Samuel Ken-En Gan

Background: Insomnia is pervasive among college students and may be exacerbated by maladaptive cognitive factors. Objective: This study examined whether psychological inflexibility is associated with greater insomnia severity in Chinese college students and tested whether dysfunctional beliefs and attitudes about sleep mediate this relationship. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among university students recruited via convenience sampling from a university in China. A total of 104 students initially participated, and after data cleaning, the final analytic sample comprised 83 students (56% male; mean age = 20.89 ± 1.51 years). Psychological inflexibility, insomnia severity, and dysfunctional sleep beliefs and attitudes (DBAS) were assessed. Results: Pearson’s correlations showed that psychological inflexibility was positively correlated with insomnia severity (r = 0.424, p < 0.001) and negatively correlated with DBAS-16 scores (r = −0.377, p < 0.001). Mediation analysis using Hayes’s PROCESS (Model 4) with bootstrapping indicated that dysfunctional sleep beliefs and attitudes partially mediated the association between inflexibility and insomnia. Greater inflexibility predicted more dysfunctional beliefs (β = −0.377, p < 0.001), and those beliefs, in turn, predicted higher insomnia severity (β = −0.231, p = 0.0328), accounting for a significant indirect effect (β = 0.087, 95% confidence interval [0.0002, 0.2050]). The direct effect of inflexibility on insomnia remained significant (β = 0.337, p = 0.002), while biological sex did not significantly affect the results. Conclusion: These findings suggest that cognitively inflexible students tend to hold unhelpful beliefs and attitudes about sleep, which, in turn, contributes to greater insomnia severity.

Microbial migration between the ear, throat, and nasal cavities can aggravate certain otorhinolaryngological conditions. For instance, Staphylococcus aureus colonization in the middle ear increases otitis media occurrence, while nasal colonization can exacerbate allergic rhinitis (AR) symptoms. S. aureus produces superantigens (SAgs) that include T-cell SAgs (e.g. staphylococcal enterotoxins SEA, SEB, SEC, and SED), which cross-link class II major histocompatibility complex (MHC) molecules on antigen-presenting cells with T-cell receptors, causing widespread T-cell activation and cytokine release. It also produces B-cell superantigens, such as Protein A (SpA), which bind to immunoglobulins and activate B-cells, contributing to allergic airway diseases. The detection of these SAg genes and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) marker genes (mecA and femB) in both allergic and healthy individuals may enable the assessment of microbial transmission risk between the ear and nose. In this study, we quantified five SAg genes (SEA, SEB, SEC, SED, and SpA) and the MRSA markers mecA and femB using quantitative PCR (qPCR) in swab samples from 11 healthy individuals and one AR patient. The results demonstrated that these genes were not always co-present or correlated between an individual’s ear and nose samples. In several cases, MRSA marker genes were detected by qPCR despite the absence of S. aureus growth on selective culture, indicating potential detection of other carriers of these genes. These findings underscore the importance of quantifying SAg and MRSA gene levels in the ear and nose to establish baseline colonization and to assess potential risk factors for related otorhinolaryngological conditions.

Certain insect larvae can biodegrade plastic into frass (excrement) that functions as a biofertilizer. We found that yellow mealworms and superworms fed on polystyrene or polyethylene produced frass enriched in all four major classes of plant hormones, i.e., auxins, cytokinins, jasmonates, and salicylates, compared with bran-fed controls. This suggests that plastic-derived frass could simultaneously promote plant growth and prime plant defenses, adding sustainable value to this waste-to-fertilizer pathway.

This study tests how initial English proficiency (Gaokao English), gender, province of origin, and semester timing relate to undergraduate GPA at a Sino-foreign English-medium instruction (EMI) university in China. Design/Methodology/Approach: We conducted an exploratory analysis of institutional records from 2019 to 2022 (≈4,000 undergraduates; 16,281 GPAs), modelling GPA as a function of Gaokao English scores, gender, province, and semester (spring vs autumn), and applying regression and non-parametric tests with effect sizes. Findings: All focal variables showed statistically detectable but small associations with GPA, indicating theoretical rather than practical salience. Females earned higher GPAs than males; GPAs differed by province yet not in line with regional economic levels; and spring GPAs modestly exceeded fall GPAs. The English proficiency–GPA association was positive but weak and diminished across years of study. Research limitations and implications: Evidence derives from a single institution and one EMI context, with pandemic-period semesters and limited covariates; results invite multi-institution replication and richer controls. Practical implications: Given the small effects, proportionate, program-level supports are indicated (e.g. early-semester academic-language scaffolding, light-touch diagnostics) rather than high-stakes screening. The patterns can inform resource allocation and the timing of supports. Originality/value: Using a large multi-year dataset from a Chinese EMI university, the study isolates language-of-instruction influences from cultural relocation and examines how English proficiency and background factors jointly relate to achievement, filling a gap on EMI outcomes in non-Western contexts and providing evidence to guide English-medium higher-education practice.

Microplastics have become ubiquitous in modern environments, entering the human body through multiple pathways, including air, water, and food. Recent evidence shows that microplastics penetrate deep into the human body and accumulate in tissues. Despite escalating exposure to microplastics and growing concerns about potential toxicity, strategies for microplastic clearance from the body have yet to be explored. This review summarizes current knowledge on exposure pathways, distribution, accumulation mechanisms, and health risks of microplastics and critically evaluates natural clearance mechanisms in human and their limitations. Further, we investigate potential biomedical strategies for microplastic clearance and detoxification and synthesize considerations for clinical translation.