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Background: A high turnover rate in nursing has become a global concern. Mental health issues may increase the turnover intention of nurses and lead to turnover behaviors. However, very little is known about the role of bidirectional associations between emotional exhaustion and depression/anxiety on turnover intention. This study aimed to examine the associations among depression, anxiety, emotional exhaustion and turnover intention, and to test the role of bidirectional associations between depression, anxiety, and emotional exhaustion on turnover intention among nurses. Methods: An online multicenter cross-sectional study was conducted in Hunan Province, China, from December 2021 to February 2022. The questionnaire collected data from the Turnover Intention Scale, the Emotional Exhaustion Scale, the Patient Health Questionnaire-2, and the Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale-2, as well as sociodemographic information. Data analysis was performed by univariate analysis, Pearson correlation analysis, multiple linear regression analysis, and structural equation modeling. Results: The average turnover intention score among Chinese nurses was 14.34 ± 3.75. The prevalence of depression and anxiety was 25.9% and 22.3%, respectively. Depression (r = 0.378, P < 0.001), anxiety (r = 0.391, P < 0.001), and emotional exhaustion (r = 0.532, P < 0.001) were positively associated with turnover intention. Emotional exhaustion partially mediated the associations between depression/anxiety and turnover intention, with both mediating effects accounting for 60.7%. The mediating ratios of depression/anxiety on the associations between emotional exhaustion and turnover intentions were 17.6% and 16.5%, respectively. Conclusions: Depression, anxiety, and emotional exhaustion showed significant positive effects on turnover intention among nurses. Emotional exhaustion played a partial mediation role between depression/anxiety and turnover intention, while depression/anxiety played no significant mediation role between emotional exhaustion and turnover intention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Alexithymia, a subclinical cognitive-affective impairment, is prevalent in older people and increases the risk of mental disorders. There is a vast alexithymia treatment gap, with majority of older people in nursing homes lacking access to adequate mental health care. The study aimed to evaluate the effects of rational emotive behavior therapy (REBT) on alexithymia, anxiety, depression and sleep quality of older people in nursing homes. Methods: This quasi-experimental study was conducted with two groups (the control group and intervention) from March to November 2021. This study enrolled 86 participants, two of whom were lost to follow-up; 42 received usual care (control group) and 42 received REBT based on usual care (intervention group) in nursing homes. The older people in both groups were evaluated at baseline (T0), within one-week post-intervention (T1), and at 3-month follow-up (T3). Generalized estimating equations were used by SPSS version 26 to assess the differential change in the outcomes between the two groups. Results: The intervention group shows significantly greater improvement in alexithymia than the control group at both T1 (β = -8.167, 95%CI= -10.965, -5.368, P < 0.001) and T2 (β=-4.119, 95%CI= -7.171, -1.067, P = 0.008). The two groups showed significant differences at both T1 and T2 in both difficulty identifying feelings and difficulty describing feelings. Compared to the control group, the intervention group shows a significant improvement in sleep quality at T2 (β = -2.048, 95%CI=-4.004, -0.091, P = 0.040). The two groups showed significant differences at both T1 and T2 in both sleep disturbance and daytime dysfunction. For depression and anxiety, no significant differences were found between the intervention and control groups. Conclusions: REBT showed to be an effective method for improving alexithymia and sleep quality of older people in nursing homes. However, it failed to significantly alleviate anxiety and depression at least in a short-term trial. Refining this intervention may have a broader, more substantial impact on future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Saccharomyces cerevisiae is being exploited as a cell factory to produce fatty acids and their derivatives as biofuels. Previous studies found that both precursor supply and fatty acid metabolism deregulation are essential for enhanced fatty acid synthesis. A bacterial pyruvate dehydrogenase (PDH) complex expressed in the yeast cytosol was reported to enable production of cytosolic acetyl-CoA with lower energy cost and no toxic intermediate. Results: Overexpression of the PDH complex significantly increased cell growth, ethanol consumption and reduced glycerol accumulation. Furthermore, to optimize the redox imbalance in production of fatty acids from glucose, two endogenous NAD+-dependent glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenases were deleted, and a heterologous NADP+-dependent glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase was introduced. The best fatty acid producing strain PDH7 with engineering of precursor and co-factor metabolism could produce 840.5 mg/L free fatty acids (FFAs) in shake flask, which was 83.2% higher than the control strain YJZ08. Profile analysis of free fatty acid suggested the cytosolic PDH complex mainly resulted in the increases of unsaturated fatty acids (C16:1 and C18:1). Conclusions: We demonstrated that cytosolic PDH pathway enabled more efficient acetyl-CoA provision with the lower ATP cost, and improved FFA production. Together with engineering of the redox factor rebalance, the cytosolic PDH pathway could achieve high level of FFA production at similar levels of other best acetyl-CoA producing pathways. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Nurses in tertiary hospitals are at high risk for depression. Understanding sleep quality and perceived stress may contribute to nurses' mental health and health-related nursing productivity. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of sleep quality and perceived stress on depressive symptoms among nurses in tertiary hospitals. Methods: A total of 2,780 nurses (overall response rate = 91.1%) were recruited through a cross-sectional survey in 23 tertiary hospitals in China. Questionnaires included the Self-Rating Depression Scale, the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, and the Chinese Perceived Stress Scale. Variables that were significant in Chi-square tests were further entered into binary logistic stepwise regression. Results: The prevalence of depressive symptoms was 60.3% (n = 1,676), of which 97.4% (n = 1,633) were female, and 77.8% were younger than 35 years (n = 1,304). Nurses who had moderate, poor, severe sleep quality and poor perceived pressure were more likely to be depressed. Master's degree, 6–10 years of work, and physical activity were protective factors, while the opposite was the case for shift work and high dissatisfaction. Conclusions: More than half of nurses working in tertiary care hospitals reported depressive symptoms, and lower sleep quality and higher perceived stress were more associated with this. Perceived stress is an interesting concept, which may provide a new entry point for the well-known idea that there is a relationship between poor sleep quality and depression. It is possible to reduce depressive symptoms among public hospital nurses by providing information on sleep health and stress relief. Highlights: The prevalence of depressive symptoms is high among tertiary hospital nurses (60.3%). Lower sleep quality and worse perceived stress are modifiable variables relevant to depressive symptoms and may be useful for depressive symptom management strategies. Taking job characteristics (i.e., work experience, shifts, and satisfaction) into consideration may help achieve fewer depressive symptoms in the nurse population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Ovarian follicle development plays an important role in determination of poultry egg production. The follicles at the various developmental stages possess their own distinct molecular genetic characteristics and have different biological roles in chicken ovary development and function. In the each stage, several genes of follicle-specific expression and biological pathways are involved in the vary-sized follicular development and physiological events. Identification of the pivotal genes and signaling pathways that control the follicular development is helpful for understanding their exact regulatory functions and molecular mechanisms underlying egg-laying traits of laying hens. Results: The comparative mRNA transcriptomic analysis of ovarian follicles at three key developmental stages including slow growing white follicles (GWF), small yellow follicles (SYF) of recruitment into the hierarchy, and differentiated large yellow follicles (LYF), was accomplished in the layers with lower and higher egg production. Totally, 137, 447, and 229 of up-regulated differentially expressed genes (DEGs), and 99, 97, and 157 of down-regulated DEGs in the GWF, SYF and LYF follicles, including VIPR1, VIPR2, ADRB2, and HSD17B1 were identified, respectively. Moreover, NDUFAB1 and GABRA1 genes, two most promising candidates potentially associated with egg-laying performance were screened out from the 13 co-expressed DEGs in the GWF, SYF and LYF samples. We further investigated the biological effects of NDUFAB1 and GABRA1 on ovarian follicular development and found that NDUFAB1 promotes follicle development by stimulating granulosa cell (GC) proliferation and decreasing cell apoptosis, increases the expression of CCND1 and BCL-2 but attenuates the expression of caspase-3, and facilitates steroidogenesis by enhancing the expression of STAR and CYP11A1. In contrast, GABRA1 inhibits GC proliferation and stimulates cell apoptosis, decreases the expression of CCND1, BCL-2, STAR, and CYP11A1 but elevates the expression of caspase-3. Furthermore, the three crucial signaling pathways such as PPAR signaling pathway, cAMP signaling pathway and neuroactive ligand-receptor interaction were significantly enriched, which may play essential roles in ovarian follicle growth, differentiation, follicle selection, and maturation. Conclusions: The current study provided new molecular data for insight into the regulatory mechanism underlying ovarian follicle development associated with egg production in chicken. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Cotton is an important cash crop. The fiber length has always been a hot spot, but multi-factor control of fiber quality makes it complex to understand its genetic basis. Previous reports suggested that OsGASR9 promotes germination, width, and thickness by GAs in rice, while the overexpression of AtGASA10 leads to reduced silique length, which is likely to reduce cell wall expansion. Therefore, this study aimed to explore the function of GhGASA10 in cotton fibers development. Results: To explore the molecular mechanisms underlying fiber elongation regulation concerning GhGASA10–1, we revealed an evolutionary basis, gene structure, and expression. Our results emphasized the conservative nature of GASA family with its origin in lower fern plants S. moellendorffii. GhGASA10–1 was localized in the cell membrane, which may synthesize and transport secreted proteins to the cell wall. Besides, GhGASA10–1 promoted seedling germination and root extension in transgenic Arabidopsis, indicating that GhGASA10–1 promotes cell elongation. Interestingly, GhGASA10–1 was upregulated by IAA at fiber elongation