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Facial features are important sources of information about perceived trustworthiness. Masks and protective clothing diminish the visibility of facial cues by either partially concealing the mouth and nose or covering the entire face. During the pandemic, the use of personal protective equipment affected and redefined who trusts whom in society. This study used the classical investment game of interpersonal trust with Chinese participants to explore the impact of occlusion on interpersonal trust. Faces with moderate initial trustworthiness were occluded by a mask or protective clothing in Experiment 1 and were digitally occluded by a square in Experiment 2, and faces with three levels of initial trustworthiness were occluded by a mask in Experiment 3. Results showed that both undergraduates (Experiment 1a) and non-student adults (Experiment 1b) perceived the faces with protective clothing as more trustworthy than faces wearing standard masks and faces not wearing masks. Faces with the top halves showing were perceived as trustworthy as full faces, while faces with the bottom halves showing were perceived as less trustworthy. The effect of masks is weak and complex. Masks reduced participants' trust in faces with high initial trustworthiness, had no effect on faces with low and moderate initial trustworthiness, and only slightly increased the trust of undergraduates in faces with moderate initial trustworthiness. Our findings indicate that the lack of information caused by occlusion and the social significance associated with occlusion collectively affect people's trust behavior in Chinese society. We believe the findings of this study will be useful in elucidating the effects of personal protective equipment usage on perceptions of trustworthiness.

Under the background of traditional friendship and cooperative exchange between China and Africa, Zhejiang Normal University (ZNU) endeavored to develop, improve and deepen the China-Africa cooperation, initiate a road of China-Africa educational cooperation and exchange with its own characteristics. This road, guided by China's national policy for China-Africa educational cooperation and exchange, is based on the human and regional advantage of Zhejiang Province and the overall capability of ZNU. Researches on the present African higher education and its development are the starting point of this road, the Base for Education Aid and Development of Ministry of Education, the key research base of humanitarian social science in Zhejiang Province (discipline of Higher Education), and the Center for African Education Studies of ZNU all serve as a support to depend upon. (Contains 1 figure.) [This article represents a speech give at the China-Africa University President Forum (1st, Jinhua, Zhejiang Province, Oct 2006).]

The deployment of energy storage systems can play a role in peak and frequency regulation, solve the issue of limited flexibility in cleaner power systems in China, and ensure the stability and safety of the power grid. This paper presents a comprehensive environmental impact analysis of a lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery system for the storage and delivery of 1 kW-hour of electricity. Quantities of copper, graphite, aluminum, lithium iron phosphate, and electricity consumption are set as uncertainty and sensitivity parameters with a variation of [90%, 110%]. The results show that global warming potential is 9.08E+01 kg CO2 eq. and fossil resource use is 1.21E+03 MJ, with uncertainty ranges of [8.54E+01, 9.23E+01] and [1.15E+03, 1.23E+03], respectively. Electricity consumption during the manufacture and installation process is the greatest contributor to climate change (CO2 eq. emissions), accounting for 39.71% and largely owing to non-renewable sources, followed by cathode materials at 27.85% and anode materials at 18.36%. The disposal and recycling process offers emission reductions but requires an additional 1.17% use of fossil resources. Sobol T indices for the quantity of electricity are the highest for acidification, climate change, fossil resource use, and ionizing radiation. By considering the pathway of China's electricity mix from 2020 to 2050 under the Paris Agreement's 2° target, the potential for environmental emission reduction in the system is evaluated. The results show that the greener electricity mix could lead to a 24.59% reduction in acidification impact, a 35.74% reduction in climate change impact, a 33.24% reduction in fossil resource use, and a 44.13% reduction in ionizing radiation impact. This study offers a comprehensive view of the environmental impact reductions associated with the lithium iron phosphate battery and its industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The adverse health consequences of premarital sex and childhood sexual abuse (CSA) are both global public health problems. Based on a random sample of college students from a Chinese city, this study investigated the relationship between CSA severity and premarital sex among students, focusing on sex differences. Methods: A total of 2722 college students from 4 schools in Luzhou were recruited by multistage random sampling. Self-administered questionnaires were used to measure CSA experiences and premarital sex. Binary logistic regression analyses were conducted to analyse the relationship between CSA and premarital sex. Results: The prevalence of CSA was 9.39%, and that of mild, moderate and severe CSA was 4.04%, 2.90% and 2.46%, respectively. The premarital sex reporting rate was 22.42%. After adjusting for confounding variables, CSA was positively associated with premarital sex. Notably, a cumulative effect of CSA on premarital sex was observed among students. Further stratification analyses showed that males who experienced CSA had a higher premarital sex rate than females, and this sex difference was also observed among students with different CSA severities. Conclusion: CSA and its severity were associated with premarital sex among college students. Furthermore, this association was stronger for males than females. Therefore, it is important to emphasize CSA prevention, especially for boys. These findings can promote understanding of the effects of CSA on premarital sex, and CSA prevention and intervention strategies should consider CSA severity and sex differences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multifaceted regime shifts of Earth's surface are ongoing dramatically and--in turn--considerably alter global carbon budget, energy balance and biogeochemical cycles. Sustainably managing terrestrial ecosystems requires an increased understanding of these structurally and functionally heterogeneous multi-component information and their changes, but we remain lack of such records of fractional vegetation and soil information at global scale. Here, we provide a globally comprehensive record of monthly vegetation and soil fractions during the period 2001-2022 using a spatio36 temporally adaptive spectral mixture analysis framework. This product is designed to continuously represent Earth's terrestrial surface as a percentage of five physically meaningful vegetation and soil endmembers (photosynthetic vegetation, non-photosynthetic vegetation, bare soil, ice/snow, and dark surface) with high accuracy and low uncertainty, compared to previous vegetation index and vegetation continuous fields product, as well as traditional fully constrained linear spectral mixture models. We also adopt non-parametric seasonal Mann-Kendall tested fractional dynamics to identify shifts based on interactive changes of these fractions. Our results--superior to previous portrayal of the greening planet--not only report a +9.35×105 km2 42 change of photosynthetic vegetation, but also explore decrease of non-photosynthetic vegetation (-2.19×105 km2), bare soil (-5.14×105 km2), and dark surface (-2.27×105 km2 43). Besides, Interactive changes of these fractions yield multifaceted regime shifts with important implications, such as a simultaneous increase in PV and NPV in central and southwest China during afforestation activities, an increase of PV in cropland of China and India due to intensive agricultural development, a decrease of PV and increase of BS in tropical zones resulting from deforestation. These advantages highlight that our dataset which provides locally relevant information on multifaceted regime shifts at the required scale, enabling scalable modelling and effective governance of future terrestrial ecosystems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Composite radar reflectivity data during April - September 2011-2015 are used to investigate and classify storms in south China (18-27°N; 105-120°E). The storms appear most frequently in May. They are either linear; cellular or nonlinear systems, taking up 29.45%, 24.51% and 46.04%, respectively, in terms of morphology. Linear systems are subdivided into six morphologies: trailing stratiform precipitation (TS), bow echoes (BE), leading stratiform precipitation (LS), embedded line (EL), no stratiform precipitation (NS) and parallel stratiform precipitation (PS). The TS and NS modes have the highest frequencies but there are only small samples of LS (0.61%) and PS (0.79%) modes. Severe convective wind (=17m s-1 at surface level) accounts for the highest percentage (35%) of severe convective weather events produced by cellular systems including individual cells (IC) and clusters of cells (CC). Short-duration heavy rainfall (=50 mm h-1) and severe convective wind are the most common severe weather associated with TS and BE modes. Comparison of environmental physical parameters shows that cellular convection systems tend to occur in the environment with favorable thermal condition, substantial unstable energy and low precipitable water from the surface to 300 hPa (PWAT). However, the environmental conditions favoring the initiation of linear systems feature strong vertical wind shear, high PWAT, and intense convective inhibition. The environmental parameters favoring the initiation of nonlinear systems are between those of the other two types of morphology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Both TP53 mutation and MYC amplification indicate poor outcomes in breast cancer (BC), but the clinical values of concurrent TP53 and MYC alterations have not been well-characterized. Methods: A total of 494 BC patients diagnosed at Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital (GDPH) were retrospectively analyzed. Genomic alterations were determined using next-generation sequencing. Survival analysis was applied to assess the effects of genetic alterations on relapse-free survival. The prognosis was verified based on 1405 patients from METABRIC cohort. Additionally, we used logistic regression to identify the factors associated with pathological complete response (pCR) after neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Results: In GDPH cohort, patients with TP53/MYC co-alteration exhibited higher grade