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In the Middle and Upper Yangtze region of South China, there are well developed sets of marine shale strata. Currently only Wufeng Longmaxi shale gas has been developed in scale, while the Sinian and Cambrian shale gas are still under exploration. The various shale strata show different characteristics in lithological features, such as lithofacies types and reservoir physical properties, which are due to the influence of tectonic pattern, sedimentary environment, and diagenesis caused by tectonic subsidence. This will affect the later fracturing technology and fracturing effect. The shale reservoirs of Sinian doushantuo, Cambrian Niutitang, Upper Ordovician Wufeng, and the Lower Silurian Longmaxi Formation shale were evaluated and compared with each other with respect to their sedimentary environments, lithofacies, minerals compositions, and micro pore characteristics. The reservoir characteristics of the shale and the main control factors of shale gas enrichment were summarized in this study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High-affinity methanotrophs in upland soils are responsible for the well-known biological sink of atmospheric methane. However, the vertical distribution pattern of their abundance and activity remains largely unknown. Here, we collected soil samples in 2 cm intervals from the surface to a depth of 40 cm in a typical semiarid steppe in the Loess Plateau of China. We found a bell-shaped distribution of the atmospheric methane-oxidizing potential (atmMOP) along the soil depth, and its peak appeared in the 10–20 cm soil layers. The abundance of methanotrophs (dominated by the upland soil cluster gamma, USCγ) showed a similar vertical distribution pattern and was well correlated with the atmMOP (P < 0.01). Pearson correlation analysis and the structural equation model showed that pH and inorganic nitrogen concentration were the main environmental factors that affecting atmMOP and USCγ abundance. • All the soil layers from the surface to 40 cm deep have atmMOP. • The atmMOP showed a peak between 10-20 cm soil layers. • USCγ dominated the in-situ methanotroph community. • pH and inorganic nitrogen were the main environmental factors affecting atmMOP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ring finger protein 213 gene (RNF213) rs112735431 was significantly associated with intracranial artery stenosis/occlusion disease (ICASO) in Japan and Korea and to a lesser degree in China. We conducted a case–control study to examine the prevalence and correlates of the RNF213 rare variants in Chinese patients with symptomatic ICASO. A total of 503 cases including 390 ischemic stroke patients (ICASO-IS), 113 intracranial hemorrhage patients (ICASO-ICH) and 227 control subjects were recruited. The snapshot technique was used for RNF213 rare variants analysis, including rs112735431, rs148731719, rs37144111 and rs138130613. Moreover, a meta-analysis was performed to explore the relationship between RNF213 variants and ICASO in Asian. In our case–control study, we found that the rs138130613 variant was significantly associated with ICASO-IS (OR = 9.92, 95% CI 1.24–79.19, p = 0.03). The mean age of first ischemic stroke onset of variant carriers was earlier than the noncarriers (51.3 ± 18.0 versus 66.0 ± 12.9 years old, p = 0.02), but the conventional atherosclerotic risk factors and the characteristics of artery stenosis did not differ between them. In addition, the meta-analysis showed significant association between the rs112735431 polymorphism and the ICASO or ICASO-IS, and this variant was found more often in women and young-onset patients in Asia. This study suggests that the RNF213 rs112735431 and rs138130613 are genetic risk variants for ischemic stroke with intracranial artery stenosis/occlusion in China and rs112735431 is also associated with the high risk of ICASO in Asia. Further large-scale investigation of the RNF213 gene will provide new insights into pathogenetic mechanisms of symptomatic ICASO. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Weihe Graben is not only an important Cenozoic fault basin in China but also a significant active seismic zone. The Huashan piedmont fault is an important active fault on the southeast side of the Weihe Graben and has been highly active since the Cenozoic. The well-known Great Huaxian County Earthquake of 1556 occurred on the Huashan piedmont fault. This earthquake, which claimed the lives of approximately 830000 people, is one of the few large earthquakes known to have occurred on a high-angle normal fault. The Huashan piedmont fault is a typical active normal fault that can be used to study tectonic activity and the associated hazards. In this study, the types and characteristics of late Quaternary deformation along this fault are discussed from geological investigations, historical research and comprehensive analysis. On the basis of its characteristics and activity, the fault can be divided into three sections, namely eastern, central and western. The eastern and western sections display normal slip. Intense deformation has occurred along the two sections during the Quaternary; however, no deformation has occurred during the Holocene. The central