Molecular characterization and phylogenetic analysis of fowl adenovirus serotype-4 from Guangdong Province, China.

AIM: Our aim in this study was to isolate potentially novel strains of fowl adenovirus serotype-4 (FAdV-4) that is currently circulating in broiler chicken flocks in Guangdong Province, China, and to compare nucleotide and amino acid (AA) sequences of their respective hexon genes. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The experiment was carried out on poultry farms experiencing outbreaks of FAdV-4-associated hydropericardium syndrome (HPS). Tissue samples from the hearts and livers of deceased chickens were screened for FAdV-4 infection using hexon gene-specific polymerase chain reaction (PCR). RESULTS: New virus isolates were used to infect 7-day-old chicks, which went onto reproduce typical HPS signs. The hypervariable region of the FAdV-4 hexon gene was PCR-amplified and sequenced. The hexon nucleotide and deduced AA sequence identities were 99.8-99.9% and 99.5-99.8%, respectively, among the four novel isolates. In addition, the new isolates were 97-100% and 96.4-99.9% identical to the nucleotide and deduced AA sequences, respectively, of FAdV-4 hexon genes available in the National Center for Biotechnology Information GenBank database. Phylogenetic analyses, based on the hexon gene sequence, revealed that the new isolates, clustered with FAdV-C; the FAdV-A, FAdV-B, FAdV-D, and FAdV-E viruses, were more distantly related. CONCLUSION: New FAdV-4 isolates from Guangdong Province are similar to those identified in other regions of the world. This information provides critical insight into HPS epidemiology and provides a perspective for monitoring outbreaks and developing strategies for disease prevention.

Application of e-health among patients visiting community healthcare centers in Shanghai / 中华全科医师杂志

Objective@#To exmine the status and perspectives of e-health among patients in Shanghai community health center.@*Methods@#In November 2014, a semi-open and in-depth qualitative interview was conducted among 40 patients from two community health service centers in Shanghai. According to the results of the interview, a self-made questionnaire was designed and a cross-sectional survey was carried out from March 2015 to May 2015. Eight districts or counties of Shanghai were randomly selected, and one community health service center was randomly selected from each district or county. Total 480 patients who visited the selected center participated in the survey. The main contents of the interviews and questionnaires included: the current status of communication using information and communication technologies (ICT) in patient daily life; the status of the communication with medical personnel by using ICT; the attitudes and perspectives of patients in applying ICT for medical service; and views on e-health development.@*Results@#Among the participants, 25.0%(10/40) of the interviewees and 16.7%(62/371)of the quesitionnaire surveyees had experience of using e-health. Among the questionaired patients, telephone-call was the most common method for communication with doctors (90.3%, 335/371), followed by short message (16.1%, 60/371) and wechat (12.9%, 48/371). Illness consulting is the most common perpurse for communication(64.5%, 40/62), followed by medicine advice(40.3%, 25/62) and sudden physical help(24.2%, 15/62). Among the participants, 56.3%(209/371)of whom thought that e-health should be promoted in the community, 69.4% (145/209) of whom thought that it could save time and effort; among the patients not using or considering unnecessary to use e-health, 87.6% (142/162) of whom thought they lived closer to the hospital and easy to access.@*Conclusion@#At present, less patients have the experience of using e-health, but more than half of them believe that it is necessary to use e-health and it should be promoted in the community healthcare.

Risk factors for imipenem-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection in neonatal intensive care unit / 中华围产医学杂志