and stage, more positive HER2 status and higher Ki67 levels, but less luminal A subtypes. They also had more mutations in genes involved in ERBB and TGF-β signaling pathways, as well as exclusive FANCG/CDKN2B/QKI copy number amplifications and SUFU/HIST3H3/ERCC4/JUN/BCR mutations. Concurrent TP53 and MYC alterations independently increased hazards of relapse (HR, 5.425; 95% CI: 2.019--14.579; p < 0.001). They maintained independent significance for relapse-free (HR, 1.310; 95% CI: 1.012--1.697; = 0.041) and overall survival (HR, 1.373; 95% CI: 1.093--1.725; p = 0.006) in METABRIC cohort. Among the 81 patients receiving chemotherapy, TP53 mutation (OR, 5.750; 95% CI: 1.553--25.776; p = 0.013) and earlier stage (OR, 0.275; 95% CI 0.088--0.788; p = 0.020) were associated with pCR, while the co-alter- ation did not serve as an independent predictor (p = 0.199). Conclusions: TP53/MYC co-alteration was associated with distinct clinicopathologi- cal and genomic features. They also conferred unfavorable prognosis in BC patients, and did not improve pCR after neoadjuvant chemotherapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) has become a global public health problem. The prevalence of IBD in China increased annually in past two decades.Methods: This study was to translate and validate the rating form of IBD patients' concerns (RFIPC), and to describe disease-related worries and concerns of patients with IBD. The simplified Chinese version of the RFIPC was developed according to translation and back-translation procedure. Patients with IBD were consecutively enrolled from the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine. The participants were assessed using the RFIPC and the Short Inflammatory Bowel Disease Questionnaire (SIBDQ). Internal consistency, test-retest reliability, measurement error, confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and correlation of the RFIPC with the SIBDQ were performed to evaluate the psychometric characteristics of the RFIPC.Results: A total of 116 patients with IBD, 73 with ulcerative colitis (UC) and 43 with Crohn's disease (CD), were enrolled in this study. Thirty-seven of them recompleted the questionnaires for the second time between 7 and 14 days after the first interview. The results of CFA indicated the original structure of the RFIPC was reasonable. Cronbach's alpha value of the RFIPC were 0.97. The intraclass correlation coefficients of four domains ranged from 0.85 to 0.92. The standard error of measurement was 7.10. The correlation coefficients between total score of the RFIPC and the SIBDQ score ranged from - 0.54 to - 0.70. Median total score of the RFIPC was 39.4 (IQR 24.0-59.3). Patients with severe symptoms reported higher scores of the RFIPC. The uncertain nature of disease, having surgery, having an ostomy bag, developing cancer, feeling out of control, being a burden on others and financial difficulties were highest concerns of patients with IBD. Comparing with patients with UC, patients with CD had more concerns of the ability to have children and being treated as different (P < 0.05).Conclusions: The simplified Chinese version of RFIPC is a valid and reliable tool. It could be used for assessing disease-related worries and concerns of patients with IBD in China. Specific concerns of patients with UC and CD are different, therefore, health workers should consider the specific needs of UC and CD patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soil salinization is a vital factor limiting crop yield in dryland oasis cropland. A film‐mulched drip irrigation and subsurface pipe drainage (MDI‐SPD) system has been proved to be highly efficient at mitigating salination globally. However, the soil salt balance in time and spatial dimension is unclear in this system. A MDI‐SPD experiment was conducted for 4 yr (2015–2019) in a field in Manas River Basin, western China. The subsurface drainage pipes were installed at a depth of 1 m with a space of 15 m. Three long‐term observation points were set at 0, 5, and 7.5 m horizontal from the subsurface pipe and served as long‐term observation points in 0‐to‐20‐, 60‐to‐80‐, and 180‐to‐200‐cm soil layers. Results after 4 yr indicated that the total salt output in the irrigated area was 260 t, with 103 t of salt drained by the subsurface pipe (40% of the total salt output in the irrigation area), and the seed cotton yield increased by 52%. Soil salt balance indicated desalination. The electrical conductivity (EC) of subsurface pipe drainage was positively correlated with drainage flow and salt discharge and negatively correlated with drainage discharge and time (P <.05). If salt leaching stops, soil EC at the 0‐to‐200‐cm depth could reach 15 dS m–1 in 8 yr. Thus, two or three uses of MDI‐SPD measures in the next 8 yr should suffice to maintain the soil salt at a low concentration. An increase in shaft drainage would also reduce the deep seepage of salt. Core Ideas: Results from a 4‐yr study showed that using drip irrigation with subsurface pipe systems improved cotton yield.Subsurface pipe systems drained 103 t salt, 40% of the total salt discharge over 4 yr.We quantified salt accumulation due to shallow groundwater recharge in the tillage layer.Subsurface pipe systems increased cotton yield by 52% in saline alkali land.Soil salt should be leached once every 3 yr without changing the leaching measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on the theoretical mechanism analysis of FDI, regional innovation, and green economic efficiency, this article uses China's provincial panel data to calculate the provincial green economic efficiency level based on the three-stage DEA method and uses the system GMM model, intermediary effect model, and threshold model to empirically test the specific effects and transmission paths of FDI on the efficiency of the green economy. Research shows that FDI is one of the important factors that promote the improvement of green economic efficiency. Subregional tests have found that FDI has a significant regional heterogeneity in promoting the efficiency of the green economy. The mediation effect test found that the mediation effect of regional innovation is significant, and FDI can significantly promote the growth of green economic efficiency through regional innovation. The threshold effect analysis found that there are significant and effective double thresholds for regional economic levels, and the impact of FDI on green economic efficiency is heterogeneous within different threshold intervals. The research conclusions provide new inspiration for China to allocate FDI more rationally and efficiently under the new development pattern. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cemented coal gangue paste backfill (CCGPB) containing coal gangue and fly ash is a backfilling technique newly developed in coal mines in China that allows environmentally hazardous products, such as gangue and fly ash, to be reused in underground stopes. CCGPB materials provide efficient ground support for the caving of strata and reduce surface subsidence. In this paper, field monitoring of CCGPB properties was conducted in an underground coal mine, which mainly included the measurement of the longwall face temperature, humidity, CCGPB internal hydration temperature, stress conditions inside the backfills, and displacement. First, the components of the backfills, paste technique, slurry generation procedures, coalfield geology, and mining conditions were introduced. Then, a monitoring system was designed in the field. An online monitoring system was installed. The results of the field monitoring showed that the curing temperature significantly varied, i.e., from 26°C near the main gate to 37°C near the tailgate. The curing humidity had the same trends, increasing from 60% relative humidity (RH) near the main gate to 81% RH near the tailgate. The internal hydration process of the paste was divided into four stages, i.e., the rapid hydration stage, slower hydration stage, rapid decline hydration stage, and relatively stable stage. The highest hydration temperature was 50°C, which was measured on the second day after the backfill process. The temperature approached stability at 41°C. The evolution of the roof stress applied on the CCGPB was divided into four stages: the development stage, regulation stage, rapid growth stage, and relatively stable stage. The maximum roof loading was 12 MPa in the middle of the longwall face. The deformation of the backfill experienced four stages, i.e., the rapid deformation stage, slow deformation stage, relatively stable stage, and long-term stable stage. The maximum deformation was 104.3 mm, appearing in the middle of the face. In addition, the compression ratio of the backfill was approximately 4%. The results of this study showed that the working conditions of backfills in the field were different from those in the laboratory. This paper provides guidance for the design of the CCGPB technique and the predictions of surface subsidence induced by the production process of underground mining. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There were no systematic researches about autophagy-related long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) signatures to predict the survival of patients with colon adenocarcinoma. It was necessary to set up corresponding autophagy-related lncRNA signatures. The expression profiles of lncRNAs which contained 480 colon adenocarcinoma samples were obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. The coexpression network of lncRNAs and autophagy-related genes was utilized to select autophagy-related lncRNAs. The lncRNAs were further screened using univariate Cox regression. In addition, Lasso regression and multivariate Cox regression were used to develop an autophagy-related lncRNA signature. A risk score based on the signature was established, and Cox regression was used to test whether it was an independent prognostic factor. The functional enrichment of autophagy-related lncRNAs was visualized using Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes. Ten prognostic autophagy-related lncRNAs (AC027307.2, AC068580.3, AL138756.1, CD27-AS1, EIF3J-DT, LINC01011, LINC01063, LINC02381, AC073896.3, and SNHG16) were identified to be significantly different, which made up an autophagy-related lncRNA signature. The signature divided patients with colon adenocarcinoma into the low-risk group and the high-risk group. A risk score based on the signature was a significantly independent factor for the patients with colon adenocarcinoma (HR = 1.088 , 95 % CI = 1.057 − 1.120 ; P < 0.001). Additionally, the ten lncRNAs were significantly enriched in autophagy process, metabolism, and tumor classical pathways. In conclusion, the ten autophagy-related lncRNAs and their signature might be molecular biomarkers and therapeutic targets for the patients with colon adenocarcinoma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Huashi Baidu formula (HSBDF) was developed to treat the patients with severe COVID-19 in China. The purpose of this study was to explore its active compounds and demonstrate its mechanisms against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) through network pharmacology and molecular docking. All the components of HSBDF were retrieved from the pharmacology database of TCM system. The genes corresponding to the targets were retrieved using UniProt and GeneCards database. The herb–compound–target network was constructed by Cytoscape. The target protein–protein interaction network was built using STRING database. The core targets of HSBDF were analyzed by Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG). The main active compounds of HSBDF were docked with SARS-CoV-2 and angiotensin converting enzyme II (ACE2). Compound–target network mainly contained 178 compounds and 272 corresponding targets. Key targets contained MAPK3, MAPK8, TP53, CASP3, IL6, TNF, MAPK1, CCL2, PTGS2, etc. There were 522 GO items in GO enrichment analysis (p <.05) and 168 signaling pathways (p <.05) in KEGG, mainly including TNF signaling pathway, PI3K–Akt signaling pathway, NOD-like receptor signaling pathway, MAPK signaling pathway, and HIF-1 signaling pathway. The results of molecular docking showed that baicalein and quercetin were the top two compounds of HSBDF, which had high affinity with ACE2. Baicalein and quercetin in HSBDF may regulate multiple signaling pathways through ACE2, which might play a therapeutic role on COVID-19. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multidimensional critical regulation of water resources in a typical arid area, such as in the Manas River Watershed in China, is an important way to solve the contradiction between water supply and demand and realize sustainable development. Typically, water managers do not take into account the coordinated development of various water sources and water sectors. To solve this problem, we used a system dynamics model to analyze the supply and demand of water resources in the planning year, and establish a critical control model with four dimensions (water resources, economy, society and ecology) to optimally regulate water resources. The results show that (1) the water resources system entropy was reduced to 0.1506 after several iterations in the planning year; (2) the water resources subsystem, economic subsystem and social subsystem were negatively correlated with system entropy, while the ecosystem subsystem was positively correlated with it; and (3) the reduced water shortage will increase from 2.27×108 m³ in 2020 to 3.76×108 m³ in 2030, which indicates that the water resources system will develop in an orderly and coordinated way. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Phlegm and blood stasis syndrome (PBSS) is one of the main syndromes in coronary heart disease (CHD). Syndromes of Chinese medicine (CM) are lack of quantitative and easy-implementation diagnosis standards. To quantify and standardize the diagnosis of PBSS, scales are usually applied. Objective: To evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of CM diagnosis scale of PBSS in CHD. Methods: Six hundred patients with stable angina pectoris of CHD, 300 in case group and 300 in control group, will be recruited from 5 hospitals across China. Diagnosis from 2 experts will be considered as the "gold standard". The study design consists of 2 phases: pilot test is used to evaluate the reliability and validity, and diagnostic test is used to assess the diagnostic accuracy of the scale, including sensitivity, specificity, likelihood ratio and area under the receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curve. Discussion: This study will evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of CM diagnosis scale of PBSS in CHD. The consensus of 2 experts may not be ideal as a "gold standard", and itself still requires further study. (No. ChiCTR-OOC-15006599). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Five new prenylated acetophenones, melicoptelins A-E (1 – 5), along with one known congener (6) were isolated from the roots of Melicope ptelefolia. Among them, compounds 2a/2b , 3a/3b , and 4a/4b were obtained as inseparable interconverting mixtures of keto and enol tautomers. Their structures were elucidated on the basis of extensive spectroscopic methods, including 1D, 2D NMR and HRESIMS. Compouds 2a/2b , 4a/4b and 5 exhibit protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B (PTP1B) inhibitory activity with IC 50 values of 34.4, 55.2 and 66.6 μ M, respectively. Graphical abstract Unlabelled Image [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to develop and validate the large intestine dampness-heat syndrome questionnaire (LIDHSQ) for patients with ulcerative colitis (UC). The domains and items of the LIDHSQ were developed according to standard procedures, namely, construct definition, item generation, language testing, content validity, pilot study, and validation study. At first, a total of 20 items in 3 domains were generated based on literature review and expert consultation. After the item selection, the LIDHSQ contains 11 items in three domains: disease-related domain (diarrhoea, abdominal pain, bloody purulent stool, and mucus stool), heat domain (fever, dry mouth, red tongue, yellow fur, and anal burning), and dampness domain (greasy fur and defecation disorder). The Cronbach's alphas of all domains were greater than 0.6. All of the intraclass correlation coefficients were greater than 0.8. The LIDHSQ and domain scores of the patients with LIDHS were higher than those of the patients with other syndromes (P < 0.001). The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of the LIDHSQ was 0.900, with a 95% confidence interval of 0.872–0.928. When the cut-off value of the LIDHSQ was ≥ 7, the sensitivity and specificity were 0.867 and 0.854, respectively. The LIDHSQ is valid and reliable for measuring LIDHS in UC patients with good diagnostic efficacy. We recommend the use of the LIDHSQ in Chinese UC patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to recover the abandoned coal resource of steeply inclined thin coal seams (SITCS), a field trial of underground coal gasification (UCG) with shaft method has been successfully carried out at Zhongliangshan coal mine in China. Many technological measures have been taken according to the geological conditions of coal seams. These technologies include the hollow-bottom and wall-style gasifiers, pinnate-pattern boreholes, the controlled moving multipoint gas injection, multi-component oxygen-rich gasification agent, and micro-seismic detection of flame working face. Some of the technologies were used for monitoring and controlling the UCG process, including gas-producing conditions and gasifier running states. The trial results show that it’s feasible to recover the abandoned coal resource and produce clean gas energy. The gaseous product of gasification consists of 5–10% H 2 , 14–16% CO and 5–8% CH 4 and generated at a flow rate of 1400–1600 Nm 3 /h with a heat value of 1200–1400 kcal/Nm 3 . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Esophageal cancer (EC) is one of the most common cancers in China. The purpose of this study was to investigate the updated incidence rates and risk factors of EC in Nan'ao Island, where the EC incidence rate was chronically the highest in southern China. To calculate the annual incidence rate, data on 338 EC cases from Nan'ao Cancer Registry system diagnosed during 2005-2011 were collected. A case-control study was conducted to explore the EC risk factors. One hundred twenty-five alive ECpatients diagnosed during 2005-2011 and 250 controls were enrolled into the case-control study. A pre-test questionnaire on demography, dietary factors, drinking water treatment, and behavioral factors was applied to collect information of all participants. The average EC incidence rates during 2005-2011 were 66.09/105, 94.62/105, 36.83/105 for both genders, males and females, respectively, in Nan'ao Island. The EC incidence rate in males was 2.40-to 4.55-fold higher than that in females in the period from 2006 to 2011 (P<0.05). Considering the onset age, males tend to be much younger than females and reached peak incidence rate at a younger age (P<0.05). Drinking water treatment by filter (odds ratio [OR]=0.28, 95% confidence interval [95% CI]=0.13-0.58) and fruit consumption (OR=0.55, 95% CI=0.32-0.94) reduced the risk for EC. On the contrary, the pickled vegetables consumption (OR=2.64, 95% CI=1.46-4.76) and liquor drinking (OR=2.32, 95% CI=1.21-4.44) increased the risk for EC. These results may be of importance for future research on EC etiology and prevention strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Methane (CH4) has a 28-fold greater global warming potential than CO2 over 100 years. Atmospheric CH4 concentration has tripled since 1750. Anthropogenic CH4 emissions from China have been growing rapidly in the past decades and contribute more than 10 % of global anthropogenic CH4 emissions with large uncertainties in existing global inventories, generally limited to country-scale statistics. To date, a long-term CH4 emission inventory including the major sources sectors and based on province-level emission factors is still lacking. In this study, we produced a detailed annual bottom-up inventory of anthropogenic CH4 emissions from the eight major source sectors in China for the period 1980-2010. In the past 3 decades, the total CH4 emissions increased from 24.4 [18.6-30.5] Tg CH4 yr-1 in 1980 (mean [minimum-maximum of 95 % confidence interval]) to 44.9 [36.6-56.4] Tg CH4 yr-1 in 2010. Most of this increase took place in the 2000s decade with averaged yearly emissions of 38.5 [30.6-48.3] Tg CH4 yr-1. This fast increase of the total CH4 emissions after 2000 is mainly driven by CH4 emissions from coal exploitation. The largest contribution to total CH4 emissions also shifted from rice cultivation in 1980 to coal exploitation in 2010. The total emissions inferred in this work compare well with the EPA inventory but appear to be 36 and 18 % lower than the EDGAR4.2 inventory and the estimates using the same method but IPCC default emission factors, respectively. The uncertainty of our inventory is investigated using emission factors collected from state-of-the-art published literatures. We also distributed province-scale emissions into 0.1° × 0.1° maps using socioeconomic activity data. This new inventory could help understanding CH4 budgets at regional scale and guiding CH4 mitigation policies in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the process of rural revitalization in China, it is an urgent problem to realize rural waste sorting. This study analyzes the behavioral decision-making of village collectives in rural waste classification for the first time, constructs a tripartite evolutionary game model of governments, village collectives and farmers, and discusses the game relationship among the three stakeholders through dynamic decision replication analysis and evolutionary stability analysis. Zhejiang is one