Abstract: Objective　To understand the density changes and seasonal fluctuation of larvae and adults of Aedes albopictus in Hainan Province from 2017 to 2021, and to provide a scientific basis for the prevention and control of dengue fever and other vector-borne diseases in Hainan Province. Methods　The Breteau index method was used to monitor the larvae of Aedes mosquitoes, and the breeding sites of all small indoor and outdoor water containers and their larvae was checked and recorded. The adult mosquitoes were monitored by double lamination and light trap. Results　A total of 1 962 adult female Aedes albopictus mosquitoes were captured in Hainan Province from 2017 to 2021, accounting for 2.17% of the total captured mosquitoes. There were significant differences in mosquito species composition in different habitats in different years (χ2=312.258, P<0.01). In 2017, the density of mosquitoes in livestock sheds was the highest (9.71 per lamp·night), but the composition ratio of Aedes albopictus was the lowest (1.29%). In 2020, the mosquito density in hospitals was the lowest (2.22 mosquitoes per lamp·night), and in 2019, the proportion of Aedes albopictus in residential areas and hospitals was the highest (3.27% on average).The mosquito density in different habitats was the lowest in 2020. The proportion of Aedes albopictus in residential areas and livestock sheds showed an increasing trend from 2017 to 2021, while the proportion of other habitats showed significant fluctuations. The proportion of Aedes albopictus in hospitals showed an obvious decreasing trend in 2020. From 2017 to 2021, the average mosquito density was 5.97, 4.26, 3.82, 3.39 and 3.68 mosquitoes per lamp·night, respectively, showing a decreasing trend year by year except 2021. Except for 2019, the lure index also showed a decreasing trend, with an average value of 1.5/(hour·net), showing a decreasing trend year by year. From 2017 to 2021, the annual average density of Aedes albopictus in Hainan Province was 0.09 mosquitoes per lamp·night, showing obvious seasonal fluctuation. The Breteau index showed a slow decline from 2017 to 2021, and its annual peak was between June and August, which was 1-2 months later than the peak of adult mosquito density. Conclusions　The population density of Aedes albopictus in Hainan shows obvious seasonal characteristics. Mosquito control activities should be carried out according to the seasonal characteristics of mosquitoes to reduce the risk of dengue fever and other infectious diseases.

The aim of this study was to investigate the biological effect of longikaurin A on multiple myeloma H929 cells. Effects of oridonin and longikaurin A on proliferation of H929 cells were evaluated by CCK-8 assay. Cell morphological features of H929 cells were examined under inverted phase contrast microscope. Apoptosis was determined by Annexin V/PI staining. Expression of caspase-3, caspase-9, and PARP were detected by Western blot. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) level was determined by DCFDA assay. The results showed that longikaurin A (IC(50) 0.85 µmol/L) was more effective than oridonin ((IC(50) 10.66 µmol/L) to inhibit the proliferation of H929 cells. Treatment with longikaurin 2 µmol/L significantly increased the percentage of Annexin V positive cells. Caspase-3 and caspase-9 were activated and PARP, one substrate of caspase-3, was cleaved into 85 kDa fragments. The ROS scavenger N-acetyl-cysteine significantly blocked apoptosis induced by longikaurin A. However, longikaurin A did not increase the ROS level in H929 cells. It is concluded that longikaurin A is more effective than oridonin to induce apoptosis in multiple myeloma H929 cells without increasing the ROS level.
Apoptosis ; drug effects ; Caspase 3 ; metabolism ; Caspase 9 ; metabolism ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Diterpenes, Kaurane ; pharmacology ; Humans ; Multiple Myeloma ; pathology ; Reactive Oxygen Species ; metabolism

