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Objectives: To evaluate the association of illicit drug use with bone mineral density (BMD) and hip geometric parameters at the narrow neck. Methods: This is a cross-sectional matched cohort study conducted in the Hong Kong Chinese population. Associations with illicit drug use were estimated using linear regression for BMD (lumbar spine and femoral neck) and hip geometrical parameters (cross-sectional area [CSA], cross-sectional moment of inertia [CSMI], section modulus [SM], average cortical thickness [ACT] and BMD at the narrow neck) after adjusting for age, body mass index (BMI), smoking status, drinking status, physical activity, and history of antipsychotic and antidepressant use. Mean difference and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) were calculated between 108 illicit drug users and 108 controls using an adjusted linear model and cluster-robust standard errors after matching by age and sex. The false discovery rate was used to correct for multiple testing. Results: Illicit drug users had a significantly lower BMD (g/cm2) at the lumbar spine (mean difference: −0.062; 95% CI: −0.108 to −0.015), and femoral neck (mean difference: −0.058; 95% CI: −0.106 to −0.010) in the fully adjusted model. Illicit drug users also had a significantly lower CSA (mean difference: −0.238 cm2; 95% CI: −0.462 to −0.013), ACT (mean difference: −0.018 cm; 95% CI: −0.030 to −0.006) and BMD (mean difference: −0.070 g/cm2; 95% CI: −0.128 to −0.012) at the narrow neck. Conclusions: Illicit drug use is associated with lower BMD and bone strength. Future studies evaluating the risk of illicit drug use with fragility fracture are warranted.

Objective: The aim of this study was to reveal the relationship between school bullying and sleep quality in adolescents. It proposes a theoretical model where depressed mood, low self-esteem, and negative parenting practices serve as mediating variables, providing new directions and measures for preventing and treating school bullying and sleep disorders. Methods: In this study, a total of 4483 middle school students from Anhui Province in China were selected anonymously to participate in a questionnaire survey. The data analysis was conducted using SPSS 26.0 software. PROCESS model 6 was employed to investigate the mediating role of depressed mood, low self-esteem, and negative parenting styles in the association between school bullying and sleep disorders. Results: The study results generally lend support to the hypothesis that bullying exerts an influence on sleep disorders through the mediating pathways of depressed mood, low self-esteem, and negative parenting styles. The aforementioned findings may provide an explanation for the correlation between school bullying and sleep disorders, thus offering implications for intervention strategies targeting sleep disorders. Conclusion: This study innovatively integrates the impact of school bullying on adolescent sleep disorders. Depressed mood, low self-esteem, and negative parenting practices have independent and persistent mediating effects on the relationship between school bullying and sleep disorders. The influence pathway of school bullying on sleep disorders offers a novel direction for relevant governmental agencies and educational institutions to develop mental health measures and establish robust mechanisms for regulating emotions.

Abstract Microtubules (MTs) are key players in cell division, migration, and signaling, and they are regarded as important targets for cancer treatment. In this work, two fullerene (C60)‐functionalized Ir(III) complexes (Ir‐C601 and Ir‐C602) are rationally designed as dual reactive oxygen species (ROS) regulators and MT‐targeted Type I/II photosensitizers. In the dark, Ir‐C601 and Ir‐C602 serve as ROS scavengers to eliminate O2•− and •OH, consequently reducing the dark cytotoxicity and reversing dysfunctional T cells. Due to the efficiently populated C60‐localized intraligand triplet state, Ir‐C601 and Ir‐C602 can be excited by green light (525 nm) to produce O2•− and •OONO− (Type I) and 1O2 (Type II) to overcome tumor hypoxia. Moreover, Ir‐C601 is also able to photooxidize tubulin, consequently interfering with the cellular cytoskeleton structures, inducing immunogenic cell death and inhibiting cell proliferation and migration. Finally, Ir‐C601 exhibits promising photo‐immunotherapeutic effects both in vitro and in vivo. In all, we report here the first MT stabilizing photosensitizer performing through Type I/II photodynamic therapy pathways, which provides insights into the rational design of new photo‐immunotherapeutic agents targeting specific biomolecules.

