Factors influencing Chinese male's willingness to undergo circumcision: a cross-sectional study in western China

Background

Male circumcision (MC) has been shown to reduce the risk of female to male transmission of HIV. The goal of this survey was to explore the acceptability of MC among the Chinese and to identify factors associated with circumcision preference.

Methods

A cross-sectional survey was conducted between September 2009 and December 2010. We interviewed 2,219 male community participants, from three high HIV prevalence provinces in western China. A structured questionnaire was used to collect data on MC knowledge, willingness to accept MC, reasons to accept or refuse MC, and sexual behaviors and health. For those who refused MC, a health education intervention providing information on the benefits of circumcision was conducted. We used multiple logistic regression models to identify factors associated with the acceptability of MC.

Results

Of the respondents (n = 2,219), 44.6% (989/2,219) reported they would accept MC for the following reasons: promotion of female partners'' hygiene (60.3%), redundant foreskin (59.4%), prevention of penile cancer (50.2%), enhanced sexual pleasure (41.4%), and protection against HIV and STDs (34.2%). The multivariable logistic regression showed that five factors were associated with MC willingness: long foreskin (OR = 15.98), residing in Xinjiang province (OR = 3.69), being younger than 25 (OR = 1.60), knowing hazards of redundant foreskin (OR = 1.78), and having a friend who underwent circumcision (OR = 1.36).

Conclusion

The acceptability of male circumcision was high among the general population in China. Our study elucidates the factors associated with circumcision preference and suggests that more health education campaigns about positive health effects are necessary to increase the MC rate in China.     

Plasma BDNF and PDGF-AA levels are associated with high TCD velocity and stroke in children with sickle cell anemia

Sickle cell anemia (SCA) associated cerebrovascular disease includes vascular remodeling, abnormal cerebral blood flow (CBF) and infarction. We studied the relationships between plasma brain derived neurotropic factor (BDNF), platelet derived growth factors (PDGF-AA and -AB/BB) and high trans-cranial Doppler (TCD) velocity, an indication of CBF velocity. Baseline plasma samples from 39 children (19 SCA with abnormal/high TCD [SATCD], 13 SCA with normal TCD [SNTCD] and 7 healthy non-SCA), were assayed for BDNF, PDGF-AA and -AB/BB plus 11 other cytokines. The sensitivity, specificity and usefulness of these biomarkers for stroke prediction was investigated. All subject groups were of similar age and gender distribution. Mean BDNF was significantly higher among SATCD than SNTCD (p=0.004) as was mean PDGF-AA (p=0.001). Similarly, mean PDGF-AA was higher among SCA subjects who developed stroke than those who did not (p=0.012). Elevated BDNF and PDGF-AA were good predictors of the presence of abnormally high CBF velocity and were both associated with severity of anemia. Elevated PDGF-AA predicted risk for stroke development. Stroke incidence and high TCD velocity were associated with elevated BDNF and PDGF-AA. These findings suggest a role for BDNF and PDGF-AA in the patho-physiological mechanism of cerebrovascular disease in SCA.     

Quantum chemical study in the direction to design efficient donor-bridge-acceptor triphenylamine sensitizers with improved electron injection

The ground state geometries have been computed by using density functional theory. The excitation energies for dye sensitizers were performed by using time dependant density functional theory. The polarizable continuum model (PCM) has been used for evaluating bulk solvent effects at all stages. The calculations have been carried out in methanol according to the experimental set up. The long-range-corrected functional (PCM-TD-LC-BLYP) underestimate the absorption spectrum of parent molecule while PCM-TDBHandHLYP is in good agreement with the experimental data. The highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) is delocalized on TPA moiety while lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) is localized on anchoring group, conjugated chain and the benzene ring near to the anchoring group. The LUMO energies of all the investigated dyes are above the conduction band of TiO(2), HOMOs are below the redox couple and HOMO-LUMO energy gaps of studied dyes are smaller compared to TC4. The 1 and 3 are 7 and 12?nm blue shifted while 2 and 4 are 25 and 22?nm red shifted, respectively compared to TC4. The trend of electron injection (ΔG(inject)), relative electron injection (ΔG (r) (inject) ()), and electronic coupling constant (|VRP|) has been observed as 3?>?1?>?4?>?2?>?TC4. The improved ΔG(inject), |VRP| and light harvesting efficiency (LHE) of new designed sensitizers revealed that these materials would be excellent sensitizers. The broken coplanarity between the benzene near anchoring group having LUMO and the last benzene attached to TPA unit in 1-4 consequently would hamper the recombination reaction.     

