Spatial-temporal differentiation and influencing factors of carbon emission trajectory in Chinese cities - A case study of 247 prefecture-level cities.

Cities, where human energy activities and greenhouse gas emissions are concentrated, contribute significantly to alleviating the impacts of global climate change. Utilizing the China Carbon Emissions Accounting Database (CEADs) to provide carbon dioxide emission inventories for urban areas in China at the prefecture level, this study closely examines the historical evolution trajectories of carbon emissions across 247 urban units from 2005 to 2019. The logarithmic cubic function model was employed to simulate these trajectories, evaluating urban emission peaks and classifying the different carbon emission trajectories. Further, the Geographical and Temporal Weighted Regression model was employed to explore spatiotemporal traits and essential variables that impact the variations in carbon emissions among four identified trajectory types. Our results showed that Chinese urban carbon emission trajectories can be classified into four categories: a) peaking emissions, b) fluctuating growth, c) continuous growth, and d) passive decline. Specifically, 43 cities, primarily in North China, proactively attained their emission peak post-2010, driven by the reduction in secondary industry and energy intensity. 90 cities, largely industrial hubs in the southeast coast and inland, reached an emission plateau around 2015, exhibiting fluctuating growth due to dependencies on secondary industries. 101 cities, predominantly located in western and central regions, demonstrated a clear upward trend in carbon emissions, propelled by rapid urbanization and heavy industry-oriented economic development. Lastly, 13 cities, typically in the northeastern and southwestern regions, experienced a passive decline in carbon emissions, attributable to resource depletion or economic downturns. It is evident that China's city-level carbon peaking has demonstrated some effectiveness, yet considerable progress is still required.

Coupling coordination and driving mechanisms of water resources carrying capacity under the dynamic interaction of the water-social-economic-ecological environment system.

The water resources carrying capacity (WRCC) is a complex and comprehensive system that is jointly influenced by water resources, society, the economy and the ecological environment. Previous WRCC studies have primarily focused on estimating the overall level of regional WRCC. Few studies have explored the interactions among the various elements in the WRCC system and their influence on the WRCC evolution. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is, on the one hand, to explore the dynamic interactive relationships within the WRCC system from the perspectives of water resources, society, the economy and the ecological environment using a coupling coordination degree model and a panel vector autoregressive (PVAR) model, and on the other hand, to determine the evolutionary driving mechanism of the WRCC using the geographically and temporally weighted regression (GTWR) model to improve the regional WRCC. Taking 21 cities in Guangdong Province as an example, the results show that (1) the coupling coordination degree among the four WRCC subsystems in Guangdong Province shows an overall upward trend from 2009 to 2020, and the coordination between water resources utilization and other subsystems needs to be further strengthened. (2) The economic subsystem is the core of the WRCC system with reinforcing effects on both water resources and social subsystems but significant inhibitory effects on the ecological environment subsystem. Notably, the development of the ecological environment plays a crucial role in promoting social and economic development. (3) From 2009 to 2020, the development of the WRCC in Guangdong Province is initially driven by social and economic development, followed by economic development and ecological environmental protection, and then mainly by ecological environmental protection, which gradually becomes the primary driving force. This study provides a new entry point for studying the regional WRCC and formulating targeted measures for enhancing the regional WRCC.

Risk assessment and prevention of urolithiasis in urban areas of Baoding, China.

