Ming-Jia Bao

Heilongjiang Province shares a 2,981-km border with the Russian Federation and runs the largest land-port network in China. The sheer volume and diversity of cross-border movement at these ports complicates infectious disease surveillance and control. Although some individual ports and pathogens have been examined separately, a province-wide integrated analysis spanning all 18 border port municipalities has been absent. This study aimed to characterise the notifiable-disease burden across those municipalities and to identify the diseases warranting priority attention. Individual case records of notifiable infectious diseases reported between 1 January 2014 and 31 December 2023 were retrieved from China's National Infectious Disease Reporting Information Management System. We computed constituent ratios, crude incidence rates, and disease rankings. Joinpoint regression yielded annual percent change (APC) and average annual percent change (AAPC) estimates. Seasonality was characterised by the direct average seasonal index method. Between-group differences were evaluated with χ² or Fisher's exact tests. A two-tailed P < 0.05 was the threshold for statistical significance, and population denominators came from the Heilongjiang Provincial Statistical Yearbook. Over the decade, 64,865 statutorily notifiable cases (out of 70,244 total reported cases) were recorded, corresponding to a mean annual incidence of 220.30 per 100,000. Respiratory diseases (37.99%) and bloodborne and sexually transmitted diseases (33.68%) jointly accounted for 71.67% of the burden. The five leading diseases were pulmonary tuberculosis (23.56%), hepatitis B (15.81%), influenza (9.85%), syphilis (9.35%), and hand, foot and mouth disease (6.48%). Overall incidence was statistically stable across the period (AAPC 1.85%, 95% CI - 0.18% to 3.93%; P > 0.05), though respiratory diseases trended upward (AAPC 6.61%, P < 0.05) while enteric and zoonotic and vector-borne diseases declined significantly (P < 0.05). Monthly incidence peaked in March (seasonal index 131%) and December (128%). Males outnumbered females (male-to-female ratio 1.51:1; rising to 3.01:1 for zoonotic and vector-borne diseases). The 15-59-year age group contributed 57.54% of cases. Farmers (31.86%), homemakers and the unemployed (23.17%), and students (10.52%) were the principal occupational groups affected. The highest cumulative incidence was observed in Mishan, Suifenhe, Mohe, Muling, and Tongjiang. Respiratory infections should receive heightened prevention efforts in the winter-spring season, whereas bloodborne and sexually transmitted infections call for sustained, risk-focused measures throughout the year. Working-age adults-farmers and homemakers in particular-represent the primary target population. Mishan and Suifenhe warrant reinforced surveillance, and a strengthened China-Russia cross-border joint-prevention mechanism is needed.

Background: Bullying victimization among adolescents is common and has been consistently associated with higher risks of anxiety and depressive symptoms among adolescents exposed to bullying. Breakfast consumption may function as a daily regulatory resource that supports emotional regulation and coping; however, whether breakfast consumption patterns moderate the associations between bullying victimization and mental health outcomes among adolescents remains unclear. This study examined the associations among bullying victimization, breakfast consumption, and anxiety and depressive symptoms among adolescents and tested the moderating role of breakfast consumption. Methods: Using a multistage stratified cluster sampling design, 67,683 adolescents were recruited from 234 schools across 13 cities in Heilongjiang Province, China. Standardized anonymous questionnaires assessed adolescents’ experiences of bullying victimization, breakfast consumption, anxiety and depressive symptoms, and relevant covariates. Multivariable mixed-effects logistic regression models were applied to estimate the associations between bullying victimization and mental health outcomes among adolescents. Linear trend tests and interaction terms between breakfast frequency and bullying frequency were used to examine moderating effects. Results: Except for verbal victimization (items 1 and 6), among adolescents exposed to most forms of bullying victimization, those reporting higher breakfast frequency had lower risks of anxiety and depressive symptoms (all trend p < 0.05). Among adolescents exposed to relational, physical, and cyber victimization, breakfast frequency moderated the associations between bullying frequency and anxiety and depressive symptoms (all p for interaction < 0.05), with sex-stratified sensitivity analyses yielding consistent results. Among adolescents who consumed breakfast daily, greater breakfast diversity (≥3 vs. 1–2 food groups) was associated with lower risks of anxiety and depressive symptoms. Specifically, among adolescents who experienced physical victimization “sometimes,” those consuming breakfast with ≥3 food groups had a 29% lower risk of anxiety symptoms (ROR = 0.71, 95% CI: 0.48–0.98) and a 30% lower risk of depressive symptoms (ROR = 0.70, 95% CI: 0.46–0.97) than those consuming 1–2 food groups. Among adolescents exposed to cyber victimization, those consuming breakfast with ≥3 food groups had a 32% lower risk of depressive symptoms at the “sometimes” frequency (ROR = 0.68, 95% CI: 0.45–0.98) and had a 32% lower risk of anxiety symptoms (ROR = 0.68, 95% CI: 0.42–0.96) and a 35% lower risk of depressive symptoms (ROR = 0.65, 95% CI: 0.40–0.95) at the “often” frequency than those consuming 1–2 food groups. Conclusions: Among adolescents exposed to bullying victimization—particularly relational, physical, and cyber victimization—those reporting higher breakfast frequency had lower risks of anxiety and depressive symptoms than those who skipped breakfast. Greater breakfast diversity was also associated with lower risks, particularly among adolescents exposed to physical and cyber victimization.

