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Abstract Background Anthrax is a global health concern, with cutaneous anthrax accounting for over 95% of cases and generally promising outcomes. Nonetheless, the absence of timely intervention can result in mortality rates of 10–40%. This research aims to explore the clinical presentations and phenotypic characteristics of cutaneous anthrax patients and evaluate the efficacy of various therapeutic approaches. Methods A retrospective study was performed on 76 cutaneous anthrax patients identified at three hospitals from 2017 to 2022. Patients were categorized based on their hospital stay into two groups: those hospitalized for at least seven days and those for shorter durations. We assessed their clinical and phenotypic profiles, including symptoms, general health status, and laboratory findings, alongside treatment outcomes, focusing on corticosteroids therapy and antibiotic regimens. Results The study encompassed 76 diagnosed individuals, predominantly young adult males (78.9%). A significant gender disparity was noted. Hormonal treatment markedly improved edema regression in patients (P

Objective To translate the Resilience Questionnaire for Bipolar Disorder （RBD） into Chinese and evaluate the reliability and validity of the Chinese version of RBD in Chinese patients with bipolar disorder. Methods The Brislin translation model was used to translate the RBD into Chinese and backtranslate into English， and the Chinese version of RBD was developed after cross-cultural adjustment. A total of 233 outpatients and inpatients with bipolar disorder admitted to two tertiary hospitals in Guangzhou from April， 2019 to April， 2021 were included to investigate the reliability and validity of the Chinese version of RBD. Results Four factors were extracted from Chinese version of RBD by principal component analysis， and the cumulative contribution rate of variance was 66.68%. The confirmatory factor analysis displayed good fitness （χ 2/df = 2.84， RMSEA = 0.078， RMR =0.049， GFI = 0.913， IFI = 0.906， TLI = 0.935）. The Chinese version of RBD consisted of 23 statements in four dimensions （self-management， turning point， self-care and interpersonal support）， with another 2 independent scoring items. The criterion validity was 0.559 （P < 0.001） when compared with the Chinese version of the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale. The content validity was 0.987 in total scale （ranged from 0.800 to 1.000 in item level）， and scale-level content validity index based on the universal agreement method was 0.913. This scale performed well in the Cronbach’s coefficient of the scale （Cronbach’s α=0.952） and its dimensions （0.847-0.894）， and the split-half reliability was 0.822 （P < 0.001）. Conclusion The Chinese version of RBD has good reliability and validity， which is applicable for the evaluation of resilience in Chinese patients with bipolar disorder.

Campus loans have become a part of the lives of Chinese college students. While such loans are convenient for students, they can also create considerable difficulties. In the context of unbalanced economic development between Western and Eastern China, this study aimed to understand the factors affecting the campus loan behaviors of college students in Western China. A sample of 568 undergraduate and graduate students from four universities in Western China was taken as the research object. Binary logistic regression and orderly logistic regression were used to study campus loan consumption factors. Students without state-subsidized loans were found to have stronger campus loan consumption intention and higher loan amounts, and recreational consumption was the main loan purpose. The factors affecting campus loan consumption included students' family structure, parents' education level, peer students' consumption status, grade level, relationship status, and ability to assess loan risk. Based on the findings, suggestions are made for managing campus loan behavior from the perspectives of the individual, family, school, and government. This study can provide guidance for standardizing campus loans and adjusting college students' consumption attitudes and behaviors.

