[Ecological Environment Dynamical Evaluation of Hutuo River Basin Using Remote Sensing].

Hutuo River Basin straddles Shanxi and Hebei provinces, and Hutuo River was once cut off due to economic development and urban expansion after 2000; however, with the national emphasis on ecological civilization and the implementation of the South-North Water Diversion Project, the ecological protection of Hutuo River Basin has been significantly improved. MODIS data, Landsat data, and night light remote sensing data were selected based on the google earth engine (GEE) platform, and a new evaluation index system was generated by combining the biological richness index, vegetation cover index, land stress index, and pollution load index in the ecological environment index (EI) and the humidity index in the remote sensing ecological index (RSEI), using the variation coefficient method and entropy weighting method to assign weights to these indices. An ecological environment evaluation model was constructed to evaluate and classify the ecological environment quality of Hutuo River Basin from 2000 to 2020, and the driving factors were interpreted by using geographic probes. The results showed that:① on a time scale, the ecological environment of Hutuo River Basin was in a decline period from 2000 to 2015 and a recovery period from 2015 to 2020. From a grid scale, the ecological environment quality in the central part of the basin showed a state of improvement year by year, and in the western and eastern parts of the basin, the ecological environment quality in the decline period decreased year by year, whereas the ecological environment quality in the recovery period improved. ② Hot spot analysis showed that the spatial distribution of the ecological environment quality in Hutuo River Basin was high in the middle and low on both sides. Cold spot regions were mainly located in major cities and towns in the eastern and southern parts and scattered in the river valley area on the west side. ③ Geodetection analysis showed that the single factor detection drivers were mainly population density, vegetation net primary productivity (NPP), fractional vegetation cover (FVC), and geomorphological type. The dominant factor of cross-detection was "geomorphological type + FVC." With the deepening of ecological civilization construction and the implementation of Hutuo River Protection Regulations, in combination with different factors such as the natural environment and social characteristics in this basin, the research on ecological environment evaluation in Hutuo River Basin can provide data support for proposing localized policies to improve the ecological environment.

Assessing inflammation in Chinese subjects with subtypes of heart failure: an observational study of the Chinese PLA Hospital Heart Failure Registry.

BACKGROUND: Inflammation is an important element of the pathophysiological process of heart failure (HF) and is correlated with subtypes of HF. The association between multiple biomarkers of inflammation and HF subtypes in Chinese subjects remains unclear. This study aimed to compare the differences in inflammation biomarkers among Chinese patients with different subtypes of HF who have been identified to date. METHODS: We included 413 consecutive patients with HF, including 262 with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF), 55 with middle-ranged ejection fraction (HFmrEF) and 96 with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF). Ten inflammation biomarkers were analyzed and compared according to the HF subtypes. One hundred contemporary non-HF subjects were also recruited as the control group. Moreover, the correlations between the inflammatory biomarkers and left ventricular ejection fraction of the HF subtypes were assessed. RESULTS: The mean age of the HF patients was 65.0 ± 12.0 years, 65.8% were male. Distinct subtypes of HF demonstrated different inflammation biomarker panels. IL-6, PTX-3, ANGPTL-4 and TNF-α were correlated with HFrEF; IL-1ß and PTX-3 were correlated with HFmrEF; and IL-1ß and IL-6 were correlated with HFpEF. The multivariable logistic regression showed that IL-1ß [relative ratio (RR) = 1.08, 95% CI: 1.02-1.15, P = 0.010], IL-6 (RR = 1.03, 95% CI: 1.01-1.06, P = 0.016), PTX-3 (RR = 1.31, 95% CI: 1.11-1.55, P = 0.001), and ANGPTL-4 (RR = 1.05, 95% CI: 1.02-1.07, P < 0.001) were independently associated with HF, while IL-6 (RR = 1.03, 95% CI: 1.01-1.04, P = 0.019), PTX-3 (RR = 1.23, 95% CI: 1.06-1.43, P = 0.007), and ANGPTL-4 (RR = 1.03, 95% CI: 1.01-1.06, P = 0.005) were independently associated with the HF subtype. CONCLUSIONS: Diverse inflammation biomarkers have multifaceted presentations according to the subtype of HF, which may illustrate the diverse mechanisms of inflammation in Chinese HF patients. IL-6, PTX-3, and ANGPTL-4 were independent inflammation factors associated with HFrEF and HF.

Repeated measurement of growth-differentiation factor-15 in Chinese Han patients with post-myocardial infarction chronic heart failure.

BACKGROUND: Growth-differentiation factor-15 (GDF-15) is a promising prognostic biomarker in patients with chronic heart failure (CHF). Comparatively little is known about the value of repeated measurement of GDF-15 with CHF in Chinese Han population. This study sought to identify the clinical value of repeated measurement of GDF-15 in Chinese Han patients with post-myocardial infarction CHF. METHODS: In total, 232 consecutive Chinese Han patients with post-myocardial infarction CHF were enrolled prospectively from January 2014 to June 2016.The plasma concentration of GDF-15 was determined on admission and over 12 months. Patients were followed up for all-cause death and a composite outcome of major adverse cardiac events (MACE) included all-cause death, myocardial infarction and first heart failure (HF) re-hospitalization. Association with other clinical variables and adverse outcomes of repeated measurement of GDF-15 was explored. RESULTS: The median baseline GDF-15 level was 2025 ng/L. Baseline GDF-15 was moderately associated with baseline N-terminal pro-B type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) (coefficient 0.561, P < 0.001). During a median follow-up of 20 months, there were 53 deaths and 100MACE. GDF-15 remained an independent predictor of all-cause death (adjusted hazard ratio 1.826 per 1 Ln U, 95% CI: 1.037-8.360; P = 0.037) and MACE (adjusted hazard ratio 2.243 per 1 Ln U, 95% CI: 1.181-1.775; P < 0.001) adjusted for established risk factors. Repeated measurement of GDF-15 was performed in 173 survivals over 12months. Increase of GDF-15 over 12 months was associated with dilatation of left ventricle and acted as an independent predictor of subsequent all-cause death (adjusted HR = 3.164, 95% CI: 1.245-0.041; P = 0.015). In the joint model, GDF-15 was also shown to be a risk factor for all-cause death (HR = 2.749, 95% CI: 1.667-3.831; P < 0.001) and MACE (HR = 2.434, 95% CI: 1.425-3.443; P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Repeated measurements of GDF-15 have promising prognostic value of the risk of all-cause death in Chinese Han patients with CHF post-myocardial infarction. GDF-15 may influence the post-myocardial infarction CHF through the path physiological pathway of myocardial remodeling.