It’s possible that I shall make an ass of myself. But in that case one can always get out of it with a little dialectic. I have, of course, so worded my proposition as to be right either way (K.Marx, Letter to F.Engels on the Indian Mutiny)
Thursday, July 10, 2025
Children’s social media activity highlights emotional stress of living with long-term health issues
Children with multiple long-term health issues undergo severe emotional stress at the same time as they are trying to cope with the physical challenges of their condition, a study has found.
Research led by the University of Plymouth used AI language models to analyse sentiments and emotions expressed by almost 400 paediatric patients and their caregivers on social media. In particular, they wanted to assess young people’s opinions regarding their care and experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the impact that had on their emotional and psychological wellbeing.
Using anonymous data sourced from the Care Opinion platform they found that of the narratives analysed, almost 94% of the comments posted were classed as negative and less than 6% were positive. More than six out of ten negative comments were classed as being associated with sadness, with feelings of fear (at almost one in every six comments) also being prevalent.
Children with conditions such as cancer, asthma, chronic pain and mental health conditions showed particularly high emotional distress, highlighting the emotional burden of managing multiple long-term health issues.
The COVID-19 pandemic was also shown to exacerbate the negative sentiments, particularly sadness and disgust, with patients expressing frustration with the healthcare system while isolation and disrupted care routines triggered intense emotional responses.
And while just 6% of the comments were classed as positive, the study found that most of them related to effective communication, compassionate care, and successful treatment outcomes.
The researchers say the study highlights the importance of supporting vulnerable young patients managing complex medical conditions, and the need for integrated care approaches to both physical and emotional well-being.
This research was conceived and led by Professor of e-Health Shang-Ming Zhou, and its data analysis was implemented by MSc Data Science and Business Analytics student Temidayo (Israel) Oluwalade with support from Dr Hossein Ahmadi in Plymouth’s Centre for Health Technology, Dr Richard Sharpe with Cornwall Council, and Professor Lin Huo with Guangxi University.
Professor Zhou, a recognised expert in the use of AI to analyse health data, said: “To our knowledge, this is the first study of its kind to analyse the sentiments and emotions of paediatric patients using social media data. Our findings bring to light the deeply emotional journey patients with multiple long-term health issues go through, fills a critical gap in knowledge for healthcare professionals and agencies. It also highlights the disproportionate emotional burden faced by paediatric patients with multiple health issues and their caregivers during the COVID pandemic, showing the need for targeted interventions to address emotional responses during public health emergencies.”
Israel Oluwalade, who graduated with a Distinction in 2024, added: “As I worked through the dataset, I was particularly struck by how clearly children’s emotional responses aligned with specific comorbidity patterns – for example, fear and sadness were especially dominant among those discussing multiple hospital visits or long-term medication. What also surprised me most was the unexpectedly high frequency of ‘satisfaction’ and ‘amazement’ in posts referencing kind staff or successful treatment episodes. It reminded me how digital expressions can reflect not only distress but also resilience and hope, even among young patients with complex conditions.”
Comorbidities and emotions - unpacking the sentiments of pediatric patients with multiple long-term conditions through social media feedback: A large language model-driven study
Agricultural biotechnology in China: Product development, commercialization, and perspectives
This review is led by Professor Kongming Wu (State Key Laboratory for Biology of Plant Diseases and Insect Pests, Institute of Plant Protection, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China). Biotechnology has become indispensable in modern agriculture, and the global application of genetically modified (GM) and genome-edited (GE) organisms has demonstrated their advantages for economic development and environmental sustainability. Over the past three decades, China has made remarkable strides in agricultural biotechnology, the Chinese government has actively supported the research, development, and application of agricultural biotechnology while progressively established and improved compatible safety evaluation and regulatory framework. Consequently, China has become an important participant and driver, facilitating the successful industrial application of agricultural biotechnology products domestically.
This review systematically presents China’s agricultural biotechnology development. It summarizes the advancements achieved in GM and GE technology research and industrial application over the past 30 years, provides a thorough analysis of the biosafety certificate approvals for the production and application of agricultural GM/GE organisms in China, and proposes prospects for bio-breeding innovation. This work serves as a critical reference for understanding the historical trajectory, current state, and future directions of biotechnological breeding innovation and its industrial applications in China.
