Spatiotemporal trends of hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) in China under climate variation.

Hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) is a zoonotic disease caused by the rodent-transmitted orthohantaviruses (HVs), with China possessing the most cases globally. The virus hosts in China are Apodemus agrarius and Rattus norvegicus, and the disease spread is strongly influenced by global climate dynamics. To assess and predict the spatiotemporal trends of HFRS from 2005 to 2098, we collected historical HFRS data in mainland China (2005-2020), historical and projected climate and population data (2005-2098), and spatial variables including biotic, environmental, topographical, and socioeconomic. Spatiotemporal predictions and mapping were conducted under 27 scenarios incorporating multiple integrated representative concentration pathway models and population scenarios. We identify the type of magistral HVs host species as the best spatial division, including four region categories. Seven extreme climate indices associated with temperature and precipitation have been pinpointed as key factors affecting the trends of HFRS. Our predictions indicate that annual HFRS cases will increase significantly in 62 of 356 cities in mainland China. Rattus regions are predicted to be the most active, surpassing Apodemus and Mixed regions. Eighty cities are identified as at severe risk level for HFRS, each with over 50 reported cases annually, including 22 new cities primarily located in East China and Rattus regions after 2020, while 6 others develop new risk. Our results suggest that the risk of HFRS will remain high through the end of this century, with Rattus norvegicus being the most active host, and that extreme climate indices are significant risk factors. Our findings can inform evidence-based policymaking regarding future risk of HFRS.

No evidence for persistent natural plague reservoirs in historical and modern Europe.

Caused by Yersinia pestis, plague ravaged the world through three known pandemics: the First or the Justinianic (6th-8th century); the Second (beginning with the Black Death during c.1338-1353 and lasting until the 19th century); and the Third (which became global in 1894). It is debatable whether Y. pestis persisted in European wildlife reservoirs or was repeatedly introduced from outside Europe (as covered by European Union and the British Isles). Here, we analyze environmental data (soil characteristics and climate) from active Chinese plague reservoirs to assess whether such environmental conditions in Europe had ever supported "natural plague reservoirs". We have used new statistical methods which are validated through predicting the presence of modern plague reservoirs in the western United States. We find no support for persistent natural plague reservoirs in either historical or modern Europe. Two factors make Europe unfavorable for long-term plague reservoirs: 1) Soil texture and biochemistry and 2) low rodent diversity. By comparing rodent communities in Europe with those in China and the United States, we conclude that a lack of suitable host species might be the main reason for the absence of plague reservoirs in Europe today. These findings support the hypothesis that long-term plague reservoirs did not exist in Europe and therefore question the importance of wildlife rodent species as the primary plague hosts in Europe.

Behavioral intentions of self-isolation and informing close contacts after developing mpox-related symptoms among young men who have sex with men in China.

The 2022 multi-country mpox outbreak raised public concern globally. Self-isolation and informing close contacts after developing mpox-related symptoms are critical measures in controlling the outbreak. This study investigated behavioral intentions of self-isolation and informing close contacts after developing mpox-related symptoms and associated factors among young men who have sex with men (YMSM) aged 18-29 years in China. The cross-sectional study was conducted among 2493 YMSM in six provincial regions in China from September 10th to 30th, 2022. Descriptive and logistic analyses were applied, using the intentions of self-isolation and informing close contacts after developing mpox-related symptoms as binary outcomes. The mean age of the participants was 24.6 (SD = 2.9) years. The prevalence of having intentions of self-isolation and informing close contacts after developing mpox-related symptoms was 88.6% (95% CI: 87.3%-89.9%) and 84.9% (95% CI: 83.5%-86.3%). Participants who were employed (adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 1.474, 95% CI: 1.035-2.097; AOR = 1.371, 95% CI:1.002, 1.876), had higher mpox knowledge scores (AOR = 1.474, 95% CI: 1.035-2.097; AOR = 1.371, 95% CI: 1.002-1.876), and had higher perceived threats of mpox (AOR = 1.079, 95% CI: 1.030-1.130; AOR = 1.045, 95% CI: 1.002-1.090) were more likely to intend to self-isolate and inform close contacts. Participants who had MSM in-person gatherings in the past 6 months were more likely to intend to self-isolate (AOR = 1.392, 95% CI: 1.066-1.208). Participants with higher depression scores (AOR = 0.968, 95% CI: 0.948-0.989) and self-stigma (AOR = 0.975, 95% CI: 0.954-0.997) were less likely to intend to self-isolate and inform close contacts, respectively. Self-isolation and informing close contacts when developing disease-related symptoms are acceptable measures in response to mpox in China. Strengthening targeted risk communication and self-efficacy, raising disease knowledge, providing mental support, and reducing stigma toward the affected community are warranted.

