Parenting styles as a moderator of the association between pubertal timing and chinese adolescents’ drinking behavior

Background: Pubertal timing refers to the timing of an individual regarding pubertal sexual maturation, both physiologically and psychologically. Existing research shows that pubertal timing is associated with behavioral problems. This study investigated the role of parenting style in the relationship between pubertal timing and Chinese adolescents’ smoking behavior. Methods: The study examined the association of pubertal timing, parenting style and adolescents’ smoking behavior, using the Pubertal Development Scale (Chinese version), Simplified Parenting Style Scale-Chinese version, and three items related to adolescents’ smoking situation. Participants were 1391 Chinese adolescents aged 11–16 years old (53.41% boys). Hierarchical linear regression analyses assessed the moderating role of parenting style on the association between pubertal timing and adolescent smoking behavior. Results: The results indicated that parenting style moderates the relationship between pubertal timing and adolescent smoking behavior. For male adolescents, father rejection moderated the relationship between early pubertal timing and smoking behavior. For female adolescents, father rejection, father emotional warmth, and mother emotional warmth moderated the relationship between pubertal timing and smoking behavior. Conclusions: Findings from the study highlight the importance of parenting style, which may influence the negative outcomes associated with early pubertal timing and can help improve interventions aimed at reducing these negative outcomes

BMP4 inhibits myogenic differentiation of bone marrow–derived mesenchymal stromal cells in mdx mice

AbstractBackground aimsBone marrow–derived mesenchymal stromal cells (BMSCs) are a promising therapeutic option for treating Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). Myogenic differentiation occurs in the skeletal muscle of the mdx mouse (a mouse model of DMD) after BMSC transplantation. The transcription factor bone morphogenic protein 4 (BMP4) plays a crucial role in growth regulation, differentiation and survival of many cell types, including BMSCs. We treated BMSCs with BMP4 or the BMP antagonist noggin to examine the effects of BMP signaling on the myogenic potential of BMSCs in mdx mice.MethodsWe added BMP4 or noggin to cultured BMSCs under myogenic differentiation conditions. We then injected BMP4- or noggin-treated BMSCs into the muscles of mdx mice to determine their myogenic potential.ResultsWe found that the expression levels of desmin and myosin heavy chain decreased after treating BMSCs with BMP4, whereas the expression levels of phosphorylated Smad, a downstream target of BMP4, were higher in these BMSCs than in the controls. Mdx mouse muscles injected with BMSCs pretreated with BMP4 showed decreased dystrophin expression and increased phosphorylated Smad levels compared with muscles injected with non-treated BMSCs. The opposite effects were seen after pretreatment with noggin, as expected.ConclusionsOur results identified BMP/Smad signaling as an essential negative regulator of promyogenic BMSC activity; inhibition of this pathway improved the efficiency of BMSC myogenic differentiation, which suggests that this pathway might serve as a target to regulate BMSC function for better myogenic differentiation during treatment of DMD and degenerative skeletal muscle diseases

Perceptions toward antiretroviral therapy and delayed ART initiation among people living with HIV in Changsha, China: mediating effects of treatment willingness

IntroductionDelayed antiretroviral therapy (ART) initiation is associated with poor HIV outcomes and a higher likelihood of HIV transmission.MethodsThis cross-sectional study assessed the proportion of delayed ART initiation which was defined as initiating ART after 30 days of HIV diagnosis, and evaluated the pathways influencing ART initiation among adult PLWH in Changsha, China who were diagnosed between 2014 and 2022.ResultsOf 518 participants, 37.8% delayed in initiating ART. Based on the theory of reasoned action (TRA), delayed initiation was indirectly associated with perceptions toward ART through the mediating pathway of patients’ treatment willingness, with treatment willingness significantly being the full mediator.DiscussionThe findings may guide the development of interventions to improve timely uptake of ART in people who are newly diagnosed with HIV

Metabolic health phenotype better predicts subclinical atherosclerosis than body mass index-based obesity phenotype in the non-alcoholic fatty liver disease population

