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Abstract Background The relationship of testosterone and estradiol concentrations with cognitive function among community-dwelling older men was inconclusive. To examine the association of serum testosterone and estradiol concentrations with cognitive function in older men with or without vascular risk factors (VRFs). Methods This cross-sectional study consisted of 224 community-dwelling men aged 65–90 years in the Songjiang District of Shanghai, China. Serum testosterone and estradiol were measured by electrochemiluminescence immunoassay. The following five factors were defined as VRFs in this study: obesity, history of hypertension, diabetes, stroke, and coronary heart disease. Multivariable linear regression was used to examine the association of testosterone and estradiol with the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) in participants with or without VRF. Restricted cubic spline (RCS) regression was performed to account for the nonlinearity of these associations. Results An inverted “U” shaped non-linear relationship was found between testosterone concentration and MMSE score in men with one VRF (P overall =.003, non-linear P =.002). Estradiol showed an inverted “U” shaped non-linear relationship with MMSE score independent of VRFs (men without VRF, P overall =.049, non-linear P =.015; men with one VRF, overall P =.007, non-linear P =.003; men with two or more VRFs, overall P =.009, non-linear P =.005). Conclusion In older men, an optimal level of sex steroid concentration may be beneficial to cognitive function and the VRFs should be considered when interpreting the relationship between sex steroid and cognitive function.

Abstract Background Little is known about life expectancy (LE) with or without frailty. We aimed to estimate the total LE and duration of the state of frailty in China. Methods This study included older adults aged 65 years and older from the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Study (CLHLS). Frailty status was classified into robust, pre-frailty and frailty based on a cumulative deficit model. Total and specific frailty state LEs at 65 years of age were estimated and stratified by demographic characteristics, behaviours, and psychosocial factors using continuous-time multistate modelling. Results The total LE of older adults aged 65 years in China was 14.74 years on average (95% CI: 14.52–14.94), of which 4.18 years (95% CI: 4.05–4.30) were robust, 7.46 years (95% CI: 7.31–7.61) pre-frail and 3.10 years (95% CI: 3.01–3.20) frail. Older adults with higher robust LE included men (4.71 years, 95% CI: 4.56–4.88), married older adults (4.41 years, 95% CI: 4.27–4.56), those engaging in physical activity (4.41 years, 95% CI: 4.23–4.59), those consuming fruits daily (4.48 years, 95% CI: 4.22–4.77) and those with high social participation (4.39 years, 95% CI: 4.26–4.53). Increased educational attainment were gradually associated with increased robust LE. Conclusions Frailty may lead to a reduced total LE and robust LE of older adults in China. In addition to finding inequalities in total and robust LEs by socioeconomic status, our findings also highlight that healthy behaviours and social participation may ease frailty-related reductions in total and robust LE. Our findings imply that national life-course strategies aimed at frailty screening and psychosocial and behavioural interventions could be important for health aging in China.

Abstract Background Metabolic Syndrome (MetS) is a common health problem among older adults. Previous studies have revealed the relationship between sleep duration as well as global sleep status and MetS. Objectives This study aims to examine the association between the specific sleep characteristic and MetS as well as MetS components among community-dwelling old adults. Methods This cross-sectional study included 1499 community residents aged ≥ 60 years. Sleep characteristics were assessed using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and bed/rise time of the residents. Logistic regression analysis and multiple linear regression analysis were used to examine the associations between sleep characteristics and MetS as well as MetS components. A generalized additive model was built to assess the smooth relationship between triglyceride (TG) levels and sleep duration. Results Of the 1499 participants, 449 (30.0%) had MetS, and 443 (29.6%) had poor sleep quality. The rise time was found to be associated with MetS (> 6:00 vs. 5:00 ~ 6:00: adjusted OR (95%) = 1.77 (1.17–2.69), P = 0.007). For the MetS components, a U-shaped relationship was first revealed for sleep duration and TG levels (EDF = 1.85, P

The role of enhancer variants in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) predisposition remains unknown. Here, the authors perform a genome-wide survey of HCC-susceptible enhancer variants in 11,958 individuals, identify rs73613962 within the intronic region of PRMT7 and find that PRMT7 upregulation predisposes to HCC.

