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In this study, a new species of the genus Boulenophrys is described from northwestern Guangdong, within the Nanling Moutains. The new species can be distinguished from all known congeners by a combination of morphological characteristics and the mitochondrial genetic divergence. The new species is found to breed in winter season which was not common in most amphibian groups but also present in some Boulenophrys congeners. We further discuss the inadequate surveys for these species due to the oversight of such multi-seasonal breeding pattern.

Background: Physical exercise and exposure to air pollution have counteracting effects on individuals' health outcomes. Knowledge on individuals' real-time exercise behavior response to different pollution information sources remains inadequate., Objective: This study aims to examine the extent to which individuals avoid polluted air during exercise activities in response to different air pollution information sources., Methods: We used data on individuals' exercise behaviors captured by wearable and mobile devices in 83 Chinese cities over a 2-year time span. In our data set, 35.99% (5896/16,379) of individuals were female and 64% (10,483/16,379) were male, and their ages predominantly ranged from 18 to 50 years. We further augmented the exercise behavior data with air pollution information that included city-hourly level measures of the Air Quality Index and particulate matter 2.5 concentration (in µg/m 3 ), and weather data that include city-hourly level measures of air temperature (ºC), dew point (ºC), wind speed (m/s), and wind direction (degrees). We used a linear panel fixed effect model to estimate individuals' exercise-aversion behaviors (ie, running exercise distance at individual-hour, city-hour, or city-day levels) and conducted robustness checks using the endogenous treatment effect model and regression discontinuity method. We examined if alternative air pollution information sources could moderate (ie, substitute or complement) the role of mainstream air pollution indicators., Results: Our results show that individuals exhibit a reduction of running exercise behaviors by about 0.50 km (or 7.5%; P<.001) during instances of moderate to severe air pollution, and there is no evidence of reduced distances in instances of light air pollution. Furthermore, individuals' exercise-aversion behaviors in response to mainstream air pollution information are heightened by different alternative information sources, such as social connections and social media user-generated content about air pollution., Conclusions: Our results highlight the complementary role of different alternative information sources of air pollution in inducing individuals' aversion behaviors and the importance of using different information channels to increase public awareness beyond official air pollution alerts., (©Yang Yang, Khim-Yong Goh, Hock Hai Teo, Sharon Swee-Lin Tan. Originally published in JMIR mHealth and uHealth (https://mhealth.jmir.org), 10.09.2024.)

Objective: To construct a simple term small-for-gestational-age (SGA) neonate prediction model that is clinically practical., Methods: This analysis was based on the Born in Guangzhou Cohort Study (BIGCS). Mothers who had a singleton pregnancy, delivered a term neonate, and had an ultrasonography within 30 + 0 to 32 + 6 weeks of gestation were included. Term SGA was defined with customized population percentiles. Prediction models were constructed with backward selection logistic regression in a four-step approach, where model 1 contained fetal biometrics only, models 2 and 3 included maternal features and a time factor (weeks between ultrasonography and delivery), respectively; and model 4 contained all features mentioned. The prediction performance of individual models was evaluated based on area under the curve (AUC) and a calibration test was performed., Results: The prevalence of SGA in the study population of 21 346 women was 11.5%. With a complete-case analysis approach, data of 19 954 women were used for model construction and validation. The AUC of the four models were 0.781, 0.793, 0.823, and 0.834, respectively, and all were well-calibrated. Model 3 consisted of fetal biometrics and corrected for time to delivery was chosen as the final model to build risk prediction graphs for clinical use., Conclusion: A prediction model derived from fetal biometrics in early third trimester is satisfactory to predict SGA., (© 2023 International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics.)

