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Describes a pilot project to devise a program for the computerization of classical Tibetan script that was initiated at the Polytechnic of North London in 1983. Problems of transliteration and international actions to promote the computerization of nonroman scripts are summarized. Fifteen references and thirteen additional sources are provided. (EJS)

Denjongke is atypical within Tibetic languages in how speaker’s inner sensations such as hunger, cold, feeling of illness and emotions are expressed. Whereas most other Tibetic languages use a sensorial evidential form in default expressions of speaker’s inner sensations (Tournadre 2021, 2023 preprint), Denjongke uses a variety of other forms. The sensorial forms may also be used when the speaker takes an outsider's perspective on their inner sensations in contexts such as surprise and sudden discovery. The reason why Denjongke, unlike Common Tibetan and some other Tibetic languages, can use personal forms for expressing the speaker’s inner sensations is that Denjongke personal forms are not associated with volitionality, whereas the personal/egophoric forms of Common Tibetan and some other Tibetic languages are strongly associated with volitionality.

Background: Depressive symptoms have become a public health issue of common concern in countries all over the world, and have many negative impacts on university students' study and life. Depressive symptoms are influenced by many factors, including sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) consumption and duration of physical activity. However, no study has been conducted on the association between sugar-sweetened beverage consumption, duration of physical exercise, and depressive symptoms among Tibetan university students at high altitudes. Methods: In this study, a self-assessment survey of SSBs consumption, duration of physical exercise, and depressive symptoms was conducted on 6,259 (2,745 boys, 43.86%) Tibetan university students aged 19-22 years in Lhasa and Ganzi areas, China, using stratified whole population sampling. The associations were also analyzed using one-way analysis of variance, binary logistic regression analysis, and ordered logistic regression analysis in the generalised linear model. Results: The proportions of mild depression symptoms, moderate depression symptoms, and major depressive symptoms among Tibetan boys university students in high-altitude areas of China were 18.0, 22.9, and 1.5%, respectively; the proportions of girls students were 20.1, 21.9, and 1.5%, respectively, 1.5%, and the differences in the detection rates of depressive symptoms between sex were statistically significant (χ² value=14.253, p < 0.01). Ordered logistic regression analyses showed that using duration of physical exercise >60min/d and SSBs ≤1 times/week as the reference group, the duration of physical exercise<30 min/d and SSBs ≥5 times/week groups had the highest risk of developing depressive symptoms was the highest risk (OR=6.98, 95% CI: 5.05-9.65; p<0.001). Conclusion: This study confirmed that there was a positive association between SSBs consumption and depressive symptoms and a negative association between the duration of physical exercise and depressive symptoms among Tibetan university students at high altitudes in China. In the future, SSBs consumption should be effectively controlled and the duration of physical exercise should be increased to reduce the occurrence of depressive symptoms and promote the physical and mental health of Tibetan university students in high-altitude areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A key focus of linguistic landscape research is the interaction among local language policies, the visibility of minority languages on public signage, and the perceptions of residents regarding language use. In China, ongoing urbanization and eased household registration requirements have precipitated an influx of ethnic minority migrants from autonomous regions to urban locales. This migration raises crucial questions about the integration and acceptance of ethnic minority migrants within the sociolinguistic fabric of urban China. Combining a linguistic landscape analysis and interviews with public sign owners, this study examines attitudes towards Tibetan language and Tibetan migrants in "Little Lhasa" in Chengdu, a major city in western China. Our findings reveal that various social actors, including Han residents, the Neighbourhood Committee, and the municipal authorities, prudently leverage the semiotic potentials of the Tibetan script in crafting public signs. The visibility of Tibetan in the local linguistic landscape reflects ideologies of acceptance, hesitation, or concern regarding Tibetan migrants. Although Tibetan migrants have conceded aspects of their language use in exchange for integration into urban life, they have not yet gained wider community acceptance. This study offers an innovative linguistic landscape lens on the implicit language policy in an ethnic minority migrant community in urban China. It illuminates a reflective case where language planning is much needed for mitigating bias and misunderstanding in multi-ethnic communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The updated status of hypertension and its risk factors are poorly evaluated in Tibetan highland areas. We initiated a large-scale cross-sectional survey to provide updated status of hypertension and its risk factors (especially salt intake) in the Ganzi Tibetan Plateau, China. Methods: Stratified multistage random sampling was performed to obtain a representative sample of 4,036 adult residents from 4 counties in the Ganzi Tibetan area. The whole survey population was used to present the epidemiology and risk factors of hypertension. The participants with blood and urine