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In this research, we explore how coworker ideation levels or, more specifically, the average ideation levels of coworkers within a workgroup affect a focal employee's ideation. We examine an underlying mechanism and a boundary condition of this influence process. Drawing on social cognitive theory, we argue that high coworker ideation levels are likely to stimulate a focal employee's ideation by enhancing their creative self-efficacy. Furthermore, we suggest that this positive influence is likely to be strengthened when the focal employee has a higher than lower quality of exchange with their coworkers. The results of two field studies provide support for all of the hypotheses. Contributions to theory and insights into practice and future research are discussed.

Large yellow croaker (Larimichthys crocea), the most developing fish of China, suffering from both biotic and abiotic stressors. A genome-wide study was performed for the first time to investigate the roles of Toll-like receptor genes in large yellow croaker (LcTLRs) working in hypoxia response and Aeromonas hydrophila infection. 12 TLR genes were identified and annotated, and phylogenetic tree, analysis of structure and motifs demonstrated that TLRs were highly conserved. To further investigate the LcTLRs under environmental stress, expression pattern analysis of hypoxic response and Aeromonas hydrophila infection revealed that there were nine and six members of LcTLRs showing significant differential expression, indicating that they were concerned in hypoxia stress and disease responses. Meanwhile, their expression levels were validated utilizing qPCR. Taken together, a greater appreciation and understanding of TLRs function in the reaction to biotic and abiotic stress would ultimately lead to more efficiently environmental adaptation in large yellow croaker. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite intense interest in bees, no genomes are available for the bee family Colletidae. Colletes gigas , one of the largest species of the genus Colletes in the world, is an ideal candidate to fill this gap. Endemic to China, C. gigas has been the focus of studies on its nesting biology and pollination of the economically important oil tree Camellia oleifera , which is chemically defended. To enable deeper study of its biology, we sequenced the whole genome of C. gigas using single-molecule real-time sequencing on the Pacific Bioscience Sequel platform. In total, 40.58 G (150×) of long reads were generated and the final assembly of 326 scaffolds was 273.06 Mb with a N50 length of 8.11 Mb, which captured 94.4% complete Benchmarking Universal Single-Copy Orthologs. We predicted 11,016 protein-coding genes, of which 98.50% and 84.75% were supported by protein- and transcriptome-based evidence, respectively. In addition, we identified 26.27% of repeats and 870 noncoding RNAs. The bee phylogeny with this newly sequenced colletid genome is consistent with available results, supporting Colletidae as sister to Halictidae when Stenotritidae is not included. Gene family evolution analyses identified 9,069 gene families, of which 70 experienced significant expansions (33 families) or contractions (37 families), and it appears that olfactory receptors and carboxylesterase may be involved in specializing on and detoxifying Ca. oleifera pollen. Our high-quality draft genome for C. gigas lays the foundation for insights on the biology and behavior of this species, including its evolutionary history, nesting biology, and interactions with the plant Ca. oleifera. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The Eocene was an interval of climate evolution, when the extreme high temperatures of the earliest Cenozoic gave way to a global cooling trend. Fine-grained lacustrine sediments of Eocene age from northeastern China represent an excellent archive to study long-term environmental and climatic changes at high-resolution. The Huadian Basin is a Cenozoic, fault-bounded basin in Jilin Province, northeastern China. Though small in area, it contains numerous oil shale- and coal-bearing layers, which provide an abundant Middle to Late Eocene palynoflora. Eighty-five palynomorph genera and one hundred palynomorph species were identified in the Huadian Formation, allowing to distinguish 4 palynozones. The nearest living relatives of the recovered palynomorph taxa suggest the presence of subtropical evergreen and deciduous broad-leaved forests during deposition of the Huadian Formation. Using the coexistence approach (CA), we calculated seven paleoclimatic parameters, which indicate a subtropical warm and humid climate with a mean annual temperature above 13.6 °C and a mean annual precipitation of at least 887 mm. However, the climate became cooler and drier during the transition from the lower Oil Shale Member to the upper Carbonaceous Shale Member. Palaeoclimatic data from the various Middle and Late Eocene basins of northeastern China (i.e., the Huadian, Fushun, Yilan, Hunchun and Jishu basins) were compared with data from North American and European basins. Middle Eocene climate in the Northern Hemisphere was generally warm and humid, and the mean annual temperature and precipitation in northeastern China were similar to those in North America, though slightly lower than those of Europe. Similar trends in temperature and precipitation on different continents support the existence of a global Mid-Eocene cooling event. This paper is the first systematic