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Purpose: To investigate the association between retinal microvasculature and the presence and severity of coronary artery disease (CAD) using optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA). Methods: The cross‐sectional study was conducted in Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital, China. Retinal microvasculature parameters were measured by OCTA of the optic disc, including the vessel density (VD) and retinal nerve fibre thickness of the radial peripapillary capillary. In terms of the entire macula, VD of the superficial capillary plexus (SCP), deep capillary plexus (DCP) and foveal density (FD‐300) were included. The Gensini score was used to evaluate the severity of coronary artery obstructive lesions in CAD patients. Results: A total of 410 participants (270 CAD patients and 140 controls) were included. Overall, participants showed significantly greater odds of having CAD in the lower versus higher VD for mean SCP, OR = 2.33 (95% CI 1.49–3.65); in the parafoveal SCP, OR = 2.68 (95% CI 1.70–4.23); and in the perifoveal SCP, OR = 2.36 (95% CI 1.49–3.72). Additionally, participants showed significantly greater odds of having CAD in the lower versus higher VD for mean DCP, OR = 4.04 (95% CI 2.53–6.45); in the parafoveal DCP, OR = 4.08 (95% CI 2.54–6.55); and in the perifoveal DCP, OR = 3.88 (95% CI 2.43–6.19). Among CAD patients, lower VD of DCP was associated with significantly greater adjusted Gensini scores (p = 0.004 for mean DCP; p = 0.035 for parafoveal DCP; p = 0.006 for perifoveal DCP). Conclusions: SCP and DCP were found to be associated with the presence of CAD among the whole population, while DCP was found to be associated with Gensini scores in CAD patients. Retinal microvasculature was associated with the presence and severity of coronary artery stenosis in CAD patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Alstonia scholaris could be used as a traditional medicinal plant in China for the treatment of acute respiratory, which might be caused by respiratory tract infections. The investigation tested the anti-infective effects of total alkaloids extract (TA) from leaves of A. scholaris, and as a result, TA inhibited herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1), respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and influenza A virus (H1N1) in vitro respectively. In addition, the survival days of mice were prolonged, and the lung weights and mortality of mice were decreased significantly, after oral administrated TA in H1N1 and beta-hemolytic streptococcus infectious models in vivo respectively. The finding supported partly the traditional usage of A. scholaris in the treatment of respiratory infections. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Seasonal patterns of influenza A subtypes and B lineages in tropical/subtropical regions across age have remained to be explored. The impact of the 2009 H1N1 pandemic on seasonal influenza activity have not been well understood.Methods: Based on a national sentinel hospital-based influenza surveillance system, the epidemiology of influenza virus during 2006/07-2015/16 was characterized in the subtropical city, Chengdu. Chengdu is one of the most populous cities in southwestern China, where the first reported case of A/H1N1pdm09 in mainland China was identified. Wavelet analysis was applied to identify the periodicities of A/H3N2, seasonal A/H1N1, A/H1N1pdm09, Victoria, and Yamagata across age, respectively. The persistence and age distribution patterns were described during the pre-pandemic (2006/07-2008/09), pandemic (2009/10), and post-pandemic (2010/11-2015/16) seasons.Results: A total of 10,981 respiratory specimens were collected, of which 2516 influenza cases were identified. Periodicity transition from semi-annual cycles to an annual cycle was observed for composite influenza virus as well as A/H3N2 along in Chengdu since the 2009 H1N1 pandemic. Semi-annual cycles of composite influenza virus and A/H3N2 along were observed again during 2014/15-2015/16, coinciding with the emergence and predominance of A/H3N2 significant antigenic drift groups. However, A/H1N1pdm09, Victoria, and Yamagata generally demonstrated an annual winter-spring peak in non-pandemic seasons. Along with periodicity transitions, age groups with higher positive rates shifted from school-aged children and adults to adults and the elderly for A/H1N1pdm09 during 2009/10-2010/11 and for A/H3N2 during 2014/15-2015/16.Conclusions: Differences in periodicity and age distribution by subtype/lineage and by season highlight the importance of increasing year-round influenza surveillance and developing subtype/lineage- and age-specific prevention and control measures. Changes of periodicity and age shifts should be considered in public health response to influenza pandemics and epidemics. In addition, it is suggested to use quadrivalent influenza vaccines to provide protection against both influenza B lineages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Information about several papers discussed at a conference held on November 11-12, 2011 at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey organized by the committee members on Shang and Early Chinese civilization is presented. Topics included the studies on oracle bone and bronze inscriptions. The conference featured professors Kuang Yu Chen, Ching-I Tu, Dietrich Tschanz and Ki Cheung Chu.

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) has evolved to tolerate almost all known β-lactam antibiotics, and been exhibiting resistance to vancomycin. Developing new drugs against the MRSA infection are urgently needed. Natural resource is enriched with antimicrobial molecules. Here, we report an extract from leaves of Cyclocarya paliurus (ECPL), a species of tree native to China and being traditionally cultivated as medicinal plant, which shows a broad spectrum of bacteriostatic and bactericidal effects at MIC 50 15.99 ± 0.55 μg/ml against methicillin-susceptible and -resistant S. aureus. The ECPL suppresses bacterial expression of FtsZ at both transcriptional and protein levels, inhibits its GTPase activity, blocks the assembly dynamics of FtsZ, and disrupts the formation of Z-ring. The bacteria cells fail to divide, enlarge initially, and lyse eventually. In mouse model, the ECPL facilitates skin wound healing with MRSA infection as effective as vancomycin. Our study unveils the potential of identifying novel molecule in ECPL for development of new class of antibiotic against both methicillin-susceptible and -resistant S. aureus , and support domestication of the C. paliurus growing from wild to cultivated, and further scale up the cultivation into industrialized farm for sustainable harvest for pharmaceutic interest. [Display omitted] • An extract from Cyclocarya paliurus (ECPL) leaves shows anti-MRSA activity. • The ECPL suppresses bacterial FtsZ at transcriptional and protein levels and eliminates the GTPase enzyme activity. • Bacteria abort Z-ring formation , fail to divide, and die. • This effect bypasses known resistance machineries and shows a potential for new antibiotic development. • Domesticating and scaling up the cultivation will guaranty sustainable harvest for the pharmaceutic interest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The artificial structures can influence wetland topology and sediment properties, thereby shaping plant distribution and composition. Macrobenthos composition was correlated with plant cover. Previous studies on the impact of artificial structures on plant distribution are scarce in incorporating time-series data or extended field surveys. In this study, a machine-learning-based species distribution model with decade-long observation was analyzed to investigate the correlation between the shift in the distribution of B. planiculmis, artificial structure-induced elevation changes and the expansion of other plants, as well as their connection to soil properties and crab composition dynamics under plants in Gaomei Wetland. Long short-term memory model (LSTM) with Shapley additive explanations (SHAP) was employed for predicting the distribution of B. planiculmis and explaining feature importance. The results indicated that wetland topology was influenced by both artificial structures and plants. Areas initially colonized by B. planiculmis were replaced by other species. Soil properties showed significant differences among plant patches; however, principal component analysis (PCA) of sediment properties and niche similarity analysis showed that the niche of plants was overlapped. Crab composition was different under different plants. The presence probability of B. planiculmis near woody paths decreased according to LSTM and field survey data. SHAP analysis suggested that the distribution of other plants, historical distribution of B. planiculmis and sediment properties significantly contributed to the presence probability of B. planiculmis. A sharp decrease in SHAP values with increasing NDVI at suitable elevations, overlap in PCA of sediment properties and niche similarity indicated potential competition among plants. This decade-long time-series field survey revealed the joint effects of artificial structure and vegetation on the topology and soil properties dynamics. These changes influenced the plant distribution through potential plant competition. LSTM with SHAP provided valuable insights in the underlying the mechanisms of artificial structure effects on the plant zonation process., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest All authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Objective To investigate the food preferences and explore the potential association between dietary knowledge and food preferences in residents aged 18 and over in China,so as