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Introduction: The prognostic impact of human leukocyte antigen-E (HLA-E) expression and the proportion of natural killer (NK) cells in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) was investigated. Methods: This study retrospectively evaluated 397 ESCC patients across two centers. The cumulative incidence of recurrence (CIR) and the incidence of tumor-related death (CID) were analyzed in various groups. An immunosuppression score (ISS) was developed based on HLA-E expression and NK cell proportion. Differences between groups were adjusted using inverse probability treatment weighting (IPTW). The factors influencing cancer-specific survival (CSS) and recurrence-free survival (RFS) were also examined. Results: Patients with low HLA-E expression had significantly higher five-year CIR and CID compared to those with high expression (CIR: 20.7% vs. 45.1%, CID: 19.3% vs. 40.1%; p < 0.001). Similarly, NK cell-positive patients had significantly better five-year CIR and CID than NK cell-negative patients (CIR: 16.3% vs. 59.6%, CID: 13.9% vs. 53.7%; p < 0.001). The Sankey diagram indicated that the low ISS group had a lower recurrence and tumor-related mortality rate (p < 0.05). After IPTW adjustment, the low ISS group showed improved five-year RFS (80.1% vs. 35.4%, p < 0.001) and five-year CSS (82.3% vs. 42.5%, p < 0.001) compared to the high ISS group. Conclusions: ESCC with different ISS statuses represents two distinct biological subtypes, underscoring the need for personalized treatment strategies tailored to varying tumor behaviors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Muscle strength after detraining is still higher than the level before training, which is an important issue for middle-aged and older adults. The purpose of the present study was to examine the effects of detraining duration (DD), resistance training duration (RTD), and intensity on the maintenance of resistance training (RT) benefits after detraining in middle-aged and older adults. A systematic search yielded 15 randomized control trails (n = 383) eligible for inclusion. The results showed that RTD ≥ 24 weeks and DD ≥ RTD, the RT benefits were still significantly maintained even with medium and low intensity (standardized mean difference = 1.16, 95% confidence interval, CI [0.38, 1.94], p =.004). When RTD < 24 weeks and DD ≤ RTD, only the high-intensity groups maintained the RT benefits (DD, 4–6 weeks: standardized mean difference = 0.71, 95% CI [0.34, 1.08], p =.0002; DD 8–16 weeks: standardized mean difference = 1.35, 95% CI [0.66, 2.04], p =.0001). However, when DD > RTD, the RT benefits were not maintained even with high intensity. In summary, when RTD was less than 24 weeks, RTD > DD was an important factor in maintaining muscle strength. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The global rise of multidrug-resistant Enterobacter cloacae strains, especially those that are resistant to carbapenems and produce metallo-β-lactamases, poses a critical challenge in clinical settings owing to limited treatment options. While bacteriophages show promise in treating these infections, their use is hindered by scarce resources and insufficient genomic data. In this study, we isolated ECLFM1, a novel E. cloacae phage, from sewage water using a carbapenem-resistant clinical strain as the host. ECLFM1 exhibited rapid adsorption and a 15-min latent period, with a burst size of approximately 75 PFU/infected cell. Its genome, spanning 172,036 bp, was characterized and identified as a member of Karamvirus. In therapeutic applications, owing to a high multiplicity of infection, ECLFM1 showed increased survival in zebrafish infected with E. cloacae. This study highlights ECLFM1's potential as a candidate for controlling clinical E. cloacae infections, which would help address challenges in treating multidrug-resistant strains and contribute to the development of alternative treatments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study seeks exploration of how employees' moral identity is related to voice behavior (i.e., the expression of constructive suggestions or ideas for improving work-related issues) in the current organizational dynamics. By integrating the self-consistency theory with a situational strength perspective, a moderated mediation model was constructed to examine connections among moral identity, leader secure-base support (LSBS), work engagement, and voice behavior. Surveys were collected at 2 time points, 1 month apart, from 206 full-time employees in various organizations and industries in Taiwan. Supporting results indicated that employees' moral identity was positively related to voice behavior. The mediating impact of work engagement as a motivational mechanism between moral identity and voice behavior was observed. Relative to when LSBS was low, the effect of moral identity on work engagement and the indirect effect of moral identity on voice behavior through work engagement were more substantial when LSBS was high. Academic and managerial implications were discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Employee silence has multiple negative effects on the organization. Studies on the influence of leader negative emotional expression on employee silence are extremely limited, and there are inconsistent findings for the expression of negative emotion among leaders, which highlight the need to explore boundary factors in this field. The purpose of this paper is based on EASI model to examine the impact of leaders' negative