Interaction between ambient CO and temperature or relative humidity on the risk of stroke hospitalization.

Although the independent effects of ambient CO, temperature or humidity on stroke have been confirmed, it is still unclear where there is an interaction between these factors and who is sensitive populations for these. The stroke hospitalization and ambient CO, temperature, humidity data were collected in 22 Counties and districts of Ningxia, China in 2014-2019. The lagged effect of ambient CO, temperature or humidity were analyze by the generalized additive model; the interaction were evaluated by the bivariate response surface model and stratified analysis with relative excessive risk (RERI). High temperature and CO levels had synergistic effects on hemorrhagic stroke (RERI = 0.05, 95% CI 0.033-0.086) and ischemic stroke (RERI = 0.035, 95% CI 0.006-0.08). Low relative humidity and CO were synergistic in hemorrhagic stroke (RERI = 0.192, 95% CI 0.184-0.205) and only in ischemic stroke in the elderly group (RERI = 0.056, 95% CI 0.025-0.085). High relative humidity and CO exhibited antagonistic effects on the risk of ischemic stroke hospitalization in both male and female groups (RERI = - 0.088, 95% CI - 0.151to - 0.031; RERI = - 0.144, 95% CI - 0.216 to - 0.197). Exposure to CO increases the risk of hospitalization related to hemorrhagic and ischemic strokes. CO and temperature or humidity interact with risk of stroke hospitalization with sex and age differences.

Inverted U-shaped associations between serum uric acid and fasting - plasma glucose level in non-diabetic, pre-diabetic, and diabetic adults: A population-based study in China.

OBJECTIVE: This study was designed to examine the correlation between serum uric acid (SUA) and fasting plasma glucose (FPG) levels across non-diabetic, pre-diabetic, and diabetic adults from Northwest China. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study utilized data from a cross-sectional survey conducted in Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, which investigated the prevalence and risk factors of cardiovascular disease. All subjects underwent tests for SUA and FPG levels. Generalized additive models and two-piecewise linear regression models were applied to explore the relationships between SUA and FPG level. The triglyceride-glucose (TyG) index was examined as a measure of insulin resistance, with an analysis of its mediating effects on the association between SUA and FPG level. RESULTS: A total of 10,217 individuals aged 18 and over were included. Generalized additive models verified the inverted U-shaped association between SUA and FPG levels, and the inflection points of FPG levels in the curves were 6.5 mmol/L in males and 8.8 mmol/L in females. The TyG index is an intermediate variable in the relationship between SUA levels and elevated FPG levels, with mediating effects of 12.82% (P < 0.001) for males and 34.02% (P < 0.001) for females. CONCLUSIONS: An inverted U-shaped association between FPG and SUA levels was observed in both genders. The threshold of FPG level was lower in males than in females. The relationship between these variables seems to be partially mediated by serum insulin levels.

Multidrug-resistant organisms may be associated with bed allocation and utilization efficiency in healthcare institutions, based on national monitoring data from China (2014-2020).

Analyzing the influence of the bed allocation and utilization efficiency in healthcare institutions on the isolation proportion of Multidrug-resistant organisms (MDROs) to provide data to support prevention and control of MDROs. In this study, the provincial panel data from 2014 to 2020 in China on health resource indicators, including the number of beds per 1,000 population, hospital bed utilization rate, and average hospital stay from 2014 to 2020 in China were used to analyze the relationship between bed allocation or utilization efficiency and MDROs by the panel data quantile regression model. It was shown that the number of beds per 1,000 population had a negative effect on the isolation proportion of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecalis, vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium, penicillin-resistant Streptococcus pneumoniae, methicillin-resistant coagulase-negative Staphylococcus, and cefotaxime or ceftriaxone resistant Escherichia coli (regression coefficient < 0, P < 0.05). The utilization rate of hospital bed had a positive effect on the isolation proportion of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, methicillin-resistant coagulase-negative Staphylococcus, vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium, penicillin-resistant Streptococcus pneumoniae, cefotaxime or ceftriaxone resistant Escherichia coli, carbapenem-resistant Escherichia coli, cefotaxime or ceftriaxone resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae, carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae, carbapenem-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (regression coefficient > 0, P < 0.05). The average hospital stay had a positive effect on the isolation proportion for several antibiotic-resistant organisms, including methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, methicillin-resistant coagulase-negative Staphylococcus, vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecalis, vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium, penicillin-resistant Streptococcus pneumoniae, cefotaxime or ceftriaxone resistant Escherichia coli, carbapenem-resistant Escherichia coli, quinolone-resistant Escherichia coli, cefotaxime or ceftriaxone resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae, carbapenem-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (regression coefficient > 0, P < 0.05). Bed allocation and utilization efficiency in healthcare institutions may affect the isolation proportion of MDROs in varying degrees.

