[Characteristics, Sources Apportionment, and Health Risks of PM2.5-bound PAHs and Their Derivatives Before and After Heating in Zibo City].

Atmospheric polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and their derivatives are a global problem that influences the environment and threatens human health. To investigate the characteristics, sources, and health risk assessment of PM2.5-bound PAHs and their derivatives, PM2.5 were collected at an urban site in Zibo from November 5 to December 26, 2020, and the concentrations of 16 conventional PAHs, nine NPAHs, and five OPAHs in PM2.5 were analyzed using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Source apportionment of PAHs and their derivatives was conducted using diagnostic ratios and a PMF model, and the health risks of PAHs and their derivatives to adult men and women were evaluated using the source-dependent incremental lifetime cancer risk (ILCR) model. The results showed that the average concentrations of ∑16pPAHs, ∑9NPAHs, and ∑5OPAHs in PM2.5 of Zibo City during the sampling period were (41.61 ± 13.40), (6.38 ± 5.70), and (53.20 ± 53.47) ng·m-3, respectively. The concentrations of the three PAHs increased significantly after heating, which were 1.31, 2.04, and 5.24 times larger than those before heating. During the sampling period, Chr, BaP, and BaA were the dominant components of pPAHs; 9N-Ant and 2N-Flt + 3N-Flt were the dominant components of NPAHs; and ATQ and BZO were the dominant components of OPAHs. Source apportionment results showed that motor vehicles were the main source of PAHs and their derivatives in PM2.5 before heating, whereas after heating, the main sources were the mixed source of coal and biomass combustion and secondary formation. The total BaP equivalent (TEQ) was 14.5 ng·m-3 during the sampling period, and the TEQ increased significantly after heating, which was approximately 1.2 times of that before heating. Assisted by the individual PAH source apportionment results, the ILCR of PM2.5-boundPAHs and NPAHs in Zibo City had a certain potential carcinogenic risk for adult males (1.06 × 10-5) and females (9.32 × 10-6). Among them, the health risks of PAHs from gasoline vehicles, diesel vehicles, and coal/biomass combustion were significantly higher than those from other emission sources.

[Develop the rural ecology in the New Era]. / 发展新时代的乡村生态学.

Rural ecology is a comprehensive field of study that takes the rural social-ecological-economic systems as the objective object and emphasizes spatial carrier governance. The development of rural ecology in the New Era embodies and implements comprehensively the core concepts of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Cha-racteristics for a New Era, including harmonious coexistence between humans and nature, rural revitalization, green development, and the comprehensive construction of a socialist modernized nation. Under the goal of Chinese-style modernization, rural ecology exhibits characteristics distinct from the past, such as the integration of research objects, the intersectionality of basic theories, the computational feature of technical methods, and the orientation of exporting outcomes. To provide disciplinary support for modernization-oriented science to meet the new demands of country's rural development, effectively narrating the story of sustainable rural development in China and providing fundamental guarantees for the safety of rural systems, a number of issues such as paradigm innovation in research, improvement of data quality, and integration of comprehensive technologies, should be fully considered.

Baseline high-sensitivity C-reactive protein and glycosylated hemoglobinA1c predict adverse outcomes in patients with chronic coronary syndromes undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention.

Introduction: This study explored the ability of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) and glycosylated hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) to predict adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular outcomes in patients with chronic coronary syndromes (CCS) undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Methods: In total, 4083 consecutive patients with CCS undergoing PCI were investigated throughout 2013 at a single center. The primary endpoint was all-cause death at the 5-year follow-up. Hs-CRP and HbA1c data were collected on admission. Results: The highest quartile of hs-CRP had a significantly increased the risk of all-cause death, with an adjusted HR of 1.747 (95 % CI 1.066-2.863), while, there was no difference in all-cause death among the groups of HbA1c after adjustment, with an adjusted HR of 1.383 (95 % CI 0.716-2.674). The highest quartiles for hs-CRP and HbA1c in the study population had a significantly increased risk of major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events (MACCE), with an adjusted hazard ratios (HR) of 1.263 (95 % confidence intervals [CI] 1.032-1.545) for hs-CRP and an adjusted HR of 1.417 (95 % CI 1.091-1.840) for HbA1c. Remarkably, the incidence of all-cause death and that of MACCE were significantly increased when both hs-CRP and HbA1c were elevated (HR 1.971, 95 % CI 1.079-3.601, P = 0.027 and HR 1.560, 95 % CI 1.191-2.042), P = 0.001, respectively). Addition of hs-CRP and HbA1c to conventional risk factors significantly improved prediction of the risk of all cause death (net reclassification index 0.492, P < 0.001; integrated discrimination improvement 0.007, P = 0.011) and MACCE (net reclassification index 0.160, P < 0.001; integrated discrimination improvement 0.006, P < 0.001). Conclusions: Hs-CRP and HbA1c can serve as independent predictors of MACCE in patients with CCS undergoing PCI. Furthermore, a combination of hs-CRP and HbA1c could predict all cause death and MACCE better than each component individually.

