For crystal periodic structure prediction, a new and concise approach based on the principles of statistical physics was employed to derive a new form of the equation to determine their period vectors (cell edge vectors), under general external stress. Then the new form is applicable to both classical physics and quantum physics. It also turned out to be the equation of state and the mechanical equilibrium condition for crystals under external stress and temperature. It should be helpful in piezoelectric and piezomagnetic studies, as the period vectors were changed by the external stress. For linear elastic crystals, it is actually also the microscopic but temperature-dependent form of the generalized Hooke's law, then can be used to calculate the corresponding elastic constants of the law, for given temperatures.

Alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) is the most cultivated forage legume around the world. Under a variety of growing conditions, forage yield in alfalfa is stymied by biotic and abiotic stresses including heat, salt, drought, and disease. Given the sessile nature of plants, they use strategies such as differential gene expression to respond to environmental cues. Transcription factors control the expression of genes that contribute to or enable tolerance and survival during periods of stress. Basic-leucine zipper (bZIP) transcription factors have been demonstrated to play a critical role in regulating plant growth and development as well as mediate the responses to abiotic stress in several species, including Arabidopsis thaliana, Oryza sativa, Lotus japonicus, and Medicago truncatula. However, there is little information about bZIP transcription factors in cultivated alfalfa. In the present study, 237 bZIP genes were identified in alfalfa from publicly available sequencing data. Multiple sequence alignments showed the presence of intact bZIP motifs in the identified sequences. Based on previous phylogenetic analyses in Arabidopsis thaliana, alfalfa bZIPs were similarly divided and fell into 10 groups. The physicochemical properties, motif analysis, and phylogenetic study of the alfalfa bZIPs revealed high specificity within groups. The differential expression of alfalfa bZIPs in a suite of tissues indicates that particular bZIP genes are specifically expressed at different developmental stages in alfalfa. Similarly, expression analysis in response to ABA, cold, drought, and salt stresses, indicates that a subset of bZIP genes are also differentially expressed and likely play a role in abiotic stress signaling and/or tolerance. These expression patterns were further verified by qRT-PCR. However, further functional characterization of bZIP transcription factors in alfalfa will help illuminate the role they play in stress tolerance mechanisms in legumes and facilitate the molecular breeding of stress tolerance in alfalfa.

The heavy-metal-associated (HMA) proteins are a class of PB1-Type ATPases related to the intracellular transport and detoxification of metals. However, due to a lack of information regarding the HMA gene family in the Cucurbitaceae family, a comprehensive genome-wide analysis of the HMA family was performed in ten Cucurbitaceae species: Citrullus amarus, Citrullus colocynthis, Citrullus lanatus, Citrullus mucosospermus, Cucumis melo, Cucumis sativus, Cucurbita maxima, Cucurbita moschata, Cucurbita pepo, and Legenaria siceraria. We identified 103 Cucurbit HMA proteins with various members, ranging from 8 (Legenaria siceraria) to 14 (Cucurbita pepo) across species. The phylogenetic and structural analysis confirmed that the Cucurbitaceae HMA protein family could be further classified into two major clades: Zn/Co/Cd/Pb and Cu/Ag. GO annotation-based subcellular localization analysis predicted that all HMA gene family members were localized on membranes. Moreover, the analysis of conserved motifs and gene structure (intron/exon) revealed the functional divergence between clades. Interspecies microsynteny analysis demonstrated that maximum orthologous genes were found between species of the Citrullus genera. Finally, nine candidates HMA genes were selected, and their expression analysis was carried out via qRT-PCR in root, leaf, flower, and fruit tissues of C. pepo under arsenic stress. The expression pattern of the CpeHMA genes showed a distinct pattern of expression in root and shoot tissues, with a remarkable expression of CpeHMA6 and CpeHMA3 genes from the Cu/Ag clade. Overall, this study provides insights into the functional analysis of the HMA gene family in Cucurbitaceae species and lays down the basic knowledge to explore the role and mechanism of the HMA gene family to cope with arsenic stress conditions.

In obesity, white adipose tissue expresses inflammatory cytokines leading to insulin resistance. Non-physiological meta-tyrosine and ortho-tyrosine (meta-Tyr and ortho-Tyr), produced from phenylalanine by free radicals, may contribute to the development of insulin resistance. The resulting insulin resistance may have a significant impact on macrophage function. In this study we aim to investigate microscopically the effect of meta- and ortho-Tyr on insulin sensitivity and M1/M2 polarization of macrophages using Akt phosphorylation and the arginase 1/iNOS ratio. Macrophage cell lines were cultured in media containing para-, meta- or ortho-Tyr, 5 mmol/L or 25 mmol/L glucose (para25-Tyr group) and treated with insulin. Para25, meta- and ortho-Tyr increased pAkt levels and decreased the arginase 1/iNOS ratio in macrophages in the absence of insulin. In the case of physiological para-tyrosine treatment, insulin increased the amount of pAkt and decreased the arginase 1/iNOS ratio. Both meta- and ortho-Tyr treatment were able to abolish or reverse the insulin’s increasing effect on pAkt and the decreasing effect on arginase 1/iNOS ratio. Our results suggest that non-physiological tyrosine isomers may affect the insulin signaling of macrophages and influence their M1/M2 polarization.

Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is a progressive blinding disease that affects vision and quality of life of patients and severely impacts society. This complication, caused by abnormal glucose metabolism, leads to structural, functional, molecular, and biochemical abnormalities in the retina. Oxidative stress (OS) and inflammation also play pivotal roles in the pathogenic process of DR, leading to mitochondrial damage and decrease in the mitochondrial function. DR causes retinal degeneration in glial and neural cells, while the disappearance of pericytes in retinal blood vessels leads to modifications in vascular regulation and stability. Clinical changes include dilatation and blood flow alterations in response to the reduce in retinal perfusion in retinal blood vessels, leading to vascular leakage, neovascularization and neurodegeneration. Thus, DR is a highly complex disease with various biological factors that contribute to its pathogenesis. The interplay between biochemical pathways and non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) is essential for understanding the development and progression of DR. Abnormal expression of ncRNAs has been confirmed to promote the development of DR, suggesting that ncRNAs such as miRNAs, lnc-RNAs and circ-RNAs have potential as diagnostic biomarkers and theranostic targets in DR. This review provides an overview of interactions between abnormal biochemical pathways and dysregulated expression of ncRNAs under the influence of hyperglycemic environment in DR.

The sustainable development goals(SDG) of the UNO would be difficult to achieve without prevention of metabolic diseases and other non-communicable diseases (NCDs). Western diet and lifestyle, which are major risk factors of NCDs, are known to cause oxidative stress and decrease in production of molecular hydrogen in the intestines which leads to a decline in endogenous antioxidant status in the body, leading to increase in systemic inflammation. Many experts consider molecular hydrogen as a potential nutrient, which may be administered as gas in the body. There are gaps in the knowledge about the role molecular hydrogen plays, in the treatment of metabolic diseases and other NCDs This review aims to discuss the role of hydrogen in the pathogenesis and prevention of NCDs. Molecular hydrogen (H2) has been studied extensively as a therapeutic gas, with an estimated 2000 publications to date, exploring its potential therapeutic use in 170 disease models across every organ in the mammalian body. Hydrogen therapy can be administered through several methods, such as H2 inhalation, dissolving H2 gas in water to make hydrogen-rich water (HRW) for oral consumption or topical application, or hydrogen-rich saline. The exact mechanism of action of molecular hydrogen is not known but it is in itself a potential antioxidant that can also inhibit hydroxyl and nitrosyl radicals in the cells and tissues. Hydrogen is known to cause a marked decline in oxidative stress, and inflammation that are crucial in the pathogenesis of NCDs. Hydrogen therapy has been found protective against NCDs, including, metabolic diseases, cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), neurodegenerative diseases, chronic kidney disease, cancer and chronic lung diseases.

The significance of diversity, composition, and functional attributes of the gut microbiota is recognized in human health and disease. Studies have also shown that the gut microbiota is related to human aging, and a causal relationship between gut microflora dysbiosis and chronic age-related disorders is also becoming apparent. Further, emerging evidence indicates that age-associated changes in the gut microbiome are predictors of human survival and longevity. Recent advances in our understanding of the cellular and molecular aspects of biological aging have revealed a cellular senescence-centric view of the aging process. However, the association between gut microbiome and cellular senescence is only beginning to be understood. The present review provides an integrative view of the emerging relationship between the gut microbiome and cellular senescence in aging and disease. Evidence relating to microbiome-mediated modulation of senescent cells, as well as senescent cells-mediated changes in intestinal homeostasis have been discussed. Unanswered questions and future research directions have also been deliberated to truly ascertain the relationship of the gut microbiome and cellular senescence for developing microbiome-based age-delaying and longevity promoting therapies.

The objective of this study was to evaluate biomarkers of heat stress (HS) from automatic milking system (AMS), the relationships between measurements of temperature-humidity index (THI) and reticulorumen ph and temperature and some automatic milking systems parameters in dairy cows (rumination time (RT), milk traits, body weight (BW) and consumption of concentrate (CC)) during summer period. The experiment was carried out on a dairy farm at 54.9587408, 23.784146. Lithuanian Black and White dairy cows (n=365) were selected. The cows were milked with Lely Astronaut® A3 milking robots with free traffic. The rations were calculated to meet physiological requirements of the animals. Daily milk yield, rumination time, body weight, milk fat and protein ratio were collected from the Lely T4C management program for analysis. The pH and temperature of the contents of cow reticulorumen were measured using specific smaX-tec boluses manufactured for animal care. The daily humidity and air temperature in the farm zone were obtained from the adjacent weather station (2 km away). According this study during HS, the higher THI had positive correlation with ML, which show tendencies to increase risk of mastitis, and decrease CC, RT, BW, MY, reticulorumen ph and F/P. Some biomarkers of HS can be milk yield, milk lactose, somatic cell count, concentrate conception, rumination time, body weight, reticulorumen ph and milk fat – protein ratio. We can recommend to monitoring these parameters in the herd management program to identify possibility of heat stress.

There is growing evidence on the relevance of self-efficacy for well-being and functioning among individuals with psychotic disorders, but specific self-efficacy for coping with stress has rarely been investigated. This study explored the outcomes of an intervention for the improvement of coping resources based on a training in coping skills and coping with stress self-efficacy (CSSE). Fourteen adult volunteers who were diagnosed with schizophrenia (n=12) or schizoaffective disorder (n=2) were matched in clinical and sociodemographic characteristics and randomly assigned to the study groups. The intervention group received the training along with their pharmacological therapy; the control group received their prescribed drug therapy. Participants completed self-reports on CSSE, perceived successful daily functioning based on coping skills, and clinical status (BPRS-E). Trained patients showed a significant increase in CSSE and reported greater successful functioning status, and significant improvements in their clinical status were also observed. All these enhancements remained at 3-month and 6-month follow-ups. Control participants showed no significant changes. Moreover, the intervention condition interacted with CSSE and perceived coping functioning in explaining improvements in clinical status: in the treatment group, greater CSSE translated into enhanced daily functioning, and this improvement predicted better clinical status. These findings stress the relevance of promoting coping resources in psychotic disorders and provide preliminary evidence for the potential benefits of CSSE.

Teaching is considered a multifarious task. Teachers, in the pursuit of educational success, are burdened with numerous teaching workloads and dilemmas causing them stress. This study endeavored to determine the influence of stress on professional satisfaction of multigrade teachers. It employed correlation research design involving thirty (30) purposively selected multigrade teachers in the Schools Division of General Santos City (GSC), Southern Philippines. Employing the survey method, tailored questionnaires were utilized to gather the needed data. The statistical tools employed in the analysis were weighted mean and Pearson Product Moment Correlation Coefficient. Moderate level of stress and high level of professional satisfaction are gained among the multigrade teachers surveyed. It was further found out that there is no significant relationship between stress and professional satisfaction, providing evidence that stress may not necessarily influence satisfaction. This result offers unique implications in theory, practice, and research which are discussed in the study.

Human exposure to carbon nanotubes (CNTs) can cause health issues due to their chemical–physical features and biological interactions. These nanostructures cause oxidative stress, also due to endogenous ROS production, which increases following mitochondrial impairment. The aim of this in vitro study was to assess the health effects, due to mitochondrial dysfunction, caused by a sub-chronic exposure to a non-acutely toxic dose of multi walled CNTs (raw and functionalised). The A549 cells were exposed to MWCNTs (2 µg mL^-1) for 36 days. Periodically, cellular dehydrogenases, pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase 1 (PDK1), cytochrome c release, permeability transition pore (mPTP) opening, transmembrane potential (Δψ m), apoptotic cells, and intracellular ROS were measured. The results, compared to untreated cells and to positive control formed by cells treated with MWCNTs (20 µg mL^-1), highlighted the efficiency of homeostasis to counteract ROS overproduction, but a restitutio ad integrum of mitochondrial functionality was not observed. Despite the tendency to restore, the mitochondrial impairment persisted. Overall, the results underlined the tissue damage that can arise following sub-chronic exposure to MWCNTs.

A metastable β-Ti alloy, Ti–10V–3Fe–3Al (wt.%), was subjected to thermos-mechanical processing including the compression test at 725°C, which is below the β transus temperature (780°C), and at strain rate of 10-3s-1. The presence of phases was determined using transmission electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction. Although the dynamic recovery took place together with slip, both deformation-induced α˝ martensite and ω were detected as other operating mechanisms for the first time in metastable-β Ti alloys deformed in α+β region. The volume fraction of stress-induced α˝ was higher than that of the same alloy deformed at room temperature due to higher strain applied. Stress-induced twinning was not operational, which could be related to the priority of slip mechanism at high temperature resulted from thermally-assisted nucleation and lateral migration of kink-pairs.

