Job burnout and its influencing factors among primary healthcare workers during the COVID-19 epidemic in Guangzhou, China, 2021-2022: from the perspective of institutional operation and management.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to explore the job burnout of primary healthcare workers in Guangzhou during the prevention and control of COVID-19 epidemic and its influencing factors from the perspective of institutional operation and management in 2021-2022. METHODS: A cross-sectional study involved 866 primary healthcare workers from different districts of Guangzhou, China. The Chinese version of the Maslach Burnout Inventory-General Survey (MBI-GS) was utilized to assess job burnout. From the perspective of organizational operation and management, the possible causes of job burnout among primary healthcare workers during COVID-19 have been categorized into 7 major aspects. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were conducted to identify influencing factors for job burnout in primary healthcare workers. RESULTS: The detection rate of job burnout among primary healthcare workers was 78.29%. Men (OR = 2.39) and whose institution was located in urban-rural fringe (OR = 1.56) were more likely to detect job burnout. Conversely, institution heads showed a lower risk of job burnout. From the perspective of institutional operation and management, workers who were not satisfied with personnel management (OR = 2.41), materials and vehicles (OR = 2.89), subsidies and compensation (OR = 2.18), humanistic care (OR = 2.11), superior management (OR = 8.32) were found to have a higher risk of job burnout. CONCLUSION: The detection rate of job burnout among primary healthcare workers in Guangzhou was relatively high during the period of COVID-19. When there is another sudden major epidemic, the managers of institutions can focus on and deal with the problems related to the operation and management of institutions such as personnel management, materials and vehicles, subsidies and compensation, humanistic care, and superior management, so as to provide logistical support for the workers and alleviate their job burnout.

Mixed effects of ambient air pollutants on oocyte-related outcomes: A novel insight from women undergoing assisted reproductive technology.

Air pollution is widely acknowledged as a significant risk factor for human health, especially reproductive health. Nevertheless, many studies have disregarded the potentially mixed effects of air pollutants on reproductive outcomes. We performed a retrospective cohort study involving 8048 women with 9445 cycles undergoing In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) and Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI) in China, from 2017 to 2021. A land-use random forest model was applied to estimate daily residential exposure to air pollutants, including sulfur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), carbon monoxide (CO), ozone (O3), and fine particulate matter (PM2.5). Individual and joint associations between air pollutants and oocyte-related outcomes of ART were evaluated. In 90 days prior to oocyte pick-up to oocyte pick-up (period A), NO2, O3 and CO was negatively associated with total oocyte yield. In the 90 days prior to oocyte pick-up to start of gonadotropin medication (Gn start, period B), there was a negative dose-dependent association of exposure to five air pollutants with total oocyte yield and mature oocyte yield. In Qgcomp analysis, increasing the multiple air pollutants mixtures by one quartile was related to reducing the number of oocyte pick-ups by -2.00 % (95 %CI: -2.78 %, -1.22 %) in period A, -2.62 % (95 %CI: -3.40 %, -1.84 %) in period B, and -0.98 % (95 %CI: -1.75 %, -0.21 %) in period C. During period B, a 1-unit increase in the WQS index of multiple air pollutants exposure was associated with fewer number of total oocyte (-1.27 %, 95 %CI: -2.16 %, -0.36 %) and mature oocyte (-1.42 %, 95 %CI: -2.41 %, -0.43 %). O3 and NO2 were major contributors with adverse effects on the mixed associations. Additionally, period B appears to be the susceptible window. Our study implies that exposure to air pollution adversely affects oocyte-related outcomes, which raises concerns about the potential adverse impact of air pollution on women's reproductive health.

Genome-wide identification and investigation of monosaccharide transporter gene family based on their evolution and expression analysis under abiotic stress and hormone treatments in maize (Zea mays L.).

