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Background: Early infantile epileptic encephalopathy (EIEE) is a group of highly heterogeneous diseases, both phenotypically and genetically. Usually, it starts early on and manifests as intractable epilepsy, abnormal electroencephalogram, and growth retardation/intellectual impairment. With the advent of next‐generation sequencing (NGS), its genetic etiology has attracted increasing clinical attention. This study aimed to investigate the genetic characteristics and clinical phenotypes of patients with EIEE from a central hospital in Eastern China. Methods: This study retrospectively included the gene variants from 24 EIEE‐positive patients admitted between January 2021 and January 2022 to a hospital in Anhui Province, China. The genetic diagnosis was performed in all cases by trio‐based whole‐exome sequencing (WES). Additionally, Video electroencephalogram (VEEG) and neuroimaging examinations were performed. Results: A total of 24 children were included. The average age at the first seizure was approximately 5 months. About 42% of children had developmental retardation of varying degrees, 43% had brain structural abnormalities, and 64% had VEEG abnormalities. In addition, other phenotypes, including endocrine metabolism and cardiac structural abnormalities, have been independently reported. In total, fifteen pathogenic gene variants were identified in 24 patients. The main pathogenic genes identified were SCN1A (25%, 6/24), KCNQ2 (8.3%, 2/24), and TBC1D24 (8.3%, 2/24). We also found an extremely rare case of EIEE84 type caused by biallelic UGDH gene variants, predicting that this variant might affect the stability of the protein structure. Conclusions: SCN1A pathogenic variants are the main factor leading to EIEE, similar to previously published cohort reports. NGS is useful for accurate clinical diagnoses and precise treatment choices. We also reported a rare case of EIEE84 caused by variants in the UGDH gene in a Chinese patient. This study further enriches the known spectrum of pathogenic EIEE genes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To investigate the incidence of suicide attempts among adolescents with HIV/AIDS in Liangshan Prefecture, Sichuan Province, as well as the correlation between negative life events, sleep, exercise, drug therapy and suicide attempts. Methods: A total of 180 Yi adolescents aged 11–19 years with HIV/AIDS in a county of Liangshan Prefecture, Sichuan Province, China, were investigated by census. The main outcome indicators included the incidence of suicide attempts and whether negative life events, sleep, exercise, drug therapy and other factors were related to suicide attempts. Results: We found that the incidence rate of suicide attempts among Yi adolescents with HIV/AIDS in Liangshan Prefecture was 13.9%. Negative life events were a risk factor for suicide attempts (OR = 1.047, p < 0.001, 95% CI 1.027–1.067). In the factors of negative life events, adaptation was a risk factor for suicide attempts (OR = 1.203, p = 0.026, 95% CI 1.022–1.416), and academic pressure showed a tendency to be a risk factor for suicide attempts (OR = 1.149, p = 0.077, 95% CI 0.985–1.339). However, the punishment factor, interpersonal stress factor and loss factor had no significant correlation with suicide attempts. There was no significant correlation between sleep, exercise, drug therapy and suicide attempts. Conclusion: The proportion of suicide attempts among Yi adolescents with HIV/AIDS in Liangshan Prefecture is high and should be considered. Negative life events are independent risk factors for suicide attempts, and it is necessary to strengthen the screening and early intervention for suicide attempts in HIV/AIDS adolescents with definite negative life events. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Focusing on the important representative of firm intellectual capital (IC), this research explores the effects of chief executive officer's (CEOs') managerial human capitals on sustaining superior performance in Chinese transition economy to prove the dynamic and strategic value of IC and fulfill the gap of lacking emerging market studies in this research field. Design/methodology/approach: Based on dynamic managerial capability theoretical framework, the authors propose a dynamic management path to analyze the influencing mechanism of CEOs' managerial human capitals to firm performance persistence and the moderating effect of environment uncertainty. Using a panel data of Chinese publicly listed firms from 2008 to 2017, it adopts dynamic first-order autoregressive models to examine these hypotheses. Several tests are conducted to further analyze and ensure that the results are robust and reliable. Findings: These managerial human capitals reveal heterogenous impacts on sustaining superior performance, and environment uncertainty is a valid moderating variable to further distinguish their dynamic values. The supplementary analyses show the integrating effect of an MBA degree and output functional experience is positive and significant, and the results in Chinese state-owned and private firm subsamples are distinct. Practical implications: It is beneficial for corporate stakeholders to judge and select CEOs and for policymakers to improve the efficiency advantage of IC in Chinese emerging market. Originality/value: This study first explores the relationship between CEOs' managerial human capitals and superior performance persistence. Through introducing a dynamic perspective, it has extended existing performance persistence research into individual