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Purpose: The purpose of the present study was to identify predictors of severe white matter hyperintensity (WMH) with obesity (SWO), and to build a prediction model for screening obese people with severe WMH without Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) examination. Patients subjects and methods: From September 2020 to October 2021, 650 patients with WMH were recruited consecutively. The subjects were divided into two groups, SWO group and non-SWO group. Univariate and Logistic regression analysis were was applied to explore the potential predictors of SWO. The Youden index method was adopted to determine the best cut-off value in the establishment of the prediction model of SWO. Each parameter had two options, low and high. The score table of the prediction model and nomogram based on the logistic regression were constructed. Of the 650 subjects, 487 subjects (75%) were randomly assigned to the training group and 163 subjects (25%) to the validation group. By resampling the area under the curve (AUC) of the subject's operating characteristics and calibration curves 1,000 times, nomogram performance was verified. A decision curve analysis (DCA) was used to evaluate the nomogram's clinical usefulness. By resampling the area under the curve (AUC) of the subject's operating characteristics and calibration curves 1,000 times, nomogram performance was verified. A decision curve analysis (DCA) was used to evaluate the nomogram's clinical usefulness. Results: Logistic regression demonstrated that hypertension, uric acid (UA), complement 3 (C3) and Interleukin 8 (IL-8) were independent risk factors for SWO. Hypertension, UA, C3, IL-8, folic acid (FA), fasting C-peptide (FCP) and eosinophil could be used to predict the occurrence of SWO in the prediction models, with a good diagnostic performance, Areas Under Curves (AUC) of Total score was 0.823 (95% CI: 0.760--0.885, p < 0.001), sensitivity of 60.0%, specificity of 91.4%. In the development group, the nomogram's AUC (C statistic) was 0.829 (95% CI: 0.760--0.899), while in the validation group, it was 0.835 (95% CI: 0.696, 0.975). In both the development and validation groups, the calibration curves following 1,000 bootstraps showed a satisfactory fit between the observed and predicted probabilities. DCA showed that the nomogram had great clinical utility. Conclusion: Hypertension, UA, C3, IL-8, FA, FCP and eosinophil models had the potential to predict the incidence of SWO. When the total score of the model exceeded 9 points, the risk of SWO would increase significantly, and the nomogram enabled visualization of the patient's WMH risk. The application prospect of our models mainly lied in the convenient screening of SWO without MRI examination in order to detect SWO and control the WMH hazards early. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: With increasing prevalence of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and changing management of GDM in pregnancy, it is imperative to understand the evolution of its current outcomes. The present study aimed to explore whether birth weight and large for gestational age (LGA) trends in women with GDM have changed over time in southern China. Methods: In this hospital-based retrospective study, all singleton live births for the period 2012 to 2021 were collected from the Guangdong Women and Children Hospital, China. GDM was diagnosed following the criteria of the International Association of Diabetes and Pregnancy Study Group. The cutoff points for defining LGA (>90th centile) at birth based on INTERGROWTH-21st gender-specific standards. Linear regression was used to evaluate trends for birth weight over the years. Logistic regression analysis was used to determine the odds ratios (ORs) of LGA between women with GDM and those without GDM. Results: Data from 115097 women with singleton live births were included. The total prevalence of GDM was 16.8%. GDM prevalence varied across different years, with the lowest prevalence in 2014 (15.0%) and the highest prevalence in 2021 (19.2%). The mean birth weight displayed decrease in women with GDM from 3.224kg in 2012 to 3.134kg in 2021, and the z score for mean birth weight decreased from 0.230 to -0.037 (P for trend < 0.001). Among women with GDM, the prevalence of macrosomia and LGA reduced significantly during the study period (from 5.1% to 3.0% in macrosomia and from 11.8% to 7.7% in LGA, respectively). Compared to women without GDM, women with GDM had 1.30 (95% CI: 1.23 - 1.38) times odds for LGA, and the ORs remained stable over the study period. Conclusions: Among offspring of women with GDM, there are decreased trends of birth weight in