Disparities and risks of sexually transmissible infections among men who have sex with men in China: a meta-analysis and data synthesis.

BACKGROUND: Sexually transmitted infections (STIs), including Hepatitis B and C virus, are emerging public health risks in China, especially among men who have sex with men (MSM). This study aims to assess the magnitude and risks of STIs among Chinese MSM. METHODS: Chinese and English peer-reviewed articles were searched in five electronic databases from January 2000 to February 2013. Pooled prevalence estimates for each STI infection were calculated using meta-analysis. Infection risks of STIs in MSM, HIV-positive MSM and male sex workers (MSW) were obtained. This review followed the PRISMA guidelines and was registered in PROSPERO. RESULTS: Eighty-eight articles (11 in English and 77 in Chinese) investigating 35,203 MSM in 28 provinces were included in this review. The prevalence levels of STIs among MSM were 6.3% (95% CI: 3.5-11.0%) for chlamydia, 1.5% (0.7-2.9%) for genital wart, 1.9% (1.3-2.7%) for gonorrhoea, 8.9% (7.8-10.2%) for hepatitis B (HBV), 1.2% (1.0-1.6%) for hepatitis C (HCV), 66.3% (57.4-74.1%) for human papillomavirus (HPV), 10.6% (6.2-17.6%) for herpes simplex virus (HSV-2) and 4.3% (3.2-5.8%) for Ureaplasma urealyticum. HIV-positive MSM have consistently higher odds of all these infections than the broader MSM population. As a subgroup of MSM, MSW were 2.5 (1.4-4.7), 5.7 (2.7-12.3), and 2.2 (1.4-3.7) times more likely to be infected with chlamydia, gonorrhoea and HCV than the broader MSM population, respectively. CONCLUSION: Prevalence levels of STIs among MSW were significantly higher than the broader MSM population. Co-infection of HIV and STIs were prevalent among Chinese MSM. Integration of HIV and STIs healthcare and surveillance systems is essential in providing effective HIV/STIs preventive measures and treatments. TRIAL REGISTRATION: PROSPERO NO: CRD42013003721

Criminology or Zemiology? Yes, please! on the refusal of choice between false alternatives

Buried deep within the zemiological movement and its supportive literature is the implicit assumption that the word zemia, the organising concept around which zemiology is built, simply represents ‘the Greek word for harm’. This interpretation has supported numerous drives to ‘move beyond criminology’ and erect strict borders between the study of crime and harm. However, a deeper, albeit still rather brief, exploration of zemia reveals that it possesses a broader range of meaning than that commonly afforded to it. By beginning to unpick zemia’s semantic genealogy, it appears that the conventional use of the word to support the imposition of false alternatives between criminology and zemiology is untenable. Accordingly, this chapter attempts to foreground a more integrated approach to the study of crime and harm

Design of Group IIA Secreted/Synovial Phospholipase A2 Inhibitors: An Oxadiazolone Derivative Suppresses Chondrocyte Prostaglandin E2 Secretion

Group IIA secreted/synovial phospholipase A2 (GIIAPLA2) is an enzyme involved in the synthesis of eicosanoids such as prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), the main eicosanoid contributing to pain and inflammation in rheumatic diseases. We designed, by molecular modeling, 7 novel analogs of 3-{4-[5(indol-1-yl)pentoxy]benzyl}-4H-1,2,4-oxadiazol-5-one, denoted C1, an inhibitor of the GIIAPLA2 enzyme. We report the results of molecular dynamics studies of the complexes between these derivatives and GIIAPLA2, along with their chemical synthesis and results from PLA2 inhibition tests. Modeling predicted some derivatives to display greater GIIAPLA2 affinities than did C1, and such predictions were confirmed by in vitro PLA2 enzymatic tests. Compound C8, endowed with the most favorable energy balance, was shown experimentally to be the strongest GIIAPLA2 inhibitor. Moreover, it displayed an anti-inflammatory activity on rabbit articular chondrocytes, as shown by its capacity to inhibit IL-1β-stimulated PGE2 secretion in these cells. Interestingly, it did not modify the COX-1 to COX-2 ratio. C8 is therefore a potential candidate for anti-inflammatory therapy in joints

