Effects of earthworm and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal inoculation on carbon component accumulation and allocation in rocky desertification soils.

Exploring the responses of carbon component accumulation and allocation to arbuscular mycocorrhizal fungi (AM) and earthworm inoculation can provide reference for improving carbon sequestration potential and bioremediation efficiency in rocky desertification soils. In this study, we chose Fraxinus malacophylla as the host plant to inoculate with Funneliformis mosseae (FM), earthworm (E), and E+FM, using no earthworm and mycorrhizae addition as CK to examine the spatiotemporal variations in soil carbon components (i.e., total organic carbon, microbial biomass carbon, easily oxidized organic carbon, and recalcitrant organic carbon) and their allocation (i.e., microbial biomass carbon/total organic carbon, easily oxidized organic carbon/total organic carbon, and recalcitrant organic carbon/total organic carbon). The results showed that 1) The respective and interactive inoculation of E and AM significantly promoted the accumulation of each carbon component. In contrast with the control, the average carbon component levels under three inoculation treatments were ranked as E+FM>E>FM. The three inoculation treatments significantly promoted soil microbial carbon/total organic carbon (30.5%-68.5%) and easily oxidized carbon/total organic carbon (31.2%-39.2%), but decreased recalcitrant organic carbon/total organic carbon (2.9%-16.2%). 2) The spatiotemporal variation in accumulation and allocation of soil carbon components varied between the inoculation treatments. The maximum value of each carbon component occurred in June. The increase in each carbon component was significantly higher in E+FM (33.0%-122.1%) than that in E (31.2%-95.4%) and FM (9.2%-41.3%). The maximum value of microbial biomass carbon/total organic carbon and easily oxidized organic carbon/total organic carbon was observed in June, while that of recalcitrant organic carbon/total organic carbon was recorded in December. In contrast with CK, the amplitude of variation in the proportion of carbon components in total organic carbon under the three inoculation treatments was ranked as E+FM>E>FM. The accumulation and allocation of all carbon components decreased (9.7%-146.2%) along the soil profile. The level of carbon components in the E treatment decreased the smallest. The microbial biomass carbon/total organic carbon and easily oxidized carbon/total organic carbon decreased the least and the recalcitrant organic carbon/total organic carbon decreased the greatest under the E+FM treatment. 3) Changes in soil physicochemical properties under the three inoculation treatments significantly affected the accumulation and allocation of organic carbon components. Soil pH was negatively correlated with carbon component accumulation and allocation, whereas other soil variables were positively correlated with them. 4) The results of principal component analysis showed that soil water content, total nitrogen, and total phosphorus were the main factors driving carbon component accumulation, while soil water content, total phosphorus, and pH were the main factors controlling carbon component allocation. Therefore, we concluded that the earthworms, AM fungi and their interaction affected the accumulation and allocation of carbon components in Yunnan rocky desertification soils, which would primarily depend on the changes of soil water content, acid-base property, as well as nitrogen and phosphorus conditions.

[Effects of ant nesting on seasonal dynamics of soil CH4 emissions in a tropical rubber-plantation forest]. / 蚂蚁筑巢对热带橡胶人工林土壤甲烷排放季节动态的影响.

