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Students' dissatisfaction with peer assessment has been widely documented. While most relevant literature places focus on the cognitive (content and uptake of feedback) or structural (feedback design) dimensions, students' emotions in peer assessment have received scant attention. This study investigates the social-affective impacts of peer assessment by analysing students' appeal letters addressed to their tutors, reflective posts in the online discussion forum and responses to a survey. A thematic analysis of data indicated three main aspects of students' (dis)satisfaction: content, scores and process of peer assessment. The most negative emotion that students expressed was related to 'disrespectful' behaviour and attitudes of peer reviewers, whereas the feeling of appreciation was triggered by the helpful feedback attributes which were perceived as reflecting reviewers' respect to others' works. Students generally held mixed feelings toward peer assessment, valuing learning in the process of providing and receiving feedback but showing resistance to using peer assessment for summative purposes. The findings highlight the significance of respect in peer assessment and argue that the perceived lack of mutual respect seems to underpin the nature of students' dissatisfaction. This study carries implications for nurturing students' respectful attitudes and behaviour in and through peer assessment.

Objective: Retropharyngeal lymphadenectomy is challenging. This study investigated a minimally invasive approach to salvage retropharyngeal lymphadenectomy in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma. Methods: An anatomical study of four fresh cadaveric heads was conducted to demonstrate the relevant details of retropharyngeal lymphadenectomy using the endoscopic transoral medial pterygomandibular fold approach. Six patients with nasopharyngeal cancer with retropharyngeal lymph node recurrence, who underwent retropharyngeal lymphadenectomy with the endoscopic transoral medial pterygomandibular fold technique at the Eye and ENT Hospital of Fudan University from July to December 2021, were included in this study. Results: The anatomical study demonstrated that the endoscopic transoral medial pterygomandibular fold approach offers a short path and minimally invasive approach to the retropharyngeal space. The surgical procedure was well tolerated by all patients, with no significant post-operative complications. Conclusion: The endoscopic transoral medial pterygomandibular fold approach is safe and efficient for retropharyngeal lymphadenectomy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective To investigate the endoscopic transoral - medial pterygomandibular fold approach anatomic procedures for jugular foramen, and to analyze the clinical feasibility of this approach. Methods and Results In the anatomical laboratory of the Surgical Treatment Technology Innovation Unit of Nasal Skull Base Tumor in Eye & ENT Hospital of Fudan University, a total of 5 specimens of necroheads (10 sides) were taken as research objects to simulate the anatomical steps of entering the jugular foramina and its adjacent structures through the oral pterygomandibular fold medial approach, and observe and describe important anatomical markers. 1) Anatomical procedures of the jugular foramen: firstly, the soft palate mucosa and suprapharyngeal retractive muscle were cut through the medial incision of pterygomandibular fold to enter anterior parapharyngeal space, the adipose tissue in the space was removed, and the stylopharyngeal fascia and stylopharyngeal muscle group were exposed. After the stylopharyngeal fascia was removed, the internal carotid artery (ICA) was further exposed and the jugular foramen was exposed. 2) The jugular foramen and its adjacent anatomical structures: the upper boundary of the jugular foramen was jugular bulbous fossa, the anterior was ICA, the anterolateral lateral was styloid process, the posterolateral boundary was the lateral rectus of head and transverse process of atlas, the medial boundary was the hypoglossal nerve and medial of occipital condyle, and the lateral boundary was the mastoid, digastric and facial nerves. Conclusions Endoscopic transoral-medial pterygomandibular fold approach for jugular foramen has better visual field, wider exposure range and shorter path. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The commercial active dry yeast strains used for cider production in China are far behind the requirements of the cider industry development in recent decades. In this study, eight yeasts, including Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Schizosaccharomyces pombe, Pichia bruneiensis, and Pichia kudriavzevii, were screened and assessed by growth performance, methanol production, aroma analysis, and their transcriptive characterization. Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains WFC-SC-071 and WFC-SC-072 were identified as promising alternatives for cider production. Strains WFC-SC-071 and WFC-SC-072 showed an excellent growth capacity characterized by 91.6 and 88.8% sugar utilization, respectively. Methanol production by both strains was below 200 mg/L. Key aroma compounds imparting cider appreciably characteristic aroma increased in cider fermented by strains WFC-SC-071 and WFC-SC-072. RT-qPCR analysis suggested that most genes associated with growth capacity, carbohydrate uptake, and aroma production were upregulated in WFCSC-071 and WFC-SC-072. Overall, two Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains are the optimal starters for cider production to enable the diversification of cider, satisfy the differences in consumer demand, and promote cider industry development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is one of the most common head and neck malignant tumors in China. Radiotherapy with or without concurrent chemotherapy is the first treatment option. The local recurrence rate of NPC after radiotherapy ranged from 10% to 40%. Re - irradiation could cause many serious complications for local recurrent or residual NPC after radiotherapy. Therefore, traditional open approach surgery and endoscopic surgery are becoming important alternative treatment options for locally recurrent NPC, especially the latter has such advantages as operating under direct vision, clear field of view, minimal invasion, short hospitalization and not affecting facial appearance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Moist exposed burn ointment (MEBO) is becoming increasingly popular in China as it shortens wound-healing time and reduces scar formation. However, its exact mechanism in mediating the wound-healing process is not yet clear. In the present study a total of 90 healthy adult male Wistar rats of specific-pathogen-free grade were divided equally into a control group, wound group, MEBO group, recombinant bovine basic fibroblast growth factor (rb-bFGF) group and sham operation group. Wound healing was observed from the extracted granulation tissues and recorded at three time points on 3, 7 and 14 days. Different levels of tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) in tissue homogenate were detected using ELISA. Western blot analysis and quantitative PCR were used to detect the expression of nerve growth factor (NGF), substance P (SP) as well as tyrosine kinase A (TrkA) receptor protein and the corresponding mRNA levels in granulation tissue. It was observed that the wound healing progressed faster in the MEBO and rb-bFGF groups compared with the wound group (P<0.01). TNF-α and IL-6 had an upward-downward trend at three time points, with the wound group demonstrating the most obvious increase (P<0.01). NGF and SP mRNA and protein levels in granulation tissue in MEBO, rb-bFGF and sham operation groups reached their highest levels on day 7 and then decreased on day 14. The expression level of TrkA was also measured simultaneously and its expression pattern was similar to that of NGF and SP. These results suggested that MEBO may promote nerve repair and accelerate wound healing through mediating the expression levels of NGF and SP, as well as TrkA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Seasogonia Young, 1986 is a sharpshooter genus with 13 species, four of them recorded from China. In this paper, S. sandaracata (Distant, 1908) is recorded as new for China and S. rufipenna Li & Wang, 1992 is regarded as a junior synonym of S. nigromaculata Kuoh, 1991. The morphological diversity of the female genitalia of Seasogonia is still poorly known. We provide herein detailed descriptions and illustrations of three Chinese Seasogonia species. Notes on the female genitalia of seasogonia, including intraspecific and interspecific variation, and comparisons between the female genitalia of Seasogonia and of other related genera from China are provided. The preliminary results indicate that the female genitalia may provide useful features for the taxonomy of Seasogonia and other members of the Old World Cicadellini. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: High quality clinical research not only requires advanced professional knowledge, but also needs sound study design and correct statistical analyses. The number of clinical research articles published in Chinese medical journals has increased immensely in the past decade, but study design quality and statistical analyses have remained suboptimal. The aim of this investigation was to gather evidence on the quality of study design and statistical analyses in clinical researches conducted in China for the first decade of the new millennium. Methodology/Principal Findings: Ten (10) leading Chinese medical journals were selected and all original articles published in 1998 (N = 1,335) and 2008 (N = 1,578) were thoroughly categorized and reviewed. A well-defined and validated checklist on study design, statistical analyses, results presentation, and interpretation was used for review and evaluation. Main outcomes were the frequencies of different types of study design, error/defect proportion in design and statistical analyses, and implementation of CONSORT in randomized clinical trials. From 1998 to 2008: The error/defect proportion in statistical analyses decreased significantly (χ² = 12.03, p<0.001), 59.8% (545/1,335) in 1998 compared to 52.2% (664/1,578) in 2008. The overall error/defect proportion of study design also decreased (χ² = 21.22, p<0.001), 50.9% (680/1,335) compared to 42.40% (669/1,578). In 2008, design with randomized clinical trials remained low in single digit (3.8%, 60/1,578) with twothird showed poor results reporting (defects in 44 papers, 73.3%). Nearly half of the published studies were retrospective in nature, 49.3% (658/1,335) in 1998 compared to 48.2% (761/1,578) in 2008. Decreases in defect proportions were observed in both results presentation (χ² = 93.26, p<0.001), 92.7% (945/1,019) compared to 78.2% (1023/1,309) and interpretation (χ² = 27.26, p<0.001), 9.7% (99/1,019) compared to 4.3% (56/1,309), some serious ones persisted. Conclusions/Significance: Chinese medical research seems to have made significant progress regarding statistical analyses, but there remains ample room for improvement regarding study designs. Retrospective clinical studies are the most often used design, whereas randomized clinical trials are rare and often show methodological weaknesses. Urgent implementation of the CONSORT statement is imperative. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A few villages in Southwest Guizhou, China represented a unique case of arseniasis due to indoor combustion of high arsenic-content coal. The present study is aimed to analyze the contribution of possible factors or of their combination to excess prevalence of arseniasis in the exposed population. An epidemiological investigation was conducted in all the members of three large ethnic, patrilineal clans in one of the hyperendemic villages (702 residents in 178 families, including 408 Han and 294 Hmong) where farmers of different ethnic origin have been living together in the same village for generations. A multilevel model logistic regression analysis was performed. The arseniasis prevalence was found to associate with the duration of As indoor exposure (years of high As coal burning and of poorly ventilated traditional stove using) and is largely dependent on the subject’s ethnicity and clan consanguinity, too. The prevalence of arseniasis in ethnic Han residents was significantly higher than that in their Hmong neighbors (35.0 vs 4.8% OR = 15.18, 95% CI = 3.45–67.35). Notable variances of arseniasis prevalence were observed not only between the ethnic Han clans (G1, G3, and B) and Hmong clan P, but also between different lineages (G1 and G2) inside the ethnic Han clan. Smokers suffered more frequently from arseniasis than non-smokers (47.3 vs 15.7% OR = 5.42, 95% CI = 2.25–12.93). Arseniasis prevalence in this unique exposure case was impacted by an array of multiple factors. Besides a long-term indoor exposure to As, the ethnicity or the clan consanguinity of exposed subjects may play an important role, too. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The natural clinoptilolite originating from Baiyin in Gansu province was selected as filter material for the advanced treatment of potable water in this investigation. The optimal parameters for zeolite activation were obtained by a series of experiments: the concentration of MgCl2 is 20%, the temperature of heating is 300°C and the contact time is 20 minutes. This kind of activated zeolite was applied in Lanzhou Railway waterworks as filter material for the advanced treatment of potable water, and its adsorption effects were observed and compared with that of activated carbon. The observed date indicated that the activated zeolite could remove hardness, iron, manganese, arsenic, anion detergent, sulfate and soluble solid effectively. As a filter material, the activated zeolite was similar to the activated carbon, but much cheaper for preparation and much easier for regeneration, so it is possible to substitute activated zeolite for activated carbon in the advanced treatment of potable water. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Primers were designed for eight microsatellite loci from Chinese shrimp Fenneropenaeus chinensis. Microsatellites were used to characterize three wild populations from the China coast of the Yellow and Bohai Seas (HB), and the west coast (KX) and south coast of the Korean Peninsula (KN). A total of sixty-one alleles were obtained, and the average observed heterozygosity ranged from 0.660 to 0.756. Six of the 24 population-locus cases showed a significant departure from the Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium, three of them from population KN, two from KX and one from HB. The F st values indicated that genetic variation was greater within populations than between populations. Analysis using unweighted pair group method with arithmetic mean showed that the relationship between populations HB and KX was closer than between KN and the other two populations. Polymorphic information contents of the eight microsatellites ranged from 0.598 to 0.918. These results indicated that all eight microsatellite loci would be useful for the analysis of genetic variation in Chinese shrimp ( F. chinensis) populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on a study conducted to evaluate the prevalence of rhodopsin (RHO) mutations and the genotype-phenotype relationships in Chinese patients with autosomal dominant retinitis pigmeritosa (ADRP) by conformation sensitive gel electrophoresis and direct DNA sequencing. Twenty-seven ADRP probands who had no relativity from the Southwest region of China, diagnosed at the South-West Hospital, were recruited into the study. They all had typical history and clinical characteristics of RP. The study concludes that the frequency of RHO mutations in Chinese patients was lower than that in Europe and North America.

