Abstract: Schistosomiasis, an important zoonotic parasitic disease, is one of the six major tropical diseases identified by WHO, and also one of the most important parasitic diseases for prevention and control in China. After more than 70 years of efforts, the prevention and control of schistosomiasis in China has made great achievements, and the current epidemic of schistosomiasis in China has entered an extremely low epidemic state, but the distribution base of the only intermediate host of schistosomiasis, Oncomelania hupensis, is still large. For now, the techniques used to monitor schistosomiasis have shortcomings such as time-consuming, laborious and low sensitivity, which cannot meet the current needs of China. Environmental DNA (eDNA) refers to DNA that can be extracted from environmental samples (such as soil, water or air) without isolating any target organisms, which is a complex mixture of genomic DNA and its degradation products from different organisms in the same environment. eDNA technology can reflect the community or species composition information in the ecosystem through DNA extraction and detection of environmental samples. Compared with traditional biological monitoring methods, eDNA technology has the advantages of high efficiency, high sensitivity and environmental friendliness. eDNA has been successfully used for the specific detection of Schistosoma mansoni, Schistosoma haematobium and Schistosoma japonicum. This paper reviews the current detection methods of eDNA, the application and technical limitations of eDNA technology in schistosomiasis monitoring, aiming to provide scientific reference for research in the field of schistosomiasis surveillance.

Forensic Medicine ; Humans ; Kidney Transplantation ; Polycystic Kidney Diseases

The longitudinal study sought to examine the dynamic development of cognitive skills for reading among elementary-level students in Mainland China.Two groups of students in first (n=164,mean age=6.65 years at first test) and second grade (n=202,mean age=7.73 years at first test) were followed on orthographic awareness,morphological awareness and rapid automatized naming (RAN) for two years.The children exhibited significant improvement in orthographic awareness,morphological awareness and RAN from grades 1 to 4.More importantly,to the orthographic and morphological awareness,while the children took a leap from grade 1 to 2 and grade 3 to 4,the progress developed at relatively slow rates from grade 2 to 3.In order to assure children's development of orthographic and morphological awareness,evidence-based orthographically and morphologically enhanced instruction is needed for Chinese children in the early elementary years,especially for those at the stage from grade 2 to 3.

OBJECTIVETo verify the regulation of acyl-coenzyme A:cholesterol acyltransferase 2 (ACAT 2), which is associated with cholesterol metabolism, by saturated fatty acids (SFAs).

METHODSPalmitic acid (PA), the most abundant saturated fatty acid in plasma, and oleic acid (OA), a widely distributed unsaturated fatty acid, were used to treat hepatic cells HepG2, HuH7, and mouse primary hepatocytes. In addition, PA at different concentrations and PA treatment at different durations were applied in HepG2 cells. In in vivo experiment, three-month male C57/BL6 mice were fed with control diet and SFA diet containing hydrogenated coconut oil rich of SFAs. The mRNA level of ACAT2 in those hepatic cells and the mouse livers was detected with real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR).

RESULTSIn the three types of hepatic cells treated with PA, that SFA induced significant increase of ACAT2 expression (Pü0.01), whereas treatment with OA showed no significant effect. That effect of PA was noticed gradually rising along with the increase of PA concentration and the extension of PA treatment duration (both Pü0.05). SFA diet feeding in mice resulted in a short-term and transient increase of ACAT2 expression in vivo, with a peak level appearing in the mice fed with SFA diet for two days (Pü0.05).

CONCLUSIONSFA may regulate ACAT2 expression in human and mouse hepatic cells and in mouse livers.

Animals ; Base Sequence ; Cell Line, Tumor ; DNA Primers ; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug ; Fatty Acids ; pharmacology ; Humans ; Liver ; enzymology ; Male ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Sterol O-Acyltransferase ; metabolism

OBJECTIVETo establish and evaluate a molecular diagnostic method for routine monitoring of four types of diarrheagenic Escherichia (E.) coli (DEC)and to study the distribution of four types of DEC isolated from diarrheal patients in Shanghai.

METHODSDEC-PCR standard operation procedure(SOP)had been developed for DEC detection and isolation, using the Statens Serum Institute (SSI) DEC PCR kits with multiplex PCR technique after verification tests on reference strains. Diarrhea specimens from 3 clinical hospitals in Shanghai were tested from June to September, 2012.

RESULTSSpecificity of the PCR kit was 100% by verification on the 26 DEC reference strains. A total number of 218 DEC isolates, including 181 fermented lactose and 37 unfermented lactose were identified from the 1887 stool specimens of diarrhea patients, with positive rate as 11.6%. The most common pathogen(54.1%, 118/218)was enteropathogenic E. coli(EPEC), followed by enterotoxigenic E. coli(ETEC, 41.3%, 90/218), enteroinvasive E. coli (EIEC, 4.1%, 9/ 218) and Shigatoxin-producing E. coli(STEC, 0.5%, 1/218)in addition to 18 Shigella isolates. ETEC dominated in diarrhea patients with foreign residency, as well as 1/3 were perinatal stage of neonatal ETEC of all diarrhea cases under the age of 5, while EPEC dominated in the Chinese diarrhea patients especially among young kids under the age of 2.

