OBJECTIVETo investigate the significance of detecting specific serum IgG antibodies in clinical diagnosis of SARS as well as affecting factors.

METHODSEnzyme-linked immunoassay kit for SARS coronavirus antibodies developed by HuaDa Biological Company was applied to detect specific serum IgG from SARS patients and the production of SARS specific antibodies among patients of different age groups, sex and with or without steroid treatment were statistically compared.

RESULTSOut of 121 patients studied, 71.1% were SARS specific IgG positive. Patients younger than 15 years, between 15 to 59 years, older than 59 years had positive rates of 60.0%, 70.2%, and 85.7%, respectively with no statistically significance (P=0.766); patients with or without steroid treatment showed positive rates of 70.6% and 72.4%, respectively (P=0.84); patients exhibiting either severe or light syndromes showed positive rates of 78.1% and 67.4%, respectively (P=0.493); both male and female patients showed the same positive rate of 71.1%.

CONCLUSIONThe sensitivity of the SARS specific IgG kit utilized needs to be further improved. The production of SARS IgG is not notably correlated with sex, age, seriousness of symptoms, and steroid treatment.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Antibodies, Viral ; blood ; Child ; Female ; Humans ; Immunoglobulin G ; immunology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; SARS Virus ; immunology ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome ; diagnosis ; immunology

Objective To investigate the efficacy of the bioactive artificial vertebrae of a nano- hydroapatite crystals and polyamide 66 composite(n-HA/PA66)to restore the height and architecture of thoracolumbar burst fracture.Methods From December 2003 to February 2006,38 patients(29 males and 9 females)with a mean age of 35.6 years(17-63 years)were treated surgically through anterior ap- proach for decompression and implanted with the bioactive artificial vertebrae of n-HA/PA66 composite to reconstruct the structure of the thoracolumbar burst fractured vertebra.Results All the patients were successfuly followed-up for an average of 8 months,ranging from 6 to 21 months.The bioaetive artificial vertebrac of n-HA/PA66 composite were fused with the receptor bone 3-4 months after operation.The neu- rological function of the patients was restored partially or completely.The thoracolumbar spine was stable during physical examination and the height of thoraeolumbar burst fractured vertebrae that had been restored did not changa during the follow-up.Conclusions Our results show the bioaetive artificial vertebrae of n-HA/PA66 can restore the height and structure of thoracolumbar burst fractured vertebrae and reconstruct the structure of the tboraeolumbar vertebrae effectively,indicating that the bioaetive artificial vertebrae of n- HA/PA66 can be used extensively in clinical spinal surgery.

OBJECTIVETo investigate the HCV genotypes distribution in northern and southern cities in China and the difference between patients infected with HCV by transfusion and non-transfusion routes.

METHODSThe HCV genotypes of the patients with chronic hepatitis C from 9 cities belonging to different regions were genotyped by the PCR products of 5 prime untranslated region NTR digested with restriction endonucleases, and the HCV genotypes distribution among different cities or between the patients infected with HCV through transfusion and other routes was analyzed.

RESULTSThe HCV genotypes of 214 in 219 cases were determined; 197 patients were infected with monogenotype HCV. The major epidemic genotypes of HCV isolates in China were 1b (76.64%) and 2a (18.22%), but 5.14% of patients were infected with HCV belonging to genotype 3b and this was the first report that there is genotype 4a in China. The HCV genotype distribution was not different in northern and southern areas, but was significantly different between patients infected with HCV through transfusion and non-transfusion routes (P=0.036). In patients infected trough transfusion, the rates of monogenotype HCV infection and genotype 1b were 93.88% and 76.87%, respectively, which were higher than those (86.57% and 58.21%) in the patients infected with HCV through non-transfusion routes. The rate of patient infected with mixed genotype HCV strains in non-transfusion group was 13.43%, which was higher than that (6.12%) of patients in transfusion group.

CONCLUSIONThe HCV genotype distribution in northern and southern regions were similar, but was significantly different between the patients infected through transfusion and other routes.

5' Untranslated Regions ; Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; China ; Female ; Genotype ; Hepacivirus ; classification ; genetics ; isolation & purification ; Hepatitis C, Chronic ; etiology ; genetics ; transmission ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Transfusion Reaction

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the efficacy and investigate the influencing factors of the interferon (IFN) retreatment for patients with chronic hepatitis C relapsed after a previous IFN treatment.

METHODSA retrospective study was designed to analyze the retreatment with IFN of 60 relapsed chronic hepatitis C patients. All patients were from a randomized, opened and multi-center clinical trial about the efficacy and security of PEG-IFNalpha-2a compared to CIFNalpha-2a in the treatment of chronic hepatitis C in China. There were 35 patients treated with PEG-IFNalpha-2a and 25 with CIFNalpha-2a. The main parameter to evaluate the efficacy was sustained viral response (SVR) rate. The influence of viral concentration in serum, genotype and drug categories on the responses to IFN were analyzed.

