociation (ETD) in terms of sequence coverage, allowing the SETA reactivity of greater number of lysine amines to be monitored and thus providing a more detailed map of myoglobin.

Construction of the octose 8-phosphate intermediate in lincomycin A biosynthesis: characterization of the reactions catalyzed by LmbR and LmbN.

Lincomycin A is a potent antimicrobial agent noted for its unusual C1 methylmercapto-substituted 8-carbon sugar. Despite its long clinical history for the treatment of Gram-positive infections, the biosynthesis of the C(8)-sugar, methylthiolincosamide (MTL), is poorly understood. Here, we report our studies of the two initial enzymatic steps in the MTL biosynthetic pathway leading to the identification of D-erythro-D-gluco-octose 8-phosphate as a key intermediate.

[Renal protective effects of sulodexide in diabetic rats and its anti-oxidative mechanism].

Objective: To investigate the renal protective effects of sulodexide and its anti-oxidative stress mechanism in diabetic rats.

Method: Thirty male SD rats were randomized into 3 equal groups, namely the control group, diabetic group, and sulodexide treatment group. Twelve weeks after establishment of rat diabetic models and administration of sulodexide, the rats were sacrificed for measurement of the urine volume, body mass, kidney mass/body weight ratio, plasma glucose, and glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c).