Dynamics of spatiotemporal distribution of schistosomiasis in Hubei Province, China

Leveraging AI techniques for predicting spatial distribution and determinants of carbon emission in China's Yangtze River Delta

This study focuses on the prediction and management of carbon emissions (CE) under the backdrop of global warming, with a particular emphasis on developing spatial planning strategies for urban clusters. In this context, we integrate artificial intelligence technologies to devise an optimized spatial analysis method based on the attributes of multi-source, urban-level spatio-temporal big data on CE. This method enhances both the accuracy and interpretability of CE data processing. Our objectives are to accurately analyze the current status of CE, predict the future spatial distribution of urban CE in the Yangtze River Delta (YRD), and identify key driving factors. We aim to provide pragmatic recommendations for sustainable urban carbon management planning. The findings indicate that: (1) the algorithm designed by us demonstrates excellent fitting capabilities in the analysis of CE data in the YRD, achieving a fitting accuracy of 0.93; (2) it is predicted that from 2025 to 2030, areas with higher CE in the YRD will be primarily concentrated in the 'Provincial Capital Belt' and the 'Heavy Industry Belt'; (3) the economic foundation has been identified as the most significant factor influencing CE in the YRD; (4) projections suggest that CE in the YRD are likely to peak by 2030.

Efforts to eliminate schistosomiasis in Hubei province, China: 2005-2018

BACKGROUND

The Hubei province is one of the most schistosomiasis-epidemic-prone provinces in China. A series of strategies were adopted by the government to curb the rebound schistosomiasis endemic status that has prevailed since the early 2000s. This study aimed to elucidate the trends of schistosomiasis transmission and to appraise the effectiveness of the integrated control strategy in lake and marshland areas.

METHODS

Surveillance data of schistosomiasis in the Hubei province between 2005 and 2018 were analyzed, including conventional health control measures, integrated strategies, and measures that focused on the infection source. According to the local annual plan for schistosomiasis control in endemic counties, previous measures were human and snail control and surveillance. Residents aged 6-65 years were screened by an immunological detection method called indirect hemagglutination assay (IHA) after the transmission season each year. All residents who tested positive were then asked to provide a fecal sample for examination by the miracidium hatching technique (MHT) to detect the presence of schistosomes. Moreover, systematic snail surveys were conducted as a part of the combined environmental sampling method. The latter included integrated strategies and measures that focused on the infection source. Bovine stool samples were also collected and concurrently assessed using the MHT by the agriculture department, river-hardening slope protection was constructed by the water conservancy department, and forestation promotion was conducted by the forest department. The effectiveness of the integrated control strategy was assessed using two indicators of resident and livestock infection rates and three indicators of snail epidemics across all endemic areas.

RESULTS

From 2005 to 2018, a total of 28. 46 million and 2. 05 million residents were assessed by immunological (IHA) and etiological (MHT) detection techniques, respectively. Snail surveys and molluscicide application were performed in 2. 26 hectares and 0. 37 hectares, respectively. Moreover, 2. 60 million bovines were assessed by etiological detection techniques (MHT). The river-hardening slope protection project was implemented in 503 places, and 46 thousand hectares in endemic areas underwent environmental modification. Forestation was implemented at an area of 0. 15 million hectares. Between 2005 and 2018, the epidemic indicators, including resident and livestock infection rates and the infested areas and infection rate of snails, all presented downward trends. The resident infection rate decreased from 3. 78% in 2005 to 0% in 2016, which persisted through 2018. The livestock infection rate decreased from 5. 63% in 2005 to 0% in 2013, which also persisted through 2018. From 2005 to 2018, the snail-inhabited area was slightly reduced, but the area of infected snails decreased to 0 in 2012; this persisted through 2018. All counties met the goal for schistosomiasis infection control, transmission control, and disruption of schistosomiasis activity in 2008, 2013, and 2018 separately. That means the goal has been achieved in each stage.

CONCLUSIONS

The decline of the schistosomiasis epidemic rate demonstrates that the Chinese government was successful in meeting its public health goal in Hubei province. In the next decade, precision interventions must be implemented in endemic counties with a relatively low epidemic status to achieve the goals of the Outline of the Healthy China 2030 Plan. A similar strategy can be applied in other countries to eliminate schistosomiasis globally.

Schistosoma haematobium infection with pulmonary involvement in a traveller returning from Congo: A case report and systematic review of literature on nodular pulmonary schistosomiasis

BACKGROUND

Schistosomiasis is highly prevalent in sub-Saharan Africa and diagnosis is difficult for travel medicine practitioners, because it can affect different organs with atypical manifestations. S. haematobium is mostly associated with urinary involvement and rarely with pulmonary lesions. This review aims to summarise the pulmonary forms associated with schistosomiasis, especially with S. haematobium.

