A novel hyperparameter search approach for accuracy and simplicity in disease prediction risk scoring.

OBJECTIVE: Develop a novel technique to identify an optimal number of regression units corresponding to a single risk point, while creating risk scoring systems from logistic regression-based disease predictive models. The optimal value of this hyperparameter balances simplicity and accuracy, yielding risk scores of small scale and high accuracy for patient risk stratification. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The proposed technique applies an adapted line search across all potential hyperparameter values. Additionally, DeLong test is integrated to ensure the selected value produces an accuracy insignificantly different from the best achievable risk score accuracy. We assessed the approach through two case studies predicting diabetic retinopathy (DR) within six months and hip fracture readmissions (HFR) within 30 days, involving cohorts of 90 400 diabetic patients and 18 065 hip fracture patients. RESULTS: Our scores achieve accuracies insignificantly different from those obtained by existing approaches, reaching AUROCs of 0.803 and 0.645 for DR and HFR predictions, respectively. Regarding the scale, our scores ranged 0-53 for DR and 0-15 for HFR, while scores produced by existing methods frequently spanned hundreds or thousands. DISCUSSION: According to the assessment, our risk scores offer simple and accurate predictions for diseases. Furthermore, our new DR score provides a competitive alternative to state-of-the-art risk scores for DR, while our HFR case study presents the first risk score for this condition. CONCLUSION: Our technique offers a generalizable framework for crafting precise risk scores of compact scales, addressing the demand for user-friendly and effective risk stratification tool in healthcare.

Key molecules regulating the blood meals of Rhipicephalus sanguineus (Acari: Ixodidae) revealed by transcriptomics.

Rhipicephalus sanguineus, a repulsive obligate blood feeder, is a three-host tick inflicting tremendous damage. Blood-sucking initiates tick-pathogen-host interactions along with alterations in the expression levels of numerous bioactive ingredients. Key molecules regulating blood meals were identified using the transcriptomic approach. A total number of 744 transcripts showed statistically significantly differential expression including 309 significantly upregulated transcripts and 435 significantly downregulated transcripts in semiengorged female ticks compared to unfed ticks, all collected in 2021. The top 10 differentially upregulated transcripts with explicit functional annotations included turripeptide OL55-like protein, valine tRNA ligase-like protein and ice-structuring glycoprotein-like protein. The top 10 differentially down-regulated transcripts were uncharacterized proteins. Gene Ontology (GO) enrichment analysis revealed four associated terms in the cellular component category and 16 in the molecular function category among the top 20 terms. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were enriched in GO terms ID 0000323 (lytic vacuole) and ID 0005773 (vacuole). The top 20 enriched Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathways included metabolism, cellular processes, organismal systems and human diseases. The DEGs were enriched in the KEGG term ID: ko-04142 (lysosome pathway) associated with intracellular digestion in the tick midgut epithelium. Molecular markers annotated via comparative transcriptomic profiling were expected to be candidate markers for the purpose of tick control.

Diversity analysis of the endosymbiotic bacterial community in field-collected Haemaphysalis ticks on the tropical Hainan Island, China.

Ticks are important vectors of various pathogens that cause infectious diseases in humans. Endosymbiotic bacteria have been explored as targets for tick and tick-borne disease control. However, the tick bacterial community on Hainan Island, which is the largest tropical island in China and has an environment favourable to ticks, has not yet been studied. In this study, we surveyed the bacterial community of ticks collected from grass in one village in Haikou. A total of 20 ticks were morphologically and molecularly identified as Haemaphysalis spp. The tick bacterial 16S rRNA hypervariable region amplicon libraries were sequenced on an Illumina MiSeq platform. A total of 10 possible bacterial genera were detected, indicating a low-diversity bacterial community profile. The dominant bacterial genus, Massilia, accounted for 97.85% of the population. Some other bacterial genera, including Arsenophonus and Pseudomonas, have been reported to play a role in tick development and tick-borne pathogen transmission in other tick species. Overall, the study highlights the first descriptive understanding of the tick bacterial community on Hainan Island and provides a basis for deciphering the interactions between the tick microbiome and tick-borne pathogens.

