Mapping the risk distribution of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato in China from 1986 to 2020: a geospatial modelling analysis.

Lyme borreliosis, recognized as one of the most important tick-borne diseases worldwide, has been increasing in incidence and spatial extent. Currently, there are few geographic studies about the distribution of Lyme borreliosis risk across China. Here we established a nationwide database that involved Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato (B. burgdorferi) detected in humans, vectors, and animals in China. The eco-environmental factors that shaped the spatial pattern of B. burgdorferi were identified by using a two-stage boosted regression tree model and the model-predicted risks were mapped. During 1986-2020, a total of 2,584 human confirmed cases were reported in 25 provinces. Borrelia burgdorferi was detected from 35 tick species with the highest positive rates in Ixodes granulatus, Hyalomma asiaticum, Ixodes persulcatus, and Haemaphysalis concinna ranging 20.1%-24.0%. Thirteen factors including woodland, NDVI, rainfed cropland, and livestock density were determined as important drivers for the probability of B. burgdorferi occurrence based on the stage 1 model. The stage 2 model identified ten factors including temperature seasonality, NDVI, and grasslands that were the main determinants used to distinguish areas at high or low-medium risk of B. burgdorferi, interpreted as potential occurrence areas within the area projected by the stage 1 model. The projected high-risk areas were not only concentrated in high latitude areas, but also were distributed in middle and low latitude areas. These high-resolution evidence-based risk maps of B. burgdorferi was first created in China and can help as a guide to future surveillance and control and help inform disease burden and infection risk estimates.

Application of machine learning methods for the prediction of organic solid waste treatment and recycling processes: A review.

Conventional treatment and recycling methods of organic solid waste contain inherent flaws, such as low efficiency, low accuracy, high cost, and potential environmental risks. In the past decade, machine learning has gradually attracted increasing attention in solving the complex problems of organic solid waste treatment. Although significant research has been carried out, there is a lack of a systematic review of the research findings in this field. This study sorts the research studies published between 2003 and 2020, summarizes the specific application fields, characteristics, and suitability of different machine learning models, and discusses the relevant application limitations and future prospects. It can be concluded that studies mostly focused on municipal solid waste management, followed by anaerobic digestion, thermal treatment, composting, and landfill. The most widely used model is the artificial neural network, which has been successfully applied to various complicated non-linear organic solid waste related problems.

Enhanced water solubility, antioxidant activity, and oral absorption of hesperetin by D-α-tocopheryl polyethylene glycol 1000 succinate and phosphatidylcholine.

Hesperetin, an abundant bioactive component of citrus fruits, is poorly water-soluble, resulting in low oral bioavailability. We developed new formulations to improve the water solubility, antioxidant activity, and oral absorption of hesperetin. Two nano-based formulations were developed, namely hesperetin-TPGS (D-α-tocopheryl polyethylene glycol 1000 succinate) micelles and hesperetin-phosphatidylcholine (PC) complexes. These two formulations were prepared by a simple technique called solvent dispersion, using US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved excipients for drugs. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and dynamic light scattering (DLS) were used to characterize the formulations' physical properties. Cytotoxicity analysis, cellular antioxidant activity assay, and a pharmacokinetic study were performed to evaluate the biological properties of these two formulations. The final weight ratios of both hesperetin to TPGS and hesperetin to PC were 1:12 based on their water solubility, which increased to 21.5- and 20.7-fold, respectively. The hesperetin-TPGS micelles had a small particle size of 26.19 nm, whereas the hesperetin-PC complexes exhibited a larger particle size of 219.15 nm. In addition, the cellular antioxidant activity assay indicated that both hesperetin-TPGS micelles and hesperetin-PC complexes increased the antioxidant activity of hesperetin to 4.2- and 3.9-fold, respectively. Importantly, the in vivo oral absorption study on rats indicated that the micelles and complexes significantly increased the peak plasma concentration (Cmax) from 2.64 µg/mL to 20.67 and 33.09 µg/mL and also increased the area under the concentration-time curve of hesperetin after oral administration to 16.2- and 18.0-fold, respectively. The micelles and complexes increased the solubility and remarkably improved the in vitro antioxidant activity and in vivo oral absorption of hesperetin, indicating these formulations' potential applications in drugs and healthcare products.

