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The concentration of antimicrobial agents in environments like water and food has increased rapidly, which led to a rapid increase in antimicrobial resistance levels in the environment. Monitoring of bacterial resistance levels is considered as a necessary means to control the bacterial resistance. Reference standards are critical for antimicrobial susceptibility testing. CLSI M45 A3 standard defines pathogenic microorganisms that cause infections less frequently than those covered by CLSI M02, M07, and M100 as Infrequently Isolated or Fastidious Bacteria and specifies antimicrobial susceptibility testing methods. Our study investigated the epidemiology and antimicrobial susceptibility testing data of Infrequently Isolated or Fastidious Bacteria strains isolated from blood specimens in 70 hospitals in Guangdong Province between 2017 and 2021. We defined testing methods other than those specified in CLSI M45 A3 as "Non-Standardized." The proportion of standardized antimicrobial susceptibility testing for penicillin increased significantly (Corynebacterium spp. 17.4% vs. 50.0% p < 0.05; Micrococcus spp. 50.0% vs. 77.8% p < 0.05; Abiotrophia spp. and Granulicatella spp. 21.4% vs. 90.9% p < 0.001), while for cefotaxime (Corynebacterium spp. 0.0% vs. 45.2% p < 0.05; Abiotrophia spp. and Granulicatella spp. 0.0% vs. 14.3% p = 0.515) and vancomycin increased finitely. Non-standardized methods were used for all other antimicrobials. Due to limitations in the economic and medical environment, some clinical laboratories are unable to fully comply with CLSI M45 A3 standard. We recommend that CLSI should add breakpoints for disk diffusion method to improve the standardization of antimicrobial susceptibility testing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accurately measuring industrial spatial agglomeration patterns is crucial for promoting regional economic development. However, few studies have considered both agglomeration degrees and cluster locations of industries. Moreover, the traditional multi-scale cluster location mining (MCLM) method still has limitations in terms of accuracy, parameter setting, calculation efficiency, etc. This study proposes a new framework for analyzing industrial spatial agglomeration patterns, which uses the Duranton and Overman (DO) index for estimating agglomeration degrees and a newly developed local DO (LDO) index for mining cluster locations. The MCLM-LDO method was proposed by incorporating the LDO index into the MCLM method, and it was validated via comparisons with three baseline methods based on two synthetic datasets. The results proved that the MCLM-LDO method can achieve accuracies of 0.945 and 1 with computational times of 0.15 s and 0.11 s on two datasets, which are superior to existing MCLM methods. The proposed framework was further applied to analyze the spatial agglomeration patterns of the industry of computer, communication, and other electronic equipment manufacturing in Guangdong Province, China. The results showed that the framework gives a more holistic perspective of spatial agglomeration patterns, which can serve as more meaningful references for industrial sustainable development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Information about the seasonal characteristics of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)‐negative cryptococcal meningitis (CM) is quite limited. The aim of this study was to explore the seasonality and meteorological factors of HIV‐negative patients with CM. Methods: We performed a retrospective study of 469 HIV‐negative CM patients admitted to the Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat‐sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China. Their initial onset symptoms of CM occurred from January 2011 to December 2020. The temperature, precipitation, sunlight, humidity and wind speed for the corresponding period and the associated topographic, ecological type and soil type parameters data were collected. The Poisson regression model was used to determine the meteorological factors associated with CM onset. The geographical detector method was used to detect other environmental factors associated with CM onset. Results: CM onset did not showed a seasonal fluctuation, but was strongly associated with mean temperature (β =.010, p =.028) and mean relative humidity (β = −.011, p =.006). In the rainy season, only mean wind speed remained significantly associated with CM onset (β = −.108, p =.041). In the dry season, mean temperature (β =.014, p =.016), mean relative humidity (β = −.016, p =.006) and hours of sunlight (β = −.002, p =.016) were significantly associated with CM onset. Topographic, ecological type and soil type factors did not add explanatory power. Conclusions: Our findings add the knowledge about the environmental factors of HIV‐negative CM. Meteorological factors, especially temperature and humidity, may be the main environmental factors affecting the onset of HIV‐negative CM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Overuse and inappropriate use of antibiotics are important contributors to bacterial antimicrobial resistance (AMR), especially in ambulatory primary healthcare (PHC) settings in low- and middle-income countries. This study aimed to investigate antibiotic prescription patterns among patients with acute respiratory infections (ARIs) in rural PHC facilities in the Guangdong Province, China. A total of 444,979 outpatient prescriptions were extracted from the electronic medical record system of 35 township health centers (THCs) and 2 community health centers (CHCs) between November 2017 and October 2018. We used the chi-square test to analyze the antibiotic prescription patterns and binary logistic regression to explore patient-related factors associated with antibiotic prescriptions. Of the 162,742 ARI prescriptions, 85.57% (n = 139,259) included at least one antibiotic. Among the 139,259 prescriptions with antibiotics, 37.82% (n = 52,666) included two or more antibiotics, 55.29% (n = 76,993) included parenteral antibiotics, and 56.62% (n = 78,852) included Watch group antibiotics. The binary logistic regression indicated that (1) female patients were slightly less likely to be prescribed antibiotics than males (adjusted odds ratio (OR) = 0.954, 95% confidence interval [CI] [0.928–0.981]; p = 0.001); and (2) compared to patients aged ≤5 years, those who were 6–15 years old (adjusted OR = 1.907, 