The mitotic spindle checkpoint (SAC) genes have been considered targets of anticancer therapies. Here, we sought to identify the attractive mitotic spindle checkpoint genes appropriate for human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) therapies. Through expression profile analysis of 137 selected mitotic spindle checkpoint genes in the publicly available microarray datasets, we showed that 13 genes were dramatically up-regulated in HCC tissues compared to normal livers and adjacent non-tumor tissues. A role of the 13 genes in proliferation was evaluated by knocking them down via small interfering RNA (siRNA) in HCC cells. As a result, several mitotic spindle checkpoint genes were required for maintaining the proliferation of HCC cells, demonstrated by cell viability assay and soft agar colony formation assay. Then we established sorafenib-resistant sublines of HCC cell lines Huh7 and HepG2. Intriguingly, increased TTK expression was significantly associated with acquired sorafenib-resistance in Huh7, HepG2 cells. More importantly, TTK was observably up-regulated in 46 (86.8%) of 53 HCC specimens. A series of in vitro and in vivo functional experiment assays showed that TTK overexpression promoted cell proliferation, anchor-dependent colony formation and resistance to sorafenib of HCC cells; TTK knockdown restrained cell growth, soft agar colony formation and resistance to sorafenib of HCC cells. Collectively, TTK plays an important role in proliferation and sorafenib resistance and could act as a potential therapeutic target for human hepatocellular carcinoma.

Abstract Background Bone or brain metastases may develop in 20–40% of individuals with late‐stage non‐small‐cell lung cancer (NSCLC), resulting in a median overall survival of only 4–6 months. However, the primary lung cancer tissue's distinctions between bone, brain and intrapulmonary metastases of NSCLC at the single‐cell level have not been underexplored. Methods We conducted a comprehensive analysis of 14 tissue biopsy samples obtained from treatment‐naïve advanced NSCLC patients with bone (n = 4), brain (n = 6) or intrapulmonary (n = 4) metastasis using single‐cell sequencing originating from the lungs. Following quality control and the removal of doublets, a total of 80 084 cells were successfully captured. Results The most significant inter‐group differences were observed in the fraction and function of fibroblasts. We identified three distinct cancer‐associated fibroblast (CAF) subpopulations: myofibroblastic CAF (myCAF), inflammatory CAF (iCAF) and antigen‐presenting CAF (apCAF). Notably, apCAF was prevalent in NSCLC with bone metastasis, while iCAF dominated in NSCLC with brain metastasis. Intercellular signalling network analysis revealed that apCAF may play a role in bone metastasis by activating signalling pathways associated with cancer stemness, such as SPP1‐CD44 and SPP1‐PTGER4. Conversely, iCAF was found to promote brain metastasis by activating invasion and metastasis‐related molecules, such as MET hepatocyte growth factor. Furthermore, the interaction between CAFs and tumour cells influenced T‐cell exhaustion and signalling pathways within the tumour microenvironment. Conclusions This study unveils the direct interplay between tumour cells and CAFs in NSCLC with bone or brain metastasis and identifies potential therapeutic targets for inhibiting metastasis by disrupting these critical cell–cell interactions.

The co-digestion of untreated Napier grass (NG) and industrial hydrolyzed food waste (FW) was carried out in the batch reactor to investigate the effect of substrate ratios on biogas production performance. Two-stage anaerobic digestion was performed with an initial substrate concentration of 5 g VSadded/L and a Food to Microorganism Ratio (F/M) of 0.84. The 1:1 ratio of the NG and FW showed the optimum performances on biogas production yield with a value of 1,161.33 mL/g VSadded after 60 days of digestion. This was followed by the data on methane yield and concentration were 614.37 mL/g VSadded and 67.29%, respectively. The results were similar to the simulation results using a modified Gompertz model, which had a higher potential methane production and maximum production rate, as well as a shorter lag phase and a coefficient of determination of 0.9945. These findings indicated that the co-digestion of Napier grass and hydrolyzed food waste can enhance biogas production in two-stage anaerobic digestion.