Diagnostic value of 18F-PSMA-1007 PET/CT for predicting the pathological grade of prostate cancer.

This study was designed to evaluate the diagnostic efficacy of relevant parameters of 18F-prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA)-1007 PET/CT in predicting the pathological grade of primary prostate cancer. Briefly, a prospective analysis was performed on 53 patients diagnosed with prostate cancer by systematic puncture biopsy, followed by 18F-PSMA-1007 PET/CT examination prior to treatment within 10 d. The patients were grouped in accordance with the Gleason grading system revised by the International Association of Urology Pathology (ISUP). They were divided into high-grade group (ISUP 4-5 group) and low-grade group (ISUP 1-3 group). The differences in maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax), tumor-to-background ratio (TBR), intraprostatic PSMA-derived tumor volume (iPSMA-TV), and intraprostatic total lesion PSMA (iTL-PSMA) between the high- and low-grade group were statistically significant (p < .001). No significant difference was found for mean standardized uptake value (SUVmean) between the high- and low-grade groups (Z = -1.131, p = .258). Besides, binary multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that only iPSMA-TV and iTL-PSMA were independent predictors of the pathological grading, for which the odds ratios were 18.821 [95% confidence interval (CI): 2.040-173.614, p = .010] and 0.758 (95% CI: 0.613-0.938, p = .011), respectively. The area under the ROC of this regression model was 0.983 (95% CI: 0.958-1.00, p < .001). Only iTL-PSMA was a significant parameter for distinguishing ISUP-4 and ISUP-5 groups (Z = -2.043, p = .041). In a nutshell, 18F-PSMA-1007 PET/CT has good application value in predicting the histopathological grade of primary prostate cancer. Three-dimensional volume metabolism parameters iPSMA-TV and iTL-PSMA were found to be independent predictors for pathological grade.

Prolonging dual antiplatelet therapy improves the long-term prognosis in patients with diabetes mellitus undergoing complex percutaneous coronary intervention.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the optimal duration of dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) in patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) requiring complex percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). METHODS: A total of 2403 patients with DM who underwent complex PCI from January to December 2013 were consecutively enrolled in this observational cohort study and divided according to DAPT duration into a standard group (11-13 months, n = 689) and two prolonged groups (13-24 months, n = 1133; > 24 months, n = 581). RESULTS: Baseline characteristics, angiographic findings, and complexity of PCI were comparable regardless of DAPT duration. The incidence of major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular event was lower when DAPT was 13-24 months than when it was 11-13 months or > 24 months (4.6% vs. 8.1% vs. 6.0%, P = 0.008), as was the incidence of all-cause death (1.9% vs. 4.6% vs. 2.2%, P = 0.002) and cardiac death (1.0% vs. 3.0% vs. 1.2%, P = 0.002). After adjustment for confounders, DAPT for 13-24 months was associated with a lower risk of major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular event [hazard ratio (HR) = 0.544, 95% CI: 0.373-0.795] and all-cause death (HR = 0.605, 95% CI: 0.387-0.944). DAPT for > 24 months was associated with a lower risk of all-cause death (HR = 0.681, 95% CI: 0.493-0.942) and cardiac death (HR = 0.620, 95% CI: 0.403-0.952). The risk of major bleeding was not increased by prolonging DAPT to 13-24 months (HR = 1.356, 95% CI: 0.766-2.401) or > 24 months (HR = 0.967, 95% CI: 0.682-1.371). CONCLUSIONS: For patients with DM undergoing complex PCI, prolonging DAPT might improve the long-term prognosis by reducing the risk of adverse ischemic events without increasing the bleeding risk.

Prolonged dual antiplatelet therapy after drug-eluting stent implantation improves long-term prognosis for acute coronary syndrome: five-year results from a large cohort study.

