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Leptosphaerulina leaf spot, caused by Leptosphaerulina trifolii, is a major disease of alfalfa (Medicago sativa), leading to noticeable losses. From 2022 to 2023, we collected samples of alfalfa with symptoms of the disease from different locations in Inner Mongolia, China. Nine fungal isolates recovered from these samples were identified through morphological traits and a maximum likelihood phylogeny based on concatenated partial sequences of ITS, 28S, and rpb2. A pathogenicity test on alfalfa confirmed the pathogenicity of the isolates on alfalfa. Analysis of physiological traits of L. trifolii revealed optimal mycelium growth at 20 °C and a pH range of 5 to 7, with soluble starch as the preferred carbon source and yeast extract as the optimal nitrogen source. The pathogen thrived in V8-juice agar and oat agar media. This study confirms L. trifolii as the causative agent of Leptosphaerulina leaf spot of alfalfa in Inner Mongolia and provides valuable insights into its optimal growth conditions. These findings enhance the understanding and management of this disease in alfalfa fields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the depth of mineral exploration increases, integrated geophysical methods are increasingly playing a crucial role in prospecting deep structures at the district scale. The Nanling-Xuancheng ore district is the eighth ore district in the middle-lower Yangtze metallogenic belt in China. To reveal the deep structure of the mining district, this study mainly focuses on regional high-precision gravity and magnetic data and integrates the interpretation of magnetotelluric and reflection seismic data from a key area. By using a 2.5D joint inversion method with prior information constraints, new insights into the deep structures, tectonic deformation, and magmatic activity are obtained. Structurally, the Nanling-Xuancheng ore district presents a structural pattern of "two uplifts and two depressions" composed of multi-level thrust-overturned and folds formed by Mesozoic depressions, which has a three-layer structure in the vertical direction (shallower than 10 km). Tectonically, the main faults in the study area trend NW, which intersect with NE-trending and EW-trending faults to form a branching structure from deep to shallow. The fault intersections provide pathways for magma intrusion. The distribution of deep-seated concealed magmatic rocks shows the characteristic pattern of "a primary magma source spawning multiple subsidiary intrusion". [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introducing cover crops into maize rotation systems is widely practiced to increase crop productivity and achieve sustainable agricultural development, yet the potential for crop rotational diversity to contribute to environmental benefits in soils remains uncertain. Here, we investigated the effects of different crop rotation patterns on the physicochemical properties, enzyme activities, microbial biomass and microbial communities in soils from field experiments. Crop rotation patterns included (i) pure maize monoculture (CC), (ii) maize–garlic (CG), (iii) maize–rape (CR) and (iv) maize–annual ryegrass for one year (Cir1), two years (Cir2) and three years (Cir3). Our results showed that soil physicochemical properties varied in all rotation patterns, with higher total and available phosphorus concentrations in CG and CR and lower soil organic carbon and total nitrogen concentrations in the maize–ryegrass rotations compared to CC. Specifically, soil fertility was ranked as CG > Cir2 > CR > Cir3 > CC > Cir1. CG decreased enzyme activities but enhanced microbial biomass. Cir2 decreased carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) acquiring enzyme activities and soil microbial C and N concentrations, but increased phosphorus (P) acquiring enzyme activities and microbial biomass P concentrations compared to CC. Soil bacterial and fungal diversity (Shannon index) were lower in CG and Cir2 compared to CC, while the richness (Chao1 index) was lower in CG, CR, Cir1 and Cir2. Most maize rotations notably augmented the relative abundance of soil bacteria, including Chloroflexi, Gemmatimonadetes and Rokubacteria, while not necessarily decreasing the abundance of soil fungi like Basidiomycota, Mortierellomycota and Anthophyta. Redundancy analysis indicated that nitrate-N, ammonium-N and microbial biomass N concentrations had a large impact on soil bacterial communities, whereas nitrate-N and ammonium-N, available P, soil organic C and microbial biomass C concentrations had a greater effect on soil fungal communities. In conclusion, maize rotations with garlic, rape and ryegrass distinctly modify soil properties and microbial compositions. Thus, we advocate for garlic and annual ryegrass as maize cover crops and recommend a two-year rotation for perennial ryegrass in Southwest China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is a syndrome that occurs in the preclinical stage of Alzheimer's disease. Early intervention can be effective in preventing Alzheimer's disease, but further research is needed on intervention methods. To identify interventions that are more suitable for Chinese characteristics and to investigate the effects of motor–cognitive intervention on the cognitive functions of older adults with MCI, we screened 103 community-dwelling older adults with MCI aged 65 years and older in Qingdao, Shandong, China; divided them into an intervention group and a control group; and administered a motor–cognitive intervention to the intervention group for 12 weeks. The study used the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) to assess the initial cognitive level of the MCI participants and detect the effects of the intervention. We found that the cognitive abilities of the intervention group were significantly improved at the end of the intervention, as well as at the end of the follow-up, compared with the control group. The results of the current study suggest that the motor–cognitive intervention we used may improve the cognition of older people with MCI in the Chinese community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) is a leading cause of adult mortality worldwide and poses a significant global burden. Previous studies have indicated a tendency for viral pneumonia, particularly severe influenza virus pneumonia, to be complicated by Aspergillus superinfection. However, the clinical features and prognostic implications of Aspergillus detection in early-onset viral CAP remain unclear. Methods: We conducted a prospective multicenter observational cohort study in China involving CAP patients. Adult patients with CAP from six hospitals were enrolled between January 2017 and October 2018. Within 72 h of admission, lower respiratory tract specimens, including sputum and alveolar lavage fluid, were collected. Comprehensive pathogenic testing, utilizing molecular biology techniques, was performed on the collected specimens, encompassing bacteria, atypical pathogens, viruses, and fungi. Patient clinical data were collected through a unified electronic medical record website system. Results: A total of 382 adult CAP patients were included in the study. The viral detection rate was 38% (145/382), with Aspergillus identified in 11.0% (16/145) of viral CAP cases. Mortality among Aspergillus-positive patients was significantly higher (25%, 4/16) compared to Aspergillus-negative patients (5.4%, 7/129) in viral CAP (P = 0.021). Multivariable logistic regression models demonstrated that the presence of Aspergillus at admission might increase the mortality risk in viral CAP [OR (95%CI) = 7.34 (0.92–58.65), P = 0.06]. Furthermore, Aspergillus-positive patients exhibited a significantly lower lymphocyte count than Aspergillus-negative patients (P = 0.047). Conclusion: Positive detection of Aspergillus in lower respiratory tract specimens might be associated with higher mortality in early-onset viral CAP. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT03093220. Registered retrospectively on 28 March 2017. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Key cities represent the strongest competitiveness level of each province and city. At present, the problem of unbalanced development level of key cities in China is more prominent. Improving urban competitiveness has become an urgent problem for urban governments. In order to study the competitiveness of 35 key cities in China, this paper formulates a total of 27 indicators from the five levels of economic development, social undertakings, public infrastructure, ecological environment and technological innovation, and uses measurement software to draw the advantages and disadvantages of relevant urban development. The results show that the top cities in the comprehensive competitiveness of 35 key cities in China include Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen and Guangzhou, and the differences among key cities are more prominent in all dimensions. The relative level of competitiveness development of key cities corresponds to the level of regional economic development and technological innovation to a certain extent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drought is complex and is also one of the main disasters affecting China. Exploring the response of agricultural drought and meteorological drought to climatic factors helps us to understand the causes of drought. In this paper, we evaluated the temporal and spatial characteristics of soil drought and meteorological drought (SMD) and explored their responses to climatic factors and latent heat fluxes (LHF), and then explained their variation from the perspective of atmospheric circulation. The following results were obtained. (1) Meteorological drought has gradually increased in the Liaohe River Basin, on the North China Plain, and on the Loess Plateau while average soil moisture has been maintained at only approximately 25%. The impacts of drought are very serious in these regions. (2) LHF response to short time-scale (3-month scale) drought performance is high in the dry season, and the regions with high correlation coefficients are spatially distributed and concentrated