Analysis on Mycoplasma pirum infection in male HIV/AIDS patients and related 16S rRNA genes in Jiangsu province / 中华流行病学杂志

Objective To investigate the prevalence ofMycoplasma pirum (Mpi) in male HIV infected patients,and to identify the 16S rRNA gene of Mpi.Methods The first void urine of male HIV/AIDS patients in Jiangsu province was collected for Mpi detection.Purified 16S rRNA gene PCR production was sequenced for analysis on its identification,homogeneity and phylogenetic tree.P1 protein sequence of Mpi was analyzed by Vector NTI Advance 11.0 to calculate the coded amino acid sequence.Homogeneity analysis was conducted between the theoretical amino acid sequence of Mpi and other Mycoplasmas.Results The prevalence of Mpi in male HIV/AIDS patients was 21.5％while the Mpi prevalence rates in different age groups were significantly different (x2Mpi=124.63,P＜0.01).The homogeneity of 18 strains of Mpi was higher than 90％.Conclusion The Mpi prevalence seemed much higher than the results from previous detection on HIV/AIDS patients,suggesting that more attention should be paid on AIDS treatment.More bioinformatic research on gene/nucleotide sequence analysis and forecast should be carried out to identify the molecular characteristics of Mpi.

The application of network scale-up method on female sex workers and clients size estimation in Taizhou city / 中华预防医学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To estimate the size of female sex workers and clients in Taizhou city.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>A household survey using network scale-up method (NSUM) was conducted among the 3000 community residents in Taizhou city from August to October in 2011, which aimed to estimate the social network size (c value) of Taizhou residents, and the c value was adjusted by demographic characteristics, back estimation and outlier elimination. Using the adjusted c value, the number of acquaintance of female sex workers or clients and the respect level toward female sex workers or clients were used to estimate the size of female sex workers and clients.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>A total of 2783 valid questionnaires were collected, among which 1380 (49.6%) were collected from Taixing city, 1403 (50.4%) were collected from Jingjiang city. 1334 respondents were male (47.9%) and 1449 (47.9%) respondents were female. The mean age was (39.4 ± 10.7) years. The average personal social network size using original data for Taizhou residents was 525, which differed from place, sex, age, educational level and marriage status. Using the remaining known populations through back estimation, the social network size was 419 and became 424 after the elimination of outliers. The estimated population size for female sex worker was 6370 (95%CI: 5886 - 6853), which accounted for 0.52% (6370/1 229 980) of the total number of female aged from 15 to 49. The estimated population size for clients was 15 202 (95%CI: 14 560 - 15 847), which accounted for 1.28% (15 202/1 190 340) of the total number of males aged from 15 to 49 and the ration of clients to female sex worker was 2.39:1.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>NSUM is an easy and quick way to estimate the size of female sex workers or clients, but the estimated sizes are subject to bias and error due to estimate effect and sample representativeness.</p>

Acupuncture and moxibustion in Tunisia / 中国针灸

The development status of acupuncture and moxibustion in Tunisia is introduced in this article. Although acupuncture and moxibustion only has a history of more than 30 years in Tunisia, it is very popular among the local people. Until now, there is one acupuncture and moxibustion center aided and built with the help of the Chinese government. Acupuncture and moxibustion clinical department has been set in some of the hospitals, and acupuncture and moxibustion clinical practice is also carried out in some private clinics. Cost of acupuncture and moxibustion in public hospitals has already been covered by medical insurance. As for education of acupuncture and moxibustion, training courses were set up in medical colleges of Tunisia by Tunisian government which is lectured by Chinese acupuncture experts. Acupuncture and moxibustion has been used to treat many diseases in Tunisia and is warmly welcomed by Tunisian.

