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Minimally invasive surgery can involve the use of robotics to improve patient outcomes. Some robotic systems require special instruments with a designated number of uses. In China, during the reprocessing of the robotic instruments, health care personnel determined that the existing tracking processes were inadequate. They conducted a quality improvement project with the goal of establishing a barcode-based standardized process for tracking robotic instruments. They implemented technology that generated a unique identifier each time a robotic instrument was reprocessed after use. Nurses scanned the identifier when surgeons used the instrument. The findings included the increased accuracy of use documentation and decreases in untraceable sterilization and use records, charging concerns, and average daily and monthly inventory times. An increase in adverse event reports associated with robotic instruments also was noted. The use of barcode technology for robotic instrument tracking continues at the facility and may be expanded for additional specialty instruments., (© AORN, Inc, 2024.)

Background: At present, SARS-CoV-2 epidemic in the world rapidly spread. It is a serious global public health emergency., Methods: In this study, we described the clinical characteristics of 11 COVID-19 patients hospitalized in the Meizhou People's Hospital, and viral genome sequences of SARS-CoV-2 from these patients were analyzed., Results: Of the 11 patients, six cases developed fever, 9 cases developed a cough, and two cases developed headache and chills. Four patients (36.4%) had underlying diseases. Pneumonia is the most common complication. The laboratory test results showed that there were no adult patients with increased lymphocyte/lymphocyte percentage (LYM/LYM%). Most patients had normal total protein (TP) and albumin (ALB), but only two patients had decreased. Most patients had increased or normal levels of erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), C reactive protein (CRP), activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT), fibrinogen (FIB), creatine kinase isoenzymes (CK-MB), and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH). Neutrophil (NEU) (r = 0.664, p = 0.026), CK-MB (r = 0.655, p = 0.029) and blood urea nitrogen (BUN) (r = 0.682, p = 0.021) were significantly associated with SARS-CoV-2 virus cycle threshold (Ct) value. Multiple sequence alignment (MSA) shows that two different SNPs were identified at positions 8781 and 28144, and have a complete linkage genetic form of 8781C-28144T and 8781T-28144C., Conclusions: The reports of the 11 COVID-19 patients in our hospital will provide useful information for the diagnosis, treatment, and drug development of SARS-CoV-2., (© 2021 The Authors. Journal of Clinical Laboratory Analysis published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Background: Thalassemia is a group of inherited autosomal recessive hemolytic anemia disease caused by reduced or absent synthesis of globin chain/chains of hemoglobin. Only few studies showed the molecular characterization of α- and β-thalassemia in Meizhou city of China., Methods: A total of 22,401 individuals were collected; hematological and hemoglobin electrophoresis analysis and thalassemia genetic testing were performed., Results: Eleven thousand and thirty (49.24%) cases with microcytosis (mean corpuscular volume (MCV) < 82 fl), 11,074 (49.44%) cases with hypochromia (mean corpuscular Hb (MCH) < 27 pg) in 22,401 subjects, 11,085 cases with abnormal hemoglobin results were identified in subjects aged ≥6 months. 7,322 (32.69%) subjects harbored thalassemia mutations, including 4,841 (21.61%) subjects with α-thalassemia, 2,237 (9.99%) with β-thalassemia, and 244 (1.09%) with α-thalassemia combined β-thalassemia. 