Qiqihar City Research Articles

Relationships of professional identity and psychological reward satisfaction with subjective well-being among Chinese nurses.

This study aimed at exploring the impact of professional identity and psychological reward satisfaction on subjective well-being and clarifying the effect of psychological reward satisfaction on this relationship. People know little about the effect of psychological reward satisfaction on the relationship between professional identity and subjective well-being. A cross-sectional survey was carried out on 1,009 nurses from Qiqihar City, Heilongjiang Province of China. Professional Identity Scale, Psychological Reward Satisfaction Scale and General Well-Being Schedule were used to assess professional identity, psychological reward satisfaction and subjective well-being, respectively. Associations were explored by using structural equation modelling. The subjective well-being of 436 (43.2%) nurses was at low and moderate levels. After the adjustment of potential confounding factors, professional identity was still associated with subjective well-being (B=3.035, β=0.215, p<.001). Professional identity (r=.308) and psychological reward satisfaction (r=.309) were positively correlated with subjective well-being. Psychological reward satisfaction mediated the association between professional identity and subjective well-being (effect=0.114, p<.001). This study suggested that the subjective well-being of nurses should be improved by paying special attention to them and taking targeted support measures. Nursing managers can help enhance the professional identity of nurses by organising nursing education activities, and pay more attention to psychological reward satisfaction to improve the subjective well-being of nurses.

Urban flood modelling in Qiqihar city based on MIKE flood

Abstract. Qiqihar is a significant city on the Nen River in China, which is the main stream of the Songhua River basin. The length of the return period of Qiqihar's flood control design standard is fifty years. If a 100-year flood event happened, Qiqihar would face the risk of a burst levee. To quantitatively evaluate flood risk to the city from a burst levee or proactive flood diversion, a model for analysing flood submergence from a burst levee in the City of Qiqihar is established based on MIKE Flood. The model integrates one- and two-dimensional hydrodynamic models to implement coupled simulation. The terrain data are from city elevation data on a scale of 1:10 000. Following local modifications made based on survey data, such as on levees, roads, and buildings, a 20 m × 20 m grid of terrain data was formed as the terrain input of the model. The model simulates the water level of Nen River and the flood path, submerged time/depth/area, and duration in floodplain under three scenarios: baseline, proactive downstream flood diversion, and an upstream levee burst under a flood with a one hundred-year return period. Proactive downstream flood diversion can reduce the maximum water level by 0.068 m and correspondingly decrease peak flood flow by 1120 m3 s−1. These results provide basic information to support urban flood risk analysis and flood dispatching and management across the whole river basin.

Gender difference in the association of coping styles and social support with psychological distress among patients with end-stage renal disease.

ObjectivesThe study aimed to explore the association of coping styles and social support with psychological distress among patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) as well as gender differences in these associations.MethodsA cross-sectional study of 769 ESRD patients was conducted at 25 hospitals in Qiqihar City, China. All information was collected using structured questionnaires that were self-administered by the patients. Patients’ psychological health status, coping styles and perceived social support were measured using the 12-item General Health Questionnaire, the Medical Coping Modes Questionnaire and the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support. Student’s t test, analysis of variance (ANOVA) and binary logistic regression analysis were used for data analysis.ResultsA total of 72.3% of participants reported psychological distress, and the prevalence of distress was higher in females (77.0%) than in males (68.8%). The usage of the acceptance-resignation coping style was positively related to psychological distress (B = 0.459, P < 0.001). Social support level was negatively associated with psychological distress (B = −0.049, P < 0.001). The use of the confrontation style was negatively related to psychological distress in females (OR = 0.87, 95% CI [0.78–0.96]) but not in males (OR = 0.98, 95% CI [0.91–1.06]) (P for interaction term = 0.007).ConclusionsGreater use of the acceptance-resignation style and lower social support are related to a higher risk of psychological distress. Greater use of the confrontation style is related to a lower risk of psychological distress in females but not in males.