study of Middle to Late Eocene seasonality in the Huadian Basin. Our results show an apparent differentiation in both temperature and precipitation between summer and winter, supporting the view that the East Asian Monsoon was established in northeastern China already during the Middle to Late Eocene. This Middle and Late Eocene monsoon was likely driven by the development of Pacific trade winds and an alternating, seasonal high- and low-pressure system over Siberia. The climatic changes observed in our dataset, especially the precipitation changes, appear to have played an important role in controlling oil shale formation in the Huadian Basin. A warmer and more humid climate, with abundant precipitation and high subsidence rates, formed a deeper Huadian depositional lake. High productivity and stable stratification provided the abundant organic matter and favorable preservation conditions necessary for oil shale accumulation. Highlights • The Middle-Late Eocene palynoflora were firstly systematically studied in Huadian Basin. • We quantitatively estimated the Middle-Late Eocene climate based on CA method. • A globally cooler phase was recognized in the Middle Eocene. • Climate seasonality in the Middle-Late Eocene supports the EAM was already prevalent in NE China. • Changes in climate, especially precipitation, play an important role in oil shale formation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human papillomavirus (HPV) is an etiological risk factor for oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinomas (OPSCC). Our study investigates the prevalence, prognostic, and clinicopathologic features of HPV-related oropharyngeal cancer in Northeast China and elucidates the involvement of p16 in the tumorigenesis and progression of OPSCC. Specimens from 1470 OPSCC patients collected from 2000 to 2016 were analyzed using the status of HPV by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and p16 immunohistochemistry. Overexpression of p16 was observed in 81 (5.51%) of the 1470 cases, and HPV positive was present in 78 cases (5.31%) of the 1470 cases. HPV positive and p16 overexpression have a good concordance. However, we found that the etiological fraction of HPV in cancers of the OPSCCs was obviously lower in Northeast China than other cohorts previously reported. Interestingly, nearly 89% of patients with p16 expression were smokers, and nearly 70% of patients with p16 expression had a history of alcohol. Our study also demonstrates that p16 expression is significantly associated with early stage primary OPSCCs and the patients with p16 expression tend to show better survival following surgery and radiotherapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Identifying students with ASD in the People's Republic of China (PRC) has lagged behind western countries, particularly the United States. Families often have to travel long distances to obtain a diagnosis and then are faced with few treatment options once the diagnosis is made. Recent laws governing special education in the PRC do not specifically address children with ASD; consequently, educational programs for these children are scarce. Though more special education teacher preparation programs are emerging, many are not well equipped to support teachers of children with ASD. Consequently, the need for in-service training in the area of ASD is significant. This manuscript discusses a collaborative two-year professional development project aimed at providing teachers in Nanjing, China, with much needed skills in working with students with ASD. A distance training model was employed to train teachers how to use informal assessment to guide instruction and monitor progress of their students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Serum potassium homeostasis play an important role in myocardial function, but the impact of serum potassium levels on long-term mortality has not been well evaluated. In the current study, we investigated patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) and analyzed the relationship between admission serum potassium levels and long-term mortality. Between July 2008 and September 2012, 2369 patients with ACS that was confirmed by coronary angiography were enrolled in this study and completed the follow-up. The serum potassium level was evaluated within first 24 h after admission. The primary outcome in this study was all-cause mortality. Patients were categorized into five groups to determine the relation between admission serum potassium levels and long-term mortality: < 3.5, 3.5 to < 4.0, 4.0 to < 4.5, 4.5 to < 5.0, and > 5 mEq/L. There was a U-shaped relationship between admission serum potassium levels and long-term mortality that persisted after multivariable adjustment. The mortality risk was lowest in the group of patients with potassium levels of 3.5 to < 4.0 mEq/L, whereas mortality was higher in patients with potassium levels > 4.5 [hazard ratio (HR) 1.62, 95 % confidence interval (CI) 0.90 to 2.93 and HR 1.55, 95 % CI 0.54 to 4.49, for patients with potassium levels of 4.5 to < 5.0 mEq/L and ≥ 5.0 mEq/L, respectively] or < 3.5 mEq/L (HR 2.14, 95 % CI 1.28 to 3.59). There was a U-shaped relationship between admission serum potassium levels and long-term mortality for ACS patients; in particular, among the examined patients, the lowest mortality was observed in those with admission serum potassium levels of between 3.5 and < 4.5 mEq/L compared with those who had higher or lower potassium levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cytospora palm sp. nov. is described on Cotinus coggygria (Anacardiaceae) in China, on the basis of both morphological and DNA sequence data (ITS and tefl-α). The species is involved in canker disease of C. coggygria. Its key diagnostic characters are gregarious, circular, erumpent conidiomata, locules of a rosette cytosporoid type, with invaginations and 7-10 irregularly disposed chambers sharing common walls, emerging beaks, and conidia 4-4.7 X 1-1.5 µm. The optimum temperature for growth and sporulation is approximately 32°C. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to investigate the formation mechanism of shale gas in China, the simulation experiments of the high mature Salgan Shale with rich organic matter were conducted and found that methane with a maximum yield of 142.06 mg per gram organic matter is the dominated component among the gaseous products and the rapid accumulation of methane is in the temperature range of 408-504 °C. These indicate that under certain circumstances, thermal processes promote the methane production, while more severe ones do not contribute as much as they do to the yield of methane. The inorganic gases are mainly made up of CO2, H2S and so on, have a less yield than that of the organic gases. The stable carbon isotopes of methane, ethane and propane become enriched in 13C with increased temperature, while the δ13C values of CO2 remain fluctuating and show a lighter trend. The increase ratios (the yield of a group hydrocarbons at a certain sampling temperature divided by that at the last sampling temperature) were brought in this study and suggested that the yield of low molecular weight hydrocarbons (LMWHCS) increases more rapidly during the generation stage and decreases more slowly during the cracking stage than high molecular weight hydrocarbons (HM-WHCS). This phenomenon can be explained by the cracking of HMWHCS into LMWHCS and the decreasing sources for HMWHCS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The Xiaoqinling terrane in central China is the second largest gold producing area in China. Previous application of age constraints has yielded ages for the gold mineralization ranging from Paleoproterozoic, through Triassic (Indosinian), to Jurassic and Cretaceous (Yanshanian). SHRIMP U–Th–Pb dating of hydrothermal monazite in a Mo-mineralized quartz vein from the Dahu Au–Mo deposit in the northern Xiaoqinling terrane identifies two mineralization episodes. Hydrothermal monazite intergrown with molybdenite yields an initial precipitation age of 216±5Ma, which is identical to, but more precise than, the molybdenite Re–Os isochron age of 218±41Ma. A younger generation of monazite is distinguished by data falling on a mixing array. It is inferred that the younger monazite was formed at the expense of the older ones during the Yanshanian, probably during a single event that occurred at ~125Ma. Combining these results with available geochronological data and geological evidence, we conclude that molybdenum mineralization accompanied by monazite deposition took place in the Indosinian, followed by a Yanshanian tectono-hydrothermal event that resulted in large-scale gold mineralization in the Xiaoqinling terrane. Our observation demonstrates that monazite is sensitive to hydrothermal overprint, and thus is useful for dating fluid infiltration event. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Background: The cost of treating community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) in China is a heavy economic burden for the society. Objective: To investigate the costs of hospitalization of low-risk CAP patients and how hospitalization costs can be reduced through proper usage of hospital resources. Methods: Two hundred thirty-six patients with low-risk CAP who were hospitalized between January 2000 and December 2005 in a 1161-bed tertiary care teaching hospital were included in a retrospective cohort study. Their hospitalization costs and antibiotic therapy were analyzed. General linear model was utilized to determine correlative variables associated with total hospital costs. Results: The median length of hospital stay was 12 days and the median duration of intravenous (IV) antibiotic therapy was 10 days, they were correlated significantly ( P = 0.000, r = 0.81). The median total hospital cost was $556.50 (mean $705.60), of which 48.9% was for drugs, 21.9% for laboratory tests, 8.6% for radiology, 6.5% for medical staff, 6.3% for hospital beds, and 5.3% for examination. General linear model analysis determined that duration of IV antibiotic therapy, Pneumonia Severity Index class, age, and initial empirical antibiotic therapy failure were correlative factors of total hospital costs. Pathogens were identified in 106 patients (44.9%), Mycoplasma pneumoniae was the most common pathogen (19.9%), followed by Streptococcus pneumoniae (8.5%), and Haemophilus influenza (5.5%). The majority of patients accepted initial empirical β-lactam (37.3%) or fluoroquinolone (30.9%) monotherapy, the empirical treatment failure rates were 20.5% and 5.5%, respectively. Conclusions: Efforts to reduce duration of IV antibiotic therapy will have the most profound effect on reducing total hospital costs of low-risk CAP. The atypical pathogens should be considered for initial empirical antibiotics in low-risk CAP therapy in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification (MLPA) method was used to analyze 118 DNA samples from 90 α-thalassemia (α-thal) patients and 28 normal persons