BACKGROUND: Monosaccharide transporter (MST) family, as a carrier for monosaccharide transport, plays an important role in carbon partitioning and widely involves in plant growth and development, stress response, and signaling transduction. However, little information on the MST family genes is reported in maize (Zea mays), especially in response to abiotic stresses. In this study, the genome-wide identification of MST family genes was performed in maize. RESULT: A total of sixty-six putative members of MST gene family were identified and divided into seven subfamilies (including SPT, PMT, VGT, INT, pGlcT, TMT, and ERD) using bioinformatics approaches, and gene information, phylogenetic tree, chromosomal location, gene structure, motif composition, and cis-acting elements were investigated. Eight tandem and twelve segmental duplication events were identified, which played an important role in the expansion of the ZmMST family. Synteny analysis revealed the evolutionary features of MST genes in three gramineous crop species. The expression analysis indicated that most of the PMT, VGT, and ERD subfamilies members responded to osmotic and cadmium stresses, and some of them were regulated by ABA signaling, while only a few members of other subfamilies responded to stresses. In addition, only five genes were induced by NaCl stress in MST family. CONCLUSION: These results serve to understand the evolutionary relationships of the ZmMST family genes and supply some insight into the processes of monosaccharide transport and carbon partitioning on the balance between plant growth and development and stress response in maize.

Association of Residential Greenness Exposure with Depression Incidence in Adults 50 Years of Age and Older: Findings from the Cohort Study on Global AGEing and Adult Health (SAGE) in China.

BACKGROUND: Depression is a social and public health problem of great concern globally. Identifying and managing the factors influencing depression are crucial for preventing and decreasing the burden of depression. OBJECTIVES: Our objectives are to explore the association between residential greenness and the incidence of depression in an older Chinese population and to calculate the disease burden of depression prevented by greenness exposure. METHODS: This study was the Chinese part of the World Health Organization Study on Global AGEing and Adult Health (WHO SAGE). We collected the data of 8,481 residents ≥50 years of age in China for the period 2007-2018. Average follow-up duration was 7.00 (±2.51) years. Each participant was matched to the yearly maximum normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) at their residential address. Incidence of depression was assessed using the Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI), self-reports of depression, and/or taking depression medication. Association between greenness and depression was examined using the time-dependent Cox regression model with stratified analysis by sex, age, urbanicity, annual family income, region, smoking, drinking, and household cooking fuels. Furthermore, the prevented fraction (PF) and attributable number (AN) of depression prevented by exposure to greenness were estimated. RESULTS: Residential greenness was negatively associated with depression. Each interquartile range (IQR) increase in NDVI 500-m buffer was associated with a 40% decrease [hazard ratio (HR)=0.60; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.37, 0.97] in the risk of depression incidence among the total participants. Subgroup analyses showed negative associations in urban residents (HR=0.32; 95% CI: 0.12, 0.86) vs. rural residents, in high-income residents (HR=0.28; 95% CI: 0.11, 0.71) vs. low-income residents, and in southern China (HR=0.50; 95% CI: 0.26, 0.95) vs. northern China. Over 8.0% (PF=8.69%; 95% CI: 1.38%, 15.40%) and 1,955,199 (95% CI: 310,492; 3,464,909) new cases of depression may be avoided by increasing greenness exposures annually across China. DISCUSSION: The findings suggest protective effects of residential greenness exposure on depression incidence in the older population, particularly among urban residents, high-income residents, and participants living in southern China. The construction of residential greenness should be included in community planning. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP13947.

