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Aim: We aimed to identify the risk factors for delayed discharge in a day surgery centre in west China. Background: Delayed discharge affected by various factors is a key indicator for healthcare quality of day surgery. However, few studies have focused on this issue in developing countries where the day surgery started much later. Design A retrospective case–control design. Method: A random sample of 169 delayed discharge cases and 514 normal discharge cases was randomly selected from 38,021 day surgery cases from May 2011 to May 2019 in a tertiary teaching hospital in west China. Socio‐demographic and clinical characteristics of patients were collected through the hospital electronic database and a chart review. A multivariate logistic regression was conducted to identify the risk factors for delayed discharge. Results: The urban employee basic medical insurance, comorbidity, general anaesthesia, pain, fever, bleeding and metabolic disorder were identified as the risk factors for delayed discharge. Living in the city where the hospital located was a protective factor for delayed discharge. Conclusion: Post‐operative complications including fever, pain, bleeding and metabolic disorder were the most important risk factors for delayed discharge. The pre‐operative prevention, careful monitoring and rapid reactions to post‐operative complications may reduce delayed discharge. Summary statement: What is already known about this topic? Day surgery is conducted worldwide due to its time‐saving, cost‐effectiveness and low risk for post‐operative infection.Delayed discharge is considered as one of the most important indicators for healthcare quality of a day surgery centre.Most of the identified risk factors for delayed discharge are from the developed countries' experience of day surgery and remain controversial. What this paper adds? The insurance reimbursement rate influenced patients' willingness for discharge.Living in the same city where the hospital is located was a protective factor for delayed discharge.Post‐operative metabolic disorder was a risk factor for delayed discharge. The implications of this paper: Reducing the insurance reimbursement rate of patients who meet discharge criteria but ask for longer hospital stays may be helpful to reduce delayed discharge.Careful monitoring and rapid response to post‐operative complications may be simple but useful measures to reduce the risk of delayed discharge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: We aimed to synthesize the published evidence to evaluate the preventive efficacy of ginger on postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV). Design: A systematic review and meta‐analysis were conducted in this study. Methods: PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, and CINAHL were systematically searched from their outset to October 2020, without language limitation. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing the effects of ginger and prophylactic antiemetics or placebo on PONV were included. Data were analyzed by the fixed effects model or random effects models regarding the results of heterogeneity. Findings: A total of 14 studies involving 1417 participants were included. Compared with placebo, the ginger group had significantly lower nausea severity (MD = −0.71, 95% CI = −1.37 to −0.06, p = 0.03) and lower proportion of rescue antiemetic use (RR = 0.71, 95% CI = 0.62–0.82, p < 0.001; RR = 0.71, 95% CI = 0.56–0.91, p < 0.001). The ginger group had significantly lower incidence of nausea and vomiting over 6 h after operation (RR = 0.68, 95% CI = 0.55–0.85, p < 0.001; RR = 0.78, 95% CI = 0.42–1.44, p = 0.43) compared with placebo. When compared with the prophylactic antiemetic group, the ginger group had significantly lower incidence of nausea (RR = 0.75, 95% CI = 0.56–0.99, p = 0.04), but no significant differences in the incidence of vomiting and proportion of rescue antiemetic use were found. Conclusions: Ginger was effective for the prevention of PONV. More RCTs comparing ginger and other prophylactic antiemetics are needed to evaluate whether ginger could replace the traditional prophylactic antiemetics. Clinical Relevance: This study's results could be used as an evidence for all patients following surgery who are at risk of PONV without allergy to ginger. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Surface plasmon resonance was used to develop a rapid, label-free and sensitive immunoassay for detection of Prion protein (PrP). Anti-PrP monoclonal antibodies immobilized on the biosensor surface were allowed to bind various concentrations of cellular prion protein (PrPC), followed by a pulse with additional soluble anti-PrP polyclonal antibodies to intensify the signal. The interaction of antibody with antigen was monitored in real time. With this method, it was possible to detect PrPC with a limit of 31.7 ng/ml in serum and 13.1 ng/ml in HEPES-saline, requiring 1 h for a single sample measurement. The assay also detected misfolded prion protein (PrPSc) in spiked serum and PrPSc in scrapie-infected mouse brains. This is a rapid and sensitive assay for the detection of PrP in serum that could be developed into a platform for a serum-based TSE test. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Excellent yields were obtained from the silver nitrate-catalyzed reaction of alkynes in N, N-dimethylformamide using triphenylphosphine as ligand. This safe and simple silver catalytic system has been employed in a safe and efficient protocol for the synthesis of various 1,3-diyne products from the corresponding aromatic or aliphatic alkynes with good air stability and absence of side products. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The prevalence of eosinophilic CRSwNP in China has increased significantly over the last 20 years, noninvasive methods that could assist in diagnosis are urgently needed. The aim of this study is to explore the clinical significance of peripheral blood eosinophil in diagnosing ECRS. We conducted a prospective study of 221 patients diagnosed with CRS. Lund–Mackay score, peripheral blood eosinophil absolute count, peripheral blood eosinophil percentage were detection to compare the clinical features with ECRS and non-ECRS. ROC curve was performed to assess the efficiency of clinical index to predict ECRS. The ECRS group of patients had significantly higher scores compared with those of the non-ECRS group. Different extent and severity of mucosal thickening on total Lund–Mackay scores, anterior ethmoidal, posterior ethmoidal and ostiomeatal complex have confirmed different blood eosinophil levels in CRS patients. The combination of peripheral blood eosinophil percentage and posterior ethmoidal score to predict ECRS was 0.807. The increase in peripheral blood eosinophil percent indicates the deterioration the inflammation of chronic rhinosinusitis and the level of posterior ethmoidal score and peripheral blood eosinophil percentage have a positive predictive value regarding ECRS identification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Identifying and sorting highly tumorigenic and metastatic tumor cells from a heterogeneous cell population is a daunting challenge. Here, we show that microfluidic devices can be used to sort marker‐based heterogeneous cancer stem cells (CSC) into mechanically stiff and soft subpopulations. The isolated soft tumor cells (< 400 Pa) but not the stiff ones (> 700 Pa) can form a tumor in immunocompetent mice with 