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The initial release of near real-time (NRT) atmospheric and oceanic science products from Japanese Himawari-8/9 (H8/9) geostationary (GEO) satellites over the South China Sea (SCS) was unveiled in 2024. The primary objective behind crafting these NRT H8/9 satellite products is to facilitate weather and marine environment monitoring, enhance maritime security, and aid ocean navigation, among other purposes. As part of this investigation, a novel NRT data processing system was devised to generate a variety of regional H8/9 GEO satellite science products within a temporal resolution of 10 minutes and a gridded resolution of 0.05° × 0.05° from November 3, 2022 to the present. This algorithm system was built upon the preceding FengYun (FY) geostationary satellite algorithm testbed (FYGAT), which was the prototype of FY-4 GEO meteorological satellite science product operational processing system. These regional H8/9 GEO satellite science products encompass a range of crucial data such as cloud mask, fraction, height, phase, optical and microphysical properties, layered precipitable water, sea surface temperature, etc. We subjected these products to rigorous evaluations against high-quality analogous satellite products and reanalysis data spanning four months in 2023. The validations underscore a strong consistency between the H8/9 GEO satellite atmospheric and oceanic science products over the SCS and the referenced products. Nevertheless, slight discrepancies in these satellite science products were identified, primarily stemming from variations in sensor/dataset characteristics, retrieval algorithms, and geometric conditions. These outcomes demonstrate the suitability of the first edition of NRT atmospheric and oceanic science products of H8/9 satellites over the SCS in supporting the intended quantitative applications. This NRT GEO satellite data record is publicly accessible through the File Transfer Protocol (FTP) provided by the Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Zhuhai) in China. Free access to the dataset can be found at https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.25015853 (Liu, 2024). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although extensive research has examined the credit risk of real estate enterprises, the relationship between the political connection of real estate enterprises and these enterprises' credit risk has not been formally studied. Using the panel data of 123 real estate listed companies in the Chinese stock market from 2008 to 2021, this paper finds a significant positive correlation between the political connection of private real estate listed companies and their credit risk. This phenomenon is attributed to the excessive debt that benefits from political connections since it may raise the credit risk of any real estate firm. Interestingly, considering that 2013 is the first year of China's Internet finance era, we find that the popularity of Internet finance and other decentralized lending financing channels may enhance the impact of political connections on real estate credit risk. Our findings provide new micro evidence for the influencing factors and mechanism of credit risk of real estate enterprises during the recent "credit crisis" in the real estate market in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Tigers are top predators and umbrella protectors, vital to the stability of ecosystems. The South China tiger has been declared extinct in the wild and only exists in captivity. The Chinese government is actively promoting the reintroduction of the South China tiger into the wild. The future of the wild population of the Amur tiger in China is not optimistic, and the recovery of the population is an essential task for the conservation of the Amur tiger. The recovery of the population is not only a macroscopic problem but also a significant study of molecular ecology. We used high-throughput sequencing technology to study the differences in adaptive selection between Amur tigers and South China tigers. Significant genetic differences were found between the Amur tiger and the South China tiger based on a principal component analysis and phylogenetic tree. We identified functional genes and regulatory pathways related to reproduction, disease, predation, and metabolism and characterized functional genes related to survival in the wild, such as smell, vision, muscle, and predatory ability. The data also provide new evidence for the adaptation of Amur tigers to cold environments. PRKG1 is involved in temperature regulation in a cold climate. FOXO1 and TPM4 regulate body temperature to keep it constant. The research also provides a molecular basis for future tiger conservation. Panthera tigris is a top predator that maintains the integrity of forest ecosystems and is an integral part of biodiversity. No more than 400 Amur tigers (P. t. altaica) are left in the wild, whereas the South China tiger (P. t. amoyensis) is thought to be extinct in the wild, and molecular biology has been widely used in conservation and management. In this study, the genetic information of Amur tigers and South China tigers was studied by whole-genome sequencing (WGS). A total of 647 Gb of high-quality clean data was obtained. There were 6.3 million high-quality single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), among which most (66.3%) were located in intergenic regions, with an average of 31.72% located in coding sequences. There were 1.73 million insertion-deletions (InDels), among which there were 2438 InDels (0.10%) in the coding region, and 270 thousand copy number variations (CNVs). Significant genetic differences were found between the Amur tiger and the South China tiger based on a principal component analysis and phylogenetic tree. The linkage disequilibrium analysis showed that the linkage disequilibrium attenuation distance of the South China tiger and the Amur tiger