Efficacy of polyetheretherketone rod hybrid surgery in preventing proximal junctional failure after adult spinal deformity surgery / 中华外科杂志

Objective: To investigate the clinical outcome and preventive effect of polyetheretherketone(PEEK) rod hybrid surgery on proximal junction failure(PJF) after long-segment fusion of adult spinal deformity. Methods: A retrospective study was conducted to analyze patients with degenerative scoliosis/kyphosis who underwent long-segment decompression and fusion surgery at Department of Orthopedics, Peking University First Hospital from January 2017 to December 2021. A total of 75 patients were included in the study, including 14 males and 61 females, aged (67.2±6.8)years (range:55 to 84 years). According to the operation method chosen by the patients, the patients were divided into PEEK rod hybrid group (20 cases) and traditional titanium rod group (55 cases). The general information of the patients was collected, and the coronal and sagittal parameters of the spine were measured before operation, at 1 month after operation, and at the last follow-up. The clinical effect of surgery was judged by the visual analogue scale (VAS) and Oswestry disability index (ODI). Whether proximal junctional kyphosis (PJK) and PJF occurred during the follow-up and the time of occurrence were recorded. Comparisons between groups were performed using independent sample t test, Mann-Whitney U test, χ2 test and Fisher's exact probability method. The data before and after surgery in the same group were compared using the paired sample t test and the Wilcoxon test. Results: There were no significant differences in age, gender, body mass index, bone mineral density, distal instrumented vertebrae, surgical segments, osteotomy method, operation time, and intraoperative bleeding between the two groups (all P>0.05). The follow-up time of the PEEK rod group was shorter(M(IQR)16.5(4.8) vs. 25.0(12.0),Z=-4.230,P<0.01). There were no significant differences in coronal, sagittal parameters, VAS and ODI between the two groups before operation (all P>0.05). Postoperative coronal Cobb angle, pelvic incidence, pelvic tilt, sacral slope, lumbar lordosis, thoracic kyphosis, sagittal vertical axis (SVA), VAS and ODI were significantly improved in both groups(all P<0.05). At the last follow-up, the SVA of the PEEK rod hybrid group was(3.74±2.40)cm, which was significantly lower than that of the titanium rod group (6.28±4.06)cm (t'=-3.318, P=0.002). At the last follow-up, the ODI of the PEEK rod hybrid group was 30.7±6.1, significantly better than the titanium rod group 39.3±17.2(t=-3.203, P=0.046). PJK occurred in 2 patients (10.0%) in the PEEK rod hybrid group, and no PJF phenomenon was observed. In the titanium rod group, 18 patients (32.7%) developed PJK, and 11 patients (20.0%) developed PJF. There was a statistically significant difference in the incidence of PJF between the PEEK rod hybrid group and the titanium rod group (P=0.031). Conclusions: PEEK rod hybrid surgery can achieve good clinical results in the treatment of adult spinal deformities. Compared with traditional titanium rod surgery, it can significantly reduce the incidence of postoperative PJF and improve the clinical function of patients.

Effect of sugammadex on postoperative nausea and vomiting after surgery for intracranial aneurysm / 中华外科杂志

