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Depression is a common mental disorder in older adults. This study aimed to determine the incidence of depression and the relationship between sedentary behavior and sleep duration in elderly individuals.A total of 49,317 elderly adults from eight health centers in six Chinese provinces completed an online self-reported health questionnaire. Logistic regression was used to explore the association between sedentary behavior, sleep duration, and depression symptoms.Symptoms of depression were present in 20.1% of older adults. Sedentary behaviors for6 h/day (OR = 3.16; 95% CI: 2.90-3.44; p 0.001) were a greater risk factor for depressive symptoms in older adults than sedentary behaviors for less than 3 h/day. Elderly individuals with short sleep durations (7 h/day) were more likely to experience depression (OR = 2.20; 95% CI: 2.07-2.34; p 0.001).This study suggested that sedentary behavior and short sleep duration in older Chinese adults are associated with depressive symptoms. In China, further improvement of the mental health and lifestyle of elderly individuals may be warranted.

Background: Central obesity is strongly associated with obesity-related and metabolic diseases, which is a common health problem in sedentary adults, particularly in women, but the mechanisms remain unclear. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence and factors associated with central obesity in white-collar workers Chinese population, and explore potential sex differences. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted between 2017 and 2019 at two large general hospitals in northern and southern China. Totally 6,081 white-collar workers underwent a physical examination and completed an online health self-report questionnaire, which included demographic variables, lifestyle factors and blood lipid test. Multilevel logistic regression analysis was performed to assess the prevalence and factors of central obesity. Results: A total of 4,973 male and 1,108 female white-collar workers were included in this study, and the incidence of central obesity was 67.5% and 30.1%, respectively. In male white-collar workers, increasing age, chronic disease, higher levels of total cholesterol, salt intake and BEE, social engagement, eating spicy food and animal offal were risk factors for central obesity, while a higher HDL-C level, eating fish, and high vegetable intake were protective factors. In female white-collar workers, increasing age, higher total cholesterol level, higher BEE, and overeating were risk factors for central obesity, while a higher HDL-C level, and drinking milk were protective factors. Conclusions: Central obesity was a significant public health concern and the prevalence was high in Chinese adults. Healthy lifestyles and dietary measures to control the rates of central obesity should be undertaken to circumvent the growing disease burden in Chinese people..

Background Alexithymia, a subclinical cognitive-affective impairment, is prevalent in the elderly and increases the risk of mental disorders. There is a vast alexithymia treatment gap, with majority of the elderly in nursing homes lacking access to adequate mental health care. The study aimed to evaluate the effects of rational emotive behavior therapy (REBT) on alexithymia, anxiety, depression and sleep quality of the elderly in nursing homes.Methods This quasi-experimental study was conducted with two groups (the control group and intervention) from March to November 2021. This study enrolled 86 participants, two of whom were lost to follow-up; 42 received usual care (control group) and 42 received REBT based on usual care (intervention group) in nursing homes. The elderly in both groups were evaluated at baseline, within one-week post-intervention, and at 3-month follow-up. Generalized estimating equations were used by SPSS version 26 to assess the differential change in the outcomes between the two groups.Results The intervention group shows significantly greater improvement in alexithymia than the control group within one-week post-intervention (β = -8.167, 95%CI= -10.965, -5.368, P β=-4.119, 95%CI= -7.171, -1.067, P = 0.008). Compared to the control group, the intervention group shows a significant improvement in sleep quality at 3-month follow‐up (β = -2.048, 95%CI=-4.004, -0.091, P = 0.040). For depression and anxiety, no significant differences were found between the intervention and control groups.Conclusions REBT showed to be an effective method for improving alexithymia and sleep quality of the elderly in nursing homes. However, it failed to significantly alleviate anxiety and depression at least in a short-term trial. Refining this intervention may have a broader, more substantial impact on future research.

