The implementation of mandatory stay-at-home and isolation policies during the COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in people relying more on smartphone use to obtain the latest developments regarding the ...pandemic, interact with people, and for entertainment. Unfortunately, as people spend more time participating in Internet activities, they are more likely to encounter problematic internet use (PIU) issues. The main purpose of this study was to examine the association between two kinds of PIU problematic smartphone use (PSU) and problematic social media use (PSMU), psychological distress, and sleep problems. In addition, the moderating effect of sleep problems was examined. A total of 11014 school teachers completed the online survey. The participants were divided into two (high and low sleep problem) groups, according to the severity of their sleep problems, for comparison. The research conducted a comparison between the degree of PIU and psychological distress, and then provided correction for the two groups separately. The results indicated that the high sleep problem group exhibited significantly greater psychological distress mean (SD) = 12.94 (11.29) than the low sleep problem group (mean (SD) = 3.42 (6.57). Both PSU and PSMU were positively correlated with psychological distress in the two groups. The moderating effect of sleep problems was supported and PSMU was more harmful to psychological distress in the high sleep problem group, while the effect of PSU on psychological distress was not significantly different between the two groups.
Background: The outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and its rapid spread may have led to individuals developing post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and psychological distress. Under this ...context, teachers merit more attention as a group with high levels of work stress. The purpose of this study was to verify the relationship between PTSD and psychological distress and to explore sleep problems as a possible mediator in the relationship between PTSD and psychological distress, as well as the moderator of internet gaming disorders (IGD) in the relationship between sleep problems and psychological distress. Methods: A total of 11,014 Chinese primary and middle school teachers participated in this study. The survey was conducted online between 25 May and 30 June 2020. Results: PTSD was shown to have both a direct and indirect effect on teachers’ psychological distress. The indirect effect was mediated by sleep problems. IGD played a moderating role between sleep problems and psychological distress. Conclusions: During the COVID-19 pandemic, PTSD has been shown to have had a serious impact on the psychological stress of teachers, which was mediated by sleep problems. In addition, IGD raised the harm brought from sleep problems on teachers’ mental health.
This study describes the assessment of mucosal adjuvant activity of a squalene-based nanoemulsion (SQ@NE) following intravaginal delivery in mice. After immunization, a high level of recruitment of ...CD11b/c+ granulocytes and F4/80+ macrophages was observed in the vaginal mucosal tissues of the mice immunized with a model protein ovalbumin (OVA) formulated with SQ@NE, and then downstream regulated the expression of MHC II and costimulatory molecules CD40 and CD86 on CD11c+ cells harvested from the associated draining lymph node. With respect to cytotoxic T lymphocyte immunity, the mice immunized with SQ@NE-formulated OVA elicited a high population of OVA-specific CD8+ cells in the spleen and increased the secretion of IFN-γ, IL-2 and IL-17 from OVA-restimulated splenocytes compared with those immunized with OVA alone. By studying in vivo fluorescence imaging and B-cell immunoassays, we discovered how SQ@NE prolongs the retention of antigen depots at the mucosal membrane of the immune inductive site and allows them to properly drive the production of antibodies. The data demonstrated that SQ@NE prolonged fluorescence-labeled OVA retention at the genital tract and augmented the production of OVA-specific IgG in sera and IgA in vaginal washes. These results indicate that SQ@NE is a promising vaginal adjuvant for the induction of both mucosal and systemic immune responses, a feature that provides implications for the development of a mucosal vaccine against genital infections and sexually transmitted diseases.
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•Mucosal/immunological fingerprints of squalene nanoemulsion (SQ@NE) were assessed.•SQ@NE tones up the numbers of APCs at vaginal MALT and associated dLNs.•SQ@NE rephrases the activation of CD8+ CTLs and helper T cells.•SQ@NE prolongs protein antigen delivery in the vagina and drives humoral immunity.
