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The prevalence of carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) is increasing globally, with different molecular mechanisms described. Here we studied the molecular mechanisms of carbapenem resistance, including clonal and plasmid dissemination, of 67 CRE isolates collected between 2012 and 2016 from a tertiary hospital in Eastern China, an CRE endemic region. Species identification and susceptibility testing were performed using the BD Phoenix Automated Microbiology System. Isolates were characterized by PCR (for carbapenemases, ESBLs, AmpC and porin genes), multilocus sequence typing (MLST), pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE), and conjugation transfer experiments. Selected bla KPC-2 -harboring plasmids were subjected to next-generation sequencing using the Illumina Miseq platform. Among the 67 CRE isolates, 42 Klebsiella pneumoniae , 10 Serratia marcescens , 6 Enterobacter cloacae , 2 Raoultella ornithinolytica , 2 K. oxytoca , 1 K. aerogenes , and 4 Escherichia coli isolates were identified. Six different carbapenemases were detected, including bla KPC-2 (n = 45), bla KPC-3 (n = 1), bla NDM-1 (n = 6), bla NDM-5 (n = 1), bla IMP-4 (n = 2), and bla VIM-1 (n = 2); bla OXA-48-like genes were not detected. One E. cloacae strain possessed both bla NDM-1 and bla KPC-3, while two E. cloacae isolates harbored bla NDM-1 and bla VIM-1. ESBLs (CTX-M, SHV, and TEM) and/or AmpC (CMY, DHA, and ACT/MIR) genes were also identified in 59 isolates, including 13 strains that lacked carbapenemases. Several insertions or stop codon mutations were found within porin genes of K. pneumoniae, E. coli and S. marcescens isolates, both with and without carbapenemases. The 42 K. pneumoniae isolates belonged to 12 different sequence types (ST), with ST11 being the most common, while the 6 E. cloacae isolates comprised 4 different STs. The 10 S. marcescens all shared the same PFGE pulsotype, suggestive of clonal spread. Complete plasmid sequencing and PCR screening revealed both intra-strain and inter-species spread of a common bla KPC-2-harboring plasmid in our hospital. Taken together, our study revealed extensive genetic diversity among CRE isolates form a single Chinese hospital. CRE isolates circulating in the hospital differ significantly in their species, STs, porin genes, carbapenemase genes, and their plasmid content, highlighting the complex dissemination of CRE in this endemic region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The processes of transport decarbonisation are complicated. In this paper, we adopt the Activity-Modal Share-Energy Intensity-Carbon Intensity of Fuel (ASIF) approach and propose a conceptual framework on the direct and indirect impact of COVID-19 on transport CO2 emissions. In the Chinese context, changes of carbon emissions associated with passenger and freight transport (including urban, rural, and inter-city transport) across different transport modes are estimated. Scenario analysis is then used to estimate the impact of COVID-19 on total transport carbon emissions up to 2030. Four scenarios, from minimal to significant behavioural changes and global recession associated with COVID-19, are generated. Results: Under the pandemic, the transport system in China was estimated to have produced 28% less CO2 emissions (1044.2 Mt) in 2020, when compared to 2019. Compared with the business-as-usual scenario, the estimated total transport carbon emissions in 2030 would drop by 6%, 15%, and 21% and 23% under the minimal-impact, low-impact, moderate-impact, and severe-impact scenarios, respectively. Conclusions: The results suggest that the processes triggered by COVID-19 alone will not be sufficient to meet the ambitious transport decarbonisation targets. To meet China's pledge under the United Nations Framework on Climate Change, the medium-term effects of COVID-19 must be combined with strong transport decarbonisation measures of modal shift and new energy applications. With these additional measures, it may be possible to advance the transport carbon peak before 2030. Lessons are relevant to other developing countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Brucella BP26 proves to be a highly immunogenic antigen with excellent specificity in brucellosis detection. In China, the authorized use of the Bp26-deleted vaccine M5ΔBP26 for preventing small ruminant brucellosis highlights the importance of developing accurate detection methods targeting BP26, particularly for the diagnosis of differentiation between infected and vaccinated animals (DIVA). Using the traditional mouse hybridoma technique, we successfully obtained 12 monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) targeting BP26. The efficacy of these mAbs in detecting various animal brucellosis cases using the competitive ELISA method was evaluated. Among them, only the E10 mAb exhibited significant efficiency, being inhibited by 100, 97.62, and 100% of brucellosis-positive sera from cattle, small ruminants, and canines, respectively. The E10-based competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (cELISA) outperformed the BP26-based indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (iELISA) in accuracy, particularly for cattle and small ruminant brucellosis, with cELISA sensitivity reaching 97.62% compared to 64.29% for iELISA for small ruminants. Although cELISA showed slightly lower specificity than iELISA, it still maintained high accuracy in canine brucellosis detection. The epitope of mAb E10 was identified in the amino acid sequence QPIYVYPDDKNNLKEPTITGY, suggesting its potential as a diagnostic antigen for brucellosis. In conclusion, the E10-based cELISA presents an effective means of detecting animal brucellosis, particularly significant for DIVA diagnosis in China, where the BP26-mutant vaccine is widely used. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The acetylation of histone lysine residues regulates multiple life processes, including growth, conidiation, and pathogenicity in filamentous pathogenic fungi. However, the specific function of each lysine residue at the N-terminus of histone H3 in phytopathogenic fungi remains unclear. In this study, we mutated the N-terminal lysine residues of histone H3 in Fusarium pseudograminearum, the main causal agent of Fusarium crown rot of wheat in China, which also produces deoxynivalenol (DON) toxins harmful to humans and animals. Our findings reveal that all the FpH3K9R, FpH3K14R, FpH3K18R, and FpH3K23R mutants are vital for vegetative growth and conidiation. Additionally, FpH3K14 regulates the pathogen's sensitivity to various stresses and fungicides. Despite the slowed growth of the FpH3K9R and FpH3K23R mutants, their pathogenicity towards wheat stems and heads remains unchanged. However, the FpH3K9R mutant produces more DON. Furthermore, the FpH3K14R and FpH3K18R mutants exhibit significantly reduced virulence, with the FpH3K18R mutant producing minimal DON. In the FpH3K9R, FpH3K14R, FpH3K18R, and FpH3K23R mutants, there are 1863, 1400, 1688, and 1806 downregulated genes, respectively, compared to the wild type. These downregulated genes include many that are crucial for growth, conidiation, pathogenicity, and DON production, as well as some essential genes. Gene ontology (GO) enrichment analysis indicates that genes downregulated in the FpH3K14R and FpH3K18R mutants are enriched for ribosome biogenesis, rRNA processing, and rRNA metabolic process. This suggests that the translation machinery is abnormal in the FpH3K14R and FpH3K18R mutants. Overall, our findings suggest that H3 N-terminal lysine residues are involved in regulating the expression of genes with important functions and are critical for fungal development and pathogenicity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Russula griseocarnosa, an edible and medicinal mushroom abundant in nutrients and notable bioactivities, is predominantly grown in the broad-leaved forest with trees of the family Fagaceae in southern China. This species forms ectomycorrhizal associations with plant roots and cannot be artificially cultivated currently. Previous research indicates a strong correlation between the growth of R. griseocarnosa and factors such as the host plant, climate variables (specifically mean temperature and precipitation from June to October), and the rhizosphere microbiota of its habitat. However, comprehensive studies on the fundamental biology of this species are lacking. The interaction between R. griseocarnosa and its host plant, as well as the mechanisms underlying the microbial community dynamics within its habitat, remain ambiguous. The limited repertoire and diversity of carbohydrate-active enzymes (CAZymes) in R. griseocarnosa relative to saprophytic fungi may contribute to its recalcitrance to cultivation on synthetic media. The specific core enzyme and the substances provided by the host plant to facilitate growth are yet to be elucidated, posing a significant challenge in the artificial cultivation of R. griseocarnosa. The habitat of R. griseocarnosa harbours unique microbial communities, indicating the presence of potentially beneficial microorganisms that could be exploited for artificial propagation and conservation efforts. However, the lack of definitive functional verification experiments hinders the realization of this promising prospect. This review offers a comprehensive overview of the nutritional profile and health benefits of R. griseocarnosa, emphasizing recent developments in its isolation, molecular ecology, and artificial cultivation. Additionally, it explores prospective advancements in R. griseocarnosa research, aiming to enrich our foundational understanding for applied purposes and fostering progress in the realm of ectomycorrhizal edible mushrooms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Litter of different species coexists in the natural ecosystem and may induce non-additive effects during decomposition. Identifying and quantifying the origins of species in litter mixtures is essential for evaluating the responses of each component species when mixed with co-occurring species and then unraveling the underlying mechanism of the mixing effects of litter decomposition. Here, we used near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) to predict the species composition and proportions of four-tree species foliage mixtures in association with litter crude ash and litter decomposition time. To simulate the whole mixed litter decomposition process in situ, a controlled mixture of four tree species litter leaves consisting of 15 tree species combinations and 193 artificial mixed-species samples were created for model development and verification using undecomposed pure tree species and decomposed litter of single tree species over one year. Two series of NIRS models were developed with the original mass and ash-free weight as reference values. The results showed that these NIRS models could provide an accurate prediction for the percentage of the component species from in the litter leaf mixture's composition. The predictive ability of the near-infrared spectroscopy model declined marginally with the prolonged litter decomposition time. Furthermore, the model with ash-free litter mass as a reference exhibited a higher coefficient of determination (R2) and a lower standard error of prediction (RMSECV). Thus, our results demonstrate that NIRS presents great potential for not only predicting