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Objective: This study aimed to investigate the characteristics of auditory processing (AP) in preschool children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) using the speech auditory brainstem response (speech-ABR), which provides insights into the AP of speech signals in the central auditory nervous system (CANS). Method: A total of 84 preschool children diagnosed with ADHD, aged 4-6 years, were matched with 84 typically developing (TD) children based on gender and age. All children underwent speech-ABR testing, cognitive assessment using the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence--Fourth Edition or the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children--Fourth Edition, and a continuous performance test. Results: Children with ADHD exhibited significantly longer latencies of speech-ABR waveforms V, A, and D compared to TD children. Multiple linear regression analysis showed that the latencies of speech-ABR waves V, A, and D were affected by the presence of ADHD, but not by the full-scale intelligence quotient. Conclusions: This study revealed that preschool children with ADHD exhibited abnormal AP of speech signals in their CANS. The findings suggest that speech-ABR can be utilized as a reliable measure to evaluate AP ability in this population, as it remains unaffected by cognitive or attentional factors. The transient response (V, A) of speech-ABR was found to be a significant predictor of ADHD in a clinical setting. Early assessment of AP abnormalities via speech-ABR is recommended in preschool-age children to develop targeted interventions for ADHD.

The yak, a unique species of cattle found exclusively on the western plateau of China, is a valuable source of livelihood for local residents. However, their low fecundity restricts the expansion of yak farming, whereas regional factors limit studies on yak breeding. Granulosa cells (GCs), which provide essential steroid hormones and growth factors for oocytes, have been the focus of many studies on the mechanisms of follicular growth and atresia. This study aimed to establish an immortalized cell line model that could serve as a tool for future studies on the mechanisms of ovarian follicle development in yaks. First, we isolated primary yak granulosa cells (yGCs) and evaluated their replicative senescence after continuous in vitro subculturing. Subsequently, an immortalized culture method for primary yGC was explored, and a new cell line model was established to study the mechanism of follicular development in vitro. We used a mammalian gene expression lentivirus vector to transfer the simian virus 40 large T antigen (SV40T) into primary yGC to obtain an immortalized cell line. The immortalized yGCs were morphologically identical to the primary yGCs, and cell proliferation and growth were normal within a limited number of generations. Folliclestimulating hormone receptor (FSHR), a specific marker for GCs, was positively expressed in immortalized yGCs. Furthermore, the immortalized yGCs retained the ability of GCs to synthesize estradiol and progesterone and expressed genes related to steroid synthesis. The establishment of immortalized yGC opens up a myriad of possibilities for advancing our understanding of yak reproductive biology and improving yak breeding strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Anthropogenic aerosols could alter multiple meteorological processes such as radiation regime and air temperature, thereby modifying plant transpiration. However, the lack of field observations at leaf and plant level hinders our ability to understand how aerosols could affect plant water use.Aerosol concentrations in northern China fluctuate periodically over a wide range. Taking advantage of this unique natural experiment opportunity, we conducted a series of physiological and environmental measurements at different times of the day to explore diurnal aerosols' effect on leaf transpiration and sap flow of planted poplar saplings (Populus × canadensis Moench).We found that high aerosol concentrations suppressed sun leaf transpiration by reducing leaf‐to‐air vapour pressure deficit (VPDleaf), while had no effect on shade leaf transpiration mainly because the negative effect of reduced VPDleaf on transpiration offset the positive effects of the increased stomatal conductance (gs). As aerosol concentration increased, the gs of both sun and shade leaves decreased more rapidly with an increase in VPDleaf, which caused their transpiration rates to become less sensitive to VPDleaf. Similarly, aerosols reduced sap flow density and its sensitivity to VPD.Synthesis. Our study provided observational evidence on aerosols' effects on plant transpiration at the leaf and canopy scales. The reduced transpiration and stronger stomatal control indicated that plant water use becomes more conservative under elevated aerosol concentrations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The aim of this study is to investigate the prevention and treatment patterns of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) in critically ill patients and to explore the risk factors for DVT in people from Zhejiang Province, China. Materials and methods: This study prospectively enrolled patients admitted in intensive care units (ICUs) of 54 hospitals from 09/16/2019 to 01/16/2020. The risk of developing DVT and subsequent prophylaxis was evaluated. The primary outcome was DVT occurrence during ICU hospitalisation. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression were performed to determine the risk factors for DVT. Results: A total of 940 patients were included in the study. Among 847 patients who received prophylaxis, 635 (75.0%) patients received physical prophylaxis and 199 (23.5%) patients received drug prophylaxis. Fifty-eight (6.2%) patients were diagnosed with DVT after admission to the ICU, and 36 patients were treated with anticoagulants (all patients received low molecular weight heparin [LMWH]). D-dimer levels (OR = 1.256, 95% CI: 1.132-1.990), basic prophylaxis (OR = 0.092, 95% CI: 0.016-0.536), and physical prophylaxis (OR = 0.159, 95% CI: 0.038-0.674) were independently associated with DVT in ICU patients. The short-term survival was similar between DVT and non-DVT patients. Conclusions: DVT prophylaxis is widely performed in ICU patients. Prophylaxis is an independent protective factor for DVT occurrence. The most common treatment of DVT patients is LMWH, although it might increase the rate of bleeding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The turnover of litter layer is a biogeochemical process fundamental to carbon and nutrient cycling, influencing seed germination, species coexisting, and carbon storage. Winter snow depth is undergoing increasing trend in Northern China, which has been shown to alter litter decomposition rate of individual species. However, it remains unknown how changes in snow depth affect the turnover rate of the whole litter layer, and whether the responses vary between different steppes. Most current litter decomposition studies are site‐based or short‐term treated, limiting the exploration of the long‐term response of litter layer turnover in regional pattern.In this study, we selected six long‐term (11–13 years) snow fence sites in Inner Mongolia, with three in the dry steppe and another three in the wet steppe, and investigated the responses of community‐weighted litter residence time (LRT) to long‐term increased snow treatment.We found that LRT increased by 0.02 year for every 10 cm increase in snow depth in the wet steppe, but was not affected in the dry steppe. The lack of effect of deepened snow on LRT in the dry steppe was attributed to the offset between the positive effect of the increased plant community‐weighted height possibly via inhibiting photodegradation and the enhanced litter recalcitrance by producing higher proportion of stem litter, and the negative effect of the increased soil moisture via accelerating microbial decomposition. The significantly positive effect of the deepened snow on LRT in the wet steppe was mainly because the deepened snow increased grass biomass but had no effect on forb biomass, which reduced the degradability of the litter layer.Overall, our findings indicated that deepened snow changed plant community, which altered environmental conditions and enhanced litter recalcitrance, thereby increasing LRT in temperate steppes. However, this effect was diminished by enhancing microbial decomposition in the dry but not wet steppe, resulting in different overall responses of LRT to deep‐snow in the two steppes. The slow litter turnover rate in the wet steppe might result in greater litter accumulation under future increased snow depth, which could be unfavourable for seed germination and alter plant diversity. A free Plain Language Summary can be found within the Supporting Information of this article. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Global warming has greatly altered winter snowfall patterns, and there is a trend towards increasing winter snow in semi‐arid regions in China. Winter snowfall is an important source of water during early spring in these water‐limited ecosystems, and it can also affect nutrient supply. However, we know little about how changes in winter snowfall will affect ecosystem productivity and plant community structure during the growing season. Here, we conducted a 5‐year winter snow manipulation experiment in a temperate grassland in Inner Mongolia. We measured ecosystem carbon flux from 2014 to 2018 and plant biomass and species composition from 2015 to 2018. We found that soil moisture increased under deepened winter snow in early growing season, particularly in deeper soil layers. Deepened snow increased the net ecosystem exchange of CO2 (NEE) and reduced intra‐ and inter‐annual variation in NEE. Deepened snow did not affect aboveground plant biomass (AGB) but significantly increased root biomass. This suggested that the enhanced NEE was allocated to the belowground, which improved water acquisition and thus contributed to greater stability in NEE in deep‐snow plots. Interestingly, the AGB of grasses in the control plots declined over time, resulting in a shift towards a forb‐dominated system. Similar declines in grass AGB were also observed at three other locations in the region over the same time frame and are attributed to 4 years of below‐average precipitation during the growing season. By contrast, grass AGB was stabilized under deepened winter snow and plant community composition remained unchanged. Hence, our study demonstrates that increased winter snowfall may stabilize arid grassland systems by reducing resource competition, promoting coexistence between plant functional groups, which ultimately mitigates the impacts of chronic drought during the growing season. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Victims exposed to serious traumatic experiences may develop post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and suffer this mental health problem for a long time. Different types of trauma displayed a chronicity rate of PTSD within the range of 6.3-68.9 %. As one of the most common and severe natural disasters, the natural progression of flood related PTSD has not been revealed. The aim of this study was to estimate the chronicity rate and identify the prognostic factors of PTSD in flood victims. Methods: Flood victims, who were over the age of 16 and diagnosed with PTSD in 2000 in Huarong, Ziyang, and Anxiang counties of Hunan province, China, were enrolled in this survey. Current probable PTSD was analyzed using the PTSD Checklist-Civilian version. Data were collected in face-to-face interviews and analyzed using univariate analysis and multiple logistic regression models. Results: The rate of current probable PTSD was 15.4 %. The current occurrences of re-experiencing, avoidance/numbing, and hyper-arousal symptom groups were 69.3 %, 17.2 %, and 50.2 %, respectively. Significant prognostic factors for current probable PTSD were flood-related stressors (e.g., life-threatening experiences, extreme physical adversity, and extreme psychological adversity) and frequency of general collective action. The relationships still existed when taking the fluctuation of frequency of general collective action into consideration. Gender and education level showed no influence on the recovery from PTSD. The impact of age in this study was inconsistent; in the 2000 model, around 2006 model, around 2013 model, and all FGCA model, older age was positive prognosis factor for PTSD; in the univariate analysis and fluctuation model, age showed no influence on the recovery from PTSD. Conclusions: Our findings indicated that PTSD can persist 13 years after a flood. Demographic characteristics (e.g., age, gender, and education level) seem to have no influence on the recovery from PTSD. Trauma-related stressors and social participation are important predictors for remission from chronic PTSD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers information on the 2014 International Bioethics Forum, a new initiative that will bring together two journals, "Chinese Medical Ethics" and "Bioethics" to promote exchange in and development of Bioethics in different cultures to be held Nanjing, China from March 8-9.

Objective: To explore the relationship between posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and preflood behavioral characteristics among children aged 7-15 years in Hunan, China. Subjects and Methods: In 2000, a retrospective study was carried out among children who had been exposed to the 1998 floods in Hunan. A multistage sampling method was used to select subjects from the flood-affected areas. A structured questionnaire administered to the children selected was used to diagnose PTSD based on the DSM-IV criteria. A parent questionnaire was used to measure preflood behavioral characteristics related to health, behavioral, and habit problems. The association between PTSD and preflood behavioral characteristics was assessed using χ2-tests and multivariate logistic regression. Results: A total of 7,038 children from 13,450 households, aged 7-15 years, were investigated. The overall prevalence of PTSD was 2.05%. Generally, the PTSD-positive rate increased with increasing scores for behavioral characteristics. Conclusion: Preflood behavioral characteristics are an important factor influencing the prevalence of PTSD among children exposed to floods. It is therefore necessary to give special attention to children with behavioral problems in order to reduce the psychological impact of floods. Copyright © 2011 S. Karger AG, Basel [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To explore the relationship between posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in flood victim parents and children in Hunan, China. Methods: Using the method of multistage cluster random sampling, we conducted a retrospective investigation on 3,698 families in Hunan, China who suffered from flooding in 1998. Investigators held face-to-face interviews with the parents and children of the families. The diagnosis of PTSD was made according to the criteria of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fourth edition. The comparison of rate of PTSD