Urolithiasis, or the formation of calculi in the urinary system, represents a prevalent urological condition frequently encountered among individuals aged 30 to 55 years. An in-depth analysis of the composition of these calculi holds significant promise in shedding light on the underlying etiological and pathogenic factors contributing to this ailment. The primary objective of this study was to delineate the principal components comprising urinary system calculi within a cohort of patients who sought medical intervention at a tertiary grade A hospital located in Baoding City. Furthermore, our investigation entailed a comprehensive examination of the physical and morphological characteristics exhibited by these calculi. In this study, a total of 2307 individuals afflicted with urinary system calculi were recruited as participants, and a corresponding number of 2307 calculous specimens were subjected to thorough examination. The specimens were examined using infrared spectroscopy. We collected and examined patient data including gender, age, location of the calculi, employment status, residential area, and other factors. The middle-aged demographic exhibited a conspicuous predilection for urinary system calculi, wherein a notable gender disparity was observed, with a male-to-female ratio of 1.63 to 1. Among the enrolled patients, kidney calculi were prevalent in 1270 cases, ureteral calculi were documented in 983 cases, and bladder calculi were encountered in 46 instances. Notably, the principal components comprising these calculi were identified as calcium oxalate and apatite, while uric acid and ammonium magnesium phosphate were comparatively less frequently encountered. Furthermore, the analysis of calculus composition across patients residing in distinct geographical regions did not reveal any statistically significant variations. The identification of components within upper urinary tract calculi plays a pivotal role in elucidating the root causes of calculus formation. This valuable information empowers healthcare professionals, particularly nursing staff, to provide personalized dietary and health guidance to patients, thereby enhancing the quality of care and promoting more effective management of this condition.

A biosensor for D-2-hydroxyglutarate in frozen sections and intraoperative assessment of IDH mutation status.

The oncometabolite D-2-hydroxyglutarate (D-2-HG) has emerged as a valuable biomarker in tumors with isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH) mutations. Efficient detection methods are required and rapid intraoperative determination of D-2-HG remains a huge challenge. Herein, D-2-HG dehydrogenase from Achromobacter xylosoxidans (AX-D2HGDH) was found to have high substrate specificity. AX-D2HGDH dehydrogenizes D-2-HG and reduces flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD) bound to the enzyme. Interestingly, the dye resazurin can be taken as another substrate to restore FAD. AX-D2HGDH thus catalyzes a bisubstrate and biproduct reaction: the dehydrogenation of D-2-HG to 2-ketoglutarate and simultaneous reduction of non-fluorescent resazurin to highly fluorescent resorufin. According to steady-state analysis, a ping-pong bi-bi mechanism has been concluded. The Km values for resazurin and D-2-HG were determined as 0.56 µM and 10.93 µM, respectively, suggesting high affinity to both substrates. On the basis, taking AX-D2HGDH and resazurin as recognition and fluorescence transducing element, a D-2-HG biosensor (HGAXR) has been constructed. HGAXR exhibits high sensitivity, accuracy and specificity for D-2-HG in different biological samples. With the aid of HGAXR and the matched low-cost palm-size detecting device, D-2-HG levels in frozen sections of resected brain tumor tissues can be measured in a direct, simple and accurate manner with a fast detection (1-3 min). As the technique of frozen section is familiar to surgeons and pathologists, HGAXR and the portable device can be easily integrated into the current workflow, having potential to provide rapid intraoperative pathology for IDH mutation status and guide decision-making during surgery.

An experimental study for quantitative assessment of fatty infiltration and blood flow perfusion in quadriceps muscle of rats using IDEAL-IQ and BOLD-MRI for early diagnosis of sarcopenia.