the organic composition and proportion in multi-species mixed samples in static conditions, but also for samples in dynamic conditions (i.e., during the litter decomposition process), which could facilitate evaluation of the species-specific responses and impacts on the interspecific interactions of co-occurring species in high-biodiversity communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To assess the anxiety and depression and their predictors among healthcare workers in Liaoning Province, China. Methods: In order to explore the influencing factors and prevalence of anxiety and depression among healthcare workers, a cross-sectional research design was used to survey 500 healthcare workers using the 14-item Hospital Anxiety Depression Scale (HADS), the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES), the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS), and the Survey of Perceived Organizational Support (SPOS). Results: About 47.12% of the healthcare workers suffered from anxiety and 71.63% suffered from depression. In our study, we found that the health status (OR: 0.540, 95% CI: 0.298– 0.976), self-esteem (OR: 0.395, 95% CI: 0.251– 0.619), PSS (OR: 0.621, 95% CI: 0.388– 0.994), organizational support (OR: 0.533, 95% CI. 0.333– 0.854) were protective factors for healthcare workers suffering from anxiety, and resistance to COVID-19 (OR: 1.703, 95% CI: 1.082– 2.681) was a risk factor for healthcare workers suffering from anxiety, while good quality of life (OR: 0.385, 95% CI: 0.206– 0.719) self-esteem (OR: 0.187, 95% CI: 0.110– 0.317), and PSS (OR: 0.475, 95% CI: 0.267– 0.847) were protective factors for healthcare workers suffering from depression, and at the age of 35– 40 years (OR: 2.475, 95% CI: 1.140– 5.369) and resistance to COVID-19 (OR: 2.219, 95% CI: 1.313– 3.751) were risk factors for healthcare workers suffering from depression. Conclusion: The anxiety and depression status of healthcare workers in China is poor, and hospital administrators should take positive measures to support healthcare workers and give positive expectations to alleviate negative emotions such as anxiety and depression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A key aspect of selective breeding programs is whether the traits of interest respond similarly in different environments. The magnitude of the genotype by environment (G × E) interaction and heritability are responsible for this aspect. Commercial hatcheries in northern China supply batches of seed to oyster farmers each year, which are cultivated in a wide range of growing sites. However, the extent to which G × E interactions affect the ability to identify quality oyster lines has not been measured. Therefore, the objective of this study was to estimate the genetic parameters and G × E interactions for harvest traits in C. gigas cultured in northern China. Oysters from 40 mostly full-sib families (the offspring of 36 sires and 40 dams) were tested at three major commercial cultivation sites: Rushan, Hungdao and Rongchceng. We recorded shell height (SH), shell length (SL), shell width (SW), individual weight (IW), survival rate (SR), wet meat weight (WMW), meat ratio (MR) and shell shape (SS) at harvest. Compared with control line, selected line exhibited high superiority in survival rate at three sites. Heritability estimates for the harvest traits were low to high across different sites (0.55–0.75 for SH, 0.25–0.49 for SL, 0.20–0.33 for SW, 0.37–0.71 for IW, 0.10–0.12 for SR, 0.40–0.52 for WMW, 0.14–0.34 for MR and 0.18–0.30 for SS). Genetic correlations among growth traits were medium to high and positive, ranging between 0.52 ± 0.15 (between SH and SW at Huangdao) to 0.90 ± 0.04 (between SH and IW at Rongcheng). Nevertheless, we found significantly negative genetic correlations between growth traits and shell shape, an index that takes into account growth traits and shell shape should be developed to improve both simultaneously. Since it is not possible to disentangle this result from the correlation that mathematically determined alone, this result requires further study. Notably, genetic correlations between growth traits and survival were low, ranging from − 0.31 ± 0.17 (between SL and SS at Huangdao) to 0.14 ± 0.19 (between SW and SS at Rongcheng). G × E interactions were estimated as genetic correlations between the same trait measured on different oysters at three sites. Moderate G × E interactions were found for growth traits (0.45–0.87), meat yield traits (0.40–0.73) and shell shape (0.22–0.69), and weak G × E interaction was found for survival at harvest (0.80–0.86). This study reveals the presence of weak to high re-ranking of genotypes for harvest traits in C. gigas cultured in different commercial sites, suggesting that G × E interactions should be considered in oyster breeding program servicing multiple sites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Multidrug resistance in Enterobacteriaceae including resistance to quinolones is rising worldwide. The development of resistance may lead to the emergence of new transmission mechanisms. In this study, the collection of different E. coli was performed from animals and subjected to subsequent procedures including pulsed-field gel electrophoresis, micro-broth dilution method, polymerase chain reaction. Whole genome sequencing of E. coli C3 was performed to detect the affinity, antimicrobial resistance and major carriers of the isolates. Results: A total of 66 E. coli were isolated and their antibiotic resistance genes, frequency of horizontal transfer and genetic environment of E. coli C3 were determined. The results showed there were both different and same types in PFGE typing, indicating clonal transmission of E. coli among different animals. The detection of antimicrobial resistance and major antibiotic resistance genes and the plasmid transfer results showed that strains from different sources had high levels of resistance to commonly used clinical antibiotics and could be spread horizontally. Whole-genome sequencing discovered a novel ICE mobile element. Conclusion: In summary, the antimicrobial resistance of E. coli in northeast China is a serious issue and there is a risk of antimicrobial resistance transmission. Meanwhile, a novel ICE mobile element appeared in the process of antimicrobial resistance formation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Melphalan was poorly available in mainland China. The aim of this study is to explore the dose-adjusted busulfan/cyclophosphamide (BU/CY) as an alternative regimen in auto stem cell transplantation (ASCT) for multiple myeloma (MM). Methods: A total of 105 newly diagnosed MM patients undergoing ASCT during May 2012 and August 2017 were retrospectively analyzed. The BU/CY regimen was applied to 64 patients. Busulfan (9.6 mg/kg or 8.0 mg/kg in total) and cyclophosphamide (3.6 g/m2 or 3.0 g/m2 in total) were administered according to the creatinine clearance rate (CCR). A high-dose melphalan (HDMEL) regimen (200 mg/m2) was given to the other 41 patients. Results: At a median follow-up of 65 (1~119) months, estimated overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) at 104 months in the BU/CY and HDMEL groups were 35.6% vs. 20.5% (p = 0.263) and 20.2% vs. 2.4% (p = 0.035), respectively. The median overall survival (OS) and PFS of the HDMEL and BU/CY groups were 55 vs. 70.5 months and 26 vs. 46.5 months, respectively. In multivariate analysis, the BU/CY regimen was found to be the only protective factor for PFS. No lethal toxicity was found in the BU/CY group, and treatment-related mortality (TRM) in 100 days was similar to the HDMEL group. Conclusions: MM patients may also benefit from the dose-adjusted BU/CY regimen. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Artificial light at night (ALAN) is rapidly growing and expanding globally, posing threats to ecological safety. Urban light pollution prevention and control are moving toward urban artificial light ecology construction. To clarify the need for light ecology construction, this work analyzes 1690 articles on ALAN and light pollution and 604 on ecological light pollution from 1998 to 2022. The development process and thematic evolution of light pollution research are combed through, the historical inevitability of artificial light ecology construction is excavated, and the ecological risks of light pollution to typical animals are summarized. The results show that international research has advanced to the ecological risk factors of light pollution and the related stress mechanisms, the quantification, prediction, and pre-warning by multiple technical means, and the translation of light pollution research outcomes to prevention and control practices. While Chinese scholars have begun to pay attention to the ecological risks of light pollution, the evaluation indicators and prevention and control measures remain primarily based on human-centered needs. Therefore, a more integrated demand-side framework of light ecology construction that comprehensively considers multiple risk receptors is further constructed. Given the development trend in China, we clarified the consistency of the ecological effect of landscape lighting with landsense ecology and the consistency of light ecological risk prevention and control with the concept of One Health. Ultimately, landsense light ecology is proposed based on the "One Health" concept. This work is expected to provide a reference and inspiration for future construction of urban artificial light ecology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Previous research has demonstrated the negative impact of the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on mental health. Aims: To examine changes in the Chinese psychiatric emergency department (PED) visits for mental health crises that occurred during the pandemic. Methods: Before and during the COVID-19 pandemic, PED visit counts from the largest psychiatric hospital in China between 2018 and 2020 were investigated. Electronic medical records of 2020 PED visits were extracted during the COVID-19 pandemic period and compared for the same period of 2018 and 2019. Results: Overall, PED visits per year increased from 1,767 in 2018 to 2210 (an increase of 25.1%) in 2019 and 2,648 (an increase of 49.9%) in 2020. Compared with 2 years before the epidemic, during the COVID-19 pandemic, the proportion of PED visits among patients with stress disorders, sleep disorders, and anxiety disorders increased significantly. In terms of the distribution of demographic characteristics, age shows a younger trend, while the gender difference is not significant. Conclusion: These findings suggest that PED care-seeking increases during the COVID-19 pandemic, highlighting the need to integrate mental health services for patients with stress, sleep, anxiety, and obsessive-compulsive disorders during public health crises. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Methicillin resistance in Staphylococcus aureus is primarily due to the mecA gene found in highly diverse staphylococcal cassette chromosome mec (SCC mec) elements, with an increasing number of variants being continually discovered. Objectives To characterize two novel SCC mec variants identified in clonal complex (CC) 398 strains and lineage-specific pseudo-SCC mec elements in the ST88 clone. Methods WGS and comparative genomic analysis were used to elucidate the SCC mec element diversity of representative isolates. Results The non-typeable 47 kb SCC mec found in the CC398 strain SKLX55795 represents a novel subtype of XIV, showing significant differences in structural organization and genetic content within the joining regions compared with the XIV element from the prototype strain SC792. This unique subtype comprised remnants from various mobile genetic elements that encode antimicrobial resistance genes, ultimately forming a large MDR region. Genome analysis of CC398 strain SKLX61416 revealed the presence of a novel 50 kb composite SCC mec with two distinct domains, carrying the ccr gene complexes 5/8 and containing genes for the detoxification of arsenic and sulphide. Further sequence analysis disclosed that 44.23% (23/52) of ST88 strains in our collection carried a lineage-specific pseudo-SCC mec , termed ΨSCC mec ST88. This ΨSCC mec ST88 harboured the mec gene complex C2, along with a series of genes associated with heavy metal resistance, but lacked an approximately 28 kb region encompassing the ccr gene complex. Conclusions Our findings provide evidence for the ongoing evolution of SCC mec elements within the CC398 and ST88 clones, underscoring the need for further surveillance to understand the biological significance of these elements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Identifying multi-scale anomalies that have simple forms and geological significance is critical for enhancing the interpretability of gravity and magnetic survey data. In recent years, empirical mode decomposition (EMD), which was developed as a significant data-driven approach for analyzing complex signals, has been widely used in identifying gravity and magnetic anomalies due to its advantages of adaptability to nonlinear and nonstationary data. Nevertheless, the traditional EMD method is usually sensitive to outliers and irregularly spaced data because of the interpolation process in the construction of envelopes. In this regard, an extended algorithm called statistical EMD (SEMD) has been proposed based on the smoothing technique. In this study, for validation purposes, the novel SEMD method has been employed to identify multi-scale gravity and magnetic anomalies. The sensitivities of local polynomial and cubic spline smoothing methods in SEMD to combination and arrangement patterns of field sources including the size, depth, and distance in gravity and magnetic anomaly identification were investigated and compared by forward modeling under the same conditions. The results demonstrated that the local polynomial smoothing method performed better than the cubic spline smoothing method. Thus, in the case study, the SEMD method using the local polynomial smoothing technique was employed for identifying multi-scale gravity and magnetic anomalies in the eastern Tianshan orogenic belt, northwestern China. It has illustrated that the SEMD method provides a novel and useful data-driven method for extracting gravity and magnetic anomalies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Evergreen and deciduous species coexist in the subtropical forests in southeastern China. It has been suggested that phosphorus (P) is the main limiting nutrient in subtropical forests, and that evergreen and deciduous species adopt different carbon capture strategies to deal with this limitation. However, these hypotheses have not been examined empirically to a sufficient degree. In order to fill this knowledge gap, we measured leaf photosynthetic and respiration rates, and nutrient traits related to P-, nitrogen (N)- and carbon (C)-use efficiencies and resorption using 75 woody species (44 evergreen and 31 deciduous species) sampled in a subtropical forest. The photosynthetic N-use efficiency (PNUE), respiration rate per unit N and P (R d,N and R d,P, respectively) of the deciduous species were all significantly higher than those of evergreen species, but not in the case of photosynthetic P-use efficiency. These results indicate that, for any given leaf P, evergreen species manifest higher carbon-use efficiency (CUE) than deciduous species, a speculation that is empirically confirmed. In addition, no significant differences were observed between deciduous and evergreen species for nitrogen resorption efficiency, phosphorus resorption efficiency or N:P ratios. These results indicate that evergreen species coexist with deciduous species and maintain dominance in P-limited subtropical forests by maintaining CUE. Our results also indicate that it is important to compare the PNUE of deciduous species with evergreen species in other biomes. These observations provide insights into modeling community dynamics in subtropical forests, particularly in light of future climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Skin and Soft Tissue Infections (SSTIs) Surveillance Network of S. aureus In Pediatrics in China was established in 2009 to routinely report epidemiological changes. We aimed to monitor the present antibiotic sensitivity and molecular characteristics of S. aureus and methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) from SSTIs in children nationwide and track the changes over the past decade. Methods: Patients diagnosed with SSTIs from the dermatology departments of 22 tertiary pediatric hospitals in seven geographical regions of China were recruited continuously from May 2019 to August 2021. S. aureus was isolated, and its sensitivity to 15 antimicrobials was evaluated using the broth microdilution method. The molecular characteristics of the MRSA isolates were determined through multilocus sequence typing (MLST) and staphylococcal cassette chromosome mec (SCCmec) typing. The presence of the Panton-Valentine leukocidin gene (pvl) was determined. Results: The detection rate of S. aureus was 62.57% (1379/2204), among which MRSA accounted for 14.79% (204/1379), significantly higher than the result in previous study in 2009-2011 (2.58%, 44/1075). Compared with previous study, the sensitivity to cephalosporins and fusidic acid decreased to varying degrees, while that to chloramphenicol, ciprofloxacin, clindamycin, erythromycin, gentamicin, penicillin, and tetracycline increased significantly. The sensitivity to mupirocin, trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole (TRISUL), and rifampicin still maintained at a high level (97.90%, 99.35% and 96.66% respectively). The leading multidrug resistance pattern of MRSA and methicillin-sensitive S. aureus (MSSA) were erythromycin-clindamycin-tetracycline (55.84%; 43/77)and erythromycin-clindamycin-chloramphenicol (27.85%, 44/158) respectively. 12 high-level mupirocin-resistant strains were detected, and notable differences in geographical distribution and seasonal variation were observed. The main types of MRSA were ST121 (46.08%, 94/204), followed by ST59 (19.61%, 40/204). SCCmec V (65.69%, 134/204) and SCCmec IV (31.86%, 65/204) were dominant epidemic types. ST121-V, ST59-IV, and ST22-V were the most prevalent clones nationwide. The detection rate of pvl had increased markedly from 9.09% (4/44) in 2009-2011 to 22.55% (46/204) in 2019-2021 (P<0.05). Conclusion: The antibiotic sensitivity and molecular characteristics of S. aureus from pediatric SSTIs has changed significantly over the past decade. To standardize medical care, provide timely and reasonable clinical treatment, and effectively manage infection control, Chinese pediatric SSTIs guidelines are urgently needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although it is widely acknowledged that the variation in leaf morphology reflects the adaptation of plants to local environments, we know little about how leaf morphology varies at large scales and which environmental factors drive such variation, especially for closely related species. Along broad climatic and soil gradients in eastern and central China, we evaluated the geographical pattern and the effects of environmental gradients on the variation in leaf geometric morphometrics of 1,041 plants of 60 Artemisia species. Species identity explained the largest variation in leaf geometric morphometrics. Leaf geometric morphometrics exhibited a significant latitudinal pattern. As latitude increased, oblanceolate moderate three-lobed leaves changed gradually to elliptic integrifolious ones. Regional environmental gradients, including mean annual precipitation (MAP), soil organic carbon (SOC) and pH, had significant (but different) effects on leaf geometric morphometrics. These results suggest that although leaf geometric morphometrics of Artemisia are under strong genetic control, they respond significantly to changing environmental conditions. Our study demonstrates that the high responsiveness in leaf morphology to the environment could reflect important adaptation by which plants function efficiently along broad environmental gradients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Decarbonizing the heavy-duty truck (HDT) sector is a climate imperative but also a challenging element to meet China's carbon reduction commitment. Various technological and non-technological measures are emerging. However, a comprehensive understanding is still lacking regarding the extent to which these measures can decarbonize the HDT fleet. This study aims to provide a systematic assessment of near and long-term strategies toward decarbonizing the road freight sector in China from a well-to-wheels (WTW) life cycle perspective. Methods: A fleet-based dynamic model is developed to estimate the prospective greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of China's HDT sector from 2020 to 2050. The case study considers the overall WTW life cycle GHG emissions including the fuel and energy production, distribution, and the use for vehicle operation. Relative to a base case scenario, four mitigation options are investigated: improvements in freight logistics, internal combustion engine vehicle (ICEV) efficiency improvements, adoption of advanced hybrid technology, and the use of alternative fuel types. The study quantifies the potential emission reduction and energy demand by deploying these measures synergistically through 2050. The implications of upstream fuel production pathways to the fleet GHG emissions are examined. Results and discussion: The annual GHG emissions of China's HDT fleet are projected to nearly double from 2020 to 2050 if no abatement technologies are implemented. Cumulative deployments of considered measures will enable the net GHG emissions to peak in 2029 and result in more than 60% emission reduction in 2050. Improving conventional vehicles through ICEV efficiency improvement and hybridization, complemented by improved logistics operations, presents important near-term opportunities to moderate the rise in GHG emissions. Meanwhile, the growing penetrations of battery electric and hydrogen fuel cell trucks, coupled with sufficient access to lower-carbon sources, could facilitate deeper reductions in emissions in the longer term. Furthermore, low carbon synthetic fuel offers an opportunity to accelerate the decarbonization of older trucks still existing within the fleet. Conclusions: There is no silver bullet to decarbonize the HDTs, whereby, on its own, each measure is inadequate to fully mitigate emissions from China's growing freight sector. A broad mix of energy, powertrain technologies, and logistical solutions is needed to support an orderly low carbon transition for China's HDT sector. This will require a more holistic regulatory framework, such as life cycle assessment approaches, to encourage innovations