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Graves’ disease (GD) is an autoimmune disorder disease, and its prevalence continues to increase worldwide. Pyrroloquinoline quinone (PQQ) is a naturally antioxidant compound in milk, vegetables, and meat. We aim to identify the treatment efficacy of PQQ on GD and its regulatory effect on intestinal microbiota. The GD mice model was built by an adenovirus expressing autoantigen thyroid-stimulating hormone receptor (Ad-TSHR289). Fecal samples were collected for 16S rDNA sequencing after PQQ pretreatments (20, 40, or 60 mg/kg BW/day) for 4 weeks. Thyroid and intestine functions were measured. The levels of serum TSHR and T4 were significantly raised, and the thyroid gland size was typically enlarged in the GD group than in controls, reversed by PQQ therapy. After PQQ replenishment, IL6 and TNFα levels in small intestine tissues were lower than those in the GD group, with Nrf2 and HO1 levels improved. Also, the PQQ supplement could maintain the mucosal epithelial barrier impaired by GD. In microbial analyses, PQQ treatment could prompt the diversity recovery of gut microbiota and reconstruct the microbiota composition injured by GD. Lactobacillus served as the most abundant genus in all groups, and the abundance of Lactobacillus was increased in the GD group than in control and PQQ groups. Besides, Lactobacillus was highly correlative with all samples and the top 50 genera. PQQ supplementation regulates thyroid function and relieves intestine injury. PQQ changes the primary composition and abundance of GD’s intestine microbiota by moderating Lactobacillus, which may exert in the pathogenesis and progression of GD.

Background: Despite the potential radiotoxicity in differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC) patients with high-dose 131I therapy, the alterations and regulatory mechanisms dependent on intestinal microecology remain poorly understood. We aimed to identify the characteristics of the gut microbiota and metabolites in DTC patients suffering from high-dose 131I therapy and explore the radioprotective mechanisms underlying arachidonic acid (ARA) treatment. Methods: A total of 102 patients with DTC were recruited, with fecal samples collected before and after 131I therapy for microbiome and untargeted and targeted metabolomic analyses. Mice were exposed to total body irradiation with ARA replenishment and antibiotic pretreatment and were subjected to metagenomic, metabolomic, and proteomic analyses. Results: 131I therapy significantly changed the structure of gut microbiota and metabolite composition in patients with DTC. Lachnospiraceae were the most dominant bacteria after 131I treatment, and metabolites with decreased levels and pathways related to ARA and linoleic acid were observed. In an irradiation mouse model, ARA supplementation not only improved quality of life and recovered hematopoietic and gastrointestinal systems but also ameliorated oxidative stress and inflammation and preserved enteric microecology composition. Additionally, antibiotic intervention eliminated the radioprotective effects of ARA. Proteomic analysis and ursolic acid pretreatment showed that ARA therapy greatly influenced intestinal lipid metabolism in mice subjected to irradiation by upregulating the expression of hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A synthase 1. Conclusion: These findings highlight that ARA, as a key metabolite, substantially contributes to radioprotection. Our study provides novel insights into the pivotal role that the microbiota-metabolite axis plays in radionuclide protection and offers effective biological targets for treating radiation-induced adverse effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and purpose: Epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is the key biological process of tumor cell metastasis. Blocking EMT inhibits tumor metastasis, therefore it is of great significance to elucidate the molecular mechanism of EMT. Tumor suppressor protein H2AX regulates apoptosis-related gene expression of tumor cells, and then produces anti-tumor effect. This study aimed to reveal the relationship between H2AX and EMT, and to explore the possible mechanism of H2AX regulating EMT in lung cancer cells. Methods: About 5% fetal bovine serum was used to induce EMT in lung cancer A549 stable cells including H2AX gene silencing, H2AX overexpression and H2AX phosphorylation site mutation. Western blot and real- time fluorescent quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RTFQ-PCR) were used to detect the expressions of E-cadherin, vimentin, vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2 (VEGFR2) and other EMT-related proteins. Transwell experiment was used to analyze the migration and invasion of A549 cells. Results: Knockdown of H2AX in lung cancer A549 cells resulted in the downregulation of E-cadherin and the upregulation of vimentin, and enhanced the