Mercuric chloride induced brain toxicity in mice: The protective effects of puerarin-loaded PLGA nanoparticles.

Mercury is a toxic, environmentally heavy metal that can cause severe damage to all organs, including the nervous system. The functions of puerarin include antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, nerve cell repair, regulation of autophagy, and so forth. But because of the limited oral absorption of puerarin, it affects the protective effect on brain tissue. The nano-encapsulation of Pue can improve its limitation. Therefore, this study investigated the protective effect of Pue drug-loaded PLGA nanoparticles (Pue-PLGA-nps) on brain injury induced by mercuric chloride (HgCl2 ) in mice. The mice were divided into normal saline (NS) group, HgCl2 (4 mg/kg) group, Pue-PLGA-nps (50 mg/kg) group, HgCl2 + Pue (4 mg/kg + 30 mg/kg) group, and HgCl2 + Pue-PLGA-nps (4 mg/kg + 50 mg/kg) group. After 28 days of treatment, the mice were observed for behavioral changes, antioxidant capacity, autophagy and inflammatory response, and mercury levels in the brain, blood, and urine were measured. The results showed that HgCl2 toxicity caused learning and memory dysfunction in mice, increased mercury content in brain and blood, and increased serum levels of interleukin (IL-6), IL-1ß, and tumor necrosis factor-α in the mice. HgCl2 exposure decreased the activity of T-AOC, superoxide dismutase, and glutathione peroxidase, and increased the expression of malondialdehyde in the brain of mice. Moreover, the expression levels of TRIM32, toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4), and LC3 proteins were upregulated. Both Pue and Pue-PLGA-nps interventions mitigated the changes caused by HgCl2 exposure, and Pue-PLGA-nps further enhanced this effect. Our results suggest that Pue-PLGA-nps can ameliorate HgCl2 -induced brain injury and reduce Hg accumulation, which is associated with inhibition of oxidative stress, inflammatory response, and TLR4/TRIM32/LC3 signaling pathway.

The alternate-form reliability study of six variants of the Brief Visual-Spatial Memory Test-Revised and the Hopkins Verbal Learning Test-Revised.

Introduction: The revised Hopkins Verbal Learning Test-Revised (HVLT-R) and the Brief Visual-Spatial Memory Test-Revised (BVMT-R) are two widely used test involving verbal and visual learning and memory. In the two tests, six different versions are assembled, respectively, to prevent learning effects. Currently, no researchers have compared the six versions of the two tests. Thus, their usefulness in clinical studies requiring multiple follow-ups is limited. In this work, we confirm the equivalence of six HVLT-R and BVMT-R versions. Methods: 20 people completed all six HVLT-R and BVMT-R versions, while 120 people were randomly assigned to complete one of the six versions of each test. The Intelligence Quotient (IQ) level is measured using the short version of the Wechsler Adult Intelligence test. R4.2.0 is used for statistical analysis. The K-Related sample test (a non-parametric test) is used to observe the differences in test scores among the 20 subjects. The one-way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) test is utilized to analyze the differences in test scores among the 120 subjects. The scores on different versions are compared using two similar sample tests. The HVLT-R Total Learning, the HVLT-R Delayed Recall, the BVMT-R Total Learning, and the BVMT-R Delayed Recall are indexes for comparison. Version and test scores are used as research factors, while different versions are used as research levels. Results: The results suggest that HVLT-R and BVMT-R versions 3, 5 and 6 are equally difficult, and relatively easy compared to versions 1, 2 and 4. HVLT-R versions 3, 5, and 6 show good reliability and can be used interchangeably when testing word learning ability or short-term memory; BVMT-R Versions 3, 5, and 6 show acceptable reliability and can be can be used interchangeably. Discussion: In the study of multiple follow-ups, it is a must to avoid discrepant versions and choose other equivalent versions. The results from this study could be used as a guide for upcoming studies and clinical applications in China.

Model-based risk assessment of dengue fever transmission in Xiamen City, China.

