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The entire education system, from elementary school to higher education, distorted during the lockdown period. The latest 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is not only recorded in China, but also globally. This research is an account of the online teaching paradigm assumed in the teaching method by most of universities in China and subsequent tests over the course. It looks forward to offering resources rich in knowledge for future academic decision-making in any adversity. The aim of this research paper is to explain the prerequisites for online education and teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic and how to effectively turn formal education into online education through the use of virtual classrooms and other main online instruments in an ever-changing educational setting by leveraging existing educational tools. The paper uses both quantitative and qualitative research approaches to analyses the views of online teachers and students on the learning regime, with specific attention to the online learning regime implementation process. In the midst of the COVID-19 outbreak, the purpose of this article is to provide an in-depth overview of online learning. These activities took place during a time of isolation, including the creation of a link between the process of change management and the online learning process in the education system to tackle current issues of academic interference and, however, the re-establishment of educational practice and debate as a normal system of procedural education.

Integrated energy system is crucial in realizing China's "dual carbon" targets. Considering the carbon capture based electricity to gas and the interaction of multiple markets, this paper proposes a low-carbon operation optimization method of integrated energy system. In terms of market policy, a coupling trading mechanism for carbon trade and green certificates is established. This approach is intended to delve into the profound significance of utilizing green certificates in carbon emission reduction. In terms of equipment models, the coupling model of carbon capture equipment with coal-fired cogeneration unit, as well as power-to-gas equipment with renewable energy, is constructed. In addition, this equipment model is introduced into the operation optimization scheduling of the comprehensive energy systems. A low-carbon economic operational strategy is further proposed to minimize the daily operational costs, by which the integrated energy system is eco-nomically, environmental protection optimized. To verify the effectiveness and feasibility of the proposed model, this paper sets up several comparison scenarios and conducts the simulations using GUROBI solver. The results show that the proposed strategy can effectively improve the uptake rate of renewable energy, reduce the carbon emission, improve the operation economy, and realize the complementary incentive effect between markets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Using statistical methods to analyze and summarize the research data of the inclusion criteria, to provide a quantitative average effect size to interpret the influence of mindfulness yoga exercise on patients with different depressive symptoms, explain the therapeutic effect of mindfulness yoga therapy on depression and its possible mechanism of action, and provide new ideas for the clinical treatment of patients with depression. Method: Review Manage 5.4 software was used to comprehensively evaluate the effect of yoga exercise on depression interventions to provide a reference for improving mental health. CNKI, PubMed, Web of science, EBSCO were searched for all case--control research articles on yoga for depression from 2000 to 2022. After screening, data extraction and quality evaluation of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) by inclusion and exclusion criteria, a total of 22 studies with 2,216 patients were included, including 1,101 in the yoga intervention group and 1,115 in the control group. Results: The results showed a large heterogeneity in the literature on the effect of yoga exercise on depression, with a combined total effect size [SMD = -1.53, 95%CI (-1.96, -1.10), p < 0.00001]. Conclusion: Mindfulness yoga exercise is effective in preventing and treating depression and improving mental health, and may be considered as a non-medical, low-cost intervention as an adjunct to pharmacological treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Skin and Soft Tissue Infections (SSTIs) Surveillance Network of S. aureus In Pediatrics in China was established in 2009 to routinely report epidemiological changes. We aimed to monitor the present antibiotic sensitivity and molecular characteristics of S. aureus and methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) from SSTIs in children nationwide and track the changes over the past decade. Methods: Patients diagnosed with SSTIs from the dermatology departments of 22 tertiary pediatric hospitals in seven geographical regions of China were recruited continuously from May 2019 to August 2021. S. aureus was isolated, and its sensitivity to 15 antimicrobials was evaluated using the broth microdilution method. The molecular characteristics of the MRSA isolates were determined through multilocus sequence typing (MLST) and staphylococcal cassette chromosome mec (SCCmec) typing. The presence of the Panton-Valentine leukocidin gene (pvl) was determined. Results: The detection rate of S. aureus was 62.57% (1379/2204), among which MRSA accounted for 14.79% (204/1379), significantly higher than the result in previous study in 2009-2011 (2.58%, 44/1075). Compared with previous study, the sensitivity to cephalosporins and fusidic acid decreased to varying degrees, while that to chloramphenicol, ciprofloxacin, clindamycin, erythromycin, gentamicin, penicillin, and tetracycline increased significantly. The sensitivity to mupirocin, trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole (TRISUL), and rifampicin still maintained at a high level (97.90%, 99.35% and 96.66% respectively). The leading multidrug resistance pattern of MRSA and methicillin-sensitive S. aureus (MSSA) were erythromycin-clindamycin-tetracycline (55.84%; 43/77)and erythromycin-clindamycin-chloramphenicol (27.85%, 44/158) respectively. 12 high-level mupirocin-resistant strains were detected, and notable differences in geographical distribution and seasonal variation were observed. The main types of MRSA were ST121 (46.08%, 94/204), followed by ST59 (19.61%, 40/204). SCCmec V (65.69%, 134/204) and SCCmec IV (31.86%, 65/204) were dominant epidemic types. ST121-V, ST59-IV, and ST22-V were the most prevalent clones nationwide. The detection rate of pvl had increased markedly from 9.09% (4/44) in 2009-2011 to 22.55% (46/204) in 2019-2021 (P<0.05). Conclusion: The antibiotic sensitivity and molecular characteristics of S. aureus from pediatric SSTIs has changed significantly over the past decade. To standardize medical care, provide timely and reasonable clinical treatment, and effectively manage infection control, Chinese pediatric SSTIs guidelines are urgently needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The research of childhood tuberculosis is inadequate in china. The crosspriming amplification (CPA) of specific DNA in clinical samples is increasingly adopted for the diagnosis of childhood tuberculosis. In this study, a multicenter research was performed to investigate the incidence and characteristics of childhood tuberculosis in suspected populations mainly by CPA method. 851 children suspected of tuberculosis were enrolled in seven centers across China. All samples were tested by a CPA method and 159 subjects were tested by Xpert MTB/RIF and liquid culture method in parallel to assess the reliability of the CPA method. A positive result in any one of the three methods provided a definitive diagnosis of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTBC) infection. The MTBC-positive rate was 9.5% (81/851) by the combined methods; 93.8% of the cases were detected by CPA technology (76/81). The rate of pulmonary infection was significantly higher than that of extrapulmonary infection (7.1%, 60/851 vs 2.5%, 21/851; P < 0.001). Scrofula was the predominant type of extrapulmonary tuberculosis. The MTBC positive rates in 12-18-year-old group (middle school), was 28.4% (23/81), higher than in those under-six-year-old (preschool; 39/525) and the 6~11-year-old (primary school; 18/235) groups combined (P < 0.001). The MTBC positive rate in patients with a clear history of tuberculosis exposure was significantly higher than in cases in which there was no history of tuberculosis contact (35.3%, 18/51 vs 7.8%, 61/782; P < 0.001). In conclusion, this multicenter investigation showed that pulmonary tuberculosis and extrapulmonary tuberculosis are not uncommon in children in China, with teenagers being particularly susceptible to infection. The incidence of pulmonary tuberculosis in children is higher than that of extrapulmonary tuberculosis. History of exposure to tuberculosis is a high risk factor for childhood tuberculosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The basic purpose of a business is to maximize value. With the increased expectations for companies’ social responsibility practices and sustainability, sustainability management has become a must for many companies to maximize value in the current competitive environment. Environmental, social and governance (ESG) are widely used indicators to evaluate corporate social responsibility performance. However, there is a lack of combined view on the three dimensions. This study aims to explore the sources of corporate value from the sustainability perspective. By using fsQCA (fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis), we proposes a configurational model consisting of environmental, social, governance, size and profitability to investigate the value-enhancing mechanisms of corporate social responsibility. The study shows that high enterprise value can be achieved through multiple paths, which can be categorized as resource-constrained type, slack resources type and good management type. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To help optimize online learning platforms for in-service teachers' professional development, this study aims to develop an instrument to assess the quality of this type of platforms on teacher satisfaction. After reliability and validity tests and expert empowerment, the 27-item instrument was formed. Based on the information systems (IS) success model, this instrument was designed to measure teacher perceptions of the quality of online learning platforms from three dimensions, namely, content quality, technical quality, and service quality. Moreover, the developed instrument was used to analyze the effects of the National Teacher Training Platform amid the COVID-19 outbreak in China. The findings revealed that the improvement of the platform's style, tool function, operating efficiency, and teaching methods could enhance teachers' experience of online training. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the last few years, online health communities (OHCs) have experienced rapid development due to advances in technology and the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the sensitive nature of medical information has also raised concerns from users about their privacy and reduced their intention to use OHCs. Considering the critical role of data privacy, this study explored the effect of data vulnerability on OHC users. Using online survey data collected from 438 OHC users in China, we found that data vulnerability significantly reduced psychological comfort, while the latter enhanced continuance intention. We also found that psychological comfort negatively mediated the impact of data vulnerability on continuance intention. Institutional assurance approaches, namely privacy policy, privacy protection technology, industry self-regulation, and government legislation, were also found to mitigate the negative impact of data vulnerability on psychological comfort. This study not only contributes to the data privacy, psychological comfort, and institutional assurance literature but also offers suggestions for OHC stakeholders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Medicinal leeches in the genus Hirudo have been utilized for therapeutic procedures for thousands of years. To date, six known species of Hirudo are widely distributed in different regions of the Eurasian continent. In this study, a new medicinal leech species Hirudo tianjinensis Liu, sp. nov. is described based upon specimens collected from Tianjin City, China. The new species can be distinguished from its congeners by a combination of characters: blackish green dorsum with five continuous yellow longitudinal stripes; six sensillae on dorsal annulus a2 of segments VIII-XXV; greyish green ventrum with irregular bilateral dark brown spots; dorsum and abdomen separated by a pair of pale yellow stripes; front half atrium wrapped by white prostate; apparent albumen gland; epididymis massive in relation to ejaculatory bulb. The phylogenetic tree based upon COI implies a sister relationship to H. nipponia Whitman, 1886. A key to the known species is provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has an adverse impact on the emotional health of prenatal maternal women and their offspring. During the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, pregnant women are vulnerable to traumatic events and are prone to PTSD symptoms. The aim of the study was to explore the predictive effects of insomnia and somatization on PTSD in pregnant women by utilizing generalized additive model (GAM). Materials and Methods: A total of 1638 pregnant women from three local cities in China underwent online survey on sleep quality, somatization, and PTSD symptoms tested by the Insomnia Severity Index (ISI), the subscale somatization of Symptom Checklist-90 (SCL-90-S) and the Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5), respectively. Results: Insomnia was positively correlated with PTSD symptoms in pregnant women (p = 1.79× 10− 5). Interestingly, insomnia and somatization showed a complex non-primary linear interaction in predicting PTSD (p = 2.00× 10− 16). Conclusion: Our results suggest that insomnia is a prominent predictor of PTSD symptoms in pregnant women in the context of public emergencies. In addition, the effects of insomnia and somatization on PTSD symptoms are characterized by complex non-primary linear relationships. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Exercise leads to a lower risk of coronary artery disease (CAD). However, whether time of day physical exercise has effects on CAD is still unclear. The present study is to investigate the relationship between time of day physical exercise and angiography determined CAD in a Chinese population. Subjects: A total of 1,129 consecutive participants who underwent coronary angiography for the first time were enrolled in our study. Participants were divided into non-CAD group and CAD group according to the result of coronary angiography. We used a predesigned questionnaire--the work-related activity, leisure-time activity, and physical exercise information were recorded in the form of self-reporting. Results: Doing physical exercise was associated with a reduced risk of CAD, after adjusting the established and potential confounders, with an adjusted odds ratio (OR) of 0.48 (95% CI, 0.35-0.67) compared with those who did not any physical exercise. Moreover, the risk of CAD could linearly decrease with increase of intensity, duration and frequency of exercise. Further stratification analysis revealed that the protective effects of exercise were more significant in the afternoon and evening group than in the morning and forenoon group. The adjusted ORs of doing physical exercise in morning, forenoon, afternoon, and evening groups were 0.53 (0.36-0.78), 0.51(0.27-0.96), 0.46(0.25-0.85), 0.43(0.28-0.66), respectively, compared with nonexerciser (p < .05). Conclusions: Doing physical exercise can decrease the risk of CAD, and exercising in the afternoon or evening may have more significant effects on the prevention of CAD than in other time of day. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coastal sand dune ecosystems generally have infertile soil with low water-holding capacity and high salinity. However, many plant species have adapted to the harsh sand environment along the southeastern coast of China. Studying the microbial biomass in such an ecosystem can improve our understanding of the roles that microbes play in soil fertility and nutrient cycling. We investigated the differences in soil microbial biomass carbon (MBC) and nitrogen (MBN) contents and their seasonal dynamics in five forest types (a secondary forest and plantations of Casuarinas, Pine, Acacia, and Eucalyptus). The results indicated that the seasonal variations of soil MBC and MBN contents in all five forest stands were higher in spring and winter, but lower in summer and autumn. The MBC content was lower in the Casuarinas plantation than in the other plantations in the same soil layer. However, no significant differences were observed in MBN contents among the different forest types. The MBC and MBN concentrations were positively correlated with soil moisture, but negatively correlated with soil temperature. The MBC and MBN contents also decreased with increasing soil depth. Across all soil layers, secondary forest had the highest MBC and MBN concentrations. Our study also showed that the MBC and MBN contents were positively affected by total soil carbon (TC), pH, and litter N content, but were negatively impacted by soil bulk density and litter C content. Moreover, the MBN content was positively correlated with root N content. In summary, environmental factors and the differences in litter and fine roots, soil nutrient contents, as well as the soil physical and chemical properties caused by different tree species collectively affected the concentrations of the soil MBC and MBN. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Blastocystis, an enteric protist, has been reported to be an important cause of protozoal gastrointestinal manifestations in humans and animals worldwide. Animals harboring certain Blastocystis subtypes (STs) may serve as a potential source of human infection. However, information about the prevalence and genetic diversity of Blastocystis in alpacas is limited. In the present study, a total of 366 fecal samples from alpacas in Shanxi Province, northern China, were examined for Blastocystis by PCR amplification of the small subunit rRNA gene, followed by sequencing and phylogenetic analysis. The prevalence of Blastocystis in alpacas was 23.8%, and gender difference in the prevalence of Blastocystis was observed. The most predominant Blastocystis ST was ST10, followed by ST14 and ST5. The detection of ST5, a potentially zoonotic genotype, indicates that alpacas harboring ST5 could be a potential source of human infection with Blastocystis. These data provide new insight into the prevalence and genetic diversity of Blastocystis in alpacas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives In the present study, we examined available articles from online databases to comprehensively investigate the effect of the XPC (xeroderma pigmentosum complementation group C) rs2228000 polymorphism on the risk of different types of clinical cancer. Methods We conducted a group of overall and subgroup pooling analyses after retrieving the data from four databases (updated till September 2019). The P-value of association, OR (odds ratios), and 95% CI (confidence interval) were calculated. Results We selected a total of 71 eligible studies with 26835 cancer cases and 37069 controls from the 1186 retrieved articles. There is an enhanced susceptibility for bladder cancer cases under T vs. C [P=0.004; OR (95% CI) = 1.25 (1.07, 1.45)], TT vs. CC [P=0.001; 1.68 (1.25, 2.26)], CT+TT vs. CC [P=0.016; 1.26 (1.04, 1.53)], and TT vs. CC+ CT [P=0.001; 1.49 (1.18, 1.90)] compared with negative controls. Additionally, there is an increased risk of breast cancer under T vs. C, TT vs. CC and TT vs. CC+ CT (P<0.05, OR > 1). Nevertheless, there is a decreased risk of gastric cancer cases in China under T vs. C [P=0.020; 0.92 (0.85, 0.99)], CT vs. CC [P=0.001, 0.83 (0.73, 0.93)], and CT+TT vs. CC [P=0.003, 0.84 (0.76, 0.94)]. Conclusions The TT genotype of XPC rs2228000 may be linked to an increased risk of bladder and breast cancer, whereas the CT genotype is likely to be associated with reduced susceptibility to gastric cancer in the Chinese population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Temporal–spatial distribution of synthetic pyrethroids (SPs) in overlying water and surface sediments and ecological risk to aquatic systems were investigated, where paired water and surface sediments were collected during dry and wet periods in Guangzhou urban waterways. Eight target SPs (i.e., tefluthrin, bifenthrin, cyhalothrin, permethrin, cyfluthrin, cypermethrin, esfenvalerate, and deltamethrin), with cypermethrin and permethrin as major components, were ubiquitously detected in both water (dissolved and particle phases, separately) and sediments. Significant increases of ΣSP (sum of eight SPs) concentrations were observed in both water and sediment from the dry period to the wet period. The spatial distribution of SPs was mostly impacted by land-use type, with the highest ΣSP concentrations in the residential areas, which indicates the massive application of pyrethroids in household mosquito control. It is demonstrated that SPs preferred to be adsorbed to the particles, and rainfall-induced runoff was suggested as an important mechanism that moved SPs to the receiving waterways. A rising trend on sediment concentrations of SPs in the Guangzhou area in the last decade implied increasing application of pyrethroid insecticides, with cypermethrin and permethrin as the dominant components, where the contamination of SPs was positively related with urbanization rate (e.g., resident population and green coverage area). A special emphasis was placed on the potential effects of both individual SPs and their mixtures in three trophic levels (i.e., algae, daphnia, and fish) using toxic units (TUs) and risk quotients (RQs) for water and sediments. In spite of no acute effects due to SPs in the sediments, the toxic units showed daphnia as the most sensitive species in water, with acute risks to daphnia exhibited in several sampling sites. The risk assessment points out that a chronic toxicity (RQ index) caused by SPs in three trophic levels (algae, daphnia, and fish) exists, especially in Daphnia magna. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We describe a case of facial skin infection and sinusitis caused by Mycobacterium marseillense in an immunocompetent woman in China in 2018. The infection was cleared with clarithromycin, moxifloxacin, and amikacin. Antimicrobial drug treatments could not be predicted by genetic analyses; further genetic characterization would be required to do so. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pleurotus tuoliensis, a kind of valuable and favorable edible mushroom in China, is always subjected to high environmental temperature during cultivation. In our previous study with P. tuoliensis, trehalose proved to be effective for tolerating heat stress. Trehalose-6-phosphate synthase (TPS; EC2.4.1.15) plays a key role in the biosynthesis of trehalose in fungi. In this study, a full-length of cDNA with 1,665 nucleotides encoding TPS (PtTPS) in P. tuoliensis was cloned. The PtTPS amino acid was aligned with other homologues and several highly conserved regions were analyzed. Thus, the TPS protein was expressed in Escherichia coli and purified by affinity chromatography to test its biochemical properties. The molecular mass of the enzyme is about 60 kDa and the optimum reaction temperature and pH is 30° C and 7, respectively. The UDP-glucose and glucose-6-phosphate were the optimum substrates among all the tested glucosyl donors and acceptors. Metal cations likeMg2+, Co2+, Mn2+, Ni2+, K+, Ag+ stimulated PtTPS activity significantly. Metal chelators such as sodium citrate, citric acid, EDTA, EGTA and CDTA inhibited enzyme activity. Polyanions like heparin and chondroitin sulfate were shown to stimulate TPS activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Iron and steel production (ISP) is one of the significant atmospheric Hg emission sources in China. Atmospheric mercury (Hg) emissions from ISP during 2000-2015 were estimated by using a technology-based emission factor method. To support the application of this method, databases of Hg concentrations in raw materials, technology development trends, and Hg removal efficiencies of air pollution control devices (APCDs) were constructed through national sampling and literature review. Hg input to ISP increased from 21.6 t in 2000 to 94.5 t in 2015. In the various types of raw materials, coking coal and iron concentrates contributed 35-46 and 25-32% of the total Hg input. Atmospheric Hg emissions from ISP increased from 11.5 t in 2000 to 32.7 t in 2015 with a peak of 35.6 t in 2013. Pollution control promoted the increase in average Hg removal efficiency, from 47% in 2000 to 65% in 2015. During the study period, sinter/pellet plants and blast furnaces were the largest two emission processes. However, emissions from roasting plants and coke ovens cannot be ignored, which accounted for 22- 34% of ISP's emissions. Overall, Hg speciation shifted from 50/44/6 (gaseous elemental Hg (Hg0)/gaseous oxidized Hg (HgII)/particulate-bound Hg (Hgp)) in 2000 to 40/59/1 in 2015, which indicated a higher proportion of Hg deposition around the emission points. Future emissions of ISP were expected to decrease based on the comprehensive consideration crude-steel production, steel scrap utilization, energy saving, and pollution control measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Disseminated cryptococcosis is a rare and fatal disease, and limited data exist regarding it in children. This study aimed to investigate the clinical characteristics of disseminated cryptococcosis in previously healthy children in China.Methods: Hospitalized patients with disseminated cryptococcosis were enrolled during January 1996 to December 2015 in Beijing Children's Hospital, Capital Medical University, China. Data on clinical manifestations, laboratory tests, treatment, and prognosis were evaluated.Results: A total of 52 pediatric patients with no underlying disease were enrolled, including 38 boys and 14 girls. Only 10 cases had a history of exposure to pigeon droppings. Fever, cough, and hepatomegaly were 3 main manifestations of disseminated cryptococcosis. However, headache was more common in patients with central nervous system (CNS) invasion than in patients with non-CNS invasion (P < 0.05). Lung (96.2%, 50/52) was the most commonly invaded organ, but only 9.6% (5/52) of patients had respiratory signs. The most common findings on chest imaging were hilar or mediastinal lymphadenopathy (46.8%, 22/47), and nodules (44.7%, 21/47), including small nodules in a scattered distribution (57.1%, 12/21) or miliary distribution (42.9%, 9/25), especially localized in subpleural area. Subsequent invasion occurred in the CNS, abdomen lymph nodes, liver, spleen, peripheral lymph nodes, and skin. In all