Exploring the interconnections of anxiety, depression, sleep problems and health-promoting lifestyles among Chinese university students: a comprehensive network approach.

Background: Anxiety, depression, and sleep problems are prevalent comorbid mental disorders among university students. The World Health Organization (WHO) emphasized a mental health promotion objective, recommending the consideration of protective health-promoting factors in strategies aimed at preventing mental disorders. Integrating theoretically significant constructs (such as protective factors) enhances our comprehension of the intricate mechanisms that underpin mental disorders. This study employed network analysis to first identify core and bridge symptoms within comorbid mental disorders and then explore how health-promoting lifestyles (HPLs) were associated with these disorders. The ultimate goal is to offer health promotion recommendations to enhance students' quality of life. Methods: A total of 3,896 qualified university students participated in this study. Anxiety, depression, sleep problems, and HPLs were assessed using the GAD-7, PHQ-9, PSQI, and HPLP-II scales. A Gaussian Graphical Model was used to construct the networks. The Network Comparison Test was applied to determine whether the associations between HPLs and comorbid symptoms vary by gender, educational level, family sibling, and mental health status. Results: Low energy (PHQ4) had the highest strength centrality, followed by Daytime dysfunction (PSQI7) and Trouble relaxing (GAD4). Five bridge symptoms were identified: Daytime dysfunction (PSQI7), Self-harm even suicide (PHQ9), Sad mood (PHQ2), Low energy (PHQ4), and Feeling afraid (GAD7). Regarding protective HPLs, Physical activity, Spiritual growth, and Stress management generally emerged as the top three central mental health-promoting behaviors. Conclusion: Targeting core and bridge symptoms with timely and appropriate interventions can alleviate anxiety, depression, and sleep problems in this population. Moreover, promoting physical activity, fostering spiritual growth, and managing stress are likely to significantly enhance the overall mental health of university students.

Trends in temporal and spatial changes of Japanese encephalitis in Chinese mainland, 2004-2019: A population-based surveillance study.

BACKGROUND: Japanese encephalitis (JE) is a serious health concern in China, with approximately 80 % of global infections occurring in China. To develop effective prevention and control strategies, this study explored the epidemiological characteristics of JE in China based on spatiotemporal data, to understand the patterns and trends of JE incidence in different regions and time periods. METHOD: The incidence and mortality rates of JE were extracted from the Public Health Data Center, the official website of the National Health Commission of the People's Republic of China, and the National Notifiable Infectious Disease Surveillance System from 2004 to 2019. Joinpoint regression was applied to examine the spatiotemporal patterns and annual percentage change in incidence and mortality of the JE. RESULTS: From 2004 to 2019, a total of 43,569 cases of JE were diagnosed, including 2081 deaths. The annual incidence rate of JE decreased from 0.4171/100,000 in 2004 to 0.0298/100,000 in 2019, with an annual percentage change (APC) of -13.5 % (P < 0.001). The annual mortality rate of JE showed three stages of change, with inflection points in 2006 and 2014. The incidence and mortality rates of JE have declined in all provinces of China, and more cases were reported in 0-14 years of age, accounting for nearly 80 % of all patients. CONCLUSIONS: The morbidity and mortality rates of JE in China are generally on a downward trend, and emphasis should be placed on strengthening disease surveillance in special areas and populations, popularizing vaccination, and increasing publicity.

Unveiling the Impact of Light-Induced Acceptor-Generated ROS on Device Stability in Organic Photovoltaics.

The intrinsic stability of the acceptor is a crucial component of the photovoltaic device stability. In this study, we investigated the efficiency and stability of the nonfused-ring acceptors LC8 and BC8 under indoor light conditions. Interestingly, we found that devices based on BC8 with terminal side chains exhibited a higher indoor efficiency and stability. Through accelerated aging experiments, we discovered that the acceptors generate singlet oxygen under light exposure with BC8 demonstrating lower levels of ROS compared to LC8. We attribute this difference to the modulation of the acceptor aggregation orientation. Furthermore, the generated reactive oxygen species (ROS) further deteriorate the acceptor structure, and this phenomenon is also observed in high-efficiency acceptor structures, such as Y6. Our research reveals important mechanisms of acceptor photo-oxidation processes, providing a theoretical basis for enhancing the intrinsic stability of acceptors.

Fabricating s-collidine-derived vinylene-linked covalent organic frameworks for photocatalysis.

