Effect of inactivated SARS-CoV-2 vaccine on the clinical outcomes of patients infected with the Omicron variant in Guangdong Province / 中华预防医学杂志

Objective: To evaluate the effect of inactivated SARS-CoV-2 vaccine on the clinical outcomes of patients infected with the Omicron variant. Methods: A total of 1 403 Omicron-infected patients admitted to 20 designated hospitals in Guangdong Province from January 1 to May 31, 2022, were selected as subjects in this study. A case-control study was conducted to collect the demographic data, underlying disease, vaccination status, last exposure date, gene sequencing of infected strains and clinical outcomes from the China Disease Prevention and Control Information System and Guangdong telemedicine platform. Pneumonia (common, severe and critical) and non-pneumonia (asymptomatic and mild) were selected as the case group and control group. The effect of inactivated SARS-CoV-2 vaccine on the clinical outcomes of patients infected with the Omicron variant was analyzed. Results: The median age [M (Q1, Q3)] of the subjects was 36 (27-47) years old, with males accounting for 52.25% (733 cases). The main outcome of the infection was non-pneumonia, accounting for 92.09% (1 292 cases), and the duration [M (Q1, Q3)] of the disease was 18 (14-22) days. There were 134 (9.55%), 39 (2.78%), 403 (28.72%), 437 (31.15%) and 390 (27.80%) cases with no or partial vaccination, within 90 days of primary vaccination, over 90 days of primary vaccination, within 90 days of booster vaccination and over 90 days of booster vaccination, respectively. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that after adjusting for gender, age, underlying disease, and location of the report, compared with those with no or partial vaccination, the risk of developing pneumonia was lower in those with over 90 days of primary vaccination, within 90 days of booster vaccination and over 90 days of booster vaccination [OR (95%CI) values were 0.52 (0.28-0.98), 0.39 (0.21-0.73) and 0.40 (0.21-0.77), respectively]. Cox proportional hazard regression model analysis showed that after adjusting for gender, age, underlying disease and location of the report, the duration of the disease was shorter in those who received booster vaccinated for more than 90 days compared with that in those who had no or partial vaccination [HR (95%CI): 1.26 (1.03-1.55)]. Conclusion: The inactivated SARS-CoV-2 vaccine affects the clinical outcomes of patients infected with the Omicron variant.

Immunogenicity and safety of a recombinant fusion protein vaccine (V-01) against coronavirus disease 2019 in healthy adults: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase II trial / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

BACKGROUND@#Innovative coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccines, with elevated global manufacturing capacity, enhanced safety and efficacy, simplified dosing regimens, and distribution that is less cold chain-dependent, are still global imperatives for tackling the ongoing pandemic. A previous phase I trial indicated that the recombinant COVID-19 vaccine (V-01), which contains a fusion protein (IFN-PADRE-RBD-Fc dimer) as its antigen, is safe and well tolerated, capable of inducing rapid and robust immune responses, and warranted further testing in additional clinical trials. Herein, we aimed to assess the immunogenicity and safety of V-01, providing rationales of appropriate dose regimen for further efficacy study.@*METHODS@#A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled phase II clinical trial was initiated at the Gaozhou Municipal Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (Guangdong, China) in March 2021. Both younger (n = 440; 18-59 years of age) and older (n = 440; ≥60 years of age) adult participants in this trial were sequentially recruited into two distinct groups: two-dose regimen group in which participants were randomized either to follow a 10 or 25 μg of V-01 or placebo given intramuscularly 21 days apart (allocation ratio, 3:3:1, n = 120, 120, 40 for each regimen, respectively), or one-dose regimen groups in which participants were randomized either to receive a single injection of 50 μg of V-01 or placebo (allocation ratio, 3:1, n = 120, 40, respectively). The primary immunogenicity endpoints were the geometric mean titers of neutralizing antibodies against live severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, and specific binding antibodies to the receptor binding domain (RBD). The primary safety endpoint evaluation was the frequencies and percentages of overall adverse events (AEs) within 30 days after full immunization.@*RESULTS@#V-01 provoked substantial immune responses in the two-dose group, achieving encouragingly high titers of neutralizing antibody and anti-RBD immunoglobulin, which peaked at day 35 (161.9 [95% confidence interval [CI]: 133.3-196.7] and 149.3 [95%CI: 123.9-179.9] in 10 and 25 μg V-01 group of younger adults, respectively; 111.6 [95%CI: 89.6-139.1] and 111.1 [95%CI: 89.2-138.4] in 10 and 25 μg V-01 group of older adults, respectively), and remained high at day 49 after a day-21 second dose; these levels significantly exceed those in convalescent serum from symptomatic COVID-19 patients (53.6, 95%CI: 31.3-91.7). Our preliminary data show that V-01 is safe and well tolerated, with reactogenicity predominantly being absent or mild in severity and only one vaccine-related grade 3 or worse AE being observed within 30 days. The older adult participants demonstrated a more favorable safety profile compared with those in the younger adult group: with AEs percentages of 19.2%, 25.8%, 17.5% in older adults vs. 34.2%, 23.3%, 26.7% in younger adults at the 10, 25 μg V-01 two-dose group, and 50 μg V-01 one-dose group, respectively.@*CONCLUSIONS@#The vaccine candidate V-01 appears to be safe and immunogenic. The preliminary findings support the advancement of the two-dose, 10 μg V-01 regimen to a phase III trial for a large-scale population-based evaluation of safety and efficacy.@*TRIAL REGISTRATION@#http://www.chictr.org.cn/index.aspx (No. ChiCTR2100045107, http://www.chictr.org.cn/showproj.aspx?proj=124702).

