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BACKGROUND Social media has demonstrated to be an increasingly popular and critical tool for users to express their emotions, and it is an important channel for news consumption, through which users' engagement reflects their perceptions and attitudes. Most studies delineate the emotional responses of social media users but seldomly construe the emergence of their emotions, especially negative emotions. OBJECTIVE We devote our efforts to filling the identified research gap by endeavoring to explain the negative emotions of the audience from the perspective of news coverage on social media. Given our research context of Hong Kong, we chose to examine COVID-19-related news posts and comments beneath on Facebook, the most popular and widely used social platform in Hong Kong. METHODS We collected 23,705 Facebook posts with 1,019,317 comments from public pages of news organizations. We used text mining techniques and regression analysis to shed light on the public’s negative emotional responses to news coverage on social media amid the fifth wave of COVID-19 in Hong Kong. RESULTS Our results suggest that occurrences of issues regarding epidemic situations, anti-epidemic measures, and supportive actions are likely to reduce the public’s negative emotions, while comments on the posts mentioning the Central government and the Government of Hong Kong reveal more negativeness. Media tone and post length are found to be associated with user negative emotions as well. CONCLUSIONS This work brings public health-related research on social media to a new scenario. The findings contribute to crisis communication and provide suggestions for the government and news organizations on health promotion in time of crises. CLINICALTRIAL N/A

We applied quantum mechanics/classical mechanics simulations to study excess-electron attachment and ionization of uridine monophosphate anion (dUMP−) in explicit aqueous solutions. We calculated vertical electron affinities (VEAs), adiabatic electron affinities (AEAs), vertical detachment energies (VDEs), vertical ionization energies (VIEs), and adiabatic ionization energies (AIEs) of the 40 structures obtained from molecular dynamic trajectory. The excess-electron and hole distributions were analyzed in electron attachment and ionization of aqueous dUMP−. The converged mean VEA (−0.31 eV) and AEA (2.13 eV) suggest that excess-electron can easily attach to dUMP−. The mean vertical (−0.50 e) and adiabatic (−0.62 e) excess-electron on uracil reveal that main excess-electrons are localized on nucleobases at the most snapshots. The distributions at several special snapshots demonstrate the excess-electron delocalization over nucleobases/ribose or ribose/phosphate group after the structural relaxations of dUMP2− dianion. The VDE value (2.78 eV) indicates that dUMP2− dianion could be very stable. Moreover, the mean VIE is 8.13 eV which is in agreement with the previous calculation using solvation model. The hole distributions on uracil suggest that the nucleobases are easily ionized after the irradiation of high-energy rays. In vertical ionizations, the holes would be delocalized over uracil and ribose at several snapshots. Observing the adiabatic hole distributions, it can be found that electrons on phosphate group and holes on nucleobases can be transferred to ribose at the special snapshots in the structural relaxation of neutral species.

Background: The global COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on the physical and mental health of people everywhere. The aim of the study is to understand how people living in 15 countries around the globe experience an unexpected crisis which threatens their health and that of loved ones, and how they make meaning of this disruption in their narratives.Methods: Data were collected through an anonymous online survey during May–September 2020, which was during or just after the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, depending on the country. The questionnaire included demographic and three open-ended questions as prompts for stories about experiences during the initial months of the pandemic. The text was analyzed through inductive thematic content analysis and quantified for full sample description, demographic and subsequently international comparisons.Results: The final qualitative dataset included stories from n = 1685 respondents. The sample was 73.6% women and 26.4% men. The mean age of participants was 39.55 years (SD = 14.71). The identified four groups of overarching themes were: The presence and absence of others; Rediscovering oneself; The meaning of daily life; Rethinking societal and environmental values. We discuss the prevalence of each theme for the sample as a whole and differences by demographic groups. The most prevalent theme referred to disruptions in interpersonal contacts, made meaningful by the increased appreciation of the value of relationships, present in (45.6%) of stories. It was more prevalent in the stories of womencompared to men (χ² = 24.88, p = .001).Conclusions: The paper provides a detailed overview of the methodology, the main themes identified inductively in the stories and differences according to select demographic variables. We identify several major ways of making meaning of the pandemic. The pandemic has impacted many aspects of people’s lives which give it meaning, no matter where they live.