• All isolates of EV-D68 detected in this study were from a single clade, B3. • Patients with EV-D68 isolates had more wheezing than those without D68 EV isolates. • The pattern of EV-D68 incidence over time reflected the seasonality noted in other parts of the world. Enterovirus D68 (EV-D68) is an emerging pathogen in humans. EV-D68 causes a wide range of respiratory symptoms in children and has the propensity to cause severe complications. EV-D68 outbreaks are rarely investigated in mainland China. Therefore, in this study, we aimed to investigate the prevalence of EV-D68 in children and to describe the clinical manifestations as well as the phylogeny of EV-D68 in Guangdong Province from 2014 to 2018. Nasopharyngeal swabs were collected from hospitalized children with respiratory symptoms and screened for respiratory pathogens by fluorescence quantitative PCR and culture. The EV-positive samples were subsequently typed by sequencing the 5′-untranslated region and EV-D68-specific VP1 capsid gene. A phylogenetic tree was constructed by the maximum-likelihood method based on the VP1 gene using ClustalW. A total of 1,498 (59.8%) out of 2,503 children were screened positive for ≥1 virus species. Among the 158 (6.31%) EV-positive samples, 17 (0.68%) were identified as EV-D68. Most EV-D68 cases (n = 14) were diagnosed with pneumonia and bronchial pneumonia. No deaths were found in EV-D68 cases. Wheezing occurred in EV-D68 cases more frequently (70.59% vs. 43.26%, P = 0.040) than that of other EVs. All the EV-D68 were of clade B3, which were highly similar to the strains circulating in China. EV-D68 was the predominant enterovirus type in hospitalized children with respiratory symptoms in Guangdong Province. All the EV-D68 strains belong to clade B3. The development of diagnostic tools is warranted in order to monitor EV-D68 infections in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Clonal plants can make up a disproportionately high number of the introduced, invasive plant species in a region. Physiological integration of connected ramets within clones is a key ecological advantage of clonal growth. To ask whether clonal integration underlies the invasiveness of clonal plants, we tested the hypothesis that introduced clones of an invasive species will show higher capacity for integration than native clones of the same species. We conduct a greenhouse experiment on the widespread, perennial herb Hydrocotyle vulgaris. Clonal fragments consisting of pairs of connected ramets from seven sites in northwestern Spain where the species is native and seven sites in southeastern China where the species is introduced and invasive were grown for 79 days with the younger, apical ramet shaded to 30% of ambient light and the connection between ramets either severed or left intact. Severance decreased the final dry mass and ramet number of the apical ramet and its offspring in nearly all clones and increased the mass or ramet number of the basal portion of the fragment in about half of the clones, but these effects did not differ consistently between native and introduced clones. Severance did affect allocation more in introduced than in native clones, decreasing root/total mass more in apical portions and increasing it more in basal portions. Maintaining the connection between ramets caused introduced, but not native, clonal fragments to produce more leaf and less root mass and thus to lower allocation to roots. Regardless of severance, introduced clones accumulated about twice as much mass as native clones. Results suggest that introduced clones of a species can show greater effects of integration on allocation than native clones. In species such as H. vulgaris, this might increase competitiveness for light., 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 © 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To understand the current distribution of Oncomelania snails in Sichuan Province, so as to provide scientific evidence for formulating the schistosomiasis elimination strategy and implementing the precision schistosomiasis control measures in the province., Methods: According to the National Scheme on Oncomelania hupensis Snails in China and the Scheme on Oncomelania hupensis