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Aim: Nurses are considered a major source of professional support for patients. However, little is known about what cancer patients need from nurses regarding professional support and the provision of services in China. The purpose of this study is to investigate professional nursing supportive care needs, perceived supply, and the possible gaps between the two for patients with cancer in mainland China. Methods: A total of 390 inpatients with different types of cancer were recruited. The professional nursing supportive care scale was used to assess the needs for and perceived supply of various types of support. Results: The information aspect was one of the most critical needs for supportive care, and the technical aspect was the one with the highest perceived level of supply. Significant mismatches between actual needs and perceived supply were identified. Conclusions: Significant gaps existed between actual needs and perceived supply. Nurses should pay more attention to the higher actual needs and lower perceived levels of supply regarding supportive care for cancer patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Student well‐being is under renewed scrutiny due to escalating academic stress and mental health concerns among young adults. However, in addition to the measures taken by lecturers, universities, and local governments (top‐down approaches), we still know little about how students themselves can take the proactive strategy to manage their well‐being (bottom‐up approaches). The current study addressed this gap by proposing and examining the beneficial role of proactive vitality management (PVM)—a proactive action aimed at managing physical and mental energy based on personal unique needs and conditions—on student psychological well‐being. We collected data from 97 college students (36% male, age mean = 21) over four consecutive weeks (308 data observations) and tested a multilevel moderated mediation model. Results showed that weekly PVM was positively related to student weekly goal attainment, which, in turn, enhanced the current week's well‐being and the next week's well‐being as well. Further, this positive indirect (carryover) effect of PVM through goal attainment on well‐being was stronger for those who had a high learning orientation. Our results indicated that PVM can be an effective self‐customized strategy to manage college students' weekly well‐being. Theoretical and practical implications were discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Purpose: Sorafenib, a potent inhibitor that targets several kinases associated with tumourigenesis and cell survival, has been approved for clinical treatment as a single agent. However, combining sorafenib with other agents improves its anti-tumour efficacy in various preclinical tumour models. ABT-263, a second-generation BH3 mimic, binds to the anti-apoptotic family members Bcl-2, Bcl-xL and Bcl-w, and has been demonstrated to enhance TNFSF10 (TRAIL)-induced apoptosis in human hepatocarcinoma cells. Hence, we investigated the effects of ABT-263 treatment combined with sorafenib.Experimental Approach: The effects of ABT-263 combined with sorafenib were investigated in vitro, on cell viability, clone formation and apoptosis, and the mechanism examined using western blot and flow cytometry. This combination was also evaluated in vivo, in a mouse xenograft model; tumour growth, volume and weights were measured and a TUNEL assay performed.Key Results: ABT-263 enhanced sorafenib-induced apoptosis while sparing non-tumourigenic cells. Although ABT-263 plus sorafenib significantly stimulated intracellular reactive oxygen species production and subsequent mitochondrial depolarization, this was not sufficient to trigger cell apoptosis. ABT-263 plus sorafenib significantly decreased Akt activity, which was, at least partly, involved in its effect on apoptosis. Bax and p21 (CIP1/WAF1) were shown to play a critical role in ABT-263 plus sorafenib-induced apoptosis. Combining sorafenib with ABT-263 dramatically increased its efficacy in vivo.Conclusion and Implications: The anti-tumour activity of ABT-263 plus sorafenib may involve the induction of intrinsic cell apoptosis via inhibition of Akt, and reduced Bax and p21 expression. Our findings offer a novel effective therapeutic strategy for tumour treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and purpose Sorafenib, a potent inhibitor that targets several kinases associated with tumourigenesis and cell survival, has been approved for clinical treatment as a single agent. However, combining sorafenib with other agents improves its anti-tumour efficacy in