Joint association of overweight/obesity, high electronic screen time, and low physical activity time with early pubertal development in girls: a case-control study.

To examine the joint association of electronic screen time (EST), moderate-to-vigorous physical activity time (MVPA) and overweight/obesity with early pubertal development (EPD) in girls. A case-control study of 177 EPD girls and 354 girls with normal pubertal development was conducted between October 2019 and August 2022. Overweight/obesity was defined as body mass index ≥ 85th percentiles for age and sex. We found a non-significant increase of EPD risk among girls with high EST alone [OR: 2.75 (0.65-11.58)] or low MVPA alone [OR: 2.54 (0.74-8.69)], but a significant increase of EPD risk among girls with overweight/obesity alone [OR: 4.91 (1.01-23.92)], compared to girls without any of the three risk factors (low MVPA, high EST and overweight/obesity). Girls with any two of the three risk factors faced increased risk of EPD, and girls with all three risk factors faced the highest risk of EPD [OR and 95% CI: 26.10 (6.40-106.45)]. Being overweight/obesity might be more important than having low MVPA or high EST as a correlate of EPD compared to girls without any of the three risk factors, but the co-presence of low MVPA, high EST and overweight/obesity would largely increase the risk of EPD in girls.

The Impact of Job Burnout on Employees' Safety Behavior Against the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Mediating Role of Psychological Contract.

Employee safety behavior is critical for occupational health in work environments threatened by the COVID-19 pandemic. Meanwhile, the widespread and increasingly serious job burnout of employees is a complex and difficult problem for enterprises to handle during any epidemic. Therefore, it is helpful to identify and discuss job burnout and other main psychological factors that affect safety behavior to find appropriate solutions. Using the PLS-SEM method, the study explored the relationship between job burnout and safety behavior against the epidemic, as well as the mediating role of psychological contract. According to the local guidelines for controlling COVID-19, this study revised the safety behavior scale. Data were collected by structured questionnaires in May to July 2020 from Chinese employees (N = 353) who resumed their work after the outbreak of the pandemic. The findings confirmed that job burnout has a negative impact on safety behavior, and psychological contract play a partial mediating role in mitigating the negative impact. Specifically, the transaction dimension and relationship dimension of psychological contract negatively affected safety behavior while the development dimension of the psychological contract was not directly related to safety behavior. It is suggested that enterprises should take effective measures to reduce employees' job burnout and implement flexible psychological contract management and intervention, so as to effectively improve the performance of work safety behavior. Based on the multidimensional model, the findings of this study shed light on promoting safety behavior to prevent the spread of epidemics.

Analysis of the Influence of Psychological Contract on Employee Safety Behaviors against COVID-19.

This study explored the influencing factors of safety behavior from the perspective of employees, studied the mechanism of the psychological contract on employees' safety behavior in the context of the Chinese epidemic situation, tested the mediating role of job burnout and perceived insider status in the process of work resumption, and provided preventive suggestions for combating the global spread of COVID-19. A questionnaire survey was utilized to collect data and, combined with the necessary protective measures taken for employees in China, was used to modify the mature safety behavior scale. Finally, through the analysis of 402 employees' questionnaires, the hypotheses were verified; that is, in the process of Chinese enterprises returning to work to cope with COVID-19, the psychological contract has a positive role in promoting employees' safety behavior, while job burnout plays a weakened mediating role, and perceived insider status plays a strengthening mediating role. The psychological contract negatively affects job burnout but positively affects perceived insider status. Job burnout negatively affects employees' safety behavior, but perceived insider status positively affects employees' safety behavior. The results show that employees' conscious participation in safety behavior plays an irreplaceable role in the prevention of COVID-19 and safety of work resumption.

Effects of rapid growth in early childhood on metabolic and cardiovascular diseases among preschool-aged children.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: To investigate whether the tempo of weight gain of children during infancy (from birth up to two years of age) or childhood (between two and five years old) is associated with metabolic and cardiovascular disease. METHODS AND STUDY DESIGN: Cluster sampling was employed to obtain a random sample of preschool children. In total, 1450 children aged five to six years participated in this survey. We obtained data on body weight, height, blood pressure (BP), and serum levels of total cholesterol, triglycerides, glucose, and uric acid, as well as anthropometry at birth and at age 2. RESULTS: The prevalence of obesity at five years old was 14.5%. At five years of age, children with rapid growth (change in body mass index, BMI z-score >0.67) during infancy had a higher odds ratio (OR) of childhood obesity (OR: 2.97 [95% CI: 2.15-4.11]) compared to children with non-rapid growth (change in BMI z-score ≤0.67). Also, children with rapid growth during childhood had a higher OR of childhood obesity (OR: 17.90 [95% CI: 12.31-26.04]), higher systolic BP (OR: 2.38 [95% CI: 1.68-3.39]), higher diastolic BP (OR: 2.42 [95% CI: 1.53-3.83]), and higher triglycerides (OR: 4.09 [95% CI: 1.47-11.33]) or hyperuricemia (OR: 2.23 [95% CI: 1.51-3.29]). CONCLUSIONS: Rapid growth in early childhood is associated with risk factors for both cardiovascular outcomes and metabolic outcomes among preschool children. Developing effective prevention and intervention programs for pre-school children might be important to reduce incidence of long-term metabolic and cardiovascular disease as adults.

