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Objective: The purpose of this study was to examine the moderating effects of individual and community social capital on the relationship between child loss and depressive symptoms among elderly adults in China. Method: A sample of 2,581 elderly adults in 272 rural communities and 826 elderly adults in 116 urban communities was drawn from Chinese Health and Retirement Longitudinal Studies. Hierarchical linear modeling was applied in the analysis. Results: Social participation as an indicator of individual social capital has a buffering effect on depressive symptoms among rural bereaved parents while it is not beneficial for urban bereaved parents. In contrast, community social capital may be a protective factor for the mental health of urban bereaved parents, but no so for those in rural areas. Discussion: These findings highlight the complex interplay of social capital and broader socio-cultural contexts in rural and urban China and suggest policy implications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study analyses the factor structure and psychometric properties of the Chinese version of Beck Anxiety Inventory on Chinese doctors. Participants include 762 doctors sampled in 18 public hospitals in three cities in Eastern China. Exploratory factor analysis is employed to identify the potential factor structure of the inventory. Confirmatory factor analysis is referred to for model fit. The results indicate that the Chinese version of Beck Anxiety Inventory has satisfactory reliability and validity, but its factor structure is unstable and has great differences compared with international versions. Naming the four extracted factors is difficult. In general, the Chinese version of Beck Anxiety Inventory is appropriate for Chinese doctors and can be used as a good screener to detect the anxiety of Chinese doctors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

By retrieving literature published from 2005 to 2015 from Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wanfang, Vip, PubMed, and Web of Science, we filtered out studies using the Children’s Depression Inventory only and compared left-behind children and non-left-behind children. The methodological quality of the papers was evaluated using the Newcastle–Ottawa Scale. Finally, we included six studies to carry out a meta-analysis. The results showed that the Children’s Depression Inventory scores of left-behind children are significantly higher than those of non-left-behind children (standardized mean difference: −0.233, 95% confidence interval: −0.036 to −0.430, p < 0.05). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated depression and anxiety among Chinese elderly earthquake survivors, addressing relevant correlations. We sampled one earthquake-prone city, utilising the Geriatric Depression Scale and Beck Anxiety Inventory. In addition, explorative factor analysis and structural equation model methods were used. Results indicated elderly earthquake survivors exhibited symptoms of moderate depression and anxiety; depression and anxiety are highly positively correlated. The overlap between these two psychological problems may be due to subjective fear and motoric dimensions; subjective fear and motoric dimensions of Beck Anxiety Inventory are more strongly related to Geriatric Depression Scale domains. The two scales exhibit high reliability and validity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In China, school social work services after disasters are at the exploratory stage. After the Sichuan earthquake in 2008, the recognition of social work intervention to reconstruct post-disaster areas has emerged. This article illustrates the process of school social work service in the disaster relief schools of Sichuan by viewing the project undertaken by the China Youth Development Foundation, which is associated with the China Association of Social Work Education. It likewise explores the service modes for the local development of school social work, which marks a new stage in the development of social work in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, climate change has caused a significant increase in the natural disaster risk on a global scale, posing a great threat to humans and ecosystems. In addition to natural disasters, climate change and human activity-driven land use changes can also increase the ecological risk by reducing the supply of ecosystem services for humans. However, compared with the mature risk assessment framework in the field of natural disasters, the ecological risk of land use change is still a novel concept, and neither the connotation nor the evaluation methods are sufficiently defined. Therefore, with the help of the classic framework in the field of disaster risk assessment, a new framework for assessing the ecological risk of land use change is proposed and applied to the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau of China. The ecological risk of land use changes can be defined as the product of the possibility of land use changes and the hazard (loss of ecosystem services) caused by land use changes. In the future, the possibility of land use change on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau will be higher in the east and lower in the west; the accompanying hazards are predicted to be higher in the southeast and lower in the central and western regions. The ecological risk of land use changes on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau will be highest in the southeastern part and along the edges of the plateau. [Display omitted] • A new framework for assessing the ecological risk of land use change (ERLUC) is proposed. • The possibility of future land use change and accompanying hazards on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau was assessed. • The ERLUC on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau is mainly concentrated in the southeast and edges of the plateau. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Compared with that in other countries, the issue of fertility in China is more complicated because of its restriction policy or system. Several major hypotheses have been proposed to explain and predict the impact of migration on China's fertility regardless of China's real situation. Therefore, this paper analyzes the impact of migration on fertility considering China's underlying restrictions using the data from the Chinese General Social Survey carried out in 2008. The social class in this study was divided into two, namely urban class and rural class. By building the 2 × 2 mobility tables and the diagonal mobility model, the study determined the impact of migration on fertility and analyzed the influence of some restrictions, such as family planning, traditional fertility concept, and household registration system. Results show that migration greatly affects fertility: upward migration (i.e., from rural to urban) may decrease the fertility, whereas downward migration (i.e., from urban to rural) may increase it. The degree of decline on fertility is greater than that of increase. Family planning still plays a role in fertility decline. Traditional concepts on fertility, for example, bringing up sons to take care of parents in their old age and preferring boys to girls, are anchored on the people's mind, which is detrimental to the stability of the fertility rate. Moreover, the household registration system primarily influences the fertility behavior of temporary migration, with a negative relationship between them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • The level of total phenolic acids in 6 categories of vegetables were in the following order: flower > root > leafy > stem > bean > fruit. • The leafy, root and stem vegetables were more abundant in the kinds of phenolic acids than others. • The level of ferulic acid, isoferulic acid and p-coumaric acid were higher than other phenolic acids in vegetables. • Free soluble phenolic acids were the dominant species in vegetables (P < 0.001), with the exception of stem vegetables (P < 0.027). Abstract This study aimed to establish a precise HPLC-MS approach to determine the concentrations and distribution of major phenolic acids in six categories of vegetables that are commonly consumed in China. We detected 17 phenolic acids within 15 min under optimized conditions. The method showed detection limits varying from 0.008 mg/L to 0.042 mg/L, average recoveries ranging from 71.0% to 110.7%, and a RSD of ≤9.98%. The average concentrations of total phenolic acids followed the order of flower > root > leafy > stem > bean > fruit vegetables. The phenolic acids were more abundant in the leafy, root, and stem vegetables than in the other vegetable samples. Furthermore, the levels of isoferulic acid, p -coumaric acid, and ferulic acid were greater than those of other phenolic acids in the vegetables. Free soluble phenolic acids were the dominant species in all vegetables (P < 0.001), except in the stem vegetables (P < 0.027). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper addresses the surface and Holocene aeolian deposits in the southeastern Mu Us Desert, N. China, systematically analysing the evolution of the geochemical characteristics of aeolian sand-palaeosol sequences and their environmental significance. Our results indicate that the geochemical components of the Holocene aeolian deposits and surface deposits had the similar material sources, sediment transport and deposition processes in the study region, which were dominated by SiO2, Al2O3, and Na2O. In the weathering process of the Jinjie (JJ) profile, the Na, K, and Si presented the slight leaching and migration in general, while the other elements were relatively accumulated. The Holocene aeolian deposits and surface deposits incurred weaker geochemical weathering under cold and dry conditions and were only weakly leached, which implies a relatively arid environment in the Holocene epoch and the modern era. The weathering degree was controlled by the regional temperature and precipitation, and was probably more sensitive to the precipitation changes. In the sedimentary profile, the geochemical parameters and migration of elements demonstrated that there have been several alternating warm-wet and cold-dry intervals in the Mu Us Desert in the Holocene epoch; there were relatively warm and wet conditions prior to 4.6 ka, and it has been cold and dry since then. Six millennial-scale dry events were recorded during the Holocene, which were not only accordant with the history of palaeoclimatic changes in the different latitudes and archives of the Northern Hemisphere, but also correspond to the millennial-scale variation of cosmic radiation and solar activity during that period. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Renewable energy is necessary for sustainable social and economic development. This is particularly so with global energy shortages, the continuous deterioration of ecosystems and the environment, as well as the world population explosion. This article qualitatively and quantitatively analyzes the effects and problems of Chinese favorable land price policy on photovoltaics. In examining the favorable land price policy in China, this study develops a multiple-linear regression model to study the effects of favorable land price policy on photovoltaic power and photovoltaic industry. Data used in this research was mainly collected from 20 provinces in China. It is found that the development of PV in China has been greatly affected by the favorable land price policy. In the end, it is highly recommended that favorable land price policy should be continued for renewable energy. Systemic deficiencies can be overcome through continual reform and innovation of mechanisms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to review the pooled prevalence of anxiety disorders among empty-nest elderly in China. Nine studies and 4245 empty-nest elders in China were included in this meta-analysis. A combined effect size with 95 percent confidence intervals was calculated to indicate the magnitude of the effect. The results indicated that the pooled prevalence of anxiety disorders among empty-nest elderly in China was 41.0% (95% confidence interval: 26%–56%). In addition, the different regions in China show different prevalence of anxiety. We speculated that the prevalence varies based on the different methods performed in the empty-nest elderly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aplastic anemia (AA) is a hematologic disease characterized by pancytopenia and hypocellular bone marrow, potentially leading to chronic anemia, hemorrhage, and infection. The China Aplastic Anemia Committee and British Committee for Standards in Haematology guidelines recommend hematopoietic stem-cell transplantation (HSCT) or immunosuppressive therapy (IST) comprising antithymocyte globulin (ATG) with cyclosporine (CsA) as initial treatment for AA patients. With limited epidemiological data on the clinical management of AA in Asia, a prospective cohort registry study involving 22 AA treatment centers in China was conducted to describe the disease characteristics of newly diagnosed AA patients and investigate real-world treatment patterns and patient outcomes. Of 340 AA patients, 72.9, 12.6, and 3.5% were receiving IST, traditional Chinese medicine, and HSCT, respectively, at baseline; only 22.2% of IST-treated patients received guideline-recommended ATG with CsA initially. Almost all patients received supportive care (95.6%) as blood transfusion (97.8%), antibiotics (63.7%), and/or hematopoietic growth factors (58.2%). Overall, 64.8% achieved a partial or complete response, and 0.9% experienced relapse. No new safety concerns were identified; serious adverse events were largely unrelated to the treatment regimen. These results demonstrate the need to identify and minimize treatment barriers to standardize and align AA management in China with treatment guideline recommendations and further improve patient outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The MATRICS consensus cognitive battery (MCCB) has been widely used to evaluate cognitive deficits in schizophrenia (SCZ), however, no study has formally examined the validity of the MCCB in Chinese SCZ. This study compared Chinese SCZ patients with healthy Chinese controls on the MCCB and some additional neurocognitive tests to determine if the Chinese MCCB is an optimal battery to assess the cognitive deficits in Chinese SCZ patients. The study enrolled and examined 230 patients met DSM-IV criteria for SCZ and 656 healthy controls matched for gender, age and education. Besides the MCCB, we also included some additional neurocognitive tests that have been widely used in patients with schizophrenia. We selected MCCB and non-MCCB tests with large effect size, to assemble a new "optimal battery" and compared its performance with that of the standard MCCB. Comparing the putative "optimal" battery with the original MCCB, more patients with SCZ were identified as cognitively impaired according to the criteria of GDS ≥ 0.50 for the optimal battery (166 vs 135, or 72.2% vs 58.7%). The rate of cognitive impairment according to MCCB GDS in patients with SCZ who were currently working, ever worked and never worked are 45.5%, 61.6% and 70.8% (p = 0.051), whereas the optimal battery GDS showed 56.4%, 74.8%, 91.7% (p = 0.003), respectively. Our study needs validation with independent samples but suggests that the current "optimal" cognitive battery could be more sensitive than the widely used MCCB in detecting SCZ related cognitive impairment in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The third plague pandemic originated from Yunnan Province, China in the middle of the 19th century. The last human plague epidemic in Yunnan occurred from 1986–2005. On June 6, 2016, a case of human plague was reported in the Xishuangbanna Prefecture, Yunnan. The patient suffered from primary septicemic plague after exposure to a dead house rat (Rattus flavipectus), which has been identified as the main plague reservoir in the local epizootic area. Moreover, a retrospective investigation identified another bubonic plague case in this area. Based on these data, human plague reemerged after a silent period of ten years. In this study, three molecular typing methods, including a clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR) analysis, different region analysis (DFR), and multiple-locus variable number of tandem repeats analysis (MLVA), were used to illustrate the molecular characteristics of Yersinia pestis (Y. pestis) strains isolated in Yunnan. The DFR profiles of the strains isolated in Yunnan in 2016 were the same as the strains that had previously been isolated in this Rattus flavipectus plague focus. The c3 spacer present in the previously isolated strains was absent in the spacer arrays of the Ypc CRISPR loci of the strains isolated in 2016. The MLVA analysis using