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Objective: The aim of this study was to determine how the removal of non‐impacted third molars (N‐M3s) affects the periodontal status of neighboring second molars (M2s). Subjects and Methods: The periodontal condition of M2s for which the neighboring N‐M3s were removed (more than 6 months previously) and those with intact N‐M3s was analyzed in a cross‐sectional observation study. In an additional case series, periodontal changes in M2s in response to adjacent N‐M3 removal were observed during a 6‐month follow‐up period. Results: A total of 457 patients with 1,301 M2s were enrolled in this cross‐sectional observational study. Compared to M2s with neighboring N‐M3s, M2s without neighboring N‐M3s (teeth removed more than 6 months previously) exhibited a 0.27‐mm reduction in the average pocket depth (PD) (p <.001) and a 0.38‐fold reduced risk of at least one probing site with PD ≥5 mm (PD5+) (p <.001). Subsequently, a 41‐case follow‐up study showed that 6 months after neighboring N‐M3 extraction, the PD of the M2s decreased by 0.31 mm (p <.001), while the incidence of PD5+ decreased by 21.9% when compared to the parameters detected before tooth extraction (p =.004). Conclusions: Removing N‐M3s was associated with an improved periodontal condition in neighboring M2s. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To investigate the incidence and risk factors as well as prognosis of autoimmune hemolytic anemia (AIHA) following allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo‐HSCT), a total of 1377 adult hematological malignancies at three institutions were enrolled in this study. The 3‐year cumulative incidence of AIHA was 2.2 ± 0.4%. Multivariate analysis showed that haploidentical donors (HRDs) and chronic graft vs host disease (cGVHD) were the independent risk factors for AIHA. Patients with AIHA treated initially with corticosteroids combined with cyclosporine A (CsA) had a higher complete response rate than those with corticosteroids monotherapy (66.7% vs 11.1%; P = .013). The 3‐year cumulative incidence of malignant diseases relapse was 4.4 ± 4.3% and 28.0 ± 1.3% (P = .013), treatment‐related mortality (TRM) was 8.9 ± 6.3% and 17.4 ± 1.2% (P = .431), disease‐free survival (DFS) was 56.1 ± 1.5% and 86.7 ± 7.2% (P = .011), and overall survival (OS) was 86.3 ± 7.4% and 64.1 ± 1.5% (P = .054), respectively, in the patients with AIHA and those without AIHA. Our results indicate that HRDs and cGVHD are risk factors for AIHA and corticosteroids combined with CsA are superior to corticosteroids as initial treatment for AIHA. Autoimmune hemolytic anemia does not contribute to increase TRM and could reduce the malignant diseases relapse and increase DFS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Yanshan Movement and the destruction of the North China Craton are two important geological events of the late Mesozoic in the central and eastern China. There are, however, still uncertainties about their initial timing, development, and intrinsic relationship. Late Mesozoic (Jurassic–Cretaceous) basin filling processes are crucial to understanding these questions. The Ningwu–Jingle Basin and the Hunyuan Basin, are situated in the north-central part of the North China Craton, have a complete late Mesozoic sedimentary strata. Their late Mesozoic sedimentary filling characteristics and key geochronology indicate the development of the North China Craton and its tectonic setting in different evolution stages. Our new sedimentary, geochronological and geochemical data of the volcanic rocks combined with the previously published results on Mesozoic sedimentary, deformation and magmatism in the North China Craton indicate a temporal and spatial migration of the tectonic movement. In the study, we divide the late Mesozoic tectonic evolution of the area into several stages using the sedimentary sequences and zircon U–Pb isotope dating, and discuss the intrinsic relationship between the Yanshan Movement and the destruction of the North China Craton. Our conclusions are as follows. (1) Extensional tectonics were probably dominated in the northern North China Craton from the Early Jurassic to the early Middle Jurassic, and continued until 168 Ma. (2) The Yanshan Movement took place between 168 Ma and 152 Ma, involving into an intensive compressional stage at 161–159 Ma with a peak stage at 159–152 Ma. (3) Late Mesozoic tectonic regime change took place in the northern North China Craton between 152 and 113 Ma, with a transitional stage from compression to extension at 152–130 Ma and a peak extensional stage at 130–113 Ma. The compressional tectonic regime became an extensional tectonic regime during the late Late Jurassic and Early Cretaceous, indicating the initiation and development of the destruction of the North China Craton. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective Recent genome-wide association studies ( GWAS) have identified 3 loci in or near PRDM16 (1p36.32, rs2651899), LRP1 (12q13.3, rs11172113) and TRPM8 (2q37.1, rs10166942) in the population-based Women's Genome Health Study ( WGHS) of migraine, and 2 loci in or near TRPM8 and LRP1 were repeated in European GWAS study. To evaluate whether the same variants are related to migraine in Chinese population, we investigated migraine with aura ( MA) and migraine without aura ( MO) patients of Chinese Han ethnicity in mainland China. Methods A case-control study in a cohort of 207 migraine cases and 205 ethnically matched controls was conducted by using the dual-color fluorescence resonance energy transfer ( FRET) probes analysis. Results The genotypes of all polymorphisms in 2 groups followed the Hardy- Weinberg equilibrium. We found significant differences in allele distribution of rs2651899 variant in PRDM16 between MO patients and control subjects ( P = .049, OR = 1.335, 95% CI 1.001-1.782), and there were no difference between MA patients and controls in the frequency of genotype and allele. Also, no significant differences in genotypic and allelic distributions between MA or MO patients and controls were observed in the polymorphisms of rs10166942 of TRPM8 and rs11172113 of LRP1, and there was no significant difference comparing male with female in all loci. Conclusion Our data suggested that rs2651899 variant in PRDM16 plays a potential role in Chinese MO migraine susceptibility, and gender may not play a role. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We analyzed past and future trends in river export of dissolved nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) to the coastal waters of China, for a selection of rivers, as calculated by the Global NEWS models (Nutrient Export from WaterSheds). Over the period 1970-2000, river export of dissolved nutrients increased considerably, especially of dissolved inorganic N and P. Anthropogenic sources of N and P in rivers have become increasingly important, in particular N and P losses from agriculture. We tested the sensitivity of calculated nutrient export by rivers to changes in selected controlling factors. The calculated export of dissolved N and P is sensitive to changes in hydrology, synthetic fertilizer use and manure excretion in river basins. Changes in sewage inputs have large effects on dissolved inorganic P export. We analyzed future trends up to 2050 for several scenarios to illustrate the combined effects of selected management options. In the Base Scenario, the N and P export by the selected rivers increases considerably between 2000 and 2030. The increase continues from 2030 to 2050 except for DIP. Strategies to reduce N and P export by rivers include changes in agriculture, sewage and energy use. Changes in agriculture have the largest impact on future dissolved N and P river export to the coastal waters of China. The effectiveness of reduction strategies differs between nutrient forms and basins. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the first 30 years of its existence, the People's Republic of China (PRC) committed itself to making atheist Marxism the fundamental ideology of the country, depriving the Chinese people of their constitutional right of religious liberty. Since 1979, new policies, regulations, and legislation impacting religious freedom have been created and implemented. This paper proposes an unconventional framework for understanding China's religious policy. It attempts to explain the evolution of this policy through an analysis of the party's changing view of religion; the nature of its new religious policy and law; and the function of its supervision of religion. It calls for the consideration of the validity of a distinctive Chinese model in religious affairs similar to that which has evolved in economic development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: We analyzed the past and future trends in river export of dissolved and particulate nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and carbon (C) to the coastal waters of China, for sixteen rivers, as calculated by the Global NEWS models (Nutrient Export from WaterSheds). Between 1970 and 2000, the dissolved N and P export increased significantly, while export of other nutrients changed less. We analyzed the future trends (2000–2050) for the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MEA) scenarios. In general, the largest increases of dissolved nutrients export are projected for the Global Orchestration scenario, assuming a globalized world and a reactive approach toward environmental management. Future trends in river export of nutrients vary largely among basins, nutrient forms and scenarios. We calculate both increasing and decreasing trends between 2000 and 2050. We also identify the sources contributing to the nutrient export. For selected river basins we present results for alternative scenarios, which are based on the Global Orchestration scenario, but assume more environmental management. This illustrates how the NEWS models can be useful in regional analyses for decision making. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Peach blossoms are favorable images and themes in ancient Chinese literature. Due to the commonality of peach fruit in the daily life, they are much loved by man of letters in the Tang Dynasty. In literature of the Tang Dynasty, literal works with peach blossoms as images and themes turn to be much more than those in the previous dynasties, which makes clear the importance of peach blossoms in Tang literature. The richer the related subject matters, aesthetic traits, emotion and sensibilities and moral implied, the more developed their artistic expressions. Consequently, the peach-blossom images turn to be with abundant aesthetic and cultural significations. In Tang literature, much is achieved in the aesthetic appreciation and artistic expression of peach -blossom images. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Dabaoshan Cu–Pb–Zn–Mo–W polymetallic deposit in northern Guangdong Province, South China, lies in the southern part of the Qin–Hang porphyry–skarn Cu Mo ore belt and hosts both porphyry Mo and stratabound skarn Cu ores. The genesis of the Cu ore has been ascribed to typical skarn ore formed by the metasomatism of Devonian carbonate rock layers, or to a sediment-rock-hosted massive sulfide deposit formed by marine exhalation. In this paper, we report the ages of porphyry Mo and stratiform Cu ores and dacitic porphyry determined with molybdenite Re Os, sericite Ar/Ar, and zircon U Pb methods, respectively. Nine samples from the granodiorite porphyry Mo ores yielded Re Os model ages ranging from 165.7 ± 2.3 to 163.4 ± 2.4 Ma, with a weighted mean age of 164.8 ± 0.8 Ma (MSWD = 0.52). Sericite from two samples of stratiform Cu ores yielded ages of 166.6 ± 1.6 Ma (DB011) and 171.7 ± 2.0 Ma (DB020), with corresponding reverse isochron ages of 167.0 ± 2.0 Ma and 161.7 ± 1.7 Ma, respectively. The age data determined from Re Os analyses of molybdenite and 40Ar/39Ar dating of sericite are in good agreement with each other, indicating that the porphyry Mo and stratiform Cu potentially originated from the same ore system and may be genetically associated with Jurassic granitic granodiorite porphyry. In this study, magmatic zircon weighted mean ages of 434.3 ± 1.0 Ma (DB009), 431.5 ± 0.12 Ma (DB022), and 427.0 ± 0.87 Ma (DB031) from three samples for the Dabaoshan dacitic porphyry indicate that the mineralization in the Dabaoshan deposit is mainly related to the invasion of Jurassic granitic magma, not to Silurian subvolcanic rocks. Based on the integrated geological, geophysical, and geochemical data, we proposed the Dabaoshan porphyry–skarn Cu–Pb–Zn–Mo–Wpolymetallic deposit to be part of the Qin–Hang porphyry–skarn Cu Mo ore belt that formed during the low-angle Jurassic subduction of the Paleo-pacific plate under Eurasian continent. Unlabelled Image • The porphyry Mo and stratiform Cu are a same ore system and may be genetically associated with Jurassic granitic granodiorite porphyry, not related to Silurian subvolcanic rocks. • The Dabaoshan deposit formed during the Jurassic low-angle subduction of the Paleo-pacific plate under Eurasian continent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and purpose: Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a common serious complication in sepsis patients with a high mortality rate. This study aimed to develop and validate a predictive model for sepsis associated acute kidney injury (SA-AKI). Methods: In our study, we retrospectively constructed a development cohort comprising 733 septic patients admitted to eight Grade-A tertiary hospitals in Shanghai from January 2021 to October 2022. Additionally, we established an external validation cohort consisting of 336 septic patients admitted to our hospital from January 2017 to December 2019. Risk predictors were selected by LASSO regression, and a corresponding nomogram was constructed. We evaluated the model's discrimination, precision and clinical benefit through receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves, calibration plots, decision curve analysis (DCA) and clinical impact curves (CIC) in both internal and external validation. Results: AKI incidence was 53.2% in the development cohort and 48.2% in the external validation cohort. The model included five independent indicators: chronic kidney disease stages 1 to 3, blood urea nitrogen, procalcitonin, D-dimer and creatine kinase isoenzyme. The AUC of the model in the development and validation cohorts was 0.914 (95% CI, 0.894-0.934) and 0.923 (95% CI, 0.895-0.952), respectively. The calibration plot, DCA, and CIC demonstrated the model's favorable clinical applicability. Conclusion: We developed and validated a robust nomogram model, which might identify patients at risk of SA-AKI and promising for clinical applications.

