[First report of invasive Pomacea snails in Shandong Province].

OBJECTIVE: To characterize the species of invasive Pomacea snails that were discovered for the first time in Shandong Province. METHODS: Pomacea snails samples were collected in the field of Jining City, Shandong Province on October 2021 for morphological identification. Pomacea snails were randomly sampled and genomic DNA was extracted from foot muscle tissues of Pomacea snails for multiplex PCR amplification. The PCR amplification product was sequenced. Then, the sequence was aligned and a phylogenetic tree was created using the software MegAlign 7.1.0. In addition, Angiostongylus cantonensis infection was detected in Pomacea snails with the lung microscopy. RESULTS: A total of 104 living Pomacea snails were collected, and all were characterized as Pomacea spp. based on morphological features. Of 12 randomly selected adult Pomacea snails, multiplex PCR assay and sequencing identified eleven snails as P. canaliculata and one as P. maculata. No A. cantonensis infection was detected in 104 Pomacea snails. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first report of invasive Pomacea snails in Shandong Province, where P. canaliculata and P. maculata are found.

[Clinical and imaging features of Chlamydia psittaci pneumonia: an analysis of 48 cases in China].

Objective: To explore the clinical characteristics, imaging findings, laboratory tests and treatment strategies for Chlamydia psittaci pneumonia. Methods: From January 1, 2019 to January 20, 2021, 48 cases of Psittacosis from 11 hospitals in China were diagnosed via metagenomic next-generation sequencing(mNGS). The data of all patients on occupational history, clinical manifestations, laboratory tests, chest computed tomography(CT)findings, treatment outcomes and prognosis were retrospectively analyzed. Results: Among the 48 patients, there were 29 males and 19 females, with a mean age of (57.1±10.3) years. Thirty patients had a confirmed history of exposure to poultry. The onset to admission interval was (6.5±3.2) days, and hospital stay was (12.4±4.8) days. Clinical manifestations included fever (100%, 48/48), relative bradycardia (71%, 34/48), cough (54.2%, 26/48), sputum (27.1%, 13/48), fatigue (16.7%, 8/48), headache and delirium (20.8%, 9/48), and gastrointestinal symptoms (16.7%, 8/48). Laboratory data showed that white blood cells were (8.0±3.8)×109/L, and the proportion of neutrophils increased in 44 patients. The level of C-reactive protein was (155.3±74.1)mg/L, and that of procalcitonin (PCT)in 59.5% of patients was more than 0.5 µg/L. Percentages of patients with increased lactate dehydrogenase and creatine kinase were 82.9% and 45.2%, respectively. Chest CT scans showed unilateral lung involvement in 34 cases(70.8%) and single lobe involvement in 27 cases(56.3%).The most common imaging change was consolidation, with 38 cases (79.2%) showing lobar consolidation. In terms of treatment, 25 patients were treated with fluoroquinolones alone, 6 patients with doxycycline alone, and 13 patients with combined treatment. The combined-treatment group and the doxycycline alone group were similar in the course of defervescence. The combined treatment group and the doxycycline alone group were both superior to the fluoroquinolones alone group. However, 11 patients were admitted to ICU, all of them received artificial ventilation, and 5 cases developed shock, and one died. Conclusions: Chlamydia psittaci pneumonia is an animal-derived infectious disease with unique features in clinical symptoms, laboratory tests and chest imaging. Appropriate treatment is able to significantly shorten the course of disease and improve the prognosis.