Background:Timely and complete restoration of blood flow is the most effective intervention for patients with acute myocardial infarction. However, the efficacy is limited by myocardial ischemia-reperfusion (MI/R) injury. PDE4 (phosphodiesterase-4) hydrolyzes intracellular cyclic adenosine monophosphate and it has 4 subtypes A-D. This study aimed to delineate the role of PDE4B (phosphodiesterase-4 subtype B) in MI/R injury.Methods:Mice were subjected to 30-minute coronary artery ligation, followed by 24-hour reperfusion. Cardiac perfusion was assessed by laser Doppler flow. Vasomotor reactivities were determined in mouse and human coronary (micro-)arteries.Results:Cardiac expression of PDE4B, but not other PDE4 subtypes, was increased in mice following reperfusion. PDE4B was detected primarily in endothelial and myeloid cells of mouse and human hearts. PDE4B deletion strikingly reduced infarct size and improved cardiac function 24-hour or 28-day after MI/R. PDE4B in bone marrow–derived cells promoted MI/R injury and vascular PDE4B further exaggerated this injury. Mechanistically, PDE4B mediated neutrophil-endothelial cell interaction and PKA (protein kinase A)-dependent expression of cell adhesion molecules, neutrophil cardiac infiltration, and release of proinflammatory cytokines. Meanwhile, PDE4B promoted coronary microcirculatory obstruction and vascular permeability in MI/R, without affecting flow restriction-induced thrombosis. PDE4B blockade increased flow-mediated vasodilatation and promoted endothelium-dependent dilatation of coronary arteries in a PKA- and nitric oxide–dependent manner. Furthermore, postischemia administration with piclamilast, a PDE4 pan-inhibitor, improved cardiac microcirculation, suppressed inflammation, and attenuated MI/R injury in mice. Incubation with sera from patients with acute myocardial infarction impaired acetylcholine-induced relaxations in human coronary microarteries, which was abolished by PDE4 inhibition. Similar protection against MI/R-related coronary injury was recapitulated in mice with PDE4B deletion or inhibition, but not with the pure vasodilator, sodium nitroprusside.Conclusions:PDE4B is critically involved in neutrophil inflammation and microvascular obstruction, leading to MI/R injury. Selective inhibition of PDE4B might protect cardiac function in patients with acute myocardial infarction designated for reperfusion therapy.

Psychological distress and mental illness have become increasingly pervasive among Chinese university students. However, many university students who need mental health treatment or psychological support do not actively seek help from professional counselors or service providers, which could lead to poor mental health outcomes. To promote help-seeking, we undertook a qualitative study to understand Chinese university students’ perspectives on help-seeking and mental health counseling. We conducted 13 focus group interviews with students in six universities in Jinan, China, and altogether 91 (62%) female students, and 56 (38%) male students participated in the study. Our results indicate that students’ misconception and distrust of on-campus counseling, stigma of mental illness, low mental health literacy, and hard-to-access mental health services are the major barriers that impede students help-seeking behaviors. Internal struggles and systematic and organizational barriers are identified to shed light on future work to promote mental health literacy among Chinese university students.

To research the distribution of behind-armor debris (BAD) of explosively formed penetrator (EFP) more comprehensively, three EFPs with different length-diameter ratio (L/D) were designed, and experimental study on the dispersion characteristics of BAD from EFP penetrating 45# steel target was carried out. The morphology and scattering characteristics of debris cloud after EFP penetrating steel target were observed by X-ray photography and high-speed photography, and BAD were recovered by the method of stacking fiber plates and polystyrene plates. The mass spatial distribution law of projectile material and target material fragments was obtained. Results indicate that the increase in EFP L/D has a greater increase on the normalized axial expansion velocity of debris cloud than the radial expansion velocity. The average mass and perforation area of fragment corresponding to the relative accumulation value of 1/2 both decrease with the increase of the EFP L/D. The increase of EFP L/D mainly enhances the concentration of the EFP fragment mass towards the residual penetrator axis, but has little effect on the target fragment mass, which is basically uniformly distributed along the scattering angle.

Gay men and lesbians in contemporary China face multiple forms of marginalisation and discrimination. However, little is known about how heteronormativity works to regulate the everyday lives of se...

Chinese gay men and lesbians are faced with multiple challenges by living in a heteronormative society, and marriage is considered to be a major concern among this group of people. Anchoring from the lens of suzhi discourse, this research carried out a qualitative study by interviewing 21 gay men and lesbians to explore how they refer to the suzhi discourse to justify their choices when faced with the pressure to marry, so as to align themselves more with the mainstream social values. Results indicate that when faced with the pressure to marry, gay men and lesbians refer to the suzhi discourse to construct a positive same-sex identity and civilized community, pursue civilized same-sex relationships, or construct a flexible life.

