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Increased glucose metabolism and decreased low-frequency fluctuation have been consistently reported in the motor area of Parkinson’s disease (PD). The reason for such seeming paradox is unclear. Here, we enrolled 34 PD patients and 25 healthy controls (HCs) for hybrid PET/fMRI scan (PET/fMRI(discovery) dataset). In addition, 2 replication datasets, namely fMRI(validation-1) and fMRI(validation-2) dataset, were also included. We computed ratio of standard uptake value (SUVr) to measure FDG-uptake. The amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations (ALFF) for the following 4 frequency bands was calculated: slow-5, slow-4, slow-3, and slow-2. We obtained a significant group-by-frequency interaction effect of ALFF in the paracentral lobule/supplementary motor area (PFWE = 0.003) and the right sensorimotor area (PFWE 0.28). Taken together, this study identified a fluctuation shift over frequency effect in PD patients, which further disassociated with glucose metabolism in the motor cortex.

Objectives To explore trends in risk factor control (hypertension, diabetes mellitus, hyperlipidaemia) in patients with gout and medication use among those whose risk factor control targets were not achieved. Methods We used the data from National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) between 2007–2008 and 2017–2018 for analyses. The study samples were weighted so that they could be representative of the non-institutionalized US population. We conducted a cross-sectional analysis to assess trends in risk factor control and medication use, and employed logistic regression analyses to explore patient characteristics associated with risk factor control. Results The prevalence of participants in whom blood pressure control target was achieved decreased from 64.6% in 2007–2008 to 55.3% in 2017–2018 (P-value for trend = 0.03). The percentage of participants whose glycaemic, lipid or all three risk factor control targets were achieved remained stable temporally (P > 0.05). Some patient characteristics were significantly related to risk factor control, including age 45–64, age ≥65, Asian Americans, non-Hispanic Blacks, higher family income, and being overweight and obese. A trend towards increased use of glucose-lowering medication was found (from 71.0% in 2007–2008 to 94.7% in 2017–2018, P 0.05). Conclusion Based on NHANES data, a significant trend towards decreased blood pressure control was observed in patients with gout, while glycaemic and lipid control levelled off. These findings emphasize that more endeavours are needed to improve management of cardiovascular risk factors in patients with gout.

As a proxy of magmatic oxidation state, the accurate characterization of the Ce anomaly of zircon is of great significance since it can give important information for provenance studies of rocks as well as for exploration of intrusion-related mineral deposits. The magnitude of the zircon Ce anomaly has been traditionally described by Ce/Ce*, where Ce* is the theoretical Ce value derived from a chondrite-normalized rare earth element (REE) pattern. More recently, the Ce4+/Ce3+ method based on the lattice strain model has been proposed, since the latter method does not need La and Pr contents for zircon, both of which are commonly below the limit of detection and susceptible to contamination from melt/mineral inclusions. In this contribution we show that the Ce4+/Ce3+ method is confronted with some problems in practice and should be further improved. In contrast, by re-examining chondrite-normalized REE patterns of zircon, we find that Ce* can be estimated according to a logarithmic function curve without involvement of La and Pr contents. Application of this new method to zircon data from 11 giant to supergiant porphyry Cu deposits suggests this revised method as a more valid measure in evaluating magmatic oxidation state. The revised Ce/Ce* method is of particular importance for analyses where the provenance of the analyzed zircon is unknown or in question, since the method does not require knowledge of the melt composition.

Mineral inclusions, e.g., apatite, titanite, monazite, K-feldspar, are common in magmatic zircons. Although many studies mention that light rare earth element (LREE) contents of zircons could be compromised by an analytical artefact of the accidental sampling of mineral inclusions, how and to what degree these inclusions influence analysis of zircon composition is still not well constrained. Here we report U–Pb ages and trace element abundances for zircon crystals, where apatite and K-feldspar inclusions are observed, from diorite porphyry in the Weibao deposit, East Kunlun Mountains, Northern Tibetan Plateau. Although zircon morphological and chronological evidence consistently advocates a magmatic origin without undergoing significant hydrothermal alteration, 7 of 15 analytical spots show LREE-enriched patterns and low Ce/Ce* ratios which are comparable to those for published “hydrothermal” zircon. Quantitative modelling in this study manifests that these LREE-enriched patterns and low Ce/Ce* ratios can be achieved with only 0.1 to 2 vol% contamination from sub-micrometer apatite inclusions, which in practice are hard to monitor under the LA–ICP–MS (normally with large pit diameter and depth) and conventional microscopes. Titanite, monazite, xenotime, and allanite have similar roles to apatite, and LREE contents of zircon can be significantly elevated with only 0.05 vol% contamination from these inclusions. We therefore suggest that the widely used geochemical discrimination criteria for magmatic and hydrothermal zircon, e.g., (Sm/La)N vs. La and Ce/Ce* vs. (Sm/La)N diagrams and the degree of Ce anomalies, are ambiguous since they are extremely susceptible to contamination by mineral inclusions, and that within single samples only Ce4+/Ce3+ values calculated from zircons of low LREE values probably represent the oxidation state of magmas.

