Clamparene: Synthesis, Structure, and Its Application in Spontaneous Formation of 3D Porous Crystals.

Macrocyclic arenes have emerged as pivotal scaffolds in supramolecular chemistry. Despite their significant contributions to molecular recognition and diverse applications, challenges persist in the development of macrocyclic arene-based crystalline materials, particularly in achieving porosity and addressing limitations in adsorption efficiency resulting from the small cavity sizes of existing macrocyclic arenes. In this study, we present the design and synthesis of a novel macrocyclic arene, clamparene (CLP), featuring a rigid backbone, easy synthesis, and a sizable cavity. CLP self-assembles into one-dimensional sub-nanotubes that further organize into a three-dimensional porous framework in the solid state. The crystalline solid of CLP exhibits potential as a porous crystalline adsorbent for various benzene-based contaminants with rapid adsorption kinetics, large uptake amounts, and good recyclability.

Association of eating speed and energy intake of main meals with overweight in Chinese pre-school children.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the association between eating behaviours (eating speed and energy intake of main meals) and overweight in pre-school children. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. Data consisted of measurements (height and weight), questionnaire information (eating behaviours of eating speed and overeating) and on-site observation data (meal duration and energy intake of main meals). SETTING: Seven kindergartens in Beijing, China. SUBJECTS: Pre-school children (n 1138; age range 3·1-6·7 years old) from seven kindergartens participated in the study. RESULTS: The multivariate-adjusted odds ratio of overweight in participants with parent-reported 'more than needed food intake' was 3·02 (95 % CI 2·06, 4·44) compared with the 'medium food intake' participants, and higher eating speed was associated with childhood overweight. For the two observed eating behaviours, each 418·7 kJ (100 kcal) increase of lunch energy intake significantly increased the likelihood for overweight by a factor of 1·445, and each 5-min increase in meal duration significantly decreased the likelihood for overweight by a factor of 0·861. Increased portions of rice and cooked dishes were significantly associated with overweight status (OR = 2·274; 95 % CI 1·360, 3·804 and OR = 1·378; 95 % CI 1·010, 1·881, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Eating speed and excess energy intake of main meals are associated with overweight in pre-school children.

Determinants of high weight gain and high BMI status in the first three months in urban Chinese infants.

OBJECTIVES: Investigate the potential factors associated with high weight gain and high BMI status in the first three months of life. METHODS: Totally, 930 healthy neonates (489 boys and 441 girls) were involved in this community-based, prospective study in China. Data on body weight and length were collected at birth, and the 1st and 3rd months. A self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data regarding social demography, gestational status, delivery, and the feeding patterns of children. RESULTS: Prevalences of high BMI status (BMI = 85th p, re WHO BMI standards) increased over time in both sexes, reaching 24.5% and 12.0% for boys and girls, respectively. General linear mixed models indicate high BMI status at 3 months is significantly and inversely associated with breastfeeding, as a proportion of feeding occasions [OR 0.74 (95%CI: 0.56-0.98)] and positively with lower birth weight [OR 2.07 (95%CI: 1.23-3.49)]. High weight gain (=85th p, re WHO velocity standards) in the first 3 months is also significantly associated with breastfeeding [OR 0.76 (95%CI: 0.59-0.96)] and sex, with boys at a higher risk than girls [OR 1.44 (95%CI: 1.07-1.97)]. Living in an extended family is associated with both high weight gain and high BMI status, but with marginal statistical significance. CONCLUSION: Analyses indicate an increasing trend of high BMI status in early infancy. Breastfeeding provides a protective effect for both high weight gain and high BMI status. The results concerning birth weight suggests a target for intervention.

Waist circumference reference values for screening cardiovascular risk factors in Chinese children and adolescents.

