Showing papers by "Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention published in 2002"

Genome sequence of Shigella flexneri 2a: insights into pathogenicity through comparison with genomes of Escherichia coli K12 and O157

Abstract: We have sequenced the genome of Shigella flexneri serotype 2a, the most prevalent species and serotype that causes bacillary dysentery or shigellosis in man. The whole genome is composed of a 4 607 203 bp chromosome and a 221 618 bp virulence plasmid, designated pCP301. While the plasmid shows minor divergence from that sequenced in serotype 5a, striking characteristics of the chromosome have been revealed. The S.flexneri chromosome has, astonishingly, 314 IS elements, more than 7-fold over those possessed by its close relatives, the non-pathogenic K12 strain and enterohemorrhagic O157:H7 strain of Escherichia coli. There are 13 translocations and inversions compared with the E.coli sequences, all involve a segment larger than 5 kb, and most are associated with deletions or acquired DNA sequences, of which several are likely to be bacteriophage-transmitted pathogenicity islands. Furthermore, S.flexneri, resembling another human-restricted enteric pathogen, Salmonella typhi, also has hundreds of pseudogenes compared with the E.coli strains. All of these could be subjected to investigations towards novel preventative and treatment strategies against shigellosis.

Inhibition of 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene (DMBA)-induced oral carcinogenesis in hamsters by tea and curcumin.

Abstract: Tea is one of the most popular beverages consumed in the world. Curcumin, the major yellow pigment in turmeric, is used widely as a spice and food-coloring agent. In this study, we studied the effects of tea and curcumin on 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene (DMBA)-induced oral carcinogenesis in hamsters. DMBA solution (0.5% in mineral oil, 0.1 ml) was applied topically to the left cheek pouch of male Syrian golden hamsters 3 times/week for 6 weeks. Two days after the last treatment of DMBA, the animals received green tea (6 mg tea solids/ml) as drinking fluid, or 10 mmol curcumin applied topically 3 times/week, or the combination of green tea and curcumin treatment, or no treatment for 18 weeks. The combination of tea and curcumin significantly decreased the oral visible tumor incidence from 92.3% (24/26) to 69.2% (18/26) and the squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) incidence from 76.9% (20/26) to 42.3% (11/26). The combination of tea and curcumin also decreased the number of visible tumors and the tumor volume by 52.4 and 69.8%, as well as the numbers of SCC, dysplasic lesions and papillomas by 62.0, 37.5 and 48.7%, respectively. Green tea or curcumin treatment decreased the number of visible tumors by 35.1 or 39.6%, the tumor volume by 41.6 or 61.3% and the number of SCC by 53.3 or 51.3%, respectively. Green tea also decreased the number of dysplasic lesions. Curcumin also significantly decreased the SCC incidence. Tea and curcumin, singly or in combination, decreased the proliferation index in hyperplasia, dysplasia and papillomas. Only the combination treatment decreased the proliferation index in SCC. Tea alone and in combination with curcumin significantly increased the apoptotic index in dysplasia and SCC. Curcumin, alone and in combination with tea, significantly inhibited the angiogenesis in papilloma and SCC. The results suggested that green tea and curcumin had inhibitory effects against oral carcinogenesis at the post-initiation stage and such inhibition may be related to the suppression of cell proliferation, induction of apoptosis and inhibition of angiogenesis.

Understanding the nutrition transition: measuring rapid dietary changes in transitional countries.

Abstract: Objective To understand methodological concerns related to dietary intake collection in transitional societies. Design Three days of household weighing and measurement of all food used and repeated 24-hour recalls. Setting Eight Chinese provinces. Subjects Five thousand nine hundred and fifty-two and 5152 adults aged 20-45 years in 1989 and 1997, respectively. Results Great variance exists in the types and quantity of animal products used in common recipes. For example, the proportion of pork from lean cuts in 'stir-fried fresh pepper and pork' varies between 14 and 24% in urban and rural areas and the total pork content for 100 g (dish) varies by 15 to 19 g between rural and urban areas in each of eight provinces. Another challenge relates to the variation in the edible vegetable oil content added during food preparation. Reliance on standard recipes for each fried dish would miss the variations in oil use over time, space and socio-economic status. Conclusions Dietary change is rapid in transitional countries. Reliance on recipes standardised for animal food and edible oil contents will lead to very large systematic errors in the measurement of energy, fat and protein intakes.