parallel with reductions in LGA prevalence between 2012 and 2021. However, the risk of LGA in women with GDM remains stable at relatively high level over the 10-year period, and efforts are still needed to address regarding causes and effective intervention strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new species of spikemoss, Selaginella densiciliata in S. subg. Heterostachys sect. Tetragonostachyae, China, is described from southeastern Xizang, based on morphological and molecular phylogenetic data. Morphologically, S. densiciliata is similar to S. repanda, S. subvaginata and S. vaginata, but the new species can be easily distinguished from them by having sterile leaves margins densely ciliate, symmetrical axillary leaves oblong ovate to ovate-triangular, and ovate dorsal leaves obviously carinate. Molecular phylogenetic analysis resolves S. densiciliata as sister to the clade comprised with S. vaginata and S. xipholepis, which confirms the recognition of the new species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pseudomonas syringae pv. actinidiae causes kiwifruit bacterial canker, with severe infection of the kiwifruit plant resulting in heavy economic losses. Little is known regarding the biodiversity and genetic variation of populations of P. syringae pv. actinidiae in China. A collection of 269 strains of P. syringae pv. actinidiae was identified from 300 isolates obtained from eight sampling sites in five provinces in China. The profiles of 50 strains of P. syringae pv. actinidiae and one strain of P. syringae pv. actinidifoliorum were characterized by Rep-, insertion sequences 50, and randomly amplified polymorphic DNA polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Discriminant analysis of principal coordinates, principal component analysis, and hierarchical cluster analysis were used to analyze the combined fingerprints of the different PCR assays. The results revealed that all isolates belonged to the Psa3 group, that strains of P. syringae pv. actinidiae from China have broad genetic variability that was related to source geographic region, and that Chinese strains can be readily differentiated from strains from France but are very similar to those from Italy. Multilocus sequence typing of 24 representative isolates using the concatenated sequences of five housekeeping genes (cts, gapA, gyrB, pfk, and rpoD) demonstrated that strain Jzhy2 from China formed an independent clade compared with the other biovars, which possessed the hopHl effector gene but lacked the ItopAI effector gene. A constellation analysis based on the presence or absence of the four loci coding for phytotoxins and a cluster analysis based on the 11 effector genes showed that strains from China formed two distinct clades. All of the strains, including K3 isolated in 1997 from Jeju, Korea, lacked the cfl gene coding for coronatine. In contrast, the tox-argK gene cluster coding for phaseolotoxin was detected in K3 and in the biovar 1 strains (K3, Kw30, and Psa92), and produced a falsepositive amplicon for the /topA A7/-like gene in this study. To date, only one biovar (biovar 3) is represented by the strains of P. syringae pv. actinidiae from China, despite China being the center of origin for kiwifruit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Interventions to prevent childhood obesity targeting school age children have mostly reported limited effectiveness, suggesting such prevention programs may need to start at an earlier age, but evidence has been scarce. We reported a pilot study aiming to demonstrate the feasibility of a multifaceted intervention for preschool children and to provide a preliminary assessment of the effectiveness. METHODS: This nonrandomized controlled trial recruited children aged 3 to 6 years from 6 kindergartens in Guangzhou, China. Based on the preference of the School and Parents Committees, 4 kindergartens (648 children) received a 3-component intervention (training of kindergarten staff, initiating healthy curriculum for children, and close collaboration between families and kindergartens) over 12 months, while the other 2 kindergartens (336 children), serving as controls, received routine health care provision. Outcome measures were the changes in BMI z score between baseline and the end of 12 months, and the prevalence of postintervention children who were overweight or obese. RESULTS: By 12 months, children within the intervention group had a smaller BMI z score increase (0.24) compared to the control (0.41), with a difference of -0.31 (95% CI -0.47 to -0.15). The prevalence of overweight or obesity was also lower among the intervention group at the end of the study (OR: 0.43, 95% CI 0.19 to 0.96), adjusted for