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This research conducted quasi-experiments in four middle schools to evaluate the long-term effects of an intelligent web-based English instruction system, Computer Simulation in Educational Communication (CSIEC), on students' academic attainment. The analysis of regular examination scores and vocabulary test validates the positive impact of CSIEC, and in most cases, the positive impact is statistically significant. The reliability is ensured by the spectrum of the students from Grade 1 to Grade 3 in three junior high schools and from Grade 1 to Grade 2 in one senior high school, and of the teachers with or without blended learning experience, as well as by the various school locations from rural to urban areas in four provinces of China. The learning content-oriented design and the instant feedback feature of the web-based system, as well as its regular integration into the English class, contributed to its reliable positive effect on students' learning performance in ordinary examinations. This is the research's implication for instructional design. The conclusion of this paper could serve as a reference to the technical feasibility and pedagogical benefit of regular usage of appropriate Computer Assisted Learning system in the mainstream subject of middle schools. The multiple quasi-experiments in divergent school settings to ensure the results' reliability distinguish this research from previous ones that just implemented one single experiment in one school.

Background: Cognitive impairment is common in the elderly. Prior studies suggest a link between chronic inflammation and cognitive dysfunction, while aging‐associated epidermal dysfunction has been connected to elevations in circulating cytokines. Objective: We assessed here whether improvements in epidermal function can mitigate the progression of cognitive impairment. Methods: This randomized, open‐label pilot trial was carried out in two cities in northern China. A total of 200 participants aged ≥65 years were randomly assigned to the emollient‐treated and untreated groups at 1:1 ratio. Participants in the treated group were treated topically with Atopalm cream® twice‐daily from November to the following May each year for three consecutive years, while the untreated subjects served as controls. The Global Deterioration Scale (GDS) was used to assess the severity of cognitive impairment, while epidermal biophysical properties were measured on the forearms and the shins in parallel. Results: Over the three‐year trial, GDS significantly increased from baseline (P < 0.0001) in the controls, while in the treated group, GDS stabilized. While stratum corneum hydration on the forearms did not change significantly in the controls, transepidermal water loss rates (TEWL), significantly increased by the end of the trial compared to baselines in the controls (P < 0.0001). On the forearms of the treated group, stratum corneum hydration increased (P < 0.0001) while skin surface pH decreased from baseline (P < 0.0001). Conclusions: These results suggest that improvements in epidermal function with topical emollient can mitigate the progression of cognitive impairment. However, the sample size was relatively small, and trials in a larger cohort are needed to validate the present results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To assess the efficacy of metformin in megestrol acetate (MA)-based fertility-sparing treatment for patients with atypical endometrial hyperplasia (AEH) and endometrioid endometrial cancer (EEC).Design: A randomised, single-centre, open-label, controlled trial conducted between October 2013 and December 2017.Setting: Shanghai OBGYN Hospital of Fudan University, China.Population: A total of 150 patients (18-45 years old) with primary AEH or well-differentiated EEC were randomised into an MA group (n = 74) and an MA plus metformin group (n = 76).Methods: Patients with AEH or EEC were firstly stratified, then randomised to receive MA (160 mg orally, daily) or MA (160 mg orally, daily) plus metformin (500 mg orally, three times a day).Main Outcomes and Measures: The primary efficacy parameter was the cumulate complete response (CR) rate within 16 weeks of treatment (16w-CR rate); the secondary efficacy parameters were 30w-CR rate and adverse events.Results: The 16w-CR rate was higher in the metformin plus MA group than in the MA-only group (34.3 versus 20.7%, odds ratio [OR] 2.0, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.89-4.51, P = 0.09) but the difference was more significant in 102 AEH patients (39.6 versus 20.4%, OR 2.56, 95% CI 1.06-6.21, P = 0.04). This effect of metformin was also significant in non-obese (51.4 versus 24.3%, OR 3.28, 95% CI 1.22-8.84, P = 0.02) and insulin-sensitive (54.8 versus 28.6%, OR 3.04, 95% CI 1.03-8.97, P = 0.04) subgroups of AEH women. No significant result was found in secondary endpoints.Conclusion: As a fertility-sparing treatment, metformin plus MA was associated with a higher early CR rate compared with MA alone in AEH patients.Tweetable Abstract: For AEH patients, metformin plus MA might be a better fertility-sparing treatment to achieve a higher early CR rate compared with MA alone. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The additive main effects and multiplicative interaction (AMMI) model and genotype main effects and genotype-by-environment interaction (GGE) biplot are commonly used to analyze multi environmental trial data. This study adopted the AMMI model and GGE biplot to comprehensively analyze the data on genotypes tested in the 2016-2017 Zhongcheng combined regional maize trial in China. Results showed that the traits highly and significantly differed across different genotypes (G) and environments (E). Significant or very significant genotype-by-environment interactions (GEI) were also found. With the exception of 100-kernel weight, the ratio of GEI for the remaining three traits was lower than that of E and higher than that of G. GEI was decomposed, and the interaction information of PCA1 and PCA2 in the interaction of four traits was significant. Hengyu1587 and Shiyu 1503 performed better than the other hybrids and were identified as excellent varieties across locations because of their outstanding performances according to a 2-year observation. The comprehensive utilization of the AMMI model and GGE biplot can enable the scientific and objective judgment of the high yield, stability, and adaptability of tested maize hybrids and provides theoretical support for the rational layout of maize hybrids in the environments of Hebei Province. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the effects of stock market uncertainty on economic fundamentals, represented by economic activities and systemic risk, in China. To capture the uncertainty in the Chinese stock market precisely, we use the entropy measure through symbolic time-series analysis. The empirical findings reveal strong spillover effects from stock market uncertainty to economic fundamentals. Specifically, an uncertainty shock generates (i) a short-term decline in industrial production, (ii) a rapid drop and rebound in the composite leading indicator, and (iii) an increase in systemic risk. To understand these findings, we suggest and validate the transmission channel through changes in consumption and investment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Background: Primary localized cutaneous amyloidosis (PLCA) is a chronic pruritic skin disorder. The genetic basis of familial (f)PLCA involves mutations in the oncostatin M receptor (OSMR) and interleukin‐31 receptor A (IL31RA) genes, but the disease pathophysiology is not fully understood. Aim: To investigate the OSMR mutation spectrum in patients with sporadic (s)PLCA/fPLCA, lichen/macular PLCA in mainland China. Methods: This study was carried out on 64 patients with sPLCA, along with 36 with fPLCA and 10 unaffected individuals collected from 23 unrelated Chinese families. Genomic DNA was extracted from peripheral blood samples. Mutation screening of 17 OSMR exons was performed by Sanger sequencing. Results: PLCA lesions are typically localized to the shins, forearm and back. Sequence analysis of OSMR exons demonstrated that the OSMR missense mutation rate in patients with fPLCA (63.89%) was significantly higher than that in patients with sPLCA (34.38%). The male/female ratio of patients carrying a homozygous OSMR mutation (0.29) was significantly lower than that of patients carrying a heterozygous OSMR mutation (1.08; P < 0.05) and of patients with wildtype OSMR (1.75; P < 0.01). Age of onset of PLCA with OSMR homozygous mutation (median age 20 years) was earlier than that of PLCA with OSMR heterozygous mutation (median age 32 years; P < 0.01) or PLCA with wildtype genotype (median age 32 years; P < 0.01). Conclusion: The present data indicate OSMR mutations as not only the main cause of fPLCA, but also the potential source of the pathogenesis of sPLCA, although the exact molecular mechanism remains unknown. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper takes some typical points at downstream of Jinsha River in China as examples for the overall evaluation of greenhouse gas emissions. In reference of previous literature, this study adopted the combination of headspace balance method and model estimation to obtain the partial pressures of carbon dioxide and methane in surface water and exchange fluxes of CO2 and methane. Additionally, this paper also used field measuring instruments to measure the physical and chemical variables. The Spearman correlation index based on SPSS software are applied to analyse the relationship between between the partial pressures and fluxes of CO2 and methane and environment variables. Experiments' results showed that mean value for partial pressure of CO2 (p(CO2)) was (1785.87 ± 451.18) μatm, ranked medium in worldwide rivers. In contrast, the average value for p(CH4) was (22.63 ± 11.48) μatm ranked relatively low in worldwide rivers. Among all sampling sites, the p(CH4) for Linjiaba, Shaonvping, Lizhuang located in reservoir area were higher than that for other sites. And the diffusion of CO2 flux was in medium level compared with other major rivers in the world, at (1.71 ± 0.55) mmol/(m2·h), while that of CH4 flux kept in low level at (0.0009 ± 0.0005) mmol/(m2·h), and all benthic flux of CO2 and CH4 were positive indicated the Jinsha River was the source of producing greenhouse gas., the trend of the partial pressure and flux almost remained the same. Moreover, p(CO2) in surface waters showed positive correlations with alkalinity (TA) and dissolved organic carbon(DOC), and p(CH4) showed significant positive correlations with Chl-a and temperature. CO2 flux showed positively correlation with the p(CO2), DOC, alkalinity (TA), and CH4 flux is positively related to p(CH4), wind speed. Other environmental factors showed vague effects on the fluxes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The faults that developed in the Liaoxi Depression can be classified into three types according to their extent and connectivity with the source and reservoir rocks (i.e. type I faults, type II faults and type III faults). These faults played different roles in controlling the basin geomorphology; the formation and evolution of the source rocks, reservoir rocks, cap rocks and traps; and the migration and accumulation of hydrocarbons in the Liaoxi Depression. Extending from the basement to the Neogene strata, type I faults, which are the largest in the basin, mainly controlled the development and basin-scale geomorphology; type II faults mainly controlled the sub-tectonic zones; and type III faults mainly controlled the formation and evolution of the traps. The movements of type I and type II faults during the hydrocarbon expulsion period were closely related to oil and gas migration. The rates of fault activity varied among the different sags of the Liaoxi Depression. Type I faults in both the northern and southern sags appear to have moved considerably during the hydrocarbon generation and expulsion stages, which strongly promoted hydrocarbon migration, whereas weakly active type I faults in the central sag made limited contributions to hydrocarbon migration. The sealing behaviour of the faults controlled the hydrocarbon migration directions and locations, and the good lateral sealing ability of the type I faults in the northern and southern sags confined the accumulation of hydrocarbons within the sags independently. However, the type I faults in the central sag partially opened laterally, which increased the likelihood of hydrocarbon migration from the sag centre to the uplift and reduced the likelihood of hydrocarbon accumulation within the sag centre. Therefore, the oil- and gas-enrichment patterns in the Liaoxi Depression are closely related to the characteristics of the faults, with traps near types I and II faults showing an increased likelihood of oil- and gas-field formation, as observed with the JZ9-3, LD4-2 and LD5-2 wells, and traps located in the sags remote from types I and II faults showing a reduced likelihood of oil and gas accumulation. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Agarwood is used as incense around the world. Natural agarwood being in short supply, cultivated agarwood is now produced in many countries, especially in China. Burning agarwood emits fine particulate matter, which enter human lungs and, in turn, elicit illnesses such as cancer. There is actually no knowledge on the differences of hazards posed by the particulate matter released from either cultivated or natural agarwood burning. Here, we measured the diameter and weight of particulates emitted by cultivated and natural agarwood, using an electrical low-pressure impactor. We measured the mutagenicity of particulates using the salmonella reversion test, and the cytotoxicity of each sample of particulates was determined using the 3-[4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl]-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide assay. Results show that more than 99 % of total particles were ultrafine and fine particles. The cultivated agarwoods emitted a higher proportion of ultrafine particles than the natural agarwoods. The smoke produced by the cultivated agarwood was more mutagenic and more cytotoxic than natural agarwood. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Dietary recommendations to reduce blood pressure (BP) have been widely disseminated and residents who live on islands have unique dietary characteristics. Here, we identified associations between dietary intake and BP levels among island residents in China. Design: Cross-sectional study. Setting: The Changhai islands, which is an important island county in China. Participants: A total of 876 residents, 18-88 years old, of Changhai county. Measurements: Dietary intake and BP measurements were assessed using standardized questionnaires and protocols, respectively. Dietary intake was compared across BP categories and linear regression analyses were performed between dietary intake and systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP). Results: Participants previously diagnosed with hypertension consumed less salt than those with undiagnosed high BP (p < 0.01). After exclusion of participants previously diagnosed with hypertension, salt and meat consumption were positively and linearly associated with both SBP (p < 0.01 and < 0.001, respectively) and DBP (p = 0.03 and < 0.01, respectively), whereas consumption of marine products was inversely associated with SBP (p = 0.047). Mixed edible oil and edible oil consumption were associated with SBP (p < 0.01) and DBP (p = 0.021), respectively. In the multiple linear regression model, meat intake was positively associated with both SBP and DBP (ß = 0.139, p < 0.001; ß = 0.066, p = 0.047, respectively), whereas consumption of marine products was inversely associated with SBP (ß = -0.102, p < 0.001), while mixed edible oil was associated with SBP (ß = 0.062, p = 0.03). Conclusion: Adherence to nutritional recommendations can be improved among hypertensive patients, even those aware of their conditions. In the general island population, eating habits regarding salt, meat, edible oil consumption, and use of mixed edible oil increased the risk of hypertension onset, whereas marine products were found to decrease this risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cardiovascular disease has become the most serious health threat and represents the major cause of morbidity and mortality in China, as in other industrialized nations. During the past few decades, China's economic boom has tremendously improved people's standard of living but has also changed their lifestyle, increasing the prevalence of cardiovascular disease, the so-called 'disease of modern civilization'. This new trend has attracted a significant amount of research. Many of the studies conducted by Chinese investigators are orientated towards understanding the molecular mechanisms of cardiovascular disease. At the molecular level, the long-standing consensus is that cardiovascular disease is associated with a sequence mutation (genetic anomaly) and expression deregulation (epigenetic disorder) of protein-coding genes. However, new research data have established the non-protein-coding genes microRNAs (miRNAs) as a central regulator of the pathogenesis of cardiac disease and a potential new therapeutic target for cardiovascular disease. These small non-coding RNAs have also been subjected to extensive, rigorous investigations by Chinese researchers. Over the years, a large body of studies on miRNAs in cardiovascular disease has been conducted by Chinese investigators, yielding fruitful research results and a better understanding of miRNAs as a new level of molecular mechanisms for the pathogenesis of cardiac disease. In this review, we briefly summarize the current status of research in the field of miRNAs and cardiovascular disease in China, highlighting the advances made in elucidating the role of miRNAs in various cardiac conditions, including cardiac arrhythmia, myocardial ischaemia, cardiac hypertrophy and heart failure. We have also examined the potential of miRNAs as novel diagnostic biomarkers and therapeutic targets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cardiovascular disease has become the leading cause of death and constitutes a serious public health issue in China. Faced with the burgeoning epidemic of cardiovascular disease and the huge burden and economic losses it causes, the Chinese government has attached the utmost importance to cardiovascular research, increasing funding to support basic and clinical studies, integrating resources and recruiting outstanding talent from overseas. The continued and growing support from the government has yielded substantial changes in terms of new discoveries, scientific publications and drug research and development within the last decade. In spite of the advances in cardiovascular research, China still faces significant challenges ahead in encouraging innovation, developing the prevention-oriented health policies and strengthening international collaboration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Background: To validate the clinical value of the One-Step Nucleic Acid Amplification (OSNA) Breast Cancer System for the intraoperative detection of sentinel lymph node (SLN) metastases in early-stage breast cancer patients in a Chinese population, a prospective, multicenter trial, the China Breast Cancer Clinical Study Group (CBCSG)-001c trial, was conducted. The present study focused on the prospective comparison of the performance between OSNA and touch imprint cytology (TIC). Methods: The retrieved SLNs were divided into sections. Alternate slices from the tissue blocks were subjected either to OSNA analysis or to postoperative histopathology evaluation through serial sectioning. TIC was performed on every sample surface of each tissue block and was used by the surgeon to determine whether to perform an immediate ALND. Results: A total of 552 patients qualified for the analysis. The sensitivity, specificity, and overall accuracy of OSNA were 87.8%, 89.6%, and 88.4%, respectively, on a per-patient basis compared with those of TIC, which were 81.3%, 96.9%, and 92.0%, respectively. OSNA detected more micrometastasis-involved nodes than TIC (52.8% vs. 25.0%; p = 0.029) on a per-node basis. Tissue allocation bias (TAB) was the main cause of discordant results. The performance of TIC varied significantly among the institutes, while the performance of OSNA was steady. Conclusions: Both OSNA and TIC can serve as qualified intraoperative assessments of SLNs. For institutes lacking the support of experienced cytopathologists, OSNA can be the first choice for the intraoperative assessment. In addition, OSNA can be applied as a complement to histopathology assessment. However, the results of the present study do not support the routine application of OSNA in the entire SLNs in place of pathology with serial sectioning. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Background Although dermatitis herpetiformis (DH) is a relatively common disease in Caucasian populations, it is very rare in the Far East, including China. Objectives To investigate the clinical, histological and immunopathological characteristics of Chinese patients with DH. Methods The clinical data and serum samples of patients with DH diagnosed at Shandong Provincial Institute of Dermatology and Venereology from 2006 to 2010 were collected. Anti-endomysium antibodies (EMA) and anti-tissue transglutaminase (tTG) antibodies were tested using indirect immunofluorescence and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay respectively. Biopsies of small intestine were performed in those patients who had given informed consent. Results The study group consisted of 22 patients with DH. The male to female ratio was 2.1 : 1; the average age was 44 years. Five patients reported mild gastrointestinal symptoms. Dapsone was used to treat 14 patients, who achieved rapid relief. Direct immunofluorescence showed granular IgA deposits at the papillary tips and/or basement membrane zone in 95.5% (21/22) patients. Fibrillar IgA deposition limited to the papillary tips was also seen in one patient (4.5%). IgA antibodies against EMA and tTG were found in 50% (8/16) and 62.5% (10/16) of patient sera respectively. Small-intestinal biopsies of two patients confirmed the presence of coeliac disease. Conclusions The clinical, histological and immunopathological characteristics of Chinese patients with DH are similar to those seen in Caucasian populations. The positive rates of anti-EMA and anti-tTG antibodies were lower compared with those seen in Western countries. DH is not extremely rare in China and should be actively investigated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BackgroundThis study aimed to compare ‘cool’ [working memory (WM) and response inhibition] and ‘hot’ (delay aversion) executive functions (EFs) in children with and without attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).MethodA total of 100 ADHD children (45 with family history of ADHD and 55 with no family history) and 100 healthy controls, all medication free, were tested on tasks related to the ‘hot’ (i.e. two choice-delay tasks) and ‘cool’ domains of EF (i.e. Digits backward, Corsi Block Task backward, Go/No-Go Task, Stop-Signal Task, and the Stroop).ResultsCompared with the controls, children with ADHD were found to perform significantly worse on one or more measures of response inhibition, WM, and delay aversion after controlling for co-morbidities and estimated IQ. In addition, comparisons between ADHD children with family history of ADHD and those with no family history found significant differences on measures of response inhibition and WM but not delay aversion. These results are largely supported by results of two logistic regressions.ConclusionsADHD was found to be associated with deficits on both cool and hot EFs. There is also evidence to suggest that cool EFs impairment is related to a family history of ADHD. Findings of this study have helped to elucidate the nature and extent of EF deficits in children with ADHD. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Summary Elm samples with and without witches'-broom symptoms (EWB) were collected from Tai'an and Zhaoyuan, Shandong Province, China. Phytoplasmal cells were observed in the phloem cells of symptomatic plants under electron microscope. Specific fragments of about 1.2 kb in length were amplified with nested-PCR from symptomatic samples, while no fragment was obtained from healthy plants. The 16S rRNA gene sequences of the phytoplasmas associated with elm witches'-broom in Tai'an (EWB-TA) and Zhaoyuan (EWB-ZHY) had high similarities, and formed a sublineage in phylogenetic tree, with members of subgroup B or D of aster yellows group (16SrI). Computer simulated restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis of 16S rRNA gene revealed that EWB-TA and EWB-ZHY patterns had similarity coefficients of 1.00 with the pattern from the representative strains of subgroup 16SrI-B, and had a similarity coefficient of lower than 0.97 with representatives of other subgroups. These results indicated that the phytoplasma strain associated with elm witches'-broom in China was very closely related to ' Candidatus Phytoplasma asteris' OAY, belonging to subgroup-B of aster yellows group (16SrI-B). This is the first report of a phytoplasma associated with elm witches'-broom disease in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fusarium wilt of banana (Musa spp.), caused by Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense (Foc), is one of the most important banana diseases. Three races (1, 2, 4) of Foc have been identified worldwide, but race 4 (especially tropical race 4, TR4) is the most destructive pathogen and has significant impacts on banana production in Taiwan and Southern China. To characterize the genetic relationship of Foc in these two regions, 55 isolates of Foc, including 18 from Taiwan and 37 from Hainan and Guangdong Provinces, were subjected to pathogenicity tests, race 4-specific polymerase chain reaction (PCR) diagnosis, and amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) analysis. One race 4 isolate from Australia, one race 1 isolate from Philippines, and 10 non-banana F. oxysporum isolates were also included in the study for comparison. Pathogenicity tests indicated that 16 and 21 isolates of Foc from Taiwan and Southern China, respectively, were pathogenic on Cavendish banana and classified as race 4, and the remaining isolates were identified as race 1. PCR amplification with race 4 and tropical race 4-specific primers confirmed that all of the race 4 isolates from Taiwan and Southern China were TR4. AFLP analysis with eight EcoRI-MseI primer combinations clustered the 67 F. oxysporum isolates analyzed into two major groups, one containing all race 4 isolates and the other consisting of race 1 isolates along with the non-banana F. oxysporum isolates. No significant divergence was observed among TR4 isolates from Southern China and Taiwan, suggesting that the TR4 isolates from Southern China might share the same lineage as those from Taiwan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tree-ring width records provide a primary data source for millennial paleoclimatic reconstructions. However, a problem exists connected with taking into consideration the complex age-dependence within these records. Analyzing a set of very long-lived trees of Sabina przewalskii Kom. from the Dulan area of the northeastern Tibetan Plateau, we found for the first time that the annual basal-radius increment is larger for the outermost rings in comparison with the inner rings, especially for very long-living trees. Neglecting this circumstance when the so-called regional curve standardization is used can distort paleoclimatic reconstructions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using Raman spectroscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray fluorescence and X-ray diffraction, the Pb–Sn–Sb triple oxide yellow and lead–tin yellow have been identified on two pieces of cloisonné enamel (Falangcai) porcelains. Lead–tin yellow and lead antimonate yellow have been identified on famille rose porcelains manufactured before and after 1911, respectively. The replacement of the Pb–Sn–Sb triple oxide yellow by lead–tin yellow and that of the lead–tin yellow by lead antimonate yellow are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is observed that ramie (Boehmeria nivea), an economic fiber crop, can establish and colonize metal-contaminated sites in China. Metal tolerance and accumulation by ramie originating from 13 metal-contaminated and 4 “clean” sites in China were compared under field and hydroponic conditions. All selected populations and germplasms displayed good growth performance under diverse metal-contaminated habitats; while growth responses, metal accumulation and tolerance were similar among the 8 populations and 2 germplasms when exposed to solutions containing elevated As, Cd, Pb, or Zn in the laboratory. These revealed that ramie possesses a certain degree of constitutional metal tolerance. To our knowledge, this is the first report of constitutional metal tolerance possessed by a fiber crop. Ramie can be considered as a good candidate for both fiber production and phytoremediation of sites contaminated by multi-metals, as it accumulates relative low metal concentrations, but possesses both high biomass and high economic value. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The dwarf blue sheep (Pseudois schaeferihaltenorth) belongs the subfamily Caprinae, which is distributed in Sichuan, Tibet, Yunnan, and Qinghai in China. In this study, the complete mitochondrial genome ofPseudois schaeferihaltenorth was sequenced. The mitogenome was 16 741 bp in length, consisting of 13 protein-coding genes, 22 transfer RNA (tRNA) genes, 2 ribosomal RNA (rRNA) genes, and a non-coding control region (D-loop region). As in other mammals, most mitochondrial genes are encoded on the heavy strand, except forND6and eight tRNA genes which are encoded on the light strand. The overall base composition of thePseudois schaeferi haltenorthis 33.54% A, 26.37% T, 26.91% C, and 13.18% G, A + T (59.91%) was higher than G + C (40.09%). The phylogenetic relationships was analyzed using the complete mitogenome sequence, results show thatP. schaeferihaltenorth should be a different species differ from the Genus pseudois hodgson. These information provide useful data for further study on the protection of genetic resources and the taxonomy of Caprinae. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The abundance of Calanus sinicus eggs, nauplii, copepodites and adults and chlorophyll a (Chl-a ) concentration were studied across tidal fronts in October 2000, and May and June 2001 in the Yellow Sea, China. The aim of the study was to evaluate the role of tidal fronts in the ecology of C. sinicus . The hydrographic tidal fronts were identified by the horizontal temperature gradient in the bottom layer and the temperature profiles across the fronts. The survey results showed that the concentration of Chl-a was high in the vicinity of the fronts, particularly in spring and early summer. The abundance of C. sinicus eggs and nauplii was usually higher in the tidal fronts than in the adjacent areas. In May and June 2001, the abundance of copepodites and adults of C. sinicus peaked in the tidal front. In June 2001 and October 2000, many copepodites and adults were found in stratified region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conclusion: Preconcentration of metals are derived from sulfide-enriched cumulates in the lower arc crust; transcrustal structures imaged by geophysical data shows their roles for time–space window of mineralization in arc. [Display omitted] • Lower-crustal conductor relates sulfide-enriched cumulates beneath Hatu Au-deposit. • No such cumulates present beneath Baogutu porphyry Cu-Au deposit. • Baogutu deposit formed during active delamination/relamination in forearc. • Hatu deposits formed during transition from compression to extension. • Metal preconcentration in arc crust leave footprints on geophysical structures. Previous studies showed that metal preconcentration in fluids and/or magma is critical to the formation of gold deposit in arcs and is closely related to the segregation of sulfide phases. However, the depth range and the magnitude of and associated mechanism by which the deep crust controls the metal preconcentration of arc mineralization remain enigmatic. Here we present geophysical observations of the medium-scale Baogutu porphyry copper–gold deposit and the large-scale Hatu epithermal gold deposit from the late Paleozoic arc in the western Junggar, NW China. During the closure of Paleo-Asian Ocean, Baogutu deposit formed at ∼313 Ma relating to the adakitic intrusions driven by the ridge-related subduction, and Hatu deposit formed at ∼300 Ma just before the subduction termination. The transcrustal structures of resistivity and shear-wave velocity would show the signatures of metal preconcentration by reasoning the cause of low-resistivity anomaly to the persisting sulfide phases and the change of shear-wave velocity to the garnet proportion, respectively. Our results showed that the sulfide phases persisted in the entire deep crust and thus the metal preconcentration could occur in the base cumulates and mush reservoir beneath Hatu deposit, but the signatures were not fully reflected beneath the Baogutu deposit. These observations suggest that the reduced permeability of brittle-ductile transition and the water flux associated with magma likely affect the rising rate of melt, resulting in different efficiency of the metal preconcentration. Thus, the endowments of mineralization in arcs are controlled by crustal structures and contemporaneous arc magmatism during subduction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel human leukocyte antigen (HLA) allele, HLA-Cw*040105, was identified in a Chinese Uygur individual. It differs from the closest allele Cw*04010101 by four nucleotides at position nt 60 (C>T) in exon 1, genomic nt 477 (A>T) in intron 2, nt 835(T>C), and nt 850 (C>T) in exon 3. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thunderstorm identification from weather radar data remains a fundamental problem in lightning nowcasting. In this study, a novel thunderstorm identification method combining the area of graupel distribution region and weather radar reflectivity is proposed. To optimize identification parameters of the identification method, the radar echoes with 312 thunderstorms in 17 weather processes in Nanjing area, China, from 2014 to 2015 were identified and tested to obtain the optimal identification parameters. The results indicate that the optimal parameter combination is to set the storm region identification reflectivity threshold at 0°C isothermal level to 30 dBZ and set the area of graupel distribution region to 2 km2. With such a parameter combination, the optimal identification results with the probability of detection of 91%, false alarm rate of 6.9%, and critical success index of 85.3% could be obtained. Moreover, the proposed thunderstorm identification method can also provide effective means for thunderstorm nowcasting. Plain Language Summary: Thunderstorm is a kind of disastrous weather that often brings us great losses. If thunderstorms can be timely detected, we can take appropriate means to deal with them. Weather radar is considered as an efficient tool for detecting thunderstorms. It is an important problem in the application of weather radar to identify thunderstorms from radar echoes. In the present study, a new method for identifying thunderstorms using dual‐polarization weather radar is proposed, which combines reflectivity with the integral area of graupel related to thunderstorm electrification to identify thunderstorms. The method is tested by 312 thunderstorms in 17 weather processes in Nanjing area, China, from 2014 to 2015. The test results show that the method has good thunderstorm identification performance. Key Points: A novel thunderstorm identification method combining the area of graupel distribution region and weather radar reflectivity is proposedThe area of graupel distribution region at certain isothermal levels is the key parameter of the thunderstorm identification methodA detection probability of 91% and a false alarm rate of 6.9% can be achieved by the proposed method [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Aims: Fecal incontinence (FI) is a common complaint that greatly affects the quality of life of patients with Crohn's disease (CD) and is associated with the clinical characteristics of CD. We aimed to identify risk factors related to FI and construct a risk prediction model for FI in patients with CD., Methods: This retrospective study included 600 Chinese patients with CD from 4 IBD centers between June 2016 and October 2021. The patients were assigned to the training (n = 480) and testing cohorts (n = 120). Two nomograms were developed based on the logistic regression and Cox regression models to predict the risk factors for FI in patients with CD. The discriminatory ability and accuracy of the nomograms were evaluated using the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves and the area under the ROC curves (AUCs). Additionally, the Kaplan-Meier survival curve was also used further to validate the clinical efficacy of the Cox regression model., Results: The overall prevalence of FI was 22.3% (n = 134 of 600). In the logistic regression model, age at diagnosis (odds ratio [OR], 1.032; P = .033), penetrating behavior of disease (OR, 3.529; P = .008) and Perianal Disease Activity Index score >4 (OR, 3.068; P < .001) were independent risk factors for FI. In the Cox regression model, age at diagnosis (hazard ratio [HR], 1.027; P = .018), Montreal P classification (HR, 2.608; P = .011), and Perianal Disease Activity Index score >4 (HR, 2.190; P = .001) were independent predictors of the prevalence of FI over time. Two nomograms were developed to facilitate risk score calculation, and they showed good discrimination ability according to AUCs., Conclusions: In this study, we identified 4 risk factors related to the prevalence of FI and developed 2 models to effectively predict the risk scores of FI in CD patients, helping to delay the course of FI and improve the prognosis with timely intervention., (© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation. All rights reserved. For commercial re-use, please contact reprints@oup.com for reprints and translation rights for reprints. All other permissions can be obtained through our RightsLink service via the Permissions link on the article page on our site—for further information please contact journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Background: Acrodermatitis continua of Hallopeau (ACH) is a rare pustular psoriasis variant predominantly affects the distal phalanges of the fingers and toes. However, data on aggravating factors and treatment outcomes is limited., Objective: This study aims to analyze the aggravating factors and treatment outcomes of ACH in a three-tertiary-hospital in South China., Methods: We analyzed ACH patients from Dermatology Hospital of Southern Medical University, considering patient and disease characteristics along with treatment experiences., Results: We identified 96 ACH patients. Various predisposing events were identified, including lifestyle factors, vaccination, stress, trauma, menstruation and drug exposure. A total of 293 systemic treatment courses were analyzed. 54.3% of patients received at least one biologic therapy, while 45.7% were treated with nonbiologic treatments. Acitretin was the most common therapy (20.5%). However, the effectiveness of systemic treatments was low (excellent response rate: 26.3%). Among non-biologic treatments, Acitretin showed a significant response in 30.0% (18/60) of cases, followed by cyclosporin (20.0%, 2/10). Among biologics, spesolimab had the best response rate at 75.0% ( n  = 3), followed by ixekizumab (44.4%, 8/18). Small molecule drugs did not yeild satisfactory outcomes in ACH treatment., Conclusion: Identifying triggers and aggravating factors is crucial for effective ACH treatment. We suggest that biologics may be a useful first-line treatment option for clinicians managing ACH.