various preclinical tumour models. ABT-263, a second-generation BH3 mimic, binds to the anti-apoptotic family members Bcl-2, Bcl-xL and Bcl-w, and has been demonstrated to enhance TNFSF10 (TRAIL)-induced apoptosis in human hepatocarcinoma cells. Hence, we investigated the effects of ABT-263 treatment combined with sorafenib. Experimental Approach The effects of ABT-263 combined with sorafenib were investigated in vitro, on cell viability, clone formation and apoptosis, and the mechanism examined using western blot and flow cytometry. This combination was also evaluated in vivo, in a mouse xenograft model; tumour growth, volume and weights were measured and a TUNEL assay performed. Key Results ABT-263 enhanced sorafenib-induced apoptosis while sparing non-tumourigenic cells. Although ABT-263 plus sorafenib significantly stimulated intracellular reactive oxygen species production and subsequent mitochondrial depolarization, this was not sufficient to trigger cell apoptosis. ABT-263 plus sorafenib significantly decreased Akt activity, which was, at least partly, involved in its effect on apoptosis. Bax and p21 ( CIP1/WAF1) were shown to play a critical role in ABT-263 plus sorafenib-induced apoptosis. Combining sorafenib with ABT-263 dramatically increased its efficacy in vivo. Conclusion and Implications The anti-tumour activity of ABT-263 plus sorafenib may involve the induction of intrinsic cell apoptosis via inhibition of Akt, and reduced Bax and p21 expression. Our findings offer a novel effective therapeutic strategy for tumour treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

SUMMARY: Water stress can severely impact plant growth, productivity and yield. Consequently, plants have evolved various strategies through which they can respond and adapt to their environment. XERICO (XER) is a stress‐responsive RING E3 ubiquitin ligase that modulates abscisic acid (ABA) levels and promotes drought tolerance when overexpressed. To better understand the biological role of XER in stress responses, we characterized a xer‐1 hypomorphic mutant and a CRISPR/Cas9‐induced xer‐2 null mutant in Arabidopsis. Both xer mutant alleles exhibited increased drought sensitivity, supporting the results from overexpression studies. Furthermore, we discovered that both xer mutants have greater stomatal indices and that XER is expressed in epidermal cells, indicating that XER functions in the epidermis to repress stomatal development. To explore XER spatiotemporal and stress‐dependent regulation, we conducted a yeast one‐hybrid screen and found that CBF4/DREB1D associates with the XER 5′ untranslated region (5′‐UTR). We generated three cbf4 null mutants with CRISPR/Cas9 and showed that CBF4 negatively regulates ABA responses, promotes stomatal development and reduces drought tolerance, in contrast to the roles shown for XER. CBF4 is induced by ABA and osmotic stress, and localizes to the nucleus where it downregulates XER expression via the DRE element in its 5′‐UTR. Lastly, genetic interaction studies confirmed that xer is epistatic to cbf4 in stomatal development and in ABA, osmotic and drought stress responses. We propose that the repression of XER by CBF4 functions to attenuate ABA signaling and stress responses to maintain a balance between plant growth and survival under adverse environmental conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Iatrogenic nerve injury is an important cause of surgical complications. We focused on improving intraoperative visualization of nerves through highly fluorescent polymer dots (Pdots) and in vivo optical imaging instrumentation. The prepared Pdots have good biocompatibility, fluorescence stability, and simple preparation. Peripheral nerves can be imaged quickly with Pdots through a simple direct administration method and process, low non‐specific absorption in the surrounding tissues. Moreover, the Pdots does not invade nerve cells but binds stably in the neural membrane structure. This study verifies that fluorescent Pdots have excellent neuroimaging capabilities and can be used for intraoperative visualization of peripheral nerves. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Quasi‐solid‐state lithium metal batteries are deemed as one of the most promising next‐generation energy storage devices due to their enhanced safety and high energy density. However, the Li/Gel polymer Electrolyte (GPE) interface deterioration induced by the side reactions, dendrite growth during Li plating, and contact loss during Li stripping will inevitably lead to the failure of the battery. Herein, a Li/Li23Sr6–Li3N/Sr2N anode structure (LSN) prepared by hot‐rolling process is designed, where Sr2N serves as an inert skeleton to retain the interfacial coupling and to avoid contact loss. At the same time, the Li3N–Li23Sr6 interphase with high Li adsorption energy and fast Li+ transfer kinetics regulate the Li plating behavior. Benefitting from the design, when coupled with the carbonate‐based GPE, the lifespan of the symmetric battery with the LSN is extended to 1300 h at 0.2 mA cm−2/0.2 mAh cm−2. Furthermore, the LSN||LiFePO4 (LFP) full cell exhibits a steady cycle with extremely low voltage polarization at 0.5 C after 200 cycles. This study provides a practical strategy to stabilize the Li/GPE interface and deepens the understanding of Li+ plating/stripping behaviors through the interphase. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Flexible surface‐enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) substrates have received more and more attention for their non‐invasive sample collection ability. However, majority of them have poor stability and reproducibility because noble metal is easily oxidized and led to lose SERS activity. Herein, SiO2‐TiO2‐Ag hybrids aerogel (STAHA) material is first applied as a flexible SERS substrate for explosives and dyes long‐term sensitive detection. The sensitive non‐invasive detection of 3‐nitro‐1, 2, 4‐triazol‐5‐one (NTO) residues can be achieved with a limit of 1 × 10−6 m by wiping sample collection method. Meanwhile, similar SERS sensitivity from long‐term (50 days) kept substrates is observed compared with fresh‐made substrates. This long‐term sensitivity is contributed to electronic transfer compensation from TiO2 aerogel. This proposed flexible STAHA enrich the type of SERS substrates, and their long‐term sensitivity can provide a prospective application for trace analyses of explosives and other hazardous residues in criminal forensic, military, and security check. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An elastic and safe electrolyte is demanded for flexible batteries. Herein, a stretchable solid electrolyte comprised of crosslinked elastic polymer matrix, poly(vinylidene fluoride‐hexafluoropropylene) (PVDF‐HFP), and flameproof triethyl phosphate (TEP) is fabricated, which exhibits ultrahigh elongation of 450%, nonflammability and ionic conductivity above 1 mS cm−1. In addition, in order to improve the interface compatibility between the electrolyte and Li anode and stabilize the solid‐electrolyte interphase (SEI), a protecting layer containing poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) is designed to effectively prevent the anode from reacting with TEP and optimize the chemical composition in SEI, leading to a tougher and more stable SEI on the anode. The LiFePO4/Li cells employing this double‐layer electrolyte exhibit an 85.0% capacity retention after 300 cycles at 1 C. Moreover, a flexible battery based on this solid electrolyte is fabricated, which can work in stretched, folded, and twisted conditions. This design of a stretchable double‐layer solid electrolyte provides a new concept for safe and flexible solid‐state batteries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In carbonate electrolytes, the organic–inorganic solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) formed on the Li‐metal anode surface is strongly bonded to Li and experiences the same volume change as Li, thus it undergoes continuous cracking/reformation during plating/stripping cycles. Here, an inorganic‐rich SEI is designed on a Li‐metal surface to reduce its bonding energy with Li metal by dissolving 4m concentrated LiNO3 in dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) as an additive for a fluoroethylene‐carbonate (FEC)‐based electrolyte. Due to the aggregate structure of NO3− ions and their participation in the primary Li+ solvation sheath, abundant Li2O, Li3N, and LiNxOy grains are formed in the resulting SEI, in addition to the uniform LiF distribution from the reduction of PF6− ions. The weak bonding of the SEI (high interface energy) to Li can effectively promote Li diffusion along the SEI/Li interface and prevent Li dendrite penetration into the SEI. As a result, our designed carbonate electrolyte enables a Li anode to achieve a high Li plating/stripping Coulombic efficiency of 99.55 % (1 mA cm−2, 1.0 mAh cm−2) and the electrolyte also enables a Li||LiNi0.8Co0.1Mn0.1O2 (NMC811) full cell (2.5 mAh cm−2) to retain 75 % of its initial capacity after 200 cycles with an outstanding CE of 99.83 %. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In carbonate electrolytes, the organic–inorganic solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) formed on the Li‐metal anode surface is strongly bonded to Li and experiences the same volume change as Li, thus it undergoes continuous cracking/reformation during plating/stripping cycles. Here, an inorganic‐rich SEI is designed on a Li‐metal surface to reduce its bonding energy with Li metal by dissolving 4m concentrated LiNO3 in dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) as an additive for a fluoroethylene‐carbonate (FEC)‐based electrolyte. Due to the aggregate structure of NO3− ions and their participation in the primary Li+ solvation sheath, abundant Li2O, Li3N, and LiNxOy grains are formed in the resulting SEI, in addition to the uniform LiF distribution from the reduction of PF6− ions. The weak bonding of the SEI (high interface energy) to Li can effectively promote Li diffusion along the SEI/Li interface and prevent Li dendrite penetration into the SEI. As a result, our designed carbonate electrolyte enables a Li anode to achieve a high Li plating/stripping Coulombic efficiency of 99.55 % (1 mA cm−2, 1.0 mAh cm−2) and the electrolyte also enables a Li||LiNi0.8Co0.1Mn0.1O2 (NMC811) full cell (2.5 mAh cm−2) to retain 75 % of its initial capacity after 200 cycles with an outstanding CE of 99.83 %. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Long‐term relative humidity change in central China has been rarely studied due to the shortness of instrumental records. In this study, we developed an annually resolved tree‐ring width chronology dating back to 1727 coefficient of efficiency (CE) with Chinese pine (Pinus tabulaeformis Carr.) samples from Mt. Shiren, central China. Relative humidity of current April–July (RHAJ) was reconstructed for the region from 1801 to 2016 CE using a linear regression model, which explains 43.9% of the variance in the instrumental records from 1960 to 2016 CE. The reconstructed RHAJ revealed that there were 33 extremely dry years, accounting for 15.28% of the past 216 years. The five driest years and the corresponding anomalies were 1835 (60.05%), 1955 (60.24%), 1929 (60.50%), 1907 (60.71%), and 1801 (60.83%). In agreement with the PDSI reconstruction for Mt. Shennong and the drought/flood series in Zhengzhou, the reconstructed RHAJ captured common droughts in 1813–1814, 1847, 1876–1880, 1900, 1923–1945, 1960–1961, and wet periods in 1863–1872, 1882–1885, 1897–1898, 1954–1956, and 1983–1984. Spatial correlation analyses showed that the reconstructed RHAJ for Mt. Shiren had significant positive correlations with vapour pressure, precipitation, and relative humidity of 850 hPa around the study area, which indicates that the reconstructed RHAJ reflects regional humidity change in central China. To sum up, these results may be provide us with a better understanding of drought variation in central China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Voltage‐gated potassium channels of the KCNQ (Kv7) family are targeted by a variety of activator compounds with therapeutic potential for treatment of epilepsy. Exploration of this drug class has revealed a variety of effective compounds with diverse mechanisms. In this study, we aimed to clarify functional criteria for categorization of Kv7 activator compounds, and to compare the effects of prototypical drugs in a zebrafish larvae model. Methods: In vitro electrophysiological approaches with recombinant ion channels were used to highlight functional properties important for classification of drug mechanisms. We also benchmarked the effects of representative antiepileptic Kv7 activator drugs using behavioral seizure assays of zebrafish larvae and in vivo Ca2+ imaging with the ratiometric Ca2+ sensor CaMPARI. Results: Drug effects on channel gating kinetics, and drug sensitivity profiles to diagnostic channel mutations, were used to highlight properties for categorization of Kv7 activator drugs into voltage sensor‐targeted or pore‐targeted subtypes. Quantifying seizures and ratiometric Ca2+ imaging in freely swimming zebrafish larvae demonstrated that while all Kv7 activators tested lead to suppression of neuronal excitability, pore‐targeted activators (like ML213 and retigabine) strongly suppress seizure behavior, whereas ICA‐069673 triggers a seizure‐like hypermotile behavior. Significance: This study suggests criteria to categorize antiepileptic Kv7 activator drugs based on their underlying mechanism. We also establish the use of in vivo CaMPARI as a tool for screening effects of anticonvulsant drugs on neuronal excitability in zebrafish. In summary, despite a shared ability to suppress neuronal excitability, our findings illustrate how mechanistic differences between Kv7 activator subtypes influence their effects on heteromeric channels and lead to vastly different in vivo outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]