18 genotypes of α-thalassemia mutations and 27 genotypes of β-thalassemia mutations were characterized. The most frequent α gene mutation was -- SEA (64.69%), followed by -α 3.7 (19.93%), -α 4.2 (7.73%), α CS α (3.97%), and α WS α (2.83%). The six most common β-thalassemia mutations were IVS-II-654 (C>T) (39.79%), CD41-42 (-TCTT) (33.02%), -28 (A>G) (10.38%), CD17 (A>T) (9.08%), CD27-28 (+C) (2.14%), and CD26 (G>A) (2.02%). In addition, MCV and MCH were sensitive markers for α- and β-thalassemia except for -α 3.7 /αα, -α 4.2 /αα, α CS α/αα, α WS α/αα, and β Cap+40-43 /β N ., Conclusions: The -- SEA , -α 3.7 , and -α 4.2 deletions were the main mutations of α-thalassemia, while IVS-II-654 (C>T), CD41-42 (-TCTT), -28 (A>G), and CD17 (A>T) mutations of β-thalassemia in Meizhou. There were some differences in thalassemia mutation frequencies in Meizhou city from other populations in China., (© 2021 The Authors. Journal of Clinical Laboratory Analysis published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Objective: To analyze the relationship of Apolipoprotein E (APOE) and solute carrier organic anion transporter family member 1B1 (SLCO1B1) gene polymorphisms with coronary artery disease (CAD)., Methods: 1,129 CAD patients and 1,014 non-CAD controls were included in the study, and relevant information and medical records were collected. The single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were analyzed, including rs429358, rs7412 in APOE gene and rs2306283, rs4149056 in SLCO1B1 gene., Results: The CAD patients' average age was 66.3 ± 10.7 years, while 65.5 ± 12.0 years in controls. The frequencies of APOE allele ɛ3, ɛ4, and ɛ2 were 83.01%, 10.08%, and 6.91% respectively. There were statistically significant differences in genotype ɛ3/ɛ4 (χ 2  = 8.077, p = 0.005) in CAD patients compared with the controls. The SLCO1B1 genotype *1b/*1b and haplotype *1b showed the highest frequency in the study sample. Moreover, ε4 carriers had significantly lower HDL-C, Apo-A1 levels than ε3 carriers among CAD patients, while ε2 carriers showed lower LDL-C, Apo-B level, and higher Apo-A1/Apo-B level than ε3 and ε4 carriers. In controls, ε2 carriers showed lower LDL-C and Apo-B level, higher Apo-A1, and Apo-A1/Apo-B level than ε4 carriers. Logistic regression analysis showed that high LDL-C and Apo-B level, low HDL-C level, smoking, and the ε4 allele were risks for the presence of CAD., Conclusions: APOE ε4 allele may be associated with susceptibility to CAD in southern Chinese Hakka population. It indicated that the APOE SNPs rs429358 and rs7412 are associated with CAD, but not SNPs rs2306283 and rs4149056 of SLCO1B1 gene., (© 2021 The Authors. Journal of Clinical Laboratory Analysis published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Background and Purpose: The aim was to determine the transitional patterns in the clinical characteristics, treatments and comorbidities in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patients over the past 14 years using data from a large clinical cohort in mainland China., Methods: Sporadic ALS patients who visited the Peking University Third Hospital from January 2005 to December 2018 were included in this study. The 14 years were divided into three periods, and changes in the baseline characteristics of the participants were analyzed at 5-year intervals., Results: In total, 3410 patients with sporadic ALS were recruited: 2181 were men and 1229 were women. The proportion of patients with bulbar-onset ALS increased from 13.0% in 2005-2009 to 19.5% in 2015-2018 (p < 0.001). The mean (standard deviation) age at onset increased from 49.5 (11.4) years in 2005-2009 to 53.0 (11.0) years in 2015-2018 (p < 0.001). ALS patients with diabetes or hypertension showed a delay in ALS onset, and the delay was even more apparent when the patients had both comorbidities. The proportion of riluzole users in 2015-2018 was approximately 2.5-fold of that in 2005-2009 (p < 0.001)., Conclusions: In the context of a lack of clinical data on ALS in mainland China, this study evaluated a large cohort of patients diagnosed over a 14-year period. The age at onset and percentage of patients who used riluzole both increased over the study period. Additionally, it was found that patients with comorbidities such as diabetes and hypertension had a delayed age of ALS onset., (© 2021 European Academy of Neurology.)

