Rapid and accurate identification of bacteria utilizing laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy.

Timely and accurate identification of harmful bacterial species in the environment is paramount for preventing the spread of diseases and ensuring food safety. In this study, laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy technology was utilized, combined with four machine learning methods - KNN, PCA-KNN, RF, and SVM, to conduct classification and identification research on 7 different types of bacteria, adhering to various substrate materials. The experimental results showed that despite the nearly identical elemental composition of these bacteria, differences in the intensity of elemental spectral lines provide crucial information for identification of bacteria. Under conditions of high-purity aluminum substrate, the identification rates of the four modeling methods reached 74.91%, 84.05%, 85.36%, and 96.07%, respectively. In contrast, under graphite substrate conditions, the corresponding identification rates reached 96.87%, 98.11%, 98.93%, and 100%. Graphite is found to be more suitable as a substrate material for bacterial classification, attributed to the fact that more characteristic spectral lines are excited in bacteria under graphite substrate conditions. Additionally, the emission spectral lines of graphite itself are relatively scarce, resulting in less interference with other elemental spectral lines of bacteria. Meanwhile, SVM exhibited the highest precision rate and recall rate, reaching up to 1, making it the most effective classification method in this experiment. This study provides a valuable approach for the rapid and accurate identification of bacterial species based on LIBS, as well as substrate selection, enhancing efficient microbial identification capabilities in fields related to social security and military applications.

The environmental and socioeconomic effects of tuberculosis patients in the southwest of China: a population-based study.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to assess the incidence of tuberculosis (TB) and find the risk factors of TB patients with a high burden of TB in socioeconomic level, the high level of TB incidence and the great changes of economic and social factors, explore the possible factors, construct scientific and robust prediction model, and analyse whether the task of stopping TB can be accomplished by the expected global deadline. STUDY DESIGN: This was an ecological study. METHODS: Descriptive analysis, spatial and space-time scan, correlation analysis, and regression analysis were carried out, based on cases of TB in Sichuan Province and ecological data from 2006 to 2017, to explore the characters of TB and ecological factors, using the transfer function-noise model to forecast the trend of TB until 2035. RESULTS: Factors affecting the incidence of TB, increasing per capita green area, reporting status of TB among Tibetans and Yi minorities, comprehensive treatment management, total cost of TB per capita for urban residents, proportion of males with high school education, 20 to 20 h of 24-h accumulated precipitation, reducing HIV at the same time as AIDS deaths, the increase in the proportion of males in junior high school education, and the increase in the number of registered TB cases can reduce the incidence of TB. CONCLUSIONS: There was concentration mainly on enhanced control of the environment and society measures, helpful in guiding government planning to control TB. Reinforcement is required to reduce the TB of population aged 15-24 and aged 25-64 in socioeconomic level by 2035.

[Study of incidence and economic burden of herpes zoster based on community investigation among the aged in Laiwu district, Jinan city, Shandong Province of China].

Objective: To understand the incidence and economic burden of herpes zoster among the aged in Laiwu district, Jinan city. Methods: Retrospective cohort study was conducted in 5 communities in Laiwu District, Jinan City from July to September, 2019. A total of 8 300 residents born before July 1, 1959 and aged ≥60 years old were included in the investigation. At the same time, an economic burden survey was carried out among 220 cases who developed herpes zoster after July 1, 2017. A questionnaire was used to collect information on incidence and economic burden of HZ, and comparisons were carried out about the incidence and economic burden of herpes zoster among older people with different characteristics. Results: The age of 8 300 subjects was (71.46±6.71) years old. Male and female accounted for 44.10% and 55.90%, respectively. The cumulative incidence of disease after the age of 60 was 73.61‰ among population aged ≥60 years old. The cumulative incidence was 28.03‰, 71.26‰, 86.09‰, 93.48‰ and 88.10‰ among population aged 60-64, 65-69, 70-74, 75-79 and ≥80 years old,respectively. The average annual incidence of HZ was 9.49‰ and annual incidence was 7.59‰, 7.23‰, 8.43‰, 10.24‰ and 13.98‰ in 2014-2018, respectively. HZ cost was (2 626±667) RMB per patient with a median cost of 715 RMB (interquartile range 303-2 358) on 220 cases who developed disease after July 1, 2017. The cost of outpatient cases was (1 329±1 835) RMB per patient with a median cost of 560 RMB (interquartile range 300-1 320), and the cost of inpatient cases was (14 303±16 571) RMB per patient with a median cost of 8 190 RMB (interquartile range 4 368-15 160). Conclusion: The incidence of HZ is high among population aged≥60 years old, which could cause heavy economic burden for them.

