How does family functioning contribute to academic-related outcomes of Chinese adolescents: the mediating role of spirituality.

While family functioning is crucial to adolescent developmental outcomes, the mediating role of spirituality in the relationship between family functioning and academic-related outcomes of adolescents has been sparsely explored, particularly in non-Western contexts. To address this gap, based on a short-term longitudinal study, we examined the influence of family functioning on the academic values and academic anxiety of 4,981 Chinese adolescents in Sichuan, China, with spirituality as the mediator. We gathered data from students aged 11 and above at Wave 1 and at six months later (Wave 2).

Psychometric properties of the Chinese Family Assessment Instrument: evidence from mainland China.

Regarding the assessment of family functioning in Chinese people, there are several research gaps. First, although there are some instruments in the field, there are very few validated instruments. Second, while some translated measures have been developed, there are very few assessment tools based on indigenous Chinese concepts.

Impact of Family Functioning on Adolescent Materialism and Egocentrism in Mainland China: Positive Youth Development Attributes as a Mediator.

Although adolescent materialism and egocentrism are growing problems in Chinese societies, there are very few studies investigating their predictors and related mediators. Longitudinal studies in this area are also sparse. Based on a short-term longitudinal study (n = 4981), we assessed the impact of family functioning on materialism and egocentrism of Chinese adolescents, with positive youth development attributes as a hypothesized mediating factor.

Professional Development for Teachers of Gifted Education in Hong Kong: Instrument Validation and Training Effectiveness.

Project GIFT is a pioneer research-based gifted education program which has been found to be effective in fostering holistic development of students in Hong Kong. Nevertheless, little is known whether the Project is beneficial to teachers. To investigate the changes in teachers after participating in the Project, we adopted a quasi-experimental design with pretest and posttest data collected from experimental and control groups in this study.

Development and Evaluation of a Pioneer School-Based Gifted Education Program (Project GIFT) for Primary and Secondary Students in Hong Kong.

In this study, we used a quasi-experimental research design with pretest and post-test data collected from an experimental group and a control group to investigate changes in students after participating in a school-based gifted education program (Project GIFT) in Hong Kong. There were 3207 successfully matched students (3rd to 9th graders) joining the Level 1 program (for all students) alone or both the Level 1 program and Level 2 program (for gifted students). Participants of the experimental and control groups completed validated measures on creativity, multiple intelligences, gifted characteristics, self-efficacy, psychological well-being, and satisfaction with life before and after participating in the program(s).

The myopia susceptibility locus vasoactive intestinal peptide receptor 2 (VIPR2) contains variants with opposite effects.

Myopia is the commonest eye disorder in the world. High myopes are predisposed to ocular pathologies. The vasoactive intestinal peptide receptor 2 (VIPR2) gene was identified as a myopia susceptibility locus by our group and another group.

Hydrogen peroxide induced tendinopathic changes in a rat model of patellar tendon injury.

Tendinopathy includes cases with chronic tendon pain and spontaneous tendon ruptures, which is putatively resulted from failed tendon healing. Overuse is a major risk factor of tendinopathy, which can impose mechanical and oxidative stress to tendons. Previous studies investigated the influences of mechanical stress, but the direct impact of oxidative stress on tendon healing remains unclear.

Integrative Approach to Facilitate Fracture Healing: Topical Chinese Herbal Paste with Oral Strontium Ranelate.

Strontium ranelate (SrR) is one of the pharmaceutical agents reported to be effective on the promotion of fracture healing. This study aimed to evaluate the integrative effect of the oral SrR with a topical Chinese herbal paste, namely, CDR, on facilitation of bone healing. The efficacy was evaluated using rats with tibial fracture.

Genetic Association Study of Polymorphisms with High Myopia.

Identification of genetic variations related to high myopia may advance our knowledge of the etiopathogenesis of refractive error. This study investigated the role of potassium channel gene polymorphisms in high myopia. We performed a case-control study of 1563 unrelated Han Chinese subjects (809 cases of high myopia and 754 emmetropic controls).