OBJECTIVES: To explore the optimal threshold values of waist circumference (WC) for detecting cardiovascular (CV) risk factors among Chinese children and adolescents. METHODS: Association of WC with CV risk factors was studied among 65,898 children aged 7-18 years whose data were pooled from nine previous studies in China. CV risk factors in this study included hypertension (blood pressure above 95 percentile levels), dyslipidemia (with one or more of the following three indexes: TG > or = 1.7 mmol/L, TC > or = 5.18 mmol/L, and HDL-C < or = 1.04 mmol/L) and elevated glucose level (fasting plasma glucose > or = 5.6 mmol/L). Receive-operating characteristic analysis (ROC) and logistic regression were employed to derive optimal age- and sex-specific waist circumference references for predicting CV risk factors. RESULTS: A slight increasing trend of CV risk factors was observed starting from the 75th percentile of waist circumference in the study population, while a remarkable increasing trend occurred from the 90th percentile. The optimal waist circumference thresholds for predicting high blood pressures were at the 75th percentile for both boys and girls, which was at the 90th percentiles for detecting at least two of the above three CV risk factors. In comparison with children with waist circumference below the 75th percentile, the odds ratio of two CV risk factors doubled among children with waist circumference between the 75th and the 90th percentile, and increased by 6 times among children with waist circumference above the 90th percentile. The trend of high blood pressure increasing with waist circumference remained significant after having been stratified by BMI category. CONCLUSION: The 75th and the 90th percentiles of WC are the optimal cut-off points for predicting an increased and a substantially increased risk of CV factors in Chinese children and adolescents, respectively.

[Study on prevalence and risk factors of sleep disorder among Chinese children aged 0 to 23 months in city].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the prevalence and main influences on sleep disorder among Chinese children aged 0 to 23 months, as to providing scientific interventions for infant sleep disorder. METHODS: All 7601 children under two years old were selected by stratifying samples from twelve cities in China. The objects' parents were surveyed with questionnaire. All data were analyzed with SPSS statistical software. RESULTS: The total incidence of sleep disorders at 0 to 23 months was 21.94%. The main problems were difficulty falling asleep, nighttime waking and snoring. Feeding manner, sleep environment, sleep-associated habits and medical conditions were all influences on infant's sleep disorder. CONCLUSIONS: Enhancing sleep health education to change parents' nurturing modes should be an important role in preventing infant sleep disorders.

Behavioral intervention reduces unhealthy eating behaviors in preschool children via a behavior card approach.

Many eating behaviors form in childhood, and some unhealthy behaviors may persist into adulthood and have potential impacts on people's health. This study evaluated the effectiveness of behavioral intervention in reducing consumption of Western fast food, sweetened beverages, fried food in preschool children, and changing parents' rewarding behaviors that encourage the consumption of the unhealthy foods. The research was a cluster randomized trial of seven kindergartens, involving 1138 children aged 3-6 years and their parents in Beijing, China. Parents and children allocated to the intervention group received two lectures and printed resources, including behavior cards, educational sheets. Children's behavior cards, applied with behavior-changing techniques, were used to intervene, and monitor behavior changes over time. Children in the control group just followed their usual health education curriculum in kindergartens. Intervention effects on food consumption behaviors were assessed by examining pre- and post-questionnaires. Of the 1138 children screened at baseline, 880 (77.3%) were measured at the end of the intervention period. The intervention lasted from March to June in 2010. The results showed that consumption of Western fast food, sweetened beverages, and fried food was decreased among the intervention group (P<0.001). Proportions of parents using Western fast food as rewards for their children were decreased (P=0.002). From March to June 2010, the frequency of each target behavior in children tended to decrease over the intervention period (P<0.001). Most parents favored regularly-delivered behavior cards or materials for behavioral intervention. In conclusion, the behavioral intervention encourages the healthier eating behaviors of children and reduces the parents' practice of using unhealthy foods as reward.

Feeding methods, sleep arrangement, and infant sleep patterns: a Chinese population-based study.

