Reclassification of flat type sudden deafness / 中华耳鼻咽喉头颈外科杂志

Objective: To reclassify the flat type sudden deafness according to the types of audiogram shape, and to explore the correlation between different pattern of hearing loss and prognosis. Methods: All of 1 024 patients with unilateral sudden deafness (492 males and 532 females, aged from 19 to 65 years, with an average age of 41.2 years old) admitted to 33 hospitals nationwide from August 2007 to October 2011 were divided into four types according to Chinese Guideline of Sudden Deafness(2015): low-frequency, high-frequency, flat and total deafness. Then, 402 patients with flat type sudden deafness were further divided into ascending type, descending type and consistent type according to the audiogram shapes. First, we compared the clinical characteristics and prognosis among these three subtypes of flat deafness, then compared the clinical characteristics and prognosis between ascending flat deafness and low-frequency deafness, descending flat deafness and high-frequency deafness, consistent flat deafness and total deafness, explored the factors related to the prognosis of flat deafness. SPSS 21.0 software, ANOVA, χ2 test, t-test and Logistic regression were used to analyze the data. Results: The cure rates of flat ascending, flat descending and flat consistent sudden deafness groups were 70.7%, 17.1% and 34.0% respectively, with a statistically significant difference (χ2=33.984, P<0.001); However, there was no significant difference in age, sex and affected side (all P>0.05). The independent related factors for the recovery of flat type sudden deafness were as follows: whether there was dizziness [OR=0.459; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.271-0.777], the type of audiogram shape (OR=0.721; 95%CI: 0.530-0.981), and days from onset to therapy (OR=0.903, 95%CI: 0.835-0.978), all of which had P values<0.05. There was no significant difference in the cure rates between ascending flat sudden deafness and low-frequency descending sudden deafness, descending flat sudden deafness and high-frequency descending sudden deafness (all P>0.05). The pure tone average(PTA) of flat consistent sudden deafness and total deafness were (69.1±18.9) and (101.7±17.7) dB HL, respectively, with a statistically significant difference (t=20.890, P<0.001), and the cure rates were 34.0% and 14.5%, respectively, with a statistically significant difference (χ2=29.012, P<0.001). Conclusion: According to the audiogram shape, the flat type sudden deafness can be further divided into ascending flat sudden deafness, descending flat sudden deafness and consistent flat sudden deafness, which can more effectively evaluate the prognosis. The cure rate of ascending flat sudden deafness is similar to that of low-frequency sudden deafness, and the prognosis is well; The cure rate of descending flat sudden deafness is similar to that of high-frequency descending sudden deafness, and the prognosis is poor. The cure rate of consistent flat sudden deafness is higher than that of total deafness. PTA plays an important role in the prognosis of consistent flat sudden deafness and total deafness. Total deafness can be regarded as a single type of sudden deafness.

Influence of metabolic syndrome on activities of daily living in middle-aged and elderly population in China: a prospective cohort study / 中华流行病学杂志