baseline status. CONCLUSIONS: Our results indicated a multicomponent health behavior intervention might be effective in reducing the prevalence of obesity, but the longer term effects will need confirmation from randomized controlled trials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Preterm birth is the leading cause of mortality and morbidity in infants. Its etiology is multifactorial with genes and immune homeostasis. The authors investigated whether prostaglandin (PG) synthesis related single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) PLA2G4C rs1366442 and PLA2G4D rs4924618 were associated with the risk of spontaneous preterm birth (SPTB) in a Chinese population of 114 cases of SPTB and 250 controls of term delivery. The risk associations were determined by odds ratios (ORs) and their 95% confidence intervals (CIs) calculated using multivariate logistic regression. Homology modeling was performed to elucidate potential mechanism of the SNP function. The maternal AT/ TT genotype of PLA2G4D rs4924618 was associated with a reduced risk of SPTB (OR, 0.61; 95% CI, 0.37‑0.99), while no significant association between PLA2G4C rs1366442 and SPTB risk was identified. Structure and sequence analysis revealed that the amino acid substitution introduced by this SNP located at the conserved central core of the catalytic domain of cytosolic phospholipase A2 δ and was close to the active site. These findings suggested that the polymorphism of PLA2G4D rs4924618 may have a protective influence on the SPTB susceptibility in a Chinese population, supporting a role for genetics in the association between PG synthesis and preterm birth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Although effects of weather changes on human health have been widely reported, there is limited information regarding effects on pregnant women in developing countries. OBJECTIVE: We investigated the association between maternal exposure to ambient temperature and the risk of preterm birth (< 37 weeks of gestation) in Guangzhou, China. Methods: We used a Cox proportional hazards model to estimate associations between preterm birth and average temperature during each week of gestation, with weekly temperature modeled as a time-varying exposure during four time windows: 1 week (the last week of the pregnancy), 4 weeks (the last 4 weeks of the pregnancy), late pregnancy (gestational week 20 onward), and the entire pregnancy. Information on singleton vaginal birth between 2001 and 2011 was collected. Daily meteorological data during the same period were obtained from the Guangzhou Meteorological Bureau. RESULTS: A total of 838,146 singleton vaginal births were included, among which 47,209 (5.6%) were preterm births. High mean temperatures during the 4 weeks, late pregnancy, and the entire pregnancy time windows were associated with an increased risk of preterm birth. Compared with the median temperature (24.4°C), weekly exposures during the last 4 weeks of the pregnancy to extreme cold (7.6°C, the 1st percentile) and extreme heat (31.9°C, the 99th percentile) were associated with 17.9% (95% CI: 10.2, 26.2%) and 10.0% (95% CI: 2.9, 17.6%) increased risks of preterm birth, respectively. The association between extreme heat and preterm birth was stronger for preterm births during weeks 20-31 and 32-34 than those during weeks 35-36. CONCLUSIONS: These findings might have important implications in preventing preterm birth in Guangzhou as well as other areas with similar weather conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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

Nail patella syndrome (NPS) is an autosomal dominant disorder characterized by nail malformations, patellar apoplasia, or patellar hypoplasia. Mutations within the LMX1B gene are found in 85% of families with NPS; thus, this gene has been characterized as the causative gene of NPS. In this study, we identified a heterozygous microdeletion of the entire LMX1B gene using multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification (MLPA) in a Chinese family with NPS. The determination of the deletion breakpoints by Illumina genome-wide DNA analysis beadchip showed that the deletion was located in chromosome 9q33.3 and spanned about 0.66 Mb in size. This heterozygous deletion provides strong evidence for haploinsufficiency as the pathogenic mechanism of NPS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents research on the plant species Bupleurum dracaenoides. Topics covered include its proliferation in southwestern China, information on its stems and description of its fruits. Also mentioned are results of the plant's molecular phylogenetic analyses and comparison with Bupleurum polyclonum.

