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The data on direct‐acting antivirals (DAAs) in chronic hepatitis C (CHC) patients in southern China with multiple genotypes circulating are limited. This study aims to evaluate the efficacy and safety of DAA regimens among CHC patients in Guangdong, China. A total of 220 patients receiving a variety of DAA were enrolled. The primary outcome was sustained virologic response (SVR) at 12 weeks. Resistance associated substitutions (RASs) were evaluated by deep sequencing. The overall SVR rate was 96.4%, and was 97.7% for genotype 1, 100% for genotype 2, 91.9% for genotype 3, 95.7% for genotype 6, and 100% for untyped. The overall incidence of adverse events (AEs) was 8.2% (18/220) and all the AEs were mild. Nonstructural proteins 5A RAS, 30K/31M, and Y93H were most prevalent at baseline and the end of treatment in non‐SVR patients, respectively. Logistics regression showed that elevated alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) at baseline were specifically associated with non‐SVR in patients with genotype 3 and 6 infections (p = 0.029 and p = 0.017) but not genotype 1 infection (p = 0.746 and p = 0.971), and baseline AST was the best predictor for SVR in genotypes 3 and 6 patients (area under curve = 0.890). Our studies demonstrated all DAA regimens achieved ideal SVR and were well tolerated. NS5A RAS were prevalent in non‐SVR patients. Elevated ALT and AST as baseline predictors for non‐SVR in genotypes 3 and 6 infections warrant further research in a larger cohort. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A newly developing method, optically stimulated luminescence (OSL)‐depth profiles (DPs), provides a novel means of reconstructing and quantifying fault slip on timescales of 101−4 years. A targeted bedrock fault scarp along Langshan in north China, used as proof of concept, is divided into four sections based on four groups of OSL‐DPs at different heights up the bedrock fault scarp. These have seismic displacements of 170, 80, 130, and 140 cm, and without considering the erosion rate, the exposure ages at the four displacements are 6–35 a, 19–84 a, 0.5–0.9 ka, and 2–5 ka, respectively. The ages are overall in chronological order, while the actual ages are likely underestimated due to erosion. After assuming erosion amounts according to the weathering characteristics, the calculated ages are mostly consistent with paleoseismic trenching studies. In addition, the method may identify a seismic event that previous studies did not identify. Plain Language Summary: Bedrock fault scarps are among the best natural archives to help constrain and date fault slip. Bedrock fault scarps record many seismic events but lack suitable dating methods on timescales of 101−4 years to define the timing of fault movement. Optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) surface exposure dating provides a novel means of differentiating seismic displacements, quantifying ages, and bedrock erosion rates for bedrock fault scarps. We apply this method to bedrock fault scarps of the Langshan piedmont fault in north China as a proof of concept. Adopting the k‐means clustering method to OSL‐depth profiles (DPs), the fault scarp below 6 m records four seismic event with fault displacements of 170, 80, 130, and 140 cm. The exposure ages obtained by OSL‐DPs methods are somewhat underestimates if erosion rates are not considered. However, the ages are better corrected after assuming the amount of erosion based on weathering characteristics evident in the field. Our study shows that this method is a valuable supplement to paleoseismic trenching and bedrock fault scarps dating methods, and it helps extend the understanding and usefulness of bedrock fault scarps. Key Points: We perform one of the first studies attempting to use optically stimulated luminescence‐depth profiles as a quantitative proxy of bedrock fault scarps slip historyResults show that the method can quantify seismic displacements, age, and erosion rates for bedrock faults on timescales of 101−4 yearsWe define the uncertainties on the depth of half saturation (DHS) using the horizontal width of the 95% confidence intervals at DHS [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Epidemiological studies suggest that the incidence of hypertension in China is causally related to cognitive impairment. However, there is a dearth of information available regarding important factors for the association, including disease duration, therapeutic options, and risk factors associated with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) in patients with hypertension. Methods: We selected a diverse cohort of 572 patients with hypertension and assessed cognitive function using MoCA. Potential risk factors were investigated by a structured questionnaire. Risk factors associated with the hypertension-induced MCI occurring conversion of were analyzed using multifactorial regression analysis. Results: MCI was observed in 256 of 572 individuals, which increased with age (OR=1.15, 95% CI 1.10– 1.20), but was decreased with high education status (OR=0.47, 95% CI 0.32– 0.71). Risk factors independently associated with MCI were diabetes (OR=2.40, 95% CI 1.53– 3.76), hyperlipidemia (OR=1.49, 95%=1.01– 2.16), high salt diet (OR=2.27, 95% CI 1.34– 3.84), and physical activity:> 2h/week (OR=0.65, 95%0.44– 0.94). However, controlling blood pressure to "normal" target values helped decrease the incidence of MCI (OR=0.44, 95% CI 0.30– 0.65): this was not age dependent. Conclusion: Our results suggest that it is necessary to promote the education of the middle-aged and elderly Chinese population to correctly and effectively use anti-hypertensives to control hypertension to a normal range to prevent cognitive. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Experimental tests were conducted on a rectangular flume with different grid-type dam grid sizes, channel slopes and debris flow bulk density. We use the Bernoulli equation of energy conservation to deduce a formula to calculate debris-flow discharge. By combining the flume experiments with dimensional analysis methods, we mainly consider the bulk density of the debris flow, grid size of the grid-type dam, and flume slope to establish the discharge-coefficient correction formula and propose a method of calculating debris-flow discharge through a grid-type dam. The practical value of the formulas was illustrated using the Niwan gully, a tributary of Bailong River in Gansu province, China, as an example, which can be used as a reference in further practical engineering applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study takes rock masses at the Songta Hydropower Station in SE China as examples to perform 3D discrete fracture network (DFN) modelling. Field fracture traces are collected from four adits (PD252, PD254, PD262 and PD264) with 1.6 m high sampling windows. The relationship between 3D fracture parameters and 2D collected trace information is investigated using data collected from short sampling windows. On the basis of this relationship, a simplified method is proposed to determine the 3D fracture density and disc diameter and generate 3D DFN. This method avoids the complex deduction processes of geometric fracture parameters, thereby simplifying 3D DFN modelling considerably. Although the method is developed on the basis of short-window collection, traditional data collected within a tall window are still applicable through the window dividing method. Short windows do not contain competent traces that reflect the structural information of rock masses. Therefore, errors are easily found during 3D DFN modelling. We propose a method to evaluate and reduce uncertainty effects. The uncertainties of fracture sets 1 and 2 are analysed by increasing the sampling size in a single structural domain, and the errors are acceptable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The superelevation phenomenon is common in the movement of debris flows around curves. This paper presents a new method to calculate the superelevation of debris flow when it encounters obstacles in the flow process. The calculation method is based on the Bingham Model for debris flow determination. In this paper, physically significant internal and external roughness coefficients are determined by analysing the internal characteristics and external channel boundary conditions of viscous debris flows in Xiedi gully, China. According to the situation of debris flow passing through the bend, when the debris flow moves to the sidewall of the gully with velocity, the movement state is divided into two parts: radial and normal. One part of the mud rock fluid continues to move in the tangential direction and generates superelevation, and the other part moves in the radial direction and generates upward climbing along the sidewall. Thus, the formula for calculating the superelevation of debris flow bend is derived. Based on the debris flow physical and dynamic parameters, such as density and weight of the debris flow, cohesion, internal friction angle, yield stress and dynamic viscosity of liquid-phase slurry, the reliability of the formula is verified, which provides a theoretical basis for future studies of debris flow disaster prevention and control in similar areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The European Society for Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism (ESPEN) guidelines recommend the Royal Free Hospital-Nutritional Prioritizing Tool (RFH-NPT) to identify malnutrition risk in patients with liver disease. However, little is known about the application of the RFH-NPT to screen for the risk of malnutrition in China, where patients primarily suffer from hepatitis virus-related cirrhosis. A total of 155 cirrhosis patients without liver cancer or uncontrolled co-morbid illness were enrolled in this prospective study. We administered the Nutritional Risk Screening 2002 (NRS-2002), RFH-NPT, Malnutrition Universal Screening Tool (MUST) and Liver Disease Undernutrition Screening Tool (LDUST) to the patients within 24 h after admission and performed follow-up observations for 1·5 years. The RFH-NPT and NRS-2002 had higher sensitivities (64·8 and 52·4 %) and specificities (60 and 70 %) than the other tools with regard to screening for malnutrition risk in cirrhotic patients. The prevalence of nutritional risk was higher under the use of the RFH-NPT against the NRS-2002 (63 v. 51 %). The RFH-NPT tended more easily to detect malnutrition risk in patients with advanced Child–Pugh classes (B and C) and lower Model for End-stage Liver Disease scores (<15) compared with NRS-2002. RFH-NPT score was an independent predictive factor for mortality. Patients identified as being at high malnutrition risk with the RFH-NPT had a higher mortality rate than those at low risk; the same result was not obtained with the NRS-2002. Therefore, we suggest that using the RFH-NPT improves the ability of clinicians to predict malnutrition risk in patients with cirrhosis primarily caused by hepatitis virus infection at an earlier stage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Intelligent manufacturing has become the trend of global manufacturing industry, and the core of the new industrial revolution and the commanding point of Made in China 2025. Process planning is an important part of intelligent manufacturing. To improve the speed and accuracy of intelligent generation of machining process, a systematic intelligent generation method of machining process based on process knowledge is proposed. Firstly, a method of modelling and management of process knowledge is presented. Secondly, by combining case-based reasoning with rule-based reasoning, accurate process information of machining features is obtained. Then, the skeleton process is formed. Thirdly, through the analysis of the precedence constraints and the processing experience constraints, the precedence relation between machining features is