from Southern China, where the main causes of α-thal are three large deletions (-α3.7, -α4.2, and - -SEA) and two point mutations in the α-globin gene cluster on chromosome 16. The results, detected by the P140B HBA kit, were in complete concordance with the results detected by multiplex polmymerase chain reaction (m-PCR) and real-time PCR. The advantages and limitations of the techniques are discussed. We concluded that MLPA was a rapid and reliable method to determine the cause of both deletional and nondeletional α-thal in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Depositional growth of cloud ice is estimated and its parameterization schemes are compared through the two-dimensional cloud-resolving modeling analysis of pre-summer heavy rainfall over southern China. Hsie et al. (1980) and Krueger et al. (1995) developed parameterization schemes to calculate depositional growth of cloud ice by estimating the growth timescale under the assumption that the ice crystal concentration is independent of crystal size. A new scheme is proposed by Zeng et al. (2008) under the assumption that the ice crystal concentration is proportional to the mass of ice crystal. Hsie's and Krueger's schemes produce small amount of cloud ice similar to what Zeng's scheme with low ice crystal concentration does. When ice crystal concentration is increased to a high value in Zeng's scheme, the simulation generates anomalous depositional growth of cloud ice and thus anomalous area expansion of stratiform rainfall. Zeng's scheme is modified by changing radius of base ice crystal from 0 to 40μm in the calculation of depositional growth of cloud ice. The modified scheme with high ice crystal concentration greatly reduces growth of cloud ice and thus fractional coverage of stratiform rainfall. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a major cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. miR-34 induces changes of its downstream genes and plays a key role in altering the apoptotic cycle and pathways of downstream cells and therefore influences carcinogenesis. The present study investigated whether the single nucleotide polymorphism rs4938723T > C in the promoter of region of miR-34b/c may increase the risk of CRC and influence outcome in patients with CRC. We enrolled 1078 CRC patients and 1175 cancer-free controls subjects from the Chinese population. miR-34b/c rs4938723T > C polymorphisms were genotyped using a TaqMan PCR method. We found that subjects carrying rs4938723CT/CC genotypes have significantly decreased risk of CRC (adjusted odds ratios (AOR) = 0.75, 95% CI (0.63–0.90) for CT vs.TT; AOR = 0.61, 95% CI (0.46–0.83) for CC vs. TT and AOR = 0.73,95% CI (0.61-0.86) for CT/CC vs. TT) and a significant increased median survival time (MST) compared with those with TT genotypes (MST = 96.500; 75.883 and 71.370 months for CT, CC and CT/CC respectively vs. MST = 54.300 months for TT, p <0.0001). Stratified analysis by both life style and clinicopathological risks revealed that subjects carrying rs4938723CT/CC genotypes were remained significantly associated with increased survival and low risk of CRC compared with those with TT genotypes in all subgroup (all p <0.05). Similar observation was also reported for the prognostic value of rs4938723TC/CC genotypes across all subgroups. These findings indicate that the miR-34b/c rs4938723T > C polymorphism is an independent variable and associated with a decreased risk of CRC in Chinese population. This study provides evidence of the protective effects of rs4938723CT/CC genotypes in the development of CRC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the technology development and application of from coal to methane, more and more fixed-bed coal gasifiers are built up in China, bringing about much coal gasification tar residue, difficult to handle. A kind of coal gasification tar residue fetched from Lurgi gasifier was extracted with ethyl acetate. Effects of ethyl acetate quantity, stirring time, extraction temperature and extraction times were investigated in this paper. Results showed the optimum conditions were as follows: ratio of ethyl acetate volume to coal gasification tar residue mass was 2 mL/g, extraction time 30 min and extraction 3 times at room temperature of 18–25 °C. About 30.58% coal gasification tar residue was extracted. The extract and residue were analyzed by GC/MS, FTIR and DSC-TGA, respectively. Results revealed that coal gasification tar residue contained polycyclic aromatic compounds, which could be extracted easily by ethyl acetate. Boiling points of the extractable polycyclic aromatic compounds were between 150 °C and 400 °C, and 95% of the polycyclic aromatic compounds were 2–4 aromatic rings, which offered valuable chemical materials for further utilization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), which is caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has caused great public concern worldwide due to its high rates of infectivity and pathogenicity. The Chinese government responded in a timely manner, alleviated the dilemma, achieved a huge victory and lockdown has now been lifted in Wuhan. However, the outbreak has occurred in more than 200 other countries. Globally, as of 9:56 am CEST on 19 May 2020, there have been 4,696,849 confirmed cases of COVID-19, including 315,131 deaths, reported to Word Health Organization (WHO). The spread of COVID-19 overwhelmed the healthcare systems of many countries and even crashed the fragile healthcare systems of some. Although the situation in each country is different, health workers play a critical role in the fight against COVID-19. In this review, we highlight the status of health worker infections in China and other countries, especially the causes of infection in China and the standardised protocol to protect health workers from the perspective of an anaesthesiologist, in the hope of providing references to reduce medical infections and contain the COVID-19 epidemic., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare no competing interests., (Copyright © 2020 IJS Publishing Group Ltd. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: The low pathogenic H9N2 AIV caused the serious impact on the poultry industry and public safety. Our purpose was to investigate the molecular evolutionary characteristics of the new isolated H9N2 virus and investigate the intracellular target protein of H9N2 AIV replication in sensitive cells., Methods: AIV A/chicken/Shandong/LY1/2017 (H9N2) was isolated from the cloaca of the healthy chicken in Shandong, and the full-length eight gene segments of this isolated H9N2 AIV were amplified by RT-PCR and analyzed. MDCK cells were used as the target cell model, and VOPBA assay and LC-MS/MS were carried out to identify the virus-binding protein of H9N2 AIV. MDCK cells were pre-treated with the special antibody and siRNA, and treated with H9N2 AIV to detect the virus replication. Additionally, Vimentin-pcDNA3.0 was successfully constructed, and transinfected into MDCK cells, and then H9N2 AIV mRNA was detected with RT-PCR., Results: Phylogenetic analysis revealed that HA, NA, PB2, PB1, PA, NP and M seven genes of the isolated H9N2 AIV were derived from A/Chicken/Shanghai/F/98, while NS gene was derived from A/Duck/Hong Kong/Y439/97. The cleavage site sequence of HA gene of the isolated H9N2 AIV was a PARSSR G pattern, and the left side sequence (224 ~ 229) of receptor binding site was NGQQGR pattern, which were similar to that of A/Chicken/Shanghai/F/98. Following VOPBA assay, we found one protein of about 50KDa binding to H9N2 AIV, and the results of LC-MS/MS analysis proved that vimentin was the vital protein binding to H9N2 AIV. The pre-incubation of the specific antibody and siRNA decreased the viral RNA level in MDCK cells treated with H9N2 AIV. Furthermore, we found that over-expressed vimentin increased H9N2 AIV replication in MDCK cells., Conclusions: These findings suggested that the isolated H9N2 AIV might be a recent clinical common H9N2 strain, and vimentin protein might be one vital factor for H9N2 AIV replication in MDCK cells, which might be a novel target for design and development of antiviral drug.

Introduction: Studies have reported alcohol consumption and genetic variants as major contributing factors for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). However, the complicated interactions between alcohol and genetic factors involved in alcohol metabolism have not been well elucidated with respect to augmented risk of ESCC., Methods: We performed a large population-based case-control study in a Chinese city with a high ESCC incidence by enrolling 1190 case patients and 1883 controls. We integrated candidate single-nucleotide polymorphism data, detailed alcohol consumption records, gene-alcohol interactions, and single-nucleotide polymorphism functional information to untangle the complicated relationship between alcohol, variants of genes encoding alcohol metabolism enzymes, and ESCC risk. The gene-alcohol interaction was tested by including their product term in a multivariable logistic regression model. Synergy index and ratio of ORs were calculated to assess interaction on additive and multiplicative scale, respectively., Results: We confirmed two ESCC susceptibility loci, rs671 in aldehyde dehydrogenase 2 family member gene (ALDH2) and rs1042026 in alcohol dehydrogenase 1B (class I), beta polypeptide gene (ADH1B), that significantly altered alcohol consumption behavior and subsequently modified the association between alcohol consumption and ESCC risk. The rs671(A) allele was associated with ESCC risk in alcohol drinkers (adjusted odds ratio =1.98, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.51-2.60) but not in nondrinkers. Healthy individuals who carry different ALDH2 and ADH1B genotypes exhibit diversified drinking behavior, with the proportion of drinkers varying between 23.7% and 54.3%. Among individuals with a fast ethanol oxidization rate, we observed a strong interaction between heavy alcohol consumption and ethanal oxidization rate on both the additive scale (synergy index 4.80 [95% CI: 1.82-12.68]) and the multiplicative scale (ratio of ORs 2.93, 95% CI: 1.39-6.35)., Conclusions: Our observation highlights the need for preventing excessive use of alcohol, especially in individuals harboring active alcohol dehyrogenase and inactive ALDH2 variants., (Copyright © 2019 International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: The goal of this study was to detect novel modified forms of hemoglobin using mass spectrometry (MS) and to investigate the effect of modified hemoglobin on HbA1c and fasting plasma glucose (FPG)., Methods: This study was conducted on 1200 subjects aged >25 years. Hemoglobin from the above-mentioned subjects was detected using direct-infusion electrospray ionization-MS, and HbA1c and FPG were measured according to the manufacturer's instructions. Regression analysis was performed to estimate the correlations and interactions among HbA1c, FPG, and modified