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Purpose: To investigate the cost‐effectiveness of lenvatinib plus pembrolizumab (LP) compared to chemotherapy as a second‐line treatment for advanced endometrial cancer (EC) from the United States and Chinese payers' perspective. Methods: In this economic evaluation, a partitioned survival model was constructed from the perspective of the United States and Chinese payers. The survival data were derived from the clinical trial (309‐KEYNOTE‐775), while costs and utility values were sourced from databases and published literature. Total costs, quality‐adjusted life years (QALYs) and incremental cost‐effectiveness ratio (ICER) were estimated. The robustness of the model was evaluated through sensitivity analyses, and price adjustment scenario analyses was also performed. Results: Base‐case analysis indicated that LP wouldn't be cost‐effective in the United States at the WTP threshold of $200 000, with improved effectiveness of 0.75 QALYs and an additional cost of $398596.81 (ICER $531392.20). While LP was cost‐effective in China, with improved effectiveness of 0.75 QALYs and an increased overall cost of $62270.44 (ICER $83016.29). Sensitivity analyses revealed that the above results were stable. The scenario analyses results indicated that LP was cost‐effective in the United States when the prices of lenvatinib and pembrolizumab were simultaneously reduced by 61.95% ($26.5361/mg for lenvatinib and $19.1532/mg for pembrolizumab). Conclusion: LP isn't cost‐effective in the patients with advanced previously treated endometrial cancer in the United States, whereas it is cost‐effective in China. The evidence‐based pricing strategy provided by this study could benefit decision‐makers in making optimal decisions and clinicians in general clinical practice. More evidence about budget impact and affordability for patients is needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Previous studies of maternal iron and birth outcomes have been limited to single indicators that do not reflect the comprehensive relationship with birth outcomes. We aimed to investigate the relationship between maternal iron metabolism and neonatal anthropometric indicators using comprehensive iron-related indicators. Methods: A total of 914 Chinese mother-child dyads were enrolled in this prospective study. Subjects' blood samples were collected at ≤ 14 weeks of gestation. Serum concentrations of iron-related indicators were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Femur length was measured by B-ultrasound nearest delivery. Neonatal anthropometric indicators were collected from medical records. Results: After adjustment for potential covariates, higher iron (per one standard deviation, SD increase) was detrimentally associated with − 0.22 mm lower femur length, whereas higher transferrin (per one SD increase) was associated with 0.20 mm higher femur length. Compared with normal subjects (10th-90th percentiles), subjects with extremely high (> 90th percentile) iron concentration were detrimentally associated with lower femur length, birth weight, and chest circumference, and a higher risk of low birth weight, LBW (HR: 3.92, 95%CI: 1.28, 12.0). Subjects with high concentration of soluble transferrin receptor, sTFR and transferrin (> 90th percentile) were associated with higher femur length. Subjects with low concentration of iron and ferritin concentrations (< 10th percentile) were associated with a higher risk of LBW (HR: 4.10, 95%CI: 1.17, 14.3) and macrosomia (HR: 2.79, 95%CI: 1.06, 7.35), respectively. Conclusions: Maternal iron overload in early pregnancy may be detrimentally associated with neonatal anthropometric indicators and adverse birth outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The oxidation-absorption technology of tail gas is perfect for natural gas purification plants to ensure the up-to-standard discharge of sulfur dioxide emissions, but it can produce a large amount of wastewater. In this paper, a facile and full-scale reuse treatment strategy based on the sequential combination of disc tube reverse osmosis and low-temperature and low-pressure evaporation desalination was proposed and studied. The produced light yellow wastewater was acid sulfate-rich organic wastewater, in which sulfate ions (SO42−) existed up to 6479 mg/L, and the chemical oxygen demand (COD), 5-day biochemical oxygen demand (BOD5), total organic carbon (TOC), ammonia nitrogen (ammonia-N), total nitrogen (TN) and suspended solid (SS) were 207, 71.9, 67.6, 1.28, 70.5 and 20.9 mg/L, respectively. After the reuse treatment, there was COD (6 mg/L), BOD5 (1.4 mg/L), TOC (0.9 mg/L), TN (2.07 mg/L), SS (6 mg/L) and SO42− (90 mg/L) in permeated water, and condensate water with COD (11 mg/L), BOD5 (2.3 mg/L), TOC (4.3 mg/L), SS (2 mg/L) and SO42− (1.2 mg/L) was obtained. Thereby, pollution indexes were reduced after the reuse treatment so as to meet the water quality standard (GB/T18920-2022) in China, and the total water recovery rate reached 98.2 vol%. Ultimately, the priority pollutant migration mechanism during the reuse treatment process was determined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Homozygous and compound heterozygous mutations in HTRA1 cause cerebral autosomal recessive arteriopathy with subcortical infarcts and leukoencephalopathy (CARASIL). Recently, heterozygous pathogenic variants in HTRA1 were described in patients with autosomal dominant cerebral small vessel disease (CSVD). Here, we investigated the genetic variants in a cohort of Chinese patients with CSVD. Methods: A total of 95 Chinese index patients with typical characteristics of CSVD were collected. Whole exome sequencing was performed in the probands, followed by Sanger sequencing. Pathogenicity prediction software was applied to evaluate the pathogenicity of the identified variants. Results: We detected five heterozygous HTRA1 pathogenic variants in five index patients. These pathogenic variants included four known variants (c.543delT, c.854C>T, c.889G>A, and c.824C>T) and one novel variant (c.472 + 1G>A). Among them, c.854C>T, c.824C>T, and c.472 + 1G>A have never been reported in China and c.889G>A was once reported in homozygous but never in heterozygous. Three of them were distributed in exon 4, one in exon 2, and another splicing variant in intron 1. Four out of five probands presented typical features of CARASIL but less severe. The common clinical features included lacunar infarction, cognitive decline, alopecia, and spondylosis. All of them showed leukoencephalopathy, and the main involved cerebral area include periventricular and frontal area, centrum semiovale, thalamus, and corpus callosum. Anterior temporal lobes and external capsule involvement were also observed. Three probands had intracranial microbleeds. Conclusion: Our study expanded the mutation spectrum of HTRA1, especially in Chinese populations, and provided further evidence for “hot regions” in exon 1–4, especially in exon 4, in heterozygous HTRA1 pathogenic variants. Our work further supported that patients with heterozygous HTRA1 pathogenic variants presented with similar but less-severe features than CARASIL but in an autosomal dominantly inherited pattern. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cassytha filiformis L, belonging to family Lauraceae, is widely distributed in subtropical and tropical regions. Cassytha filiformis L is a traditional plant medicine in China, it has proved that the plant showed anti-parasite, anti-tumor, anti-diabetic and anti-platelet aggregation activities, so far, the main pharmacological active components are alkaloids. In this paper, the chemical constituents and pharmacological effects of Cassytha filiformis L were reviewed by referring to databases such as CNKI, Vip and Pubmed, so as to lay a foundation for its development and utilization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Thyroid function is known to be closely linked with type 2 diabetes, but data on the association between thyroid function and gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) are inconsistent. Methods: A total of 2849 pregnant women were included in this retrospective study. Serum concentrations of thyroid indicators (free tetraiodothyronine, FT4; thyroid-stimulating hormone, TSH; and thyroid peroxidase antibody, TPO Ab) were obtained from a clinical laboratory. The presence of GDM were drawn from medical records. The clinical subtypes of thyroid function (euthyroidism, subclinical hypothyroidism, hyperthyroidism, and isolated hypothyroxinemia) were categorized according to the thresholds of the 2.5th/97.5th and 10th/90th percentiles of TSH and FT4 concentrations. A concentration of > 34 IU/L was defined as indicating TPO Ab-positivity. Results: Two hundred and thirty-five (8.25%) of the 2849 women were TPO Ab-positive. Higher serum concentrations of FT4 (top vs. bottom tertiles) was found to be negatively associated with the risk of GDM. The corresponding odds (OR) values (top tertile vs. bottom tertile) were 0.71 [95% confidence interval (CI): 0.54, 0.93]. No significant associations were observed between the extremely 2.5th/97.5th or 10th/90th percentiles of FT4 concentration, TSH concentration, thyroid function subtypes (vs. euthyroidism), TPO Ab-positivity (vs. -negativity), and the GDM risk. The corresponding results remained similar when TPO Ab-positive subjects were excluded. Conclusions: A negative association with the risk of GDM was observed for the highest FT4 concentrations tertile. No significant associations were found between the TSH concentration, thyroid function subtypes, TPO Ab positivity, and the GDM risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: To determine whether the new international cluster‐based classification method can be applied to Chinese inpatients with diabetes mellitus (DM). Methods: Adult patients with DM hospitalized in our tertiary care centre from January 2017 to December 2018 were included in the study. K‐means cluster analysis was done in clusters based on glutamic acid decarboxylase antibodies, body mass index, glycosylated haemoglobin, homeostasis model‐assessed beta cell function, insulin resistance index, and age at diagnosis of DM. Chi‐square test was used to analyse inter‐subgroup differences in DM‐related complications and family history of DM. p < 0.05 was considered significant. Results: A total of 1152 inpatients with DM were included in the study. Five subgroups were obtained by cluster analysis with highest proportion of population in mild obesity‐related DM subgroup (34.55%), followed by mild age‐related DM (21.55%), severe insulin deficiency DM (20.51%), severe insulin resistance DM (19.02%), and severe autoimmune DM subgroup (4.36%). The prevalence of diabetic retinopathy, diabetic peripheral vascular disease, diabetic ketosis, coronary heart disease, hypertension, and family history of DM differed significantly among the subgroups (p < 0.05 for all). Conclusions: This cluster‐based classification could be applied to hospitalized adult patients with DM in China. It might help in strategizing for DM patients, and hence, improve management of DM in these patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The new series Elatostema section Weddellia series Xingyiensia L.D. Duan & D.H. Yin (Urticaceae) is described. In addition, its new species Elatostema xingyiense L.D. Duan & D.H. Yin, endemic to Guizhou Province, is also described and illustrated with photographs. The new series is morphologically similar to series Melanocarpa W.T. Wang and series Sublinearia W.T. Wang. The new species is most similar to E. melanocarpum, E. sublineare, E. obscurinerve, E. langicuspe and E. youyangense in morphology, but can be visibly distinguished by a combination of characters, including leaf vein, male inflorescences, female inflorescences and persistent tepals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Plasma Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) DNA is considered a biomarker for nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). However, its long-term role in NPC development is unclear.Materials and Methods: A total of 1363 participants seropositive for EBV VCA-IgA and EBNA1-IgA in a community-based NPC screening program in southern China were tested for plasma EBV DNA levels by real-time qPCR between 2008 and 2015. New NPC cases were confirmed by active follow-up approach and linkage to local cancer registry through the end of 2016. Cox proportional hazards regression analysis was performed to calculate the hazard ratios (HRs) for NPC risk with plasma EBV DNA.Results: Thirty patients were newly diagnosed during a median 7.5 years follow-up. NPC incidence increased with the plasma EBV DNA load ranging from 281.46 to 10,074.47 per 100,000 person-years in participants with undetectable and ≥ 1000 copies/ml levels; the corresponding cumulative incidence rates were 1.73 and 50%. Furthermore, plasma EBV DNA loads conferred an independent risk for NPC development after adjustment for other risk factors, with HRs of 7.63 for > 3-999 copies/ml and 39.79 for ≥1000 copies/ml. However, the HRs decreased gradually after excluding NPC cases detected in the first 2 to 3 years and became statistically nonsignificant by excluding cases detected during the first 4 years.Conclusion: Elevated plasma EBV DNA can predict NPC risk over 3 years. Monitoring plasma EBV DNA can be used as a complementary approach to EBV serological antibody-based screening for NPC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the early twentieth century, strong nationalistic ideas sprang up in Indonesia. Some Chinese elites in professional positions under the Dutch colonial government tended to side with the Dutch with the pro-Dutch attitude; some working for Chinese newspapers or agencies developed the pro-China stance; some supported and cooperated with the indigenous people with the pro-independence tendency; and others had their inclinations transformed over the course of time. After examining the life history of a few prominent Chinese figures, this article shows that three levels of factors—international politics in East Asia, local politics in the Dutch East Indies, and their life histories under Dutch rule (together with travel experience to China)—were critical for each Chinese person in establishing or transforming their often hybrid political orientations. The Chinese preference was neither monolithic nor settled, so the general assumption that "Chinese people are loyal to China" in Indonesian politics of the colonial era should be revised. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new species of the genus Ophiorrhiza L. (Rubiaceae), Ophiorrhiza shiqianensis L.D.Duan & Yun Lin, is described, illustrated and photographed from Shiqian County, Guizhou Province, South-western China. This species was found growing at the side of streams in evergreen broad-leaved forests in mountains at elevations of 960-1100 m. The new species is morphologically similar to Ophiorrhiza hunanica H.S.Lo, but differs from the latter by the glabrous, glabrescent or pilose stems, the 5-10 cm long subterranean stem internodes, the glabrous or pilose petioles, the 3-5 mm long stipules, the purple corolla lobes, the ca. 12 mm long style and included stigmas in long-styled flowers and the 3-4 × 8-10 mm, glabrous or glabrescent capsules. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work is aimed to study the clinical and prognostic features of relapsing polychondritis (RP) in China. A total of 158 RP cases from 1985 to 2013 in China were included and compared with international case series in terms of clinical features, systemic involvement, differential diagnosis and prognosis. (1) The average age at the onset was 45.3 years old, the average age for initial symptoms was 14.4 months, female/male ratio was 0.7:1 and misdiagnosis rate was 47 %. (2) The incidence of arthritis was lower than that in Caucasians. The incidences of auricular chondritis (68 %: 84-95 %), ocular inflammation (44 %: 49-65 %) and renal involvement (3 %: 7-26 %) were lower, and laryngotracheal symptoms (69 %: 31-67 %), skin (46 %: 4-38 %) and neurological involvement (12 %: 2-8 %) were higher during the follow-up period. The proportion of associated autoimmune disease and systemic vasculitis were 5 and 3 %, respectively, similar to that in Japanese (4 and 2 %), but less than that in Caucasians (12-31 and 8-18 %) except the Francès's study (7 and 3 %). The primary death cause is respiratory failure due to RP, followed by lung infections and cardiovascular events. (3) Juvenile RP (onset ≤18 years) was more severe than adults, similar to results from the Caucasians. However, Chinese juvenile RP had more severe ocular inflammation (57 %: 40-47 %), arthritis (100 %: 71-90 %), cardiovascular (14 %: 3-10 %) and skin involvement (20 %: 10-11 %) than Caucasian juvenile RP. Although sharing most of the clinical features with case series in previous literature, Chinese patients with RP have its unique characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Empirical studies regarding the nexus between urban spatial changes, individual socio-economic characteristics and commuting behaviour are largely conducted in the cities of North American and European developed countries. Studies conducted in fast-growing developing countries are very scarce, particularly in China, the world's second-largest economy. This research presents new evidence on how polycentric development impacts on workers' commuting behaviour in urban China, through a case study of commuting behaviour in four sub-centres in Beijing. The results of this study suggest that polycentric urban development has a significant influence on employees' commuting times, considering the workers' socio-economic characteristics and transport modes. The results of the regression analysis show that local jobs-housing balance at the workplace has a significant impact on individual worker's commuting times. The findings suggest that the location and type of sub-centres are significantly associated with individuals' choice of housing and workplace locations, and accordingly their commuting behaviour. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The causes of chronic heart failure (CHF) and its progression are likely to be due to complex genetic factors. Adenosine receptors A2A and A2B (ADORA2A and ADORA2B, respectively) play an important role in cardio-protection. Therefore, polymorphisms in the genes encoding those receptors may affect the risk and severity of CHF. This study was a case-control comparative investigation of 300 northern Chinese Han CHF patients and 400 ethnicity-matched healthy controls. Four common single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of ADORA2A (rs2236625, rs2236624, rs4822489, and rs5751876) and one SNP of ADORA2B (rs7208480) were genotyped and an association between SNPs and clinical outcomes was evaluated. Odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were used to assess the association. The rs4822489 was significantly associated with the severity of CHF after adjustment for traditional cardiovascular risk factors (p = 0.040, OR = 1.912, 95% CI = 1.029-3.550). However, the five SNPs as well as the haplotypes were not found to be associated with CHF susceptibility. The findings of this study suggest that rs4822489 may contribute to the severity of CHF in the northern Chinese. However, further studies performed in larger populations and aimed at better defining the role of this gene are required. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on examination of specimens and field observations of Elatostema J. R. Forster & G. Forster (Urticaceae) from China and its adjacent area, one new species, E. vietnamense Q. Lin & L. D. Duan from Bach Ma Natl. Park, Thua Thien-Hue Province, Vietnam, is described and illustrated. Pellionia ambigua Wedd. from Khasi Hills, Churra, Assam (=Meghalaya), India and P. rhizomatosa Gagnep. from Annam, Vietnam are transferred as Elatostema ambiguum (Wedd.) Q. Lin and E. rhizomatosum (Gagnep.) Q. Lin, respectively. Elatostema glochidioides W. T. Wang from Guangxi and Guizhou and Provinces, China is regarded as a new synonym of E. ramosissimum Rein. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Elatostema scaposum Q. Lin & L. D. Duan (Urticaceae: Elatostema sect. Pellionioides W. T. Wang), a new species from Libo County, Guizhou Province, China, is described and illustrated. This species was found growing at the base of a large limestone chamber at an altitude of ca 800 m a.s.l., and differs from all other species in Elatostema sect. Pellionioides W. T. Wang by scapiform male inflorescences (axillary in other species of Elatostema sect. Pellionioides). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyzes legal remedies for marine ecological damage as provided in Article 90, Section 2 of the Marine Environment Protection Law of the People's Republic of China. In doing so, the paper examines the Tasman Sea Oil Spills Case, the first civil case in China to claim marine ecological damage involving foreign interests. The paper finds that many issues arise in practice due to the simplicity of the relevant legal provisions. The existing international treaties on marine oil pollution damage caused by ships do not cover marine ecological damage. However, domestic courts of some countries have relevant judicial practice on the matter. Hence, it is urgent to establish a set of new rules on marine ecological damage compensation in China and to specify the claimants, the scope for compensation and the measure of indemnity with the aim of providing an effective legal remedy for marine ecological damage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Structural design of a practical spherical suspen-dome with a diameter of 122 m was carried out in China Construction (Shenzhen) Design International (CCDI) in 2006. Some aspects of the whole design procedure of this practical suspen-dome are presented in this paper, including load conditions, technical conditions, force finding analysis, load analysis, nonlinear buckling analysis, cable breaking simulation, integral structure analysis, joints design, and construction sequence simulation. Regarding the determination of pretension among the lower cable-bar system, a strategy with respect to adjusting the deformation of the upper reticulated shell under service loads is proposed. Load analysis gives out some computational results of this suspen-dome when subject to indispensable load cases required by the current load code of practice of China. Cable breaking simulation shows that there will be no spreading collapse in sequence. For the structural design of suspen-dome, much attention of construction feasibility, minimum cost should be paid. For the effects of temperature action the integral structure analysis including the supporting system (the concrete structure frames) is very important. An elastic supporting system is very helpful to avoid possible high pretension losses or increments due to the site air temperature fluctuation. Joints design is briefly introduced. Construction process simulation analysis is investigated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The basal Cambrian marks the beginning of an important chapter in the history of life. However, most paleontological work on the basal Cambrian has been focused on skeletal animal fossils, and our knowledge about the primary producers—cyanobacteria and eukaryotic pbytoplankton (e.g., acritarchs)—is limited. In this research, we have investigated basal Cambrian acritarchs, coccoidal microfossils, and cyanobacteria preserved in phosphorites and cherts of the Yanjiahe Formation in the Yangtze Gorges area (South China) and the Yurtus Formation in the Aksu area (Tarim Block, northwestern China). Our study confirms the occurrence in these two formations of small acanthomorphic acritarchs characteristic of the basal Cambrian Asteridium-Comasphaeridium-Heliosphaeridium (ACH) assemblage. These acritarchs include abundant Heliosphaeridium ampliatum (Wang, 1985) Yao et al., 2005, common Yurtusia uniformis n. gen. and o. sp., and rare Comasphaeridium annulare (Wang, 1985) Yao et al., 2005. in addition, these basal Cambrian successions also contain the clustered coccoidal microfossil Archaeophycus yunnanensis (Song in Luo et al., 1982) n. comb., several filamentous cyanobacteria [Cyanonema majus n. sp., Oscillatoriopsis Ionga Timofeev and Hermann, 1979, and Siphonophycus robustum (Schopf, 1968) Knoll et al., 1991], and the tabulate tubular microfossil Megathrix longus L. Yin, 1987a, n. emend. Some of these taxa (e.g., H. ampliatum, C. annulare, and M. longus) have a wide geographic distribution but occur exclusively in basal Cambrian successions, supporting their biostratigraphic importance. Comparison between the stratigraphic occurrences of microfossils reported here and skeletal animal fossils published by others suggests that animals and phytoplankton radiated in tandem during the Cambrian explosion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The new series Elatostema section Elatostema series Albopilosoides Q.Lin & L.D.Duan (Urticaceae) is described, and two new species of Elatostema, namely Elatostema albopilosoides Q.Lin & L.D.Duan and Elatostema purpureum Q.Lin & L.D.Duan. from south Guizhou province, south-west China are described and illustrated. Both species were found growing only at the base of a large limestone chamber at an altitude of c. 800 m. Elatostema albopilosoides is morphologically similar to E. albopilosum W.T.Wang, but differs by having female inflorescences with peduncles 10–60 mm long (0–1.5 mm long in E. albopilosum) and receptacles 7–27 mm long, 7–24 mm wide ( E. albopilosum: 1–4 mm long and 1–3 mm wide). Elatostema purpureum is also morphologically similar to E. albopilosum, but has stipules 5–6 mm long, 0.8–1.5 mm wide (4–7 mm long, 1.5–2.8 mm wide in E. albopilosum) and leaf blades obliquely elliptical to obliquely oblong-obovate, 3.5–7.5 mm long and 1.5–2.5 mm wide (obliquely narrowly oblanceolate-oblong, 12–17 cm long, 3–5 cm wide in E. purpureum:). © 2008 The Linnean Society of London, Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society, 2008, 158, 674–680. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: In this randomised, double-blind, comparator-controlled, multicentre study conducted in China, 142 hospitalised patients aged 18–75 years with pneumonia (n =80) or complicated skin and soft-tissue infection (cSSTI) (n =62) due to suspected or known Gram-positive pathogens were randomised (1:1) to receive either linezolid 600mg (n =71) or vancomycin 1g in patients aged ≤60 years or 0.75g in patients aged >60 years (n =71) intravenously every 12h. The duration of treatment was 10–21 days for patients with pneumonia and 7–21 days for patients with cSSTI. Clinical outcomes were assessed at end-of-treatment (EOT) visit and follow-up (FU) visit 7–28 days post therapy. Staphylococcus aureus was the most common pathogen at baseline and most of these isolates were resistant to meticillin. All isolates were susceptible to linezolid and vancomycin. For the evaluable patients, the effective treatment rate for linezolid was higher than that for vancomycin at EOT (86.9% (53/61) vs. 61.7% (37/60)) and at FU (83.1% (49/59) vs. 64.9% (37/57)). Pathogen eradication rates for the microbiologically evaluable patients at FU were 79.2% (42/53) for linezolid and 61.5% (32/52) for vancomycin. The incidence of drug-related adverse events (AEs) was 25.4% (18/71) for linezolid and 16.9% (12/71) for vancomycin. Four (5.6%) linezolid-treated and eight (11.3%) vancomycin-treated patients discontinued the study drug because of an AE. Linezolid was well tolerated and effective for the treatment of infections caused by Gram-positive pathogens, including meticillin-resistant S. aureus. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Preliminary design of a practical spherical cable dome with a diameter of 122m was carried out in China Construction (Shenzhen) Design International (CCDI) in 2006. Stiff roof (roof system with steel purlins and metallic skin) has been chosen for the project of a multifunctional gymnasium in preference to a flexible membrane (PTFE, ETFE). In the present paper the whole structural design procedure of this real cable dome is described: load conditions, technical conditions required by performance based structural design, a novel force finding method-linear deduction method, optimal analysis of feasible initial internal force level, load analysis, nonlinear buckling analysis, cable breaking simulation, and construction animation. Technical details of joint design are also given out. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

