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Aim: With industrialization and spread of the westernized lifestyle, the number of people affected by non‐alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD)/non‐alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is growing rapidly in China; this has become a major public health concern. To better understand the burden and characteristics of NAFLD/NASH in China, we aim to perform a narrative review of the literature published in this field. Materials and Methods: We carried out a comprehensive electronic search of five English‐language and three Chinese‐language databases, to identify studies regarding NAFLD or NASH published from inception to November 30, 2022. Epidemiological studies of NAFLD/NASH in China were particularly noticed and summarized. We also searched the www.clinicaltrials.gov and www.chictr.org.cn websites for the registered trials on the treatment of the disease led by Chinese investigators or located in China. Results: The increasing rate of NAFLD prevalence in China is strikingly high, reaching more than twice that in western countries. The prevalence of NAFLD is nearly 30% of the general Chinese population, making it the leading cause of chronic liver diseases. The prevalence of NAFLD/NASH varies between provinces/regions, age groups, sexes, and individuals with different metabolic profiles. NAFLD co‐exists in many Chinese patients with chronic hepatitis B. Since 2020, more Chinese studies have used the term metabolic‐associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD), emphasizing the underlying metabolic disorders that occur concurrently with this disease. Several clinical trials involving lifestyle interventions, antidiabetic drugs, or traditional Chinese medicines, registered by Chinese investigators, have been completed or are ongoing. Moreover, several innovative targeted therapies developed in China are revolutionizing the treatment of NAFLD/NASH. Conclusions: NAFLD has cast a heavy burden on the Chinese healthcare system. Chinese scholars are making efforts to achieve the optimal management of this disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mercury emission from industrial wastewater has a great impact on the aquatic environment but is not well studied. Inventory analysis, decoupling and decomposition methods have been conducted based on the China Pollution Source Census dataset, which combines industry removal efficiencies to calculate mercury emissions from industrial wastewater in 340 cities in China during 2000–2010. The results show that over these 11 years, total mercury emissions and per capita mercury emissions increased by approximately 5 times, while the emission intensity increased by only about 3%. From 2000 to 2010, only 0.59% of cities showed strong decoupling between economic growth and mercury emissions, and 37.65% of cities showed weak decoupling, whereas 38.82% of cities showed negative decoupling. We attribute the decoupling of economic development and emissions in individual cities to several socioeconomic factors and find that a decline in emission intensity is the main driver. The Gini coefficient indicates a significant imbalance between cities' emissions, but this situation improved during 2000–2010. The objective of this article is to provide a historical perspective on the situation of mercury emissions from wastewater in China, thereby contributing' to the broader understanding of industrial pollution. [Display omitted] • Wastewater mercury emissions in Chinese cities were calculated from 2000 to 2010. • Only 4.41% of Chinese cities achieved a decoupling of GDP from mercury emissions. • The decline in emission intensity is vital to achieving decoupling. • There is a significant imbalance between cities' emissions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed at examining how romantically involved Chinese young adults' dysfunctional individuation was associated with their and their partners' perceptions of romantic relationship satisfaction. We recruited 296 Chinese couples who were currently in heterosexual romantic relationships at the university. The couples completed self-report measures of their dysfunctional individuation and relationship satisfaction. Results from the cross-sectional actor-partner interdependence model (APIM) indicated that (a) for both genders, actor effects existed: Chinese young adults' dysfunctional individuation was negatively associated with their romantic relationship satisfaction; (b) in terms of partners' effects, women's dysfunctional individuation was negatively associated with men's perceptions of relationship satisfaction; but (c) men's dysfunctional individuation was not significantly associated with women's perceptions of relationship satisfaction. The findings were the first to reveal the actor and partner effects of dysfunctional individuation on romantic relationship satisfaction. The study results provided practical implications regarding how young adults can have satisfying romantic relationships., (© 2023 International Union of Psychological Science.)