BACKGROUND: To investigate the most appropriate dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) duration for patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) after drug-eluting stent (DES) implantation in the largest cardiovascular center of China. METHODS: We enrolled 5,187 consecutive patients with ACS who received DES from January to December 2013. Patients were divided into four groups based on DAPT duration: standard DAPT group (11-13 months, n=1,568) and prolonged DAPT groups (13-18 months [n=308], 18-24 months [n=2,125], and >24 months [n=1,186]). Baseline characteristics and 5-year clinical outcomes were recorded. RESULTS: Baseline characteristics were similar across the four groups. Among the four groups, those with prolonged DAPT (18-24 months) had the lowest incidence of major adverse cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events (MACCEs) (14.1% vs. 11.7% vs. 9.6% vs. 24.2%, P<0.001), all-cause death (4.8% vs. 3.9% vs. 2.1% vs. 2.6%, P<0.001), cardiac death (3.1% vs. 2.6% vs. 1.4% vs. 1.9%, P=0.004), and myocardial infarction (MI) (3.8% vs. 4.2% vs. 2.5% vs. 5.8%, P<0.001). The incidence of bleeding was not different among the four groups (9.9% vs. 9.4% vs. 11.0% vs. 9.4%, P=0.449). Cox multivariable analysis showed that prolonged DAPT (18-24 months) was an independent protective factor for MACCEs (hazard ratio [HR] 0.802, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.729-0.882, P<0.001), all-cause death (HR 0.660, 95% CI 0.547-0.795, P<0.001), cardiac death (HR 0.663, 95% CI 0.526-0.835, P<0.001), MI (HR 0.796, 95% CI 0.662-0.957, P=0.015), and target vessel revascularization (HR 0.867, 95% CI 0.755-0.996, P=0.044). Subgroup analysis for high bleeding risk showed that prolonged DAPT remained an independent protective factor for all-cause death and MACCEs. CONCLUSION: For patients with ACS after DES, appropriately prolonging the DAPT duration may be associated with a reduced risk of adverse ischemic events without increasing the bleeding risk.

[Characterization and Formation Mechanism of Water-soluble Inorganic Ions in PM2.5 and PM10 in Summer in the Urban Agglomeration of the Ili River Valley].

The simultaneous observation and analysis of atmospheric particles on a regional scale is an important approach to developing control strategies for air pollution. To study the spatial distribution characteristics of particulate matter and water-soluble inorganic ions in the Ili Valley Urban agglomeration, PM2.5 and PM10 samples were synchronously collected from July 19 to July 29, 2021 in Yining City and the surrounding three counties, and then nine types of water-soluble inorganic ions (WSIIs) were analyzed. The spatial distribution characteristics, existence form of WSIIs, and influencing factors were discussed in depth. The results showed that the average ρ(PM2.5) and ρ(PM10) in the Ili River Valley urban agglomeration in summer were 23 µg·m-3 and 59 µg·m-3, respectively. The emission of local industrial and mobile sources in Yining City was higher than that of the surrounding three counties, resulting in the highest ρ(PM2.5) in the region (25 µg·m-3). Due to the influence of dust sources and topography, the ρ(PM10) in Yining county was the highest in the region (63 µg·m-3). Huocheng county is located upwind of the region, and these favorable diffusion conditions resulted in the lowest ρ(PM2.5) and ρ(PM10) (20 µg·m-3 and 49 µg·m-3, respectively). The concentrations of WSIIs in PM2.5 and PM10 ranged from 28.2%-29.9% and 16.0%-20.2%, respectively. The four main ions (SO42-, NO3-, NH4+, and Ca2+) accounted for approximately 90% of WSIIs mass concentrations. The concentration order of the four main ions in PM2.5 was SO42->Ca2+>NH4+>NO3- and SO42->Ca2+>NO3->NH4+ in PM10. The results of correlation analysis showed that the similar SO42- concentrations in the four cities were mainly caused by regional transport. Ca2+ was the highest-concentration ion in PM10 of Yining City and Qapqal Xibe Autonomous county, and the proportion of Ca2+ was significantly higher than that in most cities in China, which reflected that the cities in the core area of the Ili Valley were greatly affected by the dust sources. The ratios of n(NO3-)/n(SO42-) in PM2.5 and PM10 were 0.78 and 0.76, respectively, indicating that the influence of stationary sources was greater than that of mobile sources. The ratio of n(NO3-)/n(SO42-) in Yining City>Huocheng county>Yining county>Qapqal Xibe Autonomous county, which was consistent with the motor vehicle populations of the four cities, reflecting that Yining City was affected by motor vehicle sources more than the surrounding three counties. The secondary components mainly existed in the form of (NH4)2SO4, NH4HSO4, and NH4NO3. There was excess ammonia after the reaction between NH4+ and SO42- in each city. NH4NO3 mainly existed in Yining City, which was mainly related to high NO2 in Yining City. The NOR of the four cities were 0.03-0.10 and 0.03-0.16 in PM2.5 and PM10, respectively, and the secondary transformation of NO3- was weak due to the influence of high temperatures in summer. The SOR were 0.21-0.41 and 0.23-0.44, respectively. The SOR of Qapqal Xibe Autonomous county was the highest due to the relatively high humidity, whereas the SOR of Huocheng county was higher than that of the three sites in Yining City due to the influence of regional transportation. The formation mechanisms showed that SO42- in Qapqal Xibe Autonomous county and Yining City were mainly produced by the heterogeneous reaction, and in Yining county it was mainly formed via the homogeneous reaction. However, the formation mechanism in Huocheng county was complex and was affected by both homogeneous and heterogeneous reactions.

