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Children with developmental language disorder (DLD) have consistently showed poor performances in reading comprehension. Extending from previous studies that presented pure-text, this study aims to test the performances of graphic novel reading. We tested 24 Chinese children who have been diagnosed as DLD and 24 typical readers matched with age and nonverbal IQ. These children were asked to complete a battery of tests assessing graphic novel reading comprehension and related visual-cognitive skills. The results of group comparison indicated that children with DLD performed similarly to the typical readers in graphic novel comprehension. Moreover, significant links between comic convention understanding and both passage and graphic novel reading were found in both groups. Our results imply the benefits of using graphic novel to facilitate reading to learn in children with DLD.

The multiple mechanisms of entrepreneurial intention are still an open issue, and few have explored whether the relationship between entrepreneurial intention and proactive personality is influenced by entrepreneurial passion. This study aims to reveal the mediation role of entrepreneurial passion between proactive personality and entrepreneurial intention with the application of the classic structural equation modeling. A questionnaire survey was conducted on Chinese undergraduates and 647 questionnaires were collected for the further analysis. The main findings shed light on the mechanisms that underpin entrepreneurial passion and contribute to the growing body of knowledge on entrepreneurial intention and will raise implications for both academic entrepreneurial theory and practice.

Empathy is a fundamental quality that nursing staff should possess, but the empathy ability of nursing students in China is currently at an intermediate level and requires improvement. This study aimed to explore teaching methods for nursing humanistic education, that can improve the empathy ability of nursing students and cultivate high-quality nursing talents. This study employed narrative education and experiential teaching methods to develop empathic competence in teaching pediatric nursing courses. The empathic ability of nursing students was measured using the JSPE-NS scale before and after teaching and was analyzed to refine the teaching reflection theme words. After teaching, nursing students scored higher on the total empathy scale, perspective-taking dimension, and emotional care dimension than before teaching, with statistically significant differences (p < 0.05). Five themes were extracted from the teaching reflection, including emotional empathy, pediatric nursing skills, gratitude to parents, reverence for life, and course experience. The results show that the combination of narrative education and experiential teaching methods applied to pediatric nursing courses effectively improved nursing students' empathy, strengthened their identification with the nursing profession, and promoted the teaching reform of humanistic education in nursing courses. The combination of narrative education and experiential teaching methods can improve the empathic ability of nursing students. This approach is suitable for integrating humanistic education into nursing professional courses and provides a feasible idea for developing humanistic qualities in nurses.

The transformative period of reshaping China’s Protected Area System (CPAs) requires nature reserves (NRs) to pay greater attention to policy-driven changes in land use as well as ecosystem. We take Anhui Shengjin Lake National Nature Reserve (SJLNNR) as a case study to examine policy-driven changes in ecosystem services and their trade-offs. We find that (1) policy implementation significantly increased the area of wetlands and forests while decreasing the area of cropland and impervious land. Ideally, the area of wetlands and forests could be increased by ~10200 hm2. (2) Habitat quality (HQ) and water conservation (WC) are enhanced, with the highest enhancement of 13.09% and 28.18%, respectively. Carbon storage (CS) and food production (FP) showed opposite trends across scenarios. (3) CS demonstrates trade-offs with other ESs, while the remaining ESs displayed varying degrees of synergistic relationships. Nonetheless, it should be noted that transforming extensive farmland and impervious land into diverse land-use types might not improve the synergies relationship of ESs. Additionally, the full protection scenario (FPS) demonstrated greater advantages in terms of HQ, WC, and CS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Unaffordable medical treatment and inflated drug prices have become a challenging issue for lawmakers worldwide. To reduce the financial burden and standardize the pharmaceutical market, the Chinese government has issued several detailed regulations, including the measures of drug recruitment and procurement in one and volume purchasing to not only ensure the high quality of approved drugs but also lower the cost of the production and sell procedure. In this work, to have a thorough overview of the enforcement of these regulations, we attempted to critically analyze the data of our hospital's centralized procurement of drugs from 2019 to 2022. We identified some concerns, such as the difficulty in determining the "quantity" of drug procurement, out-of-stock of collectively procured drugs, difficulty in managing the preallocation of associated funds, incomplete centralized procurement systems, etc. Therefore, it is essential to promote a multidimensional strategy, including the combination of the medical insurance reform and drug centralized procurement policies, strict controlling of the forecast quantity of drugs to ensure stable drug supply, improvement of the relevant policies for retaining the surplus of centralized procurement drug medical insurance funds, secureness of the drug procurement system platform, and available reference and guidance for subsequent centralized quantity procurement of drugs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: So far, there have been no in-depth analyses of the connection between tinnitus sensation--level loudness and sleep quality. Accordingly, the present study was formulated as a mediation analysis focused on exploring this relationship. Method: Overall, 1,255 adults with consecutive subjective tinnitus who had sought outpatient treatment were enrolled in the present study. Results: Direct effects of tinnitus sensation--level loudness on sleep quality were not statistically significant (95% confidence intervals [CI] include zero), as measured by the point estimate, -0.016. However, the 95% CI for indirect effects did not include zero when assessing the Self-Rating Anxiety Scale (SAS) scores, the Self-Rating Depression Scale (SDS) scores, the visual analogue scale (VAS) scores, and self-reported tinnitus annoyance. Conclusions: These results suggest that tinnitus sensation--level loudness does not directly have an effect on sleep quality. However, it indirectly impacts sleep quality, mediated by SAS scores, SDS scores, the impact of tinnitus on life measured using the VAS, and self-reported tinnitus annoyance. As such, alleviating anxiety and depression in patients with tinnitus may result in reductions in their insomnia even if there is no reduction in tinnitus loudness. Importantly, otolaryngologists and other clinicians treating tinnitus should refer patients with tinnitus suffering from insomnia with comorbid depression or anxiety for appropriate psychological and/or psychiatric treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Acinetobacter baumannii is an opportunistic pathogen that easily resists currently available antibiotics. Phages are considered alternative therapeutic agents to conventional antibiotics for the treatment of multidrug-resistant bacteria. We isolated an Acinetobacter virus Abgy202141 from underground sewage in a residential area of Guiyang City in China. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analysis showed that Acinetobacter virus Abgy202141 has an icosahedral head attached to a tail. This phage infects A. baumannii strain GY-4, and was found to have a short latent period of 5min and with a burst size of 189 particles per infected host cell. Additionally, Acinetobacter virus Abgy202141 remained stable at different concentrations of chloroform and varying pH levels and temperatures. Based on SDS-PAGE analysis, it contained 14 proteins with molecular weights ranging from 12 to 125 kDa. The double-strand (ds) DNA genome of Acinetobacter virus Abgy202141 consisted of 41,242 bp with a GC content of 39.4%. It contained 50 open reading frames (ORFs), of which 29 ORFs had identified functions, but no virulence-related genes, antibiotic-resistance genes, or tRNAs were found. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that Acinetobacter virus Abgy202141 was a new phage in the Friunavirus genus. Acinetobacter virus Abgy202141 also showed the ability to prevent A. baumannii infections in the Galleria mellonella in vivo model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

SCARECROW-LIKE6 (SCL6) plays a role in the formation and maintenance of the meristem. In Larix kaempferi (Lamb.) Carr., an important afforestation tree species in China, SCL6 (LaSCL6) has two alternative splicing variants—LaSCL6-var1 and LaSCL6-var2—which are regulated by microRNA171. However, their roles are still unclear. In this study, LaSCL6-var1 and LaSCL6-var2 were transformed into the Arabidopsis thaliana (L.) Heynh. genome, and the phenotypic characteristics of transgenic A. thaliana, including the germination percentage, root length, bolting time, flower and silique formation times, inflorescence axis length, and branch and silique numbers, were analyzed to reveal their functions. It was found that LaSCL6-var1 and LaSCL6-var2 overexpression shortened the root length by 41% and 31%, respectively, and increased the inflorescence axis length. Compared with the wild type, the bolting time in transgenic plants was delayed by approximately 2–3 days, the first flower and silique formation times were delayed by approximately 3–4 days, and the last flower and silique formation times were delayed by about 5 days. Overall, the life cycle in transgenic plants was prolonged by approximately 5 days. These results show that LaSCL6 overexpression inhibited the transitions from the vegetative meristem to inflorescence meristem and from the flower meristem to meristem arrest in A. thaliana, revealing the roles of LaSCL6-var1 and LaSCL6-var2 in the fate transition and maintenance of the meristem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research on teaching the use of pragmatic markers to L2 learners is a relatively new area and many aspects are still not addressed. It was assumed that negative pragmatic transfer, the limited linguistic input in the course-books that EFL learners are exposed to, and the negative influence of formal instruction were possible driving factors that might cause Chinese EFL learners' problems in using pragmatic markers. Based on the previous research findings, three aspects that might facilitate Chinese EFL learners' acquisition of pragmatic markers were discussed, i.e. noticing of pragmatic markers, instruction on pragmatic markers, and processing of pragmatic markers. Furthermore, teaching practices are also proposed to help teachers teach more effectively the use of pragmatic markers in real conversation.

