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The diversity of scientific methods has received increasing attention in the field of science education. This paper aimed to investigate how preservice chemistry teachers perceive scientific methods and their diversity. Based on the theoretical framework of Brandon's Matrix and previous research, two tasks (i.e., Task 1 "understanding of the components of Brandon's Matrix" and Task 2 "views on the diversity of scientific methods") and follow-up interview questions were developed in this study as research instruments. 130 preservice chemistry teachers from two universities in China were selected as participants. The statistical results of the questionnaire survey revealed that the participants showed a relatively satisfactory understanding of the components of Brandon's Matrix, and they judged the hypothesis testing more accurately than variable manipulation. However, the majority of participants held relatively naive views on the diversity of scientific methods, suggesting that they endorsed the idea of "the scientific method". Moreover, it was found by in-depth interviews that four typically held reasons led to the misunderstanding of scientific methods by preservice chemistry teachers, namely, misinterpreting the liberal meaning of item scenarios, misconceptions in identifying the "variable manipulation", grade disparity in the scientificity, and past learning experience in chemistry. At the end of this paper, the implications of the findings and the suggestions for further research were discussed.

Introduction: Pathogens causing diabetic foot infections (DFIs) vary by region globally; however, knowledge of the causative organism is essential for effective empirical treatment. We aimed to determine the incidence and antibiotic susceptibility of DFI pathogens worldwide, focusing on Asia and China. Methods: Through a comprehensive literature search, we identified published studies on organisms isolated from DFI wounds from January 2000 to December 2020. Results: Based on our inclusion criteria, we analyzed 245 studies that cumulatively reported 38,744 patients and 41,427 isolated microorganisms. DFI pathogens varied according totime and region. Over time, the incidence of Gram-positive andGramnegative aerobic bacteria have decreased and increased, respectively. America and Asia have the highest (62.74%) and lowest (44.82%) incidence of Gram-negative bacteria, respectively. Africa has the highest incidence (26.90%) of methicillinresistant Staphylococcus aureus. Asia has the highest incidence (49.36%) of Gram-negative aerobic bacteria with species infection rates as follows: Escherichia coli, 10.77%; Enterobacter spp., 3.95%; and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, 11.08%, with higher local rates in China and Southeast Asia. Linezolid, vancomycin, and teicoplanin were the most active agents against Gram-positive aerobes, while imipenemandcefoperazone-sulbactamwerethemostactiveagentsagainstGramnegative aerobes. Discussion: This systematic review showed that over 20 years, the pathogens causing DFIs varied considerably over time and region. This data may inform local clinical guidelines on empirical antibiotic therapy for DFI in China and globally. Regular large-scale epidemiological studies are necessary to identify trends in DFI pathogenic bacteria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Heritable symbionts are common among animals in nature, but the molecular mechanisms underpinning symbiont invasions of host populations have been elusive. In this study, we demonstrate the spread of Rickettsia in an invasive agricultural pest, the whitefly Bemisia tabaci Mediterranean (MED), across northeastern China from 2018 to 2023. Here, we show that the beneficial symbiont Rickettsia spreads by manipulating host hormone signals. Our analyses suggest that Rickettsia have been horizontally acquired by B. tabaci MED from another invasive whitefly B. tabaci Middle East-Asia Minor 1 during periods of coexistence. Rickettsia is transmitted maternally and horizontally from female B. tabaci MED individuals. Rickettsia infection enhances fecundity and results in female bias among whiteflies. Our findings reveal that Rickettsia infection stimulates juvenile hormone (JH) synthesis, in turn enhancing fecundity, copulation events, and the female ratio of the offspring. Consequently, Rickettsia infection results in increased whitefly fecundity and female bias by modulating the JH pathway. More female progeny facilitates the transmission of Rickettsia. This study illustrates that the spread of Rickettsia among invasive whiteflies in northeastern China is propelled by host hormone regulation. Such symbiont invasions lead to rapid physiological and molecular evolution in the host, influencing the biology and ecology of an invasive species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pinellia ternata (Thunb.) Briet., a valuable herb native to China, is susceptible to the "sprout tumble" phenomenon because of high temperatures, resulting in a significant yield reduction. However, the molecular regulatory mechanisms underlying the response of P. ternata to heat stress are not well understood. In this study, we integrated transcriptome and miRNAome sequencing to identify heat-response genes, microRNAs (miRNAs), and key miRNA-target pairs in P. ternata that differed between heat-stress and room-temperature conditions. Transcriptome analysis revealed extensive reprogramming of 4,960 genes across various categories, predominantly associated with cellular and metabolic processes, responses to stimuli, biological regulation, cell parts, organelles, membranes, and catalytic and binding activities. miRNAome sequencing identified 1,597 known/conserved miRNAs that were differentially expressed between the two test conditions. According to the analysis, genes and miRNAs associated with the regulation of transcription, DNA template, transcription factor activity, and sequence-specific DNA binding pathways may play a major role in the resistance to heat stress in P. ternata. Integrated analysis of the transcriptome and miRNAome expression data revealed 41 high-confidence miRNA-mRNA pairs, forming 25 modules. MYB-like proteins and calcium-responsive transcription coactivators may play an integral role in heat-stress resistance in P. ternata. Additionally, the candidate genes and miRNAs were subjected to quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction to validate their expression patterns. These results offer a foundation for future studies exploring the mechanisms and critical genes involved in heat-stress resistance in P. ternata. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Awards and competitions are representative policy instruments of the central government to promote urban governance. Compared with command-and-control tools, awards and competitions can encourage regulators and regulated parties to actively participate in governance. Using the panel data of 286 Chinese cities during 2005 to 2017 and regarding the National Civilized City (NCC) campaign as a quasi-natural experiment, we employ the difference-in-difference (DID) method to analyze the impact of the NCC campaign on enterprise production safety and its spillover effect. Our findings indicate that the NCC campaign significantly reduces enterprise production safety accidents and deaths in cities with the title of the NCC. However, this campaign appears to engender an unintended consequence: an increase in such incidents in the neighboring cities surrounding the NCCs. Heterogeneity analysis further shows that in non-old industrial base, low corruption and low economic growth target cities, the promotion effect of the NCC campaign on enterprise production safety is more significant. The increase in production safety input and the reinforcement of corporate social responsibility are the main influencing mechanisms. This paper can contribute to decision-makers thinking about how to improve enterprise production safety through awards and competitions under the governance structure with Chinese characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

STUDY QUESTION What is the mechanism behind cryoinjury in human sperm, particularly concerning the interplay between reactive oxygen species (ROS) and autophagy, and how does it subsequently affect sperm fate? SUMMARY ANSWER The freeze-thaw operation induces oxidative stress by generating abundant ROS, which impairs sperm motility and activates autophagy, ultimately guiding the sperm toward programmed cell death such as apoptosis and necrosis, as well as triggering premature capacitation. WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY Both ROS-induced oxidative stress and autophagy are thought to exert an influence on the quality of frozen-thawed sperm. STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION Overall, 84 semen specimens were collected from young healthy fertile males, with careful quality evaluation. The specimens were split into three groups to investigate the ROS-induced cryoinjury: normal control without any treatment, sperm treated with 0.5 mM hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) for 1 h, and sperm thawed following cryopreservation. Samples from 48 individuals underwent computer-assisted human sperm analysis (CASA) to evaluate sperm quality in response to the treatments. Semen samples from three donors were analyzed for changes in the sperm proteome after H2O2 treatment, and another set of samples from three donors were analyzed for changes following the freeze-thaw process. The other 30 samples were used for fluorescence-staining and western blotting. PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODS Sperm motility parameters, including progressive motility (PR %) and total motility (PR + NP %), were evaluated using the CASA system on a minimum of 200 spermatozoa. The proteomic profiles were determined with label-free mass spectrometry (MS/MS) and protein identification was performed via ion search against the NCBI human database. Subsequently, comprehensive bioinformatics was applied to detect significant proteomic changes and functional enrichment. Fluorescence-staining and western blot analyses were also conducted to confirm the proteomic changes on selected key proteins. The ROS level was measured using 2′,7′-dichlorodihydrofluorescein diacetate labeling and the abundance of bioactive mitochondria was determined by evaluating the inner mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) level. Molecular behaviors of sequestosome-1 (p62 or SQSTM1) and microtubule-associated proteins 1A/1B light chain 3 (LC3) were monitored to evaluate the state of apoptosis in human sperm. Fluorescent probes oxazole yellow (YO-PRO-1) and propidium iodide (PI) were utilized to monitor programmed cell death, namely apoptosis and necrosis. Additionally, gradient concentrations of antioxidant coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) were