Ant nests can affect the process and seasonal dynamics of forest soil methane emissions through mediating methane oxidation/reduction microorganisms and physicochemical environments. To explore the process and mechanism by which ant nests affect soil methane emissions from Hevea brasiliensis plantation in Xishuangbanna, we measured the seasonal dynamics of methane emissions from ant nest and non-nest soils by using static chamber-gas chromatography method, and analyzed the effect of ant nesting on the changes in functional microbial diversity, microhabitats, and soil nutrients in the plantations. The results showed that: 1) Ant nests significantly affected the mean annual soil methane emissions in tropical plantation. Methane emissions in ant nest were decreased by 59.9% than the non-nest soil. In the dry season, ant nest soil was a methane sink (-1.770 µg·m-2·h-1), which decreased by 87.2% compared with the non-nest soil, while it was a methane source (0.703 µg·m-2·h-1) that increased by 152.7% in the wet season. 2) Ant nesting affected methane emissions via changing soil temperature, humidity, carbon and nitrogen concentrations. In contrast to the control, the mean annual temperature, humidity, and carbon and nitrogen content increased by 4.9%-138.5% in ant nest soils, which explained 90.1%, 97.3%, 27.3%-90.0% of the variation in methane emissions, respectively. 3) Ant nesting affected the emission dynamics through changing the diversity and community structure of methane functional microbe. Compared with the control, the average annual methanogen diversity (Ace, Chao1, Shannon, and Simpson indices) in the ant nest ranged from -9.9% to 61.2%, which were higher than those (-8.7%-31.2%) of the methane-oxidising bacterial communities. The relative abundance fluctuations of methanogens and methanotrophic bacteria were 46.76% and -6.33%, respectively. The explaining rate of methanogen diversity to methane emissions (78.4%) was higher than that of oxidizing bacterial diversity (54.5%), the relative abundance explained by the dominant genus of methanogens was 68.9%. 4) The structural equation model showed that methanogen diversity, methanotroph diversity, and soil moisture were the main factors controlling methane emissions, contributing 95.6%, 95.0%, and 91.2% to the variations of emissions, respectively. The contribution (73.1%-87.7%) of soil temperature and carbon and nitrogen components to the emission dynamics was ranked the second. Our results suggest that ant nesting mediates the seasonal dynamics of soil methane emissions, primarily through changing the diversity of methane-function microorganisms and soil water conditions. The research results deepen the understanding of the mechanism of biological regulation of methane emission in tropical forest soil.

Accuracy of the OMRON HEM-7361T blood pressure monitor in the differentiation between atrial fibrillation and sinus rhythm.

OBJECTIVE: We investigated the accuracy of the OMRON HEM-7361T automated oscillometric blood pressure (BP) monitor in the differentiation between atrial fibrillation and sinus rhythm. METHODS: An approximately equal number of patients with persistent atrial fibrillation and individuals with sinus rhythm were recruited from outpatients and inpatients of Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai, China. BP was measured three times consecutively with a 30-s interval with the OMRON HEM-7361T automatic electronic BP monitor for atrial fibrillation detection. A hand-held single lead electrocardiogram device was used for simultaneous electrocardiogram recordings. RESULTS: The device accurately identified atrial fibrillation in 100 (99.0%) of the 101 patients, with only 1 patient incorrectly classified as non-atrial fibrillation. The device correctly identified 99 (95.2%) of the 104 participants with sinus rhythm as non-atrial fibrillation, with five participants incorrectly classified as atrial fibrillation. The device had a positive predictive value of 95.2%, negative predictive value of 99.0%, and overall accuracy of 97.1%. Among the six misclassified participants, one with atrial fibrillation had a heart rate of 65 beats/min, and four of the five participants with sinus rhythm had cardiac arrhythmias (atrial or ventricular premature beat in one participants, sinus tachycardia in one participant, and both arrhythmias in one participant). CONCLUSION: The OMRON HEM-7361T BP monitor is accurate in the differentiation between atrial fibrillation and sinus rhythm. Whether the device is sufficiently accurate in the differentiation between atrial fibrillation and other cardiac arrhythmias remains under investigation.

Effects of ant nests on soil CH4 emissions from Syzygium oblatum communities of a secondary tropical forest.

Exploring the effects of ant nests on soil CH4 emissions in the secondary tropical forests is of great scientific significance to understand the contribution of soil faunal activities to greenhouse gas emissions. With static chamber-gas chromatography method, we measured the dry-wet seasonal dynamics of CH4 emissions from ant nests and control soils in the secondary forest of Syzygium oblatum communities in Xishuangbanna. We also examined the linkages of ant-mediated changes in functional microbial diversity and soil physicochemical properties with CH4 emissions. The results showed that: 1) Ant nests significantly accelerated soil CH4 emissions, with average CH4 emissions in the ant nests being 2.6-fold of that in the control soils. 2) The CH4 emissions had significant dry-wet seasonal variations, which was a carbon sink in the dry seasons (from -0.29±0.03 to -0.53±0.02 µg·m-2·h-1) and a carbon source in the wet seasons (from 0.098±0.02 to 0.041±0.009 µg·m-2·h-1). The CH4 emissions were significantly higher in ant nests than in control soils. The CH4 emissions from the ant nests had smaller dry-wet seasonal variation (from -0.38±0.01 to 0.12±0.02 µg·m-2·h-1) than those in the control soils (from -0.65±0.04 to 0.058±0.006 µg·m-2·h-1). 3) Ant nests significantly increased the values (6.2%-37.8%) of soil methanogen diversity (i.e., Ace and Shannon indices), temperature and humidity, carbon pools (i.e., total, easily oxidizable, and microbial carbon), and nitrogen pools (i.e., total, hydrolyzed, ammonium, and microbial biomass nitrogen), but decreased the diversity (i.e., Ace and Chao1 indices) of methane-oxidizing bacteria by 21.9%-23.8%. 4) Results of the structural equation modeling showed that CH4 emissions were promoted by soil methanogen diversity, temperature and humidity, and C and N pools, but inhibited by soil methane-oxidizing bacterial diversity. The explained extents of soil temperature, humidity, carbon pool, nitrogen pool, methanogen diversity, and methane-oxidizing bacterial diversity for the CH4 emission changes were 6.9%, 21.6%, 18.4%, 15.2%, 14.0%, and 10.8%, respectively. Therefore, ant nests regulated soil CH4 emission dynamics through altering soil functional bacterial diversities, micro-habitat, and carbon and nitrogen pools in the secondary tropical forests.

