Objective: To investigate the awareness of knowledge about hepatitis C prevention and control among outpatients in Ningbo City, Zhejiang Province, and its influencing factors, so as to provide the evidence for strengthening health education on hepatitis C prevention and control. Methods: Based on sentinel surveillance of hepatitis C, the outpatients aged 15 to 65 years at seven hospitals in Yinzhou District, Cixi City and Xiangshan County of Ningbo City were selected using the convenient sampling method from April to June during 2020 and 2022. Demographic information, knowledge and behaviors related to hepatitis C prevention and control were collected through questionnaire surveys. The influencing factors for knowledge about hepatitis C prevention and control were analyzed using a multivariable logistic regression model. Results: A total of 2 792 participants were surveyed, including 1 157 males (41.44%) and 1 635 females (58.56%). The awareness rate of knowledge about hepatitis C prevention and control was 56.23%, and was lower in knowledge about hepatitis C vaccine and treatment. The awareness rates of knowledge about hepatitis C prevention and control among outpatients from 2020 to 2022 were 47.11%, 53.22% and 70.65%, respectively, showing an upward trend (P<0.05). Multivariable logistic regression analysis showed that participants aged 25 to <50 years (OR=1.358, 95%CI: 1.073-1.719), with an educational level of high school or junior college (OR=1.431, 95%CI: 1.134-1.806) or above junior college (OR=3.728, 95%CI: 2.958-4.699), with household monthly income per capita of 3 000 to <5 000 yuan (OR=1.828, 95%CI: 1.344-2.486) or ≥5 000 yuan (OR=1.858, 95%CI: 1.366-2.526), without a history of invasive treatments such as pedicure in public places (OR=1.287, 95%CI: 1.024-1.618), without a history of contact with family members' blood-contaminated items (OR=2.050, 95%CI: 1.552-2.707), and always using condoms during sexual contacts (OR=1.740, 95%CI: 1.273-2.378) had higher awareness of knowledge about hepatitis C prevention and control. Conclusions The awareness of knowledge about hepatitis C vaccine and treatment among outpatients in Ningbo City needs to be improved. Age, educational level, household monthly income per capita, history of invasive treatments such as pedicure in public places, history of contact with family members' blood-contaminated items and frequency of condom use during sexual contacts are associated with outpatients' awareness of knowledge about hepatitis C prevention and control.

