Dissolved carbon in a large variety of lakes across five limnetic regions in China

Dissolved carbon in lakes play a vital role in the global carbon cycling. The concentration and dynamics of lake dissolved carbon can be influenced by both the surrounding landscape and a combination of physical, chemical and biological processes within the lakes themselves. From 2009 to 2016, we conducted a large-scale assessment of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) in 249 lakes across a diverse range of climatic, geopedologic, topographical and hydrological conditions in five Chinese limnetic regions: the East Limnetic Region (ELR), the Northeast Limnetic Region (NLR), the Inner Mongolia-Xinjiang Limnetic Region (MXR), the Yungui Limnetic Region (YGR), and the Tibet-Qinghai Limnetic Region (TQR). We found that the density of the organic matter in the soil in the surrounding landscape plays an important role in the DOC and DIC in lake water, as was evidenced by the high DOC and DIC levels in the NLR, where the soil is respectively organically rich. Conditions in the arid and semi-arid environments (i.e. TQR and MXR) have created a number of brackish/saline lakes and here we found that, DOC and DIC levels (median: 21.79 and 93.72 mg/L, respectively) are significantly higher than those in the freshwater lakes (median: 5.80 and 29.38 mg/L). It also appears to be the case that the trophic state of freshwater lakes influences the spatial variation of DOC. This can be seen in the relationships between DOC and trophic state index (TSI) in agriculturally-dominated regions such as the ELR (R2 = 0.59, p < 0.01), NLR (R2 = 0.65, p < 0.001), and YGR (R2 = 0.78, p < 0.001). Additionally, a close relationship between DOC and DIC can be found in lake waters with different trophic states (eutrophic: slp = 0.63, R2= 0.69; mesotrophic: slp = 1.03, R2 = 0.65; oligotrophic: slp = 1.00, R2 = 0.64). This indicates that human activities influence the quantity and quality of dissolved carbon in inland water across China. This study is able to provide insights regarding the potential effects of climate change and changes in land-use upon the amount of dissolved carbon in lake water

The relationship between serum uric acid within the normal range and β-cell function in Chinese patients with type 2 diabetes: differences by body mass index and gender

Background Elevated serum uric acid (SUA) has a positive correlation with insulin secretion and insulin resistance indexes. However, whether weight- and gender-specific differences regarding the relationship between SUA within the normal range and β-cell function and insulin resistance exist is unknown in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients. Methods A total of 380 patients with type 2 diabetes were divided into two groups as overweight/obesity (n = 268) and normal weight (n = 112). Each group were again divided into low (LSUA) and high normal SUA (HSUA). The HbA1c, C-peptide, SUA, creatinine, and lipids profiles were measured. HOMA2IR and HOMA%2B were estimated using fasting glucose and C-peptide by homeostasis model assessment (HOMA). Pearson’s correlations and multiple linear regression analyses were conducted to assess the associations between SUA levels and islet function indexes. Results In overweight/obesity subgroup, the levels of body mass index, fasting C-peptide (FCP), P2hCP, fasting CPI (FCPI), postprandial CPI (PPCPI), ΔC-peptide, HOMA2%B, and HOMA2IR were higher in HSUA group than in LSUA group. In contrast, the HbA1c, FBS, and P2hBS were lower in HSUA than in LSUA. In normal weight subgroup, there were no differences between the HSUA than LSUA group in terms of clinical characteristics. Pearson’s correlations indicated that there were no significant correlations between SUA and insulin secretory capacity in normal weight group, but in overweight/obesity group, SUA had positive significant correlations with P2hCP, FCPI, PPCPI, ΔC-peptide, and HOMA2%B. In the female group, there were no significant correlations between SUA and insulin secretory capacity. However, in the male group, SUA had positive significant correlations with insulin secretory capacity include P2hCP, FCPI, PPCPI, ΔC-peptide, and HOMA2%B. Multiple linear regression showed that SUA was significantly associated with HOMA2%B, but not with HOMA2IR in overweight/obesity and male group. Conclusions Our study shows that SUA levels within normal range were associated with β-cell function in T2DM patients with overweight/obesity or male. This finding supports that the association between SUA within normal range and insulin secretion ability differs by weight and sex

RNA-seq-based digital gene expression analysis reveals modification of host defense responses by rice stripe virus during disease symptom development in Arabidopsis

