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Objectives: To evaluate the effectiveness of cervical pessary in preventing preterm birth (PTB) and improving perinatal outcomes among singleton and twin pregnancies.Methods: Electronic databases were systematically searched from their inception until 14 March 2019. Randomized clinical trials comparing the effectiveness of cervical pessary placement with expectant management were included. The primary outcome was the incidence of PTB <34 weeks.Results: Thirteen studies were included, involving eight studies about singleton and six studies about twin pregnancies. For singleton pregnancies with short cervical length, cervical pessary, comparing with expectant treatment, seemed have no effectiveness in preventing PTB <34 weeks (relative risk, 95% confidence interval, 0.73, 0.42-1.28), <37 weeks (0.69, 0.43-1.09), and <28 weeks (0.79, 0.42-1.48); while for twin pregnancies with short cervical length, cervical pessary also did not reduce the risk of PTB <34 weeks (0.81, 0.49-1.35), <37 weeks (0.93, 0.83-1.05), and <28 weeks (0.72, 0.38-1.38). However, cervical pessary seemed have the effectiveness of reducing the risk of spontaneous PTB <28 weeks (0.50, 0.25-0.99) and low birth weight (<1500 g) (0.68, 0.50-0.94) among twin pregnancies with short cervical length. In addition, cervical pessary increased the rate of vaginal discharge and did not improve perinatal outcomes among both singleton and twin pregnancies.Conclusions: Comparing with the expectant treatment, the effectiveness of cervical pessary for reducing the risk of PTB remains uncertain. Additional trials are warranted to further evaluate the effectiveness of cervical pessary. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bocaparvovirus infections of humans and both wild and domestic animals have been widely reported around the world. In this study, we detected and genetically characterized porcine bocavirus (PBoV) carried by murine rodents (Rattus norvegicus, Rattus tanezumi, and Rattus losea) and house shrews (Suncus murinus) in China. Between May 2015 and May 2017, 496 murine rodents and 23 house shrews were captured in four Chinese provinces. Nested polymerase chain reaction was used to investigate the prevalence of PBoV in throat swab, faecal and serum samples. A total of 7.5% (39/519) throat swab samples, 60.5% (309/511) faecal samples, and 22.9% (52/227) serum samples were PBoV‐positive. The prevalence among R. norvegicus and R. tanezumi was higher than that among R. losea and house shrews. PBoV‐positive samples were found in all four provinces. Phylogenetic analysis based on partial viral capsid protein 1/2 (VP1/VP2) showed that sequences obtained in this study formed a novel group (PBoV G4). In addition, five near full‐length PBoV genomes (4,715–4,798 nt) were acquired. These genomes encoded two non‐structural proteins, NS1 (1,908 nt in four genomes and 1,923 nt in the remaining genome) and NP1 (600 nt), and the structural proteins, VP1/VP2 (1,851 nt). Phylogenetic analysis showed that PBoV G4 is distinct from rodent, human, and other bocaviruses. In conclusion, PBoV G4 prevalence was high among two common murine rodents in China, and the pathogenecity of PBoV G4 need to be further clarified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Between May 2015 and May 2017, 496 animals (473 murine rodents and 23 house shrews) were captured in six regions of China. A total of 22.8% (113/496) of throat swabs, 29.1% (142/488) of fecal samples and 23.8% (54/227) of serum samples tested positive for rodent torque teno virus 3 (RoTTV3). The positive rate in Rattus norvegicus was higher than the rate in Rattus tanezumi and Rattus losea . Of 23 house shrews, one throat swab and one serum sample were positive for RoTTV3. Ten murine rodents were simultaneously positive for RoTTV3 in throat swab, fecal and serum samples. Phylogenetic analysis showed that the 12 near-full length genomes of RoTTVs sequences obtained in this study represented a novel RoTTV genotype (RoTTV3). In conclusion, high prevalence rates of RoTTV3 were found in three common murine rodents in China, and the RoTTV3 obtained in this study were classified as a novel genotype of RoTTV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human papillomavirus (HPV) is the most common sexually transmitted virus in males and females worldwide; yet its impact upon male fertility remains unclear. The objective of this study was to evaluate the potential impact of HPV infection in semen on male fertility abnormality. A systematic literature search was performed in PubMed, Medline, Embase, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Library database for relevant publications up to May 6, 2017. The odds ratio (OR), and its corresponding 95% confidence interval (CI), was selected to represent the effect size. Statistical analysis was conducted using STATA 12.0. In total, eight articles, providing data on 1955 participants, were included in this meta-analysis. Collectively, the data suggested that HPV infection of semen was a risk factor for male fertility abnormality with an OR of 3.02 (95% CI: 2.11-4.32; I 2 = 6.9%). Sensitivity analysis revealed that the results of this study were robust. In conclusion, HPV infection of semen represents a risk factor for male fertility abnormality., Competing Interests: All authors declared no competing interests

Background: Japanese encephalitis caused by Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) is an endemic zoonotic disease of high public health importance in the Asian Pacific region. The aim of this study was to investigate the presence of JEV infection in commensal and field rodents in South China., Materials and Methods: RNA copies of JEV were detected in brain samples of rodents using real-time RT-PCR. Detection of serum against JEV-reactive antibodies was performed using indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and microneutralization test., Results: In total, 198 rodents were collected from Guangzhou City and Xiamen City between November 2013 and May 2014. JEV RNA was not detected in 188 brain samples. Forty-four in 96 serum samples (45.8%) were positive for JEV-reactive IgG antibodies. The prevalence of neutralizing antibodies to against JEV-reactive in these serum samples was 61.5% (24/39), with titers ranging from 1:10 to 1:56., Conclusion: Rodents are not known to play a role in transmission of JEV in Asia, nor is there an evidence to support a role for rodents in transmission of other related flaviviruses in China. However, in the current study, we detected evidence of JEV-reactive antibodies in large numbers of Rattus norvegicus and Rattus losea Swinhoe. Further studies of rodents as potential hosts of JEV or other related flaviviruses are warranted.