Dementia increases the risk of death in stroke patients: A retrospective cohort-based risk score model study.

BACKGROUND: The relationship between dementia and the mortality of stroke is a significant concern for patients and careers. However, there are few research about it in China and a lack of reliable data on the risk of dementia. We aim to analyze and compare the risk of death in stroke patients with and without dementia. Further investigation into the predictive value of dementia for stroke death. METHODS: All patients with stroke who were identified among residents of Ningxia, between January 1, 2014 to December 31, 2021, set death or May 22, 2022 as the observation endpoint. All patients were screened by 1:4 propensity score matching (PSM). The association between dementia and all-cause mortality was evaluated using Cox regression with survival time. Evaluation of the predictive value of dementia using decision curve analysis (DCA) and clinical impact curve (CIC) curves. RESULT: Mortality of stroke with dementia is 45.4% and without dementia is 13.8%, further calculated one-year mortality is higher in the patients with dementia than without dementia (17.3%vs. 5.4%, p < 0.001). Stroke patients with dementia had a 3.74 times higher risk of death (95% CI = 3.29,4.26) and had a shorter survival time than those without dementia. Dementia was an independent predictor of death in all models (hazard ratio [HR]=3.77,95%CI: 3.31-4.30, p < 0.001). DCA and CIC curves indicated that dementia has a high value in predicting the risk of death in stroke patients. CONCLUSION: Dementia is an independent risk factor for death and reduces survival time in stroke patients.

Trends of hospitalisation for patients with liver cirrhosis in Ningxia, China: a cross-sectional study.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the changing trends of hospitalisation for patients with liver cirrhosis between 2015 and 2019 by using hospitalisation summary records in Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region (NHAR), China. DESIGN: A cross-sectional study. SETTING: Hospitalisation summary records between 1 January 2015 and 31 December 2019 from 28 top-ranking hospitals in NHAR were extracted and rigorously analysed. PARTICIPANTS: During the study period, hospitalisation records referring to liver cirrhosis were included. Records with missing data were excluded. A total of 16 566 patients with liver cirrhosis were included in this study. OUTCOME MEASURES: International Classification of Diseases codes, tenth version (ICD-10) and text-diagnoses were used to identify hospitalisation records referring to liver cirrhosis. RESULTS: Between 2015 and 2019, hospitalisation rates for liver cirrhosis declined from 8.38% to 5.57%. Chronic viral hepatitis accounted for almost 70% of all liver cirrhosis admissions; the remaining 30% of patients were admitted due to non-viral hepatitis cirrhosis (28.06%) and alcoholic cirrhosis (2.05%). The male-to-female hospitalisation rate ratio for liver cirrhosis was 2.57. The hospitalisation rate for workers with hepatitis cirrhosis was significantly higher than farmers (hospitalisation rate ratio (RR)=1.06, 95% CI 1.01 to 1.15, p<0.001); this was also the case for alcoholic cirrhosis (RR=5.23, 95% CI 3.34 to 8.20). However, the hospitalisation rate for workers with non-viral hepatitis cirrhosis was significantly lower than for farmers (RR=5.23, 95% CI 3.34 to 8.20, p<0.001). The hospitalisation rate increased in patients over the age of 30 years and reached a peak at the age of 45-50 years. CONCLUSIONS: The hospitalisation rate for liver cirrhosis has declined over recent years and chronic viral hepatitis remains the major cause of liver cirrhosis in NHAR. Hospitalisation summary records can efficiently reflect the local changing trends of hospitalisation for liver cirrhosis and represent an efficient strategy for the surveillance of chronic disease.

