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Abstract Background A comprehensive understanding of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on childhood nutrition is crucial for devising effective mitigation strategies. However, existing knowledge regarding the pandemic’s effect on childhood nutritional status remains limited. Furthermore, research focusing on young children aged 0–3 years is scarce. Methods Leveraging the outbreak that originated in Wuhan in Dec 2019, the epicenter of China’s first and largest outbreak, and national survey and statistical yearbook data, this study conducted a natural experimental analysis with the consideration of geographical exposure, temporal exposure and survey cohort effects to investigate the pandemic’s impacts on varying nutritional indicators of infants and toddlers aged 0–36 months. A comprehensive set of sensitivity analyses, robustness checks and falsification tests were conducted. The potential heterogeneities across socioeconomic and age groups were also examined. Results The pandemic was robustly predictive of a higher weight-for-age z-score (WAZ) and length/height-for-age z-score (HAZ), and a lower likelihood of underweight. The effects of the pandemic on increasing WAZ and reducing underweight were more pronounced among children from economically disadvantaged backgrounds or aged 0–12 months. Additionally, the increasing HAZ was primarily among children from households with lower family income. Moreover, the pandemic was negatively linked to the body mass index (BMI)-for-age z-score (BAZ) of children residing in more developed cities, and positively linked to overweight/obesity among children aged 13–24 months. Conclusions This study adds to a more comprehensive understanding of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on childhood nutrition. Notably, the findings highlight that weight gain attributable to the pandemic was predominantly among vulnerable children from disadvantaged backgrounds and younger age groups, who were already at a higher risk of overweight/obesity before the pandemic. Consequently, our findings imply the necessity of greater caution to the widened gap in childhood malnutrition post-pandemic. Furthermore, the study emphasizes the importance of implementing adaptable strategies with the consideration of social justice to safeguard all children’s right to optimal growth from exogenous shocks and to achieve the children-related SDGs by 2030.

Abstract The gut microbiome primarily generates short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) by fermenting dietary fibers. Though previous studies have linked SCFAs to blood pressure, there remains a lack of research on the relationship between SCFAs levels in the serum of elderly individuals and blood pressure. Based on this, we investigated the associations of serum SCFAs with blood pressure in Chinese older adults in a cross-sectional study. In this report, we recruited 1013 older adults over 60 years of age from June to September 2016 in Lu 'an City, China. Using Ultra High Performance Liquid Chromatography-Quadrupole-Exactive-Orbitrap-Mass Spectrometry (UHPLC-QE-Orbitrap MS), we measured the level of various SCFAs, including acetic acid (AA), propanoic acid (PA), butyric acid (BA), isobutyric acid (iso-BA), valeric acid (VA), isovaleric acid (iso-VA), and caproic acid (CA), in serum samples collected from Chinese elderly adults. The study recruited 1013 older adults in total. Multiple logistic regression analysis shows that AA (OR = 0.696, 95%CI: 0.501–0.966) and VA (OR = 0.713, 95%CI: 0.516–0.985) are negatively associated with hypertension. Linear regression analysis shows a negative correlation between AA (β = -3.89, 95% CI: -7.12 – -0.66) and the systolic blood pressure (SBP) levels, and a significant negative association between iso-VA (β = -2.11, 95% CI: -3.94 – -0.29) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) levels. Whether in unadjusted or adjusted linear regression models, we all observe significant positive associations between CA and blood pressure levels. In the Bayesian kernel-machine regression (BKMR) models, the trends between the mixture of SCFAs and hypertension, SBP are inverse, but not significant; we also observe a significant negative correlation between AA and SBP, and a significant negative association between iso-VA and DBP levels, while CA is significantly positively correlated with SBP and DBP. Collectively, our results advocate for considering SCFA as a potential intervention to lower blood pressure, and especially AA may be a possible target for research. This may provide new perspectives for understanding the role of SCFAs in hypertension.

This study innovatively evaluated ecological civilization in China from the perspective of environment and health. A Composite Environmental Health Index (CEHI) was constructed based on the Driving force-Pressure-State-Impact-Response (DPSIR) and Coupling Coordination Degree (CCD) models. Results showed that significant and sustained improvements were observed in the ecological environment after ecological civilization, while economic development continued to progress at a steady pace. However, the advancement in population health (impact subsystem), exhibited comparatively modest progress, potentially linked to issues such as demographic aging and the enduring consequences of past exposure to environmental pollutants. At the provincial level, the regional development was uneven. The CEHI performance was highest in the eastern regions, followed by the central regions, with the western regions showing the least progress. Beijing, Guangdong, Jiangsu, Shanghai, and Zhejiang emerged as top performers with higher CEHI scores, which can be attributed to their favorable geographical positioning and the response subsystem. Conversely, northeastern regions (Heilongjiang, Jilin, and Liaoning) and northwestern regions (Shaanxi, Gansu, Ningxia, and Qinghai) experienced limited advancements in post-ecological civilization implementation. For these underperforming regions, there is a pressing need to intensify efforts aimed at enhancing their response subsystems. In summary, China's pursuit of ecological civilization has yielded significant successes, potentially offering valuable insights for other nations striving for sustainable development. The ecological civilization model's integration of ecological environmental protection into economic, political, cultural, and social constructs may serve as a meaningful reference for the sustainable development of other countries.

ABSTRACT Combined use of controlled‐release urea and conventional urea (CCU) is considered a practical strategy to simultaneously achieve the dual benefits of crop yield and nitrogen use efficiency (NUE). However, the overall impact of CCU on rice production is not well understood. A meta‐analysis was conducted to determine the effect of CCU on rice yield and NUE in China. The results revealed that CCU increased rice yield by 6.22% and NUE by 16.5% compared with conventional urea. Significant yield and NUE gains from CCU were evident only when the ratio of controlled‐release urea to total nitrogen input reached 0.6 or above. Rice yield and NUE were increased simultaneously at nitrogen rates ranging from 150 to 225 kg ha−1, with no significant improvement in grain yield and NUE with nitrogen supply beyond 290 and 327 kg ha−1, respectively. In addition, rice yield and NUE were significantly greater with split rather than single application of CCU. Also, rice yield and NUE were increased when mean annual temperature (MAT), mean annual precipitation (MAP) and soil available nitrogen (AN) were more than 10°C, 800 mm, and 50 mg kg−1, respectively. Soil pH and organic matter content were significant determinants of rice yield and NUE gains with CCU. Our findings clearly demonstrate that the combined use of controlled‐release urea and conventional urea will deliver significant gains in rice yield and NUE and that it should be proposed as an effective measure for sustainable rice production.

