Relationship between smartphone addiction and eating disorders and lifestyle among Chinese college students.

Purpose: Smartphone addiction has been a matter of serious concern among society and parents because of its high incidence and serious negative effects. This study aimed to determine the association between smartphone addiction and eating disorders and lifestyle changes among college students. Methods: The present article is a descriptive, cross-sectional study involving 1,112 college students from several universities in Chengdu, China. The data were collected by using the Chinese version of the Mobile Phone Addiction Index (MPAI) and the Eating Attitudes Test-26 (EAT-26). In addition, the information on sociodemographic, lifestyle, and smartphone use were obtained through a self-administered questionnaire. Results: The prevalence of smartphone addiction among the students involved in the study was 22.6%, of which 10.4% were at risk for eating disorders. Female students had higher MPAI scores and EAT-26 scores than male students (p < 0.001). The proportion of male students with a risk of eating disorders was significantly higher than that of female students (p < 0.05). The total EAT-26 scores of students with smartphone addiction were higher than that of others (p < 0.001). The correlation analysis indicated that the MPAI scores were significantly positively correlated with the EAT-26 scores, depression and anxiety, difficulty in falling asleep at night, the frequency of eating fast food and drinking carbonated soft drink (p < 0.01). In addition, the MPAI scores were significantly negatively correlated with skipping breakfast and the frequency of physical activity (p < 0.05). Conclusion: Smartphone addiction is significantly associated with eating disorders, eating habits, and lifestyle. The influence of dietary habits and lifestyle needs to be considered for the prevention and development of an intervention for smartphone addiction among college students.

The impacts of fermented feed on laying performance, egg quality, immune function, intestinal morphology and microbiota of laying hens in the late laying cycle.

Fermented feed has the potential to improve poultry gastrointestinal microecological environment, health condition and production performance. Thus, the present study was undertaken to explore the effects of fermented feed on the laying performance, egg quality, immune function, intestinal morphology and microbiota of laying hens in the late laying cycle. A total of 360 healthy Hy-Line Brown laying hens aged 80 weeks were used to conduct a 56-day study. All hens were randomly separated into two treatment groups, with five replicates of 36 hens each as follows: basal diet containing 0.0% fermented feed (CON) and 20% fermented feed (FF). Subsequent analyses revealed that fermented feed supplementation was associated with significant increases in laying rates together with reduced broken egg rates and feed conversion ratio for hens in FF group (P < 0.05). There were additionally significant increases in both albumen height and Haugh unit values in hens following fermented feed supplementation (P < 0.05). Fermented feed was also associated with increases in duodenal, jejunal and ileac villus height (P < 0.05). Laying hens fed fermented feed had higher immune globulin (Ig)A, IgG, IgM levels (P < 0.01,) and higher interleukin 2, interleukin 6, tumour necrosis factor α and interferon γ (P < 0.05) concentrations than CON. Analysis of the microbiota in these laying hens revealed the alpha diversity was not significantly affected by fermented feed supplementation. Firmicutes abundance was reduced in caecal samples from FF hens relative to those from CON hens (30.61 vs 35.12%, P < 0.05). At the genus level, fermented feed was associated with improvements in relative Lactobacillus, Megasphaera and Peptococcus abundance and decreased Campylobacter abundance in laying hens. These results suggest that fermented feed supplementation may be beneficial to the laying performance, egg quality, immunological function, intestinal villus growth and caecal microecological environment of laying hens at the end of the laying cycle.

Factors Influencing Pedestrian Smartphone Use and Effect of Combined Visual and Auditory Intervention on "Smombies": A Chinese Observational Study.

Objective: This was a large-scale multicenter study with two objectives. One was to study the factors influencing pedestrian smartphone use while crossing roads, and the other was to study the effect of combined visual and auditory intervention on smartphone zombies (smombies) at crossroads. Methods: This study was conducted in four different Chinese cities. By observing pedestrians crossing intersections, the weather, time, and characteristics of the pedestrians were recorded by four researchers. Then, its influencing factors and the effects of the intervention were studied in two consecutive periods. Results: A total of 25,860 pedestrians (13,086 without intervention and 12,774 with visual and auditory intervention) were observed in this study. Logistic regressions showed that gender, age of the pedestrians, weather, and time were the factors influencing smombies crossing roads. The number of smartphone users decreased from 4,289 to 3,579 (28.1%) (χ 2 = 69.120, p < 0.001) when the intervention was conducted. Conclusion: Based on large-sample, multicenter research, this study revealed the factors influencing pedestrian smartphone use while crossing roads, contributing to our understanding of the current situation of smombies in China. Furthermore, the effect of visual and auditory intervention was demonstrated, providing a new paradigm for global prevention of smombie behavior.