BACKGROUND: Findings from prior research into the effect of feeding methods on infant sleep are inconsistent. The objectives of this study were to examine infants' sleep patterns by feeding methods and sleep arrangement from birth to eight months old. METHODS: This longitudinal cohort study enrolled 524 pregnant women at 34-41 weeks of gestation and their infants after delivery in 2006 and followed up until eight months postpartum. The study subjects were recruited from nine women and children hospitals in nine cities in China (Beijing, Chongqing, Wuhan, Changsha, Nanning, Xiamen, Xi'an, Jinan, and Hailin). Participating infants were followed up weekly during the first month and monthly from the second to the eighth month after birth. Twenty-four hour sleep diaries recording infants' sleeping and feeding methods were administered based on caregiver's self-report. Multivariable mixed growth curve models were fitted to estimate the effects of feeding methods and sleep arrangement on infants' sleep patterns over time, controlling for maternal and paternal age, maternal and paternal education level, household income, supplementation of complementary food, and infant birth weight and length. RESULTS: Exclusively formula fed infants had the greatest sleep percentage/24 h, followed by exclusively breast milk fed infants and partially breast milk fed infants (P<0.01). Night waking followed a similar pattern. However, the differences in sleep percentage and night waking frequency between exclusively formula and exclusively breast milk fed infants weakened over time as infants developed. In addition, compared to infants with bed-sharing sleep arrangement, those with room sharing sleep arrangement had greater daytime and 24-hour infant sleep percentage, whereas those with sleeping alone sleep arrangement had greater nighttime sleep percentage. CONCLUSIONS: Our data based on caregiver's self-report suggested that partial breastfeeding and bed-sharing may be associated with less sleep in infants. Health care professionals need to work with parents of newborns to develop coping strategies that will help prevent early weaning of breastfeeding.

Prevalence of subclinical vitamin A deficiency and its affecting factors in 8 669 children of China.

OBJECTIVE: The survey will reveal current status of subclinical vitamin A deficiency (SVAD) and explore its affecting factors in children of China. METHODS: Totally 8 669 children aged under 6 years were randomly selected from 14 provinces for clinical examination, health and dietary questionnaire and serum level of vitamin A measurement with fluorescence method. The cut-off value for SVAD was defined as

[Survey on vitamin A deficiency in children under-6-years in China].

OBJECTIVE: To understand the prevalence and spatial distribution of vitamin A deficiency (VAD) in China among children at ages under six years. METHODS: About 8,600 children under 6 years of age in 14 cities and 28 counties of 14 provinces were selected with stratified cluster sampling for survey, including interview with questionnaire for their family information and nutritional status. Blood specimens were collected for measuring serum level of VA with fluorescent spectrophotometry in laboratory. RESULTS: Totally, 8,669 children under 6 (2,877 in urban area and 5,792 in rural area) were surveyed in 14 provinces, with 4,629 males and 4,040 females. Eight cases of night blindness and seven cases of xerophthalmia were found among the children at ages of two to five years. Sixty-one mothers of the children in this group were also found suffering from night blindness. All the cases of night blindness and xerophthalmia both in children and mothers were living in rural areas. Based on their serum levels of VA, 11.7% of the all 1 018 children were diagnosed as VAD, with serum VA concentrations below or equal to 0.70 micro mol/L. Prevalence of VAD was 15.0% and 5.8% in rural (23.3% in the poverty-stricken counties) and urban areas, respectively, and 5.8%, 11.5% and 16.8% in the coastal, inland and remote areas, respectively. The average serum level of VA was 1.20 micro mol/L and 0.99 micro mol/L for urban and rural areas, respectively, with a national average of 1.06 micro mol/L. And, babies under six months of age with an average serum levels of VA < or = 0.70 micro mol/L accounted for 33.4%, and those at ages of four to five years with the same level of VA accounted for 8%. There was significant difference in serum levels of VA between ages, but no significant difference between genders. CONCLUSION: VAD did exist in children of China, especially in the remote and poverty-stricken rural areas and VA supplementation is urgently needed for the children in these regions.

