Abstract Purpose Little is known about gender differences associated with major depressive disorder (MDD) in China. This study examined gender differences associated with other demographic and ...clinical characteristics and psychotropic drug treatment in Chinese patients with MDD. Methods A total of 1178 patients with MDD from 13 psychiatric hospitals or psychiatric units of general hospitals in China nationwide were enrolled. Cross-sectional data including patients' demographic and clinical characteristics and prescriptions of psychotropic medications were recorded using a standardized protocol and data collection procedure. Results The sample consisted of 793 female and 385 male patients. Univariate analyses revealed that male patients were younger than female patients, had a younger age of onset of depression, had less lifetime depressive episodes and had more bipolar features (i.e. patients who screened positive for hypomanic symptoms on the 32-item Hypomania Checklist, but did not meet the diagnostic criteria for DSM-IV bipolar disorders as measured by the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview). Also, men were more likely to be employed than women and less likely to have depressive episodes following stressful life events. In multivariate analyses, being employed, having bipolar features and not having depressive episodes following stressful life events were independently associated with being a male patient with major depressive disorder. There was no difference in use of psychotropic medications by gender. Conclusions Most gender differences in MDD patients in this study are not consistent with findings of Western studies suggesting that gender differences in MDD may be determined by both biological and sociocultural differences among ethnically different patient populations.
It has been reported that ambient ozone (O
3), either alone or in concurrence with acid rain precursors, accounts for up to 90% of US crop losses resulting from exposure to all major air pollutants. ...Crop damage due to O
3 exposure is of particular concern as ambient O
3 concentrations remain high in many major food-producing regions. Assessing O
3 damage to crops is challenging due to the difficulties in determining the reduction in crop yield that results from exposure to surface O
3, for which monitors are limited and mostly deployed in non-rural areas. This work explores the potential benefits of using operational air quality forecast (AQF) data to estimate rural O
3 exposure. Using the results from the first nationwide AQF as a case study, we demonstrate how the O
3 data provided by AQF can be combined with concurrent crop information to assess O
3 damages to soybeans in the United States. We estimate that exposure to ambient O
3 reduces the US soybean production by 10% in 2005.
The transmission of severe acute respiratory syndrome-associated coronavirus (SARS-CoV) is associated with close contact to SARS patients and droplet secretions of those patients. The finding of ...positive RT-PCR results from stools of SARS patients suggests that stools of SARS patients or sewage containing stools of patients could transmit SARS-CoV. We used a novel style of electropositive filter media particle to concentrate the SARS-CoV from the sewage of two hospitals receiving SARS patients in Beijing. We also used cell culture, RT-PCR and gene sequencing to detect and identify the viruses from sewage. No infectious SARS-CoV contamination was found in any of the samples collected, but the nucleic acid of SARS-CoV could be detected in the sewage from the two hospitals before disinfection. While the RNA was only detected in three samples from the 309th Hospital, the others were negative after disinfection. These findings provide strong evidence that SARS-CoV can be excreted through the stool/urine of patients into sewage system, thus making the sewage system a possible route of transmission.
Importance
Few studies have prospectively assessed SARS-CoV-2 community infection in children aged 0 to 4 years. Information about SARS-CoV-2 incidence and clinical and virological features in young ...children could help guide prevention and mitigation strategies.
Objective
To assess SARS-CoV-2 incidence, clinical and virological features, and symptoms in a prospective household cohort and to compare viral load by age group, symptoms, and SARS-CoV-2 lineage in young children, older children, and adults.
Design, Setting, and Participants
This prospective cohort study enrolled 690 participants from 175 Maryland households with 1 or more children aged 0 to 4 years between November 24, 2020, and October 15, 2021. For 8 months after enrollment, participants completed weekly symptom questionnaires and submitted self-collected nasal swabs for SARS-CoV-2 qualitative real-time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) testing, quantitative RT-PCR testing, and viral lineage determination. For the analyses, SARS-CoV-2 Alpha and Delta lineages were considered variants of interest or concern. Sera collected at enrollment and at approximately 4 months and 8 months after enrollment were assayed for SARS-CoV-2 spike and nucleocapsid protein antibodies.
