Objective: To analyze the process of handling a pulmonary tuberculosis(TB) outbreak among senior high school students in a boarding school in Chongqing, as well as to investigate the underlying causes of the outbreak, so as to provide evidence to inform TB prevention and control strategies in school settings. Methods: From November 2023 to April 2024, an epidemiological investigation was conducted into the TB outbreak in a grade 12 class from a boarding high school. Suspected cases were screened using symptom screening, tuberculin skin test (TST), and chest X-ray examinations. Confirmed cases underwent individual epidemiological interviews and sputum culture; Cultured positive mycobacterial strains were subjected to whole genome sequencing after identification as Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Results: A total of 10 active pulmonary TB cases were identified, all from the same class, yielding a student attack rate of 16.67%. Three isolates were culture positive, as well as all strains were of L2 type，and the WGS analysis of the strains suggested a common transmission chain. Excluding the index case, four additional cases were detected through symptom driven health care visits. Notably, 70% of patients presented with "chest tightness and chest pain" symptoms, and 50% had "cough" symptoms,but none were detected during morning health checks or tracking of absences due to illness. A total of 326 contacts were identified and underwent three rounds of screening and one follow up examination. In the initial screening, 35 close contacts from the same class showed strong TST positivity, corresponding to a strong positivity rate of 55.56%, significantly higher than the 20.76% observed among casual contacts ( χ 2=29.80, P <0.01). Among the 35 strongly TST positivvity close contacts and five individuals with moderate TST positivity whose induration had increased by ≥10 mm over two years, none received timely preventive treatment initially; five of them were subsequently diagnosed with active TB within three months. Following this, 25 individuals initiated preventive therapy, resulting in a preventive treatment initiation rate of 62.50%. Among TST negative classmates who converted to strong positivity on repeat TST testing at three months, 75.00% started preventive treatment, but only 22.22% completed the full course. Conclusion Inadequate implementation of morning health checks and cause tracking for absenteeism due to illness, poorly standardized screening procedures, and delayed preventive treatment may have been key factors contributing to the spread of the outbreak.

Objective: To analyze the current status and influencing factors for latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) among the elderly in Nanchuan District, Chongqing Municipality, so as to provide a reference for developing targeted prevention and control measures and reducing the risk of tuberculosis incidence. Methods: From June to December 2024, a multi-stage random cluster sampling method combined with probability proportional to population size sampling was used to select residents aged ≥65 years from four townships (streets) in Nanchuan District as study participants. Demographic information, disease history, and history of close contact with tuberculosis were collected through a questionnaire survey. Tuberculin skin test (TST) was used to detect Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection. LTBI was defined as a mean induration diameter of ≥10 mm on the TST, with active pulmonary tuberculosis excluded. Factors affecting LTBI among the elderly were identified using a multivariable logistic regression model. Results: A total of 3 699 participants were surveyed, including 1 707 males (46.15%) and 1 992 females (53.85%). The median age was 71.00 (interquartile range, 8.00) years. There were 285 participants (7.70%) with pulmonary disease, 18 (0.49%) with immune system disease, 47 (1.27%) with a history of tuberculosis, and 17 (0.46%) with a history of close contact with tuberculosis. LTBI was detected in 628 participants, with a detection rate of 16.98%. Multivariable logistic regression analysis showed that elderly participants with senior high school education or above (OR=2.292, 95%CI: 1.508-3.484), those with immune system disease (OR=3.226, 95%CI: 1.240-8.393), and those with a history of tuberculosis (OR=4.797, 95%CI: 2.436-9.447) were significantly associated with a higher risk of LTBI. Conclusions The detection rate of LTBI among the elderly in Nanchuan District was relatively low. Educational level, immune system disease, and history of tuberculosis were influencing factors for LTBI risk in this population. It is necessary to strengthen health education, screening, and preventive interventions.

Immune-related kidney disease is one of the causes of end-stage renal disease and an important disease type that threatens public health. Farnesoid X receptor (FXR) is a nuclear receptor activated by bile acids, involved in regulating gene expression related to bile acid, lipid, and glucose metabolism. In recent years, the role of FXR in renal immune regulation has received attention. FXR participates in the occurrence and development of immune-related kidney diseases by regulating the differentiation, polarization, activation, recruitment, adhesion, infiltration, and cytokine release of immune cells such as macrophages, dendritic cells, natural killer cells, T lymphocytes, and B lymphocytes. This article reviews renal immune-regulatory mechanisms of FXR in recent years and its potential role in immune-related kidney diseases, to provide a theoretical basis for the prevention and treatment of immune-related kidney diseases targeting FXR.