Increased Incidence and Risk Factors of Infections by Extended-Spectrum ß-Lactamase-Producing Enterobacterales During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Retrospective Case-Control Study.

Purpose: To investigate changes in the incidence of infections by extended-spectrum ß-lactamase-producing Enterobacterales (ESBL-E) and analyzed whether there was an association between endogenous changes in the organism due to COVID-19 infection and the infections by ESBL-E. Patients and Methods: The study was a single-center retrospective case-control design. A total of 107 patients infected by ESBL-E during the COVID-19 pandemic were selected as the case group, while 214 uninfected patients selected by 1:2 propensity score matching (PSM) acted as the control group. Univariate analysis, LASSO logistic regression, and multivariate logistic regression were used to determine the risk factors for ESBL-E infection. An interrupted time series was used to analyze the changes in the incidence of ESBL-E infections in hospitalized patients during the COVID-19 pandemic. Results: The incidence of infection with ESBL-E showed a significant increase during COVID-19 (3.42 vs 4.92 per 1000 patients, p = 0.003). The incidence of ESBL-E infections increased at an average rate of 0.45 per 1000 patients per week compared to the pre-pandemic period (p = 0.022). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that a length of hospitalization ≥ 15 days (OR: 2.98 (1.07-8.28), chronic kidney disease (OR: 4.25 (1.32-13.70), white blood cell (WBC) > 9.5×10^9/L (OR: 3.04 (1.54-6.01), use of hormonal drugs (OR: 2.38 (1.04-5.43), antibacterial drug use 1 type (OR: 5.38 (2.04-14.21), antibacterial drug use 2 types (OR: 23.05 (6.71-79.25) and antibacterial drug use ≥ 3 types (OR: 88.35 (8.55-912.63) were independent risk factors for infection with ESBL-E, while chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) was a protective factor (OR: 0.14 (0.03-0.66). COVID-19 was not an independent risk factor for infection by ESBL-E. Conclusion: During the COVID-19 pandemic, the incidence of infections by ESBL-E increased significantly. Increased exposure to traditional risk factors were the main reasons, however, COVID-19 was not an independent risk factor for ESBL-E infection.

Video-assisted bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation improves the quality of chest compressions during simulated cardiac arrests: A systemic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: It remains unclear whether video aids can improve the quality of bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). AIM: To summarize simulation-based studies aiming at improving bystander CPR associated with the quality of chest compression and time-related quality parameters. METHODS: The systematic review was conducted according to the PRISMA guidelines. All relevant studies were searched through PubMed, EMBASE, Medline and Cochrane Library databases. The risk of bias was evaluated using the Cochrane collaboration tool. RESULTS: A total of 259 studies were eligible for inclusion, and 6 randomised controlled trial studies were ultimately included. The results of meta-analysis indicated that video-assisted CPR (V-CPR) was significantly associated with the improved mean chest compression rate [OR = 0.66 (0.49-0.82), P < 0.001], and the proportion of chest compression with correct hand positioning [OR = 1.63 (0.71-2.55), P < 0.001]. However, the difference in mean chest compression depth was not statistically significant [OR = 0.18 (-0.07-0.42), P = 0.15], and V-CPR was not associated with the time to first chest compression compared to telecommunicator CPR [OR = -0.12 (-0.88-0.63), P = 0.75]. CONCLUSION: Video real-time guidance by the dispatcher can improve the quality of bystander CPR to a certain extent. However, the quality is still not ideal, and there is a lack of guidance caused by poor video signal or inadequate interaction.

The direct and indirect effects of length of hospital stay on the costs of inpatients with stroke in Ningxia, China, between 2015 and 2020: A retrospective study using quantile regression and structural equation models.