Research into vinyl-linked covalent organic frameworks (COFs) has grown significantly in recent years due to various attractive properties. Herein, we design and synthesize two highly crystalline and stable 2,4,6-collidine-derived vinylene-linked 2D COFs. Both COFs can act as efficient photocatalysts to facilitate visible-light-driven aerobic oxidation. The TM-TBT-COF was observed to exhibit superior activity and recyclability owing to its excellent semiconducting properties.

A network analysis of anxiety and depression symptoms in Chinese disabled elderly.

BACKGROUND: Mental health is an essential dimension of healthy aging. The number and severity of disabled elderly in China show an increasing tendency year by year. Due to their impaired ability of daily activities, reduced social participation and reduced self-care ability, they are more prone to depression and anxiety. METHOD: We included 2131 individuals aged 65 and older from the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey (CLHLS 2017-2018). We used the 10-item Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CESD-10) and the Generalized Anxiety Disorder scale-7 (GAD-7) to assess depression and anxiety, respectively. The structure of depressive and anxiety symptoms was characterized using "Expected Influence" and "Bridge Expected Influence" as centrality indices in the symptom network. Network stability was tested using a case-dropping bootstrap procedure. Finally, a Network Comparison Test (NCT) was conducted to examine whether network characteristics differed by gender. RESULTS: Network analysis revealed that nodes CESD3 (Felt sadness), GAD2 (Uncontrollable worry), and GAD4 (Trouble relaxing) were the primary symptoms of the anxiety-depression network. Anxiety and depression were united by the symptoms of CESD9 (Could not get going), GAD1 (Nervousness or anxiety), CESD10 (Sleep quality), and GAD4 (Trouble relaxing). Additionally, Gender did not significantly affect the network structure. CONCLUSION: Central symptoms (e.g., felt sadness, uncontrollable worry and trouble relaxing) and key bridge symptoms (e.g., could not get going, nervousness and anxiety) in the depressive and anxiety symptoms network may be used as potential targets for intervention among disabled elderly who is at risk for or suffer from depressive and anxiety symptoms.

The interaction effect of transfusion history and previous stroke history on the risk of venous thromboembolism in stroke patients: a prospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Blood transfusion and previous stroke history are two independent risk factors of venous thromboembolism (VTE) in stroke patients. Whether the potential interaction of transfusion history and previous stroke history is associated with a greater risk of VTE remains unclear. This study aims to explore whether the combination of transfusion history and previous stroke history increases the risk of VTE among Chinese stroke patients. METHODS: A total of 1525 participants from the prospective Stroke Cohort of Henan Province were enrolled in our study. Multivariate logistic regression models were used to explore the associations among transfusion history, previous stroke history and VTE. The interaction was evaluated on both multiplicative and additive scales. The odds ratio (95% CI), relative excess risk of interaction (RERI), attributable proportion (AP), and synergy index (S) of interaction terms were used to examine multiplicative and additive interactions. Finally, we divided our population into two subgroups by National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score and re-evaluated the interaction effect in both scales. RESULTS: A total of 281 (18.4%) participants of 1525 complicated with VTE. Transfusion and previous stroke history were associated with an increased risk of VTE in our cohort. In the multiplicative scale, the combination of transfusion and previous stroke history was statistically significant on VTE in both unadjusted and adjusted models (P<0.05). For the additive scale, the RERI shrank to 7.016 (95% CI: 1.489 ~ 18.165), with the AP of 0.650 (95% CI: 0.204 ~ 0.797) and the S of 3.529 (95% CI: 1.415 ~ 8.579) after adjusting for covariates, indicating a supra-additive effect. In subgroups, the interaction effect between transfusion history and previous stroke history was pronouncedly associated with the increased risk of VTE in patients with NIHSS score > 5 points (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that there may be a potential synergistic interaction between transfusion history and previous stroke history on the risk of VTE. Besides, the percentage of VTE incidence explained by interaction increased with the severity of stroke. Our findings will provide valuable evidence for thromboprophylaxis in Chinese stroke patients.

The effects of capsaicin intake on weight loss among overweight and obese subjects: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials.