Application of MOAS for Evaluating of Violence Risk in the Inpatients with Mental Disorders / 法医学杂志

OBJECTIVES@#To explore the value of Modified Overt Aggression Scale （MOAS） on predicting serious aggressive behavior in the inpatients with mental disorders and to provide theoretical basis for violence risk assessments in the inpatients with mental disorders.@*METHODS@#Total 918 inpatients in a psychiatric hospital were evaluated by trained medical workers using MOAS in September 2009, and their serious violent behavior were followed up for 2 years. The value of MOAS on predicting violence in the inpatients with mental disorders was analyzed by SPSS 21.0.@*RESULTS@#（1） Compared to the patients without serious aggressive behaviors, the patients with serious aggressive behavior within 2 years showed significantly higher scores （P＜0.05） on verbal aggression, aggression against property, physical aggression and total weighted score of MOAS; （2） Significant correlation was found between the score of verbal aggression and the serious acts of violence within 2 years （P＜0.05）; （3） Scores of verbal aggression, physical aggression and total weighted score of MOAS had predictive value on serious aggressive behaviors within 2 years.@*CONCLUSIONS@#MOAS has certain value on predicting the serious aggressive behaviors of patients with mental disorders within 2 years.

Occupational hazards survey of specially supervised enterprises during 2011-2012 in one district of Shenzhen, China / 中华劳动卫生职业病杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To analyze the results of an occupational hazards survey of specially supervised enterprises (156 enterprise-times) during 2011-2012 in one district of Shenzhen, China and find out the changes in occupational hazards in these enterprises, and to put forward countermeasures for the prevention and control of occupational hazards.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Occupational hazards monitoring results for specially supervised enterprises (156 enterprise-times) during 2011-2012 were included. Comparison and analysis were performed between different years, different industries, different occupational hazards, and different sizes of enterprises.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>A total of 1274 monitoring sites from these specially supervised enterprises were included, of which qualification rate was 73.55% (937/1274), and the noise monitoring sites showed the lowest qualification rate. The overall qualification rate in 2012 (70.37%) was significantly lower than that in 2011 (80.94%) (χ(2) = 15.38, P < 0.01). In electronics industry, the qualification rate in 2012 was significantly lower than that in 2011 (χ2 = 11.27, P = 0.001). Comparison of various hazards in different industries indicated that electronic enterprises and furniture enterprises had the lowest qualification rate in noise monitoring, printing enterprises had the lowest qualification rate in organic solvent monitoring, and furniture enterprises had the lowest qualification rate in dust monitoring. Comparison between different sizes of enterprises indicated that the qualification rate of large and medium enterprises in 2012 was significantly lower than that in 2011, while the qualification rate of small enterprises in 2012 was significantly higher than that in 2011 (P < 0.01 or P < 0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>In the prevention and control of occupational hazards in specially supervised enterprises, special attention should be paid to the control of organic solvents in printing enterprises and noise and dust in furniture enterprises.</p>

