Assessing Community Resilience to Urban Flooding in Multiple Types of the Transient Population in China

While various measures of mitigation and adaptation to climate change have been taken in recent years, many have gradually reached a consensus that building community resilience is of great significance when responding to climate change, especially urban flooding. There has been a dearth of research on community resilience to urban floods, especially among transient communities, and therefore there is a need to conduct further empirical studies to improve our understanding, and to identify appropriate interventions. Thus, this work combines two existing resilience assessment frameworks to address these issues in three different types of transient community, namely an urban village, commercial housing, and apartments, all located in Wuhan, China. An analytic hierarchy process–back propagation neural network (AHP-BP) model was developed to estimate the community resilience within these three transient communities. The effects of changes in the prioritization of key resilience indicators under different environmental, economic, and social factors was analyzed across the three communities. The results demonstrate that the ranking of the indicators reflects the connection between disaster resilience and the evaluation units of diverse transient communities. These aspects show the differences in the disaster resilience of different types of transient communities. The proposed method can help decision makers in identifying the areas that are lagging behind, and those that need to be prioritized when allocating limited and/or stretched resources

Variability of above-ground litter inputs alters soil physicochemical and biological processes:a meta-analysis of litterfall-manipulation experiments

Global change has been shown to alter the amount of above-ground litter inputs to soil greatly, which could cause substantial cascading effects on below-ground biogeochemical cycling. Despite extensive study, there is uncertainty about how changes in above-ground litter inputs affect soil carbon and nutrient turnover and transformation. Here, we conducted a meta-analysis on 70 litter-manipulation experiments in order to assess how changes in above-ground litter inputs alter soil physicochemical properties, carbon dynamics and nutrient cycles. Our results demonstrated that litter removal decreased soil respiration by 34%, microbial biomass carbon in the mineral soil by 39% and total carbon in the mineral soil by 10%, whereas litter addition increased them by 31, 26 and 10%, respectively. This suggests that greater litter inputs increase the soil carbon sink despite higher rates of carbon release and transformation. Total nitrogen and extractable inorganic nitrogen in the mineral soil decreased by 17 and 30%, respectively, under litter removal, but were not altered by litter addition. Overall, litter manipulation had a significant impact upon soil temperature and moisture, but not soil pH; litter inputs were more crucial in buffering soil temperature and moisture fluctuations in grassland than in forest. Compared to other ecosystems, tropical and subtropical forests were more sensitive to variation in litter inputs, as altered litter inputs affected the turnover and accumulation of soil carbon and nutrients more substantially over a shorter time period. Our study demonstrates that although the magnitude of responses differed greatly among ecosystems, the direction of the responses was very similar across different ecosystems. Interactions between plant productivity and below-ground biogeochemical cycling need to be taken into account to predict ecosystem responses to environmental change

Safety of azithromycin in paediatrics: a systematic review protocol

Introduction: Azithromycin is widely used in children not only in the treatment of individual children with infectious diseases, but also as mass drug administration (MDA) within a community to eradicate or control specific tropical diseases. MDA has also been reported to have a beneficial effect on child mortality and morbidity. However, concerns have been raised about the safety of azithromycin, especially in young children. The aim of this review is to systematically identify the safety of azithromycin in children of all ages.Methods and analysis: MEDLINE, PubMed, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Embase, CINAHL, International Pharmaceutical Abstracts and adverse drug reaction (ADR) monitoring systems will be systematically searched for randomised controlled trials (RCTs), cohort studies, case–control studies, cross-sectional studies, case series and case reports evaluating the safety of azithromycin in children. The Cochrane risk of bias tool, Newcastle-Ottawa and quality assessment tools, and The Joanna Briggs Institute Critical Appraisal tools will be used for quality assessment. Meta-analyses will be conducted to the incidence of ADRs from RCTs if appropriate. Subgroup analyses will be performed in different age and azithromycin dosage groups

Impact of honey on radiotherapy-induced oral mucositis in patients with head and neck cancer: A systematic review and meta-analysis