Objective: Since 2016, China has successively implemented Accelerated Drug Marketing Registration Procedures (ADMRPs) for drugs, including Breakthrough Therapy Drug (BTD), Conditional Approval (CA), and Priority Review and Approval (PRA), which have played an important role in promoting the development and review of clinically urgently needed drugs. In this study, we focused on the antineoplastic and immunomodulating agents approved for marketing through ADMRPs, to provide a reference for promoting the formation of a stable and mature regulatory system for the review and approval of antineoplastic drugs and immunomodulating agents in China. Methods: Reviewed the National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) drug review reports for the years 2016-2022 and screened the antineoplastic and immunomodulating agents approved through ADMRPs. Then, with the help of the NMPA website and the Yaozhi Database, two researchers independently queried and entered the detailed information of the selected drugs, and checked with each other. The attribute classification and main characteristics of the drugs were then analyzed with descriptive statistics to obtain the trend of drug types, drug review and approval status, and timeliness. Results: A total of 206 antineoplastic and immunomodulating agents were approved for marketing through five accelerated marketing registration procedures (or procedure combinations), with the average review time shortened by about 81 days. Among them, imported drugs accounted for a larger proportion, the most drugs for treating non-small cell lung cancer and lymphoma, and the largest number of PD-1/PDL-1 inhibitors, but pediatric drugs and rare disease drugs accounted for a smaller proportion. Conclusion: ADMRPs can promote the accessibility of antineoplastic and immunomodulating agents in China and safeguard the life and health rights of more patients. Nevertheless, it is necessary to pay attention to the expansion of the types of indications for medicines and to increase the development of drugs that are urgently needed by a small number of patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Children born small for gestational age (SGA) are at a greater risk of developing insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease in adulthood. Gastrointestinal peptides, some secreted by intestinal L cells, regulate glucose and lipid metabolism and act on the hypothalamus to regulate energy homeostasis. The aim of this study was to explore whether gastrointestinal peptides are involved in metabolic disorders in SGA, which remains unclear. Methods: The secretion of glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) and peptide YY (PYY) were investigated in prepubertal children born SGA, the differences between catch-up growth and persistent short stature were compared, and correlation with glucose and lipid metabolism was analyzed. GLP-1, PYY, insulin-like growth factor 1, glucose, insulin, and lipid concentrations were analyzed in prepubertal children aged 4-10 years, stratified into three groups: short-SGA (SGA-s), catch-up growth SGA, and normal growth appropriate for gestational age (AGA). Results: Fasting GLP-1 and PYY concentrations were significantly lower in the SGA group than in the AGA group (p<0.05), and the GLP-1 level in infants born SGA with catch-up growth was lower than that in the SGA-s group (p<0.05). In the SGA population, GLP-1 showed a weak negative correlation with catch-up growth (r=-0.326) and positive correlation with fasting insulin (r=0.331). Conclusion: Lower GLP-1 concentrations may be associated with abnormal glucose metabolism in prepubertal children born SGA with catch-up growth. This is indirect evidence that impaired intestinal L cell function may be involved in the development of metabolic complications in SGA children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The burden of metabolic syndrome (MetS) continues to rise globally and is associated with complications of multiple organ systems. We aimed to identify the association between changes in MetS status and accelerated renal function progression through a regional epidemiological survey in China, thus discovering influence factors with treatable potential. Methods: This study was a population-based survey conducted in 2008 and 2014, assessing a representative sample of 5,225 individuals from rural areas of China. They were divided into four subgroups according to their MetS status in 2008 and 2014 (Never, Previously abnormal, New-onset, and Consistent). Multivariate logistic regression and stratification analysis evaluated the relationship between clinical factors and renal function decline under different MetS statuses. Smooth curve fitting further addressed the role of serum uric acid, illustrating the vital turning point of uric acid levels in the background of renal function deterioration. Results: Of all groups of MetS states, the new-onset MetS showed the most significant eGFR decline, with a 6.66 ± 8.21 mL/min/1.73 m2 decrease over 6 years. The population with newly-onset MetS showed a considerable risk increase in delta eGFR with a beta coefficient of 1.66 (95%CI=1.09-2.23) after necessary correction. In searching for the drivers, the strength of the association was significantly reduced after additional adjustment for uric acid levels (b=0.91, 95%CI=0.35-1.45). Regarding the turning point, uric acid levels exceeding 426 mmol/L were more significantly associated with the stepped-up deterioration of kidney function for those with newonset MetS. Conclusion: Metabolic syndrome demonstrated a solid correlation with the progression of renal function, particularly in those with newly-onset MetS status. In addition to the diagnostic components of MetS, hyperuricemia could be used as a marker to identify the high risk of accelerating eGFR decline early. Furthermore, we suggested a potential renal benefit for the newly-onset MetS population when maintaining their serum uric acid level below the criteria for asymptomatic hyperuricemia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chinese higher education institutions have adopted a US-style tenure track system since the 1990s. This is an important reform aimed at modernizing China's higher education system. In response, authors have begun to carry out close examination of the career system and analyse its implications in a national context (Republic of China). This study aims to present the key research themes, identify research gaps and offer recommendations from the increasing pool of Chinese-language literature on the tenure track system. A scoping review of Chinese language papers was conducted using the China National Knowledge Infrastructure (including the China Academic Journals Full-text Database, China Core Newspapers Full-text Database, China Doctoral Dissertations Full-text Database, China Masters' Thesis Full-text Database, and China Yearbooks Fulltext Database) (CNKI) database. Four major research themes were identified in Chinese discourse: (1) examining the tenure track system, (2) providing suggestions for better adaptation of the tenure track system in the Chinese context, (3) analysing the negative effects of the tenure track system, and (4) analysing the positive effects of the tenure track system. Generally, authors were concerned with the adaptation and cultivation of the US-originated tenure track system in the Chinese context and emphasized the importance of acknowledging its perceived negative influences on early-career scholars who have not received adequate attention. Overall, the authors demonstrate increasing interest in the tenure track system in China, and the literature is of variable quality. Further empirical studies are needed to analyse, evaluate and guide future improvement of the career system in the Chinese context in practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Epilepsy is associated with a significant global burden of disease, affecting over 50 million people worldwide. The specific aim of this study is to compare the burden of epilepsy in the People's Republic of China (PRC) with the global burden, and to analyze the epidemiological trends of epilepsy, the relationship between the burden of epilepsy and social demographic index (SDI), and the relative contributions of epidemiological factors. Methods: This is a retrospective population-based study, data were obtained from the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) study in 2019. We employed Joinpoint software and the age-period-cohort (APC) model to analyze epilepsy's epidemiological trends. Health inequality analysis was conducted to investigate the impact of SDI on epilepsy burden. Decomposition analysis was performed to examine the relative contributions of age, population, and epidemiological changes to epilepsy. Results: Between 1990 and 2019, the incidence rate in the PRC increased by 45%, significantly surpassing the global incidence of epilepsy. However, Disability-Adjusted Life Years (DALY) decreased notably, and the proportion of Years of Life Lost (YLL) decreased from 62.73 to 39.03%. Concerning incidence, the period Rate Ratio (RR) in the PRC initially increased and then decreased, while the cohort RR in the PRC and globally exhibited a consistent upward trend. In terms of mortality, period RR and cohort RR in the PRC displayed a gradual decrease, with mortality starting higher but eventually falling below the global mortality. The net drifts of incidence were greater than 0, whereas the net drifts of mortality were less than 0, both were lower in the PRC than at the global level. Decomposition analysis indicated that the changes of incidence and mortality in the PRC were mainly attributed to epidemiological changes. Additionally, global disparities in epilepsy decreased, with the burden concentrating in low SDI countries. Conclusion: The incidence of epilepsy in the PRC rose during the 30-year study period, while epilepsy mortality decreased. The improved survival rate in the PRC is predominantly attributable to epidemiological changes. The burden of epilepsy in the PRC predominantly affects males, children, and the elderly, Chinese government should focus on specific populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Although some studies have examined the association between exercise and falls, most have focused on specific exercises, and the results have been inconsistent. In addition, there is a lack of evidence on elderly Chinese women who have different living and exercise habits compared to those in other countries. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate whether physical exercise is associated with falls in elderly Chinese women. Methods: This cross-sectional study included 1429 elderly Chinese women with a mean age of 69.2 years. Information on physical exercise habits and fall experiences was collected using a self-report questionnaire. Logistic regression models were used to analyze the association between physical exercise habits and falls. Results: The results showed that 15% participants had a fall in the past year. After adjusting for confounding factors, the odd ratios (ORs) and 95% Confidence Intervals (CIs) for fall experiences across categories of exercise frequency were as follow: 1 (reference) for no exercise behavior, 0.50 (0.29, 0.85) for exercise 1 to 5 times a week, and 0.37 (0.25, 0.55) for exercise more than 6 times a week. Furthermore, the ORs (95% CIs) across categories of exercise insistence were 1 (reference) for less than 1 year, 0.78 (0.37, 1.65) for 1 to 3 years, and 0.38 (0.20, 0.74) for more than 3 years. In terms of exercise duration, the ORs (95% CIs) for < 1 h/day, 1–2 h/day, and > 2 h/day were 1 (reference), 0.85 (0.53, 1.36), and 2.80 (1.30, 6.05). Unlike other variables, longer exercise duration was associated unfavorably with falls. Conclusion: Physical exercise habits were associated with falls in elderly Chinese women. Keeping a proper exercise habit may contribute to lower risk of falling in elderly women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To date, no national-scale drug usage survey for adolescents with depression has been conducted in China, and the purpose of this study was to examine the national trends in prescriptions in Chinese adolescent depression patients from 2017 to 2021. Methods: Prescribing data were extracted from the Hospital Prescription Analysis Cooperative Project. The average number of patients per year, the cost of treatment, and the prescription patterns (monotherapy vs. combination therapy) were analyzed, and subgroup analyses were conducted depending on age, sex, and drug class. Results: The study included 674,099 patients from 136 hospitals located in nine major areas of China. Of all patients, the proportion of adolescents increased from 1.63% in 2017 to 6.75% in 2021. Visits by adolescent depression patients increased from 1,973 in 2017 to 9,751 in 2021, and the corresponding cost increased from 607,598 Chinese Yuan in 2017 to 2,228,884 Chinese Yuan in 2021. The incidence of adolescent depression among female individuals was far beyond that among male individuals. Combination therapy was more frequent than monotherapy, and the most commonly prescribed drugs were antidepressants, antipsychotics, antiepileptics, and antianxietics. Despite the use of sertraline decreasing from 47.90 to 43.39%, it was the most frequently used drug. Conclusion: In summary, the prescriptions and cost of treatment for adolescent depression patients both increased rapidly. The widespread use of those drugs with weak clinical evidence reflects the current state of China, which should arouse our attention. The study can provide references for clinical treatment decisions and a basis for more efficient allocation of healthcare resources by the government. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the efficacy and economic effect of endovascular treatment (EVT) combined with standard medical treatment (SMT) vs. SMT alone in Chinese patients with basilar artery occlusion (BAO) from the perspective of the Chinese healthcare system. Methods: We conducted a cost-effectiveness analysis using the results from a meta-analysis comparing EVT and SMT efficacy in Chinese patients with BAOinduced stroke using direct medical costs from the China National Stroke Registry. The meta-analysis's primary outcome was excellent functional outcome (mRS scores of 0-2), with secondary outcomes being poor functional outcome (mRS scores of 3-5) and death (mRS score of 6). To compare EVT plus SMT's cost-effectiveness with that of SMT alone, we constructed a combined decision tree and Markov model with a lifetime duration and a 3-month cycle length. The primary cost-effectiveness outcome was the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER), representing the incremental cost per incremental quality-adjusted life year (QALY). EVT was considered cost-effective if the ICER was lower than the willingness-to-pay (WTP) threshold of three times the per capita gross domestic product (GDP) in 2021 in China; otherwise, it would not be cost-effective. Results: The meta-analysis results indicated that EVT could increase the incidence of excellent functional outcomes, with a risk ratio (RR) of 2.23 (95% confidence interval, CI, 1.18-4.21), p = 0.01. Simultaneously, EVT reduced the risk of poor functional outcome and mortality in the EVT group, with RRs of 0.83 (95% CI, 0.67-1.03), p = 0.09, and 0.71 (95% CI, 0.59-0.85), p = 0.0002, respectively. The study also found that EVT plus SMT resulted in a lifetime effectiveness of 2.15 QALY (3.88 life years) for 32,213 international dollars (Intl.$) per patient with BAO. In contrast, SMT alone achieved an effectiveness of 1.46 QALY (3.03 life years) with a total cost of Intl.$ 13,592 per patient. The ICER was Intl.$ 27,265 per QALY (Intl.$ 22,098 per life-year), which fell below the WTP threshold. Conclusion: Compared to SMT, EVT improves the prognosis of BAO-induced stroke. Considering the Chinese healthcare system, adding EVT to SMT proves to be cost-effective for patients with BAO compared to SMT alone. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: A growing number of Taiwanese teachers are choosing to teach at universities in mainland China, but their jobs are not always stable. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the factors influencing young teachers from Taiwan to teach in universities in China. Methods: Twenty-seven young teachers from Taiwan with master's or doctoral degrees who were willing to apply to work at universities in China and who were already teaching in China were invited to conduct in-depth interviews to collect research data. The interview data were coded and analyzed according to the Push-Pull-Mooring (PPM) Model. Results and discussion: The results showed that the understanding of mainland Chinese universities among young Taiwanese teachers is not entirely consistent. Taiwanese teachers who previously studied in mainland China have a more comprehensive understanding of mainland Chinese universities, and some teachers have gained a superficial understanding through academic exchanges between the two sides and information shared by friends. However, still, 7% of the teachers have no understanding at all. Most young Taiwanese teachers indicate that they do not understand the talent recruitment policies of mainland Chinese universities. The push factors that influence young teachers from Taiwan to teach at mainland universities are: Oversupply of teachers in Taiwan, poor environment for higher education in Taiwan, poor articulation of the cross-strait academic system, and four aspects of teacher retirement and re-employment in Taiwan. The pull factors are: Beneficial policies, salary, living environment, educational advantages and cultural dissemination in 5 areas. Mooring factors are divided into 3 aspects: personal factors, environmental factors and social factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The duration of soybean growth and development is regulated by E1-E4 allele genes, which form the basis for ecological adaptation related to biomass accumulation, flowering and pod formation, maturation, and yield. To elucidate the effects of different combinations of E1-E4 allele genes on soybean ecological adaptation, this study conducted competitive allele- specific PCR (KASP) analysis and photoperiod gene typing on 101 main soybean cultivars from different latitudes in China. The ecological adaptation of these cultivars in Sichuan was also investigated. The results showed that within a certain range (60-95 days), soybean varieties with a genotype combination of E1/e2-ns/E3/E4 exhibited a longer growth period and demonstrated higher biomass and yield, displaying overall better performance. These varieties showed strong ecological adaptation in the Chengdu Plain region and are suitable for introduction in similar low to mid-latitude areas like the Chengdu Plain (30°N~32°N). Conversely, soybean varieties carrying a higher number of recessive alleles of E1-E4 are not suitable for introduction in this region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Extended-spectrum beta-lactamase-producing Gram-negative bacteria are common in the community and hospitals. To monitor ESBLs mediated by the CTX-M genotype, we collected clinical ESBL pathogenic strains from a hospital in central China and observed a strain of Escherichia coli, namely Ec15103 carrying blaCTX-M-14, blaCTX-M-64 and blaTEM-1, isolated from the blood of a 7-day-old infant in 2015. Strain Ec15103 contains two drug resistance plasmids: pEc15103A, an IncFI-type plasmid that cannot be conjugatively transferred and carries the drug resistance genes blaTEM-1, aacC2, aadA5, sull, mph(A), sul2, strAB, and tetA(A); and pEc15103B, an IncK2/Z-type plasmid that carries the conjugation transfer gene and blaCTX-M-14. In addition, blaCTX-M-64 is located on the chromosome of Ec15103, and it is the first report of pathogen with blaCTX-M-64 located on its chromosome (the search terms used "blaCTX-M-64" and "chromosome"). blaCTX-M-14 and blaCTX-M-64 are carried by ISEcpl-mediated transposon Tn6503a and Tn6502, respectively. The conjugation transfer ability of pEc15103B was significantly inhibited by zidovudine (AZT) and linoleic acid (LA) and that expression of blaCTX-M-14, blaCTX-M-64 and blaTEM-1 at the mRNA level did not change based on the concentration of cefotaxime or