The impact of population aging on SME digital transformation: Evidence from China.

Many societies around the world are rapidly aging and this has implications for social and economic development. We collect data on NEEQ-listed enterprises from 2010 to 2021 in China and empirically test the effect of population aging on the digital transformation of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The findings show that population aging has a significant positive impact on SME digital transformation, and private enterprises and enterprises in eastern regions of China tend to benefit more than other regions. The mechanism studies find that population aging positively impacts SME digital transformation by increasing labor costs, facilitating human capital accumulation, and raising savings rates. Furthermore, the threshold effect analyses find that the marginal promotion effect of population aging will weaken with greater aging and will strengthen with a higher level of marketization. Finally, we provide policy recommendations for promoting digital transformation in SMEs against the background of population aging.

MRTCM: A comprehensive dataset for probabilistic risk assessment of metals and metalloids in traditional Chinese medicine.

Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is still considered a global complementary or alternative medical system, but exogenous hazardous contaminants remain in TCM even after decocting. Besides, it is time-consuming to conduct a risk assessment of trace elements in TCMs with a non-automatic approach due to the wide variety of TCMs. Here, we present MRTCM, a cloud-computing infrastructure for automating the probabilistic risk assessment of metals and metalloids in TCM. MRTCM includes a consumption database and a pollutant database involving forty million rows of consumption data and fourteen types of TCM potentially toxic elements concentrations. The algorithm of probabilistic risk assessment was also packaged in MRTCM to assess the risks of eight elements with Monte Carlo simulation. The results demonstrated that 96.64% and 99.46% had no non-carcinogenic risk (hazard indices (HI) were < 1.0) for animal and herbal medicines consumers, respectively. After twenty years of exposure, less than 1% of the total carcinogenic risk (CRt) was > 10-4 for TCM consumers, indicating that they are at potential risk for carcinogenicity. Sensitivity analysis revealed that annual consumption and concentration were the main variables affecting the assessment results. Ultimately, a priority management list of TCMs was also generated, indicating that more attention should be paid to the non-carcinogenic risks of As, Mn, and Hg and the carcinogenic risks of As and Cr in Pheretima and Cr in Arcae Conch. In general, MRTCM could significantly enhance the efficiency of risk assessment in TCM and provide reasonable guidance for policymakers to optimize risk management.

Does green finance promote green innovation? Evidence from China.

The green finance sector is key to accelerating the green transformation of economic structures and promoting green economic growth. However, understanding how to effectively combine green finance and green innovation is still in the exploratory stage. Using the implementation of the Green Credit Guidelines (hereinafter Guidelines) in 2012 as a quasi-natural experiment, we examine the causal relationship between green finance and green innovation. According to our findings, the green innovation performance of green credit-restricted industries improved significantly after the implementation of the Guidelines, although quality improvements of green innovation were not evident. This was a result of improved management efficiency and investment efficiency. Additionally, the Guidelines appear to have a more positive impact on green innovation for firms with lower levels of managerial short-termism or firms in regions with stronger environmental law enforcement. Green innovation can significantly enhance the environmental and social performance of a company.

Transcriptome profiling based on larvae at different time points after hatching provides a core set of gene resource for understanding the immune response mechanisms of the egg-protecting behavior against Vibrio anguillarum infection in Amphioctopus fangsiao.

Mollusks have recently received increasing attention because of their unique immune systems. Mollusks such as Amphioctopus fangsiao are economically important cephalopods, and the effects of their egg-protecting behavior on the larval immune response are unclear. Meanwhile, little research has been done on the resistance response of cephalopod larvae infected with pathogenic bacteria such as Vibrio anguillarum. In this study, V. anguillarum was used to infect the primary hatching A. fangsiao larvae under different egg-protecting behaviors for 24 h, and a total of 7156 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified at four time points after hatching based on transcriptome analysis. GO and KEGG enrichment analyses showed that multiple immune-related GO terms and KEGG signaling pathways were enriched. Protein-protein interaction networks (PPI networks) were used to search functional relationships between immune-related DEGs. Finally, 20 hub genes related to multiple gene functions or involved in multiple signaling pathways were identified, and their accuracy was verified using quantitative RT-PCR. PPI networks were first used to study the effects A. fangsiao larvae after infection with V. anguillarum under different egg-protecting behaviors. The results provide significant genetic resources for exploring invertebrate larval immune processes. The data lays a foundation for further study the immune response mechanisms for invertebrates after infection.

