Objective To review the epidemiologic features of norovirus infection outbreaks in Zhejiang province during 2004-2014.Methods Epidemiological data of norovirus infection outbreaks in Zhejiang province from January 2004 to February 2014 were collected from the Emergency Public Reporting System in Zhejiang Provincial CDC.The distribution of time,area,population,route of transmission and genotype of norovirus were analyzed.Results There were 16 outbreaks of norovirus infections with 2 037 cases during 2004-2014 in Zhejiang province.Eleven outbreaks occurred during February and April,and 13 outbreaks occurred in schools.The outbreaks in schools mainly involved students aged 15-20 years,while other outbreaks took place mainly in the young and middle-aged population.The sex ratio of male to female was 1.05 ∶ 1.Among 16 outbreaks,10 were induced by norovirus G Ⅱ infections,3 were induced by norovirus G Ⅰ infections and 3 were induced by norovirus G Ⅰ and G Ⅱ infections.Fourteen outbreaks were caused by water pollution.Conclusion Outbreak of norovirus infection usually occurs in schools during winter and spring in Zhejiang province,and the epidemic of disease is mainly associated with polluted water.

Objective To investigate the epidemiological characteristics of gonorrhea,and to analyze its temporal-spatial clustering in Zhejiang province.Methods Data on the incidence and demographic characteristics of gonorrhea in Zhejiang province from January 2004 to December 2012 were obtained from the China Information System for Disease Control and Prevention.The population,time and space distributions of gonorrhea were described.Epidemic curve and incidence maps were drawn.A space-time permutation scan statistic was used to detect space-time clusters,and spatial autocorrelation analysis was performed to calculate the Moran's I value and draw Local Indicators of Spatial Association (LISA) cluster maps.Results In Zhejiang province,a total of 199 956 cases of gonorrhea were reported with a decreasing trend in incidence rate from 2004 to 2012.The male to female ratio was 3.51:1 (155 634/44 331).People aged between 25 and 60 years accounted for 75.21％ of these patients,whereas the constituent ratio of people aged 0-1 years and ＞ 60 years increased with time.The incidence rate of gonorrhea was significantly higher in middle and north parts than in the south part of Zhejiang province,and higher in summer than in winter and spring with the peak incidence observed in August.Thirteen temporal-spatial clusters were detected,with the large clusters in Hangzhou,Huzhou,Ningbo,Shaoxing and their neighbor counties/cities/ districts,as well as some counties/cities/districts in Jinhua.All of the above clusters lasted 4.5 years.LISA maps showed an increasing trend in high-high aggregation counties/cities/districts which spread from the north to south part of Zhejiang province.Conclusion There is a temporal-spatial aggregation of gonorrhea in Zhejiang province with young and middle-aged men as the main affected population.

Objective To identify Anaplasma species circulating among livestock and rodents from Xitianmu Mountain area in Zhejiang province , Southeastern China and to analyze variations regarding to their 16S rRNA gene.Methods Samples of spleen, liver and blood were collected to extract DNAs .The 16S rRNA gene fragments of Anaplasma species were amplified by using a nested PCR and then sequenced .Ho-mology analysis was conducted by using BLAST program .The multiple sequence alignment and phylogenetic analyses comparing with the sequences of other Anaplasma species in GenBank were conducted by using MEGA 5.0 software.Results The 16S rRNA gene fragments of Anaplasma were detected in 1 cattle, 8 goats, 5 Rattus confucianus, 1 Apodemus agrarius, 1 Berylmys bowersi and 1 squirrel out of 129 animals. The natural infection rate of Anaplasma was 13.2% in animals from Xitianmu Mountain area in Zhejiang . The alignment and phylogenetic analyses indicated that there were at least four Anaplasma species prevalent in livestock and rodents from Xitianmu Mountain area , including Anaplasma phagocytophilum, Anaplasma marginale, Anaplasma centrale and Anaplasma bovis.Moreover, there was a variant that obviously differed from Anaplasmma bovis and other Anaplasma sp.in GenBank.Conclusion The Anaplasma infection was detected among livestock and rodents from Xitianmu Mountain area in Zhejiang province .A newly discovered variant in rodents was likely to be a novel species .More close attention should be paid to Anaplasma infec-tion among human in Xitianmu Mountain area .

Objective : To analyze the problems in the AIDS control strategy in key areas of Zhejiang Province, so as to provide insights into the improvement of the control strategy. Methods : The AIDS control data were collected from 10 key counties (districts) in Zhejiang Province, and the AIDS control strategy was comprehensively evaluated using a SWOT analysis. Results : The strengths of the AIDS control strategy in key counties (districts) of Zhejiang Province included distinct working objectives, well-organized leadership, and effective control measures, the weaknesses included large number of HIV-infected cases, high burden of disease, difficulty in management of AIDS transmission and insufficient AIDS control capability, and the opportunities included the AIDS control in key counties (districts) conforming to the current status of AIDS control, strong support of innovative strategies and technical support from professional teams, while the threats included insufficient working mechanisms for AIDS control, the gap between the effectiveness of AIDS control and the target goal and unverified scientific evidence of the control strategy. Supported policies should be fully used, working mechanisms need to be improved, control strategies need to be innovated, and assessments need to be implemented for AIDS control in key counties (districts). Conclusions There are both opportunities and challenges for AIDS control in key counties (districts) of Zhejiang Province. Optimization of the working mechanisms, promotion of precision interventions, and search for repeatable control strategy in other disease-affected regions are required for AIDS control.