introduced to suppress ROS impacts on sperm. MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE The CASA analysis revealed a significant decrease in sperm motility for both the H2O2-treatment and freeze-thaw groups. Fluorescence staining showed that high ROS levels were produced in the treated sperm and the MMPs were largely reduced. The introduction of CoQ10 at concentrations of 20 and 30 μM resulted in a significant rescue of progressive motility (P  < 0.05). The result suggested that excessive ROS could be the major cause of sperm motility impairment, likely by damaging mitochondrial energy generation. Autophagy was significantly activated in sperm when they were under oxidative stress, as evidenced by the upregulation of p62 and the increased conversion of LC3 as well as the upregulation of several autophagy-related proteins, such as charged multivesicular body protein 2a, mitochondrial import receptor subunit TOM22 homolog, and WD repeat domain phosphoinositide-interacting protein 2. Additionally, fluorescent staining indicated the occurrence of apoptosis and necrosis in both H2O2-treated sperm and post-thaw sperm. The cell death process can be suppressed when CoQ10 is introduced, which consolidates the view that ROS could be the major contributor to sperm cryoinjury. The freeze-thaw process could also initiate sperm premature capacitation, demonstrated by the prominent increase in tyrosine phosphorylated proteins, verified with anti-phosphotyrosine antibody and immunofluorescence assays. The upregulation of capacitation-related proteins, such as hyaluronidase 3 and Folate receptor alpha, supported this finding. LARGE SCALE DATA The data underlying this article are available in the article and its online supplementary material. LIMITATIONS, REASONS FOR CAUTION The semen samples were obtained exclusively from young, healthy, and fertile males with progressive motility exceeding 60%, which might overemphasize the positive effects while possibly neglecting the negative impacts of cryoinjury. Additionally, the H2O2 treatment conditions in this study may not precisely mimic the oxidative stress experienced by sperm after thawing from cryopreservation, potentially resulting in the omission of certain molecular alterations. WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS This study provides substantial proteomic data for a comprehensive and deeper understanding of the impact of cryopreservation on sperm quality. It will facilitate the design of optimal protocols for utilizing cryopreserved sperm to improve applications, such as ART, and help resolve various adverse situations caused by chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and surgery. STUDY FUNDING/COMPETING INTEREST(S) This work was supported by grants from the Major Innovation Project of Research Institute of National Health Commission (#2022GJZD01-3) and the National Key R&D Program of China (#2018YFC1003600). All authors declare no competing interests. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER N/A. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common cause of dementia. Accurate prediction and diagnosis of AD and its prodromal stage, i.e., mild cognitive impairment (MCI), is essential for the possible delay and early treatment for the disease. In this paper, we adopt the data from the China Longitudinal Aging Study (CLAS), which was launched in 2011, and includes a joint effort of 15 institutions all over the country. Four thousand four hundred and eleven people who are at least 60 years old participated in the project, where 3,514 people completed the baseline survey. The survey collected data including demographic information, daily lifestyle, medical history, and routine physical examination. In particular, we employ ensemble learning and feature selection methods to develop an explainable prediction model for AD and MCI. Five feature selection methods and nine machine learning classifiers are applied for comparison to find the most dominant features on AD/MCI prediction. The resulting model achieves accuracy of 89.2%, sensitivity of 87.7%, and specificity of 90.7% for MCI prediction, and accuracy of 99.2%, sensitivity of 99.7%, and specificity of 98.7% for AD prediction. We further utilize the SHapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP) algorithm to visualize the specific contribution of each feature to AD/MCI prediction at both global and individual levels. Consequently, our model not only provides the prediction outcome, but also helps to understand the relationship between lifestyle/physical disease history and cognitive function, and enables clinicians to make appropriate recommendations for the elderly. Therefore, our approach provides a new perspective for the design of a computer-aided diagnosis system for AD and MCI, and has potential high clinical application value. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sedimentary records from the Kumtag (also known as Kumtagh) Desert (KMD) in northwestern China are investigated to better understand Late Quaternary paleoenvironmental changes in this hyper-arid region. Presented here are the results of probably the first systematic survey of sedimentary sequences from the KMD, with the chronology determined by the optically stimulated luminescence dating. The variation of sedimentary facies, supported by granular and geochemical paleoenvironmental proxies, is used to decipher the history of Late Quaternary environment changes. The results demonstrate that a constantly dry condition characterized the eastern KMD since the last glacial maximum, but with occurrences of wetter periods. From ca. 17 to 15 ka, fluvial activity was probably triggered by melting of glaciers in mountains located south of the KMD. A distinctly drier stage (ca. 13-7 ka) was recognized due to the prominent occurrence of aeolian sands. A wetter environment likely persisted between ca. 4.4 and 2.2 ka, consistent with evidence of human activities. While the causes of paleoenvironmental changes in the eastern KMD are still a matter of debate, the melting of glaciers in the Altyn-Tagh Mountains in the south must be considered as an important factor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Morels (Morchella spp.) are highly prized and popular edible mushrooms. The outdoor cultivation of morels in China first developed at the beginning of the 21st century. Several species, such as Morchella sextelata, M. eximia, and M. importuna, have been commercially cultivated in greenhouses. However, the detriments and obstacles associated with continuous cropping have become increasingly serious, reducing yields and even leading to a complete lack of fructification. It has been reported that the obstacles encountered with continuous morel cropping may be related to changes in the soil microbial community. To study the effect of dazomet treatment on the cultivation of morel under continuous cropping, soil was fumigated with dazomet before morel sowing. Alpha diversity and beta diversity analysis results showed that dazomet treatment altered the microbial communities in continuous cropping soil, which decreased the relative abundance of soil-borne fungal pathogens, including Paecilomyces, Trichoderma, Fusarium, Penicillium, and Acremonium, increased the relative abundance of beneficial soil bacteria, including Bacillius and Pseudomonas. In addition, the dazomet treatment significantly increased the relative abundance of morel mycelia in the soil and significantly improved morel yield under continuous cropping. These results verified the relationship between the obstacles associated with continuous cropping in morels and the soil microbial community and elucidated the mechanism by which the obstacle is alleviated when using dazomet treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: In malaria-free countries, imported cases are challenging because interconnections with neighboring countries with higher transmission rates increase the risk of parasite reintroduction. Establishing a genetic database for rapidly identifying malaria importation or reintroduction is crucial in addressing these challenges. This study aimed to examine genomic epidemiology during the pre-elimination stage by retrospectively reporting whole-genome sequence variation of 10 Plasmodium vivax isolates from inland China. Methods: The samples were collected during the last few inland outbreaks from 2011 to 2012 when China implemented a malaria control plan. After next-generation sequencing, we completed a genetic analysis of the population, explored the geographic specificity of the samples, and examined clustering of selection pressures. We also scanned genes for signals of positive selection. Results: China’s inland populations were highly structured compared to the surrounding area, with a single potential ancestor. Additionally, we identified genes under selection and evaluated the selection pressure on drug-resistance genes. In the inland population, positive selection was detected in some critical gene families, including sera, msp3, and vir. Meanwhile, we identified selection signatures in drug resistance, such as ugt, krs1, and crt, and noticed that the ratio of wild-type dhps and dhfr-ts increased after China banned sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine (SP) for decades. Discussion: Our data provides an opportunity to investigate the molecular epidemiology of pre-elimination inland malaria populations, which exhibited lower selection pressure on invasion and immune evasion genes than neighbouring areas, but increased drug resistance in low transmission settings. Our results revealed that the inland population was severely fragmented with low relatedness among infections, despite a higher incidence of multiclonal infections, suggesting that superinfection or co-transmission events are rare in low-endemic circumstances. We identified selective signatures of resistance and found that the proportion of susceptible isolates fluctuated in response to the prohibition of specific drugs. This finding is consistent with the alterations in medication strategies during the malaria elimination campaign in inland China. Such findings could provide a genetic basis for future population studies, assessing changes in other pre-elimination countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The aim of this study is to evaluate the role of regional nodal irradiation (RNI) in patients with T1-2N1M0 breast cancer and to identify the subgroup that could benefit from RNI. Methods and materials: A total of 4,243 women with pT1-2N1M0 breast cancer treated at two institutions in China were retrospectively reviewed. Survival rates were calculated by the Kaplan-Meier method and compared by the log-rank test. The association of risk factors with survival outcomes was evaluated using multivariable proportional hazards regression. Results: A total of 932 patients (22.0%) received RNI. At a median follow-up of 