level and provided a new intellectual source of sustainable competitive advantages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Citrus, a raw material widely used in food and medicine, is susceptible to fungal infection and its metabolites during growth, transportation, and storage. Thus, monitoring the residual levels of various mycotoxins in Citrus traditional Chinese medicines and related products is crucial. This study described a simple, reliable, and sensitive method for simultaneous identification and quantification of 30 mycotoxins in Citrus products. The method is based on modified quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe extraction and purification followed by ultra‐high‐performance liquid chromatography–quadrupole/orbitrap high‐resolution mass spectrometry. The limit of detection ranged from 0.10 to 1.50 μg/kg, and the quantification ranged from 0.25 to 5.00 μg/kg. The recoveries at three spiked levels were 64.90–99.72% and the relative standard deviation was less than 12%. The method was applied to 55 Citrus samples. The detection rates of tentoxin and mycophenolic acid were the highest, reaching 22.7% and with concentration ranges of 0.33–1.03 and 0.57–2.09 μg/kg, respectively. All contamination levels were below the maximum residue limits recommended by the European Commission and China. These results could be used to establish guidelines for screening mycotoxins in Citrus products and the limits of acceptable levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study is to investigate the characteristics, relationships and mechanisms underlying the psychological capital, career commitment, gratitude and career well-being of teachers in ethnic areas. In total, 573 primary school and secondary school teachers in Sichuan Province (including 402 teachers in ethnic regions and 171 teachers in non-ethnic areas) were investigated. Following questionnaires were used to investigate these questions: "Psychological Capital Questionnaire for Primary and Secondary School Teachers," "Gratitude Questionnaire," "Teacher Career Well-being Questionnaire" and "Career Commitment Questionnaire for Primary and Secondary School Teachers." The results show that the psychological capital of teachers in ethnic areas is higher than that of teachers in non-ethnic areas. Teachers in ethnic areas have lower levels of career well-being and lower levels of gratitude than teachers in non-ethnic areas. There was no significant difference in career commitment between teachers in ethnic areas and teachers in non-ethnic areas. There were significant positive correlations among psychological capital, gratitude, career well-being and career commitment. Psychological capital can predict career commitment significantly and positively. The mediating effect of career well-being between teachers' psychological capital and career commitment was significant in both ethnic areas and non-ethnic areas. The chain of mediating effects between gratitude and career well-being was significant in non-ethnic areas. In conclusion, psychological capital can predict teacher career commitment effectively, and the prediction mechanism in ethnic areas is different from that in non-ethnic areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic continues to threaten the physical and mental health of people across the world. This study aimed to understand the psychological impact of this disease on adolescents with major depressive disorder (MDD) at 1 month after the start of the outbreak in China. Methods: Using the Children's Impact of Event Scale (CRIES-13) questionnaire, we investigated the occurrence of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in two groups of adolescents: MDD patients who were in continuous antidepressant therapy and healthy controls. Total scores and factor subscores were compared between the two groups and subgroups stratified by sex and school grade. Logistic regression was used to identify variables associated with high total CRIES-13 scores. Results: Compared to controls (n = 107), the MDD group (n = 90) had higher total CRIES-13 scores and a higher proportion with a total score ≥ 30. They also had a lower intrusion subscore and a higher arousal subscore. In the MDD group, males and females did not differ significantly in total CRIES-13 scores or factor subscores, but junior high school students had higher avoidance subscores than senior high school students. Logistic regression showed high total CRIES-13 scores to be associated with MDD and the experience of "flashbacks" or avoidance of traumatic memories associated with COVID-19. Conclusions: It is crucial to understand the psychological impact of COVID-19 on adolescents with MDD in China, especially females and junior high school students. Long-term monitoring of adolescents with a history of mental illness is required to further understand these impacts. Trial registration: ChiCTR, ChiCTR2000033402, Registered 31 May 2020, [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The outbreak of Coronavirus Disease 2019(COVID-19) caused psychological stress in Chinese adults population. But we are unaware of whether the pandemic causes psychological stress on children. Methods: We used the Children's Impact of Event Scale questionnaire (CRIES-13) to investigate the degree of Post-traumatic Stress (PTSD) symptoms caused by the pandemic in students selected from schools in Sichuan, Jiangsu, Henan, Yunnan, and Chongqing provinces of China. Results: A total of 7769 students(3692 male and 4077 female), aged 8–18 years, were enrolled in the study, comprising 1214 in primary