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The arrival of the metaverse, as a new generation of information technology, will bring great changes to people's production, life, and learning. The educational metaverse is regarded as a new form of educational development, which will bring a transformative impact on educational teaching activities. In this context, this study has developed a general architecture of educational metaverse system, which includes the physical layer, software layer, data layer, and application layer, based on the technical, theoretical, and architectural support and its digital ecology of educational metaverse system construction. The study has tried to construct a physiology virtual experimental teaching system and taken the rabbit's exercise of respiration regulation experiment as an example to start the research on the educational metaverse in physiology experimental teaching. Participants of the study were 120 students from the 2019 clinical medicine class at School A. By analyzing the learning outcome of students in the virtual experiment course of the educational metaverse, it is concluded that educational metaverse can promote both teaching and learning in the process of experimental teaching; this research has explored the path for the new form of Internet education, which is of great significance for promoting the efficient construction of new education infrastructure and the innovative development of education modernization.

Background: Respiratory diseases are common and frequent diseases. Due to the high pathogenicity and side effects of respiratory diseases, the discovery of new strategies for drug treatment is a hot area of research. Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi (SBG) has been used as a medicinal herb in China for over 2000 years. Baicalin (BA) is a flavonoid active ingredient extracted from SBG that BA has been found to exert various pharmacological effects against respiratory diseases. However, there is no comprehensive review of the mechanism of the effects of BA in treating respiratory diseases. This review aims to summarize the current pharmacokinetics of BA, baicalin-loaded nano-delivery system, and its molecular mechanisms and therapeutical effects for treating respiratory diseases. Method: This review reviewed databases such as PubMed, NCBI, and Web of Science from their inception to 13 December 2022, in which literature was related to "baicalin", "Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi", "COVID-19", "acute lung injury", "pulmonary arterial hypertension", "asthma", "chronic obstructive pulmonary disease", "pulmonary fibrosis", "lung cancer", "pharmacokinetics", "liposomes", "nano-emulsions", "micelles", "phospholipid complexes", "solid dispersions", "inclusion complexes", and other terms. Result: The pharmacokinetics of BA involves mainly gastrointestinal hydrolysis, the enteroglycoside cycle, multiple metabolic pathways, and excretion in bile and urine. Due to the poor bioavailability and solubility of BA, liposomes, nanoemulsions, micelles, phospholipid complexes, solid dispersions, and inclusion complexes of BA have been developed to improve its bioavailability, lung targeting, and solubility. BA exerts potent effects mainly by mediating upstream oxidative stress, inflammation, apoptosis, and immune response pathways. It regulates are the NF-κB, PI3K/AKT, TGF-β/Smad, Nrf2/HO-1, and ERK/GSK3β pathways. Conclusion: This review presents comprehensive information on BA about pharmacokinetics, baicalin-loaded nano-delivery system, and its therapeutic effects and potential pharmacological mechanisms in respiratory diseases. The available studies suggest that BA has excellent possible treatment of respiratory diseases and is worthy of further investigation and development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vegetation recovery is an important marker of ecosystem health in the mining area. Clarifying the influence of vegetation recovery on the characteristics of soil microbial community and its assembly process can improve our understanding of the ecological resilience and self-maintaining mechanism in the open-pit mining area. For this purpose, we employed MiSeq high-throughput sequencing coupled with null model analysis to determine the composition, molecular ecological network characteristics, key bacterial and fungal clusters, and the assembly mechanism of the soil microbial communities in shrubs (BL), coniferous forest (CF), broadleaved forests (BF), mixed forest (MF), and the control plot (CK, the poplar plantation nearby that had been continuously grown for over 30 a without disturbance). The results showed that the vegetation restoration model had a significant influence on the a-diversity of the microbial community (p < 0.05). Compared with CK, Sobs and Shannon index of MF and CF have increased by 35.29, 3.50, and 25.18%, 1.05%, respectively, whereas there was no significant difference in the a-diversity of fungal community among different vegetation restoration types, Actinobacteria, Chloroflexi, Proteobacteria, and Acidobacteria were the dominant phyla. The diversity of the first two phyla was significantly higher than those of CK. However, the diversity of the last two phyla was dramatically lower than those of CK (p < 0.05). Ascomycota and Basidiomycota were dominant phyla in the fungal community. The abundance and diversity of Ascomycota were significantly higher than those of CK, while the abundance and diversity of the latter were considerably lower than those of CK (p < 0.05). The stochastic process governed the assembly of the soil microbial community, and the contribution rate to the bacterial community construction of CK, CF, BF, and MF was 100.0%. Except for MF, where the soil fungal community assembly was governed by the deterministic process, all other fungal communities were governed by the stochastic process. Proteobacteria and Acidobacteria are key taxa of the bacterial network, while Mortierellales, Thelebolales, Chaetothyriales, and Hypocreales are the key taxa of the fungal network. All these results might provide the theoretical foundation for restoring