Objective:To learn about the epidemiological and clinical characteristics of human brucellosis in Shaanxi Province, and to provide reference for brucellosis prevention and control.Methods:Through the China Disease Control and Prevention Information System and the Shaanxi Provincial Brucellosis Prevention and Control Work System, report data and case investigation data on human brucellosis cases in Shaanxi Province from 2020 to 2022 were collected, respectively, and the epidemiological characteristics, exposure history and clinical manifestations of the cases were analyzed descriptively.Results:A total of 4 240 human cases of brucellosis were reported in Shaanxi Province from 2020 to 2022, with no death. The average annual incidence was 3.60/100 000, with an average growth rate of 22.33%. Cases of brucellosis were reported from January to December throughout the year, mainly from April to August, accounting for 63.40% (2 688/4 240). Cases of brucellosis were reported in 12 prefectures (including Yangling District and prefecture-level administrative divisions directly administered by the province) and 90 counties (districts and cities), accounting for 79.65% (90/113) of the total number of counties (districts and cities). The male to female ratio of the cases was 2.92 ∶ 1.00 (3 159 ∶ 1 081). The onset age was mainly from 30 to 74 years old, accounting for 89.81% (3 808/4 240). Farmer was the main occupation, accounting for 87.12% (3 694/4 240). A total of 4 223 cases were investigated in Shaanxi Province from 2020 to 2022, with the acute phase being the main stage of disease progression, accounting for 94.67% (3 998/4 223); hospitalized cases accounted for 59.79% (2 525/4 223); the main risk occupations of brucellosis were rearing and grazing, accounting for 78.43% (3 312/4 223). The main exposure routes were direct contact through skin and mucous membranes and respiratory infection, accounting for 95.07% (4 015/4 223). There were 4 015 cases with a history of contact with livestock and their products, with sheep being the main type of contact (accounting for 96.91%, 3 891/4 015), and the possible infection sites were mainly at home (58.53%, 2 350/4 015). The main clinical symptoms were fever, muscle and joint pain, fatigue and excessive sweating, accounting for 75.49% (3 188/4 223), 58.23% (2 463/4 223), 68.17% (2 879/4 223) and 63.65% (2 688/4 223), respectively. A total of 139 Brucella strains were isolated and cultured, with sheep type 3 being the main bacterial type, accounting for 75.54% (105/139). Conclusions:The epidemic of brucellosis in Shaanxi Province is showing a clear upward trend, and the scope of the epidemic is becoming wider and wider. The incidence of brucellosis is mainly in free-range households, and the course of the disease is mostly in the acute phase. Brucellosis is mainly caused through direct contact with the skin and mucous membranes and respiratory infections. The clinical manifestations are diverse but non-specific. It is necessary to effectively improve the personal protection awareness and level of high-risk groups to reduce the occurrence of brucellosis.

Objective:To identify pathogenic genes in 3 cases of piebaldism, and to explore the genotype-phenotype relationships in piebaldism.Methods:Clinical data were collected from 3 patients with piebaldism and their parents at the Department of Dermatology, Henan Provincial People′s Hospital from January 2019 to December 2021. Peripheral blood samples were obtained from them and 100 unrelated healthy controls, and DNA was extracted. Whole-exome sequencing technology was used to screen genetic variation sites, and then Sanger sequencing was performed for verification. The deleteriousness of genetic variants was evaluated by using pathogenicity analysis software tools.Results:Case 1: a 23-year-old male patient presented with white patches on the forehead, chest, and abdomen for 23 years, and his parents had no similar symptoms; case 2: a 1-year- and 5-month-old male infant presented with white patches on the forehead and abdomen for 1 year, and his parents had no similar symptoms; case 3: a 6-year-old male child presented with white patches on the forehead and limbs for 6 years, and his parents had no similar clinical manifestations. Genetic testing showed that a missense mutation c.2033T>C (p.L678P) in exon 14 of the KIT gene, a splice site mutation c.2485-1G>C in exon 18 of the KIT gene, and a heterozygous missense mutation c.2346C>G (p.F782L) in exon 16 of the KIT gene were identified in the case 1, 2, 3 respectively, but no above mutations were identified in the patients′ parents or 100 unrelated healthy controls. The 3 genetic variants were all novel pathogenic mutations, and all were deleterious mutations.Conclusions:Three novel pathogenic mutations in the KIT gene were identified in the 3 cases of piebaldism, namely c.2033T>C (p.L678P), c.2485-1G>C, and c.2346C>G (p.F782L). It was further verified that the severity of piebaldism was closely related to the type and location of KIT gene mutations.

