The Status of Dietary Energy and Nutrients Intakes among Chinese Elderly Aged 80 and Above: Data from the CACDNS 2015

This study analyzed the status of dietary energy and nutrients intakes among the oldest-old in China. Data was obtained from the China Adult Chronic Disease and Nutrition Surveillance in 2015 (CACDNS 2015). We enrolled 1929 Chinese elderly people aged 80 and above who participated in both 3-day 24-h dietary recalls and household condiments weighing. The dietary intakes were calculated based on Chinese Food Composition Tables and assessed using Chinese Dietary Reference Intakes (DRIs). The dietary intakes of energy and most nutrients were all below the EAR or AI, except for fat, vitamin E, niacin, iron and sodium. As a result, daily dietary intakes of energy and most nutrients were inadequate in the oldest-old in China, especially vitamin A, vitamin B1, vitamin B2, folate and calcium, with the prevalence of deficiency more than 90%. Furthermore, the prevalence of inadequacy of vitamin C, zinc, selenium and magnesium was also high with the proportion below the EAR more than 60%. Approximately 30% of the subjects with dietary vitamin E intake did not reach AI, and more than 90% of subjects have reached AI in the intake of sodium, while more than 90% did not reach AI in potassium. The mean intakes of niacin and iron have reached EAR, but around 15% were still faced with the risk of deficiency. In addition, although the dietary energy intake was below EER, the energy contribution from fat in total population and all subgroups (region, age, gender, education level, material status, household income level groups) all exceeded the recommended proportion of 30% from the DRIs and close to or over 35%, is a significant concern. For the majority of nutrients, higher daily dietary intakes and lower prevalence of deficiencies were found in the oldest-old living in urban areas, aged 80–84 years, with high school and above education level, living with spouse and from high household income family. These findings indicates that the dietary intakes of energy and nutrients were inadequate, while the energy contribution from fat and dietary sodium intake were too high among the oldest-old in China. Most oldest-old were at high risk of nutritional deficiency, particularly for those who living in rural areas, with lower education level and from low household income

Study on Fault Current Characteristics and Current Limiting Method of Plug-In Devices in VSC-DC Distribution System

The DC (Direct Current) distribution system based on the voltage source converter (VSC-DC) has become a research hotspot due to its various advantages. There are many plug-in devices in the VSC-DC distribution system, which may be damaged by the fault current. Therefore, studying the fault current characteristics and current limiting method is one of the key methods to ensure the safe and stable operation of the VSC-DC distribution system. Based on theoretical analysis and simulation calculations, this paper studies the causes, influencing factors, and current limiting methods of the fault current when the pole-to-pole fault occurs at the line side of plug-in devices in a ±10 kV VSC-DC distribution system. Firstly, based on the system topology, the decisive fault condition of fault current and the design principle of current limiting reactor value are analyzed. Secondly, the theoretical calculation methods of fault current and current limiting reactor value which satisfies the breaking capacity of DC circuit breaker are proposed. Finally, the accuracy of theoretical calculation methods is verified by simulation in PSCAD/EMTDC (Power Systems Computer Aided Design/Electromagnetic Transients including DC). The research results could provide the theoretical calculation methods of the fault current and the current limiting reactor value of plug-in devices in the ±10 kV VSC-DC distribution system

Ultra-Processed Food Consumption and Risk of Overweight or Obesity in Chinese Adults: Chinese Food Consumption Survey 2017–2020

Overweight and obesity have increased rapidly in the past few decades in China, and less research has focused on the association between the consumption of ultra-processed foods (UPFs) and overweight or obesity in Chinese adults. The objective of this study was to determine the relationship of UPF consumption with the risk of overweight or obesity in Chinese adults. Residents aged 18 years and above who participated in the nationally representative survey Chinese Food Consumption Survey in 2017–2020 were included in this study. Dietary intake data were collected via non-consecutive three-day 24 h dietary recalls and weighing household foods and condiments. According to the NOVA food classification system, UPFs were classified depending on the purpose and extent of food processing. Multiple logistic regression and multivariate-adjusted restricted cubic spline (RCS) regressions were performed to estimate the association between UPF consumption (categorized into quartiles: quartile 1 (Q1), quartile 2 (Q2), quartile 3 (Q3), and quartile 4 (Q4)) and risk of overweight or obesity. A total of 38,658 adults aged 18 years and above participated in the present study. The prevalence of overweight and obesity in adults was 33.0% (95% CI: 32.91–33.10) and 9.6% (95% CI 9.55–9.67), respectively. After a multivariable adjustment, the risk of overweight or obesity was increased by 10% in Q3 (OR: 1.10, 95% CI: 1.04–1.17) compared to Q1 as a reference. Women (OR: 1.10, 95% CI: 1.01–1.20) and adults living in small and medium-sized cities (OR: 1.13, 95% CI: 1.01–1.26) with higher UPF consumption had higher odds of overweight or obesity. Nevertheless, the effect of higher UPF consumption on the risk of overweight or obesity was relatively weak for overall adults in China. The top three categories of subgroups consumption of UPFs were 1: sugar-sweetened beverages; 2: sauces, cheeses, spreads, and gravies; and 3: ultra-processed breads and breakfast cereals. These findings provide evidence that higher UPF consumption was positively associated with overweight or obesity, which was defined based on Chinese criteria among women and adults living in small and medium-sized cities in China. Further studies, such as intervention trials, are needed to identify the mechanism of correlation between the consumption of UPFs and health-related outcomes in Chinese adults. From a public health perspective, with the prevalence of overweight and obesity growing and the increase in UPF consumption in Chinese adults, it is necessary to promote healthy food intake and a balanced diet through active nutritional education actions for overweight and obesity prevention and control