: BackgroundCancer of the esophagus is one of the most commonly seen malignancies in China. From 1959 to 1981, mass screening of esophageal cancer disclosed that the age-adjusted incidence in the 40- to 69-year-old population in Lin County, Henan Province, was 470/105 In its northern part, an even higher incidence of 760/105was found. As they were discovered by mass screening, most of them were found to have early lesions. Surgical treatment was done in attempt to find out the feasibility of managing esophageal carcinoma by early diagnosis and early treatment. This paper is the result of the long-term follow-up.: MethodsSince 1972, a total of 17 extensive mass screening has been conducted among more than 160,000 participants in the rural areas in Henan, Hebei, and northern Jiangsu provinces, sorting out more than 30,000 high-risk individuals. Among these individuals, 24,600 were examined by endoscopy, discovering 2,094 patients with carcinomas in the esophagus or gastric cardia; 757 of these 2,094 patients were found to have superficial esophageal cancer; 420 patients accepted surgical treatment. Esophagectomy with gastric replacement was performed through left thoracotomy in all patients. Cervical anastomosis 94 (22.4%), intrathoracic supraaortic anastomosis 307 (73.1%), and infra-aortic anastomosis 19 (4.5%) were done. Double thoracoabdominal lymphatic dissection was performed.: ResultsThe resection rate was 100%. One-month operative mortality occurred in 5 (1.2%). Postoperative complications developed and were satisfactorily treated in 28 patients (6.7%). Pathology of the cancer specimens showed that there were carcinoma in situ in 76 (all without lymphatic metastasis), intramucosal (TI) carcinoma in 126 (2 [1.6%] with lymphatic metastasis), and submucous infiltrating (TI) cacinoma in 218 (34 [15.6%] with lymphatic metastasis). All these 420 patients have been followed up to 2001 with a follow-up rate of 94.1%. Those who were lost to follow-up were taken as censored cases. The survival rates were calculated by the life-table method. The 5-, 10-, 15-, 20-, and 25-year survival rates were 86.14%, 75.03%, 64.48%, 56.17%, and 49.93%, respectively.: ConclusionsEsophageal balloon cytology, endoscopy, mucosa 1.2% iodine stain, and multipoint biopsy may be the best approach for early diagnosis of esophageal carcinoma. Surgical resection of superficial esophageal cancer provides excellent long-term survival with acceptable quality of life. It was discovered that carcinoma in situ and intramucosal carcinoma gave far better results than the submucosal infiltrative carcinoma, as the latter tends to have a higher frequency of lymphatic metastasis. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

