Intimate Partner Violence Screening Instruments: A Protocol for a COSMIN-Based Systematic Review

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a major public health problem resulting in a significant impediment to equal participation, quality of life, and personal, social, and economic development. At present, a variety of screening instruments for IPV have emerged in developed countries, and some of them have been adapted to the language and culture of different countries, such as Hurt, Insult, Threaten, Scream (HITS) and the Abuse Assessment Screen (AAS). The selection of the most appropriate IPV screening instrument for the target population and context from among those instruments has become difficult for researchers when intending to start screening. Therefore, a systemic review of IPV screening instruments is needed. This protocol describes a COSMIN-based systematic review of the measurement properties of these instruments. The aims of the systematic review are to (1) evaluate the methodological quality of studies on the measurement properties including the validity, reliability, and internal consistency of these IPV screening instruments, and (2) provide suggestions for relevant researchers in their local context for using the IPV screening instruments

Wdr5 is essential for fetal erythropoiesis and hematopoiesis.

WDR5 is a highly conserved protein that performs multiple scaffolding functions in the context of chromatin. However, efforts to understand the function of WDR5 in normal tissues physiologically are quite limited so far. In our study, we explored the function of Wdr5 in erythropoiesis and hematopoiesis by using a hematopoietic-specific Wdr5 knockout mouse model. We found that loss of Wdr5 mediated by Vav-iCre leads to embryonic lethality with defective erythropoiesis. In addition, Wdr5-deficiency completely impairs the hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells function and might alter the immunophenotype of these stem cells and progenitors by decreasing c-Kit expression. Collectively, we identified the pivotal role of Wdr5 in fetal hematopoiesis and erythropoiesis as the de novo findings

An oil-absorbing resin with a simple polymerization system with benzyl methacrylate as a functional monomer

To solve the problem of the low absorbency of oil-absorbing resins, oil-absorbing resins (PAMs) were fabricated in this study by introducing commercially available benzyl methacrylate (BZMA) as a functional monomer copolymerized with stearyl methacrylate (SMA) and butyl acrylate (BA). The internal network structure of the PAMs expanded more easily when absorbing oils or organic solvents after introducing rigid groups of the benzene ring by an uncomplex polymerization process, which provided the oil-absorbing resin with good absorbency. The reagents were all commercially available, and there was no other pretreatment or posttreatment process. Then, the optimum parameters for the monomer feed ratio, water/oil mass ratio, and concentrations of initiator, stabilizer and crosslinker were studied. Simultaneously, the reusability, oil retention and thermal stability of PAMs were investigated in this article. The PAMs swelled in various oils and organic solvents (the values of oil absorbency were 44.52, 56.13, 25.54, 28.21, 32.85, 24.56, 14.17, 15.02 and 29.07 g g−1 for CCl4, CHCl3, CH2Cl2, benzene, toluene, xylene, n-hexane, 0# dieseloil and 93# gasoline, respectively) and displayed good oil absorbency, which met the absorption requirements for common oils or organic solvents

Synthesis of a composite Fe₃O₄@SiO₂/poly(SMA-co-BA-co-BZMA-co-DMC) and evaluation of its oil-water separation performance

To obtain a demulsification material with convenient recovery, high oil-water separation capacity, and excellent reusability, Fe3O4@SiO2 core-shell particles and hydrophilic DMC were introduced into the acrylic ester-based polymer system to prepare a magnetic amphiphilic composite demulsifier, Fe3O4@SiO2/poly(SMA-co-BA-co- BZMA-co-DMC) (Fe3O4@SiO2/PAMCs-P). The molecular structure of Fe3O4@SiO2/PAMCs-P was characterized using FT-IR and XPS, while the morphology was observed using SEM. Additionally, the effects of TEOS, Fe3O4@SiO2 core-shell particles, and DMC dosage on the demulsification performance of the composites were discussed in detail. Fe3O4@SiO2/PAMCs-P exhibited excellent demulsification, oil-water separation, and reusability properties for CTAB-toluene emulsions. Under magnetic field conditions, Fe3O4@SiO2/PAMCs-P achieved saturated separation within 2 h with a separation efficiency of 97.9%. After five consecutive separations, the separation efficiency decreased to 39.1%, but it could be restored to 91.5% of the initial separation efficiency after desorption. These results indicate that Fe3O4@SiO2/PAMCs-P has valuable application potential in emulsified wastewater treatment

Preparation of a composite of polyacrylate and nano-SiO2 particles and evaluation of its performance of oil–water mixture treatment

To acquire a material with simultaneous oil–water emulsion demulsification and oil-absorbing performance, SiO2 nanoparticles were introduced into the acrylate polymerization system to prepare oil absorbent SiO2/P (SMA-co-MMA-co-BA) (PSA-SiO2). PSA-SiO2 was synthesized from monomers and functional materials, including methyl methacrylate (MMA), butyl acrylate (BA), octadecyl methacrylate (SMA) and SiO2 hydrophobically modified by vinyltrimethoxysilane. The molecular structure of PSA-SiO2 was characterized by FT-IR, and its morphology was observed using scanning electron microscopy. In addition, the optimal synthesis conditions for the polymerization system, such as the monomer ratio, the amount of crosslinker and stabilizer and then the particle size and dose of SiO2, were discussed in detail. PSA-SiO2 had a decent oil absorbency for pure halogenated and aromatic hydrocarbons (49.10, 56.41, 47.32, 43.45, 36.22, and 30.14 g/g for CH2Cl2, CHCl3, CCl4, C2Cl4, toluene and styrene, respectively). Furthermore, SiO2, as a functional material, makes composites that possess excellent demulsification properties for oil-in-water emulsions. The oil removal efficiency of CHCl3 in Tween 80-stabilized and CTAB-stabilized emulsions were 94.88% and 98.11%, respectively. All results indicated that PSA-SiO2 had valuable potential for oil removal and emulsion treatment

