Cost-benefit analysis of serological and nucleic acid testing for hepatitis B virus in blood donors in southern China.

Background: Most Chinese blood centers have implemented mini pool (MP) HBV nucleic acid testing (NAT) together with HBsAg ELISA in routine blood donor screening for HBV infection since 2015, and a few centers upgraded MP to individual donation (ID) NAT screening recently, raising urgent need for cost-benefit analysis of different screening strategies. In an effort to prevent transfusion-transmitted infections (TTIs) for HBV, cost-benefit analyses of three different screening strategies: HBsAg alone, HBsAg plus MP NAT and HBsAg plus ID NAT were performed in blood donors from southern China where HBV infection was endemic.

Methods: MP-6 HBV NAT and ID NAT were adopted in parallel to screen blood donors for further comparative analysis.

Performance of the mid-infrared Q-switched LD side-pumped Er:YSGG MOPA laser.

We report on a laser-diode (LD)-pumped master-oscillator power amplifier (MOPA) mid-infrared laser system based on an LD side-pumped Er:YSGG seed laser that can operate in both free-running and -switched regimes. In the free-running mode of the seed laser, the maximum amplified single-pulse energy was 83.4 mJ.

The high prevalence of occult hepatitis B infections among the partners of chronically infected HBV blood donors emphasizes the potential residual risk to blood safety.

A small percentage of couples who regularly donated blood in China tested positive for HBsAg. Although it is well known that blood donors can acquire hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection from a chronically infected sexual partner, the prevalence of occult hepatitis B infections (OBIs) among blood donations from partners of HBV-infected chronically infected spouses and the risk to blood safety remain poorly understood. Among 212 763 blood donors, 54 pairs of couples (108 donations) were enrolled because one partner tested positive for HBsAg.

Comparative analysis of hepatitis B virus infections in blood donors born before and after the implementation of universal HBV vaccination in southern China.

Background: In China, the vaccinated blood donors have rapidly increased by recent years, which may impact blood safety. The true prevalence of HBV between vaccinated blood donors and non-vaccinated blood donors should be explored.

Study Design And Methods: The samples of blood donors were collected and detected for serologic markers of HBV in the Shenzhen Blood Centre (SZBC).

Development and Validation of an Energy Consumption Model for Animal Houses Achieving Precision Livestock Farming.

Indoor environmental control is usually applied in poultry farming to ensure optimum growth conditions for birds. However, these control methods represent a considerable share of total energy consumption, and the trend of applying new equipment in the future for precision livestock farming would further increase energy demand, resulting in an increase in greenhouse gas emissions and management costs. Therefore, to ensure optimum efficiency of both energy use and livestock productivity, a customized hourly model was developed in the present study to interpret and analyze the electronically collected data.

1.14 kW peak power mid-infrared Er:YAG planar waveguide MOPA laser.

We report on a quasi-continuous Er:YAG planar waveguide laser operated at 2.94 µm based on the major oscillator power amplification configuration. With the total pump peak power of 32.

High-Frequency Notable HBV Mutations Identified in Blood Donors With Occult Hepatitis B Infection From Heyuan City of Southern China.

Background: All Chinese blood centers have implemented mini pool (MP) HBV nucleic acid testing (NAT) together with HBsAg ELISA in routine donor screening since 2015. The prevalence of occult hepatitis B virus infection (OBI) in donors from different regions varies, and the molecular characterization of the HBV DNA and clinical outcomes of these OBIs remain largely unexplored.

Methods: Blood donations from Heyuan city in Southern China were screened by HBsAg ELISA and HBV MP8 NAT.

Discovery of the HLA-C*08:99 allele in a Chinese individual.

HLA-C*08:99 differs by one non-synonymous nucleotide from C*08:01:01 in exon 5, codon 288 GTT>ATT.

Hepatitis B Virus Chronic Infection in Blood Donors from Asian and African High or Medium Prevalence Areas: Comparison According to Sex.

Immune control of various infectious diseases, particularly viral, was shown to be more efficient for females than males. Response to viral vaccines (HAV, HBV) was higher in females. Data on hepatitis B virus (HBV) markers accumulated over 15 years in blood donors was stratified according to sex, including HBsAg, HBV viral load and levels of anti-HBs in areas where genotypes B and C (China), genotype D (Iran, Lebanon, Tunisia) and genotype E (Ghana, Burkina Faso, Gabon) were prevalent.

High Frequency Occult Hepatitis B Virus Infection Detected in Non-Resolved Donations Suggests the Requirement of Anti-HBc Test in Blood Donors in Southern China.

Background: Most Chinese Blood Centers adopted mini pool (MP) nucleic acid testing (NAT) for HBV screening due to high cost of Individual donation (ID) NAT, and different proportions of MP-reactive but ID-non-reactive donations (MP+/ID-, defined as non-resolved donations) have been observed during daily donor screening process. Some of these non-resolved donations are occult HBV infections (OBIs), which pose potential risk of HBV transmission if they are not deferred. This study is aimed to further analyze these non-resolved donations.

