Search

Saline soils are widely distributed in arid areas but there is a lack of mechanistic understanding on the effect of salinity on the formation and biochemical composition of soil organic carbon (SOC). We investigated the effects of salinity on the accumulation of microbial necromass under natural vegetation and in cropland in salt-affected arid areas stretching over a 1200-km transect in northwest China. Under both natural vegetation and cropland, microbial physiological activity (indicated by microbial biomass carbon normalized enzymatic activity) decreased sharply where the electrical conductivity approached 4 ds m -1 (a threshold to distinguish between saline and non-saline soils), but microbial biomass was only slightly affected by salinity. These indicated that a larger proportion of microbes could be inactive or dormant in saline soils. The contribution of fungal necromass C to SOC decreased but the contribution of bacterial necromass C to the SOC increased with increasing soil salinity. Adding fungal and bacterial necromass C together, the contribution of microbial necromass C to SOC in saline soils was 32-39 % smaller compared with non-saline soils. Fungal necromass C took up 85-86 % of microbial necromass C in non-saline soils but this proportion dropped to 60-66 % in saline soils. We suggested that the activity, growth, and turnover rate of microbes slowed by salinity was responsible for the decreased accumulation of fungal necromass in saline compared with non-saline soils, while the increased accumulation of bacterial residue in saline soils could be induced mainly by its slower decomposition. Soil microbial biomass was a poor predictor for the accumulation of microbial necromass in saline soils. We demonstrated a reduced contribution of microbial necromass to SOC and a shift in its composition towards the increase in bacterial origin in saline relative to non-saline soils. We concluded that salinity profoundly changes the biochemistry of SOC in arid regions., 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.)

Rossellomorea sp. y25, a putative new species of yellow pigment-producing, aerobic and chemoheterotrophic bacterium belonging to the family Bacillaceae, was isolated from the sediments at the depth of 1829 m in the South China Sea. In this study, we present the complete genome sequences of strain y25, which consisted of only one circular chromosome with 4,633,006 bp and the content of G + C was 41.76%. A total of 4466 CDSs, 106 tRNA, 33 rRNA, and 101 sRNA genes were obtained. Genomic analysis of strain y25 showed that it has the ability to produce antioxidant carotenoids and a large number of heavy metal resistance genes, such as arsenic, cadmium and zinc. In addition, strain y25 contains a prophage that may contribute to host protection against lysis by related Bacillus-like phages. This is the first report of genome-wide information on a bacterium of the genus Rossellomorea isolated from the deep sea, providing insights into how microorganisms of this genus adapt to deep-sea environments., 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.)

Three psychrophilic bacteria, designated as strains SQ149 T , SQ345 T , and S1-1 T , were isolated from deep-sea sediment from the South China Sea. All three strains were the most closely related to Thalassotalea atypica RZG4-3-1 T based on the 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis (similarity ranged from 96.45 to 96.67 %). Phylogenetic analysis based on the 16S rRNA gene and core-genome sequences showed that three strains formed a cluster within the genus Thalassotalea . The average amino acid identity, average nucleotide identity, and digital DNA-DNA hybridization values among the three strains and closest Thalassotalea species were far below the cut-off value recommended for delineating species, indicating they each represented a novel species. All three strains were Gram-stain-negative, rod-shaped, and contained summed feature 3 (C 16 : 1  ω7 c and/or C 16 : 1  ω6 c ) as the predominant fatty acid, Q-8 as the major respiratory quinone, and phosphatidylethanolamine and phosphatidylglycerol as predominant polar lipids. Based on the genomic, phylogenetic, and phenotypic characterizations, each strain is considered to represent a novel species within the genus Thalassotalea , for which the names Thalassotalea psychrophila sp. nov. (type strain SQ149 T =MCCC 1K04231 T =JCM 33807 T ), Thalassotalea nanhaiensis sp. nov. (type strain SQ345 T =MCCC 1K04232 T =JCM 33808 T ), and Thalassotalea fonticola sp. nov. (type strain S1-1 T =MCCC 1K06879 T =JCM 34824 T ) are proposed.

Rossellomorea sp. DA94, isolated from mangrove sediment in the South China Sea (Beihai, Guangxi province), is an agarolytic and orange-pigmented bacterium. Here, we present the complete genome sequence of strain DA94, which comprises 4.63 Mb sequences with 43.5% GC content. In total, 4589 CDSs, 33 rRNA genes and 110 tRNA genes were obtained. Genomic analysis of strain DA94 revealed that 108 CAZymes were organized in 4578 PULs involved in polysaccharides degradation, transport, and regulation. Further, we performed the diversity of CAZymes and PULs comparison among Rossellomorea strains. Less CAZymes were organized more PULs, indicating highly efficiently polysaccharides utilization in Rossellomorea. Meanwhile, PUL0459, PUL0460 and PUL0316 related to agar degradation, and exolytic beta-agarase GH50, endo-type beta-agarase GH86 and arylsulfatase were identified in the genome of strain DA94. We verified that strain DA94 can degrade agar to form a bright clear zone around the bacterial colonies in the laboratory. Moreover, the carotenoid biosynthetic pathways were proposed, which may be responsible for orange-pigment of Rossellomorea sp. DA94. This study represents a thorough genomic characterization of CAZymes repertoire and carotenoid biosynthetic pathways of Rossellomorea, provides insight into diversity of related enzymes and their potential biotechnological applications., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that can have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Ruegeria sp. YS9, an aerobic and chemoheterotrophic bacterium belonging to marine Roseobacter lineage, was a putative new species isolated from red algae Eucheuma okamurai in the South China Sea (Beihai, Guangxi province). The complete genome sequence in strain YS9 comprised one circular chromosome with 3,244,635 bp and five circular plasmids ranging from 38,085 to 748,160 bp, with a total length of 4.30 Mb and average GC content of 58.39%. In total, 4129 CDSs, 52 tRNA genes and 9 rRNA genes were obtained. Genomic analysis of strain YS9 revealed that 85 CAZymes were organized in 147 PUL-associated CAZymes involved in polysaccharides metabolism, which were the highest among its two closely related Ruegeria strains. Numerous PULs related to degradation on the cell wall of algae, especially agar, indicated its major player role in the remineralization of algal-derived carbon. Further, the existence of multiple plasmids provided strain YS9 with distinct advantages to facilitate its rapid environmental adaptation, including polysaccharide metabolism, denitrification, resistance to heavy metal stresses such as copper and cobalt, type IV secretion systems and type IV toxin-antitoxin systems, which were obviously different from the two Ruegeria strains. This study provides evidence for polysaccharide metabolic capacity and functions of five plasmids in strain YS9, broadening our understanding of the ecological roles of bacteria in the environment around red algae and the function patterns of plasmids in marine Roseobacter lineage members for environmental adaptation., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that can have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

To estimate the incidence of foodborne gastroenteritis caused by nontyphoidal Salmonella enterica, Shigella, and Vibrio parahaemolyticus in China, population surveys and sentinel hospital surveillance were implemented in six provinces from July 2010 to July 2011, and a multiplier calculation model for the burden of disease was constructed. The multiplier for salmonellosis and V. parahaemolyticus gastroenteritis was estimated at 4,137 [95% confidence interval (CI) 2,320-5,663], and for shigellosis at 4,356 (95% CI 2,443-5,963). Annual incidence per 100,000 population was estimated as 245 (95% CI 138-336), 67 (95% CI 38-92), and 806 (95% CI 452-1,103) for foodborne salmonellosis, shigellosis, and V. parahaemolyticus gastroenteritis, respectively, indicating that foodborne infection caused by these three pathogens constitutes an important burden to the Chinese healthcare system. Continuous implementation of active surveillance of foodborne diseases, combined with multiplier models to estimate disease burden, makes it possible for us to better understand food safety status in China., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2022 Li et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

