OBJECTIVETo evaluate the application of bone turnover markers bone alkaline phosphatase (BALP) and N-MID osteocalcin (N-MID) in monitoring of osteoporosis treatment with recombined parathyroid hormone 1-34 (rhPTH1-34).

METHODSThe bone mineral density (BMD) of the lumbar spine L2-L4 and the proximal femur were examined by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) before and 6 and 12 months after rhPTH 1-34 treatment. Meanwhile, serum levels of BALP and N-MID were detected by electro-chemiluminescence assay.

RESULTSSix months after rhPTH 1-34 treatment, the BMD of proximal femur remained unchanged, and the BMD of the lumbar L2-L4 spine increased from 0.753 g/cm(2) to 0.781 g/cm(2) (P<0.05); while serum levels of N-MID increased from 15.46 ng/ml to 27.07 ng/ml(P<0.01), BALP from 14.05 μg/ml to 24.31 μg/ml(P<0.01). Twelve months after drug administration, no significant changes were observed in BMD of proximal femur, and the BMD of the lumbar spine L2-L4 increased from 0.753 g/cm(2) to 0.807 g/cm(2)(P<0.01) while serum levels of N-MID and BALP increased from 15.46 ng/ml and 14.05μg/ml to 49.38 ng/ml and 33.99 μg/ml, respectively (both P<0.01).

CONCLUSIONSerum levels of BALP and N-MID are more sensitive than BMD. Combination of two methods may provide better indicators for monitoring of osteoporosis treatment.

Aged ; Alkaline Phosphatase ; blood ; Bone Density ; Female ; Femur ; diagnostic imaging ; Humans ; Lumbar Vertebrae ; diagnostic imaging ; Middle Aged ; Osteocalcin ; blood ; Osteoporosis ; blood ; diagnostic imaging ; drug therapy ; Parathyroid Hormone ; therapeutic use ; Radiography ; Recombinant Proteins ; therapeutic use

A 44-year-old Malay gentleman was seen at the polyclinic on the advice of a medical social worker. He was noted to have coarse facies, extensive skin peeling, and nail deformities in all 4 limbs. He was suspected to have leprosy and referred to the National Skin Centre (NSC) which confirmed the diagnosis of Lepromatous Leprosy by histology. He has shown good progress since starting on a course of treatment. A brief review is presented here as a reminder of the challenges faced in the care of a condition largely forgotten in our highly urbanised setting: Hansen’s disease.

Objective To research serum level of interleukin-17 (IL-17)associated with the progression of hepatic injury in the chronic patients with hepatitis B. Methods The serum level of IL-17 was measured by ELISA and the serum levels of IL-6,IL-8 were measured by RIA in patient groups and healthy group, the patient groups including 42 mild patients, 37 moderate patients and 38 severe patients. Results IL-17,IL-6 and IL-8 levels in patient patients were significantly higher than those in healthy people(P< 0.01). There is no significant difference among mild patients and moderate patients. Compared with mild patients and moderate patients, the cytokines lever were significantly higher in severe patients(P<0.01). Conclusion IL-17 as a new cytokine probably play a multiple role as immune factor and inflammation element in the progression of the chronic hepatitis B disease. Maybe, it can provide a new approach to the therapy of the chronic hepatitis B.

WU polyomavirus (WUPyV), a new member of the genus Polyomavirus in the family Polyomaviridae, is recently found in patients with respiratory tract infections. In our study, the complete genome of the two WUPyV isolates (FZ18, FZTF) were sequenced and deposited in GenBank (accession nos. FJ890981, FJ890982). The two sequences of the WUPyV isolates in this study varied little from each other. Compared with other complete genome sequences of WUPyV in GenBank (strain B0, S1-S4, CLFF, accession nos. EF444549, EF444550, EF444551, EF444552, EF444553, EU296475 respectively), the sequence length in nucleotides is 5228bp, 1bp shorter than the known sequences. The deleted base pair was at nucleotide position 4536 in the non-coding region of large T antigen (LTAg). The genome of the WUPyV encoded for five proteins. They were three capsid proteins: VP2, VP1, VP3 and LTAg, small T antigen (STAg), respectively. To investigate whether these nucleotide sequences had any unique features, we compared the genome sequence of the 2 WUPyV isolates in Fuzhou, China to those documented in the GenBank database by using PHYLIP software version 3.65 and the neighbor-joining method. The 2 WUPyV strains in our study were clustered together. Strain FZTF was more closed to the reference strain B0 of Australian than strain FZ18.
Adult ; Child, Preschool ; China ; Evolution, Molecular ; Genome, Viral ; genetics ; Genomics ; Humans ; Male ; Molecular Sequence Data ; Phylogeny ; Polyomaviridae ; genetics ; isolation & purification ; Sequence Analysis, DNA ; methods