Animal studies have shown that capsaicin plays a positive role in weight management. However, the results in human research are controversial. Therefore, the present systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the effect of capsaicin on weight loss in adults. We searched PubMed, Embase, China Biomedical Literature Database (CBM), Cochrane library and clinical registration centre, identifying all randomised controlled trials (RCT) published in English and Chinese to 3 May 2022. A random-effect model was used to calculate the weighted mean difference (WMD) and 95 % CI. Heterogeneity between studies was assessed by the Cochran Q statistic and I-squared tests (I 2 ). Statistical analyses were performed using STATA version 15.1. P-values < 0·05 were considered as statistically significant. From 2377 retrieved studies, fifteen studies were finally included in the meta-analyses. Fifteen RCT with 762 individuals were included in our meta-analysis. Compared with the control group, the supplementation of capsaicin resulted in significant reduction on BMI (WMD: -0·25 kg/m2, 95 % CI = -0·35, -0·15 kg/m2, P < 0·05), body weight (BW) (WMD: -0·51 kg, 95 % CI = -0·86, -0·15 kg, P < 0·05) and waist circumference (WC) (WMD: -1·12 cm, 95 % CI = -2·00, -0·24 cm, P < 0·05). We found no detrimental effect of capsaicin on waist-to-hip ratio (WMD: -0·05, 95 % CI = -0·17, 0·06, P > 0·05). The current meta-analysis suggests that capsaicin supplementation may have rather modest effects in reducing BMI, BW and WC for overweight or obese individuals.

Pt-N Coordination Rendering the Chemotherapeutic Agent with Photoactivated ROS Generation and Self-Reporting Cell Uptake.

The performance of chemotherapeutic agents has been largely restrained by the dose-dependent toxic side effects. In this work, cisplatin (CDDP) was endowed with the capability of photoactivated reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation and self-reporting cell uptake via coordination with a small organic molecule MSN. In the resultant MSN-Pt, the Pt-N coordination could obviously enhance the intermolecular charge transfer (ICT) process that allows the integration of fluorescence imaging, photogenerated ROS, and chemotherapeutic performance. The resultant MSN-Pt can recognize between normal and cancer cells and quickly penetrate the cancer cell membrane, self-reporting the cell uptake. Upon light illumination, mitochondria and nuclei were severely damaged. An in vivo mouse model demonstrated that MSN-Pt completely inhibited the tumor growth, exhibiting a higher efficacy compared with that of CDDP. This work provides a facile strategy to develop chemotherapy (CT) drugs for drug-resistant cancers.

Near-infrared light activated photosensitizer with specific imaging of lipid droplets enables two-photon excited photodynamic therapy.

Two-photon excited phototherapy has attracted considerable attention due to its advantages such as deeper penetration depth and higher spatial resolution. The lack of a high-performance photosensitizer with large two-photon absorption cross-sections and specific targeting ability makes the efficacy of phototherapy in the treatment of cancer unsatisfactory. Here, a new BODIPY-derived photosensitizer 6DBF2 is designed with two-photon photosensitization for two-photon excited photodynamic therapy in vivo. 6DBF2 possesses good two-photon absorption and efficient 1O2 generation upon near-infrared laser excitation. Excellent targeting specificities to lipid droplets of 6DBF2 without any encapsulation or modification at a low working concentration of 0.1 µM is in favor of efficient photodynamic therapy. In vitro cancer cell ablation and in vivo tumor ablation inside mice models upon two-photon irradiation in NIR demonstrate the outstanding therapeutic performance of 6DBF2 in two-photon excited photodynamic therapy. This work thus discusses a rare example of lipid droplets targeting two-photon excited photodynamic therapy for deep cancer tissue imaging and treatment under near-infrared light irradiation.

Causal relationships between birth weight, childhood obesity and age at menarche: A two-sample Mendelian randomization analysis.

OBJECTIVES: Observational studies suggest birth weight and childhood obesity are closely associated with age at menarche. However, the relationships between them are currently inconsistent and it remains elusive whether such associations are causal. Therefore, the aim of the study was to investigate whether there existed causal relationships between birth weight, childhood obesity and age at menarche. DESIGN, PATIENTS AND MEASUREMENTS: A two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) study. The standard inverse variance weighted MR analyses were adopted to evaluate the causal effects of birth weight (n = 143,677), childhood body mass index (BMI) (n = 39,620) on age at menarche (n = 182,416) with summary statistics from large-scale genome-wide association studies (GWASs). Meanwhile, we validated our MR results with some sensitivity analyses including maximum likelihood, weighted-median and MR pleiotropy residual sum and outlier methods. RESULTS: The present study showed that each one standard deviation (1-SD) lower birth weight was predicted to result in a 0.1479 years earlier of age at menarche (ß = .1479, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.0422-0.2535; p = 0.0061). We also found that genetically predicted 1-SD increase in childhood BMI was causally associated with early age at menarche (ß = -.3966, 95% CI = -0.5294 to -0.2639; p = 4.73E-09). CONCLUSIONS: Our MR study suggests the causal effect of lower birth weight and higher childhood BMI on the increased risk of earlier menarche. It may be the opportune time to carry out weight control intervention in prenatal and early childhood development periods to prevent early menarche onset, thus decreasing the future adverse consequences.

