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School closures during the COVID-19 pandemic may have exacerbated students' loneliness, addictive gaming behaviors, and poor mental health. These mental health issues confronting young people are of public concern. This study aimed to examine the associations between loneliness and gaming addiction behaviors among young people in Hong Kong and to investigate how familial factors, psychological distress, and gender differences moderate these relationships. This cross-sectional study was conducted in June 2020 when schools reopened after 6 months of school closures. Participants included 2863 children and adolescents in primary (Grades 4 to 6) and secondary (Grades 7 and 8) schools (female participants: 1502/2863, 52.5%). Chi-square tests, one-way analyses of variance, and independent-samples t tests were performed to compare the differences of distribution in gaming addiction behaviors across gender, age, and other sociodemographic characteristics. Multinomial logistic regression analyses were conducted to identify factors that relate to excessive or pathological gaming behaviors separately, in comparison with leisure gaming. A total of 83.0% (2377/2863) of the participants played video games during the COVID-19 pandemic. The prevalence of excessive and pathological game addiction behaviors was 20.9% (597/2863) and 5.3% (153/2863), respectively. More male students had gaming addiction symptoms than female students. The multinomial logistic regressions showed that feeling lonely was associated with more problematic gaming behaviors, and the association was stronger for older female students. Low socioeconomic status, less parental support and less supervision, and poor mental health were risk factors for gaming addiction behaviors, especially among primary school students. Loneliness was associated with gaming addiction behaviors; the findings from this study suggested that this association was similar across gender and age groups among young people. Familial support and supervision during school closures can protect young people from developing problematic gaming behaviors. Results of this study have implications for prevention and early intervention on behalf of policy makers and game developers.

The impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on physical and mental health-related behaviors among children and adolescents are likely to be profound and long-lasting. This study aimed to investigate the changes in lifestyle and social support and their associations with negative impacts due to the pandemic. A classroom survey using stratified random sampling and structured questionnaire was conducted among Hong Kong primary and secondary school students. The paper-and-pen survey, administered by well-trained research assistants, was completed by 2863 participants aged 9–17 years old (M = 12.6, SD = 1.3) at a brief school reopening six months after the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. About 48% and 37% of the participants stated that they paid increased attention to physical and mental health, respectively. About 20% to 40% stated that they found more support from their friends and family members; only a small percentage reported decreased social support. Around 25% to 50% spent more time to rest, relax, and exercise. The aforementioned changes varied among genders, education groups, and socio-economic status. In general, higher perceived vulnerability, feeling more stressed, apprehensive, and helpless were associated with more reported positive lifestyle changes, including more social/family support, increased mental health awareness, and a positive lifestyle. These positive changes serve as important cushions against the negative impacts of COVID-19.

Studies investigating the relationship between exposure to air pollutants during pregnancy and foetal growth restriction (FGR) in women who conceive by in vitro fertilisation (IVF) are lacking. The objective was to investigate the effect of air pollutant exposure in pregnancy on FGR in pregnant women who conceive by IVF. We included pregnant women who conceived by IVF and delivered healthy singleton babies in Guangzhou from October 2018 to September 2023. We also collected data on air pollutant concentrations in Guangzhou during the same period. We analysed the impact of air pollution exposure during pregnancy on FGR. After adjusting for confounders, our analysis showed that in the first trimester, high concentrations of PM 10 and NO 2 in the fourth quartile significantly increased the risk of FGR. Specifically, the odds ratios were 6.430 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.035–39.96) for PM 10 and 10.73 (95% CI: 1.230–93.48) for NO 2 . In the second trimester, exposure to PM 2.5 , PM 10 , and NO 2 was associated with an increased risk of FGR. In addition, subgroup analyses showed that exposure to NO 2 during pregnancy increased the risk of FGR in women aged 35 years and older. The results of this cross-sectional study suggest that exposure to PM 2.5 , PM 10 , and NO 2 in pregnant women who conceive by IVF is associated with the occurrence of FGR.

This study aimed to analyze and discuss the biomarkers of PEGylated liposomal doxorubicin (PLD) injection-induced hypersensitivity reactions (HSRs) in advanced breast cancer patients. Fourteen patients from Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital were included in the study between April 15th, 2020 and April 14th, 2021. Patient plasma was collected 30 min before PLD injection. HSRs were found to occur in a total of 9 patients (64.3%). No association was found between HSRs and various patient characteristics such as age, body surface area, anthracycline treatment history, IgE, and complement 3 and 4 ( p > 0.05). Non-targeted metabolomics analysis of patient plasma was performed, and several metabolites showed significant association with HSRs. In particular, l -histidine (fold change = 91.5, p = 0.01) showed significantly higher levels in the immediate HSR group, while myristicin (fold change = 0.218, p = 0.003), urocanic acid (fold change = 0.193, p = 0.007), and d -aldose (fold change = 0.343, p = 0.003) showed significantly lower levels in the same group. In vivo experiments showed that exogenous histidine aggravated HSRs and increased IgE plasma levels in rats following the injection of PLD. Histidine can be decarboxylated to histamine by histidine decarboxylase. Histidine decarboxylase inhibitor 4-bromo-3-hydroxybenzoic acid improved symptoms and IgE levels in vivo . These findings suggested that l -histidine can be a potential biomarker for PLD-induced HSR. Moreover, an antihistamine drug, histidine decarboxylase inhibitor, or dietary histidine management could be used as potential preventive measures. Furthermore, metabolomics research could serve as a powerful method to explore biomarkers or uncover mechanisms of drug side effects.