Disparities in Dental Service Use among Adult Populations in the United States.

OBJECTIVES: This article aims to examine the disparities in dental service utilization among 3 age groups: younger adults (20-49 y), middle-aged adults (50-64 y), and older adults (65+ y), among Whites, Hispanics, Blacks, Asians, American Indians or Alaska Natives (AIAN), and Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islanders (NHOPI). METHODS: Weighted logistic regression models were conducted to analyze 9 waves of cross-sectional survey data (2002-2018) from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System. We estimated age group- and race/ethnic-specific prevalences of dental service utilization adjusting sociodemographics and self-rated health for each wave and compared with crude analysis. Next, we performed linear regression analysis of the trend of adjusted prevalences over time and the average level by race/ethnicity and age groups. RESULTS: Racial/ethnic disparities increased with age, even though the adjusted prevalences of dental service utilization were less apparent than the crude analysis. The all-wave average prevalence was 71%. Black older adults had the lowest level of dental service utilization (65%) as compared with the 2 highest groups: White older adults (79%) and Asian older adults (76%). The general younger adult populations had low prevalences, with the lowest among Asian younger adults (65%). AIAN and NHOPI individuals from all age groups tended to have average or below average prevalences. In addition, a decreasing trend of dental service utilization was observed among White individuals of all age groups (0.2%-0.3% lower per year, P < 0.01) and AIAN younger adults (0.5% lower per year, P < 0.01). CONCLUSION: Health policy, federal funding, and community-based programs should address the needs of dental service utilization for racial/ethnic minorities including Blacks, AIANs, and NHOPIs. KNOWLEDGE TRANSFER STATEMENT: Our study offers insights into our understanding of disparities in dental service utilization among minority racial/ethnic groups. As health policy, federal funding, and community-based programs seek to improve oral health, there is a need to address access to and utilization of dental service for Blacks, American Indians or Alaska Natives, and Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islanders.

[Pathological assessment of non-small cell lung cancer resection specimens after neoadjuvant therapy].

Objective: To pathologically evaluate the surgically resected specimens of three different therapies (neoadjuvant chemotherapy, neoadjuvant targeted therapy and neoadjuvant immunotherapy combined with chemotherapy) for non-small cell lung cancer. Methods: One-hundred and thirteen cases of post neoadjuvant therapy non-small cell lung cancer specimens were collected at Tongji University Affiliated Shanghai Pulmonary Hospital from January 2000 to March 2020. There were ninty patients receiving neoadjuvant chemotherapy (chemotherapy group;26 cases of adenocarcinoma and 64 cases of squamous cell carcinoma), 13 patients receiving neoadjuvant targeted therapy (targeted group;13 cases of adenocarcinoma) and 10 patients receiving neoadjuvant immunotherapy combined with chemotherapy (immune combined chemotherapy group;4 cases of adenocarcinoma and 6 cases of squamous cell carcinoma). They were evaluated for histologic tumor regression responses (necrosis, inflammatory cell infiltration, cholesterol crystal deposition, foam cell infiltration, reactive granuloma and interstitial collagenous formation) and pathological responses [main pathological response (MPR) and complete pathological response (PCR)]. Results: Chemotherapy group, targeted group and immune combined chemotherapy group all showed degenerative changes in residual tumor cells, increased atypia, various degrees of necrosis, foam cell aggregation, cholesterol cleft, inflammatory cell infiltration, and reactive granuloma in the tumor bed. Histologic characteristics of tumor regression reaction were not different between these three groups (P>0.05); the highest percentage of necrosis in the targeted group and immune combined chemotherapy group was only 10% and 20%, respectively, while that in the chemotherapy group was as high as 80%. One case of adenocarcinoma in immune combined chemotherapy group had tumor regression bed. The MPR rates of adenocarcinoma in chemotherapy group and squamous cell carcinoma in chemotherapy group were 35% (9/26) and 64% (41/64), respectively; the MPR ratio of targeted group was 2/13; the MPR ratio of adenocarcinomain immune combined chemotherapy group and squamous cell carcinoma in immune combined chemotherapy group were 2/4 and 2/6, respectively. The PCR rates of adenocarcinoma in chemotherapy group and squamous cell carcinoma in chemotherapy group were 11% (3/26) and 3% (2/64), respectively; the PCR ratio of targeted group was 0/13; the PCR ratio of adenocarcinomain immune combined chemotherapy group and squamous cell carcinomain immune combined chemotherapy group were 0/4 and 1/6, respectively. Conclusions: Different neoadjuvant therapy may cause various histopathological changes in non-small cell lung cancer: more necrosis is noted in the chemotherapy group and regression bed frequently appears in the immune combined chemotherapy group. In the immune combined chemotherapy group, there are significant lymphoplasmacytic infiltration and lymphoid follicle formation in the lung parenchyma beside the tumor bed.

