Survey and analysis on the resource situation of primary health care institutions in rural China.

Background: China's rural population is immense, and to ensure the well-being of rural residents through healthcare services, it is essential to analyze the resources of rural grassroots healthcare institutions in China. The objective is to examine the discrepancies and deficiencies in resources between rural grassroots healthcare institutions and the national average, providing a basis for future improvements and supplementation of rural healthcare resources. Methodology: The study analyzed data from 2020 to 2022 on the number of healthcare establishments, the capacity of hospital beds, the number of healthcare professionals, and the number of physicians in both rural and national settings. Additionally, it examined the medical service conditions and ratios of township health centers in rural areas to assess the resource gap between rural areas and the national average. Results: Healthcare establishments: On average, there were 2.2 fewer healthcare institutions per 10,000 persons in rural areas compared to the national average over three years. Hospital beds: On average, there were approximately 36 fewer hospital beds per 10,000 persons in rural areas compared to the national average over three years. Healthcare professionals and physicians: On average, there were about 48 fewer healthcare technical personnel and 10 fewer practicing (including assistant) physicians per 10,000 persons in rural areas compared to the national average over three years. Conclusion: Compared to the national average, there are significant discrepancies and deficiencies in grassroots healthcare resources in rural China. This underscores the necessity of increasing funding to progressively enhance the number of healthcare institutions in rural areas, expand the number of healthcare personnel, and elevate medical standards to better align with national benchmarks. Improving rural healthcare resources will strategically equip these institutions to cater to rural communities and effectively handle public health emergencies. Ensuring that the rural population in China has equal access to healthcare services as the rest of the country is crucial for promoting the well-being of rural residents and achieving health equity.

First report of pepper chlorosis-associated virus infecting tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) plants in Sichuan Province in China.

Tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) is an economically important crop in China, and more than 30 viruses have been reported to infect tobacco (Yin et al. 2022). In July 2022, we observed interveinal necrosis on tobacco leaves in fields in Sichuan Province (N 27.9172, E 105.6662) (Fig. 1). Total RNA was isolated from multiple leaves of one plant using an RNAprep Pure Polysaccharide Polyphenol Plant Total RNA Extraction Kit (TIANGEN, Beijing, China). Total RNAs were pooled, and a TruSeq Stranded Total RNA with RiboZero Gold Kit (Illumina, San Diego, CA, USA) was used to eliminate ribosomal RNA. An RNA-Seq library was constructed using VAHTS Universal V6 RNA-seq Library Prep (Nanjing Vazyme, China). High-throughput sequencing was performed on the Illumina DNBseq platform (BGI-ShenZhen, China), which yielded 20,102,087 reads with an average length of 150 nt (total size >6 Gb). Unaligned reads were assembled de novo using SPAdes (Bankevich et al. 2012). Contigs with length ≥200 nt were subjected to local BLASTn and BLASTx analyses against the GenBank nt and nr databases, respectively (Wang et al. 2022). A total of 23 contigs were identified through BLASTx (e-value cut-off = 10 -3), ranging from 631 to 1555 bp long, with 82% to 96% coverage to partial genomic sequences of pepper chlorosis-associated virus (PepCaV-Higashitsuno_2021; Accessions: LC719619 to LC719621) and one contig (6459 bp) with 99% similarity to tobacco mosaic virus (Accession: OP525281) isolate DSMZ PV-0109 from Germany. The complete genome sequence of PepCaV was obtained using primers based on the assembled contigs. The 5'- and 3'-terminal regions of the RNA genome were obtained by 5'- and 3'-rapid amplification of cDNA ends. These amplicons were cloned using the pEASY-Blunt Zero Cloning Kit (TRANSGEN, Nangjing, China) and sequenced by Sanger sequencing. Complete genome sequences of tripartite PepCaV from tobacco samples were 7697, 1808, and 1557 nucleotides long (Accession: OR451987 to OR451989) and showed genome organization typical of the genus Ophiovirus in the family Aspiviridae. The complete sequences of RNA1, RNA2 and RNA3 genome segments shared 92.36%, 90.43%, and 95.24%, nucleotide sequence identities, respectively, with the isolate PepCaV-Higashitsuno_2021 pepper isolate (Accession: LC719619 to LC719621) (Shimomoto et al. 2023), but PepCaV has not been reported to infect N. tabacum. In June 2023, 10 plants collected from each place of Macheng (N 27.9094, E 105.6740), Xiangyang (N 28.0936, E 105.6249) and Moni (N 27.8899, E 105.5936) showing interveinal necrosis symptoms were tested using RT-PCR using PepCaV-MP610-F (5'-TGTTCTCTGCTATGCGGTTG -3') and PepCaV-MP610-R (5'-AGCAATCTCGCACCTGAAGT-3') to product 610bp amplicon. Twenty-five tobacco plants were positive for PepCaV. Single sequence from each location was submitted to GenBank (Accession: PP728631 to PP728633). Sap extracts from the original field leaf samples collected from Sichuan Province were used to mechanically inoculate tobacco plants (10 plants) at the four-leaf stage. After 7 days, leaf samples were tested using RT-PCR assay specific to PepCaV and TMV while samples were positive only for TMV but failed to transmit PepCaV by mechanical inoculation. According to previous literature, ophioviruses may be transmitted though soilborne fungus (Jeong et al. 2014). Further research is needed to understand the transmission, epidemiology, and pathological properties of the PepCaV. To our knowledge, this is the first report documenting natural PepCaV infection of tobacco plants in China, providing a scientific basis for PepCaV infection control in tobacco plantations.

Genome-wide identification of Shaker K+ channel family in Nicotiana tabacum and functional analysis of NtSKOR1B in response to salt stress.

Soil salinization poses a mounting global ecological and environmental threat. The identification of genes responsible for negative regulation of salt tolerance and their utilization in crop improvement through gene editing technologies emerges as a swift strategy for the effective utilization of saline-alkali lands. One efficient mechanism of plant salt tolerance is maintaining the proper intracellular K+/Na+ ratio. The Shaker K+ channels play a crucial role in potassium absorption, transport, and intracellular potassium homeostasis in plant cells. Here, the study presents the first genome-wide identification of Shaker K+ channels in Nicotiana tabacum L., along with a detailed bioinformatic analysis of the 20 identified members. Transcriptome analysis revealed a significant up-regulation of NtSKOR1B, an outwardly-rectifying member predominantly expressed in the root tissue of tobacco seedlings, in response to salt stress. This finding was then confirmed by GUS staining of ProNtSKOR1B::GUS transgenic lines and RT-qPCR analysis. Subsequently, NtSKOR1B knockout mutants (ntskor1) were then generated and subjected to salt conditions. It was found that ntskor1 mutants exhibit enhanced salt tolerance, characterized by increased biomass, higher K+ content and elevated K+/Na+ ratios in both leaf and root tissues, compared to wild-type plants. These results indicate that NtSKOR1B knockout inhibits K+ efflux in root and leaf tissues of tobacco seedlings under salt stress, thereby maintaining higher K+/Na+ ratios within the cells. Thus, our study identifies NtSKOR1B as a negative regulator of salt tolerance in tobacco seedlings.

Modification and Expression of mRNA m6A in the Lateral Habenular of Rats after Long-Term Exposure to Blue Light during the Sleep Period.

Artificial lighting, especially blue light, is becoming a public-health risk. Excessive exposure to blue light at night has been reported to be associated with brain diseases. However, the mechanisms underlying neuropathy induced by blue light remain unclear. An early anatomical tracing study described the projection of the retina to the lateral habenula (LHb), whereas more mechanistic reports are available on multiple brain functions and neuropsychiatric disorders in the LHb, which are rarely seen in epigenetic studies, particularly N6-methyladenosine (m6A). The purpose of our study was to first expose Sprague-Dawley rats to blue light (6.11 ± 0.05 mW/cm2, the same irradiance as 200 lx of white light in the control group) for 4 h, and simultaneously provide white light to the control group for the same time to enter a sleep period. The experiment was conducted over 12 weeks. RNA m6A modifications and different mRNA transcriptome profiles were observed in the LHb. We refer to this experimental group as BLS. High-throughput MeRIP-seq and mRNA-seq were performed, and we used bioinformatics to analyze the data. There were 188 genes in the LHb that overlapped between differentially m6A-modified mRNA and differentially expressed mRNA. The Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes and gene ontology analysis were used to enrich neuroactive ligand-receptor interaction, long-term depression, the cyclic guanosine monophosphate-dependent protein kinase G (cGMP-PKG) signaling pathway, and circadian entrainment. The m6A methylation level of the target genes in the BLS group was disordered. In conclusion, this study suggests that the mRNA expression and their m6A of the LHb were abnormal after blue light exposure during the sleep period, and the methylation levels of target genes related to synaptic plasticity were disturbed. This study offers a theoretical basis for the scientific use of light.

Tunable Magnetic Properties in Sr2FeReO6 Double-Perovskite.

Double-perovskite oxides have attracted recent attention due to their attractive functionalities and application potential. In this paper, we demonstrate the effect of dual controls, i.e., the deposition pressure of oxygen (PO2) and lattice mismatch (ε), on tuning magnetic properties in epitaxial double-perovskite Sr2FeReO6 films. In a nearly lattice matched Sr2FeReO6/SrTiO3 film, the ferrimagnetic-to-paramagnetic phase transition occurs when PO2 is reduced to 30 mTorr, probably due to the formation of Re4+ ions that replace the stoichiometric Re5+ to cause disorders of B-site ions. On the other hand, a large compressive strain or tensile strain shifts this critical PO2 to below 1 mTorr or above 40 mTorr, respectively. The observations can be attributed to the modulation of B-site ordering by epitaxial strain through affecting elemental valence. Our results provide a feasible way to expand the functional tunability of magnetic double-perovskite oxides that hold great promise for spintronic devices.

Superconductivity in infinite-layer nickelate La1-xCaxNiO2 thin films.

We report the observation of superconductivity in infinite-layer Ca-doped LaNiO2 (La1-xCaxNiO2) thin films and construct their phase diagram. Unlike the metal-insulator transition in Nd- and Pr-based nickelates, the undoped and underdoped La1-xCaxNiO2 thin films are entirely insulating from 300 K down to 2 K. A superconducting dome is observed at 0.15 < x < 0.3 with weakly insulating behavior at the overdoped regime. Moreover, the sign of the Hall coefficient RH changes at low temperature for samples with a higher doping level. However, distinct from the Nd- and Pr-based nickelates, the RH-sign-change temperature remains at around 35 K as the doping increases, which begs further theoretical and experimental investigation to reveal the role of the 4f orbital to the (multi)band nature of the superconducting nickelates. Our results also emphasize a notable role of lattice correlation on the multiband structures of the infinite-layer nickelates.

Discovery and Development of Inflammatory Inhibitors from 2-Phenylchromonone (Flavone) Scaffolds.

Flavonoids are compounds based on a 2-phenylchromonone scaffold. Flavonoids can be divided into flavonoids, flavonols, dihydroflavones, anthocyanins, chalcones and diflavones according to the oxidation degree of the central tricarbonyl chain, the connection position of B-ring (2-or 3-position), and whether the tricarbonyl chain forms a ring or not. There are a variety of biological activities about flavonoids, such as anti-inflammatory activity, anti-oxidation and anti-tumor activity, and the antiinflammatory activity is apparent. This paper reviews the anti-inflammatory activities and mechanisms of flavonoids and their derivatives reported in China and abroad from 2011 till date (2011-2020), in order to find a good drug scaffold for the study of anti-inflammatory activities.