These days, the vast amount of data generated on the Internet is a new treasure trove for investors. They can utilize text mining and sentiment analysis techniques to reflect investors’ confidence in specific stocks in order to make the most accurate decision. Most previous research just sums up the text sentiment score on each natural day and uses such aggregated score to predict various stock trends. However, the natural day aggregated score may not be useful in predicting different stock trends. Therefore, in this research, we designed two different time divisions: 0:00t∼0:00t+1 and 9:30t∼9:30t+1 to study how tweets and news from the different periods can predict the next-day stock trend. 260,000 tweets and 6,000 news from Service stocks (Amazon, Netflix) and Technology stocks (Apple, Microsoft) were selected to conduct the research. The experimental result shows that opening hours division (9:30t∼9:30t+1) outperformed natural hours division (0:00t∼0:00t+1).

Abstract Background Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) is a common but urgent mental health problem during disease outbreaks. Resilience buffers against the negative impacts of life stressors on common internalizing psychopathology such as GAD. This study assesses the prevalence of GAD and examines the protective or compensatory effect of resilience against worry factors during the COVID-19 outbreak. Methods A cross-sectional online survey was conducted among Chinese citizens aged ≥18 years from January 31 to February 2, 2020. A total of 4827 participants across 31 provinces and autonomous regions of the mainland of China participated in this study. The Generalized Anxiety Disorder scale (GAD-7), the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC), and a self-designed worry questionnaire were used to asses anxiety disorder prevalence, resilience level, and anxiety risk factors. Multivariable logistic regression was used to identify the associations of resilience and worry factors with GAD prevalence after controlling for other covariates. Results The prevalence of anxiety disorder was 22.6% across the 31 areas, and the highest prevalence was 35.4% in Hubei province. After controlling for covariates, the results suggested a higher GAD prevalence among participants who were worried about themselves or family members being infected with COVID-19 (adjusted odds ratio, AOR 3.40, 95%CI 2.43–4.75), worried about difficulty obtaining masks (AOR 1.92, 95%CI 1.47–2.50), worried about difficulty of distinguishing true information (AOR 1.65, 95%CI 1.36–2.02), worried about the prognosis of COVID-19 (AOR 2.41, 95%CI 1.75–3.33), worried about delays in working (AOR 1.71, 95%CI 1.27–.31), or worried about decreased income (AOR 1.45, 95%CI 1.14–1.85) compared with those without such worries. Additionally, those with a higher resilience level had a lower prevalence of GAD (AOR 0.59, 95%CI 0.51–0.70). Resilience also showed a mediating effect, with a negative influence on worry factors and thereby a negative association with GAD prevalence. Conclusion It may be beneficial to promote public mental health during the COVID-19 outbreak through enhancing resilience, which may buffer against adverse psychological effects from worry factors.

Abstract Background Gut microbiota (GMB) alteration has been reported to influence the Alzheimer’s disease (AD) pathogenesis through immune, endocrine, and metabolic pathways. This study aims to investigate metabolic output of the dysbiosis of GMB in AD pathogenesis. In this study, the fecal microbiota and metabolome from 21 AD participants and 44 cognitively normal control participants were measured. Untargeted GMB taxa was analyzed through 16S ribosomal RNA gene profiling based on next-generation sequencing and fecal metabolites were quantified by using ultrahigh performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS). Results Our analysis revealed that AD was characterized by 15 altered gut bacterial genera, of which 46.7% (7/15 general) was significantly associated with a series of metabolite markers. The predicted metabolic profile of altered gut microbial composition included steroid hormone biosynthesis, N-Acyl amino acid metabolism and piperidine metabolism. Moreover, a combination of 2 gut bacterial genera (Faecalibacterium and Pseudomonas) and 4 metabolites (N-Docosahexaenoyl GABA, 19-Oxoandrost-4-ene-3,17-dione, Trigofoenoside F and 22-Angeloylbarringtogenol C) was able to discriminate AD from NC with AUC of 0.955 in these 65 subjects. Conclusions These findings demonstrate that gut microbial alterations and related metabolic output changes may be associated with pathogenesis of AD, and suggest that fecal markers might be used as a non-invasive examination to assist screening and diagnosis of AD.