of the earliest provinces to implement rural waste classification with mature experience in China. Taking Zhejiang Province as an example, this paper evaluates the decision-making characteristics of the tripartite behaviors under the current situation and the evolution trends of the behaviors of various stakeholders by real numerical simulation, innovatively introduces the rural waste charging into the model, and discusses the feasibility of its implementation. The simulation shows that the following policies can improve the overall operational effect and promote stakeholders to implement waste classification earlier: the incentive supervision investment of county-level governments should be appropriately reduced to within 40 million yuan; the governments implement a policy of high reward and high punishment for the village collectives; the village collectives should reduce material rewards and maintain its management cost within 14 million yuan. The simulation also shows that the garbage charging is suitable to be popularized in rural areas with the ideal range of fees is 30–80 yuan. The purpose of this study is to seek effective policies and management schemes to improve the overall operational effect of rural waste classification in China. • A tripartite evolutionary game model is proposed. • The effect of different factors on stakeholders is evaluated to determine appropriate policy • The incentive input has limited effect on promoting rural waste sorting. • High reward and high punishment effectively restrain the village collectives. • The feasibility and reasonable scope of rural waste charging in China are determined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background People with physical disability (PWPD) is the largest subgroup of people with disability (PWD) in China, but few studies have been conducted among this vulnerable population. The objective of this study was to investigate the level of quality of life (QoL), self-perceived quality of care and support (QOCS), severity of disability and personal attitude towards disability among people with physical disability in China, as well as to identify how QoL can be affected by severity of disability through QOCS and personal attitude towards disability among PWPD. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted among 1,853 PWPD in Guangzhou, China. Data were collected on participants' QoL, QOCS, personal attitude towards disability and severity of disability. Structural equation modeling was used to examine the effects of the other variables on QoL. Results Even with a mild disability (mean score:1.72), relatively low levels of QoL (mean score: 2.65- 3.22) and QOCS (mean score: 2.95 to 3.28), as well as unfavorable personal attitude towards disability (mean score: 2.75 to 3.36) were identified among PWPD. According to SEM, we found that the influence of severity of physical disability on QoL is not only exerted directly, but is also indirectly through QOCS and their personal attitudes towards disability, with QOCS playing a more important mediating role than PWPD's attitudes towards their own disability. Conclusions Unfavorable health status was identified among PWPD in China. Focusing on improvement of assistance and care services has the potential to substantially improve PWPD's QoL. Further research should focus on understanding the needs and their current state of health care of PWPD in China thus being able to develop better interventions for them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Estimation of water table and recharge is a key component in the control of groundwater level in arid and semiarid regions such as northwestern China. This study compared groundwater recharge in land subject to flood-irrigation and water-saving irrigation within the Manasi Basin, China, with the aim of analyzing the influence of irrigation method on the response characteristics of groundwater. A simulation of the two irrigation methods was conducted over four years, using a coupled MIKESHE/MIKE 11 model, from which the average water balance was calculated. Moran's I was used to explain the spatial variability of recharge response associated with each irrigation method. ArcGIS 9.0 geostatistical and spatial analysis applications were used to interpolate/extrapolate and create grids for specific yield, bedrock elevation, and raw groundwater data. The results of the simulations are generally consistent with observed data, indicating that the method is capable of recognizing detailed characteristics of the groundwater response. The groundwater recharge intensity was found to become weaker in water-saving irrigation than in floodirrigation, but groundwater discharge is greater for water-saving irrigation than for flood-irrigation, making the reduction in depth more obvious. Furthermore, the reduction in depth of the groundwater level increases with site elevation. The results indicate that the proposed methodology are applicable to the management of groundwater resources in arid regions. The study quantified the processes affecting groundwater levels and provided an insight into their implications for the management and control of groundwater level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The diatom Pseudo-nitzschja brasiliana Lundholm, Hasle & GA. Fryxell is documented from China for the first time. Strains isolated from southeast coastal waters were characterized using light and electron microscopic observation. All strains were tested for domoic acid, but no toxin was detected. Genetic diversity and phylogenetic relationships of global strains of P. brasiliana were studied to assess intraspecific variation and geographic distribution patterns. Phylogenetic analyses based on the large subunit rDNA gene together with morphological observations show that P. brasiliana from China and other locations worldwide form one well-supported monophyletic dade, with P. americana as its sister. Phylogenetic analyses of internal transcribed spacer (ITS) rDNA sequences show a clear separation between five Asian strains and three European strains. In addition, ITS-2 rDNA secondary structure analyses reveal genetic variation between P. brasiliana strains from Europe and Southeast Asia, namely, a transfer of a base-pair set from a loop in the Asian group to the basis of helix II in the European group and two hemi-compensatory base changes (hemi-CBCs) in helix Ill between one European strain (ICMB-l76) and the other strains. The occurrence of P. brasiliana in China's coastal waters is discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

What determines large-scale patterns of species richness remains one of the most controversial issues in ecology. Using the distribution maps of 11 405 woody species in China, we compared the effects of habitat heterogeneity, human activities and different aspects of climate, particularly environmental energy, water- energy dynamics and winter frost, and explored how biogeographic affinities (tropical versus temperate) influence richness-climate relationships. We found that the species richness of trees, shrubs, lianas and all woody plants strongly correlated with each other, and more strongly correlated with the species richness of tropical affinity than with that of temperate affinity. The mean temperature of the coldest quarter was the strongest predictor of species richness, and its explanatory power for species richness was significantly higher for tropical affinity than for temperate affinity. These results suggest that the patterns of woody species richness mainly result from the increasing intensity of frost filtering for tropical species from the equator/lowlands towards the poles/highlands, and hence support the freezing-tolerance hypothesis. A model based on these results was developed, which explained 76-85% of species richness variation in China, and reasonably predicted the species richness of woody plants in North America and the Northern Hemisphere. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Human rhinoviruses (HRVs) are a highly prevalent cause of acute respiratory infection in children. They are classified into at least three species, HRV-A, HRV-B and HRV-C, which are characterized by sequencing the 59 untranslated region (UTR) or the VP4/VP2 region of the genome. Given the increased interest for novel HRV strain identification and their worldwide distribution, we have carried out clinical and molecular diagnosis of HRV strains in a 2-year study of children with acute respiratory infection visiting one district hospital in Shanghai. Methodology/Findings: We cloned and sequenced a 924-nt fragment that covered part of the 59UTR and the VP4/VP2 capsid genes. Sixty-four HRV-infected outpatients were diagnosed amongst 827 children with acute low respiratory tract infection. Two samples were co-infected with HRV-A and HRV-B or HRV-C. By comparative analysis of the VP4/VP2 sequences of the 66 HRVs, we showed a high diversity of strains in HRV-A and HRV-B species, and a prevalence of 51.5% of strains that belonged to the recently identified HRV-C species. When analyzing a fragment of the 59 UTR, we characterized at least two subspecies of HRV-C: HRV-Cc, which clustered differently from HRV-A and HRV-B, and HRV-Ca, which resulted from previous recombination in this region with sequences related to HRV-A. The full-length sequence of one strain of each HRVCa and HRV-Cc subspecies was obtained for comparative analysis. We confirmed the close relationship of their structural proteins but showed apparent additional recombination events in the 2A gene and 39UTR of the HRV-Ca strain. Double or triple infections with HRV-C and respiratory syncytial virus and/or bocavirus were diagnosed in 33.3% of the HRV-infected patients, but no correlation with severity of clinical outcome was observed. Conclusion: Our study showed a high diversity of HRV strains that cause bronchitis and pneumonia in children. A predominance of HRV-C over HRV-A and HRV-B was observed, and two subspecies of HRV-C were identified, the diversity of which seemed to be related to recombination with former HRV-A strains. None of the HRV-C strains appeared to have a higher clinical impact than HRV-A or HRV-B on respiratory compromise. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the development and use of the proposed model to analyse the crytic period of hydrological process. The crytic period model was developed into several steps including the application of Augmented Dickey-Fuller (ADF) stationary test and the use of logarithm transformation to reduce the heteroscedasticity for the time series that cannot pass through ARCH effect test. The constructed models were used to analyse the hydrological processes of streamflow of the gauging stations of Alaer and Xinquman along Tarim River in China. A series of cycle analysis methods including variance analysis and spectrum analysis was studied to identify and extract period components. The reliability of the crytic period model used was attested by the validity of variance analysis.

