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Environmentally friendly economic development has become a global concern, whereas the existing literature has ignored the human resources management in the green economy. This study utilizes the basic Cobb-Douglas production function and examines the nonlinear effect of labour productivity on the environment in China. Non-linear findings infer that a positive change in labour productivity has a positive and negative change in labour productivity, and has a negative effect on CO 2 emissions in the short run, while results persisted and stable in the long run in China. The crux of this study is that labour productivity is vital for understanding the evolution of a green economy. Conventionally, capital productivity and energy consumption also tend to follow dirty productivity growth and thus, increased environmental pollution. Indeed, research and development is a forceful input to environmental quality. Based on findings, policymakers should need to focus on human resource productivity, green business, and ecosystem protection., (© 2021. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Objectives: Patients with IgG4-related disease (IgG4-RD) suffer high relapse rates during long-term treatment, but factors that predict relapse outcomes are not well established. In the present study, we aimed to identify predictive factors for treatment resistance and disease relapse in a Chinese IgG4-RD cohort., Methods: This study enrolled 102 patients newly diagnosed with IgG4-RD. Disease prognosis was determined by evaluating disease activity and dosage of glucocorticoids. Predictive factors for refractory and relapsed disease were identified by univariate analysis and Cox regression., Results: Among the 102 patients, 78 cases received medical treatment with regular follow-up (21 [6-111] months). During the follow-up period, 55 (70.5%) patients sustained clinical remission, and 23 (29.5%) patients suffered refractory or relapsed disease. The relapse rate of the patients with IgG4-RD was significantly higher among patients who stopped taking medicine than among those who continued treatment with glucocorticoids (GC) + immunosuppressor (IM). Serum TNF-α ≥ 13 pg/mL, sIL-2R ≥ 1010 U/mL, total cholesterol < 3.55 mmol/L, low-density lipoprotein < 2.0 mmol/L, IgG ≥ 20.2 g/L, and drug withdrawal were predictive factors for refractory and relapsed IgG4-RD. Multivariate Cox regression revealed that both sIL-2R and TNF-α were independent risk factors for refractory and relapsed disease. The combination of GC and IM treatment was an independent protective factor against refractory and relapsed IgG4-RD., Conclusions: High serum levels of sIL-2R and TNF-α may be informative risk factors for refractory and relapsed IgG4-RD. Our data suggest that a combination treatment of GC along with IM may be protective against refractory and relapsed IgG4-RD. Key Points • High sIL-2R and TNF-α levels are informative risk factors for refractory and relapsed IgG4-related disease. • Combination treatment of GC with IM protects against refractory and relapsed IgG4-related disease.

The aim of our study was to unveil the promoting function of compound Bacillus sp. in improving chicken digestion-induced higher body growth performance. Strains of Bacillus subtilis and B. licheniformis were jointly supplemented to the chick diet. Digestive enzyme activities in the digesta improved, development of intestinal villus enhanced, and duodenum and ileum villous height increased, while their crypt depth declined, and the cecum's bacterial composition optimized after 56 days of supplementation. Bacterial composition at the phylum level changed significantly, more Firmicutes, Proteobacteria, Epsilonbacteraeota, and Tenericutes, but fewer Bacteroidetes were detected in cecum digesta in the compound Bacillus supplemented group. Bacterial composition diversity, which improves the abundances of metabolic genes through KEGG pathway classification, became more abundant. Results indicated that the Ruminococcaceae UCG-005, unclassified Ruminococcaceae, and unclassified Lachnospiraceae species are actively correlated with body growth, promoting higher final body weight. In conclusion, owing to digestive enzyme secretion, the development of intestinal villus was stimulated and gastrointestinal bacterial composition optimized, and two combined Bacillus sp. improved chicken body growth. Our findings show the promoting action of Bacillus subtilis and B. licheniformis on digestion, which can be an alternative to antibiotics.