BACKGROUND: Severe sarcopenia may result in severe disability. Early diagnosis is currently the key to enhancing the treatment of sarcopenia, and there is an urgent need for a highly sensitive and dependable tool to evaluate the course of early sarcopenia in clinical practice. This study aims to investigate longitudinally the early diagnosability of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-based fat infiltration and blood flow perfusion technology in sarcopenia progression. METHODS: 48 Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly assigned into six groups that were based on different periods of dexamethasone (DEX) injection (0, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 days). Multimodal MRI was scanned to assess muscle mass. Grip strength and swimming exhaustion time of rats were measured to assess muscle strength and function. Immunofluorescence staining for CD31 was employed to assess skeletal muscle capillary formation, and western blot was used to detect vascular endothelial growth factor-A (VEGF-A) and muscle ring finger-1 (MuRF-1) protein expression. Subsequently, we analyzed the correlation between imaging and histopathologic parameters. A receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was conducted to assess the effectiveness of quantitative MRI parameters for discriminating diagnosis in both pre- and post-modeling of DEX-induced sarcopenic rats. RESULTS: Significant differences were found in PDFF, R2* and T2 values on day 2 of DEX-induction compared to the control group, occurring prior to the MRI-CSA values and limb grip strength on day 6 of induction and swimming exhaustion time on day 8 of induction. There is a strong correlation between MRI-CSA with HE-CSA values (r = 0.67; p < 0.001), oil red O (ORO) area with PDFF (r = 0.67; p < 0.001), microvascular density (MVD) (r = -0.79; p < 0.001) and VEGF-A (r = -0.73; p < 0.001) with R2*, MuRF-1 with MRI-CSA (r = -0.82; p < 0.001). The AUC of PDFF, R2*, and T2 values used for modeling evaluation are 0.81, 0.93, and 0.98, respectively. CONCLUSION: Imaging parameters PDFF, R2*, and T2 can be used to sensitively evaluate early pathological changes in sarcopenia. The successful construction of a sarcopenia rat model can be assessed when PDFF exceeds 1.25, R2* exceeds 53.85, and T2 exceeds 33.88.

Quantitative aortography for assessment of aortic regurgitation in the era of percutaneous aortic valve replacement.

Paravalvular leak (PVL) is a shortcoming that can erode the clinical benefits of transcatheter valve replacement (TAVR) and therefore a readily applicable method (aortography) to quantitate PVL objectively and accurately in the interventional suite is appealing to all operators. The ratio between the areas of the time-density curves in the aorta and left ventricular outflow tract (LVOT-AR) defines the regurgitation fraction (RF). This technique has been validated in a mock circulation; a single injection in diastole was further tested in porcine and ovine models. In the clinical setting, LVOT-AR was compared with trans-thoracic and trans-oesophageal echocardiography and cardiac magnetic resonance imaging. LVOT-AR > 17% discriminates mild from moderate aortic regurgitation on echocardiography and confers a poor prognosis in multiple registries, and justifies balloon post-dilatation. The LVOT-AR differentiates the individual performances of many old and novel devices and is being used in ongoing randomized trials and registries.

Oxymatrine-mediated prevention of amyloid ß-peptide-induced apoptosis on Alzheimer's model PC12 cells: in vitro cell culture studies and in vivo cognitive assessment in rats.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a major neurological disease affecting elderly individuals worldwide. Existing drugs only reduce the symptoms of the disease without addressing the underlying causes. Commonly, Aß25-35 peptide aggregation is the main reason for AD development. Recently, the discovery of multiple protein-targeting molecules has provided a new strategy for treating AD. This study demonstrates the neuroprotective potential of oxymatrine against multiple mechanisms, such as acetylcholinesterase, mitochondrial damage, and ß-amyloid-induced cell toxicity. The in vitro cell culture studies showed that oxymatrine possesses significant potential to inhibit acetylcholine esterase and promotes antioxidant, antiapoptotic effects while preventing Aß25-35 peptide aggregation in PC12 cells. Furthermore, oxymatrine protects PC12 cells against Aß25-35-induced cytotoxicity and down-regulates the reactive oxygen species generation. The in vivo acute toxicological studies confirm the safety of oxymatrine without causing organ damage or death in animals. Overall, this study provided evidence that oxymatrine is an efficient neuroprotective agent, with a potential to be a multifunctional drug for Alzheimer's disease treatment. These findings present a reliable and synergistic approach for treating AD.

Sequential multi-parametric MRI in assessment of the histological subtype and features in the malignant pleural mesothelioma xenografts.