biochemistry data were used to analyze the relationship between salt intake parameters and hypertension. Results: Stratified multistage random sampling was performed to obtain a representative sample of 4,036 adult residents. The overall prevalence rate of hypertension was 33.5% (the age-adjusted prevalence rate was 28.9%). A total of 50.9% of the hypertensive patients knew their conditions; 30.1% of them received antihypertensive treatment; and 11.2% of them had their blood pressure controlled. Age, male sex, living altitude ≥ 3500 m, overweight and abdominal obesity were positively correlated with hypertension. In addition, the adjusted odds ratio (OR) for hypertension was 1.33 (95% CI: 1.01–1.74) for drinking tea with salt, and 1.51 (95% CI: 1.32–1.72) for per SD increase in the estimation of 24-hour urinary sodium excretion (e24hUSE). Furthermore, per 100mmol/day increase in e24hUSE was associated with elevation of blood pressure (+ 10.16, 95% CI: 8.45–11.87 mmHg for SBP; +3.83, 95% CI: 2.74–4.93 mmHg for DBP) in this population. Conclusions: Our survey suggests a heavy disease burden of hypertension in the Ganzi Tibetan Plateau. Age, male sex, altitude of residence ≥ 3500 m, overweight, abdominal obesity, and excessive salt intake (shown as drinking tea with adding salt and a higher level of e24hUSE) all increased the risk of hypertension in this highland area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background The updated status of hypertension and its risk factors are poorly evaluated in Tibetan highland areas. We initiated a large-scale cross-sectional survey to provide updated status of hypertension and its risk factors (especially salt intake) in the Ganzi Tibetan Plateau, China. Methods Stratified multistage random sampling was performed to obtain a representative sample of 4,036 adult residents from 4 counties in the Ganzi Tibetan area. The whole survey population was used to present the epidemiology and risk factors of hypertension. The participants with blood and urine biochemistry data were used to analyze the relationship between salt intake parameters and hypertension. Results Stratified multistage random sampling was performed to obtain a representative sample of 4,036 adult residents. The overall prevalence rate of hypertension was 33.5% (the age-adjusted prevalence rate was 28.9%). A total of 50.9% of the hypertensive patients knew their conditions; 30.1% of them received antihypertensive treatment; and 11.2% of them had their blood pressure controlled. Age, male sex, living altitude ≥ 3500 m, overweight and abdominal obesity were positively correlated with hypertension. In addition, the adjusted odds ratio (OR) for hypertension was 1.33 (95% CI: 1.01–1.74) for drinking tea with salt, and 1.51 (95% CI: 1.32–1.72) for per SD increase in the estimation of 24-hour urinary sodium excretion (e24hUSE). Furthermore, per 100mmol/day increase in e24hUSE was associated with elevation of blood pressure (+ 10.16, 95% CI: 8.45–11.87 mmHg for SBP; +3.83, 95% CI: 2.74–4.93 mmHg for DBP) in this population. Conclusions Our survey suggests a heavy disease burden of hypertension in the Ganzi Tibetan Plateau. Age, male sex, altitude of residence ≥ 3500 m, overweight, abdominal obesity, and excessive salt intake (shown as drinking tea with adding salt and a higher level of e24hUSE) all increased the risk of hypertension in this highland area.

The study aims to investigate the differences in protein expressions in Xizang's (Tibetan) middle-to-long distance runners after the transition from high altitude to low altitude and reveal the molecular mechanisms underlying their enhanced middle-to-long distance running performance. In the study, eleven subjects were selected from native Tibetan middle-to-long distance runners to participate in an 8-week pre-competition exercise training program consisting of a 6-week training stage in Kangding City at an altitude of 2 560 meters (m) and a subsequent 2-week training stage in Leshan City at an altitude of 360 ​m. Blood samples were collected twice from the runners before beginning altitude exercise training in Kangding and after going to sea level - Leshan City. Using a label-free quantitative method, peptides in the samples were analyzed by mass spectrometry. Proteomic analysis was performed to identify differentially expressed proteins and predict their biological functions. A total of 846 proteins were identified in the 21 samples, including 719 quantified proteins. In total, 49 significantly differentially expressed proteins (p ​

ABSTRACTThe paradox between massive rural revitalisation and cultural preservation calls for new sustainable development strategies. How to strike a balance between them has become a research hotspot especially for traditional villages in developing countries. Through data collection, field research and analogy, this article explores the spatial prototypes of mandala, Mount Meru and ‘zhai xin’ (central stronghold) concept, and points out the coupling relationship between spatial patterns and Tibetan settlements and its influences on settlement layout, architectural forms, and local customs, which includes the cultural philosophy of spatial patterns, the structure of human settlements, village layout, road network planning, and core node building complex. Taking Ge’en Tibetan Village revamping program in Aba Tibetan and Qiang County as an illustrative example, this design strategy will not only improve local residents’ living standards, but also helps to retain the cultural essence of traditional villages, thereby diving the development of tourism and other tertiary industries. Based on cultural heritage preservation, this work offers new perspectives on land use planning and architectural design for the revitalisation and sustainable development of traditional village in under-developed areas.

