Influenza A(H7N9) Virus Antibody Responses in Survivors 1 Year after Infection, China, 2017.

Avian influenza A(H7N9) virus has caused 5 epidemic waves in China since its emergence in 2013. We investigated the dynamic changes of antibody response to this virus over 1 year postinfection in 25 patients in Suzhou City, Jiangsu Province, China, who had laboratory-confirmed infections during the fifth epidemic wave, October 1, 2016-February 14, 2017. Most survivors had relatively robust antibody responses that decreased but remained detectable at 1 year. Antibody response was variable; several survivors had low or undetectable antibody titers. Hemagglutination inhibition titer was >1:40 for <40% of the survivors. Measured in vitro in infected mice, hemagglutination inhibition titer predicted serum protective ability. Our findings provide a helpful serologic guideline for identifying subclinical infections and for developing effective vaccines and therapeutics to counter H7N9 virus infections.

Validation of the Simplified Chinese-character Version of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire-Long Form in Urban Community-dwelling Adults: a Cross-sectional Study in Hangzhou, China.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the test-retest reliability and criterion validity of the Simplified Chinese-character version of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire Long form (IPAQ-L) in urban community-dwelling adults in Hanghzou, China. METHODS: A total of 158 eligible participants aged 25-59 years from 6 neighbourhoods in two central districts of Hangzhou completed the IPAQ-L questionnaire twice within a 7-day interval. Half of the subjects wore pedometers during the first 7 days. Test-retest reliability was examined by comparing the first (Day 1) and the second (Day 9) survey of IPAQ-L. Criterion validity was assessed by comparing IPAQ-L with pedometer data. RESULTS: Modest to good test-retest reliability was found with intraclass correlation coefficients of 0.67 for total PA, 0.37 to 0.73 for specific dimensions, and 0.56 to 0.71 for different intensities of PA. Total PA measured by IPAQ-L was moderately correlated with exercise levels (partial r = 0.27, P = 0.020) and walking distance (partial r = 0.31, P = 0.007), which were measured by a pedometer, after adjusting for gender, age, educational attainment and employment status. CONCLUSION: Our results indicate that the IPAQ-L is a reliable and validated measure for assessing physical activity levels in this population and possibly the adult population in other mainland Chinese cities.

Association between perceived urban built environment attributes and leisure-time physical activity among adults in Hangzhou, China.

BACKGROUND: Neighborhood built environment may influence residents' physical activity, which in turn, affects their health. This study aimed to determine the associations between perceived built environment and leisure-time physical activity in Hangzhou, China. METHODS: 1440 participants aged 25-59 were randomly selected from 30 neighborhoods in three types of administrative planning units in Hangzhou. International Physical Activity Questionnaire long form and NEWS-A were used to obtain individual-level data. The China Urban Built Environment Scan Tool was used to objectively assess the neighborhood-level built environment. Multi-level regression was used to explore the relationship between perceived built environment variables and leisure-time physical activities. Data was collected in Hangzhou from June to December in 2012, and was analyzed in May 2013. RESULTS: Significant difference between neighborhood random variations in physical activity was identified (P=0.0134); neighborhood-level differences accounted for 3.0% of the variability in leisure-time physical activity. Male residents who perceived higher scores on access to physical activity destinations reported more involvement in leisure-time physical activity. Higher scores on perception of esthetic quality, and lower on residential density were associated with more time in leisure-time walking in women. CONCLUSIONS: The present study demonstrated that perceived urban built environment attributes significantly correlate with leisure-time physical activity in Hangzhou, China.

Proteomic insight into the effect of ethanol on citrinin biosynthesis pathway in Monascus purpureus NTU 568.

Monascus species produce several potent bioactive metabolites through polyketide secondary metabolic pathways; however, little is known of the regulation of metabolic processes in this organism. Therefore, we investigated the effect of extreme growth conditions on the production of secondary metabolites by Monascus purpureus strain NTU 568 and identified pathways that plausibly regulate the polyketide pathways by using proteomic analysis. Citrinin, a type of antibiotic, is synthesized through the polyketide pathway in M. purpureus NTU 568. We hypothesized that production of citrinin might be inhibited by ethanol. When M. purpureus NTU 568 was cultured in the medium containing 4% ethanol, the secretion of secondary metabolites was inhibited, but the dry cell weight was increased. We also found that branched chain amino acid degradation and the expression level of aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) were downregulated, but proteins related to the heat shock response were induced. Furthermore, polyketide synthesis-related proteins, fatty acid synthase, epoxide hydrolase, and proteins involved in the shikimate secondary metabolic pathway were inhibited by ethanol treatment. These results suggested that reduced production of polyketide metabolites resulted not only from the expression levels of proteins in the polyketide synthesis pathway but also from reduction in the concentration of primary metabolism-generated molecules (e.g., acetyl-CoA, fatty acids) that are used as substrates for polyketide syntheses. This study provides insights into the polyketide secondary metabolism of Monascus as well as into improvement of the production of bioactive secondary metabolites in Monascus species.

[Setting of logos on tobacco control information at outlets for retails and restaurants in 12 cities of China].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the setting of logos on tobacco control information at outlets for retails and restaurants in 12 selected cities of China. METHODS: For all the shops for retail of tobacco, alcohol, food and restaurants under survey in 333 blocks of 12 cities(Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai, Qingdao, Hangzhou, Shaoxing, Suzhou, Nantong, Zhenjiang, Chengdu, Xining and Harbin), setting and contents of logos on tobacco control information, inside and outside them were examined. RESULTS: 45 700 objectives were included in the study. Among all types of retail shops, the identification rate of tobacco control information at the entrance and inside were 3.6% and 4.4%, with an overall identification rate as 7.0%. The overall rate at the entrance of all the restaurants was 4.6% which was larger than the ones at the retail shops. Our result showed that there were differences between cities and types of establishments and higher rates seen in the larger ones. Of all the places that having had placement of information on tobacco control, only 18.5% of them had put them both inside and outside. Slogans or images on "No Smoking" were the main forms of information but less than 10% of them would show signs as 'exclusive non-smoking'. CONCLUSION: Data from our survey showed that the identification rate of tobacco control information was at a low level in 12 cities, and differences were seen between cities, size of establishment, that called for improvement of the existing tobacco control policies in China.