Objective: To understand the epidemiological characteristics of scrub typhus and influencing factors in Yunnan province, and provide further information for the prevention and control of scrub typhus. Methods: Based on the incidence data of scrub typhus reported in Yunnan from 2006 to 2013, the epidemiological characteristics of scrub typhus were analyzed and related environmental factors were identified with panel negative binomial regression model. Results: A total of 8 980 scrub typhus cases were reported during 2006-2013 in Yunnan. The average annual incidence was 2.46/100 000, with an uptrend observed. Natural focus expansion was found, affecting 71.3% of the counties in 2013. The epidemic mainly occurred in summer and autumn with the incidence peak during July-October. The annual incidence was higher in females than in males. More cases occurred in children and farmers, the proportions of cases in farmers and pre-school aged children showed an obvious increase. Panel negative binomial regression model indicated that the transmission risk of scrub typhus was positive associated with monthly temperature and monthly relative humidity. Furthermore, an "U" pattern between the risk and the increased coverage of cropland and grassland as well as an "inverted-U" pattern between the risk and increased coverage of shrub were observed. Conclusion: It is necessary to strengthen the scrub typhus surveillance in warm and moist areas as well as the areas with high coverage of cropland and grassland in Yunnan, and the health education in children and farmers who are at high risk.
Child ; China/epidemiology* ; Environment ; Epidemics ; Farmers ; Female ; Humans ; Incidence ; Male ; Models, Statistical ; Orientia tsutsugamushi ; Risk Factors ; Scrub Typhus/transmission* ; Temperature

Objective: To explore the influencing factors related to thyroid carcinoma. Methods: Matched by sex, age and original residential areas, 659 pairs of cases and controls were recruited and studied. Methods including both single factor analysis and multivariate conditional logistic regression analysis were carried out to identify the influencing factors. Results: Multivariate conditional logistic regression analysis showed that higher education, being diabetic, alcohol intake, tea drinking, occupational physical activity and the frequency of eating fishes/eggs etc., were potentially protective to thyroid carcinoma. Depression, personal history of CT examination and less salt intake seemed to be risk factors on thyroid carcinoma. For males, factors as alcohol intake, tea drinking, occupational physical activity and frequent egg-eating appeared protective. For females, higher education, diabetes, tea drinking, occupational physical activity, frequent consumption of fishes/eggs, short duration of menstruation appeared as possibly protective. Conclusion: Higher education, diabetes, alcohol intake, tea drinking, occupational physical activity, frequent consumption of fishes/eggs, depression, personal history of CT examination and less salt intake served as potential influencing factors to thyroid carcinoma.
Alcohol Drinking ; Animals ; Case-Control Studies ; China/epidemiology* ; Feeding Behavior ; Female ; Male ; Risk Factors ; Tea ; Thyroid Neoplasms/etiology*

Objective: To analyze the prevalence rates of overweight and obesity in Chinese children and adolescents aged 6-17 years, and to provide scientific basis for the development of prevention strategies on obesity. Methods: Data was from children and adolescents aged 6-17 years in the China National Nutrition and Health Surveillance 2010-2012 program. In children aged 6 years, criteria of overweight and obesity were followed the WHO growth reference for school-aged children and adolescents. In children and adolescents aged 7-17 years, overweight and obesity were defined by sex and age specific BMI, recommended by Guidelines for prevention and control of overweight and obesity among school-age children and adolescents according to the Chinese guidelines. Results: The overall rates on overweight and obesity were 9.6% and 6.4% among the Chinese children and adolescents aged 6-17 years, with 11.0% (12.8% for boys and 9.0% for girls) in urban and 7.7% (boys 9.7%, girls 5.5%) in rural areas. The rates of overweight and obesity among children and adolescents were 8.4% (boys 9.3%, girls 7.4%) and 5.2% (boys 6.2%, girls 4.1%) in the rural areas. According to the levels of household income, the overweight rates of children in high, middle and low incomes were 12.3%, 10.7% and 8.2%, with obesity as 8.6%, 7.2% and 5.7% respectively. Conclusions: In 2012, the prevalence rates of overweight and obese were 9.6% and 6.4% among children and adolescents aged 6-17 years, respectively, higher in urban than in rural areas and higher boys than in girls. The prevalence rates of overweight and obesity seemed to be related to the levels of household income.
Adolescent ; Asian People/statistics & numerical data* ; Body Mass Index ; Child ; China/epidemiology* ; Female ; Health Promotion ; Humans ; Male ; Nutritional Status ; Obesity/ethnology* ; Overweight/ethnology* ; Prevalence