was almost the same, whereas the r2 of the South China tiger was 0.6, and the r2 of the Amur tiger was 0.4. We identified functional genes and regulatory pathways related to reproduction, disease, predation, and metabolism and characterized functional genes related to survival in the wild, such as smell, vision, muscle, and predatory ability. The data also provide new evidence for the adaptation of Amur tigers to cold environments. PRKG1 is involved in temperature regulation in a cold climate. FOXO1 and TPM4 regulate body temperature to keep it constant. Our results can provide genetic support for precise interspecies conservation and management planning in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, enterprises and industries associated with intense pollution have been relocated in China, leaving behind abandoned polluted sites. Consequently, stabilization has attracted unprecedented attention and rapid development. However, too much focus has been placed on practicality and short-term effectiveness, whereas long-term effectiveness and sustainability concerns have been overlooked. The present study reports the findings of a national survey administered to stakeholders involved in soil stabilization projects over a decade to determine the pollution characteristics of industrial sites and current utilization status of stabilization technologies in China. One-hundred and fifty soil stabilization projects surveyed revealed that among 29% of chemical industry remained sites, 96.7% of the sites were heavily polluted with heavy metals and metalloids, mainly in the forms of lead, arsenic, and chromium. Our analyses of soil reuse methods revealed that landfilling was the primary strategy of soil disposal following stabilization and remediation. In addition, the reuse of treated soils is preferred to landfill waste treatment. Therefore, from the perspective of economy and reducing landfill loads, environmental management measures should be adopted based on the development objectives of different regions to avoid the failure of stabilization treatments and reapplication and over-repair problems, with the aim of establishing an evaluation method of "site-specific, analysis-specific" evaluation method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Deposition of potentially toxic elements (PTEs) in soils due to different types of mining activities has been an increasingly important concern worldwide. Quantitative differences of soil PTEs contamination and related health risk among typical mines remain unclear. Herein, data from 110 coal mines and 168 metal mines across China were analyzed based on 265 published literatures to evaluate pollution characteristics, spatial distribution, and probabilistic health risks of soil PTEs. The results showed that PTE levels in soil from both mine types significantly exceeded background values. The geoaccumulation index (I geo) revealed metal-mine soil pollution levels exceeded those of coal mines, with average I geo values for Cd, Hg, As, Pb, Cu, and Zn being 3.02–15.60 times higher. Spearman correlation and redundancy analysis identified natural and anthropogenic factors affecting soil PTE contamination in both mine types. Mining activities posed a significant carcinogenic risk, with metal-mine soils showing a total carcinogenic risk an order of magnitude higher than in coal-mine soils. This study provides policymakers a quantitative foundation for developing differentiated strategies for sustainable remediation and risk-based management of PTEs in typical mining soils. • Compared the statistics-based enrichment of soil HMs in coal and metal mines. • Ni, Cu, As, and Cr dominated in coal mines, and Cu, As, and Pb in metal mines. • Carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic risks at relatively high level in metal mines. • Identified the main factors of soil HMs contamination using RDA model. • Recommended the risk management strategies for soil HMs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The relationship between plants and their associated soil microbial communities plays a crucial role in maintaining ecosystem processes and function. However, identifying these complex relationships is challenging. In this study, we constructed an interdomain ecology network (IDEN) of plant–bacteria based on SparCC pairwise associations using synchronous aboveground plant surveys and belowground microbial 16S rRNA sequencing among four different natural forest types along the climate zones in China. The results found that a total of 48 plants were associated with soil bacteria among these four sites, and soil microbial group associations with specific plant species existed within the observed plant–bacteria coexistence network. Only 0.54% of operational taxonomy units (OTUs) was shared by the four sites, and the proportion of unique OTUs for each site ranged from 43.08 to 76.28%, which occupied a large proportion of soil bacterial community composition. The plant–bacteria network had a distinct modular structure (p < 0.001). The tree Acer tetramerum was identified as the network hubs in the warm temperate coniferous and broad-leaved mixed forests coexistence network and indicates that it may play a key role in stabilizing of the community structure of these forest ecosystems. Therefore, IDEN of plant–bacteria provides a novel perspective for exploring the relationships of interdomain species, and this study provides valuable insights into understanding coexistence between above-ground plants and below-ground microorganisms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers information on the impact of citywide Covid-19 testing on people's behavior in seeking for dental services in Wuhan, China. It mentions that routine dental practices have been suspended or seriously affected in Wuhan during the outbreak of Covid-19 pandemic. It discusses that how patient attendances have significantly increased after citywide Covid-19 testing in 2020.