Comprehensive Research Investigation
The discovery and utilization of functional genes represent the core of agricultural biotechnology. This review details recent advancements in functional gene discovery, highlighting progress in biotic stress resistance, nutrient quantity/quality improvement, and abiotic stress resistance genes across animals, plants and microorganisms. Significant breakthroughs have been achieved in the transgenic and genome-editing technologies, establishing a large-scale technical system. The innovation of gene delivery technology has overcome bottlenecks related to species diversity and transformation efficiency. Furthermore, advancements in synthetic biology enable the creation of novel high-nutritional-value biol-breeding products, expanding their functionality and variety.
Technological Innovations and Application
This review presents the scientific assessment and regulatory system established by the Chinese government to ensure the safe application, circulation and consumption of biotechnology products. It systematically reviews the developments since 1997 when the Chinese government officially began accepting applications for biosafety assessments of agricultural genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and their products.
Focusing on biosafety certificates approved for production applications, the review provides a multi-dimensional analysis of the types, functions, and characteristics of the approved agricultural GM and GE products. Analyzing approval trends alongside research and development features and policy changes reveals distinct historical stages. Overall, approved applications show steady annual growth. Agricultural GM microorganisms for animal use account for the largest proportion, while GM and GE plants exhibit the highest growth rate. Crucially, the nature of the application units has gradually shifted from predominately domestic research institutions to being enterprise-led, enhancing innovative design capabilities and accelerating commercialization.
Prospects
Modern agricultural biotechnology breeding achieves efficient, precise, and targeted genetic improvement through advanced technological innovation, leading to the development of numerous new varieties of plants, animals, and microorganisms. This significantly contributes to ensuring food security and stable supply of key agricultural products.
This review provides a forward-looking analysis of the future research, development, and application directions for biotechnology products in plants, animals, microorganisms, and biosynthesis, while also examining potential challenges. To ensure healthy and orderly development, the author recommends implementing key measures. These include the consistent implementation of long-term science and technology development plans, enhancing the comprehensive innovation capabilities of biotechnology enterprises, further refining the biosafety regulatory framework, and formulating and implementing targeted public awareness programs regarding biotechnology.
With concerted efforts from the government, research institutions, enterprises, and society, the accelerated commercialization of biotechnology-derived breeding innovations will become an indispensable component of China's modern agriculture, substantially enhancing national food security and agricultural resilience.
See the article:
Agricultural biotechnology in China: product development, commercialization, and perspectives
Research in Health Economics indicates that introducing school grades—with A as the highest grade and F as a failing grade—at younger ages may negatively affect children’s mental health.
In Sweden, students traditionally received individual grades beginning in eighth grade (around 14 years of age), but in the fall of 2012, a reform shifted the introduction of grades to sixth grade (around age 12).
By comparing sociodemographic and clinical data on 524,093 children in Sweden in grades 5 through 9 before and after the reform, investigators found that girls exposed to earlier grading were more likely to be diagnosed with internalizing disorders, such as depression and anxiety, by the end of compulsory school—especially female students with low to moderate academic achievement.
Evidence also suggested that both girls and boys exposed to earlier grading face an increased risk of being diagnosed with alcohol‐related disorders.
“Like many countries, Sweden has moved toward more testing and tighter grading, repeatedly revising its assessment system,” said corresponding author Anna Linder, PhD, of Lund University, in Sweden. “Our results show that these changes can have detrimental effects on children's mental health. Grades aren’t inherently harmful, but their design should carefully consider that children vary in when—and how—they can turn feedback into healthy growth.”
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About the Journal Health Economics is an international health policy journal publishing articles on all aspects of global health economics. We welcome theoretical contributions, empirical studies, and analyses of health policy from the economic perspective. With a wide scope, Health Economics welcomes contributions on the valuation, determinants and definition of health, health care supply and demand, planning and market mechanisms, treatment micro-economics, and health care system performance.
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Health psychologists from University of Staffordshire have adopted a novel approach to support women going through the menopause.
A new study, published in the journal Menopause, highlights how the popular toy Playmobil can be used to understand and encourage open conversations about women’s experiences of the menopause at work.
Reports indicate that 3 in 5 women are negatively impacted at work because of menopause. Almost 900,000 women have left their jobs because of menopausal symptoms, and women continue to experience menopause-related discrimination.
Dr Alison Owen, Senior Lecturer in Health Psychology, explained: “Menopause is a significant life event that all women experience. The average age of menopause in the United Kingdom is 51, but women typically experience symptoms for several years before and after. The health changes associated with menopause can have a negative, sometimes debilitating, impact on a variety of life domains, including professionally.
“As menopause can be seen as a taboo health topic, and one that women can be reluctant to discuss within the workplace, it is important to find supportive and empathic methods to facilitate these conversations.”