Photoresponsive properties at (0 0 1), (1 1 1) and (1 1 0) LaAlO3/SrTiO3 interfaces.

We report the photoresponsive characteristics of (0 0 1), (1 1 0), and (1 1 1) LaAlO3/SrTiO3 heterointerfaces deposited at different oxygen pressures using a 360 nm light. The results show that LaAlO3/SrTiO3 interfaces with less oxygen vacancies exhibit a larger resistance change when illuminated by light and a slower recovery process when light is off. In addition, the (1 1 0) LaAlO3/SrTiO3 heterointerfaces present the smallest photoinduced change and residual photoinduced change in the resistance, which are related to the negligible polarization discontinuity at the interfaces. Our results provide a deeper insight into the photoinduced properties in the 2D electron gas system, paving the way for the design of oxide optoelectronic devices.

Effects of blood glucose and glycosylated hemoglobin levels on intravenous thrombolysis in patients with acute cerebral infarction and type 2 diabetes mellitus.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of fasting plasma glucose (FPG) and glycosylated hemoglobin (HbAlc.) levels on thrombolytic therapy in patients with acute cerebral infarction and type 2 diabetes mellitus. METHODS: A total of 135 patients with acute cerebral infarction were selected for this study. They were divided into study group (n=70, with acute cerebral infarction & type 2 diabetes mellitus) and control group (n=65, with acute cerebral infarction but no type 2 diabetes mellitus). All patients underwent thrombolysis treatment with Alteplase for injection. The patients were evaluated by the national institutes of health stroke scale (NIHSS) score, the modified Rankin scale (MRS) score and the Barthel index score, such indicators in patients as FPG, HbAlc, triglyceride (TG), low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), total cholesterol (TC) and high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) were determined, the fast blood sugar before thrombolysis and the treatment effect after 24h thrombolysis in the observation group were observed and meanwhile the mortality rate in patients after 5 months thrombolysis was analyzed. RESULTS: Compared with before thrombolysis, the indexes of the two groups were significantly improved after thrombolysis, and the improvements of FPG, HbAlc, TG and LDL-C in the control group were better than those in the study group (P<0.05). There was no significant difference between the two groups in the levels of TC and HDL-C after thrombolysis (P>0.05). The 24h MBG, SDBG and MAGE in the study group were higher than those in the control group (P<0.05). In the study group, when the blood glucose was less than 6.0mmol/L before thrombolysis, the lowest effective rate after 24h thrombolysis was 33.3%, and when the blood glucose was ranging from 7.0 to 9.0mmol/L, the highest effective rate after 24h thrombolysis was 73.9%, and with the gradual increase of blood glucose, the effective rate after 24h thrombolysis decreased gradually. Also the effective rate after 24h thrombolysis also decreased gradually with the increase of HbAlc value, it reached the highest value of 64.4% at HbAlc <6.0mmol/Lad the lowest value of 25% at HbAlc >7.0mmol/L. Compared with the control group, the MHSS score and MRS score were higher and the Barthel index after thrombolysis was lower in the study group with the difference being statistically significant (P<0.05). The five months mortality rate after thrombolytic therapy was 12.9% (9/70) in the study group and 10.8% (7/65) in the control group, with no significant difference between the two groups (P=0.316). The incidence of intracranial hemorrhage after thrombolytic therapy was higher in the study group than in the control group, but the difference was not statistically significant (P>0.05), however there was significant difference between the two groups in revascularization and prognosis (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: The level of HbAlc affected the curative efficacy, the higher the level, the poorer the efficacy and to control the blood glucose within a certain range before thrombolysis was beneficial to enhance the effect of static thrombolysis.

Epicatechin Gallate Protects HBMVECs from Ischemia/Reperfusion Injury through Ameliorating Apoptosis and Autophagy and Promoting Neovascularization.

Green tea is one of the most beverages with antioxidants and nutrients. As one of the major components of green tea, (-)-epicatechin gallate (ECG) was evaluated for its antioxidative properties in the present study. Cell proliferation assay, tube formation, cell migration, apoptosis, and autophagy were performed in human brain microvascular endothelial cells (HBMVECs) after oxygen-glucose deprivation/reoxygenation (OGD/R) to investigate potential anti-ischemia/reperfusion injury properties of ECG in vitro. Markers of oxidative stress as ROS, LDH, MDA, and SOD were further assayed in our study. Data indicated that ECG could affect neovascularization and promote cell proliferation, tube formation, and cell migration while inhibiting apoptosis and autophagy through affecting VEGF, Bcl-2, BAX, LC3B, caspase 3, mTOR, and Beclin-1 expression. All the data suggested that ECG may be protective for the brain against ischemia/reperfusion injury by promoting neovascularization, alleviating apoptosis and autophagy, and promoting cell proliferation in HBMVECs of OGD/R.

Doped Manipulation of Photoluminescence and Carrier Lifetime from CH3NH3PbI3 Perovskite Thin Films.

The compositional doping techniques can delicately tune the band gap, carrier concentration, and mobility of perovskites to optimize the photoelectric properties of materials. It is reported that the doped perovskites have been widely researched in the photovoltaic and photoelectronic field. Here, we show that the photoluminescence intensity and carrier lifetime of CH3NH3PbI3 films have been improved by 3 orders of magnitude by incorporating abundant MnAc2·4H2O in the perovskite precursor solution, which benefits from the morphological change and surface passivation induced by hydration water and surface manganese acetate. We also witness the increased photoluminescence quantum yield for film and the changed power conversion efficiency for perovskite solar cells. More importantly, the enhanced chemical stability of perovskite is displayed by immersing films into the water.

Magnetism Control by Doping in LaAlO3/SrTiO3 Heterointerfaces.

Magnetic two-dimensional electron gases at the oxide interfaces are always one of the key issues in spintronics, giving rise to intriguing magnetotransport properties. However, reports about magnetic two-dimensional electron gases remain elusive. Here, we obtain the magnetic order of LaAlO3/SrTiO3 systems by introducing magnetic dopants at the La site. The transport properties with a characteristic of metallic behavior at the interfaces are investigated. More significantly, magnetic-doped samples exhibit obvious magnetic hysteresis loops and the mobility is enhanced. Meanwhile, the photoresponsive experiments are realized by irradiating all samples with a 360 nm light. Compared to magnetism, the effects of dopants on photoresponsive and relaxation properties are negligible because the behavior originates from SrTiO3 substrates. This work paves a way for revealing and better controlling the magnetic properties of oxide heterointerfaces.

Modulated Transport Behavior of Two-Dimensional Electron Gas at Ni-Doped LaAlO3/SrTiO3 Heterointerfaces.

Modulating transport behaviors of two-dimensional electron gases are of critical importance for applications of the next-generation multifunctional oxide electronics. In this study, transport behaviors of LaAlO3/SrTiO3 heterointerfaces modified through the Ni dopant and the light irradiation have been investigated. Through the Ni dopant, the resistances increase significantly and a resistance upturn phenomenon due to the Kondo effect is observed at T < 40 K. Under a 360 nm light irradiation, the interfaces exhibit a persistent photoconductivity and a suppressed Kondo effect at low temperature due to the increased mobility measured through the photo-Hall method. Moreover, the relative changes in resistance of interfaces induced by light are increased from 800 to 6600% at T = 12 K with increasing the substitution of Ni, which is discussed by the band bending and the lattice effect due to the Ni dopant. This work paves the way for better controlling the emerging properties of complex oxide heterointerfaces and would be helpful for photoelectric device applications based on all-oxides.