• Operation history is significantly and positively related to metro development. • General public budget revenue is significantly related to metro development. • Prefecture-level cities are significantly associated with metro development. • Economic regions are significantly associated with metro development. As an important form of public transport and utilisation of urban underground space (UUS), metro has been promoted in an increasing number of large cities in China. By the end of 2019, China's 37 cities had developed metro systems with a total length of over 5000 km. It is widely acknowledged that urban and economic factors can significantly influence transport infrastructure development and UUS utilisation. The results of this study indicate that there are statistically significant relationships between urban and economic factors and the level of metro development. The results of the regression analyses show that the variables of metro operation history and general public budget revenue are significantly and positively related to metro operation length, number of lines and number of stations of cities with metros in China. Resident population in urban areas does not appear to be a significant determinant of the level of metro development when other urban economic factors are controlled for. Administrative division (prefecture-level cities) and economic regions (Northeast Region) are significantly and negatively associated with the level of metro development in China. The findings of this study suggest that policy and institutional factors, and operation history of metro, along with urban and economic factors such as economic capabilities, regional differentiation, and administrative divisions, play important roles in influencing the development levels of metro systems in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• An overview of recent developments in China's metro systems is presented. • The relationship between economic capabilities and metro development is discussed. • The relationship between resident populations and metro development is examined. • The relationship between administrative divisions and metro development is explored. Along with rapid urbanisation and economic growth, massive development of transport infrastructure has been seen in China, facilitating overall economic development and improved quality of life. Metro is a common form of high-capacity public transport and urban underground space (UUS) utilisation in megacities. On many occasions, for social, environmental, economic and functional considerations a metro system is the optimal choice. China has seen remarkably rapid development of metro systems during the past two decades and is now leading the world with regard to the speed and scale of planning and construction of metro systems. This paper investigates recent developments in metro systems in mainland China, including the history of metro development, metro scale (measured by metro length, number of metro lines, number of metro stations, and metro patronage) and the relationships among three factors: economic capabilities, resident populations and administrative divisions of cities. The results show that China's cities with larger resident populations tend to develop larger-scale metro systems that are longer, with more metro lines and stations. With a higher Gross Domestic Product (GDP), a metro city in China tends to develop longer metro systems, and more extensive metro systems with more lines and more stations, carry more passengers. Cities at higher administrative levels, with greater economic strengths and larger populations, are more likely to develop more extensive metro networks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common malignant tumor of the liver, and its morbidity and mortality have been increasing in recent years. The early diagnosis and prompt treatment of small HCC are crucial to improve the prognosis and quality of life of patients. In China, hepatitis B virus infection is the main cause. HCC with a single tumor nodule of ≤ 3 cm in diameter, or HCC with a number of nodules, in which each nodule is ≤ 2 cm in diameter, with a total diameter of ≤ 3 cm, is considered as small HCC. The MRI liver-specific contrast agent can detect small HCC at the early stage. This has important clinical implications for improving the survival rate of patients. Main body: Gd-EOB-DTPA-enhanced MRI can significantly improve the sensitivity and specificity of the detection of HBV-related small hepatocellular carcinoma, providing an important basis for the clinical selection of appropriate personalized treatment. Gd-EOB-DTPA-enhanced MRI can reflect the degree of HCC differentiation, and the evaluation of HCC on Gd-EOB-DTPA-enhanced MRI would be helpful for the selection of the treatment and prognosis of HCC patients. The present study reviews the progress of the application of Gd-EOB-DTPA in the early diagnosis of small HCC, its clinical treatment, the prediction of the degree of differentiation, and the assessment of recurrence and prognosis of HCC, including the pharmacoeconomics and application limitations of Gd-EOB-DTPA. The value of the application of HCC with the Gd-EOB-DTPA was summarized to provide information for improving the quality of life and prolonging the survival of patients. Conclusion: Gd-EOB-DTPA-enhanced MRI has the diagnostic capability for small HCC with a diameter of ≤ 2 cm. This will have a broader application prospect in the early diagnosis of small liver cancer with a diameter of ≤ 1 cm in the future. The relationship between GD-EOB-DTPA-MRI and the degree of HCC differentiation has a large research space, and Gd-EOB-DTPA is expected to become a potential tool for the preoperative prediction and postoperative evaluation of HCC, which would be beneficial for more appropriate treatments for HCC patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phytophthora capsici causes significant loss to pepper (Capsicum annum) in China and our goal was to develop single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers for P. capsici and characterize genetic diversity nationwide. Eighteen isolates of P. capsici from locations worldwide were re-sequenced and candidate nuclear and mitochondrial SNPs identified. From 2006 to 2012, 276 isolates of P. capsici were recovered from 136 locations in 27 provinces and genotyped using 45 nuclear and 2 mitochondrial SNPs. There were two main mitochondrial haplotypes and 95 multi-locus genotypes (MLGs) identified. Genetic diversity was geographically structured with a high level of genotypic diversity in the north and on Hainan Island in the south, suggesting outcrossing contributes to diversity in these areas. The remaining areas of China are dominated by four clonal lineages that share mitochondrial haplotypes, are almost exclusively the A1 or A2 mating type and appear to exhibit extensive diversity based on loss of heterozygosity (LOH). Analysis of SNPs directly from infected peppers confirmed LOH in field populations. One clonal lineage is dominant throughout much of the country. The overall implications for long-lived genetically diverse clonal lineages amidst a widely dispersed sexual population are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Upper Neoproterozoic successions in the North China and nearby Chaidam blocks are poorly documented. North China successions typically consist of a diamictite unit overlain by siltstone, sandstone, or slate. Similar successions occur in Chaidam, although a cap carbonate lies atop the diamictite Unit. The diamictites in both blocks have been variously interpreted as Cryogenian, Ediacaran, or Cambrian glacial deposits. In this paper, we describe problematic macrofossils collected from slate of the upper Zhengmuguan Formation in North China and sandstone of the Zhoujieshan Formation in Chaidam; both fossiliferous formations conformably overlie the aforementioned diamictites. Some of these fossils were previously interpreted as animal traces. Our study recognizes four genera and five species—Helanoichnus helanensis Yang in Yang and Zheng, 1985, Palaeopascichnus minimus n. sp., Palaeopascichnus Ineniscafus n. sp., Horodyskia moniliformis? Yochelson and Fedonkin, 2000, and Shaanxilithes cf. ningqiangensis Xing et al., 1984. None of these taxa can be interpreted as animal traces. Instead, they are problematic body fossils of unresolved phylogenetic affinities. The fundamental bodyplan similarity between Horodyskia and Palaeopascichnus, both with serially repeated elements, indicates a possible phylogenetic relationship. Thus, at least some Ediacaran organisms may have a deep root because Horodyskia also occurs in Mesoproterozoic successions. Among the four genera reported here, Palaeopascichnus Palij, 1976 and Shaanxilithes Xing et al., 1984 have been known elsewhere in upper Ediacaran successions, including the Dengying Formation (551–542 Ma) in South China. If these two genera have biostratigraphic significance, the fossiliferous units in North China and Chaidam may be upper Ediacaran as well. Thus, the underlying diamictites in North China and Chaidam cannot be of Cambrian age, although their correlation with Ediacaran and Cryogenian glaciations remains unclear. As no other Neoproterozoic diamictite intervals are known in North China and Chaidam, perhaps only one Neoproterozoic glaciation is recorded in that area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Mutations of isocitrate dehydrogenase 1 (IDH1) have recently been reported in acute myeloid leukemia (AML). However, the characteristics of IDH1-mutated AML are still not known clearly. We analyzed 416 Chinese AML patients and found 28 patients (6.7%) carried this mutation. One homozygous IDH1 mutant in AML was found. The IDH1 mutations were associated with NPM1 mutations (P =0.043) and could coexist with recurrent transcription factor aberrations including AML1-ETO (6/50), PML-RARα (3/77) and CBFβ-MYH11 (1/15). For AML with AML1-ETO fusion gene, IDH1 mut patients may have worse disease-free survival (DFS) than IDH1 wild-type patients. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Several international centers have used and reported on pediatric-inspired regimens to treat adolescent and adult patients with Philadelphia chromosome-negative acute lymphoblastic leukemia (Ph- ALL). However, there is a lack of prospective data from the Chinese population. We performed a prospective study with a pediatric-inspired regimen (IH-2014 regimen) to treat adolescent and adult Ph- ALL patients in our center. From 2014 to 2021, a total of 415 patients aged between 14 and 65 years (median age, 27 years) were included in this study. After a median follow-up of 40.8 months, the 5-year overall survival, disease-free survival, and event-free survival rates were 53.8%, 51.1% and 45.0%, respectively. The regimen was generally well tolerated and safe, and the overall chemotherapy-related mortality was 3.6%. Age ≥40 years and persistent detectable minimal residual disease (MRD) after induction were independent prognostic factors. Traditional risk factors for adult patients combined with post-induction MRD had predictive significance for survival and relapse, which is helpful in the selection of subsequent treatment. Patients with high-risk factors who can achieve a deep MRD response after induction do not derive benefit from allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.