Forest rewilding is expected to help support nature restoration and mitigate climate change by promoting soil carbon (C) stocks. Increases in biodiversity after decades of rewilding may affect forest soil C stocks; however, the relative contribution of subordinate and dominant tree species diversity to soil C stocks after decades of forest rewilding remains poorly understood. Here, we conducted a standardized field survey to investigate how subordinate (i.e. rarer) and dominant (i.e. more common) tree species diversity (determined based on basal area) correlate with multiple aspects of soil C stocks (i.e. total soil C stock, dissolved organic C, microbial residue C, and microbial respiration) after 31 years of the establishment of a forest plantation in a subtropical ecosystem. We found that both subordinate and dominant tree species diversity were positively correlated with soil C stock, dissolved organic C, microbial residue C, and microbial respiration. Meanwhile, tree functional traits (e.g. the proportion of N‐fixing taxa) among subordinate species were positively correlated with bacterial residue C. Strikingly, subordinate tree species diversity explained a larger portion of variation in soil C stock compared with the diversity of dominant tree species. Structural equation model (SEM) further suggested that subordinate plant biodiversity influenced soil C stocks via its influence on plant traits. Synthesis and applications. Our work provides new insights on the crucial role of subordinate tree species diversity in supporting C stocks after decades‐long rewilding of a subtropical forest. Therefore, the preservation of the rarer subordinate plant species is fundamental to develop sustainable forest management strategies, and for policymakers to promote climate change mitigating ecosystem services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Although highly heritable, environment also contributes to the etiology of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), with several specific environmental factors previously suggested. A registry-linked population-based twin cohort of 15,701 pairs (586 individuals with an ASD diagnosis), was established within the Child and Adolescent Twin Study in Sweden. Participants were evaluated for autistic symptoms at age 9 using the Autism-Tics, ADHD and other Comorbidities parental interview. A series of binary cut-offs indicated whether participants scored over various ASD symptom percentiles. Three early medical factors previously associated with ASD, beyond familial confounding (low birth weight, congenital malformations and perinatal hypoxia), were summed up creating an individual cumulative exposure load. A series of unconditional logistic regressions between all individuals and conditional regressions within twin pairs were performed for each outcome and exposure level. Between all individuals increasing cumulative early exposure loads were associated with increasing risk of ASD diagnosis (OR 3.33 (95%CI 1.79–6.20) for three exposures) and autistic symptoms (ranging from OR 2.12 (1.57–2.86) for three exposures at the 55th symptom percentile cut-off to OR 3.39 (2.2–5.24) at the 95th). Within twin pairs, the association between three exposures and an ASD diagnosis remained similar, but not statistically significant (OR 2.39 (0.62–9.24)). Having a higher load of early cumulative exposure was consistently associated with autistic symptoms after adjusting for familial confounding and sex (OR 3.45 (1.66–7.15) to OR 7.36 (1.99–27.18)). This study gives support to the cumulative stress hypothesis of ASD, and the dimensional model regarding environmental exposures, after adjustment for familial confounding.

