What Makes an Elite Shooter and Archer? The Critical Role of Interoceptive Attention

It is well-acknowledged that attention is important for expert performance in sports. However, the role of interoceptive attention, i.e., the attentional mechanism of awareness and conscious focus of bodily somatic and visceral signals, in self-paced and far-aiming sports remains to be explored. This study aims to investigate the relationship of expertise level and interoceptive attention ability in shooting and archery, and to examine if interoceptive attention can be improved by mindfulness training in elite athletes of shooting and archery. We tested the performance differences of 41 elite athletes from the Chinese national team of shooting and archery and 43 non-elite athletes from a provincial team in breath detection task (BDT) and dot flash detection task (DDT), which were designed to measure interoceptive and exteroceptive attention (i.e., attention toward information input of primary sensory), respectively. Furthermore, we applied mindfulness training to the 41 elite athletes for 5–8 weeks and remeasured their performances of BDT and DDT. Results showed that elite athletes outperformed non-elite athletes in BDT (but not in DDT) both in accuracy (DiffBDT = 11.50%, p = 0.004) and in discrimination sensitivity (d′, DiffBDT = 1.159, p = 0.002). Difference in accuracy and d′ reached significant level only in BDT (accuracy: DiffBDT = −8.50%, p = 0.001; d′: DiffBDT = −0.822, p = 0.003) before and after mindfulness training. These results indicate that elite athletes of shooting and archery (i.e., relative to non-elite athletes) can better perceive the somatic and visceral responses or changes and discriminate these signals from noises. Moreover, interoceptive attention can be improved by mindfulness training. These results have important implications for the selection and training of athletes of shooting and archery

Systems Biology Analysis of the Effect and Mechanism of Qi-Jing-Sheng-Bai Granule on Leucopenia in Mice

Qi-Jing-Sheng-Bai granule (QJSB) is a newly developed traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) formula. Clinically, it has been used for the treatment of leucopenia. However, its pharmacological mechanism needs more investigation. In this study, we firstly tested the effects of QJSB on leucopenia using mice induced by cyclophosphamide. Our results suggested that QJSB significantly raised the number of peripheral white blood cells, platelets and nucleated bone marrow cells. Additionally, it markedly enhanced the cell viability and promoted the colony formation of bone marrow mononuclear cells. Furthermore, it reversed the serum cytokines IL-6 and G-CSF disorders. Then, using transcriptomics datasets and metabonomic datasets, we integrated transcriptomics-based network pharmacology and metabolomics technologies to investigate the mechanism of action of QJSB. We found that QJSB regulated a series of biological processes such as hematopoietic cell lineage, homeostasis of number of cells, lymphocyte differentiation, metabolic processes (including lipid, amino acid, and nucleotide metabolism), B cell receptor signaling pathway, T cell activation and NOD-like receptor signaling pathway. In a summary, QJSB has protective effects to leucopenia in mice probably through accelerating cell proliferation and differentiation, regulating metabolism response pathways and modulating immunologic function at a system level

Effects of Block Copolymer Terminal Groups on Toughening Epoxy-Based Composites: Microstructures and Toughening Mechanisms

Despite the considerable research attention paid to block copolymer (BCP)-toughened epoxy resins, the effects of their terminal groups on their phase structure are not thoroughly understood. This study fills this gap by closely examining the effects of amino and carboxyl groups on the fracture toughness of epoxy resins at different temperatures. Through the combination of scanning electron microscopy and digital image correlation (DIC), it was found that the amino-terminated BCP was capable of forming a stress-distributing network in pure epoxy resin, resulting in better toughening effects at room temperature. In a 60 wt.% silica-filled epoxy composite system, the addition of a carboxyl-terminated BCP showed little toughening effect due to the weaker filler/matrix interface caused by the random dispersion of the microphase of BCPs and distributed silica. The fracture toughness of the epoxy system at high temperatures was not affected by the terminal groups, regardless of the addition of silica. Their dynamic mechanical properties and thermal expansion coefficients are also reported in this article