Objective: To examine the associations between metabolic syndrome (MS) and the risks for impaired activities of daily living (ADL) in the middle-aged and elderly population in China and provide basis for improving healthy life expectancy. Methods: Prospective cohort study design was used in this study. Based the data of China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS) from 2011 to 2018 and the baseline data in 2011, the follow up for ADL outcomes was conducted in 2013, 2015 and 2018 respectively, and the participants recruited in 2013 and 2015 were new baseline populations. The participants with impaired ADL in three baseline populations were excluded. Cox proportional hazard model was used to estimate the effect of different components and number of MS components on the risk for ADL impairment in the middle-aged and elderly population in China. Results: In 59 795 person-years of follow-up, a total of 1 011 cases of ADL impairments were recorded. The incidence density of ADL impairment was 16.91 per 1 000 person-year; The findings of Cox regression analysis showed that compared with the middle aged and elderly people without MS, the risk for ADL impairments was 1.29 times higher (95%CI: 1.12-1.50) for those with one component of MS, 1.32 times higher (95%CI:1.07-1.64) for those with hyperlipemia complicated with diabetes, 1.78 times higher (95%CI: 1.22-2.59) for those with obesity and one component of MS, 2.48 times higher (95%CI:1.59-3.85) for those with hypertension complicated with hyperlipemia, 3.51 times higher (95%CI:1.66-7.43) for those with hypertension complicated with diabetes, 1.80 times higher (95%CI: 1.40-2.32) for those with ≥3 MS, respectively. Compared with the middle-aged and elderly population without MS, the risk for impaired ADL increased by 30% (HR=1.30, 95%CI: 1.13-1.51), 54% (HR=1.54, 95%CI: 1.28-1.85) and 87% (HR=1.87, 95%CI:1.45-2.41), respectively, in the middle-aged and elderly with one, two, and more than three components of MS, with a significant dose-response relationship that ADL impaired risks increased as the number of MS components increased (P<0.001). Conclusions: Our findings suggested that MS is a risk factor for ADL impairment in middle-aged and elderly population in China. Prevention and early intervention of obesity, hypertension, hyperlipemia, diabetes and metabolic syndrome could help to reduce or delay the incidence of ADL impairment.

Status and control of common food-borne parasitic diseases in China: a review / 中国血吸虫病防治杂志

Food-borne parasitic diseases include meat-borne, fish-borne, plant-borne, water-borne, mollusk-borne and freshwater crustacean-borne parasitic diseases. The review summarizes the current status and control of 6 major food-borne parasitic diseases in China, including clonorchiasus, paragonimiasis, Taenia solium taeniasis, toxoplasmosis, trichinellosis and angiostrongyliasis, aiming to increase the understanding of food-borne parasitic diseases and provide insights into the development of the control strategy for food-borne parasitic diseases. The transmission of food-borne parasitic diseases are predominantly associated with diet, and neither eating raw nor semi-cooked food is the most effective measure to prevent the development of food-borne parasitic diseases.

Responses to child sexual assaults and associated factors among parents of young children / 中国学校卫生

Objective@#To analyze the possible responses of parents of young children to Child sexual assault (CSA) and the potential influencing factors, so as to provide evidence for prevention programs of CSA.@*Methods@#Part of the data from "2016-2020 Child Injury Prevention Project" was used to analyze responses to CSA among parents of children younger than 3rd grade in primary school by chi square test and Logistic regression analysis.@*Results@#A total of 4 072 parents were included in the analysis. Among them, 86.8% of parents chose "to solve problems together", 51.0% of parents taking children to a "psychologist", 4.9% of parents "scolding children for being too careless", 2.9% of parents "letting child not disclose abuse" and 6.5% of parents chose "other" coping methods. Parents with foreign nationality [OR(95%CI)=2.58(1.25-5.15)] and lower education level (OR=0.26-0.64) tend to "blame" their children. Mothers [(OR(95%CI)=0.54(0.33-0.90)], higher parental education level (OR=0.27-0.72) were more reluctant to encourage their children to keep quiet. Mothers [OR(95%CI)=1.73(1.32-2.27)], older children (OR=1.33-1.78) and parents with higher education level (OR=1.65-2.99) tend to "accompany". Parents aged 30 or more, and from high school/technical school/technical secondary school tend to take their children to see a "psychologist" [OR(95%CI)=1.39(1.14-1.71), 1.79(1.26-2.53)].@*Conclusion@#Parents universally pay attention to the physical and mental health of children after CSA, but some parents still take negative coping methods, e.g. "blame" and "not disclose". Parenting educational level, duration of parent-child communication and age of children are primary factors associated with parental responses to child sexual assault. This study suggests that prevention secondary injury following child sexual assault should be farther strengthened, while fully considering the characteristics of the educated objects.