Background: Bevacizumab shows superior efficacy in cerebral radiation necrosis (CRN) therapy, but its economic burden remains heavy due to the high drug price. This study aims to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of bevacizumab for CRN treatment from the Chinese payers' perspective., Methods: A decision tree model was developed to compare the costs and health outcomes of bevacizumab and corticosteroids for CRN therapy. Efficacy and safety data were derived from the NCT01621880 trial, which compared the effectiveness and safety of bevacizumab monotherapy with corticosteroids for CRN in nasopharyngeal cancer patients, and demonstrated that bevacizumab invoked a significantly higher response than corticosteroids (65.5% vs. 31.5%, P < 0.001) with no significant differences in adverse events between two groups. The utility value of the "non-recurrence" status was derived from real-world data. Costs and other utility values were collected from an authoritative Chinese network database and published literature. The primary outcomes were total costs, quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs), and incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER). The uncertainty of the model was evaluated via one-way and probabilistic sensitivity analyses., Results: Bevacizumab treatment added 0.12 (0.48 vs. 0.36) QALYs compared to corticosteroid therapy, along with incremental costs of $ 2010 ($ 4260 vs. $ 2160). The resultant ICER was $ 16,866/QALY, which was lower than the willingness-to-pay threshold of $ 38,223/QALY in China. The price of bevacizumab, body weight, and the utility value of recurrence status were the key influential parameters for ICER. Probabilistic sensitivity analysis revealed that the probability of bevacizumab being cost-effectiveness was 84.9%., Conclusion: Compared with corticosteroids, bevacizumab is an economical option for CRN treatment in China., (© 2024. Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Cow milk consumption (CMC) and downstream alterations of serum metabolites are commonly considered important factors regulating human health status. Foods may lead to metabolic changes directly or indirectly through remodelling gut microbiota (GM). We sought to identify the metabolic alterations in Chinese Peri-/Postmenopausal women with habitual CMC and explore if the GM mediates the CMC-metabolite associations. 346 Chinese Peri-/Postmenopausal women participants were recruited in this study. Fixed effects regression and partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) were applied to reveal alterations of serum metabolic features in different CMC groups. Spearman correlation coefficient was computed to detect metabolome-metagenome association. 36 CMC-associated metabolites including palmitic acid (FA(16:0)), 7alpha-hydroxy-4-cholesterin-3-one (7alphaC4), citrulline were identified by both fixed effects regression (FDR < 0.05) and PLS-DA (VIP score > 2). Some significant metabolite-GM associations were observed, including FA(16:0) with gut species Bacteroides ovatus, Bacteroides sp.D2. These findings would further prompt our understanding of the effect of cow milk on human health.

