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Background: Peritoneal dialysis (PD) is an effective and successful renal replacement therapy. The baseline peritoneal solute transfer rate (PSTR) is related to local membrane inflammation and may be partially genetically determined. Herein, we focused on vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and its receptor, kinase insert domain containing receptor (KDR).Methods: This study recruited 200 PD patients from Renji Hospital in Shanghai, China. We analysed the association between the polymorphisms of VEGF and KDR and the 4-hour dialysate-to-plasma ratio for creatinine (4 h D/P Cr), which was measured between one and three months after initiating PD.Results: The CC genotype in VEGF rs3025039 and the AA genotype in KDR rs2071559 were both positively associated with a fast baseline PSTR (VEGF rs3025039 CC vs. TT + TC: 0.65 ± 0.12 vs. 0.61 ± 0.11; P = 0.029; KDR rs2071559 AA vs. GA + GG: 0.65 ± 0.12 vs. 0.62 ± 0.12; P = 0.039).Conclusion: Baseline PSTR was partly determined by VEGF and KDR gene polymorphisms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rice is one of the most important food crops in Asia. Genetic analyses of complex traits and molecular breeding studies in rice greatly rely on the construction of various genetic populations. Chromosome segment substitution lines (CSSLs) serve as a powerful genetic population for quantitative trait locus (QTL) mapping in rice. Moreover, CSSLs containing target genomic regions can be used as improved varieties in rice breeding. In this study, we developed a set of CSSLs consisting of 117 lines derived from the recipient 'Huanghuazhan' (HHZ) and the donor 'Basmati Surkb 89–15' (BAS). The 117 lines were extensively genotyped by whole-genome resequencing, and a high-density genotype map was constructed for the CSSL population. The 117 CSSLs covered 99.78% of the BAS genome. Each line contained a single segment, and the average segment length was 6.02 Mb. Using the CSSL population, we investigated three agronomic traits in Shanghai and Hangzhou, China, and a total of 25 QTLs were detected in both environments. Among those QTLs, we found that RFT1 was the causal gene for heading date variance between HHZ and BAS. RFT1 from BAS was found to contain a loss-of-function allele based on yeast two-hybrid assay, and its causal variation was a P to S change in the 94th amino acid of the RFT1 protein. The combination of high-throughput genotyping and marker-assisted selection (MAS) is a highly efficient way to construct CSSLs in rice, and extensively genotyped CSSLs will be a powerful tool for the genetic mapping of agronomic traits and molecular breeding for target QTLs/genes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Many studies have shown that compared with those who use other dialysis modalities, patients using home hemodialysis (HHD) have an increased rate of survival and better quality of life. It was noted in 2006 that there was opportunity for significant expansion of the use of HHD in many countries. China covers a vast area and has a large amount of end‐stage renal failure patients. But in mainland China, all dialysis treatments are in‐center, and the number of HHD patients is zero. In 2018, our hospital received the permission of the Shanghai government to carry out HHD. Case presentation: We initiated four incident hemodialysis patients on an HHD regimen, one patient has been dialyzed in the home safely for 8 months. The biochemical parameters of the first patient remained stable on the regimen and he achieved standard Kt/V urea targets. Treatment‐related adverse events were not reported during the follow‐up. We combined HHD with intelligent "Internet Plus" real‐time remote monitoring and introduced the Internet, especially visualization software, to replace traditional telephone and home visit methods. It is more intuitive and quicker to assist patients in performing home hemodialysis and improve the safety of treatment. Conclusions: HHD can be performed by selected trained patients in mainland China. Combined with the internet, visualization software, and traditional telephone and home visits, it is intuitive and quick to assist patients in carrying out HHD and improve the safety of treatment. HHD broadens the choices for uremia patients in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ocean-going ships are mostly driven by high‑sulfur heavy fuel oil, which poses public health and environmental concerns. Emission control areas (ECA) have been developed for the regulatory control of the sulfur content in fuel. We tracked 28 sample vessels that entered and exited Shanghai Port, to understand how air pollutants, including oxysulfides (SOx), nitric oxide (NOx), and particulate matter smaller than 10 μm (PM 10), would change under the ECA regulations. Emission reductions vary with the types and sizes of the ships. In our sample pool, oil/chemical tankers and container ships have the highest decline rates of SOx emissions at 26.8%–56.4% and 17.4%–56.6%, respectively. Cruise ships, container ships, and liquefied gas carriers occupy the highest share ratios of pollutant emissions in the sample pool because of the higher average gross tonnage and correspondingly higher-rated power of the ships' main engines. As expected, SOx and PM 10 emissions under hoteling conditions (operations while stationary at dock) can be considerably reduced by switching to