Understanding suicidal ideation disparity between sexual minority and heterosexual Chinese young men: a multiple mediation model of social support sources, self-esteem, and depressive symptoms.

Objectives: Although sexual minorities have reported higher levels of suicidal ideation than heterosexuals across cultures, the role of various psychosocial factors underlying this disparity among young men has been understudied, particularly in China. This study examined the multiple mediating effects of psychosocial factors between sexual orientation and suicidal ideation in Chinese sexual minority and heterosexual young men. Methods: 302 Chinese cisgender men who identified as gay or bisexual, and 250 cisgender heterosexual men (n=552, aged 18-39 years) completed an online questionnaire measuring perceived social support, self-esteem, depressive symptoms, and suicidal ideation. Results: Young sexual minority men reported significantly higher suicidal ideation and lower social support than their heterosexual peers. Structural equation modelling revealed two multiple indirect pathways. One pathway indicated that sexual orientation was indirectly related to suicidal ideation via family support and depressive symptoms. Another pathway indicated that sexual orientation was indirectly related to suicidal ideation via support from friends, self-esteem, and depressive symptoms. Conclusions: This study is among the first to examine the potentially cascading relationships between sexual orientation and psychosocial factors with suicidal ideation in a Chinese sample of young men. The findings highlight several promising psychosocial targets (i.e., improving family/friend support and increasing self-esteem) for suicide interventions among sexual minority males in China.

Measuring Green Exposure Levels in Communities of Different Economic Levels at Different Completion Periods: Through the Lens of Social Equity.

Exposure to green spaces contributes to residents' physical and mental health and well-being. The equitable allocation of green space has also become an increasingly important issue for society and the government. This study takes 3281 communities in Shenzhen as the analysis units. Using web crawlers, semantic segmentation based on deep learning, web map path planning and entropy weighting methods, four types of residents' daily green exposure indicators are calculated, including community green space ratio, green view index (GVI), park accessibility, and the weighted composite green exposure index. The results reveal inequalities in the level of green exposure in Shenzhen's communities across economic classes, mainly in GVI and comprehensive green exposure. We also found that the level of composite green exposure is relatively stable; however, green space ratio attainment levels for newer communities are increasing and GVI and park accessibility attainment levels are decreasing. Finally, among the newly built communities: compared to the low-income level communities, the high-income level communities have a significant advantage in green space, but the mid-income level communities do not have such an advantage. The main findings of this study can provide policy implications for urban green space planning, including the need to prioritize the addition of public green space near older communities with poor levels of green exposure, the addition of street greenery near communities with poor levels of composite green exposure, and ensuring that parks have entrances in all four directions as far as possible.

Disease burden and demographic characteristics of mucormycosis: A nationwide population-based study in Taiwan, 2006-2017.

BACKGROUND: Epidemiological knowledge of mucormycosis obtained from national population-based databases is scarce. OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to depict the disease burden and demographics of mucormycosis in Taiwan by using the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database (NHIRD) and those of aspergillosis as a comparator. METHODS: Data from patients with either mucormycosis or aspergillosis from 2006 to 2017 identified with the International Classification of Diseases (ICD) codes were extracted from the NHIRD. The incidence, demographics and clinical data of both diseases were analysed. RESULTS: A total of 204 patients with mucormycosis and 2270 patients with aspergillosis who were hospitalised and treated with mould-active antifungals between 2006 and 2017 were identified. The average annual incidence of aspergillosis (0.81 cases per 100,000 population [0.81/100,000]) was 11-fold higher than that of mucormycosis (0.07/100,000). A significant increase in incidence was observed for aspergillosis (from 0.48/100,000 in 2006 to 1.19/100,000 in 2017, p < .0001) but not for mucormycosis (from 0.04/100,000 in 2006 to 0.11/100,000 in 2017, p = .07). The major underlying disease identified was diabetes mellitus (60.8%) for mucormycosis and malignant neoplasms (45.9%) for aspergillosis. The all-cause 90-day mortality rate was similar between mucormycosis and aspergillosis patients (39% vs. 37%, p = .60). For mucormycosis patients, multivariate analysis revealed that posaconazole use was associated with lower in-hospital mortality (aOR 0.38; 95% CI 0.15-0.97; p = .04). CONCLUSIONS: Mucormycosis is an uncommon fungal disease in Taiwan, occurring mostly in diabetic patients. However, the incidence might be underestimated due to limited diagnostics. Continuous surveillance might aid in delineating the evolving features of mucormycosis.

