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Objective: To evaluate the household secondary attack rates of the SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant and the associated factors. Methods: A COVID-19 outbreak caused by the Delta variant occurred in Nanjing in July 2021. A total of 235 cases with current addresses in Nanjing were reported from 171 households. The subjects in this study were selected from household close contact(s) of infected cases. The information on household index cases and their contacts were collected, and the household secondary attack rate (HSAR) and the risk factors were analyzed by the multi-factor logistic regression model. Results: A total of 234 cases of household close contacts and 64 household secondary cases were reported from 103 households, and the HSAR was 27.4% (64/234, 95%CI:22.0% to 33.4%). The proportions of household size for 2 to 3, 4 to 5, and 6 to 9 were 64.1% (66), 26.2% (27) and 9.7% (10), respectively. A total of 35 cases of household cluster outbreaks were reported (35/103, 34.0%). The number of the first case in the household (FCH) was 103 and males accounted for 27.2% (28 cases), with the median age (Q1, Q3) of 49 (9, 56). The number of household close contacts was 234 and males accounted for 59.0% (138 cases), with the median age (Q1, Q3) of 42 (20, 55) and the median exposure period (Q1, Q3) of 3 (1, 3) days. The multi-factor logistic regression model showed that the higher HSAR was observed in the FCH with the features of airport staff (OR=2.913, 95%CI:1.469-5.774), detection from home quarantine screening (OR=6.795, 95%CI:1.761-26.219) and detection from mass screening (OR=4.239, 95%CI:1.098-16.368). Meanwhile, higher HSAR was observed in cases with longer household exposure (OR=1.221, 95%CI:1.040-1.432), non-vaccination (OR=2.963, 95%CI:1.288-6.813) and incomplete vaccinations (OR=2.842, 95%CI:0.925-8.731). Conclusion: The generation interval of the Delta variant is shortened, and the ability of transmission within the household is enhanced. In the outbreak in Nanjing, the associated factors of HSAR are occupation, detection route, vaccination and exposure period.
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Male , Humans , SARS-CoV-2 , COVID-19/epidemiology , Incidence , Family CharacteristicsABSTRACT
Objective:Based on the research results of the national continuing medical education project "musculoskeletal ultrasound and new technology quality class" held by the Department of Ultrasound Diagnosis of Peking University Third Hospital, to explore and analyze the effect of basic and applied teaching method based on musculoskeletal ultrasound.Methods:Totally 109 participants attending the classes held on April 14-18, 2019 and on September 9-13, 2019 were selected as study objects, and the training effects of quality private classes were evaluated by questionnaires, operational tests and theoretical tests. SPSS 21.0 was used for t test. Results:The results showed that more than 80% of students were satisfied with the teaching content, teaching plan and teaching materials. Through the class training, the greatest gains of the students were that the operation ability [67 cases (30.7%)] and the theoretical level [53 cases (24.3%)] had been significantly improved. All 109 students passed the operation test. There were no statistical differences in the average scores of theoretical tests among the students with different professional titles, academic qualifications and whether they were from primary hospitals (75-80 points, P>0.05) . Conclusion:The musculoskeletal ultrasound quality private class can improve the students' operating ability and theoretical level in the musculoskeletal system. The class model can guarantee the teaching quality and provide a new direction for continuing medical education.
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Objective To compare the predictive value of different ratio measurement in predicting the risk of malignant thyroid nodules and to determine the best value of ratio in diagnosing thyroid nodules.Methods The clinical data of 342 thyroid nodules diagnosed by ultrasonography and confirmed by histology in our hospital from January 2018 to August 2018 were analyzed.The ratio of nodules in different sections,including longitudinal plane ratio(A/T)and transverse plane ratio(A/T),was obtained through the maximum head-foot diameter(T),the maximum left-right diameter(T),and the anterior-posterior diameter(A)of transverse section measured by ultrasonography.The correlation of histological diagnosis of benign or malignant nodule with longitudinal ratio and transverse ratio were analyzed.Results The A/T and A/T of malignant nodules were 1.00(0.83,1.17)and 0.81(0.65,1.00),respectively,which were significantly higher than those of benign nodules [0.81(0.67,0.93)(=-6.567,=0.000)and 0.63(0.52,0.75)(=-7.239,=0.000)].The area under the ROC curve of A/T and A/T was 0.734 and 0.712,respectively,showing no significant difference(area difference:0.0210,standard error:0.0213,95% :-0.0207-0.0627,=0.987,=0.3235).The threshold values of A/T and A/T for predicting malignant nodules were 0.784 161 5 and 0.985 714 5,respectively.Conclusions Both A/T and A/T has similar diagnostic value in predicting the risk of malignant nodules.The best cutoff value of the above two ratios are 0.78 and 0.99 respectively.
