Changes in the Prevalence of Hyperuricemia in Clients of Health Examination in Eastern China, 2009 to 2019

Background: With the continuous improvement of people's living standards, the incidence of hyperuricemia (HUA) is increasing globally. The prevalence of HUA ranged in terms of region, race, and age. This study aims to investigate the changes in the prevalence of HUA in clients of health examination in Eastern China between 2009 and 2019. Methods: Chinese men and women aged 20-79 years (n = 4847 in the 2009 cohort and n = 12188 in 2019) who had received health examinations were enrolled. Serum uric acid (UA) levels and biochemical parameters, including fasting blood-glucose (FBG), triglyceride (TG), total cholesterol (CHOL), high-density lipoprotein (HDL), low-density lipoprotein (LDL), creatinine (Cr) and blood urea nitrogen (BUN) were evaluated. The prevalence of HUA in different age groups were measured, and the correlation of biochemical parameters with the onset of HUA were analyzed. Results: The prevalence of HUA was 18.7% in the 2019 cohort, which was significantly higher than that in 2009 (13.3%). In females, the prevalence of HUA was significantly higher in 2019 than 2009 for age groups of 20-29 and 30-39 years. In male population, 2019 cohort had significantly higher age-specific prevalence for all age groups than 2009 cohort. Young men aged 20-29 years became the main population of HUA in the 2019 male cohort, whereas middle-aged men aged 40-49 years had the highest prevalence of HUA in the 2009 male cohort. The prevalence rates of HUA in all BMI groups in 2019 cohort were significantly higher than those in 2009 cohort. Spearmen’s correlation analysis and Logistic regression analysis indicated that BMI was positively correlated with the onset of HUA. The receiver-operating characteristic curve (ROC) analysis showed BMI＞24.48kg/m2 and BMI＞23.84 kg/m2 displayed good capacities to discriminate the population with HUA from those without HUA in 2009 and 2019 cohort, respectively. Conclusions: In recent 10 years, the prevalence of HUA was increased rapidly in Chinese adults, especially in males. Young men aged 20-29 years in the 2019 cohort replaced the middle-aged males (40-49 years old) in the 2009 cohort, and became the main population of male HUA in the 2019 cohort. BMI was positively correlated with HUA, and might be a potential risk factors to predict the onset of HUA.

Testimonios of Latino Male Preservice Teachers as Models for Caring and Bilingualism

This qualitative study of three Latino male preservice teachers in a bilingual education preparation program centers on the use of testimonio as a methodology to give voice to the complex experiences of young Latinos as they navigate their way through career choices and college. While work on male teachers has historically focused on white men and more recently black men, Latinos represent a very large ethnic population in the United States with varied histories, cultural practices, and linguistic practices. While caring has been conflated as a practice of female teachers, the young men in this study illustrate an ethic of care that is more complex than that of affect. Their care is directly tied to their willingness to pay forward their learning and experiences to other Latino children by way of teaching in bilingual programs. The findings of this research illustrate the complex terrain that these young men navigate as they decide on a career in a historically white and female profession. This study offers implications for in-service teachers and their role in cultivating the next generation of male teachers. For universities and colleges of education, this study offers insight into the institutional challenges and support systems these Latino men must circumnavigate.

Incel Activity on Social Media Linked to Local Mating Ecology

Young men with few prospects of attracting a mate have historically threatened the internal peace and stability of societies. In some contemporary societies, such involuntary celibate—or incel—men promote much online misogyny and perpetrate real-world violence. We tested the prediction that online incel activity arises via local real-world mating-market forces that affect relationship formation. From a database of 4 billion Twitter posts (2012–2018), we geolocated 321 million tweets to 582 commuting zones in the continental United States, of which 3,649 tweets used words peculiar to incels and 3,745 were about incels. We show that such tweets arise disproportionately within places where mating competition among men is likely to be high because of male-biased sex ratios, few single women, high income inequality, and small gender gaps in income. Our results suggest a role for social media in monitoring and mitigating factors that lead young men toward antisocial behavior in real-world societies.

Assessing the Determinants of Quality of Life and the Impact on HIV Prevention Measures among HIV-Negative and Status-Unknown Young Men Who Have Sex with Men: A Study in Two U.S. Metropolitan Areas

Young men who have sex with men (YMSM) in the United States (U.S.) are disproportionally burdened by HIV and experience adverse social determinants of health. Minimal research has examined quality of life (QoL) and psychosocial/behavioral determinants among HIV-negative or status-unknown YMSM. We conducted a study with YMSM from two U.S. cities to assess their QoL scores, and whether specific QoL domains (e.g., physical, psychological, social, and environment) were associated with their demographics, psychosocial determinants, behavioral risk factors, and HIV prevention measures. Black YMSM, YMSM of low socioeconomic status (below high school education, income < $20,000, and lack of health insurance), and YMSM who did not disclose their sexual orientation had the lowest QoL scores across all domains. Substance use and unprotected anal intercourse were negatively associated with men’s physical/psychosocial health. Housing/food instability and perceived stress were among the strongest predictors of lower QoL in all domains. Higher physical/psychological and environment QoL scores were associated with a higher likelihood of HIV testing and PrEP use. The identification of YMSM within these demographic, behavioral, and psychosocial sub-groups is important for targeted intervention to enhance their well-being and engagement with HIV prevention.