Value of lactate dehydrogenase in predicting refractory Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia in children: an evaluation based on decision curve analysis and dose-response analysis / 中国当代儿科杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To study the value of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) in predicting refractory Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia (RMPP) in children.@*METHODS@#Propensity score matching was used to select 73 children with RMPP (refractory group) and 146 children with non-refractory Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia (common group). The logistic regression analysis, restricted cubic spline model, and decision curve analysis were used to analyze the clinical value of LDH in predicting RMPP.@*RESULTS@#There were significant differences in the incidence of high fever, white blood cell count, platelet count, percentage of neutrophils, and serum levels of C-reactive protein, procalcitonin, hemoglobin, albumin, glutamic-pyruvic transaminase, aspartate aminotransferase and LDH (P<0.05). There were also significant differences between the two groups in the Mycoplasma pneumoniae-DNA load in nasopharyngeal aspirates and the incidences of pleural effusion, pulmonary consolidation, atelectasis, shortness of breath and skin lesions (P<0.05). The multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that high fever, hemoglobin level, LDH level, and pulmonary consolidation were independent predictive factors for RMPP (OR=10.097, 0.956, 1.006, and 3.756; P<0.05). The results of the restricted cubic spline analysis showed a non-linear dose-response relationship between the continuous changes of LDH and the development of RMPP (P<0.01). The decision curve analysis showed that LDH had an important clinical value in predicting RMPP.@*CONCLUSIONS@#LDH is an independent predictive factor for the development of RMPP and its intensity of association with the development of RMPP exhibits a non-linear dose-response relationship.

National surveillance on Enterobius vermicularis infections among children at ages of 3 to 9 years in China from 2016 to 2018 / 中国血吸虫病防治杂志

Objective To understand the epidemic status of Enterobius vermicularis infections among children aged 3 to 9 years in China, so as to provide scientific basis for the formulation of the prevention and control strategies for enterobiasis. Methods The national surveillance of enterobiasis was performed in 736 national surveillance sites (counties) from 30 provinces (municipalities/autonomous regions) in China from 2016 to 2018. All surveillance sites were classified into parts according to the geographical directions, including the eastern, western, southern, northern and middle parts, and a township was randomly selected from each part. Then, an administrative village was randomly selected from the township, and 200 permanent residents at ages of over 3 years living in the administrative village were randomly selected using the cluster sampling method. A total of 1 000 residents were examined in each surveillance site. E. vermicularis infections were detected among children at ages of 3 to 9 years using the modified Kato-Katz technique and the adhesive cellophane-tape perianal swab method, and the prevalence of infections was calculated and compared. Results The prevalence of E. vermicularis infections was 2.50%, 2.84% and 2.46% among children at ages of 3 to 9 years in the 736 surveillance sites from 30 provinces (municipalities/autonomous regions) in China from 2016 to 2018, and there was no gender-specific prevalence of E. vermicularis infections (P > 0.05). Enterobiasis was main prevalent in the southern and southwestern part of China (Jiangxi, Guangxi, Guangdong, Sichuan, Fujian, Chongqing and Hainan), with 5.00% prevalence and greater, and the highest prevalence was seen in Jiangxi and Guangxi for successive 3 years. In addition, the prevalence of E. vermicularis infections was higher in children with the Han ethnicity than in those with the minority ethnicity, and a high prevalence was found in children at ages of 4 to 7 years, and a low prevalence seen in children at ages of 3, 8 and 9 years. Conclusions The prevalences of E. vermicularis infections have not changed much among children at ages of 3 to 9 years in China from 2016 to 2018, and high prevalence is seen in southern and southwestern China, which should be given a high priority.

