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Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a highly diverse pathogen that frequently establishes a chronic long-term infection, but the origins and drivers of HCV diversity in the human population remain unclear. Previously unidentified strains of HCV genotype 6 (gt6) were recently discovered in chronically infected individuals of the Li ethnic group living in Baisha County, Hainan Island, China. The Li community, who were early settlers on Hainan Island, has a distinct host genetic background and cultural identity compared to other ethnic groups on the island and mainland China. In this report, we generated 33 whole virus genome sequences to conduct a comprehensive molecular epidemiological analysis of these novel gt6 strains in the context of gt6 isolates present in Southeast Asia. With the exception of one gt6a isolate, the Li gt6 sequences formed three novel clades from two lineages which constituted 3 newly assigned gt6 subtypes and 30 unassigned strains. Using Bayesian inference methods, we dated the most recent common ancestor for all available gt6 whole virus genome sequences to approximately 2767  bce (95 per cent highest posterior density (HPD) intervals, 3670–1397  bce), which is far earlier than previous estimates. The substitution rate was 1.20 × 10−4 substitutions/site/year (s/s/y), and this rate varied across the genome regions, from 1.02 × 10−5 s/s/y in the 5'untranslated region (UTR) region to 3.07 × 10−4 s/s/y in E2. Thus, our study on an isolated ethnic minority group within a small geographical area of Hainan Island has substantially increased the known diversity of HCV gt6, already acknowledged as the most diverse HCV genotype. The extant HCV gt6 sequences from this study were probably transmitted to the Li through at least three independent events dating perhaps from around 4,000 years ago. This analysis describes deeper insight into basic aspects of HCV gt6 molecular evolution including the extensive diversity of gt6 sequences in the isolated Li ethnic group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the first case of COVID‐19 reported in late December of 2019 in Wuhan, China, the SARS‐CoV‐2 virus has caused approximately 20 million infections and 732 thousand deaths around the world by 11 August 2020. Although the pathogen generally infects the respiratory system, whether it is present in the bloodstream and whether it poses a threat to the blood supply during the period of the outbreak is of serious public concern. In this study, we used enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) to screen total antibodies against SARS‐CoV‐2 in 2199 blood donors, who had donated blood at the Guangzhou Blood Center during the epidemic. The Ig‐reactive samples were further characterized for IgA, IgG, and IgM subtypes by ELISA and viral nucleic acid by real‐time polymerase chain reaction. Among the 2199 plasma samples, seven were reactive under total antibodies' screening. Further testing revealed that none of them had detectable viral nucleic acid or IgM antibody, but two samples contained IgA and IgG. The IgG antibody titers of both positive samples were 1:16 and 1:4, respectively. Our results indicated a low prevalence of past SARS‐CoV‐2 infection in our blood donors, as none of the tests were positive for viral nucleic acid and only 2 out of 2199 (0.09%) of samples were positive for IgG and IgA. There would be a limited necessity for the implementation of such testing in blood screening in a COVID‐19 low‐risk area. Highlights: The prevalence of past SARS‐CoV‐2 infection was relatively low among voluntary blood donors in Guangzhou, ChinaScreening of SARS‐CoV‐2 among voluntary blood donors may not be in priority in Guangzhou, China, because of the low risk of transmission via transfusion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Myeloid‐derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) accumulate from many diseases. MDSCs are rarely explored in occult hepatitis B virus infection (OBI). The frequency of monocytic MDSCs (M‐MDSCs) and granulocytic MDSCs (G‐MDSCs) in OBI carriers was analyzed for correlation with clinical parameters, which was no different between OBI and healthy individuals, whereas the frequency of M‐MDSCs but G‐MDSCs in OBI was significantly lower than that observed in chronic hepatitis B carriers (0.4% vs 0.7%, P = 0.0004). The frequency of MDSCs was not correlated with clinical parameters and viral load of OBI, suggesting that the absence of HBsAg in OBI carriers might not induce the accumulation of MDSCs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To elucidate the characteristics of lymphocyte subsets in bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) diagnosis