Social support and subjective well-being of noncustodial grandparent caregivers in urban China: The mediating roles of generative acts.

While social support is generally beneficial, it remains unclear how it directly and indirectly affects subjective well-being among grandparents via generative acts. Multi-stage cluster random sampling was employed in a city in Eastern China, reaching 1013 noncustodial grandparent caregivers of kindergarten children (mean age = 58.3, range: 40-93, female = 71.9%, non-local = 508). Data were analyzed using structural equation modeling (SEM). The results reveal that social support positively affected three indicators of subjective well-being among noncustodial grandparent caregivers. Also, social support worked through agentic generative acts to positively affect life satisfaction and positive affect, while not through domestic generative acts. The present study contributes to grandparent caregiving research in urban China by advancing an integrated framework that considers the mechanism of generative acts. Policy and practice implications are also discussed.

Domestic Generative Acts and Life Satisfaction among Supplementary Grandparent Caregivers in Urban China: Mediated by Social Support and Moderated by Hukou Status.

Urban China is witnessing a growth of migrant grandparents apart from the prevalent local grandparent caregiving. However, the health consequences and influencing factors of grandparent caregiving remain largely unknown among migrant and local grandparent caregivers. This study examined informal and formal social support's mediation roles between domestic generative acts and life satisfaction, as well as investigating Hukou's (household registration system) moderation effect. Our sample compromised 1013 grandparent caregivers (Migrant = 508, Local = 505) from 12 kindergartens with a multistage clustered random sampling from Eastern China. Migrant grandparent caregivers had significant lower informal social support (M = 4.000, L = 4.355, p < 0.001), formal social support (M = 1.787, L = 2.111, p < 0.001), and life satisfaction (M = 3.323, L = 3.574, p < 0.001) than local ones. Structural equation modeling results indicated that domestic generative acts positively associated with life satisfaction (b = 0.085, p < 0.05), informal (b = 0.223, p < 0.001) and formal social support (b = 0.080, p < 0.05); informal (b = 0.379, p < 0.001) and formal social support (b = 0.138, p < 0.001) positively associated with life satisfaction. In addition, both informal (ß = 0.084, CI [0.039, 0.101], p < 0.001) and formal social support (ß = 0.011, CI [0.001, 0.018], p < 0.05) mediated the relationship between domestic generative acts and life satisfaction. Furthermore, Hukou status moderated the indirect path from domestic generative acts to life satisfaction via informal social support (p < 0.01), but not formal social support (p > 0.05). Migrant grandparent caregivers, with limited formal social support resources, were found to be more dependent on informal social support than locals. The findings revealed social support and wellbeing disparities among migrant and local grandparent caregivers in urban China. Theoretical contributions and practical implications are also discussed.

Validation of the Generative Acts Scale-Chinese Version (GAS-C) among Middle-Aged and Older Adults as Grandparents in Mainland China.

The current study examined the psychometric properties of the 20-item Generative Acts Scale-Chinese version (GAS-C) among middle-aged and older adults as grandparents in mainland China. A total of 1013 grandparents (mean age = 58.32 years; 71.9% female) of children from 12 kindergartens were recruited using multistage cluster random sampling. A four-factor pattern of domestic, agentic, communal, and civic generative acts were identified by exploratory factor analysis and further verified by confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Subsequently, multigroup CFA was performed to test the measurement invariance across gender, age group and hukou status at the configural, metric, and scalar levels. The Cronbach's alpha value of the total (0.923) and subscales (range from 0.897 to 0.953) was satisfactory, indicating high internal consistency. Additionally, the significant gender differences in the domestic (male = 3.565, female = 3.718, p < 0.05), communal (male = 2.786, female = 2.591, p < 0.01), and civic subscales (male = 2.112, female = 1.864, p < 0.001) and the significant correlations between the GAS-C total scale and subscales with caregiving intensity (r = 0.433, p < 0.01), positive affect (r = 0.397, p < 0.01) and life satisfaction (r = 0.328, p < 0.01), supported concurrent validity. Overall, this study addressed the knowledge gap by validating a reliable and valid instrument to measure grandparents' generative acts in mainland China, contributing to generativity studies cross-culturally in research and practice.

