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Jiangsu announces 2026 social insurance contribution base
In accordance with unified national policy, the Provincial Department of Human Resources and Social Security, the Provincial Department of Finance, the Provincial Healthcare Security Administration, and the Provincial Tax Service recently jointly issued the upper and lower limits for the 2026 social insurance contribution wage base. The four provincial departments made it clear that from January 1 to December 31, 2026, the upper limit for the basic pension insurance contribution wage base for employees across the province will be 25,127 yuan, and the lower limit will be 5,025 yuan. The upper and lower limits for the contribution wage base of employee basic medical insurance, unemployment insurance, work-related injury insurance, and maternity insurance shall be implemented according to the above standards.
Under the policy, employees use their average monthly wage in the previous year as the contribution wage base. If the average monthly wage income of the previous year is higher than the upper limit announced by the province for the current year, the upper limit shall be used as the contribution wage base; if it is lower than the lower limit, the lower limit shall be used as the contribution wage base. Flexible employment personnel may, according to their actual circumstances, independently choose an appropriate contribution tier between the announced upper and lower limits.
The notice from the four provincial departments also clarified that for any make-up difference arising from the adjustment of the upper and lower limits of the contribution wage base, insured units and employees may pay it in installments or in a lump sum before December 31, 2026. During this period, no late fees or interest will be charged. After the adjustment of the upper and lower limits of the contribution wage base, all employment support policies in the province will continue to be implemented with greater intensity, forming a positive interaction between stabilizing employment and promoting social insurance. Eligible enterprises and individuals may apply for various subsidies in accordance with regulations, including one-time job expansion subsidies and social insurance subsidies. From January to September this year, the province issued 416 million yuan in one-time job expansion subsidies and 3.015 billion yuan in social insurance subsidies, strongly supporting enterprises in stabilizing and expanding jobs and supporting workers in employment and entrepreneurship.
Insured persons who need further details on the policy may call the human resources and social security service hotline 12333, the medical insurance service hotline 12393, or the tax service hotline 12366, or consult local social insurance handling agencies or tax department service halls.
Attention, 2027 postgraduate exam candidates! Online pre-registration starts today
Attention, 2027 postgraduate exam candidates: online pre-registration will begin tomorrow. According to the Regulations on the Administration of National Master's Degree Admissions for 2027, the registration period for the 2027 national master's degree admissions examination is October 15 to October 24, 2026 (the pre-registration period is October 9 to October 12, 2026, with related arrangements determined and announced by provincial education admissions examination institutions), daily from 9:00 to 22:00.
To improve the registration experience for candidates, the China Graduate Admissions Information Network has further upgraded the registration system, and the registration process and photo collection model for the 2027 national master's degree admissions examination have been further optimized.
Simplified registration process: integrated online registration and confirmation
In the past, postgraduate exam registration included two stages: online registration and online confirmation. Candidates had to log in to the graduate admissions website during each stage to fill in their choices and submit verification materials. Starting with the 2027 postgraduate exam, the graduate admissions website will implement integrated online registration and online confirmation. During the online registration period, after filling in personal information and application choices, candidates may submit the verification materials required by the examination site at the same time. After registration ends, each examination site will centrally review candidates' registration information and materials to determine examination eligibility. For candidates in special situations such as materials not meeting requirements, the examination site will remind them through relevant notices and messages on the graduate admissions website to submit supplementary materials in a timely manner; after candidates submit the supplementary materials as required, registration will be completed.
Optimized registration photo collection model: candidates use the CHSI app to take photos online
Previously, candidates had to upload photos themselves, which could not only increase their financial costs but also, because uploaded photos might be overly beautified, affect identity verification during the examination and subsequent admission stages. Starting with the 2027 postgraduate exam, the graduate admissions website will optimize the registration photo collection model: the collection time will be moved earlier from the original online confirmation stage to the basic information filling stage of online registration, and candidates will not need to prepare registration photos in advance. Instead, they will directly take and upload photos online through the CHSI app. The system will detect shooting conditions such as lighting and angle in real time and prompt adjustments to ensure the photos meet requirements. In addition, registration photos will be used to produce admission tickets. To ensure that the printed admission ticket photo is clear and usable, this year's registration photo background color will be uniformly required to be white, and candidates must choose a white background when taking photos. At the same time, to optimize services, the system also provides auxiliary functions such as photo background color replacement for candidates to use.
From offline on-site confirmation used many years ago, to the full implementation of online confirmation starting in 2020, and now to integrated online registration and confirmation and online photo taking this year, the postgraduate exam registration process has continued to be adjusted and optimized on the basis of ensuring fairness and order in postgraduate exam work, improving the registration experience for candidates.
This "hidden treasure carb" is unexpectedly a nemesis of fatty liver!