of all technologies for a sustainable freight transport future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The advanced manufacturing industry is located at the top of the manufacturing value chain. Its development is restricted by supply chain collaboration (SCC), the level of which is affected by many factors. Few studies comprehensively summarize what influences SCC and distinguish the impact level of each factor. Practitioners have difficulty isolating the primary factors that affect SCC and managing them effectively. Therefore, based on synergetics and the theory of comparative advantage, this study analyzes what influences SCC in the advanced manufacturing industry and how these influencing factors work, using data from 94 manufacturing enterprises and the Haken model to identify the influencing factors. The results show that China's advanced manufacturing supply chain underwent a phase change and entered a new stage during 2017–2018. In the new stage, the competitive advantages of enterprises are one order parameter (slow variable) and are primary factors affecting SCC. The interest demands of enterprises are a fast variable and are secondary factors affecting SCC. The competitive advantages of enterprises dominate the interests of enterprises in affecting the collaboration level of China's advanced manufacturing supply chain. In addition, in the process of influencing SCC, there is a positive correlation between the competitive advantages of enterprises and the interest demands of enterprises, and the two factors have a positive feedback mechanism. Finally, when the enterprises in the supply chain cooperate based on their differential advantages, the collaboration capability of the supply chain is at the highest level, and the overall operation of the supply chain is orderly. In terms of theoretical contribution, this study is the first to propose a collaborative motivation framework that conforms to the characteristics of sequential parameters, which provides a theoretical reference for subsequent studies on SCC. In addition, the theory of comparative advantage and synergetics are linked for the first time in this study, and both of them are enriched and developed. Equally importantly, this study compares the bidirectional influence between firms' competitive advantages and firms' interest demands and the ability of both to influence SCC, enriching previous validation studies of unidirectional influence. In terms of practical implications, this study guides top managers to focus on the management practice of collaborative innovation in the supply chain and advises purchasing managers and sales managers on selecting supply chain partnerships. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Plants accomplish multiple functions by the interrelationships between functional traits. Clarifying the complex relationships between plant traits would enable us to better understand how plants employ different strategies to adapt to the environment. Although increasing attention is being paid to plant traits, few studies focused on the adaptation to aridity through the relationship among multiple traits. We established plant trait networks (PTNs) to explore the interdependence of sixteen plant traits across drylands. Results: Our results revealed significant differences in PTNs among different plant life-forms and different levels of aridity. Trait relationships for woody plants were weaker, but were more modularized than for herbs. Woody plants were more connected in economic traits, whereas herbs were more connected in structural traits to reduce damage caused by drought. Furthermore, the correlations between traits were tighter with higher edge density in semi-arid than in arid regions, suggesting that resource sharing and trait coordination are more advantageous under low drought conditions. Importantly, our results demonstrated that stem phosphorus concentration (SPC) was a hub trait correlated with other traits across drylands. Conclusions: The results demonstrate that plants exhibited adaptations to the arid environment by adjusting trait modules through alternative strategies. PTNs provide a new insight into understanding the adaptation strategies of plants to drought stress based on the interdependence among plant functional traits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has had a significant and far-reaching impact on mental health. The psychiatric emergency department (PED) is pivotal in the management of acute and severe mental illnesses, especially anxiety-and stress-related disorders. Aims: This study aimed to evaluate whether changes in the frequency or patients' demographics of visiting the PED occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic among individuals with anxiety and stress-related disorders. Methods: This cross-sectional study used data on PED visit counts from the largest psychiatric hospital in China between 2018 and 2020 (before and during the COVID-19 pandemic). Data from 2020, representing the COVID-19 pandemic period, were extracted from electronic medical records and compared using descriptive statistics for the same periods in 2018 and 2019. Results: The number of PED visits related to anxiety and stress disorders per year increased from 83 in 2018 to 136 (63.9% increase) in 2019 and 239 (188.0% increase) in 2020. Compared to that in 2018 and 2019, the proportion of PED visits in 2020 among patients with anxiety and stress disorders increased significantly. Patients with anxiety-and stress-related disorders during PED visits in 2020 were younger than those in 2018 and 2019 (three-year groups: F = 9.124, df = 2, p < 0.001). Conclusion: Despite the epidemic-policy barriers against PED visits, PED care seeking has increased, thereby underscoring the need for crisis prevention services for patients with stress and anxiety disorders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Leaf traits are important indicators of plant life history and may vary according to plant functional type (PFT) and environmental conditions. In this study, we sampled woody plants from three PFTs (e.g., needle-leaved evergreens, NE; broad-leaved evergreens, BE; broad-leaved deciduous, BD) on the eastern Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, and 110 species were collected across 50 sites. Here, the divergence and correlations of leaf traits in three PFTs and relationships between leaf traits and environment were studied. The results showed significant differences in leaf traits among three PFTs, with NE plants showed higher values than BE plants and BD plants for leaf thickness (LT), leaf dry matter content (LDMC), leaf dry mass per area (LMA), carbon: nitrogen ratio (C/N), and nitrogen content per unit area (Narea), except for nitrogen content per unit mass (Nmass). Although the correlations between leaf traits were similar across three PFTs, NE plants differed from BE plants and BD plants in the relationship between C/N and Narea. Compared with the mean annual precipitation (MAP), the mean annual temperature (MAT) was the main environmental factor that caused the difference in leaf traits among three PFTs. NE plants had a more conservative approach to survival compared to BE plants and BD plants. This study shed light on the regional-scale variation in leaf traits and the relationships among leaf traits, PFT, and environment. These findings have important implications for the development of regional-scale dynamic vegetation models and for understanding how plants respond and adapt to environmental change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Given the interdependence of climate change (CLC) and urban expansion (URE) on ecosystem productivity in China and India, hybrid physics-based models were fitted in this study to evaluate the effects of these variables on photosynthetically active radiation (PAR). This was accomplished by interpolating the most recent five general circulation models (GCMs) from coupled model intercomparison project phase 6 (CMIP6) into the CMIP6 multi-ensemble model. The potential of PAR is projected to increase by 0.001 to 2.077% in China and by 0.002 to 6.737% in India, on a seasonal and annual basis, if the warming is kept at 1.5 °C from now until the end of this century. The effects of CLC and URE on the changes in PAR in China and India were investigated, and URE had a greater impact than CLC when compared to effective contributions, with 49.47% for China and 28.41% for India in the entire case scenario. In contrast, CLC and PAR residual factor (PRF) have a greater impact in India than in China, with effects of 13.79% and 57.79% compared to 0.89% and 49.64%, respectively. Preferences for exotic, high-productivity plant species, irrigation, CO2 fertilization, and nitrogen deposition are suggested as measures for replenishing PAR in both countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Nutrient resorption is a key mechanism to conserve nutrients and overcome nutrient limitation in perennial plants. As an important afforested tree species in subtropical regions, Pinus massoniana grows well in nutrient-poor environments, however, the age-related pattern of nutrient acquisition strategy and the underlying mechanisms in P. massoniana plantations remain unclear. Methods: In this study, concentrations of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) were measured in green and senesced needles, roots and soil samples collected from P. massoniana plantations with different stand ages (9-, 17-, 26-, 34- and 43-year-old) in south China. From these samples, nutrient resorption efficiency (RE) and stoichiometry were calculated. Results: Needle PRE significantly decreased with stand age, while there was no clear pattern of NRE along the stand development. Green needle N:P in older stands was significantly lower than in younger ones. Senesced needle C:P and N: P significantly decreased with stand age. Root and soil available P concentrations were significantly higher in older stands than in younger ones, and PRE was negatively correlated with soil available P concentration. Discussion: There was a shift from "conservative consumption" to "resource spending" P-use strategy, and P limitation decreased with stand development of P. massoniana plantations. The results provide information of changes in nutrients dynamics, which is relevant for the sustainable management of subtropical forest plantations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The coexistence of mcr-1 and blaNDM-5 in the plasmid of Escherichia coli has been widely reported and such strains have been mainly isolated from animal and human feces. However, few reports have focused on the genetic diversity of mcr-1-carrying chromosomes and blaNDM-5-carrying plasmids in E. coli isolates from lesion-bearing animal organs. This study investigated the genetic characteristics of chromosome-mediated mcr-1 and plasmid-mediated blaNDM-5 in E. coli isolated from lesion-bearing animal organs. Nine mcr-1-and blaNDM-5- positive E. coli strains (MNPECs) showed extensive drug resistance (XDR). The predominant clonal complexes (CC) mainly belonged to CC156, CC10, and CC165 from the 56 MNEPCs (including nine strains in this study) retrieved from the literature. These strains were widely distributed in China, and originated from pig fecal samples, human stool/urine samples as well as intestinal contents of chicken. Two transconjugants harboring blaNDM-5 gene were also successfully obtained from two donors (J-8 and N-14) and this transfer increased the MIC for meropenem by 256 times. However, conjugative transfer of mcr-1 gene failed. Both J-8 and N-14 strains contained point mutations associated with quinolone resistance and more than three types of AMR genes, including the mcr-1 gene on the chromosome and the blaNDM-5 gene on the IncX3-type plasmid. The genetic structure of mcr-1 located on the chromosome was an intact Tn6330, and blaNDM-5-carrying IncX3-type plasmid was ISAb125-IS5-blaNDM-5-bleO-trpF-tat-cutA-IS26 gene cassette. Moreover, differences between chromosomes included additional partial sequence of phage integrated into host genome and the different genes associated with O-antigen synthesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Diabetic foot is a serious complication of diabetes with a high disability and mortality rate, which can be prevented by early screening. General practitioners play an essential role in diabetic foot risk screening, yet the screening behaviors of general practitioners have rarely been studied in primary care settings. This study aimed to investigate foot risk screening behaviors and analyze their influencing factors among general practitioners. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 844 general practitioners from 78 community health centers in Changsha, China. A self-designed and validated questionnaire was used to assess the general practitioner's cognition, attitude, and behaviors on performing diabetic foot risk screening. Multivariate linear regression was conducted to investigate the influencing factors of risk screening behaviors. Results: The average score of diabetic foot risk screening behaviors among the general practitioners was 61.53 ± 14.69, and 271 (32.1%) always or frequently performed foot risk screening for diabetic patients. Higher training frequency (β = 3.197, p < 0.001), higher screening cognition (β = 2.947, p < 0.001), and more positive screening attitude (β = 4.564, p < 0.001) were associated with more diabetic foot risk screening behaviors, while limited time and energy (β=-5.184, p < 0.001) and lack of screening tools (β=-6.226, p < 0.001) were associated with fewer diabetic foot screening behaviors. Conclusion: The score of risk screening behaviors for the diabetic foot of general practitioners in Changsha was at a medium level. General practitioners' diabetic foot risk screening behaviors may be improved through strengthening training on relevant guidelines and evidence-based screening techniques, improving cognition and attitude towards foot risk screening among general practitioners, provision of more general practitioners or nurse practitioners, and user-friendly screening tools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: Evergreen and deciduous broadleaved plants have long been considered as different strategies to cope with environmental conditions, which are closely related to the trait syndromes associated with leaf habits. However, there are no assessments of differences in functional diversity among evergreen and deciduous species over a regional scale. Location: Subtropical evergreen broadleaved forest (SEBLF) of China. Methods: We measured seven functional traits of 292 woody plant species in 250 forest plots across five locations in the SEBLF. We quantified functional richness (FRic), functional divergence (FDiv), and functional evenness (FEve) for evergreen vs deciduous species separately. We compared the patterns of variation of functional diversity for different leaf habits along geographical (latitude, longitude and elevation) and environmental (climate and soil) gradients. Results: Functional richness of evergreen species was higher than that of deciduous species, while FDiv and FEve were lower. FRic of evergreen species decreased while FDiv increased with increasing elevation. For deciduous species, FRic and FDiv decreased with increasing latitude. With the increase of longitude, only FDiv of evergreen species decreased. FEve of both leaf habits did not exhibit geographical patterns. Environmental variables explained 9%–38% and 4%–33% of the variation in functional diversity of evergreen and deciduous species respectively. The temperature range was the most important factor affecting FRic and FDiv of evergreen species, while FRic of deciduous species was mainly affected by precipitation of the driest quarter. FEve of both leaf habits was mostly affected by soil conditions. Main conclusions: Functional diversity of subtropical forests in China revealed different geographical patterns across leaf habits. The functional diversity of evergreen species was mainly linked to temperature, while the deciduous species were driven by precipitation. Our study demonstrated that different functional diversity patterns of evergreen and deciduous broadleaved plants in response to environment can result in the coexistence of the two leaf habit types. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: This study investigated the current status and related risk factors of 48-hour unplanned return to the intensive care unit (ICU) to reduce the return rate and improve the quality of critical care management. Methods: Data were collected from 2365 patients discharged from the comprehensive ICU. Multivariate and 1:1 propensity score matching analyses were performed. Results: Forty patients (1.69%) had unplanned readmission to the ICU within 48 hours after transfer. The primary reason for return was respiratory failure (16 patients, 40%). Furthermore, respiratory failure (odds ratio [OR] = 5.994, p = 0.02) and the number of organ failures (OR = 5.679, p = 0.006) were independent risk factors for unplanned ICU readmission. Receiver operating characteristic curves were drawn for the predictive value of the number of organ injuries during a patient's unplanned transfer to the ICU (area under the curve [AUC] = 0.744, sensitivity = 60%, specificity = 77.5%). Conclusion: The reason for patient transfer and the number of organ injuries during the process were independent risk factors for patients who were critically ill. The number of organs damaged had a predictive value on whether the patient would return to the ICU within 48 hours. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: The plant economics spectrum provides a fundamental framework for understanding functional trait variation along environmental gradients. However, it is unclear whether there is a general whole‐plant economics spectrum across organs at the finer taxonomic scale (e.g. within genera), and if there is, which factors affect the trait coordination of the different organs. Here, we examined whether resource economics spectra of different organs (i.e. leaf, stem and root) can be integrated at the whole‐plant level within a single genus, and how environment, intraspecific variation and taxonomic scale shape the whole‐plant spectrum. Location: China. Time period: 2018. Major taxa studied: Artemisia. Methods: We sampled 1,022 individuals of 62 Artemisia species in central and eastern China to test trait coordination patterns from organ to whole‐plant level. From the resource economics spectrum perspective, 15 traits were chosen to represent the trade‐off between structural and nutrient investments, including organs' C, N, P and dry matter content, specific leaf area, specific stem length and specific root length. Results: Pairwise trait correlations and the trade‐off patterns along the resource economic axis were consistent at both organ and whole‐plant levels. Environmental gradients did not strongly affect the correlations among leaf, stem and root economics spectra, that is, the intraspecific variation weakened but did not mask this coordination. Taxonomic scale did not affect the degree of trait coordination as the genus‐wide whole‐plant economics spectrum also emerged within each of the three subgenera. Main conclusions: Our results support the hypothesis that the coordination of economics spectra across organs forms a whole‐plant economics spectrum representing a 'fast–slow' resource management strategy, which is robust to recent evolution (genotypic variation, even for species within a single genus) and present‐day environmental variation. Further studies should elucidate in which circumstances or phylogenetic branches the coordinated pattern found for Artemisia is representative of other widely distributed genera. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plant nutrient concentration and resorption play a major role in determining primary production and development of forests. Yet how plant nutrient concentration and resorption respond to altered interannual precipitation and how interannual precipitation variability mediates the responses of plant nutrient concentration and resorption to N addition remain uncertain. Here, we examined the responses of needle nutrient (N and P) concentrations of all aged classes, nutrient resorption efficiency, and proficiency to N addition (10 g N m−2 year−1) over a 4‐year period (from 2016 to 2019) that experienced high variability in precipitation in a Mongolian pine plantation in a semiarid region of northeast China. There were significant interannual variations in N and P concentrations in all aged needles and litters, N and P resorption efficiency, as well as soil inorganic N and available P concentrations in the control plots. Increased precipitation resulted in increased needle nutrient concentrations across the four consecutive years. However, needle nutrient concentrations did not covary with soil available nutrients. The responses of needle N resorption efficiency (NRE) to N addition differed across the four years, with N addition decreasing NRE in wet years, but not in dry years. Taken together, our results showed that foliar nutrient concentrations are sensitive to altered annual precipitation and that different interaction effects exist between N addition and sampling year for different nutrient variables. Such differential responses highlight the challenge of predicting effects of N addition on nutrient cycling over temporal scales. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Oaks (Quercus spp.) are a major component of subtropical and temperate forests in the Northern Hemisphere. There are approximately 464 species, and they are dominant tree species in ecosystems. Oaks have a long history of cultivation in Europe, North America, and other continents. They are also cultivated and distributed in most provinces of China. In this paper, Quercus germplasm resource distribution, ecological adaptability, and utilization are explored. All evidence indicates that oaks have been widely distributed since ancient times and have greater functional value than other species in the Fagaceae family. This review will provide a deeper understanding of oak conservation, development, and utilization in China. Oaks exhibit unique biological characteristics and high adaptability to complex climatic and soil conditions. They are widely distributed across various regions, spanning 40 degrees latitude and 75 degrees longitude. The total area of oak forest in China is 16.72 million hm2. There are 60 lineages of Quercus in China, including 49 species, seven varieties, and four subgenera. Archaeological data indicate that oaks were already widely distributed in ancient times, and they are dominant trees in vast regions of China's forests. In addition, the acorn was an important food for ancestral humans, and it has accompanied human civilization since the early Paleolithic. Diverse oak species are widely distributed and have great functional value, such as for greening, carbon sequestration, industrial and medicinal uses, and insect rearing. Long-term deforestation, fire, diseases, and pests have led to a continuous decline in oak resources. This study discusses the Quercus species and their distribution in China, ecological adaptation, and the threats facing the propagation and growth of oaks in a changing world. This will give us a better understanding of Quercus resources, and provide guidance on how to protect and better utilize germplasm resources in China. The breeding of new varieties, pest control, and chemical and molecular research also need to be strengthened in future studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The objective of the present study was to determine the prevalence, antimicrobial resistance, virulence profiles, and molecular characteristics of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) obtained from ready-to-eat (RTE) foods in China. Methods: Two hundred seventy-six RTE food-associated S. aureus isolates were collected from 25 provinces across China in 2018, then characterized by antimicrobial susceptibility testing, virulence factors detecting, multilocus sequence typing (MLST), spa typing, SCCmec typing and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). Results: Two hundred fifty isolates (90.6%) were resistant to at least one antimicrobial agent; 73 (26.4%) isolates were multi-drug resistant (MDR). Thirty MRSA isolates were identified, among which nine toxin genes (sea, seb, sec, sed, seh, selk, sell, selq, and tsst-1) were detected. Sixty percent (18/30) of the MRSA isolates harbored multiple toxin genes. Four virulence gene patterns were identified, with seb-selk-selq (30/30) being the most common pattern. Thirteen sequence types, as well as 13 spa and 4 SCCmec types were found among 30 MRSA isolates. The most prevalent MRSA lineages were CC59-t437-SCCmecIV/V (23.3% [7/30]), CC398-t011-SCCmecV (23.3% [7/30]), and CC1-t114-SCCmecIV (16.7% [5/30]). Conclusions: Our findings highlight the importance for the identification of prevalent clones, assessment of drug-resistance and virulence, and formulation of food safety measures for public health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Staphylococcus aureus is one of the major foodborne pathogens and can cause serious foodborne illness in humans by foods contaminated with S. aureus enterotoxins. In recent years, livestock-associated S. aureus has been a major public health concern for humans and has emerged in various countries globally. China is one of the largest producers of pigs and pork in the world. However, there are few studies on the detailed genotypic and pathogenic characterization of pork-associated S. aureus in China. In this study, the prevalence, antimicrobial resistance, and genotypic characteristics of S. aureus in raw pork in Wuhan, China, were investigated through multilocus sequence typing (MLST), staphylococcal protein A gene (spa) typing, and whole-genome sequencing analysis. A total of 518 S. aureus isolates (16.9%) were isolated from 3067 retail and wholesale pork samples. The prevalence of S. aureus in retail pork (22.7%) was significantly higher than in wholesale pork (15.1%), while the proportion of multidrug-resistant (MDR) isolates in wholesale pork (12.9%) was significantly higher than in retail pork (6.2%). Among the isolates, 10.8% were resistant to three or more antibiotics, with higher rates of resistance to penicillin (88.8%) and erythromycin (58.1%). A total of 28 sequence types (STs) were identified in the 518 isolates, and the predominant type was ST7 (57.5%), followed by ST5 (9.1%). In addition, based on the whole-genome sequences of 39 representative strains, 17 spa types were identified among the isolates, of which t899, t091, and t437 were the most common. Furthermore, 19 staphylococcal enterotoxin (SE) and SE-like (SEl) toxin genes were detected in the isolates, of which selw was the most common type (100%), followed by sei, sem, seo, seu, and selv (46.2%); sey (35.9%); and sea, seg, and sen (33.3%). This study found for the first time that ST7-t091-selw and ST9-t899-SCCmecXII-selw were the predominant genotypes of S. aureus in pork in China, which indicated the spreading of S. aureus with multiple virulence factors, especially with new SE/SEl types in pigs and pork, is a serious new challenge for food safety. Good hygiene and good production practices to prevent interspecies transmission and cross-contamination of S. aureus in the pig–pork chain are of great significance to public health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Livestock-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (LA-MRSA) is an important zoonotic pathogen, often multi-resistant to antimicrobial agents. Among swine, LA-MRSA of clonal complex (CC) 398 dominates in Europe, Australia and the Americas, while LA-MRSA-CC9 is the main epidemic lineage in Asia. Here, we comparatively investigated the metabolic properties of rare and widespread porcine LA-MRSA isolates from Germany and China using Biolog Phenotype MicroArray technology to evaluate if metabolic variations could have played a role in the development of two different epidemic LA-MRSA clones in swine. Overall, we were able to characterize the isolates' metabolic profiles and show their tolerance to varying environmental conditions. Sparse partial least squares discriminant analysis (sPLS-DA) supported the detection of the most informative substrates and/or conditions that revealed metabolic differences between the LA-MRSA lineages. The Chinese LA-MRSA-CC9 isolates displayed unique characteristics, such as a consistently delayed onset of cellular respiration, and increased, reduced or absent usage of several nutrients. These possibly unfavorable metabolic properties might promote the ongoing gradual replacement of the current epidemic LA-MRSA-CC9 clone in China with the emerging LA-MRSA-CC398 lineage through livestock trade and occupational exposure. Due to the enhanced pathogenicity of the LA-MRSA-CC398 clone, the public health risk posed by LA-MRSA from swine might increase further. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Livestock-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (LA-MRSA) is an important zoonotic pathogen, often multi-resistant to antimicrobial agents. Among swine, LA-MRSA of clonal complex (CC) 398 dominates in Europe, Australia and the Americas, while LA-MRSA-CC9 is the main epidemic lineage in Asia. Here, we comparatively investigated the metabolic properties of rare and widespread porcine LA-MRSA isolates from Germany and China using Biolog Phenotype MicroArray technology to evaluate if metabolic variations could have played a role in the development of two different epidemic LA-MRSA clones in swine. Overall, we were able to characterize the isolates' metabolic profiles and show their tolerance to varying environmental conditions. Sparse partial least squares discriminant analysis (sPLS-DA) supported the detection of the most informative substrates and/or conditions that revealed metabolic differences between the LA-MRSA lineages. The Chinese LA-MRSA-CC9 isolates displayed unique characteristics, such as a consistently delayed onset of cellular respiration, and increased, reduced or absent usage of several nutrients. These possibly unfavorable metabolic properties might promote the ongoing gradual replacement of the current epidemic LA-MRSA-CC9 clone in China with the emerging LA-MRSA-CC398 lineage through livestock trade and occupational exposure. Due to the enhanced pathogenicity of the LA-MRSA-CC398 clone, the public health risk posed by LA-MRSA from swine might increase further. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydroclimatic change across China has received considerable attention due to its vital significance for regional ecosystem stability and economic development, yet the spatiotemporal dynamics of its nonlinear trends and complexity have not been fully understood. Herein, the spatiotemporal evolution of Dai's self-calibrating Palmer drought severity index (scPDSI) trends in China during the period from 1951 to 2014 is diagnosed using the ensemble empirical mode decomposition (EEMD) method. A persistent and noticeable drying has been identified in North and Northeastern China (NNEC) since the 1950s. Significant wetting in the north of the Tibetan Plateau (TP) and the south of the western parts of Northwestern China (WNWC) started sporadically at first and accelerated until around 1980. A slight wetting trend was found in Southwest China (SC) before 1990, followed by the occurrence of a dramatic drying trend over the following decades. In addition, we have found that the scPDSI variations in WNWC and the TP are more complex than those in NNEC and SC based on our application of Higuchi's fractal dimension (HFD) analysis, which may be related to complex circulation patterns and diverse geomorphic features. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

At present, with the rapid growth of China's comprehensive national power, China wants to accelerate the construction of world-class universities and world-class disciplines to match it. Therefore, the education and management of university teachers is crucial, and the current research results at home and abroad in this area are remarkable. In this paper, we will start from the innovative application of university teachers' management system and use the Oracle and SQL Server database processors commonly used in big data processing to process data. It is concluded that China's teaching force is gradually balanced; the comprehensive quality of the teaching force is improving; the academic atmosphere is more open; the fields and perspectives of academic research are richer; the distribution of teachers at all levels in China is more balanced; the comprehensive quality of our teachers is improving; the system of education and scientific research in China's universities is improving; and the ecological management system of universities is improving. In addition, in view of the current situation of education and management of teachers in China's colleges and universities, according to the results of big data analysis, we also propose (1) to improve the academic level and establish a strict institutional threshold for the college teaching profession; (2) to effectively implement the policy of freedom and equality in academic academia and improve the appointment and evaluation system of teachers and principals in higher education institutions; (3) to insist on implementing the principle of academic fairness and optimizing the teacher evaluation system; (4) to innovate and implement the incentive mechanism for teachers in colleges and universities according to the talent training characteristics of teachers' academic career ability; and (5) to establish the access system of college teachers' career development and promote academic career development and other suggestions of big data management for college teachers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Subtropical tree species may experience severe drought stress due to variable rainfall under future climates. However, the capacity to restore hydraulic function post-drought might differ among co-occurring species with contrasting leaf habits (e.g., evergreen and deciduous) and have implications for future forest