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OBJECTIVES: We examined the association between children's state of residence and their access to health care among specific types of immigrant families: foreign-born children, US-born children with 1 foreign-born parent, US-born children with both foreign-born parents, and nonimmigrant families. METHODS: We analyzed data from 12 400 children from the 2003 National Survey of Children's Health in the 6 states with the highest proportion of immigrants (California, Florida, Illinois, New York, New Jersey, and Texas). RESULTS: Multivariable analyses indicated that among foreign-born children, those living in California, Illinois, and Texas were more likely to lack access to health care compared with those living in New York. Among foreign-born children with 1 or 2 US-born parents, Texas children were most likely to lack health insurance. Within nonimmigrant families, children from California, Florida, and Texas had significantly more access and use problems. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings document differential health care access and use among states for specific immigrant family types. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OBJECTIVES: We examined the relation between parents' level of English proficiency and their children's access to health care. METHODS: Using the 2001 California Health Interview Survey, we conducted bivariate and multivariate analyses of several measures of children's access to health care (current health insurance status, usual source of care, emergency room visits, delayed or forgone care, traveling to another country for health care, and perceived discrimination in health care) and their association with parents' English proficiency. RESULTS: Compared with English-speaking households, children in non-English-speaking households were more likely to lack health insurance, to not have doctor contact, and to go to other countries for health care and were less likely to use emergency rooms. Their parents were less likely to report their children's experiencing delayed or forgone care or discrimination in health care. CONCLUSION: English proficiency is a strong predictor of access to health insurance for children, and children in non-English-speaking families are especially likely to rely on other countries for their health care. English proficiency may mitigate the effects of race/ethnicity commonly observed in health care access and utilization studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OBJECTIVES: To examine the association between parental immigrant status and awareness of health and community resources to help address common family problems. METHODS: Using the 1999 National Survey of America's Families, a survey of the health, economic, and social characteristics of children and adults, bivariate and multivariate analyses were conducted on 35,938 children to examine the relationship between parents' immigrant status (U.S.-born citizens, naturalized citizens, and noncitizens) and their responses to questions about their awareness of specific health and community resources. RESULTS: Compared to U.S.-born citizens, noncitizens were at the highest risk of not being aware of health and community resources for most outcomes, followed by naturalized citizens. The services of which noncitizens were most likely to be unaware were places to get help for family discord, child care issues, and family violence. Multivariate analyses indicate that parental race/ethnicity, education level, employment status, and child age were other significant independent risk factors. CONCLUSIONS: Immigrant parents are at particularly high risk of alienation from systems of health care and support services that are available to low-income and other vulnerable populations in the United States. These findings clearly document disparate awareness among parents of different immigrant status. Community and health resources should reach out to immigrant populations, in linguistically and culturally appropriate ways, to alert them to the availability of their services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OBJECTIVE: To examine the associations of sociodemographic characteristics with both the prevalence and the causes of delayed or forgone care in a nationally representative sample of children with special health care needs. METHODS: Data were abstracted from the 2001 National Survey of Children with Special Health Care Needs. The families of children with special health care needs (CSHCN) who reported delayed or forgone care were asked about the reasons. The 12 reasons in the questionnaire were grouped into 5 categories. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were conducted in SUDAAN to examine the relationship between sociodemographic characteristics of CSHCN and the incidence of delayed or forgone care by its reasons. RESULTS: Nearly 10% of CSHCN had experienced delayed or forgone health care in the past 12 months in 2001. Logistic regression showed that delayed or forgone care was more likely to be reported by the families of CSHCN who were adolescents, who had more severe limitations, lived in the South or West, lacked medical insurance, and who lived in families under or near the federal poverty line. Hispanics were more likely to report 'lack of medical specialty' and 'had language, communication, or cultural problems with provider.' Both Hispanics and non-Hispanic others were twice as likely to report 'provider not accessible' as reasons for the delayed or forgone care compared with non-Hispanic whites or blacks. conclusion: CSHCN with certain socioeconomic status and sociodemographic characteristics, as well as those with severe limitations in activity, were more likely to be affected by circumstances that result in delayed or forgone care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OBJECTIVE: To examine the association between the parent's language of interview and the access to care for children with special health care needs (CSHCN). METHODS: We used the 2001 