determined. Moreover, the precedence between process operations is formulated by process constraint matrix. Finally, a genetic algorithm (GA) approach is presented to obtain the global optimal process route for the part based on working step with process information. Taking the connecting rod and piston of marine diesel engine and the spindle box shell as the research object, the feasibility of this method is verified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A grid-type dam, which is an open-type dam, is an active structural countermeasure employed to mitigate the potential risk from and damage by debris flows. Although grid-type dams are widely used to control water-stone flows in Japan and other countries, they are not used in China due to the lack of knowledge regarding their suitability for controlling viscous debris flows. Viscous debris flows with a wide grain-size distribution are common in southwestern China. Using the known characteristics of such debris flows, we performed a series of flume tests designed to take three main factors into account: debris flow bulk density, channel gradient, and grid size. The goal of these tests was to investigate the dynamic processes and the performance of a grid-type dam in controlling viscous debris flows. The results of our analysis indicated that grid-type dams could effectively trap and regulate viscous debris flows. The sediment storage rate increased with the bulk density, concomitantly with a decrease in the reduction rate of bulk density and peak discharge; however, all parameters decreased with grid opening size. Additionally, based on theoretical analyses and experimental results, dimensionless relationship equations for grid-type dams were established that considered sediment storage rate, bulk density reduction rate, and peak discharge reduction rate. These equations make it possible to predict the effectiveness of controlling transported sediment using a grid-type dam. Moreover, they represent a reference for designing grid opening size, which could provide technical support for further practical engineering. Finally, we applied these equations to a case study of the Sandaoqiao Gully, where they were shown to be effective as a guideline in designing a grid-type dam to control a viscous debris flow. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this work was to isolate and identify the muscovite-solubilizing microorganisms, and then to exploit the mechanism of K-extraction by the isolated microorganisms. Ten strains of microorganisms were isolated from soil sample in K-bearing mineral area (Anhui province, China) using Aleksandov agar medium, which had different degrees of muscovite-solubilizing in the K-extraction experiments. After 15-day incubation, the K-extraction ability was evaluated through dissolved structural element of muscovite in aqueous medium (K, Al, Si) by Inductively Coupled Plasma. Four best muscovite-solubilizing microorganisms were identified by 18S rDNA analysis as Penicillium purpurogenum, Talaromyces radicus, Aspergillus fumigatus and Aureobasidium pullulans, respectively. Furthermore, organic acids in the medium were determined by high performance liquid chromatography, and the surface morphology and composition of original and leached muscovite were evaluated using scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive spectroscopy. According to these analytical results, it was deducted that the interactions between fungi and muscovite, along with excreted organic acids and K-adsorption by the fungal hyphae contribute to muscovite weathering and K-release. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Wenchuan earthquake of May 12, 2008 produced large amounts of loose solid material that can lead to the development of devastating debris flows. In 5 years since the earthquake, large numbers of large-scale debris flows occurred and caused great damage to the resettled population and the reconstruction efforts. The reconstructed Yingxiu Town suffered debris flow and its secondary disaster in the past 5 years, and will be in the risk range of debris flow hazard in the future. It is very important to predict debris flow and its secondary hazard (especially the dam-breaking flood) near the town. The debris flow of the Xiaojia Gully was described and analyzed as a typical large-scale case in the Yingxiu area. The study aimed to describe the debris flow event, investigate the sediment supply conditions, analyze the characteristics of the debris flow deposition, calculate the river-blocking parameters, and predict the damage of dam-breaking flood to Yingxiu Town under different debris flow frequencies. Debris flows in Xiaojia Gully were well developed and occurred several times, resulting in frequent interruption of traffic on the S303 road. The interpretation of satellite images showed that landslide deposition, channel deposition, and soil erosion sediment were three kinds of sediment supply types for debris flow formation. 188 sediment supply sites in total were identified in the catchment. The total area for the supply of sediment for debris flows is about 0.99 km 2 , giving a total volume of 532.09 × 10 4 m 3 . If the Yuzi River is blocked by debris flow material, the dam-breaking flood can cause potential damage to the newly constructed Yingxiu Town. The calculation results reveal that debris flows with a frequency of 5% and 10% are impossible to cause river-blockage, and consequently, the Yingxiu Town is safe in these situations. However, debris flows with a frequency of 1% and 2% may cause river blockage and the dam-breaking flood can cause damage to the Yingxiu Town. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mitigation works are very essential for mitigation of debris-flow hazards in mountainous areas. Usually, it is difficult to assess the effectiveness of existing mitigation works in a catchment. This paper presented a method for quantitative assessment of debris flow mitigation measures by using Kanako system, a user-friendly GUI-equipped debris flow simulator that allows good visualization and easy interpretation. Kanako 2D (Ver. 2.04) was applied to a case study at Caijia Gully, Sichuan Province, China. Mitigation works including check dams, drainage channel, and deposition basin were constructed in the gully in 2001 and 2006. Kanako 2D can simulate debris flow from steep area to alluvial fan. 1D simulation was applied for assessing the effect of the check dams at the lower part of the gully, and 2D simulation was applied for the effect of the drainage channel and deposition basin on the alluvial fan. The simulation results indicate that debris flow will cause great damage to residential area on the alluvial fan if mitigation measures were not implemented in the gully. For old dams which have been filled up with deposits of previous debris flows, the results show that they still have the function for controlling debris flow due to the gradient reduction of the channel bed in front of the dams by the trapped debris flow deposition. After the comprehensive control of debris flow including trapping, drainage, and deposition in the gully, the simulation results indicate that the risk on the alluvial fan can be reduced to an acceptable level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The debris flow formation conditions changed after the Wenchuan earthquake. For studying the optimal characteristics of the drainage canal under the changed formation conditions, the Zhangjia gully in Beichuan County, a typical debris flow gully, was selected as the study area. Two debris flow events occurred on September 24, 2008 and July 17, 2009, respectively, which threatened the safety of the inhabitants and destroyed the properties and transportation routes on the alluvial fan. Huge amounts of solid loose materials triggered by the earthquake and the effective antecedent precipitation were responsible for the debris flow occurrence. For eliminating the damage caused by debris flows, the construction of a drainage canal on the alluvial fan became necessary. A design method for the optimal cross-section characteristics of a debris flow drainage canal is discussed in this paper. Using the standard measurements for the depth ( h) and the width ( b), the cross-section size parameter ( F) and the cross-section configuration parameter ( M) under optimal hydraulic conditions are defined and deduced. Subsequently, formulas for calculating the cross-section measurements are deduced under optimal hydraulic conditions when peak discharge ( Q), grain composition ( D and D), and longitudinal slope ( I) are known. Finally, this method is applied for the cross-section design of the debris flow drainage canal in Zhangjia gully. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Subao River lies along the Beichuan-Yingxiu fault in Beichuan County, which has been heavily impacted by the Wenchuan earthquake on 12 May 2008 and has become sources of many geo-hazards. On 24 September 2008, a rainstorm triggered a large debris flow in the catchment, causing several deaths and significant damages. A case study on changes of the debris flow was conducted in the river. The peak discharges were calculated in the Guanmenzi, Huangnidi, and Daanshan gullies. Results indicated that the peak discharges corresponded to various return periods in different gullies: 200 years in Daanshan, 100 years in Huangnidi, and 50 years in Guanmenzi. However, the triggering precipitation in these three gullies was only of a 20-year return period. The debris flows had undergone significant changes. Analysis indicated that the changes should be ascribed to the flow characteristics, initiation conditions, and the channel blockage impacted by the rapid accumulation of loose material. Channel blockage was the principal factor increasing the scale of the debris flow. The values on the blocking coefficient were presented based on density, height, and other characteristics of dams. Finally, all of the peak debris flow discharges of the Subao River Valley for a 20-year return period were calculated using the recommended blocking coefficient values. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The Nihewan Formation, consisting of thick fluvio–lacustrine sediments with abundant mammalian faunas and Paleolithic remains, is widely distributed in the Nihewan Basin, northern Hebei Province, China. In this study the fluvio–lacustrine sediments of the Nihewan Formation and the loess–paleosol sequence evident in the Haojiatai Section were dated by recuperated OSL (ReOSL) of fine-grained quartz (Wang, X.L., Lu, Y.C., Wintle, A.G., 2006a. Recuperated OSL dating of fine-grained quartz in Chinese loess. Quaternary Geochronology 1, 89–100.). The preliminary ReOSL dating results show that: (i) the loess–paleosol sequence in the upper part of the profile started to develop at about 128ka ago; (ii) the unconformity separating the loess–paleosol from the underlying Nihewan Formation represents a sedimentation break of about 130ka. On the basis of the ReOSL dates and related stratigraphic evidence it is proposed that the ancient Lake Nihewan dried shortly after about 266ka. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Saussurea involuerata (S. involuerata), a kind of composite and perennial herbage plant, is a rare and precious alpine medicinal plants with high medicinal value, it can regulate human's body and has health care function, therefore attracts attention of many scholars. It is currently on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) red list of threatened species. In this study, we first assembled the complete chloroplast (cp) genome of S. involucrata by Illumina paired-end reads data. The whole genome was 152,490 bp, consisting of a pair of inverted repeats of 69,041 bp, large and small single-copy regions of 69,045bp and 18,638 bp in length, respectively. The cp genome contained 134 genes, including 90 protein-coding genes, 36 tRNA genes, and 8 rRNA genes. The overall GC content of the whole genome was 37.7%. A neighbor-joining phylogenetic analysis demonstrated a close relationship between S. involuerata and Arctium lappa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reports on the morphology and grain-size of quartz from the QA-I sequence in the western Loess Plateau, Qin'an, China. The quartz is also compared from eolian deposits from the site at Xifeng. Eolian dust deposits are dominated by quartz. The quartz deposits gathered at the site have different characteristics from those of the typical quartz.