AIM:To compare the differences of ocular biometric parameters of age-related cataract between Tibetan and Han ethnic groups, and to analyze the distribution characteristics of ocular biometric parameters in Tibetan cataract patients.METHODS:Retrospective cohort study. A total of 661 patients(1 030 eyes)with age-related cataract confirmed in the hospital between January 2019 and December 2020 were enrolled. The parameters of axial length, anterior chamber depth, keratometry, corneal astigmatism and astigmatic axis were measured by IOL Master 500 in 483 cases(739 eyes)of Tibetan age-related cataract patients and 178 cases(291 eyes)of Han patients.RESULTS:The axial length, anterior chamber depth and corneal astigmatism of the Tibetan patients with age-related cataract were 23.33(22.81, 23.86)mm, 3.04(2.79, 3.30)mm and 0.73(0.47, 1.07)D. The mean keratometry was 43.89±1.35 D. The results indicated that Tibetan cataract patients had shorter axial lengths and smaller keratometry compared to Han patients(all P

This article investigates the grammaticalization patterns of evidentiality from a cross-linguistic perspective with a focus on Lhasa Tibetan. It documents the history of the evidential morphemes 'dug, -song, -bzhag, and =ze from Old Literary Tibetan to modern spoken Lhasa Tibetan. Our analyses show that these morphemes started grammaticalizing before encoding evidentiality. We argue that, through pragmatic strengthening, evidentiality tends to infiltrate forms which have already grammaticalized to express other semantic domains. These patterns of grammaticalization are confirmed by diachronic and reconstructed data from genetically unrelated languages. Evidentiality thus tends to be a 'grammaticalization passenger' (i.e., a conventionalized meaning which used to be merely implied from the recurrent contexts of a grammaticalized form) rather than a 'grammaticalization target' (i.e., a functional domain which triggers grammaticalization). This may explain why evidentiality is less often grammaticalized than other notions, such as time or modality, in the world's languages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective To study the differences of species composition and functional composition of intestinal microorganisms among Tibetan diabetic population, pre-diabetic population and normal population, so as to provide research basis for the prevention and treatment of type 2 diabetes in Tibetan population. Methods Based on the follow-up population of the natural population in southwest China, 111 Tibetan residents in Lhasa were selected according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria, and their demographic and anthropometric information, blood and fecal samples were collected. According to fasting blood glucose and glycosylated hemoglobin levels, they were divided into diabetes group, pre-diabetic group, and normal group. The microflora in feces was determined by macro genomic sequencing, the composition and function differences of intestinal microflora in different populations were compared by bioinformatics methods, and the correlation between phenotype and intestinal microorganisms was analyzed by Spearman rank correlation and linear regression. Results The intestinal abundance of Clostridium pullulans in diabetic population was significantly lower than that in pre-diabetic population and normal population (FDR < 0.050), while Klebsiella pneumoniae was enriched in diabetic population (LDA=3.015, P=0.015). Nucleoside and nucleotide biosynthesis pathways were enriched in diabetics, while pathways related to short-chain fatty acid biosynthesis were enriched in normal people. There was a significant positive correlation between Lactococcus germane and blood glucose (r=0.094). There was a significant negative correlation between Bailey and blood glucose (r=-0.148). Conclusion The intestinal microbiological disorders in Tibetan patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus are characterized by the decrease of beneficial bacteria, the increase of harmful bacteria and the decrease of short-chain fatty acid synthesis-related pathways, which are closely related to the occurrence and development of type 2 diabetes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The incidence of vernal keratoconjunctivitis (VKC) varies across different ethnicities and regions. To investigate the clinical features of VKC in Tibet, a single-center case series of VKC was retrospectively reviewed from a general hospital in Lhasa over one year. General data and typical manifestations were recorded. Horner–Trantas dots, limbal neovascularization, pseudogerontoxon and upper palpebral conjunctival papilla were seen in most of these patients. Patients with signs such as limbal pannus (t = 2.18, P < 0.05), pseudogerontoxon (t = 2.61, P < 0.05), and Horner–Trantas dots (t = 2.33, P < 0.05) appeared to have longer disease courses, while patients with upper palpebral conjunctival lesions had earlier onset times (t = 2.12, P < 0.05). The clinical signs of VKC on the Tibetan Plateau are more obvious, and the ocular surface is commonly and severely involved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Quantifier-Negation sentences allow an inverse scope reading in Tibetan but not in Chinese. This difference can be attributed to the underlying syntactic difference: the negation word can be raised at Logical Form in Tibetan but not in Chinese. This study investigated whether Chinese-dominant Tibetan heritage speakers know such difference. We conducted a sentence–picture matching truth value judgment task with 28 Chinese-dominant Tibetan heritage speakers, 25 baseline Tibetan speakers and 31 baseline Chinese speakers. Our baseline data first confirmed the difference between Tibetan and Chinese: the inverse scope reading is allowed in Tibetan but prohibited in Chinese. Our heritage participants' data showed a divergence: one group of heritage speakers allow the inverse scope reading in both Tibetan and Chinese while another group prohibit it in both languages. There is a third group of heritage speakers who are aware of the difference between Tibetan and Chinese. Our findings suggest that while it is possible for heritage speakers to attain nativelike knowledge of an interface phenomenon that differs in their two languages, they may also be subject to crosslinguistic influence and adopt one of two opposite strategies. Both strategies can minimize syntactic differences between their two grammars so an economy of syntactic representations in their repository of grammars can be achieved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China’s western borderlands, heavily non-Han in population, were still weakly territorialized in the Republican period. In 1950, the arrival of the People’s Liberation Army in northern Sichuan – then a largely Tibetan space locally managed by rgyal (kings) and lamas – began a multi-decade confrontation with Tibetan indigeneity. The purpose of this article is to determine why the Party government, despite generous financial inputs, has had more difficulty integrating and transforming this ethnic group than almost all the other 54 minorities (minzu). Four widely differing efforts can be distinguished at four conjunctures in the People’s Republic: 1) the establishment of the new “autonomous” prefecture of Aba in the “United Front” of the 1950s; 2) violent Maoist social revolution between 1958 and 1968; 3) a Chinese tourist boom beginning in the 1980s; and 4) policies of ethnocultural assimilation since 2013. The first and third modes of territorialization could be described as administrative and neoliberal, and both accommodated Tibetan indigenous elements in what may be called non-state territorialization. The second and fourth have in different ways been authoritarian and assimilative, with the state aiming to make Tibetans, with other non-Han minzu across China, thoroughly Chinese in culture and identification. Despite successes in objective territoriality – in making Aba a state space – the party-state cannot easily superimpose a Chinese identity on Aba and other Tibetans. Some of its actions – the early naming of a “Tibetan” minzu and sharp policy swings in religion and education -have tended to strengthen, not undermine, distinct Tibetan identification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The study investigated the differences in cardiac structure and clinical features among Tibetan, Han, and Hui patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation. • The researchers analyzed data from over 3000 patients and found significant differences in gender, age, smoking history, comorbidities, and cardiac parameters among the ethnic groups. • Han patients had a lower proportion of dilated cardiomyopathy and heart failure, while Hui patients had the highest proportion of comorbid diabetes. Han patients also had lower levels of certain blood markers compared to Hui patients. Global nonvalvular AF rises, impacting health severely. In Qinghai, China's diverse setting, studying AF among varied ethnic groups is crucial The purpose of this study was to compares cardiac features in AF among Tibetan, Han, and Hui patients to develop tailored prevention and treatment strategies for this region, the goal was to enhance the understanding of AF and provide an empirical basis for developing prevention and treatment strategies specific to this region This study included a total of 3445 Tibetan, Han, and Hui patients diagnosed with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation and treated at the Qinghai Cardiovascular and Cerebrovascular Specialist Hospital, China, between January 2019 and January 2021. We analyzed the differences in cardiac structure, comorbidities, and other influencing factors among the different ethnic groups We found significant differences in gender, age, smoking history, lone atrial fibrillation, left heart failure, dilated cardiomyopathy, and diabetes between Tibetan, Han, and Hui patients (P < 0.05). Tibetan, Han, and Hui patients also differed with regard to left ventricular end-diastolic volume, left ventricular ejection fraction, fractional shortening, NT-proBNP, glycated hemoglobin, red blood cell distribution width, platelet count, platelet hematocrit, platelet distribution width, homocysteine (Hcy), C-reactive protein, and superoxide dismutase (SOD) (P < 0.05) Our study revealed variations in comorbidities, cardiac structure, and blood indexes among Tibetan, Han, and Hui AF patients, highlighting distinct patterns in complications and biomarker levels across ethnic groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Studies have shown that facial recognition among racial groups exhibits not only an other‐race effect but also an other‐ethnicity effect within the same racial group. To explore differences in facial recognition and visual scanning patterns due to the other‐ethnicity effect, behavioural and eye‐movement data were used to investigate the other‐ethnicity effect in the facial perception of Tibetan and Han Chinese individuals and whether the visual scanning patterns varied between them. Behavioural data revealed an other‐ethnicity effect on facial recognition of Tibetan and Han individuals. Eye‐movement data indicated that Tibetan and Han individuals fixated more on the eye and mouth regions when recognising Han faces and on the eye and nose regions when recognising Tibetan faces. The other‐ethnicity effect appeared to influence facial recognition in Tibetan and Han individuals, who adopted similar visual scanning patterns when scanning the faces of individuals of their own ethnicity and those of other ethnicities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: High-altitude populations exhibit distinct cellular, respiratory, and cardiovascular