Economic burden of pertussis in children: A single-center analysis in Hangzhou, China.

The "reemergence of pertussis" has elicited international concerns, occurring paradoxically amidst the expansion of immunization programs. This study was aimed to evaluate quantitatively the economic burden and identify the determinants that influence the cost associated with treating pertussis in Chinese children. We evaluated the economic burden by Chinese children diagnosed with pertussis at the Children's Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine in 2022. Direct medical expenses and the utilization of medical resources attributed to pertussis were calculated. A generalized linear regression model was applied to analyze the determinants that were associated with the direct medical expenses among patients. Among the 1110 pertussis patients included in the study, 1060 were outpatients and 50 were inpatients. The average direct medical cost was ¥1878.70(i.e. $279.33). Living in urban areas (OR:1.27, p = .04), complications (OR:1.40, p < .001), hospitalization (OR:10.04, p < .001), and ≥ 3 medical visits (OR:3.71, p < .001) were associated with increased direct medical expenses. Having received four doses of the pertussis vaccine was associated with reduced direct medical expenses (OR:0.81, p = .04). This study underscores a substantial economic burden of pertussis in Hangzhou, with pronounced implications for patients residing in urban areas, experiencing complications, requiring hospitalization, having multiple medical consultations, or lacking comprehensive pertussis vaccination.

Acceptance of influenza vaccination and associated factors among teachers in China: A cross-sectional study based on health belief model.

Teachers played an important role on the transmission of influenza in schools and communities. The study aims to investigate the influenza vaccination coverage and the factors determining flu vaccination acceptance among teachers in Hangzhou, China. A total of 1039 junior high school teachers in Hangzhou were recruited. The self-made questionnaire was used to investigate the influenza vaccine coverage among teachers and the influencing factors of influenza vaccination acceptance. Univariate analysis using the chi-square test and multivariable analysis using binary logistic regression were conducted to determine the relative predictors. The Influenza vaccine coverage among teachers was 5.9% (62/1039). 52.9% of teachers had the intention to receive influenza vaccine, 25.3% (247/977)/21.8% (213/977) of participants was hesitant/did not have the intention to get influenza vaccine. The top three sources for teachers to gain knowledge about influenza were website (72%), TV/radio (66.1%) and social media (58%). Whether get influenza vaccination before, knowledge about influenza and influenza vaccine, the beliefs for the likelihood of catching flu, the severity of getting flu, the effectiveness of influenza vaccine, the possibility of side effects after vaccination, and the troublesome of vaccination, doctors' recommendation, as well as the situation of vaccination among other teachers were the associated factors of influenza vaccination acceptance. The influenza vaccination coverage was low but the intentions were relatively high among junior high school teachers. Future research should focus on the relationship between vaccination acceptance and behavior to increase influenza vaccination rates.

Q-Ball Superradiance.

Q-balls are nontopological solitons that coherently rotate in field space. We show that these coherent rotations can induce superradiance for scattering waves, thanks to the fact that the scattering involves two coupled modes. Despite the conservation of the particle number in the scattering, the mismatch between the frequencies of the two modes allows for the enhancement of the energy and angular momentum of incident waves. When the Q-ball spins in real space, additional rotational superradiance is also possible, which can further boost the enhancements. We identify the criteria for the energy and angular momentum superradiance to occur.

Analysis of 13-valent pneumococcal polysaccharide conjugate vaccine among children born in Hangzhou from 2017 to 2021.

Background: 13-valent pneumococcal polysaccharide conjugate vaccine (PCV13) has been introduced in Hangzhou since 2017, whereas its current immunization state in children is not clear. Therefore, this study aims to describe the PCV13 vaccination distribution among children born in Hangzhou from 2017 to 2021 to provide data for reducing vaccination differences among different populations. Methods: Descriptive epidemiology was used for data analysis and PCV13 vaccination related information of children was collected from children vaccination management system of Zhejiang Province (ZJCVMS). Results: Among the 649,949 children born in Hangzhou from 2017 to 2021, 169,230 were vaccinated with an average full course vaccination rate of 26.0%. The full course vaccination rates in 5 years were different (P = 0.000) with an increasing trend (P fortrend < 0.01). The first dose vaccination rates were different in 5 years (P = 0.000) with an increasing trend (P fortrend < 0.01). The distribution of age when first dose PCV13 was administered varied, most people at 2 months and least people at 5 months. The full course vaccination rate varied by areas, highest in central urban areas and lowest in remote areas respectively (all P-value < 0.05). Overall, the full course vaccination rate of PCV13 was higher in the registered residence population than the non-registered residence population, which was 136,693 (31.4%) and 32,537 (15.1%) respectively (P = 0.000). The full course vaccination rates were the same between men and women (P = 0.502), which was 87,844 for men (26.0%) and 81,386 for women (26.1%). Conclusion: Although the number of people who received PCV13 full course vaccination and received the first dose vaccination showed yearly increasing trends in Hangzhou, the full course vaccination rate for the whole population was relatively low. In addition, the PCV13 vaccination rates also differed by geography and household registration status. Measures such as expanding vaccination publicity or including national immunization should be taken to increase vaccination rates and reduce the differences in vaccination among groups with different characteristics.

