Integrating Paper-Based Microfluidics and Lateral Flow Strip into Nucleic Acid Amplification Device toward Rapid, Low-Cost, and Visual Diagnosis of Multiple Mycobacteria.

Efficient diagnosis of mycobacterial infections can effectively manage and prevent the transmission of infectious diseases. Unfortunately, existing diagnostic strategies are challenged by long assay times, high costs, and highly specialized expertise to distinguish between pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) and nontuberculous mycobacterial pulmonary diseases (NTM-PDs). Herein, in this study, an optimized 3D paper-based analytical device (µPAD) is incorporated with a closed lateral flow (LF) strip into a loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) device (3D-µPAD-LF-LAMP) for rapid, low-cost, and visual detection of pathogenic mycobacteria. The platform's microfluidic feature enhanced the nucleic acid amplification, thereby reducing the costs and time as compared to boiling, easyMAG, and QIAGEN techniques. Moreover, the LF unit is specifically designed to minimize aerosol contamination for a user-friendly and visual readout. 3D-µPAD-LF-LAMP is optimized and assessed using standard strains, demonstrating a limit of detection (LOD) down to 10 fg reaction-1 . In a cohort of 815 patients, 3D-µPAD-LF-LAMP displays significantly better sensitivity, specificity, negative predictive value (NPV), positive predictive value (PPV), and diagnostic accuracy than conventional bacterial culture and Xpert techniques. Collectively, 3D-µPAD-LF-LAMP demonstrates enhanced accessibility, efficiency, and practicality for the diagnosis of multiple pathogenic mycobacteria, which can be applied across diverse clinical settings, thereby ultimately improving public health outcomes.

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.

A short-term price prediction-based trading strategy.

Quantitative investment theory has emerged as a prominent and widely researched domain within the financial markets, where investors predominantly focus on discerning the intricate influences of market dynamics. In this paper, we proposed a short-term prediction-based trading strategy, which can equiponderate between return and risk, considerations while accounting for investor risk preferences. This strategy employs GM(1,1) to capture nuanced features of price dynamics in short-term intervals and update the GM(1,1) model with the latest data. Subsequently, a multi-objective planning equation is formulated to optimize asset allocations by determining the optimal holding that strikes between specific returns and risk mitigation. In the end, this work conducts a case study and sensitivity analysis using five years of gold and bitcoin price data spanning from 2016 to 2021. This empirical examination serves to affirm the efficacy and resilience of the proposed trading strategy. The case study reveals that proficient short-term price forecasting serves as a potent means to proactively mitigate risk, facilitating, judicious and objective trading practices. Moreover, it underscores the strategy's tangible utility as a guide for real-world investment decisions.

The congenital birth defects burden in children younger than 14 years of age, 1990 - 2019: An age-period-cohort analysis of the global burden of disease study.

Background: This study aims to delineate the burden of congenital birth defects (CBDs) in children under 14 years of age from 1990 to 2019, using an age-period-cohort framework to analyse data from the Global Burden of Disease Study (GBD). Methods: Data on prevalence cases, age-standardised prevalence rates (ASPRs), death cases, and age-standardised death rates (ASDRs) of congenital birth defects (CBDs) from 1990 to 2019 were obtained from GBD 2019. Using this data set, we conducted an age-period-cohort (APC) analysis to examine patterns and trends in mortality, prevalence, and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) associated with CBDs, while exploring correlations with age, time periods, and generational birth cohorts. Furthermore, to quantify the temporal trends, we calculated the estimated annual percentage changes (EAPCs) for these parameters. Results: The global prevalence of CBDs decreased from 1404.22 to 1301.66 per 100 000 with an EAPC of -0.18% from 1990 to 2019. CBD mortality decreased by 42.52% between 1990 and 2019, with the global age-standardised death rate declining from 49.72 to 25.58 per 100 000. The age-standardised DALY rate decreased from 4529.16 to 2393.61 per 100 000. Prevalence declined most notably among older children. The risk of CBDs reached its lowest during adolescence (10-14 years) across all regions. The most recent period (2015-2019) showed a reduced risk of prevalence compared to 2000-2004. Earlier birth cohorts displayed declining tendencies followed by slight increases in risk. Conclusions: This study demonstrates encouraging global reductions in the burden of CBDs among children over the past three decades. Prevalence, mortality, and DALYs attributable to CBDs have exhibited downward trajectories, although regional disparities remain. APC analysis provides valuable insights to inform prevention and management strategies for pediatric CBDs.