National Survey of Children with Special Health Care Needs to compare socio-demographic characteristics and health care access variables among CSHCN with parents who interviewed in English and another language. Additional multivariate analyses explored the effect of language of interview on access to health care for the subgroup of Hispanic respondents. RESULTS: CSHCN with non-English-speaking parents were from less-educated and lower-income families and were more likely to lack insurance and have conditions that greatly affected their activities. These children were also more likely to have inadequate insurance (odds ratio [OR]=11.29), have an unmet need for family support services (OR=1.88), lack a personal doctor or nurse (OR=1.98), lack a usual source of care (OR=1.89), and lack family-centered care (OR=1.74). Non-English-speaking parents were more likely to report having employment consequences (OR=1.94) and spending over $500 out-of-pocket annually on the child's health care needs (OR=1.49). The likelihood of Hispanic children experiencing health care access barriers compared with non-Hispanic children was reduced when language was controlled for and several disparities between Hispanic children and other children became insignificant. CONCLUSIONS: CSHCN with non-English-speaking parents were more likely to be from disadvantaged families and to experience barriers to access than were CSHCN with English-speaking parents. Systems of care for CSHCN should consider the needs and challenges experienced by families whose primary language is not English. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OBJECTIVE: This study examines the health status and health services access and utilization characteristics of US Chinese, Asian Indian, Filipino, other Asian/Pacific Islander (API), and non-Hispanic white children by using nationally representative data. METHODS: We analyzed the aggregated data file from the National Health Interview Survey from 1997 to 2000 including 334 Chinese, 287 Asian Indian, 292 Filipino, 696 'other API,' and 29,016 non-Hispanic white children <18 years old. Bivariate and multivariate analyses were conducted to examine the relationship between Asian ethnicities and dependent variables including components of health status, health services access, and utilization. RESULTS: Logistic regression reveals that all Asian American children were less likely to miss school because of illness or injury or have learning disabilities compared with non-Hispanic whites. Other APIs were less likely to be taking prescription medication for at least 3 months, and Asian Indian children were half as likely to have chronic conditions. Chinese, Filipino, and other API children were more likely to be without contact with a health professional within the past 12 months. Citizenship/nativity status, maternal education attainment, and poverty status were all significant independent risk factors for health care access and utilization. CONCLUSIONS: Asian ethnicities and being foreign-born are generally associated with more favorable health status measures such as school absence, learning disability, use of prescription medications, and chronic conditions. However, these attributes are negatively associated with health care access and utilization, suggesting the need for outreach to Asian immigrant populations to educate them on accessing the US health care system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ObjectiveTo examine the prevalence of herbal supplement use and its association with sociodemographic, health status, and health behavior characteristics in a nationally representative sample of US women.MethodsWe analyzed the cancer supplement file of the 2000 National Health Interview Survey, which included 11 888 non-Hispanic white, 2866 non-Hispanic black, 3035 Hispanic, and 599 non-Hispanic other women. Bivariate and multivariate analyses were conducted to examine the relationship between sociodemographic, health status, and health behavior characteristics and the use of: 1) any herbal supplement; 2) Echinacea, Ginkgo biloba, ginseng, or St. John's wort, and 3) at least 3 herbal supplements concurrently.ResultsNearly one-sixth of US women took at least 1 herbal supplement in 2000. Logistic regression showed that women who were non-Hispanic white, aged 35 to 64 years, more educated, not poor, current alcohol users, residents of the South and West, and who had functional limitations and chronic conditions were significantly more likely to take the most commonly reported herbal supplements.ConclusionOur study suggests high levels of herbal supplement use among US women. Supplement use is generally associated with higher education, higher income, residence in the South and West, and health needs. The growing practice of herbal supplement use suggests a need for public health guidance on the safe and efficacious use of these products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

PURPOSE: To examine the association of acculturation, as measured by language spoken at home, with the health, psychosocial, school, and parental risk factors of adolescents of various racial/ethnic groups. METHODS: Using the U.S. component of the 1997-98 World Health Organization Study of Health Behavior in School Children, bivariate and multiple logistic regression analyses were conducted of records for adolescents in four racial/ethnic groups to explore the relationship between the language spoken at home and outcome variables regarding health status and risks, psychosocial and school risk factors, and parental factors. Data were analyzed using Software for the Statistical Analysis of Correlated Data (SUDAAN). RESULTS: Adolescents of all racial and ethnic groups who primarily speak a language other than English at home are at elevated risk for psychosocial risk factors such as alienation from classmates and being bullied, and parental risk factors such as feeling that their parents are not able or willing to help them. Those who speak a combination of languages are also at risk for being bullied