Introduction: Lack of certainty or knowledge in health professions generates uncertainty, affecting clinical practice in decision-making (diagnostic or therapeutic), intervention design and therapeutic communication. In nursing, the lack of information to predict prognosis and outcome of interventions generates uncertainty: recognizing and managing it is essential for individualized, safe, and effective care. Objective: to assess uncertainty and the perception of a debriefing within the same shift ("intrathoracic pass") as a proposal for improvement. Method: ad-hoc survey of nursing professionals and Auxiliary Nursing Care Technicians (ANC). Variables: age, work experience, PRU scale (Physisicians' Reactions to Uncertainty) and additional question on intrathoracic pass. Results: Sample: 61 nurses and 10 TCAE (90.14 % female, 9.86 % male; mean age 35.18, standard deviation SD=13.04). Mean professional experience 11.74 years (SD=12.21); 56.33% had ≤4 years of experience. Origin: 49.30% Intensive Care Units (ICU), 11.27% Hospitalization, 7.04% Emergency, 1.41% Primary Care and 30.99% Other Services. The mean level of uncertainty was 27.99 points (max. possible 75; SD=7.50), with stress (mean=25.55, max. possible: 40; SD=5.24) and anxiety (mean=15.80, max. possible: 25; SD=3.05) as major manifestations. The association uncertainty-age (r=0.339; p=0.004) and uncertainty-experience (r=0.391; p=0.001) correlated negatively (the older and more experienced, the less uncertainty), with no significant differences between degrees or services. 91.55% stated that the intra-day pass was useful to reduce uncertainty during the working day. Conclusion: Uncertainty is frequent in nursing, and implementing the intrashift pass is perceived as a competent strategy.

The TGACG motif-binding factor1 (TGA1) transcription factor, a significant protein in the bZIP transcription factor family, exhibits a myriad of functions, contributes to numerous biological events, and holds substantial application potential. In this study, our analysis revealed a diverse range of photoregulatory and hormone regulatory elements within the MtTGA1 promoter region. The expression profile of MtTGA1 indicated its highest expression in the root, with its regulation influenced by SA, ABA, BR, and GA. Under salt stress conditions, transgenic plants demonstrated significantly longer root lengths and heightened activities of antioxidant enzymes such as ascorbic acid catalase (APX), peroxidase (POD), catalase (CAT), and superoxide dismutase (SOD) in their roots and leaves compared to control plants. Simultaneously, the levels of endogenous hormones ABA and BR escalated in transgenic plants, with a marked change in the morphology of their leaf cells. Transcriptome analysis identified a total of 193 differentially expressed genes, implicating a wide array of biological processes. Furthermore, we found that MtTGA1 is able to interact with Medicago truncatula SPX domain containing protein 1 (SPX1). In conclusion, the MtTGA1 transcription factor plays a crucial role in enhancing salt tolerance, which provides new insights for improving plant survival under salt stress conditions.

Our understanding of the long-term consequences of chronic ionising radiation for living organisms remains scarce. Modern molecular biology techniques are helpful tools for researching pollutant effects on biota. To reveal the molecular phenotype of plants growing under chronic radiation exposure, we sampled Vicia cracca L. plants in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone and in areas with normal radiation backgrounds. We performed a detailed analysis of soil and gene expression patterns, and made coordinated multi-omics analyses of plant samples, including transcriptomics, proteomics, and metabolomics. Chronic exposure to ionising radiation induced complex and multidirectional changes, including significant alterations in the metabolism and gene expression patterns of irradiated plants. We revealed profound changes in carbon metabolism, nitrogen reallocation, and photosynthesis. These plants were characterised by increased DNA damage, redox imbalance, and stress response reactions. The upregulation of histones, chaperones, peroxidases, and secondary metabolism were noted.

We aimed to test the hypothesis that serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 [25(OH)D] concentration is associated with mental health and life stress measures in young adults, and investigate sex and racial disparities in these associations. This study comprised 327 black and white participants. Depression, trait anxiety, perceived stress, and hostility were measured by validated instruments: Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), and Cook-Medley Hostility Scale (CMHS). Linear regression was used to estimate correlations between serum 25(OH)D concentration and mental health measurements in total population and in subgroups stratified by sex and race. In this sample (28.2 ± 3.1 years, 48% male, 53% black), serum 25(OH)D concentration was negatively related to BDI, STAI, PSS, total CMHS score and the majority of CMHS subscale scores (p-values < 0.05). Stratified by sex, most of these associations remained significant only in women (p-values < 0.05). Stratified by race, higher 25(OH)D concentrations in the whites were significantly related to lower BDI, STAI, PSS, and CMHS-cynicism subscale (p-values < 0.05); 25(OH)D concentrations in the blacks were only inversely associated with CMHS and most CMHS subscales (p-values < 0.05), but not with BDI, STAI and PSS. We present novel findings of consistent inverse relationships between serum 25(OH)D concentration and various measures of mental health and life stress. Long-term interventional studies are warranted to investigate the roles of vitamin D supplementation in prevention and mitigation of depression, anxiety and psychological stress in young adults.

Endocrine and nervous systems reciprocally interact to manage physiological individual functions and homeostasis. The nervous system modulates hormone release through the hypothalamus, the main cerebrally specialized structure of the neuroendocrine system. Indeed, it is involved in various metabolic processes, administering hormone and neuropeptide release at different levels. This complex activity is affected by neurons of various cerebral areas, environmental factors, peripheral organs, and mediators through feedback mechanisms. Therefore, neuroendocrine pathways have a key role in metabolic homeostasis control, and their abnormalities have been associated with the development of Metabolic Syndrome (MetS) in children. The impaired functioning of genes, hormones, and neuropeptides of various neuroendocrine pathways involved in several metabolic processes has been related to an increased risk of dyslipidaemia, visceral obesity, insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes mellitus, and hypertension. This review examines the neuroendocrine effects on the risk of MetS in children, identifying and underlying the several conditions associated with neuroendocrine pathway disruption. Neuroendocrine systems should be considered in the complex pathophysiology of MetS, and, when genetic or epigenetic mutations in "hot" pathways occur, they could be studied for new potential target therapies in severe and drug-resistant paediatric forms of MetS.

Keywords: free radicals; oxidative stress; hepatocellular carcinoma; anti-oxidants; kaempferol

Cardiovascular disease is the most common cause of death. Oxidative stress and inflammation are pathophysiological processes involved in the development of cardiovascular diseases, so anti-inflammatory and antioxidant agents that modulate redox balance have become the targets of research to evaluate their molecular mechanisms and therapeutic properties. Astaxanthin, a carotenoid of the xanthophyll group, has potent antioxidant effects due to its molecular structure and its arrangement in the plasma membrane, factors that favor the neutralization of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species. This carotenoid also stands out for its anti-inflammatory activity, possibly interrelated with its antioxidant effect, as well as for its modulation of lipid and glucose metabolism. Considering the potential positive effects of astaxanthin on cardiovascular health evidenced by preclinical and clinical studies, this paper describes the molecular and cellular mechanisms related to the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties of this carotenoid in cardiovascular diseases, especially atherosclerosis.

This paper presents an analytical method for determining the bending stresses and deformations in prismatic noncircular profile shafts with trochoidal cross sections. The so-called higher trochoids can be used as form-fit shaft–hub connections. Hybrid (mixed) higher trochoids (M-profiles) were proposed in [1] and adapted to a practical industrial application in [2]. M-profiles combine the advantages of standardised polygon (DIN 32711 [3]) and spline (DIN 5486 [4]) contours used as shaft–hub connections for the transmission of torsional loads. In this study, the geometric and mechanical properties of the higher hybrid trochoids were investigated using complex functions to simplify the calculations. The pure bending stress and shaft deflection were determined for M-profiles using the bending theory formulated by Muskhelishvili [5]. The loading cases consisted of static and rotating bends. Analytical, numerical, and experimental results agreed well.

Iris laevigata Fisch. is a perennial aquatic plant with strong cold resistance and showy flowers. However, the flowering period of a single flower is only two days, greatly limiting its potential use in landscaping and the cutting-flower industry. In addition, I. laevigata is often challenged with various abiotic stresses including high salinity and drought in its native habitat. Thus, breeding novel cultivars with prolonged flowering time and higher resistance to abiotic stress is of high importance. In this study, we first performed genome-wide identification of WRKYs, key transcription factors in modulating flowering time and abiotic stress responses. We overexpressed IlWRKY22 in Arabidopsis thaliana and found the flowering time was delayed in the transgenic plants. Molecular characterization further revealed that IlWRKY22 promotes the expression of CO and GA20OX genes in the photoperiod and gibberellin pathways, respectively, and inhibits the expression of SPL3 in the aging pathway. We also created transgenic Nicotiana tabacum overexpressing IlWRKY22, which showed significantly improved resistance to both salt and drought compared to control plants. Specifically, the photosynthetic rate, maximum potential quantum efficiency of Photosystem II (Fv/Fm), and chlorophyll content were higher in the transgenic plants, which was accompanied with higher antioxidant enzyme activity and lower levels of reactive oxygen species. Thus, our study revealed a unique dual function of IlWRKY22, an excellent candidate gene for breeding novel I. laevigata cultivars of desirable traits.

Testicular heat stress is a well described phenomenon that occurs in mammals that possess a scrotum. Different models to induce testicular hyperthermia, such as surgical cryptorchidism, hot water bath, scrotal insulation or increased environmental temperature have all shown that spermatocytes and spermatids are unambiguously affected by high temperature, resulting in poor sperm production weeks later. Furthermore, a body of evidence suggest the involvement of oxidative stress is either a major or contributory pathway, which gives rise to the potential to overcome this condition. Whilst experimental models conclusively show the deleterious effect of testicular heat on sperm quality, the physiological relevance of the work is still debated. Herein we summarise a cohort of studies that report the effect of “season” on sperm quality. The data show season can affect sperm production, motility and morphology depending on where the work was performed. In countries where temperatures drop below zero, there is evidence showing summer conditions tend to improve semen quality. However, in sub-tropical countries, some studies show a decrease in summer, whilst others show no change. Herein we offer a reasonable explanation for this apparent controversy and present a range of antioxidant supplements that may offer some protection against testicular hyperthermia.

Large aluminum alloy ring forgings are the core components of heavy-duty rocket fuel storage tanks, and the large residual stress inside the rings leads to poor shape accuracy of large thin-walled parts. The initial stress of the 2219 aluminum alloy ring blank was tested using the drilling method, and the creep constitutive coefficient of the 2219 aluminum alloy was determined through stress relaxation tests. The numerical simulation processes of thermal stress relief (TSR), vibration stress relief (VSR), and thermal-vibration stress relief (TVSR) were compared and established. Through the correlation analysis between the actual measurement results of residual stress and the simulation results, it can be seen that the strong correlation in three directions at each measurement point accounts for over 37.5%, and the moderate correlation accounts for over 62.5%. This indicates that the numerical simulation model of 2219 aluminum alloy ring containing initial residual stress can accurately reflect the size and distribution of residual stress inside the actual ring. The simulation results show that the derived constitutive model can describe the stress relaxation process of TVSR by combining a single thermal time effect stress relaxation constitutive theory with a VSR plastic deformation material model. The simulation models established above were used to calculate the residual stress homogenization ability of three types of aging. The results showed that VSR, TSR, and TVSR can homogenize and reduce the residual stress field inside the ring, improve the distribution of residual stress inside the ring, and have a better overall homogenization ability of TVSR. The VSR control has a certain effect on reducing and homogenizing residual stress, but compared with TSR and TVSR, the reduction and homogenization ability of residual stress control is limited. The homogenization control effect TVSR>TSR>VSR, and the maximum equivalent stress homogenization rates of VSR, TSR, and TVSR are 52.8%, 80.6%, and 82.2%, respectively. Then, numerical simulation technology is used to study how the initial residual stress in the blank will cause the deformation of the ring during the thin-walled machining process. The roundness error theory of the minimum containment area method is applied to evaluate the deformation degree during the thin-walled numerical machining process, and the TVSR method is used for stress regulation. The deformation law of the thin-walled machining of the ring under different aging parameters is studied.

Climate change poses a serious threat to global agricultural activity and food production. To address this issue, plant genome editing technologies have been developed to provide an alternative solution for crop improvement. Unlike conventional breeding techniques (e.g., selective breeding and mutation breeding), modern genome editing tools offer more targeted and specific alterations of the plant genome to produce crops with desired traits, such as higher yield and/or stronger resilience to the changing environment. In this review, we discuss the current development and future applications of genome editing technologies in mitigating the impacts of biotic and abiotic stresses on agriculture. We focus specifically on the CRISPR/Cas system, which has been the center of attention in the last few years as a revolutionary genome-editing tool in various species. We also conducted a bibliographic analysis on CRISPR-related papers published from 2012 to 2021 (10 years) to identify trends and possible gaps in the CRISPR/Cas-related plant research. In addition, this review article outlines the current shortcomings and challenges of employing genome editing technologies in agriculture with notes on future prospective. We believe combining conventional and more innovative technologies in agriculture would be the key to optimizing crop improvement beyond the limitations of traditional agricultural practices.

The circumstances arising from the exceptional situation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic have affected all socioeconomic areas in the last two years. The field of Education has not been an exception and the management of the situation seems to have caused an increase in the level of perceived stress of university students. On this basis, this research that aims, first, to analyze the student’s level of perceived stress during the de-escalation and return to normality period, secondly, to evaluate its relationship with life satisfaction and, finally, to detect the students' needs in stress management, has been developed. An exploratory-descriptive study of quantitative and cross-sectional nature has been carried out. 222 university students of the Childhood and Primary Education Degrees of the University of Jaén (Spain) have participated. The instruments, Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) and Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS) have been used. The results show a moderate and partial relationship among the dimensions of the used instruments. The obtained coefficients of determination are, Academic Performance (r² = .019) and Life Satisfaction (r² = .402), with a mean square error (SRMR) of .079. These findings show the need to develop actions within the university training program in effective stress management strategies.

Farmers and seed companies constantly require high-quality seeds with excellent agronomic performance. However, faced with environmental adversity, limited natural resources and increasing food demand around the globe, more attention has turned to improving crop plant production by implementing efficient strategies. Seed priming technology has shown promising biological improvements leading to suitable agronomic performance in crop plants under adverse environmental conditions. Seeds are subjected to controlled conditions that are conducive to complex physiological, biochemical, and molecular changes, conferring specific stress tolerance to subsequent germination and growth conditions. In this review paper, we aimed to study the recent approaches in the efficiency of hydropriming, osmopriming, chemopriming, hormopriming, nanopriming, matrix priming, biopriming, physical priming and hybrid priming procedures in the production of crop plants under environmental adversity, as well as their biological mechanism changes. All priming methods demonstrated relevant changes in the biological mechanism related to crop plant production by mitigating salinity effects, heavy metals, and flooding stress and enhancing chilling, heat, drought and phytopathogen tolerance. We strongly recommend that researchers combine multiple priming methods, known as hybrid priming, in their investigations to provide novel technologies and additional biological approaches to enhance the knowledge of crop plant science. Thus, the findings shed light on the use of seed priming technology as a key strategy to increase crop plant production under environmental adversity by acquiring stress tolerance and enhancing agronomic traits to meet the global food demand.

