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Guan-Nan He, Na-Ren Bao, Shuang Wang, Man Xi, Tian-Hao Zhang, Feng-Shou Chen Department of Anesthesiology, First Affiliated Hospital, China Medical University, Shenyang, 110001, Liaoning, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Feng-Shou ChenDepartment of Anesthesiology, First Affiliated Hospital, China Medical University, Shenyang, 110001, Liaoning, People’s Republic of ChinaEmail shouyongpang4540@163.comBackground: Liver cancer ranks the top four malignant cancer type worldwide, which needs effective and safe treatment. Ferroptosis is a novel form of regulated cell death driven by iron-dependent lipid peroxidation and has been regarded as a promising therapeutic target for cancers. In this work, we aimed to study the effects of anesthetic ketamine on proliferation and ferroptosis of liver cancer.Methods: Cell viability and proliferation were detected by cell counting kit 8 (CCK-8), colony formation, and 5-ethynyl-2′-deoxyuridine (EdU) assay. Ferroptosis was determined by levels of Fe2+, lipid reactive oxygen species (ROS), and malondialdehyde (MDA). RNA levels of lncPVT1, miR-214-3p, and glutathione peroxidase 4 (GPX4) were checked by real-time PCR assay. Clinical liver tumor samples were collected to detect the levels of long noncoding RNA lncPVT1, miR-214-3p, and GPX4, and their correlation was evaluated by Pearson comparison test. Luciferase reporter gene assay and RNA pulldown were conducted to determine the binding between lncPVT1, miR-214-3p, and GPX4 3ʹUTR.Results: Ketamine significantly suppressed viability and proliferation of liver cancer cells both in vitro and in vivo, as well as stimulated ferroptosis, along with decreased expression of lncPVT1 and GPX4. LncPVT1 directly interacted with miR-214-3p to impede its role as a sponge of GPX4. Depletion of lncPVT1 accelerated the ferroptosis of live cancer cells, whereas miR-214-3p inhibition and GPX4 overexpression reversed this effect. Ketamine-induced cell growth suppression and ferroptosis were also suppressed by miR-214-3p inhibition and GPX4 overexpression.Conclusion: In this work, we determined that ketamine suppressed viability of liver cancer cells and induced ferroptosis and identified the possible regulatory mechanism of lncPVT1/miR-214-3p/GPX4 axis.Keywords: liver cancer, ketamine, lncPVT1, miR-214-3p, GPX4

Jing Ren,1 Quanlei Li,2 Tianhua Zhang,3 Xiaomei Li,4 Shaoru Zhang,1,4 Jiaojiao Wright,2 Haini Liu,4 Zhongqiu Hua4 1School of Public Health, Health Science Center, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an, Shanxi, China; 2School of Nursing, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA; 3Shaanxi Provincial Institute for Tuberculosis Control and Prevention, Xi’an, Shanxi, China; 4School of Nursing, Health Science Center, Xi’ an Jiaotong University, Xi’an, Shanxi, China Purpose: Adherence to treatment is cited as a key challenge in fighting tuberculosis (TB). Treatment of TB requires patients to actively engage in their care. The purpose of this study was to explore the perceptions of patients with TB regarding their engagement in health care.Patients and methods: The study was conducted in three medical wards in one hospital. Purposive sampling was used to recruit participants. Semi-structured, audiotaped interviews were conducted and analyzed using thematic analysis.Results: Twenty-three patients participated in the study. Four major themes emerged: 1) devaluing engagement; 2) interacting with health care providers (HCPs); 3) facing inability; and 4) seeking external support.Conclusion: The patients’ perceptions of their engagement in health care were generally negative. Paying attention to the preferences and needs of patients and making decisions accordingly are effective strategies for promoting patient engagement. Moreover, HCPs should be aware of their crucial role in helping patients make sense of what engagement is and how to engage. In the process of engagement, providers should establish effective interactions with patients and cooperate with family and peers. Keywords: tuberculosis, patient engagement, qualitative study, treatment adherence

