Purpose: Interviews play a crucial role in the medical school selection process, although little is known about interviewers’ non-verbal observable communications (NoVOC) during the interviews. This study investigates how interviewers perceive NoVOC exhibited by interviewees in two medical schools, one in Taiwan and the other in Australia. The study also explores potential cross-cultural differences in these perceptions. Methods: A 26-item questionnaire was developed using a Delphi-like method to identify NoVOC. Interviewers from the University of New South Wales, Australia, and National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Taiwan (n=47 and N=78, respectively) rated these NoVOC between 2018 and 2021. Factor analyses identified and validated underlying factors. Measurement invariance across countries and genders was examined. Results: A total of 125 interviewers completed the questionnaire, including 78 from Taiwan and 47 from Australia. Using exploratory factor analysis, 14 items yielded reliable three factors “charming,” “disengaged,” and “anxious” (Cronbach’s α=0.853, 0.714, and 0.628, respectively). The measurement invariance analysis indicated that the factor models were invariant across genders but significantly different between the two countries. Further analysis revealed inconsistencies in interpreting the “anxious” factor between Taiwan and Australia. Conclusion The three distinct factors revealed in this study provide valuable insights into the NoVOC that interviewers perceive and evaluate during the interview process. The findings highlight the importance of considering non-verbal communication in selecting medical students and emphasize the need for training and awareness among interviewers. Understanding the impact of non-verbal behaviors can improve selection processes to mitigate bias and enhance the fairness and reliability of medical student selection.

Purpose: Interviews play a crucial role in the medical school selection process, although little is known about interviewers’ non-verbal observable communications (NoVOC) during the interviews. This study investigates how interviewers perceive NoVOC exhibited by interviewees in two medical schools, one in Taiwan and the other in Australia. The study also explores potential cross-cultural differences in these perceptions. Methods: A 26-item questionnaire was developed using a Delphi-like method to identify NoVOC. Interviewers from the University of New South Wales, Australia, and National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Taiwan (n=47 and N=78, respectively) rated these NoVOC between 2018 and 2021. Factor analyses identified and validated underlying factors. Measurement invariance across countries and genders was examined. Results: A total of 125 interviewers completed the questionnaire, including 78 from Taiwan and 47 from Australia. Using exploratory factor analysis, 14 items yielded reliable three factors “charming,” “disengaged,” and “anxious” (Cronbach’s α=0.853, 0.714, and 0.628, respectively). The measurement invariance analysis indicated that the factor models were invariant across genders but significantly different between the two countries. Further analysis revealed inconsistencies in interpreting the “anxious” factor between Taiwan and Australia. Conclusion The three distinct factors revealed in this study provide valuable insights into the NoVOC that interviewers perceive and evaluate during the interview process. The findings highlight the importance of considering non-verbal communication in selecting medical students and emphasize the need for training and awareness among interviewers. Understanding the impact of non-verbal behaviors can improve selection processes to mitigate bias and enhance the fairness and reliability of medical student selection.

Purpose: Interviews play a crucial role in the medical school selection process, although little is known about interviewers’ non-verbal observable communications (NoVOC) during the interviews. This study investigates how interviewers perceive NoVOC exhibited by interviewees in two medical schools, one in Taiwan and the other in Australia. The study also explores potential cross-cultural differences in these perceptions. Methods: A 26-item questionnaire was developed using a Delphi-like method to identify NoVOC. Interviewers from the University of New South Wales, Australia, and National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Taiwan (n=47 and N=78, respectively) rated these NoVOC between 2018 and 2021. Factor analyses identified and validated underlying factors. Measurement invariance across countries and genders was examined. Results: A total of 125 interviewers completed the questionnaire, including 78 from Taiwan and 47 from Australia. Using exploratory factor analysis, 14 items yielded reliable three factors “charming,” “disengaged,” and “anxious” (Cronbach’s α=0.853, 0.714, and 0.628, respectively). The measurement invariance analysis indicated that the factor models were invariant across genders but significantly different between the two countries. Further analysis revealed inconsistencies in interpreting the “anxious” factor between Taiwan and Australia. Conclusion The three distinct factors revealed in this study provide valuable insights into the NoVOC that interviewers perceive and evaluate during the interview process. The findings highlight the importance of considering non-verbal communication in selecting medical students and emphasize the need for training and awareness among interviewers. Understanding the impact of non-verbal behaviors can improve selection processes to mitigate bias and enhance the fairness and reliability of medical student selection.

