Associations Between Air Temperature and Daily Varicella Cases - Jinan City, Shandong Province, China, 2019-2021.

What is already known about this topic?: The impact of air temperature on varicella has been studied, but there is limited research exploring its effect on varicella by gender and age group. What is added by this report?: We conducted a time series analysis to examine the differential effects of air temperature on varicella infection across different demographic groups. Our findings indicate that lower temperatures have a more pronounced influence on varicella incidence among males and children compared to females and adults. What are the implications for public health practice?: These findings can assist in identifying populations that are vulnerable to temperature-related varicella and in guiding the implementation of effective measures for varicella control.

Joint effect of BMI and metabolic status on mortality among adults: a population-based longitudinal study in United States.

We explored the joint effects of different metabolic obesity phenotypes on all-cause and disease-specific mortality risk among the American population. Data were obtained from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 1999-2018. Mortality outcome data were from mortality files linked to National Death Index record and follow-up information was up to December 31, 2019. 50,013 participants were finally included. Four metabolic obesity phenotypes were defined based on obesity and metabolic status: metabolically healthy obese (MHO), metabolically unhealthy obese (MUO), metabolically healthy non-obese (MHNO), and metabolically unhealthy non-obese (MUNO). Population-weighted Cox proportional hazards models were used to explore the all-cause and disease-specific mortality risk of metabolic obesity phenotypes. The all-cause mortality risk of MUO and MUNO was significantly higher than MHNO. MUNO was associated with a significantly increased risk of death from heart disease (HR: 1.40, 95% CI 1.16-1.70), hypertension (HR: 1.68, 95% CI 1.34-2.12), diabetes (HR: 2.29, 95% CI 1.67-3.15), and malignant neoplasms (HR:1.29, 95% CI 1.09-1.53). Metabolic unhealth significantly increased the risk of all-cause mortality, regardless of obesity status. Among individuals with metabolic unhealthy status, obesity significantly reduced the risk of all-cause mortality (HR: 0.91, 95% CI 0.85-0.98). Our study highlights the importance of identifying and characterizing metabolic obesity phenotypes in obese and metabolically abnormal patients, as well as healthy adults. Comprehensive evaluation of obesity and metabolic status is necessary to adopt appropriate interventions and treatment measures and maximize patient benefit.

Establishment and Application of a Radiation Dose Rate Model for Nuclear Medicine Examinees.

Introduction: Traditional methods for determining radiation dose in nuclear medicine include the Monte Carlo method, the discrete ordinate method, and the point kernel integration method. This study presents a new mathematical model for predicting the radiation dose rate in the vicinity of nuclear medicine patients. Methods: A new algorithm was created by combining the physical model of "cylinder superposition" of the human body with integral analysis to assess the radiation dose rate in the vicinity of nuclear medicine patients. Results: The model accurately predicted radiation dose rates within distances of 0.1-3.0 m, with a deviation of less than 11% compared to observed rates. The model demonstrated greater accuracy at shorter distances from the radiation source, with a deviation of only 1.55% from observed values at 0.1 m. Discussion: The model proposed in this study effectively represents the spatial and temporal distribution of the radiation field around nuclear medicine patients and demonstrates good agreement with actual measurements. This model has the potential to serve as a radiation dose rate alert system in hospital environments.

Epidemiological Characteristics of Varicella Outbreaks - China, 2006-2022.

Introduction: Varicella outbreaks significantly disrupt schools and other child-centered institutions. This study aimed to identify patterns and epidemiological features of varicella outbreaks in China from 2006 to 2022. Methods: Data were extracted from outbreak reports submitted to the Public Health Emergency Reporting Management Information System within the specified timeframe. Analytical methods included Spearman correlation tests and the Mann-Kendall trend tests, conducted using R software to analyze and summarize reported data. Additionally, statistical analyses of trends and epidemiological characteristics were performed using SPSS software. Results: Between 2006 and 2022, a total of 11,990 varicella outbreaks were reported in China, resulting in 354,082 cases. The attack rates showed a decreasing trend over the years (Z=-4.49, P<0.05). These outbreaks occurred in two peaks annually. The eastern region accounted for the highest number of outbreaks (31.53%), followed by the southwestern (24.22%) and southern (17.93%) regions. Varicella outbreaks were most common in elementary schools. Most of the outbreaks (60.43%) were classified as Grade IV (general) severity, with 86.41% of the outbreaks having 10-49 cases. The median and inter-quartile ranges (IQR) of the duration of outbreaks, response time, and case counts were 21 (10, 39) days, 4 (0, 12) days, and 23 (16, 35) cases, respectively. These variables showed a positive correlation (P<0.001). Conclusions: Varicella outbreaks exhibited fluctuating trends, initially decreasing until 2012, followed by an increase, reaching the highest peak in 2018-2019. Continual monitoring of varicella epidemiology is necessary to assess the burden of the disease and formulate evidence-based strategies and policies for its prevention and control.

Surface chemistry considerations of gangue dissolved species in the bastnaesite flotation system.

Inefficient flotation of bastnaesite remains a challenge in the production of rare earth elements. This study aimed to investigate the dissolution and adsorption behaviour of species that are commonly released into bastnaesite flotation pulp from Ca/Ba-bearing gangue minerals. The influence and corresponding mechanisms on the bastnaesite mineral surface and collectors, namely sodium oleate (NaOL), were evaluated experimentally based on micro-flotation, zeta potentials, in situ attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR), and X-Ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analyses. The flotation recovery of bastnaesite significantly decreased from ∼95% to ∼25%, ∼15%, ∼80%, ∼25% when exposed to calcite, fluorite, barite, and mixed dissolved species, respectively. The zeta potential of bastnaesite was pH sensitive, indicating that H+ and OH- determine the surface potential of bastnaesite. Solution chemistry analyses revealed that the presence of the dissolved species differed at various pH values. In situ ATR-FTIR demonstrated the different effects of the dissolved species from calcite, fluorite, and barite on collector adsorption. The former two dissolved species mainly depressed the chemisorption of the NaOL monomers (RCOO‒), whereas calcite also affected the physical adsorption of the oleic acid molecular dimer (RCOOH·RCOO‒). Moreover, the barite dissolved species only affected the physical adsorption of the NaOL species. The results of XPS analysis revealed that dissolved species from these three gangues could pre-adsorbed onto bastnaesite and affected the interaction with the collector. Density functional theory calculations were employed to provide further theoretical insights into the interactions between the dissolved species from calcite, fluorite, and barite and NaOL.