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Vincens N, Persson Waye K. Occupational and environmental noise exposure during pregnancy and rare health outcomes of offspring: a scoping review focusing on congenital anomalies and perinatal mortality. REVIEWS ON ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH 2023; 38:423-438. [PMID: 35503245 DOI: 10.1515/reveh-2021-0166] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2021] [Accepted: 04/08/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
As environmental and occupational noise can be health hazards, recent studies have investigated the effects of noise exposure during pregnancy. Despite biological plausibility and animal studies supporting an association, studies focusing on congenital anomalies and perinatal mortality as outcomes of noise exposure are still scarce. We performed a scoping review to collect, summarise, and discuss the existing scientific research about the relationships between noise exposure during pregnancy and congenital anomalies and/or perinatal mortality. We searched electronic databases for papers published between 1970 and March 2021. We included 16 studies (seven on congenital anomalies, three on perinatal mortality, and two on both congenital anomalies and perinatal mortality). We assessed four studies on congenital hearing dysfunction as the definition of congenital anomalies includes functional anomalies. We found few studies on this topic and no studies on the combined effects of occupational and environmental noise exposures. Evidence suggests a small increase in the risk of congenital anomalies in relation to occupational and to a lesser extent environmental noise exposure. In addition, few studies investigated perinatal mortality and the ones that did, used different outcome definitions, so no conclusions could be made. However, a recent big cross-sectional study demonstrated an association between road traffic noise and stillbirth. A few studies suggest a possible association between congenital hearing dysfunction and occupational noise exposure during pregnancy. Future studies with larger samples, better exposure assessments, and better statistical modelling strategies are needed to investigate these relationships further.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natalia Vincens
- Department of Public Health and Community Medicine at Institute of Medicine, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Kerstin Persson Waye
- Department of Public Health and Community Medicine at Institute of Medicine, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
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Epigenetic Evaluation of the TBX20 Gene and Environmental Risk Factors in Mexican Paediatric Patients with Congenital Septal Defects. Cells 2023; 12:cells12040586. [PMID: 36831251 PMCID: PMC9953838 DOI: 10.3390/cells12040586] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2022] [Revised: 01/25/2023] [Accepted: 02/08/2023] [Indexed: 02/16/2023] Open
Abstract
The TBX20 gene has a key role during cardiogenesis, and it has been related to epigenetic mechanisms in congenital heart disease (CHD). The purpose of this study was to assess the association between DNA methylation status and congenital septal defects. The DNA methylation of seven CpG sites in the TBX20 gene promoter was analyzed through pyrosequencing as a quantitative method in 48 patients with congenital septal defects and 104 individuals with patent ductus arteriosus (PDA). The average methylation was higher in patients than in PDA (p < 0.001). High methylation levels were associated with a higher risk of congenital septal defects (OR = 4.59, 95% CI = 1.57-13.44, p = 0.005). The ROC curve analysis indicated that methylation of the TBX20 gene could be considered a risk marker for congenital septal defects (AUC = 0.682; 95% CI = 0.58-0.77; p < 0.001). The analysis of environmental risk factors in patients with septal defects and PDA showed an association between the consumption of vitamins (OR = 0.10; 95% CI = 0.01-0.98; p = 0.048) and maternal infections (OR = 3.10; 95% CI = 1.26-7.60; p = 0.013). These results suggest that differences in DNA methylation of the TBX20 gene can be associated with septal defects.