A municipal wastewater treatment plant plays an important role in treating urban sewage and reducing the quantity of pollutants discharged into rivers. However, the energy consumption of the municipal wastewater treatment industry is large. High energy consumption indirectly produces ecological damage, accelerates the energy crisis, and increases carbon emissions. For energy conservation and emission reduction in wastewater treatment plants, it is first necessary to identify the main factors influencing energy consumption. Electricity consumption accounts for more than 80% of the energy consumption of wastewater treatment plants. Wastewater quantity and wastewater quality have become the key influencing factors of energy conservation and consumption reduction in wastewater treatment plants. In this study, a municipal wastewater treatment plant in Northeast China was selected as the research object, and the measured data, such as air temperature, wastewater quantity, wastewater quality, and electricity consumption of the plant from 2017 to 2020 were statistically analyzed to explore the influences of temperature and wastewater quantity and wastewater quality indicators of influent and effluent on energy consumption. Firstly, the range of influent quantity in the wastewater treatment plant was large. The influent quantity in summer was high because some rainwater entered the sewage treatment plant. In winter, average daily electricity consumption (ADEC) was higher than that in summer. The relationship between ADEC and the wastewater quantity showed a positive correlation, and ADEC slowly increased with the increase in wastewater quantity. Electricity consumption per unit of wastewater (UEC) was negatively correlated with the wastewater quantity, but the correction coefficient in winter was larger than that in summer. Secondly, the ranges of chemical oxygen demand (COD Cr ) and ammonia nitrogen in influent were large, and the ranges of COD Cr and ammonia nitrogen in effluent were small. Influent COD Cr concentration was negatively correlated with influent ammonia nitrogen concentration. ADEC increased slightly with the increase in influent COD Cr concentration. In winter, the increasing trend of ADEC with the influent COD Cr concentration was higher than that in the summer. The increasing trend of UEC with the increase in influent COD concentration in summer was more significant than that in winter. Thirdly, influent COD Cr in 11.6% of the samples exceeded the corresponding designed value, and influent ammonia nitrogen concentration in 41.4% of the samples exceeded the corresponding designed value. Effluent COD Cr in 10.6% of the samples exceeded the First Level Class B standard in "Discharge Standard of Pollutants for Municipal Wastewater Treatment Plants (GB18918-2002)", and unqualified COD Cr in 94% of the effluent samples was ascribed to the unqualified ammonia nitrogen concentration in the influent samples. The electricity consumption level under abnormal conditions was higher than that under normal conditions. Fourthly, ADEC was positively correlated with the average daily COD Cr reduction. The correction coefficient of ADEC with average daily COD Cr reduction was greater in winter than that in summer. Fifthly, the average electricity consumption per unit of wastewater was close to the national average energy consumption, displaying the characteristics of high energy consumption in winter and low energy consumption in summer. The correlation analysis results of unit electricity consumption and temperature showed that when it was below 0 °C, the lower the temperature, the higher the electricity consumption. In Northeast China, the influences of seasons and temperatures on the electricity consumption of sewage plants were obvious. Accordingly, it is necessary to implement the diversion of rainwater and sewage, reduce the discharge of unqualified wastewater from enterprises, and take thermal insulation measures in winter. In addition, activated sludge microorganisms suitable for a low temperature area and the optimal scheduling of sewage pipe networks can also improve the operation and management of sewage treatment plants.

Genomic instability plays a key role in the initiation and progression of colorectal cancer (CRC). Although cancer driver genes in CRC have been well characterized, identifying novel genes associated with carcinogenesis and treatment remains challenging because of tumor heterogeneity. Here, we analyzed the genomic alterations of 45 samples from CRC patients in northern China by whole-exome sequencing. In addition to the identification of six well-known CRC driver genes (APC, TP53, KRAS, FBXW7, PIK3CA, and PABPC), two tumor-related genes (MTCH2 and HSPA6) were detected, along with RRP7A and GXYLT1, which have not been previously linked to cancer. GXYLT1 was mutated in 40% (18/45) of the samples in our cohort. Functionally, GXYLT1 promoted migration and invasion in vitro and metastasis in vivo, while the GXYLT1 S212* mutant induced significantly greater effect. Furthermore, both GXYLT1 and GXYLT1 S212* interacted with ERK2. GXYLT1 induced metastasis via a mechanism involving the Notch and MAPK pathways, whereas the GXYLT1 S212* mutant mainly promoted metastasis by activating the MAPK pathway. We propose that GXYLT1 acts as a novel metastasis-associated driver gene and GXYLT1 S212* might serve as a potential indicator for therapies targeting the MAPK pathway in CRC., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) was firstly identified in mainland China in 2009 and the geographic distribution has expanded in recent years. In this study, we constructed ecological niche models (ENM) of SFTS with meteorological factors, environmental factor, and density of domestic animals using MaxEnt. We found four significant associated factors including altitude, yearly average