Effects of Mobile Mindfulness Meditation on the Mental Health of University Students: Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Mobile mindfulness meditation (MMM) is a mindfulness meditation intervention implemented using mobile devices such as smartphones and apps. MMM has been used to help manage the mental health of university students. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of MMM on the mental health of university students in the areas of stress, anxiety, depression, mindfulness, well-being, and resilience. METHODS: We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of the effectiveness of MMM on the mental health of university students. This study followed the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) guidelines. An electronic literature search was performed on PubMed, Web of Science, EBSCO, Cochrane Library, and Embase databases, from inception to July 16, 2021. This study was conducted to identify studies that reported the effects of MMM on the primary outcomes including stress, anxiety, and depression, and on the secondary outcomes including mindfulness, well-being, and resilience. Two reviewers retrieved articles, evaluated quality, and extracted data independently. The methodological quality of the selected studies was determined using the Cochrane criteria for risk-of-bias assessment. Standardized mean differences (SMDs) for continuous outcomes and risk ratios for dichotomous outcomes were calculated. Sensitivity analyses and subgroup analyses were performed for results with high heterogeneity. The RevMan version 5.3 was used to perform meta-analysis. RESULTS: A total of 10 studies, including 958 university students, were selected for this meta-analysis. Results of the primary outcome showed that the MMM groups were more effective than the control groups in decreasing stress (SMD -0.41, 95% CI -0.59 to -0.23; P<.001) and alleviating anxiety (SMD -0.29, 95% CI -0.50 to -0.09; P=.004). However, there was no difference between the MMM groups and the control groups in depression (SMD -0.14, 95% CI -0.30 to 0.03; P=.11). The use of either waitlist control or traditional face-to-face intervention in the control group was identified as the source of heterogeneity. Specifically, the waitlist control subgroup (SMD -0.33, 95% CI -0.53 to -0.13; P=.002) was superior when compared with the face-to-face subgroup (SMD 0.29, 95% CI -0.01 to 0.59; P=.06). Results of the secondary outcome showed that the MMM groups were more effective than the control groups in enhancing well-being (SMD 0.30, 95% CI 0.11-0.50; P=.003) and improving mindfulness (SMD 2.66, 95% CI 0.77-4.55; P=.006). Whether commercial sponsorship was obtained was considered as the source of heterogeneity. The "without company support" group (SMD 17.60, 95% CI 11.32-23.87; P<.001) was superior to the "with company support" group (SMD 1.17, 95% CI -0.82 to 3.15; P=.25) in raising the level of mindfulness. However, there was no difference between the MMM and control groups in resilience (SMD -0.06, 95% CI -0.26 to 0.15; P=.59). The evidence level of the results from the 10 studies was determined to be moderate to low. CONCLUSIONS: MMM was an effective method to reduce stress and anxiety, and to increase the well-being and mindfulness of university students. However, further studies are needed to confirm our findings. TRIAL REGISTRATION: PROSPERO International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews CRD42022303585; https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?RecordID=303585.

Efficacy of acupoint application in patients with overactive bladder: A randomized, placebo-controlled pilot trial.

OBJECTIVE: Conventional treatments for alleviating the symptoms of Overactive bladder (OAB) have been reported to have limited efficacy and a high rate of side effects. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has been used in Asia countries because of its low side effects and being easy to operate. To confirm the efficacy of acupoint application treatment for alleviating OAB symptoms, a randomized and placebo-controlled pilot trial was conducted in this study. METHODS: All participants were randomly allocated into a treatment group or control group, receiving either a "Dinggui" acupoint application or placebo treatment for 4 weeks. The outcome measures were OAB symptom scores (OABSS), OAB questionnaire (OAB-q) scores, and TCM syndrome scores. Urine nerve growth factor (NGF) level, NGF normalized to urine creatinine (NGF/Cr), and maximum flow rate (Qmax) were also measured to evaluate the OAB symptoms. RESULTS: In total, 69 participants were included with 34 in the treatment group and 35 in the placebo-treated group. Treatment with "Dinggui" acupoint application showed a statistically significant decrease in OABSS scores (8.10±1.54 to 3.67±1.77), OAB-q scores (61.43±13.93 to 38.13±15.42), and TCM syndrome scores (15.60±5.98 to 9.20±4.82). The NGF and NGF/Cr were also observed meaningful changes in a decrease from 379.68 to 136.17 pg/ml and from 0.30 to 0.16 pg/mg, respectively. The Qmax value showed a significant increase from 14.40 to 24.05 ml/s. CONCLUSIONS: Treatment with "Dinggui" acupoint application could be considered an effective and alternative therapy for OAB management. Further studies with larger sample sizes and longer treatment periods are needed to investigate.