low-sulfur fuel. Using fuel with the much lower sulfur content of 0.1% m/m in the ECA, the SOx and PM 10 emissions of our sample pool could be reduced considerably by up to 94.4% and 78.3%, respectively, compared to the 0.5% m/m sulfur content used during ship hoteling. • Emission control areas (ECA) have been developed for regulatory control of sulfur content in fuel. • We tracked 28 vessels to understand how air pollutants would change under the ECA regulations. • Emission reductions vary with the types and sizes of the ships. • Oil/chemical tankers and container ships have the highest decline rates of SOx emissions. • Oxysulfides and particulate matter emissions under hoteling conditions can be considerably reduced with lower sulfur fuel. • ECA regulations are effective and more coastal nations should consider implement a similar scheme. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To provide prognosis of an 18 patient cohort who were confirmed to have H7N9 lung infection in Shanghai. Methods: Patients' history, clinical manifestation, laboratory test, treatment strategy and mortality were followed and recorded for data analysis. Results: A total of 18 patients had been admitted into Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center from April 8th to July 29, 2013. 22.2% of the patients were found to have live poultry contact history and 80% were aged male patients with multiple co-morbidities including diabetes, hypertension and/or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). This group of patients was admitted to the clinical center around 10 days after disease onset. According to laboratory examinations, increased C reactive protein (CRP), Procalcitonin (PCT), Plasma thromboplastin antecedent (PTA) and virus positive time (days) were indicative of patients' mortality. After multivariate analysis, only CRP level showed significant prediction of mortality (P = 0.013) while results of prothrombin time (PT) analysis almost reached statistical significance (P = 0.056). Conclusions: H7N9 infection induced pneumonia of different severity ranging from mild to severe pneumonia or acute lung injury/acute respiratory distress syndrome to multiple organ failure. Certain laboratory parameters such as plasma CRP, PCT, PTA and virus positive days predicted mortality of H7N9 infection and plasma CRP is an independent predictor of mortality in these patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The capability of contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) to assess the prognosis and chronicity of chronic kidney disease (CKD) was evaluated in patients diagnosed with CKD in 2014 at Ren Ji Hospital, Shanghai, China. Time-intensity curves and quantitative indexes were created using QLab quantification software. Kidney biopsies were analyzed with α-smooth muscle actin immunohistochemistry. According to the renal chronicity score, patients were divided into four groups: minimal (n = 14), mild (n = 73), moderate (n = 49) and severe (n = 31). Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that the derived peak intensity (DPI) was independently associated with the renal chronicity score. Of 167 CKD patients (median follow-up: 30.4 ± 18.7 mo), 31 (18.6%) exhibited CKD progression, with a decline in the glomerular filtration rate of more than 25% or end-stage renal disease. Multivariate Cox regression analysis revealed that a lower DPI was independently associated with CKD progression. This study indicates that DPI is a reliable CEUS parameter for evaluating chronic renal changes and an independent prognostic factor of CKD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A novel solar ejection-compression cycle specially designed for multistory building is studied. • For a 5-floor building, the novel cycle saves 203.17 MJ (11.8%) more electricity with φ = 1. • Novel cycle has the best improvement 21.2% in COP for 3 floors and it remains 11.1% even for 15 floors. • ξ of the system with SECC increases with increasing floor number that is the reason it keeps high COP. Solar-powered hybrid ejection-compression refrigeration system is an important energy-saving technology in space cooling. However, the system is barely reported to be used in multi-storey building and its application in multi-storey building is limited in crowed city, as it requires large area of solar collector because of low thermal efficiency. To fill this research gap, a solar-heat-driven ejector-assisted combined compression (SECC) cycle specially designed for multistory buildings is investigated in this paper. Based on SECC, a cooling system for a 5-storey office building located in Shanghai is designed, optimized and also compared to conventional ejection-compression refrigeration cycle (CEC). The overall cooling system using SECC can reduce 203.17 MJ (11.8%) electricity than the cooling system based on CEC, in one day. The effects of building height on system performance is also reported which is seldom found in published references. The cooling system with SECC always consumes less electric energy than the one with CEC, when the building height is larger than 2 floors. It has a best improvement of 21.2% at 3-floor height and has 11.1% good improvement even at 15-floor height, comparing with vapor compression cycle. The results show that SECC has important advantage and is particularly suitable for multi-storey building. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]