Background: Quantitative assessment of the risk of local transmission from imported dengue cases makes a great challenge to the development of public health in China. The purpose of this study is to observe the risk of mosquito-borne transmission in Xiamen City through ecological and insecticide resistance monitoring. Quantitative evaluation of mosquito insecticide resistance, community population and the number of imported cases affecting the transmission of dengue fever (DF) in Xiamen was carried out based on transmission dynamics model, so as to reveal the correlation between key risk factors and DF transmission. Methods: Based on the dynamics model and combined with the epidemiological characteristics of DF in Xiamen City, a transmission dynamics model was built to simulate the secondary cases caused by imported cases to evaluate the transmission risk of DF, and to explore the influence of mosquito insecticide resistance, community population and imported cases on the epidemic situation of DF in Xiamen City. Results: For the transmission model of DF, when the community population is between 10,000 and 25,000, changing the number of imported DF cases and the mortality rate of mosquitoes will have an impact on the spread of indigenous DF cases, however, changing the birth rate of mosquitoes did not gain more effect on the spread of local DF transmission. Conclusions: Through the quantitative evaluation of the model, this study determined that the mosquito resistance index has an important influence on the local transmission of dengue fever caused by imported cases in Xiamen, and the Brayton index can also affect the local transmission of the disease.

Application of logistic differential equation models for early warning of infectious diseases in Jilin Province.

BACKGROUND: There is still a relatively serious disease burden of infectious diseases and the warning time for different infectious diseases before implementation of interventions is important. The logistic differential equation models can be used for predicting early warning of infectious diseases. The aim of this study is to compare the disease fitting effects of the logistic differential equation (LDE) model and the generalized logistic differential equation (GLDE) model for the first time using data on multiple infectious diseases in Jilin Province and to calculate the early warning signals for different types of infectious diseases using these two models in Jilin Province to solve the disease early warning schedule for Jilin Province throughout the year. METHODS: Collecting the incidence of 22 infectious diseases in Jilin Province, China. The LDE and GLDE models were used to calculate the recommended warning week (RWW), the epidemic acceleration week (EAW) and warning removed week (WRW) for acute infectious diseases with seasonality, respectively. RESULTS: Five diseases were selected for analysis based on screening principles: hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS), shigellosis, mumps, Hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD), and scarlet fever. The GLDE model fitted the above diseases better (0.80 ≤ R2 ≤ 0.94, P <  0. 005) than the LDE model. The estimated warning durations (per year) of the LDE model for the above diseases were: weeks 12-23 and 40-50; weeks 20-36; weeks 15-24 and 43-52; weeks 26-34; and weeks 16-25 and 41-50. While the durations of early warning (per year) estimated by the GLDE model were: weeks 7-24 and 36-51; weeks 13-37; weeks 11-26 and 39-54; weeks 23-35; and weeks 12-26 and 40-50. CONCLUSIONS: Compared to the LDE model, the GLDE model provides a better fit to the actual disease incidence data. The RWW appeared to be earlier when estimated with the GLDE model than the LDE model. In addition, the WRW estimated with the GLDE model were more lagged and had a longer warning time.

Age-specific transmission dynamic of mumps: A long-term large-scale modeling study in Jilin Province, China.

Objectives: Despite the adoption of a new childhood immunization program in China, the incidence of mumps remains high. This study aimed to describe the epidemiological characteristics of mumps in Jilin Province from 2005 to 2019 and to assess the transmissibility of mumps virus among the whole population and different subgroups by regions and age groups. Methods: The Non-age-specific and age-specific Susceptible-Exposed-Pre-symptomatic-Infectious-Asymptomatic-Recovered (SEPIAR) models were fitted to actual mumps incidence data. The time-varying reproduction number (R t ) was used to evaluate and compare the transmissibility. Results: From 2005 to 2019, a total of 57,424 cases of mumps were reported in Jilin Province. The incidence of mumps was the highest in people aged 5 to 9 years (77.37 per 100,000). The two SEPIAR models fitted the reported data well (P < 0.01). The median transmissibility (R t ) calculated by the two SEPIAR models were 1.096 (range: 1.911 × 10-5-2.192) and 1.074 (range: 0.033-2.114) respectively. The age-specific SEPIAR model was more representative of the actual epidemic of mumps in Jilin Province from 2005-2019. Conclusions: For mumps control, it is recommended that mumps-containing vaccines (MuCV) coverage be increased nationwide in the 5-9 years age group, either by a mumps vaccine alone or by a combination of vaccines such as measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine. The coverage of vaccines in Jilin Province should be continuously expanded to establish solid immunity in the population. China needs to redefine the optimal time interval for MuCV immunization.

Comparison of epidemiological characteristics and transmissibility of different strains of COVID-19 based on the incidence data of all local outbreaks in China as of March 1, 2022.

