Oxidation of Molybdenum-Based Single-Metallic/bimetallic Carbide MXenes in Aqueous Suspensions: Mechanistic Insights.

Molybdenum carbide MXenes have garnered considerable attention in electronics, energy storage, and catalysis. However, they are prone to oxidative degradation, but the associated mechanisms have not been systematically explored. Therefore, the oxidation mechanisms of Mo-based single-metallic/bimetallic carbide MXenes including Mo2CTx, Mo2TiC2Tx, and Mo2Ti2C3Tx in aqueous suspensions were investigated for the first time in this study. Similar to Ti3C2Tx MXene, Mo-based MXenes were found to undergo oxidative degradation in their aqueous dispersions, leading to the disruption of their crystal structure and subsequent loss of optical and electronic properties. Notably, the Mo2CTx MXene deviated from this typical oxidation behavior as it produced an amorphous product with Mo ions instead of highly crystalline Mo-oxides during oxidation. Similarly, the Mo2TiC2Tx and Mo2Ti2C3Tx MXenes did not yield crystalline Mo-oxides; instead, they produced highly crystalline anatase TiO2 and a Mo-ion-containing amorphous product simultaneously. Furthermore, high-temperature annealing of the oxidized Mo2CTx MXene powder at 800 °C transformed the amorphous Mo-containing product into highly crystalline MoO2 crystals. These findings highlight the unconventional oxidation behavior of Mo-based MXenes, which suggests that the formation of crystalline Mo-based oxides requires a higher activation energy during oxidation than that of TiO2. The unique oxidative pathway reported herein can help elucidate the oxidation mechanisms of Mo-based MXene dispersions and their products. The insights from this study can pave the way for fundamental studies in academia as well as broaden the applications of Mo-based MXenes in various industries.

Preliminary Evaluation of an Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment to Prevent Motion Sickness.

INTRODUCTION: Motion sickness affecting military pilots and aircrew can impact flight safety and, if severe, can lead to disqualification from flight status. However, due to the common adverse effects of motion sickness pharmaceuticals (e.g., drowsiness), medication options are severely limited. The purpose of this study was to explore the potential utility of a nonpharmaceutical method for motion sickness prevention, specifically an osteopathic manipulative technique (OMT).METHODS:A novel OMT protocol for the reduction of motion sickness symptoms and severity was evaluated using a sham-controlled, counterbalanced, between-subjects study design. The independent variable was OMT treatment administered prior to the motion sickness-inducing procedure (rotating chair). The primary dependent measures were total and subscale scores from the Motion Sickness Assessment Questionnaire.RESULTS:The OMT treatment group experienced significantly fewer gastrointestinal (mean scores postprocedure, treatment M = 20.42, sham M = 41.67) and sopite-related (mean scores postprocedure, treatment M = 12.81, sham M = 20.68) symptoms than the sham group while controlling for motion sickness susceptibility. There were no differences between groups with respect to peripheral and central symptoms.DISCUSSION:The results suggest that the treatment may prevent gastrointestinal (nausea) and sopite-related symptoms (sleepiness). These preliminary findings support further exploration of OMT for the prevention of motion sickness. A more precise evaluation of the mechanism of action is needed. Additionally, the duration of the effects needs to be investigated to determine the usefulness of this technique in training and operational settings.Thomas VA, Kelley AM, Lee A, Fotopoulos T, Boggs J, Campbell J. Preliminary evaluation of an osteopathic manipulative treatment to prevent motion sickness. Aerosp Med Hum Perform. 2023; 94(12):934-938.

Sodium valproate increases activity of the sirtuin pathway resulting in beneficial effects for spinocerebellar ataxia-3 in vivo.

