OBJECTIVE: This study reports the first imported case of Lassa fever (LF) in China. Laboratory detection and molecular epidemiological analysis of the Lassa virus (LASV) from this case offer valuable insights for the prevention and control of LF. METHODS: Samples of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), blood, urine, saliva, and environmental materials were collected from the patient and their close contacts for LASV nucleotide detection. Whole-genome sequencing was performed on positive samples to analyze the genetic characteristics of the virus. RESULTS: LASV was detected in the patient's CSF, blood, and urine, while all samples from close contacts and the environment tested negative. The virus belongs to the lineage IV strain and shares the highest homology with strains from Sierra Leone. The variability in the glycoprotein complex (GPC) among different strains ranged from 3.9% to 15.1%, higher than previously reported for the seven known lineages. Amino acid mutation analysis revealed multiple mutations within the GPC immunogenic epitopes, increasing strain diversity and potentially impacting immune response. CONCLUSION The case was confirmed through nucleotide detection, with no evidence of secondary transmission or viral spread. The LASV strain identified belongs to lineage IV, with broader GPC variability than previously reported. Mutations in the immune-related sites of GPC may affect immune responses, necessitating heightened vigilance regarding the virus.
Humans ; China/epidemiology* ; Genome, Viral ; Lassa Fever/virology* ; Lassa virus/classification* ; Molecular Epidemiology ; Phylogeny

[Objective]To investigate the genetic polymorphism of 42 short tandem repeats(STRs),including 41 non-CODIS loci from the Shenzhen Han population and evaluate their potential values in forensic application.[Methods]In our research,the AGCU 21+1 STR kit and Microreader? 23sp Direct ID System were applied to analyze the polymorphism of STR loci from 435 unrelated individuals of Shenzhen Han population.Modified-Powerstates and Arlequin v3.5 software were used to analyze the allele frequencies and forensic parameters,and perform the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium test.[Results]A total of 418 alleles were detected from 435 unrelated individuals in Shenzhen,all consistent with Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium(P>0.05/42),with the allele frequency ranging from 0.001 1 to 0.552 9.Besides,the discrimination power(DP)ranged from 0.798 8(D1S1627)to 0.968 6(D7S3048),the polymorphic information content(PIC)ranged from 0.568 0(D1S1627)to 0.859 8(D7S3048),and the heterozygosity(H)ranged from 0.627 6(D1S1627)to 0.878 2(D20S470).Among all the STRs tested in the study,both D1S1656 and D21S1270 have 16 alleles and show the highest polymorphism.In comparison,only five alleles were observed in the D4S2408 locus,which displays the least polymorphism.[Conclusions]The 42 autosomal STR loci with high genetic polymorphism in Shenzhen Han population showed potential as an effective means for individual identification and paternity testing,especially in the cases with single parent or mutation detected.The obtained information can provide basic data for STR population genetics.

AIM To identify the endophytic fungus G-(JK)-2 from Orixa japonica Thunb.and to study its secondary metabolites and their α-glucosidase inhibitory activities.METHODS Through the ITS sequence,the evolutionary tree that identifies the endophytic fungus G-(JK)-2 was established.Then 45 days rice solid medium of endophytic fungus G-(JK)-2 was extracted by methanol,and then by ethyl acetate.The ethyl acetate extract was separated and purified by silica gel chromatography,Sephadex LH-20,and semi-preparative HPLC.The structures of obtained compounds were identified by physicochemical properties and spectral data.Their α-glucosidase inhibitory activities were evaluated by PNPG method.RESULTS The endophytic fungus G-(JK)-2 from O.japonica was identified as Fusarium nematophilum.Thirteen compounds were isolated and identified as p-hydroxybenzaldehyde(G1),4-hydroxyacetophenone(G2),anhydromevalonolactone(G3),flazine(G4),salicylic acid(G5),p-hydroxybenzoic acid(G6),di-(2-ethylhexyl)-phthalate(G7),terephthalic acid bis(2-ethyl-hexyl)ester(G8),thymine(G9),uridine(G10),adenosine(G11),2′-deoxyuridine(G12),nicotinic acid(G13).The inhibitory effect of each compound on α-glucosidase was in sequence of G4>G11>G10>G13>G12.CONCLUSION All compounds are first isolated from the endophytic fungi of the O.japonica,and G10,G11,G13 are first isolated from the endophytic fungi of Fusarium.G4 and G11 have mild inhibition to α-glucosidase.

