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Purpose. To study the clinical significance of the Graves' orbitopathy-specific quality of life (GO-QOL) questionnaire in mainland Chinese patients. Methods. A cross-sectional study was performed at the Ophthalmology Department of the Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital from April 2017 to April 2018. Eighty-eight consecutive Graves' orbitopathy (GO) patients completed the two subscales of the GO-QOL questionnaire: visual functioning and appearance. The disease severity of GO was measured by the European Group on Graves' Orbitopathy (EUGOGO) classification, and clinical activity was evaluated by the clinical activity score (CAS). Results. The mean scores of GO-QOL questionnaire for the visual functioning and appearance subscales were 68.4 ± 31.2 and 62.0 ± 27.4, respectively. Lower QOL scores for the visual functioning subscale were significantly correlated with disease severity, the CAS and diplopia (all p<0.05). Lower QOL scores for appearance were significantly correlated with the CAS (p<0.05). Although no correlation was found between the appearance subscale scores and disease severity (p=0.407), a downward trend in the appearance subscale scores as the severity of GO increased from mild to sight-threatening GO was found. Conclusion. A strong correlation between disease severity and clinical activity has been shown in the GO-QOL questionnaire, suggested by the EUGOGO. The GO-QOL questionnaire is a simple and effective appraisal instrument in the evaluation of health-related QOL in the mainland Chinese patients with GO. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phytoplankton is frequently utilized in the assessment of water ecological health, and a great number of related studies have been conducted in China; however, most of them are limited in scope. A phytoplankton survey was carried out at the basin scale in this study. A total of 139 sampling sites were set up in crucial locations of the main stream, from the Yangtze River's source region to the estuary, as well as the eight primary tributaries and the Three Gorges' tributaries. In the Yangtze River Basin, phytoplankton was found in seven phyla and 82 taxa, with Cryptophyta, Cyanophyta, and Bacillariophyta being the dominant species. To begin, the composition of phytoplankton communities in various sections of the Yangtze River Basin was studied, and LEfSe was utilized to identify highly enriched species in different regions. The association between phytoplankton communities and environmental factors in different sections of the Yangtze River Basin was then investigated using CCA. The generalized linear model demonstrated that TN and TP were strongly positively linked with phytoplankton density at the basin scale, whereas TITAN analysis identified the environmental indicator species and their corresponding optimal growth threshold range. Finally, the study assessed each Yangtze River Basin Region in terms of biotic and abiotic factors. Although the results of the two aspects were incongruent, the analysis of all indicators using the random forest method can yield comprehensive and objective ecological evaluation results for each section of the Yangtze River Basin.

To explore the periphytic algae community structure in the Yangtze River basin, samples were collected from 130 sampling sites, including the source to the estuary along the mainstream of the Yangtze River, eight primary tributaries, and the tributary of the Three Gorges area. The periphytic algae densities of different areas in the mainstream of the Yangtze River ranked from high to low were the upstream area, source area, middle and lower area, and the Jinsha River. The high periphytic algae density in the upstream area was associated with the shift in nutrition level, and the high periphytic algae density in the source area was associated with human activity. The spatial pattern of the periphytic algae community in the whole main stream from west to east presented the alternating dominance of Bacillariophyta and Cyanophyta; the Bacillariophyta ( Navicula ) had a competitive advantage in the main stream, and the distribution of the periphytic algae community was driven by total nitrogen, total phosphorus, and pH. For the tributary of the Yangtze River, the periphytic algae density in the Three Gorges tributary area was far higher than those in the eight primary tributaries; the periphytic algae community was dominated by Cyanophyta ( Lyngbya ), which had a competitive advantage in the tributaries of the Yangtze River. The distribution of the periphytic community was driven by dissolved oxygen and pH. According to the diversity analysis and assessment, the periphytic algae community in the source area showed lower species richness and higher evenness, thus leading to a high α -diversity and good assessment result (mesosaprobic zone). The middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River also showed the same assessment result, the mesosaprobic zone. However, the community evenness of the middle and lower reaches was significantly lower than that of the source area, thus making the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River have a significantly lower α -diversity than that of the source area. All areas of the Yangtze River showed good water quality assessment; however, different areas had different WQI index numbers, and the assessment results of the WQI index were inconsistent with the results of the aquatic assessment. Therefore, a comprehensive assessment of aquatic ecosystem health should use both aquatic assessments and water quality assessments.

To explore the bacterioplankton community structure in the Yangtze River basin, water samples were collected from 177 sampling sites, including the source to the estuary along the mainstream of the Yangtze River, eight primary tributaries, and several lakes and reservoirs. The 16S rRNA genes were used to explore the bacterioplankton communities based on single molecule real-time sequencing, with the aim to study the diversity and community characteristics in a border sampling area and higher species annotation accuracy. Based on α -diversity analysis, the river area had higher species richness than that of the lake/reservoir area, resulting in these two areas having different bacterioplankton community diversities. Based on the β diversity analysis, the bacterioplankton showed different community compositions between the river and lake/reservoir areas; temperature was the key environmental factor for the river area, and pH was the key environmental factor for the lake/reservoir area. In order to study the influence of different bacterioplankton communities, this study further investigated the species, function, and community differences between the river and lake/reservoir areas. The results were as follows:for the river area, the eutrophication level gradually increased from west to east along the mainstream of the Yangtze River, resulting in a gradually increased relative abundance of specific species. The lake/reservoir area had a higher risk of cyanobacteria bloom, and the opportunistic pathogen had a high relative abundance in the Danjiangkou Reservoir, indicating a higher ecological risk. For species composition, the river and lake/reservoir areas shared most OTUs (84%); however, some uncultured bacteria showed a high relative abundance in the Yangtze River, meaning the bacterioplankton of the Yangtze River basin still requires further study. In general, the river and lake/reservoir shared most species; however, the different bacterioplankton diversity, community composition, and enriched species made the river and lake/reservoir have different key environmental factors, and they also showed differences in ecological functions.