The Error-Prone Operational Steps and Key Sites of Self-Contamination During Donning and Doffing of Personal Protective Equipment by Health Care Workers.

Objective: This study aims to identify error-prone operational steps and key sites of self-contamination during donning and doffing of personal protective equipment (PPE).

Methods: A total of 56 health care workers, including 37 nurses and 19 physicians, were recruited to don and doff the PPE recommended by the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Operational errors and sites of self-contamination were recorded using UV-fluorescent labeling and video surveillance.

Evaluation of the efficacy of steroid therapy on acute liver failure.

The effects of corticosteroids in the treatment of patients with acute or subacute liver failure (ALF or SALF) are controversial. The aims of the present study were to evaluate the efficacy of corticosteroids in improving spontaneous survival (SS) rate in patients with ALF and SALF, and to determine the groups with the highest rates of response to, and the most effective timing of, corticosteroid administration. A retrospective analysis was performed of all patients with ALF and SALF who were hospitalized in the Department of Infectious Diseases, Southwest Hospital, Chongqing, China from 2000-2012.

Changing etiologies and outcome of liver failure in Southwest China.

Background: The prognosis of liver failure depends greatly on the underlying cause, and there were few data about the prognosis, etiologies or trigger factors of liver failure in China based on long-term and large samples cohorts.

Methods: We screened out 3171 liver failure cases from 25467 patients hospitalized in our department between 2000 and 2012 according to Chinese criteria, and determined their etiologies and prognosis.

Results: 97.

Laboratory diagnosis of Ebola virus disease and corresponding biosafety considerations in the China Ebola Treatment Center.

Ebola virus disease (EVD), caused by Ebola virus (EBOV), is a potent acute infectious disease with a high case-fatality rate. Etiological and serological EBOV detection methods, including techniques that involve the detection of the viral genome, virus-specific antigens and anti-virus antibodies, are standard laboratory diagnostic tests that facilitate confirmation or exclusion of EBOV infection. In addition, routine blood tests, liver and kidney function tests, electrolytes and coagulation tests and other diagnostic examinations are important for the clinical diagnosis and treatment of EVD.

Efficacy of pegylated interferon α2a in patients without HBeAg loss after the withdrawal of long-term lamivudine therapy.

Background: Improving the HBe seroconversion rate of patients without HBeAg loss after long-term lamivudine therapy has become an urgent clinical problem that we have to face. Unfortunately, there is no consensus on the mananement of these patients. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of pegylated interferon (PEG-IFN) α2a in patients without HBeAg loss after the withdrawal of long-term lamivudine therapy.

Severe acute exacerbation of chronic hepatitis B during pegylated interferon treatment and early intervention with corticosteroid.

Severe acute exacerbation or liver failure induced by standard interferon-α(IFN-α) therapy had been reported to occur in few patients with chronic hepatitis B. However, no report showed that pegylated interferon-α therapy was able to induce severe acute exacerbation of chronic hepatitis B. Here, we describe three patients with severe acute exacerbation of chronic hepatitis B during pegylated interferon-α2a (Pegasys) treatment.

Efficacy of short-term dexamethasone therapy in acute-on-chronic pre-liver failure.

Aim:   Acute-on-chronic pre-liver failure (pre-ACLF) is defined as a severe acute episode of chronic hepatitis B characterized by serum bilirubin of 171 µmol/L or more, alanine aminotransferase of five times or more the upper limit of normal and prothrombin activity of more than 40%, having a potential for progression to acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF). This study is to evaluate the efficacy of short-term dexamethasone in pre-ACLF.

Methods:   One hundred and seventy patients were assigned to dexamethasone therapy and control group at a ratio of 1:2.

Isolation and enrichment of human genomic CpG islands by methylation-sensitive mirror orientation selection.

CpG islands (CGIs) in human genomic DNA are GC-rich fragments whose aberrant methylation is associated with human disease development. In the current study, methylation-sensitive mirror orientation selection (MS-MOS) was developed to efficiently isolate and enrich unmethylated CGIs from human genomic DNA. The unmethylated CGIs prepared by the MS-MOS procedure subsequently were used to construct a CGI library.