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To investigate the distribution and antimicrobial susceptibility of causative microorganisms recovered from patients with intra-abdominal infections (IAIs). A total of 2,926 bacterial and fungal strains were identified in samples collected from 1,679 patients with IAIs at the Peking Union Medical College Hospital between 2011 and 2021. Pathogenic bacteria and fungi were identified using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) was performed using the VITEK 2 compact system and the Kirby–Bauer method. AST results were interpreted based on the M100-Ed31 clinical breakpoints of the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute. Of the 2,926 strains identified, 49.2%, 40.8%, and 9.5% were gram-negative bacteria, gram-positive bacteria, and fungi, respectively. Escherichia coli was the most prevalent pathogen in intensive care unit (ICU) and non-ICU patients; however, a significant decrease was observed in the isolation of E. coli between 2011 and 2021. Specifically, significant decreases were observed between 2011 and 2021 in the levels of extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL)-producing E. coli (from 76.9% to 14.3%) and Klebsiella pneumoniae (from 45.8% to 4.8%). Polymicrobial infections, particularly those involving coinfection with gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria, were commonly observed in IAI patients. Moreover, Candida albicans was more commonly isolated from hospital-associated IAI samples, while Staphylococcus epidermidis had a higher ratio in community-associated IAIs. Additionally, AST results revealed that most antimicrobial agents performed better in non-ESBL-producers than in ESBL-producers, while the overall resistance rates (56.9%–76.8%) of Acinetobacter baumanmii were higher against all antimicrobial agents than those of other common gram-negative bacteria. Indeed, Enterococcus faecium , Enterococcus faecalis , S. epidermidis , and S. aureus were consistently found to be susceptible to vancomycin, teicoplanin, and linezolid. Similarly, C. albicans exhibited high susceptibility to all the tested antifungal drugs. The distribution and antimicrobial susceptibility of the causative microorganisms from patients with IAIs were altered between 2011 and 2021. This finding is valuable for the implementation of evidence-based antimicrobial therapy and provides guidance for the control of hospital infections. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Green development is an important way to achieve global sustainable development goals, and has become one of the main research hotspots in recent years. Balancing economic development and environmental protection has turned out to be a great challenge in Beijing, the capital of China, which can provide some suggestions on ecological civilization construction and green development for other cities. However, there have been limited studies on this crucial topic. Therefore, based on the statistical data for Beijing from 2006 to 2016, this paper constructed the green development evaluation system of Beijing, and used the Projection Pursuit Model and spatial analysis method to analyze the spatial and temporal changes in its green development level. We also aimed to further explore the influences of key factors on green development. Our results illustrated that: (1) the overall and average levels of green development in Beijing showed significant increasing trends; (2) there are obvious spatial differences in green development among districts in Beijing, with the outer districts showing higher values; and (3) the environmental condition and human consumption were two important factors driving the green development in Beijing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The mass media serves as an indispensable force in the prevention and control of epidemics, and plays a vital role in information distribution, public opinion guidance and confidence enhancement during a pandemic of infectious diseases. However, due to the particularity of infectious disease outbreaks, interview work in medical institutions should be conducted in an orderly and efficient manner under the guidance of hospitalacquired infection control and prevention protocols. This paper summarizes measures for infection control during news material collection in isolation wards from Beijing’s medical aid team to Hubei province in the fight against COVID-19, so as to provide a reference for the media to carry out relevant work on the prevention and control of infectious diseases in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aiming at remedying the problem of low prediction accuracy of existing air pollutant prediction models, a denoising autoencoder deep network (DAEDN) model that is based on long short-term memory (LSTM) networks was designed. This model created a noise reduction autoencoder with an LSTM network to extract the inherent air quality characteristics of original monitoring data and to implement noise reduction processing on monitoring data to improve the accuracy of air quality predictions. The LSTM network structure in the DAEDN model was designed as bidirectional LSTM (Bi-LSTM) to solve the problem of a lag in the unidirectional LSTM prediction results and thereby to further improve the prediction accuracy of the prediction model. Using air pollutant time series data, the DAEDN model was trained using hourly PM2.5 concentration data collected in Beijing over 5 years. The experimental results show that the DAEDN model can extract more stable features from the noisy input after training was completed. The models were evaluated using RMSE and MAE, and the results show that the indexes are 15.504 and 6.789; compared with unidirectional LSTM, it is reduced by 7.33% and 5.87%, respectively. In addition, the new prediction model essentially considered the time series properties of the prediction of the concentration of spatial pollutants and the fully integrated environmental big data, such as air quality monitoring, meteorological monitoring, and forecasting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Atmospheric volatile organic compounds (VOCs) measurement was carried out using gas chromatography-flame ionization detector (GC-FID) technique (Airmo VOCs online analyzer) in a typical urban area in Beijing from April 2014 to January 2015. Ambient levels, variation characteristics and influential factors contributing to the formation of near-ground-ozone and secondary organic aerosols as well as health risk assessment of VOCs were analyzed. Based on these analyses, the important VOC species that should be given more attention for pollution control were identified and the source apportionment of VOCs was made. Suggestions for VOCs pollution control countermeasures were put forward. The annual average concentration of 84 VOCs was 119 µg·m-3 and the hourly mean concentration was 9.11-567 µg·m-3. Ambient level of VOCs in Beijing has been alleviated in recent years, but is still severe compared to some other cities. VOCs with the largest proportion were alkanes in spring and halogenated hydrocarbons in summer, autumn and winter. The variation of 84 VOCs concentrations was consistent with that of the ambient air quality index, indicating that VOCs had a strong influence on ambient air quality. Influenced by the concentration and activity of VOCs, the largest contribution to ozone formation potential and secondary organic aerosol formation potential came from alkenes and aromatic hydrocarbons, respectively. Five VOCs species such as benzene pose carcinogenic risk to exposed populations. Contrary to some previous studies, benzene was found to have potential cancer risk in some urban areas in China. The main sources of VOCs in the study area were vehicle exhaust, solvent usage, and industrial processes. In order to improve air quality in Beijing and reduce the infection rate of air pollutant related diseases, it is necessary to strengthen the control the emission of VOCs from those three sources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Question Plant trait mean values and trait responsiveness to different environmental regimes are both important determinants of plant field distribution, but the degree to which plant trait means vs trait responsiveness predict plant distribution has rarely been compared quantitatively. Because hydrological regime is a key determinant of wetland plant distribution, we hypothesized that both plant trait means and trait responsiveness to experimental submergence could predict plant adaptation to a wet or a dry part of hydrological gradients in wetlands. Location Beijing, China. Methods We measured mean values for 14 plant traits by growing 30 wetland species both on land (control) and partially submerged in a greenhouse, and calculated log response ratios (Ln RRs) of these traits to submergence. A distribution pattern index of wetland plants along the moisture gradient (from the zone furthest from the wetland waterline to that nearest to the waterline) was developed based on plant survey data in 3988 field plots in 24 wetlands in Beijing, China. Results Ln RRs of performance traits (shoot biomass, root biomass, plant height and total root length; R2 = 0.249, P = 0.005) and one out of five morphological traits (i.e. shoot elongation capacity; R2 = 0.194, P = 0.015) between partially submerged and control treatments could predict the distribution pattern of the 30 wetland plant species. In contrast, means of plant traits in either control or submergence could not predict species distribution. The trait Ln RRs, increasing from very negative to very positive, corresponded positively with the distribution, ranging from the zone furthest from the wetland waterline to that nearest to the waterline. Surprisingly, physiological trait Ln RRs that had been expected to underpin performance trait Ln RRs did not themselves predict the distribution pattern of these species. Analyses at the level of multivariate trait groups (based on PCA) showed that species Ln RRs of the morphological trait group were positively correlated with Ln RRs of the performance trait group. Conclusions Our findings demonstrate that screening wetland plant species for performance and morphological trait Ln RRs under experimentally flooded conditions is an effective approach to understand and predict their