5.9 years, the 5-year locoregional recurrence (LRR), distant metastasis (DM), disease-free survival (DFS), and overall survival (OS) rates were 4.0% and 7.2% (P = 0.001), 13.2% and 10.6% (P = 0.465), 85.0% and 84.7% (P = 0.131), and 93.9% and 92.8% (P = 0.004) in the RNI and non-RNI groups, respectively. Multivariate analysis revealed that RNI was an independent prognostic factor for lower LRR (P = 0.001) and longer DFS (P = 0.013). Patients were stratified into low-, intermediate-, and high-risk groups based on the eight nontherapeutic risk factors. RNI significantly decreased the 5-year LRR (2.2% vs. 7.0%, P = 0.001) and improved the 5-year DFS (88.8% vs. 84.9%, P = 0.015) and OS (95.8% vs. 93.9%, P = 0.010) in the intermediate-risk group. However, neither the low-risk group nor the high-risk group had survival benefit from RNI. Conclusion: T1-2N1M0 breast cancer is a heterogeneous disease. We found that RNI only improved survival in the intermediate-risk group. It might be omitted in low-risk patients, and the role of RNI in high-risk patients needs further study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In response to SARS-CoV-2 mutations and waning antibody levels after two-dose inactivated vaccines, we assessed whether a third dose of recombinant protein subunit vaccine (ZF2001) boosts immune responses. Methods: An open-label single-center non-random trial was conducted on people aged 18 years and above at five sites in China. All participants received a two-dose inactivated vaccine (CoronaVac) as their prime doses within 3-9 months of the trial. Primary outcomes were safety and immunogenicity, primarily the geometric mean titers (GMTs) of neutralizing antibodies to live wildtype SARS-CoV-2. Results: A total of 480 participants (median age, 51; range 21-84 years) previously vaccinated with two-dose CoronaVac received a third booster dose of ZF2001 3-4, 5-6, or 7-9-months later. The overall incidence of adverse reactions within 30 days after vaccination was 5.83% (28/480). No serious adverse reactions were reported after the third dose of ZF2001. GMTs in the 3-4-, 5-6-, and 7-9-month groups before vaccination were 3.96, 4.60, and 3.78, respectively. On Day 14, GMTs increased to 33.06, 47.51, and 44.12, respectively. After the booster, GMTs showed no significant difference among the three prime-boost interval groups (all P>0.05). Additionally, GMTs in older adults were lower than those in younger adults on Day 14 for the three groups (P=0.0005, P<0.0001, and P<0.0001). Conclusion: Heterologous boosting with ZF2001 was safe and immunogenic, and prime-boost intervals did not affect the immune response. The immune response was weaker in older than younger adults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The rapid spread of Coronavirus Disease-19 (COVID-19) infection has been the most important public health crisis across the globe since the end of 2019. Anxiety and depression are the most common mental health problems among people during the pandemic, and many studies have reported anxiety and depressive symptoms in college students. However, information on the mental health status of international medical students during this critical period of time has been scarce, which hinders the efforts in making proper policy or strategies to help these students. The present study aims to explore the prevalence of anxiety and depressive symptoms in international medical students in China and to find out the factors that have potential predictive value for anxiety and depressive symptoms. Method: A cross-sectional study was carried out for international medical students during November 2020 at China Medical University in Shenyang, China. Five hundred and nineteen international students were interviewed with questionnaires containing demographic variables, Stressors in school, Generalized Anxiety Disorder Assessment (GAD-7), Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), Simplified Coping Style Questionnaire (SCSQ), Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10), the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS), Revised Life Orientation Test (LOT-R) and Resilience Scale-14 (RS-14). Univariate logistic regression and stepwise multiple logistic regression analyses were conducted where appropriate to explore the predictive factors of anxiety symptoms and depressive symptoms. Results: The prevalence of anxiety symptoms and depressive symptoms in the sample population was 28.5% (148/519) and 31.6% (164/519), respectively. Stressors in school (β = 0.176, OR = 1.192, CI: 1.102–1.289), negative coping style (β = 0.639, OR = 1.894, CI: 1.287–2.788) and perceived stress (β = 0.230, OR = 1.258, CI: 1.184–1.337) were found to be the predictors of anxiety symptoms among the international medical students; while gender (β = −0.594, OR = 0.552, CI: 0.315–0.968), stay up late (β = 0.828, OR = 2.288, CI: 1.182–4.431), current place of residence (β = 1.082, OR = 2.951, CI: 1.256–6.931), stressors in the school (β = 0.303, OR = 1.354, CI: 1.266–1.496), negative coping style (β = 0.866, OR = 2.377, CI: 1.516–3.725), perceived stress (β = 0.233, OR = 1.262, CI: 1.180–1.351) were found to be predictors of depressive symptoms. Conclusion: The prevalence of anxiety symptoms and depressive symptoms was moderate among international medical students in China. The communal predictors of anxiety and depressive symptoms were stressors in school, negative coping style and perceived stress; while demographic factors such as gender (male), stay up late at night and current place of residence were found associated with depressive symptoms. These results suggest that proper stress management and specific interventions are needed to help students maintain their mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: We conducted this study to investigate the risk factors for spontaneous abortion among rural Chinese women. Methods: Risk factors prior to pregnancy associated with spontaneous abortion were identified among 17,248 rural women enrolled in a prospective population-based follow-up study. The risk of spontaneous abortion was estimated with odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) for several factors. A nonconditional logistic regression analysis was then performed to identify the independently associated factors. Results: The total sample of this study population consisted of 17,248 pregnant women including 921 of them whose pregnancies resulted in spontaneous abortion and the incidence of spontaneous abortion was 5.04%. After the adjustment of confounding factors, menarche age, serum creatinine, family genetic diseases or maternal congenital defects was associated with an increased risk of spontaneous abortion while folic acid supplementation reduced the risk among rural Chinese women. Conclusions: The findings of our study suggest that multiple modifiable factors may increase the risk of spontaneous abortion which may help relevant departments better to guide detailed effectively prevention strategies toward spontaneous abortion to improve the reproductive quality of rural population. Further studies are required to elaborate these risk factors for spontaneous abortion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lower Devonian brachiopods in South China are very rare since most areas lack deposits owing to an uplift movement of the Guangxi (Caledonian) Orogeny. In this paper, we describe a brachiopod fauna consisting of 13 species in 12 genera from the Nagaoling Formation at the Dashatian section in the suburb area of the Nanning City, Guangxi, South China. This fauna is dominated by small rhynchonellide and spiriferide species, along with chonetidines, strophomenides, atrypides, athyridides and others. The early Pragian age for the brachiopod-bearing horizons in the Nagaoling Formation is constrained by the associated early Pragian conodonts Eognathodus sulcatus Zone. About 33% genera of the brachiopod fauna are endemic to South China, therefore they do not provide any clear evidence for its paleobiogeographical link to the faunas of Europe, Australia, or North America. This fauna is paleoecologically interpreted as being deposited in a shallow, oxygen-rich, low to moderate energy, subtidal palaeoenvironment in the early Pragian and it corresponds to the benthic assemblage BA2 to upper BA3. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: There have been problems with low qualification operator-related complications and failures of transurethral seminal vesiculoscopy (TSV) in China. Aim: To study the guiding role of seminal tract anatomical study (STAS) in TSV. Material and methods: We performed STAS to study the structure, morphology, duct trajectory, and anatomical relationships between the seminal vesicles and the adjacent tissue in pelvic specimens from 12 adult cadavers. Then the surgical effects and complications of 82 cases of TSV performed by 3 doctors were retrospectively studied to compare the difference between the two groups of before and after the anatomical study. Results: The anatomical studies of the 12 adult cadaveric pelvis specimens identified the lengths and widths of the right- and left-side seminal vesicles and tracts. The TSV can treat lesions located in the distal seminal tract and vesicle, but proximal lesions cannot be reached, which is an anatomical limitation of this technique. There were significant differences in the surgical times and the surgical validity rates between the 2 groups. Conclusions: Our anatomical study of the seminal tract and seminal vesicles is valuable for guiding TSV in clinical practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to examine the relationship among the Dark Triad personality traits, Internet use preferences and Internet adaptation. In all, 1927 middle school students (aged 11–18) from Beijing and Kunming in China completed a self-reported questionnaire that measured the Dark Triad, Internet use preferences (information communication, recreation, information acquisition and online transaction) and Internet adaptation (positive/negative Internet adaptation). Correlations revealed that there were significant correlations among the Dark Triad, Internet use preferences and Internet adaptation. Multiple regression analysis indicated that psychopathy predicted Internet adaptation more significantly than Machiavellianism or narcissism. Information acquisition positively predicted positive Internet adaptation and negatively predicted negative Internet adaptation, and recreation and online transaction were just the opposite. The SEM results suggested that Internet use preferences partially mediated the relationship between the Dark Triad and Internet adaptation. We discussed the importance of the combined effect of the Dark Triad and Internet use preferences on Internet adaptation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Unlike the common outbreak mechanism of red tides, the northern Beibu Gulf in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region