The role of National Immunization Technical Advisory Groups (NITAG) in strengthening health system governance: Lessons from three middle-income countries—Argentina,Jordan, and South Africa (2017–2018)

IntroductionToward the Global Vaccine Action Plan 2020 goal, almost 90% of countries have established a National Immunization Technical Advisory Group (NITAG). However, little is known about NITAG's contributions to governance.MethodsIn 2017–2018, a two-step, qualitative retrospective study was conducted. Jordan (JO), Argentina (AR), and South Africa (SA) were selected owing to government-financed NITAGs from middle-income countries (MICs), geographic diversity, and a vaccine introduction with NITAG support. Country case studies were developed, collecting data through desk review and face-to-face key informant interviews (KIIs) from Ministry of Health (MoH) and NITAG. Case studies were analyzed together, to assess governance applying the European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies framework focusing on transparency, accountability, participation, integrity, and policy capacity (TAPIC).ResultsDocument review and 53 KII (22 AR, 20 SA, 11 JO) showed NITAGs played a pivotal role as advisors promoting a culture of evidence-informed policies. NITAGs strengthened governance, although practices varied among countries. Meetings were conducted behind-closed-doors, participation restricted to members, only in one country agendas, and recommendations were public (AR). To increase participation, policy capacity, and transparency, countries considered adding experts in communications, advocacy, and economics. AR and SA contemplated including community members. NITAGs functioned autonomously from the government, with no established internal or external monitoring or supervision. NITAG meeting minutes allowed the review of integrity, adherence to terms of reference, standard operating procedures, and conflict of interest (CoI). For the most part, NITAGs abided by their mandates. Significant issues were related to the level of MoH support and oversight of CoI declaration and documentation.ConclusionsSystematically implementing governance approaches could improve processes, better tailor policies, and implementation. The long-term survival and resilience of NITAGs in these countries showed they play a significant role in strengthening governance. Lessons learned could be useful to those promoting country-driven evidence-informed decision-making.     

应用噬菌体控制假单胞菌的研究进展

假单胞菌属细菌中的部分菌株是动植物和人类的致病菌，也是食品的腐败菌，会导致动植物和人类的高死亡率和严重的食品安全事故。噬菌体作为一种细菌性病毒，特异性高、自我增殖快且无副作用。这些特性使其成为了解决细菌性问题的新思路和新方法。本文就利用噬菌体防控假单胞菌属致病菌和腐败菌在食品、水产、植物、医疗等方面的研究和应用进行综述，以便为后期的深入研究提供一定的参考。     

尿液10项肾损伤标志物检测试剂的性能评价

摘要:目的对尿液 10项肾损伤标志物检测试剂进行性能评价,并评估其临床适用性。方法对北京利德曼公司尿液a1 微球蛋白(u-a|MG)、总蛋白(u-TP)、免疫球蛋白G(u-IgG) 、微量清蛋白(u-Alb)、中性粒细胞明胶酶相关脂质运载蛋白(u-NGAL)、半胱氨酸蛋白酶抑制剂C(u-CysC).视黄醇结合蛋白(u-RBP)、β2微球蛋白(u-β2MG)、N-乙酰-β-D-氨基葡萄糖苷酶(u-NAG).、转铁蛋白(u-Trf)检测试剂盒进行性能评价。正确度和精密度验证参考美国临床和实验室标准协会(CLSI)EP15-A3,验证物质采用ERM-DA470k、ERM-DA471、B2M-NIBSC等参考物质及纯度物质;线性验证参考CLSI EP06;抗干扰能力参考CISI EP07;不同检测系统间比对参考CISI EP09。结果正确度方面,10 项标志物检测试剂测定标准物质在低值、中值、高值的偏倚分别为-2.69% ~4.67%、-3.60% ~3.33% .-2.38% ~3.02%;不精密度方面,重复性以不精密度表示,在低值和高值处分别为1.90%~5.43%、0.63% ~2.42%,室内不精密度为2.27%~5.63%、1.09%~3.41%,均满足临床要求;10项尿液标志物线性范围在0.06~4.40 mg/L至21.83~2 146.77 mg/L之间。抗干扰方面,u-1 MG、u-Alb、u-β2MG、u-Trf 、u-CysC、u-NAG分别在血红蛋白终浓度≤8 g/L、≤8 g/L、≤4 g/L、≤4 g/L、≤2g/L、≤1 g/L时,未受到明显干扰(百分偏差≤+ 10%) ,而u-TP、u-IgG、 u-RBP、u-NGAL在血红蛋白终浓度≥0.125 g/L时即受干扰。不同检测系统间偏差超出临床允许范围。结论尿液 10项肾损伤标志物的正确度、精密度、线性范围和抗血红蛋白干扰能力满足临床需要,不同检测系统间标志物测量结果可比性欠佳。     