TianHong Zhang,1 HuiJun Li,2,3 Kristen A Woodberry,3 Larry J Seidman,3 Annabelle Chow,4 ZePing Xiao,1 JiJun Wang1 1Shanghai Mental Health Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Psychology, Florida A&M University, Tallahassee, FL, USA; 3Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA, USA; 4Department of Psychological Medicine, Changi General Hospital, Singapore Abstract: Clinical high risk of psychosis is defined as the period in which the first signs of psychotic symptoms begin to appear. During this period, there is an increased probability of developing frank psychosis. It is crucial to investigate the interaction between psychotic symptoms and the individual’s personality and life experiences in order to effectively prevent, or delay the development of psychosis. This paper presents case reports of three Chinese female subjects with attenuated positive symptoms, attending their initial outpatient assessment in a mental health service, and their longitudinal clinical outcomes. Information regarding each subject’s symptoms and life stressors was collected at 2-month intervals over a 6-month period. The assessments indicated that these women were suffering from the recent onset of symptoms in different ways. However, all three hid their symptoms from others in their school or workplace, and experienced a decline in performance related to their social roles and in their daily functioning. They were often excluded from the social groups to which they had previously belonged. A decline in social activities may be a risk factor in the development of psychosis and a mediator of functional sequelae in psychosis. Effective treatment strategies may include those that teach individuals to gain insights related to their symptoms and a service that provides a context in which individuals can discuss their psychotic symptoms. Keywords: prodromal psychosis, ultra high risk, follow-up, functional sequelae, transition

Fo Shou San (FSS) is an ancient herbal decoction comprised of Chuanxiong Rhizoma (CR; Chuanxiong) and Angelicae Sinensis Radix (ASR; Danggui) in a ratio of 2: 3. FSS was first recorded by Xu Shuwei in Puji Benshi in Song Dynasty (AD 1132) of China, which was prescribed to treat women’s aliments. Ferulic acid is one of the active chemicals in FSS decoction. By using ferulic acid as a marker chemical, determined by triple quadrupole tandem mass spectrometer, the pharmacokinetic properties of FSS were revealed here. In cultured human epithelial colorectal adenocarcinoma (Caco-2) cell monolayers, the absorption rate of ferulic acid under the herbal mixture was determined: the rate was markedly increased by over 80% as compared to ferulic acid alone. After oral administration of FSS, a quick absorption of ferulic acid was observed in rat plasma. The pharmacokinetic parameters indicated that the bioavailability and AUC (area under the curve) values of ferulic acid in FSS were determined. Our results showed that the membrane permeability and pharmacokinetic characteristics of ferulic acid were markedly enhanced in FSS, which partly explained the synergistic action of different herbs within a Chinese herbal decoction.

Nanoindentation and nanoscratch tests were performed for titanium nitride (TiN) coatings on different tool steel substrates to investigate the indentation/scratch induced deformation behavior of the coatings and the adhesion of the coating–substrate interfaces and their tribological property. In this work, TiN coatings with a thickness of about 500 nm were grown on GT35, 9Cr18 and 40CrNiMo steels using vacuum magnetic-filtering arc plasma deposition. In the nanoindentation tests, the hardness and modulus curves for TiN/GT35 reduced the slowest around the film thickness 500 nm with the increase of indentation depth, followed by TiN/9Cr18 and TiN/40CrNiMo. Improving adhesion properties of coating and substrate can decrease the differences of internal stress field. The scratch tests showed that the scratch response was controlled by plastic deformation in the substrate. The substrate plays an important role in determining the mechanical properties and wear resistance of such coatings. TiN/GT35 exhibited the best load-carrying capacity and scratch/wear resistance. As a consequence, GT35 is the best substrate for TiN coatings of the substrate materials tested.

It has long been known that various ignition criteria of energetic materials have been limited in applicability to small regions. In order to explore the physical nature of ignition, we calculated how much thermal energy per unit mass of energetic materials was absorbed under different external stimuli. Hence, data of several typical sensitivity tests were analyzed by order of magnitude estimation. Then a new concept on critical thermal energy density was formulated. Meanwhile, the chemical nature of ignition was probed into by chemical kinetics.