Machado-Joseph disease (MJD, also known as spinocerebellar ataxia type 3) is a fatal neurodegenerative disease that impairs control and coordination of movement. Here we tested whether treatment with the histone deacetylase inhibitor sodium valproate (valproate) prevented a movement phenotype that develops in larvae of a transgenic zebrafish model of the disease. We found that treatment with valproate improved the swimming of the MJD zebrafish, affected levels of acetylated histones 3 and 4, but also increased expression of polyglutamine expanded human ataxin-3. Proteomic analysis of protein lysates generated from the treated and untreated MJD zebrafish also predicted that valproate treatment had activated the sirtuin longevity signaling pathway and this was confirmed by findings of increased SIRT1 protein levels and sirtuin activity in valproate treated MJD zebrafish and HEK293 cells expressing ataxin-3 84Q, respectively. Treatment with resveratrol (another compound known to activate the sirtuin pathway), also improved swimming in the MJD zebrafish. Co-treatment with valproate alongside EX527, a SIRT1 activity inhibitor, prevented induction of autophagy by valproate and the beneficial effects of valproate on the movement in the MJD zebrafish, supporting that they were both dependent on sirtuin activity. These findings provide the first evidence of sodium valproate inducing activation of the sirtuin pathway. Further, they indicate that drugs that target the sirtuin pathway, including sodium valproate and resveratrol, warrant further investigation for the treatment of MJD and related neurodegenerative diseases.

Engaging Diverse Community Groups to Promote Population Health through Healthy City Approach: Analysis of Successful Cases in Western Pacific Region.

BACKGROUND: A substantial global burden of health can be attributed to unhealthy lifestyles and an unhealthy living environment. The concept of a Healthy City is continually creating and improving physical and social environments to enable healthy living. The aim of this paper is to investigate how the Healthy City concept would tackle the complexity of health by addressing the socio-economic and political determinants of health in the Western Pacific Region. METHODS: The SPIRIT model adopted by the Alliance for Healthy Cities can provide a framework for an integrated and holistic approach to enable policy, environment, social matters, behaviours, and bio-medical interventions to take their rightful place side by side. The performance of cities awarded by the AFHC was analysed under each domain of the SPIRIT model to show the efforts striving to acquire the qualities of a healthy city. FINDINGS: Two cities have incorporated the Healthy City concept in most of their policies outside the health sector, with a high level of commitment from city leaders and citizens, so the Health City activities were recognised as part of the means to advance the cityies' general planning. One city has made use of its strong network of key stakeholders from different sectors and disciplines to establish a "Medical-Social-Community' model. All three cities have collected health information to reflect health status, determinants of health and issues reflecting health promotion to enable the creation of a city health profile and show positive changes in health. The cities have engaged key stakeholders to launch a variety of health-promoting programmes according to the needs of the population. CONCLUSION: The AFHC can play an important role in linking the cities with strong action in Healthy City activities to support other cities in Healthy City development.

Health Promoting Schools: An Update.

The concept of a Health Promoting School has been found to be effective to improve health and well-being of students as well as a help with teaching and learning in school. Effective implementation of Health Promoting School is a complex intervention involving multi-factorial and innovative activity in many domains such as curriculum, school environment and community. Many studies evaluating Health Promoting School do not include outcomes reflecting the organisational or structural change as many of those studies are quantitative in nature and the statistical assumptions are not valid reflecting the organisational structure changes. Recent global meetings of experts have reviewed the impact on student health from the perspectives of school environment, school policies on health, action competencies on healthy living and community linkage. The English Wessex Healthy School Award Scheme and the Hong Kong Healthy School Awards Scheme have developed detailed systems to analyse whether each individual school has reached the standard of a model Health Promoting School reflecting a more holistic appreciation and understanding of all the effects of school-based health promotion with positive award-related changes. However, not many schools are able to implement Health Promoting School in its entirety, so cores indicators are needed as a starting point for wider implementation. Hong Kong Healthy School Awards Scheme is still ongoing with data for analysis of indicators with significant correlation with better health and well-being. We identified the core indicators and substantiated the requirements for successful outcomes by supplementing the established award-scheme framework with a review of recent literature and documents. Framework of Health Promoting School would go beyond improvement of health literacy to enable a more efficient system for education and health on children, hence a good investment in children.

Acute and a 28-day repeated-dose toxicity study of total flavonoids from Clinopodium chinense (Benth.) O. Ktze in mice and rats.

