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African swine fever (ASF) is a highly contagious and lethal viral disease that causes severe hemorrhagic fever in pigs. It keeps spreading around the world, posing a severe socioeconomic risk and endangering biodiversity and domestic food security. ASF first outbroke in China in 2018, and has spread to most provinces nationwide. Genotypes I and II ASF virus (ASFV) as the etiological pathogens have been found in China. In this study, three pairs of specific primers and probes targeting the ASFV B646L gene, F1055L gene, and E183L gene were designed to detect universal, genotype I, and genotype II strains, respectively. A triplex crystal digital PCR (cdPCR) was established on the basis of optimizing various reaction conditions. The assay demonstrated remarkably sensitive with low limits of detection (LODs) of 5.120, 4.218, 4.588 copies/reaction for B646L, F1055L, and E183L gene, respectively; excellent repeatability with 1.24--2.01% intra-assay coefficients of variation (CVs) and 1.32--2.53% inter-assay CVs; good specificity for only detection of genotypes I and II ASFV, without cross-reactivity with PCV2, PRV, SIV, PRRSV, PEDV, FMDV, and CSFV. The triplex cdPCR was used to test 1,275 clinical samples from Guangxi province of China, and the positivity rates were 5.05, 3.22, and 1.02% for genotype I, genotype II, and co-infection of genotypes I and II, respectively. These 1,275 clinical samples were also detected using a reported reference triplex real-time quantitative PCR (qPCR), and the agreements of detection results between these two methods were more than 98.98%. In conclusion, the developed triplex cdPCR could be used as a rapid, sensitive, and accurate method to detect and differentiate genotypes I and II strains of ASFV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The subgenus Cerasus, one of the most important groups in the genus Prunus sensu lato, comprises over 100 species; however, the taxonomic classification and phylogenetic relationships of Cerasus remain controversial. Therefore, it is necessary to reconstruct the phylogenetic tree for known Cerasus species. Here, we report the chloroplast (cp) genome sequences of 11 Cerasus species to provide insight into evolution of the plastome. The cp genomes of the 11 Cerasus species (157,571-158,830 bp) displayed a typical quadripartite circular structure. The plastomes contain 115 unique genes, including 80 protein-coding genes, four ribosomal RNAs, and 31 transfer RNAs. Twenty genes were found to be duplicated in inverted repeats as well as at the boundary. The conserved noncoding sequences showed significant divergence compared with the coding regions. We found 12 genes and 14 intergenic regions with higher nucleotide diversity and more polymorphic sites, including matK, rps16, rbcL, rps16-trnQ, petN-psbM, and trnL-trnF. During cp plastome evolution, the codon profile has been strongly biased toward the use of A/T at the third base, and leucine and isoleucine codons appear the most frequently. We identified strong purifying selection on the rpoA, cemA, atpA, and petB genes; whereas ccsA, rps19, matK, rpoC2, ycf2 and ndhI showed a signature of possible positive selection during the course of Cerasus evolution. In addition, we further analyzed the phylogenetic relationships of these species with 57 other congenic related species. Through reconstructing the Cerasus phylogeny tree, we found that true cherry is similar to the flora of China forming a distinct group, from which P. mahaleb was separated as an independent subclade. Microcerasus was genetically closer to Amygdalus, Armeniaca, and Prunus (sensu stricto) than to members of true cherry, whereas P. japonica and P. tomentosa were most closely related to P. triloba and P. pedunculata. However, P. tianshanica formed a clade with P. cerasus, P. fruticosa, P. cerasus × P. canescens 'Gisela 6', and P. avium as a true cherry group. These results provide new insights into the plastome evolution of Cerasus, along with potential molecular markers and candidate DNA barcodes for further phylogenetic and phylogeographic analyses of Cerasus species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

INTRODUCTION This study aims to estimate the impact of smoking-attributable mortality of selected cancers, in the period 2010-2019 in Tianjin, China. METHODS A case-control study was conducted to assess the smoking-attributed major causes of cancer deaths. Unmatched multiple logistic regression was used to calculate mortality risk ratios. RESULTS Smoking-attributable cancer deaths were 23709 (28.87%) among adult males and 8648 (13.37%) among adult females in the period 2010-2019 in Tianjin, China. Lung cancer remains the largest cause of smoking-attributable deaths; among men, the death rates were 49.06% of lung cancers, 27.55% of mouth, pharynx, larynx, or esophagus cancers, 13.56% of kidney and other urinary cancers, and 10.11% of liver cancers; among women the corresponding death rates were 31.56% of lung cancers and 10.59% of the mouth, pharynx, larynx, or esophagus cancer, 10.56% of bladder cancers. Smoking-attributed cancer deaths in men increased from 1817 in 2010 to 2695 in 2019; for women, the number remained stable at just over 800 per year during the past decade. CONCLUSIONS At least one in three cancer deaths in men and one in six in women would be potentially preventable through appropriate control of tobacco smoking in Tianjin, China. Effective control programs against tobacco smoking should be further implemented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

