Explore the vast range of titles available.

Parasitic nematodes encode a limited repertoire of insulin/insulin-like peptides (INS/ILPs) which are expressed primarily in free-living stages, suggesting that host insulin may serve as a critical agonist during parasitism. In this study, we demonstrate that mammalian parasitic nematodes exploit host insulin via their conserved insulin/insulin-like growth factor receptor (IGFR/DAF-2) to drive infection and reproduction in vitro and in vivo. Specifically, host insulin supplementation promotes the biosynthesis of the steroid hormone Δ7-dafachronic acid, the activation of nuclear receptor DAF-12, the infective-to-parasitic transition, and the larval motility and growth in Haemonchus contortus , a model gastrointestinal blood-feeding nematode. Structural analyses suggest that H. contortus IGFR/DAF-2 can bind host ( Ovis aries ) insulin with predicted affinity comparable to endogenous peptides while engaging a distinct receptor-binding site. Notably, RNAi-mediated silencing of daf-2 impairs larval development, reduces worm burden, and compromises egg production in host animals. Furthermore, we uncover a novel role for insulin signalling in regulating the nematode female-to-male ratio, possibly through sex determination or selective female mortality, specifically affecting female development and reproduction. These findings establish the ligand-receptor co-option of host insulin signalling as an evolutionary adaptation to parasitism and identify IGFR/DAF-2 as a potential target for controlling nematode infection, transmission, and population dynamics. The barber’s pole worm, a blood-feeding nematode, exploits host insulin via their IGFR/DAF-2 receptor to drive infection, reproduction, and female-biased development, revealing a target for controlling transmission.

Infectious diseases are a long-standing and severe global public health problem. The rapid diagnosis of infectious diseases is an urgent need to solve this problem. MicroRNA (miRNA) plays an important role in the intervention of some infectious diseases and is expected to become a potential biomarker for the diagnosis and prognosis of infectious diseases. It is of great significance to develop rapid and sensitive methods for detecting miRNA for effective control of infectious diseases. In this study, a simple and highly sensitive homogeneous electrochemical method for microRNAs using enzyme-driven cascaded signal amplification has been developed. In the presence of target miRNA, the reaction system produced plenty of MB-labeled single-nucleotide fragments (MB-MF) containing a few negative charges, which can diffuse to the negative surface of the ITO electrode easily, so an obvious electrochemical signal enhancement was obtained. Without the target, MB-HP contains a relatively large amount of negative charges due to the phosphates on the DNA chain, which cannot be digested by the enzyme and cannot diffuse freely to the negatively charged ITO electrode, so only a small signal was detected. The enhanced electrochemical response has a linear relationship with the logarithm of miRNA concentration in the range of 10 fM to 10 nM and the limit of detection as low as 3.0 fM. Furthermore, the proposed strategy showed the capability of discriminating single-base mismatch and performed eligibly in the analysis of miRNA in cell lysates, exhibiting great potential for disease diagnosis and biomedical research.

The antidiabetic effects of flavonoids have been reported, but it is still unclear whether 5,7,3′,4′,5′-pentamethoxyflavone, isolated from Bauhinia championii Benth. (Fabaceae), also exhibits such properties. To isolate 5,7,3′,4′,5′-pentamethoxyflavone from B. championii using high-speed countercurrent chromatography and examine its potential in treating diabetic nephropathy. The phytochemical constituents from the stems of B. championii were separated and purified with high-speed countercurrent chromatography; 5,7,3′,4′,5′-pentamethoxyflavone (PMF) was identified by mass spectrum, 1 H-NMR, and 13 C-NMR. After exposing mesangial cells to 30 mM glucose and either 5 μM or 10 μM PMF for 6 h, the levels of fibronectin (FN) and p-Smad2/3 were analyzed using Western blotting. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were injected intraperitoneally with 55 mg/kg streptozotocin to induce diabetes and then were randomized into three groups (n = 10): vehicle administration, low-dose (5 mg/kg) PMF, and high-dose (25 mg/kg) PMF by intragastric gavage for 3 months. A healthy group was included as the control. Compared to the diabetic group, low-dose and high-dose PMF treatment decreased the phosphorylation of Smad2/3 by 0.54- and 0.52-fold, and the accumulation of FN decreased by 0.82- and 0.77-fold in vitro; the phosphorylation of Smad2/3 was decreased by 0.39- and 0.37-fold, and the accumulation of FN decreased by 0.47- and 0.40-fold in vivo, respectively. Furthermore, PMF alleviated the glomerular basement membrane thickness and foot process fusion. The findings suggest for the first time that PMF may be a promising treatment option for diabetic kidney fibrosis, which warrants additional clinical investigation.