Laser shock peening is a process which can reduce stress corrosion cracking and improve fatigue life by forming compressive residual stress on the surface of the material. In a computational FE simulation of laser shock peening, during applying the pressure load generated by the laser pulse to the surface of simulation geometry, the peening is simulated by explicit analysis and then convert to implicit analysis to dissipate the dynamic energy remaining in the geometry. In this study, static damping is applied to dissipate residual dynamic energy without converting it into an implicit analysis. The compressive residual stress distribution is compared between the simulation results for the stainless steel 304 material and the same material subjected to actual laser shock peening. The laser shock peening parameters were 4.2J laser pulse energy, 50% overlap of 3mm diameter of the laser beam and water as a confinement layer. As a result, the compressive residual stress from the surface to the depth direction is similar to both the simulation and the experimental result measured by the hole drilling method.

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is frequently accompanied by affective disorders with a prevalence of comorbid depression of around 25%. Nevertheless, the biomarkers of affective symptoms including depression and anxiety due to T2DM are not well established.Aims: This study was conducted to delineate the serum biomarkers predicting affective symptoms due to T2DM above and beyond the effects of insulin resistance and atherogenicity. Methods: The present study delineated the effects of serum levels of copper, zinc, β-arrestin-1, FBXW7, lactosylceramide (LacCer), serotonin, albumin, calcium, magnesium, IR and atherogenicity on severity of depression and anxiety in 58 men with T2DM and 30 healthy male controls. Severity of affective symptoms was assessed using the Hamilton Depression and Anxiety rating scales.Results: We found that 61.7% of the variance in affective symptoms was explained by the multivariate regression on copper, β-arrestin-1, calcium, and insulin resistance coupled with atherogenicity, while 44.4% of the variance in the latter was explained by copper, β-arrestin-1, LacCer (all positively) and calcium and FBXW7 (both negatively). Copper and LacCer (positive) and calcium and BXW7 (inverse) had significant specific indirect effects on affective symptoms which were mediated by insulin resistance and atherogenicity. Copper, β-arrestin-1, and calcium were associated with affective symptoms above and beyond the effects of insulin resistance and atherogenicity.Discussion: T2DM and affective symptoms share common pathways namely increased atherogenicity, insulin resistance, copper, and β-arrestin-1, and lowered calcium, whereas copper, β-arrestin-1, calcium, LacCer, and FBXW7 may modulate depression and anxiety symptoms by affecting T2DM.

Current diagnoses of mood disorders are not cross validated. The aim of the current paper is to explain how machine learning techniques can be used to a) construct a model which ensembles risk/resilience (R/R), adverse outcome pathways (AOPs), staging, and the phenome of mood disorders, and b) disclose new classes based on these feature sets. This study was conducted using data of 67 healthy controls and 105 mood disordered patients. The R/R ratio, assessed as a combination of the paraoxonase 1 (PON1) gene, PON1 enzymatic activity, and early life time trauma (ELT), predicted the high-density lipoprotein cholesterol – paraoxonase 1 complex (HDL-PON1), reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (RONS), nitro-oxidative stress toxicity (NOSTOX), staging (number of depression and hypomanic episodes and suicidal attempts), and phenome (the Hamilton Depression and Anxiety scores and the Clinical Global Impression; current suicidal ideation; quality of life and disability measurements) scores. Partial Least Squares pathway analysis showed that 44.2% of the variance in the phenome was explained by ELT, RONS/NOSTOX, and staging scores. Cluster analysis conducted on all those feature sets discovered two distinct patient clusters, namely 69.5% of the patients were allocated to a class with high R/R, RONS/NOSTOX, staging, and phenome scores, and 30.5% to a class with increased staging and phenome scores. This classification cut across the bipolar (BP1/BP2) and major depression disorder classification and was more distinctive than the latter classifications. We constructed a nomothetic network model which reunited all features of mood disorders into a mechanistically transdiagnostic model.

Hypertensive diseases of pregnancy (HDP) represent a global clinical challenge, affecting 5-10% of women and leading to complications for both maternal well-being and fetal development. At the heart of these complications is endothelial dysfunction, with oxidative stress emerging as a pivotal causative factor. The reduction in nitric oxide (NO) bioavailability is a vital indicator of this dysfunction, culminating in blood pressure dysregulation. In the therapeutic context, although antihypertensive medications are commonly used, they come with inherent concerns related to maternal-fetal safety, and a percentage of women do not respond to these therapies. Therefore, alternative strategies that directly address the pathophysiology of HDP are required. This article focuses on the potential of the nitrate-nitrite-NO pathway, abundantly present in dark leafy greens and beetroot, as an alternative approach to treating HDP. The objective of this review is to discuss the prospective antioxidant role of nitrate. We hope our discussion paves the way for using nitrate to improve endothelial dysfunction and control oxidative stress, offering a potential therapy for managing HDP.

Keywords: apoptosis; arbutus unedo L; formaldehyde; hippocampus; oxidative stress

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a debilitating mental health disorder that causes significant dysfunction in individuals. Currently, there are many approved Pharmacotherapy and Psychotherapy treatment options for PTSD, but unfortunately, half of the patients do not respond to traditional therapies. In this article, we reviewed clinical trials and research on 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) assisted Psychotherapy in PTSD patients, its pharmacokinetics and current treatment guidelines for PTSD. Based on the results of the efficacy of MDMA assisted Psychotherapy from six phases II Randomized controlled trials. MDMA-assisted Psychotherapy for PTSD has received the “Breakthrough Therapy” designation from the FDA. MDMA can potentially reduce PTSD symptoms even in treatment-resistant cases by increasing certain neurohormones, i.e. dopamine, serotonin, norepinephrine and oxytocin. It also modulates activities in the brain regions involved in fear and anxiety. Future research is needed to show whether the advantages outweigh the disadvantages and whether its use can be integrated into available treatment options for PTSD.

Growth-regulating factor (GRF) is a plant-specific transcription factor family, which is involved in nearly all of the central developmental processes in plants. However, little is known about GRF family genes in cultivated sunflower. In this study, 17 GRF genes were identified and characterized from sunflower genome. Their gene structures, conserved motifs, chromosomal distributions and phylogenetic relationships were analyzed. The expression patterns of these genes were detected in various tissues of sunflower inbred line SK02R, which revealed that the 10 seed-specific GRF genes may play important roles during seed development in sunflower. Additionally, transcripts changes of the GRFs under two major abiotic stresses and phytohormones showed that most of the detected GRFs were reduced significantly by GA3 treatment, and other treatments(ABA, NaCl and PEG6000) differently regulated various sunflower growth-regulating factors at different time points. MiR396 target analysis indicated that there may exist a complicated homeostasis between miR396 and its targets GRF and WRKY transcription factor genes in cultivated sunflower. The phylogenetic and expression analyses of the GRF gene family in sunflower would be useful for further cloning and function exploration of the HaGRF genes.

The aging of the global population has increased the prevalence of neurodegenerative conditions. Bacopa monnieri (BM), an herb with active compounds, such as bacosides A and B, betulinic acid, loliolide, asiatic acid, and quercetin, demonstrates the potential for brain health. Limited research has been conducted on the therapeutic applications of BM in neurodegenerative conditions. This systematic review aims to project BM's beneficial role in brain disorders. BM has anti-apoptotic and antioxidant actions and can repair damaged neurons, stimulate kinase activity, restore synaptic function, improve nerve transmission, and increase neuroprotection. The included twenty-two clinical trials demonstrated that BM can reduce Nuclear Factor-κB phosphorylation, improve emotional function, cognitive functions, anhedonia, hyperactivity, sleep routine, depression, attention deficit, learning problems, memory retention, impulsivity, and psychiatric problems. Moreover, BM can reduce the levels of pro-inflammatory biomarkers and oxidative stress. Here, we highlight that BM provides notable therapeutic benefits and can serve as a complementary approach for the care of patients with neurodegenerative conditions associated with brain disorders. This review adds to the growing interest in natural products and their potential therapeutic applications by improving our understanding of the mechanisms underlying cognitive function and neurodegeneration and informing the development of new therapeutic strategies for neurodegenerative diseases.

Deficit schizophrenia is characterized by leaky tight and adherens junctions and bacterial translocation. Here we examine whether (deficit) schizophrenia is accompanied by leaky paracellular, transcellular and vascular barriers in the gut and blood brain barriers. We measured IgA responses to occludin, claudin-5, E-cadherin and β-catenin (paracellular pathway, PARA), talin, actin, vinculin and epithelial intermediate filament (transcellular pathway, TRANS) and plasmalemma vesicle-associated protein (PLVAP, vascular pathway) in 78 schizophrenia patients and 40 controls. IgA responses to claudin-5, E-cadherin and β-catenin, the sum of the four PARA proteins and the ratio PARA/TRANS were significantly higher in deficit schizophrenia than in non-deficit schizophrenia and controls. A large part of the variance in PHEMN (psychosis, hostility, excitation, mannerism and negative) symptoms, psychomotor retardation, formal thought disorders, verbal fluency, word list memory, word list recall and executive functions was explained by the PARA/TRANS ratio coupled with plasma IgA responses to Gram-negative bacteria, IgM to malondialdehyde, CCL-11 (eotaxin), IgA levels of the ratio of noxious to more protective tryptophan catabolites (NOX/PRO TRYCATs) and a plasma immune activation index. Moreover, IgA levels to Gram-negative bacteria were significantly associated with IgA to E-cadherin, β-catenin and PLVAP, while IgA levels to claudin-5 were significantly predicted by IgA to E-cadherin, NOX/PRO TRYCAT ratio, Gram-negative bacteria and CCL11. The phenomenology of the deficit syndrome is to a large extent explained by the cumulative effects of lowered natural IgM, breakdown of the paracellular and vascular pathways, increased bacterial translocation, peripheral immune-inflammatory responses and indices of BBB breakdown.

The breeding of stress-tolerant cultivated plants that would allow for a reduction in harvest losses and undesirable decrease in quality attributes requires a new quality of knowledge on molecular markers associated with relevant agronomic traits, on quantitative metabolic responses of plants on stress challenges, and on the mechanisms controlling the biosynthesis of these molecules. By combining metabolomics with genomics, transcriptomics and proteomics datasets a more comprehensive knowledge of the composition of crop plants used for food or animal feed is possible. In order to optimize crop trait developments, to enhance crop yields and quality, as well as to guarantee nutritional and health factors, that provides the possibility to create functional food or feedstuffs, the knowledge about the plants’ metabolome is crucial. Next to classical metabolomics studies, this review focusses on several metabolomics based working techniques, such as sensomics, lipidomics, hormonomics and phytometabolomics, which were used to characterize metabolome alterations during abiotic and biotic stress, to find resistant food crops with a preferred quality or at least to produce functional food crops are highlighted.

Salinity stress affect plant growth and development by causing osmotic stress, and nutrient imbalances through excess Na+, K+ and Cl- ion accumulations that induce toxic effects during germination, seedling development, vegetative growth, flowering, and fruit set. However, the effects of salt stress on such processes, especially in polyploidised leguminous plants remains unexplored and scantly reported compared to their diploid counterparts. This paper discusses the physiological and molecular response of legumes towards salinity stress based osmotic and ionic imbalances in plant cells. A multigenic response involving various compatible solutes, osmolytes, ROS, polyamines and antioxidant activity, together with genes encoding proteins involved in the signal transduction, regulation and response mechanisms to this stress were identified and discussed. This discussion reaffirms polyploidisation as the driving force in plant evolution and adaptation to environmental stress constraints such as drought, feverish temperatures, and in particular, salt stress. As a result, thorough physiological and molecular elucidation of the role of gene duplication through induced autopolyploidisation and possible mechanisms regulating salinity stress tolerance in grain legumes must be further studied.

The yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae is widely used in food and nonfood industries. During industrial fermentations yeast are exposed to fluctuations in oxygen concentration, osmotic pressure, pH, ethanol concentration, nutrient availability and temperature. Fermentation performance depends on the ability of different yeast strains to adapt to these changes. Suboptimal growth conditions trigger responses to these external stimuli to allow cellular homeostasis to be maintained. Stress-specific signaling pathways are activated to coordinate changes in tran-scription, translation, protein function, and metabolic fluxes while a transient arrest of growth and cell cycle progression occur. cAMP-PKA, HOG-MAPK and CWI signalling pathways are signal transduction pathways turned on during stress re-sponse. Comprehension of the mechanisms involved in the responses and in the adaptation to these stresses during fermentation is key to improving this industrial process. The scope of this review is to outline the advancement of knowledge about the cAMP-PKA signalling and the crosstalk of this pathway with the CWI and HOG-MAPK cascades in response to the environmental challenges heat and hy-perosmotic stress.

Purpose Violence against paramedics is a complex – but underreported – problem. Extant research suggests organizational culture may play a role in sustaining cultural norms that downplay the significance and limit reporting. Our objective was to qualitatively explore paramedics’ experience with violence, with particular emphasis on understanding how organizational culture contributes to under-reporting. Approach We surveyed paramedics from a single, large, urban service in Ontario, Canada, asking participants to describe their experiences with violence, including whether – and why or why not – the incidents were reported. Within a constructivist epistemology, we used inductive thematic analysis with successive rounds of coding to identify and then define features of organizational culture that limit reporting. Findings A total of 196 (33% of eligible) paramedics completed the survey. Fully 98% of participants disclosed having experienced some form of violence; however only a minority (40%) reported the incidents to management, or the police (21%). We defined a framework within which a lack of support from management, and consequences for offenders, implicitly positions the ability of paramedics to “brush off” violent encounters as an expected professional competency. Disclosing emotional or psychological distress in response to violent encounters invited questions as to whether the individual is personally suited to paramedic work. Originality While the extant research has indicated that underreporting is a problem, our findings shed light on why – a critical first step in addressing what has been described as a serious public health problem.

The problem of simulating wakes in a stratified oceanic environment with active background turbulence is considered. Anisotropic RANS turbulence models are tested against laboratory and eddy-resolving models of the problem. An important aspect of our work is to acknowledge that the environment is not quiescent; therefore, additional sources are included in the models to provide a non-zero background turbulence. The RANS models are found to reproduce some key features from the eddy-resolving and laboratory descriptions of the problem. Tests using the freestream sources show the intuitive result that background turbulence causes more rapid wake growth and decay.

