Analysis of the prevalence of common respiratory pathogens in children in Beijing in 2020 / 中华微生物学和免疫学杂志

Objective:To investigate the changes in epidemiological characteristics of common respiratory pathogens in children in Beijing during COVID-19 epidemic.Methods:A total of 9 728 serum samples were collected from cases of acute respiratory infections in Beijing Children′s Hospital from January 2020 to December 2020. Indirect immunofluorescence antibody test was performed to detect IgM antibodies against eight common respiratory pathogens and the test results were statistically analyzed. The eight common respiratory pathogens were influenza virus A (FluA), influenza virus B (FluB), respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), adenovirus (ADV), parainfluenza virus (PIV), Mycoplasma pneumoniae ( Mp), Chlamydia pneumoniae ( Cp) and Legionella pneumophila ( Lp). Results:The detection rate of respiratory pathogens in 9 728 cases was 41.71% (4 058/9 728) and respiratory viruses (FluA, FluB, RSV, ADV and PIV) accounted for 46.18%(2 343/5 074)of all detected pathogens. Mp, FluB and FluA accounted for 84.73%(4 299/5 074)of all detected pathogens, and the detection rates were 24.27% (2 361/9 728), 11.49% (1 118/9 728) and 8.43% (820/9 728), respectively. There were 846 cases positive for two kinds of pathogens, and the most common co-infection was Mp and FluB. The detection rates in male and female were 37.56% (2 089/5 562) and 47.26% (1 969/4 166), respectively. There were significant differences in the total detection rate and the positive rates of PIV and Mp between different sexes ( P<0.05). The detection rate in school-age children (6-12 years old) was the highest (52.26%, 1 535/2 937). The detection rates of respiratory pathogens in different months ranged from 30.12% (203/674) to 49.81% (268/538) with higher rates in autumn and winter [42.45% (1 304/3 072) and 43.29% (1 618/3 738)]. The detection rates of FluA and FluB were higher in summer [11.46% (195/1 701)] and winter [14.63% (547/3738)], respectively. Most of RSV infection occurred in summer [1.35% (23/1 701)], and Mp could be detected all year round, especially in winter and spring [27.21% (1 017/3 738) and 25.64% (312/1 217)]. The detection rate of respiratory pathogens in outpatient group was higher than that in inpatient group [46.48% (1 583/3 406) vs 39.15% (2 475/6 322)]. The detection rate in severe cases was 26.10% (71/272). The detection rates of total pathogens, FluB and Mp were higher in outpatients than in inpatients and the differences were statistically significant ( P<0.05). The detection rates of FluA, PIV and ADV were higher in inpatients than in outpatients and the differences were statistically significant ( P<0.05). The detection rates of total pathogens, FluB and Mp in mild cases were significantly higher than those in severe cases and the differences were statistically significant ( P<0.05). The detection rate of RSV in severe cases was significantly higher than that in mild cases and the difference was statistically significant ( P<0.05). Conclusions:The protective measures taken during the period of regular prevention and control of COVID-19 epidemic could better prevent the spread of respiratory viruses, having a certain impact on the population susceptible to respiratory pathogens and typical seasonal patterns, but had little effect on the prevention and control of Mp. New protective measures needed to be studied to prevent Mp infection in children during epidemical season.

The POLR2E rs3787016 polymorphism is strongly associated with the risk of female breast and cervical cancer.

The rs3787016 polymorphism, in polymerase II polypeptide E (POLR2E), was previously identified as being associated with the risk for prostate cancer, esophageal cancer, breast cancer, papillary thyroid carcinoma and liver cancer, suggesting that rs3787016 may server as a common genetic factor to affect individual susceptibility to cancer. To prove the hypothesis, we here performed a case-control study to explore the association between rs3787016 and cervical cancer risk, and to confirm the association between rs3787016 and breast cancer in a central Chinese population, which was followed by a meta-analysis to precisely estimate the association between rs3787016 and risk of female breast and cervical cancer. The genotyping was performed by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) and confirmed by sequencing. Our results indicated that rs3787016 was associated with the risk of both breast cancer and cervical cancer, and stratified analysis indicated that the association remained particularly for ≤60 years old females who smoke and drink. Moreover, after grouping breast cancer and cervical cancer together, our meta-analysis demonstrated that rs3787016 was associated with overall cancer risk and breast cancer risk. Collectively, the POLR2E rs3787016 polymorphism may be a valuable biomarker for female breast and cervical cancer predisposition.

Association of CFTR gene polymorphism with congenital bilateral absence of vas deferens in ethnic Han Chinese patients / 中华医学遗传学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To assess the association between a 5T polymorphism in intron 8 of cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) gene and congenital bilateral absence of vas deferens (CBAVD) in Han Chinese males.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Genomic DNA from 33 individuals with CBAVD and 99 azoospermic males with CBAVD were recruited. The 5T polymorphism was detected with PCR, TA cloned and sequenced.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>CFTR gene mutations were identified in 17 (51.5%) of patients with CBAVD. In 3 patients (17.6%), the mutations were identified on both alleles. Nine CFTR gene mutations (9.1%) were detected in 99 azoospermic patients, for whom none had mutations on both alleles.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>This study has confirmed molecular heterogeneity of CFTR mutations in CBAVD. For CBAVD patients without 5T mutations, other changes may be found in the same gene.</p>