Travel-related infections in mainland China, 2014-16: an active surveillance study.

BACKGROUND: Transmission of infection through international travel is a growing health issue, and the frequency of imported infection is increasing in China. We aimed to quantify the total number of infections imported into mainland China by arriving travellers. METHODS: We actively surveyed arriving travellers at all 272 international entry-exit ports in mainland China. Suspected cases were detected through fever screening, medical inspection, self-declaration, and reporting by on-board staff. Participants completed a standardised questionnaire with questions about demographics, their travel itinerary (including detailed information about all countries or regions visited), and clinical manifestations. Nasopharyngeal swabs, sputum samples, faecal samples, vomitus, blood, and serum were collected as appropriate for diagnoses. Diagnosis was made by specific laboratory tests according to the national technical guidelines. Infections were classified as respiratory, gastrointestinal, vector-borne, blood-transmitted and sex-transmitted, or mucocutaneous. We divided arriving travellers into two groups: travellers coming from countries other than China, and travellers coming from Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan. We integrated surveillance data for 2014-16, calculated incidences of travel-related infections, and compared the frequency of infections among subgroups. FINDINGS: Between Jan 1, 2014, and Dec 31, 2016, 22 797 cases were identified among 805 993 392 arriving travellers-an overall incidence of 28·3 per million. 45 pathogens were detected in participants: 18 respiratory (19 662 cases), ten gastrointestinal (189 cases), seven vector-borne (831 cases), seven blood-transmitted and sex-transmitted (1531 cases), and three mucocutaneous (584 cases). Both the overall number and incidence of infection were more than five times higher in 2016 than in 2014. Case numbers and incidences also varied substantially by province, autonomous region, and municipality. Overall, 17 643 (77%) infections were detected by fever screening, but 753 (49%) blood-transmitted and sex-transmitted infections were identified through medical inspection. 14 305 (73%) cases of respiratory infection and 96 (51%) of gastrointestinal infections were in tourists. Tuberculosis, hepatitis A virus, vector-borne, and blood-transmitted and sex-transmitted infections were common among Chinese labourers who worked abroad. Dengue and malaria were most commonly diagnosed in travellers arriving from Africa. 12 126 (93%) of the 12 985 cases arriving from Hong Kong, Macau, or Taiwan were respiratory infections. Hand, foot, and mouth disease accounted for 2·90% of infections in travellers from Hong Kong, Macau, or Taiwan and 0·31% of infections in international travellers. INTERPRETATION: This report is the first to characterise the profile of travel-related infections among arriving travellers in mainland China. Our findings should increase public awareness of the potential risk of imported infections, and help health-care providers to make evidence-based health recommendations to travellers. FUNDING: The Natural Science Foundation of China.

[Full face dermabrasion for acne scars].

OBJECTIVE: Dermabrasion has been of great value in plastic surgery. Dermabrasion was developed for a specific indication; however, within a very short time, the concept of dermabrasion found wide applicability. This study was to investigate the application of dermabrasion in the treatment of acne scars. METHODS: From Feb. 1996 to May 2004, a total of 110 patients with acne scar were treated with dermabrasion. RESULTS: Postoperatively, the curative results were achieved in 45 cases; good results in 40 cases and effective results in 25 cases. The study revealed that the patients at 18-46 years of age have good results. CONCLUSIONS: Dermabrasion is a good and safe technique to treat the scar of acne.

Scaling of directed dynamical small-world networks with random responses.

A dynamical model of small-world networks, with directed links which describe various correlations in social and natural phenomena, is presented. Random responses of sites to the input message are introduced to simulate real systems. The interplay of these ingredients results in the collective dynamical evolution of a spinlike variable S(t) of the whole network. The global average spreading length (s) and average spreading time (s) are found to scale as p(-alpha)ln(N with different exponents. Meanwhile, S(t) behaves in a duple scaling form for N>>N(*): S approximately f(p(-beta)q(gamma)t), where p and q are rewiring and external parameters, alpha, beta, and gamma are scaling exponents, and f(t) is a universal function. Possible applications of the model are discussed.