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The development of white adipose tissue (WAT) browning helps to protect animals from cold conditions and prevent obesity. AMPKα1 has been involved in the process of white adipocytes browning. Although Irisin plays a vital role in the browning of WAT, the detailed regulatory mechanism of Irisin inducing the browning of WAT remains unclear. Herein, we firstly investigated the potential roles of differentiation and Irisin in regulating the browning of 3T3-L1 cells. The results found that they could significantly increase the number of lipid droplets and upregulate the expression levels of UCP1, PGC-1α, PRDM16, and p-AMPKα1. Then we proved the effectiveness of the AMPKα1 signaling pathway in the process of Irisin inducing the browning of 3T3-L1 cells. Compared with si-NC, si-AMPKα1 not only decreased the number of Irisin-induced lipid droplets, but also attenuated the expression of Irisin-induced UCP1, PGC-1α, and PRDM16 protein and mRNA levels in 3T3-L1 cells. Furthermore, the results showed that Irisin increased the positive distribution of UCP1 and PGC-1α, and upregulated the expression of UCP1, PGC-1α, and PRDM16 at both protein and mRNA levels in WAT. Once siRNA treated mice, the facilitation of Irisin on UCP1 and PGC-1α in si-AMPKα1-injected mice was lower than that in si-NC-injected mice. Compared with si-NC, si-AMPKα1 significantly downregulated the expression of UCP1, PGC-1α, and PRDM16 in Irisin-injected mice. Taken together, our results demonstrate that Irisin activates the AMPKα1 pathway to promote the browning of WAT by upregulating the mRNA and protein levels of UCP1, PGC-1α, and PRDM16.

This study monitors the open/closed states of the windows in 16 residential apartments in representative cities of the hot summer and cold winter zone of China, along with outdoor air temperature, outdoor relative humidity and outdoor PM2.5 concentration in 2017, to investigate the window opening/closing behavior. Three window opening models are developed. All the models are validated by modeling a typical residential apartment to compare the predicted indoor CO2 concentration with monitored data. It is found that the window opening probability is negatively correlated to both outdoor PM2.5 concentration and outdoor relative humidity, and the probability of window opening reaches the peak value when the outdoor air temperature is 23.7 °C. In terms of season, the shortest window opening duration occurs in winter due to the cold outdoor air temperature and high outdoor PM2.5 concentration. Finally, by comparing the correlation between the measured date and simulation results of indoor CO2 concentration, this study provides an appropriate window opening model for reference.

Enterocytozoon bieneusi is a common gastrointestinal parasite that has a broad range of hosts, including birds, mammals, and even humans. The changes of gut bacterial communities have been demonstrated during the course of E. bieneusi. This study aimed to examine the infection status, and assess the zoonotic potential and influence of E. bieneusi on gut bacterial communities of captive foxes in Xinxiang, central China. Fecal samples were collected from 216 captive foxes, and amplification of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) gene of each sample was performed by nested polymerase chain reaction. E. bieneusi was detected in 48 (22.2%) samples, and five previously reported genotypes CHN-F1 (n = 25), D (n = 18), BEB6 (n = 3), NCF2 (n = 1), and CHN-DC1 (n = 1) were identified, with CHN-F1 being the dominant genotype (25/48, 52.1%). Phylogenetic analysis further revealed that CHN-F1, D, NCF2, and CHN-DC1 genotypes belonged to the zoonotic group 1 of E. bieneusi, whereas BEB6 belonged to group 2. Moreover, sequencing and bioinformatics analysis of the V3–V4 region of 16S rRNA gene in five E. bieneusi-positive and five negative samples showed that gut microbial diversity was higher in the infected animals. In both groups, Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes were the two most abundant phyla, but the Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes ratio was lower in E. bieneusi-positive foxes (7.9:1) as compared with E. bieneusi-negative foxes (5:1). More importantly, at the phylum level, “beneficial bacteria” such as Firmicutes (1.6%) and Bacteroides (5.8%) increased, whereas “opportunistic pathogens” such as Fusobacteria (8.2%) decreased. Similarly, at the genus level, the pathogenic Clostridiaceae_Clostridium (10.0%) decreased, whereas the “beneficial bacteria” Lactococcus (6.6%) increased. These interesting phenomena warrant further investigation.

