Temporal Trends of Asthma Among Children in the Western Pacific Region From 1990 to 2045: Longitudinal Observational Study.

BACKGROUND: Asthma has become one of the most common chronic conditions worldwide, especially among children. Recent findings show that the prevalence of childhood asthma has increased by 12.6% over the past 30 years, with >262 million people currently affected globally. The reasons for the growing asthma epidemic remain complex and multifactorial. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to provide an up-to-date analysis of the changing global and regional asthma prevalence, mortality, disability, and risk factors among children aged <20 years by leveraging the latest data from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019. Findings from this study can help inform priority areas for intervention to alleviate the rising burden of childhood asthma globally. METHODS: The study used data from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019, concentrating on children aged 0 to 14 years with asthma. We conducted an in-depth analysis of asthma, including its age-standardized prevalence, incidence, mortality, and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs), across diverse demographics, such as region, age, sex, and sociodemographic index, spanning 1990 to 2019. We also projected the future burden of the disease. RESULTS: Overall, in the Western Pacific Region, the age-standardized prevalence rate of asthma among children increased slightly, from 3898.4 cases per 100,000 people in 1990 to 3924 per 100,000 in 2019. The age-standardized incidence rate of asthma also increased slightly, from 979.2 to 994.9 per 100,000. In contrast, the age-standardized death rate of asthma decreased from 0.9 to 0.4 per 100,000 and the age-standardized DALY rate decreased from 234.9 to 189.7 per 100,000. At the country level, Japan experienced a considerable decrease in the age-standardized prevalence rate of asthma among children, from 6669.1 per 100,000 in 1990 to 5071.5 per 100,000 in 2019. Regarding DALYs, Japan exhibited a notable reduction, from 300.6 to 207.6 per 100,000. Malaysia also experienced a DALY rate reduction, from 188.4 to 163.3 per 100,000 between 1990 and 2019. We project that the burden of disease in countries other than Japan and the Philippines will remain relatively stable up to 2045. CONCLUSIONS: The study indicates an increase in the prevalence and incidence of pediatric asthma, coupled with a decrease in mortality and DALYs in the Western Pacific Region between 1990 and 2019. These intricate phenomena appear to result from a combination of lifestyle shifts, environmental influences, and barriers to health care access. The findings highlight that nations such as Japan have achieved notable success in managing asthma. Overall, the study identified areas of improvement in view of persistent disease burden, underscoring the need for comprehensive collaborative efforts to mitigate the impact of pediatric asthma throughout the region.

Spatio-Temporal Changes in Ecosystem Quality across the Belt and Road Region.

The Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road Initiative (BRI) proposed in 2013 by China has greatly accelerated the social and economic development of the countries along the Belt and Road (B&R) region. However, the international community has questioned its impact on the ecological environment and a comprehensive assessment of ecosystem quality changes is lacking. Therefore, this study proposes an objective and automatic method to assess ecosystem quality and analyzes the spatiotemporal changes in the B&R region. First, an ecosystem quality index (EQI) is established by integrating the vegetation status derived from three remote sensing ecological parameters including the leaf area index, fractional vegetation cover and gross primary productivity. Then, the EQI values are automatically categorized into five ecosystem quality levels including excellent, good, moderate, low and poor to illustrate their spatiotemporal changes from the years 2016 to 2020. The results indicate that the spatial distributions of the EQIs across the B&R region exhibited similar patterns in the years 2016 and 2020. The regions with excellent levels accounted for the lowest proportion of less than 12%, while regions with moderate, low and poor levels accounted for more than 68% of the study area. Moreover, based on the EQI pattern analysis between the years 2016 and 2020, the regions with no significant EQI change accounted for up to 99.33% and approximately 0.45% experienced a significantly decreased EQI. Therefore, this study indicates that the ecosystem quality of the B&R region was relatively poor and experienced no significant change in the five years after the implementation of the "Vision and Action to Promote the Joint Construction of the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road". This study can provide useful information for decision support on the future ecological environment management and sustainable development of the B&R region.

Quality assessment of traditional Chinese medicine using quality biomarkers: Compound DanShen dripping pills as an example.

