Determinants of depression and anxiety in informal waste pickers: a cross-sectional study of informal waste pickers in Hong Kong.

Background: There are growing global concerns about informal waste pickers and their health issues. This cross-sectional study drew on the structural violence theory to examine the mental health situation of informal waste pickers in Hong Kong and identified the determinants of depression and anxiety in them ranging from individual to societal and governmental levels.

Method: The data from the largest territory-wide study of informal waste pickers in 2023 was analysed.

Socioeconomic inequalities in psychosocial well-being among adolescents under the COVID-19 pandemic: a cross-regional comparative analysis in Hong Kong, mainland China, and the Netherlands.

Background: Despite evidence on socioeconomic inequalities in psychosocial well-being of adolescents under the COVID-19 pandemic, the explanatory factors and their potential variations across contexts remained understudied. Hence, this cross-regional study compared the extent of inequalities and the mediating pathways across Hong Kong, Mainland China, and the Netherlands.

Methods: Between July 2021 and January 2022, 25 secondary schools from diverse socioeconomic background were purposively sampled from Hong Kong, Zhejiang (Mainland China), and Limburg (the Netherlands).

Secular trends of life expectancy and disability-free life expectancy at age 65 and associated gender and area-level socioeconomic inequalities in Hong Kong: a serial cross-sectional study between 2007 and 2020.

Background: Despite Hong Kong's world leading longevity, little is known about its associated disability burden and social patterning. Hence, this study assessed the gender-specific secular trends and area-level inequalities in life expectancy (LE) and disability-free life expectancy (DFLE) at age 65 in Hong Kong.

Methods: Population structure, death records, and disability data in 2007, 2013, and 2020 were retrieved from the Census and Statistics Department to estimate LE and DFLE using the Sullivan Method.

Experience of South and Southeast Asian minority women in Hong Kong during COVID-19 pandemic: a qualitative study.

Background: Hong Kong has a relatively low incidence rate of COVID-19 across the globe. Nevertheless, ethnic minorities in Hong Kong, especially South Asians (SAs) and Southeast Asians (SEAs), face numerous physical, mental, social, economic, cultural and religious challenges during the pandemic. This study explores the experiences of SA and SEA women in a predominantly Chinese metropolitan city.

Socioeconomic inequality in the worsening of psychosocial wellbeing disrupted social conditions during COVID-19 among adolescents in Hong Kong: self-resilience matters.

Background: Adolescents, especially the socioeconomically disadvantaged, are facing devastating psychosocial impact of the COVID-19 pandemic during their critical developmental period. This study aims to (i) examine the socioeconomic patterning of the worsening of psychosocial wellbeing, (ii) delineate the underlying mediating factors (i.e.

Determinants of depression and anxiety in homeless people: A population survey of homeless people in Hong Kong.

Background: There are growing concerns about the homeless and mental health issues globally. This study aims to examine the mental health situation of homelessness and the determinants of anxiety and depression of them in Hong Kong.

Method: The data from the largest territory-wide study of the homeless population in 2021 was analyzed.

The impact of trust in government on pandemic management on the compliance with voluntary COVID-19 vaccination policy among adolescents after social unrest in Hong Kong.

Background: The launch of COVID-19 vaccines among students provides an opportunity to re-open schools safely. Nonetheless, under the voluntary vaccination policy, the lack of trust in government since the unprecedented massive social unrest in Hong Kong may hinder the vaccination progress. This study aims to assess the impact of trust in government regarding pandemic management on the willingness, uptake, and intention of COVID-19 vaccination among students in Hong Kong.

Mitigating inequalities in community care needs of older adults with dementia: a qualitative case study of an integrated model of community care operated under the proportionate universalism principle.

Background: Population ageing and community care on older adults, as well as the marked social inequalities in health, have received growing concern by the government and the community. This study evaluated the medico-social integrated day care model of the Cadenza Hub for older adults with dementia. We also examined whether services subsidized by the publicly funded graded financial support of the Community Care Service Voucher for the Elderly (CCSV) could mitigate social inequalities in community care needs, from the perspective of the caregivers.

Inequalities in Psychiatric Morbidity in Hong Kong and Strategies for Mitigation.

This study explores the social gradient of psychiatric morbidity. The Hong Kong Mental Morbidity Survey (HKMMS), consisting of 5719 Chinese adults aged 16 to 75 years, was used. The Chinese version of the Revised Clinical Interview Schedule (CIS-R) was employed for psychiatric assessment of common mental disorders (CMD).

Socioeconomic inequality in mental well-being associated with COVID-19 containment measures in a low-incidence Asian globalized city.

The COVID-19 pandemic exposes and amplifies pre-existing inequalities even in places with relatively well-controlled outbreaks such as Hong Kong. This study aimed to explore whether the socioeconomically disadvantaged fare worse via various types of worry in terms of their mental health and well-being. Between September and October 2020, 1067 adults in Hong Kong were recruited via a cross-sectional population-wide telephone survey.

The mediating role of individual-level social capital among worries, mental health and subjective well-being among adults in Hong Kong during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic has substantially induced worries and affected individual mental health and subjective well-being. Nonetheless, a high level of social capital could potentially protect individuals who suffer from mental health problems and thus promote their subjective well-being, especially under the social distancing policies during the pandemic. To this end, based on a random sample of 1053 Hong Kong adults, structural equation modeling was applied to study the path relationships between the worries of COVID-19, social capital, mental health problems, and subjective well-being.