A primary study of evolution of hepatitis B virus based on motif discovery / 病毒学报

Hepatitis B is a serious infectious disease worldwide, and hepatitis B virus (HBV) is the direct cause of this disease. In recent years, as an essential part of its evolutionary process, HBV mutation has been extensively studied domestically and globally. However, the study on the conserved sequences in HBV sequences is still in its infancy. In this study, we applied multiple EM for motif elicitation (MEME) algorithm to discover HBV motif and proposed a new metric, conservative index (CI), to carry out phylogenetic analysis based on HBV sequences. Then, the constructed phylogenetic tree was subjected to reliability assessment. The results demonstrated that the new metric CI combined with the MEME algorithm can effectively help to discover motifs in HBV sequences and construct a phylogenetic tree based on them and to analyze the evolutionary relationship between HBV sequences; in addition, the possible ancestral sequences of samples may be obtained by conservative analysis. The proposed method is valuable for the exploratory study on large HBV sequence data sets.

Analysis of B/C recombinant structure of C gene in a newly found HBV subtype / 病毒学报

Hepatitis B is one of the most serious global threats to human health. Phylogenetic analysis of hepatitis B virus (HBV) can reveal the evolutionary relationship between HBV sequences and thus provide a basis for the prediction and treatment of hepatitis B and other aspects. In this study, we performed sequence analyses on the HBV sequences of five clinical HBV samples and the HBV sequences retrieved from the GenBank, EMBL, and DDBJ to construct a phylogenetic tree and analyze sequence structures. The experimental results revealed that the C gene of one cloned sequence had a recombinant structure of HBV B/ C subtype. Moreover, the phylogenetic results proved the existence of a newly found subtype HBV/B6 in Xishuangbanna of Yunnan Province, China. The experimental conclusion represents certain value for phylogenetic studies of HBV in Yunnan ethnic minority groups.

Epidemiological and etiological characteristics of diarrheal disease among children under 5 years of age in Guangdong province, in 2012 / 中华流行病学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To analyze the epidemiological and etiological characteristics of diarrheal disease among children under 5 years of age in Guangdong province, in 2012.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>64 hospitals in 21 cities were chosen as the diarrheal syndromic surveillance sites, of which 14 hospitals were selected to carry out etiological surveillance among children under 5 years of age, including isolation and culture of both Vibrio cholera and Shigella as well as nucleic acid detection of rotavirus and norovirus by PCR. Descriptive method was used to analyze data from syndromic and etiological surveillance programs on diarrheal, from 1932 parents of the children.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>In 2012, the outpatient attendance rate on diarrheal among children under 5 years was 0.8%. The proportion of diarrheal in children under 5-year-olds was 63.5%, among the total number of diarrheal outpatients at the outpatient clinics under surveillance program. The morbidity of infectious diarrhea was 1454.5/10 million in children under 5 years of age. A total number of 1932 specimens were collected from children under 5 years of age, in the outpatient department. Among these specimens,Vibrio cholera appeared all negative but one was Shigella positive and proved to be Sh. sonnei. The positive rates of rotavirus and norovirus were 14.1% (273/1932)and 16.9% (326/1932). Both rotavirus and norovirus were found in 24 specimens, with a positive rate as 1.2% . 112 specimens were successfully gene sequenced for rotavirus, of which 33.9% as G1[P8] genotype, 25.9% as G9[P8], 12.5% as G2[P4] and 9.8% as G3[P8] respectively. 90 specimens were successfully gene-sequenced for norovirus, of which 76.7% as G II.4 genotype. Genetic subtypes of G II. 4/2006b, accounted for 50.0% and could be detected around the year except for June and December. New G II. 4/Sydney Strain_2012 was first detected in August and became the predominant in December. In addition, 5 specimens belonged to G I genotype with other 16 subtypes of G II.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Results from our study proved that children under 5 years of age belonged to high-risk group for diarrheal disease in Guangdong province. Rotavirus and norovirus were both diverse in terms of genome.</p>

Survey on the recessive infection of pathogen to hand-foot-mouth disease among healthy adults and children in Guangdong province / 中华流行病学杂志

