Accurate and affordable detection of rifampicin and isoniazid resistance in Tuberculosis sputum specimens by multiplex PCR-multiple probes melting analysis.

Background: Escalating cases of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) pose a major challenge to global TB control efforts, necessitating innovative diagnostics to empower decentralized detection of gene mutations associated with resistance to rifampicin (RIF) and isoniazid (INH) in Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tuberculosis) in resource-constrained settings.

Methods: Combining multiplex fluorescent PCR and Multiple Probes Melting Analysis, we identified mutations in the rpoB, katG, ahpC and inhA genes from sputum specimens.

Patient's Healthy-Limb Motion Characteristic-Based Assist-As-Needed Control Strategy for Upper-Limb Rehabilitation Robots.

The implementation of a progressive rehabilitation training model to promote patients' motivation efforts can greatly restore damaged central nervous system function in patients. Patients' active engagement can be effectively stimulated by assist-as-needed (AAN) robot rehabilitation training. However, its application in robotic therapy has been hindered by a simple determination method of robot-assisted torque which focuses on the evaluation of only the affected limb's movement ability.

Employing Multicolor Melting Curve Analysis to Rapidly Identify Non-Tuberculous Mycobacteria in Patients with Bronchiectasis: A Study from a Pulmonary Hospital in the Fuzhou District of China, 2018-2022.

Non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) infection is common in bronchiectasis, with rising incidence globally. However, investigation into NTM in bronchiectasis patients in China remains relatively limited. This work aimed to identify and understand the features of NTM in bronchiectasis patient in Fuzhou district of China.

The emerging threat of fluroquinolone-, bedaquiline-, and linezolid-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis in China: Observations on surveillance data.

Background: Drug-resistant tuberculosis (TB), especially multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB), constitutes a major obstacle to fulfill end TB strategy globally. Although fluoroquinolones (FQs), linezolid (LZD) and bedaquiline (BDQ) were classified as Group A drugs for MDR-TB treatment, our knowledge of the prevalence of TB which were resistant to Group A drugs in China is quite limited.

Methods: In this study, we conducted a prospective multicenter surveillance study in China to determine the proportion of TB patients that were resistant to Group A drugs.

S100A6 inhibits MDM2 to suppress breast cancer growth and enhance sensitivity to chemotherapy.

Background: S100A6 and murine double minute 2 (MDM2) are important cancer-related molecules. A previous study identified an interaction between S100A6 and MDM2 by size exclusion chromatography and surface plasmon resonance experiments. The present study investigated whether S100A6 could bind to MDM2 in vivo and further explored its functional implication.

Quantification of Isoniazid-Heteroresistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis Using Droplet Digital PCR.

The quantitative detection of drug-resistance mutations in Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) is critical for determining the drug resistance status of a sample. We developed a drop-off droplet digital PCR (ddPCR) assay targeting all major isoniazid (INH)-resistant mutations. The ddPCR assay consisted of three reactions: reaction A detects mutations at S315; reaction B detects promoter mutations; and reaction C detects promoter mutations.

Pollution and risk assessment of potentially toxic elements in soils from industrial and mining sites across China.

Potentially toxic elements in soils (SPTEs) from industrial and mining sites (IMSs) often cause public health issues. However, previous studies have either focused on SPTEs in agricultural or urban areas, or in a single or few IMSs. A systematic assessment of the pollution and risk levels of SPTEs from IMS at the national scale is lacking.

The Practical Value of Xpert MTB/RIF Ultra for Diagnosis of Pulmonary Tuberculosis in a High Tuberculosis Burden Setting: a Prospective Multicenter Diagnostic Accuracy Study.

Due to the probability of decreased specificity, the practical value of performing the Xpert MTB/RIF Ultra (Xpert Ultra) assay over the Xpert assay for diagnosing pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) and rifampicin (RIF) resistance in a high TB burden setting was evaluated. Participants were recruited consecutively in three tertiary hospitals in China and allocated to the TB case detection and/or rifampicin (RIF) resistance detection group. Each sputum specimen was subjected to smear, MGIT960 liquid culture, and Xpert, and Xpert Ultra assay in parallel.