Objective: To investigate the effect of sugammadex on postoperative nausea and vomiting(PONV) after intracranial aneurysm surgery. Methods: Data from intracranial aneurysms patients who met the inclusion and exclusion criteria and underwent interventional surgery in the Department of Neurosurgery, Peking University International Hospital from January 2020 to March 2021 were prospectively included. According to the random number table method, the patients were divided by 1∶1 into the neostigmine+atropine group (group N) and the sugammadex group (group S). Use an acceleration muscle relaxation monitor for muscle relaxation monitoring, and administer neostigmine+atropine and sugammadex to block residual muscle relaxation drugs after surgery. The incidence rates of PONV and severity, the appearance of anesthesia, and the correlation between PONV and postoperative complications were recorded in both groups during five periods after surgery: 0-0.5 hours (T1),>0.5-2.0 hours(T2),>2.0-6.0 hours (T3),>6.0-12.0 hours (T4) and >12.0-24.0 hours (T5). Group comparisons of quantitative data were performed by the independent sample t-test, and categorical data was performed by the χ2 or rank sum test. Results: A total of 66 patients were included in the study, including 37 males and 29 female, aged (59.3±15.4) years (range: 18 to 77 years). The incidence rates of PONV of 33 patients in group S at different time periods of T1, T2, T3, T4, and T5 after surgery were respectively 27.3%(9/33),30.3%(10/33),12.1%(4/33),3.0%(1/33),0(0/33),and the incidence rates of PONV of 33 patients in the group N at different time periods of T1, T2, T3, T4 and T5 after surgery were respectively 36.4%(12/33),36.4%(12/33),33.3%(11/33),6.1%(2/33) and 0(0/33).The incidence of PONV was lower in the group S only in the T3 period after reversal than in the group N (χ2=4.227, P=0.040).However, there was no statistically significant difference in the incidence of PONV between the two groups of patients in other periods (all P>0.05). The recovery time for spontaneous breathing in patients in group S was (7.7±1.4) minutes, the extubation time was (12.4±5.3) minutes, and the safe exit time for anesthesia recovery was (12.3±3.4) minutes; the N groups were (13.9±2.0) minutes, (18.2±6.0) minutes, and (18.6±5.2) minutes, respectively; three time periods in group S were shorter than those in group N, and the differences were statistically significant (all P<0.05). The results regarding the occurrence of complications in patients with different levels of PONV at different time intervals after surgery in the two groups were as follows: in the T3 time period of group N, a significant difference was observed only in the occurrence of postoperative complications among patients with different levels of PONV (χ2=24.786, P<0.01). However, in the T4 time period, significant differences were found in the occurrence of postoperative complications among both the same level and different level PONV patients (χ2=15.435, 15.435, both P<0.01). Significant differences were also observed in the occurrence of postoperative complications among the same level and different level PONV patients in both the T3 and T4 time periods of group S (all P<0.01). Conclusion: Sugammadex can be used to reverse muscle relaxation in patients undergoing intracranial aneurysm intervention surgery,and it does not have a significant impact on the incidence of PONV, it can also optimize the quality of anesthesia recovery and reduce the incidence of complications after intracranial aneurysm embolization surgery.

Preliminary application of recombinase -aided amplification in detection of Clonorchis sinensis metacercariae in freshwater fish / 中国血吸虫病防治杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To evaluate the performance of recombinase-aided amplification (RAA) assay in detection of Clonorchis sinensis metacercariae in freshwater fish samples, so as to provide insights into standardization and field application of this assay.@*METHODS@#Wild freshwater fish samples were collected in the rivers of administrative villages where C. sinensis-infected residents lived in Jiangyan District, Xinghua County and Taixing County of Taizhou City, Jiangsu Province from June to September 2022. Genomic DNA was extracted from six freshwater fish specimens (5 g each) containing 0, 1, 2, 4, 8 and 16 C. sinensis metacercariae for fluorescent RAA assay, and the diagnostic sensitivity was evaluated. Fluorescent RAA assay was performed with genomic DNA from C. sinensis, Metorchis orientalis, Haplorchis pumilio and Centrocestus formosanus metacercariae as templates to evaluate its cross-reactions. In addition, the detection of fluorescent RAA assay and direct compression method for C. sinensis metacercariae was compared in field-collected freshwater fish samples.@*RESULTS@#Positive amplification was found in fresh-water fish specimens containing different numbers of C. sinensis metacercariae, and fluorescent RAA assay was effective to detect one C. sinensis metacercaria in 5 g freshwater fish specimens within 20 min. Fluorescent RAA assay tested negative for DNA from M. orientalis, H. pumilio and C. formosanus metacercariae. Fluorescent RAA assay and direct compression method showed 5.36% (93/1 735) and 2.88% (50/1 735) detection rates for C. sinensis metacercariae in 1 735 field-collected freshwater fish samples, with a statistically significant difference seen (χ2 = 478.150, P < 0.001). There was a significant difference in the detection of C. sinensis metacercariae in different species of freshwater fish by both the direct compression method (χ2 = 11.20, P < 0.05) and fluorescent RAA assay (χ2 = 20.26, P < 0.001), and the detection of C. sinensis metacercariae was higher in Pseudorasbora parva than in other fish species by both the direct compression method and fluorescent RAA assay (both P values < 0.05).@*CONCLUSIONS@#Fluorescent RAA assay has a high sensitivity for detection of C. sinensis metacercariae in freshwater fish samples, and has no cross-reactions with M. orientalis, H. pumilio or C. formosanus metacercariae. Fluorescent RAA assay shows a higher accuracy for detection of C. sinensis infections in field-collected freshwater fish than the direct compression method.

