Search

The aims of the present study were to use Langmuir Probe payload electron density data and Plasma Analyzer Package payload O+ density data from the Zhangheng-1 electromagnetic satellite to statistically analyze anomalies in electron and oxygen ion densities before strong earthquakes (Ms ≥ 6.0) in western China and its neighboring areas. The goal was to investigate the physical mechanisms underlying electron and oxygen ion generation by evaluating the correlations between such anomalies and the seismic activity before the 6.4-magnitude earthquake in Yangbi, Yunnan, China, on 21 May 2021. Nine (75%) of the twelve earthquakes that occurred during the study period and were not affected by magnetic storms were preceded by anomalous electron or oxygen ion densities of 1.1–4.5 × 1010/m3 and 2.8–6.0 × 1010/m3, respectively. The anomalies were generally observed within the two weeks preceding the earthquakes and were associated with most strike-slip and thrust earthquakes, which were mainly located on the southeastern and northwestern edges of the Tibetan Plateau—but not normal fault earthquakes. The anomalies were likely the result of acoustic-gravity waves generated by slow vibrations of the Earth's surface reaching the ionosphere, where they cause oscillations in ionospheric electron and ion densities. In addition, the association between ionospheric anomalies and strong earthquakes was confirmed by the observation of other atmospheric anomalies before the Yangbi earthquake. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: In China, phlebotomy practice is mostly executed by nurses instead of phlebotomists. Our hypothesis was that these nurses may lack of knowledge on phlebotomy, especially factors influencing quality of blood samples. This study aims to assess the overall nurses' knowledge on phlebotomy to provide reference for improving blood sampling practice in China. Materials and methods: A survey was conducted involving nurses from 4 regions and 13 hospitals in China. A phlebotomy knowledge questionnaire was designed based on the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute H3-A6 guidelines, combining with the situations in China. Descriptive analysis and binary logistic regression analysis were used to analyze the knowledge level and its influencing factors. Results: A total of 3400 questionnaires were distributed and 3077 valid questionnaires were returned, with an effective return rate of 90.5%. The correct rates of patient identification, hand sanitization, patient assessment, tube mixing time, needle disposing location and tube labelling were greater than 90%. However, the correct rates of order of draw (15.5%), definition of an inversion (22.5%), time to release tourniquet (18.5%) and time to change tube (28.5%) were relatively low. Binary logistic regression analysis showed that the correct rates of the aforementioned four questions were mainly related to the regional distribution of the hospitals (P < 0.001). Conclusions: The knowledge level on phlebotomy among Chinese nurses was found unsatisfactory in some areas. An education program on phlebotomy should be developed for Chinese nurses to improve the consistency among different regions and to enhance nurse's knowledge level on phlebotomy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main objective of this study was to investigate the effects of combining subsoil and incorporation of corn stover on soil profile, soil physicochemical properties, and corn yield. A five-year field trial was conducted that consisted of two treatments arranged in a completely random design and replicated three times. Two soil management operations were tested: subsoil + corn stover incorporation (plow construction [PC] treatment) and conventional rotary tillage (control check [CK] treatment). Compared with rotary tillage, it was found that combining subsoil and corn stover incorporation significantly affected corn grain yield in all seasons. Further, combining subsoil and corn stover incorporation significantly increased the thickness of the plow layer, quantity of plow layer soil, thickness of the plow pan and soil bulk density, as well as soil organic matter, available nitrogen, available phosphorus, and available potassium. Evidence indicates that reconstructing the soil plow layer through combination of subsoil and corn stover incorporation improved soil structure, nutrient content, and corn yield. It is of interest that farmers are now applying subsoil and returning crop straw instead of solely relying on rotary tillage. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Limited resources, amidst increasing demand for services, are leading to significant change in the implementation of health care worldwide, especially manifested lately in the pricing and reimbursement of pharmaceuticals. Pharmaceutical expenditures can exceed 30% of total health expenditures in some poorer nations; so greater scrutiny and control over drugs are evident lately. Pharmacoeconomic research, either used when health providers examine different treatments to make cost-effective decisions, or when regulatory institutions estimate the greater value of a new product to set a reimbursement level, marks the horizon for the world's pharmaceutical markets. Pharmacoeconomics as a science has begun to advance with methodological guidelines as it is increasingly applied in many countries. China today must confront significant