The transcriptional factor Clr-5 is involved in cellulose degradation through regulation of amino acid metabolism in Neurospora crassa

Abstract Background Filamentous fungi are efficient degraders of plant biomass and the primary producers of commercial cellulolytic enzymes. While the transcriptional regulation mechanisms of cellulases have been continuously explored in lignocellulolytic fungi, the induction of cellulase production remains a complex multifactorial system, with several aspects still largely elusive. Results In this study, we identified a Zn2Cys6 transcription factor, designated as Clr-5, which regulates the expression of cellulase genes by influencing amino acid metabolism in Neurospora crassa during growth on cellulose. The deletion of clr-5 caused a significant decrease in secreted protein and cellulolytic enzyme activity of N. crassa, which was partially alleviated by supplementing with yeast extract. Transcriptomic profiling revealed downregulation of not only the genes encoding main cellulases but also those related to nitrogen metabolism after disruption of Clr-5 under Avicel condition. Clr-5 played a crucial role in the utilization of multiple amino acids, especially leucine and histidine. When using leucine or histidine as the sole nitrogen source, the Δclr-5 mutant showed significant growth defects on both glucose and Avicel media. Comparative transcriptomic analysis revealed that the transcript levels of most genes encoding carbohydrate-active enzymes and those involved in the catabolism and uptake of histidine, branched-chain amino acids, and aromatic amino acids, were remarkably reduced in strain Δclr-5, compared with the wild-type N. crassa when grown in Avicel medium with leucine or histidine as the sole nitrogen source. These findings underscore the important role of amino acid metabolism in the regulation of cellulase production in N. crassa. Furthermore, the function of Clr-5 in regulating cellulose degradation is conserved among ascomycete fungi. Conclusions These findings regarding the novel transcription factor Clr-5 enhance our comprehension of the regulatory connections between amino acid metabolism and cellulase production, offering fresh prospects for the development of fungal cell factories dedicated to cellulolytic enzyme production in bio-refineries

Assessing energy justice in climate change policies: an empirical examination of China's energy transition

An energy transition programme based on the principles of energy justice is an important way to mitigate climate change; however, empirical studies on energy justice remain scarce. This study explores key aspects of energy transition policy implementation in China, using three dimensions of energy justice – distributional, recognition and procedural justice – to establish an analytical framework and help develop quantification methodologies. We focused on Luquan District, Shijiazhuang City (Hebei Province, China), to assess energy justice levels following the implementation of China’s ‘coal-to-gas’ energy transition policy in rural regions. The findings indicate that China’s rural energy policy has not delivered energy justice. Analysis revealed a markedly low procedural justice index, registering a mere 0.37 on a scale of 0–1, attributable to factors such as the lack of involvement of rural households and a lack of transparency in the design and formulation of policy, as well as a lack of access of rural households to policy-related information. Furthermore, insufficient acknowledgment of the needs of specific groups during the energy transition has negatively impacted recognition justice, resulting in a mid-level index value of 0.69. By comparison, this study shows reveals a reasonably high energy distributional justice index value of 0.89. These findings suggest the need for the government to enhance energy policy communication and responsiveness to its stakeholders, to acknowledge and fairly address the energy transition needs of rural consumers, and to implement targeted energy subsidies to augment distributional justice and preclude the waste of limited financial resources. The analytical framework and calculation methods presented here could contribute to quantifying energy justice levels and to informing energy transition policy both in China and more broadly elsewhere in the world. Since 2013, implementation of China’s ‘coal-to-gas’ energy transition policy has engendered impacts on different dimensions of social justice that have influenced the realization of a just transition.A composite index system is established, encompassing distributional justice, recognition justice, and procedural justice, and quantitative exploration of energy justice is undertaken using a reverse deduction method.The greatest losses in justice, following implementation of China’s ‘coal-to-gas’ energy transition policy, are related to procedural justice, whereas recognition justice incurs moderate losses, and distributional justice experiences the lowest level of losses.Acknowledging the disparities among different groups, the ideal allocation of energy subsidies should be actualized through preliminary surveys, consultation and coordination, thereby preventing resource wastage.Recognizing individual rights and guaranteeing that the policy implementation process is open, transparent and participatory, could enhance energy justice and movement toward a just transition in the context of climate change policy. Since 2013, implementation of China’s ‘coal-to-gas’ energy transition policy has engendered impacts on different dimensions of social justice that have influenced the realization of a just transition. A composite index system is established, encompassing distributional justice, recognition justice, and procedural justice, and quantitative exploration of energy justice is undertaken using a reverse deduction method. The greatest losses in justice, following implementation of China’s ‘coal-to-gas’ energy transition policy, are related to procedural justice, whereas recognition justice incurs moderate losses, and distributional justice experiences the lowest level of losses. Acknowledging the disparities among different groups, the ideal allocation of energy subsidies should be actualized through preliminary surveys, consultation and coordination, thereby preventing resource wastage. Recognizing individual rights and guaranteeing that the policy implementation process is open, transparent and participatory, could enhance energy justice and movement toward a just transition in the context of climate change policy.</p

