Prevalence and factors associated with HIV testing uptake among sexual active college students in Zhuhai City / 中国学校卫生

Objective@#To understand the prevalence of HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) testing and associated factors among sexual active college students in Zhuhai City.@*Methods@#From November to December, 2019, an anonymous electronic questionnaire was administered among 12 235 students in six colleges and universities in Zhuhai City by multistage sampling. A total of 1 789 college students ever had sex were selected. Pearsons Chisquare test and nonconditional Logistic regression model were applied to analyze the factors associated with uptake of HIV testing.@*Results@#Among these students ever had sex, 7.55% (135/1 789) had been tested for HIV mainly through hospitals (71.85%). The main reasons for testing were regular testing (50.37%) and intending to know their infection status (23.70%). Multivariable Logistic regression showed that homosexual individuals (OR=4.62, 95%CI=1.07-19.95) and those who had heterosexual commercial sex in the past year (OR=3.77, 95%CI=1.96-7.26) were more likely to test for HIV, while female (OR=0.41, 95%CI=0.24-0.69) were less likely to test for HIV.@*Conclusion@#The proportion of HIV testing was low among sexual active college students in Zhuhai City. Interventions should be tailored including strengthening the HIV testing propaganda education and enhancing students awareness of HIV testing, and the influencing factors such as gender, sexual orientation and commercial sexual behavior should be taken into consideration, so as to improve the HIV testing coverage of this population.

[Comparative study on substituting hedyseri radix for astragali radix in serum containing yiqiyangxue prescription on aged mice spleen lymphocyte proliferation and anti-oxidant effect].

OBJECTIVE: By substituting Hedyseri Radix for Astragali Radix in Yiqiyangxue prescription, to compare the effects of both serum containing medicine on aged mice spleen lymphocyte proliferation and anti-oxidant effect. METHOD: After using the same dose of Hedyseri Radix to replace Astragali Radix in Yiqiyangxue prescription, the best concentration of serum containing medicine,the best incubation time and the effects of ConA-induced spleen lymphocyte proliferation were determined by MTY method. Use reagent kits to detect the activity of SOD, MDA and ROS levels in aged mice spleen lymphocytes and IL-2 level in culture supernatant fluid of spleen lymphocytes. RESULTS: Both serum containing medicine can enhance the proliferation of aged mice spleen lymphocytes. The best concentration of serum containing medicine was 40% and the incubation time was 72 h. The serum containing Yiqiyangxue of Hedyseri Radix prescription acted more effective than that of Astragali Radix on the enhancement of proliferation. Both serum containing medicine showed similar effects on increasing SOD activity, IL-2 level and decreasing MDA and ROS level. Moreover,serum of Hedyseri Radix was superior in the enhancement of proliferation, IL-2 and the reduction of ROS level. CONCLUSION: Both serum containing medicine of Hedyseri Radix and Astragali Radix generate the same effect of anti-aging and enhancement of proliferation.

[The family investigation of a weak D type 15 donor].

OBJECTIVE: To study the genetic feature of weak D type 15 allele (RHD845A) in a Chinese family. METHODS: Rh D, C, c, E and e phenotypes of 4 members in a weak D type 15 family were tested by serological and polymerase chain reaction (PCR), D antigen was proven by indirect antiglobulin test. A pair of primers specific for RHD845A were designed, and a sequence specific primer-PCR (PCR-SSP) method was established to detect RHD845A allele in all family members. Subsequently the dual-tube PCR method was used to determine the RHD zygosity of 4 members. RESULTS: The RHD845A allele existed in all 4 family members and the RHD zygosity test showed that all members were RHD +/RHD + homozygous. The parents and nephew possessed one normal RHD gene as RHD845A allele carriers, which caused RhD positive. The proband and his old-sister took two RHD845A alleles, which caused weak D phenotype. CONCLUSION: The proband is the weak D type 15 allele homozygous. The weak D type 15 gene is an ancestral allele, but not a mutation.

[Research of RhD protein in Rh blood group Del phenotype].

OBJECTIVE: To study the expression of RhD protein in Rh blood group Del phenotype. METHODS: Peripheral blood samples were collected from 3 voluntary blood donors with different Rh phenotypes: CCD(el)D(el)ee, CcD(el)dee, and CcD(el)D(el)ee, and 4 controls: 2 RhD positive with the phenotypes of CCDDee and CcDDEe, and 2 RhD negative with the phenotypes: Ccddee and ccddee. Reverse transcriptase PCR (RT-PCR) and cDNA sequencing were used to detect the RhD mRNA and the expression of Del protein. RESULTS: The Del individuals all showed complicated RhD mRNA isolations, including 6 transcripts: isoforms with exons 7-9 spliced, exons 7 and 9 spliced, exons 8 and 9 spliced, exon 9 spliced and 2 long transcripts with exons 8 and 9 spliced or exon 9 spliced, but containing an additional segment of sequence from RHD intron 7 (917-1086, GenBank AB035194), those transcripts all being out of exon 9 and the Del9 transcript being the most similar to the normal RhD mRNA. CONCLUSION: Normal RhD mRNA does not exist in the Del blood group that does not code normal RhD protein.