Observation on relations between onset seasons of peripheral facial paralysis and therapeutic courses and effect of acupuncture / 中国针灸

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To observe the influences of seasonal factors on peripheral facial paralysis by acupuncture.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Four hundred cases of facial paralysis were divided into spring, summer, autumn and winter groups, 100 cases in each group. All these cases were treated by routine puncture. Fengchi (GB 20), Yifeng (TE 17), Qianzheng (Extra), Jiache (ST 6), and Dicang (ST 4), etc. were applied at affect side, once a day. 2 months observation was carried on to compare the clinical therapeutic effects and average courses. The facial symptoms, physical sign and functional activities were taken as observation indexes of therapeutic effect.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The effect rate was 78.0% (78/100) in spring group, 82.0% (82/100) in summer group, 89.0% (89/100) in autumn group and 92.0% (92/100) in winter group; the effect rate in summer or autumn group was superior to those in spring group and in summer group (all P < 0.05); the average course was (47.6 +/- 22.3) days in spring group, (43.7 +/- 18.4) days in summer group, (31.5 +/- 11.3) days in autumn group and (22.6 +/-9.2) days in winter group, indicating the significant differences between groups except that between spring and summer group (all P < 0.01). The cured and markedly effective rate was 80.1% (161/201) for wind cold type, 53.5% (61/114) for wind heat type, and 36.5% (31/85) for damp heat type, indicating that it of wind cold type was superior to that of wind heat type or damp heat type (P < 0.001, P < 0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The syndrome distribution and courses of peripheral facial paralysis are different in different seasons, hence, the diseases should be treated according to attack time and syndromes.</p>

Risk factors which were associated with heroin use during the methadone maintenancetreatment among 1301 patients in 9 cities of China / 中华流行病学杂志

Objective To determine the proportion of heroin use among patients who were involved in community-based methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) program and to identify the risk factors associated with heroin use. Methods This study was conducted in 9 MMT clinics within 3 provinces. Thirteen hundred and one patients who met the study criteria were selected from each of the five groups with different dosages of methadone users. An administrative questionnaire was applied to explore the demographics,drug abuse-related behaviors and MMT services received by the clients,etc. The prevalence of depression and anxiety among the clients were also collected by SAS and SDS. Urine samples were collected as a biological marker to indicate if heroin had been used. Results Of the 1301 patients,76.2% were males. The mean age was (34.6±6.5) years while 71.7% had an education level of primary school or below. The average daily dosage of methadone was (48.1±29.4) mg and self-satisfied evaluation score on treatment was 8.6. On average,27.7% urine samples showed positive opiate evidence. Marital status,employment status,treatment retention,self-satisfied evaluation score on dosage and dropout history were found to be significantly associatedwith heroin use,while gender,education level and dosage had no significant association with heroin use. It seemed that risk factors that associated with heroin use were different from areas to areas. Conclusion High quality MMT clinic services,high self-satisfied score,longer treatment retention and low dropout rate seemed to have the effects of reducing the risk of ongoing heroin abuse under the methadone maintenance treatment program.

Sequential analysis of detection Mycoplasma in different positions of female genital tract / 中华流行病学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To discuss the main parasitic position of Ureaplasma urealyticum (Uu) and Mycoplasma hominis (Mh) in female genital tract.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Using the standard aseptic cotton swab to collect secretion in vaginal fornix and orificium internum uteri, to culture Uu and Mh in Mycoplasma ID medium of France Bio-Merieux Co. According to double-direction quality reaction sequential test design, detection results of different position were analyzed.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Total positive and > or = 10(4) ccu/ml positive of Uu in vaginal fornix were significantly higher than that in orificium internum uteri. Total positive of Mh in vaginal fornix was significantly higher than that in orificium internum uteri as well.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>In order to raise the detectable rate of Mycoplasma, we suggested that the secretion in vaginal fornix position be collected.</p>

Study on fluoroquinolone resistance and the relationship between resistance and mutations of gyrA and parC in Neisseria gonorrhoeae / 中华流行病学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To study the phenotypic and genotypic resistance to Fluoroquinolones in Neisseria gonorrhoeae (NG) isolated in Jiangsu province of China.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>In-vitro, susceptibility testing of ciprofloxacin and levofloxacin against ninety-five clinical isolates were determined by agar dilution method. Detection of mutation in the gyrA and parC genes was performed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay and sequence analysis.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The clinical isolates demonstrated 100% resistance to ciprofloxacin. Based on gyrA and parC mutations, 18 types could be categorized among the 54 isolates. Based on the same gyrA mutations,isolates with high MIC appeared to have had more mutations in parC gene.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The status of resistance to ciprofloxacin in NG was quite serious, and ciprofloxacin treatment for the treatment of NG infections in Jiangsu province should not be recommended. The results from this study suggested that mutations in the parC gene had contributed to the development of high Fluoroquinolone resistance in NG.</p>