Objective: To delineate the epidemiologic profile of rifampicin resistant pulmonary tuberculosis (RR-PTB) among students in Chongqing, so as to provide evidence for effectively controlling RR-PTB outbreaks in schools. Methods: Individual level surveillance records of 395 student RR-PTB cases reported from 2015 to 2024 were extracted from the China Information System for Disease Control and Prevention. The Joinpoint regression analysis was employed to quantify temporal trends in the registration rate of student RR-PTB cases, and the comparison of RR-PTB registration rates with different demographic characteristics and different regions was performed using Chi-square test. Results: From 2015 to 2024, a total of 395 student RR-PTB cases were identified, with the registration rate ranged from 0.07 per 100 000 to 1.47 per 100 000, showed a fluctuating upward trend ( AAPC= 35.22%, t =4.13, P <0.01). A turning point was detected in 2017, rates rose during 2015-2017 (APC=295.23%， t =4.62， P < 0.01 ) and plateaued thereafter (APC=-0.47%， t =-0.12， P =0.91). The proportion of RR-PTB cases occurring among students increased both among all RR-PTB cases (1.54% in 2015, 7.48% in 2024) and all student pulmonary tuberculosis cases (0.20% in 2015, 7.17% in 2024), with significant linear trends ( χ 2 trend =33.55,159.98, both P <0.01). The majority of cases were enrolled in senior high school (50.38%), classified as retreatment (53.92%), of Han ethnicity (75.95%), and diagnosed with multidrug resistant tuberculosis(53.16%). There were significant differences in the composition of different ethnicity, registration category and resistance pattern between different years( χ 2=23.47, 17.23, 59.64，all P <0.05). The South-Eastern Wuling Mountainous Region exhibited the highest notification rate (3.96 per 100 000), whereas the western region had the lowest rate ( 0.47 per 100 000). County level jurisdictions reported higher rates than district level ones (2.16 per 100 000 vs 0.63 per 100 000 ). Statistically significant differences were observed in the RR-PTB reported rates among students across different districts and counties( χ 2=418.05,167.05,both P <0.01). Conclusions From 2015 to 2024, the registration rate of detected student RR-PTB cases in Chongqing showed an increasing trend. Students have become one of the key populations for drug resistant TB prevention and control. Intensified health education and active case finding should be implemented to enhance proactive surveillance capabilities.

Chronic kidney disease(CKD)is a chronic renal structural and functional disorder caused by multiple causes(history of kidney injury>3 months),with complex etiology and high inci-dence,which will eventually lead to end-stage re-nal disease(ESRD).Common chronic kidney diseas-es include diabetic nephropathy,polycystic ne-phropathy,nephrogenic diabetes insipidus and re-nal fibrosis.At present,there is still a lack of effec-tive specific treatment for chronic kidney disease.The Apelin system is an endogenous physiological regulator.Studies have shown that Apelin is in-volved in the occurrence and development of the above diseases mainly through the regulation of kidney body fluids and blood vessels,and the regu-lation of kidney glucose and lipid metabolism and immunity.This article aims to review the role of Apelin in chronic kidney diseases in recent years,and provide ideas for the treatment and drug de-velopment of kidney diseases with Apelin as a new target.

Objective To analyze the incidence trend and epidemiological characteristics of pulmonary tuberculosis(PTB)among healthcare workers(HCWs)in Chongqing City from 2019 to 2023,and provide reference for the pre-vention and control of tuberculosis among HCWs.Methods The registered data of PTB cases in Chongqing from 2019 to 2023 were collected from China Information System for Disease Prevention and Control.The three-dimen-sional distribution of registration rate,changing trend,and treatment characteristics of PTB among HCWs were an-alyzed using retrospective descriptive analysis method.Results A total of 646 HCWs PTB cases were registered in Chongqing from 2019 to 2023,and the average annual registration rate was higher than that of the entire population(52.34/100 000 vs 46.00/100 000).The registration rate in 2019-2023 showed an overall downward trend.The average annual registration rate of PTB among HCWs in hospitals was the highest(59.87/100 000),followed by primary medical institutions(41.62/100 000)and other medical institutions(35.21/100 000).The epidemic period of PTB among HCWs was March-June each year,with seasonal indices of 133.75％,100.31％,113.31％,and 117.03％,respectively.The average annual registration rate of PTB among HCWs in the southeast town of Chongqing was the highest(121.21/100 000),followed by the northeast town of Chongqing(89.51/100 000),while the lowest was in the main urban area(34.47/100 000).The registration rate of PTB among HCWs gradually decreased with the increase of age(P＜0.05).Compared with the whole population,the proportions of female PTB cases among HCWs(76.01％),25-＜35 age group(57.89％),pathogen negative(48.14％),active detected ca-ses(5.73％),initial treatment cases(95.82％),and cases using fixed-dose combination of PTB(74.15％)were all higher(all P＜0.05).The delay rate of seeking medical treatment was lower in HCWs than that in the entire popu-lation(52.63％vs 69.12％),and the success rate of treatment was higher(91.49％vs 84.19％)(both P＜0.05).Conclusion The registration rate of PTB among HCWs in Chongqing has been declining year by year,with diffe-rential distribution in different medical institutions and regions,presenting seasonal changes.The majority of cases are aged＜35 years old,and have high pathogen negative rate and high initial treatment rate.Targeted prevention and control strategies need to be developed based on occupational exposure characteristics.