Establishment and application of recombinase polymerase amplification combined with a lateral flow dipstick for the detection of mcr-1 in uncultured clinical samples.

OBJECTIVES: The rapid dissemination of the mcr-1 gene via plasmid-mediated transfer has raised concerns regarding the efficacy of colistin as a last-resort treatment for multidrug-resistant Gram-negative bacterial infections. Current mcr-1 gene detection methods mainly focus on cultured bacteria, which is a complex and time-consuming process requiring skilled personnel, making it unsuitable for field analysis. METHODS: A rapid detection technique combining recombinase polymerase amplification with a lateral flow dipstick targeting uncultured clinical samples was developed. RESULTS: This new method targeting the mcr-1 gene region (23 232-23 642 bp, no. KP347127.1) achieved a low detection limit of 10 copies/µL. The whole process was carried out with high specificity and was completed within 20 min. The evaluation assay was conducted using 45 human faecal samples; 16 strains yielded a 98% accuracy, closely matching antimicrobial susceptibility outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: The novel method integrates nucleic acid extraction, isothermal amplification, and a test assay, suggesting the potential for timely colistin resistance surveillance in frontline disease control and healthcare settings, supporting future prevention and clinical standardization efforts.

New-onset hypertension as a contributing factor to the incidence of atrial fibrillation in the elderly.

Hypertension and atrial fibrillation are closely related. However, hypertension is already prevalent in young adults, but atrial fibrillation usually occurs in the elderly. In the present analysis, we investigated incident atrial fibrillation in relation to new-onset hypertension in an elderly Chinese population. Our study participants were elderly (≥65 years) hypertensive residents, recruited from community health centers in the urban Shanghai (n = 4161). Previous and new-onset hypertension were defined as the use of antihypertensive medication or elevated systolic/diastolic blood pressure (≥140/90 mmHg), respectively, at entry and during follow-up on ≥ 2 consecutive clinic visits. Atrial fibrillation was detected by a 30-s single-lead electrocardiography (ECG, AliveCor® Heart Monitor) and further evaluated with a regular 12-lead ECG. During a median of 2.1 years follow-up, the incidence rate of atrial fibrillation was 7.60 per 1000 person-years in all study participants; it was significantly higher in patients with new-onset hypertension (n = 368) than those with previous hypertension (n = 3793, 15.76 vs. 6.77 per 1000 person-years, P = 0.02). After adjustment for confounding factors, the hazard ratio for the incidence of atrial fibrillation was 2.21 (95% confidence interval 1.15-4.23, P = 0.02) in patients with new-onset hypertension versus those with previous hypertension. The association was even stronger in those aged ≥ 75 years (hazard ratio 2.70, 95% confidence interval 1.11-6.56, P = 0.03). In patients with previous hypertension, curvilinear association (P for non-linear trend = 0.04) was observed between duration of hypertension and the risk of incident atrial fibrillation, with a higher risk in short- and long-term than mid-term duration of hypertension. Our study showed a significant association between new-onset hypertension and the incidence of atrial fibrillation in elderly Chinese. In an elderly Chinese population with previous and new-onset hypertension, we found that the new-onset hypertension during follow-up, compared with previous hypertension, was associated with a significantly higher risk of incident atrial fibrillation. In patients with previous hypertension, curvilinear association was observed between duration of hypertension and the risk of incident atrial fibrillation, with a higher risk in short- and long-term than mid-term duration of hypertension.