Methanol dehydrogenation (MD) is highly valuable in hydrogen energy production, and the introduction of nonmetals has received much attention to improve the activity and stability of the MD catalysts, but the understanding of the role of non-metallic elements in catalyzing the MD reaction is rather limited. Density functional theory (DFT) is employed to investigate the mechanism of methanol dehydrogenation on RuxPy surfaces. In this work, the P element is introduced into the Ru-based catalyst to obtain dispersed Ru sites and RuxPy (x/y = 2 : 1, 1 : 1, and 1 : 2) catalysts are designed. CH3OH adsorption, electronic structure of the catalyst, energy barriers for carbon accumulation reactions, and the mechanism of methanol decomposition are systematically calculated. The results of the effective reaction barrier (E effa) reveal that the order of the activity of the MD reaction is RuP(112) > Ru(0001) > Ru2P(210) > RuP2(110). The most preferable pathway on RuP(112) is pathway 1 (CH3OH* → CH3O* → CH2O* → CHO* → CO*). After the introduction of P, the weakened CO adsorption enhanced the resistance of catalysts to CO poisoning, and the activation energy of the carbon accumulation reaction increased, indicating that the anti-coking ability of the catalysts is improved. This theoretical study contributes to the design and modulation of highly active and stable metal catalysts for MD reactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background/Objectives: There has been limited evidence on the long-term impacts of coffee intake on health. We aimed to investigate the association between coffee intake and the incidence of diseases and mortality risk over 20 years among community-dwelling Chinese adults. Methods: Participants were from the Hong Kong Osteoporosis Study who attended baseline assessments during 1995–2010. Coffee intake was self-reported through a food frequency questionnaire and was previously validated. Disease diagnoses, which were mapped into 1795 distinct phecodes, and mortality data were obtained from linkage with territory-wide electronic health records. Cox models were used to estimate the association between coffee intake and the incidence of each disease outcome and mortality among individuals without a history of the respective medical condition at baseline. All models were adjusted for age, sex, body mass index, smoking, alcohol drinking, and education. Results: Among the 7420 included participants (mean age 53.2 years, 72.2% women), 54.0% were non-coffee drinkers, and only 2.7% consumed more than one cup of coffee per day. Over a median follow-up of 20.0 years, any coffee intake was associated with a reduced risk of dementia, atrial fibrillation, painful respirations, infections, atopic dermatitis, and dizziness at a false discovery rate (FDR) of <0.05. Furthermore, any coffee intake was associated with an 18% reduced risk of all-cause mortality (95% confidence interval = 0.73–0.93). Conclusion: In a population with relatively low coffee consumption, any coffee intake is linked to a lower risk of several neurological, circulatory, and respiratory diseases and symptoms, as well as mortality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on the theory of meaning construction, this research aims to examine the relationship between mindfulness-based instruction and job satisfaction among educators working in kindergarten settings. Specifically, this study will evaluate whether teachers' self-efficacy mediates this relationship and explore the potential moderating impact of role maladjustment on this mediation process. A total of 531 kindergarten teachers, mostly females participated in the study by responding to self-administered questionnaires measuring their mindfulness in teaching, teachers' self-efficacy, role maladjustment, and job satisfaction. The findings indicate that there is a notable and favorable correlation between the practice of mindfulness in teaching and job satisfaction among kindergarten teachers. Additionally, the analysis suggested that teachers' self-efficacy partially mediated this relationship. These results remained significant even after controlling for demographic variables. Further examination using moderated mediation analysis indicated that role maladjustment did not have a moderating effect on either the direct or indirect links between mindfulness in teaching and job satisfaction. The results highlight the importance of teacher self-efficacy as a mediating factor, emphasizing the role of mindfulness in assisting preschool educators in effectively managing challenges and adversities. This, in turn, enhances emotional regulation and coping skills while cultivating a heightened awareness of personal strengths and abilities, ultimately resulting in greater job satisfaction. Plain Language Summary: How mindfulness helps kindergarten teachers feel happier at work This study looks at how practicing mindfulness can make kindergarten teachers feel more satisfied with their jobs. Over 500 teachers took part in the study. It found that when teachers practice mindfulness in their teaching, they tend to feel happier at work. This is because mindfulness helps teachers feel more confident in their abilities, which leads to higher job satisfaction. The study also looked at whether feeling out of place in their role affects this relationship, but found that it doesn't change the positive impact of mindfulness on job satisfaction. Overall, the research suggests that mindfulness can be a valuable tool for teachers to manage stress and feel more fulfilled in their work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AIM: To estimate the prevalence of and risk factors for dry eye disease (DED) in young and middle-aged office employee in Xi'an. METHODS: This cross-sectional study of the prevalence of and risk factors for DED investigated 486 young and middle-aged Chinese office employee in Xi'an. DED symptoms and potential risk factors were assessed using the ocular surface disease index combined with a risk factors questionnaire, and tear function was evaluated using the tear film break-up time and Schirmer's test. Possible risk factors for DED were estimated by binary Logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: DED was diagnosed in 100 females and 96 males, giving a prevalence of 40.3% [95% confidence interval (CI)=36.0%-44.7%]. The multivariate binary Logistic regression model indicated that the possible risk factors for DED were being female (OR=1.592, 95%CI=1.034-2.451, P=0.035), being aged ≥40y (OR=1.593, 95%CI=1.034-2.454, P=0.035), using a VDT daily for >6h (OR=1.990, 95%CI=1.334-2.971, P=0.001), the presence of central air conditioning (OR=1.548, 95%CI=1.053-2.276, P=0.026), and self-reported dryness of the mouth and nose (OR=1.589, 95%CI=1.071-2.357, P=0.021). CONCLUSION: There is a high prevalence of clinically diagnosed DED in young and middle-aged video display terminal (VDT) users. Interventions against the modifiable risk factors should be taken to prevent the occurrence and development of DED in this population.

Abstract Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has been associated with increased risk for physical comorbidity. This study used a twin cohort to investigate the association between physical diseases and phenotypic variations of ADHD. A twin cohort enriched for ADHD and other neurodevelopmental conditions were analysed. The Attention Problems subscale of the Child Behavior Checklist/Adult Behavior Checklist (CBCL/ABCL-AP) was used to measure the participants’ severity of ADHD symptoms. Physical health issues were obtained with a validated questionnaire and were tested in relation to ADHD symptom severity in a co-twin control model. Neurological problems were significantly associated with a diagnosis of ADHD. A conditional model for the analysis of within-twin pair effects revealed an inverse association between digestive problems and the severity of ADHD symptoms, after adjusting for co-existing autism spectrum disorder and ADHD medications. Our findings suggest that individuals with ADHD are susceptible to neurological problems, why a thorough neurological check-up is indicated in clinical practice for this population. In addition, health conditions of digestive system could be considered as a non-shared environmental factor for behavioral phenotypes in ADHD. It supports the possible role of gut-brain axis in the underpinnings of ADHD symptoms, at least for a subgroup of individuals with certain genetic predisposition.