[Establishment of an indicator system for schistosomiasis transmission risk assessment after transmission interruption in Hubei Province based on the Delphi method].

OBJECTIVE: To establish an indicator system for assessment of schistosomiasis transmission risk after transmission interruption in Hubei Province, so as to provide insights into the precise control of schistosomiasis. METHODS: The indicator system was preliminarily established based on data collection, literature review, expert interviews. Two rounds of expert consultation were performed. The indicator system was screened based on the importance, operability, sensitivity and comprehensive score of the indicators, and the weights of each indicator were calculated. The credibility of the Delphi method was evaluated by calculating the active coefficient of the experts, degree of expert authority and coordination levels of experts' opinions. RESULTS: An indicator system for assessment of schistosomiasis transmission risk was preliminarily established, including 3 primary indicators, 12 secondary indicators and 44 tertiary indicators. A Delphi consultation was performed among 17 experts participating in schistosomiasis control, management and research. Following two rounds of consultation, a risk assessment indicator system was finally constructed, including 3 primary indicators, 10 secondary indicators and 35 tertiary indicators. Among the primary indicators, the variable with the highest normalized weight was the current status of schistosomiasis (0.420 2), followed by social factors (0.397 3) and natural environments (0.182 5). Among the secondary indicators, those with high combined weights included risk monitoring (0.142 3), current snail status (0.140 1), and current prevalence of human and livestock infections (0.137 8). Among the tertiary indicators, those with high combined weights included the positive rate of wild feces (0.049 8), the prevalence of snail infections (0.047 4), and the area of snail habitats submerged by floods (0.046 8). During the two-round consultation, the active coefficients of the experts were 85.00% and 100.00%, the degree of expert authority was both 0.75 and greater, and the coordination levels of experts' opinions were 0.405 to 0.521 and 0.592 to 0.695 (all P values < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: An indicator system for assessment of schistosomiasis transmission risk is successfully established after transmission interruption in Hubei Province based on the Delphi method, which provides insights into the identification of the schistosomiasis transmission risk and the targets for schistosomiasis control in Hubei Province.

Incidence and prevalence of multiple sclerosis in China and other Asian countries. / Incidencia y prevalencia de la esclerosis múltiple en China y países asiáticos.

The prevalence of multiple sclerosis (MS) in Asian countries is thought to be lower than in Western countries, with Asian populations presenting 80% less risk of MS than white populations. Incidence and prevalence rates in Asian countries are therefore not well defined and their association with rates in neighboring countries, as well as with ethnic, environmental, and socioeconomic factors, are not well understood. We performed a comprehensive literature review of epidemiological data from China and neighbouring countries to study the frequency of the disease, focusing on prevalence, and the progression over time and the influence of sex-related, environmental, dietary, and sociocultural factors. Prevalence rates in China range between 0.88 cases/100,000 population in 1986 and 5.2 cases/100,000 population in 2013, with a non-significant upwards trend (p = .08). The increase observed in Japan, where figures ranged between 8.1 and 18.6 cases/100,000 population was highly significant (p < .001). Prevalence rates in countries with predominantly white populations are considerably higher and have increased over time, reaching 115 cases/100,000 population in 2015 (r2 = 0.79, p < .0001). In conclusion, the prevalence of MS in China appears to have risen in recent years, although Asian populations (including Chinese and Japanese populations, among others) appear to present less risk than other populations. Within Asia, geographical latitude appears not to be a determining factor for developing MS.