hemoglobin., Results: Multiple modified forms (α 1 , α 2 , α 3 , β 1 , β 2 , and β 3 ) of hemoglobin were observed using MS. Statistical analyses indicated that modified hemoglobin was significantly correlated with FPG (p ≤ .01). The association of FPG with α 1 % (p = .021) and β 3 % (p < .001) values was independent of HbA1c% and other modified forms of hemoglobin. Interaction analyses implied two significant interaction effects of HbA1c% with gender (β = -0.184, p = .007) and α 3 % (β = -0.104, p < .001) on FPG. The relationship between HbA1c% and FPG was stronger in males than in females, and a decreased level of α 3 % also affected the association of HbA1c% and FPG., Conclusions: This MS-based method is an effective tool for monitoring glycated forms of hemoglobin than traditional approaches. For the Han Chinese population, multiple-glycated hemoglobin affects the association of FPG with HbA1c%, and the correlation between FPG and HbA1c% in females is different from that in males. These data suggest that the HbA1c criteria for the diagnosis and monitoring of diabetes should be established according to genders and modified types of hemoglobin., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Objective: We aimed to evaluate whether the polymorphism of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase-1 (PARP-1) is involved as potential risk factor in the development of spinal cord injury (SCI) among Chinese individuals., Patients and Methods: Patients with a confirmed diagnosis of SCI (other than traumatic injury) and healthy individuals with no clinical symptoms of SCI were enrolled at Spinal Cord Injury Care Center, The Third People's Hospital of Dalian, China. Genetic polymorphisms were studied in plasma samples by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism assay., Results: A total of 130 Chinese patients with SCI and 130 healthy Chinese individuals were included. We found that patients with the GG genotype (odds ratio [OR]: 4.09, 95% confidence interval [CI] 2.42-6.90, P <0.001) and carriers of the G allele (OR 3.96, 95% CI 2.33-6.74, P <0.0001) were at high risk of developing SCI. A del/ins polymorphism of the NF-κB1 gene (OR 3.32, 95% CI 1.96-5.61, P <0.001) was also found to be associated with SCI., Conclusion: Our study suggests that PARP-1 polymorphisms are involved in the development of SCI in Chinese individuals. Thus, PARP-1 polymorphisms can be considered as one of the potential risk factors for developing SCI., Competing Interests: Disclosure The authors report no conflicts of interest in this work.

Recent genome-sequencing studies have revealed dozens of genes frequently mutated in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma, but few genes are associated with patients' clinical outcomes. Novel prognostic biomarkers are urgently needed in the clinic. We collected both somatic mutations and clinical information of 442 Chinese esophageal squamous cell carcinoma patients from four published studies. Survival analysis was performed to reveal the clinical significance of the mutated genes. Dysregulation of the mutated genes was observed from public gene-expression data sets and its effects on cell migration and invasion were investigated with siRNA-mediated silencing. Our integrated analysis revealed 26 genes significantly and frequently mutated in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. Importantly, mutations in ZFHX4, SPHKAP, NRXN1, KIAA1109, DNAH5 and KCNH7 were associated with poor survival. In addition, ZFHX4 was overexpressed in tumor tissues compared to normal controls, and knockdown of ZFHX4 in vitro significantly inhibited cell migration and invasion. Mutations in ZFHX4 were strongly associated with poor prognosis and the down-regulation of ZFHX4 inhibits the progression of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. Further investigation is warranted to confirm the prognostic values of ZFHX4 in a prospective study.

Objective: Cr(VI) removal from industrial effluents and sediments has attracted the attention of environmental researchers. In the present study, we aimed to isolate bacteria for Cr(VI) bioremediation from sediment samples and to optimize parameters of biodegradation., Methods: Strains with the ability to tolerate Cr(VI) were obtained by serial dilution and spread plate methods and characterized by morphology, 16S rDNA identification, and phylogenetic analysis. Cr(VI) was determined using the 1,5-diphenylcarbazide method, and the optimum pH and temperature for degradation were studied using a multiple-factor mixed experimental design. Statistical analysis methods were used to analyze the results., Results: Fifty-five strains were obtained, and one strain (Sporosarcina saromensis M52; patent application number: 201410819443.3) having the ability to tolerate 500 mg Cr(VI)/L was selected to optimize the degradation conditions. M52 was found be able to efficiently remove 50-200 mg Cr(VI)/L in 24 h, achieving the highest removal efficiency at pH 7.0-8.5 and 35 °C. Moreover, M52 could completely degrade 100 mg Cr(VI)/L at pH 8.0 and 35 °C in 24 h. The mechanism involved in the reduction of Cr(VI) was considered to be bioreduction rather than absorption., Conclusion: The strong degradation ability of S. saromensis M52 and its advantageous functional characteristics support the potential use of this organism for bioremediation of heavy metal pollution., (Copyright © 2016 The Editorial Board of Biomedical and Environmental Sciences. Published by China CDC. All rights reserved.)