Playmobil has raised many generations of young people, serving as an educational toy and encouraging imaginative play, interaction, and creativity. Its Playmobil pro kits are also used in professional and educational settings to support teams in prototyping, project management, and creative workshops.
A growing body of evidence shows the value of using playful approaches in research; however, very little research has explored the use of Playmobil as a research method.
In this study, Dr Alison Owen, Dr Amy Burton and Dr Jennifer Taylor enlisted 12 co-researchers, aged 31-60, working at the University, who were perimenopausal and postmenopausal women.
Women attended a workshop where they used Playmobil pro kits to make a figure of themselves and create a representation of their experience of the menopause at work. Participants were encouraged to respond to each other’s stories and examples, resulting in an in-depth focus group discussion.
The conversations highlighted how participants’ physical symptoms of menopause can have a real impact on a person’s working life. For example, pain in their fingers and joints impacted their ability pick things up, to use computers or write things down.
Symptoms such as brain fog and irritability had led to doubts in the women’s perceived ability to be able to do their jobs to a standard they wanted to, with some of the participants expressing that they had considered handing their notices in at work as they felt unable to do the job anymore.
As well as talking about their experiences, participants had ideas for ways in which their work lives could be made easier during times when the menopause was impacting them. For example, the importance of flexi time. The women also discussed the importance of social support, and being able to speak to people who are going through the same things that they were.
When asked about how the session made her feel, one participant said, “Part of a powerful women’s circle. Included, reassured”, another said they felt “empowered”, and another said they felt “understood and valued”.
Another participant commented, “Just being able to speak to somebody and realise maybe somebody else is experiencing it. It doesn’t lessen its impact, it just makes you feel a bit less alone.”
Dr Amy Burton, Associate Professor of Qualitative Health Research, said: “Using Playmobil proved to be an extremely effective tool for tackling the taboo of menopause in the workplace. The workshop provided a safe space, allowing the women to talk about their experiences in a “playful” way, which led to powerful and meaningful discussions in a way that participants enjoyed and felt comfortable with”.
Dr Jennifer Taylor, Senior Lecturer in Qualitative Psychological Research Methods, added: “Many of the participants found attending the research workshop very beneficial and healing, as they were able to speak to and meet other people with the same experience. For some of the participants, it was the first time they had spoken about menopause openly with a group of other people.
“Going forward, it would be useful to explore the use of Playmobil in other research projects and see if it works as effectively with other health topics.”
PITTSBURGH, July 9, 2025 — During the menopause transition, only 1 in 5 women have optimal scores using the American Heart Association’s health-assessment tool, known as Life’s Essential 8 (LE8). Among the tool’s eight components, four of them — blood glucose, blood pressure, sleep quality and nicotine use — are key in driving future cardiovascular risks, with sleep being particularly crucial for long-term cardiovascular health.
The findings – published today in Menopause – were made by researchers at the University of Pittsburgh, Albert Einstein College of Medicine and Baylor University.
“Previously we’ve shown that the menopause transition is a time of accelerating cardiovascular risk,” said senior author Samar R. El Khoudary, Ph.D., M.P.H., professor of epidemiology at Pitt’s School of Public Health. “This study underscores that it’s also an opportunity for women to take the reins on their heart health.”
The team analyzed health data collected from about 3,000 women who participated in the Study of Women’s Health Across the Nation (SWAN), an ongoing, longitudinal, multi-site, multi-ethnic study of midlife women that began in 1996. The researchers compared the women’s LE8 scores at baseline, around age 46, to their evolving health trajectories over time, from subclinical cardiovascular disease measures, such as increased carotid-artery thickness, to cardiovascular events, including heart attacks and strokes, to mortality of all causes. The team also examined impacts of each of the individual LE8 components: nutrition, physical activity, smoking abstinence, sleep, body mass index, blood lipids, blood sugar and blood pressure.
The analysis showed that four LE8 components — blood glucose, blood pressure, sleep quality and nicotine use — were the most important factors driving the study participants’ future cardiovascular risks.
Above all, sleep emerged as a potential predictor for long-term effects of cardiovascular disease events and all-cause mortality, though it was not linked to the shorter-term effects of carotid-artery thickening. The team found that at midlife, meeting the bar for healthy sleep, defined in Life’s Essential 8 as seven to nine hours on average for most adults, may contribute to women’s heart health and longevity, a hypothesis that should be tested in a future clinical trial, said Ziyuan Wang, Ph.D. candidate at Pitt Public Health and first author.