During community assembly, plant functional traits are under selective pressure from processes operating at multiple spatial scales. However, in fragmented landscapes, there is little understanding of the relative importance of local‐, patch‐ and landscape‐scale processes in shaping trait distributions. Here, we investigate cross‐scale influences of landscape change on traits that dictate plant life history strategies in re‐assembling plant communities in a fragmented landscape in eastern China. Using forest dynamics plots (FDPs) on 29 land‐bridge islands in which all woody plants have been georeferenced and identified to species, we characterized and derived two composite measures of trait variation, representing variation across the leaf economics spectrum and plant size. We then tested for trait shifts in response to local‐, patch‐ and landscape‐scale factors, and their potential cross‐scale interactions. We found substantial community‐wide trait changes along local‐scale gradients (i.e. forest edge to interior): more acquisitive leaf economic traits and larger sized species occurred at edges, with a significant increase in trait means and trait range. Moreover, there were significant cross‐scale interaction effects of patch and landscape variables on local‐scale edge effects. Altered spatial arrangement of habitat in the surrounding landscape (i.e. declining habitat amount and increasing patch density), as well as decreasing area at the patch level, exacerbated edge effects on traits distributions. We suggest that synergistic interactions of landscape‐ and patch‐scale processes, such as dispersal limitation, on local‐scale environmental filtering at edges, together shape the spatial distributions of plant life history strategies in fragmented plant communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• We develop an optimization model that integrates spatial and temporal dimensions for strategic planning about whether and when to retrofit ships to use shore side electricity. • We used an improved multi-objective genetic algorithm (NSGA-II) to solve the optimization model. • We applied the proposed model to a case study of container ships calling at Dalian Port in China to support its effectiveness and applicability. Shore side electricity (SSE) is the use of electricity from the shore to power a ship's system when it is berthing at ports. It is a solution to reduce the emissions of auxiliary engines at berth and to improve the local and regional air quality. This paper develops a multi-objective model that integrates spatial and temporal dimensions for strategic planning regarding whether and when to retrofit ships to use SSE. The strategic planning problem is to maximize the environmental benefit and to minimize the payback period of the investment over the entire planning horizon. By adopting an improved multi-objective genetic algorithm (NSGA-II), a series of retrofit strategies for container ships calling at Dalian Port in China are obtained under a projected annual visiting frequency of ships with different ship sizes and shipping lines. Depending on a selected retrofit strategy, the sum of the payback periods of ships that are determined to be retrofitted is 46 years (on average less than four years) and the environmental benefit of using SSE can be up to 128 million USD for Dalian Port in the planning horizon from 2020 to 2035. The results show that using SSE is an efficient method to decline emissions within the maritime sector and validate that the proposed methodology can be useful to ship owners to decide upon investing in SSE applications and to promote the development of green shipping and green ports. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Managing the dysregulated host response to infection remains a major challenge in sepsis care. Chinese treatment guideline recommends adding XueBiJing, a five-herb medicine, to antibiotic-based sepsis care. Although adding XueBiJing further reduced 28-day mortality via modulating the host response, pharmacokinetic herb–drug interaction is a widely recognized issue that needs to be studied. Building on our earlier systematic chemical and human pharmacokinetic investigations of XueBiJing, we evaluated the degree of pharmacokinetic compatibility for XueBiJing/antibiotic combination based on mechanistic evidence of interaction risk. Considering both XueBiJing‒antibiotic and antibiotic‒XueBiJing interaction potential, we integrated informatics-based approach with experimental approach and developed a compound pair-based method for data processing. To reflect clinical reality, we selected for study XueBiJing compounds bioavailable for drug interactions and 45 antibiotics commonly used in sepsis care in China. Based on the data of interacting with drug metabolizing enzymes and transporters, no XueBiJing compound could pair, as perpetrator, with the antibiotics. Although some antibiotics could, due to their inhibition of uridine 5′-diphosphoglucuronosyltransferase 2B15, organic anion transporters 1/2 and/or organic anion-transporting polypeptide 1B3, pair with senkyunolide I, tanshinol and salvianolic acid B, the potential interactions (resulting in increased exposure) are likely desirable due to these XueBiJing compounds' low baseline exposure levels. Inhibition of aldehyde dehydrogenase by 7 antibiotics probably results in undesirable reduction of exposure to protocatechuic acid from XueBiJing. Collectively, XueBiJing/antibiotic combination exhibited a high degree of pharmacokinetic compatibility at clinically relevant doses. The methodology developed can be applied to investigate other drug combinations. Managing the dysregulated host response to infection remains a major challenge in sepsis care. Chinese treatment guideline recommends adding XueBiJing, an intravenous five-herb injection, to antibiotic-based sepsis care. XueBiJing/antibiotic combination exhibited a high degree of pharmacokinetic compatibility at clinically relevant doses; this supports their concurrent use in sepsis care. Image 1 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to investigate the resumption of endodontic practices in Hubei Province, China 1 month after the end of the lockdown. A Web-based survey was sent to 1069 active endodontic specialists and general