Yixiang Zhou

Neonicotinoid insecticides (NEOs), one of the most widely used pesticide classes worldwide, have raised concerns due to potential neurotoxic effects. Yet evidence on human exposure and health outcomes, particularly in preschool children, remains limited. In this study, 506 children aged 3–6 years from Shenzhen, China, were assessed. Neurobehavioral development was evaluated with the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ), and urinary concentrations of 11 NEOs were measured, including imidacloprid (IMI), clothianidin (CLO), thiamethoxam (THM), dinotefuran (DNT), nitenpyram (NIT), sulfoxaflor (SFX), acetamiprid (ACE), thiacloprid (THD), flonicamid (FLO), 6-chloronicotinic acid (6-CINA), N-desmethyl-acetamiprid (NACE), and N-desmethyl-thiamethoxam (NTHM). Seven compounds showed high detection rates, including IMI (97.4%), CLO (100%), THM (100%), DNT (99.8%), NIT (99.8%), NACE (100%), and NTHM (99.8%). The mean urinary concentration was 234.145 μg/g creatinine, exceeding levels in earlier studies and indicating widespread exposure. IMI, NTHM, and NACE showed significant positive dose–response relationships with emotional symptoms, hyperactivity, and total difficulties and were major contributors in mixture models; sex-stratified analyses suggested effect modification for NTHM and NACE. These findings provide new epidemiological evidence to inform public health risk assessment and regulatory action on NEOs.

This study investigates the impact of family environments on the psychological well-being of children and adolescents in rural China, focusing on loneliness, depression, and internet addiction. Using a cross-sectional design, data were collected from 652 families in rural Hunan province to examine the role of family communication, caregiver psychological states, and parenting styles. Structural equation modeling revealed that family economic conditions influenced children’s mental health through primary caregivers’ emotional well-being, hostile parenting styles, and family communication. Notably, hostile parenting and poor family communication were the strongest mediators across all three psychological outcomes, consistently exhibiting significant associations with loneliness, depression, and internet addiction. The findings highlight the crucial role of parenting styles and poor family communication in shaping children’s psychological health, emphasizing the need for interventions that enhance family communication and promote supportive parenting. Addressing caregiver emotional well-being and adjusting parental expectations may serve as effective strategies for improving mental health outcomes among rural youth.

Background: Anemia significantly contributes to the global disease burden, with its incidence potentially influenced by the trace metal content within the body. Objective: This study aims to examine the associations between trace metals and anemia risk, with a particular focus on investigating the potential mediating roles of iron status and inflammation in these associations. Methods: Five trace metals (Ni, Co, Mn, Se, and Mo) were examined in 1274 US adults, utilizing data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2017–2020. The individual and combined effects of these metals on anemia were assessed using logistic regression, quantile g-computation (QGC), and Bayesian kernel machine regression (BKMR). A sex-stratified analysis was conducted to discern any gender-specific susceptibilities. Additionally, mediation analysis was employed to explore the potential mediating roles of iron status and inflammation in the associations between these metals and anemia. Results: Increased risks of anemia were positively associated with Co and Ni levels but negatively correlated with Se and Mn levels (all with p < 0.05). The trace metal mixture was negatively associated with anemia, with the highest weights of Co and Se in different directions in both the QGC and BKMR models. In the sex-specific analysis, we observed less pronounced protective effects from trace metals in females. Moreover, the mediating proportion of the iron status and inflammation in these relationships ranged from 10.29% to 58.18%. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that the trace element mixture was associated with decreased anemia risk, among which Se was a protective factor while Co was a risk factor, and females were more susceptible. The effects of these trace metals on anemia may be mediated by the iron status and inflammation.