Birth weight, growth and feeding pattern in early infancy predict overweight/obesity status at two years of age: a birth cohort study of Chinese infants.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the early determinants of overweight and obesity status at age two years. METHODS: A total of 1098 healthy neonates (563 boys and 535 girls) were involved in this community-based prospective study in China. Data on body weight and length were collected at birth, the 3(rd) and 24(th) month. A self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data on social demography and feeding patterns of children, etc. Three multivariable logistic regression models were employed to make various comparisons of weight status, i.e., model 1 (obesity vs. non-obesity), model 2 (combined overweight and obesity vs. normal weight, and model 3 (obesity, overweight and normal weight). RESULTS: Prevalences of overweight/obesity (95(th) >BMI ≥85(th) p and BMI ≥95(th) p, referring to WHO BMI standards) at 2 years of age are 15.8%/11.2% for boys and 12.9%/9.0% for girls, respectively. Being born with macrosomia (OR: 1.80-1.88), relatively greater BMI increment in the first 3 months (OR: 1.15-1.16) and bottle emptying by encouragement at age two (OR: 1.30-1.57) were found in all three models to be significant risk factors for higher BMI status at 2 years. Pre-pregnancy maternal BMI (OR: 1.09-1.12), paternal BMI (OR: 1.06), and mixed breastfeeding (OR: 1.54-1.57) or formula feeding (OR: 1.90-1.93) in the first month were identified as significant in models 2 and 3. Child-initiated bottle emptying at age two was observed to increase the risk of obesity by 1.31 times but only in model 1. CONCLUSION: Fetal and early postnatal growth and feeding pattern appear to have significant impacts on early childhood overweight and obesity status independent of parental BMI. Policy-based and multidisciplinary approaches to promote breastfeeding and enhancement of feeding skills of care takers may be promising intervention strategies.

[Waist circumference reference values for screening cardiovascular risk factors in Chinese children and adolescents aged 7 - 18 years].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the optimal threshold values of waist circumference (WC) in detecting the risk on cardiovascular (CV) among the Chinese children and adolescents. METHODS: Association of WC and CV risk factors were studied among 65 898 children and adolescents aged 7 - 18 years whose data were pooled from nine studies carried out in China. Receive-operating characteristic analysis (ROC) and logistic regression were employed to derive optimal age- and sex-specific waist circumference references for predicting the CV risk factors. RESULTS: A slight increasing trend of CV risk factors was observed starting from the 75th percentile of waist circumference in the study population, while a remarkable increasing trend occurred from the 90th percentile. The optimal waist circumference thresholds for predicting high blood pressures were at the 75th percentile for both boys and girls, and at the 90th percentiles it could detect at least two of the above three CV risk factors. In comparison with children whose waist circumference was below the 75th percentile, the odds ratio of two CV risk factors doubled among children with waist circumference between 75th and 90th percentile, and increased by 6 times among children with waist circumference above the 90th percentile. The trend of high blood pressure increasing remained significant with waist circumference after having been stratified by BMI category. CONCLUSION: The 75th and the 90th percentile of WC appeared to be the optimal cut-off points for predicting an increased and a substantially increased risk of CV factors in Chinese children and adolescents.

[Development of sleep/wake patterns in infants during the first 12 months of life].

OBJECTIVE: This was a nationwide study of sleep circadian in term infants. The aim was to understand the development characteristics of infants' sleep/wake patterns longitudinally in their own home environments over the first 12 months of life. METHOD: Totally 524 healthy term infants from 9 urban districts took part in this project Their sleep/wake patterns over 24 h were recorded using parental sleep diaries, from the 2nd day to 12 months old. RESULT: The results showed that infant daytime sleep changed significantly at 0-2, 3-4, 5-6, and 8-9 months after birth, and the change was the fastest in the first month, the mean percentage of daytime sleep decreased from 82.4% at Day 2 to 62.8% at 1 month old. Also, the average number of naps reduced from 3.7 to 2 across the infancy. The ability of continuous sleep throughout the night gradually enhanced from 1 month old, and the nocturnal longest sleep time extended to 6.8 h at 4 months of age as well as the nighttime awakening frequency less than 0.5 over 6 months old. Additionally, the nighttime sleep increased significantly at 4 and 9 months after birth, where the proportion of nighttime sleep increased from 55.8% at Day 2 to 64.3% of 4 months and 71.2% of 9 months respectively. In general, the total sleep time over a 24 h period presented a downward trend as the infant aged. CONCLUSION: The periods 0-6 and 8-9 months after birth were the key periods for the development of infant sleep.