Honokiol Inhibits HIF-1α-Mediated Glycolysis to Halt Breast Cancer Growth.

Hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) induces the expression of glycolysis-related genes, which plays a direct and key role in Warburg effect. In a recent study, honokiol (HNK) was identified as one of the potential agents that inhibited the HIF-1α signaling pathway. Because the HIF- 1α pathway is closely associated with glycolysis, we investigated whether HNK inhibited HIF-1α-mediated glycolysis.

Effect of Mixed Infections with and Nontuberculous Mycobacteria on Diagnosis of Multidrug-Resistant Tuberculosis: A Retrospective Multicentre Study in China.

Background: Correct species identification is essential before initiation of TB treatment, due to substantial drug susceptibility profile differences among mycobacterial species. Given that nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) are frequently resistant to first-line anti-tuberculosis drugs, cases with mixed infections with (MTB) and NTM tend to be diagnosed as multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) cases. Here we report results of a retrospective multicentre study that was conducted to determine the prevalence of TB-NTM infections in previously diagnosed laboratory-confirmed multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) patients using phenotypic drug susceptibility testing.

Identification and risk prediction of potentially contaminated sites in the Yangtze River Delta.

Identification and risk prediction of potentially contaminated sites (PCS) are crucial for the management of contaminated sites. However, the identification and risk prediction methods of PCS are lacking at a regional scale. Here, we established the fuzzy matching algorithm based on the site's name for identifying PCS in the Yangtze River Delta (YRD) from 2000 to 2020.

Prolonged SARS-Cov-2 shedding with rapid IgG antibody decay in a COVID-19 patient: A case report.

Background: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) epidemic is still spreading rapidly around the world. Recent cases with prolonged severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) RNA detection have been successively reported, and the phenomenon of false-negative real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) results of SARS-CoV-2 RNA or "repositive" was also described in COVID-19 patients.

Methods: We report a 69-year-old female patient with hypertension, suspected lung tumor, and previous history of total hysterectomy for hysteromyoma who presented with moderate COVID-19 symptoms and was positive for SARS-CoV-2 RNA by RT-PCR when she traveled from the USA to China.

The value of gene chip detection of bronchoalveolar lavage fluid in the diagnosis of nontuberculous mycobacterial lung disease.

Background: Nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) are mycobacteria other than mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTBC) and mycobacterium leprae. NTM can cause infection in many human tissues and organs and is most commonly seen in the lungs. Clinically, the symptoms and signs of nontuberculous mycobacteria lung disease (NMLD) are very similar to those of tuberculosis (TB).

Comparison of the clinical characteristics of patients with novel coronavirus pneumonia between China and overseas.

Background: To explore the clinical manifestation, imaging examination, and serology of patients with novel coronavirus pneumonia (COVID-19) between China and overseas.

Methods: Ninety patients with COVID-19 who admitted to Fuzhou Pulmonary Hospital from January 23, 2020, to May 1, 2020, were included in this retrospective study. They were divided into domestic group and overseas group according to the origin regions.

An integrated assessment methodology for management of potentially contaminated sites based on public data.

Ranking assessment of potentially contaminated sites (PCS) provides a great quantity of information (namely the risk screening list) that is usually examined by environmental managers, and therefore reduces the cost of risk management in terms of site investigation. Here we propose an integrated assessment methodology to establish a risk screening list of PCS in China using the Choquet integral correlation coefficient (ICC), which takes the uncertainty and interaction of PCS attributes into explicit account. The proposed method globally considers the importance and ordered positions of PCS attributes while reflecting their overall ranking.

Comprehensive source identification and apportionment analysis of five heavy metals in soils in Wenzhou City, China.