MLVA (14+12) showed that the strains isolated from the human plague case and host animal plague infection in 2016 in Yunnan displayed different molecular patterns than the strains that had previously been isolated from Yunnan and adjacent provinces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plague, caused by Yersinia pestis, was classified as a reemerging infectious disease by the World Health Organization. The five human pneumonic plague cases in Yulong County in 2005 gave rise to the discovery of a Yulong plague focus in Yunnan province, China. Thereafter, continuous wild rodent plague (sylvatic plague) was identified as the main plague reservoir of this focus. In this study, the epizootics in Yulong focus were described, and three molecular typing methods, including the different region (DFR) analysis, clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPRs), and the multiple-locus variable number of tandem repeats (VNTR) analysis (MLVA) (14+12), were used for the molecular typing and source tracing of Y. pestis isolates in the Yulong plague focus. Simultaneously, several isolates from the vicinity of Yunnan were used as controls. The results showed that during the 10-year period from 2006 to 2016, an animal plague epidemic occurred in 6 of those years, and 5 villages underwent an animal plague epidemic within a 30-km2 area of the Yulong plague focus. Searching for dead mice was the most effective monitoring method in this plague focus. No positive sample has been found in 6937 captured live rodents thus far, suggesting that the virulence of strains in the Yulong plague focus is stronger and the survival time of mice is shorter after infection. Strains from Lijiang, Sichuan and Tibet were of the same complex based on a typing analysis of DFR and CRISPR. The genetic relationship of Y. pestis illustrated by MLVA “14+12” demonstrates that Tibet and Sichuan strains evolved from the strains 1.IN2 (Qinghai, 1970 and Tibet, 1976), and Lijiang strains are closer to Batang strains (Batang County in Sichuan province, 2011, Himalaya marmot plague foci) in terms of genetic or phylogenic relationships. In conclusion, we have a deeper understanding of this new plague focus throughout this study, which provides a basis for effective prevention and control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We analyzed 10 isolates of Francisella tularensis subspecies holarctica from China and assigned them to known clades by using canonical single-nucleotide polymorphisms. We found 4 diverse subtypes, including 3 from the most basal lineage, biovar japonica. This result indicates unprecedented levels of diversity from a single region and suggests new models for emergence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Phenolic acids intake of Chinese residents have been assessed for the first time. • 16 phenolic acids in 116 foods from five regions of China were determined. • Free, esterified and bound phenolic acids were determined. • The dietary intake of food refers to the data of 2009–2013 and 2002. Phenolic acids have been reported to have many biological activities, but daily intake information is scarce. In this study, the phenolic acid contents of 116 commonly consumed food in five regions of China (Beijing, Hangzhou, Wuhan, Chongqing and Guangzhou) were analyzed by high performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS) and dietary intakes estimated. Tea had the highest total phenolic acids (TPA) content in all regions investigated. Phenolic acids were in esterified and bound forms, and hydroxycinnamic acids accounted for more than half of TPA content, except in tea and legumes. Average TPA intake was 193.50 mg/ day at the national level but ranged from 157.09 to 263.01 mg/ day among the regions. Rice, tea, and fruits were the main contributors to dietary intakes of TPA. Also, TPA intake in the period 2009–2013 increased 31.65 mg/ day compared with 2002, largely due to increased intakes of fruits, vegetables, and legumes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The MATRICS consensus cognitive battery (MCCB) has been widely used to evaluate cognitive deficits in schizophrenia (SCZ), however, no study has formally examined the validity of the MCCB in Chinese SCZ. This study compared Chinese SCZ patients with healthy Chinese controls on the MCCB and some additional neurocognitive tests to determine if the Chinese MCCB is an optimal battery to assess the cognitive deficits in Chinese SCZ patients.Method: The study enrolled and examined 230 patients met DSM-IV criteria for SCZ and 656 healthy controls matched for gender, age and education. Besides the MCCB, we also included some additional neurocognitive tests that have been widely used in patients with schizophrenia. We selected MCCB and non-MCCB tests with large effect size, to assemble a new "optimal battery" and compared its performance with that of the standard MCCB.Results: Comparing the putative "optimal" battery with the original MCCB, more patients with SCZ were identified as cognitively impaired according to the criteria of GDS ≥ 0.50 for the optimal battery (166 vs 135, or 72.2% vs 58.7%). The rate of cognitive impairment according to MCCB GDS in patients with SCZ who were currently working, ever worked and never worked are 45.5%, 61.6% and 70.8% (p = 0.051), whereas the optimal battery GDS showed 56.4%, 74.8%, 91.7% (p = 0.003), respectively.Conclusions: Our study needs validation with independent samples but suggests that the current "optimal" cognitive battery could be more sensitive than the widely used MCCB in detecting SCZ related cognitive impairment in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]