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Objective: The current body of evidence on the association between the ratio of triglycerides to high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (TG/HDL-c) and the reversal of prediabetes to normoglycemia remains limited. The aim of this study is to investigate the association between TG/HDL-c and the reversion to normoglycemia in patients with prediabetes. Methods: This retrospective cohort study included 15,107 individuals with prediabetes from 32 Chinese districts and 11 cities who completed health checks from 2010 to 2016. The Cox proportional-hazards regression model examined baseline TG/HDL-c and reversion to normoglycemia from prediabetes. Cox proportional hazards regression with cubic spline functions and smooth curve fitting determined the non-linear connection between TG/HDL-c and reversion to normoglycemia. We also ran sensitivity and subgroup analysis. By characterizing progression to diabetes as a competing risk for the reversal of prediabetes to normoglycemic event, a multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression model with competing risks was created. Results: Upon adjusting for covariates, the findings indicate a negative association between TG/HDL-c and the likelihood of returning to normoglycemia (HR = 0.869, 95%CI:0.842–0.897). Additionally, a non-linear relationship between TG/HDL-c and the probability of reversion to normoglycemia was observed, with an inflection point of 1.675. The HR on the left side of the inflection point was 0.748 (95%CI:0.699, 0.801). The robustness of our results was confirmed through competing risks multivariate Cox's regression and a series of sensitivity analyses. Conclusion: The present study reveals a negative and non-linear correlation between TG/HDL-c and the reversion to normoglycemia among Chinese individuals with prediabetes. The findings of this study are anticipated to serve as a valuable resource for clinicians in managing dyslipidemia in prediabetic patients. Interventions aimed at reducing the TG/HDL-c ratio through the reduction of TG or elevation of HDL-c levels may substantially enhance the likelihood of achieving normoglycemia in individuals with prediabetes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Blue honeysuckle (Lonicera caerulea L.) is an emerging fruit crop; however, determining its proper harvest time in commercial cultivation remains challenging due to its rapid fruit development characteristics. In this study, we investigated 17 agronomic traits of three blue honeysuckle cultivars harvested on 5 successive dates within their respective harvest windows. 'Lanjingling', 'Wulan', and 'Berel' showed solid–acid ratios (SS:TA) ranging from 10.00 to 16.01, 8.13 to 10.23, and 5.77 to 7.11, respectively; anthocyanin contents ranged from 233.85 to 276.83 mg/100 g, 236.38 to 312.23 mg/100 g, and 235.71 to 334.98 mg/100 g, respectively; vitamin C contents ranged from 88.43 to 99.68 mg/100 g, 108.13 to 191.23 mg/100 g, and 89.71 to 120.40 mg/100 g, respectively; phenolic contents ranged from 25.22 to 37.59 mg/g, 25.40 to 36.52 mg/g, and 37.66 to 50.00 mg/g, respectively. The results revealed the SS:TA value consistently increased with delayed harvesting and were significantly negatively correlated with fruit firmness, total acidity, shelf life, and respiration intensity, suggesting it is an ideal maturity indicator for blue honeysuckle berries. The factor analysis suggests that the suitable harvest date for 'Lanjingling' could be either 47 days after flowering (DAF) with an SS:TA value of approximately 10.0, characterized by high firmness, extended shelf life, and elevated levels of anthocyanins and phenolics; or 67 DAF (SS:TA ≈ 16.0), characterized by high vitamin C content and sweetness, and larger size and weight. For 'Wulan', it suggests the suitable harvest date is either 54 DAF (SS:TA ≈ 9.0), yielding fruit with high levels of anthocyanins and vitamin C; or 62 DAF (SS:TA > 10.0), yielding fruit with high sweetness and large size and weight. For 'Berel', it is suggested to be either 52 DAF (SS:TA ≈ 6.5), resulting in fruit with high levels of anthocyanins and vitamin C; or 62 DAF (SS:TA > 7.0), resulting in balanced levels of the fruit quality traits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China's grotto temples have suffered from the erosion caused by shallow-surface peeling diseases for many years, and the common protection technology cannot solve such problems. Therefore, in view of the characteristics of wide distribution, small rock separation parts, and shallow layers of spalling diseases in cave temples, the microrockbolt anchoring technology was adopted for treatment. On the basis of the finite element method, the pulling process of