patients, 42.3% (22/52) and 51.9% (27/52) had elevated eosinophils or IgE, respectively. The positive rate of serum cryptococcal antigen was higher, especially in patients with CNS invasion (approximately 83.3%), than with other primary methods used for pathogen detection, including cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) cryptococcal antigen, cultures of blood, bone marrow, or CSF, and CSF ink staining. The overall mortality rate of pediatric patients in our study was 11.5% (6/52). Some cases had long-term sequela, including hydrocephalus, cirrhosis, or blindness.Conclusions: Disseminated cryptococcosis can occur in previously healthy or immunocompetent children in China. Lung and CNS were most commonly invaded by this disease. Furthermore, most cases usually showed no obvious or specific symptoms or signs, and therefore pediatricians should pay more careful attention to identify this disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Some organophosphate di-esters (di-OPEs) have been found to be more toxic than their respective tri-esters. The environmental occurrence of di-OPEs remains largely unclear. A total of 106 water samples, including 56 drinking water (bottled, barreled, and tap water) and 50 surface water (lake and river) samples were collected and analyzed for 10 organophosphate tri-esters (tri-OPEs) and 7 di-OPEs. The concentrations (range (median)) of ∑ 7 di-OPE were 2.8–22 (9.7), 1.1–5.8 (2.6), 3.7–250 (120), 13–410 (220), and 92–930 (210) ng/L in bottled water, barreled water, tap water, lake water, and river water, respectively. In all types of water samples, tris (1-chloro-2-propyl) phosphate was the dominant tri-OPE compound. Diphenyl phosphate was the predominant di-OPE compound in tap water and surface water, while di-n-butyl phosphate and bis (2-ethylhexyl) phosphate was the dominant compound in bottled water and barreled water, respectively. Source analysis suggested diverse sources of di-OPEs, including industrial applications, effluents of municipal wastewater treatment plants, degradation from tri-OPEs during production/usage and under natural environmental conditions. The non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic risks of OPEs were lower than the theoretical threshold of risk, indicating the human health risks to OPEs via drinking water consumption were negligible. More studies are needed to explore environmental behaviors of di-OPEs in the aquatic environment and to investigate ecological risks. [Display omitted] • Tri- and di-OPEs were commonly detected in all types of water samples. • Bottled and barreled water were characterized with lower levels of tri- and di-OPEs. • Negligible health risks were documented via consumption of drinking water. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background It has been demonstrated that platycodin D (PD) exhibits anti-cancer activities. This study aims to investigate the anti-proliferative effects of the combination of PD and doxorubicin (DOX) on human breast cancer cells (MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 cells). Methods The anti-proliferative effects of different dosages of PD, DOX, and PD + DOX on MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 cells were determined by the MTT assay. The 10 μM PD, 5 μM DOX, and 10 μM PD + 5 μM DOX induced-protein expression of apoptosis-related molecules on MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 cells were detected by western blot. The 10 μM PD, 5 μM DOX and 10 μM PD + 5 μM DOX-induced mitochondrial membrane potential changes on MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 cells were stained with JC-1 before visual determination. The intracellular accumulations of DOX, induced by 10 μM PD, 5 μM DOX and 10 μM PD + 5 μM DOX, were detected by flow cytometry. Results PD enhanced anti-cancer activities of DOX were observed in both MCF-7 and MDA-MB- 231 cell lines. Compared with mono treatment, the combined treatment increased the protein expression of cleaved poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase and decreased the mitochondrial membrane potential. The combined treatment with PD did not obviously increase the accumulation of DOX in MCF-7 cells (1.66 ± 0.13 in DOX-treated group, and 1.69 ± 0.06 in PD + DOX-treated group, P = 0.76), but it significantly increased the accumulation of DOX in MDA-MB-231 cells (1.76 ± 0.17 in DOX-treated group, 2.09 ± 0.02 in PD + DOX-treated group, P = 0.027). Conclusion The combined treatment of DOX and PD exhibited stronger anti-proliferative effects on MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 cells than DOX and PD treatment did. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background:For years, emerging infectious diseases have appeared worldwide and threatened the health of people. The emergence and spread of an infectious-disease outbreak are usually unforeseen, and have the features of suddenness and uncertainty. Timely understanding of basic information in the field, and the collection and analysis of epidemiological information, is helpful in making rapid decisions and responding to an infectious-disease emergency. Therefore, it is necessary to have an unobstructed channel and convenient tool for the collection and analysis of epidemiologic information in the field. Methodology/Principal Findings: Baseline information for each county in mainland China was collected and a database was established by geo-coding information on a digital map of county boundaries throughout the country. Google Maps was used to display geographic information and to conduct calculations related to maps, and the 3G wireless network was used to transmit information collected in the field to the server. This study established a decision support system for the response to infectious-disease emergencies based on WebGIS and mobile services (DSSRIDE). The DSSRIDE provides functions including data collection, communication and analyses in real time, epidemiological detection, the provision of customized epidemiological questionnaires and guides for handling infectious disease emergencies, and the querying of professional knowledge in the field. These functions of the DSSRIDE could be helpful for epidemiological investigations in the field and the handling of infectious-disease emergencies. Conclusions/Significance:The DSSRIDE provides a geographic information platform based on the Google Maps application programming interface to display information of infectious disease emergencies, and transfers information between workers in the field and decision makers through wireless transmission based on personal computers, mobile phones and personal digital assistants. After a 2-year practice and application in infectious disease emergencies, the DSSRIDE is becoming a useful platform and is a useful tool for investigations in the field carried out by response sections and individuals. The system is suitable for use in developing countries and low-income districts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Malaria is re-emerging in Anhui Province, China after a decade long' low level of endemicity. The number of human cases has increased rapidly since 2000 and reached its peak in 2006. That year, the malaria cases accounted for 54.5% of total cases in mainland China. However, the spatial and temporal patterns of human cases and factors underlying the reemergence remain unclear. We established a database containing 20 years' (1990-2009) records of monthly reported malaria cases and meteorological parameters. Spearman correlations were used to assess the crude association between malaria incidence and meteorological variables, and a polynomial distributed lag (PDL) time-series regression was performed to examine contribution of meteorological factors to malaria transmission in three geographic regions (northern, mid and southern Anhui Province), respectively. Then, a two-year (2008-2009) prediction was performed to validate the PDL model that was created by using the data collected from 1990 to 2007. We found that malaria incidence decreased in Anhui Province in 1990s. However, the incidence has dramatically increased in the north since 2000, while the transmission has remained at a relatively low level in the mid and south. Spearman correlation analyses showed that the monthly incidences of malaria were significantly associated with temperature, rainfall, relative humidity, and the multivariate El Niño/Southern Oscillation index with lags of 0-2 months in all three regions. The PDL model revealed that only rainfall with a 1-2 month lag was significantly associated with malaria incidence in all three regions. The model validation showed a high accuracy for the prediction of monthly incidence over a 2-year predictive period. Malaria epidemics showed a high spatial heterogeneity in Anhui Province during the 1990- 2009 study periods. The change in rainfall drives the reemergence of malaria in the northern Anhui Province. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sediments collected from the continental shelf of China, embracing Yellow Sea, inner shelf of the East China Sea (ECS), and the South China Sea (SCS), were analyzed for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). The concentrations of anthropogenic PAHs (Σ18PAH) were 27–224 ng/g dry weight, with an average of 82 ng/g. Sedimentary PAHs in the continental shelf off China were mainly derived from mixed residues of biomass, coal, and petroleum combustion. Fluvial transport and atmospheric deposition mainly accounted for sediment PAHs in the ECS inner shelf and Yellow Sea (and the SCS), respectively. Furthermore, statistically higher levels of Σ18PAH (28–224 ng/g; mean 110 ng/g) in the Yellow Sea sediment than in the SCS sediment (28–109 ng/g; mean 58 ng/g) were probably resulted from higher PAH emissions from coke industry and domestic coal combustion in North China than in South China. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is a common head and neck cancer. The incidence rate is higher in southern China and Southeast Asia in comparison with the Western countries. Radiotherapy is the standard treatment of NPC as the cancer cells are sensitive to ionizing radiation. Radiation treatment has good local control to patients with early NPC. It is essential to monitor the response of the NPC cells to radiation treatment in advance in order to select suitable treatment choice for the patients. This review aims to discuss the potential use of biomarkers in monitoring the responsiveness of NPC cells to radiation treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Rice paddies have been identified as major methane (CH4) source induced by human activities. As a major rice production region in Northern China, the rice paddies in the Three-Rivers Plain (TRP) have experienced large changes in spatial distribution over the recent 20 years (from 1990 to 2010). Consequently, accurate estimation and characterization of spatiotemporal patterns of CH4 emissions from rice paddies has become an pressing issue for assessing the environmental impacts of agroecosystems, and further making GHG mitigation strategies at regional or global levels. Methodology/Principal Findings: Integrating remote sensing mapping with a process-based biogeochemistry model, Denitrification and Decomposition (DNDC), was utilized to quantify the regional CH4 emissions from the entire rice paddies in study region. Based on site validation and sensitivity tests, geographic information system (GIS) databases with the spatially differentiated input information were constructed to drive DNDC upscaling for its regional simulations. Results showed that (1) The large change in total methane emission that occurred in 2000 and 2010 compared to 1990 is distributed to the explosive growth in amounts of rice planted; (2) the spatial variations in CH4 fluxes in this study are mainly attributed to the most sensitive factor soil properties, i.e., soil clay fraction and soil organic carbon (SOC) content, and (3) the warming climate could enhance CH4 emission in the cool paddies. Conclusions/Significance: The study concluded that the introduction of remote sensing analysis into the DNDC upscaling has a great capability in timely quantifying the methane emissions from cool paddies with fast land use and cover changes. And also, it confirmed that the northern wetland agroecosystems made great contributions to global greenhouse gas inventory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Streptococcus pneumoniae is the main pathogen that causes respiratory infections in children younger than five years. The increasing incidence of macrolide- and tetracycline-resistant pneumococci among children has been a serious problem in China for many years. The molecular characteristics of erythromycin-resistant pneumococcal isolates that were collected from pediatric patients younger than five years in Beijing in 2010 were analyzed in this study. Results: A total of 140 pneumococcal isolates were collected. The resistance rates of all isolates to erythromycin and tetracycline were 96.4% and 79.3%, respectively. Of the 135 erythromycin-resistant pneumococci, 91.1% were non-susceptible to tetracycline. In addition, 30.4% of the erythromycin-resistant isolates expressed both the ermB and mef genes, whereas 69.6% expressed the ermB gene but not the mef gene. Up to 98.5% of the resistant isolates exhibited the cMLSB phenotype, and Tn6002 was the most common transposon present in approximately 56.3% of the resistant isolates, followed by Tn2010, with a proportion of 28.9%. The dominant sequence types (STs) in all erythromycin-resistant S. pneumoniae were ST271 (11.9%), ST81 (8.9%), ST876 (8.9%), and ST320 (6.7%), whereas the prevailing serotypes were 19F (19.3%), 23F (9.6%), 14 (9.6%), 15 (8.9%), and 6A (7.4%). The 7-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV7) and 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV13) coverage of the erythromycin-resistant pneumococci among the children younger than five years were 45.2% and 62.2%, respectively. ST320 and serotype 19A pneumococci were common in children aged 0 to 2 years. CC271 was the most frequent clonal complex (CC), which accounts for 24.4% of all erythromycin-resistant isolates. Conclusions: The non-invasive S. pneumoniae in children younger than five years in Beijing presented high and significant resistance rates to erythromycin and tetracycline. The expressions of ermB and tetM genes were the main factors that influence pneumococcal resistance to erythromycin and tetracycline, respectively. Majority of the erythromycin-resistant non-invasive isolates exhibited the cMLSB phenotype and carried the ermB, tetM, xis, and int genes, suggesting the spread of the transposons of the Tn916 family. PCV13 provided higher serotype coverage in the childhood pneumococcal diseases caused by the erythromycin-resistant isolates better than PCV7. Further long-term surveys are required to monitor the molecular characteristics of the erythromycin-resistant S. pneumoniae in children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, blogs have emerged as the major platform for people to express their feelings and sentiments in the age of Web 2.0. The common emotions, which reflect people's collective and overall sentiments, are becoming the major concern for governments, business companies and individual users. Different from previous literatures on sentiment classification and summarization, the major issue of common emotion extraction is to find out people's collective sentiments and their corresponding distributions on the Web. Most existing blog clustering methods take into account keywords, stories or timelines but neglect the embedded sentiments, which are considered very important features of blogs. In this paper, a novel method based on Probabilistic Latent Semantic Analysis (PLSA) is presented to model the hidden sentiment factors and an emotion-oriented clustering approach is proposed to find common emotions according to the fine-grained sentiment similarity between blogs. Extensive experiments are conducted on real-world datasets consisting of different topics. The results show that our approach can partition blogs into sentiment coherent clusters and the extracted common emotion words afford good navigation guidelines for embedded sentiments in each cluster. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One coronavirus strain was isolated from brain tissues of ten piglets with evident clinical manifestations of vomiting, diarrhea and dyskinesia in Jilin province in China. Antigenic and genomic characterizations of the virus (isolate PHEV-JLsp09) were based on multiplex PCR and negative staining electron microscopy and sequence analysis of the Hemagglutinin-esterase (HE) gene. These piglets were diagnosed with Porcine hemagglutinating encephalomyelitis virus (PHEV). Necropsy was performed on the piglets. Major pathological changes included meningeal hyperemia, meningeal hemorrhage and cortical hemorrhage. Minor changes were also observed in other organs. Histopathological changes included satellitosis and neuronophagia in the cerebral cortex. Mice were infected with the isolated virus. Their histopathological changes were similar to those symptoms observed in the piglets, exhibiting typical changes for non-suppurative encephalitis. Thus, Porcine hemagglutinating encephalomyelitis virus mainly causes damage to the nervous system but also impacts other organs. This viral strain (isolate PHEV-JLsp09) found in the Siping area of Jilin Province in China is evolutionally closest to the HEV-67N stain (North American strain), indicating that this viral strain evolved from the PHEV from North America. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Muchang composite intrusion is located about 14 km southeast of the Fengwei town and south of the Baoshan-Zhenkang block. The rift-related intrusion consists of the early-stage riebeckite nordmarkite in the east and west sides and the discontinuous marginal zone, the late-stage main body of dominant riebeckite granite, and minor aegirine granite. Studies on petrological geochemistry and LA-ICP-MS zircon U-Pb dating of the late-stage riebeckite granite, origin and evolution of the Muchang alkali granite and the relationship between the granite and the associated skarn-type Luziyuan Pb-Zn deposit are discussed in this paper. The results show that the Muchang alkali granites belong to A-type granites, which are characterized by enrichment in Al2O3, SiO2, total alkali and Fe, depletion in MgO and CaO contents with high FeOT/MgO ratios. The REE concentrations are relatively high, exhibiting highly fractionated LREE patterns with significantly Eu negative anomaly. The Muchang granites are obviously enriched in lithophile elements (e.g., Rb, K, U and Th) and high field strength elements (e.g., Zr, Hf, Nb, Y and Ga) with high 10000×Ga/Al ratios and depleted in Sr, Ba, Ti, Cr and Ni, which are similar to those of the A-type granites and quite different from those of S-type and I-type granites. The LA-ICP-MS zircon dating results of the Muchang granite gave a weighted mean age of 266.2±5.4 Ma (2σ), suggesting that they were formed in the stage of extension at the end of post-collision at Middle Permian and the consumption of Paleo-Tethys ocean took place before 266 Ma. It is suggested that the unexposed intermediate-acid intrusive rocks in the Luziyuan ore district, which is the 'sister' rocks material of the Muchang granites and related closely to Luziyuan Pb-Zn mineralization, were the product of Middle Permian. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reports on a study that examines the relationship between job stress evaluated by the effort-reward imbalance (ERI) model and coronary atherosclerosis in a Chinese sample in Beijing, China. A total of 320 Chinese participants who underwent coronary angiography for the first time were the subject of the study. Findings of the study revealed that job stress assessed by ERI model was associated with coronary artery lesions in a sample of Chinese workers.

Background: More than 1 million tuberculosis (TB) patients are receiving the standard anti-TB treatment provided by China National Tuberculosis Prevention and Control Scheme (CNTS) in China every year. Adverse reactions (ADRs) induced by anti-TB drugs could both do harm to patients and lead to anti-TB treatment failure. The ADACS aimed to explore ADRs' incidences, prognoses, economical and public health impacts for TB patients and TB control, and build a DNA bank of TB patients. Methods/Design: Multiple study designs were adopted. Firstly, a prospective cohort with 4488 sputum smears positive pulmonary tuberculosis patients was established. Patients were followed up for 6-9 months in 52 counties of four regions. Those suspected ADRs should be checked and confirmed by Chinese State Food and Drug Administration (SFDA). Secondly, if the suspected ADR was anti-TB drug induced liver injury (ATLI), a nested case-control study would be performed which comprised choosing a matched control and doing a plus questionnaire inquiry. Thirdly, health economical data of ADRs would be collected to analyze financial burdens brought by ADRs and cost-effectiveness of ADRs' treatments. Fourthly, a drop of intravenous blood for each patient was taken and saved in FTA card for DNA banking and genotyping. Finally, the demographic, clinical, environmental, administrative and genetic data would be merged for the comprehensive analysis. Discussion: ADACS will give an overview of anti-TB drugs induced ADRs' incidences, risk factors, treatments, prognoses, and clinical, economical and public health impacts for TB patients applying CNTS regimen in China, and provide suggestions for individualized health care and TB control policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The water-gas relative permeability of tight sandstones governs the gas production performance and recovery efficiency in a gas reservoir. Reservoir heterogeneity cannot be neglected when we extrapolate water-gas relative permeability curves. However, efforts to determine the variation with rock types and controls of the gas and water permeability have proven insufficient. Rock composition and pore structures play an important role in the spatial variation of water-gas relative permeability and vary with diagenesis evolution. In this study, we investigated the influence of pore-throat structure, clay content and cements on the water-gas relative permeability curves within tight sandstones using casting thin sections, field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), high pressure mercury injection (HPMI), and gas displacement tests on samples from the LS Block, eastern Ordos Basin, China. The results show that there is a weak relationship between the spatial variation of the water-gas relative curves and the physical properties and pore size distribution of tight sandstones. The length of the two-phase flow zone is not closely related to the porosity and permeability in tight sandstones. The gas relative permeability of the crossing point is closely related to the gas permeability, not the water phase permeability. Nevertheless, the clay content is positive to the gas saturation of the crossing point and the length of the two-phase flow. Subsequently, the water-gas relative permeability curves are divided into three types based on the simultaneous vadose region area (SVRA). Finally, the genesis of the change in the water and gas relative permeability of each type is analyzed. • The length of two-phase flow zone is not closely related to the porosity and permeability in tight sandstones. • The gas relative permeability at the crossing point is related to the gas permeability, not the water phase permeability. • The clay content is positive to the gas saturation of the crossing point and that of the length of the two-phase flow. • The pore-throat structure is positive to permeability with a relatively low coefficient in tight sandstones. • Simultaneous vadose region area is a more useful indicator in classifying the flow capability of sandstones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To investigate the composition and possible sources of aerosol particles in Beijing urban area, a single particle aerosol mass spectrometer (SPAMS) was deployed from April 22 to May 4, 2011. 510,341 particles out of 2,953,200 sized particles were characterized by SPAMS in combination with the ART-2a neural network algorithm. The particles were classified as rich-K (39.79%), carbonaceous species (32.7%), industry metal (19.2%), dust (5.7%), and rich-Na (1.76%). Industrial emissions related particles, rich-Fe, rich-Pb, and K-nitrate, were the major components of aerosol particles during haze periods, which were mainly from the steel plants and metal smelting processes around Beijing. Under stagnant meterological conditions, these regional emissions have a vital effect on haze formation. Organic carbon (OC) particles were attributed to biomass burning. NaK-EC was likely to come from local traffic emissions. Internally mixed organic and elemental carbon (OCEC) was found to be from possible sources of local traffic emission and biomass burning. It was found that coarse dust particles were mainly composed of four different types of dust particles, dust-Si, dust-Ca, dust-Al, and dust-Ti. It is the first time that SPAMS was used to study a dust storm in Beijing. Our results showed that SPAMS could be a powerful tool in the identification and apportionment of aerosol sources in Beijing, providing useful reference information for environmental control and management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microplastics (MPs) pollution is increasingly appreciated as a significant environmental issue, however, the large-scale pattern of MPs in farmland soils and its associated environmental impacts are unknown. This study investigated a national-scale distribution of micro(meso)plastics (MMPs) in the soil of 30 farmlands across China. The abundance of MMPs in soils was 25.56–2067.78 items kg−1, with a mean of 358.37 items kg−1, i.e. 6.79 mg kg−1 or 0.0007% after mass conversion. MPs accounted for 93.1% of MMPs, the abundance varied greatly among different regions, high in arid or semi-arid north but relatively low in mild southwest regions. Major MPs included polypropylene, polyethylene, and polyester, tending to decrease in abundance from surface to deeper soil layers. Further, meta-analysis revealed that MPs exposure influenced bulk density, soil enzymes including fluorescein diacetate hydrolase (FDAse) and urease, and crop biomass, and minimum effective concentrations (MEC) were in the range of 0.0040–10%. We found that actual abundance in the national-scale soils was lower than MEC, but partly overlapped or close, which implies various degrees of environmental impacts. These findings disclose the national-scale pollution pattern of MPs in farmlands and its latent risks to soil environments and crop growth. [Display omitted] • National-scale distribution of MMPs was demonstrated in agricultural soils across China. • MMPs abundance varied among regions, decreasing from surface to deep soil layers. • Simulative MMPs exposure affected bulk density, soil enzymes, and crop biomass. • Actual MMP abundance was lower than minimum effective concentrations, or overlapping. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conspecific brood parasitism (CBP) is a widespread alternative female reproductive tactic in birds. We monitored CBP and nesting biology of Mandarin Ducks (Aix galericulata) using nest boxes for six breeding seasons in Zuojia, northeast China. CBP occurred commonly (46.2% of completed clutches) during the study and frequency was positively associated with nest densities. The frequency of CBP declined as the nesting season progressed. On average, ~2.5 females laid eggs in each parasitized nest. There were significant differences in clutch initiation dates and mean laying period between parasitized and un-parasitized nests; no difference was detected for the mean incubation period. Clutch size for un-parasitized nests decreased with advancing initiation date, but not for parasitized nests. The hatching rate for eggs in successful nests was 87.1%, and no significant difference was detected between parasitized and un-parasitized nests. The average number of ducklings that left from successful un-parasitized and parasitized nests was 8.4 and 15.4, respectively. Nest desertion was the main cause for nest failure and sibling trampling was the only cause of duckling loss before departure from nests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Laser-ablation ICP mass-spectroscopy has been used to investigate the geochemistry of sphalerite in a range of nine Zn–Pb deposits in South China. The deposits, which are of different ages and belong to different metallogenic provinces, have been assigned to the following genetic types: skarn (Hetaoping, Luziyuan), syngenetic massive sulphide (Dabaoshan, Laochang and Bainiuchang) and Mississippi-Valley-type (Huize, Mengxing, Niujiaotang) based on the features of the ore, even though their origin is heavily debated based on other criteria. The giant Jinding deposit is considered separately. Sphalerite from each genetic class of deposit shows a distinct chemical signature. Sphalerite from the skarn deposits is characterised by elevated, lattice-bound concentrations of Co and Mn. The distal character of these skarn systems is reflected by the low In content of sphalerite. The three syngenetic massive sulphide deposits feature sphalerite strongly enriched in In, Sn and Ga, whereas the deposits of MVT-type are typically enriched in Ge, Cd, Tl and As. These divergent characters are reflected in absolute element abundances as well as in element ratios. Time-resolved depth profiles for sphalerite from the Chinese deposits confirm the presence of elements such as Co, In, Ge, Ga, and Cd in solid solution, but the dataset expands the understanding of sphalerite mineral chemistry by also indicating that other elements, whose ability to enter the crystal structure of sphalerite has been previously debated (Ag, Sn, Tl, Sb), may also be in solid solution. Sphalerite is a refractory mineral and trace element analysis of sphalerite shows promise as a tracer of ore genesis even in overprinted ores. Systematic work on larger sample suites may help define the geochemical signature of different metallogenic epochs in regions as geologically complex as South China and help resolve the mechanism by which many of the debated ore deposits were formed. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

During the past decade, cognitive neuroscience has been calling for population diversity to address the challenge of validity and generalizability, ushering in a new era of population neuroscience. The developing Chinese Color Nest Project (devCCNP, 2013-2022), the first ten-year stage of the lifespan CCNP (2013-2032), is a two-stages project focusing on brain-mind development. The project aims to create and share a large-scale, longitudinal and multimodal dataset of typically developing children and adolescents (ages 6.0-17.9 at enrolment) in the Chinese population. The devCCNP houses not only phenotypes measured by demographic, biophysical, psychological and behavioural, cognitive, affective, and ocular-tracking assessments but also neurotypes measured with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of brain morphometry, resting-state function, naturalistic viewing function and diffusion structure. This Data Descriptor introduces the first data release of devCCNP including a total of 864 visits from 479 participants. Herein, we provided details of the experimental design, sampling strategies, and technical validation of the devCCNP resource. We demonstrate and discuss the potential of a multicohort longitudinal design to depict normative brain growth curves from the perspective of developmental population neuroscience. The devCCNP resource is shared as part of the "Chinese Data-sharing Warehouse for In-vivo Imaging Brain" in the Chinese Color Nest Project (CCNP) - Lifespan Brain-Mind Development Data Community ( https://ccnp.scidb.cn ) at the Science Data Bank., (© 2023. Springer Nature Limited.)

Objectives: Tooth loss, which usually leads to malnutrition, is common in the elderly. However, limited information is available regarding its association with sarcopenia. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between loss of occlusal pairs of tooth and sarcopenia., Design: A cross-sectional retrospective study was performed., Setting: The elderly who participated in the National Basic Public Health Project in the Maigaoqiao Community Medical Center in Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, China., Participants: A total of 2850 individuals aged ≥60 years were enrolled., Measurements: Sarcopenia was defined according to the criteria proposed by the Asian Working Group for Sarcopenia. A trained dentist assessed oral health status and counted the number of present teeth. Logistic regression analyses were performed to evaluate the association between the loss of occlusal pairs and sarcopenia., Results: The prevalence of sarcopenia was 7.1% (201/2850). Univariate logistic regression analysis showed that loss of occlusal pairs was associated with sarcopenia [anterior occlusal pairs (AOPs): odd ratio (OR) = 1.292, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.158-1.442; posterior occlusal pairs (POPs): OR = 1.147, 95% CI = 1.018-1.221]. Multivariate logistic regression analysis indicated that loss of POPs was still an independent risk for sarcopenia (OR = 1.108, 95% CI = 1.007-1.220) after adjustment for traditional confounders. Subgroup analysis showed that loss of POPs was more significantly linked to sarcopenia in those with advanced age (≥80years) (OR = 1.307, 95% CI = 1.116-1.532) and in females (OR = 1.165, 95%CI = 1.038-1.308). Compared to individuals with ≥5 occluding pairs of POPs, those with <5 occluding pairs of POPs had a higher incidence of sarcopenia., Conclusions: Loss of POPs is associated with an increased risk of sarcopenia in the elderly in a Chinese population. Further research on the mechanism of the observed causal relationship is needed., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Baduanjin exercise is a traditional Chinese health Qigong routine created by an ancient physician for health promotion. Its mild-to-moderate exercise intensity is suitable for individuals with medical conditions. Recently, a large number of trials have been conducted to investigate the effects of Baduanjin exercise in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). It remains to be determined whether Baduanjin exercise prescription is beneficial for the management of COPD patients. Thus, we conducted a systematic review to objectively evaluate the existing literature on this topic. We searched six databases (PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, Scopus, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, and Wanfang) from inception until early May 2018. The adapted Physical Therapy Evidence Database (PEDro) scale was used for study quality assessment of all randomized controlled trials (RCTs). Based on 95% confidence interval (CI), the pooled effect size (Hedge's g) of exercise capability (6-Minute Walking Test, 6-MWT), lung function parameters (forced expiratory volume in one second, FEV₁; forced volume vital capacity, FVC; FEV₁/FVC ratio), and quality of life were calculated based on the random-effects model. Twenty RCTs ( n = 1975 COPD patients) were included in this review, with sum scores of the adapted PEDro scale between 5 and 9. Study results of the meta-analysis indicate that Baduanjin is effective in improving exercise capability (Hedge's g = 0.69, CI 0.44 to 0.94, p < 0.001, I ² = 66%), FEV₁ (Hedge's g = 0.47, CI 0.22 to 0.73, p < 0.001, I ² = 68.01%), FEV₁% (Hedge's g = 0.38, CI 0.21 to 0.56, p < 0.001, I ² = 54.74%), FVC (Hedge's g = 0.39, CI 0.22 to 0.56, p < 0.001, I ² = 14.57%), FEV₁/FVC (Hedge's g = 0.5, CI 0.33 to 0.68, p < 0.001, I ² = 53.49%), and the quality of life of COPD patients (Hedge's g = -0.45, CI -0.77 to -0.12, p < 0.05, I ² = 77.02%), as compared to control groups. Baduanjin exercise as an adjunctive treatment may potentially improve exercise capability and pulmonary function of COPD patients as well as quality of life. Baduanjin exercise could be tentatively prescribed for COPD in combination with the conventional rehabilitation program to quicken the process of recovery. To confirm the positive effects of Baduanjin exercise for COPD patients, future researchers need to consider our suggestions mentioned in this article.