This study aims to investigate the characteristics of genomic variation of pandemic A/H1N1/2009 influenza virus isolated in Fujian Province, China. Complete genome sequence analysis was performed on 14 strains of pandemic A/H1N1/2009 influenza virus isolated from Fujian during 2009-2012. All virus strains were typical low-pathogenic influenza viruses, with resistance to amantadine and sensitivity to neuraminidase inhibitors. Eight genome fragments of all strains were closely related to those of A/California/07/2009 (H1N1) vaccine strain, with > or = 98.2% homology. Compared with the vaccine strain, the influenza strains from Fujian had relatively large variation, and variation was identified at 11 amino acid sites of the HA gene of A/Fujiangulou/SWL1155/2012 strain, including 4 sites (H138R, L161I, S185T, and S203T) involved inthree antigen determinants (Ca, Sa, and Sb). In conclusion, the influenza vaccine has a satisfactory protective effect on Fujian population, but the influenza strains from Fujian in 2012 has antigenic drift compared with the vaccine strain, more attention should therefore be paid to the surveillance of mutations of pandemic A/H1N1/2009 influenza virus.
Antiviral Agents ; pharmacology ; China ; epidemiology ; Drug Resistance, Viral ; genetics ; Genome, Viral ; genetics ; Genomics ; Humans ; Influenza A Virus, H1N1 Subtype ; drug effects ; genetics ; immunology ; physiology ; Influenza, Human ; epidemiology ; prevention & control ; Pandemics ; prevention & control ; Viral Vaccines ; immunology

ObjectiveWearing protective masks for a long time causes a large number of frontline health care workers to suffer different degrees of pressure injury or facial skin rupture in response to COVID-19. This paper aims to analyze the occurrence characteristics and related factors of pressure injury related to devices, and provide the basis for taking countermeasures. Methods There was online investigation of skin injuries caused by wearing protective equipment in medical staff. Descriptive analysis was carried out on the occurrence characteristics of pressure-induced injury, and influencing factors were analyzed through logistic regression model. ResultsThere were a total of 2901 valid questionnaires. The results showed that the incidence of pressure injury caused by protective equipment was 26.34%, mainly in the bridge of the nose (20.41%), cheek (20.23%), auricle (17.82%) and forehead (8.86%). Multivariate Logistic regression model analysis showed that the major associated factors, which presented increasing risk, were sweating and dampness (OR=12.72, 95%CI 8.36-17.30), wearing level-3 protective equipment (OR=3.55, 95%CI 2.47-5.08), wearing level-2 protective equipment (OR=3.37, 95%CI 2.47-4.60), wearing time (OR=1.29, 95%CI 1.05~1.58) and occupation (OR=1.57, 95%CI 1.00~2.49). Conclusion There is the high incidence of pressure injuries to health care workers caused by protective equipment against COVID-19. The main risk factors for facial stress injury of medical staff are sweating and dampness, wearing level-3 and level-2 protective equipment and wearing time.