RESULTSFor all the patients, the end of treatment virus response (ETVR) and SVR rates were 55.00% and 35.00% respectively. ETVR rate of PEG-IFNalpha-2a was significantly higher than that of CIFNalpha-2a (74.29% and 28.00% respectively, P < 0.01). SVR rate of PEG-IFNalpha-2a was also markedly higher than that of CIFNalpha-2a (45.71% and 20.00% respectively, P < 0.05). However, there was no significant difference between the high and low viral load groups. Among the patients with genotype 1, ETVR and SVR rates of PEG-IFNalpha-2a (75.00%, 45.83%) were significantly higher than those of CIFNalpha-2a (22.22%, 11.11%), (P < 0.01, P < 0.05 respectively), but in patients with genotype non-1, there were no such differences between the two groups.

CONCLUSIONSome relapsed patients were not responsive to the IFN retreatment. The efficacy of PEG-IFNalpha-2a was superior to CIFNalpha-2a. The conventional IFN was not suggested to be used in the relapsed cases with genotype 1. The viral load was not associated with the efficacy of IFN retreatment.

Adult ; Antiviral Agents ; therapeutic use ; Female ; Hepatitis C, Chronic ; therapy ; Humans ; Interferon-alpha ; therapeutic use ; Interferon-beta ; Interferons ; therapeutic use ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Polyethylene Glycols ; therapeutic use ; Recombinant Proteins ; Recurrence ; Retrospective Studies

Objective: To establish a method for the simultaneous determination of four chromones in Saposhnikoviae Radix by multi-components with single marker ( QAMS) .Methods:An HPLC analysis was used to determine the contents of 4′-O-β-D-glucosyl-5-O-methylvisamminol , cimifugin and sec-O-glucosylhamaudol in Saposhnikoviae Radix.Prim-O-glucosylcimifugin was chosen as the single maker.The contents of 4 chromones in 10 batches of samples were determined by both external standard method and QAMS .The reliability and feasibility of the method were evaluated by the comparison of the quantitative results between the external standard meth -od and QAMS.Results:The relative correction factor (RCF) was perfect.The results calculated by the single marker were consistent with the results from the external standard method .Conclusion:The method with single marker is accurate and feasible to evaluate the quality of Saposhnikoviae Radix.

OBJECTIVETo investigate the risk factors for depressive disorders in manufacturing workers and to provide a basis for developing health promotion measures at workplace.

METHODSA questionnaire survey was performed in 8085 front-line production workers from 33 manufacturing enterprises in Nanhai District of Foshan, Guangdong Province, China. The questionnaire contained a survey of demographic characteristics, the Safety Climate Scale, the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale, etc. The multilevel logistic regression analysis was applied to investigate the risk factors for depressive disorders in workers.

RESULTSA total of 6260 workers completed the survey; their mean age was 31.1 ± 8.6 years, and 53.2% of them were males. The multilevel logistic regression analysis showed that after adjustment for sociodemographic factors such as age, sex, and martial status, more depressive disorders were reported in the enterprises with higher score of "production safety training" than in those with lower score (OR = 1.46, 95%CI = 1.07 ∼ 1.97); fewer depressive disorders were reported in the enterprises with higher score of "colleagues concerned about production safety" than in those with lower score (OR = 0.08, 95%CI = 0.03 ∼ 0.26); the relationships of "safety warnings and precautions" and "managers concerned about production safety" with workers' depressive disorders were not statistically significant (OR = 0.78, 95%CI = 0.48 ∼ 1.28; OR = 1.08, 95%CI = 0.68 ∼ 1.72).

CONCLUSIONDepressive disorders in manufacturing workers are related to the safety climate at workplace, which indicates that a good safety climate at workplace should be created to prevent and control depressive disorders in workers.

Adolescent ; Adult ; China ; Depression ; Female ; Humans ; Logistic Models ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Occupational Health ; Safety ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Workplace ; Young Adult

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the associations of perception of safety atmosphere at workplace, occupational safety attitude and behaviors with occupational unintentional injury among manufacturing workers.

METHODSA cross-sectional study was performed and a self-administered questionnaire was used to inquire socio-demographic characteristics, perceived safety atmosphere, occupational safety attitudes, occupational safety behaviors and occupational unintentional injuries among 10585 manufacturing workers selected from 46 enterprises in Guangdong. Structural equation modeling was applied to assess the relationship of the perception of safety atmosphere at workplace, occupational safety attitude, and occupational safety behaviors with occupational unintentional injury.

RESULTSAmong 24 pathways supposed in structural equation model, 20 pathways (except for the attitude toward occupational safety, the attitude toward managers' support, the work posture and individual protection) were significantly related to the occupational unintentional injuries. The further analysis indicated that the perceived safety atmosphere might impact the occupational unintentional injuries by the attitude toward occupational safety and occupational safety behaviors.