Exploration of Multi-Gene DNA Barcode Markers to Reveal the Broad Genetic Diversity of Field Ticks (Acari: Ixodidae) in a Tropical Environment of Hainan Island, China.

Ticks are hematophagous arthropods and obligate ectoparasites of humans and other animals. This study focused on the molecular discrimination of ticks in the tropical environment of Hainan according to multi-gene DNA barcode markers with the expectation of accurately distinguishing species. A total of 420 ticks, including 49 adult ticks, 203 nymphal ticks, and 168 larval ticks, were collected in the field, and the 49 adult ticks were identified as Rhipicephalus turanicus, Dermacentor marginatus, and Haemaphysalis longicornis. The mitochondrial 16S rRNA, ribosomal 28S rRNA D2, and ribosomal internal transcribed spacer 2 (ITS2) regions were used as DNA barcode markers to discriminate species. According to basic local alignment search tool analysis against the GenBank database, 16S rRNA positively identified ticks in the Rhipicephalus, Dermacentor, and Haemaphysalis genera; the 28S rRNA D2 region identified ticks in the Rhipicephalus and Dermacentor genera; and ITS2 identified ticks as D. marginatus. Pairwise sequence comparisons based on these three regions were visualized with a Sequence Demarcation Tool matrix. Substitution saturation tests using data analysis and molecular biology and evolution revealed little substitution saturation (Iss < Iss.c, p < 0.05) in the 16S rRNA region for the Haemaphysalis genus; 28S rRNA D2 region for the Rhipicephalus, Dermacentor, and Haemaphysalis genera; and ITS2 region for the Rhipicephalus and Dermacentor genera. Distinctive sequences for which it is difficult to obtain good matches with the sequences available in GenBank exist in the ticks of Hainan. Future studies should obtain complementary sequences to refine and update the database for the molecular characterization of ticks.

Postpartum stress urinary incontinence: a clinical study of 6,302 cases in Jiangsu Province.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the prevalence and influencing factors of stress urinary incontinence (SUI) within 6-8 weeks postpartum in Jiangsu Province. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We designed a multi-center cross-sectional study involving seven hospitals in Jiangsu province, and enrolled women who underwent postpartum examination at 6-8 weeks in these hospitals between July 2019 and June 2021. According to the presence or absence of SUI, the enrolled patients were divided into two groups: the SUI group and the non-SUI group, respectively. We assessed the general health status, noted the details of delivery, and checked the pelvic floor electromyographic parameters of the postpartum women in both groups. RESULTS: Among 6,302 cases of postpartum women in Jiangsu province, there were 1,579 cases of SUI, with a prevalence of 25.06%. The prevalence of SUI increased significantly with age, BMI, increasing parity, coexisting constipation, organ prolapse, and diastasis recti abdominis. Compared to the non-SUI group, the SUI group had a lower mean value of the pre-baseline rest phase, shorter rise and fall times of fast muscle contractions, and a lower mean value of the endurance contraction phase. Multiple regression analysis revealed associations with weight (especially overweight and obesity), coexisting organ prolapse, constipation, parity, gestational week of delivery, mode of delivery, and mean value of endurance contraction phase. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of postpartum stress urinary incontinence in Jiangsu Province was 25.06%, and was linked to being overweight, parity > 2, coexisting organ prolapse, constipation, and a decrease in the mean value of the endurance contraction phase of the electromyograph. In this report, we offer a theoretical basis for the effective prevention of postpartum SUI clinically.

Immunomodulatory role of estrogen in ischemic stroke: neuroinflammation and effect of sex.