Importance: Length of hospital stay (LOHS) is the main cost-determining factor of hospitalization for stroke patients. However, previous analyses involving LOHS did not consider confounding or indirect factors, or the effects of other factors on LOHS and inpatient costs. Objective: To investigate the direct and indirect effects of LOHS on the hospitalization costs of inpatients with ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke. Design setting and participants: This was a population-based, retrospective, and observational study that analyzed data acquired from the Nationwide Inpatient Sample between 2015 and 2020 relating to ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke in Ningxia, China. Main outcomes and measures: Hospitalizations were identified by the International Classification of Diseases 10th Revision (ICD-10). Inpatient costs were described by the median M (P25, P75). We used a quantile regression model to estimate the linear relationships between a group of independent variables X and the quantile of the explained variable hospitalization cost (Y). A structural equation model (SEM) was then used to investigate the direct and indirect effects of LOHS on inpatient costs. Results: The study included 129,444 patients with ischemic stroke and 15,525 patients with hemorrhagic stroke. The median LOHS was 10 (8-13) days for ischemic stroke and 15 (10-22) days for hemorrhagic stroke. The median M (P25, P75) of inpatient costs was $1020 (742-1545) for ischemic stroke and 2813 (1576-6191) for hemorrhagic stroke. The total effect of LOHS on inpatient costs was 0.795 in patients with ischemic stroke. The effect of yearof discharge (X4) and CCI (X8) on inpatient costs was dominated by an indirect effect through the LOHS. The indirect effect was -0.071 (84.52% of the total effect value) and 0.034 (69.39% of the total effect value), respectively. The total effect of LOHS on inpatient costs in patients with hemorrhagic stroke was 0.754. The influence of CCI on inpatient costs was dominated by an indirect effect through LOHS; the indirect effect value was -0.028 (77.78% of the total effect value). The payment type, surgery, method of discharge, and hospital level also exerted an impact on inpatient costs by direct and indirect effects through the LOHS. Conclusions and relevance: Length of hospital stay (LOHS) was identified as the main factor influencing hospitalization costs. However, other social factors were shown to indirectly influence hospitalization costs through the LOHS. Taking effective measures to further reduce hospitalization costs remains an effective way to control hospitalization costs for stroke patients.

Improving the communication skills of medical students --A survey of simulated patient-based learning in Chinese medical universities.

BACKGROUND: It is useful to advance simulated patient (SP) participation in teaching to improve the communication skills of medical students, so this study aims to explore the current state of Chinese mainland SP education. METHODS: A cross sectional survey was designed utilizing well defined quantitative research methods and descriptive statistics. The questionnaire sought information which elucidated the current status of SP-based education, the origin of SP-based learning, SP training, challenges of this learning strategy and future developments. Questionnaires were distributed to 79 medical colleges in mainland China, and 68 were returned. Of these, 64 constituted valid responses (81%). RESULTS: The number of SP-based education activities in medical colleges offering 5-year、7-year and 8-year clinical medicine programs was significantly higher than that in medical colleges which offered only a single 5-year program (p < 0.01). Communication skills training accounted for 73% of the content of SP-based learning activities, and was expected to rise in the future to 90%, in response to a need to improve doctor-patient relationships. Persons recruited as 'simulated patients' included students (21% of the total), residents (49%), medical staff (15%) and teaching staff (14%). Colleges, planning a SP-based education program, preferred teachers (80%) and students (55%) to assume 'simulated patient' roles. In objective structured clinical education (OSCE) scenarios, co-scoring by both SPs and teachers featured more highly in the 'consultation' station and 'doctor-patient communication' station. A number of factors were identified as hindering future development and implementation of SP-based learning including budget restraints, SP selection and training. CONCLUSIONS: SP-based learning programs offer clear benefits for improving the clinical education of medical students and their communication skills. The main obstacles to achieving more widespread and higher quality SP-based education are insufficient funding and the lack of standardized training and performance evaluation processes for simulated patients. Medical colleges should consider reducing the proportion of students and teachers acting as SPs, and attract more citizens to participate in SP-based learning activities. Formalised training and evaluation of SPs performance are necessary to establish a 'standard simulated patient' for a particular medical discipline, thus improving SP-based activities and student learning.

[Practical on primary trauma care training mode in public cardiopulmonary resuscitation training].

