Exploring mother-daughter communication and social media influence on HPV vaccine refusal for daughters aged 9-17 years in a cross-sectional survey of 11,728 mothers in China.

This study investigated the influences of mother-daughter communication and social media on mothers' HPV vaccine refusal for their daughters aged 9-17. A cross-sectional online survey among 11,728 mothers of girls aged 9-17 in Shenzhen, China was implemented between July and October 2023. Multi-level logistic regression models were fitted. Among 11,728 participants, 43.2% refused to have their daughters receive an HPV vaccination. In multivariate analysis, more openness in the mother-daughter communication (AOR: 0.99, 95%CI: 0.98, 0.99), perceived more positive outcomes of mother-daughter communication (AOR: 0.77, 95%CI: 0.75, 0.79), higher frequency of exposure to testimonials about daughters' HPV vaccination (AOR: 0.81, 95%CI: 0.78, 0.85) and information encouraging parents to vaccinate their daughters against HPV on social media (AOR: 0.76, 95%CI: 0.73, 0.79), and thoughtful consideration of the veracity of the information specific to HPV vaccines (AOR: 0.80, 95%CI: 0.77, 0.83) were associated with lower vaccine refusal. Mothers who were not the main decision-makers of daughters' HPV vaccination (AOR: 1.28 to 1.46), negative outcome expectancies of mother-daughter communication (AOR: 1.06, 95%CI: 1.04, 1.08), and mothers' HPV vaccine refusal (AOR: 2.81, 95%CI: 2.58, 3.06) were associated with higher vaccine refusal for their daughters. The level of mothers' HPV vaccine refusal for their daughters was high in China. Openness and outcome expectancies of mother-daughter communication and information exposure on social media were considered key determinants of HPV vaccine refusal for daughters. Future HPV vaccination programs should consider these interpersonal factors.

Investigation on the correlation factors of positive Streptococcus pneumoniae antibody and IgG antibody level of Streptococcus pneumoniae in the elderly over 60 years old in Shenzhen.

BACKGROUND: Pneumococcal Polysaccharide Vaccine (PPV-23), designed to protect against the most common serotype of Streptococcus pneumoniae, is intended to protect the elderly and other high-risk groups. However, the immunogenicity of all 23 pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccines in older adults has not been thoroughly studied. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study is to look into the factors that influence the effect of the pneumonia vaccine on the elderly over 60 years old in Shenzhen, as well as their IgG antibody level against Streptococcus pneumoniae. METHODS: To determine the immune effectiveness of pneumococcal vaccination in older adults over 60 years old, we used the 3rd generation enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay to detect the antibody level of older adults to all 23 pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccines following pneumococcal immunization. RESULTS: Vaccination, the number of physical examinations, pneumonia knowledge, and the pneumonia vaccination policy of the elderly in Shenzhen were all positively correlated with Streptococcus pneumoniae antibody positivity. The distribution of subtypes did not differ between elderly adults (over 65) and younger adults (under 65). The GMCs of IgG antibodies to PPS were significantly lower in males than in females for types 7f, 18c and 19a. At the same time, we found that people with chronic respiratory disease have lower type 9n than people without chronic respiratory disease. Other chronic diseases, such as hypertension and diabetes, had no difference in subtype distribution. CONCLUSION: There was a statistically significant difference in antibody positivity rates for older people with more frequent medical check-ups in Shenzhen, indicating that publicity is playing a role. The effects of age, gender, and chronic diseases on naturally acquired anti-PPS IgG differ.

Inactivated COVID-19 vaccination and SARS-CoV-2 infection among Chinese adults in the "living with COVID" era.

The objective of this research was to examine the correlation between the status of inactivated COVID-19 vaccination and self-reported confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection among adults after China entered the "living with COVID" era. A cross-sectional online survey was conducted among parents or guardians of students attending all 220 kindergartens and 105 primary or secondary schools in Longhua District of Shenzhen, China during March 1 to 9, 2023. The participating schools invited all parents or guardians of their students to complete the online survey. The study focused on a sub-sample of 68,584 participants who were either unvaccinated (n = 2152) or only receiving inactivated COVID-19 vaccination (n = 66,432). Logistic regression was employed for data analysis. Prior to the implementation of the "living with COVID" policy, 83.5% of the participants received three doses of inactivated COVID-19 vaccines; 63.0% reported being infected with the SARS-CoV-2 after the policy change. In a multivariate analysis, participants who had received a third dose within the past 6 months were less likely to be infected with SARS-CoV-2, as compared to those who had not completed the primary vaccination series (4-6 months: AOR: 0.84, 95%CI: 0.77, 0.92; ≤3 months: AOR: 0.82, 95%CI: 0.73, 0.92). Despite the high coverage, our results suggested that three doses of inactivated COVID-19 vaccines did not provide adequate protection against SARS-CoV-2 infection among Chinese adults.