schools, 2799 in junior high schools and 3756 in senior high schools. A total of 1639 students (21.1%) had severe psychological stress reactions. A large proportion of senior high school students (23.3%) experienced severe psychological stress, and they had the highest median total CRIES-13 score. Female students were more likely to experience severe psychological stress and had higher median CRIES-13 total scores than males. Conclusion: COVID-19 has placed psychological stresses on primary and secondary school students in China. These stresses are more likely to reach severe levels among female students and senior high school students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Congenital tuberculosis (TB) is rare and the prognosis is poor if not detected early. The diagnosis is often delayed owing to non-specific clinical presentation, misdiagnosis and undiagnosed maternal TB during pregnancy. A 12-day-old girl presented with a 5-day history of fever, cough, poor feeding and respiratory distress. Her mother had a cough and fever at 30 weeks gestation which was managed empirically as community-acquired pneumonia without a TB workup. Immediately postpartum, her mother developed a high fever and shortness of breath and required admission to the intensive care unit. The infant was separated from her mother after delivery. The infant's chest radiograph showed bilateral miliary nodules. Thoracic and abdominal computed tomography (CT) showed multiple enlarged lymph nodes and congenital TB was suspected. Early morning gastric aspirate and sputum (obtained through a suction tube) were positive for acid-fast bacilli on smear microscopy and subsequently Mycobacterium tuberculosis was cultured from both specimens. Lumbar puncture was performed and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) was compatible with TB meningitis. TB-polymerase chain reaction (TB-PCR) was positive. Her mother was diagnosed with miliary TB on postpartum day 17. Both were given anti-TB chemotherapy. Unfortunately, despite the treatment, the infant died from multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS) caused by congenital TB at the age of 14 days. This case highlights the importance of screening pregnant women for TB in regions where it is highly prevalent. A high index of suspicion of maternal and congenital TB is critical to early diagnosis, especially in such regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated hydrothermal humification of corn straw acid hydrolysis residue with biogas slurry impregnation, aiming at producing water-soluble artificial humic acid fertilizer for fertilizer application and soil remediation. Hydrothermal humification parameters, including potassium hydroxide concentration (1–3 mol/L), retention time (2–6 h), and temperature (140–180 °C), were investigated using water as the liquid phase. The selected hydrothermal humification condition was 1.5 mol/L potassium hydroxide at 180 °C for 4 h. Moreover, biogas slurry impregnation (0–30 days) was evaluated to improve humic acid yield without introducing additional chemicals or energy input. Biogas slurry as the liquid phase increased the humic acid production by 73.24% with 5 days of impregnation compared to the control due to the alkalinity. The humic acid concentration was sufficient for China's national standard of water-soluble humic acid fertilizers in such conditions. The organic components in biogas slurry were involved in artificial humification as a precursor, forming C–N bonds with humic acid. The product with fortified nitrogen-containing functional groups enhanced the nutrient slow-release characteristics and water retention capabilities. The pot experiment further confirmed that artificial humic acid prepared in this study not only promoted the growth of plants but also achieved soil remediation. [Display omitted] • Artificial humic acid was produced from corn straw acid hydrolysis residue. • Humic acid production increased by 73.24% with a 5-day biogas slurry impregnation. • The optimum condition 1.5 mol/L KOH at 180 °C for 4 h yielded 46.78 g/L humic acid. • C–N bond between biogas slurry and humic acid fortified nitrogen functional groups. • Pot experiment confirmed AHA promoted plant growth and achieved soil remediation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lepus yarkandensis specifically lives in arid climate with rare precipitation of Tarim Basin in western China. Aquaporins (AQPs) are a family of channel proteins that facilitate water transportation across cell membranes. Kidney AQPs play vital roles in renal tubule water permeability and maintenance of body water homeostasis. This study aimed to investigate whether kidney AQPs exhibit higher expression in arid-desert living animals. Immunohistochemistry results revealed localization of AQP1 to the capillary endothelial cells in glomerulus and epithelial cells in proximal tubule and descending thin limbs, AQP2 to the apical plasma membrane of principal cells in the cortical collecting duct (CCD), outer medullary collecting duct (OMCD), and IMCD cells in the initial inner medullary collecting duct (IMCD1) and middle IMCD (IMCD2), and AQP3 and AQP4 to the basolateral plasma membrane of principal cells and IMCD cells in CCD, OMCD, IMCD1, and IMCD2 in L. yarkandensis kidneys. Quantitative real-time PCR analysis showed higher mRNA levels of AQP1 , AQP2 , AQP3 , and AQP4 in L. yarkandensis kidneys compared with Oryctolagus cuniculus. Similar results were obtained by western blotting. Our results suggested that higher expression levels of AQP1, AQP2, AQP3, and AQP4 in L. yarkandensis kidneys favored for drawing more water from the tubular fluid. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Whether a relationship exists between various metabolic factors and thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) levels in euthyroid persons remains unknown. This study aims to explore the relationship between TSH levels and metabolic factors in euthyroid individuals. Methods: A total of 2,663 subjects were enrolled from a nationwide population-based cross-sectional survey of iodine nutrition, thyroid disease and diabetes in China (2014–2017). Euthyroid individuals were divided into four groups according to quartiles of TSH levels: group A (n=305, 0.3–1.3 mIU/L), group B (n=829, 1.3–2.2 mIU/L), group C (n=673, 2.2–3.2 mIU/L) and group D (n=349, 3.2–4.2 mIU/L). Anthropometric parameters, biochemical indicators and TSH levels were determined. Results: A total of 2,156 euthyroid subjects with serum TSH levels within the normal range accounted for 86.8% of the sample. The systolic blood pressure (SBP) in group D was significantly higher than that in the other three groups. Group C displayed significantly lower thyroid peroxidase antibody (TPOAb) levels than the other three groups. Group C also had lower anti-thyroglobulin antibody (TgAb) levels than groups A and D, whereas the TgAb levels in group B were only lower than those in group A. Spearman's or Pearson's linear regression analysis showed that SBP (r=0.054; P=0.013) was positively correlated with TSH, but cholesterol (TC) (r=−0.043, P=0.047) was negatively correlated with TSH. Multiple stepwise regression analysis revealed that SBP, the urinary iodine concentration (UIC), waist circumference (WC), body mass index (BMI), TC, triglycerides (TGs) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) were independent predictors of serum TSH levels. Conclusion: This large population-based study demonstrates a significant interaction between metabolic factors and TSH levels. An adverse weight status, high blood pressure levels, blood lipid metabolism disorder and excessive iodine intake may be early manifestations of thyroid disease in euthyroid subjects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To evaluate the psychopathological symptoms, suicide, and self-harming behaviors among students with early, on-time, and late menarche in high school and college and the association of early menarche with these disorders. Methods: The design consisted of a cross-sectional study of 5597 high school students and 2768 college students. Menarche age, suboptimal mental health status, anxiety, depression, suicide, and self-harming behaviors were obtained by self-report questionnaire. Results: In high school students, all the disorders occurred at significantly higher frequency in those with early menarche than in those with on-time and late menarche. In college students, only suboptimal mental health status, depression, and suicidal ideation happened at significantly higher frequency in the early menarche group than in the other two groups. The college group had a lower frequency of all the disorders than the high school group for all three groups of girls, that is, with early, on-time, or late menarche. In a multivariate logistic regression model, early menarche persisted as a risk factor for all the disorders after other factors were controlled. Conclusions: Psychopathological symptoms, suicide, and self-harming behaviors are more common in early menarche students than in on-time and late menarche students. The effects of early menarche on the disorders might dissipate over time. Early menarche might serve as a predictor for the disorders in Chinese girls. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To explore the role of core self-evaluation in mediating between depressive symptoms and suicidal ideation in Chinese adolescents.Methods: We used the cluster sampling method to analyze 11,563 students from five primary and secondary schools in China for depressive symptoms, core self-evaluation, and suicidal ideation using the following scoring scales: Core Self-Evaluation Scale (CSES), Center for Epidemiologic Survey Depression Scale (CES-D), the Second Edition of the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI- II), Screen for Child Anxiety Related Emotional Disorders (SCARED), and Adolescent Self-Rating Life Events Checklist (ASLEC).Results: The incidence of depression was 29.7%; anxiety, 34.2%; and suicidal ideation, 28.0%. Core self-evaluation was a protective factor for suicidal ideation [OR 0.947, 95% CI 0.937-0.959, p<0.001]. Conversely, depression as measured by the CSES score was a risk factor for suicidal ideation (OR 1.084, 95% CI 1.073-1.096, p<0.001), as were anxiety as measured by the SCARED score (OR 1.011, 95% CI 1.006-1.016, p<0.001) and adolescent life events according to ASLEC score groups (OR 1.524, 95% CI 1.434-1.621, p<0.001). Core self-evaluation mediated the relationship between depression and suicidal ideation with an effect size of 13.9%.Conclusions: Better core self-evaluation is a protective factor against suicidal ideation and mediates the relationship between depression and suicidal ideation. We may be able to reduce the risk of suicidal ideation and therefore suicide among adolescents by improving their core self-evaluation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Room temperature alkaline artificial humification achieved 18.4% humic acid yield. • The addition of 1.0 mol/L urea increased humic acid yield by 20.71 %. • Over 90% of cellulose was retained for sustainable downstream applications. • C N bond