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Objectives: The current demographic information from China reports that 10%-19% of patients hospitalized with coronavirus disease (COVID-19) were diabetic. Angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEIs) and angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARBs) are considered first-line agents in patients with diabetes because of their nephroprotective effects, but administration of these drugs leads to upregulation of angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), which is responsible for the viral entry of severe acute respiratory distress syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Data are lacking to determine what pulmonary effects ACEIs or ARBs may have in patients with diabetes, which could be relevant in the management of patients infected with SARS-CoV-2. This study aims to assess the prevalence of pulmonary adverse drug effects (ADEs) in patients with diabetes who were taking ACEI or ARBs to provide guidance as to how these medications could affect outcomes in acute respiratory illnesses such as SARS-CoV-2 infection.Methods: 1DATA, a unique data platform resulting from collaboration across veterinary and human health care, used an intelligent medicine recommender system (1DrugAssist) developed using several national and international databases to evaluate all ADEs reported to the Food and Drug Administration for patients with diabetes taking ACEIs or ARBs.Results: Mining of this data elucidated the proportion of a cluster of pulmonary ADEs associated with specific medications in these classes, which may aid health care professionals in understanding how these medications could worsen or predispose patients with diabetes to infections affecting the respiratory system, specifically COVID-19. Based on this data mining process, captopril was found to have a statistically significantly higher incidence of pulmonary ADEs compared with other ACEIs (P = 0.005) as well as ARBs (P = 0.012), though other specific drugs also had important pulmonary ADEs associated with their use.Conclusion: These analyses suggest that pharmacists and clinicians will need to consider the specific medication's adverse event profile, particularly captopril, on how it may affect infections and other acute disease states that alter pulmonary function, such as COVID-19. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Importance: It is clear that mental disorders in treatment settings are associated with a higher incidence of chronic physical conditions, but whether this is true of mental disorders in the community, and how generalized (across a range of physical health outcomes) these associations are, is less clear. This information has important implications for mental health care and the primary prevention of chronic physical disease.Objective: To investigate associations of 16 temporally prior DSM-IV mental disorders with the subsequent onset or diagnosis of 10 chronic physical conditions.Design, Setting, and Participants: Eighteen face-to-face, cross-sectional household surveys of community-dwelling adults were conducted in 17 countries (47,609 individuals; 2,032,942 person-years) from January 1, 2001, to December 31, 2011. The Composite International Diagnostic Interview was used to retrospectively assess the lifetime prevalence and age at onset of DSM-IV-identified mental disorders. Data analysis was performed from January 3, 2012, to September 30, 2015.Main Outcomes and Measures: Lifetime history of physical conditions was ascertained via self-report of physician's diagnosis and year of onset or diagnosis. Survival analyses estimated the associations of temporally prior first onset of mental disorders with subsequent onset or diagnosis of physical conditions.Results: Most associations between 16 mental disorders and subsequent onset or diagnosis of 10 physical conditions were statistically significant, with odds ratios (ORs) (95% CIs) ranging from 1.2 (1.0-1.5) to 3.6 (2.0-6.6). The associations were attenuated after adjustment for mental disorder comorbidity, but mood, anxiety, substance use, and impulse control disorders remained significantly associated with onset of between 7 and all 10 of the physical conditions (ORs [95% CIs] from 1.2 [1.1-1.3] to 2.0 [1.4-2.8]). An increasing number of mental disorders experienced over the life course was significantly associated with increasing odds of onset or diagnosis of all 10 types of physical conditions, with ORs (95% CIs) for 1 mental disorder ranging from 1.3 (1.1-1.6) to 1.8 (1.4-2.2) and ORs (95% CIs) for 5 or more mental disorders ranging from 1.9 (1.4-2.7) to 4.0 (2.5-6.5). In population-attributable risk estimates, specific mental disorders were associated with 1.5% to 13.3% of physical condition onsets.Conclusions and Relevance: These findings suggest that mental disorders of all kinds are associated with an increased risk of onset of a wide range of chronic physical conditions. Current efforts to improve the physical health of individuals with mental disorders may be too narrowly focused on the small group with the most severe mental disorders. Interventions aimed at the primary prevention of chronic physical diseases should optimally be integrated into treatment of all mental disorders in primary and secondary care from early in the disorder course. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

