Crop breeding aims to balance disease resistance with yield; however, single resistance (R) genes can lead to resistance breakdown, and R gene pyramiding may affect growth fitness. Here we report that the rice locus contains a cluster of genes encoding nucleotide-binding leucine-rich repeat (NLR) receptors that confer durable resistance to the fungus without yield penalty. Among these NLR receptors, PigmR confers broad-spectrum resistance, whereas PigmS competitively attenuates PigmR homodimerization to suppress resistance. expression, and thus-mediated resistance, are subjected to tight epigenetic regulation. increases seed production to counteract the yield cost induced by Therefore, our study reveals a mechanism balancing high disease resistance and yield through epigenetic regulation of paired antagonistic NLR receptors, providing a tool to develop elite crop varieties.

China’s hepatitis B virus (HBV) prevention policy has been evaluated through nationally representative serologic surveys conducted in 1992 and 2006. We report results of a 2014 serologic survey and reanalysis of the 1992 and 2006 surveys in the context of program policy. The 2014 survey used a 2-stage sample strategy in which townships were selected from 160 longstanding, nationally representative, county-level disease surveillance points, and persons 1–29 years of age were invited to participate. The 2014 sample size was 31,713; the response rate was 83.3%. Compared with the 1992 pre–recombinant vaccine survey, HBV surface antigen prevalence declined 46% by 2006 and by 52% by 2014. Among children <5 years of age, the decline was 97%. China’s HBV prevention program, targeted toward interrupting perinatal transmission, has been highly successful and increasingly effective. However, this progress must be sustained for decades to come, and elimination of HBV transmission will require augmented strategies.

The Chinese mainland features widespread active faults and intensive seismic activity; both can be described in terms of slip rates on these faults. Previous studies of fault slip rates in mainland China have focused on individual faults or fault segments, and large discrepancies exist among results derived from different methods. Here we derive a self‐consistent estimate of the slip rates on all major faults in mainland China using the recently updated GPS data and an elastic block model. The predicted slip rates are high in western and low in eastern China, ranging from 25.1 ± 2.0 mm/yr in the Himalayan Thrust System to less than 1.0 mm/yr in north China. Using these slip rates, we estimated the rates of moment accumulation on the major fault zones and compared them with the seismic moment released on each fault zone using the Chinese historical earthquake catalog that extends for more than 2000 years in many regions. The results show nine seismic zones with large moment deficits (unreleased moment). Future refinement of GPS measurements and earthquake history will allow better estimates of slip rates on individual faults and better assessment of earthquake hazard on these faults in mainland China.

The tectonic deformations and seismic activites of 26 active boundary zones are studied based on the delineation and studies on active tectonic blocks in the continent of China, these 26 active boundary zones are located in 6 active tectonic block regions and 22 active tectonic blocks. The relationship of distribution of major earthquakes with active boundary zones, the relationship of tectonic movement rate with the level of seismic activities in boundary zones and the relationship of tectonic movement rate with recurrence periods of strong earthquakes in boundary zones, etc., are studied in the paper. The linear relation between tectonic movement rate and seismic activities and the reverse relation of tectonic movement rate and recurrence interval of strong earthquakes are presented. The results reveal the tectonic characteristics and motion characteristics of active tectonic blocks in the continent of China, and indicate that the activity of strong earthquakes is controlled by the tectonic deformation of block boundary zones.

The 2011 outbreak in China showed that poliomyelitis-free countries remain at risk for outbreaks while the poliovirus circulates anywhere in the world. Global eradication of poliomyelitis will benefit all countries, even those that are currently free of poliomyelitis.

Objectives Nation-wide hepatitis B vaccination coverage among healthcare workers (HCWs) is not well researched in China. This study aims to investigate the self-reported hepatitis B vaccination status among HCWs in China. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional survey of health_care workers’ vaccination statuses in 120 hospitals in China by collecting demographic and vaccination data. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis were used to assess factors associated with hepatitis B vaccination coverage. Results Eighty-six percent (2,666/3,104) of respondents reported having received at least one dose of the hepatitis B vaccination and 60% (1,853/3,104) reported having completed ≥3 doses of the hepatitis B vaccination. Factors associated with completing ≥3 doses of the hepatitis B vaccination included workplaces offering free hepatitis B vaccination with vaccination management, age, medical occupation, hospital level, acceptable hepatitis B knowledge and having received training on hepatitis B. HCWs in workplaces offering a free hepatitis B vaccine with vaccination management were 1.4 times more likely (OR = 1.4, 95% CI : 1.1–1.8) to complete their hepatitis B vaccination compared to HCWs in workplaces that did not offer a free hepatitis B vaccine. Either the possession of acceptable hepatitis B knowledge or an age of 30–39 years increased the odds of complete hepatitis B vaccination by 1.3-fold ( 95% CIs : 1.1–1.5 and 1.1–1.7, respectively) over their referent category. The receipt of training on hepatitis B was also associated with a higher percentage of completing the hepatitis B vaccination (OR = 1.5, 95% CI : 1.2–1.8). The main self-reported reason for incomplete hepatitis B vaccination was “forgot to complete follow-up doses” among 43% (234/547) of respondents. Among those who never received any hepatitis B vaccination, only 30% (131/438) intended to be vaccinated. Obtaining immunity from work (40%) and hospitals that did not provide hepatitis B vaccination activities (40%) were the top reasons mentioned for refusing hepatitis B vaccination. Conclusions The complete hepatitis B vaccination rate among HCWs in China is low, and the desire of HCWs for vaccination is indifferent; therefore, education campaigns are needed. In addition, a free national hepatitis B vaccination policy for HCWs that includes vaccination management should be prioritized to improve hepatitis B coverage among HCWs who are at-risk for HBV infection.

Myostatin (Mstn) is a conserved negative regulator of skeletal muscle mass in mammals. However, whether precise disruption of Mstn in livestock can be achieved and safely used to improve meat productivity has not been proven. We applied CRISPR/Cas9 system to generate Mstn knock-out (KO) rabbits and goats and then analyzed the changes in their phenotypes to answer this question. We efficiently generated 24 Mstn KO rabbits out of 32 newborn infants after embryo injection with two sgRNAs targeting rabbit Mstn, and found that the Mstn KO rabbits exhibited increased birthweight and a significantly increase in the weight ratios of the quadriceps and biceps muscles to the whole body. Mstn KO also caused high probability of enlarged tongue phenomenon and severe health problems such as stillbirth and early stage death. Using the same method, one out of four goats was generated with edition at Mstn locus. The early stage growth rate of this goat outperformed the control goats. In conclusion, we efficiently generated Mstn KO rabbits and goats using CRISPR/Cas9 technology. However, Mstn KO causes severe health problems and may also have the same effects on other species. This safety issue must be studied further before applied to animal reproduction processes.

No abstract