Objective To understand the pathogen-carrying status of hand-foot-mouth disease (HFMD) among healthy people in Guangdong province.Methods Stool specimens were collected randomly on 7 age groups from 7 cities in Guangdong province.Real-time RT-PCR was used to detect enterovirus (EV),enterovirus 71 (EV71) and coxsackie virus A16 (CA16).Results Altogether,1285 stool specimens were collected.The positive rates of EV71,CA16 and other enterovirus were 0.39％ (5/1285),0.23％ (3/1285) and 7.00％ (90/1285),respectively.The highest EV71 positive rate (1.79％) was among the 4-6-year-old group,followed by the age group 0-3 with positive rate as 0.67％.EV71 was not found among the rest age groups.The highest CA16 positive rate (1.35％) was among the 4-6 year-olds group,but the CA16 was not found among the rest age groups.EV71 was only found among native population,with the positive-rate as 0.47％.CA16-positive rate was 0.19％ among the native population and 0.85％ among floating population,with no significant difference found (P＞0.05).The EV71 positive rate was 0.36％ among rural residents and 0.54％ among urban residents,but with no significant difference (P＞0.05).All CA16 was found among the urban residents.Conclusion Recessive infection of EV71 and CA16 were only found among 0-6 year-old group but not found among other groups,which suggested that the approaches on prevention and control should be targeted to all children especially on pre-school children.

Expression of NY-ESO-1 ,NY-SAR-35 in retinoblastoma and its clinical significance / 中华实验眼科杂志

BackgroundThe immunotherapy for retinoblastoma(RB) is gradually concerned recent year.To seek relative immune-associated antigen is a basis of immunotherapy.NY-ESO-1 and NY-SAR-35 are two kinds of genes of cancer testis antigen( CTA ).To understand their expressions in RB tissue can offer index for relative study.ObjectiveThis study was to investigate the expressions of two CTA NY-ESO-1 and NY-SAR-35 in RB and explore the possibility of them as potentially promising targets for antigen-specific immunotherapy of RB.Methods The samples were obtained from 15 RB eyes,12 non-tumor retinopathy eyes and 22 normal eyes with other benign eye diseases.Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction(RT-PCR) was used to detect the expressions of NY-ESO-1 mRNA and NY-SAR-35 mRNA in the samples.Genes of positive PCR results were sequenced randomly.The relevance of the expression of the two cancer-testis antigen genes with the clinical characteristics such as tumor stage,tumor size and clinical stage were analyzed.This study was approved by Ethic Committee of Guangxi Medical University.Written informed consent was obtained from each patient before operation. Results NY-ESO-1 mRNA was positively expressed in 6 RB samples and NY-SAR-35 mRNA was expressed in 9 RB samples.In the non-tumor retinopathy samples and normal eye tissues,NY-ESO-1 mRNA and NY-SAR-35 mRNA were absent.No significant relevances were found between the expressions of the NY-ESO-1 mRNA and NY-SAR-35 mRNA with clinical characteristics such as age ( P =0.426,0.822 ),gender ( P =0.180,0.464 ),pathological classification ( P =0.744,0.582 ),tumor size ( P =0.760,0.790),and clinical stage ( P =0.868,0.707 ).Conclusions NY-ESO-1 and NY-SAR-35 have high expressing frequencies in RB tissue and their expressions in RB have specificity.These results offer a clue for the identification of targets antigen of RB.

Effect of kistrin on expression of collagen type IV in lens posterior capsule / 中华实验眼科杂志

