[Study on the changes of iron metabolism in patients with recurrent oral ulcer and its relationship with cellular immune function].

PURPOSE: To study the relationship between abnormal iron metabolism and cellular immune dysfunction and recurrent oral ulcer. METHODS: A cross-sectional analysis of serum iron, ferritin and cellular immune function in 100 patients with recurrent oral ulcer and 100 healthy cases as control were performed. Logistic regression analysis was conducted to evaluate the relationship between serum ferritin and cellular immunity and recurrent oral ulcer using SPSS 19.0 software package. RESULTS: Serum iron, ferritin, CD3+, CD4+ and CD4+/CD8+ concentration significantly decreased in Rou group compared with the control group (P<0.01). Multiple logistic regression analysis showed serum iron, ferritin and CD3+, CD4+ decrease were the independent risk factors for the onset of ROU, whereas CD4+/CD8+ were the protective factors in the pathogenesis of ROU(P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Iron deficiency and cellular immune function is closely related to the pathogenesis of ROU.

Risk Factors for Vibrio parahaemolyticus Infection in a Southern Coastal Region of China.

OBJECTIVES: The objectives of the study were to identify dietary and medical risk factors for Vibrio parahaemolyticus (VP) infection in the coastal city Shenzhen in China. METHODS: In April-October 2012, we conducted a case-control study in two hospitals in Shenzhen, China. Laboratory-confirmed VP cases (N = 83) were matched on age, sex, and other social factors to healthy controls (N = 249). Subjects were interviewed using a questionnaire on medical history; contact with seawater; clinical symptoms and outcome; travel history over the past week; and dietary history 3 days prior to onset. Laboratory tests were used to culture, serotype, and genotype VP strains. We used logistic regression to calculate the odds ratios for the association of VP infection with potential risk factors. RESULTS: In multivariate analysis, VP infection was associated with having pre-existing chronic disease (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 6.0; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.5-23.7), eating undercooked seafood (aOR, 8.0; 95% CI, 1.3-50.4), eating undercooked meat (aOR, 29.1; 95% CI, 3.0-278.2), eating food from a street food vendor (aOR, 7.6; 95% CI, 3.3-17.6), and eating vegetable salad (aOR, 12.1; 95% CI, 5.2-28.2). CONCLUSIONS: Eating raw (undercooked) seafood and meat is an important source of VP infection among the study population. Cross-contamination of VP in other food (e.g., vegetables and undercooked meat) likely plays a more important role. Intervention should be taken to lower the risks of cross-contamination with undercooked seafood/meat, especially targeted at people with low income, transient workers, and people with medical risk factors.