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The food supply chain (GSC) involves multiple links from production to consumption. The interruption of one or more links will lead to supply risks, evolving into food crises. To better guarantee food security, maintain national security, it is essential to improve the structural imbalance of China's food supply. This article innovatively regards trade as an important link in the food supply chain and quantitatively designs 16 indicators from the four links of production, consumption, trade, and circulation to evaluate the food supply chain risks of 30 provinces in China from 2003 to 2019. The results show that: (1) The GSC risk value at the regional scale is generally stable, and the western region is slightly higher than the eastern region. (2) The distribution of risk value shows significant spatial clustering. (3) During the study period, China's grain risk has not changed significantly. The highest average risk is the production link of the supply chain, followed by the distribution and trade links. He also believes that adjusting production, enhancing regional trade, strengthening suitability, and enhancing defensiveness are corresponding measures to improve the food supply chain. It is expected to provide a reasonable reference for government agencies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In China, the Cranoglanis bouderius is classified as a national class II-protected animal. The development of C. bouderius populations has been affected by a variety of factors over the past few decades, with severe declines occurring. Considering the likelihood of continued population declines of the C. bouderius in the future, it is critical to investigate the currently unknown characteristics of gonadal differentiation and sex-related genes for C. bouderius conservation. In this study, the Illumina sequencing platform was used to sequence the gonadal transcriptome of the C. bouderius to identify the pathways and genes related to gonadal development and analyze the expression differences in the gonads. A total of 12,002 DEGs were identified, with 7220 being significantly expressed in the ovary and 4782 being significantly expressed in the testis. According to the functional enrichment results, the cell cycle, RNA transport, apoptosis, Wnt signaling pathway, p53 signaling pathway, and prolactin signaling pathway play important roles in sex development in the C. bouderius. Furthermore, the sequence characterization and evolutionary analysis revealed that AMH, DAX1, NANOS1, and AR of the C. bouderius are highly conserved. Specifically, the qRT-PCR results from various tissues showed significant differences in AMH, DAX1, NANOS1, and AR expression levels in the gonads of both sexes of C. bouderius. These analyses indicated that AMH, DAX1, NANOS1, and AR may play important roles in the differentiation and development of C. bouderius gonads. To our best knowledge, this study is the first to analyze the C. bouderius gonadal transcriptome and identify the structures of sex-related genes, laying the foundation for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, researchers have devoted considerable attention to identifying the causes of urban environmental pollution. To determine whether migrant populations significantly affect urban environments, we examined the relationship between urban environmental pollutant emissions and migrant populations at the prefectural level using data obtained for 90 Chinese cities evidencing net in-migration. By dividing the permanent populations of these cities into natives and migrants in relation to the population structure, we constructed an improved Stochastic Impacts by Regression on Population, Affluence and Technology model (STIRPAT) that included not only environmental pollutant emission variables but also variables on the cities' attributes. We subsequently conducted detailed analyses of the results of the models to assess the impacts of natives and migrants on environmental pollutant emissions. The main findings of our study were as follows: 1) Migrant populations have significant impacts on environmental emissions both in terms of their size and concentration. Specifically, migrant populations have negative impacts on Air Quality Index (AQI) as well as PM2.5 emissions and positive impacts on emissions of NO2 and CO2. 2) The impacts of migrant populations on urban environmental pollutant emissions were 8 to 30 times weaker than that of local populations. 3) Urban environmental pollutant emissions in different cities differ significantly according to variations in the industrial structures, public transportation facilities, and population densities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Oral lichen planus (OLP) is a common autoimmune inflammatory disorder that is difficult to cure, and its pathogenesis is still largely unknown. The major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II transactivalor {CIITA) gene has been reported to be an important candidate in some classical autoimmune diseases, and certain single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in CIITA have been confirmed to be associated with susceptibility to some autoimmune diseases. We conducted this research to investigate the existence of any correlation between OLP and SNPs in CIITA. A case-control study was performed to genotype 15 SNPs in the CIITA gene from 42 patients with OLP and from 86 controls; this was carried out by the PCR and then by a locus-specific single-base extension reaction. Allele detection was performed using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectrometry. The SNP rs4774 variant in exon II (+16I4G/C, Gly500Ala) of CIITA is significantly associated with OLP in healthy persons, both in genotype frequency and in allele frequency. Another intronic SNP, rs6498122, showed significant differences only in allele frequency. In conclusion, our data show that the two SNPs rs4774 and rs6498122 are associated with OLP and could also indicate the autoimmune characteristics of OLP [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Multidrug-resistant Glaesserella parasuis are an issue