Epidemiological characteristics of amoebic dysentery in China, 2015-2018 / 中华流行病学杂志

To understand the characteristics and changes of the incidence of amoebic dysentery in China during 2015-2018, explore the causes of high incidence in some areas and provide a data base for the development of national prevention and control strategies and measures. Data were collected from the infectious disease reporting management information system from Chinese Disease Control and Prevention. To understand the seasonal, population and area distributions of amoebic dysentery, descriptive epidemiological method and software SPSS 16.0 were used to analyze the amoebic dysentery data. A total of 4 366 amoebic dysentery cases were reported without death in China during 2015-2018. The reported average annual incidence was 0.08/100 000, and the overall proportion of laboratory confirmed cases was 68.23(2 979/4 366). Amoeba dysentery mainly occurred during May to October. One seasonal peak was observed in 2015 and 2017 (July and June, respectively), and two seasonal peaks were observed in 2016 and 2018 (June and October). The patients were mainly children aged under 5 years (42.28, 1 846/4 366), and the incidence rate decreased with age in children aged under 10 years. Of these, children under 1 years of age had the highest incidence rate (1.28/100 000). The number of cumulative reported cases in Guangxi, Henan, Guangdong, Heilongjiang and Jiangxi provinces ranked top five from 2015-2018, accounting for 64.50 (2 816/4 366) of the total. The cumulative cases in Dongxing county, Guangxi, in Suixian county, Henan and in Ranghulu district, Heilongjiang, respectively accounted for more than 50.00 of the total number of cases in their provinces. The incidence rate of amoebic dysentery reported in China during 2015-2018 showed a decreasing trend, with a higher incidence in children under 5 years old and a higher number of cases in some areas. It is suggested to further investigate and analyze the diagnosis and reporting of amoeba dysentery in key areas and promote the update of the diagnostic standards for amoeba dysentery.

Influencing factors for the clinical effect of bronchoalveolar lavage in children with Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia and atelectasis / 中国当代儿科杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To study the influencing factors for the clinical effect of bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) in children with Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia (MPP) and atelectasis.@*METHODS@#A total of 75 children with MPP and atelectasis were divided into a good response group with 51 children and a poor response group with 24 children according to the clinical effect of BAL treatment. LASSO logistic regression analysis was used to investigate the factors influencing the clinical effect of BAL treatment. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve and restricted cubic spline model analysis were used to evaluate the value of the course of the disease at the time of BAL treatment in predicting the clinical effect of BAL treatment.@*RESULTS@#Compared with the good response group, the poor response group had a significantly lower percentage of lymphocytes in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid, a significantly higher proportion of children with atelectasis of two or more lung lobes or stenosis of the bronchial cavity or opening caused by inflammation, and a significantly longer course of the disease at the time of BAL treatment and azithromycin treatment (P<0.05). The LASSO logistic regression analysis showed that a prolonged course of the disease at the time of BAL treatment (OR=1.23), atelectasis of two or more lung lobes (OR=11.99), and stenosis of the bronchial cavity or opening caused by inflammation (OR=5.31) were independent risk factors for poor clinical effect of BAL treatment (P<0.05). The ROC curve analysis showed that the course of disease of ≥11.5 days at the time of BAL treatment suggested a poor clinical effect of BAL treatment, with a sensitivity of 91.7% and a specificity of 54.9%. The restricted cubic spline model analysis showed that there was a non-linear dose-response relationship between the course of disease at the time of BAL treatment and the clinical effect of BAL treatment (P<0.05).@*CONCLUSIONS@#Early BAL treatment may have a good clinical effect in children with MPP and atelectasis. Atelectasis of two or more lung lobes and inflammation-induced stenosis of the bronchial cavity or opening shown under bronchoscope may indicate a poor clinical effect of BAL treatment.