© Annals of Palliative Medicine. Background: Oral mucositis is one of the most frequent, irreversible and distressing complications faced by head and neck cancer (HNC) patients undergoing radiotherapy. Several studies have investigated the role of honey in the prevention and alleviation of radiation-induced oral mucositis in HNC patients, however, a definitive conclusion has not yet been generated. We performed this updated systematic review and metaanalysis to determine whether honey can prevent and alleviate radiation-induced oral mucositis in HNC patients. Methods: We searched PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) and China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) through October 2019. We searched and selected literature, extracted data and assessed risk of bias accordingly, and then conducted statistical analyses with RevMan software version 5.3. Results: Seven trials involving 412 patients were included in the final analysis. Meta-analyses showed that honey did not decrease the incidence of radiation-induced oral mucositis [(relative risk (RR), 0.69; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.40-1.18; P=0.18]; however, relieved the severity of oral mucositis (RR, 0.22; 95% CI, 0.13-0.38; P \u3c 0.001), maintained or increased weight (RR, 1.92; 95% CI, 1.33-2.77; P \u3c 0.001) and reduced the treatment interruption related to oral mucositis (RR, 0.13; 95% CI, 0.02-0.97; P=0.05). Qualitative analysis also revealed a decreased incidence of oral mucositis in the honey group. Conclusions: Based on limited evidence, honey may have a clinical benefit against radiation-induced oral mucositis in HNC patients. However, future trials with large-scale and rigorous methods are warranted to further establish the role of honey in the management of radiation-induced oral mucositis

The Influence of COVID-19 on Community Disaster Resilience

Global pandemics, such as the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), have serious harmful effects on people′s physical health and mental well-being. It is imperative therefore that we seek to understand community resilience and identify ways to enhance this, especially within our cities and communities. Therefore, great emphasis is now placed on how cities prepare for and recover from such disasters, and community resilience has emerged as a key consideration. Drawing upon research on the theory of resilience, this study seeks to identify the factors that influence community resilience and to analyze their causation toward helping to manage the risks associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. Seventeen factors from the five dimensions of social capital, economic capital, physical environment, demographic characteristics, and institutional factors are used to construct an index system. This is used to establish the structural level and importance of each factor. Data were collected using a questionnaire survey involving 12,000 members of key community groups in the city of Wuhan. An interpretative structural model (ISM) combining the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) method was then used to obtain the multi-level hierarchical structure composed of direct factors, indirect factors, and fundamental factors. The results show that the income level, vulnerability of the population, and the built environment are the main factors that affect the resilience of communities affected by COVID-19. These findings provide useful guidance toward the effective planning and design of urban construction and infrastructure. The results are expected to be useful to inform future decision-making and toward the long term, sustainable management of the risks posed by COVID-19

High-sensitive and rapid detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection by IFN-γ release assay among HIV-infected individuals in BCG-vaccinated area

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>An accurate test for <it>Mycobacterium tuberculosis </it>infection is urgently needed in immunosuppressed populations. The aim of this study was to investigate the diagnostic power of enzyme-linked immunospot (ELISPOT)-based IFN-γ release assay in detecting active and latent tuberculosis in HIV-infected population in <it>bacillus Calmette-Guerin </it>(BCG)-vaccinated area. A total of 100 HIV-infected individuals including 32 active tuberculosis patients were recruited. An ELISPOT-based IFN-γ release assay, T-SPOT.TB, was used to evaluate the <it>M. tuberculosis </it>ESAT-6 and CFP-10 specific IFN-γ response. Tuberculin skin test (TST) was performed for all recruited subjects.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The subjects were divided into group HIV+ATB (HIV-infected individuals with active tuberculosis, n = 32), group HIV+LTB (HIV-infected individuals with positive results of T-SPOT.TB assay, n = 46) and group HIV only (HIV-infected individuals with negative results of T-SPOT.TB assay and without evidence of tuberculosis infection, n = 22). In group HIV+ATB and HIV+LTB, T-SPOT.TB positive rate in subjects with TST <5 mm were 50% (16/32) and 41.3% (19/46), respectively. Individuals in group HIV+ATB and HIV+LTB with CD4+ T cells <500/μl, T-SPOT.TB showed a higher sensitivity than TST (64.5% vs. 22.6% and 62.2% vs. 29.7%, respectively, both <it>P </it>< 0.0001). In addition, the sensitivity of T-SPOT.TB assay in group HIV+ATB increased to >85% in patients with TB treatment for less than 1 month and CD4+ T cells ≥200/μl, while for patients treated for more than 3 months and CD4+ T cells <200/μl, the sensitivity was decreased to only 33.3%. Furthermore, the results could be generated by T-SPOT.TB assay within 24 hours, which was more rapid than TST with 48–72 hours.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>ELISPOT-based IFN-γ release assay is more sensitive and rapid for the diagnosis of TB infection in Chinese HIV-infected individuals with history of BCG vaccination, and could be an effective tool for guiding preventive treatment with isoniazid in latently infected people and for TB control in China.</p