OBJECTIVE: To envaluate the effect of public cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) training in Ningnan Mountain area. METHODS: Using the method of convenient sampling, 775 people in Ningnan Mountain area were investigated about CPR and first aid knowledge by questionnaire from January to December 2019. The awareness rate of CPR, operation score, and operation qualification rate of the public before and after CPR training in the primary trauma treatment (PTC) mode were observed. RESULTS: After PTC training, the public's CPR knowledge score, operation score and operation qualification rate, in terms of first aid telephone, consciousness judgment method, identification of respiratory arrest, artificial respiration implementation method, effective CPR indication and extrathoracic cardiac compression position were significantly improved [first aid telephone score: 82.68±8.54 vs. 60.25±10.38, consciousness judgment method score: 79.46±10.82 vs. 58.35±9.26, identification of respiratory arrest score: 80.85±9.64 vs. 59.26±11.45, artificial respiration implementation method score: 81.54±9.48 vs. 56.47±10.54, extrathoracic cardiac compression site score: 80.35±10.48 vs. 59.56±9.85, effective indication of CPR score: 81.02±9.45 vs. 58.21±8.69, operation assessment score: 60.25±10.45 vs. 50.38±9.68, operation assessment qualified rate: 60.39% (468/775) vs. 12.13% (94/775), all P < 0.05]. CONCLUSIONS: PTC mode is helpful to improve the effect of public CPR training, which is worthy of clinical promotion.

[Application effect of primary trauma treatment teaching mode in cardiopulmonary resuscitation training of special occupation in mountainous area of Southern Ningxia].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the application value of primary trauma treatment (PTC) teaching mode in special professional cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) guide training. METHODS: Cluster sampling method was adopted, and the residents' committee selected special occupation population from every town/sub-district office in the southern mountainous area of Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region for CPR training. A monthly session was held from January to December 2019, with personnel trained by traditional operation teaching and individual practice method from January to June 2019 as the control group and personnel trained by PTC teaching mode from July to December 2019 as the observation group. The two groups of trainers, training objectives and assessment standards were consistent. Questionnaire survey was conducted at the beginning and end of each training period, including the degree of mastery of first-aid knowledge and skills and the level of self-efficacy, etc., to evaluate the training effect. RESULTS: There were 503 trainees in each group, and there was no significant difference in gender, age, education and occupation distribution between the two groups. There was no significant difference in the first aid principles, CPR skill level and self-efficacy between the two groups before the training. The first aid principle, CPR skills level and self-efficacy of the two groups after training were all improved, and the principle of first aid and CPR skills level in the observation group was obviously higher than that in the control group (first aid related concepts: 4.39±0.76 vs. 3.87±0.89, gold life-saving time: 5.71±0.49 vs. 4.53±0.62, the meaning of the first witnesses: 5.33±0.82 vs. 4.18±0.78, cardiac, respiratory cardiac arrest in the judgment: 5.12±0.73 vs. 4.07±0.73, CPR skills: 5.29±0.64 vs. 4.15±0.71, all P < 0.05). The self-efficacy score of the observation group was significantly higher than that of the control group (emergency attitude: 18.17±1.24 vs. 17.35±1.25, self-efficacy: 13.56±1.54 vs. 11.35±1.26, behavioral intention: 9.56±0.84 vs. 8.92±0.95, all P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The application of PTC teaching mode in the training of CPR guidelines for special professions has significant effects, which can effectively help special professions to master CPR knowledge and skills, and has promotion value.

Human distribution and spatial-temporal clustering analysis of human brucellosis in China from 2012 to 2016.

BACKGROUND: Brucellosis is a major public health issue in China, while its temporal and spatial distribution have not been studied in depth. This study aims to better understand the epidemiology of brucellosis in the mainland of China, by investigating the human, temporal and spatial distribution and clustering characteristics of the disease. METHODS: Human brucellosis data from the mainland of China between 2012 and 2016 were obtained from the China Information System for Disease Control and Prevention. The spatial autocorrelation analysis of ArcGIS10.6 and the spatial-temporal scanning analysis of SaTScan software were used to identify potential changes in the spatial and temporal distribution of human brucellosis in the mainland of China during the study period. RESULTS: A total of 244 348 human brucellosis cases were reported during the study period of 2012-2016. The average incidence of human brucellosis was higher in the 40-65 age group. The temporal clustering analysis showed that the high incidence of brucellosis occurred between March and July. The spatial clustering analysis showed that the location of brucellosis clustering in the mainland of China remained relatively fixed, mainly concentrated in most parts of northern China. The results of the spatial-temporal clustering analysis showed that Heilongjiang represents a primary clustering area, and the Tibet, Shanxi and Hubei provinces represent three secondary clustering areas. CONCLUSIONS: Human brucellosis remains a widespread challenge, particularly in northern China. The clustering analysis highlights potential high-risk human groups, time frames and areas, which may require special plans and resources to monitor and control the disease.

