Evidence of whether severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the virus that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), can be transmitted as an aerosol (ie, airborne) has ...substantial public health implications.
To investigate potential transmission routes of SARS-CoV-2 infection with epidemiologic evidence from a COVID-19 outbreak.
This cohort study examined a community COVID-19 outbreak in Zhejiang province. On January 19, 2020, 128 individuals took 2 buses (60 46.9% from bus 1 and 68 53.1% from bus 2) on a 100-minute round trip to attend a 150-minute worship event. The source patient was a passenger on bus 2. We compared risks of SARS-CoV-2 infection among at-risk individuals taking bus 1 (n = 60) and bus 2 (n = 67 source patient excluded) and among all other individuals (n = 172) attending the worship event. We also divided seats on the exposed bus into high-risk and low-risk zones according to the distance from the source patient and compared COVID-19 risks in each zone. In both buses, central air conditioners were in indoor recirculation mode.
SARS-CoV-2 infection was confirmed by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction or by viral genome sequencing results. Attack rates for SARS-CoV-2 infection were calculated for different groups, and the spatial distribution of individuals who developed infection on bus 2 was obtained.
Of the 128 participants, 15 (11.7%) were men, 113 (88.3%) were women, and the mean age was 58.6 years. On bus 2, 24 of the 68 individuals (35.3% including the index patient) received a diagnosis of COVID-19 after the event. Meanwhile, none of the 60 individuals in bus 1 were infected. Among the other 172 individuals at the worship event, 7 (4.1%) subsequently received a COVID-19 diagnosis. Individuals in bus 2 had a 34.3% (95% CI, 24.1%-46.3%) higher risk of getting COVID-19 compared with those in bus 1 and were 11.4 (95% CI, 5.1-25.4) times more likely to have COVID-19 compared with all other individuals attending the worship event. Within bus 2, individuals in high-risk zones had moderately, but nonsignificantly, higher risk for COVID-19 compared with those in the low-risk zones. The absence of a significantly increased risk in the part of the bus closer to the index case suggested that airborne spread of the virus may at least partially explain the markedly high attack rate observed.
In this cohort study and case investigation of a community outbreak of COVID-19 in Zhejiang province, individuals who rode a bus to a worship event with a patient with COVID-19 had a higher risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection than individuals who rode another bus to the same event. Airborne spread of SARS-CoV-2 seems likely to have contributed to the high attack rate in the exposed bus. Future efforts at prevention and control must consider the potential for airborne spread of the virus.
Abstract
Dynamical brain state transitions are critical for flexible working memory but the network mechanisms are incompletely understood. Here, we show that working memory performance entails ...brain-wide switching between activity states using a combination of functional magnetic resonance imaging in healthy controls and individuals with schizophrenia, pharmacological fMRI, genetic analyses and network control theory. The stability of states relates to dopamine D1 receptor gene expression while state transitions are influenced by D2 receptor expression and pharmacological modulation. Individuals with schizophrenia show altered network control properties, including a more diverse energy landscape and decreased stability of working memory representations. Our results demonstrate the relevance of dopamine signaling for the steering of whole-brain network dynamics during working memory and link these processes to schizophrenia pathophysiology.
The purpose of this study was to explore the differences between the prevalence and impact factors of adolescent dissociative symptoms (ADSs) by using sex-stratification during the coronavirus ...disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. A school-based, two-center cross-sectional study was conducted in Hangzhou City, China, between January 1, 2021 and April 30, 2022. The sample included 1,916 adolescents aged 13-18 years that were randomly selected using a multiphase, stratified, cluster sampling technique. A two-stage assessment procedure was used to find out the ADSs. We used a multivariate logistic regression analysis to assess the impact factors of ADSs during the COVID-19 pandemic. The adolescent dissociative scores (t = 4.88, P < 0.001) and positive ADSs rate (Chi-square = 15.76, P < 0.001) in males were higher than in females. Gender-stratified, stepwise multiple logistic regression analysis revealed that the conflict relationship of teacher-student adjusted odds ratio (AOR) 1.06, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.01-1.10, family expressiveness (AOR 0.87, 95% CI 0.78-0.98), family conflict (AOR 1.15, 95% CI 1.05-1.27), family organization (AOR 0.88, 95% CI 0.78-0.99), and family cohesion (AOR 0.87, 95% CI 0.77-0.99) were linked to ADSs only in males, while individual psychological states of somatic complaint (AOR 1.04, 95% CI 1.00-1.08) and paranoid ideation (AOR 1.09, 95% CI 1.01-1.19) were associated with female ADSs only. The ADSs seemed to be prevalent in Hangzhou City, studied during the COVID-19 pandemic. Gender differences in the prevalence and impact factors of dissociative symptoms seem to be significant among adolescents. Thus, gender-specific intervention programs against ADSs should be considered as reducing this risk.