Although estrogen is predominantly related to the maintenance of reproductive functioning in females, it mediates various physiological effects in nearly all tissues, especially the central nervous system. Clinical trials have revealed that estrogen, especially 17ß-estradiol, can attenuate cerebral damage caused by an ischemic stroke. One mechanism underlying this effect of 17ß-estradiol is by modulating the responses of immune cells, indicating its utility as a novel therapeutic strategy for ischemic stroke. The present review summarizes the effect of sex on ischemic stroke progression, the role of estrogen as an immunomodulator in immune reactions, and the potential clinical value of estrogen replacement therapy. The data presented here will help better understand the immunomodulatory function of estrogen and may provide a basis for its novel therapeutic use in ischemic stroke.

Infection and transovarial transmission of severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome virus in Rhipicephalus sanguineus in Hainan Island, China.

Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome virus (SFTSV) RNA level increased in female ticks after injection with SFTSV. Furthermore, SFTSV RNA was detected in the eggs and larvae that originated from the virus-infected female ticks.

Surfactin Mitigates Dextran Sodium Sulfate-Induced Colitis and Behavioral Disorders in Mice by Mediating Gut-Brain-Axis Balance.

Ulcerative colitis (UC) is associated with brain neurotransmitter disorders and intestinal dysbiosis. Bacillus amyloliquefaciens fmb50 produces the lipopeptide surfactin, which has a wide range of biological activities. However, the effects of surfactin on DSS-induced colitis have not been reported. In the present study, oral surfactin significantly ameliorated colitis in a mouse model and reduced depression-like behavior, such as slowed walking speed, shortened movement distance in the open field test, and weakened exploration ability in the light-dark shuttle test. Surfactin noticeably improved gut microbial dysbiosis, intestinal barrier dysfunction in the colon, and blood-brain barrier dysfunction in the brain. Furthermore, the colon levels of occludin were upregulated by 68.51%, and the brain levels of occludin and ZO-1 were upregulated by 77.81% and 36.42%, respectively. Surfactin supplementation also inhibited inflammatory responses by inactivating the tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), nuclear factor kappa-B (NF-κB), and NLRP3 signaling pathways in the colon and brain. Thus, we believe that surfactin improved the behavioral disorders by upregulating the levels of 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT), 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA), norepinephrine (NE), and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), suppressing the inflammatory responses, and improving the blood-brain barrier dysfunction. Surfactin also reduced the abundances of gut microbes that are related to colitis, especially targeting facultative anaerobes of the phylum Proteobacteria, and it increased the abundance of beneficial bacteria such as Lactobacillus and unidentified Prevotella. Combined with its nontoxic nature observed in this long-term study in mice, oral surfactin might be a promising intervention strategy for preventing colitis by acting on the microbiota-gut-brain axis.

Hedgehogs as Amplifying Hosts of Severe Fever with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome Virus, China.

Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome virus (SFTSV) is a tickborne bandavirus mainly transmitted by Haemaphysalis longicornis ticks in East Asia, mostly in rural areas. As of April 2022, the amplifying host involved in the natural transmission of SFTSV remained unidentified. Our epidemiologic field survey conducted in endemic areas in China showed that hedgehogs were widely distributed, had heavy tick infestations, and had high SFTSV seroprevalence and RNA prevalence. After experimental infection of Erinaceus amurensis and Atelerix albiventris hedgehogs with SFTSV, we detected robust but transitory viremias that lasted for 9-11 days. We completed the SFTSV transmission cycle between hedgehogs and nymph and adult H. longicornis ticks under laboratory conditions with 100% efficiency. Furthermore, naive H. longicornis ticks could be infected by SFTSV-positive ticks co-feeding on naive hedgehogs; we confirmed transstadial transmission of SFTSV. Our study suggests that the hedgehogs are a notable wildlife amplifying host of SFTSV in China.

Surfactin Mitigates a High-Fat Diet and Streptozotocin-Induced Type 2 Diabetes through Improving Pancreatic Dysfunction and Inhibiting Inflammatory Response.