BACKGROUND: The quality control of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is one of the main topics in TCM modernisation research. To date, the overwhelming majority of research has focused on chemical ingredients in the quality control of TCM. However, detecting a single or multiple chemical components cannot fully demonstrate the specificity and correlation between quality and efficacy. PURPOSE: To solve the problem that the association between quality control and efficacy is lacking. The present study was designed to establish a methodology for quality control based on quality biomarkers (Q-biomarkers) and the vasodilatation efficacy of compound DanShen dripping pills (CDDP) as a case. METHODS: Guided by the basic principles of Q-biomarkers, the compounds in TCM were determined by ultra-performance liquid chromatography quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry. Predicted targets were screened through network pharmacology. The potential Q-biomarkers were further screened through proteomics and partial least squares regression analysis. The protein-protein interaction network that combines both predicted targets and potential Q-biomarkers was constructed to screen Q-biomarkers. RESULTS: There were 32 components and 79 predictive targets for CDDP. Proteomic results indicated that the expression of 23 differential proteins changed as pharmacodynamic and componential changes. CPSF6, RILP11, TMEM209, COQ7, VPS18, PPPP1CA, NF2, and ARFRP1 highly correlated with vasodilation. Protein interaction network analysis showed that NF2 and PPPP1CA were closely related to predicted proteins. Thus, NF2 and PPPP1CA could be considered as Q-biomarkers of CDDP. CONCLUSION: Our preliminary study suggested the feasibility of the Q-biomarkers theory in the quality of TCM. The concept of Q-biomarkers provided a powerful method to strengthen the link between clinical efficacy and the quality of TCM. In conclusion, a novel, more scientific, and standard quality control method was established in this study.

[Distribution and Pollution Assessment of Nutrients in the Surface Sediments of Lake in Huoqiu County].

To clarify the spatial distribution and pollution characteristics of nutrients in the surface sediments of Chengxi Lake and Chengdong Lake in Huoqiu County, total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP), and organic matter (OM) in 30 surface sediment samples of Chengxi Lake and Chengdong Lake were determined, and their pollution levels and sources were analyzed. The results showed that the contents of total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP), and organic matter (OM) in Chengxi Lake were significantly higher than those in Chengdong Lake, and their average contents were 746.23 mg·kg-1, 538.38 mg·kg-1, and 1.17% and 470.80 mg·kg-1, 492.08 mg·kg-1, and 0.68%, respectively. The spatial distribution in the north and northwest of Chengxi Lake was significantly higher than that in other areas and decreased from north to south. The C/N value indicated that the organic matter in Chengxi Lake and Chengdong Lake mainly came from unbundled plants and phytoplankton. Correlation analysis showed that total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP), and organic matter (OM) in Chengxi Lake and Chengdong Lake were homologous. The average values of TN and TP single index (STN and STP) of sediments in Chengxi Lake and Chengdong Lake were 0.67 and 1.18 and 0.42 and 1.08, respectively, indicating that TN in the two lakes was clean whereas TP was moderately polluted, and the average comprehensive pollution index (FF) was 1.51 and 1.31, respectively. The evaluation of organic index and organic nitrogen index showed that both Chengxi Lake and Chengdong Lake were clean.

[Heavy Metal Pollution Characteristics and Health Risk Assessment of Soil-crops System in Anhui Section of the Yangtze River Basin].

In order to explore the pollution characteristics and health risks of heavy metals in a soil-crop system in the Anhui section of the Yangtze River basin, a total of 338 groups of soil samples from rice, wheat, and their roots were collected, and the contents of eight types of heavy metals were determined. Additionally, the pollution index method, potential ecological hazard, multivariate statistical analysis, and health risk were used to evaluate the heavy metal content in rice and wheat root soil. The results showed that Cd, Cu, Cr, and Ni in the soil had an obvious accumulation effect, and the pollution of rice root soil was more serious than that of wheat soil. The potential ecological risk was mild to moderate, which mainly came from the elements Cd and Hg. Multivariate statistical analysis showed that Cu, Pb, Zn, and Cd were industrial sources and agricultural sources; Cr and Ni were natural sources; and As and Hg were agricultural sources. The absorption and enrichment intensity of heavy metals by rice was in the order of Cd>Zn>Cu>Hg>Ni>As>Cr=Pb, and those in wheat were ordered as Zn>Cd>Cu>Hg>Ni>As=Pb>Cr. The root soil heavy metal health risk assessment indicated that oral intake was the main exposure route of non-carcinogenic risk, and children were more vulnerable to heavy metal pollution. Non-carcinogenic risk assessment showed that wheat root soil posed non-carcinogenic risk to children but no carcinogenic risk. Intake of rice and wheat had some degree of non-carcinogenic risk and unacceptable carcinogenic risk for both adults and children.

