Epidemiological Features of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome in Beijing Urban and Suburb Areas in 2003

To describe the epidemiologic features of an outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome （SARS） in urban and suburb areas in Beijing and to explore their differences between these two areas. Methods Data of SARS cases were collected from daily notification of China Ministry of Health and a database of infectious diseases was established by the Beijing Municipal Center for Disease Prevention and Control （BCDC）. All the data were put into dataset files by Microsoft Exeel-2000 and analyzed with SPSS version 10.0 software. Results The respective urban incidence and mortality rate were 29.06 and 2.21 per 100 000, while the case fatality rate was 7.62%. In contrast, the respective suburb incidence and mortality rate were 10.61 and 0.78 per 100 000, and the case fatality rate was 7.32%. No significant differences were found in demographic characteristics between the urban and suburb areas. Conclusion Beijing urban area suffered a more serious SARS epidemic than the suburb area in 2003.

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome-Retrospect and Lessons of 2004 Outbreak in China

Objective To summarize lessons learned from an outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome （SARS） in China during the spring of 2004. Methods Data of SARS cases were officially reported by Beijing Municipal Center for Disease Control and Prevention （BCDC） and Anhui Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention （APCDC） and results of epidemiological investigations were collected and analyzed. Results Three generations of 11 cases of SARS were identified during the outbreak, Initial two cases were most likely to be infected in Diarrhea Virus Laboratory of National Institute of Virology, China Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and main mode of transmission was direct contact with SARS patients, Delay in detecting initial case resulted in spread of the illness at hospitals and communities with two generations of secondary cases, Conclusions SARS outbreak in 2004 has yielded following lessons for public health globally. （1） Lab bio-safety programs should be made and should be strictly abided by, Studies in highly pathogenic viruses such as SARS coronavirus should be utmost cautious, （2） Management systems of occupational exposure to virus and disease surveillance need to be strengthened to take all risk factors into account so as to detect potential patients with infectious disease as early as possible.

Possible Association of ACE Gene I/D Polymorphism With Blood Pressure——Lowering Response to Hydrochlorothiazide

Objective To explore the association between polymorphism in the ACE I/D gene and blood pressure-lowering response to hydrochlorothiazide （HCTZ） in 829 patients. Methods HCTZ 12.5 mg was taken once a day for six weeks. The blood pressure reduction and ratio reaching target blood pressure were compared in different ACE genotype groups. Results The reduction in SBP of patients carrying DD was greater than that in other groups carrying II or ID （12.2 mmHg versus 5.4 mmHg, 12.2 mmHg versus 4.4 mmHg, respectively, P〈0.05）. The reduction in MAP of patients carrying DD was also greater than that in other groups carrying II or ID （6.9 mmHg versus 3.9 mmHg, 6.9 mmHg versus 3.6 mmHg, respectively, P〈0.05）. The ratio reaching target blood pressure in DD groups was significantly higher than that in II or ID groups （P〈0.05）. The pre-treatment SBP, DD genotype, aldosterone levels entered the multi-linear regression model significantly and might affect the reduction of SBP. The pre-treatment DBP, aldosterone levels, DD genotype entered the multi-linear regression model significantly and might affect the reduction of DBP. The pre-treatment MAP, DD genotype, aldosterone levels entered the multi-linear regression model significantly and might affect the reduction of MAP. Conclusion ACE genotyping is associated with blood pressure-lowering response to HCTZ. Specific genotypes might be associated with the response to specific antihypertensive treatment.

Risk Factors for SARS-Related Deaths in 2003, Beijing

Objective To study the potential risk factors for severe acute respiratory syndromes （SARS）-related deaths in Beijing. Methods Epidemiological data were collected among the confirmed SARS patients officially reported by Beijing Centers for Disease Control and Prevention （BCDC）, and information was also supplemented by a follow-up case survey, Chi-square test and multivariate stepwise logistic regression analysis were performed. Results Old age （over 60 years） was found to be significantly associated with SARS-related deaths in the univariate analysis. Also, history of contacting SARS patients within 2 weeks prior to the onset of illness, health occupation, and inferior hospital ranking as well as longer interval of clinic consulting （longer than 1 day） were the risk factors for SARS-related deaths. Multivariate stepwise logistic regression analysis found four risk factors for SARS-related deaths. Conclusion Old age （over 60 years） is the major risk factor for SARS-related deaths. Moreover, hospital health workers, the designated hospitals for SARS clinical services and the interval of consulting doctors （less than 1 day） are protective factors for surviving from SARS.

