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People who inject drugs (PWIDs) are primarily the high-risk population for HCV infection. This study aims to determine the optimal cut-off values for predicting HCV infection status based on the Signal-to-Cutoff (S/CO) ratio. In this study, a total of 719 PWIDs' samples were collected, and performed for screening test by ELISA assay, and followed by RIBA assay and NAT assay to detect HCV antibody and HCV RNA levels, respectively. The findings revealed that the prevalence of HCV infection among PWIDs was 54.66% (393/719), and the false-positive rate of HCV antibody detection by ELISA assay among PWIDs was only 3.85% (16/416). In addition, when the optimal cut-off value for S/CO ratio was 2.0, the sensitivity and specificity of HCV antibody were 100.00% and 93.55%, respectively. And when the optimal cut-off value for S/CO ratio was 21.36, the sensitivity and specificity of HCV RNA positive were 89.90% and 72.73%, respectively. In conclusion, the status of HCV infection can be predicted based on the S/CO ratios of the ELISA assay, which can improve diagnosis and facilitate timely treatment to effectively prevent the spread of HCV infection.

Rapid diagnostic tests as an attractive alternative to enzyme immunoassay could identify hepatitis C virus (HCV) infected persons more expeditiously. The availability of high performing and quality-assured rapid diagnostic tests are essential to scale-up HCV screening. The study was undertaken to evaluate the performance of seven domestic HCV rapid diagnostic tests kits. The kits were evaluated by using HCV serum panels, including HCV basic panel, analytical specificity panel, mixed titre performance panel, characteristic panel, seroconversion panel, and genotype qualification panel. The results showed that clinical sensitivity, clinical specificity and analytical specificity of seven rapid diagnostic tests kits ranged from 94% (95% CI: 83.2-98.6) to 100% (95% CI: 91.5-100). Furthermore, specimens with HCV genotypes 1b, 2a, 3a, 4a, 5a, 6 could be detected by HCV rapid diagnostic tests kits, whereas specimens with genotypes 1a and 2b could not be detected. Additionally, most HCV rapid diagnostic tests kits had great performance in diagnosing different titres and/or different bands samples, but some low S/CO value specimens may not be fully detected by few rapid diagnostic test kits. In conclusion, seven HCV rapid diagnostic tests reagents presented high sensitivity, specificity, good anti-interference and detection ability of early infection, which could meet the requirements of clinical HCV antibody screening.

Objective To investigate the efficacy and safety of continuous local anesthetic wound infiltration following open abdominal partial hepatectomy. Methods We performed a prospective, non-randomized, concurrent and controlled study. Patients undergoing open abdominal partial hepatectomy, according to their willingness, accepted one of the following managements for the postoperative pain: continuous wound catheter (CWC) infiltration, patient-controlled epidural analgesia (PCEA), patient-controlled intravenous analgesia of morphine (PCIAM), and patient-controlled intravenous analgesia of sufentanil (PCIAS). The primary outcome was postoperative visual analogue scale (VAS) scores at rest and on movement. Secondary outcomes included consumption of rescue medication, side effects, and complications associated with postoperative pain management. Results From August 2013 to December 2013, 80 patients were allocated to receive CWC (n=10), PCEA (n=22), PCIAM (n=29), or PCIAS (n=19). After adjusting for age, sex, body mass index, percentage of resected liver, operation time, and Amsterdam Preoperative Anxiety and Information Scale, there was no significant difference in the VAS scores at rest or on movement between Group CWC and the other groups, namely PCEA, PCIAM, and PCIAS, at 4, 12, 48, and 72 hours postoperatively (all P>0.05). The need for rescue medication was not significantly different between Group CWC and the other three groups at 48 and 72 hours postoperatively (all P>0.05). There was no significant difference in the incidence of postoperative nausea and vomiting or anal exsufflation time between group CWC and the other three groups (all P>0.05). No severe adverse effects associated with continuous wound infiltration were observed during the study period. Conclusions CWC has a comparable analgesic effect compared with traditional analgesia Methods at most time points postoperatively. CWC is a safe alternative for the postoperative analgesic management of open liver surgery.

