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This study examined social and psychological adjustment of immigrant and Canadian-born Chinese children in Canada. Participants included a sample of elementary school children (N = 356, M age = 11 years). Data on social functioning, peer relationships, school-related social competence, perceived self-worth, and loneliness were collected from peer assessments, teacher ratings, and self-reports. The results indicated that immigrant and Canadian-born Chinese children had different experiences of social and psychological adjustment in the school. Among aspects of acculturation, English proficiency and participation in Chinese cultural activities were positively associated with social competence and negatively associated with adjustment problems, particularly in immigrant Chinese children. These results indicate the involvement of contextual factors in children's social functioning and psychological well-being. (Contains 2 tables, 1 figure and 1 note.)

The purpose of the study was to examine social functioning and adjustment in peer context in Chinese Canadian and European Canadian children. A sample of elementary school children participated in the study. Data on social functioning, peer acceptance and rejection, and victimization were collected from peer assessments and sociometric nominations. The results indicated that Chinese Canadian children were viewed by peers as less aggressive-disruptive than European Canadian children. Chinese Canadian girls, but not boys, were more shy-sensitive than their European Canadian counterparts. Sociability was associated with peer acceptance, whereas aggression was associated with peer rejection and victimization. Shyness was associated with peer relationship difficulties more evidently in European Canadian children than in Chinese Canadian children. These results indicate the relevance of ethnic background to children's peer social experiences. (Contains 2 tables.)

Moral education is always closely associated with politics in China, and the term 'moral education' is often interchangeable with such other terms as ideological and political education. Officially, moral education is seen as an important tool in upholding the socialist nature of the school and society. This paper examines the changing political and ideological orientations in China, and their implications for policy change in moral education since 1978. The paper reports on a case study on The new three character classic movement in Guangdong province, a focal point of opening up. This demonstrates some changes in the orientations of the moral education curriculum, including the growing concern about individual well-being and the moral quality of citizens that would fit with a society that is fast changing under the reform and opening-up policy, and being integrated into the world. It is argued that there is a clear reorientation for moral education to be disassociated from politics, and replaced by an emphasis on personal moral quality, as well as individual well-being, such as psychological health.

Background: Research on children's loneliness has been conducted mostly in Western, especially North American, cultures. The purpose of the study was to examine relations between loneliness and social adaptation among children and adolescents in four different societies. Methods: A total of 2263 children from grade 3 to grade 6, aged 9 to 12 years, in Brazil, Canada, P. R. China, and Southern Italy participated in the study. The participants completed a self-report measure of loneliness. Information about social behaviors and peer relationships was obtained from peer assessments. Results: Multi-group analyses revealed that the overall patterns of relations among social behaviors, peer relationships and loneliness differed across the samples. Specifically, sociability was positively associated with peer relationships and made negative indirect contributions to loneliness through peer relationships in all four samples. Aggression made significant indirect contributions to the prediction of loneliness in Chinese children, but not in other samples. Shyness-sensitivity was associated with loneliness directly in Brazilian and Italian children and indirectly through peer relationships in Canadian children, but not associated with loneliness in Chinese children. Conclusions: The results suggest that the nature of children's loneliness may be affected by the broad socio-cultural context.

The purpose of the present study was to examine relations between self-perceptions of competence and social, behavioural, and school adjustment in Brazilian, Canadian, Chinese, and Italian children. Self-perception data were collected through children's self-reports. Information about social behaviours, peer acceptance, and school achievement was obtained from peer assessments and teacher ratings. Multi-group analyses revealed similar patterns of relations between self-perceptions in scholastic and general self-worth domains and social and school performance in the four samples. However, the relations between self-perceptions of social competence and shyness and academic achievement were different across these samples. Self-perceptions of social competence was negatively associated with shyness in Brazilian, Canadian, and Italian children, but not in the Chinese children, and positively associated with academic achievement in Canadian and Chinese children, but not in Brazilian and Italian children. Similarities and differences in the patterns of relations between self-perceptions and social and school adjustment across cultures indicate that the self system may be a culture-general as well as culture-specific phenomenon. (Contains 4 tables.)

