Objective: Hundreds of countries have implemented lockdown policies to slow the spread of coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19), but the impact of these measures on maternal mental health is not well understood. Methods: This study integrated a stress-process model to examine the pathways from lockdown-related stressors to prenatal psychological outcomes, with COVID-19 coping strategies (COP) and self-efficacy in managing negative affect (NEG) as mediators and lockdown duration, hours on pandemic-related information, and number of pregnancies as moderators. Pregnant women in Shanghai completed the Regulatory Emotional Self-Efficacy Scale, COVID-19 Coping Scale, Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale-21. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to test and modify the hypothetical model, and moderated mediation and slope analyses were undertaken. Results: In the final SEM demonstrating satisfactory fit, three stressors—decreased household income, insufficient daily supplies, and acquired infections—showed positive direct relationships with NEG and COP. Acquired infections, NEG, and COP were identified as direct predictors of mental health outcomes. The relationship between these three stressors and mental health was mediated by NEG and COP. Additionally, the number of pregnancies moderated the mediating effect of COP; this effect was more pronounced among first-time pregnant women than those with multiple pregnancies. Conclusion This study provides insights into how lockdown measures impact psychological outcomes in pregnant women quarantined at home. Interventions aimed at increasing coping strategies may be more effective for primiparous women during future public health emergencies.

Objective: Hundreds of countries have implemented lockdown policies to slow the spread of coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19), but the impact of these measures on maternal mental health is not well understood. Methods: This study integrated a stress-process model to examine the pathways from lockdown-related stressors to prenatal psychological outcomes, with COVID-19 coping strategies (COP) and self-efficacy in managing negative affect (NEG) as mediators and lockdown duration, hours on pandemic-related information, and number of pregnancies as moderators. Pregnant women in Shanghai completed the Regulatory Emotional Self-Efficacy Scale, COVID-19 Coping Scale, Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale-21. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to test and modify the hypothetical model, and moderated mediation and slope analyses were undertaken. Results: In the final SEM demonstrating satisfactory fit, three stressors—decreased household income, insufficient daily supplies, and acquired infections—showed positive direct relationships with NEG and COP. Acquired infections, NEG, and COP were identified as direct predictors of mental health outcomes. The relationship between these three stressors and mental health was mediated by NEG and COP. Additionally, the number of pregnancies moderated the mediating effect of COP; this effect was more pronounced among first-time pregnant women than those with multiple pregnancies. Conclusion This study provides insights into how lockdown measures impact psychological outcomes in pregnant women quarantined at home. Interventions aimed at increasing coping strategies may be more effective for primiparous women during future public health emergencies.

Objective: Hundreds of countries have implemented lockdown policies to slow the spread of coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19), but the impact of these measures on maternal mental health is not well understood. Methods: This study integrated a stress-process model to examine the pathways from lockdown-related stressors to prenatal psychological outcomes, with COVID-19 coping strategies (COP) and self-efficacy in managing negative affect (NEG) as mediators and lockdown duration, hours on pandemic-related information, and number of pregnancies as moderators. Pregnant women in Shanghai completed the Regulatory Emotional Self-Efficacy Scale, COVID-19 Coping Scale, Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale-21. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to test and modify the hypothetical model, and moderated mediation and slope analyses were undertaken. Results: In the final SEM demonstrating satisfactory fit, three stressors—decreased household income, insufficient daily supplies, and acquired infections—showed positive direct relationships with NEG and COP. Acquired infections, NEG, and COP were identified as direct predictors of mental health outcomes. The relationship between these three stressors and mental health was mediated by NEG and COP. Additionally, the number of pregnancies moderated the mediating effect of COP; this effect was more pronounced among first-time pregnant women than those with multiple pregnancies. Conclusion This study provides insights into how lockdown measures impact psychological outcomes in pregnant women quarantined at home. Interventions aimed at increasing coping strategies may be more effective for primiparous women during future public health emergencies.

