Transcriptomic analysis of the defense response in "Cabernet Sauvignon" grape leaf induced by Apolygus lucorum feeding.

To investigate the molecular mechanism of the defense response of "Cabernet Sauvignon" grapes to feeding by Apolygus lucorum, high-throughput sequencing technology was used to analyze the transcriptome of grape leaves under three different treatments: feeding by A. lucorum, puncture injury, and an untreated control. The research findings indicated that the differentially expressed genes were primarily enriched in three aspects: cellular composition, molecular function, and biological process. These genes were found to be involved in 42 metabolic pathways, particularly in plant hormone signaling metabolism, plant-pathogen interaction, MAPK signaling pathway, and other metabolic pathways associated with plant-induced insect resistance. Feeding by A. lucorum stimulated and upregulated a significant number of genes related to jasmonic acid and calcium ion pathways, suggesting their crucial role in the defense molecular mechanism of "Cabernet Sauvignon" grapes. The consistency between the gene expression and transcriptome sequencing results further supports these findings. This study provides a reference for the further exploration of the defense response in "Cabernet Sauvignon" grapes by elucidating the expression of relevant genes during feeding by A. lucorum.

Effects of Short Interpregnancy Intervals on Adverse Pregnancy Outcomes - Haidian District, Beijing Municipality, China, 2017-2019.

What is already known about this topic?: Interpregnancy intervals (IPIs) that are either excessively long or short have been linked with an elevated risk of adverse perinatal outcomes. Presently, no pertinent guidelines have been established in China to provide clear direction with regard to optimal IPI. What is added by this report?: A brief interpregnancy interval may elevate the risk of miscarriage, postpartum hemorrhage, and fetal distress among expectant women. What are the implications for public health practice?: These results could inform prenatal consultations, guiding pregnant women towards an ideal interpregnancy interval of no less than 24 months.

Periconceptional Folic Acid Only Versus Multiple Micronutrients Containing Folic Acid and Association with Gestational Diabetes Mellitus - Beijing Municipality, China, 2017-2021.

What is already known about this topic?: Inconsistent results have been reported on the association between periconceptional folic acid only (FAO) or multiple micronutrients containing folic acid (MMFA) supplementation and the risk of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) in previous research. What is added by this report?: In a prospective cohort study conducted among pregnant women in Haidian District, Beijing Municipality, it was observed that those who took MMFA demonstrated a higher likelihood of developing GDM in comparison to those who consumed FAO periconceptionally. Interestingly, the increased risk for GDM in pregnant women supplemented with MMFA compared to FAO was primarily due to changes in fasting plasma glucose. What are the implications for public health practice?: It is highly recommended that women prioritize the use of FAO in order to yield potential benefits in the prevention of GDM.

Clinical Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic Among the Uninfected Pregnant Women - 6 PLADs, China, 2019-2020.

SUMMARY: What is already known about this topic? The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic potentially affected prenatal care quality and maternal and fetal outcomes globally.What is added by this report? During COVID-19 pandemic period, the rates of caesarean sections (CS) and preterm birth for uninfected pregnant women increased slightly in areas that were relatively severely impacted by the pandemic in China. The overall number of prenatal examinations did not dramatically decrease, while the eligible examinations significantly decreased in Hubei Province.What are the implications for public health practice? Routine prenatal examinations had been well maintained during the pandemic period in China. In the future, in-time prenatal examinations should be provided to improve the quality of screening and management of high-risk pregnancy under pandemic-affected circumstances. Psychological counseling and transfer treatment channels should be strengthened for pregnant women during lockdown period.