between urea and humic acid fortified N containing functional groups. • Urea addition reduced viscosity and increased solubility of humic acid at acidic pH. This study investigated urea assisted artificial humification of rice straw under room temperature, aiming at producing water-soluble humic acid fertilizer and crude cellulose from agricultural wastes with a single treatment. Artificial humification parameters including potassium hydroxide concentration (1–2 mol/L), retention time (4–8 h) and liquid-to-solid ratio (6–8) were investigated using response surface methodology to achieve maximum humic acid yield and cellulose retention. The optimum condition was 1.5 mol/L potassium hydroxide at a liquid-to-solid ratio of 6 for 4 h. At such conditions, the yield of humic acid was 18.36 % with a concentration of 30.60 g/L, which was sufficient for China's national standard of water-soluble humic acid fertilizers. Meanwhile, cellulose retention was 93.15 %. Moreover, the addition of 1.0 mol/L urea significantly increased the yield of artificial humic acid by 20.71 %. Urea involved artificial humification as a precursor, forming C N bond with humic acid. The product with fortified the nitrogen containing functional groups, enhanced the solubility at acidic pH, reduced the particle size, and improved the porosity, demonstrated advantages in agricultural applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the work described here was to establish the range for optic nerve sheath diameter (ONSD) and potential factors influencing ONSD in healthy Chinese adults. Both ONSDs were measured twice in the sagittal and transversal planes by two observers. The final ONSD value for each participant was the average of 16 measurements of both eyes. The ONSD range (N = 3680) among 230 participants was 2.65-4.30 mm. The upper ONSD limit was lower than those in previous studies in Caucasian and African samples. Simple linear regression analyses revealed that the ONSD was correlated with sex, body mass index and waistline and head circumference. After adjustment for potential confounds between these factors, sex (coefficient = 0.225, p < 0.001) and body mass index (coefficient = 0.042, p < 0.001) were independently associated with ONSD. Underweight women had the smallest ONSD. These results suggest that racial, sex, and body mass index differences should be noted when assessing ultrasonographic criteria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has been widely integrated into cancer care in China. Since a review done in 2011, large numbers of randomised controlled trials (RCTs) have been published in the Chinese literature. We aimed to summarise the current evidence of relevant RCTs of TCM for cancer treatment to support further clinical practice and research. The update was done in four main Chinese databases (China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Chinese Scientific Journal Database, SinoMed, and Wanfang Database) from their inception until June 18, 2017, to identify any RCTs using TCM. We bibliometrically analysed the included RCTs and the research directions of TCM for cancer treatment. We included 5834 RCTs (involving 477 147 participants). Only 62 publications were indexed in MEDLINE. The main three cancers treated with TCM were lung cancer, stomach cancer, and breast cancer. 4752 RCTs (81·5%) used TCM combined with conventional treatment whereas 1082 RCTs (18·5%) used only TCM in treatment groups for symptoms and side-effects. Herbal medicine was the most frequently applied TCM therapy (5087 RCTs; 87·2%). The most frequently reported outcome was clinical symptom improvement (3712 RCTs; 63·6%) followed by quality of life (2725 RCTs; 46·7%) and biomarker indices (2384 RCTs; 40·9%). 1237 RCTs (21·2%) reported multiple indices to provide a composite outcome to measure cancer patients' general condition. 4051 RCTs (69·4%) concluded that in comparison with conventional treatment, TCM alone or combined with conventional treatment had a better effect in cancer care. Substantial data showed that many different TCM treatments are being applied either as monotherapy for palliative treatment or in combination with conventional medicine for treatment. We need further comprehensive evaluation of the beneficial effects and safety of these TCM modalities, and we should focus on quality of life and explore why patients with cancer are taking TCM. Key project of National Natural Science Foundation of China (81830115). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soil parent material is the second most influential factor in pedogenesis, influencing soil properties and microbial communities. Different assembly processes shape diverse functional microbial communities. The question remains unresolved regarding how these ecological assembly processes affect microbial communities and soil functionality within soils on different parent materials. We collected soil samples developed from typical parent materials, including basalt, granite, metamorphic rock, and marine sediments across soil profiles at depths of 0-20, 20-40, 40-80, and 80-100 cm, within rubber plantations on Hainan Island, China. We determined bacterial community characteristics, community assembly processes, and soil enzyme-related functions using 16S rRNA high-throughput sequencing and enzyme activity analyses. We found homogeneous selection, dispersal limitation, and drift processes were the dominant drivers of bacterial community assembly across soils on different parent materials. In soils on basalt, lower pH and higher moisture triggered a homogeneous selection-dominated