Disparities in the level of COVID-19 health literacy and the associated factors among employees in long-term care facilities in Taiwan.

BACKGROUND: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) poses a significant threat to the safety of residents in long-term care facilities, and the staff of long-term care facilities are essential in the care and prevention of major infectious diseases and therefore require good health literacy to ensure the health of residents. The main objective of this study was to examine the health literacy of staff in long-term care facilities and analyze the factors associated with their COVID-19 health literacy in Taiwan to provide a basis for the response mechanism to emerging infectious diseases. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey with a structured questionnaire by a convenience sample method and to assess the COVID-19 health literacy of caregivers working in long-term care facilities in this study. The COVID-19 health literacy scale was a self-administered scale designed to combine the concept of "health literacy" with the 3 levels and 5 stages of preventive medicine. A total of 385 workers from 10 long-term care facilities were surveyed as the study sample, and the validated questionnaires were statistically analyzed using SPSS version 22.0 statistical software. A multivariate logistic regression model was used to establish the associated factors of the COVID-19 health literacy level. RESULTS: Overall, the mean COVID-19 health literacy score was 88.7 ± 10.4 (range: 58-105). Using a quartile scale, 92 (23.9%) of the study participants had low health literacy (health literacy score < 82), 190 (49.3%) had average health literacy (health literacy score 82-98), and the remaining 103 (26.8%) had good health literacy (health literacy score 99-105). Statistical analysis revealed significant differences (p < 0.05) in the COVID-19 health literacy score by demographic variables (education, job category, number of daily service users, and training related to infectious disease prevention and control) of the study population. The logistic regression analysis of the COVID-19 health literacy level (> 82 vs. ≤82) showed a significant difference in the study sample by gender (male vs. female, OR = 2.46, 95% CI = 1.15-5.26), job category (nurse practitioner vs. caregiver, OR = 7.25, 95% CI = 2.46-21.44), monthly service hours (> 160 h vs. 40-79 h, OR = 0.044, 95% CI = 0.07-0.97), experience caring for confirmed COVID-19 patients (yes vs. no, OR = 0.13, 95% CI = 0.02-0.98), and training related to infectious disease prevention and control (yes vs. no, OR = 2.8, 95% CI = 1.52-5.15). CONCLUSIONS: This study recommends that facilities provide immediate updated COVID-19 information to staff, especially frontline caregivers, and specifically enhance COVID-19 infection control education training for all facility staff to eliminate health literacy disparities.

Relationship of environmental factors in pond water and dynamic changes of gut microbes of sea bass Lateolabrax japonicus.

The effect of structure of gut microbes on the health of host has attracted increasing attention. Sea bass Lateolabrax japonicus is an important farmed fish in China. The relationship of the dynamic changes of intestinal bacterial communities in L. japonicus and the cultural water environment is very important for healthy culture. Here, the diversity and abundance of the gut microbial communities of L. japonicus were evaluated during the culture using 16S rRNA Illumina sequencing. Both the opportunistic pathogens Aeromonas (1.68%), Vibrio (1.59%), and Acinetobacter (1.22%); and the potential probiotics Lactobacillus (2.27%), Bacillus (1.16%), and Lactococcus (0.37%) were distributed in the gut of L. japonicus. The increasing concentration of nitrogen of water environments with the increase of culture time significantly correlated with shifts in the microbial community structure: 40.04% of gut microbial changes due to nitrogen concentration. Higher concentrations of nitrogen showed a significantly negative correlation with intestinal probiotics in L. japonicus. The results indicate that the abundance of intestinal bacteria of L. japonicus is mainly driven by the changes of environmental factors (e.g., nitrogen), and it's very important that the linking environmental parameters with bacterial data of guts could be used as an early warning indicator in L. japonicus heath culture.

[Dihydromyricetin improves Parkinson's disease-like lesions in T2DM rats by activating AMPK/ULK1 pathway].

The purpose of this study was to explore the effect and mechanism of dihydromyricetin (DHM) on Parkinson's disease (PD)-like lesions in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) rats. The T2DM model was established by feeding Sprague Dawley (SD) rats with high-fat diet and intraperitoneal injection of streptozocin (STZ). The rats were intragastrically administered with DHM (125 or 250 mg/kg per day) for 24 weeks. The motor ability of the rats was measured by balance beam experiment, the changes of dopaminergic (DA) neurons and the expression of autophagy initiation related protein ULK1 in the midbrains of the rats were detected by immunohistochemistry, and the protein expression levels of α-synuclein (α-syn), tyrosine hydroxylase (TH), as well as AMPK activation level, in the midbrains of the rats were detected by Western blot. The results showed that, compared with normal control, the rats with long-term T2DM exhibited motor dysfunction, increased α-syn aggregation, down-regulated TH protein expression, decreased number of DA neurons, declined activation level of AMPK, and significantly down-regulated ULK1 expression in the midbrain. DHM (250 mg/kg per day) treatment for 24 weeks significantly improved the above PD-like lesions, increased AMPK activity, and up-regulated ULK1 protein expression in T2DM rats. These results suggest that DHM may improve PD-like lesions in T2DM rats by activating AMPK/ULK1 pathway.

Combination immunotherapy of glioblastoma with dendritic cell cancer vaccines,anti-PD-1 and poly I:C / 药物分析学报

Glioblastoma(GBM)is a lethal cancer with limited therapeutic options.Dendritic cell(DC)-based cancer vaccines provide a promising approach for GBM treatment.Clinical studies suggest that other immu-notherapeutic agents may be combined with DC vaccines to further enhance antitumor activity.Here,we report a GBM case with combination immunotherapy consisting of DC vaccines,anti-programmed death-1(anti-PD-1)and poly I:C as well as the chemotherapeutic agent cyclophosphamide that was integrated with standard chemoradiation therapy,and the patient remained disease-free for 69 months.The patient received DC vaccines loaded with multiple forms of tumor antigens,including mRNA-tumor associated antigens(TAA),mRNA-neoantigens,and hypochlorous acid(HOCl)-oxidized tumor lysates.Furthermore,mRNA-TAAAs were modified with a novel TriVac technology that fuses TAAs with a destabilization domain and inserts TAAs into full-length lysosomal associated membrane protein-1 to enhance major histo-compatibility complex(MHC)class Ⅰ and Ⅱ antigen presentation.The treatment consisted of 42 DC cancer vaccine infusions,26 anti-PD-1 antibody nivolumab administrations and 126 poly I:C injections for DC infusions.The patient also received 28 doses of cyclophosphamide for depletion of regulatory T cells.No immunotherapy-related adverse events were observed during the treatment.Robust antitumor CD4+and CD8+T-cell responses were detected.The patient remains free of disease progression.This is the first case report on the combination of the above three agents to treat glioblastoma patients.Our results suggest that integrated combination immunotherapy is safe and feasible for long-term treatment in this patient.A large-scale trial to validate these findings is warranted.

Development of a CLDN18.2-targeting immuno-PET probe for non-invasive imaging in gastrointestinal tumors / 药物分析学报

Claudin18.2(CLDN18.2)is a tight junction protein that is overexpressed in a variety of solid tumors such as gastrointestinal cancer and oesophageal cancer.It has been identified as a promising target and a potential biomarker to diagnose tumor,evaluate efficacy,and determine patient prognosis.TST001 is a recombinant humanized CLDN18.2 antibody that selectively binds to the extracellular loop of human Claudin18.2.In this study,we constructed a solid target radionuclide zirconium-89(89Zr)labled-TST001 to detect the expression of in the human stomach cancer BGC823CLDN18.2 cell lines.The[89Zr]Zr-des-ferrioxamine(DFO)-TST001 showed high radiochemical purity(RCP,＞99％)and specific activity(24.15±1.34 GBq/μmol),and was stable in 5％human serum albumin,and phosphate buffer saline(＞85％RCP at 96 h).The EC50 values of TST001 and DFO-TST001 were as high as 0.413±0.055 and 0.361±0.058 nM(P＞0.05),respectively.The radiotracer had a significantly higher average standard uptake values in CLDN18.2-positive tumors than in CLDN18.2-negative tumors(1.11±0.02 vs.0.49±0.03,P=0.0016)2 days post injection(p.i.).BGC823CLDN18.2 mice models showed high tumor/muscle ratios 96 h p.i.with[89Zr]Zr-DFO-TST001 was much higher than those of the other imaging groups.Immunohistochemistry results showed that BGC823CLDN18.2 tumors were highly positive(+++)for CLDN18.2,while those in the BGC823 group did not express CLDN18.2(-).The results of ex vivo biodistribution studies showed that there was a higher distribution in the BGC823CLDN18.2 tumor bearing mice(2.05±0.16％ID/g)than BGC823 mice(0.69±0.02％ID/g)and blocking group(0.72±0.02％ID/g).A dosimetry estimation study showed that the effective dose of[89Zr]Zr-DFO-TST001 was 0.0705 mSv/MBq,which is within the range of acceptable doses for nuclear medicine research.Taken together,these re-sults suggest that Good Manufacturing Practices produced by this immuno-positron emission tomog-raphy probe can detect CLDN18.2-overexpressing tumors.

Determination of suspended erythrocyte volume range and establishment of its internal control standard / 中国输血杂志

【Objective】 To determine the volume range of suspended erythrocyte and establish its internal control standard. 【Methods】 The theoretical value of suspended erythrocyte volume was calculated according to the screening criteria of healthy blood donors and Quality Requirements for Whole Blood and Blood Components. A total of 2 410 bags of 1 U and 2 U suspended erythrocyte were randomly selected and weighed, and the volume range were formulated by ±2S and ±10% respectively and then compared to determine the volume range in line with the actual situation of our center. 【Results】 The theoretical volume range of 1 U and 2 U suspended erythrocyte were 117-160 mL vs 234-320 mL, and the actual volume range were 142-180 mL vs 276-393 mL. The volume range of 1 U and 2 U suspended erythrocyte formulated by ±2S were 145-181 mL vs 298-358 mL, and by ±10% were 147-179 mL vs 295-361 mL. The hematocrit and hemoglobin content of suspended erythrocyte within the actual volume range met the quality requirements. There were fluctuations in the volume of suspended erythrocyte from different regions. 【Conclusion】 Based on the actual situation of our center and the sampling results of suspended erythrocytes in recent two years, 163 mL±10% and 328 mL±10% were determined as the internal control standards of 1 U and 2 U suspended erythrocyte, respectively. Blood centers should establish accurate and feasible standard of suspended erythrocyte according to the actual situation.

Analysis of related factors of plasma antibody titer in convalescent patients with COVID-19 / 中国输血杂志

【Objective】 To study the relationship between the plasma IgG, IgM, neutralizing antibody titer and sex, age, collection interval in convalescent patients with COVID-19, so as to guide the plasma collection of convalescent patients with COVID-19. 【Methods】 COVID-19 convalescent plasma was collected to determine the antibody titer, and the difference and correlation of data in each group were analyzed by SPSS statistical analysis software. 【Results】 The median titers (AU/mL)of IgG, IgM and neutralizing antibodies in males and females were 484.24 vs 516.04, 2.13 vs 1.73, and 1 124.74 vs 1 143.99, respectively, and there was no significant difference(P>0.05) . Age had weak positive correlation with IgG and neutralizing antibody, and the Spearman correlation coefficient was 0.188 (P<0.05). The median titers (AU/mL) of IgG, IgM and neutralizing antibody at first donation of 30 repeated donors were 522.3, 2.64 and 1 174.6, respectively, but at second donation were 332.08, 0.63 and 708.96, showing significant difference (P<0.05). 【Conclusion】 There was no significant difference in the plasma IgG, IgM and neutralizing antibody titers in convalescent COVID-19 patients of different ages and genders, and the titers met the requirements of clinical treatment guidelines. Although the plasma antibody level of repeated donors has decreased, it still has clinical value.

Dihydromyricetin improves Parkinson's disease-like lesions in T2DM rats by activating AMPK/ULK1 pathway / 生理学报

The purpose of this study was to explore the effect and mechanism of dihydromyricetin (DHM) on Parkinson's disease (PD)-like lesions in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) rats. The T2DM model was established by feeding Sprague Dawley (SD) rats with high-fat diet and intraperitoneal injection of streptozocin (STZ). The rats were intragastrically administered with DHM (125 or 250 mg/kg per day) for 24 weeks. The motor ability of the rats was measured by balance beam experiment, the changes of dopaminergic (DA) neurons and the expression of autophagy initiation related protein ULK1 in the midbrains of the rats were detected by immunohistochemistry, and the protein expression levels of α-synuclein (α-syn), tyrosine hydroxylase (TH), as well as AMPK activation level, in the midbrains of the rats were detected by Western blot. The results showed that, compared with normal control, the rats with long-term T2DM exhibited motor dysfunction, increased α-syn aggregation, down-regulated TH protein expression, decreased number of DA neurons, declined activation level of AMPK, and significantly down-regulated ULK1 expression in the midbrain. DHM (250 mg/kg per day) treatment for 24 weeks significantly improved the above PD-like lesions, increased AMPK activity, and up-regulated ULK1 protein expression in T2DM rats. These results suggest that DHM may improve PD-like lesions in T2DM rats by activating AMPK/ULK1 pathway.

Serotypes and drug resistance of salmonella in commercial food in Pudong New Area from 2020 to 2022 / 上海预防医学

ObjectiveTo understand the serotype distribution and drug resistance of salmonella contaminated in commercially available food. MethodsSalmonella detection， including the serotypes， was conducted in food products sold in Pudong New Area from 2020 to 2022. The antimicrobial susceptibility test of 15 antibiotics was conducted by the broth microassay. ResultsA total of 118 salmonella strains were detected in 2 497 pieces of food， with a total detection rate of 4.7%. The dominant detection categories were poultry meat， livestock meat and aquatic products. The 118 salmonella strains could be divided into 24 serotypes， Salmonella enteritidis （26.4%）， Salmonella Typhimurium （16.2%） and Salmonella delpy （14.4%） were the main dominant types. Salmonella had the highest resistance rate to ampicillin （63.6%）， followed by tetracycline， chloramphenicol， cotrimoxazole and nalidixic acid. Among the three dominant serotypes， the multidrug resistance rate of Salmonella typhimurium was the highest （89.5%）， followed by Salmonella delpy （70.6%） and Salmonella enteritidis （61.3%）. ConclusionLivestock， poultry meat， and aquatic products are seriously contaminated by salmonella with diverse serotypes. The livestock meat is mainly contaminated by Salmonella typhimurium and Salmonella delpy， and the poultry meat is mainly contaminated by Salmonella enteritidis. The drug resistance spectrum is wide and the multi-drug resistance rate is high. Different from the livestock and aquatic isolates， poultry meat-derived strains have high tolerance to ampicillin， nalidixic acid and polymyxin， and carry certain potential food safety risks.

Guijiajiao (Colla Carapacis et Plastri, CCP) prevents male infertility via gut microbiota modulation / 中国天然药物

Male infertility is a significant cause of psychosocial and marital distress in approximately 50% of couples who are unable to conceive, with male factors being the underlying cause. Guijiajiao (Colla Carapacis et Plastri, CCP) is a Traditional Chinese Medicine commonly used to treat male infertility. The present study aimed to investigate the potential mechanisms underlying the preventive effects of CCP on male infertility. An infertile male rat model was established using cyclophosphamide (CTX), and CCP was administered for both treatment and prevention. Fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) was also performed to explore the role of gut microbiota in the CCP-mediated prevention of male infertility in rats. Sperm motility and concentration were determined using a semi-automatic sperm classification analyzer. Subsequently, histopathological analysis using HE staining was performed to examine the changes in the small intestine and testis. Moreover, the serum levels of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and testosterone were measured by ELISA. In addition, immunohistochemistry was conducted to detect CD3 expression in the small intestine, while RT-qPCR was employed to assess the expressions of interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β), cluster of differentiation 3 (CD3), Monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1), and C-X-C motif chemokine ligand 10 (CXCL-10) in the small intestine and epididymis. Finally, gut microbiota was analyzed by 16S rRNA sequencing. CCP improved sperm motility, number, and concentration in CTX-induced infertile male rats. CCP increased the serum testosterone level, inhibited the immune cell infiltration of the intestinal lamina propria, and promoted the aggregation of CD3+ T cells in CTX-induced male infertility rats. CCP also inhibited the expressions of MCP-1, CXCL-10, and IL-1β in the epididymis of male infertility rats. At the genus level, CTX led to a reduction in the abundance of Lactobacillus, Clostridia_UCG.014, and Romboutsia in the intestinal tract of rats. In contrast, CCP decreased the abundance of Ruminococcus and increased the abundance of Romboutsia in infertile male rats. Additionally, FMT experiments proved that the gut microbiota of CCP-treated rats facilitated testicular tissue recovery and spermatogenesis while also reducing the serum LPS level in infertile male rats. CCP improves the spermatogenic ability of infertile male rats by restoring gut microbiota diversity and inhibiting epididymal inflammation.

Factors Associated with patient satisfaction towards a prison detention Clinic Care among male drug-using inmates.

This study assessed patient satisfaction and its associated factors among male drug-using inmates utilizing a prison detention clinic in Taiwan. A cross-sectional design and structured questionnaire were employed to recruit 580 drug-using inmates into the study. The Patient Satisfaction Questionnaire Short Form (PSQ-18), developed by the RAND Corporation, was used as the basis for the short scale of patient satisfaction, and the research data were analyzed using the SPSS for Windows 20.0 statistical software package. The results showed that the research subjects had low patient satisfaction in all the factors assessed compared with the scale's general norms. Among the original seven satisfaction subscales in this study, the highest score was for the financial aspects, and the lowest was for the amount of time spent with doctors. This study also investigated satisfaction with medical lab exams and the pharmacy at the prison's clinic, and the satisfaction scores were higher than the original seven subscales. In multiple logistic regression analyses, the final model indicated that the inmates undergoing observed rehabilitation (OR = 13.837, 95% CI = 2.736-69.983) were more likely satisfied with prison detention clinic c than those serving prison sentences. Those inmates with custodial deposits (high vs. low; OR = 1.813, 95% CI = 1.038-3.168), and meet their physical health needs (met vs. unmet; OR = 4.872, 95% CI = 2.054-11.560) had significant correlated with detention clinic care satisfactory level. Although there is only one study setting cannot give a generalizability for people who are incarcerated in Taiwan, this study highlights that the prison authorities should scrutinize factors associated with detention clinic care satisfaction, such as the type of inmate, economic status in the prison, self-reported health status, and their physical health needs, to increase the level of patient satisfaction.

Differences in and Factors Related to Willingness to Provide Care to Patients with Suspected or Confirmed COVID-19 in Long-Term Care Facilities.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has exerted tremendous effects on the residents of and caregivers at long-term care facilities (LTCF). The combination of a vulnerable, aged population, staffing shortages, and inadequate resources in LTCF will cause a great negative impact in these sectors. Addressing the caregiver's lack of interest in providing care for patients with COVID-19 is a great challenge for institutional managers. The primary objective of this study was to analyze the factors related to the willingness of personnel at LTCF to provide care to patients with COVID-19. This was a cross-sectional study in which personnel from 10 LTCF were recruited as participants through convenience sampling and completed structured questionnaires. A total of 500 questionnaires were distributed and 385 valid questionnaires were recovered, posting a response rate of 77%. A statistical analysis was performed using SPSS 22.0. The results of the survey revealed that only 30% of the participants were willing to provide care to patients with COVID-19; 23% more of the participants were willing to provide such care if their institutions provided sufficient PPE. Regarding other conditions, 31.5% and 76% of the participants expressed that they would be willing to provide such care if their compensation were increased and working hours were reduced. In the univariate analysis, the willingness of participants with different characteristics (job categories, years of holding a professional certificate, job location type, monthly income, experience with caring for patients with confirmed COVID-19, and completion of training related to communicable disease control) varied significantly (p < 0.05). Furthermore, in the logistic regression analysis, several demographic and professional characteristics (education level, job category, number of patients served daily, and monthly income) were significantly correlated with willingness to provide care to patients with COVID-19 (p < 0.05). On the basis of these findings, the LTCF should securitize the associated factors of care wiliness in personnel to eliminate the difference of the willingness to provide care to patients with suspected or confirmed COVID-19.

DHM improves cognitive dysfunction in T2DM rats by inhibiting hippocampal endoplasmic reticulum stress / 中国药理学通报

Aim To investigate the effeet of dihydro- myricetin ( DHM ) on cognitive dysfunction in type 2 diabetes mellitus ( T2DM) rats and its mechanism.Methods SD rats were randomly divided into the normal control group ( n = 56) : normal diet and citrate buffer solution (30 mg • kg 1 ) ; T2DM model group (n =60) : high glucose, fat and low dose STZ ( 30 mg • kg 1 ) ( Four unsuccessful rats were eliminated ).Then rats in the above two groups were treated with or without DHM (250 mg • kg 1 • d intragastric).After 12 weeks, eight rats in each group were randomly selected to perform Morris water maze and Y maze test to observe the effect of DHM on cognitive function of rats.The remaining rats in each group were injected ERS antagonist tauroursodeoxycholic acid ( TUDCA ) 10 jxg • d 1 or ERS activator tunicamycin (TUN) 10 jxL, respectively.After the behavioral analysis, the hippocampal tissues of rats were taken out.The expressions of EH stress related proteins GRP78 and P- PERK were detected by Western blot.Results Both DHM and TUDCA could improve cognitive dysfunction in T2DM rats.On the contrary, TIJN reduced the effect of DHM on cognitive dysfunction in T2DM rats.TUDCA decreased the expression of GRP78 and p- PERK proteins in T2DM rats, while TUN increased the expression of GRP78 and p-PERK proteins in T2DM rats treated by DHM.Conclusion DHM improves cognitive dysfunction in T2DM rats, and the mechanism may be related to the inhibition of endoplasmic reticulum stress.

Risk factors affecting the prognosis of sepsis patients with blood transfusion / 中国输血杂志

【Objective】 To explore the factors affecting the prognosis of sepsis patients with blood transfusion, and provide safe and scientific blood transfusion recommendations for them. 【Methods】 The clinical data of 134 sepsis patients in our hospital from January 2018 to June 2021 were collected through retrospective analysis, and divided into the blood transfusion group (n=45) and non-transfusion group (n=89) according to whether they received transfusion or not. The basic clinical data and laboratory indicators of two groups were compared. According to the survival outcome and the occurrence of septic shock, patients in the blood transfusion group were subdivided into death group (n=17) and survival group (n=28), shock group (n=12) and non-shock group (n=33). Logistic regression analysis was used to analyze the risk factors that affect the survival outcome of septic patients after blood transfusion and the occurrence of septic shock. 【Results】 Statistical differences were noticed inblood transfusion group and the non-transfusion group by Hb (71.4±15.7 vs 100.6±21.9) g/L, PCT (13.7±27.2 vs 6.7±18.1) ng/mL, CRP (80.4±81.9 vs 46.6±67.1) mg/mL, APTT (43.4±22.6 vs 33.3±12.8) s, Fib (3.0±1.7 vs 4.0±1.7) g/L, LAC (3.4±4.2 vs 1.9±2.7) mmol/L, length of hospital stay (20.6±18.7 vs 14.1±10.9)d, and survival outcomes (P<0.05). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that red blood cell storage days (OR=0.183) and patient Hb level (OR=0.034) were risk factors that affected the survival outcome of sepsis patients after blood transfusion (P<0.05). 【Conclusion】 Compared with the non-blood transfusion group, the patients in the blood transfusion group had longer hospital stays, and different survival outcomes. The red blood cell storage days and Hb level of patients were the risk factors affecting the survival outcome of sepsis patients after blood transfusion, and RBCs with shorter storage period were suggested for sepsis patients.

