Effect of the modified painless blistering moxibustion with wheat-grain sized moxa cone on cough variant asthma of pathogenic wind attacking the lung: a randomized controlled trial. / æ”¹è‰¯æ— ç—›éº¦ç²’åŒ–è„“ç¸æ²»ç–—é£Žé‚ªçŠ¯è‚ºåž‹å’³å—½å˜å¼‚æ€§å“®å–˜ï¼šéšæœºå¯¹ç §è¯•éªŒ.

OBJECTIVES: To observe the clinical effect of the modified painless blistering moxibustion with wheat-grain sized moxa cone on cough variant asthma (CVA) differentiated as pathogenic wind attacking the lung and explore the influences on eosinophil count (EOS) in the peripheral blood and the content of interleukin-4 (IL-4) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) in the serum of patients. METHODS: Ninety-two patients with CVA of pathogenic wind attacking the lung were randomly divided into an observation group and a control group, 46 cases in each group. In the observation group, the modified painless blistering moxibustion with wheat-grain sized moxa cone was applied to the unilateral Feishu (BL 13), Gaohuang (BL 43) and Zusanli (ST 36) in each session of treatment, once every 3 days. In the control group, budesonide and formoterol powder inhaler was delivered, 4.5 µg per inhalation, once every half an hour after breakfast and dinner; one more time of inhalation needed if the symptoms were not well controlled, but less than 6 times of inhalation per day. The duration of treatment was 8 weeks in both groups. Separately, before and after treatment, and during the 1-month follow-up after treatment completion, the score of the symptoms of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) was observed in the two groups; using the lung function detector, the indexes of pulmonary function (forced expiratory volume in one second [FEV1], FEV1/forced vital capacity [FVC] and peak expiratory flow [PEF]) were determined, and the count of EOS in the peripheral blood and the content of IL-4 and TNF-α in the serum were determined before and after treatment; and the clinical effect was compared between the two groups. RESULTS: After treatment and in follow-up, the TCM symptom scores were decreased compared with those before treatment in the two groups (P<0.05), and the score in the observation group was lower than that of the control group in follow-up (P<0.05). After treatment, FEV1, FEV1/FVC and PEF were increased when compared with those before treatment in the two groups (P<0.05), and the count of EOS in the peripheral blood and the content of IL-4 and TNF-α in the serum were reduced (P<0.05); there was no statistical difference in these indexes between the two groups (P>0.05). After treatment, the total effective rate of the observation group was 95.7% (44/46), which was not different statistically in comparison with the control group (93.5% [43/46], P>0.05). In the follow-up, the total effective rate of the observation group was 95.7% (44/46), which was higher than that of the control group (78.3% [36/46], P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The modified painless blistering moxibustion with wheat-grain sized moxa cone may ameliorate the symptoms of CVA of pathogenic wind attacking the lung and improve the pulmonary functions, which is probably related to the regulation of the count of EOS in the peripheral blood and the content of IL-4 and TNF-α in the serum, thereby, reducing the inflammatory response.

[Influence of wind, cold and dampness on clinical manifestation of knee osteoarthritis patients based on the stratifications of traditional Chinese medicine constitution].