migration and invasion ability of A549 cells. Overexpression of H2AX in lung cancer A549 cells upregulated E-cadherin, downregulated vimentin, and inhibited the migration and invasion of A549 cells. Mutation of H2AX phosphorylation site eliminated the regulation of E-cadherin and vimentin by H2AX, and the inhibition of EMT by H2AX. H2AX knockdown in A549 cells stimulated the expression of VEGFR2, while overexpression of H2AX inhibited VEGFR2 expression. Mutation of H2AX phosphorylation site eliminated the VEGFR2 expression inhibition caused by H2AX. Knockdown of VEGFR2 inhibited the EMT of A549. Knockdown of H2AX stimulated the expression of EMT-related factors Slug and β-catenin, whereas overexpression of H2AX inhibited the expression of Slug and β-catenin. Reducing H2AX phosphorylation eliminated the expression inhibition of Slug and β-catenin by H2AX. Conclusion: H2AX inhibits EMT of lung cancer A549 cells by downregulating the expressions of VEGFR2, Slug and β-catenin.

Infections of the central nervous system (CNS) are potentially life-threatening and can cause serious morbidity. We evaluated the clinical value of metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) in the diagnosis of infectious encephalitis and meningitis and explored the factors affecting the results of mNGS. Patients with suspected cases of encephalitis or meningitis who presented in Northern Jiangsu People's Hospital from 1 March 2018 to 30 September 2022 were collected. Demographic, historical, and clinical information were obtained, and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples were treated with mNGS. The pathogen was identified using National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) GenBank sequence data. Ninety-six patients were screened and finally 90 subjects enrolled. Of the 90 enrolled cases, 67 (74.4%) were diagnosed with central nervous system infections, which included 48 cases (71.6%) of viral infection, 11 (12.2%) of bacterial infection, 5 (7.5%) of mycobacterium tuberculosis, 2 (3.0%) of fungal infection, and 1 (1.5%) of rickettsia infection. From these cases, mNGS identified 40 (44.4%) true-positive cases, 3 (3.3%) false-positive case, 22 (24.4%) true-negative cases, and 25 (27.8%) false-negative cases. The sensitivity and specificity of mNGS were 61.5% and 88%, respectively. mNGS of CSF could show a higher positive rate in patients with marked CSF abnormalities, including elevated protein concentrations and monocyte counts. mNGS of CSF is an effective method for detecting infectious encephalitis and meningitis, and the results should be analyzed combined with conventional microbiological testing results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 pandemic is a serious threat to people's lives and mental health. As a key worker providing psychological assistance services, the purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between social support and vicarious posttraumatic growth of psychological hotline counselors during COVID-19 and its mechanism. A questionnaire survey was conducted among 241 psychological hotline counselors. Path analysis was conducted through structural equation modeling. The direct path from social support to vicarious posttraumatic growth of psychological hotline counselors was not significant, but the indirect path between them was significant. Social support can influence vicarious posttraumatic growth of psychological hotline counselors through the mediating effects of resilience and cognitive reappraisal as well as the chain mediating effects of these two factors. Social support does not directly stimulate vicarious posttraumatic growth in psychological hotline counselors, but social support can influence counselors' vicarious posttraumatic growth through the role of resilience, cognitive reappraisal, and the chain-mediated effects of psychological resilience and cognitive reappraisal. This encourages hotline counselors to be intentional about applying resources to balance the effects of trauma work on them as they face their clinical work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: The program of the "Free Training of Chinese Rural Order-Oriented Medical Students" is a plan to train general practitioners who can work at rural medical institutions. However, many students have been unwilling to fulfill their commitments and actually work in their assigned locations. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to provide some explanation by exploring factors influencing the employment intentions of rural order-oriented medical students in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region of China to provide a basis for formulating relevant supporting policies to help increase the fulfillment rate of medical students. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional study with a stratified cluster sampling method at four medical universities in Inner Mongolia using a survey questionnaire. Multivariate logistic regression was used to identify factors that were significantly associated with employment intentions. RESULTS: Approximately 67% of students were willing to work in rural areas, whereas 33% were not. Order-oriented medical students who were dissatisfied with, or indifferent to, training, were unclear about policy, were of Han ethnicity, or came from an urban area, had lower intentions to accept employment in rural areas. The training satisfaction in particular had the greatest predictive effect. CONCLUSION: The implementation of the program "Free Training of Chinese Rural Order-Oriented Medical Students" has been affected by the low actual employment intentions. This study may provide a useful basis on which medical educators and health policy makers can formulate relevant supporting policies and develop strategies to increase the number of order-oriented medical students who working in rural areas where they are most needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To solve the optimization problem of edge distance in titanium alloy sheet during a new aircraft development stage,a three dimensional FE model was built on ABAQUS platfom. The effect of edge distance on residual stress distribution was analysised with TC4 titanium alloy by interference-fit strengthening technique under cylic loading. The study indicates that a considerble reduction of fatigue life is found with a lower egde distance ratio（ L/D）,also,the location of fatigue damage is moving against the hole. Fatigue damage happens in the margin part with edge distance ratio（ L/D） less than 2.

Advancements in remote sensing technology and very-large-scale integrated circuit (VLSI) have significantly augmented the real-time processing capabilities of spaceborne synthetic aperture radar (SAR), thereby enhancing terrestrial observational capacities. However, the inefficiency of voluminous data storage and transfer inherent in conventional methods has emerged as a technical hindrance, curtailing real-time processing within SAR imaging systems. To address the constraints of a limited storage bandwidth and inefficient data transfer, this study introduces a three-dimensional cross-mapping approach premised on the equal subdivision of sub-matrices utilizing dual-channel DDR3. This method considerably augments storage access bandwidth and achieves equilibrium in two-dimensional data access. Concurrently, an on-chip data transfer approach predicated on a superscalar pipeline buffer is proposed, mitigating pipeline resource wastage, augmenting spatial parallelism, and enhancing data transfer efficiency. Building upon these concepts, a hardware architecture is designed for the efficient storage and transfer of SAR imaging system data, based on the superscalar pipeline. Ultimately, a data storage and transfer engine featuring register addressing access, configurable granularity, and state monitoring functionalities is realized. A comprehensive imaging processing experiment is conducted via a "CPU + FPGA" heterogeneous SAR imaging system. The empirical results reveal that the storage access bandwidth of the proposed superscalar pipeline-based SAR imaging system's data efficient storage and transfer engine can attain up to 16.6 GB/s in the range direction and 20.0 GB/s in the azimuth direction. These findings underscore that the storage exchange engine boasts superior storage access bandwidth and heightened data storage transfer efficiency. This considerable enhancement in the processing performance of the entire "CPU + FPGA" heterogeneous SAR imaging system renders it suitable for application within spaceborne SAR real-time processing systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dermatophagoides farinae (Astigmata: Pyroglyphidae) occurs in both homes and storage environments. The species produces biochemically diverse allergens that cause allergic reactions and seriously endanger human health. Habitat diversity can lead to divergent adaptive selection and reduced gene flow, thereby increasing genetic drift; both factors contribute to genetic differentiation. However, there is a lack of research concerning the genetic diversity and differentiation of D. farinae in different habitats. In this study, the genetic diversity and differentiation of D. farinae populations in different habitats were studied using the mitochondrial cytochrome b (Cytb) gene, the cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) gene, and the ribosomal internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region. Both pillow cores (ZX) and dormitory (SS) habitats had higher haplotype diversity than the flour mill (MF) habitat. The reasons for this phenomenon are likely to be food availability as well as differences in temperature and humidity among habitats. There was significant genetic differentiation (Fst > 0.05, P < 0.05) between the ZX and MF and between the MF and SS habitats, but there was no significant