95% CI [1.840–1.978]; p < 0.001), 16–60 years old (adjusted OR = 1.849, 95% CI [1.785–1.916]; p < 0.001), and >60 years old (adjusted OR = 1.915, 95% CI [1.810–2.026]; p < 0.001) were more likely to be prescribed antibiotics. The overuse and irrational use of antibiotics in PHC settings remain major healthcare challenges in rural Guangdong. Thus, it is imperative to implement targeted antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) policies to address this problem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tropical cyclones (TCs) are often accompanied by heavy precipitation, which may lead to natural disasters and a serious threat to life and property. However, they also provide indispensable water resources. Studying the temporal and spatial characteristics of TC precipitation is of great importance for TC precipitation forecasting, TC disaster mitigation, and water resource utilization. Guangdong is one of the most frequently and severely TC-affected provinces in China. Due to the different methods used to identify TC precipitation, the conclusions offered by the existing studies are often inconsistent. Moreover, their analyses of the spatiotemporal characteristics of TC precipitation in Guangdong are not sufficiently thorough. In this study, we first selected the historical TCs that affected Guangdong from 1961 to 2020, using an objective separation method for TC wind and rain, based on the observation data from 86 national meteorological stations in Guangdong Province. From these observations covering the past 60 years, the temporal and spatial variations in TC precipitation in Guangdong for four different periods, namely the first rainy season (FRS), the second rainy season (SRS), the non-rainy season (NRS), and over the whole year (WY), were then explored using statistical analysis and multiple cluster methods. The results show that TC frequencies in the four periods all showed a decreasing trend. TC precipitation also showed a decreasing trend in the SRS and NRS, as well as for the WY, but showed a slightly increasing trend in the FRS. Both TC frequency and TC precipitation showed an apparent inter-annual fluctuation and a quasi-periodic pattern. The spatial distribution of TC precipitation in the four periods all showed a decreasing trend from the coastal to the inland stations, but the western coastal areas had higher TC precipitation values than the eastern coastal areas for the SRS, NRS, and WY periods. The spatial variations of TC precipitation in Guangdong in the four periods of the last six decades were quite similar, exhibiting three primary spatial modes and six patterns. Among them, the spatial distribution of TC precipitation being less than normal across the whole province is the most common pattern. The 86 stations can be classified into six groups when using the spatial clustering method and into four groups when using the time-series clustering method. Stations with higher TC precipitation and large inter-annual fluctuations are often distributed in the coastal areas, while stations with less precipitation and small inter-annual fluctuations are distributed in inland areas. However, the primary areas that are affected by TCs may vary in the different periods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: National standardized training for resident doctors (STRD) in mainland China has been formally established since 2014 as a kind of postgraduate education. The purpose of this survey was to assess the satisfaction of the training residents in Guangdong Province on the ophthalmology STRD program after a duration of 5 years. Method: A 48-item survey was sent to all postgraduate ophthalmology residents from bases in Guangdong Province to inquire about their attitude towards the program. The survey contained questions about demographic and work-related information, job satisfaction, psychological resilience, and job performance. All responses were verified, and invalid questionnaires were excluded. Statistical analyses were performed using SPSS software version 22.0 (SPSS, Inc., Chicago, IL). Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to evaluate the factors (demographic information, working environment, clinical exposure, supervision and hands-on training opportunities, and involvement in academic activities) impacting the overall satisfaction. P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: A total of 471/635 (74.17%) valid questionnaires were returned from all the STRD bases of Guangdong Province, which included 38 hospitals. 60.3% of the respondents reported overall satisfaction with their training. The satisfaction with operative teaching (60.7%) was slightly lower than the other settings of teaching experience (above 65%). Meanwhile, the satisfaction on different secessions of operative experience was all below 70%, of which in the areas of cornea and orbit were 55.42% and 57.53%, respectively. Some potential factors were found to affect general satisfaction, including the training grade, marriage, working time, income level, the doctor-patient relationship, family members working as doctors, the time proportion spent on writing medical documents during clinical work, and the frequency of attending academic meetings. Improvement was observed in both performing and reporting clinical examinations in the last year of training in comparison to the first year. Finally, 82.8% of the residents acknowledged this training was helpful for future clinical work. The first five career preferences for residents were cataract (67.1%), refractive surgery (42.3%), vitreo-retina (36.5%), optometry (28.7%), and oculoplastic (27.2%). Conclusion: Ophthalmology residents in Guangdong Province expressed comparable satisfaction with the STRD program. To further improve satisfaction, factors such as resident subsidy, harmonious marriage, the patient-doctor relationship, and chances of attending academic conferences should be emphasized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High-speed rail (HSR) has been proven to drive the development of regional tourism. However, few studies paid attention to the impact of HSR on future tourism land use. In this study, points of interest (POI) were used to obtain the locations and types of tourism facilities, and high-resolution remote sensing images helped us determine the spatial extents of the tourism facilities, so that tourism land could be identified. A system dynamics (SD) model was coupled with the