We sought to provide clinical evidence of the potential influence of ovariectomy (OVX) on intervertebral disk degeneration.We retrospectively reviewed patients with a history of OVX who visited our hospital for lower back pain. In addition, 60 age-matched patients without OVX were randomly selected as control subjects. Next, the following demographic data were recorded and compared among groups: age, body mass index, duration of OVX, history of smoking, alcohol use, hypertension, diabetes, cardiocerebrovascular disease, hyperlipemia, osteoporosis, and degenerative spondylolisthesis. Next, the severity of lumbar disk degeneration, evaluated by the modified Pfirrmann grading system, was compared between groups. Data analyses were performed with SPSS 20.0. software.A total of 15 OVX (unilateral, n = 10; bilateral, n = 5) patients were included with a mean age of 62.40 ± 10.64. The average durations of OVX were 21.33 ± 9.24 years. There existed no remarkable intergroup differences in the demographic data (P0.05). Overall, the average Pfirrmann grading scores from L1/2 to L5/S1 presented as L1/2L2/3L3/4 ≤ L5/S1 ≤ L4/5, with no marked differences between groups (P0.05). Nevertheless, OVX groups displayed a relatively higher score at each level than non-OVX group. Moreover, the scores from L3/4 to L5/S1 were higher in the bilateral OVX group relative to the unilateral OVX group while they were equal at L1/2 and L2/3.Our findings demonstrated that OVX contributed to the progression of lumbar disk degeneration to some extent, but it appeared to be a long-term event.

Dual-ion batteries (DIBs) have attracted immense interest as a new generation of energy storage device due to their low cost, environmental friendliness and high working voltage. However, developing DIBs using organic compounds as active electrode materials is in its infancy. Herein, we first report a bipolar and self-polymerized Cu phthalocyanine (CuTAPc) as an electrode material for sodium-based DIBs (SDIBs). Benefitting from the bipolar property, CuTAPc could serve as the cathode or anode material to construct metal sodium-based or metal sodium-free SDIB (cell 1 or 2) by coupling with sodium anode or graphite cathode, respectively. As a result, cell 1 displays a high discharge capacity of 195.7 mAh g−1 at 50 mA g−1 and a high reversible capacity of 57 mAh g−1 over 2500 cycles at 1 A g−1, and cell 2 shows a high energy density of 324 Wh kg−1 and a high power density of 7481 W kg−1. Subsequently, the proposed binding mechanism and the bipolar reactivity of CuTAPc have been revealed by the detailed reaction kinetic analysis and ex-situ techniques as well as the density functional theory (DFT) calculations. This work could open a pathway to develop the advanced SDIBs constructed by elemental abundant and environmentally friendly organic materials.

An acidic mixture of sulfuric and fluosilicic acid (H2SO4+H2SiF6) was employed as lixiviant to enhance leaching of lithium from lepidolite. The H2SiF6 was obtained as a byproduct of anhydrous hydrofluoric acid production, aiming to provide HF molecules. It was found that the HF molecules were the main reaction component and played a key role in strengthening the dissolution of lepidolite. Different factors, including mass ratio of ore/H2SO4/H2SiF6, concentrations of H2SO4 and H2SiF6, leaching temperatures (40−80 °C) and time (15−75 min), were investigated. Moreover, an efficient tubular reactor was employed to improve this acid leaching system. Under the optimal conditions (ore/H2SO4/H2SiF6 mass ratio of 1:0.8:1.6, 80 wt.% H2SO4, 15 wt.% H2SiF6, 80 °C, 15 min), 97.9% of Li, 96.4% of K, 97.6% of Rb, 96.7% of Cs and 81.4% of Al (mass fraction) were leached. Additionally, a two-step thermal process was proposed to remove fluorine of leaching slurry. This acid treatment using an acidic mixture of H2SO4 and H2SiF6 in a continuous tubular reactor shows potential as an alternative process to extract lithium from lepidolite.

Summary Background Vision loss is an important public health issue in China, but a detailed understanding of national and regional trends in its prevalence and causes, which could inform health policy, has not been available. This study aimed to assess the prevalence, causes, and regional distribution of vision impairment and blindness in China in 1990 and 2019. Methods Data from the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2019 were used to estimate the prevalence of moderate and severe vision impairment and blindness in China and compare with other Group of 20 (G20) countries. We used GBD methodology to systematically analyse all available demographic and epidemiological data at the provincial level in China. We compared the age-standardised prevalences across provinces, and the changes in proportion of vision loss attributable to various eye diseases in 1990 and 2019. We used two different counterfactual scenarios with respect to population structure and age-specific prevalence to assess the contribution of population growth and ageing to trends in vision loss. Findings In 2019, the age-standardised prevalence was 2·57% (uncertainty interval [UI] 2·28–2·86) for moderate vision impairment, 0·25% (0·22–0·29) for severe vision impairment, and 0·48% (0·43–0·54) for blindness in China, which were all below the global average, but the prevalence of moderate and severe vision impairment had increased more rapidly than in other G20 countries from 1990 to 2019. The prevalence of vision loss increased with age, and the main causes of vision loss varied across age groups. The leading causes of vision impairment in China were uncorrected refractive error, cataract, and macular degeneration in both 1990 and 2019 in the overall population. From 1990 to 2019, the number of people with moderate vision impairment increased by 133·67% (from 19·65 to 45·92 million), those with severe vision impairment increased by 147·14% (from 1·89 to 4·67 million), and those with blindness increased by 64·35% (from 5·29 to 8·69 million); in each case, 20·16% of the increase could be explained by population growth. The contributions to these changes by population ageing were 87·22% for moderate vision impairment, 116·06% for severe vision impairment, and 99·22% for blindness, and the contributions by age-specific prevalence were 26·29% for moderate vision impairment, 10·91% for severe vision impairment, and −55·04% for blindness. The prevalence and specific causes of vision loss differed across provinces. Interpretation Although a comprehensive national policy to prevent blindness is in place, public awareness of visual health needs improving, and reducing the prevalence of moderate and severe vision impairment should be prioritised in future work. Funding China National Key Research and Development Programme and Beijing Municipal Special Funds for Medical Research on Public Welfare Development and Reform.

