Correlation of lifestyle behaviors during pregnancy with postpartum depression status of puerpera in the rural areas of South China

BackgroundPostpartum depression (PPD) is among the most common postpartum complications. Its prevalence is associated with strong regional variability. Women in rural areas of China have a high risk of PPD. The aim of this study was to investigate the PPD status of women in rural South China and explore the effects of modifiable lifestyle behaviors during pregnancy on their PPD status, thereby providing a scientific basis for the prevention and intervention of PPD in rural China.MethodsA cohort study was conducted on 261 women from four maternal health institutions situated in rural areas of Guangdong Province and the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region from October 2021 to December 2022. The questionnaires were administered to these women to obtain data about sociodemographic characteristics, health literacy, physical activity during pregnancy, and sleep and dietary status during pregnancy, as well as depression status on the 42nd day after delivery. The lifestyle behaviors during pregnancy and the PPD status of the study population were analyzed. Multiple linear regression models were used to determine the correlation between lifestyle behaviors and PPD status. Path analysis was performed to explore the interaction between various lifestyle behaviors.ResultsA total of 14.6% of women had a PPD status. Women who continued to work during pregnancy had an Edinburgh Postpartum Depression Scale (EPDS) score of 1.386 points higher than that of women who did not (В = 1.386, β = 0.141, p = 0.029). For every 1-point increase in the infant feeding-related knowledge score and pregnancy diet diversity score, the EPDS score decreased by 0.188 and 0.484 points, respectively, and for every 1-point increase in the Pittsburgh sleep quality index score, the EPDS score increased by 0.288 points. Age was related to infant feeding-related knowledge (indirect path coefficient = 0.023). During pregnancy, sedentary time was correlated with sleep quality (indirect path coefficient = 0.031) and employment status (indirect path coefficient = 0.043).ConclusionEmployment status, infant feeding-related knowledge, sleep quality, and diet diversity during pregnancy directly influenced the PPD status, while age and sedentary time during pregnancy indirectly influenced the PPD status. Promoting healthy lifestyle behaviors, including reducing sedentary time, improving sleep quality, and increasing dietary diversity, may be effective in reducing PPD occurrence

Randomized, Double-Blinded, Double-Dummy, Active-Controlled, and Multiple-Dose Clinical Study Comparing the Efficacy and Safety of Mulberry Twig (Ramulus Mori, Sangzhi) Alkaloid Tablet and Acarbose in Individuals with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

Aims. To evaluate the efficacy and safety of mulberry twig alkaloid (SZ-A) tablet compared with acarbose in patients with type 2 diabetes. Methods. This clinical trial enrolled 38 patients who were randomized into two groups (SZ-A: 23; acarbose: 15) and were treated for 24 weeks. Patients and clinical trial staffs were masked to treatment assignment throughout the study. The primary outcome measures were glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) and 1-hour and 2-hour postprandial and fasting plasma glucose levels from baseline to the end of treatment. Analysis included all patients who completed this study. Results. By the end of this study, HbA1c level in SZ-A group was decreased from baseline significantly (P<0.001). No significant difference was found when compared with acarbose group (P=0.652). Similarly, 1-hour and 2-hour postprandial plasma glucose levels in SZ-A group were decreased from baseline statistically (P<0.05), without any significant differences compared with acarbose group (P=0.748 and 0.558, resp.). The fasting plasma glucose levels were not significantly changed in both groups. One of 23 patients in SZ-A group (4.76%) and 5 of 15 patients in acarbose group (33.33%) suffered from gastrointestinal adverse events. Conclusions. Compared with acarbose, SZ-A tablet was effective and safe in glycemic control in patients with type 2 diabetes

An RNA-Binding Complex Involved in Ribosome Biogenesis Contains a Protein with Homology to tRNA CCA-Adding Enzyme