DEGs involved in protein phosphorylation at 14 dpi. (XLSX 52 kb

Reconstruction of dissolved oxygen in the Indian Ocean from 1980 to 2019 based on machine learning techniques

Oceanic dissolved oxygen (DO) decline in the Indian Ocean has profound implications for Earth’s climate and human habitation in Eurasia and Africa. Owing to sparse observations, there is little research on DO variations, regional comparisons, and its relationship with marine environmental changes in the entire Indian Ocean. In this study, we applied different machine learning algorithms to fit regression models between measured DO, ocean reanalysis physical variables, and spatiotemporal variables. We utilized the Extremely Randomized Trees (ERT) model with the best performance, inputting complete reanalysis data and spatiotemporal information to reconstruct a four-dimensional DO dataset of the Indian Ocean during 1980–2019. The evaluation results showed that the ERT-based DO dataset was superior to the DO simulations in Earth System Models across different time and space. Furthermore, we assessed the spatiotemporal variations in reconstructed DO dataset. DO decline and oxygen-minimum zone (OMZ) expansion were prominent in the Arabian Sea, Bay of Bengal, and Equatorial Indian Ocean. Through correlation analysis, we found that temperature and salinity changes related to solubility primarily control the oxygen decrease in the middle and deep sea. However, the complicated factors with solubility change, vertical mixing, and circulation govern the oxygen increase in the upper and middle sea. Finally, we conducted a volume integral to estimate the oxygen content in the Indian Ocean. Overall, a deoxygenation trend of −141.5 ± 15.1 Tmol dec−1 was estimated over four decades, with a slowdown trend of −68.9 ± 31.3 Tmol dec−1 after 2000. Under global warming and climate change, OMZ expanding and deoxygenation in the Indian Ocean are gradually mitigating. This study enhances our understanding of DO dynamics of the Indian Ocean in response to deoxygenation

Low lymphocyte to high-density lipoprotein ratio predicts mortality in sepsis patients

BackgroundThe lymphocyte-to-high-density lipoprotein (HDL) ratio (LHR) is associated with both inflammation and immunity, and may have the potential to predict the prognosis of sepsis. Our study aimed to evaluate the relationship between LHR and sepsis-related mortality.MethodsWe collected data from the Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care IV (MIMIC-IV, version 2.2) database by targeting patients who met the Sepsis-3 criteria and recorded the absolute values of lymphocytes and HDL after admission. We then used restricted cubic splines based on logistic regression to simulate the relationship between the LHR and 90-day mortality. Subsequently, the hazardous threshold was derived based on the mortality curve, and further evaluations were performed using different methods and data sources for hazardous threshold.ResultsWe ultimately included 1027 eligible patients from the MIMIC-IV database and described the nonlinear relationship between LHR and 90-day mortality. Based on the curve, an LHR of ≤ 0.6 indicated harmful threshold, and the odds ratio for mortality was 1.74 (P=0.001). The outperforming hazard was particularly marked in patients with chronic lung disease and remained consistent after adjusting for baseline data and validating multiple data sources.ConclusionsThe LHR has prognostic value in patients with sepsis, and an LHR ≤ 0.6 is a deleterious load that increases mortality

Analysis of occupational identity among family doctor teams and its influencing factors in Chengdu