Heart failure (HF) is a disease state which has been shown to affect 1-2% of the global population, being often associated with comorbidities such as diabetes, hypertension, obesity or hyperlipidaemia which increase the prevalence of the disease, the rate of hospitalization and the mortality. Although recent advances in both pharmacological and non pharmacological approaches have led to significant improvements in clinical outcomes in patients affected by HF, residual unmet needs remain. Treatment of the disease remains unclear particularly related to poorly defined strategies in the early stages of myocardial dysfunction. Nutritional support in patients developing HF and nutraceutical supplementation have recently been shown to may contribute in the protection of the failing myocardium, though their place in the treatment of HF still needs to be better clarified. In this context, the ONUS-HF working group aimed to assess the optimal nutraceutical approach to HF in the early phases of the disease in order to counteract selected pathways which are imbalanced in the failing myocardium. In particular, we reviewed several of the most relevant pathophysiological and molecular changes occurring druing the early stages of myocardial dysfunction. These include mitochondrial and sarcoplasmic reticulum stress, insufficient nitric oxide (NO) release, cardiac stem cell mobilization and imbalanced regulation of metalloproteinases. Several candidates for nutraceutical supplementation in HF, such as CoQ10, grape seed extract, Olea Europea L- related antioxidants, SGLT2 inhibitors-rich apple extract and bergamot polyphenolic fraction have been assessed for their potential contribution to cardiomyocyte prottection. This approach should define the optimal approach for more targeted and successful strategies based on the use of nutraceuticals in HF to be confirmed by means of clinical trials exploring efficacy and safety of these compounds.

During embryo development, the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) acts as an important site for protein biosynthesis, however, in vitro culture (IVC) can negatively affect ER homeostasis. Thereby, the aim of our study was to evaluate the effects of supplementation of tauroursodeoxycholic acid (TUDCA), an ER stress inhibitor, in the IVC of bovine embryos. Two experiments were carried out: Exp. 1: evaluation of blastocyst rate, hatching kinetics and gene expression of hatched embryos after being treated with different concentrations of TUDCA (50, 200 or 1,000 μM) in the IVC; Exp. 2: evaluation of the re-expansion, hatching, and gene expression of hatched embryos previously treated with 200 µM of TUDCA at IVC and submitted to vitrification. There was no increase in the blastocyst and hatched blastocyst rates treated with TUDCA in the IVC. However, embryos submitted to vitrification after treatment with 200 µM of TUDCA, increased hatching rate post-warming, together with a down-regulation in the expression of ER stress-related genes and the accumulation of lipids. In conclusion, this work showed that the addition of TUDCA during in vitro culture can improve the cryotolerance of the bovine blastocyst through the putative modulation of ER and oxidative stress.

In various models of chronic kidney disease, the amount and localization of Cx43 in the nephron is known to increase, but the intracellular pathways that regulate these changes have not been identified. Therefore, we proposed that: "In the model of renal damage induced by infusion of angiotensin II (AngII), a RhoA/ROCK-dependent pathway, is activated and regulates the abundance of renal Cx43”. In rats, we evaluated: 1) the time-point where the renal damage induced by AngII is no longer reversible; and 2) the involvement of a RhoA/ROCK-dependent pathway and its relationship with the amount of Cx43 in this irreversible stage. Systolic blood pressure (SBP) and renal function (urinary protein/urinary creatinine: Uprot/UCrea) were evaluated as systemic and organ outcomes, respectively. In kidney tissue, we also evaluated: 1) oxidative stress (amount of thiobarbituric acid reactive species), 2) inflammation (immunoperoxidase detection of the inflammatory markers ED-1 and IL-1β), 3) fibrosis (immune detection of type III collagen; Col III) and 4) activity of RhoA/ROCK (amount of phosphorylated MYPT1; p-MYPT1). The ratio Uprot/UCrea, SBP, oxidative stress, inflammation, amount of Cx43 and p-MYPT1 remained high 2 weeks after suspending AngII treatment in rats treated for 4 weeks with AngII. These responses were not observed in rats treated with AngII for less than 4 weeks, in which all measurements returned spontaneously close to the control values after suspending AngII treatment. Rats treated with AngII for 6 weeks and co-treated for the last 4 weeks with Fasudil, an inhibitor of ROCK, showed high SBP but did not present renal damage or increased amount of renal Cx43. Therefore, renal damage induced by AngII correlates with the activation of RhoA/ROCK and the increase in Cx43 amounts and can be prevented by inhibitors of this pathway.

Hesperidin is a major flavonoid isolated from citrus fruits that exhibits several biological activities. This study aims to evaluate the effect of hesperidin on cardiovascular remodeling induced by N-nitro L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME) in rats. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were treated with L-NAME (40 mg/kg); L-NAME plus hesperidin (15 mg/kg), or hesperidin (30 mg/kg), or captopril (2.5 mg/kg) for five weeks (n = 8/group). Hesperidin or captopril significantly prevented the development of hypertension in L-NAME rats. Moreover, hesperidin or captopril alleviated L-NAME-induced cardiac remodeling; increases in wall thickness, cross sectional area (CSA) and fibrosis of left ventricular (LV), and vascular remodeling; increases in wall thickness, CSA, vascular smooth muscle cells and collagen deposition in the aorta. These were associated with reduced oxidative stress markers, tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), transforming growth factor-beta 1 (TGF-β1) and enhancing plasma nitric oxide metabolite (NOx) in L-NAME treated groups. Furthermore, up-regulation of tumor necrosis factor receptor type 1 (TNF-R1) and TGF-β1 protein expression and the over-expression of matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2) and matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) were suppressed in L-NAME rats treated with hesperidin or captopril. These data suggested that hesperidin had cardioprotective effects in L-NAME hypertensive rats. The possible mechanism may involve its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects.

In the context of the COVID-19 Pandemic, the use of surgical masks has become the new normal. The use of these devices in exercise and medical situations has been advocated with the purpose of reducing contagions, but some concerns exist regarding its safety. We performed maximal treadmill stress tests in 12 healthy young subjects, with and without surgical mask use, and measured exercise capacity, oxygen saturation (rest, peak exercise and post-exercise) and electrocardiographic changes. Exercise capacity and Oxygen saturation levels decreased in peak exercise vs rest in a statistically significant manner when mask was used. ECG changes, although not significant, were present in 3 subjects when mask was used and disappeared when the test was made unmasked. We conclude that masked exercise has the potential to cause decreased exercise load and oxygen saturation and potentially cause diagnostic errors in medical exams.

The objective of this study was to investigate age-related changes in cashmere production and the population of active secondary hair follicles in cashmere goats across different age groups, as well as to explore the association between secondary hair follicle activity and oxidative stress. A total of 104 adult Inner Mongolian ewe goats, aged between 2 and 7 years old, were randomly selected as experimental subjects. Skin samples were collected in August 2020 and cashmere samples were collected in April 2021. The cashmere fiber yield, staple length, and diameter showed age-related variations in cashmere goats aged 2 to 7 years (P < 0.05). Cashmere production was higher in goats aged 2-4 years compared to those aged 5-7 years (P < 0.05). There were no significant differences in the population of primary and secondary hair follicles among goats aged 2 to 7 years. However, the population of active secondary hair follicles varied significantly with age, with the younger group (aged 2-4 years) having a higher population than those aged 5 – 7 years (P < 0.05). A moderate negative correlation was observed between cashmere fiber diameter and the population of active secondary hair follicles (P < 0.05). Age-related variations in skin antioxidant capacity and oxidative damage were observed among cashmere goats aged 2 to 7 years old (P < 0.05). Goats aged 2 to 4 years exhibited higher antioxidant capacity and lower oxidative damage (P < 0.05). Interestingly, the skin antioxidant capacity and oxidative damage exhibited significant positive and negative correlations, respectively, with the population of active secondary hair follicles (P < 0.05). This study presents a novel approach to enhance the activity of secondary hair follicles and improve cashmere production performance through the regulation of oxidative stress.

Online transportation services, initially presented as an innovative employment approach by categorizing workers as 'independent contractors', have come to be recognized for their exploitative nature. The notion of 'flexibility' suggests that workers have the autonomy to tailor their hours and location according to their income goals. However, this disguises the true situation for informal workers who lack rights and protections. This study delves into these issues from a psychological standpoint to uncover the mental and emotional interplay between the motivations and exploitation experienced by online drivers affiliated with multiple platforms. The study adopts a qualitative methodology with a phenomenological lens. Data was gathered through thorough interviews, observations, and document analysis, with Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) employed as the data analysis technique. The study's participants were five male multi-platform online drivers from the Special Region of Yogyakarta, ranging in age from 18 to 64, and had been associated with at least two platforms for more than a year. The findings highlight two primary themes: firstly, the decision to join multiple platforms is chiefly driven by economic reasons, including a decline in orders, daily earnings, bonus incomes, and the conclusion of the initial profitable phase. Secondly, the exploitative conditions are linked to the platforms' algorithms, which exert control and influence the psychological state of the drivers. Nonetheless, the participants have developed effective strategies to manage fatigue, anxiety, and stress.

Strigolactones (SLs) are a novel emerging plant hormones, which play important roles in regulating plant organ development and environmental stress tolerance. Even though the SL related genes have been identified and well characterized in some plants. The information of SL related genes in soybean is not fully established yet, especially in response to salt stress. In this study, we identified nine SL biosynthesis genes: two D27, two CCD7, two CCD8, and three MAX1, and seven SL signaling genes: two D14, two MAX2 and three D53 in soybean genome. We found that SL biosynthesis and signaling genes are conserved during evolution in different species. Syntenic analysis of these genes revealed their location on nine chromosomes as well as existence of ten pairs of duplication genes. Moreover, plant hormone and stress-responsive elements were identified in the promoter regions of SL biosynthesis and signaling genes. By using quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR), we confirmed that SL genes have different tissue expression in roots, stems and leaves. Further, we also explored the expression profiles of SL biosynthesis and signaling genes under salt stress. These results suggested that SL signaling genes may play important regulatory roles in response to salt stress. In conclusion, we identified and provided valuable information on the soybean SL biosynthesis and signaling genes, and established a foundation for further functional analysis of soybean SL related genes in response to salt stress.

The aim of this study was to assess the effects of three warm-up durations on post-exercise oxidative stress biomarkers, as well as recovery from the Wingate test in 14 amateur handball players. These players completed the Wingate test three times: after 5-min, after 10-min, and then after 15-min of warm-up, spread over two weeks with an interval of one week between each session. At the end of each session of the Wingate test, blood samples were taken: at rest (PR), after warming up (PWU) and immediately at the end of the test (P0), then after 10-min (P10) and after 20-min (P20) of recovery. The measured parameters are the total antioxidant status (TAS), superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione reductase (GR), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), malondialdehyde (MDA), protein-bound-carbonyls (PC) and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS). The main findings revealed that anaerobic exercise induces oxidative stress, as evidenced by changes in antioxidant status and significant increases in concentrations of the majority of oxidative stress indicators (p < 0.05). At P20, plasma GPx, SOD, GR, TBARS, and PC contents, are lower and significantly different after a 15-min warm-up than after a 10-min or 5-min warm-up. ANOVA showed a significant ‘‘warm-up×recovery’’ effect on plasma GPx, SOD, GR, TBARS, and PC contents [F(8.104)=3.61; p<0.001; η2p=0.22, F(8.104): from 1.88 to 19.97; η2p: from 0.19 to 0.61: 0.05<p<0.001], respectively. We concluded that a 15-min warm-up was more efficient than the other duration in reducing free radical rise, emphasizing the importance of warm-up length on plasma oxidative stress biomarkers.

Carotenoids are essential pigments that play a vital role in the photosynthetic process of algae and are important for human health and nutrition. Despite their potential value, algal carotenoids are being neglected by biofuel industries. Recent research is aimed at producing microalgal lipids and carotenoids simultaneously under abiotic stresses. In this study, the effect of different abiotic stress factors such as Nitrogen (N), Potassium (K), Phosphorous (P), Sulphur (S), light intensity, and photoperiod on biomass, lipid, and carotenoids synthesis in Monoraphidium sp. (MP) were explored utilizing a statistical method. In addition, 2, 7-dichlorofluorescein diacetate (DCF-DA) mediated spectrofluorimetry was employed to detect the ele-vation in ROS level. The results revealed that variations in nutrients and light con-ditions are the key factors in the up-regulation of biomolecules lipids and carote-noids in the algae. The carotenoids profiling was done by Ultra Performance Liquid Chromatography Quadrupole Time-of-Flight Mass Spectroscopy (UPLC-Q-ToF-MS). Among consisting carotenoids violaxanthin, astaxanthin, and beta-carotene were enhanced by 1.3 folds, 1.19 folds, 1.08 folds, while lutein was declined by 1.32 folds under stressed condition compared to control. The identified carotenoids are rec-ognized for their importance in the pharmaceutical and nutraceutical industries, highlighting the significant role of MP in these sectors.

Calcineurin B-like proteins (CBL)-interacting protein kinases (CIPKs) by interacting with CBLs regulate developmental processes, hormone signalling transduction and mediate stress responses in plants. Although the genome of chickpea is available, information of CIPK gene family has been missing in chickpea. Here, a total of 22 CIPK encoding genes were identified in chickpea and characterized by in silico methods. We found a high structural conservation in chickpea CIPK family. Our analysis showed that chickpea CIPKs have evolved with dicots from common ancestors, and extensive gene duplication events have played an important role in evolution and expansion of CIPK family in chickpea. Most chickpea CIPK proteins localize in cytoplasm and nucleus. Promoter analysis revealed various cis-regulatory elements related to plant development, hormone signaling and abiotic stresses. Expression analysis indicated that CIPKs are significantly expressed in a spectrum of developmental stages, tissue/organs that hinted their important role in plant development. Several CIPK genes had specific and overlapping expressions in different abiotic stresses and seed development stages, suggesting the important role of CIPK family in abiotic stress signaling, and seed development in chickpea. Thus, this study provides the avenue for detailed functional characterization of CIPK family in chickpea and other legume crops.