BackgroundThe proliferation of lens epithelial cellsLECs) following extracapsular cataract extraction is the biological basis of posterior capsular collagen and cataract formation.Disintegrin is certified to competitively bind the integrin with extracellular matrix and therefore prevent the posterior capsular opacification (PCO).But,its molecular mechanism is below understand.ObjectiveThe present study was to investigative the effects of disintegrin (kistrin) on the expression of collagen in lens posterior capsular.MethodsThe right eyes of 24 New Zealand white rabbits received transparent lens extracapsular enudeation and were randomly divided into two groups using random number table,0.2 ml of kistrin ( 80 mg/L) was intracapsularly injected at end of the operation in 12 eyes ( kistrin group) and the same volume of normal saline solution was used at the same way in other 12 operative eyes ( normal saline group).The PCO was graded in postoperative 1,3,5,7,14 days on Odrich' s criteria under the slit lamp.The lens section was prepared at 14 days and 3 months after operation.Haematoxylin and eosin stain was used to examine the proliferation of LECs in posterior capsule; Masson stain was used to observe the collagenous fiber formation in capsule bag,and the expression of collagen type Ⅳ was detected by immunochemistry.Results No significant difference in the number PCO eye was found in postoperative 14 days between normal saline group and kistrin group ( P =0.093 ).However,the eye numbers of 2-3 grades of PCO were significant increased in normal saline group compared with kistrin group in 1,2,3 months after operation( P=0.041,0.014,0.022).In the operative 14 days,staining and adhesion of LECs in posterior capsule were more in normal saline group than kistrin group,and the fibrocytes in capsule were evidently increased in normal saline group in 3 months.Masson stain certified that the blue stain was seen to be stronger and more in posterior capsule in normal saline group in comparison with kistrin group in 3 months after operation,and the immunochemistry showed that the gray values of collagen type Ⅳ in posterior capsule were significant lower in normal saline group compared with kistrin group in both 14 days and 3 months after operation (P=0.000,0.001 ).ConclusionsKistrin can suppresses the proliferation of LECs and collagen type Ⅳ on rabbit lens posterior capsular after transparent lens extracapsular enudeation.

Establishment of model of diabetes and lens posterior capsule opacification induced by alloxan in rabbit / 中华实验眼科杂志

Background The establishment of diabetic animal model is a crucial step for the study about diabetic eye diseases. At present,the main modeling method include the injection of streptozotocin and alloxan. But the shortcoming of the former is an expensive price, and that of the later is high death rate of animals. Objective This experiment was to discuss the way which decrease the death of alloxan-injected animal and explore the effects of high blood glucose on the posterior capsular opacification (PCO). Methods Forty clean healthy male New Zealand white rabbits were randomly divided into 2 groups. 90mg/kg of alloxan were injected via ear vein once in 20 rabbits to create the diabetic animal models,and the equivalent amount of normal saline solution was injected at the same way as normal blood glucose group. The successful models were selected in the animals with the blood glucose level over 12. 0 mmol/L two weeks later, and PCO of lens were graded based on the method of Odrieh under the slit lamp. Extracapsular lens extraction was then performed on the right eye of rabbits in both groups, and the posterior capsules were obtained from these eyes at the 6th, 10th and 14th days after operation. The expression of proliferating cell nuclear antigen ( PCNA ) in posterior capsular lens epithelial cell was detected by immunohistochemistry. Results The modeling successful rate was 70% after injection of alloxan. The body weight of rabbits in high blood glucose group was significantly lowed and the blood glucose was significantly elevated in comparison with normal blood glucose group ( all P<0. 05). Two weeks after surgery ,2 eyes occurred 2 grade of PCO and only one eye showed the 1 grade of PCO in the high blood glucose group. However, 1 grade of PCO was found in 3 eyes in the normal blood glucose group. Biopsy revealed that PCNA was positively expressed in the cell nuclei of LECs in high blood glucose group rather than the normal blood glucose group from the 10th day after surgery. The proliferation index of PCNA was 0. 86±0. 04 and 0. 25±0. 03 respectively in high blood glucose group and normal blood glucose group, showing a significant difference between them (t = -16. 171 ,P = 0. 000). Conclusion Stable diabetic models of rabbits can be created by intravenous injection of 90 mg/kg alloxan. High blood glucose level is one of the important factors for the development of PCO.

Self-management behaviors among children after exposure to rabies in two severe rabies epidemic areas of China / 中华流行病学杂志