Objective: To understand the current status of personal protection in occupational population at high risk for brucellosis in China and provide evidence for the evaluation of implementation of National Brucellosis Prevention and Control Plan (2016-2020). Methods: Four counties in Shanxi Province and Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region were selected to conduct a questionnaire survey in occupational population at high risk for brucellosis from December 2019 to July 2020 by using cross-sectional survey methods. Results: A total of 2 384 persons at high risk for brucellosis were surveyed, and the standardized utilization rate of personal protective equipment (PPE) was 20.13% (480/2 384). The utilization rate of glove, mask, rubber shoe, and work cloth were 38.26% (912/2 384), 31.80% (758/2 384), 32.01% (763/2 384) and 30.87% (736/2 384),respectively. There were significant differences in the utilization rate and standardized utilization rate of the four types of PPE among populations in different age, occupation, educational level and area groups (all P <0.001). The utilization rate and standardized utilization rate of PPE were lower in people over 60 years old, women, farmers, and those with lower educational level. The results of multivariate analysis showed that occupation and area were the influencing factors for the standardized utilization of PPE, the standardized utilization rates of PPE were higher in herdsmen and veterinarians. The standardized utilization rate of PPE in Yanggao County and Huocheng County was significantly higher than that in Zuoyun County and Hunyuan County. Conclusions: The utilization rate of the four types of PPE in occupational population at high risk for brucellosis was not high in China, and the standardized utilization rate was low, lower than the requirement in National Brucellosis Prevention and Control Plan, and there were significant differences among different areas. It is urgent to distribute PPE to occupational population at high risk for brucellosis and carry out health education about PPE utilization. Meanwhile, it is necessary to strengthen information exchange or sharing among different areas.

Objective: To obtain the diversity and abundance of fast-growing bacteria in the surface water of the northeast coast of Hainan Island in China, different cultivation methods were employed. This study also aims to provide a reference for isolating bacterial samples from seawater sources and preventing marine-derived pathogens. Methods: Based on the principles of taxonomic design, surface seawater samples were collected from six locations along the northeast coast of Hainan Island in China in March, June, October, and December 2021. Then, bacterial enrichment was performed based on traditional cultivation methods for Salmonella , Vibrio , Burkholderia pseudomallei , Actinomycetes , and general marine bacteria. After that, bacterial species identification was conducted by 16S rDNA amplicon sequencing and metagenomic sequencing. Results: A total of 1 151 fast-growing cultivable bacteria belonging to 66 genera and 213 species were identified using five different culture protocols. In different cultivation protocols, Bacillus and Klebsiella demonstrated extensive discriminatory advantages and ranked among the top genera in terms of abundance. Protocol 1 had Escherichia , Klebsiella , and Citrobacter as dominant genera. Pathogenic bacteria detected by protocol 1 included Klebsiella pneumoniae and Escherichia coli , with 37 and 29 strains respectively, while Salmonella enterica was uniquely detected with seven isolates. Proteus , Enterococcus , and Providencia were the dominant genera in protocol 2, and Proteus mirabilis was the most abundant pathogenic bacteria detected with 66 isolates. Vibrio cholerae was uniquely detected with six isolates at a higher abundance. Klebsiella , Escherichia , and Acinetobacter were the dominant genera in protocol 3, and Klebsiella pneumoniae was the most abundant pathogenic bacteria detected with 53 isolates, while Acinetobacter nosocomialis was uniquely detected with seven isolates. Vibrio and Pseudoalteromonas were the dominant genera in protocol 4, and they showed advantages in isolating and cultivating Marine - derived Vibrio . Exiguobacterium , Staphylococcus , and Bacillus were the dominant genera in protocol 5. Bacillus cereus and Lactococcus lactis were the most abundant pathogenic bacteria detected with 20 and 15 isolates, respectively, while Lactococcus lactis was uniquely detected at higher abundance. Metagenomic sequencing showed that Klebsiella pneumoniae was significantly dominant with a gene abundance of 51.11%, followed by Alcanivorax sp. at 12.57%. Conclusion: The surface water of the northeast coast of Hainan Island in China exhibits a rich diversity of bacteria, with Klebsiella pneumoniae being highly abundant in the studied area. Different cultivation methods demonstrate distinct selective advantages in culturing bacterial genera and pathogens. Therefore, it is necessary to optimize cultivation conditions for specific marine bacteria.