Objective To investigate the efficacy and safety of continuous local anesthetic wound infiltration following open abdominal partial hepatectomy. Methods We performed a prospective, non-randomized, concurrent and controlled study. Patients undergoing open abdominal partial hepatectomy, according to their willingness, accepted one of the following managements for the postoperative pain: continuous wound catheter (CWC) infiltration, patient-controlled epidural analgesia (PCEA), patient-controlled intravenous analgesia of morphine (PCIAM), and patient-controlled intravenous analgesia of sufentanil (PCIAS). The primary outcome was postoperative visual analogue scale (VAS) scores at rest and on movement. Secondary outcomes included consumption of rescue medication, side effects, and complications associated with postoperative pain management. Results From August 2013 to December 2013, 80 patients were allocated to receive CWC (n=10), PCEA (n=22), PCIAM (n=29), or PCIAS (n=19). After adjusting for age, sex, body mass index, percentage of resected liver, operation time, and Amsterdam Preoperative Anxiety and Information Scale, there was no significant difference in the VAS scores at rest or on movement between Group CWC and the other groups, namely PCEA, PCIAM, and PCIAS, at 4, 12, 48, and 72 hours postoperatively (all P0.05). The need for rescue medication was not significantly different between Group CWC and the other three groups at 48 and 72 hours postoperatively (all P0.05). There was no significant difference in the incidence of postoperative nausea and vomiting or anal exsufflation time between group CWC and the other three groups (all P0.05). No severe adverse effects associated with continuous wound infiltration were observed during the study period. Conclusions CWC has a comparable analgesic effect compared with traditional analgesia Methods at most time points postoperatively. CWC is a safe alternative for the postoperative analgesic management of open liver surgery.

Background More than half of intravenous drug users (IDUs) in China suffer from the Hepatitis C virus (HCV). The virus is also more prevalent in non-injection drug users (NIDUs) than in the general population. However, not much is known about HCV subtype distribution in these populations. Methods Our research team conducted a cross-sectional study in four provinces in China. We sampled 825 IDUs and 244 NIDUs (1162 total), genotyped each DU’s virus, and performed a phylogenetic analysis to differentiate HCV subtypes. Results Nucleic acid testing (NAT) determined that 82% percent (952/1162) of samples were HCV positive; we subtyped 90% (859/952) of these. We found multiple HCV subtypes: 3b (249, 29.0%), 3a (225, 26.2%), 6a (156, 18.2%), 1b (137, 15.9%), 6n (50, 5.9%), 1a (27, 3.1%), and 2a (15, 1.7%). An analysis of subtype distributions adjusted for province found statistically significant differences between HCV subtypes in IDUs and NIDUs. Discussion HCV subtypes 3b, 3a, 6a, and 1b were the most common in our study, together accounting for 89% of infections. The subtype distribution differences we found between IDUs and NIDUs suggested that sharing syringes was not the most likely pathway for HCV transmission in NIDUs. However, further studies are needed to elucidate how NIDUs were infected.

To observe the hemodynamic changes in patients undergoing pericardiectomy at different operational stages.Totally 16 consecutive patients receiving radical pericardiectomy were enrolled in this observational study. Hemodynamic variables were monitored continuously by pulse-indicated continuous cardiac output(PiCCO)system. Totally,three sets of intraoperative hemodynamic parameters were obtained at three different stages of pericardiectomy.During the pericardiectomy,the cardiac index[CI,(1.9±0.6),(2.7±0.6),(3.0±0.5)L·min(-1)·m(-2);P0.05]and stroke volume index[SI,(22.5±8.7),(29.9±8.5),(30.1±8.5)dyn·s·cm(-5)·m(2);P0.05]showed significant improvement,whereas central venous pressure[CVP,(17.1±5.0),(13.3±3.9),(12.3±3.0)mmHg;P0.05]decreased significantly. Global end-diastolic volume index[GEDVi,(533±156),(580±153),(559±144)ml·m(-2);P0.05]increased and stroke volume variation[SVV,(15.6±6.1)%,(10.8±4.2)%,(9.4±5.4)%;P0.05]decreased intra-operatively. The majority of the above-mentioned hemodynamic improvements occurred after the resection of pericardium over the left ventricular outflow tract(LVOT).PiCCO system can serve as a reliable,less invasive hemodynamic monitoring method during pericardiectomy. Resection of the pericardium over the LVOT is the most important step of the pericardiectomy.

The HIV-1 BED incidence assay was adopted in China in 2005 for HIV-1 incidence surveillance. A proficiency testing (PT) program was established in 2006 to provide quality assurance services. The BED PT program consisted of two components, an international program provided by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention from 2006 and a domestic program started by the National HIV/HCV Reference Laboratory in 2011. Each PT panel consisted of eight coded specimens distributed to participating laboratories semi-annually, and testing results were collected and analyzed. The number of participating laboratories increased progressively from 2006 to 2012. The Chinese HIV-1 incidence laboratory network performed satisfactorily both in international and domestic PT programs. We also demonstrated that the BED assay was highly reproducible among participating laboratories. Our success and lessons learned can be readily replicated in other countries or regions contemplating the establishment of a PT program for assay-based HIV incidence estimation.