Characterizations of crystalline structure and catalytic activity of zwitterionic imidazole derivatives

International audienceThe zwitterion ligand L1 has been synthesized and characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction, and spectroscopic techniques (1H, 13C NMR, FT-IR, ESI-MS, and UV–Vis). The crystal structure shows that L1 molecules are planar and are connected via intermolecular N-H——O and intramolecular N-H——O interactions. The NMR analysis shows the presence of two mesomeric forms of L1 zwitterion and ketone-imidazolidine. The kinetic study of in situ complexes is followed by UV–vis spectroscopy and revealed a binuclear structure built from square base pyramidal geometry and octahedral one. In situ complexes obtained from L1 with different copper (II) salts are studied for their catecholase activities using 3,5-di-tert-butylcatechol. The obtained 3,5-di-tert-butylquinone was characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction,. The results show that the catalytic activity depends on the nature of the metal salt anion. From Michaelis-Menten model, we have evaluated the dissociation constant and the bond constant which are in good agreement with those of literature. The structure-activity relationship show that the high rate of catalytic oxidation depends on the presence of copper ion in the complex

New synthetic material removing heavy metals from aqueous solutions and wastewater

International audience(E)-2-[(1H-Imidazol-4-yl)methylidene]-Hydrazinecarbothioamide ligand (EIMH) was investigated to remove heavy metal ions from wastewater. Thus, the present study leads to the adsorption/complexation of Pb2+, Cu2+ and Cd2+ in aqueous solution on EIMH under various conditions such as contact time, temperature, and pH. The EIMH ligand was characterized using FTIR and X-ray diffraction. The metal ion concentration in the aqueous samples was analyzed by atomic absorption spectrophotometer. The uptake is rapid with maximum adsorption being observed within 10 min for Pb2+, Cu2+ and Cd2+. Results obtained revealed that 99.80% of lead, 99.25% of copper and 98.68% of cadmium were removed at pH 2–8. The calculated thermodynamic parameters indicate that the adsorption of heavy metals onto EIMH is physical in nature. Finally, EIMH is able to remove the three heavy metals to a concentration less than 0.5 ppm from wastewater and with an efficiency of 96.81% for lead, 99.44% for copper and 97.76% for cadmium

Xeroderma Pigmentosum Groups C and A in Algerian Patients with Deregulation of both Transcription and DNA Repair

International audienceXeroderma Pigmentosum (XP) is a rare autosomal recessive disorder characterized by an extreme sensitivity to UV rays from sunlight, a high incidence of skin cancer and occasional neurological symptoms. XP, primarily defined as a DNA repair syndrome, has been found associated with defects in the Nucleotide Excision Repair (NER) pathway, and more recently by transcriptional deregulation. XP results from mutations in eight genes (XPA to XPG and XPV) coding for proteins involved in NER. Abstract We report here two cases of XP patients from Algeria, describe their clinical features, identify the causative mutations, and molecularly define their etiology. We determined that each XP individual bears XPC and XPA mutations respectively. Both mutations disrupt expression of their corresponding genes: while the XPC p.Val548Alafs*25 variant was not expressed, the truncated XPA p.Arg228* variant was detected in the patient's cells. Unscheduled DNA synthesis (UDS) and Recovery of RNA synthesis after DNA damage (RRS) assays, as well as immunofluorescence on Ultraviolet-irradiated patient cells showed deficiency in the NER pathway. Moreover, we also found that the patients' cells were defective in transcription, especially certain Retinoic-acid receptor (RAR)-responsive genes. Altogether our data revealed both DNA repair and transcriptional defaults that defined the molecular etiology for these two XP individuals, and may help to understand some of the patients' clinical features