Long-term outcome of percutaneous or surgical revascularization with and without prior stroke in patients with three-vessel disease.

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether high-risk patients with three-vessel disease (TVD) with and without prior stroke preferentially benefit from three strategies [percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) and medical therapy (MT)]. METHODS: A total of 8943 patients with TVD were included in the study. Patients enrolled were stratified into two categories according to the presence or absence of prior stroke history. The primary endpoint was all-cause death. Secondary endpoints included stroke and major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular event (MACCE), a composite of death, myocardial infarction (MI), unplanned revascularization and stroke. RESULTS: Prior stroke was present in 888 patients (9.9%). These patients were older and had higher rates of comorbidities. During a median follow-up of 7.5 years, patients with prior stroke were strongly associated with increased risks of all-cause death, cardiac death, stroke and MACCE, even after adjusting for confounding variables and results been consistent across either treatment subgroup (PCI, CABG and MT) (all adjusted P < 0.01). Notably, there was a significant interaction between prior stroke history and treatment strategies. Revascularization strategy (PCI or CABG) was associated with a lower incidence of all-cause death and MACCE compared with MT alone, and favorable rates of MACCE, MI and unplanned revascularization in the CABG group compared with the PCI group, but with similar rate of all-cause death regardless of prior stroke history. The prevalence of stroke was significantly higher after CABG when compared with PCI or MT in no prior stroke patients [hazard ratio (HR) = 1.429, 95% CI: 1.132-1.805 for CABG vs. MT; HR = 1.703, 95% CI: 1.371-2.116 for CABG vs. PCI]. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with TVD and prior stroke have poor clinical outcomes. It is essential to balance benefit and risk when determining the optimal treatment strategy for TVD with and without prior stroke.

Effects of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease on long-term prognosis of patients with coronary heart disease post-percutaneous coronary intervention.

BACKGROUND: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and cardiovascular diseases are often comorbid conditions, their co-occurrence yields worse outcomes than either condition alone. This study aimed to investigate COPD impacts on the five-year prognosis of patients with coronary heart disease (CHD) after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). METHODS: Patients with CHD who underwent PCI in 2013 were recruited, and divided into COPD group and non-COPD group. Adverse events occurring among those groups were recorded during the five-year follow-up period after PCI, including all-cause death and cardiogenic death, myocardial infarction, repeated revascularization, as well as stroke and bleeding events. Major adverse cardiac and cerebral events were a composite of all-cause death, myocardial infarction, repeated revascularization and stroke. RESULTS: A total of 9843 patients were consecutively enrolled, of which 229 patients (2.3%) had COPD. Compared to non-COPD patients, COPD patients were older, along with poorer estimated glomerular filtration rate and lower left ventricular ejection fraction. Five-year follow-up results showed that incidences of all-cause death and cardiogenic death, as well as major adverse cardiac and cerebral events, for the COPD group were significantly higher than for non-COPD group (10.5% vs. 3.9%, 7.4% vs. 2.3%, and 30.1% vs. 22.6%, respectively). COPD was found under multivariate Cox regression analysis, adjusted for confounding factors, to be an independent predictor of all-cause death [odds ratio (OR) = 1.76, 95% CI: 1.15-2.70, P = 0.009] and cardiogenic death (OR = 2.02, 95% CI: 1.21-3.39, P = 0.007). CONCLUSIONS: COPD is an independent predictive factor for clinical mortality, in which CHD patients with COPD are associated with worse prognosis than CHD patients with non-COPD.

Hyperuricemia is Associated With 2- and 5-Year Adverse Outcomes in Patients With ST-Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction Undergoing Percutaneous Coronary Intervention.