Exposure assessment and risk-based limit levels evaluation of ochratoxin A in Astragali Radix in China.

Ochratoxin A (OTA) is a mycotoxin found in a variety of foods and herbal medicines, and several governmental bodies around the world have set maximum allowable levels of OTA in different foods and herbal medicines. This study aims to evaluate the health risk of OTA in Astragali Radix (AR) in China, and to evaluate the effects of different limit levels on the risk control of OTA in AR. The concentrations of OTA in 187 samples of AR were investigated, and 61 (32.6%) samples were positive. The mean, 50th and 95th percentile values of OTA in positive samples were 56.2, 5.1 and 304.5 µg/kg, respectively. A margin of exposure (MOE) approach was applied to assess the risk. Considering other food sources, long-term consumers have a relatively high risk of OTA exposure due to the ingestion of AR. Theoretical limit levels of OTA in AR were evaluated from two dimensions by weighing the costs and the benefits. The results indicated that the limit levels that might be applied to the management of OTA contamination in AR in China could be screened out through risk-based evaluation of limit levels.

Applying Kurtosis as an Indirect Metric of Noise Temporal Structure in the Assessment of Hearing Loss Associated With Occupational Complex Noise Exposure.

OBJECTIVE: The association of occupational noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) with noise energy was well documented, but the relationship between occupational noise and noise temporal structure is rarely reported. The objective of this study was to investigate the principal characteristics of the relationship between occupational NIHL and the temporal structure of noise. METHODS: Audiometric and shift-long noise exposure data were collected from 3102 Chinese manufacturing workers from six typical industries through a cross-sectional survey. In data analysis, A-weighted 8-h equivalent SPL (LAeq.8h), peak SPL, and cumulative noise exposure (CNE) were used as noise energy indicators, while kurtosis (ß) was used as the indicator of noise temporal structure. Two NIHL were defined: (1) high-frequency noise-induced hearing loss (HFNIHL) and (2) noise-induced permanent threshold shift at test frequencies of 3, 4, and 6 kHz (noise-induced permanent threshold shift [NIPTS346]). The noise characteristics of different types of work and the relationship between these characteristics and the prevalence of NIHL were analyzed. RESULTS: The noise waveform shape, with a specific noise kurtosis, was unique to each type of work. Approximately 27.92% of manufacturing workers suffered from HFNIHL, with a mean NIPTS346 of 24.16 ± 14.13 dB HL. The Spearman correlation analysis showed that the kurtosis value was significantly correlated with the difference of peak SPL minus its LAeq.8h across different types of work (p < 0.01). For a kurtosis-adjusted CNE, the linear regression equation between HFNIHL% and CNE for complex noise almost overlapped with Gaussian noise. Binary logistic regression analysis showed that LAeq.8h, kurtosis, and exposure duration were the key factors influencing HFNIHL% (p < 0.01). The notching extent in NIPTS at 4 kHz became deeper with the increase in LAeq.8h and kurtosis. HFNIHL% increased most rapidly during the first 10 years of exposure. HFNIHL% with ß ≥ 10 was significantly higher than that with ß < 10 (p < 0.05), and it increased with increasing kurtosis across different CNE or LAeq.8h levels. When LAeq.8h was 80 to 85 dB(A), the HFNIHL% at ß ≥ 100 was significantly higher than that at 10 ≤ ß < 100 or ß < 10 (p < 0.05 and p < 0.01, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: In the evaluation of hearing loss caused by complex noise, not only noise energy but also the temporal structure of noise must be considered. Kurtosis of noise is an indirect metric that is sensitive to the presence of impulsive components in complex noise exposure, and thus, it could be useful for quantifying the risk for NIHL. It is necessary to re-evaluate the safety of permissible exposure limit of 85 dB(A) as noise with a high kurtosis value can aggravate or accelerate early NIHL.

Using Chicken Embryo as a Powerful Tool in Assessment of Developmental Cardiotoxicities.

