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Herbaceous peony (Paeonia lactiflora Pall.) is a traditional flower, famous in China, which owns highly ornamental value due to its various colors, especially double-colored species. However, the researches on color formation of double colored are rare reported. In this study, the P. lactiflora variety 'Hebao Jinlian' with red-yellow double colored petals was used as materials. The anatomical structure and flavonoid components were observed and determined. It was found that colored cells were mainly distributed in the upper and lower epidermis, six kinds of flavonoid components were identified. The total amount of anthocyanins and anthoxanthins decreased gradually with the growth of flowers, and the content in the outer petals was higher than that in the inner petals. Furthermore, by transcriptome sequence, the differential expression genes (DEGs) of outer and inner petals were enriched in flavonoid biosynthesis, phenylpropane biosynthesis and so on at four developmental stages. The accuracy of transcriptome sequence was verified by the expression pattern of DEGs detected by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). Combined the analyses of flavonoid assay with transcriptome sequence, the synergistic effect of chalcone synthase (CHS), flavonoid 3-hydroxylase (F3H) and anthocyanindin synthase (ANS) may be the main reason for the formation of red outer petals, while the expression of chalcone isomerase (CHI) and flavonol synthase (FLS) were conducive to the formation of yellow inner petals. The results will lay a foundation for clarifying the color mechanism of double colored petals of P. lactiflora, and also provide a reference for the study of flower color in other ornamental plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Steinernema populi n. sp. was recovered by baiting from beneath poplar trees in China. Morphological and molecular features provided evidence for placing the new species into the Kushidai clade. The new species is characterized by the following morphological features: third-stage infective juveniles (IJ) with a body length of 1095 (973–1172) μm, a distance from the anterior end to excretory pore of 77 (70–86) μm and a tail length of 64 (55–72) μm. The Body length/Tail length (c) ratio and Anterior end to Excretory pore/ Tail length × 100 (E%) of S. populi n. sp. are substantially greater than those of all other 'Feltiae–Kushidai–Monticolum' group members. The first-generation males can be recognized by a spicule length of 66 (57–77) μm and a gubernaculum length of 46 (38–60) μm. The new species is further characterized by sequences of the internal transcribed spacer and partial 28S regions of the ribosomal DNA. Phylogenetic analyses show that Steinernema akhursti and Steinernema kushidai are the closest relatives to S. populi n. sp. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An ancient, large-scale, river-damming landslide in Koushan Village, Wenchuan County, Sichuan Province, located in the upstream of the Minjiang River, had a large influence on the valley evolution of the Minjiang River. Our investigation estimated that the landslide volume was 1.5 billion m3. The elevation of the scarp is 2700 m, 1000 m above the present accumulation of the landslide. The residual dam is comparatively complete, with calcium cementation. The highest point of the dam is 221 m higher than the Minjiang River. The dammed lake extends for 38 km and reaches as far as Maoxian County. The investigation results indicate that an earthquake was probably the main cause of the landslide. The damming mechanism was associated with rock avalanches. These rock avalanches subsequently blocked the Minjiang River. The dam exhibits multi-stage breaching, which can be divided into overflow erosion and rapid cutting stages. The 14C dating results indicate that the landslide occurred at least 22,000 years ago and that the dam was breached at least 11,700 years ago. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study presents a comprehensive field investigation of the ground response of a gateroad subjected to high stress induced by extracting a 17 m-thick coal seam. The test site is located at Datong City, Shanxi Province, China. The measurement results of the entry convergence and fracture development indicated that the gateroad with a 30 m-wide coal pillar maintained a good performance during the development period but suffered a strong response, including roof sag, floor heave, support unit failure and internal fractures sharply developed during the current panel-retreating period. During panel retreating, the impact range of the mining disturbance was about 110 m ahead of the active panel, and the mining disturbance accelerated dramatically at 50–60 m ahead of the mining panel. The results of the borehole stress measurement showed that the maximum stress induced in the virgin coal pillar and the coal pillar reached 15.3 MPa and 23.9 MPa, which are about 1.5 and 2.3 times the initial ground stress, respectively. This high stress contributed significantly to the instability of the gateroad. The average stress within the coal pillar was greater than that in the virgin coal pillar, and a high-stress zone was found at the coal pillar depth of 11–20 m. This stress distribution characteristics implies that the 30 m-wide coal pillar has a relatively sufficient bearing capacity to withstand the majority of mining-induced loads and that the coal pillar size could be reduced from 30 to 15–20 m wide to decrease the range of high stress in the coal pillar. Furthermore, taking into consideration of intense mining disturbance and abundant time interval for gateroad development as well as a high-strength support scheme, a small-width coal pillar of 8 m was recommended and tentatively applied in the field. The field application demonstrated that the newly designed pillar size and support pattern could ensure gateroad stability at some level. The study finding can help to better understand the stability control of entry driven along gob-side and its correlation with coal pillar size as well as the mining disturbance in specially thick coal seam (ETCS). In addition, the design principle and support strategy for the coal pillar in ETCS presented in this study can potentially be applied to other similar projects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective. To investigate plasma cytokines (interferon gamma, interleukin-4, and interleukin-17) in patients with viral myocarditis (VMC) and evaluate their predictive value in the progression from VMC to dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM). Methods. A prospective, multicenter, observational study included 536 patients with newly diagnosed VMC admitted in cardiology departments of 24 tertiary super specialised university-affiliated hospitals in the China registry from January 2012 to June 2016. Demographics and clinical characteristics at baseline and after three months were collected, including laboratory blood tests, ECG, echocardiography, and drug treatment in each participating site. The plasma anti-viral antibodies (Abs), anti-heart autoimmune Abs, and cytokines were detected by ELISA. Results. Of the 536 patients, 534 were included for analysis after two patients died in less than a month. The plasma levels of IFN-γ, IL-4, and IL-17 were continually higher in patients with incident DCM than in those without incident DCM at baseline, from the 1st month and the 3rd month; all had a P value of <0.0001. There was a positive correlation between IL-4 and LVEDd (r = 0.30 , P < 0.0001) and between IL-17 and LVEDd (r = 0.11 , P = 0.02). When all these covariates have entered the model simultaneously, elevated IL-4 and IL-17 were still significantly associated with DCM incidence. The RR (95% CI) of DCM incidence were 1.04 (1.02-1.06) for IL-4 and 5.24 (2.81-9.79) for IL-17. Conclusion. The continued elevation of plasma IL-4 and IL-17 in VMC patients were associated with a high incidence of DCM at three months, and these two cytokines were independent predictors for the progression from VMC to DCM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Endophytic fungi (EFs) are one of the important and quantifiable components of fungal biodiversity. In the study, 171 endophytic fungi were isolated from the roots of Aconitum carmichaelii, a traditional Chinese medicine, collected from six production sites of Yunnan Province in southwestern China. These EFs were categorized to belong to 28 taxa by molecular identification, and Chaetomium and Fusarium were the dominant genera with a relative frequency of 16.96% and 16.37% respectively. Cladosporium and Pochonia were found to be unique dominant genera from the roots of A. carmichaelii in Huize and Yulong counties, respectively. The Shannon index ranged from 1.68 to 2.05 and the Simpson's diversity index ranged from 0.81 to 0.92 for the EFs of A. carmichaeli, indicating the rich diversity of EFs in A. carmichaelii. Preliminary screening of the growth inhibition of three severe fungal pathogens by the isolated EFs was conducted and 17 genera of EFs were found to inhibit the growth of the tested pathogens. For example, Acrostalagmus luteoalbus, Phoma sp., and Thielavia sp. each displayed good anti-fungal activity against Alternaria alternate, Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cucumerinum, and Phytophthora drechleri. The investigation of the root-EFs diversity of A. carmichaelii provides additional fungal resources with the potential to biologically control pathogenic fungi. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tree peony (Paeonia section Moutan DC.) is an excellent ornamental plant, of which Paeonia ostii (P. ostii) has a high oil value. It is widely cultivated in China, but severe drought affects its growth. In this study, the effects of exogenous calcium on drought-induced damage of P. ostii were studied. The results showed that under drought stress, leaf water content showed a downward trend, while reactive oxygen species (ROS), relative electrical conductivity (REC), proline (Pro) content, and related antioxidant enzymes increased significantly. Spraying CaCl2 could effectively slow leaf wilting and water loss, induced an increase in enzyme activity of the antioxidant enzyme system, and reduced the accumulation of ROS caused by drought stress. Simultaneously, REC and Pro content could be alleviated, and the degree of cell membrane damage could be reduced. In addition, CaCl2 improved photosynthetic characteristics and chlorophyll fluorescence parameters. These results indicated that CaCl2 reduced the harmful effects of drought stress on the growth of P. ostii by regulating infiltration, activating photosynthesis, and enhancing the antioxidant system. These findings suggested that CaCl2 can be used to manage drought stress in P. ostii cultivation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A human skull, buried about 2500 years ago in a Bronze Age cemetery at Jinggouzi, a site of an important ethnic group in ancient China, appeared to have characteristics of fibrous dysplasia. The CT images indicated a reduction in bone density and relatively homogeneous lesions. More features were revealed using CT reconstruction techniques. Lesions seen in low‐magnification images using a 3D deep‐field microscope had an irregular honeycomb‐like structure. At higher magnification, the trabeculae morphology and the gaps between the trabeculae were irregular and varied in size and shape. Paraffin‐embedded specimens stained with HE showed trabeculae with tortuous irregular arrangements varying in shape and width. The irregular trabeculae of woven bone has been described as having fibrous dysplasia. Molecular analysis of the GNAS gene indicated no mutation. This provides a non‐invasive approach for us to make more comprehensive diagnoses and to assist research into ancient human diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: We aimed to evaluate the relationship between baseline renal function and changes in telomere length in Han Chinese.Methods: The telomere restriction fragment (TRF) length of leukocytes in the peripheral blood was measured in healthy volunteers recruited in 2014. The estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) was calculated based on serum creatinine (Scr) and serum cystatin C (CysC)-eGFRcys and eGFRScr-cys through the Cockcroft-Gault formula (eGFRC-G) or the Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collaboration (CKD-EPI / eGFRCKD-EPI) equation. The correlation between telomere length changes over time and renal function was analyzed.Results: Leukocyte TRF lengths were negatively correlated to age (r = -0.393, p < 0.001) and serum CysC (r = -0.180, p < 0.01), while positively associated with eGFRCKD-EPI, eGFRC-G, eGFRcys, and eGFRScr-cys (r = 0.182, 0.122, 0.290, and 0.254 respectively, p < 0.01). The 3-year change of telomere length was 46 bp/years. When adjusted for age, the associations between telomere length changes and baseline, subsequent TRF lengths, and serum CysC were no longer present. No association was observed between TRF length changes and renal function.Conclusion: The rate of telomere length changes was affected by age and baseline telomere length. The telomere length changes might be important markers for aging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: The short-term temperature variation has been shown to be significantly associated with human health. However, little is known about whether temperature change between neighbouring days (TCN) and diurnal temperature range (DTR) have any effect on childhood hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD). This study aims to explore whether temperature variability has any effect on childhood HFMD. Study design: Ecological study. Methods: The association between meteorological variables and HFMD cases in Huainan, China, from January 1st 2012 to December 31st 2014 was analysed using Poisson generalized linear regression combined with distributed lag non-linear model (DLNM) after controlling for long-term trend and seasonality, mean temperature and relative humidity. Results: An adverse effect of TCN on childhood HFMD was observed, and the impact of TCN was the greatest at five days lag, with a 10% (95% CI: 4%-15%) increase of daily number of HFMD cases per 3 °C (10th percentile) decrease of TCN. Male children, children aged 0e5 years, scattered children and children in high-risk areas appeared to be more vulnerable to the TCN effect than others. However, there was no significant association between DTR and childhood HFMD. Conclusions: Our findings indicate that TCN drops may increase the incidence of childhood HFMD in Huainan, highlighting the importance of protecting children from forthcoming TCN drops, particularly for those who are male, young, scattered and from high-risk areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: We established a chronic kidney disease (CKD) mouse model with estrogen deficiency and inserted titanium implants into the femur of such mice to investigate the fixation of the implants. Both the histomorphometry and implant resistance indicated that estrogen deficiency impaired the fixation of titanium implants inserted into such mice. Introduction: CKD has been regarded as a worldwide public health problem. Estrogen is a critical factor for both renal protection and bone remodeling. A previous study demonstrated that CKD impairs the early healing of titanium implants. However, the combined effect of estrogen deficiency and CKD on the fixation of titanium implants is largely unknown. Methods: Forty 9-week-old female C57BL mice were randomly divided into sham, ovariectomy (OVX), CKD, and CKD + OVX groups. Uremia and estrogen deficiency were induced by 5/6 nephrectomy and OVX, respectively. Experimental titanium implants were inserted into the distal end of the femur. Bone-implant contact (BIC) ratio and bone volume (BV/TV) around the implants were histomorphometrically analyzed. The fixation strength of the implant was measured by a biomechanical push-in resistance test. Results: Serum measurement confirmed a significant increase in serum blood urea nitrogen (BUN) in the CKD group, which was further increased by OVX. Estrogen deficiency led to significant decreases in the BIC ratio, BV/TV, and the push-in resistance in CKD animals. There was a significant interaction between the effects of OVX and CKD, with OVX exacerbating the effects of CKD on BIC ratio and push-in resistance. Conclusions: The results indicated that estrogen deficiency exerts a synergistic effect with CKD and further impairs the fixation of titanium implants in CKD mice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soil microbes in urban ecosystems are affected by a variety of abiotic and biotic factors resulting from changes in land use. However, the influence of different types of land use on soil microbial properties and soil quality in urban areas remains largely unknown. Here, by comparing five types of land use: natural forest, park, agriculture, street green and roadside trees, we examined the effects of different land uses on soil microbial biomass and microbial functional diversity in Beijing, China. We found that soil properties varied with land uses in urban environments. Compared to natural forest, soil nutrients under the other four types of urban land use were markedly depleted, and accumulation of Cu, Zn, Pb and Cd was apparent. Importantly, under these four types of land use, there was less microbial biomass, but it had greater functional diversity, particularly in the roadside-tree soils. Furthermore, there were significant correlations between the microbial characteristics and physicochemical properties, such as organic matter, total nitrogen and total phosphorus ( P < 0.05), suggesting that lack of nutrients was the major reason for the decrease in microbial biomass. In addition, the larger C/ N ratio, Ni concentration and pool of organic matter together with a higher p H contributed to the increase in microbial functional diversity in urban soils. We concluded that different land uses have indirect effects on soil microbial biomass and microbial community functional diversity through their influence on soil physicochemical properties, especially nutrient availability and heavy metal content. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The impact of aerosol composition on cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) activity were analyzed in this study based on field experiments carried out at downtown Tianjin, China in September 2010. In the experiments, the CCN measurements were performed at supersaturation (SS) of 0.1 %, 0.2% and 0.4% using a thermal-gradient diffusion chamber (DMT CCNC), whereas the aerosol size distribution and composition were simultaneously measured with a TSI SMPS and an Aerodyne Aerosol Mass Spectrometer (AMS), respectively. The results show that the influence of aerosol composition on CCN activity is notable under low SS (0.1 %), and their influence decreased with increasing SS. For example, under SS of 0.1%, the CCN activity increases from 4.5±2.6% to 12.8±6.1% when organics fraction decrease from 30-40% to 10-20 %. The rate of increase reached up to 184 %. While under SS of 0.4 %, the CCN activity increases only from 35.7±19.0% to 46.5±12.3% correspondingly. The calculated NCCN based on the sizeresolved activation ratio and aerosol number size distribution correlated well with observed NCCN at high SS (0.4 %), but this consistence decreased with the falling of SS. The slopes of linear fitted lines between calculated and observed NCCN are 0.708, 0.947, and 0.995 at SS of 0.1 %, 0.2% and 0.4% respectively. Moreover, the stand deviation (SD) of calculated NCCN increased with the decreasing of SS. A case study of CCN closure analyses indicated that the calculated error of NCCN could reach up to 34% at SS of 0.1% if aerosol composition were not included, and the calculated error decreased with the raising of SS. It is decreased to 9% at SS of 0.2 %, and further decreased to 4% at SS of 0.4 %. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vertical distribution of microbial communities in a eutrophic lake sediments of Lake Xuanwu was quantified by phospholipid fatty acids analysis and multivariate statistical analysis was employed to interprete the data. Principle component analysis of sediment characteristics parameters, including total nitrogen, total phosphorus, organic matters and pH produced clustering of sampling sites for two distinct groups. These groups corresponded with the two sampling stations and the levels of nutrient enrichment. Total phospholipid fatty acids concentration, which is indicative of microbial biomass, reduced with depth, however, the relative percentage of anaerobic prokaryotes increased. To assess changes of microbial community along depth, phospholipid fatty acids compositions were analyzed by cluster analysis. Distinct clusters were observed in different sampling stations. Canonical correspondence analysis was carried out to infer the relationship between sediment characteristics and microbial communities. Phospholipid fatty acids samples collected at the same sampling site clustered together. Canonical correspondence analysis revealed that the environmental parameter with the greatest bearing on the phospholipid fatty acids profiles was pH. This study proved the successful application of phospholipid fatty acids and multivariate analysis to investigate the relationship between environment factors and microbial community composition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A multiple-year inventory of atmospheric antimony (Sb) emissions from coal combustion in China for the period of 1980–2007 has been calculated for the first time. Specifically, the emission inventories of Sb from 30 provinces and 4 economic sectors (thermal power, industry, residential use, and others) are evaluated and analyzed in detail. It shows that the total Sb emissions released from coal combustion in China have increased from 133.19t in 1980 to 546.67t in 2007, at an annually average growth rate of 5.4%. The antimony emissions are largely emitted by industrial sector and thermal power generation sector, contributing 53.6% and 26.9% of the totals, respectively. At provincial level, the distribution of Sb emissions shows significant variation. Between 2005 and 2007, provinces always rank at the top five largest Sb emissions are: Guizhou, Hunan, Hebei, Shandong, and Anhui. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Background: The prevalence of sensitization in patients with asthma and rhinitis in mainland China remains unclear. Objective: Our aim was to estimate the prevalence of allergy in patients with respiratory allergic diseases such as asthma and/or rhinitis attending respiratory clinics within mainland China. The study also investigated regional and annual differences in the prevalence and pattern of sensitization among the patients in China. Method: A cross-sectional survey was performed in 6304 patients suffering from asthma and/or rhinitis in 17 cities from 4 regions of China. Patients completed a standardized questionnaire asking for the presence of respiratory and allergic symptoms. They also underwent skin prick tests with 13 common aeroallergens. Results: Among the 6304 patients, 4545 (72.1%) had at least one positive skin prick reaction. The overall prevalence of positive skin prick responses was 59.0% for Dermatophagoides farinae, 57.6% for Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus, 40.7% for Blomia tropicalis, 16.1% for American cockroach, 14.0% for dog, 11.5% for Blatella germanica, 11.3% for Artemisia vulgaris, 10.3% for cat, 6.5% for Ambrosia artemisifolia, 6.3% for mixed mould I, 4.4% for mixed mould IV, 3.5% for mixed grass pollen and 2.2% for mixed tree pollen. Sensitizations to common allergens varied widely between geographical areas and demonstrated unique pattern in patients by stratification with age groups, with asthma and/or rhinitis. Severity of rhinitis and asthma was significantly correlated with skin index of reactivity to Artemisia vulgaris, Ambrosia artemisifolia and to D. pteronyssinus, D. farinae and Blomia tropicalis respectively ( P < 0.001). Positive reactivity to the tested allergens and concomitant reactivity to multiple allergens including to house dust mites and Blomia tropicalis was markedly increased in patients with both asthma and rhinitis. Conclusion: House dust mites were the most prevalent allergens in patients with asthma and/or rhinitis in China. There were significant differences in patterns of sensitizations in patients from different geographical areas, age groups as well as asthma and/or rhinitis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to investigate the contamination levels of trace metals, surface water samples were collected from six regions along Yangtze River in Nanjing Section. The concentrations of trace metals (As, B, Ba, Be, Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Pb, Li, Mn, Mo, Ni, Sb, Se, Sn, Sr, V and Zn) were determined using inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES). Total concentrations of the metals in the water samples ranged from 825.1 to 950.4 μg/L. The result was compared with international water quality guidelines. Seven metals levels were above the permissible limit as prescribed by guidelines. A preliminary risk assessment was then carried out to determine the human health risk via calculating Hazard Quotient and carcinogenic risk of the metals. Hazard Quotients of all metals were lower than unity, except As. The carcinogenic risk of As and Cd was higher than 10−6, suggesting that those two metals have potential adverse effects on local residents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