Gilvimarinus sp. DA14, a putative new species isolated from mangrove sediment in the South China Sea (Beihai, Guangxi province), is an aerobic and heterotrophic agar degrading bacterium. Here, we present the complete genome sequence of strain DA14, which comprises 3.96 Mb sequences with 53.39% GC content. In total, 3391 CDSs, 6 rRNA genes and 44 tRNA genes were obtained. Genomic analysis of strain DA14 revealed that 218 CAZymes classes were identified and they were organized in 371 CAZymes in PULs involved in polysaccharides degradation, transport and regulation. Further, we performed the genome comparison among Gilvimarinus strains and analysis the diversity of CAZymes and PULs. Meanwhile, ability of agar and alginate degradation in strain DA14 were analyzed. This study represents a thorough genomic characterization of CAZymes repertoire of Gilvimarinus, provides insight into diversity of polysaccharide degrading enzymes existing in Gilvimarinus sp. DA14 and their biotechnological applications., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that can have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Under the changing climate scenario, changes in precipitation regimes are expected to alter soil water and salinity conditions, with consequences on the characteristics of plant community in estuarine wetland. Here, we used a six-year (2015-2020) precipitation manipulation experiment to examine how plant community characteristics responded to precipitation changes in the Yellow River Delta. The results showed that soil electrical conductivity significantly decreased, while soil moisture significantly increased with increasing precipitation. Precipitation changes altered plant community composition. Increased precipitation reduced the absolute dominance of Suaeda glauca and Suaeda salsa , but increased that of Triarrhena sacchariflora and Imperata cylindrica . Shannon index and Margalef richness index of plant community significantly increased with increasing precipitation. Compared with the control, both decreased and increased precipitation decreased the plant community abundance, frequency and coverage. The treatment of 60% increased precipitation significantly decreased plant community frequency by 54.9%, while the 60% decreased precipitation, 40% decreased precipitation, 40% increased precipitation and 60% increased precipitation treatment significantly decreased plant abundance by 38.9%, 33.8%, 35.8% and 45.7%, respectively. The aboveground biomass significantly increased with increasing precipitation, but aboveground plant biomass under 60% increased precipitation treatment being lower than that reducing under 40% increased precipitation treatment, probably due to the negative effects of flooding stress. In addition, Margalef richness index had a significantly positive relationship with aboveground biomass. Aboveground biomass, Shannon diversity index, Margalef richness index, and Simpson diversity index were negatively related to soil electrical conductivity, and aboveground plant biomass was positively related to soil moisture. Our results revealed that precipitation changes regulate growth characteristics, species composition, and diversity of plant community by altering soil water and salinity conditions in a coastal wetland.

Background: Few studies have discussed the contradictory roles of mutated-PI3Kα in HER2-positive (HER2+) breast cancer. Thus, we characterised the adaptive roles of PI3Kα mutations among HER2+ tumour progression., Methods: We conducted prospective clinical sequencing of 1923 Chinese breast cancer patients and illustrated the clinical significance of PIK3CA mutations in locally advanced and advanced HER2+ cohort. A high-throughput PIK3CA mutations-barcoding screen was performed to reveal impactful mutation sites in tumour growth and drug responses., Results: PIK3CA mutations acted as a protective factor in treatment-naïve patients; however, advanced/locally advanced patients harbouring mutated-PI3Kα exhibited a higher progressive disease rate (100% vs. 15%, p = .000053) and a lower objective response rate (81.7% vs. 95.4%, p = .0008) in response to trastuzumab-based therapy. Meanwhile, patients exhibiting anti-HER2 resistance had a relatively high variant allele fraction (VAF) of PIK3CA mutations; we defined the VAF > 12.23% as a predictor of poor anti-HER2 neoadjuvant treatment efficacy. Pooled mutations screen revealed that specific PI3Kα mutation alleles mediated own biological effects. PIK3CA functional mutations suppressed the growth of HER2+ cells, but conferred anti-HER2 resistance, which can be reversed by the PI3Kα-specific inhibitor BYL719., Conclusions: We proposed adaptive treatment strategies that the mutated PIK3CA and amplified ERBB2 should be concomitantly inhibited when exposing to continuous anti-HER2 therapy, while the combination of anti-HER2 and anti-PI3Kα treatment was not essential for anti-HER2 treatment-naïve patients. These findings improve the understanding of genomics-guided treatment in the different progressions of HER2+ breast cancer., (© 2021 The Authors. Clinical and Translational Medicine published by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd on behalf of Shanghai Institute of Clinical Bioinformatics.)

Background: Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a fatal neurodegenerative disorder associated with loss of motor neurons. Our objective was to explore the epidemiology, clinical features, and survival factors of 1809 patients with ALS., Methods: We analyzed 1809 ALS patients, who were recruited from the Peking University Third Hospital from January 2005 to December 2015. Demographic data and disease-related parameters were collected. Kaplan-Meier curves were used to compare survival time. Cox proportional hazards function and the hazard ratio were used to identify adjusted prognostic predictors., Results: The results showed that the average annual incidence in Beijing alone was 0.38 cases/100,000 person-years and the mean age of onset was 48.88 ± 11.35 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 48.17-49.85) years. The median survival time from onset to death/tracheostomy was 58.89 ± 33.03 (95% CI: 51.46-63.84) months. In the adjusted Cox proportional hazard model, age of onset, diagnosis delay, rate of disease progression (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Functional Rating Scale Revised decline [points/month]), and body mass index all had an independent effect on survival in ALS., Conclusions: Our study provides information on epidemiology, clinical features, and survival factors of patients with ALS in China. These results can be helpful in clinical practice, clinical trial design, and validation of new tools to predict disease progression., (Copyright © 2021 The Chinese Medical Association, produced by Wolters Kluwer, Inc. under the CC-BY-NC-ND license.)