Music therapy can improve mood in patients undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). However, live music (LM) delivered by professional music therapists is not common in developing countries owing to the shortage of professional music therapists. Thus, in this study, we explored the effects of a multidisciplinary collaborative intervention based on LM on physical and psychological well-being of adolescent and young adult (AYA) patients undergoing HSCT with a quasi-experimental design.A total of 62 AYA patients agreed to participate and were randomly assigned to the intervention group receiving 4-week LM therapy (n = 31) or control group receiving usual care (n = 31). Depression, salivary cortisol, fatigue, and quality of life were the main outcome indicators measured at baseline, immediately after the intervention, 1 month, and 3 months follow-up. The intervention effects were analyzed by generalized estimating equations.Significant decrease in HADS-D scores occurred in the intervention group compared with wait-list controls at immediately after intervention (p 0.05). Participants in the LM group had greater improvement in quality of life and lower salivary cortisol level than those in the wait-list control group at immediately, 1 month, and 3 months after intervention (p 0.05). However, the interaction effects of the BFI scores were not significant.LM therapy significantly alleviated depression and salivary cortisol levels as well as improved quality of life of AYA patients undergoing HSCT.

At present, the cyanide gold extraction process is still the main technology for gold production. Generated cyanide tailings containing highly toxic substances exhibit potential environmental risks. These tailings are in urgent need of purification treatment, especially after being classified as hazardous waste. In this study, the impacts of elution methods, operating time, tailings/water ratios, reagent types on the elution rates of cyanide were investigated. Furthermore, the composite elution method developed in this research was extended for engineering. Results showed that the optimum elution conditions were determined to be: stirring elution, tailings/water ratio (M/V; 1:1) and operating time (10-20 min). Besides, 4 reagents (sodium dodecyl benzene sulfonate, cyclodextrin, sodium silicate and calcium hydroxide) were selected from four categories of 21 reagents for further composite elution. The cyanide elution rate was the highest (90.7%±0.1%) while the molar ratio of these 4 reagents was 5:2:2:1. Moreover, the combination of reagent elution and positive pressure filtration improved the elution efficiency of cyanide (92.6%±0.8%). And the cyanide content in the toxic leaching solution was lower than the standard value (5.0 mg/L). Furthermore, the composite elution method developed in this study was also extended for engineering. The concentration of cyanide in the leachate was5.0 mg/L, and was stable during 189 days of detection. Notably, the effluent can be reused directly, or reused after further treatment. The zero discharge of effluents and solid wastes was realized in the processes. The above results provided supports for the engineering treatment of cyanide tailings.

Objectives : The purpose of this study was to screen for depressive symptoms in a large sample of Chinese population, and explore the effects of demographic and lifestyle factors on depressive symptoms based on the brain maturity. Method : Adults from 8 health management centers in 6 provinces completed an online health self-report questionnaire. Finally, a total of 76223 valid questionnaires were collected. Result : A total of 76223 participants were included in this study, including 44167 (57.9%) males and 32056 (42.1%) females. The percentage of clinically relevant depressive symptoms among young, early mature and late mature participants was 13.5%, 18.5% and 27.3%, respectively. Among young participants, being female was a risk factor for depressive symptoms, while having a bachelor's or graduate degree, being married, smoking, and moderate alcohol consumption were protective factors. And among early mature participants, female, married and other marital status, BMI of 24-27.9 were risk factors, post-graduate education or above, smoking, moderate alcohol consumption and meeting exercise standard were protective factors. Among late mature participants, Compared with junior high school, all other degrees were protective factors, as was meeting physical activity standards, excessive alcohol consumption was a risk factor. Conclusion : This study analyzed the association among young, early mature and late mature participants respectively, and proposed strategies for improving healthy lifestyle of Chinese people. Our findings support the need for individualized recommendations to improve mental health based on brain maturity.

