Displaying publications 1 - 20 of 315 in total

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  1. Zowawi HM, Forde BM, Alfaresi M, Alzarouni A, Farahat Y, Chong TM, et al.
    Sci Rep, 2015;5:15082.
    PMID: 26478520 DOI: 10.1038/srep15082
    Carbapenem resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) pose an urgent risk to global human health. CRE that are non-susceptible to all commercially available antibiotics threaten to return us to the pre-antibiotic era. Using Single Molecule Real Time (SMRT) sequencing we determined the complete genome of a pandrug-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae isolate, representing the first complete genome sequence of CRE resistant to all commercially available antibiotics. The precise location of acquired antibiotic resistance elements, including mobile elements carrying genes for the OXA-181 carbapenemase, were defined. Intriguingly, we identified three chromosomal copies of an ISEcp1-bla(OXA-181) mobile element, one of which has disrupted the mgrB regulatory gene, accounting for resistance to colistin. Our findings provide the first description of pandrug-resistant CRE at the genomic level, and reveal the critical role of mobile resistance elements in accelerating the emergence of resistance to other last resort antibiotics.
  2. Zhu Y, Hu Z, Lv X, Huang R, Gu X, Zhang C, et al.
    Transbound Emerg Dis, 2022 Jul;69(4):1782-1793.
    PMID: 33993639 DOI: 10.1111/tbed.14155
    Since 2010, several duck Tembusu viruses (DTMUVs) have been isolated from infected ducks in China, and these virus strains have undergone extensive variation over the years. Although the infection rate is high, the mortality rate is usually relatively low-~5%-30%; however, since fall 2019, an infectious disease similar to DTMUV infection but with a high mortality rate of ~50% in goslings has been prevalent in Anhui Province, China. The present study identified a new Tembusu virus, designated DTMUV/Goose/China/2019/AQ-19 (AQ-19), that is believed to be responsible for the noticeably high mortality in goslings. To investigate the genetic variation of this strain, its entire genome was sequenced and analysed for specific variations, and goslings and mice were challenged with the isolated virus to investigate its pathogenicity. The AQ-19 genome shared only 94.3%-96.9% and 90.9% nucleotide identity with other Chinese and Malaysian DTMUVs, respectively; however, AQ-19 has high homology with Thailand DTMUVs (97.2%-98.1% nucleotide identity). Phylogenetic analysis of the E gene revealed that AQ-19 and most of Thailand DTMUVs form a branch separate from any of the previously reported DTMUV strains in China. After the challenge, some goslings and mice showed typical clinical signs of DTMUV, particularly severe neurological dysfunction. AQ-19 has high virulence in goslings and mice, resulting in 60% and 70% mortality through intramuscular and intracerebral routes, respectively. Pathological examination revealed severe histological lesions in the brain and liver of the infected goslings and mice. Taken together, these results demonstrated the emergence of a novel Tembusu virus with high virulence circulating in goslings in China for the first time, and our findings highlight the high genetic diversity of DTMUVs in China. Further study of the pathogenicity and host range of this novel Tembusu virus is particularly important.
  3. Zhu P, Li J, Wen X, Huang Y, Yang H, Wang S, et al.
    J Environ Manage, 2022 Feb 07;308:114682.
    PMID: 35144065 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2022.114682
    This study investigated the effects of biochar-based solid acids (SAs) on carbon conversion, alpha diversity and bacterial community succession during cow manure composting with the goal of providing a new strategy for rapid carbon conversion during composting. The addition of SA prolonged the thermophilic phase and accelerated the degradation of lignocellulose; in particular, the degradation time of cellulose was shortened by 50% and the humus content was increased by 22.56% compared with the control group (CK). In addition, high-throughput sequencing results showed that SA improved the alpha diversity and the relative abundance of thermophilic bacteria, mainly Actinobacteria, increased by 12.955% compared with CK. A redundancy analysis (RDA) showed that Actinobacteria was positively correlated with the transformation of carbon.
  4. Zhou C, Yu T, Zhu R, Lu J, Ouyang X, Zhang Z, et al.
    Int J Biol Sci, 2023;19(5):1471-1489.
    PMID: 37056925 DOI: 10.7150/ijbs.77979
    Timosaponin AIII (Tim-AIII), a steroid saponin, exhibits strong anticancer activity in a variety of cancers, especially breast cancer and liver cancer. However, the underlying mechanism of the effects of Tim-AIII-mediated anti-lung cancer effects remain obscure. In this study, we showed that Tim-AIII suppressed cell proliferation and migration, induced G2/M phase arrest and ultimately triggered cell death of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cell lines accompanied by the release of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and iron accumulation, malondialdehyde (MDA) production, and glutathione (GSH) depletion. Interestingly, we found that Tim-AIII-mediated cell death was reversed by ferroptosis inhibitor ferrostatin-1 (Fer-1). Meanwhile, the heat shock protein 90 (HSP90) was predicted and verified as the direct binding target of Tim-AIII by SwissTargetPrediction (STP) and surface plasmon resonance (SPR) assay. Further study showed that Tim-AIII promoted HSP90 expression and Tim-AIII induced cell death was blocked by the HSP90 inhibitor tanespimycin, indicating that HSP90 was the main target of Tim-AIII to further trigger intracellular events. Mechanical analysis revealed that the Tim-AIII-HSP90 complex further targeted and degraded glutathione peroxidase 4 (GPX4), and promoted the ubiquitination of GPX4, as shown by an immunoprecipitation, degradation and in vitro ubiquitination assay. In addition, Tim-AIII inhibited cell proliferation, induced cell death, led to ROS and iron accumulation, MDA production, GSH depletion, as well as GPX4 ubiquitination and degradation, were markedly abrogated when HSP90 was knockdown by HSP90-shRNA transfection. Importantly, Tim-AIII also showed a strong capacity of preventing tumor growth by promoting ferroptosis in a subcutaneous xenograft tumor model, whether C57BL/6J or BALB/c-nu/nu nude mice. Together, HSP90 was identified as a new target of Tim-AIII. Tim-AIII, by binding and forming a complex with HSP90, further targeted and degraded GPX4, ultimately induced ferroptosis in NSCLC. These findings provided solid evidence that Tim-AIII can serve as a potential candidate for NSCLC treatment.
  5. Zhou B, Mui LG, Li J, Yang Y, Hu J
    Nurse Educ Pract, 2024 Feb;75:103874.
    PMID: 38244336 DOI: 10.1016/j.nepr.2024.103874
    AIM: To delineate the prevalence of smartphone addiction among nursing students. Further, to identify associated harms and underlying risk factors based on established theoretical models.