Purpose: To investigate the association between the use of proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) and the risk of early biliary infection (EBI) after the placement of percutaneous transhepatic biliary stents (PTBS) in patients with unresectable malignant biliary obstruction (MBO)., Materials and Methods: A total of 136 patients with unresectable MBO (82 males and 54 females) treated with PTBS were included in this multicenter retrospective study. PPIs were prescribed to MBO patients with dyspepsia. The risk factors for EBI were identified by univariate and multivariate analyses. The association between the use of PPIs and EBI was assessed by logistic analyses., Results: A total of 72 (53%) patients were regular users of PPIs, and 33 (24%) patients developed EBI after PTBS. Univariate and multivariate analyses revealed that diabetes (hazard ratio [HR], 20.3; 95% confidence interval [CI], 5.6-72.9; P <.001), biliary stones (HR, 20.3; 95% CI, 5.6-72.9; P <.001) and PPIs (HR, 4.0; 95% CI, 1.2-12.8; P =.020) were risk factors for EBI. Further analyses of the correlation between the duration of PPIs use and EBI demonstrated that a prolonged use of PPIs significantly increased the risk of EBI (PPIs for <15 days vs 15-30 days: HR, 10.2; 95% CI, 3.1-33.3; P <.001; and PPIs <15 days vs ≥30 days; HR, 20.4; 95% CI, 2.2-192.3; P <.001)., Conclusion: The use of PPIs increased the risk of EBI after PTBS in patients with unresectable MBO. Furthermore, the risk of EBI increased with a prolonged duration of PPIs use., (Copyright © 2021. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Bald patches (BPs) are known to accelerate and simultaneously mitigate the process of desertification. However, the mechanisms of these two synchronous actions are little studied in high desert and cold systems; and the incidence of BPs on alpine meadows degradation in Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau (QTP) of China is still unavailable. This study first aims to investigate the soil properties and the erodibility of the system BPs-VPs at the Beiluhe basin in QTP. Then, we adopted dye tracer and HYDRUS-2/3D methods to interpret the water infiltration patterns from point scale to slope scale. The results show that the mattic epipedon layer on the top soil (0-20 cm) of VPs directly reduced the impact of raindrops on alpine meadow; and the adhesion of root system in VPs prevented the soil particles from stripping and washing away by runoff. The soil particles in BPs were easily eroded by rainfall, lowering the ground level of BPs relative to the ground level of VPs. The two patches therefore alternated to form an erosion interface where marginal meadow was likely detached by raindrops, and washed away through runoff. The saturated hydraulic conductivity (K s ) of surface soil (0-10 cm) was 124% higher in BPs than the VPs. Thereby, BPs caused a high spatial variation of infiltration and runoff in QTP. Moreover, this difference in K s between the two patches conducted to a lateral flow from BPs to VPs, and to soil layers with different water contents. These findings highlight that the water flow features can potentially disturb the processes of freezing-thawing, frost heaves, and thaw slump; and accelerate the alpine meadow degradation. Therefore, land cover such as crop and vegetation should be applied over the bare soil surface to prevent the degradation of alpine meadow., 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 investigate the diagnosis, treatment and prognosis of uterine serous carcinoma (USC), and further analyze the prognostic factors. Methods: USC patients who underwent surgery with complete follow-up at Cancer Hospital, Peking Union Medical College, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences between January 1, 2004 and December 31, 2014 were retrospectively reviewed. The Kaplan-Meier method and Cox regression analysis were used for survival analysis. Results: (1) Diagnosis and treatment: the study included 71 USC patients. Only 32 patients (45%, 32/71) were diagnosed preoperatively with USC, and 25 cases of them (35%, 25/71) underwent USC standard comprehensive staging surgery. Of the 25 patients, 10 cases (40%, 10/25) had up-staged after operation. (2) Prognosis: the 5-year disease free survival (DFS) rate and overall survival (OS) rate for all patients were 76.5% and 80.6%, respectively. (3) The results of prognostic factors analysis: univariate analysis on age, range of lymphadenectomy, peritoneal cytology, the depth of myometrial invasion, adnexal and (or) serosa involvement and omentum metastasis were significantly associated with 5-year DFS rate (all P <0.05); range of lymphadenectomy, range of surgical staging, peritoneal cytology, adnexal and (or) serosa involvement and postoperative adjuvant treatment were significantly associated with 5-year OS rate (all P <0.05). Multivariate analysis on range of surgical staging ( HR =5.18, 95% CI : 1.04-25.70, P =0.044) and adnexal and (or) serosa involvement ( HR =8.41, 95% CI : 2.28-31.05, P =0.001) were independent prognostic factors for 5-year DFS rate; range of lymphadenectomy [no lymphadenectomy vs pelvic lymphadenectomy (PLN)+para-aortic lymphadenectomy (PALN), HR =27.76, 95% CI : 1.76-437.78, P =0.018;PLN vs PLN+PALN, HR =5.98, 95% CI : 1.11-32.27, P =0.038] and peritoneal cytology ( HR =5.47, 95% CI : 1.18-25.39, P =0.030) were independent prognostic factors for 5-year OS rate. Conclusions: The preoperative pathological diagnosis of USC is difficult, resulting in incomplete surgical staging and inaccurate staging. Range of surgical staging, adnexal and (or) serosa involvement, peritoneal cytology and range of lymphadenectomy are independent prognostic factors, which deserve much attention in clinical practice.

The remarkable advances in next-generation sequencing technology have enabled the wide usage of sequencing as a clinical tool. To promote the advance of precision oncology for breast cancer in China, here we report a large-scale prospective clinical sequencing program using the Fudan-BC panel, and comprehensively analyze the clinical and genomic characteristics of Chinese breast cancer. The mutational landscape of 1,134 breast cancers reveals that the most significant differences between Chinese and Western patients occurred in the hormone receptor positive, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 negative breast cancer subtype. Mutations in p53 and Hippo signaling pathways are more prevalent, and 2 mutually exclusive and 9 co-occurring patterns exist among 9 oncogenic pathways in our cohort. Further preclinical investigation partially suggests that NF2 loss-of-function mutations can be sensitive to a Hippo-targeted strategy. We establish a public database (Fudan Portal) and a precision medicine knowledge base for data exchange and interpretation. Collectively, our study presents a leading approach to Chinese precision oncology treatment and reveals potentially actionable mutations in breast cancer.

Objective: To determine the environmental contamination degree of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in corona virus disease 2019 (COVID-19) wards, to offer gui-dance for the infection control and to improve safety practices for medical staff, by sampling and detecting SARS-CoV-2 nucleic acid from the air of hospital wards, the high-frequency contact surfaces in the contaminated area and the surfaces of medical staff's protective equipment in a COVID-19 designated hospital in Wuhan, China., Methods: From March 11 to March 19, 2020, we collected air samples from the clean area, the buffer room and the contaminated area respectively in the COVID-19 wards using a portable bioaerosol concentrator WA-15. And sterile premoistened swabs were used to sample the high-frequency contacted surfaces in the contaminated area and the surfaces of medical staff's protective equipment including outermost gloves, tracheotomy operator's positive pressure respiratory protective hood and isolation clothing. The SARS-CoV-2 nucleic acid of the samples were detected by real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR. During the isolation medical observation period, those medical staff who worked in the COVID-19 wards were detected for SARS-CoV-2 nucleic acid with oropharyngeal swabs, IgM and IgG antibody in the sera, and chest CT scans to confirm the infection status of COVID-19., Results: No SARS-CoV-2 nucleic acid was detected in the tested samples, including the 90 air samples from the COVID-19 wards including clean area, buffer room and contaminated area, the 38 high-frequency contact surfaces samples of the contaminated area and 16 surface samples of medical staff's protective equipment including outermost gloves and isolation clothing. Moreover, detection of SARS-CoV-2 nucleic acid by oropharyngeal swabs and IgM, IgG antibodies in the sera of all the health-care workers who participated in the treatment for COVID-19 were all negative. Besides, no chest CT scan images of medical staff exhibited COVID-19 lung presentations., Conclusion: Good ventilation conditions, strict disinfection of environmental facilities in hospital wards, guidance for correct habits in patients, and strict hand hygiene during medical staff are important to reduce the formation of viral aerosols, cut down the aerosol load, and avoid cross-infection in isolation wards. In the face of infectious diseases that were not fully mastered but ma-naged as class A, it is safe for medical personnel to be equipped at a high level.