in the swine industry. • A genome comparison revealed key differences between one MDR isolate and one susceptible isolate. • Two resistance-related genes in a plasmid were specific to the MDR isolate. • A large-scale rearrangement and a number of SNPs differentiated the isolates. Glaesserella parasuis (G. parasuis) is a respiratory pathogen of swine and the etiological agent of Glässer's disease. Although the emergence of multidrug-resistant (MDR) G. parasuis is a critical problem in the swine industry, there are few publications on the genetic basis of antimicrobial resistance of G. parasuis. In this study, comparative genome analyses were used to identify genomic differences between two phenotypically distinct isolates, an MDR isolate (HPS-1) and a susceptible isolate (HPS-2), from diseased swines in China. These isolates were both serovar 4, which is predominant in cases of Glässer's disease and is the most prevalent serovar in China. Based on clusters of orthologous group (COG) annotations, genes assigned to the extracellular structure category were only detected in HPS-1 and genes related to cell motility were more abundant in HPS-1 than in HPS-2. A comparative genomic analysis showed that these two isolates are closely related, although there was a large-scale genomic rearrangement. Eighteen percent of the genome consisted of strain-specific accessory genes of HPS-1. Notably, only the two genes aac(6′)-Ie-aph(2′ ')-Ia and bla ROB-1 on a plasmid were specific to HPS-1. We also detected 30,599 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), including nonsynonymous SNPs in the aminoglycoside resistance gene aph(3′ ')-Ib , the fusidic acid resistance gene fusA , and the two rifampicin resistance genes rpoC and rpoB in HPS-1. These findings improve our understanding of the differences between MDR and susceptible isolates and will aid the development of treatment strategies to decrease the prevalence and disease burden caused by G. parasuis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to investigate the relationship between parenting styles and adolescents' school engagement, and the mediating role of future orientation, as well as the differences across four educational stages. A total of 1501 students from Northeast China participated in this survey, including primary school students (n = 518), middle school students (n = 338), high school students (n = 335) and college students (n = 260). The questionnaires assessed parenting styles (caring, autonomy support, and controlling), future orientation, and school engagement. Results showed that at all educational stages, caring and autonomy support parenting styles have a direct positive effect on adolescents' school engagement, while controlling parenting style has a negative effect. In addition, the adolescents' future orientation mediated the link between parenting styles and school engagement. This indirect effects model has developmental stage differences across three different parenting styles. The findings highlight the mechanisms of influence of parenting styles on adolescents' school engagement and the important role of future orientation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Induced pluripotent stem cell lines (iPSCs) were generated from peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) isolated from the peripheral blood of a two month-old boy and the parents. Jervell and Lange-Nielsen syndrome (JLNS) was diagnosed in the boy carrying combined KCNQ1 frameshift c.431delC (p.I145Sfs*92) and nonsense c.1175G > A(p.W392X) variants inherited from his mother and father respectively. PBMCs were reprogrammed using non-integrative Sendai viral vectors containing reprogramming factors OCT4, SOX2, KLF4 and C-MYC. IPSCs were shown to express pluripotent markers, have trilineage differentiation potential, carrying identified KCNQ1 variants with corresponding PBMC, and have a normal karyotype. Thus we established three iPSC lines as useful tools for studying the pathophysiological mechanism of JLNS and drug testing., (Copyright © 2021 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Induced pluripotent stem cell lines (iPSCs) were generated from peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) isolated from the peripheral blood of an eight months-old boy and the parents. Long QT syndrome type 5 (LQT5) was diagnosed after identifying a heterozygous c.226G>A (p.D76N) variant in KCNE1 gene carried by the boy and inherited from his father who has a prolonged QT in ECG as well. PBMCs were reprogrammed using non-integrative Sendai viral vectors containing reprogramming factors OCT4, SOX2, KLF4 and C-MYC. iPSCs were shown to express pluripotent markers, have trilineage differentiation potential, carry KCNE1-D76N mutation, have a normal karyotype. Thus we established 2 new LQT5 iPSC lines and a related control line as useful tools for studying the pathophysiological mechanism of LQT5 and drug testing., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest None, (Copyright © 2020 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Cockayne syndrome (CS) is a rare autosomal recessive disorder characterized principally by progressive growth failure, neurologic abnormality and premature aging. Mutations of excision repair cross‑complementation group 6 (ERCC6) and ERCC8 are predominantly responsible for CS, of which mutation of ERCC6 accounts for approximately two thirds of cases. The current report describes two siblings with severe neurologic abnormality and premature aging. Whole exome sequencing identified two novel mutations in ERCC6 that had not been previously reported. One was a nonsense mutation at codon 612 in exon 9 (c.1834C>T, p.Arg612Ter), and the other a missense mutation at codon 975 in exon 16 (c.2923C>T, p.Arg975Trp). Cosegregation analysis revealed c.1834C>T was paternal and c.2923C>T was maternal. A healthy baby with no mutated alleles was delivered based on prenatal diagnosis performed by genetic testing of amniocytes for the causative mutation. The present study will enrich the clinical and genetic spectrum of CS in China and world wide, and provides more evidence for future genotype‑phenotype studies.