Complete Genome Sequence of Bifidobacterium longum subsp. longum BBMN68, a New Strain from a Healthy Chinese Centenarian▿

Bifidobacterium longum subsp. longum BBMN68 was isolated from the feces of a healthy centenarian living in an area of BaMa, Guangxi, China, known for longevity. Here we report the main genome features of B. longum strain BBMN68 and the identification of several predicted proteins associated with the ecological niche of longevity

Comparative Transcriptomic Analysis Provides Insight into the Key Regulatory Pathways and Differentially Expressed Genes in Blueberry Flower Bud Endo- and Ecodormancy Release

Endodormancy is the stage that perennial plants must go through to prepare for the next seasonal cycle, and it is also an adaptation that allows plants to survive harsh winters. Blueberries (Vaccinium spp.) are known to have high nutritional and commercial value. To better understand the molecular mechanisms of bud dormancy release, the transcriptomes of flower buds from the southern highbush blueberry variety “O’Neal” were analyzed at seven time points of the endo- and ecodormancy release processes. Pairwise comparisons were conducted between adjacent time points; five kinds of phytohormone were identified via these processes. A total of 12,350 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were obtained from six comparisons. Gene Ontology analysis indicated that these DEGs were significantly involved in metabolic processes and catalytic activity. KEGG pathway analysis showed that these DEGs were predominantly mapped to metabolic pathways and the biosynthesis of secondary metabolites in endodormancy release, but these DEGs were significantly enriched in RNA transport, plant hormone signal transduction, and circadian rhythm pathways in the process of ecodormancy release. The contents of abscisic acid (ABA), salicylic acid (SA), and 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate (ACC) decreased in endo- and ecodormancy release, and the jasmonic acid (JA) level first decreased in endodormancy release and then increased in ecodormancy release. Weighted correlation network analysis (WGCNA) of transcriptomic data associated with hormone contents generated 25 modules, 9 of which were significantly related to the change in hormone content. The results of this study have important reference value for elucidating the molecular mechanism of flower bud dormancy release

Genome-wide methylation profiling identify hypermethylated HOXL subclass genes as potential markers for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma detection

Abstract Background Numerous studies have revealed aberrant DNA methylation in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). However, they often focused on the partial genome, which resulted in an inadequate understanding of the shaped methylation features and the lack of available methylation markers for this disease. Methods The current study investigated the methylation profiles between ESCC and paired normal samples using whole-genome bisulfite sequencing (WGBS) data and obtained a group of differentially methylated CpGs (DMC), differentially methylated regions (DMR), and differentially methylated genes (DMG). The DMGs were then verified in independent datasets and Sanger sequencing in our custom samples. Finally, we attempted to evaluate the performance of these genes as methylation markers for the classification of ESCC. Results We obtained 438,558 DMCs, 15,462 DMRs, and 1568 DMGs. The four significantly enriched gene families of DMGs were CD molecules, NKL subclass, HOXL subclass, and Zinc finger C2H2-type. The HOXL subclass homeobox genes were observed extensively hypermethylated in ESCC. The HOXL-score estimated by HOXC10 and HOXD1 methylation, whose methylation status were then confirmed by sanger sequencing in our custom ESCC samples, showed good ability in discriminating ESCC from normal samples. Conclusions We observed widespread hypomethylation events in ESCC, and the hypermethylated HOXL subclass homeobox genes presented promising applications for the early detection of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma