Knowledge of virulence factors is important to understand the microbial pathogenesis and find better antibiotics. Mammalian cell entry (mce) is a crucial protein family for the virulence of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tuberculosis). This review summarized the advances on mce genes. The genomic organization, characteristics of mce genes, phylogeny of this family, and their roles in M. tuberculosis virulence are emphasized in this review.

No abstract

Background The management of quality of life (QoL) in patients with cirrhosis is important due to the chronic nature of compensated cirrhosis. The aim of the study was to evaluate the effect of health education using health empowerment theory in patients with liver cirrhosis. Material/Methods Between January 2014 and November 2014, 30 patients who were hospitalized with liver cirrhosis patients were recruited to the study, as the study group. Health education was conducted using the principles of health empowerment theory. Between January 2013 and November 2013, 30 hospitalized cirrhosis patients were recruited as the control group, who were given conventional health education. The QoL scores and Health-Promoting Lifestyle Profile II (HPLP II) scores were evaluated at hospital discharge and at two-month follow-up. The health knowledge awareness rate, activity of daily living (ADL), and health-promoting lifestyles were evaluated. Results On discharge from the hospital, understanding of the major clinical symptoms, etiology, diet and nutrition, use of medication, treatment, and disease awareness rates were significantly higher in the study group compared with the control group (all P<0.05). There were significant differences in ADL scores between the two groups at two-month follow-up (81.5±15.5 vs. 68.5±15.4; P=0.006). All HPLP II scores were higher in the study group compared with the control group at hospital discharge and at two-month follow-up (all P<0.05). Conclusions Patient health empowerment can improve the cognitive level and health behaviors of patients with liver cirrhosis, improve their ability to perform ADL, and improve their QoL.

Background The COVID-19 pandemic has posed significant threats to both the physical and psychological health of healthcare workers working in the front-line combating COVID-19. However, studies regarding the medium to long term impact of COVID-19 on mental health among healthcare workers are limited. Therefore, we conducted this cross-sectional survey to investigate the prevalence, factors and impact of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in healthcare workers exposed to COVID-19 8 months after the end of the outbreak in Wuhan, China. Methods A web-based questionnaire was delivered as a link via the communication application WeChat to those healthcare workers who worked at several COVID-19 units during the outbreak (from December 2019 to April 2020) in Wuhan, China. The questionnaire included questions on social-demographic data, the post-traumatic stress disorder checklist-5 (PCL-5), the family care index questionnaire (Adaptation, Partnership, Growth, Affection and Resolve, APGAR), and the quality-of-life scale (QOL). The prevalence, risk and protective factors, and impact of PTSD on healthcare workers were subsequently analyzed. Results Among the 659 participants, 90 healthcare workers were still suffering from PTSD 8 months after the end of the outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, in which avoidance and negative impact were the most affected dimensions. Suffering from chronic disease, experiencing social isolation, and job dissatisfaction came up as independent risk factors for PTSD, while obtaining COVID-19 related information at an appropriate frequency, good family function, and working in well-prepared mobile cabin hospitals served as protective factors. The impact of PTSD on COVID-19 exposed healthcare workers was apparent by shortened sleeping time, feeling of loneliness, poorer quality of life and intention to resign. Conclusions Eight months after the end of the COVID-19 outbreak in Wuhan, the level of PTSD in healthcare workers exposed to COVID-19 was still high. Apart from the commonly recognized risk factors, comorbid chronic disease was identified as a new independent risk factor for developing PTSD. For countries where the pandemic is still ongoing or in case of future outbreaks of new communicable diseases, this study may contribute to preventing cases of PTSD in healthcare workers exposed to infectious diseases under such circumstances.