Country-specific determinants for COVID-19 case fatality rate and response strategies from a global perspective: an interpretable machine learning framework.

BACKGROUND: There are significant geographic inequities in COVID-19 case fatality rates (CFRs), and comprehensive understanding its country-level determinants in a global perspective is necessary. This study aims to quantify the country-specific risk of COVID-19 CFR and propose tailored response strategies, including vaccination strategies, in 156 countries. METHODS: Cross-temporal and cross-country variations in COVID-19 CFR was identified using extreme gradient boosting (XGBoost) including 35 factors from seven dimensions in 156 countries from 28 January, 2020 to 31 January, 2022. SHapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP) was used to further clarify the clustering of countries by the key factors driving CFR and the effect of concurrent risk factors for each country. Increases in vaccination rates was simulated to illustrate the reduction of CFR in different classes of countries. FINDINGS: Overall COVID-19 CFRs varied across countries from 28 Jan 2020 to 31 Jan 31 2022, ranging from 68 to 6373 per 100,000 population. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the determinants of CFRs first changed from health conditions to universal health coverage, and then to a multifactorial mixed effect dominated by vaccination. In the Omicron period, countries were divided into five classes according to risk determinants. Low vaccination-driven class (70 countries) mainly distributed in sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America, and include the majority of low-income countries (95.7%) with many concurrent risk factors. Aging-driven class (26 countries) mainly distributed in high-income European countries. High disease burden-driven class (32 countries) mainly distributed in Asia and North America. Low GDP-driven class (14 countries) are scattered across continents. Simulating a 5% increase in vaccination rate resulted in CFR reductions of 31.2% and 15.0% for the low vaccination-driven class and the high disease burden-driven class, respectively, with greater CFR reductions for countries with high overall risk (SHAP value > 0.1), but only 3.1% for the ageing-driven class. CONCLUSIONS: Evidence from this study suggests that geographic inequities in COVID-19 CFR is jointly determined by key and concurrent risks, and achieving a decreasing COVID-19 CFR requires more than increasing vaccination coverage, but rather targeted intervention strategies based on country-specific risks.

Media Literacy and Its Potential Influence on Mpox-Related Perceptions and Prevention Intentions in China During the 2022 Multi-Country Outbreak of Mpox.

Media literacy plays an increasingly important role in health communication during public health emergencies. The present study aimed to investigate the level of media literacy and its association with disease perceptions and behavioral intentions of receiving vaccination services among young men who have sex with men (YMSM) in China during the 2022 multi-country mpox outbreak. The data were from a large-scale cross-sectional survey conducted among 2,493 YMSM aged 18-29 years in six provincial regions in China in September 2022. A total of 2,079 YMSM who had obtained mpox information from social media platforms were included in this study. Correlation analysis and path analysis were conducted. The mean age of the sample was 24.7. After controlling for background variables, significant positive correlations were found in several pairs between media literacy, mpox-related perceptions (including perceived susceptibility to mpox, perceived severity of mpox, perceived benefits of mpox vaccination, and self-efficacy of receiving mpox vaccination), and the behavioral intention of receiving mpox vaccination. The mpox-related perceptions played a significant mediation role in the association between media literacy and intention of receiving mpox vaccination (indirect effect = 0.165, p < .001, effect size = 82.1%). Media literacy is crucial for developing disease perceptions during public health emergencies and may further influence the adoption of preventive measures. As social media platforms have become the main battle field of health communication during disease outbreaks, improvement of media literacy is urgently warranted.

Association between public attention and monkeypox epidemic: A global lag-correlation analysis.