temperature, yearly accumulated precipitation, and yearly average relative humidity which accounted for 94.1% percent contribution. SFTS occurrence probability was high when altitude was between -100 m and 100 m, and the probability was nearly 0 when altitude was beyond 3000 m. Response curves of SFTS to the yearly average temperature, yearly accumulated precipitation, and yearly average relative humidity were all reversed V-shape. SFTS occurrence probability was high where the yearly average temperature, yearly accumulated precipitation, and yearly relative humidity were 12.5-17.5 °C, 700-2250 mm and 63-82%, respectively. ENMs predicted that the potential high-risk areas were mainly distributed in eastern areas and central areas of China. But there were some predicted potential high-risk areas where no SFTS case was reported up to date. More researches should be done to make clear whether SFTS case had occurred in these areas., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

A mutation in the epithelial morphogen gene ectodysplasin-A1 (EDA1) is responsible for the disorder X-linked hypohidrotic ectodermal dysplasia (XLHED), the most common form of ectodermal dysplasia. XLHED is characterized by impaired development of hair, eccrine sweat glands, and teeth. This study aimed to identify potentially pathogenic mutations in four Chinese XLHED families.Genomic DNA was extracted from the peripheral blood and sequenced. Sanger sequencing was used to carry out mutational analysis of the EDA1 gene, and the three-dimensional structure of the novel mutant residues in the EDA trimer was determined. Transcriptional activity of NF-κB was tested by Dual luciferin assay.We identified a novel EDA1 mutation (c.1046C>T) and detected 3 other previously-reported mutations (c.146T>A; c.457C>T; c.467G>A). Our findings demonstrated that novel mutation c.1046C>T (p.A349 V) resulted in XLHED. The novel mutation could cause volume repulsion in the protein due to enlargement of the amino acid side chain. Dual luciferase assay revealed that transcriptional NF-κB activation induced by XLHED EDA1 protein was significantly reduced compared with wild-type EDA1.These results extend the spectrum of EDA1 mutations in XLHED patients and suggest a functional role of the novel mutation in XLHED.

Background: Differences in the predictors between ventricular septal rupture (VSR) and free wall rupture (FWR) have not been fully studied. Data on the prevalence and clinical outcome of heart rupture are limited., Hypothesis: This study aimed to investigate heart rupture incidence and clinical results in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI)., Methods: Of 9265 AMI patients in the MOODY registry between March 1999 and October 2016, a total of 146 were studied. The primary clinical endpoint was rupture prevalence and in-hospital mortality. Independent factors of heart rupture were analyzed using Cox proportional model and were compared between patients with VSR and those with FWR., Results: Of 9265 AMI patients, 146 (1.58%) patients had a heart rupture (FWR, 94 (1.02%)) and VSR (52 (0.56%)). All patients with FWR died during hospitalization, and in-hospital mortality was recorded in 37 (71.2%) patients with VSR, who had an extremely longer time delay from AMI onset to the first medical contact (FMC) (~20 h). FWR usually occurred in patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) patients with a FMC ≥ 3 h, for whom primary reperfusion was not performed. Percutaneous repair at 1-2 weeks following AMI was associated with less mortality, and 9 of 38 patients who underwent non-primary reperfusion died post procedure., Conclusion: This study demonstrated the importance of shortening FMC to prevent VSR and of early primary reperfusion in STEMI patients to reduce FWR. Urgent closure of rupture is necessary to reduce in-hospital and 1-year mortality., Clinical Trial Registration: http://www.clinicaltrials.org, identifier: No. NCT03051048., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: The Atlanta criteria for acute pancreatitis (AP) has been revised recently. This study was to evaluate its practical value in classification of AP, the severity assessment and management., Methods: The clinical features, severity classification, outcome and risk factors for mortality of 3212 AP patients who had been admitted in Ruijin Hospital from 2004 to 2011 were analyzed based on the revised Atlanta criteria (RAC) and the original Atlanta criteria (OAC)., Results: Compared to the OAC group, the incidence of severe acute pancreatitis (SAP) was decreased by approximately one half (13.9% vs 28.2%) in the RAC group. The RAC presented a lower sensitivity but higher specificity, and its predictive value for severity and poor outcome was higher than those of the OAC. The proportion of SAP diagnosis and ICU admission in the early phase in the RAC group was significantly lower than that in the OAC group (P<0.05). Based on the RAC, the risk factors for death among SAP patients were older age, high CT severity index (CTSI), renal failure, cardiovascular failure, acute necrotic collection and walled-off necrosis. Compared to the OAC, the acute physiology and chronic health evaluation II (APACHE II) score, Ranson score, idiopathic etiology, respiratory failure and laparotomy debridement were not risk factors of death in contrast to walled-off necrosis. Interestingly, hypertriglyceridemia-related SAP had good outcomes in both groups., Conclusions: The RAC showed a higher predictive value for severity and poorer outcome than the OAC. However, the RAC resulted in fewer ICU admissions in the early phase due to its lower sensitivity for diagnosis of SAP. Among SAP cases, older age, high CTSI, renal and cardiovascular failure, complications of acute necrotic collection and walled-off necrosis were independent risk factors for mortality.