Natamycin and Azithromycin Are Synergistic In Vitro against Ocular Pathogenic Aspergillus flavus Species Complex and Fusarium solani Species Complex Isolates.

The interaction of natamycin-azithromycin combination against 60 ocular fungal isolates was tested in vitro The combination produced 100% synergistic interactions when natamycin was added to azithromycin 20, 40, and 50 µg/ml against Aspergillus flavus species complex (AFSC) isolates and to azithromycin 50 µg/ml against Fusarium solani species complex isolates. Addition of 50 µg/ml azithromycin enhanced natamycin's effect against AFSC isolates by reducing natamycin MIC90 from 64 to 0.031 µg/ml. No antagonism was observed.

The significance of the increased expression of phosphorylated MeCP2 in the membranes from patients with proliferative diabetic retinopathy.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the correlation of expression of phosphorylated methyl-CpG binding protein 2-Ser421 (MeCP2-S421) and VEGF in the membranes of patients with PDR. We examined the expression of phospho-MeCP2-S80, S421, VEGF and PEDF in surgically excised PDR membranes from 33 patients with diabetes, and idiopathic epiretinal membranes from 11 patients without diabetes, using immunohistochemistry and western blot. The colocalization of MeCP2-S421 with VEGF, PEDF, CD31, GFAP and αSMA was revealed by fluorescent double labeling. The effect of CoCl2 and knock down MeCP2 using specific siRNA on the expression of MeCP2 and VEGF were analyzed in HUCAC cells by Western blot. We found that phospho-MeCP2-S421 was significantly increased in the membranes from the patients with PDR compared with the specimens from patients without diabetes (P < 0.01). The expression of phospho-MeCP2-S421 was much stronger than that of phospho-MeCP2-S80 in the PDR membranes. Double labeling showed that the high phospho-MeCP2-S421 expression was associated with strong expression of VEGF, but not PEDF. Further, phospho-MeCP2-S421 and VEGF were increased by the stimulation of CoCl2 and knock down MeCP2 inhibited the expression of VEGF. Our result suggests that phospho-MeCP2-S421 might involve in the pathogenesis of PDR.

Vitreous seeding from a large optic disc melanocytoma.

We report the case of a 17 year-old man with a large optic disc melanocytoma that underwent spontaneous rupture and seeding of the vitreous with pigmented cells. Potential pathogenic mechanisms and visual prognosis of this rare event are discussed.

[The surgical timing and effects for vitreous hemorrhage caused by ocular blunt trauma].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the surgical timing and effects for vitreous hemorrhage caused by blunt ocular trauma. METHOD: 116 eyes of vitreous hemorrhage caused by ocular blunt trauma were divided into two groups, non-vitrectomy group (46 eyes) and vitrectomy group (70 eyes). The treating results and follow-up results were compared. RESULTS: 50 of 70 eyes (71.4%) in vitrectomy group and 10 of 46 eyes (21.7%) in non-vitrectomy group achieved a visual acuity of 0.1 or better over a follow-up period of 1 month, which indicated a significant difference between two groups. In the non-vitrectomy group, visual acuity of 10 eyes were better than 0.1, 7 eyes (70.0%) of them improved within 2 weeks of injury. In surgery group, 27.1% underwent only vitrectomy and 70.9% needed combining with other manipulations. In vitrectomy group the retina detachment was found in 3 eyes (4.3%) post-operatively and were cured by second operation. In non-vitrectomy group, the retinal detachment was found in 14 eyes (30.4%) during the follow-up period, and 8 eyes (72.7%) of 11 eyes received operation were cured. CONCLUSION: Early vitreous surgery can improve curative effect for vitreous hemorrhage caused by blunt ocular trauma when no improvement was observed after applied drugs 2 - 3 weeks.