Search

Purpose: This study aims to investigate the effects of professional autonomy (PA) and person–environment fit (person–job [PJ] fit and person–organization [PO] fit) on turnover intention (TI). Methods: We take a total of 1,133 professional social workers with formal educational background from the China Social Work Longitudinal Study 2019 as our sample and use structural equation modeling as our analysis method. Results: We find that an increase in person–environment fit is significantly associated with a decrease in Chinese social workers' organizational TI, and this relationship is mediated by PA. However, PA has greater power to buffer the effects of PJ fit than those of PO fit on TI. Conclusions: This finding improves existing understanding of the paradox of social workers embedded in the community. An occupational environment that promotes PA is urgently needed to address this paradox and to prevent social workers' TI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

γ-Glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT) plays an essential role in regulating cellular glutathione and cysteine homeostasis, and its abnormal elevation is associated with different diseases including cancers. Here a novel mitochondrial-targeting near-infrared fluorescent probe was designed for GGT by conjugating glutamate acid to a newly synthesized amine hemicyanine fluorophore. The fluorescent probe was initially non-emissive due to the formation of an amide bond which destroyed the electronic-donating ability of the amine moiety and disrupted the push–pull structure. GGT-mediated cleavage of the γ-glutamyl bond regenerated the initial fluorophore with distinct intramolecular charge transfer (ICT) and activated the fluorescence signal. The fluorescent probe displayed a linear relationship to the concentration of GGT in the range of 1.0–90 U L−1, with an estimated limit of detection (LOD) of 0.4 U L−1. Its ability to target and image mitochondrial GGT activity was demonstrated in living cells with high specificity and fast response. We believe our near-infrared fluorescent probe could have great potential in imaging mitochondrial GGT activity and elucidating GGT-associated pathological consequences in living cells and even small animal models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The immune responses of Angiostrongylus cantonensis infection are closely relevant to the host's self-protection and the nematode's pathogenesis. In the present study, BALB/c mice were randomly divided into uninfected control group, infection group 1, and infection group 2. The infection group 1 and infection group 2 were infected with 20 and 40 third-stage larvae of A. cantonensis per mouse, respectively. The splenocytes from the mice were collected and cultured on the 19th and 25th days post-infection; the subtypes of T cells in splenocytes were detected by flow cytometry with fluorescence staining method, and the cytokines in cultured supernatants of splenocytes were assayed by the method of ELISA. The specific IgG and IgE antibodies in sera of the mice were periodically detected by ELISA. The results showed that the percentages of CD4 and CD4 IL-4 T cells in splenocytes of infected mice were much higher ( P < 0.05) than those in control mice; however, the percentages of CD4 IL-17 and CD4 IFN-γ T cell were much lower( P < 0.01) after the infection. The levels of CD8 T cells in infected mice also rose, but differences between control mice and infected mice were not significant. In comparison with control mice, the concentration of IL-4 in the cultured supernatants of splenocytes in infected mice increased significantly ( P < 0.05), but that of IL-17 decreased significantly ( P < 0.01). In addition, the number of larvae infected and days after infection may influence levels of the T cell subtypes and the cytokines in spleen, too ( P > 0.05). On humoral immunity, the levels of specific IgG antibodies in sera rose a bit at the fifth day post-infection, and reached a peak at the 20th day post-infection; the specific IgE antibodies gradually heightened during first 10 days post-infection; then, it showed a downward trend during the 15th to 25th days post-infection. It is evident that the percentages of CD4 T lymphocytes of spleen in the mice infected with A. cantonensis markedly increase and polarize to Th2 phenotypes, and the function of Th17 cells is inhibited. In addition, the elevation of specific IgG antibodies in sera of the infected mice is more significant than that of specific IgE antibodies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study presented 96 cox1 and 76 cox3 genes of Amphioctopus neglectus populations. Three distinct lineages were formed from phylogenetic trees and networks constructed using haplotypes. Mitogenomes of A. neglectus -a and A. neglectus -b as the representatives of two lineages separated from population genetics were sequenced to compare with A. neglectus at the genome-level. Amphioctopus neglectus -a showed significant differences with A. neglectus , mainly reflected in gene length, intergenic regions and the secondary structure of tandem repeat motifs. Notably, two sequence deletions in mitogenomes of the two representative species were detected in different positions of major non-coding regions, which were the most distinct differences with A. neglectus. Pairwise genetic distances and the phylogenetic analysis supported the relationship of (A. neglectus -a + (A. neglectus + A. neglectus -b)). This study suggested that A. neglectus -a should be considered as a potential cryptic species of this complex, while A. neglectus -b needed further verification to be defined. • The cryptic biodiversity was detected in Amphioctopus neglectus. • Mitogenome of A. neglectus was compared with the representatives of two lineages separated from the complex. • The significant divergences were found in major non-coding regions in three mitogenomes. • Amphioctopus neglectus -a was considered as a potential cryptic species of this complex. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary Background Sparganosis is an important parasitic disease in Guangzhou and is mainly acquired through the consumption of frog meat or contact with fresh frogs infected by larval stages (spargana) of the tapeworm species Spirometra mansoni . Methods In this study, the prevalence of intestinal S. mansoni infections (with adult parasites) in dogs and cats and of extraintestinal S. mansoni infections (with spargana) in frogs was assessed. In addition, a questionnaire survey was carried out among residents in Guangzhou City in order to evaluate their awareness about the medical and epidemiological relevance of Spirometra and sparganosis. Results In total, the feces of 229 dogs and 116 cats were examined for eggs, and 1949 frogs were examined for spargana. Sixty-three dogs (27.5%) and 47 cats (40.5%) had eggs in their feces. Two hundred and sixteen out of 416 wild Rana tigrina rugulosa Wiegmann frogs examined were sparganum-positive, with an infection rate of 51.9%, while the infection rate in Rana limnocharis Boie was 35.1% (13/37). None of the tested farmed frogs (including R. tigrina rugulosa and Rana catesbeiana ) was positive (0/1382). Analysis of the questionnaire revealed the following results: (1) about 41.0% of residents in Guangzhou had some knowledge of sparganosis or sparganum infection, and information in TV programs was the most important way that residents learned about sparganosis. (2) About 59.9% of the residents ate frog meat. Eating the meat, viscera, or blood of animals, e.g., frogs, snakes, pigs, chicken, mice, and birds, in an improper way might be the main means by which residents acquire the infection. (3) The risk of sparganum infection was higher in males than in females. Conclusions A high sparganum infection rate was observed in the wild frogs sold in agricultural product markets in Guangzhou. The infection was also serious in cats and dogs in Guangdong Province. With lifestyles and eating habits resulting in sparganum infection, it is necessary to focus on market management and community education in order to prevent the transmission of this disease in Guangzhou. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Objective: To compare the efficacy of mifepristone and ethacridine lactate with ethacridine lactate alone for second trimester pregnancy termination. Study design: Two hundred and seventy-six healthy women between 16 and 27 weeks of gestation, desiring a termination, were assigned at random into two groups. The study group consisted of 140 women who received an intra-amniotic injection of 100mg ethacridine lactate, followed by oral administration of 50mg mifepristone at 0, 12 and 24h (total dose of mifepristone 150mg). The control group consisted of 136 women who received an intra-amniotic injection of 100mg ethacridine lactate alone. The primary outcome measure was the induction-to-abortion interval. Secondary outcomes included blood loss in 24h, successful abortion rate, retained placental tissue rate, rate of uterine evacuation and cervical laceration. Results: Induction-to-abortion interval, blood loss in 24h, rate of retained placental tissue and uterine evacuation were significantly less in the study group compared with the control group (p <0.001). Termination was successful in 140 of 140 women (100%) in the study group and 133 of 136 women (97.8%) in the control group. All women in the study group delivered within 72h, and three nulliparous women in the control group did not deliver within 72h. The cervical laceration rate was 0 and 1.47% (2/136) in the study group and the control group, respectively. No significant difference in the successful abortion rate (p =0.235) or the cervical laceration rate (p =0.242) was found between the two groups. Conclusion: Mifepristone in combination with ethacridine lactate may significantly improve the outcomes of second trimester pregnancy termination compared with ethacridine lactate alone, without increasing complications and side effects apart from nausea. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Planting soybeans (Glycine max (L.) Merr.) in tea gardens decreased soil pH in theory but increased it in practice. This controversy was addressed in this study by treating the tea garden soil consecutively with different parts of a soybean cover crop: aboveground soybean (ASB) parts, underground soybean (USB) root residues, and the whole soybean (WSB) plants. In comparison with the control, the soil pH increased significantly after the third ASB and WSB treatments, but there was no significant change in the soil pH in the USB treatment. Concordantly, the soil exchangeable acidity decreased significantly and the soil exchangeable bases increased significantly in the ASB and WSB treatments. The exchangeable acidity increased in the USB treatment, but the amount of the increased acidity was less than that of the increased bases in the ASB treatment, resulting in a net increase in the exchangeable bases in the WSB treatment. Soybean planting and covering also increased the microbial richness and abundance significantly, which led to significantly more soil organic matters. Exchangeable K+ and Mg2+, and soil organic matters played significantly positive roles and exchangeable Al3+ played negative roles in improving soil pH. Our data suggest that consecutive plantings of soybean cover crop increase the pH of the acidified tea garden soil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]