Objective: It is still a challenge to find a noninvasive technique to distinguish the histological subtypes of malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) and characterize the development of related histological features. We investigated the potential value of multiparametric MRI in the assessment of the histological subtype and development of histologic features in the MPM xenograft model. Methods: MPM xenograft models were developed by injecting tumour cells into the right axillary space of nude mice. The T1, T2, R2*, T2*, apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC), true diffusion coefficient (D), pseudo diffusion coefficient (D*), and perfusion fraction (f) at 14 d, 28 d, and 42 d were measured and compared between the epithelial and biphasic MPM. Correlations between multiparametric MRI parameters and histologic features, including necrotic fraction (NF) and microvessel density (MVD), were analysed. Results: This study found that T2, T2* and IVIM-DWI parameters can reflect the spatial and temporal heterogeneity of MPM. Compared to the epithelial MPM, T2 and T2* were higher and ADC, D, D*, and f were lower in the biphasic MPM (P < 0.05). MRI parameters were different in different stages of epithelial and biphasic MPM. Moderate correlations were found between ADC and tumor volume and NF in the epithelial MPM, and there was a correlation between f and tumor volume and NF and MVD in the two groups. Conclusion: MRI parameters changed with tumor progression in a xenograft model of MPM. MRI parameters may provide useful biomarkers for evaluating the histological subtype and histological features development of MPM.

Majority of transferred mosaic embryos developed healthy live births revealed by a preclinical study using embryonic morphology assessment and noninvasive PGT-A on cell-free DNA in blastocoel fluid.

PURPOSE: This preclinical study aimed to evaluate whether using transferred mosaic embryos (primarily selected by embryonic morphology assessment (EMA) and compared by the noninvasive preimplantation genetic testing for aneuploidy (niPGT-A) on cell-free DNA in blastocoel fluid (BF)) increases the rates of clinical pregnancies (CPs) and healthy live births (HLBs) and to investigate whether niPGT-A could provide valuable genetic information for the EMA-selected transferred mosaic embryos. METHODS: This study collected 215 blastocyst culture samples and 182 BF samples. Cell-free DNA from the BF was amplified and examined by next-generation sequencing-based niPGT-A. All 182 patients underwent EMA. However, only 147 underwent in vitro fertilization and embryo transfer, and only 113 clinical outcomes were followed up. Comprehensive chromosome screening for the chorionic villus sampling of spontaneous miscarriages and noninvasive prenatal testing for ongoing pregnancies were also performed. RESULTS: The implantation rate was 77.55% in 147 transferred high-quality embryos selected by EMA. Among 113 CPs, 16 led to spontaneous miscarriage (14.16%), and 97 resulted in HLBs (85.84%). According to the niPGT-A results for 113 patients with clinical outcomes, 80.4% had CP (euploid, 20.54%; single aneuploid, 1.79%; mosaic chromosome aneuploid and/or segmental aneuploid, 58.04%). Of all the mosaic aneuploids, 90.76% were false positive, transforming to euploid. CONCLUSIONS: Transferred EMA-selected embryos showed higher implantation rates. The niPGT-A of BF provided valuable genetic status ("-ploid") information, which helped reduce aneuploid-induced implantation failure and miscarriage, thereby increasing the CP and HLB rates. Additionally, majority of the transferred embryos with complex/chaotic mosaic aneuploid would likely develop HLBs.

Comprehensive Assessment of Eutrophication in Xiamen Bay and Its Implications for Management Strategy in Southeast China.

The eutrophication of coastal water has been a critical environmental problem in China's offshore areas. How to effectively assess the status of coastal waters is key for pollution treatment and environmental protection. In recent years, eutrophication-symptom-based and multi-indicator methods, termed "phase II" methods, have been gradually adopted to assess the eutrophication status in some coastal waters in China and have achieved success. The cumulative quantile is typically selected to determine the characteristic value of an indicator in "phase II" methods. The influence of small-scale damaged water bodies on eutrophication assessment may be exaggerated, which often leads to the overassessment of the eutrophication status. In this study, the area ratio method was integrated into the assessment of the estuarine trophic status (ASSETS) method in order to assess the eutrophication status of Xiamen Bay in 2016. The results indicated that, in 2016, the eutrophication status of Xiamen Bay coastal waters was moderate and exhibited spatiotemporal variation. The area ratio method can effectively reduce the effect of small-scale coastal waters with extremely high eutrophication on the overassessment of eutrophication at the broader scale, allowing the eutrophication status to be better reflected, even with limited observation data. The centralized distribution of pollution sources and poor hydrodynamic conditions are the main reasons for the aforementioned phenomenon. Controlling the pollution discharge from the Jiulong River in flood seasons is key to reducing eutrophication in Xiamen coastal waters.