of China experiences frequent red tides with distinct characteristics, such as large distances from the mainland and the presence of industrial pollution. By tracing the sources and transport of the high concentrations of nitrogen and phosphorus, the relationship between pollutant transport and the dynamic response mechanisms was explored. The results showed that the concentrations of nitrogen and phosphorus nutrients in the areas of red tide outbreaks near Weizhou Island and in the Qinzhou Gulf in the northern Beibu Gulf were higher than those in the surrounding areas. However, the high concentrations of nitrogen and phosphorus nutrients in the northern Beibu Gulf did not originate from terrestrial pollution from Guangxi Province; rather, these pollutants originated on the east coast of China and were transported through the Qiongzhou Strait. The primary sources were the Pearl River Estuary and the coastal waters of eastern Guangdong. In addition, the differences in the concentration distributions of nitrogen and phosphorus nutrients between the east and west coasts of the Qinzhou Gulf in the northern Beibu Gulf were clearly related to dynamic response mechanisms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With a random groups design, the current study examined whether a 10-week cognitive training could improve healthy older adult's cognitive functions and everyday problem-solving and whether high ecological validity trainings would have greater positive impact upon everyday problem-solving than low ecological validity trainings. Eighty-six healthy Chinese older adult participants were assigned randomly to five groups, including one control group receiving no training and four groups receiving low ecological memory training, high ecological memory training, low ecological reasoning training, and high ecological reasoning training, respectively. Participants were measured pre- and posttraining on spatial working memory, numerical working memory, reasoning, and everyday problem-solving. Results of this study showed that cognitive training significantly improved targeted cognitive functions and everyday problem-solving performance in all the intervention groups. However, high ecological cognitive trainings failed to show superior impact upon everyday problem-solving compared with low ecological cognitive trainings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Previous studies have shown that acupuncture is beneficial for the alleviation of chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting. However, there is a lack of clinical evidence concerning the effects of acupoint-matching on chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting.Methods/design: This is a parallel randomized controlled trial to evaluate the occurrence of nausea and vomiting after chemotherapy (the incidence of nausea and vomiting, frequency, VAS score, RINVR rating) as the main outcome for cancer. Quality of life, anxiety and depression scores are the secondary outcomes. Quality of life, anxiety and depression scores are the secondary phase. Use of remedy drugs, routine blood examination, and blood biochemical tests are the safety evaluation. We also compare the different effects of ST36 (single acupoint), CV12 (single acupoint), and ST36-CV12 matching groups.Discussion: The results of this trial are expected to explore the effects of matching different acupoints and to offer biologic plausibility for the use of acupuncture in the treatment of chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV).Trial Registration: This trial is registered with clinicaltrials.gov NCT02195921 , The date of registration was 17 July 2014. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Hyperglycemia, inflammation, and oxidative stress are thought to be involved in the pathogenesis of cognitive decline. Dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP4) is a newly identified adipokine related to these risk factors. Hence, we aimed to investigate the association between plasma DPP4 activities and mild cognitive impairment (MCI) in elderly patients with type 2 diabetes.Research Design and Methods: We evaluated plasma DPP4 activity, inflammatory markers, and oxidative stress parameters in a cross-sectional sample of 1,160 patients with type 2 diabetes aged 60 years or older in China. MCI was diagnosed based on criteria established by the National Institute on Aging-Alzheimer's Association workgroupsResults: Patients in the highest quartile of DPP4 activity had higher HbA1c, interleukin 6 (IL-6), CRP, nitrotyrosine, 8-iso-PGF2a, and lower Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) scores compared with subjects in the lowest quartile (P < 0.001). In the highest DPP4 quartile, MCI risk was higher (odds ratio 3.49; 95% CI 1.97-4.57) than in the lowest quartile after adjustment for potential confounders. The risk for MCI increased more with higher levels of DPP4 activity, IL-6, CRP, nitrotyrosine, and 8-iso-PGF2a (P < 0.05), but not with higher levels of HbA1c.Conclusions: This study shows that increased DPP4 activities are independently associated with MCI in elderly patients with type 2 diabetes. The mechanisms might be partly explained by the effect of DPP4 on inflammation and oxidative stress. These observations raise further interest in DPP4 activity for its potential effect on these MCI-related risk factors as a biological marker or even a possible therapeutic target for MCI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Agriculture is the foundation of the national economy. On the one hand, there is increasing demand for fresh and safe refrigerated agricultural products; on the other hand, the current cold chain logistics is relatively underdeveloped and has many problems. This paper does a research on the major large-scale agricultural cold-chain logistics companies in Chongqing, and finds that cold-chain logistics in Chongqing has some problems such as incomplete industrial chain, relatively backward infrastructure, lack of talents, and high logistics costs. Some solutions to these problems are put forward; improving chain logistics infrastructure; strengthening personnel training; building information platform to create a new model of the cold-chain logistics in the Internet era; seeking government's policy and financial support. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pipeline construction can have considerable effects on agro-ecosystems. However, little research has documented pipeline installation disturbance on agricultural productivity. We sampled three sites in agricultural regions of West China in Gansu and Shaanxi provinces to study the effects of pipeline installation disturbance on crop productivity. Corn yield and five crop growth characteristics were measured and analyzed at six different distances on both sides of a pipeline at two sites: 0 (trench), 10 (piling or working zone), 20, 50, and 100 m. Crop productivity was assessed at a third site by sampling across pipelines at three different times after their construction (2, 6, and 8 yr). The results showed that agricultural productivity was mainly impaired inside the 20 m on both sides of the pipeline. The level of disturbance on agriculture productivity decreased as distance from pipeline increased. Crop productivity in the affected zones is expected to gradually improve over time. Pipeline installation had significant effect on soil organic matter, N content, and pH, and correlated with crop growth characteristics. Proper soil management practices, such as storing and backfilling topsoil separately from subsurface soil during the installation process, should be addressed to reduce the impacts of pipeline installation on crop productivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In China, although improvements to the pesticide registration process have been made in last thirty years, no occupational exposure data are required to obtain a commercial license for a pesticide product. Consequently, notably little research has been conducted to establish an exposure assessment procedure in China. The present study monitored the potential dermal operator exposure from knapsack electric sprayer wheat field application of imidacloprid in Liaocheng City, Shandong Province and in Xinxiang City, Henan Province, China, using whole-body dosimetry. The potential inhalation exposure was determined using a personal air pump and XAD-2 sample tubes. The analytical method was developed and validated, including such performance parameters as limits of detection and quantification, linear range, recovery and precision. The total potential dermal and inhalation exposures were 14.20, 16.80, 15.39 and 20.78 mL/hr, respectively, for the four operators in Liaocheng and Xinxiang, corresponding to 0.02% to 0.03% of the applied volume of spray solution. In all trials, the lower part (thigh, lower leg) of the body was the most contaminated, accounting for approximately 76% to 88% of the total exposure. The inhalation exposure was less than 1% of the total exposure. Such factors as the application pattern, crop type, spray equipment, operator experience and climatic conditions have been used to explain the exposure distribution over the different parts of the body. As indicated by the calculated Margin of Exposure, the typical wheat treatment scenarios when a backpack sprayer was used are considered to be safe in terms of imidacloprid exposure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Owing to the implementation of a national malaria elimination programme from 2010 to 2020, we performed a systematic review to assess research challenges in the People's Republic of China (P.R. China) and define research priorities in the next few years. A systematic search was conducted for articles published from January 2000 to December 2012 in international journals from PubMed and Chinese journals from the China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI). In total, 2532 articles from CNKI and 308 articles from PubMed published between 2010 and 2012 related to malaria after unrelated references and review or comment were further excluded, and a set of research gaps have been identified that could hinder progress toward malaria elimination in P.R. China. For example, there is a lack of sensitive and specific tests for the diagnosis of malaria cases with low parasitemia, and there is a need for surveillance tools that can evaluate the epidemic status for guiding the elimination strategy. Hence, we argue that malaria elimination will be accelerated in P.R. China through the development of new tests, such as detection of parasite or drug resistance, monitoring glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency, active malaria screening methods, and understanding the effects of the environment and climate variation on vector distribution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Little is known about the clinical features and treatment of