Effect of Mobile Phone Addiction on Physical Exercise in University Students: Moderating Effect of Peer Relationships

Objective: The influence of mobile phone addiction (MPA) on physical exercise in university students was explored, and peer relationships were introduced as a moderating variable. Methods: A cross-sectional study design was adopted, and an online survey questionnaire was conducted to investigate two universities in Nantong City, Jiangsu Province, and Chongzuo City, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. A total of 4959 university students completed the questionnaire. Measurement tools included the Mobile Phone Addiction Tendency Scale, the Physical Activity Rating Scale, and the Peer Rating Scale of university students. Results: University students scored 39.322 ± 15.139 for MPA and 44.022 ± 7.735 for peer relationships, with 87.8% of their physical exercise, in terms of exercise grade, being classified as medium or low intensity. The MPA of the university students was negatively correlated with peer relationships (r = −0.377, p < 0.001) and physical exercise behavior (r = −0.279, p < 0.001). The moderating effect of peer relationships on the MPA-physical exercise behavior relationship was significant (ΔR2 = 0.03, p < 0.001). Conclusions: The physical exercise of university students was at a medium or low intensity. The more serious the university students’ addiction to mobile phones was, the lower the amount of physical exercise. The physical activity of males was higher than that of females. MPA and peer relationships were the limiting factors of the physical exercise behavior of university students. Under the lower effect of peer relationship regulation, MPA had a greater negative impact on physical exercise behavior. The data from this research can provide theoretical support to improve the participation of university students in physical activities

Age-specific association of stage of hypertension at diagnosis with cardiovascular and all-cause mortality among elderly patients with hypertension: a cohort study

Abstract Background Hypertension affects 31.1% of adults worldwide, with higher prevalence of great than 60% in elderly. Advanced hypertension stage was associated with the higher risk of mortality. However, little is known about the age-specific association of stage of hypertension at diagnosis on cardiovascular mortality or all-cause mortality. Therefore, we aim to explore this age-specific association among the hypertensive elderly through stratified and interaction analyses. Methods This cohort study included 125,978 elderly hypertensive patients aged 60+ years from Shanghai of China. Cox regression was used to estimate the independent and joint effect of hypertension stage and age at diagnosis on cardiovascular and all-cause mortality. Interactions were evaluated both additively and multiplicatively. Multiplicative interaction was examined by the Wald test of the interaction term. Additive interaction was assessed by relative excess risk due to interaction (RERI). All analyses were performed stratified by sex. Results 28,250 patients died during the follow-up up to 8.85 years, and 13,164 died of cardiovascular events. Older age and advanced hypertension stage were risk factors of cardiovascular mortality and all-cause mortality. Besides, smoking, rarely exercise, BMI < 18.5 and diabetes were also the risk factors. When we compared stage 3 hypertension with stage 1 hypertension, hazard ratios (95% confidence interval) of cardiovascular mortality and all-cause mortality were 1.56(1.41–1.72) and 1.29(1.21–1.37) for males aged 60–69 years, 1.25(1.14–1.36) and 1.13(1.06–1.20) for males aged 70–85 years, 1.48(1.32–1.67) and 1.29(1.19–1.40) for females aged 60–69 years, and 1.19(1.10–1.29) and 1.08(1.01–1.15) for females aged 70–85 years, respectively. Negative multiplicative interaction and positive additive interaction between age at diagnosis and stage of hypertension at diagnosis on cardiovascular mortality were observed in males (HR: 0.81, 95% CI: 0.71–0.93 RERI: 0.59, 95% CI: 0.09–1.07) and females (HR: 0.81, 95% CI: 0.70–0.93 RERI: 0.66, 95% CI: 0.10–1.23). Conclusions Diagnosed with stage 3 hypertension was associated with higher risks of cardiovascular mortality and all-cause mortality, which were stronger among patients with age at diagnosis of 60–69 years compared with those with age at diagnosis of 70–85 years. Therefore, for the younger part of the elderly, the Department of Health should pay more attention to treating patients with stage 3 hypertension

In vitro spatially organizing the differentiation in individual multicellular stem cell aggregates

With significant potential as a robust source to produce specific somatic cells for regenerative medicine, stem cells have attracted increasing attention from both academia and government. In vivo, stem cell differentiation is a process under complicated regulations to precisely build tissue with unique spatial structures. Since multicellular spheroidal aggregates of stem cells, commonly called as embryoid bodies (EBs), are considered to be capable of recapitulating the events in early stage of embryonic development, a variety of methods have been developed to form EBs in vitro for studying differentiation of embryonic stem cells. The regulation of stem cell differentiation is crucial in directing stem cells to build tissue with the correct spatial architecture for specific functions. However, stem cells within the three-dimensional multicellular aggregates undergo differentiation in a less unpredictable and spatially controlled manner in vitro than in vivo. Recently, various microengineering technologies have been developed to manipulate stem cells in vitro in a spatially controlled manner. Herein, we take the spotlight on these technologies and researches that bring us the new potential for manipulation of stem cells for specific purposes

Resveratrol inhibits lipid accumulation in the intestine of atherosclerotic mice and macrophages

Disordered intestinal metabolism is highly correlated with atherosclerotic diseases. Resveratrol protects against atherosclerotic diseases. Accordingly, this study aims to discover novel intestinal proatherosclerotic metabolites and potential therapeutic targets related to the anti-atherosclerotic effects of resveratrol. An untargeted metabolomics approach was employed to discover novel intestinal metabolic disturbances during atherosclerosis and resveratrol intervention. We found that multiple intestinal metabolic pathways were significantly disturbed during atherosclerosis and responsive to resveratrol intervention. Notably, resveratrol abolished intestinal fatty acid and monoglyceride accumulation in atherosclerotic mice. Meanwhile, oleate accumulation was one of the most prominent alterations in intestinal metabolism. Moreover, resveratrol attenuated oleate-triggered accumulation of total cholesterol, esterified cholesterol and neutral lipids in mouse RAW 264.7 macrophages by activating ABC transporter A1/G1-mediated cholesterol efflux through PPAR (peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor) alpha/gamma activation. Furthermore, we confirmed that PPAR alpha and PPAR gamma activation by WY14643 and pioglitazone, respectively, alleviated oleate-induced accumulation of total cholesterol, esterified cholesterol and neutral lipids by accelerating ABC transporter A1/G1-mediated cholesterol efflux. This study provides the first evidence that resveratrol abolishes intestinal fatty acid and monoglyceride accumulation in atherosclerotic mice, and that resveratrol suppresses oleate-induced accumulation of total cholesterol, esterified cholesterol and neutral lipids in macrophages by activating PPAR alpha/gamma signalling

Engineering physical microenvironment for stem cell based regenerative medicine

Regenerative medicine has rapidly evolved over the past decade owing to its potential applications to improve human health. Targeted differentiations of stem cells promise to regenerate a variety of tissues and/or organs despite significant challenges. Recent studies have demonstrated the vital role of the physical microenvironment in regulating stem cell fate and improving differentiation efficiency. In this review, we summarize the main physical cues that are crucial for controlling stem cell differentiation. Recent advances in the technologies for the construction of physical microenvironment and their implications in controlling stem cell fate are also highlighted