Molecular typing and epidemiology profiles of human adenovirus infection among children with severe acute respiratory infection in Huzhou, China.

Human adenoviruses (HAdVs) are prevalent worldwide and are a common cause of respiratory tract infection in people of all ages. However, little is known about HAdV infection among children with severe acute respiratory infection (SARI). The present study retrospectively analysed the molecular typing and epidemiological characteristics of HAdV-positive samples from children with SARI from January 2017 to December 2021 in Huzhou. The results showed that 89 (8·27%) of 1078 SARI paediatric patients were positive for HAdVs. Children <5 years of age accounted for 87·64% of the positive cases. The peak seasons for HAdV infection were the first quarter and the fourth quarter. In addition, HAdV-B and HAdV-C were circulating among paediatric patients with SARI, of which the B3 genotype (n = 30, 51·72%) was the most prevalent and was detected every year, indicating that B3 is the main epidemic strain in the Huzhou area, followed by C1 (n = 9, 15·52%), C2 (n = 7, 12·07%) and B7 (n = 5, 8·62%). These findings provide a benchmark for future epidemiology and prevention strategies for HAdVs.

The distinct microbial community patterns and pathogen transmission routes in intensive care units

While the microbiome in indoor environments such as hospitals has drawn increasing attention, the transmission routes especially for pathogens in ICUs remain largely unexamined. In this study, we have explored the distinct bacterial communities of ICU compared with Non-ICU in hospital wards. We have then clarified their different transmission patterns by means of microbial source tracking, with results suggesting that bedrail and inside floor were hubs in two wards, respectively. Streptococcus, Staphylococcus were identified as "Transfer-Easy taxa" that were found in both ICU and Non-ICU settings, with potential pathogenicity and cases recorded. We have also detected another 15 pathogenic genera in hospital environment, including Pseudomonas and Acinetobacter, and charted how these pathogenic microorganisms affect patients, demonstrating that there were far more strong routes for pathogens transmitted from environment to patients in ICU. In summary, this work investigates patterns of bacterial transmission in hospital settings, highlights pathogenic genera that are likely to transfer from the environment to humans and cause nosocomial infection, which could provide guidance for healthcare system monitoring and co-infection avoidance.

Thematic correlation and contextual factors of netizens' information needs during the COVID-19 pandemic

[Purpose/Significance] Identifying the contextual factors of information needs is of great significance for understanding the generation mechanism of information needs. [Method/Process] Based on the background of the outbreak of COVID-19, this study crawled the question data from the Baidu Zhidao between December 31 in 2019 and March 30 in 2020, using methods such as content analysis and co-occurrence network analysis to identify the themes of netizens' information needs and the associations between them, and discover the characteristics of different information need themes under various contextual factors. [Results/Conclusions] This study extracted 8 primary themes and 33 secondary themes to reflect the information needs of netizens during the COVID-19 pandemic. The top five information needs with the highest attention from netizens are: impacts, preventions, controls, knowledge and education, and symptoms and treatments. From the perspective of the correlation analysis between themes, the relationship between impacts and controls is the strongest, and worries about infection are closely related to symptoms and treatments. In addition, the contextual factors of netizens' information needs are mainly characters, regions, places, and activities. This research provides support for researches on the relationship between information needs and contexts of netizens in public health emergencies, and helps relevant departments provide information to the public in a timely, efficient and accurate manner. © 2021 Agricultural Information Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences. All Rights Reserved.

Analysis of the changes and characteristics of pediatric outpatient visits in a general hospital in Beijing before and after the COVID-19 pandemic

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the changes and characteristics of pediatric outpatient visits in a general hospital before and after the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) epidemic. METHODS: Based on the registration data of pediatric outpatient visits in the information system (HIS)of Beijing Tsinghua Changgung Hospital, from January 1 2018 to December 31 2020, aged 0 to 16 years, we analyzed the changes of outpatient visits before and after the epidemic, focusing on respiratory infection including influenza. The relationship between the outpatient visits and age and quarterly distribution were also studied. RESULTS: (1) Respiratory infection accounted for the majority of outpatient visits in 2018 and 2019 (60.6% and 60.5%, respectively). Non-respiratory infection accounted for the main proportion of outpatient visits in 2020, while respiratory infection accounted for only 47.4%. Annual respiratory infection visits, respiratory infectious diseases visits especially influenza visits all decreased significantly in 2020 compared with that in 2018 and 2019 (P < 0.05). (2)Respiratory infection visits were highest in the infant group, lowest in the school age group (P < 0.05) and highest in the fourth quarter each year. It decreased significantly in the second quarter of 2020 with statistical significance when compared with the other quarters of 2020(P < 0.05). (3)Influenza accounted for the highest proportion of respiratory infectious diseases visits in each year. It was highest in first quarter, which was significantly different from the other quarters of the year (P < 0.05). There were different distributions of influenza visits throughout 2018 and 2019, while it was only distributed in the first quarter and 99% in January in 2020. CONCLUSION: The respiratory infection and influenza visits have decreased significantly in our pediatric outpatient department after the COVID-19 epidemic, which is considered closely related to the lifestyle and personal protection after the epidemic. It is recommended that health education on respiratory infection and influenza prevention should be strengthened, especially in winter and spring, to promote the development of good respiratory and hand hygiene habits.

