We investigated the drug resistance of Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolates from patients with tuberculosis (TB) and HIV, and those diagnosed with only TB in Sichuan, China. TB isolates were obtained from January 2018 to December 2020 and subjected to drug susceptibility testing (DST) to 11 anti-TB drugs and to GeneXpert MTB/RIF testing. The overall proportion of drug-resistant TB (DR-TB) isolates was 32.1% (n = 10 946). HIV testing was not universally available for outpatient TB cases, only 29.5% (3227/10 946) cases had HIV testing results. The observed proportion of multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB) isolates was almost double than that of the national level, with approximately 1.5% and 0.1% of the isolates being extensively drug resistant and universally drug resistant, respectively. The proportions of resistant isolates were generally higher in 2018 and 2019 than in 2020. Furthermore, the sensitivities of GeneXpert during 2018–2020 demonstrated a downward trend (80.9, 95% confidence intervals (CI) 76.8–85.0; 80.2, 95% CI 76.4–84.1 and 75.4, 95% CI 70.7–80.2, respectively). Approximately 69.0% (7557/10 946) of the TB cases with DST results were subjected to GeneXpert detection. Overall, the DR-TB status and the use of GeneXpert in Sichuan have improved, but DR-TB challenges remain. HIV testing for all TB cases is recommended.

GPR120 is implicated in the regulation of glucose and lipid metabolism, and insulin resistance. In the current study, we aimed to investigate the role of GPR120 in polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). With the adoption of dehydroepiandrosterone, a rat model was established to simulate PCOS in vitro. mRNA and protein expression levels of GPR120 were measured using RT-qPCR and western blot, respectively. In addition, expression levels of testosterone, estradiol, luteinizing hormone and follicle-stimulating hormone, serum total cholesterol and triglyceride were assessed using the corresponding kits. Moreover, haematoxylin and eosin staining was used to detect pathological changes in ovary or liver and oil red staining was utilized to evaluate lipid accumulation. In the present study, GPR120 was downregulated in plasma, liver and ovary in the PCOS rat model. In addition, the GPR120 agonist regulated lipid metabolism in the liver and weight in the PCOS rat model. Furthermore, the GPR120 agonist decreased insulin resistance in the PCOS rat model but improved the ovarian function. It is suggested that GPR120 plays a vital role in suppressing insulin resistance, regulating ovary function and decreasing lipid accumulation in the liver, demonstrating that targeting GPR120 could be an effective method for the improvement of PCOS.

Little is known about the impact of modifiable risk factors on blood pressure (BP) trajectories and their associations with hypertension (HTN). We aimed to identify BP trajectories in normotensive Chinese adults and explore their influencing factors and associations with HTN. We used data from 3436 adults with at least four BP measurements between 1989 and 2018 in the China Health and Nutrition Survey, an ongoing cohort study. We measured BP using mercury sphygmomanometers with appropriate cuff sizes in all surveys. We used group-based trajectory modelling to identify BP trajectories between 1989 and 2009 and multiple logistic and Cox regression models to analyse their influencing factors and associations with HTN in 2011–2018. We identified five systolic blood pressure (SBP) trajectories, ‘Low-increasing (LI)’, ‘Low–stable (LS)’, ‘Moderate-increasing (MI)’, ‘High-stable (HS)’ and ‘Moderate-decreasing (MD)’, and four diastolic blood pressure (DBP) trajectories classified as ‘Low-increasing (LI)’, ‘Moderate–stable (MS)’, ‘Low-stable (LS)’ and ‘High-increasing (HI)’. People with higher physical activity (PA) levels and lower waist circumferences (WC) were less likely to be in the SBP LI, MI, HS and MD groups (P < 0·05). People with higher fruit and vegetable intakes, lower WCs and salt intakes and higher PA levels were less likely to be in the DBP LI, MS and HI groups (P < 0·05). Participants in the SBP HS group (hazard ratio (HR) 2·01) or the DBP LI, MS and HI groups (HR 1·38, 1·40, 1·71, respectively) had higher risks of HTN (P < 0·05). This study suggests that BP monitoring is necessary to prevent HTN in the Chinese population.

This study aims to ascertain the long-term epidemic trends of malaria and evaluates the probability of achieving the eradication goal by 2020 in China. Data on malaria incidence and deaths were extracted from the China Information System for Disease Control and Prevention. The epidemic trends by sex, age and spatial distribution and predictions of malaria were estimated by using Joinpoint and Poisson regressions. From 1950 to 2016, 227 668 374 malaria cases were reported in China, with an annualised average incidence of 337.02 (336.98–337.07, 95% confidence interval (CI)) per 100 000 population. The incidence decreased with an average annual per cent change (AAPC) of −11.4% (−16.6 to −6.0). There were 36 085 malaria deaths, with an annualised average mortality of 0.534 (0.529–0.540) per 1 000 000 population. The mortality decreased with an AAPC of −8.7% (−13.7 to −3.4). The predicted number of malaria cases and deaths for 2020 is 2 562 and 10, respectively, and zero for indigenous cases. The disease burden of malaria dramatically decreased in China. Though, the goal of malaria elimination is realistic by 2020 in China, routine clinical and entomological surveillance should be continually conducted, especially for the cross-border areas and imported malaria cases.

A series of xLiMn0.5Fe0.5PO4–yLi3V2(PO4)3/C (x:y= 4:1, 3:1, 2:1, 1:1, 1:2, and 1:3) composite cathode materials for lithium-ion batteries are successfully prepared by the rheological phase reaction method. The structures, morphologies, and electrochemical properties of these composite materials are studied. The results indicate that xLiMn0.5Fe0.5PO4–yLi3V2(PO4)3/C composites are composed of LiMn0.5Fe0.5PO4 and Li3V2(PO4)3 phases and mutual doping exists. The initial discharge capacities, initial Coulombic efficiencies, and capacity retentions of composites increase but then decline with the increase of Li3V2(PO4)3 content. All the composites show higher capacity retentions than LiMn0.5Fe0.5PO4/C and Li3V2(PO4)3/C single phases except LMFP–3LVP/C. The composite material of x:y= 1:1 exhibits remarkably superior electrochemical performance than the single phases and other composites both in discharge capacity and cycle performance, delivering the initial discharge capacity of 148.2 mA h/g (2.0–4.5 V) and 170.1 mA h/g (2.0–4.8 V) at 0.1 C. And the corresponding capacity retentions are 98.0 and 90.4% after 100 cycles, respectively.

Activation of persulfate (PS) by ultraviolet light or transition metal catalysts has been extensively studied. However, little is known about the activation of PS by iron oxychloride (FeOCl) in the presence of visible light irradiation. Herein, the catalytic activity of FeOCl was developed for oxidative degradation of rhodamine B (RhB) with the FeOCl/PS/Vis process. The characterization of FeOCl for reaction kinetics, degradation mechanism, and catalyst stability was investigated. It is found that the redox cycle of iron species and photoinduced electrons formed on the FeOCl catalyst surface can effectively activate PS, to generate radicals. Based on quenching experiments and electron paramagnetic resonance, the photogenerated holes (h+) and sulfate radicals (SO4−•) are the predominant reactive oxidants for RhB decolorization, while superoxide radicals (•O2−) and hydroxyl radicals (•OH) are also involved. Moreover, FeOCl shows good catalytic performance in a wide range of pH values (pH = 3–10) and excellent reusability and stability, as well.

To investigate the effects of heat stress on broiler metabolism, we assigned 144 broilers to normal control (NC), heat stress (HS) or pair-fed (PF) groups and then monitored the effects using growth performance, carcass characteristics, biochemical assays and GC-MS-based metabolomics. The up-regulation of cloacal temperature confirmed that our experiment was successful in inducing chronic heat stress. The average daily gain and average daily feed intake of the HS group were significantly lower than those of the NC group, by 28·76 and 18·42 %, respectively (P<0·001), whereas the feed:gain ratio was significantly higher, by 14·49 % (P=0·003), and heat stress also increased leg proportion (P=0·027) and intramuscular fat proportion (P<0·001) and decreased breast proportion (P=0·009). When comparing the HS and NC groups and HS and PF groups, our metabolomics approach identified seventy-eight and thirty-four metabolites, respectively, with significantly different levels (variable importance in the projection values >1 and P<0·05). The greater feed:gain ratio of the HS group was significantly positively correlated with the leg, abdominal fat, subcutaneous fat and intramuscular fat proportions and levels of some free amino acids (proline, l-cysteine, methionine and threonine) but was negatively correlated with breast proportion and levels of some NEFA (stearic acid, arachidonic acid, palmitic acid and oleic acid). These findings indicated that the heat-stressed broilers were in negative energy balance and unable to effectively mobilise fat, thereby resulting in protein decomposition, which subsequently affected growth performance and carcass characteristics.

Microwave sintering is a novel and efficient technology for the rapid preparation of metallic materials. In this paper, an investigation has been performed on the distribution of microwave electromagnetic fields in a metallic particle system and its influence on sintering behavior. The results show that the microstructure of the “metallic-void” will induce a nonuniform distribution and focusing effect of electromagnetic fields during microwave processing, which may accelerate the sintering process. However, further study shows that the focusing effect will decline as the neck grows larger, and will also decline from outside to inside within the loosely packed powder system, which will result in the slowdown of the sintering rate. These results were supported by the synchrotron radiation computed tomography experimental observation of the microstructure evolution of metallic powders during an entire uninterrupted microwave sintering process.

The effect of laser intensity distribution along the line focus on the uniformity of the line-shaped plasmas produced is investigated with time-integrated and time-resolved soft X-ray and optical diagnostics. Evident plasma condition nonuniformities along the line focus resulting from nonuniform laser intensity distributions have been observed with a conventional simple line-focusing technique. With a new line-focusing technique producing a uniform laser illumination, a uniform, line-shaped plasma can be obtained. It is also found that nonuniformities under uniform laser illumination occur mostly during laser heating. The line-shaped uniform laser plasma can be used as a large, uniform X-ray source besides its importance in X-ray laser demonstration and amplification. As an application of such line-shaped plasmas as X-ray sources, the no-overcoat 5F X-ray film is calibrated for the first time by a new method in the soft X-ray range from 10–80 A.

Elevated bonding temperature for interconnection deteriorates the reliability of both the device and the interconnect; hence the imperative for developing low temperature bonding methods. This study investigates the feasibility of using self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) to assist direct gold-gold bonding. This involves a simple molecular self-assembly process whereby a monolayer of alkyl chains with a sulfur end group is attached to the gold surface prior to thermocompression bonding. Using this method, we have achieved gold to gold bonding at a bonding temperature below 100°C, a significant reduction compared to the conventional bonding temperatures of above 150 °C. We attribute this temperature reduction to two properties of SAMs - (1) surface passivation of the Au surface that precludes adsorption of surface contaminants, and (2) The easy displacement of SAMs through thermal desorption just before bonding occurs. This SAMs-assisted bonding mechanism is supported by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and surface plasmon resonance (SPR) results.

A new type of dendritic molecules containing p-phenylene repeat units has been synthesized. Preliminary results on linear and nonlinear optical properties are discussed.