in the monsoon climate zone. The regions with high correlation coefficients between drought and LHFs on long time scales (12-month scale) are concentrated in the coastal basin of southeast China. (3) Short- and long-term SMDs showed highly responsive and significant relationships with PDO, showing variations in the southeast coastal basin, the Pearl River basin, the northwest inland basin and the eastern part of the Heilongjiang basin, with a maximum correlation coefficient of 0.21 (p < 0.01). The short-term SMD in the northwestern inland region was significantly negatively correlated with AMO (correlation coefficient of −0.19, p < 0.01). the Nino3.4 index is significantly positively correlated with the SMD in the southeast coastal region of China, with a maximum correlation coefficient of 0.23 (p < 0.01). The decrease in convective precipitation led to a stronger association between soil and meteorological drought and climatic factors. This study helps to reveal the changing patterns of SMDs and can also be used globally to identify the local development patterns of drought under climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The environment of healthcare institutes (HCIs) potentially affects the internal microecology of medical workers, which is reflected not only in the well-studied gut microbiome but also in the more susceptible oral microbiome. We conducted a prospective cross-sectional cohort study in four hospital departments in Central China. Oropharyngeal swabs from 65 healthcare workers were collected and analyzed using 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing. The oral microbiome of healthcare workers exhibited prominent deviations in diversity, microbial structure, and predicted function. The coronary care unit (CCU) samples exhibited robust features and stability, with significantly higher abundances of genera such as Haemophilus, Fusobacterium, and Streptococcus, and a lower abundance of Prevotella. Functional prediction analysis showed that vitamin, nucleotide, and amino acid metabolisms were significantly different among the four departments. The CCU group was at a potential risk of developing periodontal disease owing to the increased abundance of F. nucleatum. Additionally, oral microbial diversification of healthcare workers was related to seniority. We described the oral microbiome profile of healthcare workers in different clinical scenarios and demonstrated that community diversity, structure, and potential functions differed markedly among departments. Intense modulation of the oral microbiome of healthcare workers occurs because of their original departments, especially in the CCU. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drought is a multifaceted natural disaster that can impact the ecological environment, crop yield, and social economy through the hydrological cycle process. Meteorological drought occurs first, which then propagates to other forms. This study presents the propagation characteristics of meteorological to hydrological drought in different river basins of China. The main drivers of drought propagation are also quantitatively analyzed in this study. The standardized precipitation index (SPI) and standardized runoff index (SRI) were used to describe meteorological and hydrological drought, respectively. The Songhua and Liaohe River Basin (SLRB), Haihe River Basin (HARB), Huaihe River Basin (HURB), Yellow River Basin (YRB), Yangtze River Basin (YARB), Pearl River Basin (PRB), Southeast Basin (SEB), Southwest Basin (SWB), and Continental Basin (CB) were analyzed in this study. The precipitation and runoff datasets were used to compute the SPI and SRI, respectively. The results showed that the drought propagation time was mainly 1–3 months in China. In general, drought propagation had a stronger relationship in the central and eastern river basins of China than in the western river basins (SWB and CB). Spring and winter had a weaker drought propagation relationship than autumn and winter. Drought propagation was driven by precipitation in the HURB, YARB, SEB, and PRB; soil moisture and precipitation were drivers in the HARB and YRB; moreover, soil moisture and potential evapotranspiration were drivers in the SLRB and CB. This study improves the understanding of the characteristics and drivers of drought propagation in droughts in river basins. Therefore, this study might provide a reference to reveal the mechanism of drought. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Nanling-Xuancheng ore region of Anhui Province is located in the Middle-Lower Yangtze River metallogenic belt. Insufficient exploration and research have been carried out in this newly defined ore district, although the Chating large porphyry Cu-Au deposit and a few middle-sized skarn-type Cu polymetallic deposits have been discovered. In this study, we carried out high-resolution seismic reflection, magnetotelluric, gravity, and magnetic investigations, and constructed the 3D geological structure of the uppermost crust in a depth range of 0–5 km using a comprehensive inversion of the new data constrained by previous deep-drilling data. We hence proposed some new insights to understand the mineralization processes of this district. A system of alternating ridges and valleys is suggested as the major structure pattern, composed of "two-layer structure" of the basins and "three-layer structure" of anticlines. Moreover, a conjugated fault system and its distribution features are revealed in our models, including the Jiangnan fault, Zhouwang fault, and Kunshan thrust nappe. The Jiangnan and Kunshan faults are suggested to have controlled the diagenesis and metallogenesis. Two deep concealed plutons located in Chating and Magushan are found, forming the Mesozoic diorite-felsic intrusions. These intrusions are believed to be the causes of hydrothermal deposits such as the Chating deposit and the Magushan deposit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Gut and oral microbes form complex communities and play key roles in co-evolution with their hosts. However, little is understood about the bacterial community in lizards. Results: In this study, we investigated the gut and oral bacterial communities in Japalura sensu lato from Sichuan Province, China, using 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Results showed that Bacteroidota (36.5%) and Firmicutes (32.8%) were the main phyla in the gut, while Proteobacteria, Bacteroidota, Firmicutes, and Actinobacteriota were the dominant phyla in the oral cavity. 16 S rRNA sequencing analysis of fecal samples showed that: (1) Bacteroidota was the most abundant in Japalura sensu lato, which was different from the bacterial community of insectivorous animals; (2) Bacteroidota, Firmicutes, Actinobacteriota, Fusobacteriota, and Cyanobacteria were the most abundant phylum in Japalura sensu lato. (3) Proteobacteria was the dominant phylum in Japalura sensu lato and other domestic insectivorous lizards (Shinisaurus crocodilurus, Phrynocephalus vlangalii, and Takydromus septentrionalis); (4) Comparing with the bacterial community of Shinisaurus crocodilurus, Phrynocephalus vlangalii, Takydromus septentrionalis, Liolaemus parvus, L. ruibali, and Phymaturus williamsi, Desulfobacterota was uniquely present in the gut of Japalura sensu lato. 16 S rRNA sequencing of oral samples showed that Chloroflexi and Deinococcota phyla were enriched in the oral cavity, which may have a significant influence on living in extreme environments. Conclusions: Thus, based on 16 S rRNA sequencing analysis of the community composition of the gut and oral microbiomes, this study firstly represents a foundation for understanding the gut and oral microbial ecology of Japalura sensu lato, and constitutes a detail account of the diversity of the microbiota inhabiting the gut and oral cavity of Japalura sensu lato. Further researches will continue to reveal how gut and oral microbial communities may be impacting the ecology and evolution of lizards. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prices of oil and other commodities have fluctuated wildly since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. It is crucial to explore the causes of price fluctuations and understand the source and path of risk contagion to better mitigate systemic risk and maintain economic stability. The paper adopts the method of network topology to examine the path of risk contagion between China's and foreign commodities, focusing on the dynamic evolution and transmission mechanism of risk contagion during the pandemic. This research found that among China's commodities, energy, grain, and textiles are net recipients of risk contagion, while chemical products and metals are net risk exporters. Among international commodities, industries have positive risk spillover effects on metals and textiles. During the first phase of the pandemic, China's commodities were the main exporters of risk contagion. However, international industries and metals became the main risk exporters and exerted risk spillover on China's commodities in the second phase of the pandemic. Moreover, based on total volatility spillover index of commodities, the risk contagion among the commodities follows three paths: "interest rate → commodities → money supply", "China's economic expectation → commodities → foreign economic expectation", and "commodities → consumer confidence". [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose. Studying the cytokine profiles in influenza A pneumonia could be helpful to better understand the pathogenesis of the disease and predict its prognosis. Patients and Methods. Patients with influenza A pneumonia (including 2009H1N1, H1N1, H3N1, and H7N1) hospitalized in six hospitals from January 2017 to October 2018 were enrolled (ClinicalTrials.gov ID, NCT03093220). Sputum samples were collected within 24 hours after admission and subsequently analyzed for cytokine profiles using a Luminex assay. Results. A total of 35 patients with influenza A pneumonia were included in the study. The levels of IL-6, IFN-γ, and IL-2 were increased in patients with severe influenza A pneumonia (n =10) (P = 0.002 , 0.009, and 0.008, respectively), while