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ObjectiveThe coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and the public health responses were associated with a huge health burden, which could influence sleep quality. This meta-analysis and systematic review examined the prevalence of poor sleep quality in COVID-19 patients.MethodsPubMed, Web of Science, Embase, and PsycINFO were systematically searched from their respective inception to October 27, 2022. Prevalence rates of poor sleep were analyzed using a random effects model.ResultsTotally, 24 epidemiological and 12 comparative studies with 8,146 COVID-19 patients and 5,787 healthy controls were included. The pooled prevalence of poor sleep quality based on the included studies was 65.0% (95%CI: 59.56–70.44%, I2 = 97.6%). COVID-19 patients had a higher risk of poor sleep quality compared to healthy controls (OR = 1.73, 95% CI: 1.30–2.30, p

BackgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic has greatly affected treatment-seeking behaviors of psychiatric patients and their guardians. Barriers to access of mental health services may contribute to adverse mental health consequences, not only for psychiatric patients, but also for their guardians. This study explored the prevalence of depression and its association with quality of life among guardians of hospitalized psychiatric patients during the COVID-19 pandemic.MethodsThis multi-center, cross-sectional study was conducted in China. Symptoms of depression and anxiety, fatigue level and quality of life (QOL) of guardians were measured with validated Chinese versions of the Patient Health Questionnaire – 9 (PHQ-9), Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale – 7 (GAD-7), fatigue numeric rating scale (FNRS), and the first two items of the World Health Organization Quality of Life Questionnaire - brief version (WHOQOL-BREF), respectively. Independent correlates of depression were evaluated using multiple logistic regression analysis. Analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) was used to compare global QOL of depressed versus non-depressed guardians. The network structure of depressive symptoms among guardians was constructed using an extended Bayesian Information Criterion (EBIC) model.ResultsThe prevalence of depression among guardians of hospitalized psychiatric patients was 32.4% (95% CI: 29.7–35.2%). GAD-7 total scores (OR = 1.9, 95% CI: 1.8–2.1) and fatigue (OR = 1.2, 95% CI: 1.1–1.4) were positively correlated with depression among guardians. After controlling for significant correlates of depression, depressed guardians had lower QOL than non-depressed peers did [F(1, 1,101) = 29.24, p

BackgroundMedical students suffer more pressure due to various reasons and their mental health problems get more attention. Resilience is a positive psychological perspective to explore the medical students’ mental health and coping style problems. This study focuses on the medical students in school and uses the method of latent category analysis (LCA) to analyze the classification characteristics of their resilience. Therefore, the study aims to help psychological educators in medical colleges to develop positive mental health education strategies for medical students.ObjectiveTo explore the potential categories of resilience of medical students and the relationship between these categories and mental health and coping style.MethodsA total of 1,457 medical students from four medical colleges in Anhui Province were selected as the research subjects by a convenience sampling method. A general information questionnaire, the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC), Kessler 10 and the Simplified Coping Style Questionnaire (SCSQ) were used to investigate; SPSS 25.0 and Mplus 7 software were used for basic analysis and latent category exploration.Expected resultsThe medical students were divided into three potential categories of mental resilience: the low resilience group, moderate resilience self-improvement group and high resilience tough group. The optimism dimension level of the three categories was low. There were statistically significant differences in the distribution of resilience among medical students, such as gender, source of students, and paternal and maternal education level. There were significant differences in the mental health, positive coping style and negative coping style scores among the three categories. Female medical students with low parental education levels have a lower level of resilience. Logistic regression analysis showed that a lower maternal education level was a risk factor for resilience level, and a high positive coping style score and gender were protective factors for resilience level.DiscussionThere are group differences in the resilience of medical students, which suggests that school health workers should formulate targeted intervention programs for different types of students to improve their resilience and mental health, and further more, this study reminds mental health workers in colleges and universities to pay more attention to the mental health status of female medical students whose parents are less educated.