cost-containment in health care, as seen in every developing nation of the world. Pharmacoeconomic research thus will likely find favor to facilitate the evaluation of resource utilization for greater efficiency and better health outcomes in its population; however, pharmacoeconomics currently is stagnating there due to the lack of adequate academic research centers, pharmaceutical industry investment, and government coordination. It is predicted that China will, out of necessity, end this lag as its health care system overcomes its limitation on pharmacoeconomic knowledge and lessens influences from the old pharmaceutical pricing and reimbursement system. The upsurge import of more Western drugs now with the World Trade Organization (WTO) entry is another force leading to China's eventual progress in this area. This paper focuses on the potential use of pharmacoeconomics in the pricing and reimbursement of drugs in China. We firstly review the current applications within a few industrialized countries as a prelude to describing lessons for and reforms taking place in China. The following section addresses China's present level of pharmacoeconomic research and its growing need for this discipline. We then conclude that there are encouraging, although not yet significant, steps being taken to embed more pharmacoeconomics into the Chinese health care system. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Ectomycorrhizal fungi (EMF) are key symbiotic microbial components for the growth and health of trees in urban greenspace habitats (UGSHs). However, the current understanding of EMF diversity in UGSHs remains poor. Therefore, in this study, using morphological classification and molecular identification, we aimed to investigate EMF diversity in three EMF host plants: Cedrus deodara in the roadside green belt, and C. deodara, Pinus massoniana, and Salix babylonica in the park roadside green belt, in Guiyang, China. A total of 62 EMF Operational Taxonomic Units (OTUs) were identified, including 13 EMF OTUs in the C. deodara roadside green belt, and 23, 31, and 9 EMF OTUs in the park green belts. C. deodara, P. massoniana, and S. babylonica were respectively identified in park green belts. Ascomycota and Basidiomycota were the dominant phylum in the EMF communities in roadside and park green habitat, respectively. The Shannon and Simpson indexes of the C. deodara EMF community in the park green belt were higher than those in the roadside green belt. EMF diversity of the tree species in the park green belt was P. massoniana > C. deodara > S. babylonica. Differences in EMF community diversity was observed among the different greening tree species in the UGSHs. UGSHs with different disturbance gradients had a significant impact on the EMF diversity of the same greening tree species. These results can be used as a scientific reference for optimizing the design and scientific management of UGSHs., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Two new steroidal glycosides oxystauntoside A (1) and oxystauntoside B (2), together with sixteen known compounds (3-18) were isolated from the 95% ethanol extract of Merrillanthus hainanensis. Their structures were characterized by extensive spectroscopic analysis including NMR and mass spectra and single crystal X-ray crystallography. The absolute configuration of 1 and 2 were further determined by ECD calculations. All of these compounds were isolated from M. hainanensis for the first time. All the fractions and compounds were tested for the anti-inflammatory activity against the TNF-α factor. The ethyl acetate fraction showed the most potent inhibition (71.3%) at 10 μg/mL and compounds 5 (78.9%) and 9 (73.4%) in this fraction with both carboxyl and phenolic hydroxyl groups showed significant inhibition at 10 μM. Our study provided the first scientific report for the medicinal value of M. hainanensis., (Copyright © 2021. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Despite the increasing number of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients using traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), relatively few studies have examined their experiences with TCM in the Chinese healthcare context. The aim of this study was to explore these experiences from the perspective of IBD patients. Adopting a qualitative descriptive method, IBD patients from several comprehensive hospitals in Hangzhou, Zhejiang were recruited through purposive sampling. Data were collected using semistructured interviews and analyzed by a conventional content analysis method. The results are presented thematically. Fourteen IBD patients participated in the study. They often used TCM, such as Chinese herbal medicine, retention enemas of Chinese medicine, and acupuncture, as a complementary therapy instead of as an alternative to conventional therapies. Three themes emerged from the analysis: triggers for initiating TCM, the experienced efficacies of TCM, and disturbances caused by TCM use. The IBD patients initiate TCM treatment due to the unsatisfactory effects of conventional therapies and TCM culture. However, the efficacies of TCM are subjective and slow acting and vary across individuals. There are communication gaps between physicians and patients concerning TCM. Thus, healthcare professionals are encouraged to gain more knowledge on these therapies and employ a participatory decision-making style based on this understanding.

