The presence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in fecal material has raised the possibility of viral transmission via a fecal–oral route. This study investigated whether SARS-CoV-2 transmission via fecal aerosols in the drainage pipe system may have been the cause of COVID-19 infection in a cluster of 3 families living in a high-rise building in China.

Background Multimorbidity is common among the middle-aged and elderly residents. And it is associated to the reduction of health-related quality of life (HRQoL), including physical and psychological dimensions. However, there are few studies that have paid attention to the HRQoL of residents with multimorbidity in China. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the relationships between different multimorbidity patterns and HRQoL among middle-aged and elderly adults in China. Methods Based on a cross-sectional survey, the information regarding 18,137 adults, who were at least 45 years of age, was collected through interviews. Self-perceived HRQoL was assessed with the EQ-5D-3 L instrument, and the EQ-5D-3 L index score was calculated using the Chinese EQ-5D-3 L value set. The Tobit regression was used to explore the impacts of multimorbidity groups on HRQoL. Results Of 18,137 respondents, more than a fifth (3773,20.8%) of people had multimorbidity. Mean (SD) of EQ-5D index and VAS values were 0.95(0.14) and 76.02(13.66), respectively. Significant correlations were found between a lower HRQoL and increasing numbers of chronic conditions ( P < 0.001). Most of chronic diseases co-occurred frequently, and the association between hypertension and diabetes mellitus was the strongest (adjusted OR = 3.82). The most prevalent disease is hypertension (5052,27.9%), and the most prevalent chronic diseases pair is hypertension and diabetes mellitus (841,4.6%). Among those chronic diseases with high prevalence, the effects on HRQoL ranged from chronic pain to hypertension (adjust b = − 0.036 to − 0.008). In the common multimorbidity patterns, co-occurrence of chronic pain and bone disease (adjust b = − 0.039) had the greatest impact on HRQoL. Conclusions The HRQoL of middle-aged and elderly adults declines by multimorbidity. More attention should be paid to the HRQoL of residents with multimorbidity in China. The effect of different multimorbidity patterns on HRQoL is not simply added by two diseases, but changes by the different combination. Identifying different multimorbidity patterns of residents can provide more targeted measures to improve the HRQoL.

Objective: To assess post-traumatic growth (PTG) level and explore its influence factors among frontline nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic.Methods: From April 11th to 12th, 2020, a cross sectional study was conducted on 116 frontline nurses who had participated in fight against the COVID-19 in Wuhan city, China. General information and psychological discomfort were collected. Chinese version post-traumatic growth inventory with 20 items was applied to assess PTG level. Univariable analyses and multiple linear regression were performed to explore potential influencing factors of PTGI score.Results: The average score of PTGI in frontline nurses was 65.65 ± 11.50. In univariable analyses, gender, age, education level, marital status, living with parents, professional title, working years and professional psychological support was not statistically associated with the PTGI score. In both univariable and multivariable analyses, having support from family members and friends, being psychological comfort and having children and increased the PTGI score significantly. The three factors only explained 3.8% variance.Conclusion: Moderate PGT was observed in the frontline nurses who had battled against COVID-19. Social support and professional psychological intervention should be applied to further improve PTG level. Further studies with large sample size are required to explore more potential influencing factors.

TB-related stigma was high among TB patients in China. Interventions concentrating on reducing TB patients' stigma in China should focus on improving patients' family function and patients' knowledge about TB.

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Hypoxia is a classic characteristic of the tumor microenvironment with a significant impact on cancer progression and therapeutic response. Hypoxia-inducible factor-1 alpha (HIF-1α), the most important transcriptional regulator in the response to hypoxia, has been demonstrated to significantly modulate hypoxic gene expression and signaling transduction networks. In past few decades, growing numbers of studies have revealed the importance of noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs) in hypoxic tumor regions. These hypoxia-responsive ncRNAs (HRNs) play pivotal roles in regulating hypoxic gene expression at the transcriptional, posttranscriptional, translational and posttranslational levels. In addition, as a significant gene expression regulator, ncRNAs exhibit promising roles in regulating HIF-1α expression at multiple levels. In this review, we briefly elucidate the reciprocal regulation between HIF-1α and ncRNAs, as well as their effect on cancer cell behaviors. We also try to summarize the complex feedback loop existing between these two components. Moreover, we evaluated the biomarker potential of HRNs for the diagnosis and prognosis of cancer, as well as the potential clinical utility of shared regulatory mechanisms between HIF-1α and ncRNAs in cancer treatment, providing novel insights into tumorigenicity, which may lead to innovative clinical applications.

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Glucokinase regulatory protein (GCKR) which binds to glucokinase (GCK) in the nucleus and inhibits its activity in the presence of fructose-6-phosphate is critical for glucose metabolism. In the past few years, a number of case-control studies have been carried out to investigate the relationship between the GCKR polymorphism and type 2 diabetes (T2D) since it was first identified to be associated with fasting plasma glucose levels, insulin resistance through genome-wide association approach. After that, a number of studies reported that the rs780094 polymorphism in GCKR has been implicated in T2D risk. However, these studies have yielded contradictory results. To investigate this inconsistency, we performed a meta-analysis of 19 studies involving a total of 298,977 subjects for GCKR rs780094 to evaluate its effect on genetic susceptibility for T2D. In a combined analysis, the summary per-allele odds ratio for T2D of the rs780094 polymorphism was 1.11 (95 % CI: 1.07-1.14, P < 10(-5)). Significant results were also observed using dominant (OR = 1.18, 95 % CI: 1.05-1.34, P < 10(-5)) or recessive genetic model (OR = 1.20, 95 % CI: 1.12-1.28, P < 10(-5)). Significant results were found in Asians and Caucasians when stratified by ethnicity. Besides, the polymorphism was found to be significantly associated with increased fasting plasma glucose level. There was strong evidence of heterogeneity, which largely disappeared after stratification by ethnicity. This meta-analysis suggests that the rs780094 polymorphism in GCKR is associated with elevated T2D risk, but these associations vary in different ethnic populations.