Snails in Sichuan Province , snail surveys were performed in current snail habitats, historical snail habitats and suspected snail habitats using systematic sampling in Sichuan Province from 2016 to 2017, and the survey results were analyzed., Results: From 2016 to 2017, a total of 88 346 settings were surveyed in schistosomiasis-endemic areas of Sichuan Province, and 19 314 settings were detected with snails, covering an area of 4 829.25 hm 2 , with no Schistosoma japonicum infection identified in snails. A total of 3 017 915 frames were investigated in Sichuan Province, and 1 041 417 frames were found to have living snails, with totally 1 791 115 living snails captured. The mean density of living snails was 0.59 snails/0.1 m 2 , and the mean percentage of frames with living snails was 34.51% in Sichuan Province. The current snail habitats were mainly distributed in 1 704 villages, 377 townships, 54 counties (districts) of 9 cities (prefectures) across the schistosomiasis-endemic areas of Sichuan Province. Snail habitats were mainly found in ditches (70.22%), and weeds were the predominant vegetation in snail habitats (66.45%). Snails were firstly discovered in Sichuan Province in 1913, and S. japonicum -infected snails were firstly identified in 1956, with the latest identification of S. japonicum -infected snails in 2008., Conclusions: There are many settings suitable for snail breeding in Sichuan Province, and snail monitoring and control should be intensified in the future.

Objective: To explore the integrated schistosomiasis control model in mountainous and hilly endemic regions, so as to provide insights into the development of the schistosomiasis elimination strategy., Methods: Five hilly and mountainous areas endemic for schistosomiasis were selected as the integrated control demonstration areas in Sichuan Province from 2011 to 2015. According to the epidemic characteristics, economic levels and overall development planning of the demonstration areas, the goals, strategies and measures were developed, and the effectiveness of schistosomiasis control was evaluated following implementation of the integrated control., Results: The support system of the integrated schistosomiasis control model was built in the integrated control demonstration areas in Sichuan Province from 2011 to 2015, and five ecological, industrialized and sustainable development models of integrated schistosomiasis control were developed, including integration of balancing rural and urban development, systematic ecological improvement, intensified ecological agriculture, scientific management and health education of schistosomiasis control and ecological ethnic circular economy. Since the implementation of the integrated schistosomiasis control model, the snail habitats were completely changed. Until 2015, 92.0% of all historical areas with snails were managed, the coverage of safe drinking water was 100.0%, and more than 95.0% of the livestock were fenced. The coverage of sanitary toilets increased by 93.0%, 96.8%, 78.8%, 87.1% and 82.0% from 2011 to 2015, respectively, and the farmers'mean yearly income increased by 32.7% in the demonstration areas. From 2011 to 2015, the seroprevalence of human Schistosoma japonicum infections reduced from 3.1% in 2011 to 1.6% in 2015 in the demonstration areas, and no egg-positives were identified. In addition, the number of fenced bovines reduced year by year, and no egg-positives were detected. The areas of snail habitats were 398.7, 108.2 hm 2 and 52.9 hm 2 in the demonstration areas from 2011 to 2013, with no infected snails found, and no snails were detected since 2014. The awareness of schistosomiasis control knowledge and percentage of correct behavior formation increased year by year among residents in the demonstration areas from 2011 to 2015., Conclusions: The five integrated schistosomiasis control models meet the needs of the current schistosomiasis control activities in mountainous and hilly endemic areas of Sichuan Province, and achieve the goals of controlling the sources of S. japonicum infections, economic development, social progress and improving the ecological environment, which provides new insights into schistosomiasis elimination in the country.