BACKGROUND: Plasma level of human Β-defensin 2 (HBD-2), noted to play a role in lung inflammatory diseases, is elevated in patients with pneumonia. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the prognostic value of plasma HBD-2 concentration in predicting 30-day clinical outcomes in patients with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP). METHODS: Patients with CAP were divided into 2 groups, based on the 30-day clinical outcomes, presence or absence of adverse outcomes (death, need for invasive mechanical ventilation, development of new complication of pneumonia). Demographic data, comorbidities, baseline clinical and laboratory features, plasma HBD-2 concentration, and the CURB-65 (confusion, urea nitrogen, breathing frequency, blood pressure, ≥ 65 years of age) scores on admission were compared between the 2 groups in univariable analysis. Multivariable logistic regression was used to test the predictor of adverse outcomes. Receiver operating characteristic analyses were used to calculate the power of the assays to predict the 30-day adverse outcomes. RESULTS: We enrolled 361 subjects with CAP between March 2007 and March 2011. Univariate analysis revealed the following as predictive factors: age, smoking status, duration from symptom onset to admission, bilateral radiographic changes, total white-blood-cell count, serum sodium, serum potassium, serum albumin, plasma HBD-2 concentration, CURB-65 score, and comorbidities. In the multivariable logistic regression, plasma HBD-2 concentration, CURB-65 score, and age were independent predictors of 30-day adverse outcomes. In the receiver operating characteristic analysis, plasma HBD-2 concentration had an area under the curve of 0.77 (95% CI 0.71- 0.82); the optimal cutoff point was 12.5 mg/L (sensitivity of 63%, specificity of 84%, positive predictive value of 42%, and negative predictive value of 88%), which predicted 30-day adverse outcomes in subjects with CAP. CONCLUSIONS: In CAP patients, plasma HBD-2 level on admission is associated with 30-day clinical outcomes, and lower plasma HBD-2 level is an independent predictor for adverse outcomes. Plasma HBD-2 level may become a useful tool for prognostic stratification in patients with CAP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

On May 12, 2008, a massive earthquake occurred along the Longmen Mountain Central Fault in Sichuan Province, China, causing serious damages to buildings near the fault. As the Longmen Mountain Central Fault and the Anterior Fault both traversed Dujiangyan and Pengzhou cities, the seismic intensity in these areas reached levels IX-XI. Therefore, these two cities were among the most seriously damaged regions. In this article, the types of damage to buildings in the two cities and their affiliated towns or villages are investigated and reported. It is found that the damage to a building is related to its structure type, distance from the faults, and so on. The results provide valuable information on the seismic resistance of buildings in similar areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

On May 12, 2008, an Ms 8.0 earthquake occurred on the Longmen Mountain Fault in Wenchuan County, Sichuan Province, China. Based on the reported earthquake intensity and surface displacement distributions in the affected areas, the damages to buildings in high-intensity areas were investigated. This paper focused on the buildings in Yingxiu Town, Wenchuan County. The unreasonable structural design and structural type were found to be the main reason for the damages of buildings. The geological environment problems of the residential area were also discussed. This research would provide valuable reference for scientific earthquake-resistance design and reconstruction after earthquake disaster. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soil respiration ( Rs) is an important component of the carbon cycle in terrestrial ecosystems, and changes in soil respiration with land cover alteration can have important implications for regional carbon balances. In southeastern China (Xiashu Experimental Forest, Jiangsu Province), we used an automated LI-8100 soil CO2 flux system to quantify diurnal variation of soil respiration in a secondary oak forest and a pine plantation. We found that soil respiration in the pine plantation was significantly higher than that in the secondary oak forest. There were similar patterns of soil respiration throughout the day in both the secondary oak forest and the pine plantation during our 7-month study (March–September 2005). The maximum of Rs occurred between 4:00 pm and 7:00 pm. The diurnal variations of Rs were usually out of phase with soil surface (0.5 cm) temperature ( Tg). However, annual variation in Rs correlated with surface soil temperature. Soil respiration reached to a maximum in June, and decreased thereafter. The Q10 of Rs in the secondary oak forest was significantly higher than that in the pine plantation. The higher Q10 value in the secondary oak forest implied that it might release more CO2 than the pine plantation under a global-warming scenario. Our results indicated that land-use change from secondary forest to plantation may cause a significant increase in CO2 emission, and reduce the temperature sensitivity of soil respiration in southeastern China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Scientifically forecasting gross domestic expenditure devoted to research and development (GERD) and the ratio of GERD to GDP in the future is an important task in formulating long-term S&T development policies in China. For quite a long time, China mainly adopted expert opinion based on qualitative analysis to proceed to forecast. To make the forecasting more scientific and reliable, this paper puts forward a quan-titative forecast method and model, which is already used in the estimation of the amounts of R&D activity in China over the next 15 years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the diamonds discovered from the peridotite of Luobusa ophiolite along Yarlung Zangbu suture zone in Tibet, China as of December 2015. Also cited are the native elements and metal alloys seen from the chromitites of the Ray-Iz ophiolite of the Poral Urals, Hegenshan chromitite and Sartohay chromitite, the Dangqiong ophiolite seen at the Indus-Yarlung Zangbo Suture, and the combination of such minerals as zircon, quartz, corundum, and rutile found at Dangqiong peridotite.