The Relationship Between Negative Life Events and Internet Addiction Disorder Among Adolescents and College Students in China: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Objective: Internet Addiction Disorder (IAD) has become a social problem. Literature suggests that negative life events can cause numerous problematic behaviors and part of them will result in IAD. However, there is a lack of evidence that elucidates the association between negative life events and IAD. Thereby, we performed a comprehensive analysis to further document the relationship between negative life events and IAD among adolescents and college students in China. Methods: We searched ten electronic databases for relevant articles. We extracted correlation coefficient (r) values from each study and calculated 95% confidence interval (95% CI) after applying Fisher's z. A random-effect or fixed-effect model was applied to analyze the data. Heterogeneity was examined using I2 statistics and the Cochran's Q statistics. Results: A total of 31 studies were involved in this meta-analysis. Positive correlation was observed between negative life events and IAD. The subtype interpersonal relationship of negative life events was closely associationed with IAD. Conclusion: There were significant positive association between negative life events and IAD. The findings can be used to guide IAD interventions. Systematic Review Registration: [https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/#recordDetails].

Assessing the Association Between Internet Addiction Disorder and Health Risk Behaviors Among Adolescents and Young Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Background: Internet addiction disorder (IAD) is a global issue that has resulted in a slew of physical and emotional consequences. Studies have indicated that health risk behaviors might be the risk factors for IAD. The published literature on the correlation between the two is lacking. Therefore, we conducted a comprehensive analysis to understand better the link between IAD and health risk behaviors among adolescents and young adults. Methods: We searched ten electronic databases for relevant articles. Data were extracted based on IAD and health risk behaviors ( alcohol, smoking, suicidal, gambling and drug abuse). We calculated odds ratios (ORs), a pooled correlation coefficient (r) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). A fixed-effect model was applied to summarize the pooled effects. Heterogeneity was examined using I2 statistics and Cochran's Q statistics. All analyses were conducted by using Stata version 15.0. Results: A total of 16 studies and 61,823 participants were included in this study. Meta-analysis showed that IAD was positively correlated with drinking (r = 0.35; 95% CI 0.32-0.37) and smoking (r = 0.12; 95%CI 0.10-0.15), and was associated with an increased risk of suicidal behavior (OR= 1.95; 95% CI 1.65-2.30), drinking (OR= 1.75; 95% CI 1.65-1.85), and smoking (OR= 1.63; 95% CI 1.54-1.72) among adolescents. Conclusion: We found significantly increased risks of suicidal behavior, drinking, and smoking in adolescents and young adults with IAD. These findings are important to expand our understanding of IAD and have great guiding significance for preventing health risk behaviors of adolescents and young adults. Systematic Review Registration: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?ID=CRD42021257729, identifier: PROSPERO CRD42021257729.

The Correlation Between Internet Addiction and Interpersonal Relationship Among Teenagers and College Students Based on Pearson's Correlation Coefficient: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Background: Internet addiction (IA) has become a serious social issue, inducing troubles in interpersonal relationships, which may negatively impact the healthy development of teenagers and college students. Thus, the current research aimed to synthesize the available evidence to clarify the correlation between IA and troubles in interpersonal relationships. Method: We searched eight electronic databases from inception to December 2020. Study quality was assessed by the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS), and Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). We analyzed the data by extracting the Pearson correlation coefficients of each study and converted it into Fisher's Z. Pooled r was conducted by Fisher's Z and standard error (SE). STATA (Version 15.0) software was used for data synthesis. Results: A total of 10,173 studies were initially identified, and 26 studies (n = 14,638 participants) were retrieved for further analysis. The results indicated that there was a significant positive correlation between IA and interpersonal relationship troubles [0.36 (95% CI 0.35-0.38)]. In addition, there was a positive correlation between IA and different dimensions of interpersonal relationship reflected by troubles with interpersonal conversation, making friends, dealing with people, and heterosexual communication, with the result of [0.26 (95% CI 0.18-0.33)], [0.29 (95% CI 0.20-0.37)], [0.27 (95% CI 0.19-0.34)], [0.22 (0.15-0.30)], respectively. The Egger test suggested that there was no publication bias (P > 0.05). Conclusion: IA is positively correlated with troubles in interpersonal relationships. This research will provide new ideas and direction for further intervention, clinical therapy, and policy-making regarding IA to some extent. Systematic Review Registration: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/, identifier: CRD42020177294.

Isolation and Characterization of a Human Intestinal Bacterium Eggerthella sp. AUH-JLD49s for the Conversion of (-)-3'-Desmethylarctigenin.