dentists who provided endodontic care in Hubei Province from May 7 to May 9, 2020. The survey consisted of 18 questions on demographics, the current situation of endodontic practice for the participants, and concerns regarding contracting or spreading the virus in newly opened endodontic practices. A total of 322 participants completed the survey. Most respondents (62%) were from Wuhan. Almost 83% of the respondents have resumed their endodontic practice partially or fully. Most respondents in practice (99%) would take measures to screen patients before treatment including paid screening measures. More than 93% of the respondents reported having taken special measures for routine endodontic treatment at this stage, with the most common measure taken being wearing an N95 mask. The rubber dam was recognized as efficient in preventing infection by most respondents. Many respondents were concerned about contracting coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) as a result of routine endodontic practice at this stage, and respondents with more than 11 years of endodontic experience were significantly less concerned about infection compared with those with fewer than 5 years of experience (P <.05). There is a fear of contracting/spreading COVID-19 among endodontic clinicians, the fear is negatively associated with years of practice, and most clinicians believe that rubber dam isolation can protect them and their patients from COVID-19. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bu, N.; Kong, H.; Barry, N.; Sun, N.; Yin, Z., and Yu, J., 2020. A numerical study on the competitiveness of China's cruise tourism under economic differences. In: Yang, Y.; Mi, C.; Zhao, L., and Lam, S. (eds.), Global Topics and New Trends in Coastal Research: Port, Coastal and Ocean Engineering. Journal of Coastal Research, Special Issue No. 103, pp. 1116–1119. Coconut Creek (Florida), ISSN 0749-0208. At present, many coastal cities in China have successively completed the basic construction of cruise ports, and based on the city's development and competitive advantage, they have created their own Cruise Port characteristic services. In order to compare the comprehensive competitiveness of these cruise ports, evaluation model is constructed using factor analysis method. Firstly, the construction principle of the evaluation index system is explained. Secondly, the principal component analysis method is employed to quantify the influencing factors and calculate the importance degree, and then the principal component factors are extracted. Finally, the evaluation of the competitiveness of six typical coastal cruise ports are carried out. The results show that the competitiveness Value and ranking of six coastal port cities in China are obtained, and the main influencing factors are revealed and corresponding solutions are put forward. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, Morchella importuna , M. sextelata , M. eximia , M. exuberans , Mel- 13, and Mel- 21 have been successfully cultivated in China and planting areas rapidly expanded because of their economic importance. Effective molecular markers are urgently needed for accurately identifying morel cultivars. Microsatellites are widely utilized for strain authentication in many fungal groups. To our knowledge, for the first time we characterized the distribution of microsatellites (simple sequence repeats, SSRs) in the M. importuna genome with 12902 SSRs and reported the first set of SSRs developed for Morchella species. Mono-nucleotides (66.2 %) were the most frequent motifs, followed by tri- (15.4 %), di- (12.1 %), tetra- (3.7 %), penta- (1.3 %) and hexa-nucleotides (1.3 %). We tested the cross-species amplification of 180 SSRs on 24 samples from the six species and high cross-species transferability of SSRs (87.7 %) was found. Among twenty-two microsatellites selected for genetic diversity analysis on 127 samples from the six species, fifteen to twenty polymorphic loci were identified in M. importuna , M. sextelata , M. eximia , M. exuberans , Mel- 13 and Mel- 21. Interspecific hybridization events were detected among morel species, indicating the potential application of morel crossbreeding. Ninety-one cultivated samples were characterized as new cultivars with different genotypes, but cultivar names used for these by farmers was confusing, with misnaming, synonyms and homonyms. Our results are not only helpful for cultivar identification and morel breeding programs in China, but also provide molecular tools for genetic studies in morels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] An ecological footprint contribution index (EFCI) was developed to assess the ecological pressures. [•] A coupled ecological security assessment model was developed to evaluate the ecological security level. [•] The typical steppe in China is analyzed using the coupled model and the obtained results are discussed. [•] The model and indices developed in the study will be applicable in assessing the effects on ecological security in the similar areas. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Introduction: The mental health of unverisity students is influenced by diverse factorsis multifaceted, requiring further investigation to evaluate its current status and determinants. The present study aims to address this gap by targeting Chinese university students and employing the Psychological Resilience Dynamic System model. Through a questionnaire survey, this research endeavors to explore the mental health status and influencing factors. Ultimately, the findings of this study aim to provide a theoretical basis and tailored practical guidance for the development of mental health intervention strategies for university students., Methods: Based on the Psychological Resilience Dynamic System Model, the mental health status of 3,390 Chinese university students from 15 universities was empirically investigated with the principle of stratified sampling and the geographical distribution and disciplinary diversity of universities. The questionnaires used included Kessler psychological distress scale, psychological resilience scale,positive psychological capital scale, family hardiness index and social support scale. Among the participants, 47.85% were male and 