Tracking of Dietary Intake Patterns of Chinese from Childhood to Adolescence over a Six-Year Follow-Up Period

Abstract: Limited literature has explored whether dietary intake patterns are maintained or changed between childhood and adolescence. More research is required to understand the predictors of these patterns. Using longitudinal data collected in China for 984 children initially aged 6--13 y, we examined children's dietary intake patterns over a 6-y period and the predictors. Detailed data on children's diets (three 24-h recalls in each survey), anthropometry, sociodemographic characteristics and parental education and occupation were collected. To study the predictors of tracking and changes, we conducted ordinary and multinomial logistic regression analyses. Significant correlations (r = 0.28-0.51, P < 0.05) between individuals' 1991 and 1997 dietary intakes were observed for macronutrients and major food groups (vegetable and fruit, meat and edible oil), which were also supported by kappa (a statistic measuring agreement beyond chance). About half of those who initially consumed high fat, high carbohydrate, high vegetable and fruit, and high meat diets continued such diets 6 y later. Family income, urban-rural residence, mother's education and baseline dietary intakes were important predictors of children's dietary intake patterns. In conclusion, even under conditions of rapid socioeconomic change, children are likely to maintain their dietary intake patterns from childhood into adolescence. Efforts to promote healthy eating behaviors may be more effective if focused on younger children, and parents should be involved in these efforts.

Prevention and control of hepatitis B in China.

Abstract: About 170 million Chinese are infected chronically with HBV and 10% suffer from chronic hepatitis. Around half a million Chinese die from hepatitis B caused hepatocellular carcinoma and endstage cirrhosis each year. From 1983 to the present, a controlled clinical trial involving 80,000 children on a universal hepatitis B vaccination programme to prevent chronic hepatitis, hepatocellular carcinoma, and endstage cirrhosis was implemented in Qidong, China. A pilot study demonstrated that the HBsAg rate reached the adult level before the fifth year of age, and neonatal vaccination with either plasma-derived or recombinant hepatitis B vaccines provided a similar 75% protective efficacy against HBV infection. The high rate of follow-up and blood tests coverage of the cohorts provided data to show 75% protection at the tenth to eleventh years of age against serum HBsAg and also against prolonged hepatic dysfunction. The strategy of controlling hepatitis B nationwide was based on the universal immunisation of newborns, beginning in cities and then the rural areas. The large-scale vaccine source was provided by domestic plants through technology transfer, first providing plasma-derived vaccine replaced completely by recombinant DNA vaccine in 1997. An official survey in 1999 using a cluster sampling of 25,878 children from 31 provinces reported an average coverage rate of three dose of hepatitis B vaccination of 70.7%, being higher in urban areas. The Ministry of Public Health of China has planned to integrate hepatitis B vaccination into the nationwide EPI program with Government-provided vaccines starting January 1, 2002.

Community-Based Trial to Prevent Drug Use Among Youths in Yunnan, China

Abstract: Objectives. This study evaluated a community-based program in China to prevent initiation of drug use in young men. Methods. Similar intervention and control areas were selected. Village leaders, teachers, and women and youth leaders were recruited to participate in the program. Community activities were organized and intervention activities in schools were implemented. Incidence of new drug users was estimated. Results. There was a 2.7-fold greater reduction in drug use initiation in the intervention area (1.59% vs 0.60%). Reduction was highest among males aged 15 to 19, single men, illiterate men, and the Jingpo minority. HIV/AIDS knowledge and attitudes and recognition of drug problems were all significantly better in the intervention area. Conclusions. Community-based intervention programs to prevent drug use can be successful in rural areas of China.

Diffusion of HIV/AIDS knowledge, positive attitudes, and behaviors through training of health professionals in China.