Tenofovir prophylaxis for preventing mother-to-child hepatitis B virus transmission in China: A cost-effectiveness analysis.

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to evaluate whether tenofovir prophylaxis for mothers with high viral loads in late pregnancy is a cost-effective way to prevent mother-to-child hepatitis B virus (HBV) transmission in China. METHODS: A decision tree Markov model was constructed for a cohort of infants born to HBV surface antigen-positive mothers in China, 2016. The expected cost and effectiveness were compared between the current active-passive immunoprophylaxis strategy and the tenofovir prophylaxis strategy, and the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio was calculated. One-way and multi-way probabilistic sensitivity analyses were performed. RESULTS: For 100,000 babies born to mothers positive for hepatitis B surface antigen, tenofovir prophylaxis strategy will prevent 2213 perinatal HBV infections and will gain 931 quality-adjusted life years when compared with the current active-passive immunoprophylaxis strategy. The incremental cost-effectiveness ratio was ï¿¥59,973 ($9087) per quality-adjusted life years gained. This result was robust over a wide range of assumptions. CONCLUSIONS: Tenofovir prophylaxis for mothers with high viral loads in late pregnancy was found to be more cost-effective than the current active-passive immunoprophylaxis alone. Embedding tenofovir prophylaxis for mothers with high virus loads into the present hepatitis B prevention strategies should be considered to further prevent mother-to-child hepatitis B transmission in China.

The spatiotemporal distribution of human brucellosis in mainland China from 2007-2016.

BACKGROUND: Despite the considerable efforts made to address the issue of brucellosis worldwide, its prevalence in dairy products continues to be difficult to estimate and represents a key public health issue around the world today. The aim of the present study was to better understand the epidemiology of this disease in mainland China. We set out to investigate the yearly spatial distribution and possible hotspots of the disease. METHODS: Human brucellosis data from mainland China between 2007 and 2016 were collected from the China Information System for Disease Control and Prevention. A geographic information system ArcGIS10.3 (ESRI, Redlands) was used to identify potential changes in the spatial and temporal distribution of human brucellosis in mainland China during the study period. These distributions were evaluated using three-dimensional trend analysis and spatial autocorrelation analyse. A gravity-center was used to analyse the migration track of human brucellosis. RESULTS: A total of 399,578 cases of human brucellosis were reported during the 10-year study period. The monthly incidence of brucellosis in China demonstrates clear seasonality. Spring and summer are the peak seasons, while May is the peak month for brucellosis. Three-dimensional trend analysis suggests that brucellosis is on the rise from south to north, and that the epidemic situation in northern China is more severe. Between 2007 and 2016, the overall migration distance of the brucellosis incidence gravity-center was 906.43 km, and the direction was southwest. However, the overall gravity center of brucellosis was still in the northern part of China. In the global autocorrelation analysis, brucellosis in China demonstrated a non-random distribution between 2013 and 2014, with spatial autocorrelation (Z > 1.96, P < 0.05) and a clustering trend, while no clustering trend was found from 2007 to 2012 or from 2015 to 2016. In the local autocorrelation analysis, a Low-Low cluster phenomenon was found in the south of China in 2013 and 2014. CONCLUSION: Human brucellosis remains a widespread challenge, particularly in northern China. The hotspots highlight potential high-risk areas which may require special plans and resources for monitoring and controlling the disease.

Estimating the impact of test-and-treat strategies on hepatitis B virus infection in China by using an age-structured mathematical model.