The impact of preconception body mass index on cervical length: a prospective cohort study in China.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the relationship between preconception body mass index (BMI) and cervical length (CL). METHODS: Data was collected from a prospective cohort study conducted in Beijing, China. A total of 4843 qualified women participated in this study, whose health-related information was recorded at the very beginning and their cervical length was measured with transvaginal ultrasound examination during 22-24 gestational weeks. Logistic regression was used to evaluate the relationship between preconception BMI and cervical length, after adjusting for potential confounders. RESULTS: Of all the participants in the analysis, 580 (12.0%) women had a short cervical length (CL less than 30 mm). After adjusting for the age and parity status, the adjusted odds ratios of short CL for underweight: adjusted OR = 1.28 (95% CI: 1.02, 1.60); overweight: adjusted OR = 0.74 (95% CI: 0.55, 0.99); obesity: adjusted OR = 0.38 (95% CI: 0.17, 0.88) compared with normal weight. The mean CL in underweight, normal weight, overweight and obesity group demonstrated a significant linear increased trend (33.47, 34.16 and 34.96 mm, respectively) (p < .05), dependent of age and parity. CONCLUSIONS: This research revealed that low preconception BMI women were more likely to have a short CL.

Maternal severe stressful life events and risk of abnormal vaginal bleeding among urban Chinese pregnant women.

Objective: The objective of this study is to assess whether maternal stressful life events are associated with increased risk of vaginal bleeding in urban China.Methods: We implemented a cross-sectional study to examine the association between maternal severe stressful life events and vaginal bleeding in early pregnancy. Information was collected from an urban area and 956 participants were involved in final analysis. Multivariable logistic model was used to estimate the adjusted odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (95% CI) controlling for confounders.Results: In total, 219 of the 956 participants were reported vaginal bleeding. Maternal stressful life events would increase the chance of vaginal bleeding with a crude OR of 2.14 (95% CI, 1.53-2.99). After adjustment for potential variables, the association remains significant (adjusted OR, 2.22; 95% CI, 1.56-3.16), and stratification analysis shows parity is an influence factor. The frequency of maternal stress and vaginal bleeding exist a dose-response relationship.Conclusion: Maternal stressful life events are associated with the risk of vaginal bleeding in urban China. The parity status influences their association.

Impact of cervical length on preterm birth in northern China: a prospective cohort study.

Aim: To evaluate the association between cervical length (CL) and certain subtypes of preterm birth (PTB).Materials and methods: Data were derived from a prospective cohort study conducted in China to explore the risk factors of PTB between 2012 and 2014. Gestational age was based on transvaginal ultrasound examination during pregnancy. PTB was categorized into two subtypes according to its clinical symptoms. Logistic regression was used to evaluate the relation between short CL and certain subtypes of PTB, adjusted for potential confounders.Results: Of the 3688 women included in the analysis, 425 (11.5%) women had a CL less than 30 mm (short CL). The incidence of PTB was significantly higher in the short CL group than the normal CL group (10.6 versus 6.0%; adjusted risk ratio (RR) 1.91, 95% CI 1.35, 2.69). The association between short CL and overall PTB was both significant in primipara (adjusted RR 2.00, 95% CI 1.09, 3.68) and multipara (adjusted RR 1.89, 95% CI 1.24, 2.87). The association between short CL and noniatrogenic PTB related to parity (primipara adjusted RR 2.13, 95% CI 1.11, 4.10; multipara adjusted RR 1.90, 95% CI 1.21, 3.00).Conclusion: Short CL could increase the risk of overall PTB and noniatrogenic PTB. The association between CL and noniatrogenic PTB was dependent on parity.

Midgut transcriptome analysis of Clostera anachoreta treated with lethal and sublethal Cry1Ac protoxin.

Clostera anachoreta is one of the important Lepidoptera insect pests in forestry, especially in poplars woods in China, Europe, Japan, and India, and so forth, and also the target insect of Cry1Ac toxin and Bt plants. Six genes, HSC70, GNB2L/RACK1, PNLIP, BI1-like, arylphorin type 2, and PKM were found in this study, and they might be associated with the response to the Cry1Ac toxin, found by analyzing the transcriptome data. And the PI3K-Akt pathway was highly enriched in differentially expressed unigenes and linked to several crucial pathways, including the B-cell receptor signaling pathway, toll-like receptor pathway, and mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling pathway. They might be involved in the recovery stage of the damaged midgut during the response to sublethal doses of Cry1Ac toxin. This is the first study conducted to specifically investigate C. anachoreta response to Cry toxin stress using large-scale sequencing technologies, and the results highlighted some important genes and pathways that could be involved in Btcry1Ac resistance development or could serve as targets for biologically based control mechanisms of this insect pest.