[Follow-up and retrospective investigation of patients with pneumoconiosis in Jiangsu Province, China].

Objective: To investigate the features, changing trend, and rules of pneumoconiosis in Jiangsu Province, China, as well as the health status of patients with pneumoconiosis. Methods: From July to October 2019, the patients with pneumoconiosis, reported up to the end of 2018 in Jiangsu Province, were enrolled as respondents, and follow-up and retrospective investigation were performed. A total of 24405 patients with pneumoconiosis were investigated, and related data were collected from the monitoring system of cause of death for residents, pneumoconiosis network reporting system, occupational disease diagnosis institution, management institutions for the reporting of occupational diseases, and related residents' committee or village committee. The patients with pneumoconiosis, who had been reported, were followed up by telephone or on-site visit to obtain the information on their conditions. A descriptive analysis was performed for age of onset, working years, sex, category of industry, type of pneumoconiosis, annual disease onset, geographic distribution, and medical security. Results: Among the 24405 patients, a male/female ratio was 16.81∶1. Of all 24405 patients, 15948 (65.35%) had stage 1 pneumoconiosis, 5289 (21.67%) had stage 2 pneumoconiosis, and 1637 (6.71%) had stage 3 pneumoconiosis. The mean working years for dust exposure was 16.25±9.95 years for all patients, and the mean working years for dust exposure was 15.80±9.95 years for patients with stage 1 pneumoconiosis, 17.82±9.80 years for patients with stage 2 pneumoconiosis, and 16.31±9.90 years for patients with stage 3 pneumoconiosis. The highest number of cases of pneumoconiosis was reported in Wuxi (5744 cases, accounting for 23.54%) , followed by Zhenjiang (4160 cases, accounting for 17.05%) , Xuzhou (3851 cases, accounting for 15.78%) , Yancheng (3340 cases, accounting for 13.69%) , and Suzhou (2948 cases, accounting for 12.08%) . Major types of pneumoconiosis included silicosis (15392 cases, accounting for 63.07%) and coal workers' pneumoconiosis (5253 cases, accounting for 21.52%) . In this survey, 21115 completed follow-up, among whom 15924 survived and 5191 died, 15924 patients with pneumoconiosis survived, among whom 7461 (46.85%) had an age of ≥70 years and 2515 (15.79%) were exposed to dust for 5-9 years. The industries involved were mainly coal mining and washing industry (5687 cases, accounting for 35.71%) and public management, social security, and social organization (3349 cases, accounting for 21.03%) ; in terms of security, 7999 patients (50.23%) were covered by occupational injury insurance, 946 (5.94%) were compensated by employers, 4537 (28.49%) were covered by basic medical insurance for urban and rural residents, 1590 (9.98%) were covered by critical illness insurance, and 5458 (34.28%) were covered by other types of social security, such as medical assistance and poverty relief. Conclusion: Silicosis and coal worker's pneumoconiosis are the key points for the prevention and treatment of pneumoconiosis in Jiangsu Province, and supervision should be strengthened for industries and regions with serious dust hazards.

Accuracies of genomic prediction for twenty economically important traits in Chinese Simmental beef cattle.

Genomic prediction has been widely utilized to estimate genomic breeding values (GEBVs) in farm animals. In this study, we conducted genomic prediction for 20 economically important traits including growth, carcass and meat quality traits in Chinese Simmental beef cattle. Five approaches (GBLUP, BayesA, BayesB, BayesCπ and BayesR) were used to estimate the genomic breeding values. The predictive accuracies ranged from 0.159 (lean meat percentage estimated by BayesCπ) to 0.518 (striploin weight estimated by BayesR). Moreover, we found that the average predictive accuracies across 20 traits were 0.361, 0.361, 0.367, 0.367 and 0.378, and the averaged regression coefficients were 0.89, 0.86, 0.89, 0.94 and 0.95 for GBLUP, BayesA, BayesB, BayesCπ and BayesR respectively. The genomic prediction accuracies were mostly moderate and high for growth and carcass traits, whereas meat quality traits showed relatively low accuracies. We concluded that Bayesian regression approaches, especially for BayesR and BayesCπ, were slightly superior to GBLUP for most traits. Increasing with the sizes of reference population, these two approaches are feasible for future application of genomic selection in Chinese beef cattle.