Objective: To explore the feasibility of moving epidemic method (MEM) in the assessment of seasonal influenza (influenza) activity intensity from the perspective of urban agglomeration, assess influenza activity intensity in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region from 2019 to 2021 and evaluate the reliability of surveillance data and the effectiveness of the MEM model application. Methods: The weekly reported incidence rate (IR) of influenza and the percentage of influenza-like illness (ILI%) from 2011-2021 in Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region were collected to establish MEM models respectively. The model fitting effect and the reliability of the two data were evaluated for the purpose of establishing an optimal model to assess the influenza activity intensity in Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region from 2019-2021. A cross-validation procedure was used to evaluate the performance of the models by calculating the Youden's index, sensitivity and specificity. Results: The MEM model fitted with weekly ILI% had a higher Youden's index compared with the model fitted with weekly IR at both Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region level and provincial level. The MEM model based on ILI% showed that the epidemic threshold in Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region during 2019-2020 was 4.42%, the post-epidemic threshold was 4.66%, with medium, high and very high intensity thresholds as 5.38%, 7.22% and 7.84%, respectively. The influenza season during 2019-2020 had 10 weeks (week 50 of 2019 to week 7 of 2020). The influenza season started in week 50 of 2019, and the intensity fluctuated above and below medium epidemic level for six consecutive weeks. The high intensity was observed in week 4 of 2020, the threshold of very high intensity was excessed in week 5, and the intensity gradually declined and became lower than the threshold at the end of the influenza season in week 8. The epidemic threshold was 4.29% and the post-epidemic threshold was 4.35% during 2020-2021. Influenza activity level never excessed the epidemic threshold throughout the year, and no epidemic period emerged. Conclusions: The MEM model could be applied in the assessment of influenza activity intensity in Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, and the use of ILI% to assess influenza activity intensity in this region was more reliable than IR data. Influenza activity intensity in Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region was higher during 2019-2020 but significantly lower in 2020-2021.

Some wastewater sources, such as agricultural waste and runoff, and industrial sewage, can degrade water quality. This study summarises the sources and corresponding mechanisms that trigger eutrophication in lakes. Additionally, the trophic status index and water quality index (WQI) which are effective tools for evaluating the degree of eutrophication of lakes, have been discussed. This study also explores the main nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorus) driving transformations in the water body and sediment. Lake Erhai was used as a case study, and it was found to be in a mesotrophic state, with N and P co-limitation before 2006, and only P limitation since 2006. Finally, effective measures to maintain sustainable development in the watershed are proposed, along with a framework for an early warning system adopting the latest technologies (geographic information systems (GIS), remote sensing (RS)) for preventing eutrophication., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

This study presents an approach for eutrophication evaluation based on the technique for order preference by similarity to an ideal solution (TOPSIS) method and Monte Carlo simulation (MCS). The MCS is employed to produce a normally distributed dataset based on the observed data while the TOPSIS method and membership function are used to evaluate the level of eutrophication. Herein, a eutrophication problem in Lake Erhai is evaluated to check the performance of the proposed approach. The evaluation results were consistent with the real situation when the coefficient P in the membership function is equal to 1. Moreover, the developed approach is able to (i) deal with evaluation items with inherent fuzziness and uncertainties, (ii) improve the reliability of evaluation results via MCS, and (iii) raise the tolerance to errors in measured data. A global sensitivity analysis indicated that the potassium permanganate index (COD Mn ) and Secchi disc (SD) are the most sensitive factors in the developed approach. Finally, a range for the coefficient P value in the membership function was recommended., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests’ personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To compare the differences of cognitive function, daily living ability and neuropsychiatric symptoms in patients with sporadic type of Alzheimer's disease (AD) under different care modes, and find the most favorable care mode for delaying the progress of disease. Methods: One hundred and twenty cases of AD patients were divided into three groups: Spouse Care Group, Adult Child Care Group and Nursing Home Group. Medical history collection and scale evaluation were carried out by trained specialists on 3 groups of patients and caregivers. Assessment included socio-demographic data, including name, gender, age, course of the disease, the year of education and the way of care, Mini mental state examination (MMSE), Activity of Daily Living (ADL), Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Scale-Cognitive section (ADAS-Cog), Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI), and the Relevant Outcome Scale for Alzheimer's disease (ROSA). All the evaluations were completed upon enrollment. The differences in cognitive function, daily living ability and neuropsychiatric symptoms were compared among the three groups. Results: There was no significant difference in age, gender, education duration and course of disease between the three groups ( P> 0.05). The MMSE average scores of Spouse Care Group, Adult Child Care Group and Nursing Home Group were 19±7, 15±6, 13±7 respectively. The ADAS-Cog median scores of Spouse Care Group, Adult Child Care Group and Nursing Home Group were 17.32(9.78, 26.50), 30.00(16.10, 38.55), 33.15 (16.28, 50.68). The NPI median total scores of Spouse Care Group, Adult Child Care Group and Nursing Home Group were 5.00(1.00, 13.00), 9.00(4.00, 20.00), 19.50(8.50, 28.50) respectively. The ADL average scores of Spouse Care Group, Adult Child Care Group and Nursing Home Group were 21±9, 25±9, 35±11. The difference of MMSE, ADAS-Cog, ADL and NPI was statistically significant among the three groups ( P< 0.05). No significant difference was found in care burden among the three groups ( P> 0.05). Conclusions: The AD patients with spouse care tend to suffer from mild diseases severitys, no matter in terms of cognitive function, daily living ability or neuropsychiatric symptoms. Close, familiar and comprehensive care plays an important role in delaying the progress of AD.