Surfactin from Bacillus amyloliquefaciens fmb50 was utilized to treat mice with type 2 diabetes (T2DM) induced by a high-fat diet/streptozotocin (HFD/STZ). Our group's earlier research indicated that surfactin could lower blood glucose and mitigate liver dysfunction to further improve HFD/STZ-induced T2DM through modulating intestinal microbiota. Thus, we further investigated the effects of surfactin on the pancreas and colon in mice with T2DM to elucidate the detailed mechanism. In the present study, mice with HFD/STZ-induced T2DM had their pancreatic and colon inflammation, oxidative stress, and endoplasmic reticulum stress (ERS) reduced when given oral surfactin at a dose of 80 mg/kg body weight. According to further research, surfactin also improved glucose metabolism by activating the phosphatidylinositol kinase (PI3K)/protein kinase B (Akt) signaling pathway, further protecting islets ß-cell, promoting insulin secretion, inhibiting glucagon release and mitigating pancreas dysfunction. Additionally, after surfactin treatment, the colon levels of the tight junction proteins Occludin and Claudin-1 of T2DM mice were considerably increased by 130.64% and by 36.40%, respectively. These findings revealed that surfactin not only ameliorated HFD/STZ-induced pancreas inflammation and dysfunction and preserved intestinal barrier dysfunction and gut microbiota homeostasis but also enhanced insulin sensitivity and glucose homeostasis in T2DM mice. Finally, in the further experiment, we were able to demonstrate that early surfactin intervention might delay the development of T2DM caused by HFD/STZ, according to critical biochemical parameters in serum.

A mini-review: mechanism of antimicrobial action and application of surfactin.

Surfactin, an antibacterial lipopeptide produced by different strains of Bacillus subtilis, is a powerful biosurfactant. It also has multiple biological activities including antiviral, anti-mycoplasma and antiprotozoal activities, in addition to the broad-spectrum antimicrobial activities against Gram-positive bacteria, Gram-negative bacteria and fungi. Surfactin may be one of the promising alternatives to antibiotics. Surfactin's chemical structure and physicochemical properties are briefly discussed in this mini-review. Surfactin's antibacterial mechanism is mainly outlined as follows: (1) attacking pathogenic bacteria's cell membrane, causing cell membrane disintegration or osmotic pressure imbalance; (2) inhibiting pathogenic bacteria's protein synthesis, preventing cell reproduction; (3) inhibiting pathogenic bacteria's enzyme activity, affecting normal cell metabolism. This provides basis for the further research and application of surfactin. Finally, the application of surfactin in food and its prospect are summarized in brief.

Maternal mortality ratio in Jiangsu Province, China: recent trends and associated factors.

BACKGROUND: In recent years, births to older mothers and multiparous mothers have increased rapidly with the change of birth policy in China. And mothers of advanced age are more likely to have maternal complications and poor birth outcomes. We aimed to estimate the recent trends and underlying risk factors of maternal mortality. METHODS: In this systematic assessment, we used data from the National Maternal and Child Health Routine Reporting System (2013-2018), Jiangsu Provincial Maternal Mortality Surveillance System (2017-2018), the Integrated National Mortality Surveillance System (2018), City Statistical Yearbooks (2018), City Health Statistical Yearbooks (2018). The factors associated with maternal mortality ratio (MMR) were explored using the stepwise regression analysis and cluster analysis. RESULTS: The MMR maintained at low levels between 2013 and 2016 and there was a slight increase in maternal mortality after 2016 in Jiangsu province. With the implementation of the China's universal two child policies, the percentage of multiparous mothers ascended from 34.2% (95% confidence interval (CI) = 34.1-34.3%) in 2013 to 51.4% (95% CI = 51.3-51.6%) in 2018 (beta = 3.88, P < 0.001). Consistently, the percentage of advanced maternal age (≥ 35) increased from 8.4% (95% CI = 8.4-8.5%) in 2013 to 10.4% (95% CI = 10.3-10.4%) in 2018 (beta = 0.50, P = 0.012). And we found that the percentage of multiparous mothers and advanced maternal age among maternal deaths were higher than all pregnant women (P < 0.001). In the stepwise regression analysis, four risk factors were significantly associated with maternal mortality ratio (primary industry of gross domestic product (GDP), rate of delivery in maternal and child health hospital, rate of cesarean section and rate of low birth weight). As the results derived from cluster analysis, the relatively developed regions had lower preventable maternal mortality ratio (43.5% (95% CI = 31.2-56.7%) vs. 62.6% (95% CI = 52.3-72.0%), P = 0.027). CONCLUSIONS: Since the universal two child policy has been associated with changes in health related birth characteristics: women giving birth have been more likely to be multiparous, and more likely to be aged 35 and over. This somewhat magnifies the impact of differences in economic development and obstetric services on MMR. The findings based on prefecture level data suggest that interventions must target economic development, the health system and maternal risk factors in synergy. These approaches will be of great benefit to control or diminish environmental factors associated with preventable deaths and will effectively reduce MMR and narrow the gap among the different regions.