According to simulation analysis of the advanced integral equation model (AIEM), there is a good linear relationship between emissivity and soil moisture under conditions of given roughness. The normalized difference of emissivities at 19.35 GHz and 10.65 GHz with vertical polarization can partly eliminate the influence of roughness and the squared correlation coefficient is about 0.985. This paper uses the normalized brightness temperature for retrieving soil moisture in Tibet from TRMM/TMI data. This method avoids parametrizing the land surface temperature which is a key parameter for the computation of emissivity. We make some sensitivity analysis for the atmosphere which is the main influence factor for our method. The analysis results indicate that our method is very good for clear days but is not very good when there is rainfall. We evaluate our algorithm by using the ground truth data obtained from GAME-Tibet and the retrieval error of soil moisture is about 0.04m3 m-3 relative to experimental data. The analysis indicates that the relationship obtained from the theoretical model should be revised through the local ground measurement data because the method is still influenced by roughness and vegetation. After making a regression revision, the retrieval error of soil moisture is under 0.02m3 m-3. Finally, we retrieve the soil moisture in Tibet from TRMM/TMI data, and the distribution trend of retrieval results is consistent with the real world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sun-induced chlorophyll a fluorescence signals were measured in the North China Sea using an underwater hyperspectral spectroradiometer. We combined these signals with other apparent and inherent optical properties to derive the quantum yield of chlorophyll a fluorescence in vivo, and determined that the maximum was around 0.06 and the average value reached 0.017, with most values ranging from 0.001 to 0.02, consistent with results obtained in other sea areas. In addition, we validated some empirical relationships with in situ measurements, and compared them with the former results. We found that the correlations between inherent optical properties and chlorophyll a concentration in this area are very different from those in other seas; however, the relationship between the diffuse attenuation coefficient for the instantaneous photosynthetically available radiation (IPAR) and that at 490 nm is comparatively stable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To compare epidemiologic features and genetic characteristics of group A rotaviruses causing diarrhea in children and adults, a survey was conducted in Wuhan, China, during the period of Dec. 2000–May 2006. A total of 3839 stool specimens from diarrheal patients from eight hospitals were analyzed. Winter seasonality was observed for rotavirus diarrhea in both adults and children, showing overall rotavirus-positive rates of 9.0 and 23.9%, respectively. Throughout the study period, G3 was the most frequent G serotype in both adults and children (detection rates 86.2 and 87.8%, respectively), and was mostly associated with VP4 genotype P[8], VP 6 genotype II (subgroup II), and NSP4 genotype B. G3 rotaviruses were differentiated into eight electropherotypes, among which seven types were found in specimens from both adults and children. VP7 gene sequences of G3 rotaviruses from adults and children (6 and 4 strains, respectively), detected in different years and different hospitals, showed extremely high sequence identities (99–100%) to each other and to a few G3 rotavirus strains reported in Asia. However, lower sequence identities (82–96%) were observed to most of the human and animal G3 rotaviruses reported so far, including some Chinese strains. These findings indicate that in Wuhan, China, epidemic and genetic features of rotaviruses are similar in adults and children, and it has been suggested that G3 rotaviruses that might have originated from the same rotavirus were circulating among children and adults as prevailing viruses. In this study, two rotavirus strains, G9P[8] strain L169, derived from an adult, and G4P[6] strain R479, derived from a child, were isolated and genetically analyzed. The VP7 gene of L169 belongs to a major lineage of G9 rotaviruses that are globally widespread, but is distinct from G9 rotaviruses reported previously in China. The strain R479 had a VP7 gene which was divergent from most G4 human rotaviruses and showed an unusual dual subgroup specificity, I + II. The R479 VP6 gene does not belong to the main clusters of subgroup I and II rotaviruses phylogenetically, but is related to those of the porcine rotaviruses and some unusual human rotaviruses represented by the RMC321 strain isolated in eastern India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Callusing was induced from three kinds of explants of Chinese medical plantScutellaria baicalensiswith thidiazuron (TDZ) as an exogenous growth regulator. Multiple shoots were formed from these calli on hormone-free media. Calli induced by 0.3 mg/l TDZ produced shoots directly on the induction medium after culturing for 30-40 days without any interval, while at a higher concentrations of TDZ (1.0, 2.0, and 5.0 mg/l), regeneration occurred only after transfer to hormone-free medium. Endogenous hormones were detected by reverse-phase HPLC-MS and ELISA. The higher TDZ concentrations decreased endogenous benzyladenine (BA) and IAA levels, while iPA and ZR levels and their ratios to IAA were not correlated with TDZ concentrations, growth of calli, or plant regeneration. BA was the dominant cytokinin during calli growth and bud formation, 10 000-fold more abundant than iPA and ZR. Moreover, low IAA/BA ratio, rather than low IAA or high cytokinin levels alone, is the most important factor for shoot formation by calli. TDZ might act indirectly by changing endogenous hormonal levels, most likely the IAA/BA ratio which controls the calli growth and bud formation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A 5-year Chinese-Norwegian research project was launched in the autumn of 1999. Forested sites for intensive studies are or will be established in the Chongqing municipality and in Guizhou, Hunan and Guangdong provinces in southern China. Previous studies have shown that harmful effects of acid deposition are likely to be most severe in this region. The research and monitoring sites shall give information about acidification mechanisms and effects on vegetation in order to improve policy oriented acidification models and critical load estimates as well as function as interdisciplinary training centers for acid rain research. Furthermore, the project shall improve the basis for developing an efficient regional acid rain monitoring system. At one site in Guizhou and one in Chongqing, research on soil and soilwater chemistry has been ongoing for several years. The forest at these sites appears to show symptoms of reduced vitality. The sensitivity of Chinese forests to acidification is uncertain and will be focused. Decision-makers should get an improved basis for optimal mitigation measures through the project. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Birth censuses were conducted every 2 or 3 days for each of six groups of Macaca thibetana along trails at Mt. Emei in southwest China from March 7 to June 15, 1986. Based on direct observations and the timetable of forehead hair growth and behavior, each of 32 infants could be placed in one of sixteen 14-day periods of the 1986 birth season. The mean estimated birth date was March 27 (SD - 39 days); the median estimated birth date was March 14. Sex ratios in newborns and yearlings did not deviate significantly from 1:1. Seasonal birth timing was correlated with the altitude of the range r = -0.84, P < .05); that is, infants were born earlier in the season at higher altitudes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reports on the study which examines the seroprevalence of encephalomyocarditis virus (EMCV) in intensive pig farms in China. It notes that the researchers use a microtitre serum neutralisation test (SNT) to determine the epidemiologic circumstance of EMCV. The study found that there is high seroprevalence of EMCV in the major pig farms in China and suggested that control measures should be implemented by the Chinese pig-producing industry.