distribution pattern along moisture gradients in the field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This study aims to compare the difference of polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) between patients with colorectal cancer and healthy people and analyze the effect of PUFA on colorectal cancer by testing serum of PUFA. Materials and Methods: One hundred and fifty-six healthy people and 79 patients with colorectal cancer were randomly chosen in Beijing, China. PUFA level was measured in two groups. According to different stages, sizes, degree of differentiation, lymph node metastases from patients with colorectal cancer, we compared metabolize situation of PUFA. Results: Total omega-6 PUFA level was higher in healthy people group than that in colorectal cancer group (25.77 ± 3.21 vs. 26.86 ± 1.65, P = 0.0125); moreover, arachidonic acid (AA) level was also higher in healthy people group than that in colorectal cancer group (5.02 ± 1.32 vs. 6.08 ± 1.26, P = 0.0344); total omega-3 PUFA level was lower in colorectal cancer group than that in healthy people group; furthermore, eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) was also lower in colorectal cancer group than that in healthy people group. AA and total omega-6 were significant differences between less than 5 cm of tumor size and more than 5 cm of tumor size (13.11 ± 2.91 vs. 14.44 ± 1.81, P < 0.05; 27.02 ± 4.54 vs. 28.76 ± 3.08, P < 0.05). Conclusion: PUFA level was significant difference between healthy people and colorectal cancer patients in the Chinese population. Tumor size probably had influence on the metabolism of PUFA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Taking the Landsat TM and ASTER images of Hanshiqiao wetland nature reserve in 1988, 1996 and 2004 as data source, based on the landscape types from imagery classification, the reserve landscape pattern and its changes were analyzed, meanwhile, the landscape quality and its changes were evaluated and discussed. Several landscape pattern indices were analyzed, the results indicated that from 1988 to 2004, as the result of natural factors and human disturbances, the landscape structure has been changed, landscape fragmentation has become more and more serious, patches have been tended to regular shape, and connectivity of the natural wetland has been weakened. In addition, the landscape quality was evaluated based on the indicators of pressure, state and response. The results showed that during 1996-2004 periods, the landscape quality for Hanshiqiao wetland nature reserve has degraded obviously, which was mainly influenced by human activities breaking into wetland landscape. Effective wetland management and control is therefore needed to solve the issues of the wetland loss and degradation in Hanshiqiao wetland nature reserve. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The community structure and diversity of endophytic bacteria in reed ( Phragmites australis) roots growing in the Beijing Cuihu Wetland, China was investigated using the 16S rRNA library technique. Primers 799f and 1492r were used to amplify the specific bacterial 16S rRNA fragments successfully and construct the clone library. In total, 166 individual sequences were verified by colony PCR and used to assess the diversity of endophytic bacteria in reed roots. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that 78.9% of the clones were affiliated with Proteobacteria and included all five classes. Other clones belonged to Firmicutes (9.0%), Cytophaga/ Flexibacter/ Bacteroids (6.6%), Fusobacteria (2.4%), and nearly 3.0% were unidentified bacteria. In Proteobacteria, the Alpha and Gamma subgroups were the most abundant, accounting for approximately 34.4% and 31.3% of all Proteobacteria, respectively, and the dominant genera included Pleomorphomonas, Azospirillum, and Aeromonas. In addition, nearly 13.6% of the Proteobacteria were very similar to some genera of sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) such as Dechloromonas, Desulfovibrio, and Sulfurospirillum. The bacteria in these genera are considered to play important roles in the metabolism of nitrogen, phosphorus, sulfur, and some organic compounds in wetland systems. Hence, this study demonstrates that within the diverse bacterial communities found in reed roots, endophytic strains might have a strong potential to enhance phytoremediation by reed wetlands. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mercury contamination is a serious problem in Chinese cities. In the present study, mercury contamination was evaluated in topsoil and subsoil samples collected in an urban area of Beijing. The level of total mercury in topsoil ranged from 12.1 to 8,487 ng g−1, and a significant correlation ( R = 0.58145, p < 0.0001) with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons was observed. Higher levels were generally observed in the suburbs and urban centers, with the highest levels being observed in the urban centers. The fraction of water soluble, ion exchangeable, Fe-Mn in the oxide-bound and organic phase was 0.78%, 0.18%, 0.25% and 3.42%, respectively. For subsoils, the level of total mercury ranged from 7.0 to 924.6 