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Purpose: This study aimed to investigate the interactions between posaconazole (POS) and intravenously/orally administered cyclosporine A (CsA) in allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) recipients. Methods: We included 118 allogeneic HSCT patients who received CsA and POS simultaneously between January 2017 and June 2020 in this study. The ratio of CsA blood concentration (ng/mL) to dosage (mg/day) (C/D) before and after POS initiation was compared. Results: After the initiation of POS, the level of CsA increased 1 to 2 times in 66% (78/118) of patients compared to those without POS. However, the CsA C/D ratio increased by more than threefold in 6% (7/118) of patients after POS initiation, with an increase of more than fourfold in two patients. The median C/D ratio of CsA increased from 0.89 to 1.23 (P < 0.001) and 0.78 to 1.22 (P < 0.001) after POS initiation when CsA was administered intravenously and orally, respectively. In patients who received POS at the time of transition from intravenous to oral CsA, the value increased from 1.01 to 1.38 (P = 0.001). The route of administration had no significant effect on the change in the CsA C/D ratio (P = 0.615). Additionally, we observed the time required for the C/D ratio to reach a plateau after POS initiation was similar on days 13, 8, and 15 under various scenarios. Conclusion: POS treatment increased blood CsA levels. A large variability was found in the fold-change in the CsA C/D ratio. Therefore, CsA doses should be adjusted by closely monitoring the blood levels of CsA after POS initiation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As one of the most common malignancies, gastric cancer (GC) is the third leading cause of cancer-related deaths in China. GC is asymptomatic in early stages, and the majority of GC mortality is due to delayed symptoms. It is an urgent task to find reliable biomarkers for the identification of GC in order to improve outcomes. A combination of dried blood spot sampling and direct infusion mass spectrometry (MS) technology was used to measure blood metabolic profiles for 166 patients with GC and 183 healthy individuals, and 93 metabolites including amino acids, carnitine/acylcarnitines and their derivatives, and related ratios were quantified. Multiple algorithms were used to characterize the changes of metabolic profiles in patients with GC compared to healthy individuals. A biomarker panel was identified in training set, and assessed by tenfold cross-validation and external test data set. After systematic selection of 93 metabolites, a biomarker panel consisting of Ala, Arg, Gly, Orn, Tyr/Cit, Val/Phe, C4-OH, C5/C3, C10:2 shows the potential to distinguish patients with GC from healthy individuals in tenfold cross-validation model (sensitivity: 0.8750, specificity: 0.9006) and test set (sensitivity: 0.9545, specificity: 0.8636). This metabolomic analysis makes contribution to the identification of disease-associated biomarkers and to the development of new diagnostic tools for patients with GC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is of great significance to study the soil pore structure for soil reinforcement and ground treatment because it can be used to evaluate the solidification effect and explain the curing mechanism. The pore and compression characteristics of clay from Wuhan in China before and after solidification by ionic soil stabilizer (ISS) in different soil initial states were studied by the use of standard consolidation test, environmental scanning electron microscope analysis, specific surface area (SSA) test, and analysis by PCAS software. Results show that the influence sequence of soil initial states on the change of pore characteristics and ISS-solidification effectiveness was as follows: reducing initial water content + remolding soil > reducing initial water content > remolding soil > natural soil with high initial water content. Besides, loading can also increase the solidification effect. Compared to random and chaotic pore directions of natural clay, remolded solidified clay had a more certain direction after curing and compression. In addition, the total pore number and SSA decreased from 1190 to 756 by 36.47% and 109.690 m2/g to 87.837 m2/g by 19.92% respectively. Results indicate that ISS-clay solidification effect in practical engineering is closely related to the soil initial pre-curing state and can lead to the change of pore direction, decrease of pore number, reduction of pore size and porosity, and formation of larger aggregates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Desert-oasis ecotones are boundary areas between oases and desert ecosystems. Large efforts to control sediment and stabilize these boundaries depend on understanding sedimentary processes, especially aeolian transport and deposition. Previous studies on aeolian sediment deposition have focused primarily on a single land surface type or a single engineering approach. Few studies have considered deposition in a multi-layer oasis protective system. A complete oasis protective system consists of an outer bare sand area, a sand barrier zone, a shrub and herbaceous plant zone, and a farmland shelter zone. This study used sedimentary analysis to quantify grain-size characteristics in samples from the four land surfaces under different types of weather conditions in the Gelintan oasis of the Tengger Desert, the fourth largest desert in China. The results showed that aeolian sediment deposition decreased from the outer bare sand area through the oasis protective system and into the interior. The four land surface types showed significant differences in deposition volume (P < 0.05). Deposited sediment showed gradual decrease in dominant grain-size from sand to silt, but sediment deposited during dust weather contained a larger coarse-grained fraction. From the outer desert to the inner oasis, transport mechanisms shifted from saltation (sand) to suspension (silt and smaller) in non-dust weather. During dust weather, deposition primarily occurs from near-surface aeolian sand transport with saltation. Sediment sorting decreased from exterior to interior zones of the protective system while skewness and kurtosis showed no significant change (P < 0.05). These results can help inform strategies for stabilizing and protecting desert-oasis ecotones in this region and other localities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wind and sand control are important factors in combating desertification and protecting oases. An oasis protective system can provide these benefits, but quantitative research on protection effects has been lacking to date. This research describes an oasis protective system in the southeastern border of the Tengger Desert. The system consists of a sand barrier belt, a shrub and herbaceous plant belt, and a farmland shelter belt. The system was compared to a bare dunes area as the control zone. The study investigated wind proof effect, sediment transport, and erosion through field observations. Results showed that the roughness of the shrub and herbaceous plant belt, farmland shelter belt, and