Aim: To investigate the incidence of de novo hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection after pediatric living donor liver transplantation (LDLT) and to analyze the risk factors associated with this de novo HBV infection., Methods: The clinical and laboratory data of children who underwent LDLT from June 2010 to September 2012 in First Center Hospital in Tianjin, China, were retrospectively included in the study. Intrahepatic HBV DNA in donors and recipients was quantified by real-time polymerase chain reaction using DNA extracted from formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissues., Results: Between June 2010 to September 2012, 32 consecutive pediatric patients underwent LDLT in our institute. Thirty LDLT patients (13 girls and 17 boys) were followed up for a median of 15 mo, of whom 53.3% (16/30) were hepatitis B core antibody (HBcAb) positive and 36.7% (11/30) were hepatitis B surface antibody (HBsAb)/HBcAb positive before transplantation. Sixteen of the children received HBcAb-positive allografts, and 43.7% (7/16) of the grafts were found to be intrahepatic HBV DNA positive. De novo HBV infection developed in 16.1% (5/30) of the children within a median of 11 mo after transplantation. All five of the HBV-infected children had received HBcAb-positive allografts, four of which were intrahepatic HBV DNA positive. Two of the children developed de novo HBV infection despite the preoperative presence of both HBsAb and HBcAb, Conclusion: In pediatric recipients, positive intrahepatic HBV DNA in allografts could be a risk factor for de novo HBV infection from HBcAb-positive allografts. HBsAb/HBcAb positivity in pediatric LDLT patients before transplantation exhibited only weak effectiveness in protecting them against de novo HBV infection from HBcAb-positive allografts.

Surface sediments collected along the entire continental shelf of China, including Yellow Sea, the East China Sea (ECS) inner shelf and the South China Sea (SCS), were analyzed for linear alkylbenzenes (LABs), from which regional anthropogenic influences on the marine environment were assessed. The occurrence of LABs (5.6-77 ng/g; mean: 25 ng/g; median: 20 ng/g) implied light sewage contamination in coast sediment off China. Specifically, the SCS had higher sedimentary LAB levels than Yellow Sea and the ECS inner shelf, which was mainly related to the intensity of domestic wastewater discharge and marine fishing activities. Values of L/S and C₁₃/C₁₂ (defined in the main text) suggested certain degradation while I/E indicated limited degradation of LABs. Also, additional input sources and congener inter-conversions may have contributed to the inconsistent results for degradation of LABs in offshore sediments. Atmospheric inputs and wastewater discharge from marine fishing vessels predominantly contributed to sedimentary LABs in Yellow Sea and the SCS, while riverine input was mainly responsible for LABs along the ECS inner shelf., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Sediment has been recognized as a gigantic sink of organic materials and therefore can record temporal input trends. To examine the impact of anthropogenic activities on the marginal seas off China, sediment cores were collected from the Yellow Sea, the inner shelf of the East China Sea (ECS), and the South China Sea (SCS) to investigate the sources and spatial and temporal variations of organic materials, i.e., total organic carbon (TOC) and aliphatic hydrocarbons. The concentration ranges of TOC were 0.5-1.29, 0.63-0.83, and 0.33-0.85%, while those of Σn-C14-35 (sum of n-alkanes with carbon numbers of 14-35) were 0.08-1.5, 0.13-1.97, and 0.35-0.96 μg/g dry weight in sediment cores from the Yellow Sea, ECS inner shelf, and the SCS, respectively. Terrestrial higher plants were an important source of aliphatic hydrocarbons in marine sediments off China. The spatial distribution of Σn-C14-35 concentrations and source diagnostic ratios suggested a greater load of terrestrial organic materials in the Yellow Sea than in the ECS and SCS. Temporally, TOC and Σn-C14-35 concentrations increased with time and peaked at either the surface or immediate subsurface layers. This increase was probably reflective of elevated inputs of organic materials to marginal seas off China in recent years, and attributed partly to the impacts of intensified anthropogenic activities in mainland China. Source diagnostics also suggested that aliphatic hydrocarbons were mainly derived from biogenic sources, with a minority in surface sediment layers from petroleum sources, consistent with the above-mentioned postulation.

Sources, compositions, and historical records of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in sediment cores collected from the Yellow Sea and the South China Sea were analyzed to investigate the influence of anthropogenic activities. The occurrence of PAHs was mainly derived from various combustion sources, especially the combustion of biomass and domestic coal. Uniform composition of sedimentary PAHs (52-62% of phenanthrene, benzo[b]fluoranthene, indeno[1,2,3-cd]pyrene, and benzo[g,h,i]perylene) suggested air-borne mixtures intractable to degradation. The concentrations of the sum of 15 PAHs (16 priority pollutants designed by the United States Environmental Protection Agency minus naphthalene; designed as Σ(15)PAH) in Yellow Sea sediment cores were generally higher than those in the South China Sea. The profiles of Σ(15)PAH concentrations recorded in the sediment cores closely followed historical socioeconomic development in China. In general, Σ(15)PAH concentrations started to increase from the background pollution level posed by agricultural economy at the turn of 20th century. In addition, a Σ(15)PAH concentration reduction was observed during the Chinese Civil War (1946-1949) and Great Cultural Revolution (1966-1976), suggesting them as setbacks for economic development in Chinese history. Increasing PAH emissions as a result of increasing coal combustion associated with the rapid urbanization and industrialization since the implementation of the Reform and Open Policy (since 1978) accounted for the fast growth of Σ(15)PAH concentrations in sediment cores. The decline of Σ(15)PAH concentrations from subsurface maximum until sampling time was inconsistent with current-day economic development in China, and may possibly suggest emission reductions due to decreasing proportional use of domestic coal and increasing consumption of cleaner energies (natural gas and liquefied petroleum gas).