Hierarchical chirality transfer in the growth of towel gourd tendrils

Chirality plays a significant role in the physical properties and biological functions of many biological materials, e.g., climbing tendrils and twisted leaves, which exhibit chiral growth. However, the mechanisms underlying the chiral growth of biologic

Substance Use and Psychosocial Status among People Living with HIV/AIDS Who Encountered HIV Stigma in China: Stratified Analyses by Socio-Economic Status

This study examined whether the impact of HIV stigma on psychosocial status and substance use among people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) differed by their socio-economic status (SES) in a Chinese setting. A total of 2,987 PLWHA were recruited from 12 sites with the highest number of cumulative HIV incidence in Guangxi, China. Participants were asked to provide information regarding their psychosocial status (e.g., depression, anxiety), history of substance use (e.g., tobacco, alcohol and drug) and SES (e.g., education, monthly income, residence type, and job category). By employing stratified multivariate regression analyses, we assessed stratum-specific impacts of HIV stigma on PLWHA’s psychosocial status and behaviors of substance use based upon participants’ SES. The impact of HIV stigma differed significantly on psychosocial status across SES gradients. Psychosocial status among people with higher education was more sensitive to HIV stigma compared with PLWHA who were less educated. The odds of substance use behaviors were higher among people with better monthly income than their low-income peers. Our study is the first paper to document the paucity of SES stratified analyses between HIV stigma and psychosocial status and substance use among PLWHA in China. We call for tailored intervention programs to target PLWHA with different backgrounds and characteristics in order to help them to better manage their seropositivity

Stigma Against People Living With HIV/Aids in China: Does the Route of Infection Matter?

In the current study, we tested the hypothesis that people who contracted HIV from “blameless” routes (e.g., blood transfusion, sex with stable partners) are less stigmatized compared to people who contracted HIV from “blamable” routes (e.g., injection drug use, sex with sex workers). A cross-sectional study was conducted among 2,987 participants in Guangxi province, China, between 2012 and 2013. We employed both explanatory and predictive modeling strategy by using multivariate linear regression models. In the explanatory models, we assessed the association between routes of infection and three types of stigma (perceived, internalized, and enacted). From identified routes of infection that significantly contributed to higher stigma, we employed predictive modeling to explore predictors for the specific type of stigma. Multiple-imputation was employed for sensitivity analyses. Of the total sample, 63% were male and the average age was 42.9 years (ranged between 18 and 88). Multivariate regression models revealed that contraction from commercial sex increased the perceived (β = 0.46, 95%CI = 0.02, 0.90) and internalized stigma (β = 0.60, 95%CI = 0.09, 1.10), while injecting drug use increased the perceived (β = 0.65, 95%CI = 0.07, 1.22) and enacted stigma (β = 0.09, 95%CI = 0.02, 0.16) after controlling for confounders. Among PLWHA who were infected via commercial sex partners, social support was negatively associated with perceived (β = -0.47, 95%CI = -0.79, -0.14) and internalized stigma (β = -0.80, 95%CI = -1.24, -0.35). Among PLWHA who were infected via injecting drugs, no adherence to antiretroviral treatment (β = 0.41, 95%CI = 0.01, 0.82) was positively associated with perceived stigma, and disclosure of serostatus to others was negatively associated with enacted stigma (β = -0.20, 95%CI = -0.34, -0.05). Knowledge of the association between routes of infection and stigma can guide health professionals and policy makers to develop tailored intervention strategies to mitigate the effects of stigma and enhance HIV care utilization among PLWHA in China

Breast cancer stage at diagnosis and area-based socioeconomic status: a multicenter 10-year retrospective clinical epidemiological study in China