ampicillin. Co-occurrence of blaCTX-M-14 and blaCTX-M-64 in a single isolate will enhance the drug resistance of bacteria, and the presence of blaCTX-M-64 in the chromosome may make the resistance more maintain. This fact will facilitate its dissemination and persistence under different antimicrobial selection pressures. It is essential to prevent these strains from further spreading in a hospital environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction and aims: Intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) is the most commonly used radiotherapy technology in oncology, which enables precise conformation of the radiation dose to the target volume and reduces the risk of radiation damage to the adjacent normal structures. Nevertheless, it is still inevitable for IMRT of head and neck cancer to cause radiation-related toxic and side effects, such as dry mouth, mucositis, oral dysarthria, taste disorder, osteonecrosis, and trismus. Trismus is one of the most common late side effects caused by radiotherapy of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC), which seriously affects the quality of life for patients with NPC. However, the current clinical assessment and management of trismus after radiotherapy for NPC are still imperfect. This best practice implementation project aimed to implement an evidence-based practice in assessing and managing trismus for NPC patients who underwent radiotherapy, thereby improving the compliance of clinical practice with the best evidence and the quality of life of patients with NPC. Methods: This evidence-based audit and feedback project was implemented using a three-phase approach at a third-class hospital in China, following JBI's Practical Application of Clinical Evidence System (PACES) and GRiP evidence application. The first phase included a baseline audit with six evidence-based audit criteria derived from the best available evidence. The second phase included analyzing the results of the baseline audit, identifying barriers to compliance with best practice principles, and developing and implementing strategies to address the barriers identified in the baseline audit. The third phase involved a follow-up audit to assess the results of the interventions implemented to improve practice. Results: After evidence application, the compliance rate for audit criterion 1 increased from 0% at baseline audit to 70% at follow-up audit. The compliance rate for audit criterion 2 increased from 0% to 100%. The compliance rate for audit criterion 3 increased from 22 to 62%. The compliance rate for audit criterion 4 increased from 88 to 100%. The compliance rate for audit criterion 5 was 100% at baseline audit and follow-up audit. The compliance rate for audit criterion 6 increased from 0 to 55%. Conclusion: Implementation of the best evidence for the assessment and management of trismus of patients with NPC after radiotherapy is conducive to improving the compliance of clinical practice with the best evidence, standardizing clinical nursing practice, improving the quality of clinical nursing, and better preventing severe trismus in patients with NPC after radiotherapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: It is common practice to associate schizophrenia (SCZ) patients with substance use. The most commonly used substances in China are tobacco and alcohol. However, few studies have focused on alcohol consumption itself in patients with SCZ. Thus the purpose of this study was to detect the prevalence of alcohol use and associated clinical factors in Chinese patients with SCZ. Methods: A total of 616 male inpatients who met the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) criteria for SCZ participated in this study. A detailed questionnaire, including data on alcohol consumption was used to collect demographic and clinical information on all patients. The five-factor model of the positive and negative syndrome scale (PANSS) was adopted to assess psychiatric symptoms. Results: In this study, 31.49% of SCZ inpatients had a history of alcohol use, and 82.9% of these patients abstained from alcohol use after the onset of SCZ. Compared to nondrinkers, patients who drank were more likely to smoke (p = 0.004), more likely to have suicide attempts (p = 0.002) and suicidal ideation (p = 0.001), more severe positive (p < 0.001) and depressive symptoms (p = 0.034), but less severe negative symptoms (p = 0.04). Conclusion: These findings suggest that alcohol use is common during the lifetime of SCZ patients and that alcohol use may be associated with clinical symptoms in SCZ patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Commercial insurance is an important risk management tool whose demand is affected by psychological factors. Music can promote consumption by evoking non-random emotional and behavioral responses in consumers. Using data from the China Comprehensive Social Survey, we examined the impact of music on commercial insurance purchase behavior using a probit model, an instrumental variable, propensity score matching, and other methods. The results indicate that music can significantly increase the probability of residents purchasing commercial medical insurance and endowment insurance by 2.569% and 1.869%, respectively. Regarding the mechanism, music encourages residents to purchase insurance by increasing their general cognition, risk cognition, insurance cognition, and ability to manage risk. Furthermore, an analysis of heterogeneity shows that music plays a greater role in promoting the aforementioned behavior of residents with lower levels of education, lower frequencies of social interaction, internet usage, an agricultural household registration, and of residents with jobs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, a novel poplar mosaic disease caused by bean common mosaic virus (BCMV) was investigated in Populus alba var. pyramidalis in China. Symptom characteristics, physiological performance of the host, histopathology, genome sequences and vectors, and gene regulation at the transcriptional and posttranscriptional levels were analyzed and RT-qPCR (quantitative reverse transcription PCR) validation of expression was performed in our experiments. In this work, the mechanisms by which the BCMV pathogen impacts physiological performance and the molecular mechanisms of the poplar response to viral infection were reported. The results showed that BCMV infection decreased the chlorophyll content, inhibited the net photosynthesis rate (Pn) and stomatal conductance (Gs), and significantly changed chlorophyll fluorescence parameters in diseased leaves. Transcriptome analysis revealed that the expression of the majority of DEGs (differentially expressed genes) involved in the flavonoid biosynthesis pathway was promoted, but the expression of all or almost all DEGs associated with photosynthesis-antenna proteins and the photosynthesis pathway was inhibited in poplar leaves, suggesting that BCMV infection increased the accumulation of flavonoids but decreased photosynthesis in hosts. Gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) illustrated that viral infection promoted the expression of genes involved in the defense response or plant-pathogen interaction. MicroRNA-seq analysis illustrated that 10 miRNA families were upregulated while 6 families were downregulated in diseased poplar leaves; moreover, miR156, the largest family with the most miRNA members and target genes, was only differentially upregulated in longperiod disease (LD) poplar leaves. Integrated transcriptome and miRNA-seq analyses revealed 29 and 145 candidate miRNA-target gene pairs; however, only 17 and 76 pairs, accounting for 2.2% and 3.2% of all DEGs, were authentically negatively regulated in short-period disease (SD) and LD leaves, respectively. Interestingly, 4 miR156/SPL (squamosa promoter-binding-like protein) miRNA -target gene pairs were identified in LD leaves: the miR156 molecules were upregulated, but SPL genes were downregulated. In conclusion, BCMV infection significantly changed transcriptional and posttranscriptional gene expression in poplar leaves, inhibited photosynthesis, increased the accumulation of flavonoids, induced systematic mosaic symptoms, and decreased physiological performance in diseased poplar leaves. This study elucidated the fine-tuned regulation of poplar gene expression by BCMV; moreover, the results also suggested that miR156/SPL modules played important roles in the virus response and development of viral systematic symptoms in plant virus disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is considered a preclinical stage of Alzheimer's disease (AD). People with MCI have a higher risk of developing dementia than healthy people. As one of the risk factors for MCI, stroke has been actively treated and intervened. Therefore, selecting the high-risk population of stroke as the research object and discovering the risk factors of MCI as early as possible can prevent the occurrence of MCI more effectively. Methods: The Boruta algorithm was used to screen variables, and eight machine learning models were established and evaluated. The best performing models were used to assess variable importance and build an online risk calculator. Shapley additive explanation is used to explain the model. Results: A total of 199 patients were included in the study, 99 of whom were male. Transient ischemic attack (TIA), homocysteine, education, hematocrit (HCT), diabetes, hemoglobin, red blood cells (RBC), hypertension, prothrombin time (PT) were selected by Boruta algorithm. Logistic regression (AUC = 0.8595) was the best model for predicting MCI in high-risk groups of stroke, followed by elastic network (ENET) (AUC = 0.8312), multilayer perceptron (MLP) (AUC = 0.7908), extreme gradient boosting (XGBoost) (AUC = 0.7691), and support vector machine (SVM) (AUC = 0.7527), random forest (RF) (AUC = 0.7451), K-nearest neighbors (KNN) (AUC = 0.7380), decision tree (DT) (AUC = 0.6972). The importance of variables suggests that TIA, diabetes, education, and hypertension are the top four variables of importance. Conclusion: Transient ischemic attack (TIA), diabetes, education, and hypertension are the most important risk factors for