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Occupational Burnout, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and Intention to Resign Among Nursing Personnel During Public Health Emergencies.

Zhao J et al. · Jul 1, 2026

Aim Studies have shown that nursing staff are prone to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), occupational burnout and turnover tendency in public health emergencies, but the incidence of these three and their influencing factors during the outbreak of COVID-19 have not been clarified. The aim of this study was to explore the mediating mechanism of occupational burnout between PTSD and turnover intention in nursing staff in public health emergencies. Design The study was a cross-sectional survey involving 1087 nursing personnels from 17 provinces in China. Convenience sampling was employed to select nursing personnel from frontline clinical settings in 17 Chinese provinces from March to May 2023. After excluding 13 invalid questionnaires, 1087 valid questionnaires were obtained, resulting in an overall validity rate of 98.8%. Methods Civilian version of Post-traumatic Stress Disorder Questionnaire (PCL-C), Maslach Burnout Inventory-General Survey (MBI-GS) and Turnover Intention Questionnaire (TIQ) were used respectively. Post-traumatic stress symptoms, occupational burnout and turnover tendency were assessed. Ethical review approval: Approval unit: Medical Ethics Committee of Beijing Huilongguan Hospital; Approval number: 2023-23-Science and Technology. Results 15.8% of nursing personnel had PTSD, 71.8% had occupational burnout and 63.7% had turnover intention. The scores of occupational burnout and turnover intention of nursing personnel with PTSD were higher than those without PTSD. Each dimension of PTSD was positively correlated with all dimensions of occupational burnout and nurse resignation (all p Conclusions During public health emergencies, during the COVID-19 pandemic, nursing personnel had PTSD, occupational burnout and turnover intention. PTSD plays a significant direct and indirect role in nurse turnover. Therefore, it should be a standard practice to monitor and manage PTSD among nursing personnel and provide proactive support systems in order to retain personnel and promote the best nursing practice standards during public health emergencies. Patient or public contribution No patient or public contribution.

Health Professions

An Outflow Tract Myocardium-Specific Enhancer at the Sema3c Locus During Heart Development.

Wang Y et al. · Jul 1, 2026

Sema3c is specifically expressed in the cardiac outflow tract (OFT) of the developing mouse heart and has been implicated in OFT polarization and great artery formation. However, the regulatory basis underlying its spatially restricted expression remains unclear. To investigate the mechanisms underlying OFT-specific Sema3c expression, we utilized chromatin accessibility data from distinct segments of the developing heart and identified a differentially accessible region as an OFT-specific Sema3c enhancer candidate. Unlike previously characterized Sema3c enhancers, this region is located distal to the transcription start site. Reporter analysis using transgenic mouse embryos demonstrated that this region exhibits transcriptional activity from E8.5 onward and remains specifically active in the OFT myocardium throughout heart development. We further defined a minimal 603 bp enhancer whose activity depends on GATA binding sites. This enhancer provides insight into the mechanisms underlying spatially restricted Sema3c expression involved in OFT development.

Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology

Ectonucleotidases CD39 and CD73 expression levels are independent and inverse predictors of survival in muscle-invasive bladder cancer.

Ledderose S et al. · Jul 1, 2026

Bladder cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer-related mortality worldwide. Long-term survival is particularly poor in patients with muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC). Modulation of purinergic signaling through the ectonucleotidases CD39 and CD73 has emerged as a promising therapeutic strategy in cancer medicine. Altered expression patterns of these molecules have been linked to prognosis in various malignancies. In this study, we assessed the value of CD39 and CD73 expression as prognostic markers and potential therapeutic targets in MIBC. CD39 and CD73 expression was determined by immunohistochemistry using tissue microarrays from 180 patients with MIBC. Associations between tumoral and stromal expression and clinicopathological variables, including overall survival (OS), tumor-specific survival (TSS) and disease-free survival (DFS), were analyzed. Tumor cells did not express CD39. High stromal CD39 expression was significantly associated with a lower T category and UICC stage as well as prolonged median OS, TSS, and DFS. High CD73 expression by tumor cells was significantly associated with poorer OS and TSS. Stromal CD73 expression was not significantly correlated with survival outcomes. Our findings indicate distinct and compartment-specific roles for CD39 and CD73 in MIBC. They suggest that high CD73 expression in tumor cells and low CD39 expression in stromal cells are negative prognostic indicators and potential therapeutic targets in MIBC.

Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology

Water adsorption on a model silicate surface: wollastonite (100).

Lezuo L et al. · Jul 2, 2026

Water adsorption on silicate surfaces is a critical yet poorly understood process relevant to, e.g. , mineral weathering and cement hydration. This study investigates the structure of water overlayers on a model calcium silicate, the lowest-energy (100) surface of wollastonite (CaSiO 3 ). It combines atomically resolved non-contact atomic force microscopy (nc-AFM), acquired with qPlus sensors and functionalized tips in ultrahigh vacuum (UHV), with density functional theory (DFT) calculations employing the metaGGA r 2 SCAN + rVV10 functional. Adding incremental doses of water to the sample at cryogenic temperatures produces distinct structures governed by the competition between water-surface and water-water interactions. With two water molecules per surface unit cell, water-surface interactions dominate: In line with previous theoretical predictions, adsorbates follow the surface lattice. As the coverage increases, intermolecular hydrogen bonding competes with bonding to the surface, leading to the emergence of complex, coexisting patterns. While their small energy differences prevent an unambiguous identification of the most stable structure by DFT, the experimentally observed symmetries help constrain plausible structural models. Above a critical density of four water molecules per unit cell, water-water interactions prevail, and water clusters are formed. The results provide an atomic-scale framework for understanding water interactions with calcium silicate surfaces.

Earth and Planetary Sciences

Quantitative Microbial Risk Assessment of Human H5N1 Infection From Consumption of Fluid Cow's Milk.

Koebel KJ et al. · Jul 1, 2026

The spillover of H5N1 clade 2.3.4.4b into dairy cattle has raised concerns over the safety of fluid milk. While no foodborne infection has been reported in humans, this strain has infected at least 70 people, and milk from infected cows is known to be infected by ingestion of multiple other species. Investigation into the public health threat of this outbreak is warranted. This farm-to-table quantitative microbial risk assessment (QMRA) uses stochastic models to assess the risk of human infection from consumption of raw and pasteurized fluid cow's milk from the United States supply chains. These models were parameterized with literature emerging from this outbreak and then employed to estimate the H5N1 infection risk and evaluate multiple potential interventions aimed at reducing this risk. The median (5th and 95th percentiles) probabilities of infection per 240-mL serving of pasteurized, farmstore-purchased raw, or retail-purchased raw milk were 7.66E-19 (2.39E-20, 4.02E-17), 1.56E-7 (6.67E-10, 1.28E-5), and 1.40E-7 (6.65E-10, 1.13E-05), respectively. Our results confirm that pasteurization is highly effective at reducing H5N1 infection risk. Scenario analysis revealed quantitative real-time reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (qrRT-PCR) testing of bulk tank milk to be an effective method for numerically reducing risk from raw milk. In addition, we identify knowledge gaps related to the human H5N1 dose‒response by ingestion and raw milk consumption patterns. These findings emphasize the importance of mechanistic epidemiologic models for informing public health responses amidst outbreaks with foodborne potential and highlight the need for additional research into raw milk consumption patterns to better understand this exposure pathway.

Agricultural and Biological Sciences

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