Ultralow-cost portable device for cesium detection via perovskite fluorescence.

Public anxiety and concern from cesium pollution in oceans have been back on the agenda since tons of nuclear waste water were announced to be poured into oceans. Cesium ion can easily enter organisms and bioaccumulate in animals and plants, thus its harm is chronic to humans through food chains. Here we showed a kind of hybrid ionic liquid membrane (HILM) for detection of cesium ion in seawater through CsPbBr3 perovskite fluorescence. With sustainability in mind, HILM was built frugally. The lowest cost of HILM is below 3 cents per piece. The HILM can detect cesium ion quickly with eye-readable fluorescence signal. Ultracheap, portable, easy-to-use on-site detection device could offer benefit for personal security and applications in environment science and ecology in the future decades.

Ibandronate sodium and zoledronate sodium in the treatment of senile osteoporosis: efficacy, impact on quality of life and cost-effectiveness analysis.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the efficacy of ibandronate sodium and zoledronate sodium in the treatment of senile osteoporosis and their impact on quality of life, and to analyze the cost-effectiveness. METHODS: A retrospective study was conducted on 215 patients with senile osteoporosis, who were admitted to our hospital from January 2017 to June 2019. Among them, 115 cases treated with ibandronate sodium were set to group A and 100 cases treated with zoledronate sodium were set to group B. The clinical efficacy, bone mineral density (BMD) before and after treatment, bone metabolic markers (alkaline phosphatase (ALP), blood phosphorus (P), blood calcium ion (Ca2+)), quality of life, adverse reactions, cost-effectiveness indicators (length of hospitalization, cost) and complications were compared between the two groups. RESULTS: Total therapeutic response rate in group A was 96.52% (111/115), which was not statistically different from that of 93.00% (93/100) in group B (P=0.242). After treatment, the BMD, ALP, BGP and Ca2+ levels of the lumbar spine L1-L4, left femoral neck and right femoral neck, as well as quality of life scores in the two groups increased (P < 0.05), while serum ALP levels decreased (P < 0.05), however, there was no statistically significant difference between the two groups (P > 0.05). The incidence of adverse reactions in group A was 3.48% (4/115), which showed no statistical significance with that of 5.00% (5/100) in group B (P=0.830). The length of hospitalization, annual treatment expense, medical insurance expense and out-of-pocket payments in group A were all lower than those in group B (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: In the treatment of senile osteoporosis, the efficacy and adverse reactions of ibandronate sodium and zoledronate sodium are similar, both of them can effectively improve the quality of life. However, the cost-effectiveness of ibandronate sodium is better than that of zoledronate sodium.

Empowerment in Chinese primary caregivers of post-stroke patients with disability: A cross-sectional study.

ABSTRACT: To investigate the status quo of empowerment ability of primary caregivers in post-stroke patients with disability and its influencing factors.A cross-sectional design and a convenience sample were used. Participants (N = 189) from 3 hospital in Beijing were recruited from October 2018 to June 2019. The following measurement tools were used in this study: Barthel index, Main Caregiver Empowerment Measurement, General Self-Efficacy Scale, Simplified Coping Style Questionnaire and Social Support Rating Scale. Multiple linear stepwise regression analysis was used to statistically infer the influencing factors of empowerment ability of primary caregivers.The total score of main caregivers' empowerment measurement among the participants was 161.03 ±â€Š14.678, the median (interquartile range) score was 162.00 (150.00-171.50). The average scores of each dimension ranged from high to low: relationship with the person being cared for, goodwill care, expectation for care outcomes, subjectivity of caregiver, faith in care, understanding of care role, knowledge and skills of care, scruples about the surroundings, personal resources. The single factor analysis showed that the patient's payment method for medical expenses, whether the patient accompanied by other chronic diseases and the gender of the caregiver had an effect on the empowerment ability of primary caregivers, and the positive coping style, negative coping style, self-efficacy and subjective support of primary caregivers were positively correlated with their empowerment ability (P < .05). Multiple linear stepwise regression analysis showed that the type of payment for treatment of patients (b = 7.449, P < .01), and gender of caregivers (b = 5.039, P < .05), subjective support of caregivers (b = 0.439, P < .05), positive coping style of caregivers (b = 0.585, P < .01), self-efficacy of caregivers (b = 6.456, P < .01) were the main influencing factors of empowerment ability of primary caregivers.The empowerment ability of the primary caregivers of post-stroke patients with disability in China is at the upper middle level. However, there are more scruples about the surrounding and less personal resources, which deserve attention. Furthermore, the identification of the factors related to empowerment lays a foundation for clinical nursing practitioners to further develop targeted interventions on empowerment of caregivers.

External Validation of and Factors Associated with the Overuse Index: a Nationwide Population-Based Study from Taiwan.

BACKGROUND: The Overuse Index (OI), previously called the Johns Hopkins Overuse Index, is developed and validated as a composite measure of systematic overuse/low-value care using United States claims data. However, no information is available concerning whether the external validation of the OI is sustained, especially for international application. Moreover, little is known about which supply and demand factors are associated with the OI. OBJECTIVE: We used nationwide population-based data from Taiwan to externally validate the OI and to examine the association of regional healthcare resources and socioeconomic factors with the OI. DESIGN AND PARTICIPANTS: We analyzed 1,994,636 beneficiaries randomly selected from all people enrolled in the Taiwan National Health Insurance in 2013. MAIN MEASURES: The OI was calculated for 2013 to 2015 for each of 50 medical regions. Spearman correlation analysis was applied to examine the association of the OI with total medical costs per capita and mortality rate. Generalized estimating equation linear regression analysis was conducted to examine the association of regional healthcare resources (number of hospital beds per 1000 population, number of physicians per 1000 population, and proportion of primary care physicians [PCPs]) and socioeconomic factors (proportion of low-income people and proportion of population aged 20 and older without a high school diploma) with the OI. RESULTS: Higher scores of the OI were associated with higher total medical costs per capita (ρ = 0.48, P < 0.001) and not associated with total mortality (ρ = - 0.01, P = 0.882). Higher proportions of PCPs and higher proportions of low-income people were associated with lower scores of the OI (ß = - 0.022, P = 0.016 and ß = - 0.224, P < 0.001, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Our study supported the external validation of the OI by demonstrating a similar association within a universal healthcare system, and it showed the association of a higher proportion of PCPs and a higher proportion of low-income people with less overuse/low-value care.

Correlation between self-perceived burden and self-management behavior in elderly stroke survivors: A longitudinal observational study.

The aim of this study was to assess the levels of self-perceived burden (SPB) and self-management behavior in elderly stroke survivors during the first 3 months after acute stroke, and to explore the correlation between them.A total of 203 consecutive hospitalized elderly patients diagnosed with stroke were recruited. Self-perceived Burden Scale and Stroke Self-management Scale in 1 month (T1) and 3 months (T2) post-stroke were assessed and compared.The score of SPB in elderly stroke survivors was 28.96 ±â€Š5.50 and 27.25 ±â€Š6.17 at T1 and T2, respectively. Stroke self-management scale scored 165.93 ±â€Š9.82 at T1 and 167.29 ±â€Š10.60 at T2. In the first 3 months post-stroke, the physical burden was dominant (T1 14.73 ±â€Š3.07, T2 14.40 ±â€Š3.13), and the behavior of stroke symptoms and signs monitoring (T1 27.58 ±â€Š6.56, T2 28.64 ±â€Š6.43) and rehabilitation exercise management (T1 21.40 ±â€Š3.28, T2 20.74 ±â€Š3.15) was the worst. SPB was negatively correlated with self-management behavior (T1 r = -.202, T2 r = -.511).Elderly stroke survivors experienced a medium level of SPB and self-management behavior in the first 3 months post-stroke. There is a positive relationship between reduced SPB and improved self-management behavior. Addressing the characteristics and correlations as well as development of targeted interventions for SPB decreasing is beneficial to improving self-management behavior for elderly survivors.

Risk Assessment of Secondary Primary Malignancies in Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma: A Big-Data Intelligence Platform-Based Analysis of 6,377 Long-term Survivors from an Endemic Area Treated with Intensity-Modulated Radiation Therapy during 2003-2013.