Study on the Applicability and Modification of the Design Hourly Volume on Rural Expressways Considering Holiday Traffic Polarization.

The design hourly volume (DHV) of traffic based on the 30th highest hourly volume (30 HV) of the year has been widely applied in expressway design in various countries to balance the benefit and economy of expressway engineering. However, this design method has barely changed since it was first adopted in China, which may be contrary to the rapidly changing traffic macroenvironment. In this study, annual hourly traffic volume (HV) data pertaining to expressways in East China, Southwest China and Northwest China were collected. Based on the descending order of the obtained HV and HV factor data, the distribution patterns of the traffic demand throughout the year and peak hours were analyzed. The distribution characteristics of the HV, typicality of 30 HV and applicability of the DHV factor were investigated. It was found that severe polarization occurred in the HV distribution in China. The actual 30 HV factor is more than 0.5 times the recommended value in the specification. Continued use of the current DHV would result in more than 200 h of inefficient travel time, 5.7 times more than expected, with the DHV factor is currently no longer applicable in China. Furthermore, the annual 30 HV value loses its typical status. Depending on the level of local economic development, using 10 HV factor or 80 HV factor as the new DHV factor can better alleviate the congestion problem. This study determines the reasons for the widespread congestion issues in China from the perspective of expressway design, which is beneficial to adjust the basis of expressway design in China.

Research on the insurance of swimming crab temperature and salinity index insurance based on Copula function.

Under climate change, the sea surface temperature and salinity change greatly, which poses a considerable threat to sustainable food security. Sea surface temperature and salinity (SST/SSS) are selected to examine the annual output of swimming crab in 24 cities along the eastern China. The Copula-based function was used to construct the probability distribution model of the swimming crab yield with SST and SSS. The pure premium rate of the swimming crab production in these 24 cities are also examined. The results show that 1) There is significant positive correlations between the yield of swimming crab with temperature and salinity over the study area. The only exception is that the correlation between yield of swimming crab and salinity is not significant in the south of study area. 2) The span of the pure insurance premium rate of swimming crab in 24 cities increases rapidly with the increase of the protection level, the maximum span up to 2.04%, and the minimum span is only 1.6%. 3) The distribution of the swimming crab insurance premium rate is various in space. The insurance premium rate of 8 cities in the south of Taizhou is low with the highest premium rate at 5.6%. The insurance premium rate of 16 cities in north of Taizhou is relatively high with the rate between 6%-22%. The research can provide a theoretical basis for the pricing of insurance products for swimming crab in 24 cities in the typical aquaculture areas in eastern China.

Research on water resources environmental carrying capacity (WRECC) based on support-pressure coupling theory: A case study of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.

Water scarcity and water pollution problems are becoming increasingly serious in many regions of the world due to rapid socioeconomic development. Water resources environmental carrying capacity (WRECC), which embodies the attributes of social, economic, resource and environmental aspects, is usually considered as a significant metric to guide regional sustainable development. Most existing studies on WRECC mainly focus on conceptual discussions and evaluation methods, lacking a systematic insight into the theoretical connotations of WRECC and neglecting the interaction mechanisms within the WRECC system. Therefore, this study aims to propose a new WRECC evaluation method based on support and pressure theory to deeply reveal the state change and driving mechanisms of WRECC. Firstly, a WRECC evaluation system incorporating support and pressure is constructed and the WRECC performance is determined by both the support index and pressure index. Subsequently, the catastrophe progression method and the obstacle degree model are introduced to quantify the WRECC and identify the primary influencing factors. Lastly, the feasibility and validity of this methodology are verified through an empirical application in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA). The results indicate that the WRECC of the GBA presents an upward trend from 2010 to 2019, shifting from a low-value load state to a low-value surplus state. Moreover, the WRECC performance varies significantly among cities in the GBA, especially for edge cities that generally exhibit higher support, pressure and WRECC indices than central cities. In addition, common obstacles that affect WRECC are total water resources, water resources per capita, water consumption per hectare for agriculture and proportion of the tertiary industry. Furthermore, this study reveals that the coupling relationship between support and pressure develops towards a positive direction, and water environment protection and economic development are the main drivers of WRECC development. This new proposed methodology can provide a theoretical reference for investigating regional WRECC and formulating appropriate sustainable development strategies.

