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Surface ozone is an important air pollutant detrimental to human health and vegetation productivity, particularly in China. However, high resolution surface ozone concentration data is still lacking, largely hindering accurate assessment of associated environmental impacts. Here, we collected hourly ground ozone observations (over 6 million records), remote sensing products, meteorological data, and social-economic information, and applied recurrent neural networks to map hourly surface ozone data (HrSOD) at a 0.1° × 0.1° resolution across China during 2015–2020. The coefficient of determination (R2) values in sample-based, site-based, and by-year cross-validations were 0.72, 0.65 and 0.71, respectively, with the root mean square error (RMSE) values being 11.71 ppb (mean = 30.89 ppb), 12.81 ppb (mean = 30.96 ppb) and 11.14 ppb (mean = 31.26 ppb). Moreover, it exhibits high spatiotemporal consistency with ground-level observations at different time scales (diurnal, seasonal, annual), and at various spatial levels (individual sites and regional scales). Meanwhile, the HrSOD provides critical information for fine-resolution assessment of surface ozone impacts on environmental and human benefits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The presence of Bryde's whales (Balaenoptera edeni) in the Beibu Gulf, China has been reported since 2016. In the current study, in situ Bryde's whale vocalizations were recorded. Bouts of frequency modulated repetitive and diversified calls were recorded. Repetitive calls were recorded when 1–3 whales were present within 2 km of the boat and were probably emitted by a single whale and functioned as contact calls. Repetitive calls were divided into biphonation downswept tonals and downswept tonals. Diversified calls were recorded when 4–7 whales were present within 2 km of the boat and were probably associated with acoustic exchanges between or among conspecifics. Diversified calls occasionally contained inflection points, frequency jumps, and break point features. The frequency band of Bryde's whale vocalizations overlapped highly with background noise. Most vocalizations in the current study were different than those previously reported for this species. Therefore, the findings of this study provide more information on the known acoustic repertoire of Bryde's whales and provide a basis for noninvasive monitoring of Bryde's whale with passive acoustic methods and for developing mitigation and conservation protocols to ensure their future viability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Background: Outcome reporting bias has received widespread recognition and been considered to pose two threats to the validity of clinical decision making because they overestimate the effect of treatments or distort the results of trials. However, the problem of outcome-reporting bias has not been systematically studied among randomized clinical trials of acupuncture. Our objectives were to evaluate the consistency between the registered records and subsequent publications with respect to outcomes and other data as well as to determine whether outcome-reporting bias favors significant primary outcomes. Methods: A systematic search of 15 registries was conducted from their inception to January 2014 to identify randomized clinical trials on acupuncture for which the status was listed as 'completed.' The subsequent publications were retrieved by searching PubMed and three Chinese databases. Basic characteristics and the registration information were extracted from the registered records and publications. We performed comparisons regarding primary outcomes and other data between the registered records and subsequent publications to assess the consistency and selective outcome reporting. Results: Eighty-eight trials on acupuncture with 96 published reports were identified. Only 19.3% (17/88) were registered before the start of the trial, suggesting prospective registration. The trial registration number was unavailable in 36 published reports (37.5%). A comparison of registered and published primary outcomes could be conducted in 71 publications (74.0%), and the inconsistency of the primary outcomes was identified in 45.1% (32 of 71); 71.4% (15 of 21) had a discrepancy that favored statistically significant primary outcomes, while 28.6% (6 of 21) favored nonsignificant primary outcomes. Furthermore, the other inconsistencies between the registry records and subsequent publications involved the inclusion criteria (54.7%), exclusion criteria (47.9%) and controls (22.9%). Conclusions: We find that prospective registration for randomized clinical trials on acupuncture is insufficient, selective outcome reporting is prevalent, and the change of primary outcomes is intended to favor statistical significance. These discrepancies in outcome reporting may lead to biased and misleading results of randomized clinical trials on acupuncture. To ensure publication of reliable and unbiased results, further promotion and implementation of trial registration are still needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Deficiency of the organs is a vital pathophysiologic characteristic in the elderly. A core TCM aging theory is known as aging caused by spleen deficiency syndrome (SDS) that can be found in ancient and modern literature.The key objectives of this study were to establish a full-scale trial to evaluate the prevalence, symptom severity, frequency, and distribution of SDS in different age groups as related to health status (healthy, sub healthy, and chronic disease) to elucidate the role of spleen deficiency in the aging process and deterioration of health status. This cross-sectional observational study was conducted in 4 hospitals in China. 