<div><p>A multitude of proteins and small nucleolar RNAs transiently associate with eukaryotic ribosomal RNAs to direct their modification and processing and the assembly of ribosomal proteins. Utp22 and Rrp7, two interacting proteins with no recognizable domain, are components of the 90S preribosome or the small subunit processome that conducts early processing of 18S rRNA. Here, we determine the cocrystal structure of Utp22 and Rrp7 complex at 1.97 Å resolution and the NMR structure of a C-terminal fragment of Rrp7, which is not visible in the crystal structure. The structure reveals that Utp22 surprisingly resembles a dimeric class I tRNA CCA-adding enzyme yet with degenerate active sites, raising an interesting evolutionary connection between tRNA and rRNA processing machineries. Rrp7 binds extensively to Utp22 using a deviant RNA recognition motif and an extended linker. Functional sites on the two proteins were identified by structure-based mutagenesis in yeast. We show that Rrp7 contains a flexible RNA-binding C-terminal tail that is essential for association with preribosomes. RNA–protein crosslinking shows that Rrp7 binds at the central domain of 18S rRNA and shares a neighborhood with two processing H/ACA snoRNAs snR30 and snR10. Depletion of snR30 prevents the stable assembly of Rrp7 into preribosomes. Our results provide insight into the evolutionary origin and functional context of Utp22 and Rrp7.</p></div

Association of handgrip strength and walking pace with incident Parkinson's disease

Abstract Background We aimed to quantify the association of handgrip strength and self‐reported walking pace with incident Parkinson's disease (PD) in the general population. Methods A total of 419 572 participants (54.1% females, mean age: 56.1 years [SD, 8.2]) without prior PD were included from UK Biobank. Handgrip strength was assessed by dynamometer. Walking pace was self‐reported as slow, average or brisk. The study outcome was incident PD, determined by self‐report data, hospital admission records or death records. Results The mean handgrip strength was 23.5 (SD, 6.3) and 39.6 (SD, 8.9) kg for females and males, respectively. A total of 33 645 (8.0%), 221 682 (52.8%) and 164 245 (39.2%) participants reported slow, average and brisk walking pace, respectively. Over a median follow‐up duration of 12.5 years, 2152 participants developed incident PD. When handgrip strength was assessed as sex‐specific tertiles, compared with those in the third tertile, the adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) (95% confidence interval [CI]) of incident PD for participants in the second and first tertiles were 1.23 (1.09–1.39) and 1.60 (1.42–1.79), respectively. Compared with brisk walking pace, average (HR, 1.33; 95% CI: 1.20–1.47) or slow (HR, 1.84; 95% CI: 1.57–2.15) walking pace was associated with a higher risk of incident PD. A lower grip strength (Tertiles 1 and 2) and an average/slow walking pace accounted for 23.8% and 19.9% of PD cases, respectively. When handgrip strength and walking pace were considered together, the highest risk of incident PD was observed in participants with both lowest handgrip strength and slow walking pace (HR, 2.89; 95% CI: 2.30–3.64). Genetic risks of PD did not significantly modify the relation of handgrip strength (P for interaction = 0.371) or walking pace (P for interaction = 0.082) with new‐onset PD. Conclusions Low handgrip strength and slow walking pace were significantly associated with a higher risk of incident PD, regardless of the individuals' genetic risk profile

snR30 is required for the stable association of Rrp7 to preribosome.

<p>(A) Depletion of Rrp7–HTP in yeast <i>GAL::RRP7–HTP</i> after shift to glucose medium. Rrp7–HTP was detected by Western blotting using PAP. Equal amounts of total protein were loaded. (B–C) Sedimentation behavior of snR30 in the presence (B) and absence (C) of Rrp7. Extracts of <i>GAL::RRP7–HTP</i> cells grown in galactose (Gal) or glucose (Glu) medium for 16 h were fractionated on 7%–50% sucrose gradients. The distributions of snR30, snR10, and U3 were analyzed by Northern blotting. The polyribosome profiles are displayed. (D) Depletion of snR30 in yeast <i>GAL::SNR30</i>/<i>RRP7–HTP</i> after shift to glucose medium. snR30 was detected by Northern blotting. Equal amounts of total RNA (1 µg) were loaded. (E–F) Sedimentation behavior of Rrp7 in the presence (E) and absence (F) of snR30. Extracts of <i>GAL::SNR30/RRP7–HTP</i> cells grown in galactose or glucose medium for 14 h were fractionated on 7%–50% sucrose gradients. The distributions of Rrp7, snR10, and U3 were analyzed. (G) Schematic structure and cleavage sites of 35S pre-rRNA. (H) Association of Rrp7 with preribosomes. Yeast cells <i>BY4741</i>, <i>RRP7–HTP</i>, and <i>GAL::SNR30/RRP7–HTP</i> were grown in galactose or glucose medium for 14 h. Total cell lysates (TCLs) and immunoprecipitations (IP) of IgG Sepharose were analyzed by Western blotting to detect Rrp7–HTP and by Northern blotting to detect copurifed U3 snoRNA and pre-rRNAs. A probe D-A2 that hybridizes to a region between sites D and A2 was used to detect 35S, 23S, and 20S pre-rRNAs. The minor fast-migrating band of Rrp7–HTP marked by asterisk might be degradation or modification products and its identity was not studied.</p

Residential green and blue spaces with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease incidence: Mediating effect of air pollutants

Background: This study aimed to investigate the relationship of residential green and blue spaces with incident nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), and explore the potential mediation effects of air pollutants and modification effect of genetic susceptibility. Methods: 411,200 UK Biobank participants without prior liver diseases were included. Land use data were used to estimate residential green and blue spaces (land coverage percentage) at 300 m and 1000 m buffer. The study outcome was incident NAFLD, ascertained through linkage to hospital admissions and death registry records. Results: 5198 NAFLD cases were documented after a median follow-up of 12.5 years. Green and blue spaces were inversely associated with the hazard of NAFLD: per standard deviation (SD) increment of green space coverage at 300 m (SD: 14.5 %; HR, 0.88, 95 %CI, 0.86–0.91) and 1000 m (SD: 14.1 %; HR, 0.88, 95 %CI, 0.86–0.91) buffer, and blue space coverage at 300 m (SD: 1.0 %; HR,0.95, 95 %CI, 0.93–0.98) and 1000 m (SD: 1.2 %; HR,0.96, 95 %CI, 0.93–0.99) buffer were related with a 4–12 % reduction of NAFLD incidence. The beneficial effects of approximately 25–52 % of green space exposure and about 5–35 % of blue space exposure on NAFLD incidence were mediated by the reduction of PM2.5, NO2 and NOx (All P indirect effect <0.05). Moreover, genetic susceptibility of NAFLD did not modify the relationship of green and blue spaces with NAFLD incidence. Conclusion: Residential green and blue spaces were inversely related to NAFLD incidence. These results suggest that green and blue spaces are modifiable factors that may help prevent NAFLD, and therefore, can be considered as a novel environmental strategy to promote liver health at the community level, rather than only at the individual level

RNA crosslinking sites of Rrp7.

<p>(A) Autoradiogram of RNA-crosslinked Rrp7–HTP. Crosslinked RNAs were trimmed with 0.01 or 0.1 U of RNase A/T1 and 5′ ³²P-labeled. Ni bead eluates were resolved in SDS-PAGE gels and transferred to nitrocellulose membranes, which were then exposed to X-ray films for 2 h. The positions of protein markers are indicated. (B) Pre-rRNA crosslinking sites of Rrp7. Two million reads were aligned to the yeast genome. The number of hits covering each nucleotide of RND37-1 (one of two sequenced rDNA repeats) is plotted. The structure of 35S pre-rRNA is plotted at the bottom. A common contaminant from the 3′-end of 25S is marked with an asterisk. (C) Secondary structure of the central domain of 18S rRNA. Rrp7 crosslinking sites are shaded in green, two snR30-binding sites (rm1 and rm2) are shaded in orange, and binding regions of S13, S14, and S27 are shaded in light blue. Helix numbers and extension segments are labeled. The long-range interaction between ES6E and ES3 is displayed. (D) A model of the interaction between 18S ES6 and snR30. Rrp7 crosslinking sites are marked. (E) Location of Rrp7 crosslinking sites in the yeast 40S ribosome structure (PDB codes 3U5B, 3U5C). 18S RNA is shown in yellow except that ES6 is shown in magenta. Crosslinking sites of Rrp7 are shown in green. S27 is shown in blue, S13 and S14 in cyan, and other ribosomal proteins in grey. Major features of the ribosome and the 5′ and 3′ end of 18S rRNA are labeled. (F) Pie chart of snoRNA reads. The top 10 hits are labeled. (G) An interaction network involving Rrp7, snR30, and snR10. Functional interactions are shown as dashed lines and physical interactions as solid lines. Interactions established in this study are colored in red.</p

