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A new species of the genus Rhodambulyx Mell, 1939, Rhodambulyx xinyuae sp. nov., is described from Simianshan Nature Reserve in Southwest Chongqing, China. This species is similar to R. davidi Mell, 1939 and R. kitchingi Brechlin, 2015 in habitus, but can be distinguished by a different wing pattern, male genitalia structure and DNA barcode sequence. In addition, Rhodambulyx namvui Eitschberger Nguyen, 2017 is removed from synonymy with R. kitchingi and synonymized instead with R. davidi, although whether it would be better treated as a subspecies of R. davidi requires further investigation.

Objective: To investigate the association between the promoter region-938 polymorphism of B-cell lymphoma/leukemia-2 ( Bcl- 2) gene and the esophageal cancer (EC) and gastric cardia adenocarcinoma (GCA) in Hebei Province. Methods: From 2007 to 2010, 145 esophageal cancer patients and 169 cardiaccancer patientsfrom the outpatient department of the Fourth Hospital of Hebei Medical Universitywereselected in a case group, and 195 non-tumor patients were selected in a control group during the same period. A questionnaire survey was used to collect information of research subjects. Pathological tissues were collected to extract genomic DNA and detect the genotype of bcl-2 gene -938. A multivariate logistic regression model was used to analyze the association between the bcl-2 gene locus 938 CC genotype and the EC and GCA. The interaction between age, gender, smoking, drinking, upper gastrointestinal family history and the bcl-2 gene locus 938 CC genotype was analyzed by likelihood ratio test. Results: The age of the esophageal and cardiac cancer groups was (56.3±8.3) and (57.1±8.4) years old, and that of the control group was (54.7±7.1) years old. The proportion of the bcl-2 gene locus 938 CC genotype in the esophageal group [48.3% (70/145)] and the cardiac cancer group [48.5% (82/169)] was higher than that in the control group [33.8% (66/195)] (both P values<0.05).Compared with the AA genotype, the risk of esophageal cancer and cardiac cancerin people with the CC genotype was 2.386 (1.20-4.76) and 2.564 (1.27-5.18) respectively. In the population with CC genotype, compared with the positive family history, drinking, and male, the negative family history, non-drinking, and female had a higher risk of esophageal cancer; compared with the non-smoking, negative family history, non-drinking and male, the smoking, positive family history, drinking, and female had a higher risk of cardiac cancer (all the P interaction values were <0.05). Conclusion: People with bcl- 2 gene locus 938 CC genotype in Hebei Provincewere more likely to suffer from the esophageal and gastric cardia adenocarcinoma.

A bacterium, designated strain CM134L-2 T , was isolated from a chitin-enriched wheat leaf microbiome in Chengdu, Sichuan province, China. It was Gram-stain-negative, strictly aerobic, non-spore-forming, motile, rod-shaped, and bright yellow in colour. Strain CM134L-2 T grew at 4-35 °C, at pH 6.0-9.0 and could use chitin as the only carbon resource. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences showed that strain CM134L-2 T was most closely related to Pedobacter nanyangensis Q-4 T (97.7 %) and Pedobacter zeaxanthinifaciens TDMA-5 T (97.4 %). Digital DNA-DNA hybridization (dDDH) values between strain CM134L-2 T with these two type strains were 26.8  and 20.8 %, respectively, and average nucleotide identity (ANI) values were 83.2 and 76.2 %; these values are lower than the proposed and generally accepted species boundaries of 70 % for dDDH and 95-96 % for ANI, which suggests strain CM134L-2 T represents a novel species. The genomic DNA G+C content of strain CM134L-2 T was 39.3 mol%, menaquinone-7 was the major respiratory quinone, phosphatidylethanolamine was the major polar lipid and the major components of the cellular fatty acids were iso-C15 : 0, and C16 : 1ω7c/C16 : 1ω6c (summed feature 3); these features supported the affiliation of strain CM134L-2 T to the genus Pedobacter. Overall, strain CM134L-2 T belongs to the genus Pedobacter, but can be classified as a novel species, for which the name Pedobacter chitinilyticus sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is CM134L-2 T (=CGMCC 1.16520 T =KCTC 62643 T ).

