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Ecological engineering for pest suppression aimed at promoting ecosystem services of biological control, involves a range of environmentally-benign approaches to conserve and promote arthropod natural enemies and suppress pest populations, and thus reduce the need for insecticide use. Major components in rice pest management involve providing vegetation that favors parasitoid overwintering during the fallow seasons, growing nectar-producing flowering plants on the rice bunds to enhance the biocontrol function, and planting trap plants around rice fields to minimize the initial populations of pests. Complementary tactics involve using sex pheromone traps and mass-releasing Trichogramma spp. parasitoids to reduce the densities of Lepidoptera pests, and synergistically culturing ducks or fish to reduce other planthoppers. After a decade of laboratory and field research accompanied by on-farm demonstrations, ecological engineering for rice pest management has shown growth in both the underlying body of theory and practical adoption, especially in China. Ecological engineering approaches have been listed as a China National Recommendation by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of the People's Republic of China (MARA) since 2014. We feel this is worth documenting, especially because only a portion of that work has been reported in English-language journals so would otherwise remain "invisible" to the international scientific community. This study is the first time to systematically review the research that has allowed this rapid development and uptake in China, highlighting priorities for future research that will enhance the prospects for ecological engineering in this and other agricultural systems internationally. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transdisciplinary research approaches are being applied to today's complex health problems, including the climate crisis and widening inequalities. Diverse forms of disciplinary and experiential knowledge are required to understand these challenges and develop workable solutions. We aimed to create an updated model reflective of the strengths and challenges of current transdisciplinary health research that can be a guide for future studies. We searched Medline using terms related to transdisciplinary, health and research. We coded data deductively and inductively using thematic analysis to develop a preliminary model of transdisciplinary research. The model was tested and improved through: (i) a workshop with 27 participants at an international conference in Xiamen, China and (ii) online questionnaire feedback from included study authors. Our revised model recommends the following approach: (i) co-learning , an ongoing phase that recognizes the distributed nature of knowledge generation and learning across partners; (ii) (pre-)development , activities that occur before and during project initiation to establish a shared mission and ways of working; (iii) reflection and refinement to evaluate and improve processes and results, responding to emergent information and priorities as an ongoing phase; (iv) conceptualization to develop goals and the study approach by combining diverse knowledge; (v) investigation to conduct the research; (vi) implementation to use new knowledge to solve societal problems. The model includes linear and cyclical processes that may cycle back to project development. Our new model will support transdisciplinary research teams and their partners by detailing the necessary ingredients to conduct such research and achieve health impact. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents news briefs related to health care. Information on family planning policy in China; Need for federal funding on research for AIDS in Canada; Details of the World Report on Road Traffic Injury Prevention of the World Health Organization, on recommendations for road accident prevention.

Objective: Little is known about the natural history of the HIV infection in men who have sex with men (MSM) in China., Methods: We compared changes in CD4+ T-cell count and HIV-RNA following seroconversion before starting antiretroviral therapy between MSM in China and in resource-rich countries using data from the Beijing PRIMO cohort and Concerted Action on SeroConversion to AIDS and Death in Europe (CASCADE), respectively. Linear mixed models were used to compare rates of CD4 decline (cubic root scale) and changes in HIV-RNA (log10 scale) in the first 3 years following seroconversion., Results: For 131 PRIMO and 3171 CASCADE MSM infected in 2001-2010, estimated CD4+ T-cell count at seroconversion was lower in PRIMO (504 cells/mm3; 95% confidence interval: 463 to 547) compared with CASCADE (554 cells/mm3; 544 to 564). CD4 decline was significantly faster for PRIMO men [-0.59 (-0.72 to -0.47) and - 0.41 (-0.44 to -0.38) cubic root of CD4 count/year for PRIMO and CASCADE, respectively], even after restricting to subtype B (P = 0.01). HIV-RNA at seroconversion was lower in PRIMO compared with CASCADE MSM [difference 0.425 log10/mL (0.249 to 0.603), P < 0.001]. After the first year of seroconversion, PRIMO MSM experienced a faster increase in HIV-RNA [0.830 log10/mL per year; (0.484 to 1.168)] compared with CASCADE MSM [0.018 (-0.035 to 0.067)] (P < 0.001)., Conclusions: CD4 decline and HIV-RNA increase are faster between MSM in China compared with MSM from resource-rich settings. Whether this is due to differences in host immunity or viral characteristics requires further exploration.