Analysis of a Community-based Intervention to Reduce Heat-related Illness during Heat Waves in Licheng, China: a Quasi-experimental Study.

OBJECTIVE: To reduce health-related threats of heat waves, interventions have been implemented in many parts of the world. However, there is a lack of higher-level evidence concerning the intervention efficacy. This study aimed to determine the efficacy of an intervention to reduce the number of heat-related illnesses. METHODS: A quasi-experimental design was employed by two cross-sectional surveys in the year 2014 and 2015, including 2,240 participants and 2,356 participants, respectively. Each survey was designed to include one control group and one intervention group, which conducted in Licheng, China. A representative sample was selected using a multistage sampling method. Data, collected from questionnaires about heat waves in 2014 and 2015, were analyzed using a difference-in-difference analysis and cost effectiveness analysis. Outcomes included changes in the prevalence of heat-related illnesses and cost-effectiveness variables. RESULTS: Relative to the control participants, the prevalence of heat-related illness in the intervention participants decreased to a greater extent in rural areas than in urban areas (OR=0.495 vs. OR=1.281). Moreover, the cost-effectiveness ratio in the intervention group was less than that in the control group (US$15.06 vs. US$15.69 per participant). Furthermore, to avoid one additional patient, the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio showed that an additional US$14.47 would be needed for the intervention compared to when no intervention was applied. CONCLUSION: The intervention program may be considered a worthwhile investment for rural areas that are more likely to experience heat waves. Meanwhile, corresponding improving measures should be presented towards urban areas. Future research should examine whether the intervention strategies could be spread out in other domestic or international regions where heat waves are usually experienced.

Distributed lag effects and vulnerable groups of floods on bacillary dysentery in Huaihua, China.

Understanding the potential links between floods and bacillary dysentery in China is important to develop appropriate intervention programs after floods. This study aimed to explore the distributed lag effects of floods on bacillary dysentery and to identify the vulnerable groups in Huaihua, China. Weekly number of bacillary dysentery cases from 2005-2011 were obtained during flood season. Flood data and meteorological data over the same period were obtained from the China Meteorological Data Sharing Service System. To examine the distributed lag effects, a generalized linear mixed model combined with a distributed lag non-linear model were developed to assess the relationship between floods and bacillary dysentery. A total of 3,709 cases of bacillary dysentery were notified over the study period. The effects of floods on bacillary dysentery continued for approximately 3 weeks with a cumulative risk ratio equal to 1.52 (95% CI: 1.08-2.12). The risks of bacillary dysentery were higher in females, farmers and people aged 15-64 years old. This study suggests floods have increased the risk of bacillary dysentery with 3 weeks' effects, especially for the vulnerable groups identified. Public health programs should be taken to prevent and control a potential risk of bacillary dysentery after floods.

Citreoviridin Enhances Atherogenesis in Hypercholesterolemic ApoE-Deficient Mice via Upregulating Inflammation and Endothelial Dysfunction.

Vascular endothelial dysfunction and inflammatory response are early events during initiation and progression of atherosclerosis. In vitro studies have described that CIT markedly upregulates expressions of ICAM-1 and VCAM-1 of endothelial cells, which result from NF-κB activation induced by CIT. In order to determine whether it plays a role in atherogenesis in vivo, we conducted the study to investigate the effects of CIT on atherosclerotic plaque development and inflammatory response in apolipoprotein E deficient (apoE-/-) mice. Five-week-old apoE-/- mice were fed high-fat diets and treated with CIT for 15 weeks, followed by assay of atherosclerotic lesions. Nitric oxide (NO), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and endothelin-1 (ET-1) were detected in serum. Levels of intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1), vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1), VEGF, and ET-1 in plaque areas of artery walls were examined. NF-κB p65 expression and NF-κB activation in aorta also were assessed. CIT treatment significantly augmented atherosclerotic plaques and increased expressions of ICAM-1, VCAM-1, VEGF and ET-1 in aorta. Mechanistic studies showed that activation of NF-κB was significantly elevated by CIT treatment, indicating the effect of CIT on atherosclerosis may be regulated by activation of NF-κB.

Cytotoxic T lymphocyte-associated antigen 4 gene polymorphisms and autoimmune thyroid diseases: an updated systematic review and cumulative meta-analysis.