Epidemiological and clinical characteristics of human ocular helaziasis in China from 2011 to 2022 based on bibliometrics / 中国血吸虫病防治杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To understand the clinical and epidemiological characteristics of human ocular thelaziasis patients in China.@*METHODS@#Case reports regarding human ocular thelaziasis cases in China were retrieved in international and national electronic databases, including CNKI, VIP, CBM, Traditional Chinese Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System, Wanfang Database, PubMed and Web of Science from 2011 to 2022. Patients' gender, age, clinical symptoms, treatment, recurrence, site of infections, time of onset, affected eye, affected sites, number of infected Thelazia callipaeda, sex of T. callipaeda and source of infections were extracted for descriptive analyses.@*RESULTS@#A total of 85 eligible publications were included, covering 101 cases of human ocular thelaziasis, including 57 males (56.44%) and 44 females (43.56%) and aged from 3 months to 85 years. The main clinical manifestations included foreign body sensation (56 case-times, 22.49%), eye itching (38 case-times, 15.26%), abnormal or increased secretions (36 case-times, 14.46%), tears (28 case-times, 11.24%) and eye redness (28 case-times, 11.24%), and conjunctival congestion (50 case-times, 41.67%) was the most common clinical sign. The most common main treatment (99/101, 98.02%) was removal of parasites from eyes using ophthalmic forceps, followed by administration with ofloxacin and pranoprofen. In publications presenting thelaziasis recurrence, there were 90 cases without recurrence (97.83%) and 2 cases with recurrence (2.17%). Of all cases, 51.96% were reported in four provinces of Hubei, Shandong, Sichuan, Hebei and Henan, and ocular thelaziasis predominantly occurred in summer (42.19%) and autumn (42.19%). In addition, 56.45% (35/62) had a contact with dogs.@*CONCLUSIONS@#The human thelaziasis cases mainly occur in the continental monsoon and subtropical monsoon climate areas such as the Yellow River and the Yangtze River basin, and people of all ages and genders have the disease, with complex clinical symptoms and signs. Personal hygiene is required during the contact with dogs, cats and other animals, and individual protection is required during outdoor activities to prevent thelaziasis.

Study on the current status of smoking, intention of tobacco concession and related risk factors among 18-65-year olds patients with chronic diseases in Beijing / 中华流行病学杂志

Objective: To understand the status, attitude and related risk factors on smoking among 18-65 years old patients with hypertension, diabetes, dyslipidemia, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) or asthma in Beijing. Methods: Data was gathered from the 2014 Beijing Non-communicable and Chronic Disease Surveillance Program. Multiple classified cluster sampling method was used and 19 815 participants aged 18-65 were sampled from 16 districts in Beijing. Results: Among all the 18 405 participants, male hypertensive patients showed a higher rate on current smoking than the other groups (χ(2)=17.695, P<0.001). Male patients with dyslipidemia had higher current smoking rate than the other groups (χ(2)=39.292, P<0.001). However, female patients with COPD or with asthma showed higher rate on current smoking than the other groups (χ(2)=6.276, P=0.012), (χ(2)=8.245, P=0.004). Among the smokers, hypertensive patients presented lower rate (χ(2)=20.487, P<0.001) on intention of smoking concession, than the other groups. Patients with COPD showed greater intention in quitting smoking (χ(2)=6.085, P=0.048), than the other groups. Male patients with diabetes (χ(2)=9.219, P=0.010) or dyslipidemia (χ(2)=13.513, P=0.001) who had stopped smoking tobacco appeared having higher rates in keeping the current status. Results from logistic regression analyses showed that smoking was the risk factor for hypertension (OR=1.17), dyslipidemia (OR=1.25), COPD (OR=1.78), and asthma (OR=1.57). Conclusions: Patients with certain kinds of chronic diseases showed higher rate of current smoking and lower rate of quitting. Cigarette consumption appeared an important risk factor for patients with hypertension, dyslipidemia, COPD, or asthma in Beijing.

