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Abstract Background College and university students were an important population group of blood donors, especially in the current situation of tight blood supply. This study aimed to investigate the current status and determinants of blood donation among this population group in Wuhan using a structural equation model. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional study involving 12 colleges and universities in Wuhan, China, including 5168 students. Sociodemographic characteristics, health status, knowledge about blood donation, and attitude toward blood donation were treated as latent variables, with blood donation as the observed variable. Confirmatory factor analysis was conducted using the Mplus 8.0 statistical software application, followed by the establishment of a structural equation model to assess the relationships that exist between these variables. Results The overall blood donation rate among college and university students was 24.71%. The established model indicated that sociodemographic characteristics, health status, knowledge about blood donation, and attitude toward blood donation showed significant positive effects (0.135, 0.056, 0.321, and 0.389, respectively) on blood donation, among them, the direct effects were 0.076, -0.110, 0.143, and 0.389, respectively (P

Understanding biodiversity changes, along with its driving factors and mechanisms, is crucial in biogeography and community ecology. Beta diversity is an indicator for discerning the compositional variations among communities and is essential role in fostering a comprehensive understanding of the ecological processes shaping biodiversity distribution patterns. This study quantitatively evaluated the beta diversity of macroinvertebrates in the Wei River Basin, focusing on: (i) contributions of turnover and nestedness to taxonomic, functional, and phylogenetic total beta diversity, (ii) correlations between these beta diversity dimensions, and (iii) the influences of local, climatic, and spatial factors on beta diversity. We analyzed macroinvertebrate data from 51 sampling locations in the Wei River Basin and explored the relationships between different beta diversity dimensions using the Mantel test. Additionally, we assessed the relative influence of local, climatic, and spatial factors on beta diversity through distance-based redundancy analysis and variance partitioning methods. The results indicated that turnover predominantly affects taxonomic and phylogenetic beta diversity, while nestedness mainly drives functional beta diversity. Functional beta diversity was more weakly associated with the other dimensions. Local environmental factors significantly influenced taxonomic and phylogenetic beta diversity, whereas spatial factors had a stronger influence on functional beta diversity. Our findings highlight the need for conservation strategies to integrate taxonomic, functional, and phylogenetic dimensions, transcending traditional species-level approaches.

Abstract Background The present study aimed to investigate the expression level, biological function, and underlying mechanism of transmembrane protein 176B (TMEM176B) in gastric cancer (GC). Methods TMEM176B expression was detected by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) and western blotting (WB). The function of TMEM176B was determined by various in vitro assays including colony formation, 5-ethynyl-2ʹ-deoxyuridine (EdU), Transwell, and flow cytometry. Bioinformatics techniques were then used to elucidate the signaling pathways associated with TMEM176B activity. Tumor formation experiments were conducted on nude mice for in vivo validation of the preceding findings. TMEM176B expression was cross-referenced to clinicopathological parameters and survival outcomes. Results It was observed that TMEM176B was overexpressed in GC cells and tissues. Targeted TMEM176B abrogation inhibited colony formation, proliferation, migration, and invasion but promoted apoptosis in GC cell lines while TMEM176B overexpression had the opposite effects. Subsequent experimental validation disclosed an association between TMEM176B and the phosphatidylinositol 3-carboxykinase (PI3K)-protein kinase B (Akt)-mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling axis. Moreover, TMEM176B affects GC cancer progression by regulating asparagine synthetase (ASNS). The in vivo assays confirmed that TMEM176B is oncogenic and the clinical data revealed a connection between TMEM176B expression and the clinicopathological determinants of GC. Conclusion The foregoing results suggest that TMEM176B significantly promotes the development of gastric cancer and is an independent prognostic factor of it.