[Health Benefit Assessment of Coal-to-electricity Policy on PM2.5 Pollution in Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Region].

To accurately assess the health benefits of the coal-to-electricity policy during the heating period in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei(BTH) Region, the premature deaths caused by PM2.5 before and after the implementation of the coal-to-electricity policy during the heating period in each district and county of the BTH Region were estimated, and the corresponding health loss values were calculated using the willingness to pay method. The results showed that the implementation of the coal-to-electricity policy in the BTH Region brought 1745 cases(95% CI:1443-1907) of health benefits and 2.38 billion yuan(95% CI:1.45-3.06) in economic benefits. In Beijing, Tianjin, and Hebei there were 495 cases(95% CI:436-554), 296 cases(95% CI:238-354), and 954 cases(95% CI:693-1076) of health benefits, respectively. The economic benefits were 0.35 billion yuan(95% CI:0.30-0.39), 0.33 billion yuan(95% CI:0.27-0.40), and 1.70 billion yuan(95% CI:0.88-2.28), respectively, accounting for 0.01%, 0.02%, and 0.04% of GDP in each region. The number of premature deaths due to COPD, LC, ALRI, IHD, and STROKE decreased by 187 cases(95% CI:165-224), 318 cases(95% CI:178-458), 193 cases(95% CI:115-204), 506 cases(95% CI:232-780), and 542 cases(95% CI:463-621), respectively. Areas with relatively high environmental PM2.5 concentrations and concentrated population-intensive pollution emissions can achieve significant health and economic benefits.

Global, regional, and national epidemiology of migraine and tension-type headache in youths and young adults aged 15-39 years from 1990 to 2019: findings from the global burden of disease study 2019.

BACKGROUND: In recent years, headache disorders have garnered significant attention as a pressing global health issue. This concern is especially pronounced in low- to middle-income countries and exhibits a notable increase in prevalence among adolescents and young adults. Such a surge in these disorders has invariably diminished the quality of life for affected individuals. Despite its global impact, comprehensive studies exploring the ramifications of headache disorders in the younger population remain scant. Our study endeavored to quantify the global prevalence of headache disorders in individuals between the ages of 15 and 39, over a three-decade span from 1990 to 2019. METHODS: Our study, conducted from 1990 to 2019, evaluated the impact of headache disorders, specifically migraines and tension-type headaches (TTH), in 204 different countries and territories. This comprehensive assessment included a detailed analysis of incidence rates, prevalence, and disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) across various demographics such as age, gender, year, geographical location, and Socio-demographic Index (SDI). RESULTS: In 2019, there were an estimated 581,761,847.2 migraine cases globally (95% UI: 488,309,998.1 to 696,291,713.7), marking a 16% increase from 1990. Concurrently, TTH cases numbered at 964,808,567.1 (95% UI: 809,582,531.8 to 1,155,235,337.2), reflecting a 37% rise since 1990. South Asia reported the highest migraine prevalence with 154,490,169.8 cases (95% UI: 130,296,054.6 to 182,464,065.6). High SDI regions exhibited the most substantial migraine prevalence rates both in 1990 (22,429 per 100,000 population) and 2019 (22,606 per 100,000 population). Among the five SDI classifications, the middle SDI region recorded the highest tally of TTH cases in both 1990 (210,136,691.6 cases) and 2019 (287,577,250 cases). Over the past 30 years, East Asia experienced the most pronounced surge in the number of migraine cases. On the whole, there was a discernible positive correlation between the disease burden of migraine and TTH and the SDI. CONCLUSION: Migraine and TTH represent formidable challenges in global health. The intensity of their impact exhibits marked disparities across nations and is distinctly elevated among women, individuals within the 30-39 age bracket, and populations characterized by a high SDI. The results of our research emphasize the imperative of assimilating migraine and TTH management into contemporary healthcare paradigms. Such strategic integration holds the potential to amplify public cognizance regarding pertinent risk factors and the spectrum of therapeutic interventions at hand.

Strategy for cost-effective BMPs of non-point source pollution in the small agricultural watershed of Poyang Lake: A case study of the Zhuxi River.

