Bidirectional Cross-Linguistic Association of Phonological Skills and Reading Comprehension: Evidence From Hong Kong Chinese-English Bilingual Readers.

This study examined the roles of first-language (L1) Chinese and second-language (L2) English phonological skills in English and Chinese reading comprehension, respectively, and their association with reading comprehension difficulties among Hong Kong Chinese-English bilingual children. We tested 258 second graders on nonverbal intelligence, working memory, phonological skills, word reading, and reading comprehension, in both Chinese and English. Structural equation modeling analyses revealed that Chinese phonological skills contributed to English reading comprehension both directly and indirectly, through the mediation of English phonological skills and English word reading.

Nature Does Not Always Give You a Helping Hand: Comparing the Prosocial Effects of Nature at Different Resource and Security Levels.

Humans become more prosocial after nature exposure. We proposed that the prosocial effect pertains to resource (e.g.

Targeting VEGF/VEGFRs Pathway in the Antiangiogenic Treatment of Human Cancers by Traditional Chinese Medicine.

Bearing in mind the doctrine of tumor angiogenesis hypothesized by Folkman several decades ago, the fundamental strategy for alleviating numerous cancer indications may be the strengthening application of notable antiangiogenic therapies to inhibit metastasis-related tumor growth. Under physiological conditions, vascular sprouting is a relatively infrequent event unless when specifically stimulated by pathogenic factors that contribute to the accumulation of angiogenic activators such as the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) family and basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF). Since VEGFs have been identified as the principal cytokine to initiate angiogenesis in tumor growth, synthetic VEGF-targeting medicines containing bevacizumab and sorafenib have been extensively used, but prominent side effects have concomitantly emerged.

Using the Woman Abuse Screening Tool to Screen for and Assess Dating Violence in College Students.

The study aimed to evaluate the measurement properties of the Woman Abuse Screening Tool (WAST) in Chinese college students. A cross-sectional survey was conducted in Hong Kong. A cutoff score of 10 was found to be able to discriminate between abused and nonabused Chinese young adults.

Associations Between Waiting Times, Service Times, and Patient Satisfaction in an Endocrinology Outpatient Department: A Time Study and Questionnaire Survey.

The issue of long patient waits has attracted increasing public attention due to the negative effects of waiting on patients' satisfaction with health care. The present study examined the associations between actual waiting time, perceived acceptability of waiting time, actual service time, perceived acceptability of service time, actual visit duration, and the level of patient satisfaction with care. We conducted a cross-sectional time study and questionnaire survey of endocrinology outpatients visiting a major teaching hospital in China.

Helping Others by First Affirming the Self: When Self-Affirmation Reduces Ego-Defensive Downplaying of Others' Misfortunes.

We show that self-affirmation increases helping behavior toward others in need. We argue that as awareness of others' pain causes discomfort, individuals are often motivated to ignore information about such pain. However, ignoring others' suffering implies that one is not a good and caring person, which presents a threat to self-integrity.

An Exploratory Study on University Students' Perceptions of Posthumous Organ Donation Base on the Theory of Reasoned Action.

In view of the general support for organ donation but low registration rate in Hong Kong, the present research attempted to understand the attitude-behavior inconsistency by identifying the underlying beliefs for organ donation through employing the theory of reasoned action. A qualitative approach using semi-structured focus groups was adopted and 19 students from three universities in Hong Kong participated; 10 constructs were identified: attitude, subjective norm, helping, continuation, contribution, body intact, distrust to the medical system, indifference to organ donation, negative affect, and family burden. Findings suggested that their attitudes toward organ donation were of both the cognitive and affective nature; subjective norm of family, friends, and people they respect were identified as influential to students' views on organ donation.

Applications of Three-Dimensional Printing in Surgery.

Three-dimensional (3D) printing is a rapidly advancing technology in the field of surgery. This article reviews its contemporary applications in 3 aspects of surgery, namely, surgical planning, implants and prostheses, and education and training. Three-dimensional printing technology can contribute to surgical planning by depicting precise personalized anatomy and thus a potential improvement in surgical outcome.

Propositional Versus Dual-Process Accounts of Evaluative Conditioning: I. The Effects of Co-Occurrence and Relational Information on Implicit and Explicit Evaluations.