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Xiao D, Li W, Zhang WH, Wen Z, Mo W, Lu C, Guo L, Yang L. Maternal periconceptional environmental exposure and offspring with congenital heart disease: a case-control study in Guangzhou, China. BMC Pregnancy Childbirth 2023; 23:57. [PMID: 36694158 PMCID: PMC9872400 DOI: 10.1186/s12884-023-05355-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2022] [Accepted: 01/05/2023] [Indexed: 01/25/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Congenital heart defects (CHDs) are a major global health problem, yet their crucial environmental risk factors are still unclear. We aimed to explore the associations between maternal periconceptional environmental exposures and all CHDs, isolated and multiple CHDs and CHDs subtypes. METHOD A case-control study including 675 infants with CHDs and 1545 healthy controls was conducted. Participating mothers who delivered in Guangzhou from October 2019 to November 2021 were recruited. To examine the independent associations between maternal periconceptional environmental exposure and offspring with CHDs, we calculated odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) using multivariable logistic regression model. RESULTS Maternal exposure to living near main roads [adjusted OR (aOR) = 1.94, 95% CI = 1.06-3.56] and housing renovation (aOR = 1.94, 95% CI = 1.03-3.67) during the periconceptional period were positively related to a greater risk of all CHDs, similar results were also found in isolated CHDs rather than multiple CHDs. Additionally, living near main roads was positively associated with secundum atrial septal defect/patent foramen ovale (aOR = 2.65, 95% CI = 1.03-6.81) and housing renovation was strongly positively associated with ventricular septal defect (aOR = 5.08, 95% CI = 2.05-12.60). However, no association was observed between incense burning and family relationships and all CHDs, isolated and multiple CHDs and CHDs subtypes. CONCLUSION Living near main roads and housing renovation during the periconceptional period are significantly associated with the increased risks for all CHDs and isolated CHDs. Further study is needed to extend sample size to explore the effects of time and frequency of burning incense and family relationships on CHDs in offspring.
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Affiliation(s)
- Di Xiao
- grid.413428.80000 0004 1757 8466Department of Comprehensive Maternal and Child Health, Guangzhou Women and Children’s Medical Center, Guangdong Provincial Clinical Research Center for Child Health, Guangzhou, 510623 China
| | - Weidong Li
- grid.413428.80000 0004 1757 8466Department of Comprehensive Maternal and Child Health, Guangzhou Women and Children’s Medical Center, Guangdong Provincial Clinical Research Center for Child Health, Guangzhou, 510623 China
| | - Wei-Hong Zhang
- grid.5342.00000 0001 2069 7798International Centre for Reproductive Health (ICRH), Department of Public Health and Primary Care, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium ,grid.4989.c0000 0001 2348 0746School of Public Health, Université libre de Bruxelles (ULB), 1070 Bruxelles, Belgium
| | - Zihao Wen
- grid.413428.80000 0004 1757 8466Department of Comprehensive Maternal and Child Health, Guangzhou Women and Children’s Medical Center, Guangdong Provincial Clinical Research Center for Child Health, Guangzhou, 510623 China
| | - Weijian Mo
- grid.413428.80000 0004 1757 8466Department of Comprehensive Maternal and Child Health, Guangzhou Women and Children’s Medical Center, Guangdong Provincial Clinical Research Center for Child Health, Guangzhou, 510623 China
| | - Ciyong Lu
- grid.12981.330000 0001 2360 039XDepartment of Medical Statistics and Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong China
| | - Lan Guo
- grid.12981.330000 0001 2360 039XDepartment of Medical Statistics and Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong China
| | - Li Yang
- grid.413428.80000 0004 1757 8466Department of Comprehensive Maternal and Child Health, Guangzhou Women and Children’s Medical Center, Guangdong Provincial Clinical Research Center for Child Health, Guangzhou, 510623 China
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Zhao D, Yan M, Guo L, Liu D, Zhang R, Yan H, Qu P, Dang S. Cooking stoves and risk of congenital heart disease in Northwest China: A case-control study. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 816:151564. [PMID: 34762962 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.151564] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2021] [Revised: 10/30/2021] [Accepted: 11/05/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Congenital heart disease (CHD) has become the most common birth defect in recent decades. The aim of our study was to examine the association between stove cooking by women during pregnancy and congenital heart disease in their offspring. To address this question, we conducted a case-control study from 2014 to 2016 in Xi'an, Shaanxi, Northwest China, investigating 326 cases and 1071 controls. The cases included fetuses or newborns diagnosed with CHD based on the International Classification of Disease (ICD)-10. Controls consisted of healthy newborns without birth defects. Multivariate unconditional logistic regression was applied to analyze the effects of stove cooking before and during pregnancy on CHD in offspring. After adjusting for confounding factors, we found that, compared to cooking with gas stoves, electromagnetic, coal, and firewood stoves during pregnancy was associated with increased risk of CHD in offspring [electromagnetic stove (odds ratio (OR): 2.89, 95% confidence interval (CI): 2.02, 4.12); coal stove (OR: 3.94, 95% CI: 2.33, 6.65); firewood stove (OR: 6.74, 95% CI: 3.03, 15.00)]. Additionally, higher cooking frequency was associated with increased risk of CHD [total stoves (OR: 2.27, 95% CI: 1.57, 3.28); gas stove (OR: 2.38, 95% CI: 1.43, 3.95); electromagnetic stove (OR: 2.46, 95% CI: 1.32, 4.58); coal and firewood stoves (OR: 3.09, 95% CI: 1.01, 9.46)]. Our study suggests that using electromagnetic, coal, and firewood stoves for cooking during pregnancy and greater cooking frequency increased the risk of CHD in offspring. More attention to the choice of fuels in cooking by pregnant women would help to reduce the incidence of CHD in children.