MCI in high-risk groups of stroke, and early intervention should be performed to reduce the occurrence of MCI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Seafood is a good source of essential fatty acids which has a presumably beneficial effect on developing embryos and fetuses, although it is also a source of contaminants. In this context, pregnant women are faced with conflicting reports on the risk and benefits of seafood consumption. This study aims to assess whether the consumption of seafood during pregnancy was associated with fetal growth in an inland city in China. Methods: This study included 10,179 women who delivered a singleton live birth in Lanzhou, China. Seafood consumption was assessed using a Food Frequency Questionnaire. Maternal data including birth outcomes and maternal complications information is extracted from the medical records. Associations between seafood consumption and fetal growth indicators were analyzed using multiple linear regression and multiple logistic regression. Results: There was a positive association between total seafood consumption and birth weight (β = 0.027, 95%CI:0.030–0.111) but no association concerning birth length or head circumference. Seafood consumption was associated with decreased risk of low birth weight (OR = 0.575, 95% CI: 0.480, 0.689). The frequency of seafood consumption during pregnancy showed a trend toward a positive association with low birth weight. Significantly reduced rates of low birth weight were found in women who consumed more than 75 g of seafood/week during pregnancy as compared to women with no or very low intakes (P for trend 0.021). A significant interaction was observed between pre-pregnancy BMI and seafood consumption on birth weight among underweight women, but not among overweight women. Gestational weight gain partially mediated the association between seafood consumption and birth weight. Conclusions: Maternal seafood consumption was associated with decreased risk of low birth weight and increased birth weight. This association was mainly driven by freshwater fish and shellfish. These results further corroborate the present dietary recommendation to the Chinese Nutrition Society for pregnant women, especially those with underweight pre-pregnancy BMI and inadequate GWG. In addition, our findings provide implications for future interventions to improve seafood consumption among pregnant women to prevent low birth weight babies in the inland city in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: People living with HIV (PLWH) are more vulnerable to SARS-CoV-2. However, evidence on the immunogenicity of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccines in this population is insufficient. The objective of this study is to assess the immunogenicity and safety of the two-dose schedule of Sinovac CoronaVac for 6 months postvaccination in PLWH. Methods: We conducted a multicenter prospective cohort study among PLWH and HIV-negative adults in China. Participants who received two doses of CoronaVac prior to the recruitment were allocated into two groups and followed up for 6 months. The neutralizing antibodies (nAbs), immunoglobulin G against the receptor-binding domain of the spike protein (S-IgG), and gammainterferon (IFN-g) were measured to assess the associations among CoronaVac immunogenicity and related factors. Adverse reactions were collected to evaluate the safety profile of vaccination. Results: A total of 203 PLWH and 100 HIV-negative individuals were enrolled. A small portion of participants reported mild or moderate adverse reactions without serious adverse events. Median nAbs level in PLWH (31.96 IU/mL, IQR: 12.34-76.40) was lower than that in the control group (46.52 IU/mL, IQR: 29.08-77.30) at the 2-4 weeks postvaccination (P=0.002), and the same trend was presented for median S-IgG titer (37.09 vs. 60.02 IU/ml) (both P <0.05). The nAbs seroconversion rate in the PLWH group was also lower than in the control group (75.86% vs. 89.00%). After then, the immune responses reduced over time in term of only 23.04% of PLWH and 36.00% of HIV-negative individuals had a positive seroconversion for nAbs at 6-month. The multivariable generalized estimating equation analysis showed that PLWH with CD4+T count=350 cells/µL presented higher immune response than PLWH with CD4+T count <350 cells/µL in terms of antibody seroconversion and titers. The immunogenicity did not differ in participants with low or high HIV viral load. The S-antigen specific IFN-g immunity was generally stable and had a slow attenuation in both two groups for 6 months postvaccination. Conclusion: The Sinovac CoronaVac was generally safe and immunogenic in PLWH, but the immunity response was inferior and the antibodies vanished faster compared to HIV-negative individuals. This study suggested a shorter than 6-month interval of prime-boost vaccination for PLWHto ensure a better protection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding the spatiotemporal pattern of precipitation concentration is important for the assessment of flood and drought risk and utilization of water resources. In this study, the daily precipitation concentration index in the Hai River basin in China was calculated based on the Gini coefficient obtained from the observed data of 51 meteorological stations from 1951 to 2018 and spatiotemporal pattern variations were investigated. The trends and abrupt changes of DPCI were tested by the Mann–Kendall and the Pettitt methods, respectively. The relationships among DPCI, percentage of precipitation contributed by the rainiest days, and disaster losses were discussed by the linear correlation analysis. The results showed that the DPCI value ranges between 0.6471 and 0.7938, decreases westward and northward, which is negatively related to latitude and elevation, and is positively related to longitude. Negative trends of the DPCI were found at most stations, and the PCI trends of more than 80% stations were statistically significant. Abrupt changes of the DPCI have a postponement trend from west to east with time. Daily heterogeneity of the rainfall in a year is highly correlated with the heavy rainfall amount of the 25% rainiest days. For a year, higher DPCI coupled with more precipitation is easy to cause a flood disaster; conversely, higher DPCI along with less precipitation is easy to cause a drought disaster. In the future, the risk of flood disasters would be reduced, but the drought disasters would be increased in the Hai River basin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a popular Web 2.0 technology, wikis have gained momentum in educational contexts. To give further empirical support to the use of wikis in foreign language education, this research probed the usefulness of a wiki-based writing instruction on the writing skill and self-efficacy of Chinese English-as-a-foreign language (EFL) learners. For this purpose, 53 EFL students in a foreign language school in China were selected as the participants. The two classes were assigned to an experimental group (N = 25) and a control group (N = 28). Over a period of 3 months, the experimental group was instructed based on wiki-based writing instruction while the control group was taught traditionally. The data were collected by administering IELTS writing tasks and a writing self-efficacy scale employed for pre- and post-tests. The results of data analysis indicated that both classes substantially enhanced their writing skill and writing self-efficacy. Nevertheless, the experimental group performed better than the control group in terms of both dependent variables, leading the researchers to conclude that the wiki-based writing instruction was significantly effective in boosting writing skill and self-efficacy of Chinese EFL learners. These outcomes can offer some worthwhile implications for EFL instructors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous studies revealed that both Helicobacter pylori infection and some cytokine gene polymorphisms are risk factors for gastric diseases. The association between H. pylori and gene polymorphisms is worth exploring. Here we conducted a case--control study and systematically evaluate on association between H. pylori infection and IL4, TNFA, and IL10 polymorphisms in a Chinese Han population in northwestern China, where gastric cancer is the major burden on the health and the leading cause of death in local community. The Sequenom MassArray platform was used to screen the genotypes and 14C-urea breath test was employed to determine H. pylori infection status of 705 participants of the local rural residents. Significant association between H. pylori infection and the IL4 rs34142320 polymorphism was observed in the dominant model (OR = 0.57, 95% CI = 0.40-0.80, P = 0.030). No significant association was found between IL4 rs2243250, TNFA rs1800630, TNFA rs1800629, TNFA rs1799964, IL10 rs1800871, IL10 rs1800896 and H. pylori infection. Haplotype analysis showed that T-DEL and G-C haplotypes of the observed IL4 SNPs were significantly associated with H. pylori infection. Our analysis demonstrated that the IL4 rs34142320 polymorphism has a protective effect on H. pylori infection in Chinese Han population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. The number of people suffering from dementia is increasing rapidly in China. Early identification, referral, and intervention for dementia patients within communities are important to public health. However, these measures could be impacted by misconceptions about dementia and associated psychiatric stigma from community health professionals and relatives of dementia patients. Methods. A cross-sectional survey was conducted on 249 participants, which included community doctors, community nurses, and relatives of diagnosed and suspected dementia patients in Guiyang, China. Participants were recruited through convenient sampling. The Chinese version of Dementia Knowledge Assessment Scale (DKAS) and the Perceived Psychiatric Stigma Scale (PPSS) were used to evaluate the participants' knowledge of dementia and dementia-related psychiatric stigma. Results. A total of 249 participants completed the questionnaire. The participants had moderate overall knowledge