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Although socioeconomic status (SES) has been focused on as a key determinant of cancer stage at diagosis in western countries, there has been no systemic study on the relationship of SES and breast cancer stage at diagnosis in China.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The medical charts of 4,211 eligible breast cancer patients from 7 areas across China who were diagnosed between 1999 and 2008 were reviewed. Four area-based socioeconomic indicators were used to calculate area-based SES by cluster analysis. The associations between area-based SES and stage at diagnosis were analyzed by trend chi-square tests. Binary logistic regression was performed to estimate odds ratios for individual demographic characteristics' effects on cancer stages, stratified by area-based SES.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The individual demographic and pathologic characteristics of breast cancer cases were significantly different among the seven areas studied. More breast cancer cases in low SES areas (25.5%) were diagnosed later (stages III & IV) than those in high (20.4%) or highest (14.8%) SES areas (<it>χ</it>²for trend = 80.79, <it>P </it>< 0.001). When area-based SES is controlled for, in high SES areas, cases with less education were more likely to be diagnosed at later stages compared with more educated cases. In low SES areas, working women appeared to be diagnosed at earlier breast cancer stages than were homemakers (OR: 0.18-0.26).</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>In China, women in low SES areas are more likely to be diagnosed at later breast cancer stages than those in high SES areas.</p

Danggui-Shaoyao-San Improves Learning and Memory in Female SAMP8 via Modulation of Estradiol

Previous studies showed that Danggui-Shaoyao-San (DSS), a traditional Chinese medicinal prescription, could alleviate cognitive dysfunction of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) patients. However, the mechanisms remain unclear; we have now examined the effect of DSS on SAMP8 and elucidated the possible mechanism. Animals were treated with DSS for 2 months, and step-down test and Morris water maze (MWM) test were used to evaluated cognitive abilities. The estradiol (E2), NO, and glycine in blood plasma or in hippocampus were detected to explore the possible mechanisms. The latency of SAMP8 in step-down test was shorter than that of age-matched SAMR1, and DSS increased the latency especially in female animals. In MWM test, we got similar results; SAMP8 spent more time to find the platform, and DSS decreased the time before finding the platform, with little effect on swim velocity, during the training sessions. During test session, DSS increased the time spent in target quadrant especially in female SAMP8. In female SAMP8, plasma E2, NO, and glycine were elevated in plasma or hippocampus tissue. In conclusion, DSS could ameliorate deterioration of cognition in SAMP8, especially in female animals. Increasing E2, NO, and glycine might contribute to the cognitive improvement effect of DSS in female SAMP8

The Hidden Nematic Fluctuations in the Triclinic (Ca0.85La0.15)10(Pt3As8)(Fe2As2)5 Superconductor Revealed by Ultrafast Optical Spectroscopy

We reported the quasiparticle relaxation dynamics of an optimally doped triclinic iron-based superconductor (Ca$_{0.85}$La$_{0.15}$)$_{10}$(Pt$_3$As$_8$)(Fe$_2$As$_2$)$_5$ with bulk $T_c$ = 30 K using polarized ultrafast optical pump-probe spectroscopy. Our results reveal anisotropic transient reflectivity induced by nematic fluctuations develops below $T_{nem}$ $\approx$ 120 K and persists in the superconducting states. Measurements under high pump fluence reveal three distinct, coherent phonon modes at frequencies of 1.6, 3.5, and 4.7 THz, corresponding to $A_{1g}(1)$, $E_g$, and $A_{1g}(2)$ modes, respectively. The high-frequency $A_{1g}(2)$ mode corresponds to the $c$-axis polarized vibrations of FeAs planes with a nominal electron-phonon coupling constant $\lambda _{A_{1g}(2)}$ $\approx$ 0.139 $\pm$ 0.02. Our findings suggest that the superconductivity and nematic state are compatible but competitive at low temperatures, and the $A_{1g}$ phonons play an important role in the formation of Cooper pairs in (Ca$_{0.85}$La$_{0.15}$)$_{10}$(Pt$_3$As$_8$)(Fe$_2$As$_2$)$_5$.Comment: 6 pages, 3 figures and Supplemental Material