Risk factors for Clostridioides difficile infection in children: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Clostridioides difficile is considered an urgent threat to human health by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In recent years, C. difficile has been reported increasingly as a cause of gastrointestinal disease in children, and the prevalence of hospital-acquired C. difficile infection and community-acquired CDI in children is increasing. AIM: To perform a systematic review and meta-analysis of risk factors for CDI in children. METHODS: MEDLINE/PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, Scopus, OVID, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wanfang (Chinese), SinoMed (Chinese) and Weipu (Chinese) were searched from inception to 12th January 2022. Observational studies (cohort, case-control and cross-sectional) on CDI in children were included in the analysis. Data were pooled using a fixed or random-effects model, and odds ratios (OR) were calculated. FINDINGS: In total, 25 observational studies were included in the analysis. Prior antibiotic exposure [OR 1.93, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.25-2.97], prolonged hospitalization (OR 14.68, 95% CI 13.24-16.28), history of hospitalization (OR 3.67, 95% CI 1.91-7.06), gastric acid suppressants (OR 1.96, 95% CI 1.41-2.73), male gender (OR 1.18, 95% CI 1.05-1.32), neoplastic disease (OR 3.40, 95% CI, 2.85-4.07), immunodeficiency (OR 4.18, 95% CI 3.25-5.37), solid organ transplantation (OR 4.56, 95% CI 3.95-5.27) and enteral feeding (OR 2.21, 95% CI 1.05-4.62) were associated with increased risk of CDI. CONCLUSION: This systematic review and meta-analysis provides further evidence for the susceptibility factors of CDI to improve clinicians' awareness of CDI, and prevent C. difficile-associated diarrhoea in children.

[Analysis of overseas imported malaria and implication for prevention and control strategy in Shijiazhuang City from 2012 to 2015].

Objective To analyze the overseas imported malaria situation of Shijiazhuang City from 2012 to 2015, so as to provide the evidence for exploring the prevention and control strategy. Methods The data of overseas imported malaria were collected and analyzed with the descriptive method including Plasmodium species, population characteristics, epidemic focus distribution, onset time, diagnosis and treatment in Shijiazhuang City from 2012 to 2015, and the time from the onset to first medical visit, time from first medical visit to being diagnosed, and time from onset to being diagnosed of different Plasmodium species were analyzed respectively with the statistical analysis method. Results A total of 92 overseas imported malaria cases were reported in Shijiazhuang City from 2012 to 2015, including 88 cases from African countries (falciparum malaria taking 53.41%), and 4 cases from Southeast Asian and other countries (vivax malaria taking 50%). Eighty-nine cases were distributed in 28 counties (districts) of 6 cities in Hebei Province, except 2 persons with foreign nationalities and 1 with Anhui Province census register. The male and young adults were dominant. The median time from the onset to seeing a doctor was one day and the median time from seeing a doctor to being diagnosed was five days. Most cases were reported by the Fifth Hospital of Shijiazhuang which was the sentinel hospital. Totally 42.39% of the cases were misdiagnosed when the first visit to a doctor. All of the cases were laboratory confirmed and 100% of them received the standard treatment after diagnosis. Conclusions The overseas imported malaria cases are increasing rapidly with years and the malignant malaria cases were more than other malaria cases in Shijiazhuang City. It is necessary to further strengthen the long-term cooperation mechanism between the medical institutions and the entry-exit inspection and quarantine department. The technician training should be strengthened to avoid the severe cases and death cases.

[Gohieria fuscus breeding heavily in grand dust flour of a flourmill].

Objective To investigate the breeding quantity and average breeding density of Gohieria fuscus in the grand dust flour of a flourmill and explore the prevention and control measures. Methods A certain amount of grand dust flour was collected from a flourmill, and it was sieved. The powder was placed into the glass pan, and the mites were sought out under an optical microscope and made of specimens. The mites were identified on the basis of literature. Results In this survey, 400 g samples were collected from 4 habitats. The average breeding density of mites was 3 516/g. The mite was identified as Gohieria fuscus. ConclusionsGohieria fuscus is one of the widely distributed stored mites. It impacts the stored food and reduces the quality of food. In addition, the mite affects human health. Therefore, the preventive measures should be taken.

[Morphological observation on hypopus of Lepidoglyphus destructor by optical microscope].

Objective To observe the external morphology of Lepidoglyphus destructor hypopus under an optical microscope. Methods The samples were collected in a store of Chinese medicinal herbs in Huainan City in September, 2016, the L. destructor and the hypopus were isolated, and then made of slide specimens. The slide samples were prepared and observed under an optical microscope. Results The L. destructor hypopus and protonymph were found. The inactive hypopus was oval in shape, the feet were not welldeveloped, there was a distinct transverse seam on its back, and there were 2 pairs of genital sensory organs. Conclusion The optical microscopy shows the morphological characteristics of L. destructor hypopus, which can provide the basis for the biological classification and the prevention.

The novel allele, HLA-DPB1*04:01:15, is shared by a cord blood unit and corresponding maternal sample.

The novel allele HLA-DPB1*04:01:15 is different from DPB1*04:01:01:01 with one nucleotide at nt 351 (C > A) in exon 2.

Whole genome co-expression analysis of soybean cytochrome P450 genes identifies nodulation-specific P450 monooxygenases.