Grain chalkiness adversely affects rice quality, and the positional variation of grain chalkiness within a rice panicle presents a substantial obstacle to quality improvement in China. However, the molecular mechanism underlying this variation is unclear. This study conducted a genetic and physiological analysis of grains situated at distinct positions (upper, middle, and bottom primary branches of the rice panicle, denoted as Y1, Y2, and Y3) within a rice panicle using the Yangdao 6 variety. The results indicated that the percentage of chalky grains (PCG) in Y1 was the highest, i.e., 17.12% and 52.18% higher than that of Y2 and Y3, respectively. Y2 exhibited the highest degree of grain chalkiness (DGC), attributable to its greater area of endosperm chalkiness (AEC) than the others. Y3 demonstrated the lowest PCG and DGC. Additionally, Y1 and Y2 were characterized by lower amylose and protein contents, as well as looser starch granule morphology, in comparison to Y3. Compared with Y3, both the average and maximum filling rates of Y1 and Y2 increased markedly; however, the active filling duration was notably reduced by 7.10 d and 5.56 d, respectively. The analysis of genomic expression levels indicated an enrichment of starch and sucrose metabolism in Y1-vs.-Y2, Y2-vs.-Y3, and Y1-vs.-Y3, with 7 genes (5 up-regulated and 2 down-regulated), 53 genes (12 up-regulated and 41 down-regulated), and 12 genes (2 up-regulated and 10 down-regulated) in the Y1-vs.-Y2, Y2-vs.-Y3, and Y1-vs.-Y3. The majority of these genes were down-regulated, linking metabolic activity to grain filling and contributing to the occurrence of grain chalkiness in rice panicles. In conclusion, the metabolic processes associated with sucrose and starch play a crucial role in regulating grain filling and the formation of chalkiness in rice.

The innovation factor allocation efficiency (IFAE), indicated by R&D institutions' technical input information and manufacturers’ technical output information, is mainly optimized by transformation of incomplete technical information into relatively complete information and finally complete technical information. There are two optimization mechanisms, namely single optimization and continuous optimization. The empirical analysis selected data from 73 listed companies in software development and 596 listed companies in processing and manufacturing, and testified its hypotheses with GMM regression results. The research finds that the differences in benefits are caused by gradual changes in technical information. With shared goals of benefit maximization between R&D institutions and manufacturers, a correct strategy for technical information can optimize the IFAE. Single optimization refers to the one-time recognition or identification of relatively complete technical information and complete information, acquisition of technical information from one-time cognition, and thorough application of resource input, thus realizing high-level technology progress gradually. Continuous optimization, based on single optimization, involves the prioritized reporting of complete technical information by participants, thus achieving optimal IFAE. Therefore, it is necessary to accelerate the improvement in the incentive mechanisms for technology innovation efficiency. R&D institutions should promote original innovation and integrated innovation, expand technical information increment, deepen the cooperation with manufacturers actively, and facilitate the technical information sharing.

Background: Different irrigation methods have variable effects on the physiochemical properties of soils. The predicted widespread replacement of flood irrigation with drip irrigation will alter the micro-environment of the associated soils in terms of migration, transformation, morphology, and toxicology of heavy metals and pesticides. The dynamics of heavy metals in soil under drip irrigation have only been investigated with regard to the use of sewage and reclaimed water; studies comparing these patterns across different irrigation methods are scarce. Purpose: Here, we aimed to investigate the effects of drip and flood irrigation on heavy metal distribution in soil and the related risks in three typical agricultural systems in China. Methods: We used fixed-point sampling, digestion analytical methods, descriptive analyses, one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), Nemerow pollution index analyses, and correlation analyses to investigate the different effects of drip and flood irrigation on heavy metals (Cd, Cr, Cu, Pb, and Zn) in soils from Hebei, Xinjiang, and Ningxia Provinces, China. Results and Discussion: Analyses of soil samples collected from drip-irrigated fields revealed significant differences in the concentrations of soil heavy metals at depths of 0–60 cm. Drip irrigation had a greater effect on heavy metal content in the soil surface than flood irrigation. In addition, heavy metals likely accumulated at the edges of the wetting fronts following prolonged irrigation. In comparison to drip irrigation, flood irrigation elevated pollution levels in the soil. The amount of fertiliser affected the leaching and migration of heavy metals in the soils by altering the physiochemical characteristics of the drip irrigation solution. Conclusion: Drip irrigation alters the dynamics of heavy metals in soil by influencing their migration and accumulation patterns. This effect can be attributed to the methods of adding water and fertilisers to the soil under drip irrigation. Altering these variables can impact the level of heavy metals that bioaccumulate in crops. This study provides a scientific basis for reducing heavy metal pollution under drip irrigation.

Abstract Background Few prior studies have investigated the income gradient in child mental health from a socio-environmental perspective. In an age when child mental health problems in a rapidly changing social environment have become a worldwide issue, an understanding of the socio-environmental mechanisms of the income disparities in child mental health outcomes is imperative and cost-effective. Methods By conducting structural equation analyses with Chinese nationally representative survey data, this study explored the family income gradient in child depression and its potential socio-environmental pathways at the neighborhood, family and school levels, differentiating left-behind and not-left-behind children. Results We found a robust family income gradient in depressive symptoms. Neighborhood cohesion mitigated the income gradient in depressive symptoms by playing a suppression role. School social capital acted as a mediator. Neighborhood trust, neighborhood safety and family social capital played no significant impact. The mitigating and mediating roles of social capital components were significant among only the not-left-behind children. Conclusions To reduce income-related inequalities in child mental health in the long run, integrating policies that directly reduce poverty with policies that improve distal socio-environments is necessary.

ObjectiveTo examine associations of sleep duration and quality with cognitive impairment in older adults and the moderating role of gender and age in these associations.MethodsThis community-based cross-sectional study included 4,837 participants aged 60 years and above. Cognitive function was assessed using the Chinese version of the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), and the participants were grouped based on the presence of cognitive impairment. The duration and quality of sleep were assessed using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). Multivariate logistic regression models were used to analyze associations of sleep duration and quality with cognitive impairment. The role of age and gender in these associations have also been explored.ResultsThe age (mean ± SD) of the participants was 71.13 ± 5.50 years. Of all older adults, 1,811 (37.44%) were detected as cognitive impairment, and 1755 (36.8%) had poor sleep quality. Among those with cognitive impairment, 51.09% were female. The proportion of the participants with cognitive impairment is significantly higher in those with symptoms of depression (49.73%, 273/549) (χ2 = 41.275, p