phenotypes, some of which provide adaptive advantages to hypoxic conditions compared to populations with sea-level ancestry. Studies performed in populations with a history of high-altitude residence, such as Tibetans, support the idea that many of these phenotypes may be shaped by genomic features that have been positively selected for throughout generations. We hypothesize that such traits observed in Tibetans at high altitude also occur in Tibetans living at intermediate altitude, even in the absence of severe sustained hypoxia. Methodology: We studied individuals of high-altitude ancestry (Tibetans, n = 17 females; n = 12 males) and sea-level ancestry (Han Chinese, n = 6 females; n = 10 males), both who had been living at ~1300m (~4327 ft) for at least 18 months. We measured hemoglobin concentration ([Hb]), hypoxic ventilatory response (HVR), and hypoxic heart rate response (HHRR) with end-tidal CO2 (PETCO2) held constant (isocapnia) or allowed to decrease with hypoxic hyperventilation (poikilocapnia). We also quantified the contribution of CO2 on ventilation and heart rate by calculating the differences of isocapnic versus poikilocapnic hypoxic conditions (Δ &lowbar;VI/ΔPETCO2 and ΔHR/ΔPETCO2, respectively). Results: Male Tibetans had lower [Hb] compared to Han Chinese males (p < 0.05), consistent with reports for individuals from these populations living at high altitude and sea level. Measurements of ventilation (resting ventilation, HVR, and PETCO2) were similar for both groups. Heart rate responses to hypoxia were similar in both groups during isocapnia; however, HHRR in poikilocapnia was reduced in the Tibetan group (p < 0.03), and the heart rate response to CO2 in hypoxia was lower in Tibetans relative to Han Chinese (p < 0.01). Conclusion: These results suggest that Tibetans living at intermediate altitude have blunted cardiac responses in the context of hypoxia. Hence, only some of the phenotypes observed in Tibetans living at high altitude are observed in Tibetans living at intermediate altitude. Whereas blunted cardiac responses to hypoxia is revealed at intermediate altitudes, manifestation of other physiological adaptations to high altitude may require exposure to more severe levels of hypoxia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding the value of ecosystem services (ESV) and the mechanisms that influence it is pivotal for upholding ecological equilibrium and fostering sustainable development in the densely populated regions of the Tibetan Plateau. In this study, we used several improved ESV calculation methods to describe the dynamic changes of ESV, and investigated the individual effects, synergistic effects, local spatial clustering patterns and spatial correlations of each factor using Geodetector and Geoda. The results reveal: (1) Over the past 35 years, ESV in the study area exhibited an overall increasing trend, with a total increase of 20.36 billion Chinese yuan. Grassland accounted for the largest proportion, approximately 60 %, playing a vital role in maintaining ecological balance. Climate regulation services had the highest share at around 24 %, with hydrological regulation and soil conservation services dominating. (2) Human activity, elevation, and temperature had the most significant impact on ESV in the Tibetan Plateau human activity intensive area, followed by Fractional Vegetation Cover (FVC) and precipitation. The synergistic effects of two factors indicated that the interaction between elevation and FVC exhibited a decreasing influence on ESV, while the interaction between human activity and temperature showed an increasing impact. (3) In medium to high-altitude areas and urban agglomeration zones, human activity and temperature had the most pronounced negative impact on ESV, highlighting the need for more effective land management and sustainable development plans. Elevation and annual precipitation showed a positive correlation with ESV, but beyond a certain elevation threshold, elevation and precipitation had an adverse effect on ESV. Similarly, in extremely high-altitude regions and water source areas like the Yellow River, ESV exhibited a positive correlation with temperature.

Over a period of 30,000 to 40,000 years, high-altitude Tibetans have physiologically and genetically adapted to conditions such as hypoxia, low temperature, and high-intensity ultraviolet radiation. Based on the unique physiological and morphological characteristics of the Tibetan people, they have outstanding hypoxia adaptation skills and can continue to thrive in plateau hypoxia. The placenta of high-altitude Tibetans is protected from oxidative stress during delivery; however, little is known about changes in placental protein expression during vaginal delivery. In this study, we aimed to reveal these adaptive mechanisms by studying changes in placental protein expression during vaginal delivery in high-altitude Tibetans, low-altitude Tibetans, and low-altitude Han populations. Studying the changing mechanisms of maternal responses to hypoxia at high altitudes can reveal the molecular mechanisms of maternal and fetal adaptation to hypoxia at high altitudes and provide theories for preventing and treating maternal hypoxia and intrauterine growth and development restriction caused by other diseases.