Vitamin A deficiency and child feeding in Beijing and Guizhou, China.

BACKGROUND: Vitamin A deficiency (VAD) is one of the three major micronutrient deficiencies in the world. In order to investigate the status of VAD and child feeding in China, we conducted the survey in Beijing city and Guizhou province. METHODS: We included a high socioeconomic area (Beijing) and a low socioeconomic area (Guizhou province) in China in our study. Participants included 1236 randomly selected children aged 0-71 months from stratified clusters (628 in Beijing and 608 in Guizhou), 409 from urban and 827 from rural areas. A food intake frequency questionnaire was used for dietary assessment. Fluorescence microanalysis was carried out to measure serum retinol concentrations. Serum retinol cut-off values of less than 20 microg/dl and 30 microg/dl were defined as sub-clinical VAD and suspected sub-clinical VAD, respectively. RESULTS: No xerophthalmia or night blindness was found. The mean concentration of serum retinol was 31.5 microg/dl in the high socioeconomic group, and 26.5 microg/dl in the low socioeconomic group. Rural infants had lower concentrations of serum retinol compared with the urban ones (26.9+/-8.1 microg/dl vs 31.8+/-7.3 microg/dl). The prevalence of sub-clinical VAD among all the children was 7.8%, and increased to 15.7% in children from the low socioeconomic group. In infants from the high socioeconomic area, the prevalence of suspected subclinical VAD was 38.0%, increasing to 59.5% in infants from the low socioeconomic area. The children from the low socioeconomic area had significantly lower fequency of intake of meat than the children in other groups. The prevalence of suspected sub-clinical VAD was higher in the children with lower consumption frequency of vitamin A rich foods than the children with higher consumption frequency of vitamin A rich foods. CONCLUSIONS: VAD appears to be a moderate public health problem in certain areas of China. In areas with low socioeconomic status, VAD in childrean is more severe, and infants may be the group at the highest risk for VAD. Inadequate intake of vitamin A rich foods may result in VAD. A comprehensive long-term national strategy needs to be fostered in China for the treatment and prevention of the deficiency.

[Family risk factors of overweight and obesity in preschool children].

OBJECTIVE: To explore family risk factors of overweight and obesity focusing on parental characteristics, feeding practice and lifestyle. METHODS: Five kindergartens were selected randomly from two of all the six urban districts in Beijing. The body height and weight of all the children in the 5 kindergartens were measured in light clothing and without shoes. Information on parental characteristics, dietary habits, lifestyle, and feeding practice was collected from 1173 families by parental self-report questionnaires in the 5 kindergartens. Overweight and obesity were defined according to sex- and age-specific body mass index (BMI) cut-points proposed by the International Obesity Task Force. Correlations and multivariate regression analysis was used to explore risk factors of child overweight and obesity. RESULTS: The prevalence of overweight and obesity was 6.9% and 4.1%, respectively, among the sample children. Significantly more overweight and obese children were from obese families (15.2%) than they were from non-obese families (7.5%). Significant associations could be observed between children and parents' characteristics for BMI, frequency of eating in restaurant, television-watching hours, and physical activity hours. Parental obesity, low maternal education level and television watching for > 2 h/d were risk factors of child overweight and obesity after adjusting for sex, age, family income, and kindergarten. CONCLUSIONS: Child overweight and obesity were influenced by family environment. Strategies for prevention should include identified family risk factors.