Salmonella exhibits extensive genetic diversity, facilitated by horizontal gene transfer occurring within and between species, playing a pivotal role in this diversification. Nevertheless, most studies focus on clinical and farm animal isolates, and research on the pangenome dynamics of Salmonella isolates from retail stage of the animal food supply chain is limited. Here, we investigated the genomes of 950 Salmonella isolates recovered from retail chicken and pork meats in seven provinces and one municipality of China in 2018. We observed a strong correlation between Salmonella sublineage diversity and the accessory genome with meat type, revealing reduced diversity associated with increased resistance. Importantly, genes associated with antibiotic, biocide, and heavy metal resistance were unevenly distributed in Salmonella from retail chicken and pork. Pork Salmonella isolates showed a higher prevalence of copper and silver resistance genes, while chicken Salmonella isolates displayed a significant predominance of genetic determinants associated with cephalosporin and ciprofloxacin resistance. Moreover, co-occurrence patterns of resistance determinants and their interaction with mobile genetic elements also correlated with meat type. In summary, our findings shed light on how Salmonella achieves their ecological niche success driven by evolution and gene changes in the retail stage of the animal food supply chain., 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 © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Reservoir carbon cycling is a critical component of the global carbon cycle, particularly in subtropical canyon-shaped reservoirs where unique geomorphological features and hydrological regulation under monsoon climate provide a distinct perspective for carbon cycle research. This study takes the Zipingpu Reservoir (ZPPR) in southwestern China as an example and reveals significant seasonal variations in partial pressure of carbon dioxide (pCO 2 ) and carbon dioxide flux at the water-air interface (FCO 2 ) through annual monitoring. The average pCO 2 in ZPPR is 486 μatm, and the average FCO 2 is 0.093 g C m -2 d -1 , with approximately 42.4 % of FCO 2 measurements being negative, indicating the reservoir's role can act as a carbon sink. The study also estimated the gas transfer coefficient (K), with an average value of 1.888 md -1 . Peak FCO 2 during spring and summer is three times higher than in other seasons, consistent with the main influencing factors of inflow dynamics, metabolic processes, and reservoir operation strategies. Inflow and operational activities, particularly during spring and summer, drive CO 2 emissions in the downstream reach and upstream tributary, while biological activity facilitates CO 2 uptake in the lacustrine area and forebay tributary, with enhanced absorption occurring in the autumn. Concurrently, high-intensity FCO 2 emissions from the upstream river section during summer underscore the importance of carbon emission monitoring and management during critical periods. The findings not only enhance the understanding of FCO 2 assessment accuracy but also provide a framework for evaluating and optimizing carbon dynamics management strategies in canyon-shaped reservoirs, contributing valuable insights to global carbon cycle research., 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 © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: Lupus erythematosus (LE) is a spectrum of autoimmune diseases. Due to the complexity of cutaneous LE (CLE), clinical skin image-based artificial intelligence is still experiencing difficulties in distinguishing subtypes of LE., Objectives: We aim to develop a multimodal deep learning system (MMDLS) for human-AI collaboration in diagnosis of LE subtypes., Methods: This is a multi-centre study based on 25 institutions across China to assist in diagnosis of LE subtypes, other eight similar skin diseases and healthy subjects. In total, 446 cases with 800 clinical skin images, 3786 multicolor-immunohistochemistry (multi-IHC) images and clinical data were collected, and EfficientNet-B3 and ResNet-18 were utilized in this study., Results: In the multi-classification task, the overall performance of MMDLS on 13 skin conditions is much higher than single or dual modals (Sen = 0.8288, Spe = 0.9852, Pre = 0.8518, AUC = 0.9844). Further, the MMDLS-based diagnostic-support help improves the accuracy of dermatologists from 66.88% ± 6.94% to 81.25% ± 4.23% (p = 0.0004)., Conclusions: These results highlight the benefit of human-MMDLS collaborated framework in telemedicine by assisting dermatologists and rheumatologists in the differential diagnosis of LE subtypes and similar skin diseases., (© 2024 European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology.)