and for high parental expectations. Language spoken at home is generally not associated with health and safety measures for adolescents across racial/ethnic groups. CONCLUSIONS: Adolescents whose primary language at home is not English experience higher psychosocial, school, and parental risks than non-Hispanic white English-speakers. New immigrant youths of all races and ethnic groups would potentially benefit from preventive and risk-reduction services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OBJECTIVE: To examine the prevalence of vitamin-mineral supplement use and its association with sociodemographic, health status, and health behavior characteristics in a nationally representative sample of US women. METHODS: We analyzed the cancer supplement file of the 2000 National Health Interview Survey, which included 11,888 non-Hispanic white, 2866 non-Hispanic black, 3035 Hispanic, and 599 non-Hispanic other women. Bivariate and multivariate analyses were conducted to examine the relationships between sociodemographic, health status, and health behavior characteristics and the use of selected vitamin-mineral supplements. RESULTS: Nearly 60% of US women took at least one supplement in 2000. Logistic regression showed that women who were non-Hispanic white, married, older, more educated, not poor, former smokers, alcohol users, and regular exercisers were significantly more likely to take the most commonly reported vitamin-mineral supplements. Women who were obese or overweight and women who had not had contact with a health professional in the past 12 months were less likely to use supplements. CONCLUSION: Our study suggests high levels of vitamin-mineral supplement use among US women. Supplement use was generally associated with a healthier lifestyle and more resources. Our data suggest the need for public health education on the benefits of age- and health-appropriate use of supplements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OBJECTIVES: To examine sociodemographic disparities in attendance at childbirth classes, and to evaluate the association of attendance with breastfeeding initiation. METHODS: Parents of a nationally representative, cross-sectional sample of 2068 children ages 4-35 months were surveyed by telephone. The responses of 1540 mothers were included in the analysis. They were asked whether they had attended a childbirth class before giving birth. Disparities in attendance at childbirth classes and the association between attendance and breastfeeding initiation were examined using bivariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses. RESULTS: Two thirds (66%) of the children's mothers had ever attended a childbirth class. White mothers were twice as likely (OR 2.15, CI 1.39, 3.31) as African American mothers to have ever attended. Attendance also varied by education, household income, and marital status. Attendance at childbirth classes was associated with a 75% increase in the odds that a child will be breastfed (OR 1.75, CI 1.18, 2.60). CONCLUSIONS: Significant sociodemographic disparities exist in attendance at childbirth classes. Further research is needed to determine whether improving utilization of childbirth education classes reduces sociodemographic disparities in breastfeeding initiation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OBJECTIVES: This study examines smoking and smoking cessation behaviors among U.S. pregnant women and seeks to identify the sociodemographic correlates of smoking cessation in pregnancy. METHODS: The 1998 NHIS Pregnancy and Smoking supplement was analyzed, including 5288 U.S. women (weighted to represent 13,714,358 women) who gave birth to a liveborn infant in the past 5 years. Four categories of smoking behavior were analyzed: nonsmoking at last pregnancy, persistent smoking throughout pregnancy, attempting unsuccessfully to quit during pregnancy, and successfully quitting during pregnancy. Logistic regression was used to isolate risk factors for each of the smoking behaviors and to examine factors associated with attempted and successful cessation. RESULTS: The women most likely to attempt to quit smoking in pregnancy were Hispanic women (OR = 3.09) and women who have smoked for less than 10 years (OR = 2.75 for women aged 18-24.) In general, for the groups at highest risk of smoking at the start of pregnancy, the odds of being a persistent smoker were higher than the odds of being an unsuccessful quitter, which in turn were higher than the odds of quitting successfully. The factors associated with attempts to quit included Hispanic ethnicity, higher education, above-poverty income, and shorter duration of smoking, while the combined effect of age and smoking duration was the only one significantly associated with successful quitting. In every age group, longer smoking duration was associated with lower likelihood of attempting to quit as well as successful quitting. CONCLUSIONS: The factors most strongly associated with attempts to quit smoking were Hispanic ethnicity and the combined effect of age and smoking duration. Future smoking cessation and relapse prevention programs should be developed, taking into consideration the critical factors of age, ethnicity, income, geography, and addiction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study examined the association of language spoken at home with the school and health risks and behaviors of Asian American adolescents. Using the United States component of the 1997-1998 World Health Organization Study of Health Behavior in School Children, bivariate and multiple logistic regression analyses were conducted of records for Asian children to explore the relationship between language spoken at home and outcome variables regarding health behaviors, psychosocial and school risk factors, and parental factors. Compared to those who usually speak English at home, adolescents who usually speak another language, or who speak two languages equally, face a greater risk for health risk factors, psychosocial and school risk factors, and parental risk factors. Not speaking English at home was associated with higher health risks, including not wearing seat belts and bicycle helmets; higher psychosocial and school risk factors, including feeling that they do not belong at school, difficulty making new friends, and lacking confidence; and higher parental risks, including reporting that parents were not ready to help them or willing to talk to teachers. Adolescents less acculturated to the United States experience a variety of physical and psychosocial risks. School-based interventions such as early identification and outreach, needs assessment, and counseling and support services should be provided to immigrant students and their families. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OBJECTIVES: This study examined the predictors of 3 patterns of prenatal care use (no care, late initiation of care, and inadequate use after early initiation) for 4 Asian American ethnic groups in the United States. METHODS: Single live births to US resident mothers of Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and Vietnamese ancestry (n = 273 604) were selected from the 1992-1996 US natality files. Logistic regression was used to analyze the effects of maternal characteristics on the 3 use measures. RESULTS: Korean Americans and Vietnamese Americans had the lowest levels of prenatal care use. Young or single motherhood, high parity for age, and low educational attainment were the main risk factors for low use. CONCLUSIONS: Considerable variability exists in prenatal care use among Asian American ethnic groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OBJECTIVES: This study examined whether there were significant differentials between US-born and foreign-born women in risks of infant mortality, low birthweight, and preterm birth and whether these differentials, if they existed, varied across major US racial/ethnic groups. METHODS: Multivariate logistic regression was applied to national linked birth/infant death records for 1985 through 1987 to estimate overall and ethnic-specific maternal nativity effects on pregnancy outcomes. RESULTS: Substantial maternal nativity differences in risks of infant mortality and low birthweight were found, with the magnitude of the nativity effect varying significantly across racial/ethnic groups. Overall, foreign-born status was associated with 7% and 20% lower risks of low birthweight and infant mortality, respectively. However, the reduced risk of adverse pregnancy outcome associated with immigrant status tended to be substantially larger for Blacks, Cubans, Mexicans, and Chinese than for other ethnic groups. CONCLUSIONS: Maternal nativity status, along with ethnicity, may serve as an important axis of differentiation in birth outcome studies. Further research needs to be conducted to assess the effects of behavioral, cultural, and psychosocial factors in explaining the nativity differentials observed here. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OBJECTIVE: This study examined the factors that affect children's receipt of recommended well-child and dental visits using nationally representative data. METHODS: We analyzed the Child Public Use File of the 1999 National Survey of America's Families, including 35 938 children who were younger than 18 years. Bivariate and multivariate analyses were conducted to examine the relationship between dependent variables, including receipt of well-child visits as recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics' periodicity schedule and dental visits as recommended by the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry and Bright Futures, and independent variables, including health status and sociodemographic and economic indicators. RESULTS: Overall, 23.4% of children did not receive the recommended well-child visits, whereas 46.8% did not receive the recommended number of dental visits. The factors that predict nonreceipt of care differed for well-child and dental care and with child's age. Logistic regression reveals that children who were young (<10 years old), uninsured, non-Hispanic white, had a parent who was less than college educated, or in poor health were least likely to meet the recommendations for well-child care. Children who did not meet the dental recommendation were more likely to be black, uninsured, from families with low incomes, have a parent who was less than college educated, and have postponed dental care in the last year. These risk factors increased with children's age. CONCLUSIONS: A substantial proportion of US children do not receive preventive care according to professionally recommended standards, particularly dental care. Publicly insured children experience higher rates of recommended well-child visits; however, much improvement is needed among public programs in providing recommended dental care, especially among adolescents and children in poor general health. [Abstract for this article also available on page 1242 of printed version. Full article available at www.pediatrics.org/cgi/content/full/110/6/e73] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A series of slide-ring polyrotaxanes (SRPs) have been constructed by the solvent-free blending of a ditopic pillar[5]arene ( DP5A ) and polyisoprene (PIP) after thermal annealing. Solid-state 13 C NMR experiments supported the fact that the pillar[5]arene rings of DP5A were threaded by PIP chains to afford physically interlocked networks. Tensile tests revealed that 1% of DP5A can improve the elongation at break from 50 to 239%, the tensile modulus from 2.1 to 3.9 MPa, and the toughness from 0.35 to 4.5 MJ/m 3 . Impact and puncture resistance experiments show that the DP5A -doped materials exhibit remarkable enhancement of protective and impalement-resistant performance. The samples can be also recycled repeatedly due to their physical crosslinking nature. The important stress delocalization effects have been attributed to the pulley effect of DP5A in the SRP materials, which represents a supramolecular approach for improving the performance of PIP elastomers.