The source identification and apportionment of heavy metals (HMs) is a vital issue for restoring contaminated soil. In this study, qualitative approaches [a finite mixture distribution model (FMDM) and raster-based principal components analysis (RB-PCA)] and a quantitative approach [positive matrix factorization (PMF)] were composed to identify and apportion the sources of five HMs (Cd, Hg, As, Pb, Cr) in Wenzhou City, China, using several crucial auxiliary variables. An initial ecological risk assessment suggested that the ecological risk level in the study area was generally considered low, with the greatest contamination contributions coming from Cd and Hg.

Assessment of potentially toxic element pollution in soils and related health risks in 271 cities across China.

Potentially toxic element (PTE) pollution has been extensively studied at a local and regional scale in China. However, further research needs to be conducted at a national level. To this end, in current study we systematically compiled data of around 170,000 soil samples collected from 1153 papers published between 2008 and 2018.

Dynamic changes of T-lymphocyte subsets and the correlations with 89 patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

Background: In December 2019, an outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by a novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), occurred in Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China. The coronavirus has spread throughout the world, posing a severe threat to human health. By using flow cytometry, here we observed the dynamic changes of peripheral blood T lymphocyte subsets in COVID-19 patients, with an attempt to explore their roles in the pathogenesis of COVID-19 and their impacts on prognosis.

Spatio-temporal variation and source changes of potentially toxic elements in soil on a typical plain of the Yangtze River Delta, China (2002-2012).

The spatio-temporal variation and temporal changes in the sources of Cr, Pb, Cd, Hg, and As in soil on the Hangzhou-Jiaxing-Huzhou (H-J-H) Plain were analysed based on 4,359 soil samples collected in 2002 and 2012. Geostatistical and spatial analysis methods were used to explore the spatio-temporal variation in the pollution levels and 'pollution hotspots' for potentially toxic elements (PTEs), and the positive matrix factor model was used to quantitatively appoint and analyse temporal changes in PTE sources. The results indicated that the PTE content in most parts of the survey area were at a safe level in both 2002 and 2012, but a clearly upward trend was detected for Cr, Pb, and Cd.

Current status, spatial features, health risks, and potential driving factors of soil heavy metal pollution in China at province level.

In this study we systematically reviewed 1203 research papers published between 2008 and 2018 in China and recorded related data on eight kinds of soil heavy metals (Cr, Pb, Cd, Hg, As, Cu, Zn, and Ni). Based on that, the pollution levels, ecological risk and health risk caused by soil heavy metals were evaluated and the pollution hot spots and potential driving factors of different heavy metals in different provinces were also identified. Results indicated accumulation of heavy metals in soils of most provinces in China compared with background values.

Improvement of Spatial Modeling of Cr, Pb, Cd, As and Ni in Soil Based on Portable X-ray Fluorescence (PXRF) and Geostatistics: A Case Study in East China.

To verify the feasibility of portable X-ray fluorescence (PXRF) for rapidly analyzing, assessing and improving soil heavy metals mapping, 351 samples were collected from Fuyang District, Hangzhou City, in eastern China. Ordinary kriging (OK) and co-ordinary kriging (COK) combined with PXRF measurements were used to explore spatial patterns of heavy metals content in the soil. The Getis-Ord index was calculated to discern hot spots of heavy metals.

The Driving Forces of Carbon Dioxide Equivalent Emissions Have Spatial Spillover Effects in Inner Mongolia.

To spatially analyze the effects of the major drivers on carbon dioxide equivalent (CO) emissions in Inner Mongolia, a typical area with high CO emissions in China, this paper quantitatively investigates the factors that affect county-level CO emissions and the corresponding spatial mechanisms. Based on a spatial panel econometric model with related energy and economic data from 101 counties in Inner Mongolia between 2007 and 2012, four main results are obtained: (a) The CO emissions in Inner Mongolia rapidly increased at an average annual growth rate of 7.27% from 2007 to 2012, increasing from 287.