Systemic disruptions, including public health emergencies, natural disasters, and large-scale interruptions to clinical training, can destabilize health professions education and reshape students' perceptions of their future careers. Career perception may function as a cognitive anchor that links disrupted learning environments with both psychological well-being and professional development, yet its structural role remains insufficiently understood. This study examined whether career perception operates as an upstream determinant of mental health, dropout intention, and professional competencies among medical and nursing students in a pandemic-era disrupted educational context. A cross-sectional study was conducted using secondary data from 1,707 undergraduate medical and nursing students during the pandemic. Career perception was assessed via a single-item measure of perceived change during COVID-19. Validated instruments measured empathy, lifelong learning, mental health symptoms, life satisfaction, and dropout intention. Group differences were examined using one-way and two-way ANOVA. Pearson correlation analysis assessed bivariate associations. Bayesian network analysis with bootstrap resampling was applied to explore directed probabilistic dependencies among variables. Students with more positive career perceptions demonstrated higher levels of empathy, lifelong learning orientation, and life satisfaction, and lower levels of anxiety, depression, and dropout intention (all  < 0.001). Career perception was significantly associated with all major outcomes (| | = 0.12-0.41). Bayesian network analysis identified career perception as an upstream node with robust directed effects on dropout intention (arc strength = 1.00) and lifelong learning (arc strength = 0.89). Dropout intention emerged as a central mediator linking career perception to depression, anxiety, and satisfaction. Lifelong learning and satisfaction, in turn, directly influenced empathy. These structural relationships were highly stable across bootstrap samples. In a disrupted health professions education context, career perception functioned as an upstream determinant shaping both mental health and professional competencies. The findings suggest that professional meaning-making and career reflection should be treated as core educational support during periods of systemic instability.

As a persistent organic pollutant, methoxychlor has drawn considerable environmental attention. Photocatalysis, recognized for its environmentally friendly characteristics, has been widely utilized for the degradation of contaminants. In this study, the photocatalytic material BiVO4@diatomite was successfully synthesized via the liquid-phase precipitation method. The synthesized material was comprehensively characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS), and a Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) analysis, providing robust evidence for the material’s stability and biocompatibility. The results confirmed the successful deposition of BiVO4 onto the diatomite surface. Furthermore, the effects of various parameters, including the initial methoxychlor concentration, pH, light exposure duration, and illumination intensity, on the photocatalytic degradation efficiency of methoxychlor by BiVO4@diatomite were systematically investigated to optimize degradation performance. The identification of optimal reaction conditions and the proposed degradation mechanism based on experimental findings will be valuable for guiding future studies and practical applications in environmental pollution control. The integration of BiVO4 with diatomite in this study yields a novel composite system with significantly enhanced photocatalytic degradation performance, offering fresh insights into the design of efficient, stable, and eco-friendly materials for pollutant removal.

Rapid detection of heparin-binding protein (HBP) is essential for timely intervention in sepsis cases. Current detection techniques are usually antibody-based immunological methods, which have certain problems, such as complexity and slow detection, and fall short in meeting the urgency of clinical needs. The application of an aptamer can address these concerns well. In this study, HBP-specific DNA aptamers were screened first. Among which, Apt-01, Apt−02, and Apt−13 had a high affinity for HBP, exhibiting impressive KD values of 3.42, 1.44, and 1.04 nmol/L, respectively. Then, the aptamer of HBP and its partially complementary primer probe were combined to form double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) and synthesize a circular DNA template. The template is complementary to the primer probe, but due to the presence of dsDNA, ExoIII cleaves C2-13 as an RCA primer probe, rendering the template unable to recognize the primer probe and preventing the RCA reaction from proceeding. When the target is present, it competes with the adapter for recognition and releases C2-13, exposing its 3′ end. After initiating the RCA at room temperature and reacting with SYBR GreenII at 37 °C for 20 min, fluorescence changes can be observed and quantitatively analyzed at a 530 nm wavelength, achieving quantitative biological analysis. Apt-01 was used to develop a fluorescent biosensor for HBP detection, which exhibited a good linear range (0.01 nmol/L to 10 nmol/L) and detection limit (0.0056 nmol/L). This advancement holds the potential to lay a solid groundwork for pioneering sensitive and specific methods for HBP detection and to significantly enhance the diagnostic processes for sepsis.

Background The proliferation of mobile health (mHealth) applications has markedly influenced self-management practices related to obesity and mental well-being. However, the effectiveness of fitness apps in enhancing health outcomes is closely tied to their frequency of usage, a factor that has been insufficiently explored, especially among postpartum populations. Objective This study aimed to propose and empirically test a structural equation modeling (SEM) framework to examine the moderating effects of fitness app usage frequency on the relationships among obesity, lifestyle behaviors, dietary habits, and mental health outcomes among postpartum women. Methods A cross-sectional self-reported online survey was administered to postpartum women in Malaysia within one year after childbirth, collecting 468 valid responses. Participants were categorized into four distinct groups based on their frequency of fitness app usage: daily, weekly, rarely, and never. Results The SEM analyses highlighted significant variations among the four user groups. The daily-user model exhibited the strongest explanatory power (R² = 0.82), followed by weekly (R² = 0.79), rarely (R² = 0.66), and never-user groups (R² = 0.59). Specifically, in the daily-user group, demographic factors, lifestyle behaviors, dietary intake, and Body Mass Index (BMI) explained 82% of the variance in mental health outcomes. Across all usage categories, BMI consistently demonstrated a significant negative relationship with mental health symptoms, suggesting better mental health among participants with lower BMI. Further, factor loading analyses identified screen time (0.89) and physical activity (0.81) as dominant indicators of lifestyle behaviors. Frequent app users (daily and weekly) displayed healthier dietary choices and lower BMI scores compared to infrequent users. Conclusions Regular engagement with fitness mHealth applications is associated with better mental health and may support obesity management among postpartum women. This study underscores the critical moderating role of app usage frequency in optimizing health outcomes, providing practical implications for public health strategies and interventions targeting postpartum populations.