Spatial distribution and sources of 16 priority polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (16 EPA-PAHs) in soils were studied in Shenfu Irrigation Area (SIA) located at northeast of China. SIA (1.3 × 104 ha) was an important agricultural farmland irrigated with oil-sewage since the 1960s. Soil profiles at 91 sites controlling all SIA were sampled. The results demonstrated that four- and five-ring PAHs accounted for 71.2% and 73.0% of the total PAHs in surface (0–20 cm) and subsurface (20–30 cm) soil, respectively. Phenanthrene (Phe), Fluoranthene (Fla), Pyrene (Pyr), Benzo(b)fluoranthene (BbF), benzo(a)pyrene (BaP) were identified as five dominant individual PAHs. Generally, there was a decreasing trend in concentrations of 16 EPA-PAHs from upper to lower reaches (by distance away from source) within 0.6–12.36 mg kg−1 and 0.04–4.99 mg kg−1 in surface and subsurface soil, respectively. The concentrations of 16 EPA-PAHs in the surface soil were threefold higher than those in the subsurface soil. A combination of grass, wood or coal combustion and petroleum combustion in surface soil and a combination of grass, wood or coal combustion and petroleum sources in subsurface soil might be the most significant contributors of 16 EPA-PAHs in SIA, indicating different pollution periods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Zou Yan modified and developed the thoughts of Five Elements and Negative and Positive, and it had a high standing in the history of pre-Qin period and Han Dynasty. His theory made a profound impact on the later works, such as Lu's Spring and Autumn , Chun Qiu Fan Lu and Huai Nan Zi. This paper tries to make an overall investigation on his life and works, contents of his theory etc, which can help us investigate the cultural change in society of pre-Qin period and Han Dynasty thoroughly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The gefitinib compassionate-use programme has enabled >39,000 patients worldwide to receive gefitinib ('Iressa', ZD1839) treatment. This paper reports the outcome of gefitinib treatment in Chinese patients who enrolled into the 'Iressa' Expanded Access Programme (EAP) at the Peking Union Medical College Hospital. Methods: Thirty-one patients with advanced or metastatic non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) that had progressed after prior systemic chemotherapy were eligible to receive oral gefitinib 250 mg/day as part of the EAP. Treatment was continued until disease progression or unacceptable toxicity occurred. The impact of treatment on disease-related symptoms and quality of life (QoL) was evaluated with the Chinese versions of European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaires (EORTC QLQ-C30 and QLQ-LC13). Results: Gefitinib was well tolerated. Adverse events (AEs) were generally mild (grade 1 and 2) and reversible. The most frequent AEs were acneform rash and diarrhoea. Only one patient withdrew from the study due to a drug-related AE. The objective tumour response rate was 35.5% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 18.6-52.3); median progression-free survival was 5.5 months (95% CI, 1.6 to 9.4); median overall survival was 11.5 months (95% CI, 5.6 to 17.3). The QoL response rates for five functioning scales and global QoL varied from 56-88%. The main symptom response rates varied from 44-84%. QoL and symptom response were correlated with objective tumour response. Conclusion: Gefitinib demonstrated safety and efficacy as monotherapy in this series of Chinese patients with advanced NSCLC and was also associated with remarkable symptom relief and improvement in QoL. Although clinical trials are needed to confirm these positive findings, the data suggest that treatment with gefitinib may be beneficial for some Chinese patients who do not respond to chemotherapy and have poor prognosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is characterized by a high prevalence in Southern China, especially among Cantonese individuals of the Guangdong Province. Epidemiological studies have suggested that frequent exposure to high levels of nitrosamine from preserved foods such as salted fish could be a risk factor for NPC. Cytochrome P450 encompasses a family of enzymes that metabolize carcinogens and CYP2A13, a member of this family, is expressed predominantly in the respiratory tract with the highest levels in the nasal mucosa. In an effort to test whether a correlation exists between CYP2A13 genetic polymorphism and the risk of developing NPC, we sequenced all nine exons and the exon-intron junctions of the CYP2A13 gene in 45 NPC patients. We identified a total of 21 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNPs), including 7 novel SNPs. The most frequent functional variant allele was 74A-1757G-3375T-7233G with a haplotype frequency of 7.8% in the 45 NPC cases. In addition, a stop codon mutation was detected in one case. We then selected the 3 most frequent SNPs and one stop codon mutation to expand our study to a casecontrol analysis within the Cantonese population. A novel haplotype consisting 8 SNPs in introns, and four additional novel SNPs were identified; but no correlation between CYP2A13 genetic polymorphism and individual susceptibility to NPC was observed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new residual coal gasification mining system is proposed to utilize in-situ residual coal, mine water, and carbon dioxide for clean combustible gas production. Based on the underground coal gasification (UCG) basic principle, the in-situ coal seam can be transformed into CO, H 2 , and CH 4 by chemical conversion, and can be used for power generation. In the field trials, in-situ georeactors in coal seam were built according to the initial conditions by the shaft method. Based on test results, it's indicated that the hollow-bottom layout makes the in-situ georeactor have good thermal storage performance, which are useful for the generation of combustible gas. Different kinds of gasification agent, such as air, oxygen, steam, carbon dioxide and their mixture were used for syngas production with gas calorific value varying from 3.92 MJ⋅Nm−3 to 10.68 MJ⋅Nm−3. Adding steam and increasing oxygen concentration can significantly increase syngas concentration and calorific value; two-stage method was used to produce H 2 -rich gas and CO 2 was used to produce CO-rich gas, which was a useful attempt for CO 2 emission reduction and utilization. The syngas was used for power generation after purification, and it can be seen as a cleaner utilization technology of residual coal. The production system provides a feasible way to remining residue coal and clean utilization, and provides technical references for the similar conditions by shaft method. The cleaner production systems of underground coal to gas contain gasification agent production system, injecting control system, underground gas production system, gas and water purification system and gas to power generation system. In the field tests, gas production with different gasification agent and ratios were tested, and gas calorific value varied from 3.92 MJ/Nm3 to 10.68 MJ/Nm3. Adding steam and increasing oxygen concentration can significantly increase gas composition and calorific value; two-stage method was used to produce H 2 -rich gas and CO 2 was used to produce CO-rich gas, which was a useful attempt for CO 2 emission reduction and utilization. The two typical shaft method UCG field trials provide a feasible way to remining the residue coal, and provide technical references for the similar conditions by shaft method. Image 1 • Hollow-bottom georeactors were constructed according to coal seamconditions. • Two-stage test of air-steam can obtain up to 44.78% high H 2 water gas. • CO 2 can be used to produce high CO gas, which could reduce carbon emission. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To determine the prevalence of depression and anxiety among older adults in China, and explore the associated factors. This cross-sectional study recruited participants between October 2022 and December 2022. The sample collection utilized a multi-stage stratified equal probability random sampling method. This study included 8436 older adults who underwent interviews utilizing standardized assessment instruments. The assessment of depressive symptoms employed the Patient Health Questionnaire 9, while the evaluation of anxiety utilized the Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7. Multivariate logistic regression was conducted to determine the odds ratio and 95 % confidence interval (CI). The weighted prevalence rates for depression and anxiety were 2.79 % (95 % CI: 2.38 %–3.28 %) and 1.39 % (95 % CI: 1.12 %–1.74 %), respectively. Older adults who were female, widowed, had irregular dietary habits, spent <1 h per day using electronic devices for socializing and entertainment, engaged in >8 h of sedentary behavior per day, and had chronic diseases (cardiovascular disease, cerebrovascular disease, insomnia, and Chronic gastroenteritis) displayed a higher likelihood of encountering symptoms indicative of depression and anxiety. Conversely, older adults living in rural areas and those who walked daily were less prone to experience symptoms of depression and anxiety. This study suggests that the psychological well-being of older adults should be cared for when treating chronic diseases. Moreover, families, communities, and clinics should recognize that supporting regular diets, providing social engagement and recreational activities, encouraging physical activity, and minimizing sedentary behavior can reduce the risk of depression and anxiety. • This study assessed the prevalence and influencing factors of depression and anxiety among older adults. • Demographic characteristics, chronic diseases and lifestyle habits are risk factors of depression and anxiety. • Interventions for older adults' diet rhythm, step count, device use, sedentary time can reduce depression and anxiety risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years mineral exploration has concentrated on concealed deposits in regolith-covered terrains. In China, the regolith-covered landscapes mainly include desert windblown sand basins, desert peneplains, semi-arid grassland, loess plateaus, forestry land, alluvial plains and laterite terrains. These diverse regolith-covered areas represent geochemical challenges for mineral exploration in China. This paper provides an overview of recent progress on mechanisms of metal dispersion from the buried ore deposits through the transported cover to the surface and penetrating geochemical methods to detect the anomalies. Case studies show that, in arid and semi-arid desert sand-covered terrains, sampling of fine-fraction (− 120 mesh, < 0.125 mm) clay-rich horizon soil is cost-effective for regional geochemical surveys for sandstone-type uranium, gold, and base metal deposits. Fine-fraction sampling, selective-leaching and overburden drilling geochemical methods can effectively indicate the 210 gold ore body at Jinwozi goldfield. In alluvium-covered terrains, fine-grained soil sampling (− 200 mesh, < 0.074 mm) combined with selective leaching geochemistry shows clear ring-shaped anomalies of Cu and Ni over the Zhouan concealed Cu–Ni deposit. In laterite-covered terrains, the anomalies determined by the fine-fraction soils and selective leaching of absorbed metals on coatings of Fe–Mn oxides coincide well with the concealed deposit over the Yueyang ore deposits at the Zijin Au–Cu–Ag field. Nanoparticles of hexagonal crystals mainly native copper, gold and alloys of Cu–Fe, Cu–Fe–Mn, Cu–Ti, and Cu–Au were observed in gases, soils and ores using a transmission electron microscope (TEM). The findings imply that nanoparticles of gold and copper may migrate through the transported cover to the surface. Uranium is converted to uranyl ions [UO 2 2 + ] under oxidizing conditions when migrating from ore bodies to the surface. The uranyl ions are absorbed on clay minerals, because clay layers have a net negative charge, which needs to be balanced by interlayer cations. Nanoparticles of Au and Cu and ion complexes of U are more readily absorbed onto fine fractions of soils containing clays, colloids, oxides and organic matters. Thus, fine-grained soils enriched with clays, oxides and colloids are useful media for regional geochemical surveys in regolith-covered terrains and in sedimentary basins. Fine-fraction soil sampling combined with selective leaching geochemistry is effective for finding concealed ore bodies in detailed surveys. Penetrating geochemistry at surface sampling provides cost-effective mineral exploration methods for delineation of regional and local targets in transported cover terrains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To evaluate the prevalence of antimicrobial resistant bacteria in pets, 101 Enterococci culture isolates, as the indicator bacteria, were isolated from clinically healthy pet dogs in Xi'an, China and examined for antimicrobial resistance. Tetracycline resistance was found in all Enterococci isolates (100.0%), followed by erythromycin (89.1%), ciprofloxacin (56.4%), rifampicin (32.7%), gentamicin (26.7%), penicillin (22.7%) and ciprofloxacin (21.8%). Almost 95% strains were found with multiple drug resistance. Our data suggested that Enterococci were prevalent amongst pet dogs and resistant to various antimicrobials, indicating the potential risk to humans and the necessity to establish comprehensive antimicrobial resistance monitoring systems worldwide especially in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sodium tanshinone IIA sulfonate (STS) is a water-soluble derivate of tanshinone IIA (Tan IIA) which is an active lipophilic constitute of Chinese Materia Medica Salvia miltiorrhiza Bge. (Danshen). STS presents multiple pharmacological activities, including anti-oxidant, anti-inflammation and anti-apoptosis, and has been approved for treatment of cardiovascular diseases by China State Food and Drug Administration (CFDA). In this review, we comprehensively summarized the pharmacological activities and pharmacokinetics of STS, which could support the further application and development of STS. In the recent decades, numerous experimental and clinical studies have been conducted to investigate the potential treatment effects of STS in various diseases, such as heart diseases, brain diseases, pulmonary diseases, cancers, sepsis and so on. The underlying mechanisms were most related to anti-oxidative and anti-inflammatory effects of STS via regulating various transcription factors, such as NF-κB, Nrf2, Stat1/3, Smad2/3, Hif-1α and β-catenin. Iron channels, including Ca2+, K+ and Cl− channels, were also the important targets of STS. Additionally, we emphasized the differences between STS and Tan IIA despite the interchangeable use of Tan IIA and STS in many previous studies. It is promising to improve the efficacy and reduce side effects of chemotherapeutic drug by the combination use of STS in canner treatment. The application of STS in pregnancy needs to be seriously considered. Moreover, the drug-drug interactions between STS and other drugs needs to be further studied as well as the complications of STS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We first reported the vanM vancomycin resistance gene in enterococci in Shanghai, China in 2006 and later found it to be the predominant van gene in vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE). In this study, we successively collected 1292 Enterococcus faecium and Enterococcus faecalis strains from in- and outpatients at Huashan Hospital, Fudan University and found that nearly all of the isolates (1290/1292) were vancomycin-sensitive determined by the VITEK 2 system. However, using a modified macromethod-based disk diffusion test, 10 E. faecium isolates that were previously determined to be vancomycin-sensitive by the VITEK 2 system were found to have colonies in the vancomycin disk inhibition zone. Pulse-field gel electrophoresis results showed that each randomly selected colony in the inhibition zone belonged to the same clone as the original strain. All 10 isolates were later found to be vanM-positive. The disk diffusion-based method may aid in the detection of vanM-positive E. faecium with low vancomycin minimum inhibitory concentrations and prevent missing the detection of vancomycin sensitivity-variable enterococci., (© 2023 John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.)

With continuous increases in the amount and duration of plastic film used, the residual film in farmland soil is accumulated and tended to be fragmented, which affects soil water infiltration. We carried out an experiment of one-dimensional vertical infiltration of soil moisture. We examined the effects of different residual film density and area on soil water cumulative infiltration under 21 experimental treatments with 5 residual film area levels (0.25, 0.5, 1, 2, 8 cm 2 ) and 5 residual film density levels (0, 60, 180, 300, 420 kg·hm -2 ). The results showed that soil water infiltration rate was accelerated and the total infiltration amount was increased by adding a certain amount of residual film into the clay loam soil with bulk density of 1.53 g·cm -3 . The total infiltration amount of different residual film area always appeared mutation or turning point when the single residual film area was 1 cm 2 . When the residual film area and density were larger or smaller than that, the cumulative infiltration amount would be significantly affected, with the treatment of 0.5 cm 2 residual film area and 200 kg·hm -2 residual film density being obvious demarcation. When the residual film area was 0.25 cm 2 , the cumulative infiltration reached the maximum. When the residual film with a single area ≤0.25 cm 2 was uniformly mixed into the soil, the slope of soil water cumulative infiltration curve was significantly different from that of other residual film treatments, forming a "new structure" soil with unique water infiltration characteristics.