Background: Gastric cancer (GC) is a heavy burden in China. Nutritional support for GC patients is closely related to postoperative rehabilitation. However, the role of early oral feeding after laparoscopic radical total gastrectomy in GC patients is unclear and high-quality research evidence is scarce., Aim: To prospectively explore the safety, feasibility and short-term clinical outcomes of early oral feeding after laparoscopic radical total gastrectomy for GC patients., Methods: This study was a prospective cohort study conducted between January 2018 and December 2019 based in a high-volume tertiary hospital in China. A total of 206 patients who underwent laparoscopic radical total gastrectomy for GC were enrolled. Of which, 105 patients were given early oral feeding (EOF group) after surgery, and the other 101 patients were given the traditional feeding strategy (control group) after surgery. Perioperative clinical data were recorded and analyzed. The primary endpoints were gastrointestinal function recovery time and postoperative complications, and the secondary endpoints were postoperative nutritional status, length of hospital stay and expenses, etc ., Results: Compared with the control group, patients in the EOF group had a significantly shorter postoperative first exhaust time (2.48 ± 1.17 d vs 3.37 ± 1.42 d, P = 0.001) and first defecation time (3.83 ± 2.41 d vs 5.32 ± 2.70 d, P = 0. 004). In addition, the EOF group had a significant shorter postoperative hospitalization duration (5.85 ± 1.53 d vs 7.71 ± 1.56 d, P < 0.001) and lower postoperative hospitalization expenses (16.60 ± 5.10 K¥ vs 21.00 ± 7.50 K¥, P = 0.014). On the 5 th day after surgery, serum prealbumin level (214.52 ± 22.47 mg/L vs 204.17 ± 20.62 mg/L, P = 0.018), serum gastrin level (246.30 ± 57.10 ng/L vs 223.60 ± 55.70 ng/L, P = 0.001) and serum motilin level (424.60 ± 68.30 ng/L vs 409.30 ± 61.70 ng/L, P = 0.002) were higher in the EOF group. However, there was no significant difference in the incidence of total postoperative complications between the two groups ( P = 0.507)., Conclusion: Early oral feeding after laparoscopic radical total gastrectomy can promote the recovery of gastrointestinal function, improve postoperative nutritional status, reduce length of hospital stay and expenses while not increasing the incidence of related complications, which indicates its safety, feasibility and potential benefits for gastric cancer patients., Competing Interests: Conflict-of-interest statement: None of the authors have any conflict of interest disclosures to make., (©The Author(s) 2020. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To analyze the molecular characteristics of Listeria monocytogenes strains from ready-to eat food in China. Methods: A total of 239 Listeria monocytogenes strains isolated from ready-to-eat food in 2017, all strains underwent whole-genome sequencing (WGS) , and comparisons uncovered population structure derived from lineages, clonal complex, serogroups, antimicrobial susceptibility and virulence, which were inferred in silico from the WGS data. Core genome multilocus sequence typing was used to subtype isolates. Results: All strains were categorized into three different lineages, lineage Ⅱ was the predominant types in food, and IIa was the main serogroups. CC8, CC101 and CC87 were the first three prevalent CCs among 23 detected CCs, accounting for 49.4%. Only 4.6% (11 isolates) of tested strains harbored antibiotic resistance genes, which were mostly trimethoprim genes (7 isolates, 2.9%). All strains were positive for LIPI-1, and only a part of strains harbored LIPI-3 and LIPI-4, accounting for 13.8% (33 isolates) and 14.2% (34 isolates), respectively. ST619 carried both LIPI-3 and LIPI-4. 51.5% (123 isolates) of strains carried SSI-1, and all CC121 strains harbored SSI-2. Different lineages, serogroups and CCs can be separated obviously through cgMLST analysis, and 24 sublineages were highly concordant with CCs. Conclusion: Ⅱa was the main serogroups in ready-to-eat food isolates in China; CC8, CC101 and CC87 were the prevalent CCs, and CC87 isolates was hypervirulent isolates, cgMLST method can be adopted for prospective foodborne disease surveillance and outbreaks detection.

Background: This study aims to explore the effectiveness of vitamin D for the management of adult patients with gingivitis., Methods: We will perform a comprehensive search from the following electronic databases: Cochrane Library, PUBMED, EMBASE, AMED, CINAHL, WANGFANG, VIP, CBM, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure. All databases will be searched from their inceptions to the present without language limitation. We will also search for unpublished data to avoid missing more potential studies. Two authors will carry out study selection, data extraction, and methodological quality evaluation, respectively. RevMan 5.3 software will be utilized for statistical analysis., Results: This study will summarize the up-to-date evidence about the anti-inflammatory effect of vitamin D for the management of adult patients with gingivitis through assessing modified gingival, gingival bleeding indices, inflammatory factors, plaque, quality of life, and any adverse events., Conclusion: This study may provide helpful evidence of vitamin D for the management of adult patients with gingivitis for clinical practice., Systematic Review Registration: PROSPERO CRD42019156561.

NEK1 was recently identified as an amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) gene through rare variant burden analysis, and its role in ALS in various populations is still unclear. The aim of this study was to determine the frequency and spectrum of NEK1 mutations in an ALS cohort from mainland China. All exons and their flanking intron regions of NEK1 were screened by direct nucleotide sequencing in 377 unrelated ALS patients. These patients were also screened with a massive parallel sequencing gene panel for 24 known ALS genes and C9orf72 hexanucleotide repeat expansion. In totality, we detected 9 variants, comprising 3 novel heterozygous loss-of-function mutations and 6 rare missense variants (MAF < 0.1%) in NEK1. The patient with splice site mutation also carried another probably damaging variant in SOD1. Our study established a NEK1 mutant frequency of 0.8% in Chinese ALS patients, further expanded its spectrum of variants, and highlighted the possibility of coexistence with variants in additional ALS genes in NEK1 loss-of-function carriers., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objective: Shellfish are recognized as important vehicles of norovirus-associated gastroenteritis. The present study aimed to monitor norovirus contamination in oysters along the farm-to-fork continuum in Guangxi, a major oyster production area in Southwestern China., Methods: Oyster samples were collected monthly from farms, markets, and restaurants, from January to December 2016. Norovirus was detected and quantified by one-step reverse transcription-droplet digital polymerase chain reaction (RT-ddPCR)., Results: A total of 480 oyster samples were collected and tested for norovirus genogroups I and II. Norovirus was detected in 20.7% of samples, with genogroup II predominating. No significant difference was observed in norovirus prevalence among different sampling sites. The norovirus levels varied widely, with a geometric mean of 19,300 copies/g in digestive glands. Both norovirus prevalence and viral loads showed obvious seasonality, with a strong winter bias., Conclusion: This study provides a systematic analysis of norovirus contamination 'from the farm to the fork' in Guangxi. RT-ddPCR can be a useful tool for detection and quantification of low amounts of norovirus in the presence of inhibitors found particularly in foodstuffs. This approach will contribute to the development of strategies for controlling and reducing the risk of human illness resulting from shellfish consumption., (Copyright © 2018 The Editorial Board of Biomedical and Environmental Sciences. Published by China CDC. All rights reserved.)

Purpose: To analyze the clinical features, histopathological features, treatment and prognosis of carcinosarcoma in oromaxillofacial head and neck region., Methods: The clinical and histopathological data of 10 cases with carcinosarama were collected from database of Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital and further analyzed., Results: A total of 10 cases (8 males and 2 females) of carcinosarcoma were collected and analyzed. The age of patients ranged from 20 to 81 years (mean: 44, median:45.5). The tumor size was related to the primary site. The main clinical manifestations indicated rapid increase of foreign body sensation or mass, even feeling of pain. Pathologic examination confirmed the presence of carcinoma and sarcomatoid stroma. Carcinosarcoma had low incidence and was easily misdiagnosed. Diagnosis depended on pathologic examination especially immunohistochemistry. The prognosis was poor, and 5 year survival rate was 50%., Conclusions: Diagnosis to carcinosarcoma depends on pathological examination after operation. Complete resection + free flap transplantation + postoperative radiotherapy and chemotherapy are conventional treatment.

The objective of this study was to identify different barriers to healthcare access for international students in China. The study employed a cross sectional descriptive study using both qualitative and quantitative method. A representative sample of international students of a reputed university in China completed a mail back survey having a response rate of 7.5%. Identified barriers are classified as Cognitive, Financial and Structural barriers. One third (36.9%) international students perceived their health condition in China as bad in comparison with their home countries. More than two third of the students did not know their health insurance coverage. Around 71% students agreed that language was a barrier to health care access in China and majority of them think that interpreter service should be available at hospitals. To improve healthcare access - formal interpreter services, translated materials, reconsideration of health insurance should be taken into account. As per our knowledge, this is the first study to investigate healthcare access barriers for international students in China. Further large scale study should be undertaken.

