Epidemiological features and pathogenic characteristics of hand, foot and mouth disease in Gansu Province, China during 2008-2012 / 病毒学报

This study aims to analyze the epidemiological features and pathogenic characteristics of hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) in Gansu Province, China and to provide a basis for the development of effective prevention and control measures. The descriptive epidemiological analysis was used to analyse the data of HFMD cases in Gansu. The specimens collected from hospitals were subjected to RT-PCR or real-time PCR to detect human enterovirus (HEV) nucleic acid, and HEV strains were isolated using human rhabdomyosarcoma cells and human laryngeal carcinoma cells. The complete VP1-encoding region of several identified enterovirus A71 (EV71) and coxsackievirus A16 (CVA16) was subjected to full-length amplification by RT-PCR and then to sequencing and analysis. A total of 52 550 HFMD cases were reported in Gansu from 2008 to 2012, including 205 severe cases and 27 deaths. The incidence rates in the whole province from 2008 to 2012 were 22.42/10(5), 49.29/10(5), 47.20/10(5), 27.27/10(5), and 55.84/10(5), respectively. There were cases in all the 14 cities or prefectures in Gansu, and Lanzhou had the largest number of cases (16 001 cases), accounting for 30.45% of all cases in the province. HFMD cases were mostly reported during May to July, accounting for 51.69% of all cases throughout the year. The male-to-female ratio was 1.69:1. Of all the cases, 87.59% were under the age of five. Of the 5 416 cases for laboratory tests, 3 322 (61.34%) were positive for HEV nucleic acid, including EV71 (46.96%), CVA16 (41.57%), and other HEVs (11.47%). Among the 186 severe cases, 114 (61.29%) were positive for HEV nucleic acid, and 82.46% of the positive cases for EV71. All the 25 dead cases were infected with EV71. A total of 402 strains were isolated from 3 111 specimens collected from hospitals (2 123 throat swab specimens, 705 stool specimens, and 705 herpes specimens), including EV71 (70.15%), CVA16 (27.11), other coxsackievirus A (3.98%), coxsackievirus B (2.49%), echovirus (1.74%), and adenovirus (1.99%). The genotyping of VP1- encoding region showed that all the 194 EV71 strains isolated during 2008-2012 belonged to the C4a evolutionary branch of C4 subtype; among the 45 CVA16 strains, 12 belonged to the Bla evolutionary branch of B1 subtype and 33 to the B1b evolutionary branch, and B1b became the predominant subtype in 2012. In conclusion, in Gansu Province, HFMD occurs mostly in children under the age of five; EV71 and CVA16 are the main pathogens of this disease, and the two are predominant alternately from 2008 to 2012; the severe and dead cases of HFMD are closely related to infection with EV71; the types of pathogens varied across different regions in the same year during 2008-2012.

Effect of Dimethyiformamide(DMF) on Histological Structure and Enzymes Activity in Testis of Mice / 环境与健康杂志

Objective To explore the effect of dimethylformamide(DMF)on the histological structure and enzymes activity in the testis of mice.Methods The KM male mice were treated with DMF by gavage at the doses of 0,0.5,1 and 2 g/kg respectively, once a day,for 30 consecutive days.On day 31,the mice blood samples were collected through eyes and then the mice were killed. Two mice were randomly selected in each group and one testicle was sampled to do the pathological examination,the other one for enzyme activity determination,including succinic acid dehydrogenase(SDH),lactate dehydrogenase(LDH)and acid phosphatase (ACP).Results Compared with the control group,all treated groups showed a significant decrease in body weight(P