Objective To investigate the effect of γ-aminobutyric acid(GABA)signaling pathway on endoplasmic reticulum(ER)stress and mitochondrial autophagy in septic rats with acute lung injury(ALI).Methods SD rats were randomly grouped into the control(CON)group,the model group,the GABA signaling pathway activator Baclofen group(the Baclofen group),the GABA signaling pathway inhibitor dicentrine group(the BIC group),with 6 rats in each group.The Baclofen group received intraperitoneal injection of 5 mg/kg Baclofen,and the BIC group received intraperitoneal injection of 1 mg/kg BIC,once a day,for two consecutive weeks.The CON group and the model group were injected with an equal amount of physiological saline via intraperitoneal injection.Enzyme linked immunosorbent assay was applied to detect serum levels of superoxide dismutase(SOD)and malondialdehyde(MDA)and levels of cytochrome C(Cyt.C)and Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate(NADPH)in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid(BALF).Transmission electron microscopy(TEM)was applied to observe the ultrastructure of lung tissue cells.HE staining was applied to observe the pathological morphology of lung tissue.TUNEL staining was applied to observe the apoptosis of lung tissue.Western blot assay was applied to detect expression levels of GABAAR,GRP78 and CHOP proteins in lung tissue.Results Compared with the model group,the lung swelling,congestion and inflammatory cell infiltration were improved in the Baclofen group,and the lung injury score,MDA content,apoptosis index,Cyt.C and NADPH levels,GRP78,and CHOP protein levels were reduced(P＜0.05).The number of autophagic vacuoles in phagocytic mitochondria,SOD content and GABAAR protein level were increased(P＜0.05),however,the trend of above indicators in the BIC group was opposite to that in the Baclofen group.Conclusion Up-regulation of GABA signaling pathway may have an improvement effect on ALI in sepsis rats.

Objective To propose a sperm classification model based on convolutional neural network to enhance the accuracy of sperm morphological classification.Methods A FT-EfficientNet model was constructed using EfficientNetB0 as the base model,which was fine-tuned by data preprocessing enhancement,transfer learning and cosine decay.Classification experi-ments were performed on the sperm public datasets SCIAN-Morpho and HuSHeM,and the datasets were segmented and vali-dated using 5-fold cross-validation.The classification results by the FT-EfficientNet model were compared with those by the cascade ensemble of support vector machines(CE-SVM)model,the adaptive patch-based dictionary learning(APDL)model,fine tuning of visual geometry group(FT-VGG)model,morphological classification of human sperm heads(MH-HSH)model and transfer learning(TL)model.Ablation experiments were performed in the SCIAN-Morpho dataset to verify the effect of different fine-tuning methods on the model.Results The FT-EfficientNet model proposed had the accuracy,precision and F1 score on the SCIAN-Morpho validation set being 64.1％,63.8％and 64.8％,respectively,which were better than CE-SVM,APDL,FT-VGG and MC-HSH models.The recall rate of the model proposed(65.2％)was slightly lower than that of MC-HSH model(68.0％).The accuracy,precision,F1 score and recall rate on the HuSHeM validation set was 95.4％,95.8％,95.4％and 96.0％,respectively,which were slightly lower than those of TL model while better than those of CE-SVM,APDL,FT-VGG and MC-HSH models.Ablation experiments showed the FT-EfficientNet model behaved the best in fine-tuning.Conclusion The sperm classification model based on convolutional neural network facilitates sperm morphology classification with high accuracy and performance.[Chinese Medical Equipment Journal,2024,45(10):7-13]