BackgroundNon-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), especially lean NAFLD is associated with an increased risk of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (CVD). It is not currently known which clinical phenotypes of NAFLD contribute most to individual subclinical atherosclerosis risk. We examined the relationship between body mass index (BMI), the metabolically healthy status, and subclinical atherosclerosis in the NAFLD population.MethodsData from asymptomatic NAFLD subjects who participated in a routine health check-up examination were collected. Participants were stratified by BMI (cutoff values: 24.0–27.9 kg/m2 for overweight and ≥28.0 kg/m2 for obesity) and metabolic status, which was defined by Adult Treatment Panel III criteria. Subclinical atherosclerosis was evaluated by brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV) in 27,738 participants and by carotid plaque in 14,323 participants.ResultsWithin each BMI strata, metabolically unhealthy subjects had a significantly higher prevalence of subclinical atherosclerosis than metabolically healthy subjects, whereas fewer differences were observed across subjects within the same metabolic category. When BMI and metabolic status were assessed together, a metabolically unhealthy status was the main contributor to the association of clinical phenotypes with the subclinical atherosclerosis burden (all p < 0.001). When BMI and metabolic abnormalities were assessed separately, the incidence of subclinical disease did not increase across BMI categories; however, it increased with an increase in the number of metabolic abnormalities (0, 1, 2 and ≥3).ConclusionA metabolically healthy status in NAFLD patients was closely correlated with subclinical atherosclerosis, beyond that of the BMI-based obesity phenotype. The application of metabolic phenotyping strategies could enable more precise classification in evaluating cardiovascular risk in NAFLD

Serum Creatinine Level: A Supplemental Index to Distinguish Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy from Becker Muscular Dystrophy

Background. To improve assessment of dystrophinopathy, the aim of this study was to identify whether serum creatinine (Crn) level reflects disease severity. Methods. Biochemical, Vignos score, and genetic data were collected on 212 boys with dystrophinopathy. Results. Serum Crn level had a strong inverse correlation with Vignos score by simple correlation ( = −0.793) and partial correlation analysis after adjustment for age, height, and weight ( = −0.791; both < 0.01). Serum Crn level was significantly higher in patients with in-frame than out-of-frame mutations ( = −4.716, < 0.01) and in Becker muscular dystrophy (BMD) patients than Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) patients at ages 4, 5, 7, and 9 yr (all < 0.0125). After adjusting for age, height, and weight, BMD patients still had a significantly higher serum Crn level than DMD patients ( = 7.140, = 6.277, < 0.01). Conclusions. Serum Crn level reflected disease severity and may serve as a supplemental index to distinguish DMD from BMD in clinical practice

OsTIR1 and OsAFB2 Downregulation via OsmiR393 Overexpression Leads to More Tillers, Early Flowering and Less Tolerance to Salt and Drought in Rice

The microRNA miR393 has been shown to play a role in plant development and in the stress response by targeting mRNAs that code for the auxin receptors in Arabidopsis. In this study, we verified that two rice auxin receptor gene homologs (OsTIR1 and OsAFB2) could be targeted by OsmiR393 (Os for Oryza sativa). Two new phenotypes (increased tillers and early flowering) and two previously observed phenotypes (reduced tolerance to salt and drought and hyposensitivity to auxin) were observed in the OsmiR393-overexpressing rice plants. The OsmiR393-overexpressing rice demonstrated hyposensitivity to synthetic auxin-analog treatments. These data indicated that the phenotypes of OsmiR393-overexpressing rice may be caused through hyposensitivity to the auxin signal by reduced expression of two auxin receptor genes (OsTIR1 and OsAFB2). The expression of an auxin transporter (OsAUX1) and a tillering inhibitor (OsTB1) were downregulated by overexpression of OsmiR393, which suggested that a gene chain from OsmiR393 to rice tillering may be from OsTIR1 and OsAFB2 to OsAUX1, which affected the transportation of auxin, then to OsTB1, which finally controlled tillering. The positive phenotypes (increased tillers and early flowering) and negative phenotypes (reduced tolerance to salt and hyposensitivity to auxin) of OsmiR393-overexpressing rice present a dilemma for molecular breeding

Arabidopsis CPR5 Independently Regulates Seed Germination and Postgermination Arrest of Development through LOX Pathway and ABA Signaling

The phytohormone abscisic acid (ABA) and the lipoxygenases (LOXs) pathway play important roles in seed germination and seedling growth and development. Here, we reported on the functional characterization of Arabidopsis CPR5 in the ABA signaling and LOX pathways. The cpr5 mutant was hypersensitive to ABA in the seed germination, cotyledon greening and root growth, whereas transgenic plants overexpressing CPR5 were insensitive. Genetic analysis demonstrated that CPR5 gene may be located downstream of the ABI1 in the ABA signaling pathway. However, the cpr5 mutant showed an ABA independent drought-resistant phenotype. It was also found that the cpr5 mutant was hypersensitive to NDGA and NDGA treatment aggravated the ABA-induced delay in the seed germination and cotyledon greening. Taken together, these results suggest that the CPR5 plays a regulatory role in the regulation of seed germination and early seedling growth through ABA and LOX pathways independently