100 cells per inoculation. Notably, only the soft, but not the stiff cells, isolated from CD133+, ALDH+, or side population CSCs, are able to form a tumor with only 100 cells in NOD‐SCID or immunocompetent mice. The Wnt signaling protein BCL9L is upregulated in soft tumor cells and regulates their stemness and tumorigenicity. Clinically, BCL9L expression is correlated with a worse prognosis. Our findings suggest that the intrinsic softness is a unique marker of highly tumorigenic and metastatic tumor cells. Synopsis: Cellular stiffness has been associated with stem cell‐like properties in development and cancer. Here, mechanical softness associated with high expression of the transcriptional regulator BCL9L is identified as a general marker of cancer stem cells. Microfluidic sorting allows tumor cell separation according to their mechanical stiffness.Soft tumor cells show increased tumorigenicity in vivo.BCL9L is a regulator of stemness in soft tumor cells.BCL9L levels and tumor cell softness correlate with disease progression in melanoma, breast and colon cancer patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC) is the most common malignant head and neck cancer, with a 40% recurrence rate in the first 3 years after radical treatment. Recurrence of LSCC mostly comprises lymphogenous metastasis, hematogenic metastasis, and locoregional recurrence, while LSCC seeding is rarest: there are only 4 cases reported in PubMed, and none of them is one of subcutaneous seeding. We report a case with post-surgery subcutaneous seeding of LSCC. The final biopsy demonstrated that the subcutaneous seeding of the LSCC was 2 cm away from the primary lesion, with no recurrent foci observed in the larynx and tracheostoma and little relation to the primary lesion. Thus, we drew the conclusion that LSCC surgeries should stick to the principle of the non-tumor technique to prevent subcutaneous seeding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The COVID-19 has been a pandemic around the world, which affirmatively brought mental health problems to medical staff. We aimed to investigate the prevalence of anxiety in Chinese medical staff and examine the mediation effects of coping styles on the relationship between social support and anxiety.Methods: A cross-sectional study via internet survey was conducted from 15 March to 30 March, 2020. The social demographic data, Self-rated Anxiety Scale, Social Support Rate Scale and Trait Coping Style Scale were collected. Pearson correlation and a structural equation model were performed to examine the relationships of these variables. The bootstrap analysis was conducted to evaluate the mediation effects.Results: A total of 453 medical staff participated in this study. The mean score of SAS was 46.1 (SD = 10.4). Up to 40.8% of the participants had anxiety symptoms. The participants lived with family members had lower SAS score (45.1 ± 9.8 vs 49.6 ± 11.8). Social support was negatively associated with anxiety, mediated by positive coping and negative coping partially significantly with an effect size of - 0.183.Conclusions: Chinese medical staff had a high level of anxiety during the COVID-19 pandemic. Coping styles had effects on the association between social support and anxiety. Sufficient social support and training on positive coping skills may reduce anxiety in medical staff. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Roxithromycin (ROX) is a widely used macrolide antibiotic and its environmental fate and ecotoxicity have attracted considerable attention. In this study, the phototransformation kinetics and products of ROX under the irradiation of simulated sunlight were investigated. The ecotoxicity of ROX before and after phototransformation were also examined using the bioluminescence bioassay and algae growth inhibition test. The results showed that ROX underwent direct photolysis and indirect photolysis in the presence of Suwannee River humic acid (SRHA) and Suwannee River natural organic matter (SRNOM). The kinetic rate constant of the photodegradation of ROX in the presence of 20 mg·L−1 SRHA and SRNOM were 4.0 and 3.6 times higher than direct photolysis in the absence of dissolved organic matter (DOM). A total of 20 phototransformation products (PTPs) formed as a result of the photodegradation of ROX by simulated solar irradiation were identified, and 10 of them were reported for the first time. The PTPs were generally formed through the N -demethylation, O -demethylation or direct cleavage of the side chain, desosamine or cladinose moiety from ROX. Solutions containing ROX and its PTPs showed an increased toxicity to Vibrio fischeri , demonstrating some PTPs were more toxic to V. fischeri. On the other hand, the toxicity of ROX after irradiation to Chlorella pyrenoidosa decreased, suggesting the phototransformation of ROX in the environment may be a positive outcome in the context of the growth of green algae. Unlabelled Image • 10 phototransformation products (PTPs) of ROX were reported for the first time. • The PTPs were formed by demethylation, cleavage of side chain and sugar moiety from ROX. • ROX after phototransformation showed a higher toxicity to V. fischeri. • The phototransformation of ROX is probably a detoxification process for green algae. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: We aimed to investigate the difference in serum uric acid(SUA)levels between subtypes of depression and normal population, and whether SUA can be used to identify bipolar disorder depressive episode and major depressive disorder and predict the length of hospital stay. Methods: 1543 depression patients and 1515 healthy controls were obtained according to the entry and exclusion criteria from one mental health center of a tertiary hospital in southwestern China. The diagnosis and classification of depression was in accordance with ICD-10. The SUA value was derived from fasting plasma samples analysis. The level of SUA of all the participants was quantified using Roche cobas8000-c702-MSB automatic biochemical analyzer. Data were analyzed by SPSS18.0 statistical software package. Results: Overall, the level of SUA in patients with depression was lower than that in normal control. Specifically, males' SUA levels were in the interval of [240, 323.3) and [323.3, 406.6), and women were in the [160, 233.3] levels. The SUA level of bipolar disorder depressive episode was higher compared to major depressive disorder level. Interestingly, male patients who were hospitalized for two weeks had higher SUA than those who were hospitalized for three weeks or four weeks. Conclusions: Our results suggest that the length of hospital stay may be associated with SUA, and when it is difficult to make a differential diagnosis of bipolar disorder depressive episode and major depressive disorder, the level of SUA may be considered. The adjustment of SUA as a method for treating depression needs to be carefully assessed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There are few epidemiologic studies on the role of dogs in zoonotic parasitic transmission in the Circumpolar North. The objectives of this study were to: (a) estimate the faecal prevalence of Giardia spp. and Cryptosporidium spp. in dogs; (b) investigate potential associations between the type of dog population and the faecal presence of Giardia spp. and Cryptosporidium spp.; and (c) describe the molecular characteristics of Giardia spp. and Cryptosporidium spp. in dogs in Iqaluit, Nunavut. We conducted two cross‐sectional studies in July and September 2016. In July, the team collected daily faecal samples for 3 days from each of 20 sled dogs. In September, the team collected three faecal samples from each of 59 sled dogs, 111 samples from shelter dogs and 104 from community dogs. We analysed faecal samples for the presence of Giardia spp. and Cryptosporidium spp. using rapid immunoassay and flotation techniques. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and sequencing of target genes were performed on positive faecal samples. Overall, the faecal prevalence of at least one of the target parasites, when one faecal sample was chosen at random for all dogs, was 8.16% (CI: 5.52–11.92), and for Giardia spp. and Cryptosporidium spp., prevalence was 4.42% (CI: 2.58–7.49) and 6.12% (CI: 3.88–9.53), respectively. The odds of faecal Giardia spp. in sled dogs were significantly higher than those in shelter and community dogs (OR 10.19 [CI: 1.16–89.35]). Sequence analysis revealed that 6 faecal samples were Giardia intestinalis, zoonotic assemblage B (n = 2) and species‐specific assemblages D (n = 3) and E (n = 1), and five faecal samples were Cryptosporidium canis. Giardia intestinalis is zoonotic; however, Cryptosporidium canis is rare in humans and, when present, usually occurs in immunosuppressed individuals. Dogs may be a potential source of zoonotic Giardia intestinalis assemblage B infections in residents in Iqaluit, Nunavut, Canada; however, the direction of transmission is unclear. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Meat and poultry are major protein sources for humans worldwide. Undeclared ingredients in processed meat products, like sausage, continue to be identified in retail products all over the world. In collaboration with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, a previous study of products purchased in Canada showed 20% mislabelling rate in sausage meats when tested for beef, pork, chicken, turkey and horse using DNA barcoding and digital PCR. In a follow-up to this study, an additional 100 "single species" sausage products were collected from Canadian retail markets, one year after our earlier study, to determine the prevalence of undeclared meat species in sausage. A new hierarchy of complementary molecular methods was applied in this study, including the testing of new target species (sheep and goat), in addition to beef, pork, chicken, turkey and horse. First, all samples were tested using DNA barcoding using universal primers, which revealed that 97% of the samples contained the declared species, presumably as the predominant species. Second, all samples were tested using ddPCR assays specifically targeting beef, pork, chicken, and turkey, which revealed that five beef samples, three chicken samples and two turkey samples contained undeclared species. Additionally, ddPCR revealed the presence of undeclared sheep in five samples. Overall, using complementary molecular methods, 14% of the samples contained additional undeclared species. It was encouraging to find a reduced rate of mislabelling compared to the previous study, though it remains clear that meat mislabelling is still an issue affecting Canadian consumers. The results from this study can be used to support decision-making processes for future inspection and monitoring activities in order to control species substitution or adulteration to protect consumers. Unlabelled Image • Meat mislabelling was studied in 100 single species sausage products from Canada. • Target species included beef, pork, chicken, turkey, horse, sheep and goat. • 97% of the samples contained the declared species as the predominant species. • 14% of the samples contained additional undeclared species. • It remains clear that meat mislabelling is an issue affecting Canadian consumers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: To collect information about the current status of community nurses in China and explore the roles and activities that they perform in their daily community setting. Background: Community health services are central to efforts to improve public health in China. Clarifying who performs which community nursing services can help assess the contributions of community nursing and guide future practices. However, specific information is limited in China. Methods: A descriptive, cross‐sectional survey was conducted from March to November 2014. Information was collected on demographics, work roles, and activities of community nurses. Results: Most community nurses in our survey were young with a low educational level. Their daily routine most frequently involved immunization and basic medical services, while their main roles were caregiver, educator, organiser and manager. Conclusion: Although community nurses cover nearly all areas of service that the national government requires, some roles and their associated activities are neglected. The quantity and quality of community nurses may be hindering their ability to fulfill all roles and activities envisioned by the national government. Implications for Nursing Management: Further training should be provided to increase the ability of community nurses to perform frequent functions as well as activities that are currently neglected. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: We aimed to provide a more precise estimate of the relationship between telomere length and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) by systematically reviewing evidence.Method: We conducted a systematic electronic search in the databases of the PUBMED, PsycINFO, OVID (Medline), EMBASE and other resources (such as Google Scholar). The methodological quality of the articles was assessed according to the Newcastle Ottawa Scale. Heterogeneity was assessed using the chi-square test for Cochrane's Q statistic and I-squared. When heterogeneity was found to be reasonably high between studies, the random-effects model with the mean difference (95% confidence interval [CI]) was conducted using RevMan 5 software by using the inverse variance method (P < 0.05; chi-square test). By contrast, the fixed-effects model was carried out.Results: Eight eligible studies involving 2639 participants were included in our meta-analysis. Shortened telomere length was significantly associated with OSA with mean difference of -0.03 (95% CI: -0.06, -0.00; P = 0.003 with I-square of 85%）. The results of subgroup analysis preformed by age and sample number suggested that shorter telomere length was significantly associated with OSA, with mean difference of -0.07 (95% CI: -0.07, -0.01; P = 0.005) for adult group and -0.04 (95% CI: -0.02, -0.06; P = 0.005) for large-sample studies.Conclusion: Compared to healthy people, individuals with OSA have shorter telomere lengths which implicates early intervention and timely treatment for preventing future adverse outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence and predictors of medication nonadherence among patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) in Sichuan.Patients and methods: A cross-sectional investigation was performed. Participants were recruited by consecutive sampling from the Rheumatic Clinic of a university hospital between June and September 2016. Patients' self-reported medication adherence was assessed by the eight-item Morisky Medication Adherence Scale. Additional surveys included patients' demographics, and clinical and treatment characteristics. Logistic regression analysis was used to identify the predictors of medication nonadherence.Results: A total of 140 patients were included in analysis. The percentage of patients classified as nonadherent to medication was 75%. Low education, rural residency, childlessness, limited comprehension of medication instructions, side effects experienced, dissatisfaction with treatment and better physical health were associated with an increased risk of nonadherence.Conclusion: This study demonstrated a high prevalence of medication nonadherence among SLE patients in Sichuan, and factors associated with the nonadherence are multifaceted. Interventions for these factors, such as appropriate adjustment of the service resources for patients with rheumatic disease in rural communities and improved communication between the health care providers and the patients, may contribute to improve the medication adherence of this cohort. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accurate food labelling is of utmost importance for food safety and consumer choice in the food chain. Complete or partial substitution, whether intentional or unintentional, may introduce food pathogens or allergens to a product or affect personal or religious beliefs. Several studies around the world have reported different degrees of species substitution in meat products but no similar studies have been conducted in the Canadian market for sausage products. In this study, 100 raw meat sausage samples that were labelled as single meat species products (beef, pork, chicken or turkey) were collected from retail establishments across Canada and were surveyed for the presence of a panel of non-labeled species. The predominant meat species were determined using DNA barcoding and contaminant or unclaimed meat species were detected using digital droplet PCR using species specific primers and probes. All samples were also tested for presence of horse meat using real-time PCR. All samples contained the predominant species matching the label species except for five turkey sausage samples which contained chicken as the predominant species. Second, this analysis showed that 6% of beef sausages also contained pork, 20% of chicken sausages contained turkey while 5% contained beef, and 5% of pork sausages also contained beef. Five samples labeled as turkey sausage contained no turkey and one pork sample was found to contain horse meat. The overall mislabeling rate detected in this study was 20% and the results provide a baseline for assessing species mislabeling in processed meat products in Canada. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a common psychiatric disorder, which may accelerate aging. Many study have investigated the association between telomeres length and PTSD, but results from published studies are contradictory. Therefore, Meta-analysis approaches were conducted to give more precise estimate of relationship between telomere length and PTSD.Method: We systematically reviewed the databases of PUBMED, PsycINFO, Medline(Ovid SP) and EMBASE for all articles on the association between telomere length and PTSD. Data were summarized by using random-effects in the meta-analysis. The heterogeneity among studies were examined by using Cochrane's Q statistic and I-squared.Results: Five eligible studies containing 3851 participants were included in our meta-analysis. Shorten telomere length was significantly associated with PTSD with mean difference of -0.19( 95% CI: -0.27, -0.01; P<0.001) with I-square of 96%. The results from subgroup analysis demonstrated that shorter telomere length was significantly associated with PTSD across all gender groups, with mean difference of -0.15( 95% CI: -0.29, -0.01; P=0.04) for female, mean difference of -0.17( 95% CI: -0.19, -0.15; P<0.001) for male. Meanwhile, shorten telomere length was significantly associated with sexual assault(mean difference =-0.15, 95% CI: -0.29, -0.01), childhood trauma (mean difference =-0.08, 95% CI: -0.19, -0.07), but not combat (mean difference =-0.39, 95% CI: -0.83, 0.05).Conclusion: Compared to the individuals without PTSD, individuals with PTSD have shorter telomere length, which has implications for early intervention and timely treatment to prevent future adverse health outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We describe a highly sensitive glucose probe based on carbon dots modified with MnO. A strong reduction of the green fluorescence of the carbon dots (CDs) happened due to the surface energy transfer (SET) from CDs to the deposited MnO. In the presence of HO (formed via enzymatic oxidation of glucose), fluorescence is restored because the MnO nanosheets are reduced to form colorless Mn(II) ions. These findings were used to design a fluorometric glucose assay that has a detection limit as low as 44 nM (at an S/N ratio of 3). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A Chemical equation is presented for the article "Silver-Catalyzed Glaser Coupling of Alkynes" by Z. Tian and colleagues published in the journal "Applied Organometallic Chemistry" in 2015.

This study aimed to test the association between the European GWAS-identified risk IQGAP2 SNP rs457717 (A>G) and age-related hearing impairment (ARHI) in a Han male Chinese (HMC) population. A total of 2420 HMC subjects were divided into two groups [group 70+: >70 years ( n = 1306), and group 70−: ≤70 years ( n = 1114)]. The participants were categorised into case and control groups according to Z high scores for group 70− and the severity of hearing loss and different audiogram shapes identified by K-means cluster analysis for group 70+. The IQGAP2 tagSNP rs457717 was genotyped in accordance with the different ARHI phenotypes. The genotype distributions of IQGAP2 (AA/AG/GG) were not significantly different between the case and control groups ( P = 0.613 for group 70−; P = 0.602 for group 70+). Compared with genotype AA, the ORs of genotypes AG and GG for ARHI were not significantly different following adjustment for other environmental risk factors. We demonstrated that the IQGAP2 TagSNP rs457717 (A/G) was not associated with ARHI in HMC individuals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) regulate key signaling events in a variety of eukaryotic cells. Toxoplasma gondii, the causative agents of toxoplasmosis, possesses a p38α MAPK homologue, MAPK1, which is an important manipulator of host immunity and virulence in mice. In this work, we showed an increased transcript level of MAPK1 in T. gondii during bradyzoite differentiation induced by alkaline treatment and heat shock in vitro, suggesting that MAPK1 may be associated with bradyzoite differentiation. The biological roles of MAPK1 of T. gondii were investigated by construction of a MAPK1 deletion mutant (Δ mapk1) and a complementation mutant with restored MAPK1 expression using a type I strain. Knockout of MAPK1 resulted in markedly defective bradyzoite differentiation, host-cell attachment and parasite replication in vitro, and the inability to cause lethal infection in a murine model of acute toxoplasmosis, with lower parasite burden in infected tissues, showing that MAPK1 is associated with the acute virulence of parasite in mice. Complementation of MAPK1-deficient parasites restored bradyzoite development, attachment, replication, and virulence. Our findings demonstrate that MAPK1 is involved in asexual development and growth of T. gondii. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To evaluate the expression and location of epithelial sodium channels (ENaCs) in human nasal polyp and normal nasal mucosa, and to characterize the relevance of ENaCs to the development of NPs. Nasal polyp tissue from 17 patients and nasal mucosa from ten patients were obtained through endoscopic sinus surgery. The mRNA concentrations of ENaC-α, β, and γ were detected by real-time polymerase chain reaction. The expression of ENaC-α was detected using western blot and immunofluorescence techniques. The distribution of ENaC-α in mucosal tissue was observed using a laser scanning confocal microscope. The transcriptional expression of three subunits of ENaC was in the following order: α > β > γ, in both groups. The transcriptional expression of α, β, and γ subunits of ENaC was elevated in nasal polyp compared to nasal mucosa ( p < 0.01). ENaC-α expression was higher in nasal polyp than in nasal mucosa ( p < 0.05). Immunofluorescent staining indicated that ENaC-α protein was distributed in the epithelial cell apical membrane. The expression of ENaC is upregulated in human nasal polyp, which might in turn facilitate the formation and development of nasal polyp. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a study that examined the associations of gene polymorphisms and gene-environment interactions with the risk of developing posttraumatic distress disorder (PTSD) among adolescent earthquake survivors in China. Topics include study measures such as a questionnaire about demographic characteristics and earthquake exposure, the PTSD Checklist-Civilian Version and the Structured Clinical Interview for "Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fourth edition."

Conclusion: Gene transcription and protein expression of α-ENaC showed a divergent expression in association with the development of OME induced by barotrauma. Objectives: ENaC was identified to mediate the fluid absorption through epithelia of the middle ear. This study was designed to investigate the involvement of ENaC in otitis media with effusion (OME) induced by barotrauma. Methods: A rat model of otitis media with effusion was established using a pressure cabin. The dynamic expression of α-ENaC was detected by Real time-PCR and western blot in the course of otitis media. Results: Compared with the control, the volume of α-ENaC mRNA and protein increased significantly by 3.18-fold and 2.8-fold on the 3rd day, respectively, while decreased by 0.54-fold and 0.32-fold on the 7th day, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conclusion: Gene transcription and protein expression of α-ENaC showed a divergent expression in association with the development of OME induced by barotrauma. Objectives: ENaC was identified to mediate the fluid absorption through epithelia of the middle ear. This study was designed to investigate the involvement of ENaC in otitis media with effusion (OME) induced by barotrauma. Methods: A rat model of otitis media with effusion was established using a pressure cabin. The dynamic expression of α-ENaC was detected by Real time-PCR and western blot in the course of otitis media. Results: Compared with the control, the volume of α-ENaC mRNA and protein increased significantly by 3.18-fold and 2.8-fold on the 3rd day, respectively, while decreased by 0.54-fold and 0.32-fold on the 7th day, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The advent of social networks and cloud computing has made social multimedia sharing in social networks become easier and more efficient. The lowered cost of redistribution, however, also invites much motivation for large-scale copyright infringement, so it is necessary to safeguard multimedia sharing for security and privacy. In this paper, we proposed a novel framework for joint fingerprinting and encryption (JFE) based on Cellular Automata (CA) and social network analysis (SNA) with the purpose of protecting media distribution in social networks. The motivation is to map the hierarchical community structure of social networks into the tree structure of Discrete Wavelet Transform (DWT) for fingerprinting and encryption. First, the fingerprint code is produced by using SNA. Then the obtained fingerprints are embedded into the DWT domain. Afterwards, CA is used for permutation in the DWT domain. Finally, the image is diffused with XOR operation in the spatial domain. The proposed method, to the best of our knowledge, is the first JFE method using CA and SNA in hybrid domains for security and privacy in social networks. The use of fingerprinting along with encryption can provide a double-layer protection for media sharing in social networks. Both theoretical analysis and experimental results validate the effectiveness of the proposed scheme. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Serious and long-lasting psychiatric consequences can be found in children and adolescents following earthquake, including the development of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Although researchers have been focused on PTSD recently, its prevalence and risk factors after a huge natural disaster are still unclear because of limited sample size. The purpose of this study is to explore the prevalence of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in adolescent survivors three years after the Wenchuan earthquake, describe PTSD symptoms, and to find out risk factors of PTSD.Methods: A total of 4,604 adolescents from three middle schools which located in earthquake-stricken areas were recruited in this study. Instruments included the demographic questionnaire, questionnaire about earthquake exposure, the Social Support Appraisal Scale (SSA), the Posttraumatic stress disorder Checklist-Civilian Version (PCL-C), and the structured clinical interview for DSM-IV Disorders (SCID).Results: The prevalence rate of PTSD was 5.7% (frequency: n = 261), and the most commonly occurring symptoms of PTSD were distress at reminders (64.5%), difficulty concentration (59.1%), and being easily startled (58.6%). Loss of houses and property, being injured, deaths of family members, and witness of death are positive risk factors of PTSD, and physical exercise and social support are negative risk factors of PTSD.Conclusions: Professional and effective interventions are needed to reduce the development of PTSD among adolescents after the Wenchuan earthquake, especially for these who lost their houses or property and lost their family members, witnessed death, and lacked of social support in the earthquake. Moreover, injured adolescents and adolescents who lacked of physical exercise also need intervention due to high risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Si n–i–p tunnel field-effect transistor (TFET) fabricated by plasma implantation and laser annealing is proposed. This TFET has sharp lateral source doping profile, which can reduce the tunneling distance and improve carrier tunneling. Enhanced on-current (12μA/μm) and improved I ON/I OFF ratio (6×106) are observed in this TFET [V DS =(V GS − V BTBT)=−1.1V; V BTBT is the V GS at the lowest subthreshold current observed at given V DS] at T =300K. In addition, the TFET fabricated by laser annealing shows improved subthreshold characteristics, reduced tunneling resistance and smaller threshold voltage than TFET fabricated by rapid thermal annealing. Low-temperature measurements of this TFET were also performed to confirm the carrier injection mechanism of band-to-band tunneling. Plasma implantation and laser annealing are effective and suitable to be applied in current CMOS technology for low power devices. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