Purpose: Interviews play a crucial role in the medical school selection process, although little is known about interviewers’ non-verbal observable communications (NoVOC) during the interviews. This study investigates how interviewers perceive NoVOC exhibited by interviewees in two medical schools, one in Taiwan and the other in Australia. The study also explores potential cross-cultural differences in these perceptions. Methods: A 26-item questionnaire was developed using a Delphi-like method to identify NoVOC. Interviewers from the University of New South Wales, Australia, and National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Taiwan (n=47 and N=78, respectively) rated these NoVOC between 2018 and 2021. Factor analyses identified and validated underlying factors. Measurement invariance across countries and genders was examined. Results: A total of 125 interviewers completed the questionnaire, including 78 from Taiwan and 47 from Australia. Using exploratory factor analysis, 14 items yielded reliable three factors “charming,” “disengaged,” and “anxious” (Cronbach’s α=0.853, 0.714, and 0.628, respectively). The measurement invariance analysis indicated that the factor models were invariant across genders but significantly different between the two countries. Further analysis revealed inconsistencies in interpreting the “anxious” factor between Taiwan and Australia. Conclusion The three distinct factors revealed in this study provide valuable insights into the NoVOC that interviewers perceive and evaluate during the interview process. The findings highlight the importance of considering non-verbal communication in selecting medical students and emphasize the need for training and awareness among interviewers. Understanding the impact of non-verbal behaviors can improve selection processes to mitigate bias and enhance the fairness and reliability of medical student selection.

AIM To explore the clinical effects of Shuilu Erxian Pills combined with Modified Didang Decoction on patients with early and middle stage diabetic nephropathy.METHODS Eighty-three patients were randomly assigned into control group(42 cases)for 12-week administration of Irbesartan Tablets,and observation group(41 cases)for 12-week administration of Shuilu Erxian Pills,Modified Didang Decoction and Irbesartan Tablets.The changes in clinical effects,TCM syndrome scores,blood glucose indices(FBG,HbA1c),blood lipid indices(TC,TG),renal function indices(BUN,Scr,24 h UTP,eGFR),inflammatory factors(IL-1β,hs-CRP,IL-6,TNF-α,IL-18,TGF-β1),immune function indices(lymphocyte,neutrophil,CD8+,CD3+,CD4+,CD4+/CD8+)and incidence of adverse reactions were detected.RESULTS The observation group demonstrated higher total effective rate than the control group(P＜0.05).After the treatment,the observation group displayed decreased TCM syndrome scores,blood glucose indices,blood lipid indices,BUN,Scr,24 h UTP,inflammatory factors,CD8+(P＜0.05),reduced lymphocyte,neutrophil(P＜0.05),and increased eGFR,CD3+,CD4+,CD4+/CD8+(P＜0.05),which were more obvious than those in the control group(except for HbA1c,TG,SCr,24 h UTP,lymphocyte,neutrophil)(P＜0.05).No significant difference in incidence of adverse reactions was found between the two groups(P＞0.05).CONCLUSION For the patients with early and middle stage diabetic nephropathy,Shuilu Erxian Pills combined with Modified Didang Decoction can safely and effectively improve clinical symptoms,whose mechanism may contribute to the reduction of inflammatory levels and improvement of immune functions.

Objective:To explore the therapeutic mechanism of electroacupuncture(EA)in treating Parkinson disease(PD)using Tandem mass tag(TMT)quantitative proteomics technology. Methods:Forty-eight PD patients were randomly divided into a control group and an observation group,with 24 patients in each group.The control group received routine drug treatment,while the observation group received EA in addition to the routine drug treatment.EA was administered for 30 min per session,3 times a week,for a total of 12 weeks.Nine patients from each group were randomly selected to provide peripheral blood serum samples before and after treatment for TMT quantitative proteomics analysis.Differentially expressed proteins between the two groups were compared,and bioinformatics analysis was performed.The screened differentially expressed proteins were validated using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA). Results:In the observation group,scores on the unified Parkinson disease rating scale(UPDRS),UPDRS Ⅱ,and UPDRS Ⅲ were significantly reduced after treatment(P<0.05).In the control group,these scores tended to increase,but the changes were not statistically significant(P>0.05).After treatment,the UPDRS and UPDRS Ⅲ scores in the observation group were significantly lower than those in the control group(P<0.05).The observation group showed 62 differentially expressed proteins,while the control group had 36.Compared to the control group,the observation group had 142 differentially expressed proteins.These proteins were primarily involved in the cyclic adenosine monophosphate(cAMP)signaling pathway,T helper(Th)1 and Th2 cell differentiation,ATP-binding cassette transporter,vascular endothelial growth factor signaling pathway,and high-affinity immunoglobulin E receptor(FcεRI)signaling pathway.ELISA verification indicated that after EA treatment,the levels of α-Synuclein(αSyn)and heat shock protein beta 1(HSPB1)in the observation group were significantly lower than those in the control group(P<0.05),while the regulator of G-protein signaling 10(RGS10)level was significantly higher(P<0.05). Conclusion:EA,combined with routine drug therapy,can significantly improve clinical symptoms of PD,potentially through the regulation of the cAMP signaling pathway and the contents of differentially expressed proteins of αSyn,HSPB1,and RGS10.