Four-Photon Absorption Iron Complex for Magnetic Resonance/Photoacoustic Dual-Model Imaging and an Enhanced Ferroptosis Process.

Four-photon absorption (4PA) multimodal therapeutic agent applied to tumor ferroptosis process tracking is rarely reported. In this paper, two functionalized terpyridine iron complexes (TD-FeCl3, TD-Fe-TD) with four-photon absorption properties were designed and synthesized. The four-photon absorption cross sections of TD-FeCl3 reached 6.87 × 10-74cm8·s3·photon-3. Due to its strong near-infrared absorption, TD-FeCl3 has excellent photoacoustic imaging (PAI) capability for accurate PA imaging. TD-FeCl3 has an efficient longitudinal electron relaxation rate (r1 = 2.26 mM-1 s-1) and high spatial resolution, which can be applied as T1-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) contrast agent for tumor imaging in vivo. In addition, Fe3+ as a natural ferroptosis tracer, TD-FeCl3, is able to deplete glutathione (GSH) effectively, which can further enhance the ferroptosis process. We found that the series of cheap transition metal complexes has four-photon absorption activity and can be used as multimodal (MRI/PAI) diagnostic agents for tumor tracing processes.

Identification of potentially common loci between childhood obesity and coronary artery disease using pleiotropic approaches.

Childhood obesity remains one of the most important issues in global health, which is implicated in many chronic diseases. Converging evidence suggests that a higher body mass index during childhood (CBMI) is significantly associated with increased coronary artery disease (CAD) susceptibility in adulthood, which may partly arise from the shared genetic determination. Despite genome-wide association studies (GWASs) have successfully identified some loci associated with CBMI and CAD individually, the genetic overlap and common biological mechanism between them remains largely unexplored. Here, relying on the results from the two large-scale GWASs (n = 35,668 for CBMI and n = 547,261 for CAD), linkage disequilibrium score regression (LDSC) was used to estimate the genetic correlation of CBMI and CAD in the first step. Then, we applied different pleiotropy-informed methods including conditional false discovery rate ([Formula: see text]) and genetic analysis incorporating pleiotropy and annotation (GPA) to detect potentially common loci for childhood obesity and CAD. By integrating the genetic information from the existing GWASs summary statistics, we found a significant positive genetic correlation ([Formula: see text] = 0.127, p = 2E-4) and strong pleiotropic enrichment between CBMI and CAD (LRT = 79.352, p = 5.2E-19). Importantly, 28 loci were simultaneously discovered to be associated with CBMI, and 13 of them were identified as potentially pleiotropic loci by [Formula: see text] and GPA. Those corresponding pleiotropic genes were enriched in trait-associated gene ontology (GO) terms "amino sugar catabolic process", "regulation of fat cell differentiation" and "synaptic transmission". Overall, the findings of the pleiotropic loci will help to further elucidate the common molecular mechanisms underlying the association of childhood obesity and CAD, and provide a theoretical direction for early disease prevention and potential therapeutic targets.

Ligand-regulated three-photon AIE properties of manganese(II) complexes for photodynamic therapy.

Owing to the advantages of deeper penetration depth and lower biological damage, multi-photon AIE probes are widely used in the field of multi-photon therapy. We have developed a series of carbazole terpyridine manganese(II) complexes (MD1-MD3) that are promising as aggregation-induced emission (AIE) photosensitizers (PSs). MD1-MD3 exhibit excellent three-photon AIE properties in DMSO/H2O solution. We modulated the AIE properties of the Mn(II) complexes by introducing halogen atoms (Br/I). The three-photon fluorescence intensity of the complexes upon introducing halogen atoms is strong under the conditions of fw = 99% and 60%, respectively. Based on halogen-substituted carbazole ligands, MD3 can be applied as a multi-photon absorption photosensitizer which can produce 1O2 and O2˙-. MD3 damages the mitochondrial morphology, leads to a decrease in mitochondrial membrane potential, and then triggers the apoptosis of cancer cells. Furthermore, MD3 is successfully applied as a photosensitizer in tumor theranostics in vivo. This work provides a new idea for ligand modulation of multiphoton AIE ground state transition metal complexes to make them multiphoton therapeutic agents.