OBJECTIVE: To explore influence of external factors of wind, cold and dampness on clinical symptoms in knee osteoarthritis (KOA) patients with different constitutions of traditional Chinese medicine. METHODS: A cross-sectional stratified study was performed to select 108 patients with GradeⅡKOA in Kellgren & Lawrence (K-L) classification, including 22 males and 86 females, aged from 47 to 75 years old with an average of (60.7±6.0) years old;body mass index(BMI) ranged from 17.87 to 31.22 kg·m-2 with an average of (23.80±2.86) kg·m-2. According to Classification and Judgment of TCM Physique (ZYYXH/T157-2009), the types of TCM physique were determined and divided into 4 layers according to the deficiency and actual physique. Among them, there were 24 patients without biased physique, 12 males and 12 females, aged from 51 to 73 years old with an average of(62.8±6.0) years old, BMI ranged from 17.87 to 31.14 kg·m-2 with an average of (24.32±3.25) kg·m-2;there were 46 patients with virtual bias constitution, including 7 males and 39 females, aged from 47 to 70 years old with an average of (60.0±5.8) years old, BMI ranged from 19.38 to 31.22 kg·m-2 with an average of(23.42±2.97) kg·m-2;There were 26 patients with solid bias constitution, including 2 males and 24 females, aged from 48 to 75 years old with an average of (60.4±5.8) years old, BMI ranged from 21.16 to 30.76 kg·m-2 with an average of (24.15±2.33) kg·m-2;there were 9 patients with special constitution, 1 male and 8 female, aged from 53 to 75 years old with an average of (59.8±7.5) years old, BMI ranged from 19.26 to 26.67 kg·m-2 with an average of (23.79±2.49) kg·m-2. Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) was used to evaluate severity of clinical symptoms. The wind-cold-dampness external factor score was calculated through the questionnaire of wind-cold-dampness syndrome scale to evaluate degree of influence of wind-cold-dampness external factor. Pearson correlation analysis and partial correlation analysis were used to calculate the correlation coefficient between severity of external factors affecting wind, cold and dampness and severity of clinical symptoms in patients with different TCM constitution stratification. RESULTS: There was no statistical significance between total score of wind-cold-dampness and WOMAC score in patients with no biased constitution and special condition. Total wind-cold-dampness score of patients with virtual biased constitution was positively correlated with WOMAC stiffness score (r=0.327, P=0.032), and total wind-cold-dampness score of patients with solid biased constitution was positively correlated with WOMAC pain score (r=0.561, P=0.005) and WOMAC overall score (r=0.446, P=0.033). After further adjusting for the interaction of external factors of wind-cold-dampness, there was no statistical significance between wind-cold-dampness scores and WOMAC scores in patients with solid biased constitution. The score of dampness and pathogenic factors was positively correlated with WOMAC stiffness score (r=0.414, P=0.007). CONCLUSION: The external factors of wind-cold dampness have different effects on the clinical symptoms of KOA patients with different TCM constitutions. Compared with other constitutions, the rigid symptoms of patients with asthenic biased constitutions are more susceptible to dampness pathogenic factors.

Analysis of heatwaves based on the universal thermal climate index and apparent temperature over mainland Southeast Asia.

Heatwaves have caused significant damage to human health, infrastructure, and economies in recent decades, and the occurrences of heatwaves are becoming more frequent and severe across the globe under climate change. The previous studies on heatwaves have primarily focused on air temperature, neglecting other variables like wind speed, relative humidity, and radiation, which could lead to a serious underestimation of the adverse effects of heatwaves. To address this issue, this study proposed to the use of more sophisticated thermal indices, such as universal thermal climate index (UTCI) and apparent temperature (AT), to define heatwaves and carry out a comprehensive heatwave assessment over mainland southeast Asia (MSEA) from 1961 to 2020. The traditional temperature-based method was also compared. The results of the study demonstrate that the annual maximum temperature in heatwave days (HWA) and the annual average temperature in heatwave days (HWM) are significantly underestimated if only air temperature is considered. However, UTCI and AT tend to predict a lower frequency of yearly heatwave occurrences and shorter durations. Trend analysis indicates a general increase in heatwave occurrences across MSEA under all thermal indices in the past six decades, particularly in the last 30 years. This study's approach and findings provide a holistic view of heatwave characteristics based on thermal indices and highlight the risk of intensified heat stress during heatwaves in MSEA.

[Investigation on "Fengshi (GB 31) for treating wind disorders"].

From the perspective of academic history, the paper reviews systematically the background and evolution of the understanding of "Fengshi (GB 31) for treating wind disorders". In the ancient literature, there are no direct relevant statement for the indication of Fengshi (GB 31) associated with "wind", and the consensus on "Fengshi for treating wind disorders" has not been made yet. Under the influence of acupoint theory in recent era and the syndrome differentiation for acupuncture treatment in modern time, this statement becomes a conventional understanding and acceptable gradually. Meanwhile, the understanding for Fengshi (GB 31) treating wind disorders tends to be generalized. Practically, Fengshi (GB 31) is applicable for the various disorders in the local and adjacent areas. It is necessary for modern acupuncture researchers to systematically collate, investigate and identify the knowledge content with a sense of familiarity so that the contemporary inheritance, development and application of traditional theoretical knowledge of acupuncture can be enhanced.