Molecular characteristics of HBV infection among blood donors tested HBsAg reactive in a single ELISA test in southern China.

Background: Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is a major concern for blood safety in high-prevalence HBV countries such as China. In Shenzhen, dual hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs) have been adopted in parallel with nucleic acid testing (NAT) for donors for over a decade. A small proportion of blood donors test reactive (R) for HBsAg but negative through routine NAT, which can lead to HBV infection with an extremely low viral load.

Differential transcriptomic analysis of crayfish (Procambarus clarkii) from a rice coculture system challenged by Vibrio parahaemolyticus.

Rice-crayfish (Procambarus clarkii) coculture is an effective farming mode and has been promoted in various regions of China. However, infection in crayfish can be a significant economic drain. We found crayfish infected with Vibrio parahemolyticus (VP), and to understand the molecular mechanisms of the immune responses of crayfish to VP infection, Illumina sequencing was employed to identify changes in the mRNA of hepatopancreatic tissue.

Comprehensive analysis of hepatitis B virus infections in blood donors in southern China that are surface antigen positive but nucleic acid testing negative.

Background: Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is one of the major concerns for the safety of blood transfusion in high-prevalent countries such as in China. Prior studies outside of China have shown hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) false-reactive rate of 0.02% to 0.

Effects of bacterial haemorrhagic septicemia on the immune response of Leiocassis longirostris by RNA-Seq and microRNA-Seq.

Leiocassis longirostris is a common fish variety that is widely cultivated in China, during the breeding process however, it is highly susceptible to bacterial haemorrhagic septicemia, which can cause great economic loss for farmers. To understand the immune responses of L. longirostris to Aeromonas hydrophila infection, Illumina sequencing was employed to identify changes in the mRNA and miRNA in spleen tissue.

Enhanced high-slope-efficiency and high-power LD side-pumped Er:YSGG laser.

We designed a high-slope-efficiency and high-power laser diode (LD) side-pump Er:YSGG laser based on the analysis for the effect of the crystal dimension and the LD distribution on the temperature and energy distributions in laser crystal. A maximum output power of 34.9 W for a 2.

Nearly half of Ultrio plus NAT non-discriminated reactive blood donors were identified as occult HBV infection in South China.

Background: Blood donor plasma samples were detected by the Ultrio Plus NAT system for HBV, HCV and HIV-1 in Shenzhen blood center, China. Reactive samples underwent further discriminatory testing of a single virus by the same methodology. A large number of cases of non-discriminated reactive (NDR) donors were found, leaving potential risk of transmitting HBV if not deferrals.

Prevalence of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) in a blood donor population born prior to and after implementation of universal HBV vaccination in Shenzhen, China.

Background: Neonatal hepatitis B vaccination program at birth has been implemented nationwide since 1992 in China. However, current HBV prevalence status in blood donors has not been entirely examined, which may impact HBV safety in blood donations as the vaccinees over 18 years old progressively become the majority population of blood donors.

Methods: In this study, 569,145 blood donors were screened for HBsAg by rapid tests and enzyme immunoassays, among them 475,538 blood samples with negative HBsAg were further screened for HBV DNA by nucleic acid testing between 2005 and 2014 at Shenzhen blood center.

Characterisation and follow-up study of occult hepatitis B virus infection in anti-HBc-positive qualified blood donors in southern China.

Background: Most major Chinese blood centres look for hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) and perform nucleic acid testing to screen blood for hepatitis B virus infection. The search for antibodies to the core of hepatitis B virus (anti-HBc) has not been implemented because it would lead to a high rate of discarded blood units. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of occult HBV infection among anti-HBc-positive qualified blood donors in southern China.

High prevalence of anti-hepatitis B core antigen in hepatitis B virus-vaccinated Chinese blood donors suggests insufficient protection but little threat to the blood supply.

Background: In East Asia, individuals systematically vaccinated at birth to hepatitis B virus (HBV) are an increasing part of the blood donor population. Their environment presents a high risk of contact with HBV. HBV vaccine efficacy and potential safety risk carried by vaccinated donors were examined.

Six-year pilot study on nucleic acid testing for blood donations in China.

A six-year pilot study on nucleic acid testing for HBV, HCV and HIV-1 has been undertaken on sero-negative plasmas in mini-pool and individual donation testing at Shenzhen Blood Center. Of 307,740 sero-negative blood samples, 95 of 102 HBV DNA yields were confirmed positive, 80/95 (84.2%) were classified as occult HBV infection (OBI) and 15 (15.

Characterization of occult hepatitis B virus infection from blood donors in China.

Prevalence and characteristics of occult hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection (OBI) of genotypes B and C prevalent in China have not been extensively explored. Characterization of OBI strains obtained from Chinese blood donors was based on clinical and serological analyses, follow-up testing, and sequence analyses. Twenty-eight samples from 165,371 HBV surface antigen (HBsAg)-negative plasmas were confirmed HBsAg negative and DNA positive(HBsAg(-)/DNA(+)), of which 22 were classified as OBIs and 6 as window period infections.