A high-content GABA was found in Sojae Semen Praeparatum(SSP), which is a famous traditional Chinese medicine and officially listed in Chinese Pharmacopoeia. To screen out and identify GABA-producing microbes from samples at different time points during the fermenting process of SSP, traditional microbiological methods combined with molecular biological methods were used to study the predominant GABA-producing microorganisms existing in the fermenting process of SSP. This study would lay a foundation for further studying the processing mechanism of SSP. The fermenting process of SSP was based on Chinese Pharmacopoeia(2010 edition), and samples were taken at different time points during the fermenting process of SSP. The bacteria and fungi from samples at different time points in the fermenting process of SSP were cultured, isolated and purified by selective medium, and dominant strains were selected. The dominant bacteria were cultured in the designated liquid medium to prepare the fermentation broths, and GABA in the fermentation broth was qualitatively screened out by thin-layer chromatography. The microbial fermentation broth with GABA spots in the primary screening was quantitatively detected by online pre-column derivatization and high performance liquid chromatography established in our laboratory. GABA-producing microorganisms were screened out from predominant strains, and their GABA contents in fermentation broth were determined. The DNA sequences of GABA-producing bacteria and fungi were amplified using 16S rDNA and 18S rDNA sequences by PCR respectively. The amplified products were sequenced, and the sequencing results were identified through NCBI homology comparison. Molecular biological identification was made by phylogenetic tree constructed by MEGA 7.0 software. Through the homology comparison of NCBI and the construction of phylogenetic tree by MEGA 7.0 software, nine GABA-producing microorganisms were screened out and identified in this study. They were Bacillus subtilis, Enterococcus faecium, E. avium, Aspergillus tamarii, A. flavus, A. niger, Cladosporium tenuissimum, Penicillium citrinum and Phanerochaete sordida respectively. For the first time, nine GABA-producing microorganisms were screened out and identified in the samples at different time points during the fermenting process of SSP in this study. The results indicated that multiple predominant GABA-producing microorganisms exist in the fermenting process of SSP and may play an important role in the formation of GABA.
Bacteria ; classification ; metabolism ; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid ; Fermentation ; Fungi ; classification ; metabolism ; Phylogeny ; Seeds ; microbiology ; Soybeans ; microbiology ; gamma-Aminobutyric Acid ; biosynthesis

Background: With the publication of Sepsis-3 definition, epidemiological data based on Sepsis-3 definition from middle-income countries including China are scarce, which prohibits understanding of the disease burden of this newly defined syndrome in these settings. The purpose of this study was to describe incidence and outcome of Sepsis-3 in Yuetan sub-district of Beijing and to estimate the incidence rate of Sepsis-3 in China. Methods: The medical records of all adult residents hospitalized from July 1, 2012 to June 30, 2014 in Yuetan sub-district of Beijing were reviewed. Patients with sepsis-3 and severe sepsis/septic shock were identified. The incidence rates and mortality rate of sepsis-3 and sepsis/septic shock were calculated, incidence rates and in-hospital mortality rates were normalized to the population distribution in the 2010 National Census. Population incidence rate and case fatality rate between sexes were compared with the Z test, as the data conformed to Poisson distribution. Results: Of the 21,191 hospitalized patients, 935 patients were diagnosed with Sepsis-3, and 498 cases met severe sepsis/septic shock criteria. The crude annual incidence rate of Sepsis-3 in Yuetan sub-district was 363 cases per 100,000 population, corresponding to standardized incidence rates of 236 cases per 100,000 population per year, respectively. The overall case fatality rate of Sepsis-3 was 32.0%, the crude population mortality rates of Sepsis-3 was 116 cases per 100,000 population per year, the standardized mortality rate was 67 cases per 100,000 population per year, corresponding to a speculative extrapolation of 700,437 deaths in China. The incidence rate and mortality rate of Sepsis-3 were significantly higher in males, elderly people, and patients with more comorbidities. The 62.1% of patients with Sepsis-3 had community-acquired infections, compared with 75.3% of infected patients without Sepsis-3 (P < 0.001). The most common infection in patients with Sepsis-3 was lower respiratory tract infection. When compared with patients with Sepsis-3, patients diagnosed as severe sepsis/septic shock were more likely to have higher case fatality rate (53.4% vs. 32.0%, P < 0.001) Conclusions: This study found the standardized incidence rate of 236 cases per 100,000 person-year for Sepsis-3, which was more common in males and elderly population. This corresponded to about 2.5 million new cases of Sepsis-3 per year, resulting in more than 700,000 deaths in China. Clinical trial registration NCT02285257, https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/record/NCT02285257.