Evaluation and design of public health information management system for primary health care units based on medical and health information

ObjectiveThe objective is to understand the role of information management systems in the public health perspective of primary care units more accurately. MethodsA public health information management system for primary medical units, which is based on electronic health records, virtual private network technology, real-time data storage, and other technologies, is designed on the premise of economical and straightforward operation. Besides, Xinhua Community Health Service Center Around the Wulong Street, Longsha District, Qiqihar City is selected as the experimental unit of the public health information management system, and the work efficiency of the system in the public health perspective of the primary medical unit is evaluated after 12 months of system operation. ResultsThe public health information management system of primary medical units has following comprehensive management functions: health record management, child health, maternal health, health of the elderly, health of patients with chronic diseases, health of severe psychiatric patients, health education, infectious diseases and public emergencies, health events, health supervision, and management information. In addition, after 12 months of information management system operates in the grassroots units, the results show that patients and doctors have a very high satisfaction rate with the system. The system not only cultivates the excellent health and disease prevention awareness of residents but also improves the efficiency of primary care institutions, as well as reducing the number of patients seeking medical cares. ConclusionThe public health information management system of primary health care units based on medical and health information design is rich in functions with prominent work efficiency, which significantly improves the public health of grass-roots medical units. The research is useful and significant for follow-up studies on public health care systems.

Status quo and demand of core competence post training for community nurses in Qiqihar City

Objective To understand the current situation and requirements of core competence post training for community nurses in Qiqihar City, and to provide references for improving the content and methods of core competence post training for community nurses. Methods By convenience sampling, 394 community nurses working in 65 community health service organizations in 7 district of Qiqihar city were selected from September to December of 2018. Community Nurse Core Competence Rating Scale (CNCCRS) and self-designed questionnaire were used to investigate the position training status and needs. The t test, chi-square analysis were adopted to analyze and compare the score and each dimensional score in CNCCRS for different training with different position features, and to statistically describe the needs of community nurses' core competence post training. Results The total score of CNCCRS from those who had received the post training was (145.69±30.55) . There was no significant difference in the total score of CNCCRS and the scores of each dimension between nurses who had participated in nursing related training or not (P>0.05) ; there were significant differences in the total score of CNCCRS and the scores of each dimension among nurses who had participated in different modes of training (P<0.05) . The most preferred mode of training for the nurses was in-service short online courses through initiative learning. Conclusions The core competence of community nurses in Qiqihar City who have training experience is still at the medium level, and the training has not achieved the expected outcome. It is suggested that short-term on-the-job and online independent training combining theory and practice should be carried out according to the particular needs of community nurses in the future. Key words: Community health service center; Community nurse; Core competence; Position training; Status survey

Analysis of Influencing Factors of Poststroke Depression: Is Higher Body Mass Index Always a Risk Factor of Poststroke Depression?

Poststroke depression (PSD) is a common complication of stroke. We sought to investigate the influencing factors of PSD and explored the association between body mass index (BMI) and PSD. A total of 397 stroke patients in a hospital in Qiqihar City, China, were included in this study in 2016. The order of independent variable importance was the score of the National Institute of Health Stroke Scale, frequency of stroke, age, BMI, and sleep duration. Sleep duration of 7 hours or more (compared with <7 hours) was negatively associated with the Self-Rating Depression Scale (SDS) score in all quantiles. BMI of 28.0 kg/m or more (compared with 24.0-28.0 kg/m) was negatively associated with SDS score, and the coefficients manifested a continuous increasing trend from P30 to P84.1 in patients aged 65 years or more. In addition, the relationship between BMI and SDS score demonstrated a "U"-shaped curve in patients aged less than 65 years. The National Institute of Health Stroke Scale score, the frequency of stroke, sleep duration, and BMI were the influencing factors of PSD. BMI played different roles in the two age groups.

Assessment of Pb and Cd contaminations in the urban waterway sediments of the Nen River (Qiqihar section), Northeastern China, and transfer along the food chain.