Assessment of Medical Laboratory Undergraduates Training in Different School Year Systems.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the effect of the change from the 5-year system of coursework to a 4-year system on the achievements of medical laboratory undergraduates. METHODS: We analyzed and then compared the topics of training and the test scores among all subject individuals in the 5-year vs the 4-year undergraduate program. RESULTS: Five-year-program undergraduates and 4-year-program undergraduates were required to complete 50 courses. The average weekly education time in the 4-year program (27.05 lesson-hours/week) was greater than that in the 5-year program (22.99 lesson-hours/week). The proportion of clinical practice in the hospital setting in the 4-year program (26.8%) was higher than that in the 5-year program (24.5%). The average, excellent, and good scores among 4-year-program undergraduates in general education courses, professional basic courses, professional courses, all courses, and common courses were lower than those scores among the 5-year-program undergraduates. CONCLUSIONS: The 5-year undergraduate program should be adapted to help boost the achievements and practical skills among its students, in helping them adapt quickly to the new, 4-year training plan (which presented a serious challenge in our cohort).

Immunomodulatory action of excretory-secretory products of Angiostrongylus cantonensis in a mouse tumour model.

Excretory-secretory products (ESPs) of parasitic helminths are well known to exert immunostimulation and immunomodulation in hosts. Immune regulation plays a key role in anti-tumour therapy. The present study explored the anti-tumour effect of ESPs released by Angiostrongylus cantonensis. In Hepa1-6 mouse tumour models, ESPs significantly reduced tumour growth. Tumour-bearing mice treated with ESPs had significantly higher CD3+, CD4+, and CD8+ T cell counts than those treated with Freund's adjuvant. In vitro, human hepatocarcinoma HepG2 cells, human lung cancer A549 cells, and normal human liver HL-7702 cells were co-incubated with ESPs for 24 h and 48 h. ESPs significantly accelerated HepG2 apoptosis but had no inhibitory effect on the proliferation of A549 and HL-7702 cells. Apoptotic HepG2 cells displayed condensed nuclei, apoptotic bodies, and swollen endoplasmic reticulum (ER). Expression of the endoplasmic reticulum stress (ERS)-related factors activating transcription factor 6 (ATF6) and C/EBP-homologous protein (CHOP) in HepG2 cells increased with increasing ESP concentration and treatment time. Calreticulin (CRT) is a key effector protein of ESPs, and recombinant calreticulin (rCRT) was produced in BL21 Escherichia coli (E. coli). In contrast to ESPs, rCRT markedly reduced the proliferation of HepG2 cells. The expression levels of ATF6 and CHOP in HepG2 cells treated with 30 µg/mL rCRT significantly increased at 48 h. Notably, these findings synergistically suggest that ESPs and rCRT are promising candidates for anti-tumour immunotherapy.

Glucocorticoids induce osteoporosis mediated by glucocorticoid receptor-dependent and -independent pathways.