INTRODUCTION Smoking-attributed mortality is increasing steadily in most developing countries. The aim of the study is to assess the reduction in smoking-associated mortality following cessation. METHODS Death data were collected from 2016 to 2017. Cases were deaths from pre-defined diseases of interest (65298); controls were deaths from pre-defined non-smoking-related diseases (13527). Case versus control odds ratios for ex-smokers versus smokers were calculated by age, sex, marital status and education with standardized logistic regression. These are described as mortality rate ratios (RRs, calculated as odds ratios), with a group-specific confidence interval (CI). The statistical analysis of the data was conducted from June to August 2019. RESULTS For deaths from pre-defined non-smoking-related diseases at age 35-59 years, the RRs for quitting smoking 0-4, 5-9 or ≥10 years ago and never smoking were 0.66 (95% CI: 0.55-0.78), 0.58 (95% CI: 0.38-0.88), 0.61 (95% CI: 0.45- 0.82), and 0.43 (95% CI: 0.39--0.46), respectively. The same trend was found at ages 60-69 years and 70-79 years. Younger age of quitting (25-44 or 45-64 years) appeared to be associated with greater protection among the age groups: RR was 0.55 (95% CI: 0.42-0.74) and 0.67 (95% CI: 0.56-0.79), respectively, at age 35-59 years. Among the patients who died of lung cancer, the strong protective effect can only be observed when the duration of quitting is ≥10 years. The effect of smoking cessation on the risk of death from cardiovascular disease can be observed when the duration of quitting is 1-5 years. CONCLUSIONS Longer durations of smoking cessation are associated with progressively lower mortality rates from the diseases of interest, such as lung cancer and other smoking related cancers. For sustainable monitoring of tobacco-attributed mortality, smoking information over decades, such as smoking duration and quit smoking years, should be recorded during registration of death. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Granite-related wolframite-quartz veins are the world's most important tungsten mineralization and production resource. Recent progress in revealing their hydrothermal processes has been greatly facilitated by the use of infrared microscopy and laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) analysis of both quartz- and wolframite-hosted fluid inclusions. However, owing to the paucity of detailed petrography, previous fluid inclusion studies on coexisting wolframite and quartz are associated with a certain degree of ambiguity. To better understand the fluid processes forming these two minerals, free-grown crystals of intergrown wolframite and quartz from the giant Yaogangxian W deposit in South China were studied using integrated in situ analytical methods including cathodoluminescence (CL) imaging, infrared microthermometry, Raman microspectroscopy, and fluid inclusion LA-ICP-MS analysis. Detailed crystal-scale petrography with critical help from CL imaging shows repetition of quartz, wolframite, and muscovite in the depositional sequence, which comprises a paragenesis far more complex than previous comparable studies. The reconstruction of fluid history in coexisting wolframite and quartz recognizes at least four successive fluid inclusion generations, two of which were entrapped concurrently with wolframite deposition. Fluctuations of fluid temperature and salinity during precipitation of coexisting wolframite and quartz are reflected by our microthermometry results, according to which wolframite-hosted fluid inclusions do not display higher homogenization temperature or salinity than those in quartz. However, LA-ICP-MS analysis shows that both primary fluid inclusions in wolframite and quartz-hosted fluid inclusions associated intimately with wolframite deposition are characterized by strong enrichment in Sr and depletion in B and As compared to quartz-hosted fluid inclusions that are not associated with wolframite deposition. The chemical similarity between the two fluid inclusion generations associated with wolframite deposition implies episodic tungsten mineralization derived from fluids exhibiting distinct chemical signatures. Multiple chemical criteria including incompatible elements and Br/Cl ratios of fluid inclusions in both minerals suggest a magmatic-sourced fluid with the possible addition of sedimentary and meteoric water. Combined with microthermometry and Raman results, fluid chemical evolution in terms of B, As, S, Sr, W, Mn, Fe, and carbonic volatiles collectively imply fluid phase separation and mixing with sedimentary fluid may have played important roles in wolframite deposition, whereas fluid cooling and addition of Fe and Mn do not appear to be the major driving factor. This study also shows that fluid inclusions in both wolframite and coexisting quartz may contain a substantial amount of carbonic volatiles (CO2 ± CH4) and H3BO3. Ignoring the occurrence of these components can result in significant overestimation of apparent salinity and miscalculation of LAICP-MS elemental concentrations. We suggest that these effects should be considered critically to avoid misinterpretation of fluid inclusion data, especially for granite-related tungsten-tin deposits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Dehua gold ore-field, located in the central-eastern Fujian Province, SE China, is an important part of the renowned Dehua-Youxi-Yongtai gold ore production area. The ore-field contains several low-intermediate sulphidation epithermal gold deposits and numerous gold-bearing mineralized bodies. The