Abstract Background Cognitive leisure activity, such as reading, playing mahjong or cards and computer use, is common among older adults in China. Previous studies suggest a negative correlation between cognitive leisure activity and cognitive impairment. However, the relationship between cognitive leisure activity and all-cause mortality has rarely been reported. Objectives This study aims to explore the relationships between cognitive leisure activity and all-cause mortality in a community-based older people cohort in China. Methods The current study sample comprised 4003 community residents aged ≥60 y who were enrolled in June 2015, and were followed up every year from 2015 to 2018. Reading, playing mahjong or cards and computer use were measured by questionnaires and summed into a cognitive leisure activity index (CLAI) score. Time-Dependent Cox Regression Model and Kaplan-Meier survival analysis were used to examine the association of cognitive leisure activity with all-cause mortality. Results During the 4-year follow-up of 4003 participants, 208 (5.2%) deaths were registered. Of all participants, 66.8, 26.7, 6.1 and 0.35% reported CLAI scores of 0, 1, 2 and 3, respectively. A strong association was noted between the CLA score and all-cause mortality (adjusted hazard ratio [HR] = 0.72, 95% confidence intervals [CI]: 0.54–0.97, P = 0.028). Stratified analysis suggested that a higher CLAI score was significantly associated with a decreased risk of all-cause mortality mainly among those who were male, aged ≥80 y, cognitively impaired, and not diagnosed with cancer (P

Abstract Background Recent genome-wide association studies (GWASs) have suggested several susceptibility loci of hepatitis B virus (HBV)-related hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) by statistical analysis at individual single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). However, these loci only explain a small fraction of HBV-related HCC heritability. In the present study, we aimed to identify additional susceptibility loci of HBV-related HCC using advanced knowledge-based analysis. Methods We performed knowledge-based analysis (including gene- and gene-set-based association tests) on variant-level association p-values from two existing GWASs of HBV-related HCC. Five different types of gene-sets were collected for the association analysis. A number of SNPs within the gene prioritized by the knowledge-based association tests were selected to replicate genetic associations in an independent sample of 965 cases and 923 controls. Results The gene-based association analysis detected four genes significantly or suggestively associated with HBV-related HCC risk: SLC39A8, GOLGA8M, SMIM31, and WHAMMP2. The gene-set-based association analysis prioritized two promising gene sets for HCC, cell cycle G1/S transition and NOTCH1 intracellular domain regulates transcription. Within the gene sets, three promising candidate genes (CDC45, NCOR1 and KAT2A) were further prioritized for HCC. Among genes of liver-specific expression, multiple genes previously implicated in HCC were also highlighted. However, probably due to small sample size, none of the genes prioritized by the knowledge-based association analyses were successfully replicated by variant-level association test in the independent sample. Conclusions This comprehensive knowledge-based association mining study suggested several promising genes and gene-sets associated with HBV-related HCC risks, which would facilitate follow-up functional studies on the pathogenic mechanism of HCC.

Background: Genome-wide association studies have identified many Alzheimer’s disease (AD) genetic-risk single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and indicated the important role of the cholesterol/lipid metabolism pathway in AD pathogenesis. This study aims to investigate the effects of cholesterol and genetic risk factors on progression of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) to AD.Methods: We prospectively followed 316 MCI participants aged ≥50 years with a baseline cholesterol profile and SNP genotyping data for 4.5 years on average in a sub-cohort of the Shanghai Aging Study. Total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol in serum were measured at baseline. SNP genotyping was performed using a MassARRAY system. At follow-up, consensus diagnosis of incident dementia and AD were established based on medical, neurological, and neuropsychological examinations. Cox regression models were used to assess the association of cholesterol and SNP with incident AD.Results: The AG/AA genotypes of PVRL2 rs6859 were significantly associated with increased incident AD in MCI participants, compared with GG genotype (adjusted hazard ratio [HR] 2.75, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.32–5.76, p = .007, false discovery rate–adjusted p = .030). In PVRL2 rs6859 AG/AA carriers, each-1 mmol/L higher level of LDL-C was significantly associated with a 48% decreased risk of AD (adjusted HR 0.52, 95%CI 0.33–0.84, p = .007). Consistent results were obtained when using LDL-C as the categorical variable (P for trend = 0.016).Conclusion: The relationship between LDL-C and progression of MCI may be influenced by genetic variants.

