[Characteristics of rare diseases in Zhejiang province, 2007-2017]

Objective: To understand the characteristics of 24 388 inpatients with rare diseases in Zhejiang province during 2007-2017 and provide evidence for rare disease prevention and control. Methods: Inpatient data of rare diseases and the number of hospitalization in each year were collected in 10 hospitals of class Ⅲ (A) in Zhejiang province from 2007 to 2017, and descriptive statistical analysis was used. Results: A total of 24 388 cases of rare diseases were found, accounting for 2.69‰ (24 388/9 054 201) of total hospitalized cases. The top 3 types of rare diseases were "diseases of blood and blood-forming organs and certain disorders involving immune mechanism" (32.81%, 8 001/24 388), "congenital malformations, deformations and chromosomal abnormalities" (24.87%, 6 065/24 388) and "diseases of the nervous system" (19.01%, 4 635/24 388). The number of rare disease cases increased year by year from 2007 to 2017 with an average annual growth of 19.69%, however, the proportion of rare disease cases in the annual number of hospitalized cases only showed upward trend during 2016-2017, the time distribution of different types of rare diseases had different characteristics. The male to female ratio of rare diseases cases was 1.35∶1(13 990/10 398), "diseases of the digestive system" (4.45∶1, 1 180/265), "consequences of injury, poisoning and other external causes" (3.51∶1, 281/80) and "diseases of the nervous system" (2.26∶1, 3 213/1 422) had the highest male to female ratio. The distributions of rare disease types and diseases of different types in different age groups varied. The top 10 rare diseases accounted for 53.55% (13 060/24 388) of the total cases, and the top 3 diseases were adult idiopathic neutropenia (14.41%, 3 515/24 388), corticobasal degeneration (7.60%, 1 854/24 388) and henock-schoenlein purpura (6.01%, 1 466/24 388). Conclusion: The analysis on the characteristics of 24 388 rare disease cases in Zhejiang during 2007-2017 provided reference evidence for the promotion of rare disease research, monitoring, building registration database, and development of the prevention and control strategy for rare diseases in China.

[Analysis of related factors of secondary pulmonary infection in children with tracheobronchial foreign body]

Objective:To analyze the secondary pulmonary infection and the distribution of pathogenic bacteria in children with tracheobronchial foreign body, and to guide the clinical treatment. Method:The clinical data of 197 children with tracheobronchial foreign bodies confirmed by rigid bronchoscopy were reviewed. According to the clinical manifestations and signs, blood routine, chest CT and airway endocrine pathogen distribution, the secondary pulmonary infection was analyzed. Result:Seventy-five of 197 children with foreign bodies in tracheobronchial had secondary pulmonary infections. Among them, 32 cases of airway endocrine cultured pathogenic bacteria, mainly including Streptococcus pneumoniae and Haemophilus influenzae. Children with long preoperative history, fever, and with a history of using antibiotics are more likely to have secondary pulmonary infections. Conclusion:The duration of disease history, preoperative fever and the use of antibiotics are related to secondary pulmonary infection. The third generation of cephalosporins can effectively control the infection.

Safety and patient-reported outcomes of atezolizumab, carboplatin, and etoposide in extensive-stage small-cell lung cancer (IMpower133): a randomized phase I/III trial

BACKGROUND

The addition of atezolizumab to carboplatin and etoposide (CP/ET) significantly improved progression-free and overall survival for patients with extensive-stage small-cell lung cancer (ES-SCLC) in the IMpower133 study (NCT02763579). We have evaluated adverse events (AEs) and patient-reported outcomes in IMpower133 to assess the benefit-risk profile of this regimen.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Patients received four 21-day cycles of CP/ET plus intravenous atezolizumab 1200 mg or placebo (induction phase), followed by atezolizumab or placebo (maintenance phase) until progression or loss of benefit. AEs were assessed and patient-reported outcomes were evaluated every 3 weeks during treatment using the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire - Core 30 (QLQ-C30) and QLQ-LC13.