Vaccination can sufficiently ameliorate the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19). Investigating what factors influence vaccine uptake may benefit ongoing vaccination efforts (e.g. booster injections, ...annual vaccination). The present study expanded Protection Motivation Theory with possible factors including perceived knowledge, adaptive responses, and maladaptive responses to develop a proposed model investigating vaccine uptake among United Kingdom (UK) and Taiwan (TW) populations. An online survey collected responses from UK (n = 751) and TW (n = 1052) participants (August to September, 2022). The results of structural equation modeling (SEM) showed that perceived knowledge was significantly associated with coping appraisal in both samples (standardized coefficient β = 0.941 and 0.898; p < .001). Coping appraisal was correlated with vaccine uptake only in the TW sample (β = 0.319, p < .05). Multigroup analysis showed there were significant differences between the path coefficients of perceived knowledge to coping and threat appraisals (p < .001), coping appraisal to adaptive and maladaptive responses (p < .001), as well as threat appraisal to adaptive response (p < .001). Such knowledge may improve vaccine uptake in Taiwan. The potential factors for the UK population require further investigation.
Cross-presentation is a key function of dendritic cells (DCs), which present exogenous Ags on MHC class I molecules to prime CTL responses. The effects of TLR triggering on the cross-presentation of ...exogenous Ags by DCs remain unclear. In this study, we used synthetic dipalmitoylated peptides and TLR2 agonist-conjugated peptides as models to elucidate the mechanisms of TLR2-mediated cross-presentation. We observed that the internalization of dipalmitoylated peptides by bone marrow-derived DCs was facilitated by TLR2 via clathrin-mediated endocytosis. The administration of these dipalmitoylated peptide-pulsed bone marrow-derived DCs eliminated established tumors through TLR2 signaling. We further demonstrated that the induction of Ag-specific CTL responses and tumor regression by dipalmitoylated peptides was TAP independent. In addition, presentation of dipalmitoylated peptides by MHC class I molecules was blocked in the presence of an endosomal acidification inhibitor (chloroquine) or a lysosomal degradation inhibitor (Z-FL-COCHO). The endocytosed dipalmitoylated peptide also passed rapidly from early endosome Ag-1-positive endosomes to RAS-related GTP-binding protein 7 (Rab7)-associated late endosomes compared with their nonlipidated counterparts. Furthermore, we found that dipalmitoylated peptide-upregulated Rab7 expression correlated with Ag presentation via the TLR2/MyD88 pathway. Both JNK and ERK signaling pathways are required for upregulation of Rab7. In summary, our data suggest that TLR2-mediated cross-presentation occurs through the upregulation of Rab7 and a TAP-independent pathway that prime CTL responses.
Utilizing a large-scale cross-sectional survey, the present study tested the advanced psychometric properties of Fear of COVID-19 Scale (FCV-19S) in specific populations (i.e., primary and middle ...schoolteachers, and their students). The present study also examined the association between perceived fear of COVID-19 and psychological distress among home-room teachers (i.e., teachers who teach all their students in one classroom all day) and their students. The results among participants (11,134 teachers and 4,335 students) indicated good internal reliability of FCV-19S and excellent factorial validity with a two-factor structure utilizing these specific populations. Furthermore, the multilevel analysis showed that home-room teachers’ psychological distress, but not fear of COVID-19, was positively associated with their students. In sum, the FCV-19S is a useful tool to assess the fear of COVID-19 on potentially vulnerable populations (i.e., primary/middle schoolteachers and their students). Future studies are encouraged to use the present study’s findings to investigate possible underlying mechanisms for developing effective coping strategies and interventions.