Objective: To analyze the epidemiological characteristics and spatial distribution of human brucellosis in Fujian province during 2011-2016, and provide evidence for the prevention and control of the disease. Methods: The surveillance data of human brucellosis in Fujian during 2011-2016 was analyzed with software R 3.3.1, ArcGIS 10.3.1, GeoDa 1.8.8 and SaTScan 9.4.3. Results: During 2011-2016, a total of 319 human brucellosis cases were reported, the incidence increased year by year ( F =11.838, P =0.026) with the annual incidence of 0.14/100 000. The male to female rate ratio of the incidence was 2.50 ∶ 1. Farmers and herdsmen accounted for 57.37 % . The incidence was 0.40/100 000 in Zhangzhou and 0.32/100 000 in Nanping, which were higher than other areas. The number of affected counties (district) increased from 12 in 2011 to 28 in 2016, showing a significant increase ( F =13.447, P =0.021). The Moran's I of brucellosis in Fujian between January 2011 and December 2016 was 0.045, indicating the presence of a high value or low value clustering areas. Local spatial autocorrelation analysis showed that, high-high clustering area (hot spots) were distributed in Zhangpu, Longhai, Longwen, etc , while high-low clustering areas were distributed in Nan'an and Jiaocheng, etc . Temporal scanning showed that there were three clustering areas in areas with high incidence, the most possible clustering, occurring during January 1, 2013- December 31,2015, covered 6 counties, including Yunxiao, Pinghe, Longhai, etc , and Zhangpu was the center, ( RR =7.96, LLR =92.62, P <0.001). Conclusions: The epidemic of human brucellosis in Fujian is becoming serious, and has spread to general population and non-epidemic areas. It is necessary to strengthen the prevention and control of human brucellosis in areas at high risk.

Objective: To investigate the major risk factors for acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and the role of mental status in patients who survived the Wenchuan Earthquake., Methods: A questionnaire survey was conducted in 301 COPD patients from the earthquake and non-earthquake areas in Sichuan one month, three months and 12 months after the Wenchuan Earthquake., Results: A total of 269 patients with COPD completed this study, which included 133 patients earthquake area and 136 from non-earthquake area. (1) Patients from earthquake area had significant higher incidence of acute exacerbations of COPD than those from non-earthquake area 3 months (0.57 +/- 0.688 vs. 0.40 +/- 0.601) and 12 months (1.82 +/- 1.375 vs. 1.47 +/- 1.366) after the earthquake. (2) Patients from earthquake area had significant higher Modified British Medical Research Council (mMRC) grades of COPD than those from non-earthquake area 12 months (P < 0.05) after the earthquake. (3) Patients from earthquake area had significant higher prevalence of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and higher scores of Self-Rating Anxiety Scale (SAS) and Self-Rating Depression Scale (SDS) than those from non-earthquake area within one month and 3 months after the earthquake. The difference in PTSD prevalence remained significant 12 months after the earthquake. (4) No significant differences in the prevalence of PTSD and the scores of SAS and SDS were found within one month and 3 months after the earthquake, though significant improvements were observed 12 months after the earthquake for both participants from the earthquake and non-earthquake areas (P < 0.01). (5) Patients from earthquake area lived in worse environment than those from non-earthquake area during the first 3 months after the earthquake (P < 0.001). The living environments of both groups improved significantly 12 months later (P < 0.001). (6) Binary logistic regression showed that older age, worse pulmonary function, psychological disorder, worse living environment were risk factors of acute exacerbation of COPD after the Wenchuan Earthquake., Conclusion: The earthquake caused serious psychological trauma in COPD patients. Older age, worse pulmonary function, psychological disorder, worse living environment are risk factors associated with acute exacerbation of COPD. COPD patients should receive psychotherapy and better living arrangement as early as possible after serious disasters.

A 59-year-old woman sought treatment of for creeping eruption and erythematous plaques associated with high fever and systemic symptoms. She had a history of eating undercooked freshwater fish raised in Beijing 10 days before admission and reported no travel during the previous year. Blood examination showed eosinophila and ultrasonography detected multiple hypoechoic areas in the liver and spleen. Western blot test detected specific antibodies to the larvae of Gnathostoma spinigerum. Cutaneous and visceral larva migrations associated with G. spinigerum were diagnosed. Twenty-three cases in 12 provinces have been reported in the Chinese literature but none have been reported in English.