The human malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum (P. falciparum) continues to pose a significant public health challenge, leading to millions of fatalities globally. Halofuginone (HF) has shown a significant anti-P. falciparum effect, suggesting its potential as a therapeutic agent for malaria treatment. In this study, we synthesized a photoaffinity labeling probe of HF to identify its direct target in P. falciparum. Our results reveal that ubiquitin carboxyl-terminal hydrolase 3 (PfUCHL3) acts as a crucial target protein of HF, which modulates parasite growth in the intraerythrocytic cycle. In particular, we discovered that HF potentially forms hydrogen bonds with the Leu10, Glu11, and Arg217 sites of PfUCHL3, thereby inducing an allosteric effect by promoting the embedding of the helix 6' region on the protein surface. Furthermore, HF disrupts the expression of multiple functional proteins mediated by PfUCHL3, specifically those that play crucial roles in amino acid biosynthesis and metabolism in P. falciparum. Taken together, this study highlights PfUCHL3 as a previously undisclosed druggable target of HF, which contributes to the development of novel anti-malarial agents in the future., (© 2024 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

Objectives: The association between diuretic use and cardiorenal outcomes remains limited in patients with stage 3-5 chronic kidney disease (CKD) and hypertension. To address this gap, we aim to investigate the long-term clinical impact of diuretic use with its pharmacological classification in Taiwanese patients with stage 3-5 CKD and hypertension who were concurrently received angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEIs) or angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARBs)., Methods: Using data from the National Health Insurance Research Database (January 2008 to December 2019), we focused on individuals with stage 3-5 CKD receiving ACEIs/ARBs between 2010 and 2018. We categorized the cohort into non-diuretic, loop diuretic (furosemide), thiazide diuretic, and combination diuretic groups. We used a Cox proportional hazards regression model with propensity score matching to analyze the influence of diuretics on all-cause mortality, cardiovascular (CV) death, and cardiorenal adverse outcomes., Results: The study included 59,719 patients, with 17,585 in the non-diuretic group and 42,134 in the diuretic group. Diuretics including furosemide use was significantly associated the risks of hospitalization for decompensated congestive heart failure (CHF), acute renal failure (ARF), end-stage renal disease (ESRD) requiring dialysis, CV mortality, and all-cause mortality ( p -value <0.001). Thiazide diuretics showed no such adverse outcomes associations. The group receiving both thiazide and furosemide was more associated with all-cause mortality than the nondiuretic, thiazide, and furosemide monotherapy groups (all p -value <0.001)., Conclusion: Among stage 3-5 CKD patients on ACEIs/ARBs, loop diuretics exposure was associated with increased mortality and hospitalization for cardiorenal events, while thiazide diuretics exposure in isolation had no such associations. In the present data, we cannot evaluate the relationship between furosemide-associated adverse outcomes and worse renal function. These findings highlight the need for randomized controlled trials to assess the safety of loop diuretics in this population, urging caution in their prescription without a clear clinical indication.

Facebook is one of the most popular social networking sites. However, Facebook intrusion or addiction is a growing concern as it involves an excessive attachment to Facebook, which disrupts daily functioning. To date, few studies have examined whether cross-cultural differences in the measurement of Facebook addiction exist. The aim of this study was to investigate the cross-cultural validity and measurement invariance of the Facebook Intrusion Questionnaire (FIQ), one of the most widely used measures of Facebook addiction, across 25 countries (N = 12,204, 62.3% female; mean age = 25 years). Multigroup confirmatory factor analyses (MGCFA) assessed cross-cultural validity as well as invariance. Additionally, individual confirmatory factor analyses evaluated the factorial structure and measurement invariance across genders in each country. The FIQ demonstrated partial metric invariance across countries and metric (13 countries), scalar (11 countries) or residual (10 countries) invariance across genders within individual countries. A one-factor model indicated a good fit in 18 countries. Cronbach's alpha for the entire sample was .85. Our findings suggest that the FIQ may provide an adequate assessment of Facebook addiction that is psychometrically equivalent across cultures. Moreover, the questionnaire seems to be universal and suitable for studying different social media in distinct cultural environments. Consequently, this robust tool can be used to explore behaviours related to specific media that are particularly popular in any given country., (© 2024 International Union of Psychological Science.)

Background: Sodium‒glucose cotransporter-2 (SGLT2) inhibitors offer glycaemic and cardiorenal benefits in the early stage of chronic kidney disease (CKD). However, the use of SGLT2 inhibitors may increase the risk of genitourinary tract infection (GUTI). Angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEIs) and angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) may also cause deterioration of kidney function. The long-term follow-up of cardiorenal outcomes and GUTI incidence in patients with advanced CKD receiving SGLT2 inhibitors combined with ACEIs/ARBs should be further investigated. Methods: We analysed data from 5,503 patients in Taiwan's Taipei Medical University Research Database (2016-2020) who were part of a pre-end-stage renal disease (ESRD) program (CKD stages 3-5) and received ACEIs/ARBs. SGLT2 inhibitor users were matched 1:4 with nonusers on the basis of sex, CKD, and program entry duration. Results: The final cohort included 205 SGLT2 inhibitor users and 820 nonusers. SGLT2 inhibitor users experienced a significant reduction in ESRD/dialysis risk (aHR = 0.35, 95% CI = 0.190.67), and SGLT2 inhibitor use was not significantly associated with acute kidney injury or acute kidney disease risk. Among SGLT2 inhibitor users, those with a history of cardiovascular disease (CVD) had greater CVD rates. Conversely, those without a CVD history had lower rates of congestive heart failure, arrhythmia, acute pulmonary oedema, and acute myocardial infarction, although the differences were not statistically significant. Notably, SGLT2 inhibitor usage was associated with a greater GUTI incidence (aHR = 1.78, 95% CI = 1.122.84) shortly after initiation, irrespective of prior GUTI history status. Conclusion: Among patients with CKD stages 3-5, SGLT2 inhibitor use was linked to increased GUTI incidence, but it also significantly reduced the ESRD/dialysis risk without an episodic AKI or AKD risk. Clinical physicians should consider a personalized medicine approach by balancing GUTI episodes and cardiorenal outcomes for advanced CKD patients receiving SGLT2 inhibitors., Competing Interests: Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interest exists., (© The author(s).)

Competing Interests: All authors have disclosed no conflicts of interest.