Clinopodium chinense (Benth.) O. Ktze (Labiatae), known as 'Duanxueliu' in the Chinese Pharmacopoeia, has been widely used as a traditional Chinese medicine for the treatment of hemorrhagic disease. Total flavonoids from Clinopodium chinense (Benth.) O. Ktze (TFCC), the most active ingredient, possess a variety of properties, such as antioxygenation. Until now, evidence-based toxicity data on TFCC has been limited. This study evaluated the acute (in mice and rat) and the 28-day repeated-dose (in rat) toxicity study of TFCC, respectively. In acute study, oral administration of TFCC to rats and mice did not induce toxicity or mortality up to the maximum doses of 4000 and 5000 mg/kg, respectively. In subacute toxicity study, we administered TFCC at daily doses of 70, 210, and 630 mg/kg for 4 consecutive weeks to rats via gavage. We observed no changes in food consumption, water intake, body weight, chemistry and hematological parameters, organ weight, gross pathology or histopathology. No animals from any group died. These findings indicate that TFCC is relatively nontoxic, and provide practical guidance for selecting a safe dose for further investigation of TFCC in animal studies or clinical trials.

Fully integrated silicon probes for high-density recording of neural activity.

Sensory, motor and cognitive operations involve the coordinated action of large neuronal populations across multiple brain regions in both superficial and deep structures. Existing extracellular probes record neural activity with excellent spatial and temporal (sub-millisecond) resolution, but from only a few dozen neurons per shank. Optical Ca2+ imaging offers more coverage but lacks the temporal resolution needed to distinguish individual spikes reliably and does not measure local field potentials. Until now, no technology compatible with use in unrestrained animals has combined high spatiotemporal resolution with large volume coverage. Here we design, fabricate and test a new silicon probe known as Neuropixels to meet this need. Each probe has 384 recording channels that can programmably address 960 complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) processing-compatible low-impedance TiN sites that tile a single 10-mm long, 70 × 20-µm cross-section shank. The 6 × 9-mm probe base is fabricated with the shank on a single chip. Voltage signals are filtered, amplified, multiplexed and digitized on the base, allowing the direct transmission of noise-free digital data from the probe. The combination of dense recording sites and high channel count yielded well-isolated spiking activity from hundreds of neurons per probe implanted in mice and rats. Using two probes, more than 700 well-isolated single neurons were recorded simultaneously from five brain structures in an awake mouse. The fully integrated functionality and small size of Neuropixels probes allowed large populations of neurons from several brain structures to be recorded in freely moving animals. This combination of high-performance electrode technology and scalable chip fabrication methods opens a path towards recording of brain-wide neural activity during behaviour.

Nonclinical safety of astilbin: A 4-week oral toxicity study in rats with genotoxicity, chromosomal aberration, and mammalian micronucleus tests.

Astilbin is an active flavonoid compound isolated from Rhizoma Smilacis Glabrae. It has been widely used as an anti-hepatic, anti-arthritic, and anti-renal injury agent. However, its safety has not yet been established. The objective of this study was to evaluate 4-week repeated oral toxicity and genotoxicity of astilbin. We examined oral toxicity in Sprague-Dawley rats after daily oral administration of astilbin at 50, 150, and 500 mg/kg for 4 weeks. Negative control animals received the same volume of the solvent. Astilbin administration did not lead to death, body weight gain, food consumption, or adverse events. There were no significant differences in toxicity between the astilbin and control group; we observed no toxic effects on hematological or urinalysis parameters, biochemical values, organ weight, or histopathological findings. We assessed the genotoxicity of astilbin with the Ames test (TA97a, TA98, TA100, TA102, and TA1535), chromosomal aberration assay (using Chinese hamster ovary cells), and mammalian micronucleus test (in mice). We found no genotoxicity in any tested strains. The no-observed-adverse-effect level (NOAEL) for astilbin in the 4-week repeated oral toxicity study in rats was greater than 500 mg/kg body weight/day, regardless of gender. Results also suggested that astilbin does not have genotoxicity potential.

Repeated sub-chronic oral toxicity study of xylooligosaccharides (XOS) in dogs.