RESULTS

Overall, 394 patients were assessable for safety in the induction phase and 318 in the maintenance phase. The frequency of AEs, grade 3-4 AEs, and serious AEs was similar between arms in both phases. Immune-related AEs were more frequent in the atezolizumab arm during both induction (28% versus 17%; leading to atezolizumab/placebo interruption 9% versus 5%, leading to withdrawal 4% versus 0%) and maintenance (26% versus 15%; leading to atezolizumab/placebo interruption, 3% versus 2%, leading to withdrawal 1% versus 1%), most commonly rash (induction 11% versus 9%, maintenance 14% versus 4%), and hypothyroidism (induction 4.0% versus 0%, maintenance 10% versus 1%). Changes in patient-reported treatment-related symptoms commonly associated with quality of life impairment were generally similar during induction and most of the maintenance phase. Patient-reported function and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) improved in both arms after initiating treatment, with more pronounced and persistent HRQoL improvements in the atezolizumab arm.

CONCLUSIONS

In patients with ES-SCLC, atezolizumab plus CP/ET has a comparable safety profile to placebo plus CP/ET, and the addition of atezolizumab did not adversely impact patient-reported HRQoL. These data demonstrate the positive benefit-risk profile of first-line atezolizumab plus CP/ET in ES-SCLC and further support this regimen as a new standard of care in this setting.

CLINICAL TRIALS NUMBER

NCT02763579.

Silicosis in rhinestone-manufacturing workers in South China

BACKGROUND

Silicosis is caused by long-term exposure to silica dust. Crystal rhinestone workers can be exposed to high levels of silica dust and are at risk of silicosis.

AIMS

To explore silicosis cases, silica dust exposure and control measures in a rhinestone factory in South China.

METHODS

We extracted and analysed data on new silicosis cases reported to China's occupational disease and occupational health information monitoring system between 2006 and 2012 from a rhinestone factory in South China. We measured the quartz content of bulk dust, static total and respirable dust samples.

RESULTS

Ninety-eight silicosis cases were reported between 2006 and 2012. The mean duration of silica dust exposure was 9.2 years (range 3-16). Drilling and polishing workers accounted for 96 (98%) of cases. We collected 1479 static samples including 690 total dust and 789 respirable dust samples. Mean dust levels for drilling were 1.01 mg/m3 (range 0.20-3.80) for total dust and 0.51 mg/m3 (range 0.04-1.70) for respirable dust. Mean dust levels for polishing were 0.59 mg/m3 (range 0.20-2.10) for total dust and 0.28 mg/m3 (range 0.08-0.71) for respirable dust. Over a third [289/789 (37%)] of total dust samples and 129/690 (19%) respirable dust samples exceeded the national permissible exposure limit.

CONCLUSION

Exposure to silica dust, ineffective dust control measures and inefficient health surveillance may have contributed to the incidence of silicosis in the factory we studied. Identification of silica dust exposure and effective dust control measures would reduce the risk of silicosis in rhinestone workers.

A Traditional Chinese Patent Medicine ZQMT for Neovascular Age- Related Macular Degeneration: A Multicenter Randomized Clinical Trial

BACKGROUND

Anti-VEGF agent ranibizumab has been extensively used as a standard treatment for wet AMD. We investigated whether traditional Chinese medicine could serve as a complementary therapy for this disease.

METHODS

144 patients with neovascular age-related macular degeneration received either intravitreal ranibizumab treatment as needed plus placebo or intravitreal ranibizumab treatment as needed plus an FDA approved traditional Chinese patent medicine named ZQMT. Both groups received treatment for 24 weeks. The primary outcome was the mean change of visual acuity at week 24 as compared to the baseline.

RESULTS

We found that intravitreal ranibizumab treatment plus ZQMT was non-inferior to the treatment with intravitreal ranibizumab alone in improving visual acuity scores at week 24 with patients in both groups who gained substantial numbers of letters. In addition, we found that ZQMT treatment resulted in significant improvements in reducing retinal hemorrhage, fluid, and lesion size. Importantly, administration of ZQMT reduced the number of needed ranibizumab injections (P<0.0001, analysis of variance) in wet AMD patients leading to a significant reduction of drug cost.