The evidence for the impact of renal dysfunction in patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) and first cardiovascular diseases on mid-term adverse outcomes remain scarce. This study included the data of patients with DM having first atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) or congestive heart failure (CHF) from the Taipei Medical University Clinical Research Database. A Cox proportional hazards regression model was used to assess the impact of chronic kidney disease (CKD) or end-stage renal disease (ESRD) on the 1-year mortality and recurrent ASCVD/CHF outcomes. We enrolled 21,320 patients with DM hospitalized for ASCVD or CHF; of them, 18,185, 2639, and 496 were assigned to the non-CKD, CKD, and ESRD groups, respectively. After propensity score matching, compared with the non-CKD group, the CKD and ESRD groups had higher mid-term all-cause mortality (adjusted hazard ratio 1.72 [95% confidence interval 1.48-1.99] and 2.77 [2.05-3.73], respectively), cardiovascular death (1.84 [1.44-2.35] and 1.87 [1.08-3.24], respectively), and recurrent hospitalization for ASCVD (1.44 [1.24-1.68] and 2.33 [1.69-3.23], respectively) and CHF (2.08 [1.75-2.47] and 1.50 [1.04-2.17], respectively). The advancing age was associated with mortality in CKD/ESRD groups. In CKD group, male sex was associated with all-cause mortality and recurrent ASCVD risk; the diuretics usage was associated with mortality and recurrent CHF risks. Our findings suggest that CKD and ESRD are significant risk factors for mid-term adverse outcomes in patients with DM and established cardiovascular diseases. Additionally, old age, male sex and diuretics usage requires attention. Further good quality studies are needed in the future., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

ConspectusFacilitated by the unique triple-helical protein structure, fibrous collagens, the principal proteins in animals, demonstrate a dual function of serving as building blocks for tissue scaffolds and as a bioactive material capable of swift renewal in response to environmental changes. While studies of triple-helical collagen mimetic peptides (CMPs) have been instrumental in understanding the molecular forces responsible for the folding and assembly of triple helices, as well as identifying bioactive regions of fibrous collagen molecules, single-strand CMPs that can specifically target and hybridize to denatured collagens (i.e., collagen hybridizing peptides, CHPs) have proven useful in identifying the remodeling activity of collagen-rich tissues related to development, homeostasis, and pathology. Efforts to improve the utility of CHPs have resulted in the development of new skeletal structures, such as dimeric and cyclic CHPs, as well as the incorporation of artificial amino acids, including fluorinated proline and N-substituted glycines (peptoid residues). In particular, dimeric CHPs were used to capture collagen fragments from biological fluid for biomarker study, and the introduction of peptoid-based collagen mimetics has sparked renewed interest in peptidomimetic research because peptoids enable a stable triple-helical structure and the presentation of an extensive array of side chain structures offering a versatile platform for the development of new collagen mimetics.This Account will cover the evolution of our research from CMPs as biomaterials to ongoing efforts in developing triple-helical peptides with practical theranostic potential in targeting denatured and damaged collagens. Our early efforts in functionalizing natural collagen scaffolds via noncovalent modifications led to the discovery of an entirely new use of CMPs. This discovery resulted in the development of CHPs that are now used by many different laboratories for the investigation of pathologies associated with changes in the structures of extracellular matrices including fibrosis, cancer, and mechanical damage to collagen-rich, load-bearing tissues. Here, we delve into the essential design features of CHPs contributing to their collagen binding properties and practical usage and explore the necessity for further mechanistic understanding of not only the binding processes (e.g., binding domain and stoichiometry of the hybridized complex) but also the biology of collagen degradation, from proteolytic digestion of fibrils to cellular processing of collagen fragments. We also discuss the strengths and weaknesses of peptoid-based triple-helical peptides as applied to collagen hybridization touching on thermodynamic and kinetic aspects of triple-helical folding. Finally, we highlight current limitations and future directions in the use of peptoid building blocks to develop bioactive collagen mimetics as new functional biomaterials.

This paper presents a digital edge neuromorphic spiking neural network (SNN) processor chip for a variety of edge intelligent cognitive applications. This processor allows high-speed, high-accuracy and fully on-chip spike-timing-based multi-layer SNN learning. It is characteristic of hierarchical multi-core architecture, event-driven processing paradigm, meta-crossbar for efficient spike communication, and hybrid and reconfigurable parallelism. A prototype chip occupying an active silicon area of 7.2 mm 2 was fabricated using a 65-nm 1P9M CMOS process. when running a 256-256-256-256-200 4-layer fully-connected SNN on downscaled 16 × 16 MNIST images. it typically achieved a high-speed throughput of 802 and 2270 frames/s for on-chip learning and inference, respectively, with a relatively low power dissipation of around 61 mW at a 100 MHz clock rate under a 1.0V core power supply, Our on-chip learning results in comparably high visual recognition accuracies of 96.06%, 83.38%, 84.53%, 99.22% and 100% on the MNIST, Fashion-MNIST, ETH-80, Yale-10 and ORL-10 datasets, respectively. In addition, we have successfully applied our neuromorphic chip to demonstrate high-resolution satellite cloud image segmentation and non-visual tasks including olfactory classification and textural news categorization. These results indicate that our neuromorphic chip is suitable for various intelligent edge systems under restricted cost, energy and latency budgets while requiring in-situ self-adaptative learning capability.