52.15% were female. Regarding the origin, 42.89% of the students were from rural areas, while 57.11% were from urban areas., Results: Key findings unveil: (1) A prevalence of 24.54% in students has suboptimal mental health, with 18.70 and 5.84%, respectively, representing those with poor and relatively poor mental health conditions; (2) A noteworthy negative correlation ( p  < 0.01) between mental health scores of university students and nine pivotal factors, including psychological resilience, self-efficacy, optimism, hope, resilience, family resilience, objective support, subjective support, and support utilization; (3) Eight factors, including grade, family economic status, psychological resilience, self-efficacy, optimism, family resilience, objective support, and support utilization, emerge as significant predictors of university students' mental health ( p  <0.001), collectively elucidating 57.9% of the total variance in mental health., Discussion: The aforementioned research results, indicate that the influencing factors on the mental health of university students encompass four main aspects. These include individual demographic factors such as grade and family economic status, positive psychological capital factors such as psychological resilience, self-efficacy, optimism, hope, and resilience, family resilience factors including responsibility, control, and challenge, and societal support factors including objective support, subjective support, and support utilization. Based on this, this paper focuses on four recommendations: giving full play to the leading role of universities in mental health education and stress intervention, strengthening the educational power of positive family ideals and role modeling, building a support system for positive social atmosphere and psychological counseling, and improving the self-shaping ability of university students' psychological resilience and positive psychological capital. These recommendations aspire to better promote the mental health of university students and provide a strength reserve for psychological problem intervention., 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 Fan, Huang, Yang, Cheng and Yu.)

Background: Early childhood caries (ECC) causes severe, widespread oral health issues in children. Dental undergraduates and residents are expected to have a solid understanding of ECC for children's oral health promotion. This study aimed to evaluate the knowledge, attitude, and clinical practice on ECC among dental undergraduates and residents in China., Methods: A 23-item electronic questionnaire was distributed to 598 dental undergraduates (4th- and 5th-year undergraduates) and residents (1st-, 2nd-, and 3rd-year residents) at the School of Stomatology, Wuhan University, China (in April-May 2023). SPSS Statistics was used to analyze the data using the Chi-square test at a significance level of 0.05., Results: A total of 422 questionnaires were completed by participants (recovery rate: 70.6%) from various academic levels. Around 77.3% of participants had heard of ECC (mainly from textbooks), and only 27.5% considered themselves familiar with it. Residents (79.8%) had higher risk awareness of ECC on children's overall health than undergraduates (58.3%) (p < 0.05), but only 54.0% of participants correctly defined ECC. Most participants had a positive understanding of ECC's pathogenic factors and preventive measures, including feeding patterns (71.6%), fluoride application (93.4%), and teeth cleaning (93.1%). Furthermore, only 50.2% of participants encountered ECC cases in clinic., Conclusions: Despite having a suboptimal level of ECC-related knowledge and practice, dental undergraduates and residents in China demonstrated a more positive attitude towards its etiology-based prevention. Strengthening ECC education, guidance, and practice may enable them to gain a better understanding of ECC learning, which would benefit children's oral health., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Introduction: Since September 2020, Chinese populations aged > 3 years have been encouraged to receive a two-dose inoculation with vaccines against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). This study aims to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of the current vaccination strategy amongst the general population in mainland China from a societal perspective., Methods: In this study, we construct a decision tree with Markov models to compare the economic and health consequences of the current vaccination strategy versus a no-vaccination scenario, over a time horizon of one year and an annual discount rate of 5%. Transition probabilities, health utilities, healthcare costs, and productivity losses are estimated from literature. Outcome measures include infection rates, death rates, quality-adjusted life years (QALYs), and costs. The incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) is then calculated to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of the current vaccination strategy, and both one-way deterministic sensitivity analysis and probabilistic sensitivity analysis (PSA) are applied to assess the impact of uncertainties on results., Results: Our simulation indicates that compared with a no-vaccination scenario, vaccination amongst the general population in mainland China would reduce the infection rate from 100% to 45.3% and decrease the death rate from 6.8% to 3.1%. Consequently, the strategy will lead to a saving of 37,664.77 CNY (US$5,256.70) and a gain of 0.50 QALYs per person per year on average (lifetime QALY and productivity loss due to immature death are included). The cost-saving for each QALY gain is 74,895.69 CNY (US$10,452.85). Result of the PSA indicates that vaccination is the dominating strategy with a probability of 97.9%, and the strategy is cost-effective with a probability of 98.5% when the willingness-to-pay (WTP) is 72,000 CNY (US$10,048.71) per QALY., Conclusion: Compared with a no-vaccination scenario, vaccination among the general population in mainland China is the dominating strategy from a societal perspective. The conclusion is considered robust in the sensitivity analyses., 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 © 2023 Zhou, Ding, Han, Zhang, Liu, Jia, Yu and Zhang.)

