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Sacred sites are based on indigenous culture and traditional practices that value land and lives, and are considered to be of significant contribution in biodiversity conservation. However, there is a lack of understanding about how these traditional systems function (i.e., the distribution and size of sacred sites, their management and current status), especially for those sites within the Tibetan region. From 2004 to 2007, we investigated 213 sacred mountains, a major form of Tibetan sacred site, in western China, and documented their traditional management system. We mapped 154 sacred mountains within a GIS and estimated their average size was 25.9 km² (range 0.6-208.4 km²), with sacred mountains of greater religious significance covering greater areas. Monasteries had an essential role in protecting sacred mountains; 73.1% assigning specific personnel to manage their sacred mountains, and 63.9% patrolling their mountains. Official nature reserves had a remarkable spatial overlap with sacred mountains, but few reserves had established collaboration with local communities or monasteries on the land resource management. We conclude that Tibetan sacred mountains could have an important role in conservation, not only because they cover a considerable area, but also because of strong local participation in conservation of sacred mountains. We believe that Tibetan sacred sites are a landscape-level conservation attribute. To promote conservation in western China, Tibetan sacred sites need to be recognized and incorporated in the formal conservation network, and local communities should be empowered to participate in protecting and managing their sacred sites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Previous studies have reported that ambient temperature may affect perinatal outcomes. However, whether extreme temperature affects the risk of preterm birth (PTB) remains controversial. Studies on the associations of extreme temperature with PTB subtypes are lacking. OBJECTIVES: We aimed to investigate the associations of extreme climate events with the risks of PTB and its subtypes, discerning possible modifiers. METHODS: Data on all singleton deliveries were obtained from the China Labor and Delivery Survey (CLDS), a nationwide investigation implemented in 2015 and 2016. PTB was defined as gestational weeks <37 and then categorized as early (24–34 wk) and late PTBs (35–36 wk), and clinical subtypes [spontaneous PTB, preterm premature rupture of the fetal membranes (PPROM), iatrogenic PTB]. Ambient temperature data were provided by the China National Weather Data Sharing System. Five heat indexes and five cold indexes were used to define heat waves and cold spells. Generalized linear mixed models with a random term by hospital unit were used to assess the associations of short-term prenatal extreme temperature exposure. The Cox proportional hazard regression model was applied to assess the nonlinear associations of low- or high-temperature exposure at the whole and different trimesters of pregnancy with the risk of PTB. Stratified analyses were conducted to assess the possible modification by geographic region and fetal sex. RESULTS: A total of 70,818 singleton births from 96 hospitals in China were included, among which 4,965 (7.01%) were PTBs. Exposure to extreme cold events 1 wk before delivery was associated with an increased PTB risk, with an adjusted odds ratio (aOR) [95% confidence intervals (CIs)] of 1.07 (95% CI: 1.04, 1.10) and 1.06 (1.04, 1.09) for the total days when the daily average temperature below the fifth percentile (fifth-days) and the 10th percentile (10th-days), 1.18 (1.04, 1.34) for the cold spells when the daily average temperature below the fifth percentile for two consecutive days (fifth-2D), 1.09 (1.03, 1.16) and 1.12 (1.06, 1.19) for the cold spells when the daily average temperature below the 10th percentile for three and two consecutive days (10th-3D and 10th-2D), respectively. Results of extreme temperature exposure during 2 weeks before delivery showed similarly significant associations. The association between cold spells and PTB tended to be stronger for late PTB than for early PTB. Cold spells were mainly associated with spontaneous PTB and late PPROM. A stratified analysis indicated that pregnant women in western and northern regions tended to be more sensitive to cold spells, and pregnant women with a female fetus appeared to be at a higher risk of PTB when exposed to cold spells. Pregnant women in late pregnancy were more susceptible to extreme temperatures. No significant or stable association was found between heat waves and preterm birth. DISCUSSION: Exposure to cold spells was associated with an increased risk of PTB, especially late, spontaneous PTB and PPROM. The associations appeared to be more pronounced in the north and west regions and in pregnancies with female fetuses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Caspase-3 plays an important role in the initiation and maintenance of atrial fibrillation (AF), but little is known about the role of CASP3 variants in the susceptibility to atrial fibrillation (AF). The purpose of this study was to comprehensively investigate the association between common genetic variants of CASP3 gene and AF in Chinese Han population. Methods and results We investigated the association of five variants in CASP3 and the risk of AF in 889 AF patients and 1015 controls. The genotype distribution of the rs4647602 was significantly different between patients with AF and controls (p < 0.001), and the A allele frequency was significantly higher in AF patients than in controls (61.0% vs 53.2%; p < 0.001). Compared with CC genotype carriers, subjects with AA genotype had significantly increased susceptibility to AF (OR = 1.84, p < 0.001). Multivariable logistic regression analysis showed that the rs4647602 polymorphism was significantly associated with risk of AF under dominant, recessive and additive genetic model (OR, 1.44-1.64; all p < 0.001). There was no association between the other four SNPs (rs6948, rs2696056, rs4647602 and rs4647610) and risk of AF. Conclusion The rs4647602 polymorphism is independently associated with the risk of AF in Chinese Han population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]