The pathogenesis and potential therapeutic targets in sepsis

Abstract Sepsis is defined as “a life‐threatening organ dysfunction caused by dysregulated host systemic inflammatory and immune response to infection.” At present, sepsis continues to pose a grave healthcare concern worldwide. Despite the use of supportive measures in treating traditional sepsis, such as intravenous fluids, vasoactive substances, and oxygen plus antibiotics to eradicate harmful pathogens, there is an ongoing increase in both the morbidity and mortality associated with sepsis during clinical interventions. Therefore, it is urgent to design specific pharmacologic agents for the treatment of sepsis and convert them into a novel targeted treatment strategy. Herein, we provide an overview of the molecular mechanisms that may be involved in sepsis, such as the inflammatory response, immune dysfunction, complement deactivation, mitochondrial damage, and endoplasmic reticulum stress. Additionally, we highlight important targets involved in sepsis‐related regulatory mechanisms, including GSDMD, HMGB1, STING, and SQSTM1, among others. We summarize the latest advancements in potential therapeutic drugs that specifically target these signaling pathways and paramount targets, covering both preclinical studies and clinical trials. In addition, this review provides a detailed description of the crosstalk and function between signaling pathways and vital targets, which provides more opportunities for the clinical development of new treatments for sepsis

Long non‐coding RNA ESCCAL‐1/miR‐590/LRP6 signaling pathway participates in the progression of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma

Abstract Background Long non‐coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have critical functions within esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). However, the function and mechanism underlying ESCC‐associated lncRNA‐1 (ESCCAL‐1) in ESCC tumorigenesis have not been well clarified. Methods ESCCAL‐1, miR‐590 and LRP6 were quantified using qRT‐PCR. Cell viability, migration and invasion abilities were measured using CCK‐8 assay and transwell assays. The protein pression was determined with western blot assay. The xenograft model assays were used to examine the impact of ESCCAL‐1 on tumorigenic effect in vivo. Direct relationships among ESCCAL‐1, miR‐590 and LRP6 were confirmed using dual‐luciferase reporter assays. Results The present work discovered the ESCCAL‐1 up‐regulation within ESCC. Furthermore, ESCCAL‐1 was found to interact with miR‐590 and consequently restrict its expression. Functionally, knocking down ESCCAL‐1 or over‐expressing miR‐590 hindered ESCC cell growth, invasion, and migration in vitro. Moreover, inhibition of miR‐590 could reverse the effect of knockdown of ESCCAL‐1 on cells. Importantly, it was confirmed that LRP6 was miR‐590’s downstream target and LRP6 over‐expression also partly abolished the role of miR‐590 overexpression in ESCC cells. Conclusion We have uncovered a novel regulatory network comprising aberrant interaction of ESCCAL‐1/miR‐590/LRP6 participated in ESCC progression

Hydrodeoxygenation of <i>p</i>‑Cresol over Pt/Al₂O₃ Catalyst Promoted by ZrO₂, CeO₂, and CeO₂–ZrO₂

ZrO₂–Al₂O₃ and CeO₂–Al₂O₃ were prepared by a co-precipitation method and selected as supports for Pt catalysts. The effects of CeO₂ and ZrO₂ on the surface area and Brønsted acidity of Pt/Al₂O₃ were studied. In the hydrodeoxygenation (HDO) of <i>p</i>-cresol, the addition of ZrO₂ promoted the direct deoxygenation activity on Pt/ZrO₂–Al₂O₃ via C_aromatic–O bond scission without benzene ring saturation. Pt/CeO₂–Al₂O₃ exhibited higher deoxygenation extent than Pt/Al₂O₃ due to the fact that Brønsted acid sites on the catalyst surface favored the adsorption of <i>p</i>-cresol. With the advantages of CeO₂ and ZrO₂ taken into consideration, CeO₂–ZrO₂–Al₂O₃ was prepared, leading to the highest HDO activity of Pt/CeO₂–ZrO₂–Al₂O₃. The deoxygenation extent for Pt/CeO₂–ZrO₂–Al₂O₃ was 48.4% and 14.5% higher than that for Pt/ZrO₂–Al₂O₃ and Pt/CeO₂–Al₂O₃, respectively