section has experienced significant high-angle normal fault activity during the Quaternary, including the Holocene. Holocene alluvial fans and loess cut by the fault have been identified at the mouths of many stream valleys of the Huashan Mountains along the central section of the Huashan piedmont fault zone. Of the three sections of the Huashan piedmont fault, the central section is the most active and was very active during the late Quaternary. The rate of normal dip-slip was 1.67-2.71±0.11 mm/a in the Holocene and 0.61±0.15 mm/a during the Mid-Late Pleistocene. As is typical of normal faults, the late Quaternary activity of the Huashan piedmont fault has produced a set of disasters, which include frequent earthquakes, collapses, landslides, mudslides and ground fissures. Ground fissures mainly occur on the hanging-wall of the Huashan piedmont fault, with landslides, collapses and mudslides occurring on the footwall. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The proper assessment of DNA evidence in cases of personal identification is a recurring theme in forensics. It is common practice to evaluate the strength of DNA evidence using the likelihood ratio (LR). The accurate use of population allele frequencies is a crucial problem in LR calculation. Allele frequency differences among different populations could be estimated by the F ST values. Thus, F ST would also affect LR values by correcting the allele frequencies. In this study, Chinese population allele frequency data were selected from population reports published in Chinese and English journals. The population-specific F ST values of each population, the overall F ST values of each province, each region, and the whole country, and the locus-specific F ST values of different loci were calculated. The LRs using different allele frequencies and different F ST values were compared based on the combination of simulated genotypes. As a result, the F ST values of 94 populations, 19 provinces, 7 regions, and the whole country were obtained. The LR was overestimated using allele frequencies of the combined population containing multiple populations rather than using allele frequencies of a population, and the LRs after F ST correction were lower than those without correction. Conclusively, the correction in conjunction with corresponding F ST values can make the LRs more accurate and reasonable. • Allele frequencies of common STR loci for 94 populations in China were obtained. • The population-specific and locus-specific F ST values were calculated. • The F ST correction could make the calculated LRs more accurate and reasonable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soil methanotrophs are the only biological sink for atmospheric methane (CH 4). The activity and the diversity of methanotrophic communities in grassland soils can be impacted by animal grazing. In this study, soils were collected from a 17-year running grazing intensity trial in a typical steppe in the Loess Plateau, China to examine the responses of CH 4 oxidation rate and active methanotroph composition and abundance to different levels of sheep grazing. Soils were collected from summer grazed pastures at no (0 sheep ha−1), low (2.67 sheep ha−1), moderate (5.33 sheep ha−1) and high (8.67 sheep ha−1) levels of grazing. We found that all soils were able to oxidize atmospheric and high concentration (10%) CH 4 through soil methanotrophs. Compared to ungrazed soils, the atmospheric CH 4 oxidation rate and methanotroph abundance were higher in low and high grazed soils but lower in moderately grazed soils. Across all soils, the in-situ methanotroph community was dominated by upland soil cluster gamma methanotrophs and potentially contributed to the atmospheric concentration CH 4 oxidation. Soil methanotroph community responses to the high 13CH 4 concentration revealed an increase in methanotroph abundance and a transition of the active methanotroph community to traditional Type I (Methylocaldum and Methylobacter) and Type II (Methylocystis) methanotrophs. Methylocaldum responses to the high CH 4 concentration were greater in highly grazed soil than in ungrazed soil. The activity of Methylobacter and Methylocystis under high CH 4 concentrations was reduced by high grazing intensity. This study provides evidence that recent intensifications of animal grazing can result in particular community assembly of microbial methane oxidizers responsible for CH 4 sink capabilities of grassland soils. • Sheep grazing modifies CH 4 uptake and methanotroph community of a typical steppe soil. • USCγ dominated the in-situ methanotroph community. • Atmospheric concentration CH 4 oxidation was driven by USCγ methanotrophs. • High concentration CH 4 oxidation was driven by traditional Type I and Type II methanotrophs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The first two-stage zinc pressure leaching plant with 100 kt-Zn/a capacity in China was put into production in 2009, to recover zinc, rare metals, germanium and gallium. However, the total extraction of zinc is limited to just 93% in initial production. To improve the co-recovery of metals, pressure leaching tests were carried out on the first-stage leach residue from the initial flowsheet. The effects of