The transition metal cobalt, an essential cofactor for many enzymes in prokaryotes, is taken up by several specific transport systems. The CbiMNQO protein complex belongs to type-1 energy-coupling factor (ECF) transporters and is a widespread group of microbial cobalt transporters. CbiO is the ATPase subunit (A-component) of the cobalt transporting system in the gram-negative thermophilic bacterium Thermoanaerobacter tengcongensis. Here we report the crystal structure of a nucleotide-free CbiO at a resolution of 2.3 Å. CbiO contains an N-terminal canonical nucleotide-binding domain (NBD) and C-terminal helical domain. Structural and biochemical data show that CbiO forms a homodimer mediated by the NBD and the C-terminal domain. Interactions mainly via conserved hydrophobic amino acids between the two C-terminal domains result in formation of a four-helix bundle. Structural comparison with other ECF transporters suggests that non-conserved residues outside the T-component binding groove in the A component likely act as a specificity determinant for T components. Together, our data provide information on understanding of the structural organization and interaction of the CbiMNQO system.
Adenosine Triphosphatases ; chemistry ; Amino Acids ; chemistry ; Biological Transport ; Catalytic Domain ; Cobalt ; chemistry ; Crystallography, X-Ray ; Protein Binding ; Protein Conformation ; Protein Structure, Secondary ; Structure-Activity Relationship ; Thermoanaerobacter ; enzymology

OBJECTIVETo understand the temporal-spatial distribution of hand-foot-mouth disease in Zhejiang province, from May 2008 to June 2013.

METHODSThe cases number and incidence data of hand-foot-mouth disease from May 2008 to June 2013 for all the counties(cities, districts) in Zhejiang province were collected from China Information System for Disease Control and Prevention, total 511 643 cases. Temporal distribution of hand-foot-mouth disease was described, the incidence maps were drawn using Epimap software. Temporal-spatial clustering was analyzed by Satscan 9.0.1 software.Log likelihood ratio(LLR) was used to assess the clustering. The year-county (city, district)-specific relative risk(RR) of hand-foot-mouth disease were calculated. RR contour maps were drawn with Arcview GIS 3.3.

RESULTSIn Zhejiang province, from May 2008 to June 2013, the highest incidence rate was 270.81/100 000 (147 943/54 629 996) (2012 year) and the lowest incidence rate was 135.32/100 000 (69 285/51 199 987) (2009 year). The incidence in the eastern coastal areas (217.77/100 000(286 300/131 468 746)) including Ningbo, Taizhou, Wenzhou, was higher than the western mountain areas(168.11/100 000(98 016/58 304 266)) including Quzhou, Lishui, Jinhua. The epidemic curve showed two peaks, during April to July (101.15/100 000(320 144/316 497 516)) , and during October to November (23.30/100 000 (61 088/262 148 114)) .

RESULTSof temporal-spatial scan showed 10 temporal spatial aggregation areas, the strongest one was in Wenzhou city, south-east Zhejiang province, from July 2009 to June 2011(RR = 2.38, LLR = 10 650.75, P < 0.01). The relative risk maps from 2009 to 2012 were similar, the highest density areas were located in the eastern coastal Zhejiang: Longwan district, Wenzhou city (RR = 4.42 and 3.30) in 2009 and 2010 year, Pingyang county, Wenzhou city(RR = 3.04) in 2011 year, and Ninghai county, Ningbo city(RR = 2.97) in 2012.

CONCLUSIONThe eastern coastal area had a high incidence level of hand-foot-mouth disease in Zhejiang province, 2008-2013, with the peak during April to July. Temporal-spatial clustering were observed, the disease showed a distinct regional distribution feature, eastern coastal cluster areas and mid-west cluster areas were found.

Coronavirus Infections ; epidemiology ; Humans

Tuberculosis （TB） and human immunodeficiency virus infection / acquired immune deficiency syndrome （HIV/AIDS） are both serious global public health threats. Early detection of infected persons and/or patients through TB/HIV bi-directional screening is crucial for prevention and control strategy in China and globally. In recent years， with the promotion and application of new TB and HIV detection technologies worldwide， TB/HIV bi-directional screening technologies and strategies have made remarkable changes. This expert consensus introduces the significance and challenges of TB/HIV bi-directional screening， summarizes important progress of research and applications， and makes recommendations on screening measures and procedures to further strengthen TB/HIV bi-directional screening in China.