Freshwater biodiversity has been declining in urban areas, which may threaten ecosystem functions. Although many studies have demonstrated a positive correlation between biodiversity and ecosystem functioning (BEF) in terrestrial and marine ecosystems, little is known about the BEF relationship in freshwater environments, especially in highly urbanized regions where water pollution is a major concern. Eutrophication in urban water bodies may trigger algae blooms, decreasing the evenness or functional divergence (FDiv) of phytoplankton communities, thus negatively affecting ecosystem functioning. Through an annual field investigation, we clarified the relationship between phytoplankton diversity and ecosystem functioning, represented as resource use efficiency (RUE), in an urban river in northern China. Results indicated that evenness in the phytoplankton community contributes most to driving ecosystem functioning compared to environmental factors. The relative abundance of dominant Bacillariophyta was positively correlated with the resource use efficiency of phytoplankton (RUEpp) but negatively correlated with the resource use efficiency of zooplankton (RUEzp). Both phytoplankton evenness and functional divergence were negatively linked to RUEpp but positively to RUEzp. Our findings suggest that the reduction of phytoplankton evenness and functional divergence may seriously threaten resource use efficiency (RUE), and its potential mechanism can provide a crucial reference for water quality protection and sustainable water resource utilization in the basin.

Objective To analyze the relevant studies on blood donor cohort and explore the current research status, research hotspots and development trends of blood donor cohort studies abroad. Methods Based on the Web of Science Core Collection, the literature related to blood donor cohort was searched. After screening and data processing, bibliometric analysis was carried out from the volume of literature trends, disciplines, authors, institutional distribution and other aspects of the included literature. At the same time, CiteSpace 5.6R5 software was used to carry out visual analysis of countries/regions, literature co-citation, keyword co-occurrence, keyword clustering and keyword emergence. Results A total of 672 papers (654 research papers, 18 review papers) were included. The total number of papers published in the field of blood donor cohort study showed a steady upward trend since 1991, the fastest growth was between 2019 and 2020. The top three cited authors were Kaaks R (1 301 citations), Rinaldi S (1 186 citations) and Riboli E (1 130 citations); the top three institutions were RLUK library in the UK, the University of California and the University of Copenhagen; the top three countries/regions in the volume of literature were the United States (176 papers), Germany (64 papers) and France (54 papers), and they all co-operated closely with other countries. The top five keywords were "blood donor" , "prevalence" , "infection" , "risk" and "antibody" . A total of 19 clusters were obtained by keyword cluster analysis, it was reflected in the immune mechanism and prevalence of blood-borne diseases, the relationship between blood donation behavior and non-communicable disease and its influencing factors, and the classification of the characteristics of blood donors. "Non-hepatitis B" was the keyword with the greatest burst intensity. The keywords that have burst out in recent years and continue to this day include "donation" , "seroprev-alence" , "donor" and "management" . Conclusion At present, the cohort study of blood donors has been paid more and more attention in the world, and its research trends mainly focus on the study of transfusion-transmitted disease risk. However, more researches begin to pay attention to the health problems and influencing factors of blood donors or recipients, which provides the research ideas and directions for establishing cohort study among blood donors in China.

This study employs the XBeach surfbeat model (XBSB) to explore the effects of vegetation on wave attenuation and dune erosion in a case study of Mexico Beach during Hurricane Michael. The XBSB model was validated against laboratory experiments of wave-induced dune erosion and wave attenuation by vegetation. In the case study of vegetation on dunes in Mexico Beach during Hurricane Michael, different vegetation drag coefficients were evaluated to investigate the effects of vegetation on wave attenuation and dune erosion. LiDAR data of dune profiles before and after Hurricane Michael were used for model validation. The findings reveal that vegetation on dunes significantly affects wave attenuation and dune erosion. Under vegetated conditions, as the vegetation drag coefficient value increases, wave attenuation also increases, leading to a reduction of dune erosion. An increase in vegetation density enhances wave attenuation in the vegetated area, including reductions in significant wave height and flow velocity. However, the rate of change in attenuation decreases as the vegetation density increases. Through simulations under regular wave condition on Mexico Beach, an optimal vegetation density was identified as 800 units/m2. Beyond this density, additional vegetation does not substantially improve wave attenuation. Furthermore, the position of the dune crest elevation is related to the location where the alongshore flow velocity begins to decrease. The findings highlight the essential role of coastal vegetation in enhancing coastal resilience against hurricanes.