A 1-year and 9-month-old male proband presented with clustered rice grain-sized flat smooth red papules on the face, trunk and limbs for 1.5 years, without fever, joint swelling, or pain. The proband′s sister aged 7 years ever experienced swelling and pain in the finger joints of both hands at the age of 2 years, and had intermittent fever and papules all over the body at the same time, and the papules gradually regressed with the subsidence of fever. The proband′s mother aged 27 years suffered from swelling and pain in the finger joints of both hands when she was young, gradually leading to finger deformities, and experienced intermittent knee swelling and pain at the age of 12 years without obvious skin lesions on the body. No abnormality was found in ophthalmological and systemic physical examinations of the 3 patients. Whole-exome sequencing showed that the proband, his sister and mother all had a heterozygous missense mutation c.1001G>A (p.R334Q) in exon 4 of the NOD2 gene. A diagnosis of Blau syndrome was made. The proband was treated with topical moisturizing cream all over the body; during the 52-week follow-up, no joint swelling and pain or eye symptoms were found in the proband, while erythema and depressed scars were observed on the face, trunk and limbs. The proband′s sister and mother were treated with subcutaneous injections of adalimumab at initial doses of 40 mg and 80 mg respectively, followed 1 week later by injections at 20 mg and 40 mg respectively, and then treated with injections at 20 mg and 40 mg respectively every 2 weeks; after 12-week treatment, the joint swelling and pain were markedly relieved in the proband′s sister and mother, and most skin lesions subsided in the proband′s sister; at week 52 during the follow-up, there was no joint swelling, pain or skin lesions in the proband′s sister, and there was no swelling or pain in the knee joints of the proband′s mother, while no improvement was observed in her finger deformities. During the treatment, no eye symptoms or adverse reactions were observed neither in the proband′s sister nor in his mother.

Objective:To investigate changes in disease status and their influencing factors in patients with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis treated with biologics during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.Methods:Through printed or electronic questionnaires during February 10 th - 20 th, 2023, data were collected from patients with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis treated with biologics in Henan Provincial People′s Hospital from June 2019 to January 2023, and changes in the disease condition during the COVID-19 pandemic were investigated. The t test or chi-square test was used for comparisons between groups, univariate analysis and multivariate logistic regression analysis were conducted to investigate the factors contributing to the exacerbation of psoriasis, and stratified analysis was employed to evaluate the disease progression among the patients receiving different biologic therapies following treatment delays. Results:A total of 177 patients with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis were collected, including 115 males and 62 females; they were aged 6 - 83 (38.69 ± 14.18) years, with disease duration of 1 - 50 (13.48 ± 9.70) years. Among the patients, 74 (41.81%) experienced psoriasis exacerbation, 154 (87.01%) developed COVID-19, and 90 (50.85%) experienced delays in psoriasis treatment due to the pandemic. The results of univariate analysis indicated significant associations of psoriasis exacerbation with treatment delays, irregular treatment before the pandemic, and incomplete clearance of skin lesions ( P < 0.001 or 0.05), while no correlations were observed between psoriasis exacerbation and COVID-19 or gender (both P > 0.05). Multivariate logistic regression analysis demonstrated that psoriasis exacerbation was associated with treatment delays due to COVID-19 ( OR = 3.34, 95% CI: 1.35 - 8.22, P = 0.009) and incomplete clearance of skin lesions ( OR = 3.10, 95% CI: 1.28 - 7.50, P = 0.012), but not associated with irregular treatment before the pandemic ( P = 0.130). Among the patients treated with adalimumab, secukinumab, ustekinumab, and ixekizumab, those experiencing treatment delays exhibited higher rates of psoriasis exacerbation than those without treatment delays (all P < 0.05) . Conclusion:Patients with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis undergoing biologic therapy are prone to disease exacerbation when treatment is delayed due to COVID-19, especially those with incomplete lesion clearance.