assembly process, leading to a less diverse community but otherwise higher carbon and nitrogen cycling enzyme activities. As deterministic process decreased, bacterial community diversity increased with stochastic process. In soils on marine sediments, lower water, carbon, and nutrient content limited the dispersal of bacterial communities, resulting in higher community diversity and an increased capacity to utilize relative recalcitrant substrates by releasing more oxidases. The r-strategy Bacteroidetes and genera Sphingomonas, Bacillus, Vibrionimonas, Ochrobactrum positively correlated with enzyme-related function, whereas k-strategy Acidobacteria, Verrucomicrobia and genera Acidothermus, Burkholderia-Caballeronia-Paraburkholderia, HSB OF53-F07 showed negative correlations. Our study suggests that parent material could influence bacterial community assembly processes, diversity, and soil enzyme-related functions via soil properties., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: Cornelia de Lange syndrome (CdLS) is mainly characterized by specific facial features, growth retardation, and bone deformities. Seven genes reportedly cause CdLS. Recent research has reported that loss-of-function variants affecting MAU2, which encodes a regulator of the cohesin complex, can cause CdLS. Thus far, only one MAU2-CdLS case has been reported worldwide., Methods: We detected a novel variant in MAU2 gene, NM&#95;015329, c.526C>T (p.Arg176Trp) in a Chinese patient with CdLS, constructed a plasmid for in vitro transcriptional and protein level analysis, and analyzed the interaction between the MAU2/NIPBL complex using molecular dynamics (MD)., Results: The results showed that the level of the exogenous MAU2 mutant protein was significantly reduced compared with that of the exogenous wild-type protein. However, MD analysis predicted an increased binding free energy between the MAU2 and NIPBL proteins that may impact the structural stability of the complex., Conclusion: We investigated a MAU2-CdLS case in a Chinese family, which strengthens the association between MAU2 variants and CdLS phenotypes. We therefore propose that MAU2 be included in the CdLS gene screening list., (© 2023 The Authors. Molecular Genetics & Genomic Medicine published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Background: Integrating the management of dementia into primary healthcare is a cost-effective way to reduce the burden of dementia but the clinical epidemiology of dementia in primary healthcare settings remains unclear. This study investigated the prevalence and correlates of suspected dementia in Chinese older adults receiving primary healthcare., Methods: In this multicenter cross-sectional survey, a total of 773 older adults (≥65 years) were consecutively recruited from seven urban and six rural primary care clinics in Wuhan, China, and interviewed with the validated Chinese version of the Brief Community Screening Instrument for Dementia (BCSI-D). Participants with suspected dementia were those who were screened positive on the BCSI-D., Results: The prevalence of suspected dementia in older primary healthcare adults was 26.8%. Factors significantly associated with suspected dementia were female sex (OR = 1.95, P < 0.001), age-group of 75+ (OR = 1.68, P = 0.004), poor financial status (OR = 4.79, P < 0.001), rural residence (OR = 1.47, P = 0.032), no regular physical exercise (OR = 1.74, P = 0.002), and stroke and other cerebrovascular diseases (OR = 1.97, P = 0.015)., Conclusions: Chinese older adults receiving primary healthcare are at high risk of suspected dementia. Screening and intervention efforts for dementia in primary healthcare settings may be more useful to target older adults who are women, are 75 years and above, have poor economic status, are rural residents, have no exercise habit, and suffer from cerebrovascular diseases., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Wang, Fei, Xu, Deng and Zhong.)

Objective: To examine prevalence and correlates of suicidal ideation in older Chinese adults (OCAs) during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as mental health help-seeking behaviors of suicidal OCAs., Background: Few data on suicidal behaviors of older adults during the pandemic are available., Methods: In this cross-sectional survey, 1159 OCAs completed an online self-administered questionnaire between 23 February and 25 March 2020. A standardized single question and the 12-item General Health Questionnaire were used to assess the presence of suicidal ideation and common mental health problems (CMHPs), respectively. Suicidal ideators were further asked about their perceived need for mental health care and help-seeking from mental health workers., Results: 4.1% of the OCAs experienced suicidal ideation during the past 2 weeks. Among the suicidal OCAs, 31.9% perceived a need for mental health care but only 10.6% had sought help from mental health workers. Factors significantly associated with suicidal ideation were a marital status of "others" (OR=2.39, P = .021), disagreement regarding the successful containment of the pandemic (OR=2.43, P = .022), physical health problems (OR=2.23, P = .012), and CMHPs (OR=4.99, P < . 001)., Conclusions: During the COVID-19 pandemic, OCAs constitute a subpopulation that needs mental health services for suicidal problems but tends not to seek mental health help. Mental health services for OCAs may include mental health education, periodic evaluation of risk of suicide, expanded psychosocial support, and, when necessary, psychological crisis intervention and psychiatric treatment.

