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Background: Oseltamivir resistance in influenza virus (IFV) has been of widespread concern. An increase in the frequency of viruses with reduced inhibition was observed. Whether oseltamivir is effective is uncertain. We conducted this study to understand the real-world situation in northern China and the clinical efficacy for patients with IFV infection after the use of oseltamivir. Methods: The longitudinal study was performed on influenza-like illness (ILI) cases in a tertiary general hospital in Beijing, China during the flu season of 2018–2019. All ILI cases (≥18 years) were recruited into the study. We analyzed the effect of the oseltamivir therapy on the number of clinic visits, hospitalization frequency, and the duration of fever and cough. Results: A total of 689 ILI patients were recruited in this study with 355 in the oseltamivir therapy group and 334 in the supportive therapy group. Among the ILI patients, 388 patients were detected for IFV infection (364 IFV-A and 24 IFV-B) and divided into two groups with or without the oseltamivir therapy (302 vs. 86). There were no significant differences in the basic characteristics between the oseltamivir and supportive therapy groups in the ILI patients or in the IFV positive patients (all p < 0.05). After adjusting for the potential confounders, oseltamivir therapy reduced the times of clinic visits in the ILI and IFV positive patients (p = 0.043 and p = 0.011). No effectiveness with oseltamivir therapy was observed in the outcomes of hospitalization frequency, and the duration of fever and cough. Conclusion: Oseltamivir use may reduce the times of clinic visits. However, we did not observe the differences in the duration of fever, cough, and the frequency of hospitalization between oseltamivir therapy and supportive therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To investigate the clinical characteristics of Bechet's disease (BD) with respect to gender and age in China. Method: Clinical data of 489 BD patients admitted to Peking Union Medical College Hospital (PUMCH) and registered by the BD registry database established by PUMCH from March 2014 to January 2019 were collected and analyzed in this study. Demographics, medical histories, clinical manifestations, laboratory test results, imaging findings, assessment of disease activity, treatment regimen, as well as the outcomes were reviewed. Results: A total of 489 BD patients were included in this study, among them 286 males (58.5%) and 203 females (41.5%) with a male-to-female ratio of 1.41 and a median age of 34 years (interquartile range 28–44 years old). The results revealed that ocular lesions (P = 0.005), vascular lesions(P < 0.001), pseudofolliculitis (P < 0.001), and positive pathergy test (P = 0.002) were more commonly found in males, while genital ulceration was more prevalent in females (P < 0.001). Vascular lesions (P = 0.024) and gastrointestinal ulcers (P = 0.010) were more common in BD patients after the age of 40, while pseudofolliculitis was more common in patients under the age of 40 (P = 0.004) and ocular lesions (P = 0.017) occurred mainly in patients under the age of 35. Male predominance of ocular involvement was more apparent in their third decades (Padjusted< 0.006), while vascular lesions were prominently presented in male patients at the age of 30–40 (Padjusted= 0.006). Female predominance of genital ulcers was observed in patients at the age of 30–40 (Padjusted< 0.006). Conclusions: The clinical characteristics of BD were different with respect to gender and age. Key Points • Ocular and vascular lesions, pseudofolliculitis, and positive pathergy test were more common in male BD patients. • Genital ulceration showed female predominance in BD patients. • Vascular lesions and gastrointestinal ulcers were more common in older BD patients. • Pseudofolliculitis and ocular lesions occurred mainly in younger BD patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Zhou Lin , Shanglü anfou: Qingdai Chongqing de shangyezhidu : (Convenient or Restrictive: The Commercial System of Chongqing in the Qing Dynasty): Beijing: Social Sciences Academic Press, 2021, 457 pp., RMB 158 (paperback), ISBN: 978-7-5201-8604-9 The main finding of the book argues that the Chongqing market during the Qing dynasty was a "government-dominated rational market" (p. 299) and that the fundamental idea behind it was to "harness merchants by tribute and likin" (p. 364). However, Guanya was no longer a collaborator with the government after 1905, when the provincial government took control of the likin collection and became the target of government extortion. [Extracted from the article]