Objectives: To determine the relationship between diurnal temperature range (DTR) and outpatient visits for childhood acute bronchitis (AB) in Hefei, China, to analyze whether DTR effect was delayed, and to explore the susceptible populations. Study design: An ecological study. Methods: A Poisson generalized linear regression model combined with a distributed lag non-linear model was used to analyze the relationship between DTR and childhood AB from Hefei, China during 2010e2013, after adjusting for long-term trend and seasonality, mean temperature and relative humidity. Results: An adverse effect of DTR on childhood AB was observed, and the impact of DTR was greatest at three days lag, with a 1.0% (95% confidence interval = 0.5e1.6%) increase of AB cases per 1 °C increment of DTR. Female children and children aged 0e4 years appeared to be more vulnerable to DTR effect than other children. Conclusions: Our study suggests that large DTR may increase the incidence of childhood AB in Hefei, particularly for those who are female and young. Caregivers and health practitioners should be made aware of the potential threat posed by large DTR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the relationship between ambient temperature and hospital admissions for schizophrenia in Hefei, China. STUDY DESIGN: An ecological design was used to explore the effect of ambient temperature on hospital admissions for schizophrenia. METHODS: Daily data on hospital admissions for schizophrenia and meteorological data for the warm season (May-October) in 2005-2014 were obtained from Anhui Mental Health Centre and Hefei Bureau of Meteorology, respectively. Poisson generalised linear regression model combined with a distributed lag non-linear model was used to analyse the effects of temperature on admissions for schizophrenia. Stratified analyses according to individual characteristics, such as age and sex, were also conducted. RESULTS: A significant relationship was found between ambient temperature and admissions for schizophrenia. High temperature appeared to have a delayed effect on admissions for schizophrenia, and a temperature of 28°C (75th percentile) at lag 0-4 days was associated with a 7% (95% confidence interval: 4-11%) increase in admissions for schizophrenia. Stratified analyses showed that male patients, patients aged 21-60 years and married patients were more vulnerable to high temperature, and the temperature effects for those groups occurred at a lag of 1 day. CONCLUSION: High temperature poses significant risks for schizophrenia in subtropical regions. Future preventive measures for reducing the occurrence of schizophrenia should be considered for susceptible populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Nickel and its compounds are considered as potential human carcinogens, and atmospheric nickel is one of the major routes for human exposure. By applying the best available fuel-based or product-based emission factors and annual activity levels, a multiple-year comprehensive inventory of anthropogenic atmospheric nickel emissions in China is presented with temporal trend and spatial resolutions for the period of 1980–2009 from both fuels combustion sources and industrial producing processes. We estimate that the total atmospheric nickel emissions from all the sources have increased from 1096.07t in 1980 to 3933.71t in 2009, at an average annual growth rate of 4.5%. Therein, coal combustion is the leading source, attributing 63.4% of the national total nickel emissions in 2009; liquid fuels consumption ranks the second, contributing 12.4% of the totals; biofuels burning accounts for 8.4% and the remaining sources together contribute 15.8% of the totals. Significant spatial variations are demonstrated among provincial emissions and the most concentrated regions are the highly industrialized and densely populated areas like the Yangtze River Delta, the Pearl River Delta and the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region. Moreover, the overall uncertainties are estimated at −32.6%–37.7% by using Monte Carlo simulation, most of which come from non-ferrous metals smelting category, implying the urgent need for further investigation and field tests. This article may help to combat the increasing stress on air heavy metals pollution in China and provide useful information to calculate global mass balance models for hazardous trace elements. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Background The safety and efficacy of proximal gastrectomy (PG) following for locally advanced proximal gastric cancer (LAPGC) were unclear, as oncologic outcomes of randomized trials are still pending. The aim of this study was to evaluate surgical results and long-term oncologic outcomes of PG versus total gastrectomy (TG) in treating LAGC. Methods A total of 2918 LAPGC patients with PG or TG were identified from the China National Cancer Center Gastric Cancer Database (NCCGCDB) 1997-2017. Propensity score matching was employed to match patients with PG or TG in a 1:1 ratio. Surgery outcomes and overall survival rates (OS) were compared between PG and TG groups after the propensity-score match. Cox proportional hazards model was used to explore the risk factors for overall survival. Results Of 2 918 patients, 181 (6.20%) underwent TG, while 2 737 (93.80%) underwent PG. After propensity score matching, 150 matched pairs for PG and TG were selected. Compared with TG group, PG group had shorter operative time (181.8±49.8min vs. 213.5±66.7min, P < 0.001) and less estimated blood transfusion (743.8±296.6ml vs. 978.4±421.1ml, P = 0.005). More lymph nodes (34.3±17.0 vs. 24.2±11.0, P < 0.001) were retrieved in TG group than in PG group. The 3- and 5-year OS rates (79.1% vs. 77.2% and 74.5% vs. 72.0%, respectively, both P < 0.001) in PG group were slightly higher than ones in TG group. However, the multivariable results showed that there was no significant difference in the OS status between the groups (HR = 1.17, 95% CI:0.92-1.50, P = 0.21), even stratified into stage II and III. Conclusions In conclusion, the extent of resection for LAPGC patients did not influence the long-term survival outcomes. Moreover, future randomized clinical trials of quality of life following PG or TG are expected to assist surgeons in choice of surgical approach and strategy for LAPGC patients. Legal entity responsible for the study The authors. Funding National Key R&D Program of China (Grant No.2017YFC0908300). Disclosure All authors have declared no conflicts of interest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The characteristics of the resistome distribution in rivers have been extensively studied. However, the distribution patterns of resistomes in multiple habitats and contributions of upstream habitats to the resistome profile in water bodies remains unclear. The current study explored the distribution and coalescence of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs), metal resistance genes (MRGs), and mobile genetic elements (MGEs) in four habitats (including water bodies, sediments, biofilms, and riparian soils) within the Shichuan River watershed. The results revealed significant variations in the abundances and diversity of resistomes across the four habitats and two seasons. Assembly processes of resistomes were predominated by stochastic processes in summer but deterministic processes in winter. The main source of the resistome in summer water bodies was the movement of genes from upstream water bodies. However, the main sources of resistome in downstream water bodies in winter were the movement of resistomes in upstream sediments and the input of external pollution. The physicochemical properties of winter water bodies significantly influenced the movement of the resistomes across habitats. The current study elucidated the multi-habitat distribution pattern and migration mechanism of the resistome in the river system, providing new insights for effectively monitoring and controlling bacterial resistance., 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.)