Subject(s)
Humans , Diagnosis, Differential , ROC Curve , Risk Assessment , Sensitivity and Specificity , Thyroid Neoplasms , Diagnostic Imaging , Thyroid Nodule , Diagnostic Imaging , UltrasonographyABSTRACT
Objective To retrospectively evaluate interobserver variability between radiologists by using lexicon of the Thyroid Imaging Reporting and Data System ( TI-RADS ) to classify lesions on ultrasonography and retrospectively determine the positive predictive value ( PPV) of each TI-RADS level. Methods Five radiologists retrospectively reviewed 188 consecutive thyroid nodules with known pathologic diagnosis of 172 patients from June,2016 to November,2016. Each observer described each lesion with TI-RADS terminology and final TI-RADS level were assigned by adding the points from all categories. Cohen κ statistic was used to assessed the interobserver variability for each ultrasonographic ( US ) descriptors and final TI-RADS level. PPV for all TI-RADS levels were determined for all readers combined. Results For each US descriptor,composition,echogenicity,shape,margin,echogenic foci,their κ were 0.743 (0.713－0.772),0.418 (0.319－0.517),0.468 (0.389－0.547),0.397 (0.291－0.503) and 0.566 (0.514－0.617) respectively ( data in parentheses are 95% confidential intervals). The κ for TI-RADS level was 0.782 (0.749 －0.81). PPV for TI-RADS level 1 to 5 were 0(0/8),0(0/23),14.3% (4/28),29.7%(11/37) and 85.7% (78/91). Conclusions Interobserver agreement with the TI-RADS terminology is substantial for composition, moderate for echogenicity, shape and echogenic foci, fair for margin. Interobserver agreement is substantial for TI-RADS level. Consequently different understanding in US images has little influence in patient management,justifying the use of ACR-TIRADS in clinical practice.
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<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the effects of YOD1 overexpression on the proliferation and migration of human oral keratinocytes (HOKs), and to clarify whether the mechanisms involve transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) signaling.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>HOKs were transfected with the plasmid pEGFP-N3-YOD1 containing YOD1. The mRNA levels of YOD1 and TGF-β were determined by qPCR. The protein expressions of YOD1, TGF-β, Smad2/3, Smad4, and phospho-Smad2/3 were determined by western blotting. Cell proliferation and migration were evaluated by Cell Counting Kit-8 assay and wound healing assay, respectively.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The mRNA and protein levels of YOD1 were higher in HOKs transfected with YOD1. YOD1 overexpression significantly enhanced the migration of HOKs. The mRNA and protein levels of TGF-β3 were increased by YOD1 overexpression. HOKs transfected with YOD1 exhibited increased phospho-Smad2/3 levels.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>YOD1 overexpression enhances cell migration by promoting TGF-β3 signaling which may play an important role in lip and palate formation. YOD1 mutation may contribute to aberrant TGF-β3 signaling associated with decreased cell migration resulting in NSCLP.</p>
Subject(s)
Humans , Cell Movement , Physiology , Cell Proliferation , Cells, Cultured , Endopeptidases , Genetics , Metabolism , Keratinocytes , Physiology , Signal Transduction , Physiology , Smad Proteins , Genetics , Metabolism , Thiolester Hydrolases , Genetics , Metabolism , Transforming Growth Factor beta3 , Genetics , MetabolismABSTRACT
<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To validate the performance of Mycob. T Stainer and Scanner (MTSS) for detecting acid-fast bacilli (AFB).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>A total of 3,816 sputum samples from 1,515 tuberculosis (TB) suspects were tested at the Anhui Provincial Chest Hospital and the Linyi People's Hospital from April-August, 2016. Each specimen was placed on two smear slides. One slide was stained by the ziehl-neelsen (ZN) method to be read by conventional microscopy (CM). The other slide was stained and scanned by MTSS. All specimens were decontaminated with 4% NaOH, and then inoculated into solid culture. The performance of MTSS was assessed.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>MTSS produced higher average positivity rate (27.96%) as compared with the CM (26.83%). The overall sensitivity and specificity of MTSS were 78.9% and 93.9%, respectively. The sensitivity and specificity of CM was 77.4% and 95.0%, respectively.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>MTSS exhibited a favorable performance in the detection of AFB. It may be an alternative to CM for screening TB.</p>
