Search

Spiradiclis tubiflora, a new Rubiaceae species, is described from a limestone area of southern China. It is similar to Spiradiclis glandulosa and S. umbelliformis, but differs from the latter two in its linear stipule, short peduncle and tubular-funnelform corolla with a distinctively enlarged tube. The colour photograph, illustrations, detailed descriptions and conservation status of the new species are provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Improving resistance to Fusarium head blight (FHB) in wheat is crucial in the integrated management of the disease and prevention of deoxynivalenol (DON) contamination in grains. To identify novel sources of resistance, a genome-wide association study (GWAS) was performed using a panel of 213 accessions of elite wheat germplasm of China. The panel was evaluated for FHB severity in four environments and DON content in grains in two environments. High correlations across environments and high heritability were observed for FHB severity and DON content in grains. The panel was also genotyped with the 90K lllumina iSelect single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) array and 11,461 SNP markers were obtained. The GWAS revealed a total of six and three loci significantly associated with resistance to fungal spread and DON accumulation in at least two environments, respectively. QFHB-2BL. 1 tagged by IWB52433 and QFHB-3A tagged by IWB50548 were responsible for resistance to both fungal spread and DON accumulation. In summary, this study provided an overview of FHB resistance resources in elite Chinese wheat germplasm and identified novel resistance loci that could be used for wheat improvement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spiradiclis karstana, a new species of Spiradiclis (Rubiaceae) collected from Yunnan, China, is described for the first time. It is morphologically close to S. jingxiensis, but differs from the latter mainly by its inflorescences with 5-9 flowers, its 1.5-2.4 mm long peduncles, its stipules shorter than 1 mm and the 5-12 pairs of secondary veins. The conservation status is assessed as "Vulnerable" (VU) according to the IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With more emphases laid on preschool education in China, infant education as the weak link of basic education has attracted much attention. In the underdeveloped areas, infant education is the weakest part of basic education, promoting the professional development of preschool teachers, which has become the key to improving the level of early childhood education. In this paper, we take Linyi region as the example of core area of Yimeng Mountain Range to study the strategies of preschool teachers' profession growing. By the ways of the investigation and in-depth interviews, we found the prominent problems, such as little investment in preschool education, backwardness in the educational ideas and the large mobility of teachers in Linyi. In response to this situation, this case proposes the strategies for the kindergarten teachers' professional development from the perspective of teachers' growing process in underdeveloped areas for the first time: under the premise of increasing the investment in infant education from the government, the education authorities select the kindergarten teacher with strong sense of infant education into induction, and strengthen the vocational training education from experts and learn by organizing learning communities of new and old teachers, so as to promote the professional growth of preschool teachers. These strategies have certain referential significance for the rapid development of infant education under the circumstance of collaboration with the government, schools and teachers in underdeveloped coastal areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous researchers had not yet examined the association between socioeconomic status (SES) and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in urban China. The present study attempts to assess HRQOL of lower-SES populations in urban China in comparison with middle- and high-SES populations, and then to examine the mediating role of sense of control between SES and HRQOL. A national representative sample of 1,856 participants responded to the HRQOL survey using the 12-item Short Form Health Survey (SF-12), conducted by the Chinese General Social Survey research team in 2010. The results showed that lower-SES populations reported lower HRQOL than middle- and high-SES populations. Sense of control could partially mediate the association between social class and HRQOL. These findings will generate significant policy and practice implications for identifying those at particular risk for lower HRQOL and, accordingly, suggesting ways to improve their HRQOL through specific social work interventions in urban China's context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Tobacco use is one of the most common preventable causes of death, but more