    BACKGROUND: Smartphones have become indispensable tools for students. However, excessive use can lead to smartphone addiction, causing physiological, psychological and social harm. Nursing students represent a unique population whose smartphone use may differ from other disciplines due to clinical training demands.

    METHODS: A scoping review was conducted following the Arksey and O'Malley framework. Seven databases were systematically searched from inception to August 2023. Inclusion criteria encompassed original research on smartphone addiction, harms and risks among nursing students. Data were extracted and thematically synthesized.

    RESULTS: Studies (n=39) met inclusion criteria, representing 15 countries. Rates of smartphone addiction among nursing students ranged from 19% to 72%, averaging 40-50%. Incorporated into Engel's biopsychosocial models, the harm is emphasized across individual inclinations, emotional aspects, cognitive processes and executive functions. Physiological harms include sleep disruption, vision concerns,other physiological concerns. psychologically, addiction correlated with increased anxiety and depression,decline in self-esteem, learning and attention and other psychological concerns. socially, it encompasses harms such as interpersonal relationships challenges, career development and decline in social abilities. The I-PACE model identifies various risk factors for smartphone addiction among nursing students, including personal factors such as interpersonal relationship anxiety and perceived academic pressure, affective factors like high stress and learning burnout, cognitive factors such as the need for online social interaction and low perception of social support, as well as executive factors like extended usage duration, poor self-control and usage before sleep.

    CONCLUSION: Smartphone addiction among nursing students presents tangible harms. A proposed theoretical model integrating established frameworks provides avenues to better comprehend addiction genesis and potential intervention strategies. Given addiction's multi-factorial nature, future research investigating harm mitigation through optimizing predisposing, precipitating and perpetuating factors is warranted.

