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Ami (10 μM) had a greater retarding effect on the hERG-T618I channel than WT (P < 0.05). The half-inhibitory concentration for the mutant (4.56 μM) was approximately 1.82 times that of WT (2.51 μM).

Smartphone usage has brought great convenience to our daily life. However, the detrimental consequences of smartphone dependence also require special attention. Based on the theory of planned behavior (TPB), this study designed a questionnaire to investigate college students' withdrawal from smartphone dependence. The reliability and validity of the questionnaire were tested. The results showed that the reliability of the questionnaire was good ([alpha] = 0.84-0.94). The principal component analysis was conducted, contribution rates of these factors were moderately high (62.06%-82.35%). The validity was verified through confirmatory factor analysis. All the model fit indices were higher than the acceptable standard, which indicated the construct validity of the TPB questionnaire is good. The results of the multi-group structural equation model revealed that the model provided excellent fit to the data in each demographic group. The results of structural equation model presented that, in most demographic groups, students' attitude, subjective norm, and perceived behavioral control of withdrawal from smartphone dependence positively influenced their behavioral intention. Furthermore, subjective norm was the most effective predictors in each group. However, part of the paths from intention to behavior failed to reach the significant level, and their coefficients are relatively small. This reveals the gap between college students' withdrawal intention and their actual behavior, and there may be other factors influence the relationship between the two variables., Author(s): Heng Yue [sup.1] , Cuiyun Li [sup.1] , Min Liu [sup.1] , Ruyi Jin [sup.1] , Hugejiletu Bao [sup.1] [sup.2] Author Affiliations: (1) grid.411907.a, 0000 0001 0441 5842, College [...]

ObjectiveTo explore the effects of group interpersonal psychotherapy （IPT） on cognitive and social function in patients with first-episode schizophrenia， and to provide references for appropriate psychological treatment for the patients.MethodsA total of 62 patients with first-episode schizophrenia who met the diagnostic criteria of International Classification of Diseases， tenth edition （ICD-10） and were admitted to the Third People's Hospital of Foshan from January to December 2021 were selected as the study objects. And patients were divided into study group and control group according to random number table method， each with 31 cases. Both groups were treated with risperidone for 8 weeks， based on this， study group received group IPT. Before and after 8 weeks of treatment， Positive and Negative Syndrorne Scales （PANSS）， Wisconsin Card Sorting Tests （WCST） and Personal and Social Performance Sale（PSP） were adopted to assess the patients' psychiatric symptoms， cognitive function and social function.ResultsAfter 8 weeks of treatment， there was no significant difference in PANSS scores between the two groups （t=0.296， P>0.05）. The WCST total number of responses in the study group was larger than that in the control group， the number of perseverative errors and non-perseverative errors were smaller than those in the control group， and PSP score of the study group was higher than that of the control group， with statistically significant differences （t=0.398， 2.609， 0.523， 0.381， P

Effective inspection of pipelines is of significant importance in the industry. In order to reduce human labour, risk and expenses in this area, robots can be applied. The pipe robot should perform not only the linear motion in the axial direction but also the rotary motion in the circumferential direction while working. Meanwhile, in order to achieve reasonable performance and efficiency, these robots should have high enough normal linear motion velocity. They should be able to cross a pipe in one direction to another pipe in a different direction to achieve the over-obstacle function. In this study, a double-joint wheeled robot model is established to fulfil the actions of fast walking, rotation around the pipe and over-obstacle on spatial pipes. Based on the expected position on the pipe for the robot constructed by the proposed model, the precise starting position and control synthesis of the axial and circumferential velocities are initially determined. In order to study the velocity synthesis more accurately, the pipe is unfolded along the axial direction to transform the spatial motion into a plane motion. A novel spatial distribution form of driving wheels is proposed. In addition, based on the initial position of the straight, T-shaped, L-shaped, two-axis ‘+’-shaped and spatial three-axis ‘+’-shaped pipes, the posture adjustment of the robot prior, during and after the over-obstacle is investigated. Furthermore, the corresponding planning algorithms are established.

Objectives: Phytic acid (PYT) also known as inositol hexakisphosphate or inositol polyphosphate has shown a broad range of biological effects including anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and anticancer effects in several preclinical studies. This study aimed to investigate the effects of PYT in vitro on HCT116 and HT-29 cell lines and to analyse the intricate mechanism of NF-κB-β-catenin signalling pathways. Material and methods: Both cell lines were treated with PYT, and analysed for cell viability, apoptosis, progression of cell cycle, and DNA fragmentation. Gene and protein expression analysis was performed to assess the molecular mechanism. Results: PYT suppressed the proliferation of colorectal cancer cell lines in a dose- and time-dependent manner with an estimated IC50 value of 2.96 and 3.35 mm, respectively. PYT caused cell cycle arrest at the G2/M phase in both CRC cell lines and induced mitochondrial intrinsic apoptosis via activation of caspase-9 and caspase-3 cascade. PYT suppressed the expression of pro-inflammatory markers especially COX-2 and iNOS, and IL-lβ, IL-6, and IL-10. Analysing the mechanism behind the effects of PYT showed that it suppressed the levels of NF-κB and β-catenin and inhibited the levels of cyclin Dl and c-Myc (its downstream targets) and COX-2. Conclusion: The results collectively indicate the potent anti-inflammatory and anti-proliferative effects of PYT in CRC cell lines that were mediated by downregulating the β-catenin and NF-κB signalling pathways. Results advocate that natural supplementation of PYT can be an effective preventive approach in controlling cancer of colorectal region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The extract of Allium saralicum R.M. Fritsch leaf was found to be an effective reagent for green synthesis and functionalization of zinc nanoparticles (ZnNPs@AS) from 1 mM zinc acetate solution. These nanoparticles were characterized by fourier‐transform infrared spectroscopy (FT‐IR), X‐ray powder diffraction (XRD), ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy (UV–Vis), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE‐SEM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analysis. FT‐IR results offered polysaccharides and protein in A. saralicum were the sources of reducing power, reducing zinc ions to ZnNPs@AS. In XRD analysis, the crystal size of zinc nanoparticles was 19.7 nm. TEM and FE‐SEM images indicated the average diameter of 19 nm for the zinc nanoparticles. For investigating the antimicrobial properties of Zn (NO3)2.6H2O, A. saralicum, and ZnNPs@AS, we used the macro‐broth dilation test. Also, MIC, MBC, and MFC of Zn (NO3)2.6H2O, A. saralicum, and ZnNPs@AS were gained to indicate the exact antimicrobial potentials of them. ZnNPs@AS indicated higher antifungal and antibacterial effects than all standard antibiotics (p ≤ 0.01). The MIC of ZnNPs@AS were 2–4 and 2–8 mg/mL against fungi and bacteria, respectively. But, MBC and MFC of ZnNPs@AS were 4–8 mg/mL against all fungi and bacteria tested. To survey the cutaneous wound healing effects of Zn (NO3)2.6H2O, A. saralicum, and ZnNPs@AS, the 0.2% ointments were formulated and compared with the control and untreated groups. The use of ZnNPs@AS ointment significantly (p ≤ 0.01) raised the wound contracture, vessel, hydroxyl proline, hexuronic acid, hexosamine, fibrocyte, fibroblast, and fibrocytes/fibroblast rate and significantly (p ≤ 0.01) decreased the wound area, total cells, neutrophil, macrophage, and lymphocyte compared to other groups in rats. According to the above findings, ZnNPs@AS may be consumed for the treatment of cutaneous wounds and infectious diseases in humans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]