Background: Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is widely integrated into cancer care in China. An overview in 2011 identified 2384 randomized and non-randomized controlled trials (RCTs, non-RCTs) on TCM for cancer published in the Chinese literature. This article summarizes updated evidence of RCTs on TCM for cancer care., Methods: We searched 4 main Chinese databases: China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Chinese Scientific Journal Database, SinoMed, and Wanfang. RCTs on TCM used in cancer care were analyzed in this bibliometric study., Results: Of 5834 RCTs (477 157 cancer patients), only 62 RCTs were indexed in MEDLINE. The top 3 cancers treated were lung, stomach, and breast cancer. About 4752 RCTs (81.45%) tested TCM combined with conventional treatment, and 1082 RCTs (18.55%) used TCM alone for treating symptoms and side-effects. Herbal medicine was the most frequently used TCM modality (5087 RCTs; 87.20%). The most frequently reported outcome was symptom improvement (3712 RCTs; 63.63%) followed by quality of life (2725 RCTs; 46.71%), and biomarkers (2384 RCTs; 40.86%). The majority of RCTs (4051; 69.44%) concluded there were beneficial effects using either TCM alone or TCM plus conventional treatment compared with conventional treatment., Conclusion: Substantial randomized trials demonstrated different types/stages of cancer were treated by various TCM modalities, alone or in combination with conventional medicine. Further evaluation on the effects and safety of TCM modalities focusing on outcomes such as quality of life is required.

People have been suffering from air pollution for a decade in China, especially from PM 2.5 (particulate matter with a diameter of less than 2.5 μm). Accurate prediction of air quality has great practical significance. In this paper, we propose a data-driven model, called as long short-term memory - fully connected (LSTM-FC) neural network, to predict PM 2.5 contamination of a specific air quality monitoring station over 48 h using historical air quality data, meteorological data, weather forecast data, and the day of the week. Our predictive model consists of two components: (1) Using a long short-term memory (LSTM)-based temporal simulator to model the local variation of PM 2.5 contamination and (2) Using a neural network-based spatial combinatory to capture spatial dependencies between the PM 2.5 contamination of central station and that of neighbor stations. We evaluate our model on a dataset containing records of 36 air quality monitoring stations in Beijing from 2014/05/01 to 2015/04/30 and compare it with artificial neural network (ANN) and long short-term memory (LSTM) models on the same dataset. The results show that our LSTM-FC neural network model gives a better predictive performance., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To evaluate the effect of comprehensive schistosomiasis control measures based on infection source control in Hanchuan City (marshland and lake endemic regions)., Methods: The data of comprehensive schistosomiasis control in Hanchuan City from 2004 to 2013 were collected, and the change trends of the Oncomelania hupensis snail status and the infection situation of human and livestock were analyzed to evaluate the control effect., Results: After the implementation of the comprehensive measures, the infection rates of residents and cattle decreased from 6.38% and 8.11% in 2004 to 0.16% and 0 in 2013 respectively. There were no acute schistosomiasis patients since 2007, no new infection cases since 2011, and no infected snails since 2012. Compared with 2004, the occurrence rate of frames with living snails and the average density of living snails decreased by 56.78% and 68.35%, respectively, but the snail area and susceptible area increased by 0.62% and 7.10%, respectively. In 2013, all the 367 endemic villages in 26 townships reached the criteria of transmission controlled., Conclusions: The comprehensive schistosomiasis control measures based on infection source control can control the schistosomiasis transmission effectively in marshland and lake endemic regions. When consolidating the achievement, the snail area in inner embankment should be compressed to prevent the schistosome re-infection in human and livestock.

Objective: To investigate the prevalence rate of cigarette smoking and its socio-demographic and clinical correlates in Chinese schizophrenia inpatients receiving antipsychotic mono-therapy., Methods: This study was a cross-sectional, two-site, hospital-based survey. Four hundred and twenty-nine schizophrenia patients (male/female: 66.9% vs. 33.1%) were consecutively recruited from psychosis inpatient wards of two large specialty psychiatric hospitals in mainland China. Patients were assessed using a cigarette smoking questionnaire, the Positive and Negative Symptom Scale, the Simpson Angus Scale, the Barnes Akathisia Rating Scale, and the Abnormal Involuntary Movement Scale. Socio-demographic and other clinical data were also collected. We calculated the prevalence of current smoking in our sample as well as its indirectly standardized prevalence ratio (ISPR) using data from the 2010 Global Adult Tobacco Survey in China., Results: The prevalence rate of current smoking was 40.6% in our sample, and 57.5% in males and 6.3% in females. The ISPRs of all patients, men and women were 1.11(95%CI: 0.95 ∼ 1.29), 1.07(95%CI = 0.91 ∼ 1.24) and 4.64(95% CI = 2.12 ∼ 8.82), respectively. The overall and male-specific prevalence of current smoking did not differ significantly between patients and the general population. In multiple logistic regression analysis, male sex, older age, poor marital status, alcohol use, use of first-generation antipsychotics, longer duration of illness, more frequent hospitalizations, and more severe negative symptoms were independently associated with current smoking., Conclusion: Male Chinese inpatients with schizophrenia who received a mono-therapy of antipsychotics were not more likely to smoke than the general population. Cigarette smoking is more common in schizophrenia patients with more severe illness.

