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Captive breeding programs play an important role in preserving the genetic diversity of endangered species. It is of utmost importance to conduct genetic assessment for captive populations in order to develop scientific breeding plans and conservation management strategies. Here, we genotyped 10 microsatellite loci and sequenced 368 bp of mitochondrial DNA control region for the golden snub‐nosed monkey (Rhinopithecus roxellana) from eight captive populations in China, and compared the genetic indices of captive populations with a wild population. Meanwhile, we performed paternity tests to verify the genealogical records and established genetic lineages. A total of 157 individuals were identified from 161 fecal samples, including 135 captive individuals (approximately 25% of captive individuals in China). Microsatellite analysis showed that the nine populations had moderate levels of genetic diversity, with polymorphism information content (PIC) ranging from 0.43 to 0.542; the genetic diversity of captive populations (average PIC: 0.503) was slightly higher than that of the wild population (PIC: 0.438). The Structure analysis indicated that individuals of the eight captive populations contained two different genetic components. We conducted either single‐blind or double‐blind paternity testing on 40 offspring of captive individuals and found that five offspring from two zoos (Nanjing Hongshan Forest Zoo and Shanghai Wild Animal Park) showed discrepant kinships from their pedigree records, probably due to the inaccuracies in pedigree records. By constructing genetic pedigrees, inbred offspring were found in Beijing Zoo, Shanghai Zoo, Hangzhou Zoo, and Chengdu Zoo. Analysis based on mitochondrial DNA showed a high level of genetic diversity in the eight captive populations (mean nucleotide diversity: 0.047). However, no nucleotide diversity was found in the wild population. This study conducted a genetic survey for captive golden snub‐nosed monkeys and will significantly benefit the genetic conservation management for captive populations in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The aim of this study was to clarify the distribution and drug resistance of pathogens causing urinary tract infection (UTI) and to provide a scientific reference for the rational application of antibiotics. Patients and Methods: The results of bacterial identification and drug sensitivity analysis of midstream urine samples in our hospital from January 2018 to December 2020 were retrospectively analyzed. The data were analyzed using WHONET 5.6 and SPSS 26.0 (IBM) software. Results: In all, 1786 pathogens were isolated from 13,141 midstream urine culture samples. Of these, 1093 (61.2%) were gram-negative bacteria, mainly Escherichia coli [29.1%] and Klebsiella pneumoniae [14.3%]; 543 (30.4%) were gram-positive bacteria, mainly Enterococcus faecium [16.7%] and Enterococcus faecalis [8.4%]; and 150 (8.4%) were fungal isolates, with the most common being Candida albicans (3.7%). The resistance rates of E. coli to piperacillin/tazobactam (3.4% vs 10.0%, p< 0.05), ampicillin/sulbactam (43.0% vs 53.8%, p< 0.05), and ciprofloxacin (58.0% vs 72.9%, p< 0.05) increased significantly. K. pneumoniae was highly sensitive to ertapenem (100%). Two Enterococcus spp were highly sensitive to tigecycline (100%), and a small number of norvancomycin-resistant strains were found. The drug resistance rate of E. faecium to quinupristin was 6.7%. The drug resistance rates of E. faecalis to furantoin and ampicillin were 4.0% and 4.7%, respectively. Conclusion: The pathogens that cause UTIs in patients are diverse, with the most common being E. coli. The isolated pathogens exhibited different resistance patterns. Antibiotics should be rationally selected based on the resistance patterns of the pathogens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, the financial fraud cases of Chinese listed companies happen frequently, which has been widely concerned by society. Most financial fraud incidents occur in ways that the disclosure of financial statements is not true, and accounting information is not comparable. As the key to the success or failure of corporate governance, internal control quality can restrain the occurrence of related party transactions, especially abnormal related party transactions, and effectively affect the authenticity of financial statements disclosure and the accounting information comparability. However, the existing researches have not yet combined the internal control quality, abnormal related party transactions, and accounting information comparability. Therefore, we explore the influence of internal control quality on the accounting information comparability and related party transactions. Through an empirical study of A-share listed companies in Shanghai and Shenzhen stock exchanges from 2015 to 2019, we find that the scale of related party transactions, especially the scale of abnormal related party transactions, hurts