Background: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of mortality in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients. Shrunken pore syndrome (SPS) is defined as eGFR cystatin C /eGFR creatinine ratio <0.70 and predicts high CVD mortality. The Framingham Risk Score (FRS) is used to estimate an individual's 10-year CVD risk. This study investigated the association between FRS and eGFR cystatin C /eGFR creatinine ratio in T2DM patients., Methods: Patients aged 18-80 years who were newly diagnosed with T2DM were included in this retrospective study. Ordinal logistic regression analysis was used to investigate the association between risk factors of T2DM and FRS. A Generalized Linear Model was used to calculate odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI)., Results: There were 270 patients included in the study. Only 27 patients (10%) met the diagnostic criteria of SPS. Ordinal logistic regression analysis showed that SPS was not correlated with FRS risk (OR = 1.99, 95%CI = 0.94-4.23, p  = 0.07), whereas eGFR cystatin C /eGFR creatinine (OR = 0.86, 95%CI = 0.77-0.97, p  = 0.01) showed a significant negative association with FRS risk. Compared with eGFR cystatin C /eGFR creatinine >0.85, eGFR cystatin C /eGFR creatinine ≤0.85 increased FRS risk (OR = 1.95, 95%CI = 1.18-3.21, p  < 0.01). After adjustment for confounding factors, increased eGFR cystatin C /eGFR creatinine ratio was associated with decreased FRS risk when considered as a continuous variable (OR = 0.87, 95%CI = 0.77-0.99, p  = 0.03). The FRS risk in patients with eGFR cystatin C /eGFR creatinine ≤0.85 is 1.86 times higher than that in patients with eGFR cystatin C /eGFR creatinine >0.85 (OR = 1.86, 95%CI = 1.08-3.21, p  = 0.03)., Conclusions: In the current study, no significant association between SPS and FRS was identified. However, lower eGFR cystatin C /eGFR creatinine and eGFR cystatin C /eGFR creatinine ≤0.85 were associated with a significantly increased CVD risk in T2DM.