Objective To understand the situation of rabies exposure and self-management behaviors among primary school students from rabies epidemic areas in China. Methods This population-based investigation was conducted in Guizhou and Guangdong provinces which had been severe epidemic areas of rabies in China from January 2007 to May 2008. Primary schools from two prefectural, two county, four township and four village levels were selected in the 2 provinces.Students were sampled from each grade of the 12 schools to collect information on post-exposure prophylaxis. Results In the 2408 primary school students interviewed, 290 person/times exposure were found from 2007 to 2008. The self wound-treatment rates was 47.93%, with 16.55% of themwent to the clinic for care-seeking initiatively and 63.79% informed their parents or teachers. However 23.10% of the students did nothing after exposure. Students in Guangdong province had lower exposure rate and higher rate of good management behaviors than in Guizhou. No significant statistical difference was found between the self-management behaviors among male and female students or among different levels of primary schools. The proportion of disinfection on wounds with alcohol and seeking medical treatment in rabies clinic initiatively were both low in all grades of the students but the proportion of telling their parents or teachers about the exposure among children was high in all grades of students. Conclusion Some students after rabies exposure did not have any disposal in Guangdong and Guizhou provinces. Related education should be strengthened.

Sero-epidemiological survey on general community population to understand the infection status after the first wave of pandemic 2009 H1N1 influenza in Guangdong province / 中华流行病学杂志

Objective To understand the infection status of pandemic 2009 H1N1 influenza after the first epidemic wave and to estimate the infected population. Methods Multi-stage stratified random sampling was introduced with 4500 subjects chosen in Guangdong province. 1500 people were selected from 5 districts (3 streets were selected in every district) in Guangzhou city which was representing the large cities. 1500 people were respectively selected from medium-sized city and rural areas, including 20 cities (1 county or district was selected in every city, at least 1 street or town was selected in every county or district respectively and then 1-2 residential area or county was selected in every street or township, respectively). Every sample was selected in accordance with the principle of random sampling, excluding those who had injected with novel H1N1 vaccine. We used hemagglutination inhibition test to understand the serum antibody level of novel H1N1, with title of 1∶40 as positive. Results A number of 4319 specimens, distributed in 21 cities, 25 counties, 85 streets or townships, 144 residential areas, were tested, with an overall positive rate as 22.82% (985/4319). The positive rate of those who had no symptoms of cold since June was 23.47% (471/2007).The positive rate of those who had fever, cough or sore throat was 26.25% (714/2720). The positive rate of those who had influenza-like illness (ILI) was 29.69% (337/1135 ). Conclusion The infection rate in the first epidemic wave of the novel influenza A (H1N1) pandemic in Guangdong province was 22.82%(985/4317). Based on the number of residonts in Guangdong province, the number of natural was estimated to have reached 21.78 million.

Epidemiological analysis of imported cases of dengue fever in Guangdong province and Hong Kong during 2004-2006 in China / 中华流行病学杂志

Objective To analyze the epidemiological characteristics of imported cases of dengue fever in Guangdong province (GD) and in I-long Kong (HK) during 2004-2006 to provide evidence for further cooperation in the prevention and control programs on dengue fever in the two places.Methods Descriptive statistical analysis was performed on data obtained from dengue fever surveillance and reporting network in GD and from Centre for Health Protection,Department of Health,HK.Results Both from GD and HK 44 and 93 imported cases of Dengue fever were reported during 2004-2006.Most patients from GD acquired their infection from Singapore (13 cases),Indonesia (9 cases) or Cambodia (6 cases) while patients in HK mainly were imported from Indonesia (31 cases),the Philippines (16 cases) and Thailand (15 cases).The peak seasons of the two places were both from July to September.During the non-peak season period,the number of cases in Hong Kong was higher than that in Guangdong.Male/ female ratio was 1.2 : 1 in GD and 1.1 : 1 in HK.Age of patients in GD appeared to range from 6-80 years,with 63.6% (28/44) of them aged 20-39 years.40.9% (18/44) of the cases were engaged in business,services,housework or unemployed.Those cases in HK were between 10-72 years of age,with 63.6%(28/44) of them aged 20-39 years while 47.3%(44/93) of the patients were with the occupation of business,services and industry.More cases in GD had a onset of disease before entering the border (27 : 17) than the cases in HK (35 : 57).The average time interval between onset and diagnosis were 7 and 9 days for GD and HK respectively.Conclusion Frequent travel between Southeast Asia in summer among the working class appeared to be the main factor,causing imported cases of dengue fever in GDand HK.It is crucial to provide health education targeted at these high risk groups in order to prevent importation of dengue fever in the two areas.

