Search

In this study, we aimed to describe the morphological and molecular characteristics of Austroglycyphagus geniculatus (Acari: Glycyphagidae) breeding in fodder. Flour and corn-crushed fodder samples were collected from a small fodder processing mill in Wuhu, Anhui province, China. The detection rate of A. geniculatus was 100% in six samples, and the breeding density was 1.44 mites/g. Under an optical microscope, we observed that the mite body was oval and small in size. The epidermis of the mite was coated with fine particles. We found two obvious, large, and red lateral ventral glands on either side of hysterosoma. The gene sequences for internal transcribed spacer (ITS) and mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase 1 (COX 1) of A. geniculatus were amplified and uploaded to the GenBank nucleotide sequence database. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to report the detailed description of the morphological and molecular characteristics of A. geniculatus. The results of phylogenetic relationships obtained from the ITS and COX 1 support the classification statuses of A. geniculatus to the family Glycyphagidae based on the morphological classification. Our study provides morphological and molecular data for inferring phylogenetic relationship of A. geniculatus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The epidemiological landscape of infantile hemangioma (IH) has been extensively explored through diverse data sources; however, a scarcity of systematically pooled and quantified evidence from comprehensive global studies persists. In this meta‐analysis, we systematically review available literature to elucidate the prevalence, distribution of lesions, complications, and risk factors associated with IH. A meticulous search encompassing the Cochrane Library, PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science identified 3206 records, of which 55 studies met the inclusion criteria. We found that the overall prevalence of IH is 2.8% [95% confidence interval (CI): 1.5–4.4%] (31,274,396 infants), and IH was located more frequently in the head and neck with a prevalence of 47.4% (95% CI: 39.5–55.4%). The overall prevalence of complications of IH is 24.3% (95% CI: 18.6–30.5%), ulceration is 16.0% (95% CI: 10.4–21.2%), bleeding is 5.6% (95% CI: 3.3–8.5%), visual impairment is 5.6% (95% CI: 3.0–8.9%), infection is 2.8% (95% CI: 1.5–4.8%), subglottic obstruction is 1.5% (95% CI: 0.5–3.0%), respectively. Through 27 studies, we have evaluated 35 factors encompassing perinatal factors, socioeconomic factors, maternal complications, drug factors, and antepartum procedures, and identified 18 risk factors that increase the prevalence of IH. These findings can greatly assist clinicians and family members in effectively evaluating the risk of IH, and determining whether pregnant women should undergo intensified monitoring or preventive measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Substantial evidence indicates that leadership plays a critical role in an organization's success. Our study aims to conduct case studies on leadership attributes among China's five top-performing hospitals, examining their common practices. A semi-structured interview was conducted with 8 leaders, 39 managers, 19 doctors, and 16 nurses from the five sample hospitals in China. We collected information from these hospitals on the role of senior leadership, organizational governance, and social responsibility, aligning with the leadership assessment guidelines in the Baldrige Excellence Framework. Qualitative data underwent interpretation through content analysis, thematic analysis, and comparative analysis. This study adhered to the consolidated criteria for reporting qualitative research guidelines for reporting qualitative research. Our study revealed that the leaders of the five top-performing hospitals in China consistently established "Patient Needs First" as the core element of the hospital culture. Striving to build world-renowned hospitals with Chinese characteristics, the interviewees all believed strongly in scientific vigor, professionalism, and cooperative culture. The leaders adhered to a staff-centered approach, placing special emphasis on talent recruitment and development, creating a compensation system, and fostering a supportive environment conducive to enhancing medical knowledge, skills, and professional ethics. In terms of organizational governance, they continuously enhanced the communication between various departments and levels of staff, improved the quality and safety of medical care, and focused on innovative medical and scientific research, thereby establishing evidence-based, standardized hospital management with a feedback loop. Meanwhile, regarding social responsibility, they prioritized improvements in the quality of healthcare by providing international and domestic medical assistance, community outreach, and other programs. To a large extent, the excellent leadership of China's top-performing hospitals can be attributed to their commitment to a "Two-Pillared Hospital Culture," which prioritizes putting patient needs first and adopting a staff-centered approach. Furthermore, the leaders of these hospitals emphasize hospital performance, operations management, and social responsibility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis L) essential oil (REO) has an inhibitory effect against pests and is regarded as a safe alternative to synthetic acaricides. This study investigated the acaricidal and repellent activity of REO and underlying mechanisms against Aleuroglyphus ovatus, an important mite pest of stored products. Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry analysis of REO indicated that the compounds of 1,8-cineole (25.20%) was the highest. REO at 13% concentration provided the highest repellent effect (92.67%) on A. ovatus, and the lowest repellent activity (48.67%) was at 0.8% concentration. Microscopic observations revealed that the mite epidermis started to shrink after treatment with REO at 6 h post-treatment. The enzyme level of catalase (CAT), acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) decreased significantly (P < 0.05), whereas there was a significant increase (P < 0.05) in nitric oxide synthase (NOS) and glutathione-s-transferases (GST) activities in A. ovatus treated with REO. In the molecular docking study, camphor and 1,8-cineole, the main monoterpenes of REO, bind more closely with CAT and AChE, and PI-conjugated interaction, hydrogen bonding, and hydrophobic were found by molecular docking 3D model. Overall, our results indicate the potential of REO as an effective botanical acaricide to manage A. ovatus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Toxoplasmosis, a parasitic disease resulting from Toxoplasma gondii infection, remains prevalent worldwide, and causes great harm to immunodepressed patients, pregnant women and newborns. Although various molecular approaches to detect T. gondii infection are available, they are either costly or technically complex. This study aimed at developing a rapid visual detection assay using recombinase-aided amplification (RAA) and lateral flow dipstick (LFD) coupled with CRISPR-Cas13a fluorescence (RAA-Cas13a-LFD) to detect T. gondii. The RAA-Cas13a-LFD assay was performed in an incubator block at 37 °C within 2 h, and the amplification results were visualized and determined through LFD by the naked eye. The detection limit was 1 × 10−6 ng/μL by our developed RAA-Cas13a-LFD protocol, 100-fold higher than that by qPCR assay (1 × 10−8 ng/μL). No cross-reaction occurred either with the DNA of human blood or Ascaris lumbricoides, Digramma interrupta, Entamoeba coli, Fasciola gigantica, Plasmodium vivax, Schistosoma japonicum, Taenia solium, and Trichinella spiralis, and the positive rate by RAA-Cas13a-LFD assay was identical to that by qPCR assay (1.50% vs. 1.50%) in detecting T. gondii infection in the unknown blood samples obtained from clinical settings. Our findings demonstrate that this RAA-Cas13a-LFD assay is not only rapid, sensitive, and specific and allows direct visualization by the naked eye, but also eliminates sophisticated and costly equipment. More importantly, this technique can be applied to on-site surveillance of T. gondii.