Effects of Redox Modulation on Cell Proliferation, Viability, and Migration in Cultured Rat and Human Tendon Progenitor Cells.

Tendon healing is slow and usually results in inferior fibrotic tissue formation. Recently, application of tendon derived stem cells (TDSCs) improved tendon healing in animal studies. In a chicken model, local injection of antioxidants reduced tendon adhesion after tendon injury.

Whole extracts of Radix Achyranthis Bidentatae and Radix Cyathulae promote angiogenesis in human umbilical vein endothelial cells and in zebrafish .

Although Radix Achyranthis Bidentatae (RAB) and Radix Cyathulae (RC) are from two different medicinal plants, they are both used as 'Niu-Xi', a widely used traditional Chinese medicine that is believed to stimulate menstruation and affect bone injury. Angiogenesis is actively involved in treating these illnesses. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether the whole extracts of RAB and RC possess pro-angiogenic effects.

The Safety of the Thenar Portal: An Anatomical Study of the Thumb Carpometacarpal Arthroscopy.

 To define the localization of the distal course of the motor branches of median nerve (MBMN) and its arborization and its quantitative relationships to the thenar portal of the carpometacarpal (CMC) joint in the hope of evaluating the safety of this portal.  In 16 embalmed cadaveric upper extremities, the localization of the course of the MBMN and its arborization were defined. In 14 fresh-frozen cadaver upper extremities, the CMC arthroscopic portals, 1-U, 1-R, and a thenar portal, were established, after which the limbs were dissected.

Local administration of Trolox, a vitamin E analog, reduced tendon adhesion in a chicken model of flexor digitorum profundus tendon injury.

Background: Hand flexor tendon injuries are compromised with tendon adhesion. Tendon adhesion forms between flexor tendon and tendon sheath, reduces the range of motion of fingers, and affects their function. Oxidative stress is increased in flexor tendon after injury and might play a role in tendon adhesion formation.

Pathway analysis of complex diseases for GWAS, extending to consider rare variants, multi-omics and interactions.

Background: Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) is a major method for studying the genetics of complex diseases. Finding all sequence variants to explain fully the aetiology of a disease is difficult because of their small effect sizes. To better explain disease mechanisms, pathway analysis is used to consolidate the effects of multiple variants, and hence increase the power of the study.

The Course of the Terminal Posterior Interosseous Nerve and Its Relationship with Wrist Arthroscopy Portals.

 The terminal branches of the posterior interosseous nerve (PIN) are the main articular branch on the dorsal aspect of the wrist. Its relationship to dorsal wrist arthroscopic portals has not yet been elucidated. The purpose of this study was to quantitatively describe the anatomical relationships between the dorsal wrist arthroscopic portals and the PIN.

Intra-articular injection of an antioxidant formulation did not improve structural degeneration in a rat model of post-traumatic osteoarthritis.

Background/objective: Oxidative stress plays an important role in osteoarthritis (OA), causing inflammation and matrix degradation in joints. Previous studies have shown that antioxidants such as quercetin and vitamin C are potential candidates for treating OA. We aimed to determine whether a formulation of quercetin and vitamin C, together with an iron chelator, could retard OA progression in a post-traumatic OA rat model.

Identification of myopia-associated WNT7B polymorphisms provides insights into the mechanism underlying the development of myopia.

Myopia can cause severe visual impairment. Here, we report a two-stage genome-wide association study for three myopia-related traits in 9,804 Japanese individuals, which was extended with trans-ethnic replication in 2,674 Chinese and 2,690 Caucasian individuals. We identify WNT7B as a novel susceptibility gene for axial length (rs10453441, Pmeta=3.

Evaluation of a topical herbal agent for the promotion of bone healing.