Background: The epidemiological characteristics and transmissibility of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) may undergo changes due to the mutation of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) strains. The purpose of this study is to compare the differences in the outbreaks of the different strains with regards to aspects such as epidemiological characteristics, transmissibility, and difficulties in prevention and control. Methods: COVID-19 data from outbreaks of pre-Delta strains, the Delta variant and Omicron variant, were obtained from the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Case data were collected from China's direct-reporting system, and the data concerning outbreaks were collected by on-site epidemiological investigators and collated by the authors of this paper. Indicators such as the effective reproduction number (R eff), time-dependent reproduction number (R t), rate of decrease in transmissibility (RDT), and duration from the illness onset date to the diagnosed date (D ID )/reported date (D IR ) were used to compare differences in transmissibility between pre-Delta strains, Delta variants and Omicron variants. Non-parametric tests (namely the Kruskal-Wallis H and Mean-Whitney U tests) were used to compare differences in epidemiological characteristics and transmissibility between outbreaks of different strains. P < 0.05 indicated that the difference was statistically significant. Results: Mainland China has maintained a "dynamic zero-out strategy" since the first case was reported, and clusters of outbreaks have occurred intermittently. The strains causing outbreaks in mainland China have gone through three stages: the outbreak of pre-Delta strains, the outbreak of the Delta variant, and outbreaks involving the superposition of Delta and Omicron variant strains. Each outbreak of pre-Delta strains went through two stages: a rising stage and a falling stage, Each outbreak of the Delta variant and Omicron variant went through three stages: a rising stage, a platform stage and a falling stage. The maximum R eff value of Omicron variant outbreaks was highest (median: 6.7; ranged from 5.3 to 8.0) and the differences were statistically significant. The RDT value of outbreaks involving pre-Delta strains was smallest (median: 91.4%; [IQR]: 87.30-94.27%), and the differences were statistically significant. The D ID and D IR for all strains was mostly in a range of 0-2 days, with more than 75%. The range of duration for outbreaks of pre-Delta strains was the largest (median: 20 days, ranging from 1 to 61 days), and the differences were statistically significant. Conclusion: With the evolution of the virus, the transmissibility of the variants has increased. The transmissibility of the Omicron variant is higher than that of both the pre-Delta strains and the Delta variant, and is more difficult to suppress. These findings provide us with get a more clear and precise picture of the transmissibility of the different variants in the real world, in accordance with the findings of previous studies. R eff is more suitable than R t for assessing the transmissibility of the disease during an epidemic outbreak.

Modeling Cross-Regional Transmission and Assessing the Effectiveness of Restricting Inter-Regional Population Movements in Controlling COVID-19 - Xi'an City, Shaanxi Province, China, 2021.

Introduction: The aim of this study was to construct an assessment method for cross-regional transmission of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and to provide recommendations for optimizing measures such as interregional population movements. Methods: Taking Xi'an City as the example subject of this study's analysis, a Cross-Regional-Gravitational-Dynamic model was constructed to simulate the epidemic in each district of Xi'an under three scenarios of controlled population movement (Scenario 1: no intensive intervention; Scenario 2: blocking Yanta District on December 18 and blocking the whole region on December 23; and Scenario 3: blocking the whole region on December 23). This study then evaluated the effects of such simulated population control measures. Results: The cumulative number of cases for the three scenarios was 8,901,425, 178, and 474, respectively, and the duration of the epidemic was 175, 18, and 22 days, respectively. The real world prevention and control measures in Xi'an reduced the cumulative number of cases for its outbreak by 99.98% in comparison to the simulated response in Scenario 1; in contrast, the simulated prevention and control strategies set in Scenarios 2 (91.26%) and 3 (76.73%) reduced cases even further than the real world measures used in Xi'an. Discussion: The constructed model can effectively simulate an outbreak across regions. Timely implementation of two-way containment and control measures in areas where spillover is likely to occur is key to stopping cross-regional transmission.

Model-Based Evaluation of Transmissibility and Intervention Measures for a COVID-19 Outbreak in Xiamen City, China.