Obstructive sleep apnea in relation to beat-to-beat, reading-to-reading, and day-to-day blood pressure variability.

We investigated blood pressure (BP) variability as assessed by beat-to-beat, reading-to-reading and day-to-day BP variability indices in patients with obstructive sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS). In 786 hospitalized hypertensives (mean age, 53.2 years; 42.2% women), we performed 10-min beat-to-beat (n = 705), 24-h ambulatory (n = 779), and 7-day home BP (n = 445) measurements and the full overnight polysomnography. Mild, moderate and severe OSAHS were defined as an apnea-hypopnea index of 5-14, 15-29, and ≥ 30 events per hour, respectively. BP variability indices including variability independent of the mean (VIM), average real variability (ARV), and maximum-minimum difference (MMD), were compared across the OSAHS severity groups. In univariate analysis, beat-to-beat systolic VIM and MMD, reading-to-reading asleep systolic and diastolic ARV and MMD increased from patients without OSAHS, to patients with mild, moderate and severe OSAHS. This increasing trend for beat-to-beat systolic VIM and MMD remained statistically significant after adjustment for confounders (P ≤ 0.047). There was significant (P ≤ 0.039) interaction of the presence and severity of OSAHS with age and body mass index in relation to the beat-to-beat systolic VIM and MMD and with the presence of diabetes mellitus in relation to asleep systolic ARV. The association was stronger in younger (age < 50 years) and obese (body mass index ≥ 28 kg/m²) and diabetic patients. None of the day-to-day BP variability indices reached statistical significance (P ≥ 0.16). BP variability, in terms of beat-to-beat systolic VIM and MMD and asleep reading-to-reading asleep systolic ARV, were higher with the more severe OSAHS, especially in younger and obese and diabetic patients.

Influential Signs of Dry Eye-Related Ocular Symptoms in Participants With Unstable Tear Film.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to investigate the factors influencing dry eye disease (DED)-related ocular symptoms in participants with short fluorescein tear break-up time (FTBUT). METHODS: This cross-sectional study included 82 participants with short FTBUT (<10 seconds). Examinations included Ocular Surface Disease Index (OSDI), FTBUT, average noninvasive tear break-up time (NIBUTave), lid wiper epitheliopathy, lipid layer thickness, blink rate, partial blink, tear meniscus height, and meibomian gland (MG) evaluation which included ratio of residual MG area (RMGA) and MG grade in tarsal plates. One-way analysis of variance was used to detect differences between symptomatic tear film instability group (FTBUT <5 s, OSDI ≥13), asymptomatic tear film instability group (FTBUT <5 s, OSDI <13), and control group (FTBUT ≥5 s, OSDI <13). A bivariate correlation, partial correlation, and multiple linear regression analyses were used to identify major factors. Only the right eye was included. RESULTS: Among the participants with FTBUT <5 seconds, symptomatic group showed less upper RMGA ( P < 0.001) and NIBUTave ( P = 0.010). OSDI was negatively associated with upper RMGA ( r = -0.450, P < 0.001) and NIBUTave ( r = -0.414, P = 0.001), and positively associated with upper MG grade ( r = 0.277, P = 0.027). Linear regression analysis showed that the upper RMGA significantly affected OSDI (B = -41.895, P = 0.001), while not significantly correlated with age, upper MG grade, and NIBUTave. CONCLUSIONS: The upper RMGA might be the main factor affecting DED-related discomfort in participants with unstable tear film, indicating an early ocular change in DED.

The impact of household wealth gap on individual's mental health.

BACKGROUND: Improving the individual's mental health is important for sustainable economic and social development. Although some studies found that household wealth gap may affect individuals' mental health, few studies have clarified the causal relationship between household wealth gap between mental health in China. This study examines the impact of the household wealth gap on individuals' mental health using data from the 2012-2018 China Family Panel Survey. METHODS: This study first used the two-way fixed effects model to investigate the impact of household wealth gap on individuals' mental health. Considering the endogeneity, the two-stage least square and propensity score matching were employed to examine the impact of household wealth inequality on individuals' mental health. RESULTS: The results show that the household wealth gap has negative impact on individuals' mental health. A series of robustness tests support this conclusion. The results of heterogeneity analysis show that the impact of household wealth gap on mental health is more pronounced among middle-aged and elderly individuals, residents with lower education levels, and rural residents. The results of the mechanism analysis suggest that the household wealth gap may affect individuals' mental health by influencing the individual's health insurance investment and neighborhood relations. In addition, the household wealth gap not only significantly negatively affects individuals' mental health in the short term but also in the medium- to long-term. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that the government should take various measures to narrow the wealth inequality between families, which may effectively improve the mental health of residents.