1390 participants aged 20-79 were interviewed by investigators who completed questionnaires recording prevalence, severity, and frequency of symptoms as well as other relevant information. The results revealed that prevalence and symptom characteristics of SDS showed regularities with increasing age and deteriorating health status. It supports the TCM concept that spleen deficiency is an important mechanism of aging, subhealth, and chronic diseases. Early recognition of the warning signs and symptoms of SDS may lead to intervention and even prevention strategies for subhealth and chronic diseases as well as promotion of healthy aging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Objectives: Evidence from experimental and genetic studies suggest the existence of a potential link between the polymorphisms of human leukocyte antigen class II gene (HLA-DR) and ischemic stroke. This study addressed the association of HLA-DR gene with atherosclerotic cerebral infarction (ACI) in a North Chinese Han population. Material and Methods: The genotyping of HLA-DRB1 was determined by standard techniques based on polymerase chain reaction and sequence-specific oligonucleotides hybridization in a gene chip. Results: The relative risk (RR) of HLA-DRB1?04 and HLA-DRB1?03 (17) in patients with ACI and their first-degree relatives were significantly higher than those in the control group (RR=2.56 and 18.77, respectively; P<0.05). In contrast, the RR of HLA-DRB1?12 was dramatically reduced in patients with ACI in relation to healthy controls (RR=0.17; P<0.01). Conclusions: These data indicate that the polymorphisms in HLA-DRB1 may influence the risk of ACI in the North Han population of China. Further studies are necessary to validate the observation in larger samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Malignant melanoma is a rare disease in Asia, and knowledge on its characteristics and clinical outcome in Asian patients is limited. The purpose of this observational study was to determine the clinical presentation and outcome of patients with melanoma in China. Methods: A database was prospectively established for the purpose of this analysis. The elements of the database included basic demographic data of patients and prognosticators previously reported in literature, as well as follow-up data including clinical outcome after treatment. Medical record of all patients with pathologically diagnosed malignant melanoma consulted in our center since 2006 were retrieved and reviewed. No patient was excluded in this study. Statistical analyses including survival and multivariate analyses of factors associated with survival were respectively performed by Kaplan-Meier method and Cox proportional hazard model. Results: A total of 522 consecutive and nonselected cases were evaluated. There were 218 cases (41.8%) of acral lentiginous melanoma (ALM), 118 (22.6%) of mucosal melanoma (MCM), 103 (19.7%) of nodular melanoma (NM), 33 (6.3%) of superficial spreading melanoma (SSM), and others were Lentigo maligna melanoma or unclassifiable disease. The proportion of patients with clinical stage I, II, III, and IV diseases were 6.1%, 55.9%, 25.1%, and 12.8%, respectively. Among the 357 cases of cutaneous melanoma, 234 patients (65.5%) had ulceration. The 5-year overall survival rate of all 522 patients was 41.6%, and the median survival time was 3.92 years (95% CI, 3.282 to 4.558). Five-year survival rates of patients with stage I, II, III, and IV diseases were 94.1%, 44.0%, 38.4% and 4.6% respectively (P < 0.001). Multivariate analysis revealed that clinical stage and the ulceration were two significant prognosticators for OS. In addition, extent of surgery and use of adjuvant therapy were significant prognosticators for DFS in patients with non-metastatic disease after definitive treatment. Pathological subtype was not a significant prognostic factor to predict wither OS or DFS. Conclusions: Prognoses of patients with malignant melanoma diagnosed in China were suboptimal, and most patients were diagnosed with locally advanced disease (i.e., stage II or above). ALM and MCM are the two most commonly diagnosed pathological subtypes. Clinical staging and presence of ulceration was significantly associated with clinical outcome in terms of OS, while treatment strategy including extent of surgery and use of adjuvant therapy were significant predictors of DFS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims. The study was to assess HIV/AIDS knowledge, attitudes and perceived vulnerability with potential factors. Background. HIV/AIDS is a public health catastrophe in China. Nurses are expected to care for nurture, comfort and advocate for all patients regardless of their condition. However, in the area of HIV/AIDS, nurses suffer as a result of expectations put on them by their professional roles. Design. This was a descriptive, cross-sectional design that used a survey approach. Method. Data were collected from Summer 2003-Winter 2004. Results. Nurses reported significant perceived severity of risk from occupational exposure. Many nurses were frequently