In this study, Beagle dogs were administered xylooligosaccharide (XOS, CAS # 87099-0) at doses of 0, 1250, 2500, and 5000 mg/kg/day by oral gavage for 26 weeks. A 4-week recovery period was added to observe delayed or reversible toxicity. Measurements included body weight, food consumption, clinical observations, temperature, electrocardiogram (ECG), urinalysis, blood chemistry, hematology, organ weight, gross necropsy, and histopathological examination. Except for transient diarrhea or vomiting, no treatment-related adverse effects were noted. In the mid-dose groups, transitional diarrhea was observed in the initial 1-2 weeks. In the high-dose groups, diarrhea and/or vomiting were observed episodically over the duration of treatment. However, they disappeared after XOS was withdrawn in the recovery period. Although there was a tendency toward less weight gain in the high-dose group animal group, this is typical in animals and humans fed non-digestible carbohydrates. This chronic toxicity study demonstrated that the no observed adverse effect level (NOAEL) of XOS is 2500 mg/kg body weight (BW)/day. Based on body surface area (conversion factor of 0.54 for dogs to human), this corresponds to daily doses of 1350 mg/kg BW or 81-108 g XOS in human adults weighing 60-80 kg.

Near-Perfect Synaptic Integration by Nav1.7 in Hypothalamic Neurons Regulates Body Weight.

Neurons are well suited for computations on millisecond timescales, but some neuronal circuits set behavioral states over long time periods, such as those involved in energy homeostasis. We found that multiple types of hypothalamic neurons, including those that oppositely regulate body weight, are specialized as near-perfect synaptic integrators that summate inputs over extended timescales. Excitatory postsynaptic potentials (EPSPs) are greatly prolonged, outlasting the neuronal membrane time-constant up to 10-fold. This is due to the voltage-gated sodium channel Nav1.7 (Scn9a), previously associated with pain-sensation but not synaptic integration. Scn9a deletion in AGRP, POMC, or paraventricular hypothalamic neurons reduced EPSP duration, synaptic integration, and altered body weight in mice. In vivo whole-cell recordings in the hypothalamus confirmed near-perfect synaptic integration. These experiments show that integration of synaptic inputs over time by Nav1.7 is critical for body weight regulation and reveal a mechanism for synaptic control of circuits regulating long term homeostatic functions.

Accuracy of Anterior Superior Iliac Spine Symmetry Assessment by Routine Structural Examination.

CONTEXT: Assessment of the anterior superior iliac spine (ASIS) is a key component in generating the pelvic diagnosis of somatic dysfunction, but studies have shown poor reliability between examiners. OBJECTIVE: To assess the influence of homogeneous training, years of experience, and eye dominance on the percentage of correctness, sensitivity, and specificity of ASIS evaluation. METHODS: Osteopathic physicians, predoctoral teaching fellows, and first- and second-year osteopathic medical students from a single teaching institute assessed 3 plastic pelvic models with ASIS anatomic landmarks set at different levels: even and 5- and 10-mm descrepancies. Dominant and nondominant eyes were used independently to assess ASIS levels. RESULTS: A total of 147 examiners (participants) participated in this study (66 first-year and 61 second-year medical students, 15 fellows, and 5 osteopathic physicians). The overall percentages of correct results were 31.0% (even levels), 82.8% (5-mm discrepancy), and 91.7% (10-mm discrepancy). Differences by level of training were statistically significant only for the 5-mm ASIS discrepancy, where participants with more experience performed better. The overall sensitivity was 82.8% (5-mm discrepancy) and 91.7% (10-mm discrepancy), and the specificity was 31.0%. No statistically significant differences were found in the percentage of correct results by eye dominance. CONCLUSION: Assessment of ASIS is sensitive but not specific at discrepancies of 5 mm or greater. Length of experience positively influences the percentage of correct results, and eye dominance does not significantly change this outcome. This form of assessment can be used to screen for ASIS asymmetry.

Association between phosphorus intake and bone health in the NHANES population.