From Cellular Infiltration Assessment to a Functional Gene Set-Based Prognostic Model for Breast Cancer.

Background: Cancer heterogeneity is a major challenge in clinical practice, and to some extent, the varying combinations of different cell types and their cross-talk with tumor cells that modulate the tumor microenvironment (TME) are thought to be responsible. Despite recent methodological advances in cancer, a reliable and robust model that could effectively investigate heterogeneity with direct prognostic/diagnostic clinical application remained elusive. Results: To investigate cancer heterogeneity, we took advantage of single-cell transcriptome data and constructed the first indication- and cell type-specific reference gene expression profile (RGEP) for breast cancer (BC) that can accurately predict the cellular infiltration. By utilizing the BC-specific RGEP combined with a proven deconvolution model (LinDeconSeq), we were able to determine the intrinsic gene expression of 15 cell types in BC tissues. Besides identifying significant differences in cellular proportions between molecular subtypes, we also evaluated the varying degree of immune cell infiltration (basal-like subtype: highest; Her2 subtype: lowest) across all available TCGA-BRCA cohorts. By converting the cellular proportions into functional gene sets, we further developed a 24 functional gene set-based prognostic model that can effectively discriminate the overall survival (P = 5.9 × 10-33, n = 1091, TCGA-BRCA cohort) and therapeutic response (chemotherapy and immunotherapy) (P = 6.5 × 10-3, n = 348, IMvigor210 cohort) in the tumor patients. Conclusions: Herein, we have developed a highly reliable BC-RGEP that adequately annotates different cell types and estimates the cellular infiltration. Of importance, the functional gene set-based prognostic model that we have introduced here showed a great ability to screen patients based on their therapeutic response. On a broader perspective, we provide a perspective to generate similar models in other cancer types to identify shared factors that drives cancer heterogeneity.

Altered functional connectivity between hypothalamus and limbic system in fibromyalgia.

The hypothalamus links the nervous system to the endocrine system and plays a crucial role in maintaining the human body's homeostasis. This study aims to investigate the resting state functional connectivity (rsFC) changes of the hypothalamus in fibromyalgia patients. 24 Fibromyalgia patients and 24 matched healthy controls (HCs) were recruited. Resting state fMRI data were collected from the fibromyalgia patients and HC's. Fibromyalgia patients went through a second scan after 12 weeks of Tai Chi mind-body intervention. Data analysis showed that fibromyalgia patients displayed less medial hypothalamus (MH) rsFC with the thalamus and amygdala when compared to the functional connectivity in the HCs. After the Tai Chi mind-body intervention, fibromyalgia patients showed increased MH rsFC with the thalamus and amygdala accompanied by clinical improvement. Effective connectivity analysis showed disrupted MH and thalamus interaction in the fibromyalgia patients, which was altered by mind-body exercise. Our findings suggest that fibromyalgia is associated with altered functional connectivity within the diencephalon and limbic system. Elucidating the roles of the diencephalon and limbic system in the pathophysiology and development of fibromyalgia may facilitate the development of a new biomarker and effective treatment methods for this prevalent disorder.Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT02407665. Registered: 3 April 2015, https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02407665?term=NCT02407665&draw=2&rank=1.

Contaminants of emerging concern in aquatic environment: Occurrence, monitoring, fate, and risk assessment.

The present work provides a review focusing on contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) in aquatic environment, with an emphasis on their occurrence, monitoring, fate, and risk assessment in the research published in the scientific literature in 2019. Several studies revealed that these organic contaminants were detected in many water bodies and suspect, nontarget, and target screening provided an efficient detection for the co-existing organic substances with complex components. Wastewater resource recovery facilities were concurrently considered as a central source, and several specific chemicals have been found to be used as chemical markers to track the source of CECs in some urban watersheds. Reliable monitoring, reliable fate/toxicity assessment, and effective removal that consider CECs as a heterogeneous group rather than single substances will be the challenges for the research community in the future.