Dynamic connectedness between FinTech innovation and energy volatility during the war in time of pandemic.

We use an extended joint connectedness technique and the time-varying parameter vector autoregression (ETVP-VAR) method to examine connections between the ARK FinTech Innovation ETF (ARKF), Global X FinTech ETF (FINX), and energy volatility by connectedness as a quality of eight indicators from April 1, 2019, to September 26, 2022. Our results demonstrate that the pattern of ARKF and FINX is picked up as a crucial net shock transmitter that nearly permeates our analyzed sample. Since the COVID-19 epidemic, more people are adopting FinTech partly because of their concern about the disease spreading through social contact and cash handling. Moreover, green bonds are net shock recipients over the long term. Furthermore, during the COVID-19 duration and the Russo-Ukrainian War, shocks transmitted to green bonds soared sharply. By contrast, keeping with the clean energy and crude oil trend, these indicators transmit a network of shocks during the period under study. When considering wind power, it becomes clear that this signal first acts as a net shock transmitter before changing into a net receiver of shocks from mid-2021 onwards. We recognize that the system is a net shock receiver regarding clean power. The dynamics invariably lead the series to change to a net shock transmitter in mid-2021. By mid-2021, the developments always cause the series to transform into a net shock transmitter.

Efficacy and safety of Chinese herbal medicine children's Zibei Xuanfei syrup in treating acute trachea-bronchitis with wind-heat invading lung syndrome: A randomized, double-blind, multicentre, controlled trial.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Children's Zibei Xuanfei syrup is an herbal preparation from a lifetime professor, famous old Chinese doctor, and postgraduate supervisor of medical doctor of Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine. This herbal preparation promotes lung health, relieves cough, reduces phlegm, and benefits pharynx. AIM OF THE STUDY: To verify the clinical efficacy and safety of Zibei Xuanfei syrup for children in treatment of acute trachea bronchitis with wind-heat invading lung syndrome. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was an age-stratified, block randomized, double-blind, extremely low dose parallel control, multi-center clinical trial. A total of 453 pediatric patients diagnosed with acute tracheal bronchitis in Western medicine and cough due to exogenous factors with wind-heat invading lung syndrome in Chinese medicine were enrolled. They were divided into three subgroups based on age 1∼3, 4-7, and 8-14 years old, and randomly assigned to children's Zibei Xuanfei syrup and extremely low doses of children's Zibei Xuanfei syrup (control) in a 3:1 ratio. The primary outcome was the decreased values of cough Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) score after 7 days of administration. Secondary outcomes included a decrease in cough VAS score after 3 and 5 days of the administration, and the total score of Traditional Chinese Medicine(TCM) syndrome after 3, 5, and 7 days of treatment. The chest X-ray and blood C-reactive protein were examined during screening. The safety assessment included blood urine, and stool routine, liver and kidney function of laboratory tests, and an electrocardiogram at the screening and the last visit. RESULTS: The subjects of two groups had high administration adherence (completion over 80%) (299/323, 92.6% in children's Zibei Xuanfei syrup group vs 103/107, 96.3% in the control group; p > 0.05). The children's Zibei Xuanfei syrup group was significantly better than the control group in the decreased values of cough VAS score after 7 days of administration(6.35 ± 3.45 vs 3.73 ± 3.98, p < 0.001). The subgroup analysis of the decreased value of cough VAS scores aged 1-3 years old were 5.80 ± 3.43 vs 3.75 ± 4.38 (P = 0.003), 4-7 years old was 6.30 ± 3.69 vs 2.73 ± 3.65 (P < 0.001), and 8-14 years old were 6.91 ± 3.12 vs 4.69 ± 3.75(P = 0.001)respectively. The secondary outcomes decrease values of cough VAS score of children's Zibei Xuanfei syrup group vs control group after 5 days of administration were 5.88 ± 2.90 vs 3.55 ± 3.41(P < 0.001), after 3 days of administration were 3.61 ± 2.53 vs 2.43 ± 2.56 (P < 0.001). The effective rate of the TCM symptom total score of children's Zibei Xuanfei syrup group vs control group was 91.38% vs 54.95%after 7 days of the administration, 86.93% vs 50.94% after 5 days of the administration, and 64.78% vs 40.19% after 3 days administration(each p < 0.001). There was no significant difference in Adverse Event between the two groups (59/331, 17.82% vs 15/111, 13.51%, P > 0.05). The children's Zibei Xuanfei syrup group had 5 Serious Adverse Events (incidence rate 1.21%), all of which were unrelated to the trial drug. CONCLUSION: Children's Zibei Xuanfei syrup appears to be extremely effective and safe in the treatment of acute trachea bronchitis with wind-heat invading lung syndrome. Future studies with large sample sizes will need to collect more safety data use for children.