There is often significant spatial heterogeneity in the factors influencing physical fitness in adolescents, yet less attention has been paid to this in established studies. Based on the 2018 Chinese National Student Physical Fitness Standard Test data, this study uses a multi-scale, geographically weighted regression (MGWR) model combined with a K-means clustering algorithm to construct a spatial regression model of the factors influencing adolescent physical fitness, and to investigate the degree of spatial variation in the physical fitness of Chinese adolescents from a socio-ecological perspective of health promotion. The following conclusions were drawn: the performance of the youth physical fitness regression model was significantly improved after taking spatial scale and heterogeneity into account. At the provincial scale, the non-farm output, average altitude, and precipitation of each region were strongly related to youth physical fitness, and each influencing factor generally showed a banded spatial heterogeneity pattern, which can be summarized into four types: N-S, E-W, NE-SW, and SE-NW. From the perspective of youth physical fitness, China can be divided into three regions of influence: the socio-economic-influenced region, mainly including the eastern region and some of the central provinces of China; the natural-environment-influenced region, which mainly includes the northwestern part of China and some provinces in the highland region; and the multi-factor joint-influenced region, which mainly includes the provinces in the central and northeastern regions of China. Finally, this study provides syndemic suggestions for physical fitness and health promotion for youths in each region.

Benzo[ a ]pyrene (BaP) is a highly carcinogenic pollutant of global concern. There is a need for a comprehensive assessment of regulation decisions for BaP-contaminated site management. Herein, we present a quantitative evaluation of remediation decisions from 206 contaminated sites throughout China between 2011 and 2021 using the cumulative distribution function (CDF) and related statistical methodologies. Generally, remediation decisions seek to establish remediation goals (RGs) based on the risk control values (RCVs). Cumulative frequency distributions, followed non-normal S-curve, emerged multiple nonrandom clusters. These clusters are consistent with regulatory guidance values (RGVs), of national and local soil levels in China. Additionally, priority interventions for contaminated sites were determined by prioritizing RCVs and identifying differences across industrial sectors. Notably, we found that RCVs and RGs became more relaxed over time, effectively reducing conservation and unsustainable social and economic impacts. The joint probability curve was applied to model decision values, which afforded a generic empirically important RG of 0.57 mg/kg. Overall, these findings will help decision-makers and governments develop appropriate remediation strategies for BaP as a ubiquitous priority pollutant.

After thermal desorption, the total amount of heavy metals (HMs) is enriched in baghouse filter dust. To further understand the related environmental impact, the leaching characteristics under various conditions must be explored. Therefore, this study aimed to examine the leaching characteristics of seven HMs in the dust generated in the direct-fired thermal desorption process and to compare the differences in heavy metal leaching characteristics in the soil before and after thermal desorption. The leaching characteristics and bioaccessibility of seven HMs-arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr), copper (Cu), lead (Pb), nickel (Ni), and zinc (Zn)-were analyzed in dust and in soil before and after thermal desorption. The activity of HMs in dust was strong. Therefore, environmental effects and effects on human health should be considered in the treatment of soil and dust after thermal desorption.