[Analysis of the contradiction between the supply and demand of Chinese graduate students' emergency professional ability in public health and preventive medicine in China].

In order to underst and the status of health emergency personnel training development and raising coping measures, electronic questionnaire surveys were conducted among 22 colleges and universities in different region of China. The result showed that colleges universities in China invested less in the training of emergency personnel. It is different and emphasized particularly for the cultivation of emergency professional ability among different types of public health students. Universities and employer hold relative evaluation of students' emergency professional ability with distinct regional differences.

Cost Savings Analysis of Early Extubation Following Congenital Heart Surgery.

The clinical benefit of early extubation following congenital heart surgery has been demonstrated; however, its effect on resource utilization has not been rigorously evaluated. We sought to determine the cost savings of implementing an early extubation pathway for children undergoing surgery for congenital heart disease. We performed a cost savings analysis after implementation of an early extubation strategy among children undergoing congenital heart surgery at British Columbia Children's Hospital (BCCH) over a 2.5-year period. All patients undergoing one of the eight Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) benchmark operations, ASD repair, or bidirectional cavopulmonary anastomosis were included in the analysis (n = 370). We compared our data to aggregate STS multi-institutional data from a contemporary cohort. We estimated daily costs for ICU care, ward care, medications, imaging, additional procedures, and allied health care using an administrative database. Direct costs, indirect costs, and cost savings were estimated. Simulation methods, Monte Carlo, and bootstrapping were used to calculate the 95% credible intervals for all estimates. The mean cost savings per procedure was $12,976 and the total estimated cost savings over the study period at BCCH was $4.8 million with direct costs accounting for 91% of cost savings. Sensitivity analysis demonstrated a mean cost savings range of $11,934-$14,059 per procedure. Early extubation is associated with substantial cost savings due to reduced hospital resource utilization. Implementation of an early extubation strategy following congenital heart surgery may contribute to improved resource utilization.

[HEAD-US-C quantitative ultrasound assessment scale in evaluation of joint damage in patients with moderate or severe hemophilia A received on-demand versus prophylaxis replacement therapy].

Objective: To explore the evaluation of joint injury by HEAD-US-C (Hemophilic Early Arthropathy Detection with UltraSound in China, HEAD-US-C) in patients with moderate or severe hemophilia A treated with prophylaxis vs on-demand. Methods: The patients from June 2015 to July 2017 with moderate or severe hemophilia A were examined by ultrasound imaging of the elbows, knees and ankles; Meanwhile the HEAD-US-C ultrasound assessment scale and hemophilia joint health score scale 2.1 (HJHS2.1) were used to score the joint status. The correlation between the HEAD-US-C and HJHS score was performed in prophylaxis group and on-demand group patients, respectively. Results: A total of 925 cases of joint ultrasonography were conducted in 70 patients with moderate or severe hemophilia A. Among patients with moderate hemophilia, the median (IQR) of HEAD-US-C score and HJHS score in on-demand group were significantly higher than those in the prophylaxis group[1 (0, 6) vs 0.5 (0, 3) , z=0.177, P=0.046],[2 (0, 4) vs 2 (0, 3) z=0.375, P=0.007], even though there was no significant difference of the median (IQR) number of annualized target joints bleeding episodes between on-demand and prophylaxis groups[1 (0, 7) vs 1 (0, 5) , z=1.271, P=0.137]. Unlike in moderate cases, on-demand treatment group had more annualized target joints bleeding episodes than prophylaxis group among patients with severe hemophilia[3 (0, 8) vs 2 (0, 8) , z=0.780 P=0.037]. The prophylaxis group compared favorably with on-demand therapy group in terms of HEAD-US-C score[1 (0, 6) vs 4 (0, 7) , z=2.189, P=0.008], and HJHS score[2 (0, 5) , 4 (1, 6) , z=3646, P<0.001]for the severe hemophilia patients. The positive correlation between HEAD-US-C score and HJHS score was identified (P<0.05) , whether on-demand treatment or prophylaxis groups. The correlation coefficient between HEAD-US-C score and HJHS score in on-demand treatment and prophylaxis groups were 0.739 (95% CI 0.708-0.708) , 0.865 (95% CI 0.848-0.848) respectively, and 95% CI didn't overlap (P<0.05) , indicating that the correlation coefficient in prophylaxis group had stronger correlation than that in on-demand group. Conclusions: Clinical effects of prophylaxis were significantly better than those of on-demand treatment in patients with moderate or se-vere haemophilia A. HEAD-US-C scoring system could effectively evaluate joints damage in hemophilia A patients treated with on-demand or prophylaxis, companied by significantly positive correlation with HJHS clinical evaluation system, and provided objective index for clinical effect assessment.