BackgroundThere is a vast amount of evidence-based medicine research on the major depressive disorder (MDD) available in the literature, however, no studies on the overall performance, productivity and impact of such research have been published to date. This study explored and mapped the research outputs of MDD-related systematic reviews and meta-analyses (SR/MA) from a bibliometric perspective.MethodsRelevant data were retrieved with search terms on MDD, systematic review and meta-analysis.ResultsA total of 4,870 papers with 365,402 citations published from 1983 to 2022 were included in the analysis. The publication output has grown steadily over time with the most publications originating from the USA (1,020; 20.94%), the UK (516; 10.60%) and China (448; 9.20%). The research collaborations between countries were most frequent between the USA and UK (266; 5.46%). Journal of Affective Disorders (379; 7.78%) was the most productive journal, while Cuijpers P was the most productive author (121; 2.48%), and University of Toronto (569; 11.78%) was the most productive institution. The top 10 most cited articles on MDD-related SR/MA had citations ranging from 1,806 to 3,448. The high-frequency keywords were mainly clustered into four themes, including psychiatric comorbidities, clinical trials, treatment, and brain stimulation in MDD.ConclusionThe rapid increase in the number of SR/MA of MDD in recent years highlights the importance of this research field. Psychiatric comorbidities, clinical interventions, and treatment of MDD have been identified as hot topics, while biological mechanisms in MDD are likely to be an emerging research priority.

BackgroundIn the summer of 2022, Macau experienced a surge of COVID-19 infections (the 618 COVID-19 wave), which had serious effects on mental health and quality of life (QoL). However, there is scant research on mental health problems and QoL among Macau residents during the 618 COVID-19 wave. This study examined the network structure of depressive symptoms (hereafter depression), and the interconnection between different depressive symptoms and QoL among Macau residents during this period.MethodA cross-sectional study was conducted between 26th July and 9th September 2022. Depressive symptoms were measured with the 9-item Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), while the global QoL was measured with the two items of the World Health Organization Quality of Life-brief version (WHOQOL-BREF). Correlates of depression were explored using univariate and multivariate analyses. The association between depression and QoL was investigated using analysis of covariance (ANCOVA). Network analysis was used to evaluate the structure of depression. The centrality index “Expected Influence” (EI) was used to identify the most central symptoms and the flow function was used to identify depressive symptoms that had a direct bearing on QoL.ResultsA total 1,008 participants were included in this study. The overall prevalence of depression was 62.5% (n = 630; 95% CI = 60.00–65.00%). Having depression was significantly associated with younger age (OR = 0.970; p

Based on renewed interest in the shortcut-to-adiabaticity techniques in quantum control, we propose a reverse-engineering approach to modulate the longitudinal coupling between a pair of two-level systems with a quantized single-mode resonator. This allows us to suppress the unwanted transitions in the time-evolution operator such that the system dynamics resemble a controlled-phase gate acting in the qubit subspace at the nanosecond scale. The reduced gating time mitigates the detrimental effect produced by the loss mechanisms in all aspects. Moreover, we present a possible experimental implementation based on superconducting quantum circuits. Our work further demonstrates the versatility of the reverse-engineering method to enhance quantum protocols based on circuit quantum electrodynamic architecture.

BackgroundBreast cancer patients and their families are under various pressures in the process of disease diagnosis and treatment, which seriously threaten their physical and mental health. Findings from existing research suggest that good family resilience can help breast cancer families better adapt and cope with adversity and challenges. However, there are only a few intervention studies on family resilience and no intervention studies on resilience among the families of breast cancer patients. Therefore, this study aims to explore appropriate measures to improve the resilience level of breast cancer families and help them better cope with the disease.ObjectiveThe purpose of this study protocol is to demonstrate a coping-focused family resilience intervention to increase the level of resilience in the families of breast cancer patients and help them better cope with adversity.MethodsThe trial will recruit 80 breast cancer families and randomly assign them to experimental and control groups in a 1:1 ratio. The control group will receive routine care, and the intervention group will receive a 6-week one-on-one online family resilience intervention based on the control group. Two groups of subjects will be assessed at baseline and at 1 week, 1 month, and 3 months after the intervention. The primary outcome is family resilience, and the secondary outcomes are coping style, social support, family disease burden, and levels of anxiety and depression.Expected resultsWe hypothesized that after the intervention, the intervention group would have significantly higher levels of family resilience than the preintervention and control groups. In the intervention group, other aspects related to family resilience, such as family disease burden and anxiety and depression levels of patients and their families, were significantly alleviated, and disease coping and social support levels were improved accordingly.DiscussionIf the program works, it can help breast cancer families identify family strengths and resources to proactively address challenges so that families can successfully navigate the crisis and patient and family recovery can be facilitated. It can also provide a practical path for clinical workers to help breast cancer families adjust rationally.Clinical Trial RegistrationThis study has been registered in the Chinese Clinical Trials Registry (Registration Number: http://www.chictr.org.cn/ChiCTR2100052108).

Francisella tularensis is a dangerous pathogen that causes an extremely contagious zoonosis in humans named tularemia. Given its low-dose morbidity, the potential to be fatal, and aerosol spread, it is regarded as a severe threat to public health. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has classified it as a category A potential agent for bioterrorism and a Tier 1 Select Agent. Herein, we combined recombinase polymerase amplification (RPA) with CRISPR/Cas12a system to select the F. tularensis target gene (TUL4), creating a two-pronged rapid and ultrasensitive diagnostic method for detecting F. tularensis. The real-time RPA (RT-RPA) assay detected F. tularensis within 10 min at a sensitivity of 5 copies/reaction, F. tularensis genomic DNA of 5 fg, and F. tularensis of 2 × 102 CFU/ml; the RPA-CRISPR/Cas12a assay detects F. tularensis within 40 min at a sensitivity of 0.5 copies/reaction, F. tularensis genomic DNA of 1 fg, and F. tularensis of 2 CFU/ml. Furthermore, the evaluation of specificity showed that both assays were highly specific to F. tularensis. More importantly, in a test of prepared simulated blood and sewage samples, the RT-RPA assay results were consistent with RT-PCR assay results, and the RPA-CRISPR/Cas12a assay could detect a minute amount of F. tularensis genomic DNA (2.5 fg). There was no nonspecific detection with blood samples and sewage samples, giving the tests a high practical application value. For example, in on-site and epidemic areas, the RT-RPA was used for rapid screening and the RPA-CRISPR/Cas12a assay was used for more accurate diagnosis.

Biologically active sphingolipids are closely related to the growth, differentiation, aging, and apoptosis of cancer cells. Some sphingolipids, such as ceramides, are favorable metabolites in the sphingolipid metabolic pathway, usually mediating antiproliferative responses, through inhibiting cancer cell growth and migration, as well as inducing autophagy and apoptosis. However, other sphingolipids, such as S1P, play the opposite role, which induces cancer cell transformation, migration and growth and promotes drug resistance. There are also other sphingolipids, as well as enzymes, played potentially critical roles in cancer physiology and therapeutics. This review aimed to explore the important roles of sphingolipid metabolism in cancer. In this article, we summarized the role and value of sphingolipid metabolism in cancer, including the distribution of sphingolipids, the functions, and their relevance to cancer diagnosis and prognosis. We also summarized the known and potential antitumor targets present in sphingolipid metabolism, analyzed the correlation between sphingolipid metabolism and tumor immunity, and summarize the antitumor effects of natural compounds based on sphingolipids. Through the analysis and summary of sphingolipid antitumor therapeutic targets and immune correlation, we aim to provide ideas for the development of new antitumor drugs, exploration of new therapeutic means for tumors, and study of immunotherapy resistance mechanisms.

In the past few decades, several gene mutations, including the anaplastic lymphoma kinase, epidermal growth factor receptor, ROS proto-oncogene 1 and rat sarcoma viral oncogene homolog (RAS), have been discovered in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Kirsten rat sarcoma viral oncogene homolog (KRAS) is the isoform most frequently altered in RAS-mutated NSCLC cases. Due to the structural and biochemical characteristics of the KRAS protein, effective approaches to treating KRAS-mutant NSCLC still remain elusive. Extensive recent research on KRAS-mutant inhibitors has made a breakthrough in identifying the covalent KRASG12C inhibitor as an effective agent for the treatment of NSCLC. This review mainly concentrated on introducing new covalent KRASG12C inhibitors like sotorasib (AMG 510) and adagrasib (MRTX 849); summarizing inhibitors targeting the KRAS-related upstream and downstream effectors in RAF/MEK/ERK pathway and PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway; exploring the efficacy of immunotherapy and certain emerging immune-related therapeutics such as adoptive cell therapy and cancer vaccines. These inhibitors are being investigated in clinical trials and have exhibited promising effects. On the other hand, naturally extracted compounds, which have exhibited safe and effective properties in treating KRAS-mutant NSCLC through suppressing the MAPK and PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling pathways, as well as through decreasing PD-L1 expression in preclinical studies, could be expected to enter into clinical studies. Finally, in order to confront the matter of drug resistance, the ongoing clinical trials in combination treatment strategies were summarized herein.