There is limited evidence linking exposure to ambient particulate matter (PM) with internal doses of metals and metalloids (metal(loid)s). This study aimed to evaluate the effects of short-term exposure to ambient PM on urine metal(loid)s among Chinese older adults. Biological monitoring data of 15 urine metal(loid)s collected in 3, 970 community-dwelling older adults in Fuyang city, Anhui Province, China, from July to September 2018, were utilized. PMs with an aerodynamic diameter ≤ 1 µm (PM1), ≤ 2.5 µm (PM2.5), and ≤ 10 µm (PM10) up to eight days before urine collection were estimated by space–time extremely randomized trees (STET) model. Residential greenness was reflected by Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI). We used generalized additive model (GAM) combined with distributed lag linear/non-linear models (DLMs/DLNMs) to estimate the associations between short-term PM exposure and urine metal(loid)s. The results suggested that the cumulative exposures to PM1, PM2.5, or PM10 over two days (lag0-1 days) before urine collection were associated with elevated urine metal(loid)s in DLMs, while exhibited linear or “inverted U-shaped” relationships with seven urine metal(loid)s in DLNMs, including Gallium (Ga), Arsenic (As), Aluminum (Al), Magnesium (Mg), Calcium (Ca), Uranium (U), and Barium (Ba). Aforementioned results indicated robust rather than spurious associations between PMs and these seven metal(loid)s. After standardizations for three PMs, PM1 was the greatest contributor to U, PM2.5 made the greatest contributions to Ga, As, Al, and Ba, and PM10 contributed the most to Mg and Ca. Furthermore, the effects of three PMs on urine Ga, As, Al, Mg, Ca, and Ba were reduced when exposed to higher levels of NDVI. Overall, short-term exposures to ambient PMs contribute to elevated urinary metal(loid) levels in older adults, and three PMs exhibit various contributions to different urine metal(loid)s. Moreover, residential greenness may attenuate the effects of PMs on urine metal(loid)s.

IntroductionPM2.5 and climate change are two major public health concerns, with majority of the research on their interaction focused on the synergistic effect, particularly for extreme events such as hot or cold temperatures. The climate sustainability index (CLS) was introduced to comprehensively explore the impact of climate change and the interactive effect on human health with air pollution.MethodsIn this study, a county-level panel data in China was collected and used. The generalized additive model (GAM) and geographically and temporally weighted regression (GTWR) was used to explore the interactive and spatial effect on mortality between CLS and PM2.5.Results and discussionsIndividually, when CLS is higher than 150 or lower than 50, the mortality is higher. Moreover, when PM2.5 is more than 35 μg/m3, the influence on mortality is significantly increased as PM2.5 concentration rises; when PM2.5 is above 70 μg/m3, the trend is sharp. A nonlinear antagonistic effect between CLS and PM2.5 was found in this study, proving that the combined adverse health effects of climate change and air pollution, especially when CLS was lower (below 100) and PM2.5 was higher (above 35 μg/m3), the antagonistic effect was much stronger. From a spatial perspective, the impact of CLS and PM2.5 on mortality varies in different geographical regions. A negative and positive influence of CLS and PM2.5 was found in east China, especially in the northeastern and northern regions, -which were heavily polluted. This study illustrated that climate sustainability, at certain level, could mitigate the adverse health influence of air pollution, and provided a new perspective on health risk mitigation from pollution reduction and climate adaptation.

ObjectiveThis study investigated the impact of health resource enhancement on health and spatiotemporal variation characteristics from 2000 to 2010 at the county level.MethodsMultiscale Geographically Weighted Regression and curve fitting were used to explore the characteristics of spatiotemporal impact and divergence mechanism of health resource enhancement on population health.ResultsFrom 2000 to 2010, China's population health continued to rise steadily, and health resource allocation improved. Population health demonstrated the significant spatial autocorrelation, and its spatial clustering patterns were relatively fixed. Health resource allocation was relatively equal. Health technicians per 1,000 persons had a significant positive effect on population health in 2000 and 2010. Meanwhile, its impact tends to be consistent across regions, and the impact scale has been continuously expanding. A quantitative relationship exists between population health and health resource inputs. When life expectancy ranged from 73.68 to 84.08 years, the death rate ranged from 6.27 to 9.00%, and the infant mortality rate ranged from 0.00 to 6.33%, investments in health resources, especially related to health technicians, were beneficial for population health.ConclusionsThe government should improve the science and rationality of health resource planning. Planning meets regional realities by combining the impacts of economy and geography. The influence of health resources on population health depends on the overall allocation of health technicians. The number of health technicians needs to be further increased to improve the health resources' effective allocation between regions.

Abstract Background The importance of social and economic capital as predictors of health is widely documented, yet the complexity of interactions between them and effects on older people’s health is still unclear. Combining the material and psychosocial explanations of health, this study explores the potential interactions between social and economic capital in influencing older adults’ health in urban and rural China. Methods Using data from the China Family Panel Survey, physical and mental health in 2018 were regressed on social and economic capital indicators in 2016, controlling for sociodemographic characteristics of 3535 respondents aged 65 and older. Rothman’s synergy index was calculated to investigate potential interaction effects. Results Economic hardships were significantly related to both self-reported health and mental health. Neighborhood cohesion and social participation were significantly associated with mental health for all, bonding trust was significantly associated with mental health for urban older people. We found no significant associations between social capital components and self-reported health. There was an interaction effect between low neighborhood cohesion and economic hardships, and between low social participation and economic hardships, creating an increased burden of poor mental health. The interaction effect between low bonding trust and economic hardships on mental health was apparent only among urban older people. Conclusions Geographical settings are important factors in the complexity between social and economic capital in affecting older health. Intervention efforts directed towards reducing simultaneously multiple dimensions of deprivation, such as poverty, social exclusion, social isolation, could be helpful in improving older people’s health. In materially deprived places, policies to promote health equity by improving social capital but without eliminating poverty may be less effective.

Background: Soil nutrients are the basic properties and essential characteristics of the soil. Study of areal variability of soil nutrients is an important fundamental work for regional planning, environmental protection, and regionally sustainable development. Dynamic changes in soil nutrients are affected by factors such as soil type, fertilization, farming, irrigation, altitude, and climate. This study takes the Tianshan Mountains, located in the central region of Xinjiang, China, as this region is not only a hub for agriculture, industry, transportation, and tourism, but also it is crucial as a forest-grassland transition zone. Purpose: Through field sampling, laboratory analysis and supported by statistical analysis, we investigated the soil nutrient characteristics and the soil nutrient index to gain a spatial image of soil nutrient status in Tianshan followed by the discussion of those influencing factors. Methods: We selected suitable locations along the forest-grassland transition zone to excavate pits of 40 cm × 40 cm in area and 100 cm in depth. A total of 133 soil samples were collected from 0–5 cm, 5–20 cm, and 20–40 cm in pairs (woodland, grassland). Five soil nutrients (soil organic matter (SOM), available nitrogen (AN), available phosphorus (AP), available potassium (AK) and total salts were selected for experimental, multivariate statistical, correlation and soil nutrient index analyses. Result and discussion: The results show that (1) the average soil nutrient indices of the western area (M-T and K-B sites) were 0.5 and 0.24, respectively, higher than 0.2 of the eastern area (B-A site); (2) in soil layers of different depths of these three locations, all nutrients except the total salts (SOM, AN, AP, and AK) decreased with the increase in depth; (3) more fertile soils distribute in the western area (M-T and K-B sites) than in others of the Tianshan Mountains, showing higher soil nutrient contents and nutrient indices, abundant vegetation with greater diversity, higher vegetation coverage (80%-90%), and higher altitude. Conclusion: It can be concluded that the differentiation of soil nutrient index between western and eastern section of Tianshan were attributed to theirs’ vegetation type and coverage, altitude, and more importantly, human activity..