Abstract: A study evaluated a training-of-trainers strategy to update HIV/AIDS knowledge and improve attitudes and behavior among health professionals and the public. A survey was carried out among health workers and villagers. An initial workshop was given to 55 staff from several health institutions. Trainees were provided limited funds to conduct secondary workshops at local levels. They were requested to diffuse knowledge to patients during routine health visits. A follow-up survey was conducted 18 months later in counties in which workshops were not held. Knowledge, attitudes, and behavior were compared both at the baseline and follow-up surveys, and before and after the intervention. Nearly 95% (94.8%, or 13,782) of health workers in Fuyang Prefecture were trained secondarily at local levels. Knowledge was significantly higher in intervention (88.5-99.8%) compared with nonintervention (37.4-53.7%) counties, and after intervention (22.2-66.6%), respectively (p < .01). Attitudes toward people with HIV/AIDS improved significantly in intervention counties. Condom use during last sexual intercourse increased from 11.0% to 33.5% in health workers (p < .01) and from 8.7% to 18.5% among villagers (p <.01). The strategy wascost effective for improving knowledge and attitudes and promoting condom use.

Core promoter mutations (A(1762)T and G(1764)A) and viral genotype in chronic hepatitis B and hepatocellular carcinoma in Guangxi, China.

Abstract: Hepatitis B viruses (HBV) with core promoter mutations (A1762T, G1764A) were found in a previous study to be highly prevalent in patients from Guangxi, China with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The aim of this study was to determine whether the mutations are prevalent in areas of Guangxi with high and lower incidences of HCC and whether they are associated with other severe sequelae of chronic hepatitis B, including the development of cirrhosis. In addition, the genotypes of the various HBV sequences were determined. Core promoter mutations were significantly more common in HCC patients than asymptomatic carriers from both regions of Guangxi and also were common in patients with cirrhosis and chronic hepatitis. The data also support the hypothesis that genotype C HBV causes more severe liver disease than does genotype B. J. Med. Virol. 68:33–40, 2002. © 2002 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

The nutrition transition in China: a new stage of the Chinese diet.

Abstract: Publisher Summary China represents one of the most rapidly developing countries in the world. In the past two decades, the annual growth rate of the gross domestic product (GDP) was more than 8%; the highest rate in recent world history. China has achieved remarkable economic progress and high levels of education. Annual income per capita is now almost 20 times greater than 20 years ago, reaching $400 in rural areas and $850 in urban areas in 1999. With these economic shifts, and many related social changes, has come a rapid evolution of the Chinese diet. The Chinese cuisine has one of the oldest histories. The starting point for modern Chinese cuisine is the cultivation and consumption of cereals. Yi Yin, a famous cook and prime minister, developed the standards that are still followed, which stress the mastery of cooking techniques and the harmony of flavors. Foods are classified by nature and their flavor. The absence of excessive oil, other higher fat ingredients, and cooking options from the traditional cuisine, and even from the regional cuisines that emerged during the Ching and Manchu dynasties is surprising. The excessive use of meat in the overall diet and the heavy additions of oils in modern dishes are new dimensions. There appears to be no ancient precedent for the current “Westernization” of the Chinese diet. The classic Chinese diet includes cereals and vegetables with a few animal foods. China is transforming very rapidly from the pattern of the present receding famine stage to that of diet-related degenerative diseases.

Blood lead level of children in the urban areas in China

Abstract: Objective The purpose of this study was to investigate the blood lead level of 3 - 5 year old children living in the cities in China and to provide scientific data for making policy on environmental lead pollution for children health protection. Methods Six thousand five hundred and two vein blood samples from 3 - 5 year old children in nineteen cities of nine provinces were sampled. Inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) were employed to determine lead level in whole blood after microwave digestion for sample preparation and questionnaire survey was also performed. Data were analyzed with multiple regression on factors which affecting blood lead levels. Results Results showed that mean blood lead level was 88.3 micro g/L for 3 - 5 year old children living in the cities in China and mean blood lead level of boys (91.1 micro g/L) was higher than that of girls (87.3 micro g/L). Twenty-nine point nine one per cent of the children's blood lead level exceeded 100 micro g/L. The research finding showed: (1) higher blood lead levels had negative effects on children's physical growth, language ability etc. (2) behavior of parents had certain effects on children's blood lead levels. (3) blood lead levels of children were affected by unhealthy habits. Conclusions Problem of childhood lead poisoning in China has become more serious. During the past ten years, blood lead levels of children has been increased in China while decreasing in developed countries. Blood lead levels of children in China are higher than that of developed countries, which called for special concern by government and society.