those of IL-5, IL-25, IL-17A, and IL-22 were decreased compared to patients with nonsevere pneumonia (P = 0.0001 , 0.009, 0.0001, and 0.006, respectively). The levels of IL-2 and IL-6 in the nonsurvivors (n = 5) were significantly higher than those in the survivors (P = 0.043 and 0.0001, respectively), while the levels of IL-5, IL-17A, and IL-22 were significantly lower (P = 0.001 , 0.012, and 0.043, respectively). The IL-4/IL-17A ratio has the potential to be a good predictor (AUC = 0.94 , P < 0.05 , sensitivity = 88.89 % , specificity = 92.31 %) and an independent risk factor (OR, 95% CI: 3.772, 1.188-11.975; P < 0.05) for intermittent positive pressure ventilation (n = 9). Conclusion. Significant dysregulation of cytokine profiles can be observed in patients with severe influenza A pneumonia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dallisgrass (Paspalum dilatatum Poir.), a warm‐season forage, is a perennial grass with high nutritional value, good palatability and high‐stress resistance in subtropical regions worldwide. However, very limited information is available on the cultivation of dallisgrass, especially in southwest China. Soils in different areas with pasture cultivation histories were collected and mixed evenly as substrate soil. Pot experiments after fertilization with nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) are used to analyze the dallisgrass growth characteristics, dry matter biomass (DM), photosynthetic characteristics, nutrient accumulation, agronomic efficiency (AE), partial factor productivity (PFP) and recovery efficiency (RE). A three‐factor (N, P, K) and five‐level (N: 0, 48.66, 120, 191.34 and 240 kg/ha; P: 0, 68.93, 170, 271.07 and 340 kg/ha; K: 0, 30.41, 75, 119.59 and 150 kg/ha) quadratic regression orthogonal rotation combination design was used with three experimental plots per management strategy for multiple comparisons within each harvest. Compared with no fertilization, the optimal treatment (OPT, N 48.66 kg/ha, P 68.93 kg/ha, K 119.59 kg/ha) increased yield by 46.3%, but the effect of NPK alone was not significant. This is because OPT improves the morphology and photosynthetic characteristics of dallisgrass, cause the dry matter during the growth period is significantly (p <.05) increased, and the average nutrient use efficiency (7.45%) under the OPT management measures was much higher than the under N, P and K fertilization alone (approximately 2.61 times). More meaningfully, we found that the demand for P and K fertilizer in dallisgrass in a typical subtropical mountainous region of China is higher than that for N. Overall, these findings have important implications for the cultivation of dallisgrass. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To evaluate the distribution of supernumerary teeth (ST) and the characteristics of mesiodens. Methods: Panoramic radiographs of 48,700 outpatients were used to assess the distribution of ST. A total of 142 cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) images were used to evaluate the characteristics of mesiodens. Results: A total of 1.24% of individuals aged from 1 to 98 years were diagnosed with ST among 48,700 outpatients, and males had a higher percentage of ST than females (2.94:1); patients aged 6–12 years were the most frequently diagnosed. More females had ST impacted in bone than males. The percentages of patients with 1 and 2 ST were 0.949 and 0.290%, respectively. The most frequent location, crown direction, and morphology of mesiodens were palatal, inverted, and conical, respectively. The tooth lengths of mesiodens in males and of erupted mesiodens were longer than that those in females and of unerupted mesiodens, respectively. Inverted mesiodens had the shortest tooth length compared with vertical and horizontal mesiodens. These results were statistically significant. Conclusions: The distribution of ST and mesiodens were both related to gender, and patients aged 6–12 years were the most frequently detected. The length of the mesiodens was associated with the growth direction and mesiodens eruption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This study aimed to evaluate the associations among oral health-related knowledge, attitudes, practice (KAP), self-rated oral health and oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) among Chinese college students. Methods: Of the 2000 participants, 1751 (87.55%) students answered an online questionnaire between October 2019 and January 2020. The questionnaire included demographic characteristics, knowledge, attitudes, and practice related to oral health, self-rated oral health, and OHRQoL. Structural equation modelling was applied to assess the associations among study variables. Results: Among the total students, oral health-related knowledge and attitudes were satisfactory, while the oral health practice was not optimistic. The final model showed satisfactory fitness to the data. Oral health knowledge was associated with attitudes directly and positively. Attitudes toward oral health had a direct and positive effect on practice. Oral health knowledge had an indirect effect on practice through attitudes. Oral health practice was directly associated with self-rated oral health. Oral health knowledge, practice, and self-rated oral health all affected OHRQoL directly and positively, while attitudes had a direct negative impact on OHRQoL. Conclusions: OHRQoL was influenced by oral health knowledge, attitudes, practice, and self-rated oral health. Our findings support the KAP theory. Limitations of the KAP model were also found. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The aim of this study was to investigate the association among biofilm formation, virulence gene expression, and antibiotic resistance in P. mirabilis isolates collected from diarrhetic animals (n = 176) in northeast China between September 2014 and October 2016. Results: Approximately 92.05% of the isolates were biofilm producers, whereas 7.95% of the isolates were non-producers. The prevalence of virulence genes in the biofilm producer group was significantly higher than that in the non-producer group. Biofilm production was significantly associated with the expression of ureC, zapA, rsmA, hmpA, mrpA, atfA, and pmfA (P < 0.05). The results of drug susceptibility tests revealed that approximately 76.7% of the isolates were multidrug-resistant (MDR) and extensively drug-resistant (XDR). Biofilm production was significantly associated with resistance to doxycycline, tetracycline, sulfamethoxazole, kanamycin, and cephalothin (P < 0.05). Although the pathogenicity of the biofilm producers was stronger than that of the non-producers, the biofilm-forming ability of the isolates was not significantly associated with morbidity and mortality in mice (P > 0.05). Conclusion: Our findings suggested that a high level of multidrug resistance in P. mirabilis isolates obtained from diarrhetic animals in northeast China. The results of this study indicated that the positive rates of the genes expressed by biofilm-producing P. mirabilis isolates were significantly higher than those expressed by non-producing isolates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Canine circovirus (canine CV) is an etiological agent associated with diarrhea, hemorrhagic gastroenteritis and vasculitis. Although canine CV has been identified and characterized in southern China in recent years, its epidemiology in other regions of China and its precise molecular characteristics have not been examined. In this study, we examined 141 fecal specimens collected from domestic dogs with or without diarrhea in Heilongjiang province, Northeastern China, during 2014 to 2016. A total of 18 out of 141 samples were found to be positive for canine CV by real-time quantitative PCR. In the diarrhea samples, canine CV was detected in coinfections with canine parvovirus 2. More importantly, two different canine CV strains were detected in one sample. Five canine CV genomes were successfully amplified. Sequence analysis showed that there were two unique amino acid changes in the Rep protein (N39S in the K1 strain, and T71A in the XF16 strain). Phylogenetic analysis indicated that canine CV could be divided into four genotypes, and specific nucleotide mutations could be used for confirming the four genotypes. Moreover, recombination analysis revealed that a total of eight recombination events were found in five genomic sequences. Molecular evolution analysis showed that the canine CV has been under purifying selection. This study provides evidence that at least three genotypes of canine CV are co-circulating in China. Continuous epidemiological surveillance is therefore necessary to understand their importance for the evolution of canine CV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction. Hypertensive renal damage is a chronic and life-threatening kidney disease all over the world. The traditional Chinese medicine Jiang Ya Yi Shen (JYYS) granule has been a perfect drug for patients with hypertensive renal injury in clinic for 20 years in China. However, the molecular mechanism of JYYS granule remains unknown in treatment of this disease. Methods. The clinic data were from this study’s patients. The clinical symptoms of patients were indicated by (N-Acetyl-β-D-Glucosaminidase) NAG, (albumin) Alb, and (β2-microglobin) β2-MG content in urinary of patients, and renal artery’s hemodynamic parameters including (pulse index) PI, mean velocity of the arterial blood (Vm), minimum velocity of the diastolic stage (Vdmin) and peak velocity of the systolic wave (Vsmax). To further observe the effect of JYYS granule on renal damage, the rats were included in six groups: normal rats (WKY), spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR), positive drug-treated rats (Benazepril), low dose JYYS (L), middle dose JYYS (M), and high dose JYYS (H). Then, we observed the effect of JYYS on renal function, renal tubules, inflammatory cell infiltration, and small artery thickening, and we explored the potential mechanism of JYYS in treatment of renal injury. Results. JYYS significantly improved the clinic symptoms of patients with hypertensive nephropathy by downregulating NAG, Alb, and β2-MG