AIM:To investigate the potential impact of mitoNEET[mitochondrial protein containing Asn-Glu-Glu-Thr(NEET)sequence]on mitochondrial metabolism in brown adipocytes,and to elucidate its underlying mecha-nism.METHODS:An in vitro model of primary mouse brown adipocytes was established.Western blot were utilized to detect relevant proteins,and iron ion and ATP content was measured using kits.Mitochondrial membrane potential and re-active oxygen species(ROS)were assessed by fluorescence microscopy and flow cytometry.RESULTS:The expression of the ferroptosis-related protein ACSL4 increased by 1.13 times in ferroptosis inducer erastin treatment group,whereas the expression of SLC7A11 and GPX4 decreased by 27.33%and 25.33%,respectively,compared with control group(P<0.05).The expression of Nrf1,PGC-1α,MFN2 and UCP1 proteins,related to mitochondrial energy metabolism,de-creased by 20.98%,15.17%,15.03%and 34.22%,respectively(P<0.05).Additionally,the mitoNEET protein con-tent was significantly reduced by 42.14%(P<0.05).The iron ion content in erastin group was substantially increased by 1.80 times compared with control group.However,a notable decrease in ATP content of 14.95%was seen(P<0.05).The results obtained from fluorescence microscopy and flow cytometry demonstrated a significant decrease in the mitochon-drial membrane potential of brown adipocytes in erastin group,with reductions of 52.18%and 61.31%(P<0.05),re-spectively.A substantial increase in mitochondrial ROS content of 80.97%was seen(P<0.05).Western blot analysis of overexpressed stable strains revealed a significant elevation in mitoNEET levels in brown adipocytes following lentivirus transfection,exhibiting an increase of 11.19 times(P<0.05),thus confirming successful transfection.The LV-mitoNEET group exhibited a significant decrease of 37.95%in the expression of ferroptosis-related protein ACSL4 in brown adipose cells compared with control group.Additionally,there was a notable increase of 77.82%and 66.3%in the expression of SLC7A11 and GPX4,respectively(P<0.05).Up-regulation was observed in the expression of MFN2(79.06%),PGC-1α(72.89%),Nrf1(40.14%),and UCP1(31.68%)(P<0.05).The test results demonstrated that the LV-mitoNEET group experienced a reduction of 43.5%in iron ion content compared with control group while exhibiting an increase of 33.5%in ATP content(P<0.05).The results obtained from fluorescence microscopy and flow cytometry demonstrated that mitoNEET overexpression led to a significant increase in the mitochondrial membrane potential of erastin-induced brown adipocytes,with increments of 17.61%and 96.05%,respectively.Additionally,mitoNEET overexpression effec-tively reduced the production of mitochondrial ROS by 24.48%(P<0.05).CONCLUSION:Our findings suggest that mitoNEET overexpression can effectively inhibit the disruption of mitochondrial energy metabolism caused by ferroptosis-induced death of brown adipocytes.

This study aims to improve the solubility and bioavailability of daidzein by preparing the β-cyclodextrin-daidzein/PEG_(20000)/Carbomer_(940) nanocrystals. Specifically, the nanocrystals were prepared with daidzein as a model drug, PEG_(20000), Carbomer_(940), and NaOH as a plasticizer, a gelling agent, and a crosslinking agent, respectively. A two-step method was employed to prepare the β-cyclodextrin-daidzein/PEG_(20000)/Carbomer_(940) nanocystals. First, the insoluble drug daidzein was embedded in β-cyclodextrin to form inclusion complexes, which were then encapsulated in the PEG_(20000)/Carbomer_(940) nanocrystals. The optimal mass fraction of NaOH was determined as 0.8% by the drug release rate, redispersability, SEM morphology, encapsulation rate, and drug loading. The inclusion status of daidzein nanocrystals was determined by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy(FTIR), thermogravimetric analysis(TGA), and X-ray diffraction(XRD) analysis to verify the feasibility of the preparation. The prepared nanocrystals showed the average Zeta potential of(-30.77±0.15)mV and(-37.47±0.64)mV and the particle sizes of(333.60±3.81)nm and(544.60±7.66)nm before and after daidzein loading, respectively. The irregular distribution of nanocrystals before and after daidzein loading was observed under SEM. The redispersability experiment showed high dispersion efficiency of the nanocrystals. The in vitro dissolution rate of nanocrystals in intestinal fluid was significantly faster than that of daidzein, and followed the first-order drug release kinetic model. XRD, FTIR, and TGA were employed to determine the polycrystalline properties, drug loading, and thermal stability of the nanocrystals before and after drug loading. The nanocrystals loaded with daidzein demonstrated obvious antibacterial effect. The nanocrystals had more significant inhibitory effects on Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa than daidzein because of the improved solubility of daidzein. The prepared nanocrystals can significantly increase the dissolution rate and oral bioavailability of the insoluble drug daidzein.
Sodium Hydroxide ; Acrylic Resins ; Escherichia coli ; Nanoparticles