than half of the Chinese men still use tobacco products. Moreover, 63.6% of Chinese smokers have stated that they would not consider quitting. Specialized and intensive smoking-cessation services are too expensive and passive to have major clinical and public health impacts in developing countries like China. Smoking cessation medications are not covered by medical insurance, and their high price prevents Chinese smokers from using them. Brief interventions are needed to provide cost-effective and timesaving tobacco dependence treatments in China mainland. Methods/design: We describe a two-arm randomized controlled trial for smokers who have no intention to quit. The project will be conducted in outpatient clinics at a large hospital in Beijing, China. Both arms include one face-to-face interview plus five follow-up interventions. Each intervention will last approximately one minute. Subjects allocated to the smoking-reduction intervention arm (SRI) will be advised to reduce smoking consumption to at least half of their current consumption level within the next month. All subjects in the SRI will be warned to bear in mind that an attempt to reduce smoking is an intermediate step before complete cessation. Smokers who have successfully reduced their smoking consumption will be encouraged to completely cease smoking. Controls are subjects allocated to the exercise- and diet-advice arm (EDA) and will be given advice about healthy diet and physical activity, but the advice will not include smoking cessation or reduction. Data collection will be done at baseline and at each follow-up interview using standardized questionnaires. The primary outcomes include self-reported and biochemically verified 7-day point prevalence and prolonged abstinence rates at 12-month follow-up. Discussion: We expect that an intention to quit in smoking outpatients can be motivated by physicians in the clinic setting. If this very brief smoking-reduction intervention can be demonstrated to have a positive impact on long-term smoking cessation, this strategy has the potential to be a viable and acceptable approach and may be used widely in China and elsewhere. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The demand for assessing both the variability of risk areas and the intensity of pollutant load rates on pesticide transferring to waters in China has been increasingly vigorous in recent decades. Therefore, to explore the transport of linuron with rainfall and irrigation in canopy-soil systems, an integrated pesticide transport modeling system has been selected and verified for simulating the three-phase linuron environmental fate in an orange field of the Three Gorges Reservoir (TGR) area. Results demonstrate that spatio-temporal distributions of linuron in surface soil primarily depend on its properties, rainfall, irrigation, and its applications; the peak levels of linuron in subsurface and deep soil are closely related to the cumulative and delayed effects. The findings may be used for policy supporting of soilwater- crop-pesticide management in an agricultural field of the TGR area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China has an exceptional diversity in Begonia, holding the second largest number of described species in this genus at the national level. Many new taxa need to be explored and described. This paper reports two new species, Begonia ruchengensis (B. sect. Reichenheimia) and B. auritalata (B. sect. Platycentrum), from Hunan province and Guizhou province, respectively. Besides the detailed morphology description, color illustrations, and line drawings, the diagnoses of these two species distinguished from their allied taxa are provided. Their conservation statuses are evaluated according to The Guidelines for Using the IUCN Red List Categories. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stachys yingzuijieensis, a new species from western Hunan, China, is described and illustrated. Molecular phylogenetic analyses based on three nuclear ribosomal DNA loci (ETS, ITS and 5S-NTS) recovered S. yingzuijieensis within the Stachys clade and as a sister group of S. arrecta. The two species can be easily distinguished by the morphology of lamina, corolla and nutlet. A key to all species of Stachydeae from China is also provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Poststroke depression (PSD) is an important complication that affects stroke rehabilitation. Abnormal cortical-subcortical connectivity may be associated with the development of PSD. However, few studies have focused on the emotional network of PSD in the temporal lobe lesions. The aim of is study was to investigate amygdala-cortical functional connectivity (FC) in the temporal lobe in individuals with and without PSD. Design: Twenty-three patients with PSD and 21 stroke patients without depression were recruited to undergo functional magnetic imaging scanning. Results: In stroke patients with depression, the left amygdala had increased FC with