Acute and chronic effects of ambient fine particulate matter on preterm births in Beijing, China: A time-series model.

Accumulating evidence suggests that short- and long-term exposure to ambient fine particulate matter ≤ 2.5 µm (PM2.5) during pregnancy is associated with preterm births, yet the results are inconsistent, and the shape of the exposure-response curve is unclear, partially due to the limited studies conducted in areas with high air pollution. Our study evaluated the association between ambient PM2.5 concentration and preterm births in Beijing, China. Daily preterm birth data were collected from a hospital in Beijing during 2006 to 2013; a time-series of daily PM2.5 concentrations during the same period is assembled with measured data at three monitoring sites in Beijing. An extension of the Poisson regression and a time-series model were applied to simultaneously estimate the acute and chronic effects of exposure to PM2.5, with mutual adjustment for short- and long-term exposure as well as for confounders. During the study period, the PM2.5 concentration was 70.4 ±â€¯60.6 µg/m3 and was found to be associated with an increased risk of preterm birth. In the study cohort, a 0.52% (95% confidence interval, CI: 0.09%, 0.96%) and 3.13% (95%CI: 1.92%, 4.35%) increase in preterm births was estimated for each 10-µg/m3 increase in short- and long-term exposure, respectively. This association was significantly modified by season (p < 0.05). With mutual adjustments for short- and long-term exposure, a more robust association (3.16%, 95% CI: 1.95%, 4.39%; per 10-µg/m3 increment in PM2.5) was observed for chronic effects. The exposure-response relationships for both short- and long-term exposure were linear, without a threshold, over the relatively low exposure range and flattened out at higher concentration levels. The maximum effect for long-term exposure to PM2.5 (33.6%) was much greater than that for short-term exposure (19.9%). These findings indicate that air quality improvements over a long period could yield significant health benefits.

The impact of self-reported preconception body mass index on gestational abnormal glucose tolerance in a Chinese center.

AIMS: To investigate the association between self-reported preconception body mass index (BMI) and the risk of abnormal glucose tolerance (AGT). METHODS: Data were obtained from a prospective cohort study conducted in China. We recruited 5305 qualified women who registered during 22-24 gestational weeks. Blood glucose was measured by trained professionals, and other health-related information was recorded prospectively. We used logistic regression to evaluate the relationship between preconception BMI with AGT and its subtypes, after controlling for potential confounders. RESULTS: 649 of the 5305 participants (12.2%) were diagnosed with AGT. The prevalences of AGT in underweight, normal weight, overweight and obese population indicated a significant linear increased trend (8.4%, 11.1%, 20.0% and 27.7%, respectively) (p < 0.001), regardless of parity status. After adjustment for maternal age, education and parity, the adjusted odds ratios of AGT for underweight: OR = 0.82 (95% CI: 0.62, 1.06); overweight: OR = 1.92 (95% CI: 1.54, 2.38); obese: OR = 2.82 (95% CI: 1.88, 4.22) compared with normal weight. Stratified analysis showed preconception BMI had a greater impact on primiparous women. CONCLUSIONS: Our results support an association between self-reported preconception BMI with increased risk of AGT, and it was dependent on parity.

Ambient air pollution and adverse birth outcomes: a natural experiment study.

BACKGROUND: Radical regulations to improve air quality, including traffic control, were implemented prior to and during the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. Consequently, ambient concentrations of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and particular matter 10 micrometers or less (PM10), were reduced in a distinct and short window of time, which presented a natural experiment for testing the relationships between maternal exposure to PM10 and NO2 during pregnancy and adverse birth outcomes. METHODS: We estimated the effect of PM10 and NO2 exposure during each trimester of gestation on the risk of preterm birth among live births and the birth weight among term babies. The data were based on 50,874 live births delivered between January 1, 2006 and December 31, 2010 at the Beijing Haidian Maternal and Child Health Hospital. Air monitoring data for the same period were obtained from the Beijing Municipal Environmental Monitoring Center. RESULTS: Among full-term births, maternal exposure to NO2 in the third trimester predicted birth weight, with each 10-unit increment (per 10 ug/m(3)) in NO2 concentration associated with a 13.78 g (95 % confidence interval: -21.12, -6.43; p < 0.0001) reduction in birth weight. This association was maintained after adjusting for other pollutants, including carbon monoxide (CO), sulfur dioxide (SO2), and PM10. No relationship was found between the concentration of PM10 and low birth weight among full-term births. Neither PM10 nor NO2 concentrations predicted the risk of premature birth. CONCLUSIONS: Exposure to ambient air pollution during certain periods of pregnancy may decrease birth weight, but the effect size is small.