Summary Background Air pollution is an important public health concern in China, with high levels of exposure to both ambient and household air pollution. To inform action at provincial levels in China, we estimated the exposure to air pollution and its effect on deaths, disease burden, and loss of life expectancy across all provinces in China from 1990 to 2017. Methods In all 33 provinces, autonomous regions, municipalities, and special administrative regions in China, we estimated exposure to air pollution, including ambient particulate matter pollution (defined as the annual gridded concentration of PM2·5), household air pollution (defined as the percentage of households using solid cooking fuels and the corresponding exposure to PM2·5), and ozone pollution (defined as average gridded ozone concentrations). We used the methods of the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study 2017 to estimate deaths and disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) attributable to air pollution, and what the life expectancy would have been if air pollution levels had been less than the minimum level causing health loss. Findings The average annual population-weighted PM2·5 exposure in China was 52·7 μg/m3 (95% uncertainty interval [UI] 41·0–62·8) in 2017, which is 9% lower than in 1990 (57·8 μg/m3, 45·0–67·0). We estimated that 1·24 million (95% UI 1·08–1·40) deaths in China were attributable to air pollution in 2017, including 851 660 (712 002–990 271) from ambient PM2·5 pollution, 271 089 (209 882–346 561) from household air pollution from solid fuels, and 178 187 (67 650–286 229) from ambient ozone pollution. The age-standardised DALY rate attributable to air pollution was 1513·1 per 100 000 in China in 2017, and was higher in males (1839·8 per 100 000) than in females (1198·3 per 100 000). The age-standardised death rate attributable to air pollution decreased by 60·6% (55·7–63·7) for China overall between 1990 and 2017, driven by an 85·4% (83·2–87·3) decline in household air pollution and a 12·0% (1·4–22·1) decline in ambient PM2·5 pollution. 40·0% of DALYs for COPD were attributable to air pollution, as were 35·6% of DALYs for lower respiratory infections, 26·1% for diabetes, 25·8% for lung cancer, 19·5% for ischaemic heart disease, and 12·8% for stroke. We estimated that if the air pollution level in China was below the minimum causing health loss, the average life expectancy would have been 1·25 years greater. The DALY rate per 100 000 attributable to air pollution varied across provinces, ranging from 482·3 (371·1–604·1) in Hong Kong to 1725·6 (720·4–2653·1) in Xinjiang for ambient pollution, and from 18·7 (9·1–34·0) in Shanghai to 1804·5 (1339·5–2270·1) in Tibet for household pollution. Although the overall mortality attributable to air pollution decreased in China between 1990 and 2017, 12 provinces showed an increasing trend during the past 27 years. Interpretation Pollution from ambient PM2·5 and household burning of solid fuels decreased markedly in recent years in China, after extensive efforts to control emissions. However, PM2·5 concentrations still exceed the WHO Air Quality Guideline for the entire population of China, with 81% living in regions exceeding the WHO Interim Target 1, and air pollution remains an important risk factor. Sustainable development policies should be implemented and enforced to reduce the impact of air pollution on long-term economic development and population health. Funding Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation; and China National Key Research and Development Program.