Clinically, glucocorticoids (GCs) are widely used to treat inflammation-related diseases; however, their long-term use causes side effects, such as osteoporosis and predisposition to bone fractures, known as glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis (GIOP). Nr3c1 is the major glucocorticoid receptor, and its downstream signaling pathway is involved in regulating various intracellular physiological processes, including those related to bone cells; however, its mechanism in glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis (GIOP) remains unclear. In this study, a zebrafish nr3c1-mutant was successfully generated using CRISPR/Cas9 technology to investigate the role of nr3c1 in GIOP. Mutations in nr3c1 altered cartilage development and significantly decreased bone mineralization area. Additionally, qRT-PCR results showed that the expression of extracellular matrix-, osteoblast-, and osteoclast-related genes was altered in the nr3c1-mutant. The GC-Nr3c1 pathway regulates the expression of extracellular matrix-, osteoblast-, and osteoclast-related genes via Nr3c1-dependent and Nr3c1-independent pathways. A dual-luciferase reporter assay further revealed that GCs and Nr3c1 transcriptionally regulate matrix metalloproteinase 9 (mmp9), alkaline phosphatase (alp), and acid phosphatase 5a (acp5a). This study reveals that GCs/Nr3c1 affect the expression of genes involved in bone metabolism and provides a basis to determine the role of GIOP and Nr3c1 in bone metabolism and development. We also identified a new effector target for the clinical treatment of GIOP.

Serious Workplace Violence Against Healthcare Providers in China Between 2004 and 2018.

Introduction: Workplace violence (WPV) against healthcare providers has severe consequences and is underreported worldwide. The aim of this study was to present the features, causes, and outcomes of serious WPV against healthcare providers in China. Method: We searched for serious WPV events reported online and analyzed information about time, location, people, methods, motivations, and outcomes related to the incident. Result: Serious WPV reported online in China (n = 379) were mainly physical (97%) and often involved the use of weapons (34.5%). Doctors were victims in most instances (81.1%). Serious WPV mostly happened in cities (90.2%), teaching hospitals (87.4%), and tertiary hospitals (67.9%) and frequently in Emergency Department (ED), Obstetrics and Gynecology Department (OB-GYN), and pediatric departments; it was most prevalent in the months of June, May, and February. Rates of serious WPV increased dramatically in 2014 and decreased after 2015, with death (12.8%), severe injury (6%), and hospitalization (24.2%) being the major outcomes. A law protecting healthcare providers implemented in 2015 may have helped curb the violence. Conclusion: Serious WPV in China may stem from poor patient-doctor relationships, overly stressed health providers in highly demanding hospitals, poorly educated/informed patients, insufficient legal protection, and poor communication. Furthering knowledge about WPV and working toward curtailing its presence in healthcare settings are crucial to increasing the safety and well-being of healthcare workers.

Comparative Analysis of the Gut Microbiota of Adult Mosquitoes From Eight Locations in Hainan, China.

The midgut microbial community composition, structure, and function of field-collected mosquitoes may provide a way to exploit microbial function for mosquito-borne disease control. However, it is unclear how adult mosquitoes acquire their microbiome, how the microbiome affects life history traits and how the microbiome influences community structure. We analyzed the composition of 501 midgut bacterial communities from field-collected adult female mosquitoes, including Aedes albopictus, Aedes galloisi, Culex pallidothorax, Culex pipiens, Culex gelidus, and Armigeres subalbatus, across eight habitats using the HiSeq 4000 system and the V3-V4 hyper-variable region of 16S rRNA gene. After quality filtering and rarefaction, a total of 1421 operational taxonomic units, belonging to 29 phyla, 44 families, and 43 genera were identified. Proteobacteria (75.67%) were the most common phylum, followed by Firmicutes (10.38%), Bacteroidetes (6.87%), Thermi (4.60%), and Actinobacteria (1.58%). The genera Rickettsiaceae (33.00%), Enterobacteriaceae (20.27%), Enterococcaceae (7.49%), Aeromonadaceae (7.00%), Thermaceae (4.52%), and Moraxellaceae (4.31%) were dominant in the samples analyzed and accounted for 76.59% of the total genera. We characterized the midgut bacterial communities of six mosquito species in Hainan province, China. The gut bacterial communities were different in composition and abundance, among locations, for all mosquito species. There were significant differences in the gut microbial composition between some species and substantial variation in the gut microbiota between individuals of the same mosquito species. There was a marked variation in different mosquito gut microbiota within the same location. These results might be useful in the identification of microbial communities that could be exploited for disease control.

