BEIJING - Chinese researchers have identified two new risk gene variants that are responsible for leprosy.The findings have been published in the American Journal of Human Genetics.The research, led by Yao Yonggang from the Chinese Academy of Sciences Kunming institute of zoology, was based on a study involving 1,433 patients with leprosy and 1,625 healthy individuals from Southwest China's Yunnan province.More than 30 risk genes affecting susceptibility to leprosy have been identified. The research team has identified and validated two new rare damaging variants in HIF1A and LACC1 genes that can increase risk of developing the disease.Leprosy is a chronic infectious disease which can cause nerve damage, leading to muscle weakness and atrophy, and permanent disability. Leprosy patients also suffer from discrimination.In 2011, China announced plans to eradicate the disease by 2020.China had reduced incidence of the disease to less than 1 case per 10,000 people in 1981, but leprosy remains a major problem in some rural areas in Southwest China.As of the end of 2016, more than 50,000 people with leprosy had been cured in Yunnan province.The number of new cases reported in the province accounts for about one fourth of the country's total. It still has 44 counties with serious leprosy problems.According to the China Leprosy Association, nearly 480,000 people have been given free treatment and cured over the past half century, and now only 6,000 people suffer from the disease in the whole country. custom bar braceletcustom sports braceletscustom logo wristbandsde securite pour personne ageeembossed wristbandscolorfilled wristbandsembossed printed wristbandsdual layer wristbands
ZDK-03 model [Photo/VCG] Designer says few nations are capable of designing, building such aircraft China is a major arms exporter, but its image in the international weapons market has long been linked to old, second-tier products sold at relatively low prices. Domestic defense technology companies have been sparing no effort over the past several years to improve their reputation by promoting modern, advanced products featuring the latest technology. One recent effort is an airborne early-warning and control aircraft described by its designer as world-class and best of its kind. Hu Mingchun, head of the Nanjing Research Institute of Electronics Technology in Jiangsu province, said there are only a handful of nations including China, the United States and Israel that can design, build and export such cutting-edge hardware as early-warning planes. And he said the KLC-7 Silk Road Eye developed by his institute is a generation ahead of its rivals in the global market. According to Hu, the KLC-7 integrates a mechanical scanning system with active electronically scanned arrays - two popular radar detection methods - and features the latest digital technology and processing capacity, which is much more robust than previous models. With state-of-the-art electronics, the system boasts better anti-jamming functions, a longer detection range and stronger target-tracking ability and optimized algorithms, he said. It was designed based on our rich experience and expertise, Hu said. All of its core technologies and components were developed on our own. The product represents the latest technologies and is very competitive in the international market. Several nations have expressed strong interest in the KLC-7 and want to open talks with the institute, he said. For our users, the KLC-7 Silk Road Eye is the best solution to their needs because it fits perfectly in sophisticated and rapidly changing combat situations and can detect and track targets from afar, Hu said. The farther you can see in combat, the higher the chance that you will win. Therefore, anyone who uses the Silk Road Eye will be able to extensively magnify the situational awareness and operational capabilities of military forces. The electronics institute in Nanjing, which is part of State-owned defense giant China Electronics Technology Group Corp, is the country's top developer of military surveillance radar. Its products have been sold to more than 20 nations in Africa and Asia, it said. Reports have said it designed and manufactured the radars mounted on ZDK-03 early-warning aircraft that China exported to Pakistan. In a picture released by China Electronics Technology Group Corp, the Silk Road Eye appears similar to the ZDK-03, which means it is also mounted on the Y-9 turboprop transport plane built by Aviation Industry Corp of China.
