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Ecosystem service assessment and prediction play a crucial role in sustainable regional development and resource management. Liaoning Province, as a typical representative of Northeast China, faces rapid development challenges such as urbanization, industrialization, and agricultural modernization. At the same time, there is an urgent need for a deeper understanding of the evolution trends of its ecosystems and their impact on ecosystem services. This study employed the InVEST-Markov-PLUS model to conduct simulated research on the assessment of past and future ecosystem services and multi-scenario predictions in Liaoning Province. Based on the land-use changes in Liaoning Province from 2000 to 2020, the InVEST model was used to evaluate the spatiotemporal variations in carbon storage, soil conservation, and water yield in the ecosystem services from 2000 to 2020. Additionally, the equivalent factor method was employed to calculate the value of ecosystem services in Liaoning Province during the same period. Furthermore, by integrating the PLUS and Markov models with the actual conditions of Liaoning Province, four land-use development scenarios for 2030 were constructed, including natural development, economic priority, ecological protection, and cropland protection. The land-use distribution and the quantities and values of ecosystem services under these scenarios were simulated. The study revealed the following findings： ① From 2000 to 2020, carbon storage and soil retention in Liaoning Province showed an overall increasing trend, whereas water yield exhibited a fluctuating decrease trend initially, followed by an increase and then another decrease. ② Carbon storage and soil retention in Liaoning Province showed higher values in the eastern mountainous areas and western hilly regions, with lower values in the central region. Water yield showed a decreasing trend from east to west. ③ The value of ecosystem services increased from 547.94 billion yuan to 565.53 billion yuan, with a total increase of 17.58 billion yuan during the study period. All four types of services showed an increase, with cultural services experiencing the fastest change. ④ In 2030, carbon storage and soil retention in Liaoning Province decreased in all scenarios except for in the ecological protection scenario. Water yield increased only in the cropland protection scenario, whereas it decreased in the other three scenarios. The value of ecosystem services in the study area increased in all scenarios except for in the economic priority scenario.

Our objective was to investigate the status and influence of myopia among primary school students in Fushun, Liaoning Province, China. We aimed to provide a theoretical and epistemological basis for implementing myopia prevention initiatives. We employed cluster sampling and surveyed 5216 primary school students from grades 1-6 across eight primary schools in Fushun City. Our participants included 2606 males and 2610 females whose average age was 9.25 ( SD = 1.76) years. The rate of myopia among these primary school students was 29.54%, with statistically significant differences among students of different genders and grades. Logistic regression analysis further identified several possible protective factors, including appropriate reading distance, adequate home lighting, regular breaks between classes, conscientious eye exercises, and daily outdoor physical activity. Conversely, the associated risk factors were being female, being in a higher grade level, spending more than 4 hours on homework, occasionally reading while lying down, and having one or both parents with myopia. Overall, our results indicated a high incidence of myopia, highlighting the need for scientifically controlled interventions to manage and mitigate the occurrence and progression of myopia in this population., Competing Interests: Declaration of Conflicting InterestsThe author(s) declare no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

The uncertainty and unknowability of emerging infectious diseases have caused many major public health and security incidents in recent years. As a new tick-borne disease, Dabieshan tick virus (DBTV) necessitate systematic epidemiological and spatial distribution analysis. In this study, tick samples from Liaoning Province were collected and used to evaluate distribution of DBTV in ticks. Outbreak points of DBTV and the records of the vector Haemaphysalis longicornis in China were collected and used to establish a prediction model using niche model combined with environmental factors. We found that H. longicornis and DBTV were widely distributed in Liaoning Province. The risk analysis results showed that the DBTV in the eastern provinces of China has a high risk, and the risk is greatly influenced by elevation, land cover, and meteorological factors. The risk geographical area predicted by the model is significantly larger than the detected positive areas, indicating that the etiological survey is seriously insufficient. This study provided molecular and important epidemiological evidence for etiological ecology of DBTV. The predicted high-risk areas indicated the insufficient monitoring and risk evaluation and the necessity of future monitoring and control work., (© 2024 The Authors. Journal of Medical Virology published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) is an important indicator reflecting vegetation cover and growth status. It is of significance for regional ecological conservation and natural resource management to investigate its spatial and temporal variation trends and response to ecological factors. We divided Liaoning Province into three ecological geographical regions, including northwest agro-pastoral zone, central agricultural zone, and eastern agroforestry zone. Based on remote sensing, vegetation, climate, topography and human activities, we used trend analysis and geographic probe model to examine the spatial and temporal trends of NDVI in Liaoning Province, and analyzed the intensity and interaction mechanism of each driver on the spatial distribution pattern of NDVI. The results showed that the annual average NDVI in Liaoning Province from 2001 to 2020 was 0-0.92, showing a distribution pattern of high in the east and low in the west, high in the inland and low in the coastal land. The overall trend of vegetation cover was increasing, and the NDVI increasing areas were mainly concentrated in the northwest agro-pastoral zone and the eastern agroforestry zone, the NDVI reduction areas were mainly concentrated at the border between the central agricultural zone and the eastern agroforestry zone, as well as in the coastal area of the eastern agroforestry zone. The annual average NDVI change varied among the three ecological-geographic zones. The NDVI of the northwest agro-pastoral zone from 2001 to 2020 were generally low, but showed a fluctuating trend of slow increase. The NDVI of the eastern agroforestry zone was high overall, and the interannual variation of NDVI was generally stable. The distribution of high and low NDVI in the central agricultural zone was staggered, and the interannual variation of NDVI showed a decreasing trend. Natural factors were the key drivers of NDVI changes in the three ecogeographic zones, with cumulative temperature and precipitation having the greatest influence. The interactions between the factors were all mutually and nonlinearly enhanced.

