Purely positive or discriminatorily positive? The development of two-factor attitudes toward lesbians and gay men scales.

Unidimensional bipolar scales based on prejudice against homosexuality neglect the effect of preference for heterosexuality on attitudes toward homosexuality. Additionally, the term "homosexuality" used in these scales may compromise their validity. The current study uses person-centered and variable-centered approaches to examine the structure and classes of attitudes toward lesbians and gay men. In Study 1, we developed the Two-factor Attitudes toward Lesbians and Gay Men Scales, which have acceptable reliability and validity. The results obtained through variable-centered approaches suggested that a model comprising two factors (prejudice against homosexuality and preference for heterosexuality) was ideal. In Study 2, we explored the classes of attitudes toward lesbians and gay men through latent class analysis. The results supported a model containing three classes (purely positive, discriminatorily positive, and negative). This study validates a two-factor structure of attitudes toward lesbians and gay men and distinguishes between purely positive and discriminatorily positive attitudes, providing an important reference for future research and interventions to promote public attitudes toward lesbians and gay men.

Childhood emotional maltreatment and subsequent affective symptoms among chinese male drug users: The roles of impulsivity and psychological resilience.

OBJECTIVE: Childhood emotional maltreatment (CEM) has been widely linked to later affective symptoms. What still remains inadequately understood are the potential nuanced differences in the consequences of childhood emotional abuse (CEM-A) versus childhood emotional neglect (CEM-N) and the implicated mechanisms. Research with non-Western, clinical samples also remains scarce. Thus, we examined the associations of CEM-A and CEM-N with later affective symptoms among Chinese male drug users and tested impulsivity and psychological resilience as potential mediators and moderators. METHOD: Structural equation modeling analyses were conducted with survey data obtained from 239 Chinese male adult drug users who were in a rehabilitation center. RESULTS: The mediating rather than the moderating hypotheses were supported. CEM-A was found to be positively associated with subsequent depressive and anxious symptoms through a positive association with impulsivity. In contrast, CEM-N was positively associated only with subsequent depressive symptoms via a negative association with psychological resilience. In addition, CEM-A was also found to be directly associated with later depressive and anxious symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: CEM may pose a threat to later affective well-being partly through contributing to intrapersonal vulnerabilities as well as compromising intrapersonal strengths. Differentiating CEM-A and CEM-N appears to be critical for revealing the understudied specificity and nuance that may be inherently within such effects. Drug use treatment services should sensitively attend to the affective sequelae of CEM. Interventions targeted at the modification of impulsivity and the facilitation of psychological resilience may be effective in diminishing the affective consequences of CEM among drug users. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Estimates of inpatient admission rates and associated costs for infants before and after China's universal two-child policy.

BACKGROUND: China implemented a universal two-child policy in 2015. It is important to understand infants' medical utilization in the context of this policy to inform health policies and resource allocation. METHODS: This study utilized a 20% random sample of administrative data from China's Urban and Rural Basic Medical Insurance (URBMI) in one of the largest southern Chinese cities from January 2015 to June 2018. Ordinary least squares models were used to estimate changes in inpatient admission rates and costs for infants between 0 and 6 months old after the implementation of China's universal two-child policy. RESULTS: The overall inpatient admission rate was 27.2% in 2015 and 31.3% in 2017. Compared with 2015, there was an increase in inpatient admission rates for infants 1 month old or younger (coef = 0.038, 95% CI = 0.029 to 0.047, p < .001) and infants 6 months old or younger (coef = 0.041, 95% CI = 0.030 to 0.052, p < .001) in 2017. The increase was larger for male infants than for female ones. The average inpatient admission cost was 8412.3 RMB ($1320.61) (SD = 15,088.2). There was no increase in inpatient admission costs overall. The average length of hospital stay was 7.3 days, the probability of going to a tertiary hospital was 76.2%, and the share of out-of-pocket costs was 53.0% for all diseases. CONCLUSION: After the implementation of the universal two-child policy in China, there was a significant increase in inpatient admission rates, especially for male infants. The overall associated costs did not change, but the increase in admission rates caused additional economic burdens for families and for social health insurance. Understanding the healthcare utilization of infants in the universal two-child period can provide insight for healthcare resource allocation in a time of dramatic changes in population policy.

Synthesis of superabsorbent polymers based on chitosan derivative graft acrylic acid-co-acrylamide and its property testing.

