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Chronic cheilitis (CC) is a spectrum of inflammatory changes of unknown etiology that affect the vermilion of the lips. This study aimed to describe the epidemiology, clinical presentations and risk factors of CC. Patients with CC were recruited from the National Clinical Research Center for Oral Disease of China. A convenience sample of inhabitants who live in the same geographical region were recruited as the control group. The lip skin transepidermal water loss (TEWL) and capacitance of CC patients were compared with that of age- and gender-matched controls. Our results demonstrated that of the 109 patients with CC, 72 (66.1%; 95% CI: 57.0–75.1%) were female. The common clinical presentations of CC consisted of desquamation (n = 99; 90.8%), and/or chapping (n = 81; 74.3%), and/or pruritus (n = 64; 58.7%). Multivariable analysis showed that allergic dermatologic diseases (P < 0.001; OR: 4.5; 95% CI: 2.4–8.4), anemia (P = 0.001; OR: 3.3; 95% CI: 1.5–7.5), and indoor/outdoor alternate working environment (P < 0.001; OR: 2.1; 95% CI: 1.5–2.8) were the significant risk factors for CC. The mean lip skin TEWL was found to be significantly higher, while the capacitance was lower in CC patients compared to that of control individuals. This study provides insights into the etiopathogenesis of CC and may help clinicians to identify the most effective management strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phytochemical investigation of Cydonia oblonga Mill. collected in Xinjiang province, China, led to the isolation and identification of three new dibenzofurans (1-3) along with one known compound (4). Their structures were elucidated based on HRESIMS, spectroscopic data (IR, UV, 1D, 2D NMR) and X-ray diffraction analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Yunnan Province of China is one of the important centers for origin and evolution of cultivated rice worldwide. Wild rice is the ancestor of the cultivated rice. Many elite traits of wild rice have widened the genetic basis in cultivated rice. However, many populations of wild rice species have disappeared in the past few years. Therefore, the current status of wild rice resources should be updated and the genetic diversity of wild rice species should be examined for further germplasm preservation and utilization. Our investigations showed that the number of natural wild rice populations declined sharply in Yunnan Province during the past few years due to various reasons. Fortunately, one population of Oryza rufipogon, three of O. officinalis and ten of O. granulata have been newly found in different ecological sites, which were confirmed by inter-simple sequence repeat (ISSR) marker analysis in this study. ISSR analysis and investigation of some important traits of nutritional values indicated that the genetic diversity of the currently existing wild rice resources in Yunnan is still rich. The demonstration of genetic diversity of wild rice by a combined use of geographical distribution, morphological traits, nutrition contents and ISSR markers would be helpful for the conservation and exploration of these important wild rice resources. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Background: The aim of the present study was to evaluate potential psychosocial factors that impact Chinese female breast cancer patients to select breast reconstruction (BR), and potential connection of psychosocial outcomes with their satisfaction with BR., Methods: A total of 264 female breast cancer patients with mastectomy were recruited from 2012 to 2014. All patients were informed with BR options at their first visit. Personal and medical profiles were collected. Body image, self-esteem, depression and anxiety were assessed using validated scales. Patients who were selected to undergo BR after the first visit were followed up for six months. The same assessment was performed at 6 months post BR, and their satisfaction with BR was evaluated using the Alderman scale. Multivariate linear and logistic regressions were performed., Results: Forty-seven percent of the patients (126/264) opted to undergo BR within six months after the initial visit. Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that self-esteem (P < 0.05), body image (P < 0.01), education level (P < 0.05), and their husband's recommendation (P < 0.05) were highly related to the patients' decision to undergo BR. In addition, multivariate linear regression analysis showed that patient satisfaction with BR was significantly associated with preoperative body image (P < 0.01), postoperative improvement in self-esteem (P < 0.01), improvement in body image (P < 0.01), reduction in depression (P < 0.05), pain (P < 0.05), and scarring (P < 0.01)., Conclusions: The psychosocial factors including self-esteem and body image are highly related to selecting the BR option and post-BR satisfaction in Chinese female breast cancer patients.

The suitability assessment of regional construction land is one of the important prerequisites for the spatial arrangement in regional planning, and also, the important foundation for the reasonable utilization of regional land resources. With the support of GIS, and by using the regional comprehensive strength and spatial accessibility analysis and the eco-environmental sensitivity analysis, this paper quantitatively analyzed the development potential and its ecological limitation of the central and southern parts of Hebei Province. Besides, based on the cost-benefit analysis, the potential-limitation model was accordingly developed, and the three land suitability scenarios under different developmental concepts were captured through the interaction matrix. The results indicated that both the comprehensive strength and the development potential of the study area showed a primacy distribution pattern, and presented an obvious pole-axis spatial pattern. The areas with higher eco-environmental sensitivity were mainly distributed in the west regions, while those with lower eco-environmental sensitivity were in the east regions. Regional economic development concept had important effects on the regional ecological security pattern and urban growth. The newly developed principles and methods for the land suitability assessment in this paper could not only scientifically realize the spatial grid of regional development potential and capture the future land development trend and spatial distribution, but also provide scientific basis and effective ways for urban and regional planning to realize region 'smart growth' and 'smart conservation'.

A recent study has shown that FBXO7 is a causative gene for PARK15-linked autosomal recessive early-onset Parkinsonism which was described by Davison for the first time in 1954 and known as Pallido-Pyramidal Disease or Parkinsonia-Pyramidal Syndrome in the past. In order to investigate the characteristics of FBXO7 gene mutations in Chinese early-onset Parkinsonism patients, we performed polymerase chain reaction and DNA direct sequencing on 135 patients and 200 controls. In this study, we found 10 polymorphisms including two novel polymorphisms (-274G-->C, c.A155G), but no pathogenetic mutations in the FBXO7 gene were detected. This suggests that FBXO7 mutations may be rare in Chinese early-onset Parkinsonism patients., ((c) 2010 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.)

To assess the epidemiological efficacy of type SRP III slow-released praziquantel-medicated bars for dogs in the prevention and control of cystic echinococcosis in man and livestock, praziquantel-medicated bars were implanted subcutaneously in over 90% of dogs in villages in north Xinjiang, China, where cystic echinococcosis is highly endemic. After implantation, infection rate of Echinococcus granulosus in dogs, specific antibodies in children and prevalence of echinococcosis in one-year-old lambs were observed for 3 years. Coproantigen of E. granulosus was positive in 41.2% of the dogs at the start of experiment. In the second and third year after medicated-bar implantation, coproantigen was undetectable in any dogs examined, while 3.0% of dogs were positive at the end of the fourth year. The antibody positive rate in 7-year-old pupils, that was 41.2% before the experiment, declined gradually and it was 5.4% in the fourth year, while children in the non-intervention control area showed 30.6% seropositivity. The prevalence of hydatid disease in children aged 7-16 years also declined significantly. The prevalence of hydatidosis in lambs one year of age was 44.8% in the first year, dropping to 10.7% in the fourth year, while in the non-intervention control area the level of infection was 46.4%. These results demonstrated not only that the slow released praziquantel-medicated bars efficiently blocked reinfection in dogs at least for 2 years, but also the measure was effective in preventing transmission of cystic echinococcosis to both man and livestock.