The Hui people are the second-largest ethnic minority in China, and they are distributed throughout the country. A previous study explored the paternal genetic structure of the Hui population in nine different regions of China, but it overlooked the Liaoning province. In this study, we examined the paternal genetic makeup and forensic traits of the Hui population in Liaoning province by analyzing 157 Y-chromosome single nucleotide polymorphisms (Y-SNPs) and 26 short tandem repeats (Y-STRs). We successfully genotyped 282 unrelated male individuals from the Hui population of Liaoning province using the SNaPshot® single base extension assay and Goldeneye™ Y26 system kit (PEOPLESPOT R&D, Beijing, China). The results revealed high haplotypic diversity (0.9998) and identified 46 terminal haplogroups for the Hui population. Additional analyses, such as heat maps, principal component analysis (PCA), genetic distance (FST), Multidimensional scaling (MDS) analysis, and median-joining network (MJ) analysis, showed that the Hui population could be classified into three groups: Northwest Hui populations (NWH), including Liaoning, Xinjiang, Qinghai, Gansu, Ningxia, Shaanxi, and Henan; Hui populations from Sichuan and Shandong (SSH); and Yunnan Hui populations (YNH). Pairwise genetic distance (Rst) comparisons with other Chinese populations revealed that the Hui population displayed genetic affinity with the Han population. The comprehensive understanding of the Hui population in Liaoning province, explored by Y-SNPs and Y-STRs, can be utilized to interpret their genetic structure and enhance the accuracy of forensic databases., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Background: To explore the epidemiological characteristics and spatiotemporal distribution of scarlet fever in Liaoning Province, which could provide scientific evidence for the formulation and improvement of prevention and control strategies and measures., Methods: Data on scarlet fever cases and population were obtained from the China Information System for Disease Control and Prevention in Liaoning Province between 2010 and 2019. We examined the spatial and spatiotemporal clusters of scarlet fever across Liaoning Province using the Moran's I, local indicators of spatial association, local Gi* hotspot statistics, and Kulldorff's retrospective space-time scan statistical analysis., Results: Between 1 st January 2010 and 31 st December 2019, 46,652 cases of scarlet fever were reported in Liaoning Province, with an annual average incidence of 10.67 per 100,000. The incidence of scarlet fever had obvious seasonality with high incidence in early summer June and early winter December. The male-to-female ratio was 1.53:1. The highest incidence of cases occurred in 3-9 year old children. The most likely spatiotemporal cluster and the secondary clusters were detected in urban regions of Shenyang and Dalian, Liaoning Province., Conclusions: The incidence of scarlet fever has obvious spatiotemporal clustering, with the high-risk areas mainly concentrated in urban area of Shenyang and Dalian, Liaoning Province. Control strategies need to focus on high-risk season, high-risk areas and high-risk populations in order to reduce the incidence of scarlet fever., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Background: The prevalence of Helicobacter pylori ( H. pylori ) keeps rising while the eradication rate continues to decline due to the increasing antibiotic resistance. Regional variations of antimicrobial resistance to H. pylori have been recommended by guidelines in recent years. This study aims to investigate the antibiotic resistance rate of H. pylori and its association with infected subjects' characteristics in Liaoning Province, an area in north China., Methods: Gastric tissues from 178 H. pylori positive participants without previous antibiotic use within four weeks were collected for H. pylori culture. Antibiotic susceptibility to furazolidone (AOZ), tetracycline (TC), levofloxacin (LFX), metronidazole (MET), clarithromycin (CLA), and amoxicillin (AMX) were examined with the agar dilution method. Associations between H. pylori resistance and patient characteristics were further analysed., Results: No resistance was observed in AOZ or TC. For LFX, MET, CLA, and AMX, the overall resistance rates were 41.10%, 79.14%, 71.78%, and 22.09% respectively. There were significant differences between resistance to CLA and MALToma ( P  = 0.021), and between resistance to MET and age ( P  < 0.001)., Conclusions: The primary resistant rates of LEX, MET, CLA, and AMX were relatively high in Liaoning. Treatment effectiveness improvement could be achieved by prior antimicrobial susceptibility tests before antibiotic prescription., Competing Interests: The authors declare there are no competing interests., (©2023 Wang et al.)