New venture companies, starting from small entities comprising entrepreneurs and their teams, start to grow in scale by instigating formalized processes to enhance management efficiency. This includes the use of formalized processes for collecting and disseminating market information. Despite the fact that utilizing market information is one of the fundamental factors of market orientation, little is known about the way market information is processed in new venture companies. The first aim of this research was to investigate the impact of formalized market information acquisition and utilization on new venture performance. The second objective was to investigate the effect of organizational formalization on the acquisition and utilization of market information in new venture firms. The final goal was to explore the extent to which these relationships vary in different cultural contexts. Based on an extensive literature review and interviews with managers in China, Japan, and the United States, a conceptual framework is developed that relates formalized market information processes to new venture performance in the three countries. The conceptual model is tested with data collected from 453 new venture companies in these countries. The results suggest that the use of a formalized process of market information utilization has a positive effect on new venture performance regardless of country. The analysis also indicates that the effect of organizational formalization, in general, differs between countries. Organizational formalization is associated with increased formalized utilization of market information only in the United States; the relationship does not apply in the two Asian countries studied. Taken together, these results suggest that in the Asian countries, organizational formalization improves information collection, while in the United States, it also improves the utilization of information throughout the organization. One implication of these results may be the potential of added benefits accruing to organizational formalization in new ventures in countries with high levels of individualism and/or high levels of power distance, where organizational power is concentrated in formal vertical reporting relationships, as opposed to informal horizontal peer-to-peer networks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Laser step heating 40Ar/39Ar analysis of biotite and muscovite single crystals from a Barrovian type metamorphic belt in the eastern Tibetan plateau yielded consistent cooling ages of ca. 40 Ma in the sillimanite zone with peak metamorphic temperatures higher than 600°C and discordant ages from 46 to 197 Ma in the zones with lower peak temperatures. Chemical Th-U-Total Pb Isochron Method (CHIME) monazite (65 Ma) and sensitive high mass-resolution ion microprobe (SHRIMP) apatite (67 Ma) dating give the age of peak metamorphism in the sillimanite zone. Moderate amounts of excess Ar shown by biotite grains with ages of 46 to 94 Ma at metamorphic grades up to the high-grade part of the kyanite zone probably represent incomplete degassing during metamorphism. In contrast, the high-grade part of the kyanite zone yields biotite ages of 130 to 197 Ma. The spatial distribution of these older ages in the kyanite zone along the sillimanite zone boundary suggests they reflect trapped excess argon that migrated from higher-grade regions. The most likely source is muscovite that decomposed to form sillimanite. The zone with extreme amounts of excess argon preserves trapped remnants of an ‘excess argon wave’. We suggest this corresponds to the area where biotite cooled below its closure temperature in the presence of an elevated Ar wave. Extreme excess Ar is not recognized in muscovite suggesting that the entrapment of the argon wave by biotite took place when the rocks had cooled down to temperatures lower than the closure temperature of muscovite. The breakdown of phengite during ultrahigh-pressure (UHP) metamorphism may be a key factor in accounting for the very old apparent ages seen in many UHP metamorphic regions. This is the first documentation of a regional Ar-wave spatially associated with regional metamorphism. This study also implies that resetting of the Ar isotopic systems in micas can require temperatures up to 600°C; much higher than generally thought. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We identify some empirical evidences for the structural changes in the determinants of regional growth, disparities and the convergence speed to the per capita GDP equilibrium during the reform period of 1978–1998 in China. We estimate a growth regression model by augmenting the Solow model with a provincial-level panel data set. The existence of conditional convergence is confirmed throughout the reform period, but the convergence speed is faster in the 1990s than the early reform period. Agro-industry-based rural development contributed to regional growth and eased interregional disparities in the early reform period. Foreign capital inflows took a significant leading role for regional growth during the 1990s, but aggravated interregional disparities. Education and non-state enterprises were among the other keys for regional growth throughout the reform period. These results implies that for achieving sustainable and balanced growth in future, it is essential to extend foreign capital investment to the interior regions, in association with further development of human capital resource and non-state local enterprises. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Examines the rigidities in the labor market in China. Analyzes the effect of labor market liberalization on economic growth; Use of a computable general equilibrium; Accession of China to the World Trade Organization.