Urban open places with a public service function (e.g., urban parks) are likely to be populated in peak hours and during public events. To mitigate the risk of overcrowding and even events of stampedes, it is of considerable significance to realize a real-time full coverage estimate of the population density. The main challenge has been the limited deployment of crowd surveillance detectors in open public spaces, leading to incomplete data coverage and thus impacting the quality and reliability of the density estimation. To remedy this issue, this paper proposes a modified inverse distance weighting (IDW) method, named the inverse distance weighting based on path selection behavior (IDWPSB) method. The proposed IDWPSB method adjusts the distance decay effect according to visitors' path selection behavior, which better characterizes the human dynamics in open spaces. By implementing the model in a real-world road network in the Shichahai scenic area in Beijing, China, the study shows a decrease in the absolute deviation by 17.62% comparing the results between the new method and the traditional IDW method, justifying the effectiveness of the new method for spatial interpolation in open public places. By considering the behavioral factor, the proposed IDWPSB method can provide insights into public safety management with the increasing availability of data derived from location-based services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reports on the introduction of inactivated poliovirus vaccine (IPV) and its impact on the risk for vaccine-associated paralytic poliomyelitis (VAPP) in Beijing, China, from 2014 to 2016. The government introduced IPV into the city's Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI) in December 2014. Acute flaccid paralysis surveillance was used to identify VAPP cases in the city during the period.

Background: Numerous post-licensure studies, mostly from field epidemiological evidences such as outbreak surveys, have demonstrated the effectivenesss and insufficiency of one-dose varicella vaccine in outbreak control. Serological evidence of immunization failure is, however, relatively less reported in contrast. A cross-sectional seroepidemiological survey of Beijing residents was performed in 2012 in the People's Republic of China, after the one-dose varicella vaccine had been widely used for several years.Methods: Multistage stratified random sampling method was designed to recruit 2 144 subjects. The ELISA method was used to test the present blood samples collected and the reserve samples collected in 2008 to assess the trends of anti-VZV seroprevalence in the past 5 years and to determine the risk factors for varicella infection.Results: The age- and sex- adjusted overall anti-VZV seropositivity of Beijing residents in 2012 was 84.5%. Two groups' adjusted overall anti-VZV seroprevalence in 2012 showed obvious growth compared with 2008 (<1 yr old: from 6.3% to 16.9%; 1-4 yr old: from 27.6% to 57.2%). Reported one-dose vaccination history was 71.6% (149/208), 80.9% (182/225) and 82.2% (180/219) in the 1-4 yr, 5-9 yr, 10-14 yr age groups, respectively. Of subjects who had received the one-dose vaccine, 36% (216/603) showed negative anti-VZV concentrations (<110 mIU/mL); additionally 15.9% (96/603) of such subjects' anti-VZV concentrations were in the lowest positive concentration group (110-299 mIU/mL). Seropositivity in permanent residents of 1-9 yr old with verified vaccination was merely 61.8%. Various age groups (1-3 yr, 4-6 yr, and 7-9 yr) all showed seropositivity that gradually decreased with increasing of the interval between vaccination and blood sampling.Conclusion: Mass varicella vaccination significantly improved the immunity of younger Beijing residents. However, vaccine-induced anti-VZV antibody soon became weak in children with high coverage (approximately 80%) after vaccination for several years which is significantly higher than reported in pre-licensure studies. A government-funded 2-dose immunization program with mandatory vaccination schedule for Beijing residents may need consideration in the near future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Evapotranspiration is an important part in surface energy balance and water balance. Compared with other methods (micrometeorological, climatological, or hydrological method), the remote sensing model has obvious superiority to estimate regional evapotranspiration over heterogeneous surfaces. In this study, based on Landsat TM/ETM+ data and meteorological data, evapotranspiration in Beijing area on 17 April 2001, 12 April 2002, 06 July 2004, 06 May 2005, and 22 May 2005 were calculated by an