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Background: Given both the large volume and manifold preferences of patients with depression, the availability of various effective treatments is important. Psychodynamic psychotherapy (PDT) has received less research in comparison to cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) for major depressive disorder (MDD). This study aimed to establish whether short-term psychodynamic supportive psychotherapy (SPSP) is non-inferior to CBT in the treatment of MDD.

Methods: A non-inferiority trial was conducted in a Dutch mental health setting, with 290 patients randomised to receive 16 sessions of either CBT or SPSP, over eight weeks. Primary outcome was depressive symptom severity assessed using the self-rated Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology (IDS-SR). The non-inferiority margin was prespecified as a - 5 post-treatment difference on the IDS-SR. Secondary outcome measures were functional impairment caused by symptoms assessed using the Sheehan disability scale (SDS), and wellbeing measured by the Mental Health Continuum-Short Form (MHC-SF).

Results: Both intention-to-treat (baseline-adjusted mean difference 1.62, 95 % CI -1.82 to 5.05) and per-protocol analyses (mean difference 2.54; 95 % CI -0.63 to 5.72) showed SPSP to be non-inferior to CBT in reducing depressive symptoms. SPSP showed slightly but significantly higher remission rates and wellbeing scores.

Limitations: Patients opting for other therapies or medication did not take part in the trial. Follow-up measures or clinician-rated questionnaires were not included.

Conclusions: The findings support SPSP as a viable treatment option for MDD, expanding the available choices for patients and broadening treatment options.

Introduction: Research suggests that comorbid depression and PTSD may contribute to cognitive impairment. However, few studies have explored this dynamic in military personnel who report only subclinical symptoms of PTSD and depression.

Methods: Army National Guard Soldiers (ARNG; N = 1415) completed the Automated Neuropsychological Assessment Metrics (ANAM), the PTSD Checklist (PCL), and the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CES-D). The effects of PTSD and depression symptoms on ANAM performance were examined using multiple linear regression analyses. Exploratory factor analysis and regression models examined the relationship between symptom clusters and ANAM performance.

Results: Six factors were identified: avoidance/flashbacks, cognitive/social difficulty, depressed mood, positive mood, sleep difficulty, and hypervigilance. Elevated symptoms of depression (measured using factor scores) were associated with poorer attention (β range -0.19-0.18, p range < 0.01-0.04, f² effect size range 0.02-0.94).

Conclusion: Depression symptoms were associated with diminished attentional performance in a large sample of ARNG Soldiers who reported no clinical diagnosis. This study was limited in that unmeasured factors other than depression, PTSD, or demographics may explain much of the variance in cognitive performance. These findings highlight the importance of careful mental health screening and strategies to heighten awareness of the potential detrimental effects of depression and PTSD on health and performance.

Gastric cancer (GC) has been ranked as the third incidence tumors globally. Long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) NRAV has been reported as a tumor-enhancer in the development of human cancers, whereas the function of NRAV in GC remains to be elucidated. The aim of this research was to explore the underlying function of NRAV in GC. Through comprehensive bioinformatics analysis, a significantly elevation of NRAV was found in both human GC tissues and cell lines, which indicated the poor prognosis of GC patients. Then, we conducted a series of functional experiments to illustrate the role of NRAV in GC. The results showed that the down-regulation of NRAV exhibited a significant inhibitory effect on GC cell proliferation and migration, while NRAV overexpression promoted GC cell proliferation and migration. Through xenograft mouse tumor model, the suppression of NRAV led to a reduction in the growth of tumor mice, whereas overexpression of NRAV notably enhanced tumor growth. Finally, EFHC1 was revealed as the potential target gene of NRAV. Overall, our findings indicated the promising application of NRAV as a therapeutic target and prognostic biomarker for GC.

Asthma is a complex disease characterized by reversible and intermittent airway obstruction that has shown a high prevalence and unacceptable mortality in adults. In recent years, several genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified variants linked to asthma susceptibility. The DAD1 gene is known for regulating programmed cell death, and OXA1L is described for its involvement in mitochondrial biogenesis and oxidative phosphorylation. The present study aimed to identify variants in the DAD1 and OXA1L genes and to evaluate the association with asthma and atopy markers in adults. 1,084 individuals were divided into mild to moderate asthma, severe asthma, and participants with no asthma (controls). Association analyses were performed using a multivariate logistic regression model adjusted for sex, age, body mass index (BMI), smoking, forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1), and component ancestry master (PC1) using PLINK 1.9 software. This study identified new variants in the DAD1 and OXA1L genes that had never been described before. The C allele of rs200470407 in OXA1L was negatively associated with poor asthma control (OR: 0.32; p-value 0.049) and increased IL-13 (p-value < 0.0001). The alternative allele of rs1681577 was associated with severe asthma (OR: 2.23; p-value 0.01), pulmonary obstruction (OR: 4.12; p-value 0.046), and eosinophilia (OR: 2.42; p-value < 0.001). Our findings demonstrate that variants in the DAD1 and OXA1L genes are linked to asthma and atopy in Brazilian adults.

Improving egg quality and enhancing production efficiency are essential goals in poultry breeding. CDH5 encodes a cadherin involved in Ca²⁺ transport in endothelial cells. The role of CDH5 in regulating duck egg quality and its mechanisms affecting Ca²⁺ concentrations in duck uterine epithelial cells remains unclear. This study evaluated egg quality traits of the Putian black duck and conducted an association analysis with blood biochemical indices and single nucleotide polymorphisms in CDH5. Additionally, we constructed a CDH5 overexpression vector and synthesized specific siRNAs for transfection into Putian black duck uterine epithelial cells to assess Ca²⁺ concentrations. Our results revealed a significant association between egg quality and five novel SNPs in CDH5, along with various blood biochemical indices. Further experiments demonstrated that CDH5 overexpression and knockdown reduced Ca²⁺ concentrations in the uterine epithelial cells of Putian black ducks.

Background: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection induces liver inflammation, activating hepatic stellate cells (HSC) and advancing fibrosis. Studies have indicated that SOX9 overexpression is closely linked to HSC activation. The study aims to identify genes associated with SOX9 and search for potential targets for detecting and treating liver fibrosis.

Method: The dataset GSE15654, containing 216 biopsy samples from HCV-induced early-stage cirrhosis patients, was obtained from the GEO database. Prognostic genes were identified through differential gene analysis, LASSO, and Cox regression analyses. CIBERSORT analysis quantified infiltration levels across 22 immune cell types. Constructing a prognostic prediction model using screened genes and conducting preliminary validation using qRT PCR and RNA sequencing techniques.

Results: Elevated SOX9 expression correlates with unfavorable outcomes in patients with early-stage liver fibrosis induced by HCV. We identified nine SOX9-related prognostic DEGs in our study. ADAMTS2, ARHGEF5, CCT8, ERG, LBH, FRMD6, INMT, and RASGRF2 were considered risk factors in the disease progression, while DHRS4 was considered a protective factor. SOX9 expression showed a positive correlation with mast cell infiltration, whereas ARHGEF5 and FRMD6 expressions were positively associated with M0 macrophage infiltration. Our combined model surpasses the commonly used APRI and FIB4 indicators in predicting patient prognosis. The testing of clinical samples also preliminarily validated our research results.

Conclusion: The prognostic model based on nine SOX9-related DEGs provides an effective tool for forecasting the progression and outcomes of liver fibrosis. This study introduces a new strategy for advancing liver fibrosis prediction and treatment.

In recent years, the increase in extreme climates, such as persistent high temperatures and drought, has adversely affected the growth and development of fast-growing trees. Melatonin (MT) plays an important role in plant responses to biotic and abiotic stresses, yet there is a lack of research on the specific role of limiting enzyme genes for MT biosynthesis in fast-growing woody plants. In this study, we investigated the function of PtoASMT, a key rate-limiting enzyme encoding gene for MT biosynthesis, which can be induced by drought, salt, and the phytohormones ABA, SA and JA. Our results show that: (1) PtoASMT was widely expressed in all tissues of poplar, but was highly expressed in petioles, moderately expressed in roots, stems, shoots and young leaves, exhibiting a typical diurnal expression rhythm in leaves, with the encoded protein localized on chloroplasts; (2) the content of MT was significantly promoted in overexpressing PtoASMT transgenic poplar plants, but there were no obvious differences in their growth and development; (3) overexpressing PtoASMT plants exhibited stronger drought tolerance, accumulating less reactive oxygen species (ROS) under drought stress relative to wild-type plants, whereas knockout PtoASMT plants were more sensitive and accumulated more ROS; (4) overexpressing PtoASMT plants were more resistant to fungi Dothiorella gregaria than WT plants, while knockout plants showed higher sensitivity; meanwhile, the expression of disease resistance-related genes (PRs and JAZ10) was significantly altered. We conclude that PtoASMT enhances the resistance of poplar to drought and Dothiorella gregaria by mediating MT biosynthesis in poplar. These findings contribute to a better understanding the role of ASMT gene in MT accumulation and stress resistance in poplar.

Actinidia arguta possesses different colors in the fruit skin and flesh, but the underlying mechanism has not yet been clarified. In this study, we conducted 36 samples RNA-seq to investigate the phenotypic expression of different fruit tissues (skin and flesh) in red and green A. arguta varieties during different coloring phases. GO and KEGG enrichment results of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) suggested that the red color of the skin and flesh was derived from anthocyanin transport and flesh softening, respectively. Weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) revealed MEyellow and MEblack modules significantly correlated with skin and flesh coloration, and two genes, Glutathione S-transferases (AaGST) and β-galactosidases (AaBGAL), were identified as hub genes involved in different tissue-specific coloration. Transient overexpression in apples and kiwifruits confirmed the role of AaGST and AaBGAL in color formation. Our results preliminarily explore the mechanism of red color formation in different A. arguta fruit tissues and provide novel insights into red color formation.

Objective: The aim of this research was to investigate the specific regulatory role of miR-6760-5p in angiogenesis in moyamoya disease.

Methods: HUVECs were transfected with miR-6760-5p inhibitor and mimics fragments, then subjected to assays for cell proliferation, migration, and tube formation. Subsequently, downstream target genes of miR-6760-5p were predicted and the protein expression levels of these genes were evaluated. The presence of miR-6760-5p and YAP1 was verified by a dual luciferase reporter gene test, followed by an assessment of the effects of YAP1 and miR-6760-5p on the HUVECs.

Results: Comparatively to the control group, increased expression of miR-6760-5p decreased cell growth, movement, and tube formation. YAP1 gene was discovered as a target controlled by miR-6760-5p, with subsequent investigation confirming YAP1 as a gene regulated by miR-6760-5p. Additionally, miR-6760-5p was found to counteract the angiogenesis-promoting effect of YAP1.

Conclusion: The results of this research suggest a possible link between the miR-6760-5p gene found in the cerebrospinal fluid of individuals with moyamoya disease and the process of vascularization in this particular condition. The findings indicate that miR-6760-5p may be a new molecular indicator and potential target for the diagnosis of moyamoya disease.

Background: Glioma is one of the most common malignant brain tumors. It has a high rate of progression and a poor prognosis, and effective biomarkers still need to be identified. The solute carrier family 12 (SLC12) family has been reported to be involved in various physiological and pathological processes, but their functional roles in glioma remain unclear.

Methods: Using public datasets, we studied the mutation and expression level of SLC12 family genes in glioma and identified the significantly differentially expressed member solute carrier family 12 member 9 (SLC12A9). We further predicted the prognostic role of SLC12A9 in glioma by using the Kaplan-Meier method and Cox regression analysis. Then, we performed biological functional enrichment analysis. We focused on the relationships between SLC12A9 expression and immune infiltration in glioma. Meanwhile, we conducted in vitro experiments to evaluate the effect of SLC12A9 expression on glioma cells.

Results: Among the members of the SLC12 family, SLC12A9 had the highest mutation rate in glioma, with gene amplification as the major mutation type, and its expression was significantly upregulated in glioma. Higher SLC12A9 expression was significantly associated with older age, higher grade, wild-type isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH), and a worse prognosis. The functional enrichment analysis indicated that SLC12A9 is mainly related to ion channel annotation. Gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) revealed that SLC12A9 was mainly related to the DNA replication pathway. Furthermore, we found that SLC12A9 correlated with tumor-infiltrating immune cells and immune checkpoints. Thus, SLC12A9 may be involved in regulating the immune response of glioma. Finally, our in vitro experiments revealed that silencing SLC12A9 dramatically inhibited glioma cell growth and migration.

Conclusions: We showed that SLC12A9 may be a new predictive biomarker for glioma diagnosis, prognosis, and immunotherapy response, offering helpful guidelines to advance glioma treatment.