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Background Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is a major public health problem in China. Over a decade has passed since the last National Hepatitis Seroepidemiological Survey was conducted in 2006. The lack of updated data on hepatitis B in China makes assessing the current prevalence and burden of the disease inadequate. In response to the above situation, a systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted to provide a better understanding of hepatitis B epidemiology in the general population of China. Methods A systematic search was conducted in international databases (Medline through PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane, Web of Science) and national databases (CBM, CNKI, WanFang Data) to retrieve primary studies published between January 1, 2013 and December 31, 2017. The pooled prevalence of HBV infection and 95% confidence intervals were calculated. Quality assessment, heterogeneity testing and publication bias assessment were also performed. Results Of the 27 studies included in the meta-analysis, the pooled estimated prevalence of HBV infection in the general population of China from 2013 to 2017 was 6.89% (95% CI :5.84–7.95%), which could be extrapolated to an estimated population of 84 million living with HBsAg in 2018. The prevalence of HBV infection in males was higher than that in females (5.88% vs 5.05%), and rural areas had a higher prevalence than urban areas (5.86% vs 3.29%). The highest prevalence of HBV infection was reported in Western provinces (8.92, 95% CI: 7.19–10.64%). In adults older than 20 years, the prevalence of HBV infection was approximately 7%, which was higher than that in children. Conclusion The prevalence of HBV infection in the general population of China was classified as higher intermediate prevalence (5–7.99%), of which more than 90% of the HBV infection population included adults older than 20 years. The blocking of mother-to-infant hepatitis B transmission and plans involving timely birth dose of hepatitis B vaccine within 24 h should be implemented. Additionally, improving the quality of life and survival rate of the infected population through antiviral therapy and high-risk adult vaccination will be the priority of our future work. Moreover, various control measures should be implemented in different provinces across China.

The omnipresent Na + /vacancy orderings change substantially with the composition that inevitably actuate the ionic diffusion in rechargeable batteries. Therefore, it may hold the key to the electrode design with high rate capability. Herein, the influence of Na + /vacancy ordering on Na + mobility is demonstrated firstly through a comparative investigation in P2-Na 2/3 Ni 1/3 Mn 2/3 O 2 and P2-Na 2/3 Ni 0.3 Mn 0.7 O 2 . The large zigzag Na + /vacancy intralayer ordering is found to accelerate Na + migration in P2-type Na 2/3 Ni 1/3 Mn 2/3 O 2 . By theoretical simulations, it is revealed that the Na + ordering enables the P2-type Na 2/3 Ni 1/3 Mn 2/3 O 2 with higher diffusivities and lower activation energies of 200 meV with respect to the P3 one. The quantifying diffusional analysis further prove that the higher probability of the concerted Na + ionic diffusion occurs in P2-type Na 2/3 Ni 1/3 Mn 2/3 O 2 due to the appropriate ratio of high energy ordered Na ions (Na f ) occupation. As a result, the interplay between the Na + /vacancy ordering and Na + kinetic is well understood in P2-type layered cathodes. In layered transition metal oxides as cathode active materials for Na-ion batteries, Na + diffusion kinetics are impacted by Na + /vacancy ordering. Here, the authors suggest that the P2-type Na 2/3 Ni 1/3 Mn 2/3 O 2 with large zigzag ordering exhibits high Na + mobility and thus superior rate capability.

Aromatic compounds are important for fruit quality and can vary among fruit cultivars. Volatile compounds formed during the ripening of two banana cultivars, Brazilian and Fenjiao, were determined using headspace solid-phase micro-extraction (SPME) and gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (GC-MS). These two cultivars exhibited different physiological characteristics during storage. Fenjiao fruit exhibited faster yellowing and softening, a higher respiration rate and greater ethylene production. Also, the soluble sugar content in Fenjiao fruit was much higher than in Brazilian fruit. In total, 62 and 59 volatile compounds were detected in Fenjiao and Brazilian fruits, respectively. The predominant volatile components isoamyl acetate, butanoic acid, 3-methyl-3-methylbutyl ester, hexanal, trans-2-hexenal and 1-hexanol varied during ripening stages. Moreover, esters were more abundant in Fenjiao, and propanoic acid 2-methylbutyl ester, and octanoic acid were only detected in Fenjiao. These compounds contribute to the unique flavors and aromas of the two cultivars.