Objective To analyze the incidence trend and epidemiological characteristics of pulmonary tuberculosis(PTB)among healthcare workers(HCWs)in Chongqing City from 2019 to 2023,and provide reference for the pre-vention and control of tuberculosis among HCWs.Methods The registered data of PTB cases in Chongqing from 2019 to 2023 were collected from China Information System for Disease Prevention and Control.The three-dimen-sional distribution of registration rate,changing trend,and treatment characteristics of PTB among HCWs were an-alyzed using retrospective descriptive analysis method.Results A total of 646 HCWs PTB cases were registered in Chongqing from 2019 to 2023,and the average annual registration rate was higher than that of the entire population(52.34/100 000 vs 46.00/100 000).The registration rate in 2019-2023 showed an overall downward trend.The average annual registration rate of PTB among HCWs in hospitals was the highest(59.87/100 000),followed by primary medical institutions(41.62/100 000)and other medical institutions(35.21/100 000).The epidemic period of PTB among HCWs was March-June each year,with seasonal indices of 133.75％,100.31％,113.31％,and 117.03％,respectively.The average annual registration rate of PTB among HCWs in the southeast town of Chongqing was the highest(121.21/100 000),followed by the northeast town of Chongqing(89.51/100 000),while the lowest was in the main urban area(34.47/100 000).The registration rate of PTB among HCWs gradually decreased with the increase of age(P＜0.05).Compared with the whole population,the proportions of female PTB cases among HCWs(76.01％),25-＜35 age group(57.89％),pathogen negative(48.14％),active detected ca-ses(5.73％),initial treatment cases(95.82％),and cases using fixed-dose combination of PTB(74.15％)were all higher(all P＜0.05).The delay rate of seeking medical treatment was lower in HCWs than that in the entire popu-lation(52.63％vs 69.12％),and the success rate of treatment was higher(91.49％vs 84.19％)(both P＜0.05).Conclusion The registration rate of PTB among HCWs in Chongqing has been declining year by year,with diffe-rential distribution in different medical institutions and regions,presenting seasonal changes.The majority of cases are aged＜35 years old,and have high pathogen negative rate and high initial treatment rate.Targeted prevention and control strategies need to be developed based on occupational exposure characteristics.

Chronic kidney disease(CKD)is a chronic renal structural and functional disorder caused by multiple causes(history of kidney injury>3 months),with complex etiology and high inci-dence,which will eventually lead to end-stage re-nal disease(ESRD).Common chronic kidney diseas-es include diabetic nephropathy,polycystic ne-phropathy,nephrogenic diabetes insipidus and re-nal fibrosis.At present,there is still a lack of effec-tive specific treatment for chronic kidney disease.The Apelin system is an endogenous physiological regulator.Studies have shown that Apelin is in-volved in the occurrence and development of the above diseases mainly through the regulation of kidney body fluids and blood vessels,and the regu-lation of kidney glucose and lipid metabolism and immunity.This article aims to review the role of Apelin in chronic kidney diseases in recent years,and provide ideas for the treatment and drug de-velopment of kidney diseases with Apelin as a new target.

Immune-related kidney disease is one of the causes of end-stage renal disease and an important disease type that threatens public health. Farnesoid X receptor (FXR) is a nuclear receptor activated by bile acids, involved in regulating gene expression related to bile acid, lipid, and glucose metabolism. In recent years, the role of FXR in renal immune regulation has received attention. FXR participates in the occurrence and development of immune-related kidney diseases by regulating the differentiation, polarization, activation, recruitment, adhesion, infiltration, and cytokine release of immune cells such as macrophages, dendritic cells, natural killer cells, T lymphocytes, and B lymphocytes. This article reviews renal immune-regulatory mechanisms of FXR in recent years and its potential role in immune-related kidney diseases, to provide a theoretical basis for the prevention and treatment of immune-related kidney diseases targeting FXR.

OBJECTIVE: We aimed to understand the willingness and barriers to the acceptance of tuberculosis (TB) preventive treatment (TPT) among people with latent TB infection (LTBI) in China. METHODS: A multicenter cross-sectional study was conducted from May 18, 2023 to December 31, 2023 across 10 counties in China. According to a national technical guide, we included healthcare workers, students, teachers, and others occupations aged 15-65 years as our research participants. RESULTS: Overall, 17.0% (183/1,077) of participants accepted TPT. There were statistically significant differences in the acceptance rate of TPT among different sexes, ages, educational levels, and occupations ( P < 0.05). The main barriers to TPT acceptance were misconceptions that it had uncertain effects on prevention (57.8%, 517/894), and concerns about side effects (32.7%, 292/894). CONCLUSION An enhanced and comprehensive understanding of LTBI and TPT among people with LTBI is vital to further expand TPT in China. Moreover, targeted policies need to be developed to address barriers faced by different groups of people.
Humans ; China/epidemiology* ; Adult ; Male ; Female ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Middle Aged ; Young Adult ; Adolescent ; Aged ; Latent Tuberculosis/prevention & control* ; Patient Acceptance of Health Care ; Tuberculosis/prevention & control* ; Antitubercular Agents/therapeutic use* ; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice