News from China
Updates every hour. Last Updated: 23-Sep-2025 18:11 ET (23-Sep-2025 22:11 GMT/UTC)
Grafting enhances water deficit tolerance in grapevines
Nanjing Agricultural University The Academy of Science- Journal
- Horticulture Research
Tea plant defense: new insights into anthracnose resistance mechanisms
Nanjing Agricultural University The Academy of SciencePeer-Reviewed Publication
- Journal
- Horticulture Research
Construction of a molten CMAS-resistant bilayer-structured apatite layer used for thermal barrier coatings
Tsinghua University PressPeer-Reviewed Publication
Molten calcium–magnesium–alumina–silicate (CMAS) is easy to wet and penetrate into thermal barrier coatings (TBCs), causing the coating corrosion and premature failure. Applying a protective layer on the TBC surface is considered a useful method to alleviate CMAS attack. In this study, a bilayer-structured apatite layer was constructed by pre-reacting GdPO4 with CMAS powders. It consists of an acicular upper layer and a compact lower layer, which remained microstructure integrity after heat treatment at 1250 °C for 50 h, and did not crack after 100 thermal cycles. At 1250 °C for 30 min, the CMAS contact angle on the bilayer-structured apatite layer was 17.4 °, exhibiting excellent low-wettability to CMAS. In addition, the layer provides outstanding resistance to the penetration of molten CMAS. Hence, the bilayer-structured apatite layer can be used as a protective layer for TBCs to fundamentally address the CMAS corrosion issue.
- Journal
- Journal of Advanced Ceramics
BGI Genomics taps AI to power healthcare transformation in Saudi Vision
BGI GenomicsChina’s BGI Genomics has marked its 26th anniversary with the launch of a newly developed AI-powered health management platform for the strategic commitment to global healthcare transformation. The platform enhances diagnostic efficiency and enables proactive disease prevention, creating a new standard in precision medicine.
As Saudi Arabia commemorates its 95th National Day and advances its Vision 2030 agenda, health innovation are driving a nationwide shift toward data-driven, precision-based healthcare. BGI Genomics, with its growing presence in the Kingdom and expertise in genomics and multi-omics technologies, is helping bring these goals closer to reality.
Linking climate change, city growth, and health: lessons from Foshan's epidemic
Nanjing Institute of Environmental Sciences, MEEPeer-Reviewed Publication
- Journal
- Eco-Environment & Health
Chinese scientists identify neural basis for energy expenditure in arcuate hypothalamus
Chinese Academy of Sciences HeadquartersPeer-Reviewed Publication
- Journal
- Neuron
Fast-hyperspectral imaging remote sensing: Emission quantification of NO2 and SO2 from marine vessels
Light Publishing Center, Changchun Institute of Optics, Fine Mechanics And Physics, CASPeer-Reviewed Publication
- Journal
- Light Science & Applications
- Funder
- National Natural Science Foundation of China, National Key Research and Development Program of China, major science and technology special project of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, President's Foundation of Hefei Institutes of Physical Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences
The evolution and future of external quality assessment in Korea
Shanghai Jiao Tong University Journal CenterPeer-Reviewed Publication
External quality assessment (EQA) is a cornerstone of laboratory quality management, ensuring the accuracy, comparability, and reliability of test results across institutions. In the Republic of Korea, the Korean Association of External Quality Assessment Service (KAEQAS) has played a leading role since its inception in 1976, expanding from a small-scale clinical chemistry program to over 90 nationwide schemes across all disciplines. This article reviews the historical evolution, operational framework, and scope of KAEQAS, highlighting its contribution to standardization and accreditation. Current challenges include nonmandatory participation, persistent standardization gaps, the need for more category 1 accuracy-based programs, modernization of data analysis and reporting systems, and the establishment of a specimen bank. Future prospects emphasize policy reform, global harmonization, and technological innovation, positioning KAEQAS to further strengthen laboratory quality both nationally and internationally.
- Journal
- LabMed Discovery
Immunoblot assay shows comparable accuracy to ELISA in detecting anti-F-actin antibodies for autoimmune hepatitis type 1
Shanghai Jiao Tong University Journal CenterPeer-Reviewed Publication
Autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) is a liver disease of unknown cause characterized by hypergammaglobulinemia, typical or compatible liver histology, the absence of viral hepatitis and the production of autoantibodies. Anti-smooth muscle antibodies (SMAs) detected with indirect immunofluorescence (IIF) in rodent tissues are not disease specific, whereas antibodies directed to the filamentous form of actin (F-actin) are specifically involved in AIH-1. As solid-phase immunoassays (SPAs) specifically targeting F-actin, such as enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), have already been included in recent guidelines, in this study, we evaluated the diagnostic performance of an immunoblotting SPA for F-actin. We selected 86 samples positive for SMA by IIF (titre≥1∶40) and/or for anti-F-actin by ELISA (≥20 units); the patients were divided into 3 groups: AIH-1 (n=14), other liver disorders (n=38) and other nonliver-related conditions (n=34). The samples were tested with an immunoblot SPA (European Autoimmune Liver Diseases 9 Ag plus F-actin, Euroimmun, Germany); the qualitative results were converted into numeric intensity values via EurolineScan software. Immunoblotting revealed 16 positive samples (19%), and ELISA revealed 24 (28%); among them, 7/16 (44%) and 11/24 (46%) had AIH-1. The diagnostic performance metrics were as follows: sensitivity (50%); specificity (87.5%); positive predictive value (PPV), 43.8%; negative predictive value (NPV), 90%; and accuracy (81.4%) and equal to those of ELISA. The mean values were greater in the AIH-1 group; the receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) had an area under curve (AUC) of 0.77 and was not different from that of the ELISA (0.82); the agreement was 81.4%, with a Cohens kappa of 0.49.
Immunoblotting might be a reliable assay for the identification of anti-F-actin antibodies, and given its high specificity, its implementation in a clinical laboratory might confirm the specific diagnosis of AIH-1 in patients with IIF-detected SMA.
- Journal
- LabMed Discovery