Glutathione inhibits the antischistosomal activity of artemether.

Abstract: Objective To observe the effect of reduced glutathione (GSH) and glutathione depleting agent 1-chloro-2,4-dinitrobenzene (CDNB) on the susceptibility of adult Schistosoma japonicum to artemether (Art) in combination with hemin in vitro. . Methods. In vitro, malondialdehyde(MDA) levels were determined in five-week-old worms incubated without or with Art, hemin, GSH, and CDNB, either alone or in combination, for 24 h, and the remaining worms were continuously incubated up to 96 h for worm survival assessment. In vivo, GSH levels were determined in worms freshly recovered from mice 6, 12 and 24 h after treatment with Art 300 mg/kg. . Results . In vitro, GSH decreased the proportion of worms killed by Art plus hemin, but CDNB rendered the worms susceptible to the killing. The above-mentioned distinguishing features of GSH and CDNB were associated with their reverse effect on worm lipid peroxidation induced by Art-hemin system. In vivo, Art led to a slight decrease followed by a significant increase in the parasite GSH levels. . Conclusion . GSH might play an important role in the defense of the worms against Art-generated toxic peroxides and free radicals.

[Study on treatment of multi-drug resistant falciparum malaria by using a combination of dihydroartemisinin and pyronaridine].

Abstract: OBJECTIVE To provide a combined medication scheme for the treatment of multi-drug resistant falciparum malaria. METHODS Combined administration of dihydroartemisinin and pyronaridine was given to the 32 cases of falciparum malaria cases with multi-drug resistance. The indices for evaluation on day 14, 21, and 28 after treatment included the mean fever subsidence time, mean asexual form clearance time, mean recrudescence time of asexual form and recrudescence rate, proportion of gametocyte carriers, mean density of gametocytes and its mean clearance time, cure rate and rate of side-effects. A double blind clinical test was performed with standard schemes of dihydroartemisinin (20 cases) and pyronaridine (25 cases) as control. RESULTS The mean fever subsidence time of treated patients by dihydroartemisinin/pyronaridine combination, dihydroartemisinin and pyronaridine was 35.7 +/- 24.7 h, 52.6 +/- 38.9 h and 35.8 +/- 16.5 h respectively, showing a significant difference between the combination group and dihydroartemisinin groups (P < 0.01). The mean asexual form clearance time was 23.8 +/- 10.1 h, 22.9 +/- 6.5 h and 49.4 +/- 20.3 h respectively, showing significantly faster in the combination group than the pyronaridine group (P < 0.01). The recrudescence rate was 0, 4.2% and 0 respectively. The proportion of gametocyte carriers was 20.0%, 16.7% and 60.9% respectively, with a significantly higher rate in the group of pyronaridine than the group of combination (P < 0.01). CONCLUSION The combination of dihydroartemsinin and pyronaridine is an ideal medication scheme for the treatment of falciparum malaria cases with multi-drug resistance.

Application of remote sensing for surveillance of snail habitats in Poyang Lake, China.

Abstract: OBJECTIVE To identify snail habitats and monitor the changes by combining remote sensing technique with the ground-based ecological data. METHODS Of 100 survey sites selected throughout Poyang Lake, 75 were randomly identified from 574 land mass units: 50 were from snail habitats and 25 were from non-snail habitats based on a historical survey (1982-1984); 25 sites with habitats that did not have snails were also selected. Each site, covering 10,000 m2, was divided into a grid of 100 cells from which 20 cells were randomly selected. Snails, when present, were collected from a 4 m2 frame placed in the center of the selected cell. Satellite Landsat TM images were obtained for the same period as the ground survey data collected. Unsupervised classification was used to classify the images. Identified land-cover types were correlated with snail habitat. RESULTS The sensitivity and specificity of classified snail habitat were 90.0%-95.6% and 61.1%-68.6%, respectively. Based on the classification, estimated snail habitat areas in Poyang Lake increased from 623.4 km2 in 1999 to 762.8 km2 in 2000. CONCLUSION Snail habitats are associated with grassland-covered areas. Classified images can be used to identify snail habitats, determine their areas, and monitor snail habitat changes caused by annual fluctuations of key environmental factors.

