ABSTRACT
Objective To investigate the prevalence of Toxoplasma gondii infection and related knowledge and behavior among special population in Changzhou City,so as to provide the evidence for formulating effective measures of toxoplasmosis prevention. Methods The pregnant women and patients with neoplasia in Changzhou hospitals,and livestock and poultry breeding or processing workers were selected as the subjects of the study. Venous blood samples were collected from each partici-pant for detecting IgG and IgM antibodies against T. gondii by ELISA. A questionnaire investigation on knowledge and behavior about T. gondii infection was conducted. Results Among the total 300 respondents investigated from March to May,2015,the prevalence of T. gondii infection was 16.3％(49/300). Totally 52 respondents knew the knowledge about the prevention and con-trol of T. gondii infection with an awareness rate of 17.3％(52/300). The proportion of participants who frequently contacted with cats/dogs(25.0％,13/52)in the group who knew the knowledge about the prevention and control of T. gondii infection was lower than that of participants(50.8％,126/248)in the group who did not know the knowledge about the prevention and control of T. gondii infection,and the difference was statistically significant(X2=11.51,P<0.05). The proportion of participants sepa-rating chopping boards for raw and cooked food(61.5％,32/52)in the group who knew the knowledge about the prevention and control of T. gondii infection was statistically higher than that of the participants(9.3％,23/248)in the group who did not know the knowledge about the prevention and control of T. gondii infection,and the difference was statistically significant (X2=78.43,P<0.001). There was a negative correlation between the awareness rate of the knowledge about the prevention and con-trol of T. gondii infection and the infection rate of T. gondii. The infection rate of T. gondii(5.8％,3/52)in the group who knew the knowledge about the prevention and control of T. gondii infection was lower than that(18.5％,46/248)of the group who did not know the knowledge about the prevention and control of T. gondii infection,and the difference was statistically significant (X2=5.14,P<0.05). Conclusions The awareness rate of the knowledge about the prevention and control of T. gondii infec-tion among special population in Changzhou City is low. The health education on the knowledge of the prevention and control of toxoplasmosis should be strengthened,in order to improve the awareness of personal hygiene and change the unhealthy lifestyles and dietary habits.
ABSTRACT
Objective To understand the prevalence of Toxoplasma gondii infection and related factors among special popu?lation in Changzhou City,so as to provide the evidence for formulating toxoplasmosis prevention measures. Methods The ve?nous blood was collected from participants in Changzhou City for detecting IgG and IgM antibodies against T. gondii by ELISA;and an epidemiological questionnaire investigation was also conducted. Results Among the total 400 respondents detected,the prevalence of T. gondii infection was 15.0%and the positive rates of IgG and IgM were 15.0%and 0.8%,respectively. The T. gondii infection rates of pregnant women,HIV/AIDS patients,patients with neoplasia,and livestock and poultry breeding and processing workers were 11.0%,11.0%,24.0%and 14.0%,respectively. As the age increased,the infection rate of T. gondii showed an upward trend,with the highest infection rate(21.6%)among the group of respondents aged above 50 years. The in?fection rates of groups with different education levels were statistically different(χ2=11.443,P<0.05),and there was a trend that the infection rate decreased with the increase of education level. The prevalence of T. gondii infection in pregnant women was not significantly associated with the number of pregnancies and gestational age. The infection rate of T. gondii in the live?stock and poultry breeding and processing workers increased with the length of their working years. Conclusions The preva?lence of T. gondii infection among the special population in Changzhou City is high. Therefore,it is necessary to enhance the health education on the knowledge and information of prevention and control of toxoplasmosis,and to improve the awareness of personal protection,the hygiene practices and diet habits. In addition,more attention should be paid to T. gondii monitoring in the special population.
ABSTRACT
<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To test the feasibility of using 1,5-anhydroglucose alcohol (1,5-AG) as a diagnostic indicator of fulminant type 1 diabetes (FT1DM).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Fifteen patients with newly diagnosed FT1DM and 52 with type 2 diabetes (T2DM) were examined for serum biochemistry, glycosylated hemoglobin (HbAlc), and serum 1, 5-AG level.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The patients with FT1DM and T2DM showed significantly different fasting levels of blood glucose (FBG), fructosamine (FMN), creatinine (Cr), urea, HbAlc and serum 1,5-AG (P<0.05). In FT1DM patients, serum 1,5-AG was found to inversely correlate with FBG (r=-0.646, P=0.032) and FMN (r=-0.680, P=0.021), and in T2DM patients, serum 1,5-AG was inversely correlated with FBG (r=-0.407, P=0.001), FMN (r=-0.314, P=0.01) and HbAlc (r=-0.576, P<0.01). Receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis showed an area under the curve of serum 1,5-AG of 0.804 with a cutoff value of 67.95, a sensitivity of 82.9% and a specificity of 60% for FT1DM diagnosis.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Serum 1, 5-AG can reflect acute blood glucose fluctuation in FT1DM patients and is useful for differential diagnosis of FT1DM when combined with evaluations of the clinical characteristics of the patients and other related indicators.</p>