Investigation on "Fengshi (GB 31) for treating wind disorders" / 中国针灸

From the perspective of academic history, the paper reviews systematically the background and evolution of the understanding of "Fengshi (GB 31) for treating wind disorders". In the ancient literature, there are no direct relevant statement for the indication of Fengshi (GB 31) associated with "wind", and the consensus on "Fengshi for treating wind disorders" has not been made yet. Under the influence of acupoint theory in recent era and the syndrome differentiation for acupuncture treatment in modern time, this statement becomes a conventional understanding and acceptable gradually. Meanwhile, the understanding for Fengshi (GB 31) treating wind disorders tends to be generalized. Practically, Fengshi (GB 31) is applicable for the various disorders in the local and adjacent areas. It is necessary for modern acupuncture researchers to systematically collate, investigate and identify the knowledge content with a sense of familiarity so that the contemporary inheritance, development and application of traditional theoretical knowledge of acupuncture can be enhanced.

The renew plans of urban thermal environment optimization for traditional districts in Xi'an, China.

During the process of the high-speed urbanization in Chinese cities, the social, economic, and political status and the interaction between each factor have been more focused on urban traditional district renewal. However, the effects on urban microclimate and the residential living conditions in traditional districts are not well discussed, which is strongly related to the living comfort and citizens' well-being. In this study, two typical traditional districts in Xi'an are selected. According to the original situation of building functions and the community characteristics, two renewal plans are proposed by adding vegetation in open spaces (V), and adding vegetation combined with building redevelopment (V&B), in order to balance the living convenience and thermal environment. Via ENVI-met simulation, the effects of the district renewal plans on thermal environment including wind speed, air temperature, and mean radiant temperature are evaluated. This study provides method of environmental evaluation for traditional district renewal, which contributes to sustainable urban planning in historical districts, and provides recommendations for related policy development.

Marine Oil Spill Detection from SAR Images Based on Attention U-Net Model Using Polarimetric and Wind Speed Information.

With the rapid development of marine trade, marine oil pollution is becoming increasingly severe, which can exert damage to the health of the marine environment. Therefore, detection of marine oil spills is important for effectively starting the oil-spill cleaning process and the protection of the marine environment. The polarimetric synthetic aperture radar (PolSAR) technique has been applied to the detection of marine oil spills in recent years. However, most current studies still focus on using the simple intensity or amplitude information of SAR data and the detection results are not reliable enough. This paper presents a deep-learning-based method to detect oil spills on the marine surface from Sentinel-1 PolSAR satellite images. Specifically, attention gates are added to the U-Net network architecture, which ensures that the model focuses more on feature extraction. In the training process of the model, sufficient Sentinel-1 PolSAR images are selected as sample data. The polarimetric information from the PolSAR dataset and the wind-speed information of the marine surface are both taken into account when training the model and detecting oil spills. The experimental results show that the proposed method achieves better performance than the traditional methods, and taking into account both the polarimetric and wind-speed information, can indeed improve the oil-spill detection results. In addition, the model shows pleasing performance in capturing the fine details of the boundaries of the oil-spill patches.

Economic estimation of Bitcoin mining's climate damages demonstrates closer resemblance to digital crude than digital gold.