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has been ongoing for more than three years and urgently needs to be addressed. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) prescriptions have played an important role in the clinical treatment of patients with COVID-19 in China. However, it is difficult to uncover the potential molecular mechanisms of the active ingredients in these TCM prescriptions. In this paper, we developed a new approach by integrating the experimental assay, virtual screening, and the experimental verification, exploring the rapid discovery of active ingredients from TCM prescriptions. To achieve this goal, 4 TCM prescriptions in clinical use for different indications were selected to find the antiviral active ingredients in TCMs. The 3-chymotrypsin-like protease (3CLpro), an important target for fighting COVID-19, was utilized to determine the inhibitory activity of the TCM prescriptions and single herb. It was found that 10 single herbs had better inhibitory activity than other herbs by using a fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) - based enzymatic assay of SARS-CoV-2 3CLpro. The ingredients contained in 10 herbs were thus virtually screened and the predicted active ingredients were experimentally validated. Thus, such a research strategy firstly removed many single herbs with no inhibitory activity against SARS-CoV-2 3CLpro at the very beginning by FRET-based assay, making our subsequent virtual screening more effective. Finally, 4 active components were found to have stronger inhibitory effects on SARS-CoV-2 3CLpro, and their inhibitory mechanism was subsequently investigated. Among of them, methyl rosmarinate as an allosteric inhibitor of SARS-CoV-2 3CLpro was confirmed and its ability to inhibit viral replication was demonstrated by the SARS-CoV-2 replicon system. To validate the binding mode via docking, the mutation experiment, circular dichroism (CD), enzymatic inhibition and surface plasmon resonance (SPR) assay were performed, demonstrating that methyl rosmarinate bound to the allosteric site of SARS-CoV-2 3CLpro. In conclusion, this paper provides the new ideas for the rapid discovery of active ingredients in TCM prescriptions based on a specific target, and methyl rosmarinate has the potential to be developed as an antiviral therapeutic candidate against SARS-CoV-2 infection. • This paper explores the rapid discovery of the active ingredients from TCMs. • TCM prescriptions were selected to find anti-SARS-CoV-2 3CLpro active ingredients. • Methyl rosmarinate is an allosteric inhibitor of SARS-CoV-2 3CLpro. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The orthohepadnaviruses, which include the major human pathogen hepatitis B virus, exist in a wide range of hosts. Since 2013, a large group of orthohepadnaviruses has been identified in bats worldwide and classified as 4 species within the genus Orthohepadnavirus . To further investigate orthohepadnaviruses in the Chinese bat population, 554 archived bat samples from 20 colonies covering 3 southern provinces were screened with results showing that 9 (1.6%) were positive. A systematic phylogenetic analysis has indicated the need for a new nomenclature for bat hepatitis B virus-like viruses: BtHBV, with the addition of 3 new species, one being divided into 6 genotypes. Viruses identified here shared 9.0–19.2% full genome divergence and classified into 3 different genotypes. This study illustrates the genetic diversity of orthohepadnaviruses in the Chinese bat population, and emphasizes need for further investigation of their public health significance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Langshan range-front fault (LRF) is an active Holocene normal fault that borders Langshan Mountain and the Hetao Basin, northwest of the Ordos Plateau, China. In this study, paleoseismic trenching was undertaken at three sites (North–South): Dongshen village (TC1), Qingshan (TC2), and Wulanhashao (TC3). The paleoevents ED1, ED2, ED3 from TC1 were constrained to 6.0 ± 1.3, 9.6 ± 2.0, and 19.7 ± 4.2 ka, respectively. The single paleoevent (EQ1) from TC2 was constrained to about 6.7 ± 0.1 ka, and the paleoevents EW1, EW2, and EW3 from TC3 were constrained to 2.3 ± 0.4, 6.0 ± 1.0, and before 7.0 ka, respectively. With reference to previous research, the Holocene earthquake sequence of the LRF can be established as 2.30–2.43 (E1), 3.06–4.41 (E2), 6.71–6.80 (E3), 7.60–9.81 (E4), and 19.70 ± 4.20 (E5) ka BP. Events E1, E3, and E4 might have been caused by events with magnitudes of Mw 7.6–7.8 that ruptured the entire LRF. Event E2 might have been smaller magnitude, about M7.0, and ruptured only a portion of the fault. The vertical slip rate of the LRF at the Qingshan site is inferred as 0.9 or 1.4–1.6 mm/year in the last 6.8 ka. The slip rate at Wulanhashao is considered to have been close to, but not <0.66 mm/year since 15 ka BP. We deem the LRF is an unsegmented active fault. Although the possibility of missing events in Late Pleistocene can not be dismissed, we argue the Holocene paleoearthquake history is complete, indicating an average recurrence interval of ~2500 years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: To translate the 9-item Confidence in Dementia (CODE) scale into Chinese (Confidence in Dementia-Chinese, CODE-C) and evaluate its psychometric properties among clinical nurses., Background: With the rapidly ageing population, an increasing number of patients with dementia will be