BackgroundThe contracted family doctor services are the embodiment of the implementation of the new medical reform policy, and the transformation of the grass-roots health service mode. Studies have proved that the occupational stress in medical staff was at a high level. The enhancement of professional identity will contribute to strengthen team building，alleviate job burnout, and reduce turnover intention of family doctors. ObjectiveTo investigate the current situation of occupational identity among family doctor teams in Chengdu, to examine potential influencing factors of occupational identity, and to provide a reference for promoting career development and team building of family doctor teams. MethodsMulti-stage random cluster sampling was adopted to enroll study participants form 46 primary healthcare centers where family doctor contract services were implemented among 23 districts and counties in Chengdu between March 4 and 26, 2021. A total of 2 681 family doctors participated in this survey. A self-reported survey was conducted to collect participants' demographic and occupational data. The Effort-Reward Imbalance (ERI）questionnaire was implemented to assess occupational stress. The Professional Identity Scale was used to appraise occupational identity. ResultsA total of 2 327 valid questionnaires were collected, with a valid recovery rate of 86.80%, involving 1 715 females (73.7%) and 612 males (26.3%), with dominant age groups of 26−35 years (43.3%) and 36−45 years (30.4%), a high proportion of being married (82.8%), having college (36.0%) and undergraduate (47.3%) education, a high proportion of primary titles (66.0%) and informal work contract (66.1%). About 88.7% of family doctor team workers reported occupational stress. The average score of occupational identity was (3.68±0.62) points. There were significant differences in occupational identity scores among different professional title, work contract, working years in medical institutions, income, and effort/reward ratio (EER) groups (P < 0.05). ERR was negatively correlated with occupational identity (rs=−0.495, P<0.05）. The multiple regression model showed that occupational identity score in the non-staffed participants was lower than the score in the staffed ones (OR=0.429, 95%CI: 0.299−0.825). The occupational identity score in the participants having associate senior title or above was higher than in without professional title (OR=1.424, 95%CI: 1.194−2.328). The longer the working years, the higher the occupational identity score among the participants. The score of the more than 20 working years group was 1.820 times that of the less than 5 working years group (95%CI: 1.342−2.543). The higher the income, the higher the occupational identity score. The score of the 9001−12000 yuan per month group was 1.977 times that of the 1000−3000 yuan per month group (95%CI: 0.811−9.696) , and the score of the more than 12000 yuan per month group was 2.283 times that of the 1000−3000 yuan per month group (95%CI: 1.199−10.267）. ConclusionThe family doctor team workers generally report occupational stress, and their occupational identity is at a medium level in Chengdu. Relevant managers should implement intervention measures against the main influencing factors to reduce their work tension and improve their occupational identity

Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome in Hybrid Wild Boars, China

We conducted a serologic investigation of porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) in hybrid wild boar herds in China during 2008–2009. PRRSV isolates with novel genetic markers were recovered. Experimental infection of pigs indicated that hybrid wild boars are involved in the epidemiology of PRRSV

Reprogramming viral immune evasion for a rational design of next-generation vaccines for RNA viruses

Type I interferons (IFNs-α/β) are antiviral cytokines that constitute the innate immunity of hosts to fight against viral infections. Recent studies, however, have revealed the pleiotropic functions of IFNs, in addition to their antiviral activities, for the priming of activation and maturation of adaptive immunity. In turn, many viruses have developed various strategies to counteract the IFN response and to evade the host immune system for their benefits. The inefficient innate immunity and delayed adaptive response fail to clear of invading viruses and negatively affect the efficacy of vaccines. A better understanding of evasion strategies will provide opportunities to revert the viral IFN antagonism. Furthermore, IFN antagonism-deficient viruses can be generated by reverse genetics technology. Such viruses can potentially serve as next-generation vaccines that can induce effective and broad-spectrum responses for both innate and adaptive immunities for various pathogens. This review describes the recent advances in developing IFN antagonism-deficient viruses, their immune evasion and attenuated phenotypes in natural host animal species, and future potential as veterinary vaccines

Multiplex sequencing of paired-end ditags (MS-PET): a strategy for the ultra-high-throughput analysis of transcriptomes and genomes

The paired-end ditagging (PET) technique has been shown to be efficient and accurate for large-scale transcriptome and genome analysis. However, as with other DNA tag-based sequencing strategies, it is constrained by the current efficiency of Sanger technology. A recently developed multiplex sequencing method (454-sequencing™) using picolitre-scale reactions has achieved a remarkable advance in efficiency, but suffers from short-read lengths, and a lack of paired-end information. To further enhance the efficiency of PET analysis and at the same time overcome the drawbacks of the new sequencing method, we coupled multiplex sequencing with paired-end ditagging (MS-PET) using modified PET procedures to simultaneously sequence 200 000 to 300 000 dimerized PET (diPET) templates, with an output of nearly half-a-million PET sequences in a single 4 h machine run. We demonstrate the utility and robustness of MS-PET by analyzing the transcriptome of human breast carcinoma cells, and by mapping p53 binding sites in the genome of human colorectal carcinoma cells. This combined sequencing strategy achieved an approximate 100-fold efficiency increase over the current standard for PET analysis, and furthermore enables the short-read-length multiplex sequencing procedure to acquire paired-end information from large DNA fragments