Summary Background China has seen a remarkable epidemiological and demographic transition during the past three decades. We aimed to describe the prevalence of osteoarthritis as well as years lived with disability (YLDs) due to osteoarthritis in China, according to age, sex, and geographical location, from 1990 to 2017. Methods Data were obtained from systematic reviews of symptomatic osteoarthritis of the knee and hip in the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study 2017 (GBD 2017). Three categories of sequelae (mild, moderate, and severe) of osteoarthritis were defined to indicate the degrees of severity and functional loss associated with the condition. A Bayesian meta-regression tool was applied to estimate the prevalence of osteoarthritis and the distribution of its severity. YLDs were calculated by multiplying the prevalence of osteoarthritis sequelae by their corresponding disability weights. All data were analysed by age–sex–province–year groups in China. Findings Around 26·1 million individuals in China had osteoarthritis in 1990, and this number rose to 61·2 million in 2017. The age-standardised prevalence of osteoarthritis increased from 2·9% (95% uncertainty interval 2·5–3·3) in 1990 to 3·1% (2·7–3·4) in 2017. The total YLDs due to osteoarthritis increased from 0·84 million (0·42–1·69) in 1990 to 1·97 million (0·98–3·94) in 2017, while the age-standardised YLD rate increased from 92·5 (45·7–185·6) per 100 000 people to 98·8 (49·4–197·6) per 100 000. Osteoarthritis prevalence and YLDs were higher in females than in males, and YLD rate increased with age. Osteoarthritis was the 24th most common cause of YLDs in China in 2017, accounting for 1·08% (0·64–2·02) of all YLDs. Interpretation Osteoarthritis is prevalent in China. Between 1990 and 2017, disease burden increased and varied greatly according to geographical location. Appropriate prevention and treatment strategies, predominantly those targeted at women, older people, and underdeveloped areas, must be developed to reduce the burden of the disease. Funding National Natural Science Foundation of China, China National Key Research and Development Programme.

As a newly discovered muscle factor secreted by skeletal muscle cells, irisin is a polypeptide fragment formed from hydrolysis of fibronectin type Ⅲ domain-containing protein 5 (FNDC5). Irisin can promote beigeing of white adipose tissue (WAT) and regulate glucose and lipid metabolisms. However, the functions of irisin in skeletal muscle development remain largely unknown. In order to characterize the expression of irisin, this study investigated the expression of irisin precursor FNDC5 in myoblasts and skeletal muscles during different developmental stages of SPF mice.The Western blot, quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR), and immunofluorescence assay results showed that FNDC5 was expressed in all the developmental stages of myoblasts and gastrocnemius, but its expression differed at different stages. FNDC5 protein exhibited the highest expression in gastrocnemius of sexually mature mice, followed by elderly mice and adolescent mice, and it displayed the lowest expression in pups. Additionally, FNDC5 protein was mainly expressed in cytoplasm, and it had the highest expression in primary myoblasts, followed by the myotubes with the lowest expression in C2C12 myogenic cells.Overall, FNDC5 was mainly expressed in cytoplasm and extracellular matrix with different expression levels at different developmental stages of skeletal muscle cells and tissues in mice. This study will provide new strategies for promoting skeletal muscle development and treating muscle- and metabolism-related disease by using irisin.

Summary Background Public health is a priority for the Chinese Government. Evidence-based decision making for health at the province level in China, which is home to a fifth of the global population, is of paramount importance. This analysis uses data from the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2017 to help inform decision making and monitor progress on health at the province level. Methods We used the methods in GBD 2017 to analyse health patterns in the 34 province-level administrative units in China from 1990 to 2017. We estimated all-cause and cause-specific mortality, years of life lost (YLLs), years lived with disability (YLDs), disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs), summary exposure values (SEVs), and attributable risk. We compared the observed results with expected values estimated based on the Socio-demographic Index (SDI). Findings Stroke and ischaemic heart disease were the leading causes of death and DALYs at the national level in China in 2017. Age-standardised DALYs per 100 000 population decreased by 33·1% (95% uncertainty interval [UI] 29·8 to 37·4) for stroke and increased by 4·6% (–3·3 to 10·7) for ischaemic heart disease from 1990 to 2017. Age-standardised stroke, ischaemic heart disease, lung cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and liver cancer were the five leading causes of YLLs in 2017. Musculoskeletal disorders, mental health disorders, and sense organ diseases were the three leading causes of YLDs in 2017, and high systolic blood pressure, smoking, high-sodium diet, and ambient particulate matter pollution were among the leading four risk factors contributing to deaths and DALYs. All provinces had higher than expected DALYs per 100 000 population for liver cancer, with the observed to expected ratio ranging from 2·04 to 6·88. The all-cause age-standardised DALYs per 100 000 population were lower than expected in all provinces in 2017, and among the top 20 level 3 causes were lower than expected for ischaemic heart disease, Alzheimer's disease, headache disorder, and low back pain. The largest percentage change at the national level in age-standardised SEVs among the top ten leading risk factors was in high body-mass index (185%, 95% UI 113·1 to 247·7]), followed by ambient particulate matter pollution (88·5%, 66·4 to 116·4). Interpretation China has made substantial progress in reducing the burden of many diseases and disabilities. Strategies targeting chronic diseases, particularly in the elderly, should be prioritised in the expanding Chinese health-care system. Funding China National Key Research and Development Program and Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Summary Background Injuries and violence account for a substantial proportion of the global burden of disease in adolescents, especially among low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs). We aimed to compare the prevalence of unintentional injuries and violence among young adolescents in LMICs. Methods We did a secondary analysis of data from the Global School-based Student Health Survey (GSHS) for adolescents aged 12–15 years from LMICs collected between 2009 and 2015. Survey data was collected using a standardised questionnaire. We used survey data to calculate the overall prevalence of serious injuries and violence (eg, physical attack, physical fighting) and bullying per country. We did a random-effects meta-analysis to calculate pooled overall and regional estimates. We also did subgroup analyses stratified by sex, age (12–13 years vs 14–15 years), and time period (2009–11 vs 2012–15). Logistic regression models adjusted for sex, weights, stratum, and primary sampling unit were used to analyse the differences in prevalence of serious injuries, violence, and bullying. Findings We included data from 68 LMICs, including 164 633 young adolescents (77 707 [47·2%] boys; 86 926 [52·8%] girls). The overall prevalence of physical attack, physical fighting, and serious injuries during the past 12 months were 35·6% (95% CI 30·7–40·5), 36·4% (29·9–42·9), and 42·9% (39·0–46·9), respectively. Prevalence varied by WHO region and was higher among boys than girls for injuries (47·8% vs 37·5%, p=0·00094), physical attack (41·0% vs 29·4%, p=0·001), and physical fighting (45·5% vs 26·9%, p Interpretation The prevalence of unintentional injuries and violence remain high among young adolescents in LMICs. These countries should prioritise the development of anti-violence and anti-injury programmes to improve health in their young adolescent populations. Funding National Natural Science Foundation of China, National Key R&D Program of China, Natural Science Foundation of Zhejiang Province, Sanming Project of Medicine in Shenzhen, K.C. Wong Magna Fund in Ningbo University, and Ningbo Scientific Innovation Team for Environmental Hazardous Factor Control and Prevention.