To evaluate the effect of iron-fortified formula with different concentrations of bovine lactoferrin (bLF) on improvement of anemic status in term infants who were previously breast-fed. A ...randomized, controlled, open, and post-market intervention study. A total of 108 infants aged 6-9 mo who were previously breast-fed and weaned were selected. The subjects were divided into three groups with the sequence of outpatient: fortified group 1 (FG1) with a bLF concentration of 38 mg/100 g, FG2 with 76 mg/100 g bLF, FG0 with no bLF. The intervention duration was 3 mo. Weight, height, head circumference and the concentration of hemoglobin (Hb), serum ferritin (SF), serum transferring receptor (sTfR) were measured and sTfR-SF index (TFR-F index) and total body iron content (TBIC) were computed before and after intervention. The primary outcome measures were obtained from 96 infants (35, 33 and 28 for FG0, FG1 and FG2, respectively). After 1 mo of intervention, the changes of Hb level showed no significant difference (p>0.05) among the three groups, however, the Hb level of infants in FG2 were significantly higher than those of infants in the other two groups after 3 mo of intervention (p<0.05). The present data indicated that the formula fortified with 76 mg/100 g bLF positively affected the Hb of anemic infants who were previously breastfed when compared with fortification with 38 mg/100 g bLF and no bLF fortification.
One major side effect of chemotherapy that young women with cancer suffer from is ovarian damage. Therefore, it is necessary to study the pathogenesis of chemotherapeutic drugs in order to develop ...pharmaceutical agents to preserve fertility. Epirubicin is one of the commonly used chemotherapy drugs for breast cancer patients. This research explored the side effects of epirubicin in mice. We found that epirubicin significantly reduced the body weight, the weight of the ovaries and uteri, and the pups’ number, while melatonin, which is extremely resistant to oxidation, significantly reduced these damages. Moreover, co-treatment with melatonin prevented epirubicin-induced decrease in E2 and progesterone, and the loss of follicles. Mechanism study showed that melatonin significantly reduced the levels of proapoptotic genes p53, Caspase3, and Caspase9 while it upregulated antiapoptotic factors Bcl-2 and Bcl2l1, and antioxidant genes superoxide dismutase 1 and catalase compared with the epirubicin group. In addition, melatonin markedly reduced reactive oxygen species (ROS) and the transcription of Caspase12 and Chop, which is vital in endoplasmic reticulum stress (ERS)-mediated apoptosis. These results indicate melatonin protects against epirubicin-induced ovarian damage by reducing ROS-induced ERS. Therefore, melatonin has a therapeutic potential for the protection of ovarian function and preservation of fertility during chemotherapy.
While teachers' psychological needs have been evaluated in terms of need satisfaction, need thwarting of teachers is under-researched. This study developed a Chinese version of a Psychological Need ...Thwarting (PNT) scale for teachers and evaluated both its psychometric properties and measurement invariance across groups. Psychometric criteria for the scale were evaluated, with satisfactory levels of internal reliability, test-retest reliability, convergent and divergent validities, and model goodness-of-fit. One item translated from the original PNT scale was removed due to cross-loading. Criterion validity was established, with
= 0.54 for the factor of burnout (emotional exhaustion). Measurement invariance was established using confirmatory factor analysis for the factors of gender, grade of instruction, and position. The teachers evaluated demonstrated higher levels of competence thwarting, as compared to autonomy and relatedness thwarting, but overall higher levels of thwarting as compared to previous research. Males reported higher levels of autonomy and competence thwarting as compared to females and secondary school teachers reported higher levels of relatedness thwarting as compared to primary school teachers. The developed scale can serve as a valuable tool in evaluating the thwarting of teachers' psychological needs, an issue which can profoundly impact teachers' and students' mental health and performance.
Mitochondria form a reticulum network dynamically fuse and divide in the cell. The balance between mitochondria fusion and fission is correlated to the shape, activity and integrity of these pivotal ...organelles. Resveratrol is a polyphenol antioxidant that can extend life span in yeast and worm. This study examined mitochondria dynamics in replicative senescent yeast cells as well as the effects of resveratrol on mitochondria fusion and fission. Collecting cells by biotin-streptavidin sorting method revealed that majority of the replicative senescent cells bear fragmented mitochondrial network, indicating mitochondria dynamics favors fission. Resveratrol treatment resulted in a reduction in the ratio of senescent yeast cells with fragmented mitochondria. The readjustment of mitochondria dynamics induced by resveratrol likely derives from altered expression profiles of fusion and fission genes. Our results demonstrate that resveratrol serves not only as an antioxidant, but also a compound that can mitigate mitochondria fragmentation in replicative senescent yeast cells.
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