Background: Colon cancer nomogram designed by Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) is an online prediction tool to predict overall survival for individual patient after curative resection. However, this model was never externally validated. We evaluated the accuracy of this nomogram in an independent external Chinese cohort., Methods: Clinical data from 1005 patients who underwent primary curative-intent surgery at Peking University Cancer Hospital & Institute between 1996 and 2008 were used for external validation. Clinicopathologic characteristics and the performance of the MSKCC nomogram for prediction of overall survival were evaluated for 985 patients with complete data by using concordance index (C-index) and calibration plot., Results: The C-index for the MSKCC nomogram was 0.71 in the Chinese cohort, compared with 0.67 for American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) stage (P < .0001). This suggests that the nomogram discriminates overall survival better than AJCC staging system. Calibration plot showed a good calibration of the nomogram in the validation cohort. Furthermore, the MSKCC nomogram prediction illustrated the heterogeneity for survival of Chinese patients within each AJCC stage., Conclusions: The MSKCC nomogram for colon cancer provides more accurate survival predictions than the AJCC staging system when applied to an external Chinese cohort. The MSKCC nomogram improved individualized prediction of survival and may aid in more accurate patient counseling, selection of various treatment options, and follow-up scheduling.

Objective: To describe the baseline data of cancers in the Jinchang Cohort, this paper examined trends in cancer mortality among adults investigated in Jinchang, Gansu province from 2001 to 2010., Methods: Mortality data were collected from company departments through administrative documents, death certificates, etc. Trend analyses of cancer mortality were performed on the basis of 925 cancer deaths between 2001 and 2010., Results: The crude mortality rate of cancer continuously increased from 161.86 per 100,000 in 2001 to 315.32 per 100,000 in 2010, with an average increase of 7.69% per year in the Jinchang Cohort (16.41% in females compared to 6.04% in males), but the age-standardized mortality rate increased only in females. Thirteen leading cancers accounted for 92.10% of all cancer deaths. The five leading causes of cancer mortality in males were lung, gastric, liver, esophageal, and colorectal cancer, whereas those in females were lung, liver, gastric, breast, and esophageal cancer., Conclusion: The overall cancer mortality rate increased from 2001 to 2010 in the Jinchang Cohort, with greater rate of increase in females than in males. Lung, breast, and gastric cancer, in that order, were the leading causes of increased cancer mortality in females., (Copyright © 2015 The Editorial Board of Biomedical and Environmental Sciences. Published by China CDC. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: Since February 2013, a novel reassortant H7N9 virus associated with human deaths, but no apparent outbreaks in poultry and wild birds has emerged in eastern China., Objectives: The potential reemergence of H7N9 during next year's influenza season demand a further understanding of this important disease., Methods: Between March 1 and April 30, 2013, we obtained and analyzed clinical, epidemiologic and radiologic features, and virologic data from three laboratory-confirmed patients of A H7N9 infection admitted in Shanghai Ruijin Hospital., Results: All patients were middle to old aged (mean age 62 years) and overweight (mean body mass index 31) patients. Two patients were exposed to poultry directly or indirectly in food market. They presented with fever and rapidly progressive pneumonia that did not respond to antibiotics. Time between onset of symptoms and onset of respiratory failure (days) were 7-11 days. Two patients presented secondary invasive bacterial infections. All patients died on day 7 to day 86 after the onset of symptoms., Conclusions: Cross species poultry-to-person transmission of this new reassortant avian influenza H7N9 virus can result in severe and fatal respiratory disease like acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) in humans. Reduplicate chest imaging examination is suggested for risky patients with fever and dyspnea. Secondary invasive bacterial infections and pneumothorax can cause severe and fatal consequence. Old age, obesity and presence of comorbidity may be associated with increased mortality. Pulmonary fibrosis can be seen at late stage of the disease., (© 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Background: Dental agenesis is the most common, often heritable, developmental anomaly in humans. Although WNT10A gene mutations are known to cause rare syndromes associated with