following Jensen's criterion to understand the spectrum of lymphocytes in different degrees of BPD., Study Design: This single-center retrospective cohort study included 120 neonates admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit between 1 July 2014 and 30 June 2021, who had undergone peripheral blood lymphocyte subpopulation detection., Results: Thirty-one neonates were included in the control group, whereas 33 infants with BPD were included in the case group. In addition, we selected 56 infants with a gestational age (GA) <37 weeks without BPD who were receiving oxygen therapy. Among the three groups, the B cell and NK cell frequencies were significantly higher and the frequencies of T cells and CD4 + cells were significantly lower in the BPD group. In newborns without BPD, the distribution of T lymphocyte subsets was similar at different GAs. Comparing different degrees of BPD, the patients in the grades 2-3 BPD group had significantly lower percentages of T lymphocytes and CD4 + T cells than those in the other groups. Remarkably, the frequencies of NK cells were significantly higher in patients with grades 2-3 BPD, and the Treg cells slightly increased with BPD severity, although the differences were not significant., Conclusion: Healthy neonates had similar ratios of lymphocyte subsets among different GAs; although as the GAs increased, the percentage of lymphocytes increased slightly. Severe BPD was associated with lower CD4 + T cells and higher NK cells. However, whether such changes were the cause or the consequence of BPD has not been determined., (© 2024 Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Hepatitis B virus (HBV), a common blood transmission pathogen worldwide, can lead to viral hepatitis, cirrhosis, liver cancer, and other liver diseases. In particular, occult hepatitis B virus infection (OBI) may be caused by an immune response leading to suppressed virus replication. Gut microbiota can change the immunity status of the human body and, therefore, affect the replication of HBV. Thus, to identify whether there are differences in gut microbiota between HBV carriers and OBI carriers, we collected fecal samples from 18 HBV carriers, 24 OBI blood donors, and also 20 healthy blood donors as negative control. After 16S sequencing, we found that the abundance of Faecalibacterium was significantly reduced in samples from OBI blood donors compared with those from healthy blood donors. Compared with samples from HBV carriers, the samples from OBI blood donors had a significantly increased abundance of Subdoligranulum , which might stimulate immune activation, thus inhibiting HBV replication and contributing to the formation of occult infection. Our findings revealed the potential role of gut microbiota in the formation of OBI and further provided a novel strategy for the treatment of HBV infection.IMPORTANCEOccult hepatitis B virus infection (OBI) is a special form of hepatitis B virus infection with hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) positive and hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA negative. Gut microbiota may contribute to the immune response leading to suppressed virus replication and, thus, participates in the development of OBI. The study on gut microbiota of OBI blood donors provides novel data considerably advancing our understanding of the immune mechanism for the determination of occult hepatitis B virus infection, which is helpful for improving the strategy of the treatment of HBV infection., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest.

The epidemiology of hepatitis C virus varies widely across geographical regions and ethnic groups. Our previous study showed that 6 strains isolated from Baisha County, Hainan Island, China, were all new genotype 6 (gt6) subtypes which differed significantly from subtypes of other regions. In the current study, we conducted a comprehensive epidemiological survey of HCV in the Li ethnic group, native to Baisha County. Anti-HCV antibodies were detected by 2 independent ELISAs in all participants, and positive results confirmed by the recombinant immunoblot assay (RIBA) and HCV RNA viral loads were measured. Univariate chi-square test and multivariable logistic regression analyses were used to determine the risk factors for HCV infection and spontaneous clearance rates. Indeterminate RIBA results were excluded or included in analyses; consequently, findings were expressed as a range. Direct sequencing of partial regions within NS5B and E1 was employed for genotyping. Among 1682 participants, 117 to 153 were anti-HCV positive (7.0%-9.1%), with 42.7%-52.6% confirmed to have cleared infection. Anti-HCV positivity was associated with older age (≥60 years) (OR = 0.02, 95% CI 0.01-0.05, P < 0.01) and surgery (OR = 2.75, 95% CI 1.36-5.57, P < 0.01), with no significant difference found between the HCV infection group and the HCV spontaneous clearance group. The gt6 subtype distribution characteristics of Baisha County were unique, complex and diverse. The sequences did not cluster with known gt6 subtypes but formed 4 Baisha community-specific groups. HCV infection in members of the Li minority ethnic group is characterized by high prevalence rates in the elderly, high spontaneous clearance rates and broad gt6 diversity., (© 2019 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Objective: To observe the effect of intrapartum and postpartum factors on abnormal neurological findings in the extremely preterm infants., Method: Clinical data of 62 premature infants (33 of male, 29 of female) were retrospectively analyzed. None of the premature infants had birth defect; their gestational ages were all less than 28 weeks (23(+ 6)-27(+ 6) weeks). They were hospitalized within 12 hours after birth in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) of BAYI Children's Hospital from November 2010 to June 2013. The blood gas, birth condition, complications, the mechanical ventilation and the ultrasonic encephalography were recorded. The 62 cases were divided into 2 groups, alive group and died group. Meanwhile, all cases of survial were divided into brain injuries group and normal brain group. Data were analyzed with t-test, Chi square test and Spearman correlation analysis., Result: Fifty-six cases were alive, and 6 cases died (3 were during the treatment and 3 were after parents gave up). The average birth weight of brain injuries group was (954 ± 182) g; and that of the normal brain group was (1 071 ± 136) g. There were significant differences between the two groups in gender (χ(2) = 4.314, P = 0.038), gestational age (χ(2) = 11.622, P = 0.001), birth weight (t = 2.728, P = 0.009), which had significant correlation with neurological outcomes. The Spearman correlative coefficients were -0.278, 0.456 and 0.364 respectively. And P values were 0.038, 0.000 and 0.006. The rates of multiple pregnancy, lung hemorrhage and surgical operation in brain injuries group were 45%(9/20), 55%(11/20), 40%(8/20), which were significantly higher than those in normal brain group, 3%(1/36), 17%(6/36), 11%(4/36)(χ(2) = 12.800, 8.936, 4.773, P all < 0.05). These three factors were the high risk factors for adverse neurological outcomes, the odds ratios were 28.64, 6.11 and 5.33 respectively. There was no significant difference in delivery mode, amniotic fluid, maternal infection, asphyxia, necrotizing enterocolitis, patent ductus arteriosus, sepsis, mechanical ventilation, inhaled nitric oxide therapy, blood glucose, blood gas analysis, doses of dopamine between brain injuries group and normal brain group. The birth weight in alive group was (1 029 ± 163) g, which was significantly higher than those in died group (870 ± 144)g (r=0.29, P=0.022). There was no significant difference in other factors between alive group and died group(P all>0.05)., Conclusion: Gender, gestational age and birth weight may have relation with the neurological outcomes of extremely preterm infants. Multiple pregnancy, pulmonary hemorrhage and surgical operation are the risk factors of brain injuries. Birth weight is related to the survival of extremely preterm infants.

In this study, we aimed to investigate the clinical characteristics of Candida parapsilosis sepsis in preterm infants. In this retrospective analysis of the clinical data of 11 cases of Candida parapsilosis sepsis and 13 cases of C. albicans sepsis, the two groups were compared for research using one-way analysis of variance (one-way ANOVA), chi2 test, and non-conditional logistic regression analysis. Compared to the C. albicans sepsis group, the C. parapsilosis group demonstrated a significantly lower birth weight (1331.8 +/- 252.41 vs. 1721.2 +/- 589.08) and significantly longer hospital stay (69.909 +/- 20.782 vs. 38.385 +/- 19.923) (t'/t = 2.160, -3.787; p = 0.045, 0.01, respectively); the incidences of retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) (72.7% vs. 30.8%), tienam administration (72.7% vs. 23.1%), pneumothorax, and thoracic closed drainage (27.3% vs. 0) were higher (chi2 = 4.196, 5.916, 4.052; p = 0.041, 0.015, 0.044, respectively). Logistic regression analysis indicated only hospital stay and tienam administration in the regression equation (chi2 = 18.008, p = 0.000). Compared with C. albicans sepsis, an average length hospital stay and administration of tienam are the high-risk factors for C. parapsilosis sepsis. With regard to the other predisposing factors of preterm infant fungal sepsis, there were no differences between the two groups.