Objective: To compare the schistosomiasis control effects of the comprehensive control measures based on infectious resources control and the conventional control measures, so as to provide the evidence for improving prevention and control strategies., Methods: In the Hanbei River basin, the comprehensive control measures based on infectious resources control (conventional measures plus grazing prohibition in the marshland, machine instead of cattle, and marshland development, and so on) were carned out, and in the Nanzhi River basin, the conventional control measures were performed. The schistosomiasis epidemic data were collected, analyzed and compared from 2004 to 2011., Results: In 2004, the infection rate of the populations and cattle in Nanzhi River basin was lower than that in the Hanbei River basin. From 2004 to 2011, the Oncomelania hupensis snail frame occurrence rate and the average density of living snails in the Nanzhi River basin was lower than that in the non-ploughing marshland and preventing wave woods of the Hanbei River basin, and there were schistosome infected snails in the Nanzhi River basin. From 2008 to 2010, there were no infected snails in the non-ploughing marshland of the Hanbei River basin. From 2007, the cattle have been eliminated in the Hanbei River basin. From 2007 to 2011, there were no infected snails in the preventing wave woods of the Hanbei River, but there were schistosome infected cattle found by stool examinations every year in the Nanzhi River basin. From 2004 to 2011, the infection rates of population presented downward trends in the two river basins, but the downward trend was more significant in the Hanbei River basin than in the Nanzhi River basin., Conclusion: The conventional control measures and comprehensive control measures based on infectious resources control are both effective, but the latter is more effective.

Introduction: The purpose of this study was to assess the electrophysiological subtypes and prognosis of Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) in northeastern China., Methods: Ninety-nine patients with GBS were recruited between 2006 and 2010 and retrospectively reviewed., Results: Sixty-seven percent of patients had acute inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (AIDP). Patients with acute motor axonal neuropathy (AMAN) had more severe symptoms at onset of GBS, and intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg) was less effective in these patients. The prognosis may have been associated with the severity of the illness and did not differ between AMAN and AIDP patients. Abnormal motor nerve conduction studies (NCS) of the lower limbs and sensory NCS of the upper limbs with normal sural sensory nerve studies were the main electrophysiological features of AIDP., Conclusions: AIDP is the main subtype of GBS, and it has specific electrophysiological characteristics in northeastern China. The prognosis of patients with AMAN was similar to that of patients with AIDP. Moreover, IVIg was more effective in patients with AIDP., (Copyright © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Objective: To investigate blood lead levels (BLLs) and influencing factors of BLLs among preschool children living in towns of Hunan Province., Methods: A total of 2 044 preschool children (1,108 boys and 936 girls) from towns of 12 regions in Hunan Province were enrolled by a cluster sampling between September 2008 and June 2009. The average age of the children was 4.4 ± 1.1 years (range 2 to 6 years). BLLs were determined using the atomic absorption spectrographic method. The influencing factors of BLLs were investigated using a standard questionnaire and logistic regression analysis., Results: The mean BLLs of the children were 81.9 ± 34.5 μg/L. BLLs more than 100 μg/ L were noted in 482 children (23.58%). Of the 482 children, 472 (23.09%) showed BLLs of 100-199 μg/L and 10 (0.49%) showed BLLs ≥ 200 μg/L. There were significant differences in the prevalence of elevated BLLs (≥ 100 μg/L) among different age groups (P < 0.01). The prevalence of elevated BLLs in boys (28.99%) was significantly higher than that in girls (21.98%) (P < 0.01). There were significant differences in the prevalence of elevated BLLs in children from different regions (P < 0.01). The logistic regression analysis showed that the male (OR = 1.449, P < 0.01), father's occupational lead exposure (OR = 1.314, P < 0.01)and maternal frequent use of hair dyes (OR = 1.678, P < 0.05) were risk factor for elevated BLLs., Conclusions: The prevalence of elevated BLLs is higher in preschool children living in towns of Hunan Province and is associated with a child's region and age. The male, father's occupational lead exposure and maternal frequent use of hair dyes are risk factor for elevated BLLs.