Objective: To investigate the molecular epidemiology of HIV-1 in Heilongjiang, China, and try to spot signs of new circulating recombinant form (CRF) in this region., Design: A molecular epidemiological study was conducted in Heilongjiang, China during 2011-2020., Methods: Plasma samples were collected from three HIV-1-positive patients (two MSM and one man lacking risk factor information). The near full-length genome sequences (NFLGs) of a novel CRF were then obtained and subjected to phylogenetic analysis using Mega 7.0.26. Recombination analysis was performed by the jumping profile Hidden Markov Model (jpHMM). Finally, the origin time of this novel CRF was inferred using the Bayesian phylogenetic analysis in Beast v1.10.4., Results: The three NFLGs formed a distinct monophyletic cluster in the neighbor-joining (NJ) tree. Recombination analysis revealed that the recombinant genome was composed of five segments derived from CRF01_AE, subtypes B, and C, but further confirmed to be a second-generation recombinant form of CRF01_AE/CRF07_BC by a comparison of genome maps and subregion phylogenetic analysis and, therefore, designated as CRF136_0107. With Bayesian phylogenetic analysis, CRF136_0107 was estimated to originate around 2010-2011., Conclusion: A novel HIV-1 CRF01_AE/CRF07_BC second-generation CRF called CRF136_0107 was identified among MSM in Heilongjiang, a northeast province of China., (Copyright © 2023 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Coking plants are a substantial source of potentially toxic elements (PTEs) in soil. In this study, we examined the concentration of PTEs, the soil physicochemical properties, and the Pb isotopes in the soil inside and around a coking plant in an industrial city in northern China. We analyzed the spatial distribution of PTEs and the pollution risk areas by I geo index, the enrichment factor (EF), and the Nemerow index, and we quantitatively identified the contribution of PTE pollution sources in the soil on a small- and medium-scale (plant and work section). Our results indicated that the Hg concentration inside the plant and the Cd concentration in the agricultural land around the plant were both relatively high. A comprehensive analysis of the soil in the study area was performed using the positive matrix factorization model and Pb isotope ( 206/207 Pb, 208/206 Pb) tracing method, based on the MixSIAR model, this analysis indicated that burning coal was the main source of Pb both inside (46.8%) and outside (26.3%) the coking plant. The pollution emission sources with significant influence on the soil outside the coking plant were diesel vehicles (12.5%), gas tanks (12.4%), and coke ovens (11.5%), while the sources inside the plant were quenching sections (11.1%), atmospheric deposition (11.0%), coke oven sections (9.6%), and diesel vehicles (6.1%). The results of PTE pollution risk zoning and Pb isotope tracing indicated that pollution is more serious in the western part of the plant, which is the area where coking and gas production takes place, and the most serious pollution outside the plant is mainly distributed to the southeast. This study provides theoretical and practical data indicating the contribution of industrial enterprises to soil pollution, and will help identify pollution responsibility and the management of pollution sources., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background : Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a severe infectious illness. It has been reported that COVID-19 has an effect on thyroid function. However, the association between thyroid function and prognosis of COVID-19 is still unclear. Methods : This retrospective study included patients with COVID-19 admitted to Tongji Hospital in Wuhan from January 28 to April 4, 2020. Demographic, epidemiological, clinical, laboratory, treatment, and outcome data were collected from patients with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19. Patients without history of thyroid disease who had a thyroid function test at admission were enrolled in the final analysis. Risk factors of in-hospital death were explored using univariable and multivariable Cox regression analyses. Survival differences were assessed with Kaplan-Meier curves and log-rank test. Results : A total of 127 patients were included in this study, with 116 survivors and 11 non-survivors. The serum levels of thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) [0.8 (0.5-1.7) vs . 1.9 (1.0-3.1) μIU/mL, P = .031] and free triiodothyronine (FT 3 ) [2.9 (2.8-3.1) vs . 4.2 (3.5-4.7) pmol/L, P < .001] were lower in non-survivors than in survivors, and a low FT 3 state (defined as FT 3  < 3.1 pmol/L) at admission accounted for a higher proportion in non-survivors than in survivors (72.7% vs . 11.2%, P < .001). Univariate Cox regression analysis showed that FT 3 level (HR 0.213, 95% CI: 0.101-0.451, P < .001) and the low FT 3 state (HR 14.607, 95% CI: 3.873-55.081, P < .001) were negatively and positively associated with the risk of in-hospital death, respectively. Furthermore, multivariate Cox regression analysis revealed that a low FT 3 state was associated with an increased risk of in-hospital death after adjusting for confounding factors (HR 13.288, 95% CI: 1.089-162.110, P = .043). Moreover, Kaplan-Meier curves indicated a lower survival probability in COVID-19 patients with a low FT 3 status. Conclusion : Serum FT 3 level is lower in non-survivors among moderate-to-critical patients with COVID-19, and the low FT 3 state is associated with an increased risk of in-hospital mortality of COVID-19.