content in urinary of patients and by decreasing renal artery’s hemodynamic parameters including PI, Vm, Vdmin, and Vsmax. In SHR, JYYS significantly improved renal function including creatinine clearance rate, urinary albumin/creatinine, β2-MG/creatinine and arteria caudalis pressure in SHR. Secondly, light and electron microscopic examinations told that after administration of JYYS and Benazepril, the mesangial region exhibited no hyperplasia and renal capsule did not expanded, and there no abnormalities were observed in renal tubules, inflammatory cell infiltration and small artery thickening in SHR. Thirdly, JYYS exhibited its protective role by inhibiting nuclear factor kappa beta signaling-mediated micro-inflammation cytokines including interleukin 6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α), intercellular cell adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1), and monocyte chemotactic protein 1 (MCP-1) in SHR. Conclusion. JYYS is a promising prescription of Chinese medicine for patients with hypertension and hypertensive renal damage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mink circovirus (MiCV), a virus that was newly discovered in 2013, has been associated with enteric disease. However, its etiological role in acute gastroenteritis is unclear, and its genetic characteristics are poorly described. In this study, the role of circoviruses (CVs) in mink acute gastroenteritis was investigated, and the MiCV genome was molecularly characterized through sequence analysis. Detection results demonstrated that MiCV was the only pathogen found in this infection. MiCVs and previously characterized CVs shared genome organizational features, including the presence of (i) a potential stem-loop/nonanucleotide motif that is considered to be the origin of virus DNA replication; (ii) two major inversely arranged open reading frames encoding putative replication-associated proteins (Rep) and a capsid protein; (iii) direct and inverse repeated sequences within the putative 5ʹ region; and (iv) motifs in Rep. Pairwise comparisons showed that the capsid proteins of MiCV shared the highest amino acid sequence identity with those of porcine CV (PCV) 2 (45.4%) and bat CV (BatCV) 1 (45.4%). The amino acid sequence identity levels of Rep shared by MiCV with BatCV 1 (79.7%) and dog CV (dogCV) (54.5%) were broadly similar to those with starling CV (51.1%) and PCVs (46.5%). Phylogenetic analysis indicated that MiCVs were more closely related to mammalian CVs, such as BatCV, PCV, and dogCV, than to other animal CVs. Among mammalian CVs, MiCV and BatCV 1 were the most closely related. This study could contribute to understanding the potential pathogenicity of MiCV and the evolutionary and pathogenic characteristics of mammalian CVs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, a life cycle analysis (LCA) of bioethanol production from corn stover is carried out under Chinese context. Three scenarios were developed and assessed based on current and future technology levels of the ethanol conversion process. Well-to-pump (WTP) and well-to-wheels (WTW) results are presented in this paper via functional units of 1 MJ of ethanol produced, 1 MJ of E100 produced and used, and 1 km of distance driven by a light-duty vehicle on E10 fuel, respectively. It was calculated that for 1 MJ of E100, the WTW Greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reduction relative to gasoline reaches 52%–55%, and the savings of fossil fuel and petroleum fuel reach 72%–76% and 74%–85%, respectively. For 1 MJ of ethanol produced, GHG emissions occurred in ethanol conversion process account for 51%–55%, and the contribution of chemical inputs reaches 36%–37% of the total life cycle GHG emissions. Furthermore, the life cycle results were found to be highly sensitive to allocation methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Scenario-based analysis is conducted on the long-term projections of liquid biofuels in China for transport fuels. The key influencing factors during each period are assessed. Driven by the transport energy demand growth, increasing price of crude oil and technological progress, liquid biofuels are expected to develop rapidly in the medium and long term. Meanwhile, it is projected that the utilization of liquid biofuels will be full of uncertainties, with wide range of 45 Million ton of oil equivalent (Mtoe) to 120 Mtoe by 2050. At different times, critical factors significantly differ. In the long term (2030–2050), the development of liquid biofuels is highly dependent on the availability of biomass resources. In the medium term (2020–2030), biomass availability and feedstock price are critical. In the near term (current–2020), the feedstock price of 1.5 generation liquid biofuels is critical. In 2050, the utilization of liquid biofuels can reduce 1–7% of overseas oil dependence ratio, 100–370 million tons of CO 2 emission. Market-based instruments, i.e., carbon pricing policy and excise tax preferences, can stimulate the medium- and long-term development of biofuels. However, in the near-term, subsidies are highly necessary. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Relict plants, remnants of Tertiary flora, survived geochronological ages, however, studies intended to ascertain the background of their fungal symbionts are limited. Different from many other relict plants, Gymnocarpos przewalskii Maxim. inhabits arid deserts region, mainly distributed in northwest China. In order to inquire the arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) associated to G. przewalskii and their ecological significance in desert ecosystems, the seasonal dynamics of AMF and glomalin were surveyed in Anxi and Minqin in Gansu Province, northwest China. Soil samples in the rhizosphere of G. przewalskii were collected in July, September and December 2019, respectively. In total, 41 and 46 AMF species were identified via morphological techniques in Anxi and Minqin, respectively. Meanwhile, high throughput sequencing (HTS) data diagnosed 29 and 61 AMF OTUs in Anxi and Minqin, respectively. Glomus was the dominant genus in different seasons and locations in both morphological investigation and HTS data. AMF colonization (44.67–75.30%) and spore densities (19–248 per 20 g soil) varied sharply among seasons and locations. AMF colonization and spore densities showed significant positive correlations to most edaphic factors, except soil carbon: nitrogen ratio. Glomalin-related soil protein (GRSP) dramatically contributed to local soil carbon pool (51.54% in Anxi, 40.37% in Minqin), and the GRSP contents in soil were significantly affected by soil properties, season, and location. Random forest analysis indicated that soil humidity and total GRSP were the main factors shaping AMF communities. Our results showed that AMF colonization, spore density, and species diversity were higher and AMF community composition was less variable in Minqin where the soil nutrition levels were lower, which emphasized the necessity of AMF symbiosis for plants in harsh environments. The present research demonstrated the seasonal dynamics of soil AMF communities and glomalin and determined influential environmental factors in desert ecosystems. Our findings provide novel views on desert soil resource management and relict plant protection from an aspect of plant-AMF symbiosis. • Gymnocarpos przewalskii is a typical relict plant in the desert region of northwest China. • The colonization and structure of AMF have obvious seasonal and location heterogeneity. • Glomus spp. dominated AMF communities in desert soil across all seasons. • Glomalin might be useful indicators for evaluating soil quality and desertification. • Seasonal and location changes drive specific soil properties affected AMF community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – This paper aims to discuss and demonstrate the synergies between the western concept of corporate social responsibility that is emerging from a background of individualism and market competition, and the traditional values of Chinese Confucianism, as applied to managerial practice. Design/methodology/approach – The paper is primarily theoretical in perspective. It also draws upon interview data derived from an in depth study of a large state-owned corporate group in China in order to demonstrate the model that is known as modern Confucian entrepreneurship. Findings – Adherence to Confucian values was demonstrated by both manager and employee interviewees. However, Chinese managers also need to reform some practices as they move into the international market place. As western managers, at the same time, increasingly seek to increase their social capital it is clear that Chinese and western managers can learn from each other. Research limitations/implications – The examples drawn upon in this paper come from a state-owned corporation. Indications are that smaller, privately owned companies in China are more aggressively adopting market models built upon competitive individualism. Further research is needed to develop comparisons. Practical implications – The paper suggests a hybrid model of business management that combines aspects of both western and Confucian-based management styles that are proven to be successful in building social capital. It also suggests that fundamental change needs to be effected through business school teaching. Social implications – The paper urges a more collective view of management that is built upon trust and focuses on employee and social wellbeing. Indications are that increased wellbeing generates more cohesive, productive and happier societies. Originality/value – The introduction of interview data provides unique insight to Confucian values in practice in a modern Chinese company. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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The newly exploited Qiaomaishan Cu−W deposit, located in the Xuancheng ore district in the MLYRB, is a middle-sized Cu–W skarn-type polymetallic deposit. As Cu–W mineralization is a rare and uncommon type in the Middle-Lower Yangtze River Belt (MLYRB), few studies have been carried out, and the geochemical characteristics and petrogenesis of Qiaomaishan intrusive rocks related to Cu–W mineralization are not well documented. We studied two types of ore-bearing intrusive rocks in the Qiaomaishan region, i.e., pure granodiorite porphyry and granodiorite porphyry with mafic microgranular enclaves (MMEs). Age characterization using zircon LA–ICP–MS showed that they were formed almost simultaneously, around 134.9 to 135.1 Ma. Granodiorite porphyries are high Mg# adakites, characterized by high-K calc-alkaline and metaluminous features that are enriched in LILEs (e.g., Sr and Ba) and LREEs, but depleted in HFSEs (e.g., Nb, Ta, and Ti) and HREEs. Moreover, they have enriched Sr–Nd–Hf isotopic compositions (with whole-rock (87Sr/86Sr)i ratios (0.706666−0.706714), negative εNd(t) values of −9.1 to −8.6, negative zircon εHf(t) values of −12.2 to −6.7, and two-stage Hf model ages (TDM2) between 1.5 and 2.0 Ga). However, compared to host rocks, the granodiorite porphyry with MMEs shows variable geochemical compositions, e.g., high Mg#, Cr, Ni, and V contents and enriched with LILEs. In addition, they have more depleted ISr, εNd(t), and εHf(t) values (0.706025 to 0.706269, −6.4 to −7.4, and −10.6 to −5.7, respectively), overlapping with regions of Early Cretaceous mafic rocks derived from enriched lithospheric mantle in the MLYRB. Coupled with significant disequilibrium textures and geochemical features of host rocks and MMEs, we propose that those rocks have resulted from mixing the felsic lower crust-derived magma and the mafic magma generated from the enriched mantle. The mixed magmas subsequently rose to shallow crust to form the ore-bearing rocks and facilitate Cu–W mineralization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The newly discovered Magushan Cu-Mo polymetallic deposit, located in southeastern Anhui, eastern China, is a middle-scale skarn-type polymetallic deposit with different ore types of veinlets-disseminated skarn (the primary type), quartz veins, and porphyry. LA-ICP-MS zircon U–Pb analyses yielded a crystallization age of 135.7 ± 1.5 Ma for the ore-related granodiorite in Magushan. The granodiorites are I-type granites in nature, characterized by metaluminous and high-K calc-alkaline characteristics. They are enriched in large ion lithophile elements (LILEs, e.g., Ba, Th, and U) and light rare earth elements (LREEs), and depleted in high field strength elements (NFSEs, e.g., Nb, Ta, and Ti) and heavy rare earth element (HREEs), with slightly negative Eu anomalies (Eu/Eu* = 0.81–0.86). These granodiorites show high Mg# (mainly > 40) values, high MgO (1.73–1.96 wt. %) and low Na2O (<4.21 wt. %) contents, with whole-rock (87Sr/86Sr)i ratios (0.708877 to 0.710398), negative εNd(t) values of −5.4 to −5.2, and negative zircon εHf(t) values of −4.60 to −1.37, with old two-stage Hf model ages (TDM2) between 1.2‒1.5 Ga. Besides, they are characterized by high radiogenic Pb isotopic compositions with (206Pb/204Pb)i = 18.44–18.56, (207Pb/204Pb)i = 15.66–15.67, and (208Pb/204Pb)i = 38.77–38.87. These granodiorites are characterized by high zircon Ce4+/Ce3+ ratios (average 893) and Eu/Eu* ratios (average 0.51), indicating high magmatic oxygen fugacities. The distinct geochemical and isotopic features suggest that the Magushan granodiorites could be formed by metasomatized mantle-derived magmas, mixing with materials from Neoproterozoic crust that is widely distributed in the Southern Anhui. This study concludes that the formation of the Magushan Cu-Mo polymetallic deposits may largely depend on an oxidizing environment and multi-sources mixed of mantle- and crust-derived materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: To understand the ecological significance of arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) associations in semi-arid and arid lands, the temporal and spatial dynamics of AM fungi and glomalin were surveyed in Mu Us sandland, northwest China. Soil samples in the rhizosphere of Artemisia ordosica Krasch. were collected in May, July and October 2007, respectively. Arbuscular, hyphal and total root infection and spore density of AM fungi peaked in summer. The mean contents of total Bradford-reactive soil proteins (T-BRSPs, TG) and easily extractable Bradford-reactive soil proteins (EE-BRSPs, EEG) reached maximal values in spring. Spore density and two BRSPs fractions were the highest in the 0–10 cm soil layer, but the ratios of two BRSPs fractions to soil organic carbon (SOC) were the highest in the 30–50 cm soil layer. Hyphal infection was negatively correlated with soil enzymatic activity (soil urease and acid phosphatase) (P < 0.05). Arbuscular infection was negatively correlated with soil acid phosphatase (P < 0.01). Spore density was positively correlated with edaphic factors (soil available N, Olsen P, and SOC) and soil enzymatic activity (soil acid and alkaline phosphatase) (P < 0.01). Two BRSPs fractions were positively correlated with edaphic factors (soil available N and SOC) and soil enzymatic activity (soil urease, acid and alkaline phosphatase) (P < 0.01). TG was positively correlated with soil Olsen P (P < 0.05). We concluded that the dynamics of AM fungi and glomalin have highly temporal and depth patterns, and influenced by nutrient availability and enzymatic activity in Mu Us sandland, and suggest that glomalin are useful indicators for evaluating soil quality and function of desert ecosystem on the basis of its relationship to AM fungal community, soil nutrient dynamics and carbon cycle. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Aleutian mink disease (AMD) is one of the most serious diseases in minks worldwide, it brings tremendous financial losses in mink farming. AMD virus (AMDV) has unusually high genetic diversity, its genomic structure remains unclear. In 2014, sudden death of breeding minks was occurred in northeast China. After clinical signs evaluation and virus isolation, AMDV was identified in all sudden death minks, we investigated the complete genomic sequence of AMDV-LM isolated from the sudden death case. The full-genome sequence of AMDV-LM was 7 nucleotides (nts) or 8 nts longer than isolates AMDV-BJ and AMDV-G. AMDV-LM contained two unique nucleotide changes in VP2 (G79T, T710C), which led to two amino acid changes G27W and L237S. For NS1, some unique point mutations, such as A374C, A428C, A463C, and T476A were found and resulted in four unique amino acid mutations at N24V, H125P, V143P, K155Q, and V159N, respectively. The predicted secondary structure of the 5′ terminal of AMDV-LM formed a large bubble formation near the 5′ end, which affected the stability of the U-shaped hairpin. Phylogenetic analysis demonstrated that AMDV-LM was closely related to Chinese isolates and confirmed that AMDV strains circulating in China had different origins of ancestors. This study was first to investigate the association of sudden death of adult breeding minks with AMDV infection. Our findings provide useful suggestions for evaluation of the pathogenic potential of AMDV, additional details on AMDV genome characterization were also presented. Future work should focus on the importance of AMDV-LM strain in mink infection. • Isolated and identified the novel AMDV-LM associated with the sudden death of adult breeding minks. • The isolated AMDV-LM contained two unique amino acid change in VP2 and four amino acid mutations in NS1. • The 5′ terminal of AMDV-LM formed a large bubble formation could affect the stability of the U-shaped hairpin. • AMDV strains circulating in China has different origins of ancestors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Canine coronavirus (CCoV) is associated with diarrhea in dogs, with a high incidence and sometimes even death. However, there is currently limited information about its prevalence and molecular characterization in northeastern China. Therefore, in this study, we examined 325 canine fecal specimens in four provinces in northeastern China from 2019 to 2021. PCR results revealed that 57 out of 325 (17.5%) samples were found to be positive for CCoV, and the positive rate varies obviously with city, season, age and so on. High incidence (65%) of viral co-infection was detected in the diarrhea samples and mixed infection of distinct CCoV genotypes occurs extensively. More importantly, sequence analysis showed that the S gene has a strong mutation. Phylogenetic analysis demonstrated that CCoV-I and CCoV-II strains has different origins. In particular, we found the CCoV-IIa strains of S gene sequenced and the reference strain B906_ZJ_2019 were highly clustered, and the reference strain was a recombinant strain of CCoV-I and CCoV-II. Our findings provide useful orienting clues for evaluating the pathogenic potential of CCoV in canines, and point out more details on characterization in northeastern China. Further work is required to determine the significance and continuous genetic evolution of CCoV. • The detection covers the whole northeastern China, with a detection rate of 17.5% (57/325). • The positive rate varies significantly with city, season, age and so on. • The incidence of co-infection is high, and multiple genotypes coexist in one positive sample. • Virus detection should be closely monitored in dogs that have completed the immunization program. • Pathogenicity needs to be reassessed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary Objective To evaluate the performance of three interferon-gamma release assay (IGRA) kits in detecting Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection in China. Methods A multicenter clinical trial was used to compare the effectiveness and application of the three kits. A total of 1026 participants were enrolled at three hospitals, including 597 tuberculosis (TB) patients diagnosed clinically (517 patients with pulmonary TB and 80 patients with extrapulmonary TB) and 429 negative controls (244 patients with pulmonary disease but not TB, or with non-tuberculosis mycobacterial lung diseases, and 185 healthy people). Detection performance indicators including sensitivity, specificity, and the Youden index (YI) were used to evaluate performance. Results Through bacterial culture evaluation, 224 of the 517 pulmonary TB patients were positive and all 429 negative