Multi-Scenario Simulation Analysis of Grain Production and Demand in China during the Peak Population Period

This work is supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (grant no. 41801192), the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (lzujbky-2020-it23), and the Key Research Program of Chinese Academy of Sciences (grant no. ZDBS-SSW-DQC)

Effects of advanced glycation end-products (AGEs) on skin keratinocytes by nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) activation

Advance glycation end-products (AGEs) are produced in patients with long-term hyperglycemia metabolic disorder and responsible for multiple symptoms including impaired wound healing. This study was designed to reveal the roles and possible mechanism of AGE in diabetic wound healing. Sixteen Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were divided into two groups randomly; the streptozotocin (STZ) induced diabetic group and the normal group. Eight weeks later, epidermal growth factor (EGF) and AGE levels, nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) localization and cell viability were measured in vivo. Keratinocytes from normal skin were cultured in AGE-enriched conditional media, and the cell viability, apoptosis, adhesion and migration were detected in order to find the directed evidence between AGE and keratinocytes. AGE content was higher and NF-κB expression was more localized in the nuclear of keratinocytes in diabetic skins. AGE could inhibit normal cell growth by inducing apoptosis and arresting cell division cycle, inhibiting cell adhesion and promoting migration which might be mediated by NF-κB in vitro. Blocking NF-κB activity could reverse effects of AGE on cell proliferation and migration, but not adhesion. Therefore, AGE could damage the skin keratinocytes function in vivo and in vitro, and the activation of NF-κB is involved in this process.Key words: AGE, NF-kappaB, keratinocytes, diabetes, wound healing

Prevalence of Metabolic Syndrome Among the Adult Population in Western China and the Association With Socioeconomic and Individual Factors: Four Cross-Sectional Studies

Objectives: This study explored the prevalence of and individual influencing factors for metabolic syndrome (MS) as well as associated socioeconomic factors and regional aggregation. Design: Four cross-sectional surveys were analysed for trends in MS and associations with socioeconomic and individual factors through multilevel logistic regression analyses. The risk associated with nutrient intake was also assessed through a dietary survey in 2015. Setting: From 2010 to 2018, 8-15 counties/districts of West China were included. Participants: A total of 28 274 adults were included in the prevalence analysis. A total of 23 708 adults were used to analyse the related factors. Results: The overall prevalence of MS ranged from 21.4% to 27.8% over the 8 years, remaining basically stable within the 95% CI. Our study found that the urbanisation rate and hospital beds per 1000 people were positively associated with MS, and the number of doctors in healthcare institutions per 1000 persons was negatively associated with MS. The ORs for females, people with college education and higher and unmarried or single people were 1.49, 0.67 and 0.51, respectively (p\u3c0.05). The ORs of people who smoked at least 20 cigarettes/day, ate more than 100 g of red meat/day, consumed fruit or vegetable juice and drank carbonated soft drinks less than weekly were 1.10, 1.16, 1.19-1.27 and 0.81-0.84, respectively. The ORs rose with increasing sedentary time and decreased with higher physical activity. Conclusion: The high burden of MS, unreasonable proportions of energy and micronutrient intake and low percentage of high levels of physical activity were the major challenges to public health in western China. Improving the human resources component of medical services, such as the number of doctors, increasing the availability of public sports facilities and E-health tools and improving individual dietary quality and education might help prevent MS

The origin of human pathogenicity and biological interactions in Chaetothyriales

Fungi in the order Chaetothyriales are renowned for their ability to cause human infections. Nevertheless, they are not regarded as primary pathogens, but rather as opportunists with a natural habitat in the environment. Extremotolerance is a major trend in the order, but quite diferent from black yeasts in Capnodiales which focus on endurance, an important additional parameter is advancing toxin management. In the ancestral ecology of rock colonization, the association with metabolite-producing lichens is signifcant. Ant-association, dealing with pheromones and repellents, is another mainstay in the order. The phylogenetically derived family, Herpotrichiellaceae, shows dual ecology in monoaromatic hydrocarbon assimilation and the ability to cause disease in humans and cold-blooded vertebrates. In this study, data on ecology, phylogeny, and genomics were collected and analyzed in order to support this hypothesis on the evolutionary route of the species of Chaetothyriales. Comparing the ribosomal tree with that of enzymes involved in toluene degradation, a signifcant expansion of cytochromes is observed and the toluene catabolism is found to be complete in some of the Herpotrichiellaceae. This might enhance human systemic infection. However, since most species have to be traumatically inoculated in order to cause disease, their invasive potential is categorized as opportunism. Only in chromoblastomycosis, true pathogenicity might be surmised. The criterion would be the possible escape of agents of vertebrate disease from the host, enabling dispersal of adapted genotypes to subsequent generations.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Spatial difference analysis of residential energy consumption, income and carbon emissions in China

Purpose This paper aims to analyze the internal relationships and tendency of residential energy consumption, income and carbon emissions. Design/methodology/approach Taking 30 provinces of China as the analysis unit and dividing them into two types of urban and rural consumer groups, the panel data model was built. In addition, panel unit root test, panel cointegration test and panel Granger causality test were also used. Findings The results showed that there are long-run equilibrium relationships between the three variables, which show the regular tendency in the spatial process. The elasticity coefficients of residential energy consumption and CO2 emissions vary across the three regions and decline continuously from the western to central and eastern regions. In addition, geographic location is also an important factor on the energy consumption and CO2 emissions in residential sector. Originality/value This paper provides some points for policies on cutting energy use and pollution in residential sector. </jats:sec

Evolutional analysis of coupling between population and resource-environment in China

AbstractDue to rapid development of population and economy since reform and opening, resource-environment has been intensively influenced in China, so human-land contradiction is becoming increasingly obvious. Through evolutional analysis of coupling between population and resource-environment in China, authors hope that it will make for further study on human-land relationship. Based on the panel and serial statistical data, status of population and resource-environment coupling has been researched by principal component analysis method and coordinated development degree (CDD) model in China during 1985-2004. The results are: (1)On one hand, integrated population development capability has increased continuously. Maximum of integrated population development index (IPDI) reached 0.8094 in 1998. On the other hand, integrated resource-environment status has declined with a fluctuant falling trend since 1985, and integrated resource-environment utilization index (IRUI) has decreased from 0.5511 to -0.1479. Population development is at the cost of unsustainable utilization of resource-environment. (2)The coupling relationship between population and resource-environment varies gradually from awful maladjustment to secondary harmony, and then to moderate maladjustment. Maximum of CDD came up to 0.6379 in 1994. The direct cause of variation of coupling relationship is that population system and resource-environment system didn’t continuously cooperate with each other from 1985 to 2004. (3)Carrying capability of resource-environment is limited while demands of human being are increasingly expanding, so sustainable development faces huge pressure in China. It is difficult to achieve the goal of all-round well-off society since China's per capita GDP was only 3923 yuan in 1994. (4)Suggestions that would benefit sustainable development were put forward in this paper, such as controlling population quantity, improving population quality, making progress in technology, strengthening resource-environment protection, and advocating moderation consumption. The coordinated development mode that makes population and resource-environment interact well should be chosen