Recommendations for the selection of nucleoside analogues as antihuman herpesvirus drugs: a real-world analysis of reported cases from the FDA adverse event reporting system.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to provide guidance for refining medication protocols, developing alternative strategies, and enhancing protection against herpesvirus infections in personalized clinical settings. METHODS: Adverse drug events (ADEs) data for anti-herpesvirus from the first quarter of 2004 to the fourth quarter of 2022 were collected from the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS). Disproportionality analysis was performed using Reporting Odds Ratio (ROR), Proportional Reporting Ratio (PRR), and Bayesian Confidence Propagation Neural Network (BCPNN) methods for data mining. RESULTS: A total of 18,591, 24,206, 6,150, and 419 reports of ADEs associated with acyclovir (ACV), valacyclovir (VACV), ganciclovir (GCV), and famciclovir (FCV) were screened and extracted from the FAERS. In this study, the report summarized the high frequency and strong correlation of ADEs for the four drugs at the Preferred Term (PT) level. Additionally, the analysis also identified the relationship between ADEs and factors such as age, gender, and severity of outcome at the System Organ Class (SOC) level. CONCLUSION: The safety reports for the four-nucleoside analogue anti-herpesvirus drugs are diverse and interconnected. Dosing for patients with herpesvirus infections should be tailored to their specific conditions and the potential risk of disease.

Dynamic transcriptome profiling revealed a key gene ZmJMJ20 and pathways associated with cadmium stress in maize.

Cadmium (Cd) pollution in soil poses a global concern due to its serious impacts on human health and ecological security. In plants, tremendous efforts have been made to identify some key genes and pathways in Cd stress responses. However, studies on the roles of epigenetic factors in response to Cd stress were still limited. In the study, we first gain insight into the gene expression dynamics for maize seedlings under 0 h, 12 h, and 72 h Cd stress. As a result, six distinct groups of genes were identified by hierarchical clustering and principal component analysis. The key pathways associated with 12 h Cd stress were protein modifications including protein ubiquitination, signal transduction by protein phosphorylation, and histone modification. Whereas, under 72 h stress, main pathways were involved in biological processes including phenylalanine metabolism, response to oxygen-containing compounds and metal ions. Then to be noted, one of the most highly expressed genes at 12 h under Cd treatment is annotated as histone demethylases (ZmJMJ20). The evolutionary tree analysis and domain analysis showed that ZmJMJ20 belonged to the JmjC-only subfamily of the Jumonji-C (JmjC) family, and ZmJMJ20 was conserved in rice and Arabidopsis. After 72 h of Cd treatment, the zmjmj20 mutant created by EMS treatment manifested less severe chlorosis/leaf yellowing symptoms compared with wild-type plants, and there was no significant difference in Fv/Fm and φPSII value before and after Cd treatment. Moreover, the expression levels of several photosynthesis-related down-regulated genes in EMS mutant plants were dramatically increased compared with those in wild-type plants at 12 h under Cd treatment. Our results suggested that ZmJMJ20 plays an important role in the Cd tolerance response pathway and will facilitate the development of cultivars with improved Cd stress tolerance.

Mutual Associations of Exposure to Ambient Air Pollutants in the First 1000 Days of Life With Asthma/Wheezing in Children: Prospective Cohort Study in Guangzhou, China.