Background: Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a fatal neurodegenerative disease that primarily affects motor neurons and has no effective treatment. Recently, Iida et al. identified a single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) rs2275294 in the ZNF512B gene that is significantly associated with susceptibility to ALS in the Japanese population. Here, we performed a case-control study examining the possible association of rs2275294 with risk of sporadic ALS (SALS) in a large Chinese cohort., Methods: To assess this association, we performed a replication study in 953 SALS patients and 1039 age- and gender-matched healthy control subjects, who were recruited from Peking University Third Hospital and the First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University from January 2004 to December 2013 throughout China. We genotyped the rs2275294 SNP using polymerase chain reaction and direct sequencing., Results: The allele frequency of rs2275294 in ZNF512B was different between Japanese and Chinese. The association in Chinese between ALS patients and controls did not reach statistical significance (P = 0.54; odds ratio = 0.94; 95% confidence interval = 0.76-1.15)., Conclusions: The SNP rs2275294 in ZNF512B is not considered to be associated with ALS susceptibility in the Chinese population. Our study highlights genetic heterogeneity in ALS susceptibility in different population. Given our negative results, further replication study involving larger and more homogeneous samples in different ethnicities should be performed in the future.

An important aspect of the current global change research is using river chemical composition to reveal the chemical weathering process and its effect of carbon sink. In this study, water samples were collected and analyzed 2 ~3 times per month from January to December in 2013. The hydrochemistry belonged to HCO3-Ca type. Ca+ and HCO3- were the main cation and anion, which reflected that the hydrochemical characteristics of river were mainly affected by the dissolution of carbonate rock. The concentration of main ions varied with the seasons, which reflected that the crest value occurred in winter, followed by those in autumn and spring, and the lowest value was observed in summer. Due to the interaction of effect of dilution and effect of C2, the seasonal variation of Ca2+ and HCO3- showed that the highest value was in autumn and the lowest value was in summer. The seasonal variation law of other ions should be attributed to the effect of dilution or agricultural activities or combined action of them. Both carbonic acid and sulfuric acid took part in the chemical weathering of carbonate rocks as evidenced by stoichiometric analysis. Besides, the δ34S of sulfate ion of the river waters (δ34S: from 7. 65 per thousand to 8. 55 per thousand) showed that SO2- was originated mainly from oxidation of sulfide minerals in ore deposits and acid rain. Chemical mass balance method was applied to estimate the proportion of HCO- coming from carbonate weathering by sulfuric acid. The result was 28. 26% . On this basis, the total carbon flux of carbon ( by CO2 calculation) in Liuzhou section calculated month by month was about 8. 95 x 10(5) t . a-1. What's more, the carbon flux showed a positive correlation with flow, which implied that the discharge of catchment was the main influencing factor of carbon flux rather than the HCO3- concentration.

Objective: To investigate whether there is an association between diameter of bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG) scars and effect of purified protein derivative (PPD) reaction and to determine whether vitamin A (VA) combined vitamin D (VD) supplementation influences the immune response to BCG revaccinated in Chinese infants., Methods: A cross-section and 3-month community-randomised trial was conducted. A total of 5 629 infants at 3, 6 and 12 months of age in Junan County of China were examined for BCG scar formation. Then, 597 revaccinated infants were randomly assigned to supplementation (n=307) and control (n=290) groups. The supplementation group were daily assigned to 1 500 IU VA and 500 IU VD for 3 months. Then all infants were subjected to skin test with PPD., Results: The diameter of BCG scars was positively correlated with diameter of skin indurations of PPD (r=0.17, P<0.05) in the 5 629 infants. The rate of positive response to PPD was higher in the supplementation group than in the control group (96.1% versus 89.7%, P<0.05, prevalence ratio 1.07, 95% CI 1.02-1.12). The prevalence ratio of PPD response for the supplementation group compared with that for the control group was 1.07 (95% CI 1.01-1.13) for the males and 1.08 (95% CI 1.00-1.17) for the females. For the supplementation group, the males got larger tuberculin induration than the females [(0.73±0.21) cm versus (0.67±0.20) cm, P<0.05) after intervention., Conclusions: The diameter of BCG scars was effectively correlated with PPD response, which indicates BCG scar formation may be an useful tool to evaluate the effect of tuberculosis prevention. VA combined VD supplementation may play an immuno-regulatory role in BCG revaccination. This may contribute to the prevention of childhood tuberculosis., (Copyright © 2014 Hainan Medical College. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To evaluate the effect of health education on prevention from schistosome infection in engineering construction workers in Poyang Lake area., Methods: The workers for constructing "De Chang" highway in Poyang Lake area were divided randomly into an experiment group and a control group, "health education + protective skill training" was carried out in the experiment group, whereas, no intervention was implemented in the control group., Results: In the experiment group, the awareness rates of schistosomiasis control knowledge were 7.96% and 96.39% before and after the intervention, respectively; the rates of contacting infested water were 100% and 1.77% pre- and post-intervention, respectively; the work protective rates increased from zero before the intervention to 100% after the intervention; there was no person infected with schistosome after the intervention. However, in the control group, all the indexes above-mentioned had no significant changes., Conclusion: The intervention model "health education + protective skill training", can effectively prevent from schistosome infection in engineering construction workers in Poyang Lake area.

The contents of Cu, Pb, Zn, Cr, As and Hg in surface sediment from 14 sampling sites in the Huanghe estuary during July-August, 2011 were measured to investigate environmental geochemical characteristics of heavy metals related to multiple factors. The distribution, relationship with fine fraction and TOC, and sediment quality assessment concerning heavy metals were analyzed. The results showed that average concentrations of Cu, Pb, Zn, Cr, As and Hg in the Huanghe estuary were (16.5 +/- 2.7), (16.0 +/- 3.4), (21.0 +/- 3.3), (17.4 +/- 3.1), (6.5 +/- 1.2), (0.0444 +/- 0.0307) mg x kg(-1), respectively, which were lower than those in other typical areas along the coast of China. The distribution of metals displayed higher profiles in south than that in north of the Huanghe estuary, with a trend of increase seaward, especially for stations in southwest of the Laizhou bay. The insignificant correlation among metals indicated the complex sources of heavy metals in flood season. Pearson correlation was also conducted between metal contents and percentage of fine particulates and TOC, which was also insignificant, suggesting heavy metal concentration and distribution in the study region were also controlled by other factors except grain size and TOC. There was a good correlation between clay fraction and TOC (r = 0.724, P < 0.05), indicating TOC tends to accumulate in clay. Compared with variety of background values and an internationally used consensus-based sediment quality guidelines (CBSQGs) for saltwater ecosystem, heavy metals in surface sediments from the Huanghe estuary implied a low probability of toxic effect, despite a sharp contamination trend pertaining to Hg and Pb since 1980s.

Juvenile amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a rare form of motor neuron disease and occurs before 25 years of age. Only very few sporadic cases of juvenile-onset ALS have been reported. Rare SOD1 mutations and several FUS mutations have been identified in juvenile-onset ALS patients. To define the genetics of juvenile-onset sporadic ALS (SALS) of Chinese origin, we sequenced all 5 exons of SOD1, exons 3-6 and 12-15 of FUS in 11 juvenile-onset SALS patients, 105 adult-onset ALS patients (including 6 familial ALS [FALS] pedigrees), and 245 healthy controls. For the 11 juvenile-onset SALS and 6 FALS cases, the other 7 exons of FUS were also screened. A heterozygous de novo missense mutation c.1574C>T (p.P525L), a heterozygous de novo 2-base pair deletion c.1509&#95;1510delAG (p.G504Wfs*12), and a nonsense mutation c.1483C>T (p.R495X) was each identified in 1 juvenile SALS patient. A heterozygous missense mutation c.1561C>G (p.R521G) was identified in a FALS proband. In the Chinese population, the frequency of FUS mutation in FALS is 11.4% (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.9%-22.0%), higher than the Japanese (10%; 95% CI, 0.7%-19.3%), and Caucasians (4.9%; 95% CI, 3.9%-6.0%). The frequency of FUS mutation in SALS patients is 1.5% (95% CI, 0.2%-2.9%), which is similar to Koreans (1.6%; 95% CI, 0%-3.2%), but higher than in Caucasians (0.6%; 95% CI, 0.4%-0.8%). Our findings suggest that de novo FUS mutations are associated with juvenile-onset SALS of Chinese origin and that this gene should be screened in ALS patients with a young age of onset, aggressive progression, and sporadic occurrence., (Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