Research and Practice of Hybrid Mixed Teaching Mode in COVID - 19 Times

Since the outbreak of novel coronavirus related epidemic on February 2020, China's Ministry of Education has decreed all of school to suspension their curriculums and produced the slogan: stop courses dose not means stop teaching and studying. And then, colleges and universities were developing online teaching. Until the epidemic in China were alleviated on September, the offline teaching model was gradually restored across the country, and the online and offline hybrid teaching model was widely used. Based on the traditional online and offline teaching mode, this paper proposes a new form of mixed teaching mode based on "Flipped Classroom + SPOC + MOOC", and systematically studies the integration of the new form of online and offline mixed teaching mode. This model has been applied in the Python programming course. This paper sorts out the problems that appeared in the implementation of the new mixed teaching model, proposes corresponding solutions, and evaluates the implementation process and results of this model. © 2021 IEEE.

[Epidemiological features of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection in children in Shijiazhuang, China: an analysis of 133 cases]

OBJECTIVE: To study the epidemiological features of children with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection in Shijiazhuang, China. METHODS: Based on the information officially announced on the official website of the Health Commission of Hebei Province, epidemiological data were collected from 133 children, aged 0-18 years, who were diagnosed with SARS-CoV-2 infection in Shijiazhuang from January 2 to January 30, 2021. A statistical analysis was performed for general status, regional distribution, presence or absence of clusters, and results of SARS-CoV-2 nucleic acid tests. RESULTS: Among the 133 children with SARS-CoV-2 infection, there were 65 boys and 68 girls, with a male/female ratio of 0.96:1. The youngest age of onset was 3 months and 7 days, and the mean age of onset was (9±5) years. Of all the 133 children, 90(67.7%) were the first confirmed case of SARS-CoV-2 infection among their family members. Of all the children, 108(81.2%) came from the Gaocheng District in Shijiazhuang, among whom 38(28.6%) were from Xiaoguozhuang Village where the first patient with a confirmed diagnosis lived. SARS-CoV-2 nucleic acid test at week 2 after the outbreak showed positive results in 88 children (66.2%), and only 5 children had clinical symptoms before positive SARS-CoV-2 results were obtained. Of all the 133 children, 19(14.3%) were found positive in the first SARS-CoV-2 nucleic acid test after the outbreak, and 70(52.6%) had positive results for ≥4 times. There were 98 school students with infection, among whom 74(75.5%) were the first confirmed case in their family, and among 35 non-school students, 16(45.7%) were the first confirmed case in their family (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Among the children confirmed with SARS-CoV-2 infection in Shijiazhuang, there is a high proportion of children who are the first confirmed case in their family, and the children are mainly distributed in the rural areas of Gaocheng. Most of these children are students, so the prevention and control of cluster infection in schools should be taken seriously. There are often no symptoms before SARS-CoV-2 nucleic acid test, with a low positive rate of the first nucleic acid test, which increases the difficulty of early discovery of the epidemic.

COVID-19 in people living with diabetes: An international consensus.

The COVID-19 pandemic has added an enormous toll to the existing challenge of diabetes care world-wide. A large proportion of patients with COVID-19 requiring hospitalization and/or succumbing to the disease have had diabetes and other chronic conditions as underlying risk factors. In particular, individuals belonging to racial/ethnic minorities in the U.S. and other countries have been significantly and disproportionately impacted. Multiple and complex socioeconomic factors have long played a role in increasing the risk for diabetes and now for COVID-19. Since the pandemic began, the global healthcare community has accumulated invaluable clinical experience on providing diabetes care in the setting of COVID-19. In addition, understanding of the pathophysiological mechanisms that link these two diseases is being developed. The current clinical management of diabetes is a work in progress, requiring a shift in patient-provider interaction beyond the walls of clinics and hospitals: the use of tele-medicine when feasible, innovative patient education programs, strategies to ensure medication and glucose testing availability and affordability, as well as numerous ideas on how to improve meal plans and physical activity. Notably, this worldwide experience offers us the possibility to not only prepare better for future disasters but also transform diabetes care beyond the COVID-19 era.