The Changes, Aggregation Processes, and Driving Factors for Soil Fungal Communities during Tropical Forest Restoration.

Soil fungal communities play crucial roles in mediating the functional associations between above- and belowground components during forest restoration. Forest restoration shapes the alterations in plant and soil environments, which exerts a crucial effect on soil fungal assemblages. However, the changes, assembly processes, and driving factors of soil fungi communities during tropical forest restoration are still uncertain. We used Illumina high-throughput sequencing to identify the changes of soil fungal communities across a tropical secondary forest succession chronosequence (i.e., 12-, 42-, and 53-yr stages) in Xishuangbanna. During forest restoration, the dominant taxa of soil fungi communities shifted from r- to K-strategists. The relative abundance of Ascomycota (r-strategists) decreased by 10.0% and that of Basidiomycota (K-strategists) increased by 4.9% at the 53-yr restoration stage compared with the 12-yr stage. From the 12-yr to 53-yr stage, the operational taxonomic unit (OTU), abundance-based coverage estimator (ACE), Chao1, and Shannon index of fungal communities declined by 14.5-57.4%. Although the stochastic processes were relatively important in determining fungal assemblages at the late stage, the fungal community assembly was dominated by deterministic processes rather than stochastic processes. The shifts in soil properties resulting from tropical forest restoration exerted significant effects on fungal composition and diversity. The positive effects of microbial biomass carbon, readily oxidizable carbon, and soil water content explained 11.5%, 9.6%, and 9.1% of the variations in fungal community composition, respectively. In contrast, microbial biomass carbon (40.0%), readily oxidizable carbon (14.0%), and total nitrogen (13.6%) negatively contributed to the variations in fungal community diversity. Our data suggested that the changes in fungal composition and diversity during tropical forest restoration were primarily mediated by the positive or negative impacts of soil carbon and nitrogen pools.

Shareholder personal risk and firm risk: An empirical analysis of share pledges and firm debt policies.

The impact of personal risk caused by controlling shareholders' equity pledges on the company's debt policy is an issue worth exploring. Using Chinese A-share listed companies from 2006 to 2020, this paper studies the impact of ultimate owner equity pledges on firm debt size and debt maturity structure and explores the mechanism of ultimate owner personal leverage on firms. The results show that the increase in ultimate owner stock pledges leads to higher financial leverage and a longer debt maturity structure for the company. In addition, the study reveals that the high personal leverage of the ultimate owner of the pledged equity is an influential mechanism driving the transfer of personal risk to the firm. In particular, even if a company's actual debt ratio is higher than its target debt ratio, equity pledges can prompt listed companies to increase their debt ratios and debt maturities, causing them to take on excessive debt risk and transfer the risk to creditors. It follows that the tunneling effect is a driving force of equity pledging and corporate debt policies. These results remain robust after the robustness test and endogenous test. The conclusions of this paper not only emphasize the impact of shareholders' personal risk on the firm but also provide a reference for investors' perception of firm risk.

Hometown attachment and corporate social responsibility: Evidence from overseas Chinese entrepreneurs.

The relationship between hometown attachment (HA) and corporate social responsibility (CSR) is a topic to be explored in depth. We measured the HA by the Chinese diaspora background and the immigrant culture of the ultimate controllers of the firm and employed the sample of Chinese non-financial private-listed companies in Shanghai and Shenzhen from 2003 to 2019 to investigate the impact of the HA on overseas Chinese entrepreneurs on CSR. We found that the HA of the overseas Chinese ultimate controller significantly increases the level of CSR, and this promoting effect rises when the firm ultimately held by the overseas Chinese entrepreneur is registered in the expatriate hometown. Our further analysis found that the personal characteristics of overseas Chinese entrepreneurs and regional cultural differences have a moderating effect on the above relationship. In particular, we found that overseas Chinese entrepreneurs who are women or with lower academic qualifications have a stronger sense of CSR. Moreover, in areas with low marketization or a high level of social trust, HA of overseas Chinese entrepreneurs plays a more active role in CSR. The results remain robust after the robustness test and the endogenous test. The conclusion of this study not only highlights the impact of psychological factors on the level of CSR but also provides a reference for the study of the decision-making behavior of overseas Chinese entrepreneurs.

