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BackgroundMindfulness-based interventions have gained popularity as a means of reducing stress and increasing resilience among the preclinical population. The present study aimed to investigate the effects of an online mindfulness-enhanced course on stress reduction in teachers, especially since online learning and teaching have been frequently applied to respond to emergencies such as COVID-19-relevant school suspension.MethodsThe study consisted of two phases. Phase 1 aimed to explore the relationship between teachers' perceived stress and mindfulness traits. In total of 6,252 teachers completed assessments of stress symptoms using the Chinese Perceived Stress Scale (CPSS) and occupational stress sources, as well as mindfulness using the Five Factor Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ). Phase 2 aimed to examine the effectiveness of the online mindfulness-enhanced course. In total of 132 teachers were randomly assigned to either receive a 3-week online mindfulness course specifically designed for stress reduction and emotion regulation (N = 66) or a matched active control group (N = 66) and their pre-training and post-training self-reported states (e.g., perceived stress, mindfulness level, practice time) were measured.ResultsThe detection rate of Health Risk Stress (≥26 scores) was as high as 61.72%, and a negative association between the score of FFMQ and perceived stress level was found. Importantly, compared to the control group, the mindfulness training group showed a significant decrease in perceived stress and negative emotion, as well as an increase in understanding of the core mechanisms of mindfulness after training. Additionally, individual improvement in FFMQ scores was predicted by practice time.ConclusionsThe study showed a high percentage of teachers experiencing stress, and the data supported the reliability and validity of the brief online mindfulness-enhanced course designed to reduce stress and regulate emotion for frontline teachers.

Distortion of Temporal Memory: Examining Emotion and its Spillover

Micro/mesopore carbon spheres as electrode materials of supercapacitors were prepared by hydrothermal carbonization followed by KOH/NaOH activation using sucrose as the carbon precursor. The effects of KOH and NaOH activation parameters on the specific surface area, pore size distribution and electrochemical performance of the carbon spheres were investigated. Results indicate that the use of NaOH leads to the development of mesopores while the use of KOH is favorable to increase specific surface area and micropore volume. The pore size distribution of carbon spheres could be adjusted by varying the fraction of NaOH in the activation agent. A balanced capacitance and rate performance of the supercapacitor electrode in both 6 mol L−1 KOH aqueous electrolyte and 1 mol L−1 MeEt3NBF4/PC electrolyte is achieved when the carbonized product is activated at a mass ratio of NaOH+KOH/ carbonized product of 3∶1 with a NaOH/KOH mass ratio of 2∶1. As-prepared porous carbon delivers a capacitance of 235 F g-1 at 0.1 A g-1 and capacitance retention rate of 81.5% at 20 A g-1 in the 6 mol L−1 KOH aqueous electrolyte. In 1 mol L−1 MeEt3NBF4/PC, the cell based on the porous carbon delivers the highest energy and power output of 30.4 Wh kg−1 and 18.5 kW kg−1, respectively.

BackgroundHeat stroke is a potentially fatal condition that is caused by elevated core temperature. Guillain–Barré syndrome (GBS) induced by heat stroke is extremely rare and has only been reported in few case reports. The purpose of this case study was to evaluate the clinical symptoms, neuroelectrophysiological and imageological features of GBS after heat stroke.MethodsWe reviewed our hospital records and previously published reports to find the cases of GBS after heat stroke. The clinical, imageological, and electrophysiological profiles, treatment and prognosis were presented and analyzed.ResultsWe retrieved three cases of GBS induced by heat stroke from our hospital, which presented as lesions on multiple cranial and peripheral nerves and albuminocytologic dissociation in the cerebrospinal fluid. All of these patients had disorders of consciousness at the early stage of heat stroke and a “pseudo-recovery period” after they recovered from coma after heat stroke. After immunoglobulin administration and immunoregulation therapy, these patients' neurological deficiencies were relieved significantly. But there are still disabilities and almost totally reliant on others.ConclusionsThe number of the cases of GBS induced by HS reported in this study has been the most in the recent 5 years. Clinicians should pay attention to patients with heat stroke with sustained coma and the sudden quadriplegia. Early, exact and timely diagnosis and treatment of GBS need to be performed, to accelerate recovery and improve prognosis.

Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a nonspecific intestinal inflammation with complex pathogenesis. Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) formula consists of several TCM herbs following the principle of herbal property and compatibility. Our previous studies found that Huanglian Ganjiang decoction (HGD) exhibited anti-colitis capacity and the compatibility between hot-natured medicine and cold-natured medicine was main compatibility. However, the association between compatibility mechanism of HGD and its anti-colitis effect has not been fully illustrated yet.Here, we would explore whether cold-natured medicine Coptis chinensis Franch. plus Phellodendron chinense C.K.Schneid. (CP) and hot-natured medicine Angelica sinensis (Oliv.) Diels plus Zingiber officinale Roscoe (AZ) in HGD respectively produce different impacts on UC, and exert synergistic effect on UC together.UPLC/MS-MS was used to qualitatively analyze chemical profiles of CP, AZ and CPAZ extracts. CPAZ-UC target network was constructed using network pharmacology. Colitis mice was induced by 3% DSS for 7 days and treated with CP, AZ and CPAZ for another 7 days. The levels of multiple cytokines and proportions of innate and adaptive immune cells were determined to assess inflammatory profiles. The leakage of FITC-dextran, expressions of tight junction proteins were detected for evaluation of gut barrier function.CP, AZ and CPAZ could improve symptoms of colitis mice. CP showed superiority in reducing proportions of pro-inflammatory immune cells M1 cells, neutrophils, Th1 and Th17 cells, and levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines IFN-γ, IL-6, IL-10, TNF-α. In the contrast, AZ had advantage of elevating ratios of anti-inflammatory immune cells M2 and Treg cells as well as the production of anti-inflammatory cytokines IL-10 and TGF-β. In addition, CP and AZ synergistically regulated M1/M2 macrophage polarization and the following IL-6, IL-10, TNF-α, IFN-γ production, thereby restoring intestinal mucosal barrier.Taken together, our study first demonstrated that cold-natured medicine CP and hot-natured medicine AZ took on different functions in treatment of colitis mice. Meanwhile, they exhibited synergistic effect on the alleviation of intestinal inflammation and reinforcement of gut barrier function and integrity.

BACKGROUND: The level of blood lipid is closely related to prognosis in cardiovascular diseases. This study aims to analyze the effect of serum low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels on the long-term mortality in acute aortic dissection (AAD). A lower admission LDL-C level is associated with an increased risk of long-term mortality in AAD. METHODS: We analyzed the data of 284 patients with AAD admitted to the First Affiliated Hospital of Shantou University Medical College from February 2016 to September 2019. Patients were followed up post-discharge. All patients were divided into either an LDL-C low-level group or an LDL-C high-level group according to the optimal cut-off point obtained by the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. The endpoint outcome was long-term mortality in AAD. A survival analysis and Cox proportional hazards model were used. RESULTS: According to the Youden index, the optimal cut-off point for LDL-C was 2.755 mmol/L. The Kaplan-Meier survival analysis curves showed that the long-term mortality of the LDL-C low-level group (

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The electrochemical corrosion behavior in an open system of zirconium diboride (ZrB2) was studied in hydrofluoric acid aqueous solution at room temperature. Based on analysis of the intermediate products of corrosion, a corrosion mechanism for ZrB2 is suggested. The morphology evolution of anodic ZrB2 is investigated. The density of the hexagonal-pyramid grain array is dictated by current density, and the time dictates the length of the hexagonal pyramid grains. The microstructure of the surface can be controlled by the current density, which demonstrates that the surface wettability of ZrB2 can be modified by tailoring the current density.

Passivation treatments in NaOH, H2SO4 and HCl were conducted in order to improve the oxidation resistance of Ti3SiC2 at 500°C. The oxidation resistance of Ti3SiC2 passivated in NaOH was the greates...