Fe(III) concentration, oxygen partial pressure, reaction time, sulfuric acid dosage, and particle size of the residues were investigated. The results showed that particle size and acid dosage greatly affected the zinc, iron, gallium, and germanium extraction. The particles of size above 74 μm are the main obstacles to improve extraction. Grinding can effectively improve the recovery of the main metals. The zinc extraction can reach 96.7% after grinding the coarse particles (> 74 μm) prior to leaching. The extraction of other metals are 84.7%, 81.7% and 81.4% for iron, gallium, and germanium, respectively. The total recovery of the two-stage leaching is 98.2%, 90.0%, 86.3% and 87.8% for zinc, iron, gallium, and germanium, respectively. • Dan Xia smelter is the world first zinc pressure leaching plant to co-recover Zn, Ga and Ge. • The character and effect of main factors on the first stage residue are introduced. • The Particles >74 μm are the main obstacle for the high recovery of Zn, Ga and Ge. • Through grinding, the extraction ratio of zinc can be enhanced 7.5%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A data-driven prediction method is proposed for the daily PM 2.5 concentration prediction. • This method combines genetic programming and orthogonal least square method to evolve ODE models. • Results show that the ODE models obtain similar prediction results as the typical statistical model. • The prediction results from this method are relatively good. • It is the first attempt to evolve data-driven ODE models to study PM 2.5 prediction. Accurate reporting and forecasting of PM 2.5 concentration are important for improving public health. In this paper, we propose a daily prediction method of PM 2.5 concentration by using data-driven ordinary differential equation (ODE) models. Specifically, based on the historical PM 2.5 concentration, this method combines genetic programming and orthogonal least square method to evolve the ODE models, which describe the transport of PM 2.5 and then uses the data-driven ODEs to predict the air quality in the future. Experiment results show that the ODE models obtain similar prediction results as the typical statistical model, and the prediction results from this method are relatively good. To our knowledge, this is the first attempt to evolve data-driven ODE models to study PM 2.5 prediction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Four sampling campaigns were conducted in two years to understand the fluctuation of N -Nitrosamines (NAs) and their precursors in one drinking water treatment plant (DWTP) in East China in different seasons. This water supply system has been facing several nitrosamine challenges related with source water, including the switch of water source, high concentration of ammonium, formed NAs and NA formation potential (FP) in source water. Besides, the use of ozonation in the DWTP and chloramination in networks will increase the NDMA concentration in tap water. To address these challenges, the bio-pretreatment was applied in this DWTP to decrease the concentration of ammonium and NAs. The following biological activated carbon (BAC) will neutralize the nitrosamine increase brought by ozonation. The use of free chlorine in disinfection process will also decrease the NDMA formation compared with chloramination. The results will benefit other cities in China and other countries with similar impacted water sources. Unlabelled Image [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is important to consider the influences of depositional environment on lithofacies characteristics, lithofacies distribution patterns, and organic matter enrichment when defining reservoir properties and predicting "favorable reservoirs" and "sweet spots". In this study, we examined the Niutitang shale of the early Cambrian Niutitang Formation in western Hubei Province, middle Yangtze Block, to understand how depositional environment controlled organic matter accumulation in the Niutitang shale. Through a combination of detailed sedimentologic investigations with geochemical analyses, we identified four primary lithofacies, siliceous shale, siliceous-clay mixed shale, calcareous shale, and argillaceous shale, from the Y1 drill core. The sedimentological analyses, including systematic observations of the color of fresh rocks, grain size, sedimentary textures and structures, biogenic and diagenetic (e.g., veins and pyrite) characteristics in cores and thin sections with mineralogical analyses by X-ray diffraction (XRD), and changes in geochemical proxies, including TOC (wt.