patch-generating land use simulation (PLUS) model to simulate future tourism land by considering two scenarios, including HSR-led development (HRD) and the historical development pattern (HD) scenario. The SD model was employed to project the amount of tourism land and determine the HSR effects via empirical analysis. The PLUS model was applied to simulate the spatial distribution of tourism land and model the HSR effect by adopting a planned tourism area as the development area. The study area is Xinxing County in Guangdong Province, China, a county dominated by rural tourism, with the HSR expected to open in 2025. The results revealed that the SD-PLUS model has great advantages in simulating tourism land use change, and the HRD scenario leads to major changes in the sources of tourism land growth. This research provides new insights for policymakers on making countermeasures for the sustainability of tourism and rural revitalization at the county level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Pseudaphelenchus is considered an intermediate between tylenchids and Aphelenchoididae because it has both a tylench-like bursa and aphelench-like pharynx. Three nematode populations within this genus representing two new species, P. guangdongensis n. sp. and P. paraguangdongensis n. sp., were discovered from pine trees in Guangdong province, China. P. guangdongensis n. sp. most closely resembles P. vindai due to the possession of three lines in their lateral fields, whereas P. paraguangdongensis n. sp. is most like P. yukiae because they share a four-lined field. Morphological and morphometric differences of these two new species and similar species are discussed. Additionally, molecular phylogenetic trees inferred from rRNA small subunit and D2-D3 expansion domains of the rRNA large subunit revealed that P. guangdongensis n. sp. and P. paraguangdongensis n. sp. are separated from all known Pseudaphelenchus species; moreover, all Pseudaphelenchus species comprise a highly supported monophyletic clade, which is basal to the family Aphelenchoididae. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Delineating urban growth boundaries (UGBs) by combining the land-use/land-cover (LULC) change simulation method has become common in recent studies. However, few of the existing studies have integrated multi-source big data to analyze the driving factors of LULC dynamics in the simulation. Moreover, most of previous studies mainly focused on the UGBs delineation in macroscale areas rather than small-scale areas, such as the county area. In this study, taking Xinxing County of Guangdong Province as the study area, we coupled a system dynamics (SD) model and a patch-generating land-use simulation (PLUS) model to propose a framework for the LULC change simulation and UGBs delineation in the county area. Multi-source big data such as points of interest (POIs), night-time light (NTL) data and Tencent user density (TUD) were integrated to analyze the driving forces of LULC change. The validation results indicate that the coupled model received high accuracy both in the land-use demand projection and LULC distribution simulation. The combination of multi-source big data can effectively describe the influence of human socio-economic factors on the expansion of urban land and industrial land. The UGBs delineation results have similar spatial patterns with the LULC change simulation results, which indicates that the proposed UGBs delineation method can effectively transform the LULC simulation results into available UGBs for the county area. It has been proven that the proposed framework in this study is effective for the LULC change simulation and UGBs delineation in the county area, which can provide insight on territorial spatial planning in the county area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The increasing demand for electric power is an established trend in China, of which coal power accounts for a large proportion. This paper proposes an inventory hub location model considering multi‐type coal to minimize the total transportation and inventory cost in a multi‐coal‐power supply chain. A second‐order cone programming method is adopted to convert the original model. The exact solutions of the small‐scale real case show that the model can greatly reduce the total costs by CPLEX. For real‐world large‐scale cases, a customized greedy randomized adaptive search simulated annealing algorithm is devised and tested to obtain near‐optimal solutions within a reasonable time. The research has strong practical guiding significance for the management of the thermal coal supply chain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Indoxyl sulfate (IS) is a protein-bound uremic toxin that is associated with cardiovascular events and mortality in hemodialysis (HD) patients. However, the factors affecting the levels of IS are currently unclear. This study aimed to investigate the factors influencing serum IS concentrations in HD patients. Methods: We included 100 HD patients from Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital. Baseline characteristics, including sex, age, clinical features, duration of HD, echocardiography findings, electrocardiogram results, and biochemical indicators, were collected and analyzed in relation to serum total-form IS levels. Results: Among all 100 patients, serum IS levels were significantly higher in patients aged ≥60 years, males, and patients with mitral regurgitation and inadequate dialysis. Among patients aged <60 years, IS levels were significantly higher among patients with mitral regurgitation compared with those without. Furthermore, multiple linear regression analysis identified sex, age, ventricular septal thickness, and mitral regurgitation as factors independently associated with serum IS (STDβ = −0.475, 0.162, −0.153, 0.142, and 0.136, respectively; all p < 0.05) adjusted for body mass index, smoking, and fasting plasma glucose. Conclusions: Male sex, age ≥60 years, ventricular septal thickness, and mitral regurgitation are factors associated with high total serum IS concentrations in Chinese HD patients. Elevated IS levels may play a role in the process of mitral regurgitation in HD patients <60 years of age. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Innovative and entrepreneurial talents are central to building an international innovation technology hub in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and higher education plays the main role in cultivating such talents. In a random sampling, a total of 5,021 valid questionnaires were obtained from 58 colleges and universities in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, including the "9 + 2" cities. The results show that the total satisfaction score of students' evaluation of innovation and entrepreneurship education in colleges and universities was 3.43, which is in the upper-middle level. Specifically, the implementation and popularization of innovation and entrepreneurship education in colleges and universities is satisfactory, and the corresponding curriculum system can be adjusted in accordance with the strategic development trends of the Greater Bay Area. However, there are some problems to be solved. First, it is still difficult to integrate effectively the regional innovative and entrepreneurial resources in the process of innovation and entrepreneurship education. Second, innovation and entrepreneurship education emphasizes theory using a single teaching method, and there is insufficient integration with professional education. In addition, there is a shortage of innovation and entrepreneurship platforms for practice, and the cooperation mechanisms between colleges and universities, society, and government need to be improved. Last, there is a serious shortage of teachers. In order to promote the development of innovation and entrepreneurship education, colleges and universities must establish a hierarchical system based on their own conditions, taking advantage of the innovative and entrepreneurial resources and industrial characteristics of the core cities in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. Moreover, it's necessary to develop excellent courses integrating professional education with innovation and entrepreneurship education, and improve the mechanisms of appointment and performance evaluation of instructors, to establish a good model of teachers and students innovating together. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to investigate the infection of Clonorchis sinensis (C. sinensis) in high-incidence areas of Hunan Province, China. The phylogenetic analysis of the C. sinensis species in the highly infected areas was carried out. Infection of the definitive human host and intermediate fish host by C. sinensis was investigated, and the mitochondrial genes cox1 and Nad1 were used as genetic markers for phylogenetic analysis. In 2016–2020, the average population infection rate of Hunan was 1.38%, while in Tongdao County the rate was up to 26.90%, and the highest fish infection rate was detected in Qiyang County (99.44% in the dorsal fin of crucian carp). High genetic sequence similarity was observed in the samples from Qiyang and Lengshuitan which exhibited high homology with those from Guangdong and Gansu, whereas the parasitic species from Tongdao was highly homologous with those located in high-latitude areas. Moreover, no significant difference was found in the gene sequence of the parasitic species in definitive hosts dogs and cats. The systematically study of C. sinensis infection in the high-incidence areas will contribute greatly to the prevention and effectively controlling the spread of Clonorchis sinensis in Hunan Province The endemic of C. sinensis infection in Hunan Province is the result of co-action of local and foreign parasite species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explores the defensive characteristics of vernacular fortified villages preserved within Guangdong province in South China. Based on field investigations that cover 1,592 townships, the planning layout, architectural design, and relevant special structures of various fortified villages were analysed and illustrated. In this way, the distribution patterns of the villages were exhibited, and their natural and social mechanisms of formation were thus revealed. Results show that the full utilization of the natural environment and organic integration with artificial defence facilities, as well as the adaption to the local culture, were the main concerns surrounding the construction of fortified villages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To examine whether insomnia disorder is associated with cognitive impairment in young and middle-aged Chinese adults. A case–control sample of 98 adults aged from 18 to 65 years old from Guangdong province underwent clinical history, physical examination, and cognitive assessments. We examined the trail-making test (TMT), basic symbol coding test (BASC), continuous performance task (CPT), category fluency test (CF), visuospatial memory test (BVMT), and verbal learning test (HVLT). Moreover, we assessed sleep and mood conditions with Pittsburg Sleep Questionnaire Index (PSQI), Epworth Sleepiness score (ESS), Self-rating Anxiety Scale (SAS), Self-rating Depression Scale (SDS) and Fatigue Assessment Scale (FAS). We used descriptive statistics, an independent t test, bivariate correlation analysis and analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) to assess the statistics produced. Compared to healthy controls (N = 49), individuals with insomnia disorder (N = 49) showed a decreased level of TMT, BASC, CPT and HVLT, which indicates that the insomniac has processing speed, sustained attention and verbal learning memory deficits. Also, the score of SAS, SDS, FAS, ESS and PSQI had a significant difference between the control group and insomnia group. All the cognitive scores were correlated with the severity of insomnia. Young and middle-aged adult insomnia are associated with deficits in speed of processing, sustained attention and verbal learning memory, which may suggest that before old age, these domains of cognitive function of people with insomnia disorder have begun to change. It may provide a clinical reference for recognizing cognitive function impairment in young and middle-aged patients with insomnia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Inappropriate prescribing of antibiotics for acute respiratory infections at the primary care level represents the major source of antibiotic misuse in healthcare, and is a major driver for antimicrobial resistance worldwide. In this study we will develop, pilot and evaluate the effectiveness of a comprehensive antibiotic stewardship programme in China's primary care hospitals to reduce inappropriate prescribing of antibiotics for acute respiratory infections among all ages.Methods: We will use a