Associations of parental divorce with student mental health and academic outcomes: A quantitative study in rural China.

BACKGROUND: This paper examines the prevalence, correlates, and developmental consequences of divorce among junior high school students in rural China. Specifically, we investigate the connections between parental divorce and student mental health and academic performance, while also examining whether a student's living arrangement after divorce influences these outcomes. METHODS: Data were collected from 17,955 students across 122 rural junior high schools in China on their mental health, characteristics, and academic performance. Mental health was measured using the self-reported Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire. RESULTS: About 8.4 % of the students had divorced parents, with increased risk observed for students who were only children, had migrant mothers, or had higher educated mothers (ORs = 4.35, 3.20, and 1.78, respectively; Bonferroni-adjusted p < 0.05). Students with divorced parents exhibited a higher likelihood of internalizing (0.031), externalizing (0.5) abnormality (Bonferroni-adjusted p < 0.001) and scored 0.203 SD lower on the math test (Bonferroni-adjusted p < 0.001). Living arrangements post-divorce, either with a mother or a father, equally negatively impacted student mental health and academic performance, with a mitigating effect observed when grandparental childcare was provided. LIMITATIONS: Our study faced limitations in assessing the influence of grandparental childcare on coping with parental divorce due to challenges in gauging the extent of such support for students residing with a parent after divorce. CONCLUSIONS: Parental divorce among young students in rural China is associated with adverse developmental outcomes. These findings underscore the importance of implementing targeted programs in rural China to mitigate these risks and provide support for young students with divorced parents.

Characterization of piperine metabolites in rats by ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography with electrospray ionization quadruple time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry.

RATIONALE: Piperine is a major constituent of Piper nigrum L. and is a naturally bioactive alkaloid. Structural changes in piperine have been shown to result in different biological effects. The present study aims to investigate piperine metabolites in rat plasma, bile, urine, and feces after oral administration. METHODS: The metabolic pathway of piperine in vivo was investigated using ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography (UHLPC) combined with electrospray ionization quadruple time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry (QTOF-MS). Piperine metabolites were found and identified by fragmentation patterns and accurate mass measurements. RESULTS: The 12 metabolites detected and identified were divided into three groups: methylenedioxycyclic ring-opening metabolites (M01-M08), methylenedioxycyclic ring-oxidizing metabolites (M09-M11), and piperidine ring-cleavage metabolites (M12). Seven piperine metabolites, including M02, M03, M04, M05, M09, M10 and M11, were reported for the first time in the literature. CONCLUSIONS: Results showed that the principal metabolism pathways of piperine in rat were reduction and demethylation after ring-opening, and that UHPLC/QTOF-MS can serve as an important analytical platform to gather the piperine metabolism profile. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Preparation of highly purified timosaponin AIII from rhizoma anemarrhenae through an enzymatic method combined with preparative liquid chromatography.

Timosaponin AIII (TAIII) exhibits extensive pharmacological activities and has been reported as a potent antitumour agent for various human cancers. In the present study, a potential industrial process for producing TAIII that involves biotransformation directly in the crude extract liquid of rhizoma anemarrhenae (RA) was developed. ß-D-glycosidase was used to transform timosaponin BII (TBII) into TAIII, and monofactor experiments were conducted to optimise the enzymolysis conditions. In addition, AB-8 macroporous resin column chromatography, preparative liquid chromatography, and crystallisation technique were applied for yielding TAIII crystals with a purity > 97%. Approximately, 7 g of TAIII with a high purity of > 97% was obtained from 1 kg of RA through this five-step preparation method, which can be used to produce TAIII on a large scale.

Gallium tris(iodate), Ga(IO3)3.

Ga(IO(3))(3) crystallizes in the space group P6(3), with the Ga atom at a site with imposed threefold symmetry. The crystal structure consists of slightly distorted GaO(6) octahedra that are bridged by I atoms of IO(3)(-) groups, giving rise to a three-dimensional polar network. The framework contains unoccupied hexagonal channels running parallel to the hexagonal [001] direction. The iodate groups have their stereochemically active non-bonded electron pairs pointing in the same direction along [001], which creates the polarity in the structure. The I-O bond distances and O-I-O angles are normal, being in the ranges 1.783 (3)-1.847 (2) A and 94.68 (11)-99.61 (12) degrees , respectively.