Rapid and ultrasensitive detection of pathogen-associated biomarkers is vital for the early diagnosis and therapy of bacterial infections.Herein,we developed a close-packed and ordered Au@AgPt array coupled with a cascade triggering strategy for surface-enhanced Raman scattering(SERS)and colorimetric identification of the Staphylococcus aureus biomarker micrococcal nuclease(MNase)in serum samples.The trimetallic Au@AgPt nanozymes can catalyze the oxidation of 3,3',5,5'-tetramethylbenzidine(TMB)molecules to SERS-enhanced oxidized TMB(oxTMB),accompanied by the color change from colorless to blue.In the presence of S.aureus,the secreted MNase preferentially cut the nucleobase AT-rich regions of DNA sequences on magnetic beads(MBs)to release alkaline phosphatase(ALP),which subsequently mediated the oxTMB reduction for inducing the colorimetric/SERS signal fade away.Using this"on-to-off"triggering strategy,the target S.aureus can be recorded in a wide linear range with a limit of detection of 38 CFU/mL in the colorimetric mode and 6 CFU/mL in the SERS mode.Meanwhile,the MNase-mediated strategy characterized by high specificity and sensitivity successfully discriminated between patients with sepsis(n=7)and healthy participants(n=3),as well as monitored the prog-nostic progression of the disease(n=2).Overall,benefiting from highly active and dense"hot spot"substrate,MNase-mediated cascade response strategy,and colorimetric/SERS dual-signal output,this methodology will offer a promising avenue for the early diagnosis of S.aureus infection.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the clinical phenotypes and genetic variant characteristics in children with epilepsy. METHODS: A total of 91 children with epilepsy admitted to the Women's and Children's Hospital Affiliated to Ningbo University from July 2021 to October 2022 were selected as the study subjects. Peripheral blood samples were collected from the children for whole exome sequencing. Candidate genetic variants were validated by Sanger sequencing and copy number variation sequencing (CNV-seq). The clinical phenotypes and treatment outcomes of the children with epilepsy were followed up, and an analysis of the relationship between genotype and phenotype was conducted. This study was approved by the Women's and Children's Hospital Affiliated to Ningbo University (Ethics No.: EC2020-048). RESULTS: Among the 91 children with epilepsy, 21 cases (23.08%, 21/91) were found to carry pathogenic or likely pathogenic variants. Of these, 18 cases had involved single base variant or insertional deletion, while 3 cases involved copy number variations. The gene with the highest detection rate was PRRT2 (38.10%, 8/21). Among the children with genetic variants, 47.62% (10/21) had onset during infancy, with 8 diagnosed with Benign familial infantile epilepsy (BFIE), 8 with Developmental epileptic encephalopathy (DEE), and 3 with Epileptic encephalopathy (EE). One case of Dravet syndrome (DS) and one case of Infantile spasms (IS) were also noted. The clinical manifestations of children were diverse and primarily included generalized tonic-clonic seizures and focal seizures. Among them, 52.38% (11/21) had exhibited cluster seizures, 23.81% (5/21) showed fever sensitivity, and 14.29% (3/21) experienced status epilepticus. After pharmacological treatment, 42.86% (9/21) of children had achieved complete seizure control, while 61.90% (13/21) had intellectual disability and 19.05% (4/21) had co-morbid autism spectrum disorder. CONCLUSION Pathogenic or likely pathogenic variants were identified in 23.08% of the pediatric epilepsy cases, with the PRRT2 gene being the most frequently involved. Among children carrying genetic variants, 47.62% had seizure onset during infancy. Genetic factors are an important cause of epilepsy, and early genetic testing may facilitate precise diagnosis, treatment, and prognostic evaluation.
Humans ; Female ; Male ; Epilepsy/genetics* ; Child, Preschool ; Child ; Phenotype ; Genotype ; DNA Copy Number Variations/genetics* ; Infant ; Membrane Proteins/genetics* ; Nerve Tissue Proteins/genetics* ; Adolescent ; Exome Sequencing

Objective To explore the value of ultrasound artificial intelligence(AI)in assisting naval grassroots doctors for the diagnosis of thyroid nodule in naval.Methods A total of 177 patients with thyroid nodules(200 thyroid nodules)who visited The First Affiliated Hospital of Naval Medical University from November 2020 to November 2023 were selected as research objects.The thyroid nodules were diagnosed by naval grassroots doctors,naval grassroots doctors assisted by AI,and senior doctors,respectively.Results The pathological results showed that there were 110 malignant nodules and 90 benign nodules.The diagnostic accuracy rate of AI-assisted group(85.0%)was similar to that of senior doctor group(87.0%),which were higher than that of naval grassroots doctor group(71.5%).Pathological results were taken as the gold standard,Kappa consistency test was carried out,and the area under the receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve(AUC)was compared among groups.The diagnostic results of naval grassroots doctor group had a moderate consistency with pathological results(Kappa value was 0.424,P<0.001).The diagnostic results of AI group and senior doctor group had strong consistencies with pathological results(Kappa values were 0.693 and 0.735,respectively,both P<0.001).There was no significant difference in the AUC between AI group and senior doctor group(0.842 vs.0.864,P>0.05).However,there was a significant difference in the AUC between naval grassroots doctor group and AI group(0.712 vs.0.842,P<0.001).Conclusion AI can assist naval grassroots doctors in improving the diagnostic level of thyroid nodules.It has certain application prospects in naval forces.

In order to solve the problems of difficult test, high cost and long cycle in the development of large-scale airborne negative pressure isolation system, the simulation analysis of negative pressure response characteristics is carried out around various aviation conditions such as aircraft ascending, leveling and descending, especially rapid decompression, based on the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) method. The results showed that the isolation cabin could achieve -50 Pa pressure difference environment and form a certain pressure gradient. The exhaust air volume reached the maximum value in the early stage of the aircraft's ascent, and gradually decreased with the increase of altitude until it was level flying. In the process of aircraft descent, the exhaust fan could theoretically maintain a pressure difference far below -50 Pa without working; Under the special condition of rapid pressure loss, it was difficult to deal with the rapid change of low pressure only by the exhaust fan, so it was necessary to design safety valve and other anti-leakage measures in the isolation cabin structure. Therefore, the initial stage of aircraft ascent is the key stage for the adjustment and control of the negative pressure isolation system. By controlling the exhaust air volume and adjusting parameters, it can adapt to the change of low pressure under normal flight conditions, form a relatively stable negative pressure environment, and meet the needs of biological control, isolation and transport.
Aircraft ; Computer Simulation ; Aviation/instrumentation* ; Humans ; Hydrodynamics ; Air Pressure ; Equipment Design ; Pressure

