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As dietary habits and the quality of life change, the incidence of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease has increased year by year and has become one of the major public health problems in the world. Due to the complexity of the disease, no drug has been approved for its treatment. Propolis is a natural gelatinous product with extensive pharmacological activities, which can be used in clinical treatment of coronary heart disease, diabetes, hypertension, hyperlipidemia and other diseases. Studies have shown that propolis and its phenolic compounds have pharmacological activities such as hypolipidemic, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects, making them promising in alleviating non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. Therefore, this article reviews recent studies on propolis and its phenolic compounds in alleviating non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in order to provide a theoretical reference for research on the alleviative effect of propolis on non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.

Research Summary: This article examines whether the Affordable Care Act (ACA) health insurance reform reduced the gender gap in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) entrepreneurship. I argue that the ACA mitigated mobility constraints imposed by employer‐provided health insurance and encouraged entrepreneurship with important contingencies: effects were limited to women because of gender differences in supply‐side cost reduction and demand‐side health insurance needs and were specific to women in STEM (vs. non‐STEM) entrepreneurship because of the human and financial capital needed to navigate insurance markets. Leveraging the ACA quasi‐experiment, I find consistent evidence of a reduced gender gap in STEM entrepreneurship. Surprisingly, the effects were driven by increased STEM entrepreneurship for married women founding unincorporated businesses. Qualitative interview insights and empirical findings provide explanations for these patterns. Managerial Summary: This study examines whether the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) entrepreneurial gender gap can be reduced by institutional factors mitigating labor market mobility constraints imposed by employer‐provided work benefits. Through the lens of the US ACA reform, I find that broadened access to more affordable health insurance in the alternative individual insurance markets disproportionately encouraged female (vs. male) STEM (vs. non‐STEM) entrepreneurship, thus reducing the STEM entrepreneurial gender gap. Contrary to common assumptions, this effect is driven by married (vs. unmarried) women and is in unincorporated (vs. incorporated) self‐employment. The findings help discern which groups benefit from policy efforts to promote diversity in STEM entrepreneurship and imply that the effectiveness of employer‐provided work benefits as retention tools is dependent on various worker characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: In this study, we aimed to examine the prevalence of alcohol consumption among methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) clients in Shanghai and to determine whether a brief intervention (BI) affects drinking among them. Methods: A total of 837 clients from 14 local MMT clinics were invited to complete the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT). One hundred one were included in the study and randomly assigned to the BI group or the control group. Clients in the BI group received a BI and general health education, whereas clients in the control group received the general health education only. Baseline and postintervention assessments were conducted by using the AUDIT, the Drinking Attitude Questionnaire, the Depression Module of the Patient Health Questionnaire, the Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale, and the General Well-Being Schedule. Results: Two hundred fifty-nine (30.9%) reported drinking during the last year, and 103 (12.3%) met the criteria for harmful use. At the 3-month follow-up, the AUDIT scores of the 2 groups were significantly decreased, and the time effect was statistically significant (F = 6.224, P = 0.018), but there was no group difference in AUDIT scores (F = 1.953, P = 0.172). Both groups had a main time effect of time on the improvement of depression (F = 8.044, P = 0.008), anxiety (F = 9.650, P = 0.004), and general well-being (F = 5.056, P = 0.033). However, there was no statistical difference between the 2 groups (P > 0.05), and no statistical difference in the time (F = 1.738, P = 0.198) and group (F = 0.658, P = 0.424) effect of drinking attitude. Conclusions: Alcohol consumption is common among MMT clients in China. Brief intervention, in its current form, could not effectively help them reduce their alcohol consumption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While the potential future role of virtual agents (VAs) in treating addiction is promising, participants’ attitudes toward the use of VAs in psychotherapy remain insufficiently investigated. This lack of investigation could pose barriers to the adoption of VA-led psychotherapy for people with substance use disorders (SUD). This research aims to explore the acceptability and usability of VAs for people with methamphetamine use disorder.Following a single session of psychotherapy led by VAs through the Echo-app, a group of 49 individuals actively seeking treatment for current DSM-V substance dependence (with a mean age of 39.06 ± 8.02) completed self-administered questionnaires and participated in focus group interviews. These questionnaires aimed to investigate participants’ preference regarding the type of psychotherapy and their willingness to engage in VA-led psychotherapy, taking into account their diverse psychological needs.Quantitative data were subjected to analysis through both descriptive and inferential statistical methods. Interestingly, participants exhibited a significantly higher acceptability for traditional face-to-face psychotherapy compared to email-based psychotherapy (p = 0.042), but there was no statistically significant difference between their acceptance of traditional psychotherapy and VA-led psychotherapy (p = 0.059). The questionnaire outcomes indicated participants’ willingness to engage in VA-led psychotherapy for purposes such as relapse prevention intervention, addressing emotional issues, managing somatic experiences, and facilitating social and family functional recovery. Furthermore, the participants’ attitudes toward VA-led psychotherapy were predicted by factors including the need for anxiety-focused psychotherapy (p = 0.027; OR [95%CI] = 0.14[0.03,0.80]), the presence of chronic somatic diseases (p = 0.017; OR [95%CI] = 13.58[1.59,116.03]), and marital status (p = 0.031; OR [95%CI] = 5.02[1.16,21.79]).Through the interviews, the study uncovered the factors that either supported or hindered participants’ experiences with VA-led psychotherapy, while also gathering suggestions for future improvements. This research highlights the willingness and practicality of individuals with SUD in embracing VA-led psychotherapy. The findings are anticipated to contribute to the refinement of VA-led tools to better align with the preferences and needs of the users. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]