Aimed to understand the causes of the boundary formation of Quercus wutaishanica forest, four sites were chosen along a precipitation and thermal gradient from Qinling Mountain to Loess Plateau of northern Shaanxi Province, i. e. , north slope of Qinling Mountain (Jiwozi) and southern (Chenjiashan), central (Huaishuzhuang), and northern site (Xiasiwan) of Loess Plateau, with the gas exchange, chlorophyll fluorescence parameters, stomatal density, and stomatal size of Q. wutaishanica leaves measured. From the south to the north along the precipitation and thermal gradient, weather varied from cool and humid to warm and semi-arid, and the maximum net photosynthetic rate (Pn max) and light saturation point (Lsp) of Q. wutaishanica leaves reduced obviously from 13.34 to 6.99 micromol CO2 x m(-2) x s(-1) and from 1489.9 to 1055.6 micromol x m(-2) x s(-1), dark respiration rate (Rd) and light compensation point (Lcp) increased evidently from 0.313 to 1.080 micromol CO2 x m(-2) x s(-1) and from 7.49 to 31.96 micromol x m(-2) x s(-1), the minimum fluorescence (F0) and coefficient of non-photochemical quenching (NPQ) displayed an increasing trend, and actual photochemical quantum yield of PS II (phiPS II), apparent electron transport rates (ETR), and coefficient of photochemical quenching (qP) reduced obviously. These results demonstrated that the photosynthetic capacity of Q. wutaishanica declined gradually with decreasing precipitation, but the stomatal density and stomatal size showed no obvious difference among the study sites except for the southern site of Loess Plateau. It was speculated that the depressed net photosynthetic rate of Q. wutaishanica leaves induced by the declined Phi PS II and ETR Could be one of the main causes for the formation of northern boundary of Q. wutaishanica forest.

Objective: Sepsis remains a serious clinical problem because of high morbidity and mortality. The importance of Toll-like receptors (TLRs) for the induction of immune responses against sepsis was demonstrated in humans. The present study aimed to probe the gene polymorphisms of TLR4 (Asp299Gly and Thr399Ile) and TLR2 (Arg753Gln) in patients with sepsis among Chinese Han children in Wenzhou, and investigate the correlation with sepsis., Method: This study was conducted as a case-control study. Using polymerase chain reaction and DNA sequencing, gene polymorphisms of TLR4 (Asp299Gly and Thr399Ile) and TLR2 (Arg753Gln) in 59 children with sepsis, 38 children with severe sepsis (including 20 septic shock) and 57 healthy controls were analyzed. Hardy-Weinberg method of statistics was used to compare the frequency of genotypes alleles among three groups., Result: The mutant genotypes of TLR4 gene (Asp299Gly and Thr399Ile) were not found among sepsis, septic shock and control groups. In severe sepsis group, the Arg753Gln TLR2 polymorphism occurred in 2 out of 38 severe sepsis patients and both of the subjects with the TLR2 Arg753Gln polymorphism had fatal staphylococcal infections., Conclusion: TLR4 gene (Asp299Gly and Thr399Ile) polymorphisms may not be correlated with susceptibility to sepsis among Chinese Han children in Wenzhou. The fact that only 2 out of 38 severe sepsis patients had Arg753Gln TLR2 polymorphism suggests that a larger sample size is needed because of the rarity of the TLR2 allele among Chinese Han children in Wenzhou.