BackgroundThe provision of sexual healthcare plays an integral role in the field of oncology nursing. However, limitations in the knowledge, attitude, and practice perspectives of oncology nurses require detailed study.AimIn this study the authors sought to describe the knowledge, attitude, and practice of oncology nurses regarding sexual healthcare from a nationwide perspective and to explore the factors that influence them.MethodsThis was a cross-sectional descriptive study using stratified random sampling of certified oncology nurses from 55 hospitals in 6 provinces in Central South China. In total, 2530 nurses participated and completed the Knowledge, Attitude and Practice questionnaire of Sexual Health Care (KAP of SHC), the Nurses Clinic Communication Competency Scale, the Nurses Professional Values Scale, and the General Self-efficacy Scale. Multivariate linear regression was used to explore influencing factors.OutcomesThe primary variable was the knowledge, attitude, and practice of sexual healthcare provision. Secondary variables included professional value, clinical communication competency, self-efficacy, and demographic factors.ResultsThe median KAP of SHC score was 139 (possible range 72 to 288). Attitude of SHC scored highest, followed by knowledge and practice scores. Professional values were positively associated with knowledge (odds ratio [OR] = 0.057; 95% CI: 0.023–0.091; P Clinical ImplicationsKnowledge assistance, attitude training, and practice coaching resources must be on the agenda to optimize professional practice for oncology nurses.Strengths and LimitationsThis study provides data based on the Knowledge, Attitude, Belief and Practice (KABP) model in a nationwide sample of oncology nurses. In addition, the relationship between self-efficacy and KAP of SHC has been explored for the first time. The limitations are that this study may have some bias and did not take into account mediating relationships.ConclusionsOncology nurses exhibit moderate levels of KAP of SHC. It is noteworthy that self-efficacy and position are the only 2 factors that influenced all aspects of KAP of SHC.

Oxalic acid is the most abundant low molecular weight organic acid (LMWOA) in many environments and offers enormous prospects for treating Cr(VI) contamination. In this study, laboratory batch experiments were conducted to estimate the roles of oxalic acid in Cr(VI) removal by Penicillium oxalicum SL2. Oxalic acid changed the initial pH and provided a suitable condition for the growth of strain SL2 when the penicillium was applied to bioremediation of Cr(VI) contamination in alkaline soil. Gompertz model analysis indicated that initial pH affected the lag time of the growth curve of strain SL2. Scanning electron microscopy and scanning transmission X-ray microscopy analysis showed strain SL2 sufficiently contacted with contaminated soil and reduced Cr(VI) to Cr(III) in the hyphae. The results suggested that oxalic acid could enhance the bioremediation efficiency of strain SL2 though improving chromium bioleaching from the contaminated soil and strengthening Cr(VI) removal in the leaching solution. This study provided oxalic acid as a green reagent for stimulating Cr(VI) removal by strain SL2 and would expand knowledge on the roles of LMWOA in Cr(VI) bioremediation.

Depression is the leading cause of mental health-related disease burden. This study aimed to investigate the relationship among dietary diversity, physical activity and depressive symptoms in middle-aged women.Based on the WHO guidelines on physical activity, subjects who meet moderate-intensity aerobic physical exercise of 150-300 min per week were qualified or otherwise unqualified. The dietary diversity scores (DDS) were developed according to the balanced diet pagoda and assessed the consumption of nine food groups. The total scores ranged from 0 to 9 and could divide into three levels: insufficient [DDS-1] (score of 1-5), moderate [DDS-2] (score of 6-7), and sufficient [DDS-3] (score of 8-9).An age at menarche ≥12 years old (OR = 0.94; 95 % CI: 0.89-1.00; p 0.05), a higher dietary diversity score [DDS-3] (OR = 0.59; 95 % CI: 0.55-0.63; p 0.001), drinking coffee (OR = 0.88; 95 % CI: 0.84-0.92; p 0.001), and qualified physical activity (OR = 0.69; 95 % CI: 0.66-0.72; p 0.001) were protective factors for depressive symptoms, while an age at first birth ≤20 years old (OR = 1.23; 95 % CI: 1.12-1.36; p 0.001) or ≥30 years old (OR = 1.18; 95 % CI: 1.11-1.26; p 0.001), eating late-night snacks (OR = 1.44; 95 % CI: 1.36-1.52; p 0.001), drinking sugar-sweetened beverages (OR = 1.15; 95 % CI: 1.06-1.24; p 0.001), and overeating (OR = 2.30; 95 % CI: 2.069-2.56; p 0.001) were risk factors.This study suggested that dietary diversity and physical activity are associated with depressive symptoms in middle-aged women. To improve dietary diversity, attention should be given to dietary patterns and dietary habits, instead of simply increasing the amount of food.