Solvatochromic Two-Photon Fluorescent Probe Enables In Situ Lipid Droplet Multidynamics Tracking for Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver and Inflammation Diagnoses.

Intracellular lipid storage and regulation occur in lipid droplets, which are of great significance to the physiological activities of cells. Herein, a lipid droplet-specific fluorescence probe (lip-YB) with a high quantum yield (QYlip-YB = 73.28%), excellent photostability, and quickly polarity sensitivity was constructed successfully. Interestingly, lip-YB exhibited remarkable two-photon (TP) characteristics, which first realized real-time monitoring of the lipid droplet multidynamics process, diagnosing nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and inflammation in living mice via TP fluorescence imaging. It is found that the as-prepared lip-YB provides a new avenue to design lipid droplet-specific imaging probes, clarifies its roles and mechanisms in cell metabolism, and can timely intervene in lipid droplet-related diseases during various physiological and pathological processes.

Interface-Engineered Mesoporous FeB with Programmed Drug Release for Synergistic Cancer Theranostics.

The pursuit of mesoporous Fe-based nanoagents addresses the field of developing alternative Fe-bearing nanoagents for synergistic cancer therapy with the expectation that the use of an essential element may avoid the issues raised by the exogenous administration of other metal element-based nanoagents. Herein, we highlight the interface-engineered mesoporous FeB (mFeB) where the core mFeB is interfacially oxidized into an FeOOH nanosheet loaded with the chemotherapeutic drug doxorubicin (DOX) and further encapsuled within the double-sulfide-bonded SiO2 outer layer, denoted as mFeB@DOX-ss-SiO2, which can realize programmed drug release for synergistic cancer theranostics. When only in a tumor microenvironment, the nanoagent can be activated to release DOX from the mFeB and FeOOH nanosheets as well as expose the easily oxidized mFeB to spontaneously transform to FeOOH nanosheets with Fenton activity to facilitate chemodynamic therapy (CDT). In addition, the high photothermal conversion efficiency of mFeB@DOX-ss-SiO2 would promote CDT. Also, owing to the inherent nature of ferromagnetism and red fluorescence of DOX, mFeB@DOX-ss-SiO2 can realize T2-weighted magnetic resonance imaging and fluorescence imaging. In vivo mouse model experiments demonstrate that mFeB@DOX-ss-SiO2 with good biocompatibility realizing CDT/photothermal therapy/chemotherapy achieved complete tumor suppression. This study opens up a new way to explore theranostic nanoagents.

Coordination-Regulated Terpyridine-Mn(II) Complexes for Photodynamic Therapy Guided by Multiphoton Fluorescence/Magnetic Resonance Imaging.

The synergy of multiphoton fluorescence imaging (MP-FI) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) provides an imaging platform with high resolution and unlimited penetration depth for early disease detection. Herein, two kinds of terpyridine-Mn(II) complexes (FD-Mn-O2NO and FD-Mn-FD) possessing seven and six coordination modes, respectively, were designed rationally for photodynamic therapy (PDT) guided by MP-FI/MRI. The complexes obtain different multiphoton fluorescence/magnetic resonance properties by adjusting the number of terpyridine ligands. Among them, FD-Mn-FD exhibits the following superiorities: (1) The optimal three-photon excitation wavelength of FD-Mn-FD falls at 1450 nm (NIR-II), which brings high sensitivity and deep tissue penetration in MP-FI. (2) FD-Mn-FD has effective longitudinal relaxation efficiency (r1 = 2.6 m M-1 s-1), which can be used for T1-weighted MRI, overcoming the problems of limited tissue penetration depth and low spatial resolution. (3) FD-Mn-FD generates endogenous 1O2 under irradiation by 808 nm light, thereby enhancing the PDT effect in vitro and in vivo. To the best of our knowledge, the complex FD-Mn-FD is the first complex to guide PDT through MP-FI/MRI, providing a blueprint for accurate and effective early detection and timely treatment of the complex in the early stages of cancer.

Polarity-Sensitive Probe: Dual-Channel Visualization of the "Chameleon" Migration with the Assistance of Reactive Oxygen Species.

The real-time and differentiated visualization of the organelles is favorable for exploring the distribution and interaction. However, most visual probes emit monochromatic fluorescence and target a single organelle, which impedes the in-depth study of their interplay. To overcome this obstacle, we tactfully conceived a polarity-sensitive fluorescent DPDO-C that could accurately discriminate polarity changes in the cellular environment, exhibiting distinct fluorescence in lipid droplets (LDs) and mitochondria. Remarkably, the probe DPDO-C could migrate from mitochondria to LDs with the assistance of reactive oxygen species, which was conducive to further monitoring of the number and size of LDs as well as the interactions between LDs and other organelles. Moreover, the nuanced difference between normal and fatty liver tissues was also distinguished by two-color fluorescence imaging, which could act as a promising candidate for the early diagnosis of fatty liver.