Background: Epidemiological studies have shown increased risk of suicide in cancer patients compared with the general population. The present study aimed to examine the association between physical symptoms and suicidal ideation in Chinese hospitalized cancer patients and test the modifying effect of health self-efficacy on the association. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted with 544 hospitalized cancer patients in two general hospitals in northeast China via face-to-face interviews. Suicidal ideation was measured by using the first four items on the Yale Evaluation of Suicidality scale and then dichotomized into a positive and negative score. Multivariate logistic regression analyses were conducted to examine the impacts of physical symptoms, health self-efficacy, and their interactions on suicidal ideation. Results: The suicidal ideation rate was 26.3% in the enrolled cancer patients. Logistic regression showed that insomnia (aOR = 1.84, 95% CI 1.13 to 3.00, p = 0.015) and lack of appetite (aOR = 2.14, 95% CI 1.26 to 3.64, p = 0.005) were significantly associated with suicidal ideation. Low health self-efficacy had a marginally significant exaggerating effect on the association between pain and suicidal ideation (aOR = 2.77, 95% CI 0.99 to 7.74, p = 0.053), after adjusting for significant socio-demographics, clinical characteristics, and depression. Conclusions: These findings demonstrate significant associations between physical symptoms (insomnia and/or lack of appetite) and suicidal ideation and highlight the potential modifying role of health self-efficacy in the identification and prevention of suicide among cancer patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reports on the efforts by Japan to outbid China in the quest for African support. There has been a proposal from Japan to double both trade and investment in Africa within five years. The Japanese government believes it has built a concrete diplomatic footing with African countries at the Fourth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD IV). China has been economically penetrating African countries for natural resources, and in 2006, it held the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) in Beijing.

Background: Most epidemiological studies on adolescent survivors' mental health have been conducted within 2 years after the disaster. Longer-term psychological consequences remain unclear. This study explored psychological symptoms in secondary school students who were living in Sichuan province 6 years after the Wenchuan earthquake.Methods: A secondary data analysis was performed on data from a final survey of survivors conducted 6 years after the Wenchuan earthquake as part of the five-year mental health and psychosocial support project. A total of 2641 participants were divided into three groups, according to the level of traumatic experience exposure during the earthquake (0, 1, and 2 or more). ANCOVA was used to compare the mean scores of the Symptom Checklist-90 (SCL-90) among the three groups, adjusting for covariates such as age, gender, ethnicity, having a sibling, parents' divorce, and socio-economic status. Logistic regression analysis was used to identify relationships between the traumatic experiences and suicidality after the disaster.Results: Having two or more kinds of traumatic experiences was associated with higher psychological symptom scores on the SCL-90 (Cohen's d=0.23-0.33) and suicidal ideation (OR 1.98, 95% CIs:1.35-2.89) and attempts (OR 3.32, 95% CIs:1.65-6.68), as compared with having no traumatic experience.Limitations: Causality cannot be inferred from this cross-sectional survey, and results may not generalize to other populations due to convenience sampling.Conclusions: Severely traumatized adolescent survivors of the earthquake may suffer from psychological symptoms even 6 years after the disaster. Long-term psychological support will be needed for these individuals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Past research suggests that East Asians (Easterners) are more likely than North Americans and Western Europeans (Westerners) to incorporate information from concurrent affective contexts when judging facial expressions. The present research extends this literature by investigating the impact of temporal affective contexts on emotion perception. Specifically, two experiments tested the hypothesis that when judging smiles, Easterners are more likely than Westerners to be influenced by preceding facial expressions. In Experiment 1, participants from China and Canada judged the valence of low-intensity smiles that were preceded by expressions of anger or high-intensity smiles. The results indicated that, compared to Canadian participants, Chinese perceivers were more influenced by preceding expressions, with larger differences in perceived valence of smiles preceded by different start emotions. Experiment 2 investigated whether this pattern of findings generalized to other Western populations and to other emotional transitions. Participants from China and the Netherlands judged the valence of (high- or low- intensity) smiles preceded by angry, fearful, or neutral expressions. Consistent with Experiment 1, Chinese participants' judgments of smiles were impacted more by the preceding expressions, a finding that was stable across emotions. Together, these findings demonstrate that Easterners, relative to Westerners, are influenced more by the preceding temporal emotional context when judging others' current smiling facial expressions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

New zircon U-Pb and mica [sup 40]Ar/[sup 39]Ar dating combined with structural studies in the Longmenshan orogen confirm that most of the upper crustal deformation in the eastern margin of Tibet is Mesozoic. However, at lower structural levels, apatite U-Pb and monazite electron microprobe dating reveals a previously unknown domain of Cenozoic (ca. 65 Ma) Barrovian-type metamorphism and deformation. This discovery shows that the crust in the eastern margin of Tibet was already a substantial thickness around the time of the India-Asia collision. Associated deformation has a N-S-oriented stretching lineation, implying that deformation was not driven by topographic gradients in the Tibetan Plateau. The observed moderate amounts of distributed postmetamorphic E-W shortening can probably explain the present thickness of the continental crust in the area. These results do not support models of crustal thickening caused by solid-state lateral flow of midcrustal metamorphic rocks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]