  6. Zhong W, Osther P, Pearle M, Choong S, Mazzon G, Zhu W, et al.
    World J Urol, 2024 Mar 25;42(1):189.
    PMID: 38526675 DOI: 10.1007/s00345-024-04816-6
    BACKGROUND: The stone burden based management strategy reported in the guidelines published by different associations is well known for a long time. Staghorn calculi, representing the largest burden and most complex stones, is one of the most challenging cases to practicing urologists in clinical practice. The International Alliance of Urolithiasis (IAU) has released a series of guidelines on the management of urolithiasis.

    PURPOSE: To develop a series of recommendations for the contemporary management management of staghorn calculi and to provide a clinical framework for urologists treating patients with these complex stones.

    METHODS: A comprehensive literature search for articles published in English between 01/01/1976 and 31/12/2022 in the PubMed, OVID, Embase and Medline database is performed. A series of recommendations are developed and individually graded following the review of literature and panel discussion.

    RESULTS: The definition, pathogenesis, pathophysiology, preoperative evaluation, intraoperative treatment strategies and procedural advice, early postoperative management, follow up and prevention of stone recurrence are summarized in the present document.

    CONCLUSION: A series of recommendations regarding the management of staghorn calculi, along with related commentary and supporting documentation offered in the present guideline is intended to provide a clinical framework for the practicing urologists in the management of staghorn calculi.

  7. Zhong M, Huang J, Wu Z, Chan KG, Wang L, Li J, et al.
    Int J Mol Sci, 2022 Nov 18;23(22).
    PMID: 36430760 DOI: 10.3390/ijms232214280
    Periodontal diseases are predisposing factors to the development of many systemic disorders, which is often initiated via leukocyte infiltration and vascular inflammation. These diseases could significantly affect human health and quality of life. Hence, it is vital to explore effective therapies to prevent disease progression. Periodontitis, which is characterized by gingival bleeding, disruption of the gingival capillary's integrity, and irreversible destruction of the periodontal supporting bone, appears to be caused by overexpression of selectins in periodontal tissues. Selectins (P-, L-, and E-selectins) are vital members of adhesion molecules regulating inflammatory and immune responses. They are mainly located in platelets, leukocytes, and endothelial cells. Furthermore, selectins are involved in the immunopathogenesis of vascular inflammatory diseases, such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancers, and so on, by mediating leukocyte recruitment, platelet activation, and alteration of endothelial barrier permeability. Therefore, selectins could be new immunotherapeutic targets for periodontal disorders and their associated systemic diseases since they play a crucial role in immune regulation and endothelium dysfunction. However, the research on selectins and their association with periodontal and systemic diseases remains limited. This review aims to discuss the critical roles of selectins in periodontitis and associated systemic disorders and highlights the potential of selectins as therapeutic targets.
  8. Zhang Y, Lee SH, Wang C, Gao Y, Li J, Xu W
    Jpn J Clin Oncol, 2020 Jun 24.
    PMID: 32579167 DOI: 10.1093/jjco/hyaa089
    BACKGROUND: Patient-derived xenograft model is a powerful and promising tool for drug discovery and cancer biology studies. The application of previous metastatic colorectal cancer models has been greatly limited by its low success rate and long time to develop metastasis. Therefore, in this study, we aim to describe an optimized protocol for faster establishment of colorectal cancer metastatic patient-derived xenograft mouse models.

    METHODS: Smaller micro tissues (˂150 μm in diameter) mixed with Matrigel were engrafted subcutaneously into NSG mice to generate the passage 1 (P1) patient-derived xenograft. The micro tumours from P1 patient-derived xenograft were then excised and orthotopically xenografted into another batch of NSG mice to generate a metastatic colorectal cancer patient-derived xenograft, P2. Haematoxylin and eosin and immunohistochemistry staining were performed to compare the characters between patient-derived xenograft tumours and primary tumours.

    RESULTS: About 16 out of 18 P1 xenograft models successfully grew a tumour for 50.8 ± 5.1 days (success rate 89.9%). Six out of eight P1 xenograft models originating from metastatic patients successfully grew tumours in the colon and metastasized to liver or lung in the NSG recipients for 60.9 ± 4.5 days (success rate 75%). Histological examination of both P1 and P2 xenografts closely resembled the histological architecture of the original patients' tumours. Immunohistochemical analysis revealed similar biomarker expression levels, including CDH17, Ki-67, active β-catenin, Ki-67 and α smooth muscle actin when compared with the original patients' tumours. The stromal components that support the growth of patient-derived xenograft tumours were of murine origin.