Main Outcomes and Measures
Incidence, clinical and virological characteristics, and symptoms of SARS-CoV-2 infection by age group and correlations between (1) highest detected viral load and symptom frequency and (2) highest detected viral load and SARS-CoV-2 lineage.
Results
Among 690 participants (355 51.4% female and 335 48.6% male), 256 individuals (37.1%) were children aged 0 to 4 years, 100 (14.5%) were children aged 5 to 17 years, and 334 (48.4%) were adults aged 18 to 74 years. A total of 15 participants (2.2%) were Asian, 24 (3.5%) were Black, 603 (87.4%) were White, 43 (6.2%) were multiracial, and 5 (0.7%) were of other races; 33 participants (4.8%) were Hispanic, and 657 (95.2%) were non-Hispanic. Overall, 54 participants (7.8%) had SARS-CoV-2 infection during the surveillance period, including 22 of 256 children (8.6%) aged 0 to 4 years, 11 of 100 children (11.0%) aged 5 to 17 years, and 21 of 334 adults (6.3%). Incidence rates per 1000 person-weeks were 2.25 (95% CI, 1.28-3.65) infections among children aged 0 to 4 years, 3.48 (95% CI, 1.59-6.61) infections among children aged 5 to 17 years, and 1.08 (95% CI, 0.52-1.98) infections among adults. Children aged 0 to 17 years with SARS-CoV-2 infection were more frequently asymptomatic (11 of 30 individuals 36.7%) compared with adults (3 of 21 individuals 14.3%), with children aged 0 to 4 years most frequently asymptomatic (7 of 19 individuals 36.8%). The highest detected viral load did not differ between asymptomatic vs symptomatic individuals overall (median IQR, 2.8 1.5-3.3 log
10
copies/mL vs 2.8 1.8-4.4 log
10
copies/mL) or by age group (median IQR for ages 0-4 years, 2.7 2.4-4.4 log
10
copies/mL; ages 5-17 years: 2.4 1.1-4.0 log
10
copies/mL; ages 18-74 years: 2.9 1.9-4.6 log
10
copies/mL). The number of symptoms was significantly correlated with viral load among adults (
R
= 0.69;
P
< .001) but not children (ages 0-4 years:
R
= 0.02;
P
= .91; ages 5-17 years:
R
= 0.18;
P
= .58). The highest detected viral load was greater among those with Delta variant infections (median IQR, 4.4 3.9-5.1 log
10
copies/mL) than those with infections from variants not of interest or concern (median IQR, 1.9 1.1-3.6 log
10
copies/mL;
P
= .009) or those with Alpha variant infections (median IQR, 2.6 2.3-3.4 log
10
copies/mL;
P
= .006).
Conclusions and Relevance
In this study, SARS-CoV-2 infections were frequently asymptomatic among children aged 0 to 4 years; the presence and number of symptoms did not correlate with viral load. These findings suggest that symptom screening may be insufficient to prevent outbreaks involving young children.
Tucker's theory of quantum mixing can be extended to model distributed series connected SIS mixers, which offer a lower capacitance and a higher dynamic range. These mixers have wider IF bandwidth ...than single junction mixer. Coupled with the emerging ultra-wide band technologies in low noise amplifier and fast digital signal processing, they open a new frontier of ultra-wide band receivers. We report on the development of the wideband SIS receivers for the Submillimeter Array, designed with Tucker's theory.
We observe that the T g confinement effect of polymer films can saturate with polymer–substrate interaction. Thickness dependences of the glass transition temperature, T g(h 0), of random copolymer ...films of 4-tert-butylstyrene (TBS) and 4-acetoxystyrene (AS) supported by silica (SiOx) were measured for different TBS concentrations, X TBS. For 0 ≤ X TBS ≤ 0.47, T g(h 0) displays identical enhancements, independent of X TBS. For X TBS > ∼0.66; however, T g(h 0) decreases steadily with X TBS. The X TBS > 0.66 result is in keeping with expectations that TBS interacts less strongly with SiOx than AS does, and weaker polymer–substrate interaction renders greater dominance of the air surface over substrate surface on T g, and thereby T g reduction. We propose that saturation in T g(h 0) found for X TBS ≤ 0.47 is caused by the maximization in polymer–substrate-specific bond formation. Further experiments and a calculation support this proposition.
