Search

Rapid development of urbanization and intense human activities had a profound influence on the ecosystem service functions. As an integrated monetary index for the evaluation of final ecosystem services, the gross ecosystem product (GEP) is widely used in the quantification of ecosystem service value (ESV). This study initially assessed and analyzed the spatial distribution of the GEP at the county-level scale using multisource data spanning 2000, 2005, 2010, 2015, and 2020. Then, the spatial transfer characteristics of the GEP were measured. Finally, the study employed spatial panel econometric models and the geographically weighted regression (GWR) model to investigate the spatial effect of urbanization and ecological construction on the GEP. The results indicated that: (1) In 2020, the GEP in the Yangtze River Delta Region was RMB 15.24 trillion, and the GEP per unit area was RMB 42.58 million per square kilometer. It exhibited a cumulative decrease of RMB 298.72 billion from 2000 to 2020. (2) The spatial transfer efficiency of the GEP in urban agglomerations showed a clear decline trend. During the period of 2000–2020, over 96% of county-level units exhibited a decline with RMB 90,076,103.17/km2, indicating a consistent downward trend from the central regions towards the periphery. (3) Based on the decomposition effects of the spatial Durbin mode, urbanization and the ecological construction indicator showed spatial spillover effects on the GEP, but their impact mechanisms varied substantially. Among them, the urbanization rate (UR), population density (PD), and the proportion of impervious land (ILP) had the largest negative effect on the GEP, and a 1% rise in ILP locally resulted in a 0.044% decline in the local GEP and a 0.078% rise in the GEP of neighboring units. And the area of ecological land had a positive effect on the GEP of both local and neighboring areas. Those conclusions can offer evidence in favor of encouraging ecologically responsible building practices and sustainable growth in urban agglomerations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSC) is a common and fatal tumor with a bleak prognosis, posing a significant threat to human health. N6‐methyladenosine (m6A) modification regulates tumor progression by modulating gene expression post‐transcriptionally. Nevertheless, the specific function of m6A‐modified tumor drivers in HNSC remains largely uncharted. In this study, we revealed the pro‐oncogenic role of m6A‐regulated NTMT1 in HNSC through comprehensive pan‐cancer analysis and experimental validation. By scrutinizing the prognostic and expression profiles of NTMT1 across over 30 cancer types, we observed a significant association between NTMT1 and patient overall survival in ACC, HNSC, LAML, LGG, KIRC, and STAD. Moreover, we find a close correlation between NTMT1 and disease‐free survival in ACC, HNSC, LUSC, UVM, KIRC, and STAD. NTMT1 exhibited dysregulation in 15 cancers, including CESC, CHOL, COAD, DLBC, GBM, HNSC, LGG, LIHC, PAAD, READ, SKCM, THYM, UCS, LAML, and TGCT. Integrated data underscored the critical involvement of NTMT1 in HNSC. Furthermore, the expression of NTMT1 was closely associated with tumor stage and immune infiltration in HNSC. Functionally, NTMT1 deficiency was demonstrated to significantly impede cell proliferation and cell‐cycle progression in HNSC. Mechanistically, METTL3 was elucidated to mediate the epigenetic upregulation of NTMT1 in HNSC in an m6A‐dependent manner, and the overexpression of METTL3 was shown to alleviate the inhibitory impact of downregulated NTMT1 on HNSC proliferation. In conclusion, our findings enhance our understanding of NTMT1's role across various cancer types and offer a rationale for clinically targeting NTMT1 as a therapeutic approach for HNSC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Music listening can be easily implemented as a safe, low‐cost, and non‐invasive intervention. Aims: We assessed the effectiveness of music listening on sleep quality, psychological outcomes, and physiological outcomes for critically ill patients in intensive care units (ICUs). Study design: It is a systematic review and meta‐analysis. Twelve electronic databases were searched from inception to February 2022. Inclusion criteria were randomized and quasi‐experimental trials that assessed the effect of music listening during ICUs, excluding those receiving music therapy. The outcome indicators were sleep quality, anxiety, depression, and physiological outcomes. We assessed the quality of the included studies using the Cochrane risk of bias tool, and performed a meta‐analysis using RevMan 5.3 software. Standardized mean difference (SMD) or mean difference (MD) were used as measures of effect and the results were presented as SMD or MD with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Results: A total of 1585 titles and abstracts were identified, in which 29 studies were included in the systematic review, which evaluated 2198 subjects, including 1106 in control groups and 1092 in intervention groups. Compared with control groups, music listening improved sleep quality (SMD: 0.93 [95% CI: 0.49–1.38]), anxiety (SMD: −1.12 [−1.55 to −0.69]), depression (SMD: −1.08 [−1.62 to −0.55]), and physiological parameters. Subgroup analysis revealed that music listening produced better results in improving sleep quality in studies of non‐surgical patients, in studies in which researchers selected the type of music, in studies with longer intervention duration (>45 to ≤60 min), and in studies that used the Richards‐Campbell sleep questionnaire. Bias risk was moderate in all of the included studies. Conclusions: Music listening can improve sleep quality, anxiety, and depression in critically ill patients. However, high‐quality trials are still needed to determine the role of music listening in critical care in more depth. Relevance to clinical practice: Music listening is an inexpensive and easy‐to‐administer intervention that is unlikely to have adverse effects, in contrast to many sedative and analgestic drugs. It deserves widespread use in critically ill patients. Registration: The present study is registered with PROSPERO, number CRD42019147202. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]