Consumption of Sugar-Sweetened or Artificially Sweetened Beverages and Semen Quality in Young Men: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background: Existing literature suggests that frequent consumption of sugar-sweetened drinks may be associated with lower semen quality. Studies performed in mice suggest a dose-response relationship between intake of saccharin or aspartame, two artificial sweeteners, and sperm and testis function. Methods: A cross-sectional study based on data from The Fetal Programming of Semen Quality (FEPOS) Cohort, including 1047 young men (mean age = 19 years) was performed. Each male participant completed an online questionnaire on health, health behavior and diet, and provided a semen sample. The associations between consumption of sugar-sweetened or artificially sweetened beverages (moderate ≥ 3 days/week; infrequent < 3 days/week) and semen quality were analyzed using a multivariable, negative, binomial regression model. Results: Sugar-sweetened or artificially sweetened beverage consumption was not strongly associated with either semen volume, sperm concentration, total sperm count or total motility in young men. The proportion of morphologically normal sperm was 11% lower (0.89 (95% CI 0.76, 1.04)) for moderate (≥3 days/week) consumption of artificially sweetened beverages relative to infrequent (<3 days/week). Conclusion: Consumption of sugar-sweetened or artificially sweetened beverages, at the levels present in this study had limited effect on the measured markers of semen quality in young men.

Supporting girls and young women victims of sexual harassment in schools: “me and you and everyone we know”

Purpose This study aims to highlight an innovative project, across three European countries, namely, Italy, Sweden and Romania, that used pictorial designs to empower young women to demand the right to live without sexual harassment. Design/methodology/approach Abstract figures in terms of race and gender of young people were produced on cards, which allowed the imagination of the viewer to interpret and discuss these images freely. Other cards had definitions and scenarios. The cards generated discussion and comments both with the young participants and educational professionals. Findings Using the cards produced a rich set of responses from the students. Not all recognised that what was happening between young men and women was sexual harassment. There was a need to develop the concept of empathy and personal responsibility for behaviour and etiquette between the sexes. The response from professionals also varied in terms of sympathy and understanding. Research limitations/implications The three countries had different degrees of openness to addressing sexual harassment of girls in schools. The results may not be generalisable to the UK and researchers would like to use the tool developed in other countries. Practical implications The focus groups with young people in schools highlighted different attitudes towards sexual harassment in girls and young women, between the young women and young men, and the variations in the three countries. There was a need to educate professionals of the long-term impact of sexual violence and harassment. Social implications The research revealed the importance of producing a tool (the cards), which enabled young people to discuss sexual harassment in a focused way. Young women will gain in confidence to challenge sexual and oppressive behaviour. Originality/value This paper gives a voice to young people to discuss an issue, sexual harassment, that is addressed to varying degrees in the countries involved. The competition for young people to produce posters led to some amazing creative ideas.

Sexualized, platformed female bodies in male online practices

Sexualized images of the bodies of girls and young women – in some cases taken without the knowledge of those depicted, in other cases exchanged as part of erotic or romantic interactions – sometimes turn up in closed groups on social media and on websites and other online platforms. In their efforts to mark and prove masculinity, the (presumably) male participants in these fora share, trade, and evaluate such imagery. The young women depicted are generally commented upon in condescending ways. Based on a combination of digital ethnography and analogue fieldwork and interviews at a vocational school in Denmark, this article explores how boys and young men use sexualized female bodies to negotiate boundaries of masculinity, gendered positioning, and intimacy. Through new materialist and poststructuralist perspectives, we attend to the entanglements of social and technological phenomena enacting these practices.

The state of the respiratory system of students in conditions of high-altitude hypoxia

The article presents the results of studies on the influence of mountain hypoxia on the state of the students’ respiratory system. When exposed to oxygen deficiency, only the respiratory capacity of the lungs undergoes significant changes. For instance, the RC level in female students under the influence of hypoxia gradually increased in conditions of medium altitude, reaching the maximum value of 0.64 liters (P ˂ 0.05), and on the plain - 0.44 liters. The RC value in young men reached the highest value of 0.74 liters in mid-altitude conditions, and on the plains, it constitutes 0.56 liters. The highest respiration rate for young men of 18.2 movements per minute was noted at an altitude of 600 meters, and the lowest - 17.4 at an altitude of 170 m. The maximum level of respiratory capacity while inhaling in girls is 1.24 liters, detected at an altitude of 600 meters, and the minimum level of 1.18 liters is noted at 170 m. The value of respiratory capacity while exhaling among young men living in the Sharoi region increased to 2.32 liters, and for those from Grozny - 2.24 liters. The highest VC level in girls - 3.87 liters - was found in the middle mountains, and on the plains, it was 3.58 liters. The VC value in young men, gradually increasing, reaches the highest value under the conditions of the Sharoi region - 4.57 liters, and in Grozny it was 4.28.

Understanding Autism

Autism is one disability that everyone has heard about. It is also the disability about which educators still know so little. This chapter will inform preservice teachers about autism using the narrative of two young men and their lives with autism. Theoretical groundings of autism, along with the myths, misperceptions, and mistakes surrounding autism are shared in the chapter. Importantly, for preservice teachers, strategies for successful teaching of students with autism will be outlined.