Detection and analysis of neutralizing antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 in convalescent plasma donors / 中国输血杂志

【Objective】 To detect the anti-SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibody levels in convalescent plasma (CP) and to evaluate whether it has specific anti-SARS-CoV-2 S antigen effect, so as to provide laboratory data support for clinical use of CP. 【Methods】 Nine CP donors who have recovered from COVID-19 were studied, and 4 volunteers who completed the vaccination and 3 asymptomatic infected blood donors were compared. Anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies including total antibody, IgM and IgG were measured by chemiluminescence microparticle immunoassays (CMIA) test in three groups. The VSV pseudovirus-based neutralization assay for evaluating neutralizing antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 was carried out in all samples. 【Results】 All samples were tested positive by the total antibody and IgG CMIA in COVID-19 CP donors and recipients of inactivated COVID-19 vaccine. High titers of IgG were observed in CP donors and vaccine recipients compared with asymptomatic blood donors. All vaccine recipients and 8 of 9 CP donors tested positive by SARS-CoV-2 pseudovirus-based neutralization test, whereas all asymptomatic blood donors tested negative. 【Conclusion】 The levels and characteristics of neutralizing antibodies among COVID-19 CP donors, vaccine recipients and asymptomatic blood donors were different. When unable to implement the pseudovirus assay to measure neutralizing antibodies, the detection of total antibody can be considered instead.

Determination of methylene blue release in plasma virus inactivation bag by fluorescence energy transfer method / 中国输血杂志

【Objective】 To establish a simple, economical and rapid method for the determination of methylene blue (MB) release in virus inactivation bag. 【Methods】 Based on the fluorescence energy transfer between MB and BSA-stabilized gold nanoclusters (BSA-AuNCs), the standard curve of MB determination was established by measuring the fluorescence quenching degree of MB to BSA-AuNCs in different concentrations to conduct the determination of MB release in virus inactivation bag. 【Results】 There was a good linear relationship between the MB concentration (cMB) and the fluorescence quenching degree of BSA-AuNCs[ (I0-I)/I0=0.018cMB+ 0.021(r=0.996)] when the fluorescence emission wavelength was about 620 nm and the cMB was in the range of (0.9-36) μmoL/L. The recovery of MB was 98.00% -101.95 % when applied to determine MB at high, medium, and low concentrations, the obtained intra-day variation coefficients were 0.73%, 0.81% and 0.77% respectively, and the obtained inter-day variation coefficients were 3.92%, 3.81%, and 4.73% respectively. There was no significant difference between the results measured by this method and those measured by combination of solid-phase extraction and spectrophotometry(P>0.05). 【Conclusion】 The fluorescence energy transfer method could achieve simple and rapid determination of MB release in virus inactivation bag with accurate and reliable results.

Determination of fibrinogen content in cryoprecipitated antihemophilic factor by fluorescence quenching method / 中国输血杂志