[Clinical application and optimization of HEAD-US quantitative ultrasound assessment scale for hemophilic arthropathy].

Objective: To assess the feasibility of HEAD-US scale in the clinical application of hemophilic arthropathy (HA) and propose an optimized ultrasound scoring system. Methods: From July 2015 to August 2017, 1 035 joints ultrasonographic examinations were performed in 91 patients. Melchiorre, HEAD-US (Hemophilic Early Arthropathy Detection with UltraSound) and HEAD-US-C (HEAD-US in China) scale scores were used respectively to analyze the results. The correlations between three ultrasound scales and Hemophilia Joint Health Scores (HJHS) were evaluated. The sensitivity differences of the above Ultrasonic scoring systems in evaluation of HA were compared. Results: All the 91 patients were male, with median age of 16 (4-55) years old, including 86 cases of hemophilia A and 5 cases hemophilia B. The median (P25, P75) of Melchiorre, HEAD-US and HEAD-US-C scores of 1 035 joints were 2(0,6), 1(0,5) and 2(0,6), respectively, and the correlation coefficients compared with HJHS was 0.747, 0.762 and 0.765 respectively, with statistical significance (P<0.001). The positive rates of Melchiorre, HEAD-US-C and HEAD-US scale score were 63.0% (95%CI 59.7%-65.9%), 59.5% (95%CI 56.5%-62.4%) and 56.6% (95%CI 53.6%-59.6%) respectively, and the difference was statistically significant (P<0.001). Even for 336 cases of asymptomatic joints, the positive rates of Melchiorre, HEAD-US-C and HEAD-US scale score were 25.0% (95%CI 20.6%-29.6%), 17.0% (95%CI 12.6%-21.1%) and 11.9% (95%CI 8.4%-15.7%) respectively, and the difference was statistically significant (P<0.001). There were significant changes (P<0.05) in the ultrasonographic score of HA before and after onset of hemorrhage in 107 joints of 40 patients. The difference in variation amplitude of HEAD-US-C scores and HEAD-US scores before and after joint bleeding was statistically significant (P<0.001). Conclusion: Compared with Melchiorre, there were similar good correlations between HEAD-US, HEAD-US-C and HJHS. HEAD-US ultrasound scoring system is quick, convenient and simple to use. The optimized HEAD-US-C scale score is more sensitive than HEAD-US, especially for patients with HA who have subclinical state, which make up for insufficiency of sensitivity in HEAD-US scoring system.

Identification of the novel HLA-DQB1*06:209 allele in a Chinese individual.

HLA-DQB1*06:209 has one nucleotide change from HLA-DQB1*06:01:01 at position 260 G>C in exon 2.

[Physiological characteristics of Echinococcus and their association with interventions against echinococcosis].

Alveolar and cystic echinococcosis are important zoonotic diseases caused by the dog/fox tapeworms of Echinococcus granulosus and E. multilocularis, which are distributed in almost whole the world. The diseases remarkably impact on the people's health and economic development of communities. Echinococcus tapeworms need two mammalian animals to complete their lifecycle. The worms undergo different developmental stages (adult, egg/oncosphere, cyst, and protoscolex). Each stage has its own distinct physiological characteristics. We summarize the characteristics and emphasize that some features that strongly impact on design of control program. Based on the lifecycle of these worms, two stages are infectious, one is egg the only stage for primarily infecting humans and intermediate host, and another stage is protoscolex, the only stage for infecting the definite hosts of the worms. Eggs are produced by the adult worms parasitized in the intestine of definite hosts. It takes 45 days for eggs becoming mature in dogs. With this feature of the tapeworm, New Zealand and Tasmania in Australia designed control program for deworming 8 times annually with an interval between deworms at 45 days. E. multilocularis takes 28-30 days in dog/fox producing mature eggs. Given that co-existence of E. granulosus and E. multilocularis in western China, a control measure so called "prepatent deworming control measure" has been used in these endemic areas with dosing worms in dogs every month. It normally takes 12-15 months for producing protosocleces in E. granulosus cysts in sheep. If meat markets attract most lambs, that is an effective measure for controlling cystic echinococcosis given that there are no protoscoleces produced from those lambs. In addition, Echinococcus has its own unique biological characteristics, such as sexual reproduction and asexual reproduction, single-cell layer structure of cyst, bidirectional development of protoscoleces induced by bile salts, and long term of infection causing host asymptomatic reaction make the parasites a models for addressing some biological and biomedical issues. And more, hydatid cyst fluid is the antigen resource for identifying diagnostic reagents; the specific gene expressed in oncospheres has been developed as an effective vaccine used for control program. With the development and application of high-throughput omics, including genomics, transcriptomics and proteomics, we can use the physiological characteristics of Echinococcus for searching diagnostic reagents, developing preventive vaccines and identify new drug targets.

[An analysis of assessment results of prevention and control of occupational hazards in a city].

Objective: To investigate the current status of prevention and control of occupational hazards in a city in 2017, to understand the capability to prevent and control occupational hazards and the level of occupational health supervision and management, and to propose measures to urge employers to assume the main responsibility for the prevention and control of occupational diseases. Methods: An analysis of the main factors influencing the prevention and control of occupational hazards in the city was performed to screen out six semi-quantitative assessment indicators (including the training of the main responsible persons and occupational health management personnel in companies) and four qualitative assessment indicators (including the coverage of supervision and inspection of occupational hazards performed by the district safety supervision department) , which could be used to measure the prevention and control effects of regional occupational hazards. Each indicator was scored. The typical investigation method was used to do data review and on-site inspection of 170 companies, 17 district-level occupational health supervision departments, and 16 sub-district (township) occupational health supervision departments in the city from October to December, 2017. The prevention and control of occupational diseases in each district was scored, and the completion rate and completion situation of each indicator in the city were analyzed. Results: The mean score of prevention and control of occupational hazards in the city was 84.9. The scores of two districts were relatively high, being 88.9 and 88.7, respectively; the scores of 9 (52.9%) districts were higher than 85. The pass rate of training for the main responsible persons and occupational health management personnel in companies in the city was 95.9%, the pass rate of occupational health training for workers was 84.7%, the pass rate of occupational health examination for workers was 96.5%, the pass rate for the inspection of occupational hazardous factors in workplaces was 95.3%, the pass rate for notifying occupational hazards in workplaces is 95.9%, and the pass rate for applying the warning signs of occupational hazards in workplaces was 76.5%. Conclusion: The awareness of the importance of prevention and control of occupational hazards in all districts of the city has been increased, but the effectiveness of occupational health training for workers needs to be strengthened. The supply and demand of occupational health technical services are still not matched, and the ways and methods of occupational health supervision and inspection need to be improved.

Quality of initial HIV care in Canada: extension of a composite programmatic assessment tool for HIV therapy.

