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Background: The Focused screening and treatment (FSAT) has been identified as one of the key approaches for reducing the malaria burden in Tanzania. However, the diagnostic performance of the local standard health system microscopy and rapid diagnostic tests (RDT) for the malaria infections is yet to be established. Thus, we aimed to evaluate the performance of the local standard health system microscopy and RDTs in comparison to that of the gold standard modality through the re-examination of blood slide microscopy findings. Methods: We used the paired RDTs and standard health system microscopy results from the participants screened in the FSAT during 2015–2016. With the gold standard modality as reference, the results of local standard health system microscopy and RDTs were evaluated according to their sensitivity, specificity and reliability.Results: A total of 1,497 paired standard health system microscopy and RDTs results were analysed. Of these, 679 (45.4%) samples and 818 (54.6%) samples were from the high transmission areas (HTA) and low transmission areas (LTA) in the Rufiji District of south eastern Tanzania, respectively. With the gold standard as the reference, the sensitivity of RDTs were higher than those of standard health system microscopy (87.10% vs 76.88%) and (86.99% vs 65.04%) in the HTA and LTA, respectively. Further, the false-negative rates of RDTs were lower than those of standard microscopy in both HTA (12.90% vs 13.01%) and LTA (23.12% vs 34.96%). Conclusions: RDTs have better performance than the standard health system microscopy in terms of sensitivity and specificity for FSAT in study areas in Tanzania.

The incidence of an indigenous malaria, defined as malaria acquired by a local mosquito transmission, declined from 2004 to 2015 in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. However, imported malaria, defined as malaria acquired from other endemic regions outside of China, has been increasing in the region, as in the rest of the country, particularly the disease caused by Plasmodium falciparum. A retrospective study was conducted to explore malaria-endemic characteristics in Guangxi during the 2004–2015 timeframe; a total of 2,726 confirmed malaria cases were reported, and the majority (90.3%) were due to P. falciparum (N = 1,697 [62.2%]) and Plasmodium vivax (N = 765 [28.1%]). Thirty-four indigenous cases (1.2%) were observed, with no cases of transmission recorded since 2012. Imported P. vivax and Plasmodium ovale infections increased since 2013. The interval between returning to China and the onset of illness was longer for P. vivax and P. ovale infections than for P. falciparum and Plasmodium malariae infections. The difference interval among the species is likely because of the relapse of P. vivax and P. ovale caused by the activation of the latent hypnozoites. Therefore, health clinics should raise awareness and carry out epidemiological studies and follow-up surveys on migrant workers to avoid misdiagnosis and mistreatment. The evaluation of radical treatment should be carried out using a genotyping technology based on glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency levels, and some new drugs active against the hypnozoites should be developed to mitigate malaria in the region.

This article reports the process of diagnosis and treatment of one case of neonatal congenital malaria accompanied with severe thrombocytopenia.

Electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) has been developed as a novel technique for characterizing crystallographic textures in recent years. The present paper proposes an “in-situ-tracking” approach using SEM and EBSD to examining the microstructural development and grain boundary variation of stainless steel during elevated 1200 °C service. The results revealed that in addition to the coarsened grains the fraction of low angle grain boundaries (LABG) became increased and flattened obviously during service. Comparing to the regular high temperature service (below 900 °C), the present “recovery and recrystallization” process was accelerated due to dislocation fastened movement and intensive interaction. However, the grain growth mechanism still meet the well-accepted dislocation model of subgrain combination.

To analyze the status of malaria epidemic and discuss the feasibility of malaria elimination in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.The data of blood smear examinations of febrile patients among local residents, focus residents and mobile population in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region were collected, described and analyzed statistically from 2001 to 2011.A total of 4 916 343 blood smear slides of local residents who had fever, 195 967 slides of focus residents, 282 461 slides of returned emigrants, and 228 341 slides of immigrants were examined, and the average positive rates of blood examinations were 0.004 8%, 0.007 7%, 0.480% and 0.127%, respectively. The indigenous malaria cases reduced from 51 in 2001 to 1 in 2009. There were no indigenous malaria cases during the period of 2010-2011. The malaria incidence has been under 1/100 000 for 11 years. The imported malaria cases were dominated in the whole region.Malaria situation in this region has entranced the consolidating phase of elimination according to the WHO criteria of malaria elimination. The goal of malaria elimination in Guangxi would be achieved in 2018 as long as the government and other departments pay enough attention to the imported malaria control, and the technical measures are further strengthened.

