Spatial clustering analysis of varicella public health emergency events in Nanjing City from 2017 to 2022 / 预防医学

Objective@#To investigate the spatial clustering characteristics of varicella public health emergency events in Nanjing City from 2017 to 2022, so as to provide the evidence for the development of varicella prevention and control strategies.@*Methods@#Data of varicella public health emergency events in Nanjing City from 2017 to 2022 were collected through Emergency Public Health Management Information System of Chinese Disease Prevention and Control Information System. The software ArcGIS 10.2 was employed for trend-surface analysis, spatial autocorrelation analysis and hotspot analysis to understand the spatial clustering characteristics of varicella public health emergency events.@*Results@#A total of 84 varicella public health emergency events were reported in Nanjing City from 2017 to 2022, with an average attack rate of 2.53% (2 558 cases). Ⅳ-level events were predominant, accounting for 90.48% (76 events). The trend-surface analysis showed lower incidence of varicella public health emergency events in the west of Nanjing City and higher in the east, and lower in the north and higher in the south. The global spatial autocorrelation analysis showed that there was a positive spatial correlation in varicella public health emergency events in 2017 and 2019, indicating spatial clustering (P<0.05). The hot spots were Jiangning District, Gaochun District, Yuhuatai District and Jianye District.@*Conclusion@#The incidence of varicella public health emergency events in Nanjing City from 2017 to 2022 has spatial aggregation, with a concentration in suburban areas such as Jiangning District and Gaochun District.

Preparation and immunogenicity of tag-free recombinant human eppin.

Human epididymal protease inhibitor (eppin) may be effective as a male contraceptive vaccine. In a number of studies, eppin with an engineered His(6)-tag has been produced using prokaryotic expression systems. For production of pharmaceutical-grade proteins for human use, however, the His(6)-tag must be removed. This study describes a method for producing recombinant human eppin without a His(6)-tag. We constructed plasmid pET28a (+)-His(6)-tobacco etch virus (TEV)-eppin for expression in Escherichia coli. After purification and refolding, the fusion protein His(6)-TEV-eppin was digested with TEV protease to remove the His(6)-tag and was further purified by NTA-Ni(2+) affinity chromatography. Using this procedure, 2 mg of eppin without a His(6)-tag was isolated from 1 l of culture with a purity of >95%. The immunogenicity of the eppin was characterized using male Balb/c mice.

Variants of the EPPIN gene affect the risk of idiopathic male infertility in the Han-Chinese population.

BACKGROUND: It has been identified that human epididymal protease inhibitor (EPPIN) plays a critical role in sperm function and male fertility. The aim of this study was to determine whether variants of the EPPIN gene are risk factors for idiopathic male infertility. METHODS: All subjects, including 473 idiopathic infertile men and 198 fertile controls, underwent complete historical and physical examinations. Each subject donated 5 ml of peripheral blood for genomic DNA extraction and serum testosterone evaluation and an ejaculate for semen analysis. The semen analysis was performed by computer-assisted semen analysis system. The serum testosterone level was evaluated by radioimmunoassay. Four tagging single-nucleotide polymorphisms were analyzed by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism. RESULTS: We have demonstrated a significant decreased risk of idiopathic infertility with abnormal semen parameters in association with the variant rs2231829, and an increased risk of idiopathic infertility with abnormal semen parameters in association with the variant rs11594. However, among men with normal semen parameters, there were no differences in risk for these genotypes. Furthermore, no significant differences were found for the other variants, rs6124715 and rs2227290, on the risk of male infertility with normal or abnormal semen parameters. Similar serum testosterone levels among different EPPIN genotypes were observed for each group. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that different variants in the EPPIN gene may have different relationships with idiopathic male infertility and men carrying these variants have a decreased or increased risk of abnormal semen parameters associated with male infertility.

Variants in the Eppin gene show association with semen quality in Han-Chinese population.

The human epididymal protease inhibitor (Eppin) gene is specifically expressed in testis and epididymis and is important in male reproduction. However, to date, there is no report on variants of this gene, particularly in relation to male fertility. To investigate the association between Eppin genetic variants and semen quality, variant genotyping and semen analysis was performed in 473 males with definite idiopathic infertility by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism and computer-assisted semen analysis. It was found that rs6124715 GG/CG genotypes were associated with a significantly higher curvilinear velocity (VCL) (P=0.029 and 0.021 respectively) and average path velocity (VAP) (P=0.043 and 0.016 respectively) compared with the CC genotype. The straight line velocity (VSL) between rs6124715 CG and CC genotype was also significantly different (P=0.019). Regarding variant rs11594, subjects with C allele (CC or AC) had significantly lower VCL (P=0.011 and 0.046 respectively), VSL (P=0.025 and 0.041 respectively) and VAP (P=0.026 and 0.030 respectively) in comparison with AA homozygote. The sperm number per ejaculate was also significantly different between rs2231829 TT and CC genotype (P=0.042). These findings indicate, for the first time, that the genetic variants in the Eppin gene may be associated with semen quality.

The effect of anti-eppin antibodies on ionophore A23187-induced calcium influx and acrosome reaction of human spermatozoa.