Esports gambling has steadily grown in popularity alongside esports itself. While research has been increasing in the field of esports-related gambling, no study has yet reviewed the relevant literature on esports gambling. The present study aimed to comprehensively review all empirical research conducted in the wider field of esports gambling. A systematic review following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines was undertaken using PsycINFO, PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science databases. Only empirical studies were included and were also assessed for potential biases using the ROBUST guidelines. A total of 30 studies from eight countries were included in the review. Esports gamblers were found more likely to be young males, likely to score high on problematic gambling scales, and likely to belong to households speaking a non-English language at home in English speaking countries. Esports gamblers are a unique type of gambling population, with rare characteristics and behaviors compared to other types of gamblers. Given the limited number of studies, there is a need for further research in this field to understand these populations, as well as the need for longitudinal research., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Introduction: Dysregulation in lipid metabolism contributes to the occurrence and development of various cancers. The connection between changes in lipid metabolism and the development of intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma remains uncertain. Our objective was to investigate the significance of blood lipid levels in patients with intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma who have undergone surgery., Methods: Ninety-seven ICC patients who underwent surgery were retrospectively enrolled. After 92.2 months of follow-up, the Kaplan-Meier analysis and Cox proportional hazard model were used to calculate overall survival and recurrence-free survival., Results: The median age of this cohort was 56 years, and 79 (81.4 %) of them were male. Eighty-eight (90.7 %) patients presented with tumor recurrence and 73 (75.3 %) died. In multivariate analyses, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol level (<0.91 vs.  ≥ 0.91 mmol/L, hazard ratio [HR] = 2.55; 95 % CI: 1.38-4.71), lymph node metastasis (Yes vs. No, HR = 2.58; 95 % CI: 1.28-5.19), etiology factor (chronic HBV infection vs. others, HR = 0.5; 95 % CI: 0.28-0.88) and multiple tumor lesions (Yes vs. No, HR = 1.85; 95 % CI: 1.01-3.39) were independent predictors of overall survival. However, only high-density lipoprotein cholesterol level (HR = 1.86; 95 % CI: 1.19-2.92) emerged as the independent factor for recurrence-free survival. High-density lipoprotein cholesterol level (HR = 2.07; 95 % CI: 1.26-3.41), etiology factor (HR = 0.49; 95 % CI: 0.29-0.84), and multiple tumor lesions (HR = 2.00; 95 % CI: 1.14-3.51) were independent predictors of early recurrence. For patients who did not experience the spread of cancer to the lymph nodes, there was a significant correlation between the level of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol and their overall survival, recurrence-free survival, and early recurrence. For patients with low pre-operation high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels, high post-operation high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels were associated with better prognosis., Conclusions: Low serum high-density lipoprotein cholesterol level might serve as a sign of poor clinical outcomes (overall survival and recurrence-free survival) and early recurrence among intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma patients. Strengthening the monitoring and intervention of intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma patients with poor prognosis might be critical for improving the prognosis., Competing Interests: No benefits in any form have been received or will be received from a commercial party related directly or indirectly to the subject of this article.The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (© 2024 Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

Background: In the realm of assisted reproduction, a subset of infertile patients demonstrates high ovarian response following controlled ovarian stimulation (COS), with approximately 29.7% facing the risk of Ovarian Hyperstimulation Syndrome (OHSS). Management of OHSS risk often necessitates embryo transfer cancellation, leading to delayed prospects of successful pregnancy and significant psychological distress. Regrettably, these patients have received limited research attention, particularly regarding their metabolic profile. In this study, we aim to utilize gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) to reveal these patients' unique serum metabolic profiles and provide insights into the disease's pathogenesis., Methods: We categorized 145 infertile women into two main groups: the CON infertility group from tubal infertility patients and the Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) infertility group. Within these groups, we further subdivided them into four categories: patients with normal ovarian response (CON-NOR group), patients with high ovarian response and at risk for OHSS (CON-HOR group) within the CON group, as well as patients with normal ovarian response (PCOS-NOR group) and patients with high ovarian response and at risk for OHSS (PCOS-HOR group) within the PCOS group. Serum metabolic profiles were analyzed using GC-MS. The risk criteria for OHSS were: the number of developing follicles > 20, peak Estradiol (E2) > 4000pg/mL, and Anti-Müllerian Hormone (AMH) levels > 4.5ng/mL., Results: The serum metabolomics analysis revealed four different metabolites within the CON group and 14 within the PCOS group. Remarkably, 