Prevalence and resistance characteristics of multidrug-resistant Streptococcus pneumoniae isolated from the respiratory tracts of hospitalized children in Shenzhen, China.

Background: PCV13 introduction in China has led to a significant reduction of vaccine serotype Streptococcus pneumoniae. However, non-vaccine serotypes with highly resistance and invasiveness were often reported in the post-pneumococcal conjugate vaccine era and there was regional differences. Methods: A total of 669 S. pneumoniae strains were collected from the respiratory tracts of hospitalized children at Shenzhen Children's Hospital in 2021 and 2022. Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) characteristics were assessed through antibiotic susceptibility testing performed with the VITEK 2 compact system. AMR genes and single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in pbp1a, pbp2b, and pbp2x were identified via analysis of whole genome sequencing data. Statistical examination of the data was conducted employing chi-square and Fisher's exact tests. Results: We found that non-vaccine serotypes strains had accounted for 46.6% of all the pneumococcal isolated strains. The most common non-vaccine serotype is 23A, with a prevalence rate of 8.9%, followed by 15A (6.6%), 6E (5.7%), 34 (3.2%), and 15B (2.9%). The multidrug resistance rates (MDR) of vaccine serotypes were 19F (99.36%), 19A (100%), 23F (98.08%), 6B (100%), and 6C (100%). Meanwhile, the MDR of non-vaccine serotypes were 15B (100.00%), 6E (100%), 15C (100%), 34 (95.24%), and 23A (98.31%). Resistance rates of 6E to more than six antibiotic classes reached 89.47%, which is similar to 19F (83.33%) and 19A (90%). Unique resistance profiles were also identified for non-vaccine serotypes, including significantly higher resistance to chloramphenicol in 6E, 15B, and 15C than in 19F and 19A. Furthermore, through genome sequencing, we revealed strong correlation of cat-TC with chloramphenicol resistance, patA/patB with tetracycline resistance, ermB and pmrA with erythromycin resistance. Conclusion: The introduction of PCV13 into China from 2017 has led to a shift in the dominant composition of pneumococcal strains. There has been a notable rise and spread of multidrug-resistant non-vaccine serotypes among children. Specifically, the non-vaccine serotype 6E, which was not widely reported in China previously, has emerged. To comprehend the resistance mechanisms, it is crucial to further investigate the molecular and genetic characteristics of these non-vaccine serotypes.

Highly Compressible Elastic Aerogel Spring-Based Piezoionic Self-Powering Pressure Sensor for Multifunctional Wearable Electronics.

To meet the rapid development of wearable flexible electronics, the multifunctional integrations into singe device are in extreme demand. In this paper, we developed novel self-powering multifunctional pressure sensors and supercapacitor-integrated device based on highly elastic silver nanowires@reduced graphene aerogel, being conductive to reduce integration difficulties and device size. Serving as an energy device, it behaves with a prominent specific capacitance of 146.6 F g-1, and excellent rate capability even at 500 mV s-1. The fabricated sensor demonstrates an excellent sensitivity of 2.54 kPa-1 and superior pressure-sensing stability up to 1000 compressive cycles. Piezoionization effect is suggested to reveal the sensing mechanism. Our research provides a new research direction in designing the integration of self-driving wearable electronics.

Dynamic algorithm for fitness function greatly improves the optimization efficiency of frequency selective surface for better design of radar.

Multiple objectives optimization of frequency selective surface (FSS) structures is challenging in electromagnetic wave filter design. For example, one of the sub-objectives, the sidelobe level (SLL), is critical to directional anti-interference, which is complicated and becomes the bottleneck for radar design. Here, we established a dynamic algorithm for fitness function to automatically adjust the weights of multiple objectives in the optimization process of FSS structures. The dynamic algorithm could efficiently evaluate the achieving probability of sub-objectives according to the statistical analysis of the latest individual distribution so that the fitness function could automatically adjusted to focus on the sub-objective difficult to optimize, such as SLL. Computational results from the dynamic algorithm showed that the efficiency of multi-objective optimization was greatly improved by 213%, as compared to the fixed-weighted algorithm of the fitness function. Specifically for SLL, the efficiency rate increased even better, up to 315%. More interestingly, the FSS structures were most improved while picking median value or golden section value as the reference value. Taken together, the current study indicated that the dynamic algorithm with fitness function might be a better choice for FSS structural optimization with SLL suppression and potentially for the better design of lower SLL radar.

Simple-Structured OLEDs Incorporating Undoped Phosphorescent Emitters Within Non-Exciplex Forming Interfaces: Towards Ultraslow Efficiency Roll-Off and Low Driving Voltage for Indoor R/G/B Illumination.

To meet the requirement of indoor R/G/B monochrome illumination a simplified OLEDs structure and fabrication process must occur. Herein, a design philosophy of low efficiency roll-off and simple-structure OLEDs incorporating R/G/B phosphorescent ultrathin non-doped emissive layers (EMLs) within non-exciplex forming interfaces a luminescent system by a direct charge trapping mechanism has been reported, which uses bis(2-methyldibenzo[f,h]-quinoxaline)(acetylacetonate)iridium(III) (MDQ)2Ir(acac), bis(3-phenylpyridin-e)iridium(III) (Ir(ppy)3), and bis(3,5-difluoro-2 -(2-pyridyl)phenyl-(2-carboxypyridyl) iridiumII) (Firpic) as R/G/B luminescent dyes, respectively. Although the recombination zone is narrow in the designed OLEDs, the efficiency roll-off of the designed OLEDs are unexpectedly slow, due to stable charge trapping of the emitters and are refrained from concentration quenching in relatively low current density, but the luminance meets the requirement of indoor lighting. With a low threshold voltage of 2.9/2.9/3.5 V, the designed R/G/B phosphorescent OLEDs show an efficiency roll-off as low as 7.6/3.2/4.3% for indoor luminance from 10 cd/m2 to 1,000 cd/m2, respectively. The perspective of R/G/B luminescent dyes on luminous efficiency, chromaticity coordinate drifts, efficiency roll-off, and direct charge trapping has been thoroughly studied. Therefore, our research may help to further develop ideal indoor lighting using a simplified undoped R/G/B OLEDs structure with simultaneous ultraslow efficiency roll-off, low threshold voltage, simplified fabrication process, low reagent consumption, and cost.

The changing phenotypes and genotypes of invasive pneumococcal isolates from children in Shenzhen during 2013-2017.

BACKGROUND: The phenotypes and genotypes of Streptococcus pneumoniae isolated from invasive pneumococcal diseases (IPDs) were changing all the time. To monitor these changes of phenotypes and genotypes of S. pneumoniae isolates from children, we examined antibiotic susceptibility, serotype distribution and sequence types (STs) of S. pneumoniae, which were isolated before the 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV13) introduced into China. METHODS: Strains were isolated from children less than 14 years old between January 2013 and May 2017 from Shenzhen Children's Hospital. Serotypes, antibiotic resistance, and genotypes of these isolates were determined using capsular swelling, E-test, and multi-locus sequence typing, respectively. RESULTS: A total of 94 S. pneumoniae strains were isolated, which belonged to 15 serotypes. The five most prevalent serotypes were 19F (25.5%), 19A (19%), 14 (17%), 23F (7.5%), and 6B (9.6%). We found 42 STs for these isolates. The most abundant STs were ST271 (24.4%), ST876 (17%), and ST320 (10.6%), mainly related to 19F, 14, and 19A, respectively. The potential coverage of PCV13 was 87.2%. Among non-meningitis isolates, the resistance rates to penicillin and ceftriaxone were 0% and 2%. However, the meningitis isolates showed high resistance to penicillin (80%) and ceftriaxone (20%). Most of these isolates (95.7%) were resistant to erythromycin, and 66 (70.2%) strains carried the ermB gene and 24 (25.5%) strains carried both the ermB and mefA/E genes. Serotype 19A showed the highest mean minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) for penicillin (MIC = 1.486) than the other serotypes, but no significant difference in penicillin MIC among the three main STs (ST271, ST320, and ST876). CONCLUSIONS: The phenotypes and genotypes of invasive pneumococcal isolates from Shenzhen Children's Hospital have changed with the passage of time. Compared with PCV7, PCV13 can more effectively protect Chinese children from IPDs. To some extent, these changes are possibly related to the usage of antibiotics and vaccines.