Objective To assess the relationship between BRAF gene mutations and clinical phenotype of malignant melanoma.Methods Tissue specimens were collected from the lesions of 80 patients with malignant melanoma,and from the normal skin of 30 patients with trauma in the Department of Plastic Surgery or General Surgery,and subjected to paraffin embedding and DNA extraction.PCR was performed to amplify the exon 11 and 15 of BRAF gene followed by DNA sequencing.Chi-square test and Fisher's exact test were carried out to assess the relationship between BRAF gene mutations and clinical phenotypes of malignant melanoma.Results BRAF gene mutations were found in 19 (23.8％) of the 80 malignant melanoma specimens.Among the 19 mutationpositive specimens,17 (88.2％) carried mutations in exon 15 of BRAF gene with V600E as the most frequent (88.2％,15/17) mutation type,and 2 (10.5％) carried mutations in exon 11.No mutation was found in any of the normal skin tissue specimens.The average age at onset was 57.5 years in these patients.The frequency of BRAF gene mutation was significantly higher in patients younger than 60 years than in those older than 60 years (37.1％ vs.13.3％,x2=6.613,P ＜ 0.05).A significant difference was observed in the frequency of BRAF gene mutation among tissue specimens of mueosal,acral and non-aeral malignant melanoma (18.2％ (4/21) vs.14.7％(5/34) vs.41.7％ (10/24),x2=6.167,P ＜ 0.05).There was no significant association between BRAF gene mutation and gender,race or lymph node metastasis (all P ＞ 0.05).Conclusions BRAF gene is a hot spot for mutations in patients with malignant melanoma in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region,with V600E point mutation in exon 15 as the most frequent mutation type.BRAF gene mutations appear to be closely correlated with the age at onset of and lesional sites in,but uncorrelated with gender and race of or lymph node metastasis in,patients with malignant melanoma.

BACKGROUNDTo evaluate the safety of intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) with epididymal or testicular sperm, this study compared children born after ICSI treatment with epididymal or testicular sperm with children conceived after ICSI with ejaculated sperm.

METHODSThis retrospective study included 317 children born after ICSI with percutaneous epididymal sperm aspiration (PESA), 103 children born after ICSI with testicular sperm aspiration (TESA), and a control group of 1008 children born after ICSI with ejaculated sperm. All of the patients received their assisted reproductive treatment in the Reproductive Medicine Center of the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University from January 2004 to December 2011. Data, such as the rate of stillbirths, perinatal mortality, gestational age, birth weight, and the rate of congenital malformations of the three groups, were compared.

RESULTSPESA and TESA children were not different from ICSI children in the rate of stillbirths, perinatal mortality, infant mortality rate, gestational age, the rate of prematurity, and the rate of malformations (P > 0.05). A slight increase in birth defects was reported in the TESA group compared with those in the control group, but there was no significant difference between the groups (P > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONICSI with epididymal or testicular sperm does not lead to more stillbirths or congenital malformations compared with ICSI using ejaculated sperm.

Adult ; Congenital Abnormalities ; epidemiology ; Epididymis ; Female ; Fetal Death ; epidemiology ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Infant, Newborn ; Male ; Pregnancy ; Retrospective Studies ; Sperm Injections, Intracytoplasmic

OBJECTIVETo investigate the effects and clinical pregnancy outcomes of intracytoplasmic sperm insemination (ICSI) with microamount frozen-thawed sperm obtained by percutaneous epididymal sperm aspiration (PESA) or testicular sperm aspiration (TESA) in azoospermia patients.

METHODSWe divided 365 azoospermia patients treated by ICSI into an experimental group (n = 123) and a control group (n = 242) , the former with microamount frozen-thawed sperm, and the latter fresh sperm obtained by PESA or TESA. The rates of fertilization, good embryos, clinical pregnancy, miscarriage, ectopic pregnancy and multiple pregnancy were analyzed and compared between the two groups.

RESULTSWith PESA, the experimental group showed no statistically significant differences from the control group in the rates of fertilization (75.67% vs 76.49%), good embryos (64.96% vs 66.09%), clinical pregnancy (55.21% vs 57.22%), clinical miscarriage (13.21% vs 12.61%), ectopic pregnancy (3. 77% vs 5.41%) and multiple pregnancy (37.74% vs 37.84%) (P > 0.05); nor with TESA (74.41% vs 76.43%, 64.63% vs 66.35%, 46.81% vs 53.39%, 18.18% vs 14.55%, 4.55% vs 1.82%, 37.74% vs 37.84%, P > 0.05). The revival rate of the frozen-thawed sperm from PESA was 70.07%, not significantly different from that of TESA (62.67%) (P > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONICSI with frozen-thawed micro-amount sperm obtained by PESA or TESA is a safe, economic and effective method for the treatment of azoospermia. The techniques for reviving frozen sperm from PESA or TESA remain to be optimized, and whether these techniques may result in long-term genetic risks in the offspring deserves further investigation.