A Half-Century Studies on Epidemiological Features of Ancylostomiasis in China: A Review Article.

BACKGROUND: Ancylostomiasis is a prevalent and global parasitic disease, including China. A systematic review is significant to understand the epidemiological features of hookworm and provide guidance for prevention and treatment. METHODS: We systematically searched academic databases and assessed 944 papers published from 1955-2015 to establish the comprehensive analysis of prevalence of hookworm disease in China. We searched Chinese databases, including CNKI, Wanfang and VIP, for literature with the subject word "Ancylostomiasis and hookworm". The data were analyzed with SPSS 19.0 software using Spearman correlation analysis. Results were statistically significant for a P-value of <0.01. RESULTS: The search yielded 532,151 cases from epidemiological investigation and 7294 cases based on hospital diagnosis. Hookworm infection was highest (15.83%) in Fujian province, with high rates also found in East China, Southwest China, Central China and Southern China and lower rates in Northwest China, North China and Northeast China. In terms of occupation, farmers had the highest proportion of infections (72.54%). There was no correlation between epidemiological investigations and hospital-diagnosed cases. However, there was significant positive correlation between hospital-diagnosed cases and misdiagnosed cases. The proportion of hospital-misdiagnosed cases was 32.80%. CONCLUSION: Ancylostomiasis is a serious public health problem that negatively influences health and hinders socioeconomic development. Positive measures are required by both health services and individuals to prevent and control hookworm disease.

The prevalence and distribution of Burkholderia pseudomallei in rice paddy within Hainan, China.

Melioidosis is an infectious disease caused by Burkholderia pseudomallei, mainly found in Southeast Asia and northern Australia. In Hainan, sporadic cases were first described in 1990; since then, more cases have been identified. No systematic study has yet been done to detect the environmental source of the organism and its true extent in Hainan. This study is aimed to confirm the prevalence of B. pseudomallei in soil samples in Hainan. 1080 soil samples from 18 different counties were collected from 3 sampling points of 360 sites. They were screened for the presence of B. pseudomallei by Ashdown selective media. Suspected colonies of B. pseudomallei were confirmed by biochemical test and a specific PCR assay. 48 of 360 sites (13.3%) were positive for B. pseudomallei, including all coastal counties in Hainan Island. This study revealed the prevalence and distribution of B. pseudomallei in the soil environment in Hainan Island of southern China and may be helpful to understand the distribution of B. pseudomallei and to access its epidemiological importance.

Three single nucleotide polymorphisms of TNFAIP3 gene increase the risk of rheumatoid arthritis.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a systemic autoimmune disease characterized by chronic destructive inflammation in synovial joints. To date, many studies explored the associations between tumor necrosis factor alpha inducible protein 3 (TNFAIP3) gene rs6920220, rs2230926, and rs5029937 polymorphisms and the risk of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), but with contradictory results. We therefore conducted a comprehensive meta-analysis to address the associations. We searched in the databases of PubMed and Embase. Pooled odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated by the Stata 11.0 software. A total of 21 case-control studies for these three single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were included in this meta-analysis. Meta-analysis indicated that TNFAIP3 gene rs6920220, rs2230926, and rs5029937 polymorphisms were associated with the increased risk of RA. Stratification analysis of ethnicity found that rs6920220 and rs5029937 polymorphisms increased the risk of RA among Caucasians, while rs2230926 polymorphism increased the risk of RA among Asians. In summary, this meta-analysis confirms that TNFAIP3 gene polymorphisms may play important roles in the pathogenesis of RA.