1.Identification of Six Trichinella Isolates from China by Multiplex PCR
Jing CUI ; Guihua ZHAO ; Zhongquan WANG ; Peng JIANG ; Hongtao NIU
Chinese Journal of Parasitology and Parasitic Diseases 1987;0(02):-
Objective To identify and classify six isolates of swine-originated Trichinella from China. Methods Five specific pairs of primers were synthesized based on DNA sequence of expansion segment V region and internal tran-scribed spacers (ITS1 and ITS2) of ribosomal DNA repeat from Trichinella. International reference strains of five Trich-inella species [Trichinella spiralis (T1), T. nativa (T2), T. britovi (T3), T. pseudospiralis (T4) and T. nelsoni(T7)] were used as control. Six swine Trichienlla isolates from Henan, Yunnan, Harbin, Tongjiang of Heilongjiang, Hubei and Tianjin were identified by multiplex PCR and its effecting factors of PCR amplification were observed. Results Electrophoresis results of multiplex PCR products of Trichinella larvae showed that the band (173 bp) of the six isolates was the same as T. spiralis(T1). The specific band (173 bp) was detected by multiplex PCR through amplification from issues of single T. spiralis larva, the larvae conserved in 80% ethanol for 6 months, the larvae stored in 10% formaldehyde, in 0.05% formaldehyde, 0.2% sodium azide or 0.05% merthiotate for 2 weeks,or fresh mouse muscle with larvae. Conclusion All the six swine Trichinella isolates are identified as T. spiralis (T1) by multiplex PCR.
2.Analysis of newly diagnosed HIV infection and influencing factors among men who have sex with men in gay bathhouses in Tianjin
Ziming WU ; Yan GUO ; Hui GONG ; Zhongquan LIU ; Peng XU ; Jie YANG ; Jie XU ; Maohe YU
Chinese Journal of Epidemiology 2023;44(11):1781-1786
Objective:To analyze the newly diagnosed HIV infections and influencing factors among MSM (men who have sex with men) in gay bathhouses in Tianjin and to provide evidence for taking preventive interventions to reduce HIV infections in this population.Methods:Male individuals who sought sexual partners in gay bathhouses and engaged in insertive oral or anal sex with men within the past year were targeted. An open cohort was formed from March 2011 to December 2021 for HIV testing and baseline investigation, followed by follow-ups and screenings. The survey included demographic data and information related to AIDS behaviors. The differences between single-testing and multiple-testing groups were compared, and the positivity rate and incidence rate of new infections in the multiple-testing group were calculated. The Cox proportional hazards regression model was used to analyze the factors influencing the incidence rate of new HIV infections. EpiData 3.02 was used for database construction and SAS 9.4 for statistical analysis.Results:During the research period, 12 195 tests were conducted, involving 7 151 subjects. Among them, primarily those aged ≥30 years (70.18%) and non-local residents (61.32%), with ages ranging from 16 to 82, and M ( Q1, Q3) of age was 36 (28,48), 547 tested positive. Compared to the single-testing group, the multiple-testing group had higher proportions of local residents, married/cohabiting individuals, recent anal intercourse, peer education acceptance, and those diagnosed with an STD in the last year, but a lower proportion of consistent condom usage in recent same-sex encounters. The positivity rate during this period was 7.65% (95% CI: 7.00%-8.00%), declining from 12.58% in 2011 to 3.31% in 2021. A total of 1 740 subjects were included in the open cohort with a cumulative follow-up time of 4 688.61 person-years, with 144 new HIV infections identified. The incidence rate of new infections was 3.07/100 person-years (95% CI: 2.57/100 person-years- 3.57/100 person-years). Multifactorial Cox regression analysis revealed that non-local subjects (a HR=1.32,95% CI:1.19-1.45) and those engaged in group sex with the same gender in the last six months (a HR=1.18,95% CI:1.02-1.36) had higher risks of new HIV infections. Conclusions:MSM in gay bathhouses in Tianjin commonly engage in unsafe sexual behaviors like group sex, emphasizing the need for increased awareness, intervention efforts, and collaboration with MSM community organizations for peer education and proactive HIV testing in gay bathhouses. Moreover, exploring new methods to reduce new HIV infections among MSM is necessary.