Social competence training for adults with ASD were limited in comparison to intervention for children or adolescents. CBT-CSCA is a culturally-sensitive social competence training specially developed for adolescents in Hong Kong. With its demonstrated effectiveness, the current study outlined the adaptions of its adult version, CBT-CSCA (Adult) and examined its treatment effectiveness. Thirty-six adults (aged 18–29 years, with a FSIQ above 80) completed the intervention. Significant improvements were shown in overall social competence, from both self- and parent-report, and negative mood. Participants also reported satisfactory knowledge gain and confidence in applying content learnt after each session. The study provided evidence support to the applicability and effectiveness of social competence training for adults with ASD in the Chinese culture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Objectives: To report the outcome of all robot-assisted laparoscopic radical prostatectomy (RALP) in the public health care system in Hong Kong. Patients and Methods: All patients who underwent RALP in the public health care system with at least 1 year of follow-up were evaluated. Data analysis included age, body mass index, preoperative prostate-specific antigen (PSA) level, D'Amico risk category, operative details, pathologic stage, follow-up continence, potency, and biochemical recurrence. Results: Between 2005 and 2009, 235 patients underwent RALP, with a mean age of 66.4±5.9 years and a mean preoperative PSA level of 11.0±10.5 ng/mL. Complications were 16 (7%) in total. There were 176 (74.9%) patients with pT2 disease and 55 (23.4%) patients with pT3 disease. The overall rate of positive surgical margins (PSM) was 20.7%. At postoperative 12 months, 72.5% of the patients were pad free. For those 83 preoperative potent patients having nerve-sparing surgery, the overall trifecta rate at 12 months was 37.3%. Multivariate analysis identified that pathologic T staging was significantly associated with PSM, with an odds ratio (OR) of 7.884 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 3.576-17.379; P<0.001) for the pT3 group compared with the pT2 group. When comparing D'Amico medium- and high-risk categories with low-risk categories, they were found to be significantly associated with biochemical failure (medium- compared with low-risk: OR=3.536, 95% CI: 1.253-10.173, P=0.016; high- compared with low-risk: OR=10.214, 95% CI: 2.958-35.274, P<0.001). Conclusions: Our data demonstrate the feasibility, safety, and efficacy of RALP in low-to-intermediate volume centers. Our early oncologic outcomes were significantly correlated with pathologic stage and D'Amico risk stratification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the changing role of Japanese TV drama audiences in Hong Kong. Many studies on cultural circulation have assumed the audience of cultural text as a group of passive individuals and they have been accused of falling into a trap of blinkered thinking, which often overlooks the audience's ability to re-create and re-circulate the cultural product and to attach a new layer of meaning to the text in the process. The paper tries to show that the traditional cultural circuit of 'Producer-Product-Receivers' cannot fully explain the complex use of cultural products in daily life by investigating the consumption of Japanese TV dramas in Hong Kong, from the perspective of the changing role of audiences and its relation to the changing social circumstances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined social and psychological adjustment of immigrant and Canadian-born Chinese children in Canada. Participants included a sample of elementary school children (N = 356, M age = 11 years). Data on social functioning, peer relationships, schoolrelated social competence, perceived self-worth, and loneliness were collected from peer assessments, teacher ratings, and selfreports. The results indicated that immigrant and Canadian-born Chinese children had different experiences of social and psychological adjustment in the school. Among aspects of acculturation, English proficiency and participation in Chinese cultural activities were positively associated with social competence and negatively associated with adjustment problems, particularly in immigrant Chinese children. These results indicate the involvement of contextual factors in children's social functioning and psychological well-being. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, more researchers, environmentalists, and designers have recognised that waste recycling is a key direction in environmental protection. However, waste recycling is still unsatisfactorily implemented in many modern cities, in particular those with a dense population. One of the key reasons is that community and household participation in waste recycling is still limited due to difficulties caused by particular living environments and lifestyles of modern cities. Borrowing a case study in Hong Kong, this paper attempts to review and discuss the limitations and constraints of waste recycling in this densely populated city. According to the empirical studies in two districts of Hong Kong, the paper further discusses how the particular living environments and social changes affect community and household participation in waste recycling. Based on the findings, the paper identifies some concerns in facility design as well as provision for promoting community and household participation in waste recycling, and further expects to provide inspiration for other cities to improve their recycling practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Moral education is always closely associated with politics in China, and the term ‘moral education’ is often interchangeable with such other terms as ideological and political education. Officially, moral education is seen as an important tool in upholding the socialist nature of the school and society. This paper examines the changing political and ideological orientations in China, and their implications for policy change in moral education since 1978. The paper reports on a case study on The new three character classic movement in Guangdong province, a focal point of opening up. This demonstrates some changes in the orientations of the moral education curriculum, including the growing concern about individual well‐being and the moral quality of citizens that would fit with a society that is fast changing under the reform and opening‐up policy, and being integrated into the world. It is argued that there is a clear reorientation for moral education to be disassociated from politics, and replaced by an emphasis on personal moral quality, as well as individual well‐being, such as psychological health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. We conducted prospective, hospital-based surveillance for rotavirus disease for a 2-year period at 4 of 12 public government (Hospital Authority [HA]) hospitals in Hong Kong. It has been estimated that HA hospitals provide 90% of inpatient care in Hong Kong. Methods. Information was collected for children <5 years old who had a primary or secondary diagnosis of diarrhea or for whom a stool sample was tested for the presence of rotavirus (by enzyme immunoassay) or bacteria (by culture). Surveillance data were compared with routine discharge information from the HA's computerized Clinical Management System (CMS). Results. During a 2-year period (1 April 2001 through 31 March 2003), 7391 children were admitted to the hospital with diarrhea or developed diarrhea during their hospital stay. Of these children, 5881 (80%) had a stool sample tested for the presence of rotavirus, and 30% were positive for rotavirus (representing 24% of all diarrhea associated admissions). CMS data underreported the total percentage of diarrhea-associated admissions (15% vs. 20%) and the percentage of diarrhea-associated admissions that were the result of rotavirus infection (13% vs. 24%). Estimated rates of hospitalization for rotavirus infection (8.8 admissions/1000 children <5 years old and 18.4 admissions/1000 children <1 year old) were 4-fold higher than our previous estimates, which were determined on the basis of CMS data alone. We estimate that the cumulative risk of hospitalization with rotavirus diarrhea by age 5 years is 1 in 24. Combined active and passive (CMS) surveillance data indicate that 4.6% of all general pediatric admissions to HA hospitals in Hong Kong were associated with rotavirus infection. Conclusion. Our study combined passive surveillance data from all Hong Kong HA hospitals with active surveillance data from 4 sentinel hospitals. The estimates of rotavirus disease burden obtained will help emphasize the effect of this important disease and create awareness of the potential for rotavirus vaccines. The surveillance model developed could also be a powerful tool for monitoring the effect of a vaccine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Rotavirus infection is the most common cause of severe diarrhea in both developed and developing countries. Methods. To estimate the economic burden associated with rotavirus infection in Hong Kong, we combined data on the disease burden of rotavirus-associated hospital admissions with detailed cost data for a subsample of 471 children with diarrhea admitted to hospitals. Results. The annual total social cost and total direct medical cost for rotavirus-associated admissions were calculated as US $4.3 and US $4 million, respectively, by use of data collected during March 2001 to March 2003. The estimate of the direct medical costs was ∼4-fold higher than a previous estimate; this difference largely reflects the greater disease burden identified through active disease surveillance conducted under the auspices of the Asian Rotavirus Surveillance Network. On average, families spent US $120 when their child's admission was associated with rotavirus infection; this cost represents ∼10% of the monthly salary of an unskilled or service worker. Conclusions. These data emphasize the potential for a safe and effective rotavirus vaccine to reduce the economic burden associated with rotavirus disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OBJECTIVE:We aimed to investigate the association of viral genotype and the development of icteric flare-up (IF) in chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection.METHODS:Twenty-one consecutive patients suffering from IF of chronic HBV infection, defined as elevation of ALT over five times the upper limit of normal, together with either bilirubin >50 IU/L or elevated bilirubin plus PT >3 s prolonged, were studied. Patients from three stages of HBV-related chronic liver disease were studied as controls: 1) asymptomatic carriers (31 patients), defined as persistent normal ALT for at least 2 yr; 2) active early cirrhosis (49 patients), defined as Child’s A liver cirrhosis plus HBV DNA >106 Eq/ml; and 3) decompensated cirrhosis (31 patients), defined as Child’s B or C liver cirrhosis with complications. Restriction fragment length polymorphism was used for genotyping.RESULTS:Only genotype B and C HBV were identified in our studied cohort. Ninety-one percent of patients suffering from IF were infected by genotype B HBV (p <0.001 vs asymptomatic carriers, early cirrhosis patients, and decompensated cirrhosis patients). On the contrary, genotype C HBV was the predominant strain at different stages of chronic liver disease; no statistical difference was found on the relative prevalence of genotype B/C HBV among asymptomatic carriers, early cirrhosis patients, and decompensated cirrhosis patients.CONCLUSIONS:Genotype B HBV is associated with IF among chronic HBV-infected patients in Hong Kong, whereas genotype C HBV is more prevalent at all stages of chronic liver disease. Our findings suggested that the two different HBV genotypes might have different pathogenic mechanisms of liver damage. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Objective: To review the outcome of surgical treatment for chronic subdural haematoma (CSDH) at a local neurosurgical centre, with emphasis on major treatment-related complications. Method: A total of 108 patients received operations for chronic subdural haematoma at the University of Hong Kong Medical Centre between January 1995 and December 1999. Medical records and imaging studies were studied retrospectively. Patients’ clinical features and treatment modalities were analysed and major postoperative complications, including mortality, haematoma recurrence, infection and epileptic seizure, were studied. Results: All 108 patients underwent burr hole craniostomy for the drainage of CSDH; one patient also underwent formal craniotomy. Recurrence occurred in six (5.5%) patients, seizure in two (1.8%) and intracranial infection in one (0.9%). There were four deaths, giving rise to a mortality of 3.7%. All four patients who died were elderly and had presented in an unconscious state and died subsequently of chest infection after surgery. Conclusion: Although surgical drainage of CSDH is often considered to be a straightforward, effective and safe procedure, it is not entirely without risks. The surgical outcome of the present series is in accordance with the current standard of neurosurgical care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Determines whether seed predation was a barrier to natural forest regeneration on degraded hillsides in Hong Kong, China. Percentage of land area covered by forests in the country; Reasons for seed predation.