Prevalence and characteristics of overweight and obesity in Chinese children aged 0-5 years / 中华流行病学杂志

Objective: To study the prevalence and characteristics of overweight and obesity among Chinese children aged 0-5 years, in 2010-2013. Methods: Data was from the'China Nutrition and Health Surveillance-0-5-Years-Old Children and Lactating Women'project in 2013. Stratified multistage cluster sampling method was used to select 55 districts/counties from 30 provinces (autonomous regions, municipalities) with the sample size of children as 32 862. Definition of overweight and obesity were according to both the WHO 2006 growth standard in children less than 5-year-old and the WHO 2007 growth reference in children of 5-years-old. Results: were calculated by complex weight based on national census from the National Bureau of Statistics in 2010. Results The overall prevalence of overweight was 8.4% among the 0-5-year-old in 2013, with 9.4% in boys and 7.2% in girls. Both of the rates from urban and rural areas were the same, as 8.4%. The prevalence rates of overweight in the 0-, 6-, 12-, 24-, 36-, 48- and 60-71 months age groups appeared as 13.0%, 11.1%, 8.3%, 6.0%, 4.8%, 3.9% and 15.9%, respectively. The rates of overweight in low, medium and high income families were 8.0%, 8.8% and 8.9%, respectively. The prevalence of obesity was 3.1% among the 0-5-year-old, with 3.6% in boys and 2.5% in girls. There was no significant difference seen in urban (3.3%) and rural areas (2.9%). The prevalence rates for obesity in the 0-, 6-, 12-, 24-, 36-, 48- and 60-71 months age groups were 5.8%, 3.8%, 2.5%, 1.6%, 1.2%, 1.3% and 7.8%, respectively. The rates of obesity in low, medium and high income families were 2.8%, 3.3% and 3.5%, respectively. Conclusion: The prevalence rates of both overweight and obesity were increasing among the 0-5-year-olds in China, suggesting that it is necessary to timely conduct the surveillance and intervention programs on overweight and obesity in this target population.

Epidemiological characteristics of waist circumference and abdominal obesity among Chinese children and adolescents aged 6-17 years / 中华流行病学杂志

Objective: To analyze the epidemiological characteristics of waist circumference and abdominal obesity among Chinese children and adolescents aged 6-17 years. Methods: Data was from the samples of aged 6-17 years in the China National Nutrition and Health Surveillance program in 2010-2012. P(90) (the same age, the same sex) was used as the diagnostic value for abdominal obesity. Results: The overall waist circumference of children and adolescents in all the age groups appeared higher in males than that in females (P<0.000 1), higher in cities than that in the rural areas (P<0.05), and higher in children with high family income than those with middle or low family incomes (P=0.000 3). The rate of abdominal obesity in children and adolescents aged 6-17 years appeared as 11.2% on average and 10.7% and 11.8% for boys and girls, respectively but with no significant difference (P>0.05). Rates on abdominal obesity appeared as 13.2% and 8.5% for boys while as 12.3% and 11.2% for girls respectively, in urban or rural areas. As for the levels of family income, the abdominal obesity rates appeared as 15.8%, 11.5% and 8.8% respectively for boys while 13.5%, 11.9% and 11.6% respectively for girls, under high, middle and low levels of family income. Conclusion: The rate of abdominal obesity in boys seemed more responsive to the impact of income in urban or rural areas.

Study on the relationship between family-related factors and obesity of children and adolescents aged 6-17 years / 中华流行病学杂志

Objective: To analyze the relationship between family-related factors and the status of overweight and obesity in children and adolescents aged 6-17 years in China. Methods: Data were collected from the China National Nutrition and Health Surveillance in 2010-2012 program. A sample of 6 343 subjects aged 6-17 years was selected, with matched weight, education levels, household income and other family related factors of their parents. Univariate analysis and multivariate logistic regression were used to explore the relationship between family factors and overweight and obesity in school-aged children and adolescents. Results: After adjusted for age, gender and region, results from the multivariate logistic regression showed that both the overweight and obesity of children and adolescents were associated with maternal BMI (OR=1.83, 95%CI: 1.63-2.05), paternal BMI (OR=1.74, 95%CI: 1.57-1.94), mother's educational level (OR=1.24, 95%CI: 1.12-1.37) and household income (OR=1.30, 95%CI: 1.15-1.46). Conclusion: Factors as overweight or obesity status of the parents, mother's educational level and household income were positively correlated with the prevalence of overweight and obesity in Chinese children and adolescents.