cared for in hospitals. Clinical nurses' confidence in dementia care is crucial to provide quality care. A reliable and valid assessment tool is urgently needed to measure confidence in dementia and identify educational needs in hospitals. The CODE applies to other societies, and this study aims to standardise this scale for China., Design: This was a cross-sectional study., Methods: Following the principles of Brislin bidirectional translation, literal translation, back-translation, expert consultation, cognitive debriefing and preliminary testing were performed, and the CODE-C was preliminarily revised. Internal consistency and test-retest reliabilities with a 2-week interval were tested, and an item analysis was conducted using the Pearson correlation coefficient method. Validity was evaluated, including content, construct, convergent, discriminant and criterion validity., Results: A total of 452 Chinese-speaking nurses from three hospitals in Jinan, China, completed the survey. The scores of each item and the total score of the CODE-C were positively correlated (r = 0.626-0.802, p < 0.05). The difference between the high-score group and the low-score group for each item of the CODE-C was significant (p < 0.05). The Cronbach's α coefficient, Spearman-Brown coefficient and Guttman split-half coefficient of the CODE-C were 0.894, 0.842 and 0.838, respectively, and the test-retest reliability was 0.892. The scale- and item-level content validity indices were both 1.00. The confirmatory factor analysis model only marginally supported the three-factor structure. Positive correlations were noted between the CODE-C and the General Self-Efficacy Scale (r = 0.476, p < 0.01), suggesting acceptable concurrent validity., Conclusion: The CODE-C showed acceptable reliability and validity and can be applied to measure the level of confidence in dementia and the outcome of educational interventions aimed at enhancing dementia care among Chinese clinical nurses., Implications for Practice: The CODE-C can be used as a valid scale to assess the level of confidence in dementia among clinical nurses and help them recognise and improve their level of dementia care., (© 2024 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Background: Hepatic encephalopathy (HE) represents a critical complications of end-stage liver disease, serving as an independent predictor of mortality among patients with cirrhosis. Despite effective treatment with rifaximin, some patients with HE still progress to recurrent episodes, posing a significant therapeutic challenge. Recurrent HE is defined as experiencing two or more episodes within a 6-month period. Previous research has suggested that FMT may emerge as a promising treatment for recurrent HE. However, there remains a critical need to explore the optimal dosage. This trial aims to abscess the efficacy and safety of two FMT dosages: 800 ml or 400 ml total bacterial count, including mortality and quality of life., Methods: This multicenter, prospective, randomized controlled trial will enroll 100 eligible patients from 31 hospitals in China. Participants will be randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio to either the high-dose group (800 ml total bacterial count) or the low-dose group (400 ml total bacterial count). The primary objective is to assess the efficacy and safety of both dosages on outcomes at 24 and 48 weeks, including mortality and quality of life., Discussion: If either or both dosages of FMT demonstrate safe and effective treatment of recurrent HE, leading to improve quality of life and survival at 24 and 48 weeks, this trial would address a significant gap in the management of recurrent HE, carrying innovative and clinically significant implications., Trial Registration: NCT05669651 on ClinicalTrials.gov. Registered on 29 December 2022. CHiCTR2200067135 on China Registered Clinical Trial Registration Center. Registered on 27 December 2022., Competing Interests: Declarations. Ethics approval and consent to participate {24}: Ethical approval for this study has been granted by the Ethics Committee of Shulan (Hangzhou) Hospital (Reference Approval No. KY2022083). Informed consent to participate will be obtained from all participants. Consent for publication {32}: This is not applicable—no identifying images or other personal or clinical details of participants are presented here or will be presented in reports of the trial results. The participant information materials and informed consent form are available from the corresponding author on request. Competing interests {28}: The authors declare that they have no competing interests., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Objective: To explore the clinical characteristics and genetic basis for a child with global developmental delay and autism., Methods: A child who had presented at West China Second University Hospital of Sichuan University on April 13, 2021 was selected as the study subject. Clinical manifestations, laboratory examination and result of genetic testing were analyzed., Results: The main symptoms of the child had included cognitive, language and motor delay, autism and epilepsy. Electroencephalogram revealed multiple focal discharges in both waking and sleeping stages, with the remarkable one seen at the sleeping stage. Cranial MRI showed pachygyria and local cortical thickening, Whole exome sequencing (WES) revealed that the child has harbored a heterozygous c.1589&#95;1595dup (p.Gly533Leufs*143) frameshifting variant in the TBR1 gene (OMIM 604616). Based on the guidelines from the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics, the variant was predicted to be likely pathogenic (PS2+PVS1&#95;Supporting+PM2&#95;Supporting). After treated with levetiracetam and rehabilitation training, the child did not have seizure in the past 5 months, and his motor development has also significantly improved., Conclusion: The c.1589&#95;1595dup variant of the TBR1 gene probably underlay the disease in this patient.

