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Objectives: Telemedicine has been widely used during the COVID-19 pandemic. Among other health care professionals, Chinese medicine practitioners (CMPs) face practical challenges in providing telemedicine consultations. This study aims to explore CMPs' experience and perceptions of telemedicine service provision before and during the pandemic. Methods: A territory-wide cross-sectional online survey was conducted in Hong Kong between April and May 2022. A structured questionnaire with open-ended questions was used to investigate the provision of and perception on telemedicine service, as well as usability of telemedicine among CMPs. Results: A total of 195 CMPs participated the survey. Before COVID-19, 42% (81/195) had been providing telemedicine services, and the proportion doubled during COVID-19. CMPs in the private sector are the main providers. Mobile apps including WhatsApp, WeChat, and Zoom were commonly used for consultations (75%, 120/161). Barriers in providing telemedicine included inability of conducting physical examination on patients (69%, 134/195), legal and ethical concerns over medical negligence (61%, 118/195), and patients' incompetence on e-literacy (50%, 98/195). Respondents urged professional and regulatory bodies to provide an explicit clinical guideline that demonstrate best practice in traditional Chinese medicine telemedicine, and to clarify legal and ethical implications of such practice. Conclusions: CMPs demonstrated their competency in telemedicine, and most of them provided telemedicine during COVID-19. Development of appropriate guidelines on the provision of telemedicine would support CMPs to continue provision after the pandemic, whereas a user-friendly and comprehensive telemedicine e-platform would enhance quality of such service. Facilitating patients with lower e-literacy to access telemedicine is key to reduce disparities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a chronic and relapsing immune‐mediated disease of the gastrointestinal tract with a gradually increasing global incidence and prevalence. A prolonged course of IBD leads to a decline in patient quality of life and the creation of a substantial economic burden on society. Owing to the lack of specific diagnostic markers, the diagnosis of IBD still needs a gold standard based on a combination of clinical manifestations, imaging, laboratory, and endoscopic results. Accordingly, the current goals of IBD treatment are to alleviate clinical symptoms and reduce recurrence rates. Therefore, it is imperative to develop a standard set of procedures to diagnose and treat IBD. In this review, we summarize prominent and emerging studies, outline classical and contemporary approaches to diagnosing and managing IBD, and integrate multiple guidelines. Furthermore, we propose the possibility of establishing an early and comprehensive diagnostic workflow and personalized management strategy in the future. We aim to enhance the quality and standardization of diagnostic and treatment procedures for IBD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The incidence of metabolic syndrome (MetS) in people living with HIV is significantly higher than in people without HIV. MetS is not only a major driver of cardiovascular disease (CVD) but is also closely related to the development of chronic kidney disease (CKD). The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of and risk factors for MetS and to further understand the degree of damage to target organs. Methods: This was a cross‐sectional descriptive study conducted at Chongqing Public Health Medical Center, China. Information was collected via questionnaire survey, physical examination, and laboratory tests. We used the China Diabetes Society guidelines to define MetS. Pooled cohort equations were calculated to compare CVD risk in the next 10 years in people living with HIV aged ≥40 years with or without MetS. We used Student's t‐test, the chi‐squared test, Fisher's exact test, binary logistic regression, and multiple linear regression in the statistical analysis. Results: The study included 979 people living with HIV, including 13 who have experienced CVD, receiving antiretroviral therapy (ART). The median age was 43.0 years, 20.9% were female, and the median ART time was 45.0 months. The prevalence of MetS was 33.9%. The components of MetS criteria were hyperglycaemia (50.4%), hypertriglyceridaemia (48.4%), hypertension (46.8%), low concentrations of high‐density lipoprotein cholesterol (28.2%), and abdominal obesity (25.0%). Higher body mass index (odds ratio [OR] 1.266; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.203–1.333), higher total cholesterol (OR 1.267; 95% CI 1.011–1.588), high alcohol consumption (OR 1.973; 95% CI 1.009–3.859), and family history of diabetes (OR 1.726; 95% CI 1.075–2.770) were independent risk factors for MetS. Compared with the non‐MetS group, the MetS group had a higher rate of urine albumin (23.8% vs 14.8%, p = 0.001), and the estimated glomerular filtration rate <90 mL/min/1.73 m2 (18.37% vs. 12.8%, p = 0.020) and β2‐microglobin (p = 0.004) increased more markedly in the MetS group. Regarding the risk of developing CVD events in the next 10 years, 38.5% of those in the MetS group were at high or very high risk, which was significantly