[Objective]To investigate the optimal ratio of Shuji Decoction for the treatment of dystonia in Parkinson's disease(PD)rats.[Methods]The model of PD dystonia was prepared by induction of 6-hydroxydopamine,and the experiment was designed by the orthogonal experimental design,and randomly divided into model group(equal volume of 0.9%sodium chloride solution),Shuji Decoction group 1～16[dosing ratio according to L16(215)orthogonal test table],and sham operation group(equal volume of 0.9%sodium chloride solution)as control,which was administered once/d for 28 d.The stepping test,suspension test and abnormal involuntary movement(AIM)were used to detect the degree of muscular rigidity.Ultrastructural changes of the neuromuscular junctions of the phrenic nerve were observed by transmission electron microscope.The expression level of tyrosine hydroxylase(TH)in brain tissue was measured by immunohistochemistry.[Results]The results of the orthogonal test showed that the best combination of Shuji Decoction was Shuji Decoction group 4,i.e.,Magnoliae Officinalis Cortex:Clematis chinensis Osbeck:Stephania tetrandra S.Moore:Cyclea barbata Miers:Lobelia sessilifolia Lamb in the ratio of 1:1:2:2:1.Compared with sham operation group,there was significantly decreased number of adjusting steps whereas increased latency and AIM scores of rats in model group(P<0.01);compared with model group,the number of adjusting steps was significantly increased,while latency and AIM scores of rats in Shuji Decoction groups were significantly reduced(P<0.01),among which the effect of No.4 Shuji Decoction group was the most obvious(P<0.01).The electron microscopic examination revealed that Shuji Decoction could reduce the number of presynaptic membrane vesicles,mitochondria and postsynaptic membrane folds,and relieve the structural damage of neurons.Immunohistochemistry showed that compared with model group,the expression level of TH was significantly increased in Shuji Decoction groups(P<0.05),and the expression level of TH in Shuji Decoction group 4 was highest(P<0.01).[Conclusion]The optimal ratio of Shuji Decoction for the treatment of dystonia in rats with PD is 1:1:2:2:1 for Magnoliae Officinalis Cortex:Clematis chinensis Osbeck:Stephania tetrandra S.Moore:Cyclea barbata Miers:Lobelia sessilifolia Lamb.

Objective To explore the establishment of a risk prediction model for concurrent bronchiolitis obliterans(BO)in children with refractory Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia(RMPP).Methods A retrospective study included 116 RMPP children treated in the Department of Pediatrics of Xiangya Changde Hospital from June 2021 to December 2023.Eighty-one cases were allocated to the training set and thirty-five cases to the validation set based on a 7:3 ratio.Among them,26 cases in the training set developed BO,while 55 did not.The multivariate logistic regression was used to select variable factors for constructing the BO risk prediction model.Nomograms were drawn,and the receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve was used to assess the discriminative ability of the model,while calibration curves and Hosmer-Lemeshow tests evaluated the model's calibration.Results Multivariate logistic regression analysis indicated that several factors were significantly associated with concurrent BO in RMPP children,including length of hospital stay,duration of fever,atelectasis,neutrophil percentage(NEUT%),peak lactate dehydrogenase(LDH),ferritin,peak C reactive protein(CRP),oxygenation index(PaO2/FiO2),≥2/3 lung lobe consolidation,pleural effusion,bronchial mucous plugs,bronchial mucosal necrosis,and arterial oxygen partial pressure(PaO2)(P<0.05).ROC curve analysis for the training set indicated an area under the curve of 0.904 with 88%sensitivity and 83%specificity;the validation set showed an area under the curve of 0.823 with 76%sensitivity and 93%specificity.The Hosmer-Lemeshow test's Chi-square values for the training and validation sets were 2.17 and 1.92,respectively,with P values of 0.221 and 0.196,respectively.Conclusions The risk prediction model for BO in RMPP children based on logistic regression has good performance.Variables such as length of hospital stay,duration of fever,atelectasis,peak LDH,peak CRP,NEUT%,ferritin,≥2/3 lung lobe consolidation,pleural effusion,bronchial mucous plugs,bronchial mucosal necrosis,PaO2/FiO2,and PaO2 can be used as predictors.