To reduce the power consumption and improve the device performance in scaled CMOS integrated circuits, transistors with steep subthreshold swing (SS) is highly desirable. The tunnel field-effect transistor (TFET) based on the band-to-band tunneling has been suggested as a replacement to conventional MOSFETs. In order to improve the device performance of TFET, enhanced carrier transport across the tunneling junction is crucial. In this paper, source-pocket Si TFET is presented and successfully fabricated by laser annealing. This TFET has enhanced lateral electric field across the source tunneling junction, resulting in a reduction of tunneling distance. The experimental data of the proposed paper, for the first time, shows steep SS (46 mV/dec at 1 \pA/\mu\m), excellent ION/IOFF ratio (<\10^7), and improved output characteristics at T = \300\ \K due to the dramatic reduction of the tunneling resistance. Compared with other TFET works, the proposed method is efficient to improve the device performance on TFET. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The morphological changes of ricin-induced apoptosis in a human cervical cancer cell line were studied. To shed light on the mechanism of action of ricin toxin (RT) at the cellular level, we examined cell growth, apoptosis, changes of mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) and cytochrome C translocation in HeLa cells by exposing these cells to RT for indicated times. The effect of RT on cell proliferation was measured by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-5-(3-carboxymethoxyphenyl)-2-(4-sulfophenyl)-2H-tetrazolium (MTS), inner salt; MTS assay and apoptosis were measured using flow cytometry, fluorescence microscopy and electron microscopy. Changes in MMP were monitored using flow cytometry. Western blot analysis was used to evaluate the release of mitochondrial cytochrome C. RT noticeably inhibited the proliferation of HeLa cells, and the half maximal inhibitory concentration dose was about 100 ng/ml. HeLa cells treated with RT showed typical characteristics of apoptosis rather than necrosis, including phosphatidylserine exposed from the inner to the outer leaflet of the plasma membrane, abnormal cell morphology, chromatin condensation and nuclear fragmentation. In contrast, during the process of cellular apoptosis, the messenger RNA (mRNA) and protein expression of cytochrome C in treated and untreated Hela cells were not significantly changed (data not shown). However, when cells were treated with RT, the massive translocation of cytochrome C to the nucleus was evident. Our results indicate that RT-induced HeLa cell apoptosis, especially for cytochrome C translocation, may play an important role in apoptosis induced by RT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The first study to detect multiple pig social behaviours based on a computer vision-based method. • Utilisation of keypoint-based high-quality spatio-temporal features. • Realisation of high-precision sophisticated social behavior classification. • Robustness against piglet body deformation and challenging environments. In the pig industry, the social behaviors of preweaning piglets are critical indicators of their liveability, growth, health, and welfare status. In this study, we developed a novel method based on convolutional neural networks (CNNs) that extracts high-quality spatiotemporal features to detect different types of social behaviors among preweaning piglets: snout-snout and snout-body social nosing, and snout-snout and snout-body aggressive/playing behavior. In our method, piglets were first detected and individually tracked using an integrated CNN-based network. Upon piglet detection, the key points of the piglet body were detected using a key point detector and a 1-second-tracking-unit strategy was adopted to reduce the influence of tracking errors and missing the detection of piglets. To detect suspected social behaviors in a tracking unit, we constructed a self-adaptive spatial affinity kernel function to represent the relationships between piglets, and pairwise piglets with spatial affinity higher than 0.7 were kept for further analysis, while the others were filtered out. Thereafter, high-quality spatiotemporal features consisting of the piglets' spatial affinity and the corresponding linear motion and angular motion intensities were extracted and input into a support vector machine to hierarchically detect and classify piglet social behaviors. In addition, the proportions of the four detected social behaviors associated with the interaction points were analyzed in short video clips and a long video that covered the whole daytime. Our method achieved a favorable detection performance with a recall of 0.9687, a precision of 0.9309, and an F 1 of 0.9494 in the short video clips, and a recall of 0.9576, a precision of 0.9187, and an F 1 of 0.9377 in the 8-h long video episode. This shows the feasibility of the detection of social behaviors for piglets using CNNs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Alkyltri(oxyethyl) β- d -glucopyranosides in anomerically pure form were prepared. • Their water solubility was obviously improved by a hydrophilic spacer. • Their surface properties had regular variations. • They should be applied as sugar-based surfactants, bioreagents. Based on reconstructing conventional alkyl β - d -glucopyranosides, alkyltri(oxyethyl) β - d -glucopyranosides (4a ~ 4h , n = 6 ~ 16) were prepared by introducing a tri(oxyethyl) group ((–OCH 2 CH 2 –) 3) as a hydrophilic spacer to improve effectively the related water solubility. Their foaming performance, emulsifying property, hygroscopicity, solubility, and thermotropic phase transitions were further investigated. The experimental results showed that the phase transition temperature (T iso) increased with increasing their alkyl chain length. Such β - d -glucopyranosides (4b ~ 4h , n = 7 ~ 16) showed a smectic focal conic-shaped texture. Their water solubility, surface tension, CMC value, and hygroscopicity decreased with increasing their alkyl chain length. Meanwhile, 4e (n = 10) had the best foamability. In the rapeseed oil/water system, 4f (n = 12) had excellent emulsifying property. Furthermore, 4 (n = 8, 10, 12) and SDS or CTAC had the synergistic effect because their experimental CMC value was smaller than their ideal CMC value (CMCid). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Changes in AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) activity contribute to the regulation of insulin secretion. Troglitazone has been shown to lower serum insulin levels and protect beta cell function. The aim of the present study was to examine the effects of troglitazone on AMPK activity and insulin secretion in beta cells. Isolated rat islets and MIN6 cells were treated for a short (1 h) or a long time (20 h) with troglitazone. One-hour troglitazone treatment activated AMPK and inhibited both glucose-stimulated insulin secretion (GSIS) and the response of insulin secretion to combined stimuli of glucose and palmitate. Long (20 h) treatment with troglitazone caused a sustained phosphorylation of AMPK and acetyl-CoA carboxylase, and increased GSIS after withdrawal of the drug. This study provided evidence that troglitazone activated AMPK in beta cells. In addition to the insulin-sensitizing effects in peripheral tissues, troglitazone also directly inhibits insulin hypersecretion by the elevated glucose and fatty acids, and thus protects beta cells from glucolipotoxicity. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is an energy sensor that regulates cellular metabolism. Changes in AMPK activity contribute to the regulation of insulin secretion. Epidemiological evidence links the ingestion of saturated fatty acid with hyperinsulinemia. The aim of the present study was to examine the effects of palmitate on β cell AMPK activity and insulin secretion. Isolated rat islets and MIN6 β cells were treated acutely (5–60min) or chronically (24h) with palmitate. Insulin secretion, AMPK and acetyl CoA carboxylase phosphorylation were assessed. The acute effects of palmitate included AMPK activation and augmentation in insulin secretion. Activation of AMPK by 24h pretreatment with palmitate suppressed glucose-stimulated insulin secretion, but not the response of insulin secretion to combined stimuli of glucose and palmitate. This study demonstrated that palmitate availability affected β cell AMPK activity. In β cells, an increase in AMPK activity may be required for fatty acid-induced fatty acid oxidation and prevention of lipotoxicity. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This purpose was to discuss optimal reference value for normal glucose tolerance (NGT) at different time points during an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis. One thousand seven hundred and forty-six subjects from March 2004 to March 2005 were given 75g OGTT and the blood samples were collected at 0, 30, 60, 120 and 180min for glucose measurement. Other demographic data (e.g. age, sex, body mass index, BMI) were also recorded. The status of NGT, impaired glucose tolerance (IGT), impaired fasting glucose (IFG) and DM was determined according to American Diabetes Association (ADA) criteria. IGT and IFG were merged as impaired glucose regulation (IGR). Using IGR as the assumed test, the cutoff values at 0, 30, 60, 120 and 180min during OGTT for normal reference range were calculated by ROC analysis. The cutoff values were 5.6, 9.5, 10.1, 7.8 and 6.1mmol/l at 0, 30, 60, 120 and 180min, respectively, in whole subjects. In addition, we provided the ROC information in age-stratified groups since there are differences among different age groups. When the results of OGTT were considered, the present study provided a reference range value to evaluate the status of glucose tolerance. Because of the heterogeneity of diabetes, further studies are necessity. And the sample collection is continuing. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Dengue is one of the most important pervasive diseases in many regions of the world, including China. There is an urgent need for new repellents, including plant derivatives, due to the resistance, toxicity, and non-degradability of synthetic insecticides. Traditional plant-based remedies may provide potential avenues for developing new strategies. The aims of this study were to 1) document the traditional mosquitoes repellent plants used by the Dai people of Xishuangbanna, China; 2) screen out new efficient mosquito repellent plants as candidates for further study. During the period August 2016 to July 2017, five field surveys were conducted in 16 villages of Xishuangbanna. A total of 81 informants (44 males and 37 females) were interviewed using semi-structured questions to collect detailed information on the plants they use to prevent mosquito bites. Ten plants with higher popularity and larger resource were collected and extracts were prepared by hydro-distillation or with petroleum ether. Extracts were tested for adult Aedes albopictus repellency using a human-bait cage. Firstly, repellency was determined as the Minimum Effective Dosage (MED) per minute at which 1% of the mosquito bite through the treated cloth. Secondly, five plant extracts with lower MEDs were tested the repellent longevity of different concentrations. Eighteen plants were documented as being used in traditional remedies against mosquitoes. The methods for controlling mosquitoes were diverse: direct burning was used for most plants (16 species), followed by smearing (5 species), and placing (5 species). Laboratory analyses confirmed that ten plants did exhibit mosquito repellent activity. Of them, Artemisia indica, Nicotiana tabacum , Blumea balsamifera , Vitex trifolia , and Chromolaena odorata showed good mosquito repellency with MEDs of 0.015, 0.061, 0.090, 0.090, and 0.105 mg/cm2, respectively. The protection rate provided by A. indica is also the highest among five plants. Although it provides complete protection time of only 30 min at 0.45 mg/cm2 concentration, its repellency within 2 h is not significantly different from that of DEET. Dai villagers in Xishuangbanna have a rich, diverse and scientific knowledge of plant-based mosquito repellents. Laboratory experiments screened out several plants as candidates for mosquito repellents, of which Artemisia indica was the most promising candidate plant. Image 1 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the inherent defects of the long alkyl chain in the related hydrophilicity and water solubility, alkyl α - D -xylosides (7) had hardly the practical application as sugar-based surfactants and should be reconstructed to obtain alkyl dioxyethyl α - D -xylosides (5) with dioxyethylene fragment (−(OCH 2 CH 2) 2 -)) as the hydrophilic spacer to increase the related TPSA value. With D -xylose as the raw material, 1,2-cis alkyl dioxyethyl α - D -xylosides (5a-5f , n = 6–12) were stereoselectively synthesized. Their physicochemical properties including water solubility, surface tension, foamability, emulsification, thermotropic liquid crystal, and hygroscopicity had been investigated. Their water solubility was found to decrease gradually whereas their calculated HLB numbers were 14.72 → 11.67 (n = 6 → 12) with increasing alkyl chain length (n). Dodecyl dioxyethyl α - D -xyloside (5f) had not water solubility because the HLB number was low. Furthermore, their CMC values decreased with increasing the alkyl chain length, and the CMC value of decyl dioxyethyl α - D -xyloside (5e) was as low as 9.21 × 10−5 mol·L−1. Octyl dioxyethyl α - D -xyloside (5c) had the lowest surface tension (27.25 mN·m−1) at the CMC. Both of nonyl and decyl dioxyethyl α - D -xylosides (5d & 5e) possessed good foaming power and foam stability. Decyl dioxyethyl α - D -xyloside (5e) had the strongest emulsifying property either in the toluene/water system or in the octane/water system. Nonyl dioxyethyl α - D -xylosides (5d) had the most stylish S A texture. Hexyl dioxyethyl α - D -xyloside (5a) possessed the strongest hygroscopicity. Therefore, the alkyl dioxyethyl α - D -xylosides as a class of novel sugar-based surfactants will be widely considered as promising candidates for various practical applications. Unlabelled Image • Alkyl dioxyethyl α-D-xylosides in anomerically pure form were prepared. • An introduction of a hydrophilic spacer caused water solubility improvement. • Their surface properties changed regularly with increasing the alkyl chain length. • They should be used as sugar-based surfactants and bioreagents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: China is reforming its health care system, which aimed to strengthen primary health care through building community health centers (stations) and assigning a "gate‐keeper" role to primary care providers. Community nurses play a key role in the reform. Little is known about the level of job stress among community nurses. Thus, this study aims to explore the level of perceived job stress and its influencing factors among community nurses. Method: A cross‐sectional design was used to conduct a survey with 1015 nurses from 56 community