Herpesviruses (HVs) can cause asymptomatic, benign, or fatal infections in a variety of animal species. However, the prevalence and phylogenetic characteristics of HVs in rodents and shrews in China are poorly understood. We thus performed a molecular detection and phylogenetic analysis of rat and shrew HVs in southern China between 2012 and 2014. Seventeen (6.7%) of 255 rectal swab specimens from rats and six (6.7%) of 90 rectal swab specimens from shrews tested positive for HVs. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that rodent and shrew HVs detected in this study were species specific, clustering in the Betaherpesvirinae and Gammaherpesvirinae clade. Novel Macavirus was detected in Rattus norvegicus (RN/13YX52/24 and RN/14HC50) and gammaherpesviruses in Suncus murinus (SM/14BY7/16/20/97/99/106).These findings have contributed to our understanding of the taxonomy, phylogeny, and biology of HVs.

Several novel adenoviruses (AdVs) have recently been identified in humans and other animal species. In this study, we report the molecular detection of and phylogenetically characterize bat and human AdVs detected in fecal or rectal swab samples collected in southern China. To detect AdVs, a 252-261 bp fragment of the DNA polymerase (DPOL) gene was amplified using nested PCR. A total of 520 rectal swab samples were collected from eight bat species in four geographic regions of southern China (Guangzhou, Yunfu, Huizhou, and Haikou city). Thirty-six (6.9%) samples from the following species tested positive for AdVs: Myotis ricketti, Miniopterus schreibersii, Scotophilus kuhlii, Taphozous melanopogon, Rhinolophus blythi, and Cynopterus sphinx. Eight novel AdVs were detected in 13.3% of the samples from C. sphinx. Of 328 fecal samples from patients with diarrhea, 16 (4.9%) were positive for classical human AdVs. Phylogenetic analysis showed that human AdVs shared low similarity (57.1-69.3%) with bat AdVs in deduced amino acid sequences of the AdV DPOL region. Thus, our study indicated that bat AdVs and human AdVs are species specific. As such, there is no evidence of cross-species transmission of AdV between bats and humans based on current data.

Objective: To investigate antimicrobial resistance of Klebsiella pneumoniae and Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolates in fecal samples from rat-like animals., Methods: Rat-like animals were captured using cages around a hospital and the neighboring residential area between March and October, 2015. K. pneumoniae and P. aeruginosa were isolated from the fecal samples of the captured animals. Antimicrobial susceptibility test was performed according to the guidelines of Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (2014)., Results: A total of 329 rat-like animals were captured, including 205 Suncus murinus, 111 Rattus norvegicus, 5 Rattus flavipectus and 8 Mus musculus. The positivity rates of K. pneumoniae and P. aeruginosa were 78.4% and 34.7% in the fecal samples from the captured animals, respectively. K. pneumoniae isolates from Suncus murinus showed a high resistance to ampicillin, cephazolin, nitrofurantoin, piperacillin and cefotaxime (with resistance rates of 100%, 51.2%, 44.2%, 37.2%, and 23.3%, respectively), and K. pneumoniae isolates from Rattus spp. showed a similar drug-resistance profile. The prevalence rates of multidrug resistance and ESBLs were 40.9% and 10.7%, respectively. P. aeruginosa from both Suncus murinus and Rattus spp. exhibited the highest resistance rates to aztreonam (12.4% and 16.0%, respectively), followed by penicillins and fluoroquinolones. P. aeruginosa isolates were susceptible to cephems, aminoglycosides and carbapenems (with resistance rates below 5%)., Conclusion: K. pneumoniae and P. aeruginosa isolated from rat-like animals showed drug-resistance profiles similar to those of the strains isolated from clinical patients, suggesting that the possible transmission of K. pneumoniae and P. aeruginosa between rat-like animals and human beings.

Aim of the Study: The treatment for papillary thyroid microcarcinoma (PTMC), which is a tumor measuring less than 1 cm, is still a subject of controversy. The aim of this study is to retrospectively evaluate the patients diagnosed with PTMC in terms of their clinical and histopathological features., Material and Methods: A total of 153 consecutive patients with PTMC were treated, and their clinical and histopathological characteristics were reviewed. The tumor diameter was observed to range from 1.0 mm to 10 mm (mean of 5.8 mm). Histologically, 138 (90.2%) cases of classical papillary carcinoma and 15 (9.8%) cases of the follicular variant were noted. Multicentric tumors were found in 37 (24.2%) patients, of whom 12 (7.8%) had more than one PTMC on the same side and 25 (16.3%) displayed bilateral PTMC., Results: The proportions of capsular invasion and lymph node metastasis were 11.8% (18/153) and 48.1% (39/81), respectively. One patient showed distant metastasis during follow-up and died fifteen months after the operation. PTMC showed a high incidence of multifocality and lymph node metastasis in the level VI central compartment. The optimal surgical strategy for PTMC was total thyroidectomy and central compartment node dissection., Conclusions: Frozen tissue sections should be made for the prompt diagnosis of PTMC in all the thyroid nodules, except when the malignant diagnosis was already confirmed by cytology.