extensive presence of intensely altered rocks, suitable structural environment, acidic intrusions and volcanic-subvolcanic rocks indicates an important potential for epithermal gold mineralization. In this work, fluid inclusion homogenization temperature and alteration mapping was carried out by fluid inclusion microthermometry in quartz and identification of alteration minerals closely related to the known mineralization. The result shows the trend of temperature contour curves as well as the shape of low argillic alteration zones implying that the area north of Qiucun might be profitable for future mineral exploration. The fluid and alteration mapping, in combination with soil geochemical mapping, defines the architecture of the epithermal-porphyry ore-forming system in the Dehua ore-field. Finally, the presence of intensely altered areas, high value zones of hydrothermal fluid flows and combined anomaly areas of multi-element association indicate that the region north of Qiucun has an important potential as a preferred target area for gold prospecting in the Dehua ore-field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A long-term (1, 3, and 6 months) outdoor exposure test was performed for lead-free hot air solder leveling printed circuit boards (PCB-HASL) in typical environments in China and the corrosion behavior and mechanism of outdoor PCB-HASL were investigated. In a dry environment PCB-HASL corroded slightly, because of the protective effect of surface oxide films. Corrosion spread from places where dust particles were deposited or mold spores were adsorbed. Under the combined effects of humidity and contamination, large amounts of granular corrosion products with a loose structure were generated, greatly reducing the protective effect of the Sn layer. Furthermore, protection of the edges of the plates was poor, and corrosion products from these regions migrated rapidly on the FR-4 board. When a 12 V electrical bias was applied, Sn and Cu migrated simultaneously. In the electrochemical migration process the effect of humidity was much more critical than that of contamination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Intracranial atherosclerotic disease (ICAD) accounts for 33-50% of all ischemic strokes in the Asian population (1) and represents an important public health issue in China. The results of the SAMMPRIS trial alarmed most experienced interventionalists in China for two reasons. Firstly, the high complication rate in the stenting arm (20% the first year) was higher than expected. Secondly, the recurrent stroke rate in the aggressive medical treatment arm at 12.2% during the first year was unacceptably high, not to mention the fact that such tight vascular risk factor control is difficult to achieve for many patients in real life clinical experience, at least in China. The experience of treating ICAD in China, gained over the last two decades, is very rich and promising. We intend to highlight these past experiences and address future trials and trends in China. We will also address our criticism of the SAMMPRIS trial design in order to better design a future trial. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Between September 17 and October 3, 2009, hundreds of workers employed in a manufacturing factory in Shenzhen, a city in south China developed a sudden onset of acute gastroenteritis. A retrospective cohort study is designed to identify the risk factors and control this outbreak. Methods: Information on demographic characteristics, working place, the history of contact with a person having diarrhea and/or vomiting, drink water preference and frequency, eating in the company cafeteria or outside the company, hand-washing habits and eating habits is included. Furthermore, in order to find the contamination source, we investigated the environment around the underground reservoir and collected water samples from the junction between municipal supply water system and underground reservoir to test potential bacteria and virus, examine the seepage tracks on the wall of the underground reservoir from the side of septic tank, and check the integrity and attitude of this lid. Relative risk was presented and Chi-square test was performed. All the analyses were performed with OpenEpi software version 2.3.1 online. Results: The cohort study demonstrated that the workers who had direct drink water were 3.0 fold more likely to suffer from acute gastroenteritis than those who consumed commercial bottled water. The direct drinking water, water of the tank of buildings, and the underground reservoir were positive only for norovirus. Norovirus was also detected from stool and rectal swab samples from patients with acute gastroenteritis. The underground reservoir was found to be the primary contamination source. Further environmental investigation showed that the norovirus contaminated substance entered into the underground reservoir via access holes in lid covering this underground reservoir. Conclusion: This acute gastroenteritis outbreak was caused by the secondary supply system contaminated by norovirus in this factory. The outbreak of gastroenteritis cases caused by norovirus frequently occurred in China due to a lack of surveillance and supervision, and due to faults in the construction of such water systems. Therefore, more attentions should pay to the secondary supply water system in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dysregulation of the complement system has been linked to pathogenesis of hypertension. However, whether genetic changes of complement factor H (CFH) and