Fruquintinib, also called HMPL-013, was first discovered by Hutchison Whampoa Pharmaceuticals Co. Ltd., Shanghai, China, and it is an oral vascular endothelial growth factor receptor (VEGFR) inhibitor. In clinical trials, fruquintinib has demonstrated a survival benefit in metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) patients. The purpose of this study was to retrospectively evaluate the efficacy and toxicity of fruquintinib in real-world patients. We collected data from patients with mCRC treated with oral fruquintinib from 2018 to 2020 in six different institutions. Patients with mCRC initially received 5 mg of oral fruquintinib daily for 3 weeks. Progression-free survival (PFS) was evaluated using the KaplanMeier method. The efficacy and safety of fruquintinib were also assessed. Seventy-five patients were involved in our study, and 29.3% of patients achieved stable disease (SD). Median PFS was 5.4 months (95% CI: 4.8415.959). The treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs) with fruquintinib were acceptable with grade 3 TEAEs of 6%. The grade 3 TEAEs were handfoot skin reaction (HFSR), fatigue, and stomatitis. The ECOG performance status was associated with PFS. In this real-world study, the clinical activity of fruquintinib was consistent with what has been reported in previous clinical trials. The level of safety was acceptable, and the side effects were manageable.

Problem: The relationship between birthing related factors and breastfeeding confidence remain unknown among Chinese mothers., Background: Breastfeeding confidence in the early postpartum period is an important predictor of breastfeeding duration. There are many postpartum and socio-demographic factors that have been linked to breastfeeding confidence. However, the relationship between birthing related factors and this confidence remain unknown., Aim: To explore the relationship between birthing related factors and breastfeeding confidence among Chinese mothers., Methods: This is a cross-sectional study of 450 mothers who were recruited after birth and before discharge from hospital. From November 2018 to March 2019, we collected data related to socio-demographics and obstetric characteristics, as well as the Chinese version of Breastfeeding Self-Efficacy Scale and the Chinese version of Labor Agentry Scale. Associations of birthing related factors with breastfeeding self-efficacy were investigated., Results: There was a significant correlation between perception of control during labor and breastfeeding confidence. Multiple linear regression showed that higher perception of control in labor scores were significantly associated with higher breastfeeding self-efficacy scores (B=0.282, P=<0.001), and lower breastfeeding self-efficacy scores were associated with women living in an extended family (B=-12.622, P=<0.001), perceived of insufficient milk supply (B=-5.514, P=0.038), mild fatigue (B=-8.021, P=0.03), moderate fatigue (B=-12.955, P=0.004)., Conclusion: There is a significant relationship between perception of control during labor and maternal breastfeeding confidence in the early postpartum period. Strengthening perception of control during labor can improve breastfeeding self-efficacy. Providing professional and emotional support for women during the intrapartum period should be strengthened., (Copyright © 2020 Australian College of Midwives. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: A pneumonia associated with 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV, subsequently named SARS-CoV2) emerged worldwide since December, 2019. We aimed to describe the epidemiological characteristics of 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Shaanxi province of China., Results: 1. Among the 245 patients, 132 (53.9%) were males and 113 (46.1%) were females. The average age was 46.15 ± 16.43 years, ranging from 3 to 89 years. 2. For the clinical type, 1.63% (4/245) patients were mild type, 84.90% (208/245) were moderate type, 7.76% (19/245) were severe type, 5.31% (13/245) were critical type and only 0.41% (1/245) was asymptomatic. 3. Of the 245 patients, 116 (47.35%) were input case, 114 (46.53%) were non-input case, and 15 (6.12%) were unknown exposure. 4. 48.57% (119/245) cases were family cluster, involving 42 families. The most common pattern of COVID-19 family cluster was between husband and wife or between parents and children.