Cyanide tailings are the major hazardous wastes generated in the production process of the gold industry, which not only contain highly toxic cyanide, but also contain heavy metals with recycling value and other substances suitable for building materials or filling. These tailings are in urgent need of purification treatment and safe utilization. In this study, the impacts of treatment methods, types and combinations of reagents on decyanation effect were researched. Gold in cyanide tailings was recovered by flotation, and flotation tailings were used for filling after identifying the properties of solid waste. Results are as follows: (1) INCO method and 5 reagents (sodium sulfite, sodium persulfate, copper sulfate, ferrous sulfate and zinc sulfate) were selected for synergistic decyanation treatment, and cyanide concents in slurry and leaching solution were decreased to the minimum. (2) The gold recovery rate of the tailings through flotation was increased by 27.8% than without detoxification. (3) Flotation tailings were identified as general industrial solid wastes by leaching toxicity and toxic substance content analysis. (4) As filling aggregate, under the conditions of slurry concentration of 63% and cement-sand ratio of 1:6, the strength filling body of flotation tailings reached 1.32 Mpa after 28 days of maintenance. (5) This process and combined reagents were applied to engineering. The cyanide content in the leaching solution and the flotation recovery rate of gold were kept below 0.2 mg/L and above 60% respectively, and the strength of the filling body was stable to meet the requirements of underground filling.

Human dihydroorotate dehydrogenase (DHODH) is a viable target for the development of therapeutics to treat cancer and immunological diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA), psoriasis and multiple sclerosis (MS). Herein, a series of acrylamide-based novel DHODH inhibitors as potential RA treatment agents were designed and synthesized. 2-Acrylamidobenzoic acid analog 11 was identified as the lead compound for structure−activity relationship (SAR) studies. The replacement of the phenyl group with naphthyl moieties improved inhibitory activity significantly to double-digit nanomolar range. Further structure optimization revealed that an acrylamide with small hydrophobic groups (Me, Cl or Br) at the 2-position was preferred. Moreover, adding a fluoro atom at the 5-position of the benzoic acid enhanced the potency. The optimization efforts led to potent compounds 42 and 53‒55 with IC50 values of 41, 44, 32, and 42 nmol/L, respectively. The most potent compound 54 also displayed favorable pharmacokinetic (PK) profiles and encouraging in vivo anti-arthritic effects in a dose-dependent manner., Graphical abstract Dihydroorotate dehydrogenase (DHODH) is an attracting target for the treatment of immunological diseases. A series of acrylamide-based novel DHODH inhibitors as potential rheumatoid arthritis (RA) treatment agents were designed and synthesized, among which 54 is the most potent one with good pharmacokinetic profiles and favorable in vivo anti-arthritic effects.Image 1