Chinese patients with Parkinson disease (PD). Methods A large cross-sectional survey of clinical features, medication use, and motor complications was conducted in 901 consecutive PD patients, from 42 randomly selected university affiliated hospitals in four urban economic regions of China, between December 2006 and May 2007. Results The 901 PD patients had age range 30 to 88, and median disease duration 50 months. Most (737, 81.8%) used L-dopa (median 375 mg/day), and often added low doses of other antiparkinsonian agents. Among L-dopa-treated patients, the prevalence of motor complications was low (dyskinesias: 8.5%; motor fluctuations: 18.6%), even among patients with disease duration ⩾11 years (dyskinesias: 18.1%; motor fluctuations: 42.2%). Higher Ldopa use was associated with higher occurrence of dyskinesias (OR 2.44; 95% CI 1.20-5.13) and motor fluctuations (OR 2.48; 95% CI 1.49-4.14). Initiating PD treatment with L-dopa alone (OR 0.46; 95% CI 0.22-0.95) or in combination with other medications (OR 0.41; 95% CI 0.19-0.87) was associated with less dyskinesia than treatment initiated with non-L-dopa medication. Conclusions Many Chinese PD patients are treated with low-dose L-dopa and added low-dose antiparkinsonian agents, with a low prevalence of motor complications, which might be influenced by Chinese culture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, the complete chloroplast (cp) genome sequence of Ziziphus jujuba Mill. var. spinosa was mapped and determined based on Illumina sequencing data. The complete cp genome is 161,606 bp and contains a pair of inverted repeat regions of 26,479 bp each, a large single-copy region of 89,292 bp, and a small single-copy region of 19,356 bp. It harbors 112 unique genes, including 78 protein-coding genes, 4 ribosomal RNA genes, and 30 transfer RNA genes. Phylogenetic analysis based on cp genomes indicates that the cp genome of wild Z. jujuba Mill. var. spinosa is similar to that of cultivated Z. jujuba and closely related to that of Z. incurva of the family Rhamnaceae. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In 2010 the Beijing Municipal Government promulgated a policy aimed at improving the quality of life and subjective well-being of elderly residents that included a component focused on mental health. Aim: Identify factors associated with subjective well-being in a representative sample of elderly residents of Xi Cheng District in Beijing. Methods: This cross-sectional study administered a self-completion survey to a stratified random sample of 2342 residents of Xi Cheng District who were 60 to 80 years of age. The level of well-being was assessed using a validated Chinese version of the Memorial University of Newfoundland Scale of Happiness (MUNSH). Detailed socioeconomic variables were obtained using a questionnaire developed by the authors. Social support, anxiety, and depression were assessed using validated Chinese versions of the Social Support Rating Scale (SSRS), Self-rating Anxiety Scale (SAS), and Self-rating Depression Scale (SDS). Results: Among the 2342 respondents, 1616 (69.0%) had a total MUNSH score of 32 or above, indicating a high level of happiness; 423 (18.1%) has a total SSRS score 32 or below, indicating poor social support; 201 (8.6%) had a total SDS score of 53 or above, indicating significant depression; and 126 (5.3%) had a total SAS score of 50 or above, indicating significant anxiety. In the multivariate regression analysis the self-reported level of depression was the most important factor related to well-being. Anxiety, social support, income level, the quality of family relationships, the ability to self-regulate emotions, and regular exercise were also significantly related to well-being; but gender, marital status, age and educational level were not associated with well-being. Conclusion: Among elderly urban residents in Beijing, self-reports of poor subjective well-being are closely associated with self-reports of depressive and anxiety symptoms and also associated with social factors such as social support, income level and family relationships. Prospective studies are needed to identify the causal relationships of these variables and, based on the findings, to develop targeted interventions aimed at improving the quality of life and well-being of elderly community members. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

gao y.-q., pan b.-c., sun w., wu h., wang j.-n. & wang l. (2011) Depressive symptoms among Chinese nurses: prevalence and the associated factors. Journal of Advanced Nursing 68(5), 1166-1175. Abstract Aim. This article is a report of exploration of depressive symptoms and the associated factors among Chinese nurses working at public city hospitals. Background. Hospital nurses are known to work in psychologically and physically demanding work environment, which may lead to depressive symptoms. However, little research has been done to address this problem in Chinese nurses. Methods. A cross-sectional survey was carried out in seven randomly selected city hospitals of Liaoning Province, northeast of China in 2009. Depressive symptoms of the nurses were measured with the Chinese version of the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale. Job Content Questionnaire and the effort-reward imbalance, demographic features, life style and work conditions were measured as the related factors. Results. A total of 1592 nurses participated in the study and the effective response rate was 79·5%. The prevalence of depressive symptoms among the nurses was 61·7% ( n = 886), of whom 74·9% ( n = 664) had mild depressive symptoms. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that lower job rank, higher over commitment, alcohol consumption, worse nurse-patient relationship and higher education background were positively associated with depressive symptoms, whereas supervisor support, taking regular meals, doing physical exercises, higher skill discretion and higher job satisfaction were negatively associated with depressive symptoms. Conclusion. More than half of the Chinese nurses had depressive symptoms. As depressive symptoms may adversely affect quality of life and quality of care, consultation for the nurses with healthy life styles, work stress coping techniques and advice to administrator to improve social aspects of the work environment might be helpful to reduce the depressive symptoms in nurses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The scarcity of grafts available necessitates a system that considers expected posttransplant survival, in addition to pretransplant mortality as estimated by the MELD. So far, however, conventional linear techniques have failed to achieve sufficient accuracy in posttransplant outcome prediction. In this study, we aim to develop a pretransplant predictive model for liver recipients' survival with benign end-stage liver diseases (BESLD) by a nonlinear method based on pretransplant characteristics, and compare its performance with a BESLD-specific prognostic model (MELD) and a generalillness severity model (the sequential organ failure assessment score, or SOFA score). Methodology/Principal Findings: With retrospectively collected data on 360 recipients receiving deceased-donor transplantation for BESLD between February 1999 and August 2009 in the west China hospital of Sichuan university, we developed a multi-layer perceptron (MLP) network to predict one-year and two-year survival probability after transplantation. The performances of the MLP, SOFA, and MELD were assessed by measuring both calibration ability and discriminative power, with Hosmer-Lemeshow test and receiver operating characteristic analysis, respectively. By the forward stepwise selection, donor age and BMI; serum concentration of HB, Crea, ALB, TB, ALT, INR, Na+; presence of pretransplant diabetes; dialysis prior to transplantation, and microbiologically proven sepsis were identified to be the optimal input features. The MLP, employing 18 input neurons and 12 hidden neurons, yielded high predictive accuracy, with c-statistic of 0.91 (P<0.001) in one-year and 0.88 (P<0.001) in two-year prediction. The performances of SOFA and MELD were fairly poor in prognostic assessment, with c-statistics of 0.70 and 0.66, respectively, in one-year prediction, and 0.67 and 0.65 in two-year prediction. Conclusions/Significance: The posttransplant prognosis is a multidimensional nonlinear problem, and the MLP can achieve significantly high accuracy than SOFA and MELD scores in posttransplant survival prediction. The pattern recognition methodologies like MLP hold promise for solving posttransplant outcome prediction [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Nurses are an indispensable component of the work force in the health care system. However, many of them are known to work in a stressful environment which may affect their mental well-being; the situation could be worse in rapidly transforming societies such as China. The purpose of this study was to investigate anxiety symptoms and the associated factors in Chinese nurses working in public city hospitals. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was performed for Chinese nurses in public city hospitals of Liaoning Province, northeast China. Seven hospitals in different areas of the province were randomly selected for the study. The Zung Self-Rating Anxiety Scale was used to measure anxiety symptoms. Effort-reward imbalance questionnaire and Job Content Questionnaire were used to assess the work stressors. Univariate analysis and stepwise multivariate logistic regression analysis were used to identify the factors associated with anxiety symptoms. Results: All registered nurses in the seven city hospitals, totaling 1807 registered nurses were surveyed. Of the returned questionnaires, 1437 were valid (79.5%) for analysis. Utilizing the total raw score ≥ 40 as the cut-off point, the prevalence of anxiety symptoms in these nurses was 43.4%. Demographic factors (education, chronic disease and life event), lifestyle factors (regular meals and physical exercise), work conditions (hospital grade, job rank, monthly salary, nurse-patient relationships, job satisfaction and intention of leaving), job content (social support and decision latitude), effort-reward imbalance and overcommitment were all significantly related to the anxiety symptoms. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed main factors associated with anxiety symptoms were lower job rank (OR 2.501), overcommitment (OR 2.018), chronic diseases (OR 1.541), worse nurse-patient relationship (OR 1.434), higher social support (OR 0.573), lower hospital grade (OR 0.629), taking regular meals (OR 0.719) and higher level of job satisfaction (OR 0.722). Conclusions: A large proportion of Chinese nurses working in public city hospitals had anxiety symptoms, which warrants immediate investigation and intervention from the hospital administrators. Meanwhile, results of the study suggest that proper counseling, promotion of healthy lifestyle behavior and improvements to the social environment in the work place may be helpful toward reducing or preventing the anxiety symptoms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim. This paper is a report of a study investigating nurse burnout and its association with occupational stressors in Shanghai, China. Background. Burnout is described as feelings of emotional exhaustion, depersonalization and reduced personal accomplishment. Measuring burnout among nurses and its association with occupational stressors are important in providing appropriate intervention to reduce stress and burnout. Method. In total, 527 nurses from 41 hospitals in Shanghai returned self-reported questionnaires in June 2008. Their burden of burnout was measured by the Chinese version of 'Maslach Burnout Inventory', and their stress by the Chinese version of 'job content questionnaire' and 'effort-reward imbalance questionnaire'. Results. Most nurses (74.76%) had a Demand/Control ratio higher than 1 and 27.13% had an Effort/Reward ratio higher than 1. The nurses showed a high level of emotional exhaustion, moderate level of depersonalization, and low level of reduced personal accomplishment. Linear regression analyses showed higher burden of stress and burnout among nurses at younger age, or on shift duty or from higher grade hospitals. Both the job content questionnaire and effort-reward imbalance questionnaire models had good predictive powers of the nurses' burnout, especially the effort-reward imbalance questionnaire model is more powerful than the other in predicting two Maslach Burnout Inventory subscales of emotional exhaustion and depersonalization. Conclusion. Nurses in Shanghai were suffering from high levels of burnout, which was strongly associated with work-related stress. Interventions in reducing occupational stress are needed to reduce the burden of burnout in Chinese nurses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conodonts and fusulinids are the two most widely used biotic groups for subdividing and correlating Bashkirian and Moscovian strata. The definition of the base of the Global Moscovian Stage is undecided because there are many disagreements among existing boundary definition proposals, each of which has disadvantages. Declinognathodus donetzianus is easily recognized but somewhat limited in its paleogeographic distribution. Idiognathoides postsulcatus is slightly more widespread, but it is less easily identified and its occurrences may be diachronous from region to region. Diplognathodus ellesmerensis is easily recognized and even more widespread, but it is usually rare and its ancestry is not adequately known. The Naqing Section of South Guizhou, South China contains diverse conodont evolutionary lineages among different taxa, including Idiognathoides, Idiognathodus, Diplognathodus, Neognathodus, Gondolella and Mesogondolella. There are numerous transitional forms in almost every lineage of the Naqing section, which shows that the prospects for South China to play a critical role in determining the basal Moscovian Stage definition are good. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined the relationships among entrepreneurial orientation (EO), experimental learning (EL) and acquisitive learning (AL), and firm performance (FP). We tested our model in China as EO is the engine that is driving firms to take advantage of opportunities in an increasingly market-oriented transitional economy. From the responses of 607 firms, we found that EO was positively related to EL but had an inverse U-shaped relationship with AL. Both EL and AL enhanced FP although the effects from AL were weaker and became nonsignificant when external knowledge was embedded into the firm's internal private knowledge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: Immunoglobulin A nephropathy (IgAN) is a common and progressive glomerulonephritis. Histological lesions of IgAN are variable and considered as a risk factor for renal outcome. Establishing a relatively concise histological semiquantitative scoring system would be valuable in clinical practice. Methods: Renal biopsy sections of 293 patients with primary IgAN from two centres in China were reviewed. A histological scoring system was established based on multivariate survival analysis of semiquantitative histological indices, using end-stage renal disease (ESRD) as the end-point event. Results: Four indices – extracapillary glomerular activity index (exGAI), mesangial proliferation index (MsI), glomerular chronicity index (GCI) and tubulointerstitial chronicity index (TCI) – independently correlated with ESRD (relative risk (RR) = 1.16, 2.27, 1.29 and 1.80, respectively). The four indices and the sum of their scores (Total I) constituted the scoring system. Patients with exGAI of 4 or more, GCI of 4 or more, MsI of 2 or more and TCI of 2 or more were considered as having a higher risk for progression ( P < 0.05). A score of 4 or more on the exGAI index could identify the patients who should be treated with immunosuppressive drugs, which showed a lower incidence of ESRD than that without (24.3% vs 52.4%, P = 0.031). Conclusion: It suggested that the present concise scoring system could serve as prognostic and therapeutic indications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractAim:The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that lower serum sodium may be associated with increased cardiovascular events and all-cause mortality by means of long-term follow-up of subjects with coronary atherosclerosis in a prospective, hospital-based epidemiological study in China.Methods:A prospective, hospital-based epidemiological design was used. The study population consisted of 1069 consecutive patients who were scheduled to undergo coronary angiography for suspected or known coronary atherosclerosis. The severity of coronary atherosclerosis was defined using Gensini's score system. Age, sex-adjusted hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for the quartiles of serum sodium concentration were estimated with Cox proportional hazard models, using quartile 1 as the reference. Cox proportional hazard models were also constructed to estimate the hazard ratios and 95% confidence intervals for all-cause mortality and final end-point events by serum sodium quartile and to adjust for potentially confounding variables. Multivariate models were adjusted for the following variables: age, sex, smoking status, alcohol consumption, body mass index, blood pressure, potassium, chloride, total cholesterol, triglycerides, fasting blood glucose, urea, creatinine, uric acid, and Gensini's score.Results:During the median 2.86 years (3011.66 person-years) of follow-up, 176 final end-point events were documented. These events included 79 deaths and 97 readmissions for coronary heart disease. There was a statistically significant inverse association of serum sodium with all-cause mortality (P<0.001). After full adjustment comparing the highest serum sodium quartile to the lowest, there was a non-significant inverse association with all-cause mortality, with an adjusted hazard ratio (95% CI) of 0.67 (0.25–1.80). After adjustment for age and sex, the hazard ratio and 95% CI for final end-point events across increasing quartiles of serum sodium concentration were 1.00, 0.85 (0.59–1.22), 0.52 (0.34–0.82), and 0.31 (0.19–0.49). After full adjustment comparing the highest serum sodium quartile to the lowest, there was a statistically significant inverse association with final end-point events, with an adjusted hazard ratio (95% CI) of 0.46 (0.26–0.81).Conclusion:The serum sodium concentration showed a statistically significant negative association with coronary events and all-cause mortality in subjects with coronary atherosclerosis; the actual mechanism underlying this association needs further study.Acta Pharmacologica Sinica (2009) 30: 494–500; doi: 10.1038/aps.2009.17 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Loropetalum chinense var. rubrum accessions in China have not been adequately characterized for their morphological traits. Such characterization would be helpful in the development of improved cultivars and in cultivar classification. In this study, the morphological traits of 23 accessions were evaluated in spring, summer, and autumn to determine their phenotypic diversity. Cluster analysis with average distance was performed for the main traits of leaf and flower using data processing system software. The morphological investigation indicated that the number of flowering accessions and the flower number of L. chinense var. rubrum in spring were more than those in autumn. Only one accession (no. 13) yielded several flowers in summer. Some accessions had the same or similar color of leaf or flower in spring and autumn. Two accessions had the same flower color in spring and autumn, whereas others showed slightly different colors in spring and autumn. The 23 entries were grouped into four clusters in spring and five clusters in autumn based on multivariate analysis of nine classification variables. Each cluster had some specific characteristics of its own. Generally, the cluster formed first because of the similarity in leaf color. The accessions with similar flower color formed subclusters within a cluster. These accessions are an important resource for the establishment of a core collection of L. chinense var. rubrum in the world. Several accessions with good qualities were selected and should be further tested for horticultural merit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a comprehensive study of the Hui Tibetan Chinese community in Lhasa with a historical and anthropological perspective. It leads us to the conclusion that even though ethnic groups as cultural entities are continually changing, they yet remain as marginalized ethnic minority groups. One of the intriguing aspects of minorities in China, to say without any bias towards political ideology, is that they maintain their stability of culture through multiform levels of identity. Thus, within the Hui Tibetan group, at least five levels of identity can be observed: Chinese, Tibetan, Muslim, Hui and Lhasan. Academics have argued for a long time in China about the definition of 'nationality', or min zhu, and as of yet have not come to a middle point or resolved any problems. Faults have not been placed on scholars but instead on the objectives, which disclose many truths. Everything is changing so fast that identity is nearly unspeakable and hardly describable. Varying perspectives of any study are necessary, including the one about cultural identity. Those who insist that an ethnic group can be identified by the individuals among a people themselves are contested by A Multicultural Interpretation 59 those who proclaim that there are objective rules for recognizing ethnic groups. It is important because it signified the character of culture and society as given.