Cancer Cell Membrane Labeling Fluorescent Doppelganger Enables In Situ Photoactivated Membrane Dynamics Tracking via Two-Photon Fluorescence Imaging Microscopy.

Various suborganelles are delimited by lipid bilayers, in which high spatial and temporal morphological changes are essential to many physiological and pathological processes of cells. However, almost all the amphiphilic fluorescent molecules reported until now are not available for in situ precise tracking of membrane dynamics in cell apoptosis. Here, the MO (coumarin pyridine derivatives) was devised by engineering lipophilic coumarin and cationic pyridine salt, which not only lastingly anchored onto the plasma membrane in dark due to appropriate amphipathicity and electrostatic interactions but also in situ reflected the membrane damage and heterogeneity with secretion of extracellular vesicles (EVs) under reactive oxygen species regulation and was investigated by two-photon fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy. This work opens up a new avenue for the development of plasma membrane staining and EV-based medicines for the early diagnosis and treatment of disease.

A new bis(thioether)-dipyrrin N2S2 ligand and its coordination behaviors to nickel, copper and zinc.

Tetradentate N2S2 coordination platforms are widespread in biological systems and have endowed metalloenzymes and metalloproteins with abundant reactivities and functions. However, there are only three types of N2S2 scaffolds respectively based on the bipyridine, aryl and alkyl amine derivatives, which are significantly underdeveloped for coordination chemistry. With the objective of developing a new N2S2 coordination platform to assemble a series of first-row transition metal complexes, we have designed a novel tetradentate N2S2 ligand containing a central dipyrrin donor functionalized with two thioether-substituted aryl units. Interestingly, complexation of the N2S2 ligand with the chloride salts of Ni(II), Cu(II) and Zn(II) yields various geometries with various coordination numbers. The reaction between the ligand and NiCl2 readily forms two chloride-bridged centrosymmetric dinickel complexes in which the nickel centers are hexacoordinated by an N2S2Cl2 coordination environment in distorted octahedron geometry. In contrast, metalation of the ligand with CuCl2 gives a mononuclear copper complex consisting of a pentacoordinated copper center in a trigonal bipyramidal geometry with an N2S2Cl coordination sphere. Unexpectedly, the complexation of the ligand with ZnCl2 forms a homoleptic zinc complex in which the zinc center is surrounded by an N4 coordination sphere from two dipyrrin units in a non-planar pseudo-tetrahedral geometry despite the steric hindrance of two bulk thioether-substituted aryl units. These various geometries illustrate the potential structural flexibility of this new ligand. In addition, the optical properties of these compounds were also examined. This work thus provides a new N2S2 coordination platform with geometric flexibility.

Screening of hypertension, risks, knowledge/awareness in second-cycle schools in Ghana. A national cross-sectional study among students aged 12-22.

In Ghana, the management of hypertension in primary health care is a cost-effective way of addressing premature deaths from vascular disorders that include hypertension. There is little or no evidence of large-scale studies on the prevalence, risk, and knowledge/awareness of hypertension in students aged 12-22 years in Ghana. In a cross-sectional study, blood pressure, anthropometric indices, and knowledge/awareness assessment of students at second-cycle schools were recorded from 2018 to 2020 in three regions of Ghana. Multistage cluster sampling was used in selecting regions and the schools. Prevalence of prehypertension and hypertension was categorized by the Joint National Committee 7, where appropriate, chi-square, scatter plots, and correlations were used in showing associations. A total of 3165 students comprising 1776 (56.1%) females and 1389 (43.9%) males participated in this study within three regions of Ghana. The minimum age was 12 years and the maximum age was 22 years. The mean age was 17.21 with standard deviation (SD: 1.59) years. A 95% confidence interval was set for estimations and a P value < 0.05 was set as significant. The prevalence rate of overall hypertension was 19.91% and elevated (prehypertension) was 26.07%. Risk indicators such as weight, BMI, waist circumference, physical activity, and form of the diet were positively correlated with hypertension. Among Ghanaian students currently in second-cycle educational institutions, 19.91% were hypertensive and 26.07% were prehypertensive. This may indicate a probable high prevalence of hypertension in the future adult population if measures are not taken to curb the associated risks.