Objective To identify factors affecting and key environmental factors of the Oncomelania hupensis snail density in the Yangtze River Delta region using machine learning methods. Methods Administrative village-level O. hupensis snail survey data in the Yangtze River Delta (including Shanghai Municipality, Jiangsu Province, Zhejiang Province and Anhui Province) from 2011 to 2021 were retrieved from the Information Management System for Parasitic Disease Control of Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Environmental factor data were captured from the Google Earth Engine platform, including elevation, slope, terrain, normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), vegetation type, soil type, total petroleum hydrocarbon (TPH), ammonium nitrogen, inorganic nitrogen, dissolved oxygen, pH of water, chemical oxygen demand (COD) and inorganic phosphorus, and climatic factor data in the study region were retrieved from the Copernicus Climate Data Store, including annual precipitation, aridity index and annual mean temperature (AMT). O. hupensis snail survey data in the Yangtze River Delta region from 2011 to 2021 were randomly divided into a training set (70%) and a test set (30%), and five machine learning models were selected for machine learning model construction and comparative analysis of the O. hupensis snail density using the software R 4.3.0, including random forest (RF), eXtreme gradient boosting (XGBoost), support vector machine (SVM), gradient boosting machine (GBM) and neural network (NN). The XGBoost model was employed to construct a predictive model for the O. hupensis snail density, and the impact of each environmental factor on O. hupensis snail distribution was quantified. The SHapley Additive exPlanations (SHAPs) values were calculated to estimate the average contribution of each variable to the model prediction, and the core environmental factors affecting the O. hupensis snail population density were screened. Results Among the five machine learning models, the XGBoost model exhibited the optimal comprehensive performance, with the coefficient of determination (R²) of 0.855, mean squared error (MSE) of 0.188, root mean squared error (RMSE) of 0.434 and mean absolute error (MAE) of 0.155, respectively. Analysis of factors affecting the O. hupensis snail density with the XGBoost model showed that among the 16 environmental factors, the top four high-impact factors ranked by SHAPs values included annual precipitation, elevation, aridity index and NDVI, with cumulative SHAPs contributions of 75%, which was higher than that of other environmental factors. If NDVI was higher than 0.6, the O. hupensis snail density increased with NDVI and peaked if NDVI was 0.8 (1.60 snails/0.1 m²). The O. hupensis snail density increased with elevation if the elevation ranged from 14 to 40 m, and slowly rose if the annual precipitation ranged from 900 to 1 300 mm, and then increased rapidly to the peak (1.52 snails/0.1 m²) if the annual precipitation ranged from 1 300 to 1 500 mm. In addition, the O. hupensis snail density increased rapidly to the maximum (1.60 snails/0.1 m²) if the aridity index ranged from 0.8 to 1.1, and decreased gradually if the aridity index exceeded 1.1. Conclusions The XGBoost model shows excellent performance in prediction of the O. hupensis snail density and identification of key environmental factors in the Yangtze River Delta region. Annual precipitation, elevation, aridity index and NDVI are key environmental factors affecting the distribution and density of O. hupensis snails in the Yangtze River Delta region.

To understand the progress of, summarize experiences from, and analyze problems in the national schistosomiasis elimination programme, this article presented the national schistosomiasis epidemiology and surveillance in the People’s Republic of China in 2025. By the end of 2025, Shanghai Municipality, Zhejiang Province, Fujian Province, Guangdong Province and Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region maintained the achievement of schistosomiasis elimination, and 7 provinces of Jiangsu, Sichuan, Yunnan, Hubei, Hunan, Anhui and Jiangxi remained at the criteria of schistosomiasis transmission interruption. In 2025, there were 450 counties (cities, districts), 3 203 townships and 26 029 villages endemic for schistosomiasis in China, with a total population of 73.598 million in endemic villages. Among the 450 endemic counties (cities, districts), 421 (93.56%) achieved the criteria of schistosomiasis elimination and 29 (6.44%) reached the criteria of transmission interruption. In 2025, a total of 3 630 874 residents received immunological tests for schistosomiasis across endemic areas in China, with 31 588 seropositives identified (seroprevalence, 0.87%), and a total of 154 293 individuals received parasitological examinations, with 5 egg-positives detected. A total of 26 688 advanced schistosomiasis cases were recorded in China by the end of 2025. Of 529 683 bovines raised in schistosomiasis-endemic villages in China in 2025, 101 637 bovines received immunological tests for schistosomiasis, with 183 seropositives detected (seroprevalence, 0.18%), and 165 654 bovines received parasitological examinations, with no egg-positives identified. In 2025, Oncomelania hupensis snail survey was performed covering an area of 667 524.82 hm² in China, and 176 378.64 hm² O. hupensis snail habitats were identified, including 123.77 hm² emerging O. hupensis snail habitats and 953.71 hm² re-emerging O. hupensis snail habitats. A total of 19 283 schistosomiasis cases received chemotherapy with praziquantel in China in 2025, and 477 450 person-times and 304 279 herd-times received expanded chemotherapy, respectively. In addition, O. hupensis snail control with chemical treatment covered 116 475.10 hm² snail habitats across China in 2025, with an actual area with chemical control covering 68 510.93 hm² and an area with environmental improvements covering 1 101.84 hm². The national schistosomiasis surveillance results indicated that the mean prevalence of Schistosoma japonicum infections was both 0 among humans and bovines in 2025, and no S. japonicum infection was detected in O. hupensis snails. These data showed that the prevalence of schistosomiasis remained low in China in 2025; however, the area of O. hupensis snail habitats stayed high, with an increase in emerging and reemerging O. hupensis snail habitats. It is recommended to improve the surveillance and forecast mechanism for schistosomiasis and precisely implement the O. hupensis snail control programme in high-risk areas.

