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Background: Globally, there is an increasing trend in the incidence of premature births and low birth weight. Neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) care has become indispensable for these newborns. Nevertheless, this mode of care poses substantial economic, psychological, and health challenges to the families of preterm infants. Despite abundant evidence concerning the parents' needs in the NICU, the needs of grandparents—vital family members—are frequently disregarded. This exploratory study aimed to assess the grandparents' needs of preterm infants in the NICU, exploring the impact of demographic elements on these needs to offer guidance for clinical care practices. Methods: This study employed a cross-sectional design and the Chinese version of the NICU Family Needs Inventory (NICU-FNI) to investigate the needs of grandparents. A total of 280 grandparents participated in the study, providing data by completing structured questionnaires related to their demographic profiles and needs. Statistical analyses were utilized to analyze the data, including descriptive statistics, chi-square tests, Pearson's correlation, and multiple linear regression. Results: Six items about Assurance emerged as significant among the top 10 important needs, with two items for Information, one for Proximity, and one for Support; among the least important needs, nine items related to Comfort and Support were identified. The subscale "Assurance" achieved the highest mean score of 4.07 ± 0.49, followed by the subscales of "Information" and "Proximity," registering mean scores of 3.50 ± 0.47 and 3.50 ± 0.46, respectively. This explorative study identified a correlation between the needs for Assurance and employment status, place of residence, gestational age, and birth weight (p < 0.05). Employment status, place of residence, and gestational age were identified as significant correlates for Assurance (p < 0.05). Conclusion: The foremost need identified by grandparents is Assurance of quality care for preterm infants, closely followed by the demand for thorough Information and the ability to be in Proximity to the infant. This exploratory study highlights that mitigating the strain on families with preterm infants, as well as recognizing and meeting the needs of grandparents, is of paramount importance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This study investigated the association between body mass index (BMI) and myopia in the United States. Methods: This cross-sectional study included 8,000 participants from the 1999 to 2008 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). BMI was classified into four groups: < 18.5, 18.5 – 24.9, 25–29.9, and > 29.9. Three diagnostic thresholds were used for myopia A\B\C: spherical equivalent ≤ −0.5\−0.75\−1 diopters in the right eye. Multivariate logistic regression analysis and smooth curve fitting were performed to evaluate the association between BMI and myopia. Results: The incidence of myopia was 39.4%. BMI was correlated with myopia, with each 1 kg/m2 increase in BMI associated with a 1% increase in the risk of myopia (OR, 1.01; 95% CI 1.01 1.02; p < 0.05). In myopia B, after adjusting for confounding factors, compared with the reference group (BMI 18.5–24.9), participants with a BMI of 25–29.9 and greater than 29.9 had a 14% and 25% increased risk of myopia, respectively (OR 1.14; 95% CI 1.01 1.29; p = 0.037, OR 1.25; 95% CI 1.08 1.44; p = 0.003), which was similar to the results for myopic A (OR, 1.15; 95% CI 1.02 1.3; p = 0.027, OR 1.19; 95% CI 1.03 1.37; p = 0.018) and myopia C (OR 1.15; 95% CI 1.01 1.31; p = 0.035, OR 1.18; 95% CI 1.01 1.37; p = 0.032). Moreover, there was a linear relationship between myopia and BMI (p for nonlinearity = 0.767). Conclusions: Myopia using all three diagnostic thresholds was positively associated with higher BMI. This suggests a potential association between myopia and higher BMI in the American population, warranting further investigations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This study investigated the association between body mass index (BMI) and myopia in the United States. Methods: This cross-sectional study included 8,000 participants from the 1999 to 2008 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). BMI was classified into four groups: < 18.5, 18.5 – 24.9, 25–29.9, and > 29.9. Three diagnostic thresholds were used for myopia A\B\C: spherical equivalent ≤ −0.5\−0.75\−1 diopters in the right eye. Multivariate logistic regression analysis and smooth curve fitting were performed to evaluate the association between BMI and myopia. Results: The incidence