Soil microorganisms play important roles in the ecosystem functioning of subtropical broad-leaved forests (SBFs). However, the patterns and environmental indicators of soil microbial functional structure remain unclear in SBFs. In the present work, we used a functional microarray (GeoChip 4.0) to examine the soil microbial functional structure of three types of SBFs, including a deciduous broad-leaved forest (DBF), a mixed evergreen-deciduous broad-leaved forest (MBF), and an evergreen broad-leaved forest (EBF). We found that microbial functional structure was significantly different among SBFs (P < 0.05). Compared to the DBF and the EBF, the MBF had higher functional α-diversity (P = 0.001, F = 12.55) but lower β-diversity (P < 0.001, F = 61.09), and showed more complex functional gene networks. Besides, the MBF had higher relative abundances of functional genes for carbon (C) decomposition, C fixation, nitrogen (N) cycling, sulfur (S) cycling, and phosphorus (P) cycling (P < 0.05), indicating stronger microbial functional capabilities of nutrient cycling processes. Edaphic variables (i.e., soil pH and soil nutrient content) were revealed as better indicators of soil microbial functional structure than plant-related ones (i.e., vegetation type and plant diversity) in SBFs. For example, functional gene structure of the DBF was significantly related to soil total S (P = 0.041), that of the MBF was significantly related to soil organic C (P = 0.027) and plant available P (P = 0.034), and that of the EBF was significantly related to soil pH (P = 0.006) and total potassium (K) (P = 0.038). Overall, through the analysis of microbial functional gene profiles, this study yields unique insights into the environmental indicators of patterns and mechanisms of soil microbial functional structure in SBFs., 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 © 2021. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Purpose: This study investigated the impact of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) from the perspectives of dental residents in Wuhan, the former COVID-19 epicenter of China., Methods: A survey form was sent to 424 residents in the School of Stomatology, Wuhan University (WHUSS) in September 2020. The form included 23 questions on demographics, study situation of residents during the COVID-19 outbreak, effect of COVID-19 on graduates, and status of residents who returned to clinic training., Results: A total of 361 (85%) survey forms were collected. Over 70% of respondents felt anxious during Wuhan lockdown. Most respondents continued studying (94%) mainly through free online resources (79%). The majority reported improvement in didactic knowledge (80%), but the respondents' perceptions of their clinical skills, especially those in Wuhan, did not change (41%) or worsened (40%) (p < 0.05). Most graduates (88%) reported having found jobs or continued study. Among the 209 responders who returned to clinical training, 52% felt no concern about COVID-19 infection, 89% thought they were equipped with adequate personal protective equipment (PPE), and 57% indicated that they received sufficient knowledge for preventing COVID-19 in clinic. Most respondents agreed that the way to gain the knowledge for preventing COVID-19 in clinic was training at dental school (93%)., Conclusion: Although online study has been appreciated by residents, concern about clinical skill learning in the COVID-19 hardest-hit area has arisen. Most graduates felt that the impact of COVID-19 on their immediate postgraduation career was limited. Teaching about infection control in dental schools seemed effective to develop a positive attitude for residents after they returned to clinical training., (© 2021 American Dental Education Association.)

Due to rapid urbanization, industrialization, agricultural development, and mining activities, soil heavy metal pollution has become a severe issue in China. To explore the regional heavy metal ecological risk of lake sediment and surrounding topsoil, we analyzed 237 lakes, with 1797 lake sediment sampling points and 1164 surrounding topsoil sampling points. Lower mean concentrations were detected for most heavy metals in soils than sediment (except for Hg). Cd and Hg in sediments and soils showed a more significant variation, with the coefficient of variation exceeding 110%. Linear regressions and Pearson's correlation analyses demonstrated that sediments and soils exhibited significant positive correlations. The principal heavy metals exceeding the Agricultural Soil Control Standard (ASCS) in sediments and soils were As and Cd, respectively. The Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau Lake Region (YGPLR) was the most seriously affected, exceeding the ASCS for Cd. The lakes with the most severe pollution were located in YGPLR impacted by the high background concentration of heavy metals in soil and mineral development activities. The Eastern Plain Lake Region, the Southeast Lake Region, and the Northeast Plain and Mountain Lake Region showed a clear anthropogenic impact. Lakes in the Inner Mongolia-Xinjiang Lake Region and the Tibetan Plateau Lake Region were estimated to have relatively low ecological risks due to their sparse population and slight environmental disturbance. The impact of geochemical factors on the ecological risk of heavy metals in lake sediments is more substantial than that of human activities at the regional scale.

Objective: To study the effect of early interventional rehabilitation training with delayed rehabilitation on the recovery of motor function in patients with cerebral haemorrhage., Methods: A total of 82 patients with cerebral haemorrhage admitted to the Hai'an People's Hospital, Jiangsu, China during the period January 2014 to January 2015 were selected for the study. They were randomized into interventional group and control group with 41 cases in each group. Patients in the early interventional group received early intervention measures 2-7days after the onset, while patients in the control group were given rehabilitation training within 3-4 weeks after the onset. The changes in motor function, neurological function and daily living ability of the two groups before and after rehabilitation training were evaluated., Results: After rehabilitation training, the Fual-Meger (FMA) score and Barthel index score of both upper and lower limbs of patients in the two groups were significantly higher than that before the training (P<0.01), while the Neurological deficit(ND) score was significantly lower than that before the training (P<0.05).However, after the training, the Fual-Meger (FMA) score and Barthel index score of the patients in the early intervention group were significantly higher than those in the control group (P<0.01), and the Neurological deficit (ND) score was significantly lower than those in the control group (P<0.01)., Conclusions: Early intervention training was more conducive to the improvement of motor function, neurological function, and daily living ability in patients with cerebral haemorrhage.