ObjectiveTo explore the mechanism of Buzhong Yiqitang in ameliorating inflammatory injury in autoimmune thyroiditis (AIT) mice based on the Toll-like receptor 4（TLR4）/nuclear transcription factor-kappa B（NF-κB）/absent in melanoma 2（AIM2）inflammasome signaling pathway. MethodThe 120 genetically susceptible 8-week-old NOD.H-2^h4 mice were selected and randomly divided into control group， model group， low， medium and high dose groups of Buzhong Yiqitang （4.78， 9.56， 19.12 g·kg^-1）， and western medicine group （selenium yeast tablets， 3.033×10^-5 g·kg^-1）. The AIT model mice in each group drank ad libitum 0.05% sodium iodide aqueous solution for 8 weeks to establish the AIT model， and the control group drank ad libitum distilled water. Eight weeks later， the mice in each dosing group were divided into groups and gavage. The swelling of thyroid tissue was observed with the naked eye， and the weight of spleen was weighed. The content of serum inflammatory factors interleukin-1β （IL-1β）， interleukin-6 （IL-6）， tumor necrosis factor-α （TNF-α） was measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA）， and Real-time PCR was used to detect the expression of HMGB1， TLR4， AIM2， NF-κB p65，apoptosis-associated speck-like protein（ASC），cysteinyl aspartate-specific protease-1（Caspase-1）， IL-1β mRNA. Western blot was used to detect the expression of high motility group protein 1 （HMGB1）， TLR4， AIM2， NF-κB p65， phosphorylation（p）-NF-κB p65， ASC， Caspase-1， and IL-1β proteins in thyroid tissue， and immunofluorescence staining was used to observe the protein expression of HMGB1， AIM2， and NF-κB p65 in thyroid tissue of mice. ResultCompared with the control group， the thyroid tissue of mice in the model group was significantly swollen， the spleen quality was significantly increased， and the expression of HMGB1， TLR4， NF-κB p65， AIM2， ASC， Caspase-1， IL-1β in thyroid tissue was significantly increased （P<0.01）. Compared with the model group， the swelling of thyroid tissue in mice in each dose group of Buzhong Yiqitang was improved， the quality of spleen was significantly reduced， and the expression of HMGB1， TLR4， AIM2， NF-κB p65， p-NF-κB p65， ASC， Caspase-1， IL-1β in thyroid tissue was significantly reduced （P<0.05， P<0.01）. ConclusionBuzhong Yiqitang can effectively improve the inflammatory injury of AIT， and regulating the abnormal activation of the TLR4/NF-κB/AIM2 inflammasome signal pathway may be one of its intervention mechanisms.

Objective: To analyze the longitudinal association between mobile phone dependence and depressive symptoms in college students, so as to provide a theoretical basis for psychological health education among college students. Methods: From November 2021 to June 2023, 2 515 first year students from 2 universities in Yunnan Province were surveyed with a questionnaire by a cluster random sampling method, including baseline survey (November 2021, T1) and three follow up visits (June 2022, T2; November 2022, T3; June 2023, T4). The Self rating Questionnaire for Adolescent Problematic Mobile Phone Use and the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales-21 (DASS-21) were used to evaluate mobile phone dependence and depressive symptoms of college students. The χ 2 test was used to analyze the difference in depressive symptoms among different demographic groups, and a generalized estimation equation model was established to analyze the association between mobile phone dependence symptoms and depressive symptoms. Results: The detection rates of depressive symptoms among university students in Yunnan Province at time points T1, T2, T3, and T4 were 23.02%, 33.36%, 34.79% and 35.51%, respectively. There were statistically significant differences in the detection rates of depressive symptoms among college students with different sacademic burden (T1, T2, T3, T4), different number of close friends (T1, T2, T3), as well as their father s educational level (T1), mothers educational level (T2, T4), gender (T4), major (T3, T4), education (T2, T3, T4), family residency (T1, T2), and family economic conditions (T1, T2, T4) ( χ 2= 59.68 , 49.38, 16.70, 39.31; 55.35, 26.01, 16.69; 10.22; 14.87, 11.51; 14.90; 27.81, 50.28; 9.75, 7.42, 24.76; 6.06, 4.47 ; 15.88, 14.58, 15.85, P < 0.05 ). After controlling for demographic variables and confounding factors in the generalized estimation equation model, mobile phone dependence ( β =0.11), withdrawal symptoms of mobile phone dependence ( β =0.14), and the physical and mental effects of mobile phone dependence ( β =0.14) were all positively correlated with depressive symptoms ( P <0.01). Further gender analysis showed that depressive symptoms in both boys ( β =0.13, 0.13, 0.18) and girls ( β =0.10, 0.13, 0.13 ) were associated with mobile phone dependence, withdrawal symptoms of mobile phone dependence and the physical and mental effects of mobile phone dependence ( P <0.01). Conclusions Depressive symptoms of college students are positively correlated with mobile phone dependence, and family economic conditions, academic burden and number of close friends are factors that continued to affect depressive symptoms. College students should be guided to pay attention to the impact of excessive use of mobile phones on their physical and mental health, use mobile phones reasonably to reduce the incidence of depressive symptoms among college students.