BACKGROUND: The first 1000 days of life, encompassing pregnancy and the first 2 years after birth, represent a critical period for human health development. Despite this significance, there has been limited research into the associations between mixed exposure to air pollutants during this period and the development of asthma/wheezing in children. Furthermore, the finer sensitivity window of exposure during this crucial developmental phase remains unclear. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to assess the relationships between prenatal and postnatal exposures to various ambient air pollutants (particulate matter 2.5 [PM2.5], carbon monoxide [CO], sulfur dioxide [SO2], nitrogen dioxide [NO2], and ozone [O3]) and the incidence of childhood asthma/wheezing. In addition, we aimed to pinpoint the potential sensitivity window during which air pollution exerts its effects. METHODS: We conducted a prospective birth cohort study wherein pregnant women were recruited during early pregnancy and followed up along with their children. Information regarding maternal and child characteristics was collected through questionnaires during each round of investigation. Diagnosis of asthma/wheezing was obtained from children's medical records. In addition, maternal and child exposures to air pollutants (PM2.5 CO, SO2, NO2, and O3) were evaluated using a spatiotemporal land use regression model. To estimate the mutual associations of exposure to mixed air pollutants with the risk of asthma/wheezing in children, we used the quantile g-computation model. RESULTS: In our study cohort of 3725 children, 392 (10.52%) were diagnosed with asthma/wheezing. After the follow-up period, the mean age of the children was 3.2 (SD 0.8) years, and a total of 14,982 person-years were successfully followed up for all study participants. We found that each quartile increase in exposure to mixed air pollutants (PM2.5, CO, SO2, NO2, and O3) during the second trimester of pregnancy was associated with an adjusted hazard ratio (HR) of 1.24 (95% CI 1.04-1.47). Notably, CO made the largest positive contribution (64.28%) to the mutual effect. After categorizing the exposure according to the embryonic respiratory development stages, we observed that each additional quartile of mixed exposure to air pollutants during the pseudoglandular and canalicular stages was associated with HRs of 1.24 (95% CI 1.03-1.51) and 1.23 (95% CI 1.01-1.51), respectively. Moreover, for the first year and first 2 years after birth, each quartile increment of exposure to mixed air pollutants was associated with HRs of 1.65 (95% CI 1.30-2.10) and 2.53 (95% CI 2.16-2.97), respectively. Notably, SO2 made the largest positive contribution in both phases, accounting for 50.30% and 74.70% of the association, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Exposure to elevated levels of mixed air pollutants during the first 1000 days of life appears to elevate the risk of childhood asthma/wheezing. Specifically, the second trimester, especially during the pseudoglandular and canalicular stages, and the initial 2 years after birth emerge as crucial susceptibility windows. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Chinese Clinical Trial Registry ChiCTR-ROC-17013496; https://tinyurl.com/2ctufw8n.

Intact lung tissue and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid are both suitable for the evaluation of murine lung microbiome in acute lung injury.

BACKGROUND: Accumulating clinical evidence suggests that lung microbiome is closely linked to the progression of pulmonary diseases; however, it is still controversial which specimen type is preferred for the evaluation of lung microbiome. METHODS AND RESULTS: To address this issue, we established a classical acute lung injury (ALI) mice model by intratracheal instillation of lipopolysaccharides (LPS). We found that the bacterial DNA obtained from the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF), intact lung tissue [Lung(i)], lung tissue after perfused [Lung(p)], and feces of one mouse were enough for 16S rRNA sequencing, except the BALF of mice treated with phosphate buffer saline (PBS), which might be due to the biomass of lung microbiome in the BALF were upregulated in the mice treated with LPS. Although the alpha diversity among the three specimens from lungs had minimal differences, Lung(p) had higher sample-to-sample variation compared with BALF and Lung(i). Consistently, PCoA analysis at phylum level indicated that BALF was similar to Lung(i), but not Lung(p), in the lungs of mice treated with LPS, suggesting that BALF and Lung(i) were suitable for the evaluation of lung microbiome in ALI. Importantly, Actinobacteria and Firmicutes were identified as the mostly changed phyla in the lungs and might be important factors involved in the gut-lung axis in ALI mice. Moreover, Actinobacteria and Proteobacteria might play indicative roles in the severity of lung injury. CONCLUSION: This study shows both Lung(i) and BALF are suitable for the evaluation of murine lung microbiome in ALI, and several bacterial phyla, such as Actinobacteria, may serve as potential biomarkers for the severity of ALI. Video Abstract.

Evaluating the Effect of Deficit Irrigation on Yield and Water Use Efficiency of Drip Irrigation Cotton under Film in Xinjiang Based on Meta-Analysis.