Chicken embryos are a classical model in developmental studies. During the development of chicken embryos, the time window of heart development is well-defined, and it is relatively easy to achieve precise and timely exposure via multiple methods. Moreover, the process of heart development in chicken embryos is similar to mammals, also resulting in a four-chambered heart, making it a valuable alternative model in the assessment of developmental cardiotoxicities. In our lab, the chicken embryo model is routinely used in the assessment of developmental cardiotoxicities following exposure to various environmental pollutants, including per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), particulate matter (PMs), diesel exhaust (DE) and nano materials. The exposure time can be freely selected based on the need, from the beginning of development (embryonic day 0, ED0) all the way to the day prior to hatch. The major exposure methods include air-cell injection, direct microinjection, and air-cell inhalation (originally developed in our lab), and the currently available endpoints include cardiac function (electrocardiography), morphology (histological assessments) and molecular biological assessments (immunohistochemistry, qRT-PCR, western blotting, etc.). Of course, the chicken embryo model has its own limitations, such as limited availability of antibodies. Nevertheless, with more laboratories starting to utilize this model, it can be used to make significant contributions to the study of developmental cardiotoxicities.

Heavy Metals and Probabilistic Risk Assessment via Pheretima (a Traditional Chinese Medicine) Consumption in China.

Earthworms are known to accumulate inorganic contaminants from the soil; they are also used as a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) called Pheretima, which might cause safety problems with long-term exposure. Here, this study was conducted to determine and analyze the level of heavy metal contamination such as arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr), copper (Cu), mercury (Hg), manganese (Mn), nickel (Ni), and lead (Pb) in Pheretima and then explore the probabilistic health risks caused by 8 heavy metals in 98 batches of Pheretima using Monte Carlo simulation. A risk assessment strategy was conducted to assess heavy metal-associated health risk of Pheretima based on consumption data. For random consumption sampling, the results found that the non-carcinogenic risk of As is higher than the acceptable level, and the carcinogenic risk levels of As and Cr exceeded the acceptable risk recommended by the USEPA. Cr and As were regarded as the priority metals for risk control in the present study. Finally, it was recommended that the dosing frequency should be less than 24 d/y. In general, this study conducted a probabilistic risk assessment of heavy metals in Pheretima, which would be of significance for policy makers to take effective strategies to improve the quality and safety of Pheretima.

Burden of depression in China, 1990-2017: Findings from the global burden of disease study 2017.

BACKGROUND: Depression in China has risen from the 15th leading cause of all-cause disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) in 1990 to the 10th in 2017. However, the burden of depression and the epidemiological trend in Chinese provinces remain unclear. This study aimed to estimate the prevalence and burden of depression among different sexes, ages, disease types and provincial administrative units in China. METHODS: Based on a general analysis of the Global Burden of Disease study (GBD) in 2017, we analyzed the age- sex- and province-specific prevalence and DALYs of depression in China from 1990 to 2017. RESULTS: From 1990 to 2017, the all-age prevalence rate of depression per 100,000 rose from 3224.6 (95% UI:2976.6-3509.1) to 3990.5 (95% UI: 3667.8-4353.0), and the DALY rate per 100,000 rose from 525.1 (95% UI: 373.5-719.0) to 607.4 (95% UI: 427.7-820.2). The prevalence rate decreased in the population aged 5-54 years, and increased in the population aged over 55 years. In 2017, the prevalence rate of females (5039.6, 95% UI: 4630.0-5502.8) was significantly higher than that of males (2984.9, 95% UI: 2736.0-3265.3). The prevalence and DALY rate increased in all provinces. However, the age-standardized prevalence and DALYs rate decreased in 31 provinces. CONCLUSIONS: Depression has gradually become a major public health issue in China. The government should take measures to prevent the development of depression immediately. Women and the elderly are at high risk for depression.

A systematic assessment of carcinogenicity of chemicals in hydraulic-fracturing fluids and flowback water.