Chlorpyrifos has been used extensively for decades to control crop pests and disease-transmitting insects; its contribution to increasing food security and minimizing the spread of diseases has been well documented. Pymetrozine and Avermectin (also known as abamectin) have been used to replace the toxic organophosphate insecticides (e.g., Chlorpyrifos) applied to rice crops in China, where the overuse of pesticides has occurred. In addition, climate change has exacerbated pesticide use and pollution. Thus, farmers and communities are at risk of exposure to pesticide pollution. This study reviews the contamination, exposure, and health risks through environmental and biological monitoring of the legacy pesticide Chlorpyrifos and currently used insecticides Pymetrozine and Avermectin in China; it investigates whether changes in pesticide usage from Chlorpyrifos to Pymetrozine and Avermectin reduce pesticide contamination and health hazards to communities and residents. In addition, this review discusses whether Pymetrozine and Avermectin applications could be recommended in other countries where farmers largely use Chlorpyrifos and are exposed to high health risks under climate change scenarios. Although Chlorpyrifos is now banned in China, farmers and residents exposed to Chlorpyrifos are still experiencing adverse health effects. Local farmers still consider Chlorpyrifos an effective pesticide and continue to use it illegally in some areas. As a result, the concentration levels of Chlorpyrifos still exceed risk-based thresholds, and the occurrence of Chlorpyrifos with high toxicity in multiple environmental routes causes serious health effects owing to its long-term and wide application. The bioaccumulation of the currently used insecticides Pymetrozine and Avermectin in the environment is unlikely. Pymetrozine and Avermectin used in paddy water and soil for crop growth do not pose a significant hazard to public health. A change in pesticide use from Chlorpyrifos to Pymetrozine and Avermectin can reduce the pesticide contamination of the environment and health hazards to communities and residents. Finally, we recommend Pymetrozine and Avermectin in other countries, such as Vietnam, and countries in Africa, such as Ghana, where farmers still largely use Chlorpyrifos.

This study investigated the bioaccumulation and transfer of heavy metals including Cd, Cr, Cu, Mn, Ni, Pb and Zn in soil-crop system in Lhasa, and assessed the health risks of the edible part of the crops. The results showed that the average values of Cd, Cr, Cu, Mn, Ni, Pb and Zn were 0.15, 44.55, 24.68, 532.40, 22.47, 38.18 and 73.99 mg kg−1 in natural soil, and 0.16, 46.93, 38.45, 559.13, 23.23, 40.03 and 83.29 mg kg−1 in cultivated soil, respectively. Highland barley and wheat had the strongest ability to accumulate Zn in grain, the BCF values were 0.24 and 0.27, respectively, significant differences in the distribution of metal contents in crop root, stem, leaf and grain were observed. Root presented larger accumulation capacity in most metals, Zn and Cu was easily transferred in the plant organs, most metals in this study presented difficult to migrate from root to grain. The transfer peak of most metals in soil-crop system appeared from stem to leaf. The concentrations of Cr and Mn in crop grains could be predicted according to the multiple linear regression models. THQ and HI values of heavy metals in edible parts of both highland barley and wheat were below the safety threshold of 1, indicating no detrimental effects posed to adults health. This study helps to understand the accumulation and transfer of heavy metals in soil-crop system in plateau region.

Abstract Background Kashin-Beck disease (KBD) is one of the major endemic diseases in China, which severely impacts the physical health and life quality of people. A better understanding of the spatial distribution of the health loss from KBD and its influencing factors will help to identify areas and populations at high risk so as to plan for targeted interventions. Methods The data of patients with KBD at village-level were collected to estimate and analyze the spatial pattern of health loss from KBD in Bin County, Shaanxi Province. The years lived with disability (YLDs) index was applied as a measure of health loss from KBD. Spatial autocorrelation methodologies, including Global Moran’s I and Local Moran’s I, were used to describe and map spatial clusters of the health loss. In addition, basic individual information and environmental samples were collected to explore natural and social determinants of the health loss from KBD. Results The estimation of YLDs showed that patients with KBD of grade II and patients over 50 years old contributed most to the health loss of KBD in Bin County. No significant difference was observed between two genders. The spatial patterns of YLDs and YLD rate of KBD were clustered significantly at both global and local scales. Villages in the southwestern and eastern regions revealed higher health loss, while those in the northern regions exhibited lower health loss. This clustering was found to be significantly related to organically bound Se in soil and poverty rate of KBD patients. Conclusions Our results suggest that future treatment and prevention of KBD should focus on endemic areas with high organically bound Se in soil and poor economic conditions. The findings can also provide important information for further exploration of the etiology of KBD.

Abstract: Northwest China has become a base for wind and solar energy development due to its rich wind and solar resources and large area of desert and unutilized land. However, whether the scarce water resources in the arid regions there can meet the requirements for renewable energy development is currently a pressing, critical problem. Therefore, the life cycle water footprint (WF) of the renewable energy industry—its wind energy, photovoltaic (PV), and concentrated solar power (CSP) electricity generation enterprises—in the basin area of Golmud, Qinghai, a typical arid region in Northwest China, has been investigated in this study. Water consumption by local renewable energy enterprises was estimated under current (2020) scenarios [i.e., different (local/vs. nonlocal) origins of equipment and raw materials used, and employees hired by these enterprises] and three future scenarios (i.e., different ratios between installed capacities of wind energy, PV, and CSP at a fixed total renewable energy electricity generation capacity assuming China’s carbon emission will peak then). The results revealed that water consumption by local renewable energy enterprises in 2020 was 1.62 × 106–1.31 × 107 m3, accounting for 0.07–0.6% of the current total water resources in the basin area of Golmud. Water consumption by the local salt chemistry industry, a pillar industry in Golmud whose water consumption is high, accounted for 2.69% of the total water resources being 4.24–34.37 times that of the local renewable energy industry. To reach the goal of carbon emissions peaking by 2030 requires an increase of 6.17 × 106 kW in the installed capacity for wind and solar power generation in Golmud, would translate into an increase of 1.57 × 107–6.46 × 107 m3 in water consumption, this accounting for 7.15–19.35% of the remaining available water resources in the basin area of Golmud. Our results indicate that the expansion of the local renewable energy industry has exerted significant pressure on the already scarce water resources in Golmud. Therefore, future increases in the installed capacity for renewable energy electricity generation should be planned scientifically, by considering the availability of water resources as a constraint.