    CONCLUSIONS: Metastatic patient-derived xenograft mouse model could be established with shorter time and higher success rate. Although the patient-derived xenograft tumours were supported by the stromal cells of murine origin, they retained the dominant characters of the original patient tumours.

  9. Zhang Y, Zhao Q, Uroz S, Gao T, Li J, He F, et al.
    Front Microbiol, 2023;14:1257905.
    PMID: 37808313 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2023.1257905
    The successful large-scale cultivation of morel mushrooms (Morchella sextelata) requires a comprehensive understanding of the soil bacterial communities associated with morel-farming beds, as the interactions between fungi and bacteria play a crucial role in shaping the soil microbiome. In this study, we investigated the temporal distribution and ecological characteristics of soil bacteria associated with morel fruiting bodies at different stages, specifically the conidial and primordial stages, under two cropping regimes, non-continuous cropping (NCC) and continuous cropping (CC). Our findings revealed a significant reduction in the yield of morel primordia during the third year following 2 years of CC (0.29 ± 0.25 primordia/grid), in comparison to the NCC regime (12.39 ± 6.09 primordia/grid). Furthermore, inoculation with morel mycelia had a notable impact on soil bacterial diversity, decreasing it in the NCC regime and increasing the number of generalist bacterial members in the CC regime. The latter regime also led to the accumulation of nutrients in the soil beds, resulting in a shift from a stochastic to a deterministic process in the composition of the bacterial community, which differed from the NCC regime. Additionally, mycelial inoculation had a positive effect on the abundance of potential copiotrophic/denitrifying and N-fixing bacteria while decreasing the abundance of oligotrophic/nitrifying bacteria. Interestingly, this effect was more pronounced in the NCC regime than in the CC regime. These results suggest that the increase in potential copiotrophic/denitrifying and N-fixing bacteria facilitated the decomposition of nutrients in exogenous nutrient bags by morel mushrooms, thereby maintaining nitrogen balance in the soil. Overall, our study provides valuable insights into the interactions between morel mycelia and the associated soil bacteriome as well as the influence of different cultivation regimes on these interactions. These findings contribute to our understanding of the complex dynamics of the soil microbiome and can inform strategies for optimizing morel mushroom cultivation.
  10. Zhang Y, Li J, Xie Y, Wu D, Ong J, Marley G, et al.
    Nat Med, 2023 Sep;29(9):2241-2247.
    PMID: 37640859 DOI: 10.1038/s41591-023-02519-w
    Pay-it-forward incentives involve having a person receive a free test with community-generated messages and then asking if those who received a free test would like to donate money to support others to receive free testing. Here we undertook a two-arm cluster-randomized trial to evaluate pay-it-forward incentives with active community participation to promote hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) testing among men who have sex with men in China. Men randomized to the pay-it-forward arm received free HBV and HCV testing and were offered a chance to pay-it-forward by donating money to support the testing of another anonymous person. Each participant paid for their HCV and HBV test at 7.7 USD per test in the standard-of-care arm. The primary outcome was the proportion of men who tested for HBV and HCV. Between 28 March and 6 November 2021, 32 groups (10 men per group) of men were randomized to the pay-it-forward (n = 160, 16 clusters) and standard-of-care (n = 162, 16 clusters) arms, respectively. HBV and HCV rapid testing were higher in the pay-it-forward arm (59.4%) than in the standard-of-care arm (25.3%) (proportion difference 35.2%, 95% confidence interval 24.1-46.3%). No adverse events were reported. The community-led pay-it-forward incentives improved HBV and HCV testing among men who have sex with men. Clinical Trial registration: ChiCTR 2100046140.
  11. Zhang SX, Graf-Vlachy L, Looi KH, Su R, Li J
    Epidemiol Infect, 2020 10 23;148:e261.
    PMID: 33092675 DOI: 10.1017/S0950268820002575