The objective of this study was to estimate the independent associations between intake of phosphorus (P) and bone health parameters such as bone mineral content (BMC) and bone mineral density (BMD). It provides odds ratio (OR) of osteoporosis with quartiles of P intake adjusted for covariates (i.e., age, gender, BMI, and consumption of calcium (Ca), protein, total dairy foods, and vitamin D as well as intakes of supplemental Ca, vitamin D, and multivitamins/minerals). Data came from males and females aged 13-99 years who participated in the 2005-2010 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). Analyses showed that higher P intake was associated with higher Ca intake, and that dietary Ca:P ratios (0.51-0.62, with a mean of 0.60 for adults) were adequate in all age/gender groups. High intake of P was positively associated with BMC in female teenagers (Q4 vs. Q1: BMC, 30.9 ± 1.1 vs. 29.0 ± 0.5 g, P = 0.001). It was also positively associated with BMC and BMD as well as reduced risk of osteoporosis in adults >20 years of age (Q4 vs. Q1: OR of osteoporosis, 0.55; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.39- 0.79; P = 0.001; BMC, 37.5 ± 0.4 vs. 36.70 ± 0.3 g, P < 0.01; BMD, 0.986 ± 0.004 vs. 0.966 ± 0.005 g/cm(2), P < 0.05). The data suggest that high intake of P has no adverse effect on bone metabolism in populations with adequate Ca intake, and that it is also associated with positive bone parameters in some age/gender groups.

A subchronic toxicity study, preceded by an in utero exposure phase, with refined arachidonic acid-rich oil (RAO) derived from Mortierella alpina XM027 in rats.

To evaluate the potential toxicity of refined arachidonic acid-rich oil (RAO) derived from Mortierella alpina (M. alpina) XM027, we performed a 90-day subchronic study in F1 Sprague Dawley (SD) rats. This study was preceded by a 4-week pretreatment period of parental (F0) rats and exposure of the F0 dams throughout mating, gestation, and lactation. The results indicated that RAO, at dose levels of 0.5%, 1.5%, and 5%, did not affect either reproductive performance of the parental rats, or any characteristics of the pups. In the subchronic study with the offspring (F1) rats, no treatment related abnormalities were observed. In summary, no observable adverse effect level (NOAEL) in this study was placed at 5% RAO, the highest level tested. This level corresponds to approximately 3750mg/kg in F0 females, 2850mg/kg in F0 males, 4850mg/kg in F1 females, and 4480mg/kg in F1 males.

The sustaining effects of Tai chi Qigong on physiological health for COPD patients: a randomized controlled trial.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the sustaining effects of Tai chi Qigong in improving the physiological health for COPD patients at sixth month. DESIGN: A randomized controlled trial. Subjects were in three randomly assigned groups: Tai chi Qigong group, exercise group, and control group. SETTING: The 206 subjects were recruited from five general outpatient clinics. INTERVENTIONS: Tai chi Qigong group completed a 3-month Tai chi Qigong program. Exercise group practiced breathing and walking as an exercise. Control group received usual care. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Primary outcomes included six-minute walking distance and lung functions. Secondary outcomes were dyspnea and fatigue levels, number of exacerbations and hospital admissions. RESULTS: Tai chi Qigong group showed a steady improvement in exercise capacity (P<.001) from baseline to the sixth month. The mean walking distance increased from 298 to 349 meters (+17%). No significant changes were noted in the other two groups. Tai chi Qigong group also showed improvement in lung functions (P<.001). Mean forced expiratory volume in 1s increased from .89 to .99l (+11%). No significant change was noted in the exercise group. Deterioration was found in the control group, with mean volume decreased from .89 to .84l (-5.67%). Significant decreased in the number of exacerbations was observed in the Tai chi Qigong group. No changes in dyspnea and fatigue levels were noted among the three groups. CONCLUSIONS: Tai chi Qigong has sustaining effects in improving the physiological health and is a useful and appropriate exercise for COPD patients.