the fragile ecosystem in the global mining region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. The COVID-19 outbreak required the significantly increased working time and intensity for health professionals in China, which may cause stress signs. Methods. From March 2-13 of 2020, 4,618 health professionals in China were included in an anonymous, self-rated online survey regarding their concerns on exposure to the COVID-19 outbreak. The questionnaires consisted of five parts: basic demographic information and epidemiological exposure; occupational and psychological impact; concerns during the episode; coping strategies; and the Huaxi Emotional-Distress Index (HEI). Results. About 24.2% of respondents experienced high levels of anxiety or/and depressive symptoms since the COVID-19 outbreak. Respondents who worried about their physical health and those who had COVID-19 infected friends or close relatives were more likely to have high HEI levels, than those without these characteristics. Further, family relationship was found to have an independent protective effect against high HEI levels. Their main concerns were that their families would not be cared for and that they would not be able to work properly. Compared to respondents with clear emotional problems, those with somewhat hidden emotional issues adopted more positive coping measures. Conclusions. About a quarter of medical staff experienced psychological problems during the pandemic of COVID-19. The psychological impact of stressful events was related to worrying about their physical health, having close COVID-19 infected acquaintances and family relationship issues. Therefore, the psychological supprot for medical staff fighting in the COVID-19 pandemic may be needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Capital buffers can improve the stability of the banking system, but they come at a cost. This study explores the efficient macro-prudential regulation of systemic risk from the perspective of capital network reconstruction. A model of option pricing is proposed to determine the market value of sector credits. Consequently, systemic risk is measured by both credit and interbank contagion risks. Credit network reconstruction is then optimized to minimize systemic risks. Our analysis was based on data from China's banking systems between 2008 and 2020. In different stress tests, the credit network reconstruction generally optimizes systemic risk to the lowest level. At the same time, it may save about 20% to 140% of the cost of capital. The optimization mechanism analysis shows that large banks with stability advantages share more shocks than small banks by reconstructing their sector credit network. As a result, the contagion process of systemic risk is prevented, and bankruptcy cascades are eliminated. These results imply that credit network reconstruction holds great potential for preventing systemic risks. • Credit network reconstruction has more advantages of efficiency in preventing systemic risk than capital requirements. • Systemic risk optimization is optimized through increased common credits where big banks share more shocks from the other banks. • Stability of the banking system is promoted when big banks take more risks than their market shares. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Background: The purpose of the study was to investigate the effects of the pregnane X receptor (PXR)*1B polymorphisms on CYP3A4 enzyme activity and postoperative fentanyl consumption in Chinese patients undergoing gynecological surgery. Methods: A total of 287 females of Han ethnicity, aged 20 to 50 years old, ASA I or II, scheduled to abdominal total hysterectomy or myomectomy under general anesthesia were enrolled. The analgesic model used was fentanyl consumption via patient-controlled intravenous analgesia (PCIA) in the post-operative period. Additionally, pain was assessed using a visual analog score (VAS). Pain scores, occurrence of adverse reactions and consumption of fentanyl were recorded during the 24 h postoperative period. The enzyme activity of CYP3A4 was evaluated by measuring the plasma ratio of 1'-hydroxymidazolam to midazolam 1 h after intravenous administration of 0.1 mg/kg midazolam. PXR genotyping was performed by direct DNA sequencing and the PXR*1B haplotype was analyzed via PHASE V.2.1 software. Results: The polymorphism frequency of PXR11156A > C/11193 T > C and 8055C>T were 49.6 and 49.3%, and the rate of PXR*1B haplotype was 48.8% in our study. None of the pain scores, consumption of fentanyl 24 h post-operatively or enzyme activity of CYP3A4, showed differences among different genotypes. Conclusions: PXR11156A > C, PXR11193T > C, PXR8055C > T or the PXR*1B haplotype do not appear to be important factors contributing to CYP3A4 activity and interindividual variations in postoperative fentanyl consumption in Han female patients undergoing gynecological surgery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Traditional land management (no tillage, no drainage, NTND) during the winter fallow season results in substantial CH4 and N2O emissions from double-rice fields in China. A field experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of drainage and tillage during the winter fallow season on CH4 and N2O emissions and to develop mitigation options. The experiment had four treatments: NTND, NTD (drainage but no tillage), TND (tillage but no drainage), and TD (both drainage and tillage). The study was conducted from 2010 to 2014 in a Chinese double-rice field. During winter, total precipitation and mean daily temperature significantly affected CH4 emission. Compared to NTND, drainage and tillage decreased annual CH4 emissions in early- and late-rice seasons by 54 and 33 kg CH4 ha-1 yr-1, respectively. Drainage and tillage increased N2O emissions in the winter fallow season but reduced it in early- and late-rice seasons, resulting in no annual change in N2O emission. Global warming potentials of CH4 and N2O emissions were decreased by 1.49 and 0.92 tCO2 eq. ha-1 yr-1, respectively, and were reduced more by combining drainage with tillage, providing a mitigation potential of 1.96 