Water scarcity constrains the sustainable development of Chinese agriculture, and deficit irrigation as a new irrigation technology can effectively alleviate the problems of water scarcity and water use inefficiency in agriculture. In this study, the drip irrigation cotton field under film in Xinjiang was taken as the research object. Meta-analysis and machine learning were used to quantitatively analyze the effects of different farm management practices, climate, and soil conditions on cotton yield and water use efficiency under deficit irrigation, to investigate the importance of the effects of different factors on cotton yield and water use efficiency, and to formulate appropriate optimization strategies. The results showed that deficit irrigation significantly increased cotton water use efficiency (7.39%) but decreased cotton yield (-15.00%) compared with full irrigation. All three deficit irrigation levels (80~100% FI, 60~80% FI, and 40~60% FI; FI: full irrigation) showed a significant decrease in cotton yield and a significant increase in water use efficiency. Under deficit irrigation, cotton yield reduction was the smallest and cotton water use efficiency increased the most when planted with one film, two tubes, a six-row cropping pattern, an irrigation frequency ≥10 times, a nitrogen application of 300~400 kg·ha-1, and a crop density ≥240,000 per hectare, and planted with the Xinluzhong series of cotton varieties; deficit irrigation in areas with average annual temperature >10 °C, annual evapotranspiration >2000 mm, annual precipitation <60 mm, and with loam, sandy soil had the least inhibition of cotton yield and the greatest increase in cotton water use efficiency. The results of the random forest showed that the irrigation amount and nitrogen application had the greatest influence on cotton yield and water use efficiency. Rational irrigation based on optimal management practices under conditions of irrigation not less than 90% FI is expected to achieve a win-win situation for both cotton yield and water use efficiency. The above results can provide the best strategy for deficit irrigation and efficient water use in drip irrigation cotton under film in arid areas.

Effects of long-term exposure to ambient fine particulate matter and its specific components on blood pressure and hypertension incidence.

BACKGROUND: Epidemiological evidence on the association of PM2.5 (particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter ≤ 2.5 µm) and its specific components with hypertension and blood pressure is limited. METHODS: We applied information of participants from the World Health Organization's (WHO) Study on Global Ageing and Adult Health (SAGE) to estimate the associations of long-term PM2.5 mass and its chemical components exposure with blood pressure (BP) and hypertension incidence in Chinese adults ≥ 50 years during 2007-2018. Generalized linear mixed model and Cox proportional hazard model were applied to investigate the effects of PM2.5 mass and its chemical components on the incidence of hypertension and BP, respectively. RESULTS: Each interquartile range (IQR = 16.80 µg/m3) increase in the one-year average of PM2.5 mass concentration was associated with a 17 % increase in the risk of hypertension (HR = 1.17, 95 % CI: 1.10, 1.24), and the population attributable fraction (PAF) was 23.44 % (95 % CI: 14.69 %, 31.55 %). Each IQR µg/m3 increase in PM2.5 exposure was also related to increases of systolic blood pressure (SBP) by 2.54 mmHg (95 % CI:1.99, 3.10), and of diastolic blood pressure (DBP) by 1.36 mmHg (95 % CI: 1.04, 1.68). Additionally, the chemical components of SO42-, NO3-, NH4+, OM, and BC were also positively associated with an increased risk of hypertension incidence and elevated blood pressure. CONCLUSIONS: These results indicate that long-term exposure to PM2.5 mass and its specific components may be major drivers of escalation in hypertension diseases.

Construction of Z-scheme AgCl/BiOCl heterojunction with oxygen vacancies for improved pollutant degradation and bacterial inactivation.

A facile Z-scheme AgCl/BiOCl heterojunction photocatalyst with oxygen vacancies was fabricated by a water-bath method. The structural, morphological, optical and electronic properties of as-synthesized samples were systematically characterized. The oxygen vacancies were confirmed by EPR, which could optimize the band-gap of the AgCl/BiOCl heterojunction and improve the photo-induced electron transfer. The optimized AgCl/BiOCl heterojunction showed excellent photocatalytic degradation efficiency (82%) for tetracycline (TC). Simultaneously, E. coli was completely inactivated within 60 min due to the AgCl/BiOCl heterojunction. The elevated catalytic activity of the optimal AgCl/BiOCl heterojunction was ascribed to the synergistic effect of the enhanced light absorption and effective photoinduced charge carrier separation and transfer. Moreover, the degradation efficiency of the AgCl/BiOCl heterojunction towards ofloxacin, norfloxacin and Lanasol Red 5B was 73%, 74% and 96%, respectively. The experimental factors for the degradation efficiency of TC were also studied. Furthermore, active species trapping experiments indicated that superoxide radicals (˙O2-) were the main reactive species, and the Z-scheme charge transfer mechanism helped to improve the photocatalytic activity.