Inhaled particulate matter (PM) is a key player in the millions of yearly deaths worldwide related to air pollution. The oxidative potential of PM provides an indication of its ability to promote an oxidative environment. When the human lungs are exposed to PM, the reactive oxygen species (ROS) generated in such oxidative environment, if excessive, may lead to cell damage via oxidative stress. Inflammation, endoplasmic reticulum stress, airway remodeling, and many different cell death modes (apoptosis, ferroptosis, pyroptosis, among others) can be triggered by oxidative stress via complex molecular pathways, which also involve the adaptive cellular response. But ROS can also directly interact with macromolecules such as proteins and lipids, as well as nucleic acids, having been reported to induce DNA damage and epigenetic modifications, which jeopardizes homeostasis. These facts have been extensively studied in in vitro models and confirmed in in vivo models.In this review, we delve beyond conventional assessments of airborne particles, discussing their oxidative potential and the PM-induced ROS-mediated cellular damage observed in in vitro models. The close link between oxidative stress and inflammation, and the manifestation of different cell death modes is highlighted by reviewing the latest literature. The effects of ROS on the balance of DNA damage and repair, carcinogenicity and epigenetics interplay are then analyzed. Finally, we expand on the latest reports on the antioxidants’ potential to counteract the deleterious effects of ROS, and disclose future perspectives for the topic.

Tissue engineered heart valves can grow, repair, and remodel after implantation, presenting a more favorable long-term solution compared to mechanical and porcine valves. Achieving functional engineered valve tissue requires the maturation of human cells seeded onto valve scaffolds under favorable growth conditions in bioreactors. The mechanical stress and strain on developing valve tissue caused by different pressure and flow conditions in bioreactors are currently unknown. The aim of this study is to quantify the wall shear stress (WSS) magnitude in heart valve prostheses under different valve geometries and bioreactor flow rates. To achieve this, the study used fluid-structure interaction simulations to obtain the valve's opening geometries during the systolic phase. These geometries were then used in computational fluid dynamics simulations with refined near-wall mesh elements and ranges of prescribed inlet flow rates. The data obtained included histograms and regression curves that characterized the distribution, peak, and median WSS for various flow rates and opening configurations. The study also found that the upper region of the valve near the commissures experienced higher WSS magnitudes than the rest of the valve.

Tourism gentrification presents issues of privatization of public space, the transformation of public services to cater to tourists, the erosion of community social bonds, and the commodification of regional consumption, which has far-reaching impacts on the well-being of local residents and a desire to relocate. Thus, tourism gentrification in traditional industrial areas is defined as a process driven by the reconfiguration of spatial functions and the transformation of service provisions, resulting in displacement. This study employs Q methodology aims to understand the residents’ perceptions of tourism gentrification with a specific focus on the 798 Industrial Art Zone in Beijing, China. The results reveal four dimensions that form residents’ stress: neighboring environment, community attachment, economic interest, and cultural identity. Based on the stress threshold theory, this study further proposes a framework to explain the decision-making processes of residents in relation to their intent to relocate due to stress from interactions with migrants and visitors and changes in the place functions of industrial areas and communities. The findings offer valuable theoretical knowledge surrounding tourism gentrification from residents’ perspectives and suggest practical guidance for policymakers and destination managers in reducing residents’ stress and promoting sustainable development of industrial tourism.

Animals in human care are affected by stressors that can ultimately reduce fitness. When reproduction is affected, endangered species’ conservation programmes can be severely compromised. Thus, understanding factors related to stress and reproduction, and measures of related hormones, are important to ensure captive breeding success. Red pandas are endangered and populations in the wild are threatened with extinction. A global captive breeding programme has been launched to conserve the species with the goal of reintroduction. However there is little informaiton on how stressors impact reproductive aspects of the species. This study measured fecal glucocorticoid (fGCM), fecal progestagen (fPM) and fecal androgen (fAM) metabolite concentrations in 12 female and 8 male red pandas (Ailurus fulgens fulgens) at three zoos in northeastern India to determine predictors of adrenal and gonadal steroid activity and the influence of fGCM on reproduction. Results indicated that fGCM concentrations were higher in males than females, and positively correlated with number of visitors, while negatively related to frequency of feedings and enclosure area. Sex, visitor number, frequency of feeding, and enclosure area explained 67% of the variations in fGCM concentrations in the study population. Concentrations of fPM were positively associated with tree density in the enclosure, explaining 47% of the variation among females. For fAM, positive associations were found with frequency of feeding, but concentrations were negatively related to age and number of visitors; these three covariates explained 45% of the variation in fAM concentration among males. Comparison of fGCM with fPM showed a negative trend, indicating increasing adrenal hormones may decrease reproductive function among female red pandas. The study thus suggests that zoo management should consider increasing feeding frequency, providing larger enclosures with more trees, and regulating visitor numbers to reduce stress and increase reproductive fitness among red pandas.

Education outside the classroom (EOtC) can be beneficial for students. The relationship between biological stress markers and sedentary behavior (SB) plus physical activity (PA) is insufficiently evaluated in school settings. This exploratory study aims to evaluate the association between students’ cortisol, plus circulating cell-free deoxyribonucleic acid (cfDNA) levels, and their SB, light PA (LPA) and moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA) during outdoor and indoor classes in different seasons. We assessed data from an education outside the classroom (EOtC) program (n = 48; intervention group [IG], n = 37; control group [CG], n = 11). We sampled data on 3 school-days in three seasons (fall, spring, and summer) in normal teaching indoors (CG) and outdoor lessons (IG) in the forest. SB and PA were evaluated by accelerometry, and cortisol and cfDNA levels by saliva samples. The compositional data analysis approach analyzed SB and PA. Fitted Bayesian hierarchical linear models evaluated the association between cortisol and cfDNA, and SB/LPA/MVPA. A steady decline of cortisol in the outdoor setting is associated with relatively high levels of LPA. SB and MVPA tended to exhibit a similar effect in the indoor setting. CfDNA is positively associated with a relatively high amount of SB in the IG, the same association is likely for LPA and MVPA in both groups. LPA seems to support a healthy cortisol decrease in children during outdoor lessons. The relevance of SB/PA as a composition in relation to students stress response in school should be emphasized. This study facilitates the formulation of straightforward and directed hypotheses for further research.

(1) Background: Ultra-endurance exercise involves a high physical impact, resulting in muscle damage, inflammatory response and production of free radicals that alter the body's oxidative state. Supplementation with antioxidants, such as beetroot, may improve recovery in ultra-endurance runners. The aim of this study was to determine whether there is a correlation between the beetroot intake and the recovery of serum oxidative status, inflammatory response and muscle damage parameters after an ultra-endurance race. (2) Methods: An observational and longitudinal study was conducted by means of surveys and blood samples collected from 32 runners during the IX Penyagolosa Trails CSP® race and the two following days. The variables C-reactive protein (CRP), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), creatine kinase (CK), the activity of the antioxidant enzymes glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and glutathione reductase (GR), as well as the oxidative damage markers malondialdehyde (MDA), carbonyl groups (CG) and loss of muscle strength using the Squat Jump test (SJ) were analyzed to discriminate whether beetroot consumption can modulate the recovery of ultra-trail runners. (3) Results: Significant differences were observed between runners who ingested beetroot and those who did not, in terms of oxidative status, specifically in serum GPx activity at 24 and 48 hours, muscle damage variables CK and LDH and in SJ test at the finish line. Therefore, the intake of supplements containing beetroot positively influences the recovery of serum oxidative status and muscle damage after ultra-endurance running.

Unnatural diet composition and frequent feeding regimes may play an aetiological role in the multiple diseases prevalent in captive cheetahs. This study investigated the responses of captive-born (hand-reared) cheetahs (n = 6) to a reduced feeding frequency schedule. During the 3-week treatment period, the study cheetahs were fed four once-daily meals per week and two daily rations six days a week, subsequently, during the control period of equal duration. Total weekly food intake was maintained throughout the study. Variations in body temperature (Tb), heart rate (HR), locomotor activity (LA), behaviour, faecal glucocorticoid metabolite concentration, and faecal consistency score (FCS) were measured. Less frequent feeding resulted in higher FCS (p < 0.01) and LA (p < 0.0001) and lower HR (p < 0.0001) among the studied cheetahs. The study found that their HR was higher when the cheetahs were fed (p < 0.0001) than on days when they were not. Additionally, Tb (p < 0.0001) and HR (p < 0.05) were higher during feeding, suggesting a psychological excitation to food consumption. The results of the FCS analysis indicate that the more natural feeding pattern could have benefited the studied cheetahs’ GI health without a significant behavioural or physiological stress response to the change in feeding frequency.

Oxidative stress toxicity (OSTOX), as well as lowered antioxidant defenses (ANTIOX), play a role in temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE). Nevertheless, the associations between OSTOX/ANTIOX and psychiatric comorbidities in TLE are largely unknown.Thus, this study examines plasma malondialdehyde (MDA), lipid hydroperoxides (LOOH), advanced oxidation protein products (AOPP), nitric oxide metabolites (NOx), total radical trapping antioxidant parameter (TRAP) and sulfhydryl (-SH) groups in Depression due to TLE (n=25); Anxiety Disorders due to TLE (n=27); Psychotic Disorder due to TLE (n=25); “pure TLE” (n=27); and healthy controls (n=40).TLE and mesial temporal sclerosis (MTS) were characterized by significant increases in OSTOX (MDA, AOPP, LOOH) and lowered ANTIOX (-SH groups, TRAP). The discrimination of pure TLE from controls yielded a significant area under the ROC curve for MDA (0.999), AOPP (0.851), -SH groups (0.899) and the OSTOX/ANTIOX ratio (0.996). Seizure frequency is significantly associated with increased MDA and lowered LOOH and NOx levels. Increased MDA was associated with the severity of depressive and physiosomatic symptoms, whilst increased AOPP levels predicted suicidal ideation. Depression and anxiety disorders co-occurring with TLE showed significantly lower MDA levels than TLE without any comorbidities. The psychotic and negative symptoms of TLE are associated with increased MDA levels and excitation with increased LOOH and lowered TRAP levels.These results indicate that oxidative stress toxicity especially protein oxidation and aldehyde formation coupled with lowered -SH groups play a key role in the pathophysiology of TLE/MTS. Increased aldehyde formation also impacts psychopathology, psychosis, as well as negative and depressive symptoms.

The role of epigenetic alterations in the pathogenesis of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) has been pending so far. Our study investigated the effect of oxidative stress and inflammation on DNA methyltransferases (DNMTs) and Sirtuin 1 (SIRT1) functions, as well as on long interspersed nuclear element-1 (LINE-1) methylation, in human retinal pigment epithelial (ARPE-19) cells. Therefore, we evaluated whether treatment with resveratrol may restore changes in LINE-1 methylation by modulating DNMTs and SIRT1 functions. Cells were treated with 25 mU/ml glucose oxidase (GOx) or 10 µg/ml lipopolysaccharide (LPS) to mimic oxidative or inflammatory conditions, respectively. Oxidative stress decreased DNMT1, DNMT3a, DNMT3b and SIRT1 expression (p-values <0.05), as well as total DNMTs (-28.5%; p<0.0001) and SIRT1 (-29.0%;p<0.0001) activities. Similarly, inflammatory condition decreased DNMT1 and SIRT1 expression (p-values<0.05), as well as total DNMTs (-14.9%;p=0.007) and SIRT1 (-20.1%;p<0.002) activities. Interestingly, GOx- and LPS-treated cells exhibited lower LINE-1 methylation compared to controls (p-values<0.0001). We also demonstrated that treatment with 10 μM resveratrol for 24 hours counteracted the detrimental effect on LINE-1 methylation via increasing DNMTs and SIRT1 functions in cells upon oxidative and inflammatory conditions. However, further studies should explore the perspectives of resveratrol as a suitable strategy for the prevention and/or treatment of AMD.

Furazolidone (FZD) is a synthetic nitrofuran with the antiprotozoal and antibacterial activity. The proper mechanism of FZD induced toxicity is still unclear. This study aimed to investigate the protective effect of curcumin on FZD induced oxidative stress, DNA injury and apoptosis in human hepatocyte L02 cells. The results showed that curcumin treatment significantly ameliorated FZD induced cytotoxicity, characterized by decreasing the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and malondialdehyde, as well as increasing superoxide dismutase, catalase activities and glutathione contents. Moreover, curcumin pretreatment significantly inhibited FZD induced the loss of mitochondrial membrane potential, the activation caspase-9 and -3 and apoptosis. Comet assay showed that curcumin attenuated FZD induced DNA injury in a dose-dependent manner. Correspondingly, curcumin markedly reversed the up-regulation of p53, Bax, caspase-9 and -3 mRNA expressions and the down-regulation of Bcl-2 mRNA (all p<0.05 or 0.01). These results reveal that curcumin protects against FZD induced oxidative stress, DNA injury and cell apoptosis via inhibiting oxidative stress and mitochondrial pathway, which may be attributed to ROS scavenging and anti-oxidative ability of curcumin. Importantly, our study highlights that curcumin may be a potential way to prevent FZD-mediated oxidative DNA injury and apoptosis in human or animals.

Basil, renowned for its aromatic properties, exhibits commendable drought tolerance and holds significant value both as an edible and medicinal plant. Recognizing the scarcity of studies addressing basil’s response to drought stress, we undertook a comprehensive analysis of the volatile metabolome and transcriptome of sweet basil across four distinct levels of drought stress. Our metabolic analysis meticulously identified 830 metabolites, with 215 differentially accumulated metabolites discerned. Notably, the primary constituents of sweet basil volatiles exhibited minimal alterations, while the differentially accumulated metabolites were predominantly lipids and terpenes. The transcriptome analysis unveiled 27,181 differentially expressed DEGs, with a predominant focus on metabolic pathways and biosynthesis of secondary metabolites. Integrating insights from both transcriptome and volatile metabolomic analyses highlighted the pivotal roles of Alpha-linolenic acid, flavonoid, and lignin metabolism in fortifying the resistance of sweet basil against drought stress. This holistic approach not only enriches our understanding of the molecular intricacies underpinning basil’s drought resistance but also furnishes valuable insights for the molecular breeding of basil varieties endowed with enhanced drought tolerance.

The type of implant at the fracture site has effects not only from biological perspective but also from mechanical perspective in fracture healing. Biodegradable implants such as magnesium (Mg) based alloys have shown faster secondary bone healing properties as compared to bioinert implants such as titanium (Ti). The general reasoning behind this is the benefit of Mg from biocompatibility perspectives. We study the effect of Ti and Mg as base materials for implants with their different mechanical properties. The focus of our work is on the displacements at the fracture site of the tibia and their influence on the stimulus for bone healing. We have found that in comparison to Ti, Mg implants have minimal stress shielding problem, only which led to better mechanical stimulus at the fracture site.

Type-2 diabetes mellitus is recognized as a serious public health concern with a considerable impact on human life, long-term health expenditures, and substantial health losses. In this context, the use of dietary polyphenols to prevent and manage Type 2 diabetes mellitus is widely documented. These dietary compounds exert their beneficial effects by several actions, including the protection of pancreatic islet β-cell, the antioxidant capacities of these molecules, their effects on insulin secretion and actions, the regulation of intestinal microbiota, and their contribution to ameliorating diabetic complications, particularly those of vascular origin. In the present review, we intend to highlight these multifaceted actions and the molecular mechanisms by which these plant-derived secondary metabolites exert their beneficial effects on type-2 diabetes patients.

1) Background: There are few studies of burnout syndrome (BS) in occupational therapists (OTs), and protective factors of BS has received little attention in the scientific literature. This research aimed to estimate the prevalence of BS, characterize the associated psychosocial factors, and analyze their relationship with health in a sample of Spanish OTs. (2) Methods A total of 127 therapists completed the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) and other standardized questionnaires measuring: personality traits (reduced five-factor personality inventory, NEO-FFI), coping styles (Coping Strategies Questionnaire, CAE), work-family conflict (Survey Work-Home Interaction Nijmegen, SWING), professional factors (role ambiguity/clarity and modified role conflict questionnaires), and the perception of health (Goldberg’s General Health Questionnaire). Several correlational and multiple regression analyses were performed to study the psychosocial predictors of burnout and its relationship with health perception. (3) Results showed that 15.8% of the professionals presented BS, with emotional exhaustion (EE; 38.7%) being the most compromised dimension. Neuroticism, role conflict, negative work-family interaction, and open emotional expression (OE) significantly predicted a higher EE. The main predictors of cynicism (CY) were being male, role conflict, and OE. Finally, role conflict and role ambiguity and social support-seeking were significant predictors of reduced professional efficiency (PE). (4) Conclusion: A high percentage of OTs with BS advocates becoming aware of the importance of this syndrome in the health community, it would be critical to consider the protective factors (i.e., emotional management, social support) that help promote OTs’ well-being and health.

Rising temperature is among the most remarkably stressful phenomena induced by global climate changes with negative impacts on crop productivity and quality. It has been previously shown that volatiles belonging to the isoprenoid family can confer protection against abiotic stresses. In this work, two Vitis vinifera cv. ‘Chardonnay’ clones (SMA130 and INRA809) differing for a mutation of the DXS gene encoding for 1-deoxy-D-xylulose-5-phosphate (the first dedicated enzyme of the 2C-methyl-D-erythritol-4-phosphate (MEP) pathway) and involved in the regulation of isoprenoids biosynthesis were investigated in field trials and laboratory experiments. Leaf monoterpene emission, chlorophyll fluorescence and gas-exchange measurements were assessed over three seasons at different phenological stages and either carried out in vivo or controlled conditions under contrasting temperatures. A significant (p<0.001) increase in leaf monoterpene emission was observed in INRA809 when plants were experiencing high temperatures and over two experiments while no differences were recorded for SMA130. Significant variation was observed for the rate of leaf CO2 assimilation under heat stress, with INRA809 maintaining higher photosynthetic rates and stomatal conductance values than SMA130 (p=0.003) when leaf temperature increased above 30°C. At the same time, maximum photochemical quantum yield of PSII (Fv/Fm) was affected by heat stress in the non-emitting clone (SMA130), while the INRA809 showed a significant resilience of PSII under elevated temperature conditions. Consistent data were recorded between field seasons and temperature treatments in controlled environment conditions suggesting a strong influence of monoterpene emission on heat tolerance under elevated temperatures. This work provides further insights on the photoprotective role of isoprenoids under high temperatures in Vitis vinifera and additional studies should focus at unravelling the mechanisms underlying heat tolerance on the monoterpene-emitter grapevine clone.

Measurements of copper and zinc in transfusion-dependent thalassemia (TDT) show contradictory results.Aim of the study: To examine serum levels of these minerals in TDT in relation to iron overload indices and erythron variables. Methods: This study recruited 60 children with TDT and 30 healthy children aged 3-12 years old.Results: Zinc was significantly higher in TDT children than in control children, whilst copper and the copper to zinc ratio were significantly lowered in TDT. Serum zinc was significantly associated with the number of blood transfusions and iron overload variables (including serum iron and TS%) and negatively with erythron variables (including hemoglobin, mean corpuscular volume, mean corpuscular hemoglobin). Serum copper was significantly and negatively associated with the same iron overload and erythron variables. The copper to zinc ratio was significantly correlated with iron, TS%, ferritin, hemoglobin, mean corpuscular volume, and mean corpuscular hemoglobin. Albumin levels were significantly higher in TDT children than in control children. Conclusion: Our results suggest that the increase in zinc in children with TDT may be explained by iron loading anemia and hemolysis and the consequent shedding of high amounts of intracellular zinc into the plasma. Increased albumin levels and treatment with Desferral may further contribute towards higher zinc levels in TDT. We suggest that the elevations in zinc in TDT are a compensatory mechanism protecting against infection, inflammation, and oxidative stress. Previous proposals for prophylactic use of zinc supplements in TDT may not be warranted.

Little research has been done on occupational health ramifications of informal electronic waste (e-waste) recycling work, which is increasingly common in low- and middle-income countries, and very little is known about this in high-income countries. Our study evaluated informal and formal e-waste recycling workers in Chile, which was recently recognized as a high-income country. In 2017 we recruited 78 informal recycling workers from two cities, and 15 formal e-waste recycling workers from one recycling facility. Participants completed a questionnaire and health assessment regarding their involvement in, and potential impacts of, e-waste recycling, among other measures. Participants were primarily male, middle-aged, married with children, and had worked in e-waste recycling for an average of 12 years. Participants generally reported good health status, and chronic disease prevalence was similar to the national prevalence. Workers commonly reported exposures to several occupational stressors, including mental health stressors and noise, as well as insufficient income. Occupational injuries were common and use of safety equipment was low. No significant differences were found between informal and formal workers. Informal e-waste workers in Chile face occupational health challenges. The extent to which these issues impact the health of informal Chilean e-waste workers is unclear and warrants further research.

We have experimentally analyzed multi-azimuth degradation mechanisms that govern failures of commercially-available high-power (1 Watt) phosphor-coated white (hppc-W) light-emitting diodes (LEDs) covered with peanut-shaped lens under three current-stress aging (CSA) conditions. Comprehensive analyses focus on photometric, chromatic, electrical, thermal, and packaging characteristics. At the packaging level, (a) the decrease of the phosphor-conversion efficiency, (b) the yellow-browning of the optical lens, and (c) the darkening of the silver-coated reflective layer deposited with extraneous chemical elements (e.g., C, O, Si, Mg, and Cu, respectively) contribute collectively to the integral degradation of the optical power. By contrast, Ohmic contacts, thermal properties, and angles of maximum intensity remain unchanged after 3840 h aging in three cases. Particularly at the chip level, the formation of point defects increases the number of non-radiative recombination centers, and thus decreases the optical power during aging stages. Nevertheless, in view of the change of the ideality factor, the dopant activation and the annealing effect facilitate the increase of the optical power in two specific aging stages (192 h∼384 h and 768 h∼1536 h), respectively. This work offers a systematic guidance for the development of reliable LED-based light sources in general-lighting areas.

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a common joint disorder found mostly in elderly people. The role of mechanical behavior in the progression of OA is complex and remains unclear. The stress-relaxation behavior of human articular cartilage in clinically defined osteoarthritic stages may have importance in diagnosis and prognosis of OA. In this study we investigated differences in the biomechanical responses among human cartilage of ICRS grades I, II and III using polymer dynamics theory. We collected 24 explants of human articular cartilage (eight each of ICRS grade I, II and III) and acquired stress-relaxation data applying a continuous load on the articular surface of each cartilage explant for 1180 s. We observed a significant decrease in Young’s modulus, stress-relaxation time, and stretching exponent in advanced stages of OA (ICRS grade III). The stretch exponential model indicated that significant loss in hyaluronic acid polymer might be the reason for the loss of proteoglycan in advanced OA. This work encourages further biomechanical modelling of osteoarthritic cartilage utilizing these data as input parameters to enhance the fidelity of computational models aimed at revealing how mechanical behaviors play a role in pathogenesis of OA.

Plant Cysteine Oxidase (PCO) is a plant O2-sensing enzyme of catalyzing oxidation of cysteine to Cys-sulfinic acid at the N-termini of target proteins. To better understand the Brassica napus PCO gene family, PCO genes in B. napus and related species were analyzed. In this study, 20, 7 and 8 PCO genes were identified in Brassica napus, Brassica rapa and Brassica oleracea, respectively. According to phylogenetic analysis, the PCOs were divided into five groups: PCO1, PCO2, PCO3, PCO4 and PCO5. Gene organization and motif distribution analysis suggested that PCO gene family was relatively conserved during evolution. Expression analysis showed that PCO genes were expressed in different tissues at different developmental stages. Interestingly, most of the Bna/Br/BoPCO5 members were expressed in leaves, roots, flowers, buds and siliques, suggesting an important role in both vegetative and reproductive development. Expression of BnaPCO was induced by various abiotic stress, especially waterlogging stress, which was consistent with the result of cis-element analysis. In this study, the PCO gene family of Brassicaceae was analyzed for the first time, which contributes to a comprehensive understanding of the origin and evolution of PCO genes in Brassicaceae and the function of BnaPCO in regulating plant responses to abiotic stresses.

Objective: to analyze the relationships between sociodemographic variables, intolerance to uncertainty (INT), social support and psychological distress (i.e., indicators of Common Mental Disorders [CMDs] and perceived stress [PS]) in Brazilian men during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: a cross-sectional study with national coverage, of the web survey type, and conducted with 1,006 Brazilian men during the period of social circulation restriction imposed by the health authorities in Brazil, for suppression of the coronavirus and control of the pandemic. Structural equation modeling analysis was performed. Results: Statistically significant direct effects of race/skin color (λ=0.268; p-value<0.001), socioeconomic status (SES) (λ=0.306; p-value<0.001), household composition (λ=0.281; p-value<0.001), PS (λ=0.513; p-value<0.001) and INT (λ=0.421; p-value<0.001) were evidenced in the occurrence of CMDs. Black-skinned men, with higher SES, living alone and with higher PS and INT levels presented higher prevalence values of CMDs. Conclusions: high levels of PS and INT were the factors that presented the strongest associations with the occurrence of CMDs among the men. It is necessary to implement actions to reduce the stress-generating sources, as well as to promote an increase in resilience and the development of intrinsic reinforcements to deal with uncertain threats.

Reduced glutathione (GSH) is an antioxidant in plants and is one of the important ways for plants to combat low-temperature stress. In this paper, Eriobotrya japonica Lindl. cv. Zaozhong No. 6 seedlings were used to study the effects of exogenous 5-aminolevulinic acid (ALA) application on glutathione synthesis and cyclic metabolism of loquat seedlings under low-temperature stress and to explore the regulatory mechanism of ALA on loquat cold tolerance. The results showed that ALA treatment could increase the content of GSH and the reduced glutathione/oxidized glutathione (GSH/GSSG) ratio in loquat leaf slices under low-temperature stress; reduce the electrolyte leakage rate and GSSG, H₂O₂ and MDA contents in leaf tissues; and alleviate the peroxidation damage caused by low temperature. ALA treatment increased the activity of γ-glutamine synthetase (γ-ECS) in loquat leaf slices under low-temperature stress and promoted the biosynthesis of reduced glutathione, thereby increasing the GSH content in leaf tissues. On the other hand, ALA treatment could also improve the activities of glutathione reductase (GR), glutathione S-transferase (GST) and glutathione peroxidase (GPX) and promote the cyclic regeneration of GSH, accordingly maintaining a high GSH/GSSG ratio, promoting the removal of reactive oxygen species (ROS), and enhancing the antioxidant capacity of leaves. The regulatory effect of ALA on enhancing the antioxidant capacity of loquat seedlings under low-temperature stress can be inhibited by L-buthionine-sulfoximine (BSO, GSH biosynthesis inhibitor). The results showed that ALA improved the antioxidant capacity of loquat seedlings under low-temperature stress, and GSH was involved in the regulation of the antioxidant effect of ALA on loquat seedlings under low-temperature stress.

There are experimental evidences that chronic social defeat stress is accompanied by development of anxiety- and depression-like state as well as downregulation of serotonergic genes in the midbrain raphe nuclei of male mice. The study was aimed at investigating the effect of chronic lithium chloride (LiCl) administrations on anxiety behavior and the expression of serotonergic genes in the midbrain raphe nuclei of affected mice. The pronounced anxiety in male mice was caused by chronic social defeat stress in daily agonistic interactions. After 6 days of social stress, defeated mice were treated with saline or LiCl (100 mg/kg, i.p. two weeks) against the background of continuing agonistic interactions. The level of anxiety was assessed using behavioral tests. The effect of chronic treatment with LiCl on the expression of serotonergic genes in the midbrain rapher nuclei was also studied. Mild anxiolytic effects of LiCl were found on communication in the partition test. Anxiogenic-like effects assessed using the elevated plus-maze and social interaction tests were found. Chronic LiCl treatment induced overexpression of the serotonergic genes in the midbrain raphe nuclei. The effects of chronic LiCl treatment depends on the method of treatment, psychoemotional state, and experimental context (tests).