【Objective】 To establish a new method for the determination of fibrinogen content in cryoprecipitated antihemophilic factor. 【Methods】 Fibrinogen (Fib) could bind with sheep anti-human fibrinogen (anti-Fib) specifically and further form antigen-antibody complex. When the Fib was present in the solution, the fluorescence of fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) labeled on the anti-Fib (FITC-anti-Fib) was quenched due to the formation of immune complex. The fluorescence quenching degree of FITC-anti-Fib was positively correlated with Fib concentration (cFib) in a certain concentration range. 【Results】 The linear relationship between fluorescence quenching degree [(I0-I)/I0] of FITC-anti-Fib and ln(cFib) was (I0-I)/I0=15.53ln(cFib)+ 80.79 (R2=0.99) when the cFib was in the range of (0.007 8-0.560 0) g/L. The recovery of Fib was (96.77-102.43) %. When the method was applied to determine Fib at high, medium, and low concentrations, the obtained intra-day variation coefficients were 0.31%, 0.56%, and 0.49%, respectively, and the inter-day variation coefficients were 3.81%, 3.06%, and 4.13%, respectively. There was no significant difference between the results measured by fluorescence quenching method and coagulation method (t=-0.075, P>0.05). 【Conclusion】 In this work, a new fluorescence method for the determination of Fib in cryoprecipitated antihemophilic factor was successfully established based on the specific combination of fib and FITC-anti-Fib. The method is simple and rapid. The obtained results were accurate and reliable by using this method to determine Fib.

Factors Associated with Free Hospital Outpatient Service Use among Middle-Aged and Older Urban Homeless Adults in Taipei.

Homeless individuals have many negative experiences with inequality regarding access to and the use of primary healthcare services, so policies to eliminate the disparities in and barriers to primary care access for these people are needed. The aim of this study was to explore the use and determinants of free hospital outpatient services for homeless people, in order to describe the provision of free healthcare policies for this vulnerable population in Taipei. One cross-sectional survey was conducted to recruit homeless people aged 45 years old and over in Taipei in 2018. A structured questionnaire was used, and face-to-face interviews were conducted by three social workers to collect the data. Finally, 129 participants were recruited in the study. The results show that 81.4% of the homeless people had made free hospital outpatient care visits (mean = 5.9 visits) in the last three months. An unadjusted logistic regression analysis showed that those homeless people who reported having usual healthcare providers, with higher depressive symptom scores, who used medication and had been hospitalized within one year, and had more chronic diseases, were significantly more likely to make free hospital outpatient visits. The adjusted logistic regression model indicates that homeless people with severe depressive symptoms (odds ratio (OR) = 9.32, 95% CI = 1.15-56.07), who had received medication (OR = 3.93; 95% CI = 1.06-14.52), and who had more than five chronic diseases (OR = 1.06, 95% CI = 1.35-13.27), were significantly more likely to make free hospital outpatient visits than their counterparts. The findings highlight that homeless people have higher healthcare requirements than the general population, and the healthcare system should pay more attention to factors associated with higher outpatient service use, such as homelessness, severe depressive symptoms, the receipt of medication and chronic diseases.

Forensic nanopore sequencing of STRs and SNPs using Verogen's ForenSeq DNA Signature Prep Kit and MinION.

The MinION nanopore sequencing device (Oxford Nanopore Technologies, Oxford, UK) is the smallest commercially available sequencer and can be used outside of conventional laboratories. The use of the MinION for forensic applications, however, is hindered by the high error rate of nanopore sequencing. One approach to solving this problem is to identify forensic genetic markers that can consistently be typed correctly based on nanopore sequencing. In this pilot study, we explored the use of nanopore sequencing for single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) and short tandem repeat (STR) profiling using Verogen's (San Diego, CA, USA) ForenSeq DNA Signature Prep Kit. Thirty single-contributor samples and DNA standard material 2800 M were genotyped using the Illumina (San Diego, CA, USA) MiSeq FGx and MinION (with R9.4.1 flow cells) devices. With an optimized cutoff for allelic imbalance, all 94 identity-informative SNP loci could be genotyped reliably using the MinION device, with an overall accuracy of 99.958% (1 error among 2926 genotypes). STR typing was notably error prone, and its accuracy was locus dependent. We developed a custom-made bioinformatics workflow, and finally selected 13 autosomal STRs, 14 Y-STRs, and 4 X-STRs showing high consistency between nanopore and Illumina sequencing among the tested samples. These SNP and STR loci could be candidates for panel design for forensic analysis based on nanopore sequencing.