A topically used Chinese herbal paste, namely, CDNR, was designed to facilitate fracture healing which is usually not addressed in general hospital care. From our in vitro studies, CDNR significantly inhibited the release of nitric oxide from RAW264.7 cells by 51 to 77%.

Preclinical evaluations on the efficacy of a topical Chinese herbal formula for swelling control and pain relief.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Patients suffering from musculoskeletal pain and swellings occupy many hospital beds and demand many rehabilitation facilities. Chinese Medicine is offering many alternatives to ameliorate pain and swelling. However, evidence-based scientific publications supporting their efficacy on pain relief are inadequate.

Pro-angiogenic effects of Carthami Flos whole extract in human microvascular endothelial cells in vitro and in zebrafish in vivo.

Aim: Carthami Flos (CF) is a Chinese herb traditionally used for cardiovascular disease and bone injury in China with pharmacological effects on improving blood circulation. The aim of this study was to investigate the angiogenic potential of CF whole extract (extracted by boiling with water, followed by ethanol) and the underlying mechanisms in human microvascular endothelial cells (HMEC-1) in vitro and in transgenic TG(fli1:EGFP)(y1)/+(AB) zebrafish with transgenic endothelial cells expressing EGFP (Enhanced Green Fluorescent Protein) in vivo.

Methods: Effects of CF whole extract on cell proliferation, migration and tube formation in HMEC-1 cells in vitro were detected by MTT assay, wound healing assay and tube formation assay.

Effect of anti-osteoporotic agents on the prevention of bone loss in unloaded bone.

Pharmaceutical countermeasures to treat disuse osteoporosis are rarely studied. Pharmaceutical studies for the treatment and prevention of osteoporosis depend on the ovariectomized rat model, which is a suitable model for the disease in women. Disuse osteoporosis affects men and women, but there is lack of awareness and relevant pharmaceutical studies for this condition.

Local vitamin-C injection reduced tendon adhesion in a chicken model of flexor digitorum profundus tendon injury.

Background: Adhesion formation is a complication of hand flexor tendon repair. Normal gliding function of flexor tendons can be impaired by an excessive fibrotic response, which may be caused by intraoperative and postoperative hemorrhage. As tissue damage and hemorrhage can disturb redox regulation, thereby favoring fibrotic responses, the purpose of this study was to investigate if antioxidants can reduce tendon adhesion by antagonizing oxidative stress.

Arthroscopic reconstruction of triangular fibrocartilage complex (TFCC) with tendon graft for chronic DRUJ instability.

Purpose: To report the 10-years' experience of a novel arthroscopic assisted anatomical TFCC reconstruction in treatment of chronic DRUJ instability resulting from irreparable TFCC injuries.

Materials And Methods: 15 patients (7 males, 8 females) with mean age of 37 (17-49) suffering from irreparable TFCC injuries received arthroscopic assisted reconstruction using palmaris longus graft. Three skin incisions were made with creation of one radial and one ulna tunnel for passage of graft following the path of dorsal and palmar radio-ulnar ligaments under fluoroscopic and arthroscopic guidance.

In Vivo Study on the Pharmacological Interactions between a Chinese Herbal Formula ELP and Antiresorptive Drugs to Counteract Osteoporosis.

Antiresorptive drugs, alendronate and raloxifene, are effective in lowering bone mineral density (BMD) loss in postmenopausal women. However, long-term treatment may be associated with serious side effects. Our research group has recently discovered that a Chinese herbal formula, ELP, could significantly reduce BMD loss in animal and human studies.

Sushi hand roll dressing for thumb polydactyly.

Surgery for thumb polydactyly is a commonly performed orthopaedic procedure in Asia Pacific region. Despite extensive publications on topical dressing methods and dressing materials in paediatric wounds, there is no single design that affords a secure and yet comfortable post-operative wound dressing for thumb polydactyly. We have devised a new dressing method, which can easily be fabricated for such purpose from readily available materials in operation theatre.