Background: Hyperuricemia has recently been identified as a risk factor of cardiovascular diseases; however, prognostic value of hyperuricemia in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) remained unclear. Simultaneously, the mechanism of this possible relationship has not been clarified. At present, some views believe that hyperuricemia may be related to the inflammatory response. Our study aimed to investigate the association between hyperuricemia and long-term poor prognosis and inflammation in STEMI patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Methods: A total of 1,448 consecutive patients with STEMI were studied throughout 2013 at a single center. The primary endpoint was all-cause death at 2- and 5-year follow-up. Inflammatory biomarkers were collected on admission of those patients: high sensitive C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), and white blood cell (WBC) count. Results: Hyperuricemia was associated with higher 2- and 5-year all-cause death in STEME patients compared to normouricemia (5.5% vs. 1.4%, P <0.001; 8.0% vs 3.9%, P = 0.004; respectively). After multivariable adjustment, hyperuricemia was still an independent predictor of 2-year all-cause death (hazard ratio (HR) =4.332, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.990-9.430, P <0.001) and 5-year all-cause death (HR =2.063, 95% CI: 1.186-3.590, P =0.010). However, there was no difference in hs-CRP, ESR, and WBC count on admission in STEMI patients with hyperuricemia compared to normouricemia (P >0.05). Conclusions: Hyperuricemia was associated with higher risks of 2- and 5-year all-cause deaths in patients with STEMI undergoing PCI. However, this study did not find a correlation between hyperuricemia and inflammatory responses in newly admitted STEMI patients.

Using machine learning to aid treatment decision and risk assessment for severe three-vessel coronary artery disease.

BACKGROUND: Three-vessel disease (TVD) with a SYNergy between PCI with TAXus and cardiac surgery (SYNTAX) score of ≥ 23 is one of the most severe types of coronary artery disease. We aimed to take advantage of machine learning to help in decision-making and prognostic evaluation in such patients. METHODS: We analyzed 3786 patients who had TVD with a SYNTAX score of ≥ 23, had no history of previous revascularization, and underwent either coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) or percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) after enrollment. The patients were randomly assigned to a training group and testing group. The C4.5 decision tree algorithm was applied in the training group, and all-cause death after a median follow-up of 6.6 years was regarded as the class label. RESULTS: The decision tree algorithm selected age and left ventricular end-diastolic diameter (LVEDD) as splitting features and divided the patients into three subgroups: subgroup 1 (age of ≤ 67 years and LVEDD of ≤ 53 mm), subgroup 2 (age of ≤ 67 years and LVEDD of > 53 mm), and subgroup 3 (age of > 67 years). PCI conferred a patient survival benefit over CABG in subgroup 2. There was no significant difference in the risk of all-cause death between PCI and CABG in subgroup 1 and subgroup 3 in both the training data and testing data. Among the total study population, the multivariable analysis revealed significant differences in the risk of all-cause death among patients in three subgroups. CONCLUSIONS: The combination of age and LVEDD identified by machine learning can contribute to decision-making and risk assessment of death in patients with severe TVD. The present results suggest that PCI is a better choice for young patients with severe TVD characterized by left ventricular dilation.

[Pollution Characteristics of Water-soluble Ions in PM2.5 During the Lantern Festival of 2021 in Zibo City].

Based on the online ion data, we have analyzed the cause of a PM2.5 pollution episode, which happened during the Lantern Festival in Zibo in 2021. The pollution characteristics of water-soluble ion components were analyzed, the formation mechanism of secondary inorganic ions (SNA) was discussed, and the changes in the liquid water content (LWC) and pH value of particulate matter before and after pollution were comparatively analyzed. The results showed that the pollution period before the Lantern Festival (T1) and the pollution period at night (T2) ρ(WSIIs) during the Lantern Festival were 46.83 µg·m-3 and 71.18 µg·m-3, respectively, which were 2.3 times and 3.6 times that of the cleaning period, respectively. Among them, the growth multiple of SNA during the T1 period was greater[ρ(NO3-) was 2.9 times, ρ(SO42-) was 2.8 times, and ρ(NH4+) was 2.4 times] than the growth multiple of PM2.5 (2.1 times), which showed that the increase in SNA concentration during the T1 period was the main reason for the increase in PM2.5 concentration. Furthermore, the Cl-, K+, and Mg2+ concentrations, which were 4.0, 14.8, and 16.5 times that of the cleaning period, respectively, increased significantly during the T2 period, indicating that the fireworks and firecrackers caused the rapid increase in the PM2.5 concentration during the T2 period. The LWC during the pollution period was 49.37 µg·m-3, which was 2.9 times that of the cleaning period. LWC was mainly affected by RH and NH4+ during the T1 period and was also affected by Mg2+ during the T2 period. The average pH during the pollution period in Zibo was 4.79±1.54, which was 0.14 lower than that during the cleaning period. The pH during the T1 period was affected by the combined effects of SO42- and NH4+, which made it decrease 0.53 compared to that during the cleaning period. The pH value during the T2 period may be affected by the K+, Cl-, and Mg2+ emitted from the fireworks and firecrackers, causing the pH to increase 0.65 compared to that during the cleaning period. The formation mechanism showed that SO42- was mainly generated by heterogeneous hydrolysis during the pollution episode, whereas NO3- was mainly generated by homogeneous reactions. On the whole, during the pollution episode, the increase in PM2.5 concentration before the Lantern Festival was mainly caused by the increase in SNA concentration, and the increase the night of the Lantern Festival was mainly caused by setting off fireworks and firecrackers.

