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Background: In this retrospective study, we aimed to evaluate the factors associated with the severity of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) bronchiolitis in children aged under 2 years who were admitted to the Children's Hospital of Hebei between June 2018 and January 2019. Methods: Sputum samples positive for RSV via multiplex PCR were subtyped using real-time PCR. Data collected included risk factors for disease severity, demographics, microbiology, and outcomes. Results: Of the 82 children with RSV bronchiolitis, 79 were treated and discharged with improvement, while 3 died. All three patients had underlying medical conditions, including complex congenital heart disease and severe combined immunodeficiency. Further, disease severity was associated with preexisting underlying disease, fever duration, and bacterial co-infection, but not with the RSV subtype. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that an appropriate therapeutic regimen should include the detection of bacterial co-infections and the identification of underlying diseases for the effective management of severe RSV bronchiolitis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to screen excellent silage maize varieties suitable for planting in Hebei Province, the basic nutrient composition, mineral element content, energy and related index of six varieties of silage maize in Hebei Province were detected by near-infrared spectroscopy technology, and the quality of six varieties of silage maize was comprehensively evaluated in combination with agronomic traits and biological yield. The results showed that there was no significant difference in agronomic traits among varieties (P>0.05). There was significant difference in biomass among varieties (P<0.05), and Jingke 932 was the highest. The ADF and NDF content of Jinzhu 100 and Dongke 301 were significantly lower than those of the other four varieties (P<0.05). There were significant differences in DM and CP content among varieties (P<0.05). The highest starch content of Jinzhu 100 was 32.3%, which was significantly different from other varieties (P<0.05). The difference of mineral element content among varieties was not significant (P>0.05). There was no significant difference in total digestible nutrients, NEL and NEG of silage maize among different varieties, with Jinzhu 100 and Dongke 301 being the highest, and the milk yield per ton of feed was significantly higher than that of other varieties (P<0.05). The experiment indicates that the near-infrared detection technology can meet the requirements of rapid and accurate determination of the nutritional components of silage maize. According to the analysis of comprehensive nutrient composition and emergy index, Jinzhu 100 and Dongke 301 are of good quality and can be popularized and planted as silage maize in Hebei Province. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Soil wind erosion in northern China has become a serious environmental problem, especially on cultivated soil, but data on soil loss by wind erosion are scarce due to limitation in effective measurement methods. The objective of this study is to introduce differential global positioning system (GPS) measurements into studies of wind erosion and obtain field measured data of soil wind erosion rates during previous decades in Kangbao County, a representative area suffering from serious farmland wind erosion in northern China. Vegetative banks that were maintained between farmland plots after the original grassland had been cultivated into stripped farmland were assumed to have experienced little erosion or deposition. As a result, these banks offer a useful reference for GPS measurements in estimations of soil loss by wind erosion in the adjacent farmland plots. Differential GPS and real-time kinematic (RTK) measurement show that almost a half centimetre of top soil has been blown away in this area every year since the soil had been cultivated in the early twentieth century. To examine the reliability of the GPS measurements, average wind erosion rate in this area was derived from the 137Cs model in 30 farmland plots, which was 0.55cma−1 or 89.5tha−1 a−1. Results of both methods show the study area has been experiencing severe wind erosion, which has caused serious local environmental problems and made this area an important source of blown sand and dust that threatens the Beijing and the Tianjin metropolitan area. Both methods have advantages and limitations and generally each of them cannot be replaced by another; however, this paper presents an example that a combination of applying RTK GPS measurements in special plots with using 137Cs techniques on the regional scale produces very helpful results of regional wind erosion. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

• 3.71% of children with ARTI exhibited HAdV positive. • HAdV -2, HAdV -3 and HAdV -7 were the predominant types identified from ARTI children. • 74.85% of HAdV were co-detected with other respiratory pathogens, most commonly HRV. • The co-detection rate of HAdV-C was significant higher than those of HAdV-B. • HAdV -7 positive children may not present more severe clinical outcome. Human adenovirus (HAdV) is a common pathogen in children that can cause acute respiratory tract infection (ARTI), but the molecular epidemiological and clinical information relating to HAdV among hospitalized children with ARTI are few reported in China. To evaluate the epidemiological, clinical, and molecular characteristics of HAdV infections among hospitalized children with ARTI in Hebei, Northern China from June 2017 to May 2018. A 12-month longitudinal, retrospective study on HAdV , typed by nested polymerase chain reaction targeting the hexon gene's hypervariable region (typing was merely performed by sequencing of the hexon neutralization epitope and thus genotypes could not be identified unequivocally), associated with ARTI was performed. The epidemiological and clinical data of different types of HAdV were analyzed using statistical product and service solutions (SPSS) 21.0 software. HAdV was detected in 330 (3.71%) of the 8906 specimens, with most (88.48%, 292/330) HAdV -positives cases detected among children < 3 years old. HAdV were detected throughout the year with a higher prevalence in spring. 11 types were identified, with HAdV-2 (33.33%, 110/330) as the predominant type, followed by HAdV-3 (21.21%, 70/330) and HAdV-7 (13.94%, 46/330). Of the 330 HAdV -positive specimens, 247 (74.85%) were co-detected with other respiratory pathogens, most commonly rhinovirus (HRV) (58.7%, 145/247). Additionally, patients with HAdV -7 positive had longer duration of fever than HAdV -2 or -3 positive patients. During the study period, HAdV -2, HAdV -3 and HAdV -7 were the predominant types identified from children with ARTI in Hebei Province. Pediatric patients with HAdV -7 positive may not present more severe clinical outcome except a longer duration of fever. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]