The association of the cytotoxic T lymphocyte-associated antigen 4 (CTLA-4) gene and susceptibility to autoimmune thyroid diseases (AITDs) has been studied extensively. However, the results were not the same in different ethnic groups. We updated the meta-analysis of association of CTLA-4 gene polymorphisms with AITDs and summarized the results in specific ethnicity. The associations of A49G gene polymorphism with GD, A49G gene polymorphism with HT, CT60 gene polymorphism with GD, and CT60 gene polymorphism with HT were summarized based on the literatures published up to October 30, 2014, in English or Chinese languages. The participants involved in the studies of A49G with GD, A49G with HT, CT60 with GD, and CT60HT were 39004 subjects (in 51 studies), 13102 subjects (in 22 studies), 31446 subjects (in 22 studies), and 6948 subjects (in 8 studies), respectively. The pooled ORs of CTLA-4 gene polymorphisms with AITDs were larger than 1.00, and the 95% CIs of ORs were statistically significant among whole population analyses. However, the subgroup analysis demonstrated that pooled ORs of A49G polymorphisms with GD among Africans or Americans are less than 1.00. The accumulated evidence suggests that the G allele mutant of A49G and CT60 increased the risks of HT and GD.

Higher expression of circulating miR-182 as a novel biomarker for breast cancer.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs), present in the serum in a stable and reproducible manner, may be used as biomarkers for various diseases. Few studies have previously investigated circulating miRNAs in the peripheral blood of breast cancer (BC) patients. To identify the role of serum miR-182 levels in BC, the present study detected miR-182 levels in the serum of 46 BC patients and 58 controls, by quantitative PCR. The results showed that the serum miR-182 levels in BC patients were significantly higher compared with the serum of healthy controls (P<0.01). The miR-182 was also overexpressed in the BC tissues compared with the para-carcinoma tissues. Furthermore, the serum levels of miR-182 in the estrogen receptor (ER)-positive patients were considerably lower compared with those in the ER-negative patients. The serum levels of miR-182 in the progesterone receptor (PR)-positive patients were also found to be lower compared with those in the PR-negative patients. The current study highlights results consistent with miR-182 as a novel and valuable biomarker for the diagnosis of BC.

The associations of single nucleotide polymorphisms in miR-146a, miR-196a and miR-499 with breast cancer susceptibility.

BACKGROUND: Previous studies have investigated the association between single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) located in microRNAs (miRNAs) and breast cancer susceptibility; however, because of their limited statistical power, many discrepancies are revealed in these studies. The meta-analysis presented here aimed to identify and characterize the roles of miRNA SNPs in breast cancer risk, and evaluate the associations of polymorphisms in miR-146a rs2910164, miR-196a rs11614913 and miR-499 rs3746444 with breast cancer susceptibility, respectively. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: The PubMed and Embases databases were searched updated to 31(st) December, 2012. The complete data of polymorphisms in miR-146a rs2910164, miR-196a rs11614913 and miR-499 rs3746444 from case-control studies for breast cancer were analyzed by odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) to reveal the associations of SNPs in miRNAs with breast cancer susceptibility. Totally, six studies for rs2910164 in miR-146a, involving 4225 cases and 4469 controls; eight studies for rs11614913 in miR-196a, involving 4110 cases and 5100 controls; and three studies of rs3746444 in miR-499, involving 2588 cases and 3260 controls, were investigated in the meta-analysis. The rs11614913 (TT+CT) genotype of miR-196a2 was revealed to be associated with a decreased breast cancer susceptibility compared with the CC genotypes (OR = 0.906, 95% CI: 0.825-0.995, P = 0.039); however, no significant associations were observed between rs2910164 in miR-146a (or rs3746444 in miR-499) and breast cancer susceptibility. CONCLUSIONS: This meta-analysis demonstrates the compelling evidence that the rs11614913 CC genotype in miR-196a2 increases breast cancer risk, which provides useful information for the early diagnosis and prevention of breast cancer.

[Analysis of clinical features and early warning indicators of death from hand, foot and mouth disease in Shandong province].

OBJECTIVE: To understand the clinical features of death from hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) and to explore the early warning index of HFMD death. METHODS: A total of 41 HFMD death cases were collected as case group in Shandong province between 2009 and 2011, and another 123 serious HFMD cases were selected as control group according to the similar gender, place of origin and hospital level, with the ratio at 1:3. We investigated the general situation, clinical treatment, past medical history, clinical symptoms and signs of the ill children, and applied the conditional logistic regression to explore early warning index of HFMD death. RESULTS: The rate of patients who had symptoms in nervous system, digestive system, circulatory system and respiratory system were separately 90.2% (37/41), 58.5% (24/41), 53.7% (22/41) and 90.2% (37/41) in case group; and the proportions were 44.7% (55/123), 13.8% (17/123), 10.6% (13/123) and 12.2% (15/123) respectively in control group. The difference between the two groups showed statistical significance (χ(2) = 25.881, 32.791, 34.011, 86.505, P < 0.05). In case group, 37 patients had neurogenic pulmonary edema, 26 patients got encephalitis, 15 patients had respiratory and circulatory failure, 7 patients got pulmonary hemorrhage, 4 patients had multiple organ failure, 4 patients got myocarditis and 1 patient had cerebral hernia. According to multi-factor logistic regression analysis, the early warning indicators of HFMD death included neck resistance (case group: 34.1% (14/41), control group: 4.1% (5/123); OR = 7.145, 95%CI: 1.748 - 29.204), vomiting (case group: 58.5% (24/41), control group: 13.8% (17/123); OR = 5.632, 95%CI: 1.793 - 17.685) and increase of heart rate (case group: 53.7% (22/41), control group: 10.6% (14/123), OR = 6.370, 95%CI: 1.517 - 26.743). CONCLUSION: In the process of clinical treatment and care, we should interfere the serious HFMD patients with neck resistance, vomiting and increase of heart rate, and thereby reduce the death from HFMD.