With the atypical rise of Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection (MPI) in 2023, prompt studies are needed to determine the current epidemic features and risk factors with emerging trends of MPI to furnish a framework for subsequent investigations. This multicentre, retrospective study was designed to analyse the epidemic patterns of MPI before and after the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as genotypes and the macrolide-resistance-associated mutations in MP sampled from paediatric patients in Southern China. Clinical data was collected from 1,33,674 patients admitted into investigational hospitals from 1 June 2017 to 30 November 2023. Metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) data were retrieved based on MP sequence positive samples from 299 paediatric patients for macrolide-resistance-associated mutations analysis. Pearson's chi-squared test was used to compare categorical variables between different time frames. The monthly average cases of paediatric common respiratory infection diseases increased without enhanced public health measures after the pandemic, especially for influenza, respiratory syncytial virus infection, and MPI. The contribution of MPI to pneumoniae was similar to that in the outbreak in 2019. Compared to mNGS data between 2019-2022 and 2023, the severity of MP did not grow stronger despite higher rates of macrolide-resistance hypervariable sites, including loci 2063 and 2064, were detected in childhood MP samples of 2023. Our findings indicated that ongoing surveillance is necessary to understand the impact of post pandemic on MP transmission disruption during epidemic season and the severity of clinical outcomes in different scenarios.

The Pacific oyster (Crassostrea gigas) is a global aquaculture species of economic significance. Selective breeding programs have been conducted to produce multiple strains with fast growth as well as other desirable traits. However, due to the phenotypic plasticity of oysters, challenges existed for precise germplasm identification among selectively bred strains. In this work, we identified selection signatures of three fast-growing Pacific oyster strains originated from wild populations collected from China, Japan, and Korea, respectively, which were used for development of SNP-based molecular fingerprinting for precise identification of germplasm. We performed whole-genome resequencing of 59 oysters from three selectively bred strains and a wild population for genome-wide SNP analyses. Population structure analysis with these SNPs revealed significant genetic differentiation among the selectively bred strains. Based on the F ST index, we identified 41, 49, and 36 strain-specific SNPs from the three selectively bred strains. Taking into account the "hitch-hiking effect" that occurs in the genome during positive selection, we identified two, three, and two molecular fingerprints for the three strains, respectively. We validated the molecular fingerprints of the China selectively bred strain (i.e., "Haida No. 1" variety) with a separate population of 42 oysters with diverse genetic background, demonstrating the accuracy of germplasm identification of over 96%. This work provides a reliable tool for precise germplasm identification of the "Haida No. 1" variety as well as other two selectively bred strains, which is valuable in germplasm conservation and breeding design in the C. gigas., Competing Interests: Declarations. Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing interests., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

Objective: To investigate the effect of single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) of FCN gene on the susceptibility of pre-eclampsia (PE) in Han nationality pregnant women. Methods: A total of 274 PE pregnant women (PE group) and 154 healthy pregnant women (control group) admitted to Boai Hospital of Zhongshan, Affiliated Hospital to Southern Medical University from October 2020 to October 2022 were collected. The general information, medical history, reproductive history, blood pressure, body mass index and blood biochemical indicators before delivery were compared between the two groups. Twenty-three SNP loci of FCN gene family were genotyped by time-of-flight mass spectrometry, and the serum levels of ficolins (ficolin-1, -2 and -3) were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Results: (1) Compared with the control group, the body mass index, mean arterial pressure, gestational age at delivery, blood urea nitrogen, alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, direct bilirubin, albumin, and C-reactive protein in the PE group were significantly higher than those in the control group (all P <0.05). The levels of N-terminal pro-B type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP), placental growth factor (PlGF) and human soluble vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-1 (sFlt-1) were significantly different between the two groups (all P <0.05). (2) Among the 23 SNP loci in FCN gene family, 18 loci were in Hardy-Weinberg genetic equilibrium, including 5 loci in FCN1 gene, 10 loci in FCN2 gene, and 3 loci in FCN3 gene. Five loci that did not conform to Hardy-Weinberg genetic equilibrium were not included in the subsequent analysis. Compared with the control group, the genotype distribution of 3 loci of FCN2 gene (rs7872508, rs11103563, rs73664188) and 1 locus of FCN3 gene (rs3813800) in the PE group were significantly different (all P <0.05). After Bonferroni correction, only the genotype distribution of rs7872508 and rs73664188 in FCN2 gene were statistically different between the PE group and the control group (all P <0.05). Further analysis showed that for the rs7872508 locus of FCN2 gene, compared with GG genotype, genotype GT ( OR =3.025, 95% CI : 1.080-8.471) and TT ( OR =4.777, 95% CI : 1.758-12.979) both significantly increased the risk of PE (both P <0.05). For rs73664188 locus of FCN2 gene, compared with TT genotype, genotype TC ( OR =0.510, 95% CI : 0.334-0.778) significantly reduced the risk of PE ( P <0.05). (3) Compared with the control group, the serum levels of ficolin-1 and ficolin-2 in pregnant women in the PE group were significantly reduced (both P <0.05), while the level of ficolin-3 showed no significant change ( P =0.271). Correlation analysis showed that the serum levels of ficolin-2 in pregnant women in the PE group were significantly positively correlated with PlGF level ( r =0.321, P <0.001), and significantly negatively correlated with sFlt-1 level ( r =-0.187, P =0.002) and NT-proBNP level ( r =-0.392, P <0.001). Further analysis revealed that the serum levels of ficolin-2 in pregnant women of the PE group with GT and TT genotypes at rs7872508 locus of FCN2 gene were significantly reduced (both P <0.05), while the serum level of ficolin-2 in pregnant women of the PE group with TC genotype at the rs73664188 locus were significantly increased ( P <0.05). Conclusion: The SNP of FCN2 gene in FCN gene family might be related to the susceptibility to PE and have an effect on serum ficolin-2 level in PE pregnant women.