Objective:To explore the need for parental involvement in treatment decision-making for children with type 1 diabetes mellitus, so as to provide basis for medical and nursing staff to formulate targeted intervention strategies.Methods:This was a qualitative study. From April to May 2024, 15 parents of children with type 1 diabetes mellitus admitted to the Department of Endocrine Genetics and Metabolism at Children's Hospital of Soochow University were selected as research subjects for face-to-face semi-structured interviews. Inductive content analysis was used for data analysis.Results:Among the 15 children patients, there were 4 males and 11 females, with an age of (37.61±5.93) years old. Four themes were extracted, including the need for decision-making involvement and expression, the need for diversity decision-making information, the need for multi-channel decision-making communication and the need for diversified decision-making support.Conclusions:Medical and nursing staff should pay attention to decision-making needs of the parents of children with type 1 diabetes when they participate in treatment decision-making, and improve their parents' decision-making self-efficacy and promote their decision-making involvement by adopting diversified decision-making aids and effective decision-making communication.

To understand the progress of, summarize the lessons learned from and analyze the challenges in the national schistosomiasis elimination program of China in 2024, this article presented the endemic situation of schistosomiasis and national schistosomiasis surveillance results in the People’s Republic of China in 2024. By the end of 2024, Shanghai Municipality, Zhejiang Province, Fujian Province, Guangdong Province and Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region continued to consolidate schistosomiasis elimination achievements, and 7 provinces of Jiangsu, Sichuan, Yunnan, Hubei, Hunan, Anhui and Jiangxi maintained the criteria of schistosomiasis transmission interruption. A total of 450 counties (cites, districts) were found to be endemic for schistosomiasis in China in 2024, including 26 061 endemic villages covering 73 630 500 residents at risk of infections. Among the 450 counties (cities, districts) endemic for schistosomiasis, 388 (86.22%) achieved the criteria of schistosomiasis elimination and 62 (13.78%) achieved the criteria of transmission interruption. In 2024, a total of 4 102 624 individuals received immunological tests for schistosomiasis in China, with 44 823 sero-positives identified (1.09% seroprevalence), and a total of 169 722 individuals received parasitological examinations, with 1 egg-positives detected. A total of 27 321 cases with advanced schistosomiasis were documented in China by the end of 2024. In 2024, a total of 575 686 bovines were raised in schistosomiasis-endemic villages of China, and 113 842 bovines received immunological tests, with 235 sero-positives detected (0.21% seroprevalence), while no egg-positives were identified among the 167 475 bovines receiving parasitological examinations. In 2024, snail survey was performed covering an area of 680 498.27 hm² in China, and 190 778.66 hm² snail habitats were identified, including 59.09 hm² emerging snail habitats and 704.23 hm² reemerging snail habitats. In 2024, a total of 19 665 schistosomiasis patients receiving chemotherapy with praziquantel in China, and expanded chemotherapy was given to humans at 571 722 person-times and to bovines at 306 740 herd-times. In addition, snail control with chemical treatment covered 117 111.37 hm² snail habitats across China in 2024, and the actual area of chemical treatment was 66 562.95 hm², while environmental improvements were performed in snail habitats covering an area of 1 374.26 hm². The national schistosomiasis surveillance results showed that the mean prevalence rates of Schistosoma japonicum infections were both 0 among humans and bovines in China in 2024, and no S. japonicum infection was detected in snails. These data demonstrated that the prevalence of schistosomiasis remained at a low level in China in 2024; however, the areas of snail habitats remained high and the number of fenced cattle showed a slight increase. To address these risks, it is imperative to maintain the integrated strategy with an emphasis on management of the source of S. japonicum infection and intensified snail control in high-risk areas, and to reinforce schistosomiasis surveillance and forecast and snail control in high-risk areas.

Objective:To explore the need for parental involvement in treatment decision-making for children with type 1 diabetes mellitus, so as to provide basis for medical and nursing staff to formulate targeted intervention strategies.Methods:This was a qualitative study. From April to May 2024, 15 parents of children with type 1 diabetes mellitus admitted to the Department of Endocrine Genetics and Metabolism at Children's Hospital of Soochow University were selected as research subjects for face-to-face semi-structured interviews. Inductive content analysis was used for data analysis.Results:Among the 15 children patients, there were 4 males and 11 females, with an age of (37.61±5.93) years old. Four themes were extracted, including the need for decision-making involvement and expression, the need for diversity decision-making information, the need for multi-channel decision-making communication and the need for diversified decision-making support.Conclusions:Medical and nursing staff should pay attention to decision-making needs of the parents of children with type 1 diabetes when they participate in treatment decision-making, and improve their parents' decision-making self-efficacy and promote their decision-making involvement by adopting diversified decision-making aids and effective decision-making communication.

Objective To evaluate the molluscicidal effect of spraying different formulations of niclosamide ethanolamine salt with drones against Oncomelania hupensis in ditches. Methods A semi-dry and semi-wet ditch with O. hupensis snails was selected in the second branch field of Jiangbei Farm, Jiangling County, Hubei Province in May 2023, and divided into 4 experimental areas, named groups A1, A2, B1 and B2. Environmental cleaning was performed in groups A1 and B2, and was not conducted in groups A2 or B2. Then, 50% wettable powder of niclosamide ethanolamine salt was sprayed with drones at an effective dose of 2 g/m² in groups A1 and A2, and 5% niclosamide ethanolamine salt granule was sprayed with drones at an effective dose of 2 g/m² in groups B1 and B2. O. hupensis snails were surveyed using the systematic sampling method 1, 3, 5, 7, 14 days after spraying, and the natural mortality and corrected mortality of O. hupensis snails were calculated. Results The occurrence of frames with living snails, mean density of living snails and natural mortality of snails were 97.50% (117/120), 6.30 snails/0.1 m² and 1.18% (9/765) in the test ditch before spraying, respectively. There were significant differences in the mortality of snails among four groups 1, 3, 5, 7 and 14 days after spraying niclosamide formulations with drones (χ² = 17.230, 51.707, 65.184, 204.050 and 34.435, all P values < 0.01). The overall mortality rates of snails were 94.51% (1 051/1 112), 79.44% (908/1 143), 96.54% (977/1 012) and 88.55% (1 021/1 153) in groups A1, A2, B1 and B2 (χ² = 207.773, P < 0.05), respectively. In addition, there was no significant difference in the overall snail mortality between groups A1 and B1 (P > 0.05), and the snail mortality in groups A1 and B1 were both statistically different from that in groups A2 and B2 (all P values < 0.05). Conclusion Both 50% wettlable powder of niclosamide ethanolamine salt and 5% niclosamide ethanolamine salt granule sprayed with drones are active against O. hupensis snails in ditches, and environmental cleaning may improve the molluscicidal effect.

Objective To evaluate the molluscicidal effect of spraying 5% niclosamide ethanolamine salt granules with drones against of Oncomelania hupensis snails in snail habitats in marshland areas. Methods From September to October, 2022, marshlands were sampled from Dantu District, Zhenjiang City, Jiangsu Province as study areas, and assigned into four groups, of approximately 3 000 m² per group. In Group A, environmental cleaning was performed, followed by spraying 5% niclosamide ethanolamine salt granules with knapsack sprayers at a dose of 40 g/m², and in Group B, 5% niclosamide ethanolamine salt granules were sprayed with knapsack sprayers at a dose of 40 g/m² without environmental cleaning, while in Group C, environmental cleaning was conducted, followed by spraying 5% niclosamide ethanolamine salt granules with drones at a dose of 40 g/m², and in Group D, 5% niclosamide ethanolamine salt granules were sprayed with drones at a dose of 40 g/m² without environmental cleaning. Then, the study areas in each group were equally divided into six blocks, with Block 1 for baseline surveys and blocks 2 to 6 for snail surveys 1, 3, 5, 7, 14 days following chemical treatment. The mortality of snails and the reduction of the density of living snails were calculated. Results A total of 132 frames were surveyed during the period from September to October 2022, and the occurrence of frames with living snails and means density of living snails were 61.36% (81/132) and 1.58 snails/0.1 m², respectively. The overall mortality rates of snails were 43.02% (77/179), 38.69% (77/199), 47.78% (86/180) and 31.02% (58/187) 14 days following chemical treatment in groups A, B, C and D, respectively (χ² = 11.646, P < 0.05), and there were differences detected in the snail mortality between group A and D, and between groups C and D (both P_adjusted values < 0.05). The adjusted mortality rates of snails were 37.42%, 36.07%, 38.85% and 40.40% in groups A, B, C and D 14 days post-treatment, and the density of living snails decreased by 48.10%, 63.29%, 67.09% and 69.62% 14 days post-treatment relative to pre-treatment, respectively. Conclusions Chemical treatment with drones is feasible for O. hupensis snail control in marshland areas; however, the molluscicidal effect of spraying 5% niclosamide ethanolamine salt granules with drones is comparable to spraying chemicals manually in marshland areas regardless of environmental cleaning.

Objective:To investigate the current status of multidrug-resistant bacteria (MDRO) wound infections in patients with autoimmune bullous diseases (AIBDs), and to analyze their risk factors.Methods:A retrospective study was conducted, and inpatients with AIBDs accompanied by wound infections were collected from Hospital of Dermatology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences from January 2020 to December 2022. A descriptive analysis was carried out to analyze the basic characteristics of these patients and pathogenic characteristics of MDRO. Univariate and binary logistic regression models were used to analyze independent risk factors for MDRO infections in patients with AIBDs. Differences between the MDRO infection group and common bacterial infection group were analyzed by using t test, Mann-Whitney U test and chi-square test. Results:Totally, 271 patients with AIBDs accompanied by wound infections were included, including 159 males (58.7%) and 112 females (41.3%), and 142 patients (52.4%) were aged over 60 years. Most patients with AIBDs were diagnosed with pemphigus vulgaris (131 cases, 48.3%), or bullous pemphigoid (99 cases, 36.5%). Bacterial culture was positive in all the patients, and 74 (27.3%) were infected with MDRO; a total of 108 strains of MDRO were detected, with relatively high detection rates of Staphylococcus (82 strains, 75.9%) and Enterobacter (15 strains, 13.9%). Significant differences were observed between the MDRO infection group and the common bacterial infection group in the duration of hospitalization, involved body surface area, proportions of patients self-modificating drug dosage, proportions of patients topically using antibiotic ointments, proportions of patients using immunosuppressants, duration of glucocorticoid use, maximum dose of glucocorticoids and the first albumin level at admission (all P < 0.05), while there were no significant differences in the gender, age, proportions of patients at first hospitalization, types of AIBDs, duration of education, body mass index, disease duration, proportions of smoking patients, proportions of drinking patients, proportions of patients with comorbid chronic diseases, surgical history, prevalence of hypoalbuminemia, prevalence of mucosal involvement, proportions of patients receiving topical glucocorticoids, proportions of patients using biological agents, duration of antibiotic use, and the first total protein level at admission between the two groups (all P > 0.05). Logistic regression analysis showed that the use of topical antibiotic ointments, use of immunosuppressants, maximum dose of glucocorticoids, and self-modification of drug dosage were independent risk factors for MDRO infections (all P < 0.05) . Conclusions:The patients with AIBDs were prone to develop MDRO infections in wounds, and Staphylococcus infections were the most common. The use of topical antibiotic ointments, use of immunosuppressants, high dose of glucocorticoids, and self-modification of drug dosage may increase the risk of infections in patients with AIBDs.