Previous studies have reported that memantine presents evidence of therapeutic benefits in several animal models of ischemic stroke and neurodegenerative diseases. However, the effect of memantine on secondary damage in the ipsilateral thalamus after focal cortical infarction remains undefined. Present study investigated whether memantine has a protective effect on secondary damage in the ipsilateral thalamus after focal cerebral infarction in rats. At 24 h after distal middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO), rats in the memantine and vehicle groups were intraperitoneal injected with memantine and isopycnic vehicle, respectively, was once daily administered for consecutive 7 days. Infarct size was evaluated through Nissl staining and sensory decline determined using adhesive removal test. Secondary thalamic damage was assessed using Nissl staining and immunofluorescence 8 days after MCAO. Immunoboltting was used to identify tau and apoptosis-associated proteins in the ipsilateral thalamus after MCAO. Results revealed that memantine ameliorated sensory decline compared to the vehicle controls. Subsequently, tau phosphorylated at threonine 231 (p-tau-231), glycogen synthase kinase3βpY216 (GSK3βpY216) and protein phosphatase 2A (PP2ApY307) were reduced by memantine, causing greater reduction in neuronal loss and inhibition of reactive astrogliosis in the ipsilateral ventroposterior thalamic nucleus (VPN) compared with the vehicle groups. In addition, increase in secondary damage-induced TUNEL-positive cells was blunted by memantine, as demonstrated by the significant reduction in expression of apoptosis-associated proteins. Our results suggest that memantine has a neuro-protective effect on secondary damage in the ipsilateral thalamus following MCAO by inhibiting the activity of GSK3βpY216/PP2ApY307 and down regulating the levels of p-tau-231 protein.

This study reports a viable method for the synthesis of Ti2SC phase using iron disulfide or iron sulfide as sulfur source and a post-treatment with acid. The reaction routes to Ti2SC phases starting from two different chemical compositions of 2Ti–FeS2–2TiC and Ti–FeS–TiC were in detail explored and compared through the analysis of X-ray diffraction, thermogravimetry/differential scanning calorimetry, and scanning electron microscopy results. Unlike the Ti–FeS–TiC composition, the reaction route from 2Ti–FeS2–2TiC composition contained an extra decomposition step in which FeS2 transformed to activated FeS and released molecular state sulfur at temperature around 500°C. The latter at this temperature could successfully trigger the reaction of Ti–S–TiC to form Ti2SC phase, which was an analogous self-propagating high-temperature synthesis with a high transient temperature. On the contrary, only trace of Ti2SC phase could be obtained at temperature as high as 1200°C from the Ti–FeS–TiC composition. The main impurity phases from these iron disulfide reactant systems were Fe and FeS, and they could be easily purified by dissolution in H2SO4 solution, which resulted in Ti2SC phase with a minor TiC phase in the final product.

Since the discovery of graphene, two-dimensional (2D) materials have been receiving increased attention. The quest for new 2D materials with unique structure and special properties has become urgent. Herein we report on the preparation of a new kind of ternary 2D material, Ti4AlN3 nanosheets, by liquid exfoliation of the corresponding laminated MAX phase. The obtained Ti4AlN3 nanosheets, bearing abundant surface groups, can be further used to fabricate micro-patterns via micro-contact printing (μCP) and subsequently functionalized through self-initiated photografting and photopolymerization (SIPGP) to achieve MAX-based hybrid patterned polymer brushes. Our work opens a door to explore the synthesis of 2D hybrid materials for functional applications based on the traditional MAX phases.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the factors that affect the recovery of consciousness in patients with disorders of consciousness following brain trauma. METHODS: We analyzed the data of 114 patients with disorders of consciousness following brain trauma admitted for rehabilitation. Bilateral logistic regression analysis was used to explore the factors that affected the recovery of the patients' consciousness. A logistic regression model was established and the ROC curve was drawn to obtain the optimal threshold of the prognostic model. RESULTS: Univariate analysis showed that vegetative state duration (P＜0.001), CRS-R scores (P＜0.001), hydrocephalus (P=0.037), hypertonia (P=0.034), central fever (P=0.035), paroxysmal sympathetic hyperactivity (PSH) (P=0.004), and epilepsy seizures were correlated with the recovery of consciousness. Logistic multivariate analysis showed that central fever (OR=3.493, P=0.044), vegetative state duration (OR=1.016, P=0.008), PSH (OR=4.223, P=0.034) and CRS-R scores (OR=0.640, P=0.002) all significantly affected the recovery of consciousness. The χ(2) value of the Hosmer-Lemeshow test was 10.214 (P=0.250), and the goodness of fit of this model indicated an outstanding fitting (c=0.91). CONCLUSION: s The presence of PSH is the one of the most important factor followed by centric fever to affect the outcome of patients with disorders of consciousness. A lower CRS-R score and a longer duration of vegetative state also predict a poor recovery of consciousness in these patients.