10-pentadecenoic acid emerged as a discernible risk metabolite for the CON-HOR, also found to be a differential metabolite between CON-NOR and PCOS groups. cysteine and 5-methoxytryptamine were also identified as risk metabolites for the PCOS-HOR. Furthermore, KEGG analysis unveiled significant enrichment of the aminoacyl-tRNA biosynthesis pathway among the metabolites differing between PCOS-NOR and PCOS-HOR., Conclusion: Our study highlights significant metabolite differences between patients with normal ovarian response and those with high ovarian response and at risk for OHSS within both the tubal infertility control group and PCOS infertility group. Importantly, we observe metabolic similarities between patients with PCOS and those with a high ovarian response but without PCOS, suggesting potential parallels in their underlying causes., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Background: Drug-induced liver injury (DILI) is one of the most common adverse events of medication use, and its incidence is increasing. However, early detection of DILI is a crucial challenge due to a lack of biomarkers and noninvasive tests., Aim: To identify salivary metabolic biomarkers of DILI for the future development of noninvasive diagnostic tools., Methods: Saliva samples from 31 DILI patients and 35 healthy controls (HCs) were subjected to untargeted metabolomics using ultrahigh-pressure liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry. Subsequent analyses, including partial least squares-discriminant analysis modeling, t tests and weighted metabolite coexpression network analysis (WMCNA), were conducted to identify key differentially expressed metabolites (DEMs) and metabolite sets. Furthermore, we utilized least absolute shrinkage and selection operato and random fores analyses for biomarker prediction. The use of each metabolite and metabolite set to detect DILI was evaluated with area under the receiver operating characteristic curves., Results: We found 247 differentially expressed salivary metabolites between the DILI group and the HC group. Using WMCNA, we identified a set of 8 DEMs closely related to liver injury for further prediction testing. Interestingly, the distinct separation of DILI patients and HCs was achieved with five metabolites, namely, 12-hydroxydodecanoic acid, 3-hydroxydecanoic acid, tetradecanedioic acid, hypoxanthine, and inosine (area under the curve: 0.733-1)., Conclusion: Salivary metabolomics revealed previously unreported metabolic alterations and diagnostic biomarkers in the saliva of DILI patients. Our study may provide a potentially feasible and noninvasive diagnostic method for DILI, but further validation is needed., Competing Interests: Conflict-of-interest statement: There are no conflicts of interest to report., (©The Author(s) 2024. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.)

Root architecture and function are critical for plants to secure water and nutrient supply from the soil, but environmental stresses alter root development. The phytohormone jasmonic acid (JA) regulates plant growth and responses to wounding and other stresses, but its role in root development for adaptation to environmental challenges had not been well investigated. We discovered a novel JA Upregulated Protein 1 gene (JAUP1) that has recently evolved in rice and is specific to modern rice accessions. JAUP1 regulates a self-perpetuating feed-forward loop to activate the expression of genes involved in JA biosynthesis and signalling that confers tolerance to abiotic stresses and regulates auxin-dependent root development. Ectopic expression of JAUP1 alleviates abscisic acid- and salt-mediated suppression of lateral root (LR) growth. JAUP1 is primarily expressed in the root cap and epidermal cells (EPCs) that protect the meristematic stem cells and emerging LRs. Wound-activated JA/JAUP1 signalling promotes crosstalk between the root cap of LR and parental root EPCs, as well as induces cell wall remodelling in EPCs overlaying the emerging LR, thereby facilitating LR emergence even under ABA-suppressive conditions. Elevated expression of JAUP1 in transgenic rice or natural rice accessions enhances abiotic stress tolerance and reduces grain yield loss under a limited water supply. We reveal a hitherto unappreciated role for wound-induced JA in LR development under abiotic stress and suggest that JAUP1 can be used in biotechnology and as a molecular marker for breeding rice adapted to extreme environmental challenges and for the conservation of water resources., (© 2024 The Authors. Plant Biotechnology Journal published by Society for Experimental Biology and The Association of Applied Biologists and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis (MPGN) is no longer a disease but a pattern of injury in various diseases. Characterized by electron-dense deposits, mesangial proliferation, and duplication of the glomerular basement membrane, MPGN was previously classified by findings seen by electron microscopy. However, recognizing complement dysfunction in relation to cases with the MPGN pattern of injury substantially changed our view of its pathogenesis. A new classification, including immune complex-mediated and complement-mediated MPGN, has become preferable and has been adopted by international guidelines. Despite these advancements, accurate diagnosis of MPGN remains a clinical challenge, given the pathological and clinical similarities between immune complex-mediated and complement-mediated MPGN. Additional testing, such as molecular and genetic testing, is often necessary. Here, we will summarize our current understanding of the MPGN pattern of injury from a pathology perspective as an introductory article in the following chapters., (Copyright © 2024 National Kidney Foundation, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)