[Surveillance of Enterobius vermicularis infections among children in Shandong Province from 2016 to 2020].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the prevalence and changing trend of Enterobius vermicularis infections among children in Shandong Province, so as to provide the scientific evidence for the adjustment and development of the enterobiasis control strategy. METHODS: Soil-borne nematodiasis surveillance sites were assigned in 51 counties (districts, cities) in Shandong Province from 2016 to 2020, and the E. vermicularis infections were detected using a modified Kato-Katz technique and the cellophane tape method among children at ages of 3 to 9 years living in these surveillance sites. The epidemiological profiles of E. vermicularis-infected children were descriptively analyzed. RESULTS: A total of 5 060 children at ages of 3 to 9 years were detected in 51 soil-borne nematodiasis surveillance sites in Shandong Province from 2016 to 2020, and the overall prevalence of E. vermicularis infections was 2.23%. The annual prevalence of E. vermicularis infections was 3.99% (26/651), 1.70% (14/824), 0.96% (8/837), 2.90% (45/1 552) and 1.67% (20/1 196) from 2016 to 2020, respectively, with a significant difference detected among years (χ2 = 21.455, P < 0.01). The prevalence of E. vermicularis infections was 1.25% (15/1 198), 1.85% (14/755), 3.18% (84/2 640) and 0 (0/467) among children from central, eastern, southern and northern Shandong Province (χ2 = 27.326, P < 0.01). In addition, there was no significant difference in the prevalence of E. vermicularis infections between male (1.98%, 56/2 831) and female children (2.56%, 57/2 229) (χ2 = 1.916, P > 0.05); however, there was age-specific prevalence of E. vermicularis infections among children (χ2 = 16.448, P < 0.05), with the greatest prevalence detected among children at ages of 6 years (3.18%, 25/786), and the lowest prevalence seen among children at ages of 3 years (0.75%, 6/800). CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of E. vermicularis infections remained at a medium level among children at ages of 3 to 9 years in Shandong Province from 2016 to 2020, with region-specific prevalence found across the province. An integrated strategy is required for enterobiasis control.

[Effect of virtual reality video-based pre-discharge psychological intervention on the post-discharge emotions of patients with deep facial burns: a prospective randomized controlled study].

Objective: To investigate the effect of virtual reality (VR) video-based pre-discharge psychological intervention on the post-discharge emotions of patients with deep facial burn. Methods: From October 2017 to September 2019, 84 patients with deep facial burn who were hospitalized in the First Hospital of Jilin University and met the inclusion criteria were enrolled in the prospective randomized controlled study were. According to the random number table, the patients were divided into two groups, with 40 cases (21 males and 19 females) left in VR video group, aged 18-53 years and 41 cases (22 males and 19 females) in general video group, aged 19-55 years after several patients dropped out in follow-up. Seven patients who had been treated in the First Hospital of Jilin University from January 2014 to December 2016 and returned to work and life after recovering from the deep facial burn were selected, and then the pictures and corresponding commentaries before and after burn injuries, the problems and solutions after discharge, and the image data of living status of each patient were edited and recorded into a video. From seven days before discharge, the patients in VR video group began to watch videos by wearing VR glasses, while the patients in general video group began to watch videos on a tablet computer, for 7 days . On the 7th day before discharge (before watching the videos) and one month after discharge, the Self-rating Anxiety Scale (SAS), Self-rating Depression Scale (SDS), and Social Avoidance and Distress (SAD) Scale were used to evaluate the level of anxiety, depression, and social avoidance and distress of patients in both groups. Data were statistically analyzed with paired or independent sample t test, chi-square test, or Fisher's exact probability test. Results: On the 7th day before discharge, the scores of anxiety, depression, and social avoidance and distress of patients in general video group were (34±7), (34±6), and (11.5±3.9) points, respectively, close to (35±7), (35±5), and (10.5±3.9) points in VR video group (t=-0.803, -1.050, 1.122, P>0.05), and the scores of both groups were higher than the national norms. One month after discharge, the scores of anxiety, depression, and social avoidance and distress of patients in VR video group were (31±5), (31±5), and (7.2±2.5) points, respectively, significantly lower than the scores on the 7th day before discharge (t=6.609, 7.492, 7.622, P<0.01); the scores of anxiety, depression, and social avoidance and distress of patients in general video group were (37±7), (38±8), and (13.9±7.4) points, respectively, significantly higher than the scores on the 7th day before discharge (t=2.802, 3.599, 2.739, P<0.01). One month after discharge, the scores of anxiety, depression, and social avoidance and distress of patients in VR video group were significantly lower than those in general video group (t=4.722, 5.043, 5.490, P<0.01). Conclusions: Pre-discharge psychological intervention of patients with deep facial burn using VR videos can alleviate their bad emotions after discharge, such as anxiety, depression, and social avoidance and distress.