Microbubbles are used as ultrasound contrast agents, which enhance ultrasound imaging techniques. In addition, microbubbles currently show promise in disease therapeutics. Microfluidic devices have ...increased the ability to produce microbubbles with precise size, and high monodispersity compared to microbubbles created using traditional methods. This paper will review several variations in microfluidic device structures used to produce microbubbles as ultrasound contrast agents. Microfluidic device structures include T-junction, and axisymmetric and asymmetric flow-focusing. These devices have made it possible to produce microbubbles that can enter the vascular space; these microbubbles must be less than 10 μm in diameter and have high monodispersity. For different demands of microbubbles production rate, asymmetric flow-focusing devices were divided into individual and integrated devices. In addition, asymmetric flow-focusing devices can produce double layer and multilayer microbubbles loaded with drug or biological components. Details on the mechanisms of both bubble formation and device structures are provided. Finally, microfluidically produced microbubble acoustic responses, microbubble stability, and microbubble use in ultrasound imaging are discussed.
In recent years, a visible light positioning (VLP) technology based on complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor sensors has been widely studied due to its high precision and high robustness. However, ...the existing VLP algorithm based on image sensors often fails to achieve a good positioning effect when the camera is tilted. In order to solve this problem, we propose a neural network algorithm to correct the error caused by the tilt angle of the camera. Because when the tilt angle is different, the LED image captured by the camera will be different and produce different characteristics. By extracting these features and using neural networks to establish the relationship between the characteristics of the LED image and the distance between the receiving and sending terminal, we finally achieve the positioning of the camera by the triangulation algorithm. Experiments demonstrate that our positioning algorithm can achieve high-precision positioning and can be applied to most indoor positioning systems.
Malaria causes major public health problems globally and drug resistance hinders its control and elimination. Molecular markers associated with drug resistance are considered as a beneficial tool to ...monitor the disease trends, evolution and distribution so as to help improve drug policy. We collected 148 Plasmodium falciparum and 20 Plasmodium vivax isolates imported into Hangzhou city, China between 2014 and 2019. k13 gene of P. falciparum and k12 of P. vivax were sequenced. Polymorphisms and prevalence of k13 and k12 were analyzed. Most (98.65%, 146/148) P. falciparum infections were imported from Africa, and half P. vivax cases came from Africa and the other half from Asia. Nucleotide mutation prevalence was 2.03% (3/148) and the proportion of amino acid mutations was 0.68% (1/148). The amino acid mutation, A676S, was observed in an isolate from Nigeria. No mutation of k12 was observed from the parasites from African and Asian countries. Limited polymorphism in k13 gene of P. falciparum isolates imported from African countries, but no evidence for the polymorphism of k12 in P. vivax samples from African and Asian countries was found. These results provide information for drug policy update in study region.
•Structural brain networks can be modeled as a trade-off between wiring cost and topological features.•Schizophrenia patients show lower spatial constraints and topological facilitation.•Individual ...model parameters are associated with genetic risk for schizophrenia and cognition.
Alterations in the structural connectome of schizophrenia patients have been widely characterized, but the mechanisms remain largely unknown. Generative network models have recently been introduced as a tool to test the biological underpinnings of altered brain network formation. We evaluated different generative network models in healthy controls (n=152), schizophrenia patients (n=66), and their unaffected first-degree relatives (n=32), and we identified spatial and topological factors contributing to network formation. We further investigated how these factors relate to cognition and to polygenic risk for schizophrenia. Our data show that among the four tested classes of generative network models, structural brain networks were optimally accounted for by a two-factor model combining spatial constraints and topological neighborhood structure. The same wiring model explained brain network formation across study groups. However, relatives and schizophrenia patients exhibited significantly lower spatial constraints and lower topological facilitation compared to healthy controls. Further exploratory analyses point to potential associations of the model parameter reflecting spatial constraints with the polygenic risk for schizophrenia and cognitive performance. Our results identify spatial constraints and local topological structure as two interrelated mechanisms contributing to regular brain network formation as well as altered connectomes in schizophrenia and healthy individuals at familial risk for schizophrenia. On an exploratory level, our data further point to the potential relevance of spatial constraints for the genetic risk for schizophrenia and general cognitive functioning, thereby encouraging future studies in following up on these observations to gain further insights into the biological basis and behavioral relevance of model parameters.