Abstract: Reconfiguration of hillside fields into terraces is a key technique for water and soil conservation in mountainous regions. In this study, the effects of adding manure on soil water status and crop yields in newly-built terraces in 7 growing seasons on the semi-arid Loess Plateau of China were evaluated. Experimental treatments including CK (control treatment with no fertilizer), NP (nitrogen and phosphorus), M (manure), and MNP (manure, nitrogen and phosphorus) were employed with a field pea-spring wheat-potato cropping system. Manure groups are better able to conserve soil water, average soil water content in the 0–100cm soil profile in the 5 years prior to sowing was over 42.2mm in the MNP group than in the NP group, and 23.2mm higher in the M group than in the CK group. After 7 years, soil water in the upper 200cm of soil in the MNP and M groups was kept in balance, while significant soil water depletion reached the 140cm soil layer in the CK and NP groups when compared to their values before sowing in 2004. Manure management significantly increased soil water stable macro-aggregates (>0.25mm) compared to groups without manure in the 0–20 and 20–40cm soil layers. Average yield over the 7 years was higher in the MNP group than in the CK, NP and M groups by 212%, 54% and 82%, respectively, and average water use efficiency (WUE) was higher by 207%, 51% and 77%, respectively. In the long run, treatment with inorganic fertilizer (NP) alone may not be sufficient to maintain high yields due to soil water depletion year after year. Farmers should be encouraged to apply manure to maintain the sustainability of agro-ecosystems in newly-built terraces in semi-arid areas. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Objectives: Previous studies have reported that civilian transport is a mortality risk factor in low-resource communities. Few studies have analyzed the chief complaints associated with mortality involving civilian transport after an earthquake.Therefore, the present study was conducted to determine whether mortality resulting from medical professional transport differs from that involving civilian transport, and if so, the chief complaints associated with mortality involving civilian transport after the Wen-chuan earthquake., Methods: A hospital-based case-control study was conducted. Cases included all victims transported by civilians to West China Hospital from the disaster area (n=473). Controls included all victims transported by medical professionals to West China Hospital (n=1452). We further analyze six potential chief complaints of death to clarify the specific contributing chief complaints associated with mortality involving civilian transport., Results: Civilian transport is associated with significantly greater mortality compared with medical professional transport (Pearson's χ-test: P<0.05). Patients with altered mental status had the greatest risk of death [odds ratio (OR)=4.552, 95% confidence interval (CI)=2.165-9.572], followed by patients with trunk injury (OR=2.517, 95% CI=1.251-5.066), and finally patients with shortness of breath (OR=2.345, 95% CI=1.040-5.288)., Conclusion: Altered mental status, trunk injury, and shortness of breath were the significant chief complaints associated with mortality involving civilian transport to the hospital after the Wen-chuan earthquake. Our data suggest that patients with any of these complaints should be transported by medical professionals, not civilians, to the nearest hospital for treatment.