Sentence Boundary Disambiguation (SBD) is crucial for building datasets for tasks such as machine translation, syntactic analysis, and semantic analysis. Currently, most automatic sentence segmentation in Tibetan adopts the methods of rule-based and statistical learning, as well as the combination of the two, which have high requirements on the corpus and the linguistic foundation of the researchers and are more costly to annotate manually. In this study, we explore Tibetan SBD using deep learning technology. Initially, we analyze Tibetan characteristics and various subword techniques, selecting Byte Pair Encoding (BPE) and Sentencepiece (SP) for text segmentation and training the Bidirectional Encoder Representations from Transformers (BERT) pre-trained language model. Secondly, we studied the Tibetan SBD based on different BERT pre-trained language models, which mainly learns the ambiguity of the shad ("།") in different positions in modern Tibetan texts and determines through the model whether the shad ("།") in the texts has the function of segmenting sentences. Meanwhile, this study introduces four models, BERT-CNN, BERT-RNN, BERT-RCNN, and BERT-DPCNN, based on the BERT model for performance comparison. Finally, to verify the performance of the pre-trained language models on the SBD task, this study conducts SBD experiments on both the publicly available Tibetan pre-trained language model TiBERT and the multilingual pre-trained language model (Multi-BERT). The experimental results show that the F1 score of the BERT (BPE) model trained in this study reaches 95.32% on 465,669 Tibetan sentences, nearly five percentage points higher than BERT (SP) and Multi-BERT. The SBD method based on pre-trained language models in this study lays the foundation for establishing datasets for the later tasks of Tibetan pre-training, summary extraction, and machine translation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The prevalence of osteoarthritis (OA) in Tibetans is higher than that in Han, while Tibetans have a habit of drinking brick tea with high fluoride. A cross-sectional study was conducted to explore the association between fluoride exposure in drinking brick tea and OA. All subjects were divided into four groups by the quartiles (Q) of tea fluoride (TF) and urine fluoride (UF). ROC was plotted and OR were obtained using logistic regression model. The prevalence of OA in the Q3 and Q4 group of TF were 2.2 and 2.7 times higher than in the Q1 group, and the prevalence of OA in the Q2, Q3 and Q4 group of UF were 3.2, 3.5, and 4.1 times higher than in the Q1 group. ROC analysis showed the cutoff values were 4.523 mg/day (TF) and 1.666 mg/L (UF). In conclusion, excessive fluoride in drinking brick tea could be a risk factor for developing OA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

He, Ben, Jiayue Feng, Yan Shu, Lichun Yang, Zepin He, Kanxiu Liao, Hui Zhuo, and Hui Li. Prevalence and risk factors of hyperuricemia among young and middle-aged Tibetan men living at ultrahigh altitudes: a cross-sectional study. High Alt Med Biol. 25:42–48, 2024. Background: Few studies have examined the prevalence or risk factors of hyperuricemia among populations living at ultrahigh altitudes. Here we examined the prevalence of hyperuricemia and factors associated with it among young and middle-aged Tibetan men living at ultrahigh altitudes. Methods: This cross-sectional study analyzed 672 Tibetan men 18–60 years old living on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (mean altitude 4,014 m) within the county of Litang in the Ganzi Tibetan autonomous prefecture of Sichuan Province, China. Demographic and clinical data were collected from self-administered questionnaires, physical examinations and laboratory tests. Participants whose blood uric acid (UA) contained >420 μmol/l were classified as having hyperuricemia. Results: Of the 672 men analyzed, 332 (49.4%) had hyperuricemia. Multivariate logistic regression showed risk of hyperuricemia to correlate positively with body mass index (per 1 U increase: odds ratio [OR] 1.172, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.1066–1.243), triglycerides (OR 1.408, 95% CI 1.084–1.828), red blood cell count (OR 1.376, 95% CI 1.009–1.875), and creatinine level (per 1 U increase: OR 1.051, 95% CI 1.033–1.070). Conversely, risk of hyperuricemia correlated negatively with the presence of diabetes mellitus (OR 0.412, 95% CI 0.175–0.968). Subgroup analyses showed that prevalence of hyperuricemia was significantly higher among those with polycythemia than among those without it, and that UA levels correlated positively with hematocrit and hemoglobin levels. Conclusions: Hyperuricemia is an important public health problem among Tibetan men living at ultrahigh altitudes in Ganzi autonomous prefecture. The region urgently requires appropriate prevention and management efforts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective To investigate the prevalence and influencing factors of hyperhomocysteinemia among Tibetan residents in the west of Xizang Ali. Methods By using the method of multi-stage cluster random sampling, Tibetan residents were randomly selected from the western area of Xizang Ali for physical examination and questionnaire survey, and blood routine and biochemical indexes were collected. The prevalence and influencing factors of hyperhomocysteinemia in this area were analyzed by chi-square test and multivariate logistic regression. Results A total of 1 362 Tibetan residents in the western region of Xizang Ali were investigated. The results showed that there were 1 044 patients with hyperhomocysteinemia, with a prevalence rate of 76.7%. The prevalence rate of males (84.8%) was higher than that of females (71.5%). Smoking (OR=1.988, 95%CI: 1.076-3.675), poor household (OR = 1.775, 95%CI: 1.204-2.540), hyperuricemia (OA =3.416, 95%CI: 2.494-4.679), hypercholesterolemia (OA =4.051, 95%CI: 2.811-5.838), and hypertriglyceridemia (OR=2.589, 95%CI: 1.765-3.798) were risk factors of hyperhomocysteinemia. Female (0R=0.538, 95%CI: 0.384-0.752) and agricultural and pastoral areas (OR = 0.312, 95%CI: 0.156-0.625) were protective factors. Conclusion The prevalence rate of hyperhomocysteinemia is high in the western region of Xizang Ali. Sex, residence, smoking, and poor households are the influencing factors of hyperhomocys- teinemia. Hyperhomocysteinemia is significantly associated with hyperuricemia, hypercholesterolemia, hypertriglyceridemia, and other diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Manual bone age assessment (BAA) is associated with longer interpretation time and higher cost and variability, thus posing challenges in areas with restricted medical facilities, such as the high-altitude Tibetan Plateau. The application of artificial intelligence (AI) for automating BAA could facilitate resolving this issue. This study aimed to develop an AI-based BAA model for Han and Tibetan children. Methods: A model named "EVG-BANet" was trained using three datasets, including the Radiology Society of North America (RSNA) dataset (training set n = 12611, validation set n = 1425, and test set n = 200), the Radiological Hand Pose Estimation (RHPE) dataset (training set n = 5491, validation set n = 713, and test set n = 79), and a self-established local dataset [training set n = 825 and test set n = 351 (Han n = 216 and Tibetan n = 135)]. An open-access state-of-the-art model BoNet was used for comparison. The accuracy and generalizability of the two models were evaluated using the abovementioned three test sets and an external test set (n = 256, all were Tibetan). Mean absolute difference (MAD) and accuracy within 1 year were used as indicators. Bias was evaluated by comparing the MAD between the demographic groups. Results: EVG-BANet outperformed BoNet in the MAD on the RHPE test set (0.52 vs. 0.63 years, p < 0.001), the local test set (0.47 vs. 0.62 years, p < 0.001), and the external test set (0.53 vs. 0.66 years, p < 0.001) and exhibited a comparable MAD on the RSNA test set (0.34 vs. 0.35 years, p = 0.934). EVG-BANet achieved accuracy within 1 year of 97.7% on the local test set (BoNet 90%, p < 0.001) and 89.5% on the external test set (BoNet 85.5%, p = 0.066). EVG-BANet showed no bias in the local test set but exhibited a bias related to chronological age in the external test set. Conclusion: EVG-BANet can accurately predict the bone age (BA) for both Han children and Tibetan children living in the Tibetan Plateau with limited healthcare facilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BackgroundPortal hypertension (PHT) presents a challenging issue of liver cirrhosis. This study aims to identify novel biomarkers for severe PHT (SPHT) and explore the pathophysiological mechanisms underlying PHT progression.MethodsTwenty-three Tibetan cirrhotic patients who underwent hepatic venous pressure gradient (HVPG) measurement were included. Eleven patients had an HVPG between 5 mmHg and 15 mmHg (MPHT), while 12 had an HVPG ≥16 mmHg (SPHT). Peripheral sera were analyzed using liquid chromatograph-mass spectrometer for metabolomic assessment. An additional 14 patients were recruited for validation of metabolites.ResultsSeven hundred forty-five metabolites were detected and significant differences in metabolomics between MPHT and SPHT patients were observed. Employing a threshold of p 1, 153 differential metabolites were identified. A significant number of these metabolites were lipids and lipid-like molecules. Pisumionoside and N-decanoylglycine (N-DG) exhibited the highest area under the curve (AUC) values (0.947 and 0.9091, respectively). Additional differential metabolites with AUC >0.8 included 6-(4-ethyl-2-methoxyphenoxy)-3,4,5-trihydroxyoxane-2-carboxylic acid, sphinganine 1-phosphate, 4-hydroxytriazolam, 4,5-dihydroorotic acid, 6-hydroxy-1H-indole-3-acetamide, 7alpha-(thiomethyl)spironolactone, 6-deoxohomodolichosterone, glutaminylisoleucine, taurocholic acid 3-sulfate, and Phe Ser. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay further confirmed elevated levels of sphinganine 1-phosphate, N-DG, and serotonin in SPHT patients. Significant disruptions in linoleic acid, amino acid, sphingolipid metabolisms, and the citrate cycle were observed in SPHT patients.ConclusionPisumionoside and N-DG are identified as promising biomarkers for SPHT. The progression of PHT may be associated with disturbances in lipid, linoleic acid, and amino acid metabolisms, as well as alterations in the citrate cycle.

Compared with lowlander migrants, native Tibetans have a higher reproductive success at high altitude though the underlying mechanism remains unclear. Here, we compared the transcriptome and histology of full-term placentas between native Tibetans and Han migrants. We found that the placental trophoblast shows the largest expression divergence between Tibetans and Han, and Tibetans show decreased immune response and endoplasmic reticulum stress. Remarkably, we detected a sex-biased expression divergence, where the male-infant placentas show a greater between-population difference than the female-infant placentas. The umbilical cord plays a key role in the sex-biased expression divergence, which is associated with the higher birth weight of the male newborns of Tibetans. We also identified adaptive histological changes in the male-infant placentas of Tibetans, including larger umbilical artery wall and umbilical artery intima and media, and fewer syncytial knots. These findings provide valuable insights into the sex-biased adaptation of human populations, with significant implications for medical and genetic studies of human reproduction.

Acrodermatitis enteropathica (AE, OMIM 201100) is a rare autosomal recessive dermatosis characterized by periorificial dermatitis, diarrhea, alopecia, and hypozincaemia due to pathogenic variants of SLC39A4. Herein, we present a case series describing four unrelated patients with AE from Han, Yi, and Tibetan ethnicities in Sichuan region of southwestern China, speculate the hotspot variants of SLC39A4 causing AE in Sichuan region and highlight physicians should be alerted to unusual presentations of AE, such as the absence of hypozincaemia and the presence of acne-like lesions. Serum alkaline phosphatase and genetic testing should be considered to accurately evaluate the zinc deficiency in human body and help make the correct diagnosis.