composition. Moreover, the links between hydraulic recovery and physiological and morphological traits related to water-carbon availability are still not well understood. Here, potted seedlings of six tree species (four evergreen and two deciduous) were grown outdoors under a rainout shelter. They grew under favorable water conditions until they were experimentally subjected to a soil water deficit leading to losses of ca. 50% of hydraulic conductivity, and then soils were re-watered to field capacity. Traits related to carbon and water relations were measured. There were differences in drought responses and recovery between species, but not as a function of evergreen or deciduous groups. Sapindus mukorossi exhibited the most rapid drought response, which was associated with a suite of physiological and morphological traits (larger plant size, the lowest hydraulic capacitance (Cbranch), higher minimum conductance (gmin) and lower HV (Huber value)). Upon re-watering, xylem water potential exhibited fast recovery in 1-3 days among species, while photosynthesis at saturating light (Asat) and stomatal conductance (gs) recovery lagged behind water potential recovery depending on species, with gs recovery being more delayed than Asat in most species. Furthermore, none of the six species exhibited significant hydraulic recovery during the 7 days re-watering period, indicating that xylem refilling was apparently limited; in addition, NSC availability had a minimal role in facilitating hydraulic recovery during this short-term period. Collectively, if water supply is limited by insignificant hydraulic recovery post-drought, the observed carbon assimilation recovery of seedlings may not be sustained over the longer term, potentially altering seedling regeneration and shifting forest species composition in subtropical China under climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Paved urban environments can pose great threats to the physiological functioning and ecological services of street trees. In this context, assessment of leaf phenotypic plasticity is crucial for understanding the ecological strategy of tree species under impervious pavements. Results: In this study, we measured a set of leaf economic traits, hydraulic traits of Cinnamomum camphora, and surrounding environmental factors in a street site (the soil was covered by the impervious pavement) and a park site (the soil was covered by grass) in Hefei, eastern China. Compared with the park site, trees in the street site had higher stomatal length (SL), leaf thickness (LT), maximum photochemical quantum yield of photosystem II (Y(II)), and lower stomatal density (SD), specific leaf area (SLA), the leaf water potential at 50% loss of hydraulic conductance (P50), and leaf turgor loss point (TLP). Redundancy analysis showed that air relative humidity and volumetric soil water content caused these traits to be altered. Conclusions: Our results showed that C. camphora adapted to the street pavement environment through the coordination of leaf economic and leaf hydraulic traits, and adopted the slow investment return type in the leaf economic spectrum and high drought resistance to meet its actual physiological needs. This finding provides a new perspective for understanding the physiological strategies of street trees to adapt to urban pavement environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous studies have focused on the functional traits of trees, while undergrowth shrubs have not received the same attention. We collected 97 shrubs from 6 habitats in 3 diameter classes to measure the functional traits of Lonicera fragrantissima var. lancifolia, which is one of the dominant species in the shrub layer of the Qinling Huangguan plot. We found that leaf thickness (LT) decreased with an increase in diameter classes. Other functional traits did not change significantly with the diameter classes. Most of the functional traits changed with the habitats, which may be influenced by topography and soil. On the whole, Lonicera fragrantissima var. lancifolia showed low variation, which indicates that its growth was stable and good. The relationships between functional traits within species was in accordance with the leaf economic spectrum. The positive correlation between soil total nitrogen (STN) and C:N verified the "nutrition luxury hypothesis". [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The soil fungal community is an important factor in the forest ecosystems, and a better understanding of its composition and dynamic changes will contribute to the maintenance, preservation, and sustainable development of the forest ecosystems. Pinus tabuliformis has been widely planted for local ecological restoration on the Loess Plateau in China in recent decades. However, these plantations have been degraded to different degrees with increasing stand age. Hence, we tried to find the possible causes for the plantation degradation by analyzing soil environmental changes and soil fungal community composition at different stand ages. We collected rhizosphere soil samples from young (10-year-old), middle-aged (20-year-old), and near-mature (30-year-old) P. tabuliformis plantations in this region and characterized their soil properties and soil fungal community diversity and composition. Our results showed that with increasing stand age, the contents of organic carbon, ammonium nitrogen (AN) and nitrate nitrogen (NN) in the soil increased significantly, while the content of available phosphorus (AP) decreased significantly. The main factors affecting the composition of the soil fungal community were the contents of AP, AN, and NN in the soil. In addition, the genus Suillus was the dominant ectomycorrhizal (ECM) fungus in all periods of P. tabuliformis plantations in this region. The results of structural equation modeling showed that the community composition of ECM fungi was significantly correlated with stand age, soil NN, and AP contents, and that of pathogenic (PAG) fungi was significantly correlated with soil AN and AP contents. The decrease in the relative abundance of ECM fungi and the increase in the relative abundance of PAG fungi would exacerbate the degradation of P. tabulaeformis plantation. Our results illustrated that the content of soil AP is not only an important factor limiting the development of plantations, but it also significantly affects the community composition of soil fungi in the rhizosphere of the P. tabuliformis plantation. This study provides a novel insight into the degradation of P. tabuliformis plantations and builds a solid foundation for their subsequent management, restoration, and sustainable development on the Loess Plateau of China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although plants are known to conserve nutrients by resorbing them from senescing leaves, how resorption of foliar macro‐ and micronutrients is affected by plant growth form (e.g., trees, shrubs, and ferns) and forest age are not well understood. The current study was conducted in four subtropical monoculture plantations: Eucalyptus and Acacia plantations in 14 and 35 years old, respectively. Leaf resorption efficiencies (REs) and resorption proficiencies (RPs) of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), potassium (K), calcium (Ca), and manganese (Mn) of the canopy trees and understory shrubs and ferns were determined. N, P, and K but not Ca and Mn were generally resorbed from senescing leaves. RE was significantly higher for P than N, indicating that P was more limiting than N in the subtropical plantations. Nutrient REs did not differ with plantation age, while nutrient RPs generally tended to be lower in the 14‐year‐old than in the 35‐year‐old plantations. REs significantly differed among canopy and understory plant species with different growth forms, that is, NRE, PRE, and KRE values were much higher in woody plants (especially the canopy tree species) than in ferns. REs were correlated with foliar nutrient concentrations but not with soil nutrient concentrations. Our findings suggest that resorption of nutrients from senescing leaves differs among canopy and understory plants, and implicate that introducing native tree species into these plantations could be implemented for accelerating the community succession and further improving the multifunctionality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: This is a study related to NDM-5-producing E. coli in companion animals in China. Notably, an E. coli isolate possessing both blaNDM-5-bearing plasmid and mcr-1-bearing plasmid was identified in a dog from the same veterinary clinic, where we previously found the mobile IncX3–X4 hybrid plasmid encoding both blaNDM-5 and mcr-1 in a cat. This observation highlights the diversity of blaNDM-5- and mcr-1-harboring plasmids and the transferability of such resistant pathogens from companion animals to humans. Given that colistin is the last-resort antibiotic for treating human infections caused by carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae, the co-transfer of resistance to both antibiotics may seriously compromise the effectiveness of clinical therapy. Carbapenem and colistin are important antibiotics for the treatment of infections caused by multidrug-resistant Gram-negative pathogens. Here, we isolated the blaNDM-5-harboring Escherichia coli in companion animals in healthy or diseased companion animals from veterinary clinics in six cities in China from July to November 2016. A total of 129 rectal swabs of healthy or diseased dogs and cats were collected from veterinary clinics in six different cities in China, and the isolates were subjected to carbapenem and colistin susceptibility testing. Resistance genes were confirmed using PCR. Conjugation experiments were conducted to determine the transferability of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in the strains. The isolated rate of blaNDM-5-harboring E. coli strains was 3.88% (five strains). These five strains were multidrug resistant to at least three antibiotics and corresponded to four sequence types including ST101. The blaNDM-5 gene was located on 46 kb IncX3 plasmids in these five strains, and the genetic contexts were shared and were nearly identical to the K. pneumoniae plasmid pNDM5-IncX3 from China. In addition, one strain (CQ6-1) co-harbored blaNDM-5-encoding-IncX3 plasmid along with a mcr-1-encoding-IncX4 plasmid, and their corresponding genetic environments were identical to the blaNDM-5-IncX3 and mcr-1-IncX4 hybrid plasmid reported previously from the same area and from the same clinic. The results indicated that the similar genetic contexts were shared between these isolates from companion animals, and the IncX3-type plasmids played a key role in the spread of blaNDM-5 among these bacteria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper establishes a quantitative model based on the system dynamics (SD) theory to reflect the 'socioeconomic–water–environment' coupling system and proposes three future development scenarios. Hubei province, China, is selected to verify this model. The simulation results from 2020 to 2030 demonstrate that the pressures of water supply and demand and pollution under the sustainable development scenario are less than those under two other scenarios. It means that adjustment of the industrial structure has a relatively weaker effect on alleviating the pressure of water supply and demand. Saving water and controlling pollution should be the emphasis of