The performance of a novel diagnostic criteria for neurosyphilis in HIV-negative patients.

Diagnosing neurosyphilis in clinical settings poses significant challenges due to the absence of highly efficient diagnostic criteria. Our objective was to enhance the existing diagnostic criteria and assess their sensitivity and specificity for identifying neurosyphilis in HIV-negative patients. We conducted a retrospective review of patient records from a cross-sectional study carried out between December 2019 and May 2023.

Community engagement on-site rapid test for chlamydia and gonorrhea among men who have sex with men: a pioneering study in Guangzhou, China.

Background: Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) and Neisseria gonorrhoeae (NG) infections are prevalent among men who have sex with men (MSM) in China. However, compared to syphilis and HIV, the testing rate for chlamydia and gonorrhea remains low. The purpose of this pilot study was to evaluate the feasibility for conducting rapid nucleic acid test for chlamydia and gonorrhea in MSM community-based organizations (CBO).

Consumption of cranberry as adjuvant therapy for urinary tract infections in susceptible populations: A systematic review and meta-analysis with trial sequential analysis.

The efficacy of cranberry (Vaccinium spp.) as adjuvant therapy in preventing urinary tract infections (UTIs) remains controversial. This study aims to update and determine cranberry effects as adjuvant therapy on the recurrence rate of UTIs in susceptible groups.

Outcomes From Re-Treatment and Cerebrospinal Fluid Analyses in Patients With Syphilis Who Had Serological Nonresponse or Lack of Seroreversion After Initial Therapy.

Background: We conducted an observational study to determine whether patients with syphilis who do not demonstrate serological cure or lack of seroreversion in nontreponemal (NT) antibody titers after initial therapy benefit from re-treatment and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) analysis.

Methods: We enrolled patients with syphilis from sexually transmitted disease clinics in Guangzhou, China, who had persistent NT titers after therapy. Serological nonresponse was defined as a <4-fold decline in baseline NT titers after therapy.

Modelling the impact of a sex work crackdown on syphilis transmission among female sex workers and their clients in South China.

Objective: To estimate the potential effects of an intense sex work crackdown on syphilis transmission in Guangdong Province, China.

Methods: We developed a deterministic compartmental model of syphilis transmission among female sex workers (FSW) and their male clients in Guangdong Province, China. We based model assumptions on census data and scientific literature, and we fitted the model to sentinel surveillance estimates of syphilis prevalence (positive results in both treponemal and non-treponemal tests) among FSW between 2009 and 2013.

Disk-Diffusion Testing Is an Inappropriate Screening Tool for Cephalosporin-Resistant Gonorrhoea Strains in Clinical Practice in China.

Purpose: Injectable ceftriaxone and oral cefixime are the last agents effective against . In vitro antimicrobial-susceptibility testing (AST) is done to identify the most efficacious antibiotic needed to combat the infection in that particular individual. The objective of this study was to evaluate whether Kirby-Bauer (KB) disk-diffusion tests can detect isolates that have decreased susceptibility to ceftriaxone and cefixime for appropriate clinical management.

Multisite survey of bacterial contamination in ready-to-eat meat products throughout the cooking and selling processes in urban supermarket, Nanjing, China.

Objective: Ready-to-eat (RTE) meat is a kind of popular instant food easily contaminated by microbes, which is one of the causes of foodborne diseases. This study analyzes the possible sources of RTE food bacterial contamination during processing and subsequent selling.

Method: Samples of eight kinds of RTE meat were collected from four supermarkets in Nanjing, China.

Providing competent, comprehensive and inclusive sexual health services for men who have sex with men in low- and middle-income countries: a scoping review.

Although men who have sex with men (MSM) are disproportionately affected by HIV and other sexually transmissible infections, sexual health services for MSM in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC) remain under-resourced and are poorly understood. A scoping review of literature on MSM sexual health in LMIC was conducted in order to identify key clinical services and gaps in knowledge. Three databases were searched, in addition to hand-reviewing key journals and bulletins, to identify literature with a focus on MSM sexual health.

