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Objective: As an experimental biological science, physiology has been taught as an integral component of medical curricula for a long time in China. The teaching effectiveness of physiology courses will directly affect students' learning of other medical disciplines. The purpose of this study is to investigate the current situation and changes in physiology teaching over 30 years in Chinese medical schools. Methods: National survey was conducted online on the platform SoJump via WeChat and the web. The head of the physiology department in medical school was asked to indicate the information of physiology education from three periods: 1991–2000, 2001–2010, and 2011–2020. The responses of 80 leaders of the Department of Physiology from mainland Chinese medical schools were included in the study for analysis. Results: The survey showed that the class hours, both of theory and practice, had been decreased. During the past 20 years, the total number of physiology teachers, the number of physiology teachers who had been educated in medical schools, and the number of technicians had been reduced, whereas teachers with doctor's degrees had been increased. In addition to traditional didactic teaching, new teaching approaches, including problem-based learning/case-based learning/team-based learning, integrated curriculum and formative evaluation systems, had been employed, mostly for more than 5 years, in some medical schools. Conclusion: The present study has provided historical data regarding the current status of physiology education in China and that in the past thirty years by showing that physiology education in China has developed quickly,even it faces many challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Catalpa bungei is a precious timber species distributed in North China where drought often occurs. To clarify adaptive responses of C. bungei to partial- and full- root-zone drought under the influence of nitrogen forms, a two-factor experiment was conducted in which well-watered (WW), partial root-zone drought in horizontal direction (H-PRD) and in vertical direction (V-PRD), and full root-zone drought (FRD) were combined with nitrate-nitrogen (NN) and ammonium-nitrogen (AN) treatments. C. bungei responded to FRD by sharply closing stomata, decreasing gas exchange rate and increasing leaf instantaneous water use efficiency (WUEi). Under FRD condition, the growth of seedlings was severely inhibited and the effect of N forms was covered up by the drastic drought effect. In comparison, stomata conductance and gas exchanges were moderately inhibited by PRDs. WUEi in V-PRD treatment was superior to H-PRD due to the active stomata regulation resulting from a higher ABA level and active transcription of genes in abscisic acid (ABA) signaling pathway under V-PRD. Under both PRDs and FRD, nitrate benefited antioxidant defense, stomata regulation and leaf WUEi. Under V-PRD, WUEi in nitrate treatment was superior to that in ammonium treatment due to active stomata regulation by signaling network of nitric oxide (NO), Ca2+ and ABA. Under FRD, WUEi was higher in nitrate treatment due to the favoring photosynthetic efficiency resulting from active NO signal and antioxidant defense. The interactive effect of water and N forms was significant on wood xylem development. Superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) largely contributes to stress tolerance and xylem development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Drug-resistant tuberculosis (DR-TB), obesity, and malnutrition are growing public health problems in the world. However, little has discussed the impact of different BMI status on the emergence of TB drug resistance. We aimed to explore the drug-resistant profiles of DR-TB and its clinical predictors among underweight, overweight or obesity population.Methods: 8957 newly diagnosed TB cases with drug susceptibility results and BMI data in Shandong China, from 2004 to 2019 were enrolled. Multivariable and univariable logistic regression models were applied to investigate the impact of BMI on different drug-resistance. Clinical predicators and drug-resistant profiles of DR-TB among obesity, underweight, normal TB group were also described.Results: Among 8957 TB cases, 6417 (71.64%) were normal weight, 2121 (23.68%) were underweight, 373 (4.16%) were overweight, and 46 (0.51%) were obese. The proportion of drug resistance and co-morbidity among normal weight, underweight, overweight, obese TB groups were 18.86%/18.25%/20.38%/23.91% (DR-TB), 11.19%/11.74%/9.65%/17.39% (mono-resistant tuberculosis, MR-TB), 3.41%/3.06%/5.36%/0.00% (multidrug resistant tuberculosis, MDR-TB), 4.21%/3.39%/5.36%/6.52% (polydrug resistant tuberculosis, PDR-TB), 10.57%/8.44%/19.57%/23.91% (co-morbidity), respectively. Compared with normal weight group, underweight were associated with lower risk of streptomycin-related resistance (OR 0.844, 95% CI 0.726-0.982), but contributed to a higher risk of MR-TB (isoniazid) (odds ratio (OR) 1.347, 95% CI 1.049-1.730; adjusted OR (aOR) 1.31, 95% CI 1.017-1.686), P < 0.05. In addition, overweight were positively associated with MDR-TB (OR 1.603, 95% CI 1.002-2.566; aOR 1.639, 95% CI 1.02-2.633), isoniazid + rifampicin + streptomycin resistance (OR 1.948, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.061-3.577; aOR 2.113, 95% CI 1.141-3.912), Any isoniazid + streptomycin resistance (OR 1.472, 95% CI 1.013-2.14; aOR 1.483, 95% CI 1.017-2.164), P < 0.05.Conclusions: The higher risk of MDR-TB, isoniazid + rifampicin + streptomycin resistance, Any isoniazid + streptomycin resistance, and co-morbidity among overweight population implies that routine screening for drug sensitivity and more attention on co-morbidity among overweight TB cases may be necessary. In addition, underweight TB cases have a higher risk of isoniazid resistance. Our study suggests that an in-depth study of the interaction between host metabolic activity and infection of DR-TB may contribute more to novel treatment options or preventive measures, and accelerate the implementation of the STOP TB strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Objectively measured differences in physical activity (PA) and sleep have been documented among people with osteoarthritis (OA) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) compared to non-arthritic controls. However, it is not clear whether OA and RA subgroups also differ on these indexes or the extent to which distinct arthritis subgroups versus controls can be accurately identified on the basis of objective PA and sleep indexes compared to self-report responses on questionnaires. This study addressed these gaps.Methods: This case-control study comprised Chinese adults with OA (N = 40) or RA (N = 40) diagnoses based on physician assessments as well as a control group of adults without chronic pain (N = 40). All participants wore a Sensewear Armband (SWA) for consecutive 7 days and completed the International Physical Activity Questionnaire Short Form-Chinese as well as Pittsburgh Sleep Diary to obtain objective and subjective PA and sleep data, respectively.Results: There were no differences between the three groups on any self-report indexes of PA or sleep. Conversely, OA and RA subgroups displayed significantly lower PA levels and more sleep problems than controls did on a majority of SWA indexes, though arthritis subgroups were not differentiated from one another on these measures. Logistic regression analyses indicated four non-multicollinear SWA indexes (i.e., steps, active energy expenditure, vigorous activity, time awake after sleep onset) correctly identified the subgroup membership of 75.0-82.5% of participants with RA or OA while classification accuracy results were attenuated for controls.Conclusions: Where possible, objective measures should be used to assess PA and sleep of adults with OA and RA while particular self-report PA questionnaires should be used sparingly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]