A new kind of eco-friendly superabsorbent polymer was successfully synthesized using (2-pyridyl) acetyl chitosan chloride (PACS), acrylic acid (AA) and acrylamide (AM) in aqueous solution by a free radical polymerization. The effect of different reaction conditions, such as the initiator content, crosslinker content and PACS content were investigated. And the water retention, salt tolerance and reuse ability were investigated too. The chemical structure and morphological characterizations of the superabsorbent polymer were investigated by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and Scanning electron microscope (SEM). The results showed that the novel superabsorbent polymer exhibits excellent water absorbency, which can absorb distilled water 615 g/g and 0.9% NaCl solution 44 g/g. At the same time, this product showed excellent water retention and reusability. The antibacterial properties of the superabsorbent polymers were tested too. The introduction of antibacterial groups also enhances antibacterial properties against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. This kind of superabsorbent polymer has a broad application prospect.

Relationship Between Fat Mass and Obesity-Associated (FTO) Gene Polymorphisms with Obesity and Metabolic Syndrome in Ethnic Mongolians.

BACKGROUND The distribution of fat mass and obesity-associated gene (FTO) genes rs9939609 and rs1421085 in obese and normal ethnic Mongolians was analyzed to investigate the association of FTO gene polymorphisms with obesity and metabolic syndrome in ethnic Mongolians. MATERIAL AND METHODS The genotypes of FTO genes rs9939609 and rs1421085 in 500 subjects were detected by allele-specific PCR (AS-PCR). General characteristics and clinical biochemical indicators were compared between the obesity group and the control group. The correlation between different genotypes and obesity metabolic index was also analyzed. RESULTS Body mass, body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), hip circumference (HC), waist-hip ratio (WHR), SBP, DBP, FPG, triglyceride (TG), total cholesterol (TC), and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) were higher, while HDL-C was lower in the obesity group compared with controls. The frequencies of TT genotype and T allele in the obesity group were higher than those in the control group. The frequencies of these 3 genotypes and allele frequencies of Rs1421085 were comparable between the 2 groups (P>0.05). The risk of obesity in Mongolian individuals carrying rs9939609 AT genotype was 1.312 times higher and the risk in those carrying AA genotype was 1.896 times higher than in individuals with TT genotype. The body weight, BMI, WC, HC, and WHR in individuals with rs9939609 AA and AT genotypes were significantly higher than in those with TT genotype. CONCLUSIONS The AT/AA genotype and allele A of rs9939609 are associated with an increased risk of obesity.

Synthesis of chitosan derivative graft acrylic acid superabsorbent polymers and its application as water retaining agent.

A new superabsorbent polymer was synthesized using amino ethyl chitosan and an acrylic acid by a free radical polymerization. The chemical structure of the superabsorbent polymer was characterized using FTIR, TGA, XRD and solid-state 13C NMR. The results revealed that the acrylic acid was successfully grafted onto the amino ethyl chitosan backbone. As revealed by SEM, a surface with homogeneous and interconnected pore structure was obtained. The influences of different factors (e.g., the initiator, cross-linker and monomer) on the water absorbency of the superabsorbent polymers were investigated. The results indicated that the superabsorbent polymers have a good swelling ability, water evaporation rate, excellent salt tolerance and pH sensitivity. The new superabsorbent polymers have potential as a water-retaining agent.

Deferoxamine ameliorates hepatosteatosis via several mechanisms in ob/ob mice.

Hepatic iron accumulation may be responsible for the pathology of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), which is both increasingly prevalent in conjunction with obesity and associated with comorbidities. The efficacy of iron reduction therapies, such as phlebotomy or dietary iron restriction, has been demonstrated in patient and animal models, including models of diabetes and obesity; however, the effects on and exact mechanisms responsible for iron depletion in NAFLD have not been clearly elucidated. Our study investigated the role of iron depletion by deferoxamine (DFO) treatment of ob/ob mice with hepatic steatosis. We found that DFO reduced hepatic iron deposition and regulated intracellular iron concentration in a homeostatic process following 15 days of treatment. Compared with vehicle treatment, DFO significantly improved hepatic steatosis by upregulating proteins related to lipid metabolism. Meanwhile, the reduction of free radical formation and proinflammatory cytokines, as well as the increase of hypoxia-inducible factor-1α pathway proteins and Bcl2/Bax ratio, further indicated that DFO was effective for liver protection and hepatic adaptation. These findings show that the intraperitoneal delivery of DFO provides a potential means of both preventing the progression of NAFLD and accelerating healing of hepatic steatosis, with the potential for rapid clinical application.