Seasonal variations in black carbon (BC) pollution characteristics during haze episodes in Benxi city, Liaoning province, were analyzed using year-long measurements of BC, carbon monoxide (CO), and PM 2.5. Haze frequencies were recorded to be 0.07, 0.03 and 0.14 in spring, autumn, and winter respectively. Solid fuel contributions increased notably by 7%-8% during haze events compared to clean periods in all seasons. Transitioning from clean to haze periods led to ΔBC/ΔCO increases of 16% in spring and autumn, and 6.8% in winter, while BC/PM 2.5 ratios decreased by approximately 33%, 50%, and 24% for spring, autumn, and winter respectively, likely indicating enhanced residential and industrial contributions. These further led to an increase in BC absorption capacities by factors of around 2.2 in spring and autumn, and up to 2.6 in winter during haze periods. Despite liquid fuel sources dominating BC emissions, certain haze episodes (frequency <10%) showed solid fuel contributions of up to 65%, highlighting BC pollution complexity in the region during haze. Backward trajectories analysis revealed local air masses from Liaoning province arrived consistently with the most occurrence of haze events across all seasons, while long-range air masses from Mongolian regions, though with less frequent occurrence during haze periods, significantly elevated BC loadings from solid fuel sources, particularly in spring and autumn due to biomass burning. Despite higher BC wet scavenging rates (WSR) in long-range air masses (0.072 ng m -3  ppbv -1 mm -1 ) compared to local air masses (0.039 ng m -3  ppbv -1 mm -1 ), significant BC transport persisted due to limited precipitation along transport pathways, especially during haze periods. These findings provide crucial insights for policymakers, highlighting the need for targeted haze prevention and control strategies focusing on mitigating BC emissions in Northeast China., 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.)

Antibiotics and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are common environmental contaminants in the aquatic region encompassing the estuary of the Yellow River and Laizhou Bay. But little information is available about the trophic transfer of antibiotics and PAHs in the marine food web of this area. This study investigated the occurrence and trophic transfer of 19 antibiotics and 16 PAHs in marine organisms from a food web of Laizhou Bay of the Yellow River estuary. Sulfonamides, fluoroquinolones, and 2 to 4-ring PAHs were the dominant contaminants in organisms. There was a significant positive correlation between the log total concentration of sulfonamides and trophic level (TL). Sulfadiazine, sulfamethazine, and erythromycin had biomagnification effects, while ciprofloxacin and ofloxacin had biological dilution effects. The log total concentration of PAHs had a significant negative correlation with TL. Naphthalene, fluorene, anthracene, pyrene, and benzo[g,h,i]perylene had biological dilution effects. The distinct correlations of trophic magnification factors D ow of antibiotics and K ow of 2 to 5-ring PAHs, indicating that the potential of these two coefficients for predicting their transfer. Risk assessment indicated that the consumption of seafood containing antibiotics and PAHs in Laizhou Bay of the Yellow River estuary posed health and carcinogenic risks to human, respectively., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest to this work., (Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Background: Depressive symptoms (DS) have become a global public health problem. However, a risk prediction model for DS in the elderly population has not been established. The purpose of this study was to develop and validate a predictive nomogram to screen for DS in the elderly population., Methods: A cross-sectional data of 3396 participants aged 60 and over were obtained from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study 2018 (CHARLS). Participants were divided into the development and validation set. Predictive factors were selected through a single-factor analysis, and then a predictive model nomogram was established. The discrimination, calibration, and clinical validity were evaluated using the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves, Hosmer-Lemeshow tests, and decision curve analyses (DCA)., Results: A total of 2379 and 1017 participants were included in the development and validation set, respectively. The analysis found that gender, residence, dyslipidemia, self-rated health, and ADL disability were risk factors for DS in older adults, and were included in the final model. This nomogram showed an acceptable predictive performance as evaluated by the area under the ROC curve with values of 0.684 (95 % confidence interval (CI): 0.663-0.706) and 0.687 (95 % CI: 0.655-0.719) in the development and validation set, respectively. The calibration curve indicated that the model was accurate, and DCA demonstrated a good clinical application value., Conclusion: Five factors were selected to establish a nomogram for predicting DS in older adults. The nomogram has a good evaluation performance and can be used as a reliable tool to predict DS among older adults., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest All authors declare that there are no conflicts of interest in this study., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: Carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae (CRKP) is a major nosocomial infectious pathogen with rapidly increasing prevalence. The genomic epidemiological characteristics of CRKP nationwide, especially the evolving trends within the predominant clones, should be evaluated clearly., Methods: We collected 3415 K. pneumoniae strains from 28 hospitals across China. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing and WGS were performed. Subsequent genomic analyses, including sequence typing, K-locus (KL) identification, antimicrobial resistance gene screening, and virulence score assessment were performed. The phylogenetic relationship of clonal group 11 was determined based on core-genome analysis, and the presence of the pLVPK-like virulence plasmid in ST11 isolates was confirmed using plasmid core-gene analysis. Additionally, the trends of the ST11 lineage with different KL types on a global scale were investigated using Beast2., Results: Of the K. pneumoniae strains, 708 were identified as CRKP isolates (20.7%), of which 97.7% were MDR. ST11 was the predominant clone, and KPC-2 was the prevalent carbapenemase in China, although the prevalence of specific clones and carbapenemases varied by geographic region. Among ST11 isolates, KL47 and KL64 were the predominant KL types, and KL64 gradually replaced KL47, with a higher percentage of KL64 isolates harbouring the pLVPK-like plasmid. Global genome data showed a significant increase in the effective population size of KL64 over the last 5 years., Conclusions: The prevalence of CRKP was very high in certain regions in China. The increasing convergence of virulence and resistance, particularly in ST11-KL64 isolates, should be given more attention and further investigation., (© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of British Society for Antimicrobial Chemotherapy. 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.)