CONCLUSION

The combinatory therapy of ranibizumab and traditional Chinese patent medicine ZQMT had equivalent effects on visual acuity improvement and safety profiles as the ranibizumab treatment alone. Ranibizumab injections coupled with ZQMT offer therapeutic advantages in terms of reduction of retinal lesions and ease the financial burden of patients undergoing treatment by reducing the frequency of necessary ranibizumab injections.

Fast distributed dynamic strain sensing using a modified gain-profile tracing technique

Gain-profile tracing (GPT) is a useful strategy of distributed sensing in BOTDA technique for achieving high spatial resolution, which has not been used for the dynamic strain measurement previously. In this paper, we propose a modified gain-profile tracing (MGPT) technique for fast dynamic strain measurement while maintaining the advantage of high spatial resolution. This technique is based on a modified pump pulse modulation scheme and the slope-assisted demodulation method. The time consumption using MGPT technique for a single pump pulse measurement of dynamic strain is less by 25% than the conventional GPT technique. The spatial resolution of our BOTDA system using MGPT technique is 50cm and maximal frequency of dynamic strain detection could be up to 53.5 Hz for 248m sensing length. In the experiments, we measure two vibration events spacing 50 cm with the frequency of 14.0 Hz and 17.0 Hz in a 248 m single-mode fiber. The proposed method is a potential real-time dynamic alternative for distributed structural health monitoring.

Effects of two different broiler flooring systems on production performances, welfare, and environment under commercial production conditions

Research comparing conventional litter and alternative perforated flooring (netting) systems is relatively limited under commercial production conditions. A comprehensive comparison of broiler production performances, welfare quality, and housing environment of two broiler houses with conventional litter and new perforated plastic floors was conducted over four flocks for eight months in eastern China. The two broiler houses each had 31,700 broilers per flock on average and were ventilated using a negative-pressure system. Prior to the onset of the monitoring, litter/manure in all houses was removed. The environmental conditions, gaseous concentrations, and ventilation rate were recorded continuously. Production performance and welfare quality data were collected weekly. Results showed that indoor temperature and relative humidity were not affected by the different floors when the two houses had the same ventilation configuration and management. The average ammonia concentration was lower at 10.44 ppm in the litter house compared to 15.02 ppm in the netting flooring house due to the manure accumulation under the floor. Broiler production performance including live weight, feed conversion, and mortality, was not affected by the netting floor compared to the litter system. In addition, the results suggested that birds raised in the netting floor house may increase breast blister incidence. In this study, the welfare quality parameters including hock and foot pad lesions, lameness, and fearfulness levels were similar in both for both flooring systems.

Preparation, characterization, and pharmacokinetics in swine of a florfenicol enteric formulation prepared using hot-melt extrusion technology

The objective of this work was to manufacture an enteric formulation of florfenicol (FF) using hot-melt extrusion (HME) technology and to evaluate its in vitro dissolution and in vivo pharmacokinetics. For the HME process, hypromellose acetate succinate LG (HPMCAS-LG) was the enteric polymer mixed with FF, and the two components were extruded with a standard screw configuration at a speed of 50 rpm. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) were performed to characterize the HME extrudate. The release percentage of the enteric formulation in the acidic stage was <10% of the loaded FF, whereas that in the phosphate buffer stage was >80%. Pharmacokinetic evaluations in swine revealed that the enteric formulation had a longer t_1/2λ and MRT than commercially available FF powder (FULAIKA^® ), indicating that the novel formulation exhibited enteric and sustained release properties. Compared with the commercial product, the relative bioavailability of the enteric formulation reached up to 117.2%. This study suggests that this formulation may have potential for future commercialization.

