The Movement Assessment Battery for Children Second Edition in Ages 3 to 6 Years: A Cross-Cultural Comparison for Children in Taiwan.

OBJECTIVE: The Movement Assessment Battery for Children-2 (MABC-2) is a popular assessment of children's motor skills in both Western and Eastern countries. Since children's motor skills are strongly influenced by the sociocultural context, it is essential to specifically examine the applicability of the MABC-2 in different cultures. The performance on the MABC-2 age band 1 of children in Taiwan was compared with the standardized sample from the United Kingdom. The sex differences in the performance on the MABC-2 were also investigated. METHODS: Children aged 3 to 6 years were recruited and categorized into 4 age groups. The researchers assessed the children with the MABC-2 age band 1, containing 8 tasks categorized into 3 components: manual dexterity, aiming and catching, and balance. Z tests and effect sizes were used to examine the cultural differences in the 3 components and in the total scale of the MABC-2. Independent t tests were used to check for sex differences in the MABC-2. RESULTS: Data on 615 children with a mean age of 4.95 years (SD = 0.97) were collected. Clinically significant differences (effect size > 0.5) were found in 2 components and the total scale of the MABC-2 across most age groups. Children in Taiwan performed better on manual dexterity, balance, and the total scale. Marginally clinically significant differences (absolute effect size > 0.4) were found in the aiming and catching component for the children aged 3 and 6 years old; children in Taiwan scored lower on aiming and catching than did children in the United Kingdom. Girls had significantly higher scores on manual dexterity, balance, and the total scale, while boys had significantly higher scores on aiming and catching. CONCLUSIONS: Cultural and sex differences exist in the MABC-2. Constructing a norm for children in Taiwan of different sex and modification of the items are suggested for application of the MABC-2 in Taiwan.

Mediating role of resilience in the relationships of physical activity and mindful self-awareness with peace of mind among college students.

Peace of mind (PoM) is an index of mental health in Asian culture and emphasizes low arousal, happiness, harmony, and an internal state of peacefulness. While previous studies have found that mindful self-awareness can contribute to PoM, regular physical activity (PA) is also an important factor contributing to one's PoM due to its function in promoting one's resilience. The study aims to investigate a hypothetical model that assumes PA is associated with resilience while controlling for mindful self-awareness, contributing to PoM. The PoM scale, Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale, Chinese translation of Mindful Attention Awareness Scale, and PA self-report questionnaire were used. A path analysis was applied to test the association between these variables and the mediating role of resilience. A total of 436 students from a university in Taiwan were recruited; the mean age was 20.87, with 46.3% female and 73.6% engaging in over 150 min/week of moderate PA. Gender and age negatively correlated with PA. After controlling for age and gender, there was no direct effect of physical activity on PoM; both mindful self-awareness and PA predict resilience, which in turn predicts PoM, suggesting that both cognitive (i.e., mindful self-awareness) and PA are important to cultivate resilience and thus PoM.

Use of nicorandil is associated with increased risk of incident atrial fibrillation.

BACKGROUND: Nicorandil will activate ATP-sensitive potassium channel (KATP). However, activation of potassium channels plays an important role in the mechanism of atrial fibrillation (AF) or atrial flutter (AFL). Whether use of nicorandil might contribute to initiation and/or perpetuation of AF/AFL remained unknown. We determined the relationship between use of nicorandil and risk of atrial fibrillation and determined its molecular mechanism. METHODS: We performed a nested case-control study using a cohort from the National Health Insurance Research Database (NHIRD) of Taiwan. The association between nicorandil use and risk of atrial fibrillation/flutter was estimated by logistic regression model. We also performed molecular, cellular and animal studies to explain the association. RESULTS: A total of 715 individuals who experienced AF/atrial flutter were matched to 72,215 controls. New use of nicorandil was found to be associated with increased risk for AF/AFL (odds ratio [OR], 2.34; 95% CI 1.07-5.13) compared to nitrate use. We found the expression of KATP subunits Kir6.2 and SUR2A in human and rat left atrial tissues. Furthermore, nicorandil directly shortened action potential duration (APD) in rat left atrium and shortened the QT interval of cultured human induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) derived cardiomyocytes (iPSC-CMs). CONCLUSIONS: Use of nicorandil was found to be associated with increased risk of AF/AFL. We also showed the expression of KATP subunits in human atria, and a possible mechanism that use of nicorandil increases the risk of AF through activation of KATP and shortening of atrial APD.

Photoswitchable carbon-dot liposomes mediate catalytic cascade reactions for amplified dynamic treatment of tumor cells.

Most biochemical reactions that occur in living organisms are catalyzed by a series of enzymes and proceed in a tightly controlled manner. The development of artificial enzyme cascades that resemble multienzyme complexes in nature is of current interest due to their potential in various applications. In this study, a nanozyme based on photoswitchable carbon-dot liposomes (CDsomes) was developed for use in programmable catalytic cascade reactions. These CDsomes prepared from triolein are amphiphilic and self-assemble into liposome-like structures in an aqueous environment. CDsomes feature excitation-dependent photoluminescence and, notably, can undergo reversible switching between a fluorescent on-state and nonfluorescent off-state under different wavelengths of light irradiation. This switching ability enables the CDsomes to exert photocatalytic oxidase- and peroxidase-like activities in their on- (bright) and off- (dark) states, respectively, resulting in the conversion of oxygen molecules into hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), followed by the generation of active hydroxyl radicals (OH). The two steps of oxygen activation can be precisely controlled in a sequential manner by photoirradiation at different wavelengths. Catalytic reversibility also enables the CDsomes to produce sufficient reactive oxygen species (ROS) to effectively kill tumor cells. Our results reveal that CDsomes is a promising photo-cycling nanozyme for precise tumor phototherapy through regulated programmable cascade reactions.