controls were negative. When the gold standard bacterial methods were used, the sensitivity, specificity, and YI were 89.7% (201/224), 91.1% (391/429), and 0.81 for T-SPOT.TB, 86.2% (193/224), 87.2% (374/429), and 0.73 for QB-SPOT, and 83.9% (188/224), 88.6% (380/429), and 0.73 for TB-IGRA, respectively. There were no significant differences in the sensitivity and specificity of the three kits. Conclusions The results showed that the three kits had very high sensitivity and specificity and exhibited a good performance for the detection of M. tuberculosis infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Late Cretaceous Nb-Ta mineralization was identified in the Nanling Range, South China. • The Shangbao granites belong to highly fractionated A-type granite. • Three stages of columbite-group minerals were distinguished. • Magmatic and hydrothermal processes were proposed to explain the enrichment of Nb and Ta. The Shangbao mining district, located in Nanling Range, South China, includes a series of middle-large scale granite-related W–Sn–Nb–Ta deposits. The genesis for W-Sn-Nb–Ta mineralization in this region is in fact ambiguous. In addition, the research of the latest mineralized granites in Nanling Range may be contributed to further understand the mineralization mechanism. In this study, we report the geochronological, geochemical and isotopic compositions of the Shangbao granite, together with the texture and element of Nb–Ta bearing minerals. LA-MC-ICP-MS U–Pb dating of zircon and columbite in granite from Shangbao Nb–Ta deposit yields weighted mean 206Pb/238U age of 87.3 ± 0.9 Ma and 86.83 ± 0.8 Ma, respectively, revealing the emplacement of the granites and their mineralization during Late Cretaceous. The major elements of these granites show high contents of K 2 O + Na 2 O, Fe 2 O 3 , SiO 2 and F, low contents of P 2 O 5, CaO, TiO 2 and MgO, suggesting high-K calc-alkaline series with slightly peraluminous signature. Besides, they exhibit flat REE pattern and high content of Zr + Nb + Ce + Y, revealing the Shangbao granite affinity of highly fractionated A-type granite. Lu–Hf and Sr–Nd isotopes indicate that the Nb–Ta bearing magma was formed by the mixing crust-mantle materials. Combined with the previous studies, emplacement of Shangbao granite is linked to an expansional geodynamic setting, likely caused by the roll-back of the paleo-Pacific plate subduction. The principal economic Nb–Ta oxides of Shangbao granite are columbite group minerals (CGM). Three major groups are identified given textural and chemical characteristics of CGM, i.e., (i) Group I displays systematic core-rim evolution from columbite to tantalite, and eventually to columbite; (ii) Group II shows that the columbite and tantalite have undergone metasomatism through the wolframoixiolite, and numerous REE-mineral were contained; (iii) Group III is anhedral columbite crystallized together with rutile. As revealed from geochemical characteristics of these three groups, the formation of Nb–Ta oxides within Shangbao granite display three generating stages, supporting the magmatic-hydrothermal origin. The high-degree fractional crystallization of Shangbao granitic magma is the main factor leading to the enrichment of Nb to allow saturation of columbite. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The ore-forming Qtz-diorite porphyry are earlier than the barren diorite porphyry in Chating. • The Chating adakitic rocks are from the slab-derived with subducted sediments. • The barren diorite porphyry generated from the partial melting of the enriched SCLM. • High oxygen fugacities favorable for the Cu–Au mineralization in Chating. The newly discovered large Chating porphyry Cu–Au deposit is associated with early Cretaceous intrusive rocks in the Middle-Lower Yangtze River Belt (MLYRB), eastern China. Two types of intrusive rocks in the Chating area have been identified, i.e., the quartz-diorite porphyry, related to the Cu–Au mineralization, and the diorite porphyry that is ore-barren. Zircon LA–ICP–MS U–Pb dating yields 145–136 Ma for the Chating intrusions. They both belong to High-K calc-alkaline series, with enrichments of large-ion lithophile elements (LILEs) and light rare earth elements (LREEs), depletions of high field-strength elements (HFSEs) and heavy rare earth elements (HREEs), and no or slightly negative Eu anomalies. The quartz-diorite porphyry shows high Sr contents and Sr/Y ratios; low MgO, Cr and Ni contents; medium (La/Yb) N and Mg# (34.6–54.6) and low K 2 O/Na 2 O (<1) values; decoupling of Sr/Y and (La/Yb) N ; and low Th/U (3.49–6.08) values, thus exhibiting characteristics of slab-derived adakitic rocks. In addition, it has slightly enriched Sr–Nd–Hf isotopes ((87Sr/86Sr) i = 0.70655–0.70717, ε Nd (t) = −6.9 to −8.8, and ε Hf (t) = −7.6 to −10.6) and high radiogenic Pb isotopes ((206Pb/204Pb) i = 18.22–18.70, (207Pb/204Pb) i = 15.63–15.66 and (208Pb/204Pb) i = 38.49–38.97), reflecting the involvement of subducted sediments in the magma source. Therefore, the fertile quartz-diorite porphyry was most likely generated by the partial melting of the slab-derived, subducted sediments and a partial degree of metasomatized mantle-derived magma with crustal assimilation. As to the barren diorite porphyry, it has similar Sr–Nd–Pb isotope and trace element features as the fertile adakitic samples. However, it shows relatively lower SiO 2 contents; high contents of MgO (3.89–4.06 wt%), Cr and Ni (avg. 47.6 ppm and avg. 15.01 ppm); high Mg# (51.2–69.8); and more enriched Hf isotope characteristics (−8.5 to −12.9), which imply that this barren diorite porphyry could be generated from the partial melting of enriched metasomatised lithospheric mantle assimilated with old continental crust materials. The δ34S values of the pyrite and chalcopyrite of the ores in Chating indicate a magmatic-derived source, resembling other porphyry-skarn Cu–Au deposits in the MLYRB. The fertile Qtz-diorite porphyry adakitic rocks are characterized by higher oxygen fugacities than the barren diorite porphyry, which are closely related with the partial melting of the subducted oceanic slab in an oxidizing environment, thus making them favorable for Cu–Au mineralization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: FOXP3 is a transcription factor that regulates the development and function of Treg, playing an essential role in preventing autoimmune diseases. Variation in FOXP3 can impair the function of Treg cells, thus destroying their inhibitory capacity and leading to autoimmune diseases. This paper investigated whether the three SNPs in the FOXP3 gene (-3279 C/A, -924 A/G and -6054 del/ATT) are associated with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) susceptibility in the Han Chinese population., Materials and Methods: The study cohort comprised 122 SLE patients and 268 healthy controls. Genotyping was performed by polymerase chain reaction sequence-specific primer (PCR-SSP). Furthermore, we examined the potential clinical manifestations associated with FOXP3 polymorphisms in SLE patients., Results: The results showed that the -3279 (C > A) was significantly associated with the SLE risk in a homozygote (OR = 3.24, 95% CI = 1.23-8.52, p  = .013, AA vs. CC), dominant (OR = 1.68, 95% CI = 1.07-2.65, p  = .025, AC + AA vs. CC), recessive (OR = 2.90, 95% CI = 1.12-7.55, p  = .023, AA vs. AC + CC) and allelic (OR = 1.72, 95% CI = 1.18-2.53, p  = .005, A vs. C) models. In addition, -924 (A > G) was positively associated with SLE risk in the heterozygote (OR = 1.66, 95% CI = 1.04-2.66, p  = .033, AG vs. AA) and dominant (OR = 1.59, 95% CI = 1.01-2.49, p  = .042, AG + GG vs. AA) models, whereas -6054 (del > ATT) was not associated with SLE. Moreover, the immunological index analysis suggested that decreased complement C4 occurred more frequently in SLE patients carrying the minor allele (A) -3279 (C > A) than those not ( p  = .005)., Conclusions: We demonstrated that -3279 (C > A) and -924 (A > G) were associated with an increased risk of SLE and the immunological index, indicating that the FOXP3 variation is potentially related to the occurrence and development of SLE.

Objective: The aims of this survey were to investigate the public awareness of drug clinical trials (DCTs) and willingness to participate the DCTs, and provide references for propaganda and science popularization of DCTs., Methods: A self-designed questionnaire named "an online survey questionnaire on public awareness of DCTs" was used to conduct an online survey from January to March 2022. The demographic characteristics and the response of participants to the awareness and willingness to participate the DCTs were collected. The factors affecting the public awareness of DCTs were analyzed by single factor and binary logistic regression analysis., Results: One thousand three hundred eighty valid questionnaires were collected, and the respondents' awareness rate of DCTs was 61.1%. Thirteen demographic characteristics including age, gender, education, occupation, work fields, household type, marital status, city type, income, medical insurance, medical expenditure, pressure to seek medical care, financial pressure, both significantly affected the qualified rate of participants' awareness of DCTs ( p  < 0.001) by single factor analysis. Binary logistic regression analysis indicated that education level, work fields, city type, medical insurance, and medical expenditure affected independently the participants' awareness rate of DCTs ( p  < 0.001). 52.9% of the participants were willing to take part in DCTs. "to promote medical progress" (54.4%) or "believe doctors" (31.1%) were the most frequent reasons for subjects participating in DCTs., Conclusion: The public awareness rate of DCTs and the willingness to participate in drug clinical were significantly affected by the demographic characteristics of subjects. Thus, targeting the needs of the public, propaganda, and science popularization of DCTs should be carried out and served public health., Competing Interests: RZ was employed by Xi’an Evidence Based Pharmaceutical Technology Co., Ltd. The remaining authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Wang, Zhang, Liu, Xu, Zhao, Li and Zhang.)