Objective:To construct a follow-up evaluation index system for "Diagnosis of Brucellosis" (WS 269-2019), and provide a reference basis for the next revision and improvement of the standard.Methods:The evaluation index system for "Diagnosis of Brucellosis" (WS 269-2019) was preliminarily established by consulting relevant references and materials. The experts in the field of diagnosis, treatment, prevention and control of brucellosis were selected, and two rounds of expert consultation were carried out in the form of questionnaires using the Delphi method. The necessity and availability of evaluation indicators were scored, and suggestions for modifying and adding indicators were put forward. Based on this, a standard follow-up evaluation index system was established. At the same time, a judgment matrix was constructed combined with the Saaty scale, and the analytic hierarchy process was used to calculate the weight of each index in the system.Results:After 2 rounds of expert ( n = 10) consultation, a standard follow-up evaluation index system for "Diagnosis of Brucellosis" (WS 269-2019) was constructed with 3 first-level indexes, 8 second-level indexes and 21 third-level indexes. The positive coefficients of experts in 2 rounds of questionnaires were both 100%; the coefficient of authority of experts was 0.82; the Kendall's coefficients of concordance of first-level, second-level and third-level indexes were 0.722, 0.260, and 0.181, respectively, with P < 0.05. Among the first-level indexes, the weight of standard quality evaluation was the highest (0.364), and the weight of standard implementation status was the lowest (0.278); among the second-level indexes, the combined weight of social benefits was the highest (0.186), and the combined weight of advanced nature was the lowest (0.043); among the third-level indexes, the combined weight of timely diagnosis rate was the highest (0.096), and the combined weight of consistency with technical data was the lowest (0.009). Conclusions:The constructed follow-up evaluation index system for "Diagnosis of Brucellosis" (WS 269-2019) is scientific and reliable, which evaluated qualitatively and quantitatively, reduces the defects of a single evaluation, and provides a basis for subsequent revision and improvement of the standard.

Objective:To analyze the epidemiological characteristics and related indicators of plague in Yulin City, Shaanxi Province, and to evaluate the risk of plague epidemic in the future and formulate scientific and reasonable prevention and control measures.Methods:The plague surveillance data of national (Dingbian County) and provincial (Yuyang District, Jingbian County, Hengshan District, Shenmu City, Fugu County) plague monitoring sites in Yulin City from 2011 to 2021 were collected through the China Disease Prevention and Control Information System Pestis Prevention and Control Management Information System, and the plague epidemic situation among humans and animals, the main host animals and their flea infection were analyzed by descriptive epidemiological methods. The expert consultation method and plague risk assessment tool V1.0 were used to assess the epidemic risk of the plague in Yulin City.Results:There was no human and animal plague epidemic in Yulin City from 2011 to 2021. In national monitoring site, the density of main host animal was 5.79/hm 2, ranging from 3.02/hm 2 to 9.08/hm 2,the dominant species was Mongolian gerbil, accounting for 98.21% (3 402/3 464); the capture rate of wild nocturnal rodents was 1.27% (350/27 600), ranging from 0.21% to 3.83%, the dominant species was Cricetulus barabensis, accounting for 44.86% (157/350); the flea infection rate of the rodent body was 16.91% (768/4 541), with a flea index of 0.40, the dominant flea species was the Nosopsyllus laeviceps kuzenkov, accounting for 66.54% (1 203/1 808). In provincial monitoring site, the density of main host animals was 0.49/hm 2, ranging from 0.31/hm 2 to 0.67/hm 2, the dominant species was Alashan ground squirrel, accounting for 63.61% (194/305); the capture rate of nocturnal rodents in the wild was 1.76% (560/31 795), ranging from 0.89% to 3.93%, the dominant species was Roborovski dwarf hamster, accounting for 26.61% (149/560); the capture rate of domestic rats was 2.37% (397/16 750), ranging from 1.48% to 3.10%, the rodents included Rattus norvegicus (47.36%, 188/397) and house mouse (52.64%, 209/397); the flea infection rate of the rat body was 13.26% (182/1 373), with a flea index of 0.40; the dominant flea species was Ophthalmopsylla jettmari, accounting for 45.23% (251/555). The 5 281 pathogenic culture samples and 2 110 serological test samples were all negative. The Pearson correlation analysis results showed that there was no correlation between rodent density and flea infection rate or flea index at national and provincial monitoring sites ( r = - 0.26, - 0.48, 0.09, 0.12, P > 0.05), while flea infection rate and flea index were positively correlated ( r = 0.67, 0.81, P < 0.05). In 2022, Yulin City, Shaanxi Province was not ruled out the possibility of human plague epidemic, and the risk of plague epidemic among animals was high. Conclusions:From 2011 to 2021, the density of the main host animals at the national and provincial monitoring sites in Yulin City has remained at a low level, and the flea index has increased. There is a risk of plague epidemic in Yulin City, so the monitoring work should be further strengthened, and emergency supplies and capacity reserves should be well prepared.

