Is Pertussis Infection Neglected in China? Evidence from a Seroepidemiology Survey in Zhejiang, an Eastern Province of China

<div><p>Background</p><p>The resurgence of pertussis has occurred in many countries. However, the epidemiological profiles of pertussis cannot be well understood by the current surveillance system in China. This study was designed to investigate the age specific serologic evidence of antibodies against pertussis, and to offer information regarding the existence of pertussis infection in Zhejiang Province, China.</p><p>Methods</p><p>A cross-sectional serosurvey was carried out in 6 counties of Zhejiang Province during September and October of 2014. The immunoglobulin G-pertussis toxin (IgG-PT) levels were measured quantitatively with a commercially available enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The antibody activities were expressed in the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-U/ml and a level ≥30 FDA-U/ml was considered seropositive. An IgG-PT >80 FDA-U/ml indicated recent pertussis infection if the patient had not received immunization with the pertussis vaccine within the last year.</p><p>Results</p><p>The mean IgG-PT seropositivity rate among the 2107 subjects was 33.32% with a geometric mean concentration of 17.73 (95% confidence interval: 16.90–18.60) FDA-U/ml. The difference in the seropositivity rates reached significant means among the different age groups (waldχ² = 198.41, <i>P</i><0.0005), and children aged 3 years had the highest percentage (63.24%) of undetectable IgG-PT level. Of the 1707 subjects ≥3 years of age, 169 (9.90%) had evidence of a recent infection. The highest proportion of IgG-PT levels ≥80 FDA-U/ml was found in ≥60 years age group followed by 11–15 and 16–25 years age groups.</p><p>Conclusions</p><p>This study indicates the rather lower IgG-PT level sustained 1 year after the acellular pertussis vaccine booster dose, and substantial proportion of population susceptibility to pertussis in Zhejiang Province, China. Moreover, pertussis infection is not uncommon; it was estimated that 10% of subjects were recently infected approximately within the last 100 days. We highly suggest that the surveillance capacity should be strengthened and consider introducing booster dose that protect against pertussis in 6 years old children.</p></div

The rate of pertussis infection by age group in Zhejiang Province, China, 2014.

<p>The rate of pertussis infection by age group in Zhejiang Province, China, 2014.</p

The age-specific seropositivity rates and geometric mean concentrations of antibodies against pertussis in Zhejiang Province, China, 2014.

<p>The age-specific seropositivity rates and geometric mean concentrations of antibodies against pertussis in Zhejiang Province, China, 2014.</p

Search strategy for PubMed (up to April 9^th, 2013).

<p>Search strategy for PubMed (up to April 9^th, 2013).</p

Passive Smoking and Risk of Type 2 Diabetes: A Meta-Analysis of Prospective Cohort Studies

<div><p>Backgrounds/Objective</p><p>The prevalence of diabetes is increasing rapidly all over the world. However, studies on passive smoking and type 2 diabetes have not been systematically assessed. Therefore, we conducted a meta-analysis to explore whether an association exists between passive smoking and risk of type 2 diabetes.</p><p>Methods</p><p>We searched PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane library and Web of Science up to April 9^th, 2013, to identify prospective cohort studies that assessed passive smoking and risk of type 2 diabetes. The fixed-effect model was used to calculate the overall relative risk (RR).</p><p>Result</p><p>4 prospective cohort studies were included for analysis, with a total of 112,351 participants involved. The pooled RR was 1.28 (95% confidence interval (CI) 1.14 to 1.44) comparing those who were exposed to passive smoking with those who were not. Subgroup, sensitivity analysis and publication bias test suggested the overall result of this analysis was robust.</p><p>Conclusions</p><p>Passive smoking is associated with a significantly increased risk of type 2 diabetes. Further well-designed studies are warranted to confirm this association.</p></div

Characteristics of studies included in the meta-analysis.

<p>Characteristics of studies included in the meta-analysis.</p

Summary of the results of the association between passive smoking and type 2 diabetes.

<p>Summary of the results of the association between passive smoking and type 2 diabetes.</p

Effects of fulvic acid on rice growth and phosphorus absorption

Fulvic acid (FA) is a complex substance with multiple functional groups produced by organic waste composition. It can promote plant growth and affect phosphorus (P) fertilizer. However, the mechanism of its action and the optimal application rate of FA have remained unclear. This study set different concentrations of FA to explore the effect on rice growth and P. These results indicated exogenous addition FA can significantly increase plant height, chlorophyll concentration and biomass, and the P content, P uptake and distribution in different rice plant parts. Moreover, FA treatments improved root morphogenesis and the expression of transcript-level P transporter genes (OsPHT1s). Different concentrations of FA treatments had different effects on rice, especially T1 (40 mg/L) treatment had the best. In conclusion, basic nutrients and the addition into FA at moderate doses can promote root growth and phosphorus utilization to improve rice growth. Therefore, FA can be used as an effective component of a new type biological phosphorus fertilizer designed for sustainable agricultural production.</p

A forest plot of the association between passive smoking and type 2 diabetes risk.

<p>A forest plot of the association between passive smoking and type 2 diabetes risk.</p

DataSheet_1_Genome-wide analysis of the mulberry (Morus abla L.) GH9 gene family and the functional characterization of MaGH9B6 during the development of the abscission zone.pdf

Plant glycoside hydrolase family 9 genes (GH9s) are widely distributed in plants and involved in a variety of cellular and physiological processes. In the current study, nine GH9 genes were identified in the mulberry and were divided into two subfamilies based on the phylogenetic analysis. Conserved motifs and gene structure analysis suggested that the evolution of the two subfamilies is relatively conserved and the glycoside hydrolase domain almost occupy the entire coding region of the GH9s gene. Only segmental duplication has played a role in the expansion of gene family. Collinearity analysis showed that mulberry GH9s had the closest relationship with poplar GH9s. MaGH9B1, MaGH9B6, MaGH9B5, and MaGH9B3 were detected to have transcript accumulation in the stalk of easy-to drop mature fruit drop, suggesting that these could play a role in mulberry fruit drop. Multiple cis-acting elements related to plant hormones and abiotic stress responses were found in the mulberry GH9 promoter regions and showed different activities under exogenous abscisic acid (ABA) and 2,4- dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) stresses. We found that the lignin content in the fruit stalk decreased with the formation of the abscission zone (AZ), which could indirectly reflect the formation process of the AZ. These results provide a theoretical basis for further research on the role of GH9s in mulberry abscission.</p