Prevalence and natural course of occult hepatitis B virus infection in residents of 2 communities of Wuwei City, Gansu Province, China

Occult hepatitis B infection (OBI) is characterized by serum hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) negative and hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA positive (HBsAg-/HBV DNA+). Occult hepatitis B infection in community-based populations has been scarcely investigated, and OBI outcomes remain unclear, especially in Wuwei, a region located in Northwest China. This region is one of the areas in China that has the highest prevalence of chronic HBV infection. A prospective study was performed in the general population of 2 towns of Wuwei from June 2011 to May 2014. A questionnaire was used to collect demographic and medical data, and serum samples were collected from the participants and stored until analysis. DNA was detected using quantitative PCR (qPCR) or nested PCR, the HBV DNA from HBV DNA-positive or possible positive (below the detection limit) subjects was extracted and amplified by nested PCR, and the PCR products were sequenced. Sequence analysis was performed using the Mega 6.0 program and CLC sequence viewer software. Hepatitis B virus DNA was detected in 90 of 3,080 HBsAg-negative subjects, and the prevalence of OBI in the study population was 2.92% (90/3,080, 95% CI: 2.33%-3.51%). Hepatitis B virus genomes in 51 of 80 objects (63.75%) contained mutations in the "a" determinant of HBsAg. After 2 years follow-up, 42 of 90 HBV DNA of OBI subjects remained positive, and the natural clearance rate of OBI subjects was 53.3%. Occult hepatitis B infection prevalence in this cohort was much lower than chronic HBV infection in the same region. HBV DNA was cleared in most OBI subjects during the 2 year period. Our data suggest that some OBI may represent a late stage of resolving the HBV infection process.

Biomaterial Strategies to Reduce Implant-Associated Infections

Although the prophylaxis in controlling sterility within the operating room environment has been greatly improved, implant-associated infection is still one of the most serious complications in implant surgeries due to the existence of immune depression in the peri-implant area. The antibacterial ability of materials themselves logically becomes an important factor in preventing implant-associated infections. With the understanding of the pathogenesis of implant-associated infections, many approaches have been developed through providing an anti-adhesive surface, delivering antibacterial agents to disrupt cell-cell communication and preventing bacteria aggregation or biofilm formation, or killing bacteria directly (lysing the cell membrane). In this article, we review the current strategies in improving the antibacterial ability of materials to prevent implant infection and further present promising tactics in materials design and applications.

Separation and purification using GO and r-GO membranes

Many materials with varied characteristics have been used for water purification and separation applications. Recently discovered graphene oxide (GO), a two-dimensional derivative of graphene has been considered as a promising membrane material for water purification due to its excellent hydrophilicity, high water permeability, and excellent ionic/molecular separation properties. This review is focussed on the possible versatile applicability of GO membranes. It is also known that selective reduction of GO results in membranes with a pore size of ∼0.35 nm, ideally suited for desalination applications. This article presents the applicability of graphene-based membranes for multiple separation applications. This is indeed the first review article outlining a comparison of GO and r-GO membranes and discussing the suitability for applications based on the porosity of the membranes.

This review article outlines a comparison of GO and r-GO membranes for separation and purification applications.

[Analysis of sonographic characteristics of thyroid nodules diagnosed as false positive or negative results in shear wave elastography]

Objective:In order to improve diagnostic accuracy, we study the characteristics of two dimensional ultrasound and shear wave elastography in the diagnosis of false negative or false positive thyroid nodules by shear wave elastography.Method:One hundred and eighty-nine nodules in 189 consecutive patients who had been determined by surgical operation and pathology. Conventional ultrasound features and SWE elasticity imaging characteristics and properties of the final postoperative pathology were recorded. A comparative study between true and false results of quantitative SWE elasticity imaging, and the corresponding conventional ultrasound nodule characteristics were compared.Result:Postoperative pathology showed 189 nodules, 74(39.2%) were benign and 115(60.8%) were malignant. The sensitivity, specificity of conventional ultrasound in the diagnosis of thyroid nodules were 56.5% and 81.1% respectively, and those of SWE were 60.9% and 85.1%. The false positive rate of shear wave elastography in diagnosing benign nodules and the false negative rate of malignant nodules were 14.9% and 39.1%, respectively. The false negative rate was higher than the false positive rate. A vertical growth (P< 0.01) and smaller diameter of the masses were significantly associated with false SWE findings (P< 0.01).Conclusion:The SWE imaging has important significance for differentiating benign and malignant thyroid nodules, but false results are inevitable, which requires clinicians conjunction with other test results to prevent errors judgment when reviewing the SWE imaging.