Liquid gating elastomeric porous system with dynamically controllable gas/liquid transport

【Abstract】The development of membrane technology is central to fields ranging from resource harvesting to medicine, but the existing designs are unable to handle the complex sorting of multiphase substances required for many systems. Especially, the dynamic multiphase transport and separation under a steady-state applied pressure have great benefits for membrane science, but have not been realized at present. Moreover, the incorporation of precisely dynamic control with avoidance of contamination of membranes remains elusive. We show a versatile strategy for creating elastomeric microporous membrane-based systems that can finely control and dynamically modulate the sorting of a wide range of gasesandliquids underasteady-stateapplied pressure,nearlyeliminate fouling,and can be easily applied over many size scales, pressures, and environments. Experiments and theoretical calculation demonstrate the stability of our system and the tunability of the critical pressure. Dynamic transport of gas and liquid can be achieved through our gating interfacial design and the controllable pores’ deformation without changing the applied pressure. Therefore, we believe that this system will bring new opportunities for many applications, such as gas-involved chemical reactions, fuel cells, multiphase separation, multiphase flow, multiphase microreactors, colloidal particle synthesis, and sizing nano/microparticles.This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (grant no. 21673197), the Young Overseas High-level Talents Introduction Plan, the 111 Project (grant no. B16029). 研究工作得到国家自然科学基金委（项目批准号：21673197）和厦门大学校长基金（项目批准号：20720170050）等资助与支持

Adaptation and adaptability survey of the RUBI-PT program for autism spectrum disorders

Objective·To explore the adaptation and adaptability of RUBI-PT (the Research Units in Behavioral Intervention Autism Network Parent Training) program in China.Methods·According to the four steps of cultural adaptation, the RUBI-PT program was adapted, including information collection, preliminary adaptation design, preliminary adaptation test and further adjustment. In the information collection phase, six pediatricians and two psychotherapists were invited to conduct six focus group interviews, and according to the expert opinions, the RUBI-PT program was preliminarily adapted from the aspects of language, treatment format and treatment setting. In the preliminary adaptation test phase, 16 parents of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) children were recruited and divided into two batches to participate in the online RUBI-PT. After the treatment, the project feedback questionnaires were collected, and the adaptability was investigated and analyzed. Finally, the scheme was further adjusted according to the test results.Results·The preliminary adaptation program of RUBI-PT was adjusted from individual training to group training, including eight core skills sessions, which were implemented in the form of online meetings. The preliminary test results showed that parents′ satisfaction with lesson progress, lesson process, completion of homework and comments to homework were 90%, 80%, 100% and 100%, respectively; in terms of the course difficulty, parents reported that the 7th session (functional communication training) and the 8th session (teaching skills) were the most difficult. Based on the above survey results and the opinions of the expert group, further adjustments were completed, and an adaptation program for localized RUBI-PT was ultimately formed.Conclusion·After adaptation and adaptability investigation, the RUBI-PT, which is suitable for Chinese families with ASD children to conduct behavioral parent training, has been formed

Berberine Attenuated Proliferation, Invasion and Migration by Targeting the AMPK/HNF4α/WNT5A Pathway in Gastric Carcinoma