BackgroundHigh-altitude populations exhibit distinct cellular, respiratory, and cardiovascular phenotypes, some of which provide adaptive advantages to hypoxic conditions compared to populations with sea-level ancestry. Studies performed in populations with a history of high-altitude residence, such as Tibetans, support the idea that many of these phenotypes may be shaped by genomic features that have been positively selected for throughout generations. We hypothesize that such traits observed in Tibetans at high altitude also occur in Tibetans living at intermediate altitude, even in the absence of severe sustained hypoxia.MethodologyWe studied individuals of high-altitude ancestry (Tibetans, n = 17 females; n = 12 males) and sea-level ancestry (Han Chinese, n = 6 females; n = 10 males), both who had been living at ∼1300 m (∼4327 ft) for at least 18 months. We measured hemoglobin concentration ([Hb]), hypoxic ventilatory response (HVR), and hypoxic heart rate response (HHRR) with end-tidal CO2 (PetCO2) held constant (isocapnia) or allowed to decrease with hypoxic hyperventilation (poikilocapnia). We also quantified the contribution of CO2 on ventilation and heart rate by calculating the differences of isocapnic versus poikilocapnic hypoxic conditions (Δ V˙I/ΔPetCO2 and ΔHR/ΔPetCO2, respectively).ResultsMale Tibetans had lower [Hb] compared to Han Chinese males (p < 0.05), consistent with reports for individuals from these populations living at high altitude and sea level. Measurements of ventilation (resting ventilation, HVR, and PetCO2) were similar for both groups. Heart rate responses to hypoxia were similar in both groups during isocapnia; however, HHRR in poikilocapnia was reduced in the Tibetan group (p < 0.03), and the heart rate response to CO2 in hypoxia was lower in Tibetans relative to Han Chinese (p < 0.01).ConclusionThese results suggest that Tibetans living at intermediate altitude have blunted cardiac responses in the context of hypoxia. Hence, only some of the phenotypes observed in Tibetans living at high altitude are observed in Tibetans living at intermediate altitude. Whereas blunted cardiac responses to hypoxia is revealed at intermediate altitudes, manifestation of other physiological adaptations to high altitude may require exposure to more severe levels of hypoxia.

Abstract Objectives To explore the prevalence and associated factors of obesity in Tibetan adults in Qinghai, China, and to determine the association between the FTO (rs1121980 and rs17817449) and MC4R gene (rs17782313 and rs12970134) polymorphisms with obesity. Methods A cross-sectional survey was conducted in 2015 in Qinghai to selected Tibetan adults aged 20 to 80 years. Prevalence of obesity (BMI ≥ 28 kg/m2) and overweight (BMI 24 ~ 27.9 kg/m2) were evaluated. Multivariable logistic models were used to determine the associated factors. Pair-matched subjects of obesity cases and normal-weight controls were selected for the gene polymorphism analyses. Conditional logistic models were used to assess the association between gene polymorphisms with obesity. Additive and multiplicative gene-environment interactions were tested. Results A total of 1741 Tibetan adults were enrolled. The age- and sex- standardized prevalence of obesity and overweight was 18.09% and 31.71%, respectively. Male sex, older age, heavy level of leisure-time exercise, current smoke, and heavy level of occupational physical activity were associated with both obesity and overweight. MC4R gene polymorphisms were associated with obesity in Tibetan adults. No significant gene-environment interaction was detected. Conclusion The prevalence of obesity and overweight in Tibetan adults was high. Both environmental and genetic factors contributed to the obesity prevalent.

Objectives: To explore the prevalence and associated factors of obesity in Tibetan adults in Qinghai, China, and to determine the association between the FTO (rs1121980 and rs17817449) and MC4R gene (rs17782313 and rs12970134) polymorphisms with obesity. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted in 2015 in Qinghai to selected Tibetan adults aged 20 to 80 years. Prevalence of obesity (BMI ≥ 28 kg/m2) and overweight (BMI 24 ~ 27.9 kg/m2) were evaluated. Multivariable logistic models were used to determine the associated factors. Pair-matched subjects of obesity cases and normal-weight controls were selected for the gene polymorphism analyses. Conditional logistic models were used to assess the association between gene polymorphisms with obesity. Additive and multiplicative gene-environment interactions were tested. Results: A total of 1741 Tibetan adults were enrolled. The age- and sex- standardized prevalence of obesity and overweight was 18.09% and 31.71%, respectively. Male sex, older age, heavy level of leisure-time exercise, current smoke, and heavy level of occupational physical activity were associated with both obesity and overweight. MC4R gene polymorphisms were associated with obesity in Tibetan adults. No significant gene-environment interaction was detected. Conclusion: The prevalence of obesity and overweight in Tibetan adults was high. Both environmental and genetic factors contributed to the obesity prevalent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Ge Sa-er (also known as Gesar) saga has been handed down for above 1000 years by Tibetan Chinese, Mongolian Chinese, the Tu and the Naxi, describing a heroic story in present-day Kangba Tibetan area. This article analyse the English translation of social discourse in the Ge Sa-er version retold by Alai (2009). Due to different knowledge shared by source and target readers, it is difficult to represent the source social meaning in the English translation. Aiming to resolve the translation problems revealed by social cognition, this article uses statistical methods together with corpus to conduct stylistic analyses on Ge Sa-er Wang (Alai, 2009). An unexpected finding of this research is that the data from statistical methods can better predict the translation difficulties of Ge Sa-er Wang than the data from corpus. Based on the stylistic features of Ge Sa-er Wang, we propose a social discourse translation model for Chinese ethnic minority literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]