Background . Fatty acids are essential components in breast milk with mutable characteristics. The fatty acid profiles of breast milk varied with lactating women's intake of long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LCPUFAs) including DHA, EPA, and ALA. Objective . This study aimed to investigate the correlation between dietary n-3 PUFA supplementation and the hourly variation of the fatty acid compositions in breast milk. Materials and methods . The fatty acid profiles were analyzed in 600 human milk samples from 8 hospitals in 8 different Chinese areas. Blood and breast milk samples were obtained from a group of seventy-five lactating mothers, all within 6 to 9 months postpartum. Each mother collected 8 dried milk samples (DMSs) within 2 days: half an hour before breakfast; 2 and 3 hours after breakfast every day; and 2 and 3 hours after lunch on day 1. One fingertip blood sample was collected 10 minutes before the breakfast on the first day. The mothers took supplements containing about 3 grams of n-3 PUFAs at 10 minutes before the breakfast on day 2. Results . (1) In breast milk, oleic acid (C18:1n9c, OA) was the most abundant fatty acid (35.55%) followed by C18:2n6c (linoleic acid, LA, 24.45%); (2) the breast milk DHA of the inland participants (0.26%) was lower than that from coastal participants (0.57%), but compensated with much higher ALA (inland 3.19% vs. coastal 2.21%), and thus provided higher total milk n-3 PUFAs (inland 3.88% vs. coastal 3.28%); (3) the breast milk EPA and DHA increased from the baseline (EPA 0.17% and DHA 0.44%) after supplementation in 2 hours (EPA 0.18% and DHA 0.44%) and 3 hours (EPA 0.19% and DHA 0.46%). Conclusions . Dietary supplementation of n-3 PUFAs had an immediate impact on the breast milk fatty acid composition. The concentration of ALA, LA and OA was strengthened in breast milk compared to that in maternal blood.

To effectively prevent and control pollution from heavy metals (HMs) in urban soils, it is essential to thoroughly understand the contamination status of contaminated sites. In this study, the contamination status and sources of six HMs (As, Cu, Cr, Ni, Pb, Cd) in the soil of a decommissioned chemical plant in southern China were comprehensively analyzed. The results indicated that the average concentration of HMs followed the sequence: Cr > Pb > Cu > Ni > As > Cd. Heavy metal accumulation in the upper soil layer was predominantly observed in industrial zones and low-lying areas, with notable variations in concentration along the vertical profile. Certain sections of the site exhibited severe HM contamination, particularly with Cu levels exceeding the background value by 46.77 times. Cd presented significant ecological risks in specific areas, with an average Ecological Index of 96.09. Carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic risks were identified at three and six sampling points, respectively, with sampling point S103 demonstrating both types of risks. The causes of HM contamination were primarily attributed to anthropogenic activities. Horizontal dispersion was mainly influenced by production operations and topographical features, while vertical distribution was predominantly affected by the permeability characteristics of the strata. The causality analysis incorporating production activities and topographical factors provides novel perspectives for understanding sources of contamination at contaminated sites. The study outcomes can offer guidance for the assessment and surveying of urban industrial pollution sites., Competing Interests: Declarations. Conflict of interest: The authors declare no competing interests. Ethical approval: The manuscript was reviewed and ethically approved for publication by all authors. Consent to participate: The manuscript was reviewed and consented to participate by all authors. Consent for publication: The manuscript was reviewed and consented to be published by all authors., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature B.V.)

Oyster farming activities play a pivotal role in the biogeochemical cycles of coastal marine ecosystems, particularly in terms of sedimentary carbon cycling. To gain deep insights into the influence of expanding oyster culture on the sedimentary carbon cycle, surface sediments were collected from the Maowei Sea, which is the largest oyster farming bay in south China, based on six filed surveys between July 2010 and December 2022. The sediment samples were analyzed for total organic carbon (TOC), total nitrogen (TN), stable carbon and nitrogen isotopes (δ 13 C and δ 15 N) to evaluate the inter-annual variations in the source contribution to sedimentary organic matter (SOM). The results revealed that the average contents of sedimentary TOC and TN were 0.67 ± 0.41 % and 0.06 ± 0.03 %, respectively. Fluctuations in the C/N molar ratios ranged from 5.8 to 23.6, with an average of 12.6 ± 2.9, indicating a significant terrestrial input contribution to SOM in the study area. Furthermore, the integration of stable isotope analysis and Bayesian mixing model demonstrated a gradual increase in the mean proportion of shellfish biodeposition to SOM, from 12.0 ± 5.6 % in July 2010 to 21.1 ± 7.3 % in December 2022, consistent with the progressive expansion of oyster aquaculture along this coastal area, thereby emphasizing the substantial influence of oyster farming on SOM composition. With the anticipated expansion of oyster farming scale and production in the future, shellfish biodeposition is expected to assume a more important role in shaping SOM dynamics and sedimentary organic carbon cycling in coastal waters. Overall, this study provided an important perspective for better assessing the impact of expanding mariculture scale on coastal biogeochemical cycles, thereby making valuable contributions to future policy formulation concerning mariculture and ecological conservation., 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 © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: Rubia alata Wall (R. alata) and Rubia ovatifolia Z. Ying Zhang (R. ovatifolia) are unique medicinal plants native to China. Sequencing their chloroplast genomes is important for understanding species differentiation and establishing phylogenetic relationships., Methods and Results: The chloroplast genomes of R. alata and R. ovatifolia were sequenced using the Illumina HiSeq platform. The chloroplast genome of R. alata is 154,973 base pairs (bp) in length, containing a large single-copy region (LSC) of 84,801 bp, a small single-copy region (SSC) of 17,138 bp, and a pair of inverted repeats (IRs) of the same length. The length of the chloroplast genome, LSC, SSC, and IR regions of R. ovatifolia is 26,517 bp, 84,716 bp, 17,116 bp and 26,517 bp, respectively. Codon usag e analysis revealed that R. alata had the highest frequency of Aspartic acid (Asp) (1650 occurrences) in protein-coding sequences (CDS), while R. ovatifolia showed the highest frequency of Tyrosine (Try) (1479 occurrences). Comparative analysis of chloroplast genomes across seven species from the genus Rubia identified the most divergent coding regions, including rps16, psbI-trns-CGA, and petN, while plastid rRNAs were the most conserved. Phylogenetic analysis showed R. alata clustering with R. cordifolia (66.3% support), and R. ovatifolia clustering with Rubia podantha (100% support)., Conclusions: These findings enhance our understanding of the chloroplast genome structure in Rubia species and provide molecular information for the future development and utilization of R. alata and R. ovatifolia resources., Competing Interests: Declarations Competing interests The authors declare no competing interests. Ethical approval and consent to participate The authors confirm that all methods comply with local and national regulations. Consent for publication This manuscript has been posted as a preprint on Research Square with https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-3896731/v1, which is available from: https://www.Researchsquare.com/article/rs-3896731/v1., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature B.V.)

Humans experience many influenza infections over their lives, resulting in complex and varied immunological histories. Although experimental and quantitative analyses have improved our understanding of the immunological processes defining an individual's antibody repertoire, how these within-host processes are linked to population-level influenza epidemiology in humans remains unclear. Here, we used a multilevel mathematical model to jointly infer antibody dynamics and individual-level lifetime influenza A/H3N2 infection histories for 1,130 individuals in Guangzhou, China, using 67,683 haemagglutination inhibition (HI) assay measurements against 20 A/H3N2 strains from repeat serum samples collected between 2009 and 2015. These estimated infection histories allowed us to reconstruct historical seasonal influenza patterns in humans and to investigate how influenza incidence varies over time, space, and age in this population. We estimated median annual influenza infection rates to be approximately 19% from 1968 to 2015, but with substantial variation between years; 88% of individuals were estimated to have been infected at least once during the study period (2009 to 2015), and 20% were estimated to have 3 or more infections in that time. We inferred decreasing infection rates with increasing age, and found that annual attack rates were highly correlated across all locations, regardless of their distance, suggesting that age has a stronger impact than fine-scale spatial effects in determining an individual's antibody profile. Finally, we reconstructed each individual's expected antibody profile over their lifetime and inferred an age-stratified relationship between probability of infection and HI titre. Our analyses show how multi-strain serological panels provide rich information on long-term epidemiological trends, within-host processes, and immunity when analysed using appropriate inference methods, and adds to our understanding of the life course epidemiology of influenza A/H3N2., Competing Interests: DATC declares research funding from Merck, Sharp and Dohme and from Pfizer for research unrelated to this manuscript. All other authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2024 Hay et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

Objective: Smartphone addiction is on the rise globally. This study aimed to compare the rehabilitative effects of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) and exergames on smartphone addiction among college students. Additionally, we discussed the central mechanisms through changes in electroencephalography (EEG) to provide clinical insights., Methods: Thirty-six participants were randomly assigned to three groups: control group, tDCS group (bilateral dorsolateral prefrontal cortex stimulation), and exergame group. The intervention lasted for 4 weeks with twice-weekly sessions. Outcome measures included the Smartphone Addiction Scale - Chinese Version (SAS-C), Iowa Gambling Task (IGT) net scores, and event-related potential (ERP) data collected during the IGT, focusing on P300 and feedback-related negativity (FRN) amplitudes., Results: All groups showed significant reductions in SAS-C scores post-intervention. Behaviorally, post-intervention scores improved, indicating significant effects of different interventions on participants' strategy choices. P300 amplitudes increased significantly at outcome electrode sites for all groups, with the most notable increase in tDCS group FC2 and CP1. FRN amplitudes decreased significantly post-intervention in the control and tDCS groups, with significant differences between the two groups., Conclusion: All three interventions appeared to have alleviating effect on smartphone addiction. After 4 weeks, participants showed improved executive control and decision-making abilities. Specifically, significant effects were observed in the tDCS group, with increased P300 amplitudes in the frontal, parietal, and central regions, as well as FRN amplitudes in the central and frontal regions. This suggested that tDCS enhanced psychological resources and improved inhibition control capabilities., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Chen, Jia, Zhu, Liu, Cheng, Yang and Zhang.)

