Hydrochemical variations of the springs on Jinfo Mountain, Chongqing, China

There are 18 springs within the Jinfo Mountain area of Chongqing, SW China (of which 10 epikarst springs are within the National Nature Reserve, and 4 epikarst springs and 4 non-epikarst springs are outside the National Nature Reserve). The hydrochemical characteristics of these springs were measured in 1977, 2004-2009, and 2011. The data show that the hydrochemistry type of springs in different areas, and for different years, is Ca-HCO3 and Ca-HCO3-SO4, whereas the concentrations of SO4 and NO3 are very sensitive to changes in human activities. All the springs with the highest SO4 and NO3 concentrations in the study area showed minimum concentrations in 1977 and an upward trend in concentrations from 2004 to 2008, followed by a period of lower concentrations. Springs with low SO4 and NO3 concentrations were distributed solely at the top of Jinfo Mountain in the National Nature Reserve. The hydrochemical variations observed in springs on Jinfo Mountain demonstrate that the implementation of environmental policy measures and industrial restructuring have successfully contributed to environmental protection of the springs

(4-Carb­oxy-2-sulfonato­benzoato-κ2 O 1,O 2)bis­(1,10-phenanthroline-κ2 N,N′)manganese(II)

In the title complex, [Mn(C8H4O7S)(C12H8N2)2], the MnII atom is chelated by one 4-carb­oxy-2-sulfonato­benzoate anion and two phenathroline (phen) ligands in a distorted octa­hedral MnN4O2 geometry. The benzene ring of the 4-carb­oxy-2-sulfonato­benzoate anion is twisted with respect to the two phen ring systems at dihedral angles of 66.38 (9) and 53.56 (9)°. In the crystal, inter­molecular O—H⋯O and C—H⋯O hydrogen bonding links the mol­ecules into chains running parallel to [100]. Inter­molecular π–π stacking is also observed between parallel phen ring systems, the face-to-face distance being 3.432 (6) Å

Chloridobis[N′-(2-meth­oxy­benzyl­idene)-4-nitro­benzohydrazidato-κ2 O,N′](4-methyl­pyridine-κN)cobalt(III)

In the title complex, [Co(C15H12N3O4)2Cl(C6H7N)], the CoIII ion is coordinated by two N atoms and two O atoms from two deprotonated Schiff base ligands, one N atom from a 4-methyl­pyridine ligand and one Cl atom, forming a distorted octa­hedral geometry. The CoIII ion is displaced by 0.038 (2) Å from the equatorial plane towards the axial Cl atom

The PPARgamma locus makes long-range chromatin interactions with selected tissue-specific gene loci during adipocyte differentiation in a protein kinase A dependent manner

Differentiation signaling results in reprogramming of cellular gene expression that leads to morphological changes and functional specialization of a precursor cell. This global change in gene expression involves temporal regulation of differentiation-specific genes that are located throughout the genome, raising the idea that genome structure may also be re-organized during cell differentiation to facilitate regulated gene expression. Using in vitro adipocyte differentiation as a model, we explored whether gene organization within the nucleus is altered upon exposure of precursor cells to signaling molecules that induce adipogenesis. The peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARgamma) nuclear hormone receptor is a master determinant of adipogenesis and is required for adipose differentiation. We utilized the chromosome conformation capture (3C) assay to determine whether the position of the PPARgamma locus relative to other adipogenic genes is changed during differentiation. We report that the PPARgamma2 promoter is transiently positioned in proximity to the promoters of genes encoding adipokines and lipid droplet associated proteins at 6 hours post-differentiation, a time that precedes expression of any of these genes. In contrast, the PPARgamma2 promoter was not in proximity to the EF1alpha promoter, which drives expression of a constitutively active, housekeeping gene that encodes a translation elongation factor, nor was the PPARgamma2 promoter in proximity to the promoter driving the expression of the C/EBPalpha regulatory protein. The formation of the long-range, intergenic interactions involving the PPARgamma2 promoter required the regulatory factor C/EBPbeta, elevated cyclic AMP (cAMP) levels, and protein kinase A (PKA) signaling. We conclude that genome organization is dynamically remodeled in response to adipogenic signaling, and we speculate that these transient inter-genic interactions may be formed for the purposes of selecting some of the transcriptionally silent tissue-specific loci for subsequent transcriptional activation

Tannase application in secondary enzymatic processing of inferior Tieguanyin oolong tea

Background: Inferior Tieguanyin oolong tea leaves were treated with tannase. The content and bioactivity of catechins in extracts from the treated tea leaves were investigated to assess the improvement in the quality of inferior Tieguanyin oolong tea. Results: Analysis showed that after treatment, the esterified catechin content decreased by 23.5%, whereas non-galloylated catechin and gallic acid contents increased by 15.3% and 182%, respectively. The extracts from tannase-treated tea leaves showed reduced ability to bind to BSA and decreased tea cream levels. The extracts also exhibited increased antioxidant ability to scavenge OH and DPPH radicals, increased ferric reducing power, and decreased inhibitory effects on pancreatic \u3b1-amylase and lipase activities. Conclusions: These results suggested that tannase treatment could improve the quality of inferior Tieguanyin oolong tea leaves

A study on mental health and its influencing factors among police officers during the COVID-19 epidemic in China

BackgroundThe outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic has had a tremendous impact on people’s health and well-being. The crisis also threw into sharp relief the fact that police officers faced an increased risk of developing mental health problems. The main purpose of this study was to explore the effects of work stress and risk perception on the mental health of police officers during the epidemic.MethodsWe conducted a cross-sectional online survey among police officers in Wuhan city, China, and data were collected from 11 March to 12 May 2022. A total of 358 questionnaires were received, of which 302 were considered valid. The questionnaires included demographic information, work stress scale, Symptom Checklist 90 (SCL-90) and epidemic risk perception scale. Descriptive analyses, one-way analysis of variance and linear regression were used to analyze the data.ResultsThe prevalence of mental health problems was 38.74% among the surveyed police officers. The results indicated that the total score of SCL-90 and its subdimensions were positively correlated with work stress and risk perception. Moreover, we found that three factors were relevant to the police’s mental health: age, marital status, and education.ConclusionFront-line police officers tend to show a higher prevalence of symptoms of mental disorders during the COVID-19 pandemic. We found that increased work stress and risk perception may adversely affect police officers’ mental health. Consequently, policy-makers and police organizations should establish an internal mental health problem coping team to improve police officers’ mental health resilience