Real-time reverse transcription PCR (RT-qPCR) is a preferred method for rapid and accurate quantification of gene expression studies. Appropriate application of RT-qPCR requires accurate normalization though the use of reference genes. As no single reference gene is universally suitable for all experiments, thus reference gene(s) validation under different experimental conditions is crucial for RT-qPCR analysis. To date, only a few studies on reference genes have been done in other plants but none in papaya. In the present work, we selected 21 candidate reference genes, and evaluated their expression stability in 246 papaya fruit samples using three algorithms, geNorm, NormFinder and RefFinder. The samples consisted of 13 sets collected under different experimental conditions, including various tissues, different storage temperatures, different cultivars, developmental stages, postharvest ripening, modified atmosphere packaging, 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP) treatment, hot water treatment, biotic stress and hormone treatment. Our results demonstrated that expression stability varied greatly between reference genes and that different suitable reference gene(s) or combination of reference genes for normalization should be validated according to the experimental conditions. In general, the internal reference genes EIF (Eukaryotic initiation factor 4A), TBP1 (TATA binding protein 1) and TBP2 (TATA binding protein 2) genes had a good performance under most experimental conditions, whereas the most widely present used reference genes, ACTIN (Actin 2), 18S rRNA (18S ribosomal RNA) and GAPDH (Glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase) were not suitable in many experimental conditions. In addition, two commonly used programs, geNorm and Normfinder, were proved sufficient for the validation. This work provides the first systematic analysis for the selection of superior reference genes for accurate transcript normalization in papaya under different experimental conditions.

Immunometabolism, a fundamental biogenic process that supports the function of immune cells, is often disrupted in diseases such as cancer. Tackling metabolic dysregulation at a cellular level has therefore emerged as a focus in drug development. However, as cellular metabolic rewiring takes place in response to both intrinsic factors, which can be targeted pharmacologically, and environmental changes, which cannot, fostering a homeostatic systemic metabolism through diet, exercise, and stress management is essential to support and sustain cellular fitness. This Essay conceptualizes immunometabolism as a process that can be regulated intrinsically and extrinsically and explores the potential for incorporating lifestyle changes and drug therapies that target immunometabolism into treatments for cancer.

Air quality in China has become an increasing concern, its association with physical fitness remains unclear. This study represents one of the largest nationwide investigations of this association, leveraging data from 174,246 students aged 7-22 years across 30 provinces. Annual concentrations of PM₂.₅, PM₁₀, SO₂, NO₂, CO, O₃, and the Air Quality Index (AQI) were obtained from the Tracking of Atmospheric Pollution in China dataset. Physical fitness was evaluated through a comprehensive set of field-based tests covering anthropometric, cardiopulmonary, flexibility, muscular strength, and endurance. Associations were examined using generalized linear models with progressive adjustments: Model 1 controlled for demographic factors (age, sex, residence, province), Model 2 additionally accounted for physical activity and parental factors, and Model 3 further incorporated temperature and humidity. After adjusting for covariates, each 1 μg/m³ increase in PM₂.₅ and PM₁₀ was associated with decreases in physical fitness scores of 0.18 [95% CI: -0.22, -0.14] and 0.12 [-0.16, -0.08] points, respectively. SO₂, O₃, and CO showed similar negative associations, with reductions of 0.42 [-0.47, -0.38], 0.21 [-0.25, -0.16], and 0.16 [-0.20, -0.11] points, respectively. In contrast, NO₂ exhibited a positive association, with an increase of 0.29 [0.25, 0.33] points per 1 μg/m³. AQI was also inversely related to fitness, decreasing scores by 0.17 [-0.21, -0.13] points per 1-unit increase. Ambient air pollution is adversely associated with physical fitness among Chinese children, adolescents, and young adults, highlighting the importance of air quality improvement strategies for youth health. Future longitudinal studies are warranted to strengthen causal inference.

Primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) is a chronic autoimmune liver disease characterized by multilineage immune dysregulation, which subsequently causes inflammation, fibrosis, and even cirrhosis of liver. Due to the limitation of traditional assays, the local hepatic immunopathogenesis of PBC has not been fully characterized. Here, we utilize single-cell RNA sequencing technology to depict the immune cell landscape and decipher the molecular mechanisms of PBC patients. We reveal that cholangiocytes and hepatic stellate cells are involved in liver inflammation and fibrosis. Moreover, Kupffer cells show increased levels of inflammatory factors and decreased scavenger function related genes, while T cells exhibit enhanced levels of inflammatory factors and reduced cytotoxicity related genes. Interestingly, we identify a liver-resident Th1-like population with JAK-STAT activation in the livers of both PBC patients and murine PBC model. Finally, blocking the JAK-STAT pathway alleviates the liver inflammation and eliminates the liver-resident Th1-like cells in the murine PBC model. In conclusion, our comprehensive single-cell transcriptome profiling expands the understanding of pathological mechanisms of PBC and provides potential targets for the treatment of PBC in patients. Primary biliary cholangitis is a chronic autoimmune disease critically linked to immunological dysregulation but the local immune-pathogenesis is poorly understood. Here the authors present single cell transcriptomic characterisation of primary biliary cholangitis and implicates Th1 like cells in a murine model.