BACKGROUND: Thousands of chemicals exist in hydraulic-fracturing (HF) fluids and wastewater from unconventional oil gas development. The carcinogenicity of these chemicals in HF fluids and wastewater has never been systematically evaluated. OBJECTIVES: In this study, we assessed the carcinogenicity of 1,173 HF-related chemicals in the HF chemical data from the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). METHODS: We linked the HF chemical data with the agent classification data from the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) at the World Health Organization (WHO) (N = 998 chemicals) to evaluate human carcinogenic risk of the chemicals and with the Carcinogenic Potency Database (CPDB) from Toxnet (N = 1,534 chemicals) to evaluate potential carcinogenicity of the chemicals. RESULTS: The Chemical Abstract Service Registry Numbers (CASRNs) for chemicals were used for data linkage. Among 1,173 chemicals, 1,039 were identified only in HF fluids, 97 only in wastewater, and 37 in both. Compared with IARC, we found information of 104 chemicals, and 48 of them may have potentially carcinogenic risk to human, among which 14 are definitely carcinogenic, 7 probably carcinogenic, and 27 possibly carcinogenic. Using the CPDB data, it suggests that 66 chemicals are potentially carcinogenic based on rats and mouse models. CONCLUSIONS: Conclusions Our evaluation suggests that exposure to some chemicals in HF fluids and wastewater may increase cancer risk, and the identified chemicals could be selected as the priority list for drinking water exposure assessment or cancer-related health studies.

Longitudinal Effect of Ambient Air Pollution and Pollen Exposure on Asthma Control: The Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) Pediatric Asthma Study.

OBJECTIVE: Although exposure to air pollution and pollen is associated with asthma exacerbation and increased health care use, longitudinal effects of fine particulate matter 2.5 (PM2.5), ozone (O3), and pollen exposure on asthma control status in pediatric patients are understudied. This study investigated effects of exposure to PM2.5, O3, and pollen on asthma control status among pediatric patients with asthma. METHODS: A total of 229 dyads of pediatric patients with asthma and their parents were followed for 15 months. The Asthma Control and Communication Instrument was used to measure asthma control, which was reported weekly by parents during a 26-week period. PM2.5 and O3 data were collected from the US Environmental Protection Agency Air Quality System. Pollen data were obtained from Intercontinental Marketing Services Health. Mean air pollutant and pollen exposures within 7 days before the reporting of asthma control were used to estimate weekly exposures for each participant. Linear mixed-effects models were performed to test associations of PM2.5, O3, and pollen exposure with asthma control status. Sensitivity analyses were performed to evaluate the robustness of findings by different exposure monitoring days per week and distances between monitoring sites and participants' residences. RESULTS: Elevated PM2.5 concentration and pollen severity were associated with poorer asthma control status (P < .05), yet elevated O3 concentration was marginally associated with better asthma control (P < .1). CONCLUSIONS: Poorer asthma control status was associated with elevated PM2.5 and pollen severity. Reducing harmful outdoor environmental ambient exposure may improve asthma outcomes in children and adolescents.

Assessment of personal protective equipment use among farmers in eastern North Carolina: a cross-sectional study.

Agriculture consistently ranks among the top hazardous occupations, accounting for a significant number of injuries and fatalities in the workplace. Eastern North Carolina has a significant number of small, independent, family-run, owned, and operated farms. However, little is known about perception, behavior, training, accessibility, or purchasing personal protective equipment (PPE) for safety among farmers in the region. In this study, telephone interviews were conducted among participating farmers between March and June 2012 (N = 129). Univariate and bivariate analyses were conducted to examine associations between PPE behavior and workplace hazards, health-related concerns, and wearing and purchasing PPE. Findings indicated that personal behavior of wearing hearing protection devices (HPDs) and protection from the sun among farmers was low. However, a relatively high percentage of farmers reported wearing PPE when working with agricultural chemicals. Most farmers received training from agricultural extension offices. The findings indicate that, in general, farmers are well aware of the risks associated with occupational hazards and recognize concern for health and safety protection in the workplace. Transitioning these concerns into preventative action remains a challenge and priority for the agricultural health professional.

Racial Differences in Age-Related Variations of Testosterone Levels Among US Males: Potential Implications for Prostate Cancer and Personalized Medication.

AIM: The magnitude of the age-related declines in testosterone rather than levels measured at single point in time may be related to the genesis of prostate cancer (PCa). We examined age-related variations of testosterone levels among black and white males, which may provide important insights into racial disparities in PCa incidence and mortality. METHOD: We analyzed data from the 1999-2004 National Health and Nutritional Examination Survey to compare age-related variations in the testosterone levels of 355 black and 631 white males. RESULT: Overall, between the ages of 12 and 15, black males had lower testosterone levels than white males. Testosterone levels increased rapidly with age and reached higher and earlier peak levels in black males compared to white males at 20-30 years of age. After reaching a peak level, testosterone levels declined earlier in blacks than in whites. Further analyses showed that black males had considerably higher levels of testosterone compared to white males aged 20-39 years after adjusting for covariates, including age, body mass index, cigarette smoking, physical activity, and waist circumference; however, no statistically significant differences were observed between the groups at any other age. CONCLUSION: Our study revealed that testosterone levels in black males decrease substantially with increasing age compared to those in white males. This rapid drop in testosterone levels may contribute to racial disparities in PCa. Our findings also suggest that personalized medication for hormone replacement therapy may be necessary to avoid sudden drops in testosterone levels, particularly for black males.