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the prevalence rate of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in overweight/obese children who visit a hospital, and to explore the influencing factors of NAFLD, in order to provide a basis for the prevention of NAFLD in overweight/obese children. METHODS: Overweight/obese children who visited Hunan Children's Hospital from June 2019 to September 2021 were recruited. The prevalence rate of NAFLD was examined. Logistic regression analysis was used to explore the factors influencing the development of NAFLD [non-alcoholic fatty liver (NAFL) and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH)]. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis was used to evaluate the predictive value of the influencing factors for NAFL and NASH. RESULTS: A total of 844 overweight/obese children aged 6-17 years were enrolled. The prevalence rate of NAFLD in overweight/obese children was 38.2% (322/844), among which the prevalence rates of NAFL and NASH were 28.8% (243/844) and 9.4% (79/844), respectively. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that the increase of waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) and low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) were associated with the development of NAFL and NASH (P<0.05). The receiver operating characteristic curve analysis showed that the combined measurement of WHR and HDL-C had a predictive value for NAFL (area under the curve: 0.653, 95%CI: 0.613-0.694), and for NASH (area under the curve: 0.771, 95%CI: 0.723-0.819). CONCLUSIONS The prevalence rate of NAFLD in overweight/obese children who visit a hospital is high. WHR and HDL-C are associated with the development of NAFLD and the combined measurement of WHR and HDL-C has a certain value for predicating the development of NAFLD.
Child ; Humans ; Cholesterol, HDL ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease/complications* ; Overweight/complications* ; Pediatric Obesity/epidemiology* ; Prevalence ; Adolescent

Objective: To analyze the prevalence and the risk factors of fungal sepsis in 25 neonatal intensive care units (NICU) among preterm infants in China, and to provide a basis for preventive strategies of fungal sepsis. Methods: This was a second-analysis of the data from the "reduction of infection in neonatal intensive care units using the evidence-based practice for improving quality" study. The current status of fungal sepsis of the 24 731 preterm infants with the gestational age of <34⁺⁰ weeks, who were admitted to 25 participating NICU within 7 days of birth between May 2015 and April 2018 were retrospectively analyzed. These preterm infants were divided into the fungal sepsis group and the without fungal sepsis group according to whether they developed fungal sepsis to analyze the incidences and the microbiology of fungal sepsis. Chi-square test was used to compare the incidences of fungal sepsis in preterm infants with different gestational ages and birth weights and in different NICU. Multivariate Logistic regression analysis was used to study the outcomes of preterm infants with fungal sepsis, which were further compared with those of preterm infants without fungal sepsis. The 144 preterm infants in the fungal sepsis group were matched with 288 preterm infants in the non-fungal sepsis group by propensity score-matched method. Univariate and multivariate Logistic regression analysis were used to analyze the risk factors of fungal sepsis. Results: In all, 166 (0.7%) of the 24 731 preterm infants developed fungal sepsis, with the gestational age of (29.7±2.0) weeks and the birth weight of (1 300±293) g. The incidence of fungal sepsis increased with decreasing gestational age and birth weight (both P<0.001). The preterm infants with gestational age of <32 weeks accounted for 87.3% (145/166). The incidence of fungal sepsis was 1.0% (117/11 438) in very preterm infants and 2.0% (28/1 401) in extremely preterm infants, and was 1.3% (103/8 060) in very low birth weight infants and 1.7% (21/1 211) in extremely low birth weight infants, respectively. There was no fungal sepsis in 3 NICU, and the incidences in the other 22 NICU ranged from 0.7% (10/1 397) to 2.9% (21/724), with significant statistical difference (P<0.001). The pathogens were mainly Candida (150/166, 90.4%), including 59 cases of Candida albicans and 91 cases of non-Candida albicans, of which Candida parapsilosis was the most common (41 cases). Fungal sepsis was independently associated with increased risk of moderate to severe bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) (adjusted OR 1.52, 95%CI 1.04-2.22, P=0.030) and severe retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) (adjusted OR 2.55, 95%CI 1.12-5.80, P=0.025). Previous broad spectrum antibiotics exposure (adjusted OR=2.50, 95%CI 1.50-4.17, P<0.001), prolonged use of central line (adjusted OR=1.05, 95%CI 1.03-1.08, P<0.001) and previous total parenteral nutrition (TPN) duration (adjusted OR=1.04, 95%CI 1.02-1.06, P<0.001) were all independently associated with increasing risk of fungal sepsis. Conclusions: Candida albicans and Candida parapsilosis are the main pathogens of fungal sepsis among preterm infants in Chinese NICU. Preterm infants with fungal sepsis are at increased risk of moderate to severe BPD and severe ROP. Previous broad spectrum antibiotics exposure, prolonged use of central line and prolonged duration of TPN will increase the risk of fungal sepsis. Ongoing initiatives are needed to reduce fungal sepsis based on these risk factors.
Infant ; Infant, Newborn ; Humans ; Birth Weight ; Intensive Care Units, Neonatal ; Retrospective Studies ; Tertiary Care Centers ; Infant, Extremely Low Birth Weight ; Gestational Age ; Infant, Extremely Premature ; Sepsis/epidemiology* ; Retinopathy of Prematurity/epidemiology* ; Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia/epidemiology*