Adult ; Azoospermia ; therapy ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Oligospermia ; therapy ; Pregnancy ; Pregnancy Rate ; Sperm Injections, Intracytoplasmic ; methods ; Sperm Retrieval

OBJECTIVESTo study the roles of leptin in the development during puberty in girls and the its relationship with insulin (INS), growth hormone (GH), estradiol (E(2)) and testosterone (T).

METHODSOne hundred and fifty girls with simple obese aged 7 to 17 years, and 150 normal healthy girls and 150 girls with malnutrition matched for age (+/- 3 months) and height (+/- 2 cm) were selected. Serum levels of leptin, INS, GH, E(2) and T were measured for them.

RESULTSTheir serum level of leptin positively correlated with body mass index (BMI) and age. Serum level of leptin in girls increased steadily from Tanner stage B(1) to stage B(5). At Tanner stage B(2), serum level of leptin in the normal groups (7.72 microg/L) was not significantly different from that in those with malnutrition (7.36 microg/L), but significantly lower than that in the obese groups (12.85 microg/L). At other Tanner stages, there was significant difference in serum level of leptin among obese, normal and malnutrition groups. Serum level of leptin correlated negatively with serum GH and positively with serum INS, but not correlated with E(2) and T.

CONCLUSIONSLeptin may play a role in triggering development during puberty in girls. Serum level of leptin at Tanner stage B(2) may be the threshold dose to trigger the onset of puberty in girls. Quickly increasing level of leptin at Tanner stage B(5) may inhibit the increase of GH, which ushered the end of puberty in girls.

Adolescent ; Body Height ; physiology ; Body Mass Index ; Body Weight ; physiology ; Child ; Female ; Growth Hormone ; metabolism ; Humans ; Leptin ; blood ; physiology ; Puberty ; physiology ; Testosterone ; metabolism

Objective To determine the audiological characteristics in 832 deaf children with biallelic causative mutations in GJB2 ,SLC26A4 gene .Methods The 832 patients received deafness gene screening ,553 were GJB2 gene biallelic causative mutations ,279 were SLC26A4 gene biallelic causative mutations .Patients were divided into four groups according to ages of hearing loss onset :<1 ,1~3 ,3~6 ,6~12 years old ,and the audiological character-istics and prevalence of GJB2 ,SLC26A4 gene mutations at different ages of onset .Results The prevalence of GJB2 gene mutations at four groups was 37 .97% (210/553) ,38 .34% (212/553) ,16 .27% (90/553) ,7 .41% (41/553) ,re-spectively ;the prevalence of SLC26A4 gene mutations at four groups was 25 .45% (71/279) ,44 .80% (125/279) , 20 .07% (56/279) ,9 .67% (27/279) ,respectively .The difference between GJB2 and SLC26A4 gene was significant(P=0 .001) .The prevalence of profound hearing loss with GJB2 gene mutations at four groups were 66 .67% (140/210) ,61 .32% (130/212) ,47 .78% (43/90) ,41 .46% (17/41) ,respectively .The difference was significant (P=0 .004) ,while the difference in 279 patients with SLC26A4 gene mutations was not statistically significant (P= 0 . 083) .Conclusion The age of hearing loss onset in patients with biallelic causative mutations in GJB 2 or SLC26A4 gene refers to 0~3 years -old ,hearing loss in patients with GJB2 ,SLC26A4 gene mutations gives priority to pro-found .The age of hearing loss onset is smaller ,the ratio of profound hearing loss is higher .Patients with severe and profound hearing impairment should be performed the genetic testing when the age of onset under 12 .

OBJECTIVETo investigate the psychological well-being among adolescents of HIV-positive parents.

METHODSThis study was involving 298 adolescents from 10 to 18 years old, including 54 adolescents of both parents living with AIDS or HIV, 114 adolescents of one parent living with AIDS or HIV and another 130 adolescents from normal families. Only one adolescent was studied per family. All participants completed an anonymous questionnaire. Psychological health, satisfaction on life, self-esteem and coping style were evaluated by SCL-90, Multidimensional Students' Life Satisfaction Scale, Self-esteem Scale and Simplified Coping Style Questionnaire.