tCO2 eq. ha-1 yr-1. A low total C content and high C /N ratio in rice residues showed that tillage in the winter fallow season reduced CH4 and N2O emissions in both early- and late-rice seasons. Drainage and tillage significantly decreased the abundance of methanogens in paddy soil, and this may explain the decrease of CH4 emissions. Greenhouse gas intensity was significantly decreased by drainage and tillage separately, and the reduction was greater by combining drainage with tillage, resulting in a reduction of 0.17 tCO2 eq. t-1. The results indicate that drainage combined with tillage during the winter fallow season is an effective strategy for mitigating greenhouse gas releases from double-rice fields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Social media and online environments are becoming increasingly popular and integral to modern lives. The online presentation of suicidal behaviors is an example of the importance of communication technologies, and the need for professionals to respond to a changing world. These types of behaviors, however, have rarely been scientifically analyzed. This study aimed to examine the behaviors of both suicide broadcasters and their audience, with attention on prevention/crisis opportunities.Methods: Multiple case studies were employed to explore live-broadcast suicide by Chinese emerging adults (aged 18-25 years). Six cases were selected (four males, two females; aged 19-24, M = 21.60, SD = 2.25), retrieved from 190 public documents (case range = 5 to 32; M = 11.50, SD = 10.37). A qualitative study based on grounded theory was adopted. Information on case background, stages, participants and their behaviors were collected.Results: (1) Five stages of blogcast suicide incidents were revealed, including: Signaling, Initial reactions, Live blogcast of suicide attempts, Crisis responses, and Final outcomes. (2) Common behavioral trends (e.g., comforting, verbal abuse) were identified from the blogcast participants (e.g., active audience, peers, parents and police). (3) Suicide blogcasters exhibited tendencies to communicated signs of pain and cries for help.Conclusions: This multi-case study found live presentations of suicidal behaviors offered unique opportunities to respond to suicidal crises, and also to learn more about the relationships between suicidal people and potential help sources. Findings showed many audience members wanted to be helpful but lacked appropriate skills or knowledge. Others engaged in suicide cyberbullying. The social media is an environment in the making. This study revealed that increasing knowledge and skills for crisis response and suicide prevention is needed. Such efforts could lead to empowered netizens and a more hospitable online world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The etiology of Kashin-Beck disease (KBD), an endemic osteochondropathy, is largely unknown. Matrix metalloproteinase-1 (MMP-1) plays a central role in the initiation and progression of cartilage destruction; however, no study has reported on the relationship between KBD and MMP-1. This study was to investigate the role of MMP-1 in the pathogenesis and progression of KBD. Methods: Single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) genotyping was conducted for 274 KBD cases and 248 healthy controls using the Sequenom MassARRAY system. Additionally, the expression of MMP-1 in the knee articular cartilage of 22 KBD patients and 21 controls was analyzed by immunohistochemistry, and the concentration of MMP-1 in their joint fluid was also measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Results: The results showed that two SNPs (rs470221 and rs1144396) had a weak association with increased KBD risk; however, the significance of these results did not survive Bonferroni's correction. Moreover, the percentages of cells expressing MMP-1 in each layer of cartilage were significantly higher in the KBD group than in the controls (F = 11.41-28.31, P = 0.002-0.000). The concentration of MMP-1 in KBD joint fluid was significantly higher than that in the controls (t = 9.83, P < 0.0001). Conclusions: The increased expression of MMP-1 has a potential effect on the risk of KBD in the northwest Chinese Han population. However, six selected SNPs in the MMP-1 gene might not be useful as significant markers for predicting KBD susceptibility in Chinese Han population. Therefore, future studies in the association of MMP-1 with KBD should focus on other candidate SNPs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gnetum is a small, unique group of Gnetophyta with a controversial phylogenetic position. Gnetum parvifolium is an important Chinese traditional medicinal plant, which is rich in bioactive compounds such as flavonoids and stilbenoids. These compounds provide significant medicinal effects, mostly as antioxidant, anticancer, and antibacterial agents. However, the mechanisms involved in the biosynthesis and regulation of these compounds in G. parvifolium are still unknown. In this study, we found that flavonoids and stilbene compounds accumulated at different levels in various tissues of G. parvifolium. We further obtained and analyzed massive sequence information from pooled samples of G. parvifolium by transcriptome sequencing, which generated 94,816 unigenes with an average length of 724 bp. Functional annotation of all these unigenes revealed that many of them were associated with several important secondary metabolism pathways including flavonoids and stilbenoids. In particular, several candidate unigenes (PAL-, C4H-, 4CL-, and STS-like genes) involved in stilbenoids biosynthesis were highly expressed in leaves and mature fruits. Furthermore, high temperature and UV-C strongly induced the expression of these genes and enhanced stilbene production (i.e., resveratrol and piceatannol) in leaves of young seedlings. Our present transcriptomic and biochemical data on secondary metabolites in G. parvifolium should encourage further investigation on evolution, ecology, functional genomics, and breeding of this plant with strong pharmaceutical potential. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Like most natural systems, landslides also have critical points at which a great change in displacement occurs. The displacement may recover increasingly slowly from small perturbations when landslides approach an abrupt change. The Yemaomian Landslide, located in the Three Gorge Region, China, is studied. A time series of displacement is modeled using an autoregressive (AR) model and a detrended fluctuation analysis (DFA) method. The coefficient and variance of AR(1) and the scaling exponent of DFA are estimated using a slide window. The results show that the DFA scaling exponent can indicate the abrupt change in displacement. The DFA scaling exponent increases when an abrupt change is approaching. If the variation in displacements is small, the scaling exponent declines accordingly. The variance of AR(1) may also indicate the displacement fluctuation. These early-warning signals are extracted directly from the observations. They can be used to detect abrupt changes in real time series. They have the potential to be used as early-warning signals for a wide range of landslides. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The distribution and systematic position of Kindbergia Ochyra in China is reevaluated. The phylogenetic analyses based on nuclear marker (ITS1-5.8S-ITS2) and chloroplastic markers ( rpl16, trnG, and trnL-F) show that the alleged species of ' Kindbergia' in China and Himalayas form a maximally supported clade (1.00 PP and 100 MPBS), which is closely related to the clade of Brachythecium Schimp., Eurhynchiadelphus Ignatov et Huttunen, and Myuroclada Besch., whereas the other Kindbergia specimens from Africa, America, Europe, Japan and the Southern Hemisphere form a monophyletic group, which is sister to Scleropodium Schimp. The specimens of Chinese species of ' Kindbergia' are found, both molecularly and morphologically, to be identical with the Himalayan K. dumosa (Mitt.) Ignatov et Huttunen, and differ from Kindbergia specimens from other regions in the world in the shape of proximal branch leaves, operculum shape and capsule orientation. A new monotypic genus Pseudokindbergia M. Li, Y.F. Wang, Ignatov et B.C. Tan, is established to accommodate only the generitype P. dumosa (Mitt.) M. Li, Y.F. Wang, Ignatov et B.C. Tan, comb. nov. (≡ Hypnum dumosum Mitt.), and Bryhnia serricuspis (Mitt.) Y.F. Wang et R.L. Hu (≡ Eurhynchium serricuspis Mitt.) is considered synonymous with it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Several pioneering studies have provided evidence for the introduction of universal pulse oximetry screening for critical congenital heart disease. However, whether the benefits of screening reported in studies from high-income countries would translate with similar success to low-income countries is unknown. We assessed the feasibility and reliability of pulse oximetry plus clinical assessment for detection of major congenital heart disease, especially critical congenital heart disease, in China. Methods We did a pilot study at three hospitals in Shanghai to assess the accuracy of pulse oximetry plus clinical assessment for detection of congenital heart disease. We made a data collection plan before recruitment. We then undertook a large, prospective, and multicentre screening study in which we screened all consecutive newborn babies (aged 6-72 h) born at 18 hospitals in China between Aug 1, 2011, and Nov 30, 2012. Newborn babies with positive screen results (either an abnormal pulse oximetry or abnormal clinical assessment) were referred for echocardiography within 24 h of screening. We identified false-negative results by clinical follow-up and parents’ feedback. We calculated sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values, and positive and negative likelihood ratios for pulse oximetry alone, and in combination with clinical assessment, for detection of major and critical congenital heart disease. Findings In the pilot study, 6785 consecutive newborn babies were screened; 46 of 49 (94%) cases of asymptomatic major congenital heart disease and eight of eight (100%) cases of asymptomatic critical disease were detected by pulse oximetry and clinical assessment. In the prospective multicentre study, we screened 122738 consecutive newborn babies (120707 asymptomatic and 2031 symptomatic), and detected congenital heart disease in 1071 (157 critical and 330 major). In asymptomatic newborn babies, the sensitivity of pulse oximetry plus clinical assessment was 93 • 2% (95% CI 87 • 9-96 • 2) for critical congenital heart disease and 90 • 2% (86 • 4-93-0) for major disease. The addition of pulse oximetry to clinical assessment improved sensitivity for detection of critical congenital heart disease from 77-4% (95% Cl 70 • 0-83 • 4) to 93 • 2% (87 • 9-96 • 2). The false-positive rate for detection of critical disease was 2 • 7% (3298 of 120 392) for clinical assessment alone and 0 • 3% (394 of 120 561) for pulse oximetry alone. Interpretation Pulse oximetry plus clinical assessment is feasible and reliable for the detection of major congenital heart disease in newborn babies in China. This simple and accurate combined method should be used in maternity hospitals to screen for congenital heart disease. Funding Key Clinical Research Project sponsored by Ministry of Health, Shanghai Public Health Three-Year Action Plan sponsored by Shanghai Municipal Government, and National Basic Research Project of China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The prevalence of goitre in areas with mildly excessive iodine in drinking-water is still under debate. The aim of the present study was to explore the prevalence of goitre and its epidemiological characteristics in these areas using WHO criteria. To this end, three towns with a median water iodine (MWI) of 150-300 μg/l were selected randomly in Hengshui City of Hebei Province of China, and one town with a MWI of 105 μg/l was chosen as a control. A total of 452 children in the three towns and 120 children in the control town were randomly selected to measure thyroid volume (Tvol) by ultrasound. The goitre status of these children was judged using the criteria recommended by the WHO. The overall goitre prevalences in