Analysis of China's regional differences in water consumption based on spatial structural decomposition analysis model.

Analyzing the factors that affect the spatial differences in production water consumption in China is necessary to implement its most stringent water resource management system effectively. Based on the input-output tables of 31 provinces and the water-consumption data of provinces by sectors in 2017, the water consumption-economy input-output tables of 31 provinces are constructed. The spatial structural decomposition analysis method is used to analyze the impact of technology level, economic scale, and regional characteristics on spatial differences in production water consumption. The final demand effect is then decomposed into final demand sectoral structural effect, final demand distribution structure effect, population-scale effect, and consumption-level effect. The results show that production water consumption depends on the economic scale and regional characteristics. Xinjiang, Jiangsu, Guangdong, Heilongjiang, and most provinces in the central region use more production water than the average level, while those in the Beijing-Tianjin region and most in the North-west region use less than average. The decomposition results show that the technical and the final demand effects are the main factors for the spatial differences. The impact of population-scale and consumption-level contribute the most to the final demand effect.

Linked color imaging-based endoscopic grading of gastric intestinal metaplasia and histological gastritis staging in the assessment of gastric cancer risk.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the value and compare the effectiveness of linked color imaging-based endoscopic grading of gastric intestinal metaplasia (LCI-EGGIM) and operative link on gastric intestinal metaplasia (OLGIM) in risk stratification of early gastric cancer (EGC). METHODS: Eighty-one patients with EGC who underwent endoscopic submucosal dissection were included. The general data and EGC-related risk factors of all participants were recorded. LCI-EGGIM and OLGIM were used for both groups. RESULTS: The number of patients with LCI-EGGIM score ≥ 5 was significantly higher in the EGC group than in the control group (58.02% vs. 12.35%, p < .001). Furthermore, the number of patients with OLGIM stage III/IV in the EGC group was significantly higher than that in the control group (56.79% vs. 7.41%, p < .001). Multivariate analysis showed that OLGIM stage III/IV (adjusted odds ratio [AOR]: 29.74, 95% CI: 7.49-117.94) and LCI-EGGIM score ≥ 5 (AOR: 12.33, 95% CI: 3.71-41.02) were significantly associated with EGC. There was no significant difference in the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve between LCI-EGGIM and OLGIM in predicting the risk of EGC (0.74 vs. 0.77, p = .1116). CONCLUSION: OLGIM and LCI-EGGIM can be used and have the same value for predicting the risk stratification of EGC in patients with gastric intestinal metaplasia.

Spatial-temporal characteristics and regional differences of the freight transport industry's carbon emission efficiency in China.

The freight transport industry is an important field in which to achieve the goal of carbon emission reduction within the transportation industry. Analyzing the spatial-temporal characteristics and regional differences in the freight transport industry's carbon emissions efficiency (CEE) is an essential prerequisite for developing a reasonable regional carbon abatement policy. However, few studies have conducted an in-depth analysis of the freight transport industry's CEE from the perspective of geographic space. This study combines the super-efficiency slack-based measure (SBM) model and the window analysis model to measure the freight transport industry's CEE in 31 Chinese provinces from 2008 to 2019. We then introduced a spatial autocorrelation analysis and the Theil index to analyze the spatial-temporal evolution characteristics and regional differences in the freight transport industry's CEE in China. The results show that (1) the overall level of the freight transport industry's CEE is low, with an average of 0.534, which showed a weak downward trend during the study period. This indicates that the freight industry's CEE has not improved, and there is a massive requirement for energy conservation and emission reduction. (2) From 2008 to 2019, CEE gradually shows a spatial distribution pattern of being "low in the west and high in the east," with a significant, positive spatial correlation (all passed the significance level test at P < 0.01). This indicates that the spatial diffusion and inhibition of the freight transport industry's CEE in adjacent areas cannot be ignored. (3) The overall differences in the freight transport industry's CEE show a fluctuating upward trend from 2008 to 2019. The inter-regional differences of the three regions (east, central, and west) are the main contributors of the total differences. Therefore, narrowing inter-regional gaps in CEE is one of the main ways to improve the freight transport industry's CEE.

