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Construction is an important sector for climate action. The construction, operation and maintenance, demolition and disposal stages of house buildings consume many resources and have a significant impact on society, the economy and the environment. To assess such efforts, we propose the emergy footprint model of house buildings, which can quantitatively analyse the ecological effect in the house buildings life cycle. The research shows the following. China's ecological efficiency of the housing sector is characterized by improvement. In the house building fifty-year life cycle, the emergy footprint of the operation and maintenance stage is the largest (75.92%), followed by the construction stage (21.95%), but the emergy footprint intensity of the latter is 4.82 times that of the former. Reducing energy consumption and carbon dioxide emissions in the operation and maintenance stage is the key to reducing the life cycle emergy footprint of house buildings. The ecological impact coefficient of house buildings is negatively exponentially correlated with their service life. It reaches ecological break-even when the service period of the house building is equal to 36.73 years. If the house building is demolished after less than nine years of service, the impact is extremely unfavourable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We studied the effectiveness of movie character analysis for teaching psychotic symptomatology to medical undergraduates. We randomly selected two of six medical schools in Shandong Province, China, then randomly assigned eight undergraduate classes at those schools to intervention or control groups. The intervention group (n = 162) participated in seminars in which psychotic symptoms were explored through analysis of movie characters. The control group (n = 165) participated in conventional seminars. The participants in both groups were surveyed with a custom-designed questionnaire, and their knowledge was assessed using a written exam. Compared to the control group, the intervention group showed greater interest in the topic (t = 5.63, p < 0.001), better understanding of psychotic symptoms (t = 2.37, p = 0.02), and greater acceptance (t = 9.80, p < 0.001). In addition, the intervention group showed significantly greater knowledge on the written exam (t = 5.78, p < 0.001). Analyzing movie characters can improve the teaching of psychotic symptomatology and should be further explored and promoted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Water system management is a worldwide challenge, especially in arid and semi-arid regions. Ecological water conveyance projects aim to raise the groundwater table, thereby saving natural vegetation and curbing ecological deterioration. Since 2000, these projects have been implemented in the arid zone of northwest China, with generally successful outcomes. Taking a portion of the lower reaches of the Tarim River as the study area, this paper analyzes in detail the ecohydrological effects which have occurred since the launching of artificial water conveyance 20 years ago. The results show that the groundwater table in the upper, middle and lower segments of the Tarim River's lower reaches has been raised on average 4.06, 4.83 and 5.13 m, respectively, while the area of surface water bodies connected to those sections has expanded from 49.00 km2 to 498.54 km2. At the same time, Taitema Lake, which is the terminal lake of the Tarim River, has been revived and now boasts a water area of 455.27 km2. Other findings indicate that the surface ecological response is extremely sensitive and that the area of natural vegetation has expanded to 1423 km2. Furthermore, the vegetation coverage, vegetation index (NDVI), and Net Primary Productivity (NPP) have increased by 132 km2, 0.07 and 7.6 g C m−2, respectively, and the Simpson dominance, McIntosh evenness, and Margalef richness indices have risen by 0.33, 0.35 and 0.49, respectively, in the monitored sample sites. As well, the carbon sink area has expanded from 1.54% to 7.8%. Given the increasing intensity of the occurrence of extreme hydrological events and successive dry years, similar ecological water conveyance projects should be considered elsewhere in China and in other parts of the world. The water conveyance scheme has generally proven successful and should be optimized to enhance the benefits of ecological water conveyance under water resource constraints. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the effects of a 12-week brisk walking exercise regimen on motor function improvements in elderly women. Twenty-six elderly women, aged 84.2 ± 3.2 years, participated in a 12-week brisk walking exercise program. Fitness assessments and blood biomarker analyses (including CHO, HDLC, LDLC, TC) were conducted pre- and post-intervention. Additionally, targeted metabolomics was employed to measure short-chain fatty acids, amino acids, and vitamin metabolites. The intervention led to significant enhancements in participants' flexibility (p < 0.05), lower limb muscle strength (p < 0.01), and cardiorespiratory endurance (p < 0.01), while muscle mass showed no significant changes. Fifteen significant differential metabolites were identified (VIP > 1.0, FC > 1.2 or < 0.8, and p < 0.05), with arginine, ornithine, aspartic acid, glutamine, phenylalanine, tyrosine, and pantothenic acid playing key roles across seven metabolic pathways. A 12-week brisk walking exercise program significantly enhanced flexibility, lower limb muscle strength, and cardiorespiratory endurance among elderly women. These improvements did not extend to muscle mass or upper limb muscle strength. The observed enhancement in exercise capacity may be attributed to improved regulation of neurotransmitters., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Each year from April to May, high mortality rates are reported in red swamp crayfish (Procambarus clarkii) cultured in Jiangsu and other regions, in China, and this phenomenon has come to be known as "Black May" disease (BMD). Therefore, in order to investigate the possible causes of this disease, this study gathered BMD-affected P. clarkii samples and performed transcriptome analysis on hepatopancreas, gill, and muscle tissues. A total of 19,995,164, 149,212,804, and 222,053,848 clean reads were respectively obtained from the gills, muscle, and hepatopancreas of BMD-affected P. clarkii, and 114,024 unigenes were identified. The number of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in gill, muscle, and hepatopancreas was 1703, 964, and 476, respectively. GO and KEGG enrichment analyses of the DEGs were then conducted. Based on KEGG pathway enrichment analysis, the most significantly differentially expressed pathways were mainly those involved with metabolism, human disease, and cellular processes. Further analysis of the significantly DEGs revealed that they were mainly related to the mitochondrial-mediated apoptosis pathway and that the expression of these DEGs was mostly down-regulated. Moreover, the expression of genes related to immune and metabolism-related pathways was also significantly down-regulated, and these significantly-inhibited pathways were the likely causes of P. clarkii death. Therefore, our results provide a basis for the identification of BMD causes.