Cadmium is one of the most toxic heavy metal contaminants in soils and water bodies and poses a serious threat to ecosystems and humans. However, cadmium is also an important resource widely used in many industries. The recovery of cadmium in the form of high-value products is considered as an ideal disposal strategy for Cd-contaminated environments. In this work, Pistia stratiotes was used to recycle cadmium from wastewaters through phytoaccumulation and then transformed into carbon-supported cadmium sulfide photocatalyst (CdS@C) through carbonization and hydrothermal reaction. The CdS@C photocatalyst contained a mixture of cubic and hexagonal CdS with lower band gap energy (2.14 eV) and high electron-hole separation efficiency, suggesting an excellent photoresponse ability and photocatalytic efficiency. The impressive stability and photocatalytic performance of CdS@C were demonstrated in efficient photodegradation of organic pollutants. •OH and O2•- were confirmed as the major active species for organic pollutants degradation during CdS@C photocatalysis. This work provides new insights into addressing Cd contaminated water bodies and upcycling in the form of photocatalyst.

Patients with liver disease are susceptible to infection with Vibrio vulnificus (V. vulnificus), but the specific reasons remain elusive. Through RNA-seq, we found that when mice with alcoholic liver disease (ALD) were infected with V. vulnificus by gavage, compared with the Pair group, the small intestinal genes affecting intestinal permeability were upregulated; and the number of differentially expressed genes related to immune functions (e.g., such as cell chemotaxis, leukocyte differentiation, and neutrophil degranulation) decreased in the liver, spleen, and blood. Further analysis showed that the number of white blood cells decreased in the Pair group, whereas those in the ALD mice did not change significantly. Interestingly, the blood bacterial load in the ALD mice was about 100 times higher than that of the Pair group. After the ALD mice were infected with V. vulnificus, the concentrations of T cell proliferation-promoting cytokines (IL-2, IL-23) decreased. Therefore, unlike the Pair group, ALD mice had weaker immune responses, lower T cell proliferation-promoting cytokines, and higher bacterial loads post-infection, possibly increasing their susceptibility to V. vulnificus infection. These new findings we presented here may help to advance the current understanding of the reasons why patients with liver disease are susceptible to V. vulnificus infection and provides potential targets for further investigation in the context of treatment options for V. vulnificus sepsis in liver disease patient.

Biochar is widely used for the adsorptive removal of Cd from water and soil, but the Cd-enriched biochar produced carries a risk of secondary pollution. In this work, biochar derived from rice straw was used to adsorb Cd from plating wastewater. The Cd-enriched biochar showed a saturated adsorption capacity of about 63.5 mg/g and could be recycled and used in a mesoporous carbon-supported CdS (CdS@C) photocatalyst after pyrolysis carbonization and a hydrothermal reaction. The results demonstrated that the as-prepared CdS@C photocatalyst contained mixed cubic and hexagonal CdS phases, with a considerably lower band gap (2.1 eV) than pure CdS (2.6 eV). CdS@C exhibited an enhanced photocatalytic performance for the degradation of organic dyes under visible light irradiation compared with pure CdS due to its excellent light-harvesting capacity and efficient electron-hole separation. Moreover, the continuous formation of active species (h+, •OH, and O2•−) was responsible for the photodegradation of organic dyes using CdS@C. This work provides new insights for the safe disposal of Cd-enriched wastewater and for improving the economic viability of Cd-contaminated resources by recovering a value-added photocatalyst.

The geological events, past climatic fluctuations, and river systems played key roles in the spatial distribution, population dynamics, and genetic differentiation of species. In this work, we selected Pterocarya stenoptera, a widespread tree species in China, to test the roles of these factors. Four noncoding spacers, eight microsatellite (simple sequence repeat) markers, and species distribution modeling were used to examine the phylogeographical pattern of P. stenoptera. Based on chloroplast DNA data, populations of P. stenoptera were clearly clustered into three groups. The divergence time of these groups fell into the stage of the Qinghai–Tibet Movement, 1.7–2.6 Ma. For simple sequence repeat data, only one western marginal population YNYB could be separated from other populations, whereas other populations were mixed together. Our results indicated that the environmental heterogeneity resulting from the Qinghai–Tibet movement might be response for this genetic divergence. The climatic fluctuations in the Pleistocene did not cause the substantial range shift of P. stenoptera, while the fluctuations affected its population size. Moreover, we also confirmed the river systems did not act as channels or barrier of dispersal for P. stenoptera.