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Phosphorus (P) pollution from livestock farming poses significant environmental challenges, necessitating efficient P utilization. This study systematically investigated the effects of varying dietary P levels on growth, slaughter performance, nutrient digestion, and metabolism in Yunnan Semi-fine Wool Sheep during the growth phase. Forty-five sheep (30.33 ± 0.56 kg) were randomly assigned to five dietary P levels (0.40, 0.51, 0.68, 0.82, and 0.97%) over a 44-day trial, including a 14-day pre-feeding and 30-day formal trial period. Digestibility trials were conducted on days 22–27, and selected sheep were slaughtered for detailed analysis. Results showed no significant effects of dietary P on daily weight gain, feed-to-gain ratio, or organ indices (p > 0.05). However, dry matter intake, liver, and lung weights decreased linearly with increasing P levels (p < 0.05). Carcass traits such as left half carcass rate and net rib rate varied significantly (p < 0.05), showing quadratic trends. P levels also affected P, calcium, protein, and energy metabolism, as well as apparent digestibility of acid detergent fiber (p < 0.05). Using endogenous loss and comparative slaughter methods, the P maintenance requirement was determined as: Retained p = 0.5436 × Intake P – 0.0614 (R 2 = 0.83, p < 0.01). P requirements for growth were modeled as: P (g/kg EBW) = 30.95772 × EBW – 0.5031. The recommended dietary P level was 0.40%, with maintenance and growth requirements of 0.06 g/EBW and 5.34–6.19 g/kg EBW, respectively, providing a foundation for P reduction strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To identify Dendrobium species and to analyze the habitats of Dendrobium officinale, the suitable candidate DNA barcoding genes of Dendrobium were evaluated. In this study, the internal transcribed spacer 2 (ITS2) of nuclear ribosomal DNA and chloroplast psbA-trnH gene were amplified and sequenced from sixty-six samples of D.chrysotoxum, D.nobile, D.primulinum and D.officinale. The D.officinale samples were collected from Hangzhou, Huoshan, Yunnan and Wenzhou. The intra-specific and inter-specific divergence of Dendrobium was calculated, and the identification efficiency was assessed using Barcoding Gap, NJ tree by K2P distance. The results showed the intra-specific divergence of ITS2 (0-0.005) were obviously lower than the inter-specific divergence (0.070-0.228), and four species of Dendrobium were also accurately distinguished in NJ tree. Whereas, there is no Barcoding Gap on psbA-trnH, and it cannot distinguish D.nobile and D.primulinum in the NJ tree, and it can be used as a supplementary sequence in the identification of Dendrobium. ITS2 and psbA-tmH of D.officinale from four habitats have multiple mutation sites, which have the potential to identify the habitats of D.officinale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Kawasaki disease (KD) is an acute pediatric vasculitis affecting genetically susceptible infants and children. Although the pathogenesis of KD remains unclear, growing evidence links genetic susceptibility to the disease. Methods: To explore the genes associated with susceptibility in KD, we applied whole-exome sequencing to KD and control subjects from Yunnan province, China. We conducted association study analysis on the two groups. Results: In this study, we successfully identified 11 significant rare variants in two genes (MYH14 and RBP3) through the genotype/allele frequency analysis. A heterozygous variant (c.2650G > A, p.V884M) of the RBP3 gene was identified in 12 KD cases, while eight heterozygous variants (c.566G > A, p.R189H; c.1109 C > T, p.S370L; c.3917T > G, p.L1306R; c.4301G > A, p.R1434Q; c.5026 C > T, p.R1676W; c.5329 C > T, p.R1777C; c.5393 C > A, p.A1798D and c.5476 C > T, p.R1826C) of the MYH14 gene were identified in 8 KD cases respectively. Conclusion: This study suggested that nine variants in MYH14 and RBP3 gene may be associated with KD susceptibility in the population from Yunnan province. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Vitamin D is an essential nutrient that regulates the activity of calcium and bone hormones throughout life; however, vitamin D levels in children, which is the most crucial period during human development, has not been established.Methods: As the first descriptive study of serum vitamin D levels in children in Yunnan Province, we determined the serum vitamin D levels in children 0‒4 years of age who underwent physical examinations at Kunming Children's Hospital, and the association between the serum vitamin D level and the calcium, phosphorus and alkaline levels.Results: Vitamin D levels in children were highest in the summer months and lowest in the winter months. Vitamin D deficiency was more