Search

Alcohol use ranks as one of the most prevalent health-risk behaviors among Taiwanese adolescents. Possible selves--personalized future-oriented cognitions about the self--are significant motivators of one's actions, which may potentially influence adolescent drinking behavior. This study aimed to estimate the content domain-specific possible selves and their associations with drinking behaviors among Taiwanese adolescents. A total of 225 Taiwanese seventh and eighth graders from a public junior high school were recruited. An anonymous self-reported questionnaire was used to collect data during two time-points at six-month intervals. Results showed that having a "physical appearance" related hoped-for possible self and a "friendship" related feared possible self was associated with adolescent alcohol use after six months. Whereas, having the "physical appearance" related hoped-for and feared possible selves were associated with alcohol problems, at both, baseline and six months later. Future studies could clarify the meaning behind "physical appearance" related possible selves.

Separate school placements persist for students with extensive support needs (ESN) despite longstanding federal mandates for all students with disabilities to be educated in the least restrictive environment. This study extends research on separate school placement for students with ESN to explore the potential impact of locale and charter school policy by determining (1) the percentage of separate schools in states across locales, (2) whether there is a relationship between the percentages of separate schools in each locale and separate school placement rates, and (3) how the number and location of separate special education charter schools change by state over time. Results showed varying proportions of separate schools among each locale in states with different placement rates, a significant moderate difference between the percentage of separate schools in suburban locales and overall separate school placement rate, and few separate special education charter schools. Implications for research and practice are highlighted.

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act emphasizes that students and parents are equal partners in the individualized education program (IEP) process, including planning for transition to postsecondary education, employment, and community living. This is especially important for English learners (ELs) with disabilities, yet little is known about the transition planning meeting experiences of parents of ELs with disabilities. We examined the transition planning experiences of a nationally representative sample of parents of ELs with disabilities and parents of non-ELs with disabilities through an analysis of data from the National Longitudinal Transition Study 2012 (NLTS 2012). Results showed parents of ELs with disabilities were more likely to perceive their children taking a passive role in the IEP transition planning meeting than parents of non-ELs with disabilities. Differences were found in several predictors of parent experiences in IEP transition planning. Recommendations are suggested for transition research and practice for ELs with disabilities.

The purpose of this study was to examine factors associated with expectations regarding postsecondary education of students with autism spectrum disorder between the ages of 16 and 21 years. We conducted logistic regressions using variables at the student, family, and school levels using the National Longitudinal Transition Study 2012. Logistic regression results showed that parental expectations for attending college was the only significant predictor of students' own educational expectations. Students' adaptive functioning, autonomy levels, demographic and family variables, parent involvement, and prior roles in Individualized Education Program/transition planning were not significant predictors. Future research needs to examine how schools can develop effective ways to increase both students' and parents' expectations toward postsecondary education.

Using National Longitudinal Transition Study 2012 data, this study explored parent and youth expectations in the areas of postsecondary education, employment, independent living, and financial independence. Compared to youth with other disabilities, youth with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their parents had much lower expectations for the four postschool goals, and parent expectations were much lower than youth's own expectations. Also, youth's race, along with their daily living skills and functional abilities, were positively associated with parent and youth expectations in several future goal areas. Our discussion highlights implications for improving the transition experiences of youth with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Abstract Background Emotional labor is an essential component of nursing practice and is important for Generation Z nursing students born from the mid-1990s to early 2010s. They will become the backbone of the nursing workforce but present more emotional regulation problems. Studies on emotional labor are limited to clinical nurses and influencing factors at the individual level. The impacts of external systems on emotional labor of nursing students have not been explored. This study aimed to quantify the relationship between early clinical exposure and emotional labor and test the moderating effect of family structure on the relationship. Methods The cross-sectional study recruited 467 nursing students using convenience sampling from seven colleges and universities in mainland China. An e-survey created on WJX.CN was used to collect data in January 2023. Emotional labor (surface acting and deep acting) was measured with the Emotional Labor scale. Early clinical exposure (exposure or not and times of exposure) and family structure (nuclear family, extended family, and single-parent family) were assessed with self-reported questions. Descriptive statistics and the linear mixed-effects modeling were used to do the analyses. Results The mean scores of surface acting and deep acting were 26.66 ± 5.66 and 13.90 ± 2.40, respectively. A significant difference in scores of surface acting was not observed for exposure or not, whereas such a significant difference was found for times of exposure. Nursing students from extended families demonstrated significantly lower scores on surface acting while exposed to clinical practice compared with those from nuclear families. Family structure moderated the relationship between times of exposure and surface acting of nursing students when exposed to clinical practice for one time, but the significance disappeared when the times of exposure increased. No significant findings of early clinical exposure on deep acting were observed. Conclusions Early clinical exposure influenced emotional labor, and students from extended families were more likely to get benefits from early clinical exposure. Studies are needed to help students from nuclear families get comparable benefits on emotional labor as those from extended families, and improve deep acting by early clinical exposure.