Men who have sex with men (MSM) are a large high-risk population for HIV infection in recent years in China. A cross-sectional survey was conducted in Hangzhou, China, to determine rates of ...condomless anal intercourse (CAI), recent HIV testing (in the recent year) and associated factors using respondent-driven sampling. Questionnaires using face-to-face interviews were employed to collect data on sexual risk behaviors and HIV testing. Five hundred eleven MSM were recruited, of which 459 (89.8%) had anal intercourse in the past 6 months. Of these 459 participants, 457 (99.6%) answered whether they had taken an HIV test in the recent year, so only their data were analyzed. Weighted data were analyzed using bivariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis. The CAI rate with male partners in the past 6 months was 43.7% (95% confidence interval CI, 34.0-51.5%), while the rate of condomless vaginal intercourse (CVI) was 21.6% (95% CI, 15.6-32.3%). The prevalence of recent HIV testing was 56.8% (95% CI, 48.7-66.5%), while the prevalence of HIV and syphilis were 8.8% and 6.5%, respectively. Multivariate analysis indicated that CAI was associated with earlier homosexual debut, suicidal inclinations, childhood sexual abuse, HIV testing in the recent year, and lower estimate of HIV prevalence. Recent HIV testing was associated with homosexual debut age, engaging in CAI with male partners in the past 6 months, having oral sex in the past 6 months, self-perceived higher likelihood of HIV infection, knowing about antiretroviral therapy for HIV/AIDS, receiving AIDS/sexually transmitted infection (STI) interventions in the past year, and syphilis infection. Given high prevalence of HIV and syphilis, high levels of CAI and CVI, and low HIV testing rate, the results indicated high risk of HIV infection and transmission among MSM. HIV prevention interventions should target MSM with early homosexual debut and psychosocial health problems, while HIV/AIDS education among MSM should focus on increasing knowledge of HIV risk, estimated HIV prevalence and antiretroviral therapy, and improving risk perception of HIV acquisition.
Copy number variations (CNV) involving multiple genes are ideal models to study polygenic neuropsychiatric disorders. Since 22q11.2 deletion is regarded as the most important single genetic risk ...factor for developing schizophrenia, characterizing the effects of this CNV on neural networks offers a unique avenue towards delineating polygenic interactions conferring risk for the disorder. We used a Df(h22q11)/+ mouse model of human 22q11.2 deletion to dissect gene expression patterns that would spatially overlap with differential resting-state functional connectivity (FC) patterns in this model (N = 12 Df(h22q11)/+ mice, N = 10 littermate controls). To confirm the translational relevance of our findings, we analyzed tissue samples from schizophrenia patients and healthy controls using machine learning to explore whether identified genes were co-expressed in humans. Additionally, we employed the STRING protein-protein interaction database to identify potential interactions between genes spatially associated with hypo- or hyper-FC. We found significant associations between differential resting-state connectivity and spatial gene expression patterns for both hypo- and hyper-FC. Two genes, Comt and Trmt2a, were consistently over-expressed across all networks. An analysis of human datasets pointed to a disrupted co-expression of these two genes in the brain in schizophrenia patients, but not in healthy controls. Our findings suggest that COMT and TRMT2A form a core genetic component implicated in differential resting-state connectivity patterns in the 22q11.2 deletion. A disruption of their co-expression in schizophrenia patients points out a prospective cause for the aberrance of brain networks communication in 22q11.2 deletion syndrome on a molecular level.
We investigated whether and how recipient-donor sex affects transplantation outcomes of 11,797 patients transplanted between 2008 and 2010. Thirty-seven percent were male recipients with male donors, ...21% male recipients with female donors, 25% female recipients with male donors, and 17% female recipients with female donors. In multivariable analyses, male recipients had inferior overall survival and progression-free survival compared to females regardless of donor sex, with an 11% relative increase in the hazard of death (P<0.0001) and a 10% relative increase in the hazard of death or relapse (P<0.0001). The detrimental effect of male recipients varied by donor sex. For male recipients with male donors, there was a 12% relative increase in the subdistribution hazard of relapse compared with female recipients with male donors (P=0.0036) and male recipients with female donors (P=0.0037). For male recipients with female donors, there was a 19% relative increase in the subdistribution hazard of non-relapse mortality compared with male recipients with male donors (P<0.0001) and a 22% relative increase compared with female recipients with male donors (P=0.0003). In addition, male recipients with female donors showed a 21% relative increase in the subdistribution hazard of chronic graft-versus-host disease (P<0.0001) compared with female recipients with male donors. Donor sex had no effect on outcomes for female recipients. Transplantation of grafts from male and female donors was associated with inferior overall survival and progression-free survival in male recipients with differing patterns of failure. Recipient sex is an important prognostic factor independent of donor sex.
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