genetic differentiation between the ZX and SS habitats (Fst < 0.05, P > 0.05) based on both Cytb and COI genes, reflecting the difference between mitochondrial and nuclear genes. The low level of gene flow observed for ZX-MF and MF-SS and the gene flow between the ZX and SS habitats supported the above results. A haplotype network and a neighbour-joining phylogenetic tree showed that individuals from the ZX and SS habitats occurred in two clades without a clear distribution boundary, indicating that the genetic structure was not correlated with the habitat distribution. This research is the first genetic analysis of D. farinae in different habitats. The study can improve our understanding of the population genetics of D. farinae in different habitats and aid in the development of more effective management strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, with the rapid development of economy, more and more urban residents, while owning their own motor vehicles, are also troubled by the traffic congestion caused by the backward traffic facilities or traffic management methods. The loss of productivity, car accidents, high emissions, and environmental pollution caused by traffic congestion has become a huge and increasingly heavy burden on all countries in the world. Therefore, the prediction of urban road network traffic flow and the rapid and accurate evaluation of traffic congestion are of great significance to the study of urban traffic solutions. This paper focuses on how to apply data science technologies on vehicular networks data to present a prediction method for traffic congestion based on both real-time and predicted traffic data. Two evaluation frameworks are established, and existing methods are used to compare and evaluate the accuracy and efficiency of the presented method., 1. Introduction The problem of urban traffic congestion, from the beginning of the birth of motor vehicles to the widespread popularity of motor vehicles, has been an important issue that [...]

Plant-based dietary patterns may reduce the risk of dyslipidemia. However, not all plant-based foods are beneficial, and limited data exist for the Chinese population. We investigated the association between different plant-based dietary indices and the risk of dyslipidemia in a Chinese middle-aged and elderly population. The study participants (n = 4096) consisted of adults between 35 and 74 years of age from Xinjiang, China. Dietary consumption of the study participants was evaluated using a semi-quantitative food-frequency questionnaire (FFQ). Three different plant-based dietary indices were calculated using data from dietary surveys, including overall plant-based diet index (PDI), healthy plant-based diet index (hPDI), and unhealthy plant-based diet index (uPDI). Based on these indices, we created an adjusted plant-based diet index (aPDI) based on the Xinjiang population actual dietary behavior and health effects of food. We measured the levels of total cholesterol, triglyceride, LDL-C, and HDL-C in the blood of the study participants. We used multivariable logistic regression and restricted cubic spline to analyze the relationship between plant-based diets and dyslipidemia. The findings showed that 36.6% of the participants had dyslipidemia. Higher PDI adherence was related to lower odds of dyslipidemia (Q3 vs. Q1, OR: 0.780, 95% CI: 0.641–0.949; Q4 vs. Q1, OR: 0.799, 95% CI: 0.659–0.970). High aPDI was related to lower odds of dyslipidemia (Q4 vs. Q1, OR: 0.770, 95% CI: 0.628–0.945; Q5 vs. Q1, OR: 0.748, 95% CI: 0.607–0.921). High scores for PDI, hPDI, and aPDI were all related to a reduced risk of low HDL-C (OR: 0.638, 95% CI: 0.491–0.823; OR: 0.661, 95% CI: 0.502–0.870; OR: 0.580, 95% CI: 0.443–0.758). Conversely, a high uPDI score was associated with an increased risk of low HDL-C (OR: 1.349, 95% CI: 1.046–1.740). There was no non-linear relationship between PDI, hPDI, uPDI, and aPDI and the risk of different types of dyslipidemia. Plant-based dietary indices are related to specific types of dyslipidemia risk. Appropriately increasing the consumption of plant-based foods while improving the quality of plant-based dietary patterns is critical for the prevention of dyslipidemia, especially low HDL-C, in the population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Aims: Both China and Thailand attach great importance to education and are committed to high educational standards on an international level. Our study is to compare the medical education reforms that have occurred in China and Thailand to further improve the medical education system in China. Methods: Through a search of official documents and prior studies, as well as consultation with Thai students studying in China, we gathered data regarding the evolution of the medical education systems in China and Thailand. The aggregate materials are incorporated into the summary and analysis. Results: Over 200 journals and literature were analyzed retrospectively. Thailand's medical education reforms encompass Western strategies without neglecting domestic cultural factors and priorities, and a standardized and medical education system has been established. Chinese medical education reform has yielded remarkable results, though further improvements remain necessary. Conclusion: Reforms of Thailand's medical education system offer important experiences and lessons for China, that the development of medical education needs to absorb the merits of others and also needs to have its own national characteristics. The key to medical education reform in China lies in the establishment of a system that is dedicated to science, while also serving its primary purpose of training high‐level medical talent that can meet the needs of Chinese society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. There are few reports on the relationship between dietary patterns and cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D). This study aimed to explore relationships between dietary patterns and CVD risk in the T2D population using multiple statistical analysis methods. Methods. A total of 2,984 patients with T2D from the Xinjiang Multi-Ethnic Cohort, 555 of whom were suffering from CVD, were enrolled in this study. Participants' dietary intake was measured by the semiquantitative food frequency questionnaire (FFQ). Three statistical methods were used to construct dietary patterns, including principal component analysis (PCA) method, reduced-rank regressions (RRR) method, and partial least-squares regression (PLS) method. Then, the association between dietary patterns and CVD risk in T2D patients was analyzed by logistic regression. After excluding participants with CVD, the associations between dietary patterns and 10-year CVD risk scores were subsequently evaluated to reduce reverse causality. Results. In this study, four dietary patterns were identified by three methods. Adjustment for confounding factors, subjects with the highest scores on the "high-protein and high-carbohydrate" patterns derived from PCA, RRR, and PLS had higher odds of CVD than those with the lowest scores (OR: 2.89, 95% CI: 2.11–3.96, P t r e n d < 0.001 ; OR: 2.96, 95% CI: 2.17–4.03, P t r e n d < 0.001 ; OR: 2.01, 95% CI: 1.50–2.70, P t r e n d < 0.001 , respectively). However, the dietary pattern of PCA-prudent was not significantly related to the odds of having CVD in T2D patients (adjusted ORQ4vsQ1: 0.93, 95% CI: 0.70–1.24, P t r e n d = 0.474). Interestingly, we also found significant associations between "high-protein and high-carbohydrate" patterns and the elevated predicted 10-year CVD risk in T2D patients (all P t r e n d < 0.05). Conclusion. The positive correlation between "high-protein and high-carbohydrate" patterns and CVD risk in T2D patients was robust across all three data-driven approaches. These findings may have public health significance, encouraging an emphasis on food choices in the usual diet and promoting nutritional interventions for patients with T2D to prevent CVD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim/Background: We investigated the composition and structure of intracellular polysaccharides in cucumber seeds (CSs) and their effect on Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats and potential activity for fracture healing. Materials and Methods: Polysaccharides are its main water-soluble active ingredient. The SD rat tibia fracture model was established by surgical method, and the healing effect of cucumber seed polysaccharides (CSPs) on SD rat tibia fracture was preliminarily explored. Through histopathological observation, determination of rat serum indicators alkaline phosphatase (AKP), acid phosphatase (ACP), BGP, X-ray imaging observation, and micro-Computed Tomography (CT) imaging observation at different periods. Results and Conclusion: The results showed that CSP enhanced the activity of osteoblasts, increased the metabolic rate of osteoclasts, increased the secretion of AKP, BGP, and ACP, shortened the fracture healing time of SD rats and effectively promoted the healing of tibial fractures in SD rats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Currently, the high morbidity of individuals with thyroid cancer (TC) is an increasing health care burden worldwide. The aim of our study was to investigate the relationship among the gut microbiota community, metabolites, and the development of differentiated thyroid cancer. Methods: 16S rRNA gene sequencing and an integrated LC–MS-based metabolomics approach were performed to obtain the components and characteristics of fecal microbiota and metabolites from 50 patients with TC and 58 healthy controls (HCs). Results: The diversity and richness of the gut microbiota in the TC patients were markedly decreased. The composition of the gut microbiota was significantly altered, and the Bacteroides enterotype was the dominant enterotype in TC