Background: The T cell-mediated delayed-type hypersensitivity (DTH) response is critical for elucidating cellular immune mechanisms, especially the role of memory T cells upon antigen re-exposure. This study aimed to investigate the specific effects of the immunosuppressive drugs Cyclophosphamide (CY) and Dexamethasone (DEX) on intestinal immunity and microbiota in a DTH mouse model, contributing to a more nuanced understanding of their immunomodulatory mechanisms. Methods: Female BALB/c mice were sensitized to 2,4-dinitrofluorobenzene (DNFB) and randomly allocated into control, CY, and DEX groups. The impact of CY and DEX on immune function was assessed through measurement of thymus and spleen indices, lymphocyte proliferation in mesenteric lymph nodes (MLNs) using MTT assay, and flow cytometric analysis of T cell subsets and TCR expression. Intestinal secretory IgA (sIgA) was quantified by ELISA, and gut microbiota diversity was evaluated using 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Results: CY and DEX significantly reduced the immune function in DNFB-induced sensitized mice, as indicated by decreased thymus and spleen indices, MLN enlargement, intestinal sIgA content, and ear swelling degree. Flow cytometry revealed that CY increased the proportion of total CD3+ T cells but reduced CD3+CD69+ activated T cells and CD3+TCRγ/δ+ T cells, while DEX increased CD3+CD4+ helper T cells. Both drugs induced distinct changes in gut microbiota diversity and structure, with CY enhancing α diversity and DEX reducing it. Conclusions: The study demonstrates that CY and DEX have distinct regulatory effects on the immune organ index, distribution of T cell subsets, and diversity and structure of gut microbiota on DTH-induced immune responses mice, suggesting their differential influence on intestinal mucosal immunity. These findings have implications for the development of targeted immunotherapies and understanding the interplay between immunosuppressive drugs and gut microbiota. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Infectious spleen and kidney necrosis virus (ISKNV) has brought huge economic loss to the aquaculture industry. Through interfering with the viral replication and proliferation process that depends on host cells, its pathogenicity can be effectively reduced. In this study, we investigated the role of asparagine metabolites in ISKNV proliferation. The results showed that ISKNV infection up-regulated the expression of some key enzymes of the asparagine metabolic pathway in Chinese perch brain (CPB) cells. These key enzymes, including glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase 1/2 (GOT1/2) and malate dehydrogenase1/2 (MDH1/2) associated with the malate-aspartate shuttle (MAS) pathway and asparagine synthetase (ASNS) involved in the asparagine biosynthesis pathway, were up-regulated during ISKNV replication and release stages. In addition, results showed that the production of ISKNV was significantly reduced by inhibiting the MAS pathway or reducing the expression of ASNS by 1.3-fold and 0.6-fold, respectively, indicating that asparagine was a critical limiting metabolite for ISKNV protein synthesis. Furthermore, when asparagine was added to the medium without glutamine, ISKNV copy number was restored to 92% of that in the complete medium, indicating that ISKNV could be fully rescued from the absence of glutamine by supplementing asparagine. The above results indicated that asparagine was a critical factor in limiting the effective replication of ISKNV, which provided a new idea for the treatment of aquatic viral diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The disease caused by Largemouth bass ranavirus (LMBV) is one of the most severe viral diseases in largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides). It is crucial to evaluate the genetic resistance of largemouth bass to LMBV and develop markers for disease-resistance breeding. In this study, 100 individuals (45 resistant and 55 susceptible) were sequenced and evaluated for resistance to LMBV and a total of 2,579,770 variant sites (SNPs-single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and insertions–deletions (InDels)) were identified. A total of 2348 SNPs-InDels and 1018 putative candidate genes associated with LMBV resistance were identified by genome-wide association analyses (GWAS). Furthermore, GO and KEGG analyses revealed that the 10 candidate genes (MHC II, p38 MAPK, AMPK, SGK1, FOXO3, FOXO6, S1PR1, IL7R, RBL2, and GADD45) were related to intestinal immune network for IgA production pathway and FoxO signaling pathway. The acquisition of candidate genes related to resistance will help to explore the molecular mechanism of resistance to LMBV in largemouth bass. The potential polymorphic markers identified in this study are important molecular markers for disease resistance breeding in largemouth bass. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ObjectiveTo investigate the status of maternal iodine deficiency in Lishui City of Zhejiang Province， and explore the effect of maternal iodine deficiency on the growth and development of infants.MethodsA total of 209 pregnant women living in Liandu District of Lishui City from January 2017 to December 2018 were selected by stratified sampling method. Urine iodine level in pregnant women and iodine content in edible salt at home were determined to assess the status of iodine deficiency and to analyze the influencing factors. Their babies were followed up for 1 year， and metabolic disease screening and physical examination were carried out to evaluate the growth and development.ResultsThe median of urinary iodine levels in 2017 and 2018 were 165 µg·L-1 and 192 µg·L-1， respectively. Both of the values met the standard of iodine sufficiency. The results of salt iodine content in pregnant women's homes showed that 7 cases （3.35%） were without iodized salt and 202 cases （96.65%） with iodized salt， including 186 cases （89.00%） with qualified iodized salt. Univariate analysis showed that pregnancy， education level， intake of iodized salt， cooking methods of salt， intake frequency of iodine-rich food and knowledge of iodine nutrition had significant impact on iodine deficiency in pregnant women （P