The conservation of allelic DNA methylation and its relationship with imprinting in maize.

Genomic imprinting refers to allele-specific expression of genes depending on parental origin, and it is regulated by epigenetic modifications. Intraspecific allelic variation for imprinting has been detected; however, the intraspecific genome-wide allelic epigenetic variation in maize and its correlation with imprinting variants remain unclear. Here, three reciprocal hybrids were generated by crossing Zea mays inbred lines CAU5, B73, and Mo17 in order to examine the intraspecific conservation of the imprinted genes in the kernel. The majority of imprinted genes exhibited intraspecific conservation, and these genes also exhibited interspecific conservation (rice, sorghum, and Arabidopsis) and were enriched in some specific pathways. By comparing intraspecific allelic DNA methylation in the endosperm, we found that nearly 15% of DNA methylation existed as allelic variants. The intraspecific whole-genome correlation between DNA methylation and imprinted genes indicated that DNA methylation variants play an important role in imprinting variants. Disruption of two conserved imprinted genes using CRISPR/Cas9 editing resulted in a smaller kernel phenotype. Our results shed light on the intraspecific correlation of DNA methylation variants and variation for imprinting in maize, and show that imprinted genes play an important role in kernel development.

"Low-risk groups" deserve more attention than "high-risk groups" in imported COVID-19 cases.

Objective: To estimate the optimal quarantine period for inbound travelers and identify key risk factors to provide scientific reference for emerging infectious diseases. Methods: A parametric survival analysis model was used to calculate the time interval between entry and first positive nucleic acid test of imported cases in Guangzhou, to identify the influencing factors. And the COVID-19 epidemic risk prediction model based on multiple risk factors among inbound travelers was constructed. Results: The approximate 95th percentile of the time interval was 14 days. Multivariate analysis found that the mean time interval for inbound travelers in entry/exit high-risk occupations was 29% shorter (OR 0.29, 95% CI 0.18-0.46, p < 0.0001) than that of low-risk occupations, those from Africa were 37% shorter (OR 0.37, 95% CI 0.17-0.78, p = 0.01) than those from Asia, those who were fully vaccinated were 1.88 times higher (OR 1.88, 95% CI 1.13-3.12, p = 0.01) than that of those who were unvaccinated, and those in other VOC periods were lower than in the Delta period. Decision tree analysis showed that a combined entry/exit low-risk occupation group with Delta period could create a high indigenous epidemic risk by 0.24. Conclusion: Different strata of imported cases can result in varying degrees of risk of indigenous outbreaks. "low-risk groups" with entry/exit low-risk occupations, fully vaccinated, or from Asia deserve more attention than "high-risk groups."

Mitochondrial genome characteristics of six Phylloscopus species and their phylogenetic implication.

The mitochondrial genomes of six Phylloscopus species-small insectivores belonging to the Phylloscopidae family-were obtained using the Illumina sequencing platform. The mitogenomes were closed circular molecules 16,922-17,007 bp in size, containing 13 protein-coding genes, 22 tRNA genes, two rRNA genes, and two control regions (CR1 and remnant CR2). The gene orders were conserved in 35 sampled Phylloscopus mitogenomes in the GenBank database, with a gene rearrangement of cytb-trnT-CR1-trnP-nad6-trnE-remnant CR2-trnF-rrnS. The average base compositions of the six Phylloscopus mitogenomes were 29.43% A, 32.75% C, 14.68% G, and 23.10% T, with the A+T content slightly higher than that of G+C. ATG and TAA were the most frequent initiating and terminating codons, respectively. Several conserved boxes were identified in CR1, including C-string in domain I; F, E, D, and C boxes, as well as bird similarity and B boxes, in domain II; and CSB1 in domain III. Tandem repeats were observed in remnant CR2 of the Phylloscopus fuscatus and Phylloscopus proregulus mitogenomes. A phylogenetic analysis with maximum likelihood (ML) and Bayesian inference (BI) methods, based on 13 protein-coding genes and two rRNA genes, indicated that the Phylloscopus species was divided into two larger clades, with a splitting time approximately 11.06 million years ago (mya). The taxa of Phylloscopus coronatus/Phylloscopus burkii and Phylloscopus inornatus/P. proregulus were located at the basal position of the different clades. The phylogenetic result of the cox1 gene showed that Seicercus was nested within Phylloscopus. The complete set of mitogenomes of the Phylloscopus species provides potentially useful resources for the further exploration of the taxonomic status and phylogenetic history of Phylloscopidae.