METHOD

Based on a case report of both pulmonary and urogenital schistosomiasis, we performed a systematic literature review of schistosomiasis occurring in migrants and travellers, with a specific focus on pulmonary schistosomiasis.

RESULTS

Pulmonary schistosomiasis can present two different clinical patterns. On the one hand, there is an acute pattern, which more frequently affects non-immune young travellers within three to eight weeks of their return and, on the other hand, there is a chronic pattern, which has been evolving in recent years and which mostly affects people living in endemic areas or migrating from these countries. Nodular pulmonary lesions are described in both patterns. Genus identification should not focus only on known patterns, and identification of S. haematobium should not be associated exclusively with urinary schistosomiasis.

CONCLUSIONS

Pulmonary schistosomiasis, even when resulting from S. haematobium, is a rare but existing infection that appears to be spreading with increasing travel and global migration. Physicians need to be more aware of non-specific symptoms that may reveal an atypical presentation of a tropical disease, in order to avoid the chronic complications which can result from parasitic diseases.

Impact of micro-environmental factors on survival, reproduction and distribution of Oncomelania hupensis snails

Background

Schistosomiasis japonica is a chronic parasitic disease that seriously harms people's health. Oncomelania hupensis is the only intermediate host of Schistosoma japonicum. The micro-environmental factors surrounding the snail have a great impact on the survival, growth and reproduction of O. hupensis, but there are few relevant systematic analyses until the present. This scoping review aims to identify and summarize the micro-environmental factors that greatly affect O. hupensis, and to find gaps in research thus to provide directions for future in-depth studies.

Main body

This scoping review searched databases with search terms of the combinations of “Micro(-)environment”, “Oncomelania” and their expanded aspects. A total of 133 original articles were recruited. Predefined data fields were extracted including research methods, influencing factors, and their effects on O. hupensis. Most studies focused on vegetation factors (54.1%), and other factors noted were soil composition (27.8%), water environmental factors (24.1%), and predator (3.0%), respectively. The factors with positive impacts included water level, pH value, soil temperature, soil humidity, the coverage and height of vegetation at suitable levels. This could provide more detailed information for O. hupensis habitat identification and prediction. The factors with negative impacts included plant extracts, snail control and disease prevention forests, and microorganisms with molluscicidal activities. It revealed a potential application as ecological molluscicides in the future. Factors such as physico-chemical properties of water, soil chemistry showed a gap in scientific studies, thus required further extensive research.

Conclusions

Micro-environmental factors including water quality, soil composition as well as the technology and application of biomolluscicides (plant extracts and microorganisms) deserve more attention. Relative study findings on micro-environment have good potentials in snail control applications. Further studies should be implemented to investigate the impact of micro-environmental factors on snails and close the research gaps.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s40249-021-00826-3.

Schistosoma japonicum-infected sentinel mice: Surveillance and spatial point pattern analysis in Hubei province, China, 2010-2018

OBJECTIVES

Progress in national schistosomiasis control in China has successfully reduced disease transmission in many districts. However, a low transmission rate hinders conventional snail surveys in identifying areas at risk. In this study, Schistosoma japonicum-infected sentinel mice surveillance was conducted to identify high-risk areas of schistosomiasis transmission in Hubei province, China.

METHODS

The risk of schistosomiasis transmission was assessed using sentinel mice monitoring in Hubei province from 2010 to 2018. Field detections were undertaken in June and September, and the sentinel mice were kept for approximately 35 days in a laboratory. They were then dissected to determine whether schistosome infection was present. Ripley's K-function and kernel density estimation were applied to analyze the spatial distribution and positive point pattern of schistosomiasis transmission.

RESULTS

In total, 190 sentinel mice surveillance sites were selected to detect areas of schistosomiasis infection from 2010 to 2018, with 29 (15.26%) sites showing infected mice. Of 4723 dissected mice, 256 adult worms were detected in 112 infected mice. The infection rate was 2.37%, with an average of 2.28 worms detected per infected mouse. Significantly more infected mice were detected in the June samples than in the September samples (χ²=12.11, p<0.01). Ripley's L(d) index analysis showed that, when the distance was ≤34.52km, the sentinel mice infection pattern showed aggregation, with the strongest aggregation occurring at 7.86km. Three hotspots were detected using kernel density estimation: at the junction of Jingzhou District, Gong'an County, and Shashi District in Jingzhou City; in Wuhan City at the border of the Huangpi and Dongxihu Districts, and in the Hannan and Caidian Districts.