Background: In September 2021, there was an outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Xiamen, China. Various non-pharmacological interventions (NPIs) and pharmacological interventions (PIs) have been implemented to prevent and control the spread of the disease. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of various interventions and to identify priorities for the implementation of prevention and control measures. Methods: The data of patients with COVID-19 were collected from 8 to 30 September 2021. A Susceptible-Exposed-Infectious-Recovered (SEIR) dynamics model was developed to fit the data and simulate the effectiveness of interventions (medical treatment, isolation, social distancing, masking, and vaccination) under different scenarios. The effective reproductive number (Reff ) was used to assess the transmissibility and transmission risk. Results: A total of 236 cases of COVID-19 were reported in Xiamen. The epidemic curve was divided into three phases (Reff = 6.8, 1.5, and 0). Notably, the cumulative number of cases was reduced by 99.67% due to the preventive and control measures implemented by the local government. In the effective containment stage, the number of cases could be reduced to 115 by intensifying the implementation of interventions. The total number of cases (TN) could be reduced by 29.66-95.34% when patients voluntarily visit fever clinics. When only two or three of these measures are implemented, the simulated TN may be greater than the actual number. As four measures were taken simultaneously, the TN may be <100, which is 57.63% less than the actual number. The simultaneous implementation of five interventions could rapidly control the transmission and reduce the number of cases to fewer than 25. Conclusion: With the joint efforts of the government and the public, the outbreak was controlled quickly and effectively. Authorities could promptly cut the transmission chain and control the spread of the disease when patients with fever voluntarily went to the hospital. The ultimate effect of controlling the outbreak through only one intervention was not obvious. The combined community control and mask wearing, along with other interventions, could lead to rapid control of the outbreak and ultimately lower the total number of cases. More importantly, this would mitigate the impact of the outbreak on society and socioeconomics.

Natural history and cycle threshold values analysis of COVID-19 in Xiamen City, China.

Objective: This study elaborated the natural history parameters of Delta variant, explored the differences in detection cycle thresholds (Ct) among cases. Methods: Natural history parameters were calculated based on the different onset time and exposure time of the cases. Intergenerational relationships between generations of cases were calculated. Differences in Ct values of cases by gender, age, and mode of detection were analyzed statistically to assess the detoxification capacity of cases. Results: The median incubation period was 4 days; the detection time for cases decreased from 25 to 7 h as the outbreak continued. The average generation time (GT), time interval between transmission generations (TG) and serial interval (SI) were 3.6 ± 2.6 days, 1.67 ± 2.11 days and 1.7 ± 3.0 days. Among the Ct values, we found little differences in testing across companies, but there were some differences in the gender of detected genes. The Ct values continuous to decreased with age, but increased when the age was greater than 60. Conclusion: This epidemic was started from aggregation of factories. It is more reasonable to use SI to calculate the effective reproduction number and the time-varying reproduction number. And the analysis of Ct values can improve the positive detection rate and improve prevention and control measures.

Meteorological factors and tick density affect the dynamics of SFTS in jiangsu province, China.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to explore whether the transmission routes of severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) will be affected by tick density and meteorological factors, and to explore the factors that affect the transmission of SFTS. We used the transmission dynamics model to calculate the transmission rate coefficients of different transmission routes of SFTS, and used the generalized additive model to uncover how meteorological factors and tick density affect the spread of SFTS. METHODS: In this study, the time-varying infection rate coefficients of different transmission routes of SFTS in Jiangsu Province from 2017 to 2020 were calculated based on the previous multi-population multi-route dynamic model (MMDM) of SFTS. The changes in transmission routes were summarized by collecting questionnaires from 537 SFTS cases in 2018-2020 in Jiangsu Province. The incidence rate of SFTS and the infection rate coefficients of different transmission routes were dependent variables, and month, meteorological factors and tick density were independent variables to establish a generalized additive model (GAM). The optimal GAM was selected using the generalized cross-validation score (GCV), and the model was validated by the 2016 data of Zhejiang Province and 2020 data of Jiangsu Province. The validated GAMs were used to predict the incidence and infection rate coefficients of SFTS in Jiangsu province in 2021, and also to predict the effect of extreme weather on SFTS. RESULTS: The number and proportion of infections by different transmission routes for each year and found that tick-to-human and human-to-human infections decreased yearly, but infections through animal and environmental transmission were gradually increasing. MMDM fitted well with the three-year SFTS incidence data (P<0.05). The best intervention to reduce the incidence of SFTS is to reduce the effective exposure of the population to the surroundings. Based on correlation tests, tick density was positively correlated with air temperature, wind speed, and sunshine duration. The best GAM was a model with tick transmissibility to humans as the dependent variable, without considering lagged effects (GCV = 5.9247E-22, R2 = 96%). Reported incidence increased when sunshine duration was higher than 11 h per day and decreased when temperatures were too high (>28°C). Sunshine duration and temperature had the greatest effect on transmission from host animals to humans. The effect of extreme weather conditions on SFTS was short-term, but there was no effect on SFTS after high temperature and sunshine hours. CONCLUSIONS: Different factors affect the infection rate coefficients of different transmission routes. Sunshine duration, relative humidity, temperature and tick density are important factors affecting the occurrence of SFTS. Hurricanes reduce the incidence of SFTS in the short term, but have little effect in the long term. The most effective intervention to reduce the incidence of SFTS is to reduce population exposure to high-risk environments.