Importance: The optimal strategy of combining left atrial appendage occlusion (LAAO) with catheter ablation (CA) in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) during a single procedure remains unclear., Objective: To determine the effects of ablation-first vs occlusion-first strategies on long-term clinical outcomes among patients with atrial fibrillation undergoing a combined LAAO and CA procedure., Design, Setting, and Participants: The prospective, multicenter COMBINATION randomized clinical trial was conducted in 14 high-volume centers in China. Enrollment of patients with nonvalvular AF referred for the combined procedure began on July 24, 2020, and concluded on January 20, 2022., Interventions: Patients were randomly assigned to either the ablation-first group or the occlusion-first group. Outcomes of LAAO using an occlusion device and CA using a contact force-sensing catheter following different combination strategies during long-term follow-up were evaluated., Main Outcomes and Measures: The primary end point was a composite of thromboembolic events including stroke or transient ischemic attack, device-related thrombus (DRT), clinically relevant bleeding, and cardiovascular rehospitalization or death. Freedom from AF or atrial tachyarrhythmia (ATA) after a single procedure without antiarrhythmic drugs, at both 1 year and long-term follow-up, was also evaluated., Results: Of the 202 patients enrolled, 194 (96.0%) completed the trial (97 in the ablation-first group and 97 in the occlusion-first group). The mean (SD) age of the cohort was 67.3 (9.2) years, and 110 patients (56.7%) were male. All procedures achieved acute successful LAAO and restoration of sinus rhythm, with similar incidences of periprocedural complications. Compared with the ablation-first group, the occlusion-first group exhibited significantly higher event-free survival of the primary end point (83.5% vs 71.1%; hazard ratio [HR], 0.53 [95% CI, 0.29-0.95]; log-rank P = .04) during the median 2.5 (IQR, 2.3-2.8) years of follow-up. Subgroup analysis indicated that male patients and those with higher CHA2DS2-VASc scores (a composite of factors associated with stroke risk; higher scores indicate higher risk) were at lower risk of thromboembolic events. Rates of long-term freedom from AF (77.3% vs 63.5%; HR, 0.58 [95% CI, 0.34-0.97]; log-rank P = .04) and from ATA (70.1% vs 55.7%; HR, 0.62 [95% CI, 0.39-0.99]; log-rank P = .04) were higher in the occlusion-first group vs the ablation-first group. Additionally, a higher incidence of chronic peridevice leak (15 [15.5%] vs 5 [5.2%]; P = .03) and DRT (8 [8.2%] vs 1 [1.0%]; P = .04) was observed in the ablation-first group vs the occlusion-first group., Conclusions and Relevance: In this randomized clinical trial, the occlusion-first approach was superior due to its higher event-free survival of the primary end point and long-term freedom from ATA. These findings suggest that the occlusion-first approach should be recommended for combined procedures with plug-like device implantation., Trial Registration: Chinese Clinical Trial Registry Identifier: ChiCTR2000031486.

Background: The relationship between long-term outcomes and operator experience for left atrial appendage occlusion (LAAO) is still unknown., Objectives: This study sought to explore the association between operator LAAO experience and one-year clinical outcomes., Methods: The RECORD study (Registry to Evaluate Chinese Real-World Clinical Outcomes in Patients With AF Using the WATCHMAN Left Atrial Appendage Closure Technology; NCT03917563) was a multicenter, prospective registry that included patients with the WATCHMAN LAAO device (Boston Scientific) in China from April 1, 2019, to October 31, 2020. The current analyses included patients with solely LAAO from the registry; those who had concomitant LAAO and ablation/other procedures were excluded. The primary outcome was a composite endpoint of death, stroke, systemic embolism, and Bleeding Academic Research Consortium (BARC)-defined type 3 or 5 bleeding at 1 year., Results: A total of 1,547 LAAO patients and 111 operators were included. The mean CHA 2 DS 2 -VASc and HAS-BLED scores of patients were 4.0 ± 1.8 and 2.5 ± 1.1, respectively. The mean age of operators was 47.0 ± 7.2 years, 15 (13.5%) were female, and 52 (46.8%) were electrophysiologists. Utilizing maximally selected log-rank statistics, the thresholds to categorize an experienced operator were performing ≥32 LAAOs annually or ≥134 LAAOs in total. Performing ≥32 LAAOs annually is the better criterion than ≥134 LAAOs in total (absolute net reclassification index: 25.79%; P < 0.001). Compared with the ≥32 LAAO annually group, the <32 group was associated with a 1.8-fold (HR adjusted : 1.79; 95% CI: 1.16-2.78; P = 0.009) increase in the risk of the primary endpoint, and such risk in the <32 group can be reduced by ∼12% after performing each additional 5 cases (HR adjusted per 5 cases: 0.88; 95% CI: 0.78-0.99; P = 0.033)., Conclusions: Performing ≥32 LAAOs annually could be a threshold to categorize an experienced operator. Before reaching this threshold, the risk of death, stroke, systemic embolism, and BARC-defined type 3 or 5 bleeding decreased by 12% after every 5 cases performed., Competing Interests: Funding Support and Author Disclosures The RECORD was supported by the Boston Scientific Corporation (Marlborough, MA, USA). Dr Serruys has received personal consultancy fees from Sino Medical Sciences Technology, Philips/Volcano, and Xeltis, outside the submitted work. All other authors have reported that they have no relationships relevant to the contents of this paper to disclose., (Copyright © 2024 American College of Cardiology Foundation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Congenital anomalies of the kidneys and urinary tract (CAKUT) are the most common cause of prenatally diagnosed developmental malformation. This study aimed to assess the relationship between maternal diseases and CAKUT in offspring., Methods: This retrospective study enrolled all pregnant women registered from January 2020 to December 2022 at one medical center. Medical information on maternal noncommunicable diseases, including obesity, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, kidney disease, hyperthyroidism, hypothyroidism, psychiatric disease, epilepsy, cancer, and autoimmune disease was collected. Based on the records of ultrasound scanning during the third trimester, the diagnosis was classified as isolated urinary tract dilation (UTD) or kidney anomalies. Multivariate logistic regression was performed to establish models to predict antenatal CAKUT., Results: Among the 19,656 pregnant women, perinatal ultrasound detected suspicious CAKUT in 114 (5.8/1000) fetuses, comprising 89 cases with isolated UTD and 25 cases with kidney anomalies. The risk of antenatal CAKUT was increased in the fetuses of mothers who experienced gestational diabetes, thyroid dysfunction, neuropsychiatric disease, anemia, ovarian and uterine disorders. A prediction model for isolated UTD was developed utilizing four confounding factors, namely gestational diabetes, gestational hypertension, maternal thyroid dysfunction, and hepatic disease. Similarly, a separate prediction model for kidney anomalies was established based on four distinct confounding factors, namely maternal thyroid dysfunction, gestational diabetes, disorders of ovarian/uterine, and kidney disease., Conclusions: Isolated UTD and kidney anomalies were associated with different maternal diseases. The results may inform the clinical management of pregnancy and highlight potential differences in the genesis of various subtypes of CAKUT., Competing Interests: Declarations. Ethical approval: Due to the retrospective nature of the study, informed consent was waived. All the procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the Ethical Committee for scientific research approval of the Tai’an Hospital (TA-2019-027). Conflict of interest: No financial or non-financial benefits have been received or will be received from any party related directly or indirectly to the subject of this article. The authors have no conflict of interest relevant to this article to declare., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Hazelnuts are traditional woody oilseed plants. Corylus L. resources are rich in variety and widely distributed in China. However, the identification of germplasm varieties and the selection of superior varieties remain quite limited. This study aimed to analyze the genetic diversity of 331 Corylus L. germplasms using 16 simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers. Based on this, 11 pairs of core primers were selected, a fingerprint database of germplasm resources was constructed, and a primary core collection was screened. The results indicated that these tested Corylus L. germplasms exhibited a high level of genetic diversity, with an average number of alleles (Na) per locus of 14.5 and a polymorphic information content of 0.777. The phylogenetic relationships among various hazelnut cultivars were characterized by complexity, and they were delineated into four distinct groups facilitated by genetic distance analyses. An SSR fingerprint database for 331 Corylus L. germplasms was successfully constructed using the 11 obtained core SSR markers to increase the discrimination efficiency. Ultimately, 127 primary core accessions of Corylus L. were selected. The retention rate for the observed Na and MAF (the minor allele frequency) in the primary core germplasm constructed based on a sampling proportion of 38.36% was 100% and 94.7%, respectively. Shannon's information index (I) was highly consistent between the core and original germplasms, indicating that the core germplasm could fully represent the genetic diversity of the original germplasm. Additionally, the principal coordinate analysis of the selected primary core germplasm was essentially consistent with that of the entire original germplasm, further supporting the broad representativeness of the core germplasm. This study provided a basis for precisely identifying and efficiently utilizing Corylus L. accession., Competing Interests: NO authors have competing interests., (Copyright: © 2024 Yang et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

