Incidence of Orthohantavirus infection in humans follows observed changes in rodent reservoirs, Hubei Province, China (1984-2010).

OBJECTIVE: Orthohantaviruses (genus Orthohantavirus, family Hantaviridae of order Bunyavirales) are rodent-borne viruses causing 2 human diseases: hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) and hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS), which are mainly prevalent in Eurasia and the Americas, respectively. We initiated this study to investigate and analyze the Orthohantaviruses infection in rodent reservoirs and humans in the Hubei Province of China from 1984 to 2010. SAMPLE: The study included 10,314 mouse and 43,753 human serum samples. PROCEDURES: In this study, we analyzed the incidence of Orthohantavirus infection in humans and observed changes in rodent reservoirs in Hubei Province. RESULTS: The results indicated that although the incidence of HFRS declined from the 1990s, the human inapparent infection did not decrease dramatically. Although elements of the disease ecology have changed over the study period, Apodemus agrarius and Rattus norvegicus remain the major species and a constituent ratio of Rattus norvegicus increased. Rodent population density fluctuated between 16.65% and 2.14%, and decreased quinquennially, showing an obvious downward trend in recent years. The average orthohantaviruses-carrying rate was 6.36%, of which the lowest rate was 2.92% from 2006 to 2010. The analysis of rodent species composition showed that Rattus norvegicus and Apodemus agrarius were the dominant species over time (68.6% [1984 to 1987] and 90.4% [2000 to 2011]), while the composition and variety of other species decreased. The density of rodents was closely related to the incidence of HFRS (r = 0.910, P = .032). CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Our long-term investigation demonstrated that the occurrence of HFRS is closely related to rodent demographic patterns. Therefore, rodent monitoring and rodent control measures for prevention against HFRS in Hubei are warranted.

Fentanyl enhances HIV infection in vitro.

Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) caused by Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) has a high tendency among illicit drug abusers. Recently, it is reported that abuse of fentanyl, a potent synthetic µ receptor-stimulating opioid, is an independent risk factor for HIV-1 infection. However, the mechanism of action in augmenting HIV-1 infection still remains elusive. In this study, we found that fentanyl enhanced infection of HIV-1 in MT2 cells, primary macrophages and Jurkat C11 cells. Fentanyl up-regulated CXCR4 and CCR5 receptor expression, which facilitated the entry of virion into host cells. In addition, it down-regulated interferon-ß (IFN-ß) and interferon-stimulated genes (APOBEC3F, APOBEC3G and MxB) expression in MT2 cells. Our findings identify an essential role of fentanyl in the positive regulation of HIV-1 infection via the upregulation of co-receptors (CXCR4/CCR5) and downregulation of IFN-ß and ISGs, and it may have an important role in HIV-1 immunopathogenesis.

In Vitro Bioaccessibility and Health Risk Assessment of Arsenic and Zinc Contaminated Soil Stabilized by Ferrous Sulfate: Effect of Different Dietary Components.

Iron-based materials have good stability in reducing the mobility and toxicity of heavy metals, but the behavior and human health risks of heavy metals could be affected by dietary components. This study investigated the effect of typical diets (lettuce, cooked rice and apples) on the bioaccessibility and morphological changes of arsenic (As) and zinc (Zn) in contaminated site after stabilization by ferrous sulfate (FeSO4). The results showed that the bioaccessibility of As and Zn were increased in a co-digestion system of food. The augmented effect on As bioaccessibility mainly occurred in the gastric phase: apple > lettuce > cooked rice (p < 0.05), while the augmented effect on Zn bioaccessibility mainly occurred in the intestinal phase: lettuce > apple > cooked rice (p < 0.05). FeSO4 weakened the dissolution effect of dietary components on As bioaccessibility, and reduced As bioaccessibility in the gastric and intestinal phases by 34.0% and 37.9% (p < 0.05), respectively. Dietary components and Fe fractions influenced the speciation and distribution of As and Zn. FeSO4 reduced the hazard quotient (HQ) and carcinogenic risk (CR) values of the contaminated soil by 33.97% and 33.59%, respectively. This study provides a reference for a better understanding of more realistic strategies to modulate exposure risks of heavy metal-contaminated sites.

Single-Site Active Cobalt-Based Photocatalyst with a Long Carrier Lifetime for Spontaneous Overall Water Splitting.

An active and stable photocatalyst to directly split water is desirable for solar-energy conversion. However, it is difficult to accomplish overall water splitting without sacrificial electron donors. Herein, we demonstrate a strategy via constructing a single site to simultaneously promote charge separation and catalytic activity for robust overall water splitting. A single Co1 -P4 site confined on g-C3 N4 nanosheets was prepared by a facile phosphidation method, and identified by electron microscopy and X-ray absorption spectroscopy. This coordinatively unsaturated Co site can effectively suppress charge recombination and prolong carrier lifetime by about 20 times relative to pristine g-C3 N4 , and boost water molecular adsorption and activation for oxygen evolution. This single-site photocatalyst exhibits steady and high water splitting activity with H2 evolution rate up to 410.3 µmol h-1 g-1 , and quantum efficiency as high as 2.2 % at 500 nm.

[Clinical Characteristics of 223 Chinese Patients with Hemophilia in A Medical Center of Gansu Province in China].

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the clinical characteristics, diagonsis and treatment of patients with hemophilia in Gansu province of China. METHODS: The clinical data of 223 cases of hemophilia in our center between January 2010 and May 2015 were collected and analyzed retrospectively, these 223 cases of hemophilia were from 14 cities in Gansu and neighboring provinces, including 203 cases of hemophili A (HA) and 20 cases of hemophili B (HB), among them 222 cases were male, only 1 female(HA), 177 cases were from Rural areas (79.4%). RESULTS: The median age of first bleeding was 2 years old, and the average age of confirmed as hemophilia was 5.6±6.5 years, the delayed time of diagnoses of HA and HB was 2.50±4.91 and 2.07±4.76 years, respetively, among all the patients 168 caese complicated with joint hemorrhage (75.3%), 123 cases with joint deformities (55.2%). 91.6% of the patients were treated according to demand, the HBV and HCV infection rates were 1.7% and 6.2% respectively. The first-visited hospital of 86.9% patients was hospitalized below 3 grade of level, only 15.9% of these patients were considered to diagnose as hemophili. CONCLUSION: The accurate level of diagnosis rate for hemophiliacs in Gansu province is low, the delay time of diagnosis is longer, the ratios of complicated joint hemorrhage, total accumulative joint deformity were high, HCV infection rate is also high.