of dementia and the associated psychiatric stigma. Participants who were -45 years old, had a low level of education, had a low monthly income, or gained knowledge of dementia through non-media channels had lower awareness of dementia and stronger psychiatric stigma. In the "Communication & behavior" subscale of DKAS, all participants had a low level of awareness. Relatives of diagnosed and suspected dementia patients had higher total PPSS and "Marital preclusion" subscale scores than community doctors and nurses but lower psychiatric stigma based on the PPSS "Self-deprecation" subscale score. Conclusions. Despite their profession, community doctors and nurses did not show an absolute advantage over relatives of diagnosed and suspected dementia patients in the dementia knowledge, and they even showed higher psychiatric stigma in some subscales. The self-deprecation subscale is related to the identification with negative labels such as "people with a mental illness are the weak". This study shows that reducing stigma on the "Self-deprecation" subscale should be a core component of training and educational programs targeted at improving dementia knowledge among community health service providers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction and aims: Cancer anorexia-cachexia syndrome (CACS) is a common multifactorial syndrome, which affects up to 80% patients with advanced cancer. At present, evidence to support the benefit of pharmacological intervention in the management of CACS is limited. Patients would benefit from standard procedures for early assessment and identification of cancer anorexia-cachexia, and using nonpharmacological strategies to manage patients with CACS. This best practice implementation project aimed to implement an evidence-based practice in assessing and managing patients with CACS, thereby improving the compliance of clinical practice with the best evidence and the quality of life of patients with CACS. Methods: This was an evidence-based audit and feedback project that used a three-phase approach at a public hospital in China. Phase 1 included the development of seven evidence-based audit criteria and carrying out a baseline audit on 30 patients using the JBI's Practical Application of Clinical Evidence System in the Department of Radiation Oncology of Nanfang Hospital. Phase 2 utilized the Getting Research into Practice component of the Practical Application of Clinical Evidence System to identify barriers to compliance with best practice principles and developed strategies and resources to improve compliance. Phase 3 involved conducting a follow-up audit using the same sample size and audit criteria to assess the results of interventions implemented to improve practice and identify issues that would be addressed in future audit. Results: The compliance rates of audit criteria 1, 2 and 6 were 100% at both baseline and follow-up audit. After the application of evidence, the compliance rate increased from 0 to 100% for audit criterion 3, from 0 to 76.6% for audit criterion 4, from 23 to 70% for audit criterion 5, and from 0 to 40% for audit criterion 5. Conclusion: The best evidence for the assessment and nonpharmacological management of cancer patients with CACS can improve clinical practice, the quality of clinical nursing, and patient satisfaction. The application of electronic informatization promotes the implementation and maintenance of best practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Apple scab is a serious disease that restricts the growth of cultivated apples. The objective of this study is to investigate the genetic variations and genetic structure of Venturia inaequalis in Gansu Province, China. 108 isolates of the pathogen V. inaequalis from the Jingning, Lingtai, Jingchuan, Xifeng, Ning and Maiji regions were collected, and their genetic diversity was analyzed using AFLP molecular marker technique. The results showed that genetic diversity was present among the isolates but was not statistically significant. Genetic distance values ranged from 0.0095 to 0.0762. Cluster analysis results showed that the 108 isolates could be divided into two clusters using a similarity coefficient of 0.69. A total of 104 isolates were contained in cluster I while four isolates were contained in Cluster II. From the AMOVA analysis, 98% of variations were observed within the same region, while 2% were observed across different regions. The analysis of population structure showed that 108 isolates had two common ancestors, with the Jingning isolates mainly being derived from the red ancestor. PCoA analysis showed that the Jingning isolates were independent to a certain extent. The different geographical location caused the genetic difference of the isolates. The genetic diversity of apple scab in Gansu Province is greatly aided by this work, which also offers a theoretical foundation for the use of molecular markers in assisted breeding to create novel resistant types. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The marine talent cultivation and output in higher vocational colleges is an important support to build a strong maritime country and ensure the steady development of the shipping business industry. Vocational colleges should ensure effective career preparation and career guidance education for their students, and train them to acquire the professional abilities to work and adapt effectively and quickly in the future. Some studies show that many crew members experience a decline in job satisfaction, a low sense of achievement, and a series of negative subjective career feelings. Even more, some crew members have poor work performance or unsuccessful career development behaviors such as career change or resignation. This study examined the causes and influencing factors of these circumstances and might be a reference for schools to strengthen the quality of their training programs in the future. In-depth interviews with 12 vocational marine navigation college graduates were conducted, and grounded theory was used to code and analyze the collected interview information. Four types of influencing factors were identified: adaptation preparation, career adaptability, adaptation action, and the situational factor. The adaptation preparation factor could be categorized into psychology, determination, lack of certificates, and simple work; the career adaptability factor could be categorized into boring work, busyness, a big gap between expectations and reality, danger, promotion difficulty, poor interpersonal relationships, high pressure, and maladaptation to the surroundings; the adaptation action factor could be categorized into passive fatigue, lack of training, competition, confidence, and planning; while the situational factor could be categorized into the impact of the epidemic, low social status, lack of support from family, and advantages of living on land. To help the marine navigation students better adapt to their jobs and avoid subjective career unsuccessfulness, higher vocational colleges need to strengthen students' mental health education, consolidate knowledge and skills training, encourage students to obtain more vocational competency certificates, enhance their interpersonal communication skills, do effective career planning, pay attention to physical exercise and safety awareness training, and adopt other career management and counseling suggestions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Precise genotyping is necessary to understand epidemiology and clinical manifestations of Chlamydia trachomatis infection with different genotypes. Next-generation high-throughput sequencing (NGHTS) has opened new frontiers in microbial genotyping, but has been clinically characterized in only a few settings. This study aimed to determine C. trachomatis genotypes in particular mixed-genotype infections and their association with clinical manifestations and to characterize the sensitivity and accuracy of NGHTS. Cervical specimens were collected from 8,087 subjects from physical examination center (PEC), assisted reproductive technology center (ART) and gynecology clinics (GC) of Chenzhou Hospital of China. The overall prevalence of C. trachomatis was 3.8% (311/8087) whereas a prevalence of 2.8, 3.7 and 4.8% was found in PEC, ART and GC, respectively. The most frequent three C. trachomatis genotypes were E (27.4%, 83/303), F (21.5%, 65/303) and J (18.2%, 55/303). Moreover, NGHTS identified 20 (6.6%, 20/303) mixed-genotype infections of C. trachomatis. Genotype G was more often observed in the subjects with pelvic inflammatory disease than genotype E (adjusted OR=3.61, 95%C/, 1.02-12.8, p = 0.046). Mixed-genotype infection was associated with severe vaginal cleanliness (degree IV) with an adjusted OR of 5.17 (95%Q 1.03-25.9, p = 0.046) whereas mixed-genotype infection with large proportion of minor genotypes was associated with cervical squamous intraepithelial lesion (SIL) with an adjusted OR of 5.51 (95%C 1.17-26.01, p = 0.031). Our results indicated that NGHTS is a feasible tool to identity C. trachomatis mixed-genotype infections, which may be associated with worse vaginal cleanliness and cervical SIL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This study aimed to better understand the current situation involving work stressors and the coping styles of outpatient and emergency nurses in 29 pediatric specialty hospitals across China. The study analyzed this correlation to provide a reference for the occupational stress management of pediatric nurses. Methods: From June to September 2020, 1,457 outpatient and emergency nurses in 29 pediatric specialty hospitals across China were selected as study participants, and a questionnaire survey was conducted using the Basic Information Questionnaire, the Chinese version of the Work Stressor Scale for Nurses, and the Simple Coping Style Scale. Results: The assessed stress level of outpatient and emergency nurses in 29 tertiary pediatric specialty hospitals nationwide is lower than the results of the survey of the 2007 domestic norm, p < 0.05. The stressors related to nurses' expectations, family conflicts, the nature of nursing work, patient factors, and workload were lower compared with the