In recent years, Poyang Lake has been affected by severe agricultural non-point source (NPS) pollution, a global water pollution problem. The most recognized and effective control measure for agricultural NPS pollution is the strategic selection and placement of best management practices (BMPs) for critical source areas (CSAs). The present study employed the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) model to identify CSAs and evaluate the effectiveness of different BMPs in reducing agricultural NPS pollutants in the typical sub-watersheds of the Poyang Lake watershed. The model performed well and satisfactorily in simulating the streamflow and sediment yield at the outlet of the Zhuxi River watershed. The results indicated that urbanization-oriented development strategies and the Grain for Green program (returning the grain plots to forestry) had certain effects on the land-use structure. The proportion of cropland in the study area decreased from 61.45% (2010) to 7.48% (2018) in response to the Grain for Green program, which was mainly converted to forest land (58.7%) and settlements (36.8%). Land-use type changes alter the occurrence of runoff and sediment, which further affect the nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) loads since sediment load intensity is a key factor affecting the P load intensity. Vegetation buffer strips (VBSs) proved the most effective BMPs for NPS pollutant reduction, and the cost of 5-m VBSs proved the lowest. The effectiveness of each BMP in reducing N/P load ranked as follows: VBS > grassed river channels (GRC) > 20% fertilizer reduction (FR20) > no-tillage (NT) > 10% fertilizer reduction (FR10). All combined BMPs had higher N and P removal efficiencies than the individual measures. We recommend combining FR20 and VBS-5m or NT and VBS-5m, which could achieve nearly 60% pollutant removal. Depending on the site conditions, the choice between FR20+VBS and NT + VBS is flexible for targeted implementation. Our findings may contribute to the effective implementation of BMPs in the Poyang Lake watershed and provide theoretical support and practical guidance for agricultural authorities to perform and direct agricultural NPS pollution prevention and control.

Assessment of vibration modulated regional cerebral blood flow with MRI.

Human brain experiences vibration of certain magnitude and frequency during various physical activities such as vehicle transportation and machine operation, which may cause traumatic brain injury or other brain diseases. However, the mechanisms of brain pathogenesis due to vibration are not fully elucidated due to the lack of techniques to study brain functions while applying vibration to the brain at a specific magnitude and frequency. Here, this study reported a custom-built head-worn electromagnetic actuator that applied vibration to the brain in vivo at an accurate frequency inside a magnetic resonance imaging scanner while cerebral blood flow (CBF) was acquired. Using this technique, CBF values from 45 healthy volunteers were quantitatively measured immediately following vibration at 20, 30, 40 Hz, respectively. Results showed increasingly reduced CBF with increasing frequency at multiple regions of the brain, while the size of the regions expanded. Importantly, the vibration-induced CBF reduction regions largely fell inside the brain's default mode network (DMN), with about 58 or 46% overlap at 30 or 40 Hz, respectively. These findings demonstrate that vibration as a mechanical stimulus can change strain conditions, which may induce CBF reduction in the brain with regional differences in a frequency-dependent manner. Furthermore, the overlap between vibration-induced CBF reduction regions and DMN suggested a potential relationship between external mechanical stimuli and cognitive functions.

How to Evaluate the Level of Green Development Based on Entropy Weight TOPSIS: Evidence from China.

Evaluating the level of green development is of great significance to better implement the concept of green development. By constructing an evaluation index system for green development, this paper comprehensively uses the entropy weight Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to an Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) method and coefficient of variation method to evaluate the green development level of 30 provinces in China from 2010 to 2019 and analyzes the regional differences of green development in China. The research findings are as follows: First, the level of green development in China is low but shows a slow rise trend, from 2010 to 2019; China's green development level rises from 0.274 to 0.317, an increase of 15.7%. Secondly, regional differences of green development in China are obvious, with the level ranking from high to low as eastern, western, and central regions. Third, regional differences in China's green development first widen and then narrow, with the variation coefficient of green development in 30 provinces and eastern, central, and western regions of China showing an inverted U-shaped trend of first increasing and then decreasing. Fourth, the regional difference of green development in eastern China is largest, followed by western China, and the smallest is central China. Finally, based on research findings, relevant policy recommendations are put forward.

Spatial-Temporal Variation and Health Risk Assessment of Fluoride in Surface Water in the Tibetan Plateau.