Comprehensive Analysis of Fragile X Syndrome: Full Characterization of the FMR1 Locus by Long-Read Sequencing.

BACKGROUND: Fragile X syndrome (FXS) is the most frequent cause of inherited X-linked intellectual disability. Conventional FXS genetic testing methods mainly focus on FMR1 CGG expansions and fail to identify AGG interruptions, rare intragenic variants, and large gene deletions. METHODS: A long-range PCR and long-read sequencing-based assay termed comprehensive analysis of FXS (CAFXS) was developed and evaluated in Coriell and clinical samples by comparing to Southern blot analysis and triplet repeat-primed PCR (TP-PCR). RESULTS: CAFXS accurately detected the number of CGG repeats in the range of 93 to at least 940 with mass fraction of 0.5% to 1% in the background of normal alleles, which was 2-4-fold analytically more sensitive than TP-PCR. All categories of mutations detected by control methods, including full mutations in 30 samples, were identified by CAFXS for all 62 clinical samples. CAFXS accurately determined AGG interruptions in all 133 alleles identified, even in mosaic alleles. CAFXS successfully identified 2 rare intragenic variants including the c.879A > C variant in exon 9 and a 697-bp microdeletion flanking upstream of CGG repeats, which disrupted primer annealing in TP-PCR assay. In addition, CAFXS directly determined the breakpoints of a 237.1-kb deletion and a 774.0-kb deletion encompassing the entire FMR1 gene in 2 samples. CONCLUSIONS: Long-read sequencing-based CAFXS represents a comprehensive assay for identifying FMR1 CGG expansions, AGG interruptions, rare intragenic variants, and large gene deletions, which greatly improves the genetic screening and diagnosis for FXS.

The prevalence of masked hypertension and masked uncontrolled hypertension in relation to overweight and obesity in a nationwide registry in China.

Masked hypertension is difficult to identify and is associated with adverse outcomes. How and to what extent masked hypertension is related to overweight and obesity remain unclear. In participants with a clinic blood pressure (BP) < 140/90 mmHg enrolled in a nationwide prospective registry in China, we performed ambulatory and home BP measurements and defined masked hypertension and masked uncontrolled hypertension as an elevated 24-h (≥130/80 mmHg), daytime (≥135/85 mmHg) or nighttime ambulatory BP (≥120/70 mmHg) or an elevated home BP (≥135/85 mmHg). Overweight and obesity were defined as a body mass index of 25.0-29.9 and ≥30.0 kg/m2, respectively. The 2838 participants had a mean (±SD) age of 54.9 ± 13.6 years and included 1286 (45.3%) men and 1065 (37.5%) and 173 (6.1%) patients with overweight and obesity, respectively. Multiple stepwise regression analyses identified that body mass index was significantly (P ≤ 0.006) associated with the prevalence of masked ambulatory and home hypertension in treated (n = 1694, 58.6% and 42.1%, respectively) but not untreated participants (n = 1144, 55.7% and 29.5%, respectively). In categorical analyses, significant associations were observed with overweight and obesity for the prevalence of masked uncontrolled ambulatory and home hypertension (P ≤ 0.02) but not masked ambulatory or home hypertension (P ≥ 0.08). The adjusted odds ratios (95% confidence intervals) for overweight and obesity relative to normal weight were 1.56 (1.27-1.92) and 1.34 (1.09-1.65) for masked uncontrolled ambulatory and home hypertension, respectively. In conclusion, overweight and obesity were associated with a higher prevalence of masked uncontrolled hypertension, indicating that clinic BP might overestimate antihypertensive treatment effects in patients with overweight and obesity.

Household Wealth and Individuals' Mental Health: Evidence from the 2012-2018 China Family Panel Survey.

Based on the data from the 2012-2018 China Family Panel Survey, this study examines the impact of household wealth on individuals' mental health using a two-way fixed effects model. The findings indicate that household wealth exerts a significant positive effect on individuals' mental health. Furthermore, this study shows that the impact of household wealth on individuals' mental health is nonlinear but inverted U-shaped. Considering the possible endogeneity problem, this study further examines the effect of household wealth on residents' mental health using two-stage least squares, and the conclusions remain robust. The results of the heterogeneity analysis indicate that household wealth has a greater impact on the mental health of residents in the low-education group and western region. Furthermore, the results of the mechanisms reveal that household wealth affects mental health by influencing insurance investment and individuals' labor supply. Moreover, this study finds that household wealth affects individuals' mental health not only in the short term but also in the medium and long terms. This study provides policy implications for the government toward improving individuals' mental health.