Based on residents’ food consumption data from 31 provinces in China from 2015–2021, this study analyzes the deviation in food consumption from nutrition targets and the spatial distribution characteristics of urban and rural residents in China from 2015–2021, and finds that there are irrationalities in the structure of food consumption of Chinese residents as well as regional differences in consumption. The food consumption of Chinese residents deviates from the recommended values of the Chinese Food Guide Pagoda to a certain extent, with large differences between urban and rural areas and provinces. Therefore, a new concept of food security with nutrition as the target should be established to guide residents’ food consumption scientifically and rationally, and to adopt focused attention and targeted measures for regions with serious imbalances in food consumption.

The ecological environment of the remote plateaus has been a challenge plaguing many countries due to global warming, increased human activities, and frequent occurrence of various heavy metal (HM) pollutants. This paper analyzes the primary factors and potential susceptible regions’ characteristics related to soil HMs (As, Cd, Pb, Cr, Ni, and Zn) in the southern Tibet Plateau (TP) using Geo-detectors and a set of multi-source data from remote sensing and geographic and geological information. The geoaccumulation index showed that the As pollution was the most serious. The precipitation, pH, geological age (GA), and rock type (RT) were the most critical factors affecting HMs. Additionally, soil HMs were relatively unaffected by land use and clay. Based on the risk detector, the most key impact types (range) of the predominant factors of HM’s sources were identified. For example, precipitation (100–200 mm), pH (7–7.5), DEM (>5500 m), RT (ophiolite), and GA (Ordovician) had the highest average concentration of As in each type (ranges) of the predominant factors. This work provides new data on the extent of soil HM contamination in the southern TP and predicts vulnerable areas of HM contamination, providing an important scientific basis for monitoring and managing HM in remote areas at high altitudes.

Abstract Background To explore the key factors affecting prescription practices of essential medicines in Chinese county hospital. National essential medicine policy (NEMP) plays important roles in health care system, especially in developing countries. As a fundamental component in the Chinese health system reform, NEMP was implemented in primary health care institutions during the first stage of reform. As it is rolled out, priority usage and zero-mark-up policy of essential medicines are to be applied in every government-run healthcare institution. However, the intention and influence factors of physicians on priority selecting essential medicine remains unclear. Methods Based on the theory of planned behavior, a cross-sectional questionnaire survey was conducted to analyze physicians’ intention, attitude, subjective norms (SNs) and perceived behavioral control (PBC) on prescrictions and their actual behavior on selection of essential medicines. Results Two hundred eighty-two physicians participated in the structural questionnaire interview. The final structural equation model reflected influencing factors affecting physicians’ prescribing behavior (χ 2/df = 1.32, GFI = 0.99, IFI = 0.99). Structural equation model analysis showed that attitude, other influencers and institutional environment, and PBC significantly affected behavioral intention. However, the control extent of cognition behavior of physicians prescribing had no significant positive effect on the priority usage of essential medicines. Conclusion Investigation results demonstrate physicians are unaware of NEMP design and implementation plans. To help enhance rational use of essential medicines we suggest educating physicians on the value of NEMP, and integrating the drug shortage report into the essential medicine (EM) bidding system seamless communication with pharmaceutical manufacturers’ credit information system.

Determining the link between the evolution of salt-leaching irrigation, saline-alkali land, and groundwater arsenic (As) is essential to prevent groundwater arsenic pollution and implement appropriate soil salinization control projects. The objectives of our study were to explore the spatiotemporal correlation of saline-alkali land and salt-leaching irrigation with groundwater As in the Hetao Plain. Therefore, groundwater As concentrations during Period I (2006–2010) and Period II (2016–2020) were collected by historical data and chemical measurements. Salt-leaching irrigation area and saline-alkali land area in Period I and Period II were extracted through remote sensing data. With the increase of the salt-leaching irrigation area level (SLIAL) and saline-alkali land area level (SALAL), the variation trend in groundwater As concentration slightly fluctuated, with an increase in the SLIAL at the low SALAL, which may be because short-term flooding may not considerably enhance As mobilization. Lower groundwater As concentrations appeared in regions with higher SLIAL and lower SALAL. A larger saline-alkali land area (higher SALAL) increased the groundwater As concentration. The path analysis model confirmed that salt-leaching irrigation may increase groundwater salinity to affect groundwater As levels and to decrease the saline-alkali land area. From Periods I to II, the difference in path analysis results may imply that the decrease in the saline-alkali land area may have influenced As mobilization due to competitive adsorption caused by the increase in total dissolved solids (TDS) in groundwater. Our results provide new insights for the impacts of saline-alkali land and salt-leaching irrigation both on groundwater As concentration and the geochemical processes of As enrichment in arid and semi-arid areas with more serious salinization.

The spatial reconstruction process of suburban villages is an important aspect of integrated urban–rural development. Evaluating the level of spatial reconstruction of tourist villages and the characteristics of their developmental stages has become a critical issue in current rural development. Exploring the spatial reconstruction of typical tourist-oriented villages can help provide experiences for other rural spatial reconstructions. In this study, East Tumen Village and West Tumen Village in Shijiazhuang City, Hebei Province, were selected as the research objects of rural tourism space. Through in-depth interviews and human–computer interactive interpretation of remote sensing images, this study traced the process of rural spatial reconstruction. The spatial reconstruction index of the rural tourism space was constructed from three dimensions: production space (product production capacity, industrial development activity, production space foundation), living space (living space convenience, tourism space convenience, living space comfort, living space foundation), and ecological space (ecological space regulation ability, ecological space stability capacity, ecological space foundation). Using the rural spatial reconstruction intensity index and rural spatial reconstruction contribution rate, this study quantitatively evaluated the spatial development level of tourism villages on a microscopic scale and examined the stage characteristics of their spatial reconstruction. The results show that the two villages experienced a budding stage, a development stage, and an accelerated development stage from 2005 to 2020 and have not yet reached a stable stage of relative balance and coordination; production activities are integrated into other spaces, and single-function space has become production–living and production–ecology composite space. The spatial reconstruction of East and West Tumen villages is driven by a combination of ‘top-down’ external drivers, such as rural tourism development, multi-governance subject participation, and public policy, and ‘bottom-up’ internal drivers, such as production demand, living demand, and ecological demand.