The human monkeypox has become a public health problem globally. Google Trends Index (GTI) is an indicator of public attention, being potential for infectious disease outbreak surveillance. In this study, we used lag-correlation analysis to evaluate the spearman correlation coefficients between public attention and monkeypox epidemic by -36 to +36 days-lag in top 20 countries with most cumulated cases until September 30, 2022, the meta-analyses were performed to pool the coefficients of countries among all lags. We also constructed vector autoregression model and Granger-causality test to probe the significance of GTI in monkeypox forecasting. The strongest spearman correlation was found at lag +13 day (r = 0.53, 95% confidence interval: 0.371-0.703, p < 0.05). Meta-analysis showed significantly positive correlation when the lag was from -12 to +36 day, which was most notable on the third posterior day (lag +3 day). The pooled spearman correlation coefficients were all above 0.200 when the lag ranged from +1 to +20 day, and the causality of GTI for daily case was significant in worldwide and multiple countries. The findings suggested a robust association between 13-days-priority GTI and daily cases worldwide. This work introduced a potential monitor indicator on the early warning and surveillance of monkeypox outbreak.

Trends and disparities in 44 national notifiable infectious diseases in China: An analysis of national surveillance data from 2010 to 2019.

Research assessing the changing epidemiology of infectious diseases in China after the implementation of new healthcare reform in 2009 was scarce. We aimed to get the latest trends and disparities of national notifiable infectious diseases by age, sex, province, and season in China from 2010 to 2019. The number of incident cases and deaths, incidence rate, and mortality of 44 national notifiable infectious diseases by sex, age groups, and provincial regions from 2010 to 2019 were extracted from the China Information System for Disease Control and Prevention and official reports and divided into six kinds of infectious diseases by transmission routes and three classes (A-C) in this descriptive study. Estimated annual percentage changes (EAPCs) were calculated to quantify the temporal trends of incidence and mortality rate. We calculated the concentration index to measure economic-related inequality. Segmented interrupted time-series analysis was used to estimate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the epidemic of notifiable infectious diseases. The trend of incidence rate on six kinds of infectious diseases by transmission routes was stable, while only mortality of sexual, blood-borne, and mother-to-child-borne infectious diseases increased from 0.6466 per 100 000 population in 2010 to 1.5499 per 100 000 population in 2019 by 8.76% per year (95% confidence interval [CI]: 6.88-10.68). There was a decreasing trend of incidence rate on Class-A infectious diseases (EAPC = -16.30%; 95% CI: -27.93 to -2.79) and Class-B infectious diseases (EAPC = -1.05%; 95% CI: -1.56 to -0.54), while an increasing trend on Class-C infectious diseases (EAPC = 6.22%; 95% CI: 2.13-10.48). For mortality, there was a decreasing trend on Class-C infectious diseases (EAPC = -14.76%; 95% CI: -23.46 to -5.07), and an increasing trend on Class-B infectious diseases (EAPC = 4.56%; 95% CI: 2.44-6.72). In 2019, the infectious diseases with the highest incidence rate and mortality were respiratory diseases (340.95 per 100 000 population), and sexual, blood-borne, and mother-to-child-borne infectious diseases (1.5459 per 100 000 population), respectively. The greatest increasing trend of incidence rate was observed in seasonal influenza, from 4.83 per 100 000 population in 2010 to 253.36 per 100 000 population in 2019 by 45.16% per year (95% CI: 29.81-62.33), especially among females and children aged 0-4 years old. The top disease with the highest mortality was still AIDs, which had the highest average yearly mortality in 24 provinces from 2010 to 2019, and its incidence rate (EAPC = 14.99%; 95% CI: 8.75-21.59) and mortality (EAPC = 9.65; 95%CI: 7.71-11.63) both increased from 2010 to 2019, especially among people aged 44-59 years old and 60 or older. Male incidence rate and mortality were higher than females each year from 2010 to 2018 on 29 and 10 infectious diseases, respectively. Additionally, sex differences in the incidence and mortality of AIDS were becoming larger. The curve lay above the equality line, with the negative value of the concentration index, which indicated that economic-related health disparities exist in the distribution of incidence rate and mortality of respiratory diseases (incidence rate: the concentration index = -0.063, p < 0.0001; mortality: the concentration index = -0.131, p < 0.001), sexual, blood-borne, and mother-to-child-borne infectious diseases (incidence rate: the concentration index = -0.039, p = 0.0192; mortality: the concentration index = -0.207, p < 0.0001), and the inequality disadvantageous to the poor (pro-rich). Respiratory diseases (Dec-Jan), intestinal diseases (May-Jul), zoonotic infectious diseases (Mar-Jul), and vector-borne infectious diseases (Sep-Oct) had distinct seasonal epidemic patterns. In addition, segmented interrupted time-series analyses showed that, after adjusting for potential seasonality, autocorrelation, GDP per capita, number of primary medical institutions, and other factors, there was no significant impact of COVID-19 epidemic on the monthly incidence rate of six kinds of infectious diseases by transmission routes from 2018 to 2020 (all p > 0.05). The incidence rates of six kinds of infectious diseases were stable in the past decade, and incidence rates of Class-A and Class-B infectious diseases were decreasing because of comprehensive prevention and control measures and a strengthened health system after the implementation of the new healthcare reform in China since 2009. However, age, gender, regional, and economic disparities were still observed. Concerted efforts are needed to reduce the impact of seasonal influenza (especially among children aged 0-4 years old) and the mortality of AIDs (especially among people aged 44-59 years old and 60 or older). More attention should be paid to the disparities in the burden of infectious diseases.