In China, the prevalence of Clonorchis sinensis (C. sinensis) infections is only evaluated at the provincial level by national sampling surveys, and data from villages and counties are still lacking. In this study, we conducted a cross-sectional survey in 10 villages located along the Lalin River in northeast China. Clonorchiasis was diagnosed using a modified Kato-Katz method that detects the C. sinensis egg in stools. A total of 3,068 persons were screened and 2,911 were recruited for the study. Overall, the prevalence of C. sinensis infection was 29.3%. Among 175 participants who were cured after antiparasitic treatment, 54 (30.86%) were re-infected in this survey. After calibration of potential confounders, male gender, occupation as a farmer, smoking, and occasionally or frequently eating raw fish were independent risk factors for C. sinensis infection. The results of laboratory examinations in the C. sinensis/hepatitis B or C virus co-infection group were similar to those in the hepatitis B or C virus mono-infection groups. In conclusion, C. sinensis is highly endemic in villages along the Lalin River, and the primary route of infection is the consumption of raw freshwater fish. Co-infection with C. sinensis did't aggravate the clinical manifestations of viral hepatitis in this cross-sectional study.

High uric acid (UA) level and high salt intake are reportedly associated with cardiovascular disease. This study investigated the association between UA and urinary sodium excretion, as well as its interaction on the risk of prehypertension. A total of 1869 participants without hypertension were recruited from a previously established cohort in Shaanxi Province, China. The participants were classified as normotensive or prehypertensive on the basis of their blood pressure. Increasing quartiles of sodium excretion were associated with high urinary UA/creatinine levels in prehypertensive participants. Estimated sodium excretion positively correlated with urinary UA/creatinine excretions in the prehypertensive group. In addition, the multivariate-adjusted odds ratios for prehypertension compared with normotension were 1.68 (1.27-2.22) for sodium excretion and 1.71 (1.21-2.42) for serum UA. Increasing sodium excretion and serum UA were associated with higher risk of prehypertension. Compared with the lowest quartiles, the highest sodium excretion and serum UA quartiles entailed 3.48 times greater risk of prehypertension. Sodium excretion is associated with urinary UA excretion in prehypertensive participants. The present study shows that high levels of salt intake and serum UA simultaneously are associated with a higher risk of prehypertension.

We aim to evaluate the association of systolic and diastolic blood pressure (SBP and DBP) with estimated urinary sodium (Na) and potassium(K) excretions, and their gram-to-gram Na/K ratio across various salt-diet regions during 2005-2009 in China. A prospective cohort study was conducted to recruit 46,285 participants in China. A single fasting morning urine specimen was collected to estimate 24-hour urinary Na and K excretion using Kawasaki formula. Means of estimated Na and K were 5.7 ± 1.7 and 2.1 ± 0.5 grams/day, respectively, and mean estimated Na/K ratio was 2.8 ± 0.8. Adjusted analyses showed 1.70 mmHg SBP and 0.49 mmHg DBP increase per 1-g increment of estimated Na, while 1.10 mmHg SBP and 0.91 mmHg DBP decrease for one-gram increase of K. A significant increase in SBP (4.33 mmHg) and DBP (1.54 mmHg) per 1 unit increase in Na/K ratio was observed. More changes of SBP (4.39 mmHg) and DBP (1.67 mmHg) per one-unit increase of Na/K ratio were observed in low-salt regions, though significant changes were also found in moderate- and heavy-salt regions (P for heterogeneity < 0.01). Conclusively, decreasing sodium combined with increasing potassium is likely to have a more beneficial effect than decreasing sodium alone, even if those were living in low-salt regions.

Coronary heart disease (CHD) is associated with complex metabolic disorders, but its molecular aetiology remains unclear. Using a novel nontargeted metabolomics approach, we explored the global metabolic perturbation profile for CHD. Blood samples from 150 patients with severe obstructive CHD and 150 angiographically normal controls were collected. Metabolic fingerprinting was performed by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography coupled to quadruple time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UHPLC-QTOF/MS) technique. After adjusting for CHD traditional risk factors and metabolic batch, a comprehensive list of 105 metabolites was found to be significantly altered in CHD patients. Among the metabolites identified, six metabolites were discovered to have the strongest correlation with CHD after adjusting for multiple testing: palmitic acid (β = 0.205; p < 0.0001), linoleic acid (β = 0.133; p < 0.0001), 4-pyridoxic acid (β = 0.142; p < 0.0001), phosphatidylglycerol (20:3/2:0) (β = 0.287; p < 0.0001), carnitine (14:1) (β = 0.332; p < 0.0001) and lithocholic acid (β = 0.224; p < 0.0001); of these, 4-pyridoxic acid, lithocholic acid and phosphatidylglycerol (20:3/2:0) were, to the best of our knowledge, first reported in this study. A logistic regression model further quantified their positive independent correlations with CHD. In conclusion, this study surveyed a broad panel of nontargeted metabolites in Chinese CHD populations and identified novel metabolites that are potentially involved in CHD pathogenesis.