3.Homoharringtonine promotes heart allograft acceptance by enhancing regulatory T cells induction in a mouse model
Xia QIU ; Hedong ZHANG ; Zhouqi TANG ; Yuxi FAN ; Wenjia YUAN ; Chen FENG ; Chao CHEN ; Pengcheng CUI ; Yan CUI ; Zhongquan QI ; Tengfang LI ; Yuexing ZHU ; Liming XIE ; Fenghua PENG ; Tuo DENG ; Xin JIANG ; Longkai PENG ; Helong DAI
Chinese Medical Journal 2024;137(12):1453-1464
Background::Homoharringtonine (HHT) is an effective anti-inflammatory, anti-viral, and anti-tumor protein synthesis inhibitor that has been applied clinically. Here, we explored the therapeutic effects of HHT in a mouse heart transplant model.Methods::Healthy C57BL/6 mice were used to observe the toxicity of HHT in the liver, kidney, and hematology. A mouse heart transplantation model was constructed, and the potential mechanism of HHT prolonging allograft survival was evaluated using Kaplan–Meier analysis, immunostaining, and bulk RNA sequencing analysis. The HHT-T cell crosstalk was modeled ex vivo to further verify the molecular mechanism of HHT-induced regulatory T cells (Tregs) differentiation. Results::HHT inhibited the activation and proliferation of T cells and promoted their apoptosis ex vivo. Treatment of 0.5 mg/kg HHT for 10 days significantly prolonged the mean graft survival time of the allografts from 7 days to 48 days ( P <0.001) without non-immune toxicity. The allografts had long-term survival after continuous HHT treatment for 28 days. HHT significantly reduced lymphocyte infiltration in the graft, and interferon-γ-secreting CD4 + and CD8 + T cells in the spleen ( P <0.01). HHT significantly increased the number of peripheral Tregs (about 20%, P <0.001) and serum interleukin (IL)-10 levels. HHT downregulated the expression of T cell receptor (TCR) signaling pathway-related genes ( CD4, H2-Eb1, TRAT1, and CD74) and upregulated the expression of IL-10 and transforming growth factor (TGF) -β pathway-related genes and Treg signature genes ( CTLA4, Foxp3, CD74, and ICOS). HHT increased CD4 + Foxp3 + cells and Foxp3 expression ex vivo, and it enhanced the inhibitory function of inducible Tregs. Conclusions::HHT promotes Treg cell differentiation and enhances Treg suppressive function by attenuating the TCR signaling pathway and upregulating the expression of Treg signature genes and IL-10 levels, thereby promoting mouse heart allograft acceptance. These findings may have therapeutic implications for organ transplant recipients, particularly those with viral infections and malignancies, which require a more suitable anti-rejection medication.
4.Application of four qualitative occupational health risk assessment methods for cement dust hazard assessment
Yun WANG ; Li ZHANG ; Wenting HU ; Zhipeng WANG ; Dong LUO ; Zhongquan PENG
Journal of Public Health and Preventive Medicine 2024;35(5):72-76
Objective To compare the application of four domestic and foreign qualitative occupational health risk assessment methods for cement dust hazard assessment and explore their applicability, and to find out a method suitable for qualitative occupational health risk assessment of cement dust. Methods The Risk Assessment Method for Occupational Accidents and Diseases of Romania (Romania method),the Australian Occupational Health and Safety Risk Assessment Method (Australia method),MES method, and the qualitative method of International Council on Mining & Metals (ICMM) were used to assess the occupational health risk of cement dust exposure posts in seven enterprises of Chongqing. The assessment results were analyzed and compared with Spearman correlation analysis, Mann-Whitney U test and weighted Kappa consistency test after standardizing by risk ratio (RR). Results The RRs of the four methods were all positively correlated with cement dust exposure concentration (the correlation coefficients were all greater than 0.6). The Romania method, the Australia method and the qualitative method of ICMM could identify a risk difference between the key posts and non-key posts. The qualitative method of ICMM was difficult to identify high-risk posts that require priority intervention. The Romania method and Australia method had strong consistency (Kappa=0.608, P<0.01), but only the Australia method could identify high-risk posts of cement dust. Conclusion In general, the Australia method is relatively better at identifying the risk differences of cement dust hazard in different posts and is more suitable for occupational health risk assessment of cement dust with more accurate assessment results.
5.Thinking on ideological and political education in Medical Parasitology teaching
Xi ZHANG ; Shaorong LONG ; Ruodan LIU ; Peng JIANG ; Jing CUI ; Zhongquan WANG
Chinese Journal of Schistosomiasis Control 2024;36(1):87-90
With the deepening reform of ideological and political education, Medical Parasitology teaching needs to update the teaching concept, change the teaching ideas, as well as keep trying to combine ideological and political education with the curriculum content closely. In addition to teaching students’ basic knowledge and practical skills, teachers are needed to cultivate their moral literacy and political awareness through course teaching, so as to provide the basis for students’ subsequent adaptations to social environments and jobs. Currently, the study of ideological and political education in Medical Parasitology teaching is still in the exploratory stage. Therefore, colleges and universities need to carry out effective construction of ideological and political education in Medical Parasitology teaching, in order to achieve good teaching outcomes and provide insights into ideological and political education in teaching.