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Affiliation(s)
- Doudou Zhao
- Translational Medicine Center, Northwest Women's and Children's Hospital, Xi'an, China; Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Xi'an Jiaotong University Health Science Center, Xi'an, China.
| | - Mingxin Yan
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Xi'an Jiaotong University Health Science Center, Xi'an, China.
| | - Leqian Guo
- Department of Obstetrics, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China.
| | - Danmeng Liu
- Translational Medicine Center, Northwest Women's and Children's Hospital, Xi'an, China; Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Xi'an Jiaotong University Health Science Center, Xi'an, China.
| | - Ruo Zhang
- Department of Endocrinology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China.
| | - Hong Yan
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Xi'an Jiaotong University Health Science Center, Xi'an, China.
| | - Pengfei Qu
- Translational Medicine Center, Northwest Women's and Children's Hospital, Xi'an, China; Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Xi'an Jiaotong University Health Science Center, Xi'an, China.
| | - Shaonong Dang
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Xi'an Jiaotong University Health Science Center, Xi'an, China.
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Davis GE, Davis MJ, Lowell WE. The effect of ultraviolet radiation on the incidence and severity of major mental illness using birth month, birth year, and sunspot data. Heliyon 2022; 8:e09197. [PMID: 35368522 PMCID: PMC8969152 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2022.e09197] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2021] [Revised: 08/06/2021] [Accepted: 03/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Background and objectives The evaluation of the severity of patients afflicted with major mental illness (MMI) has been problematic because of confounding variables and genetic variability. There have been multiple studies that suggest several human diseases, especially schizophrenia, are predisposed to be born in certain months or seasons. This observation implied an epigenetic effect of sunlight, likely ultraviolet radiation (UVR), which is damaging to DNA, especially in an embryo. This paper outlines a method to evaluate the severity of schizophrenia (SZ), bipolar disorder (BPD), and schizoaffective disorder (SZ-AFF) using the month/year of birth of those affected compared to the month/year of birth of the general population (GP). Relevance Our previous research found that more intense UVR (equal to or greater than 90 sunspot number (SSN)) had a negative effect on the average human lifespan. Also, human birth rates vary in frequency by month of birth reflecting variables like availability of food, sunlight, and other unknown epigenetic factors. We wanted to see if the patient month of birth varied from the average birth months of the general population and if UVR has an epigenetic effect promoting these diseases. Methods We obtained the month and year of birth of 1,233 patients admitted over a 15-year period to Maine's largest state psychiatric hospital and counted the months of birth for each diagnosis of SZ, BPD, and SZ-AFF, and compared these results to the general population's birth months of 4,265,555 persons from U. S. Census Year 2006. The number of patients in each month was normalized to August and compared with the normalized birth months of the general population (GP). Plots of the normalized months were considered rates of change (e.g., derivatives) and their respective integrals gave domains of each mental illness relative to the GP. Normalizing the GP to unity was then related to the factor 1.28, e.g., 28% more entropy, deduced from the Sun's fractal dimension imprinted on biological organisms. Results The percent of patients meeting our criterion for severity: SZ = 27%; BPD = 26%; SZ-AFF = 100%. Conclusions High UVR intensity or a rapid increase in UVR in early gestation are likely epigenetic triggers of major mental illness. BPD is more epigenetically affected than SZ or SZ-AFF disorders. We found that 52% of 1,233 patients comprised the core function of a tertiary-care psychiatric hospital. Also, mental illness exacerbated when the median SSN doubled. This work also validates the Kraeplinian dichotomy. What is new in this research This paper offers a new paradigm for evaluating the severity of MMI and supports significant epigenetic effects from UVR.