Evaluation of the economic characteristics of the fruit of 45 superior Camellia weiningensis Y.K. Li. trees.

Reports related to Camellia weiningensis Y.K. Li. are rare. We evaluated the economic characteristics of the mature fruit of 45 superior C. weiningensis trees using principal component analysis (PCA) and gray correlation analysis, and identified excellent germplasms according to performance. PCA was employed to reduce the dimensions. PCA was performed for the original 15 indices of fruit diameter, fruit length, fruit shape, single-fruit weight, pericarp thickness, oil yield, fresh seed rate, dry seed rate, dry kernel rate and palmitic acid, stearic acid, linolenic acid, oleic acid, linoleic acid and arachidonic acid contents. According to the requirements of a cumulative contribution rate ≥ 80% and an eigenvector value > 1, six principle components were selected. These indices underwent weighted summation to establish a function model for comprehensive evaluation. Finally, the comprehensive rankings of the cultivars according to PCA were compared with those according to gray correlation analysis. The genetic variation coefficients of the 15 parameters ranged from 2.24% (oleic acid content) to 22.70% (single-fruit weight, with a range of 21.34 g). The top ten excellent cultivars with the highest comprehensive scores according to PCA and those according to gray correlation analysis were compared. According to PCA, oleic acid content, fruit diameter, fruit length, pericarp thickness, arachidonic acid content and dry seed rate can serve as representative evaluation indicators of C. weiningensis. The outcomes obtained based on PCA were basically consistent with those obtained based on gray correlation analysis. Finally, nine excellent cultivars were finally determined, i.e., WY-1, WY-6, WY-8, WY-25, WY-27, WY-30, WY-33, WY-35, WY-38 and WY-44. The results obtained in terms of crown yield were basically consistent with the outcomes of the comprehensive assessments, which indicates the reliability of the assessment methods used in this study.

Fruit economic characteristics and yields of 40 superior Camellia oleifera Abel plants in the low-hot valley area of Guizhou Province, China.

In this study, we assessed 26 economic characteristics and yields of the mature fruit of 40 superior Camellia oleifera Abel plants grown at the C. oleifera germplasm resource nursery in the low-hot valley area of Southwest Zuizhou, China, using principal component analysis (PCA). Correlations among the characteristics and the variability of the plants in these characteristics were also analyzed. Out of the 26 characteristics, 16 primary economic characteristics were selected for comprehensive assessment, based on the results of which the plants were ordered to obtain excellent C. oleifera germplasms. The data were subjected to PCA, and the 16 characteristics were integrated into 6 independent comprehensive indices, which included PV1 (single-fruit weight), PV2 (pericarp thickness), PV3 (seed rate), PV4 (total unsaturated fatty acids), PV5 (iodine value) and PV6 (dry seed rate). Then, the sum of the products of the contribution rates of the components and components scores was taken as the comprehensive score of each superior plant. In C. oleifera grown in the low-hot valley area, the oil yield exhibited very significant positive correlations with the dry seed rate and kernel rate but a very significant negative correlation with the 100-seed weight. The dry seed rate exhibited very significant negative correlations with the fruit diameter and fresh seed rate. Among the 26 characteristics, the variations of the acid value, peroxide value, number of fertile seeds, 100-seed weight and single-fruit weight were great; those of the fruit diameter, fruit height, kernel yield, oleic acid and total unsaturated fatty acid were small, showing strong genetic stability. According to the obtained comprehensive scores, the top 10 plants were ordered as follows: CY-6 > CY-13 > CY-31 > CY-11 > CY-16 > CY-22 > CY-28 > CY-23 > CY-24 > CY-29. This result was basically consistent with the ranking result according to the average yield per unit crown width within five years. In the low-hot valley area of Guizhou, C. oleifera exhibits excellent performance in single-fruit weight, total unsaturated fatty acids and kernel rate, 6 characteristics, i.e., acid value, peroxide value, single-fruit weight, the number of fertile seeds, 100-seed weight and α-linolenic acid possess high breeding potentials.