to provide a basis for promoting healthy diets.Methods The latent class analysis was carried out with the 2015 cross-sectional data of China health and nutrition survey to categorize the food preferences among 8 783 residents aged 18 and over.Multinomial Logistic regression was adopted to assess the association between and dietary knowledge and food preferences.Results The food preferences of the residents aged 18 and over in China were classified into preference for less vegetable(3.28%),lack of preference(11.20%),diverse preferences(4.19%),and preference for healthy diets(81.33%).The proportion of the adults with dietary knowledge was 36.87%(3 238/8 783).The dietary knowledge varied in the adults with different food preferences(all P <0.001).After adjusting for gender,age,urban and rural distribution,education background,and annual household income,for each point increase in the dietary knowledge score,there was an estimated reduction of 22% in the probability of preferring less vegetables( OR =0.78,95% CI =0.76-0.80, P <0.001),13% in the probability of lacking preference( OR =0.87,95% CI =0.86-0.89, P <0.001),and 3% in the probability of having diverse preferences( OR =0.97,95% CI =0.94-1.00, P =0.030).Compared with those lacking dietary knowledge,the individuals with dietary knowledge had a 77% less probability of preferring less vegetables( OR =0.23,95% CI =0.16-0.32, P <0.001),a 55% less probability of lacking preference( OR =0.45,95% CI =0.39-0.53, P <0.001),and a 23% less probability of having diverse preferences( OR =0.77,95% CI =0.61-0.96, P =0.023).Conclusions The residents aged 18 and over in China presented four food preferences,including preference for less vegetables,lack of preference,diverse preferences,and preference for healthy diets,the last of which had the highest proportion.The individuals with lower levels of dietary knowledge have higher probability of preferring unhealthy food.

Objectives: Norovirus is associated with one-fifth of all gastroenteritis cases, but basic epidemiological data is lacking, especially in developing countries. As long-term surveillance on norovirus gastroenteritis is scarce in western China, this study aims to update the epidemiological knowledge of norovirus gastroenteritis and to characterize the genotypes of norovirus strains., Methods: Stool samples were collected from hospitalized children under 5 years old with gastroenteritis in Chengdu, China. All samples were tested for norovirus as well as rotavirus, sapovirus, enteric adenovirus, and astrovirus by real-time RT-PCR. RdRp and VP1 genes were sequenced in norovirus-positive samples to investigate viral phylogenies., Results: Of the 1181 samples collected from 2015 to 2019, 242 (20.5%) were positive for norovirus. Among norovirus-positive cases, 65 cases had co-infection with another virus; norovirus/enteric adenovirus was most frequently detected (50.8%, 33/65). The highest positive rate was observed in children aged 13-18 months (23.7%, 68/287). Norovirus infection peaked in autumn (36.6%, 91/249), followed by summer (20.3%, 70/345). Pearson correlation analysis showed significant correlation between the norovirus-positive rate and humidity (r = 0.773, P < 0.05). GII.4 Sydney 2012 [P31] (48.5%, 79/163) and GII.3 [P12] (35.6%, 58/163) were the dominant norovirus strains., Conclusions: Norovirus has become one of the most common causes of viral gastroenteritis in children under 5 years old in western China. Continuous monitoring is imperative for predicting the emergence of new epidemic strains and for current vaccine development., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2021. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Background: Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is closely associated with obesity. However, this association could be influenced by the coexisting metabolic abnormalities. This study aimed to investigate the role of obesity and metabolic abnormalities in NAFLD among elderly Chinese., Methods: A cross-sectional study was performed among elderly residents who took their annual health checkups during 2016 in Keqiao District, Shaoxing, China., Results: A total of 3359 elderly adults were retrospectively included in this study. The overall prevalence of NAFLD was 28.7%. The prevalence of NAFLD were 7.14%, 27.92%, 34.80%, and 61.02% in participants with metabolically healthy normal weight (MHNW), metabolically abnormal normal weight (MANW), metabolically healthy obese (MHO), and metabolically abnormal obese (MAO), respectively. NAFLD patients in MHO group had more unfavorable metabolic profiles than those in MHNW group. Logistic regression analysis showed that sex, body mass index (BMI), fasting blood glucose, and serum uric acid were the risk factors of NAFLD., Conclusions: Both obesity and metabolic health were significantly associated with NAFLD in elderly Chinese. Screening for obesity and other metabolic abnormalities should be routinely performed for early risk stratification of NAFLD., (Copyright © 2020. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Background: The highly pathogenic porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) emerging in China exhibits high fatality to pigs. However, the mechanism related to the increased pathogenicity of the virus remains unclear. In the present study, the differences in tissue tropism between the highly pathogenic PRRSV strain (JXwn06) and the low pathogenic PRRSV strain (HB-1/3.9) were investigated using PRRSV-specific immunohistochemistry (IHC) staining to provide evidence for elucidating possible mechanism of the pathogenicity of Chinese highly pathogenic PRRSV., Findings: IHC examination showed that PRRSV antigen in the tissues including spleen, tonsil, thymus, kidney, cerebellum, stomach, small intestine, large intestine, turbinal bone and laryngeal cartilage was positive in more pigs inoculated with JXwn06 than HB-1/3.9, and the tissues including trachea, esophagus, liver, mandibular gland and thyroid gland were positive for viral antigen in the pigs inoculated with JXwn06, but not in the pigs inoculated with HB-1/3.9. Meanwhile, we observed that epithelium in tissues including interlobular bile duct in liver, distal renal tubule of kidney, esophageal gland and tracheal gland were positive for viral antigen only in JXwn06-inoculated pigs, and epithelium of gastric mucosa and fundic gland, and intestinal gland were positive for viral antigen in both JXwn06- and HB-1/3.9-inoculated pigs, using monoclonal antibodies to N and Nsp2 proteins., Conclusions: Taken together, these findings indicate that the highly pathogenic PRRSV JXwn06 displays an expanded tissue tropism in vivo, suggesting this may contribute to its high pathogenicity to pigs.

Objective: To establish an intervention model of school health promotion, and apply it in developing "schistosomiasis-free schools"., Methods: At the pilot stage, all students of Henghu primary school and Banshan primary school in Xinjian County of Jiangxi Province were selected as experiment group and control group, respectively. A baseline survey covered knowledge and attitude on schistosomiasis control, water contact behaviors and Schistosoma japonicum infection rate. Two health promotion intervention models, i.e. "information communication + training of protection skill + reward & punishment" (model A, 1993-1999) and "information communication + behavior participation + encouragement" (model B, 2000-2007), were implemented in Henghu school. The effect of two models was compared by infection rate. At the application stage, all students of 8 schools in Xinjian County, Nanchang County, and Jinxian County were chosen for evaluation of the effectiveness of Model B with same methods and index., Results: Before intervention there was no significant statistical difference on the passed rate of anti-schistosomiasis knowledge, correct rate of anti-schistosomiasis attitude, frequency of infested water exposure and the infection rate between Henghu and Banshan schools (P > 0.05). In Henghu school, the intervention showed significant effect on the scores of knowledge and attitude after one year (P < 0.01), raised from 9.0% and 55.1% before intervention to 94.4% and 98.9% after intervention, respectively. The frequency of infested water exposure and the infection rate significantly decreased from 14.6% and 13.5% before intervention to 1.9% and 2.3%, respectively (P < 0.01). In 2-7 years after intervention, there were only one or two schistosomiasis cases each year. At the application stage, no schistosomiasis cases were found among Model B target population in two successive years after intervention., Conclusion: The practice of Model B can be extended to other schools in endemic area to develop "schistosomiasis-free schools".