Abstract Background Given the rapidly rising proportion of the older population in China and the relatively high prevalence of depressive symptoms among this population, this study aimed to identify the trajectories of depressive symptoms and the factors associated with the trajectory class to gain a better understanding of the long-term course of depressive symptoms in this population. Methods Data were obtained from four wave’s survey of the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS). A total of 3646 participants who aged 60 years or older during baseline survey, and completed all follow-ups were retained in this study. Depressive symptoms were measured using the 10-item version of the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D-10). Growth mixture modelling (GMM) was adopted to identify the trajectory classes of depressive symptoms, and both linear and quadratic functions were considered. A multivariate logistic regression model was used to calculate the adjusted odds ratios (ORs) of the associated factors to predict the trajectory class of participants. Results A four-class quadratic function model was the best-fitting model for the trajectories of depressive symptoms in the older Chinese population. The four trajectories were labelled as increasing (16.70%), decreasing (12.31%), high and stable (7.30%), and low and stable (63.69%), according to their trends. Except for the low and stable trajectory, the other trajectories were almost above the threshold for depressive symptoms. The multivariate logistic regression model suggested that the trajectories of chronic depressive symptoms could be predicted by being female, living in a village (rural area), having a lower educational level, and having chronic diseases. Conclusions This study identified four depressive symptom trajectories in the older Chinese population and analysed the factors associated with the trajectory class. These findings can provide references for prevention and intervention to reduce the chronic course of depressive symptoms in the older Chinese population.

Abstract Predator–prey interactions are critical for understanding species composition and community assembly; however, there is still limited research on whether and how the prey species composition or community assembly in natural communities are mediated by predators. To address this question, we performed a field investigation to examine the influence of the presence of Lutra lutra on the diversity of fish communities of the Hunchun River Basin, Jilin Province, China. Our results indicate that L. lutra, as a potential umbrella species and generalist predator in the stream ecosystem, promotes the coexistence of a vast variety of fish taxa, which emphasizes the importance of top-down control in the ecological community. We suggest that L. lutra regulates the fish community assembly likely through the stochastic process. Although this was a pilot study regarding predator–prey interactions, the results highlight the effects of predators on the prey community assembly, and emphasize the role of predators on the maintenance of biodiversity and ecosystem function. Future conservation decisions involving ecosystem biodiversity should require the inclusion of predation intensity. The inclusion of scientific research and protection of umbrella species would thus constitute an additional and important step in biodiversity conservation.

With the acceleration of urbanization, biodiversity and ecosystem functions of urban wetlands are facing serious challenges. The loss of aquatic plants in urban wetlands is becoming more frequent and intense due to human activities; nevertheless, the effects of aquatic plants on wetland ecosystems have received less attention. Therefore, we conducted field investigations across 10 urban wetlands in Jinan, Shandong Province, as a case in North China to examine the relationships between aquatic plant coverage and phytoplankton diversity, as well as resource use efficiency (RUE) in urban wetlands. Multivariate regression and partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) were used to analyze the water quality, phytoplankton diversity, and RUE. The results demonstrate that the increase in aquatic plant coverage significantly reduced the concentration of total nitrogen and suspended solids’ concentrations and significantly increased the phytoplankton diversity (e.g., species richness and functional diversity). The aquatic plant coverage significantly affected the composition of phytoplankton functional groups; for example, functional groups that had adapted to still-water and low-light conditions became dominant. Furthermore, the increase in phytoplankton diversity improved phytoplankton RUE, highlighting the importance of aquatic plants in maintaining wetland ecosystem functions. This study may provide a scientific basis for the management strategy of aquatic plants in urban wetlands, emphasizing the key role of appropriate aquatic plant cover in maintaining the ecological stability and ecosystem service functions of wetlands.