Coverage with the First Dose of Human Papillomavirus Vaccination among Females Aged 9-50 Years in Shenzhen, China: A Surveillance Based on Administrative Health Records in 2023.

China started to offer human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines to females aged 9-45 years in 2016. However, there was a lack of reports about HPV vaccination coverage in a representative sample of females in China. Therefore, this study aimed to examine the current HPV coverage and associated factors among females aged 9-50 years in Shenzhen, China, based on administrative health records kept by community health centers. A multistage random sampling approach was used. The research team randomly selected 18 community health centers in Shenzhen, and 3118 health records of females aged 9-50 years were then randomly selected from these health centers. Among all participants, 18.7% received at least one dose of HPV vaccination. The highest coverage was observed among females aged 18-26 years (23.4%), followed by those aged 27-35 years (22.0%) and 36-45 years (20.2%). Such coverage was very low among females aged 9-17 years (4.6%) and those aged 46-50 years (3.2%). Among females aged 18 years or above, higher education level, having a family doctor, and permanent residency in Shenzhen were associated with higher HPV vaccination coverage, while older age and being married/divorced were negatively associated with coverage. The HPV vaccination coverage in Shenzhen was 18.7% and there is a strong need for improvement.

Associations between COVID-19 Vaccination Status and Self-Reported SARS-CoV-2 Infection among 8538 Children Aged 3-17 Years during a Massive COVID-19 Outbreak after China Changed Its Zero-COVID-19 Policy: A Cross-Sectional Survey.

This study aimed to investigate the associations between COVID-19 vaccination status and self-reported SARS-CoV-2 infection among children and adolescents aged 3-17 years during a massive COVID-19 outbreak after China changed its zero COVID policy. A cross-sectional online survey was conducted between 1 and 9 March 2023. Participants were the parents of children studying in kindergartens, primary schools, or secondary schools in Shenzhen. Convenient sampling was used. All kindergartens, primary schools, and secondary schools in the Longhua District of Shenzhen invited the parents of children and adolescents attending the schools. Interested parents completed an online survey. Multivariate logistic regression was fitted. Among 8538 participants, 40.9% self-reported that their children had SARS-CoV-2 infection after 7 December 2022, where 92.9% of them received two doses of the COVID-19 vaccines, and 74.6% received their second dose for more than six months. In multivariate analysis, children who received their second dose of the COVID-19 vaccination for no more than three months had a lower SARS-CoV-2 infection rate compared to unvaccinated children (<1 month: AOR: 0.17, 95% CI: 0.07, 0.44; 1-3 months: AOR: 0.54, 95% CI: 0.41, 0.75). The duration of protection conferred by the primary COVID-19 vaccination series was relatively short among children. A booster dose should be considered for children.

Electroacupuncture reverses endothelial cell death and promotes angiogenesis through the VEGF/Notch signaling pathway after focal cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury.

BACKGROUND: Angiogenesis is an important mechanism of recovery from ischemic stroke. Recent studies have found that there is a close relationship between the VEGF/Notch pathway and angiogenesis. It is unknown whether EA can exert a brain protection effect and promote angiogenesis by acting on the VEGF/Notch signaling pathway after focal cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury (CIRI). METHODS: The Middle Cerebral Artery occlusion/Reperfusion (MCAo/R) model was established, in which rats were subjected to occlusion with ischemic intervention for 30 min, followed by reperfusion for 8 h, 1 day, 3 days, and 7 days. The first EA treatment was performed 90 min after the animal model was successfully established, and then EA treatments were performed once a day for 7 days. The 2,3,5-triphenyltetrazolium chloride staining and neurological deficit examination were performed to assess the level of CIRI and neuroprotection by EA. Expression levels of VEGFA, Notch1, and Hes1 proteins were measured via western blotting, while the morphological changes of ECs and microvasculature in the cortex were determined using an ultrastructural observation method. RESULTS: EA treatment of PC6, GV26, and SP6 can significantly improve the neurological function of MCAO/R rats, reduce the volume of cerebral infarction, and modulate the ultrastructure of ECs and microvessels in pathological states. Western blotting revealed that EA increased VEGFA protein expression at 8 h and 3 days after CIRI, as well as Notch1 protein expression at 1 and 7 days. Subsequently, EA activated the VEGF/Notch pathway, increasing the expression of the downstream target protein Hes1, reversing EC death, and promoting angiogenesis. CONCLUSION: Our findings showed that EA plays a role in promoting angiogenesis following focal CIRI, and we hypothesized that this was due to the regulation of ECs by the EA-activated VEGF/Notch signaling pathway.

Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices Toward COVID-19 Among Chinese Teachers, Shenzhen: An Online Cross-sectional Study During the Global Outbreak of COVID-19.

Background: Adequate understanding and precautionary behaviors are of vital importance to contain the spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). To date, the knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) toward COVID-19 among different populations have been reported, whereas such information is unavailable in teachers. We aimed to investigate the KAP of teachers associated with COVID-19 during the global outbreak. Methods: A large-scale population-based survey was conducted to gather information on COVID-19-related KAP among Chinese teachers using a self-administered questionnaire. We received 10,658 responses in April 2020, out of which 8,248 were enrolled in the final analysis. Participants responded to a self-administered questionnaire concerning demographic characteristics and KAP associated with COVID-19. Results: This work included 4,252 (51.6%) teachers in kindergartens, 2,644 (32.1%) teachers in primary schools, and 1,352 (16.4%) teachers in secondary schools. The knowledge level (mean: 4.46 out of seven points) was relatively lower than the levels of attitudes (mean: 3.27 out of four points) and practices (mean: 4.29 out of five points) toward COVID-19. Knowledge scores significantly varied by the collected demographic variables except education worksite (p < 0.05), whereas practice scores significantly differed in age groups (p < 0.05), education level (p < 0.001), education worksite (p < 0.001), and years of teaching (p < 0.001). The multivariate logistic analysis indicated that poor knowledge related to COVID-19 was common among men, younger, and less-educated teachers. In contrast, female teachers and those with higher education levels tend to have good practices against COVID-19. Conclusion: The present work suggested the knowledge gaps regarding COVID-19 were needed to be corrected immediately in teachers. Given the critical role of teachers in the education system, health authorities should take gender, age, and education level into account when developing suitable health interventions.

Protective mechanism of andrographolide against carbon tetrachloride-induced acute liver injury in mice.

The aim of this study was to investigate the protective effects of andrographolide (AP), a bioactive component isolated from Andrographis paniculata, on carbon tetrachloride (CCl(4))-induced liver injury as well as the possible mechanisms involved in this protection in mice. Acute liver injury was induced by CCl(4) intoxication in mice. Serum biological analysis, lipid peroxides and antioxidant estimation, histopathological studies, reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and Western blot assay were carried out. CCl(4) treatment resulted in severe hepatic injury, as evidenced by significant elevation of alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) levels and typical histopathological changes, such as hepatocyte necrosis. Additionally, CCl(4) administration led to oxidative stress in mice, as indicated by a remarkable increase in the hepatic malondialdehyde (MDA) level, together with a significant decrease in liver reduced glutathione (GSH) content. However, CCl(4)-induced hepatotoxicity was significantly attenuated by pretreatment with AP, as demonstrated by significant reduction of serum ALT, AST levels and hepatic MDA activity, along with a remarkable increase in hepatic GSH content. Histopathological changes induced by CCl(4) were also ameliorated by AP pretreatment. The marked increase of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) induced by CCl(4) was attenuated by AP, and the dramatic elevation of heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) at transcriptional and protein levels was augmented following AP pretreatment. AP can effectively prevent liver injury induced by CCl(4), which may be due to inhibition of oxidative stress and inflammatory responses.

[Construction of MHV-A59 damp-heat mouse model and analysis of the relevant indices].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the impact of inflammation, water metabolism and immune function on the establishment of a mouse model of damp-heat syndrome with MHV-A59 infection. METHODS: Twenty-four mice were randomly divided into control group, virus group, damp-heat group and model group. The peripheral blood CD4(+) and CD8(+) lymphocytes were detected by flow cytometry, and the serum levels of IFN-γ and IL-4 were assayed by ELISA. The expressions of NF-κB and AQP4 in the liver and stomach were determined using immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: The expression of NF-κB and CD4(+)/CD8(+) ratio in the virus and model groups were significantly higher than those in the damp-heat and control groups, while the expression of AQP4 was significantly higher in the model and damp-heat groups than in the other groups. Compared with the control group, the model group showed a significantly higher ratio of IFN-γ/IL-4. CONCLUSIONS: MHV-A59 virus is the main cause of elevated NF-κB expression and CD4(+)/CD8(+)/ ratio, while damp-heat syndrome is responsible for increased AQP4 expression, and their synergistic effect results in increased IFN-γ/IL-4 ratio. The mouse model established using MHV-A59 virus and the damp-heat factors can mimic damp-heat syndrome described in traditional Chinese medicine theory.