Correlation between mumps and meteorological factors in Xiamen City, China: A modelling study.

Objective: Mumps is a seasonal infectious disease, always occurring in winter and spring. In this study, we aim to analyze its epidemiological characteristics, transmissibility, and its correlation with meteorological variables. Method: A seasonal Susceptible-Exposed-Infectious/Asymptomatic-Recovered model and a next-generation matrix method were applied to estimate the time-dependent reproduction number (R t ). Results: The seasonal double peak of annual incidence was mainly in May to July and November to December. There was high transmission at the median of R t  = 1.091 (ranged: 0 to 4.393). R t was seasonally distributed mainly from February to April and from September to November. Correlations were found between temperature (Pearson correlation coefficient [r] ranged: from 0.101 to 0.115), average relative humidity (r = 0.070), average local pressure (r = -0.066), and the number of new cases. In addition, average local pressure (r = 0.188), average wind speed (r = 0.111), air temperature (r ranged: -0.128 to -0.150), average relative humidity (r = -0.203) and sunshine duration (r = -0.075) were all correlated with R t . Conclusion: A relatively high level of transmissibility has been found in Xiamen City, leading to a continuous epidemic of mumps. Meteorological factors, especially air temperature and relative humidity, may be more closely associated with mumps than other factors.

Analysis of HFMD Transmissibility Among the Whole Population and Age Groups in a Large City of China.

Background: Hand-Foot-and-Mouth-Disease (HFMD) has been widely spread in Asia, and has result in a high disease burden for children in many countries. However, the dissemination characteristics intergroup and between different age groups are still not clear. In this study, we aim to analyze the differences in the transmissibility of HFMD, in the whole population and among age groups in Shenzhen city, by utilizing mathematical models. Methods: A database that reports HFMD cases in Shenzhen city from January 2010 to December 2017 was collected. In the first stage, a Susceptive-Infected-Recovered (SIR) model was built to fit data of Shenzhen city and its districts, and Reff was used to assess transmissibility in each district. In the second stage, a cross-age groups SIR model was constructed to calculate the difference in transmissibility of reported cases among three age groups of EV71 virus: 0-3 years, 3-5 years, and over 5 years which was denoted as age group 1, 2, and 3, respectively. Results: From 2010 to 2017, 345,807 cases of HFMD were reported in Shenzhen city, with peak incidence in spring and autumn in Shenzhen city and most of its districts each year. Analysis of the EV71 incidence data by age group revealed that age Group 1 have the highest incidence (3.13 ×10-7-2.31 ×10-4) while age group 3 had the lowest incidence (0-3.54 ×10-5). The differences in weekly incidence of EV71 between age groups were statistically significant (t12 = 7.563, P < 0.0001; t23 = 12.420, P < 0.0001; t13 = 16.996, P < 0.0001). The R2 of the SIR model Shenzhen city population-wide HFMD fit for each region was >0.5, and P < 0.001. Reff values were >1 for the vast majority of time and regions, indicating that the HFMD virus has the ability to spread in Shenzhen city over the long-term. Differences in Reff values between regions were judged by using analysis of variance (ANOVA) (F = 0.541, P = 0.744). SiIiRi-SjIjRj models between age groups had R2 over 0.7 for all age groups and P <0.001. The Reff values between groups show that the 0-2 years old group had the strongest transmissibility (median: 2.881, range: 0.017-9.897), followed by the over 5 years old group (median: 1.758, range: 1.005-5.279), while the 3-5 years old group (median: 1.300, range: 0.005-1.005) had the weakest transmissibility of the three groups. Intra-group transmissibility was strongest in the 0-2 years age group (median: 1.787, range: 0-9.146), followed by Group 1 to Group 2 (median: 0.287, range: 0-1.988) and finally Group 1 to Group 3 (median: 0.287, range: 0-1.988). Conclusion: The incidence rate of HFMD is high in Shenzhen city. In the data on the incidence of EV71 in each age group, the highest incidence was in the 0-2 years age group, and the lowest incidence was in the over 5 years age group. The differences in weekly incidence rate of EV71 among age groups were statistically significant. Children with the age of 0-2 years had the highest transmissibility.