It is well documented that obesity and metabolic syndrome have a deep association with the intestinal immune system of the host animal. Recent studies indicate that some selected probiotics can modulate the immune responses of the host animal, thereby altering its lipid metabolism. However, the underlying mechanisms are still not fully understood. This study was conducted to investigate the possibility of probiotics to activate macrophages in the hosts, thus alter the differentiation of pre-adipocytes. In this study, Streptococcus thermophilus MN-ZLW-002 (MN-ZLW-002) was co-cultured with RAW264.7 macrophages, with Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG (LGG) as a control. The conditioned medium (CM) of the co-culture was collected and then added to 3T3-L1 pre-adipocytes. Viable and heat-killed (80 °C, 30 min) MN-ZLW-002 stimulated RAW264.7 cells to produce significant amounts of interleukin (IL)-6 and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α and induced intense phosphorylation of P38, p44/42 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) (extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK)) and nuclear factor κB (NF-κB). Cytokine production reduced dramatically when heat-killed MN-ZLW-002 was treated with Ribonuclease. Viable and heat-killed LGG induced less cytokine production and little signaling protein activation. Viable and heat-killed MN-ZLW-002-stimulated RAW264.7-CM notably suppressed pre-adipocytes differentiation. However, viable LGG-stimulated RAW264.7-CM had a weaker effect and heat-killed LGG-stimulated RAW264.7-CM had no effect. These findings suggest that viable and heat-killed (80 °C, 30 min) MN-ZLW-002 may alter its lipid metabolism by regulating its immune response, possibly via the release of cytokine, particularly TNF-α. The RNA of heat-killed MN-ZLW-002 may be a key component in its immune activation effect.

This study was conducted to investigate the effects of a high-fat diet (HFD) and high-fat and high-cholesterol diet (HFHCD) on glucose and lipid metabolism and on the intestinal microbiota of the host animal. A total of 30 four-week-old female C57BL/6 mice were randomly divided into three groups (n=10) and fed with a normal diet (ND), HFD, or HFHCD for 12 weeks, respectively. The HFD significantly increased body weight and visceral adipose accumulation and partly lowered oral glucose tolerance compared with the ND and HFHCD. The HFHCD increased liver weight, liver fat infiltration, liver triglycerides, and liver total cholesterol compared with the ND and HFD. Moreover, it increased serum high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and total cholesterol compared with the ND and HFD and upregulated alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, and alkaline phosphatase significantly. The HFHCD also significantly decreased the α-diversity of the fecal bacteria of the mice, to a greater extent than the HFD. The composition of fecal bacteria among the three groups was apparently different. Compared with the HFHCD-fed mice, the HFD-fed mice had more Oscillospira, Odoribacter, Bacteroides, and [Prevotella], but less [Ruminococcus] and Akkermansia. Cecal short-chain fatty acids were significantly decreased after the mice were fed the HFD or HFHCD for 12 weeks. Our findings indicate that an HFD and HFHCD can alter the glucose and lipid metabolism of the host animal differentially; modifications of intestinal microbiota and their metabolites may be an important underlying mechanism.

Metabolic syndrome and obesity have become serious threats to public health worldwide. This study was conducted to evaluate the anti-adipogenesis and metabolism-regulating effects of heat-inactivated Streptococcus thermophilus MN-ZLW-002 (MN-ZLW-002), which can be used as a yogurt starter. In vitro study suggested that MN-ZLW-002 stimulated the RAW264.7 macrophages to produce significant amounts of interleukin (IL)-6, IL-10 and tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-α and induced intense phosphorylation of P38, p44/42 MAPK and nuclear factor κB. MN-ZLW-002-stimulated RAW264.7-conditioned medium (CM) notably suppressed the differentiation and adipogenesis of 3T3-L1 pre-adipocytes. The 12-week in vivo study suggested that orally administered MN-ZLW-002 significantly reduced the weight gain of mice caused by the high-fat diet (HFD) at weeks 3-8; decreased fasting blood glucose levels at week 4 and week 8; decreased serum total triglyceride level at week 12. MN-ZLW-002 also reduced serum IL-1β and chemokine ligand 3 levels in the HFD-fed mice. These findings suggest that heat-inactivated MN-ZLW-002 can suppress adipocytes differentiation and lipid accumulation by regulating the immune response, possibly via the release of cytokines, particularly TNF-α; MN-ZLW-002 can improve metabolism-related indicators in the early stage of HFD intervention and regulate the related pro-inflammatory immune response.