Environmental pollution is escalating due to rapid global development that often prioritizes human needs over planetary health. Despite global efforts to mitigate legacy pollutants, the continuous ...introduction of new substances remains a major threat to both people and the planet. In response, global initiatives are focusing on risk assessment and regulation of emerging contaminants, as demonstrated by the ongoing efforts to establish the UN’s Intergovernmental Science-Policy Panel on Chemicals, Waste, and Pollution Prevention. This review identifies the sources and impacts of emerging contaminants on planetary health, emphasizing the importance of adopting a One Health approach. Strategies for monitoring and addressing these pollutants are discussed, underscoring the need for robust and socially equitable environmental policies at both regional and international levels. Urgent actions are needed to transition toward sustainable pollution management practices to safeguard our planet for future generations.
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•The global economy stimulates the continuous production and release of new chemical and biological agents that challenge global health and sustainability.•Integrating green and benign-by-design principles into production processes is crucial for eliminating hazardous materials from global supply chains.•Emerging environmental management practices are essential for environmental restoration and promoting global health and sustainability.•This review explores the sources of emerging contaminants and their impact on planetary health, with an emphasis on source control and remediation strategies.•Adopting a One Health approach through interdisciplinary collaboration is essential for addressing emerging contaminants and their complex impacts.
The aim of this study is to investigate the effectiveness and safety of a Chinese herbal formula, Er-Xian decoction (EXD), in the treatment of menopausal symptoms among Hong Kong perimenopausal ...women.
A randomized, double-blind, controlled trial was conducted for 12 weeks among 108 Hong Kong perimenopausal women who reported Menopause Rating Scale (MRS) total scores of 28 or higher. Posttreatment follow-up was performed 3 months after the intervention. The primary outcome measure was the frequency and severity of hot flushes. The secondary outcome measures included the MRS, the Menopause-Specific Quality of Life questionnaire, and serum hormone levels.
Among 108 participants, 101 participants finished the study. EXD significantly reduced the mean (SD) frequency of hot flushes from 5.8 (5.0) to 2.2 (3.0) in the treatment group and from 5.0 (3.8) to 2.4 (2.5) in the placebo group (P = 0.04). The mean (SD) hot flush score was also reduced from 19.6 (6.6) to 4.9 (7.8) in the treatment group and from 16.6 (5.4) to 7.0 (6.4) in the placebo group (P = 0.02). The superiority of EXD to placebo was also observed with greater improvement in the total scores for the MRS (P = 0.03) and the Menopause-Specific Quality of Life questionnaire (P < 0.01). There were no differences in serum hormone levels between the EXD group and the placebo group. There were no serious adverse events, and the safety indices of whole blood counts, renal function, and liver function were within the normal range before and after treatment.
The Chinese herbal formula EXD is superior to placebo in reducing the frequency and severity of hot flushes and in improving menopausal symptoms in Hong Kong perimenopausal women. It is well tolerated, with no serious adverse events noted during the study period.
Laribacter hongkongensis is a Gram-negative, facultative anaerobic, motile, S-shaped, urease-positive bacillus associated with invasive infections in liver cirrhosis patients and community-acquired ...gastroenteritis. Most cases of L hongkongensis infections occur in eastern countries. Information is lacking on the usefulness of matrix-assisted laser desorption ionisation time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) for the identification of bacteria important in eastern countries. Using the Bruker database extended with 21 L hongkongensis reference strains, all 240 L hongkongensis isolates recovered from patients, fish, frogs and water were correctly identified, with 224 (93.3%) strains having top match scores ≥2.0. Notably, the strain of Chromobacterium violaceum was not reliably identified although it is included in the database. MALDI-TOF MS is useful for the accurate routine identification of L hongkongensis after adding reference L hongkongensis main spectra to the database. The number of strains for each species in MALDI-TOF MS databases should be expanded to cover intraspecies variability.
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