Five previously undescribed flavonoids (1–5) and ten known ones (6–15) were isolated from the roots of Oxybaphus himalaicus. Their structures were elucidated by spectroscopic experiments including ...

This study examines the ways that social capital sustains flourishing among rural Chinese children, including left-behind children (LBC). Social capital combines structural, substantive, an...

Chinese gay men and lesbians are faced with multiple challenges by living in a heteronormative society, and marriage is considered to be a major concern among this group of people. Anchoring from the lens of suzhi discourse, this research carried out a qualitative study by interviewing 21 gay men and lesbians to explore how they refer to the suzhi discourse to justify their choices when faced with the pressure to marry, so as to align themselves more with the mainstream social values. Results indicate that when faced with the pressure to marry, gay men and lesbians refer to the suzhi discourse to construct a positive same-sex identity and civilized community, pursue civilized same-sex relationships, or construct a flexible life.

Background Chinese students are extremely vulnerable to developing mental illness. The stigma associated with mental illness presents a barrier to seeking help for their mental health. Objective The Linking Hearts—Linking Youth and ‘Xin’ (hearts) project is an implementation science project that seeks to reduce mental illness stigma and promote the mental health of university students in Jinan, China. The Linking Hearts project consists of 3 components. In this paper, we outline the protocol for the first component, that is, the contextual assessment and analysis of the mental health needs of university students as the first step to inform the adaptation of an evidence-based intervention to be implemented in Jinan, China. Methods Six local universities will participate in the Linking Hearts project. A total of 100 students from each university (n=600) will engage in the contextual assessment through self-report surveys on depression, anxiety, stress, mental health knowledge, and mental health stigma. Quantitative data will be analyzed using several descriptive and inferential analyses via SPSS. A small number of participants (144 students and 144 service providers) will also be engaged in focus groups to assess the socio-environmental contexts of university students’ health and availability of mental health resources. Qualitative data will be transcribed verbatim and NVivo will be used for data management. Social network analysis will also be performed using EgoNet. Results Linking Hearts was funded in January 2018 for 5 years. The protocol of Linking Hearts and its 3 components was approved by the research ethics boards of all participating institutions in China in November 2018. Canadian institutions that gave approval were Ryerson University (REB2018-455) in January 2019, University of Alberta (Pro00089364), York University (e2019-162) in May 2019, and University of Toronto (RIS37724) in August 2019. Data collection took place upon ethics approval and was completed in January 2020. A total of 600 students were surveyed. An additional 147 students and 138 service providers took part in focus groups. Data analysis is ongoing. Results will be published in 2021. Conclusions Findings from this contextual assessment and analysis will generate new knowledge on university students’ mental health status, mental health knowledge, and resources available for them. These findings will be used to adapt and refine the Acceptance and Commitment to Empowerment-Linking Youth N’ Xin intervention model. The results of this contextual assessment will be used to inform the adaptation and refinement of the mental health intervention to promote the mental health of Chinese university students in Jinan. International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID) RR1-10.2196/25009

Background Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)–T cell therapy opens a new era for cancer treatment. However, in prolonged follow-up, relapse has emerged as one of the major obstacles. Dendritic cell (DC) vaccination is a promising treatment to eradicate tumor cells and prevent relapse. The epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) pathway substrate 8 (Eps8) gene is involved in regulating cancer progression and is considered an attractive target for specific cancer immunotherapy. The purpose of this study was to explore a combinatorial therapy using CAR-T cells and a DC vaccine such as Eps8-DCs to increase leukemia treatment efficacy. Methods We pulsed DCs with Eps8-derived peptides to generate Eps8-DCs, engineered T cells to express a second-generation CAR specific for CD19, and analyzed the effects of the Eps8-DCs on the in vitro expansion, phenotype and effector functions of the CD19 CAR-T cells. Results The Eps8-DCs significantly reduced the activation-induced cell death and enhanced the proliferative potential of CAR-T cells during in vitro expansion. In addition, the expanded T cells co-cultured with the Eps8-DCs exhibited an increased percentage of central memory T cells (Tcms) and a decreased percentage of effector memory T cells (Tems). The Eps8-DCs enhanced CD19 CAR-T cell immune functions, including cytokine production, CD107a degranulation activity and cytotoxicity. Discussion This study demonstrates that Eps8-DCs exert synergistic effect on CD19 targeting CAR-T cells and paves the way for clinical trials using the combination of DC vaccination and engineered T cells in relapsed leukemia.