the three towns were 24.6% (111/452) by age-specific Tvol and 33.0% (149/452) by body surface area (BSA)-adjusted Tvol, which were significantly higher than that in the control town by both age-specific Tvol (14.0% (17/120), P=0.015) and BSA-adjusted Tvol (17.5% (21/120), P=0.001). Significant differences were found neither in goitre prevalences across sex by both age-specific Tvol (P=0.078) and BSA-adjusted Tvol (P=0.692) nor in that across age group by both BSA-adjusted Tvol (P=0.461) and age-specific Tvol (P=0.183). The present study found a high prevalence of goitre in children living in areas with mildly excessive iodine in drinking-water in Hebei Province. No significant differences were found in goitre prevalences across sex and age group. These results suggest that the Tvol reference values recommended by the WHO could be too low for Chinese children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chlorinated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (ClPAHs) have been reported to be formed during incineration processes. Despite dioxin-like toxicities of ClPAHs, little is known on the occurrence of these chemicals in the environment. In this study, concentrations of 24-h airborne PM10 and PM2.5-associated ClPAHs and their corresponding parent PAHs were monitored from October 2011 to March 2012 in a suburban area in Shanghai, China. In addition, daytime and nighttime particle samples were collected for 7 days in April from the same sampling site. Twelve of twenty ClPAH congeners were found in PM10 and PM2.5 at concentrations ranging from 2.45 to 47.7 pg/m³ with an average value of 12.3 pg/m³ for PM10, and from 1.34 to 22.3 pg/m³ with an average value of 9.06 pg/m³ for PM2.5. Our results indicate that ClPAHs are ubiquitous in inhalable fine particles. The concentrations of ΣClPAHs and specific congeners such as 9-ClPhe, 3-ClFlu, 1-ClPyr, 7-ClBaA, and 6-ClBaP in particles collected during nighttime were higher than those collected during daytime, which suggests not only diffusion of ClPAHs in air by atmospheric mixing but also photochemical degradation during daylight hours. Among the individual ClPAHs determined, 6-ClBaP, 1-ClPyr, and 9-ClPhe were the dominant compounds in PM10 and PM2.5. The percent composition of 6-ClBaP, 1-ClPyr, 7-ClBaA, and 3-ClFlu between PM10 and PM2.5 was similar. Significant positive correlations were found between concentrations of ClPAHs and their corresponding parent PAHs, particle mass, and total organic carbon (organic carbon plus elemental carbon), indicating that ClPAHs are sorbed onto carbonaceous matter of PM. Concentrations of parent PAHs predicted by multiple linear regression models with PM mass, total organic carbon, temperature, and relative humidity as variables reflected the measured concentrations with a strong coefficient of determination of 0.917 and 0.946 for PM10 and PM2.5, respectively. However, the models generated to predict ClPAH concentrations in PM did not yield satisfactory results, which suggested the differences in physical-chemical properties and formation processes between ClPAHs and their corresponding parent PAHs. 7-ClBaA and 6-ClBaP collectively accounted for the preponderance of the total dioxin-like TEQ concentrations of ClPAHs (TEQClPAH) in PM samples. Exposure to toxic compounds such as ClPAHs and PAHs present in PM2.5 can be related to adverse health outcomes in people. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the impact of employees ' perceptions of information privacy on their affective commitment to work organizations. Based on a survey of 320 Chinese employees, the findings suggest that, for information privacy, perceptions of information handling control and of legitimacy of organizational information practices positively relate with affective commitment. The relationship between perception of information handling control and affective commitment is only significant, however, for employees identifying weakly with collectivism and is stronger for male than for female employees. The relationship between perception of legitimacy of organizational information practices and affective commitment is only salient for female employees. The implications of these findings for organizational and legal polices are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The formation and release of polybrominated dibenzo-p- dioxins and dibenzofurans (PBDD/Fs) from the incineration of electronic wastes (e-waste) that contain brominated flame retardants (BFRs) are a concern. However, studies on the determination of PBDD/Fs in environmental samples collected from e-waste recycling facilities are scarce. In this study, 11 2,3,1,8-substituted PBDD/Fs and 10 polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) congeners were determined in electronic shredder waste, workshop-floor dust, soil, and leaves (of plants on the grounds of the facility) from a large-scale e-waste recycling facility and in surface soil from a chemical-industrial complex (comprising a coke-oven plant ,a coal-fired power plant and a chlor-alkali plant) as well as agricultural areas in eastern China. Total PBDD/F concentrations in environmental samples were in the range of 113-818 pg/g dry wt (dw) for leaves, 392-18500 pg/g dw for electronic shredder residues, 716-800000 pg/g dw for soil samples, end 89600-143000 pg/g dw for workshop-floor dust from the e-waste recycling facility and in a range from nondetect (NO) to 427 pg/g dw in soil from the chemical-industrial complex. The highest mean concentrations of total PBDD/Fs were found in soil samples and workshop-floor dust from the e-waste recycling facility. The dioxin-like toxic equivalent (measured as TEQ) concentrations of PBDD/Fs were greater than the TEQs of polychlorinated dihenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/ Fs) reported in our previous study for the same set of samples. The concentrations of PBDFs were several orders of magnitude higher than the concentrations of PBDDs in samples from the e-waste facility or from soil from the chemical-industrial complex. A significant correlation was found between the concentrations of ΣPBDD/Fs and ΣPBDEs (r = 0.769, p < 