its related genes are associated with hypertension is unknown. We genotyped three SNPs in the CFH gene cluster that are closely linked to age-related macular degeneration, namely rs1061170 (Y402H), rs2274700 (A473A) and rs7542235 (CFHR1-3Δ), and tested for their associations with blood pressure and hypertension risk in a population-based cohort including 3,210 unrelated Chinese Hans (50-70 years of age) from Beijing and Shanghai. We found that rs2274700 (A473A) and rs7542235 (CFHR1-3Δ) were both significantly associated with diastolic blood pressure (DBP) (β = 0.632-1.431, P⩽0.038) and systolic blood pressure (SBP) (β= 1.567-4.445, P⩽0.008), and rs2274700 (A473A) was associated with hypertension risk (OR [95%CI]: 1.175 [1.005-1.373], P = 0.048). Notably, the associations of rs2274700 (A473A) with DBP (P = 2.1610-3), SBP (P=8610-5) and hypertension risk (P = 7.9610-3) were significant only in the individuals with low CRP levels (<2.0 mg/l), but not in those with RP levels ⩾2.0 mg/l (P⩾0.0807) (P for interaction ⩽0.0467). However, no significant association between rs1061170 (Y402H) and blood pressure or hypertension risk was observed (P⩾0.259). In conclusion, our results suggest that genetic variations in CFH and its related genes may contribute to hypertension risk in Chinese Hans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a detailed study of a beach nourishment project in Beidaihe, China. The study consists of a detailed assessment of a small-scale trial project that was carried out during May to June in 2008 to create two bathing sites on West Beach and a numerical evaluation of scheme options for the full project involving beach nourishment, groins, and submerged breakwaters. The monitoring data indicate that the nourished beach in the small-scale project was slowly eroding but in February of the following year the beach was still 20 m wider than it was before the project. The long-term shoreline evolution was then predicted using the generalized model for simulating shoreline change, which was calibrated to reproduce the posttrial project shoreline. The model indicates that without follow-up nourishment, the nourished beach created by the trial project will cease to be suitable for bathing in just 2–3 years. As to the full project the numerical evaluation of various scheme options indicates that the east groin plays a key role in protecting the beach in the long term and the removal of a rock jetty at east end of the beach in 2002 is identified as one of the major causes for the present severe erosion of West Beach. On the basis of the simulation results an optimum scheme for the project is proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This brief essay provides an introduction in historical context for subsequent Chinese translations of two contrasting contributions that focus on the science of singing. The first is the translation of a chapter from a classic book by Dr. Jun-Qing Lin who was a pioneer in vocal science research in China. The second is a translation of a more recent contribution by Dr.Jing Wu who reports on and compares acoustical analyses of several examples of Chinese and Western Singing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Jinchen is a native sweet cultivar of Citrus sinensis and one of the most important varieties used in orange juice processing in China. The study of flavor components of Jinchen orange juice has not been carried out before. In this paper, the color characteristics, pH value, total soluble solids, total acids, as well as organic acids and sugars were determined in Jinchen orange juice from different parts of fruit (peeled juice, pulp juice, whole fruit juice). The color characteristics were significantly different among three types of Jinchen orange juice. The level of vitamin C and total soluble solids/total acids ratio (TSS/TA) is higher in whole fruit juice. The organic acids and sugars also changed. Pulp juice is rich in the highest amounts of organic acids and sugars. Volatiles from three juices were studied using the solid phase microextraction (SPME) combined with gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. The whole fruit juice has the highest amount of volatile compounds (53.07 mg/L) followed by peeled juice (51.044 mg/L) and pulp juice (27.107 mg/L). Some differences in the constituents of the volatile compounds of three type juices were observed. These results indicated that volatile compounds and quality properties differed in Jinchen orange juice from different parts of fruit. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS The peeled orange fruits are usually used for juice processing. Great amounts of aroma components with intensive odor are located in the peel of orange. The aroma of pulp possessing weak fresh citrus odor is different from peel. The different parts of the orange utilized in processing have direct impact on juice quality. It is very essential to obtain the data of chemical and physical properties in juice from different parts of orange fruit. The quality information could be used to modify the orange aroma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses a study on road slope stabilization in China's mountainous regions, highlighting the severe landscape fragmentation caused by exposed road slopes and the need for long-term strategies to restore and stabilize them. It mentions that the short-term measures like slope leveling, artificial soil, and soil reinforcement mesh installation offer some protection, challenges such as corrosion of the mesh underscore the importance of investing in research.