Low total LE8 scores correlated with increased cardiovascular risk, as expected—however, only 21% of the midlife women studied had an ideal LE8 score.
“With heart disease being the leading cause of death in women, these findings point to the need for lifestyle and medical interventions to improve heart health during and after menopause among midlife women,” said El Khoudary.
Other authors on the study were Ziyuan Wang, M.S., Emma Barinas-Mitchell, Ph.D., Maria M. Brooks, Ph.D., Jared W. Magnani, M.D., M.Sc., and Rebecca C. Thurston, Ph.D., all of Pitt; Carol A. Derby, Ph.D., of Albert Einstein College of Medicine; and Kelly R. Ylitalo, Ph.D., of Baylor University.
## About the University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health Founded in 1948, the University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health is a top-ranked institution of seven academic departments partnering with stakeholders locally and globally to create, implement and disseminate innovative public health research and practice. With hands-on and high-tech instruction, Pitt Public Health trains a diverse community of students to become public health leaders who counter persistent population health problems and inequities.
Prospective associations of American Heart Association Life’s Essential 8 with subclinical measures of vascular health, cardiovascular disease events, and all-cause mortality in women traversing menopause: The Study of Women’s Health Across the Nation study
Article Publication Date
9-Jul-2025
COI Statement
R.C.T. is a consultant/advisor for Astellas Pharma, Bayer, and Hello Therapeutics, and received funding in the past from Happify Health and Vira Health. K.R.Y. was supported by the National Institute on Aging of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number K01AG058754. J.W.M. receives institutional funding from NIH/NHBLI. The other authors have nothing to disclose.
Women more susceptible to certain subjective effects of alcohol during binge drinking episodes
This is the conclusion of a clinical trial conducted by the Germans Trias i Pujol University Hospital and Research Institute, which has differentiated the impact of rapid alcohol consumption between women and men
It is one of the few studies to date simulating binge drinking episodes and also analysing the combination of alcohol with energy drinks
A clinical trial led by the Germans Trias i Pujol University Hospital and Research Institute has found that women experience some of the subjective effects of acute alcohol intake, such as drunkenness and sedation, more intensely than men, when consumed over a short period of time.
The study is among the few conducted so far to analyse sex differences in the effects of binge drinking, defined as consuming more than 4 standard units of alcohol (SUA) in two hours for women, and more than 5 for men. This pattern is often associated with social events among young people and should not be underestimated, considering that one SUA contains 10 grams of alcohol, equivalent to half a mixed drink, a small beer, or a small glass of wine.
According to the 2023 EDADES home survey, 9.6% of people aged 15 to 64 (12.9% of men; 6.3% of women) reported at least one binge drinking episode in the previous month. This figure more than doubles among adolescents aged 14 to 18, reaching 24.2% (24.8% in boys; 23.5% in girls).
The aim of the trial was to determine, in general terms, whether women experience the effects of alcohol more intensely than men. But proving this is difficult if, as is often the case, the same amount of alcohol is given to both sexes. Women typically reach higher blood alcohol concentrations due to multiple factors: lower body weight, higher body fat, lower muscle mass, lower levels of alcohol-metabolising enzymes, and hormonal differences.
The false sense of security from consuming energy drinks
The study, conducted between 2020 and 2022, involved 28 young adults between the ages of 18 and 25, half of them women. Over several sessions lasting 80 minutes, participants were given alcohol either on its own or mixed with energy drinks, among other conditions. Specifically, women consumed 55 grams of alcohol (just under three mixed drinks), while men consumed more: 70 grams, or the equivalent of about three and a half mixed drinks. Both groups reached blood alcohol concentrations of 0.46 mg/L, nearly twice the legal limit for expired air tests used to estimate blood alcohol levels in drivers in Spain, which is 0.25 mg/L.
In addition to recording participants' self-reported levels of drunkenness and sedation at various points, they were also asked to complete performance tests simulating driving ability. The trial did not find that women's driving performance -measured through reaction time and hand-eye coordination, for exemple- was worse than men's, despite reporting stronger subjective effects.
In fact, in this regard, the study -funded by the National Plan on Drugs- builds on one published four years ago, which concluded that mixing energy drinks with alcohol may increase the risk of traffic accidents. That earlier study, which did not differentiate between genders, was led by the Hospital del Mar Research Institute and the Germans Trias i Pujol Research Institute, and was published in the International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology.
No significant gender differences in driving-related skills following alcohol mixed with energy drinks during an experimental binge-drinking episode
COI Statement
The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.