PURPOSE: The incidence, risk factors and survival impact of secondary primary malignancies (SPMs) among survivors of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) treated with definitive intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) with or without chemotherapy are poorly characterized. METHODS AND MATERIALS: Consecutive patients (n=6,377) from the big-data intelligence platform at Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, China (in a high-incidence area) with newly diagnosed non-metastatic pathologically proven non-keratinizing undifferentiated NPC treated with IMRT±chemotherapy between January 2003 and June 2013 were retrospectively analyzed. Cumulative incidence of SPMs was calculated using the Kaplan-Meier method. Cox proportional hazards model was used to identify potential risk factors for SPMs and assess whether SPMs affect overall survival. RESULTS: Of the 6,377 patients, 189 (3.0%) suffered SPMs (median follow-up, 62 months). One-, 2-, 3-, 4-, and 5-cumulative risks of SPMs were 0.4%, 0.9%, 1.6%, 2.2%, and 2.6%, respectively. Latency from start of IMRT to SPMs diagnosis was 37 months (range, 6 to 102 months). In patients with SPMs, 14.3% suffered SPMs within 1 year post-IMRT: 1-3 years, 38.1%; 3-5 years, 33.9%; and >5 years, 13.7%. Lung cancer was the most common SPM (50/6,377, 0.78%). Multivariate analysis demonstrated sex (male, 64% increase), age (≥50 years, 68% increase), and smoking history (41% increase) were significant risk factors for SPMs, and SPMs were associated with poorer overall survival. CONCLUSION: This large cohort study confirms SPMs a dreadful complication for long-term survivors of NPC treated with IMRT. SPMs negatively impact overall survival in NPC. Close follow-up is recommended for older male survivors with a smoking history.

Willingness to pay for higher construction waste landfill charge: A comparative study in Shenzhen and Qingdao, China.

High landfill charge presents an effective approach to divert construction waste from landfill. The stakeholders' willingness to pay (WTP) for the disposal of construction waste in landfill provide the useful information to set a reasonable charge level. Considering the diversity in stakeholder groups and regional socioeconomic conditions, contingent valuation method (CVM) was employed in this study to investigate the WTP of two major stakeholder groups in two typical Chinese cities. In addition, the perception of stakeholders towards landfill charge policy was measured and the impact of various factors on WTP was explored. The results indicated that there were statistically significant disparities of WTP between cities and stakeholder groups. Stakeholders from Shenzhen were willing to pay more than their counterparts in Qingdao. Contractors were willing to pay less than owners. Respondents who evaluate the policy as effective in reducing construction waste landfill were willing to pay more. However, firm size, ownership, position of respondent and perceived equity factors did not show statistically significant effect on WTP. These findings highlight the necessity to customize landfill charge policy according to local socioeconomic conditions.

Assessment of gray and white matter structural alterations in migraineurs without aura.

BACKGROUND: Migraine constitute a disorder characterized by recurrent headaches, and have a high prevalence, a high socio-economic burden and severe effects on quality of life. Our previous fMRI study demonstrated that some brain regions are functional alterations in migraineurs. As the function of the human brain is related to its structure, we further investigated white and gray matter structural alterations in migraineurs. METHODS: In current study, we used surface-based morphometry, voxel-based morphometry and diffusion tensor imaging analyses to detect structural alterations of the white matter and gray matter in 32 migraineurs without aura compared with 32 age- and gender-matched healthy controls. RESULTS: We found that migraineurs without aura exhibited significantly increased gray matter volume in the bilateral cerebellar culmen, increased cortical thickness in the lateral occipital-temporal cortex, decreased cortical thickness in the right insula, increased gyrification index in left postcentral gyrus, superior parietal lobule and right lateral occipital cortex, and decreased gyrification index in the left rostral middle frontal gyrus compared with controls. No significant change in white matter microstructure was found in DTI analyses. CONCLUSION: The significantly altered gray matter brain regions were known to be associated with sensory discrimination of pain, multi-sensory integration and nociceptive information processing and were consistent with our previous fMRI study, and may be involved in the pathological mechanism of migraine without aura.

Assessment of PM2.5 concentrations and exposure throughout China using ground observations.