tooth agenesis, including onycho-odontodermal dysplasia (OODD), Schöpf-Schulz-Passarge syndrome (SSPS), hypohidrotic ectodermal dysplasia (HED), and more than half of the cases of isolated oligodontia recently, the genotype-phenotype correlations and the mode of inheritance of WNT10A mutations remain unclear. The phenotypic expression with WNT10A mutations shows a high degree of variability, suggesting that other genes might function with WNT10A in regulating ectodermal organ development. Moreover, the involvement of mutations in other genes, such as EDA, which is also associated with HED and isolated tooth agenesis, is not clear. Therefore, we hypothesized that EDA mutations interact with WNT10A mutations to play a role in tooth agenesis. Additionally, EDA, EDAR, and EDARADD encode signaling molecules in the Eda/Edar/NF-κB signaling pathways, we also checked EDAR and EDARADD in this study., Methods: WNT10A, EDA, EDAR and EDARADD were sequenced in 88 patients with isolated oligodontia and 26 patients with syndromic tooth agenesis. The structure of two mutated WNT10A and two mutated EDA proteins was analyzed., Results: Digenic mutations of both WNT10A and EDA were identified in 2 of 88 (2.27%) isolated oligodontia cases and 4 of 26 (15.38%) syndromic tooth agenesis cases. No mutation in EDAR or EDARADD gene was found., Conclusions: WNT10A and EDA digenic mutations could result in oligodontia and syndromic tooth agenesis in the Chinese population. Moreover, our results will greatly expand the genotypic spectrum of tooth agenesis.

A number of genes have been implicated in the pathogenesis of migraine, a common neurological disorder also in China. However, data on association of genetic variations with migraine susceptibility among Chinese, which might be different from people of other ethnic background, are still scarce. We have therefore investigated the association of polymorphisms in four genes, MTHFR C677T, ACE I/D, MAOA T941G and TNF-β G252A, which are considered to be with risk of migraine. A case-control study including a cohort of 151 migraine cases and 137 ethnically matched controls was conducted. The genotypes of each polymorphism followed the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium in the two groups. Genotypic distribution of MTHFR C677T was significantly different with higher frequency of allele T in the migraine cohort as compared with that in controls (OR=1.686, 95%CI: 1.175-2.420, P=0.004). No difference was found between migraine with aura (MA) patients and controls, but T allele frequency was significantly higher in migraine without aura (MO) than in controls (OR=1.744, 95% CI: 1.202-2.532, P=0.003). No difference in genotypic and allelic distributions was observed between migraine patients and controls for the other polymorphisms, including ACE I/D, MAOA T941G, and TNF-β G252A. Our data suggested that MTHFR C677T polymorphism plays a role in Chinese migraine susceptibility, especially in MO., (Crown Copyright © 2013. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: During the spring of 2013, a novel avian-origin influenza A (H7N9) virus emerged and spread among humans in China. Data were lacking on the clinical characteristics of the infections caused by this virus., Methods: Using medical charts, we collected data on 111 patients with laboratory-confirmed avian-origin influenza A (H7N9) infection through May 10, 2013., Results: Of the 111 patients we studied, 76.6% were admitted to an intensive care unit (ICU), and 27.0% died. The median age was 61 years, and 42.3% were 65 years of age or older; 31.5% were female. A total of 61.3% of the patients had at least one underlying medical condition. Fever and cough were the most common presenting symptoms. On admission, 108 patients (97.3%) had findings consistent with pneumonia. Bilateral ground-glass opacities and consolidation were the typical radiologic findings. Lymphocytopenia was observed in 88.3% of patients, and thrombocytopenia in 73.0%. Treatment with antiviral drugs was initiated in 108 patients (97.3%) at a median of 7 days after the onset of illness. The median times from the onset of illness and from the initiation of antiviral therapy to a negative viral test result on real-time reverse-transcriptase-polymerase-chain-reaction assay were 11 days (interquartile range, 9 to 16) and 6 days (interquartile range, 4 to 7), respectively. Multivariate analysis revealed that the presence of a coexisting medical condition was the only independent risk factor for the acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) (odds ratio, 3.42; 95% confidence interval, 1.21 to 9.70; P=0.02)., Conclusions: During the evaluation period, the novel H7N9 virus caused severe illness, including pneumonia and ARDS, with high rates of ICU admission and death. (Funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China and others.).