Abstract Background Hemoglobin-to-red blood cell distribution width ratio (HRR) had great predictive value for the prognosis of malignant tumors and cardiovascular disease. However, its predictive value for the occurrence of acute kidney injury (AKI) in elderly intertrochanteric fracture patients remains unclear. This study aims to analyze the correlation between the early postoperative HRR and the risk of postoperative AKI in elderly intertrochanteric fracture patients. Methods We reviewed the medical records of 307 elderly intertrochanteric fracture patients in this single-center retrospective cohort study. We performed univariate analysis on the relevant parameters, and parameters with significant differences were included in the following logistic regression model for multivariate analysis. Then, we used a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve to evaluate the predictive value of the early postoperative HRR level for AKI in elderly intertrochanteric fracture patients. Patients were divided into a high HRR group and a low HRR group according to the cutoff point determined by ROC curve analysis. Subsequently, the relevance between postoperative HRR and AKI was further determined using propensity score matching (PSM) and inverse probability of treatment weighting (IPTW). Results The area under the curve of the early postoperative HRR for predicting postoperative AKI was 0.714 (95% CI: 0.618–0.809). The cutoff value was 5.44. The sensitivity was 72.7%, and the specificity was 70.8%. Patients were divided into low HRR (⩽ 5.44) and high HRR (> 5.44) groups according to the cutoff value. PSM and IPTW analysis indicated that the risk of AKI in the low HRR group was significantly higher than that in the high HRR group in both the matched cohort (OR = 6.914, 95% CI: 1.714–46.603, p = 0.016) and the weighted group (OR = 2.784, 95% CI: 1.415–5.811, p = 0.040). Conclusions Early postoperative HRR is an accurate, accessible, and economical blood test parameter that can predict the risk of postoperative AKI in elderly patients with femoral intertrochanteric fracture.

Abstract Background The inclusion of a connecting path in a porous implant can promote nutrient diffusion to cells and enhance bone ingrowth. Consequently, this study aimed to evaluate the biomechanical, radiographic, and histopathological performance of a novel 3D-printed porous suture anchor in a rabbit femur model. Methods Three test groups were formed based on the type of suture anchor (SA): Commercial SA (CSA, Group A, n = 20), custom solid SA (CSSA, Group B, n = 20), and custom porous SA (CPSA, Group C, n = 20). The SAs were implanted in the lateral femoral condyle of the right leg in each rabbit. The rabbits (New Zealand white rabbits, male, mean body weight of 2.8 ± 0.5 kg, age 8 months) underwent identical treatment and were randomized into experimental and control groups via computer-generated randomization. Five rabbits (10 femoral condyles) were euthanized at 0, 4, 8, and 12 weeks post-implantation for micro-CT, histological analysis, and biomechanical testing. Results At 12 weeks, the CPSA showed a higher BV/TV (median 0.7301, IQR 0.7276–0.7315) than the CSSA and CSA. The histological analysis showed mineralized osteocytes near the SA. At 4 weeks, new bone was observed around the CPSA and had penetrated its porous structure. By 12 weeks, there was no significant difference in ultimate failure load between the CSA and CPSA. Conclusions We demonstrated that the innovative 3D-printed porous suture anchor exhibited comparable pullout strength to conventional threaded suture anchors at the 12-week postoperative time-point period. Furthermore, our porous anchor design enhanced new bone formation and facilitated bone growth into the implant structure, resulting in improved biomechanical stability.

