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Purpose: The air health index (AHI) captures the combined effects of air pollution and non-optimal temperatures and helps assess the atmospheric environment's overall health risk. Shandong Province is a crucial industrial base in China, and the health effects of air pollution and non-optimal temperature cannot be ignored. To construct an AHI for Shandong Province and assess the district-level mortality burden due to AHI in the study area. Methods: Daily district-specific mortality, meteorological, and air pollution data over 2013–2018 were collected in Shandong Province, China. The AHI construction eventually incorporated PM2.5 and NO2, O3, and non-optimal temperatures. Attributable fraction (AF) and attributable number (AN) were used to estimate the district-specific mortality burden attributable to AHI. Results: The average AHI value observed in Shandong Province was 6. Our research revealed a positive association between the total AHI and total mortality, with an overall trend of a slow increase followed by a rapid increase. The exposure–response curves, when stratified by gender, age, and cause of death, were approximately consistent with the overall trend. The provincial attributable fraction (AF) was 5.31% (95% CI 4.58%, 5.91%), and the attributable number (AN) was 188,246 (95% CI 162,396, 209,533). Overall, higher ANs mainly appeared in the southwestern area, while higher values of AF were observed in the central-eastern and central-northern areas. Conclusions: The air health index performs well in predicting death burden and can convey health risks related to exposure to the ambient environment to the public. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The green finance sector is key to accelerating the green transformation of economic structures and promoting green economic growth. However, understanding how to effectively combine green finance and green innovation is still in the exploratory stage. Using the implementation of the Green Credit Guidelines (hereinafter Guidelines) in 2012 as a quasi-natural experiment, we examine the causal relationship between green finance and green innovation. According to our findings, the green innovation performance of green credit-restricted industries improved significantly after the implementation of the Guidelines, although quality improvements of green innovation were not evident. This was a result of improved management efficiency and investment efficiency. Additionally, the Guidelines appear to have a more positive impact on green innovation for firms with lower levels of managerial short-termism or firms in regions with stronger environmental law enforcement. Green innovation can significantly enhance the environmental and social performance of a company. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: NSCLC is the most common type of lung cancers. The purpose of this study is to screen cancer-related mutations in early LUAD in China through NGS technology, determine their correlation with clinical characteristics and provide basis for treatment decisions. Methods: In this study, we performed a 583 gene panel to detect the mutational spectrum of the tumors which were collected from 98 LUAD patients. The sequencing data and clinical characteristics were analyzed. Results: Mutations were identified in 94.9% of patients. EGFR had the highest mutation frequency which was detected in 66% of the patients and was significantly associated with female gender and non-smoking history. Other genes with high mutation frequency were TP53 (37%), ERBB2 (24%), BCOR (22%), ZFHX3 (19%), BTG1 (17%), ATR (16%), WWTR1 (15%), etc. TP53 mutations were significantly associated with medium and low differentiation of tumors; BCOR and BLM mutations with gender; WWTR1 mutations with age; and ATR mutations with visceral pleura invasion were observed. 61% of the patients harbored at less one actionable alteration associated with FDA-recognized or investigational drugs. Conclusion: Multiple mutations in LUAD patients in this study have not previously been reported in NSCLC. Moreover, mutations in driver genes including EGFR, TP53, BCOR, BLM, WWTR1, and ATR were significantly related to clinical features. The panel used in this study is an effective approach for molecular analysis and can be applied in personalized treatment decision-making and drug development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

HIV-infected (HIV+) women may be more vulnerable to neurocognitive impairment (NCI) due to psychological and physiological factors but previous studies show mixed findings. We investigated the neurocognitive performances in HIV+ versus HIV− women and men. This cross-sectional analysis included 669 HIV+ patients (223 women) and 1338 HIV-uninfected (HIV−) controls (446 women) which were frequency matched on sex, education, and 5-year age categories. NCI was screened using the Mini-mental State Examination. Psychomotor speed was assessed using timed alternating hand sequence test. Prevalence of NCI was higher among women versus men in the HIV+ group (16.1% vs 10.5%) but not the HIV− group (4.3% vs 3.5%). HIV+ women performed worse compared to men on psychomotor speed, orientation, attention, and calculation, whereas HIV− women performed worse compared to men on attention and calculation. Adjusted interaction effects of HIV status × sex (women vs men) were significant on orientation, attention, and calculation, and marginally significant on psychomotor speed (p = 0.053). In multivariable models, among both HIV+ women and men, less years of education and depressive symptoms were associated with NCI. Waist-to-hip ratio above the cut-off was strongly associated with NCI among HIV+ women. HIV+ women perform worse on cognitive measures compared to HIV+ men. The association of central obesity with NCI in HIV+ women should be noted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two new species, Castanopsis praefissa R.Y. Li et B.N. Sun sp. nov. and Castanopsis praeouonbiensis R.Y. Li et B.N. Sun sp. nov., are described from fossil specimens collected from the upper Miocene Shengxian Formation, Zhejiang Province, Southeast China. The fossil leaves are obovate to elliptical with serration mostly confined to the upper 1/3 of the lamina, pinnate venation, straight anticlinal walls and cyclocytic stomata. The fossil cupule is globose with fasciculate and branched spines, and a broadly ovate nut scar. The fossil leaves and cupule have been compared with those extant and other fossil species hitherto described in this genus. Castanopsis praefissa shows the closest affinity to C. fissa, and C. praeouonbiensis closely resembles C. ouonbiensis. Castanopsis fissa has toothed leaves and scaly cupules, whereas C. ouonbiensis has untoothed leaves and spiny cupules. Furthermore, they were not collected from the same site. So it is reasonable to assign them to two different species, rather than to one. Castanopsis praeouonbiensis and C. praefissa became extinct in this area because of the cooling climate from the late Miocene to the present day in Zhejiang Province. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]