%), Mo EF , U EF , Ni/Al and Zn/Al, suggest that siliceous shale and siliceous-clay mixed shale were deposited in euxinic and anoxic deep water with high surficial paleoproductivity which primarily controlled by long term global sea level changes, and that the calcareous shale and argillaceous shale were deposited in shallow and oxygen-rich water conditions with low energy and low paleoproductivity in the surface water. The Niutitang shale changed from the siliceous shale-dominated lithofacies association (LA1), to the argillaceous shale-dominated lithofacies association (LA2), and then back to the siliceous shale-dominated lithofacies association (LA1), suggesting a variation of sedimentary environment from euxinic–anoxic deep-water environment (highstand), to relatively oxic and shallow water environment (lowstand), and then back to euxinic–anoxic deep-water environment (highstand). This may reflect changes in sea level and mechanisms of organic matter enrichment during sea level highstand and lowstand. The low Mo/TOC values of the siliceous shale and siliceous-clay mixed shale lithofacies are similar to the Mo/TOC values of marine sediments in Framvaren Fjord, suggesting that the study area was located in a moderately restricted basin during deposition of the Niutitang shale. The Fe/Ti and Al/(Al + Fe) ratios and the Al–Fe–Mn diagram combined with our detailed petrographic studies and the good correlation between TOC and quartz contents are indicative of a mainly biogenic origin with a minor detrital source for the silica in the Niutitang shale. TOC is well correlated to Mo EF , U EF , Ni/Al and Zn/Al values in LA1, but it is only moderately correlated to Mo EF and U EF values and weakly correlated to Ni/Al and Zn/Al values in LA2. The correlation relationships suggest that good preservation in euxinic–anoxic water conditions and high primary paleoproductivity were the major controlling factors of organic matter enrichment, whereas organic matter accumulation during sea level lowstand was mainly controlled by water redox conditions because primary paleoproductivity remained persistently low in the more restricted basin with shallow water and limited nutrient upwelling. The correlations between TOC content and clay minerals within the different lithofacies associations suggest that adsorption of carbon components by clay minerals promoted the accumulation of organic matter to various extents in LA2 but probably did not impact organic matter enrichment in LA1. • Biogenic origin and minor detrital source for the silica in the Niutitang shale. • Mechanisms of organic matter enrichment are different in highstand and lowstand. • TOC in shallow restricted basin is primary controlled by water redox conditions. • A model was developed to explain the differential enrichment of organic matter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The organic-rich shale in the Lower Cambrian Niutitang Formation (Є 1n) has great gas resources potential in south China but have no commercial gas production achieved yet. The EYY1 well is the first well located at the eastern edge of the upper Yangtze plate to obtain success in commercial gas production in the Niutitang Formation, providing a rare case for better understanding gas enrichment mechanism in the Niutitang shale. By observation of cores and thin sections, bulk rock X-ray diffraction mineral analysis, the Niutitang shale is classified into three kinds of organic-rich lithofacies: calcareous shale (CS), siliceous shale (SS) and transitional shale (TS). The organic matter (OM) and OM-hosted pore in different lithofacies were examined by using scanning electron microscope (SEM) with argon-ion polishing sample treating, accompanied by energy spectrum test and SEM image analysis. The results show that: (1) Shale lithofacies control the organic matter type and development degree of organic matter-hosted pores (OMPs). (2) CS have plenty of depositional organic matter (DOM) in which nano-micron sized OMPs are poorly developed with surface porosity ranges between 3.05% and 9.08%. Siliceous and transitional shale have more migrated organic matter (MOM), which possess more sponge-like nano-sized pores with surface porosities range of 10.7%–31.5%. The pore development degree and gas content of siliceous shale is higher than that of transitional and calcareous shale. (3) Organic matter abundance (TOC content), type, and mineral composition also have important constrain on OMPs development. TOC has a positive correlation to the OMPs, whereas TOC 4 wt% or so is a balance point between the influence of organic matter content and formation compaction on pore development, higher TOC cannot prevent the pore from collapsing due to compaction in this region. The OMPs associated with or adjacent to clay minerals in siliceous shale are more developed, which indicate clay minerals which have positive effects on the adsorption of organic matter and the formation and preservation of OMPs. • Cambrian Niutitang shale includes three lithofacies. • The migrated organic matter has more developed pores than depositional organic matter. • The development of OM-hosted pore is influenced by lithofacies, TOC, and clay mineral. • Clay minerals enhance the OM-hosted pore development in pore scale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) as one emerging disinfection by-product has been investigated globally since 1990s. However, its main precursors are still unclear. We found that NDMA formation potential (NDMAFP) of various water samples increased firstly and then decreased gradually during incubation with microorganism. We hypothesized that NDMA precursors could be produced through metabolism of nitrogenous components and then gradually be biodegraded. To verify this hypothesis, six amino acids (AAs), peptone and ammonium were separately incubated with microorganism and NDMAFP was measured regularly. The average molar yield of the