Aim: Omentin-1, a novel adipokine expressed in visceral adipose tissue, is negatively correlated with insulin resistance and obesity. Decreased omentin-1 expression has been found in many chronic inflammatory diseases. However, the role of omentin-1 in coronary artery disease (CAD) has not been elucidated. The aim of the present study was to determine whether serum concentration of omentin-1 was independently associated with CAD. Methods: One hundred and fifty five patients with CAD were divided into two groups: acute coronary syndrome (ACS) and stable angina pectoris (SAP). A total of 52 healthy participants served as controls. Serum concentrations of omentin-1 and interleukin-6 (IL-6) were measured using ELISA. The association of omentin-1 with CAD and cardiovascular disease risk factors was evaluated. Results: Serum omentin-1 levels were lower in patients with ACS or SAP compared with controls (ACS, 113.08±61.43 ng/mL; SAP, 155.41±66.89 ng/mL; control, 254.00±72.9 ng/mL; P<0.01). Patients with ACS also had lower serum concentrations of omentin-1 compared with patients with SAP (P<0.01). Serum concentration of omentin-1 was negatively correlated with body mass index (r=-0.17, P<0.05) and serum IL-6 concentration (r=-0.19, P<0.05). Furthermore, multiple logistic regression analysis showed that serum omentin-1 concentrations were independently correlated with CAD. Conclusion: The findings suggest that serum concentrations of omentin-1 are related to CAD.

Background To combat the COVID-19 pandemic, nonpharmaceutical interventions (NPI) were implemented worldwide, which impacted a broad spectrum of acute respiratory infections (ARI). Methods Etiologically diagnostic data from 142 559 cases with ARIs, who were tested for eight viral pathogens (influenza virus, IFV; respiratory syncytial virus, RSV; human parainfluenza virus, HPIV; human adenovirus; human metapneumovirus; human coronavirus, HCoV; human bocavirus, HBoV, and human rhinovirus, HRV) between 2012 and 2021, were analyzed to assess the changes of respiratory infections in China during the first COVID-19 pandemic year compared to pre-pandemic years. Results Test positive rates of all respiratory viruses decreased during 2020, compared to the average levels during 2012−2019, with changes ranging from -17·2% for RSV to -87·6% for IFV. Sharp decreases mostly occurred between February and August when massive NPIs remained active, although HRV rebounded to the historical level during the summer. While IFV and HMPV were consistently suppressed year round, RSV, HPIV, HCoV, HRV HBov resurged and went beyond historical levels during September, 2020−January, 2021, after NPIs were largely relaxed and schools reopened. Resurgence was more prominent among children younger than 18 years and in Northern China. These observations remain valid after accounting for seasonality and long-term trend of each virus. Conclusions Activities of respiratory viral infections were reduced substantially in the early phases of the COVID-19 pandemic, and massive NPIs were likely the main driver. Lifting of NPIs can lead to resurgence of viral infections, particularly in children.

Background: The natural history of disease in patients infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) remained obscure during the early pandemic. Aim: Our objective was to estimate epidemiological parameters of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and assess the relative infectivity of the incubation period. Methods: We estimated the distributions of four epidemiological parameters of SARS-CoV-2 transmission using a large database of COVID-19 cases and potential transmission pairs of cases, and assessed their heterogeneity by demographics, epidemic phase and geographical region. We further calculated the time of peak infectivity and quantified the proportion of secondary infections during the incubation period. Results: The median incubation period was 7.2 (95% confidence interval (CI): 6.9-7.5) days. The median serial and generation intervals were similar, 4.7 (95% CI: 4.2-5.3) and 4.6 (95% CI: 4.2-5.1) days, respectively. Paediatric cases < 18 years had a longer incubation period than adult age groups (p = 0.007). The median incubation period increased from 4.4 days before 25 January to 11.5 days after 31 January (p < 0.001), whereas the median serial (generation) interval contracted from 5.9 (4.8) days before 25 January to 3.4 (3.7) days after. The median time from symptom onset to discharge was also shortened from 18.3 before 22 January to 14.1 days after. Peak infectivity occurred 1 day before symptom onset on average, and the incubation period accounted for 70% of transmission. Conclusion: The high infectivity during the incubation period led to short generation and serial intervals, necessitating aggressive control measures such as early case finding and quarantine of close contacts.

Herein, we report a significant improvement in solar-pumped laser collection efficiency based on end-side pumping a 6-mm-diameter 95-mm-length Ce:Nd:YAG/YAG grooved bonded crystal rod. A Fresnel lens, quartz cooling-water tube, and gold-plated conical cavity constituted the solar-energy collection and concentration system, which was designed to maximum pump light absorption and minimize thermal effects in the Ce:Nd:YAG laser medium. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time that a Ce:Nd:YAG crystal has been pumped by a Fresnel-lens solar-energy collection and concentration system. The 0.69-m2 effective solar-collection area produced 26.93 W of continuous-wave laser power, corresponding to 6.33% slope efficiency. The collection efficiency (38.8 W/m2) was 1.21 times higher than the highest previously reported value for Fresnel-lens solar collection, and is a record for single-beam solar-pumped lasers.

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A novel decentralised sewage treatment reactor (DSTR) for treating domestic sewage in rural areas was designed and investigated. The reactor was started aerobically after inoculation with biomass; the amount of initial mixed liquid suspended solids was 1.5 g/L. Oxygen was supplied to the reactor and the dissolved oxygen concentration was maintained at 1.3 ± 0.2 mg/L. The pollutant removal performance was investigated, and the average removal efficiencies of total chemical oxygen demand (TCOD),NH4+-N, suspended solids, and turbidity were 76%, 77.15%, 84.17%, and 83.93%, respectively. The DSTR exhibited good performance compared with the traditional activated sludge (AS) reactor. The resistance to impact load of the DSTR was superior to that of the AS reactor during surface load experiments. During the 120 days of operation, no sludge bulking was observed. The DSTR effluentNH4+-Nand TCOD levels were a little higher than those for the AS reactor, but the disparity was not major.