Incidence of fall related injury in people aged 50 and above and risk factors in 8 provinces in China: a cross-sectional study / 中华流行病学杂志

Objective: To estimate the incidence and distribution characteristics of fall related injury in people aged ≥50 years in 8 provinces in China and related physiological, psychological and social risk factors. Methods: Cross-sectional data were collected from adults aged ≥50 years participating in the World Health Organization (WHO) study on global ageing and adult health (SAGE) round 1 in China. Two-level hierarchical logistic model was used to identify the related factors for fall-related injury. All the models were stratified by living area (urban/rural). Results: Estimated incidence of fall related injury (road traffic injury was not included) was 3.2%. Ageing and multiple chronic conditions (OR=2.55, 95%CI: 1.41-4.64) was significantly associated with the incidence of fall related injury in urban area. In rural area, depression (OR=4.33, 95% CI: 2.52-7.42) and multiple chronic conditions (OR=2.46, 95%CI: 1.37-4.41) were associated with the incidence of fall related injury. Conclusions: This study estimated the incidence of fall related injury in adults aged ≥50 years in 8 provinces in China. A significant association between multiple chronic conditions and fall related injury were found in both urban and rural residents. Targeted measures should be taken for the prevention and control of chronic diseases in elderly population.

ultrastructural effects of sulfachloropyrazine on Toxoplasma gondii tachyzoites

Toxoplasmosis is one of the most common parasitic infections of humans and other mammals. This study was aimed to understand the mechanism of action of veterinary medicine-sulfachloropyrazine [SPZ, 99.97%] against Toxop/asma gondii. T. gondii tachyzoites were soaked in PBS [as a control] or SPZ [250 mg/mL] for 2 h at 37 °C. After being processed, any ultrastructural changes of the tachyzoites that had occurred were observed by Scanning Electron Microscopy [SEM] and Transmission Electron Microscopy [TEM]. The tachyzoites from control groups with a uniform size had a smooth surface and intact cell or nuclear membranes. In addition, an oval-shaped nucleus, conoids and micronemes were also observed. By contrast, many parasites from the SPZ-treated groups were detrimentally affected by the treatment. Some appeared to be of the vacuolization in their cytoplasm, with the substantial reduction in the number of dense granules and the blur of some organelles. The morphology and ultrastructure of tachyzoites can be affected significandy by SPZ, which might kill the parasite by inhibiting its energy metabolism, inducing apoptosis and damaging its structure. The study provides an experimental basis for further study on the mechanism of SPZ against T. gondii

Fundamental study of degradation of dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane in soil by laccase from white rot fungi

This research describes application of laccase from white-rot fungi [polyporus] to remove dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane in soil. The degradation kinetics of dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane in soil was also investigated by laboratory batch experiments. The results showed that laccase from white-rot fungi can effectively degrade dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane and the degradation of total dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane [the sum of the four dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane compounds in a sample] was pseudo-first-order kinetics. The residues of almost all the dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane components and total dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane in soils treated with laccase decreased rapidly during first 15 days and then kept at a stable level during next 10 days. The residues of total dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane in soils with different dosages laccase decreased by about 21-32%, 29-45%, 35-51% and 36-51% after 5, 10, 15 and 25 days of incubation, respectively. The half-life of total dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane in soils with different dosages laccase ranged from 24.75 to 41.75 days. The residues of total dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane in three different types of soils decreased by 25-29%, 39-43%, 44-47% and 47-52% after 5, 10, 15 and 25 days of incubation with laccase, respectively. The half-life of total dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane in different types of soil ranged from 24.71 to 27.68 days. The residues of total dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane in soils with different pH levels decreased by 18-24%, 29-39%, 36-39% and 39-50% after 5, 10, 15 and 25 days of incubation with laccase, respectively. The half-life of total dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane ranged from 25.63 to 36.42 days. Laccase can be an efficient and safe agent for remediation of dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane-contaminated soil