BACKGROUND: Before a spermatozoon can fertilize an oocyte it must undergo a cascade of biochemical and physiological changes that facilitate its binding and penetration into the oocyte. Epididymal protease inhibitor (eppin) has been found to play a critical role in male fertility through an immunological approach. METHODS: In this study, we used an anti-eppin antibody to clarify the effect of eppin on human sperm functions during fertilization. Immunofluorescence studies were performed on ejaculated human spermatozoa in uncapacitated, capacitated and ionophore-treated states. Human spermatozoa were incubated in the presence or absence of anti-eppin antibody under capacitating conditions and with A23187. The effects of the antibody were evaluated on sperm motility, protein phosphotyrosine content and free intracellular calcium. RESULTS: Immunofluorescence results demonstrated that eppin is located on the acrosome and tail. After the acrosome reaction eppin is found on the equatorial segment and tail. We found that blocking eppin with antibodies significantly inhibited the human sperm acrosome reaction induced by A23187 in a dose-dependent manner. Finally, fluo-3 analysis demonstrated that the A23187-induced elevation of sperm intracellular calcium concentration was markedly reduced after incubation with anti-eppin antibody. However, the tyrosine phosphorylation of sperm proteins did not change. CONCLUSION: These results demonstrate that eppin can modulate intracellular calcium concentrations and subsequently affect the calcium ionophore A23187-induced acrosome reaction.

Localization of epididymal protease inhibitor in adult rat and its transcription profile in testis during postnatal development.

To investigate the expression pattern of rat Eppin (epididymal protease inhibitor; official symbol Spinlw1), we detected mRNA transcripts and subsequent protein translation of Eppin in several sorts of tissues by RT-PCR and western blotting. Then immunohistochemistry was performed for more detailed observation. The testicular transcription level was monitored by real-time PCR throughout postnatal development. We found that rat Eppin was specifically expressed in the testis and epididymis. The testicular transcription was slight in neonatal (1-day) and infantile stages (5-, 7- and 10-day). It increased sharply thereafter, with maximum expression level (about 38-fold compared with that of 1-day old rat) detected in prepubertal stage (15-day). Then a slightly declined but stable level (about 20-fold compared with that of 1-day old rat) was kept in pubertal-early adult (30-day) and adult (60-day) stages of postnatal maturation. In the adult rat, EPPIN protein was mainly localized in the elongated spermatids and epididymal epithelial cells. Sperm in the epididymal duct were all covered with EPPIN and its level kept constant during incubation under conditions used to achieve capacitation. Its stage-specific expression in the testis suggests that EPPIN may be important during spermatogenesis especially for the spermatid elongation. The abundant production of epididymal EPPIN indicated indirectly that it might play a role in the function of the epididymis.

Relationship between urinary metabolites of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and thyroid hormone levels in Chinese non-occupational exposure adult males.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) are ubiquitous global pollutants. Limited studies suggested that PAH may interfere with thyroid function in animals, but little is known about humans. A population of 480 Chinese males was recruited. Using LC-MS/MS, four urinary metabolites of PAH including 1-hydroxynaphthalene (1-N), 2-hydroxynaphthalene (2-N), 1-hydroxypyrene (1-P) and 2-hydroxyfluorene (2-F) were measured in spot urinary samples, which were adjusted by urinary creatinine (CR). Blood samples were collected for measuring serum levels of thyroid hormones including total thyroxine (TT4), free triiodothyronine (FT3), free thyroxine (FT4) and thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH). The median CR-adjusted urine PAH concentrations of 1-N, 2-N, 1-P, 2-F were 2.306, 4.047, 1.155 and 2.899 microg g(-1) of CR, respectively. Significant p-values for trend were found for men with higher 2-F tertiles and were more likely to possess high-reference TSH levels. In addition, the multivariate linear regression models showed significant positive correlations for TSH levels with increased CR-adjusted 2-F concentration. No significant associations were found between other thyroid hormones levels and PAH metabolite concentrations. These results indicated that PAH exposure might be related to altered male thyroid hormone levels, but further study is needed to confirm these observed findings.

[Correlation between ERp57 and pregnancy of intrauterine insemination].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the association between the pregnancy rate of intrauterine insemination (IUI) and the ERp57 expression level in donor sperm. METHODS: Forty-two sperm samples were divided into 3 groups according to the pregnancy rate: Group A (n = 16, pregnancy rate = 0), B (n = 13, pregnancy rate 10%-20%) and C (n = 13, pregnancy rate > or = 20%). The optical density (OD) was normalized to the beta-tubulin band for the evaluation of the ERp57 level. RESULTS: OD (ERp57/Tubulin) was 0.95 +/- 0.24 in Group A, 1.33 +/- 0.43 in Group B and 1.33 +/- 0.39 in Group C. The ERp57 expression level was significantly lower in Group A than in B and C (P < 0.05), with no significant differences between the latter two groups. CONCLUSION: The ERp57 expression level in donor sperm could be used as an index to predict the pregnancy rate of IUI and to avoid IUI failure by removing low-level donor sperm.