Evaluative conditioning (EC) is defined as the change in the evaluation of a conditioned stimulus (CS) due to its pairing with a valenced unconditioned stimulus (US). According to propositional accounts, EC effects should be qualified by the relation between the CS and the US. Dual-process accounts suggest that relational information should qualify EC effects on explicit evaluations, whereas implicit evaluations should reflect the frequency of CS-US co-occurrences.

Culturally Relevant Protective and Risk Factors of Youth Risk Behaviors Among Pakistani and Indian Students in Hong Kong: A Focus Group Study.

Purpose: The risk behaviors of Hong Kong ethnic minority students are understudied. This exploratory qualitative study aimed to explore culturally nuanced factors for the development and prevention of risk behaviors among Pakistani and Indian students in Hong Kong.

Method: Twenty-three students participated in four focus groups.

Solving the "Personhood Jigsaw Puzzle" in Residential Care Homes for the Elderly in the Hong Kong Chinese Context.

End-of-life care studies on the nature of personhood are bourgeoning; however, the practices utilized for achieving personhood in end-of-life care, particularly in a cultural context in which interdependent being and collectivism prevail, remain underexplored. This study seeks to examine and conceptualize good practices for achieving the personhood of the dying elderly in residential care homes in a Chinese context. Twelve interviews were conducted with both medical and social care practitioners in four care homes to collect narratives of practitioners' practices.

Comprehensive and Holistic Analysis of HT-29 Colorectal Cancer Cells and Tumor-Bearing Nude Mouse Model: Interactions Among Fractions Derived From the Chinese Medicine Formula Tian Xian Liquid in Effects on Human Colorectal Carcinoma.

The Chinese medicine formula Tian Xian Liquid (TXL) has been used clinically for cancer therapy in China for more than 25 years. However, the comprehensive and holistic effects of its bioactive fractions for various antitumor therapeutic effects have not been unraveled. This is the first study to scientifically elucidate the holistic effect of Chinese medicine formula for treating colon cancer, hence allowing a better understanding of the essence of Chinese medicine formula, through the comparison of the actions of TXL and its functional constituent fractions, including ethyl acetate (EA), butanol (BU), and aqueous (WA) fractions.

Evaluation of the Psychometric Properties of the Asian Adolescent Depression Scale and Construction of a Short Form: An Item Response Theory Analysis.

The present study applied item response theory to examine the psychometric properties of the Asian Adolescent Depression Scale and to construct a short form among 1,084 teenagers recruited from secondary schools in Hong Kong. Findings suggested that some items of the full form reflected higher levels of severity and were more discriminating than others, and the Asian Adolescent Depression Scale was useful in measuring a broad range of depressive severity in community youths. Differential item functioning emerged in several items where females reported higher depressive severity than males.

Family Polyvictimization and Elevated Levels of Addiction and Psychopathology Among Parents in a Chinese Household Sample.

When studying the co-occurring victimization within a family, current literature often focuses on individual violence and fails to cover more than two forms of violence. This study fills the research gap by using families, instead of individuals, as units and investigating the prevalence of family polyvictimization. Family polyvictimization is defined as the co-occurrence of child victimization, intimate partner violence (IPV) between parents, and elder abuse within a family.

ADHD Drug Prescribing Trend Is Increasing Among Children and Adolescents in Hong Kong.

Objective: To investigate the prevalence of ADHD medication prescribing of school-aged children in Hong Kong (HK) from 2001 to 2013 and to compare with other countries.

Method: Using the Hong Kong Hospital Authority Clinical Data Analysis and Reporting System, we investigated the epidemiology and prevalence of ADHD medication prescribing.

Results: The prevalence of children on ADHD medication increased 14 times throughout the study period-0.

Sport Participation of Hong Kong Chinese Children with Disabilities in Special Schools.

The purpose was to examine sport participation (excluding physical education classes) of school-aged Chinese children with disabilities attending special schools in Hong Kong. A sample of 237 children, ages 9 to 19, attending 10 special schools in Hong Kong, responded to a sport participation questionnaire in individual interviews. Data were analyzed by gender, two school levels, and five disability types.