Koala (Phascolarctos cinereus) is an iconic folivorous marsupial native to the sclerophyll forests and woodlands of Australia. Due to the ever-changing habitat, this species is highly vulnerable to anthropogenic factors such as habitat loss and fragmentation, and this is reflected in the increasing number of injured and/or diseased koalas over the years. The majority of adult koalas admitted at wildlife hospitals are deceased, either due to natural causes, or have to be euthanized. Thus, orphaned koala joeys constitute a substantial number of wildlife rescues, and mortality is also prevalent in koala joeys being hand-reared/rehabilitated, with little knowledge about the causes of such high rates of mortality. Wildlife hospitals/rehabilitation centres are inherently stressful, and although the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis plays a vital role in mediating the stress endocrine function (by producing glucocorticoids such as cortisol), there are no studies quantifying glucocorticoids in koala joeys. To contribute to this dearth of research, we sampled a total of seven individuals residing at Port Macquarie Koala Hospital and noted their clinical information. Faecal samples were collected from all seven koala joeys during routine cage cleaning. In total, 123 faecal samples were collected, processed and analysed for cortisol using enzyme-immunoassay (EIA). We used the iterative baseline approach to determine baseline and peak concentrations of FCM in koala joeys. Baseline concentrations ranged between 14.11 ng/g – 51.10 ng/g (healthy – sick), whereas, peak FCM concentrations ranged between 25.65 ng/g – 56.58 ng/g (healthy – sick). There was a significant difference (p &lt; 0.05) between FCM concentrations of healthy and impaired individuals. Healthy individuals displayed relatively consistent FCM concentrations, whereas, diseased individuals displayed a significant increase in FCM concentrations over time. Our study provides the first record of baseline and peak FCM concentrations in rescued koala joeys with their associated clinical condition. Future studies can use the iterative baseline approach to determine FCM concentration in wild koala joeys that can serve as a baseline to compare glucocorticoid levels of rescued joeys.

Objectives: To study sociodemographic and clinical variables including psychiatric comorbidities in patients with irritable bowel syndrome. Methods: A total of 150 patients were screened to select 100 patients for the study who were attending a medical gastroenterology clinic in a tertiary care centre in north India. Diagnosis of IBS was made using Rome IV criteria and severity of symptoms were assessed by the Irritable Bowel Syndrome Symptom Severity Scale (IBS-SSS). Clinical evaluation was done for screening of psychiatric comorbidities and diagnosis was made as per DSM 5. Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale - 21 Items (DASS-21) and Somatic Symptom Scale–8 (SSS-8) were used to assess depression, anxiety, stress and somatic symptoms. Result: The mean age of cases was 35.6 years and majority were i.e., 38.0% in 18-29 years. Males were 62.0% and females were 38.0%. 61.0% of the cases were diagnosed with Moderate IBS. Evaluation on DASS-21 revealed 53.0% were in moderate category in depression, 43.0% were having moderate anxiety and 36.0% were having moderate stress. 48% cases were in high category in somatic symptom scale. Psychiatric comorbidities were present in 29.0% of cases. Depressive disorders were most common psychiatric comorbidity. Conclusion: Patients with IBS presenting to tertiary care centre in Northern India were mostly young males living in semi-urban area, belonging to hindu region, married and had a nuclear family. Patients with IBS commonly have associated psychiatric disorders; anxiety disorders and depression are most common.

This study aimed at the investigation of the effect of substrate preheating on residual stress in laser powder bed fusion using a physics-based analytical model. In this study, an analytical model is proposed to predict the residual stress through the calculation of preheating affected temperature profile and thermal stress. The effect of preheating is super-positioned with initial temperature in the modeling of temperature profile using a moving heat source approach; the resultant temperature gradient is then employed to predict the thermal stress from a point body load approach. If the thermal stress exceeds the yield strength of the material, then the residual stress under cyclic heating and cooling will be calculated based on the incremental plasticity and kinematic hardening behavior of metal. IN718 is used as a material example to pursue this investigation. To validate the predicted residual stress, experimental measurements are conducted using X-ray diffraction on IN718 samples manufactured via laser powder bed fusion under different process conditions. Results showed that preheating of the substrate could reduce the residual stress in an additively manufactured part due to the reduction in temperature gradient and resultant shrinkage stresses. However, the excessive preheating could have an opposite impact on residual stress accumulation. Moreover, the results confirm that the proposed model is a valuable tool for the prediction of residual stress- eliminating the costly experiments and time-consuming finite element simulations.

Background: Most modern studies about human marijuana use have been made under a set of arbitrary cultural standards and policies not related to drug harm potential, loosely called Prohibition. Here we asked if potential health hazards generated by Prohibition are addressed in research design and analysis. Methods: For this, we have searched PubMed database (from inception to December 2017) for citations of prevalent contaminants of illegal street cannabis: fungi and pesticides. In addition, we performed full text evaluation of 23 studies selected from, and including, 2 meta-analysis reviews investigating potential health hazards from cannabis use. Results: Different combinations of the keywords cannabis, prohibition, pesticides, fungi, contaminants, cancer, schizophrenia, psychosis, show that these words coincide in less than 1% of the cannabis human studies within the database. In the scope of 141 abstracts in which the terms, cannabis and pesticides coincide, none is directed to distinguish cannabis and pesticide adverse effects on CNS. A similar picture emerges when fungi is the paired word. Full text evaluation shows that all but one of the studies analyzed, completely neglect or comment on the nature of cannabis source, legal status, or contamination as a confounding factor. Discussion: Our results show a potential bias on scientific investigation that may affect data reliability in informing about the health hazards of cannabis use. This finding suggests that other aspects of the Prohibition environment may also go unacknowledged. Conclusion: Prohibition related health risks usually go unacknowledged and unaccounted for in biomedical research on Cannabis.

The emerging new Coronaviridae member, nCoV 19, outbreak announced a pandemic by WHO with an increased morbidity and mortality rate worldwide. nCoV 19 known as the third highly pathogen coronavirus in the human population after the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV) and the Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV), the nCoV 19. The renin-angiotensin (RAS) signaling pathway, oxidative stress and cell death, cytokines storm and endothelial dysfunction are four major pathways involved in the pathogenesis of nCoV 19. Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) generally develops with a massive oxidative/nitrosative stress following virus entry and RAS activation. The DNA damage subsequent to oxidative burst activates poly-ADP ribose polymerase-1 (PARP-1), viral macrodomain (NSP3) poly (ADP-ribose) glycohydrolase (PARG) and transient receptor potential channel, melastatin 2 (TRPM2) in a sequential manner ultimately leading to apoptosis and necrosis due to NAD and ATP depletion. Regarding the molecular mechanisms involved in nCoV 19 pathogenesis, angiotensin II receptor blockers and/or PARP, PARG and TRPM2 blockers could be engaged as therapeutic candidates for inhibition of RAS and quenching oxidative stress, respectively. In this review, the molecular aspects of nCoV 19 pathogenesis would be studied precisely and possible therapeutic targets would be proposed. It is recommended to evaluate the proposed drugs and supplements via registered clinical trials along with conventional guideline-based multi-drug regimen.

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) released by different cell types play significant role in many physiological and pathophysiological processes. In physiological conditions red blood cells (RBCs) derived EVs compose 4 - 8% of all circulating EVs, and oxidative stress (OS) as a consequence of different pathophysiological conditions significantly increases the amount of circulated RBC-derived EVs, however the mechanisms of EV formation are not fully defined yet. To analyze OS-induced EV formation and RBCs transformations we used flow cytometry to evaluate cell esterase activity, caspase-3 activity, and band 3 clustering. Band 3 clustering was additionally analyzed by confocal microscopy. Two original laser diffraction-based approaches were used for analysis of cell deformability and band 3 activity. Hemoglobin species were characterized spectrophotometrically. We showed that cell viability in tert-butyl hydroperoxide-induced OS directly correlated with oxidant concentration to cell count ratio, RBCs-derived EVs contained hemoglobin oxidized to hemichrome (HbChr). OS induced caspase-3 activation and band 3 clustering in cells and EVs. Importantly, we showed that OS-induced EV formation is independent from calcium. Presented data indicated that during OS RBCs eliminate HbChr by vesiculation, in order to sacrifice the cell itself thereby prolonging lifespan and delaying the untimely clearance of in all other respects healthy RBCs.

This work aimed to elucidate how O3 pollution causes loss of regulation of the immune response in both the brain and the intestine. In this work, we studied the effect of exposing rats to low doses of O3 on the association between the antioxidant response of superoxide dismutase (SOD) levels and nuclear factor kappa light chains of activated B cells (NFκB) as a marker of inflammation. Method: 72 Wistar rats were used, divided into six groups that received the following treatments: Control, 7, 15, 30, 60, and 90 days at O3, respectively. After treatment, tissues were extracted and processed using Western blotting, biochemical, and immunohistochemical techniques. The results indicated an increase in 4-hydroxynonenal (4HNE) and Cu/Zn-SOD, a decrease in Mn-SOD, and SOD activity in the substantia nigra, jejunum, and colon decrease. Furthermore, the translocation of NFκB to the nucleus increased in the different organs studied. In conclusion, repeated exposure to ozone alters the regulation of the antioxidant and inflammatory response in the substantia nigra and the intestine. This suggests that these responses are critical in the loss of regulation of the inflammatory response, and they respond to ozone pollution, which could be occurring in the progression of chronic degenerative diseases.

Following the WHO's declaration of a public health emergency due to the COVID-19 outbreak, the subsequent quarantine and confinement measures that were adopted, including distance learning measures, were shown to have caused a significant deterioration in the mental health of medical students. The goal of this study was to explore the mediating role of resilience and life satisfac-tion in the relationship between perceived stress and burnout among medical students in the con-text of COVID-19. A transversal assessment was performed using an online questionnaire, to which 462 students responded. The instruments applied were the Perceived Stress Scale-10, the Resilience Scale-25 items, the Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS) and the Burnout Scale (Olden-burg Inventory). A regression model was estimated for each dimension of burnout. The results revealed that resilience and life satisfaction play a mediating role in the association between stress and the dimensions of burnout. This suggests that measures of promoting mental health based on resilience and improving perceptions of life should be implemented.

Obesity is one of the factors leading to the development of atherosclerosis. This metabolic disorder is associated with an increased production of reactive oxygen species, which affect the oxidative stress level. The aim of this study was to evaluate oxidative/antioxidative status and to investigate the correlation between redox markers and anthropometric parameters and body composition in adult patients after myocardial infarction and in individuals without a cardiovascular event in the past. Descriptive data on socio-demographic, clinical, and anthropometric features and blood samples were collected and categorized into two equal groups: after myocardial infarction (study group (SG), n = 80) and without a cardiovascular event (control group (CG), n = 80). The oxidative/antioxidative status was assessed in plasma on the basis of total oxidative/capacitive status (PerOx), total antioxidative status/capacity (ImAnOx), and oxidized low-density lipoprotein (oxLDL). OxLDL was significantly higher in the CG group compared to the SG group (p = 0.02). No significant differences were found with regard to PerOx and ImAnOx values between the studied groups. Significant positive correlation between PerOx and percentage of adipose tissue (FM [%]) and body adiposity index (BAI) was found in the two studied groups. ImAnOx significantly positively correlated with VAI in SG and FM% in CG. OxLDL negatively correlated with body mass index and waist to hip circumference ratio in CG. The total oxidative/antioxidative status is related to the amount of adipose tissue and the BAI of the subjects. It was observed that it correlates more frequently with the visceral distribution of body fat.

The main objective of this study was to study the effect of occupational stress on turnover intentions, as well as whether this relationship is mediated by burnout levels and moderated by motivation. The sample of this study consisted of 603 participants, all employees of the Portuguese Tax and Customs Authority, which is part of the Ministry of Finance and belongs to the Direct State Administration. The results indicate that occupational stress (with managers, with career and remuneration and with work overload) has a positive and significant effect on turnover intentions and that this relationship is mediated by burnout. Motivation (intrinsic and identified) has a negative and significant effect on turnover intentions. Intrinsic motivation moderates the rela-tionship between occupational stress (with managers, with colleagues, with career and pay and with family problems) and turnover intentions. These results indicate that among the dimensions of occupational stress, the most critical are stress with managers, work overload and career and pay. These are factors that the Direct State Administration should be concerned about in trying to minimize their causes.

It was of great practical significance to repair the toxicity of salt stress environment to soybean seedlings and maintain the balance between agricultural production and ecological environment in the Yellow River valley of China. ‘Xudou 20’ was used as the experimental material, a large-scale planting variety in the old Yellow River basin. Endophytes 131 and 137 isolated from soybean root nodule were taken as the research objects, and the soybean plants were cultivated by pot culture in intelligent artificial incubator. Salt stress group, bacteria suspension group and control group were set up to study the effects of inoculation treatments on the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) of soybean seedlings under different NaCl stress. The results showed that when inoculated with endophyte 131 bacterial suspension and cultured for 14 days, the SOD activity was the highest (14.89 U•g−1•FW) at the salt concentration 50 mmol•L-1. When inoculated with 131 bacterial suspension (2:1) and cultured for 28 days, the SOD activity reached the highest (0.94 ug-1FW) at the salt concentration of 50 mmol•L-1, and the CAT activity amounted to the highest (1910 U•g−1•min−1). The 16S rDNA sequencing and phylogenetic analysis showed that the most similar strain of strain 137 was Bacillus cereus, and the most similar strain of strain 131 was Enterobacter ludwigii. Therefore, the activities of SOD and CAT in soybean seedlings inoculated with endophytes 131 and 137 increased at different degrees under salt stress, which could effectively alleviate the damage of salt stress environment to plants, and thus improve the stress resistance of plants.

The adaptation stress experienced by overseas dispatched employees has serious implications for their physical and mental health and work performance. This study aimed to investigate the impact of resource-oriented music listening on work stress among overseas dispatched employees. The study recruited 10 participants of different ages and occupations who had worked abroad for at least 3 years. Five sessions of personalized resource-oriented music listening, and interviews were conducted. The Global Assessment of Recent Stress Scale (GARS) and Job Stress Scale (JSS) were used to measure stress before and after the intervention. Results showed that participants' work stress and perceived stress were significantly reduced after the music therapy intervention. The study also found that 'awareness' and 'self-acceptance' were factors that reduced regulatory stress among overseas dispatched employees. This study highlights the potential of resource-oriented music listening as a useful tool to address workplace stress and promote the well-being of expatriate employees.

Background Scientific literature in psychology considers personality as an organization of ways of being, knowing, and acting that ensures unity, coherence and continuity, stability and planning of the individual's relations with the world (Caprara & Gennaro, 1994). Personality is the outcome of two distinct constructs: Temperament and Character. So, personality is the result of the interaction between biological aspects (temperament) and the experiences that anybody experiences in his own life, interacting with the environment (Cloninger et al., 1993). Scientific literature now largely agrees that adversity in the early years of life has broad long-term consequences on the neuroendocrine, immune, and metabolic systems (Kim et al., 2019), as well as on neuroplasticity and neuronal morphology that alter the overall evolution of (van Bodegom, et al., 2017; Edwards et al., 2010). Here we analyze the hypothesis that maternal environmental factors (air and chemical pollutants, maternal health, eating behaviors, maternal and fetal stresses, caregivers' behaviors, etc.) can cause epigenetic alterations in the offspring in the prenatal and perinatal period that shape the trait's personality of the offspring themselves and that orient part of their character in adult life. Methods The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) statement was used to develop this systematic review. PubMed, Scopus, PsycINFO, and Biosis databases were searched for primary research articles published between 2010 and 2023 looking for English language articles containing the term "prenatal" and any of the following terms: "anxiety"; "brain development"; "depression"; "gestation"; "maternal health"; "maternal stress"; "mental health"; "newborn health"; "perinatal programming"; "pregnancy"; "prenatal stress"; "resilience to stress"; "transgenerational epigenetic inheritance"; "personality"; "personality trait"; "environmental epigenetics". Retrieved articles were screened and a subset of relevant abstracts was then selected for a more detailed evaluation. The final studies selected consisted of those resources that directly evaluated the relationship between maternal environmental factors and the personality traits of the offspring. Results and Conclusions One hundred and eleven studies were identified but only three met the primary question. There is evidence to support the hypothesis of correlations between environmental exposure during the intrauterine fetal period and personality traits of the newborn. Limits: multiple limitations were found based on the lack of research on this specific topic, although such a field of research can be important for developing effective strategies for primary prevention.

Reactive oxygen species and reactive nitrogen species in semen are both essential for fertilization process; however, they become harmful at excessive levels, causing oxidative stress and nitrosative stress, respectively. Recently, oxidation–reduction potential (ORP) has been used as a marker for measuring oxidative stress, and this study investigated the possibility of comprehensively evaluating nitrosative stress. The correlation between standardized ORP (sORP) and 8-hydroxy-2′-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) and NOx per unit sperm was tested. Based on the previously reported cutoff value, samples were classified into oxidative stress-positive and negative groups. Thereafter, a receiver operating characteristic curve was drawn on 8-OHdG and NOx, and each optimal cutoff value was determined. Both standardized 8-OHdG and NOx significantly correlated with sORP. Although both correlated significantly with sORP in the oxidative stress group, no correlation was found in the nonoxidative stress group. The optimal standardized 8-OHdG level to determine oxidative stress status was 0.52 ng/106 spermatozoa, and the standardized NOx was 0.17 µM/106 spermatozoa/mL. The ORP is a simpler and quicker assay that can comprehensively assess oxidative and nitrosative stresses. Optimal cutoff values for both stresses were established in this study.

Cross-cultural mobility is a phenomenon that is increasingly growing, and the resulting stress has become a severe health issue. Thus, we conducted a systematic review of articles reporting research on stress measures of cross-cultural mobility or acculturative stress, emphasizing its internal structure. We adopted the PRISMA procedures for scoping reviews (e.g., searching articles in databases), resulting in the inclusion 20 articles in the final analysis that present evidence of validity based on the internal structure of 16 measures. The most common factors identified were related to cultural stressors, language stressors, and discrimination stressors. After analyzing a cross-cultural mobility stress concept implicit in the definitions used in the articles, we found that most measures of acculturative stress did not evaluate it according to the Stress and Coping Model of Lazarus and Folkman. Most measures only focused on part of the phenomena (some estimated the stressors, others the coping strategies). Few took into account the physiological and psychological responses to internal or external stressors, and even fewer considered its positive aspects (eustress). Consequently, it is pivotal to develop measures that take into account the multiple dimensions of the cross-cultural mobility stress. Other results (e.g., validity evidence of the measures) and limitations of this systematic scoping review are presented and discussed.

With the aim to improve cladding coating quality and prevent cracking, this paper established an extreme high-speed laser cladding thermo-mechanical coupling simulation model to study the evolution of the temperature field and residual stress distribution. Process parameters that impacted the macroscopic morphology of single-pass coatings were investigated. Numerical calculations and temperature field simulations were performed based on the process parameter data to validate the effect of the temperature gradient and cooling rate on the coating structure and the residual stress distribution. The results showed that a good coating quality could be achieved using a laser power of 2400 W, a cladding rate of 20 m/min, and a powder feeding rate of 20.32 g/min. The coatings’ cross-sectional morphology corresponded well with the temperature distribution predicted by numerical modeling of the melt pool. The microstructure of the molten coatings is affected by the temperature gradient and cooling rate, which vary greatly from the bottom to the middle to the top. Maximum residual stress appears between the bonding region of the coatings and the substrate, and the coatings themselves have significant residual stress in the form of tensile strains that are mostly distributed in the direction of the laser cladding speed.

Amebiasis is a disease caused by the unicellular parasite Entamoeba histolytica. In most cases, the infection is asymptomatic but when symptomatic, the infection can cause dysentery and invasive extraintestinal complications. In the gut, E.histolytica feeds on bacteria. Increasing evidences support the role of the gut microbiota in the development of the disease. In this review we will discuss the consequences of E.histolytica infection on the gut microbiota. We will also discuss new evidences about the role of the gut microbiota in regulating the resistance of the parasite to oxi-dative stress and its virulence.

Epidemiological and clinical evidence have extensively documented the role of obesity in the develop-ment of endometrial cancer. However, the effect of fatty acids on cell growth in endometrial cancer has not been widely studied. Here we reported that palmitic acid significantly inhibited cell proliferation of endometrial cancer cells and primary cultures of endometrial cancer, and reduced tumor growth in a transgenic mouse model of endometrial cancer, in parallel with increased cellular stress and apoptosis and decreased cellular adhesion and invasion. Inhibition of cellular stress by N-acetyl-L-cysteine effec-tively reversed the effects of palmitic acid on cell proliferation, apoptosis and invasive capacity in the endometrial cancer cells. Palmitic acid increased the intracellular formation of lipid droplets in a time- and dose-dependent manner. Depletion of lipid droplets by blocking DGAT1 and DGAT2 effectively increased the ability of palmitic acid to inhibit cell proliferation and induce cleaved caspase 3 activity. Collectively, this study provides new insight into the effect of palmitic acid on cell proliferation, inva-sion and the formation of lipid droplets that may have potential clinical relevance in the treatment of obesity-driven endometrial cancer

Acoustic emission (AE) is caused by the sudden release of energy by a material as a result of material degradation related to deformation, crack, or fault within a solid. The same situation also occurs in leaks caused by turbulence in the fluid around the leak. In this study, analytical modeling for AE due to leakage through a circular pinhole in a gas storage cylinder was performed. The displacement fields responsible for AE, excited by the concentrated force (CF) associated with the turbulent flow though the pinhole, were derived by solving the Navier-Lamé equation. The CF as an excitation source was formulated in terms of a fluctuating Reynolds stress (FRS) and spatial Green’s function. In particular, a series of experiments were conducted under different operating conditions to explore the characteristics of the AE signals due to leak in a gas cylinder. Finally, the simulation and experimental results were compared to verify the accuracy of the simulation results.

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a common ocular disease characterized by the de-generation of the central area of the retina in elderly population. Progression and response to treatment is influenced by genetic and non-genetic factors. Proteomics is a powerful tool to study, at the molecular level, the mechanisms underlaying the progression of the diseases, to identify new therapeutical targets and to establish biomarkers to monitor progression and treatment ef-fectiveness. In this work we pursue to systematically review the use of proteomic-based ap-proaches for the study of the molecular mechanisms underlying the development of AMD, as well as the progression of the disease and the on-treatment patient monitoring. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) reporting guidelines were followed. Proteomic approaches have identified key players on the onset of the disease, such as proteins involved in lipid metabolism and oxidative stress, but also in the progression to advanced stages, including factors related to extracellular matrix integrity and angiogenesis. Although an-ti-vascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF)-based therapy has been crucial in the treatment of neovascular AMD it is necessary to get deeper into the underlying disease mechanisms to move forward to next-generation therapies of the later-stage forms of this multifactorial disease.

This study aims to systematically review and meta-analyze the nitro-oxidative stress (O&NS)/antioxidant (ANTIOX) ratio in the peripheral blood of people with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). We searched PubMed, Scopus, Google Scholar, and Web of Science for articles published from inception until July 31, 2021. Forty-six studies on 3.798 MCI individuals and 6.063 healthy controls were included. The O&NS/ANTIOX ratio was significantly higher in MCI than in controls with a Standardized Mean Difference (SMD)=0.378 (95% CI: 0.250; 0.506). MCI individuals showed increased lipid peroxidation (SMD=0.774, 95%CI: 4.416; 1.132) and O&NS-associated toxicity (SMD=0.621, CI: 0.377; 0.865) and reduced glutathione (GSH) defenses (SMD=0.725, 95%CI: 0.269; 1.182) as compared with controls. MCI was also accompanied by significantly increased homocysteine (SMD=0.320, CI: 0.059; 0.581), but not protein oxidation, and lowered non-vitamin (SMD=0.347, CI: 0.168; 0.527) and vitamin (SMD=0.564, CI: 0.129; 0.999) antioxidant defenses. The results show that MCI is at least in part due to increased neuro-oxidative toxicity and suggest that treatments targeting lipid peroxidation and the GSH system may be used to treat or prevent MCI.

Zika virus (ZIKV) is an emerging mosquito-borne flavivirus considered as a threat to human health due to large epidemics and serious clinical outcomes such as microcephaly in newborns. Like all flaviviruses, ZIKV relies on the cellular machinery to complete its viral cycle, with the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) being the critical site of viral replication factories. The sudden high protein load in the ER induces an ER stress to which the cell responds with an appropriate unfolded protein response (UPR) in an attempt to restore its disturbed homeostasis. When the restoration fails, the cell signaling leads to a programmed cell death by apoptosis with the upregulation of the UPR-induced C/EBP homologous protein (CHOP) which acts as the main trigger for this fatal outcome. Our previous studies have shown the ability of ZIKV to manipulate various cellular responses in order to optimize virus production. ZIKV is able to delay apoptosis to its benefit and although ER stress is induced, the UPR is not complete. Here we discovered that ZIKV impairs the expression of CHOP/DDIT3, the main factor responsible of ER-stress driven apoptosis. Surprisingly, the mechanism does not take place at the transcriptional level but at the translational level.

Stress relaxation tests in cantilever bending were performed on the C7025 and C7035 alloys at 298K and 393K，respectively. The effect of stress-relief treatments on stress relaxation properties was investigated. The structural changes associated with the stress relaxation process were examined using transmission electron microscope. The stress relaxation curve fits well to empirical formula σ*=[Kˊln(t+α₀)+C]^-n for stress relaxation. The curves can be split into two stages. The stress relax quickly in the first stage, slows down in the second stage, and tends to be a certain limit value after a long time. The curve and microstructure reveals that the C7035 alloy has a lower rate of stress relaxation and a higher anti-stress relaxation capacity than the C7025. The first reason is that the movement of vacancies required by spinodal decomposition is inhibited, and the quantity of cobalt -containing vacancies decreases dramatically in the C7035 alloy. The other reason is that the precipitated phases became uniformly diffused in the C7035 alloy. The precipitate phase uniformly distributes in the grain boundaries and the matrix, during the relaxed condition, and thus the dislocations moving is blocked by the precipitates.

Mimosa acutistipula is endemic to Brazil and grows in ferruginous outcrops (canga) in Serra dos Carajás, eastern Amazon, where one of the largest iron ore deposits in the world is located. Plants that develop in these ecosystems are subject to severe environmental conditions and must have adaptive mechanisms to grow and thrive in cangas. Mimosa acutistipula is a native species used to restore biodiversity in post-mining areas in canga. Understanding the molecular mechanisms involved in the adaptation of M. acutistipula in canga is essential to deduce the ability of native species to adapt to possible stressors in rehabilitating minelands over time. In this study, the root proteomic profiles of M. acutistipula grown in a native canga ecosystem and rehabilitating minelands were compared to identify essential proteins involved in the adaptation of this species in its native environment and that should enable its establishment in rehabilitating minelands. The results showed differentially abundant proteins, where 436 proteins with significant values (p < 0.05) and fold change ≥ 2 were more abundant in canga and 145 in roots from the rehabilitating minelands. Among them, a representative amount and diversity of proteins were related to responses to water deficit, heat, and responses to metal ions. Other identified proteins are involved in biocontrol activity against phytopathogens and symbiosis. This research provides insights into proteins involved in M. acutistipula responses to environmental stimuli, suggesting critical mechanisms to support the establishment of native canga plants in rehabilitating minelands over time.

The process of international migration causes a situation of vulnerability in people's health and greater difficulty in coping with disease. Furthermore, the adversities suffered during migration can trigger reactive signs of stress and cause anxious, depressive, confusional and somatic symptoms. This article studies the relationships between psychosocial risk, psychological distress and somatization in immigrants from 4 communities: Maghrebis, Sub-Saharans, South Americans and South Asian. A cross-sectional study was carried out with questionnaires on 602 immigrants who were surveyed in the Primary Care Centres of an urban area of Catalonia. The instruments used were the Demographic Psychosocial Inventory (DPSI), the Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI) and the Somatic Symptom Inventory (SSI). The average psychosocial risk obtained was 0.35, with the highest values in the sub-Saharan community. Psychological distress showed a mean value of 0.66, with the sub-Saharan community scoring the lowest in all dimensions except depression. The average somatization values were 1.65, with the sub-Saharan community scoring the least. The female gender is a risk factor for somatization and psychological distress. Perceived psychosocial risk is a predictor of psychological distress, but not somatization, suggesting that the use of more adaptive coping strategies could minimize the effect of the migration process on somatizations.

Myocardial ischemia/reperfusion injury (I/R) and the resulting heart failure is one of the main causes of mortality and morbidity worldwide. Camphene has been shown to have anti-inflammatory and hypolipidemic properties, however, its role in the protection of the heart from ischemia and reperfusion has not been investigated. The cardioprotective role of camphene and the mechanism that mediates its action against I/R injury was evaluated in the present study. A single dose of camphene was administered in adult rats prior to ex vivo I/R induction. Infarct size was measured using 2,3,5-triphenyltetrazolium chloride (TTC) staining and cardiomyocyte injury was assessed by determining the release of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) enzyme. Camphene pretreatment provided significant protection reducing myocardial infarct size and cell death after I/R. The effect was correlated with the activation of antioxidant defense mechanisms, namely CAT, MnSOD, GPx and GR, and reduction of oxidative stress as evidenced by determination of protein carbonylation and GSH/GSSG ratio in cardiomyocytes. The results suggest that camphene can protect the heart against I/R injury by maintaining redox homeostasis and can hold therapeutic potential for mitigating the detrimental effects of I/R in the heart.