Objectives: Tuberculous pleurisy is one of the most common types of extra-pulmonary tuberculosis, but the sensitivity of conventional mycobacterial culture (Culture) or Xpert MTB/RIF assay (Xpert) is not satisfying. This multicentre cohort study evaluated the accuracy of a new cell-free DNA droplet digital PCR assay (cf-ddPCR) for diagnosing tuberculous pleurisy., Methods: Patients with suspected tuberculosis (≥5 years of age) with pleural effusion were consecutively recruited from nine research sites across six provinces in China between September 2020 to May 2022. Culture, Xpert, Xpert MTB/RIF Ultra assay (Ultra), real-time PCR, and cf-ddPCR were performed simultaneously for all specimens., Results: A total of 321 participants were enrolled, and data from 281 (87.5%) participants were available, including 105 definite tuberculous pleurisy, 113 possible tuberculous pleurisy and 63 non-tuberculous pleurisy according to the composite reference standard. The sensitivity of cf-ddPCR was 90.5% (95/105, 95% CI, 82.8-95.1%) in the definite tuberculous pleurisy group, which was significantly higher than those of Culture (57.1%, 60/105, 95% CI, 47.1-66.6%, p < 0.001), Xpert (46.7%, 49/105, 95% CI, 37.0-56.6%, p < 0.001), Ultra (69.5%, 73/105, 95% CI, 59.7-77.9%, p < 0.001) and real-time PCR (75.2%, 79/105, 95% CI, 65.7-82.9%, p < 0.001). In possible tuberculous pleurisy, whose results of Culture and Xpert were both negative, the sensitivity of cf-ddPCR was 61.1% (69/113, 95% CI, 51.4-70.0%), which was still significantly higher than that of Ultra (27.4%, 31/113, 95% CI, 19.7-36.8%, p < 0.001) and real-time PCR (38.9%, 44/113, 95% CI, 30.0-48.6%, p < 0.001)., Discussion: The performance of cf-ddPCR is superior to Culture, Xpert, Ultra, and real-time PCR, indicating that improved diagnostic accuracy can be anticipated by incorporating this new assay., (Copyright © 2024 European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

To characterize the clinicopathological features and treatment outcomes of juvenile idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (JIIM) with anti-melanoma differentiation associated gene 5 (MDA5) antibodies in a Chinese cohort. Anti-MDA5 antibody was detected by immunodot assay and indirect immunofluorescence assay on HEK293 cells in a series of Chinese JIIM cohort between 2005 and 2022. The clinical features, histological findings, and treatment outcomes of these anti-MDA5-antibody-positive patients were summarized. Of 59 JIIM patients, 3 (5.08%) were found to be anti-MDA5-antibody-positive. The frequency of anti-MDA5 antibody did not show significant difference between adult idiopathic inflammatory myopathies and JIIM cohorts (P = .720). The disease duration in patients with anti-MDA5 antibody was 2.83 ± 1.04 months. All 3 patients had typical skin lesions including Gottron sign and heliotrope rash, while interstitial lung disease and arthritis was only found in 1 patient. All 3 patients showed normal creatine kinase levels. On muscle biopsy, diffuse major histocompatibility complex class-I expression was seen in 3 patients and myxovirus-resistance protein A expression was found in 2 patients. All patients received long-term follow-up (6.42 ± 4.01 years). They were all drug-free and showed favorable treatment outcome with prednisone and additional immunosuppressant. Our study indicates that anti-MDA5 antibodies may not be common in Chinese JIIM. Anti-MDA5-positive JIIMs are characterized by typical skin lesions of dermatomyositis, normal CK levels, and increased major histocompatibility complex class-I expression. JIIMs with anti-MDA5 generally have good response to immunotherapies., Competing Interests: The authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose., (Copyright © 2024 the Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.)

The Three Gorges Reservoir (TGR) is totally manmade, strongly influenced by anthropogenic activity, and lies on the upper reaches of Yangtze River. The periodic storage and discharge of water from the Three Gorges Dam could have altered the original air-plant/soil interactions of contaminants in TGR. Herein, paired atmospheric gas-particle, air-plant, and air-soil samples were collected to investigate the air-plant interaction and air-soil exchange of 16 USEPA priority polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). The air-plant interaction based on McLachlan's framework to our datasets suggests that PAHs were absorbed via gaseous deposition that was restricted by the plant-gas dynamic equilibrium. The equilibrium indicates a dynamic balance between the gaseous phase and plant surface in PAH absorption. The main limiting factor influencing the PAH uptake was the plant species rather than the atmospheric PAH concentration. The air-soil exchange of PAHs exhibited a net volatilization flux of 16.71 ng/m 2 /d from the soil to the air based on annual average. There was more volatilization and less deposition in summer and more deposition and less volatilization in autumn and winter. The soil serves as a secondary source of atmospheric PAHs. As the first attempt on probing the multi-interface geochemical process of PAHs, this study highlights the influence of manual water level manipulation from the TGD and environmental factors (such as temperature, humidity, and soil properties) on the regional fate of PAHs in the TGR., 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., (Crown Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

This study aimed to assess the association between composite indices of femoral neck strength and the odds of hip fracture in Chinese adults.After adjusting for confounders, higher values of CSI and ISI were associated with a lower risk of fracture. They may provide useful information for improving hip fracture risk assessment., Purpose: With the increased incidence of hip fractures worldwide, numerous studies have reported that composite indices of femoral neck strength can improve hip fracture risk assessment. This study aimed to assess the association between composite indices of femoral neck strength and the odds of hip fracture in Chinese adults., Methods: This retrospective cross-sectional study conducted at Changzhou Second People's Hospital included 937 Chinese adults (248 with hip fractures). After overnight fasting for ≥ 8 h, blood samples were collected from all participants within 24 h of admission. Composite indices of femoral neck strength were derived by combining bone mineral density, weight, and height with femoral axis length and width, which were measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry., Results: In total, 937 participants (293 men and 644 women) were enrolled. The mean age was 68.3 years (SD 10.5). After adjusting for confounders, higher values of CSI and ISI were associated with a lower odd of hip fracture. Increase in CSI (per 1 g/m·kg) was associated with a 46% decrease in the odd of hip fracture (OR = 0.54; 95% CI, 0.39-0.74), and increase in ISI (per 0.1 g/m·kg) was associated with an 82% decrease (OR, 0.18; 95% CI, 0.11-0.30). Effect sizes of CSI and ISI on the odds of hip fracture remained robust and reliable in subgroup analyses., Conclusions: Increased CSI and ISI were associated with a lower odd of hip fracture, especially in women, suggesting that composite indices of femoral neck strength may provide useful information for improving hip fracture risk assessment., (© 2024. International Osteoporosis Foundation and Bone Health and Osteoporosis Foundation.)

Background: Periodontitis and atherosclerosis are both chronic inflammatory diseases with a high prevalence. Increasing evidence supports the independent association between severe periodontitis and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, in which oral microorganisms may play an important role. We aimed to evaluate the characteristic changes of salivary microbiome and metabolome in patients with carotid atherosclerosis (CAS) and periodontitis., Methods and Results: The subjects were obtained from a cross-sectional study that included 1933 participants aged 40 years or older from rural northeast China. The study enrolled 48 subjects with CAS and 48 controls without CAS matched by sex, age, body mass index, and prevalence of hypertension, diabetes, and dyslipidemia. We performed full-length 16S rDNA gene sequencing and untargeted metabolomics of saliva samples from 96 subjects. We found that CAS was closely associated with an increased abundance of Streptococcus , Lactobacillus , and Cutibacterium . Furthermore, patients with CAS had higher prevalence of severe periodontitis than the control group. Notably, periodontal pathogens such as Tannerella and Anaeroglobus were not only associated with periodontitis but also enriched in patients with CAS, whereas periodontal health-associated Neisseria was more abundant in those without CAS. We also identified 2 lipid metabolism pathways, including glycerophospholipid and sphingolipid metabolism, as associated with CAS. The levels of trimethylamine N -oxide and inflammatory mediator leukotriene D4 were significantly higher in patients with CAS, whereas the levels of carnosine were significantly lower, than those in controls. Additionally, serum levels of inflammatory marker high-sensitivity C-reactive protein were significantly increased in CAS and positively correlated with the abundance of Anaeroglobus and leukotriene D4 in saliva., Conclusions: Our study suggests that characteristic changes in salivary microbiota and metabolites are closely related to CAS, and periodontitis and associated microorganisms may be involved in the initiation and progression of CAS.