Prevalence of soil - borne nematode infections among residents living in urban/town areas of China in 2015 / 中国血吸虫病防治杂志

Objective To understand the prevalence of soil-borne nematode infections among residents living in urban/town areas of China, so as to provide insights into the control and elimination of soil-borne nematodiasis. Methods A total of 5 epidemic areas were classified in China according to the prevalence of human Clonorchis sinensis infections captured from the 2014–2015 national survey on major human parasitic diseases in China, and the total sample size was estimated according to the binomial distribution and Poisson’s distribution. Then, the total sample size was allocated proportionally to each province (autonomous region, municipality) of China based on the percentage of residents living in urban and town areas, and the number of survey sites in each province (autonomous region, municipality) was proportionally assigned according to the percentages of residents living in urban and town areas. Then, stratified sampling was performed at county, township and community levels according to the number of sampling sites in each province (autonomous region, municipality), and the survey site (community) was defined as the smallest sampling unit. All permanent residents in the survey sites were selected as the study subjects, and their stool samples were collected for identification and counting of parasite egg using a Kato-Katz technique. The prevalence and intensity of each parasite species were calculated. Results From 2014 to 2015, among the 133 231 residents detected in 31 provinces (autonomous regions, municipalities) of China, the overall prevalence of soil-borne nematode infections was 1.23% (1 636/133 231), and the prevalence rates of hookworm, Ascaris lumbricoides and Trichuris trichiura infections were 0.77% (1 032/133 231), 0.32% (426/133 231) and 0.17% (224/133 231), respectively. The highest prevalence of soil-borne nematode infections was seen in Jiangxi (4.03%, 82/2 034) and Chongqing (4.03%, 524/13 012), followed by in Hainan (3.47%, 72/2 075). The prevalence of soilborne nematode infections was 1.07% (662/62 139) in men and 1.37% (974/71 092) in women, and the greatest prevalence was found in residents at ages of 65 to 70 years (2.56%, 219/8 569). With regard to occupations and education levels, herdsmen (2.47%, 2/81) and illiterate residents (3.33%, 226/6 795) were found to have the highest prevalence of soil-borne nematode infections, respectively. In addition, mild infections were predominantly identified in hookworm-, A. lumbricoides- and T. trichiura-infected individuals (all > 90%). Conclusions The overall prevalence of soil-borne nematodiasis remains low in urban and town areas of China; however, human infections are widespread. According to the epidemiological features, health education combined with deworming are recommended to reduce the prevalence of soil-borne nematode infections among residents living in urban and town areas of China.

Risk factors of high birth weight in rural areas of Shanxi Province / 中华疾病控制杂志

@# Objective To estimate the association between the risk of high birth weight(HBW) and maternal environmental and behavioral factors exposure during pregnancy in rural areas. Methods Data were collected from the surveillance system of birth population and adverse pregnancy outcome in Pingding County, Shanxi Province during 2007 and 2012, where we followed up 204 controls with normal birth weight, 125 cases with HBW≥4 200 g and 171 cases with HBW 4 000-4 200 g. Case control study was performed to explore the potential risk factors of HBW. Results The total number of births was 18 749, including 1 177 cases of high birth weight, with an incidence rate of 6.28% between 2007 and 2012. Concerning the case control study on HBW<4 200 g, after adjusting parental reproductive age and parity, the risk of HBW was 3.10(95% CI：1.67-5.76)times higher among women with gestational weeks ≥42 than that of women with gestational weeks < 42. The risk of HBW in boys was 2.30(95% CI：1.46-3.63)times higher than that in girls. No significant association was observed between maternal BMI before pregnancy and the risk of HBW；Regarding the case control study on HBW≥4200 g, after adjusting maternal reproductive age and parity, the risk of HBW was 3.01(95% CI:1.49-6.08) times higher among women with gestational weeks≥42 than that of those with gestational weeks <42. The risk of HBW was 1.91(95% CI:1.15-3.16)times higher among women with pre-pregnancy BMI≥24 than that of those with pre-pregnancy BMI< 24. The risk of HBW was 2.59(95% CI:1.06-6.32)times higher in women who ate soybean products ≥4 times a week than that of those who ate soybean products less than once a week. Conclusion It would be of public health significance to reduce the risk of high birth weight, which can be reduced by managing pre-pregnancy BMI, diet during pregnancy and controlling gestational week.