To understand the progress of national schistosomiasis elimination program of China in 2023 and summarize the lessons and experiences, data on the endemic status of schistosomiasis and national schistosomiasis surveillance results in the People’s Republic of China were collected and analyzed at a national level. By the end of 2023, Shanghai Municipality, Zhejiang Province, Fujian Province, Guangdong Province and Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region continued to consolidate the achievements of schistosomiasis elimination, and Sichuan and Jiangsu provinces maintained the criteria of transmission interruption, while Yunnan and Hubei provinces were identified to achieve the criteria of transmission interruption in 2020, and Anhui, Jiangxi and Hunan provinces achieved the criteria of transmission interruption in 2023. A total of 451 counties (cites, districts) were found to be endemic for schistosomiasis in China in 2023, including 26 250 endemic villages covering 73 034 500 residents at risk of infections. Among the 451 endemic counties (cities, districts), 78.49% (354/451) achieved the criteria of schistosomiasis elimination and 21.51% (97/451) achieved the criteria of transmission interruption, respectively. In 2023, a total of 4 216 643 individuals received immunological tests, with 47 794 sero-positives identified, and a total of 184 216 individuals received parasitological examinations, with 4 egg-positives detected. A total of 27 768 cases with advanced schistosomiasis were documented in China by the end of 2023. In 2023, 539 548 bovines were raised in schistosomiasis-endemic areas of China, and 125 440 bovines received immunological tests, with 124 sero-positives detected, while no egg-positives were identified among the 133 508 bovines receiving parasitological examinations. In 2023, snail survey was performed at an area of 641 339.53 hm² and 184 819.77 hm² snail habitats were identified, including 51.53 hm² emerging snail habitats and 642.25 hm² reemerging snail habitats. In 2023, there were 20 198 schistosomiasis patients receiving praziquantel chemotherapy, and 598 183 person-time individuals and 283 954 herdtime bovines were given expanded chemotherapy. In 2023, snail control with chemical treatment was performed in 116 347.95 hm² snail habitats, and the actual area of chemical treatment was 65 690.89 hm², while environmental improvements were performed in snail habitats covering an area of 1 334.62 hm². The national schistosomiasis surveillance results showed that the mean prevalence of Schistosoma japonicum infections were both zero among humans and bovines in 2023, and no S. japonicum infection was detected in snails. These data demonstrated that transmission interruption of schistosomiasis had been achieved across all endemic provinces in China in 2023, and the endemic status of schistosomiasis tended to be stable, while advanced cases were predominant among all schistosomiasis cases. However, the areas of snail habitats remained high and cattle re-raising was very common in some regions. Intensified schistosomiasis surveillance and forecast and snail control in high-risk areas are needed.

This report presented the endemic status of schistosomiasis and analyzed the data collected from the national schistosomiasis prevention and control system and national schistosomiasis surveillance program in the People’s Republic of China in 2022. Among the 12 provinces (municipality and autonomous region) endemic for schistosomiasis, Shanghai Municipality, Zhejiang Province, Fujian Province, Guangdong Province and Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region continued to maintain the achievements of schistosomiasis elimination, and Sichuan and Jiangsu provinces maintained the criteria of transmission interruption, while Yunnan, Hubei, Anhui, Jiangxi and Hunan provinces maintained the criteria of transmission control by the end of 2022. A total of 452 counties (cites, districts) were found to be endemic for schistosomiasis in China in 2022, with 27 434 endemic villages covering 73 424 400 people at risk of infections. Among the 452 endemic counties (cities, districts), 75.89% (343/452), 23.45% (106/452) and 0.66% (3/452) achieved the criteria of elimination, transmission interruption and transmission control of schistosomiasis, respectively. In 2022, 4 317 356 individuals received serological tests for schistosomiasis, and 62 228 were sero-positive. A total of 208 646 individuals received stool examinations for schistosomiasis, with one positive and another two cases positive for urine microscopy, and these three 3 cases were imported schistosomiasis patients from Africa. There were 28 565 cases with advanced schistosomiasis documented in China by the end of 2022. Oncomelania hupensis snail survey was performed in 18 891 endemic villages in China in 2022 and O. hupensis snails were found in 6 917 villages (36.62% of all surveyed villages), with 8 villages identified with emerging snail habitats. Snail survey was performed at an area of 655 703.01 hm² and 183 888.60 hm² snail habitats were found, including 110.58 hm² emerging snail habitats and 844.35 hm² re-emerging snail habitats. There were 477 200 bovines raised in the schistosomiasis endemic areas of China in 2022, and 113 946 bovines received serological examinations for schistosomiasis, with 204 sero-positives detected. Among the 131 715 bovines received stool examinations, no positives were identified. In 2022, there were 19 726 schistosomiasis patients receiving praziquantel chemotherapy, and expanded chemotherapy was performed in 714 465 person-time for humans and 234 737 herd-time for bovines in China. In 2022, snail control with chemical treatment was performed at an area of 119 134.07 hm², and the actual area of chemical treatment was 65 825.27 hm², while environmental improvements were performed at an area of 1 163.96 hm². Data from the national schistosomiasis surveillance program of China showed that the mean prevalence of Schistosoma japonicum infections was both zero in humans and bovines in 2022, and no S. japonicum infection was detected in O. hupensis snails. These data demonstrated that the endemic status of schistosomiasis continued to decline in China in 2022, with 3 confirmed schistosomiasis patients that had a foreign nationality and all imported from Africa, and the areas of snail habitats remained high. Further improvements in the construction of the schistosomaisis surveillance and forecast system, and reinforcement of O. hupensis survey and control are required to prevent the re-emerging schistosomiasis.