0.01) and between ΣPBDD/Fs and the previously reported ΣPCDD/F concentrations (r = 0.805, p < 0.01). The estimated daily human intakes of TEQs contributed by PBDD/Fs via soil/dust ingestion and dermal exposures in e-waste recycling facilities were higher than the intakes of TEQs contributed by PCDD/Fs, calculated in our previous study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chlorinated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (CIPAHs) are a class of halogenated contaminants found in the urban atmosphere; they have toxic potential similar to that of dioxins. Information on the sources of CIPAHs is limited. In this study, concentrations of 20 CIPAHs and 16 parent PAHs were measured in electronic wastes, workshop-floor dust, vegetation, and surface soil collected from the vicinity of an electronic waste (e-waste) recycling facility and in surface soil from a chemical industrial complex (comprising a coke-oven plant, a coal-fired power plant, and a chior-alkali plant), and agricultural areas in central and eastern China. High concentrations of ΣClPAHs were found in floor dust (mean, 103 ng/g dry wt), followed in order of decreasing concentration by leaves (87.5 nglg drywt), electronic shredder waste (59.1 ng/g dry wt), and soil (26.8 nglg dry wt) from an e-waste recycling facility in Taizhou. The mean concentration of ΣClPAHs in soil from the chemical industrial complex (88 ng/g dry wt) was approximately 3-fold higher than the concentration in soil from e-waste recycling facilities. The soils from e-waste sites and industrial areas contained mean concentrations of ΣClPAHs 2 to 3 orders of magnitude higher than the concentrations in agricultural soils (ND-0.76 ng/g), suggesting that e-waste recycling and chlorine-chemical industries are potential emission sources of CIPAHs. The profiles of CIPAHs in soil and dust were similar to a profile that has been reported previously for fly ash from municipal solid waste incinerators (6-CIBaP was the predominant compound), but the profiles in vegetation and electronic shredder waste were different from those found in fly ash. Concentrations of 16 parent PAHs were high (150-49 700 ng/g) in samples collected from the e-waste recycling facility. Significant correlation between ΣCIPAH and ΣPAH concentrations suggests that direct chlorination of parent PAHs is the major pathway of formation of CIPAHs during e-waste recycling operations. Dioxin-like toxic equivalency quotients (TEGs) for CIPAHs and PAHs in samples were calculated on the basis of relative potencies reported for CIPAHs and PAHs. The highest mean TEG concentrations of CIPAHs (518 pg-TEO/g) were found forworkshop-floor dust, followed by leaves (361 pg-TEO/g), electronic shredder waste (308 pg-TEO/g), soil from the chemical industrial complex (146 pg-TEO/g), and soil from the sites of the e-waste recycling facility (92.3 pg-TEO/g). With one exception, the floor dust samples, the TEG concentrations of CIPAHs found in multiple environmental matrices in this study were higher than the TEG concentrations of PCDD/Fs in the same samples reported in our earlier study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Environmental pollution arising from electronic waste (e-waste) disposal and recycling has received considerable attention in recent years. Treatment, at low temperatures, of e-wastes that contain polyvinylchloride and related polymers can release polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs). Although several studies have reported trace metals and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) released from e-waste recycling operations, environmental contamination and human exposure to PCDD/Fs from e-waste recycling operations are less well understood. In this study, electronic shredder waste and dust from e-waste facilities, and leaves and surface soil collected in the vicinity of a large scale e-waste recycling facility in Taizhou, Eastern China, were analyzed fortotal PCDD/Fs including 2,3,7,8-substituted congeners. We also determined PCDD/Fs in surface agricultural soils from several provinces in China for comparison with soils from e-waste facilities. Concentrations of total PCDD/Fs were high in all of the matrices analyzed and ranged from 30.9 to 11400 pg/g for shredder waste, 3460 to 9820 pg/g dry weight for leaves, 2560 to 148000 pg/g dry weight for workshop-floor dust, and 854 to 10200 pg/g dry weight for soils. We also analyzed surface soils from a chemical industrial complex (a coke-oven plant, a coalfired power plant, and a chlor-alkali plant) in Shanghai. Concentrations of total PCDD/Fs in surface soil (44.5-531 pg/g dry wt) from the chemical industrial complex were lower than the concentrations found in soils from e-waste recycling plants, but higher than the concentrations found in agricultural soils. Agricultural soils from six cities in China contained low levels (344-33.8 pg/g dry wt) of total PCDD/Fs. Profiles of dioxin toxic equivalents (TEUs) of 2,3,7,8-PCDD/Fs in soils from e-waste facilities in Taizhou differed from the profiles found in agricultural soils. The estimated daily intakes of TEUs of PCDDI Fs via soil/dust ingestion and dermal exposure (2.3 and 0.363 pg TEQ/kg bw/day for children and adults, respectively) were 2 orders of magnitude higher in people at e-waste recycling facilities than in people at the chemical industrial site (0.021 and 0.0053 pg TEQ/kg bw/day for children and adults, respectively), implying greater health risk for humans from dioxin exposures at e-waste recycling facilities. The calculated TEQ exposures for e-waste workers from dust and soil ingestion alone were 2-3 orders of magnitude greater than the exposures from soils in reference locations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Elevated plasma total homocysteine (tHcy) concentrations are associated with lower folate, vitamin B-12, and vitamin B-6 status and are considered an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease in developed countries, but data in developing countries are limited. We conducted a cross-sectional study to explore tHcy status and its association with plasma B vitamin status in 2471 Chinese men and