Five new spirocyclic polycyclic polyprenylated acylphloroglucinols, Hyperpatulones C-G (1-5), were obtained from the leaves of Hypericum patulum. Their structures were characterized by the comprehensive analysis of their IR, NMR, CD spectra and HRESIMS data. All the new compounds were evaluated for the α-glycosidase inhibitory activities. Among them, compounds 3-5 showed α-glucosidase inhibitory activities, with IC 50 values of 14.06-37.69 μM., (Copyright © 2021. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Several descriptive studies have reported that higher neutrophil count (NC) may be correlated with poor prognosis in patients with confirmed COVID-19 infection. However, the findings from these studies are limited by methodology and data analysis. This study is a cohort study. We nonselectively and consecutively collected a total of 663 participants in a Chinese hospital from January 7 to February 28. Standardized and two-piecewise Cox regression model were employed to evaluate the association between baseline neutrophil count (bNC), neutrophil count change rate (NCR), and death. bNC had a U-shaped association with death. In the range of 0.1 to ≤1.49 × 10 9 /L (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.19, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.05-0.66) and >3.55 × 10 9 /L of bNC (HR = 2.82, 95% CI = 1.19-6.67), the trends on bNC with mortality were opposite. By recursive algorithm, the bNC at which the risk of the death was lower in the range of >1.49 to ≤3.55 × 10 9 /L (HR = 13.64, 95% CI = 0.25-74.71). In addition, we find that NCRs (NCR1 and NCR2) are not associated with COVID-19-related deaths. Compared with NCR, bNC has the potential to be used for early risk stratification in patients with COVID-19 infection. The relationship between bNC and mortality was U-shaped. The safe range of bNC was 1.64-4.0 × 10 9 /L. Identifying the correlation may be helpful for early risk stratification and medical decision-making., (© 2021 Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Two new phthalide dimers (1 and 2) were obtained from the rhizomes of Ligusticum sinense Oliv., along with three known dimeric phthalides (3-5). Their structures were determined with the aid of the spectroscopic data, and their absolute configurations were elucidated based on the comparison of calculated and experimental electronic circular dichroism (ECD) spectra. All the compounds were evaluated in vitro for their inhibitory activities against NO production in LPS-treated RAW264.7 macrophages. Among them, compounds 1 and 3 showed potent NO prohibitive activity with IC 50 values at 4.86 ± 0.29 μM and 4.87 ± 0.32 μM, respectively., (Copyright © 2021. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Background: Assessments of cortical development and identifying factors that may result in a poor prognosis for fetuses with isolated mild ventriculomegaly (IMVM) is a hot research topic. We aimed to perform a constant, detailed assessment of cortical development in IMVM fetuses using ultrasound and determine whether asymmetric cortical development occurred. Moreover, we aimed to estimate the prognosis of IMVM fetuses and compare the difference in the prognosis of IMVM fetuses presenting symmetric and asymmetric cortical maturation., Methods: IMVM was diagnosed by regular ultrasound, neurosonography and fetal MRI. Genetic and TORCH examinations were conducted to exclude common genetic abnormalities and TORCH infection of fetuses. Ultrasound examinations were conducted at an interval of 2-3 weeks to record sulcus development in IMVM fetuses using a scoring system. The neonatal behavioral neurological assessment (NBNA), the Ages and Stages Questionnaire, Third Edition (ASQ-3) and the Bayley Scales of Infant Development, First Edition (BSID-I) were performed after birth., Results: Forty fetuses with IMVM were included: twenty showed asymmetric cortical maturation and twenty showed symmetric cortical maturation. For IMVM fetuses presenting asymmetric cortical maturation, the mean gestational age (GA) at the first diagnosis of relatively delayed development was 24.23 weeks for the parieto-occipital sulcus, 24.71 weeks for the calcarine sulcus, and 26.43 weeks for the cingulate sulcus. All the sulci with delayed development underwent 'catch-up growth' and developed to the same grade as the sulci of the other hemisphere. The mean GA at which the two sides developed to the same grade was 29.40 weeks for the parieto-occipital sulcus, 29.30 weeks for the calcarine sulcus and 31.27 weeks for the cingulate sulcus. The NBNA, ASQ-3 and BSID-I scores of all patients were in the normal range., Conclusions: IMVM fetuses may show mild asymmetric cortical maturation in the second trimester, but the relatively delayed sulci undergo 'catch-up growth'. The neurodevelopment of IMVM fetuses presenting asymmetric cortical maturation and 'catch-up growth' is not statistically significantly different from IMVM fetuses presenting symmetric cortical maturation.

Introduction: Esophageal cancer is the fourth most common cause of cancer death in China. Patients with esophageal cancer are more likely to suffer from malnutrition. The purpose of this study is to assess nutritional status of patients with esophageal cancer from multiple perspectives and analyze the risk factors., Methods: A total of 1482 esophageal cancer patients were enrolled in the study. We investigated the Scored Patient Generated Subjective Global Assessment (PG-SGA) scores, NRS-2002 scores, Karnofsky performance status scores, anthropometric, and laboratory indicators of patients. Unconditional logistic regression analysis was applied to identify the risk factors of nutritional status., Results: PG-SGA (≥4) and NRS-2002 (≥3) showed the incidence of malnutrition were 76% and 50%, respectively. In the patients with PG-SGA score ≥4, the proportion of patients who did not receive any nutritional support was 60%. The incidence of malnutrition in females was significantly higher than that in males. Besides, abnormality rates of Red blood cell (P < 0.001), MAC (P = 0.037), and MAMC (P < 0.001) in males was significantly higher than that in females, while abnormality rates of TSF (P < 0.001) was lower than that in females. After adjusted with the other potential risk factors listed, unconditional logistic regression analysis indicated smoking (odds ratio: 2.868, 95% confidence interval: 1.660-4.954), drinking (OR: 1.726, 95% CI: 1.099-2.712), family history (OR: 1.840, 95% CI: 1.132-2.992), radiotherapy or chemotherapy (OR: 1.594, 95% CI: 1.065-2.387), and pathological stage (OR: 2.263, 95% CI: 1.084-4.726) might be the risk factors of nutritional status, while nutritional support can reduce the risk of malnutrition., Conclusion: Effective nutritional risk assessment methods and nutritional intervention measures can be adopted according to the research data to improve quality of life of esophageal cancer patients., (Copyright © 2020. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Background: Benign epilepsy with centrotemporal spikes (BECTS) is the most common type of childhood idiopathic focal epilepsy. BECTS is associated with pervasive cognitive deficits and behavior problems. While seizures can be easily controlled, it is crucial to select anti-epileptic drugs that do not impair cognition, do not cause psychosocial effects, and improve the quality of life. Previous studies showed effects of oxcarbazepine (OXC) monotherapy on the cognitive and psychosocial profiles of patients with BECTS. Here, we studied the effects of OXC monotherapy on the neuropsychologic profiles and quality of life in patients with BECTS in China., Methods: Thirty-one patients aged 6 to 12 years newly diagnosed with BECTS were recruited. A psychometric assessment was performed before and during the follow-up of OXC monotherapy with Cognitive Computerized Task Battery, Depression Self-Rating Scale for children, Screen for Child Anxiety Related Emotional Disorders, and Quality of Life in Epilepsy-31 (QOLIE-31). The results of the assessments were compared to explore the effect of OXC monotherapy in patients with BECTS., Results: Thirty children with BECTS completed the study. Five of ten cognitive test scores improved after treatment via OXC monotherapy, including visual tracing (F = 14.480, P < 0.001), paired associated learning (language) (F = 6.292, P < 0.001), paired associated learning (number) (F = 9.721, P < 0.05), word semantic (F = 6.003, P < 0.05), and simple subtraction (F = 6.229, P < 0.05). Of the neuropsychology data concerning the quality of life, statistically significant improvements were observed in emotion (F = 4.946, P < 0.05), QOLIE-social (F = 5.912, P < 0.05), and QOLIE-total (F = 14.161, P < 0.001)., Conclusions: OXC is safe and does not impair neuropsychologic functions, with no obvious mood burden on children with BECTS. Most importantly, OXC has positive impacts on children's perception of quality of life, especially in terms of happiness and life satisfaction.