The present study aimed to investigate the therapeutic effect of monoammonium glycyrrhizinate (MAG) on lipopolysaccharide- (LPS-) induced acute lung injury (ALI) in mice and possible mechanism. Acute lung injury was induced in BALB/c mice by intratracheal instillation of LPS, and MAG was injected intraperitoneally 1 h prior to LPS administration. After ALI, the histopathology of lungs, lung wet/dry weight ratio, protein concentration, and inflammatory cells in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) were determined. The levels of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and interleukin-1β (IL-1β) in the BALF were measured by ELISA. The activation of NF-κB p65 and IκB-α of lung homogenate was detected by Western blot. Pretreatment with MAG attenuated lung histopathological damage induced by LPS and decreased lung wet/dry weight ratio and the concentrations of protein in BALF. At the same time, MAG reduced the number of inflammatory cells in lung and inhibited the production of TNF-α and IL-1β in BALF. Furthermore, we demonstrated that MAG suppressed activation of NF-κB signaling pathway induced by LPS in lung. The results suggested that the therapeutic mechanism of MAG on ALI may be attributed to the inhibition of NF-κB signaling pathway. Monoammonium glycyrrhizinate may be a potential therapeutic reagent for ALI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective. To examine and describe coronary heart disease (CHD) mortality and its pattern of change (trend) by sex, age, and area of residence (urban versus rural) in Tianjin, China, within the context of epidemiological transition, and compare it with current trends in the Americas and Europe. Methods. A total of 104 393 cases of CHD death in Tianjin occurring between 1999 and 2008 were monitored. Death due to CHD was coded using International Classification of Diseases (ICD) standards (ninth and tenth revisions). Standardized CHD mortality rates and their trends were analyzed by age, sex, and urban versus rural residence. Results. During the 10-year study period, the proportion of total deaths due to CHD in Tianjin increased significantly (from 16% to 24%) and age-standardized CHD mortality increased slightly (with no statistical differences), in contrast to CHD mortality trends in various countries in the Americas and Europe, which are declining. No difference was found in Tianjin's CHD mortality trend by sex. Overall CHD mortality was consistently higher among older age groups, males, and residents of urban areas. The proportion of CHD deaths occurring outside hospitals was 55.81%, with a declining trend over the study period. Rural areas had a higher proportion of outside-hospital CHD mortality than urban areas, but no difference was found across age groups. Conclusions. From 1999 to 2008, CHD mortality in Tianjin varied by sex, age, and urban versus rural area of residence. Future research to identify CHD risk factors and the populations most vulnerable to the disease is recommended to help strengthen CHD prevention. Strategies for CHD control similar to those used in various developed countries in the Americas and Europe should be developed to reduce the CHD burden in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Chewable areca products are popular in Asian countries, including India, Pakistan, Malaysia, and China. The major alkaloids present in areca products are guvacine, arecaidine, guvacoline, and arecoline which cause carcinogenicity and addiction., Objective: The objective of this study was the quantitative analysis of the alkaloid content of areca chewable products from different countries and regions using HPLC-UV, as well as the benefit of their safety evaluation products., Method: An HPLC-UV method was established for qualitative and quantitative analyses of 65 batches of areca chewable products from different countries and regions. Additionally, similarity evaluation of chromatographic fingerprints was applied for data analysis., Results: These results reveal a significant variation in the levels of areca alkaloids among tested products, specifically guvacoline (0.060-1.216 mg/g), arecoline (0.376-3.592 mg/g), guvacine (0.028-1.184 mg/g), and arecaidine (0.184-1.291 mg/g). There were significant differences in the alkaloid content of areca chewable products from different producing areas., Conclusions: The method will be useful in the safety evaluation of different areca chewable products., Highlights: The established HPLC-UV method can be adopted for safety evaluation of areca chewable products from different countries and regions due to its general applicability., (© AOAC INTERNATIONAL 2020. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.)