Multiple isoforms excluding normal RhD mRNA detected in Rh blood group Del phenotype with RHD 1227A allele.

The RhD mRNA was analyzed in both Rh-positive and D(el) phenotypes with RHD 1227A allele through sequencing. As a result, five and six transcripts were detected in Rh-positive and D(el), respectively. Four of them have identical sequences between Rh-positive and D(el). Those are the transcripts with exon 9, exons 8 and 9, exons 7 and 9, and exons 7-9 spliced out compared normal RhD mRNA that was detected in Rh-positive but not in D(el) individuals. Unexpectedly, two additional transcripts were found in D(el) individuals. Its exon 9 or exons 8-9 were spliced out, but interestingly both possess a 170 bp segment of sequence from intron 7 of RHD. We may conclude that a normal RhD protein does not exist in a D(el) individual with RHD 1227A allele since the exon 9 was always spliced out due to the silent mutation at the end of exon 9. The transcripts without exon 9 was also detected in the normal Rh-positive individual and further confirmed by a specific reverse-transcription PCR (RT-PCR) system.

[Generation of RHD-CE(2-9)-D allele by gene conversion in cis].

Previously a few Rh-negative individuals in Caucasian and Chinese were found existing exons 1 and 10 of RHD through genomic DNA testing. The molecular mechanisms, however, remain disputed. In this study, 2 individuals carrying RHD positive, D antigen negative allele (with exon 1 and 10 of RHD) and their mRNA were investigated by using reverse transcriptase PCR (RT-PCR) and sequencing through one pair of specific primers for 5'- and 3'-non-coding region of RHD, taking a Rh-positive (Ccee) sample as control. As a result, the control sample had a normal RHD mRNA, whereas other transcripts were detected in both RHD-positive, D antigen negative individuals, which have same length and exons as the normal RHD or RHCE mRNA. Those transcripts had the same sequences with RHD in exon 1 and exon 10, while the sequences in exons 2-9 were in concordance with RHCE(e) mRNA. It indicated that a hybrid RHD allele, RHD-CE(2-9)-D, was existed in the 2 individuals, in which the exons 2-9 of RHD were substituted by homologous RHCE(e). Thus, this allele could not code normal RhD protein and therefore resulted in Rh-negative phenotype.

[Whole exon 5 and intron 5 replaced by RHD/CE in partial D phenotype DVa (Hus)].

The study was purposed to analyze DNA and allele structure of the partial D phenotypes D(Va) and D(VI) of the Rhesus blood group in Chinese. Through polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and direct genomic DNA sequencing, the RHD gene was detected in three weak D individuals identified serologically. The results showed that among the three weak D individuals, one was identified as partial D phenotype D(Va) (Hus) type and genotyped DccEe; another two were testified as D(VI) III type and genotyped DCcee. Moreover, the breakpoints of the replaced region by RHCE in D(Va) (Hus) were 5' end of the exon 5 and 3' end of the intron 5, and there were 7 novel polymorphisms in intron 5: 23-25(GCA)2, 98G>A, 168-169insG, 205-206insT, 494-495insA, 1256-1257insC, 1347G>T. In conclusion the whole exon 5 and intron 5 are replaced by RHCE in D(Va) (Hus) detected in Chinese.

Recruitment of voluntary non-remunerated apheresis donors: the second five years' experience in Shenzhen.

The voluntary non-remunerated blood donation campaign in Shenzhen, China, was launched in 1993 and the smooth change from paid donors to unpaid took only a decade. In the first half the volunteer donation system and a sufficient blood supply was promoted and this paved the way for further development in the second half during which the non-remunerated donation system became substantial and integral due to recruitment for plateletapheresis and peripheral stem cells donation as well as whole blood donations. Ninety percent of the donors registered for plateletapheresis do donate and none of the twenty-three non-related donors with matched HLA genotypes broke their promise to donate their peripheral stem cells.

[The family investigation of an RHD 270A allele carrier].

OBJECTIVE: Previously the weak D and D category allele were investigated in Caucasian and Japanese families. The current study is aimed at an RHD positive, D antigen negative allele in a Chinese family. METHODS: A pair of primers specific for RHD 270A allele were designed, and a sequence specific primer-PCR (SSP-PCR) method was then established to detect RHD 270A allele in 6 members of a family. Furthermore, RFLP method was used to determine the RHD zygosity in all family members. RESULTS: The RHD 270A allele was detected in the proband, her father and uncle but not grandmother. Therefore this allele may be from grandfather and is inherited through 3 generations. The RHD zygosity test showed that the father and uncle possess one normal RHD gene as RHD 270A carriers, the mother is RHD(+)/RHD(-)heterozygote and the individual is RHD 270A/RHD(-)which causes an RHD positive, D antigen negative trait. CONCLUSION: The RHD 270A allele is an ancestral allele, but not a spontaneous.