The Tibetan Plateau (TP) is known as the "Asian Water Tower" and provides vital drinking water for residents of China and Southeast Asian countries. However, large-scale regional research on water quality in this climate-sensitive and ecologically-fragile area is still lacking. Considering that drinking from fluoride-contaminated water poses serious health concerns worldwide, especially in Asian counties, it is urgent to clarify the spatial-temporal distribution characteristics, influencing factors, and health risk of fluoride in surface water in the TP. In this study, a total of 2697 surface water samples from major rivers and typical lakes in the TP were systematically analysed. Overall, fluoride concentrations ranged from 0.003 to 6.240 mg L-1 and varied among water periods, water basins and even water types. Pearson's correlation analysis showed that the distribution of fluoride concentration was closely related to the regional climate and positively correlated with anthropogenic activities. Probabilistic health risk assessment revealed that potential hazards in the Inner Basin were the highest for all age groups (HR > 1), especially for infants and adults (HR > 3), while the risks in most other water basins were acceptable (HR < 1). Our findings can provide scientific support for fluorosis prevention, and guide water resource utilization in the TP and adjacent regions. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12403-022-00490-4.

Complex ecological and socioeconomic impacts on medicinal plant diversity.

Medicinal plant diversity (MPD) is an important component of plant diversity. Over-collection based on medicinal and economic value has the potential to damage the stability of the regional ecosystem. It is important to understand the current distribution of MPD and the factors influencing it. However, it is still unclear whether environmental and socioeconomic conditions have an impact on their distribution. We selected the Inner Mongolia as a representative study area which covers a wide area, accounting for 12.29% of China's national land area and 0.79% of the world's land area. At the same time, the region is a long-standing traditional medicinal area for Mongolians in China. Therefore, the region is significantly influenced by changes in environmental factors and socio-economic factors. We used 9-years field survey of the distribution of medicinal plants in Inner Mongolia for assessing the distribution of MPD as influenced by environmental and socioeconomic activities by combining spatial analyses, species distribution models, and generalized additive models. The results from the spatial analysis show that the western region of Inner Mongolia is the main cold spot area of the MPD, and the central-eastern and northeastern regions of Inner Mongolia are the main hot spot areas of the MPD. At the same time, the distribution of cold spots and hot spots of MPD is more obvious at large spatial scales, and with the refinement of spatial scales, the cold spots in scattered areas are gradually revealed, which is indicative for the conservation and development of MPD at different spatial scales. Under the future climate change of shared socioeconomic pathways (SSP), areas with high habitat suitability for medicinal plants remain mainly dominated by the Yellow River, Yin Mountains, and Greater Khingan Range. Notably, the SSP245 development pathway remains the most significant concern in either long- or short-term development. The nonlinear relationship between the driving factors of MPD at different spatial scales shows that temperature, precipitation and socioeconomic development do have complex effects on MPD. The presence of a certain temperature, altitude, and precipitation range has an optimal facilitation effect on MPD, rather than a single facilitation effect. This complex nonlinear correlation provides a reference for further studies on plant diversity and sustainable development and management. In this study, the spatial distribution of medicinal plant resources and the extent to which they are driven by ecological and socioeconomic factors were analyzed through a macroscopic approach. This provides a reference for larger-scale studies on the environmental and socioeconomic influences on the distribution of plant resources.

Induction and Diverse Assessment Indicators of Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a typical autoimmune disease of the central nervous system (CNS) characterized by inflammatory infiltration, demyelination, and axonal damage. Currently, there are no measures to cure MS completely, but multiple disease-modifying therapies (DMT) are available to control and mitigate disease progression. There are significant similarities between the CNS pathological features of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) and MS patients. EAE has been widely used as a representative model to determine MS drugs' efficacy and explore the development of new therapies for MS disease. Active induction of EAE in mice has a stable and reproducible effect and is particularly suitable for studying the effects of drugs or genes on autoimmune neuroinflammation. The method of immunizing C57BL/6J mice with myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG35-55) and the daily assessment of disease symptoms using a clinical scoring system is mainly shared. Given the complex etiology of MS with diverse clinical manifestations, the existing clinical scoring system can't satisfy the assessment of disease treatment. To avoid the shortcomings of a single intervention, new indicators to assess EAE based on clinical manifestations of anxiety-like moods and osteoporosis in MS patients are created to provide a more comprehensive assessment of MS treatment.

An evaluation index system for regional mobile SARS-CoV-2 virus nucleic acid testing capacity in China: a modified Delphi consensus study.