[Serologic studies of Xinjiang hemorrhagic fever in Bachu county, 2001].

Abstract: Objective To investigate the situation of Xinjiang hemorrhagic fever (XHF) in patients who have been diagnosed as XHF by clinical methods and to predict the condition in people who were liable to infection and in the host-animals Methods Sera collected from XHF patients and some peasants under the risk of contracting the disease, followed by checking the specific antibody against XHF with IgG-ELISA and IgM capture ELISA, and XHF viral antigen with antigen capture ELISA In addition, 80 sheep/goats serums were collected from two places where there were more XHF cases and specific IgG antibody against XHF checked by ELISA method Results Positive rate of IgG and IgM antibodies were 3962% (21/53) and 2075% (11/53) respectively in the serums of patients; one patient's serum showed XHFV antigen positive by antigen capture ELISA IgG antibody positive rate for peasants' sera was 2105% (4/19), but IgM antibody detection showed negative for all sera In sera from 80 sheep and goats, 70% (56/80) showed IgG positive Conclusion Results showed that XHF broke out in Bachu county from April to June 2001 while recessive infection of the disease remained serious

[Study on the effects of lead from small industry of battery recycling on environment and children's health].

Abstract: OBJECTIVE In order to minimize lead pollution and to protect the identified individuals with high blood lead level from lead contamination, an epidemiological study was carried on children living around the village and township-owned lead industries in Tianying town. METHODS Environmental monitoring: lead levels in air, soil, drinking water and crops were measured. Biological monitoring: 959 children aged 5 - 12 years were selected from villages where the lead smelters located near the residential areas and the battery disassembling was done in some families. The control children (207 pupils) were from other villages without lead exposure. Blood lead, ZnPP and teeth lead were determined. Height, weight and head circle of children and IQ scores were measured. RESULTS The environment was seriously polluted. The average lead concentrations in air and soils were 8.5 times and 10 times of the MACs (national health standard) respectively. Eighty-five per cent the air samples with lead concentrations higher than the national health standard. Local crops and wheat at farmers' home were also contaminated by lead dust, with. Lead content being 24 times higher than the standard. The mean blood lead and ZnPP levels of children lived in the polluted areas were 496 microgram/L and 9.41 microgram/g Hb respectively. The lead exposure caused adverse effects on children's IQ and physical development. CONCLUSION It is necessary to remove and reduce currently active sources of lead pollution in the community and to increase public awareness of potential health effects of lead exposure.

[Qualitative study of drug-using and sexual behaviors of drug users in Guangxi].

Abstract: Objective To understand where and how drug-using and sexual behaviors occurred among drug users Methods Twenty-five drug users were recruited from detoxification centers and communities In-depth interview was used to collect information about drug-using and sexual behaviors Each subject was interviewed separately and privately for about 2 - 3 hours Results Most drug users shifted from oral taking drugs to injecting drugs in order to reduce economic burden and look for "high feeling" Reasons for not injecting among few drug users included 'perceiving information on harm of injection', 'over-dose death' or 'infection with HIV' Most drug users knew that HIV transmit through sharing needles or having sexual intercourse without using a condom However, needles were shared at night when drug or needles were scarce Promiscuous sexual relationship was common among drug users Most female drug users had engaged in prostitution but few used condoms Conclusion High-risk drug injecting behaviors and high-risk sexual behaviors were prevalent among drug users despite knowledge on HIV transmission and prevention Thus, education alone would not work unless specific intervention programs are taken

In vitro antimalarial effect of daphnetin relating to its iron-chelating activity.