In 2012-2014, our laboratory had investigated a total of 9 suspected front blind spot crashes, in which the medium and heavy goods vehicles pulled away from rest and rolled over the pedestrians, who were crossing immediately in front of the vehicles. The drivers alleged that they did not see any pedestrians through the windscreens or the front blind spot mirrors. Forensic assessment of the goods vehicles revealed the existence of front blind spot zones in 3 out of these 9 accident vehicles, which were attributed to the poor mirror adjustments or even the absence of a front blind spot mirror altogether. In view of this, a small survey was devised involving 20 randomly selected volunteers and their goods vehicles and 5 out of these vehicles had blind spots at the front. Additionally, a short questionnaire was conducted on these 20 professional lorry drivers and it was shown that most of them were not aware of the hazards of blind spots immediately in front of their vehicles, and many did not use the front blind spot mirrors properly. A simple procedure for quick measurements of the coverage of front blind spot mirrors using a coloured plastic mat with dimensional grids was also introduced and described in this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accurate understanding of the variability in foliar physiological traits across landscapes is critical to improve parameterization and evaluation of terrestrial biosphere models (TBMs) that seek to represent the response of terrestrial ecosystems to a changing climate. Numerous studies suggest imaging spectroscopy can characterize foliar biochemical and morphological traits at the canopy scale, but there is only limited evidence for retrieving canopy photosynthetic capacity (e.g., maximum carboxylation rate, V c,max and maximum electron transport rate, J max). Moreover, the effect of canopy structure within forest communities on scaling up spectra-trait relationships from leaf to canopy level is not well known. To advance the spectra-trait approach and enable the estimation of key traits using remote sensing, we collected imaging spectroscopy data from an Unoccupied Aerial System (UAS) platform over two forest sites in China (a subtropical forest in Mt. Dinghu and a tropical rainforest in Xishuangbanna). At these sites, we also collected ground measurements of leaf spectra and traits, including biochemical (leaf nitrogen, phosphorus, chlorophyll, and water content), morphological (leaf mass per area, LMA) and physiological (V c,max25 and J max25) traits (n = 135 tree-crowns from 42 species across two sites). Using a partial least-squares regression (PLSR) approach, we built and tested spectra-trait models with repeated cross-validation. The spectral models developed with leaf spectra were directly transferred to canopy spectra to evaluate the effect of canopy structure. We further applied canopy spectral models to map these traits at individual tree-crown scale. The results demonstrate that (1) UAS-based canopy spectra can be used to estimate V c,max (R 2 = 0.55, nRMSE = 11.79%), J max (R 2 = 0.54, nRMSE = 12.34%), and five additional foliar traits (R 2 = 0.38–0.60, nRMSE = 10.11–13.56%) at the tree-crown scale with demonstrated generalizability across two sites; (2) canopy structure strongly affects the spectra-trait relationships from leaf to canopy level, but the effects vary considerably across foliar traits and cannot be well captured by the 4SAIL canopy radiative transfer model. UAS-based imaging spectroscopy maps large variability in all foliar traits (including physiological traits) with spatially explicit information, reproducing the field-observed inter- and intra-specific variations. These results demonstrate the capability of using UAS-based imaging spectroscopy for characterizing the variability of foliar physiological traits at individual tree-crown scale over forest landscapes and highlight the similar generalizability but different biophysical mechanisms underlying spectra-trait relationships at leaf and canopy levels. • UAS-based imaging spectroscopy well estimates canopy foliar photosynthetic capacity. • Canopy structure strongly affects the canopy-scale spectra-trait relationships. • UAS imaging spectroscopy maps trait variations at inter- and intra-specific levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A patient with obstructive sleep apnea was admitted to the hospital with non-ST segment elevation myocardial infarction. An angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor was prescribed upon discharge. She later became intolerant to continuous positive airway pressure therapy, and her adherence to the related device decreased precipitously. The intolerance subsided gradually after a switch in medication to an angiotensin receptor blocker, and her adherence to continuous positive airway pressure device usage returned to baseline after 4 weeks., Citation: Ou Y-H, Thant AT, Lee C-H. Sudden deterioration of CPAP adherence after myocardial infarction in a Chinese patient: potential effect of ACEI-induced airway hyperresponsiveness. J Clin Sleep Med. 2022;18(5):1463-1465., (© 2022 American Academy of Sleep Medicine.)

Background: Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) and prostate health index (PHI) have been used as biomarkers for prostate cancer detection. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of PHI for prostate cancer detection in Chinese men., Method: We developed a Markov model for Chinese male patient aged 50-75 years old. The PSA strategy was to offer TRUS-PB for all patients with elevated PSA of 4-10 ng/mL. The PHI strategy was to offer PHI for patients with elevated PSA of 4-10 ng/mL. TRUS-PB would only be offered for patients with PHI >35.0. Model inputs were extracted from local data when available. The cost per quality-adjusted life years gained for both strategies were calculated. The incremental cost-effectiveness ratios in relation to the willingness-to-pay (WTP) threshold were compared. One-way sensitivity analysis and probabilistic sensitivity analysis were performed. Cost-effectiveness acceptability curves were also constructed., Results: With a Markov model of 25 screening cycles from age 50 to 75 years, the mean total costs per man were estimated to be USD 27,439 in the PSA strategy and USD 22,877 in the PHI strategy. The estimated effects were estimated to be 15.70 in the PSA strategy and 16.05 in the PHI strategy. The PHI strategy was associated with an expected decrease in cost of USD 4562 and an expected gain of 0.35 QALY, resulting in an ICER of USD -13056.56. The results were shown to be robust upon one-way sensitivity analysis. Upon Monte Carlo simulation, the PHI strategy was more cost-effective for 100% of the iterations. The PHI strategy demonstrated dominance over the PSA strategy regardless of what WTP threshold we use., Conclusions: A PHI-based screening strategy may be more cost-effective than a PSA-based strategy for prostate cancer detection in Chinese men. These results support consideration of a PHI-based approach for prostate cancer in Hong Kong.

The widespread use of UV filters has resulted in significant amounts of these chemicals appearing not only in the environment but also in organisms. This study first assessed the levels of nine UV filters in waters along the coast of Shenzhen, China, in tapwater, and in a nearby reservoir. UV filters were found to be high, in both winter and summer at most locations. Then, using zebrafish as a model, the influence of a UV filter mixture after dietary and aqueous exposure was assessed. After exposing artemia to three dominant UV filters at two levels and then feeding these artemia to zebrafish adults, concentrations in both were up to 4 times higher when exposed to the mixtures than when exposed to only a single UV filter. A short-term 25-day dietary exposure to the zebrafish adults did not appear to significantly influence early life stage development of the second generation; however, relatively long exposure over 47 days had significant adverse effects on embryo development. Aqueous exposure of fish embryos to mixtures of the three UV filters demonstrated a general trend of decreased heart/hatching rate as doses increased, coupled with significant changes in activities of catalase and malate dehydrogenase.

Our recent study has indicated that Chinese green tea (Lung Chen), in which epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) accounts for 60% of catechins, protected cigarette smoke-induced lung injury. We now hypothesized that Lung Chen tea may also have potential effect on lung oxidative stress and proteases/anti-proteases in a smoking rat model. Sprague-Dawley rats were exposed to either sham air (SA) or 4% cigarette smoke (CS) plus 2% Lung Chen tea or water by oral gavage. Serine proteases, matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and their respective endogenous inhibitors were determined in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) and lung tissues by gelatin/casein zymography and biochemical assays. Green tea consumption significantly decreased CS-induced elevation of lung lipid peroxidation marker, malondialdehyde (MDA), and CS-induced up-regulation of neutrophil elastase (NE) concentration and activity along with that of α(1)-antitrypsin (α(1)-AT) and secretory leukoproteinase inhibitor (SLPI) in BAL and lung. In parallel, significant elevation of MMP-12 activity was found in BAL and lung of the CS-exposed group, which returned to the levels of SA-exposed group after green tea consumption but not CS-induced reduction of tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase (TIMP)-1 activity, which was not reversed by green tea consumption. Taken together, our data supported the presence of local oxidative stress and protease/anti-protease imbalance in the airways after CS exposure, which might be alleviated by green tea consumption through its biological antioxidant activity.

Unlabelled: AIM, MATERIALS & METHODS: We investigated the functional significance of CYP2C19*2, *3, *17 and PON1 Q192R SNPs in 89 consecutive Asian patients on clopidogrel treatment and the prevalence of functionally significant polymorphisms among 300 Chinese, Malays and Asian Indians., Results: Both CYP2C19 loss-of-function alleles (*2 or *3) were associated with higher platelet reactivity while the CYP2C19 gain-of-function allele (*17) had lower platelet reactivity. For PON1, the median PRI was not significantly different between the QQ, QR and RR groups. The allele frequencies of CYP2C19*2, CYP2C19*3 and CYP2C19*17 were 0.280, 0.065 and 0.010 (rare) for Chinese, 0.310, 0.050 and 0.025 for Malays, and 0.375, 0.010 (rare) and 0.165 for Indians, respectively., Conclusion: Our data suggest that genotyping studies to investigate clopidogrel response should include CYP2C19*2 and *3 but not *17 polymorphisms in Chinese, and CYP2C19*2 and *17 polymorphisms but not *3 in Indians. All three polymorphisms should preferably be genotyped in Malays.

