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Are children from "Eastern" cultures less emotionally expressive and reactive than children from "Western" cultures? To answer this, we used a multi-level and multi-contextual approach to understand variations in emotion displays and cortisol reactivity among preschoolers living in China and the United States. One hundred two preschoolers from China (N = 58; 55% males) and the United States (N = 44, 48% males) completed three (i.e., control, interpersonal-related, and achievement-related) emotion-challenging paradigms over 3 days. Behavioral emotion expressions were coded, and salivary cortisol was sampled 30 minutes before and across 90 minutes post-task. Without considering context, Chinese preschoolers displayed fewer levels of positive and negative emotion expressions relative to their United States counterparts. However, Chinese preschoolers displayed similar levels of expressions as their United States counterparts during an achievement-related challenge that is more salient to their sociocultural emphases and showed higher negative emotion expressions in this challenge, relative to other contexts. Moreover, only the achievement-related challenge elicited increased cortisol levels among Chinese preschoolers, and this was correlated with higher levels of negative expressions. For US preschoolers, no cortisol increase was observed in any challenging paradigms, nor was cortisol associated with emotional expressions. Findings counter prior notions that East Asian children are generally less emotionally expressive. Instead, an achievement-related challenge elicited higher emotion expression and cortisol reactivity among Chinese preschoolers, suggesting that children's emotion expression and biological reactivity may be most responsive to contexts salient to their socio-cultural environments. We discuss the importance of considering cultural contexts when studying emotion regulation.

The article comments on the paper "Shame: An Acute Stress Response to Interpersonal Traumatization," by Dianne Trumbull. Topics mentioned include the visual dimension, power, and pain of shame, distinction between shame and guilt, the role of shame in development and attachment emotion, the impact of shame on self-esteem, and the interaction of shame and culture.

Background: Haff disease is a syndrome of myalgia and rhabdomyolysis that occurs after eating cooked seafood. Methods: For this descriptive analytical article, a literature search identified the scientific articles on Haff disease and/or rhabdomyolysis after eating cooked seafood in the United States and China. Analysis of those articles focused on identifying the seafood vectors of Haff disease, describing the most commonly recurring clinical and laboratory manifestations of Haff disease, and comparing the Haff disease toxidrome with other similar seafood-borne toxidromes. Statistically significant differences were determined using unpaired t tests and Fisher exact tests. Results: Twenty-nine confirmed cases of Haff disease were identified in the United States, and 60 cases were identified in China during 1984-2014. Most of the US cases followed consumption of buffalo fish, and most of the Chinese cases followed consumption of freshwater pomfret. However, Haff disease also followed consumption of the same species of boiled crayfish (Procambarus clarkii) in the United States (n=9) and China (n=6). US patients with crayfish-transmitted Haff disease reported significantly more nausea with and without vomiting, chest pain, body and back pain, dyspnea, and diaphoresis than the Chinese patients and were more frequently misdiagnosed as having myocardial infarctions. Conclusion: The bioaccumulation of a new, heat-stable freshwater and/or brackish/saltwater algal toxin, similar to palytoxin but primarily myotoxic and not neurotoxic, is suspected of causing Haff disease. At present, only the rapid identification of the seafood vectors of Haff disease will limit disease outbreaks and prevent further cases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Glaucoma prevalence and subtype profile vary across different racial and ethnic groups. This study provides a comparative evaluation of differences in aqueous humour dynamics (AHD) and ocular biometrics in healthy Chinese and Caucasian adults of two different age groups., Methods: Data from two independent studies with identical designs were compared. Cohorts included young adults (20-30 years old, 32 Chinese and 39 Caucasians) and older adults (>50 years old, 37 Chinese and 46 Caucasians). Parameters of AHD and ocular biometrics were evaluated. Group comparisons were made by generalised estimating equation methods., Results: Differences in young adult Caucasians compared with similarly aged Chinese were thinner central cornea (-29.27 µm, p<0.001), lower intraocular pressure (IOP) (-2.33 mm Hg, p<0.001), larger anterior chamber volume (ACV) (28.78 µL, p<0.001) and faster uveoscleral outflow rate (Fu) (0.82 µL/min, p<0.001). Differences in older adult Caucasians compared with similarly aged Chinese were slower aqueous flow rate (Fa) (-0.28 µL/min, p=0.042), lower IOP (-1.97 mm Hg, p<0.001) and larger ACV (33.15 µL, p<0.001). Considering all subjects together by race, Caucasian subjects had slower Fa (-0.22 µL/min, p=0.035), thinner corneas (-0.52 µm, p=0.003), lower IOP (-2.11 mm Hg, p<0.001), higher ACV (30.39 µL, p<0.001) and faster Fu (0.63 µL/min, p<0.001)., Conclusion: Differences in AHD and biometrics between Caucasian and Chinese adults include larger ACVs which may contribute to the wider angles reported in Caucasians, and slower Fa rates coupled with faster Fu rates which may contribute to their lower IOP and lower overall risk of glaucoma., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2019. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.)