Water quality is closely associated with human health and socio-economic sustainable development. With the increasingly intensive anthropogenic activities, pollutants especially trace elements, enter water aquatic system and cause harm to humans. This study conducted the first systematic comparison on the pollution status of surface water and groundwater in China. Water quality and health risk assessment of 12 trace elements were evaluated according to the water quality index (WQI), hazard quotient (HQ), hazard index (HI), and carcinogenic risk (CR). The results showed that the average values of trace elements in the majority of surface water were higher than those in groundwater. The WQI values demonstrated that 86.02% of surface water and 83.11% of groundwater were suitable for drinking water. Arsenic served as the predominant pollutant and contributed significantly to cause the non‑carcinogenic risk on human health in both surface water and groundwater, children were more vulnerable to the adverse effects than adults. In surface water, the priority non-carcinogenic risk sites were mainly distributed in Anning River, Taizi River, Middle reaches of Huai River and Jilin section of Songhua River. For groundwater, the high-risk sites were located in Huhhot Basin, Kuitun, Jianghan Plain, Datong Basin and Yucheng County. Arsenic posed potential carcinogenic risk to local resident in some water sites, and it presented higher in groundwater than surface water. More concerns should be paid on Songhua, Yangtze and Huai River Basins, in addition, Pearl, Southeast Coastal, Southwest and Northwest River Basins still need attention. The future work should be carried out more extensive range of the water sites and long-term monitoring in China. In particular, more attention should be dedicated to assess high As water bodies.

Plastic shed production system (PSPS) provide abundant vegetable products for human consumption. Comprehensive and accurate heavy metal (HM) risk assessment of soil and vegetable under plastic sheds is crucial for human health. Pollution assessment, bioavailability and mobility evaluation and health risk assessment of Cd, Cr, Cu, Zn Ni, Pb, and As were performed in a presentative Plastic shed production system. The concentrations of the Cd, Cu and Zn exceeded their background value. Positive Igeo values suggested that soil under plastic sheds was widely contaminated with Cd. The bioavailability of heavy metals in soils was evaluated using DTPA extraction and DGT methods. The results of both methods demonstrated that Cd, Cu, and Zn have high bioavailability, especially Cd. Analogically, the results of mobility assignment based on DIFS showed that Cd has a high migration risk due to the large available pool. Based on specific cultivation and management patterns of plastic shed production system, pH reduction and salt and nutrient accumulation may increase the heavy metals migration risk in soil under plastic sheds, while a high organic matter content may reduce the heavy metals migration risk. The average concentrations of Cd, Cr, Cu, Zn, Ni, Pb, and As in vegetables were 0.023, 0.226, 0.654, 2.984, 0.329, 0.041, and 0.010 mg/kg, respectively. All samples were well below the threshold. The order of target hazard quotient of different heavy metals caused by vegetable consumption was Cd > Cr > As > Cu, Ni, Pb, Zn, and the average total hazard index value was below 1, which demonstrated that risk of vegetable consumption in the study area. However, due to its high concentration and transfer coefficient in spinach, Cd might pose a health risk to humans, which requires special attention. In this study, Cd caused a significant issue than other HMs, whether pollution level, health risk and migration risk. DGT and DIFS can be used as an effective evaluation tool in the research of controlling heavy metals migration in soil-crop systems.

Increasing fertility and decreasing mortality are major response strategies in Russian demographic reform, which has led to significant decreases in both abortion rate (AR) and infant mortality. This study explores mechanisms influencing the socioeconomic conditions leading to abortion and infant mortality. Spatial panel economic analysis using data from the 83 regions of the country covering four time periods was applied. Every 1000 USD increase in per capita gross regional product (GRP) can lead to a decrease of the AR by 0.075, while one year life expectancy increase would lower it by 0.441. For infant mortality rate (IMR), GRP also shows a positive impact, particularly in recent years, while the population size of the region has a negative impact. Every 1000 USD increase in per capita GRP would result in a rate decrease of 0.064 in IMR, and every increase of 1000 added population would lead to an increased IMR by 2.05. The harvest effect between AR and infant mortality that was evident earlier, but not in the recent years, implies that the health care system in Russia is effective. A comprehensive improvement in wellbeing, income, etc. can contribute to mitigation of abortion and infant mortality. Theoretically, this study extends current research by comprehensively displaying the spatio-temporal patterns of abortion and infant mortality in Russia and qualifies the impact of regional socioeconomic disparities with regard to these two issues.

In the context of the increasing frequency of natural disasters caused by climate change in recent years, rational territorial spatial planning must pay attention to production–living–ecological (PLE) risks under climate change scenarios. In this study, a method synthesizing the Box–Cox transformation and area weighted averaging is established for characterizing the PLE risks in China’s provinces, which are divided into three zones to cope with PLE risks. Further, targeted strategies from the perspective of the disaster-induced factors and disaster-affected objects are explored for the regions within the different zones. The results show that the regions with a high production risk are mainly distributed in Guangdong, Henan, and Shandong, with an index between 0.80 and 1.00; the regions with a high living risk are concentrated in Jiangsu, Anhui, Guangdong, and Hainan, with an index exceeding 0.72; and the regions with a high ecological risk are concentrated in Guangxi, Ningxia, and Yunnan, with an index exceeding 0.50. The overall PLE risk is high along the southeastern coast, intermediate in central and western China, and low on the Tibetan Plateau. From the A to C zones, the number of risk types and intensity of risks requiring attention gradually decrease. For the category A zone, recommended measures include the construction of disaster risk monitoring and early warning systems for coastal cities and major grain-producing regions, the development of urban ecological protection zones, and the adjustment of economic and energy structures, etc. Production and living risks are central to the category B zone, while ecological and production risks are central to the category C zone. This study can provide theoretical support for China’s scientific development of land planning and the realization of a beautiful China.