Background: Recent epidemiologic studies have found that patients with diabetes have a higher risk of gastric cancer (GC), and the long-term use of metformin is associated with a lower risk of gastric cancer. It is believed that blocking tumor energy metabolic alterations is now emerging as a new therapeutic approach of cancer. Berberine, a natural isoquinoline alkaloid, could modulate lipid metabolism and glucose homeostasis by regulating the expression of HNF4α in many metabolic diseases. Here, we investigated the effect of Berberine on GC and its possible molecular mechanism through targeting HNF4α.Methods and Results: (1) AGS and SGC7901 gastric cancer cells were treated with Berberine (BBR). We found that in AGS and SGC7901 cell, BBR inhibited cell proliferation in a time- and dose-dependent manner through downregulating C-myc. BBR also induced G0-G1 phase arrest with the decreased expression of cyclin D1. Moreover, BBR attenuated the migration and invasion by downregulating MMP-3. (2) The lentivirus infection was used to silence the expression of HNF4α in SGC7901 cell. The results demonstrated that the knockdown of HNF4α in SGC7901 slowed cells proliferation, induced S phase arrest and dramatically attenuated gastric cancer cells’ metastasis and invasion. (3) We performed GC cells perturbation experiments through BI6015 (an HNF4α antagonist), AICAR (an AMPK activator), Compound C (AMPK-kinase inhibitor), metformin and BBR. Our findings indicated that BBR downregulated HNF4α while upregulating p-AMPK. Moreover, the inhibition of HNF4α by BBR was AMPK dependent. (4) Then the LV-HNF4α-RNAi SGC7901 cell model was used to detect the downstream of HNF4α in vitro. The results showed that the knockdown of HNF4α significantly decreased WNT5A and cytoplasmic β-catenin, but increased E-cadherin in vitro. Berberine also downregulated WNT5A and cytoplasmic β-catenin, the same as LV-HNF4α-RNAi and BI6015 in GC cells. (5) Finally, the SGC7901 and LV-HNF4α-RNAi SGC7901 mouse-xenograft model to evaluate the effect of BBR and HNF4α gene on GC tumor growth. The result illustrated that BBR and knockdown of HNF4α suppressed tumor growth in vivo, and BBR decreased HNF4α, WNT5A and cytoplasmic β-catenin levels, the same effect as HNF4α knockout in vivo.Conclusion: BBR not only had proliferation inhibition effect, attenuated the invasion and migration on GC cell lines, but also suppressed the GC tumor growth in vivo. The anti-gastric cancer mechanism of BBR might be involved in AMPK-HNF4α-WNT5A signaling pathway. HNF4α antagonists, such as BBR, could be a promising anti-gastric cancer treatment supplement

Inner Surface Design of Functional Microchannels for Microscale Flow Control.

Fluidic flow behaviors in microfluidics are dominated by the interfaces created between the fluids and the inner surface walls of microchannels. Microchannel inner surface designs, including the surface chemical modification, and the construction of micro-/nanostructures, are good examples of manipulating those interfaces between liquids and surfaces through tuning the chemical and physical properties of the inner walls of the microchannel. Therefore, the microchannel inner surface design plays critical roles in regulating microflows to enhance the capabilities of microfluidic systems for various applications. Most recently, the rapid progresses in micro-/nanofabrication technologies and fundamental materials have also made it possible to integrate increasingly complex chemical and physical surface modification strategies with the preparation of microchannels in microfluidics. Besides, a wave of researches focusing on the ideas of using liquids as dynamic surface materials is identified, and the unique characteristics endowed with liquid-liquid interfaces have revealed that the interesting phenomena can extend the scope of interfacial interactions determining microflow behaviors. This review extensively discusses the microchannel inner surface designs for microflow control, especially evaluates them from the perspectives of the interfaces resulting from the inner surface designs. In addition, prospective opportunities for the development of surface designs of microchannels, and their applications are provided with the potential to attract scientific interest in areas related to the rapid development and applications of various microchannel systems