The increasing anthropogenic inputs of Pb and Cd into China's Nen River (Qiqihar section) owing to rapid urbanization in the past 50years may pose ecological risks to the river's aquatic system. To confirm this hypothesis, we determined the Pb and Cd concentrations in the sediments of the Nen River flowing across Qiqihar City by comparing the control group (samplings in the Nen River branch bypassing the city) and bioaccumulation along the food chain. We found significantly higher Pb concentrations in the sediments than in the control group (39.21mgkg-1 dry weight [dw] vs. 22.44mgkg-1 dw; p < 0.05). However, the difference between the Cd contents of the two groups was nonsignificant (0.33mgkg-1 dw vs. 0.30mgkg-1 dw) (p = 0.07). Accumulated Pb and Cd in the sediments pose a medium risk to the system of Nen River according to the result of risk assessment code analysis. The increased Pb and Cd levels along the food chain had adverse health effects in the species at the top level of the food chain. For example, the feathers of Corvus frugilegus and Sterna hirundo contained 0.28-2.25mgkg-1 dw of Cd. These values are considered potentially toxic to common avian species. The bone Pb level of C. frugilegus ranged from 4.82 to 7.41mgkg-1 dw within the increasing Pb range (2-15mgkg-1 dw) of common water birds. The inputs of Pb and Cd into the local environment should be reduced for the preservation of aquatic system health.

Temporal and Spatial Characteristics of the Change of Cultivated Land Resources in the Black Soil Region of Heilongjiang Province (China)

It is of great significance for the improvement of grain production capacity and the protection of cultivated land in the Black Soil Region to reveal the temporal and spatial evolution trend of the change in cultivated land resources. In this paper, the temporal and spatial variation pattern of cultivated land resources in Heilongjiang Province was analyzed based on the remote sensing images made in 1995, 2005, and 2015 with the 3S Technology by using the land use dynamic degree, kernel density analysis, and transfer matrix methods. The results showed that, during the two decades from 1995 to 2015, the total quantity of cultivated land increased slightly. To be specific, in 1995–2005, the total quantity of cultivated land increased; in 2005–2015, the number decreased. Spatially, the conversion of cultivated land was mainly concentrated in the west of Heilongjiang Province. During the study period, the high-density cultivated land area was concentrated in the west of Heilongjiang Province, and the largest increase came in Heihe City and Qitaihe City. The conversion between each land type and cultivated land was observed. The internal conversion of cultivated land was between dryland and paddy field. The transfer-out of cultivated land was mainly the conversion of dryland into construction land and woodland, and the transfer-in was mainly the conversion of woodland, unused land, and construction land into dryland, while only a small quantity of conversion involving paddy field was found. Spatially, the conversion mainly took place in Harbin City, Heihe City, and Suihua City in the center and west of Heilongjiang Province, and also in a moderate amount in Qiqihar City in the east of Heilongjiang Province.

Assessment of levels of D-dimer and interferon-γ in pediatric patients with Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia and its clinical implication.

Levels of D-dimer and interferon-γ (INF-γ) in pediatric patients with Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia (MPP) were assessed to explore its clinical implication in evaluating the disease severity and patients' prognosis. Enrolled in this study as subjects were 185 pediatric patients with MPP who were admitted to the Department of Pediatrics of the Second Affiliated Hospital of Qiqihar Medical University and the First Hospital of Qiqihar City from January 2017 to October 2017 and 115 healthy children who underwent physical examination during the same time period. Patients were divided into two groups according to the severity of their pneumonia: Severe pneumonia group with 95 patients and mild pneumonia group with 90 patients. A total of 92 healthy children were assigned to the control group. Immunoassay was performed to measure the serum levels of D-dimer and INF-γ. The levels of these two markers were compared. In terms of D-dimer, the levels in pediatric patients in pneumonia groups were all higher than that in the healthy children (p<0.0001). After treatment for 120 h, the D-dimer and INF-γ levels in both pneumonia groups were lower than those before treatment (p<0.001). Among the patients in both the mild and severe pneumonia groups, those who developed extra-pulmonary complications had higher levels of D-dimer and INF-γ than those who did not developed extra-pulmonary complications (p<0.001). Increased levels of D-dimer and INF-γ were observed in pediatric patients with MPP. Assessment of the levels of D-dimer and INF-γ in serum may help with the diagnosis of severe MPP in children and predicting the occurrence of complications. This study provided more theoretical basis for the early diagnosis and identification of MPP in children, and can be used as a guideline in evaluating the severity and preventing complications.

A New Genus of Paleonisciformes from the Early Cretaceous Longjiang Formation in Heilongjiang Province, China

We report a new genus and species of Paleonisciformes–Cretolepis dongbeiensis gen. et sp. nov., from the Early Cretaceous Longjiang Formation in Qiqihar City, Heilongjiang Province. The new materials can be distinguished from other Paleonisciformes genera by possessing the following characteristics: a sclerotic ring composed of more than five small bones; three pieces of suborbitals; one dermohyomandibular; a jaw hanging apparently inclined anteriorly; long and tall horizontal branch of the preopercular, a short vertical branch, with the angle formed by the two branches slightly higher than 90°; a triangular dorsal fin in the middle point between the pelvic and anal fins. The discovery of Mesozoic Paleonisciformes in northeastern China adds to the biodiversity and geographic distribution of Paleonisciformes.

Characterization of Pb and Cd contamination in the feces and feathers of rook (Corvus frugilegus) and the scalp hair of residents in Qiqihar, northeastern China

ABSTRACTThe concentrations of Pb and Cd, and trace elements (Cu and Zn) in the urban topsoil, rook (Corvus frugilegus) feces and feathers and human scalp hair were analyzed to examine the potential ecological risk posed by Pb and Cd on local residents of Qiqihar City, northeastern China. Results revealed that the Cd concentrations in the topsoil were ranged from 0.14 to 3.55 mg kg−1 dry weight (dw). The maximal geoaccumulation indices [a value from logarithmic (a measured metal content/1.5 × background content of the metal in this region), introduced by Muller] of Cd exceeded 3.5, which suggested that this region was seriously contaminated by Cd. The corresponding average detectable concentrations in C. frugilegus feathers and feces were 1.38 and 3.97 mg kg−1 dw for Pb and 1.04 and 0.69 mg kg−1 dw for Cd. High Pb and Cd concentrations, respectively, ranging from 7.46 to 24.9 mg kg−1 dw and from 0.35 to 0.92 mg kg−1 dw were also detected in the human scalp hair samples. These high Pb and Cd concentrations in C. frugilegus and local people were possibly associated with local industrial wastes and vehicle exhausts. The external tissues (feces and feather) of the rook species can be considered as an indicator of potential Cd toxic risk in this species; however, the human scalp hair is not a reliable biomarker for risk of Pb and Cd in the human being. Effective measures should be established to reduce the inputs of Pb and Cd into the urban environment and to protect the health of local people.

Bayesian interval robust optimization for sustainable energy system planning in Qiqihar City, China

Old industrial bases in Northeastern China have been experiencing a series of problems such as energy scarcity, economic slack and environmental pollution due to lack of scientific planning of energy systems. Effective energy system management is desirable for avoiding occurrence of these problems in the following decades under the national policy of revitalizing these industrial bases. This task is challenged by system complexity, data unavailability, and inaccurate demand forecasting which can hardly be resolved in existing studies. For improving energy system management in Qiqihar City, a representative industrial base in Northeastern China, under these challenges, a large-scale and fine-resolution Bayesian interval robust energy system optimization (BIRESO) approach is developed in this study. In detail, the structure, characteristics, problems and complexities of the energy system in this city are identified and analyzed. Based on these efforts, a series of optimized energy system management schemes are generated through construction of a BIRESO model and development of a solution algorithm. The obtained solutions can be ensured to remain robust when input data changes through controlling the degree of solution conservatism in accordance with probabilistic bounds on constraint violation. Furthermore, Bayesian estimation method was employed for effectively achieving dynamic forecast of energy demands. The tradeoff among energy security, economic development and environmental conservation under multiple uncertainties is revealed, and the optimal balance among them is identified. A scenario analysis approach is used to quantify the effects of economic growth on energy system schemes based on several developed scenarios. Results show that the BIRESO approach is capable of providing scientific support for energy supply planning, renewable energy development, technological advancement, facility expansion, energy allocation, pollution control, economic impacts assessment, and other energy related activities in Qiqihar City.

Supply and demand situation on geriatric nursing in Qiqihar City and its countermeasure

Objective To investigate and analyze the supply and demand situation on geriatric nursing in Qiqihar City and put forward countermeasures for solving the problems. Methods We selected four districts in Qiqihar including the Jianhua District, Longsha District, Fularji District and Ang′angxi District. And then, we investigated the situation on supply for nursing of the aged services organizations and the situation on demands for nursing of the people aged 60 years and over. Results The ratio on related personnel in the aged services organizations in Qiqihar City was 0.10 between the bed and the medical staff and 0.14 between the bed and nursing assistants. The medical staff mainly graduated from junior college and university, accounting for 83.46%; the titles of medical staff were mainly primary and intermediate, accounting for 80.31%. In terms of educational background among nursing assistants, there was 69.33% with primary school, 9.20% with illiteracy, only 1.84 with high school or above; their ages centralized in 40 to 59 years old; there was 76.69% of them with work license and 22.09% of them without work license. Among the elderly people surveyed, there were 274 (68.50%) males and 126 (31.50%) females; the proportion of age group of 60-64, 65-70, 70-74, 75-79, over 80 was 17.00%, 16.00%, 18.50%, 21.75%, 26.75%; a total of 62.75% of them were married and 32.75% of them were widowed; there were 273 (68.25%) caregivers belonging to spouses and 101 (25.25%) caregivers belonging to children; disease in the aged mainly included cardiovascular disease (58.00%), cerebrovascular disease (25.25%), respiratory disease (21.50%), diabetes mellitus (19.00%) and so on. The endowment desire focused on home-based care for the aged (90.25%). Only 7.75% of the aged selected to live in rest home and 2.00% in nursing home. The demands for nursing of the aged were large mainly including accompanying them daily (36.25%), home cleaning (35.00%), accompanying them to medical attention (29.25%), cleaning clothes (27.50%), rehabilitation nursing (16.75%). Conclusions The problems of nursing care for the aged in Qiqihar city are still serious. We need to increase the investment, improve the nursing care, safeguard the rights and interests of the aged so as to improve the quality of life of the aged. Key words: Health services needs and demand; Geriatric nursing; Supplies for nursing; Qiqihar city

The analysis and application of competition and cooperation between the bus lines

It is very valuable for planning bus routes and improving transport efficiency to quantify the cooperation and competition between lines. Cooperation modes and competition modes between two lines are defined respectively based on the location of bus stops. Cooperative coefficient and competitive coefficient are proposed to calculate different modes quantitatively in term of the number of overlapped stops and overlapped service area. These coefficients can be used to convert multi-relation transit network into weighted single network to analyze the close degree between lines. Taking Qiqihar City transit network as an example, cooperative coefficient and competitive coefficient between two lines are calculated. The bus network is converted into weighted single network, and the single network is then clustered with social network analysis method. The cluster result indicates that the network can be divided into three groups whose bus lines have different cooperation and competition strength, so distinguish management modes for different group are quite necessary.

Survey Study on Health Effects Related with Indoor Environment of Residential Building during Winter Heating Period in Qiqihar City

Qiqihar is located in the northeastern of China, the climate is cold. It was one of the famous industrial cities. We issue three hundreds questionnaires to community residents and workers, do the 24-hour field measurement for four residences belong to the respondents’ and the 114-hour field measurement for one residence. Analyze the relationship between Qiqihar residents’ individual health and living environment during winter heating period. Compared with the analysis results of the field measurement and come to the conclusion. It shows that during winter heating period in Qiqihar, the indoor temperature is higher than the design value and the relative humidity is lower. The concentration of CO2 and PM2.5 exceed standard that will increase the risk of nasitis and bronchitis.

Nest site selection of white-naped crane (Grus vipio) at Zhalong National Nature Reserve, Heilongjiang, China

White-naped crane (Grus vipio) is a globally threatened species. It is very important to analyze its nest site selection in circumstances where there are multiple disturbances, and also helpful to accumulate valuable information about this threatened species and supply scientific suggestions for conservation and management. We studied nest site selection and the effects of environmental variables on nesting habits of white-naped crane at Zhalong National Nature Reserve, Qiqihar City, Heilongjiang, China, during March-May of 2002–2008. White-naped crane responded and adapted to changes in the quality of the spatial environments of landscape and microhabitat under multiple environmental disturbances. Nest site selection included two scales and two choices, namely the choice of nest site habitat type within the macro-habitat scale and nest site micro-habitat selection within the micro-habitat scale. Nest sites were recorded only in reed marshes. The choice of nest site micro-habitat included three basic elements and six factors, namely incubation element (nest parameters factor, incubation temperature factor and incubation humidity factor), safety element (protection factor and concealment factor), and food element (water factor). Water, remnant reed clusters, and fire were major resource management challenges during the breeding period for the white-naped crane in this Reserve.

黑龙江省20世纪森林变化及对氧气释放量的影响

随着对大气环境质量研究的深入，大气中氧气含量变化也引起了关注。森林是固碳释氧的重要生态系统，黑龙江省近百年来，森林面积减少了37.163%，估算由此导致的森林氧气释放量变化，对研究大气氧气含量变化具有重要意义。以黑龙江省1900年、1949年、1986年和2009年为时间断面，采用C-FIX模型及碳氧平衡方法，模拟并分析了20世纪黑龙江省森林氧气释放量及其变化。结果表明：（1）黑龙江省20世纪森林面积减少了106667.570 km²，森林覆盖率减少了23.568%。除樟子松（<em>Pinus sylvestris </em>var.<em> mongolica</em>）林、针阔混交林面积有所增加外，其它树种的森林面积均减少，其中云冷杉（<em>Picea asperata </em>and<em> Abies nephrolepis</em>）林及红松（<em>Pinus koraiensis</em>）林面积减少超过80%，空间上以松嫩平原及三江平原减少最为显著；（2）森林年氧气释放量百年来减少了5621.560万t，减少近三分之一，其空间变化明显，西南部森林氧气释放量由百年前的最高区域变为最低区域，三江平原释放氧气的森林区域明显减少；（3）百年来各行政区森林年氧气释放量除伊春微弱增加外，其余均呈减少趋势。其中大庆市、齐齐哈尔市减少显著，减少了90%以上；（4）控制实验表明，森林面积变化导致黑龙江省区域森林年氧气释放量减少了50%。人类活动引起的森林面积减少，是导致黑龙江省森林氧气释放量减少的主要因素。;Through recent extensive studies on air quality, researchers have paid more attention to changes in oxygen content in the atmosphere. Studies show atmospheric oxygen in the lower atmosphere has a slow diminishing trend. The forest ecosystem is an important source of carbon sequestration and oxygen release, so, oxygen content is directly impacted by the change of forest area. Therefore, it is essential to examine the deforestation process and evaluate its impact on the changes of oxygen content in the atmosphere. Heilongjiang Province is the area in China primarily focused on forest resources and coverage, however, during the past century approximately 37.163% of the forest area has been converted to other land uses. We selected Heilongjiang Province as the research area, as it provided greater significance to study the variation of oxygen content in the atmosphere due to the estimated change of oxygen release caused by deforestation. According to historical references and remote sensing image data, we rebuilt the forest spatial distribution of Heilongjiang Province in 1900, 1949, 1986 and 2009. Using the C-FIX Model and carbon-oxygen balance method, this research simulated and analyzed the quantity and changes of oxygen released by the forest ecosystemof Heilongjiang Province.Analyses of the results suggest four major conclusions. First, the forest area of Heilongjiang has decreased by 106667.570 km², or approximately 23.568% during the last century (1900-2009). Except for <em>Pinussylvestris </em>var.<em> mongolica </em>forest and Coniferous and broad leaved mixed forest, the geographic areas of all other forest types have decreased, within which the areas of <em>Piceaasperata</em> and <em>Abiesnephrolepis </em>forest and <em>Pinuskoraiensis</em> forest have decreased by more than 80%.Spatially, significant forest loss can be found in the Songnen and Sanjiang Plains. Second, during the last century, the quantity of oxygen released has been reduced by 56.2156 million tons, or approximately one-third of that in 1900. The oxygen production in the Southwest was the highest in 1900, but became the area with the lowest production in 2009. Moreover, a significant decrease of forest oxygen production occurred in the Sanjiang Plain. Third, the quantity of oxygen released from almost all administrative regions of Heilongjiang presents a decreasing trend, with the exception of Yichun. Among these regions, the quantity of oxygen released has reduced more than 90% in Daqing City and Qiqihar City; over 50% in Jiamusi City, Suihua City, and Jixi City; over 25% in Shuangyashan City, Qitaihe City and Heihe City; less than 10% in Daxinganling Region and Mudanjiang City. Fourth, during the past century,the total amount of oxygen released by <em>Picea asperata</em>and <em>Abies nephrolepis</em> forest has reduced by 91.855%, 78.905% by <em>Pinuskoraiensis</em> forest, and by 25.043% and 23.936% by deciduous mixed forest and <em>Larixgmelini</em> forest, respectively. However, the total amounts of oxygen released by Coniferous and broad leaved mixed forest and <em>Pinus sylvestris var. mongolica</em> forest increased by 20.356% and 48.209%,respectively. <em>Piceaasperata</em>and <em>Pinus koraiensis</em> forest released the most amount of oxygen per unit area; <em>Larixgmelini</em> forest and <em>Pinus sylvestris var. mongolica</em> forest released less. Finally, the results of the control experiments suggest that forest oxygen production in Heilongjiang is only approximately half of the amount in 1900.Moreover, forest degradationdue to human activities is one of the major factors that leads to the decrease of the quantity of oxygen released.

Replication of the top 10 most significant polymorphisms from a large blood pressure genome-wide association study of northeastern Han Chinese East Asians

The replication of genome-wide significant association signals in independent populations is a practical approach for characterizing gene-disease relationships. Therefore, we sought to explore the top 10 polymorphisms from a large blood pressure genome-wide association study of northeastern Han Chinese East Asians. This was a hospital-based study involving 1009 patients with essential hypertension and 756 normotensive controls from Qiqihar city, China. Genotyping was conducted with a polymerase chain reaction-ligase detection reaction method. All polymorphisms except for rs6825911 satisfied Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. Overall, the genotype differences between the patients and controls were significant for rs35444 (P<0.001), rs11191548 (P=0.017) and rs17249754 (P=0.017). The per-minor-allele odds ratios of rs35444, rs11191548 and rs17249754 were 0.54 (95% confidence interval (95% CI): 0.46-0.62; P<0.01), 1.23 (95% CI: 1.07-1.43; P=0.005) and 1.23 (95% CI: 1.07-1.41; P=0.004), respectively. Similarly, the carriers of minor homozygotes had a significant reduction in adjusted systolic and diastolic blood pressure for rs35444 (P<0.01) but an increase for both rs11191548 (P<0.01) and rs17249754 (P<0.04). Further application of the genetic risk score method indicated that subjects with risk scores of 8, 10 and 12-16 had 1.66-fold (95% CI: 1.01-2.72), 1.72-fold (95% CI: 1.03-2.86) and 1.97-fold (95% CI: 1.12-3.46) increases, respectively, in the odds of developing hypertension, and similar increases were also observed for blood pressure. Taken together, our findings demonstrate that although only three of the top 10 polymorphisms were successfully validated in the northeastern Han Chinese population, the genetic risk score analyses led us to more profound insights into the possible joint effects of multiple polymorphisms on hypertension risk and blood pressure variation.