Evaluation of the sustaining effects of Tai Chi Qigong in the sixth month in promoting psychosocial health in COPD patients: a single-blind, randomized controlled trial.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the sustaining effects of Tai Chi Qigong (TCQ) in improving the psychosocial health in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients in the sixth month. BACKGROUND: COPD affects both physical and emotional aspects of life. Measures to minimize patients' suffering need to be implemented. METHODS: 206 COPD patients were randomly assigned into three groups: TCQ group, exercise group, and control group. The TCQ group completed a three-month TCQ program, the exercise group practiced breathing and walking exercise, and the control group received usual care. RESULTS: Significant group-by-time interactions in quality of life (QOL) using St. George's respiratory questionnaire (P = 0.002) and the perceived social support from friends using multidimensional scale of perceived social support (P = 0.04) were noted. Improvements were observed in the TCQ group only. CONCLUSIONS: TCQ has sustaining effects in improving psychosocial health; it is also a useful and appropriate exercise for COPD patients.

Tai chi Qigong improves lung functions and activity tolerance in COPD clients: a single blind, randomized controlled trial.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effectiveness of a Tai chi Qigong (TCQ) program in enhancing respiratory functions and activity tolerance in clients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). DESIGN: A single-blind, randomized controlled trial. SETTING: Five general outpatient clinics in Hong Kong. INTERVENTION: In total, 206 COPD clients were randomly assigned into one of the three groups, namely, TCQ, exercise, and control group. Subjects in the TCQ group received a TCQ program consisting of two 60-min sessions each week for three months. Subjects in the exercise group were taught to practice breathing techniques combined with walking as an exercise. Subjects in the control group were instructed to maintain their usual activities. Data collection was performed at baseline and at the 6-week and 3-month marks. OUTCOMES: Lung functions, 6-min walk test, and COPD exacerbation rate. RESULTS: Results of repeated measures of analysis of covariance demonstrated that there were significant interaction effects between time and group in forced vital capacity (p=.002, η(2)=.06), forced expiratory volume in 1s (p<.001, η(2)=.02), walking distance (p<.001), and exacerbation rate (p=.006, η(2)=.06) at 3 months. Improvements were noted in the TCQ group. No changes were observed in the exercise group, while a decline in lung functions was noticed in the control group. CONCLUSION: Tai chi Qigong was able to improve respiratory functions and activity tolerance level in COPD clients. The breathing and walking exercise helped maintain lung functions and slow down disease progression.

The lectin riddle: glycoproteins fractionated from complex mixtures have similar glycomic profiles.

One common method used for analyzing the glycoproteome is chromatography using multiple lectins that display different affinities toward oligosaccharide structures. Much has been done to determine lectin affinity using standard glycoproteins with known glycosylation; however, a knowledge of the selectivity and specificity of lectins exposed to complex mixtures of proteins is required if they are to be used as a means of studying the glycoproteome. In the present study, three lectins (Concanavalin A, Jacalin, and Wheat Germ Agglutinin) were used to fractionate glycoproteins from two different complex environments: (1) cell membranes and (2) plasma. Reproducible enrichment of glycoproteins from these samples has been shown to result from the combined use of these lectins. However, the global glycan profiles of the released N- and O-linked oligosaccharides from the glycoproteins retained by the lectins, and from those glycoproteins that did not bind, using both these complex samples, were found to be very similar. That is, although the lectins selectively and reproducibly retained some glycoproteins, other proteins with the same attached oligosaccharide structures did not bind. Some small N- and O-glycan differences were observed in the bound fractions but there was little absolute specificity toward individual oligosaccharide structures known to have high affinity to these lectins. These data indicate that lectins are useful for fractionating glycoproteins from complex mixtures, but that the overall glycoproteome is not isolated by this approach.

Effectiveness of a Tai chi Qigong program in promoting health-related quality of life and perceived social support in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease clients.

