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This study aimed to: 1) estimate the prevalence of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection and mental health problems in Chinese adults, after the relaxation of the dynamic zero-COVID-19 policy; 2) examine the relationship between multi-dimensional variables related to COVID-19 infection and mental health symptoms; 3) explore the differences in the above relationship between healthcare workers (HCWs) and general populations. A large cross-sectional survey of residents in Beijing was conducted from January 13th to February 9th, 2023. A total of 53,762 adults were included in our analyses. The infection rate of COVID-19 was 83.6 % in our study sample. The prevalence of depressive and post-traumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) was 20.0 % and 19.2 % in full sample, respectively. People with COVID-19 infection experience developed more mental health problems, especially for those still having physical symptoms. However, participants recovered from infection had lesser PTSS. Multi-dimensional variables related to COVID-19, i.e., infection status, frequency of infection, time from firstly tested positive, number, duration, severity of physical symptoms and the lowest SpO2, were all significantly associated with mental health symptoms. Occupational types were found to moderate the above relationships, and healthcare workers had less mental health symptoms though they had more infection exposure. This was a cross-sectional study, limiting the causal inference. Multi-dimensional indicators related to COVID-19 infection are associated with mental health symptoms. The findings call for that more personalized mental health service should be delivered to the general populations with COVID-19 infection experience. • The infection rate of COVID-19 was 83.6 % in our study sample. • Participants recovered from infection had lesser PTSD symptoms. • People with COVID-19 infection experience developed more mental health problems. • Healthcare workers had less mental health symptoms though they had more infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Health interventions can delay or prevent the occurrence and development of diabetes. Dynamic nomogram and risk score (RS) models were developed to predict the probability of developing type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and identify high-risk groups. Methods: Participants (n = 44,852) from the Beijing Physical Examination Center were followed up for 11 years (2006–2017); the mean follow-up time was 4.06 ± 2.09 years. Multivariable Cox regression was conducted in the training cohort to identify risk factors associated with T2DM and develop dynamic nomogram and RS models using weighted estimators corresponding to each covariate derived from the fitted Cox regression coefficients and variance estimates, and then undergone internal validation and sensitivity analysis. The concordance index (C-index) was used to assess the accuracy and reliability of the model. Results: Of the 44,852 individuals at baseline, 2,912 were diagnosed with T2DM during the follow-up period, and the incidence density rate per 1,000 person-years was 16.00. Multivariate analysis indicated that male sex (P < 0.001), older age (P < 0.001), high body mass index (BMI, P < 0.05), high fasting plasma glucose (FPG, P < 0.001), hypertension (P = 0.015), dyslipidaemia (P < 0.001), and low serum creatinine (sCr, P < 0.05) at presentation were risk factors for T2DM. The dynamic nomogram achieved a high C-index of 0.909 in the training set and 0.905 in the validation set. A tenfold cross-validation estimated the area under the curve of the nomogram at 0.909 (95% confidence interval 0.897–0.920). Moreover, the dynamic nomogram and RS model exhibited acceptable discrimination and clinical usefulness in subgroup and sensitivity analyses. Conclusions: The T2DM dynamic nomogram and RS models offer clinicians and others who conduct physical examinations, respectively, simple-to-use tools to assess the risk of developing T2DM in the urban Chinese current or retired employees. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Globally, expansive urbanization profoundly alters natural habitats and the associated biota. Monitoring biodiversity in cities can provide essential information for conservation management, but the complexity of urban landscapes poses serious challenges to conventional observational and capture-based surveys. Here we assessed pan-vertebrate biodiversity, including both aquatic and terrestrial taxa, using environmental DNA (eDNA) sampled from 109 water sites across Beijing, China. Using eDNA metabarcoding with a single primer set (Tele02), we detected 126 vertebrate species, including 73 fish, 39 birds, 11 mammals, and 3 reptiles belonging to 91 genera, 46 families, and 22 orders. The probability of detection from eDNA varied substantially among species and was related to their lifestyle, as shown by the greater detectability of fish compared to that of terrestrial and arboreal (birds and mammals) groups, as well as the greater detectability of water birds compared to that of forest birds (Wilcoxon rank-sum test p = 0.007). Furthermore, the eDNA detection probabilities across all vertebrates (Wilcoxon rank-sum test p = 0.009), as well as for birds (p < 0.001), were higher at lentic sites in comparison with lotic sites. Also, the detected biodiversity was positively correlated with lentic waterbody size for fish (Spearman p = 0.012), but not for other groups. Our results demonstrate the capacity of eDNA metabarcoding to efficiently surveil diverse vertebrate communities across an extensive spatial scale in heterogenous urban landscapes. With further methodological development and optimization, the eDNA approach has great potential for non-invasive, efficient, economic, and timely assessments of biodiversity responses to urbanization, thus guiding city ecosystem conservation management. [Display omitted] • Surveying urban biodiversity is difficult using traditional approaches. • We mapped pan-vertebrate biodiversity across Beijing using aquatic eDNA metabarcoding. • We identified 126 aquatic and terrestrial taxa spanning fish, reptiles, birds, and mammals. • Waterbody type and size affect eDNA-based biodiversity detection. • eDNA methods enable large-scale urban biodiversity surveillance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region experienced the most rainfall in 1994 and the least rainfall in 1997 during the last 20 years. Utilizing the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model coupled with a single-layer urban canopy model (UCM), we investigate the possible effects of urbanization on summer precipitation under different climate backgrounds using the two extreme years. By comparing the results of control and sensitivity runs, we find totally different effects in the 2 years. In 1994, the rainfall and rainfall frequency decrease in most areas due to urbanization, and decreases in the rainfall intensity occur in urban areas of Beijing, Tangshan, and Shijiazhuang. In 1997, the rainfall, rainfall frequency, and intensity are reduced in southwest of Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei, while the change is opposite in northeast. Urbanization alters the diurnal distribution of rainfall, the energy budget, and the water vapor content in the atmosphere. Due to the decrease in city evaporation and transpiration, the surface latent heat flux is reduced. The water vapor mixing ratio in urban area decreases apparently from surface to 850 hPa, while it increases from 850 to 600 hPa. Overall, the reduction of water vapor mixing ratio in 1994 is more than that in 1997, which implies that the “dry island effect” caused by urbanization is stronger in the wet year than that in the dry year. Results also show that the inhibition (enhancement) of deep convection may explain the modification of precipitation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study evaluated the protective effect of 13-valent pneumococcal polysaccharide conjugate vaccine (PCV13) against all-cause hospitalized pneumonia in children in Beijing. Based on the vaccination record and inpatient medical record database of Beijing, children born in 2017 in Beijing, matched by age, gender, and district of the children with the ratio of 1:4, were selected as the vaccinated and unvaccinated groups according whether if vaccinated with PCV13. The incidence rate and 95 % confidence interval (95 %CI), vaccine effectiveness (VE) and direct medical costs of all-cause hospitalized pneumonia were calculated and compared within the same period of 12 months, 18 months, 24 months and 30 months after the birth of the child. The decreased incidence rates of all-cause hospitalized pneumonia were observed at the four points in the PCV13 vaccinated group compared to the unvaccinated group, which were significant at the points of 12 months (0.42 % vs. 0.72 %, P = 0.001), 18 months (0.90 % vs. 1.26 %, P = 0.002) and 24 months (1.37 % vs. 1.65 %, P = 0.046). The VE of PCV13 against all-cause hospitalized pneumonia within 12 months was the highest as 41.9 % (95 % CI 19.6 %, 58.0 %), followed by 29.3 % (95 % CI 11.4 %, 43.5 %) within 18 months, 17.1 % (95 % CI 0.3 %, 31.1 %) within 24 months and it almost disappeared within 30 months. The VE of 4-dose vaccination within 18 months and 24 months were 39.9 % (95 % CI 20.3 %, 54.7 %) and 27.2 % (95 % CI 8.6 %, 42.0 %), respectively. The median hospitalization cost of the children in the vaccinated group was higher at the four points but without significance. PCV13 had a certain protective effect on all-cause hospitalized pneumonia, and the booster immunization strategy had the best protective effect with great public health significance to enter the immunization program. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Public health intervention priorities to control the spread of antimicrobial resistance in the food sector rely on a comprehensive understanding of its situation among various food products. By analyzing a set of fifteen different kinds of food products (n = 495) collected at retail in Beijing, China, we found the food-animal products, vegetables, aquatic products and fruits were highly contaminated by E. coli (38.4%, 95% CI: 34.1%-42.8%) and enterococci (74.5%, 95% CI: 70.5%-78.3%), showing a multidrug-resistance (MDR) proportion of 20.3% and 39.5%, respectively. With the highest incidence of E. coli (66.7%, 95% CI: 57.9%-74.6%) and enterococci (80.3%, 95% CI: 72.5%-86.7%), as well as the high MDR proportion; the food-animal products were indeed the most important reservoir of antimicrobial resistance; although the role of vegetables, fruits and aquatic products in the spreading AMR shouldn't be downplayed. These food-borne isolates were highly resistant to antibiotic that are widely used in agriculture, such as tetracycline (E. coli, 65.8%; enterococci, 36.9%) and ampicillin (E. coli , 60.5%), and also to antibiotics that are barely used in the agriculture/aquaculture, such as rifampin (enterococci, 55.3%) and ciprofloxacin (enterococci, 36.9%). Moreover, we observed positive correlations between food types and some particular resistance phenotypes of the isolates. In addition, genes coding resistance to clinical important antibiotics, mcr-1 (colistin) and optrA (oxazolidinones), were detected in the food-borne isolates and showed by bioinformatics analysis a potential in connecting animals and humans. • Food products at retail in Beijing were highly contaminated with Escherichia coli and enterococci. • 39.5% E. coli and 20.3% enterococcal isolates were multidrug-resistant. • Mcr-1 and optrA were detected in bacteria from food and showed a potential in connecting animals and humans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• C. perfringens was found in 23.4 % of chickens and 72.0 % of pigs. • All 322 C. perfringens isolates belonged to toxin type A and 45.7 % carried beta-2 toxin-encoding gene cpb2. • Most strains showed high-level resistance to gentamicin and sulfonamides, and low resistance to amoxicillin-clavulanate and cephalosporins. • Genetic diversity was observed and high nucleotide sequence identity to C. perfringens plasmids suggested that horizontal gene transfer may occur. • Isolates from the same farms and areas were found to be phylogenetically close. The prevalence and antimicrobial susceptibility of Clostridium perfringens (C. perfringens) in chickens and pigs were investigated in Beijing and Shanxi, China. In total, 322 C. perfringens (chicken n = 60 and pig n = 262) were obtained from 620 feces of chickens (n = 256) and pigs (n = 364). Multiplex PCR for toxin typing of C. perfringens revealed that all the isolates belong to type A, with 45.7 % (147/322) isolates carrying beta-2 toxin-encoding gene cpb2. Minimum inhibitory concentrations of 27 antimicrobial agents showed that 91.0 % of the tested C. perfringens isolates were resistant to gentamicin and sulfonamides (sulfisoxazole and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole), and little resistance was showed to amoxicillin-clavulanate, ceftiofur, doxycycline, vancomycin and linezolid. Additionally, nosiheptide, avilamycin, virginiamycin and bacitracin exhibited good activity against the tested C. perfringens with low MIC 50 (0.06 to ≤4 μg/mL) and MIC 90 values (0.25–8 μg/mL). Whole genome sequencing (WGS) of 48 representative isolates from each farm indicated that the C. perfringens contained diverse antimicrobial resistance genes [ tetA (P), ant(6)-Ib , erm (Q), etc.] and toxin genes (cpb2 , colA , cloSI , pfoA , etc.). By comparative analysis, four C. perfringens isolates from three different pig farms harboured cpb2 -carrying plasmid p1 with 100 % nucleotide sequence identity, suggesting horizontal gene transfer among these microorganisms. The further phylogenomic reconstruction, based on the core-genome single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of the representatives, demonstrating that C. perfringens from the same farms and regions were closely related. These findings expanded our knowledge of C. perfringens isolated from animals in China, which provided scientific basis for efficient intervention or prevention measures of antimicrobial resistance in animal husbandry in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]