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Affiliation(s)
- George E Davis
- Riverview Psychiatric Center, 250 Arsenal Street, State House Station #11, Augusta, Maine, 04333-0011, USA
| | - Matthew J Davis
- Riverview Psychiatric Center, 250 Arsenal Street, State House Station #11, Augusta, Maine, 04333-0011, USA
| | - Walter E Lowell
- Riverview Psychiatric Center, 250 Arsenal Street, State House Station #11, Augusta, Maine, 04333-0011, USA
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Metabolomics Signatures and Subsequent Maternal Health among Mothers with a Congenital Heart Defect-Affected Pregnancy. Metabolites 2022; 12:metabo12020100. [PMID: 35208175 PMCID: PMC8877777 DOI: 10.3390/metabo12020100] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2021] [Revised: 01/13/2022] [Accepted: 01/15/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Congenital heart defects (CHDs) are the most prevalent and serious of all birth defects in the United States. However, little is known about the impact of CHD-affected pregnancies on subsequent maternal health. Thus, there is a need to characterize the metabolic alterations associated with CHD-affected pregnancies. Fifty-six plasma samples were identified from post-partum women who participated in the National Birth Defects Prevention Study between 1997 and 2011 and had (1) unaffected control offspring (n = 18), (2) offspring with tetralogy of Fallot (ToF, n = 22), or (3) hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS, n = 16) in this pilot study. Absolute concentrations of 408 metabolites using the AbsoluteIDQ® p400 HR Kit (Biocrates) were evaluated among case and control mothers. Twenty-six samples were randomly selected from above as technical repeats. Analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) and logistic regression models were used to identify significant metabolites after controlling for the maternal age at delivery and body mass index. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve and area-under-the-curve (AUC) are reported to evaluate the performance of significant metabolites. Overall, there were nine significant metabolites (p < 0.05) identified in HLHS case mothers and 30 significant metabolites in ToF case mothers. Statistically significant metabolites were further evaluated using ROC curve analyses with PC (34:1), two sphingolipids SM (31:1), SM (42:2), and PC-O (40:4) elevated in HLHS cases; while LPC (18:2), two triglycerides: TG (44:1), TG (46:2), and LPC (20:3) decreased in ToF; and cholesterol esters CE (22:6) were elevated among ToF case mothers. The metabolites identified in the study may have profound structural and functional implications involved in cellular signaling and suggest the need for postpartum dietary supplementation among women who gave birth to CHD offspring.