Exposure to PM2.5 results in negative effects on human health. However, PM2.5 exposure at the national scale is poorly known for China owing to limited spatial and temporal PM2.5 concentration data. In this study, we present analyses of PM2.5 exposure throughout China using high-resolution temporal and spatial ground-level PM2.5 data from 2015. Our results indicated that the annual mean PM2.5 concentration was 52.81µg/m3, and that the highest annual mean PM2.5 concentrations primarily appeared in the North China Plain. We also found the lowest and highest monthly mean PM2.5 concentrations appeared in August and January, respectively, while the lowest and highest diurnal mean PM2.5 concentrations occurred at 16:00 and 10:00, respectively. Moreover, comparisons to data from 2013 indicated that the annual mean PM2.5 concentrations decreased by 12.31% from 2013 to 2015, which was likely due to the implementation of environmental protection laws in early 2015. Our findings provide new insights, for not only studies of PM2.5 exposure and human health, but also to inform the implementation of national and regional air pollution reduction policies.

Malaria from hyperendemicity to elimination in Hekou County on China-Vietnam border: an ecological study.

BACKGROUND: Malaria control and elimination are challenged by diversity and complexity of the determinants on the international border in the Great Mekong Sub-region. Hekou, a Chinese county on the China-Vietnam border, was used to document Chinese experiences and lessons for malaria control and elimination. METHODS: The design was an ecological study. Malaria burden before 1951 and procedures of 64 years (1952-2015) from malaria hyperendemicity to elimination are described. Single and bilinear regression analysis was utilized to analyse the relationship between the annual malaria incidence (AMI) and gross domestic product (GDP), urbanization rate, and banana planting area (BPA). RESULTS: There was a huge malaria burden before 1951. AMI was reduced from 358.62 per 1000 person-years in 1953 to 5.69 per 1000 person-years in 1960. A system of primary health services, comprising three levels of county township hospitals and village health stations maintained malaria control and surveillance activities in changing political and social-economic settings. However, potential under-reported of malaria and market-oriented healthcare led to a malaria epidemic in 1987. Strong political commitment reoriented malaria from a control to an elimination programme. High coverage of malaria intervention and population access to intervention was crucial for malaria control and elimination; meanwhile, AMI was closely associated with socio-economic development, correlation coefficients (R) -0.6845 (95% CI -0.7978, -0.6845) for national GDP, -0.7014 (-0.8093, -0.7014) for national urbanization rate and -0.5563 (-0.7147, -0.3437) for BPA. CONCLUSIONS: Multifactor, including political commitment, effective interventions, social and economic development and changing ecological environment, and the complicated interactions between these factors contribute to malaria elimination in Hekou County.

Self-templated synthesis of novel carbon nanoarchitectures for efficient electrocatalysis.

The cost-efficient large-scale production of novel carbon nanostructure with high performance is still a challenge, restricting their applications in catalysis. Herein, we present a low-cost one-pot and one-step approach for the synthesis of both N-doped graphene (NG) and N-doped carbon nanotubes (NCNTs) from self-templated organic nanoplates. By varying the FeCl3 concentration in the precursor, we can control the formation of graphene or CNTs. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first example for the controllable synthesis of graphene or CNTs by varying the precursors' compositions. This provides a simple and cost-effective route for the large-scale production of both NG and NCNTs for applications in catalysis. By example, we show how these unique structured nanocarbons can be applied in electrocatalysis for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). The obtained NG and NCNTs show excellent ORR activities with long-term stability under alkaline conditions. The unique porous nanostructure, abundant defects, homogeneous N-doping and high N-content in the NG and NCNTs can provide abundant active sites, leading to the excellent ORR performance. This research not only displayed a simple and cost-effective approach for the large-scale production of novel carbon nanoarchitectures, but also revealed the exceptional application potential of these nanocarbons for electrocatalysis.

Exaggerated male pheromones in rats may increase predation cost.

Male animals with more conspicuous visual and acoustic signals increase their mating success, but also increase the risk of being attacked by eavesdropping predators. In rodents, males with richer sex pheromones often have higher attractiveness to females, but whether or not the males are also at higher predation risk is poorly known. Here, we used 2 laboratory inbred strains of the rat Rattus norvegicus, Brown Norway (BN) and Lewis (LEW), and wild-captured rats as odor donors to assess the relationship between the pheromone levels in male rats and attractiveness to domestic cats Felis catus. LEW rats had significantly higher levels of male pheromones (e.g., 4-heptanone, 2-heptanone, and 9-hydroxy-2-nonanone) than BN rats. Simultaneously, wild-captured male rats were selectively assigned to 2 groups (HIGH or LOW) based on pheromone content as determined by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Binary choice tests were carried out during the night in the test room. We found that cats spent more time investigating male bedding and urine of LEW rats than the counterpart of BN rats. Likewise, cats also preferred bedding and urine odor of the HIGH wild rats compared with the counterparts of LOW wild rats. Adding synthetic analogs of the 3 pheromone ketones into the urine of either BN rats or LOW wild rats significantly increased their attractiveness to cats. Our data suggest that the rats with exaggerated male pheromones more strongly attracted predators and thus as a consequence may suffer from elevated predation risk.