Objective: Hundreds of countries have implemented lockdown policies to slow the spread of coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19), but the impact of these measures on maternal mental health is not well understood. Methods: This study integrated a stress-process model to examine the pathways from lockdown-related stressors to prenatal psychological outcomes, with COVID-19 coping strategies (COP) and self-efficacy in managing negative affect (NEG) as mediators and lockdown duration, hours on pandemic-related information, and number of pregnancies as moderators. Pregnant women in Shanghai completed the Regulatory Emotional Self-Efficacy Scale, COVID-19 Coping Scale, Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale-21. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to test and modify the hypothetical model, and moderated mediation and slope analyses were undertaken. Results: In the final SEM demonstrating satisfactory fit, three stressors—decreased household income, insufficient daily supplies, and acquired infections—showed positive direct relationships with NEG and COP. Acquired infections, NEG, and COP were identified as direct predictors of mental health outcomes. The relationship between these three stressors and mental health was mediated by NEG and COP. Additionally, the number of pregnancies moderated the mediating effect of COP; this effect was more pronounced among first-time pregnant women than those with multiple pregnancies. Conclusion This study provides insights into how lockdown measures impact psychological outcomes in pregnant women quarantined at home. Interventions aimed at increasing coping strategies may be more effective for primiparous women during future public health emergencies.

Objective: Hundreds of countries have implemented lockdown policies to slow the spread of coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19), but the impact of these measures on maternal mental health is not well understood. Methods: This study integrated a stress-process model to examine the pathways from lockdown-related stressors to prenatal psychological outcomes, with COVID-19 coping strategies (COP) and self-efficacy in managing negative affect (NEG) as mediators and lockdown duration, hours on pandemic-related information, and number of pregnancies as moderators. Pregnant women in Shanghai completed the Regulatory Emotional Self-Efficacy Scale, COVID-19 Coping Scale, Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale-21. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to test and modify the hypothetical model, and moderated mediation and slope analyses were undertaken. Results: In the final SEM demonstrating satisfactory fit, three stressors—decreased household income, insufficient daily supplies, and acquired infections—showed positive direct relationships with NEG and COP. Acquired infections, NEG, and COP were identified as direct predictors of mental health outcomes. The relationship between these three stressors and mental health was mediated by NEG and COP. Additionally, the number of pregnancies moderated the mediating effect of COP; this effect was more pronounced among first-time pregnant women than those with multiple pregnancies. Conclusion This study provides insights into how lockdown measures impact psychological outcomes in pregnant women quarantined at home. Interventions aimed at increasing coping strategies may be more effective for primiparous women during future public health emergencies.

OBJECTIVE: Emerging evidence suggests that exposure to ultrafine particulate matter (UPM, aerodynamic diameter < 0.1 µm) is associated with adverse cardiovascular events. Previous studies have found that Shenlian (SL) extract possesses anti-inflammatory and antiapoptotic properties and has a promising protective effect at all stages of the atherosclerotic disease process. In this study, we aimed to investigated whether SL improves UPM-aggravated myocardial ischemic injury by inhibiting inflammation and cell apoptosis. METHODS: We established a mouse model of MI+UPM. Echocardiographic measurement, measurement of myocardialinfarct size, biochemical analysis, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), histopathological analysis, Transferase dUTP Nick End Labeling (TUNEL), Western blotting (WB), Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) and so on were used to explore the anti-inflammatory and anti-apoptotic effects of SL in vivo and in vitro. RESULTS: SL treatment can attenuate UPM-induced cardiac dysfunction by improving left ventricular ejection fraction, fractional shortening, and decreasing cardiac infarction area. SL significantly reduced the levels of myocardial enzymes and attenuated UPM-induced morphological alterations. Moreover, SL significantly reduced expression levels of the inflammatory cytokines IL-6, TNF-α, and MCP-1. UPM further increased the infiltration of macrophages in myocardial tissue, whereas SL intervention reversed this phenomenon. UPM also triggered myocardial apoptosis, which was markedly attenuated by SL treatment. The results of in vitro experiments revealed that SL prevented cell damage caused by exposure to UPM combined with hypoxia by reducing the expression of the inflammatory factor NF-κB and inhibiting apoptosis in H9c2 cells. CONCLUSION Overall, both in vivo and in vitro experiments demonstrated that SL attenuated UPM-aggravated myocardial ischemic injury by inhibiting inflammation and cell apoptosis. The mechanisms were related to the downregulation of macrophages infiltrating heart tissues.
Animals ; Apoptosis/drug effects* ; Particulate Matter/adverse effects* ; Mice ; Male ; Inflammation/drug therapy* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/therapeutic use* ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Myocardial Ischemia/drug therapy* ; Cell Line