This study aimed to analyze the composition of the total hospitalization expenses of patients with lung cancer in Beijing TongRen Hospital from January 2018 to December 2020 before and after the implementation of the "Beijing Medical Consumption Linkage Comprehensive Reform Implementation Plan" (hereinafter referred to as "Reform"). The SPSS 25.0 statistical software was used to perform descriptive statistics on the total hospitalization costs of selected 1517 patients with lung malignant tumors, and single factor and multivariate regression analysis were used to clarify the influencing factors of the patients' total hospitalization costs. From 2018 to 2020, the total hospitalization costs of patients with lung malignant tumors increased year by year (P < .05), and the average length of hospital stay decreased year by year (P < .05). The total hospitalization expenses of patients with lung malignant tumors mainly include material expenses, surgical expenses, inspection expenses, inspection expenses and medicine expenses. After the implementation of the "Reform," the proportion of medicine, inspection, nursing and other expenses in the total hospitalization expenses of patients with lung malignant tumors has been significantly reduced (P < .05), and the proportion of surgical expenses has been significantly increased (P < .05). The results of the univariate analysis showed that gender, age, length of stay in the hospital, surgery, and tumor location were the main factors affecting the total hospitalization expenses of patients (P < .05). The results of multivariate analysis showed that gender (female), age (<40 years old), length of stay (≥15 days), surgery (yes), and tumor location (right lung) are the main factors affecting the total hospitalization cost of patients with malignant tumors (P < .05). Under the premise of ensuring the efficacy of patients, the economic burden of patients is reduced by reducing the cost of materials, shortening the length of hospitalization, strengthening hospital management, and controlling the continuous growth of hospitalization costs., Competing Interests: The authors have no funding and conflicts of interest to disclose., (Copyright © 2024 the Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.)

English walnut ( Juglans regia L.) is an economically important hardwood tree species cultivated worldwide. Walnut heart rot disease leading to heartwood decay of trees has been frequently observed in a number of plantations in China. To identify the causal agent, 29 diseased stem samples were collected from walnut plantations in Beijing, and 54 fungal isolates were obtained. Koch's postulates were developed, and the results showed that Nothophoma juglandis , a species new to science, was the causal agent of walnut heart rot disease. Granulobasidium vellereum , a notable biocontrol agent, was coisolated with N. juglandis . An antagonistic assay on dual culture and walnut stems (both in the field and detached branches) proved that G. vellereum acted as a potential biocontrol agent against N. juglandis , as it could significantly inhibit the expansion of N. juglandis . The optimal temperature for mycelial growth and pathogenicity of N. juglandis was 26.6 and 27.0°C, respectively, which frequently occur in the summer of the walnut-growing regions in China., Competing Interests: The author(s) declare no conflict of interest.

Since its initial release in 2001, the human reference genome has undergone continuous improvement in quality, and the recently released telomere-to-telomere (T2T) version - T2T-CHM13 - reaches its highest level of continuity and accuracy after 20 years of effort by working on a simplified, nearly homozygous genome of a hydatidiform mole cell line. Here, to provide an authentic complete diploid human genome reference for the Han Chinese, the largest population in the world, we assembled the genome of a male Han Chinese individual, T2T-YAO, which includes T2T assemblies of all the 22 + X + M and 22 + Y chromosomes in both haploids. The quality of T2T-YAO is much better than those of all currently available diploid assemblies, and its haploid version, T2T-YAO-hp, generated by selecting the better assembly for each autosome, reaches the top quality of fewer than one error per 29.5 Mb, even higher than that of T2T-CHM13. Derived from an individual living in the aboriginal region of the Han population, T2T-YAO shows clear ancestry and potential genetic continuity from the ancient ancestors. Each haplotype of T2T-YAO possesses ∼ 330-Mb exclusive sequences, ∼ 3100 unique genes, and tens of thousands of nucleotide and structural variations as compared with CHM13, highlighting the necessity of a population-stratified reference genome. The construction of T2T-YAO, an accurate and authentic representative of the Chinese population, would enable precise delineation of genomic variations and advance our understandings in the hereditability of diseases and phenotypes, especially within the context of the unique variations of the Chinese population., (Copyright © 2023 Beijing Institute of Genomics, Chinese Academy of Sciences and Genetics Society of China. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Blueberries ( Vaccinium spp.) have been considered to be a superfood because of their health benefits. Stem blight or dieback of blueberry has been frequently observed in commercial plantations, with incidences between 15 and 30% being observed in China. The causal agents of blueberry stem blight and dieback were surveyed at four commercial blueberry plantations in the Shandong, Fujian, Guizhou, and Yunnan Provinces of China during 2017 and 2019. Twenty-eight isolates of Neofusicoccum were obtained from 75 diseased and dead stem samples. Two taxa were identified. Of these, one novel species, Neofusicoccum vaccinii , was identified based on morphological characteristics and DNA sequence analysis of the concatenated internal transcribed spacer, the translation elongation factor-1α gene, and the beta-tubulin gene. Koch's postulates tests indicated that N. vaccinii was pathogenic toward blueberry. N. parvum is the other species isolated in this study. The optimal temperature for mycelial growth was 30°C for both N. vaccinii and N. parvum . N . vaccinii , however, was more virulent than N . parvum in this study at temperatures ranging from 25 to 30°C. Coinoculation of N. vaccinii and N. parvum did not lead to increased disease severity. On the contrary, the aggressiveness of N . vaccinii was suppressed by the presence of N . parvum at 25 to 35°C.

Purpose: Elderly people represent a growing stroke population with different pathophysiological states than younger. Whether intravenous thrombolysis (IVT) before mechanical thrombectomy (MT) is beneficial for elderly patients remains unclear. This study compared the efficacy and safety between elderly patients treated with MT alone and those treated with both IVT and MT., Patients and Methods: Patients aged ≥65 years who were eligible for IVT within 4.5 h from symptom onset were selected from the ANGEL-ACT (Endovascular Treatment Key Technique and Emergency Work Flow Improvement of Acute Ischemic Stroke) registry, a prospective registry program for patients with endovascular treatment from 111 Chinese stroke centers. The primary efficacy outcome was the 90-day modified Rankin Scale score. We compared efficacy and safety outcomes using ordinal or binary logistic regression or a generalized linear model., Results: In total, 482 elderly patients were included: 187 (38.8%) received IVT and MT (bridging MT) and 295 (61.2%) received MT alone (direct MT). There was no significant difference in the 90-day modified Rankin Scale score between the two groups (median: 4 vs 4 points, respectively; adjusted β=-0.048, P =0.822). The direct MT group had a shorter onset-to-puncture time (225 vs 255 min, respectively; adjusted β=-55.074, P =0.002) and a lower rate of parenchymal hemorrhage type 2 within 24 h (2.80% vs 6.63%, respectively; adjusted odds ratio [OR]=0.287, 95% confidence interval [CI]=0.096-0.856, P =0.025). In addition, the direct MT group showed a trend toward a lower incidence of sICH (5.67% vs 10.06%, adjusted OR=0.453, P =0.061), procedure-related complications (7.12% vs 12.30%, adjusted OR=0.499, P =0.052) and distal or new territorial embolization (4.07% vs 6.95%, adjusted OR=0.450, P =0.093)., Conclusion: Direct MT had similar efficacy to bridging MT in terms of the 90-day functional outcome in elderly patients, whereas bridging MT had a longer onset-to-puncture time and increased risk of hemorrhagic transformation and procedure-related complications., Competing Interests: The authors report no conflicts of interest in this work., (© 2021 Jian et al.)