Electrothermal bipolar vessel sealing device (LigaSure™) versus conventional diathermy in laparoscopic myomectomy: A propensity-matched analysis.

The purpose of this study was to compare the safety and efficacy of an electrothermal bipolar vessel sealing device (LigaSure™) and traditional electrical cauterization in laparoscopic myomectomy (LM). A total of 756 patients with symptomatic uterine myomas who underwent LM were reviewed retrospectively. A total of 225 cases of LM using LigaSure™ (LML group) were compared with a control group treated with traditional electrical cauterization (LME group) under propensity-matched analysis. Outcome measures for both groups were compared, such as operative time, blood loss (BL), complications, need for blood transfusion, hospital expenses, and hospital stay. Six subgroups were divided according to main myoma size and energy source. No cases required switching to abdominal myomectomy. The number of myomas removed, BL, need for blood transfusion, and complications were not significantly different, whereas hospital stay was longer in the LME group than in the LML group and total hospital expenses were higher in the LML group (p < 0.001). The overall operation duration was significantly longer in the LML group but was not significantly different for main myoma >10 cm (LML vs LME, 121.58 ± 41.77 vs 121.69 ± 44.95, p = 0.99); this likely reflects the operative efficiency on using LigaSure™ to manage large tumors. Significant linear correlations between myoma weight and operative time and BL were seen in both groups. Conventional diathermy is more effective for small-to-medium myomas. Use of the LigaSure™ was efficient for myomas >10 cm.

Rapid and inexpensive blood typing on thermoplastic chips.

A portable and cost-effective colorimetric diagnostic device was fabricated for rapid ABO and Rh blood typing. Using microfluidic construction on a thermoplastic chip, blood antibodies were preloaded into a reaction channel and exposed to blood samples to initiate a haemagglutination reaction. Downstream high-aspect ratio filters, composed of 2 µm high microslits, block agglutinated red blood cells (RBCs) to turn the reaction channel red, indicating the presence of the corresponding blood antigen. Users manually actuate the blood sample using a simple screw pump that drives the solution through serpentine reaction channels and chaotic micromixers for maximum interaction of the preloaded antibodies with the blood sample antigens. Mismatched RBCs and antibodies elute from the channel into an outlet reservoir based on the rheological properties of RBCs with no colorimetric change. As a result, unambiguous blood typing tests can be distinguished by the naked eye in as little as 1 min. Blood disorders, such as thalassemia, can also be distinguished using the device. The required blood volume for the test is just 1 µL, which can be obtained by the less invasive finger pricking method. The low reagent consumption, manual driving force, low-cost of parts, high yield, and robust fabrication process make this device sensitive, accurate, and simple enough to use without specialized training in resource constrained settings.

A brief fatigue inventory of shoulder health developed by quality function deployment technique.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to develop a diagnostic outcome instrument that has high reliability and low cost. The scale, called the Shoulder Fatigue Scale-30 Items (SFS-30) risk assessment, was used to determine the severity of patient neck and shoulder discomfort. METHODS: The quality function deployment (QFD) technique was used in designing and developing a simple medical diagnostic scale with high degree of accuracy. RESULTS: Research data can be used to divide the common causes of neck and shoulder discomfort into 6 core categories: occupation, cumulative, psychologic, diseases, diet, and sleep quality. The SFS-30 was validated by using a group of individuals who had been previously diagnosed with different levels of neck and shoulder symptoms. The SFS-30 assessment determined that 78.57% of the participants experienced a neck and shoulder discomfort level above the SFS-30 risk curve and required immediate medical attention. CONCLUSION: The QFD technique can improve the accuracy and reliability of an assessment outcome instrument. This is mainly because the QFD technique is effective in prioritizing and assigning weight to the items in the scale. This research successfully developed a reliable risk assessment scale to diagnose neck and shoulder symptoms using QFD technique. This scale was proven to have high accuracy and closely represents reality.