Mpox risk perception and associated factors among Chinese young men who have sex with men: Results from a large cross-sectional survey.

The mpox outbreak since 2022 had attacked the community of men who have sex with men (MSM) heavily. This large cross-sectional study investigated the levels and associated factors of mpox risk perception among young MSM (YMSM) aged 18-29 years in six provincial regions of China in September 2022. The participants were recruited via facility-based sampling. Mpox risk perception was measured by perceived susceptibility and perceived severity of mpox. Geodetector was used to measure stratified heterogeneity of mpox risk perception. Univariate and multivariable linear regressions were used to examine the factors associated with mpox risk perception. A total of 2493 participants were included with a mean age of 24.6 years. The proportion of perceiving a susceptibility of mpox under different scenarios ranged 3.7%-17.0% and that of perceiving a severity of mpox ranged 81.6%-83.2%. Stratified heterogeneity of perceived susceptibility, perceived severity, and overall perceived risk of mpox were observed in several characteristics such as study sites, monthly income, risk behaviors, and psychosocial factors. Multivariable regression showed the level of mpox risk perception was positively associated with having in-person gathering activities (ba = 0.457, 95% CI: 0.208, 0.705), history of HIV infection (ba = 0.431, 95% CI: 0.028, 0.834), depressive symptoms (ba = 0.069, 95% CI: 0.049, 0.090), and self-stigma to MSM identity (ba = 0.047, 95% CI: 0.024, 0.071). The Chinese YMSM showed a high level of perceived severity of mpox but a low level of perceived susceptibility. It is warranted to strengthen targeted risk communication of mpox, develop comprehensive and unstigmatized health messages, and provide mental health support for YMSM.

Effect of extreme temperatures on asthma hospital visits: Modification by event characteristics and healthy behaviors.

Although ambient temperature has been linked to asthma exacerbation, impacts associated with extreme temperature events remain unclear. This study aims to identify the events characteristics that elevate risk of asthma hospital visits, and to assess whether healthy behavior changes due to the COVID-19 prevention and control policy may modify the relationships. Data of asthma hospital visits from all medical facilities in Shenzhen, China during 2016-2020 were assessed in relation to extreme temperature events using a distributed lag model. Stratified analysis was conducted by gender, age and hospital department to identify susceptible populations. Through events defined by various duration days and temperature thresholds, we explored the modification by events intensity, length, occurrence time and healthy behaviors. The cumulative relative risk of asthma during heat waves compared to other days was 1.06 (95%CI: 1.00-1.13) and for cold spells was 1.17 (95%CI: 1.05-1.30), and that of males and school-aged children were generally higher than other sub-groups. There were significant effects of heat waves and cold spells on asthma hospital visits when the mean temperature was above 90th percentile (30 °C) and below 10th percentile (14 °C) respectively, and the relative risks were higher when events lasted longer, became stronger, occurred in daytime and in early summer or winter. During the healthy behaviors maintaining period, the risk of heat waves increased whilst the risk of cold spells reduced. Extreme temperatures may pose considerable impact on asthma and the health effect can be modified by the event characteristics and anti-epidemic healthy behaviors. Strategies of asthma control should consider the heightened threats of the intense and frequent extreme temperature events in the context of climate change.