Expression of c-fos, OPG, OPGL in rabbit mandibular distraction osteogenesis zone / 浙江大学学报·医学版

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To evaluate the possible signal transduction mechanism of the mechanical stress induced by the distraction procedure in osteocytes.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>An animal model of mandibular distraction osteogenesis in rabbits was established. The expressions of c-fos, OPG and OPGL were detected by ultrasensitive S-P immunohistochemical method.</p><p><b>RESULT</b>At 4 and 8 days after distraction, distraction zone showed strong positive staining of c-fos, which were apparently higher than that in distraction zone of 2, 4 and 6 weeks after consolidation. At 4 and 8 days after distraction and 2 weeks after consolidation, the expression of OPG was strong, and then wore off gradually at 4 and 6 weeks after consolidation. Weak signals of OPGL could be detected at 6 weeks after consolidation only.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>c-fos, OPG and OPGL are important regulators in distraction osteogenesis. c-fos is interrelated with the mechanical stress induced by the distraction procedure closely, OPG promotes new bone formation, while OPGL plays a more active role in bone remodeling.</p>

Effectiveness of personal protective measures in prevention of nosocomial transmission of severe acute respiratory syndrome / 中华流行病学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To evaluate the effectiveness of personal protective measures of health care workers (HCWs) against severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>A case-control study from ten hospitals in Guangdong, with 180 non-infected and 77 infected staff members that accessed the isolation unit every day, and participated in direct first aid for severe SARS patients. All participants were surveyed about how they were using personal protective equipment (PPE), protective drugs and hygiene habits when caring for patients with SARS. Statistical analysis was done with either chi(2) or Fisher's exact test for univariate analysis, whereas we used forward stepwise selection (Waldesian) for logistic regression.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Univariate analysis showed that mask, gown, gloves, goggles, footwear, "hand-washing and disinfecting", gargle, "membrane protection", "taking shower and changing clothing after work", "avoid from eating and drinking in ward", oseltamivir phospha tall had protective effects (P < 0.05), but stepwise logistic regression showed significant differences for mask (OR = 0.78, 95% CI: 0.60 - 0.99), goggles (OR = 0.20, 95% CI: 0.10 - 0.41) and footwear (OR = 0.58, 95% CI: 0.39 - 0.86). Analysis for linear trend in proportions showed that dose response relationship existed in mask, gown, gloves, goggles, footwear, gargle, "membrane protection" and "taking shower and changing dree after work" (P < 0.01). The attack rate of HCWs who were rescuing severe SARS patients without any PPE was 61.5% (16/26). It seemed that the more the protective measures were used, the higher the protective effect was (P < 0.001), and could reach 100% if mask, gown, gloves, goggles, footwear, "hand-washing and disinfecting" were all used at the same time.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Nosocomial infection of SARS can be prevented effectively by precautions against droplets and personal contact. HCWs must take strict protection according to the guidance of WHO or Chinese MOH and pay attention to personal hygiene.</p>

Study on spotted fever group Rickettsiae in Guangdong province / 中华流行病学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To explore the existence of spotted fever group Rickettsiae (SFGR) in Guangdong province.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Sera were tested to find the SFGR in population and host animals. The target samples were screened by polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and Rickettsiae was isolated with embryonated hen eggs and identified by serological tests.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Eight hundred and sixty people in natural condition and 321 of mice were determined. The mean positive rate of healthy population was 3.84%. To compare results among elected places, Fisher's exact test was applied. The difference was suggestive (P < 0.01), and there was no significant difference between mountain and plain areas. There was also no significant difference between mountain and plain areas (P > 0.05). Positive rate of mice was 4.67%, with Rattus fulvescens, Rattus edwardsi, Bandicota indica 11.59%, 12.90%, 3.13% respectively. It was the first time that SFGR antibodies in Rattus fulvescens, Rattus edwardsi, Bandicota indica were reported. A total number of 321 mice spleens and 394 ticks from the surface of mice body were collected. Two strains of SFGR, GDFK58-2000 and GDFK59-2000, were isolated in the ticks from the body surface of 2 Rattus fulvescens. They were identified as Rickettsia sibirica by serological tests. Five hundred thirty-three bp OmpA gene fragments of the two strains were cloned and sequenced. Compared with other relevant strains in Genbank, the rates of homology of nucleotide sequences of GDFK58-2000 and GDFK59-2000 and other Rickettsia sibirica strains were from 99.6% to 100%, and the homology of amino acid speculated was 100%.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>It has been proved that epidemic areas of north Asia tick-transmitted SFGR, did exist in Guangdong province confirmed by hostanimals, transmission vectors and aetiology.</p>