emotional expression on employee silence through the perceptions of psychological safety. Moreover, drawing on social exchange theory, this paper proposed a moderated mediation model to explore how leader–member exchange (LMX) moderates the indirect relationship between leader negative emotional expression and employee silence through perceptions of psychological safety. We employed a bootstrapping technique to analyze the hypotheses. This study adopts two-wave surveys and the results shown that leader negative emotional expression triggered employee silence by employees' perceptions of psychological safety. This study also demonstrated that LMX weakens the relationship between leader negative emotional expression and employees' perceptions of psychological safety. Furthermore, LMX weakens the indirect relationship between leader negative emotional expression and employee silence through employees' perceptions of psychological safety. Using multiphase data collection, we found that when LMX is at a low level, the indirect effect of leader negative emotional expression on employee silence through employee psychological safety is stronger. The theoretical, practical implications and future research suggestions are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Existing research on leader humility primarily demonstrates its positive effects. This study challenges this view by proposing the potential negative effects of leader humility on followers' behaviors. Furthermore, this paper employs the person-situation interactionist perspective to extend the research on integrating followers' personality traits and leader humility. Specifically, this study proposed that leader humility triggers their followers' sense of power; moreover, this study wagers that whether followers' sense of power encourages self-interested or prosocial behavior in followers depends on their particular Machiavellian traits. The theoretical model was tested using the time-lagged supervisor–subordinate matched data obtained. Our findings revealed that follower Machiavellianism fosters the relationship between a sense of power and self-interested behavior but it weakens the relationship between a sense of power and prosocial behavior. Thus, this study provides a better understanding regarding the effect of follower personality and leader humility on follower behavioral reactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, we propose that bystanders who make a higher (as compared with lower) level of internal attributions for a disaster at another company (i.e., when they blame company management more for the disaster) become less likely to sympathize with that company's management and also less likely to use voice to try to improve their own organization. We propose that this relationship is particularly true for bystanders whose work roles are highly similar to those of employees who experienced the disaster firsthand. We collected samples from companies in industries that experienced two real-world crises: (a) travel agencies in Taiwan responding to a landslide that killed a group of tourists being served by another travel agency and (b) supervisor/subordinates from a Taiwanese power company responding to the Fukushima nuclear disaster. The results support our hypotheses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined the relationships between multifoci workplace aggression by supervisors, coworkers, and customers and employees' work-family conflict (ranked by spouses or closest family members). Furthermore, this study explored how employees' problem-focused coping levels moderate the relationship between multifoci workplace aggression and employees' negative affect, which subsequently influences their work-family conflicts. Data from a sample of 457 working adults and their spouses (or their closest family members) and results showed the direct effects of multifoci workplace aggression on employees' work-family conflict. This research also found that problemfocused coping would weaken the relationship between supervisor/coworker aggression and employees' negative affect. Moreover, the results revealed that the effects of multifoci workplace aggression spilled over into employees' family domain through negative affect and influenced their work-family conflicts (ranked by spouses or closest family members). Finally, a moderated-mediation model used in this study supported the hypothesis that negative affect mediates the interactive effects of multifoci workplace aggression and problem-focused coping on employees' work-family conflicts. The theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on the logic of the job demands-resources model, we argue that work-related factors that demand workers’ resources, such as job overload and organizational constraints, may lead to work–family conflict through emotional exhaustion. Other work-related factors that generate resources for workers, such as job autonomy and task significance, may lead to work–family facilitation through job satisfaction. Analyzing survey data collected from different sources among professional nurses in Taiwan, we use structural equation modeling technique to find support for our hypotheses. Our study complements the work and family literature by demonstrating the mechanisms through which work-related factors may demand or provide workers with resources that lead to work–family conflict and work–family facilitation, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Background: Angiotensin-converting-enzyme (ACE) inhibitors and angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARBs) are effective treatments for diabetic retinopathy, but randomized trials and meta-analyses comparing their effects on macrovascular complications have yielded conflicting results. We compared the effectiveness of these drugs in patients with pre-existing diabetic retinopathy in a large population-based cohort.Methods: We conducted a propensity score-matched cohort study using Taiwan's National Health Insurance Research Database. We included adult patients prescribed an ACE inhibitor or ARB within 90 days after diagnosis of diabetic retinopathy between 2000 and 2010. Primary outcomes were all-cause death and major adverse cardiovascular events (myocardial infarction, ischemic stroke or cardiovascular death). Secondary outcomes were hospital admissions with acute kidney injury or hyperkalemia.Results: We identified 11 246 patients receiving ACE inhibitors and 15 173 receiving ARBs, of whom 9769 patients in each group were matched successfully by propensity scores. In the intention-to-treat analyses, ARBs were similar to ACE inhibitors in risk of all-cause death (hazard ratio [HR] 0.94, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.87-1.01) and major adverse cardiovascular events (HR 0.95, 95% CI 0.87-1.04), including myocardial infarction (HR 1.03, 95% CI 0.88-1.20), ischemic stroke (HR 0.94, 95% CI 0.85-1.04) and cardiovascular death (HR 1.01, 95% CI 0.88-1.16). They also did not differ from ACE inhibitors in risk of hospital admission with acute kidney injury (HR 1.01, 95% CI 0.91-1.13) and hospital admission with hyperkalemia (HR 1.01, 95% CI 0.86-1.18). Results were similar in as-treated analyses.Interpretation: Our study showed that ACE inhibitors were similar to ARBs in risk of all-cause death, major adverse cardiovascular events and adverse effects among patients with pre-existing diabetic retinopathy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined the effects of role demand on both work–family conflict and family–work conflict, and the moderating effects of role salience and support on these relationships. Based on 391 dual-career (managerial and blue-collar employees) couples from a Taiwanese company in China, the results of this survey study showed clear gender differences in the patterns of relationships observed. For men, the most important demands that negatively impacted on work–family conflict were frequency of overtime and frequency of socializing for work purposes (yingchou), and supervisory support buffered the negative impact of frequent overtime. For women however, strong supervisory support and low work role salience were more important for reducing work–family conflict, and there was no significant main effect found for any of the role demand factors. Furthermore, women with high work role salience were more likely to feel the impact of yingchou on work–family conflict. In the family domain, the most influential demand for men was hours spent on household tasks, but for women, it was the frequency of family-related leave. Interestingly, males reported higher family role salience than females and spouse support intensified rather than buffered the positive impact of hours spent on household tasks on family–work conflict for males. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Here, we studied the functional role of a chloroplast alkaline α-galactosidase (OsAkαGal) in the breakdown of thylakoid membranes during rice ( Oryza sativa) leaf senescence. • We assayed the enzyme activity of recombinant OsAkαGal with different natural substrates and examined the effect of ectopic OsAkαGal expression in rice plants. • Recombinant OsAkαGal showed at least a two-fold greater substrate-binding affinity and a 10-fold greater turnover rate to galactolipid digalactosyl diacylglycerol than the raffinose family of oligosaccharides (verbascose, stachyose, raffinose) and melibiose. The OsAkαGal null mutant ( osakαgal) displayed a delayed leaf senescence phenotype. OsAkαGal complementation in osakαgal recovered OsAkαGal expression and showed a senescence phenotype similar to that of wild-type plants. Transgenic plants overexpressing OsAkαGal ( UbiP- OsAkαGal) exhibited retarded plant growth and development, and showed a pale-green phenotype coupled with a reduced chlorophyll content to 42% in newly unfolded leaves. UbiP- OsAkαGal leaves also showed a 29-fold increase in alkaline α-galactosidase activity compared with wild-type leaves. An ultrastructural study of Ubi- OsAkαGal chloroplasts in newly unfolded leaves revealed abnormal grana organization. • Our findings strongly suggest that OsAkαGal is a thylakoid membrane-degrading enzyme involved in the degradation of digalactosyl diacylglycerol during rice leaf senescence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mitomycin C (MMC) is an active antineoplastic agent and is suggested to induce apoptosis in a caspase- dependent manner in human gastric, bladder, and breast cancer cells. In this study, the death mode of human cervical cancer cells (HeLa) induced by MMC and the cellular localization of MMC-induced P-glycoprotein (P-gp) were investigated. The results of caspase-3 activity, Annexin V binding, and DNA fragmentation suggested that the degree of caspase-dependent apoptosis induced by MMC was in a dose-, but not time-dependent, manner. Further, in low-dose (0.0299 μM) and long-term (2 months) treatment with MMC, P-gp is itself extruded from the cells and colocalized with nuclear DNA and the overexpression was achieved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]