women aged 35 to 64 y, living in the urban and rural areas of the northern and the southern regions of China. Blood samples were also collected in 2 seasons (spring and fall). The geometric mean plasma tHcy concentration was significantly higher in the north (adjusted geometric mean, 95% CI; 13.0 µmol/L, 12.6-13.31 than in the south (9.1, 8.9-9.4) after controlling for gender, area (urban and rural), age, and season (spring and fall). Twenty-eight percent of northerners and 7% of southerners had plasma tHcy concentrations ≥16.0 µmol/L, a level used to define hyperhomocysteinemia. Within each region, men had higher plasma tHcy concentrations than women (16.1 vs. 10.6 µmol/L in the north, and 10.7 vs. 7.9 µmol/L in the south) and 40% of the northern men had hyperhomocysteinemia. Generally, individuals living in the urban areas had 30% (95% CI, 1.0-1.6) greater odds of having high tHcy levels (≥16 µmol/L) than those living in the rural areas. Low plasma concentrations of folate, vitamins B-12 and B-6, older age, being male, and living in urban areas were all independently associated with elevated tHcy, with low folate as the strongest determinant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Elevated plasma total homocysteine (tHcy) concentrations are associated with lower folate, vitamin B-12, and vitamin B-6 status and are considered an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease in developed countries, but data in developing countries are limited. We conducted a cross-sectional study to explore tHcy status and its association with plasma B vitamin status in 2471 Chinese men and women aged 35 to 64 y, living in the urban and rural areas of the northern and the southern regions of China. Blood samples were also collected in 2 seasons (spring and fall). The geometric mean plasma tHcy concentration was significantly higher in the north (adjusted geometric mean, 95% CI; 13.0 µmol/L, 12.6-13.31 than in the south (9.1, 8.9-9.4) after controlling for gender, area (urban and rural), age, and season (spring and fall). Twenty-eight percent of northerners and 7% of southerners had plasma tHcy concentrations ≥16.0 µmol/L, a level used to define hyperhomocysteinemia. Within each region, men had higher plasma tHcy concentrations than women (16.1 vs. 10.6 µmol/L in the north, and 10.7 vs. 7.9 µmol/L in the south) and 40% of the northern men had hyperhomocysteinemia. Generally, individuals living in the urban areas had 30% (95% CI, 1.0-1.6) greater odds of having high tHcy levels (≥16 µmol/L) than those living in the rural areas. Low plasma concentrations of folate, vitamins B-12 and B-6, older age, being male, and living in urban areas were all independently associated with elevated tHcy, with low folate as the strongest determinant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective. To analyse the epidemiology of measles in China and determine the progress made towards the national elimination of the disease. Methods. We analysed measles surveillance data - on the age, sex, residence and vaccination status of each case and the corresponding outcome, dates of onset and report and laboratory results - collected between January 2005 and October 2013. Findings. Between 2005 and October 2013, 596 391 measles cases and 368 measles-related deaths were reported in China. Annual incidence, in cases per 100 000 population, decreased from 9.95 in 2008 to 0.46 in 2012 but then rose to more than 1.96 in 2013. The number of provinces that reported an annual incidence of less than one case per million population increased from one in 2009 to 15 in 2012 but fell back to one in 2013. Median case age decreased from 83 months in 2005 to 14 months in 2012 and 11 months in January to October 2013. Between 2008 and 2012, the incidence of measles in all age groups, including those not targeted for vaccination, decreased by at least 93.6%. However, resurgence started in late 2012 and continued into 2013. Of the cases reported in January to October 2013, 40% were aged 8 months to 6 years. Conclusion. Although there is evidence of progress towards the elimination of measles from China, resurgence in 2013 indicated that many children were still not being vaccinated on time. Routine immunization must be strengthened and the remaining immunity gaps need to be identified and filled. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Partial organic substitution (POS) significantly decreased N 2 O emissions by 33–77 %. • POS increased NH 3 volatilization by 7.9∼17 % and played little role in N 2 O + NH 3 loss. • Contents of Ni, Cu, Zn, Cd and Pb in wheat grain were lower than food standard limit. • POS increased the contents of Cu and Zn while decreased the contents of Ni and Cd. • Metal pollution index and health risk assessment showed POS did not pose health risks. Wheat is one of the most important staple foods worldwide, and the organic substitution for chemical fertilizer has been increasingly receiving attention in wheat planting. However, its impact on nitrous oxide (N 2 O) emissions and ammonia (NH 3) volatilization from the wheat fields, as well as on the heavy metal [Nickel (Ni), Copper (Cu), Zinc (Zn), Cadmium (Cd), and Lead (Pb)] contents in the wheat grain is poorly known. A two-year field experiment was performed with two organic manures (sewage sludge compost and pig manure compost) and two substitution ratios (25 % and 50 %) for chemical nitrogen (N) fertilizer during the wheat season. An increasing trend in wheat yield (0.33∼5.9 %) was observed and total N 2 O emission was significantly decreased by 33∼77 % with partial organic substitution (POS). Therefore, the fertilizer-induced N 2 O emission factor was highly decreased (0.12∼0.47 % VS. 0.77∼0.92 %). The POS relatively increased NH 3 volatilization by 7.9∼17 % (p > 0.05) and as a whole, it played little role in the cumulative N losses of N 2 O and NH 3. The concentrations of Ni, Cu, Zn, Cd, and Pb in wheat grain were 97.4∼335 μg kg−1, 4.51∼5.88 mg kg−1, 28.5∼47.5 mg kg−1, 24.7∼79.6 μg kg−1, and 16.6∼33.4 μg kg−1, respectively. Although POS relatively increased the contents of Cu and Zn, they were all lower than those of the food standard