The study of copy number variations in the regions of PRKAB2 and PPM1K among congenital heart defects patients.

OBJECTIVE: This study was to assess the genetic association of copy number variations in two genes (PRKAB2 and PPM1K) located in two regions (tetralogy of Fallot and ventricular septal defect) in a Chinese Han population. METHODS: A total of 200 congenital heart disease patients (100 tetralogy of Fallot patients and 100 ventricular septal defect patients) and 100 congenital heart defect-free controls were recruited, and quantitative real-time PCR analysis was used to replicate the association of two copy number variations with congenital heart defects in a Chinese Han population. RESULTS: One deletion at PRKAB2 and one duplication at PPM1K were found in two of the tetralogy of Fallot patients, respectively; while all these regions were duplicated in both ventricular septal defect patients and in the 100 congenital heart defects-free controls. CONCLUSIONS: We replicated the copy number variations at the disease-candidate genes of PRKAB2 and PPM1K with tetralogy of Fallot in a Chinese Han population, and in patients with ventricular septal defect mutations in these two genes were not found. These results indicate the same molecular population genetics exist in these two genes with different ethnicity. This shows that these two genes are possibly specific pf tetralogy of Fallot candidates.

The study of copy number variations in the regions of PRKAB2 and PPM1K among congenital heart defects patients

SUMMARY OBJECTIVE: This study was to assess the genetic association of copy number variations in two genes (PRKAB2 and PPM1K) located in two regions (tetralogy of Fallot and ventricular septal defect) in a Chinese Han population. METHODS: A total of 200 congenital heart disease patients (100 tetralogy of Fallot patients and 100 ventricular septal defect patients) and 100 congenital heart defect-free controls were recruited, and quantitative real-time PCR analysis was used to replicate the association of two copy number variations with congenital heart defects in a Chinese Han population. RESULTS: One deletion at PRKAB2 and one duplication at PPM1K were found in two of the tetralogy of Fallot patients, respectively; while all these regions were duplicated in both ventricular septal defect patients and in the 100 congenital heart defects-free controls. CONCLUSIONS: We replicated the copy number variations at the disease-candidate genes of PRKAB2 and PPM1K with tetralogy of Fallot in a Chinese Han population, and in patients with ventricular septal defect mutations in these two genes were not found. These results indicate the same molecular population genetics exist in these two genes with different ethnicity. This shows that these two genes are possibly specific pf tetralogy of Fallot candidates.

RESUMO OBJETIVO: Este estudo teve como objetivo avaliar a associação genética do número de cópias em dois genes (PRKAB2 e PPM1K) localizados em duas regiões (tetralogia de Fallot e comunicação interventricular) em uma população chinesa da etnia Han. METODOLOGIA: Um total de 200 pacientes com doença cardíaca congênita (100 pacientes com tetralogia de Fallot e 100 com comunicação interventricular) e 100 indivíduos livres de defeitos cardíacos congênitos foram recrutados, e uma análise quantitativa de PCR em tempo real foi utilizada para replicar a associação de duas variações de número de cópia de defeitos cardíacos congênitos, em uma população chinesa da etnia Han. RESULTADOS: Uma supressão em PRKAB2 e duplicação em PPM1K foram encontradas em dois pacientes com tetralogia de Fallot, respectivamente; todas essas regiões estavam duplicadas nos pacientes com comunicação interventricular e nos 100 indivíduos livres de defeitos cardíacos congênitos. CONCLUSÃO: Nós replicado a variações no número de cópias de genes candidatos de doença PRKAB2 e PPM1K com tetralogia de Fallot em uma população chinesa da etnia Han; em pacientes com comunicação interventricular, não foram encontradas mutações nesses dois genes. Estes resultados indicam que a mesma genética de população molecular existe nestes dois genes em diferentes etnias. Isso mostra que esses dois genes são possivelmente candidatos a genes específicos de tetralogia de Fallot.

Prevalence of hyperuricemia and its related risk factors among preschool children from China.

To estimate the prevalence of hyperuricemia and its major risk factors among Chinese preschool children. A cross-sectional survey was carried out in six central urban districts of Tianjin from March to June 2015. A cluster sampling was employed to obtain a random sample of preschool children. A total of 4073 children aged from 3 to 6 years participated in this survey. Logistic regression was used to obtain odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals. The overall mean serum uric acid concentrations was 243.0 ± 53.2 µmol/L, corresponding to a mean concentrations of 247.3 ± 53.7 µmol/L among boys and 238.3 ± 52.4 µmol/L among girls. The overall prevalence of serum uric acid ≥ 310 µmol/L among children was 10.1%. Boys, obesity, diastolic blood pressure, and serum triglyceride concentrations were associated with the increased risk of hyperuricemia in univariable models, although the statistically significant association between diastolic blood pressure, serum triglyceride concentrations and hyperuricemia disappeared in multivariable models. The prevalence of hyperuricemia among children aged from 3 to 6 years was relatively high. Several metabolic syndrome components were associated with the risk of hyperuricemia.