current efforts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As starting university is a critical independence milestone for many young people, it would also be the best time to provide them with some financial education (FE). Although there have been many initiatives aimed at enhancing individual financial literacy (FL) and/or financial decision-making, meta-analyses have shown that the effectiveness of FE has been mixed. This study examined the driving forces behind the decision by college students to enroll in a targeted financial literacy curriculum (FLC) and the impact of this attendance on their FL. An endogenous switching model (ESM) was employed to account for the heterogeneity in the decision to attend or not attend the FLC and to counteract any unobservable characteristics. It was found that students with higher self-perceived FL did not prefer to attend the FLC; however, for others, FLC attendance was found to significantly boost their FL in areas such as financial knowledge (FK), financial attitude (FA), and financial behavior (FB), especially for the non-attendees under the counterfactual framework. These "non-attendees" were observed to have some characteristics (e.g., prior knowledge) that made them more financially literate regardless of attendance; however, if they had attended the FLC, they would have gained a greater FL than the attendees. As the FL of the attendees would have been much lower if they had not attended, the FLC appeared to be particularly important for the attendees, which strengthened the case for making the FLC a compulsory part of a general college education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Information and communication technology (ICT) is key to educational development. This study explores the mechanism influencing the use of ICT on students' science literacy. We utilized two-level hierarchical linear models and structural equation models to analyze data collected from the 2015 Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) in China. Results indicate that student-level and school-level ICT factors, in particular ICT interest, autonomy in using ICT, and ICT availability at school positively impact the development of students' science literacy. Further, we found some notable interactions between school-level factors and student-level ICT variables. Moreover, there are structural relationships among ICT availability, ICT emotional perception, ICT learning usage behaviors, science self-efficacy, and science literacy. We also found that teacher-delivered science instruction has a negative moderating effect on ICT learning usage and science self-efficacy. These findings have important implications of how to integrate ICT in future science teaching practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales (CRE) are a significant threat to worldwide public health, resulting in increased morbidity, death, hospitalization time and healthcare expenses. Here, the genomic and phylogenetic characteristics of a multidrug-resistant Escherichia coli isolate carrying both the new mcr-1.33 variant and blaNDM-5 gene obtained from a urinary tract infection in China are investigated. Methods: Antimicrobial susceptibility of E. coli 779 was evaluated by using the broth microdilution method. Short-read Illumina NovaSeq 6000 and long-read Oxford Nanopore MinION platforms were applied to sequence the bacterial whole genomic DNA and then de novo assembled. The genome sequence was annotated using the NCBI Prokaryotic Genome Annotation Pipeline and further subjected to identify the sequence type (ST), capsular type, and antibiotic resistance genes. BacWGSTdb 2.0 was used to perform the core genome multilocus sequence typing (cgMLST) analysis with other closely related E. coli isolates deposited in the public database. Results: E. coli 779 was resistant to aztreonam, levofloxacin, fosfomycin, cefoxitin, cefepime, cefotaxime, imipenem, meropenem, polymyxin, and tigecycline. The complete genome sequence of E. coli 779 is made up of nine contigs totaling 5,667,876 bp, including one chromosome and eight plasmids. The isolate was assigned to ST101, serotype O-:H31, and phylogroup B1. The colistin resistance gene mcr-1.33 (located in a 242,460 bp IncHI2/IncHI2A plasmid) and the β-lactam resistance gene blaNDM-5 (located in a 46,161 bp IncX3 plasmid) were among the 27 antimicrobial resistance genes discovered. The closest relative of E. coli 779, another ST101 strain (E. coli 443) obtained from a sewage sample in Shandong, China in 2015, differs by only 24 cgMLST alleles. Conclusion: We discovered the first multidrug-resistant ST101 E. coli strain with plasmid-mediated mcr-1.33 variant and blaNDM-5 gene in China. These findings would help us to better understanding the genomic traits, antimicrobial resistance mechanisms and epidemiological aspects of this bacterial pathogen. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

aimin Zhang31Department of Geriatrics, Fuzhou NO.1 Hospital Affiliated with Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, Fujian, 350009, People's Republic of China; 2Department of Geriatrics, Shanghai Municipal Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, 200071, People's Republic of China; 3Department of Cardiology, Nanjing First Hospital, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 210006, People's Republic of China*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Daimin ZhangDepartment of Cardiology, Nanjing First Hospital, Nanjing Medical University, NO. 68 Changle Road, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 210006, People's Republic of ChinaTel/Fax +86 25-52271341Email [email protected] Background: Atherosclerosis is an aging-related disease, partly attributed to telomerase dysfunction. This study aims to investigate whether telomere dysfunction-related vascular aging is involved in the protection mechanism of melatonin (MLT) in atherosclerosis. Methods: Young and aged ApoE−/− mice were used to establish atherosclerotic mice model. H&E staining and immunofluorescence assay were performed to detect endothelial cell injury and apoptosis. Inflammatory cytokines and oxidative stress-related factors were determined using corresponding commercial assay kits. Telomerase activity was detected by TRAP assay, and SA-β-gal staining was conducted to evaluate cellular senescence. HUVECs were treated with H2O2 for 1 h to induce senescence. Western blot was performed to measure protein expression. Results: An obvious vascular endothelial injury, reflected by excessive production of inflammatory cytokines, elevated ROS, MDA and SOD levels, and more apoptotic endothelial cells, was found in atherosclerotic mice, especially in aged mice, which were then greatly suppressed by MLT. In addition, telomere dysfunction and senescence occurred in atherosclerosis, especially in aged mice, while MLT significantly alleviated the conditions. CYP1A1, one of the targeted genes of MLT, was verified to be upregulated in atherosclerotic mice but downregulated by MLT. Furthermore, H2O2 induced a senescence model in HUVECs, which was accompanied with a remarkably increased cell viability loss and apoptosis rate, and a downregulated telomerase activity of HUVECs, and this phenomenon was strengthened by RHPS4, an inhibitor of telomerase activity. However, MLT could partly abolish these changes in H2O2- and RHPS4-treated HUVECs, demonstrating that MLT alleviated vascular endothelial injury by regulating senescence and telomerase activity. Conclusions: Collectively, this study provided evidence for the protective role of MLT in atherosclerosis through regulating telomere dysfunction-related vascular aging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi play a crucial role in promoting plant growth, enhancing plant stress resistance, and sustaining a healthy ecosystem. However, little is known about the mycorrhizal status of teak plantations. Here, we evaluated how the AM fungal communities of rhizosphere soils and roots respond to different stand ages of teak: 22, 35, 45, and 55-year-old from the adjacent native grassland (CK). A high-throughput sequencing method was used to compare the differences in soil and root AM fungal community structures. In combination with soil parameters, mechanisms driving the AM fungal community were revealed by redundancy analysis and the Mantel test. Additionally, spore density and colonization rates were analyzed. With increasing stand age, the AM fungal colonization rates and spore density increased linearly. Catalase activity and ammonium nitrogen content also increased, and soil organic carbon, total phosphorous, acid phosphatase activity, available potassium, and available phosphorus first increased and then decreased. Stand age significantly changed the structure of the AM fungal community but had no significant impact on the diversity of the AM fungal community. However, the diversity of the AM fungal community in soils was statistically higher than that in the roots. In total, nine and seven AM fungal genera were detected in the soil and root samples, respectively. The majority of sequences in soils and roots belonged to Glomus. Age-induced changes in soil properties could largely explain the alterations in the structure of the AM fungal community along a chronosequence, which included total potassium, carbon-nitrogen ratio, ammonium nitrogen, catalase, and acid phosphatase levels in soils and catalase, acid phosphatase, pH, and total potassium levels in roots. Soil nutrient availability and enzyme activity were the main driving factors regulating the shift in the AM fungal community structure along a chronosequence of the teak plantations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Traditional Chinese medicine Smilax is the rhizome of liliaceous plant Smilax china L., which is used to treat pelvic inflammatory disease and anxieties. Purpose. To investigate the mechanism of anti-inflammatory activity of the extract from Smilax china L. (ES). Methods. The components of ES were identified by UPLC-QTOF-MS/MS. The anti-inflammatory activities were evaluated in xylene-induced ear oedema and egg white-induced plantar swelling test. Cell viability was examined by CCK-8 assay. The inflammatory mediators, proinflammatory cytokines, and MAPK and NF-κB signals in LPS-stimulated THP-1 cells were determined using ELISA, real-time PCR, and Western blot, respectively. Results. 20 compounds of ES were confirmed by comparing with the reference substance. ES displayed more prominent anti-inflammatory activity than the positive control "Jin Gang Teng" capsule in the in vivo acute inflammatory model. ES suppressed the expression of PGE2 and 6-Keot-PGF1α, and the ratio of IC50 (COX-1)/IC50 (COX-2) of ES was 3.15, which indicated that ES could selectively inhibit COX-2. ES dose-dependently (12.5, 25, and 50 mg/L) decreased the production and mRNA levels of proinflammatory cytokines IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α. Furthermore, ES significantly decreased LPS-induced phosphorylation of p38, JNK, ERK1/2, and p65, inhibiting the expression of IKKα and the degradation of IκBα. Conclusion. The results suggested that ES could selectively inhibit the activity of COX-2, and the anti-inflammatory effect of ES was associated with the inhibition of IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α via negative regulation of MAPK and NF-κB signaling pathways in LPS-induced THP-1 cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]