The potential impact of increasing test-and-treat coverage on hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection remains unclear in China. The objective of this study was to develop a dynamic compartmental model at a population level to estimate the long-term effect of this strategy.Based on the natural history of HBV infection and 3 serosurvey data of hepatitis B in China, we proposed an age- and time-dependent discrete model to predict the number of new HBV infection, the number of chronic HBV infection, and the number of HBV-related deaths for the time from 2018 to 2050 under 5 different test-and-treat coverage and compared them with current intervention policy.Compared with current policy, if the test-and-treat coverage was increased to 100% since 2018, the numbers of chronic HBV infection, new HBV infection, and HBV-related deaths in 2035 would be reduced by 26.60%, 24.88%, 26.55%, respectively, and in 2050 it would be reduced by 44.93%, 43.29%, 43.67%, respectively. In contrast, if the test-and-treat coverage was increased by 10% every year since 2018, then the numbers of chronic HBV infection, new HBV infection, and HBV-related deaths in 2035 would be reduced by 21.81%, 20.10%, 21.40%, respectively, and in 2050 it would be reduced by 41.53%, 39.89%, 40.32%, respectively. In particular, if the test-and-treat coverage was increased to 75% since 2018, then the annual number of HBV-related deaths would begin to decrease from 2018. If the test-and-treat coverage was increased to above 25% since 2018, then the hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) prevalence for population aged 1 to 59 years in China would be reduced to below 2% in 2035. Our model also showed that in 2035, the numbers of chronic HBV infection and HBV-related deaths in 65 to 69 age group would be reduced the most (about 1.6 million and 13 thousand, respectively).Increasing test-and-treat coverage would significantly reduce HBV infection in China, especially in the middle-aged people and older people. The earlier the treatment and the longer the time, the more significant the reduction. Implementation of test-and-treat strategy is highly effective in controlling hepatitis B in China.

TGF-ß-Induced CD8+CD103+ Regulatory T Cells Show Potent Therapeutic Effect on Chronic Graft-versus-Host Disease Lupus by Suppressing B Cells.

Lupus nephritis is one of most severe complications of systemic erythematosus lupus and current approaches are not curative for lupus nephritis. Although CD4+Foxp3+ regulatory T cells (Treg) are crucial for prevention of autoimmunity, the therapeutic effect of these cells on lupus nephritis is not satisfactory. We previously reported that CD8+CD103+ Treg induced ex vivo with TGF-ß1 and IL-2 (CD8+CD103+ iTreg), regardless of Foxp3 expression, displayed potent immunosuppressive effect on Th cell response and had therapeutic effect on Th cell-mediated colitis. Here, we tested whether CD8+CD103+ iTreg can ameliorate lupus nephritis and determined potential molecular mechanisms. Adoptive transfer of CD8+CD103+ iTreg but not control cells to chronic graft-versus-host disease with a typical lupus syndrome showed decreased levels of autoantibodies and proteinuria, reduced renal pathological lesions, lowered renal deposition of IgG/C3, and improved survival. CD8+CD103+ iTreg cells suppressed not only T helper cells but also B cell responses directly that may involve in both TGF-ß and IL-10 signals. Using RNA-seq, we demonstrated CD8+CD103+ iTreg have its own unique expression profiles of transcription factors. Thus, current study has identified and extended the target cells of CD8+CD103+ iTreg and provided a possible application of this new iTreg subset on lupus nephritis and other autoimmune diseases.

A Literature Review of Mathematical Models of Hepatitis B Virus Transmission Applied to Immunization Strategies From 1994 to 2015.

A mathematical model of the transmission dynamics of infectious disease is an important theoretical epidemiology method, which has been used to simulate the prevalence of hepatitis B and evaluate different immunization strategies. However, differences lie in the mathematical processes of modeling HBV transmission in published studies, not only in the model structure, but also in the estimation of certain parameters. This review reveals that the dynamics model of HBV transmission only simulates the spread of HBV in the population from the macroscopic point of view and highlights several main shortcomings in the model structure and parameter estimation. First, age-dependence is the most important characteristic in the transmission of HBV, but an age-structure model and related age-dependent parameters were not adopted in some of the compartmental models describing HBV transmission. In addition, the numerical estimation of the force of HBV infection did not give sufficient weight to the age and time factors and is not suitable using the incidence data. Lastly, the current mathematical models did not well reflect the details of the factors of HBV transmission, such as migration from high or intermediate HBV endemic areas to low endemic areas and the kind of HBV genotype. All of these shortcomings may lead to unreliable results. When the mathematical model closely reflects the fact of hepatitis B spread, the results of the model fit will provide valuable information for controlling the transmission of hepatitis B.