Previous research on the relationship between empathy and subcategories of prosocial behavior, specifically cooperation, has shown inconsistent findings. It has also paid limited attention to gender differences in the impact of empathy. Therefore, this study examined the relationship between empathy and cooperation in Chinese junior high school adolescents, and the gender differences, through three studies. In Study 1, 448 eighth-grade adolescents (age = 12-15 years, 55.1% males) completed the Interpersonal Reactivity Index and Cooperative Propensity Rating Scale; the results showed that adolescent empathy was positively associated with cooperative propensity, and this association was significantly higher for males than for females. Study 2 used longitudinal data from 246 eighth-grade adolescents (age = 12-15 years, 54.5% males) to further support the positive association between empathy and cooperation propensity and the gender differences found in Study 1. Study 3 employed the public goods dilemma to examine the effects of empathic states on the cooperative behavior of 157 eighth-grade adolescents (age = 13-16 years, 48% males) by evoking empathy. Using different research methods, this study revealed a facilitative relationship between empathy and cooperation and demonstrated that empathy was more predictive of cooperation among male than among female adolescents., (© 2023 The Authors. PsyCh Journal published by Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences and John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.)

According to the positioning experiment of straw returning in the continuous field 7a, the effects of straw returning combined with chemical fertilizer on soil total organic carbon (TOC), dissolved organic carbon (DOC), particulate organic carbon (POC), labile organic carbon (LOC), carbon pool management index (CPMI), and crop yield in farmland soil profiles (0-20, 20-50, and 50-80 cm) in the Chaohu Lake area were studied. There were four treatments:no straw returning+no fertilization (CK), conventional fertilization (F), straw returning+conventional fertilization (SF1), and straw returning+80% conventional fertilization (SF2). The changes in soil total organic carbon and component content, CPMI, and rape rice yield in different soil layers were analyzed. Taking CK as a reference, conventional fertilization and straw returning combined with chemical fertilizer increased the content of total organic carbon and components in the soil vertical profile, and the content of total organic carbon and components in different soil layers decreased gradually with the increase in soil depth. In the 0-20 cm soil layer, compared with that in the F treatment, the SF1 and SF2 treatments significantly increased the contents of TOC, DOC, POC, and LOC by 14.23%-28.97%, 7.86%-27.01%, 16.46%-24.24%, and 5.89%-6.64%, respectively ( P <0.05). In the 20-50 cm soil layer, the contents of TOC and LOC in SF1 were significantly increased by 9.43% and 8.34%, respectively, compared with those in the F treatment ( P <0.05), and the contents of DOC and POC in SF2 were significantly increased by 17.51% and 65.83% compared with those in the F treatment ( P <0.05). In the 50-80 cm soil layer, there was no significant difference in the contents of total organic carbon and components among the treatments. The effect of straw returning and chemical fertilizer on the soil carbon pool management index was significant. SF1 significantly improved the CPMI of the 0-50 cm soil layer compared with that in the F treatment, whereas the CPMI of the F treatment was the largest in the 50-80 cm soil layer; however, there was no significant difference among all treatments. Straw returning combined with chemical fertilizer had a significant effect on crop yield, and the yield of the SF1 treatment was the highest; compared with that of the F treatment, the rice, rape, and annual yields were significantly increased by 6.19%, 7.67%, and 6.54%, respectively ( P <0.05). In general, straw returning combined with chemical fertilizer was of great significance to improve the soil carbon pool, soil fertility, and crop yield in the Chaohu Lake area.

The rapid development of the economy has promoted the growth of freight transportation. The truck service areas on expressways, as the main places for truck drivers to rest, play an important role in ensuring the driving safety of trucks. If these service areas are constructed densely or provide a plentiful supply of parking areas, they are costly to construct. However, if the distance between two adjacent truck service areas is very large or the number of truck parking spaces in service areas is small, the supply will fail to meet the parking needs of truck drivers. In this situation, the continuous working time of truck drivers will be longer, and this is likely to cause driver fatigue and even traffic accidents. To address these issues, this paper established a non-linear optimization model for truck service area planning of expressways to optimize truck driving safety. An improved genetic algorithm is proposed to solve the model. A case study of a 215.5-kilometers-length section of the Guang-Kun expressway in China was used to demonstrate the effectiveness of the model and algorithm. As validated by this specific case, the proposed model and solution algorithm can provide an optimal plan for the layout of truck service areas that meet the parking needs of truck drivers while minimizing the service loss rate. The research results of this paper can contribute to the construction of truck service areas and the parking management of trucks on expressways., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Ding, Wang, Chu, Chen, Song, Zhang and Lin.)

Objective: Although research suggests a close association between maternal thyroid function and birth outcomes, no clear conclusion has been reached. We aimed to explore this potential association in a retrospective cohort study., Methods: This study included 8985 mother-child dyads. The maternal serum free tetraiodothyronine (FT4), thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), and thyroid peroxidase antibody (TPO Ab) concentrations and birth outcome data were reviewed from medical records. Subjects with TPO Ab concentrations of >34 and ≤34 IU/ml were classified into the TPO Ab positivity (+) and TPO Ab negativity (-) groups, respectively., Results: Compared with subjects in the normal group (0.1 ≤ TSH < 2.5 mIU/L and TPO Ab-), those with TSH concentrations of 2.5-4.0 mIU/L and TPO Ab- had a 0.65-fold lower risk of low birth weight (LBW). In contrast, those with TSH concentrations of >4.0 mIU/L, regardless of the TPO Ab status, had a 2.01-fold increased risk of LBW. Subclinical hypothyroidism, regardless of the TPO Ab status, was associated with a 1.94-fold higher risk of LBW when compared with that in subjects with euthyroidism and TPO Ab-. No other significant associations were observed., Conclusion: A maternal TSH concentration of 2.5-4.0 mIU/L was associated with a lower risk of LBW when combined with TPO Ab-, whereas subjects with a TSH concentration of >4.0 mIU/L had an increased risk of LBW. Subclinical hypothyroidism appears to be associated with a higher risk of LBW., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2021 Chen, Pang, Lu, Li, Zhou, Ye, Yang, Shen, Lin, Fan, Lu and Liu.)

Botrytis cinerea is an important pathogen of vegetable and fruit crops but little is known about its population structure and genetics in China. We hypothesized that the geographic populations of B. cinerea in China would be genetically differentiated by host, geographic location, and/or year. In this study, we collected 393 B. cinerea isolates representing 28 populations from tomato, cherry, and nectarine from 2006 to 2014 in China. The isolates were analyzed using 14 microsatellite markers, including six new markers that provided more genotyping power than the eight previously published loci. We also investigated the B. cinerea population structure and inferred its mode of reproduction and dispersal based on genotype data. High genotypic diversity was detected in all populations, and clonal reproduction was dominant. Southern China populations harbored more genotypes than northern populations. Differentiation by host plant was evident. Between 2011 and 2012, genotypes changed only slightly among years for Liaoning populations, but they changed substantially among years for the Shanghai and Fujian populations. Clonal dispersal was detected and the farthest dispersal distance was estimated to be about 1,717 km. Two high-frequency genotypes were widely distributed in more than 10 populations and across several years. Our results provide useful, novel information for plant breeding programs and control of B. cinerea in China.