OBJECTIVES: To document the quality of initial HIV care in Canada using the Programmatic Compliance Score (PCS), to explore the association of the PCS with mortality, and to identify factors associated with higher quality of care. METHODS: We analysed data from the Canadian Observational Cohort Collaboration (CANOC), a multisite Canadian cohort of HIV-positive adults initiating combination antiretroviral therapy (ART) from 2000 to 2011. PCS indicators of noncompliance with HIV treatment guidelines include: fewer than three CD4 count tests in the first year of ART; fewer than three viral load tests in the first year of ART; no drug resistance testing before initiation; baseline CD4 count < 200 cells/mm3 ; starting a nonrecommended ART regimen; and not achieving viral suppression within 6 months of initiation. Indicators are summed for a score from 0 to 6; higher scores indicate poorer care. Cox regression was used to assess the association between PCS and mortality and ordinal logistic regression was used to explore factors associated with higher quality of care. RESULTS: Of the 7460 participants (18% female), the median score was 1.0 (Q1-Q3 1.0-2.0); 21% scored 0 and 8% scored ≥ 4. In multivariable analysis, compared with a score of 0, poorer PCS was associated with mortality for scores > 1 [score = 2: adjusted hazard ratio (AHR) 1.64; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.13-2.36; score = 3: AHR 2.02; 95% CI 1.38-2.97; score ≥ 4: AHR 2.14; 95% CI 1.43-3.21], after adjustments for age, sex, province, ART start year, hepatitis C virus (HCV) coinfection, and baseline viral load. Women, individuals with HCV coinfection, younger people, and individuals starting ART earlier (2000-2003) had poorer scores. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings further validate the PCS as a predictor of all-cause mortality. Disparities identified suggest that further efforts are needed to ensure that care is equitably accessible.

[A multi-center retrospective study of clinical characteristics and hospitalization costs of patients hospitalized for asthma exacerbation in China during 2013-2014].

Objective: To study the characteristics of patients hospitalized for asthma exacerbation in 29 teaching hospitals in China and to evaluate the hospitalization costs of these patients. Methods: This was a retrospective study and involved patients hospitalized for asthma exacerbation in 29 hospitals throughout China during 2013-2014. Information about the demographic features, conditions before the admission, the outcome, the complications, and the costs was collected using the pre-designed case report form. The influencing factors of the hospitalization costs were analyzed. Results: 3 240 asthmatic patients (1 369 males and 1 871 females) were included and data were analyzed. There were 41.5% (1 346/3 240) patients who had a history of previous hospitalization or emergency department visits during the last year. Only 28.0% (907/3 240) patients had used asthma-controlling medications regularly before the admission. Seventy-three(2.3%) patients were admitted to ICU and used mechanical ventilation. Mortality among these patients hospitalized for asthma exacerbation was 0.25% (8/3 240). The median hospitalization costs was 9 045(6 431, 13 035) RMB. The costs of medications, examinations and treatment accounted for 52.1%, 27.6%, and 9.6% respectively. The costs of asthma medications accounted for only 22.7% of the total medication costs, while the costs of antibiotics accounted for 44.0%. The patients who were admitted to ICU, used mechanical ventilation, complicated with pneumonia, or had a history of hospitalization or emergency department visits during the last year due to asthma exacerbations tended to cost more. Conclusion: In this study, we demonstrated that only a minority of the patients had used asthma controllers regularly before the admissions with exacerbations. The in-hospital mortality of asthma patients in this study was much lower than that reported in other countries. The average cost of hospitalization was much higher than the yearly cost of maintenance therapy. Medication was the predominant component of the total hospitalization costs, and the costs of antibiotics made up the major part of the total medication costs.

Reproductive Cost Associated With Juvenile Hormone in Bt-Resistant Strains of Helicoverpa armigera (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae).

Transgenic Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) crops are increasingly significant in pest control, but resistance development of target pests is a major issue in the sustainable deployment of Bt crops. The fitness cost of resistance in target pests is regarded as one of the main factors delaying resistance when adopting the refuge strategy. In this study, we compared the life-history traits of three independent sets of Helicoverpa armigera (Hübner, 1809) adults, of each there were a susceptible population and a Cry1Ac-resistant population derived by selection from it. Confirming to the previous studies, resistant individuals exhibited fewer progeny, less fecundity, lower egg hatching rate, and longer adult longevity. And poor fecundity in resistant strains was associated with the decline of the mature follicular amount, the ovarian weight ratio, and the length of the longest ovarian tubule. Interestingly, the juvenile hormone (JH) level appeared higher in resistant strains relative to susceptible strains. Application of methoprene (JH analogue) in vivo was effective in reducing fecundity and hatchability with the up-regulation of detected JH titer. These results suggested that resistance against Bt toxin reduced the reproductive capacity of H. armigera, and JH level is affected in the tradeoff between reproductive capacity and Bt resistance.