Background Ethylene promotes fruit ripening whereas 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP), a non-toxic antagonist of ethylene, delays fruit ripening via the inhibition of ethylene receptor. However, unsuitable 1-MCP treatment can cause fruit ripening disorders. Results In this study, we show that short-term 1-MCP treatment (400 nL•L − 1 , 2 h) significantly delays papaya fruit ripening with normal ripening characteristics. However, long-term 1-MCP treatment (400 nL•L − 1 , 16 h) causes a “rubbery” texture of fruit. The comparative transcriptome analysis showed that a total of 5529 genes were differently expressed during fruit ripening compared to freshly harvested fruits. Comprehensive functional enrichment analysis showed that the metabolic pathways of carbon metabolism, plant hormone signal transduction, biosynthesis of amino acids, and starch and sucrose metabolism are involved in fruit ripening. 1-MCP treatment significantly affected fruit transcript levels. A total of 3595 and 5998 differently expressed genes (DEGs) were identified between short-term 1-MCP, long-term 1-MCP treatment and the control, respectively. DEGs are mostly enriched in the similar pathway involved in fruit ripening. A large number of DEGs were also identified between long-term and short-term 1-MCP treatment, with most of the DEGs being enriched in carbon metabolism, starch and sucrose metabolism, plant hormone signal transduction, and biosynthesis of amino acids. The 1-MCP treatments accelerated the lignin accumulation and delayed cellulose degradation during fruit ripening. Considering the rubbery phenotype, we inferred that the cell wall metabolism and hormone signal pathways are closely related to papaya fruit ripening disorder. The RNA-Seq output was confirmed using RT-qPCR by 28 selected genes that were involved in cell wall metabolism and hormone signal pathways. Conclusions These results showed that long-term 1-MCP treatment severely inhibited ethylene signaling and the cell wall metabolism pathways, which may result in the failure of cell wall degradation and fruit softening. Our results reveal multiple ripening-associated events during papaya fruit ripening and provide a foundation for understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying 1-MCP treatment on fruit ripening and the regulatory networks.

Whether a booster dose of hepatitis B vaccine is necessary for adolescents remains controversial. We conducted a retrospective cohort study from the Immunization Information System and The National Notifiable Disease Reporting System to evaluate the impact of hepatitis B virus (HBV) vaccination programs (universal infant hepatitis B immunization and adolescent booster) on HBV infection. The vaccine effectiveness (VE) of hepatitis B vaccine is 64.43% (95% CI 57.78% − 71.08%) within 10 years of birth, escalates to 95.36% (95% CI 94.84% − 95.88%) by 20 years, and decreases to 67.35% (95% CI 63.86% − 70.85%) by 30 years. Compared with Beijing’s birth-vaccinated-only group, the booster group showed a lower relative VE in the first 10 years but a slight increase thereafter. Compared with the national control group, the booster group maintained a relatively high relative VE with a smaller decline magnitude. This study demonstrates that adolescent HBV booster vaccination administered during junior high school improves hepatitis B surface antibody levels and contributes to a further reduction in the incidence of HBV infection. Authors explore the hepatitis B vaccine program in China and found Beijing’s 30-year universal infant immunizations reduced incidence. Adolescent boosters may also have elevated antibody titers, contributing to a further decline in incidence rates.

Coherent beam combining technology applied to multiple vortex beams is a promising method to generate high-power vortex beams. We utilize the coherent combination of multiple Laguerre-Gaussian beams at the waist plane and propose theoretically a practical generation system for a high-power beam carrying orbital angular momentum by considering oblique incidence. The results demonstrate that the orbital angular momentum distribution of the combined field is similar to that of a single Laguerre-Gaussian beam within the Rayleigh length. Moreover, the combined field has relativistic intensity local spots that exhibit stable spatial propagation. The proposed system may potentially be applied to intense vortical fields, large scale nuclear fusion device, such as suppressing stimulated Raman scattering and filamentation when a laser beam propagates in plasma.