Gelsemium elegans (G. elegans) is an extremely poisonous plant that is widely distributed in southern China and southeastern Asia. G. elegans poisoning events occur frequently in southern China, and are therefore an urgent public health problem requiring multidisciplinary action. However, the toxic components and toxicological mechanisms remain unclear. Here, we describe a systematic investigation on the toxic components of G. elegans, resulting in the isolation and identification of 120 alkaloids. Based on acute toxicity screening, the structure-toxicity relationship of Gelsemium alkaloids was proposed for the first time. Moreover, gelsedine- and humantenine-type alkaloids were detected in the clinical blood sample, and were confirmed to be causative in the poisoning. The most toxic compound, gelsenicine (1), had selective inhibitory effects toward ventral respiratory group (VRG) neurons in the medulla, which is the main brain region controlling respiration in the central nervous system. Gelsenicine (1) strongly inhibited the firing of action potentials in VRG neurons through its ability to stimulate GABA_A receptors, the main receptors involved in inhibitory neurotransmission. Application of GABA_A receptor antagonists successively reversed action potential firing in gelsenicine (1)-treated VRG neurons. Importantly, the GABA_A receptor antagonists securinine and flumazenil significantly increased the survival of poisoned animals. Our findings provide insight into the components and mechanisms of G. elegans toxicity, and should assist the development of effective emergency treatments for G. elegans poisoning.

Rapid and ultrasensitive detection of pathogen-associated biomarkers is vital for the early diagnosis and therapy of bacterial infections. Herein, we developed a close-packed and ordered Au@AgPt array coupled with a cascade triggering strategy for surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) and colorimetric identification of the Staphylococcus aureus biomarker micrococcal nuclease (MNase) in serum samples. The trimetallic Au@AgPt nanozymes can catalyze the oxidation of 3,3',5,5'-tetramethylbenzidine (TMB) molecules to SERS-enhanced oxidized TMB (oxTMB), accompanied by the color change from colorless to blue. In the presence of S. aureus, the secreted MNase preferentially cut the nucleobase AT-rich regions of DNA sequences on magnetic beads (MBs) to release alkaline phosphatase (ALP), which subsequently mediated the oxTMB reduction for inducing the colorimetric/SERS signal fade away. Using this "on-to-off" triggering strategy, the target S. aureus can be recorded in a wide linear range with a limit of detection of 38 CFU/mL in the colorimetric mode and 6 CFU/mL in the SERS mode. Meanwhile, the MNase-mediated strategy characterized by high specificity and sensitivity successfully discriminated between patients with sepsis (n = 7) and healthy participants (n = 3), as well as monitored the prognostic progression of the disease (n = 2). Overall, benefiting from highly active and dense "hot spot" substrate, MNase-mediated cascade response strategy, and colorimetric/SERS dual-signal output, this methodology will offer a promising avenue for the early diagnosis of S. aureus infection.

AIM: To investigate the changes of microRNA-34a(miR-34a)and microRNA-29b(miR-29b)levels in lens epithelial cells of age-related cataracts(ARC)patients and their clinical significance.METHODS: A total of 65 ARC patients(study group)and 53 cases of clear lens anterior capsulorhexis(control group)who visited our hospital from February 2023 to February 2024 were gathered. Pearson was applied to test the correlation between miR-34a and miR-29b. Multifactor Logistic regression was applied to determine the factors affecting the occurrence of ARC.RESULTS: Compared with the control group, the expression levels of miR-34a and miR-29b in lens epithelial cells of the research group showed a significant decrease trend(all P<0.05). There was a positive correlation between miR-34a and miR-29b in the lens epithelial cells of ARC patients(r=0.472, P<0.05). MiR-34a and miR-29b were influence factors for ARC(all P<0.05).CONCLUSION: The levels of miR-34a and miR-29b in lens epithelial cells of ARC patients are significantly reduced, which is associated with the occurrence of ARC.

OBJECTIVE To explore the implementation and standardized management of infection control core ele-ments in grass-roots medical institutions within county-level medical communities.METHODS From Mar.2024 to Apr.2024,the current status of implementation of infection control core elements in the grass-roots medical institu-tions within county-level medical communities was investigated by means of questionnaire survey and qualita-tive interview,and the implementation strategies were further explored.RESULTS The infection management or-ganizational system and functions of the two county-level medical institutions within the county medical communi-ties were completed,there is no independent hospital infection management department in the primary medical in-stitutions.The infection management personnel in the 16 grass-roots medical institutions were part-time person-nel,the personnel with the educational background below junior college accounted for 84.21％,the personnel with the professional background of nursing accounted for 100.00％,the personnel with less than 5 years of working experience accounted for 78.95％,none of them had an on-the-job training certificate.The monitoring programs of the county-level medical institutions within the county medical communities were completed,there was no infec-tion management monitoring information platform in the grass-roots medical institutions.The infection cases,hand hygiene,environmental health and occupational exposures were monitored by people.The grass-roots medi-cal institutions had the highest requirements for various professional trainings and increase of training contents of prevention and control of public health infectious diseases(100.00％).The county-level medical institutions had inadequate capabilities of professional examination of medical equipment replacement and construction of medi-cal architecture.CONCLUSION It is necessary for the country and local levels of governments to attach great importance to the implementation of the infection control core elements in the grass-roots medical institutions within the county-lev-el medical communities,establish the county-level regional information platform,formulate the corresponding surveil-lance indexes and homogenized management systems,complete the cultivation of talents,and offer financial support.

Objective:To compare the anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) and posterior cervical fusion (PCF) in the sagittal plane reconstruction for unstable Hangman fractures.Methods:A retrospective study was conducted to analyze the clinical data of 43 patients who had been surgically treated at Division of Spine Surgery, Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital for unstable Hangman fractures from January 2007 to December 2022. There were 32 males and 11 females aged (47.9±14.2) years. They were divided into 2 groups according to their surgical methods: an anterior group of 23 cases who were subjected to ACDF and a posterior group of 20 cases who were subjected to PCE. The 2 groups were compared in terms of operation time, intraoperative bleeding, hospitalization time, and the C 2 subluxation, occipitocervical angle, C 2-C 3 angle, cervical lordosis (CL), and cervical sagittal vertical axis (cSVA) measured on the lateral cervical spine X-rays over the time points of hospital admission, immediate postoperation, and the final follow-up, as well as in terms of the visual analog scale (VAS) for pain and neck disability index (NDI) over the time points of hospital admission and the final follow-up. The American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA) classification was used to assess the neurological status of the patients before surgery and at the final follow-up, and complications were documented. Results:The differences in preoperative general data between the 2 groups were not statistically significant, indicating comparability ( P>0.05). The operation time [(90.3±13.6) min] and hospitalization time [(13.1±2.4) d] in the anterior group were significantly shorter than those in the posterior group [(153.9±26.1) min and (18.5±1.9) d], and the intraoperative bleeding volume in the anterior group [(57.2±15.9) mL] was significantly less than that in the posterior group [(123.2±22.5) mL] ( P<0.05). Compared with the preoperative period in both groups, the C 2 subluxation and C 2-C 3 angle were significantly corrected at immediate postoperation, and well maintained at the final follow-up. The C 2-C 3 angle was significantly better corrected in the anterior group than in the posterior group at immediate postoperation and the final follow-up. The VAS scores and NDI at the final follow-up in both groups were significantly lower than those at admission ( P<0.05), while the differences between the 2 groups were not statistically significant ( P>0.05). Four cases in the anterior group and 2 cases in the posterior group all had their preoperative ASIA grade D improved to grade E at the final follow-up. Three patients in the anterior group developed postoperative hoarseness, which returned to normal at the 3-month follow-up. There was no hoarseness or dysphagia at the final follow-up. Both groups achieved fine fusion at the final follow-up, showing no complications like loosening or fracture of internal fixation. Conclusion:In the sagittal plane reconstruction for unstable Hangman fractures, both ACDF and PCF can lead to satisfactory clinical and radiological outcomes, but the former shows a significant advantage in reconstruction of C 2-C 3 lordosis.