[Analysis of drug - resistant gene polymorphisms in Plasmodium falciparum imported from Equatorial Guinea to Shandong Province in 2015 and 2016].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the drug-resistant gene polymorphisms in Plasmodium falciparum imported from Equatorial Guinea to Shandong Province. METHODS: From 2015 to 2016, blood samples were collected from imported P. falciparum malaria patients returning from Equatorial Guinea to Shandong Province, and genome DNA of the malaria parasite was extracted. The drug-resistant Pfcrt, Pfmdr1, Pfdhfr, Pfdhps, and K13 genes of P. falciparum were amplified using a PCR assay, followed by DNA sequencing, and the sequences were aligned. RESULTS: The target fragments of all 5 drug-resistant genes of P. falciparum were successfully amplified and sequenced. There were 72.8%, 18.6%, and 8.6% of P. falciparum parasites carrying the wild-, mutant-, and mixed-type Pfcrt gene, respectively, and all mutant haplotypes were CVIET (the underline indicates the mutation site). There were 20.0%, 61.4% and 18.6% of P. falciparum parasites carrying the wild-, mutant-, and mixed-type Pfmdr1 gene, respectively, and the mutant haplotypes mainly included YF and NF (the underlines indicate the mutation sites). There were 1.4%, 98.6%, and 0 of P. falciparum parasites carrying the wild-, mutant-, and mixed-type Pfdhfr gene, respectively, and AIRNI was the predominant mutant haplotype (the underline indicates the mutation site). There were 1.4%, 94.3%, and 4.3% of P. falciparum parasites carrying the wild-, mutant-, and mixed-type Pfdhps gene, respectively, and SGKAA was the predominant mutant haplotype (the underline indicates the mutation site). The complete drug-resistant IRNGE genotype consisted of 8.6% of the Pfdhfr and Pfdhps genes, and the K13 gene A578S mutation occurred in 1.4% of the parasite samples. CONCLUSIONS: There are mutations in the Pfcrt, Pfmdr1, Pfdhfr, Pfdhps, and K13 genes of P. falciparum imported from Equatorial Guinea to Shandong Province, with a low frequency in the Pfcrt gene mutation and a high frequency in the Pfmdr1, Pfdhfr, and Pfdhps gene mutations, and the K13 gene A578S mutation is detected in the parasite samples.

[Epidemiological characteristics of imported malaria in Shandong province, 2017-2018].

Objective: To understand epidemiological characteristics of imported cases of malaria in Shandong province and provide scientific basis for timely adjustment of prevention and control measures. Methods: The incidence data of malaria, case investigation data and case review data by Shandong Provincial Reference Laboratory for Malaria Diagnosis from 2017 to 2018 were collected. Software SPSS 18.0 was used for statistical analysis and software QGIS 2.18 was used for mapping. Results: A total of 442 imported cases of malaria were reported in Shandong from 2017 to 2018, and the main infection source was in Africa (97.96%, 433/442). All the 17 prefectures in Shandong reported imported malaria cases, mainly in Jining (88 cases), Yantai (65 cases), Weihai (46 cases), Qingdao (44 cases) and Dezhou (42 cases), accounting for 64.48% (285/442). The cases were distributed in 77.37%(106/137) of counties of the province. The cases were reported in every month without seasonal characteristics. The median (M) of time interval between onset and the first medical care seeking was 2 days, and the interquartile range (IQR) was 3 days. The M of time interval between the first medical care seeking and final diagnosis was 0 day, and the IQR was 3 days. The proportion of medical care seeking on onset day was only 27.83% (123/442). Only 69.68% (308/442) of cases were diagnosed with malaria in the first medical care seeking, and the diagnostic accuracy of medical institutions below the county level was lower than other medical institutions (all P<0.01). Only 51.13% (226/442) of cases were diagnosed with malaria in the first medical care seeking, the differences in the rates among medical institutions at different levels were not significant (P>0.05). Conclusions: The imported malaria in Shandong was characterized by a large number of cases, multiple infection sources and wide area distribution during 2017-2018. The awareness of timely medical care seeking in the cases was low, meanwhile the awareness and ability of malaria diagnosis and treatment in primary medical institutions were still inadequate. It is necessary to adjust the prevention and control measures accordingly.

[Advances in the research of Fournier gangrene].

Fournier gangrene is a relatively rare clinical critical disease, and its clinical symptoms are not specific and easily unrecognized by some clinicians. It has the features of acute onset, quick development, severe illness, and often accompanied by infection shock which is seriously life-threatening. It is difficult in treatment with high medical costs and long length of hospitalization, which increases pain for patients and relatives and brings heavy economic and psychological burden on patients, society, and medical workers. By reviewing the literature home and abroad and combined with clinical practice, I summarize the researches on concept, epidemiology, clinical manifestation, diagnosis and treatment of Fournier gangrene, in order to provide reference for vast number of clinical workers.

Polymorphic microsatellite loci isolated from the yellowbelly threadfin bream, Nemipterus bathybius.

Twenty-two polymorphic microsatellite loci were isolated and characterized from a (GT)13-enriched Nemipterus bathybius genomic library. The number of alleles per locus ranged from 4 to 13, with an average of 7.86. The observed and expected heterozygosity was 0.167-0.889 and 0.278-0.904, respectively, with averages of 0.590 and 0.690. Three loci deviated from Hardy-Weinberg proportions, and 2 loci showed evidence of null alleles. No significant linkage disequilibrium was detected in the pairwise comparisons among the 22 loci. These markers are expected to be useful for the population genetic analysis of N. bathybius.

The visual diagnosis of tuberculous pleuritis under medical thoracoscopy: a retrospective series of 91 cases.

BACKGROUND: Despite progress of medical, the fast and accurate diagnosis of tuberculous pleuritis (TP) continues to be a challenge, mainly because of the lack of specific clinical features and the difficulty in isolating the Mycobacterium tuberculosis. OBJECTIVES: To investigate the role of medical thoracoscopy in definite diagnosis of tuberculous pleuritis, especially the feature of visual diagnosis in tuberculous pleuritis via medical thoracoscopy. We performed a retrospective review of the utility of medical thoracoscopy in tuberculous pleuritis. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A retrospective chart review was performed of 91 patients who had medical thoracoscopy for suspected TP at the Second Xiangya Hospital from October 1, 2006 to July 30, 2012. RESULTS: In ninety one cases, 76 patients were diagnosed with TP by pathologic diagnosis. The visual findings via thoracoscopy of 76 TP patients included the following: (1) necrosis (76.32%, n=58), (2) diffuse miliary nodules (64.67%, n=49), (3) single or multiple pleural nodules (14.47%, n=11), (4) hyperemic, edematous and thickened pleura (56.58%, n=43), and (5) pleural adhesions or fibrotic septa (78.95%, n=60), and all of these samples had hydrothorax or loculated effusion. The diagnostic efficiency of visual diagnosis via medical thoracoscopy about tuberculous pleuritis was 93.41%. In the non-invasive test, ADA > 40 u/l with LDH > 200 u/l for TP showed relatively high sensitivity and specificity (73.68%, 80.00%, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: TP presents a variety of scopic phenotypes under medical thoracoscopy. The experienced pulmonologists visually diagnose TP efficiently and directly via medical thoracoscopy. Medical thoracoscopy with combined biopsy is an accurate and safe method for diagnosing TP.

Influence of whole corn feeding on the performance, digestive tract development, and nutrient retention of geese.