Background: Due to variations in climatic conditions, the effects of meteorological factors and PM 2.5 on influenza activity, particularly in subtropical regions, vary in existing literature. In this study, we examined the relationship between influenza activity, meteorological parameters, and PM 2.5 ., Methods: A total of 20 165 laboratory-confirmed influenza cases in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, were documented in our dataset and aggregated into weekly counts for downstream analysis. We employed a combination of the quasi-Poisson-generalized additive model and the distributed lag non-linear model to examine the relationship of interest, controlling for long-term trends, seasonal trends, and holidays., Results: A hockey-stick association was found between absolute humidity and the risk of influenza infections. The overall cumulative adjusted relative risk (ARR) was statistically significant when weekly mean absolute humidity was low (<10 µg/m 3 ) and high (>17.5 µg/m 3 ). A slightly higher ARR was observed when weekly mean temperature reached over 30.5°C. A statistically significantly higher ARR was observed when weekly mean relative humidity dropped below 67%. ARR increased statistically significantly with increasing rainfall. For PM 2.5 , the ARR was marginally statistically insignificant. In brief, high temperature, wet and dry conditions, and heavy rainfall were the major risk factors associated with a higher risk of influenza infections., Conclusions: The present study contributes additional knowledge to the understanding of the effects of various environmental factors on influenza activities. Our findings shall be useful and important for the development of influenza surveillance and early warning systems., (© 2020 The Authors. Influenza and Other Respiratory Viruses Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Objectives: Despite being a key population in whom to initiate pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), the awareness of and willingness to use PrEP are still unclear in Chinese young men who have sex with men (YMSM). We report factors associated with PrEP awareness and willingness in the population., Methods: From 1 August to 31 December 2018, 495 participants aged 15-24 years were included in a cross-sectional study about awareness of and willingness to use PrEP among YMSM. Logistic regression models were used to identify factors associated with two outcomes: awareness of PrEP; and willingness to use PrEP., Results: Among 495 eligible participants, 129 participants (26.1%) knew about PrEP. PrEP awareness among YMSM was associated with higher education level [adjusted odds ratio (aOR) = 1.812, 95% CI: 1.113-2.951] and previous HIV testing (aOR = 3.507, 95% CI: 1.261-9.752). YMSM with shorter local residence time (aOR = 0.317, 95% CI: 0.101-0.992) and internet-based partner-seeking (aOR = 0.171, 95% CI: 0.096-0.305) were less likely to be aware of PrEP. In those with previous knowledge of PrEP, 36 (27.9%) conveyed their willingness to use it. PrEP willingness was associated with internet-based partner-seeking (aOR = 9.593, 95% CI: 1.965-46.844). The main barriers influencing those who knew about PrEP but refused to use it were the high price of PrEP (69.9%), the need to use condoms consistently (52.7%), and concerns about side effects (39.8%) and effectiveness of prevention (22.6%)., Conclusions: Chinese YMSM have low awareness of and willingness to use PrEP. Adequate PrEP promotions should be implemented, especially on the Internet and dating software., (© 2020 British HIV Association.)

Objective: The aim of the study was to explore genotype distribution thalassemia and G6PD deficiency in Meizhou city, China., Methods: A total of 16 158 individuals were involved in thalassemia genetic testing. A total of 605 subjects were screened for common Chinese G6PD mutations by gene chip analysis. Genotypes and allele frequencies were analyzed., Results: A total of 5463 cases carried thalassemia mutations were identified, including 3585 cases, 1701 cases, and 177 cases with α-, β-, and α + β-thalassemia mutations, respectively. -- SEA (65.12%), -α 3.7 (19.05%), and -α 4.2 (8.05%) deletion were the main mutations of α-thalassemia, while IVS-II-654(C → T) (40.39%), CD41-42(-TCTT) (32.72%), -28(A → G) (10.11%), and CD17(A → T) (9.32%) mutations were the principal mutations of β-thalassemia in Meizhou. There were significant differences in allele frequencies in some counties. Genetic testing for G6PD deficiency, six mutation sites, and one polymorphism were detected in our study. A total of 198 alleles with the mutation were detected among 805 alleles (24.6%). G6PD Canton (c.1376 G → T) (45.96%), G6PD Kaiping (c.1388 G → A) (39.39%), and G6PD Gaohe (c.95 A → G) (9.09%) account for 94.44% mutations, followed by G6PD Chinese-5 (c.1024 C → T) (4.04%), G6PD Viangchan (c.871G → A) (1.01%), and G6PD Maewo (c.1360 C → T) (0.51%). There were some differences of the distribution of G6PD mutations among eight counties in Meizhou., Conclusions: The -- SEA , -α 3.7 , and -α 4.2 deletion were the main mutations of α-thalassemia, while IVS-II-654(C → T), CD41-42(-TCTT), -28(A → G), and CD17(A → T) mutations were the principal mutations of β-thalassemia in Meizhou. G6PD c.1376 G → T, c.1388 G → A, and c.95 A → G were the main mutations of G6PD deficiency. There were some differences of the distribution of thalassemia and G6PD mutations among eight counties in Meizhou., (© 2019 The Authors. Journal of Clinical Laboratory Analysis published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Background: The sudden increase in the number of human cases infected with avian influenza A(H7N9) virus after September 2016 raised global concern., Objectives: To assess the changes in epidemiological characteristics of H7N9 cases since the massive closure of live poultry markets (LPMs) in the main urban areas in Zhejiang province., Methods: We used descriptive statistics to compare epidemiological characteristics of the three distinct waves of H7N9 cases in Zhejiang province. The rural or urban cases were defined according to the location where the patients had exposure within 2 weeks before illness onset., Results: Between July 2014 and June 2017, 166 H7N9 cases were reported in Zhejiang province, with 45, 34, and 87 cases reported in the third, fourth, and fifth wave, respectively. Across the three waves, most reported cases were from rural areas. A similar percentage of cases in all three waves reported exposure to LPMs, raising poultry at home or around the house, as well as occupational exposure. Compared to the third (80.00%) and fourth wave (70.59%), a significantly larger proportion of cases from the non-LPMs closure areas were observed in the fifth wave (89.66%) (P = .034)., Conclusion: Epidemiological characteristics of human cases infected with avian influenza A(H7N9) virus had generally remained unchanged since the massive closure of LPMs in the main urban area of Zhejiang province. The sudden increase in the number of H7N9 cases in the fifth wave was mainly attributed to the excessive cases reported from areas where LPMs were not permanently closed., (© 2017 The Authors. Influenza and Other Respiratory Viruses Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

To evaluate the current practice of corn silage management in China, samples of bunker-made silage were collected from 14 farms within a 500-km radius of Beijing for the analysis of fermentation products and bacterial communities. Mean values for dry matter (DM) content were as low as 250 g/kg in both corn stover (St) and whole crop corn (Wc) silages, and pH values averaged 4.48 and 3.73, respectively. Only three of the 14 silages exhibited a lactic-to-acetic acid ratio > 1.0, indicating that the presence of acetic acid was predominant in fermentation. Although 1,2-propanediol content was marginal in most cases (< 5.0 g/kg dry matter (DM)), two Wc silages had 1,2-propanediol levels > 25 g/kg DM. In contrast, 3 St silages had large amounts (> 10 g/kg DM) of butyric acid, and two of the three butyrate silages also had high concentrations of 1-propanol. Denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis analysis demonstrated that the bacterial community appeared similar in 10 out of the 14 silage samples. Bands indicating Lactobacillus buchneri, L. acetotolerans and Acetobacter pasteurianus were found in both the St and Wc silages, accounting for the high acetic acid content found across silage samples., (© 2013 Japanese Society of Animal Science.)

Background: Abdominal obesity and hypertriglyceridemia confer high risk for cardiometabolic disease. Few studies have investigated the associations of hypertriglyceridemic waist with cytokines and hyperglycaemia in Chinese., Methods: Anthropometric indexes, fasting plasma concentrations of glucose, glycohemoglobin, insulin, lipid profile, inflammatory factors and adipokines were measured among 3289 Chinese men and women 50-70 years of age., Results: An increment of every 2 cm of waist circumference was associated with increased levels of high-sensitive C-reactive protein (hsCRP), interleukin 6 and RBP 4 by 0·033 mg/L, 0·018 ng/L and 0·556 mg/L and reduced levels of adiponectin by 0·269 mg/L (all P<0·05), respectively, with controlling for potential confounders. For triglycerides, each an increment of 20 mg/dL was associated with increased levels of hsCRP, RBP4, and decreased levels of adiponectin by 0·021 mg/L, 0·655 mg/L, and 0·371 mg/L (all P<0·05), respectively. Individuals with hypertriglyceridemic waist had increased risks of having hyperglycaemia (OR: 1·48; 95% CI: 1·09, 2·00) and diabetes mellitus (OR: 2·12; 95% CI: 1·47, 3·04) compared with those with neither of the phenotypes., Conclusions: Hypertriglyceridemic waist is associated with a worse profile of inflammatory factors and adipokines as well as with an increased risk of having hyperglycaemia among Chinese., (© 2012 The Authors. European Journal of Clinical Investigation © 2012 Stichting European Society for Clinical Investigation Journal Foundation.)