Holstein Cattle Face Re-Identification Unifying Global and Part Feature Deep Network with Attention Mechanism.

In precision dairy farming, computer vision-based approaches have been widely employed to monitor the cattle conditions (e.g., the physical, physiology, health and welfare). To this end, the accurate and effective identification of individual cow is a prerequisite. In this paper, a deep learning re-identification network model, Global and Part Network (GPN), is proposed to identify individual cow face. The GPN model, with ResNet50 as backbone network to generate a pooling of feature maps, builds three branch modules (Middle branch, Global branch and Part branch) to learn more discriminative and robust feature representation from the maps. Specifically, the Middle branch and the Global branch separately extract the global features of middle dimension and high dimension from the maps, and the Part branch extracts the local features in the unified block, all of which are integrated to act as the feature representation for cow face re-identification. By performing such strategies, the GPN model not only extracts the discriminative global and local features, but also learns the subtle differences among different cow faces. To further improve the performance of the proposed framework, a Global and Part Network with Spatial Transform (GPN-ST) model is also developed to incorporate an attention mechanism module in the Part branch. Additionally, to test the efficiency of the proposed approach, a large-scale cow face dataset is constructed, which contains 130,000 images with 3000 cows under different conditions (e.g., occlusion, change of viewpoints and illumination, blur, and background clutters). The results of various contrast experiments show that the GPN outperforms the representative re-identification methods, and the improved GPN-ST model has a higher accuracy rate (up by 2.8% and 2.2% respectively) in Rank-1 and mAP, compared with the GPN model. In conclusion, using the Global and Part feature deep network with attention mechanism can effectively ameliorate the efficiency of cow face re-identification.

Phenolic glycosides from Sanguisorba officinalis and their anti-inflammatory effects.

Two new phenolic glycosides 7R,8R-threo-4,7,9,9'-tetrahydroxy-3-methoxy-8-O-4'-neolignan-3'-O-(3''-α-L-arabinofuranosyl)-ß-D-glucopyranoside. (1), 4-(4'-hydroxyphenyl)-2-butanone-4''-O-(6-ß-D-xylosyl)-ß-D-glucopyranoside (2), along with two known related analogues 7R,8R-threo-4,7,9,9'-tetrahydroxy-3-methoxy-8-O-4'-neolignan-3'-O-ß-D-glucopyranoside (3), 4-(4'-hydroxyphenyl)-2-butanone-4'-O-ß-D-glucopyranoside (4) were obtained from the roots of Sanguisorba officinalis. Combined with acid hydrolysis derivatization, the absolute configurations of these new compounds were elucidated by comprehensive analyses of spectroscopic data including nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), electrospray ionization high resolution mass (HRESIMS) as well as circular dichroism (CD). Compounds 1-4 exhibited anti-inflammatory properties in vitro by attenuating the production of inflammatory mediators, such as nitric oxide (NO) as well as tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and interleukin-6 (IL-6).

Analysis of the characteristic compounds of Citri Sarcodactylis Fructus from different geographical origins.

INTRODUCTION: Citri Sarcodactylis Fructus (CSF) is widely used as a food ingredient and a traditional Chinese medicine. In China, CSF is cultivated in many places, including Sichuan, Guangdong, Zhejiang, and Fujian provinces. The types and chemical contents of CSF from different origins may vary greatly due to the difference in climate and environmental conditions. Therefore, comparing the chemical composition of CSF from various places is vital. OBJECTIVE: To rapidly select potential characteristic compounds for differentiating CSF from different origins. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Thirty-one batches of CSF samples from different regions were analysed using ultra-performance liquid chromatography with hybrid quadrupole-orbitrap high-resolution mass spectrometry. Thereafter, chemometric methods, including principal component analysis (PCA) and orthogonal partial least squares discrimination analysis (OPLS-DA), were employed to find differential metabolites among the CSF samples from various origins. RESULTS: PCA revealed 77.9% of the total variance and divided all CSF samples into three categories corresponding to their origins. OPLS-DA displayed better discrimination of CSF from different sources, with R2 X, R2 Y, and Q2 of 0.801, 0.985, and 0.849, respectively. Finally, 203 differential metabolites were obtained from CSF from different origins using the variable importance in projection of the OPLS-DA model, 30 of which were identified, and five coumarin compounds were selected as marker compounds discriminating CSF from different origins. CONCLUSION: This work provides a practical strategy for classifying CSF from different origins and offers a research foundation for the quality control of CSF.