limit for wheat in China. Moreover, the values of metal pollution index (0.39∼0.71) in all treatments were less than one. Our health risk assessment further demonstrated that POS did not pose any health risks. The findings suggest that partial replacement of chemical fertilizer with sewage sludge compost and pig manure compost in the wheat season can significantly decrease N 2 O emissions while not increasing N losses or compromising yield and its quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hypertension is a kind of chronic cardiovascular system disease caused by a series of factors and carriers dysfunction, which belongs to the category of Tibetan medicine &quot;Chalong disease&quot;, and has a high rate of disability and mortality. Zuomua Decoction is a classical Tibetan medicine for Chalong disease, but its mechanism is not clear. Therefore, in this paper we explored the multi-components, multi-targets and multi-channels mechanism of Zuomua Decoction in the treatment of hypertension based on network pharmacology and molecular docking technology. First of all, the chemical components of Zuomua Decoction were obtained in the retrieval of traditional Chinese medicine systems pharmacology database(TCMSP), China National Knowledge Infrastructure(CNKI) and Wanfang database. The potential targets of Zuomua Decoction were predicted by BATMAN-TCM database, and the targets of hypertension were obtained by using DisGeNET database. The intersection of these two targets set was taken to obtain the potential targets of Zuomua Decoction in the treatment of hypertension, and then the chemical compositions-targets network was constructed. Secondly, the intersection targets were imported into STRING database to obtain the interaction relationship of intersection targets, and the protein interaction network of Zuomua Decoction in the treatment of hypertension was constructed in Cytoscape. Topological, GO, and KEGG enrichment analysis were used to construct the key targets-signal pathways-biological processes network diagram and explore the mechanism of Zuomua Decoction in the treatment of hypertension. Finally, the key targets were selected to construct the pharmacodynamic identification models to verify the effect mode of Zomua Decoction in treating hypertension. The results showed that there were 61 chemical components and 90 potential targets in the compounds-targets network. We obtained 21 key targets, 154 signal pathways, and 382 biological processes in topological, GO, and KEGG enrichment analysis of the protein interaction network, and in the comprehensive analysis, it was found that Zuomua Decoction could reduce blood pressure by regulating renin angiotension aldosterone system, balancing the concentration of intracellular calcium and sodium ions and regulating vasoconstriction and relaxation. ACE, AGTR1, and ADRB2 were used as the carriers for molecular docking study on the components of Zuoma Decoction, and the results showed that the chemical components of Zuomua Decoction had a good binding activity with key targets. The purpose of this study is to provide ideas for the in-depth study of Zuoma Decoction in the treatment of hypertension, and provide scientific basis for its clinical rational application.

Syringa pinnatifolia is an endemic species of Syringa in Oleaceae family in China, mainly distributed in Helan Mountain, which is located between Inner Mongolia and Ningxia. Its peeled roots, stems and thick twigs have been used as Mongolian folk medicine, called &quot;Shan-chen-xiang&quot; in Chinese, for the treatment of coronary heart diseases, angina pectoris and other cardiopulmonary diseases. Modern researches showed that S. pinnatifolia mainly contains lignans, sesquiterpenoids, and volatile oils, and displays anti-myocardial ischemia, sedation, analgesia, antibacterial and other effects. In the past five years, many groups have made new progress on the study of chemical constituents and pharmacological activities of S. pinnatifolia. On the basis of the previous review by our group, this paper summarizes the advances which is beneficial to the development, research and clinical application of S. pinnatifolia, particularly Shan-chen-xiang.

Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of universal salt iodization (USI) for the control of IDD in Hebei province since it was implemented in 1995, identify the problems currently encountered in the implementation of USI and provide practical proposals for addressing these problems., Methods: Probability proportionate to size sampling (PPS) was employed in the surveillance of IDD, for which a total of 1200 school children aged 8-10 years were randomly selected from 30 counties around the whole province during each IDD survey. The iodine content of salt was determined quantitatively with the titration method. The iodine content of urinary samples was measured by the method of ammonium persulfate oxidation., Results: The coverage of iodized salt increased from 65.0% in 1995 to 98.0% in 1999, then decreased to 88.1% in 2005 which was below the national standard of 90%. The median urinary iodine of children aged 8-10 years varied between 160.1 microg/L and 307.4 microg/L, which was above the national standard. The proportion of urinary samples with iodine content above 300 microg/L was over 30% in 2005, implying exorbitant iodine nutrition among the children. The goiter rate (TGR) among children aged 8-10 years dropped from 11.8% in 1995 to 2.7% in 2005, indicating that the spread of endemic goiter was under control., Conclusion: Preliminary elimination of IDD was achieved by USI in Hebei province. Nevertheless, some problems still existed in USI such as non-iodized salt competition, over iodization and un-standardized iodization. In order to address these problems, the management and supervision of salt market needs to be strengthened to prevent non-iodized salt from reaching households; updating equipment and modifying techniques are also necessary to ensure the quality of iodized salt; to clarify the causes of excessive urinary iodine content, the various sources of iodine from the diet need to be investigated in the future.