This paper provides economic estimates of the energy-related climate damages of mining Bitcoin (BTC), the dominant proof-of-work cryptocurrency. We provide three sustainability criteria for signaling when the climate damages may be unsustainable. BTC mining fails all three. We find that for 2016-2021: (i) per coin climate damages from BTC were increasing, rather than decreasing with industry maturation; (ii) during certain time periods, BTC climate damages exceed the price of each coin created; (iii) on average, each $1 in BTC market value created was responsible for $0.35 in global climate damages, which as a share of market value is in the range between beef production and crude oil burned as gasoline, and an order-of-magnitude higher than wind and solar power. Taken together, these results represent a set of sustainability red flags. While proponents have offered BTC as representing "digital gold," from a climate damages perspective it operates more like "digital crude".

Investigation of the potential curative effects of Gui-Zhi-Jia-Ge-Gen decoction on wind-cold type of common cold using multidimensional analysis.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Gui-Zhi-Jia-Ge-Gen decoction (GJGD) is a classical Chinese medicine prescription that has been widely used in clinical practice for centuries. In recent times, TCM has received considerable attention for its potential efficacy in treating a wind-cold type of common cold. However, the effect of the Gui-Zhi-Jia-Ge-Gen decoction on the wind-cold type of common cold is still not fully understood, which presents challenges for both quality control, research and development. Furthermore, the identification of potential pharmacodynamic ingredients (PPIs) is important for developing quality control procedures for industrial and large-scale production. AIM OF THE STUDY: The aim of this study was to investigate the potential curative effect of Gui-Zhi-Jia-Ge-Gen decoction on wind-type of common cold using multidimensional qualitative analysis that combined water-decoction spectrums, in vivo plasma spectrums, and molecular docking to identify key constituents of GJGD. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Water-based GJGDs were formulated according to the clinical usage documented in ancient medical texts. Ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole-time of flight mass spectrometry (UHPLC-Q-TOF-MS) was combined with computer-aided modeling screening to identify GJGD PPIs in rats following oral administration. Molecular docking experiments were carried out to predict the binding affinity of the PPIs to tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α), interleukin 6 (IL-6), and interleukin-1ß (IL-1ß). Finally, the active ingredients of GJGD were further validated through pharmacodynamic experiments by assessing their efficacy in treating a wind-cold type of common cold in rats. RESULTS: A total of 61 compounds were identified in the GJGD, 8 of which were detected in rat blood samples, providing stronger evidence for PPIs. Molecular docking also confirmed that these 8 compounds had a better affinity for TNF-α, IL-6, and IL-1ß. In animal studies, various doses of the GJGD groups and the positive control groups caused significant elevations (P < 0.05) in the levels of white blood cell count and lymphocyte ratio and caused a significant decrease (P < 0.05) in the monocyte ratio and neutrophilic granulocyte ratio compared to the model group. Organ indexes of the GJGD treated groups were higher than the model group (P < 0.05). Significant neutrophil infiltration, hemorrhage, compensatory vacuole, and interstitium proliferation were observed in the lung tissue of the model group. However, the lung tissues of the various dose groups that received GJGD showed a near normal appearance, except for slight thickening, interstitium proliferation, and compensatory vacuole in some areas. The GJGD was found to be effective against a cold-wind type of common cold, which is in accordance with molecular docking studies suggesting that GJGD may be effective against a cold-wind type of common cold. Finally, based on multidimensional analysis, 8 potential compounds in GJGD were identified as PPIs (puerarin, 3'-hydroxy puerarin, 3'- methoxy puerarin, daidzin, cinnamic acid, paeoniflorin, liquiritin, and glycyrrhizic acid). CONCLUSION: The present study combined water decoction spectral analysis, molecular docking, and in vivo blood plasma spectrum analysis to develop a multidimensional qualitative approach for the development of GJGD and to assess its effectiveness in a wind type of common cold in Sprague Dawley rats. Meanwhile, 8 compounds in the GJGD were identified as PPIs in this study, which may be useful in developing quality standards for complex TCM prescriptions.

A nonlocal population model for the invasion of Canada goldenrod.