When a physical examination reveals fatty liver, many people's first reaction is: what should I eat to reverse it? But doctors often advise controlling diet, eating less, and exercising more... Recently, a research team from Shanghai Jiao Tong University found that a certain "hidden treasure carb" specifically targets fatty liver. Eating 40 grams a day for just 4 months reduced liver fat by 57.7%, and body weight and various liver indicators also improved. AI-generated image.
Daily intake of 40 grams of resistant starch reduced liver fat by 57.7% after 4 months
In 2025, a study by researchers at Shanghai Jiao Tong University published in the journal Cell Metabolism found that appropriately supplementing resistant starch daily can effectively reduce liver fat. Specifically: supplementing 40 grams of resistant starch per day for 4 months reduced intrahepatic fat content by 57.7% in 75% of participants. This study provides a feasible personalized intervention path for patients with metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease.
In fact, this is not the first time resistant starch has attracted attention. Another study published in Cell Metabolism in 2023 showed that supplementing resistant starch in the daily diet can improve fatty liver by changing the composition and function of the gut microbiota. Moreover, the benefits are not limited to the liver. Patients' body weight, body mass index (BMI), and visceral and subcutaneous fat content also decreased significantly. At the same time, liver biochemical indicators and blood lipids also "returned to normal": alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, and gamma-glutamyl transferase decreased, while total cholesterol, triglycerides, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol overall moved toward healthier ranges.
What exactly is resistant starch? Why is its effect so significant?
"Resistant starch is a type of starch that is difficult to digest in the human small intestine," introduced Xia Yuhan, deputy director of the Nutrition Department of the General Hospital of Ningxia Medical University. Unlike ordinary starch, a large proportion of resistant starch is not broken down into glucose in the small intestine, but instead enters the large intestine and is fermented and utilized by some gut microbiota. It is precisely because of this special digestive pathway that resistant starch has attracted attention in the nutrition field in recent years. Simply put, resistant starch is "starch that cannot be digested."
▶ Ordinary starch: for example, rice, noodles, and hot potatoes, is digested by the small intestine into glucose within 20 minutes, causing blood sugar to spike and calories to exceed limits.
▶ Resistant starch: is more "tough," cannot be digested by the small intestine, rushes directly into the large intestine, feeds gut probiotics, and becomes a "prebiotic." It has only 2 kcal per gram (ordinary starch has 4 kcal per gram).
As research findings increase, the health benefits of resistant starch are becoming more numerous:
1. It helps with weight loss. A 2024 study published in Nature Metabolism found that resistant starch combined with a balanced diet can help alleviate obesity by regulating gut microbiota.
2. It reduces fatty liver. Studies show that a diet rich in resistant starch can change the composition of gut microbiota, thereby lowering triglyceride and liver enzyme levels associated with liver injury and effectively reducing fatty liver.
3. It regulates blood lipids. Research found that participants in the resistant starch group showed significant improvements in total cholesterol, triglycerides, and low-density lipoprotein, helping alleviate dyslipidemia.
4. It improves metabolism. Research confirms that supplementing resistant starch for only 8 weeks can not only help obese people lose weight but also significantly improve insulin resistance. These positive changes are all closely related to the optimization of gut microbiota composition. AI-generated image.
Resistant starch is found in these foods
Ni Boran, attending physician in the Endocrinology Department of Guang'anmen Hospital, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, introduced that resistant starch exists in many foods and mainly falls into two categories:
1. Natural foods
▶ Whole grains: oats, sweet corn, barley, wheat, sorghum, etc.
▶ Legumes: chickpeas, peas, soybeans, black beans, lentils, red beans, mung beans, pinto beans, etc.
▶ Tubers: sweet potatoes, potatoes, etc.
▶ Fruits: green bananas (unripe bananas), etc.
2. Cooled foods
After rice is cooked and then cooled (or refrigerated), part of the starch "retrogrades" and becomes resistant starch.
At this point you may ask: which foods have high resistant starch content and which have low content? Don't worry—the ranking below makes it clear at a glance—
▶ Higher: oats, brown rice, green bananas (different from ripe bananas), cooled/refrigerated rice or potatoes, chickpeas, red beans, mung beans, etc.
▶ Medium: corn, whole-wheat pasta, sweet potatoes, etc.
▶ Lower: refined rice and white flour, glutinous rice, tangyuan, zongzi, etc.
Remember 3 small tips to increase resistant starch intake
1. Cook → cool → lightly reheat. Cook rice or potatoes, refrigerate for 12 to 24 hours, then microwave for 1 minute before eating (just until not too hot), which can retain 60% to 70% of the resistant starch.
2. Add vinegar or lemon juice. When cooking rice or mixing potato salad, add a little vinegar or lemon juice. An acidic environment can promote the formation of resistant starch.
3. Don't overcook. Cook staple foods until "just done and chewy." If cooked until overly soft and mushy, resistant starch will be destroyed.
Source: Xinhua Daily, CCTV News, Xinhua News Agency. Editor: Xu Hua.