Ticks play a significant role in transmitting arboviruses, which pose a risk to human and animal health. The region of Liaoning Province, China, with abundant plant resources with multiple tick populations, has reported several tick-borne diseases. However, there remains a scarcity of research on the composition and evolution of the tick virome. In this study, we conducted the metagenomic analysis of 561 ticks in the border area of Liaoning Province in China and identified viruses related to known diseases in humans and animals, including severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome virus (SFTSV) and nairobi sheep disease virus (NSDV). Moreover, the groups of tick viruses were also closely related to the families of Flaviviridae , Parvoviridae , Phenuiviridae , and Rhabdoviridae . Notably, the Dabieshan tick virus (DBTV) of the family Phenuiviridae was prevalent in these ticks, with the minimum infection rate (MIR) of 9.09%, higher than previously reported in numerous provinces in China. In addition, sequences of tick-borne viruses of the family Rhabdoviridae have first been reported from the border area of Liaoning Province, China, after being described from Hubei Province, China. This research furthered the insight into pathogens carried by ticks in the northeastern border areas of China, offering epidemiological information for possible forthcoming outbreaks of infectious diseases. Meanwhile, we provided an essential reference for assessing the risk of tick bite infection in humans and animals, as well as for exploring into the evolution of the virus and the mechanisms of species transmission., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Bai, Li, Liu, Li, Tian, Liu, Han and Tong.)

Liaoning is a province with large energy consumption and carbon emissions. Management of carbon emissions in Liaoning Province is crucial to realizing China's carbon peaking and carbon neutrality goals. To clarify the driving factors and trends of carbon emissions in Liaoning Province, we analyzed the impacts of six factors on carbon emissions in Liaoning Province through STIRPAT model based on carbon emission data from 1999 to 2019. The impact factors included population, urbanization rate, per-capita GDP, secondary industry ratio, energy consumption per unit GDP, and coal consumption ratio. Nine forecasting scenarios with three economic and population growth models and three emission reduction models were set up, and their carbon emission trends under the above nine forecasting scenarios were predicted. The results showed that the main driving factor of carbon emissions in Liaoning Province was per-capita GDP, and that the main inhibitor was energy consumption per unit GDP. The carbon peak year in Liaoning Province would fluctuate between 2020 and 2055 under the nine forecasting scenarios, with peak values ranging from 544 to 1088 million tons CO 2 . The medium economic development growth and high carbon emission reduction scenario would be the optimal carbon emission scenario in Liaoning Province. Under this forecasting scenario, Liaoning Province could achieve carbon peak (611 million tons CO 2 ) by 2030 without affec-ting economic development through optimizing energy structure and controlling the intensity of energy consumption. Our results would be helpful for seeking the best path for carbon emission reduction in Liaoning Province and providing a reference for its realization of carbon peaking and carbon neutrality goals.

Based on the land remote sensing monitoring data from 2000 to 2020, this paper quantitatively analyzed the spatio-temporal evolution of "production-living-ecological" functions and the geographical dominance degree of Liaoning Province using a geospatial model, and put forward some policy suggestions. The results showed that the living function area increased by 2957 km 2 , the ecological function area increased by 2011 km 2 , and the production function area was reduced by 4968 km 2 . The spatial distribution of production function was higher in the middle part, lower in the east and west, and the functional index was between 0.01 and 0.21. The living function level is distributed from east to west, and the function index decreases gradually from plain to surrounding mountains. There was a significant correlation between the level of ecological function and topography, and the functional index ranged from 0.01 to 0.65. The advantageous areas of production function are located in the central plain of Liaoning and Dalian, the advantageous areas of living function are located in the central part of Liaoning, and the advantageous areas of ecological function are located in the eastern and western parts of Liaoning. Social and economic level, natural ecological environment, and regional development policy are the important factors that affect the layout of "production-production-production" function. It is suggested that the provincial government should build a comprehensive management system across administrative regions, design the ecological and environmental protection policy framework of "production-living-ecological" function, and improve the ecological protection coordination mechanism., (© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

The development of ecological economy is one of the core elements of the ecological civilization system and an essential means to optimize the social-ecological systems. The key to developing ecological economy lies in preparing the development plan to realize concrete implementation. Given the objective and realistic demand for the development of ecological economy, it is critically needed to propose the approach of eco-economic planning and conduct empirical research. We sorted out the connotation of ecological economy, proposed the general idea of "object identification-resource evaluation-principal construction-target setting-task content-mechanism guarantee", and proposed three work modules, including "preliminary preparation, content design, review & approval", and finally built a technical system for the preparation of provincial-scale ecological economy planning. We outlined the 14th Five-Year Plan for Eco-Economic Development of Liaoning Province, and discussed critical issues such as the connotation definition and index system establishment for eco-economic development plan. This work provides ideas for the scientific and standardized preparation of ecological economy development plan at the provincial level in China.