    Although handwashing is an effective way to prevent infections, there is scarce evidence on predictors of handwashing during a pandemic. This paper aims to identify behavioural and demographic predictors of handwashing. The study surveyed 674 adults in Malaysia in May 2020 regarding whether the time spent on social media predicted handwashing contingent on gender and number of children. More time spent on social media was positively associated with handwashing for males with three or more children. However, for males without children, social media use was negatively associated with handwashing. The association was not significant for males with one or two children. For females, more time spent on social media was significantly linked to more handwashing only for females with one child. Gender, a traditional predictor of handwashing, was a useful predictor only for those who spent more than three hours per day on social media and had at most one child. Number of children was a novel negative predictor for males who did not use social media and who averaged one hour per day on social media, a positive predictor for males who spent lots of time on social media, but not a predictor for females. In sum, social media use predicts handwashing, and is thus a helpful variable for use in targeted health communication during a pandemic - particularly through social media. Further, more conventional predictors like gender and number of children exhibit contingency effects with social media use.
  12. Zhang SX, Looi KH, Li N, Wan X, Li J
    Am J Trop Med Hyg, 2021 Aug 09;105(6):1516-1518.
    PMID: 34370702 DOI: 10.4269/ajtmh.21-0566
    Wearing a face mask has been a key approach to contain or slow down the spread of COVID-19 in the ongoing pandemic. However, there is huge heterogeneity among individuals in their willingness to wear face masks during an epidemic. This research aims to investigate the individual heterogeneity to wear face masks and its associated predictors during the COVID-19 pandemic when mask-wearing was not mandatory. Based on a survey of 708 Malaysian adults and a multivariate least-squares fitting analysis, the results reveal a significant variance among individuals in wearing masks, as 34% of the individual adults did not always wear masks in public places. Female individuals, individuals who wash their hands more frequently, and those who reported more availability of personal protective equipment were more likely to practice mask-wearing. The identification of less-compliant groups of mask wearing has critical implications by enabling more specific health communication campaigns.
  13. Zhang R, Wang S, Huang X, Yang Y, Fan H, Yang F, et al.
    Anal Chim Acta, 2020 Jan 15;1094:142-150.
    PMID: 31761041 DOI: 10.1016/j.aca.2019.10.012
    α-synuclein is a predominantly expressing neuronal protein for understanding the neurodegenerative disorders. A diagnosing system with aggregated α-synuclein encoded by SNCA gene is necessary to make the precautionary treatment against Parkinson's disease (PD). Herein, gold-nanourchin conjugated anti-α-synuclein antibody was desired as the probe and seeded on single-walled carbon nanotube (SWCN) integrated interdigitated electrode (IDE). The surface morphology of SWCN-modified IDE and gold urchin-antibody conjugates were observed under FESEM, FETEM and AFM, the existing elements were confirmed. Voltammetry analysis revealed that the limit of fibril-formed α-synuclein detection was improved by 1000 folds (1 fM) with gold-nanourchin-antibody modified surface, compared to the surface with only antibody (1 pM). Validating the interaction of α-synuclein by Enzyme-linked Immunosorbent Assay was displayed the detection limit as 10 pM. IDE has a good reproducibility and a higher selectivity on α-synuclein as evidenced by the interactive analysis with the control proteins, PARK1 and DJ-1.
  14. Zhai Y, Zhang H, Xing J, Sang S, Zhan X, Liu Y, et al.
    Foods, 2023 Oct 31;12(21).
    PMID: 37959100 DOI: 10.3390/foods12213981
    In recent years, the blending of hydrocolloids and natural starch to improve the properties of natural starch has become a research hotspot. In this study, the effects of pectin (PEC) on the retrogradation properties and in vitro digestibility of waxy rice starch (WRS) were investigated. The results showed that PEC could significantly (p < 0.05) reduce the retrogradation enthalpy and reduce the hardness of WRS gel. X-ray diffraction results indicated that PEC could reduce the relative crystallinity of the composite system, and the higher the PEC content, the lower the relative crystallinity. When the PEC content was 10%, the relative crystallinity of the composite system was only 10.6% after 21 d of cold storage. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy results proved that the interaction between PEC and WRS was mainly a hydrogen bond interaction. Furthermore, after 21 d of cold storage, the T23 free water signal appeared in the natural WRS paste, while only a small free water signal appeared in the compound system with 2% PEC addition. Moreover, addition of PEC could reduce the starch digestion rate and digestibility. When the content of PEC increased from 0% to 10%, the digestibility decreased from 82.31% to 71.84%. This study provides a theoretical basis for the further application of hydrocolloids in starch-based foods.
  15. Zeng C, Guo X, Long J, Kuchenbaecker KB, Droit A, Michailidou K, et al.
    Breast Cancer Res, 2016 06 21;18(1):64.
    PMID: 27459855 DOI: 10.1186/s13058-016-0718-0
    BACKGROUND: Multiple recent genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP), rs10771399, at 12p11 that is associated with breast cancer risk.