common in girls than boys. A social-economic effect was shown, as evidenced by the significantly higher serum vitamin D levels in children from the top five cities compared with the lower-ranked cities. Moreover, we also demonstrated a significant correlation between vitamin D and serum calcium levels.Conclusion: Our study suggested that sex and age affected the vitamin D levels of children, and a reasonable reference range in children 0-4 years of age in Yunnan Province was determined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Racial and ethnic disparities in stillbirth risk had been documented in most western countries, but it remains unknown in China. This study was to determine whether exist ethnic disparities in stillbirth risk in mainland China.Methods: Pregnancy outcomes and ethnicity data were obtained from the National Free Preconception Health Examination Project (NEPHEP), a nationwide prospective population-based cohort study conducted in Yunnan China from 2010-2018. The Han majority and other four main minorities including Yi, Dai, Miao, Hani were investigated in the analysis. The stillbirth hazards were estimated by life-table analysis. The excess stillbirth risk (ESR) was computed for Chinese minorities using multivariable logistic regression.Results: Compared with other four minorities, women in Han majority were more likely to more educated, less multiparous, and less occupied in agriculture. The pattern of stillbirth hazard of Dai women across different gestation intervals were found to be different from other ethnic groups, especially in 20-23 weeks with 3.2 times higher than Han women. The ESR of the Dai, Hani, Miao, and Yi were 45.05, 18.70, -4.17 and 12.28%, respectively. Adjusted for maternal age, education, birth order and other general risk factors, the ethnic disparity still persisted between Dai women and Han women. Adjusted for preterm birth further (gestation age <37 weeks) can reduce 16.91% ESR of Dai women and made the disparity insignificant. Maternal diseases and congenital anomalies explained little for ethnic disparities.Conclusions: We identified the ethnic disparity in stillbirth risk between Dai women and Han women. General risk factors including sociodemographic factors and maternal diseases explained little. Considerable ethnic disparities can be attributed to preterm birth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Geothermal resources are very rich in Yunnan, China. However, source of dissolved solutes in geothermal water and chemical evolution processes remain unclear. Geochemical and isotopic studies on geothermal springs and river waters were conducted in different petrological-tectonic units of western Yunnan, China. Geothermal waters contain Ca–HCO 3 , Na–HCO 3 , and Na (Ca)–SO 4 type, and demonstrate strong rock-related trace elemental distributions. Enhanced water–rock interaction increases the concentration of major and trace elements of geothermal waters. The chemical compositions of geothermal waters in the Rehai geothermal field are very complicated and different because of the magma chamber developed at the shallow depth in this area. In this geothermal field, neutral-alkaline geothermal waters with high Cl, B, Li, Rb Cs, As, Sb, and Tl contents and acid–sulfate waters with high Al, Mn, Fe, and Pb contents are both controlled by magma degassing and water–rock interaction. Geothermal waters from metamorphic, granite, and sedimentary regions (except in the Rehai area) exhibit varying B contents ranging from 3.31 mg/L to 4.49 mg/L, 0.23 mg/L to 1.24 mg/L, and <0.07 mg/L, respectively, and their corresponding δ 11 B values range from −4.95‰ to −9.45‰, −2.57‰ to −8.85‰, and −4.02‰ to +0.06‰. The B contents of these geothermal waters are mainly controlled by leaching host rocks in the reservoir, and their δ 11 B values usually decrease and achieve further equilibrium with its surrounding rocks, which can also be proven by the positive δ 18 O-shift. In addition to fluid–rock reactions, the geothermal waters from Rehai hot springs exhibit higher δ 11 B values (−3.43‰ to +1.54‰) than those yielded from other areas because mixing with the magmatic fluids from the shallow magma. The highest δ 11 B of steam–heated waters (pH 3.25) from the Zhenzhu spring in Rehai is caused by the fractionation induced by pH and the phase separation of coexisting steam and fluids. Given the strong water–rock interaction, some geothermal springs in western Yunnan show reservoir temperatures higher than 180 °C, which demonstrate potential for electricity generation and direct-use applications. The most potential geothermal field in western Yunnan is located in the Rehai area because of the heat transfer from the shallow magma chamber. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]