A matched case-control study of preterm birth in one hospital in Beijing, China.

BACKGROUND: Preterm birth is an unresolved global health issue. The etiologies of preterm birth are complex and multifactorial. To examine risk factors related to preterm birth, a matched case-control study was conducted in a hospital in Beijing, China where little data on preterm birth have been published in the scientific literature. METHODS: A 1:1 matched case-control study was conducted in 172 pairs of women with preterm birth (case group) and term delivery (control group). Eligible subjects were interviewed in person by well-trained investigators using a questionnaire. Information on obstetric diagnosis and newborns were abstracted from inpatients' medical records. Univariate and multivariate conditional logistic regression models were used to measure the associations between related factors and preterm birth. RESULTS: Univariate analysis showed that 6 of 12 factors were associated with preterm birth. Multivariate results showed that gestational hypertension (OR = 7.76), low gestational weight gain (OR = 3.02), frequent prenatal care (OR = 0.16), balanced diet (OR = 0.36), and high gestational weight gain (OR = 0.41) were associated with preterm birth. CONCLUSION: This study provides information on preterm birth in Beijing, China, and it also lends support to existing evidence about the role of maternal nutritional status, prenatal care and gestational hypertension as risk factors for preterm birth.

Gene expression profiling in human lung development: an abundant resource for lung adenocarcinoma prognosis.

A tumor can be viewed as a special "organ" that undergoes aberrant and poorly regulated organogenesis. Progress in cancer prognosis and therapy might be facilitated by re-examining distinctive processes that operate during normal development, to elucidate the intrinsic features of cancer that are significantly obscured by its heterogeneity. The global gene expression signatures of 44 human lung tissues at four development stages from Asian descent and 69 lung adenocarcinoma (ADC) tissue samples from ethnic Chinese patients were profiled using microarrays. All of the genes were classified into 27 distinct groups based on their expression patterns (named as PTN1 to PTN27) during the developmental process. In lung ADC, genes whose expression levels decreased steadily during lung development (genes in PTN1) generally had their expression reactivated, while those with uniformly increasing expression levels (genes in PTN27) had their expression suppressed. The genes in PTN1 contain many n-gene signatures that are of prognostic value for lung ADC. The prognostic relevance of a 12-gene demonstrator for patient survival was characterized in five cohorts of healthy and ADC patients [ADC_CICAMS (n = 69, p = 0.007), ADC_PNAS (n = 125, p = 0.0063), ADC_GSE13213 (n = 117, p = 0.0027), ADC_GSE8894 (n =  2, p = 0.01), and ADC_NCI (n = 282, p = 0.045)] and in four groups of stage I patients [ADC_CICAMS (n = 22, p = 0.017), ADC_PNAS (n = 76, p = 0.018), ADC_GSE13213 (n = 79, p = 0.02), and ADC_qPCR (n = 62, p = 0.006)]. In conclusion, by comparison of gene expression profiles during human lung developmental process and lung ADC progression, we revealed that the genes with a uniformly decreasing expression pattern during lung development are of enormous prognostic value for lung ADC.

ART do not increase the risk of Y-chromosome microdeletion in 19 candidate genes at AZF regions.