A mathematical model for the population invasion of Canada goldenrod is proposed, with two reproductive modes, yearly periodic time delay and spatially nonlocal response caused by the influence of wind on the seeds. Under suitable conditions, we obtain the existence of the rightward and leftward invasion speeds and their coincidence with the minimal speeds of time periodic traveling waves. Furthermore, the invasion speeds are finite if the dispersal kernel of seeds is exponentially bounded and infinite if dispersal kernel is exponentially unbounded.

Numerical Study on the Influence of Model Uncertainties on the Transport of Underwater Spilled Oil.

Oil pollution influences marine biology, ecology, and regional sustainable development capacity, but model uncertainties limit the ability of the numerical model to accurately predict the transport and fate of the underwater oil spill. Based on a three-dimensional underwater oil spill model validated by satellite images of the oil slick at the sea surface, the Penglai 19-3 oil spill accident in the Bohai Sea was simulated; in addition, several sensitivity experiments were set up to investigate the influence of model uncertainties in the background wind, current, start time of the oil spill, and spill site on the transport of underwater spilled oil in the Penglai 19-3 oil spill accident. The experimental results indicate that the uncertainty in the background wind has a certain impact on the simulated centroid position at the sea surface, and little effect on the simulated underwater results, while the uncertainty in the background current has a significant influence on the transport of the underwater spilled oil both at the sea surface and underwater. An uncertainty of 24 h in the start time of the oil spill can cause more than 1 time larger than the benchmark case displacement of the oil spill centroid point and sweeping area at the sea surface, as the periodic tidal current is the main constituent of the ocean current in the Bohai Sea. The uncertainty in the spill site has a large influence on the final position of the oil spill centroid point, but the oil spill trajectories do not intersect with each other within 48 h, which makes it possible to identify the oil spill platform from the actual observations. The influence of uncertainties in the important model inputs and key model parameters on the transport of underwater spilled oil in the Penglai 19-3 oil spill accident is evaluated for the first time, which is of substantial significance for improving the prediction accuracy of the transport and fate of underwater oil spills.

Wind-Driven Sediment Resuspension in the World's Fourth Largest Lake Contributes Substantial Phosphorus Load to the 11th Largest Lake.

Capturing precipitation-based episodes is a longstanding issue for estimating tributary loads; however, wind-driven resuspension in Lake Huron creates similar uncertainties in its estimated load to Lake Erie. Recent suggestions that the phosphorus load from Lake Huron is underestimated because sampling frequencies miss contributions from resuspension events are speculative because they did not include direct load measurements, address all resuspension regions, or assess the potential bioavailability of the load. We address these shortcomings by evaluating Lake Huron's nearshore regions, characterizing the biological availability of the load, and providing direct comparisons of load estimates with and without the resuspended load. We show that total phosphorus concentrations in Lake Huron and the St. Clair River are higher during resuspension events and that bioavailability of that material is comparable to that reported elsewhere. New load estimates, based on continuous turbidity measurements converted to phosphorus through P-turbidity relationships, were almost 90% higher than traditional load estimates, providing empirical evidence for the significantly underestimated previous load. This confirmation is important because if the Lake Huron load is not decreased, reductions from other sources would be needed to meet the overall reduction targets set by the binational Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement.

Rapid divergence in vegetative morphology of a wind-pollinated plant between populations at contrasting densities.

Plant sexual dimorphism is thought to evolve in response to sex-specific selection associated with competition for access to mates or resources, both of which may be density dependent. In wind-pollinated plants in particular, vegetative traits such as plant size and architecture may influence resource acquisition and both pollen dispersal and receipt, with potential conflict between these two components of fitness. We evaluated the role of plant density in shaping plant traits by measuring evolutionary responses in experimental populations of the sexually dimorphic wind-pollinated plant Mercurialis annua. After three generations of evolution, we observed divergence between high- and low-density populations in several vegetative traits, whereas there was no divergence for reproductive traits. A reversal in the direction of sexually dimorphic traits expressed in young plants evolved in both low- and high-density populations compared to the original population (stored as seeds). Compared to the source population, males at high density evolved to be taller when young, whereas at low density young females tended to become smaller. These results demonstrate that a simple change in plant density can induce age-dependent and sex-specific evolution in the ontogeny of vegetative organs, and illustrates the power of experimental evolution for investigating plant trait evolution.

[Randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trial of Jingfang Granules in treatment of common cold(wind-cold syndrome)].

Jingfang Granules have the effects of inducing sweating to releasing exterior, dispersing wind and dispelling dampness. Modern studies have demonstrated that it has antipyretic and antiviral activities. Therefore, this trial was conducted to evaluate the efficacy and safety of Jingfang Granules in the treatment of common cold(wind-cold syndrome). A total of 138 common cold(wind-cold syndrome) patients meeting the inclusion and exclusion criteria were randomly assigned into the experimental group(n=92) and the placebo group(n=46) at a ratio of 2∶1 and respectively received Jingfang Granules and Jingfang Granules simulation agent. The treatment lasted for 5 d, and the follow-up time was 8 d. Recovery time was employed as the main indicator of efficacy. The median reco-very time of the experimental group was 3.33 d, shorter than that 7.00 d of the placebo group. The efficacy of the experimental group was better than that of the placebo group(P<0.000 1). The major symptom severity score-time AUC of the experimental group was 489.90±206.95, which was smaller than that of the placebo group(763.50±339.53). The recovery rate and marked effective rate of the experimental group were higher than those of the placebo group, The above outcomes were statistically significant between the two groups(P<0.05). The disappearance time and rate of single symptoms including aversion to cold, nasal congestion, runny nose, cough, headache, pharyngeal itching/pain, white sputum, and somatalgia also had significant differences between the two groups(P<0.05), indicating that Jingfang Granules had good performance in alleviating the above symptoms. During the study period, one case of the experimental group had a slight increase in serum creatinine, which returned to the normal level after re-examination. The incidence of adverse reactions was 1.10%, and no serious adverse reaction was found. The two groups had no significant difference in the incidence of adverse reactions. In conclusion, Jingfang Granules can significantly shorten the course of common cold(wind-cold syndrome) and quickly alleviate the clinical symptoms, demonstrating good safety and clinical advantages.

Spatiotemporal variation in soil degradation and economic damage caused by wind erosion in Northwest China.

Wind erosion causes significant dust emissions in northwest China, resulting in large amounts of soil organic matter and nutrient losses. It has a significant impact on air quality, climate change, vegetation growth, and economic growth at the regional scale. In this work, the Weather Research Forecasting with Chemistry atmospheric chemical transport model was used to simulate the temporal and spatial processes of dust emissions in northwest China from 1980 to 2015. The temporal and spatial variation characteristics of the loss of soil organic matter and nutrients (total nitrogen and total phosphorus) due to dust emissions, and the economic damage from wind erosion, were simulated and calculated. Spatial patterns of soil organic matter and nutrient losses are consistent with dust emission rates across the research region. The average annual dust emissions were approximately 65.17 million tons, with losses of soil organic matter, total nitrogen, and total phosphorus resulting from dust emissions of 531,494 tons, 30,754 tons, and 37,095 tons, respectively. In addition, the average annual economic loss caused by wind erosion was 309.25 million yuan in northwest China during the entire study period. This research is valuable for understanding the role of wind erosion on the carbon and nutrient cycles and the mechanism of soil degradation in northwest China and estimating the economic impacts of wind erosion.

Ingreso de nitrógeno y fósforo al lago Atitlán (Guatemala) vía deposición atmosférica / Input of Nitrogen and Phosphorus to Lake Atitlán (Guatemala) via atmospheric deposition

