What is already known on this topic? Aerosol transmission was one route for the spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and usually occurred in confined spaces. What is added by this report? Aerosol transmission was found to exist between handshake buildings, i.e., buildings with extremely close proximity that formed relatively enclosed spaces. Transmission was mainly affected by the airflow layout caused by switching air conditioners on and off as well as opening and closing doors and windows. What are the implications for public health practice? Centralized isolation and home isolation in handshake buildings creates a risk of SARS-CoV-2 aerosol transmission under certain conditions. Attention should be paid to the influence of air distribution layout on aerosol diffusion in isolation wards, and disinfection of isolation venues should be strengthened.

ObjectiveTo investigate the dynamical brain network changes before and after an absence seizure episode in absence epilepsy (AE).Methods21 AE patients with a current high frequency of seizures and 21 sex- and age-matched health control (HC) who reported no history of neurological or psychiatric disorders and visited the hospital for routine physical examinations were included. Each included subject underwent a 2-h and 19-channel video EEG examination. For AE patients, five epochs of 10-s EEG data in inter-ictal, pre-ictal, and post-ictal states were collected. For the HC group, five 10-s resting-state EEG epochs were extracted. Functional independent components analysis (ICA) was carried out using the LORETA KEY tool.ResultsCompared with the resting-state EEG data of the HC group, the EEG data from AE patients during inter-ictal periods showed decreased alpha oscillations in regions involving the superior frontal gyrus (SFG) (BA11). From inter-ictal to pre-ictal, SFG (BA10) showed maximum decreased delta oscillations. Additionally, from pre-ictal to post-ictal, superior temporal gyrus (STG) (BA 22) presented maximum increased neural activity in the alpha band. Moreover, compared with inter-ictal EEG, post-ictal EEG showed significantly decreased theta activity in SFG (BA8).ConclusionThe changes in SFG alpha oscillations are the key brain network differences between inter-ictal EEG of AE patients and resting-state EEG of HCs. The brain networks of EEG oscillatory during peri-ictal episodes are mainly involving SFG and STG. Our study suggests that altered EEG brain networks dynamics exist between inter-ictal EEG of AE patients and resting-state EEG of HCs and between pre- and post-ictal EEG in AE patients.

A cross-layer non-vertical transmission of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) occurred in a quarantine hotel in Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China in June 2021. To explore the cross-layer transmission path and influencing factors of viral aerosol, we set up different scenarios to carry out simulation experiments. The results showed that the air in the polluted room can enter the corridor by opening the door to take food and move out the garbage, then mix with the fresh air taken from the outside as part of the air supply of the central air conditioning system and re-enter into different rooms on the same floor leading to the same-layer transmission. In addition, flushing the toilet after defecation and urination will produce viral aerosol that pollutes rooms on different floors through the exhaust system and the vertical drainage pipe in the bathroom, resulting in cross-layer vertical transmission, also aggravating the transmission in different rooms on the same floor after mixing with the air of the room and entering the corridor to become part of the air supply, and meanwhile, continuing to increase the cross-layer transmission through the vertical drainage pipe. Therefore, the air conditioning and ventilation system of the quarantine hotel should be operated in full fresh air mode and close the return air; the exhaust volume of the bathroom should be greater than the fresh air volume. The exhaust pipe of the bathroom should be independently set and cannot be interconnected or connected in series. The riser of the sewage and drainage pipeline of the bathroom should maintain vertical to exhaust independently and cannot be arbitrarily changed to horizontal pipe assembly.

1,2-Dichloroethane (DCE) is a ubiquitous occupational environmental contaminant. Subacute exposure to DCE can cause severe toxic encephalopathy and has obvious toxic effects on the liver. However, the toxicity of DCE on the liver and its molecular mechanism remain elusive. In the present study, we established a DCE-exposed animal model by inhalation in SD rats and used HepG2 cells in in vitro tests. The DCE-exposed groups showed hepatic dysfunction relative to the control group. Moreover, apoptotic cells and decreased phosphorylation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2) were found in liver tissue of rats in 3 DCE-exposed groups. In vitro tests showed that short-term exposure to DCE induced apoptosis in HepG2 cells. Furthermore, the incubation of cells with DCE significantly decreased the phosphorylation of ERK1/2 in a concentration-dependent manner. Additionally, incubating HepG2 cells with epidermal growth factor, an ERK1/2 activator, significantly increased apoptosis in HepG2 cells. In conclusion, our results suggest that DCE induces apoptosis in HepG2 cells by inhibiting ERK1/2 pathways.