针刺辅助治疗难治性肠易激综合征临床试验方案关键点设计的思考＊

肠易激综合征（Irritable bowel syndrome，IBS）是临床常见病、多发病，其治疗方法丰富，但部分患者疗效欠佳，发展成难治性IBS。目前国内外关于针灸治疗难治性IBS的临床随机对照试验尚不多见。本文立足试验方案设计的“PICOS”原则，从研究对象及诊断标准、干预措施、对照措施、结局指标四个方面入手，重点探讨针刺辅助治疗难治性肠易激综合征临床试验设计的关键要点。从选择特色优势病种、明确诊断标准、制定符合临床实际的干预方案、运用符合目标的安慰针刺、结合研究设计和目的选定结局指标几个角度，阐述试验相关环节设计的原因和思考。     

Determinants of Tobacco Use among Children of a Rural Village in India: An Exploratory Qualitative Study

Background: Tobacco is one of the leading causes of preventable deaths. It is both a major social and health problem. According to National Sample Survey Organization of Government of India about 20 million children of ages 10-14 are estimated to be tobacco-addicted. There are grave consequences of tobacco both socially and also on health thus it is of utmost importance to understand the factors leading to its use and to plan strategies to reduce its intake. However, the health implications of this social issue in a rural context have not been explored. Aims and Objective: this study makes an attempt to explore the health and social implications of tobacco usage by the children below the age of 14 years in hamlet. Materials and Methods:  The present study employed a qualitative study design. Data was collected using focus group discussion and in-depth interview of key informants. Thematic analysis for exploring the explicit and implicit meanings within the data was done. The themes which emerged were knowledge about tobacco and the various products available, children and parents’ tobacco use and habits, the health and social implication of tobacco use, reasons for tobacco use by the children. Results: It was found tobacco use by the children was very common in the community. Parent, peer pressure, sibling pressure were found to be playing important role in the initiation of tobacco habit by the child. Further illiteracy and lack of awareness was also lead to tobacco use among children. Conclusion: The study identifies education and awareness of parents about the ill-effects of tobacco play an important role as parents act as role model for their children, thus equal stress should be laid in improving the parental habits. Even raising the prices of tobacco products can help in controlling this habit.     

铜绿假单胞菌噬菌体PaP3生物学特性的研究

目的测定铜绿假单胞菌噬菌体PaP3的最佳感染复数、一步生长曲线和吸附K值及交叉吸附K值等基本生物学特性。方法按照感染复数（MOI）分别为0．0001、0．001、0．01、0．1、1和10加入噬菌体纯培养液和宿主菌，充分裂解细菌后，测定噬菌体滴度；以MOI=10的比例加入噬菌体及宿主菌，进行一步生长实验；纯化PaP3颗粒，免疫家兔，获得抗血清，通过中和反应实验测定PaP3和其抗血清之间的吸附反应常数K值。同时，利用抗血清交叉中和试验确定本室分离的三株噬菌体之间的血清学关系。结果当MOI=0．001时PaP3感染其宿主菌产生的子代噬菌体滴度最高；根据一步生长实验结果绘制一步生长曲线；通过血清交叉中和反应得出不同的吸附常数。结论PaP3最佳感染复数为0．001，感染宿主菌的潜伏期是20min，爆发期是60min，平均爆发量约为31，其抗血清反应的吸附常数K值为262。     

噬菌体基因组PaP1的鸟枪法测序及其生物信息学分析

目的对分离的铜绿假单胞菌噬菌体PaP1进行全基因组测序，并进行初步的生物信息学分析，为噬菌体的改造及其治疗奠定基础。方法采用鸟枪法随机测序和重叠群组装的策略对PaP1进行基因组测序，并通过EditSeq、开放读码框架（ORF）finder、GeneMark^TM、BPROM、FindTerm、Palindromes、Equicktandem及FAStRNA等软件对所获得的基因组序列的一般特征、蛋白质同源性序列及tRNA基因等进行分析和预测。结果PaP1基因组约为90000bp，其中最大重叠群为28249bp。在已获得序列中预测出120个ORFs、41个推定基因及9个簇集在5’末端的tRNA基因。在41个推定基因中，预测出编码DNA末端酶大亚单位、DNA解旋酶B亚单位、肽聚糖结合蛋白及3个尾丝蛋白等6个基因的功能。结论鸟枪法只能测出噬菌体基因组PaP1的部分序列，重复序列的存在是该基因组测序困难的原因。     