To analyze the monitoring results and epidemic trend of malaria in the Global Fund Malaria Project counties of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region in 2011, so as to provide the evidence for improving the preventive measures.The data about malaria surveillance were collected and statistically analyzed in 7 Global Fund Malaria Project counties of Guangxi in 2011.A total of 8 cases of malaria were reported in the Global Fund Malaria Project counties of Guangxi in 2011, the average annual incidence rate was 0.04 per 10000 which increased by 100% compared with that in 2010, accounting for 7.14% (8/112) of the total number of cases in Guangxi. Totally 42 064 residents with fever were examined with blood tests and no case was found; 3 867 floating people were examined with blood tests and 8 cases of malaria were found (0.21%), including 5 cases of vivax malaria and 3 cases of falciparum malaria. The 8 malaria cases distributed in Longlin, Tiane, Nandan, Youjiang counties (district), and they all had ever worked in Africa or Southeast Asia. There were no input secondary cases or deaths throughout the year.The preventive measures of malaria are effective in the Global Fund Malaria Project counties of Guangxi, and the malaria epidemic situation is stable. It is the key to strengthen the malaria surveillance of the floating population who returned from Africa or Southeast Asia for consolidating the achievement of malaria prevention and control.

To understand the distribution and diffusion of Oncomelania hupensis snails in the Baoying and Gaoyou sections of the Li Canal in the east route of the South-to-North Water Diversion Project.The retrospective survey method was used to investigate the distribution and diffusion of snails in the Baoying and Gaoyou sections of the Li Canal, the conventional survey and the methods of salvage of water and attracting snails were used to detect the distribution of snails in river banks and water.The earliest findings of snails in the Gaoyou section of the Li Canal was in 1955, the northernmost distribution of snails was Dilong ferry at the west dam and east slope of the Li Canal. The dynamic surveillance in the Gaoyou section of the Li Canal from 2001 to 2010 showed that the snail status was of low density and low fluctuation of area, and the distribution range was 119 degrees 24' 36" -119 degrees 25' 34", 32 degrees 48' 30" -32 degrees 54' 05". From 2006 to 2010, the snails were not found by the methods of salvage of water and attracting snails in the surveillance in the Baoying and Gaoyou sections of the Li Canal.So far, there is no evidence showing that the snails spread to northward in the Li Canal, however, it is still necessary to carry out the surveillance of snails and schistosomiasis in the east route of the South-to-North Water Diversion Project.

To explore circumsporozoite protein (CSP) genotype structure of Plasmodium vivax in southern China and evaluate its epidemiological significance.Filter paper blood samples were collected from 346 vivax malaria patients in 5 provinces (Autonomous Region) including Hainan, Yunnan, Guangxi, Guangdong and Guizhou for identifying CSP genotypes, by using the method of single-tube nested/multiplex PCR. The findings combined with relevant data were statistically analyzed.In Guangdong, Guangxi and Guizhou Provinces (Autonomous Region), the temperate zone family strains accounted for more than 90%, with only a few tropical zone family strains and no PV-type II each strain. In Yunnan Province, temperate strains and tropical strains accounted for 71.4% and 28.6% respectively, with occasional PV-type II strain. In Hainan Province, strains of temperate zone, tropical zone and PV-type II accounted for about one-third.The temperate zone family strains were the predominant ones in the Provinces (Autonomous Region) of Guangdong, Guangxi and Guizhou where malaria control was carried out effectively; while in Hainan and Yunnan Provinces the difficulties in malaria control may probably be related to the complex structure of P. vivax population and multiple infections of different genotypes. The findings indicate that the complexity of the P. vivax genotype structure might be an indicative epidemiological feature for malaria control and surveillance.