Aim: Elevated levels of sterol regulatory element-binding protein-1 (SREBP-1) have been found in endometrial cancer (EC), suggesting that it is essential to the development of EC. Obesity and diabetes have been established as known risk factors of EC, while SREBF-1 gene polymorphisms have also been found to be associated with obesity and type II diabetes. Therefore, we hypothesize that single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in SREBF-1 gene may be associated with increased risk of EC., Method: We analyzed the sequence of SREBF-1 in tissue samples from 30 EC cases and 6 benign controls using high throughput method. Based on the primary results, we selected one SNP (rs2297508) as a genetic marker to conduct a hospital-based case-control study with 139 EC cases and 129 benign controls. The samples were examined under the microscope to determine their histopathology prior to the SNP analysis using RT-PCR., Results: Through sequence analysis, we found 10 SNPs of SREBF-1 associated with EC, including 3 new SNPs. Fourteen percent of EC showed the rs2297508 SNP with C allele, while only 7% had the C allele was present in benign controls (p = 0.027, OR = 1.983). Additionally, the C allele was associated with cancer differentiation (p<0.05) and the depth of myometrial invasion (p<0.05)., Conclusion: Our study indicates that SNP (rs2297508) of SREBF-1 may serve as a genetic predisposition factor for the development of EC and screening of such genetic marker may be helpful in its early detection.

Background: Quantification of serum free light chains (FLC) and calculation of a kappa/lambda ratio using polyclonal antisera based immunoassays provide laboratories with a sensitive alternative to urine protein electrophoresis (UPE). However, the published 0.26 - 1.65 serum FLC kappa/lambda ratio reference intervals may not be suitable for different ethnic populations (such as the Han Chinese population presented) and require validation. This is particularly important where there are significant differences in ethnicity, and hence HLA prevalence, in the population studied., Methods: Serum FLC reference intervals were determined using 326 Han Chinese blood donor volunteers. Sensitivities and specificities for the (i) serum FLC kappa/lambda ratio reference interval and (ii) UPE analyses were determined using 68 pre-treatment, serum immunofixation (sIFE) positive multiple myeloma (MM) patient samples, 54 sera from MM patients undergoing treatment, and 56 sIFE-negative samples from patients with no plasma cell dyscrasia (PCD)., Results: The 100% range for the serum FLC kappa/lambda ratio in this Han Chinese population was 0.32 - 1.52. Both Han Chinese blood donors and published kappa/lambda ratio reference ranges demonstrated higher diagnostic sensitivity and specificity for PCD than was seen with UPE. Highly abnormal serum FLC kappa/lambda ratios were observed in 68% of MM patients who had a negative UPE. Furthermore, a MM screening panel of SPE plus serum FLC assays achieved 100% diagnostic sensitivity compared to 97% for a UPE plus SPE algorithm. For MM patients undergoing therapy, 70% of UPE negative samples displayed an abnormal FLC ratio., Conclusions: This study confirms the requirement to verify normal FLC reference ranges in local populations. This Han Chinese reference range is narrower than the published range. FLC testing provides a robust, sensitive, and specific alternative to classic UPE assessment.

Background: The cost of treating community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) in China is a heavy economic burden for the society., Objective: To investigate the costs of hospitalization of low-risk CAP patients and how hospitalization costs can be reduced through proper usage of hospital resources., Methods: Two hundred thirty-six patients with low-risk CAP who were hospitalized between January 2000 and December 2005 in a 1161-bed tertiary care teaching hospital were included in a retrospective cohort study. Their hospitalization costs and antibiotic therapy were analyzed. General linear model was utilized to determine correlative variables associated with total hospital costs., Results: The median length of hospital stay was 12 days and the median duration of intravenous (IV) antibiotic therapy was 10 days, they were correlated significantly (P = 0.000, r = 0.81). The median total hospital cost was $556.50 (mean $705.60), of which 48.9% was for drugs, 21.9% for laboratory tests, 8.6% for radiology, 6.5% for medical staff, 6.3% for hospital beds, and 5.3% for examination. General linear model analysis determined that duration of IV antibiotic therapy, Pneumonia Severity Index class, age, and initial empirical antibiotic therapy failure were correlative factors of total hospital costs. Pathogens were identified in 106 patients (44.9%), Mycoplasma pneumoniae was the most common pathogen (19.9%), followed by Streptococcus pneumoniae (8.5%), and Haemophilus influenza (5.5%). The majority of patients accepted initial empirical beta-lactam (37.3%) or fluoroquinolone (30.9%) monotherapy, the empirical treatment failure rates were 20.5% and 5.5%, respectively., Conclusions: Efforts to reduce duration of IV antibiotic therapy will have the most profound effect on reducing total hospital costs of low-risk CAP. The atypical pathogens should be considered for initial empirical antibiotics in low-risk CAP therapy in China.

The multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification (MLPA) method was used to analyze 118 DNA samples from 90 alpha-thalassemia (alpha-thal) patients and 28 normal persons from Southern China, where the main causes of alpha-thal are three large deletions (-alpha3.7, -alpha4.2, and --SEA) and two point mutations in the alpha-globin gene cluster on chromosome 16. The results, detected by the P140B HBA kit, were in complete concordance with the results detected by multiplex polmymerase chain reaction (m-PCR) and real-time PCR. The advantages and limitations of the techniques are discussed. We concluded that MLPA was a rapid and reliable method to determine the cause of both deletional and nondeletional alpha-thal in China.