Metacercariae of Tylodelphys sp. were found in the abdominal cavity of the Chinese sleeper (Perccottus glenii) collected in Liaoning Province and Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region of China. The sequences of the mitochondrial cox1 gene and ribosomal ITS1-5.8S rDNA-ITS2 region were obtained and used for molecular identification and phylogenetic assessment of this parasite species. Results of phylogenetic analyses based on ITS and cox1 markers showed that the metacercariae of Tylodelphys sp. ex P. glenii from China were conspecific with specimens of Tylodelphys sp. collected by Sokolov et al. (2013) from the same fish-host species captured earlier in West Siberia, Russia. The examined Tylodelphys sp. ex. P. glenii is the only member of the genus whose metacercariae parasitise the abdominal cavity of fish in northern Eurasia. Tylodelphys sp. ex P. glenii clustered with T. darbyi, T. immer, T. podicipina, and Tylodelphys sp. of Soldánová et al., 2017 based on mitochondrial DNA markers, and with T. darbyi, T. immer, T. kuerepus, and T. schreuringi using nuclear DNA markers.

In this study, the effect of strip clear-cutting on the natural regeneration performance of mature Pinus tabuliformis plantations in the three locations in western part of the Liaoning Province was analyzed. Strip clear-cutting, with clear-cut and uncut strip widths of 15, 20, 25 m, and 10 and 18 m, respectively, was conducted in spring 2014, and control, in each study location. Field investigations were conducted in 2017. Fifteen sample plots with sizes of 4 m 2 (2 m × 2 m) were established in each clear-cut strip, uncut strip, and control. One to four saplings were randomly selected to measure the current year increment, and the lengths and numbers for branch of the first whorl. Three saplings were randomly selected from the center of the strip to measure the photosynthetic rate. Three sample plots with sizes of 4 m 2 (2 m × 2 m) and 1 m 2 (1 m × 1 m) were developed in each strip and control to determine the biodiversity of shrubs and herbs as well as the water content of the decomposition and semi-decomposition layer. The results show that the current year increment and branch length of the first whorl can be ordered as follows: clear-cut strips > control > uncut strips. Number of the branches of the first whorl can be ordered as follows: clear-cut strips > uncut strips > control. Strip clear-cutting was a statistically significant treatment for the current year increment and length and number of branches of the first whorl. The saplings from the clear-cut strip with a width of 25 m have the largest photosynthetic capacity compared with those from the other strips and control. The transpiration rates of the large, medium, and small saplings from clear-cut strips are the largest and those of saplings from the control are the smallest. The water content of the decomposition and semi-decomposition layer in the control is the highest, but no significant difference was confirmed between the strip clear-cutting approaches., Competing Interests: The author Meiyan Xin is employed by Baogang Greening CO., LTD. The company did not provide any funds for our work and has no competing interests. The other authors also have no competing interests., (© 2022 Sun et al.)

Crop planting provided foods, generated incomes, and consumed water resources to different extents under different spatiotemporal agroclimatic conditions. For balancing three aspects, targeting the rice, maize, wheat, and sorghum planted in Liaoning during the recent two decades, we established an integrated research framework consisting of water footprint (WF) accounting, clustering analysis, and fuzzy optimization programming to quantify the temporal trends and spatial distribution of water footprints, and optimized the planting structure under the different spatiotemporal agroclimatic conditions. Results showed that the maximum water footprint differences were 4166.73 m 3 /t and 4790.71 m 3 /t in spatial distribution and temporal series, respectively. Based on precipitation, we established 12 agroclimatic scenarios according to K-Means clustering. The fuzzy optimization result indicated that the planting area percent ranges of maize, wheat, rice, and sorghum in Liaoning province were 4.96%-98.62%, 0.00%-8.55%, 0.00%-18.18%, and 0.00%-95.04%, respectively under the different spatiotemporal conditions. This study's methods and results help make targeted decisions related to grain planting structure while considering the complex spatial-temporal conditions., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