The Yemaquan polymetallic skarn deposit is located in the Qimantagh metallogenic belt (QMB), northern Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, China, with total ore resources of 82.7 million metric tons at 29.46 percent Fe, 0.40% Cu, 2.08% Pb and 1.77% Zn. In this study, new trace element composition of zircon in tandem with LA-ICP-MS U-Pb geochronology are provided for mineralized and barren intrusive rocks occurring within two magnetic anomaly areas (M1 and M13) at the Yemaquan deposit. These data, combined with whole rock major and trace element compositions, allow to constrain the geochronological framework and magmatic processes for different types of intrusive rocks within the district. The zircon U-Pb ages reveal that the polymetallic mineralization in the M1 and M13 anomaly areas results from two temporally distinct intrusive centers. Different to the M13 area where only the mineralized Devonian intrusions are recorded, both mineralized and barren intrusive rocks in the M1 area were emplaced in the Late Triassic. Whole rock major and trace elements indicate that both Triassic mineralized and barren rocks underwent significant fractional crystallization, with the Triassic barren rocks displaying much stronger plagioclase fractionation. In contrast, the limited whole rock silica range and high Eu/Eu* of Devonian mineralized intrusions indicate that they did not experience evident fractionation. Zircon trace elements show that the two mineralized groups at Yemaquan display similar, high zircon Ce/Ce* but distinguishable Eu/Eu* ratios, which suggest a consistent, high magmatic oxidation state but different water content. The magmatic water content of Devonian mineralized rocks higher than that of their Triassic counterparts probably suggests that the former are more Cu-fertile. This study confirms that both Devonian and Triassic intrusive activities are responsible for skarn Fe-Cu-Pb-Zn mineralization at the Yemaquan deposit. Meanwhile, in view of the general feature of Yemaquan in the context of skarn deposits from the QMB, we thus suggest that in future mineral exploration great attention should be paid to both the Triassic and Devonian intrusive rocks.

To control vibration-induced white finger among workers performing the fine grinding of golf club heads, the aims of this study are to clarify the major vibration sources in the grinding process, to identify and understand the basic characteristics of the club head vibration, and to propose potential approaches for reducing the vibration exposure. The vibrations on two typical club heads and two belt grinding machines were measured at a workplace. A simulated test station was also constructed and used to help examine some influencing factors of the club head vibration. This study found that the club head vibration was the combination of the vibration transmitted from the grinding machines and that generated in the grinding process. As a result, any factor that affects the machine vibration, the grinding vibration, and/or the dynamic response of the club head can influence the vibration exposure of the fingers or hands holding the club head in the grinding process. The significant influencing factors identified in the study include testing subject, grinding machine, machine operation speed, drive wheel condition, club head model, mechanical constraints imposed on the club head during the grinding, and machine foot pad. These findings suggest that the vibration exposure can be controlled by reducing the grinding machine vibration, changing the workpiece dynamic properties, and mitigating the vibration transmission in its pathway. Many potential methods for the control are proposed and discussed. Relevance to industry Vibrations on handheld workpieces can be effectively transmitted to the hands, especially the fingers. As a result, a major component of the hand-arm vibration syndrome - vibration-induced white finger - has been observed among some workers performing the grinding and/or polishing tasks of the handheld workpieces such as golf club heads. The results of this study can be used to develop more effective methods and technologies to control the vibration exposure of these workers. This may help effectively control this occupational disease.

