Objective Unprecedented rigorous public health measures were implemented during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) epidemic, but it is still unclear how the intervention influenced hospital visits for different types of diseases. We aimed to evaluate the impact of the intervention on hospital visits in Yinzhou District, Ningbo, Zhejiang province, China. Methods We conducted an interrupted time-series analysis from 1 January 2017 to 6 September 2020 based on the Yinzhou Health Information System in Ningbo, Zhejiang province. The beginning of the intervention was on 23 January 2020, and thus, there were 160 weeks before the intervention and 32 weeks after the implementation of the intervention. Level changes between expected and observed hospital visits in the post-intervention period were estimated using quasi-Poisson regression models. Results Compared with the expected level, there was an estimated decrease of −22.60% (95% confidence interval (CI): −27.53%, −17.36%) in the observed total hospital visits following the intervention. Observed hospital visits for diseases of the respiratory system were found to be decreased dramatically (−62.25%; 95% CI: −65.62%, −58.60%). However, observed hospital visits for certain diseases were estimated to be increased, including diseases of the nervous system (+11.17%; 95% CI: +3.21%, +19.74%); diseases of pregnancy, childbirth and the puerperium (+27.01%; 95% CI: +17.89%, +36.85%); certain conditions originating in the perinatal period (+45.05%; 95% CI: +30.24%, +61.56%); and congenital malformation deformations and chromosomal abnormalities (+35.50%; 95% CI: +21.24%, +51.45%). Conclusions Our findings provided scientific evidence that cause-specific hospital visits evolve differently following the intervention during the COVID-19 epidemic.

Partition of phenanthrene between water and roots was determined for 13 plant species using a batch equilibration technique. Partition coefficients (K rt ) from 734 to 2,564 L/kg were measured. A simple model to estimate the partition of organic contaminants between roots and water was developed based on the composition of plant roots and the 1-octanol/water partitioning coefficient. The estimates were close to the observed results, with differences of < 14%. The partition coefficients of phenanthrene by root cell walls were 13-84% greater than sorption by the corresponding roots. The cell wall fraction-the dominant fraction of root organic components-was identified as the primary domain for partition of phenanthrene. The measured hydroponic uptake of phenanthrene into roots was always less than phenanthrene partition by plant roots. A modified sorption model containing a quasi-equilibrium factor (α pt ) could reasonably predict hydroponic uptake by plant roots. The results obtained from this study provide insights into partition of highly lipophilic organic chemicals in roots, and provide convenient methods to estimate this partition as well as uptake of such chemicals in rootwater systems.

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Seven cases of testicular extranodal natural killer (NK)/T-cell lymphoma, nasal type, are reported, with a literature review. Two patients had a testicular lesion as the initial presentation, four had a history of nasal NK/T-cell lymphoma and the remaining patient had concomitant involvement of an adrenal gland. All patients underwent orchiectomy followed by chemotherapy (CT) and/or radiotherapy (RT). Follow-up data showed that two patients with non-primary tumors died of disease within 6 and 11 months, respectively. Histologically, the tumor had a diffuse growth pattern largely replacing the interstitial tissues. Neoplastic cells showed prominent angiocentric and angioinvasive features with focal coagulative necrosis and apoptotic bodies. Immunohistochemically, all cases were positive for cytoplasmic CD3ε and CD56. Epstein-Barr virus infection was demonstrated in all cases. Testicular NK/T-cell lymphoma, whether primary or secondary, was generally very aggressive with a poor outcome despite multimodality therapy. Novel molecular therapeutic targets and more effective treatments are needed, especially for disseminated or recurrent cases.

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