Objective:To report a Chinese pedigree with autosomal dominant Waardenburg syndrome, and to identify causative gene mutations.Methods:Clinical data and peripheral blood samples were collected from the proband and her parents. Genomic DNA was extracted, gene mutations were detected through a next-generation skin-targeted sequencing panel, and Sanger sequencing was performed to verify causative mutations.Results:The proband clinically presented with irregular white patches on the abdomen and lower limbs, moderate to severe sensorineural deafness in the right ear, and iris heterochromia in both eyes. The proband′s mother presented with iris heterochromia in both eyes, epicanthus, early canities and thick eyebrows. In the family, both the proband and her mother were diagnosed with Waardenburg syndrome. A causative frameshift mutation c.976-977delinsT (p.Thr327Profs*54) was identified in both the proband and her mother, which caused the AG to TT base substitution at positions 976 - 977 in the coding region of exon 7 of the PAX3 gene, resulted in a frameshift from the amino acid position 327 to 54 in the PAX3 protein (threonine was substituted by proline at amino acid position 327). The proband′s father showed a normal phenotype, and his genetic test results were negative.Conclusion:The novel frameshift mutation c.976-977delinsT (p.Thr327Profs*54) in the PAX3 gene may contribute to the clinical phenotype of the patients with Waardenburg syndrome in the family.

A 60-year-old female proband presented with recurrent erythema, blisters and erosions all over the body for 30 years, which had been aggravated 10 days prior to the presentation. Skin examination showed erythematous swelling of the bilateral eyelids with scattered dark red crusts, scattered erythema and erosions on the nasolabial folds and chin, large areas of erythema and erosions on the neck, bilateral axillae, left cubital fossa, perineum and perianal area, accompanied by bright red granulation tissues and positive Nikolsky′s sign. The proband had two sons, both of whom occasionally presented with erythema and erosions on the axillae and groin, and had not been diagnosed or treated. Blood samples were collected from the proband and her two sons, and genomic DNA was extracted and subjected to whole-exome sequencing. A heterozygous deletion mutation c.955_957del (p.A319del) was identified in the ATP2C1 gene in the proband and her two sons, which had not been previously reported. The patient was finally diagnosed with generalized familial benign chronic pemphigus.

Objective:To investigate the pathogenic and epidemiological characteristics of human brucellosis in Shaanxi Province, and to provide a basis for scientific prevention and control of human brucellosis in Shaanxi Province.Methods:The pathogenic culture data of 507 reported cases of human brucellosis reported in Shaanxi Province from 2014 to 2021 were collected from the Shaanxi Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention. The epidemiological data of the cases were collected from the Infectious Disease Information Reporting Management System of China Disease Prevention and Control Information System. The data were summarized and analyzed using Excel 2016 software, and visualized using ArcGIS 10.6 software.Results:The 507 cases were concentrated from 2018 to 2021 (322 cases), with a peak incidence period from May to July (255 cases). Cases mainly distributed in Weinan City (129 cases), Yulin City (114 cases) and Yan'an City (97 cases). Farmers were the main occupation (415 cases). The cases were mainly aged 40 - 59 (272 cases). The male to female gender ratio was 3.22 ∶ 1.00 (387 ∶ 120). Totally 95.46% (484/507) of the cases had a history of close contact with cattle or sheep, mainly sheep (480 cases). The clinical symptoms included fever, fatigue, hyperhidrosis, joint and muscle pain, with rare liver, spleen and testicular enlargement. Totally 89.55% (454/507) of the cases were diagnosed during the acute phase. In vitro agglutination test, 1 ∶ 200 positive cases were the most common (139 cases). Totally 214 strains of Brucella were isolated and cultured, and the rate of bacterial production was 42.21%, all of which were Brucella melitensis, of which type 3 accounted for 79.91% (171/214). Conclusion:Human brucellosis cases in Shaanxi Province are mainly infected by contact with sheep, with the main source of infection being Brucella melitensis type 3.

OBJECTIVE: To perform gene mutation analysis in a Chinese pedigree with dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa pruriginosa (DEB-Pr), and explore phetotype, genotype, and genotypes-phenotypes relationship of DEB-Pr. METHODS: Potential variants of the COL7A1 gene were detected by skin targeted sequencing panel and verified by Sanger sequencing. The pathogenicity of the variation was analyzed. RESULTS: Compound heterozygous variants, c.4128delT and c.8234G>A, were detected in the COL7A1 gene of the two patients. The c.4128delT(p.Pro1376fs) variant was derived from their mother and unreported previously. According to the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics Standards and Guidelines, it was suggested to be a pathogenic mutation. The c.8234G>A(p.Arg2745Gln) variant was derived from their father, and possibly is a pathogenic variation. CONCLUSION In this study, the compound heterozygous variants of c.4128delT(p.Pro1376fs) and c.8234G>A(p.Arg2745Gln) of the COL7A1 gene probably underlies the disease in this patient and his sister. And our study expands the database on mutations of DEB-Pr.
Collagen Type VII/genetics* ; Epidermolysis Bullosa Dystrophica/genetics* ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Mutation ; Pedigree ; Phenotype