the bilateral precuneus and right orbital frontal lobe but decreased FC with the right putamen. The right amygdala had increased FC with the right temporal pole, right rectus gyrus, and left orbital frontal lobe but decreased FC with the right primary sensory area (S1). Correlative analyses revealed that the amygdala's FCs with the right orbital frontal lobe, right insular cortex, and right cingulate cortex were correlated with the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale score. Conclusion: The current study identified mood affected through the fronto-limbic-striatal circuit in PSD. Hyperconnectivity between the amygdala, default mode network, and salience network might be related to depressive symptoms, which may provide novel insight into the underlying neuropathologic mechanisms of PSD in temporal lobe lesions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Adaptation to a new environment may have an uncertain influence on young employees, whose values are still being formed during early adulthood. To understand the current mental status and further improve the mental health level of the new employee population of People's Republic of China, we conducted a cross-sectional study to screen the prevalence and correlates of personality disorder (PD) traits in this population. Methods: This study included all male participants who were new employees (those who had started working in approximately the last three months) from 12 machinery factories in People's Republic of China. The Personality Diagnostic Questionnaire-4+ was used to evaluate the mental status of all participants. The Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale was used to assess the resilience of the study participants. Results: A total of 3,960 male participants were included in the analysis. The mean age of the study participants was 18.7±1.5 years. The mean values of all PD subtypes were scored from 0.74 to 2.90, with a total of 16.85. Of all 10 PD traits, obsessive--compulsive, histrionic, and narcissistic scored the highest. PD traits scored significantly higher among participants who had higher education levels, came from a single-parent (divorced or separated) family, were raised in a neglectful parental rearing pattern, were the only child of the family, were living in city areas, or had a lower family income. All subtype PD traits were significantly and negatively correlated with resilience. Conclusion: Education level, single-parent family, parental rearing pattern, only-child status, living place, and family income may influence the development of PD traits. Additional high-quality studies are needed to learn more about the mental health status of new employees. Optimal interventions are warranted to avoid potential adverse events in this population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spiradiclis liboensis L. Wu & W. J. Liu, a new species in tribe Ophiorrhizeae of Rubiaceae from limestone mountain areas of Guizhou, south-western China, is described and illustrated. It is similar to S. guangdongensis and S. jingxiensis, but differs from the latter two by the following traits: stipule triangular, inflorescence sessile or with peduncle up to 0.5 mm long, pedicel 0.8-2.2 mm long, corolla white, salverform, corolla tube 1.6-2.2 cm long, corolla tube of long-styled morph inside with a villous ring and stigmas positioned at the throat of the corolla tube. The conservation status is assessed as "Vulnerable" (VU) according to the IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new species of Rubiaceae, Spiradiclis detianensis is described from a limestone karst area of southwestern China. This new species is morphologically similar to S. cordata and S. spathulata. All of them have rosetted habit and long peduncles, but it differs from the former by the cuneate leaf bases (vs. basally cordate) and much longer corolla tubes (1.8-2.2 cm long vs. ca. 5 mm long), and from the latter mainly by its tubular-funnel shaped corolla (vs. slenderly salver shaped), 4.5-6.8 (vs. 1.5-2) mm in diam, inside throat and corolla densely puberulent (vs. glabrous except a ring of long hairs at the middle). It also resembles to S. tubiflora, but differs clearly by its subrosulate habit (vs. procumbent to creeping), longer leaf blades (7.0-10.5 cm vs. 0.5-2.5 cm) and longer corolla tubes (18-22 mm vs. 14-16 mm). At same time, color photos, illustrations, detailed descriptions and conservation status of the new species are provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a worldwide chronic inflammatory lung disease, and influenza A virus (IAV) infection is a common cause of acute exacerbations of COPD (AECOPD). Therefore, targeting viral infections represents a promising strategy to prevent the occurrence and development of inflammatory flare ups in AECOPD. Jianpiyifei II (JPYFII) is a traditional herbal medicine used in China to treat patients with COPD, and its clinical indications are not well understood. However, investigation of the anti-inflammatory effects and underlying mechanism using an animal model of smoking have been reported in a previous study by our group. In addition, some included herbs, such as Radix astragali and Radix aupleuri, were reported to exhibit antiviral effects. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to investigate whether JPYFII formulation relieved acute inflammation by clearing the IAV in a mouse model that was exposed to cigarette smoke experimentally. JPYFII formulation treatment during smoke exposure and IAV infection significantly reduced the number of cells observed in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF), expression of proinflammatory cytokines, chemokines, superoxide production, and viral load in IAV-infected and smoke-exposed mice. However, JPYFII formulation treatment during smoke exposure alone did not reduce the number of cells in BALF or the expression of Il-6, Tnf-a, and Il-1?. The results demonstrated that JPYFII formulation exerted an antiviral effect and reduced the exacerbation of lung inflammation in cigarette smoke (CS)-exposed mice infected with IAV. Our results suggested that JPYFII formulation could potentially be used to treat patients with AECOPD associated with IAV infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spiradiclis cavicola L. Wu, Hareesh & B. Pan (Rubiaceae), a new species from limestone caves in Guizhou and Guangxi provinces, southwestern China, is described and illustrated. It is morphologically similar to S. scabrida, but can be easily distinguished by its 0.5-3 cm long petiole, elliptic to oblong leaf blade, and homostylous flowers with anthers and stigma positioned at the throat of corolla tube, or sometimes stigma slightly above anthers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This study aims to evaluate the awareness, treatment, control rate of type 2 diabetes and its risk factors among Chinese community elderly, and also examine the changing trend for the past decade.Methods: We conducted two population-based cross-sectional studies in a representative urban area of Beijing in 2001 and 2010 respectively, using with the same method. A total of 2,277 participants (943 male, 1,334 female) in 2001 and 2,102 participants (848 male, 1,254 female) in 2010 were recruited. All the participants diagnosed with diabetes were included in this study.Results: The prevalence of diabetes was 21.4% and 24.8% in 2001 and 2010 respectively. Among participants with diabetes, 74.2% were aware of the condition, 51.0% were treated, 20.1% well controlled the condition in 2001, and the corresponding rates were 78.5%, 69.3%,15.9% in 2010 respectively. Higher education level and a positive family history were related to better management of diabetes, while obesity and alcohol drinking showed a reverse direction.Conclusions: The prevalence and awareness of diabetes stayed high for the past decade. The treatment increased 18.3% while the control rate decreased among community elderly for the past 10 years. It's urgent to carry out effective measures to raise awareness, treatment, and control rate of diabetes in order to avoid growing disease burden in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OBJECTIVE It is unclear whether changes in BMI during rapid economic development influence subsequent mortality. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS We analyzed whether BMI in 1976 and 1994 and changes in BMI during 1976-1994 predict cardiovascular disease (CVD) and all-cause mortality in a 35-year follow-up cohort of 1,696 Chinese (1,124 men and 572 women, aged 35-65 years) in Xi'an, China. Participants were categorized as underweight (<18.5 kg/m²), normal weight (18.5-24.9 kg/m²), and overweight (≥25.0 kg/m²). RESULTS During 51,611 person-years of follow-up, we identified 655 deaths from all causes and 234 from CVD. From 1976 to 1994, the prevalence of overweight rose from 9.2 to 27.8%. With each unit increment in 1976 BMI, multivariate hazard ratios (HRs) (95% CI) were 0.78 (0.72-0.84) for CVD and 0.91 (0.87-0.95) for all-cause mortality. In contrast, corresponding HRs were 1.14 (1.08-1.19) and 1.05 (1.01-1.08) in 1994 BMI. The HRs for each unit increment in BMI change from 1976 to 1994 were 1.35 (1.25-1.41) for CVD and 1.09 (1.05-1.13) for all-cause mortality. Compared with participants with stable normal weight in 1976 and 1994, HRs of all-cause mortality for those who had normal weight in 1976 but became overweight in 1994 and for those who were persistently overweight during 1976-1994 were 1.42 (1.12-1.80) and 1.80 (1.04-3.14), respectively. CONCLUSIONS Gaining weight with increased BMI at middle age in Chinese during economic development was associated with elevated risks of all-cause and CVD mortality. Higher BMI measured before economic development was associated with lower mortality risk, whereas BMI measured afterward was associated with increased mortality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]