The Ca-doped carbon dots (CDCa) exhibited strong catalysis of HAuCl4-H2O2 reaction to produce gold nanoparticle (AuNP), using Vitoria blue 4R (VB4r) as molecular probe, it appeared a strong surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) peak at 1615 cm−1 in the AuNP nanosol substrate. When catalyst CDCa increased, the SERS peak enhanced linearly owing to AuNPs increasing, that is, the AuNP concentration is linear to SERS signal. Potassium pyroantimonate (PA) ligand can adsorb on CDCa surface to inhibit the catalysis and cause the SERS peak decreasing. The analyte of Na+ reacts with PA to produce the stable precipitate of [Na2(PA)] and free CDCa catalyst. The more Na+, the more CDCa released, and the stronger SERS signal due to more AuNP substrate. Accordingly, a SERS quantitative analysis method for Na+ was developed based on CDCa catalytic SERS reaction, with a linear range of 0.004–0.043 μmol/L, and a detection limit of 0.0019 μmol/L Na.

Sandy areas in the northern China are the primary regions for potato production, but limited water resources and low water/fertilizer use efficiency limit the sustainable development of agriculture. Field experiments were conducted during 2016–2017 to investigate the effects of different drip irrigation frequencies, water amounts and fertilizer rates on the yield, quality, water and fertilizer productivity of potato in the sandy areas of northern China. The water and fertilizer treatments were evaluated using the TOPSIS method to obtain the optimal combination of irrigation frequency, water amount and fertilizer rate for multi-objective optimization. The irrigation frequency included once every 4 days (D4), once every 8 days (D8) and once every 10 days (D10). The irrigation levels consisted of full irrigation (1.0 ETc, ETc is the crop evapotranspiration), medium irrigation (0.8 ETc) and low irrigation (0.6 ETc). The fertilizer (N-P2O5-K2O) levels included low fertilization (F1, 100-40-150 kg ha−1), medium fertilization (F2, 150-60-225 kg ha−1) and high fertilization (F3, 200-80-300 kg ha−1). The results showed that there were significant effects of the irrigation frequency (IF), irrigation level (IL) and fertilization level (FL) on potato growth, yield, quality, water and fertilizer productivity. Using the same irrigation frequency and fertilization level, the highest tuber yield, starch content, vitamin C and partial factor productivity (PFP) were obtained under the full irrigation (1.0 ETc). However, the irrigation water use efficiency (IWUE) decreased as the water supply increased. In addition, these indicators under deficit irrigation increased with the increase in irrigation frequency at the same fertilization level, but the indicators of D8 were the highest under the full irrigation. Under the same irrigation frequency and irrigation level, the tuber yield and IWUE increased as the fertilization rate increased. However, the PFP decreased as the fertilizer rate increased. The trends in plant height, LAI, dry matter accumulation, plant yield and commodity tubers were similar to that in tuber yield. The starch content and vitamin C under deficit irrigation increased with the amount of fertilizer applied, but they increased first and then decreased with the increase in fertilizer rate under the full irrigation. The change in the content of reducing sugars was opposite to that of the starch. Based on the TOPSIS method, the multi-target optimum scheduling of potato was attained with the irrigation frequency of once every 8 days (D8), full irrigation(1.0 ETc and high fertilizer (N-P2O5-K2O) rate (F3, 200-80-300 kg ha−1). The obtained optimum combination of water and fertilizers can provide a scientific basis for irrigation and fertilization optimization and management in the sandy areas of northern China and in other regions with similar environments.