exposed to being stuck by needles (86%) and being splashed by body fluids and more than half of them (59·7%) were concerned about contracting HIV/AIDS. Nurses who had experience of finger pricks worried about potentially contacting HIV and being unaware of it (odds ratio= 0·444, p = 0·004). Nurses demonstrated a lack of knowledge and training in infectious diseases which may be a result of the fact that the study location is not considered a 'concentrated area' for infectious disease transmission; therefore, the need for the infectious diseases training has not been considered urgent. Conclusions. A well-designed educational programme on occupational hazards and risk behaviour should be implemented to educate nurses in suburban cities and the general public. Hospital administrators should implement on-site continuing education on HIV/AIDS throughout China. Armed with better knowledge of both transmission routes and precautions, nurses can protect themselves while providing care to patients. Relevance to clinical practice. Nurses in China urgently need psychosocial and physical supports from families, friends, communities and their working environments while combating HIV epidemic. With good support system, nurses will better educate patients and their family members on how to prevent transmission not only of HIV/AIDS but of a wide range of other infectious diseases as well. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Estimating of the water environment capacity is an important content of the assessment of regional environmental impact. This article estimates the environmental capacity of surface water of the Yellow River basin, Haihe River basin, Huaihe River basin, Jiaodong Peninsula rivers basin in Shandong based on discussing the concept of water environmental capacity and estimation methods. This article selects the appropriate water quality model and determines the appropriate parameters looking the basin divided unit as the basic unit of the water environment capacity, based on the results of the division of surface water basin and the comprehensive comparison of the multiple water quality model. Then the author calculates the water environmental capacity and gets the control unit of the water environmental capacity, the results will be visualized feedback by GIS. The study has important reference value for assessment of regional environmental and a reasonable estimate of the water environmental capacity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Based on the research results of the ecological water requirement both in China and abroad, this study divided the research process of the ecological water requirement into four stages .The embryonic stage of ecological water requirement from 1940s to 1970s, represents the rapid development of the in-stream flow methods and the preliminary discusses of the determination of the minimum stream flow. During this stage the formal view of the ecological water requirement was not formed. The view of the ecological water requirement was formed during 1980s, mainly represented the maturation of the study in stream discharge in foreign countries, the formation of the allocation study''s embryonic of eco-environmental water requirement and the initial proposal of ecological water requirement problems .The broad scale research of ecological water requirement which have been a focus around the world from 1990s to the early 21st century, mainly represented the essential perfection of the conception of the ecological water requirement and the development of the related theory and methods. Since the21st century, the inclined maturity stage mainly represents the further study of the conception and the methods of all kinds of ecological water requirement. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Taking the wetlands on Laizhou Bay′s Coastal Plain of Shandong Province of China,this paper evaluated the health of the wetland by using vague mathematics method. The connotation and correlative theories of wetland health were first expatiated here. According to interrelated fundamental, the paper selected twenty three indexes from the ecological character, unitary function and the society environment of the wetland, and then established an indicator system for ecosystem health evaluation of wetland on coastal plain of Laizhou Bay. The indicator system includes monomial index, subtype index and composite index, and each index measures off four grades according to corresponding standard, the grades are excellent health, health, subhealth and illness. The paper established subject degree of each grade for each index and formatted matrix of judgment, and also formatted the right weight vector of each index by referring to the opinion of experts, and ultimately evaluated the health of wetland ecosystem on coastal plain of Laizhou Bay by using two-grad fuzzy comprehensive judging model. In view of the evaluation results some illness factors of the wetland were discussed in the end. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To determine the relationship between birth size and later QOL for Chinese people. Birth data of 1074 subjects were obtained from obstetric birth records of Peking Union Medical College Hospital. All subjects are interviewed face to face with the 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey scale by trained investigators. Linear regression model was used to analyse the relationship between QOL and birth head circumference of the subjects after adjusting for the childhood and adulthood characteristics. The relationship was described with regression coefficients ( B) and its 95% confidence interval (CI). The mean weighted score of QOL was 88.1 ± 9.1, ranging from 76.8 to 100. Larger birth head circumference meant higher adulthood QOL total score ( P= 0.001). After controlling the adulthood confounders, as compared to larger head circumference (≥33 cm), small (<31 cm) and medium head circumferences (31-33 cm) meant lower adulthood QOL scores ( B=−2.356, P= 0.005 and B=−1.645, P= 0.014, respectively). The increase of head circumference by 1 cm was associated with 0.480 (95% CI: 0.141, 0.820) increase of QOL score after adjusting adulthood confounders ( P= 0.006). This study validated the relationship between birth head circumference and QOL in later life. Smaller head circumference at birth could predict worse adulthood QOL at above 50 years old. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Though cupping therapy has been used in China for thousands of years, there has been no systematic summary of clinical research on it. This review is to evaluate the therapeutic effect of cupping therapy using evidence-based approach based on all available clinical studies. Methods: We included all clinical studies on cupping therapy for all kinds of diseases. We searched six electronic databases, all searches ended in December 2008. We extracted data on the type of cupping and type of diseases treated. Results: 550 clinical studies were identified published between 1959 and 2008, including 73 randomized controlled trials (RCTs), 22 clinical controlled trials, 373 case series, and 82 case reports. Number of RCTs obviously increased during past decades, but the quality of the RCTs was generally poor according to the risk of bias of the Cochrane standard for important outcome within each trials. The diseases in which cupping was commonly employed included pain conditions, herpes zoster, cough or asthma, etc. Wet cupping was used in majority studies, followed by retained cupping, moving cupping, medicinal cupping, etc. 38 studies used combination of two types of cupping therapies. No serious adverse effects were reported in the studies. Conclusions: According to the above results, quality and quantity of RCTs on cupping therapy appears to be improved during the past 50 years in China, and majority of studies show potential benefit on pain conditions, herpes zoster and other diseases. However, further rigorous designed trials in relevant conditions are warranted to support their use in practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract  Quantitative ultrasound (QUS) is a bone densitometry technique that is rapidly gaining popularity for the assessment of bone status. However, few QUS data are available for men, especially in China. In the present study, a random stratified sample of 2927 Chinese men (10–90 years) was recruited, and bone status was established using measurements by Achilles ultrasonometer. The peak stiffness index (SI) value for Chinese men was 103.0 ± 20.8, which presented in the age group of 20–24 years. Pearson correlation analysis showed that there was significant correlation between SI and age (P [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to describe what nurses know about HIV/AIDS in the First Affiliated Hospital of Jiamusi University, Heilongjiang Province, China. This was a descriptive, cross-sectional study. Only 7.9% of the nurse (n = 177) used condoms during their first experience of sexual intercourse. Eight-six percent of the nurses had been stuck by sharps while working, and 76% of them had been splashed by patient fluids. For 12 basic HIV/AIDS questions, the mean score was 6.66. The mean score is 6.28 for 9 HIV/AIDS attitude questions. Knowledge and attitude are negatively related (r = 0.215, p < 0.005). Training in reducing the risk for occupational exposures in this sample is important. Nurses who have a better understanding of HIV/AIDS prevention are more likely to have negative attitudes toward HIV/AIDS. This study suggests the necessity of increasing HIV/AIDS education for nurses, family members, friends, and all health care providers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims. To investigate the distribution characteristics of CYP2A6 activity in a Chinese population and to examine the sex-related differences in CYP2A6 activities. Methods. One hundred and twenty healthy volunteers, 63 men and 57 women, were included in the study. Cytochrome P450 (CYP) 2A6 activity was measured using the ratio of urinary 7-hydroxycoumarin (7-OHC) excreted in 8 h after a coumarin dose. The concentrations of 7-OHC in urine were determined using high performance liquid chromatography. Results. A 300-fold interindividual variation of CYP2A6 activity was shown in the studied Chinese population. The coefficient of variation of CYP2A6 activity was 27.2%. A Kolmogorov-Smirnov test indicated a non-normal distribution of CYP2A6 activity (P<0.001). Probit plots of CYP2A6 activity revealed a bimodal distribution with breakpoint of activity index near 0.47. The percentage of poor metabolizers (PMs) was 13.3% (95% confidence interval 7.3%–19.4%) in this population. Residual analysis also supported bimodality (P<0.01). The CYP2A6 activities of females were obviously higher than those of males when the activity index was less than 0.74, although