Pesticides play an important role in agricultural development. However, pesticide application can result in both acute and chronic human toxicities, and the adverse effects of pesticides on the environment and human health remain a serious problem. There is therefore a need to discuss the application methods for pesticides, the routes of pesticide exposure, and the health risks posed by pesticide application. The health problems related to pesticide application and exposure in developing countries are of particular concern. The purpose of this paper is to provide scientific information for policymakers in order to allow the development of proper pesticide application technics and methods to minimize pesticide exposure and the adverse health effects on both applicators and communities. Studies indicate that there are four main pesticide application methods, including hydraulic spraying, backpack spraying, basal trunk spraying, and aerial spraying. Pesticide application methods are mainly selected by considering the habits of target pests, the characteristics of target sites, and the properties of pesticides. Humans are directly exposed to pesticides in occupational, agricultural, and household activities and are indirectly exposed to pesticides via environmental media, including air, water, soil, and food. Human exposure to pesticides occurs mainly through dermal, oral, and respiratory routes. People who are directly and/or indirectly exposed to pesticides may contract acute toxicity effects and chronic diseases. Although no segment of the general population is completely protected against exposure to pesticides and their potentially serious health effects, a disproportionate burden is shouldered by people in developing countries. Both deterministic and probabilistic human health risk assessments have their advantages and disadvantages and both types of methods should be comprehensively implemented in research on exposure and human health risk assessment. Equipment for appropriate pesticide application is important for application efficiency to minimize the loss of spray solution as well as reduce pesticide residuals in the environment and adverse human health effects due to over-spraying and residues. Policymakers should implement various useful measures, such as integrated pest management (IPM) laws that prohibit the use of pesticides with high risks and the development of a national implementation plan (NIP) to reduce the adverse effects of pesticides on the environment and on human health.

Background Few studies have demonstrated the impact of characteristics like age and sex on the association between hand grip strength (HGS) and mild cognitive impairment (MCI). In this cross-sectional study, we aimed to examine the effects of sex and age on the relationship between HGS and MCI. Methods We enrolled older adults age ≥60 years (n = 1009) and measured HGS and MCI in all participants. We analyzed the differences in MCI prevalence among the different variables. The role of sex and age in the association between MCI and HGS was analyzed using binary logistic regression. Results Women had significantly higher prevalence of MCI than men, as did the older group (age ≥70 years) compared with the younger group (age 60–70 years). In men, the low and middle HGS tertiles were significantly associated with MCI. In contrast, only the low tertile of HGS was associated with MCI in women. In the older group, the low tertile of HGS was significantly associated with MCI, which was not observed in the younger group. Conclusions HGS was associated with MCI in older adults, and this association was stronger in men. HGS may be useful for evaluating MCI in older adults.

Abstract Background Selenium (Se) is essential for humans, with many critical roles in physiological and pathophysiological processes. Fish, eggs and meats are usually the rich food sources of Se. To improve the nutritional status of population, a new version of balanced dietary pattern in the form of the Chinese Food Pagoda (2016) was proclaimed. This study aimed to evaluate the contribution of this balanced dietary pattern to daily Se intake, and to assess Se intake status of Chinese residents under this Food Pagoda scenario. Methods Based on the food consumption recommended in the Food Pagoda, this study collected the data of Se contents in various food composites and estimated dietary Se intakes (EITDS) in 12 provinces from the 4th China Total Diet Study. The estimated Se intakes based on the Chinese Food Pagoda (EICHFP) in 12 provinces were calculated. EITDS and EICHFP in various food groups among different regions were compared. Results The average EICHFP in all regions, within the range of 66.23–145.20 μg/day, was greater than the China recommended nutrient intake (RNI) (60 μg/day). None of the highest EICHFP went beyond the tolerable upper intake level of Se (400 μg/day). Animal source foods should be the primary source of daily Se intake according to the EICHFP. The average EITDS in China (88 μg/day) was in line with its range of EICHFP (81.01–124.25 μg/day), but that in half of the regions failed to achieve their lowest EICHFP. Significant differences between EITDS and EICHFP were observed in cereal food, aquatic and dairy products (P

Plague persists in the plague natural foci today. Although previous studies have found climate drives plague dynamics, quantitative analysis on animal plague risk under climate change remains understudied. Here, we analyzed plague dynamics in the Tibetan Plateau (TP) which is a climate-sensitive area and one of the most severe animal plague areas in China to disentangle variations in marmot plague enzootic foci, diffusion patterns, and their possible links with climate and anthropogenic factors. Specifically, we developed a time-sharing ecological niche modelling framework to identify finer potential plague territories and their temporal epidemic trends. Models were conducted by assembling animal records and multi-source ecophysiological variables with actual ecological effects (both climatic predictors and landscape factors) and driven by matching plague strains to periods corresponding to meteorological datasets. The models identified abundant animal plague territories over the TP and suggested the spatial patterns varied spatiotemporal dimension across the years, undergoing repeated spreading and contractions. Plague risk increased in the 1980s and 2000s, with the risk area increasing by 17.7 and 55.5 thousand km2, respectively. The 1990s and 2010s were decades of decreased risk, with reductions of 71.9 and 39.5 thousand km2, respectively. Further factor analysis showed that intrinsic conditions (i.e., elevation, soil, and geochemical landscape) provided fundamental niches. In contrast, climatic conditions, especially precipitation, led to niche differentiation and resulted in varied spatial patterns. Additionally, while increased human interference may temporarily reduce plague risks, there is a strong possibility of recurrence. This study reshaped the plague distribution at multiple time scales in the TP and revealed multifactorial synergistic effects on the spreading and contraction of plague foci, confirming that TP plague is increasingly sensitive to climate change. These findings may facilitate groups to take measures to combat the plague threats and prevent potential future human plague from occurring.

Ecological afforestation is a positive measure to increase the absorption of carbon dioxide and curb global warming. Ant Forest, a successful example of an ‘Internet + voluntary tree planting’ gamified app with more than 500 million users, has contributed to substantial progress on ecological afforestation in China. It represents a new model of transforming the environmental awareness and low-carbon actions of users (e.g. walking, sharing bikes, and reducing plastics and papers) into actual environmental benefits via planting trees. The implications of Ant Forest can provide useful references for linking ecosystem restoration with the internet worldwide. However, the spatial distribution and quantitative effects on the carbon sink of Ant Forest on a finer scale are not fully understood. In this study, 588 Ant Forest blocks with a total area of 136 314 ha were identified based on area of interest data using the web crawler approach. The forest blocks involved 20 cities in 7 provinces and included 11 varieties of trees. More than 90% of these forest blocks were located in Inner Mongolia, Qinghai, and Gansu Provinces, and mostly shrubs were planted. Based on the Carnegie Ames Stanford approach model, the net primary productivity (NPP) of Ant Forest blocks was estimated. The simulated total annual NPP of all Ant Forest areas was 1.06 × 10 ^11 gC, and an obvious increasing trend in NPP from 2016 to 2020 was observed, indicating effective carbon sequestration. We found that Hippophae rhamnoides and Caragana korshinskii had carbon sink advantages over other shrubs due to their higher NPP values per unit area. By strengthening individuals’ low-carbon awareness for reducing carbon emissions and increasing forest NPP to enhance the carbon sink, Ant Forest uses a representative and inspirational ‘Internet plus Ecology’ framework that has much significance for achieving carbon neutrality in China and tackling global climate change.

