Norovirus outbreaks in Fengtai District, Beijing, China, 2014.

Norovirus (NoV) is the most common cause of non-bacterial acute gastroenteritis (AGE) outbreaks worldwide. Eight NoV outbreaks in the Fengtai District of Beijing City, China, were identified in 2014. Samples were collected from the eight outbreaks, and 73 out of 119 samples from cases and 10 out of 59 samples from the close contacts were positive for NoVs. The genotypes were determined by sequencing analysis. Six different GII genotypes, including GII.2, 4, 6, 7, 8, 14, and 17 were found, and GII.4 was not the local major epidemic genotype in the present study. Enhanced strain surveillance is necessary for future NoV epidemics.

Association study of fibroblast growth factor 10 (FGF10) rs399501 polymorphism with susceptibility to high myopia in a Chinese population.

Purpose: Genetic association between the fibroblast growth factor 10 (FGF10) gene rs339501 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) and high myopia remains inconsistent in different studies. This study aimed to investigate the association between FGF10 rs339501 and high myopia in a Han Chinese population.Methods: A total of 675 patients with high myopia (HM), including 246 extreme myopia (EM) patients, and 800 healthy subjects with normal vision from the Chinese Han population were selected as the study subjects. The SNP of FGF10 rs399501 was genotyped by TaqMan allele discrimination assay on the 7300 real-time polymorphism chain reaction system, and the relationship between genotype and allele frequency of FGF10 rs399501 and high myopia was analyzed.Results: In our study, there are statistically significant differences between high myopia patients and controls in the allele frequencies (OR = 1.268, 95%CI = 1.030 ~ 1.560, P = .025), but not in genotype distributions (χ2 = 5.673, P = .059) of rs399501 SNP in the FGF10 gene. In addition, a weak association was found in recessive model (GG vs. AG+AA: OR = 1.929, 95%CI = 1.004 ~ 3.708, P = .045), but not in dominant model (AG+GG vs. AA: OR = 1.239, 95%CI = 0.981 ~ 1.566, P = .072). Moreover, significant associations were also found between FGF10 rs339501 polymorphism and the risk of extreme myopia in all genetic models.Conclusion: Our results do support that the genetic variant of FGF10 rs339501 is associated with susceptibility of high myopia, especially extreme myopia in a Chinese Han population, and further exploration is needed for myopia in other populations.

Effectiveness of meibomian gland massage combined with topical levofloxacin against ocular surface flora in patients before penetrating ocular surgery.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the bacterial profile in the conjunctiva and meibomian glands in patients before penetrating ocular surgeries, and to compare the anti-bacterial efficacy of 0.5% levofloxacin and its combination with meibomian gland massage. DESIGN: Hospital-based, case-control study. PARTICIPANTS: Two hundred and twenty-six eyes from 226 patients with non-infective ocular diseases and scheduled for penetrating ocular surgeries. METHODS: Tested eyes were administered topical 0.5% levofloxacin (4 times daily) for 2 days. Among them, 91 eyes received meibomian gland massage before levofloxacin application. Samples from the conjunctival sac and meibomian glands were collected for aerobic and anaerobic cultures. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Culture-positivity and bacterial strains. RESULTS: Before treatment, aerobes and anaerobes were cultured from 38.5% and 11.0% of the conjunctival samples respectively, compared with 38.5% and 8.8% in the meibomian secretions respectively. Staphylococcus epidermidis and Propionibacterium acnes were the commonest isolated aerobe and anaerobe. Two-day application of levofloxacin reduced aerobic growth to 29.6% in the conjunctiva and 19.3% in the meibomian glands. It had no effect on the anaerobes in these regions (13.3% in the conjunctiva and 10.4% in the meibomian glands). Combined levofloxacin with meibomian gland massage further reduced aerobic growth to 19.8% in the conjunctiva and 11.0% in the meibomian glands. It also drastically decreased anaerobic growth in the meibomian glands (1.1%). CONCLUSIONS: Meibomian glands carrying considerable bacteria should be considered as a potential source of contamination in ocular surgery. Meibomian gland massage shows additional anti-bacterial effects to topical levofloxacin and could be recommended as a complementary preoperative prophylaxis.