La deposición de nutrientes por vía atmosférica tiene graves impactos sobre la ecología de bosques y cuerpos de agua templados. Sin embargo, su importancia en cuerpos de agua neotropicales casi no ha sido estudiada. En este artículo se cuantifica la contribución de nitrógeno inorgánico disuelto (NID, [NO3--N + NH4+-N]) y fósforo inorgánico soluble (FIS, [PO4-3-P]) depositados en bulto sobre superficies húmedas por vía atmosférica hacia el lago Atitlán (Guatemala). Las cargas estimadas de NID y FIS consecuencia de la deposición atmosférica directa (depositada sobre la superficie del lago) fueron de 151.2 ton/año y 5.6 ton/año, respectivamente. Con estos resulta-dos, se estima que el aporte de FIS por deposición atmosférica al lago Atitlán es comparable al de sus principales ríos tributarios, y de casi el doble para el ingreso de NID. Las estimaciones para el lago Atitlán son mayores que lo reportado para otros lagos. Nuestro estudio proporciona información básica para entender la eutrofización del lago Atitlán, enfatizado en la importancia de la deposición atmosférica como contribuyente al deterioro de este cuerpo de agua. Además, demuestra la necesidad de extender este tipo de estudio a otras cuencas neotropicales y la importancia de minimizar este impacto.

Atmospheric nutrient deposition has serious impacts on the ecology of forests and temperate water bodies nevertheless its importance in Neotropical water bodies has hardly been studied. Here we quantify the contribution of bulk atmospheric deposition on wet surfaces of dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN,[NO3--N + NH4+-N])and soluble inorganic phosphorus (SIP, [PO4-3-P])into Lake Atitlán (Guatemala). The estimated NID and SIP loads from this direct deposition on the lake surface were respectively, 151.2 tons/year and 5.6 tons/year. With these results, we estimated that the SIP input from atmospheric deposition to Lake Atitlán is comparable to that from the lake's main tributary rivers, whereas for DIN entry this is almost twice as much. Estimates for Lake Atitlán are higher than those reported for many lakes. Our study provides basic information towards understanding the eutrophication of Lake Atitlán, emphasizes the importance of atmospheric deposition in this process and the need for additional studies to document the process in neotropical watersheds.

[Randomized controlled trial on cervical spondylotic radiculopathy of wind-cold-damp type treated with acupuncture and thunder-fire moxibustion].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the therapeutic effect of acupuncture combined with thunder-fire moxibustion on cervical spondylotic radiculopathy of wind-cold-damp type and its impacts on the conduction velocity of F wave of median nerve and ulnar nerve, as well as hypersensitive C-responsive protein (hs-CRP), interleukin 6 (IL-6), IL-1ß and tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α) in serum. METHODS: A total of 94 patients with cervical spondylotic radiculopathy of wind-cold-damp type were randomly divided into a control group and a combined therapy group, 47 cases in each group. In the control group, acupuncture was applied to Fengchi (GV20), Tianzhu (BL10), Neck-Jiaji (EX-B5), Dazhui (GV14) and others, 30 min each time, once daily, 5 times a week, totally for 4 weeks. In the combined therapy group, on the base of the treatment as the control group, the thunder-fire moxibustion was adopted over GV20, EX-B5, GV14, Jianjing (ST21) and Tianzong (SI11), 20 min each time, once every other day, for 4 weeks in total. After the treatment, the curative effect was compared in the patients between two groups. The short-form McGill pain questionnaire (SF-MPQ), the neck specificity scale and the MOS 36-item short form health survey (SF-36) were scored. The conduction velocity of F wave in median nerve and ulnar nerve was detected by electromyography. The expression of hs-CRP was measured by immunoturbidimetry. IL-6, IL-1ß and TNF-α in serum were determined by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay. RESULTS: The total effective rate in the combined therapy group was 95.7% (45/47), which was higher than 80.9% (38/47) in the control group (P<0.05). Compared with their own pretreatment, the scores of SF-MPQ, neck specificity scale and SF-36 were all obviously improved after treatment in the patients of either group (P<0.05), while the conduction velocity of F wave in median nerve and ulnar nerve was accelerated and hs-CRP, IL-6, IL-1ß and TNF-α in serum were decreased (P<0.05). Compared with the control group, the improvements in the scores of SF-MPQ, neck specificity scale and SF-36 were more obvious (P<0.05), the increase of the conduction velocity of F wave in median nerve and ulnar nerve and the decrease of hs-CRP, IL-6, IL-1ß and TNF-α in serum were more remarkable (P<0.05) in the combined therapy group. CONCLUSION: Acupuncture combined with thunder-fire moxibustion relieves the clinical symptoms of cervical spondylotic radiculopathy of wind-cold-damp type.