Interactions between Utp22 and Rrp7.

<p>(A–B) The binding interface shown in two opposite orientations. Rrp7 is represented as a surface and Utp22 as a ribbon in (A). Utp22 is represented as a surface and Rrp7 as a ribbon in (B). The surfaces are colored in orange for >97% conserved residues and in yellow for 97–80% conserved residues. (C–D) Details of the interaction. Two close-up views corresponding to two boxed areas in (B). Residues involved in intermolecular interactions are shown as sticks. Hydrogen bonds are shown as dashed lines. (E) Two-hybrid interaction between Utp22 and Rrp7. Utp22 was fused to GAL4 DNA-binding domain (BD) as bait, and Rrp7 and its mutants were fused to the GAL4 activation domain (AD) as prey. Ten-fold serial dilutions of AH109 cells containing bait and prey vectors were spotted onto plates containing SC medium lacking Leu and Trp as a growth control, and onto plates containing SC medium lacking Leu, Trp, and His and containing 5 mM 3-amino-1,2,4-triazole (3AT) and onto plates containing SC medium lacking Leu, Trp, His, and Ade to assess protein interaction with increasing stringency. (F) Yeast growth assay of <i>rrp7</i> mutants. The <i>rrp7Δ</i> strain, complemented by a <i>URA3 RRP7</i> plasmid, was transformed with <i>LEU2</i> plasmids containing wild-type (WT) <i>RRP7</i>, no <i>RRP7</i> (Vector), or the indicated <i>rrp7</i> mutations. Ten-fold serial dilutions of the transformants were spotted onto plates containing SC medium or SC with 5-fluoroorotic acid (5-FOA) to counterselect for the <i>URA3 RRP7</i> plasmid and grown at 37°C, 30°C, or 20°C. (G) Sedimentation behavior of Rrp7 in sucrose gradients. Extracts of <i>RRP7-HTP</i> cells overexpressing FLAG-tagged Rrp7 or mutants Δ190–297, Δ1–89, or Δ1–156 from a 2 µ plasmid were fractionated on 7%–50% sucrose gradients and analyzed by SDS-PAGE and Western blotting with peroxidase anti-peroxidase (PAP) and anti-FLAG antibody. (H) EMSA of snR5. 5′-³²P-labeled snR5 was bound with 0, 100, 150, 200, 300, 400, 600, and 1,000 nM of indicated proteins. Rrp7 189–297 contains a His₆–SMT3 tag and other proteins have a short His₆-tag or not.</p

Functional sites of Utp22.

<p>(A) Conserved residues on Utp22/Rrp7 surface. Residues that are at least 97% and 80% conserved are colored orange and yellow, respectively. Three boxed regions are zoomed out and shown with semitransparent surface. Residues analyzed by mutagenesis are labeled with blue letters. (B) Yeast growth assay of <i>utp22</i> mutants. The <i>utp22Δ</i> strain, complemented by a <i>UTP22 URA3</i> plasmid, was transformed with <i>LEU2</i> plasmids containing wild-type (WT) <i>UTP22</i>, no <i>UTP22</i> (vector), or the indicated <i>utp22</i> mutations. ΔD4 is deletion of residues 630–667. Ten-fold dilutions of the transformants were spotted on plates containing SC medium or SC with 5-FOA to counterselect for the <i>UTP22 URA3</i> plasmid and grown at 37°C, 30°C, or 20°C.</p