health centers in Sichuan province. Job stress was measured by the Community Nurses Stress Scale. Data were collected between March and November 2015. Results: Community health nurses in China perceived high levels of job stress. The job stress was related to nurses' individual characteristics and work environments. Permanently employed nurses, shift workers, and those older than 45 years age and with less training related to community nursing and involvement in childcare were more likely to experience high levels of stress. Conclusion: Reform is required of the community nursing personnel system, and development of continuing education programs and stress‐alleviating measures to reduce community nurses' job stress. The results of this study favour future advanced practice community health nursing practice and education. SUMMARY STATEMENT: What is already known about this topic? Nursing is a highly stressful occupation and job stress among clinical nurses is well‐recognized.Nurses in different workplaces may perceive different job‐related stresses.There is limited evidence regarding community health nurses' job stress, especially from different geographical areas. What this paper adds? Community health nurses perceived high levels of job stress.The nursing profession and working duties were the major job stress of community health nurses.Type of employment, shift work, age, training related to community nursing, and involvement in childcare predicted community health nurses' job stress. Contrary to existing literature, type of employment was the strongest factor related to community health nurses' job stress. The implications of this paper: Occupational health education and training programmes may be necessary to improve the knowledge and ability of nurses to cope with work demands, and reduce job stress.Findings could inform policy and practice through the development of interventions aimed at creating better work environments and reforming the community health nursing personnel system, whereby nurses can successfully perform their jobs.Further research is needed to generate interventions for the management of occupational stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Satellite synthetic aperture radar (SAR) interferometry (InSAR) is a powerful technology to monitor slow ground surface movements. However, the extraction and interpretation of information from big sets of InSAR measurements is a complex and demanding task. In this paper, a new method is presented for automatically detecting potential instability risks affecting buildings and infrastructures, by searching for anomalies in the persistent scatterer (PS) deformations, either in the spatial or in the temporal dimensions. In the spatial dimension, in order to reduce the dataset size and improve data reliability, we utilize a hierarchical clustering method to obtain convergence points that are more trustworthy. Then, we detect deformations characterized by large values and spatial inhomogeneity. In the temporal dimension, we use a signal processing method to decompose the input into two main components: regular periodic deformations and piecewise linear deformations. After removing the periodic component, the velocity variation in each identified temporal partition is analyzed to detect anomalous velocity trends and accelerations. The method has been tested on different sites in China, based on InSAR measurements from COSMO-SkyMed data. The results, verified with in-field surveys, confirm the potential of the method for the automatic detection of deformation anomalies that could cause building or infrastructure stability problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Land degradation and desertification in arid and semi-arid areas is of great concern. Accurately mapping percentage vegetation cover (PVC) of the areas is critical but challenging because the areas are often remote, sparsely vegetated, and rarely populated, and it is difficult to collect field observations of PVC. Traditional methods such as regression modeling cannot provide accurate predictions of PVC in the areas. Nonparametric constant k-nearest neighbors (Cons_kNN) has been widely used in estimation of forest parameters and is a good alternative because of its flexibility. However, using a globally constant k value in Cons_kNN limits its ability of increasing prediction accuracy because the spatial variability of PVC in the areas leads to spatially variable k values. In this study, a novel method that spatially optimizes determining the spatially variable k values of Cons_kNN, denoted with Opt_kNN, was proposed to map the PVC in both Duolun and Kangbao County located in Inner Mongolia and Hebei Province of China, respectively, using Landsat 8 images and sample plot data. The Opt_kNN was compared with Cons_kNN, a linear stepwise regression (LSR), a geographically weighted regression (GWR), and random forests (RF) to improve the mapping for the study areas. The results showed that (1) most of the red and near infrared band relevant vegetation indices derived from the Landsat 8 images had significant contributions to improving the mapping accuracy; (2) compared with LSR, GWR, RF and Cons_kNN, Opt_kNN resulted in consistently higher prediction accuracies of PVC and decreased relative root mean square errors by 5%, 11%, 5%, and 3%, respectively, for Duolun, and 12%, 1%, 23%, and 9%, respectively, for Kangbao. The Opt_kNN also led to spatially variable and locally optimal k values, which made it possible to automatically and locally optimize k values; and (3) the RF that has become very popular in recent years did not perform the predictions better than the Opt_kNN for the both areas. Thus, the proposed method is very promising to improve mapping the PVC in the arid and semi-arid areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Several single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of the Glutamate metabotrophic receptor 7 gene (GRM7) have recently been identified by the genome-wide association study (GWAS) as potentially playing a role in susceptibility to age-related hearing impairment (ARHI), however this has not been validated in the Han Chinese population. The aim of this study was to determine if these SNPs are also associated with ARHI in an elderly male Han Chinese population. In this case-control candidate genes association study, a total of 982 men with ARHI and 324 normal-hearing controls subjects were studied. Using K-means cluster analysis, four audiogram shape subtypes of ARHI were identified in the case group: ‘‘flat shape (FL)’’, ‘‘sloping shape (SL)’’, ‘‘2-4 kHz abrupt loss (AL) shape’’ and ‘‘8 kHz dip (8D) shape’’. Results suggested that the SNP rs11928865 (A>T) of GRM7 was significantly associated with ARHI after adjusting for non-genetic factors (p= 0.000472, OR= 1.599, 95%CI= 1.229~2.081). Furthermore, frequency of TT genotype (rs11928865) were significant higher in the SL subgroup and AL subgroup with compared to controls group (p= 9.41E-05, OR= 1.945, 95%CI= 1.393~2.715; p= 0.000109, OR= 1.915, 95%CI= 1.378~2.661 adjusted, respectively) after Bonferroni correction. However, there wasn’t significant difference in the frequency of the TT genotype between cases in the FL subgroup or the 8D subgroup with when compared with controls. Results of the current study suggest that, in an elderly male Han Chinese population, GRM7 SNP rs11928865 (TT) occurs more frequently in ARHI patients with SL and AL phenotype patterns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]