Abstract Aberrant DNA methylation patterns have been used for cancer detection. However, DNA hemi-methylation, present at about 10% CpG dinucleotides, has been less well studied. Here we show that a majority of differentially hemi-methylated regions (DHMRs) in liver tumor DNA or plasma cells free (cf) DNA do not overlap with differentially methylated regions (DMRs) of the same samples, indicating that DHMRs could serve as independent biomarkers. Furthermore, we analyzed the cfDNA methylomes of 215 samples from individuals with liver or brain cancer and individuals without cancer (controls), and trained machine learning models using DMRs, DHMRs or both. The models incorporated with both DMRs and DHMRs show a superior performance compared to models trained with DMRs or DHMRs, with AUROC being 0.978, 0.990, and 0.983 in distinguishing control, liver and brain cancer, respectively, in a validation cohort. This study supports the potential of utilizing both DMRs and DHMRs for multi-cancer detection.

Abstract Osteoporosis is a prevalent condition marked by reduced bone density and an elevated risk of fractures, especially among postmenopausal women. Exercise plays a crucial role in preventing and managing osteoporosis, with weight-bearing and impact exercises being particularly effective in enhancing bone density and mitigating disease risk. This study investigated the relationship between various types of impact exercises and osteoporosis using data from the Taiwan Biobank (TWB). The study sample comprised 5,123 individuals without osteoporosis and 1,770 individuals with the condition. Student’s t-test and logistic regression analyses were utilized to assess the associations between exercise types and osteoporosis risk. Results indicated that high-impact exercise significantly reduced the likelihood of developing osteoporosis compared to no exercise (odds ratio; OR = 0.573, 95% CI: 0.406–0.810, P = 0.002). Conversely, low-impact exercises did not show a significant overall association with osteoporosis (OR = 1.160, 95% CI: 0.932–1.445, P = 0.184). Stratified analysis by sex revealed that high-impact exercise was protective against osteoporosis in men (OR = 0.391, 95% CI: 0.202–0.755, P = 0.005), but not significantly so in women (OR = 0.671, 95% CI: 0.438–1.027, P = 0.066). These findings suggest that high-impact exercise is associated with a reduced risk of osteoporosis, particularly among Taiwanese men aged 30 to 70.

In this paper, we seek to understand how to foster an inclusive learning community in a social science remote course. Through student feedback, our retrospective reflections on our course design and teaching, and a literature review of effective strategies that promote inclusive learning environments, we highlight the importance of embedding meaningful interactions and carefully scaffolded motivation, engagement, and management strategies in online learning settings. We draw upon a tree metaphor to describe a process-oriented approach to fostering an inclusive learning community that illuminates the instructional conditions and practices necessary for a transformative learning experience in remote contexts.

Mycobacteria are causative agents of tuberculosis (TB), which is a global health concern. Drug-resistant TB strains are rapidly emerging, thereby necessitating the urgent development of new drugs. Two-component signal transduction systems (TCSs) are signaling pathways involved in the regulation of various bacterial behaviors and responses to environmental stimuli. Applying specific inhibitors of TCSs can disrupt bacterial signaling, growth, and virulence, and can help combat drug-resistant TB. We conducted a comprehensive pharmacophore-based inhibitor screening and biochemical and biophysical examinations to identify, characterize, and validate potential inhibitors targeting the response regulators PhoP and MtrA of mycobacteria. The constructed pharmacophore model Phar-PR-n4 identified effective inhibitors of formation of the PhoP–DNA complex: ST132 (IC50 = 29 ± 1.6 µM) and ST166 (IC50 = 18 ± 1.3 µM). ST166 (KD = 18.4 ± 4.3 μM) and ST132 (KD = 14.5 ± 0.1 μM) strongly targeted PhoP in a slow-on, slow-off manner. The inhibitory potency and binding affinity of ST166 and ST132 for MtrAC were comparable to those of PhoP. Structural analyses and molecular dynamics simulations revealed that ST166 and ST132 mainly interact with the α8-helix and C-terminal β-hairpin of PhoP, with functionally essential residue hotspots for structure-based inhibitor optimization. Moreover, ST166 has in vitro antibacterial activity against Macrobacterium marinum. Thus, ST166, with its characteristic 1,2,5,6-tetrathiocane and terminal sulphonic groups, has excellent potential as a candidate for the development of novel antimicrobial agents to combat pathogenic mycobacteria.