Publications by authors named "DeXing Zhang"

Unlabelled: This study aimed to synthesize evidence from primary studies on the acceptability and effectiveness of mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) for improving lifestyle behaviors and body mass index (BMI) in children with overweight or obesity. We conducted a meta-analysis or followed the Synthesis Without Meta-analysis (SWiM) guidelines to synthesize study findings. The analysis included both mindfulness-only interventions and comprehensive behavioral interventions incorporating mindfulness components.

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The misuse of antibiotics in both humans and food-producing animals poses significant risks to human health and contributes to the rise of antibiotic resistance. Raising public awareness is crucial to managing antibiotic resistance, particularly among university students, as they represent a future force in tackling this global issue. A cross-sectional study was conducted from July 2022 to May 2024 in seven cities in Southern and Central China to assess university students' knowledge, attitude, and practice regarding antibiotic use in humans and food-producing animals.

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Background: The Medium and Long-Term Plan for the Prevention and Treatment of Chronic Diseases (2017-2025) in China has highlighted the importance of reducing fat, sodium, and sugar in foods. However, front-of-pack labeling, which enables consumers to assess the health levels of prepackaged foods, is lacking in China. In response to the Zhejiang Provincial Health Commission's request, we sought to develop a method for efficiently evaluating the health level of prepackaged foods.

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Background: It is important to understand the excess risks of symptoms of long COVID when compared to the same symptoms in the general population. We aimed to evaluate the association between coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection and various long-term symptoms.

Methods: We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of studies measuring long COVID symptoms lasting for at least three months after severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection in comparison to non-COVID-19 control groups.

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Background: Validated and comprehensive tools to measure treatment burden are needed for healthcare professionals to understand the treatment burden of patients in China. The study aimed to translate and validate the Chinese version of Patient Experience with Treatment and Self-management (PETS vs. 2.

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  • Previous research did not provide a comprehensive overview of how different types of walking can improve mental health, particularly concerning depression and anxiety.
  • The study conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials to evaluate the effectiveness of walking in reducing these mental health symptoms.
  • Results from 75 trials with over 8,600 participants showed that walking significantly decreases both depressive and anxiety symptoms in adults, regardless of walking frequency, duration, or setting, indicating its broad effectiveness as a mental health intervention.
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  • * A survey of 592 nurses revealed high rates of PTSD (30.6%), stress (80.4%), depression (19.9%), and anxiety (16.4%), with key concerns being personal safety and inadequate resources like isolation wards and protective equipment.
  • * The findings indicated that negative perceptions about protective measures and government response were linked to worse mental health outcomes, highlighting the need for policymakers to provide emotional support to healthcare workers during and after the pandemic.
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Introduction: Emerging evidence supports mindfulness as a potential psychotherapy for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Individuals with subthreshold PTSD experience significant impairment in their daily life and functioning due to PTSD symptoms, despite not meeting the full diagnostic criteria for PTSD in DSM-5. Mindfulness skills, including non-judgmental acceptance, attentional control and openness to experiences may help alleviate PTSD symptoms by targeting characteristics such as intensified memory processing, dysregulated hyperarousal, avoidance, and thought suppression.

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  • * The review systematically assessed how different styles and levels of community engagement affect vaccination rates by reviewing 20 relevant studies from a large pool of articles.
  • * The results indicated that community engagement significantly increased vaccination rates across various studies, particularly for children's immunizations and the HPV vaccine, with notable positive outcomes in both pre-post and between-group comparisons.
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  • The study aimed to evaluate how effective the Self-Help Plus (SH+) program is for reducing stress and mental health issues among healthcare workers.
  • Conducted as a randomized controlled trial, 270 participants who reported psychological stress were split into two groups: one received SH+ and the other served as a control group, with outcomes assessed after 3 months.
  • Results showed that the SH+ group had significantly reduced stress levels and improvements in depression, anxiety, insomnia, positive affect, and self-kindness compared to the control group.
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Background: Prior research has shown that individual lifestyles were associated with migraine. Yet, few studies focused on combined lifestyles, particularly in Chinese populations. This cross-sectional study aimed to investigate the relationships of a combined lifestyle index with migraine in Hong Kong Chinese women.

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Introduction: There is a lack of studies evaluating mindfulness-based interventions for children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) compared with an evidence-based control. This randomized controlled trial (RCT) evaluated the effects of mindfulness for youth (MYmind) in improving children's attention, behavior, and parent-related outcomes versus cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT).

Methods: A total of 138 families of children with ADHD aged 8-12 years were recruited from the community with 69 randomized to MYmind and 69 to CBT.