Background: The traditional three-stratum healthcare system, within which municipal, district and community hospitals all paid great attention to improving medical treatment service by developing medical technology, is no longer able to meet the current health needs in Shanghai. In 1997, the Chinese government called for the development of community health services to serve as a basic platform to provide public health service and basic medical cure. However, because the market-oriented economic reform was based on a fee-for-service mechanism (without a strict monitoring system), most community health centers (CHCs) still put great effort into developing medical services geared to profit, rather than to provide proper medical service for all and a "quality" public health service. To try to solve the problem, some government-controlled payment (GCP) system has been implemented in CHCs gradually in districts of Shanghai. The study intended to evaluate the impact of GCP solutions already implemented, as well as the impact of the standardized GCP system with supplementary solutions, in enabling CHCs to focus on providing quality public health services and appropriate medical treatment, rather than focusing on profit and loss, in order to meet the health needs aroused by major socioeconomic transition in Shanghai., Method: In order to make a systematic assessment, a standardized form of GCP was piloted for 6 months in Changning, Zhabei, and Songjiang districts, representing rich urban, poor urban and rich rural districts, respectively. We employed an evaluation index system with 26 indicators, based on a systematic review of literature and two rounds of Delphi consultation. The evaluation index system investigates four main themes of the reform: the government's role, the reform measures, the performance of CHC services and satisfaction with CHC services. We conducted an evaluation of the impact of both various types of GCP implemented in recent years and the standardized GCP system used during the more recent pilot project conducted across districts with different socioeconomic profiles. Cross-sectional comparisons between the pilot districts and control districts with similar socioeconomic context were also carried out to observe further the impact of the GCP system., Result: Various GCP systems were implemented in 2006 in Changning and Songjiang district and in 2007 in Zhabei district. These GCP systems were standardized in April 2009 and piloted for 6 months on this new basis in these three districts (Changning, Songjiang and Zhabei). The overall "outcome" scores based on an evaluation index applied to Changning, Zhabei, and Songjiang districts have been generally improving from 2004 to 2009. The improvements in outcome were significant after the districts had implemented various GCP solutions and increased further, albeit to a lesser extent, in the three pilot districts from April 2009 to September 2009, when the GCP systems were standardized by the implementation of some supplementary solutions. Cross-sectional comparisons between the pilot districts and control districts also indicated that CHC performance was consistently better in the pilot districts after the pilot period than in that of some other "control" districts., Conclusion: Although there have been other policies interacting with the impact of GCP, GCP reforms implemented in the pilot districts at different times (as well as the later, standardized GCP system) have been effective in enabling CHCs to focus on providing quality public health services and appropriate medical treatment, rather than concentrating upon profit and loss. The impact of the standardized GCP system was further confirmed by cross-sectional comparisons of some broad indicators, in terms of medical cost, quality of medical service, and coverage of public health service, between the pilot districts and control districts. However, uncertainties exit when looking at individual indicators. Some indicators (see pp. 11-13 and Table 5), such as the service contracting rate with CHCs and the proportion of residents with health records set up, were not sufficient to allow for reasonable estimation of the impact of the GCP. In part this was due to inconsistent data collections. Some indicators, on the other hand, such as the standard management rate of residents with hypertension, were usually affected by the changing government's role over the period. Meanwhile, variations among the three pilot districts with different socioeconomic profiles were observed by several individual indicators within the evaluation index. Further research is needed to investigate the impact of other solutions--such as user fee removal and "zero margin profit" of medicine in CHCs--in order to coordinate other policies with the GCP to improve CHCs more effectively. Longer term observation of impact of the standardized GCP system, as well as other influencing factors in Shanghai based on quality data collected on a standard basis, may help improve policy. Moreover, variations in residents' expectations of barriers in access to CHC services and in healthcare-seeking behavior need to be taken into consideration when designing GCP systems for areas with different socioeconomic profiles in order to meet the different health needs which are a consequence of the major socioeconomic changes in Shanghai (and China in general, it could be agreed)., (Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.)