BACKGROUND: Large-scale detection has great potential to bring benefits for containing the COVID-19 epidemic and supporting the government in reopening economic activities. Evaluating the true regional mobile severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) virus nucleic acid testing capacity is essential to improve the overall fighting performance against this epidemic and maintain economic development. However, such a tool is not available in this issue. We aimed to establish an evaluation index system for assessing the regional mobile SARS-CoV-2 virus nucleic acid testing capacity and provide suggestions for improving the capacity level. METHODS: The initial version of the evaluation index system was identified based on massive literature and expert interviews. The Delphi method questionnaire was designed and 30 experts were consulted in two rounds of questionnaire to select and revise indexes at all three levels. The Analytic Hierarchy Process method was used to calculate the weight of indexes at all three levels. RESULTS: The evaluation index system for assessing the regional mobile SARS-CoV-2 virus nucleic acid testing capacity, including 5 first-level indexes, 17 second-level indexes, and 90 third-level indexes. The response rates of questionnaires delivered in the two rounds of consultation were 100 and 96.7%. Furthermore, the authority coefficient of 30 experts was 0.71. Kendall's coordination coefficient differences were statistically significant (P < 0.001). The weighted values of capacity indexes were established at all levels according to the consistency test, demonstrating that 'Personnel team construction' (0.2046) came first amongst the five first-level indexes, followed by 'Laboratory performance building and maintenance' (0.2023), 'Emergency response guarantee' (0.1989), 'Information management system for nucleic acid testing resources' (0.1982) and 'Regional mobile nucleic acid testing emergency response system construction' (0.1959). CONCLUSION: The evaluation system for assessing the regional mobile SARS-CoV-2 virus nucleic acid testing capacity puts forward a specific, objective, and quantifiable evaluation criterion. The evaluation system can act as a tool for diversified subjects to find the weak links and loopholes. It also provides a measurable basis for authorities to improve nucleic acid testing capabilities.

Markov state models elucidate the stability of DNA influenced by the chiral 5S-Tg base.

The static and dynamic structures of DNA duplexes affected by 5S-Tg (Tg, Thymine glycol) epimers were studied using MD simulations and Markov State Models (MSMs) analysis. The results show that the 5S,6S-Tg base caused little perturbation to the helix, and the base-flipping barrier was determined to be 4.4 kcal mol-1 through the use of enhanced sampling meta-eABF calculations, comparable to 5.4 kcal mol-1 of the corresponding thymine flipping. Two conformations with the different hydrogen bond structures between 5S,6R-Tg and A19 were identified in several independent MD trajectories. The 5S,6R-Tg:O6HO6•••N1:A19 hydrogen bond is present in the high-energy conformation displaying a clear helical distortion, and near barrier-free Tg base flipping. The low-energy conformation always maintains Watson-Crick base pairing between 5S,6R-Tg and A19, and 5S-Tg base flipping is accompanied by a small barrier of ca. 2.0 KBT (T = 298 K). The same conformations are observed in the MSMs analysis. Moreover, the transition path and metastable structures of the damaged base flipping are for the first time verified through MSMs analysis. The data clearly show that the epimers have completely different influence on the stability of the DNA duplex, thus implying different enzymatic mechanisms for DNA repair.

Atypically larger variability of resource allocation accounts for visual working memory deficits in schizophrenia.

Working memory (WM) deficits have been widely documented in schizophrenia (SZ), and almost all existing studies attributed the deficits to decreased capacity as compared to healthy control (HC) subjects. Recent developments in WM research suggest that other components, such as precision, also mediate behavioral performance. It remains unclear how different WM components jointly contribute to deficits in schizophrenia. We measured the performance of 60 SZ (31 females) and 61 HC (29 females) in a classical delay-estimation visual working memory (VWM) task and evaluated several influential computational models proposed in basic science of VWM to disentangle the effect of various memory components. We show that the model assuming variable precision (VP) across items and trials is the best model to explain the performance of both groups. According to the VP model, SZ exhibited abnormally larger variability of allocating memory resources rather than resources or capacity per se. Finally, individual differences in the resource allocation variability predicted variation of symptom severity in SZ, highlighting its functional relevance to schizophrenic pathology. This finding was further verified using distinct visual features and subject cohorts. These results provide an alternative view instead of the widely accepted decreased-capacity theory and highlight the key role of elevated resource allocation variability in generating atypical VWM behavior in schizophrenia. Our findings also shed new light on the utility of Bayesian observer models to characterize mechanisms of mental deficits in clinical neuroscience.

Future development of Good Agricultural Practice in China under globalization of traditional herbal medicine trade.

Traditional herbal medicine (THM) is an important part of the traditional Chinese medicine culture. Due to its high medicinal potential, it should not only serve for the Chinese people's medical use, but also contribute to the world medicine, THM for the international market must be standardized and large-scale, and produced according to the "Good Agriculture Practice" (GAP). The quality of THM directly affects the patient's treatment status and safety of use. Therefore, the quality assurance of THM runs through the entire process of research and development, production and clinical practice. The standardized production and cultivation of THM is the starting point of the THM industry chain and plays a decisive role in the economic development of the THM industry. This article summarizes the development history, limitations and future development of GAP, and clarifies the opportunities for THM in the rapid development of the international and domestic Chinese medicine industry. In addition, analyzing the deficiencies that were existing in the former GAP implementation process and by suggesting science-based quality measures, it is hoped to stipulate improved GAP guidelines in the future and to lay the foundation for a modern THM international trade.

Assessment of endophytic bacterial diversity in rose by high-throughput sequencing analysis.

The endophytic bacterial diversity of rose was analyzed by high-throughput sequencing of 16S rDNA and functional prediction of the bacterial community. The number of bacterial sequence reads obtained from 18 rose samples ranged from 63,951 to 114,833, and reads were allocated to 1982 OTUs based on sequences of the V3-V4 region. The highest Shannon Index was found in Luogang rose (1.93), while the lowest was found in Grasse rose (0.35). The bacterial sequence reads were grouped into three different phyla: Firmicutes, Proteobacteria, and Actinobacteria. At the genus level, Bacillus and Staphylococcus had the highest abundance across all 18 samples; Bacillus was particularly abundant in Daguo rose (99.09%), Rosa damascena (99.65%), and Fenghua rose (99.58%). Unclassified OTUs were also found in all samples. PICRUSt gene prediction revealed that each endophyte sample contained multiple KEGG functional modules related to human metabolism and health. A high abundance of functional genes were involved in (1) Amino Acid Metabolism, (2) Carbohydrate Metabolism, (3) Cellular Processes and Signaling, (4) Energy Metabolism, and (5) Membrane Transport, indicating that the endophytic community comprised a wide variety of microorganisms and genes that could be used for further studies. The rose endophytic bacterial community is rich in diversity; community composition varies among roses and contains functional information related to human health.

Spatiotemporal Variation and Pollution Assessment of Pb/Zn from Smelting Activities in China.

Nonferrous smelting is an important source of heavy metals in soil, which causes different degrees of soil pollution, especially in lead-zinc (Pb/Zn) smelting areas. Based on the Pb/Zn environmental release during the Pb/Zn mineral smelting processes in 31 Chinese provinces from the period 2000 to 2015, the study analyzed the spatiotemporal variations in Pb/Zn environmental release at the national level and then evaluated the degree of soil pollution and potential ecological risk based on the heavy metal content in soil from Pb/Zn smelting areas. The results showed that from the period 2000 to 2015, the Pb release had a discrete trend, transferring from the middle east to the west, and the provinces with higher Pb releases were Henan Province, Yunnan Province, and Hunan Province. However, the Zn release showed a tendency towards spatial aggregation, and the release center of this heavy metal presented a shifting trend from south to north; additionally, the release of Zn was highest in Hunan Province. The pollution index analyses indicated that Cd, Pb, Cu, and Zn in Zhuzhou and Huludao all reached extremely polluted levels, while Tongguan was at a safe level. In Gejiu, Mianxian, Fengxian, Zhuzhou, Huludao, and Shaoguan, there were very high potential ecological risks, with Cd having the highest potential ecological risk in most smelting areas, followed by Pb.

Testing the validity of a stage assessment on health enhancing physical activity in a chinese university student sample.

BACKGROUND: The study examined the measurement quality of a stage algorithm measuring the Four steps from Inactivity to activity Theory (FIT Model). METHODS: In a cross-sectional study, stages were assessed in 1012 Chinese university students in terms of physical activity, social-cognitive variables and health outcomes. Main outcome measures were stages of change, self-reported physical activity, perceived barriers, intrinsic motivation, plans, fitness and health satisfaction. Misclassification, sensitivity, specificity, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves, nonlinear trends, and planned comparison were computed. RESULTS: Compared to previous studies, sensitivity was at the average level (64 %-71 %), and specificity was comparably higher (76%-89%). When using higher PA intensity criteria (moderate and strenuous intensities), sensitivity was higher, whereas specificity was lower in comparison to the lower PA intensity criteria (also including mild activity). After running contrast and trend analyses, nonlinear trends for all indicative variables across the stages and a match of 77 % of predictions of stage differences were confirmed. CONCLUSION: The measurement quality of the stage algorithm was supported in a young adult sample.