estimation model of regional evapotranspiration. Comparisons of energy balance components (net radiation, soil heat flux, sensible and latent heat flux) with measured fluxes were made integrating the remotely sensed fluxes by the footprint model. Results show that latent heat flux estimates (adjusted for closure) with errors (MBE±RMSE) 26.47±42.54 Wm-2, sensible heat flux error of -8.56±23.79 Wm-2, net radiation error of 25.16±50.87 Wm-2 and soil heat flux error of 10.68±22.81 Wm-2. The better agreement between the estimates and the measurements indicates that the remote sensing model is appropriate for estimating regional evapotranspiration over heterogeneous surfaces. Furthermore, the spatial distribution of evapotranspiration in Beijing area was analyzed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: After the first monovalent 2009 pandemic influenza A (H1N1) vaccine became available in September 2009, Chinese officials conducted a mass vaccination program in Beijing. We evaluated the safety and effectiveness of the vaccine. Methods: During a 5-day period in September 2009, a total of 95,244 children and adults received the PANFLU.1 vaccine (Sinovac Biotech), a monovalent split-virion vaccine of 15 μg of hemagglutinin antigen without adjuvant. We assessed adverse events after immunization through an enhanced passive-surveillance system and through active surveillance, using diary cards and telephone interviews. Active surveillance for neurologic diseases was implemented in hospitals citywide. To assess vaccine effectiveness, we compared the rates of reported laboratory-confirmed cases of 2009 H1N1 virus infection in students who received the vaccine with the rates in those who did not receive the vaccine, starting 2 weeks after the mass vaccination. Results: As of December 31, 2009, adverse events were reported by 193 vaccine recipients. Through hospital-based active surveillance, 362 cases of incident neurologic diseases were identified within 10 weeks after the mass vaccination, including 27 cases of the Guillain–Barré syndrome. None of the neurologic conditions occurred among vaccine recipients. From 245 schools, 25,037 students participated in the mass vaccination and 244,091 did not. During the period from October 9 through November 15, 2009, the incidence of confirmed cases of 2009 H1N1 virus infection per 100,000 students was 35.9 (9 of 25,037) among vaccinated students and 281.4 (687 of 244,091) among unvaccinated students. Thus, the estimated vaccine effectiveness was 87.3% (95% confidence interval, 75.4 to 93.4). Conclusions: Among 95,244 children and adults in Beijing, the PANFLU.1 vaccine had a safety profile similar to those of seasonal influenza vaccines and appeared to be effective against confirmed H1N1 virus infection in school-age children. (Funded by the Beijing Municipal Health Bureau.) N Engl J Med 2010;363:2416-23. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Phage vB_ValP_IME234 is a novel virulent phage belonging to the podoviridae family, which can infect both V. alginolyticus and vibrio parahaemolyticus. • No integrase gene was detected, suggesting the phage is not temperate — which is important for application. • There were lysis genes and no antibiotic resistance or potential virulence genes in phage vB_ValP_IME234 genome, so this phage may serve as potential agents for phage therapy. Bacterial infections have a negative impact on both animal husbandry industry and medicine, and increasing bacterial drug resistance exacerbates this adverse impact. Phages show promise as an alternative to drugs against drug-resistant bacteria. In this study, a novel virulent bacteriophage (phage) vB_ValP_IME234 against Vibrio alginolyticus and Vibrio parahaemolyticus was isolated from freshwater in Beijing, China. Phage vB_ValP_IME234 had an isometric head (59 nm in diameter) and a short tail (10 nm long), belonging to Podoviridae family. Its complete genome is liner double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) with a GC content of 41.6% while encoding 61 putative proteins. Three transfer RNA (tRNA) and no lysogenic gene was detected. vB_ValP_IME234 had a polyvalent infectivity, a burst of 390 PFU/cell, and is stable under different temperatures (4 °C to 50 °C) and pH (6.0 to 10.0) values. Host range test showed that vB_ValP_IME234 has the ability to infect seven strains of Vibrio in total. Phylogenetic analyses based on terminase and capsid suggested that this phage had a close relationship with Vibrio phages. These results indicate that vB_ValP_IME234 could be used as a potential biocontrol agent against V. alginolyticus strains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]