CONCLUSIONWorkers' perception of safety atmosphere indirectly influenced on occupational unintentional injuries through occupational safety attitudes and occupational safety behaviors.

Accidents, Occupational ; prevention & control ; statistics & numerical data ; Adolescent ; Adult ; Attitude ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Occupational Health ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Workplace ; Young Adult

OBJECTIVE: To explore the correlation between microRNA (miRNA) differential expression and quality of embryo. METHODS: The miRNA expression profiles of 8 blastocysts were detected by a TaqMan microRNA array, and miRNAs with a stable expression were selected. Additional blastocysts were selected, and the candidate miRNA was detected by real-time PCR. Meanwhile, chromosomal abnormalities of the embryos were detected by using next-generation sequencing, and the results were compared. RESULTS: The expression of mir-720, mir-372, mir-886-3p and mir-512-3p was higher than that of miR-145, which suggested that mir-720, mir-372, mir-886-3p and mir-512-3p are related to early embryo development. The expression of miR-145 and mir-886-3p were significantly lower in the normal chromosome group. With the threshold values of above 9 and 3 for the relative expression of miR-145 and mir-886-3p, respectively, there was no embryo without a chromosomal abnormality. CONCLUSION There is a correlation between the expression level of specific miRNA and chromosomal abnormalities of embryos, which may be used as a novel biomarker for embryo selection.

Objectives: To compare the effect of eldecalcitol and alfacalcidol on skeletal microstructure by highresolution peripheral QCT (HR-pQCT). Methods: This was a substudy of a randomized, double-blind, active comparator trial. Five female osteoporotic patients with 1-year 0.75 mg/day eldecalcitol and 5 with 1-year 1.0 mg/day alfacalcidol completed HR-pQCT scans before and after treatment were enrolled. Results: Total vBMD [1.67 ± 1.06% (mean ± SD), P ¼ 0.043 versus baseline] and trabecular vBMD (2.91 ± 1.72%, P ¼ 0.043) at the radius increased in eldecalcitol group, while total, trabecular, and cortical vBMD tended to decrease in alfacalcidol group, with a significant reduction in cortical vBMD at the tibia (0.88 ± 0.62%, P ¼ 0.043). Cortical area (1.82 ± 1.92%, P ¼ 0.043) at the radius and thickness (0.87 ± 1.12%, P ¼ 0.043) at the tibia increased in eldecalcitol group, while these parameters decreased with alfacalcidol at the tibia (1.77 ± 1.72%, P ¼ 0.043 for cortical area; 1.40 ± 2.14%, P ¼ 0.042 for cortical thickness). Trabecular thickness at the radius (1.97 ± 1.93%, P ¼ 0.042) and number at the tibia (3.09 ± 3.04%, P ¼ 0.043) increased by eldecalcitol but did not increase by alfacalcidol. Trabecular separation decreased by eldecalcitol (2.22 ± 2.43%, P ¼ 0.043) but tended to increase by alfacalcidol at the tibia. Conclusions Eldecalcitol has the greater potential to improve cortical and trabecular microstructure at the peripheral bone than alfacalcidol which needs further more studies.

Objectives: To compare the effect of eldecalcitol and alfacalcidol on skeletal microstructure by highresolution peripheral QCT (HR-pQCT). Methods: This was a substudy of a randomized, double-blind, active comparator trial. Five female osteoporotic patients with 1-year 0.75 mg/day eldecalcitol and 5 with 1-year 1.0 mg/day alfacalcidol completed HR-pQCT scans before and after treatment were enrolled. Results: Total vBMD [1.67 ± 1.06% (mean ± SD), P ¼ 0.043 versus baseline] and trabecular vBMD (2.91 ± 1.72%, P ¼ 0.043) at the radius increased in eldecalcitol group, while total, trabecular, and cortical vBMD tended to decrease in alfacalcidol group, with a significant reduction in cortical vBMD at the tibia (0.88 ± 0.62%, P ¼ 0.043). Cortical area (1.82 ± 1.92%, P ¼ 0.043) at the radius and thickness (0.87 ± 1.12%, P ¼ 0.043) at the tibia increased in eldecalcitol group, while these parameters decreased with alfacalcidol at the tibia (1.77 ± 1.72%, P ¼ 0.043 for cortical area; 1.40 ± 2.14%, P ¼ 0.042 for cortical thickness). Trabecular thickness at the radius (1.97 ± 1.93%, P ¼ 0.042) and number at the tibia (3.09 ± 3.04%, P ¼ 0.043) increased by eldecalcitol but did not increase by alfacalcidol. Trabecular separation decreased by eldecalcitol (2.22 ± 2.43%, P ¼ 0.043) but tended to increase by alfacalcidol at the tibia. Conclusions Eldecalcitol has the greater potential to improve cortical and trabecular microstructure at the peripheral bone than alfacalcidol which needs further more studies.