The efficient production of L-glutamate is dependent on the product's rapid efflux, hence researchers have recently concentrated on artificially modifying its transport system and cell membrane wall structure. Considering the unique composition and structure of the cell wall of Corynebacterium glutamicum, we investigated the effects of CmpLs on L-glutamate synthesis and transport in SCgGC7, a constitutive L-glutamate efflux strain. First, the knockout strains of CmpLs were constructed, and it was confirmed that the deletion of CmpL1 and CmpL4 significantly improved the performance of L-glutamate producers. Next, temperature-sensitive L-glutamate fermentation with the CmpL1 and CmpL4 knockout strains were carried out in 5 L bioreactors, where the knockout strains showcased temperature-sensitive characteristics and enhanced capacities for L-glutamate production under high temperatures. Notably, the CmpL1 knockout strain outperformed the control strain in terms of L-glutamate production, showing production and yield increases of 69.2% and 55.3%, respectively. Finally, the intracellular and extracellular metabolites collected at the end of the fermentation process were analyzed. The modification of CmpLs greatly improved the L-glutamate excretion and metabolic flux for both L-glutamate production and transport. Additionally, the CmpL1 knockout strain showed decreased accumulation of downstream metabolites of L-glutamate and intermediate metabolites of tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle, which were consistent with its high L-glutamate biosynthesis capacity. In addition to offering an ideal target for improving the stability and performance of the industrial strains for L-glutamate production, the functional complementarity and redundancy of CmpLs provide a novel target and method for improving the transport of other metabolites by modification of the cell membrane and cell wall structures in C. glutamicum.
Corynebacterium glutamicum/genetics* ; Glutamic Acid/biosynthesis* ; Fermentation ; Metabolic Engineering ; Bacterial Proteins/metabolism* ; Bioreactors/microbiology* ; Gene Knockout Techniques

To evaluate the therapeutic effect of a modified Devine procedure with a subcutaneous sliding fixation method for the treatment of congenital concealed penis, we retrospectively selected 45 patients with congenital concealed penises who were admitted to General Hospital of Ningxia Medical University (Yinchuan, China) between September 2020 and November 2023. In all cases, the penis was observed to be short, and retracting the skin at the base revealed a normal penile body, which immediately returned to its original position upon release. All patients underwent the modified Devine procedure with subcutaneous sliding fixation and completed a 12-week postoperative follow-up. A statistically significant increase in penile length was observed postoperatively, with the median length increasing from 4.0 (interquartile range [IQR]: 3.5-4.8; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 3.9-4.4) cm to 8.0 (IQR: 7.8-8.0; 95% CI: 7.7-7.9) cm, with P < 0.001. The parents were satisfied with the outcomes, including increased penile length, improved hygiene, and enhanced esthetics. Except for mild foreskin edema in all cases, no complications (such as infections, skin necrosis, or penile retraction) were observed. The edema was resolved within 4 weeks after the operation. This study demonstrates that the modified Devine procedure utilizing the subcutaneous sliding fixation method yields excellent outcomes with minimal postoperative complications, reduced penile retraction, and high satisfaction rates among patients and their families.
Humans ; Male ; Penis/abnormalities* ; Retrospective Studies ; Urologic Surgical Procedures, Male/methods* ; Treatment Outcome ; Child ; Plastic Surgery Procedures/methods*