Background: Clonorchiasis, an infectious disease caused by the liver fluke Clonorchis sinensis, may lead to the development of liver and gallbladder diseases, and even cholangiocarcinoma (CCA). However, the pathogenesis, host-pathogen interaction, and diagnostic markers for clonorchiasis remain unclear. Methods: Eighteen rabbits were randomly divided into control group (n = 9) and C. sinensis-infected group (n = 9), and their plasma samples were collected at 7, 14, 28, and 63 days post-infection (dpi). Biochemical indices and metabolites in different infection periods were detected. A non-targeted ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) approach was employed to investigate the metabolic profiles of plasma in rabbits, and related metabolic pathways of differential metabolites and correlation between candidate biochemical indices and differential metabolites were analyzed. Finally, the candidate biomarkers were verified with human samples using a targeted metabolomics method. Results: The result of biochemical indices indicated C. sinensis infection would affect the liver function biochemical indices, especially alanine aminotransferase, aspartate transaminase (AST), glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT), total bile acid, high-density lipoprotein, and cholinesterase. The metabonomic results showed that 58, 212, 23, and 21 differential metabolites were identified in different phases of the infection. Multivariate statistical analysis of differential metabolites revealed distinct metabolic signatures during different phases of infection, with most of these signatures being observed at 14 dpi, which mainly influences the amino acid metabolisms. For metabolites and biochemical indices, AST, GGT, hypoxanthine, l-pipecolic acid, and d-glucuronate represented potential noninvasive biomarkers for the diagnosis of C. sinensis (P < 0.05 and AUC > 0.8). Furthermore, GGT and d-glucuronate levels were positively correlated with the infection (r(28) = 0.98, P < 0.0001) and showed excellent diagnostic performance (AUC = 0.972; 95% confidence interval, 0.921 to 1.000). Conclusions: The present results provide new insights into plasma metabolic changes in rabbits during C. sinensis infection, and the potential biomarker may be used for developing an effective method to diagnose clonorchiasis in the future. Graphical

Background: Toll-like receptors (TLR) 7 and 8 are important in single-stranded viral RNA recognition and may play a role in HIV infection and disease progression. We analyzed TLR7/8 expression and signaling in monocytes from HIV-infected and uninfected subjects to investigate a pathway with new potential for the suppression of HIV replication. Methods: Eighty-one HIV-infected and uninfected subjects from Liaoning and Henan provinces in China participated in this study. Monocytes were isolated from subjects' peripheral blood mononuclear cells by magnetic bead selection. TLR7 and TLR8 mRNA was measured using quantitative real-time reverse transcriptase PCR. R-848 (resiquimod) was used as a ligand for TLR7 and TLR8 in order to 1) assess TLR7/8-mediated monocyte responsiveness as indicated by IL-12 p40 and TNF-α secretion and 2) to examine HIV replication in cultured monocytes in the presence of R-848. Results: We found that expression of TLR7/8 mRNA in peripheral blood monocytes decreased with disease progression. TLR7 expression was decreased with stimulation with the TLR7/8 agonist, R-848, in vitro, whereas TLR8 expression was unaffected. Following R-848 stimulation, monocytes from HIV-infected subjects produced significantly less TNF-α than those from uninfected subjects, but trended towards greater production of IL-12 than stimulated monocytes from uninfected subjects. R-848 stimulation also suppressed HIV replication in cultured monocytes. Conclusions: Our study provides evidence that the TLR7 and TLR8 triggering can suppress HIV replication in monocytes and lead to postpone HIV disease progression, thereby offering novel targets for immunomodulatory therapy.