Objective: To understand the epidemiologic characteristics of outbreaks, caused by norovirus-GⅡ.2、GⅡ.17 and GⅡ.4/Sydney in Guangdong Province from 2013 to 2017 and to provide scientific evidence for epidemic prevention and control. Methods: Incidence data of norovirus outbreaks in Guangdong from January 1(st) 2013 to November 30(th) 2017 were collected from Public Health Emergency Management Information System. RT-PCR was performed for every case of each outbreak to detect norovirus nucleic acid and gene sequencing was conducted to identify the genotype of norovirus. Characteristics of norovirus GⅡ.2, GⅡ.17 and GⅡ.4/Sydney outbreaks were analyzed. Directly standardized method was used to calculate the proportion of symtoms as diarrhea and vomitting. Results: From January 1(st) 2013 to November 30(th) 2017, a total of 167 norovirus outbreaks were reported in Guangdong, and 115 outbreaks were caused by norovirus GⅡ.2, GⅡ.17 and GⅡ.4/Sydney respectively. The outbreaks caused by norovirus GⅡ.2 accounted for 39.68% (25/63) in primary schools, 28.57% (18/63) in child care settings, 25.40% (16/63) in middle schools and 6.35% (4/63) in universities. Outbreaks caused by norovirus GⅡ.17 accounted for 41.03% (16/39) in middle schools, 20.51% (8/39) at workplaces, 15.38% (6/39) in primary schools, 12.82% (5/39) in universities, 5.13% (2/39) in communities and child care settings respectively. The outbreaks caused by norovirus GⅡ.4/Sydney accounted for 53.85% (7/13) in universities, 15.38% (2/13) in child care settings and at workplaces respectively, 7.69%(1/13) in primary schools and middle schools respectively. The outbreaks caused by norovirus GⅡ.2 had 77.78% (49/63) of contact transmission, 17.46% (11/63) of food-borne transmission. The outbreaks caused by norovirus GⅡ.17 showed 53.85% (21/39) of food-borne transmission, 15.38% (6/39) of contract transmission, 12.82% (5/39) of water-borne transmission. The outbreaks caused by norovirus GⅡ.4/Sydney had 53.85% (7/13) of food-borne transmission, 38.46% (5/13) of the contact transmission. In terms of the clinical manifestations, the standardized proportion of vomit was 73.76% and the proportion of diarrhea was 42.85% in cases infected with norovirus GⅡ.2, the proportion of standardized of vomit was 76.37% and the proportion of diarrhea was 51.40% in cases infected with norovirus GⅡ.17, with the standardized proportion of vomit was 54.10% and the proportion of diarrhea was 55.95% in cases infected with norovirus GⅡ.4/Sydney. Conclusions: The outbreaks caused by norovirus GⅡ.2 through contact transmission mainly occurred in primary schools, child care settings and middle schools. The outbreaks caused by norovirus GⅡ.17 through food-borne transmission mainly occurred in middle schools and at workplaces. The outbreaks caused by norovirus GⅡ.4/Sydney food-borne transmission and contact mainly occurred in universities.
Adolescent ; Caliciviridae Infections/epidemiology* ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Diarrhea/etiology* ; Disease Outbreaks ; Epidemics ; Gastroenteritis/epidemiology* ; Genotype ; Humans ; Norovirus/isolation & purification* ; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Sentinel Surveillance ; Vomiting/etiology*

Objective: To analyze the epidemiological characteristics of waist circumference and abdominal obesity among Chinese children and adolescents aged 6-17 years. Methods: Data was from the samples of aged 6-17 years in the China National Nutrition and Health Surveillance program in 2010-2012. P(90) (the same age, the same sex) was used as the diagnostic value for abdominal obesity. Results: The overall waist circumference of children and adolescents in all the age groups appeared higher in males than that in females (P<0.000 1), higher in cities than that in the rural areas (P<0.05), and higher in children with high family income than those with middle or low family incomes (P=0.000 3). The rate of abdominal obesity in children and adolescents aged 6-17 years appeared as 11.2% on average and 10.7% and 11.8% for boys and girls, respectively but with no significant difference (P>0.05). Rates on abdominal obesity appeared as 13.2% and 8.5% for boys while as 12.3% and 11.2% for girls respectively, in urban or rural areas. As for the levels of family income, the abdominal obesity rates appeared as 15.8%, 11.5% and 8.8% respectively for boys while 13.5%, 11.9% and 11.6% respectively for girls, under high, middle and low levels of family income. Conclusion: The rate of abdominal obesity in boys seemed more responsive to the impact of income in urban or rural areas.
Adolescent ; Asian People/statistics & numerical data* ; Child ; China/epidemiology* ; Cities ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Obesity, Abdominal/ethnology* ; Prevalence ; Waist Circumference

The purification of parasite-infected erythrocytes from whole blood containing leucocytes is crucial for many downstream genetic and molecular assays in parasitology. Current methodologies to achieve this are often costly and time consuming. Here, we demonstrate the successful application of a cheap and simple Non-Woven Fabric (NWF) filter for the purification of parasitized red blood cells from whole blood. NWF filtration was applied to the malaria-parasitized blood of three strains of mice, and one strain of rat, and to Babesia gibsoni parasitized dog blood. Before and after filtration, the white blood cell (WBC) removal rates and red blood cell (RBC) recovery rates were measured. After NWF filter treatment of rodent malaria-infected blood, the WBC removal rates and RBC recovery rates were, for Kunming mice: 99.51%±0.30% and 86.12%±8.37%; for BALB/C mice: 99.61%±0.15% and 80.74%±7.11%; for C57 mice: 99.71%±0.12% and 84.87%±3.83%; for Sprague-Dawley rats: 99.93%±0.03% and 83.30%±2.96%. Microscopy showed WBCs were efficiently removed from infected dog blood samples, and there was no obvious morphological change of B. gibsoni parasites. NWF filters efficiently remove leukocytes from malaria parasite-infected mouse and rat blood, and are also suitable for filtration of B. gibsoni-infected dog blood.