With childhood hypertension emerging as a global public health concern, understanding its associated factors is crucial. This study investigated the prevalence and associated factors of hypertension among Chinese children. This cross-sectional investigation was conducted in Pinghu, Zhejiang province, involving 2,373 children aged 8-14 years from 12 schools. Anthropometric measurements were taken by trained staff. Blood pressure (BP) was measured in three separate occasions, with an interval of at least two weeks. Childhood hypertension was defined as systolic blood pressure (SBP) and/or diastolic blood pressure (DBP) ≥ age-, sex-, and height-specific 95th percentile, across all three visits. A self-administered questionnaire was utilized to collect demographic, socioeconomic, health behavioral, and parental information at the first visit of BP measurement. Random forest (RF) and multivariable logistic regression model were used collectively to identify associated factors. Additionally, population attributable fractions (PAFs) were calculated. The prevalence of childhood hypertension was 5.0% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 4.1-5.9%). Children with body mass index (BMI) ≥ 85th percentile were grouped into abnormal weight, and those with waist circumference (WC) > 90th percentile were sorted into central obesity. Normal weight with central obesity (NWCO, adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 5.04, 95% CI: 1.96-12.98), abnormal weight with no central obesity (AWNCO, aOR = 4.60, 95% CI: 2.57-8.21), and abnormal weight with central obesity (AWCO, aOR = 9.94, 95% CI: 6.06-16.32) were associated with an increased risk of childhood hypertension. Childhood hypertension was attributable to AWCO mostly (PAF: 0.64, 95% CI: 0.50-0.75), followed by AWNCO (PAF: 0.34, 95% CI: 0.19-0.51), and NWCO (PAF: 0.13, 95% CI: 0.03-0.30). Our results indicated that obesity phenotype is associated with childhood hypertension, and the role of weight management could serve as potential target for intervention., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Objectives: The prevalence of respiratory infectious diseases has changed in the post-COVID-19 epidemic era, and mycoplasma pneumoniae (MP) infection in children has attracted wide attention., Methods: Children hospitalized for pneumonia in Wuhan, China, in 2023 were enrolled. Respiratory secretions were obtained for the targeted next-generation sequencing (tNGS) including mutation of MP. Pulmonary inflammation was divided into bronchopneumonia and pulmonary consolidation/atelectasis according to lung computed tomography imaging., Results: Of the 667 pediatric pneumonia, 478 were MP positive (72%). The positive rate of MP detected by tNGS increased from April, and MP had become the primary pathogen of pneumonia in children in 2023. The 23S rRNA mutations were all A2063G, accounting for 85% of detected MP. The clinical symptoms of the mutant and wild-type strains were similar, with half of them experiencing atelectasis and lung consolidation. Early bronchoscopic lavage combined with azithromycin in pediatric pulmonary consolidation was an effective therapy strategy, which could be an alternative selection to MP pneumonia treatment., Conclusions: A2063G mutant strain MP was the primary pathogen of mycoplasma pneumoniae in children recently, which was often complicated by extra-pulmonary symptoms and complications., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors have no competing interest to declare., (Copyright © 2024 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

Supplier-induced demand (SID) is a long-standing concern in health economics and health system studies; however, empirical evidence on SID-critical to the development of health policy-is difficult to obtain, especially from China. This study, therefore, aims to add new evidence on SID in China's public tertiary hospitals and facilitates the development of evidence-based health policies in China and other countries with similar healthcare systems. For this study, we used patient-level electronic medical records (EMRs) collected from the information systems of tertiary hospitals in a western province in China. From 11 tertiary hospitals, we collected 274,811 hospitalization records dated between 15 February and 30 November 2019. Total expenditure on hospitalization and length of admission of each patient were the primary metrics for measuring SID. We constructed a character indicator to measure the high-season or off-season status of hospitals, and log-linear estimations were applied to estimate the "off-season effect" on hospitalized expenditures and length of admission. We find that the cost of hospitalization is indeed higher in the off-season in China's public tertiary hospitals; specifically, expenditures for patients admitted in the off-season increased by an average of 5.3-7.9% compared to patients admitted in the peak season, while the length of admission in the hospital increased by an average of 6.8% to 10.2%. We also checked the robustness of our findings by performing subgroup analyses of EMRs in the city-level hospitals and surgical group. We name this phenomenon the "hospital off-season effect" and suggest that the main reason for it is inappropriate financial incentives combined with a Fee-For-Services payment method. We suggest that China should work to reform inappropriate financial incentives in public hospitals to eliminate SID by changing its payment and financing compensation system., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) supplementation appears to be associated with a lower blood pressure. Nevertheless, it remains unclear whether food-sourced CoQ10 will affect new-onset hypertension in general adults. This study investigated the relationship between dietary CoQ10 intake and new-onset hypertension among the general population. Participants without hypertension at baseline from the China Health and Nutrition Survey (CHNS) prospective cohort study were included (n = 11,428). Dietary CoQ10 intake was collected by validated dietary recalls and the food weighing method. Linear and non-linear relationships between dietary CoQ10 intake and new-onset hypertension were analyzed using multivariable Cox proportional hazards models and restricted cubic splines. During follow-up (median: 6 years), 4006 new-onset hypertension cases were documented. Compared with non-consumers, the hazard ratio (HR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) from quintile 2 to 4 total dietary CoQ10 were 0.83 (0.76, 0.91), 0.86 (0.78, 0.94) and 1.01 (0.92, 1.11); total plant-derived CoQ10 were 0.80 (0.73, 0.88), 1.00 (0.91, 1.09) and 1.10 (1.00, 1.20); and animal-derived CoQ10 were 0.65 (0.59, 0.71), 0.58 (0.53, 0.64) and 0.68 (0.62, 0.75). The lowest risk was found at moderate intake, with a non-linear relationship ( P nonlinearity < 0.05). Furthermore, the overall inverse association was stronger among individuals without alcohol consumption or eating a low-fat diet. Moderate long-term dietary CoQ10 intake might be protective against new-onset hypertension. However, it follows a non-linear relationship and excessive intake may increase the risk of new-onset hypertension in the Chinese population.