Hepatitis G virus (HGV) infection transmitted from blood donors is a concern in China, as many articles about HGV infection in Chinese blood donors from different provinces have been published. This study aimed to evaluate the overall prevalence of HGV infection in Chinese blood donors and analyse the potential risk of HGV infection through blood transfusion in China. We performed a literature search in PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, the Chinese BioMedical Literature Database (CBM) and the China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) up to October 2018 regarding the prevalence of HGV in Chinese blood donors. Eligibility assessment and data extraction were conducted independently by 2 researchers, and meta-analysis was performed to synthesize the data. Heterogeneity was evaluated using Cochran’s Q test and quantified using the I2 statistic. Subgroup analyses were performed to identify the possible sources of heterogeneity. Publication bias was assessed using both funnel plot and Egger’s tests. A total of 102 studies with 67,348 blood donors published from 1996 to 2016 and covering 26 provinces or municipalities were included for further analyses. The pooled prevalence of HGV was 3.91% (95%CI: 3.18–4.71%) by enzyme immune assay/enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (EIA/ELISA) and 3.25% (95%CI: 2.35–4.26%) by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The prevalence of HGV may be significantly affected by region, province or municipality and potentially by the paid/voluntary status of the blood donors. No significant difference was found between plasma and full blood donation. The prevalence of HGV in blood donors from China was similar to that in blood donors from many other countries and higher than that of some other hepatitis viruses, such as hepatitis B virus. The risk of transfusion-transmitted HGV still exists after routine blood donor screening, especially in those patients coinfected with other hepatitis viruses and/or HIV. On the basis of our study, we may suggest adding HGV screening for blood transfusions in mainland China in the future.

To identify molecular characteristics in situ in response to repetitive UVB (ultraviolet-B) irradiation. Microarray data from the Gene Expression Omnibus were re-analyzed to identify DEGs (differentially expressed genes) between UVB-irradiated and non-irradiated skin biopsies. Enrichment and annotation analyses were performed respectively using DAVID, and TSGene and TAG databases. PPIs (protein-protein interactions) were analyzed using STRING, and miRNAs (microRNAs) and TFs (transcription factors) were predicted separately by miRNA-related databases and ENCODE. Accordingly, the PPI network and regulatory networks were visualized using Cytoscape, and they were merged together to obtain an integrated network for mining densely connected modules. Altogether, 151 up- and 64 down-regulated genes were identified between UVB-irradiated and non-irradiated skin biopsies, among which down-regulated DNAJB4 and SLIT2 were annotated as tumor-suppressors and up-regulated KIT was annotated as an oncogene. The up-regulated DEGs were significantly enriched in biological processes related to pigmentation (DCT, SOX10, TYRP1, TYR, MLPH, KIT and GPR143), while the down-regulated DEGs were dramatically related to haemopoiesis and the immune system (GPR183, INHBA, PTPRC, PLEK, CD8A and IKZF1). Furthermore, many miRNAs were screened for the DEGs, including miR-206 and miR-496 targeting KIT, miR-184 targeting DCT, and highly significant miR-337-5p, miR-21 and miR-16. Additionally, TFs were identified for the DEGs, among which PAX5 and HNF4A targeted MLPH and GPR143, respectively, while BATF, SPI1 and EP300 jointly target GPR183, PTPRC and PLEK. The pigmentation and immune system implicated by DEGs, miRNAs and TFs might be important molecular mechanisms in response to UVB irradiation.

Background: To explore the efficacy and safety of drugs in patients with scrub typhus.Methods: For this systematic review and network meta-analysis, we searched PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Cochrane Central Register of Clinical Trials, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), and Wanfang data (WF) up to December 2021. All randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of antibiotics used to treat scrub typhus were included without language or date restrictions. The overall effectiveness was evaluated from 4 perspectives: cure rate (CR), defervescence time (DT), gastrointestinal symptoms–adverse events (GS-AD), and abnormal blood count–adverse events (ABC-AD). The quality of evidence was evaluated using the Cochrane Risk of Bias tool and GRADE system.Results: Sixteen studies involving 1,582 patients were included to evaluate 7 drugs, namely, azithromycin, doxycycline, chloramphenicol, tetracycline, rifampin, moxifloxacin, and telithromycin. In this network meta-analysis, rifampicin (82%) and chloramphenicol (65%) were more effective in terms of CR, and moxifloxacin (3%) from the quinolone family was the worst. Azithromycin caused the fewest events in terms of ABC-AD. No differences were found in this network meta-analysis (NMA) in terms of DT and GS-AD.Conclusions: Rifampicin was associated with the highest CR benefit and the lowest risk of DT when used to treat patients with scrub typhus, except in areas where tuberculosis (TB) was endemic. Azithromycin was found to be better in CR and was associated with a lower probability of GS-AD and ABC-AD; therefore, it may be considered to treat pregnant women and children. Moxifloxacin had a much lower CR than other drugs and is, therefore, not recommended for the management of scrub typhus.Systematic Review Registration: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/, identifier: CRD42021287837.

Human adenoviruses (HAdVs) have been demonstrated to cause a diversity of diseases among children and adults. The circulation of human adenovirus type 21 (HAdV21) has been mainly documented within closed environments in several countries. Nonetheless, respiratory infections or outbreaks due to HAdV21 have never been reported in China. MinION and Illumina platforms were employed to identify the potential pathogen from a throat swab. Discrepancies between MinION and Illumina sequencing were validated and corrected via polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Genomic characterization and recombinant event detection were then performed. Among the 35,466 high-quality MinION reads, a total of 5,999 reads (16.91%) could be aligned to HAdV21 reference genomes (genome sizes ≈35.3 kb), among which 20 had a length of >30 kb. A genome sequence assembled from MinION reads was further classified as HAdV subtype 21a. Random downsampling revealed as few as 500 nanopore reads could cover ≥96.49% of current genome. Illumina sequencing displayed good consistency (pairwise nucleotide identity = 99.91%) with MinION sequencing but with 31 discrepancies that were further validated and confirmed by PCR coupled with Sanger sequencing. Restriction enzymes such as BamHI and KpnI were able to distinguish the present genome from HAdV21 prototype and HAdV21b. Phylogenetic analysis employing whole-genome sequences placed our genome with members only from subtype 21a. Common features among HAdV21a strains were identified, including polymorphisms discovered in penton and 100 kDa hexon assembly–associated proteins and a recombinant event in the E4 gene. Using MinION and Illumina sequencers, we identified the first HAdV21a strain from China, which could provide key genomic data for disease control and epidemiological investigations.

Background/Objectives: Human adenovirus 55 (HAdV55) is a notable pathogen causing community-acquired pneumonia; outbreaks occur frequently in military camps, hospitals, and schools, thereby posing a threat to public health security. This study aimed to develop a method for detecting HAdV55 nucleic acid by targeting the conserved region of the Hexon gene. The sequence was amplified using enzymatic recombination isothermal amplification (ERA) technology, in conjunction with CRISPR-Cas12a technology, to enhance the amplification signal. Methods: Optimized primer and crRNA sequences were selected through ERA isothermal amplification testing. The ERA-CRISPR/Cas12a detection method was completed within 30 min at a constant temperature of 42 °C. Results: Sensitivity was assessed by detecting standard plasmids and live strains at various dilution concentrations. The detection limits were determined to be 9 copies/reaction for standard plasmids and 2.5 copies/reaction for cultured HAdV55 strains. Specificity tests were conducted on positive samples for five common respiratory pathogens and five other adenovirus subtypes, all of which showed no cross-reactivity. Conclusions: A rapid ERA-CRISPR/Cas12a nucleic acid detection method for HAdV55 has been successfully developed, demonstrating high sensitivity and specificity without the need for expensive or complex instruments. This method holds promise for on-site pathogen screening and detection.

Background/objectives: Novel influenza A viruses (NIAV) infection is a zoonotic acute respiratory disease. The H5N1 and H7N9 subtypes cause high mortality, posing major public health threats. This study aimed to establish rapid, field-deployable subtype-specific nucleic acid detection assays for H5 and H7 by integrating reverse-transcription enzymatic recombinase amplification (RT-ERA) with CRISPR/Cas12a. Two separate reactions are required per sample. Methods: Conserved hemagglutinin (H) sequences were retrieved from the NCBI database, and primers, probes, and crRNAs were designed using Primer Premier 5 and Primer-BLAST. The sensitivity of RT-ERA alone was compared with that of the ERA-CRISPR/Cas12a using serially diluted virus strain nucleic acid. The specificity was verified against other respiratory pathogens with similar clinical manifestations. Results: The optimal primers were F1R2 for H5 and F2R3 for H7. The limit of detection (LOD) of RT-ERA alone was 2.63×10³ copies/µL for H5 and 1.86×10³ copies/µL for H7; the ERA-CRISPR/Cas12a assay improved the LOD to 2.63×10¹ copies/µL for H5 and 1.86 copies/µL for H7, representing 100-fold and 1000-fold enhancements in sensitivity, respectively. Specificity testing showed that the assay exclusively detected H5N1 and H7N9 with no cross-reactivity to other tested pathogens. Conclusion: The ERA-CRISPR/Cas12a method exhibits enhanced sensitivity for H5 and H7 subtypes detection, along with high specificity, rapidity, and minimal equipment requirements. It offers a promising screening tool for NIAV infections.