higher than in the non‐MetS group (p < 0.001). In addition, age (p < 0.001) and sex (p = 0.002) are independent risk factors for developing CVD events in the next 10 years. Conclusions: The prevalence of MetS in people living with HIV on ART is high in Chongqing, China. Risk factors for the development of MetS are high alcohol consumption, family history of diabetes, higher body mass index, and higher total cholesterol levels. In addition, MetS is associated with a risk of CKD and the incidence of 10‐year CVD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Body mass index (BMI; weight (kg)/height (m)2) is commonly used to measure general adiposity. However, evidence of its appropriateness for males and females remains inconsistent. We aimed to identify the most appropriate sex-specific power value that height should be raised to in the formula and the value that would make it achieve height independency and body fatness dependency. We randomly assigned UK Biobank participants recruited in the United Kingdom between 2006 and 2010 (n  = 489,873; mean age = 56.5 years; 94.2% White) to training and testing sets (80%:20%). Using height raised to the power of −50.00 to 50.00, we identified the optimal power value that either minimized correlation with height or maximized correlation with body fat percentage, using age-adjusted correlations. The optimal power values for height were 1.77 for males and 1.39 for females. The new formulas resulted in 4.5% of females and 2.4% of males being reclassified into a different BMI category. The formulas did not show significant improvement (in terms of area under the receiver operating characteristic curve, sensitivity, and specificity) in identifying individuals with excessive body fat percentage or in predicting risk of all-cause mortality. Therefore, the conventional BMI formula is still valuable in research and disease screening for both sexes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Intercropping improves resource utilization. Under wide–narrow-row maize (Zea mays) intercropping, maize plants are subjected to weak unilateral illumination and exhibit high photosynthetic performance. However, the mechanism regulating photosynthesis under unilateral weak light remains unknown. We investigated the relationship between photosynthesis and sugar metabolism in maize under unilateral weak light. Our results showed that the net photosynthetic rate (P n) of unshaded leaves increased as the level of shade on the other side increased. On the contrary, the concentration of sucrose and starch and the number of starch granules in the unshaded leaves decreased with increased shading due to the transfer of abundant C into the grains. However, sink loss with ear removal reduced the P n of unshaded leaves. Intense unilateral shade (40% to 20% normal light), but not mild unilateral shade (60% normal light), reduced grain yield (37.6% to 54.4%, respectively). We further found that in unshaded leaves, Agpsl , Bmy , and Mexl-like expression significantly influenced sucrose and starch metabolism, while Sweet13a and Sut1 expression was crucial for sugar export. In shaded leaves, expression of Sps1 , Agpsl , and Sweet13c was crucial for sugar metabolism and export. This study confirmed that unshaded leaves transported photosynthates to the ear, leading to a decrease in sugar concentration. The improvement of photosynthetic performance was associated with altered sugar transport. We propose a narrow-row spacing of 40 cm, which provides appropriate unilateral shade and limits yield reduction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND RESULTS CONCLUSION Relay intercropping of maize and soybean can improve land productivity. However, the mechanism behind N2O emissions in this practice remains unclear. A two‐factor randomized block field trial was conducted to reveal the mechanism of N2O emissions in a full additive maize–soybean relay intercropping. Factor A was three cropping systems – that is, monoculture maize (Zea mays L.), monoculture soybean (Glycine max L. Merr.) and maize–soybean relay intercropping. Factor B was different N supply, containing no N, reduced N and conventional N. Differences in N2O emissions, soil properties, rhizosphere bacterial communities and yield advantage were evaluated.The land equivalent ratio was 1.55–2.44, and the cumulative N2O emission (CEN2O$$ \mathrm{C}{\mathrm{E}}_{{\mathrm{N}}_2\mathrm{O}} $$) was notably lower by 60.2% in intercropping than in monoculture, respectively. Reduced N declined CEN2O$$ \mathrm{C}{\mathrm{E}}_{{\mathrm{N}}_2\mathrm{O}} $$ without penalty on the yield advantages. The relay intercropping shifted soil properties – for example, soil organic matter, total N, NH4+$$ {\mathrm{NH}}_4^{+} $$ and protease activity – and improved the soil microorganism community – for example, Proteobacteria and Acidobacteria. Intercropping reduced CEN2O$$ \mathrm{C}{\mathrm{E}}_{{\mathrm{N}}_2\mathrm{O}} $$ by directly suppressing nirS‐ and amoA‐regulated N2O generation during soil N cycling, or nirS‐ and amoA‐mediated soil properties shifted to reduce CEN2O$$ \mathrm{C}{\mathrm{E}}_{{\mathrm{N}}_2\mathrm{O}} $$ indirectly. Reduced N directly reduced CEN2O$$ \mathrm{C}{\mathrm{E}}_{{\mathrm{N}}_2\mathrm{O}} $$ by decreasing soil N content and reducing soil microorganism activities to alleviate N2O produced in soil N cycling.Conducting a full additive maize–soybean relay intercropping with reduced nitrogen supply provides a way to alleviate N2O emissions without the penalty on the yield advantage by changing rhizosphere bacterial communities and soil N cycling. © 2024 Society of Chemical Industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aromatic components of C8-C15 are playing indispensable roles in multi-functional properties of jet fuel. Here, we reported the controllable alkylation of benzene with mixed olefins of ethylene and propylene toward C8-C15 aromatic hydrocarbons for jet fuels over the bifunctional Ga/ZSM-5 catalyst. The resultant 2Ga/ZSM-5 exhibited a superior selectivity of 86.4% (yield of 55.5%) to C8-C15 range aromatics, at benzene conversion of 40.3%, ethylene and propylene conversion of 99.5% and 99.2%, respectively. The incorporation of Ga species could effectively weaken the strong acid sites of ZSM-5 and endow 2Ga/ZSM-5 catalyst with appropriate acidity, therefore facilitating the benzene alkylation process and suppressing the undesired hydrogen transfer or aromatization side reactions as well, thus improving the yield of desired C8-C15aromatics for jet fuels. This work provided insight into the development of promising bifunctional catalyst for the oriented transformation of biomass-derived chemicals to aviation fuels., (© 2024 Wiley‐VCH GmbH.)

Background: As SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variants circulating globally since 2022, assessing the transmission characteristics, and the protection of vaccines against emerging Omicron variants among children and adolescents are needed for guiding the control and vaccination policies., Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study for SARS-CoV-2 infections and close contacts aged <18 years from an outbreak seeded by Omicron BA.5 variants. The secondary attack rate (SAR) was calculated and the protective effects of two doses of inactivated vaccine (mainly Sinopharm /BBIBP-CorV) within a year versus one dose or two doses above a year after vaccination against the transmission and infection of Omicron BA.5 were estimated., Results: A total of 3442 all-age close contacts of 122 confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infections aged 0-17 years were included. The SAR was higher in the household setting and for individuals who received a one-dose inactivated vaccine or those who received a two-dose for more than one year, with estimates of 28.5% (95% credible interval [CrI]: 21.1, 37.7) and 55.3% (95% CrI: 24.4, 84.8), respectively. The second dose of inactivated vaccine conferred substantial protection against all infection and transmission of Omicron BA.5 variants within a year., Conclusions: Our findings support the rollout of the second dose of inactivated vaccine for children and adolescents during the Omciron BA.5 predominant epidemic phase. Given the continuous emergence of SARS-CoV-2 variants, monitoring the transmission risk and corresponding vaccine effectiveness against SARS-CoV-2 variants among children and adolescents is important to inform control strategy., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Stem diameter is a critical phenotypic parameter for maize, integral to yield prediction and lodging resistance assessment. Traditionally, the quantification of this parameter through manual measurement has been the norm, notwithstanding its tedious and laborious nature. To address these challenges, this study introduces a non-invasive field-based system utilizing depth information from RGB-D cameras to measure maize stem diameter. This technology offers a practical solution for conducting rapid and non-destructive phenotyping. Firstly, RGB images, depth images, and 3D point clouds of maize stems were captured using an RGB-D camera, and precise alignment between the RGB and depth images was achieved. Subsequently, the contours of maize stems were delineated using 2D image processing techniques, followed by the extraction of the stem's skeletal structure employing a thinning-based skeletonization algorithm. Furthermore, within the areas of interest on the maize stems, horizontal lines were constructed using points on the skeletal structure, resulting in 2D pixel coordinates at the intersections of these horizontal lines with the maize stem contours. Subsequently, a back-projection transformation from 2D pixel coordinates to 3D world coordinates was achieved by combining the depth data with the camera's intrinsic parameters. The 3D world coordinates were then precisely mapped onto the 3D point cloud using rigid transformation techniques. Finally, the maize stem diameter was sensed and determined by calculating the Euclidean distance between pairs of 3D world coordinate points. The method demonstrated a Mean Absolute Percentage Error ( MAPE ) of 3.01%, a Mean Absolute Error ( MAE ) of 0.75 mm, a Root Mean Square Error ( RMSE ) of 1.07 mm, and a coefficient of determination ( R ²) of 0.96, ensuring accurate measurement of maize stem diameter. This research not only provides a new method of precise and efficient crop phenotypic analysis but also offers theoretical knowledge for the advancement of precision agriculture., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Zhou, Cui, Wu, Gao, Tang, Jiang, Wu, Zhang and Hou.)