Our previous study showed that miR-29 attenuates muscle wasting in chronic kidney disease. Other studies found that miR-29 has anti-fibrosis activity. We hypothesized that intramuscular injection of exosome-encapsulated miR-29 would counteract unilateral ureteral obstruction (UUO)-induced muscle wasting and renal fibrosis. We used an engineered exosome vector, which contains an exosomal membrane protein gene Lamp2b that was fused with the targeting peptide RVG (rabies viral glycoprotein peptide). RVG directs exosomes to organs that express the acetylcholine receptor, such as kidney. The intervention of Exo/miR29 increased muscle cross-sectional area and decreased UUO-induced upregulation of TRIM63/MuRF1 and FBXO32/atrogin-1. Interestingly, renal fibrosis was partially depressed in the UUO mice with intramuscular injection of Exo/miR29. This was confirmed by decreased TGF-β, alpha-smooth muscle actin, fibronectin, and collagen 1A1 in the kidney of UUO mice. When we used fluorescently labeled Exo/miR29 to trace the Exo/miR route in vivo and found that fluorescence was visible in un-injected muscle and in kidneys. We found that miR-29 directly inhibits YY1 and TGF-β3, which provided a possible mechanism for inhibition of muscle atrophy and renal fibrosis by Exo/miR29. We conclude that Exo/miR29 ameliorates skeletal muscle atrophy and attenuates kidney fibrosis by downregulating YY1 and TGF-β pathway proteins.

Background Pigmentation is controlled by complex mechanisms. Evidence suggests that miRNAs can regulate pigmentation. However, the mechanism has not been fully elucidated. Objective In this study, we revealed a novel mechanism that regulates pigmentation involving exosomes, miRNAs and the crosstalk between keratinocytes and melanocytes. Methods The expression and localization of exosome specific marker TSG101 in keratinocytes and melanocytes; Changes of melanin content in melanocytes after co-culture of exosome and melanocytes; Expression changes of target gene TYR and its related genes and inhibitory effect of miR-330-5p on pigmentation were studied by using various molecular biological techniques. Results In this experiment, we used miR-330-5p in keratinocytes to verify the effect of keratinocyte derived exosome on melanocyte pigmentation. First, we found that keratinocytes secrete exosomes carrying miR-330-5p; moreover, greater miR-330-5p expression was found in exosomes derived from keratinocytes that overexpressed miR-330-5p. Second, we found that exosomes derived from keratinocytes with overexpression of miR-330-5p caused a significant increase in miR-330-5p in melanocytes. Finally, exosomes derived from keratinocytes that overexpressed miR-330-5p induced a significant decrease in the production of melanin and expression of TYR in melanocytes. Meanwhile, we overexpressed miR-330-5p in melanocytes, which also proved the inhibitory effect of miR-330-5p on pigmentation. Conclusion These findings suggest that keratinocytes crosstalk with melanocytes in the epidermal melanin unit via exosomal miRNAs. These studies reveal an important role of exosomes in melanocyte pigmentation, which opens a new pathway of melanogenesis.

Silver nanorods (AgNR) have strong catalysis of the redox reation between AgNO3 and glucose (GLC) to form silver nanoparticles (AgNP) with strong nanoplasmonic effect including surface plasmon resonance (SPR) absorption (RRS) and surface-enhanced resonance Raman scattering (SERS) in the presence of Victoria blue B(VBB) molecular probes. The increased SERS intensity at 1615 cm−1 responds linearly with the AgNR concentration. The potassium ion aptamers (Apt) can adsorb on the surface of AgNR to inhibit the nanocatalysis. Upon addition of K+, the formed stable G-quadruplex of K-Apt escape from the nanosurface of AgNR to recovery its catalysis. With the increase of K+ concentration, the SERS intensity increased linearly due to producing more AgNP substrates. Thus, a 50–3000 nmol/L K can be analyzed quantitatively by SERS technique, with a detection limit of 25 nmol/L.