As far as we know, there have been no studies exploring the association between maternal sulfur dioxide (SO 2 ) exposure and the risk of hypospadias in offspring. We aimed to evaluate this association during the 3 months before conception and the first trimester. A population-based case-control study was conducted in male infants, consisting of 348 cases of hypospadias and 4023 controls. Maternal exposure to SO 2 , particulate matter with aerodynamic diameters ≤10 μm (PM 10 ), and nitrogen dioxide (NO 2 ) was assessed by averaging the concentrations recorded at all stations in the mother's city of residence. Air pollutants were tested for multicollinearity using variance inflation factor analysis. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated by multivariable logistic regression models. SO 2 exposure during the 3 months before conception was significantly associated with the risk of hypospadias (highest tertile: OR = 7.40, 95% CI: 3.54-15.62). When focusing on shorter exposure windows, similar associations were observed for SO 2 exposure in the first and second month before and the first month after conception. In conclusion, maternal exposure to SO 2 during the 3 months before and the first and second months after conception may increase the risk of hypospadias in offspring., (© 2021 New York Academy of Sciences.)

Background: Ticks (class Arachnida, subclass Acari) are vectors of transmitting a broad range of pathogenic microorganisms, protozoa, and viruses affecting humans and animals. Liaoning Province is rich in forests where different animals and, abundant Haemaphysalis longicornis ticks exist., Methods: Using viral metagenomics, we analyzed the virome in 300 Haemaphysalis longicornis ticks collected from June to August 2015 in the forested region of Liaoning Province, China., Results: From the 300 ticks, 1,218,388 high-quality reads were generated, of which 5643 (0.463%) reads showed significant sequence identity to known viruses. Sequence and phylogenetic analysis revealed that viral sequences showing a close relationship with Dabieshan tick virus, Aleutian mink disease virus, adeno-associated virus, Gokushovirus, avian gyrovirus 2 were present in the virome of these ticks. However, the significance of these viruses to human and animal health requires further investigation. Notably, an hepe-like virus, named tick-borne hepe-like virus sequence, was obtained and was highly prevalent in these ticks with a rate of 50%. Nevertheless, one constraint of our study was the limited geographical distribution of the sampled ticks., Conclusion: Our study offers an overview of the virome in ticks from a forest region of Liaoning Province and provides further awareness of the viral diversity of ticks., (© 2021. The Author(s).)

The evaporative demand drought index (EDDI) is a multi-scale drought index developed from the atmospheric evaporation demand ( E ). EDDI is independent of precipitation and suitable to different underlying surfaces, which can well capture water stress signals at different time scales. Based on the meteorological observation data at 52 stations in Liaoning Province from 1961 to 2018, we estimated daily 0 , calculated EDDI at six time scales (annual, growing season, spring, summer, autumn and winter), and further identified the interannual variability of drought occurrence in Liaoning Province for the past 58 years. The results showed that EDDI had obvious interannual variation, with two high concentration periods in multiple time scales. In the 1960s, when there were many years and serious drought in Liaoning Province, high EDDI values were concentrated at the five time scales (annual, growing season, spring, autumn and winter). 2014-2018 was another relatively concentrated period of EDDI high value at all time scales except winter. In 1981-1982, the values of EDDI were high at the time scales of the annual, growth season, summer and autumn. The periods of 1963-1965 (except summer), 1972-1973 (growth season, summer), 1989-1990 (annual, growth season, spring and winter), 1997-1998 (annual, growth season and summer), 2004-2005 (spring and winter) and 2013-2014 (annual, growth season and autumn) occurred abrupt alternation from dry to wet or from wet to dry. In 1985-1987, 1993-1995 and 2005-2013, Liaoning Province had obvious dry gaps.E 0 , calculated EDDI at six time scales (annual, growing season, spring, summer, autumn and winter), and further identified the interannual variability of drought occurrence in Liaoning Province for the past 58 years. The results showed that EDDI had obvious interannual variation, with two high concentration periods in multiple time scales. In the 1960s, when there were many years and serious drought in Liaoning Province, high EDDI values were concentrated at the five time scales (annual, growing season, spring, autumn and winter). 2014-2018 was another relatively concentrated period of EDDI high value at all time scales except winter. In 1981-1982, the values of EDDI were high at the time scales of the annual, growth season, summer and autumn. The periods of 1963-1965 (except summer), 1972-1973 (growth season, summer), 1989-1990 (annual, growth season, spring and winter), 1997-1998 (annual, growth season and summer), 2004-2005 (spring and winter) and 2013-2014 (annual, growth season and autumn) occurred abrupt alternation from dry to wet or from wet to dry. In 1985-1987, 1993-1995 and 2005-2013, Liaoning Province had obvious dry gaps.

A new basal ornithopod dinosaur, based on two nearly complete articulated skeletons, is reported from the Lujiatun Beds (Yixian Fm, Lower Cretaceous) of western Liaoning Province (China). Some of the diagnostic features of Changmiania liaoningensis nov. gen., nov. sp. are tentatively interpreted as adaptations to a fossorial behavior, including: fused premaxillae; nasal laterally expanded, overhanging the maxilla; shortened neck formed by only six cervical vertebrae; neural spines of the sacral vertebrae completely fused together, forming a craniocaudally-elongated continuous bar; fused scapulocoracoid with prominent scapular spine; and paired ilia symmetrically inclined dorsomedially, partially covering the sacrum in dorsal view. A phylogenetic analysis places Changmiania liaoningensis as the most basal ornithopod dinosaur described so far. It is tentatively hypothesized that both Changmiania liaoningensis specimens were suddenly entrapped in a collapsed underground burrow while they were resting, which would explain their perfect lifelike postures and the complete absence of weathering and scavenging traces. However, further behavioural inference remains problematic, because those specimens lack extensive sedimentological and taphonomic data, as it is also the case for most specimens collected in the Lujiatun Beds so far., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no competing interests., (© 2020 Yang et al.)

Background: The potential association between maternal exposure to ambient PM 10 and offspring neural tube defects (NTDs) is a contentious issue. This study aims to evaluate the aforementioned association at a provincial level in China., Methods: A total of 2736 cases and 7950 randomly selected healthy infants included in the Maternal and Child Health Certificate Registry of Liaoning Province and delivered between 2010 and 2015 were recruited. Daily PM 10 concentrations were obtained from all available monitoring stations located within the study area. A multivariable logistic regression model was established to calculate the adjusted odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs)., Results: PM 10 exposure was significantly associated with the risk of NTDs during the three months preconception (per 10 μg/m 3 increment: OR = 1.10, 95% CI 1.07-1.14; per standard deviation [27 μg/m 3 ] increment: OR = 1.29, 95% CI 1.18-1.41; highest tertile: OR = 1.61, 95% CI 1.37-1.91) and the first trimester (highest tertile: OR = 1.57, 95% CI: 1.31-1.87). When focusing on shorter exposure windows, similar associations were observed for PM 10 exposure from the third month before pregnancy to the third month after pregnancy. Sensitivity analyses using propensity score matching yielded consistent findings., Conclusions: Maternal exposure to PM 10 is positively associated with NTDs during the critical period of fetal neural tube development. However, due to the limitation of the exposure assessment as well as potential residual confounding, further research is warranted to confirm our findings., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no competing interests., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.)

Background: The development of assisted reproduction techniques (ART) has resulted in rapid advances in the treatment of infertility. However, a systematic assessment of ART and its processes and outcomes in China has never been carried out. The goal of this study was to assess the features of ART status from 2012 to 2016 in clinics and in vitro fertilization (IVF) laboratories in Liaoning, the largest IVF province in the northeast of China., Methods: Data from Jan 1, 2012 to Dec 31, 2016 was retrieved from the assisted reproductive certificate registry of Liaoning province. We extracted data from: i) fresh and thawed cycles; ii) donor sperm and donor egg cycles; iii) intrauterine insemination with husband semen and donor semen (AIH and AID)., Results: We showed that: (i) there has been a significant increase in the number of IVF fresh and thawed cycles, and the proportion of cases of primary infertility and secondary infertility has decreased and increased, respectively; (ii) standard long GnRH agonist was the major ovarian stimulation protocol. During the observation period, increasing trends in the use of GnRH antagonists, mild stimulation, and natural cycles were observed; (iii) significant differences in the number of cycles, number of retrieved oocytes, fertilization rates, implantation rates, and sex ratio were noticed between conventional IVF and intracytoplasmic sperm injection; (iv) significant differences in age at treatment for infertility, number of cycles, and ectopic pregnancy rates were noticed between donor sperm cycles and donor egg cycles; (v) significant differences in number of thawed cycles, number of thawed embryos, embryo recovery rates, implantation rates, and clinical pregnancy rates were noticed between day 3 and day 5 embryos; (vi) significant differences in age at treatment for infertility, number of cycles, clinical pregnancy rates, ectopic pregnancy rates, and live birth ratio were noticed between AIH and AID., Conclusions: ART in Liaoning province has undergone substantial development from 2012 to 2016 in clinics and IVF laboratories. This presentation of detailed ART data will provide researchers, policy makers, and potential ART users a rich source of information about IVF characteristics in the northeast of China.