ng g−1, and the higher levels were primarily located in the suburbs. This study showed that mercury has possibly affected the environmental quality of soil and groundwater in urban areas of Beijing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The study aimed to determine the prevalence of alcohol use, episodic heavy drinking, and alcohol dependence and their socio-demographic correlates in Beijing, China. Methods: A total of 5,926 subjects were randomly selected in Beijing and interviewed using the Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI 1.0). Data on basic socio-demographic and current major medical conditions were also collected. Results: The 12-month prevalence of alcohol use and episodic heavy drinking were 32.5 and 13.8%, respectively. The 12-month and lifetime prevalence of alcohol dependence were 1.7 and 4.3%, respectively. Age above 24 years, male sex, being married and employed, low education level (junior high school, primary school or illiterate), rural residence, and having comorbid psychiatric disorders were all significantly associated with a higher likelihood of alcohol-related disorders. Only 2.4% of the subjects with alcohol dependence were receiving treatment, and a mere 1.4% had sought treatment from mental health professionals. Conclusions: Nationwide surveys are urgently needed to further explore the prevalence of alcohol-related disorders in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: There has been no large-scale survey of suicide-related behaviours including suicidal ideations, plans and attempts in China involving both rural and urban areas and using standardized assessment tools. The aim of the present study was to determine the lifetime prevalence of suicide-related behaviour and its relationship with sociodemographic factors and psychiatric disorders in the rural and urban regions of Beijing, China. Methods: A total of 5926 subjects were randomly selected in Beijing and interviewed using the Composite International Diagnostic Interview. Basic sociodemographic and clinical data and data on suicide-related behaviour were also collected. Results: The overall lifetime prevalence estimates of suicidal ideation, plans and attempts were 2.3%, 1.4%, and 1.0%, respectively; the corresponding figures were 2.8%, 1.6%, and 1.3% in the rural sample, and 1.8%, 1.3%, and 0.9% in the urban sample. Age (>25years), female sex, unmarried status, lower education level, lower (RMB2000month-1) monthly income and presence of major medical disorders were significantly associated with increased risk of suicide-related behaviour. 36.2% of subjects with suicide-related behavior consulted a medical practitioner and 20.7% consulted a psychiatrist. Conclusions: The prevalence of lifetime suicide-related behaviour in Beijing is lower than in Western countries, but the low percentage of subjects treated for suicide-related behaviour indicates a major public health problem that should be addressed. National surveys are needed to further explore the prevalence of suicide-related behaviour in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The central aim of this study is to examine the moderating effects of self-transcendence meaning on psychological well-being in respective of college students. The theoretical background of self-transcendence meaning is mainly oriental Buddhism and Taoism philosophy. Measures of stress and psychological well-being are College Stress Scale (CSS) and GHQ-20 and SES, and of self-transcendence meaning of life is Self-transcendence Meaning of Life Scale (SMLS). In the study, 788 undergraduate students from three specific universities in Beijing are included. Findings of the study partially confirm the moderating effects of self-transcendence meaning on the psychological well-being under college stress. Implications of the findings for future study are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous research in alphabetic languages had shown that children learning to write are sensitive to morphological information, and that it serves as a resource that they draw upon as they acquire writing skills. In Chinese as well, sensitivity to morphological and orthographic information had been found to predict children’s ability to read characters. The present study investigated whether raising children’s awareness of the morphemic and orthographic structure of Chinese words would lead to beneficial results in their learning to write Chinese. An experimental group of 144 first graders from two primary schools in Beijing, China were given instruction designed to increase their knowledge of the orthographic and morphological structure of Chinese words. After two semesters, the experimental group’s ability to copy Chinese characters and to write them from memory were both found to be significantly better than a control group. Theoretical implications are discussed, including how writing benefits from the types of linguistic knowledge that underlie lexical storage and retrieval in reading and speech. Educational implications are also discussed, such as how drawing children’s attention to the morphemic components of Chinese words and the systematic features of Chinese orthography provides them with multiple sources of information they may utilize in learning to write. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Major depressive disorder (MDD) is the most prevalent mental disorder in the general population and has been associated with socioeconomic factors. Beijing has undergone significant socioeconomic changes in last decade, however no large-scale community epidemiological surveys of MDD have been conducted in Beijing since 2003. Aims To determine the prevalence of MDD and its socio-demographic correlates in a representative household sample of the general population in Beijing, China. Method Data were collected from the 2010 representative household epidemiological survey of mental disorders in Beijing. The multistage cluster random sampling method was used to select qualified subjects in 18 districts and counties, and then face-to-face interviews were administered using the Chinese version of Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV-TR Axis I Disorders-Patient Edition (SCID-I/P) during November 1, 2010 to December 31, 2010. Results 19,874 registered permanent residents were randomly identified and 16,032 (response rate=80.7%) completed face-to-face interviews. The time-point and life-time prevalence rates of MDD were estimated to be 1.10% (95% CI: 0.94–1.26%) and 3.56% (95% CI: 3.27–3.85%) respectively. Significant differences were found in sex, age, location of residence, marital status, education, employment status, personal/family monthly income, perception of family environment and relationship with others, when comparing residents with MDD to those without MDD. Those who were female, aged 45 or above, reported low family income, or reported an “average” or “poor” family environment were associated with a higher risk of MDD. Conclusions The prevalence of MDD reported in this survey is relatively lower than that in other western countries. Female sex, age older than 45, low family income, and poor family environment appear to be independent risk factors for MDD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Objective: This study aimed to determine the 12-month and lifetime prevalence of major depressive episode (MDE) and their socio-demographic correlates in both the urban and rural areas of Beijing, China. Methods: A total of 4767 adults were randomly selected and interviewed in Beijing using the Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI 1.0). Basic socio-demographic and clinical data were collected during the interviews. Results: The overall 12-month prevalence of MDE was 3.2%; 2.8% and 3.8% for men and women, respectively. The overall lifetime prevalence of MDE was 5.3%; 4.4% and 6.3% for men and women, respectively. Being older than 25 years of age was independently associated with increased risk of MDE. Sixteen point three percent of the subjects with lifetime MDE attempted suicide while the rate of suicide attempts was only 0.2% in subjects without MDE. The percentage of subjects with MDE who received any type of treatment from medical practitioners was 33.1%; of them, only 5.4% sought help from mental health professionals. Conclusions: National epidemiologic surveys are needed to further explore the prevalence of MDE in China. The low percentage of subjects treated for MDE constitutes a major public health problem that should be urgently addressed. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Background: In China, there is limited information on smoking and its socio-demographic correlates in general, and in psychiatric patients in particular. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of lifetime, current mild, and heavy smoking, the socio-demographic correlates of current smoking, and its relationship with psychiatric disorders in the Beijing municipality, China. Methods: A total of 5926 subjects who met the study''s entry criteria were randomly selected from the urban and rural areas of Beijing and interviewed using standardized assessment tools, including the collection of basic socio-demographic and clinical data. All subjects fully cooperated in the interviews and readily disclosed all of the information. Results: The prevalence of lifetime smoking was 35.9%; the rates for current mild and heavy smoking were 21.8% and 10.8%, respectively. An age of 24 years or above, male sex, married, divorced, separated or widowed marital status, relatively low level of education (less than college level), being employed, a relatively high monthly income (more than RMB500), rural abode, and having a psychiatric disorder were risk factors of current smoking. Both current mild and heavy smoking were significantly associated with alcohol dependence, and current heavy smoking was also associated with a history of a major depressive episode. Conclusions: The prevalence of smoking in the rural and urban areas of Beijing is unacceptably high. In addition to certain socio-demographic factors, smoking was associated with common psychiatric disorders. Nationwide surveys are warranted to further explore the prevalence of smoking in China. Effective strategies to reduce the high rate of smoking are also needed. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]