Contributory Role of Five Common Polymorphisms of RAGE and APE1 Genes in Lung Cancer among Han Chinese

BackgroundLung cancer is the leading cause of cancer mortality in China. Given the ubiquitous nature of gene-to-gene interaction in lung carcinogenesis, we sought to evaluate five common polymorphisms from advanced glycosylation end product-specific receptor (RAGE) and apurinic/apyrimidinic endonuclease 1 (APE1) genes in association with lung cancer among Han Chinese.Methods and Results819 patients with lung cancer and 803 cancer-free controls were recruited from Qiqihar city. Genotypes of five examined polymorphisms (RAGE gene: rs1800625, rs1800624, rs2070600; APE1 gene: rs1760944, rs1130409) were determined by ligase detection reaction method. Data were analyzed by R software and multifactor dimensionality reduction (MDR). Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium was satisfied for all five polymorphisms. Overall differences in the genotype and allele distributions were significant for rs1800625 (Pgenotype<0.0005; Pallele<0.0005), rs2070600 (Pgenotype = 0.005; Pallele = 0.004) and rs1130409 (Pgenotype = 0.009; Pallele = 0.004) polymorphisms. Haplotype C-A-A (alleles in order of rs1800625, rs1800624 and rs2070600) of RAGE gene was overrepresented in patients, and conferred a 2.1-fold increased risk of lung cancer (95% confidence interval: 1.52–2.91), independent of confounding factors. Further application of MDR method to five examined polymorphisms identified the overall best interaction model including rs2070600 and rs1130409 polymorphisms. This model had a maximal testing accuracy of 64.63% and a maximal cross-validation consistency of 9 out of 10 at the significant level of 0.006.ConclusionsOur findings demonstrated a potential interactive contribution of RAGE and APE1 genes to the pathogenesis of lung cancer among Han Chinese. Further studies are warranted to confirm or refute these findings.

Relationship Between Organ Masses and Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) in Tree Sparrows (Passer montanus)

BMR (basal metabolic rate), body mass and organ masses of tree sparrows (Passer montanus) were measured to analyze the correlation between organ masses and BMR in tree sparrows, and to evaluate the underlying physiological causes of difference in BMR. Adult tree sparrows were live-trapped by mist net in Qiqihar City, Heilongjiang Province (47°29′N, 124°02′E). The closed circuit respirometer was used to measure the metabolic rate (MR), and controlled the ambient temperature by using a water bath (±0.5°C). Body masses were measured to the nearest 0.01 g before and after BMR measurements with a Sartorius balance (model BT25S). The mean value was recorded as body mass. Wet and dry masses of several organs were measured, too. BMR was (4.276± 0.385) mL O2/(g · h) and mean body mass was (18.522±0.110) g. Since not all the variables were normal distributed, a log10-transformation of those variables was employed to linearize them, prior to analyses. Simple regression analyses indicated that most organ masses showed a significant high correlation with body mass. Both the small intestine and rectum masses were notable exception to that trend. The body-mass-adjusted residual analysis showed that only the kidney wet mass, brain mass, stomach mass, small mass and rectum wet mass correlated with BMR. In addition, correlations between several organ masses and BMR were observed. Because of the inter-correlations of organ masses, a principal component analysis (PCA) was performed to redefine the morphological variability. The first four components whose eigenvalues were greater than 1 could explain 75.2% variance of BMR. The first component, whose proportion reached 30.19%, was affected mainly by stomach mass, small intestine mass and rectum mass. Therefore, the results supported the hypothesis that BMR was controlled by some “expensive metabolic” organs.