The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence and trends of congenital hydrocephalus (CH) using a large population-based sample with cases retrieved from the Liaoning Birth Defects Registry, which included 14 cities, over a 10-year period. CH prevalence, percent change, average change, and contribution rates of each city were calculated. Statistical analysis was performed using a Poisson regression model. There was a total of 3008 CH cases among 3,248,954 live births during the observational period (9.26 cases/10,000 live births). On average, the prevalence of CH had significantly decreased by 11.84% each year ( P < 0.01). The three leading cities with the highest prevalence of CH were Chaoyang (13.73/10,000), Huludao (13.18/10,000), and Fuxin (12.71/10,000), while Yingkou (6.06/10,000), Dalian (6.27/10,000), and Anshan (6.56/10,000) had the lowest prevalence. Notably, significantly decreasing trends were observed in 10 (71.4%) of these 14 cities. In addition, the cities of Fushun, Shenyang, and Dalian had contributed to more than one-third of the decreasing trend in Liaoning province. In conclusion, this study provides evidence of the decreasing prevalence of CH over a 10-year period (2006-2015) in Liaoning province. Preventative efforts should be strengthened to further reduce the risk of CH in these high prevalence areas., Competing Interests: CONFLICTS OF INTEREST The authors declare no competing financial interests.

In order to collect comprehensive information on the characteristics and sources of water-soluble inorganic ions in road dust (RD) PM 2.5 in Liaoning Province, samples of road dust were collected in 2014 and 2016 in Anshan and Panjin and then re-suspended on filters using an NK-ZXF sampler. The concentrations of the major water-soluble inorganic ions were analyzed by ion chromatography. A correlation analysis, ratios, and a principal component analysis were used to analyze the sources of RD. The results showed that the total water-soluble inorganic ions in Panjin and Anshan accounted for 5.83%±3.34% and 5.84%±1.15% in RD PM 2.5 , respectively. NH 4 + , SO 4 2- , and NO 3 - in RD PM 2.5 coexisted in the forms of (NH 4 ) 2 SO 4 , and NH 4 NO 3 in Panjin, and NH 4 HSO 4 and NH 4 NO 3 in Anshan. The average values of NO 3 - /SO 4 2- were 0.52±0.55 and 0.46±0.13 for Panjin and Anshan, respectively, indicating that the effects of stationary sources (e.g., coal combustion) on PM 2.5 were more significant. The main sources of RD PM 2.5 in Panjin were biomass burning, sea salt particles, construction dust, and mobile sources, while the main sources of RD PM 2.5 in Anshan were coal combustion, biomass burning, sea salt particles, and steel smelting dust.

The present study was performed to investigate the seroprevalence and risk factors for Dirofilaria immitis infection in cats from Liaoning province, northeastern China. From October 2014 to September 2016, sera of 651 cats, including 364 domestic cats and 287 feral cats (332 females and 319 males) were assessed. They were tested for the presence of D. immitis antigen using SNAP Heartworm RT test kit. In this population, the average prevalence was 4.5%. Age and rearing conditions (feral or domestic) were found to be associated with the prevalence of D. immitis. The prevalence was significantly higher in feral cats compared with domestic cats (8.4% vs 1.4%, P<0.01). There was no significant difference between males and females (4.7% vs 4.2%, P>0.05), but older cats (≥3 years old) showed a statistically higher prevalence compared with younger cats (<3 years old) in feral populations (16.8 vs 2.4%, P<0.01), while the difference between the age groups was not statistically significant in domestic cats (2.4% vs 0.51%, P>0.05), all these results suggest that outdoor exposure time may be one of the most important factors for D. immitis prevalence in cats. Results reveal that D. immitis are prevalence in domestic and feral cats in northeastern China, which indicates that appropriate preventive measures should be taken to decrease the incidence of feline heartworm disease in Liaoning province, northeastern China.

The goal of this study was to assess the prevalence and trends of anencephaly on the basis of a large population-based cases identified by the Liaoning Birth Defects Registry, which included 14 cities over a 10-year period. Anencephaly prevalence, percent change, average changeand the contribution rates of each city were calculated. Statistical analysis was undertaken on the basis of a Poisson regression model. A total of 1600 anencephaly cases were collected during the observational period (4.92/10,000 live births). On average, the prevalence decreased 10.15% each year; this overall time trend was statistically significant (P<0.01). The top three leading cities were Huludao (10.33 per 10,000 live births), Chaoyang (8.56 per 10,000 live births) and Fuxin (6.36 per 10,000 live births). In contrast, Anshan (2.64 per 10,000 live births), Dalian (2.79 per 10,000 live births) and Yingkou (3.46 per 10,000 live births) were the cities with the lowest prevalence. Of note, significantly decreasing trends were observed in half of these cities (n=7). Additionally, Benxi, Yingkou and Dalian were the major cities contributing to over one third of the decreasing trend in Liaoning province. In conclusion, this study provided evidence of the decreasing prevalence of anencephaly from 2006 to 2015 in Liaoning province. In the future, prevention efforts should be strengthened to further reduce the risk of anencephaly in areas with high rates., Competing Interests: COMPETING FINANCIAL INTERESTS The authors declare no competing financial interests.