Y-chromosome microdeletions (YCMs) have been found at a much higher rate in infertile men than fertile controls. A specific deletion in the azoospermia factor locus (AZF) at Yq11 is significantly associated with male infertility. Whether assisted reproductive technology (ART) increases the risk of YCM in ART-derived offspring remains unclear. In this study the occurrence of YCM in 199 fathers and their 228 sons (Chinese, Han ethnicity), including 85 offspring conceived by IVF, 73 by intra-cytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) and 70 by natural conception, was investigated. Nineteen candidate genes related to YCM were analysed by multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification. We identified one de novo YCM from 70 naturally-conceived offspring and none from 158 ART-conceived offspring and found no statistical significance between these two groups. There was no statistically-significant difference in the detection rate of the father's Y-chromosome microdeletion group: IVF 10.7% (8/75), ICSI 3.2% (2/63), natural conception 8.2% (5/61). These results suggest that ART does not increase the risk of YCM in male offspring.

[Factor analysis of sexual behavior in migratory adolescent and choice of contraceptive measures].

OBJECTIVE: To comprehend the young migrants' sexual behavior and contraceptive status, and to provide the scientific basis for the health education regarding sex and reproduction for the young migrants in cities. METHODS: An anonymous self-designed structured questionnaire was used to survey 4 389 young migrants in Beijing, Guangzhou and Ji'nan. RESULTS: In the study, 33.4%(1 453/4 354) of the migrant adolescents reported had sexual activity, with the unmarried sex rate of 27.5%(1 066/3 880), and the males accounting for 37.8%(579/1 533) and the females 20.7%(487/2 347); contraception was 44.8%(642/1 432); condoms were the preferred contraceptive measures for floating adolescents; but 31.1%(322/1 034) of the unmarried persons reported experienced pregnancy, and 29.7%(307/1 034) of the unmarried people reported had a history of abortion. Education backgrounds (OR=1.555), marital status (OR=0.432), sex partner number (OR=0.683), knowledge of venereal disease prevention (OR=1.758) were the influence factors. CONCLUSION: Higher sexual and lower birth control utilization rates have triggered young migrants' reproductive health problems. We should promote the floating people' s reproductive health education and make better choices for effective contraceptive measures.

Risk factors for preterm birth in five Maternal and Child Health hospitals in Beijing.

BACKGROUND: Preterm birth, the birth of an infant prior to 37 completed weeks of gestation, is the leading cause of perinatal morbidity and mortality. Preterm infants are at greater risk of respiratory, gastrointestinal and neurological diseases. Despite significant research in developed countries, little is known about the causes of preterm birth in many developing countries, especially China. This study investigates the association between sciodemographic data, obstetric risk factor, and preterm birth in five Maternal and Child Health hospitals in Beijing, China. METHODS AND FINDINGS: A case-control study was conducted on 1391 women with preterm birth (case group) and 1391 women with term delivery (control group), who were interviewed within 48 hours of delivery. Sixteen potential factors were investigated and statistical analysis was performed by univariate analysis and logistic regression analysis. Univariate analysis showed that 14 of the 16 factors were associated with preterm birth. Inter-pregnancy interval and inherited diseases were not risk factors. Logistic regression analysis showed that obesity (odds ratio (OR) = 3.030, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.166-7.869), stressful life events (OR = 5.535, 95%CI 2.315-13.231), sexual activity (OR = 1.674, 95%CI 1.279-2.191), placenta previa (OR 13.577, 95%CI 2.563-71.912), gestational diabetes mellitus (OR = 3.441, 95%CI1.694-6.991), hypertensive disorder complicating pregnancy (OR = 6.034, 95%CI = 3.401-10.704), history of preterm birth (OR = 20.888, 95%CI 2.519-173.218) and reproductive abnormalities (OR = 3.049, 95%CI 1.010-9.206) were independent risk factors. Women who lived in towns and cities (OR = 0.603, 95%CI 0.430-0.846), had a balanced diet (OR = 0.533, 95%CI 0.421-0.675) and had a record of prenatal care (OR = 0.261, 95%CI 0.134-0.510) were less likely to have preterm birth. CONCLUSIONS: Obesity, stressful life events, sexual activity, placenta previa, gestational diabetes mellitus, hypertensive disorder complicating pregnancy, history of preterm birth and reproductive abnormalities are independent risk factors to preterm birth. Identification of remedial factors may inform local health and education policy.