Willingness and hesitancy towards the governmental free human papillomavirus vaccination among parents of eligible adolescent girls in Shenzhen, Southern China.

BACKGROUND: Since 2020, China has actively promoted HPV vaccination for eligible adolescent girls through various pilot programmes. This study investigated parental willingness and hesitancy towards the government-sponsored, free human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination for eligible adolescent girls in Shenzhen, Southern China. METHODS: From June to August 2022, a cross-sectional survey was conducted with parents of girls entering Grade 7, employing an adapted Vaccine Hesitancy Scale to assess vaccine hesitancy and logistic regression to identify factors influencing willingness to accept the free domestic vaccines. RESULTS: Although only 3.4% of the 2856 respondents had their daughters vaccinated against HPV prior to the survey, 91.7% were willing to utilise the governmental vaccination services. Parents with children in public schools (χ2 = 20.08, p < 0.001), those with more secure medical insurance (χ2 = 4.97, p = 0.026), and parents who had received an HPV vaccine themselves (χ2 = 28.829, p < 0.001) showed more reluctance towards the free vaccines. Vaccine hesitancy was presented in a mere 2.1% but was a significant predictor of vaccine refusal, even after adjusting for multiple factors (adjusted OR = 15.98, 95% CI: 9.06, 28.20). Notably, about four-fifths of parents of unvaccinated daughters harboured concerns about the safety and efficacy of the domestic vaccine. CONCLUSIONS: Although parents show a strong inclination to utilise the government vaccination services, their vaccine hesitancy, driven by safety concerns and a preference for imported vaccines, remains a significant barrier for rolling out vaccination coverage. This study highlights the need for multifaceted intervention strategies that address these issues to enhance HPV vaccine uptake effectively.

Effect of nitrogen and temperature on the transcription of an ACAT gene in Isochrysis galbana.

Thiolases are functionally divided into two groups: 3-ketoacyl-CoA thiolase and acetoacetyl-CoA thiolase (ACAT). Acetoacetyl-CoA thiolase plays a key role in the mevalonate pathway. In this study, a novel gene, IgACAT, which encodes ACAT was cloned from Isochrysis galbana and characterized. The cDNA of IgACAT was 1551 bp in length, consisting of an open reading frame of 1173 bp, a 5' untranslated region of 69 bp and a 3' untranslated region of 309 bp. The deduced amino acid sequence of IgACAT was 390 amino acid residues in length with a predicted molecular weight of 53.59 kDa and an isoelectric point of pH 9.04. The triterpenes content and the expression of IgACAT under nitrogen and temperature stress were analyzed. When I. galbana was treated with excessive nitrogen and at 35 °C, respectively, both the triterpenes content and the abundance of IgACAT gene transcript increased. Our findings will facilitate the regulation of gene expression and genetic modification of the triterpenes synthesis pathway of I. galbana.