Objective To determine the risk factors for imipenem-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa (IRPA) infections in neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).Methods One hundred and eighty-eight Pseudomonas aeruginosa infected children (confirmed by pathogenic examination) in the NICU of Maternal and Child Health Hospital of Guangdong from January 1,2008 to December 31,2011,were chosen as the objects of study,and were divided into two groups.The first group included 73 children that had been isolated with IRPA strains(IRPA group),and the second group included 115 children that only had imipenem-sensitive Pseudo monas aeruginosa (ISPA) strains (ISPA group).Chi-square test or t-test was applied.The risk factors were investigated by univariate or multivariate Logistic regression analysis.Results Data from univariate analysis showed that the gestational age and birth weight of neonates were lower than those in ISPA group [(34.0±3.5) weeks vs (35.6±2.8)weeks,t=3.413,P＜0.01; (1848.1±276.4) g vs (2110.7±345.6) g,t=5.472,P＜0.01].There were more neonates with gestational age ≤ 32 weeks [67.1％ (49/73) vs 45.2 ％ (52/115)],birth weight ＜1500 g [73.9％ (54/73) vs 33.0％(38/115)],small for gestational age [68.5％ (50/73) vs 29.6％ (34/115)],receiving imipenem [72.6％ (53/73) vs 27.0％ (31/115)] or the third generation cephalosporins [65.8％ (48/73) vs 33.0％ (38/115)] two weeks before the isolation of Pseudomonas aeruginosa,and mechanical ventilation [78.1％ (57/73) vs 61.7 ％ (71/115)],deep vein catheterization [83.6％(61/73) vs 65.2％(75/115)] in the IRPA group than in the ISPA group (all P＜0.05 or 0.01).The multivariate Logistic regression analysis revealed that imipenem treatment within two weeks before the isolation of Pseudomonas aeruginosa (OR=6.409; 95％ CI:1.926-21.333,P =0.002) was an independent risk factor.Conclusions IRPA infection in NICU hospitalized infants is strongly related to their gestational age and birth weight.History of imipenem administration could be an independent risk factor.

In vitro effects of human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells on airway secretions of ventilator associated pneumonia in newborns / 中华围产医学杂志

Objective To explore the effect and its possible mechanism of human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells (hUCMSCs) on bacterial growth in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) of newborns with ventilator associated pneumonia (VAP).Methods Newborns admitted to neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) in Guangdong Women and Children Hospital Affiliated to Guangzhou Medical University from June 1,2012 to December 31,2012 were reviewed.The inclusion criteria were:(1)Positive BALF culture results.(2) Requirement of mechanical ventilation with tracheal intubation.(3) Diagnosed as ventilator-associated pneumonia.Two pieces of BALF samples of newborn were collected and randornaly divided into experimental and control group.hUCMSCs were added into the experimental group,while the same volume of conditioned medium was added into the control group.Both groups were incubated for six hours in humidified CO2 incubator at 37 ℃,then,bacterial growth was assessed by colony forming unit (CFU) counts.Levels of the antimicrobial peptides (Cathelicidin/LL-37 and human HBD-2) were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and Western blot.Paired t-test was used for statistical analysis.Results Among the culture results of 31 newborns,there were Klebsiella pneumoniae (6 cases,19.3％),Stenotrophomonas narrow food aeromonas (6 cases,19.3％),Hemolytic staphylococci (5 cases,16.1％),Escherichia coli (3 cases,9.7％),Bacterial meningitis septicemia Elizabeth Platinum (3 cases,9.7％),Acinetobacter baumannii (3 cases,9.7％),Pseudomonas putida (2 cases,6.4％),Pseudomonas aeruginosa (1 case,3.2％),Staphylococcus aureus (1 case,3.2％) and Enterobacter cloacae (1 ease,3.2％).The CFU counts in experimental group were much less than those in control group [(2.60±0.67) ×104] CFU/ml vs [(1.18±0.32) ×105] CFU/ml,(t=-20.19,P＜0.01).Levels of Cathelicidin/LL-37 and HBD-2 in experimental group were higher than those in control group [Cathelicidin/LL-37:(8.98 ± 3.22) ng/ml vs (3.18 ± 1.57) ng/ml,t =17.79,P ＜ 0.01 ;HBD-2:(379.87±11.74) pg/ml vs (39.89±2.86) pg/ml,t=37.62,P＜0.01].Conclusions hUCMSCs had antimicrobial effect on bacterial growth in BALFs from ventilator associated pneumonia possibly by the secretion of antimicrobial peptides (Cathelicidin/LL-37 and HBD-2).

Clinical distribution analysis of pathogenic bacterium in women and children' s hospital and health institute / 中国基层医药

Objective To investigate the clinical distribution and change of pathogenic bacterium in women and children' s hospital and health institute. Methods Pathogens isolation, and identification were conducted for samples, which were gathered from patients in our hospital between Nov. 2001 and Oct. 2007. Results The total posi-tive rate was 12.7%. Conclusion Clinical distribution of pathogenic bacterium in women and children' s hospital and health institute was different from other hospitals. It is important for reasonable antibacterials application, also for nosocomial infection prevention and reduction.