national norm (p < 0.05). The positive coping style score on the Simple Coping Style Scale for pediatric outpatient nurses was (36.66 ± 6.16), and work stressors were positively associated with negative coping styles (p < 0.01). Multiple regression analysis showed that the influencing factors of work stressors among pediatric outpatient and emergency nurses correlated with the authorized size, age, working years of nurses, work department, and negative coping styles. Conclusion: Negative coping styles were present among pediatric outpatient and emergency nurses and were associated with work stressors. The influencing factors of stressors mainly correlated with the clinical establishment, age, years of employment as a nurse, work department, and negative coping styles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Combined transcranial magnetic stimulation and electroencephalography (TMS-EEG) is a powerful non-invasive tool for qualifying the neurophysiological effects of interventions by recording TMS-induced cortical activation with high temporal resolution and generates reproducible and reliable waves of activity without participant cooperation. Cortical dysfunction contributes to the pathogenesis of the clinical symptoms of Parkinson's disease (PD). Here, we examined changes in cortical activity in patients with PD following multidisciplinary intensive rehabilitation treatment (MIRT). Forty-eight patients with PD received 2 weeks of MIRT. The cortical response was examined following single-pulse TMS over the primary motor cortex by 64-channel EEG, and clinical symptoms were assessed before and after MIRT. TMS-evoked potentials were quantified by the global mean field power, as well as oscillatory power in theta, alpha, beta, and gamma bands, and their clinical correlations were calculated. After MIRT, motor and non-motor symptoms improved in 22 responders, and only nonmotor function was enhanced in 26 non-responders. Primary motor cortex stimulation reduced global mean field power amplitudes in responders but not significantly in non-responders. Oscillations exhibited attenuated power in the theta, beta, and gamma bands in responders but only reduced gamma power in non-responders. Associations were observed between beta oscillations and motor function and between gamma oscillations and non-motor symptoms. Our results suggest that motor function enhancement by MIRT may be due to beta oscillatory power modulation and that alterations in cortical plasticity in the primary motor cortex contribute to PD recovery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Zuogui Wan (ZGW), a well-known traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), has been used to nourish "Kidney-Yin" for a long time in China, implying a protective effect on the kidney. The aim of the present study is to investigate the effect of ZGW on high glucose-induced podocyte apoptosis and diabetic nephropathy (DN) in db/db mice. ZGW (1 g/kg-1/day-1) was administered intragastrically to db/db mice for 8 weeks. HPLC was used for identifying the components of ZGW, biochemical and histopathological approaches were used for evaluating its therapeutic effects, and cultured mouse podocytes were used for further exploring its underlying mechanism in vitro. ZGW improved renal function and podocyte loss and also normalized kidney reactive oxygen species production in db/db mice. The cytotoxicity of ZGW on mouse podocytes was assessed by the LDH assay. The effect of ZGW on podocyte viability and apoptosis was determined with CCK-8 and Annexin-V/PI staining by treatment with high glucose. ZGW attenuated podocyte apoptosis, and oxidative stress was detected by the peroxide-sensitive fluorescent probe 2',7'-dichlorodihydrofluorescein diacetate (DCF-DA) staining in a dose-dependent manner. Furthermore, ZGW decreased the expression of caspase-3 and phospho-p38 in both the kidney cortex and high glucose-treated podocytes. Thus, our data from in vivo and in vitro studies demonstrated that ZGW improved renal injury in diabetes by inhibiting oxidative stress and podocyte apoptosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reports on the development of the Matriculation English Test oral subtest (METOS) in China. Having undergone repeated piloting and moderation, the METOS format has attained validity on the strength of its being a message-based test of the interactive and contextualized use of English. (Author/VWL)

BACKGROUND While studies have suggested the association between triglyceride-glucose (TyG) index, a reliable surrogate for insulin resistance and hypertension data are limited to the correlation of TyG and central blood pressure. This study aims to test the hypothesis that a higher TyG index is associated with elevated central systolic blood pressure (cSBP). METHODS A total of 9249 Chinese hypertensive adults from the H-type Hypertension and Stroke Prevention and Control Project were analyzed in this study. cSBP was measured noninvasively using an A-Pulse CASPro device. TyG index was calculated as ln [fasting triglycerides (mg/dL) × fasting glucose (mg/dL)/2]. Smoothing curve and multivariate linear regression models [beta coefficient (ß) with 95% CI] were applied to analyze the association between TyG index and cSBP. Subgroup analyses were conducted to explore potential modifications to such a correlation. RESULTS The overall mean TyG index is 8.8 ± 0.7, and the total mean cSBP is 131.3 ± 12.8 mmHg. TyG index was observed to be independently and positively associated with cSBP among the total population (ß = 0.92, 95% CI: 0.53-1.31, P < 0.001), and participants who do not use antihypertensive drugs (ß = 1.03, 95% CI: 0.46-1.60, P < 0.001), which is in accordance with the result of the smoothing curve. The association between TyG index and cSBP appears robust in all tested subgroups. CONCLUSIONS TyG index is positively and independently associated with cSBP among hypertensive adults. Our study result suggests that TyG index might serve as an effective marker for vascular function. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Numerous studies have demonstrated that religious belief is associated with prosocial behavior. However, how do they maintain cooperation in societies with a predominating atheist population, such as China? Different primings (explicit, subliminal, implicit) and a quasiexperiment are used to examine the link between communist authority and prosocial behaviors among college students in China. Materials and methods: In Study 1 (N = 398), the subjects’ communist authority in the university lab was primed by a communist-authority video. In Study 2 (N = 296), we compared the priming effects of communist authority and religion on prosocial intention. Study 3 (N = 311) investigated the priming effect of communist authority on prosocial behaviors by employing a scrambled sentence task in the university lab. A quasi-experiment was conducted in Study 4 (N = 313). Results: Results showed that communist-authority, a reminder of secular authorities, increased prosociality among college students. And empathy moderated the relationship between secular authorities and prosociality in Study 3 and Study 4. Discussion: Communist authority, a secular authority prime, has a positive effect on promoting prosocial behaviors. These results provided a feasible yet novel way to reveal the mechanism of the relationship between secular authorities and prosociality in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Terrestrial hot springs have been suggested to harbor diverse diazotrophic lineages by using DNA-based nifH gene phylogenetic analysis. However, only a small amount of diazotrophs were ever confirmed to perform nitrogen fixation. In order to explore the compositions of active diazotrophic populations in hot springs, the in situ expression and diversity of nifH and 16S rRNA genes were investigated in the sediments of hot springs (pH 4.3-9.1; temperature 34-84°C) in Tengchong, China, by using highthroughput sequencing. The results showed that active diazotrophs were diverse in the studied Tengchong hot springs. The main active diazotrophs in high-temperature hot springs were affiliated with Aquificae, while those in low-temperature hot springs belonged to Cyanobacteria and Nitrospirae. Such dominance of Aquificae and Nitrospirae of diazotrophs has not been reported in other ecosystems. This suggests that hot springs may harbor unique active diazotrophs in comparison with other type of ecosystems. Furthermore, there were significant differences in the phylogenetic lineages of diazotrophs between hot springs of Tengchong and other regions, indicating that diazotrophs have geographical distribution patterns. Statistical analysis suggests that the expression and distribution of nifH gene were influenced by temperature and concentrations of ammonia and sulfur seem in Tengchong hot springs. These findings avail us to understand element cycling mediated by diazotrophs in hot spring ecosystems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Increased plasma total homocysteine (tHcy) is an influencing factor of cognitive impairment in the general population. However, studies on the relationship between the risk of cognitive impairment and plasma tHcy levels in patients with hypertension are limited. This study aimed to explore the association between plasma tHcy levels and cognitive function assessed by MMSE scores among hypertensive patients in China. Methods: A total of 9,527 subjects from the Chinese Hypertension Registry Study participated in this study. Plasma tHcy levels were quantified by high-performance liquid chromatography using a fluorescence detector. Cognitive assessment was performed using the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE). Linear regressionmodels, two piecewise linear regressionmodels, and smoothing curve fitting were applied to determine the relationship between plasma tHcy levels and cognitive function. Results: This analysis included 9,527 Chinese hypertensive adults. Based on the results of linear regression models, a negative relationship was identified between plasma tHcy levels andMMSE scores [beta coefficient (b) per standard deviation (SD) increase: -0.26, 95% confidence interval (CI) -0.35, -0.16, P < 0.001]. The fully adjusted smooth curve fitting presented a nonlinear between plasma tHcy levels and MMSE scores. The threshold effect analysis showed that the inflection point of tHcy was about 27.1 µmol/L. The effect size [b (95% CI)] per SD increase in plasma tHcy concentrations on MMSE scores was -0.93 (-1.24, -0.6) on the left side and -0.07 (-0.24, 0.10) on the right side of the inflection point (P-value for log-likelihood ratio (LLR) test was <0.001). Moreover, subgroup analyses revealed that sex could influence the negative association between plasma tHcy levels and MMSE scores up to a specific threshold (P-value for interaction <0.001). Linear regression models indicated that there was an enhanced inverse association between tHcy levels andMMSE scores in female patients with tHcy concentrations less than 26.9 µmol/L compared to male patients with tHcy concentrations less than 32.0 µmol/L. Conclusions: Plasma tHcy levels had a threshold effect on MMSE scores among hypertensive patients in China. Increased plasma tHcy levels were independently inversely associated with cognitive decline among hypertensive patients with tHcy concentrations <27.1 µmol/L. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study investigates the unexplored link between childhood socioeconomic status and adult subjective wellbeing using data from a field survey of 568 rural residents from poor areas in China. This study focuses on exploring the relationship between childhood socioeconomic status, hope, sense of control, and adult subjective wellbeing using a structural equation model. Results indicated that hope and sense of control mediated the links between childhood socioeconomic status and adult subjective wellbeing, revealing that hope and sense of control may buffer the negative impacts of childhood poverty experiences on subjective wellbeing. The findings provide new insights into the impacts of childhood socioeconomic status on adult subjective wellbeing and expand the literature on key factors in adult subjective wellbeing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This exploration aims to promote the organic integration of innovation and entrepreneurship education and art education, further promote the reform of college Students' cultural and aesthetic education, improve college Students' aesthetic perception ability, and help contemporary colleges establish a correct political morality. This thesis aims to further promote the reform of college Students' cultural and aesthetic education, improve college Students' aesthetic perception ability, and help contemporary colleges establish correct political and moral values. First, the connotation of college Students' aesthetic education and the definition of cultural aesthetics are introduced, which is based on the characteristics of two-way interaction, multiple selectivity, timeliness and popularization of film and television media in the new media era; then, the way of questionnaire is adopted. With five universities as the research object, 250 questionnaires are distributed, and 235 valid questionnaires are collected, with a valid response rate of 94%. Finally, through the six questions, it is concluded that 68.9% of the students watch 3-5 h a day, and 4.3% of the students watch more than 7 h; 89.4% of the students hold that the same products as stars in film and television will exert an impact on consumption. Film and television culture and art have a positive and negative impact on college Students' cultural aesthetic perception. The positive impact is that the film and television media not only provides a good way to cultivate the aesthetic perception ability of contemporary college students, but also helps them to establish the correct aesthetic values. The negative impact is mainly reflected in two levels, namely, the vulgarization of film and television media works and the consumption of aesthetic concepts. The advantage of this exploration is to put forward the reform measures of college Students' cultural and artistic aesthetic education under the current educational background in China to help colleges better carry out college Students' cultural and artistic aesthetic education. Based on this, the reform measures of college Students' cultural aesthetic education under the current education in China were put forward, so as to help colleges and universities better carry out college Students' cultural aesthetic education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Eating behaviors are associated with health outcomes. However, data regarding the association between eating behaviors and depressive symptoms in Chinese adults are limited. We hypothesized that Chinese adults with problematic eating behaviors would likely have depressive symptoms compared to those with good eating behaviors. We included 1,998 participants (aged 25–68). Logistic regression models were used to estimate odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals for the association between eating behaviors and depressive symptoms. Eating behaviors were assessed using a self-administered questionnaire. Depressive symptoms were assessed using the Self-Rating Depression Scale. In the final adjusted model, the odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals for depressive symptoms were 1.23 (0.99–1.53) and 1.30 (0.97–1.74) when a slow eating rate was compared to medium and fast eating rates, respectively and were 1.35 (1.08–1.68) and 1.40 (1.07–1.83) when breakfast consumers were compared to occasional consumers and skippers, respectively. Eating quickly and skipping breakfast were associated with an increased risk of depressive symptoms. These results suggest that eating behaviors may affect mental health in adults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To investigate the clinical features of multicentric reticulohistiocytosis (MRH).Methods: The clinical manifestations, laboratory examination results and histologic characteristics of eleven patients with MRH were collected and compared with those of 33 patients with rheumatoid arthritis.Results: In total, 72.7% of the MRH patients were women. The median age was 46 years (range 33-84 years). Diagnosed by specific pathologic features, all MRH patients exhibited cutaneous involvement. The dorsa of the hands, arms, face and auricle were the most commonly affected areas. Nodules were also located on the legs, scalp, trunk, neck, and even the hypoglossis and buccal mucosa. Ten MRH patients (90.9%) had symmetric polyarthritis. Compared with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients, MRH patients were more likely to have distal interphalangeal joint (DIP) involvement (63.6% vs 24.2%, P = 0.017) and less likely to have elbow (36.4% vs 72.7%, P = 0.003), ankle (45.5% vs 93.9%, P < 0.001) and metacarpophalangeal joint (MCP) (36.4% vs 78.8%, P = 0.009) involvement. Positivity for rheumatoid factor (RF) (36.4% vs 84.6%, P = 0.001) and anti-CCP antibody (9.1% vs 81.8%, P = 0.000), as well as the median RF titer [43.8 (31.7-61.0) vs 175.4 (21.3-940.3), P = 0.021], in MRH patients was lower than in RA patients. Elevation of the erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) was also less common in MRH patients than in RA patients (36.4% vs 72.7%, P = 0.030). After treatment with median- to large-dose corticosteroids and disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs, 8 patients achieved complete remission and 2 patients partial remission (skin lesions ameliorated, joint lesions not ameliorated).Conclusion: Always pathologically diagnosed, MRH is a systemic disease involving RA-like erosive polyarthritis and a specific distribution of skin nodules characterized by "coral beads". More DIP involvement and less elbow, ankle and MCP involvement are seen in MRH than in RA. In addition, less positivity and lower-titer RF, uncommon presence of anti-CCP antibodies and ESR elevation may be helpful to distinguish MRH from RA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: The cuff leak test (CLT) has been shown to have excellent specificity and moderate sensitivity for predicting postextubation stridor (PES). However, the ventilator flow waveform and the subject position are not uniform in current clinical practice. METHODS: We conducted a prospective cohort study in the respiratory ICU of the Beijing Chaoyang Hospital, Capital Medical University. Prior to extubation, 4 CLTs, combining 2 different postures and ventilator flow waveforms, were conducted, and the diagnostic performance of each test was assessed. RESULTS: Of the 143 included subjects, PES occurred in 13 (9.1%), and 10 (7%) subjects required re-intubation. Initially, an air leak volume of 110 mL was used as the standard to judge performance. The test that involved the square waveform and the subject in semi-recumbent position (test 4) had the best diagnostic performance, with a specificity of 80% and a sensitivity of 67% for predicting PES. After analyzing the receiver operating characteristic curve, an optimal diagnostic threshold of 116 mL for air leak volume was found to result in a specificity of 92% and a sensitivity of 63% for test 4. Additionally, when the air leak ratio of test 4 was 0.32, the area under the curve was 0.76, the specificity was 92%, and the sensitivity was 62%. CONCLUSIONS: In this study, performing the CLT with the subject in semi-recumbent position using the square waveform appeared to allow for the best prediction of PES. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we collected plant material from Pseudotsugasinensis in Guizhou, China, and sequenced it. The complete chloroplast genome consisted of 122,243 bp, including a large single-copy (LSC) region, a small single-copy (SSC) region, and two inverted repeat regions like those in P. sinensis var. wilsoniana. The GC content of P. sinensis and P. sinensis var. wilsoniana are 38.7% and 38.8%, respectively. The reconstructed phylogenetic tree reveals that P. sinensis was a sister species to P. sinensis var. wilsoniana. Hence, the availability of the chloroplast genome of P. sinensis will promote further phylogenetic studies of the family Pinaceae. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]