At-home disposal practices of used insulin needles among patients with diabetes in China: A single-center, cross-sectional study

BackgroundMost insulin injections for people with diabetes are administered at home, thus generating many used needles. Unsafe disposal of these at-home needles can lead to needle stick injuries, blood-borne disease transmission, and environmental contamination. Previous studies have shown varying results on the prevalence of and factors associated with safe sharps disposal practices of people with diabetes.ObjectiveTo assess the prevalence of and the factors associated with the safe disposal of used insulin needles among patients with diabetes.MethodsWe collected data from 271 insulin-using patients at a tertiary care hospital in China. A self-designed instrument was used to assess sociodemographic data, disease- and treatment-related characteristics, sharps disposal practices, education on diabetes self-management and sharps disposal, and awareness of the potential risks associated with unsafe sharps disposal. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to explore factors associated with safe sharps disposal practices.ResultsOnly 10.3% (28/271) of participants disposed of used at-home insulin needles in a safe manner, and 14.8% (45/271) of participants had received previous instruction on sharps disposal. Previous sharps disposal instruction (AOR = 4.143, 95% CI = 1.642–10.450) and awareness of the risk of blood-borne pathogen transmission (AOR = 3.064, 95% CI = 1.332–7.046) were associated with safe disposal of used insulin needles.ConclusionIn our study, the prevalence of safe sharps disposal practices was low, and a minority of respondents had received previous instruction on sharps disposal. Participants who had previously received instruction and were aware of the risk of blood-borne pathogen transmission were more likely to handle sharps safely. Our study findings suggest that health care professionals should pay attention to sharps disposal practices of patients with diabetes and conduct diabetes education programs that include information on safe sharps disposal methods and potential hazards of unsafe sharps disposal

Expression profiles of differentially regulated genes during the early stages of apple flower infection with Erwinia amylovora

To identify genes involved in the response to the fire blight pathogen Erwinia amylovora in apple (Malus×domestica), expression profiles were investigated using an apple oligo (70-mer) array representing 40, 000 genes. Blossoms of a fire blight-susceptible apple cultivar Gala were collected from trees growing in the orchard, placed on a tray in the laboratory, and spray-inoculated with a suspension of E. amylovora at a concentration of 108 cfu ml−1. Uninoculated detached flowers served as controls at each time point. Expression profiles were captured at three different time points post-inoculation at 2, 8, and 24 h, together with those at 0 h (uninoculated). A total of about 3500 genes were found to be significantly modulated in response to at least one of the three time points. Among those, a total of 770, 855, and 1002 genes were up-regulated, by 2-fold, at 2, 8, and 24 h following inoculation, respectively; while, 748, 1024, and 1455 genes were down-regulated, by 2-fold, at 2, 8, and 24 h following inoculation, respectively. Over the three time points post-inoculation, 365 genes were commonly up-regulated and 374 genes were commonly down-regulated. Both sets of genes were classified based on their functional categories. The majority of up-regulated genes were involved in metabolism, signal transduction, signalling, transport, and stress response. A number of transcripts encoding proteins/enzymes known to be up-regulated under particular biotic and abiotic stress were also up-regulated following E. amylovora treatment. Those up- or down-regulated genes encode transcription factors, signaling components, defense-related, transporter, and metabolism, all of which have been associated with disease responses in Arabidopsis and rice, suggesting similar response pathways are involved in apple blossoms

The genome of the pear (<em>Pyrus bretschneideri</em> Rehd.)

The draft genome of the pear (Pyrus bretschneideri) using a combination of BAC-by-BAC and next-generation sequencing is reported. A 512.0-Mb sequence corresponding to 97.1% of the estimated genome size of this highly heterozygous species is assembled with 194× coverage. High-density genetic maps comprising 2005 SNP markers anchored 75.5% of the sequence to all 17 chromosomes. The pear genome encodes 42,812 protein-coding genes, and of these, ∼28.5% encode multiple isoforms. Repetitive sequences of 271.9 Mb in length, accounting for 53.1% of the pear genome, are identified. Simulation of eudicots to the ancestor of Rosaceae has reconstructed nine ancestral chromosomes. Pear and apple diverged from each other ∼5.4–21.5 million years ago, and a recent whole-genome duplication (WGD) event must have occurred 30–45 MYA prior to their divergence, but following divergence from strawberry. When compared with the apple genome sequence, size differences between the apple and pear genomes are confirmed mainly due to the presence of repetitive sequences predominantly contributed by transposable elements (TEs), while genic regions are similar in both species. Genes critical for self-incompatibility, lignified stone cells (a unique feature of pear fruit), sorbitol metabolism, and volatile compounds of fruit have also been identified. Multiple candidate SFB genes appear as tandem repeats in the S-locus region of pear; while lignin synthesis-related gene family expansion and highly expressed gene families of HCT, C3′H, and CCOMT contribute to high accumulation of both G-lignin and S-lignin. Moreover, alpha-linolenic acid metabolism is a key pathway for aroma in pear fruit