Abstract: Objective To investigate the in vitro antimalarial effect of daphentin relating to its iron-chelating activity. Methods Schizontocidal activity of daphnetin and desferrioxamine B was tested through an in vitro assay based on the routine in vitro cultivation of Plasmodium faciparum FCC1 strain. The iron-chelating ability of each was measured by the fluorescent probe calcein. Results Daphnetin exhibited a modest iron-chelating ability compared with the powerful iron-chelator desferrioxamine B. In vitro test at the range of 0-12 mumol/L daphnetin showed a dose-dependent schizontocidal activity which could be inhibited if mixed with Fe2+ in a ratio of 2:1. Conclusion The dose-dependent antimalarial activity of daphnetin is related to its iron-chelating activity.

[Serological investigations on patients with hemolytic uremic syndromes due to enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli O157:H7 infection].

Abstract: OBJECTIVE To investigate the etiological agent of patients with diarrhea followed by acute kidney failure symptoms in China, 1999. METHODS Western blot was used to detect serum specific antibodies of patients against entero-haemorrhagic Escherichia coli hemolysin (EHEC-Hly) and lipo-polysaccharide of E. coli O157. RESULTS Twenty-one and 16 of 42 patients showed positive reaction of specific IgG or IgM antibodies against EHEC-Hly respectively. Eleven of 42 serum samples were positive for having both IgG and IgM antibodies while 26 of 42 samples were positive for IgG or IgM. For E. coli O157 LPS test, 24 and 24 of 42 samples showed positive for IgG or IgM antibodies respectively. In 42 samples, 20 were positive for IgG and IgM while 29 were positive for IgG or IgM. CONCLUSIONS Twenty-two of 42 samples were reacted with EHEC-Hly and E. coli O157 LPS, but 34 of 42 samples were positive for EHEC-Hly or E. coli O157. In combination of western blot results, bacterial isolation clinical symptoms and epidemiological investigation findings, it was reasonable to conclude that this cluster of patients with distinguish clinical symptoms was caused by E. coli O157:H7, which had never been reported in China. Hence serological methods with EHEC-Hly and E. coli O157 LPS are valuable for diagnosis of infections of E. coli O157:H7, when bacterial isolation is failed.

A Survey of Knowledge,Attitude and Practice Related to HIV/AIDS among Men Who Have Sex with Men in a Northeast City of China.

Abstract: Objective To evaluate knowledge and attitude related to HIV/AIDS and describe the high risk behaviors that can cause HIV epidemic among men who have sex with men in China Methods We conducted a cross-sectional survey of 215 MSM with a face to face interview Results Most of the participants were well educated,but had poor knowledge of HIV/AIDS,and they obtained the knowledge by reading newspapers and magazines or by watching TV,and few people received such knowledge from doctors Only 14 4% of the participants reported consistent condom use with their male sex partners The main reasons of not using a condom were: the partners or MSM themselves did not like to use of condom or condoms were not available when they had sex The proportion of consistent condom using increased and the proportion of never using condom declined distinctly with the increasing level of the knowledge of HIV/AIDS Of 215 participants,11 7% had been tested for HIV antibody and no one selfreported to be HIV antibody positive The median age of the first sex was 18 years,average number of male sex partners was 10 3,and 40 5% of the participants had female and 96 6% had male sex partners in the past six months Most of the participants(84 5%)had unprotected anal intercourse with male partners in the past six months Conclusion Poor knowledge of HIV/AIDS and high-risk sexual behaviors were ubiquitous among MSM and potential HIV epidemic may occur in this population It is imperative to carry out targeted interventions for MSM

[Study on diarrhea disease caused by enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli O157:H7 in Xuzhou city, Jiangsu province in 2000].