Feasibility of Booster Vaccination in High-Risk Populations for Controlling Coronavirus Variants - China, 2021.

INTRODUCTION: Vaccination booster shots are completely necessary for controlling breakthrough infections of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in China. The study aims to estimate effectiveness of booster vaccines for high-risk populations (HRPs). METHODS: A vaccinated Susceptible-Exposed-Symptomatic-Asymptomatic-Recovered/Removed (SEIAR) model was developed to simulate scenarios of effective reproduction number (R eff ) from 4 to 6. Total number of infectious and asymptomatic cases were used to evaluated vaccination effectiveness. RESULTS: Our model showed that we could not prevent outbreaks when covering 80% of HRPs with booster unless R eff =4.0 or the booster vaccine had efficacy against infectivity and susceptibility of more than 90%. The results were consistent when the outcome index was confirmed cases or asymptomatic cases. CONCLUSIONS: An ideal coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) booster vaccination strategy for HRPs would be expected to reach the initial goal to control the transmission of the Delta variant in China. Accordingly, the recommendation for the COVID-19 booster vaccine should be implemented in HRPs who are already vaccinated and could prevent transmission to other groups.

The optimal vaccination strategy to control COVID-19: a modeling study in Wuhan City, China.

BACKGROUND: Reaching optimal vaccination rates is an essential public health strategy to control the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. This study aimed to simulate the optimal vaccination strategy to control the disease by developing an age-specific model based on the current transmission patterns of COVID-19 in Wuhan City, China. METHODS: We collected two indicators of COVID-19, including illness onset data and age of confirmed case in Wuhan City, from December 2, 2019, to March 16, 2020. The reported cases were divided into four age groups: group 1, ≤ 14 years old; group 2, 15 to 44 years old; group 3, 44 to 64 years old; and group 4, ≥ 65 years old. An age-specific susceptible-exposed-symptomatic-asymptomatic-recovered/removed model was developed to estimate the transmissibility and simulate the optimal vaccination strategy. The effective reproduction number (Reff) was used to estimate the transmission interaction in different age groups. RESULTS: A total of 47 722 new cases were reported in Wuhan City from December 2, 2019, to March 16, 2020. Before the travel ban of Wuhan City, the highest transmissibility was observed among age group 2 (Reff = 4.28), followed by group 2 to 3 (Reff = 2.61), and group 2 to 4 (Reff = 1.69). China should vaccinate at least 85% of the total population to interrupt transmission. The priority for controlling transmission should be to vaccinate 5% to 8% of individuals in age group 2 per day (ultimately vaccinated 90% of age group 2), followed by 10% of age group 3 per day (ultimately vaccinated 90% age group 3). However, the optimal vaccination strategy for reducing the disease severity identified individuals ≥ 65 years old as a priority group, followed by those 45-64 years old. CONCLUSIONS: Approximately 85% of the total population (nearly 1.2 billion people) should be vaccinated to build an immune barrier in China to safely consider removing border restrictions. Based on these results, we concluded that 90% of adults aged 15-64 years should first be vaccinated to prevent transmission in China.

Introducing Depth Information Into Generative Target Tracking.

Common visual features used in target tracking, including colour and grayscale, are prone to failure in a confusingly similar-looking background. As the technology of three-dimensional visual information acquisition has gradually gained ground in recent years, the conditions for the wide use of depth information in target tracking has been made available. This study focuses on discussing the possible ways to introduce depth information into the generative target tracking methods based on a kernel density estimation as well as the performance of different methods of introduction, thereby providing a reference for the use of depth information in actual target tracking systems. First, an analysis of the mean-shift technical framework, a typical algorithm used for generative target tracking, is described, and four methods of introducing the depth information are proposed, i.e., the thresholding of the data source, thresholding of the density distribution of the dataset applied, weighting of the data source, and weighting of the density distribution of the dataset. Details of an experimental study conducted to evaluate the validity, characteristics, and advantages of each method are then described. The experimental results showed that the four methods can improve the validity of the basic method to a certain extent and meet the requirements of real-time target tracking in a confusingly similar background. The method of weighting the density distribution of the dataset, into which depth information is introduced, is the prime choice in engineering practise because it delivers an excellent comprehensive performance and the highest level of accuracy, whereas methods such as the thresholding of both the data sources and the density distribution of the dataset are less time-consuming. The performance in comparison with that of a state-of-the-art tracker further verifies the practicality of the proposed approach. Finally, the research results also provide a reference for improvements in other target tracking methods in which depth information can be introduced.