[Data-driven study of complex socio-economic-natural ecosystems: Scales, processes and decision linkages]. / 数据驱动的社会-经济-è‡ªç„¶å¤åˆç”Ÿæ€ç³»ç»Ÿç ”ç©¶:å°ºåº¦ã€è¿‡ç¨‹åŠå ¶å†³ç­–å ³è”.

The social-economic-natural system is a complex system for human survival and development, and the data-driven system research provides a new value-added orientation to enhance the cognition of the ecosystem. Under the new data context, the social-economic-natural complex system shows new features. The research object is gradually changing from a single element to a multi-factor coupling direction, which makes the data system more diversified, data sources more extensive, data expression more visualized. The research scale shows the characteristics of gradually expanding, and the research object would be more detailed. In the process of data identification, expression and visualization, it is therefore necessary to strengthen the coupling of time, space, structure, quantity and order, as well as to focus on the integration with decision making and local services. The future research of complex ecosystems in the new era should be carried out in terms of key scientific issues and supporting technologies, the role of scale and multi-factor coupling, as well as scientific and technological support for local and global governance. Under the continuous innovation of data, strengthening the cognition of multi-source data, long-term monitoring and time series still needs to be studied in depth. Carrying out data-driven analysis of complex ecosystems not only provides technical support for ecosystem services and sustainable development and enhances the long-term data sharing mechanism, but also provides more value support for realizing decision making and information dissemination.

Impacts of the returning farmland to forest (grassland)project on ecosystem services in the Weihe River Basin, China.

As an important ecological compensation project initiated in China, the returning farmland to forest (grassland) project plays a key role in maintaining national ecological security. Systematical analysis for the impacts of the returning farmland to forest (grassland) project on ecosystem services would provide reference for consummating ecological compensation system. Taking the Weihe River Basin as an example, we analyzed the spatiotemporal changes of land use and ecosystem services since the implementation of the project based on land use data, meteorological data and other information. The InVEST model and geographically weighted regression were used to investigate the impacts of the project on the changes of ecosystem services, such as water conservation, soil conservation, carbon storage, and habitat quality. The results showed that since the implementation of the project, the coverage rate of forest and grassland had been fluctuating upwards, with an increase of 2704.49 km2 of forest and grassland area. From 2000 to 2018, in the Weihe River Basin all showed a fluctuating upwards trends. Among those services, water conservation and carbon storage had large increases, while habitat quality and soil conservation had small increases. The project had effectively improved ecosystem services in the Weihe River Basin, but the impacting intensity on ecosystem services varied from one geographical unit to another.

Does Prior Stroke Predict Long-Term Recurrent Stroke After Percutaneous Coronary Intervention? Five-Year Results From a Large Cohort Study.

Background: We found a positive correlation between the prior stroke history and recurrent stroke in patients who underwent percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in our previous study, which indicated the close interaction of stroke and cardiovascular diseases. However, it is unclear whether prior stroke is still associated with worse prognosis at a longer follow-up period. Methods: A total of 10,724 coronary heart disease (CHD) patients who received PCI from January to December 2013 were prospectively enrolled and were subsequently divided into the prior stroke (n = 1,150) and non-prior stroke (n = 9,574) groups according to their history. Baseline characteristics and 5-year outcomes were recorded. Results: Patients with prior stroke had more clinical risk factors, as well as more extensive coronary artery lesions. Although in-hospital outcomes were similar between patients from the two groups, the 5-year follow-up result revealed that patients with prior stroke experienced higher incidence of stroke, major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events (MACCEs), all-cause death, and cardiac death (7.0 vs. 3.0%, p < 0.001; 25.9 vs. 20.3%, p < 0.001; 5.3 vs. 3.5%, p = 0.002; 3.1 vs. 2.1%, p = 0.032, respectively). After the propensity score matching, the 5-year stroke rate was still higher in the prior stroke group (6.8 vs. 3.4%, p = 0.001). The multivariable regression analysis also identified the prior stroke as a risk predictor of the 5-year stroke (HR = 2.011, 95% CI: 1.322-3.059, p = 0.001). Conclusions: Coronary heart disease patients with prior stroke who received PCI had a higher incidence of 5-year long-term adverse cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events, especially recurrent stroke. Prior stroke was a strong risk predictor of future stroke events.