Combined effect of co-exposure to di (2-ethylhexyl) phthalates and 50-Hz magnetic-fields on promoting human amniotic cells proliferation.

Di (2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) and extremely low-frequency electromagnetic fields (ELF-EMFs) exist far and wide in our surroundings. Studies have reported that both of DEHP and ELF-EMFs could promote cell proliferation which is related with adverse bioeffects. In this study, we investigated whether there is the combined effect between DEHP and 50-Hz magnetic fields (MFs) on cell proliferation in human amniotic (FL) cells. Results revealed that the low-concentration DEHP (1 µM) could promote FL cell proliferation, whereas the high-dose DEHP (100 µM) inhibited cell proliferation. When FL cells were treated jointly by a 50-Hz, 0.2-mT MF and 0.1 µM DEHP, the proliferation rate of cells was significantly higher than that of single factor exposure. Additionally, co-exposure to under-threshold MF and DEHP could cooperatively activate protein kinase B (Akt), sphingosine kinase 1 (SphK1) and extracellular signal regulated kinase (ERK) in a cascade manner, and finally mediate cell proliferation. Taken together, the findings of this study indicated that the co-exposure to under-threshold MF and DEHP could jointly promote cell proliferation through activating proliferation-related signal pathway, which warned us that it should be cautious about assessing the underlying health hazards of co-exposure to MFs and DEHP at under-threshold levels.

What is the impact of human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cell transplantation on clinical treatment?

BACKGROUND: Human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells (HUC-MSCs) present in the umbilical cord tissue are self-renewing and multipotent. They can renew themselves continuously and, under certain conditions, differentiate into one or more cell types constituting human tissues and organs. HUC-MSCs differentiate, among others, into osteoblasts, chondrocytes, and adipocytes and have the ability to secrete cytokines. The possibility of noninvasive harvesting and low immunogenicity of HUC-MSCs give them a unique advantage in clinical applications. In recent years, HUC-MSCs have been widely used in clinical practice, and some progress has been made in their use for therapeutic purposes. MAIN BODY: This article describes two aspects of the clinical therapeutic effects of HUC-MSCs. On the one hand, it explains the benefits and mechanisms of HUC-MSC treatment in various diseases. On the other hand, it summarizes the results of basic research on HUC-MSCs related to clinical applications. The first part of this review highlights several functions of HUC-MSCs that are critical for their therapeutic properties: differentiation into terminal cells, immune regulation, paracrine effects, anti-inflammatory effects, anti-fibrotic effects, and regulating non-coding RNA. These characteristics of HUC-MSCs are discussed in the context of diabetes and its complications, liver disease, systemic lupus erythematosus, arthritis, brain injury and cerebrovascular diseases, heart diseases, spinal cord injury, respiratory diseases, viral infections, and other diseases. The second part emphasizes the need to establish an HUC-MSC cell bank, discusses tumorigenicity of HUC-MSCs and the characteristics of different in vitro generations of these cells in the treatment of diseases, and provides technical and theoretical support for the clinical applications of HUC-MSCs. CONCLUSION: HUC-MSCs can treat a variety of diseases clinically and have achieved good therapeutic effects, and the development of HUC-MSC assistive technology has laid the foundation for its clinical application.

A 50-Hz magnetic-field exposure promotes human amniotic cells proliferation via SphK-S1P-S1PR cascade mediated ERK signaling pathway.