Long Working Hours, Precarious Employment and Anxiety Symptoms Among Working Chinese Population in Hong Kong.

This study aimed to examine the association between working hours and anxiety of a working population in Hong Kong. We used a cross sectional data from a population-based household survey of Hong Kong Chinese adults. Key measures included employment status, skill level, working hours, length of stay at current job and anxiety level.

Differential Impacts of Multimorbidity on COVID-19 Severity across the Socioeconomic Ladder in Hong Kong: A Syndemic Perspective.

The severity of COVID-19 infections could be exacerbated by the epidemic of chronic diseases and underlying inequalities in social determinants of health. Nonetheless, there is scanty evidence in regions with a relatively well-controlled outbreak. This study examined the socioeconomic patterning of COVID-19 severity and its effect modification with multimorbidity in Hong Kong.

Association of living density with anxiety and stress: A cross-sectional population study in Hong Kong.

This study aims to enrich the comprehension of the effect of living density on anxiety and stress among adults in a global city. A random sample of 1,978 Hong Kong adults was interviewed in a cross-sectional population study in 2014-2015. Descriptive statistics and logistic regressions were used to investigate the association between housing variables and mental health indicators, namely, anxiety and stress.

cDNA cloning and mRNA expression of retinoid-X-receptor in the ovary of the shrimp Metapenaeus ensis.

Retinoid-X-receptor (RXR) plays an essential role in the molting process of decapod crustaceans, by forming a heterodimeric complex with the ecdysteroid receptor. However, its role during female reproduction, especially in the process of ovarian maturation, has not been characterized. To get an insight into the molecular events governing the process of ovarian maturation in shrimps, the full-length cDNA of RXR from Metapenaeus ensis was cloned by extension of truncated cDNA by using the RACE technique.

The effects of farnesoic acid and 20-hydroxyecdysone on vitellogenin gene expression in the lobster, Homarus americanus, and possible roles in the reproductive process.

Reproduction in female lobster (Homarus americanus) is characterized by the maturation of the ovary, with a gradual increase in its size as a result of uptake of yolk protein precursor, vitellogenin (Vg) to the final product vitellin (Vn). Vn is formed by aggregation of several Vg subunits. In most decapods, the hepatopancreas is the major site of vitellogenin biosynthesis.

Cloning, characterization and expression analysis of a CXCR1-like gene from mandarin fish Siniperca chuatsi.

In this study we cloned and characterized a CXCR1-like gene (mfCXCR1) from mandarin fish (Siniperca chuatsi). The full-length cDNA of mfCXCR1 is 2,173 bp and contains a 1,056 bp open reading frame (ORF) that encodes a protein of 351 amino acids. The 5' and 3' untranslated regions (UTR) are 57 and 1,080 bp in length, respectively.

Cloning and expression study of the lobster (Homarus americanus) vitellogenin: Conservation in gene structure among decapods.

This study reports the molecular characterization of the vitellogenin (Vg) of the lobster, Homarus americanus. Based on the annual collection of female lobsters, vitellogenesis commences in early March and continues through to September of each year. Using an antibody to vitellin of the lobster, H.

A novel C-type lectin from the shrimp Litopenaeus vannamei possesses anti-white spot syndrome virus activity.

C-type lectins play key roles in pathogen recognition, innate immunity, and cell-cell interactions. Here, we report a new C-type lectin (C-type lectin 1) from the shrimp Litopenaeus vannamei (LvCTL1), which has activity against the white spot syndrome virus (WSSV). LvCTL1 is a 156-residue polypeptide containing a C-type carbohydrate recognition domain with an EPN (Glu(99)-Pro(100)-Asn(101)) motif that has a predicted ligand binding specificity for mannose.

PmLT, a C-type lectin specific to hepatopancreas is involved in the innate defense of the shrimp Penaeus monodon.

A diverse class of proteins called lectins plays a major role in shrimp innate immunity. In this study, the cDNA encoding a C-type lectin of Penaeus monodon (PmLT) was cloned, and its potential role examined. Despite the low overall amino acid sequence identity with other animal lectins, PmLT includes conserved carbohydrate recognition domains (CRDs) characteristic of animal C-type lectins.

Development of an RT-PCR detection method for mud crab reovirus.

Mud crab reovirus (MCRV) causes high mortality in the cultivated mud crab. To control better an outbreak of this virus, a rapid, specific and sensitive detection method based on RT-PCR was developed. The MCRV detection method was designed based on the one-step and two-step RT-PCR which resulted in the amplification of predicted products of 433 and 304 bp.

Characterization of the putative farnesoic acid O-methyltransferase (LvFAMeT) cDNA from white shrimp, Litopenaeus vannamei: Evidence for its role in molting.

Methyl farnesoate (MF) is the crustacean homolog of the insect juvenile hormone and is believed to regulate growth and reproduction in crustaceans. Farnesoic acid O-methyltransferase (FAMeT) catalyzes the conversion of farnesoic acid (FA) to MF. Here we report the cloning and characterization of two forms of FAMeTs (i.