Gonorrhea and chlamydia prevalence in different anatomical sites among men who have sex with men: a cross-sectional study in Guangzhou, China.

Background: A high rectal and oropharyngeal sexually transmitted infection (STI) burden has been reported among men who have sex with men (MSM) in many regions, but little data exists on rectal and oropharyngeal STIs among MSM in China. The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of gonorrhea and chlamydia at different anatomic sites among MSM in Guangzhou, China.

Methods: We recruited a cross-sectional sample of MSM in one Chinese city and collected detailed information about socio-demographic characteristics and sexual behaviors.

Determination of dietary nitrite in patients with esophageal pre-cancerous lesion and normal people: a duplicate diet study.

The goal of this study was to find the relationship between dietary nitrite and risk of esophageal cancer, and determine the amount of nitrite intake to establish the oral highest daily intake to prevent the occurrence of esophageal cancer. Duplicate portions of three-consecutive-day diets were collected from 100 patients with esophageal precancerous lesions and 100 controls. The average nitrite daily intakes for esophageal precancerous lesions and normal people were 15.

Correction: Prevalence and risk factors of chlamydia infection in Hong Kong: A population-based geospatial household survey and testing.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.

Optimisation of steam distillation extraction oil from onion by response surface methodology and its chemical composition.

Oil extraction from onion was performed by steam distillation. Response surface methodology was applied to evaluate the effects of ratio of water to raw material, extraction time, zymolysis temperature and distillation times on yield of onion oil. The maximum extraction yield (1.

Prevalence and risk factors of chlamydia infection in Hong Kong: A population-based geospatial household survey and testing.

Background: Chlamydia causes infertility and increases risk of HIV infection, and population-based studies provide essential information for effective infection control and prevention. This study examined Chlamydia trachomatis prevalence and risk factors among a representative sample of 18-49-year-old residents in Hong Kong.

Methods: Census boundary map of 412 constituency areas was used as primary sampling units to construct the sampling frame and, residential buildings and units were randomly selected using geospatial modelling.

Stages of syphilis in South China - a multilevel analysis of early diagnosis.

Background: Early diagnosis of syphilis and timely treatment can effectively reduce ongoing syphilis transmission and morbidity. We examined the factors associated with the early diagnosis of syphilis to inform syphilis screening strategic planning.

Methods: In an observational study, we analyzed reported syphilis cases in Guangdong Province, China (from 2014 to mid-2015) accessed from the national case-based surveillance system.

Antioxidant activities of aqueous extracts from 12 Chinese edible flowers and .

The antioxidant function of edible flowers have attracted increasing interest. However, information is lacking on the impact of edible flowers on oxidative injury including hypoxia-re-oxygenation and hyperlipidemia. The antioxidant activities of aqueous extracts from 12 Chinese edible flowers were assessed in four different antioxidant models, including total antioxidant capacity (TAC), oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC), scavenging hydroxyl radical capacity (SHRC) and scavenging superoxide anion radical capacity (SSARC).

Low n-6/n-3 PUFA Ratio Improves Lipid Metabolism, Inflammation, Oxidative Stress and Endothelial Function in Rats Using Plant Oils as n-3 Fatty Acid Source.

Lipid metabolism, inflammation, oxidative stress and endothelial function play important roles in the pathogenesis of cardiovascular disease (CVD), which may be affected by an imbalance in the n-6/n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) ratio. This study aimed to investigate the effects of the n-6/n-3 PUFA ratio on these cardiovascular risk factors in rats fed a high-fat diet using plant oils as the main n-3 PUFA source. The 1:1 and 5:1 ratio groups had significantly decreased serum levels of total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and proinflammatory cytokines compared with the 20:1 group (p < 0.

A systematic review of syphilis serological treatment outcomes in HIV-infected and HIV-uninfected persons: rethinking the significance of serological non-responsiveness and the serofast state after therapy.