no statistically significant difference in the activity index of CYP2A6 between males and females was found. However, there was no sex-related difference in the incidence of PMs (P>0.5). Conclusions. There are pronounced interindividual variations and phenotypic polymorphism of CYP2A6 activities in the Chinese population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) technology can obtain one-dimensional surface displacements in the radar line of sight (LOS). In the field of mining subsidence, large 3D movements often occur at the same time, and hence InSAR derived one-dimensional LOS displacements can hardly reflect the actual surface motion in mining areas. To realize the monitoring of three-dimensional large surface displacements in mining areas, a method for monitoring three-dimensional large surface displacements in mining areas that combines SAR pixel offset tracking (OT) and an improved mining subsidence model is proposed in this article. First, a new functional relationship between surface subsidence and horizontal movement combined with the characteristics of the overburden rock stress and the deformation characteristics of the fractured rock mass in coal mining areas is established. Then, a three-dimensional surface deformation model is established based on the proposed relationship between surface subsidence and horizontal movement and the radar projection equation, and finally, the optimal parameters of the deformation model are inverted iteratively using LOS deformation results obtained by OT method to retrieve the three-dimensional large displacements of the surface. The significant advantage of the method proposed in this article is that it can accurately acquire the 3D large surface displacements using only two SAR amplitude images with the same imaging geometry. To verify the accuracy and reliability of the proposed algorithm, two scenes of high-resolution spotlight TerraSAR-X images are used in this paper to conduct a three-dimensional surface displacement monitoring experiment on a working panel in the Daliuta mining area in Shaanxi Province, China, based on the proposed method. Experimental monitoring results show that the maximum surface subsidence is approximately 4.5 m, and the maximum horizontal movements in the strike and dip directions are approximately 1.4 m and 1.2 m, respectively. Using GPS measurements to verify the monitoring results, the root mean square error (RMSE) of vertical subsidence is 6.8 cm, and the RMSE of horizontal movement is 7.1 cm. Compared with those in the original mining subsidence model, the accuracies of vertical subsidence and horizontal movement in the proposed model are increased by 28.2% and 37.5%, respectively, which proves the reliability and accuracy of the proposed method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In May 2017, there was a massive mortality of mud crab Scylla paramamosain in a farm of Sanmen, Zhejiang Province, China. The bacterial isolates from the hepatopancreas and muscle of the diseased S. paramamosain showed the same phenotypic traits and biochemical profiles, and were identified as Photobacterium damselae subsp. damselae in accordance with the biochemical characteristics and molecular identification with the 16S rRNA and ureC genes. The morphological observation suggested that P. damselae subsp. damselae QX175062 strain was a rod-shaped bacterium with singlet flagellum. Bacterial infection tests were conducted by intramuscular injection of the QX175062 isolate into healthy mud crabs, and the results indicated that the isolate was lethal to S. paramamosain with the LD 50 value of 3.63 × 101 CFU/g (body weight). The challenged mud crabs showed similar pathological signs as those that were naturally infected. Histopathological analysis of mud crabs injected with QX175062 isolate showed agglutination and necrosis of hepatopancreatic tubules in hepatopancreas; ruptured or disordered tissue and fiber dissolution in muscle. Antibiogram study revealed that QX175062 isolate was mainly sensitive to tetracyclines, aminoglycosides, macrolides and quinolones, but resistant to β-lactam antibiotic drugs. This first case report underlines the involvement of P. damselae subsp. damselae in the mud crab aquaculture with disease outbreak and emphasizes the need of developing rapid diagnostic methods and prevention measures to reduce the economic loss caused by P. damselae subsp. damselae infection in mud crab aquaculture. • Photobacterium damselae subsp. damselae (PDD) was firstly isolated from mud crab cultured in China. • PDD was identified by biochemical and phylogenetic analyses. • The pathogenicity of isolated PDD to mud crab was confirmed by challenge experiments. • Histopathological analysis of mud crabs injected with PDD showed pathological changes in hepatopancreas and muscle. • The isolated PDD strains were highly sensitive to aminoglycosides, macrolides, tetracyclines and quinolones antibiotics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context • Presbycusis is age-related, progressive, and symmetrical hearing loss in both ears. Acupuncture can play a vital role in the diagnosis and treatment of deafness, but its functional mechanism is still not entirely clear. Objective • The study intended to explore acupuncture’s protective effects and mechanism of treatment in addressing ototoxicity induced by gentamicin (GM) in aged mice. Design • The research team designed an animal