patients. Additionally, the diagnostic validity of the combined model (three genera and eight metabolites) and the metabolite model (six metabolites) were markedly higher than that of the microbial model (seven genera) for distinguishing TC patients from HCs. LEfSe analysis demonstrated that genera (g_Christensenellaceae_R-7_group, g_Eubacterium_coprostanoligenes_group) and metabolites [27-hydroxycholesterol (27HC), cholesterol] closely related to lipid metabolism were greatly reduced in the TC group. In addition, a clinical serum indicator (total cholesterol) and metabolites (27HC and cholesterol) had the strongest influence on the sample distribution. Furthermore, functional pathways related to steroid biosynthesis and lipid digestion were inhibited in the TC group. In the microbiota-metabolite network, 27HC was significantly related to metabolism-related microorganisms (g_Christensenellaceae_R-7_group). Conclusions: Our research explored the characteristics of the gut microecology of patients with TC. The findings of this study will help to discover risk factors that affect the occurrence and development of TC in the intestinal microecology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Embryonal carcinoma (EC) and seminoma (SE) are both derived from germ cell neoplasia in situ but show big differences in growth patterns and clinical prognosis. Epigenetic regulation may play an important role in the development of EC and SE. This study investigated the DNA methylation-based genetic alterations between EC and SE by analyzing the datasets of mRNA expression and DNA methylation profiling. The datasets were downloaded from the Gene Expression Omnibus database. The differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified between EC and SE by limma package in R environment. Gene function enrichment analysis of the DEGs was performed on the DAVID tool, the results of which suggested differences in capability of pluripotency and genomic stability between EC and SE. The minfi package and wANNOVAR tool were used to identify differentially methylated genes. A total of 37 genes were discovered with both mRNA expression and the accordant DNA methylation changes. The findings were verified by the sequencing data from The Cancer Genome Atlas database, and Kaplan-Meier survival analysis was performed. Finally, 5 genes (PRDM1, LMO2, FAM53B, HCN4, and FAM124B) were found that showed both low expression and high methylation in EC, and were significantly associated with relapse-free survival. The findings of methylation-based genetic features between EC and SE might be helpful in studying the role of DNA methylation in cancer development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Gut microbiota are considered to be intrinsic regulators of thyroid autoimmunity. We designed a cross-sectional study to examine the makeup and metabolic function of microbiota in Graves' disease (GD) patients, with the ultimate aim of offering new perspectives on the diagnosis and treatment of GD. Methods: The 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) V3–V4 DNA regions of microbiota were obtained from fecal samples collected from 45 GD patients and 59 controls. Microbial differences between the two groups were subsequently analyzed based on high-throughput sequencing. Results: Compared with controls, GD patients had reduced alpha diversity (p < 0.05). At the phylum level, GD patients had a significantly lower proportion of Firmicutes (p = 0.008) and a significantly higher proportion of Bacteroidetes (p = 0.002) compared with the controls. At the genus level, GD patients had greater numbers of Bacteroides and Lactobacillus, although fewer Blautia, [Eubacterium]_hallii_group, Anaerostipes, Collinsella, Dorea, unclassified_f_Peptostreptococcaceae, and [Ruminococcus]_torques_group than controls (all p < 0.05). Subgroup analysis of GD patients revealed that Lactobacillus may play a key role in the pathogenesis of autoimmune thyroid diseases. Nine distinct genera showed significant correlations with certain thyroid function tests. Functional prediction revealed that Blautia may be an important microbe in certain metabolic pathways that occur in the hyperthyroid state. In addition, linear discriminant analysis (LDA) and effect size (LEfSe) analysis showed that there were significant differences in the levels of 18 genera between GD patients and controls (LDA >3.0, all p < 0.05). A diagnostic model using the top nine genera had an area under the curve of 0.8109 [confidence interval: 0.7274–0.8945]. Conclusions: Intestinal microbiota are different in GD patients. The microbiota we identified offer an alternative noninvasive diagnostic methodology for GD. Microbiota may also play a role in thyroid autoimmunity, and future research is needed to further elucidate the role. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The doctor–patient relationship (DPR) in People's Republic of China is very tense. This study aimed to provide some explanation by exploring factors influencing the DPR from doctors' and patients' perspectives. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in one provincial and one city-level general public hospital in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region of People's Republic of China. The Difficult Doctor–Patient Relationship Questionnaire (DDPRQ-10) and the Patient–Doctor Relationship Questionnaire (PDRQ-9) were used to assess the quality of the DPR from 226 doctors, and 713 patients' perspectives, respectively. Multivariate linear regression was used to identify factors significantly associated with the doctors' and patients' perceptions of the DPR by assessing coefficients of total effect and their 95% confidence interval. Results: The result revealed that provincial-level doctors had a higher DDPRQ-10 score than city-level doctors. Worse DDPRQ-10 scores were seen for doctors who worked in the Internal Medicine departments were aged between 31 and 40 years, held a master's degree, were dissatisfied with their income, worked more than 40 hrs per week, felt pressure at work, considered the hospital environment to be bad, often felt affected by negative media reports and had defensive behaviors. Patients visiting the provincial hospital had a lower PDRQ-9 score than those from the city-level hospital. Lower PDRQ-9 scores were also seen for patients who were of Mongolian ethnicity, were dissatisfied with their income, waited longer to see the doctor, had a shorter doctor consultation time, had lower expectations of their treatment result, had a low level of trust in the doctor, regarded the hospital environment as bad and those who were frequently influenced by negative media reports. Conclusion: This study may provide a useful model to raise the quality of the DPR and to supply evidence for health policy makers and administrators to formulate strategies for reducing the problem of tense DPR in Chinese hospitals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the development of wireless Internet and the popularity of location sensors in mobile phones, the coupling degree between social networks and location sensor information is increasing. Many studies in the Location-Based Social Network (LBSN) domain have begun to use social media and location sensing information to implement personalized Points-of-interests (POI) recommendations. However, this approach may fall short when a user moves to a new district or city where they have little or no activity history and social network friend information. Thus, a need to reconsider how we model the factors influencing a user's preferences in new geographical regions in order to make personalized and relevant recommendation. A POI in LBSNs is semantically enriched with annotations such as place categories, tags, tips or user reviews which implies knowledge about the nature of the place as well as a visiting person's interests. This provides us with opportunities to better understand the patterns in users' interests and activities by exploiting the annotations which will continue to be useful even when a user moves to unfamiliar places. In this research, we proposed a location-aware POI recommendation system that models user preferences mainly based on user reviews, which shows the nature of activities that a user finds interesting. Using this information from users' location history, we predict user ratings by harnessing the information present in review text as well as consider social influence from similar user set formed based on matching category preferences and similar reviews. We use real data sets partitioned by city provided by Yelp, to compare the accuracy of our proposed method against some baseline POI recommendation algorithms. Experimental results show that our algorithm achieves a better accuracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Potent and selective HDAC6 inhibitors based on the Tetrahydro- β -carboline scaffold. • Computational simulations suggested the key interactions between representative 11d and HDAC6. • 11d exhibited promising neurite outgrowth-promoting activity and neuroprotective activity. Histone deacetylase 6 (HDAC6) has drawn more and more attention for its potential application in Alzheimer's disease (AD) therapy. A series of tetrahydro- β -carboline (TH β C) hydroxamic acids with aryl linker were synthesized. In enzymatic assay, all compounds exhibited nanomolar IC 50 values. The most promising compound 11d preferentially inhibited HDAC6 (IC 50 , 8.64 nM) with approximately 149-fold selectivity over HDAC1. Molecular simulation revealed that the hydroxamic acid of 11d could bind to the zinc ion by a bidentate chelating manner. In vitro, 11d induced neurite outgrowth of PC12 cells without producing toxic effects and showed obvious neuroprotective activity in a model of H 2 O 2 -induced oxidative stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]