BackgroundWe aimed to examine the associations between energy and macronutrient intakes at breakfast and the incidence of cardiovascular events among Chinese adults.MethodsThere were 12,937 participants from the China Health and Nutrition Survey who met the study criteria and completed six rounds of questionnaires in 1997, 2000, 2004, 2006, 2009, and 2011. Combined weighing methods with 24-h dietary recall were used to measure dietary intake throughout the day. Intakes of macronutrients at breakfast were calculated using energy provided by nutrients as a percentage of breakfast energy. We calculated hazard ratios using a multivariable Cox frailty model with random intercepts to account for household clustering.ResultsDuring follow-up, we documented 453 (3.6 per 1,000 person-years) major cardiovascular events, 195 (1.5 per 1,000 person-years) myocardial infarctions, and 293 (2.3 per 1,000 person-years) strokes. In Chinese adults, more breakfast carbohydrates or less proteins intake was associated with the reduced risk of cardiovascular diseases. Especially for women, higher intake of breakfast carbohydrates was associated with a lower risk of major cardiovascular events (quintile 5 vs. quintile 1, HR 0.47 [95%CI 0.30–0.74]; ptrend = 0.0008) and stroke (quintile 5 vs. quintile 1, HR 0.48 [95%CI 0.26–0.88]; ptrend = 0.0006). Higher intake of breakfast proteins was associated with a higher risk of major cardiovascular events (quintile 5 vs. quintile 1, HR 1.77 [95%CI 1.12–2.79]; ptrend = 0.1162), myocardial infarction (quintile 5 vs. quintile 1, HR 2.49 [95%CI 1.21–5.11]; ptrend = 0.2641). There was a significant association between breakfast fat intake and cardiovascular diseases in the adult population, but less significant correlation was found in Chinese men or women. Breakfast fat intake was positively associated with the risk of major cardiovascular events (quintile 5 vs. quintile 1, HR 1.74 [95%CI 1.27–2.36]; ptrend = 0.0070), myocardial infarction (quintile 5 vs. quintile 1, HR 2.03 [95%CI 1.23–3.37]; ptrend = 0.0168), and stroke (quintile 5 vs. quintile 1, HR 1.64 [95%CI 1.12–2.41]; ptrend = 0.0732). There was a significant reduction in major cardiovascular events and stroke when breakfast energy intake was moderated, even if the independence of skipping breakfast.ConclusionHigh carbohydrate intake and low protein and fat intake at breakfast may contribute to cardiovascular health while maintaining a moderate energy intake.

Objective To provide reference for fine management of blood donors by classifying and analyzing different types of blood donors from domestic blood stations. Methods The resident population of 15 regions in China from 2016 to 2019 were taken as the research object, among which the blood donors were divided into three categories: age-eligible citizens, registered donors and donated donors. The average value and proportion of the three categories were calculated and statistically analyzed. Results The resident population of the 15 regions varied greatly. The mean 95% CI of the proportion of age-eligible citizens to resident population from 2016 to 2019 was (60.16%, 67.84%); registered donors to age-eligible citizens and resident population was (2.21%, 2.86%) and (1.41%, 1.79%), respectively; donated donors to registered donors, age-eligible citizens and resident population was (84.63%, 91.68%), (1.93%, 2.55%) and(1.23%, 1.59%), respectively. Conclusion There were differences in the number and proportion of different types of blood donors in different regions. The fine management of blood donors can help blood stations carry out more effective recruitment and retention strategies.

Abstract Recently, a great effort has been made to perfect the therapeutic effect of solid tumor, from single-agent therapy to combined therapy and many other polymer-drug conjugations with dual or more anticancer agents due to their promising synergistic effect and higher drug level accumulation towards tumor tissues. Different polymer-drug spacers present diverse therapeutic efficacy, therefore, finding an appropriate spacer is desirable. In this study, dual drugs that are doxorubicin (DOX) and mitomycin C (MMC) were conjugated onto a polymer carrier (xyloglucan) via various peptide or amide bonds, and a series of polymers drug conjugates were synthesized with different spacers and their effect on tumor treatment efficacy was studied both in vitro and in vivo. The result shows that the synergistic effect is better when using different linker to conjugate different drugs rather than using the same spacer to conjugate different drugs on the carrier. Particularly, the finding of this works suggested that, using peptide bond for MMC and amide bond for DOX to conjugate dual drugs onto single XG carrier could improve therapeutic effect and synergy effect. Therefore, in polymer-pharmaceutical formulations, the use of different spacers to optimize the design of existing drugs to enhance therapeutic effects is a promising strategy.

