Postpartum women’s views on human milk banking in a city in Southeast China: a cross-sectional survey

Background Donor human milk is the best alternative for preterm infants when their mother’s own milk is insufficient or unavailable. The development of human milk banks in China started late, and in most of these banks, the amount of donor human milk is insufficient for clinical demand. Moreover, many mothers are reluctant to use donor human milk due to safety concerns. It is important to understand the potential supply and demand of donor human milk before establishing a new human milk bank. This study aimed to understand women’s acceptance of human milk banking in Wenzhou, southeastern China. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted in three community health centers in Wenzhou, southeast China, in December 2020. Data were collected from 305 postpartum women selected through convenience sampling. Sociodemographic, perinatal and breastfeeding characteristics, awareness and knowledge of human milk banking and willingness to donate human milk, and to accept donor human milk were assessed. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to explore independent predictors of willingness to donate human milk and to accept donor human milk. Results Only 17% (52/305) of our participants had heard of human milk banking prior to this survey. The prevalence of willingness to donate human milk and use donor human milk in our study was 73.4% (224/305) and 44.6% (136/305), respectively. Employment (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] 2.30; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.17, 4.50) and human milk banking knowledge (AOR 1.23; 95% CI 1.12, 1.35) were independent predictors of willingness to donate human milk. Monthly household income in the previous year (AOR 2.18; 95% CI 1.17, 4.06), awareness of human milk banking (AOR 2.41; 95% CI 1.24, 4.67) and knowledge of human milk banking (AOR 1.22; 95% CI 1.11, 1.35) were significantly associated with willingness to accept donor human milk. Conclusions In our study, awareness of human milk banks among women in the first year postpartum was low. More mothers were willing to donate human milk than to use donor human milk to feed their children. In our study, knowledge of human milk banking was a predictor of both willingness to donate human milk and willingness to use donor human milk. Programs with detailed information on human milk banking are needed to help mothers improve their knowledge and increase acceptance of human milk banking.

Diagnostic Model of Alzheimer’s Disease in the Elderly Based on Protein and Metabolic Biomarkers

Background: With the accelerating aging process, the number of participants with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is rising sharply, causing a huge economic burden. Objective: This study aimed to identify blood protein and metabolic biomarkers and explore the diagnostic model for AD among elderly in southeast China. Methods: We established a cohort among population with high risk AD in Zhejiang Province in 2018. Case and control groups each consisting of 45 subjects, matched for gender and age, were randomly selected from the cohort. Based on bioinformatics research, PRM/MRM technology was used to detect candidate biomarkers. Ensemble-based feature selection and machine learning methods was used to screen important variables as risk indicators for AD. Based on the risk biomarkers, the risk diagnostic model of AD in the elderly was constructed and evaluated. Results: Cystine and CPB2 were evaluated as biomarkers. The diagnostic model is constructed using logistic regression algorithm with the best cutoff value, sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of 0.554, 0.895, 0.976, and 0.938, respectively, which determined by Youden’s index. The results showed that the model with protein and metabolite had a high efficiency. Conclusion: It showed that the diagnostic model constructed by Cystine and CPB2 had a good performance on sample classification. This study was of great significance for the early screening and diagnosis of AD, timely intervention, control and delay the development of dementia in southeast China.

Seasonal and Inter-Annual Variations of Stable Isotopic Characteristics of Rainfall and Cave Water in Shennong Cave, Southeast China, and Its Paleoclimatic Implication

Speleothem calcite stable oxygen isotope (δ18OC) is one of the most widely used proxies in paleoclimate research, and understanding its seasonal-annual variability is very significant for palaeoclimate reconstruction. Five-year precipitation and karst cave water from 2016 to 2021 were monitored in Shennong cave, Jiangxi Province, Southeast China. The local meteoric water line (LMWL) is δD = 8.20 × δ18O + 13.34, which is similar to the global meteoric water line. The stable hydrogen and oxygen isotope (δD and δ18O) characteristics of precipitation and cave water were studied. δ18O and δD of precipitation and cave water show obvious seasonal variations. Lower precipitation δ18O and δD generally occur during summer and autumn compared with higher δ18O and δD values during winter and spring. Meanwhile, low precipitation δ18O values do not only appear in June–July when precipitation is the highest of the year but also appear in August–September when precipitation is limited. The back-trajectory analysis of monsoon precipitation moisture sources shows that the moisture uptake regions vary little on inter-annual scales; the water vapor of rainfall in June–July comes from the South China Sea and the Bay of Bengal, while the moisture source in August–September is mainly from the West Pacific and local area. The El Niño-Southern Oscillation is an important factor affecting the value of δ18O by modulating the percentage of summer monsoon precipitation in the annual precipitation and moisture source. The relationship between amount-weighted monthly mean precipitation δ18O and Niño-3.4 index shows that the East Asian summer monsoon (EASM) intensifies during La Niña phases, resulting in more precipitation in monsoon season (May to September, MJJAS) and lower δ18O values, and vice versa during El Niño phases.