Objective: To evaluate the clinical characteristics and present the experience in the treatment of patients with penetrating craniocerebral injury (PCCI)., Methods: The data of 7 cases with PCCI by foreign body were retrospectively studied and compared with associated literatures. The strategies of diagnosis and treatment of PCCI were analyzed. In this series, 3 cases underwent emergency debridements and 4 cases underwent craniotomies. All patients received surgical intervention within 3 hours after admission., Results: Outcomes were good in 3 cases, moderate disability was in 2 cases, severe disability in 1 case and persistent vegetative state in 1 case. One case developed wound and intracranial infection, but made good recovery after treatment. During the follow-up period, one patient died one month after discharge and other six patients (range from 8 months to 3 years) recovered well and no epilepsy, leakage of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), or traumatic vascular disease occurred., Conclusions: Early diagnosis and prompt debridement are the fundamental factors affecting the outcome of PCCI. CT scans are the mainstay in evaluating PCCI and three dimensional (3D) images reconstructed from spiral CT scans provide more information. Efficient debridement should be performed as early as possible. Minimizing the degree of surgical management of PCCI is preferred when there is no indication for aggressive operation. It is important to stress the rapid and effective management of CSF leakage in early stage of PCCI. Use of prophylactic broad-spectrum antibiotics is recommended for patients with PCCI. Traumatic vascular injury should be paid attention to after PCCI.

Leishmaniasis remains endemic in China, especially in the west and northwest frontier regions in central Asia. Epidemic outbreaks of both visceral and cutaneous forms of the disease have become a serious concern in view of such events occurring in neighboring countries. In the present study, we have begun to characterize available parasites as an initial step in understanding the epidemiology of leishmaniasis in central Asia. Nineteen Leishmania isolates collected since the 1950s from epidemiologically different foci in China were separated into five genotypes (Groups I-V) based on their polymorphisms in both kinetoplast (kDNA) and nuclear (nDNA) DNAs. Both kDNA and nDNA are conserved in Group I, which consists of six isolates, i.e., five cases of human kala-azar and one case of canine leishmaniasis isolated from three distant foci more than 30 years apart. In contrast, both kDNA and nDNA are heterogeneous in Group II, consisting of 10 isolates scattered in the plain area from the eastern coast to the western desert. This group includes five kala-azar cases, one post-kala-azar dermal leishmaniasis case, two sand fly isolates, and two canine isolates. The remaining three groups (III-V), two from great gerbils (Rhombomys opimus) and one from a kala-azar case, differ among themselves and from the aforementioned groups. Groups I, II/III, IV, and V contain isolates that have been recognized epidemiologically or typed isoenzymatically as L. donovani s.l., L. infantum s.l., L. turinica, and L. gerbilli, respectively.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Paragonimiasis is a common parasitic zoonosis in China. Its clinical manifestations may be classified into two clinical entities, eg, paragonimiasis westermani type and paragonimiasis szechuanensis type. The latter mainly manifests as trematode larva migrans. The immunodiagnostic methods frequently used in the diagnosis of paragonimiasis are intradermal test, CFT and ELISA. The detection of circulating antigens in patients has been used in China for diagnosis and bithionol and praziquantel are drugs of choice in the treatment of paragonimiasis. Combined measures including mass survey, mass treatment and health education have been found to be effective in the control of paragonimiasis in China.

Seven isolates of Leishmania from mainland China were characterized on the basis of their isoenzyme profiles for 10 enzymes. Five isolates were from human visceral leishmaniasis patients, and four of these showed isoenzyme patterns similar to the marker strain of Leishmania infantum, while one was similar to L. donovani sensu lato. One isolate was from a presumed reservoir host of human visceral leishmaniasis, the racoon dog Nyctereutes procyanoides, and was isoenzymically indistinguishable from L. infantum. An isolate of L. gerbilli from the great gerbil Rhombomys opimus was readily distinguishable from Old World marker strains and other Chinese leishmanias. This is the first report of the biochemical characterization of Chinese isolates of Leishmania.