Vertical thermal stratification is typical for partially conditioned large space building. Heat accumulation in the upper part of unoccupied zone will have significant effect on the cooling load of occupied zone. In order to accurately estimate this cooling load, calculation of the heat migration occurs in the thermally stratified environment is critical. Heat migration in this study refers to the amount of heat transferred from unoccupied zone to occupied zone (or between other adjacent zones). This paper discusses the method to calculate heat migration through convection and conduction in a large space building served by side wall nozzle air-supply system. In a scaled laboratory, three experiment cases with different exhaust air flow ratio are investigated. CFD simulations of the same cases are performed. Vertical temperature distribution and detailed cooling load results of the whole system as well as those of occupied zone are validated against experiment result. A detailed analysis on the total heat migration and its components between different zones is conducted. Inter-zonal heat transfer coefficient Cb used in a zonal BLOCK model and heat conductivity across the intersection of zones is obtained by dividing the whole space into two and four zones vertically. It is found that both Cb and thermal conductivity value across the intersection is greater than expected and affected by the local turbulent intensity.

Establishing reasonable water and fertilizer inputs is of great importance to improve crop yield and water and fertilizer use efficiency in greenhouses. This experiment was conducted in 2013 to investigate the effects of different levels of irrigation and nitrogen (N) fertilizer on the yield, fruit quality, and water and nitrogen use efficiency of cucumbers under fertigation systems in a greenhouse in China. The least square method and multiple regression analysis were used to select the largest single target and multi-objective optimum in this study. The treatments comprised three drip irrigation levels (with ET0 as the reference crop evapotranspiration, W1: 60% ET0; W2: 80% ET0 and W3: 100% ET0) and four N fertilizer levels (N0: 0 kg/ha; N1: 180 kg/ha; N2: 360 kg/ha and N3: 540 kg/ha). The results revealed that the single factors of irrigation and N had an extremely significant effect on the yield. The fruit yield increased with the amount of irrigation water and reached 55.9 t/ha and 51.6 t/ha with the use of N 540 kg/ha and 360 kg/ha, respectively. The yield of 49.6 t/ha, the highest water use efficiency (WUE) of 55.8 kg/m3 and vitamin C of 128.4 mg/kg were obtained from conditions involving medium irrigation levels (80% ET0) with the application of 360 kg/ha N. The highest soluble sugar content at 2.8% was achieved when the irrigation level was 60% ET0 and the application of N was 360 kg/ha. The nitrogen production efficiency (NPE) and partial factor productivity of nitrogen (PFPN) decreased with the increase in the nitrogen application rate. The highest NPE and PFPN of 263.4 kg/kg and 265.9 kg/kg were obtained from irrigation levels of 80% ET0 and 100% ET0, respectively. The yield response factor ky of the cucumbers was 0.94. Taking into account the yield, quality, and water and nitrogen use efficiency, the irrigation level of 80% ET0 with the nitrogen level of 360 kg/ha were the best fertigation strategy. Within a 90% confidence interval, it was concluded that when the irrigation interval was 124–151 mm and the nitrogen interval was 318–504 kg/ha, the yield, WUE, and Vitamin C reached ≥90% of their maximum values at the same time. The determination of this region is of great significance to the management of water and fertilizer in greenhouse cucumis sativus.

Background: Falls in older people have become a major public health concern worldwide but a comprehensive assessment of falls burden for older people in mainland China has not been undertaken. This study aims to investigate the falls burden of people aged 60 years and above at the national and subnational level in mainland China, and explore the trends from 1990 to 2019, using data from the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2019. Method: Using data from GBD 2019, we described the falls burden of older people by sex and age group in terms of incidence, mortality, and disability-adjusted life year (DALY) rates and evaluated these indicators at the subnational level from 31 provinces. The overall trend of falls burden was investigated across 31 provinces from 1990 to 2019, while the change of falls burden in different sexes, age groups and provinces were compared between 1990 and 2019. Findings: In 2019, the incidence rate of falls among people aged 60 years and above was 3799·4 new falls per 100 000 (95% uncertainty interval [UI] 3062·4–4645·0), while there were 39.2 deaths (95%UI 21·8–48·80) per 100 000, and 1238·9 DALYs (95%UI 920·5–1553·2) per 100 000 in mainland China. There was no significant difference in the falls burden between males and females. The incidence, mortality and DALY rates for people aged 80 years and above were significantly higher than other age groups. Large variations in incidence and DALY rates were observed across 31 provinces. Although there were no significant changes in the overall falls mortality in all provinces and DALY rates of 23 provinces from 1990 to 2019, there were large increases in the incidence rate in both males (82·9%, 95%UI 67·4%–100·0%) and females (77·0%, 95%UI 63·3%–91·8%) over the last three decades. The increases in the incidence rate varied from 50·0% (95%UI 42·2%–59·5%) for people aged 60–64 years to 123·8% (95%UI 105·4%–141·9%) for people aged 80 years and above. All provinces had significant increases in the incidence rate with Sichuan being the highest (148·5%, 95%UI 125·5%–171·4%) and Jilin the lowest (14·7%, 95%UI 3·6%–26·1%). Interpretation: Between 1990 and 2019, the incidence rate of falls increased substantially regardless of sex, age group and province, whereas the mortality and DALY rates of falls among older people remained relatively stable, suggesting improvements in outcomes of falls. Minor sex disparity in incidence and mortality rates was identified in the older population. The group at the highest risk of falls was males aged 80 years and above. Provincial inequality was found in the incidence and DALY rates of falls. Falls remain as an ongoing health burden for older people in mainland China, and there is an urgent need for introducing system wide, integrated and cost-effective measures to protect and support older people to minimise the risks and combat this growing burden as the population is aging. Funding: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Declaration of Interest: We declare no competing interests.