    METHOD: We performed a fine-scale mapping study of a 700 kb region including 441 genotyped and more than 1300 imputed genetic variants in 48,155 cases and 43,612 controls of European descent, 6269 cases and 6624 controls of East Asian descent and 1116 cases and 932 controls of African descent in the Breast Cancer Association Consortium (BCAC; http://bcac.ccge.medschl.cam.ac.uk/ ), and in 15,252 BRCA1 mutation carriers in the Consortium of Investigators of Modifiers of BRCA1/2 (CIMBA). Stepwise regression analyses were performed to identify independent association signals. Data from the Encyclopedia of DNA Elements project (ENCODE) and the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) were used for functional annotation.

    RESULTS: Analysis of data from European descendants found evidence for four independent association signals at 12p11, represented by rs7297051 (odds ratio (OR) = 1.09, 95 % confidence interval (CI) = 1.06-1.12; P = 3 × 10(-9)), rs805510 (OR = 1.08, 95 % CI = 1.04-1.12, P = 2 × 10(-5)), and rs1871152 (OR = 1.04, 95 % CI = 1.02-1.06; P = 2 × 10(-4)) identified in the general populations, and rs113824616 (P = 7 × 10(-5)) identified in the meta-analysis of BCAC ER-negative cases and BRCA1 mutation carriers. SNPs rs7297051, rs805510 and rs113824616 were also associated with breast cancer risk at P 

  16. Zelenev A, Li J, Mazhnaya A, Basu S, Altice FL
    Lancet Infect Dis, 2018 02;18(2):215-224.
    PMID: 29153265 DOI: 10.1016/S1473-3099(17)30676-X
    BACKGROUND: Chronic infections with hepatitis C virus (HCV) and HIV are highly prevalent in the USA and concentrated in people who inject drugs. Treatment as prevention with highly effective new direct-acting antivirals is a prospective HCV elimination strategy. We used network-based modelling to analyse the effect of this strategy in HCV-infected people who inject drugs in a US city.

    METHODS: Five graph models were fit using data from 1574 people who inject drugs in Hartford, CT, USA. We used a degree-corrected stochastic block model, based on goodness-of-fit, to model networks of injection drug users. We simulated transmission of HCV and HIV through this network with varying levels of HCV treatment coverage (0%, 3%, 6%, 12%, or 24%) and varying baseline HCV prevalence in people who inject drugs (30%, 60%, 75%, or 85%). We compared the effectiveness of seven treatment-as-prevention strategies on reducing HCV prevalence over 10 years and 20 years versus no treatment. The strategies consisted of treatment assigned to either a randomly chosen individual who injects drugs or to an individual with the highest number of injection partners. Additional strategies explored the effects of treating either none, half, or all of the injection partners of the selected individual, as well as a strategy based on respondent-driven recruitment into treatment.

    FINDINGS: Our model estimates show that at the highest baseline HCV prevalence in people who inject drugs (85%), expansion of treatment coverage does not substantially reduce HCV prevalence for any treatment-as-prevention strategy. However, when baseline HCV prevalence is 60% or lower, treating more than 120 (12%) individuals per 1000 people who inject drugs per year would probably eliminate HCV within 10 years. On average, assigning treatment randomly to individuals who inject drugs is better than targeting individuals with the most injection partners. Treatment-as-prevention strategies that treat additional network members are among the best performing strategies and can enhance less effective strategies that target the degree (ie, the highest number of injection partners) within the network.

    INTERPRETATION: Successful HCV treatment as prevention should incorporate the baseline HCV prevalence and will achieve the greatest benefit when coverage is sufficiently expanded.

    FUNDING: National Institute on Drug Abuse.

  17. Zelenev A, Michael L, Li J, Altice FL
    Int J Drug Policy, 2024 Jan;123:104250.
    PMID: 38088004 DOI: 10.1016/j.drugpo.2023.104250
    BACKGROUND: Opioid agonist therapies (OAT) and  harm reduction such as syringe service programs (SSP) have been shown to be effective in preventing adverse outcomes such as overdose deaths, HIV and Hepatitis C infections among people who inject drugs (PWID). The importance of social network influence on disease transmission is well established, yet the interplay between harm reduction and network structures is, generally, not well understood. This study aims to analyze how social networks can mediate the harm reduction effects associated with secondary exchange through syringe service programs (SSP) and opioid agonist therapies (OAT) among injection network members.