positive in the groups of children with different characteristics was done by chi-square test. In the evaluation of the impact of parent PTSD on PTSD in their children, we used a multivariable logistic regression model to re-estimate the adjusted Odds Ratio and its confidence interval. We did this after the possible confounding variables were adjusted for. Additionally, the Odds Ratio and its confidence interval were estimated under the condition of a single variable. Results: A total of 4,327 children and the parents of 3,292 families were included for analysis; 203 (4.7%) of 4,327 children and 740 (11.2%) of 6,584 parents were diagnosed with PTSD. We found that the PTSD positive rate is significantly higher in the children with disaster-related experience. The rate of beating their children in PTSD positive fathers (54.9%) was higher than that of PTSD negative fathers (51.2%). No correlation was found between mothers’ PTSD and beating their children. The risk of developing PTSD is higher for children living in the families with PTSD parents. Conclusion: The rate of PTSD in 7–14-year-old children is 4.7% in areas in Hunan, China, who suffered from flooding in 1998. The possibility for children to develop PTSD is increased in families with PTSD parents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this paper is to develop a brief screening instrument of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) for young victims of natural disasters. Data were derived from flood victims in 1998 and 1999 in Hunan, China. A representative population sample of 6,852 subjects 7–15 years of age was selected. Among them, 6,073 (88.6%) were interviewed. Multistage sampling was used to select the subjects and PTSD was ascertained with Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders: 4th Edition (DSM-IV). We randomly assigned 80% (4,851) of the study subjects to construct the screening instrument (construct model) and the remaining 20% (1,222) subjects to examine the model (validation model). Logistic regression analysis and receiver operating characteristics curves were utilized to select a subset of symptoms and cutoff point from the pre-structured questionnaires. A seven-symptom instrument for PTSD screening was selected. Scores of 3 or more on this instrument were employed to define positive cases of PTSD with a sensitivity of 96.9%, specificity 99.0%, positive predictive value (PPV) 82.6%, and negative predictive value (NPV) 99.8%. The brief screening instrument developed in this study is highly valid, reliable, and predictable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To estimate the occurrence and to assess the determinants of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in flood victims. Method: We carried out a retrospective study to examine the occurrence and the determinants of PTSD in victims of flood in 1998 and 1999 in Hunan, China. We used multistage sampling to select the subjects from the flood areas, and we ascertained PTSD according to DSM-IV criteria. Data were collected in face-to-face interviews carried out by experienced research assistants using a preconstructed questionnaire. We used a multiple logistic regression model to analyze the data. Results: A total of 33 340 subjects (86.0% of the selected subjects, aged 7 years or over) in the study villages were interviewed. Among them, 2875 (8.6%) had symptoms that met the diagnostic criteria for PTSD. Significant risk factors for PTSD included female sex (odds ratio [OR] 1.12; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.04 to 1.21), older age (age 18 to 59 years OR 2.28; 95%CI, 2.02 to 2.57, and age ≥ 60 years OR 2.42; 95%CI, 2.05 to 2.85), flood type (collapsed embankment OR 1.84; 95%CI, 1.64 to 2.05, and flash flood OR 3.12; 95%CI, 2.76 to 3.52), and flood severity (intermediate OR 4.05; 95%CI, 3.55 to 4.62, and severe OR 2.98; 95%CI, 2.60 to 3.41). Conclusions: PTSD is a common mental disorder in flood victims, which implies the need for improved health services, especially mental health services, for this population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The grain size and mineral composition analyses of 236 samples from nine different sub-deserts within the Jungger Basin of north-western China reveal that dune sands from that region may be derived by local reworking of the underlying sands. That the grain size characteristics and mineral compositions vary with different sub-deserts show the diversities of their sand sources. The similarities and differences in mineral assemblage, mineral dispersion, quartz/feldspar value and grain size distribution between the dune sands and their underlying sands in the same sub-desert indicate that dune sands have derived from underlying sands within the same sub-basin, but dune sands have also received minor contributions of sediment from areas outside the sub-deserts. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