Abstract: OBJECTIVE To investigate the proportion of hemorrhagic colitis (HC) caused by Escherichia coli O157:H7 in bacterial diarrhea in Xuzhou city, Jiangsu province. METHODS All stool samples from patients with diarrhea were screened for O157 antigen, using Immuno-gold kits. Positive samples were cultured to detect the existence of pathogens. All of the HC patients confirmed by bacterial isolation and identification were investigated for clinical symptoms and laboratory tests. RESULTS Of the diarrhea patients identified in Feng county in May, and in Tongshan county of Xuzhou city in June 2000, Jiangsu province 0.98% and 5.89% were caused by Escherichia coli O157:H7 respectively, confirmed by bacteriological isolation and identification of stool samples. At the early phase of hemorrhagic colitis, 18.5% patients had at least one abnormal clinical laboratory test results including protein in urea and increased BUN or creatinine that indicating the possibility of kidney damage. In 27 strains of E. coli O157:H7 isolated from those patients, 13 and 14 were identified as Shiga toxin producing and Shiga-toxin negative E. coli O157:H7 (Stx-positive or Stx-negative) respectively. By analysis of the two groups of patients divided by according to the nature of Shiga toxin, four of 13 patients of Stx-positive group showed positive urea protein. However only 1 of the 13 patients of Stx-negative group was urea protein positive. The decreased Platelets counts were observed in 6 of 13 patients with Stx-positive group, but only in 1 of 14 patients with stx-negative group. These differences were statistically significant. CONCLUSION HC patients caused by E. coli O157:H7 were commonly seen (up to 5.89%) in Xuzhou city, Jiangsu province. Early laboratory tests should be conducted for HC patients as early as possible in order to find early indictor of kidney failure which was critical for prevention of hemolytic uremic syndrome.

Surveillance of Escherichia coli O157∶H7 among animals in Jiangsu province in 1999

Abstract: Objective To understand the Escherichia coli O157:H7 carrier rate of host animals and the toxic gene of the strains in different areas in Jiangsu province. Methods Surveillance spots were set up in different areas, to collect feces of pigs, chickens, sheep, cattle to culture for O157:H7 with immunomagnetic separation as well as detection of toxic gene of the strain with MPCR were both carried out. Results One hundred and seventy strains of O157:H7 were separated from 1 767 feces of different animals in six spots, with a overall positive rate 9.62%. The positive rates of cattle and sheep were 19.05% and 12.01% respectively. Among 85 strains SLT1, SLT2, eaeA and hly toxic genes were detected. In which, 56.47% of the strains were positive curturely while 79.17% of them carried SLT2, eaeA and hly gene simultaneously. Conclusion The positive rate of O157:H7 in animals and the positive rates of strains were correlated to the incidence of the area. The highest rates were seen in areas where there had been O157:H7 epidemic, followed by the areas where there were only scattered cases identified while the lowest was in areas with no patients. Data indicated that it was important to enforce the surveillance of O157:H7 in animals to better predict and control of the disease.

An investigation on HIV-1 transmission from mothers to children in selected areas of China

Abstract: Objective To investigate the incidence of HIV-1 transmission from mothers to children in China and the risk factors. Methods The children bom to HIV positive mothers who had been registered in health institutions or detected in hospitals, were followed up retrospectively and requested to test HIV viral load or antibodies.Blood or urine samples were tested by bDNA assay or both ELISAand Westernblot assay.Results A total of 94 children born to 87 HIV- 1 positive mothers were included in this cohort, who were distributed over 10 provinces or autonomous regions, including Yunnan, Henan, Xinjiang and Guangdong, and 80 children born to 75 mothers were completed to investigate and test for HIV RNA or antibodies.The overall rate of HIV- 1 transmission from mother to child was 35.0% (28/80) (95%C1:24.6%-45.4% ), and41.7% (10/24) were reported in Henan, where HIV-1 spreaded overwhelmingly by illegal blood transfusion in the early 1990's,and 33.3% (11/33) and 27.3% (3/11) were reported in Yunnan and Xinjiang respectively, where HIV epidemic dominated in intravenous drug users. The factors influencing HIV mother - to - child transmission were simultaneously investigated in this study, such as mother" s infection routes, delivery modes, delivery times and feeding practices. The rates of transmission related with mottles' blood transfusion, sexual behaviors, primiparous and multiparows deliveries, breast feeding and feeding with formula were 45. 5% (10/22), 32.1% (17/53(, 25.9(7/27), 36.2% (25/69) and 22.2% (2/9), respectively.but no statistical difference was found in each group of these relateel factors. Conclusion The rates of HIV - 1 transmission from mothers to children in China are higher than those in western countries and similar to these in African and Asian countries, and the risk cacters should be studied further.