CONCLUSIONData was reliable after assessment on this molecular diagnostics and seperation procedures used for the routine monitoring on four types of DEC, while the diagnosis and reference ability of DEC regarding the laboratories net-working on food-borne pathogens need to be built up and improved.

Adolescent ; Adult ; China ; epidemiology ; Diarrhea ; diagnosis ; epidemiology ; microbiology ; Escherichia coli ; genetics ; isolation & purification ; Escherichia coli Infections ; diagnosis ; epidemiology ; Female ; Humans ; Infant ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Pathology, Molecular ; Sentinel Surveillance

The end of the COVID-19 infection peak in 2022 prompts a backlog of cardiovascular surgical patients to gradually return to the hospital, resulting in a surge in cardiovascular surgeries. However, against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic, the clinical practice of cardiovascular surgery faces many problems. Therefore, organized by Beijing Anzhen Hospital, experts in cardiovascular surgery and related fields have formulated hospital expert experience on perioperative treatment principles of cardiovascular surgery for patients infected with COVID-19. This article summarizes the clinical decision-making of patients requiring cardiovascular surgery after COVID-19 infection, and advises on the corresponding recommendations according to the existing evidence-based medical evidence as well as the actual clinical practice experience of relevant experts. The main content of the article includes special requirements for cardiovascular surgical treatment indications in patients with COVID-19 infection, selection of surgical timing, special requirements of preoperative, intraoperative and postoperative management, etc., which aims to provide COVID-19-infected patients with guidance on rational decision-making when receiving cardiovascular surgery.

OBJECTIVETo understand the distribution of diarrheagenic Escherichia (E.) coli in population in Shanghai and discuss the practice model of cooperation in enteric infectious disease prevention and control between public health institution and hospital.

METHODSSentinel hospitals were assigned, standard detection and identification of diarrheagenic E. coli were conducted, incidence curve of diarrheagenic E. coli infection was drawn and epidemiologic survey and laboratory detection were conducted for suspect diarrheagenic E. coli infection outbreaks.

RESULTSA total of 7 204 stool specimens were collected from diarrhea patients in 4 hospitals during 2012-2013, in which 712 (9.9% ) were diarrheagenic E. coli positive, including 351 enteropathogenic E. coli (EPEC) strains, 292 enterotoxigenic E. coli (ETEC) strains, 32 enteroinvasive E. coli(EIEC) strains and 6 Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC/EHEC) strains, as well as 31 mixed strains. EPEC infection mainly occurred in children aged 1-5 years; and all of these infections were caused by aEPEC. The incidence peak of ETEC infection was during August, the positive rate was >20%. The ETEC infection mainly occurred in infants aged 1-28 days in 2012 and in people aged 20-60 years in 2013 (P<0.05). ST was the major type (59.6%), followed by LT (27.8%) and ST/LT (12.6%). EIEC infection increased in children obviously in 2013 (P<0.01). No EHEC O157:H7 case was detected, but two EHEC O26:H11 (eae-hlyA-stx1a) cases in children were reported for the first time in Shanghai. The survey result indicated that the multidrug-resistant ETEC (STh-CS21-CFA/I-ClyA-EatA-ST2332-SHNL0005) strain causing outbreak in 15 newborns in Shanghai in 2012 was in the same clone as the strain detected in Zigong in Sichuan province.

CONCLUSIONSignificant change has occurred in diarrheagenic E. coli distribution in Shanghai in recent years, ETEC has potential risk to cause outbreak of hospital acquired infection in neonates and food borne infection. The active surveillance on ETEC and other enteric pathogens by both public health institutions and hospitals need to be improved.

Adult ; Child, Preschool ; China ; epidemiology ; Diarrhea ; microbiology ; Disease Outbreaks ; Enteropathogenic Escherichia coli ; isolation & purification ; Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli ; isolation & purification ; Escherichia coli Infections ; epidemiology ; Humans ; Incidence ; Infant ; Infant, Newborn ; Middle Aged ; Sentinel Surveillance ; Young Adult

Arthropod-borne diseases, such as malaria and dengue fever, have frequently beset five countries(Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar, and Thailand) in the tropical rainy Lancang-Mekong region, which pose a huge threat to social production and daily life. As a resort to such diseases, chemical drugs risk the resistance in plasmodium, non-availability for dengue virus, and pollution to the environment. Traditional medicinal plants have the multi-component, multi-target, and multi-pathway characteristics, which are of great potential in drug development. Exploring potential medicinals for arthropod-borne diseases from traditional medicinal plants has become a hot spot. This study summarized the epidemiological background of arthropod-borne diseases in the Lancang-Mekong region and screened effective herbs from the 350 medicinal plants recorded in CHINA-ASEAN Traditional Medicine. Based on CNKI, VIP, and PubMed, the plants for malaria and dengue fever and those for killing and repelling mosquitoes were respectively sorted out. Their pharmacological effects and mechanisms were reviewed and the material basis was analyzed. The result is expected to serve as a reference for efficient utilization of medicinal resources, development of effective and safe drugs for malaria and dengue fever, and the further cooperation between China and the other five countries in the Lancang-Mekong region.
Animals ; Culicidae ; Malaria ; Plants, Medicinal ; Plasmodium ; Thailand