Antimicrobial resistance (R) surveillance across Asia and especially in China has documented unique patterns and mechanisms. This 2011 study reports results for 2278 isolates from 12 hospitals in China (94-216 strains/site); most from bacteremia (20.4%), pneumonias (29.1%), or skin and skin structure infections (20.9%). Samples were tested by reference broth microdilution methods, interpreted by published susceptibility (S) breakpoints. The most common species were Staphylococcus aureus (343, 45.8% MRSA), Escherichia coli (EC; 288), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PSA; 221), Klebsiella spp. (KSP; 208), acinetobacters (ACB; 178), enterobacters (155), Streptococcus pneumoniae (SPN; 154, 46.8% penicillin-S), and enterococci (ENT; 137). Among 849 Gram-positive (GP) cocci, linezolid, tigecycline (TIG), daptomycin, and vancomycin provided best antimicrobial coverage (≥99.7% S). Resistance patterns of concern were 0.3% VISA, 15.4% teicoplanin non-S coagulase-negative staphylococci, 1.5% vancomycin-R ENT (all Enterococcus faecium), 1.9% levofloxacin-R β-haemolytic streptococci, and 35.1 and 12.7% ceftriaxone-non-S rates for SPN and viridans group streptococci, respectively. For Gram-negative bacilli, R among Enterobacteriaceae was highest against β-lactams (extended spectrum β-lactamase-phenotype strains at 73.6 and 42.8% in EC and KSP, respectively; carbapenem-R was only 2.1-4.3% with KPC and IMP type enzymes detected in KSP). The widest spectrum agents were cefoperazone/sulbactam (79.5-86.1%), piperacillin/tazobactam (88.9-92.0%), TIG (98.6-100%), amikacin (AMK; 91.8-93.7%), and meropenem (95.7-97.1% S). PSA was most inhibited by AMK (90.5% S) and colistin (COL; 99.5%), with cefepime (67.9%) best among the tested β-lactams. Only COL (100% S) and TIG (MIC90, 2 μg/mL) showed significant potencies against ACB. In conclusion, R among pathogens from 12 Chinese hospitals illustrates several agents active against GP pathogens, but more serious R problems were noted among Enterobacteriaceae, PSA, and ACB. Combination treatment for the latter multidrug-R strains appears necessary, guided by local antibiograms and national surveillance results applying reference methods., (© 2013.)

A solid-phase extraction (SPE)-high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method has been developed for simultaneous determination of 10 sulfonamide antibiotics in water. The analytes were first enriched and purified through a PEP solid-phase extraction column, and eluted with acetonitrile-dichloromethane solution (2: 1, V/V), then detected by a HPLC with a UV detector. The detection wavelength was 268 nm and the column temperature was 33 degrees C, using gradient elution process with acetonitrile - 0.4% acetic acid/water (V/V) as the mobile phase to achieve baseline separations of these 10 analytes. The linearity range was 10 - 2 000 microg x L(-1). The recovery ranges of standard addition for deionized water and real water samples were 73.4% - 95.6% and 70.2% - 92.5%, respectively (except for sulfonamide, were 8.5% and 8.0%). The limit of detection was 1.42-7.25 ng x L(-1). Application of this method for parts of Huangpu River in Shanghai, surface water and groundwater in Chongming Island showed that sulfonamide antibiotics were detected in different frequencies in different aqueous environments, with the concentration range of 13.3 - 241.5 ng x L(-1), proving this method is easy, rapid, sensitive and efficient to meet the needs of actual work.

Recent progress in the surgical treatment of carcinoma of the esophagus has changed the pessimistic outlook for this malignancy. With reasonably early diagnosis, it is feasible to achieve a resectability rate of 75 to 85 percent, an operative mortality of about 5 percent and a 5 year survival rate of about 30 percent. With careful selection of patients for operation and proper use of radiation and other adjunctive therapy, even more encouraging results are possible. Efforts for further improvement may be directed toward early diagnosis, refinement in operative technique and better pre- and postoperative care. The use of microsurgery and the development of mechanical suture apparatus in esophageal reconstruction after resection may further improve surgical treatment of cancer of the esophagus. Thoracic surgeons still have the responsibility to improve the management of the nonresectable cases of carcinoma of the esophagus.