Abstract Background Given the high prevalence of depressive symptoms amongst the elderly Chinese population and the significance of intergenerational contact in this demographic group, the purpose of this study was to examine the association and dose–response relationship between the frequency of intergenerational contact and depressive symptoms. Methods Data were obtained from the third wave of the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study. A total of 5791 participants at age 60 or older were included in this study. Depressive symptoms were defined by the 10-item version of the Centre for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale. Intergenerational contact included in-person meeting and remote connecting, and they were analysed separately. Intergenerational contact frequency was classified into ten categories and then treated as a continuous variable for analysis. We performed univariate and multivariate logistic regressions to identify risk covariables. Restrictive cubic spline analysis was used to examine the dose–response relationship between intergenerational contact frequency and the outcome of depressive symptoms. Results Both the frequency of meeting and the frequency of connecting with children were independently associated with depressive symptoms in the elderly, and the odds ratios for depressive symptoms increased with decreasing frequencies (P

In plants, branching is regulated by both hormones and external cues such as light. Here the authors show that in Arabidopsis, the phytochrome A-signaling components FHY3 and FAR1, and SMXL proteins that repress strigolactone signaling, both interact with SPL proteins to control expression of the branching regulator BRC1.

Leaf senescence is the terminal stage of leaf development. Both light and the plant hormone ethylene play important roles in regulating leaf senescence. However, how they coordinately regulate leaf senescence during leaf development remains largely unclear. In this study, we show that FHY3 and FAR1, two homologous proteins essential for phytochrome A-mediated light signaling, physically interact with and repress the DNA binding activity of EIN3 (a key transcription factor essential for ethylene signaling) and PIF5 (a bHLH transcription factor negatively regulating light signaling), and interfere with their DNA binding to the promoter of ORE1, which encodes a key NAC transcription factor promoting leaf senescence. In addition, we show that FHY3, PIF5, and EIN3 form a tri-protein complex(es) and that they coordinately regulate the progression of leaf senescence. We show that during aging or under dark conditions, accumulation of FHY3 protein decreases, thus lifting its repression on DNA binding of EIN3 and PIF5, leading to the increase of ORE1 expression and onset of leaf senescence. Our combined results suggest that FHY3 and FAR1 act in an age gating mechanism to prevent precocious leaf senescence by integrating light and ethylene signaling with developmental aging.

HIV-1 non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTIs) area key component of the current HIV-1 combination drug regimens. Although they exhibit potent anti-HIV-1 activity and modest toxicity, the emergence of mutant strains limits their application in clinical. Our previous research efforts contributed to the identification of compound K-5a2, which exhibits nanomolar activity in HIV-1-infected MT-4 cells. In this study, K-5a2 was shown to have a high level of anti-HIV-1 activity against various lab-adapted strains and clinical isolate strains, being comparable to ETR. Moreover, we showed the feasibility of K-5a2 as a preclinical anti-HIV-1 candidate by establishing its synergistic or additive anti-HIV-1 activity in combination with other representative anti-HIV-1 drugs and candidates. In addition, K-5a2 exhibited no inhibitory activity to the primary CYP isoforms and favorable pharmacokinetics. Taken together, its robust anti-HIV-1 potency, synergistic or additive effects with other anti-HIV drugs, and favorable pharmacokinetic and safety profiles make K-5a2 a potent alternative drug for HIV/AIDS treatment.

Container seaport congestion is a challenging problem in improving the service level and optimizing evacuating container vessels after congestion. There is a lack of research on container vessel evacuation strategies for continuous terminals. In this article, the weight of the objective function is regarded as the index for the service priority of vessels. The effects of the service priority on the continuous terminal are analyzed by establishing a mixed integer programming model. The model minimizes the total weighted delay departure time of vessels. Two sets of weight values are adopted, including handling volume of each ship and the squared handling volume, then the optimization results are compared with the unweighted scenario. The model is solved using a genetic algorithm. Lianyungang Port is selected as a case study. The results show that the method using the square of handled container volume is more conducive to ensuring the shipping period of large vessels after congestion. Besides, the quay crane number of large vessels affecting the scheduling strategy is discussed. The method proposed in this article provides a new idea for arranging scheduling strategies in other ports under congestion situations, which can better ensure the planned shipping period of large vessels.