substrates to NDMAFP were 60–200 × 10−6 for the AAs, 350 × 10−6 for peptone under aerobic condition. The extracellular fraction with molecular weight (MW) less than 1 k Dalton contributed the majority to NDMAFP in the peptone experiment, followed by that with MW between 10 k and 0.22 μm and the intracellular materials. Dimethylamine and methylamine were detected during the experiments but their contribution to NDMAFP is quite limited. The results indicate that the nitrosamine precursors may not be the direct metabolite of AAs or peptones but the excretion of living bacteria or the components in dead bacteria body. Our results inferred that AA metabolism may give an NDMAFP of 0.12 nmol/L (maximum) or 0.09 nmol/L (average) in water under aerobic condition. This estimation of NDMAFP from AA metabolism can account for 38% (maximum) or 27% (average) of the median NDMAFP in waters of China (0.32 nmol/L) reported before. Image 1 • Hypothesis of NDMA precursors formation via microbial metabolism was raised firstly. • Hypothesis of NDMA precursors formation via microbial metabolism was verified firstly. • Dynamics of NDMA precursors in source waters were observed during incubation. • Microbial metabolism of total amino acids contributes NDMA precursor greatly in waters of China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The incidence of small cell lung cancer (SCLC) among Asian patients is on the rise. Nevertheless, there remains a deficiency in precise prognostic models tailored to the specific needs of this patient population. It is imperative to develop a novel nomogram aimed at forecasting the prognosis of Asian SCLC patients., Methods: The SEER database supplied data on 661 Asian SCLC patients, who were then divided into training and internal validation sets through a random selection process. In addition, we identified 212 patients from a Chinese medical institution for the purpose of creating an external validation cohort. To forecast survival, we employed both univariate and multivariate analyses. The performance of our nomogram was assessed through calibration plots, the concordance index (C-index), and decision curve analysis (DCA)., Results: Five independent prognostic factors were determined and integrated into the nomogram. C-index values for the training and internal validation cohorts were 0.774 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.751-0.797) and 0.731 (95%CI = 0.690-0.772), respectively. In the external validation cohort, the C-index is 0.712 (95% CI = 0.655-0.7692). Calibration curves demonstrated highly accurate predictions. When compared to the AJCC staging system, our model exhibited improved net benefits in DCA. Furthermore, the risk stratification system effectively differentiated patients with varying survival risks., Conclusion: We have created a novel nomogram for predicting the survival of Asian patients with SCLC. This nomogram has been subjected to external validation and has shown its superiority over the conventional TNM staging system. It offers a more precise and reliable means of forecasting the prognosis of Asian SCLC patients., (© 2024 The Author(s). The Clinical Respiratory Journal published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Background and Aims: Whether the natural course of ulcerative colitis (UC) in mainland China is similar or different from that in Western countries is unknown, and data on it is limited. We aimed to provide a comprehensive description of the natural course of UC in China and compare it with Western UC patients., Methods: Based on a prospective Chinese nationwide registry of consecutive patients with inflammatory bowel diseases, the medical treatments and natural history of UC were described in detail, including disease extension, surgery, and neoplasia. The Cox regression model was used to identify factors associated with poor outcomes., Results: A total of 1081 UC patients were included with a median follow-up duration of 5.3 years. The overall cumulative exposure was 99.1% to 5-aminosalicylic acids, 52.1% to corticosteroids, 25.6% to immunomodulators, and 15.4% to biologics. Disease extent at diagnosis was proctitis in 26.9%, left-sided colitis in 34.8%, and extensive colitis in 38.3%. Of 667 patients with proctitis and left-sided colitis, 380 (57.0%) experienced disease extent progression. A total of 58 (5.4%) UC patients underwent colectomy, demonstrating cumulative proportions of surgery at 1, 5, and 10 years after diagnosis of 0.6%, 3.4%, and 8.2%, respectively. In addition, 23 (2.1%) UC patients were diagnosed with neoplasia, demonstrating cumulative proportions of neoplasia at 1, 5, and 10 years after diagnosis of 0.5%, 1.0%, and 3.5%, respectively., Conclusions: Chinese UC patients had similar cumulative proportions of exposure to IBD-specific treatments but a lower surgical rate than patients in Western countries, indicating a different natural course, and close monitoring needs for UC in China. However, these results must be confirmed in population-based studies because the hospital-based cohort in our study might lead to selection bias., (© 2024 The Author(s). United European Gastroenterology Journal published by Wiley Periodicals LLC. on behalf of United European Gastroenterology.)