the accounting information comparability, while internal control quality has a positive influence on accounting information comparability. The better the internal control quality, the stronger the restraining effect the abnormal related party transactions is negatively related to the accounting information comparability. Compared with private enterprises, the internal control quality of state-owned enterprises has a stronger inhibiting effect on the abnormal related party transactions and accounting information comparability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Tuberculosis (TB) has remained a tough problem in China. This study aims to identify the risk of tuberculosis transmission and to assess its characteristics. Methods: We performed a molecular epidemiological study for patients with culture-positive Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tuberculosis) in Shanghai, from 2009 to 2018. Demographic information was obtained from the Tuberculosis Information Management System. Whole-genome sequencing (WGS) was conducted with a threshold of 12 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) to distinguish the genomic cluster. To analyze the characteristics of TB transmission, the contact investigation for clustered cases was performed. Results: In total, 94 (27.25%) of the 345 enrolled patients were grouped into 42 genomic clusters, indicating local transmission of M. tuberculosis strains. Compared to a health system delay <14 days, patients with a health system delay ≥14 days [adjusted odds ratios (AOR) = 2.57, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.34–4.95] were more likely to be clustered. Patients under 65 years old (AOR = 3.11, 95% CI: 1.76–5.49), residents (AOR = 2.43, 95% CI: 1.18–4.99), and Beijing genotype strains (AOR = 3.35, 95% CI: 1.32–8.53) were associated with increased risk of clustering. Interestingly, patients with resistance to isoniazid (AOR = 2.36, 95% CI: 1.15–4.88) had a higher risk of transmission. Sixteen confirmed/probable epidemiological links were identified. Local transmission of imported cases and household transmission were prominent. Conclusion: Health system delay is a crucial factor for TB transmission. Patients with resistance to isoniazid should be priority targets for contact investigation to reduce transmission. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A total of 78% of asymptomatic infections with Omicron was in presymptomatic stage. • The proportion of asymptomatic Omicron infections was 17.5%. • The infectivity of asymptomatic and mild Omicron infections was similar. • More attention should be paid to asymptomatic cases during quarantine. Asymptomatic infections and mild diseases were more common during the Omicron outbreak in Shanghai, China in 2022. This study aimed to assess the characteristics and viral RNA decay between patients with asymptomatic and mild infections. A total of 55,111 patients infected with SARS-CoV-2 who were quarantined in the National Exhibition & Convention Center (Shanghai) Fangcang shelter hospital within 3 days after diagnosis from April 9 to May 23, 2022 were enrolled. The kinetics of cycle threshold (Ct) values of reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction were assessed. The influencing factors for disease progression and the risk factors for the viral RNA shedding time (VST) were investigated. On admission, 79.6% (43,852/55,111) of the cases were diagnosed with asymptomatic infections, and 20.4% were mild diseases. However, 78.0% of initially asymptomatic subjects developed mild diseases at the follow-up. The final proportion of asymptomatic infections was 17.5%. The median time of symptom onset, the duration of symptoms, and the VST were 2 days, 5 days, and 7 days, respectively. Female, age 19-40 years, underlying comorbidities with hypertension and diabetes, and vaccination were associated with higher risks of progressing to mildly symptomatic infections. In addition, mildly symptomatic infections were found to be associated with prolonged VST compared with asymptomatic infections. However, the kinetics of viral RNA decay and dynamics of Ct values were similar among asymptomatic subjects, patients with asymptomatic-to-mild infection, and patients with mild infection. A large proportion of initially diagnosed asymptomatic Omicron infections is in the presymptomatic stage. The Omicron infection has a much shorter incubation period and VST than previous variants. The infectivity of asymptomatic infections and mildly symptomatic infections with Omicron is similar. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mycobacterium kansasii pulmonary disease is frequently misdiagnosed and treated as tuberculosis, especially in countries with high tuberculosis burden. This study aimed to investigate the drug resistance profile of M. kansasii in patients with M. kansasii pulmonary disease in Shanghai and to determine the variations in drug resistance after 2 months of antimycobacterial treatment. All patients with a diagnosis of M. kansasii pulmonary disease from 2017 to 2019 in Shanghai were retrospectively analysed. Whole-genome sequencing was performed, and the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) to antimycobacterial drugs was measured using the broth microdilution method. In total, 191 patients had a diagnosis of M. kansasii pulmonary disease. Of them, 24.1% (46/191) had persistent positive culture after 2 months of antimycobacterial treatment. Whole-genome sequencing revealed that the 46 paired isolates had a difference of <17 single nucleotide polymorphisms, thus excluding the possibility of exogenous reinfection. More than 90% of the baseline isolates were sensitive to rifampin, clarithromycin, moxifloxacin, or amikacin, whereas a high resistance to ethambutol (118/191, 61.8%) and 4 μg/mL of isoniazid (32/191, 16.8%) were observed. Two isolates presented high resistance to rifamycin (i.e. a rifampin MIC of >8 μg/mL and a rifabutin MIC of 8 μg/mL) both containing the rpoB mutation (S454L). The increase of MIC to rifampin, ethambutol, and/or isoniazid was identified in 50.0% (23/46) of the patients. A high prevalence of innate resistance to ethambutol and isoniazid was observed among circulating M. kansasii clinical strains in Shanghai. The increase in drug resistance under empirical antimycobacterial treatment highlighted the urgency of definitive species identification before initiating treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Revealed spatial heterogeneity of NTM-PD, focusing on MKC-PD, MAC-PD, and MABC-PD. • Utilized Bayesian spatial disease mapping to highlight high-risk NTM-PD areas. • Demonstrated distinct demographic and clinical characteristics of NTM-PD patients. • Linked environmental factors to varying NTM-PD distribution patterns. To investigate the spatial heterogeneity of nontuberculous mycobacterial pulmonary disease (NTM-PD) in Shanghai. A population-based retrospective study was conducted using presumptive pulmonary tuberculosis surveillance data of Shanghai between 2010 and 2019. The study described the spatial distribution of NTM-PD notification rates, employing hierarchical Bayesian mapping for high-risk areas and the Getis-Ord Gi* statistic to identify hot spots and explore associated factors. Of 1652 NTM-PD cases, the most common species was Mycobacterium kansasii complex (MKC) (41.9%), followed by Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) (27.1%) and Mycobacterium abscessus complex (MABC) (16.2%). MKC-PD patients were generally younger males with a higher incidence of pulmonary cavities, while MAC-PD patients were more often farmers or had a history of tuberculosis treatment. MKC-PD hot spots were primarily located in the areas alongside the Huangpu River, while MAC-PD hot spots were mainly in the western agricultural areas. Patients with MKC-PD and MAC-PD exhibited a higher risk of spatial clustering compared to those with MABC-PD. Different types of NTM-PD exhibit distinct patterns of spatial clustering and are associated with various factors. These findings underscore the importance of environmental and host factors in the epidemic of NTM-PD. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using energy conservation measures (ECMs) for building retrofit can significantly reduce building operational carbon emissions (BOCEs) and contribute to Chinese carbon neutrality by 2060. This paper involves 11 feasible ECMs for commercial buildings in hot-summer and cold-winter zone, China, and proposes a quick assessment approach to BOCEs reduction. Prototypical models are simulated for ECMs using EnergyPlus and the emission intensity is corrected by the building shape factor and window-to-wall ratio. Based on pre-simulated results, effects on reducing emissions of individual measures and packages of them are studied to develop regression models in SPSS. The results show that decreasing the U-factor of external walls, lighting power density (LPD), or shading coefficient can reduce BOCEs linearly. BOCEs are most sensitive to LPD and using daylighting control can reduce emissions by 5–15%. In addition, increasing the boilers' efficiency reduces emissions linearly, while performance improvement of chillers or heat pumps reduces emissions logarithmically. Furthermore, utilizing variable speed pumps, heat recovery ventilation, and air-side economizers can reduce emissions by 3.8%, 6.6%, and 15.2%, respectively. Finally, significant interactions exist among measures of enhancing glazing U-factor, adding external shading, using energy-saving lamps, and improving cooling/heating system efficiencies. The developed regression models are validated in a retrofit case in Shanghai. Through assessment, the case can reduce BOCEs by 15.9 kgCO 2 /m2, with a reduction rate of 20.8%. Compared with recorded data, the relative error of assessing emission reduction is −13.0% and that of assessing reduction rate is 0.5%, which are acceptable in the decision-making stage of retrofit strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]