Associations among socioeconomic status, multimorbidity of non-communicable diseases, and the risk of household catastrophic health expenditure in China: a population-based cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Multimorbidity of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) is increasingly prevalent among older adults around the world, leading a higher risk of household catastrophic health expenditure (CHE). As current powerful evidence was insufficient, we aimed to estimate the association between multimorbidity of NCDs and the risk of CHE in China. METHODS: We designed a cohort study using data investigated in 2011-2018 from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study, which is a nationally-representative study covering 150 counties of 28 provinces in China. We used mean ± standard deviation (SD) and frequencies and percentages to describe baseline characteristics. Person χ2 test was employed to compare the differences of baseline characteristics between households with and without multimorbidity. Lorenz curve and concentration index were used to measure the socioeconomic inequalities of CHE incidence. Cox proportional hazards models were applied to estimate adjusted hazard ratios (aHRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for the association between multimorbidity and CHE. RESULTS: Among 17,708 participants, 17,182 individuals were included for the descriptive analysis of the prevalence of multimorbidity in 2011, and 13,299 individuals (8029 households) met inclusion criteria and were included in the final analysis with a median of 83 (interquartile range: 25-84) person-months of follow-up. 45.1% (7752/17,182) individuals and 56.9% (4571/8029) households had multimorbidity at baseline. Participants with higher family economic level (aOR = 0.91, 95% CI: 0.86-0.97) had lower multimorbidity prevalence than those with lowest family economic level. 82.1% of participants with multimorbidity did not make use of outpatient care. The CHE incidence was more concentrated among participants with higher socioeconomic status (SES) with a concentration index of 0.059. The risk of CHE was 19% (aHR = 1.19, 95% CI: 1.16-1.22) higher for each additional NCD. CONCLUSIONS: Approximately half of middle-aged and older adults in China had multimorbidity, causing a 19% higher risk of CHE for each additional NCD. Early interventions for preventing multimorbidity among people with low SES could be intensified to protect older adults from financial hardship. In addition, concerted efforts are needed to increase patients' rational healthcare utilization and strengthen current medical security for people with high SES to reduce economic disparities in CHE.

Aging and Cardiovascular Disease: Current Status and Challenges.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death worldwide. Population aging is becoming the most important driver of the CVD epidemic. With the rapid increase in an aging population, the burden of CVD will continuously increase. Most old people also suffer multimorbidity, which is strongly associated with impaired quality of life, disability, dependence, and mortality. However, few reviews evaluated the CVD burden accompanied by population aging and the challenges of CVD care in elderly individuals with multimorbidity. This review identified and summarized the current status of the CVD epidemic associated with aging and highlighted the challenges and needs of CVD care for the elderly.

Use of the RBANS to Evaluate Cognition in Patients with Schizophrenia and Metabolic Syndrome: a Meta-Analysis of Case-Control Studies.

Schizophrenia is associated with an increased risk of metabolic syndrome (MetS), which is an important risk factor for developing cognitive impairment in the general population. A few case-control studies have explored the relationship between MetS and cognitive deficits in individuals with schizophrenia but with inconsistent findings. This meta-analysis of case-control studies was carried out to explore the association between MetS and cognitive performance in patients with schizophrenia. Only case-control studies assessing the association of cognitive function and MetS in patients with schizophrenia were identified. Cognitive function was assessed using the Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status (RBANS) scale. Six case-control studies (n = 992) comparing cognition between patients with schizophrenia with MetS (n = 426) and those without MetS (n = 566) using the RBANS were identified. Compared to patients with schizophrenia without MetS, patients with schizophrenia and MetS had significantly more impairments in RBANS total scores [standardized mean difference (SMD) = -0.26, 95% confidence interval (CI): -0.51 to -0.02; I2 = 72%; p = 0.03], immediate memory (SMD = -0.32, 95% CI: -0.54 to -0.10; I2 = 66%; p = 0.005), attention (SMD = -0.29, 95% CI: -0.56 to -0.02; I2 = 77%; p = 0.03), and delayed memory (SMD = -0.24, 95% CI: -0.46 to -0.03; I2 = 64%; p = 0.03). No group difference was found regarding visuospatial skills and language (p > 0.05). This meta-analysis found that schizophrenia patients with MetS had worse performance on certain cognitive tasks than non-MetS patients.

Adjunctive Nonconvulsive Electrotherapy for Patients with Depression: a Systematic Review.