Impact of interventions on the incidence of natural focal diseases during the outbreak of COVID-19 in Jiangsu Province, China.

BACKGROUND: During the period of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak, strong intervention measures, such as lockdown, travel restriction, and suspension of work and production, may have curbed the spread of other infectious diseases, including natural focal diseases. In this study, we aimed to study the impact of COVID-19 prevention and control measures on the reported incidence of natural focal diseases (brucellosis, malaria, hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome [HFRS], dengue, severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome [SFTS], rabies, tsutsugamushi and Japanese encephalitis [JE]). METHODS: The data on daily COVID-19 confirmed cases and natural focal disease cases were collected from Jiangsu Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention (Jiangsu Provincial CDC). We described and compared the difference between the incidence in 2020 and the incidence in 2015-2019 in four aspects: trend in reported incidence, age, sex, and urban and rural distribution. An autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) (p, d, q) × (P, D, Q)s model was adopted for natural focal diseases, malaria and severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS), and an ARIMA (p, d, q) model was adopted for dengue. Nonparametric tests were used to compare the reported and the predicted incidence in 2020, the incidence in 2020 and the previous 4 years, and the difference between the duration from illness onset date to diagnosed date (DID) in 2020 and in the previous 4 years. The determination coefficient (R2) was used to evaluate the goodness of fit of the model simulation. RESULTS: Natural focal diseases in Jiangsu Province showed a long-term seasonal trend. The reported incidence of natural focal diseases, malaria and dengue in 2020 was lower than the predicted incidence, and the difference was statistically significant (P < 0.05). The reported incidence of brucellosis in July, August, October and November 2020, and SFTS in May to November 2020 was higher than that in the same period in the previous 4 years (P < 0.05). The reported incidence of malaria in April to December 2020, HFRS in March, May and December 2020, and dengue in July to November 2020 was lower than that in the same period in the previous 4 years (P < 0.05). In males, the reported incidence of malaria in 2020 was lower than that in the previous 4 years, and the reported incidence of dengue in 2020 was lower than that in 2017-2019. The reported incidence of malaria in the 20-60-year age group was lower than that in the previous 4 years; the reported incidence of dengue in the 40-60-year age group was lower than that in 2016-2018. The reported cases of malaria in both urban and rural areas were lower than in the previous 4 years. The DID of brucellosis and SFTS in 2020 was shorter than that in 2015-2018; the DID of tsutsugamushi in 2020 was shorter than that in the previous 4 years. CONCLUSIONS: Interventions for COVID-19 may help control the epidemics of natural focal diseases in Jiangsu Province. The reported incidence of natural focal diseases, especially malaria and dengue, decreased during the outbreak of COVID-19 in 2020. COVID-19 prevention and control measures had the greatest impact on the reported incidence of natural focal diseases in males and people in the 20-60-year age group.

Estimating the Transmissibility of Mumps: A Modelling Study in Wuhan City, China.

Despite the adoption of a national immunization program in China, the incidence of mumps remains high. This study aimed to describe the epidemiological characteristics, including the time, region, occupation, and age, of mumps in Wuhan from 2005 to 2018 and to evaluate its transmissibility. In this study, the susceptible-exposed-infectious-asymptomatic-recovered (SEIAR) model fitted the actual incidence data of mumps. The effective reproduction number (R t ) was used to evaluate and compare the transmission capacity in different areas. From 2005 to 2018, there were 36,415 cases. The incidence of mumps was highest among people aged 5-10 years (460.02 per 100,000). The SEIAR model fitted the reported mumps data well (P < 0.01). The median transmissibility (R t ) was 1.04 (range = 0-2.50). There were two peak spreads every year (from March to May and from October to December). The R t peak always appeared in the first 2 months of the peak incidence rate. The peak time of the epidemic spread of mumps was 1-2 months earlier than the peak incidence rate. The prevention and control measures of vaccination for children aged 5-10 years should be taken before the peak transmission capacity each year, 2 months before the peak of the outbreak, to reduce the spread of mumps.