CONCLUSION

The results showed that sentinel mice surveillance is useful in identifying high-risk areas, and could provide valuable information for schistosomiasis prevention and control, especially concerning areas along the Yangtze River, such as the Fu-Lun, Dongjing-Tongshun, and Juzhang River basins.

Spatiotemporal pattern analysis of schistosomiasis based on village level in the transmission control stage in lake and marshland areas in China

Hubei Province is one of the endemic regions with severe schistosomiasis in China. To eliminate schistosomiasis in lake and marshland regions, this study detected hotspots of schistosomiasis cases both spatially and spatiotemporally on the basis of spatial autocorrelation; clustering and outlier, purely spatial and spatiotemporal cluster analyses at the village level from 2013 to 2017 in Hubei Province. The number of cases confirmed positive by an immunodiagnostic test and etiological diagnosis and advanced schistosomiasis cases dramatically declined during the study period. Significant global spatial autocorrelation of schistosomiasis patients was found at the village level in the whole province in 5 years. Clustering and outlier analysis showed that most HH villages were mainly concentrated along the Yangtze River, especially in Jianghan Plain. Spatial and spatiotemporal cluster analyses showed that significant clusters of the schistosomiasis cases were detected at the village level. In general, space and spatiotemporal clustering of schistosomiasis cases at the village level demonstrated a downward trend from 2013 from 2017 in Hubei Province. High-risk regions included Jianghan Plain along the middle reach of Yangtze River and Yangxin County in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River in Hubei Province. To eliminate schistosomiasis, precise control and management of schistosomiasis cases should be strictly implemented. Moreover, comprehensive prevention and control measures should be continuously strengthened in these regions.

Transjugular Intrahepatic Portosystemic Shunt Placement in Patients with Schistosomiasis-Induced Liver Fibrosis

Purpose

Evaluate the efficacy and safety of transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) insertion on patients with schistosomiasis-induced liver fibrosis, and compare with that of patients with HBV-induced cirrhosis.

Materials and Methods

This was a retrospective study from November 2015 to December 2018 including 82 patients diagnosed with portal hypertension, one group of which is induced by schistosomiasis (n = 20), the other by hepatitis B virus (HBV) (n = 62). Both groups of subjects underwent TIPS placement for the management of portal hypertension complications.

Results

TIPS was inserted successfully in all patients (technical success 100%). After a median follow-up of 14 months following TIPS insertion, portal pressure gradient (PPG) value in both schistosomiasis-induced group and HBV-induced group underwent a significant decrease with no major difference between the two groups. There exists no significant difference demonstrated by Kaplan–Meier curves between two groups concerning cumulative rate of hepatic encephalopathy (HE) (log-rank p = 0.681), variceal rebleeding (log-rank p = 0.837) and survival (log-rank p = 0.429), and no statistically difference was found in terms of alleviation of portal vein thrombosis (PVT). In addition, splenectomy (HR 19, 95% CI 4–90, p < 0.001) was identified as independent predictor of PVT.

Conclusions

TIPS placement is well-founded to be considered as a safe and effective treatment in patients with schistosomiasis-induced portal hypertension and relevant severe complications. We also found the risk of PVT is 19 times higher in patients who underwent splenectomy than in untreated patients.

Level of Evidence

Historically controlled studies, level 4.

Geographical Clustering and Environmental Determinants of Schistosomiasis from 2007 to 2012 in Jianghan Plain, China

This study compared changes in the spatial clustering of schistosomiasis in Jianghan Plain, China by applying Kulldorff's spatial scan statistic. The Geodetector software was employed to detect the environmental determinants of schistosomiasis annually from 2007 to 2012. The most likely spatial cluster in 2007 covered the north-central part of Jianghan Plain, whereas those observed from 2008 to 2012 were toward the south, with extended coverage in generally the same areas across various periods, and some variation nevertheless in precise locations. Furthermore, the 2007 period was more likely to be clustered than any other period. We found that temperature, land use, and soil type were the most critical factors associated with infection rates in humans. In addition, land use and soil type had the greatest impact on the prevalence of schistosomiasis in 2009, whereas this effect was minimal in 2007. The effect of temperature on schistosomiasis prevalence reached its maximum in 2010, whereas in 2008, this effect was minimal. Differences observed in the effects of those two factors on the spatial distribution of human schistosomiasis were inconsistent, showing statistical significance in some years and a lack thereof in others. Moreover, when two factors operated simultaneously, a trend of enhanced interaction was consistently observed. High-risk areas with strong interactions of affected factors should be targeted for disease control interventions.