The high incidence of various soil-borne diseases in the monoculture field of peanut is a major production constraint in the red soil regions of southern China. The peanut root exudates are generally thought to play an important role in regulating soil-borne pathogens. The responses of the soil-borne pathogens, Fusarium oxysporum and F. solani to the peanut root exudates were studied using one susceptible cultivar Ganhua-5 (GH) and one mid-resistant cultivar Quanhua-7 (QH) as the test materials. The components and contents of the amino acids, sugars and phenolic acids in the peanut root exudates were determined. The results demonstrated that the root exudates from both susceptible and mid-resistant cultivars significantly promoted the spore germination, sporulation and mycelial growth of soil-borne pathogens, F. oxysporum, F. solani compared with the control. The extent of the stimulation was depended on the strains of the Fusarium tested, and gradually increased with the increased concentrations of peanut root exudates. HPLC analysis showed that the contents of sugars, alanine, total amino acids in the root exudates of GH were significantly higher than that in QH, whereas the contents of p-hydroxybenzoic acid, benzoic acid, p-coumaric acid and total phenolic acids were significantly lower than that in QH. Results of the study suggested that the differences in the root exudates from the different peanut cultivars were considered to regulate the wilt-resistance mechanism in the rhizosphere of peanut. The results are therefore crucial important to illustrate the mechanism of peanut replanted obstacle, and to develop its control techniques in the red soil regions of southern China.

Sciaenidae is one of the largest fish families, but the phylogeny and taxonomy of these fishes are still being disputed. Furthermore, the taxonomic status of the Chinese bahaba (Bahaba taipingensis), which is an endemic species to China, had never been studied through molecular method. In this study, phylogenetic relationships among sciaenid species were reconstructed using DNA sequence data from the mitochondrial cytochrome b (cyt b) gene and the 16S ribosomal RNA (16S rRNA) gene through Bayesian inference (BI) analyses. The phylogenetic trees indicated that the Chinese bahaba closely related to Collichthys and Pseudosciaena. Previous studies (Meng et al. 2004. Prog Nat Sci 14(5):514-521, [in Chinese]) showed that the subfamily Pseudosciaeninae represented the latest evolutionary sort, which was more suitable with the current environment. Based on our 16S rRNA, the Chinese bahaba showed close relationship with Pseudosciaena, thus the divergence of the Chinese bahaba maybe also very late within the family Sciaenidae. It was probably that the oceanographic or ecological discontinuities of these species vary considerably causing particularly strong breaks. Furthermore, combined with previous studies, we suggested that there was only one genus, Otolithes, within the subfamily Otolithinae. Nevertheless, the taxonomic status of the Chinese bahaba and the phylogeny of the whole family were not completely solved. Additional samples of more species are required to develop a clearer picture of the evolutionary history of Sciaenidae.

Little is known about the discrepancy of the potential antiviral resistance mutation profiles within the hepatitis B virus (HBV) reverse transcriptase (RT) between nucleos(t)ide analogue (NA)-untreated and -treated patients with chronic hepatitis B. Full-length HBV RT sequences from 59 NA-treated and 105 NA-untreated Chinese patients were amplified and sequenced. Forty-two potential NA resistance (NAr) mutation sites were screened within these 164 RT sequences. The NAr mutation prevalence and frequency in the NA-treated group were significantly higher than those in the NA-untreated one (P < 0.001, respectively). The classical primary drug resistance and secondary/compensatory mutations were only detected at seven sites (rtL80, rtI169, rtL180, rtA181, rtT184, rtM204, and rtN236) in NA-treated patients. The non-classical putative NAr and pre-treatment mutations were observed at 22 sites (rtT38, rtN/S53, rtL82, rtL/I91, rtN/Y124, rtH126, rtT128, rtN/D134, rtN139, rtR153, rtV191, rtV207, rtS213, rtV214, rtE218, rtY/F221, rtV/I224, rtL229, rtI233, rtN/H238, rtR242, and rtS/C256) in both groups. Substitutions at seven non-classical mutation sites were of interest due to either detection only in patients with virologic breakthrough (rtL82 and rtV214), or potential ties with HBV genotypes (rtV191 and rtL229), or coexistence with rtM204I/V (rtL229), or increased mutation trends after NA-treatment (rtT128, rtV207, and rtN/H238). In conclusion, NA treatment not only constitutes a major selection factor for the primary and secondary/compensatory NAr mutations but also drives the changes of some of the putative NAr mutation sites, most of which are the genotype-independent RT sites (rtL82, rtT128, rtV191, rtV207, rtV214, rtL229, and rtN/H238). Their antiviral resistance potential calls for further investigations., (Copyright © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Objective: Symptomatic predictors of influenza could assess risks and improve decisions about isolation and outpatient treatment. To develop such predictors, we undertook a prospective analysis of pandemic (H1N1) 2009 and seasonal influenza (H3N2) in patients attending fever clinics., Methods: From 1 May 2009 to 1 January 2010, all adult patients admitted to fever clinics for suspected influenza, confirmed by real time RT-PCR, were enrolled. Predictors of influenza virus infection were selected with logistic regression models. Measures of sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative likelihood ratios (LRs) were calculated to identify the best predictors., Results: The clinical features and routine blood test results of influenza (H1N1) 2009 and seasonal influenza were similar. The positive and negative LRs of current US CDC influenza-like illness (ILI) criteria were modest in predicting influenza infection. Our modified clinic predictors improved the ability of the positive and negative LRs to recognize pandemic (H1N1) 2009 and seasonal influenza. The revised criteria are: fever >38 °C accompanied by at least one of the following-cough, arthralgia or relative lymphopenia., Conclusion: Patients with symptoms and signs that meet the new criteria are likely to have influenza and timely antiviral therapy may be appropriate. In addition, physicians should ascertain if influenza is circulating within the community or if there is a contact history of influenza and combine this information with the newly developed criteria to clinically diagnose influenza., (Copyright © 2012 The Editorial Board of Biomedical and Environmental Sciences. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

This study is to develop a new multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) system that simultaneously amplifies the nine X-chromosome short tandem repeats loci in the same PCR reaction, and to explore their polymorphism and mutation rate among three nationality populations from China. These loci included DXS6854, DXS9902, DXS6809, GATA172D05, HPRTB, DXS7423, DXS6807, DXS8378, and DXS8377. The samples of 890 (484 males and 406 females) unrelated individuals from Guangdong Han population, Xinjiang Uigur, and Inner-Mongolia Mongol were successfully analyzed using this multiplex system. The allele frequencies and mutation rates of the nine loci were investigated, and the comparison of allele frequency distribution among different populations was performed. There were 87 alleles for all the loci, and six to 18 alleles for each locus observed by our new multiplex PCR system. Polymorphism information content was 0.4998-0.9101, and power of discrimination in females was 0.6518-0.9846. Five cases with mutation of above loci were detected in 5,310 meioses. Pair-wise comparisons of allele frequencies distribution showed significant differences for most loci among different populations. Our results indicate that this multiplex system is very useful for identification analysis, and that the information about polymorphism and mutation rate is necessary for forensic application in three nationality populations from China.