of myopia was 39.4%. BMI was correlated with myopia, with each 1 kg/m2 increase in BMI associated with a 1% increase in the risk of myopia (OR, 1.01; 95% CI 1.01 1.02; p < 0.05). In myopia B, after adjusting for confounding factors, compared with the reference group (BMI 18.5–24.9), participants with a BMI of 25–29.9 and greater than 29.9 had a 14% and 25% increased risk of myopia, respectively (OR 1.14; 95% CI 1.01 1.29; p = 0.037, OR 1.25; 95% CI 1.08 1.44; p = 0.003), which was similar to the results for myopic A (OR, 1.15; 95% CI 1.02 1.3; p = 0.027, OR 1.19; 95% CI 1.03 1.37; p = 0.018) and myopia C (OR 1.15; 95% CI 1.01 1.31; p = 0.035, OR 1.18; 95% CI 1.01 1.37; p = 0.032). Moreover, there was a linear relationship between myopia and BMI (p for nonlinearity = 0.767). Conclusions: Myopia using all three diagnostic thresholds was positively associated with higher BMI. This suggests a potential association between myopia and higher BMI in the American population, warranting further investigations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BAG9 Interacts with Hsp20s and Maintains Hsps Stability under Heat Stress We next identified BAG9-interacting proteins by applying yeast two-hybrid screens. To further investigate whether heat-induced oxidative stress caused the oxidation of functional proteins, SDS-PAGE was used to analyze protein oxidation among proteins isolated from total proteins. Involvement of BAG9 in Tomato Thermotolerance Transcript analysis of 10 I SlBAGs i under heat stress was conducted to determine whether heat stress induced BAG gene expression. Thus, BAG9 played a crucial role in response to heat stress by regulating cellular redox homeostasis and the stability of heat shock proteins. [Extracted from the article]

Racemic R.S-α-arylethylamine was resolved by R (-) thiazolidine-2-thione-4-carboxylic acid, a new resolving agent abbreviated as [R (-) TTCA], by which R (-) TTCA.S(-) arylethylamine salts 2a-2e, [α] =-47.24° — 64.40° and optically active R(+)-a-arylethylamines 3a – 3e, 74. 54%-94. 45% e, e., were obtained. Optically active S (-) -α-arylethylamines 4a-4e, 72.84%-90.36% e.e., were obtained by the decomposition of 2a-2e in basic solutions. The influence of substitutive group of the benzene ring on the basicity of the amino group was studied by semiempirical PM3 method. The structures of the R (-) TTCA.S (-) -α-phenylethylamine salt ( 2a(R-S) configuration) and R (-) TTCA-R(+)-a-phenylethylamine salt ( 2a(R-R) configuration) have been established by means of X-ray diffraction. They crystallize in a monoclinic system. Space group is P21. The cell constants of 2a(R-S) configuration were obtained as follows: α = 1.387 8(2), b = 0.664 05(101, c = 1.580 O(2) nm; β = 90.844(10)° Z = 4; those obtained for 2a(R-R) configuration were α = 1.080 6(2), b = 0.584 80(12), c = 1.2188(2) nm, β= 110.38(3)dg, V = 0.7220nm3, Z = 2. There are intermolecular hydrogen bonds in the crystals of the two kinds of configurations of the amine salt. The hydrogen bond number in the unit cell of R (-) TTCA.S (-)-α-phenylethylamine salt is twice as much as that of R (-) TTCA.R(+)-a-phenylethylamine salt. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A previous study revealed that protein tyrosine phosphatase receptor type D (PTPRD) is highly associated with diabetes mellitus, particularly for type 2 diabetes, through a genome-wide association study. However, the influence of the human polymorphism in the 3'-untranslated region (3'-UTR) of PTPRD on gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) has remained to be defined. The present study focused on the functional polymorphism located in the 3'-UTR of PTPRD and whether it is associated with the susceptibility to develop GDM. A total of 1,100 pregnant female patients aged between 28 and 36 years within gestational weeks 24-28 were recruited. The participants enrolled in the study comprised 500 cases of GDM and 600 normal controls. Based on the screening results, the single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) rs56407701 exhibited the most significant difference and may increase the susceptibility to GDM. A prediction of target microRNAs (miRNAs/miRs) using the miRNA SNP database indicated that SNP rs56407701 may be bound by miR-450a, causing the suppression of PTPRD expression in subjects with the GC or CC genotype. In conclusion, The CC genotype of PTPRD rs56407701, which may be bound by miR-450a, may increase the susceptibility of Chinese Han females to GDM during pregnancy. The present study provided a theoretical basis for the SNP rs56407701 being a source of GDM susceptibility loci. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]