PURPOSE: This paper evaluates the effectiveness of a 3-month Tai chi Qigong (TCQ) program in promoting the psychosocial functional health of clients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in Hong Kong. METHODS: This study employed a single-blind, randomized controlled trial. Two hundred and six COPD clients were randomly assigned into three groups, namely, TCQ group, exercise group, and control group. Subjects in the TCQ group received a TCQ program, consisting of two 60-min sessions each week for 3 months. Subjects in the exercise group were taught to practice breathing techniques combined with walking as an exercise. Subjects in the control group received their usual care. Data collections were performed at baseline, on the sixth week and on the third month. The primary outcomes were health-related quality of life using St. George Respiratory Questionnaire-Hong Kong Chinese version and perceived social support using the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support-Chinese version. RESULTS: The TCQ group showed greater improvements in the symptom (F4, 404=3.351, P=0.010) and activity domains (F4, 404=2.611, P=0.035). No differences were detected in perceived social support among the three groups. CONCLUSIONS: Tai chi Qigong promoted health outcomes with respect to clients' perception of their respiratory symptoms. Moreover, TCQ decreased disturbances to their physical activities.

Health-promoting schools: evidence for a holistic approach to promoting health and improving health literacy.

Chronic diseases are now the major causes of death and disability worldwide, and non-communicable diseases (NCD) account for the majority of the global health burden. About half of premature deaths are related to health-risking behaviours that are often established during youth and extend to adulthood. While these diseases might not be curable, they are preventable. Prevention is possible when sustained actions are directed at individuals and families, as well as at the broader social, economic and cultural determinants of NCD. A 'life-course' approach to promoting healthy behaviour should begin early in life. The aim of this article is to discuss the impact of the 'health-promoting school' (HPS) on improvements in youth health. HPS can be described as a holistic, whole-school approach in which a broad health education curriculum is supported by the environment and ethos of the school. HPS moves beyond individual behavioural change to consider organizational and policy change such as improving the physical and social environment of the school, as well as its curricula and teaching and learning methods. A positive culture for health would facilitate higher levels of health literacy by helping individuals tackle the determinants of health better as they build the personal, cognitive and social skills for maintaining good health. There is reasonable evidence to demonstrate that the whole-school approach using the HPS framework is effective in improving health, ranging from physical activities and healthy eating to emotional health. Schools adopting the HPS framework have demonstrated changes in culture and organizational practice to become more conducive to health improvement. These schools were reported to have better school health policies, higher degrees of community participation, and a more hygienic environment than non-HPS schools, and students in these schools had a more positive health behaviour profile. Health promotion and disease prevention is essential to reduce the healthcare burden of children and adolescents. HPS would help to combat the global burden of childhood obesity by promoting healthy eating behaviours and encouraging higher levels of physical activity. There are gaps in service provision for children and adolescents from both the health and education perspective; the HPS framework has the potential to develop a mechanism of closer integration with the primary healthcare system, making youth health services more school based and student centred. A new model of interconnection between HPS and different components of primary healthcare can be evolved to make services for disease prevention and health promotion more student friendly.

Rapid screening method for intact glucosinolates in Chinese medicinal herbs by using liquid chromatography coupled with electrospray ionization ion trap mass spectrometry in negative ion mode.

An optimized method using liquid chromatography coupled with electrospray ionization ion trap mass spectrometry (LC/ESI-ITMS) in negative ion mode has been developed for screening different structural classes of intact glucosinolates in six Chinese medicinal herbs. The glucosinolates were extracted with hot methanol/water (70:30 v/v) and separation of the individual glucosinolates was achieved using a reversed-phase C18 column with an aqueous ammonium acetate/methanol gradient. Identification of the intact glucosinolates was based on the detection of compounds with a constant neutral loss of 242 Da corresponding to the combined loss of anhydroglucose (162 Da) and sulfur trioxide (80 Da) in collision-induced dissociation. The structures of the identified glucosinolates were confirmed with the use of group-specific product ions at m/z 195, 241, 259, 275 in their corresponding MS/MS product ion spectra. Differentiation of intact glucosinolates was achieved through their respective retention times and molecular masses as well as the characteristic product ions. The limits of detection were at the low nanogram level per injection, based on constant neutral loss scans. Significant variation in the compositions of intact glucosinolates was identified in the cruciferous herbs. This method was applied in the differentiation and quality control of two pairs of easily confused herbs.