Background: Warfarin is an effective treatment for thromboembolic disease but has a narrow therapeutic index; optimal anticoagulation dosage can differ tremendously among individuals. We aimed to evaluate whether genotype-guided warfarin dosing is superior to routine clinical dosing for the outcomes of interest in Chinese patients., Methods: We conducted a multicenter, randomized, single-blind, parallel-controlled trial from September 2014 to April 2017 in 15 hospitals in China. Eligible patients were ≥18 years of age, with atrial fibrillation or deep vein thrombosis without previous treatment of warfarin or a bleeding disorder. Nine follow-up visits were performed during the 12-week study period. The primary outcome measure was the percentage of time in the therapeutic range of the international normalized ratio during the first 12 weeks after starting warfarin therapy., Results: A total of 660 participants were enrolled and randomly assigned to a genotype-guided dosing group or a control group under standard dosing. The genotype-guided dosing group had a significantly higher percentage of time in the therapeutic range than the control group (58.8% versus 53.2% [95% CI of group difference, 1.1-10.2]; P =0.01). The genotype-guided dosing group also achieved the target international normalized ratio sooner than the control group. In subgroup analyses, warfarin normal sensitivity group had an even higher percentage of time in the therapeutic range during the first 12 weeks compared with the control group (60.8% versus 48.9% [95% CI, 1.1-24.4]). The incidence of adverse events was low in both groups., Conclusions: The outcomes of genotype-guided warfarin dosing were superior to those of clinical standard dosing. These findings raise the prospect of precision warfarin treatment in China. Registration: URL: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov; Unique identifier: NCT02211326.

Introduction: In late 2019, an outbreak of a new coronavirus named severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 was detected in Wuhan, China. A great percentage of patients with this disease developed symptoms of dry cough, malaise, and a high fever. During this time, several patients requiring assessment and treatment of endodontic emergencies were directed to the School and Hospital of Stomatology at Wuhan University, Wuhan, China. We examined the characteristics of these patients., Methods: A total of 96 patients with a mean age of 42.24 ± 18.32 years visited the general and emergency department of the School and Hospital of Stomatology at Wuhan University because of endodontic emergencies during the peak period of February 22 to March 2, 2020. Patient information was collected and organized by date of visit, sex, age, and systemic disease history. Body temperature was measured and acquired for each patient, a coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) epidemiologic investigation questionnaire was given to each patient, an endodontic diagnosis was determined for the offending tooth, and a verbal numerical rating scale (VNRS) was used to record pain levels., Results: Of the total patient visits during this period, 50.26% of visits were for endodontic treatment. No patients had a fever (>37.2°C). One patient with a confirmed COVID-19 history was admitted after recovery. Three admitted patients had been exposed to confirmed or suspected COVID-19 patients. Twelve admitted patients (12.5%) with a mean age of 62.42 ± 13.77 years had a history of systemic diseases. The most common age group for endodontic emergencies was 45-64 years (30.21%), and patients of this group showed a significantly higher mean VNRS score compared with that of the 6- to 19-year age group and the 20- to 34-year age group (P < .05). The majority of endodontic emergency diagnoses were diseases of symptomatic irreversible pulpitis (53.10%). Patients who were diagnosed with symptomatic irreversible pulpitis, symptomatic apical periodontitis, and acute apical abscess showed a significantly higher mean VNRS score than that of other groups (P < .05)., Conclusions: Endodontic emergencies, with symptomatic irreversible pulpitis being the most common, consist of a much higher proportion of dental emergencies in a COVID-19 high-risk area than normally. Vital pulp therapy can advantageously reduce treatment time, resulting in a reduced risk of infection for vital pulp cases. Rubber dams, personal protective equipment, and patient screening are of great importance during the COVID-19 outbreak in protecting clinicians., (Copyright © 2020 American Association of Endodontists. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Lymphoid papillary hyperplasia is a rare abnormality of the tonsils with a predilection for affecting young Asian girls. Herein, we report a 31-year-old Chinese woman presented as right lateral recurrent tonsillar hypertrophy with odynophagia and dysphagia over the past 5 years, worsening over a period of for half a year. Clinically, this lesion was similar to papillomatosis or lymphoid polyposis. However, histopathologic study showed a distinctive form of lymphoid hyperplasia with considerable distinct finger-like projections composed of many phyllodes which contained remarkable follicular lymphoid hyperplasia. This is the only Chinese case of lymphoid papillary hyperplasia of the palatine tonsils that has been reported in the most recent English literature so far. The importance of recognizing this disorder rests in the fact that in spite of the clinical features suggestive of both a benign and a malignant tumor, however, the process is a benign tumor-like proliferation, probably non-neoplastic, could easily be cured by tonsillectomy.