Background: Infantile hypertrophic pyloric stenosis (IHPS) is one of the most common gastrointestinal obstructions in the infancy requiring surgery. Reduced expression of neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS), which plays an important role in the regulation of the human pyloric muscle, is thought to underlie IHPS. The role of nNOS in IHPS has been supported by the genetic association of a functional regulatory nNOS polymorphism (-84G>A) with IHPS in whites. We reasoned that the corroboration of this association in a population of different ethnic origin would prompt follow-up studies and further investigation of the IHPS pathology at molecular level. Thus, we attempted to reproduce the original findings in a Chinese population of comparable size in what would be the first genetic study on IHPS conducted in Chinese., Methods: nNOS -84G>A genotypes were analyzed in 56 patients and 86 controls by polymerase chain reaction and DNA sequencing. Logistic regression was used to compute odds ratios., Results: Our study could not corroborate the association previously reported. Although the frequency of the IHPS-associated allele (-84A) in controls (0.205) was similar to that reported for white controls, there was a dramatic difference in -84A frequencies between white and Chinese patients (0.198). Similarly, there was no difference in the nNOS -84G>A genotype distribution between patients and controls, even when the GA and AA genotypes were combined to compare GG genotype (odds ratio, 1.01; 95% confidence interval, 0.47-2.19)., Conclusions: Failure to replicate the initial finding does not detract from its validity, because genetic effects may differ across populations. Differences across populations in linkage disequilibrium and/or allele frequencies may contribute to this lack of replication. The role nNOS in IHPS awaits further investigation., (Copyright 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

The purpose of the study was to examine social functioning and adjustment in peer context in Chinese Canadian and European Canadian children. A sample of elementary school children participated in the study. Data on social functioning, peer acceptance and rejection, and victimization were collected from peer assessments and sociometric nominations. The results indicated that Chinese Canadian children were viewed by peers as less aggressive-disruptive than European Canadian children. Chinese Canadian girls, but not boys, were more shy-sensitive than their European Canadian counterparts. Sociability was associated with peer acceptance, whereas aggression was associated with peer rejection and victimization. Shyness was associated with peer relationship difficulties more evidently in European Canadian children than in Chinese Canadian children. These results indicate the relevance of ethnic background to children's peer social experiences.

Background: Research on children's loneliness has been conducted mostly in Western, especially North American, cultures. The purpose of the study was to examine relations between loneliness and social adaptation among children and adolescents in four different societies., Methods: A total of 2263 children from grade 3 to grade 6, aged 9 to 12 years, in Brazil, Canada, P. R. China, and Southern Italy participated in the study. The participants completed a self-report measure of loneliness. Information about social behaviors and peer relationships was obtained from peer assessments., Results: Multi-group analyses revealed that the overall patterns of relations among social behaviors, peer relationships and loneliness differed across the samples. Specifically, sociability was positively associated with peer relationships and made negative indirect contributions to loneliness through peer relationships in all four samples. Aggression made significant indirect contributions to the prediction of loneliness in Chinese children, but not in other samples. Shyness-sensitivity was associated with loneliness directly in Brazilian and Italian children and indirectly through peer relationships in Canadian children, but not associated with loneliness in Chinese children., Conclusions: The results suggest that the nature of children's loneliness may be affected by the broad socio-cultural context.

Background: Hirschsprung disease (HSCR) is a congenital disorder characterized by an absence of ganglion cells in the nerve plexuses of the lower digestive tract. HSCR has a complex pattern of inheritance and is sometimes associated with mutations in genes of the receptor tyrosine kinase (RET) and endothelin receptor B (EDNRB) signaling pathways, which are crucial for development of the enteric nervous system., Methods: Using PCR amplification and direct sequencing, we screened for mutations and polymorphisms in the coding regions and intron/exon boundaries of the RET, GDNF, EDNRB, and EDN3 genes of 84 HSCR patients and 96 ethnically matched controls., Results: We identified 10 novel and 2 previously described mutations in RET, and 4 and 2 novel mutations in EDNRB and in EDN3, respectively. Potential disease-causing mutations were detected in 24% of the patients. The overall mutation rate was 41% in females and 19% in males (P = 0.06). RET mutations occurred in 19% of the patients. R114H in RET was the most prevalent mutation, representing 7% of the patients or 37% of the patients with RET mutations. To date, such a high frequency of a single mutation has never been reported in unrelated HSCR patients. Mutations in EDNRB, EDN3, and GDNF were found in four, two, and none of the patients, respectively. Two patients with mutations in genes of the EDNRB pathway also harbored a mutation in RET. Three novel and three reported polymorphisms were found in EDNRB, EDN3, and GDNF., Conclusion: This study identifies additional HSCR disease-causing mutations, some peculiar to the Chinese population, and represents the first comprehensive genetic analysis of sporadic HSCR disease in Chinese.