microrockbolt-grouting body was simulated, the interface bonding mechanical property between microrockbolt and grouting materials was explored, and the influence of different rockbolt diameters and anchorage lengths on the microrockbolt pulling force was analyzed under monotonic load. Results show that all the failure forms are bolt pulling out failure. With the increase in anchorage length and reinforcement diameter, the axial stress in the anchoring section decreases gradually, and the stress decreases almost uniformly along the anchorage length. The increase in steel bar diameter causes the ultimate pulling force of microbolt to increase. With the increasing of anchorage length, the ultimate pulling force of microbolt increases, but the increase rate decreases. The average interface bond strength decreases when the anchorage length is 100-250 mm. The conclusions obtained in this study provide a significantly reference for the microrockbolt anchoring treatment in cave temples with shallow-surface spalling diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Seasons are the important influencing factor for gut microbiota, which in turn affects the ecology and evolution of the host. The seasonal variation in gut microbiota has increasingly attracted the attention of researchers and professionals worldwide. However, studies of seasonal variations in gut microbiota have not been systematically analyzed by bibliometrics or visual analysis. This study is based on 271 publications from 2012 to 2022 in the Web of Science Core Collection database (WOSCC) to analyze hot spots and trends in this field. The collaborations between different countries, institutions, authors, journals, and keywords were bibliometrically analyzed using Excel, CiteSpace (Version 6.2. R4), and VOSviewer (version 1.6.19) software. The number of publications has been increasing rapidly and shows a general upward trend. China and the Chinese Academy of Sciences are the country and institution contributing the most, respectively. The research hotspots and trends mainly include the diversity of gut microbiota communities in different seasons, the relationship between diet and gut microbiota in seasonal changes, and the relationship between gut microbiota and evolutionary adaptation in seasonal changes. This is the first bibliometric and visualization analysis of seasonal variations in gut microbiota, which may advance this field and lay the foundation for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) instrument at the China Spallation Neutron Source (CSNS) is an operating instrument for studying structures and inhomogeneities with dimensions ranging from 1 to 100 nm. Preparing multiple samples at once and measuring them sequentially is a common approach in SANS experiments to reduce neutron beamline wastes and increase experimental efficiency. We present the development of an automatic sample changer for the SANS instrument, including system design, thermal simulation, optimization analysis, structure design details, and temperature control test results. It features a two-row construction that can hold 18 samples on each row. The controllable temperature range is −30 to 300 °C. Furthermore, neutron scattering experiments on SANS at CSNS proved that this instrument has good temperature control performance and low background. This automatic sample changer is optimized for usage at SANS and will be offered to other researchers through the user program. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Late Paleozoic pillow basalts are well preserved in the Youjiang Basin of SW China. In this study, we conducted geochemical and Sr−Nd isotopic study on the Late Devonian and Late Carboniferous basalts in Napo area, Youjiang Basin. The analyzed samples comprise moderate SiO2, TiO2, Mg#, and REE contents, with slightly positive or negative Eu anomalies, similar to the chemical nature of OIB (Oceanic island basalt). All basalts show low (143Nd/144Nd)i and (87Sr/86Sr)i values, close to EMI-type (I-type Enriched Mantle) magma source. Late Carboniferous basalts display higher (87Sr/86Sr)i, Nb/Th, and lower εNd(t), Zr/Nb values than those of the Late Devonian basalts, implying progressively decreased enrichment components in the magma source processes. Such evolution trend reflects a continuous lithospheric thinning event, supporting a progressive rifting setting of the Youjiang Basin along the southwestern margin of the Yangtze Block in Late Paleozoic. Combined with regional geological background, the Youjiang Basin is viewed as a continental rift basin related to the opening of the Paleo-Tethys Ocean in Late Devonian and became a passive continental margin basin in Carboniferous. The Paleo-Tethys branch ocean probably extended further to the southern Youjiang Basin, likely corresponding to the Song Ma suture zone. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accurate information about the distribution of natural fractures is a key factor for the success of the exploration and development of oil and gas in carbonate rock formations. Forward modeling of natural fractures generated by tectonic movement within carbonate rock formations was investigated by jointly using the continuum damage model and finite element numerical technology. Geological analysis of natural fractures was used as the basis of the geomechanical finite element calculation. A workflow of numerical calculations for natural fractures was proposed. These achievements were applied to investigate natural fractures' distribution within Ordovician carbonate rock formations of the Fuman Oilfield, Xinjiang, in the west of China. Finite element sub-modeling technology was used to further investigate natural fractures within key target reservoir formations with a finer mesh. The contour of natural fractures represented by the localization band of continuum damage variables was obtained. A comparison of the numerical results of the natural fractures' distribution represented by continuum damage variables with those of natural fractures interpreted from seismic data shows that: (1) the numerical solution of natural fractures matches the measured data, and their orientations are in good accordance; (2) their distribution and locations are basically the same, with some small differences in local details; (3) the numerical results indicate that the maximum value of the damage variable SDEG within the zones of natural fractures is 0.2686, and the widths of the bands of natural fractures/faults are in the range of 500 m to 1000 m. Validation of the results of the distribution of natural fractures was performed indirectly via the distribution of the minimum horizontal stress gradient ShG. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The progress in sample environment at the China Spallation Neutron Source (CSNS) is presented. During the past two years, the Sample Environment group (SE Group) has made substantial efforts towards the procurement, design, development and maintenance of a series of sample environments for the three commissioning instruments. The equipment includes cryostats, an 3He insert, magnets, furnaces, continuously-loaded pressure cells, clamp cells, a gas handling panel, automatic sample changers, etc. The SE Group also constructs and maintains three user laboratories for sample preparation, characterization and complimentary analysis. Future developments are also briefly described. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: This study aimed to test the association between fathers' smoking behaviour and urinary cotinine levels among preschool children exposed to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS). Possible factors influencing this association were also explored.Methods: We recruited 368 smoking fathers with children aged five to six from five preschools in the city of Changsha, China. Urine samples were collected from the children, and the fathers were interviewed face-to-face. We adjusted for potential confounding factors with linear regression models.Results: The geometric mean of the cotinine concentration in the children's urine was 3.94 ng/mL (95% confidence interval 3.71-4.22). In multivariate analyses, the important predictors of urinary cotinine levels among children, after adjusted confounding factors, were the number of cigarettes smoked in front of the children at home per day (B = 0.414, p < 0.001), the number of cigarettes smoked by the father in front of the children at home (B = 0.105, p < 0.001) and the mean duration of the children's exposure to ETS at home (B = 0.111; p = 0.046).Conclusion: Urinary cotinine concentrations of children exposed to ETS at home were positively associated with smoking fathers and smoking behaviours and the mean duration of ETS exposure at home. Targeted interventions are urgently needed to reduce children's exposure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One hadean zircon from the Cambrian sandstone in the southern part of South China has a U-Pb age of 4107±29 Ma with ɛ( t) value similar to that of the homochronous depleted mantle and Hf model age of 4102±21 Ma. This demonstrates the existence of hadean crustal remnant in South China. A close match between the U-Pb age and Hf model age with the highly position ɛ( t) value indicates the growth and immediate reworking of juvenile crust from the depleted mantle at ca 4.1 Ga. The prominent 'Pan-African' and Grenville zircons derived from the exotic sources were also found in the sample, which indicates a linking between South China and Gondwana in the