Objective: To evaluate the epidemiology and risk factors of asthma of people aged more than 40 years living in the rural area of Beijing., Methods: The data of 1,638 people aged more than 40 years living in 5 villages of Yanqing County in Beijing were collected. Respiratory symptoms, the living conditions, life styles and cooking habits, personal history and family history were collected. Physical examination and lung function tests (ventilation function and bronchodilation tests) were also performed. Asthma was diagnosed based on symptoms, signs, and lung function tests. Univariate analysis and Logistic analysis were employed to evaluate the risk factors for asthma., Results: The prevalence of asthma was 1.89% (31/1 638). For those with asthma, the male to female ratio was 1:4.2, the difference being significant (P<0.05). Common triggering factors for asthma included influenza, cold air, passive smoking and cooking oil smoke. There were statistic differences between asthmatics and non-asthmatics in respiratory disease history in childhood, frequent cough before age 14, and years of exposure to biomass fuel. Cough before age 14 was closely associated with asthma. Only 12.9% of the cases had been diagnosed before this study, indicating that asthma was a underdiagnosed disease in this area., Conclusion: The prevalence of asthma is high in this rural area of Beijing. Life style changes and management of respiratory infections before age 14 are indicated for reducing risk factors for asthma. More attention should be paid to early diagnosis of asthma in rural areas.

Eukaryotic transposable elements, especially P transposable elements of Drosophla, are very important to study the evolution of biology. We collected 130 single--female lines of D. melanogaster from 13 places in Northeast China and 3 places nearby which are Beijing(BC), Yantai (YT), Huhehaote(HHT) in 1999 and 2000. We amplified the fragments from ORF2 to ORF3 of P elements using PCR and calculated the defective frequencies and defective parameters of P elements from different places. Basing on the distribution of defective P elements, we suggested the invasion route of P elements of D. melanogaster in Northeast China. The results indicate that the defective frequencies decrease from the frontier to the inland, and in the isolated places the frequencies are lower. It is proposed that P elements of D. melanogaster in Northeast China originate from Korea and Russia to the frontiers of P.R. China, then expand into the inland.

The widespread distribution of Drosophila simulans in the mainland of China was found recently. Random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) was used to analyzed DNA polymorphisms of 38 Drosophila simulans populations collected from the mainland of China. The origins of D. simulans in China were also discussed. Using 40 arbitary primers (10 bp), we made PCR amplifications under the optimized reaction conditions for RAPD that had been established in our laboratory. Our molecular phylogenetic tree constructed by UPGMA method showed as follows: (1) 38 populations are apparently classified into Northern cluster and Southern cluster, where NJ(Nanjing) can be considered as the boundary according to latitude. The populations in the Northern cluster can be further grouped into two sub-clusters, where BJ(Beijing) can be considered as the boundary according to latitude. The Northeast one consists of 10 populations, including Mohe(MH), Hailaer(HLR), Heihe(HH), Jiamusi(JMS), Haerbin(HRB), Changchun(CC), Shenyang(SY), Dandong(DD), Yanji(YJ), Tumen(TM); the other consists of 12 populations, including Beijing (BJ), Datong(DT), Huhehaote(HHHT), Yinchun(YC), Xinin(XN), Lanzhou(LZ), Taiyuan(TY), Shijiazhuang(SJZ), Yantai (YT), Jinan(JN), Xuzhou(XZ), Lianyungang(LYG). The southern cluster consists of the left 16 populations, including Zhengzhou (ZZ), Wuhan(WH), Shanghai(SH), Nanjing(NJ), Hangzhou(HZ), Chongqing(CQ), Nanchang(NC), Wenzhou(WZ), Changsha (CS), Guiyang(GY), Fuzhou(FZ), Kunming(KM), Xiamen(XM), Guangzhou(GZ), Nanning(NN), Hainan(HN). (2) The genetic distances among populations relate to the collection sites to a great extent, though there are some exceptions. According to the facts that we know, (1) D. simulans is an exotic species; (2) The invasion of D. simulans in the mainland of China took place in recent 30 years or so. (3) The widespread distribution of D. simulans in the mainland of China started in recent 10 years or so. Therefore, the results above might not be due to geographical differentiation, but due to genetic differences of initial founder individual(s) between geographical populations. Some of geographically adjacent populations, however, have common initial founder individual(s), which results in the classification of D. simulans populations according to their geographical relationship. We suggest that there are two possible reasons which result in the genetic differences of initial founder individual(s) between geographical populations, one is the D. simulans in the mainland of China had multiple origins, the other is founder effect and/or bottleneck effect that the D. simulans have experienced in the course of expansion.