BACKGROUND: Medical informatics accumulated vast amounts of data for clinical diagnosis and treatment. However, limited access to follow-up data and the difficulty in integrating data across diverse platforms continue to pose significant barriers to clinical research progress. In response, our research team has embarked on the development of a specialized clinical research database for cardiology, thereby establishing a comprehensive digital platform that facilitates both clinical decision-making and research endeavors. METHODS: The database incorporated actual clinical data from patients who received treatment at the Cardiovascular Medicine Department of Chinese PLA General Hospital from 2012 to 2021. It included comprehensive data on patients' basic information, medical history, non-invasive imaging studies, laboratory test results, as well as peri-procedural information related to interventional surgeries, extracted from the Hospital Information System. Additionally, an innovative artificial intelligence (AI)-powered interactive follow-up system had been developed, ensuring that nearly all myocardial infarction patients received at least one post-discharge follow-up, thereby achieving comprehensive data management throughout the entire care continuum for high-risk patients. RESULTS: This database integrates extensive cross-sectional and longitudinal patient data, with a focus on higher-risk acute coronary syndrome patients. It achieves the integration of structured and unstructured clinical data, while innovatively incorporating AI and automatic speech recognition technologies to enhance data integration and workflow efficiency. It creates a comprehensive patient view, thereby improving diagnostic and follow-up quality, and provides high-quality data to support clinical research. Despite limitations in unstructured data standardization and biological sample integrity, the database's development is accompanied by ongoing optimization efforts. CONCLUSION The cardiovascular specialty clinical database is a comprehensive digital archive integrating clinical treatment and research, which facilitates the digital and intelligent transformation of clinical diagnosis and treatment processes. It supports clinical decision-making and offers data support and potential research directions for the specialized management of cardiovascular diseases.

AIM:To observe the effects of Huazhuo granules on phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase(PI3K)/protein kinase B(PKB/Akt)/glycogen synthase kinase-3β(GSK-3β)and PI3K/Akt/forkhead box protein O1(FOXO1)signaling pathways in the liver tissue of type 2 diabetes mellitus(T2DM)rats,and to explore its mechanism of action in regulating glycogen synthesis and gluconeogenesis.METHODS:Thirty 8-week-old SPF-grade male SD rats were chosen,with 5 ran-domly selected ones as the blank control group.The remaining 25 rats were fed to a high-sugar and high-fat diet for 4 weeks,followed by a single intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin to establish a T2DM rat model.After successful mod-eling,these rats were randomly divided into 5 additional groups:the model group,a positive control group treated with met-formin,and low,medium,and high-dose Huazhuo granule groups,resulting in a total of 6 groups with 5 rats in each.Rats in the treatment groups were gavaged with the corresponding doses of medication,while those in the blank control and model groups were gavaged with an equal volume of saline once daily for 4 consecutive weeks.After 24-hour fasting with free access to water,the rats were euthanized to measure blood glucose,serum insulin levels,and serum triglyceride(TG),total cholesterol(T-CHO),high-density lipoprotein cholesterol(HDL-C),aspartate aminotransferase(AST)and alanine aminotransferase(ALT)levels.Liver pathological morphology was assessed by hematoxylin-eosin staining,and liver glycogen storage was detected by periodic acid-Schiff staining.Immunohistochemistry and Western blot analysis were employed to detect the protein levels of p-PI3K,p-Akt,p-FOXO1 and p-GSK-3β in the liver of rats in each group.The mRNA levels of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase(PEPCK),glucose-6-phosphatase(G6Pase),GSK-3β,FOXO1,PI3K and Akt in liver tissues were detected by RT-qPCR.RESULTS:Compared with the model group,the rats in the high-dose Huazhuo Granule group and the metformin group exhibited decreased blood glucose and insulin levels(P<0.01),reduced AST,ALT,TG,and T-CHO concentrations(P<0.01),and increased HDL-C concentrations(P<0.01).The phosphorylation levels of PI3K,Akt,FOXO1,and GSK-3β proteins were up-regulated(P<0.01).In con-trast,the gene expressions of G6Pase,PERCK,FOXO1,and GSK-3β were all down-regulated(P<0.01).Conversely,the gene expressions of PI3K and Akt were upregulated(P<0.01).Pathological morphology of the liver tissue improved,accompanied by increased glycogen deposition in hepatocytes.CONCLUSION:Huazhuo granule manifests effects in lowering blood glucose and serum insulin levels,ameliorating blood lipids,and enhancing liver function in rats.These ef-fects are revealed to increase glycogen synthesis by activating the PI3K/Akt/GSK-3β signaling pathway and reduce gluco-neogenesis by activating the PI3K/Akt/FOXO1 signaling pathway.