sand barrier belt were increased compared with bare dunes. The shrub and herbaceous plant belt provided the highest wind proof effect values for the same wind velocity measurement height, and the wind proof effect values for different protective belts were as follows: shrub and herbaceous plant belt > farmland shelter belt > sand barrier belt. The sand barrier belt provided effective wind and sand control at heights from 0 to 50 cm above the ground. The total sediment transport for each protective belt is as follows: bare dunes > sand barrier belt > shrub and herbaceous plant belt > farmland shelter belt. The sediment transport decreased exponentially as the height increased. In the bare dunes and protective systems, the sediment transport is mainly within 30 cm of the ground surface. The wind erosion intensity for this protective system was as follows: bare dunes > sand barrier belt > shrub and herbaceous plant belt > farmland shelter belt. This research offers quantitative evidence for how oasis protective systems can effectively intercept sand and prevent erosion in oases. The results of this study can be applied in similar regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and help mitigate climate change, urban water systems need to be adapted so that electrical energy use is minimised. In this study, energy data from 2011 was used to quantify energy use in China's urban water supply sector. The objective was to calculate the energy co-benefits of urban water conservation policies and compare energy use between China and other countries. The study investigated influencing factors with the aim of informing the development of energy efficient urban water infrastructure. The average energy use per cubic metre and per capita for urban water supply in China in 2011 was 0.29 kWh/m and 33.2 kWh/cap year, respectively. Total GHG emissions associated with energy use in the urban water supply sector were 7.63 MtCOe, or carbon dioxide equivalent. Calculations using these indicators showed significant energy savings could result from water conservation measures. A comparison between provinces of China showed a direct correlation between energy intensity of urban water supply and the population served per unit length of pipe. This may imply energy and emission intensity can be reduced if more densely populated areas are supplied by a corresponding pipe density, rather than by a low-density network operating at higher flow rates. This study also found that while the percentage of electrical energy used for urban water supply tended to increase with the percentage of population served, this increase was slower where water supply was more energy efficient and where a larger percentage of population was already supplied. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China owns the world's largest capacity of coal-fired power units. By the end of 2012, the capacity of installed national thermal power has been 819.68 million kilowatts. The latest standard requires that newly built power plants emit SO in no more than 100 mg/m and the emission of old ones be lower than 200 mg/m while in some key areas the emission should be controlled under 50 mg/m. So by the end of 2012, 90 % of the active coal-fired units have been equipped with flue gas desulfurization devices. Among the desulfurization methods adopted, limestone-gypsum wet flue gas desulphurization accounts for 92 %, causing the problem of fine droplets in the exhaust gas after defogger, which may even form 'gypsum rain.' At present, sampling methods are widely used at home and abroad, such as magnesium ion tracer method, modified magnesium ion tracer method and chemical analysis. In addition, some scholars use aerodynamic methods, such as ELPI, to measure the diameter distribution and concentration. The methods mentioned above all have their own demerits, such as the inability to on-line, continuous measurements and the need of prolonged measuring time. Thus, in this paper some potential optical on-line methods are presented, such as Fraunhofer diffraction pattern analysis and wavelength-multiplexed laser extinction. Also brought up are their measuring scope and merits. These methods have already been utilized to measure small liquid droplets and their demonstrations and evaluations are as well stated. Finally, a 3D imaging method based on digital holographic microscope is proposed for in-line measurement of size and concentration of slurry droplets. The feasibility of this method is demonstrated by preliminary experimental investigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a common endocrine disorder disease among women in reproductive-age. Since follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) exerts important biological functions, the association between PCOS and FSH receptor (FSHR) polymorphisms attracts wide attention. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether polymorphisms of FSHR at 307 and 680 codons are associated with PCOS patients in China. Methods: Patients with PCOS ( n = 215) and controls ( n = 205) were recruited from Shanxi Province in north China. They are Han ethnics. Genomic DNA was isolated from the venous blood. The Ala307Thr and Ser680Asn polymorphisms of FSHR were analyzed by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) and direct DNA sequencing. Results: The distributions of genotype and allele of Ala307Thr and Ser680Asn polymorphisms of FSHR were not statistically different between the PCOS patients and the controls. Analysis of the frequency of FSHR polymorphisms showed no statistical difference among the PCOS patients with different obesity standards. Although there were no statistical differences in the most of the endocrine parameters including LH, LH/FSH, E2, P and T as well as the clinical pregnancy rate, there were significant differences in the levels of FSH and PRL among PCOS patients carrying different genotypes of Ala307Thr and Ser680Asn polymorphisms. Conclusion: The Ala307Thr and Ser680Asn polymorphisms of FSHR are not associated with PCOS in Han ethnic Chinese women in north China. The FSHR polymorphisms was related to the levels of FSH and PRL but not other PCOS-associated endocrine hormones as well as clinical pregnancy rate in PCOS patients of Han Chinese ethnical population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The levels of DDTs, HCHs and PCBs in topsoil, cereal and irrigation water from typical industrial and agricultural areas of Jilin Province in Northeastern China were evaluated by using gas chromatography coupled with an electron capture detector. The amount of ∑OCPs and ∑PCBs found in topsoils ranged from 24.7 to 98.0 and 17.2 to 98.7 ng g, respectively. The geometric means of ∑HCHs, ∑DDTs and ∑PCBs in rice stem samples were 28.9, 32.4 and 49.0 ng g, respectively. The average level of total OCPs concentration in rice field water in Meihekou area (0.849 ng g) is higher than that in Jilin area (0.178 ng g) and all OCPs concentrations in rice field water met the water quality standards for Grade I regulated by China's national environmental quality standard of surface water. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]