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The aim of the study was to investigate the incidence of, and trends in, congenital anomalies in Central China from 1997 to 2019. This was a descriptive study. We collected data describing 4,134,098 births from 75 hospital monitoring sites in Henan Province, Central China, from 1997 to 2019. A joinpoint regression model was used to analyze the continuous changes. There were 4,134,098 births recorded from 1997 to 2019, of which 50,646 noted the presence of congenital anomalies (incidence: 122.5 per 10,000). The incidence of congenital anomalies was found to have increased over time (P- trend <0.05). Congenital anomaly incidence in urban areas was higher than that in rural areas (155.3 per 10,000 vs 100.7 per 10,000; P < 0.001). Moreover, incidence was higher in males than in females (129.1 per 10,000 vs 112.9 per 10,000; P < 0.001). The incidence of neural tube defects significantly reduced from 1997 to 2019 (39.3 per 10,000 in 1997 vs 0.92 per 10,000 in 2019, P- trend <0.001), whereas the incidence of congenital heart disease (CHD) increased (5.56 per 10,000 in 2010 to 136.46 per 10,000 in 2019), which meant that CHD was the most common congenital anomaly post-2013. In Henan province, the incidence of congenital anomalies increased by 115% from 1997 to 2019. Notably, the incidence of CHD is rising. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Onchocerciasis in camels is caused by adult Onchocerca spp. and results in great economic losses to the camel industry. However, only a few studies on Onchocerca have been conducted, especially regarding the intermediate host and vector(s). In the present study, 192 camels were examined from December and January during 2013 and 2016, and the filarial larvae suspected to be Onchocerca spp. were further identified. Furthermore, aquatic dipteran insects in the living environment of camels were collected from May to September between 2013 and 2017 and dissected. Eventually, onchocercal lesions were observed in 95 of 192 (49%) camels and the captured insects were classified into 49 species from 42 genera in 21 families, among which 18 species were newly recorded in Inner Mongolia and 14 were haematophagous species. The filarial larvae were found in Culicoides puncticollis and identified as Onchocerca fasciata, indicating that C. puncticollis is the vector of O. fasciata in Inner Mongolia. These findings provide an estimate of onchocerciasis infection in camels and an alternative method of identifying insects and screening vectors using molecular methods. Important data are also provided for the diagnosis and control of onchocerciasis, thereby further filling the gap in knowledge regarding transmission vectors in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A field investigation on the actual protective performance of a flexible rockfall barrier along a mountain road in western China is presented in this paper. The total area of the flexible rockfall barrier under investigation was approximately 20,000 m2. Five typical failure modes of the flexible rockfall barrier were revealed, including steel post buckling, connection failure, ring net destruction, steel cable rope breakage and anchorage point failure. In addition, component rusting, which leads to decrease in durability, was noted. Furthermore, failure mechanisms were analysed, and the main factors that were found to induce flexible rockfall barrier failure included the sliding capacity of the cable ropes at the end post support positions, the boundary conditions of the steel posts and the compatibility between the energy dissipating devices and connected cable ropes. From these observations, corresponding design strategies were proposed. In addition, an improved flexible rockfall barrier system was constructed, and its effectiveness was verified by a full-scale impact test using 5000 kJ of impact energy. Finally, the impact deflection, impact force, cable force and energy dissipation of the improved flexible rockfall barrier system were studied in combination with a non-linear numerical simulation which could be a useful tool for design of flexible barrier systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this study was to evaluate whether the non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) introduced to curb the spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) also interrupted the transmission of influenza. This is a descriptive epidemiological study. Data on changes in the number of reported influenza cases, number of influenza-like illness (ILI) visits, ILI percentage and influenza virus positivity were compared between the first 18 weeks of 2020 and the same period of 2019. The changes in the weekly average number of influenza cases were statistically significant between 2020 and 2019 (−4319 vs −525 per week; P < 0.05). The slopes of regression lines for the number of ILI visits were also statistically significant between 2020 and 2019 (−911 vs −98 per week; P < 0.05). This study found that the prevalence of influenza was substantially decreased when NPIs were implemented for the containment of COVID-19. • The prevalence of influenza was substantially decreased when non-pharmaceutical interventions were implemented for the containment of coronavirus disease 2019. • Changes in the weekly average number of influenza cases were statistically significant between 2020 and 2019 (−4319 vs −525 per week; P < 0.05). • Changes in the number of influenza-like illness visits were also statistically significant between 2020 and 2019 (−911 vs −98 per week; P < 0.05). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Yesso scallop (Patinopecten yessoensis) is one of the most important cultured mollusc in China. However, the diseases of Yesso scallops, especially abscess disease, occurred frequently and led to massive mortality in recent years. In the present study, 20 bacterial strains were isolated and characterized from the adductor muscle of moribund Yesso scallops in the North Yellow Sea to identify the potential pathogens, and 14 of them were grouped into genus Vibrio. Vibrio neocaledonicus (M-08 strain) was found to be the most dominant strain, and it was able to survive and exhibit haemolytic activity from 8 °C to 36 °C with the highest activity at 32 °C. The pathogenicity of M-08 in Yesso scallops was further investigated by intravalvar injection and immersion challenges, and the cumulative mortality rates were calculated to be 93 % and 53 %, respectively. The activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) increased after M-08 intravalvar injection, and peaked at 3 h and 6 h, respectively. The MDA contents increased and were significantly higher than that in the control group at 3 h after M-08 intravalvar injection. Immediately afterwards, immune response and haemocyte apoptosis were observed in Yesso scallops. Therefore, V. neocaledonicus is the pathogen of abscess disease in the Yesso scallops, which was able to activate the antioxidant system and immune response, and cause haemocyte apoptosis, tissue damage and death sequentially. The information would provide helpful contribution to the prevention and control of abscess disease in Yesso scallop aquaculture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Growth and fatness traits are complex and economically important traits in the pig industry. The molecular basis underlying porcine growth and fatness traits remains largely unknown. To uncover genetic loci and candidate genes for these traits, we explored the GeneSeek GGP Porcine 80K SNP chip to perform a GWAS for seven growth and fatness traits in 365 individuals from the Sujiang pig, a recently developed breed in China. We identified two, 17, one and 11 SNPs surpassing the suggestively significant threshold (P < 1.86 × 10−5) for body weight, chest circumference, chest width and backfat thickness respectively. Of these SNPs, 20 represent novel genetic loci, and five and four SNPs were respectively associated with chest circumference and backfat thickness at a genome‐wide significant threshold (P < 9.31 × 10−7). Eight SNPs had a pleiotropic effect on both chest circumference and backfat thickness. The most remarkable locus resided in a region between 72.95 and 76.27 Mb on pig chromosome 4, harboring a number of previously reported quantitative trait loci related to backfat deposition. In addition to two reported genes (PLAG1 and TAS2R38), we identified four genes including GABRB3, ZNF106, XKR4 and MGAM as novel candidates for body weight and backfat thickness at the mapped loci. Our findings provide insights into the genetic architecture of porcine growth and fatness traits and potential markers for selective breeding of Chinese Sujiang pigs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The soft tick Argas japonicus mainly infests birds and can cause human dermatitis; however, no pathogen has been identified from this tick species in China. In the present study, the microbiota in A. japonicus collected from an epidemic community was explored, and some putative Rickettsia pathogens were further characterized. The results obtained indicated that bacteria in A. japonicus were mainly ascribed to the phyla Proteobacteria, Firmicutes and Actinobacteria. At the genus level, the male A. japonicus harboured more diverse bacteria than the females and nymphs. The bacteria Alcaligenes, Pseudomonas, Rickettsia and Staphylococcus were common in nymphs and adults. The abundance of bacteria belonging to the Rickettsia genus in females and males was 7.27% and 10.42%, respectively. Furthermore, the 16S rRNA gene of Rickettsia was amplified and sequenced, and phylogenetic analysis revealed that 13 sequences were clustered with the spotted fever group rickettsiae (Rickettsia heilongjiangensis and Rickettsia japonica) and three were clustered with Rickettsia limoniae, which suggested that the characterized Rickettsia in A. japonicus were novel putative pathogens and also that the residents were at considerable risk for infection by tick‐borne pathogens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Glanzmann's thrombasthenia (GT) is a rare bleeding disorder characterized by spontaneous mucocutaneous bleeding. The disorder is caused by quantitative or qualitative defects in integrin αIIbβ3 (encoded by ITGA2B and ITGB3) on the platelet and is more common in consanguineous populations. However, the prevalence rate and clinical characteristics of GT in non‐consanguineous populations have been unclear. We analyzed 97 patients from 93 families with GT in the Han population in China. This analysis showed lower consanguinity (18.3%) in Han patients than other ethnic populations in GT‐prone countries. Compared with other ethnic populations, there was no significant difference in the distribution of GT types. Han females suffered more severe bleeding and had a poorer prognosis. We identified a total of 43 different ITGA2B and ITGB3 variants, including 25 previously unidentified, in 45 patients. These variants included 14 missense, 4 nonsense, 4 frameshift, and 3 splicing site variants. Patients with the same genotype generally manifested the same GT type but presented with different bleeding severities. This suggests that GT clinical phenotype does not solely depend on genotype. Our study provides an initial, yet important, clinical and molecular characterization of GT heterogeneity in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to examine whether awareness of cancer diagnosis and prognosis among patients with stage IV lung cancer treated with first-line erlotinib vary with psychological distress and quality of life (QoL). This study was carried out at the Comprehensive treatment Department of Tianjin Cancer Hospital between August 2013 and September 2015 among patients ≥18 years-old and suffering from EGFR mutation-positive stage IV non-small cell lung cancer ( NSCLC) treated with first-line erlotinib (150 mg/day; N = 137). The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale ( HADS) was administered before (baseline) and after 12 weeks of treatment. QoL was assessed using the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Lung ( FACT-L) questionnaire. Diagnosis and prognosis awareness was assessed by interview. Among patients, 21% reported to be fully aware of their disease; 41% were only aware of the diagnosis, not the stage; and 51% were not aware at all. Among patients, 63.5% reported elevated anxiety, 71.5% were depressed, and 75.2% had HADS score ≥15 (emotional distress). Patients who were totally and partly aware experienced improvements in HADS and FACT-L compared with baseline (all p < .05). Patients who were not aware scored better than the other patients for all FACT-L subscales from baseline to 12 weeks (all p < .05). Aware patients experienced improvements from baseline in HADS and FACT-L (all p < .05). Awareness of cancer diagnosis and stage was associated with initially high global distress and poorer QoL. Unaware patients exhibited better emotional distress and QoL during first-line therapy with erlotinib for EGFR mutation-positive advanced NSCLC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Brucellosis is an occupational disease affecting workers in butcher shops, the milking and dairy product industry, causing more than 500 000 new cases around the world. As a national statutory B infectious disease in China, morbidity of brucellosis is rapidly increasing in recent years. We report an occupational outbreak of brucellosis infection in a pharmaceutical factory. Exposure was a result of manual operation in the process line, close contact with sheep placentas, insufficient disinfection and repeated using of protective suits and infected by aerosol dissemination. Improved preventive methods, appropriate public health measures and spread of health education would be helpful to prevent the occupational outbreak of brucellosis in future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses clinical characteristics of patients having alpha-1-antitrypsin (A1AT), protease inhibitor (serpins). Topics discussed include controlling of coagulation, usage of an optical aggregometer, and separation of globulin by agarose gel electrophoresis. Particular focus is also given to approval of the study by the board of research ethic at Jiangsu Institute of Haematology in China.