Clinical and psychological assessment of patients with rheumatoid arthritis and fibromyalgia: a real-world study.

OBJECTIVES: To assess the clinical features and functional and psychological status of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and those with fibromyalgia (FM) in a real-world setting. METHOD: Between December 2018 and April 2019, 202 inpatients with RA were enrolled from the Rheumatology and Immunology Department at Peking University People's Hospital and assessed for the presence of FM using the 1990 American College of Rheumatology's classification criteria for FM. Disease activity and functional and psychological status were assessed using the Disease Activity Score in 28 joints (DAS-28), Short-Form 36 (SF-36), Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ), Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, and Visual Analog Scale. RESULTS: Among the patients with RA, 42 (20.8%) had concurrent FM. Compared with patients without FM, patients with FM had higher DAS-28 (6.0 vs. 4.4, P = 0.011) and notably higher tender joint counts (16.5 vs. 4.5, P < 0.001). Patients with RA and FM had worse HAQ scores (1.24 vs. 0.66, P < 0.001) and lower SF-36 scores (28.6 vs. 58.2, P < 0.001). Patients with RA and FM experienced more fatigue (88.1% vs. 50.6%, P < 0.001) and had higher anxiety (10 vs. 4, P < 0.001) and depression scores (12 vs. 6, P < 0.001). No significant differences in erythrocyte sedimentation rate, C-reactive protein concentration, morning stiffness period, or swollen joint counts were found between the groups. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with RA and FM had higher disease activity, a worse functional and psychological status, and poorer quality of life. The DAS-28 may have been overestimated in these patients. When patients with RA do not reach remission, FM should be considered. Key Points • Patients with rheumatoid arthritis and fibromyalgia had a worse functional and psychological status compared with those with rheumatoid arthritis alone. • When patients with rheumatoid arthritis do not reach remission, fibromyalgia should be considered. • Physicians should avoid overtreatment and enable these patients to receive the treatment, such as non-drug interventions, that they need.

Assessment of the necessity of frontal sinostomy in cases of frontal sinusitis associated with fungus ball of the maxillary sinus.

PURPOSE: This study was conducted to evaluate outcomes in patients presenting with fungus ball of the maxillary sinus (MSFB) and frontal sinusitis who were treated via middle meatal antrostomy alone. METHODS: This was a randomized, controlled study with a parallel group design. Patients with MSFB and frontal sinusitis were randomly assigned to the maxillary middle meatal antrostomy (MMMA) or control (MMMA + frontal sinusotomy) groups. Patient demographics, complaints, imaging findings were analyzed, and surgical outcomes were evaluated using the Lund-Kennedy endoscopic score (LKES) and the 22-item Sino-Nasal Outcome Test (SNOT-22) questionnaire. RESULTS: In total, 40 patients were separated into two groups, with similar symptoms including nasal obstruction, mucopurulent rhinorrhea, maxillary or frontal pain, blood stained nasal discharge, nasal cacosmia and orbital pain being observed in both groups. Total LKES and SNOT-22 scores were significantly improved in both groups at 6 months post-treatment, with no significant differences in these scores between groups within a mean 6.8-month follow-up. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that frontal sinusotomy is not required to resolve frontal sinusitis associated with MSFB. As such frontal sinusitis appears to be a reactive process caused by fungal ball obstruction, it regresses spontaneously following fungus ball removal, drainage of the maxillary sinus, and middle meatal antrostomy.