Search

This study explored interactive interface design for writing practice, feedback, and grading in Chinese character learning systems. In the experiment, 30 novice Chinese learners were invited to perform designated learning tasks on two different learning systems. Learning times and outcomes were measured. The results indicated that improvement of interactive design had positive effects on learning performance, and the participants preferred the interactive design of the newer system. Then, a total of 37 Chinese learners of different proficiencies were invited to complete a survey on their satisfaction toward the interactive design of the new system. The results revealed no significant differences in satisfaction levels across Chinese learners regardless of proficiency; moreover, all participants agreed that the interactive design of the new system benefited their learning. According to the results, improvements in interactive designs can increase learning performance when studying Chinese characters. The results can also serve as interactive design guidelines for future Chinese character learning systems.

Objective To investigate the relationship between the intake of vegetables and fruits and the composition and diversity of gut microbiota during the first trimester of pregnancy in Chengdu. Methods In total 104 early pregnant women in Chengdu were enrolled in this study. Dietary frequency questionnaire was used to collect the intake of vegetables and fruits. According to the median intake of vegetables and fruits, the early pregnant women were divided into high intake group and low intake group. The intestinal microflora of fecal samples of early pregnant women was detected by 16S rRNA high-throughput sequencing, and the differences of intestinal microflora between groups were compared. Multiple linear regression was used to explore the relationship between vegetable and fruit intake and intestinal flora in early pregnant women. Results The median intake of vegetables and fruits in early pregnant women was 90.0 g/d and 200.0 g/d, respectively. There was no significant difference in intestinal microflora α and β diversity between high and low intake of vegetables and fruits in early pregnancy. LEfSe analysis showed that the relative abundance of multiple intestinal microflorae in early pregnant women was significantly different between the groups with high and low intake of vegetables and fruits. Multiple linear regression analysis showed that after adjusting age, pre-pregnancy body mass index, and energy intake, early pregnant women's vegetable intake was directly proportional to the relative abundance of Eubacterium siraeum group (β=0.007, P=0.012), inversely proportional to the relative abundance of Bacteroides (β=-0.167, P=0.023), and fruit intake was proportional to the relative abundance of Ruminococcus gnavus group (β=0.004, P=0.034), inversely proportional to the relative abundance of Agathobacter (β=0.004, P=0.044). Conclusion The intake of vegetables and fruits in early pregnancy leads to the change of relative abundance of intestinal flora. This study provides a new scientific basis for dietary regulation of gut microbiota during pregnancy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous studies have linked exposure to light at night (LAN) with various health outcomes, but evidence is limited for the LAN-obesity association. Thestudy analysed data from 24,845 participants of the 33 Communities Chinese Health Study and obesity (BMI ≥28 kg/m2) was defined according to the Working Group on Obesity in China. The Global Radiance Calibrated Nighttime Lights data were used to estimate participants' LAN exposure. The mixed-effect regression models examined the LAN-BMI and LAN-obesity association. We found that higher LAN exposure was significantly associated with greater BMI and higher risk of obesity. Changes of BMI and the odds ratios (ORs) of obesity and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for 2nd, 3rd, and 4th against the 1st quartile of LAN exposure were 0.363 (0.208, 0.519), 0.364 (0.211, 0.516) and 0.217 (0.051, 0.383); 1.228 (1.099, 1.371), 1.356 (1.196, 1.538) and 1.269 (1.124, 1.433), respectively. Age and regular exercise showed significant modification effects on the LAN-obesity association. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Regulatory T (Treg) cells are potent suppressors that maintain immune homeostasis. Accumulation of Treg can inhibit effective immune responses in cancer patients, leading to tumor development and progression. Despite direct cytotoxicity, several chemotherapeutic drugs have been reported to deplete Treg cells for better prognosis for cancer patients. Treg cells are a heterogenous population with at least three different subsets, nonsuppressive, resting, and activated Treg cells. However, the characteristics of Treg cell subsets in lung cancer patients and how chemotherapy affects Treg cells remain elusive. In this study, we first analyzed Treg cell subsets in peripheral blood samples from 40 nonsmall cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients and 20 healthy donors. Treg cells, specifically activated Treg cell subset, significantly increased in patients with NSCLC. Compared to nonsuppressive Treg cells, activated Treg cells expressed higher level of CD39 and predominantly produced inhibitory cytokines. In vitro assay showed that docetaxel reduced all three subsets of Treg cells. More importantly, we found docetaxel-based chemotherapy significantly decreased all three Treg subsets after 4 cycles of treatment in 17 NSCLC patients. Taken together, this study revealed dynamic changes of various Treg cell subsets in NSCLC patients before and after chemotherapy, providing activated Treg cells as a potential target for chemotherapy.

A series of viscosity probes targeting different organelles were obtained using a single hemicyanine dye as the matrix structure. Specifically, probes 1a–d were obtained by introducing four amines (6-amino-2H-chromen-2-one, N-(2-aminoethyl)-4-methylbenzenesulfonamide, dodecan-1-amine and N,N diphenylbenzene-1,4-diamine) into the indole hemicyanine dye of the carboxylic acid with a D–π-A structure. Their maximum absorption wavelengths were in the range 570–586 nm and they had relatively large molar absorption coefficients, while their maximum emission wavelengths in the red light region were in the range 596–611 nm. Moreover, their fluorescence intensity in glycerol was 35–184 times higher than that in phosphate buffer solution (PBS). The lg(Fl) and lg η of probes 1a–d showed good linearity with high correlation coefficients according to the Förster–Hoffman equation. In addition, cell staining experiments demonstrated that 1a–c could target lysosomes, endoplasmic reticulum and mitochondria, respectively. They could also undergo viscosity-detectable changes in the corresponding organelles under the action of the corresponding ion carriers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Four 1,8-naphthyridine derivatives (1a–1d) with different organelle targeting abilities were obtained using the Knoevenagel condensation reaction of 1,8-naphthyridine with 4-(N,N-diethylamino)benzaldehyde (2a), 4-(N,N-diphenylamino)benzaldehyde (2b), 4-(piperazin-1-yl)benzaldehyde (2c) and 4-(ethyl(4-formylphenyl)amino)-N-(2-((4-methylphenyl)sulfonamido)ethyl)butanamide (2d), respectively. The maximal absorption bands of dyes 1a–1d were observed at 375–447 nm, while their maximum emission peaks were situated at 495–605 nm. The optical properties showed that the fluorescence emission of dyes 1a–1d is shifted toward greater wavelengths as the system polarity (Δf) increased. Meanwhile, with increasing polarity of the mixed 1,4-dioxane/H2O system, the fluorescence intensity of dyes 1a–1d gradually decreased. Furthermore, the fluorescence intensity of 1a–1d enhanced by 12–239 fold as the polarity of 1,4-dioxane/H2O mixtures declined. 1a–1d had a large Stokes shift (up to 229 nm) in polar solvents in comparison to nonpolar solvents. The colocalization imaging experiments demonstrated that dyes 1a–1d (3–10 μM) were located in mitochondria, lipid droplets, lysosomes and the endoplasmic reticulum in living HeLa cells, respectively; and they could monitor the polarity fluctuation of the corresponding organelles. Consequently, this work proposes a molecular design idea with different organelle targeting capabilities based on the same new fluorophore, and this molecular design idea may provide more alternatives for polarity-sensitive fluorescent probes with organelle targeting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]