    METHODS: Sociometric data on networks on people who inject drugs from Hartford, CT, which were collected in 2012-2013, provided assessment of risk behaviors among 1574 injection network members, including participation in OAT and SSP. Subject's network characteristics were examined in relation to retention in OAT, as well as secondary syringe exchange using exponential random graph model (ERGM) and regression.

    RESULTS: Based on the analysis, we found that probability of individuals being retained in OAT was positively associated with the OAT retention status of their peers within the network. Using simulations, we found that higher levels of positive correlation of OAT retention among network members can result in reduced risk of transmission of HIV to network partners on OAT. In addition, we found that secondary syringe exchange engagement was associated with higher probability of sharing of paraphernalia and unsterile needles at the network level.

    CONCLUSIONS: Understanding how networks mediate risk behaviors is crucial for making progress toward ending the HIV epidemic.

  18. Zelenev A, Li J, Shea P, Hecht R, Altice FL
    Clin Infect Dis, 2021 Mar 01;72(5):755-763.
    PMID: 32060534 DOI: 10.1093/cid/ciaa142
    BACKGROUND: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) treatment as prevention (TasP) strategies can contribute to HCV microelimination, yet complimentary interventions such as opioid agonist therapies (OAT) with methadone or buprenorphine and syringe services programs (SSPs) may improve the prevention impact. This modeling study estimates the impact of scaling up the combination of OAT and SSPs with HCV TasP in a network of people who inject drugs (PWID) in the United States.

    METHODS: Using empirical data from Hartford, Connecticut, we deployed a stochastic block model to simulate an injection network of 1574 PWID. We used a susceptible-infected model for HCV and human immunodeficiency virus to evaluate the effectiveness of several HCV TasP strategies, including in combination with OAT and SSP scale-up, over 20 years.

    RESULTS: At the highest HCV prevalence (75%), when OAT coverage is increased from 10% to 40%, combined with HCV treatment of 10% per year and SSP scale up to 40%, the time to achieve microelimination is reduced from 18.4 to 11.6 years. At the current HCV prevalence (60%), HCV TasP strategies as low as 10% coverage per year may achieve HCV microelimination within 10 years, with minimal impact from additional OAT scale-up. Strategies based on mass initial HCV treatment (50 per 100 PWID the first year followed by 5 per 100 PWID thereafter) were most effective in settings with HCV prevalence of 60% or lower.

    CONCLUSIONS: Scale-up of HCV TasP is the most effective strategy for microelimination of HCV. OAT scale-up, however, scale-up may be synergistic toward achieving microelimination goals when HCV prevalence exceeds 60% and when HCV treatment coverage is 10 per 100 PWID per year or lower.

  19. Yue L, Xue D, Draz MU, Ahmad F, Li J, Shahzad F, et al.
    PMID: 31936543 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph17020446
    Urbanization has made tremendous contributions to China's economic development since its economic reforms and opening up. At the same time, population agglomeration has aggravated environmental pollution and posed serious challenges to China's environment. This article empirically investigates the impacts of China's urbanization on eco-efficiency, comprehensively reflecting economic growth, resource input, and waste discharge. We first measured the provincial eco-efficiency in China from 2005 to 2015 using the Super Slack-Based model (Super-SBM). We then constructed a spatial model to empirically analyze the effects of urbanization on eco-efficiency at the national level, and at four regional levels. The results indicated that the regional eco-efficiency in China has fluctuated, but is generally improving, and that a gap between regions was evident, with a trend toward further gap expansion. We observed an effect of spatial spillover in eco-efficiency, which was significant and positive for the whole country, except for the western region. The influence of urbanization on China's eco-efficiency exhibited a U-curve relationship. The changing trend in the eastern, central, and western regions was the same as that in the whole country; however, the trend exhibited an inverted U-curve relationship in the northeastern region. To the best of our knowledge, covering a time period of 2005-2015, this article is the first of its kind to study the impact of urbanization on eco-efficiency in China at both the national and regional levels. This study may help policy-makers to create sustainable policies that could be helpful in balancing urbanization and the ecological environment.
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