In recent years, considerable interest has increased on the use of chemical and biomedical sensor arrays in conjunction with pattern recognition analysis for the identification of gases, liquid system or the determination of antigen-antibody interaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Impact of aerosol on transpiration was explored via five-year sap flow observations. • Aerosol decreased day-time transpiration by reducing total solar radiation and VPD. • Diffuse radiation had less effect on transpiration. • Aerosol also decreased night-time transpiration through the decrease in VPD. • Elevated aerosol may decouple the ecosystem carbon and water fluxes. Aerosols alter plant photosynthesis and ecosystem carbon uptake through radiative effects. These effects inevitably change plant transpiration and ecosystem water use as CO 2 and water exchange couple through leaf stomatal conductance. However, because of lacking field observations, we know poorly about how elevated aerosols could affect plant transpiration, which greatly hinders our confidence in projecting aerosol's climate impacts. In this study, taking the advantage of aerosol loading in northern China fluctuated periodically over a wide range, we conducted five year-site observations of the stem sap flow of poplar saplings (Populus euramericana Neva.), and simultaneously monitored environmental factors such as PM 2.5 concentration, total and diffuse radiation, air temperature, humidity, and soil water content. These observations enabled us to comprehensively explore how aerosols affect the daily dynamics of plant canopy transpiration in the field. We found that high aerosol loading significantly decreased the sap flow density of poplars both in the day- and night-time, indicating that aerosols decreased canopy transpiration. Furthermore, during the day-time, a reduction in total solar radiation and moisture demand (vapor pressure deficit, VPD) dominated the decrease of sap flow density, but an increase in diffuse radiation had an insignificant impact. In the night-time, VPD significantly decreased under high aerosol loading conditions, thereby reducing nocturnal sap flow density. Our in-situ observations revealed that different from the positive response of canopy photosynthesis associated with the diffuse fertilization effect, aerosols inhibit canopy transpiration mainly because of the declined VPD. Our findings highlighted that plant carbon and water fluxes are governed by different meteorological factors under elevated aerosol. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To assess the efficacy and safety of different peri-operative regimens using the network meta-analysis for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) with portal/hepatic vein tumor thrombosis. The interested modalities included neoadjuvant three-dimensional radiotherapy (3D-CRT), post-operative intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT), post-operative transarterial chemoembolization (TACE), 3DCRT plus TACE and surgery alone., Methods: PubMed and Cochrane Library electronic databases were systematically searched for eligible studies published up to March 2021. Data related to treatment efficacy including overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) were extracted and compared using a Bayesian approach. Adverse events (AEs) were assessed and compared., Results: Five studies published between 2009 and 2021 were enrolled in this network meta-analysis. The comparison showed that surgery with IMRT ranks relatively higher in prolonging OS in advanced HCC patients, followed by neoadjuvant 3DCRT and surgery plus TACE. Neoadjuvant 3DCRT and postoperative IMRT appear to be better choices than 3DCRT plus TACE in terms of OS. IMRT, TACE and neoadjuvant 3DCRT group were all superior to surgery alone in terms of DFS. The rate of AEs did not differ significantly., Conclusions: Adjuvant IMRT showed more favorable treatment responses compared to other regimens in HCC patients as a peri-operative regimen.

The widely validated Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) nomogram for gastric carcinoma (GC) was developed based on patients who received R0 resection only. The purpose of the current study was to assess the performance of this nomogram in Chinese patients who received postoperative chemoradiotherapy (CRT) after an R0 resection for GC. From 2006 to 2015, the clinical data of 150 eligible patients were retrospectively collected from the Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center (FUSCC) and used for external validation. The nomogram was validated by means of the concordance index (CI) and a calibration plot. The CI for the nomogram was 0.657, which was lower than the CI of the nomogram for patients who received surgery alone (0.80). In the calibration plot, the gap between the observed and the predicted survival gradually increased as the predicted 5-year disease-specific survival (DSS) decreased. Thus the MSKCC nomogram for GC significantly underestimated the survival of patients in the FUSCC cohort, especially the survival of patients whose predicted 5-year DSS was less than 50%. The current study indicates the potential for the nomogram to be developed as an ideal tool to identify target patients for postoperative CRT.