Background: Microsatellite markers or Simple Sequence Repeats (SSRs) are the most popular markers in population/conservation genetics. However, the development of novel microsatellite markers has been impeded by high costs, a lack of available sequence data and technical difficulties. New species-specific microsatellite markers were required to investigate the evolutionary history of the Euphratica tree, Populus euphratica, the only tree species found in the desert regions of Western China and adjacent Central Asian countries., Methodology/principal Findings: A total of 94,090 non-redundant Expressed Sequence Tags (ESTs) from P. euphratica comprising around 63 Mb of sequence data were searched for SSRs. 4,202 SSRs were found in 3,839 ESTs, with 311 ESTs containing multiple SSRs. The most common motif types were trinucleotides (37%) and hexanucleotides (33%) repeats. We developed primer pairs for all of the identified EST-SSRs (eSSRs) and selected 673 of these pairs at random for further validation. 575 pairs (85%) gave successful amplification, of which, 464 (80.7%) were polymorphic in six to 24 individuals from natural populations across Northern China. We also tested the transferability of the polymorphic eSSRs to nine other Populus species. In addition, to facilitate the use of these new eSSR markers by other researchers, we mapped them onto Populus trichocarpa scaffolds in silico and compiled our data into a web-based database (http://202.205.131.253:8080/poplar/resources/static&#95;page/index.html)., Conclusions: The large set of validated eSSRs identified in this work will have many potential applications in studies on P. euphratica and other poplar species, in fields such as population genetics, comparative genomics, linkage mapping, QTL, and marker-assisted breeding. Their use will be facilitated by their incorporation into a user-friendly web-based database.

Background: Ventricular diverticulum (VD) is a rare cardiac malformation. The surgical indications for VD remain controversial. This review is designed to determine the demographic characteristics, diagnosis, and surgical indications of this disease., Methods: Using PubMed and the Chinese electronic databases CNKI, WANFANG, and VIP, a computerized search was performed of the literature from China published between March 1965 and July 2012. Major risk factors for developing VD complications were confirmed by logistic regression analysis in case-control studies., Results: Ninety-three articles and 127 VD patients were identified in this literature review. VDs can lead to aortic insufficiency, thrombosis, infective endocarditis, heart failure, diverticular rupture, ventricular arrhythmia, and cerebral embolism. In patients with VD complications, 92.3% were men (OR = 6.43, 95% CI = 1.23-33.53), 84.6% of the patients had a fibrous type VD (OR = 10.54, 95% CI = 2.86-38.85), and 48.0% of the cases were subaortic diverticulum (SD) related (OR = 6.41, 95% CI = 1.17-35.19)., Conclusions: VD can result in rupture, cerebral embolism, heart failure, ventricular arrhythmia, infective endocarditis, thrombosis and aortic insufficiency. Male gender, fibrous type, and SD are three major independent risk factors for developing VD complications. Surgical resection should be performed in those VD patients with risk factors for major complications., (© 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Objective: To observe the clinical efficacy of electroacupuncture (EA) on mild cognitive impairment (MCI) for patients of Uygur and Han nationality and explore the national diversity among the patients with MCI., Methods: Twenty-five cases were divided into Han nationality group (15 cases) and Uygur nationality group (10 cases) according to patient's nationality. In either group, EA was applied to Baihui (GV 20), Fengchi (GB 20), Xuanzhong (GB 39), Fuliu (KI 7), Sanyinjiao (SP 6) and Taixi (KI 3), once per day, 15 treatments made one session and there were 5 days at the interval among the sessions. Totally, 3 sessions of treatment were required. The proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H-MRS) was used to observe the changes in the ratio of N-acetylaspartate and creatine (NAA/Cr) on the left hippocampus for the patients in two groups before and after treatment as well as the changes in the results of the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) separately., Results: NAA/Cr in Uygur nationality group was higher than that in Han nationality group before treatment (1.659 +/- 0.418 vs 1.137 +/- 0.190, P < 0.05). After treatment, MMSE and MoCA scores all increased apparently as compared with those before treatment in two groups (P < 0.05, P < 0.01), and NAA/Cr on the left hippocampus in either group was up-regulated as compared with that before treatment (both P < 0.01)., Conclusion: EA can improve the overall cognitive function for the patients with MCI. There is the national diversity in the partial brain metabolite level between Uygur patients and Han patients with MCI.