Extremely low-frequency electromagnetic fields (ELF-EMFs) present a kind of common non-ionizing radiation in public and occupational environments. Previous studies have suggested that ELF-EMF exposure might have a potential impact on co-carcinogenesis and the progression of tumorigenesis by inducing cell proliferation. However, the underlying mechanisms remain largely unknown. In this study, we investigated the possible role of the sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P)-related pathway in regulating cell proliferation induced by 50-Hz, 0.4-mT magnetic-field (MF) exposure. The results showed that MF exposure significantly promoted sphingosine kinase 1 (SphK1) activity, and that inhibition of the SphK1-S1P-S1P receptor (S1PR) pathway could remarkably reverse MF-induced cell proliferation. Additionally, we could infer indirectly from an exogenous-S1P experiment that MF-induced S1P might act on S1PR1/3 in a paracrine and/or autocrine manner to mediate the proliferation effect. Notably, although the MF activated the extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) and protein kinase B (Akt) pathways, the SphK1-S1P-S1PR1/3 cascade regulated MF-induced proliferation by activating the ERK rather than the Akt pathway. Taken together, the findings of this study indicated that the SphK1-S1P-S1PR1/3 cascade played an important role in MF-induced proliferation by mediating the ERK signaling pathway, which could bring new insights into understanding and preventing the adverse effects of MFs.

The endoplasmic reticulum stress and related signal pathway mediated the glyphosate-induced testosterone synthesis inhibition in TM3 cells.

Glyphosate is the most widely used herbicide in the world. In recent years, many studies have demonstrated that exposure to glyphosate-based herbicides (GHBs) was related to the decrease of serum testosterone and the decline in semen quality. However, the molecular mechanism of glyphosate-induced testosterone synthesis disorders is still unclear. In the present study, the effects of glyphosate on testosterone secretion and the role of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress in the process were investigated in TM3 cells. The effects of glyphosate at different concentrations on the viability of TM3 cells were detected by CCK8 method. The effect of glyphosate exposure on testosterone secretion was determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The expression levels of testosterone synthases and ER stress-related proteins were detected by Western blot and Immunofluorescence stain. Results showed that exposure to glyphosate at concentrations below 200 mg/L had no effect on cell viability, while the glyphosate above 0.5 mg/L could inhibit the testosterone secretion in TM3 cells. Treatment TM3 cells with glyphosate at 5 mg/L not only reduced the protein levels of testosterone synthase StAR and CYP17A1, inhibited testosterone secretion, but also increased the protein level of ER stress molecule Bip and promoted the phosphorylation of PERK and eIF2α. Pretreatment cells with PBA, an inhibitor of ER stress, alleviated glyphosate-induced increase in Bip, p-PERK and p-eIF2α protein levels, meanwhile rescuing glyphosate-induced testosterone synthesis disorders. When pretreatment with GSK2606414, a PERK inhibitor, the glyphosate-induced phosphorylation of PERK and eIF2α was blocked, and the glyphosate-inhibited testosterone synthesis and secretion was also restored. Overall, our findings suggest that glyphosate can interfere with the expression of StAR and CYP17A1 and inhibit testosterone synthesis and secretion via ER stress-mediated the activation of PERK/eIF2α signaling pathway in Leydig cells.

Surgery or radiotherapy for the treatment of bone hydatid disease: a retrospective case series.

BACKGROUND: Currently, there is no accepted treatment for inoperable bone hydatid disease where medical treatment has proved ineffective. Alternative treatment strategies are therefore urgently needed. Radiotherapy may constitute a treatment option, but there is currently a lack of adequate evidence. This study sought to retrospectively assess the efficacy and safety of surgery or radiotherapy in the treatment of bone hydatid disease in patients attending a single hospital in China. METHODS: This was a retrospective case series analyzing clinical data from consecutive patients treated between January 2000 and December 2011. Patients with an Echinococcus sp infection were counselled about their disease and the potential treatment options, and made an informed decision between surgery and radiotherapy. All patients were followed up. The treatment outcome was observed in the two treatment groups based on the frequencies of relapse and complications, and self-evaluated patient satisfaction. RESULTS: Of 40 patients (age range 25-57 years), 24 opted for surgery and 16 for radiotherapy. Relapse occurred in 14 patients (58%) post-surgery and in three patients (21%) post-radiotherapy. Bone defects, limb movement disorders, and pain were reported in seven patients (29%) post-surgery, while two patients (13%) reported hardening of the irradiated region or a limb after radiotherapy. Titres of parasite-specific antibodies decreased significantly after radiotherapy but not after surgical intervention. Patient satisfaction was significantly higher in the radiotherapy group. CONCLUSION: This retrospective case series describes, for the first time, the clinical outcomes in a series of patients treated with radiotherapy for bone hydatid disease. Although no direct comparison between the treatment groups could be made due to methodological limitations of the study design, this study indicates that well-designed prospective randomized controlled clinical trials assessing radiotherapy may be warranted in patients with inoperable hydatid disease of the bones.