Timely and accurate forecasts of dengue cases are of great importance for guiding disease prevention strategies, but still face challenges from (1) time-effectiveness due to time-consuming satellite data downloading and processing, (2) weak spatial representation capability due to data dependence on administrative unit-based statistics or weather station-based observations, and (3) stagnant accuracy without the application of historical case information. Geospatial big data, cloud computing platforms (e.g., Google Earth Engine, GEE), and emerging deep learning algorithms (e.g., long short term memory, LSTM) provide new opportunities for advancing these efforts. Here, we focused on the dengue epidemics in the urban agglomeration of the Federal District of Brazil (FDB) during 2007–2019. A new framework was proposed using geospatial big data analysis in the Google Earth Engine (GEE) platform and long short term memory (LSTM) modeling for dengue case forecasts over an epidemiological week basis. We first defined a buffer zone around an impervious area as the main area of dengue transmission by considering the impervious area as a human-dominated area and used the maximum distance of the flight range of Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus as a buffer distance. Those zones were used as units for further attribution analyses of dengue epidemics by aggregating the pixel values into the zones. The near weekly composite of potential driving factors was generated in GEE using the epidemiological weeks during 2007–2019, from the relevant geospatial data with daily or sub-daily temporal resolution. A multi-step-ahead LSTM model was used, and the time-differenced natural log-transformed dengue cases were used as outcomes. Two modeling scenarios (with and without historical dengue cases) were set to examine the potential of historical information on dengue forecasts. The results indicate that the performance was better when historical dengue cases were used and the 5-weeks-ahead forecast had the best performance, and the peak of a large outbreak in 2019 was accurately forecasted. The proposed framework in this study suggests the potential of the GEE platform, the LSTM algorithm, as well as historical information for dengue risk forecasting, which can easily be extensively applied to other regions or globally for timely and practical dengue forecasts.

The integrated study on environment of typical China’s longevity areas was conducted by using comprehensive methods of health geography. It was found that Chinese longevity areas mainly located in the south China and clustered in Sichuan-Chongqing, Central plain and Southeast region, the Yangtze River Delta and Pearl River Delta; in which drinking water was of weakly alkaline, Se, Fe, K content was moderate, higher content of Ca, Co, Mn, and low Cr, Cd, Pb; the concentration of trace elements benefit for health in soils and food staples was higher; hair of centenarians had higher Li, Mg, Mn, Ca, Zn content, lower concentration in Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni; healthy centenarians were also benefited from a favorable social environment factors, such as physiological health, psychological state, light meals and higher proportion of vegetables. The study was the first time to reveal quantitatively the relationship between longevity and the natural and human environment, and provided a scientific basis for the promotion of development of China’s longevity area, to achieve the construction of ecological civilization

Previous epidemiologic studies have reported famine exposure during early life association with overweight or obesity in adulthood, but a consistent perspective has not been established to date.To determine, by conducting a systematic review and meta-analysis, whether exposure to famine could increase body mass index (BMI) in adult or not, and assess the association between famine exposure and the risk of overweight or obesity.Published articles were systematically searched (until August, 2017) from PubMed, ScienceDirect, Cochrane, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure. Initially, comparing differences in BMI between exposed and non-exposed groups that weight mean difference (WMD) were used. Subsequently, the effect of famine exposure on overweight or obesity risk, which pooled relative risks (RRs), odds ratios (ORs) or hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated using a random-effects model.Twenty studies were included in this systematic review and meta-analysis. Compared with non-exposed group, famine exposure group significantly increased the risk of overweight (OR = 1.10, 95% CI: 1.04-1.16) and obesity (OR = 1.15, 95% CI: 1.05-1.24). Sensitivity analyses revealed no significant change in the famine exposure and BMI, the risk of overweight and obesity study when any one study was excluded. Subgroup analyses showed that age, gender, exposure type, study type, continent, famine cause and paper publication date were associated with BMI, the risk of overweight and obesity. Meta-regression analyses suggested that continent, famine cause could partially explain heterogeneity for famine exposure and BMI studies.The systematic review and meta-analysis indicates that famine exposure during early life may increase BMI, the risk of overweight and obesity, especially for female, fetal famine exposure or subject age less than 50. Furthermore, famine exposure group the risk of overweight and obesity in cross-sectional studies, Asian studies, famine cause by natural disaster or paper published from 2015 to the present studies are higher than that of non-exposed group.

BACKGROUND: In the past decade, bacillary dysentery was still a big public health problem in China, especially in Guangxi Province, where thousands of severe diarrhea cases occur every year. METHODS: Reported bacillary dysentery cases in Guangxi Province were obtained from local Centers for Diseases Prevention and Control. The 14 socio-economic indexes were selected as potential explanatory variables for the study. The spatial correlation analysis was used to explore the associations between the selected factors and bacillary dysentery incidence at county level, which was based on the software of ArcGIS10.2 and GeoDA 0.9.5i. RESULTS: The proportion of primary industry, the proportion of younger than 5-year-old children in total population, the number of hospitals per thousand persons and the rates of bacillary dysentery incidence show statistically significant positive correlation. But the proportion of secondary industry, per capital GDP, per capital government revenue, rural population proportion, popularization rate of tap water in rural area, access rate to the sanitation toilets in rural, number of beds in hospitals per thousand persons, medical and technical personnel per thousand persons and the rate of bacillary dysentery incidence show statistically significant negative correlation. The socio-economic factors can be divided into four aspects, including economic development, health development, medical development and human own condition. The four aspects were not isolated from each other, but interacted with each other.

Climate change mitigation is a major challenge of human society. Currently, to this end, many countries including China are committed to achieving carbon neutrality within a few decades. China is a major sugarcane and sugar beet producing country and has one of the largest carbon footprint for sugarcane and sugar beet production globally. A comprehensive study was conducted on sugarcane and sugar beet crops grown in China for greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions mitigation potential, economic crop production from a sustainable sugar production perspective. Long-term trend analysis showed that yield and GHG emissions of sugarcane and sugar beet crops increased but the ratio of income to cost declined. Structural equation model analysis revealed nitrogen fertilizer and labor as the major drivers of GHG emissions for both sugarcane and sugar beet. For sugarcane and sugar beet, the path coefficient of N fertilizer were -0.964 and -0.835 and that of labor were 0.771 and 0.589, respectively. By transitioning the current cropping system to an improved model with optimized labor, N input and machinery use, the GHG emissions and total annual cost of sugarcane and sugar beet production can be reduced by 32% and 24%, respectively, by 2030, compared to a business-as-usual scenario. This is the first integrated and comparative study of environmental and economic sustainability of sugarcane and sugar beet production in China. These findings will enable all stakeholders of Chinese sugarcane and sugar beet industries to transform them into environmentally and economically sustainable sugar production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]