Xiaoxuming Decoction Regulates Vascular Function by Modulating G Protein-Coupled Receptors: A Molecular Docking Study

Xiaoxuming decoction (XXMD) is a traditional Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) that is used for the treatment of stroke in China. Stroke injury damages the cerebral vasculature and disrupts the autoregulation of vasoconstriction and vasodilatation, which is crucial for maintaining constant cerebral blood flow (CBF). It has been reported that XXMD exerts a positive effect on cerebral circulation in animal models of stroke. However, the mechanisms underlying the regulatory effect of XXMD on vascular tone, and the interactions among the multiple components of XXMD, remain unclear. In this study, XXMD was found to induce relaxation of the basilar artery rings of rats precontracted by 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) in vitro, in a dose-dependent manner. The modulation of vascular tone and the process of cerebral ischemia are mediated via the interactions between G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) and their ligands, including 5-HT, angiotensin II (Ang II), and urotensin II (UII). Thus, the potential synergistic effects of the different components of XXMD on the regulation of vasoconstriction and vasodilation were further investigated by molecular docking based on network pharmacology. We constructed and analyzed a database comprising 963 compounds of XXMD and studied the interactions between five vascular GPCRs (5-HT1A receptor (5-HT1AR), 5-HT1B receptor (5-HT1BR), Ang II type 1 receptor (AT1R), beta 2-adrenergic receptor (β2-AR), and UII receptor (UTR)) and the various herbal constituents of XXMD using molecular docking. By constructing and analyzing the compound-target networks of XXMD, we found that Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma, Ginseng Radix et Rhizoma, and Paeoniae Radix Alba were the three major herbs that contained a large number of compounds with high docking scores. We additionally observed that several constituents of XXMD, including gallotannin, liquiritin apioside, nariutin, 1,2,3,4,6-pentagalloylglucose, folic acid, and ginsenoside Rb1, targeted multiple vascular GPCRs. Moreover, the interactions between the components of XXMD and the targets related to vascular tone constituted the comprehensive cerebrovascular regulatory function of XXMD and provided a material basis of the vasoregulatory function of XXMD. The study reports the contributions of various components of XXMD to the regulatory effects on vascular tone and provides scientific evidence for the multicomponent and multitargeting characteristics of XXMD

<b>Data supporting the findings of Tian et al. (2024) </b><b>Multi-ecosystem services</b><b> differently affected by over-canopy and understory nitrogen additions in a typical subtropical forest</b>. Global Change Biology.

Obtaining a holistic understanding of the impacts of atmospheric nitrogen deposition on multiple ecosystem services of forest is essential for developing comprehensive and sustainable strategies, particularly in heavy N deposition regions such as subtropical China. However, such impacts remain incompletely understood, with most previous studies focus on individual ecosystem function or service via understory N addition experiments. To address this knowledge gap, we quantified the effects of over-canopy and understory N additions on multiple ecosystem services based on a 7-year large-scale field experiment in a typical subtropical forest. Our results showed continued over-canopy N addition with 50 kg ha-1 yr-1 over a period of 4 to 7 years significantly increased plant nutrient retention, but did not affect the services of soil nutrient accumulation, water yield, C sequestration (in plants and soil), or oxygen release. There were trade-offs between the soil and plant on providing the services of nutrient accumulation/retention and C sequestration under over-canopy N addition. However, without uptake and retention of tree canopy, the trade-off between soil and plant were more weaken under the understory N addition with 50 kg ha-1 yr-1 and their relationships were even synergetic under the understory N addition with 25 kg ha-1 yr-1. The results suggest that understory N addition cannot accurately simulate effects of atmospheric N deposition on multiple services, along with mutual relationships. Interestingly, the services of plant N, P retention and C sequestration exhibited a synergetic increase under the over-canopy N addition but a decrease under the understory N addition. Our results also found tree layer plays a primary role in providing plant nutrient retention service and is sensitive to atmospheric N deposition. Further studies are needed to investigate the generalized effects of forest canopy processes on alleviating the threaten of global change factors in different forest ecosystems.</p

新型コロナ禍における国際教育への挑戦

Due to the COVID-19, many countries including Japan have reinforced regulations at the borders. As many international students could not enter Japan due to the COVID-19 pandemic, some universities offered online education services as an alternate. On the other hand, since April 2020, many of international student livening in Japan have not been able to go back to their countries

Triptonide is a reversible non-hormonal male contraceptive agent in mice and non-human primates.

There are no non-hormonal male contraceptives currently on the market despite decades of efforts toward the development of "male pills". Here, we report that triptonide, a natural compound purified from the Chinese herb Tripterygium Wilfordii Hook F displays reversible male contraceptive effects in both mice and monkeys. Single daily oral doses of triptonide induces deformed sperm with minimal or no forward motility (close to 100% penetrance) and consequently male infertility in 3-4 and 5-6 weeks in mice and cynomolgus monkeys, respectively. Male fertility is regained in ~4-6 weeks after cessation of triptonide intake in both species. Either short- or long-term triptonide treatment causes no discernable systematic toxic side effects based on histological examination of vital organs in mice and hematological and serum biochemical analyses in monkeys. Triptonide appears to target junction plakoglobin and disrupts its interactions with SPEM1 during spermiogenesis. Our data further prove that targeting late spermiogenesis represents an effective strategy for developing non-hormonal male contraceptives