An epidemiological study on the index cases of severe acute respiratory syndrome occurred in different cities among Guangdong province / 中华流行病学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To analyze the epidemiological features of the index cases of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) occurred in different cities in Guangdong province and to trace for the source of infection.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Standardized individual case inventory was adopted to conduct investigation on index cases and on persons who had close contact with index cases in Guangdong province. Data on the epidemiological characteristics, secondary cases and the links among index cases were analyzed.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Between November 16, 2002 and April 16, 2003, there had been 13 index cases of SARS including 3 cadres, 3 farmers, 2 retirees, 2 workers and 1 shop attendant, reported from 13 cities in Guangdong province. Between November 2002 and January 2003, there had been 7 cities reported to have identified index cases of SARS with 6 of them being infected in their own cities and 1 imported from Guangzhou city. All of the cases had no close contacts to similar patients but 6 of them later caused 2nd or even 3rd generation cases of SARS. Most cases hit young people (7/13) with a sex ratio of 1:0.6. The fatality rate of index cases was high (4/13).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>No evidence showed that there was direct transmission among the index cases. Data regarding the geographical origin of those index cases led to the assumption that the infection had started in six cities of Pearl river delta region and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.</p>

Epidemiological study on severe acute respiratory syndrome in Guangdong province / 中华流行病学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVES</b>To understand the epidemiological characteristics of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) outbreaks in some areas of Guangdong province and to provide scientific basis for prevention and control measures against it.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Standardized questionnaire was used on individual cases. Data on the epidemiological characteristics as time, place, persons and aggregation status of SARS cases, development of the epidemics, were analyzed with software EPI 6.0.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The incidence of SARS in Guangdong province was 1.72/100,000 with case fatality rate as 3.64%. Most cases of SARS occurred between the last ten days of January and the first ten days of February with the peak (61.88% of the patients) occurred in the first ten days of February. As to the distribution of place, Pearl river delta region-economically developed with great number of mobile population-was heavily affected areas (account for 96.66% of the total patients). The majority of patients were young adults and medical staff seemed to be the most affected subgroup (account for 24.9% of the patients in total). Family and hospital aggregation of patients comprised the another two important characteristics of SARS (account for 37.1% of the total patients).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Current knowledge on SARS suggested that it was an air-borne infectious disease with human beings served as the source of infection. The incubation period of the disease was from 1 to 12 days with a median of 4 days. Respiratory secretions and close contact contributed to person-to-person transmission. Most cases were distributed in Pearl river delta region, an area famous for its economic development and heavy flow of mobile population.</p>

Severe acute respiratory syndrome in Guangdong Province of China: epidemiology and control measures / 中华预防医学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To explore epidemiological features and risk factors of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) in Guangdong Province of China, so as to work out effective strategies for its better control.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>A total of 1 511 clinically confirmed SARS cases in Guangdong Province of China from November 16, 2002 to Jun 15, 2003 were retrospectively analyzed.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The first SARS case was identified in Foshan municipality on November 16, 2002, followed by 1 511 clinically confirmed cases (including 58 deaths) up to May 15, 2003. Of all cases, health care workers and community family cluster cases accounted for 19.38% and 12.04%. 65.86% SARS patients aged 20 - 49 years, and increased incidence was positively related to their ages. 95.97% cases lived in the following five cities around Pearl Delta Area: Foshan, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Zhongshan, and Jiangmen. Eleven early reported cases in the communities took animal-related positions. Face-to-face contacts with infected droplets were the main transmission route. An epidemic peak occurred during January 28 to February 26, and those cases accounted for 50.69% of total. Incidence, mortality, and case fatality of SARS were 1.77/100,000, 0.07/100,000, and 3.84% respectively. The mean incubation period was 4.5 days.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The most effective way to control SARS is to break the chain of transmission from infected to healthy persons-early identification, prompt and effective isolation, and vigorous close contact tracing. Hospital infections among health care workers is critical. Several observations support the hypothesis of an animal origin for the disease.</p>