Abstract Background Health literacy is a strong predictor of health status. This study develops and tests a structural equation model to explore the factors that are associated with the health literacy level of rural residents in Central China. Methods The participants were recruited from a county-level city in Central China (N = 1164). Face-to-face interviews were conducted to complete the self-designed questionnaire of each participant. The questionnaire included items for the (1) demographic information, (2) socioeconomic status, and (3) health literacy of the participants. Mplus analyses were performed to evaluate the proposed model. Results The final model showed good fit for the data, and both demographic characteristics (i.e., age, BMI, and residence) and socioeconomic status (i.e., monthly income, occupation, and education level) were significantly associated with health literacy level. The effects of these two variables were − 0.277 (P

Rotating parts of aeroengines need to have a high speed margin according to the civil aviation airworthiness regulations. Previous studies on burst speed are based on mechanical properties of standard specimens. In this paper, a new method for predicting burst speed by means of a tensile test of a simulative specimen is proposed, and the predicted results are compared with the traditional method. The results show that the stress gradient of the designed simulative specimen and the assessment location of vortex reducer are in good agreement, which indicates that they have similar stress characteristics. The burst speed predicted by the new method is greater than the traditional method. Both prediction methods can provide a reference for such a structure in the design stage. In addition, the overspeed test of a vortex reducer is carried out, and the results verify that it still has sufficient strength reserves at 120% relative speed.

Hurricane Irma, in 2017, made an unusual landfall in South Florida and the unpredictability of the hurricane’s path challenged the evacuation process seriously and left many evacuees clueless. It was likely to hit Southeast Florida but suddenly shifted its path to the west coast of the peninsula, where the evacuation process had to change immediately without any time for individual decision-making. As such, this study aimed to develop a methodology to integrate evacuation and storm surge modeling with a case study analysis of Irma hitting Southeast Florida. For this purpose, a coupled storm surge and wave finite element model (ADCIRC+SWAN) was used to determine the inundation zones and roadways with higher inundation risk in Broward, Miami-Dade, and Palm Beach counties in Southeast Florida. This was fed into the evacuation modeling to estimate the regional clearance times and shelter availability in the selected counties. Findings show that it takes approximately three days to safely evacuate the populations in the study area. Modeling such integrated simulations before the hurricane hit the state could provide the information people in hurricane-prone areas need to decide to evacuate or not before the mandatory evacuation order is given.

Background: Hypertension accounts for 7% of the annual global disease burden, despite great efforts to counter this trend. Thus, interventions targeted at prehypertension might lead to a breakthrough for hypertension prevention. This study focused on the prevalence of prehypertension among adults in Central China and the best indicator of prehypertension, which would provide the basis for future interventions. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted using multistage stratified random sampling in seven counties in Hubei Province. Data from 30,634 survey respondents were analyzed using logistic regression and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve statistical tests, for the prevalence of prehypertension and the predictive ability of body mass index (BMI), waist-to-height ratio (WHtR), and waist circumference (WC) for prehypertension. Results: The prevalence of prehypertension in adults was 42.2%. The following factors contributed to the risk of prehypertension: male sex, elder age, divorce/separation, drinking, heavy labor intensity, and high BMI (p

Objective: It has been established that reduced vitamin B12 serum levels are associated with cognitive decline and mental illness. The chronic use of methamphetamine (MA), which is a highly addictive drug, can induce cognitive impairment and psychopathological symptoms. There are few studies addressing the association of MA with vitamin B12 serum levels. This study examined whether the serum levels of B12 are associated with MA addiction.Methods: Serum vitamin B12, homocysteine (Hcy), glucose and triglyceride concentrations were measured in 123 MA addicts and 108 controls. In addition, data were collected on their age, marital status, level of education and Body Mass Index (BMI) for all participants. In the patient group, the data for each subject were collected using the Fagerstrom Test for Nicotine Dependence (FTND), the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT), and a drug use history, which included the age of onset, total duration of MA use, the number of relapses and addiction severity.Results: Our results showed that MA addicts had lower vitamin B12 levels (p < 0.05) than those of healthy controls, but Hcy levels were not significantly different between the two groups (p > 0.05). Serum B12 levels were negatively correlated with the number of relapses in the MA group. Furthermore, binary logistics regression analysis indicated that the B12 was an influencing factor contributing to addiction severity.Conclusion: The findings of this study suggest that some MA addicts might have vitamin B12 deficiency, and serum B12 levels may be involved in the prognosis of MA addiction.