parallel-group, cluster-randomised, controlled, superiority trial with blinded outcome evaluation but unblinded treatment (providers and patients). We will randomise 34 primary care hospitals from two counties within Guangdong province into the intervention and control arm (1:1 overall ratio) stratified by county (8:9 within-county ratio). In the control arm, antibiotic prescribing and management will continue through usual care. In the intervention arm, we will implement an antibiotic stewardship programme targeting family physicians and patients/caregivers. The family physician components include: (1) training using new operational guidelines, (2) improved management and peer-review of antibiotic prescribing, (3) improved electronic medical records and smart phone app facilitation. The patient/caregiver component involves patient education via family physicians, leaflets and videos. The primary outcome is the proportion of prescriptions for acute respiratory infections (excluding pneumonia) that contain any antibiotic(s). Secondary outcomes will address how frequently specific classes of antibiotics are prescribed, how frequently key non-antibiotic alternatives are prescribed and the costs of consultations. We will conduct a qualitative process evaluation to explore operational questions regarding acceptability, cultural appropriateness and burden of technology use, as well as a cost-effectiveness analysis and a long-term benefit evaluation. The duration of the intervention will be 12 months, with another 24 months' post-trial long-term follow-up.Discussion: Our study is one of the first trials to evaluate the effect of an antibiotic stewardship programme in primary care settings in a low- or middle-income country (LMIC). All interventional activities will be designed to be embedded into routine primary care with strong local ownership. Through the trial we intend to impact on clinical practice and national policy in antibiotic prescription for primary care facilities in rural China and other LMICs.Trial Registration: ISRCTN, ID: ISRCTN96892547. Registered on 18 August 2019. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper uses panel data from 2017 to 2019 in Yangshan County, Guangdong Province, to assess the impact of land titling on farmers' political trust. The results of a generalized difference-in-differences model suggest that land titling increases farmers' subjective trust in the local village council and reduces the probability of conflict with the local village council. We found that the mechanism by which land titling affects farmers' political trust is the stability of land rights. Furthermore, regulated procedural implementation can strengthen the impact of land titling on political trust. Additionally, we unexpectedly found that land titling positively impacts the relationship between villagers and cadres, and collective action participation, in addition to influencing farmers' political trust. ● The impact of land titling on farmers' political trust has a striking time-lag feature. ● Land titling affects farmers' political trust through property rights and interests security ● A standardized implementation procedure is a condition for land titling to increase farmers' political trust. ● Land titling also has a positive impact on cadre relations and collective action. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Foodborne outbreaks caused by a mixed infection of Vibrio parahaemolyticus and norovirus have rarely been described. We reported a mixed outbreak of Vibrio parahaemolyticus and norovirus causing acute gastroenteritis in 99 staff members of a company in Guangdong, China, in May 2013, following consumption of roasted duck, an uncommon non-seafood vehicle for such mixed infection, in one meal served in the company's catering service. Epidemiological and laboratory findings indicated that a single asymptomatic food handler was the source of both pathogens, and the high rate of infection of both pathogens was exacerbated by the setting’s suboptimal food hygiene practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Y-chromosomal haplotypes based on Y-short tandem repeats (STRs) and Y-single nucleotide polymorphisms/insertion and deletion polymorphisms (SNPs/InDels) are used to characterize paternal lineages of unknown male trace donors. However, Y-chromosomal genetic markers are not currently sufficient for precise individual identification. Microhaplotype (MH), generally < 200 bp on autosomes and consisting of two or more SNPs, was recently introduced in forensic genetics with the development of massive parallel sequencing technology and may facilitate identification and DNA mixture deconvolution. Therefore, combining the two kinds of genetic markers may be beneficial in many forensic scenarios, especially crime scenes with male suspects, such as sexual assault cases. In the present study, we developed a novel MPS-based panel, Microhaplotype and Y-SNP/STR (MY), by multiplex PCR and 150-bp paired-end sequencing, including 114 Y-SNPs (twelve dominant Y-DNA haplogroups), 45 Y-STRs (N-1 stutter < 0.09; estimated mutation rate < 5 × 10−3), and 22 MHs (allele coverage ratio > 0.91; pairwise distance > 10 Mb). Additionally, MY system-based genotype pattern recognition (GPR), a regression-based method to identify the genotype pattern for each MH locus, is proposed for two-person DNA mixture deconvolution. We integrated 26 two-person genotype combinations into nine genotype patterns and validated the application range of GPR based on DNA profiles of ten sets of simulated male-male DNA mixtures (1:10–1:2). The effective number of alleles (A e) ranged from 3.62 to 14.72, with an average of 7.17, in 100 Chinese Guangdong Han individuals. The cumulative discrimination power was 1–5.00 × 10−31, and the cumulative power of exclusion was 1–5.00 × 10−8 and 1–4.85 × 10−12 for duo and trio paternity testing, respectively. Furthermore, the actual mixing ratio-depth of coverage (DoC) ratio (R DoC) regression relationships were established for different genetic markers and genotype patterns. In five overlapping areas, genotype differentiation of the major and minor contributors required likelihood ratio methods. In nonoverlapping areas, the genotype pattern could be recognized by comparing the observed R DoC and R DoC ranges. The GPR can be used to deconvolute two-person DNA mixtures (application range: 1:10–1:2) for individual identification. • Microhaplotype and Y-SNP/STR (MY) system comprising 114 Y-SNPs, 45 Y-STRs, and 22 Microhaplotypes was developed based on multiplex PCR and 150-bp paired-end sequencing. • Twenty-six two-person genotype combinations were integrated into nine genotype patterns. • MY system-based genotype pattern recognition, a regression-based method to identify the genotype pattern for each MH locus, is proposed for two-person DNA mixture deconvolution. (application range: 1:10–1:2). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rat lungworm Angiostrongylus cantonensis is a zoonotic nematode with a wide distribution. We report the first provincial survey of the prevalence of A. cantonensis infection among wild rodents and snails in Guangdong Province, China. A total of 2929 Pomacea canaliculata and 1354 Achatina fulica were collected from fields in 22 survey sites with a larval infection rates ranging from 0-26.6% to 0-45.4%. In addition, 114 Cipangopaludina sp and 252 Bellamya sp were bought from markets; larvae were found only in Bellamya snails from two survey sites with an infection rate of 1.4% (1/70) and 3.3% (3/91), respectively. Four hundred and ninety-one rodents were captured in nine sites ( Rattus norvegicus, R. flavipectus, Suncus murinus, Mus musculus, Bandicota indica, R. losea and R. rattus). Adult worms were found in R. norvegicus, R. flavipectus and Bandicota indica. Our survey revealed a wide distribution of A. cantonensis and its intermediate hosts P. canaliculata and A. fulica in Guangdong. The prevalence of A. cantonensis in wild snails and rats poses a substantial risk for angiostrongyliasis in humans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the treatment of SARS with glucosteroids in severe acute respiratory syndrome patients in Guangdong Province, China. Several studies have been conducted on the use of corticosteroids in SARS management in terms of efficacy, duration, dose and severe adverse events. It revealed that the proper use of corticosteroid in critical SARS resulted in lower mortality and shorter hospitalization stay.

Background: Sleep is vital for maintaining individual's physical and mental health. Prior studies have reported close relationships between sleep duration and chronic diseases. However, in China, the prevalence of aberrant sleep duration and the associations between sleep duration and chronic conditions still merit studying in Guangdong province. This study aimed at examining the relationship between sleep duration and multiple dimensions of sociodemographic characteristics, mental health and chronic diseases in Guangdong province in China, with a large population-based data of individuals aged from 18 to 85 years old. Methods: This study aimed at analyzing the sociodemographic and clinical characteristics of the population in Guangdong province. Multistage stratified cluster sampling was applied for this study. 13,768 participants from Guangdong province were interviewed with standardized assessment tools, including Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) and Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD-7). Basic socio-demographic information, mental health and chronic diseases information were collected. Self-reported sleep duration was classified as three types: short (< 7 h), normative (7-9 h) and long (≥9 h). Results: The mean sleep duration was 6.75 ± 1.11 h. Short sleepers had a higher prevalence of chronic diseases, including anemia (6.2%, p = 0.024), gout (2.8%, p = 0.010), hyperlipidemia (3.9%, p = 0.003) and low back pain (5.6%, p = 0.020) than other types of sleeper. Multinomial logistic regression analysis revealed that short sleepers were more likely to have low income level, have depressive symptoms, be ex- or current drinkers and be overweight. Anemia, hyperlipidemia and low back pain were all risk factors for short sleep, while malignant tumor was risky for long sleep. Conclusions: Low income level, drinking status, being overweight, and chronic conditions may be associated with aberrant sleep duration in Guangdong province general population. Short sleepers have a higher risk of suffering from anemia, hyperlipidemia, and low back pain, while long sleepers are more likely to have malignant tumor. Health professionals should value the sleep patterns in general health care and attach importance to conduct further epidemiologic surveys to explore the relationship between sleep duration and health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Oriental liver fluke disease (clonorchiasis), caused by Clonorchis sinensis , is endemic in 81 counties in Guangdong province, China. This study was conducted following increasing lack of clonorchiasis awareness and increased consumption of raw freshwater fish and raw fish porridge at home and restaurants, which has been attributed to improved living standards in China, and is considered to have led to a higher C. sinensis infection rate in the country. A total of 61,517 individuals were investigated from 123 sites during a provincial survey in 1988, with average C. sinensis infection rate of 1.82% that increased to 4.08% (335/8217) in 1997. Higher infection rate was observed in adult men than women, with heavy infection rate in fishermen and businessmen because they have access and means to get raw fishes for consumption. Thus, clonorchiasis has become a serious public health problem in Guangdong province. Efforts targeting clonorchiasis prevention and control in Guangdong province started in the 1990s. These included carrying out large-scale surveys and chemotherapy in epidemic regions, research on promotion of environmental sanitation and methods for freshwater aquaculture. Establishment and promotion of clonorchiosis demonstration plots for comprehensive control measures, as well as the development of clonorchiasis-prevention community-out-patient clinics were initiated and their effectiveness was evaluated. However, there seem to be no obvious decline in the prevalence of C. sinensis with 4.90% (608/12,401) in 2015, at Guangdong province due to the people's habit of eating raw fishes in endemic areas. This has led to increasing calls to improve environmental sanitation in the aquaculture industry. It is, however, believed that control efforts on clonorchiosis in the province are at an early stage and require strengthening through the cooperation of different departments to work out effective strategies for sustainable field application of control mechanisms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Adverse effects of proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) have raised wide concerns. The association of PPIs with influenza is unexplored, while that with pneumonia or COVID-19 remains controversial. Our study aims to evaluate whether PPI use increases the risks of these respiratory infections. Methods: The current study included 160,923 eligible participants at baseline who completed questionnaires on medication use, which included PPI or histamine-2 receptor antagonist (H2RA), from the UK Biobank. Cox proportional hazards regression and propensity score-matching analyses were used to estimate the hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Results: Comparisons with H2RA users were tested. PPI use was associated with increased risks of developing influenza (HR 1.32, 95% CI 1.12–1.56) and pneumonia (hazard ratio [HR] 1.42, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.26–1.59). In contrast, the risk of COVID-19 infection was not significant with regular PPI use (HR 1.08, 95% CI 0.99–1.17), while the risks of severe COVID-19 (HR 1.19. 95% CI 1.11–1.27) and mortality (HR 1.37. 95% CI 1.29–1.46) were increased. However, when compared with H2RA users, PPI users were associated with a higher risk of influenza (HR 1.74, 95% CI 1.19–2.54), but the risks with pneumonia or COVID-19-related outcomes were not evident. Conclusions: PPI users are associated with increased risks of influenza, pneumonia, as well as COVID-19 severity and mortality compared to non-users, while the effects on pneumonia or COVID19-related outcomes under PPI use were attenuated when compared to the use of H2RAs. Appropriate use of PPIs based on comprehensive evaluation is required. Funding: This work is supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (82171698, 82170561, 81300279, 81741067, 82100238), the Program for High-level Foreign Expert Introduction of China (G2022030047L), the Natural Science Foundation for Distinguished Young Scholars of Guangdong Province (2021B1515020003), the Guangdong Basic and Applied Basic Research Foundation (2022A1515012081), the Foreign Distinguished Teacher Program of Guangdong Science and Technology Department (KD0120220129), the Climbing Program of Introduced Talents and High-level Hospital Construction Project of Guangdong Provincial People’s Hospital (DFJH201923, DFJH201803, KJ012019099, KJ012021143, KY012021183), and in part by VA Clinical Merit and ASGE clinical research funds (FWL). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The phylogeography of largest water strider and its conservation were proposed. • Mitogenome and nuclear genes are both used to illustrate the demographic history. • Remarkable difference in topologies reconstructed by different mitochondrial genes. • Population isolation and Pleistocene glaciations increase extinction risk for G. gigas. • The small population size and its little suitable habitat of G. gigas needs attention. Climate oscillation and its synergistic impacts on habitat fragmentation have been identified as threatening the survival of some extant species. However, the mechanisms by which semi-aquatic insects impacted by such events remain poorly understood. Herein, we studied the largest water strider in the world, Gigantometra gigas , to explore the effect of these two factors on its evolutionary history. The sequences of mitogenomic and nrDNA cluster were utilized to reconstruct phylogenetic relationship among G. gigas populations and its demographic history. Mitochondrial genes were separately reconstructed topologies of that populations and detected remarkable differences. We found that G. gigas populations conform to the isolation-by-distance model, and decline occurred at about 120 ka, which was probably influenced by the climate change during the late Pleistocene and eventually maintained a small effective population size (Ne) around 85,717. The populations in Guangdong Province of China are worthy of note in that they exhibit low genetic diversity, a small Ne around 18,899 individuals, and occupy an area with little suitable future habitat for G. gigas. This work recommends that conservation efforts are implemented to ensure the long-term survival of small G. gigas populations, and notes that further evaluation of their extinction risk under the impacts of human activities is required. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A landslide susceptibility assessment was accomplished in Huizhou, Guangdong province, by adopting the Statistical Index Method and the Analytic Hierarchy Process. Eight landslide causing factors were considered including elevation, slope, aspect, lithology, land cover, distance to a fault, distance to a road, distance to a river and precipitation. The Statistical Index Method was used to determine the weighted value ( S i ) for classes of every landslide causing factor, the Analytic Hierarchy Process was utilized to determine the weighted value ( W i ) for every factor, and the summation of the product of S i by W i represent the Landslide Susceptibility Index (LSI) value for every pixels. Based on the derived LSI, the study area was grouped into five susceptibility classes in the study area. The densities of landslide for five susceptibility classes from very high to very low show a linear increasing trend implying there is a satisfactory agreement between the susceptibility map and the actual landslide data. The ROC curves for training and prediction datasets suggest that the model could have a reasonably good predictive capability. The landslide susceptibility map derived in this study shows the settlement and sparse forest area with lithology of unit II (red layered moderate soft mixture of clastic rocks), unit III (layered moderate hard to hard mixture of clastic rocks) and unit V (massive moderate hard to hard mixture) at the elevation of 0–200 m are the most susceptible to slope failure. The result could be very useful in identification of the most problematic areas, which is very critical for investigating landslide hazard and risk management and community & regional planning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: To examine the prevalence and health correlates of depressive and anxiety symptoms among adults living in Guangdong province of China with a large population and rapid urbanization.Methods: The Guangdong Sleep and Psychosomatic Health Survey was conducted from September to November in 2019, which was a population-based study with a representative