Evaluation of Chlamydia trachomatis screening from the perspective of health economics: a systematic review.

Background: Most Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) infections are asymptomatic. The infection can persist and lead to severe sequelae. Therefore, screening for CT can primarily prevent serious sequelae. Aim: To systematically evaluate CT screening from the perspective of health economics, summarize previous findings from different target populations, and make practical recommendations for developing local CT screening strategies. Methods: PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, Cochran Library, and National Health Service Economic Evaluation Database (Ovid) were searched from January 1, 2000, to March 4, 2023. Studies reporting the cost-effectiveness, cost-benefit, or cost-utility of CT screening were eligible to be included. A narrative synthesis was used to analyze and report the results following the PRISMA guidelines. The Consensus on Health Economic Criteria (CHEC) list was used to assess the methodological quality of included studies. Results: Our review finally comprised 39 studies addressing four populations: general sexually active people (n = 25), pregnant women (n = 4), women attending STD and abortion clinics (n = 4), and other high-risk individuals (n = 6). The total number of participants was ~7,991,198. The majority of studies assessed the cost-effectiveness or cost-utility of the screening method. The results showed that the following screening strategies may be cost-effective or cost-saving under certain conditions: performing CT screening in young people aged 15-24 in the general population, military recruits, and high school students; incorporating CT screening into routine antenatal care for pregnant women aged 15-30; opportunistic CT screening for women attending STD and abortion clinics; home-obtained sampling for CT screening using urine specimens or vaginal swab; performing CT screening for 14-30-year-old people who enter correctional institutions (i.e., jail, detention) as soon as possible; providing CT screening for female sex workers (FSWs) based on local incidence and prevalence; adding routine CT screening to HIV treatment using rectal samples from men who have sex with men (MSM). Conclusion: We found that CT screening in general sexually active people aged 15-24, military recruits, high school students, pregnant women aged 15-30, women attending STD and abortion clinics, people entering jail, detention, FSWs, and MSM has health economic value. Due to the different prevalence of CT, diversities of economic conditions, and varying screening costs among different populations and different countries, regions, or settings, no uniform and standard screening strategies are currently available. Therefore, each country should consider its local condition and the results of health economic evaluations of CT screening programs in that country to develop appropriate CT screening strategies.

Transcriptome-wide identification and characterization of genes exhibit allele-specific imprinting in maize embryo and endosperm.

BACKGROUND: Genomic imprinting refers to a subset of genes that are expressed from only one parental allele during seed development in plants. Studies on genomic imprinting have revealed that intraspecific variations in genomic imprinting expression exist in naturally genetic varieties. However, there have been few studies on the functional analysis of allele-specific imprinted genes. RESULTS: Here, we generated three reciprocal crosses among the B73, Mo17 and CAU5 inbred lines. Based on the transcriptome-wide analysis of allele-specific expression using RNA sequencing technology, 305 allele-specific imprinting genes (ASIGs) were identified in embryos, and 655 ASIGs were identified in endosperms from three maize F1 hybrids. Of these ASIGs, most did not show consistent maternal or paternal bias between the same tissue from different hybrids or different tissues from one hybrid cross. By gene ontology (GO) analysis, five and eight categories of GO exhibited significantly higher functional enrichments for ASIGs identified in embryo and endosperm, respectively. These functional categories indicated that ASIGs are involved in intercellular nutrient transport, signaling pathways, and transcriptional regulation of kernel development. Finally, the mutation and overexpression of one ASIG (Zm305) affected the length and width of the kernel. CONCLUSION: In this study, our data will be helpful in gaining further knowledge of genes exhibiting allele-specific imprinting patterns in seeds. The gain- and loss-of-function phenotypes of ASIGs associated with agronomically important seed traits provide compelling evidence for ASIGs as crucial targets to optimize seed traits in crop plants.