Objective: To understand the spectrum of diseases and epidemiological characteristics of outpatients at Entric Disease Clinic, with a focus on analysis of the distribution of infectious diarrheal diseases in different populations and to explore disease control strategies on Enteric Infectious Diseases for focal groups., Methods: A census on outpatients at Entric Disease Clinics was conducted in two class Three comprehensive hospitals in Beijing from April 1 to October 31, 2009 based on a descriptive study using diarrhea-syndrome surveillance system set in the two clinics, thus to depict the spectrum of diseases and epidemiological characteristics of outpatients, and analyze the proportion of infectious diarrhea in diarrheal diseases specifically and the rate changes of infectious diarrhea in different months, age groups and occupational groups., Results: Diseases are varied at the two enteric diseases clinics among the patients and there are mainly 10 kinds of diseases, "non-infectious diarrhea" accounted for the highest percentage (77.4%), followed by "unspecified diarrhea" (11.7%), and infectious diarrhea accounted for the least proportion(8.7%)."Gastroenteritis and enteritis" are the most frequently diagnosed cases among all the diseases, was a total of 7 565 cases, accounting for 70.2%. The volume of visits reached its top during summer and autumn(July to September), and the mean volume of visits in this period is (60.78+/-16.85) cases/day. The volume of visits has an obvious seasonal trend, and visits during July and August are the most frequent (41.82% altogether). Patients with "infectious diarrhea" had a highest ratio(5.3%) in May and lowest (1.1%) in October while patients with "bacillary dysentery" accounted for a highest ratio(8.2%) in September and lowest(3.8%) in April. Outpatients are mainly from Beijing city(61.9%), in which young and middle-aged people accounted for 73.9% in total, and student is the main occupation (28.8%). The distributions of diarrheal diseases are the same in different age groups but differ from different occupational groups. Infectious diarrhea accounted for a highest proportion(9.2%) in 18-to-44-year-old age group when using age grouping, and a highest proportion(15.2%) in restaurant service personnel when using occupation grouping., Conclusion: The volume of outpatients attended at general hospitals is overwhelming especially in July and August, and the major type is "non-infectious diseases", which indicates an arduous task on prevention and control of Enteric Infectious Diseases. Infectious diarrhea took up a certain amount, but the rate is not that high, which indicates possible missing diagnosis of patients with infectious diseases.Our focal groups would be young and middle-aged people and students in the city. Therefore, the need to extend the consultation hours is urgent. Meanwhile, for the main goal of surveillance and early warning on Enteric Infectious Diseases, all aspects of construction of Enteric Disease Clinic should be strengthened, such as enhance laboratory tests on pathogens, improve diagnosis level of physicians and etc.

Full-length hepatitis B virus (HBV) reverse transcriptase (RT) sequences were amplified and sequenced among 192 nucleos(t)ide analogue (NA)-naïve Chinese patients with chronic hepatitis B. Deduced amino acids (AAs) at 42 previously reported potential NA resistance (NAr) mutation positions in RT region were analyzed. Patients were found with either B-genotype (28.65%) or C-genotype (71.35%) infections. Rt53, rt91, rt124, rt134, rt221, rt224, rt238 and rt256 were identified as B- and C-genotype-dependent polymorphic AA positions. AA substitutions at 11 classical NAr mutation positions, i.e. rt80, rt169, rt173, rt180, rt181, rt184, rt194, rt202, rt204, rt236 and rt250, were not detected. However, potential NAr mutations were found in 30.73% (59/192) isolates, which involved 18 positions including rt53, rt207, rt229, rt238 and rt256, etc. The concomitant AA changes of HBsAg occurred in 16.67% (32/192) isolates including sG145R mutation. One-third of mutation positions were located in functional RT domains (e.g. rt207 and rt233), A-B interdomains (overlapping HBsAg 'a' determinant and showing most concomitant immune-associated mutations) and non-A-B interdomains (e.g. rt191 and rt213), respectively. Genotypes B and C each showed several preferred positions to mutate. These results might provide insights into understanding the evolution and selection basis of NAr HBV strains under antiviral therapy.

Objective: To investigate the occurrence of important foodborne pathogens in shellstock Pacific oysters in the food markets in South China., Methods: From July 2007 to June 2008, retail oysters were collected in different seasons from South China and analyzed for the prevalence and levels of Listeria monocytogenes, Vibrio vulnificus and Vibrio parahaemolyticus., Results: None of L. monocytogenes could be detected in any of the 202 oyster samples tested, while E vulnificus and V. parahaemolyticus could be detected in 67 (54.9%) and 109 (89.3%) of the 122 oyster samples analyzed, respectively, with an MPN (most probable number) value greater than or equal to 3. V. vulnificus and V. parahaemolyticus with a more than 102 MPN/g were found in 36 (29.5%) and 59 (48.4%) of the 122 oyster samples, respectively. The tdh and trh genes were detected in 4 (0.3%) and 8 (0.6%) of the 1 349 V parahaemolyticus isolates, respectively. Of the 122 samples, 4 (3.3%) was positive for either tdh or trh. The levels of V. vulnificus and total V. parahaemolyticus in oysters in South China varied in different seasons., Conclusion: V. vulnificus and pathogenic V. parahaemolyticus are frequently found in oysters in south China, which may pose a potential threat to public health. Data presented here will be useful for the microbiological risk assessment in oysters in China.

Objective: To investigate the epidemiological and clinical characteristics of acute bacterial dysentery in recent years in Beijing so as to provide scientific reference for prevention and control of enteric infectious diseases., Methods: The data of age, occupation, symptoms, signs, pathogen detection of 652 patients with acute bacterial dysentery diagnosed clinically from April 2007 to October 2007 were analyzed retrospectively., Results: The occupations of the 652 patients included office workers and functionaries (31.4%), students (29.4%), retirees (9.8%), unemployed and housewives (7.1%), commercial attendants (6.3), workers (4.8%), teachers (4.1%), and others (7.1%). Diarrhea, stomach ache, and fever were the main symptoms. Tenesmus and tenderness of left lower quadrant abdomen were infrequent. The positive rate of fecal bacterial culture was 17.7%. 8.9% of the patients were diagnosed as with bacterial dysentery by fecal bacterial culture., Conclusion: Most of the patients with bacterial dysentery in Beijing are young adults. The positive rate of fecal bacterial culture is low. It is difficult to differentiate bacterial dysentery from other diarrheal diseases.

The study on the effects of foliar spraying 20 mmol x L(-1) of CaCl2, Ca (NO3)2 and CaAc2 on the freezing resistance of satsuma mandarin (Citrus unshiu Marc. cv. Guoqing No. 1) showed that after treated with these Ca salts, the leaves of test plant had a lower half lethal temperature (LT50) than the control (sprayed with distilled water). The LT50 after treated with CaCl2 was 0.54 degrees C lower, whereas that after treated with CaAc2 and Ca (NO3)2 was 1.34 degrees C and 1.35 degrees C lower, respectively, implying that the latter two Ca salts were more effective in enhancing the freezing resistance of satsuma mandarin. Moreover, foliar spraying Ca salts increased the superoxidase (SOD) and peroxidase (POD) activities and the contents of soluble proteins, soluble sugars and praline in leaves, and decreased the leaf MDA content.

The geochemical characteristics of nitrogen forms in different grain size sediments of Jiaozhou Bay were investigated employing the sequential extraction technique. Results showed that the transferable nitrogen in Jiaozhou Bay sediments can be divided into four forms, ion exchangeable form (IEF-N), weak acid extractable form (WAEF-N), strong alkaline extractable form (SAEF-N) and strong oxidant extractable form (SOEF-N). The percentages of nitrogen forms for transferable nitrogen in different grain size sediments were different. Generally, for all grain size sediments, the SOEF-N was the primary form accounted for 35.38%, 44.38% and 58.69% of transferable nitrogen for fine, medium and coarse sediments. And for medium and coarse grain size sediment, SAEF-N was the dominant inorganic nitrogen accounted for 26.31% and 25.85%, respectively. And for fine-grained sediments, IEF-N was the primary inorganic nitrogen accounted for 27.67% of transferable nitrogen. The correlation analysis showed that generally, nitrogen was positive correlated with fine and medium grain size but negative correlated with coarse sediments. In addition, nitrogen in different grain size sediments had also positive correlations with phytoplankton abundance, chlorophyll-a and NO3- concentrations of overlying water. The results showed that sediments had great influences on element concentrations of overlying water, and on the other side, it also illustrated that sedimentary nitrogen was an excellent indicator of hypereutrophication and had essential environmental significance.