(1)Background: This study aimed to describe the distribution characteristics and temporal trends of major Organic Solvent induced occupational diseases (OSODs) in Guangdong Province, China.(2) Methods: A total of 1320 OSODs cases diagnosed from 2006 to 2015 were involved in this study, including information of case distribution, working age, industrial type, economic type and enterprise scale. 7 major OSODs accounted for the majority cases (1290 cases, 98%), including benzolism, n-hexane poisoning, 1,2-dichloroethane poisoning, trichloromethane poisoning, dimethyl formamide poisoning, benzene-induced leukemia and trichloroethylene-induced medicamentosa-like dermatitis.(3) Results: The incidence of OSODs was relatively higher in Shenzhen, Dongguan and Guangzhou than other districts. Most cases were related to light industry and electronics for industry type and small and medium-sized and private enterprises for enterprise scales and ownership types. Notably, the case number of benzolism and benzene-induced leukemia presented an increasing trend with year. The onset age of benzolism exhibited an increasing trend with year. The working age of onset of 1,2-dichloroethane poisoning, trichloromethane poisoning and dimethyl formamide poisoning were shorter than others.(4) Conclusions: Since the control and prevention of 7 major OSODs has achieved remarkable results, more measurements are needed to control benzolism and benzene-induced leukemia cases in Guangdong Province.

Background Although carotid artery stenting achieves definite benefits, it carries a higher rate of embolization compared with carotid endarterectomy. The incidence of embolization may be related to plaque stability. Purpose To assess for any relationship between plaque characteristics and cerebral emboli following carotid artery stenting. Material and Methods Sixty-three patients with severe carotid stenosis underwent carotid artery stenting. They were divided into two groups according to whether new ischemic lesions were detected on diffusion-weighted imaging after carotid artery stenting. We evaluated the types and locations of calcification in plaques and extent of calcification. We then assessed for a correlation between each of these factors and occurrence of new lesions on diffusion-weighted imaging after carotid artery stenting. Results The locations of calcification, percentage of plaque enhancement, and the number of plaques with irregular surface or ulceration were significantly different between the two groups. A peripheral position of calcification (close to the adventitia), enhancing plaques, and plaques with irregular surfaces or ulceration were statistically significant predictors of intracerebral embolization after carotid artery stenting. No significant differences in type of plaque or degree of calcification were found between two groups. Conclusion Peripheral calcification, enhancing plaques, and plaques with irregular surfaces were risk factors for intracerebral embolization after carotid artery stenting. These plaque characteristics should be considered when choosing the optimal treatment for patients.

This study aimed to investigate whether the finger skin temperature (FST) after cold provocation (10 °C, 10 min) is as a useful indicator for assisting in the diagnosis of vibration-induced white finger (VWF) in a group of polishers in a subtropical environment. Ninety male vibration-exposed metal polishers (30 patients and 60 controls) from the Guangdong Province in Southern China were recruited. The FSTs at 30, 20, 10, and 0 min before cold water immersion (FSTpre-30, FSTpre-20, FSTpre-10, and FSTbaseline) and 0, 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, and 30 min after immersion (FST0, FST5, FST10, FST15, FST20, FST25, and FST30) were measured on the index, middle, and ring fingers of both hands. During the first 20-min adaptation period, there was a significant increase in FST in three fingers on both hands in the two groups. In contrast, there were no significant differences between FSTpre-10 and FSTbaseline. Furthermore, FSTpre-30, FSTpre-20, FSTpre-10, and FSTbaseline of the three fingers in both hands did not differ significantly. During recovery, the indicators FST5–0, FST10–0, R5, and R10 for the index finger of the left hand in patients were lower than for the controls. Among the various indicators, the absolute recovery rate, FST5–0, at 5 min after immersion was identified as the best diagnosis indicator with a sensitivity of 76.7% and specificity of 70.0% when applied to the index finger of the left hand. The cold water immersion test as applied in a subtropical environment can have a fair discriminating ability for diagnosing VWF.

The recent discovery of numerous large porphyry Cu deposits in the southern Qinghai-Tibet Plateau shows that porphyry Cu deposits can be hosted in magmatic suites in collisional settings. However, in contrast, only a few small porphyry Cu deposits have so far been discovered in association with collision-related granitoids in the northern Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. This raises questions about the origin of collision-related magmas and their mineralization potential. In this contribution, we comprehensively synthesize whole-rock geochemical and isotopic data on collision-related intrusions from the Qimantagh Metallogenic Belt in the northern Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, which hosts many skarn polymetallic deposits but only a few, small porphyry Cu-Mo deposits. This, combined with newly obtained zircon trace element data, provides a high-quality database that can yield insights on the nature and origin of the magmatic suites as well as their fertility in terms of Cu mineralization. Two volumetrically dominant intrusive suites are identified in the Qimantagh Metallogenic Belt: 435-370 Ma granitoids (Suite I) and 245-196 Ma granitoids (Suite II). They formed during syn- to post-collisional stages of the Caledonian and Hercynian-Indosinian Orogenies, respectively. In contrast, arc magmatic rocks are relatively scarce. Both Suites I and II are characterized by low zircon Ce/Ce* and Eu/Eu* values, low whole-rock Sr/Y and Eu/Eu* values with arc-like features (e.g., depletion of Nb and Ta). Furthermore, both suites display some evolved Sr-Nd-Hf isotopic values (e.g., eNdi = -8.1 to 0.1), with the majority of samples characterized by Paleo- to Meso-Proterozoic two-stage Nd and Hf model ages. These features suggest that the parental magmas of the two suites were probably derived from subduction fluid-modified mantle sources which underwent significant crustal AFC processes during magma ascent. The relative scarcity of arc magmatic rocks and the prevalence of collisional magmatism during the Caledonian and Hercynian-Indosinian Orogenies in the Qimantagh Metallogenic Belt can be explained by pre-collisional, flat-slab subduction and subsequent slab breakoff during collision, the later triggering asthenosphere upwelling and extensive magmatism in collisional settings. Compared to fertile plutons in some large porphyry Cu deposits worldwide, especially those in the Gangdese Metallogenic Belt, the two suites in the Qimantagh Metallogenic Belt have low magmatic oxidation states and low water content which inhibited the formation of large porphyry Cu deposits. Thus, skarn polymetallic deposits (probably as well as small porphyry Cu-Mo deposits) rather than large porphyry Cu deposits should be targeted during future mineral exploration in the northern Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, since such deposits do not necessarily need a parental magma with high oxidation state and water content.

ObjectivesHyperuricaemia has been reported to be significantly associated with risk of obesity. However, previous studies on the association between serum uric acid (SUA) and body mass index (BMI) yielded conflicting results. The present study examined the relationship between SUA and obesity among Chinese adults.MethodsData were collected at Guangdong Second Provincial General Hospital in Guangzhou City, China, between January 2010 and December 2018. Participants with ≥2 medical check-up times were included in our analyses. Physical examinations and laboratory measurement variables were obtained from the medical check-up system. The high SUA level group was classified as participants with hyperuricaemia, and obesity was defined as BMI ≥28 kg/m2. Logistic regression model was performed for data at baseline. For all participants, generalised estimation equation (GEE) model was used to assess the association between SUA and obesity, where the data were repeatedly measured over the 9-year study period. Subgroup analyses were performed by gender and age group. We calculated the cut-off values for SUA of obesity using the receiver operating characteristic curves (ROC) technique.ResultsA total of 15 959 participants (10 023 men and 5936 women) were included in this study, with an average age of 37.38 years (SD: 13.27) and average SUA of 367.05 μmol/L (SD: 97.97) at baseline, respectively. Finally, 1078 participants developed obesity over the 9-year period. The prevalence of obesity was approximately 14.2% for high SUA level. In logistic regression analysis at baseline, we observed a positive association between SUA and risk of obesity: OR=1.84 (95% CI: 1.77 to 1.90) for per-SD increase in SUA. Considering repeated measures over 9 year for all participants in the GEE model, the per-SD OR was 1.85 (95% CI: 1.77 to 1.91) for SUA and the increased risk of obesity were greater for men (OR=1.45) and elderly participants (OR=1.01). In subgroup analyses by gender and age, we observed significant associations between SUA and obesity with higher risk in women (OR=2.35) and young participants (OR=1.87) when compared with men (OR=1.70) and elderly participants (OR=1.48). The SUA cut-off points for risk of obesity using ROC curves were approximately consistent with the international standard.ConclusionsOur study observed higher SUA level was associated with increased risk of obesity. More high-quality research is needed to further support these findings.

Objective The purpose of this study was to investigate the characteristics of nailfold capillaroscopy associated with hand-arm vibration syndrome (HAVS). Methods In total, 113 male gold miners were recruited: 35 workers who were chronically exposed to vibration and developed vibration-induced white finger were defined as the HAVS group, 39 workers who were exposed to vibration but did not have HAVS were classified as the vibration-exposed controls (VEC) group, and 39 workers without vibration exposure were categorised as the non-VEC (NVEC) group. Video capillaroscopy was used to capture images of the 2nd, 3rd and 4th fingers of both hands. The following nailfold capillary characteristics were included: number of capillaries/mm, avascular areas, haemorrhages and enlarged capillaries. The experiments were carried out in the same winter. All characteristics were evaluated under blinded conditions. Results Significant differences in all morphological characteristics existed between the groups (p