Outbreak of hand, foot, and mouth disease caused by coxsackievirus A6 in a Juku in Fengtai District, Beijing, China, 2015.

An outbreak of hand, foot, and mouth disease (HFMD) that occurred in a Juku in Fengtai District, Beijing, China, in 2015 was monitored by the China Information System for Disease Control and Prevention. Epidemiological investigation showed that 11 cases occurred from two classes in the preschool art training department in the Juku. Coxsackievirus A6 (CV-A6) was identified as the causative pathogen of the outbreak via sequences analysis of products of real-time reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and nested RT-PCR. Phylogenetic analysis showed that CV-A6 strains isolated in this study clustered with epidemic strains isolated in China since 2013. The outbreak ended quickly with effective measures. This event indicates that continuous surveillance of HFMD etiological agents other than enterovirus 71 and coxsackievirus A16 is necessary.

Interaction between peroxisome proliferator- activated receptor gamma polymorphism and overweight on diabetic retinopathy in a Chinese case-control study.

BACKGROUND: Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors γ (PPAR γ) and overweight were both associated with diabetic retinopathy (DR), so the aim of this study was to investigate the association of four single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of PPAR γ with DR and additional role of gene-BMI interaction. METHODS: A total of 500 patients with T2DM (236 men, 264 women), with a mean age of 54.3 ± 15.8 years old, were selected, including 247 diabetic retinopathy patients and 253 controls. Four SNPs were selected for genotyping in the case-control study: rs1805192, rs709158, rs3856806, rs4684847. Logistic regression model was used to examine the interaction between SNP and overweight on DR, odds ratio (OR) and 95% confident interval (95% CI) were calculated. RESULTS: The carriers of C allele of the rs1805192 polymorphism revealed decreased DR risk than those with Pro/Pro variants (Pro/Ala+Ala/Ala versus Pro/Pro, adjusted OR (95% CI)=0.86 (0.65-0.96), P=0.012), after adjusting for covariates. We also found that obese subjects with Pro/Ala or Ala/Ala variants genotype have lowest DR risk, compared to obese subjects with Pro/Pro genotype or non- obese subjects with Pro/Ala or Ala/Ala (OR=0.40, 95% CI=0.32-0.63), after covariates adjustment. CONCLUSIONS: Our results support an important association between rs1805192 minor allele (Ala allele) of PPAR γ and DR, the interaction analysis shown a combined effect of Ala- BMI interaction on DR.

[Effects of long-term intervention of moxa smoke on T lymphocyte subsets and CD4+ CD25+ Treg in peripheral blood of Wistar rats].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the cellular immune regulation of the long-term intervention of moxa smoke. METHODS: Thirty-two Wistar rats were randomly divided into a blank group, a low concentration group, a medium concentration group and a high concentration group, 8 cases in each group. In addition to the blank group, rats in the other groups were exposed to the corresponding concentration moxa smoke for 20 min every day, the T lymphocyte subsets and proportion of the CD4+ CD25+ Treg in CD4+ T cells in peripheral blood were tested by flow cytometry after 6 months. RESULTS: Compared with the blank group, the proportions of CD3+ CD4+, CD3+ CD8+ T cells and CD3+ CD4/CD3+ CD8+ in the other 3 moxa smoke groups were not significantly different (P > 0.05), while the proportions of the CD4+ CD25+ Treg in CD4+ T cells were significantly lower (P < 0.05), but no statistically significant differences among those 3 moxa smoke intervention groups (P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: Long-term moxa smoke intervention has no significant effect on the proportions of CD3+ CD4+, CD3+ CD8+ T cells and CD3+ CD4+/CD3+ CD8+, but it can decrease the proportions of the CD4+ CD25+ Treg in CD4+ T cells in peripheral blood of rats. The way produced by pretreatment with moxa smoke may play immunomodulatory effect.