[Research progress on ebola virus glycoprotein].

Ebola virus (EBOV) causes outbreaks of a highly lethal hemorrhagic fever in humans and there are no effective therapeutic or prophylactic treatments available. The glycoprotein (GP) of EBOV is a transmembrane envelope protein known to play multiple functions including virus attachment and entry, cell rounding and cytotoxicity, down-regulation of host surface proteins, and enhancement of virus assembly and budding. GP is the primary target of protective immunity and the key target for developing neutralizing antibodies. In this paper, the research progress on genetic structure, pathogenesis and immunogenicity of EBOV GP in the last 5 years is reviewed.

[Time between the onset and diagnosis of dengue fever and related influencing factors in China].

OBJECTIVE: To study the time between the onset and diagnosis of Dengue fever and its influencing factors in China. METHODS: Data were obtained from the Infectious Disease Surveillance System (IDSS). Descriptive analysis was performed for the time interval while nonparametric tests and logistic regression analysis were used to study the related influencing factors. RESULTS: Time interval appeared positively skewed with distribution at median of 6 days, quartile range as 4 days, while 57.8% of them were longer than five days. Data showed that patients with longer intervals among the imported cases, being elderly, cases in non-endemic season and provinces as Fujian, Yunnan and Zhejiang appeared to have had greater influences on the disease. Median of those imported cases was six days, one day longer than locally generated cases, while median of the non-epidemic month was one day more than that of the epidemic month. In Fujian and Yunnan provinces, the medians were 7 days, one day more than that from Guangdong province. The median among young people was 5 days, one day less than that of the patients older than 20 years of age. CONCLUSION: Most Dengue patients did not get diagnosed early enough so it was of urgent need to enhance the sensitivity of the monitoring system, especially in epidemic regions and during non-epidemic season.

[A case-control study on the risk factors of central nervous system congenital malformations].

OBJECTIVE: To determine the risk factors in the development of central nervous system (CNS) congenital malformations. METHODS: A hospital-based 1:2 matched case-control study was conducted. Each case was matched with two normal controls on sex and residential area, date of birth, within half a year. By means of simple and multivariable conditional logistic regression, 48 factors were analyzed. RESULTS: Maternal exposure to pesticide or having cold with fever, family history of positive congenital malformations, preference eating pickled vegetables, negative life events, large consumption of meat, eggs, beans and milk during pregnancy and paternal exposure to poisonous chemicals were significantly associated with CNS congenital malformations, with odds ratios 16.471, 12.621, 10.246, 7.274, 3.730, 0.229, 5.616, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Maternal exposure to pesticides, cold with fever, positive congenital malformations family history, preference of eating pickled vegetables, negative life events during pregnancy, and paternal exposure to poisonous chemicals were the key risk factors contributing to CNS congenital malformations, while maternal exposure to big consumption of meat, eggs, beans and milk during pregnancy was protective factors that reducing CNS congenital malformations.

Characterization of Orientia tsutsugamushi strains isolated in Shandong Province, China by immunofluorescence and restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analyses.

In order to identify the characteristics of the Sta56 gene of the 23 isolates of Orientia (O.) tsutsugamushi isolated in Shandong Province, indirect immunofluorescence assay (IFA) was used to identify the gene type of 23 strains O. tsutsugamushi isolated from scrub typhus patients, chigger mites, and rodents. Restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis was also used to analyze the restriction profiles of the Sta56 gene PCR amplification products of the 23 isolated strains of the O. tsutsugamushi; the results were compared with those acquired by nested PCR. By IFA, 21 of the 23 isolates belonged to the Gilliam type, and 2 to the Karp type. Using RFLP analysis, 21 strains had similar restriction profiles to the Japan Kawasaki strain, but they had no restriction site Hha I, and thus had some difference in gene sequence compared with the Japan Kawasaki strain. The other 2 strains had similar restriction profiles to Karp. These results were identical to that acquired by nested-PCR. In Shandong Province, the gene types of epidemic O. tsutsugamushi strains were similar to the Japan Kawasaki type, but had some differences in gene sequence. In addition, Karp also existed.