Objective: To compare the safety and efficacy between three-field lymphadenectomy and normative Ivor-Lewis two-field lymphadenectomy for thoracic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma METHODS: Clinical data of 375 patients with thoracic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma who underwent three-field lymphadenectomy(3FL) or Ivor-Lewis two-field lymphadenectomy(2FL, Ivor-Lewis) in Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center during 2013 were retrieved and collected from electronic medical record system. Ninety-one patients received three-field lymphadenectomy (3FL group), including 16 cases of intra-cervical gastro-esophageal anastomosis and 75 cases of intra-thoracic gastro-esophageal anastomosis, while 284 patients received Ivor-Lewis two-field lymphadenectomy (2FL group) with all intra-thoracic gastro-esophageal anastomosis. Short-term outcomes were compared between two groups, including postoperative anastomotic leakage, pneumonia and respiratory failure, chylothorax, reoperation and 90-day death. Total harvested lymph nodes and positive lymph nodes in each group were also compared. A total of 338 patients were enrolled into survival analysis. Survival curve was presented by Kaplan-Meier method., Results: As compared to 2FL group, the 3FL group had significantly higher ratio of N3 patients [19.8% (18/91) vs. 5.3% (15/284), P=0.000], stageIII( patients [58.2%(53/91) vs. 43.0%(122/284), P=0.007], and upper thoracic cancer patients [12.1%(11/91) vs. 3.5%(10/284), P=0.027]; also the 3FL group had more harvested lymph nodes (40.1±14.6 vs. 25.3±9.4, P=0.000) and more positive lymph nodes (3.3±4.0 vs. 1.7±3.2, P=0.000). With respect to pneumonia and respiratory failure, chylothorax, reoperation and 90-day death, no significant differences were found between the group (P=0.447, P=0.751, P=0.678, P=0.685). The 3FL group had a significantly higher incidence of anastomotic leakage than 2FL group [7.7% (7/91) vs. 1.8% (5/284), P=0.011], while its incidence of intrathoracic anastomosis leakage was 4.0% (3/75), which was not significantly different with 1.8%(5/284) of 2FL group (P=0.372). Median follow-up was 33 months. Overall 1-, 2-, 3-year survival rates were 94%, 81% and 70%, while 1-, 2-, 3-year survival rates of 3FL group were 90%, 73% and 66%, of 2FL group were 95%, 84% and 72%, respectively, without significant differences between the two group(P=0.135). Further subgroup analysis showed that no significant differences of postoperative survival in stage I(, II( and III( patients were observed between the two groups (P=0.541, P=0.511, P=0.402), meanwhile no significant differences of postoperative survival in patients with metastasis and without metastasis were found between the two groups as well (P=0.985, P=0.233)., Conclusions: Three-field lymphadenectomy can be performed with acceptable perioperative morbidity and mortality. The prognosis value of three field lymphadenectomy needs further investigation. Patients with thoracic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma may have favorable survival through normative Ivor-Lewis two-field lymphadenectomy.

Introduction: The etiological and clinical characteristics of patients with infectious diarrhea have changed during the last decade in Shanghai., Methodology: The records of 29,210 patients with infectious diarrhea in the outpatient department of the Jinshan Hospital (Shanghai, China) between January 1998 and December 2013 were analyzed., Results: A total of 2,849 samples were positive for intestinal pathogenic bacteria including Vibrio parahaemolyticus (2,489; 84.0%), Salmonella spp. (235; 8.3%), and Shigella spp. (125; 4.4%). V. parahaemolyticus infections are mainly characterized by abdominal pain, nausea, and vomiting, whereas Shigella spp. infections can, in addition, induce fever. In contrast, Salmonella infections can produce all of these symptoms but in a smaller percentage of patients. During the 16-year study, both the number of patients and the positive infection rate declined. Notably, the rate of infections by V. parahaemolyticus decreased while the detection rates of Salmonella spp. increased year by year from 2006 on with the introduction of a new detection method., Conclusions: Salmonella has been identified as the third-most frequent cause of diarrhea from 1998-2006, as the second-most frequent cause from 2006-2010, and as the most frequent cause from 2011-2013, which was mainly due to a sharp decrease of V. parahaemolyticus infections in 2011-2013. Salmonella strains collected in 2011-2013 showed high susceptibility to imipenem (100%) and meropenem (100%), whereas susceptibilities for ampicillin (39%) and piperacillin (40%) were low.

Purpose: There are no global screening recommendations for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). Endoscopic screening has been investigated in areas of high incidence in China since the 1970s. This study aimed to evaluate whether an endoscopic screening and intervention program could reduce mortality caused by ESCC., Methods: Residents age 40 to 69 years were recruited from communities with high rates of ESCC. Fourteen villages were selected as the intervention communities. Ten villages not geographically adjacent to intervention villages were selected for comparison. Participants in the intervention group were screened once by endoscopy with Lugol's iodine staining, and those with dysplasia or occult cancer were treated. All intervention participants and a sample consisting of one tenth of the control group completed questionnaires. We compared cumulative ESCC incidence and mortality between the two groups., Results: Three thousand three hundred nineteen volunteers (48.62%) from an eligible population of 6,827 were screened in the intervention group. Seven hundred ninety-seven volunteers from an eligible population of 6,200 in the control group were interviewed. Six hundred fifty-two incident and 542 fatal ESCCs were identified during the 10-year follow-up. A reduction in cumulative mortality in the intervention group versus the control group was apparent (3.35% v 5.05%, respectively; P < .001). Furthermore, the intervention group had a significantly lower cumulative incidence of ESCC versus the control group (4.17% v 5.92%, respectively; P < .001)., Conclusion: We showed that endoscopic screening and intervention significantly reduced mortality caused by esophageal cancer. Detection and treatment of preneoplastic lesions also led to a reduction in the incidence of this highly fatal cancer., (© 2015 by American Society of Clinical Oncology.)

Objective: To characterize the histological and epidemiological features of male lung cancer patients in China., Methods: The demographic and histological information about male lung cancer patients identified from 2000-01-01 to 2012-12-31, was collected from the Cancer Hospital of the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences. Relative frequencies (RF) were estimated for major histological subtypes and compared according to the years of diagnosis and birth., Results: The RF of adenocarcinoma (ADC) increased from 21.96% to 43.36% and the RF of squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) decreased from 39.11% to 32.23% from 2000 to 2012 in the 15 427 male lung cancer patients included in this study (Z=17.909, P<0.0001; Z=-6.117, P<0.0001). The RF of ADC increased from 28.72% in 2000-2004, 36.88% in 2005-2008 to 48.61% in 2009-2012 in patients born after 1960. The age-adjusted RF of ADC in 2007-2012 increased consistently in all the investigated areas., Conclusion: The increased RF of ADC in male lung cancer patients highlights the need for further investigation of the etiologic factors of these tumors. Smoke-free policies rather than modifying tobacco products should be enforced., (Copyright © 2014 The Editorial Board of Biomedical and Environmental Sciences. Published by China CDC. All rights reserved.)

Phytophthora capsici causes significant loss to pepper (Capsicum annum) in China and our goal was to develop single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers for P. capsici and characterize genetic diversity nationwide. Eighteen isolates of P. capsici from locations worldwide were re-sequenced and candidate nuclear and mitochondrial SNPs identified. From 2006 to 2012, 276 isolates of P. capsici were recovered from 136 locations in 27 provinces and genotyped using 45 nuclear and 2 mitochondrial SNPs. There were two main mitochondrial haplotypes and 95 multi-locus genotypes (MLGs) identified. Genetic diversity was geographically structured with a high level of genotypic diversity in the north and on Hainan Island in the south, suggesting outcrossing contributes to diversity in these areas. The remaining areas of China are dominated by four clonal lineages that share mitochondrial haplotypes, are almost exclusively the A1 or A2 mating type and appear to exhibit extensive diversity based on loss of heterozygosity (LOH). Analysis of SNPs directly from infected peppers confirmed LOH in field populations. One clonal lineage is dominant throughout much of the country. The overall implications for long-lived genetically diverse clonal lineages amidst a widely dispersed sexual population are discussed.