Background: Since the 1980s, China has undergone significant social change and the incidence of infectious diseases has also changed considerably. Here, we report the epidemiological features and changes in notifiable infectious diseases in China from 1986 to 2016 to explore the factors contributing to the successful control of infectious diseases and the challenges faced in the prevention and control of infectious diseases., Methods: The data of notifiable infectious diseases in China from 1986 to 2016 were collected from the monthly analysis report of the National Infectious Disease Surveillance System. Joinpoint regression models were used to examine incidence and mortality trends from 1986 to 2016. IBM SPSS Statistics version 22.0, Excel 2010 and R x64 3.5.2 were used for data analysis., Results: A total of 132 858 005 cases of notifiable infectious diseases were reported over these 31 years, with an average yearly incidence of 342.14/100 000. There were 284 694 deaths with an average yearly mortality rate of 0.73/100 000. The overall incidence and overall mortality of notifiable infectious diseases both showed a "U" distribution (ie, a decrease, stable, an increase, stable again). The top five diseases in terms of incidence were hand, foot and mouth disease, viral hepatitis, tuberculosis, other infectious causes of diarrhea and dysentery, accounting for 78.0% of all reported cases. The top five causes of death were HIV/AIDS, rabies, tuberculosis, viral hepatitis and epidemic encephalitis B, which accounted for 76.07% of all mortalities. The diseases with the top five fatality rates were rabies, H5N1, H7N9, HIV/AIDS and plague, with rates of 91.06%, 66.07%, 38.51%, 25.19% and 10.31%, respectively., Conclusions: This analysis will benefit the future monitoring of infectious diseases and public health measures in China., Competing Interests: Competing interests: All authors completed the ICMJE conflicts of interest form, available upon request from the corresponding author, and declare no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2020 by the Journal of Global Health. All rights reserved.)

Background: A high prevalence of autoimmune thyroid disease (AITD) has been observed in patients with autoimmune liver disease (AILD); however, data on the clinical relationship between AILD and AITD remain scant. We aimed to evaluate the relationship between AILD and AITD. Methods: We performed a retrospective study using medical records from 324 patients with AILD, 113 of whom had concurrent AITD. Results: Patients with autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) were more likely to develop AITD (45.8%), followed by autoimmune hepatitis-primary biliary cholangitis overlap syndrome (AIH-PBC OS) (39.5%) and PBC (22.6%). Patients with concurrent AILD and AITD showed higher levels of immunoglobulin G (IgG) (21.5 g/L vs 16.3 g/L, p <  .0001) and gamma globulin (γ-globulin) (27.1% vs 21.9%, p <  .0001). IgG was positively correlated with thyroid antibodies [thymoglobulin antibody (TGAb) and thyroperoxidase antibody (TPOAb)] ( r  = 0.396, 0.322; p <  .0001, p =  .002, respectively). TPOAb positivity was highest in PBC patients with concurrent AITD (83.9%). Patients with concurrent PBC and AITD were significantly older than those with PBC alone ( p =  .0004). Patients with concurrent AIH and AITD had a higher homogenous nuclear pattern of antinuclear antibody positivity compared to those with AIH alone ( p =  .019). Thyroid dysfunction in AILD patients with concurrent AITD was principally characterized by Hashimoto's thyroiditis (65.5%), and diffuse lesions were mainly found by thyroid ultrasound (53.1%). Conclusions: The high incidence of AILD concomitant with AITD, the higher levels of serum IgG and γ-globulin, and the strong correlation between thyroid antibodies and IgG suggest that close screening for AITD and accurate physical examinations should be performed for all patients with AILD.

Background: Contrast-induced encephalopathy (CIE) is a rare disease, whose etiology and risk factors remain unclear and need investigation., Methods: We collected 7 CIE cases from 2646 patients injected with ioversol and 5 CIE cases from 526 patients injected with iopromide, all of whom underwent neurointervention surgery in our regional centers. The incidence of CIE, its characteristics, and risks were analyzed in both groups., Results: The overall incidence of CIE was 0.38%, specifically 0.95% and 0.26% in the iopromide and ioversol groups, respectively; the former incidence was significantly higher than the latter (P = 0.029). The risk of CIE with iopromide was 3.567 to 3.618 times higher than that with ioversol (single-factor analysis odds ratio [OR], 3.618; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.144-11.443; P = 0.029; multifactor analysis OR, 3.567 (95% CI, 0.827-15.379); P = 0.088). Moreover, acute cerebral infarction was an independent risk factor for CIE (OR, 4.024; 95% CI, 1.137-14.236; P = 0.031). Contrast-induced encephalopathy could occur within 5 minutes after injecting contrast media. The CIE characteristics differed according to the medium. In the ioversol group, the most common characteristic was visual disorder (71.43%), whereas in the iopromide group, the most common characteristic was delirium (100%)., Conclusions: Compared with ioversol, iopromide appeared more likely to lead to CIE. Acute cerebral infarction was an independent risk factor for CIE. The earliest CIE onset was within 5 minutes after injecting contrast. The characteristics of CIE varied significantly for different contrast media.

The goal of this work was to investigate the tumor mutational burden (TMB) in Chinese patients with gynecologic cancer. In total, 117 patients with gynecologic cancers were included in this study. Both tumor DNA and paired blood cell genomic DNA were isolated from formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) specimens and blood samples, and next-generation sequencing was performed to identify somatic mutations. TP53, PTEN, ARID1A, and PIK3CA alterations were significantly different in various types of gynecologic cancers (p = 0.001, 1.15E-07, 0.004, and 0.009, respectively). The median TMB of all 117 gynecologic tumor specimens was 0.37 mutations/Mb, with a range of 0-41.45 mutations/Mb. Despite the lack of significant difference, endometrial cancer cases had a higher median TMB than cervical and ovarian cancer cases. Younger gynecologic cancer patients (age <40 years) had a significantly lower TMB than older patients (age ≥40 years) (p = 0.04). In addition, TMB was significantly increased with increasing clinical stage of disease (p = 0.001). PTEN alterations were commonly observed in patients with a moderate to high TMB (n = 8, 38.10%, p = 9.95E-04). Although limited by sample size, all of the patients with TSC2 (n = 3, p = 3.83E-11) or POLE (n = 2, p = 0.005) mutations had a moderate to high TMB. Further large-scale, prospective studies are needed to validate our findings.

Objective: We aimed to measure prevalence of sleep disturbance in patients with differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC) by calculating Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), and compare these data with patients with benign thyroid nodules or normal participants., Methods: Three groups of patients participated in this cross-sectional study. In the first group, 162 patients with DTC received total thyroidectomy, and then 131I therapy. The second group consisted of 84 patients with benign thyroid nodules, who received partial thyroidectomy. The third group was 78 normal healthy control cases. PSQI was used to assess the sleep quality. Inter-group differences were analyzed by Kruskal-Wallis test or independent samples T test. χ2 test was also used to check prevalence differences of poor sleep quality among the groups. Differences of PSQI score and poor sleep quality prevalence before and after 131I therapy in the same group of DTC participants were analyzed by paired T test and Mcnemar's test., Results: Higher PSQI score (7.59 ± 4.21) and higher rate of poor sleep quality (54.32%) were shown in DTC patients than in any other group. After 131I therapy, PSQI score and prevalence of poor sleep quality in DTC patients increased significantly to 8.78 ± 4.72 and 70.99%. Then DTC patients were divided into two subgroups based on their metastatic status. DTC patients with metastasis (87/162 cases, 53.70%) had significantly higher PSQI score (10.87 ± 5.18) and higher prevalence of poor sleep quality (79.31%)., Conclusion: DTC patients suffer from sleep disturbance, 131I therapy and awareness of metastatic status could worsen sleep problem. Psychological fear of cancer, nuclear medicine therapy and metastasis could be one major underlying reason. Longitude and interventional studies are necessary for further investigations.

The worldwide emergence of multidrug-resistant (MDR) and extensively drug-resistant (XDR) tuberculosis threatens to make this disease incurable. Drug resistance mechanisms are only partially understood, and whether the current understanding of the genetic basis of drug resistance in M. tuberculosis is sufficiently comprehensive remains unclear. Here we sequenced and analyzed 161 isolates with a range of drug resistance profiles, discovering 72 new genes, 28 intergenic regions (IGRs), 11 nonsynonymous SNPs and 10 IGR SNPs with strong, consistent associations with drug resistance. On the basis of our examination of the dN/dS ratios of nonsynonymous to synonymous SNPs among the isolates, we suggest that the drug resistance-associated genes identified here likely contain essentially all the nonsynonymous SNPs that have arisen as a result of drug pressure in these isolates and should thus represent a near-complete set of drug resistance-associated genes for these isolates and antibiotics. Our work indicates that the genetic basis of drug resistance is more complex than previously anticipated and provides a strong foundation for elucidating unknown drug resistance mechanisms.