The objective of the current study was to investigate the influence of including whole corn (WC) in goose diets on the performance, digestive tract development, and nutrient retention. A total of 112 Yangzhou geese, 7 d old and with similar BW, were distributed into 8 pens of 14 birds/pen (7 male, 7 female). Each treatment was represented by 4 replicates. Geese were fed corn-soybean-based diets containing 640 g (8-28 d) and 615 g (29-70 d) of corn/kg of diet from 8 to 70 d of age, and 2 particle sizes of corn grains were used: ground corn (GC) and WC. During the period from 8 to 49 d, daily feed intake (P < 0.05) and daily weight gain (P = 0.054) of WC-fed birds tended to be lower than that of GC-fed birds. However, WC diet tended to improve (P = 0.07) G:F from 50 to 70 d of age. Higher relative weights of the gizzard (P < 0.05) at 28, 49, and 70 d, proventriculus at 49 d, and duodenum at 28 and 70 d of age were observed in birds fed the WC diet compared with those fed the GC diet. Intestinal wall thickness in the jejunum and crypt depth and intestinal wall thickness in the ileum were greater (P < 0.05) in WC-fed birds at 28 d of age. Villus height and intestinal wall thickness in the duodenum and villus height in the jejunum were greater in birds fed the WC diet compared with those fed the GC diet at 70 d of age, and birds fed the WC diet had a greater (P < 0.05) intestinal wall thickness, villus height, and crypt depth measurements in the ileum compared with those fed the GC diet. The retention ratio of CP and neutral detergent fiber were higher (P < 0.05) in birds fed the WC diet than in those fed the GC diet. Overall, no negative effect was observed in birds fed the WC diet compared with those maintained on the GC diet.

Recovering Ga(III) from coordination complexes using pyridine 2,6-dicarboxylic acid chelation ion chromatography.

Ion exchange chelation chromatography is an effective means to extract metals from coordination complexes and biological samples; however there is a lack of data to verify the nature of metal complexes that can be successfully analysed using such a procedure. The aim of this study was to assess the capability of pyridine 2,6-dicarboxylic acid (PDCA) to extract and quantify Ga(III) from a range of environments using standard liquid chromatography apparatus. The PDCA chelation method generated a single Ga(III) peak with a retention time of 2.55 +/- 0.02 min, a precision of <2% and a limit of detection of 110 microM. Ga(III) hydroxide complexes (highest stability constant 15.66) were used to successfully cross-validate the chelation method with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. The PDCA assay extracted 96.9 +/- 1.2% of the spiked Ga(III) from porcine mucus and 100.7 +/- 2.7% from a citrate complex (stability constant 10.02), but only ca 50% from an EDTA complex (stability constant 22.01). These data suggest that PDCA chelation can be considered a suitable alternative to inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry for Ga(III) quantification from all but the most strongly bound coordinated complexes i.e. a stability constant of <15.

High-affinity capture of proteins by diamond nanoparticles for mass spectrometric analysis.

Carboxylated/oxidized diamond nanoparticles (nominal size 100 nm) exhibit exceptionally high affinity for proteins through both hydrophilic and hydrophobic forces. The affinity is so high that proteins in dilute solution can be easily captured by diamonds, simply separated by centrifugation, and directly analyzed by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) time-of-flight (TOF) mass spectrometry (MS). No preseparation of the adsorbed molecules from diamonds is required for the mass spectrometric analysis. Compared to conventional MALDI-TOF-MS, an enhancement in detection sensitivity by more than 2 orders of magnitude is achieved for dilute solution containing cytochrome c, myoglobin, and albumin because of preconcentration of the probed molecules. The lowest concentration detectable is 100 pM for a 1-mL solution. Aside from the enhanced sensitivity, the overall performance of this technique does not show any sign of deterioration for highly contaminated protein solutions, and furthermore, no significant peak broadening and band shift were observed in the mass spectra. The promise of this new method for clinical proteomics research is demonstrated with an application to human blood serum.