Changes in the CHA2DS2-VASC score as a predictor of incident atrial fibrillation in older Chinese individuals: the AF-CATCH study.

Aims: Incidence of atrial fibrillation is highly associated with age and cardiovascular co-morbidities. Given this relationship, we hypothesized that the dynamic changes resulting in an increase in the CHA2DS2-VASC score over time would improve the efficiency of predicting incident atrial fibrillation on repeated screening after a negative test. Methods and results: We investigated in an analysis of the AF-CATCH trial [quarterly vs. annual electrocardiogram (ECG) screening for atrial fibrillation in older Chinese individuals] data, the association between the changes in the CHA2DS2-VASC score from baseline to end-of-study visit and the risk of incident atrial fibrillation. Participants without a history of atrial fibrillation and with a sinus rhythm at baseline were randomized to the annual (usual) or quarterly 30 s (intensive) single-lead ECG screening groups. During a median follow-up of 2.1 years in 6806 participants, the incidence rate of atrial fibrillation increased from 4.2 per 1000 person-years in participants with a change in the CHA2DS2-VASC score of 0 to 6.4 and 25.8 per 1000 person-years in participants with a change in the CHA2DS2-VASC score of 1 and ≥2, respectively. A change in the CHA2DS2-VASC score of ≥2 was associated with a significantly elevated risk of incident atrial fibrillation. Conclusions: Patients with substantial changes in the CHA2DS2-VASC score were more likely to develop incident atrial fibrillation, and regular re-assessments of cardiovascular risk factors in the elderly are probably worthwhile to improve the detection of atrial fibrillation. Registration: URL: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov; Unique identifier: NCT02990741.

Impact of mobile payment on physical health: Evidence from the 2017 China household finance survey.

Individuals' health status is an essential indicator of the overall strength of a country. Existing literature has studied the determinants of individuals' health, but there is no direct evidence to date on the impact of mobile payment on health. To supplement relevant research and provide insightful policy suggestions to families, government and societies, based on data of 32,058 observations from the 2017 China Household Finance Survey, we estimate the effects of mobile payment on physical health using ordinary least squares and two-stage least squares strategy. This paper provides direct evidence that mobile payment has a positive impact on citizens' physical health. Heterogeneity analysis shows that mobile payment has a more profound impact on the health of citizens who are rural and less educated. Finally, further findings in this paper suggest that commercial insurance and leisure consumption are the mechanism through which the link between mobile payment and individuals' health operates.

Dynamic Changes of Ocular Surface in First-Time Contact Lens Wearers and the Effective Factors of Contact Lens Discomfort.

Purpose: The purpose of the study is to investigate the dynamic changes in ocular surface indicators in first-time contact lens (CL) wearers and identify the most influential factors in CL discomfort (CLD). Methods: A total of 26 healthy non-CL wearers (26 eyes) were recruited and fitted monthly with disposable hydrogel CLs. Each participant underwent a full ocular surface evaluation, which include Efron grading, tear film breakup time, Schirmer's I test, corneal dendritic cell (DCs) imaging by in vivo confocal microscopy (IVCM), and conjunctival microvasculature evaluation by functional slit-lamp biomicroscopy. CLD was assessed using the Ocular Surface Disease Index questionnaire at baseline, 1 week, 1, 3, and 6 months after wearing it and another 6 months after discontinuing it. Results: Clinical signs and CLD were significantly increased in the first week (p < 0.05). The microvascular response and DC activation peaked at the 1-month interval (p < 0.05). During CL wear, CLD is positively correlated with corneal staining (B = 0.238, p = 0.002), papillary conjunctivitis (B = 0.245, p < 0.001), and microvascular blood flow velocity (B = 0.353, p < 0.001). After discontinuation, only DC activation remained elevated at 6 months, whereas the other signs recovered. Conclusions: The first week of CL wear was the main period for the appearance of ocular surface clinical signs, and the first month was the main period for the activation of subclinical inflammation. Corneal staining and conjunctival microvascular response are the main factors affecting CLD. Even if the clinical signs recover after discontinuing wear, subclinical inflammation may persist.