Establishment of an evaluation system for the field assessment of the Kato-Katz technique in detection of soil-transmitted nematodiasis / 中国血吸虫病防治杂志

Objective To establish an evaluation system for the field assessment of the Kato-Katz technique in detecting soiltransmitted nematodes, so as to provide insights into the field application of the Kato-Katz technique. Methods The initial evaluation indicators were determined through literature search, brainstorming and expert consultation. The evaluation indicatorswere improved and the weight of each indicator was decided through three rounds of expert consultation by using the Delphimethod. In addition, the expert authority coefficient and the coordination coefficient of each indicator were calculated at eachround of expert consultations. Results The recovery rates of the questionnaire were 100.00%, 100.00% and 89.29% at the firstto the third round of the expert consultations, respectively, and the expert authority coefficients were all more than 0.85 at eachround. The final evaluation system included 4 first-level indicators and 15 second-level indicators. In the first-level indicators, “detecting effect” and “funds investment” had the mean weighted value of 4.53 and 4.49, which were relatively higher than that of“person-time investment“ and "operability“ (both 4.34). Among the second-level indicators under each first-level indicator, thefour most significant indicators included “ability of personnel in egg discrimination“, “cooperation of village cadres and doctors“,“Person-time on testing“ and “organizational start-up cost“, with the mean weighted values of 4.74, 4.43, 4.39 and 4.17, respectively. The coordination coefficients were 0.39 to 0.65, 0.28 to 0.58 and 0.45 to 0.65 at the first to the third round of the expertconsultations, respectively, and there were significant differences in the coordination coefficients at all three rounds of the consultations (all P < 0.05). Conclusions An evaluation system for the field assessment of the Kato-Katz technique in detecting soiltransmitted nematodes is successfully established, among which “ability of personnel in egg discrimination“ and “cooperation ofvillage cadres and doctors“ have the greatest mean weighted values of the significance.

Status and working principals of soil-transmitted nematodiasis during new period in China / 中国血吸虫病防治杂志

The current status of soil-transmitted nematodiasis in China is analyzed. The achievements in prevention and control of soil-transmitted nematodiasis are illustrated. Moreover, the challenges in condition of the decline of soil-transmitted nematodiasis in China are demonstrated. Finally, the working principals for prevention and control of soil-transmitted nematodiasis in the new period are proposed, combining with the health poverty alleviation project, focusing on the goals of control plan for important parasitic diseases, establishing monitoring system for soil-transmitted nematodiasis, and implementing the principles of precise prevention and control.

Relationship between Quantitative Monitoring of WT1 Gene and Prognosis in Patients with Acute Leukemia / 中国实验血液学杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To investigate the exprassion of WT1 gene in patients with adult acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and its clinical significance.@*METHODS@#Sixty-three newly diagnosed patients with acute myeloid leukemia were selected. Quantitative RT-PCR was used to detect the expression of WT1 gene in the 63 AML patients and 20 non-AML controls.@*RESULTS@#WT1 gene was highly expressed in AML patents and its expression in the low-risk group was significantly lower than that in middle-risk group and high-risk group (P<0.05), and no significant difference of WT1 gene expression between middle-risk and high-risk group was observed. In the patients of middle-risk and high-risk patients, the expression of WT1 gene in the remission group was significantly lower than that in the patients of non-remission after treatment (P<0.05). The non-remission patients after first treatment in middle-risk and high-risk group were treated with second induction therapy. After second induction therapy, the WT1 expression in remission patients was significantly decreased (P<0.05) in comparison with that in patients still in non-remission. There was a negative correlation between WT1 expression and the 2-year overall survival rate in the newly diagnosed middle and high-risk AML patients.@*CONCLUSION@#The detection of WT1 gene expression can help to divide AML patients into low-/middle-/high-risk groups and to evaluate therapeutic response and clinical prognosis in middle and high-risk AML patients.

