ObjectiveTo investigate the incidence of suicide attempts among adolescents with HIV/AIDS in Liangshan Prefecture, Sichuan Province, as well as the correlation between negative life events, sleep, exercise, drug therapy and suicide attempts.MethodsA total of 180 Yi adolescents aged 11–19 years with HIV/AIDS in a county of Liangshan Prefecture, Sichuan Province, China, were investigated by census. The main outcome indicators included the incidence of suicide attempts and whether negative life events, sleep, exercise, drug therapy and other factors were related to suicide attempts.ResultsWe found that the incidence rate of suicide attempts among Yi adolescents with HIV/AIDS in Liangshan Prefecture was 13.9%. Negative life events were a risk factor for suicide attempts (OR = 1.047, p < 0.001, 95% CI 1.027–1.067). In the factors of negative life events, adaptation was a risk factor for suicide attempts (OR = 1.203, p = 0.026, 95% CI 1.022–1.416), and academic pressure showed a tendency to be a risk factor for suicide attempts (OR = 1.149, p = 0.077, 95% CI 0.985–1.339). However, the punishment factor, interpersonal stress factor and loss factor had no significant correlation with suicide attempts. There was no significant correlation between sleep, exercise, drug therapy and suicide attempts.ConclusionThe proportion of suicide attempts among Yi adolescents with HIV/AIDS in Liangshan Prefecture is high and should be considered. Negative life events are independent risk factors for suicide attempts, and it is necessary to strengthen the screening and early intervention for suicide attempts in HIV/AIDS adolescents with definite negative life events.

BackgroundAcute exacerbations of chronic inflammatory lung diseases, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), are frequently associated with rhinovirus (RV) infections.Despite these associations, the pathogenesis of virus-induced exacerbations is incompletely understood. We aimed to investigate effects of cigarette smoke (CS), a primary risk factor for COPD, on RV infection in airway epithelium and identify novel mechanisms related to these effects.MethodsPrimary bronchial epithelial cells (PBEC) from COPD patients and controls were differentiated by culture at the air–liquid interface (ALI) and exposed to CS and RV-A16. Bulk RNA sequencing was performed using samples collected at 6 and 24 h post infection (hpi), and viral load, mediator and l-lactate levels were measured at 6, 24 and 48hpi. To further delineate the effect of CS on RV-A16 infection, we performed growth differentiation factor 15 (GDF15) knockdown, l-lactate and interferon pre-treatment in ALI-PBEC. We performed deconvolution analysis to predict changes in the cell composition of ALI-PBEC after the various exposures. Finally, we compared transcriptional responses of ALI-PBEC to those in nasal epithelium after human RV-A16 challenge.ResultsCS exposure impaired antiviral responses at 6hpi and increased viral replication at 24 and 48hpi in ALI-PBEC. At 24hpi, CS exposure enhanced expression of RV-A16-induced epithelial interferons, inflammation-related genes and CXCL8. CS exposure increased expression of oxidative stress-related genes, of GDF15, and decreased mitochondrial membrane potential. GDF15 knockdown experiments suggested involvement of this pathway in the CS-induced increase in viral replication. Expression of glycolysis-related genes and l-lactate production were increased by CS exposure, and was demonstrated to contribute to higher viral replication. No major differences were demonstrated between COPD and non-COPD-derived cultures. However, cellular deconvolution analysis predicted higher secretory cells in COPD-derived cultures at baseline.ConclusionAltogether, our findings demonstrate that CS exposure leads to higher viral infection in human bronchial epithelium by altering not only interferon responses, but likely also through a switch to glycolysis, and via GDF15-related pathways.

BackgroundSome patients with Crohn’s disease report posttraumatic growth, which can promote reductions in anxiety and depression, and improve the patient’s quality of life. However, the process of posttraumatic growth remains unclear. The objectives of this study were to explore the social-psychological process of posttraumatic growth in patients with Crohn’s disease in the context of Chinese culture and construct an interpretive understanding based on the perspectives of patients.MethodsThis research adopted Charmaz’s constructivist grounded theory. Nineteen participants with Crohn’s disease were selected by purposive and theoretical sampling from three hospitals in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, as well as from the China Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation. In-depth interviews were conducted. Data analysis was based on initial, focused and theoretical coding strategies, and methods such as constant comparison and memo writing were adopted. The Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Research, a 32-item checklist for interviews and focus groups, was utilised.ResultsAn interpretive understanding of posttraumatic growth in patients with Crohn’s disease was constructed. The core category was “reconstructing self from the illness”, which included the following four categories: “suffering from the illness”, “accepting the illness”, “dancing with the illness” and “enriching life beyond the illness”. However, not every patient reached the last phase. Before patients enter the next stage, they might begin a new cycle by experiencing new suffering or discovering new unacceptable facts about the illness.ConclusionsThis interpretive understanding reveals a growth process centred on “reconstructing self from the illness”. These findings provide knowledge on the process of posttraumatic growth in patients with Crohn’s disease within the wider sociocultural context.

Electro-optic modulators are key components in data communication, microwave photonics, and quantum photonics. Modulation bandwidth, energy efficiency, and device dimension are crucial metrics of modulators. Here, we provide an important direction for the miniaturization of electro-optic modulators by reporting on ultracompact topological modulators. A topological interface state in a one-dimensional lattice is implemented on a thin-film lithium-niobate integrated platform. Due to the strong optical confinement of the interface state and the peaking enhancement of the electro-optic response, a topological cavity with a size of 1.6 × 140 μm2 enables a large modulation bandwidth of 104 GHz. The first topological modulator exhibits the most compact device size compared to reported LN modulators with bandwidths above 28 GHz, to the best of our knowledge. 100 Gb/s non-return-to-zero and 100 Gb/s four-level pulse amplitude modulation signals are generated. The switching energy is 5.4 fJ/bit, owing to the small electro-optic mode volume and low capacitance. The topological modulator accelerates the response time of topological photonic devices from the microsecond order to the picosecond order and provides an essential foundation for the implementation of large-scale lithium-niobate photonic integrated circuits.