The geochemical characteristics of phosphorus forms in different grain size sediments, the influencing factors as well as the bioavailability of phosphorus in Jiaozhou Bay were investigated employing the sequential extraction method. The results showed that inorganic phosphorus was the dominant form of total phosphorus and organic phosphorus was only the minor part. The detrital carbonate-bound phosphorus was the largest part of total phosphorus. The grain size, organic carbon, temperature, pH and etc. are the main controlling factors of phosphorus in sediments. Except for Ca-P, most of other phosphorus forms contents increased as the grain size decreased. The bioavailability research showed that the bioavailable phosphorus was mainly the exchangeable phosphorus, phosphorus bound to Al and Fe and organic phosphorus. Moreover, the potential bioavailable phosphorus proportion in total phosphorus increased as the grain size decreased. The bioavailable phosphorus in different grain size sediments has positive correlationship with phytoplankton abundance and phosphate in overlying water.

A new indole alkaloid, ginsenine, with a seven-membered lactam unit, was isolated from the berry of Panax ginseng. Its structure was established on the basis of extensive NMR (1H- and 13C-NMR, 1H-1H COSY, DEPT, HMQC, HMBC), IR, and ESI-MS analysis.

Phosphorus is a key biogenic element and plays an essential role in global biogeochemical cycles. The geochemical characteristics of phosphorus as well as the controlling factors and the environmental marker function in Jiaozhou Bay sediments were presented. The different forms of sedimentary phosphorus were studied in three sediment cores, which are forms of inorganic phosphorus, exchangeable phosphorus, phosphorus bound to Al-Fe, and calcium, occluded phosphorus as well as total phosphorus and organic phosphorus, respectively. The vertical profiles of various forms of phosphorus in response to 210Pb chronological studies of sediment cores were investigated in order to reveal sedimentary environment changes. The results showed that inorganic phosphorus was the dominant form of total phosphorus and organic phosphorus was only the minor part. The detrital carbonate-bound phosphorus was the largest part of total phosphorus. The concentrations and burial fluxes of phosphorus were controlled by source and environmental factors including pH, salinity, temperature and grain size of sediments etc. Moreover, the analysis of OC/OP ratios suggested that the terrestrial inputs were the dominant source of Jiaozhou Bay sediments. The sedimentation fluxes of phosphorus increased in the past two decades, as a result, the pollution was still serious from the 1980 to 2000. But the state has greatly improved since 2000. The Fe-P, Al-P and Oc-P have close relationships with the degree of pollution and may act as good indicators for environment pollution in Jiaozhou Bay.

Objective: To investigate whether the monthly distribution of birth is associated with insomnia., Methods: The monthly distribution of birth of 1020 consequent patients with insomnia who visited the Third Hospital of Peking University, 439 males and 581 females, aged 54 (22 - 86), was investigated and compared with that of 13254 cases of healthy newborn children born in the same hospital 1994 - 2004., Results: 114 of the 1020 patients with insomnia were been born in January (11.2%), 90 in February (8.85%), 65 in March (6.4%), 67 in April (6.6%), 56 in May (5.5%), 56 in June (5.5%), 66 in July (6.5%), 78 in August (7.6%), 64 in September (6.3%), 91 in October (8.9%), 126 in November (12.4%), and 147 in December (14.4%). The structural ratio of the number of insomnia patients was the highest for those who were born in the months November, December, and January, and was the lowest for those who were born in May, June, and July. The number of insomnia patients who were born in the wintery months, November, December, and January, was 387 (37.9%), much more than those who were born in the May, June, and July (178 cases, 17.4%). The structural ratios of the insomnia patients who were born in different months were not significantly different between the 2 sexes (chi(2) = 12.769, P > 0.05). There was no significant differences in the structural ratios of the number of healthy newborn children who were born in different months. However, the monthly distribution of birth of the patients was statistically significantly different between the patients with insomnia and the healthy newborn children (chi(2) = 75.098, P < 0.01)., Conclusion: Month of birth is associated with insomnia. Those born in November, December, and January are more susceptible to insomnia.

Persistent organochlorine compounds were analyzed by means of GC-ECD in surface sediment samples from two selected rivers in Tianjin, Haihe River and Dagu Drainage River. A total of 16 surface sediment sites were selected along the both rivers. The frequency of detection of T-HCH and T-DDT in sediment samples both was up to 100%, which illustrated that the contamination of HCH and DDT was widespread in Haihe and Dagu Drainage Rivers. Results indicated that the concentrations of various pesticides in sediments from Haihe River were in the range of 3.30-75.96 ng/g dw for T-HCH and 1.57-211.57 ng/g dw for T-DDT. Compared with Haihe River, Dagu Drainage River was contaminated by HCHs and DDTs along the all locations and the values of T-HCH and T-DDT residues in sediments ranged from 2.30 to 124.61 ng/g dw and from 11.28 to 237.30 ng/g dw, respectively. The possible pollution sources were analyzed through monitoring results of organochlorine pesticides(OCPs) residues in sediments from the two rivers. The investigation also indicated that HCH was still used as pesticide in Tianjin partial area.

Objective: Typing of Mycobacterium tuberculosis strains and epidemiological studies in the army of southern China to provide scientific basis for prevention of pulmonary tuberculosis., Methods: A rapid fingerprinting of M. tuberculosis strains method by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) with outward-directed primers that designed to the ends of the insertion sequence IS6110 was developed, and to analyze the relationship between the polymorphism of DNA fingerprinting and epidemiology of M. tuberculosis., Results: One hundred and fifty-four M. tuberculosis detected were classified into eight types according to their characters of PCR amplified fingerprints. The main types were type I (36.4%), type II (31.8%), and type III (21.4%), while other types were less than 4 percentage. In those main type groups, patients aged 20 to 29 and 30 to 39 took up 31.8% and 27.9% respectively. For those main types, the distribution of those types in the first treated patients showed significant difference compared with that in the retreated patients, and the rate of drug-resistance was also statistically different. However, the distribution was not statistically significant to history of BCG vaccination and patients living in urban or rural area. The main drug-resistant strains were only Isoniazid-resistant or Rifampin-resistant strains, while the drug-resistant strains were 44.4%, 29.6% and 14.8% respectively in type I, type II and type III., Conclusion: PCR fingerprinting was a rapid, precise, sensitive, specific method to type M. tuberculosis, and could be used to study the epidemiology of tuberculosis; The prevalence of tuberculosis was primarily due to the transmission of type I, type II and type III in the army being studied from Southern China, to suggest that surveillance needs to be strengthened.

Intrasplenic metastasis of ovarian malignancies are uncommon. From 1986 to 1992 only 12 such cases were diagnosed, being 1.2% of the total number of patients with ovarian malignancies treated in tumor hospital during the same period. Of the 12 metastasis, 6 were poorly differentiated. Diagnosis was made through imaging techniques or surgery. The median interval from the diagnosis of the primary disease to intrasplenic involvement was 28 months. The metastatic lesions, presented themselves as single or multiple nodes within the cortex of the spleen. Clinical features were not remarkable. It was thought that the occurrence of intrasplenic involvement might be due to greater tumor bulk, poor differentiation and decreased host immuno-competence caused by chemotherapy. Most of the intrasplenic metastasis was found after liver metastasis or simultaneously with the latter. The main route of the tumor spread might be via blood vessels. Sole intrasplenic metastasis can be treated by surgery with a temporarily good result. Poor prognosis and high mortality characterize intrasplenic metastasis. The median survival was only 7 months.