Direct Bilirubin Levels Predict Long-Term Outcomes in Patients With Acute Coronary Syndrome Under Different Glucose Metabolism Status: A 6.5-Year Cohort Study of Three-Vessel Disease.

Background: There is controversy over the relationship between bilirubin and coronary artery disease. This study aimed to evaluate the predictive value of direct bilirubin (DB) in patients with complex acute coronary syndrome (ACS). Methods: From April 2004 to February 2011, 5,322 ACS patients presenting with three-vessel disease were consecutively enrolled. Disease severity and complexity were determined by SYNTAX score (SS) and SS II. The primary endpoint was all-cause death, and the secondary endpoints were major adverse cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events (MACCE). Stratification of normal glucose regulation, prediabetes, and diabetes was based on a previous diagnosis, hypoglycemic medications, fasting blood glucose, and hemoglobin A1c. Results: Subjects were divided into quartiles according to baseline DB (µmol/L): Q1 (0-1.6), Q2 (1.61-2.20), Q3 (2.21-2.80), and Q4 (>2.80). Multivariable logistic regression analysis showed that DB was an independent predictor of intermediate-high SS. During a median follow-up time of 6.5 years, elevated DB was associated with more all-cause death (p < 0.001) but not MACCE. DB remained to be predictive of all-cause death in the multivariable Cox regression model (Q2 vs. Q1: HR 1.043, 95% CI 0.829-1.312, p = 0.719; Q3 vs. Q1: HR 1.248, 95% CI 1.001-1.155, p = 0.048; Q4 vs. Q1: HR 1.312, 95% CI 1.063-1.620, p = 0.011). When subjects are stratified according to glucose metabolism regulation and treatment strategies, the predictivity of DB was only profound in patients with diabetes or with conservative treatment. Additionally, incorporating DB further improved the discrimination and reclassification abilities of SS II for risk prediction. Conclusion: DB is a potential biomarker for predicting lesion severity and long-term outcomes in ACS patients.

FOXG1 promotes aging inner ear hair cell survival through activation of the autophagy pathway.

Presbycusis is the cumulative effect of aging on hearing. Recent studies have shown that common mitochondrial gene deletions are closely related to deafness caused by degenerative changes in the auditory system, and some of these nuclear factors are proposed to participate in the regulation of mitochondrial function. However, the detailed mechanisms involved in age-related degeneration of the auditory systems have not yet been fully elucidated. In this study, we found that FOXG1 plays an important role in the auditory degeneration process through regulation of macroautophagy/autophagy. Inhibition of FOXG1 decreased the autophagy activity and led to the accumulation of reactive oxygen species and subsequent apoptosis of cochlear hair cells. Recent clinical studies have found that aspirin plays important roles in the prevention and treatment of various diseases by regulating autophagy and mitochondria function. In this study, we found that aspirin increased the expression of FOXG1, which further activated autophagy and reduced the production of reactive oxygen species and inhibited apoptosis, and thus promoted the survival of mimetic aging HCs and HC-like OC-1 cells. This study demonstrates the regulatory function of the FOXG1 transcription factor through the autophagy pathway during hair cell degeneration in presbycusis, and it provides a new molecular approach for the treatment of age-related hearing loss.Abbreviations: AHL: age-related hearing loss; baf: bafilomycin A1; CD: common deletion; D-gal: D-galactose; GO: glucose oxidase; HC: hair cells; mtDNA: mitochondrial DNA; RAP: rapamycin; ROS: reactive oxygen species; TMRE: tetramethylrhodamine, ethyl ester.

[Source and Health Risk Assessment of PM2.5-Bound Metallic Elements in Road Dust in Zibo City].