Arctiin is the most abundant bioactive compound contained in the Arctium lappa plant. In our previous study, we isolated one single bacterium capable of bioconverting arctigenin, an aglycone of arctiin, to 3'-desmethylarctigenin (3'-DMAG) solely. However, to date, a specific bacterium capable of producing other arctiin metabolites has not been reported. In this study, we isolated one single bacterium, which we named Eggerthella sp. AUH-JLD49s, capable of bioconverting 3'-DMAG under anaerobic conditions. The metabolite of 3'-DMAG by strain AUH-JLD49s was identified as 3'-desmethyl-4'-dehydroxyarctigenin (DMDH-AG) based on electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) and 1H and 13C nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. The bioconversion kinetics and bioconversion capacity of strain AUH-JLD49s were investigated. In addition, the metabolite DMDH-AG showed an inhibitory effect on cell growth of human colon cancer cell line HCT116 and human breast cancer cell line MDA-MB-231.

Study on human intestinal bacterium Blautia sp. AUH-JLD56 for the conversion of arctigenin to (-)-3'-desmethylarctigenin.

Arctium lappa L. (A. lappa) is a popularly used vegetable as well as herbal medicine. Human intestinal microflora was reported to convert arctiin, the lignan compound with highest content in the dried fruits of Arctium lappa, to a series of metabolites. However, the specific bacterium responsible for the formation of 3'-desmethylarctigenin (3'-DMAG), the most predominant metabolite of arctiin by rat or human intestinal microflora, has not been isolated yet. In the present study, we isolated one single bacterium, which we named Blautia sp. AUH-JLD56, capable of solely biotransforming arctiin or arctigenin to (-)-3'-DMAG. The structure of the metabolite 3'-DMAG was elucidated by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) and (1)H and (13)C nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. The biotransforming kinetics and maximum biotransforming capacity of strain AUH-JLD56 was investigated. In addition, the metabolite 3'-DMAG showed significantly higher 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical-scavenging activity than that of the substrate arctigenin at the concentrations tested.

[C-ring cleavage of liquiritigenin extracted from licorice roots by an oxygen-tolerant bovine rumen bacterium strain Aeroto-Niu-O16].

Aeroto-Niu-O16, an oxygen-tolerant bovine rumen bacterium, is capable of aerobically reducing isoflavones daidzein and genistein to dihydrodaidzein and dihydrogenistein through catalytic hydrogenation. In this study, it was found that bacterium strain Aeroto-Niu-O16 was able to cleavage the C-ring of liquiritigenin (LG), which is one of the main biologically active components of licorice roots, in the presence of atmospheric oxygen. LG was prepared by acid hydrolysis of the crude extract of licorice roots. The metabolite of LG obtained in strain Aeroto-Niu-O16 was identified as davidigenin (DG) based on the data of UV, MS, 1H and 13C NMR. The maximal concentration of LG that the strain Aeroto-Niu-O16 was able to transform effectively was 0.8 mmol x L(-1) and the average productivity of the metabolite DG was 71.7%. Furthermore, when 0.1% (m/v) of L-cysteine or sodium thiosulfate was added in the cultural medium, the average bioconversion rate of LG was increased from 71.7% to 78.3% and 77.2%, respectively. The in vitro antioxidant investigation showed that 1, 1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical-scavenging activity of DG was significantly or extremely significantly higher than that of LG at the concentrations from 0.2 mmol x L(-1) to 1.6 mmol x L(-1). We discoverd for the first time that LG can be converted to DG, which has stronger and wider biological activities, through microbial biotransformation method.

Improved in vitro assays of superoxide anion and 1,1-diphenyl- 2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical-scavenging activity of isoflavones and isoflavone metabolites.

Free radical-scavenging activity of isoflavones and some isoflavone metabolites have been described previously, but the results are inconsistent. The objective of the present study was to find out the pivotal factors that influence an accurate detection of both superoxide anion and 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical-scavenging activity. We here showed for the first time that organic solvents, including methanol, ethanol and acetone, were of strong superoxide radical-scavenging activity at concentrations down to 0.1% (v/v), however, no such activity was observed with acetonitrile at concentrations up to 2.0% (v/v). In DPPH assay, we found that the DPPH radical-scavenging ratio increased together with the extended reaction time. Based on our findings, improved in vitro assays for the detection of radical-scavenging activity of both isoflavones (daidzein and genistein) and isoflavone metabolites, including dihydrodaidzein (DHD), dihydrogenistein (DHG), and O-desmethylangolensin (O-Dma), were established.