Akabane virus (AKAV) is an important insect-borne virus belonging to the genus Orthobunyavirus, the Peribunyaviridae family. An AKAV defined as GXDH 01 here, was isolated for the first time from blood from a sentinel goat in China in 2016, and its full-length open reading frames (ORFs) were sequenced in this study. Sequence analysis suggested that the isolate GXDH 01 probably had undergone a reassortment incident and acquired L segments from other strain originating from an attenuated vaccine, such as OBE-1. This study aims to provide more understanding as to the origin and epidemiology of AKAV in China.

Background and Goals: A series of changes in the immune system occur during pregnancy and puerperium. Currently, we aim to characterize both the natural changes in liver inflammation and its association with hepatitis B viremia during this special period., Patients and Methods: Chronic hepatitis B (CHB) gravidas were recruited and followed up to 52 weeks postpartum. Virological and biochemical parameters were assessed throughout the period., Results: A total of 1097 CHB mothers had finished the entire follow-up including 451 accepting telbivudine, 178 accepting tenofovir, and 468 without antiviral therapy. Among the mothers, 11.94% went through hepatic flare in the first trimester and the rate decreased to 2.1% at the time of delivery. Nevertheless, a much higher frequency (19.78%) was observed in the early postpartum. Interestingly, alanine aminotransferase level decreased along with the development of pregnancy and then suddenly increased in the first month of puerperium. In addition, a downward trend was observed on the titer of HBsAg and HBeAg after delivery. Of note, an obvious higher frequency of alanine aminotransferase flare was revealed in mothers with high viremia (>6 log10 IU/mL). With multivariate analysis, only hepatitis B virus titer at baseline was strongly associated with hepatic flare during early postpartum (95% confidence interval, 1.012-3.049, P=0.045). The predictive rates of hepatic flare at baseline viral load of 6, 7, and 8 log10 IU/mL were 16.67%, 28.30%, and 30.60%, respectively., Conclusions: CHB gravidas with high viremia should be monitored closely during entire pregnancy, and extended antiviral therapy is recommend to those mothers with baseline viremia >7 log10 IU/mL.

Background: Previous observational studies using differing methodologies have yielded inconsistent results regarding the association between glycemic control and outcomes in diabetic patients receiving maintenance hemodialysis (MHD). The aim of this study was to investigate the association between HbA1c and survival in diabetic MHD patients in Han Chinese population., Methods: A 5-year cohort (October 2007-December 2013) of 236 diabetic MHD patients with HbA1c data was examined for associations between HbA1c and mortality. Death hazard ratios (HR) were estimated using Cox regressions., Results: Two hundred and thirty-six diabetes patients undergoing MHD in clinics over 5 years were included in our study. Unadjusted survival analyses indicated paradoxically lower death HRs with higher HbA1c values. However, after adjusting for potential confounders (demographics, dialysis vintage, comorbidity, anemia, and inflammation), higher HbA1c values were incrementally associated with higher death risks., Conclusions: Poor glycemic control (HbA1c ≥ 8 %) appears to be associated with decreased survival in the general population of diabetic MHD patients. Our study suggests that moderate hyperglycemia increases the risk for all-cause mortality of diabetic MHD patients in Han Chinese population.

Using a nested-PCR genotyping system, we analyzed the viral genotypes in HBV-infected patients from HBV clustering infection families (CIFs), as compared with HBV infected patients without familial infection history. The patients in the CIF group showed significantly increased prevalence of genotype C infection, while genotype B was absent. Additionally, in the genotype C carriers younger than 50 years old, the prevalence of HCC and LC were significantly increased in CIF compared to the control. We found that HBeAg-positive HBV genotype C carriers are prone to develop end-stage liver diseases earlier than those infected by genotype B.

Public hospital reform in China since the mid 1980s has had detrimental effects on hospitals' social functions, especially the provision of care for poor people. This study of hospitals in Northern China, using a range of economic measurements, indicated that there has been an overall decline in social functions since 1985, especially in secondary and tertiary level hospitals. Reason for this include the increasingly competitive medical market in China and, under the decentralisation reforms, the imperative for hospitals to generate revenue. We put forward policies to strengthen hospital social functions, including funding for essential packages of services to specifically benefit the poor and vulnerable, and increased government subsidies to support social functions in primary level hospitals where care can be more easily accessed.