This study aimed to explore the association between mental health knowledge level and the prevalence of depressive symptoms among Chinese college students. A cross-sectional study was conducted in six universities in Jinan, Shandong Province, China, and a total of 600 college students were recruited to self-complete a series of questionnaires. The Mental Health Knowledge Questionnaire (MHKQ) was used to investigate the level of mental health knowledge. Depressive symptoms were investigated with the depression subscale of the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS-21). The prevalence rate of depressive symptoms among college students was 31.2%. Compared with MHKQ scoring in the 1st quartile, college students with MHKQ scoring in the 3rd quartile and in the 4th quartile reported lower levels of depressive symptoms after adjusting for potential confounding factors. Since mental health knowledge level was related to depressive symptoms among college students, increased efforts to promote the level of mental health knowledge in Chinese college students are critical.

A pot experiment was conducted to identify the effect of a tribasic amendment (limestone+diatomite+ferric sulfate, LDF) on chemical fractions of Cd and As in paddy soils and their accumulation in brown rice. LDF was set to seven levels (0, 0.5, 1.0, 2.0, 4.0, 8.0, and 16.0 g·kg

BACKGROUND Rapid urbanization, academic pressures, and developmental life transition stressors contribute to mental health stress for postsecondary students in China. Effective prevention, early identification, and timely intervention are challenged by stigma, a lack of mental health literacy, and inadequate mental health resources. OBJECTIVE Our implementation science (IS) research project is aimed at evaluating the use of an evidence-informed mental health promotion intervention named Acceptance and Commitment to Empowerment – Linking Youth and ‘Xin’ (hearts) (ACE-LYNX) to promote university student mental health in Jinan, China. METHODS We will engage and collaborate with Shandong Mental Health Center, the provincial mental health center, and six local universities in different regions of Jinan. The ACE-LYNX intervention aims to reduce social stigma against mental illness, enhance mental health literacy, and improve access to quality mental health care by increasing interdisciplinary collaboration and forming a mental health network. It is based on two evidence-based approaches, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Group Empowerment Psychoeducation (GEP), and it will be delivered through online learning and in-person group training. The project will train 90 interdisciplinary professionals using the model. They will in turn train 15 professionals and 20 students at each university. The project will adopt the Reach, Efficacy, Adoption, Implementation, and Maintenance (RE-AIM) framework, which provides a structure to examine the process and outcomes of implementation using mixed methods comprising quantitative and qualitative approaches along five dimensions: reach, efficacy, adoption, implementation, and maintenance. RESULTS Over the course of the project, 720 champions will be directly trained. They will contribute to developing a formal and informal mental health network, strengthened by student-led mental health initiatives and professional-led initiatives to promote collaborative care and facilitated care pathways. We anticipate that our project will reach out to 11,000 to 18,000 students. CONCLUSIONS This IS protocol will outline our unique intervention model and key steps to contextualize, implement, and evaluate community-based mental health intervention. INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT PRR1-10.2196/25592

Background: Rapid urbanization, academic pressures, and developmental life transition stressors contribute to mental health stress for postsecondary students in China. Effective prevention, early identification, and timely intervention are challenged by stigma, a lack of mental health literacy, and inadequate mental health resources. Objective: Our implementation science (IS) research project is aimed at evaluating the use of an evidence-informed mental health promotion intervention named Acceptance and Commitment to Empowerment – Linking Youth and ‘Xin’ (hearts) (ACE-LYNX) to promote university student mental health in Jinan, China. Methods: We will engage and collaborate with Shandong Mental Health Center, the provincial mental health center, and six local universities in different regions of Jinan. The ACE-LYNX intervention aims to reduce social stigma against mental illness, enhance mental health literacy, and improve access to quality mental health care by increasing interdisciplinary collaboration and forming a mental health network. It is based on two evidence-based approaches, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Group Empowerment Psychoeducation (GEP), and it will be delivered through online learning and in-person group training. The project will train 90 interdisciplinary professionals using the model. They will in turn train 15 professionals and 20 students at each university. The project will adopt the Reach, Efficacy, Adoption, Implementation, and Maintenance (RE-AIM) framework, which provides a structure to examine the process and outcomes of implementation using mixed methods comprising quantitative and qualitative approaches along five dimensions: reach, efficacy, adoption, implementation, and maintenance. Results: Over the course of the project, 720 champions will be directly trained. They will contribute to developing a formal and informal mental health network, strengthened by student-led mental health initiatives and professional-led initiatives to promote collaborative care and facilitated care pathways. We anticipate that our project will reach out to 11,000 to 18,000 students. Conclusions: This IS protocol will outline our unique intervention model and key steps to contextualize, implement, and evaluate community-based mental health intervention.

