Shortened duration and reduced area of frozen soil in the Northern Hemisphere.

The changes in near-surface soil freeze-thaw cycles (FTCs) are crucial to understanding the related hydrological and biological processes in terrestrial ecosystems under a changing climate. However, long-term dynamics of soil FTCs at the hemisphere scale and the underlying mechanisms are not well understood. In this study, the spatiotemporal patterns and main driving factors of soil FTCs across the Northern Hemisphere (NH) during 1979-2017 were analyzed using multisource data fusion and attribution approaches.

Novel inactivating mutations in the FSH receptor cause premature ovarian insufficiency with resistant ovary syndrome.

Research Question: What is the genetic aetiology of three resistant ovary syndrome (ROS) pedigrees from 13 Chinese Han families with non-syndromic premature ovarian insufficiency (POI).

Design: The proband in each family was subjected to whole-exome sequencing. Bioinformatic and in-vitro functional analyses were performed for the functional characterization of the FSHR mutations.

Drinking-water disinfection by-products and semen quality: a cross-sectional study in China.

Background: Exposure to disinfection by-products (DBPs) has been demonstrated to impair male reproductive health in animals, but human evidence is limited and inconsistent.

Objective: We examined the association between exposure to drinking-water DBPs and semen quality in a Chinese population.

Methods: We recruited 2,009 men seeking semen analysis from the Reproductive Center of Tongji Hospital in Wuhan, China, between April 2011 and May 2012.

Evaluation of exposure to trihalomethanes in tap water and semen quality: a prospective study in Wuhan, China.

Trihalomethanes (THMs) have been demonstrated to adversely affect male reproductive health in animals, but the evidence in humans is limited. The study aimed to examine the association between THM exposure and semen quality in a Chinese population. We recruited 324 men from the same water supply district in Wuhan, China between April 2011 and May 2012.

Spatial and temporal evaluations of estrogenic activity in tap water served by a water plant in Wuhan, China.

This study aimed to evaluate the spatial and temporal characteristics of estrogenic activities in tap water served by a water plant in Wuhan, China. Tap water samples were monthly collected from the three sampling sites with different distances of distribution network from the plant during April 2010-March 2011: Min (less than 0.1km), Mid (approximately 4km) and Max (approximately 8km).