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  • Identifying individuals at high risk for osteoporosis is crucial for preventing fractures, but current screening tools lack specificity.
  • A new machine learning-based Preclinical Osteoporosis Screening Tool (POST) was developed specifically for the Hong Kong Chinese population, utilizing data from participants aged 45 and older.
  • The POST successfully identified 7 key risk factors and demonstrated a high performance with an AUC of 0.86, offering an accessible and effective method for osteoporosis risk assessment.
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Objectives: To investigate factors concerning patients regarding biological/target synthetic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (b/ts DMARDs) in treating inflammatory arthritis (IA).

Design: This study consists of a systematic review and a cross-sectional survey in Hong Kong. A systematic review of literature following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses was conducted on PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane and Embase between 1 January 2000 and 1 January 2022.

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A comprehensive understanding of phylogeography requires the integration of knowledge across different organisms, ecosystems, and geographic regions. However, a critical knowledge gap exists in the arid biota of the vast Asian drylands. To narrow this gap, here we test an "out-of-Central Asia" hypothesis for the desert scorpion by combining Bayesian phylogeographic reconstruction and ecological niche modeling.

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Objectives: This study examined the associations between adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and diabetes within a social-ecological framework, incorporating personal and environmental unfavorable conditions during childhood from family, school, and community contexts.

Methods: Data were obtained from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (2014 life history survey and 2015 survey), including 9,179 participants aged ≥45 years. ACEs were collected through self-report questionnaires, and participants were categorized based on the number of distinct ACEs experienced (0, 1, 2, 3, or ≥4 ACEs).

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Background: Chronic pain, sleep disorders, and depression are major global health concerns. Recent studies have revealed a strong link between sleep disorders and pain, and each of them is bidirectionally correlated with depressive symptoms, suggesting a complex relationship between these conditions. Social participation has been identified as a potential moderator in this complex relationship, with implications for treatment.

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Multimorbidity has become one of the most pressing public health concerns worldwide. The objectives of this study were to understand the prevalence of multimorbidity and its relationship with lifestyle factors among Chinese adults in Macau, and to investigate the combined contribution of common lifestyle factors in predicting multimorbidity. Data were collected through face-to-face interviews using a self-reported questionnaire on common chronic diseases, lifestyle factors and sociodemographics.

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Background: The use of online and mobile internet and social media has been increasing in healthcare service delivery. However, there is limited literature on the acceptance and use of online health services for older adults with multimorbidity who require more medical care and assistance. This study aims to explore the use of social media in older adults with multimorbidity in Hong Kong primary care and to assess the feasibility and usage of online health services in this population, including satisfaction, preference, and problems encountered.

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Background: Primary care patients, especially those with an older age, are one of the most vulnerable populations for post-COVID-19 symptoms. Identifying predictors of post-COVID symptoms can help identify high-risk individuals for preventive care.

Methods: Out of 977 primary care patients aged 55 years or above with comorbid physical and psychosocial conditions in a prospective cohort in Hong Kong, 207 patients infected in the previous 5-24 weeks were included.

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Exploring efficient cocatalysts capable of accelerating surface catalytic reaction is of great significance for the development of solar-driven hydrogen production. Herein, on the basis of NiFe hydroxide, we developed a series of Pt doped NiFe-based cocatalysts to promote the photocatalytic hydrogen production of graphitic carbon nitride (g-C N ). We find that the Pt doping can trigger phase reconstruction of NiFe hydroxide and lead to the formation of NiFe bicarbonate, which displays higher catalytic activity toward hydrogen evolution reaction (HER).

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Water flux across cells predominantly occurs through the pore formed by the aquaporin channels. Since water balance is one of the most important challenges to terrestrial animals, aquaporin evolution and diversity is known to play roles in animal terrestrialisation. Arachnids (Arthropoda: Chelicerata: Arachnida) are the second most diverse group and represent the pioneer land colonists in animals; however, there remains no thorough investigation on aquaporin evolution and diversity in this evolutionarily important lineage.

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Introduction: Although social isolation is associated with premature death and somatic and mental diseases, evidence of its long-term effect on sarcopenia is scarce. This study aimed to examine the longitudinal association between social isolation and possible sarcopenia.

Methods: We extracted baseline and 4-year follow-up data from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study and included participants aged 45 years or above.

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In order to investigate the feasibility of in vitro screening the antitumor activity of natural compounds by trypsin, porcine trypsin was used to for screening test, which is marked by inhibition of enzyme activity. Four compounds, namely daidzin, genistin, matrine and oxymatrine, were selected as test subjects. The natural antitumor drug camptothecin was used as the control.

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This study aimed to examine the effects of an adapted physical activity (APA) intervention on health-related physical fitness (HRPF) in adolescents with intellectual disability (ID). With a randomized controlled trial design, adolescents aged 12-18 years, with mild and moderate ID, and being overweight and obese were recruited and randomly assigned to either an intervention or a control group. The APA intervention consisted of overall moderate intensity aerobic and resistance exercise, with a duration of 45 min/session, a frequency of 2 sessions/week, and lasting for 9 months.

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