Cambrian period. The southern part of South China has complex histories of crustal growth and tectonic evolution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Neutron resonance spectroscopy has been employed extensively for temperature measurements within the interior of functional materials with high accuracy. However, the currently prevailing metal-foil element furnaces operating below 2000 K limit the application of this technique in many studies of novel engineering composites. To enable experiments at even higher temperatures, at the China Spallation Neutron Source (CSNS), we designed an ultra-high temperature inductive heating furnace that can achieve temperatures up to 2700 K. The furnace is designed for temperature determination experiments by neutron resonance spectroscopy. We report the detailed design and operation of this furnace to provide a reference for future development of ultra-high temperature sample environments for other neutron instruments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Preschool children exposed to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) are at risk of developing adverse respiratory health effects. The present study aimed to investigate the relationship between the effects of cigarette-smoking caregivers on respiratory symptoms and urinary cotinine (UC) levels in children. Methods: A cross-sectional study consisting of 543 children (aged between 5 and 6 years) from 5 kindergartens in central China was conducted using a structured questionnaire. We also analyzed UC levels to investigate the relationship between respiratory symptoms and ETS exposure. We further performed logistic regression analyses to establish the relationship between respiratory symptoms (coughing, rhinorrhea, and sneezing) and UC levels. Results: A total of 71 (13.08%) children had a history of hospital admission with respiratory illnesses including bronchitis and pneumonia over the last 6 months. In addition, 102 (18.78%) children presented coughing symptoms, 114 (20.99%) experienced rhinorrhea and 79 (14.55%) presented sneezing symptoms over the last 6 months. After adjusting the confounders, odds ratio (OR) indicated that the number of cigarettes smoked by a caregiver was associated with coughing (OR = 11.02; 95% CI, 3.72-33.66), rhinorrhea (OR = 41.83; 95% CI, 5.58-313.05) and sneezing (OR = 4.71; 95% CI, 1.33-16.48). Furthermore, UC levels in children with coughing, rhinorrhea and sneezing were significantly higher than in children without respiratory symptoms ( P = 0.002, P < 0.001, P < 0.001, respectively). Conclusions: This study reveals that children exposed to ETS have higher levels of UC. Compared with caregiver who non-smoked live with children, smoked cigarettes were highly risk of developing respiratory illnesses in children. Notably, the higher the UC levels the greater the respiratory risk. Our results also signify that UC can be used as an indicator of ETS exposure to inform caregivers of the associated risks, and inform efforts to reduce related effects., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2021 Wang, Huang, Luo, Tian, Hu and Xiao.)

Sclerotinia sclerotiorum is one of the most devastating fungal plant pathogens of oilseed Brassica and is distributed worldwide. In particular, Sclerotinia stem rot has always been a serious threat to rapeseed production in Chongqing City, China. In this study, simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers and mycelial compatibility groups (MCGs) were used to characterize the population structure of 90 geographic isolates of S. sclerotiorum collected from rapeseed in nine counties of Chongqing. A total of 52 microsatellite haplotypes were identified, and a few haplotypes were found with high frequency. Gene diversity ranged from 0.1570 to 0.4700 in nine populations. A constructed unweighted pair group with arithmetic mean dendrogram based on Nei genetic distance and a STRUCTURE analysis revealed that the genetic composition of the isolates collected in the five counties located in western Chongqing are different from those collected in the two eastern counties, suggesting that breed lines should be cultivated in both the western and eastern regions to effectively evaluate resistance levels. A total of 47 MCGs were identified, and 72% of the MCGs was represented by single isolates. Seven of 13 MCGs that included at least two isolates contained isolates from only one county. SSR haplotypes were not correlated with MCGs. A subset of 34 isolates were inoculated on rapeseed stems, and the aggressiveness showed variation. This research revealed the population genetic structure and aggressiveness of this pathogen in Chongqing, and the results will help to develop disease management and resistance screening strategies.

Objective: To assess the impact of different smoking behaviors of caregivers on environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) exposure in children aged 5-6 years in Changsha, China., Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional, random digit-dial telephone survey of caregivers (n = 543) between August and October 2013. Caregivers' smoking behaviors were collected by a questionnaire. Exposure assessment was based upon determination of urinary cotinine levels in children employing gas chromatography-triple quadrupole mass spectrometry (GC-MS/MS)., Results: In children not living with a smoker, children living with one smoker, and children living with more than one smoker at home, median urinary cotinine concentrations (ng/mL) were 0.72, 2.97, and 4.46, respectively. For children living with one smoker, median urinary cotinine levels of children exposed to ETS were associated with caregiver smoking behaviors, i.e., if a caregiver consumed more cigarettes (>20 compared with ≤10; 7.73 versus 2.29 ng/mL, respectively)., Conclusions: The magnitude of ETS exposure in children is correlated with the smoking behaviors of the caregiver. Counseling for smoking cessation and educational interventions are needed urgently for smoking caregivers to increase their awareness about ETS exposure and to encourage smoking cessation at home or to take precautions to protect children's health.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common liver tumor in Asian countries, and hepatectomy is currently regarded as the optimal curative treatment for HCC; however, the postoperative outcome remains unsatisfactory. Aiming at further clarification of prognostic factors after hepatectomy, we adopted a detailed stratification on survival periods. A total of 428 HCC patients undergoing curative hepatectomy were firstly divided into two groups using 2-year survival as cutoff point. Multivariate analysis showed that tumor-related factors, including vascular invasion (P < 0.001), high Edmondson grade (P < 0.001), large tumor size (P < 0.001) and high serum alpha-fetoprotein level (P = 0.001), were significant determinants for early death within 2 years, while postoperative transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) was demonstrated a protective factor (P = 0.013). Then the 281 patients with survival > 2 years were divided into two subgroups according to survival or death during follow-up to examine the late death related factors. We found that high serum γ-glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT), indicating severity of underlying liver disease, was significantly linked to death in this stage (P = 0.006). In further comparison of survival rates between subgroups stratified by early- and late-death indictors, we found the long-term outcomes of patients with high serum GGT were poor, regardless of the factors related with primary tumor. Furthermore, postoperative TACE decreased late death rate of patients with high GGT levels. In conclusion, despite the overwhelmed effects of primary tumor in the early stage after hepatectomy, postoperative TACE is beneficial for HCC patients with poor liver status.

Objective: To explore the incidence, mortality, trends and time distribution of food poisoning in Hunan Province., Methods: The data on food poisoning was derived from the Information Office of Hunan Provincial Health Department. Using the trend-test and circular distribution methods, we have described the current situation of food poisoning and tested the central tendency of the peak time points and the peak time zone of food poisoning in Hunan from 2000 to 2009., Results: On average, the incidence of food poisoning in Hunan from 2000 to 2009 was 0.072 per 100000 population. And the average number of people affected in these incidents was 1.937 per 100000 population. There were no apparent trends in either the number of incidents or people affected between 2000 and 2009 (u=-0.98, P>0.05; u=-1.34, P>0.05, respectively). The average mortality was 0.015 per 100000 population. The trend-test indicated that the average annual mortality decreased significantly from 2000 to 2009 (u=-1.72, P<0.05). Meanwhile the average annual fatality rate was 0.77%. The trend-test revealed statistically significant differences for the average annual fatality rate (u=-1.88, P<0.05). The circular distribution analysis showed that there was a central tendency of the distribution of food poisoning cases, with the average peak time at August 28th and the average peak time zone from June 7th to November 18th for food poisoning from 2000 to 2008., Conclusion: From 2000 to 2009, there is a significant tendency in the average annual mortality and fatality rate of food poisoning in Hunan. Summer and fall are the high seasons for food poisoning. We should pay attention to the peak time zone, especially the peak time point of food poisoning for food safety monitoring, and strengthen the prevention and control on food poisoning.

Background and Aim: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common cancers worldwide. However, there is no general consensus as to which staging system is the most reliable for predicting the survival of patients with HCC. The aims of this study were to compare commonly-used staging systems in a cohort of Chinese HCC patients undergoing curative resection., Methods: From January 1991 to June 2002, 234 Chinese patients undergoing curative resection for HCC from one medical center were evaluated. All patients were classified by the Okuda, Cancer of the Liver Italian Program (CLIP), tumor node metastasis (TNM) (6th edition) and the Chinese University Prognostic Index (CUPI) staging systems. Survival curves were calculated using the Kaplan-Meier method and were examined using log-rank testing. The overall predictive power for patient survival with each staging system was evaluated by the area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve., Results: The overall median survival of the entire cohort was 24.9 months (95% confidence interval (CI) 18.15-31.65 months) and the estimated survival rates at 1, 3, and 5 years were 69.66% 3.01%, 41.02% 3.31%, and 29.08% 3.55%, respectively. In our patient cohort, the log-rank test demonstrated that the TNM and Okuda staging systems gave better results than the other staging systems in the prognosis stratification. The prognostic predictive powers of the TNM staging for survival, evaluated by ROC curve areas, was also superior., Conclusions: For HCC patients undergoing curative resection, the TNM staging system (6th edition) proved the best for prognostic stratification and prognosis prediction.