Aims To examine the association between sleep disturbances during pregnancy and risk of gestational diabetes mellitus. Methods From 2010 to 2012, 12 506 women in Tianjin, China, were screened using a 50-g 1-h glucose challenge test at 24-28 weeks' gestation. Those with glucose challenge test values of ≥ 7.8 mmol/l were invited to further undergo a 75-g 2-h oral glucose tolerance test. Gestational diabetes was determined according to the International Association of Diabetes and Pregnancy Study Group's definition. Self-reported sleep duration and sleep quality during pregnancy was documented using a modified questionnaire. Logistic regression was used to obtain odds ratios and 95% CIs. Results A total of 919 women (7.3%) had gestational diabetes. Sleep duration was found to have an approximate J-shaped association with gestational diabetes risk after adjusting for covariates. Compared with a sleep duration of 7-9 h/day (43% of 12 506 women), the adjusted odds ratios for sleep duration of ≥ 9 h/day (55%) and < 7 h/day (2%) for gestational diabetes were 1.21 (95% CI 1.03-1.42) and 1.36 (95% CI 0.87-2.14), respectively. Compared with good sleep quality (37.9% of 12 506 women), the adjusted odds ratios of moderate (59.9%) and poor sleep quality (2.2%) for gestational diabetes were 1.19 (95% CI 1.01-1.41) and 1.61 (95% CI 1.04-2.50), respectively. Conclusion In pregnant Chinese women, poor sleep quality, and shorter and longer duration of sleep during pregnancy were independently associated with an increased risk of gestational diabetes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Leymus chinensis is an important grass in China and Russia. Six lactic acid bacteria (LAB) strains ( LB, LPL1, LPL2, LPL3, LCL and WH) from L. chinensis silage were screened and identified and their effects on fermentation quality were investigated. All six strains were grown at 6·5% NaCl and pH 4·00. Strains LPL1, LPL2 and LPL3 were identified as Lactobacillus plantarum, and LB, WH and LCL were classified as Lactobacillus brevis, Weissella hellenica and Lactobacillus casei respectively. The six isolated strains and a commercial inoculant ( Lactobacillus buchneri) were added to L. chinensis for ensiling at densities of 500 and 600 kg m−3. The control was sprayed with the same volume of distilled water. The effects of the strains on fermentation quality after 45 d ensiling and aerobic stability during 8 d of exposure to air were evaluated. The 600 kg m−3 silage had lower pH, butyric acid, ammonia nitrogen content and coliform bacteria counts than the 500 kg m−3 density silage ( P < 0·05). The six isolated strains decreased pH, butyric acid content and increased lactic acid content, and all inoculants increased L. chinensis silage aerobic stability except LCL ( P < 0·05). The fermentation quality of L. chinensis silage increased with higher ensiling density. The LAB strains improved the fermentation quality, and high-quality silage could be obtained at low ensiling density with the addition of the LAB strains. The strains improved the aerobic stability; Lb. buchneri and Lb. brevis showed the best performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is a cancer that occurs in high frequency in Southern China. A previous functional complementation approach and the subsequent cDNA microarray analysis have identified that serum amyloid A1 (SAA1) is an NPC candidate tumor suppressor gene. SAA1 belongs to a family of acute-phase proteins that are encoded by five polymorphic coding alleles. The SAA1 genotyping results showed that only three SAA1 isoforms (SAA1.1, 1.3 and 1.5) were observed in both Hong Kong NPC patients and healthy individuals. This study aims to determine the functional role of SAA1 polymorphisms in tumor progression and to investigate the relationship between SAA1 polymorphisms and NPC risk. Indeed, we have shown that restoration of SAA1.1 and 1.3 in the SAA1-deficient NPC cell lines could suppress tumor formation and angiogenesis in vitro and in vivo. The secreted SAA1.1 and SAA1.3 proteins can block cell adhesion and induce apoptosis in the vascular endothelial cells. In contrast, the SAA1.5 cannot induce apoptosis or inhibit angiogenesis because of its weaker binding affinity to αVβ3 integrin. This can explain why SAA1.5 has no tumor-suppressive effects. Furthermore, the NPC tumors with this particular SAA1.5/1.5 genotype showed higher levels of SAA1 gene expression, and SAA1.1 and 1.3 alleles were preferentially inactivated in tumor tissues that were examined. These findings further strengthen the conclusion for the defective function of SAA1.5 in suppression of tumor formation and angiogenesis. Interestingly, the frequency of the SAA1.5/1.5 genotype in NPC patients was ~2-fold higher than in the healthy individuals (P=0.00128, odds ratio=2.28), which indicates that this SAA1 genotype is significantly associated with a higher NPC risk. Collectively, this homozygous SAA1.5/1.5 genotype appears to be a recessive susceptibility gene, which has lost the antiangiogenic function, whereas SAA1.1 and SAA1.3 are the dominant alleles of the tumor suppressor phenotype. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]