Severe psoriasis has a long course and poor outcome, and it has long been a problem for patients. Understanding the independent risk factors that contribute to patients with severe psoriasis is critical for the development of effective treatment strategies. This large, multicenter study recruited 2,109 plaque psoriasis patients from 12 hospitals across China (October 31, 2019 - May 31, 2022). The logistic regression model underwent internal validation and external validation using two independent cohorts over future time periods (June 1, 2022 - January 31, 2023). The discriminative power of our model was substantiated by a C-index of 0.863 (95% CI: 0.848-0.879) in internal validation, further affirmed through 1,000 bootstrap validation (C-index: 0.860, 95% CI: 0.836-0.885) and external validation cohorts, where the C-index reached up to 0.910 (95% CI: 0.868-0.953) and 0.951 (95% CI: 0.924-0.977) in 2 external validation cohorts. To enhance accessibility for clinicians, the model has been made available as a dynamic nomogram and QR code. Our study identified 10 risk factors (the "DELPHI" consensus dichotomy, the DLQI index, the extent of skin involvement as measured by body surface area, the age of the patient at the time of clinical visit, sex, body weight in kilograms, career, the presence of scalp involvement, facial involvement, and arthropathy) for the overall severity of psoriasis (PASI ≥ 10). "Nomogram-10" provides clinicians with a practical tool to develop personalized intervention strategies based on an individual's risk profile.Trial registration: Chinese Clinical Trial Registry: ChiCTR1900024852., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Background: Cadonilimab is a bispecific antibody targeting PD-1 and CTLA-4, which has shown substantial clinical benefits in advanced cervical cancer. In the COMPASSION-16 trial, we aimed to evaluate the addition of cadonilimab to first-line standard chemotherapy in persistent, recurrent, or metastatic cervical cancer., Methods: In this randomised, double-blind, multicentre, placebo-controlled phase 3 trial, women aged 18-75 years across 59 clinical sites in China with previously untreated persistent, recurrent, or metastatic cervical cancer were randomly assigned (1:1) to receive cadonilimab (10 mg/kg) or placebo plus platinum-based chemotherapy with or without bevacizumab every 3 weeks for six cycles, followed by maintenance therapy every 3 weeks for up to 2 years. Randomisation was performed centrally through an interactive web-response system. Stratification factors were the use of bevacizumab (yes or no) and previous concurrent chemoradiotherapy (yes or no). The dual primary outcomes were progression-free survival as assessed by blinded independent central review and overall survival in the full analysis set. This study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT04982237; the study has completed enrolment and is ongoing for treatment and follow-up., Findings: 445 eligible women were enrolled between Sept 11, 2021, and June 23, 2022. Median progression-free survival was 12·7 months (95% CI 11·6-16·1) in the cadonilimab group and 8·1 months (7·7-9·6) in the placebo group (hazard ratio 0·62 [95% CI 0·49-0·80], p<0·0001); median overall survival was not reached (27·0 months to not estimable) versus 22·8 months (17·6-29·0), respectively (hazard ratio 0·64 [0·48-0·86], p=0·0011). The most common grade 3 or higher adverse events were decreased neutrophil count, decreased white blood cell count, and anaemia., Interpretation: The addition of cadonilimab to first-line standard chemotherapy significantly improved progression-free survival and overall survival with a manageable safety profile in participants with persistent, recurrent, or metastatic cervical cancer. The data support the use of cadonilimab plus chemotherapy as an efficacious first-line therapy in persistent, recurrent, or metastatic cervical cancer., Funding: Akeso Biopharma., Competing Interests: Declaration of interests TL, DLu, MHu, ZMW, BL, and MX are employees of Akeso Biopharma. All other authors declare no competing interests., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved, including those for text and data mining, AI training, and similar technologies.)

Objective: This study aimed to explore the relationships between residential greenness and cardiometabolic risk factors among rural adults in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region (Xinjiang) and thus provide a theoretical basis and data support for improving the health of residents in this region., Methods: We recruited 9,723 adult rural residents from the 51st Regiment of the Third Division of the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps in September 2016. The normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) was used to estimate residential greenness. The generalized linear mixed model (GLMM) was used to examine the association between residential greenness and cardiometabolic risk factors., Results: Higher residential greenness was associated with lower cardiometabolic risk factor prevalence. After adjustments were made for age, sex, education, and marital status, for each interquartile range (IQR) increase of NDVI 500-m , the risk of hypertension was reduced by 10.3% ( OR = 0.897, 95% CI = 0.836-0.962), the risk of obesity by 20.5% ( OR = 0.795, 95% CI = 0.695-0.910), the risk of type 2 diabetes by 15.1% ( OR = 0.849, 95% CI = 0.740-0.974), and the risk of dyslipidemia by 10.5% ( OR = 0.895, 95% CI = 0.825-0.971). Risk factor aggregation was reduced by 20.4% ( OR = 0.796, 95% CI = 0.716-0.885) for the same. Stratified analysis showed that NDVI 500-m was associated more strongly with hypertension, dyslipidemia, and risk factor aggregation among male participants. The association of NDVI 500-m with type 2 diabetes was stronger among participants with a higher education level. PM 10 and physical activity mediated 1.9%-9.2% of the associations between NDVI 500-m and obesity, dyslipidemia, and risk factor aggregation., Conclusion: Higher residential greenness has a protective effect against cardiometabolic risk factors among rural residents in Xinjiang. Increasing the area of green space around residences is an effective measure to reduce the burden of cardiometabolic-related diseases among rural residents in Xinjiang., (Copyright © 2024 The Editorial Board of Biomedical and Environmental Sciences. Published by China CDC. All rights reserved.)

Background: Retrospective analysis to identify the risk factors for air embolism following computed tomography (CT)-guided percutaneous transthoracic needle biopsy (TNB)., Methods: A retrospective analysis of patients who underwent CT-TNB at The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University and Xuzhou Cancer Hospital from January 2017 to December 2021 was performed. A total of 21 factors relevant to air embolisms were collected. Risk factors associated with air embolisms were determined by the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO). The receiver-operator characteristic (ROC) was used to assess the ability of these factors to identify air embolisms., Results: Of these 32,748 patients, 28 experienced air embolisms (19 at The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University (incidence, 1.46%) and nine at Xuzhou Cancer Hospital (incidence, 0.69%); total incidence, 2.16%). Only seven patients exhibited symptoms (symptom rate, 25.00%). A total of 21 patients were asymptomatic at the time of swept-source CT. No deaths occurred. We found through univariate and multivariate analysis that eight out of these 21 factors are associated with the occurrence of air embolism. The area under the ROC curve was 0.721, indicating good predictive power ( P  < 0.05)., Conclusion: Cough during the procedure, hemoptysis during the procedure, the distance between the mass and the pulmonary vein, the presence of a cavity in the lesion, lesion location, number of samples, abnormalities in the patient's coagulation mechanism, and the puncture position may be the risk factors for air embolism in CT-TNB., Competing Interests: The authors declare there are no competing interests., (©2024 Wu et al.)

The remediation of groundwater subject to in situ leaching (ISL) for uranium mining has raised extensive concerns in uranium mill and milling. This study conducted bioremediation through biostimulation and bioaugmentation to the groundwater in an area in northern China that was contaminated due to uranium mining using the CO2 + O2 neutral ISL (NISL) technology. It identified the dominant controlling factors and mechanisms driving bioremediation. Findings indicate that microorganisms can reduce the uranium concentration in groundwater subject to NISL uranium mining to its normal level. After 120 days of bioaugmentation, the uranium concentration in the contaminated groundwater fell to 0.36 mg/L, achieving a remediation efficiency of 91.26 %. Compared with biostimulation, bioaugmentation shortened the remediation timeframe by 30 to 60 days while maintaining roughly the same remediation efficiency. For groundwater remediation using indigenous microbial inoculants, initial uranium concentration and low temperatures (below 15 °C) emerge as the dominant factors influencing the bioremediation performance and duration. In settings with high carbonate concentrations, bioremediation involved the coupling of multiple processes including bioreduction, biotransformation, biomineralization, and biosorption, with bioreduction assuming a predominant role. Post-bioremediation, the relative abundances of reducing microbes Desulfosporosinus and Sulfurospirillum in groundwater increased significantly by 10.56 % and 6.91 %, respectively, offering a sustainable, stable biological foundation for further bioremediation of groundwater., 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 © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)