Transmission control and interruption of schistosomiasis has been gradually achieved in the mountainous and hilly endemic areas with the implementation of the schistosomiasis control programmes, which are moving towards the progress of schistosomiasis elimination. As an important measure of schistosomiasis control, health education is experiencing new challenges and problems in the new situation, and conventional health education of schistosomiasis control has already failed to meet the needs of socioeconomic and cultural development and the increasing changes of human production and life styles in the endemic areas. Therefore, a precision health education model for schistosomiasis control is of great need to be established to highly effectively promote the implementation of schistosomiasis control measures. This review summarizes the important role of health education in schistosomiasis control in mountainous and hilly endemic areas, and describes the new health education model based on optimization of the policy environment and creation of the community atmosphere according to the changes in the endemic situation of schistosomiasis and requirements of the schistosomiasis control target, so as to promote the precision and sustainable implementation of health education and health promotion in schistosomiasis control.

With the rapid development of immunology, molecular biology, and associated technologies such as next-generation sequencing, cellular immunotherapy has recently become the fourth major cancer treatment. Immunotherapies based on T cells, natural killer cells, and dendritic cells play key roles in cancer immunotherapy. However, their application in clinical practice raises several ethical issues. Thus, studies should focus on proper adherence to basic ethical principles that can effectively guide and solve related clinical problems in the course of treatment, improve treatment effects, and protect the rights and interests of patients. In this review, we discuss cellular immunotherapy-related ethical issues and highlight the ethical practices and current status of cellular immunotherapy in China. These considerations may supplement existing ethical standards in cancer immunotherapy.

Background: Obesity is closely related to upper gastrointestinal diseases. China has a high incidence of gastropathy. Postoperative examination of the distal stomach becomes extremely difficult after laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery (LRYGB). Whether preoperative routine gastroscopy should be performed at all remains controversial. The objective of this study was to explore the value of routine gastroscopy before performing LRYGB in Chinese patients., Methods: The preoperative gastroscopy reports of 180 patients who had undergone LRYGB for morbid obesity and/or metabolic syndrome in the Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery of our hospital from January 2009 to August 2013 were retrospectively analyzed., Results: Gastroscopy showed chronic superficial gastritis (n = 159, 88.3%), reflux esophagitis (n = 19, 10.6%), erosion (n = 69, 38.3%), hiatal hernia (n = 5, 2.8%), gastric ulcer (n = 3, 1.7%), duodenal ulcer (n = 32, 17.8%), and gastric polyps (n = 10, 5.6%)., Conclusion: It is useful to perform gastroscopy before LRYGB. The findings of this investigation can help physicians to develop tailored therapies and procedures and thus improve the prognosis considerably. Gastroscopy should be routinely performed in Chinese patients who are planning to undergo bariatric surgery., (Copyright © 2015 American Society for Bariatric Surgery. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To develop a corpus of sentences in babble noise that is suitable for Mandarin-speaking children. Two experiments were conducted with specific aims of (1) developing sentence material that is grammatically and semantically within the linguistic abilities of children; and (2) improving the efficiency of the test by equalizing the relative intelligibility of individual items in sentences., Design and Study Sample: Sentences were extracted from spoken material of Chinese children aged between 4 and 5 years of age. The sentences were tested for intelligibility in a four-talker babble by 96 adult native speakers of Mandarin. Psychometric functions were generated, and used for adjusting signal-to-noise ratios of individual items by varying the level of the time-locked babble to equate intelligibility of the target speech. These adjusted stimuli were tested for intelligibility using a different group of 64 adult listeners., Results: The signal-to-noise ratio for 50% correct was not different before and after adjustments (- 6.1 dB and - 6.0 dB, respectively). However, there was a significant reduction in standard deviation from 2.3 dB before adjustment to 1.1 dB after adjustment (p < 0.05)., Conclusions: The experiments established a corpus of Mandarin BKB-like sentences with four-talker babble as competing noise, in which the test items' homogeneity was optimized via psychometric evaluation (HOPE).