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Objective To investigate the diagnostic value of elasticity contrast index(ECI)in the differential diagnosis between benign and malignant cervical lymph nodes.Methods Cervical lymph nodes of 48 patients were examined by traditional ultrasound and ECI in Peking University Third Hospital between December 2016 and April 2017. Patients were further divided into free-hand group and non-free-hand group according to the use of manual compression or not. With pathological or clinical follow-up results as the gold standard,we compared the diagnostic values of traditional ultrasound,ECI,and their combination in the differential diagnosis between benign and malignant lymph nodes.Results Totally 138 lymph nodes were collected from 46 patients,among which 76 were benign and 62 were malignant. The ECI value of malignant lymph nodes(1.69±0.89)were significantly higher than that of benign lymph nodes(1.32±0.87)(t=-2.46,P=0.015).The area under receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve for traditional ultrasound in discrimination of malignant cervical lymph nodes with benign ones was 0.899,with an optimal cut-off value of 7,which had a sensitivity of 93.5% and a specificity of 84.2%. The area under ROC curve for ECI was 0.649,with an optimal cut-off value of 1.25,which had a sensitivity of 59.7% and a specificity of 60.5%. For their combination,the area under ROC curve was 0.724,with a sensitivity of 93.5% and a specificity of 51.3%. In the group without using free-hand technique,the mean ECI value was 1.77±0.94 for malignant nodes,which was significantly higher than that(1.26±0.81)for benign nodes(t=-3.09,P=0.003). In the group requiring free-hand technique,the ECI value for malignant nodes was 1.33(1.01,1.44),showing no significant difference with benign ones[1.32(0.78,2.18);z=-0.20,P=0.843].Conclusions Conventional ultrasound has higher diagnostic value than ECI and their combination in differentiating benign and malignant lymph nodes. The role of ECI in evaluating other organs requires further investigations.
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Objective By analyzing the correlation between Doppler spectrum of extracranial cerebral vessels ECV and intracranial arterial stenosis IAS to identify the value of hemodynamic change of ECV in predicting IAS Methods One hundred and four patients with moderate to severe IAS or intracranial arterial occlusion were enrolled in the case group while 32 patients without obvious cerebrovascular disease in the same period were enrolled in the control group Ultrasound examinations of ECV were performed for all patients the hemodynamic parameters of bilateral common carotid artery CCA internal carotid artery ICA and vertebral artery VA were recorded and compared between case and control group Results Compared with control group the ECV of patients with IAS had lower velocity and higher resistance index RI Of all the parameters end diastolic velocity EDV of ICA and EDV of VA were most accurate in predicting IAS with best cut off value of 21 3 cm/s 9 6 cm/s and accuracy of 76 1 % 81 0% respectively Conclusions The ECV of IAS patients tend to have lower velocity and higher RI Analysis of hemodynamic parameters of ECV might be useful in predicting IAS.
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Cryptosporidium andersoni ATP-binding cassette (CaABC) is an important membrane protein involved in substrate transport across the membrane. In this research, the nucleotide binding domain (NBD) of CaABC gene was amplified by PCR, and the eukaryotic expression vector of pEGFP-C1-CaNBD was reconstructed. Then, the recombinant plasmid of pEGFP-C1-CaNBD was transformed into the mouse intestinal epithelial cells (IECs) to study the iron transportation function of CaABC. The results indicated that NBD region of CaABC gene can significantly elevate the transport efficiency of Ca2+, Mg2+, K+, and HCO3 - in IECs (P<0.05). The significance of this study is to find the ATPase inhibitors for NBD region of CaABC gene and to inhibit ATP binding and nutrient transport of CaABC transporter. Thus, C. andersoni will be killed by inhibition of nutrient uptake. This will open up a new way for treatment of cryptosporidiosis.