Background: With an unclear pathomechanism, no confirmed treatment regimen has been established for chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS). Acupuncture is applied as an alternative therapy for CFS. As a kind of acupuncture therapy, Jin's three-needle acupuncture (JTN) has been applied to treat CFS. However, few large-sample randomised controlled trials on JTN treatment for CFS have been reported. We designed this study to evaluate the efficacy and safety of JTN treatment for CFS., Method/design: This study is a multicentre, single-blind, randomised controlled trial. Patients who meet the inclusion criteria will be recruited and randomly assigned to either the JTN treatment group or the basic acupuncture group. Both interventions will be conducted for five consecutive days per week and last for 2 weeks. The primary outcome is the effective rate based on the 14-item Fatigue Scale (FS-14) score. Other outcome measures include the Fatigue Assessment Scale (FAI), the Depression Status Inventory (DSI), and the Self-rating Anxiety Scale (SAS). Plasma adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), plasma cortisol, and serum levels of IL-2 and IFN-γ will also be measured in this study. Adverse events will be observed and recorded for the safety evaluation., Discussion: This study may help to identify the efficacy and safety of JTN acupuncture treatment for CFS., Trial Registration: Chinese Clinical Trial Registry, ID: ChiCTR-IOR-17011009 . Registered on 29 March 2017.

An efficient aerobic denitrifying bacterium was isolated from the sediments of the Jin Pen Reservoir in Xi'an. The strain was identified by morphological features and 16S rDNA sequences as Pseudomonas stutzeri and named it KK99. The denitrification characteristics of the strain and the expression level of the functional genes narG, nirS , and nosZ in aerobic/anaerobic conditions were investigated. The results showed that the strain can carry out both anaerobic and aerobic denitrification and has a high efficiency of denitrification, which occurs under both aerobic and anaerobic conditions; after 24 h, the removal rates of total nitrogen (TN) were 85.08% and 89.05%, respectively. Under both the conditions, the expression levels of the functional genes nosZ and nirS are high. nosZ plays a vital role in denitrification in the aerobic pathway, nirS plays a vital role in denitrification in the anaerobic pathway, and narG expression is low under both the conditions. At the same time, simultaneous nitrification and denitrification (SND) capacity of the strain was observed when nitrate and ammonium salts were the nitrogen sources, with the total nitrogen removal rate being 76% within 24 h in aerobic conditions. The P. stutzeri KK99 strain can be used for controlling eutrophication of micro-polluted water, and the application of total nitrogen reduction engineering.

Objective: To explore the association between maternal abortion history and congenital heart defect (CHD) risk in subsequent pregnancies., Study Design: A multihospital-based case-control study was conducted. The cases included 370 women whose fetuses were diagnosed with CHDs. The controls were 413 women with fetuses without an apparent malformation in the same hospital. All of the participants were investigated by trained interviewers. Univariate analysis was performed, followed by multivariate logistic regression analysis to calculate odds ratio and 95% confidence interval to evaluate the risk of maternal abortion history on CHD risk., Results: There were no statistically significant positive associations between maternal abortion (induced abortion and spontaneous abortion) occurrence and the risk of CHDs. There were no statistically significant positive associations between the number of maternal abortions (induced and spontaneous) and the risk of congenital heart defects., Conclusion: Maternal abortion history may not be associated with fetal CHDs.

Background: To translate and validate the Chinese version of the Quality Of Life Radiation Therapy Instrument and the Head & Neck Module (QOL-RTI/H&N), a disease-specific scale to measure quality of life (QOL) for patients with head and neck cancer (HNC) who received radiotherapy., Methods: The QOL-RTI/H&N was translated and validated according to the standard process: a translation and back-translation procedure, pilot testing and a validation study. HNC patients were enrolled from the Cancer Center of Sun Yat-sen University and assessed using the QOL-RTI/H&N, QLQ-C30 and QLQ-H&N35. Reliability (internal consistency reliability, split-half reliability and test-retest reliability), validity (content validity, construct validity, criterion validity and discriminant validity), and responsiveness analysis were performed to evaluate the psychometric characteristics of the QOL-RTI/H&N., Results: A total of 238 patients (99.2%) completed the questionnaire. Item RTI23 had 16.0% missing data. Other items had low percentages of missing data (0.4% or 0.8%) or no missing data. The average time to finish the scale was 9.8 minutes. Cronbach's alpha of the domains ranged from 0.41 to 0.77. The split-half reliability coefficients ranged from 0.43 to 0.77. All of the intra-class correlation coefficients were equal to or greater than 0.8. All of the item-own domain correlation coefficients were greater than those of the item-other domain. Confirmatory factor analysis showed that Comparative Fit Index, Normed Fit Index and Non-Normed Fit Index were equal to 1.00. Root Mean Square Error of Approximation was 0.01, with 90% CI (0.00, 0.10). The domain scores of the QOL-RTI/H&N were significantly correlated with those of the QLQ-C30 or QLQ-H&N3. All domain scores of patients in different radiotherapy stages were statistically significant (P < 0.05), apart from the speech domain., Conclusions: The Chinese version of the QOL-RTI/H&N is a valid, reliable and responsive scale to measure QOL in HNC patients and can be used to assess the effects of radiotherapy treatment on these patients.

Purpose: To propose a novel clinical typing classification focusing on the distinct progression patterns of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC), to supplement our knowledge of the clinical-biological behavior, to provide useful knowledge for treatment planning, and to contribute to basic research in NPC., Methods: 632 consecutive patients were retrospectively reviewed and analyzed according to the novel typing system. We considered that NPC can be divided into 5 types as follows: limited (L), ascending (A), descending (D) ascending- descending (mixed) (AD), and distant metastasis types (M). The distribution of these clinical types, their association with Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) serology and prognostic value were explored., Results: 55 (8.70%), 59 (9.34%), 177 (28.01%), 321 (50.79%) and 20 (3.16%) patients were classified as Type L, A, D, AD and M, respectively. EBV (VCA)-IgA titers, EBV early antigen (EA)-IgA serum titers, and capsid antigen lg(EBV DNA) were positively associated with the clinical typing (p<0.05). The 3-year overall survival (OS) rates for Types L, A, D, AD and M were 100, 100, 95.10, 88.20 and 59.30%, respectively (p<0.001). A prognostic model was constructed based on pretreatment lg (EBV DNA) and clinical type, which were independent predictors of OS (multivariate Cox proportional model). The prognostic model stratified patients into 4 risk subgroups. The 3-year OS rates of the low, intermediate, high and extremely high risk groups were 99.5, 90.0, 85.5 and 53.2%, respectively (p<0.001). Compared with the low-risk group, the risk of death was 4.96, 8.75 and 35.9 in the intermediate, high and extremely high risk groups, respectively (p<0.001). The model also predicted OS independently of TNM classification., Conclusion: This novel clinical typing system and prognostic model can supplement TNM classification, and may help design novel treatment strategies, evaluate risk stratification and investigate the varied biological characteristics of NPC.

Background: People with physical disability (PWPD) is the largest subgroup of people with disability (PWD) in China, but few studies have been conducted among this vulnerable population. The objective of this study was to investigate the level of quality of life (QoL), self-perceived quality of care and support (QOCS), severity of disability and personal attitude towards disability among people with physical disability in China, as well as to identify how QoL can be affected by severity of disability through QOCS and personal attitude towards disability among PWPD., Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 1,853 PWPD in Guangzhou, China. Data were collected on participants' QoL, QOCS, personal attitude towards disability and severity of disability. Structural equation modeling was used to examine the effects of the other variables on QoL., Results: Even with a mild disability (mean score:1.72), relatively low levels of QoL (mean score: 2.65- 3.22) and QOCS (mean score: 2.95 to 3.28), as well as unfavorable personal attitude towards disability (mean score: 2.75 to 3.36) were identified among PWPD. According to SEM, we found that the influence of severity of physical disability on QoL is not only exerted directly, but is also indirectly through QOCS and their personal attitudes towards disability, with QOCS playing a more important mediating role than PWPD's attitudes towards their own disability., Conclusions: Unfavorable health status was identified among PWPD in China. Focusing on improvement of assistance and care services has the potential to substantially improve PWPD's QoL. Further research should focus on understanding the needs and their current state of health care of PWPD in China thus being able to develop better interventions for them.