The efficacy and safety of adjunctive nonconvulsive electrotherapy (NET) for patients with depression are undetermined. This systematic review was conducted to examine the efficacy and safety of adjunctive NET for patients with depression. Chinese (WanFang and Chinese Journal Net) and English (PubMed, EMBASE, PsycINFO and the Cochrane Library) databases were systematically searched from their inception until Jan 27, 2021 by three independent investigators. One randomized controlled trial (RCT) with 3 treatment arms (n = 108) and two observational studies (single-group, before-after design, n = 31) were included. In the RCT, the antidepressant efficacy of NET on depression was similar to that of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) (P > 0.05) but with significantly fewer neurocognitive impairments as measured by the Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status (RBANS) (P < 0.05). In two observational studies, the 17-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAMD-17) scores decreased significantly from baseline to post-NET (all Ps < 0.05), without adverse neurocognitive effects. In the RCT, adverse drug reactions (ADRs) were not separately reported among the 3 treatment arms but a similar rate of discontinuation was reported. The currently available limited evidence from 3 studies suggests that NET as an adjunctive treatment may be a safe, well-tolerated, effective therapy for depression without serious neurocognitive impairments.

Countdown to 2030: eliminating hepatitis B disease, China.

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is a major public health problem worldwide. China has the world's largest burden of HBV infection and will be a major contributor towards the global elimination of hepatitis B disease by 2030. The country has made good progress in reducing incidence of HBV infection in the past three decades. The achievements are mainly due to high vaccination coverages among children and high coverage of timely birth-dose vaccine for prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HBV (both > 95%). However, China still faces challenges in achieving its target of 65% reduction in mortality from hepatitis B by 2030. Based on targets of the World Health Organization's Global health sector strategy on viral hepatitis 2016-2021, we highlight further priorities for action towards HBV elimination in China. To achieve the impact target of reduced mortality we suggest that the service coverage targets of diagnosis and treatment should be prioritized. First, improvements are needed in the diagnostic and treatment abilities of medical institutions and health workers. Second, the government needs to reduce the financial burden of health care on patients. Third, better coordination is needed across existing national programmes and resources to establish an integrated prevention and control system that covers prevention, screening, diagnosis and treatment of HBV infection across the life cycle. In this way, progress can be made towards achieving the target of eliminating hepatitis B in China by 2030.

Les infections par le virus de l'hépatite B (VHB) constituent un problème de santé publique majeur à l'échelle mondiale. La Chine est le pays le plus lourdement touché par les infections par le VHB et sa contribution sera donc essentielle pour atteindre l'objectif d'élimination de l'hépatite B dans le monde à l'horizon 2030. Au cours des trente dernières années, le pays a fait des progrès notables en matière de réduction de l'incidence des infections par le VHB. Ces avancées sont principalement dues aux forts niveaux de couverture vaccinale des enfants et d'administration de la dose vaccinale à la naissance visant à prévenir la transmission du VHB de la mère à l'enfant (>95% dans les deux cas). Néanmoins, la Chine doit encore relever des défis de taille pour atteindre l'objectif de réduction de 65% de la mortalité due à l'hépatite B d'ici à 2030. À partir des cibles définies dans la Stratégie mondiale du secteur de la santé contre l'hépatite virale, 2016-2021 de l'Organisation mondiale de la Santé, nous avons identifié les actions à mener prioritairement en vue de l'élimination du VHB en Chine. Pour atteindre l'objectif de réduction de la mortalité, nous suggérons d'orienter en priorité les efforts sur l'amplification de la couverture des services de diagnostic et de traitement. Premièrement, des améliorations sont requises au niveau des capacités diagnostiques et de traitement des institutions médicales et des agents de santé. Deuxièmement, le gouvernement doit réduire la charge financière des soins de santé qui pèse sur les patients. Troisièmement, une meilleure coordination est nécessaire entre les ressources et les programmes nationaux existants, en vue d'établir un système intégré de prévention et de lutte englobant la prévention, le dépistage, le diagnostic et le traitement des infections par le VHB à tous les âges de la vie. De nouveaux progrès pourraient ainsi être faits en vue d'atteindre l'objectif d'élimination de l'hépatite B en Chine à l'horizon 2030.

La infección por el virus de la hepatitis B (VHB) es un gran problema de sanidad pública en todo el mundo. China tiene la mayor carga de infección por VHB en el mundo y será uno de los principales contribuyentes a la eliminación mundial de la enfermedad de la hepatitis B para 2030. En las últimas tres décadas, el país ha hecho grandes progresos en la reducción de la incidencia de la infección por el VHB. Los logros se deben principalmente a la alta cobertura de vacunación entre los niños y a la alta cobertura de la vacuna de dosis oportuna al nacer para la prevención de la transmisión maternoinfantil del VHB (ambas > 95 %). Sin embargo, China sigue teniendo dificultades para alcanzar su objetivo de reducir en un 65 % la mortalidad por hepatitis B para 2030. Basados en los objetivos de la Organización Mundial de la Salud sobre la Estrategia global del sector sanitario para la hepatitis viral 2016-2021, destacamos otras prioridades de acción para la eliminación del VHB en China. Para lograr el objetivo de impacto de la reducción de la mortalidad, sugerimos que se prioricen los objetivos de cobertura de los servicios de diagnóstico y tratamiento. En primer lugar, es necesario mejorar la capacidad de diagnóstico y tratamiento de las instituciones médicas y los trabajadores sanitarios. En segundo lugar, el gobierno debe reducir la carga financiera de la atención sanitaria para los pacientes. En tercer lugar, se necesita una mejor coordinación entre los programas y recursos nacionales existentes para establecer un sistema integrado de prevención y control que abarque la prevención, el cribado, el diagnóstico y el tratamiento de la infección por VHB a lo largo de todo el ciclo de vida. De esta manera, se puede avanzar hacia el objetivo de eliminar la hepatitis B en China para 2030.

Spatiotemporal heterogeneity of the association between socioeconomic development and health policy attention: a geographically and temporally weighted regression modeling study in China.

Objectives: Health policy attention (HPA) refers to the extent of attention given by governments to health issues in public policy and is generally influenced by socioeconomic development. This study aimed to examine the spatiotemporal heterogeneity and clustering of the associations between socioeconomic factors and HPA. Study design: Longitudinal study. Methods: This study examined the spatiotemporal heterogeneity of the association between public and provincial government attention, economic development, and demographic transition and HPA by using geographically and temporally weighted regression (GTWR). Word2Vec machine learning technology was utilized to calculate HPA data in 323 cities and independent variable data was collected in each city in China over the period of 2018-2021. Results: The results showed that there is a substantial overall rise in HPA levels throughout China following the COVID-19 pandemic. Furthermore, the GTWR results revealed significant spatiotemporal heterogeneity in the associations between HPA and public and provincial government attention, economic development, and demographic transition, particularly in the context of COVID-19. The impact of provincial government attention on HPA decreased from the capital of the political center outward, while the impact of public financial investment decreased in less developed cities during the pandemic. It was only cities with high levels of aging are more likely to receive greater HPA. Conclusion: The finding highlighted the remarkable spatial and temporal variations in the associations between the variables and HPA across different regions in China, emphasizing the need for region-specific policies to strengthen the focus on health by municipal governments.

Global Burden of Tuberculosis in Adolescents and Young Adults: 1990-2019.

OBJECTIVE: Tuberculosis (TB) is a major health threat in adolescents and young adults. However, its burden in this population remains unclear. This study aimed to assess TB burden and changing trends in individuals aged 10 to 24 years from 1990 to 2019. METHODS: All data were obtained from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019. We calculated the percentage of relative changes in incident cases, deaths, and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs). The temporal trends of the incidence, mortality, and DALYs were assessed using estimated annual percentage changes (EAPCs). RESULTS: At global level, TB incidence (per 100 000 population) decreased from 144.12 in 1990 to 97.56 in 2019, with average 1.28% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.36%-1.19%) of decline per year. Similar decreasing trends occurred across sex, age, sociodemographic index regions, and in most Global Burden of Disease study regions and countries. TB incidence in female adolescents decreased faster than that in male. However, there was an increasing trend in the incidence of extensively drug-resistant TB (EAPC = 11.23, 95% CI: 8.22-14.33) and multidrug-resistant TB without extensive drug resistance (EAPC = 3.28, 95% CI: 1.73-4.86). South Africa had the highest increase in TB incidence (EAPC = 3.51, 95% CI: 3.11-3.92). CONCLUSIONS: Global TB incidence, mortality, and DALYs in adolescents and young adults decreased from 1990 to 2019. However, the incidence of drug-resistant TB increased. TB remains a threat in adolescents and young adults worldwide, especially in low- and middle-income countries.

Heat exposure induced risks of preterm birth mediated by maternal hypertension.

