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Background: Female nurses have been considered as a vulnerable population in the context of mental health, due to the nature of their work, which can be stressful and emotionally taxing. Understanding the relationship between depressive symptoms and quality of work life (QWL) can contribute to improving mental health and job performance. However, limited studies have focused on the effect of depressive symptoms on QWL in female nurses. Objectives: The present study aimed to assess the effect of depressive symptoms on female nurses’ QWL using propensity score matching (PSM). Methods: A cross-sectional, online study using convenience sampling was conducted among 1,401 female nurses in China. PSM was used to minimize the impact of potential confounders between no depressive symptoms and depressive symptoms. Stepwise multiple linear regression analyses were performed on the PSM samples to explore the effects of depressive symptoms on the QWL. Results: The results revealed there were 33.5% of the female nurses reported depressive symptoms before PSM. And female nurses in this study had a moderate level of QWL before PSM (122.11  ±  18.15), which remained steady after PSM (118.33  ±  18.04). After PSM, the final sample contained 864 female nurses. Stepwise multiple linear regression results indicated that depressive symptoms were the most strongly associated with QWL (β   = −0.454, p  <  0.001). Conclusion: This study highlights the importance of developing mental health plans and psychological interventions for female nurses to maintain mental health and QWL, which is critical to the nursing workforce’s sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Deep mixed oils with secondary alterations have been widely discovered in the Tarim Basin, but current methods based on biomarkers and isotopes to de-convolute mixed oil cannot calculate the exact mixing proportion of different end-member oils, which has seriously hindered further exploration of deep hydrocarbons in the study area. To solve this problem, we constructed a novel method based on the carbon isotope (δ13C) of the group components to de-convolute mixed liquid hydrocarbons under the material balance principle. The results showed that the mixed oil in the Tazhong Uplift was dominantly contributed at an average proportion of 68% by an oil end-member with heavier δ13C that was believed to be generated from the Cambrian-Lower Ordovician source rocks, whereas the mixed oil in the Tabei Uplift was predominantly contributed at an average proportion of 61% by an oil end-member with lighter d13C that was believed to be generated from the Middle-Upper Ordovician source rocks. This indicates that, on the basis of the detailed description of the distribution of effective source rocks, the proposed method will be helpful in realizing differential exploration and further improving the efficiency of deep liquid hydrocarbon exploration in the Tarim Basin. In addition, compared to traditional d13C methods for whole oil and individual n-alkanes in de-convoluted mixed oil, the proposed method has a wider range of applications, including for mixed oils with variations in color and density, indicating potential for promoting the exploration of deep complex mixed oils in the Tarim Basin and even around the world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the present study was to genotype Salmonella enterica serotype paratyphi A (SPA) isolated from Yuxi, China, in a multiple-locus variable number of tandem repeats (VNTRs) analysis (MLVA) and to compare them with isolates from the Chinese Medical Culture Collection Center (CMCC). Potential VNTRs were screened from the genomes of ATCC9150 and AKU_12601 using the Tandem Repeats Finder program. Nine VNTRs were established for MLVA typing of 195 SPA isolates from Yuxi and 20 isolates from CMCC. The dendogram for MLVA profiles and minimum spanning tree (MST) were drawn using the categorical coefficient calculated by BioNumerics software. A total of 23 MLVA types were identified in 215 SPA isolates and were grouped into six distinct cluster groups A, B, C, D, E and F. A total of 195 Yuxi SPA isolates were exclusively grouped into cluster C with nine MLVA genotypes. A total of 20 CMCC isolates were grouped in clusters A B, D, E and F with the other 14 MLVA types. The MLVA with nine VNTR loci, which was exploited in the present study, represents a successful strategy for genotyping SPA. Furthermore, the 195 Yuxi isolates appear to be closely related to each other and distinct from the 20 CMCC strains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Porcine proliferative enteropathy caused by Lawsonia intracellularis (L. intracellularis) is a major concern to the pig industry worldwide. Although 8.3 billion pigs are produced each year in China, few reports on the prevalence of L.intracellularis infection are available. The aim of the current study was to estimate the seroprevalence of L. intracellularis antibodies in intensive pig farms in China. Results A total of 1060 serum samples were collected from 14 commercial pig farms located throughout China. Animals from all age groups were sampled including pre-weaning piglets, weaners, fattening pigs, adult sows and boars. Antibodies against L. intracellularis were detected using a specific blocking ELISA. Of the 1060 serum samples, 602 were identified as positive using the ELISA test. The apparent seroprevalence of L. intracellularis seropositivity was 57% (95% CI 50 to 64%). The true prevalence (that is, prevalence corrected for the imperfect sensitivity and specificity of the testing method) was 77% (95% CI 70 to 83%). Conclusions The highest true prevalence was observed in sows and boars, suggesting that within a herd these stock classes are a reservoir for infection. The prevalence of L. intracellularis seropositivity in local breed pigs was significantly less than that in imported breeds. A higher seroprevalence was found in pigs in herds in Central and Northern China, which may correspond to the greater use of the intensive production systems in these areas. We conclude that L. intracellularis is widely prevalent in commercial pigs in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since 2015, severe hydropericardium-hepatitis syndrome (HHS) associated with a novel fowl adenovirus 4 (FAdV-4) has emerged in China, representing a new challenge for the poultry industry. Although various highly pathogenic FAdV-4 strains have been isolated, the virulence factor and the pathogenesis of novel FAdV-4 are unclear. In our previous studies, we reported that a large genomic deletion (1,966 bp) is not related to increased virulence. Here, two recombinant chimeric viruses, rHN20 strain and rFB2 strain, were generated from a highly pathogenic FAdV-4 strain by replacing the hexon or fiber-2 gene of a nonpathogenic FAdV-4, respectively. Both chimeric strains showed similar titers to the wild-type strain in vitro. Notably, rFB2 and the wild-type strain induced 100% mortality, while no mortality or clinical signs appeared in chickens inoculated with rHN20, indicating that hexon, but not fiber-2, determines the novel FAdV-4 virulence. Furthermore, an R188I mutation in the hexon protein identified residue 188 as the key amino acid for the reduced pathogenicity. The rR188I mutant strain was significantly neutralized by chicken serum in vitro and in vivo, whereas the wild-type strain was able to replicate efficiently. Finally, the immunogenicity of the rescued rR188I was investigated. Nonpathogenic rR188I provided full protection against lethal FAdV-4 challenge. Collectively, these findings provide an in-depth understanding of the molecular basis of novel FAdV-4 pathogenicity and present rR188I as a potential live attenuated vaccine candidate or a novel vaccine vector for HHS vaccines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]