Hypertension increases expression of growth factors and MHC II in chronic allograft nephropathy.BackgroundHypertension of the recipient is strongly associated with chronic allograft nephropathy. It is unclear, however, whether hypertension is the cause or the consequence of chronic allograft nephropathy.MethodsThe present study was performed in the Fisher to Lewis rat kidney transplant model. Transplanted rats (N = eight in each group) received either no treatment or were made hypertensive by administration of deoxycorticosteron acetate (DOCA) and salt. Proteinuria and systolic blood pressure was measured monthly, grafts were harvested at 3 and 6 months for semiquantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and for immunohistology.ResultsSystolic blood pressure was markedly elevated in rats receiving DOCA/salt. Allografts of hypertensive animals contained significantly more cells expressing the proliferating cell nuclear antigen compared to isografts and to allografts from normotensive animals (P < 0.05). Histologic staining and mRNA expression of major histocompatibility complex (MHC) II was markedly increased in allografts of hypertensive animals compared to all other groups (P < 0.05). Expression of mRNA for platelet-derived growth factor-B (PDGF-B), transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) and collagen was higher in allografts than in isografts and was highest in hypertensive animals.ConclusionWe conclude that hypertension augments the expression of growth factors in the allograft possibly aggravating the intimal hyperplasia observed in chronic allograft nephropathy. By increasing the expression of MHC II antigens, hypertension may render the allograft more susceptible to alloantigen-dependent damage. Hypertension and alloantigen-dependent factors appear to exert additive or synergistic effects on inflammatory pathways leading to graft injury.

Fetal tea is a new type of tea made from seedling before its big euphylla come into leaf. So the yield and quality of seedling used for raw material of fetal tea directly affect the fetal tea yield and quality; the main purpose of this paper is to explore the effect of full light, half light and dark conditions on the growth of seedling used for raw material of fetal tea, and to provide a reference basis for the production of seedling with high quality. The tea tree seeds were cultivated with water under full light, half light and dark conditions, respectively; Then quadrats were set to observed regularly germination state of seed, growth of baconic and germ, meanwhile growth of root, stem, leaf, euphylla of “germ seedling”; By comparing the difference between different illumination conditions, the appropriate light conditions were selected as follows. The number and speed of seed crack were 27.0% and 63.4% higher under full light than under dark conditions and half light, respectively; Meanwhile the number of seed crack was 28.6% higher under dark conditions than under half light. As a result, the full light was the best for cultivating seedling used for fetal tea, dark condition was middle, and half light was worst. The baconic elongation of seed were 87.7% and 93.7% higher under full light than half light and dark condition, respectively, while 3.1% higher under half light than dark condition; therefore, full light was the best condition to promote baconic growth, half light was second, dark condition was the worst. The growth length of germ were 76.0% and 92.0% lower under half light and under dark condition than under full light, respectively, while 66.6% lower under dark condition than under half light, hence, full light was the best condition to promote germ growth, half light was second, and dark condition is the worst. Based on above results, it was concluded that cultivating tea seed with water under full light can obtain higher output of seedling used for raw material of fetal tea.

To explore the grey relation between hemodynamic parameters and the diversity of non-invasive systolic blood pressure (NISBP) and invasive systolic blood pressure (INSBP), NISBP-INSBP diversity and hemodynamic parameters were measured in 16 female hypertensive patients. Grey analysis was performed to explore their relations. The diversity of NISBP and INSBP was −29.94±20.815mmHg. The radial perk systolic velocity (RPSV) and radial resistive index (RRI) were strongly related to NISBP-INSBP diversity. And the following conclusions can be drawn: (1) Velocity of blood stream in hypertensive female patients might affect the NISBP-INSBP diversity. (2)The NISBP-INSBP diversity attributes were not only to the velocity of blood stream but also to the resistance of the blood vessel in female hypertensive patients. (3) RPSV and RRI were meaningful parameters worth being studied.