Analysis of epidemic status and influencing factors of Mongolian children with autism in central and eastern Inner Mongolia / 中国学校卫生

Objective@#To understand the epidemic status and influencing factors of Mongolian children with ASD in central and eastern Inner Mongolia, so as to provide data support for formulating prevention and intervention strategies and improving the overall epidemiological investigation of ASD in Inner Mongolia.@*Methods@#Sixteen kindergartens and primary schools were selected from Chifeng City, Ulanqab City, Tongliao City, Hulunbuir City and Xilingol League cities in Inner Mongolia by means of random cluster sampling. Firstly, 7 108 children aged 3-14 were initially screened with the Kirschner Autism Behavior Scale(CABS), and then the children with ASD positive were given the autism behavior test scale (ABC). According to the diagnostic criteria, the professionals, including chief physicians and associate chief physicians from the major of child psychiatry, diagnosed ASD with the total score of ABC scale ≥62. Univariate and Logistic regression multivariate analysis were carried out among Mongolian children to find out the influencing factors related to the occurrence of Mongolian ASD in Inner Mongolia.@*Results@#The prevalence of Mongolian children was 0.37%. Mongolian ASD group and Mongolian normal children series in the household register, habitual twitch, hyperactivity, bite lips, families have extreme introverts, mothers age, father s cultural level, cultural degree of mother, father mother mild character, irritable, neonatal diseases, fetal gestational age distribution had statistical significance( χ 2/Z= 12.58 , 16.68, 14.93, 64.43, -3.76, -2.86, 4.57, 11.12, 12.33, 16.66, P <0.05).@*Conclusion@#Measures such as shaping a healthy growth environment, adjusting parental style, paying attention to the level of early childhood language development, and preventing neonatal diseases might lower the risk of ASD in children.

Prevalence and associated factors of autism among children in central and eastern Inner Mongolia / 中国学校卫生

Objective@#To understand the prevalence and influencing factors of children with ASD in central and eastern Inner Mongolia, and to provide theoretical basis for disease prevention and prevalence of ASD.@*Methods@#Sixteen primary schools and kindergartens were selected from 5 cities in central and eastern Inner Mongolia through random cluster sampling. A total of 15 817 children aged 3-14 years were selected. Children who were positive using Clancy Autism Behavior Scale were further diagnosed according to the teacher s nomination form and the Autism Behavior Checklist, as well as the diagnostic criteria of the fifth edition of the American Diagnostic & Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders by 2 professionals.@*Results@#The prevalence of ASD was 0.27% (42/15 817), with prevalence in urban areas (0.16%, 15/9 231) higher than that of rural areas (0.41%, 27/6 586) ( χ 2=8.89, P <0.01). Logistic regression analysis showed that maternal education and language development were negatively associated with ASD in urban children [ OR =0.29(95% CI =0.12-0.69) and 0.18(95% CI =0.05-0.60), P <0.05]. ASD in rural children were positively associated with enuresis and introverted family members [ OR =7.09(95% CI =1.60-32.27) and 8.63(95% CI =3.10- 24.01 ), P <0.05].@*Conclusion@#High prevalence of ASD is found in urban area of central and eastern Inner Mongolia. Unhealthy habits, neonatal diseases, low parental education, delayed language development and poor exercise performance are primary factors associated with ASD in both urban and rural areas.

Outdoor Air Pollutant Concentration and COVID-19 Infection in Wuhan, China

Motivated by earlier findings that exposure to daily outdoor PM2.5 (P) may increase the risk of influenza infection, our study examines if immediate exposure to outdoor P will modify the rate of change in the daily number of COVID-19 infections (R), for (1) the high infection provincial capital cities in China and (2) Wuhan, China, using regression modelling. A multiple linear regression model was constructed to model the statistical relationship between P and R in China and in Wuhan, from 1 January to 20 March 2020. We carefully accounted for potential key confounders and addressed collinearity. The causal relationship between P and R, and the interaction effect between key variables were investigated. A causal relationship between P and R across the high infection provincial capital cities in China was established via matching. A higher P resulted in a higher R in China. A 10 {micro}g/m3 increase in P gave a 1.5% increase in R (p < 0.001). An interaction analysis between P and absolute humidity (AH) showed a statistically significant negative relationship between P x AH and R (p < 0.05). When AH was $ 5.8 g/m3, a higher P and AH gave a higher R. In contrast, when AH [≥] 5.8 g/m3, the effect of a higher P was counteracted by the effect of a higher AH, resulting in a lower R. Given that P can exacerbate R, we recommend the installation of air purifiers and better air ventilation to reduce the effect of P on R. Further, given the increasing discussions/observations that COVID-19 can be airborne, we highly recommend the wearing of surgical masks to keep one from contracting COVID-19 via the viral-particulate transmission pathway.

Establishment of a stable and inducible mammalian cell line expressing influenza virus A M2 protein / 生物工程学报

Matrix protein 2(M2) is an integral tetrameric membrane protein of influenza A virus, which functions as ion channel. M2 sequence has shown remarkable conservation, so there has been growing interest in it as "universal" vaccine. In order to establish a stable 293 cell line that express M2 protein under the control of the tetracycline operator, M2 gene was obtained by PCR amplification from the plasmid containing the segment 7 of influenza A virus strain A/PR/8/34 firstly. The PCR product was cloned into BamH I/Not I restriction site of pcDNA5/FRT/TO vector, and cotransfected with pOG44 which express Flp recombinase into Flp-In T-REx-293 cell. Integration of pcDNA5/FRT/TO-M2 into the cell genome at the Flp Recombination Target (FRT) site brought the SV40 promoter and the initiation codon in frame with the hygromycin resistance gene. Thus, stable cell lines were selected for hygromycin resistance. The expression of M2 protein from hygromycin-resistant cell was induced by addition of tetracycline into the cell culture media, and then tested by indirect immunofluorescence assay (IFA). 16 strains with high expression of M2 were selected. After subculturing for more than ten passages, the cell lines still stably expressed M2 protein. No M2 protein could be detected without tetracycline induction, suggesting that the expression was strictly controlled by tetracycline operator. The cell lines expressing M2 will be useful for further functional studies of M2 protein, detection of immune response against natural structure M2 protein and development of live attenuated influenza virus vaccine with reverse genetics technique.

Evaluation of the immune response to recombinant DNA vaccine and adenoviral vaccine co-expressing the M1 and HA genes of H5N1 influenza virus in mice / 生物工程学报

In order to evaluate the response to vector-expressed M1 and HA genes of influenza virus in mice, we prepared recombinant plasmid pStar-M1/HA and recombinant adenovirus Ad-M1/HA containing both the full-length matrix protein 1(M1) and hemagglutinin (HA) genes of human H5N1 influenza virus strain A/Anhui/1/2005. We then combined the DNA vaccine and adenoviral vaccine in immunization of BALB/c mice with a prime-boost regime. We immunized the mice with DNA vaccine at day 0 and 28 and with recombinant adenoviral vaccines at day 14 and 42. We took blood samples before each injection and 14 days after the final injection for detection of humoral immune responses. At day 56, we sacrificed the mice and collected splenocytes for detection of cellular immune responses. ELISA and hemagglutination inhibition (HI) assay showed that specific IgG Abs against H5N1 influenza virus was induced in serum of the immunized mice. ELISPOT results confirmed that the specific cellular immune responses were successfully induced against the M1 and HA proteins of H5N1 influenza virus. This study provides new strategy for development of novel influenza vaccines.