BACKGROUND Chinese students are extremely vulnerable to developing mental illness. The stigma associated with mental illness presents a barrier to seeking help for their mental health. OBJECTIVE The Linking Hearts—Linking Youth and ‘Xin’ (hearts) project is an implementation science project that seeks to reduce mental illness stigma and promote the mental health of university students in Jinan, China. The Linking Hearts project consists of 3 components. In this paper, we outline the protocol for the first component, that is, the contextual assessment and analysis of the mental health needs of university students as the first step to inform the adaptation of an evidence-based intervention to be implemented in Jinan, China. METHODS Six local universities will participate in the Linking Hearts project. A total of 100 students from each university (n=600) will engage in the contextual assessment through self-report surveys on depression, anxiety, stress, mental health knowledge, and mental health stigma. Quantitative data will be analyzed using several descriptive and inferential analyses via SPSS. A small number of participants (144 students and 144 service providers) will also be engaged in focus groups to assess the socio-environmental contexts of university students’ health and availability of mental health resources. Qualitative data will be transcribed verbatim and NVivo will be used for data management. Social network analysis will also be performed using EgoNet. RESULTS Linking Hearts was funded in January 2018 for 5 years. The protocol of Linking Hearts and its 3 components was approved by the research ethics boards of all participating institutions in China in November 2018. Canadian institutions that gave approval were Ryerson University (REB2018-455) in January 2019, University of Alberta (Pro00089364), York University (e2019-162) in May 2019, and University of Toronto (RIS37724) in August 2019. Data collection took place upon ethics approval and was completed in January 2020. A total of 600 students were surveyed. An additional 147 students and 138 service providers took part in focus groups. Data analysis is ongoing. Results will be published in 2021. CONCLUSIONS Findings from this contextual assessment and analysis will generate new knowledge on university students’ mental health status, mental health knowledge, and resources available for them. These findings will be used to adapt and refine the Acceptance and Commitment to Empowerment-Linking Youth N’ Xin intervention model. The results of this contextual assessment will be used to inform the adaptation and refinement of the mental health intervention to promote the mental health of Chinese university students in Jinan. INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT RR1-10.2196/25009

Sirtuins are a family of highly conserved nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+)-dependent enzymes. Among the sirtuins, SIRT1 and SIRT6 participate in the regulation of endothelial functions and play significant roles in the physiological and pathological processes of cardiovascular diseases (CVD). Recently, our study found that minute cholesterol crystals (CC) can be endocytosed by endothelial cells and further impair endothelial functions. Since previous studies have reported that angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE2) involves Angiotensin (Ang) II-induced inflammation in endothelial cells, this study was designed to investigate the role of SIRT1 and SIRT6 in CC-induced variation of ACE2 expression and the related mechanism between SIRT6 and ACE2. We found that ACE2 is involved in CC-induced endothelial dysfunction, which inhibits decreases in nitric oxide (NO) level and endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) activity and increases in inflammatory factors and adhesion molecules. Besides, SIRT1 and SIRT6 regulated the protein expression of ACE2 in CC-stimulated human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). Moreover, bioinformatics analysis from the Enrichr database indicated that activating transcription factor 2 (ATF2), is highly correlated with genes that significantly upregulated after infection with the SIRT6 adenovirus vector. In CC-induced HUVECs, ACE2 expression was up-regulated in cells transfected with ATF2 siRNA. However, further mechanism studies revealed that overexpression of SIRT6 decreases the accumulation of p-ATF2 in the nucleus, but did not affect p-ATF2 expression in the cytoplasm. Taken together, these data indicated that SIRT6 regulates ACE2 might via inhibiting the accumulation of nucleus p-ATF2 in CC-induced endothelial dysfunction.