RESULTSThe total score and 10 factors of the SCL-90 in the adolescents of parents living with HIV or AIDS was higher than the adolescents from normal families and those scores in the adolescents of both parents living with HIV or AIDS were the highest. There were 27.8% of the adolescents with both HIV-positive parents were having the total score of SCL-90 more than 160 or at lest one of the 10 factors' score more than 3. The detected rate of adolescents with one HIV-positive parent was 16.7%, higher than those adolescents from normal families (8.5%) and with significant difference (chi2 = 11.457, P = 0.003). 50.0% of the adolescents with both HIV-positive parents, were having one or more factor' score between 2.0 and 3.0, compared to the rate (37.0%) of adolescents with one HIV-positive parent. The rate was higher than the adolescents from normal families (29.8%) and with significant difference (chi2 = 7.250, P = 0.027). Among the students from normal families, the total score and the 5 dimensionalities' score of the MSLSS were lower than those adolescents of parents living with AIDS or HIV. In the friend dimensionality, the score of the adolescents from normal families was significantly higher than the adolescents of parents living with AIDS or HIV. The scores of self-esteem, positive coping style and negative coping style were not significantly different in three different subjects.

CONCLUSIONThe psychological status of the adolescents of parents living with AIDS or HIV indicated unoptimistic situation.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome ; Adaptation, Psychological ; Adolescent ; Child ; Female ; HIV Infections ; Humans ; Male ; Parent-Child Relations ; Parents

Objective To investigate the association between psychological sub-healthy status and risks on injuries and related predictors among adolescents in China,in order to develop reasonable intervention programs.Methods Adolescents were selected from middle schools and colleges in eight cities.Baseline status on sub-healthy that related to psycho-pathology was measured using the Multidimensional Sub-health Questionnaire of Adolescents (MSQA).Data on Self- or unintentional injuries were collected using a standardized injury surveillance questionnaire every 3 months,for three times (T0,T1,T2 and T3).Results A total of 12 113 students completed the study.Prevalence rates related to self-injury among boys and girls were 19.4％ and 19.9％,respectively.The rates of having more than 4 types of self-injuries in boys and girls were 4.7％ and 4.2％,respectively.Boys had a significantly higher unintentional injury rate than that of girls (62.2％ vs.57.3％ ).The differences in the rates of having more than 4 types of unintentional injury between boys (3.8％) and girls (3.4％) were also statistically significant.Rates on self- and unintentional-injuries increased in T1,T2 and T3 when the psychological symptoms had an increase.Data from Multiple regression analysis demonstrated that the baseline psychological sub-healthy status was a predictive factor for higher risk of self- and unintentional- injuries at each of the follow-up waves.Conclusion Sub-healthy status of psycho-pathology was associated with an increased risk on self-and unintentional injuries among adolescents.Integrative psycho-pathological and behavioralintervention programs might help in reducing the risk of injuries among the Chinese adolescents.

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the clinical application value of oocyte vitrification in failed testicular sperm extraction cycles in non-obstructive azoospermia (NOA) patients.

METHODSWe retrospectively analyzed the clinical data of 8 women undergoing oocyte frozen-thawing cycles by vitrification because of failed testicular sperm extraction from their NOA husbands and no banked donor sperm on the day of oocyte retrieval. The oocytes were cryopreserved by vitrification with cryotop and thawed 2 months later. The surviving metaphase II (MII) oocytes were injected with the banked donor sperm of the same blood type as the husbands by intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) for fertilization. The rates of oocyte survival, fertilization, cleavage, good embryos and pregnancy were evaluated.

RESULTSSixty oocytes were vitrified and 47 (78.3%) survived after thawing, of which 41 MII oocytes underwent ICSI and 33 (80.5%) of them were fertilized. The rates of cleavage and good embryos were 81.8% (27/33) and 59.3% (16/27) respectively. Fifteen of the embryos were transferred to the 8 patients, with 1.9 +/- 0.8 per cycle, of which 5 (33.3%) were confirmed by ultrasound to have been implanted and 5 resulted in clinical pregnancy (62.5%), all singleton without miscarriage. Three normal boys and 1 normal girl were already born, with the pregnancy time of (39 + 4 +/- 0.4) wk and newborn body weight of (3787.5 +/- 513.7) g, respectively.

CONCLUSIONVitrification of oocytes in failed testicular sperm extraction cycles is a promising technique for preserving female fertility, which, with ICSI of banked donor sperm, may result in satisfactory clinical outcomes.

Adult ; Azoospermia ; Cryopreservation ; methods ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Oocytes ; Pregnancy ; Pregnancy Rate ; Retrospective Studies ; Sperm Banks ; Sperm Injections, Intracytoplasmic ; Testis ; Treatment Failure