Study on Precipitation Evolution Characteristics in Tongzhou District of Beijing in Recent 65 Years

Based on the 65a (1956–2020) precipitation series data of 11 rainfall stations and 5 surrounding rainfall stations in Tongzhou District, Beijing, the evolution characteristics of precipitation in Tongzhou District on spatial, interannual and intra annual scales are comprehensively analyzed using cumulative anomaly method, 5a moving average method and spectral analysis method, and the future change trend is predicted using ARIMA model. The results show that: 1) the annual average precipitation in Tongzhou District is higher in the middle and northwest and lower in the southwest, and the precipitation between June to August, accounts for more than 70% of the annual precipitation; 2) In general, the precipitation shows a fluctuating downward trend at the rate of -2.42 mm a-1, in which the precipitation in summer decreases at the rate of -2.68 mm a-1, while the precipitation in spring and autumn increases at the rates of 0.35 mm a-1 and 0.26 mm a-1 respectively; 3) The abrupt change of precipitation occurred in 1959 and 2000, which were 990.2mm and 239.4mm respectively; 4) There are 3∼8a and 14∼16a oscillation periods on the inter annual scale of precipitation, the prediction results of ARIMA model show that the precipitation will increase about 40 mm in the next five years.

General practitioners’ knowledge of gout and its management: a case study in Beijing

Background: The incidence of gout has increased rapidly in recent years, and the suspected lack of awareness of gout among general practitioners may lead to misdiagnosis and inappropriate treatment. Aim: To assess general practitioners’ management of gout at community health service clinics in the Tongzhou district of Beijing, as well as the factors that contributed to optimal decision making. Methods: A survey based on current guidelines for assessment and management of gout was sent to 245 general practitioners at community health service clinics in the Tongzhou district of Beijing. The questionnaire included personal information of general practitioners and ten items that addressed knowledge of gout. Our questionnaire was self-administered and distributed electronically via WeChat, and data were collected on a platform called ‘Wenjuanwang’. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS version 19.0 software. Results: Totally, 216 general practitioners responded to the survey. About three-quarters (71.8%) reported having received Continuing Medical Education (CME) about gout. More than half (54.6%) reported an awareness of treat to target (T2T) for gout. However, the overall rate of good understanding of gout was only 6.5%, a basic knowledge of gout was 55.6%, and understanding about gout diagnosis and treatment was only 11.1%. The general practitioners’ understanding of basic concepts related to gout indicated that CME could improve their understanding (P < 0.05). An analysis of the general practitioners’ rate of comprehension of gout diagnosis and treatment showed that education level, CME, and familiarity with T2T could improve understandings of gout diagnosis and treatment (P < 0.05). Conclusion: There are serious deficits in understandings about gout among general practitioners in the Tongzhou district of Beijing. Quality CME is needed to improve Chinese general practitioners’ management of gout.

Expansion of Rural Settlements on High-Quality Arable Land in Tongzhou District in Beijing, China

Settlement expansion caused by urbanization is an important factor leading to the loss of arable land across the world. Due to various factors in China, such as institutional problems, the total number of rural settlements is decreasing, while the total area continues to increase. Rural settlements expand mainly into arable land, resulting in a significant loss of high-quality farmland, thus threatening long-term food security. However, research on this subject is relatively scarce. In this study, using KeyHole and RESURS F1 satellite remote sensing images, we examined the spatial expansion of rural settlements in Tongzhou District, Beijing, in 1972 and 1991. Then, the consumption of high-quality arable land by rural settlements expansion was assessed. It was found that the overall accuracy of the produced maps for 1972 and 1991 were 93% and 90%, respectively. The accuracy of mapped changes from 1972 to 1991 was as high as 90%. From 1972 to 1991 and from 1991 to 2015, the rural settlements in Tongzhou District expanded by 51.54% and 79.91% respectively, with 53.72% and 60.64% of the expanded rural settlements being on arable land. Rural settlements expanded mainly into high-quality arable land at the beginning of the study period, whereas later on, medium- and low-quality farmland was also occupied, albeit to a lesser degree.

Epidemiological study on hand, foot and mouth disease in Tongzhou District, Beijing, 2013–2017

Objective To study the epidemiological characteristics of hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) in Tongzhou District, Beijing between 2013 and 2017. Methods Data on HFMD infections from 1 January 2013 to 31 December 2017 were collected from the Notifiable Infectious Diseases Reporting Information System and analysed. Serotyping of enteroviruses from samples from patients with HFMD was undertaken using reverse transcription–polymerase chain reaction. Results A total of 15 341 patients with HFMD were reported and 32 patients (0.2%) were classified as having severe HFMD. The annual mean incidence rate of HFMD was 219.3/100 000 of the general population. The incidence and case-severity rates of HFMD generally decreased between 2013 and 2017. In the floating migrant population, the incidence and cases-severity rates of HFMD were significantly higher than in the local population. The peak incidence and severity-case rates were at 2 years of age and > 90% of patients were ≤5 years. Enterovirus A71 and Coxsackievirus A16 were the predominant pathogens in 2013–2017. Conclusions During the 5-year period 2013–2017, the incidence rate and case-severity rate of HFMD generally decreased in Tongzhou District, Beijing. The floating migrant population and children ≤5 years of age were at the highest risk of HFMD.