Case Fatality Rate of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndromes in Beijing

To describe the case fatality rate of SARS in Beijing. Methods Data of SARS cases notified from Beijing Center for Disease Control and Prevention （BCDC） and supplemented by other channels were collected. The data were analyzed by rate calculation. Results The case fatality rate of SARS in Beijing was 7.66%, and had an ascending trend while the age of cases was getting older, and a descending trend while the epidemic developmem. The case fatality rate in Beijing was lower than that in other main epidemic countries or regions. Conclusions The risk of death increases with the increment of age of SARS patients. Beijing is successful in controlling and treating SARS.

Perinatal prevalence of birth defects in the Mainland of China,2000–2021:a systematic review and meta-analysis

Background Although birth defects are of great concern globally,the latest national prevalence has not yet been quantified in China.We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to estimate the perinatal prevalence of birth defects in the Mainland of China between 2000 and 2021.Methods We performed a systematic literature search of six databases for relevant articles published between January 1,2000,and March 1,2023.We included published studies that reported data on the perinatal prevalence of birth defects in the Mainland of China.The DerSimonian and Laird random-effects models were used to estimate the pooled prevalence and its 95%confidence interval(CI).We also conducted subgroup analyses and univariable meta-regressions to explore differences in prevalence by time period,geographic region,and other characteristics.Results We included 254 studies reporting the perinatal prevalence of birth defects and 86 studies reporting only the prevalence of specific types of birth defects.Based on 254 studies covering 74,307,037 perinatal births and 985,115 cases with birth defects,the pooled perinatal prevalence of birth defects was 122.54(95%CI 116.20–128.89)per 10,000 perinatal births in the Mainland of China during 2000–2021.Overall,the perinatal prevalence of birth defects increased from 95.60(86.51–104.69)per 10,000 in 2000–2004 to 208.94(175.67–242.22)per 10,000 in 2020–2021.There were also significant disparities among different geographical regions.Congenital heart defects(33.35 per 10,000),clefts of the lip and/or palate(13.52 per 10,000),polydactyly(12.82 per 10,000),neural tube defects(12.82 per 10,000),and inborn errors of metabolism(11.41 per 10,000)were the five most common types of birth defects.The perinatal prevalence among males was significantly higher than that among females(β=2.44×10^(−3),P=0.003);a higher perinatal prevalence of birth defects was observed among perinatal births whose mothers were≥35 years(β=4.34×10^(−3),P<0.001).Conclusion Comprehensive and sustained efforts are needed to strengthen surveillance and detection of birth defects,improve prenatal and postnatal healthcare,and promote rehabilitation,especially in underdeveloped areas.

Combination patterns of precipitation and its concentration degree determining the risk of dengue outbreaks in China

The amount and distribution of precipitation can determine dengue risk by affecting mosquito breeding;however,previous studies failed to incorporate this bivariate characteristic to examine dengue fever transmission.In the present research,nationwide data on daily dengue cases in China between January 2005 and December 2020 were obtained,and the top 12 cities accounting for 78%of total cases were selected for analysis.Precipitation patterns were quantified by weekly precipitation and precipitation concentration degree(PCD).On the basis of the combinations of both parameters,the exposure-response relationships of precipitation with dengue risk were established using generalised additive models,and the high-dengue-risk thresholds of precipitation patterns were further identified.Dengue burden was assessed by calculating attributable dengue cases.For the same amount of precipitation,the dispersed precipitation in the pre-summer rainy season leads to a higher dengue risk in autumn.The weekly precipitation of 100-150 mm and PCD of 0.2-0.4 constitute the highest risk scenario,and the average frequency of precipitation associated with dengue risk in 2013-2020 is 1.6 times higher than that in 2005-2012.A total of 3093 attributable dengue cases are identified.From 2005 to 2020,the amount of dispersed precipitation increased in southern and southwestern China and posed high dengue risks in central China.This study has improved the understanding of the health impacts of irregular rainfall under climate change.Our approach to identifying thresholds provides information for early warning systems and helps reduce the risk of dengue transmission in the long run.