The vaginal microbiome (VM) is associated with human papillomavirus (HPV) infection and progression, but a thorough understanding of the relation between HPV infection, and VM needs to be elucidated. From August to December 2022, women who underwent routine gynecological examinations were screened for HPV infection. The distribution of HPV variants and clinical characteristics were collected. Then, a total of 185 participants were enrolled and divided into HPV-negative (HC), high-risk HPV (H), low-risk HPV (L), multiple high-risk HPV (HH), and mixed high-low risk HPV (HL) groups. Samples were collected from the mid-vagina of these 185 participants and sent for 16S rDNA sequencing (V3-V4 region). Among 712 HPV-positive women, the top 3 most frequently detected genotypes were HPV52, HPV58, and HPV16. Among 185 participants in the microbiology study, the β diversity of the HC group was significantly different from HPV-positive groups ( P < 0.001). LEfSe analysis showed that Lactobacillus iners was a potential biomarker for H group, while Lactobacillus crispatus was for L group. Regarding HPV-positive patients, the α diversity of cervical lesion patients was remarkably lower than those with normal cervix ( P < 0.05). Differential abundance analysis showed that Lactobacillus jensenii significantly reduced in cervical lesion patients ( P < 0.001). Further community state type (CST) clustering displayed that CST IV was more common than other types in HC group ( P < 0.05), while CST I was higher than CST IV in H group ( P < 0.05). Different HPV infections had distinct vaginal microbiome features. HPV infection might lead to the imbalance of Lactobacillus spp. and cause cervical lesions., Importance: In this study, we first investigated the prevalence of different HPV genotypes in south China, which could provide more information for HPV vaccinations. Then, a total of 185 subjects were selected from HPV-negative, high-risk, low-risk, multiple hr-hr HPV infection, and mixed hr-lr HPV infection populations to explore the vaginal microbiome changes. This study displayed that HPV52, HPV58, and HPV16 were the most prevalent high-risk variants in south China. In addition, high-risk HPV infection was featured by Lactobacillus iners , while low-risk HPV infection was by Lactobacillus crispatus . Further sub-group analysis showed that Lactobacillus jensenii was significantly reduced in patients with cervical lesions. Finally, CST clustering showed that CST IV was the most common type in HC group, while CST I accounted the most in H group. In a word, this study for the first time systemically profiled vaginal microbiome of different HPV infections, which may add bricks to current knowledge on HPV infection and lay the foundation for novel treatment/prevention development., Competing Interests: W.L. and S.J. are employed by Shanghai Biotecan Pharmaceuticals Company. The other authors declare no conflict of interest.

Objective: To investigate the association between dietary and some other environmental factors and the risk of inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) in Chinese population., Materials and Methods: A multicenter case-control study was conducted involving 11 hospitals across China. A total of 1,230 subjects were enrolled consecutively, and diet and environmental factor questionnaires were collected. IBD patients were matched with healthy controls (HC) using propensity-score matching (PSM) at a 1:1 ratio with a caliper value of 0.02. Multivariate conditional logistic regression analyses were performed to evaluate the associations between diet, environmental factors, and IBD., Results: Moderate alcohol and milk consumption, as well as daily intake of fresh fruit, were protective factors for both Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC). Conversely, the consumption of eggs and chocolate increased the risk of IBD. Outdoor time for more than 25% of the day was a protective factor only for CD. In eastern regions of China, CD patients had higher egg consumption and less outdoor time, while UC patients consumed more chocolate. IBD patients from urban areas or with higher per capita monthly income consumed more fruit, eggs, and chocolate., Conclusions: This study reveals an association between specific foods, outdoor time, and the emergence of IBD in the Chinese population. The findings emphasize the importance of a balanced diet, sufficient outdoor time and activities, and tailored prevention strategies considering regional variations., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Chu, Chen, Zhang, Wang, Guo, Chen, Liu, Zhu, He, Ding, Wang, Zheng, Cao, Yang and Qian.)

The proper assessment of DNA evidence in cases of personal identification is a recurring theme in forensics. It is common practice to evaluate the strength of DNA evidence using the likelihood ratio (LR). The accurate use of population allele frequencies is a crucial problem in LR calculation. Allele frequency differences among different populations could be estimated by the F ST values. Thus, F ST would also affect LR values by correcting the allele frequencies. In this study, Chinese population allele frequency data were selected from population reports published in Chinese and English journals. The population-specific F ST values of each population, the overall F ST values of each province, each region, and the whole country, and the locus-specific F ST values of different loci were calculated. The LRs using different allele frequencies and different F ST values were compared based on the combination of simulated genotypes. As a result, the F ST values of 94 populations, 19 provinces, 7 regions, and the whole country were obtained. The LR was overestimated using allele frequencies of the combined population containing multiple populations rather than using allele frequencies of a population, and the LRs after F ST correction were lower than those without correction. Conclusively, the correction in conjunction with corresponding F ST values can make the LRs more accurate and reasonable., Competing Interests: Conflict of interest The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: This study was to investigate the prevalence of preoperative rim enhancement, and its association with clinicopathological features, relapse, and survival profiles in Chinese basal-like breast cancer (BC) patients. Materials and Methods: The preoperative breast magnetic resonance imaging images of 145 basal-like BC patients who underwent surgical excision were obtained to determine rim enhancement. Besides, based on disease status and survival status during follow-up, the 1-year relapse rate/mortality, 3-year relapse rate/mortality, 5-year relapse rate/mortality were calculated; disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) were determined. Results: There were 51 (35.2%) patients with rim enhancement and 94 (64.8%) patients without rim enhancement. Furthermore, rim enhancement was associated with larger tumor size and advanced T stage, whereas it did not associate with age, pathological differentiation, N stage, or TNM stage. In addition, rim enhancement was associated with higher 1-, 3-, and 5-year relapse rate and shorter DFS; meanwhile, rim enhancement was associated with increased 1-, 3-, and 5-year mortality rate and decreased OS. By multivariate Cox's regression analyses, rim enhancement, pathological differentiation, and N stage independently predicted reduced DFS; T stage independently predicted declined OS. Conclusion: Preoperative rim enhancement on MRI might be a possible noninvasive indicator for guiding personalized treatment strategies and improving prognosis in Chinese basal-like BC patients.

Objective: We aimed to develop a simple and user-friendly scoring system to predict all-cause hospital-acquired infections (HAIs) after acute ischemic stroke (AIS) in the Chinese population., Methods: AIS patients from a retrospective cohort study at our center were included from January 2016 to December 2018. HAIs were diagnosed based on the current criteria from Ministry of Health of the People's Republic of China. Stepwise logistic regression models were performed to screen independent predictors of HAI after AIS. A scoring system was developed by including each of the above significant predictors., Results: Among 1211 patients, 76 patients (6.28%) developed HAI. Age, baseline National Institute of Health stroke scale (NIHSS) score, and dysphagia were independent predictors of HAI. For the AND score, A refers to age, N refers to NIHSS, and D refers to dysphagia. The AND score showed a high area under the receiver operating characteristics (AUROC) curve (0.679), which comprised age (65-74 years was 4 points, 75-84 years was 6 points, ≥85 years was 8 points), NIHSS score ≥10 (5 points), and dysphagia (6 points)., Conclusions: We developed a simple scoring system to predict all-cause infections after AIS patients without a ventilator in the Chinese population.

Background: Evidence suggests that body composition has impact on arterial stiffness. However, evidence in Chinese are limited, and results remain controversial. The aim of our study is to investigate whether skeletal muscle mass is associated with arterial stiffness in Chinese community-dwelling men and women aged 45 years and older., Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 20,477 participants (age range: 45-80 years, 68.8% women) were included in the analysis. Brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV), an indicator of arterial stiffness was measured using a waveform device. Total muscle mass and muscle mass of arm, leg and trunk were measured by bioelectrical impedance analysis. Height and weight were measured and appendicular skeletal muscle mass index (ASMI) was calculated as appendicular skeletal muscle mass (sum of arm and leg muscle mass) divided by height square., Results: After adjustment for age, body fat percentage, systolic blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure, ASMI was negatively associated with baPWV [β (SE) for men: - 0.208 (0.016), p < 0.0001; for women: - 0.245 (0.012), p < 0.0001]. High ASMI was a protective factor for the presence of arterial stiffness (defined as baPWV) [OR (95%CI) for men: 0.730 (0.682, 0.782), p < 0.0001; women: 0.634 (0.593, 0.677), p < 0.0001]. Similar associations were found between quantity of muscle mass (total and appendicular muscle mass, muscle mass of arm, leg and trunk) and arterial stiffness in men and women after further adjustment for height (all p < 0.0001)., Conclusion: Low skeletal muscle mass is associated with increased risk of arterial stiffness in Chinese community-dwelling adults aged 45 years and older.