The heat dissipation of electronic devices has become an enormous challenge with the dramatic increasing of integrated transistors on a chip. Nanowires are viewed as promising materials for solving this problem. The accurate measurement of thermal diffusivity is a precondition for further applications. This paper presents a non-destructive method to measure the thermal diffusivity of a single supported nanowire, which is called dual-wavelength flash Raman (DFR) mapping method. This method has a 100 ps temporal resolution based on the minimum time delay between the heating and probing laser pulses and 50 nm spatial resolution based on the minimum step of the probing pulse. Compared with previously proposed concentric DFR method, the probing pulse can move along the nanwire length and the movable probing laser beam allowed temperature measurements at the most sensitive position,which improves the measurement accuracy by 50%. Moreover, instead of the normalizaiton temperature method in concentric DFR method, a temperature phase method was proposed for analyzing the temperature variation curves. The measurements on a single supported silicon nanowire verified the reliability of the DFR mapping method. One thousand virtual experiments showed that the uncertainty of this method can achieve ±5%.

Given water resources scarcity in Northwest China and the urgent need for the integration and optimization of scientific and technological resources in facility agriculture, this experiment explored the appropriate water and fertilizer management measures for greenhouse sweet pepper under fertilization in Northwest China. A two-year drip fertigation sweet pepper experiment was conducted in a solar greenhouse, with four irrigation levels (W1: 105% ETC, W2: 90% ETC, W3: 75% ETC, W4: 60% ETC) and four nitrogen levels (N1: 300 kg/ha, N2: 225 kg/ha, N3: 150 kg/ha, N4: 75 kg/ha). The results showed that above-ground dry matter accumulation (DMA), yield, harvest index (HI), and water use efficiency (WUE) of sweet pepper increased first and then decreased with the increase of irrigation/nitrogen amounts under the same nitrogen/irrigation levels. The partial factor productivity of nitrogen (PFPN) decreased significantly with the increase of nitrogen application rate, while it increased first and then decreased with the increase of irrigation level. The PFPN reached a peak at W2 level, despite no significant difference between W2 and W3 levels. With the increase of nitrogen application rate, soluble sugar and vitamin C content increased first and then decreased with a maximum at N3 level; nitrate content increased with the increase of nitrogen application rate, and there was no significant difference between N4 and N3 levels. The contents of soluble sugar and nitrate nitrogen decreased with the increase of irrigation amount, and they did not differ between W1 and W3 levels at N3 level; the vitamin C content increased first and then decreased with the increase of irrigation amount, reaching the maximum in W2 or W3 treatments. Considering the shortage of water resources in the study area, the W3N3 treatment (75% ETC, 150 kg/ha) could be recommended as the optimal drip fertigation strategy. Results showed that the optimal value of sweet pepper (the best confidence intervals of 85%) was achieved at the irrigation water and nitrogen amount of 78.2–80.8% ETC and 164.5–189.5 kg/ha, respectively. This study provides scientific basis for water and nitrogen management of high yield, quality, and benefit planting of facility sweet pepper in Northwest China.

Stratified air-conditioning (STRAC) has been deployed in large space buildings to achieve vertical thermal stratification with significant energy-saving potential. This research focuses on two typical STRAC systems: floor-level sidewall air-supply system (FSAS) and nozzle sidewall air-supply system (NSAS). By employing experiment and CFD methods, airflow pattern and heat transfer between the unoccupied and occupied zone under the two air supply systems are investigated in a reduced-scale laboratory. The geometric models of the prototype building, with a geometrical scaling factor of 4:1, are established according to similarity principles and studied by CFD simulation. The results demonstrate that the two scales have similar indoor thermal performances. The numerical simulation results of the prototype building provide and compare commonly used inter-zonal heat transfer coefficients of actual large space buildings with the two typical STRAC systems. For FSAS, heat conduction caused by temperature gradient dominates the inter-zonal heat transfer. In NSAS, both heat conduction due to temperature gradient and heat convection due to airflow contributes equally to this heat transfer. The inter-zonal heat transfer coefficient Cb is affected by the airflow pattern and zonal division, and closely associated with local turbulence intensity.