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Cerritelli F, Frasch MG, Antonelli MC, Viglione C, Vecchi S, Chiera M, Manzotti A. A Review on the Vagus Nerve and Autonomic Nervous System During Fetal Development: Searching for Critical Windows. Front Neurosci 2021; 15:721605. [PMID: 34616274 PMCID: PMC8488382 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2021.721605] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2021] [Accepted: 08/19/2021] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The autonomic nervous system (ANS) is one of the main biological systems that regulates the body's physiology. Autonomic nervous system regulatory capacity begins before birth as the sympathetic and parasympathetic activity contributes significantly to the fetus' development. In particular, several studies have shown how vagus nerve is involved in many vital processes during fetal, perinatal, and postnatal life: from the regulation of inflammation through the anti-inflammatory cholinergic pathway, which may affect the functioning of each organ, to the production of hormones involved in bioenergetic metabolism. In addition, the vagus nerve has been recognized as the primary afferent pathway capable of transmitting information to the brain from every organ of the body. Therefore, this hypothesis paper aims to review the development of ANS during fetal and perinatal life, focusing particularly on the vagus nerve, to identify possible "critical windows" that could impact its maturation. These "critical windows" could help clinicians know when to monitor fetuses to effectively assess the developmental status of both ANS and specifically the vagus nerve. In addition, this paper will focus on which factors-i.e., fetal characteristics and behaviors, maternal lifestyle and pathologies, placental health and dysfunction, labor, incubator conditions, and drug exposure-may have an impact on the development of the vagus during the above-mentioned "critical window" and how. This analysis could help clinicians and stakeholders define precise guidelines for improving the management of fetuses and newborns, particularly to reduce the potential adverse environmental impacts on ANS development that may lead to persistent long-term consequences. Since the development of ANS and the vagus influence have been shown to be reflected in cardiac variability, this paper will rely in particular on studies using fetal heart rate variability (fHRV) to monitor the continued growth and health of both animal and human fetuses. In fact, fHRV is a non-invasive marker whose changes have been associated with ANS development, vagal modulation, systemic and neurological inflammatory reactions, and even fetal distress during labor.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesco Cerritelli
- Research and Assistance for Infants to Support Experience Lab, Foundation Center for Osteopathic Medicine Collaboration, Pescara, Italy
| | - Martin G. Frasch
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Center on Human Development and Disability, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States
| | - Marta C. Antonelli
- Facultad de Medicina, Instituto de Biología Celular y Neurociencia “Prof. E. De Robertis”, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Klinikum Rechts der Isar, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Chiara Viglione
- Research and Assistance for Infants to Support Experience Lab, Foundation Center for Osteopathic Medicine Collaboration, Pescara, Italy
| | - Stefano Vecchi
- Research and Assistance for Infants to Support Experience Lab, Foundation Center for Osteopathic Medicine Collaboration, Pescara, Italy
| | - Marco Chiera
- Research and Assistance for Infants to Support Experience Lab, Foundation Center for Osteopathic Medicine Collaboration, Pescara, Italy
| | - Andrea Manzotti
- Research and Assistance for Infants to Support Experience Lab, Foundation Center for Osteopathic Medicine Collaboration, Pescara, Italy
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Neonatology, “V. Buzzi” Children's Hospital, Azienda Socio-Sanitaria Territoriale Fatebenefratelli Sacco, Milan, Italy
- Research Department, Istituto Osteopatia Milano, Milan, Italy
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Li Q, Yao H, Gu GJ, Ma ZH, Wu DK, Wu G, Chen YM, Luo TN. [Association between maternal alcohol consumption and risk of congenital heart disease in offspring: a Meta analysis]. ZHONGGUO DANG DAI ER KE ZA ZHI = CHINESE JOURNAL OF CONTEMPORARY PEDIATRICS 2020; 22:643-650. [PMID: 32571466 PMCID: PMC7390211 DOI: 10.7499/j.issn.1008-8830.1912083] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2019] [Accepted: 04/22/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To study the association between maternal alcohol consumption and the risk of congenital heart disease (CHD) in offspring. METHODS PubMed, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, Google Scholar, China Biology Medicine disc, Wanfang Database, CNKI Database, and Weipu Database were searched for the articles on the association between maternal alcohol consumption and congenital heart disease in offspring. These articles were published up to November 30, 2019. A random effects model or a fixed effects model was used for the pooled analysis of the results of each study, and then the pooled effective value and its 95%CI were calculated. A subgroup analysis was performed to explore heterogeneous regulators. Funnel plots and an Egger's test were used to assess publication bias. RESULTS A total of 4 409 articles were searched, and 55 articles were finally included in this analysis, among which there were 6 cohort studies and 49 case-control studies. The Meta analysis showed heterogeneity across all studies (I2=74%, P<0.01). The random effects model showed that maternal alcohol consumption was associated with CHD in offspring, with an OR of 1.18 (95%CI: 1.09-1.28). The Egger's test showed a certain degree of publication bias (P<0.05), and after adjustment, the pooled OR of CHD in offspring was 1.10 (95%CI: 1.01-1.21). CONCLUSIONS Maternal alcohol consumption may increase the risk of CHD in offspring.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qi Li
- Xiangxi Center for Disease Prevention and Control, Jishou, Hunan 416000, China.
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