Estimating age-related incidence of HBsAg seroclearance in chronic hepatitis B virus infections of China by using a dynamic compartmental model.

The age-specific seroclearance pattern of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) in chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infections of China remains unclear. In this study, based on three national serosurvey data of hepatitis B in China, we propose an age- and time-dependent discrete model and use the method of non-linear least squares to estimate the age-specific annual rate of HBsAg seroclearance. We found that the HBsAg seroclearance in chronic HBV infections of China aged 1-59 years occurred at an average annual rate of 1.80% (95% CI, 1.54-2.06%) from 1993 to 2006. The HBsAg seroclearance occurred predominantly in the early childhood, 20-24 and 35-39 year age groups. Moreover, our model estimated that HBsAg seroclearance resulted in 23.38% of the decrease of total HBsAg prevalence for population aged 1-59 years in 2006. It also prevented 9.30% of new HBV infections (about 7.43 million people) and 9.95% of HBV-related deaths (about 0.25 million people) from 1993 to 2006. This study develops a new and efficient method to estimate the age-specific incidence of HBsAg seroclearance at a population-level and evaluate its effect.

Bidirectional relationships between retention and health-related quality of life in Chinese mainland patients receiving methadone maintenance treatment.

This study aimed to explore the bidirectional relationships between retention and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in patients from mainland China receiving methadone maintenance treatment (MMT). This prospective cohort study recruited 1,212 eligible MMT patients from the two largest MMT clinics (one privately and another publicly funded) in Xi'an. This study started in March 2012 with a 2-year follow-up until March 2014. Retention was assessed by repeated terminations, past treatment duration, premature terminations, and follow-up treatment duration. HRQoL was evaluated using the Chinese (simple) short-form 36 health survey version 2 (SF-36v2) and the quality of life scale for drug addicts (QOL-DAv2.0). Linear and Cox regression analyses were used to explore relationships between retention and HRQoL. A general linear model was used to further examine the global effect of past treatment duration on HRQoL. Multivariate analyses showed that repeated terminations had no significant impact on HRQoL scores in MMT patients; however, past treatment time (year) influenced the SF-36v2PCS (P = 0.004): treatment for ≥4 years showed a lower SF-36v2PCS score (regression coefficient: -2.39; 95% confidence interval [CI]: -3.80, -0.97; P = 0.001) than treatment for <1 year. In addition, patients with an SF-36v2PCS score > 49 (hazard ratio: 0.83; 95% CI: 0.69, 0.98; P = 0.03) were 17% less likely to terminate MMT than those with scores of ≤49. In conclusion, retention and HRQoL tended to have a bidirectional relationship, which should be considered in the development of retention and health-management programs for patients with MMT.

Relationships between received and perceived social support and health-related quality of life among patients receiving methadone maintenance treatment in Mainland China.

BACKGROUND: Social support has been considered one of the most important factors of health-related quality of life (HRQoL) evaluations among different populations; however, few studies have explored the relationships of both received and perceived social support to HRQoL among patients undergoing methadone maintenance treatment (MMT). Thus, the purpose of this cross-sectional study was to clarify these relationships. METHODS: Participants were patients admitted at the two largest privately and publicly funded MMT clinics in Xi'an. The main explanatory variable was social support, both received (i.e., social network support and professional support services) and perceived (Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support). The outcome was HRQoL, which was evaluated using the Short-Form 36 Health Survey version 2 (SF-36v2) and the Quality of Life Scale for Drug Addicts (QOL-DAv2.0). We carried out independent samples t-tests and multiple linear regression analysis to examine the relationships between received and perceived social support and HRQoL. RESULTS: The study findings revealed that patients with good social support had significantly higher scores on the SF-36v2 and QOL-DAv2.0 (p < 0.05). After controlling for individual characteristics, the significant factors predicting HRQoL were good family relationships, usually communicating with others, a convenient service time, appropriate treatment charges, and good perceived social support (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that received and perceived social support influences HRQoL among individuals receiving MMT. Thus, these variables should be considered during health management efforts and interventions directed at this patient population.