To study the pollution characteristics, sources, and ecological and health risk of PM2.5-bound metallic elements in road dust in Zibo City, a total of 97 dust samples were collected in eight districts between October 2016 and May 2017, and particles smaller than 2.5 µm were suspended filtered using a resuspension system. Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) and optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES) were used to investigate 18 metal elements within the dust samples. The results showed that the mass fraction of Ca[ω(Ca)] was highest with an average of 120307.7 mg·kg-1, which was 7.2 times higher than the soil background values for Shandong Province. The mean values of ω(Zn), ω(Cu), ω(Sb), and ω(Cd) were 13.9, 11.7, 13.3, and 29.6 times higher than the background values, respectively. The geo-accumulation index (Igeo) indicated high levels of Cd, Zn, Cu, and Sb pollution, especially in winter. Enrichment factors (EFs) also indicated high concentrations of Cd, Zn, Sb, and Cu in the road dust, which were notably affected by human activities. Principal component analysis (PCA) showed that biomass combustion, coal burning, vehicle emissions, iron and steel smelting, and soil dust are the five main sources of metal elements in road dust in Zibo City. The potential ecological risk of Cd and the total potential risk were extremely high during three seasons and was highest in winter. Health risk assessment showed that As and Pb had a non-carcinogenic risk for children, while Cr presents a carcinogenic risk. In conclusion, pollution from PM2.5-bound metallic elements in road dust in Zibo City is derived from anthropogenic sources and is most severe during winter. Importantly, the levels of pollution detected represent potential ecological risk as well as some non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic risks for children. Therefore, the source control of road dust requires particular attention.

Eff ects of metabolic syndrome on onset age and long-term outcomes in patients with acute coronary syndrome.

BACKGROUND: We aim to investigate effects of metabolic syndrome on onset age and long-term outcomes in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS). METHODS: Patients with ACS (n=6,431) who underwent percutaneous coronary intervention from January to December 2013 were enrolled. After excluding patients with previous coronary artery disease, 1,558 patients were diagnosed with early-onset ACS (men aged ≤50 years; women aged ≤60 years) and 3,044 patients with late-onset ACS. Baseline characteristics and five-year clinical outcomes were measured. RESULTS: Body mass index, triglyceride, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and uric acid concentrations were significantly higher, while the high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) concentration was lower in the early-onset ACS group (P<0.001). Multivariate logistic regression revealed obesity (odds ratio [OR] 1.590, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.345-1.881), hypertriglyceridemia (OR 1.403, 95% CI 1.185-1.660), and low HDL-C (OR 1.464, 95% CI 1.231-1.742) as independent risk factors for early-onset ACS (all P<0.001). The five-year follow-up showed that the incidences of all cause death (1.5% vs. 3.8%, P<0.001), cardiac death (1.1% vs. 2.0%, P=0.023), and recurrent stroke (2.2% vs. 4.2%, P<0.001) were lower, while bleeding events were more frequent in the early-onset ACS group. A subgroup analysis showed higher incidences of recurrent myocardial infarction (MI) and revascularization in patients with early-onset ACS and metabolic syndrome. CONCLUSIONS: Obesity, hypertriglyceridemia, and lower HDL-C level are independent risk factors for early-onset ACS, recurrent MI, and revascularization. The control of metabolic syndrome may reduce the incidence of early-onset ACS and improve the long-term prognosis.

Differential Diagnosis, Clinical Characteristics, and Interventions of Braid-Like Coronary Artery: Case Series Analysis Based on Optical Coherence Tomography.

AIM: Based on optical coherence tomography (OCT), we aimed to determine the diagnosis, clinical characteristics, and interventions of braid-like coronary arteries, which are rare and tend to be diagnosed as a woven coronary artery (WCA) anomaly. METHODS AND RESULTS: We identified braid-like lesions on coronary angiography (CAG) in 7 patients (6 men; median age 47 years; age range 26 to 57 years). All patients were heavy smokers. Four patients were diagnosed with an old myocardial infarction and the other 3 with unstable angina. The braid-like lesions were located in the left anterior descending arteries in 2 patients and in the right coronary arteries in the other 5. TIMI grade 2 flow was observed in all involved vessels. OCT findings of all lesions were consistent with recanalization of organized thrombi, which consisted of septa that divided the lumen into multiple small cavities communicating with each other. No separate three-layered structure could be defined. Based on the significance of the stenosis and its related symptoms, drug-eluting stents were implanted in all of the lesions. All patients experienced symptomatic improvement after the intervention and were followed up event-free for 12 months. CONCLUSIONS: Braid-like coronary arteries are likely to undergo recanalization of organized thrombi rather than WCA according to our OCT findings. The majority of cases affect men who smoke heavily. Percutaneous stent implantation may be beneficial in selected patients when feasible.