The present study sought to assess the time trends of spina bifida on the basis of cases identified by the Liaoning Birth Defects Registry in 14 cities from 2006 to 2015. We calculated the prevalence of spina bifida, percent and average change of time trends, and contribution rates of each city. Poisson regression model was used to find the line of best fit for spina bifida prevalence by year, with year as a continuous independent variable. From 2006 to 2015, a total of 2,029 spina bifida cases were identified from 3,248,954 live births (6.25/10,000 live births). We observed statistically significant decreasing trend of overall time trend (11.57% each year). Chaoyang, Fuxin, and Huludao were the top three leading cities, with 14.30/10,000 live births, 9.70/10,000 live births, and 9.20/10,000 live births, respectively. Inversely, the bottom three cities with lowest prevalence were Anshan (2.64/10,000 live births), Dandong (3.43/10,000 live births), and Dalian (3.45/10,000 live births). Of note, we observed significant decreasing trends in over half of these cities (n = 8). In addition, the decreasing trend of overall time trend could be mainly attributed to cities of Shenyang, Fushun, and Jinzhou which accounted for nearly one third. In summary, our study suggested a decreasing time trend of spina bifida during the past decade in the Liaoning province. The findings of this study provide evidence that the nationwide folic acid supplement program has been an effective strategy to prevent spina bifida.

Objective: To explore the epidemiological characteristics of malaria in Liaoning Province from 1951 to 2014, so as to provide the evidence for further control of the disease., Methods: The data of registered malaria cases in Liaoning Province from 1951 to 2014 were collected and analyzed with epidemiological methods., Results: From 1951 to 2014, there were reported malaria cases each year. The peaks of incidence were in 1953, 1962 and 1973, the incidence rates were 136.67/100 000, 256.81/100 000 and 35.89/100 000 respectively and the numbers of patients were 27 862, 65 460 and 11 523, respectively. From 1977 to 2014, the incidence rates were all less than 1/100 000. From 1951 to 1980, the occupations of patients were mainly farmers, and from 1981 to 2014 were mainly workers, farmers and exported laborers., Conclusions: The malaria endemic situation in Liaoning Province experienced the periods from outbreaks to basically elimination, and the long-term surveillance will be the further working emphasis.

Taking 39 industries as independent decision-making units in Liaoning Province from 2003 to 2012 and considering the benefits of energy, economy and environment, we combined direction distance function and radial DEA method to estimate and decompose the energy conservation and carbon emissions reduction efficiency of the industries. Carbon emission of each industry was calculated and defined as an undesirable output into the model of energy saving and carbon emission reduction efficiency. The results showed that energy saving and carbon emission reduction efficiency of industries had obvious heterogeneity in Liaoning Province. The whole energy conservation and carbon emissions reduction efficiency in each industry of Liaoning Province was not high, but it presented a rising trend. Improvements of pure technical efficiency and scale efficiency were the main measures to enhance energy saving and carbon emission reduction efficiency, especially scale efficiency improvement. In order to improve the energy saving and carbon emission reduction efficiency of each industry in Liaoning Province, we put forward that Liaoning Province should adjust industry structure, encourage the development of low carbon high benefit industries, improve scientific and technological level and adjust the industry scale reasonably, meanwhile, optimize energy structure, and develop renewable and clean energy.

The contradiction between energy consumption and economic growth is increasingly prominent in China. Liaoning Province as one of Chinese heavy industrial bases, consumes a large amount of energy. Its economic development has a strong dependence on energy consumption, but the energy in short supply become more apparent. In order to further understand the relationship between energy consumption and economic growth and put forward scientific suggestions on low carbon development, we used the grey correlation analysis method to separately examine the relevance of economic growth with energy consumption industries and energy consumption varieties through analy sis of energy consumption and economic growth data in Liaoning Province from 2000 to 2012. The results showed that the wholesale and retail sector and hotel and restaurant sector were in the minimum energy consumption in all kinds of sectors, but they presented the closest connection with the economic growth. Although industry energy consumption was the maximum, the degree of connection between industry energy consumption and economic growth was weak. In all types of energy consumption, oil and hydro-power consumption had a significant connection with economic growth. However, the degree of connection of coal consumption with economic growth was not significant, which meant that coal utilization efficiency was low. In order to achieve low carbon and sustainable development, Liaoning Province should transform the economic growth mode, adjust industry structure, optimize energy structure, and improve energy utilization efficiency, especially promote producer services and develop clean and renewable energy.