Does Population Aging Impact China's Economic Growth?

The rapid aging of the population presents great challenges in terms of China's social security expenditure and economic growth. This paper uses the entropy method to comprehensively measure the provincial population aging index in 2008-2019 and constructs an intermediary effect model with it as the core explanatory variable. The results show that the population aging has a significant positive impact on economic growth and on the promotion of the economic growth of more developed areas; it also has a positive impact on the endowment insurance expenditure and medical and health expenditure and on the promotion of economically backward areas. Endowment spending and health spending fully mediate the relationship between population aging and economic growth.

Generation of the integration-free induced pluripotent stem cell line (FHUSTCi001-A) from a patient with glomerulopathy with fibronectin deposits harboring FN1 mutation.

Glomerulopathy with fibronectin deposits (GFND) is an autosomal dominant kidney disease exhibiting microscopic hematuria, proteinuria, and hypertension that may lead to end-stage renal failure. In this study, using non-integrative episomal vectors an induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) line, FHUSTCi001-A, was derived from peripheral blood mononuclear cells of an 11-year-old boy with GFND carrying a heterozygous c.5602G > A (p.V1868M) mutation in the FN1 gene. The generated iPSC line has a normal karyotype, expresses pluripotency markers, and has the capacity to form all three germ layers in vivo. This iPSC line offers a useful cellular model to study the pathogenesis of GFND disease.

The complete chloroplast genome of highbush blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum).

Highbush blueberry is a small berry fruit tree belonging to the family Ericaceae and genus Vaccinium, which fruit has high nutritional value. High-throughput sequencing technology was applied in this study to sequence and assemble the whole chloroplast genome of the southern highbush blueberry variety sharpblue. The results of the study showed that the circular genome of sharpblue is 170,737 bp in length, and the GC content of the genome was 36.8%. The complete chloroplast genome of sharpblue has consisted of two inverted repeat regions (IRs), a large single-copy region (LSC, 31, 076 bp), and a small single-copy region (SSC, 3, 044 bp). The chloroplast genome contained a total of 144 functional genes, including 100 mRNA genes, eight rRNA genes, and 36 tRNA genes. In addition, V. corymbosum and V. oldhamii were clustered into one group in this phylogenetic analysis which indicated that they have a close evolutionary relationship. The findings of this investigation are a significant reference source for the phylogeny and evolutionary origin of the Ericaceae family.

Early menarche and its relationship to paternal migrant work among middle-school-aged students in China.

Associations have been shown between father's absence and menarcheal age, but most studies have focused on absence resulting from divorce, abandonment or death. Little research has been conducted to evaluate the effect on menarcheal age of paternal absence through migrant work. In a sample of 400 middle school students, this study examined the association between paternal migrant work and menarcheal age against a backdrop of extensive rural-to-urban migration in China. Data were collected through a self-reported questionnaire, including social-demographic characteristics, aspects of family relationships, information about father's migrant work and age at menarche. After adjusting for BMI, parent marital status and perceived relationship with mother, lower self-perceived quality of father-daughter relationship (both 'father present, relationship poor' and 'father absent, relationship poor') and lower frequency of contact with the father were associated with higher odds for early menarche. These findings suggest that the assumption that father's absence for work influences the timing of menarche needs to be examined in the context of the quality of the father-daughter relationship and paternal care, which appear to play a critical role in the timing of menarche. These findings also emphasize the importance of enhancing paternal involvement and improving father-daughter relationships in the development of appropriate reproductive strategy in daughters.

An ecological perspective on risk factors for repeat induced abortion in China.

INTRODUCTION: Repeated induced abortion (RIA) is a challenging public health issue. Although many studies have investigated the characteristics of women who experience multiple abortions, most have focused only on limited intrapersonal variables. To frame the analysis, this study used an ecological model integrating intrapersonal, interpersonal and environmental variables to explore factors associated with RIA. METHODS: Single-site (Maternal and Child Health Hospital, Hubei, China) cross-sectional data were collected from 405 women between July 2015 and November 2015 using a self-administered questionnaire. Characteristics of women who experienced only one abortion were compared to those who had RIA (≥2 abortions). RESULTS: Among the 316 eligible women who completed the questionnaire, 110(34.8%) experienced one abortion, 206 (65.2%) experienced two or more. Multivariate binary logistic regression analysis showed a higher odds of RIA among women who were older, reported earlier age at sexual debut and reported higher abortion frequency among close female friends. Factors appearing to protect against RIA included higher frequency of partner agreement to women's contraceptive preference. CONCLUSIONS: Adapting an ecological perspective, this study examined social and environmental factors related to RIA. Our findings emphasize the importance of developing interventions that target both women and their male partner. Group norms relating to contraceptive use also need to be addressed to improve contraceptive use and reduce the risk of repeat abortions.