study, and a mouse model of ototoxicity induced by GM was established. Setting • The study took place in Nanchong Central Hospital, Sichuan, China. Animals • The animals were 48 male, Kunming mice, with sixteen being three months old and 32 being 18 month old. Intervention • The three-month-old mice were randomly assigned to a control group (n = 8) and a GM group (n = 8). The 18-month-old mice were randomly divided into four groups with eight mice each: a positive control group; a negative control group, the GM group; and two intervention groups, the acupuncture + GM group and the drug + GM group. The GM groups were intraperitoneally injected with 100 mg/kg daily of GM for 10 consecutive days. The acupuncture + GM group received acupuncture, and the drug + GM group was injected intraperitoneally with Genadol. Outcome Measures • The effects of GM induction and treatment with acupuncture or a drug on the numbers of auditory cochlear hair cells were evaluated via an auditory test and cell staining. A real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was performed for gene detection. The levels of superoxide dismutase (SOD), malondialdehyde (MDA), and glutathione (GSH) were measured. Results • The aged mice were susceptible to GM ototoxicity. After acupuncture, the threshold of the auditory brainstem response and the number of cochlear hair cells increased significantly. Acupuncture inhibited oxidative stress via the nuclear factor erythroid-derived factor 2-related factor 2 (NRF2) signaling pathway in the mice. Conclusions • The data demonstrated that acupuncture can alleviate GM ototoxicity via the NRF2 signaling pathway, providing important support for acupuncture in treatment of GM ototoxicity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Elevated ozone (O 3) pollution in the warm season is an emerging environmental concern affecting global highly urbanized megacities. In southwestern China, full characterization of causes for O 3 pollution has been stymied by limited observations and the dominant factors that influence O 3 variability on a long-term basis still lack understanding. Herein, we identified O 3 variations and inferred trends in precursor emissions in Chengdu over 2013–2020 based on extensive ambient measurements, emission inventory, and satellite data. Numerical models were used to investigate the changes in meteorological variability and biogenic emissions. Trends of O 3 in urban areas show deterioration (+14.0% yr−1) between 2013 and 2016 followed by a slight decrease over 2017–2020, while O 3 levels in rural areas generally show a downward trend (−2.9% yr−1) during 2014–2020. Both emission inventory (−3.7% yr−1) and OMI satellite columns (−4.5% yr−1) depict strong decline trends in NO x emissions, while satellite HCHO columns exhibit a flattened downward trend of VOC emissions (−1.8% yr−1), which caused rural areas shifted from VOCs-limited to transitional or NO x -limited regime since 2016. Considering metropolitan Chengdu remains VOCs-limited regime over time, the existing regulatory framework involving simultaneous NO x and VOCs control would result in evident O 3 improvements in the near future. Despite benefits from anthropogenic emission reductions, we demonstrate that meteorological conditions and enhanced biogenic emissions over the warm season could partially or even fully offset effects attributed to emission changes, making the net effects obscure. This finding provides robust evidence of reductions in NO x and VOCs emission and informs effective O 3 mitigation policies for megacities which undergo similar emission pathways in Chengdu. [Display omitted] • This work presents long-term ambient O 3 and precursor emissions trends in Chengdu. • NO x emissions exhibit higher reduction magnitude than VOCs emissions. • The extent of VOCs-limited regime gradually shrinks in Chengdu. • Meteorological conditions and enhanced BVOC emissions offset decline of O 3 levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, a Gram-negative bacterium was isolated from diseased Scylla paramamosain and tentatively named strain QX17. The bacterial isolate was identified as Vibrio parahaemolyticus based on morphological and biochemical characteristics and molecular identification with the 16S rRNA and HSP60 genes. In the challenge experiment, S. paramamosain injected intramuscularly with the V. parahaemolyticus isolate developed pathological signs similar to the naturally diseased mud crabs. The infection experiment also showed that the median lethal dosage (LD50) for QX17 was 4.79 × 102 CFU g-1 (crab weight). Histopathological analysis of the diseased mud crabs infected with V. parahaemolyticus showed deformation and basement membrane rupture of hepatopancreatic tubules in the hepatopancreas, and disordered and broken muscle fiber in the muscle. Antimicrobial susceptibility tests revealed that QX17 was highly sensitive to most of the tested aminoglycosides, tetracyclines, and quinolones. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study reporting isolation and antibiotic sensitivities of V. parahaemolyticus from cultured mud crabs. The discovery of V. parahaemolyticus in cultured mud crabs not only adds to the growing list of emerging pathogens in crab aquaculture in China, but also highlights the necessity of developing early detection strategies and appropriate interventions to reduce the damage caused by V. parahaemolyticus in mud crab aquaculture.