Current research focusing on forensic personal identification, phenotype inference and ancestry information on single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) has been widely reported. In the present study, we focused on tetra-allelic SNPs in the Chinese Han population. A total of 48 tetra-allelic SNPs were screened out from the Chinese Han population of the 1000 Genomes Database, including Chinese Han in Beijing (CHB) and Chinese Han South (CHS). Considering the forensic genetic requirement for the polymorphisms, only 11 tetra-allelic SNPs with a heterozygosity >0.06 were selected for further multiplex panel construction. In order to meet the demands of personal identification and parentage identification, an additional 8 tri-allelic SNPs were combined into the final multiplex panel. To ensure application in the degraded DNA analysis, all the PCR products were designed to be 87-188 bp. Employing multiple PCR reactions and SNaPshot minisequencing, 511 unrelated Chinese Han individuals from Sichuan were genotyped. The combined match probability (CMP), combined discrimination power (CDP), and cumulative probability of exclusion (CPE) of the panel were 6.07 × 10 -11 , 0.9999999999393 and 0.996764, respectively. Based on the population data retrieved from the 1000 Genomes Project, Fst values between Chinese Han in Sichuan (SCH) and all the populations included in the 1000 Genomes Project were calculated. The results indicated that two SNPs in this panel may contain ancestry information and may be used as markers of forensic biogeographical ancestry inference., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To assess the association of programmed cell death 1 (PDCD1) gene polymorphisms with the susceptibility and/or progression of colorectal cancer., Methods: A hospital-based case-control study was carried out, which recruited 426 colorectal cancer patients and 500 healthy individuals. Five single nucleotide polymorphisms, namely rs36084323, rs11568821, rs2227981, rs2227982 and rs10204525, were selected for the study and genotyped with a polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) assay., Results: The G allele of rs36084323 under a dominant model was associated with increased risk of advanced TNM staging of colorectal cancer progression (OR=1.59, 95%CI=1.02-2.48). Haplotypes G-G-C-T-A and A-G-C-C-G of the rs36084323, rs11568821, rs2227981, rs2227982, and rs10204525 were negatively associated with the occurrence of colorectal cancer., Conclusion: The G allele of rs36084323 is associated with increased risk of advanced TNM staging of colorectal cancer. Conversely, the incidence of colorectal cancer is negatively associated with the haplotypes G-G-C-T-A and A-G-C-C-G of rs36084323, rs11568821, rs2227981, rs2227982, and rs10204525.

Ischemic stroke (IS) is a heterogeneous multifactorial disorder caused by both genetic and environmental factors. A genome-wide association study on stroke in Caucasians identified a variant on chromosome 4q25 that is significantly associated with IS, with the strongest risk for cardioembolic stroke (CES). The current study aims to investigate the association of the rs1906591 variant on 4q25 with IS through a case-control study in a Chinese Han population. A total of 712 IS patients and 774 control subjects were involved in the current research. Stroke subtyping was performed according to the Trial of Org 10172 in Acute Stroke Treatment criteria. The genotypes were determined using the SNaPshot technique. The association of the genotypes with the risk of IS was estimated using logistic regression analysis. The rs1906591 single nucleotide polymorphism variant was associated with the CES subtype in both recessive and additive models (recessive model: odds ratio [OR]=2.58, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.47-4.53, p=0.001, adjusted OR=2.71, 95% CI 1.48-4.96, p=0.001; additive model: OR=2.50, 95% CI 1.19-5.25, p=0.015, adjusted OR=2.83, 95% CI 1.24-6.50, p=0.013). This result indicates that patients with the AA genotype have a higher rate of CES than other genotypes. However, the rs1906591 variant was not significantly associated with the overall incidence of stroke or other stroke subtypes. The rs1906591 variant is significantly associated with CES in the Chinese Han population, but not with other stroke subtypes., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background and Aims: This retrospective study analyzed the clinical characteristics of hospitalized patients with ulcerative colitis (UC) in China., Methods: A total of 3100 hospitalized patients with UC admitted to 23 hospitals in China from 1990 to 2003 were retrospectively investigated and their clinical characteristics were analyzed., Results: A male/female ratio of 1.34/1.00 was found in the 3100 patients, who had an average age of 44 +/- 15.1 years at diagnosis. Of the patients, 2972 (95.9%) had active UC. Active UC was mild in 35.4% of the 2972 patients, moderate in 42.9% and severe in 21.7%. Of the 2726 patients with a description of their lesion extent, 14.8% had proctitis, 26.4% had proctosigmoiditis, 25.0% had left-sided colitis, 6.3% had extensive colitis, 25.8% had pancolitis and 1.7% had regional colitis. The predominant complaints of the patients with UC were bloody diarrhea (48.2%), abdominal pain (67.3%) and mucus stools (58.4%). Among these patients, 13.6% had extraintestinal manifestations and 9.6% had related complications. A differential diagnosis was difficult to make, as there were 19 varieties of the disease; infectious enterocolitis had a misdiagnosis rate of 22.9% before admission. The main medications for UC in China were aminosalicylates (66.8%) and steroids (42.8%). Only 94 (3%) of the patients required colectomy and only 19 (0.6%) died of UC., Conclusions: Compared with UC in Western countries, ulcerative colitis in China has some differences in clinical characteristics. Therefore, a further population-based epidemiological study is required to determine the prevalence and incidence rates of UC in China.