BackgroundThe control of vaccine hesitancy and the promotion of vaccination are key protective measures against COVID-19. ObjectiveThis study assesses the prevalence of vaccine hesitancy and the vaccination rate and examines the association between factors of the health belief model (HBM) and vaccination. MethodsA convenience sample of 2531 valid participants from 31 provinces and autonomous regions of mainland China were enrolled in this online survey study from January 1 to 24, 2021. Multivariable logistic regression was used to identify the associations of the vaccination rate and HBM factors with the prevalence of vaccine hesitancy after other covariates were controlled. ResultsThe prevalence of vaccine hesitancy was 44.3% (95% CI 42.3%-46.2%), and the vaccination rate was 10.4% (9.2%-11.6%). The factors that directly promoted vaccination behavior were a lack of vaccine hesitancy (odds ratio [OR] 7.75, 95% CI 5.03-11.93), agreement with recommendations from friends or family for vaccination (OR 3.11, 95% CI 1.75-5.52), and absence of perceived barriers to COVID-19 vaccination (OR 0.51, 95% CI 0.35-0.75). The factors that were directly associated with a higher vaccine hesitancy rate were a high level of perceived barriers (OR 1.63, 95% CI 1.36-1.95) and perceived benefits (OR 0.51, 95% CI 0.32-0.79). A mediating effect of self-efficacy, influenced by perceived barriers (standardized structure coefficient [SSC]=−0.71, P

Objectives The aims of this study were to assess the uptake of preventive behaviour during the COVID-19 outbreak and to investigate the factors influencing the uptake of preventive behaviour based on the theory of planned behaviour (TPB）.Design, setting and participants A cross-sectional online survey was conducted among Chinese residents aged ≥18 years and 4827 participants from 31 provinces and autonomous regions were included in the current study. Uptake of preventive behaviour, attitude towards the spread of COVID-19 and preventive behaviour, subjective norms, perceived behavioural control, demographic characteristics and the information attention and processing mode were measured. Multivariate logistic regressions were used to identify associations between the potential influencing factors and uptake of preventive behaviour.Results There were 2393 (52.8%) respondents reported high uptake of preventive behaviour. Multivariate analyses demonstrated that attitude towards the behaviour, subjective norms and perceived behavioural control were significantly correlated with uptake of preventive behaviour, and perceived behavioural control was the strongest influencing factor (OR=4.09, 95% CI 3.57 to 4.69). Furthermore, systematic information processing mode was positively associated with high uptake of preventive behaviour compared with heuristic information processing mode (OR=2.16, 95% CI 1.67 to 2.81).Conclusions These findings are helpful for developing education and interventions to promote high uptake of preventive behaviour and enhance public health outcomes during pandemic.

The current study aims to identify psychosocial factors based on protection motivation theory (PMT) influencing Chinese adults’ willingness to receive the COVID-19 vaccine after the emergency use authorization of the New Coronavirus Inactivated Vaccine in China. A cross-sectional online survey was conducted among Chinese residents aged 18–59 years, and 2528 respondents from 31 provinces and autonomous regions were included in the current study. Based on PMT, threat appraisals and coping appraisals were measured. Hierarchical multiple regressions and multivariate logistic regressions were used to identify the relationships between the PMT constructs and vaccination willingness after other covariates were controlled for. A total of 1411 (55.8%) respondents reported being willing to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. The PMT model explained 26.6% (p < 0.001) of the variance in the vaccine willingness. The coping appraisals, including response efficacy, self-efficacy, and response costs, were significantly correlated with the willingness to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, and response efficacy was the strongest influencing factor (adjusted OR = 2.93, 95% CI: 2.42–3.54). In conclusion, the coping appraisals for vaccination, instead of threat appraisals regarding the pandemic itself, mainly influenced people’s willingness to get vaccinated after the emergency use authorization of the COVID-19 vaccine in China. These findings are helpful for developing education and interventions to promote vaccination willingness and enhance public health outcomes during a pandemic.