Background: Syphilis remains a global public health threat and can lead to severe complications. In addition to resolution of clinical manifestations, a reduction in nontreponemal antibody titers after treatment is regarded as "proof of cure." However, some patients manifest < 4-fold decline ("serological non-response") or persistently positive nontreponemal titers despite an appropriate decline ("serofast") that may represent treatment failure, reinfection, or a benign immune response.

HIV and syphilis testing preferences among men who have sex with men in South China: a qualitative analysis to inform sexual health services.

Background: Health services for men who have sex with men (MSM) are inadequate in many areas around the world. HIV and syphilis test uptake remain suboptimal among MSM in China and many other regions. To inform the development of more comprehensive sexually transmitted disease (STD) testing programs among MSM, we collected descriptive data on MSM testing practices and preferences.

Wheat peptides reduce oxidative stress and inhibit NO production through modulating μ-opioid receptor in a rat NSAID-induced stomach damage model.

Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) induce tissue damage and oxidative stress in animal models of stomach damage. In the present study, the protective effects of wheat peptides were evaluated in a NSAID-induced stomach damage model in rats. Different doses of wheat peptides or distilled water were administered daily by gavage for 30 days before the rat stomach damage model was established by administration of NSAIDs (aspirin and indomethacin) into the digestive tract twice.

Organizational characteristics of HIV/syphilis testing services for men who have sex with men in South China: a social entrepreneurship analysis and implications for creating sustainable service models.

Background: UNAIDS has called for greater HIV/syphilis testing worldwide just as local HIV/syphilis testing programs are cut or altered. New models are needed to make HIV/syphilis testing services sustainable while retaining their essential public health function. Social entrepreneurship, using business principles to promote a social cause, provides a framework to pilot programs that sustainably expand testing.

Stimulation of the proliferation of human normal esophageal epithelial cells by fumonisin B and its mechanism.

Previous epidemiological studies have demonstrated a correlation between fumonisin B (FB) and human esophageal cancer in China, Iran and South Africa. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of FB on the proliferation, cell-cycle and apoptosis of normal human esophageal epithelial cells (HEECs) and to explore the molecular mechanisms of these effects. The proliferation of HEECs treated with FB was assessed using a colorimetric assay, while analyses of the cell cycle and apoptosis were performed using flow cytometry and the measurement of the protein expressions of genes associated with the cell cycle was conducted using western blotting.

Temporal trends in syphilis and gonorrhea incidences in guangdong province, china.

The high burden of syphilis in China presents a unique opportunity to examine temporal trends. This study used wavelet transformation and Fourier analysis to assess the presence of temporal oscillations in the incidence of syphilis among adults, gonorrhea, and congenital syphilis over 11 years in China's largest province. This study found a significant annual oscillation trend in the incidence of adult syphilis, consistent with a peak during July-September, which was 4-fold higher than the trough, which occurred during January-March.

Syphilis screening among 27,150 pregnant women in South Chinese rural areas using point-of-care tests.

Objectives: To determine the prevalence and correlates of syphilis among pregnant women in rural areas of South China.

Methods: Point-of-care syphilis testing was provided at 71 health facilities in less developed, rural areas of Guangdong Province. Positive samples were confirmed at a local referral center by toluidine red unheated serum tests (TRUST) and Treponema pallidum particle agglutination (TPPA) tests.

Sexually transmitted infections among heterosexual male clients of female sex workers in China: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Female sex workers have been the target of numerous sexually transmitted infection (STI) prevention strategies in China, but their male clients have attracted considerably less public health attention and resources. We sought to systematically assess the prevalence of HIV, syphilis, gonorrhea, and chlamydia among heterosexual male clients of female sex workers in China.

Methods/principal Findings: Original research manuscripts were identified by searching Chinese and English language databases, and 37 studies analyzing 26,552 male clients were included in the review.