Chromosome-Scale Genome Assembly of the Hexaploid Taiwanese Goosefoot "Djulis" (Chenopodium formosanum).

Djulis (Chenopodium formosanum Koidz.) is a crop grown since antiquity in Taiwan. It is a BCD-genome hexaploid (2n = 6x = 54) domesticated form of lambsquarters (C. album L.) and a relative of the allotetraploid (AABB) C. quinoa. As with quinoa, djulis seed contains a complete protein profile and many nutritionally important vitamins and minerals. While still sold locally in Taiwanese markets, its traditional culinary uses are being lost as diets of younger generations change. Moreover, indigenous Taiwanese peoples who have long safeguarded djulis are losing their traditional farmlands. We used PacBio sequencing and Hi-C-based scaffolding to produce a chromosome-scale, reference-quality assembly of djulis. The final genome assembly spans 1.63 Gb in 798 scaffolds, with 97.8% of the sequence contained in 27 scaffolds representing the nine haploid chromosomes of each sub-genome of the species. Benchmarking of universal, single-copy orthologs indicated that 98.5% of the conserved orthologous genes for Viridiplantae are complete within the assembled genome, with 92.9% duplicated, as expected for a polyploid. A total of 67.8% of the assembly is repetitive, with the most common repeat being Gypsy long terminal repeat retrotransposons, which had significantly expanded in the B sub-genome. Gene annotation using Iso-Seq data from multiple tissues identified 75,056 putative gene models. Comparisons to quinoa showed strong patterns of synteny which allowed for the identification of homoeologous chromosomes, and sub-genome-specific sequences were used to assign homoeologs to each sub-genome. These results represent the first hexaploid genome assembly and the first assemblies of the C and D genomes of the Chenopodioideae subfamily.

The difference between the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale and the Brief Resilience Scale when assessing resilience: confirmatory factor analysis and predictive effects.

Background: The Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC) and the Brief Resilience Scale (BRS) are two scales widely used to measure resilience. Although both scales seek to assess an individual's ability to recover from and adapt to disruptions or stressful events, they can capture different aspects of resilience. While the CD-RISC focuses on resources that can help individuals to recover from and adapt to disruptions or stressful events, the BRS directly measures one's ability to bounce back or be resilient. The aim of this study is to better understand resilience through empirically examining the differences between the CD-RISC and the BRS. Method: Samples (a pooled sample N = 448 and two subsamples N = 202 and 246) consisting of undergraduate students from Taiwan were used. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was performed to examine the relationship between the CD-RISC and BRS. Regression analysis was conducted to examine predictive effects of the CD-RISC and BRS on depression and life satisfaction. Result: The results of CFA using different samples consistently show that the CD-RISC and the BRS are highly correlated but still distinct. The results of regression analyses using different samples also consistently show that the CD-RISC and the BRS have unique predictive effects regarding depression and life satisfaction. Conclusions: The research findings suggest that the CD-RISC and the BRS capture different aspects of resilience. For future research on resilience, researchers should pay closer attention to the differences between these scales and choose the one that most closely fits their research purpose.

Correlates Between Health Beliefs and Health-Promoting Lifestyle Profiles in the Development of Metabolic Syndrome in Taiwan.

Differences in sociodemographic variables, health beliefs, and a healthy lifestyle all contribute to the varied prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MetS). We investigated the associations among MetS-related risk factors and performed a cross-sectional study, recruiting 1741 Taiwanese residents aged ≥30 years, between August 2014 and August 2015. Data were obtained on sociodemographic factors, health beliefs, and health-promoting lifestyle profiles using questionnaires. Multivariate analysis revealed that age ≥65 years (odds ratio [OR] = 2.17), low educational level (OR = 1.46), body mass index ≥24 kg/m2 (OR = 9.00), more health responsibility (OR = 1.08), and less exercise (OR = 0.924) were independent risk factors for MetS development. A correlation existed between health beliefs and health-promoting lifestyle profiles, suggesting that the establishment of an effective health-promoting program should consider participants' health beliefs.

Mitochondrial DNA copy number is associated with diagnosis and prognosis of head and neck cancer.

CONTEXT: Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) copy number correlates with tumor pathology in some cancers. OBJECTIVE: To investigate mtDNA copy number in head and neck cancer (HNC). MATERIALS AND METHODS: mtDNA copy number was determined and compared between HNC patients and malignancy-free controls. RESULTS: The mtDNA copy number was significantly higher in HNC patients, increased with cancer progression and correlated negatively with patient survival. DISCUSSION: mtDNA copy number appears to be associated with HNC stage and survival, but confirmation requires similar studies in larger cohorts. CONCLUSION: Studies to establish the nature of the relationship between mtDNA copy number and HNC are warranted.