The remediation of soil contaminated with multiple heavy metals is a matter of great concern due to its serious threat to the ecosystem and human health. Batch and slurry reactor soil washing experiments were conducted to explore the removal of Cd, Cr, Pb and Zn using 7 agents. Citric acid (CA) and ferric chloride (FeCl3) exhibited an obvious synergistic effect on the removal of heavy metals. Furthermore, the concentration of heavy metals in different soil particle size fractions was closely related to the soil element concentrations. Fine sand (0.05–0.25 mm) had a strong adsorption capacity for Cr and Pb because of the high Mn concentration. Notably, heavy metals in smaller-size soil particles could be efficiently removed by CA and FeCl3. After remediation, the bioavailability of heavy metals in soil decreased. The potential ecological risk of heavy metals in soil reduced from an extremely high level to a low level. Moreover, some elements (e.g. Al, Mn and Fe) and organic matter in soil were dissolved by CA and FeCl3, which accelerated the desorption of heavy metals from the soil. In a slurry reactor experiment, the removal efficiencies of Cd, Cr, Pb and Zn were 94.8%, 79.5%, 92.7% and 97.2%, respectively. The combination of CA and FeCl3 is a feasible practice to remediate soil contaminated by multiple heavy metals.

Hexavalent chromium (Cr(VI)) waste produced by chrome plating activities pollutes the surrounding environment and harms human health. However, information about the chromium (Cr) pollution characteristics of actual electroplating sites is still lacking. In this study, the concentration, leachability and speciation of Cr in soils from a typical chrome plating site were analyzed. Our results showed that this site was severely contaminated by Cr (7.2 to 7735.2 mg/kg) and Cr(VI) reached the mean concentration of 138.7 mg/kg. The spatial distribution of Cr(VI) was related to the plating processes. Chrome plating and sewage treatment areas could be considered as the hot spots of contaminated sites. The vertical distribution of Cr(VI) was mainly affected by soil properties, where the loam layer retained and reduced a large amount of Cr(VI) due to its high content of iron minerals and finer particle fractions. Additionally, the chemical extraction results showed that Cr was mainly in non-residual fractions and the existence of Cr(VI) led to a high leaching toxicity based on the toxicity characteristic leaching procedure (TCLP) results. Moreover, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) results revealed the speciation of Cr in the long-term contaminated soils. A large amount of Cr(VI) was reduced into Cr(III) and mainly existed as Cr(OH)3 and Cr2O3. Furthermore, Cr(VI) tended to precipitate as CaCrO4 and persisted in soils. Therefore, it is necessary to find appropriate strategies to remediate these contaminated soils. Overall, these findings strengthen our understanding of Cr(VI) behaviors and lay a foundation for the future pollution investigation, ecological remediation and risk assessment of sites contaminated by electroplating.

Excess chromium (Cr) and arsenic (As) coexist in soil such as chromated copper arsenate (CCA) contaminated sites, leading to high risks of pollution. Fe-biochar with adjustable redox activity offers the possibility of simultaneous stabilization of Cr and As. Here, a series of Fe-biochar with distinct Fe/C structure were rationally produced for the remediation of Cr and As contaminated soil (BCX-Fe, X represented the biomass/Fe ratio). Adsorption tests showed that maximal adsorption of BC5-Fe for Cr(VI) and As(III) reached 73.7 and 81.3 mg/g. A 90-day soil remediation experiment indicated that the introduction of 3 % (w/w) Fe-biochar reduced the leaching state of Cr(VI) by 93.8-99.7 % and As by 75.2-95.6 %. Under simulated groundwater erosion for 10 years and acid rain leaching for 7.5 years, the release levels of Cr(VI) and As in the BC5-Fe remediated soil could meet the groundwater class IV standard in China (Cr(VI) 0.1 mg/L, As0.05 mg/L). Accelerated aging tests demonstrated that BC5-Fe had long-term Cr and As stabilization ability. The quenching experiment, EPR, and XPS suggested that the corrosion products of Fe dominated the adsorption and redox reactions, while the O groups acted as electron transfer stations and constituted redox microcirculation in the synchronous uptake of Cr/As. Based on these insights, we believe that our study will provide meaningful information about the application potential of Fe-biochar for the heavy metal contaminated soil remediation.