• This is the first report of the co-administration of CoronaVac with IIV4 in adults aged 18–59 years. • The occurrence of adverse reactions (AR) in all groups was no more than 20% and 98.9% of the ARs were mild or moderate. • Both concomitant or separate administration of CoronaVac and IIV4 could induce sufficient immunogenicity. • A slight interference with the immune response to CoronaVac was observed in participants in C2 subgroup. • At least two doses of CoronaVac are needed to fulfill the primary immunization of inactivated COVID-19 vaccine. Studies are needed for evidence of inactivated COVID-19 vaccine co-administered with influenza vaccine. A randomized, open-label, controlled study was conducted in Zhejiang Province, China. Eligible healthy adults aged 18–59 years underwent randomization at a ratio of 1:1:2 to receive inactivated quadrivalent influenza vaccine (IIV4) either concomitantly with the first (C1 subgroup) or the second (C2 subgroup) dose of CoronaVac, or 14 days after the first dose of CoronaVac (S group). The primary purpose of the study was to prove the non-inferiority in seroconversion rate of antibody against SARS-CoV-2. Overall, 480 participants were enrolled, with 120, 120, and 240 randomly assigned to the C1, C2, and S groups, respectively. As lower bound of the two-sided 95% confidence interval (CI) of the difference for the seroconversion rate of antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 was over −10%, the immune response for CoronaVac in the C group (93.1% [89.0, 96.0]) was non-inferior to that in the S group (95.2% [91.5, 97.6]) in the per-protocol set. A lower GMT of antibody against SARS-CoV-2 was observed in the C group as compared to the S group (27.5 vs. 38.1, P = 0.0001). Decrease of immune response to CoronaVac was mainly observed in participants received IIV4 concomitantly with their second dose of CoronaVac (C2 subgroup), with a seroconversion rate of 89.7% (95CI: 82.6%-94.5%) and a GMT of 23.3. The occurrences of vaccine related adverse reactions were no more than 20% and comparable among different groups. Most of the adverse reactions were mild and moderate. Co-administration of inactivated COVID-19 vaccine and seasonal influenza vaccine, especially the administration regimen that the seasonal influenza vaccine co-administered with the first dose of the inactivated COVID-19 vaccine, would be feasible. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses a clinical trial that was conducted to compare sexual attitudes and sexual behaviors pertaining to female condoms among money boys (MB), other men who have sex with men (MSM) as well as general men who have sex with men (GM) in Chengdu, China. MBs' satisfaction with female condoms arose from novelty and lower likelihood of breakage. Inconvenience of use and unsightly appearance were cited as the top reasons for dissatisfaction with female condoms among MB and GM. Ways to increase female condom acceptability among MSM are suggested.

The purpose of this study was to examine the distribution of the aspects of scientific literacy in high school chemistry curriculum in China. By way of the review of literature, the analytical framework was sorted out. Scientific literacy was divided into four themes: (a) the knowledge of science, (b) the investigative nature of science, (c) science as a way of knowing, (d) interaction of science, technology, society, environment and human. Content analysis was employed to analyze High School Chemistry Curriculum Standard, chemistry textbooks before curriculum reform and chemistry textbooks arising out of curriculum reform used in high school. From the results, we may know that the distribution of the aspects of scientific literacy in high school chemistry curriculum in China is not satisfactory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To understand the association of domain-specific physical activity (PA) with leisure-time sedentary behavior (LTSB) among Chinese professionals. Methods: Totally, 3326 workers aged 35 to 64 years old from Beijing city and Zhejiang province were asked information on domain-specific PA with a revised Global Physical Activity Questionnaire (GPAQ). The association of domain-specific PA with LTSB-lifestyle (≥4 hours/day spent on LTSB) was examined with a binary logistic regression model. Results: Compared with sedentary occupational activity (OA), light-, moderate-, and vigorous-intensity OA were respectively associated with 55.3% (ORs, 0.447; 95%CI, 0.378 to 0.529), 63.5% (ORs, 0.365; 95%CI, 0.285 to 0.468), and 77.1% (ORs, 0.229; 95%CI, 0.126 to 0.417) less the odds of having LTSB-lifestyle. Those performing domestic activity (DA) are greater than and equal to 19.6MET-hours/week had 30.1% (ORs, 0.699; 95%CI, 0.576 to 0.848) less the odds. Conclusions: Both non-sedentary occupations and DA were negatively associated with LTSB-lifestyle in these professionals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is common in Southern China. The molecular mechanism underlying NPC genesis and progression has been comprehensively investigated, but the key gene (s) or pathway (s) pertaining to NPC are unidentified. We explored some key genes and pathways involved in NPC through using meta-analysis of deposited expression of microarray data of NPC. The expression of proliferating cell nuclear antigen clamp associated factor (PCLAF) was determined by real-time PCR and western blots. CCK-8 assay, colony formation assay, transwell migration assay, cell wound healing assay, cell cycle analysis and cell apoptosis were carried out to assess biological behaviors caused by downregulation and overexpression of PCLAF in vitro. CHIP was utilized to determine the direct upstream regulatory transcription factors of PCLAF. PCLAF was the key gene of NPC, which was significantly up-regulated in NPC cell line compared to the normal nasopharyngeal cell line. Additionally, in vitro assay has demonstrated the down-regulation and overexpression of PCLAF, resulted in significantly suppressed and enhanced NPC proliferation, metastasis and invasion respectively. Furthermore, the up-regulation of PCLAF in NPC is induced by direct binding of dysregulated NF-κB p50/RelB complex to the promoter of PCLAF. Our results offer a strategy for re-using the deposited data to find the key genes and pathways involved in pathogenesis of cancer. Our study has provided evidence of supporting the role of PCLAF in NPC genesis and progression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Streptococcus suis is an important zoonotic agent leading to a variety of diseases in swine and can be transmitted to human beings upon close contact. Here, we report the complete genome sequence of S. suis serotype 14 strain JS14 which was isolated from a diseased pig in Jiangsu Province, China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background & aims : Macronutrients are the main part of the human diet and can affect multiple health outcomes. Nevertheless, associations between dietary macronutrient quality and asthenozoospermia risk have not been reported to date. Thus, this study aimed to be the first to explore the associations between macronutrient quality and asthenozoospermia risk using the novel multidimensional macronutrient quality index (MQI). Methods : A case-control study was conducted at infertility clinics of Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University during June and December 2020, including 552 asthenozoospermia cases and 585 normozoospermia controls. Data on diet were collected using a validated food frequency questionnaire. MQI was estimated according to the carbohydrate quality index (CQI), fat quality index (FQI), and protein quality index (PQI). Binary logistic regression models were performed to calculate the odds ratio (OR) with a 95% confidence interval (CI). Subgroup and interaction analyses were performed based on age, body mass index, physical activity, smoking, drinking, and education level. Dose-response relationships were evaluated by restricted cubic splines. Sensitivity analyses were performed in two ways. First, participants with a dietary change were excluded to lower potential reverse causation. Then, we used the healthy plate protein source quality index instead of PQI to redefine MQI. Results : No statistically significant association was observed between dietary MQI and asthenozoospermia risk (OR = 1.24, 95% CI: 0.88-1.73). The sub-indices of MQI, CQI, FQI, and PQI, failed to be identified as having a statistically significant association with asthenozoospermia risk (OR = 1.35, 95% CI: 0.92-1.97 for CQI; OR = 1.13, 95% CI: 0.84-1.53 for FQI; OR = 1.28, 95% CI: 0.92-1.78 for PQI). However, CQI showed a positive association with the risk of asthenozoospermia among non-drinkers ( P trend < 0.05) and highly educated participants (OR = 1.82, 95% CI: 1.13-2.94; P trend < 0.05). Additionally, there was a multiplicative interaction between CQI and education level for asthenozoospermia risk ( P < 0.05). Conclusions : Our findings demonstrated no association of MQI and its sub-indices with asthenozoospermia risk except for CQI. Although our findings are mostly non-significant, they contribute novel knowledge to this research field and lay the foundation for future studies.