Integrated three-dimensional digital assessment of accuracy of anterior tooth movement using clear aligners.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the accuracy of anterior tooth movement using clear aligners in integrated three-dimensional digital models. METHODS: Cone-beam computed tomography was performed before and after treatment with clear aligners in 32 patients. Plaster casts were laser-scanned for virtual setup and aligner fabrication. Differences in predicted and achieved root and crown positions of anterior teeth were compared on superimposed maxillofacial digital images and virtual models and analyzed by Student's t-test. RESULTS: The mean discrepancies in maxillary and mandibular crown positions were 0.376 ± 0.041 mm and 0.398 ± 0.037 mm, respectively. Maxillary and mandibular root positions differed by 2.062 ± 0.128 mm and 1.941 ± 0.154 mm, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Crowns but not roots of anterior teeth can be moved to designated positions using clear aligners, because these appliances cause tooth movement by tilting motion.

Psychometric Validation of the Edmonton Symptom Assessment System in Chinese Patients.

CONTEXT: The Edmonton Symptom Assessment System is a simple and widely used questionnaire to assess patient symptoms. OBJECTIVES: We aimed to develop and verify a Chinese version of the Edmonton Symptom Assessment System (C-ESAS) for use with Chinese patients. METHODS: Two hundred ten patients were surveyed in the Department of Gastroenterology of Xinqiao hospital in southwest China. Patients completed the C-ESAS and the Chinese version of the M. D. Anderson Symptom Inventory to assess internal consistency, test-retest reliability, and concurrent validity of the C-ESAS. The questionnaires were completed again two hours later. RESULTS: The C-ESAS demonstrated acceptable internal consistency (Cronbach α = 0.72). This indicated that no question had an inappropriate effect on the score. Pearson correlation coefficients for the C-ESAS symptom scores between baseline and after two hours ranged from 0.47 (95% CI, 0.35-0.89) to 0.92 (95% CI, 0.57-0.94), indicating strong test-retest reliability. The corresponding Chinese version of the M. D. Anderson Symptom Inventory symptom scores ranged from 0.66 (95% CI, 0.58-0.95) to 0.96 (95% CI, 0.73-0.97), indicating good concurrent validity. The average time to complete the C-ESAS differed according to patient education level. CONCLUSION: The C-ESAS is a good tool for measuring multidimensional symptoms in Chinese patients.

An assessment of traditional Uighur medicine in current Xinjiang region (China).

BACKGROUND: The main objectives of this study were to assess the current research and development of traditional Uighur medicine in Xinjiang (China), and to evaluate the promising pharmacological products of traditional Uighur medicine for further studies. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Traditional Uighur medicine data of medicine registry, patent, and academic publications was collected and analyzed. RESULTS: Data showed that, among the registered and studied traditional Uighur medicine, the main therapeutic areas of traditional Uighur medicine focused on skin disease, urogenital disease, rheumatism and digestive system disease. The representative traditional Uighur patent medicine included the following: BaixuanXiatare Tablets, Kaliziran Tincture and Vernoniaanthelmintica Injection (Psoriasis and vitiligo); Xi-payimazibiziLiquid (prostatitis); KursiKaknaq (urinary tract infection); Tongzhisurunjiang Capsules (anti-rheumatism medicine); HuganBuzure Granules (digestive system disease). Moreover, ten Uighur herbs were widely used, including: ResinaScammoniae, Folium FumicisDentati, HerbaDracocephali, Semen AmygdaliDulcis, HerbaChamomillae, FructusPimpinellaeanisi, Cortex Foeniculi, FructusVernoniae, FructusApii, and Radix AnacycliPyrethri. CONCLUSION: This study concluded by indicating that traditional Uighur medicine with excellent curative effect should be screened in details for their phytochemical properties and pharmacological activity to discover new bioactive constituents.