Heat exposure is associated with an increased risk of preterm birth (PTB), with previous work suggesting that maternal blood pressure may play a role in these associations. Here we conducted a cohort study of 197,080 singleton live births across 8 provinces in China from 2015 to 2018. The study first estimated the associations between heat exposure, maternal hypertension and clinical subtypes of PTB, and then quantified the role of maternal hypertension in heat and PTB using mediation analyses. We show that heat exposure (>85th, 90th and 95th percentiles of local temperature distributions) spanning from conception to the 20th gestational week was associated with a 15-21% increase in PTB, and a 20-22% increase in medically indicated PTB. Heat exposure is likely to increase the risk of maternal hypertension and elevated blood pressure. Maternal hypertension mediated 15.7% and 33.9% of the effects of heat exposure (>90th percentile) on PTB and medically indicated PTB, respectively. Based on this large-population study, we found that exposure to heat in early pregnancy can increase the risk of maternal hypertension, thereby affecting the incidence of PTB.

A Two Phases Multiobjective Trajectory Optimization Scheme for Multi-UGVs in the Sight of the First Aid Scenario.

Timely delivery of first aid supplies is significant to saving lives when an accident happens. Among the promising solutions provided for such scenarios, the application of unmanned vehicles has attracted ever more attention. However, such scenarios are often very complex, while the existing studies have not fully addressed the trajectory optimization problem of multiple unmanned ground vehicles (multi-UGVs) against the scenario. This study focuses on multi-UGVs trajectory optimization in the sight of first aid supply delivery tasks in mass accidents. A two-stage completely decoupling fuzzy multiobjective optimization strategy is designed. On the first stage, with the proposed timescale involved tridimensional tunneled collision-free trajectory (TITTCT) algorithm, collision-free coarse tunnels are build within a tridimensional coordinate system, respectively, for the UGVs as the corresponding configuration space for a further multiobjective optimization. On the second stage, a fuzzy multiobjective transcription method is designed to solve the decoupled optimal control problem (OCP) within the configuration space with the consideration of priority constrains. Following the two-stage design, the computational time is significantly reduced when achieving an optimal solution of the multi-UGV trajectory planning, which is crucial in a first aid task. In addition, other objectives are optimized with the aspiration level reflected. Simulation studies and experiments have been curried out to testify the effectiveness and the improved computational performance of the proposed design.

Perinatal prevalence of birth defects in the Mainland of China, 2000-2021: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Although birth defects are of great concern globally, the latest national prevalence has not yet been quantified in China. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to estimate the perinatal prevalence of birth defects in the Mainland of China between 2000 and 2021. METHODS: We performed a systematic literature search of six databases for relevant articles published between January 1, 2000, and March 1, 2023. We included published studies that reported data on the perinatal prevalence of birth defects in the Mainland of China. The DerSimonian and Laird random-effects models were used to estimate the pooled prevalence and its 95% confidence interval (CI). We also conducted subgroup analyses and univariable meta-regressions to explore differences in prevalence by time period, geographic region, and other characteristics. RESULTS: We included 254 studies reporting the perinatal prevalence of birth defects and 86 studies reporting only the prevalence of specific types of birth defects. Based on 254 studies covering 74,307,037 perinatal births and 985,115 cases with birth defects, the pooled perinatal prevalence of birth defects was 122.54 (95% CI 116.20-128.89) per 10,000 perinatal births in the Mainland of China during 2000-2021. Overall, the perinatal prevalence of birth defects increased from 95.60 (86.51-104.69) per 10,000 in 2000-2004 to 208.94 (175.67-242.22) per 10,000 in 2020-2021. There were also significant disparities among different geographical regions. Congenital heart defects (33.35 per 10,000), clefts of the lip and/or palate (13.52 per 10,000), polydactyly (12.82 per 10,000), neural tube defects (12.82 per 10,000), and inborn errors of metabolism (11.41 per 10,000) were the five most common types of birth defects. The perinatal prevalence among males was significantly higher than that among females (ß = 2.44 × 10-3, P = 0.003); a higher perinatal prevalence of birth defects was observed among perinatal births whose mothers were ≥ 35 years (ß = 4.34 × 10-3, P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Comprehensive and sustained efforts are needed to strengthen surveillance and detection of birth defects, improve prenatal and postnatal healthcare, and promote rehabilitation, especially in underdeveloped areas.