Epidemiological characteristics of overweight and obesity in Chinese children and adolescents aged 6-17 years / 中华流行病学杂志

Objective: To analyze the prevalence rates of overweight and obesity in Chinese children and adolescents aged 6-17 years, and to provide scientific basis for the development of prevention strategies on obesity. Methods: Data was from children and adolescents aged 6-17 years in the China National Nutrition and Health Surveillance 2010-2012 program. In children aged 6 years, criteria of overweight and obesity were followed the WHO growth reference for school-aged children and adolescents. In children and adolescents aged 7-17 years, overweight and obesity were defined by sex and age specific BMI, recommended by Guidelines for prevention and control of overweight and obesity among school-age children and adolescents according to the Chinese guidelines. Results: The overall rates on overweight and obesity were 9.6% and 6.4% among the Chinese children and adolescents aged 6-17 years, with 11.0% (12.8% for boys and 9.0% for girls) in urban and 7.7% (boys 9.7%, girls 5.5%) in rural areas. The rates of overweight and obesity among children and adolescents were 8.4% (boys 9.3%, girls 7.4%) and 5.2% (boys 6.2%, girls 4.1%) in the rural areas. According to the levels of household income, the overweight rates of children in high, middle and low incomes were 12.3%, 10.7% and 8.2%, with obesity as 8.6%, 7.2% and 5.7% respectively. Conclusions: In 2012, the prevalence rates of overweight and obese were 9.6% and 6.4% among children and adolescents aged 6-17 years, respectively, higher in urban than in rural areas and higher boys than in girls. The prevalence rates of overweight and obesity seemed to be related to the levels of household income.

Age-related modification effect on the association between body mass index and the risk of hypertension: A Cohort Study on Chinese people living in the rural areas / 中华流行病学杂志

Objective: To study the modification effect of age on the association between body mass index and the risk of hypertension. Methods: People age ≥18 years old were selected by clusters, from a rural area of Henan province. In total, 20 194 people were recruited at baseline during 2007 and 2008, and the follow-up study was completed from 2013 to 2014. Logistic regression model was used to assess the risk of incident hypertension by baseline BMI and age-specific BMI. Results: During the 6-year follow-up period, 1 950 hypertensive persons were detected, including 784 men and 1 166 women, with cumulative incidence rates as 19.96%, 20.51%, and 19.61%, respectively. Compared with those whose BMI<22 kg/m(2), the RRs of hypertension were 1.09 (0.93-1.27), 1.17 (1.01-1.37), 1.34 (1.14-1.58) and 1.31 (1.09-1.56) for participants with BMI as 22-, 24-, 26- and ≥28 kg/m(2), respectively. In young and middle-aged populations, the risk of hypertension gradually increased with the rise of BMI (trend P<0.05). However, in the elderly, the increasing trend on the risk of hypertension risk was not as significantly obvious (trend P>0.05). Conclusion: The effect of BMI on the incidence of hypertension seemed to depend on age. Our findings suggested that a weight reduction program would be more effective on young or middle-aged populations, to prevent the development of hypertension.

The drinking status and associated factors in adults in China / 中华流行病学杂志

Objective: To investigate the drinking status and associated factors in adults in China. Methods: Based on the 2010-2012 China National Nutrition and Health Survey (CNNHS), a total of 135 824 participants aged ≥18 were included in this cross-sectional analysis. Multivariable logistic regression model was used to investigate the associated factors for drinking status. Results: The overall drinking rate was 30.5% in Chinese adults, 53.8% in men, and 12.2% in women. The excessive drinking rate was 14.0% in men and 1.1% in women. The daily drinking rate was 25.7% in men and 10.9% in women. Men mainly consumed multi-type wines, but women preferred beer. The overall harmful drinking rate was 7.1%. The excessive drinking rate, daily drinking rate, and harmful drinking rate increased first but then declined with age. All the four rates were positively related with physical activity. Conclusions: The drinking rate, excessive drinking rate, daily drinking rate and harmful drinking rate were high in adults in China. Drinking status was associated with age, sex, marital status, education level, smoking status and physical activity.

A cohort study on body mass index and risk of all-cause mortality among hypertensive population / 中华流行病学杂志

Objective: To investigate the relationship between body mass index (BMI) and all-cause mortality in hypertensive population. Methods: All participants were selected from a prospective cohort study based on a rural population from Henan province, China. Cox proportional hazards regression models were used to estimate the associations of different levels of BMI stratification with all-cause mortality. Restricted cubic spline models were used to detect the dose-response relation. Results: Among the 5 461 hypertensive patients, a total of 31 048.38 person-years follow-up was conducted. The median of follow-up time was 6 years, and 589 deaths occurred during the follow-up period. Compared to normal weight group (18.5 kg/m(2)<BMI<24.0 kg/m(2)) the multivariate-adjusted hazard ratios for all-cause mortality associated with BMI levels (<18.5 kg/m(2), 24-28 kg/m(2), and ≥28 kg/m(2)) were 0.83 (95%CI: 0.37-1.87), 0.81 (95%CI: 0.67-0.97), and 0.72 (95%CI: 0.56-0.91), respectively. The dose-response analysis showed a nonlinear, reverse "S" shaped relationship (non-linearity P<0.001). Conclusion: Overweight or obese might have a protective effect on all-cause mortality in hypertensive population, which supports the "obesity paradox" phenomenon.

Antibiotic use in emergency departments of class Ⅲ general hospitals in China / 中华流行病学杂志

Objective: To investigate the utilization of antibiotics in emergency departments (EDs) of class Ⅲ general hospitals in China. Methods: Data from a national monitoring network for rational use of drugs was used. The data included prescriptions of EDs from 114 class Ⅲ general hospitals in 30 provinces (autonomous regions, municipalities) of China. A total of 10 260 595 prescriptions from October 1, 2014 to December 31, 2016 were extracted. The Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical Classification/Defined Daily Dose (DDD) system was used for the classification of antibiotics and calculation of antibiotic use intensity. An auto-regression model was used to analyze the trend over time and seasonal variation of antibiotic use in EDs. Results: The rate of antibiotic prescriptions was 27.82% in EDs, among the antibiotics prescribed, 25.58% were for the combination therapy with 2 or more antibiotic agents, and injectable antibiotic prescriptions accounted for 60.59%. Besides, the number of DDDs per 100 patient visits was 81.84. Broad-spectrum agents were the most commonly used antibiotics, among which the second and third generation cephalosporins, quinolones and macrolides accounted for 23.83%, 21.68%, 19.17% and 7.89% of all prescribed antibiotics, respectively. The use of antibiotics, including prescription frequency and use intensity, in EDs had a slight but significant increase tendency (P<0.05), and the seasonal variation of antibiotic use in EDs was obvious, characterized by the highest frequency and intensity of antibiotic use in winter, the differences were significant (P<0.05). Conclusion: The antibiotic prescription rate in EDs of classⅢ general hospitals in China was controlled at a low level, but the proportions of broad-spectrum antibiotics and injectable antibiotics were high, and a significant increase trend in antibiotic use in EDs was found.

Current status of national free antiretroviral therapy in interprovincial migrating people living with HIV/AIDS and influencing factors, China, 2011-2015 / 中华流行病学杂志

Objective: To understand the current status of national free antiretroviral therapy in interprovincial migrating people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) and influencing factors in China. Methods: Descriptive and trend test analyses were performed to evaluate the historical characteristics and trends of main descriptive indicators on national free antiretroviral therapy for the interprovincial migrating PLWHA by using the data collected from National Comprehensive HIV/AIDS Information System from 2011 to 2015. Logistic regression model was used to explore the main factors that influencing the coverage of national free antiretroviral therapy among the interprovincial migrating PLWHA in China. Results: The proportion of interprovincial migrating PLWHA gradually increased in last 5 years from 7.1% (17 784/250 645) in 2011 to 10.3% (54 596/528 226) in 2015 (Z=51.38, P<0.000 1) in China. The coverage rate of free antiretroviral therapy in interprovincial migrating PLWHA increased from 37.3% (6 641/17 784) in 2011 to 71.0% (38 783/54 596) in 2015, showing a significant rising tendency (Z=96.23, P<0.000 1), but it was slightly lower than that in non-interprovincial migrating PLWHA in 2015 (71.5%, 338 654/473 630). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that the PLWHA who were females, aged ≥50 years, of Han ethnic group, married or had spouse, had the educational level of high school or above, infected through homosexual intercourse, with CD(4)(+)T cells counts ≤500 cells/μl at the first visit, identified to be infected with HIV in medical setting, living in urban areas et al, were more likely to receive free antiretroviral therapy. Conclusions: The coverage rate of free antiretroviral therapy varied among the interprovincial migrating PLWHA with different characteristics. It is still necessary to take effective measures to further increase the coverage of free antiretroviral therapy in interprovincial migrating PLWHA and to include the free antiretroviral therapy in interprovincial migrating PLWHA into standardized management system as soon as possible.

