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Purpose: This article examines how individual, school, and social factors shape the perceptions of students in Senior Secondary Three (SS3; in some schools called Form Six [F6]) toward English private tutoring in Macao. Design/Approach/Methods: This is a comparative study of two F6 classes of an English-medium secondary school and four SS3 classes of a Chinese-medium secondary school in Macao, with a total number of 145 students. Mixed-methods approach (questionnaires and interviews) is employed in the study. Findings: The respondents' participation in English tutoring is not very intensive. They prefer to receive government-subsidized after-school tutoring taught by their schoolteachers more than fee-paying English tutoring taught by tutors outside. Low level of social competition and high tertiary enrollment rates contribute to this phenomenon. Students' needs and beliefs in English learning play key roles in determining their receipt of English tutoring. Originality/Value: Teachers may need better understanding of their students' needs so as to design suitable pedagogies. Schools can consider more fully the types of tutoring that they provide for different kinds of pupils. The government-subsidized after-school tutoring could be a plausible way to reduce educational inequality.

Background: Most studies on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on depression burden focused on the earlier pandemic phase specific to lockdowns, but the longer-term impact of the pandemic is less well-studied. In this population-based cohort study, we examined the short-term and long-term impacts of COVID-19 on depression incidence and healthcare service use among patients with depression. Methods: Using the territory-wide electronic medical records in Hong Kong, we identified all patients aged ≥ 10 years with new diagnoses of depression from 2014 to 2022. We performed an interrupted time-series (ITS) analysis to examine changes in incidence of medically attended depression before and during the pandemic. We then divided all patients into nine cohorts based on year of depression incidence and studied their initial and ongoing service use patterns until the end of 2022. We applied generalized linear modeling to compare the rates of healthcare service use in the year of diagnosis between patients newly diagnosed before and during the pandemic. A separate ITS analysis explored the pandemic impact on the ongoing service use among prevalent patients with depression. Results: We found an immediate increase in depression incidence (RR = 1.21, 95% CI: 1.10–1.33, p < 0.001) in the population after the pandemic began with non-significant slope change, suggesting a sustained effect until the end of 2022. Subgroup analysis showed that the increases in incidence were significant among adults and the older population, but not adolescents. Depression patients newly diagnosed during the pandemic used 11% fewer resources than the pre-pandemic patients in the first diagnosis year. Pre-existing depression patients also had an immediate decrease of 16% in overall all-cause service use since the pandemic, with a positive slope change indicating a gradual rebound over a 3-year period. Conclusions: During the pandemic, service provision for depression was suboptimal in the face of increased demand generated by the increasing depression incidence during the COVID-19 pandemic. Our findings indicate the need to improve mental health resource planning preparedness for future public health crises. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Blockade of colony-stimulating factor-1 (CSF-1) limits macrophage infiltration and improves response of mammary carcinomas to chemotherapy. Herein we identify interleukin (IL)-10 expression by macrophages as the critical mediator of this phenotype. Infiltrating macrophages were the primary source of IL-10 within tumors, and therapeutic blockade of IL-10 receptor (IL-10R) was equivalent to CSF-1 neutralization in enhancing primary tumor response to paclitaxel and carboplatin. Improved response to chemotherapy was CD8(+) T cell-dependent, but IL-10 did not directly suppress CD8(+) T cells or alter macrophage polarization. Instead, IL-10R blockade increased intratumoral dendritic cell expression of IL-12, which was necessary for improved outcomes. In human breast cancer, expression of IL12A and cytotoxic effector molecules were predictive of pathological complete response rates to paclitaxel.

Individuals with ADHD may self-medicate with nicotine, the main psychoactive ingredient in tobacco smoke, in order to reduce symptoms and negative moods associated with ADHD. ADHD medication (e.g., methylphenidate and atomoxetine) may mimic some of the effects of nicotine and may aid smoking cessation in smokers with ADHD. The present study examined if ADHD medication reduces smoking and withdrawal in non-treatment seeking smokers with ADHD. Fifteen adult smokers with ADHD participated in the study, which consisted of an experimental phase and field monitoring phase to examine the acute and extended effects, respectively, of ADHD medication. During the experimental phase, smokers were asked to complete a Continuous Performance Task (CPT) and the Shiffman-Jarvik smoking withdrawal questionnaire during the following four conditions: (1) ADHD medication+cigarette smoking, (2) ADHD medication+overnight abstinence, (3) placebo+cigarette smoking, and (4) placebo+overnight abstinence. During the field monitoring phase, participants were asked to provide salivary cotinine samples and complete electronic diaries about smoking, smoking urge, ADHD symptoms, and stress in everyday life for two days on ADHD medication and for two days on placebo. Results of the experimental phase showed that ADHD medication improved task performance on the CPT and reduced withdrawal during overnight abstinence. During the field monitoring phase, ADHD medication reduced salivary cotinine levels compared to placebo. In addition, the electronic diary revealed that ADHD medication improved difficulty concentrating during no smoking events and stress. The findings of the present study suggest that, along with other strategies, ADHD medication may be used to aid smoking withdrawal and cessation in smokers with ADHD.

This article traces how the 'wet' market was integrated into the infrastructure of public housing estates in Hong Kong through modularization from 1969 to 1975. This includes how spatial modularization concepts extended into administration and management, incorporating responsibilities and categories of goods that ultimately reflected colonial ideas of health, food hygiene and social and spatial order. In doing so, this article theorizes how the modular market embodied the ways colonial government departments, architects and managers navigated notions of the materiality of 'wetness' in the market through its design in response to management and customer needs, but nevertheless how consumers found ways to re-narrate such spaces through maintaining 'wet' cultural exchanges and practices. Using government documents and photographs, this article combines a design historical approach to materiality with empirical evidence to expand on histories and practices of the 'wet market', bringing the everyday discourses of modernity in Hong Kong to the fore. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The B cell-specific transmembrane protein RP-105 belongs to the family of Drosophila toll-like proteins which are likely to trigger innate immune responses in mice and man. Here we demonstrate that the Src-family protein tyrosine kinase Lyn, protein kinase C beta I/II (PKCbetaI/II), and Erk2-specific mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase kinase (MEK) are essential and probably functionally connected elements of the RP-105-mediated signaling cascade in B cells. We also find that negative regulation of RP-105-mediated activation of MAP kinases by membrane immunoglobulin may account for the phenomenon of antigen receptor-mediated arrest of RP-105-mediated B cell proliferation.

Compared with 12 months earlier, 206 patients (32.7%) said they found their current health to be "much better", 209 patients (33.1%) felt "somewhat better", 123 patients (19.5%) felt "about the same", 75 patients (11.9%) felt "somewhat worse", and 18 patients (2.9%) felt "much worse." Predictors of poor postoperative patient satisfaction in patients unde... Background A significant number of patients who undergo spine surgery have pre-existing compensation claims. The feasibility of a multidisciplinary transitional pain service in pa... Background Patients who undergo spine surgery have high rates of perioperative opioid consumption compared with patients undergoing other types of surgery, and unfortunately many opioid-naive patients going into spine surgery remain on opioids long term. Spine surgery in patients with morbid obesity: tips and tricks Background Patients with obesity are becoming more prevalent in our society, and spine surgery in patients with morbid obesity presents a challenge in several aspects. Background Cobb angle measurement is a standard method for quantification of scoliosis in patients with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS). [Extracted from the article]