sample of adults aged 18-85 years. Multistage stratified cluster sampling was used. A total of 13,768 inhabitants were included and face-to-face interviewed using standardized assessment tools. Depressive and anxiety symptoms were evaluated using the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) and Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale (GAD-7), respectively.Results: The weighted prevalence rates of depressive and anxiety symptoms were 8.6% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 8.0%-9.3%) and 6.0% (95%CI, 5.4%-6.5%) respectively. People who have never married, irregular diet rhythm, hardly exercise, poorer sleep, alcohol consumption, chronic diseases and being unemployment and retirement were more likely to suffer depressive and anxiety symptoms. Moreover, the prevalence of depressive symptoms was significantly higher in those suffering from cardiovascular disease (Odds ratio[OR]:3.89, 95%CI: 1.77-8.54), chronic nephrosis (OR:3.89, 95%CI: 1.52-9.94), hyperlipidemia (OR:2.68, 95%CI: 1.57-4.59), anemia (OR:1.96, 95%CI: 1.33-2.89) and arthritis (OR:1.93, 95%CI: 1.17-3.16). The prevalence of anxiety symptoms was evidently greater within patients with cardiovascular disease (OR:3.15, 95%CI: 1.39-7.14), chronic nephrosis (OR: 2.89, 95%CI: 1.22-6.83), hyperlipidemia (OR:2.27, 95%CI: 1.20-4.29) and diabetes (OR:1.99, 95%CI: 1.15-3.44).Conclusions: Depressive and anxiety symptoms are commonly found in patients with chronic diseases. Given these adverse outcomes on health, health professionals should pay more attention to depressive and anxiety problems in health care for high-risk population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Physical inactivity exacerbates poorer sleep quality, but potential underlying mechanisms of this association remain unknown. The present study aims to disentangle the pathways linking psychical activity to sleep quality through the serial mediation effect of anxiety and depression in a Chinese population.Methods: Data analyzed were from Guangdong Sleep and Psychosomatic Health Survey, a cross-sectional population-based study with a representative sample of adult inhabitants aged 18-85 years living in Guangdong province, China. A total of 13,768 participants were included with the response rate of 80.4%. Singe and serial mediation analyses were conducted to examine whether anxiety and depression mediated the relationship between physical activity and sleep quality, independently and jointly.Results: Both direct and indirect effects of physical activity on sleep quality were found. As predicted, anxiety and depression mediated the relationship between physical activity and sleep quality (B Anxiety = -0.17, 95% bootstrap CI: -0.20 to -0.15; B Depression= -0.25, 95% bootstrap CI: -0.28 to -0.21), respectively. In addition, serial mediation analyses indicated that the association of physical activity and sleep quality is mediated by anxiety and depression in a sequential manner (B = -0.13, 95% bootstrap CI: -0.15 to -0.11).Limitations: The primary limitation of the study is the cross-sectional design, which limits the causal inference ability.Conclusions: These findings highlight the role of anxiety and depression as serial mediators of the relationship between physical activity and sleep quality. Thus, exercise-based programs focusing on improving sleep could benefit from a multi-faceted approach therapeutically targeting psychiatric disorders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rifampicin (RIF) and multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (TB) are major public health threats. As conventional phenotypic drug susceptibility testing requires two–eight weeks, molecular diagnostic assays are widely used to determine drug resistance. Clinical Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolates with consistent drug susceptibility results, tested using microbroth dilution and proportion methods in Löwenstein-Jensen medium from patients with TB in Guangdong province were utilized to evaluate MeltPro TB and whole-genome sequencing (WGS) assays in detecting resistance to RIF, isoniazid (INH), ethambutol (EMB), fluoroquinolones (FQ), and streptomycin (SM). Solid phenotypic drug susceptibility testing was used as the gold standard to evaluate the detection capacity of MeltPro TB on clinical sputum samples of patients with TB. Similar to WGS, MeltPro TB successfully detected RIF, INH, and SM resistance with sensitivities of 86.3, 84.8, and 86.6 %, respectively. However, the resistant isolate detection rates were only 58.1 and 69.6 % for EMB and FQ-resistant strains. For clinical specimens, MeltPro TB still showed good detectable rates of RIF and INH resistance, with sensitivities of 82.4 % and 95.2 %, respectively. Detectable rates of FQ and EMB resistance were low: 77.8 % and 35.3 %, respectively. MeltPro TB can detect known DNA mutations associated with drug resistance in Mycobacterium tuberculosis strains with comparable efficacy to WGS. For FQ and EMB resistance testing, MeltPro TB requires optimization and is unsuitable for general use. MeltPro TB can be used for diagnosis of RIF and multidrug-resistant tuberculosis to rapidly initiate appropriate anti-TB drug therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The switch of coal to gas in power generation enterprises is of great significance for tackling air pollution and mitigating climate change. Under China's emissions trading system, power generation enterprises have incentives to switch to low-carbon clean power, and the cost-benefit of switching is the basis of their decision-making. To this end, this paper studied the impact of changes in carbon and fuel prices on switching prices. The results show that: (1) For per yuan increase in the amount of natural gas, coal, and carbon, the switching price increased 4.768, decreased 5.845 and decreased 0.9994 yuan, respectively. (2) The carbon price is relatively low, and the impact of it on switching price is small. (3) The fluctuation in the carbon price, coal price and the natural gas price has a hysteresis effect on switching price. [Display omitted] • This study assesses the coal-to-gas switch possibility in Guangdong Province. • A new mode of operation of coal-to-gas switch is published. • For per yuan increase of carbon price, the switching price decreased 0.99 yuan. • The impact of carbon price fluctuations on switching price has a lag effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]