Histological, hormonal and transcriptomic reveal the changes upon gibberellin-induced parthenocarpy in pear fruit.

Phytohormones play crucial roles in fruit set regulation and development. Here, gibberellins (GA4+7), but not GA3, induced pear parthenocarpy. To systematically investigate the changes upon GA4+7 induced pear parthenocarpy, dynamic changes in histology, hormone and transcript levels were observed and identified in unpollinated, pollinated and GA4+7-treated ovaries. Mesocarp cells continued developing in both GA4+7-treated and pollinated ovaries. In unpollinated ovaries, mesocarp cells stopped developing 14 days after anthesis. During fruit set process, GA4+7, but not GA1+3, increased after pollination. Abscisic acid (ABA) accumulation was significantly repressed by GA4+7 or pollination, but under unpollinated conditions, ABA was produced in large quantities. Moreover, indole-3-acetic acid biosynthesis was not induced by GA4+7 or pollination treatments. Details of this GA-auxin-ABA cross-linked gene network were determined by a comparative transcriptome analysis. The indole-3-acetic acid transport-related genes, mainly auxin efflux carrier component genes, were induced in both GA4+7-treated and pollinated ovaries. ABA biosynthetic genes of the 9-cis-epoxycarotenoid dioxygenase family were repressed by GA4+7 and pollination. Moreover, directly related genes in the downstream parthenocarpy network involved in cell division and expansion (upregulated), and MADS-box family genes (downregulated), were also identified. Thus, a model of GA-induced hormonal balance and its effects on parthenocarpy were established.

Blood and urinary metabolomic evidence validating traditional Chinese medicine diagnostic classification of major depressive disorder.

BACKGROUND: Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a highly heterogeneous disease. Further classification may characterize its heterogeneity. The purpose of this study was to examine whether metabolomic variables could differentiate traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) diagnostic subtypes of MDD. METHODS: Fifty medication-free patients who were experiencing a recurrent depressive episode were classified into Liver Qi Stagnation (LQS, n = 30) and Heart and Spleen Deficiency (HSD, n = 20) subtypes according to TCM diagnosis. Healthy volunteers (n = 28) were included as controls. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) was used to examine serum and urinary metabolomic profiles. RESULTS: Twenty-eight metabolites were identified for good separations between TCM subtypes and healthy controls in serum samples. Both TCM subtypes had similar profiles in proteinogenic branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) (valine, leucine, and isoleucine) and energy metabolism-related metabolites that were differentiated from healthy controls. The LQS subtype additionally differed from healthy controls in multiple amino acid metabolites that are involved in biosynthesis of monoamine and amino acid neurotransmitters, including phenylalanine, 3-hydroxybutric acid, o-tyrosine, glycine, l-tryptophan, and N-acetyl-l-aspartic acid. Threonic acid, methionine, stearic acid, and isobutyric acid are differentially associated with the two subtypes. CONCLUSIONS: While both TCM subtypes are associated with aberrant BCAA and energy metabolism, the LQS subtype may represent an MDD subpopulation characterized by abnormalities in the biosynthesis of monoamine and amino acid neurotransmitters and closer associations with stress-related pathophysiology. The metabolites differentially associated with the two subtypes are promising biomarkers for predicting TCM subtype-specific antidepressant response [registered at http://www.clinicaltrials.gov (NCT02346682) on January 27, 2015].