A reasonably intelligent response to glucose concentration fluctuations is crucial for developing a self-regulated insulin delivery system. Inspired by the relationship between the higher ordered structures of proteins and their versatile functions, the introduction of polypeptides capable of mimicking different secondary structures into the delivery system will be anticipated for adjusting glucose concentration sensitivity. Herein, this work presents the impact of different secondary structural architectures of polypeptide blocks on the stability of glucose-responsive complex nanoparticles (CNPs) in the normal physiological environment and their response to the stimuli of normoglycemic and hyperglycemic conditions in vitro. Results from the conformational investigations of the CNPs carried out using circular dichroism and insulin release under the different stimuli suggested that the stability and glucose sensitivity of the CNPs are closely related to the secondary structure composition of the polypeptide blocks. The CNPs with a dominant α-helix structure exhibit a promising potential to improve normal glycemic control and to reduce the incidences of hyperglycemia and hypoglycemia both in vitro and in vivo.

Serum paraoxonase (PON1) is an esterase that is involved in the detoxification of organophosphate insecticides. Emerging lines of evidence have shown that functional polymorphisms in the PON1 gene might play a critical role in increasing susceptibility to organophosphate toxicity, but individually published studies showed inconclusive results. This meta-analysis aimed to derive a more precise estimation of the associations between the PON1 polymorphisms and organophosphate toxicity risk. Nine case-control studies were assessed with a total 1,042 patients with organophosphate toxicity and 1014 healthy controls. The meta-analysis results showed that the PON1 192Q and 55L polymorphisms may increase the risk of organophosphate toxicity. Further subgroup analyses by ethnicity showed significant associations of the PON1 192Q and 55L polymorphisms with increased risk of organophosphate toxicity among the Caucasian populations. However, similar associations were not observed among the Asian populations. In conclusion, the current meta-analysis indicates that the PON1 192Q and 55LM polymorphisms may increase the risk of organophosphate toxicity, especially among the Caucasian populations.

graphs and OCT images for grading and the limited number of participants. Epidemiological studies in old age often have problems with a low participation rate. While the age distribution was representative, there could be a bias towards more healthy and mobile persons.

No abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic had triggered a serious crisis that had brought stress and challenges to primary school principals, as well as having a dramatic impact on their mental health. This study explored the relationship between cognitive fusion and depression among primary school principals during COVID-19, as well as the mediating role of psychological vulnerability and the moderation role of self-esteem in this process. Patients and Methods: Cognitive Fusion Questionnaire (CFQ), Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CES-D), psychological vulnerability scale, and self-esteem scale were used to measure 279 rural primary school principals. The data were analyzed by adopting Pearson's correlations and moderated mediation analysis. Results:The results revealed that: (1) There were significant relationships among cognitive fusion, depression, psychological vulnerability and self-esteem. (2) The results showed that psychological vulnerability mediated the link between cognitive fusion and depression. (3) Self-esteem moderated the associations between cognitive fusion and depression, and also moderated the associations between cognitive fusion and psychological vulnerability. The relationship between cognitive fusion and depression was weaker for primary school principals with high levels of self-esteem. In contrast, the relationship between cognitive fusion and psychological vulnerability was stronger for primary school principals with low levels of self-esteem. Conclusion: Psychological vulnerability played a mediating role in the relationship between cognitive fusion and depression. Moreover, self-esteem moderated the effect of cognitive fusion on depression, and also the effect of cognitive fusion on psychological vulnerability.