Objective: To investigate the level of psychosocial factors in workplace and their health effects among workers in a natural gas field. Methods: A prospective and open cohort of natural gas field workers was established to study the level of workplace psychosocial factors and their health effects, with a follow-up every 5 years. In October 2018, a cluster sampling method was used to conduct a baseline survey of 1737 workers in a natural gas field, including a questionnaire survey on demographic characteristics, workplace psychosocial factors and mental health outcomes, physiological indicators such as height and weight, and biochemical indicators such as blood routine, urine routine, liver function and kidney function. The baseline data of the workers were statistically described and analyzed. The psychosocial factors and mental health outcomes were divided into high and low groups according to the mean score, and the physiological and biochemical indicators were divided into normal and abnormal groups according to the reference range of normal values. Results: The age of 1737 natural gas field workers was (41.8±8.0) years old, and the length of service was (21.0±9.7) years. There were 1470 male workers (84.6%). There were 773 (44.5%) high school (technical secondary school) and 827 (47.6%) college (junior college) graduates, 1490 (85.8%) married (including remarriage after divorce), 641 (36.9%) smokers and 835 (48.1%) drinkers. Among the psychosocial factors, the detection rates of high levels of resilience, self-efficacy, colleague support and positive emotion were all higher than 50%. Among the mental health outcomes evaluation indexes, the detection rates of high levels of sleep disorder, job satisfaction and daily stress were 41.82% (716/1712), 57.25% (960/1677) and 45.87% (794/1731), respectively. The detection rate of depressive symptoms was 22.77% (383/1682). The abnormal rates of body mass index (BMI), triglyceride and low density lipoprotein were 46.74% (810/1733), 36.50% (634/1737) and 27.98% (486/1737), respectively. The abnormal rates of systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, uric acid, total cholesterol and blood glucose were 21.64% (375/1733), 21.41% (371/1733), 20.67% (359/1737), 20.55% (357/1737) and 19.17% (333/1737), respectively. The prevalence rates of hypertension and diabetes were 11.23% (195/1737) and 3.45% (60/1737), respectively. Conclusion: The detection rates of high level psychosocial factors in natural gas field workers are high, and their effects on physical and mental health remain to be verified. The establishment of a cohort study of the levels and health effects of psychosocial factors provides an important resource for confirming the causal relationship between workplace psychosocial factors and health.
Humans ; Male ; Adult ; Middle Aged ; Natural Gas ; Cohort Studies ; Prospective Studies ; Oil and Gas Fields ; Workplace/psychology* ; Surveys and Questionnaires