stages. Conclusion: We propose that GhGASA10–1 may promote fiber elongation by regulating the synthesis of cellulose induced by IAA, to lay the foundation for future research on the regulation networks of GASA10–1 in cotton fiber development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This study aimed to evaluate the predictive values of hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg) and hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) levels in 171 Chinese patients with chronic hepatitis B who received a 48-week course of pegylated interferon alfa-2b therapy at 1.5 mcg/kg. Methods: HBsAg, HBeAg, and hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA levels were measured at baseline and weeks 12, 24, 48, and 72. Clinical responses were defined as a combined response (CR, HBeAg seroconversion [sustained response, SR] combined with HBV DNA level <2,000 IU/mL at week 72). The positive predictive value and negative predictive value were calculated for HBsAg alone and/or combined with HBeAg and HBV DNA at weeks 12 and 24. Results: Of 171 patients included, 58 (33.9%) achieved a SR. Of patients who achieved a SR, 33 (56.9%) achieved a CR. Totally 19.3% (33/171) patients achieved CR and 80.7% (138/171) patients did not. Patients with HBsAg <1500 IU/mL at week 12 had a 47.4% chance of achieving an off-treatment SR and patients with a HBsAg decrease >1.5 logIU/mL at week 12 had a 54.5% chance. Patients with HBsAg >20,000 IU/mL at weeks 12 and 24 had a 93.8 and 100.0% chance, respectively, of not achieving a CR. An HBsAg level or changes at weeks 12 and 24, combined with HBeAg or HBV DNA, increased the chance for a SR and CR. Conclusions: On-treatment HBsAg quantification, alone or in combination with HBeAg or HBV DNA, predicted off-treatment SR and CR after 48 weeks of PEG-IFNa-2b therapy, and thus, may guide clinicians in making a therapeutic decision to continue or terminate the therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Reduction of pancreatic β-cells mass, major secondary to increased β-cells apoptosis, is increasingly recognized as one of the main contributing factors to the pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes (T2D), and saturated free fatty acid palmitate has been shown to induce endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress that may contribute to promoting β-cells apoptosis. Recent literature suggests that valproate, a diffusely prescribed drug in the treatment of epilepsy and bipolar disorder, can inhibit glycogen synthase kinase-3β (GSK-3β) activity and has cytoprotective effects in neuronal cells and HepG2 cells. Thus, we hypothesized that valproate may protect INS-1 β-cells from palmitate-induced apoptosis via inhibiting GSK-3β. Results Valproate pretreatment remarkable prevented palmitate-mediated cytotoxicity and apoptosis (lipotoxicity) as well as ER distension. Furthermore, palmitate triggered ER stress as evidenced by increased mRNA levels of C/EBP homologous protein (CHOP) and activating transcription factor 4 (ATF4) in a time-dependent fashion. However, valproate not only reduced the mRNA and protein expression of CHOP but also inhibited GSK-3β and caspase- 3 activity induced by palmitate, whereas, the mRNA expression of ATF4 was not affected. Interestingly, TDZD-8, a specific GSK-3β inhibitor, also showed the similar effect on lipotoxicity and ER stress as valproate in INS-1 cells. Finally, compared with CHOP knockdown, valproate displayed better cytoprotection against palmitate. Conclusions Valproate may protect β-cells from palmitate-induced apoptosis and ER stress via GSK-3β inhibition, independent of ATF4/CHOP pathway. Besides, GSK-3β, rather than CHOP, may be a more promising therapeutic target for T2D. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Potato, the third most important crop worldwide, plays a critical role in human food security. Brown rot, one of the most destructive potato diseases caused by Ralstonia solanacearum, results in huge economic losses every year. A quick, stable, low cost and high throughout method is required to meet the demands of identification of germplasm resistance to bacterial wilt in potato breeding programs. Results: Here we present a novel R. solanacearum hydroponic infection assay on potato plants grown in vitro. Through testing wilt symptom appearance and bacterial colonization in aerial part of plants, we found that the optimum conditions for in vitro potato infection were using an OD600 0.01 bacterial solution suspended with tap water for infection, broken potato roots and an open container. Infection using R. solanacearum strains with differential degree of aggressivity demonstrated that this infection system is equally efficient as soil-drench inoculation for assessment of R. solanacearum virulence on potato. A small-scale assessment of 32 potato germplasms identified three varieties highly resistant to the pathogen, which indicates this infection system is a useful method for high-throughout screening of potato germplasm for resistance. Furthermore, we demonstrate the utility of a strain carrying luminescence to easily quantify bacterial colonization and the detection of latent infections in hydroponic conditions, which can be efficiently used in potato breeding programs. Conclusions: We have established a quick and efficient in vitro potato infection system, which may facilitate breeding for new potato cultivars with high resistance to R. solanacearum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An abstract of the study "Berardinelli-Seip Syndrome in a Chinese Boy With a Seipin Gene Mutation: A Case Study and Literature Review of Genotype-Phenotype" by Shan Huang et al is presented.

An abstract of the study "Chronic Treatment With Valproate Protects INS1 Cell From Palmitate-Induced ER Stress and Apoptosis by Inhibiting GSK3β" by Shan Huang et al is presented.