Development and evaluation of a new PCR assay for detection of Pseudomonas aeruginosa D genotype

This report describes a new PCR-based assay for the detection of Pseudomonas aeruginosa genotype D in occupational saturation diving systems in the North Sea. This genotype has persisted in these systems for 11 years (1993-2003) and represents 18% of isolates from infections analysed during this period. The new PCR assay was based on sequences obtained after randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD)-PCR analysis of a group of isolates related to diving that had been identified previously by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). The primer set for the D genotype targets a gene that codes for a hypothetical class 4 protein in the P. aeruginosa PAO1 genome. A primer set able to detect P. aeruginosa at the species level was also designed, based on the 23S-5S rDNA spacer region. The two assays produced 382-bp and 192-bp amplicons, respectively. The PCR assay was evaluated by analysing 100 P. aeruginosa isolates related to diving, representing 28 PFGE genotypes, and 38 clinical and community P. aeruginosa isolates and strains from other species. The assay identified all of the genotype D isolates tested. Two additional diving-relevant genotypes (TP2 and TP27) were also identified, as well as three isolates of non-diving origin. It was concluded that the new PCR assay is a useful tool for early detection and prevention of infections with the D genotype.     

Association between commensal bacteria and opportunistic pathogens in the dental plaque of elderly individuals

Opportunistic infections in the oral cavity of the elderly may increase the incidence of systemic disease. The objective of this study was to investigate the differences in the oral bacterial flora between dependent elderly (inpatients) and independent elderly (community-dwelling residents). After multiple variables were taken into account, inpatients had significantly lower detection rates than community-dwelling residents for alpha-streptococci (p < 0.001) and Neisseria (p 0.004), and higher detection rates for Pseudomonas aeruginosa (p 0.024), methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) (p 0.011) and Actinomyces spp. (p 0.005). Among inpatients, the requirement for a high degree of care was related negatively to detection of alpha-streptococci, but was related significantly to detection of P. aeruginosa (p 0.018) or MRSA (p 0.004). Tube-fed inpatients had a significantly lower detection rate for alpha-streptococci (p 0.041) and a higher detection rate for P. aeruginosa (p 0.004) than those who did not require tube feeding. Inpatients with a history of antibiotic use had a significantly lower detection rate for alpha-streptococci (p 0.049) and a higher detection rate for MRSA (p 0.007) than those without a history of antibiotic use. The detection rates for P. aeruginosa or MRSA in inpatients without alpha-streptococci were higher than in inpatients with alpha-streptococci after controlling for age and gender (P. aeruginosa, p 0.006; MRSA, p 0.001). Overall, detection of alpha-streptococci had an inverse correlation with the detection of P. aeruginosa and MRSA in the oral cavity and is likely to be an indicator of pathogenic bacterial infection.     

Regulation of fibroblast-induced collagen gel contraction by interleukin-1β

Fibroblasts incorporated within collagen gels induce a cell-mediated contraction of the gel to form a three-dimensional, tissue-like structure by a mechanism thought to mimic wound contraction in vivo . In this study a gel contraction model was used to investigate the ability of fibroblasts derived from adult gingiva, adult skin and fetal skin to organise a collagen matrix. In addition the effects of interleukin-1β (IL-1β) on the contraction process was also investigated. Over the concentration range 5-50 U/ml, IL-1β induced a statistically significant inhibition of gel contraction in all fibroblast cell types ( P <0.05), although fetal fibroblasts appeared least responsive and gingival fibroblasts most responsive to the inhibitory effects of this cytokine. Comparison of gel contraction by the different fibroblast strains indicated that fetal and gingival fibroblasts shared similar contraction kinetics. For the adult skin fibroblasts, three of five strains studied showed significantly diminished levels of gel contraction compared to fetal and gingival cells. This apparent difference in fibroblast phenotype may, at least in part, explain the fetal-like wound healing pattern seen in the oral mucosa.