Influence of grandparents on eating behaviors of young children in Chinese three-generation families.

AIM: To investigate how grandparents influence their young grandchildren's eating behaviors in Chinese three-generation families. METHODS: This qualitative study used semi-structured in-depth interviews with 12 parents (3 male and 9 female) and 11 grandparents (4 male and 7 female) in Beijing, China. RESULTS: Three domains emerged in this study: (1) grandparents were the primary caretakers of children in the three-generation families. They played an important role in planning and cooking family meals; (2) grandparents' attitudes influenced young children's nutrition and eating habits. They held the belief that children being heavy at a young age would assure that they had a good nutrition status and would become tall in the future. They showed a tendency towards urging the children to eat more meals and larger portions at served meals; (3) grandparents used food as an educational and emotional tool. They shaped the behavior of their grandchildren and expressed love and caring through food. CONCLUSIONS: Grandparents were dominant in shaping children's eating behavior in some three-generation families in Chinese urban areas. Nutrition education involving grandparents is a potential framework for developing a healthy dietary behavior in young children.

Risk factors for overweight in 2- to 6-year-old children in Beijing, China.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the prevalence of overweight among Chinese preschool children and to explore risk factors of childhood obesity focusing on parental characteristics, feeding practice and lifestyle. METHODS: Data on 930 families with 2- to 6-year-old children in five kindergartens were obtained in a cross sectional study. Families were randomly selected from two of all six urban districts in Beijing, China. Information on parental characteristics, dietary habits, lifestyle habits, and feeding practice was collected by parental self-report questionnaires. The children's stature and weight were measured in light clothing and without shoes. Overweight and obesity were defined according to international cut-off values, as proposed by the International Obesity Task Force. Multivariate regression analysis was used to explore risk factors of child overweight. RESULTS: The overall prevalence of overweight and obesity was 10.7% and 4.2%, respectively, and increased with age. The prevalence of child overweight was 14.1% and 7.5% in obese and non-obese families, respectively. Significant associations were observed between child and parent characteristics for overweight, frequency of eating in restaurant, television hours, and hours of physical activity. Child overweight was associated with parental overweight (Odds Ratio [OR] 2.43, 95% CI 0.78, 6.59), low maternal education level (OR 2.22, 95% CI 1.39, 3.55), food restriction (OR 2.68, 95% CI 1.64, 4.29), and television watching >2h/d (OR 1.56, 95% CI 1.17, 2.09), after adjusting for sex, age, family income and kindergarten (for cluster study design). CONCLUSIONS: Overweight prevalence among Chinese preschool children in Beijing is comparable to some European countries. Prevention strategies should include identified lifestyle risk factors.

Vitamin A status among children in China.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to assess the prevalence of vitamin A deficiency (VAD) in children under 6 years old in China and to identify risk groups for VAD. DESIGN: A cross-sectional survey was conducted in 14 provinces from coastal, inland and western geographic areas in China. SETTING: One city (urban) and two counties (rural) were randomly selected from each province as survey areas. SUBJECTS: About 200 children aged 0-6 years were randomly selected in each survey area. A blood sample was collected from each child. Data on sociodemographics and nutrition were obtained by interview of the mother or principal caregiver. Fluorescence microanalysis was used to analyse serum retinol concentration. RESULTS: VAD (serum retinol <0.7 micro mol l(-1)) was observed in 957 out of 7,826 children aged 0-6 years (12.2% of the entire study population), whereas severe VAD (serum retinol <0.35 micro mol l(-1)) was found in 39 children (0.5%). The highest prevalences of VAD at >1 year of age were observed among children of mothers with minority ethnicity (22.7%) or poor education (19.8%) and in the poor western area (17.4%). CONCLUSIONS: VAD is a nutritional problem in children in China. Children living in the poor western area, having a mother with minority ethnicity or a mother with poor education have a high risk of VAD.