The genus Streptomyces is a widespread genus within the phylum Actinobacteria and has been isolated from various environments worldwide. However, little is known about whether biogeography affects distributional pattern of Streptomyces in salty environments. Such information is essential for understanding the ecology of Streptomyces. Here we analyzed four house-keeping genes (16S rRNA, rpoB, recA and atpD) and salty-tolerance related genes (ectA-ectD) of 38 Streptomyces strains isolated from saline environments in Yunnan and Xinjiang Provinces of western China. The obtained Streptomyces strains were classified into three operational taxonomic units, each comprising habitat-specific geno- and ecotype STs. In combination with expressional variations of salty-tolerance related genes, the statistical analyses showed that spatial distance and environmental factors substantially influenced Streptomyces distribution in saline environments: the former had stronger influence at large spatial scales (>700 km), whereas the latter was influential at large (>700 km) and small spatial scales (<700 km). Plus, the quantitative analyses of salty-tolerence related genes (ectA-D) indicated that Streptomyces strains from salt lakes have higher expression of ectA-D genes and could accumulate larger quantities of ectoine and hydroxyectoine than strains from salt mines, which could help them resist to salinity in the hypersaline environments.

Background and Purpose: Little is known about the impact of quality of anticoagulation control, as reflected by time in therapeutic range (TTR), on the effectiveness and safety of warfarin therapy in Chinese patients with atrial fibrillation. We investigated the risks of ischemic stroke and intracranial hemorrhage (ICH) in relation to warfarin at various TTRs in a real-world cohort of Chinese patients with atrial fibrillation receiving warfarin and compared with those on dabigatran, aspirin, and no therapy., Methods: This is an observational study., Results: Of 8754 Chinese patients with atrial fibrillation and CHA2DS2-VASc ≥1 (79.5±9.2 years; CHA2DS2-VASc, 4.1±1.5; and Hypertension, Abnormal Renal/Liver Function, Stroke, Bleeding History or Predisposition, Labile International Normalized Ratio, Elderly (>65 years), Drugs/Alcohol Concomitantly [HAS-BLED], 2.2±0.9), 16.3% received warfarin, 41.1% aspirin, 4.5% dabigatran, and 38.1% received no therapy. The incidence of ischemic stroke was highest in patients with no therapy (10.38%/y), followed by patients on aspirin (7.95%/y). The incidence of stroke decreased progressively with increasing TTR quartiles (<17.9%, 17.9%-38.8%, 38.8%-56.2%, and >56.2%) from 7.34%/y (first quartile) to 3.10%/y (fourth quartile). Patients on dabigatran had the lowest incidence of stroke among all groups (2.24%/y). The incidence of ICH was lowest in patients on dabigatran (0.32%/y) compared with those on warfarin (0.90%/y), aspirin (0.80%/y), and no therapy (0.53%/y). ICH incidence decreased with increasing TTR from 1.37%/y (first quartile) to 0.74%/y (fourth quartile)., Conclusions: In Chinese patients with atrial fibrillation, the benefits of warfarin therapy for stroke prevention and ICH risk are closely dependent on the quality of anticoagulation, as reflected by TTR. Even at the top TTR quartile, warfarin was associated with a higher stroke and ICH risk than dabigatran., (© 2014 American Heart Association, Inc.)

Purpose: To localize and identify the gene and mutations causing autosomal dominant retinitis pigmentosa in a Chinese Family., Methods: Families were ascertained and patients underwent complete ophthalmic examinations. Blood samples were collected and DNA was extracted. A linkage scan of genomic regions containing known candidate genes was performed by using 34 polymorphic microsatellite markers on genomic DNA from affected and unaffected family members, and lod scores were calculated. Candidate genes were sequenced and mutations analyzed., Results: A genome-wide scan yielded a lod score of 3.5 at theta = 0 for D2S2333 and 3.46 at theta = 0 for D2S2216. This region harbors the ASCC3L1 gene. Sequencing of ASCC3L1 in an affected family member showed a heterozygous single-base-pair change; c.3269G-->T, predicted to result in an Arg1090Leu amino acid change., Conclusions: The results provide strong evidence that mutations in ASCC3L1 have resulted in autosomal dominant retinitis pigmentosa in this Chinese family.