Stock volatility and stroke mortality in a Chinese population.

AIM: This work was done to study the relationship between stock volatility and stroke mortality in Shanghai, China. METHODS: Daily stroke death numbers and stock performance data from 1 January 2006 to 31 December 2008 in Shanghai were collected from the Shanghai Center for Disease Control and Prevention and Shanghai Stock Exchange (SSE), respectively. Data were analysed with overdispersed generalized linear Poisson models, controlling for long-term and seasonal trends of stroke mortality and weather conditions with natural smooth functions, as well as Index closing value, air pollution levels and day of the week. RESULTS: We observed a U-shaped relationship between the Index change and stroke deaths: both rising and falling of the Index were associated with more deaths, and the fewest deaths coincided with little or no change of the Index. We also examined the absolute daily change of the Index in relation to stroke deaths: each 100-point Index change corresponded to 3.22% [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.45-5.49] increase of stroke deaths. CONCLUSION: We found that stroke deaths fluctuated with daily stock changes in Shanghai, suggesting that stock volatility may adversely affect cerebrovascular health.

Area-level socioeconomic position and repeat mammography screening use: results from the 2005 National Health Interview Survey.

BACKGROUND: Despite a considerable number of studies describing the relationship between area-level socioeconomic conditions and mammography screening, definitive conclusions have yet to be drawn. The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between area-level socioeconomic position (SEP) and repeat mammography screening, using nationwide U.S. census SEP data linked to a nationally representative sample of women who participated in the 2005 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS). METHODS: An area-level SEP index using 2000 U.S. census tract data was constructed and categorized into quartiles, including information on unemployment, poverty, housing values, annual family income, education, and occupation. Repeat mammography utilization (dichotomous variable) was defined as having three mammograms over the course of 6 years (24-month interval), which must have included a recent mammogram (in past 2 years). Results were obtained by ordinary multivariable logistic regression for survey data. Women ages 46 to 79 years (n = 7,352) were included in the analysis. RESULTS: In a model adjusted for sociodemographics, health care factors, and known correlates of mammography screening, women living in more disadvantaged areas had lower odds of engaging in repeat mammography than women living in the most advantaged areas [OR comparing quartile 4 (most disadvantaged) to quartile 1 (most advantaged) = 0.63; 95% confidence interval, 0.50-0.80]. CONCLUSION: The results of this nationwide study support the hypothesis that area-level SEP is independently associated with mammography utilization. IMPACT: These findings underscore the importance of addressing area-level social inequalities, if uptake of mammography screening guidelines is to be realized across all social strata.

Birth weight as a risk factor for breast cancer: a meta-analysis of 18 epidemiological studies.

BACKGROUND: Birth weight has been identified as a birth-related factor associated with the risk of breast cancer. However, the evidence is inconsistent. METHODS: To investigate the association between birth weight and breast cancer, we conducted a meta-analysis of published studies between 1996 and 2008. Eighteen studies encompassing 16,424 breast cancer cases were included in the meta-analysis. Data were combined using a fixed-effect or random-effect model depending on the heterogeneity across studies. RESULTS: Women with their own birth weight >4000 g or 8.5 lb had a higher risk for developing breast cancer than those with birth weight <2500 g or 3000 g (OR = 1.20, 95% CI 1.08, 1.34). Findings were also consistent with a dose-response pattern effect. The summary effect estimate for breast cancer risk per 1 kg increase in birth weight was statistically significant (random effects OR = 1.07, 95% CI 1.02, 1.12). CONCLUSIONS: Although these results provided no evidence indicating whether birth weight is more strongly related to early-onset than to later-onset breast cancer, our findings suggest an association between birth weight and breast cancer. The underlying biological mechanism relating to this phenomenon needs additional study.