The aim of our study was to determine the impact of genetic polymorphisms in the caspase (CASP) genes on prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). We genotyped 7 potentially functional polymorphisms in CASP3, CASP7, CASP8, CASP9, CASP10 genes in 362 HCC patients of receiving surgical resection of HCC tumor. The associations of genotype and haplotype with overall survival (OS) and disease free survival (DFS) were analyzed by using the Cox proportional hazards model. We found that the CASP9 rs4645981 C allele was significantly associated with positive effect on DFS (P = 0.011 and 0.016 for CT+CC vs. TT in univariate and multivariate analysis, respectively), CT genotype was associated with a better OS of HCC than the TT genotype both in univariate and multivariate analysis (P = 0.048 and 0.041, respectively). Moreover, the CASP3 rs2705897 GT genotype showed marginally significant association with decreased OS and DFS, compared with the GG genotype. One haplotype TT/TG in CASP3 (constructed by rs12108497 T>C and rs2705897 T>G) was significantly associated with decreased OS and DFS, compared to the common haplotype TT/TT both in univariate analysis (P = 0.021 and 0.026, respectively) and multivariate analysis (P = 0.025 and 0.030, respectively). The haplotype GT/GT in CASP9 (constructed by rs4645978 A>G and rs4645981 C>T) was significantly associated with decreased DFS both in univariate and multivariate analysis (P = 0.012 and 0.010, respectively). In conclusion, the CASP9 rs4645981 polymorphism, CASP3 and CASP9 haplotypes may be useful prognosis markers for HCC patients with surgical resection of tumor.

Xiangzaoyou 2017 is an excellent early maturing variety bred from the combination of Neixiang 3A and the self-fertile restorer QN 2017 by Qiannan Institute of Agricultural Sciences of Guizhou Province, and it has been approved by the Guizhou Crop Variety Approval Committee ( Approval No. : Qianshendao 2006001). In order to promote its application in production, the research on the seed production techniques of Xiangzaoyou 2017 was carried out, and the key technical point of high-yield seed production of Xiangzaoyou 2017 were put forward. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chuanxiang No.2058 is a new combination of three-line late indica hybrid rice bred based on sterile line Chuanxiang 29A and restorer Qiannanhui No.2058. in order to promote its application, seed production techniques of Chuanxiang No.2058 were explored during 2009-2010. The research detailed the seed production techniques from selection of seed production bases, rational arrangement of sowing gap stage, seedling cultivation in different stages, scientific arrangement of male/female parents, management of fertilizer and water, adjustment of florescence, artificial pollination, comprehensive treatment of disease and pest damages, and timely control -ling of abnormal and poorly-qualified rice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective Hepatoma-derived growth factor (HDGF)- related proteins (HRPs) comprise a family of six members and are characterised by a conserved HATH domain. Among the family members, HDGF was the first to be identified as a mitogenic factor and shown to play an important role in hepatocellular carcinoma pathogenesis. The aim of the present study is to examine the relevance of HDGF-related protein-3 (HRP-3), another member of the HRP family in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Design HRP-3 expression in HCC tissues was measured by quantitative reverse transcriptase PCR, western blot and immunohistochemistry analysis. The biological consequences of overexpression and knockdown of HRP- 3 in HCC cell lines were studied in vitro and in vivo. Results Expression of HRP-3 mRNA and protein was shown to be highly upregulated in HCC tissues. While knockdown of HRP-3 by small interference RNAs failed to affect anchorage-dependent growth of HCC cells, it inhibited anchorage-independent growth of HCC cells in vitro and xenograft tumour growth in vivo. Further, knockdown of HRP-3 was shown to sensitise HCC cells to anoikis. Moreover, HRP-3 specifically activated the extracellular-signal-regulated kinase (ERK) pathway without affecting c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK), p38, AKT and signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3). Importantly, inhibition of the ERK pathway diminished HRP-3-mediated protection of HCC cells from anoikis. Finally, knockdown of HRP-3 was shown to enhance apoptosis of HCC cells induced by multiple chemotherapeutic drugs. Conclusion These findings indicate that HRP-3 plays an essential role in HCC pathogenesis and suggest that it may serve as a novel prognostic marker and molecular target for development of drugs for treatment of HCC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on the Gaussian–Schell model, analytical expression of the axial light intensity of a partially coherent Gaussian vortex beam (PCGVB) is deduced. The transformation law of axial light intensity is analyzed and a comparison to a partially coherent fundamental-mode Gaussian beam is made. The results show that for a low coherent Gaussian vortex beam, the light intensity distribution can be expressed as a common Gaussian beam with the same coherence length instead. The substitution result is more accurate, especially when the coherence is lower or the value of topological charge is smaller. Moreover, based on axial light intensity, a convenient analytical model of the light intensity distribution of a PCGVB is presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]