The nasopharyngeal microbiota is composed of a variety of not only the true commensal bacterial species but also the two-face pathobionts, which are one a harmless commensal bacterial species and the other a highly invasive and deadly pathogen. In a previous study, we found that the diversity of nasopharyngeal microbiota was lost in severe influenza patients.

BackgroundChina enacted a policy to ban smoking in hospitals. The Chinese Association for Tobacco Control (CATC) developed a program to help hospitals implement this policy. They conducted a program and an assessment in 3 Chinese cities (Beijing, Shanghai and Guangdong). A more in-depth evaluation was implemented with a sub-sample of hospitals in Beijing (N = 7) to provide an independent assessment. This independent assessment focused on evaluating policy development and an assessment of secondhand smoke (SHS) to determine compliance with the smoke-free policy initiative.MethodsPre- and post-survey data were collected at each of the selected hospitals with a total sample of 2835 physicians at pre-intervention and 2812 at post-intervention. Smoking rates pre- and post-policy implementation, change in knowledge, attitudes and practices among physicians, and compliance with policy were assessed. Measurements of airborne nicotine concentrations in selected locations in each hospital were taken: main hospital lobby; main outpatient center; emergency waiting room; and stairwell adjacent to a large inpatient ward. Hospital policies were collected, translated and rated for incorporated components necessary to implement a smoke-free policy.ResultsPhysicians’ smoking rates decreased and attitudes towards tobacco control improved significantly from pre-to post-intervention. Smoking was still reported in certain areas of the hospital with 96% of passive nicotine monitors as well as self-report indicating continued smoking. Nicotine levels ranged from <0.0056 to 3.94 μg/m3), with an overall mean of .667 μg/m3. Hospitals that established stronger policies seemed to have lower levels of nicotine, suggesting a relationship between policy development and compliance. This finding is interesting but just suggestive and requires further investigation to truly demonstrate if stronger policies improve compliance and produce better outcomes.ConclusionAs implementation strategies for smoke-free environments are improved and more resources are focused on hospitals, China is making progress toward achieving smoke-free hospitals. Using a model program could increase the prevalence of SHS policies across China. However, relying only on survey data may not provide an accurate assessment of this progress, and more extensive evaluation efforts are useful to understand how change can and does occur.

Background Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) is a leading infectious cause of hospitalisation and death worldwide. The knowledge about the incidence and aetiology of CAP in China was fragmented. Methods A multicenter study performed at four hospitals in four regions in China and clinical samples from CAP patients were collected and used for pathogen identification from July 2016 to June 2019. Results A total of 1,674 patients were enrolled and the average annual incidence of hospitalized CAP was 18.7 cases per 10,000 people (95% confidence interval 18.5–19.0). The most common viral and bacterial agents found in patients were respiratory syncytial virus (19.2%) and Streptococcus pneumoniae (9.3%). The co-infections percentage was 13.8%. Pathogen distribution displayed variations within age groups, and seasonal and regional differences. The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) was not detected. Respiratory virus detection was significantly positively correlated with air pollutants, including PM2.5, PM10, NO2 and SO2; and significantly negatively correlated with ambient temperature and O3 content; bacteria detection was opposite. Conclusion The hospitalized CAP incidence in China was higher than previously known. CAP etiology showed differences in age, seasons, regions, and respiratory viruses were detected at a higher rate than bacterial infection overall. Air pollutants and temperature have influence on the detection of pathogens.

Abstract. The present study retrospectively analyzed the prognostic factors of 135 patients with locally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) who received intensity modulated radiation therapy between August 2008 and January 2012 at Xiangya Hospital of Central South University. Patients were staged from III-IVA according to the 7th American Joint Committee on Cancer staging system. Using Statistical Analysis System 9.3 software, the present study demonstrated that, among these 135 patients, the 5-year overall survival, the 5-year local relapse-free survival, and the 5-year disease metastasis-free survival were 84, 82, and 78%, respectively. Multivariate Cox regression analysis identified that targeted treatment [hazard ratio (95% confidence interval), 2.642 (1.001, 6.972); P=0.0497] served as an independent negative prognostic factor in locally advanced NPC. The results of immunostaining revealed that the staining intensity of the radiation-resistant group was increased compared with that of the radiation-sensitive group. These results demonstrate that a high expression of EGFR may be associated with radiation resistance, and targeted treatment may not be effective in patients with locally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma with low expression of EGFR.

Ticks and tick-borne pathogens significantly threaten human and animal health worldwide. Haemaphysalis longicornis is one of the dominant tick species in East Asia, including China. In the present study, 646 Ha. longicornis ticks were collected from free-ranging domestic sheep in the southern region of Hebei Province, China. Tick-borne pathogens of zoonotic and veterinary importance (i.e., Rickettsia, Anaplasma, Ehrlichia, Borrelia, Theileria, and Hepatozoon spp.) were detected in the ticks using PCR assays and sequence analysis. The prevalence rates of these pathogens were 5.1% (33/646), 15.9% (103/646), 1.2% (8/646), 17.0% (110/646), 0.15% (1/646), and 0.15% (1/646), respectively. For Rickettsia spp., R. japonica (n = 13), R. raoultii (n = 6), and Candidatus R. jingxinensis (n = 14) were detected for the first time in the province, while several Anaplasma spp. were also detected in the ticks, including A. bovis (n = 52), A. ovis (n = 31), A. phagocytophilum (n = 10), and A. capra (n = 10). A putative novel Ehrlichia spp. was also found with a prevalence of 1.2% in the area. The present study provides important data for effectively controlling ticks and tick-borne diseases in the Hebei Province region of China.