Fewer beams and segments result in a shorter delivery time and a better quality intensity-modulated radiotherapy plan in gastric cancer

Background: This study evaluated whether IMRT using fewer beams and segments could reduce delivery time without compromising plan quality in gastric cancer adjuvant radiotherapy

Materials and Methods: Fifteen patients with advanced gastric cancer who underwent D2, R0 surgery were included in this study. IMRT plans for each patient were designed as 7 equal beams with 40 segments, 5 beams with 25 segments and 4 beams with 20 segments. The dosimetric parameters were compared for the planned target volume [PTV]. The dose of normal organs at risk [OARs] was also assessed. The monitor units and treatment times of the different IMRT plans were calculated

Results: The 20-segment IMRT plan significantly reduced the PTV maximum dose compared to the 40-segment IMRT plan. The 20-segment IMRT plan improved left kidney and liver dose sparing in V20 and V30 as well as the 40-segment IMRT plan did and provided be4er protection for the V20 [13.86+/-7.78] of the right kidney, the V30 [9.25+/-4.04] of the le kidney, the D mean [19.68+/-2.47] of liver and D max [38.79+/-3.57] of the spinal cord. Irradiation times in the 20-segment and 25-segment plans decreased by 2.5 and 1.9 min, respectively, compared to the 40-segment IMRT plan

Conclusion: IMRT using fewer beams and segments reduced delivery time without compromising plan quality in gastric cancer adjuvant radiotherapy. Fewer segments IMRT plans lowered the monitor units and the treatment time

Separation of metal laden waste using pulsating air dry material separator

Separation of metal laden solid wastes for their recycling utilization using passive pulsed air and active pulsing air classifiers was studied. Laboratory investigation showed that the active pulsing air separator performs more efficiently than the passive pulsed air separator due to the ability to accurately control operating parameters. By studying the difference of drag coefficients of the particles moving through the airflow of varying Reynolds numbers, models of the dynamic particle motion were developed and a computer simulation was prepared. Results of the simulation were reported to predict the observed results with artificial tracing spheres being separated by the laboratory equipment. Two different, real world feed materials were separated with the laboratory scale active pulsing air classifier. The discarded catalyst consisting of precious metal components and sintered magnetic beads was separated with the separation efficiency, of 97.6%. The second real-world feed, electronic scrap crushed to a size of 0.5 to 2 mm, showed a separation efficiency of 92.41%. At the same time, the grade of the recovered concentrate of metals was above 98%

Phospholipid fatty acids analysis of the vertical distribution of microbial communities in eutrophic lake sediments

Vertical distribution of microbial communities in a eutrophic lake sediments of Lake Xuanwu was quantified by phospholipid fatty acids analysis and multivariate statistical analysis was employed to interprete the data. Principle component analysis of sediment characteristics parameters, including total nitrogen, total phosphorus, organic matters and pH produced clustering of sampling sites for two distinct groups. These groups corresponded with the two sampling stations and the levels of nutrient enrichment. Total phospholipid fatty acids concentration, which is indicative of microbial biomass, reduced with depth, however, the relative percentage of anaerobic prokaryotes increased. To assess changes of microbial community along depth, phospholipid fatty acids compositions were analyzed by cluster analysis. Distinct clusters were observed in different sampling stations. Canonical correspondence analysis was carried out to infer the relationship between sediment characteristics and microbial communities. Phospholipid fatty acids samples collected at the same sampling site clustered together. Canonical correspondence analysis revealed that the environmental parameter with the greatest bearing on the phospholipid fatty acids profiles was pH. This study proved the successful application of phospholipid fatty acids and multivariate analysis to investigate the relationship between environment factors and microbial community composition

Environmental biological model based on optimization of activated sludge process

A simplified environmental biological model has been developed based on biodegradation kinetics correlation to regulate and optimize wastewater treatment system of activated sludge process. All parameters included in the model are calibrated in accordance with reference data and experimental results and good agreements are achieved between calculated results and reference data or experimental results. The minimum bioreactor volume is used as objective function in the model and errors between optimal minimum volume of the model and each reported result of three references are found to be no more than 8.63% after validation. Comparisons between optimal results and experimental data demonstrate that the deviations are negligible. The optimal minimum volume is 9.21 m3 with the error of 6.40% to the practical bioreactor volume of a pilot treatment system. The environmental biological model has been applied to economically evaluate a former treatment system with native bacterium YZ1 and four operation periods of the pilot system with functional strain Fhhh compared with YZ1, Fhhh possesses higher biodegradation ability in purified terephthalic acid wastewater and a broader economic potential in the field of wastewater treatment