PSO/ACO algorithm-based risk assessment of human neural tube defects in Heshun County, China / 生物医学与环境科学（英文）

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To develop a new technique for assessing the risk of birth defects, which are a major cause of infant mortality and disability in many parts of the world.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The region of interest in this study was Heshun County, the county in China with the highest rate of neural tube defects (NTDs). A hybrid particle swarm optimization/ant colony optimization (PSO/ACO) algorithm was used to quantify the probability of NTDs occurring at villages with no births. The hybrid PSO/ACO algorithm is a form of artificial intelligence adapted for hierarchical classification. It is a powerful technique for modeling complex problems involving impacts of causes.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The algorithm was easy to apply, with the accuracy of the results being 69.5%±7.02% at the 95% confidence level.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The proposed method is simple to apply, has acceptable fault tolerance, and greatly enhances the accuracy of calculations.</p>

Assessment of iron bioavailability in ten kinds of Chinese wheat flours using an in vitro digestion/Caco-2 cell model / 生物医学与环境科学（英文）

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To compare iron bioavailability (Fe BV) from ten selected kinds of Chinese wheat flours in order to provide scientific basis for further human trials and enable plant breeding programs to screen biofortified wheat cultivars.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>An in vitro digestion/Caco-2 cell model was used to assess Fe BV of ten flour samples from six leading Chinese wheat cultivars and the stability of Fe BV in one cultivar was studied across three growing environments.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Significant differences were observed in both Fe BV and Fe bioavailability per gram of food (Fe BVPG) among cultivars (P<0.01) grown at the same location with the same flour extraction rate. Zhongyou 9507 and Jingdong 8 had Fe BV 37%-54% and Fe BVPG 103%-154% higher than the reference control. In the Anyang environment, Zhongyou 9507 had a higher wheat flour-Fe level and Fe BVPG. Differences in Fe BV were detected in cultivars with different flour extraction rates.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Zhongyou 9507 and Jingdong 8 were identified as the most promising cultivars for further evaluation of efficacy by using human subjects. The growing environments had no effect on Fe BV, but did have a significant effect on Fe BVPG. Fe bioavailabilities in low-extraction (40%) flours were higher than those in high-extraction (78%) flours.</p>

Curative effect investigation and therapy selection of open Pilon fracture / 中国骨伤

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To evaluate the treatment of open Pilon fractures.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>A total of 126 open Pilon fracture cases were reviewed retrospectively. The patients were treated from February 1996 to March 2009, included 72 males and 54 females with an average age of 36 years old ranging from 17 to 65 years. According to the Ruedi-Augower classification, there were 28 cases of type I, 58 of type II, and 40 of type III. Among all the cases, 31 cases were treated with external fixators combined with limited internal fixations, 80 cases were treated with open reduction and internal fixation with anatomical plates, 15 cases with open reduction and cross K-wire fixations.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>All cases were followed-up for from 10 to 26 months with an average of 16 months. The average bone healing time was 10 weeks (from 8 to 14 weeks). According to the Mazur ankle function evaluation, the results were excellent in 89 cases, good in 26,fair in 9,poor in 2. The excellent and good rate was 91.2%.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The "Personalized treatment principle" effectively prevents the occurrence of complications and helps to restore the joint functions.</p>

Unusual patterns of neural tube defects in a high risk region of northern China / 生物医学与环境科学（英文）

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To study the prevalence of different types of neural tube defects (NTDs) in Luliang Prefecture, Shanxi province, where the prevalence of NTDs is unusually high and the correlation between NTDs prevalence and patterns.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>A surveillance population-based birth defects was performed in Luliang Prefecture, Shanxi province.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The results of our study showed that the prevalence of NTDs was 2-fold higher in Luliang Prefecture than in other areas of Shanxi province. Unusual patterns of NTDs were found, however, multiple NTDs were relatively common in Luliang Prefecture, accounting for over 13% of all NTDs cases in China.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The prevalence of NTDs is associated with its patterns.</p>

Effects of ascorbic acid and citric acid on iron bioavailability in an in vitro digestion/ Caco-2 cell culture model / 南方医科大学学报