Objective: To identify the source of infection, route of transmission and risk factors related to a cluster of acute gastroenteritis cases in a university of Guangzhou., Methods: Cases were identified according to the definition. Descriptive epidemiological approaches and case-control study designs were employed in the analysis. All the samples were tested for norovirus by RT-PCR. Positive samples were subjected to both nucleotide sequence and homology analysis., Results: A total of 141 cases related to norovirus gastroenteritis were identified in January 8 to 21, 2013, with the attack rate as 8.5 per thousand (141/16,600). The peak in morbidity was seen on January 8 to 9. No clustering was found in different classes or dormitories. Results from the case-control study revealed that early cases were infected in Restaurant A (OR = 3.46, 95% CI: 1.07-11.16) and the cold shredded chicken set meal (OR = 17.82, 95% CI: 4.46-78.17) served at lunch (OR = 4.34, 95% CI: 1.18 -17.37) on January 7 was under suspicion. A total of 266 samples, including rectal swabs from the patients and kitchen wokers, leftover food and environmental swabs, were collected. Twenty-one samples (collected from 17 persons) were positive for norovirus by RT-PCR. About 29.6% (8/27) of the kitchen workers in the Restaurant A were tested positive for the virus. The pathogen was identified as the new norovirus genotype II.4 variant, termed Sydney 2012. The virus strains isolated from the patients among student and staff and the kitchen workers were 100% identical in their nucleotide sequence., Conclusion: This was the first reported acute gastroenteritis outbreak caused by the new norovirus genotype II.4 variant, Sydney 2012, which showed that the food was contaminated by the asymptomatic kitchen workers who carried the virus.

Aim: To explore the DNA image cytometry (DNA-ICM) technique as a primary screening method for esophageal squamous precancerous lesions., Methods: This study was designed as a population-based screening study. A total of 582 local residents aged 40 years-69 years were recruited from Linzhou in Henan and Feicheng in Shandong. However, only 452 subjects had results of liquid-based cytology, DNA-ICM and pathology. The sensitivity and specificity of DNA-ICM were calculated and compared with liquid-based cytology in moderate dysplasia or worse., Results: Sensitivities of DNA-ICM ranging from at least 1 to 4 aneuploid cells were 90.91%, 86.36%, 79.55% and 77.27%, respectively, which were better than that of liquid-based cytology (75%). Specificities of DNA-ICM were 70.83%, 84.07%, 92.65% and 96.81%, but the specificity of liquid-based cytology was 91.91%. The sensitivity and specificity of a combination of liquid-based cytology and DNA-ICM were 84.09% and 85.78%, respectively., Conclusion: It is possible to use DNA-ICM technique as a primary screening method for esophageal squamous precancerous lesions.

Matrix metalloproteinase 2 (MMP2) has been shown to play an important role in several steps of cancer development. The -1306C/T polymorphism of the MMP2 gene displays a strikingly lower promoter activity than the T allele, and the CC genotype in the MMP2 promoter has been reported to associate with the development of several cancers. To assess the contribution of the MMP2 -1306C/T polymorphism to the risk of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC), we conducted a case-control study and analyzed MMP2 genotypes in 370 patients with NPC and 390 frequency-matched controls using real-time PCR-based TaqMan allele analysis. We found that subjects with the CC genotype had an increased risk (OR = 1.55, 95% CI = 1.05-2.27) of developing NPC compared to those with the CT or TT genotypes. Furthermore, we found that the risk of NPC was markedly increased in subjects who were smokers (OR = 15.04, 95% CI = 6.65-33.99), heavy smokers who smoked ≥ 20 pack-years (OR = 18.66, 95% CI = 7.67-45.38), or young (<60 years) at diagnosis (OR = 1.52, 95% CI = 1.01-2.29). Our results provide molecular epidemiological evidence that the MMP2 -1306C/T promoter polymorphism is associated with NPC risk, and this association is especially noteworthy in heavy smokers.

Methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) plays a central role in converting folate to a compound which serves as a methyl donor for DNA methylation, an epigenetic modification known to be dysregulated in carcinogenesis. This case-control study assessed the contribution of MTHFR polymorphisms to the risk of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). MTHFR genotypes C677T and A1298C in 529 NPC patients and 577 frequency-matched controls were determined by PCR-based restriction fragment length polymorphism. We found a 1.57-fold increased risk of NPC in subjects with the MTHFR 1298AC genotype compared to subjects with the MTHFR 1298AA genotype. In addition, an elevated NPC risk was also found in subjects with both the MTHFR 677CT and 1298AC genotypes [odds ratio (OR) = 2.15, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.37-3.39] compared to subjects with the 677CC/1298AA genotypes. Furthermore, we observed an additive interaction between MTHFR polymorphisms and smoking status on the increased risk of NPC. The OR was 6.72 (95% CI = 1.85-24.48) among heavy smokers (pack-years ≥15) carrying 677TT compared with nonsmokers carrying the 677CC genotype. The OR was 7.23 (95% CI = 4.22-12.38) or 12.75 (95% CI = 2.74-59.3) among subjects carrying the 1298AC or 1298CC genotype in heavy smokers (pack-years ≥15) compared with 1298AA in nonsmokers. Our results provide the first molecular epidemiological evidence that MTHFR polymorphisms associate with the risk of NPC and this association is especially noteworthy in heavy smokers., (© 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc.)

Certain regions of China have high rates of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). Previous studies of human papillomavirus (HPV), a proposed causal factor, have produced highly variable results. We attempted to evaluate HPV and ESCC more definitively using extreme care to prevent DNA contamination. We collected tissue and serum in China from 272 histopathologically-confirmed ESCC cases with rigorous attention to good molecular biology technique. We tested for HPV DNA in fresh-frozen tumor tissue using PCR with PGMY L1 consensus primers and HPV16 and 18 type-specific E6 and E7 primers, and in formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tumor tissue using SPF(10) L1 primers. In HPV-positive cases, we evaluated p16(INK4a) overexpression and HPV E6/E7 seropositivity as evidence of carcinogenic HPV activity. beta-globin, and thus DNA, was adequate in 98.2% of the frozen tumor tissues (267/272). Of these, 99.6% (95% confidence interval (CI) = 97.9-100.0%) were negative for HPV DNA by PGMY, and 100% (95% CI = 98.6-100%) were negative by HPV16/18 E6/E7 PCR. In the corresponding formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tumor specimens, 99.3% (95% CI = 97.3-99.9%) were HPV negative by SPF(10). By PGMY, 1 case tested weakly positive for HPV89, a noncancer causing HPV type. By SPF(10), 2 cases tested weakly positive: 1 for HPV16 and 1 for HPV31. No HPV DNA-positive case had evidence of HPV oncogene activity as measured by p16(INK4a) overexpression or E6/E7 seropositivity. This study provides the most definitive evidence to date that HPV is not involved in ESCC carcinogenesis in China. HPV DNA contamination cannot be ruled out as an explanation for high HPV prevalence in ESCC tissue studies with less stringent tissue procurement and processing protocols.

A Gram-stain-positive, oxidase- and catalase-positive, non-motile, non-spore-forming, halotolerant, coccoid bacterium, designated strain NY-2(T), was isolated from a seaside soil sample from Shandong Province, China. Strain NY-2(T) was able to grow in the presence of 0-23 % (w/v) NaCl and at pH 4.5-10.0 and 5-42 degrees C; optimum growth was observed with 3-8 % (w/v) total salts and at pH 6.5-8.0 and 28-37 degrees C. Chemotaxonomic analyses, including fatty acid profiles, menaquinones and polar lipids, supported the affiliation of strain NY-2(T) to the genus Jeotgalicoccus. The predominant menaquinone of strain NY-2(T) was menaquinone 7 (MK-7) (100 %) and the major cellular fatty acids were iso-C(15 : 0) (49.0 %) and anteiso-C(15 : 0) (19.6 %). Cellular polar lipids were phosphatidylglycerol, diphosphatidylglycerol and several unidentified phospholipids. The DNA G+C content of strain NY-2(T) was 36.8 mol%. Based on 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis, strain NY-2(T) formed a coherent cluster with Jeotgalicoccus marinus JSM 076033(T), Jeotgalicoccus halotolerans YKJ-101(T) and Jeotgalicoccus psychrophilus YKJ-115(T). Phylogenetic analysis, DNA-DNA relatedness data, phenotypic characteristics and chemotaxonomic data indicated that strain NY-2(T) (=CCTCC AB 208288(T) =JCM 15687(T)) should be classified as the type strain of a novel species of the genus Jeotgalicoccus, for which the name Jeotgalicoccus huakuii sp. nov. is proposed.