BACKGROUND: Cytochrome P450 monooxygenases (P450s) catalyze oxidation of various substrates using oxygen and NAD(P)H. Plant P450s are involved in the biosynthesis of primary and secondary metabolites performing diverse biological functions. The recent availability of the soybean genome sequence allows us to identify and analyze soybean putative P450s at a genome scale. Co-expression analysis using an available soybean microarray and Illumina sequencing data provides clues for functional annotation of these enzymes. This approach is based on the assumption that genes that have similar expression patterns across a set of conditions may have a functional relationship. RESULTS: We have identified a total number of 332 full-length P450 genes and 378 pseudogenes from the soybean genome. From the full-length sequences, 195 genes belong to A-type, which could be further divided into 20 families. The remaining 137 genes belong to non-A type P450s and are classified into 28 families. A total of 178 probe sets were found to correspond to P450 genes on the Affymetrix soybean array. Out of these probe sets, 108 represented single genes. Using the 28 publicly available microarray libraries that contain organ-specific information, some tissue-specific P450s were identified. Similarly, stress responsive soybean P450s were retrieved from 99 microarray soybean libraries. We also utilized Illumina transcriptome sequencing technology to analyze the expressions of all 332 soybean P450 genes. This dataset contains total RNAs isolated from nodules, roots, root tips, leaves, flowers, green pods, apical meristem, mock-inoculated and Bradyrhizobium japonicum-infected root hair cells. The tissue-specific expression patterns of these P450 genes were analyzed and the expression of a representative set of genes were confirmed by qRT-PCR. We performed the co-expression analysis on many of the 108 P450 genes on the Affymetrix arrays. First we confirmed that CYP93C5 (an isoflavone synthase gene) is co-expressed with several genes encoding isoflavonoid-related metabolic enzymes. We then focused on nodulation-induced P450s and found that CYP728H1 was co-expressed with the genes involved in phenylpropanoid metabolism. Similarly, CYP736A34 was highly co-expressed with lipoxygenase, lectin and CYP83D1, all of which are involved in root and nodule development. CONCLUSIONS: The genome scale analysis of P450s in soybean reveals many unique features of these important enzymes in this crop although the functions of most of them are largely unknown. Gene co-expression analysis proves to be a useful tool to infer the function of uncharacterized genes. Our work presented here could provide important leads toward functional genomics studies of soybean P450s and their regulatory network through the integration of reverse genetics, biochemistry, and metabolic profiling tools. The identification of nodule-specific P450s and their further exploitation may help us to better understand the intriguing process of soybean and rhizobium interaction.

HOLON/CADSE: integrating open software standards and formal methods to generate guideline-based decision support agents.

This paper describes the efforts of a consortium that is trying to develop and validate formal methods and a meta-environment for authoring, checking, and maintaining a large repository of machine executable practice guidelines. The goal is to integrate and extend a number of open software standards so that guidelines in the meta-environment become a resource that any vendor can plug their applications into and run in their proprietary environment provided they conform to the interface standards.

Analgesic activity and selectivity of isothiocyanate derivatives of fentanyl analogs for opioid receptors.

The analgesic activity and opioid receptor binding characteristics were studied for the isothiocyanate ohmefentanyl (OMFIT), and isothiocyanate carfentanil (CarFIT), isothiocyanate 4-methoxymethylfentanyl (MethoFIT), isothiocyanate 3-methylfentanyl (superFIT) and their amide analogs. Antinociceptive activity was evaluated using the mouse hot plate test; selectivity for opioid receptor was determined in bioassay and binding assay. SuperFIT, CarFIT, OMFIT and MethoFIT exhibited an analgesic ED50 lower than those of their parent compounds without isothiocyanate (SCN) group. Furthermore these compounds exhibited potent inhibitory actions on the electrically evoked contractions of mouse vas deferens, which could be antagonized by naloxone, but their actions were weaker than those of their parent compounds without SC N-group. The inhibitory actions of these compounds on binding of [3H]OMF to mouse brain membrane was weaker than those of their parent compounds without SCN-group. CarFIT and MethoFIT showed weaker inhibitory actions on the binding of [3H] DADLE than their parent compounds without SCN-group, but SuperFIT and OMFIT stronger than their parent compounds, 3-methylfentanyl and ohmefentanyl. The selectivity of these isothiocyanate derivatives for delta opioid receptors increased. In conclusion, introducing isothiocyanato-group into 1-position of phenyl ring of ohmefentanyl and other fentanyl analogs would enhance the selectivity of these compounds for delta-opioid receptors, but decrease their analgesic activity.

Hydrodynamic voltammetry at tubular electrodes-III Determination of traces of bismuth by differential-pulse anodic-stripping voltammetry at a glassy-carbon tubular electrode with in situ mercury plating.

An equation for the current in differential-pulse anodic-stripping voltammetry at tubular electrodes is derived. Application of a glassy-carbon tubular electrode to determination of traces of bismuth in environmental water samples by differential-pulse anodic-stripping voltammetry is described. In hydrochloric acid medium, the stripping peak current is proportional to the concentration of bismuth in the range 2-100 ng/ml, with a deposition time of 3-10 min. The detection limit is 0.5 ng/ml.