The Hutouya Pb–Zn mining district in the Qiman Tagh region in NW China is a zoned skarn district with inner Fe–Sn–Cu–Co ores and outer Pb–Zn skarn mineralization. Temporal coincidence of 40Ar/39Ar plateau age of ore-stage phlogopite (226.9 ± 1.5 Ma) with weighted mean LA–ICP–MS U–Pb ages of zircons (230.3 ± 3.7 and 221.6 ± 1.3 Ma) and 40Ar/39Ar plateau ages of biotite (229.6 ± 2.3 and 224.7 ± 2.6 Ma) in the spatially-associated monzogranite strongly suggest a genetic relationship between skarn formation in the Hutouya metallogenic district and intrusion of the monzogranite suite. Major and REE analyses indicate the Hutouya monzogranites are A-type granites that belong to the high-K calc–alkaline series. Hafnium isotope data are consistent with a crust–mantle mixing source. Geochemical characteristics of the Middle–Late Triassic Indosinian (235–204 Ma) granitoids associated with mineralization in the Qiman Tagh region are consistent with an origin as post-collisional, mantle-derived magmas that underplated the lower crust in the East Kunlun orogen in an extensional setting, causing lower crustal melting and subsequent mixing and assimilation that produced magmas fertile for mineralization.

Background: Knee osteoarthritis (KOA) is a major cause leading to chronic bone and muscle pain. Extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT) has been applied in treating KOA in recent years. Methods: From April 2016 to April 2017, 82 patients were diagnosed with KOA that received ESWT were selected as the ESWT group. The treatment parameters were as follows, 2.0 bar, 0.25 mJ/mm2, and 8 Hz/s for twice a week for 4 weeks continuously. In addition, 104 patients receiving oral administration of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) from April 2015 to April 2016 were also selected as the NSAIDs group. At 4, 8, 12, and 16 weeks upon the completion of treatment, the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) and Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Arthritis Index (WOMAC) were adopted to evaluate the changes in pain and function of patients in both groups. For the ESWT group, the 50-m quick walk time and gait analysis were applied to observe the functional recovery at 4, 8, 12, and 16 weeks upon the completion of treatment; meanwhile, patients were followed up by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) at 24 weeks upon the completion of treatment, so as to observe the cartilage changes. Results: Differences in VAS, 4, 8, and 12 weeks after treatment were statistically significant compared with that before treatment (4.59 ± 0.5, P

Mitochondrial DNA sequences transferred to the nucleus give rise to the socalled nuclear mitochondrial DNA (numt). In the GenBank database, 244 numts have been found in six orders of birds (Anseriformes, Columbiformes, Falconiformes, Charadriiformes, Galliformes and Passeriformes). Sequences alignment (NCBI-BLASTN) was carried out with mitochondrial and corresponding nuclear genome sequences in nine vertebrate species. The sequences with high homology were considered as numts. The number of numts ranged from 15 in chicken to 159 in chimpanzee. The sequences of numts in macaque, chimpanzee, and human spanned 100% of the entire mammalian mitochondrial genome. The reconstructed frequency of the mitochondrial gene transferred to the nucleus demonstrated that the rRNA genes had high frequencies than other mitochondrial genes. Using the RepeatMasker program, the transposable elements were detected in the flanking regions of each numt. The results showed that less than 5% of the flanking sequences were made up of repetitive elements in chicken. The GC content of 5′- and 3′-flanking regions of numts in nine species was less than 44%. The analysis of the flanking sequences provided a valuable understanding for future study on mechanism of mitochondrial gene transfer to the nucleus and the site of numt integration.

Herpes zoster (HZ) exists widely in China and most cases occur among old people, but no epidemiology information of HZ was available. We aimed to investigate the epidemiology characteristics of HZ among adults aged 50 and over in Guangdong, China. A total of 34 counties/districts were randomly selected in Guangdong, and 7149 residents aged 50 and over were investigated by local CDC professionals using accidental sampling method. There were 247 respondents having had HZ before; the lifetime prevalence of HZ among people aged 50 and above in study area was 3.46%. The prevalence in females was higher than that in males. Pearl River Delta had the highest prevalence (5.29%), while Northern Guangdong had the lowest (1.87%). The annual incidence in the year 2013, 2012 and 2011 was 5.8, 3.4 and 4.1 per 1000 person-years, respectively. Detailed investigation of HZ cases showed that all cases meted the definition of HZ and had at least 1 typical symptom. 40% cases had suffered post-herpetic neuralgia. 75.9% cases had sought aid from hospital and 9.1% of them had been hospitalized. People who sought aid from hospital had more serious level of neuralgia. The epidemiology features of HZ in Guangdong were consistent with the current findings in other countries. The results of this study can provide baseline epidemiology information of HZ for further studies.