Background: Although exposure to ambient air pollution (AAP) increases the risk for arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD), evidence on the association of solid fuel use with ASCVD and its association modified by ambient air pollution remains limited., Methods: A total of 16,779 adults were derived from the Henan Rural Cohort Study. Concentrations of ambient air pollutants (PM 1 , PM 2.5 , PM 10 , and NO 2 ) were estimated by a spatiotemporal model based on satellites data. Solid fuel use was assessed by a self-reported questionnaire. The associations of solid fuel use with high 10-year ASCVD risk and the modified association by exposure to air pollutants were explored using logistic regression models., Results: There were positive associations of AAP exposure with high 10-year ASCVD risk among individuals with self-cooking. The joint associations between high AAP exposures and solid fuel use with high 10-year ASCVD risk were found. Compared to clean fuel user with low PM 2.5 exposure, the odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of high 10-year ASCVD risk was 1.25 (1.09, 1.42) for solid fuel user with low PM 2.5 exposure, 1.93 (1.75, 2.12) for clean fuel user with high PM 2.5 exposure, and 3.08 (2.67, 3.54) for solid fuel user with high PM 2.5 exposure, respectively. Their additive effect on high 10-year ASCVD risk was observed (relative excess risk due to interaction (RERI): 0.90 (95 %CI: 0.50, 1.30), attributable proportion due to interaction (AP): 0.29 (95 %CI: 0.19, 0.40), and synergy index (SI): 1.77 (95 %CI: 1.38, 2.26))., Conclusion: This study showed a synergistic effect of AAP and household air pollution reflected by solid fuel use on high 10-year ASCVD risk, suggesting that reducing solid cooking fuels and controlling air pollution may have a joint effect on public health improvement., (Copyright © 2021 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

Purpose: To determine the correlation between schizophrenia and breast cancer (BC)., Methods: We searched relevant articles indexed in the PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Library databases; managed the data in Endnote X7 software; evaluated literature quality by Newcastle-Ottawa quality evaluation criteria; designed tables; and extracted relevant data. The main outcome measure was BC incidence. Effect values were risk ratio and 95% confidence intervals. We used Stata 13.1 software to perform the meta-analysis, choosing a corresponding combination model according to heterogeneity test results and carrying out subgroup analyses in order to better understand the stability of results through sensitivity analysis., Results: On the basis of 15 studies that assessed patients in different geographic regions, meta-analysis results showed that BC incidence between the exposure group (patients with schizophrenia) and the control group (nonschizophrenia population or general population) had statistical difference (risk ratio = 1.18; 95% confidence interval, 1.05, 1.32), thus showing that BC incidence in patients with schizophrenia is higher than in the nonschizophrenia or general population. Subgroup analysis indicated that gender and geographic region may be sources of the assessed studies' heterogeneity., Conclusion: The incidence of schizophrenia is positively correlated with BC, and the incidence of BC in patients with schizophrenia is increased to a certain degree. Because of the effects of potential and publication bias, this conclusion needs more high-quality studies to increase the strength of evidence., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Nurses are an indispensable component of the work force in the health care system. However, many of them are known to work in a stressful environment which may affect their mental well-being; the situation could be worse in rapidly transforming societies such as China. The purpose of this study was to investigate anxiety symptoms and the associated factors in Chinese nurses working in public city hospitals., Methods: A cross-sectional survey was performed for Chinese nurses in public city hospitals of Liaoning Province, northeast China. Seven hospitals in different areas of the province were randomly selected for the study. The Zung Self-Rating Anxiety Scale was used to measure anxiety symptoms. Effort-reward imbalance questionnaire and Job Content Questionnaire were used to assess the work stressors. Univariate analysis and stepwise multivariate logistic regression analysis were used to identify the factors associated with anxiety symptoms., Results: All registered nurses in the seven city hospitals, totaling 1807 registered nurses were surveyed. Of the returned questionnaires, 1437 were valid (79.5%) for analysis. Utilizing the total raw score ≥ 40 as the cut-off point, the prevalence of anxiety symptoms in these nurses was 43.4%. Demographic factors (education, chronic disease and life event), lifestyle factors (regular meals and physical exercise), work conditions (hospital grade, job rank, monthly salary, nurse-patient relationships, job satisfaction and intention of leaving), job content (social support and decision latitude), effort-reward imbalance and overcommitment were all significantly related to the anxiety symptoms. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed main factors associated with anxiety symptoms were lower job rank (OR 2.501), overcommitment (OR 2.018), chronic diseases (OR 1.541), worse nurse-patient relationship (OR 1.434), higher social support (OR 0.573), lower hospital grade (OR 0.629), taking regular meals (OR 0.719) and higher level of job satisfaction (OR 0.722)., Conclusions: A large proportion of Chinese nurses working in public city hospitals had anxiety symptoms, which warrants immediate investigation and intervention from the hospital administrators. Meanwhile, results of the study suggest that proper counseling, promotion of healthy lifestyle behavior and improvements to the social environment in the work place may be helpful toward reducing or preventing the anxiety symptoms.

Objective: To analyze the distribution pattern of the references in National Journal of Andrology (NJA) and Asian Journal of Andrology (AJA), and evaluate the ability of information collection and the characteristics of literatures requested by scientists of andrology., Methods: The citation analysis was used to analyze the references cited by articles published on the two journals, including the number, type and publication year of references, and Price Index, self-citing rate of the two journals and top cited journals were analyzed individually., Results: The average numbers of references per article in AJA and NJA were 20.43 and 10.18 respectively, and the percentages of journals cited by the two journals were 95.84% and 93%. The Price indices were 38.50% and 55.01%, and self-citing rates were 6.20% and 5.82% for the two journals respectively. There were 358 and 725 journals cited by AJA and NJA, the top 12 of which provided 42.47% and 37.41% of all references respectively., Conclusion: The main reference type was journal. NJA cited more disciplines than AJA did, and it cited more current publications. The result shows authors in NJA can use latest articles and keep abreast of progress in andrology. AJA had more references and relatively concentrated cited journal categories, and citing half-life of AJA was longer than that of NJA.