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To study the effects of ascorbic acid and citric acid on iron bioavailability using an in vitro digestion/Caco-2 cell culture model and evaluate the validity of this cell model.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>This model combined in vitro digestion technique with Fe uptake by Caco-2 cells by utilizing an inserted ring attached to a dialysis membrane to simulate the gastrointestinal environment to allow simultaneous food digestion and uptake processes. Ferritin formation in the Caco-2 cells was measured as the indicator of Fe uptake by exposing Caco-2 cells to the digests containing Fe plus ascorbic acid or citric acid.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>When Fe concentration in the digest was below 100 micromol/L, ferritin formation increased with the Fe concentration in the digest. The iron digest containing ascorbic acid exhibited a significant increase in ferritin formation relative to the iron digest containing citric acid. The model was more sensitive to lower iron concentrations when ascorbic acid was present in the digest, while wider range of iron concentration could be assessed by addition of citric acid.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>The in vitro digestion/ Caco-2 cell culture model is a valuable tool for iron bioavailability assessment. Ascorbic acid has a stronger effect than citric acid in promoting iron bioavailability.</p>

Spatiotemporal property analysis of birth defects in Wuxi, China / 生物医学与环境科学（英文）

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To describe the temporal trends and spatial patterns of birth defects occurring in Wuxi, a developed region of China.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Wavelet analysis was used to decompose the temporal trends of birth defect prevalence based on the birth defect rates over the past 16 years. Birth defect cases with detailed personal and family information were geo-coded and the relative risk in each village was calculated. General G statistic was used to test the spatial property with different scales.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Wavelet analysis showed an increasing temporal trend of birth defects in this region. Clustering analysis revealed that changes continued in the spatial patterns with different scales.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Wuxi is confronted with severe challenges to reduce birth defect prevalence. The risk factors are stable and show no change with spatial scale but an increasing temporal trend. Interventions should be focused on villages with a higher prevalence of birth defects.</p>

Epidemiology of birth defects in high-prevalence areas of China / 中华流行病学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To study the levels of prevalence and to describe the epidemiological features of birth defects in high-prevalence areas in China.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>A population-based retrospective study was conducted in two counties of Shanxi province that including birth defects among fetuses and live births born after 20 weeks' gestational age in the study areas from 2002 through 2004.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>During 2002 - 2004, the prevalence of birth defects was 844.2 per 10 000 births in study areas and the first five main birth defects were inguinal hernia (182.2 per 10,000 births), anencephaly (104.4 per 10 000 births), congenital mental retardation (79.4 per 10,000 births), congenital heart diseases (73.2 per 10,000 births) and spina bifida (63.9 per 10,000 births). These five main birth defects accounted for about 60% of total birth defect cases. Inguinal hernia, undescended testicle, congenital mental retardation were usually not included for statistical analysis on birth defect. Excluding these birth defects, the prevalence of birth defects in study areas was 537.2 per 10,000 births and the first five main birth defects were anencephaly, congenital heart diseases, spina bifida, hydrocephaly (40.5 per 10 000 births) and encephalocele (31.2 per 10 000 births). The male prevalence of birth defects was 966.2 per 10 000 births, which was significantly higher than prevalence in females. The prevalence rates of birth defects for maternal age groups under 20 years old and over 30 years old were remarkably higher than those for 20-24 year and 25-29 year old mothers. The teenage mothers were at higher risk of having a child with neural tube defects(NTDs) or congenital heart diseases. Prevalence rates under 20 year maternal age group were 408.8 and 188.7 per 10 000 births for NTDs and congenital heart diseases respectively, whereas corresponding rates were 204.8 and 91.0 per 10 000 births for groups over 30 years of age. The prevalence rates increased with increasing gravidity or parity.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>This study showed that the patterns of birth defects in study areas were very different from those of other areas, with an unusually high prevalence of NTDs. The study also suggested that both young and advanced mothers were at increased risk of having a child with a birth defect.</p>