Background: Pre-eclampsia is a severe pregnancy complication affecting about 4%–5% of pregnancies, but the causes and clinical management were full of controversial. Bone turnover markers (BTMs) were sensitive indicators for estimating bone metabolism and were found to be changed in many pregnancy-related diseases. However, the characteristic and prognostic value of serum BTMs with pre-eclampsia was uncovered.Methods: A multicenter prospective cohort study was performed in three different hospitals in West China. Pre-eclampsia patients and healthy pregnant women were recruited from January 2023 to January 2024. Clinical information of included participants was collected, and serum BTM levels were detected by electrochemiluminescence immunoassay. Clinical outcomes including disease aggravation (severe pre-eclampsia, eclampsia, and HELLP syndrome), low live birth weight (LBW), and premature delivery were followed up.Results: A total of 69 pre-eclampsia patients and 75 healthy pregnant women were recruited finally, and 48 pre-eclampsia patients and 48 healthy controls who matched for age and gestational weeks were selected among them. The pre-eclampsia patients had elevated BTM levels compared with healthy controls. ß-CTX was an independent risk factor for disease aggravation, LBW, and premature delivery among pre-eclampsia patients. ß-CTX was a valuable predictive factor for disease aggravation, LBW, and premature delivery among pre-eclampsia patients (AUC were 0.772, 0.768, and 0.930, respectively, and p values were 0.001, 0.002, and < 0.001, respectively).Conclusion: Pre-eclampsia patients may have an activated bone metabolism status compared with healthy controls. Pre-eclampsia patients with elevated bone resorptive marker ß-CTX should pay more attention to the risk of disease aggravation and adverse pregnancy outcomes.

Objectives. To determine the bone metabolic marker changes from childhood to adolescence and to provide reference values for monitoring bone development in children in Southwest China. Methods. We surveyed 703 participants attending physical examinations from April 2019 and August 2021. Twenty-eight participants were excluded for lack of laboratory tests, and 14 people were excluded for diseases that might affect bone metabolism. A total of 661 children were selected for the study. According to the main developmental periods, the children were divided into preschool, preadolescence, and adolescence groups. Serum bone turnover markers including β-isomerized C-terminal telopeptide of type I collagen (β-CTx), N-terminal midfragment of osteocalcin (N-MID), and procollagen type 1 N-propeptide (P1NP) as well as growth and development indices such as serum calcium (Ca), phosphorus (Pi), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), and vitamin D were measured. The changes in bone metabolism-related markers and the correlations between the indices were analyzed. Results. During the development in boys, the levels of β-CTx and N-MID increased with age from preschool to adolescence, while the levels of P1NP decreased and then increased. In girls, the levels of β-CTx and N-MID plateaued in early adolescence and showed little change in subsequent adolescence, while the levels of P1NP exhibited a downward trend. The correlations between bone metabolism markers and vitamin D were not significant. Conclusions. The levels of bone metabolism markers differed between boys and girls. Reference intervals can be used as essential tools to examine the levels of bone metabolism markers reasonably.

Kirenol possesses anti-inflammatory, antifibrotic and anti-arthritic effects. However, its reno-protective effects against diabetic nephropathy (DN) have not been evaluated. This study explores the reno-protective effects of kirenol against DN and clarifies the potential mechanisms. The mesangial cells were treated with 20 µM kirenol and 10 ng/mL human recombinant TGF-β1 or 30 mM glucose for 24 h. Then the cells were harvested to assay the expression of the target genes or proteins. Thirty C57BL/6J male mice were given high-fat diet with streptozotocin injection to induce diabetes and then were randomized into three groups (n = 10): vehicle administration (DM group), 2 mg/kg kirenol (DM + kirenol group) and 200 mg/kg metformin (Met group) for 3 months, orally. A healthy group (Con, n = 10) was included as the control. Compared to the DM group, kirenol treatment decreased the phosphorylation of Smad2/3 and NF-κB (0.64- and 0.43-fold) as well as the accumulation of FN and Col IV (0.58- and 0.35-fold); moreover, the expression of IκBα was restored to normal level by kirenol treatment both in vivo and in vitro. After kirenol treatment, IL-6 expression was decreased 0.35- and 0.57-fold, and TNF-α expression was decreased 0.34- and 0.46-fold, in vitro and in vivo, respectively. Furthermore, kirenol alleviated the glomerular basement membrane thickness and foot process fusion. Kirenol could alleviate DN by downregulating the TGF-β/Smads and the NF-κB signal pathway. Our study provides a potential mechanism for the treatment of DN with kirenol.