Guided self-help mindfulness-based intervention for increasing psychological resilience and reducing job burnout in psychiatric nurses: A randomized controlled trial.

AIMS: The present study aimed to explore the effects of a guided self-help mindfulness intervention on psychological resilience and job burnout among psychiatric nurses. BACKGROUND: Psychiatric nurses work in challenging and potentially high stress settings. Mindfulness interventions can improve psychological resilience and reduce job burnout of nurses. However, face-to-face delivery of mindfulness interventions may be inconvenient for individuals. Guided self-help interventions may be more accessible. METHODS: This randomized controlled trial was conducted from January to August 2022. One hundred and eighteen psychiatric nurses were randomized into the intervention and control groups. The individuals in the intervention group received an 8-week guided self-help mindfulness intervention, while the individuals in the control group received a psycho-educational brochure. The Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire, the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale and the Maslach Burnout Inventory-Human Services Survey were used to evaluate the levels of mindfulness, psychological resilience and job burnout, respectively. RESULTS: After an 8-week intervention, compared with the control group, the levels of mindfulness and psychological resilience were higher, while the level of job burnout was lower in the intervention group. CONCLUSIONS: The guided self-help mindfulness intervention can improve psychological resilience and reduce job burnout among psychiatric nurses.

Long-term exposure to ambient ozone and cardiovascular diseases: Evidence from two national cohort studies in China.

INTRODUCTION: The health effects of ambient ozone have been investigated in many previous studies. However, the effects of long-term exposure to ambient ozone on the incidence of cardiovascular disease (CVD) remain inconclusive. OBJECTIVES: To estimate the associations of long-term exposure to maximum daily 8-hours average ozone (MDA8 O3) with the incidence of total CVD, heart disease, hypertension, and stroke. METHODS: This was a prospective cohort study, and the data was obtained from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Survey (CHARLS) implemented during 2011-2018 and the China Family Panel Studies (CFPS) implemented during 2010-2018. We applied a Cox proportional hazards regression model to evaluate the associations of MDA8 O3 with total CVD, heart disease, hypertension, and stroke risks, and the corresponding population-attributable fractions (PAF) attributable to MDA8 O3 were also calculated. All analyses were conducted by R software. RESULTS: The mean MDA8 O3 concertation of all included participants in the CHARLS and CFPS were 51.03 part per billion (ppb) and 51.15 ppb, respectively. In the CHARLS including 18,177 participants, each 10 ppb increment in MDA8 O3 concentration was associated with a 31% increase [hazard ratio (HR) = 1.31, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.22-1.42] in the risk of incident heart disease, and the corresponding population-attributable fractions (PAF) was 13.79% [10.12%-17.32%]. In the CFPS including 30,226 participants, each 10 ppb increment in MDA8 O3 concentration was associated with an increase in the risk of incident total CVD (1.07 [1.02-1.13]), and hypertension (1.10 [1.03-1.18]). The PAFs of total CVD, and hypertension attributable to MDA8 O3 were 3.53% [0.82%-6.16%], and 5.11% [1.73%-8.38%], respectively. Stratified analyses showed greater associations in males, urban areas, and Southern China. CONCLUSIONS: Long-term exposure to MDA8 O3 may increase the incidence of CVD. Therefore, the policies that control O3 and related precursors are persistently needed.