Expression and identification of folate-sensitive fragile sites in British Suffolk sheep (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Ovis aries</Emphasis>)

An investigation to understand the dynamics and biological significance of fragile site expression, and identification of 5-fluorodeoxyuridine (FUdR) induced chromosomal gaps/breaks, were carried out in an experimental flock of 45 Suffolk sheep. The statistical comparison revealed, highly significant variation in the frequency of chromosomal fragile site expression between control and FUdR cultures. Mean (± S.D.) values for cells with gaps and breaks, or aberrant cell count (AC), and the number of aberrations (NoA) per animal were 2.02 ± 0.34, 2.42 ± 0.48, 13.26 ± 0.85 and 21.87 ± 1.88 (P < 0.01) in control and FUdR cultures, respectively. The comparison of age revealed nonsignificant variation between control and FUdR cultures. The G-band analysis of fragile site data revealed gaps in 29 autosomal and two X-chromosomal bands in the control cultures, whereas FUdR treated cultures scored 78 unstable bands in autosomes of which 56 were significantly fragile. X-chromosomes expressed breaks and gaps in six G-negative bands and five of them (Xq13, Xq15, Xq17, Xq24 and Xq26) were significantly fragile. The distribution comparison of autosomal fragile sites between sex groups did not reveal any significant variation. Female X-chromosomes were significantly more fragile than the male X-chromosomes. The distribution comparison for age groups (lambs versus adults) revealed significantly higher number of fragile bands in adults. Comparison of published data on reciprocal translocations in sheep with the fragile-site data obtained in this study indicated that the break sites of both phenomena were correlated. Similarities were also found between fragile sites and breakpoints of evolutionary significance in family Bovidae.     

Increased Oxidant Stress and Decreased Antioxidant Status in Erythrocytes of Rats Fed with Zinc-deficient Diet

The aim of this study was to evaluate the lipid peroxidation, nitric oxide (NO), and free radical scavenging enzyme activities in erythrocytes of zinc (Zn)-deficient rats and to investigate the relationship among these parameters in either group. Sixteen male rats with a weight of 40-50 g were used for the experiment. The rats were divided into control (n = 8) and Zn-deficient groups. At the end of the experiment, the animals were anesthetized with ketamine-HCl (Ketalar, 20 mg/kg(-1), i.p.), and the blood was collected by cardiac puncture after thoracotomy. Blood samples were collected in vacutainer tubes without and with K(3)-EDTA as anticoagulant. Erythrocyte catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), glutathione reductase (GRD), glutathione-S-transferase (GST), superoxide dismutase (SOD) activities, total (enzymatic plus nonenzymatic) superoxide scavenger activity (TSSA), nonenzymatic superoxide scavenger activity (NSSA), antioxidant potential (AOP), and serum zinc (Zn) values in the Zn-deficient group were significantly lower than those of the control group, whereas NO and malondialdehyde (MDA) levels were significantly higher than those of the control group. The results show that Zn deficiency causes a decrease in antioxidant defense system and an increase in oxidative stress in erythrocyte of rats.     

Fungal root endophytes from natural vegetation in Mediterranean environments with special reference to Fusarium spp

Surveys (in 2002 and 2003) were performed for fungal endophytes in roots of 24 plant species growing at 12 sites (coastal and inland soils, both sandy soils and salt marshes) under either water or salt stress in the Alicante province (Southeast Spain). All plant species examined were colonized by endophytic fungi. A total of 1830 fungal isolates were obtained and identified by morphological and molecular [internal transcribed spacer (ITS) and translation elongation factor-1alpha gene region (TEF-1alpha) sequencing] techniques. One hundred and forty-two fungal species were identified, belonging to 57 genera. Sterile mycelia were assigned to 177 morphospecies. Fusarium and Phoma species were the most frequent genera, followed by Aspergillus, Alternaria and Acremonium. Fungal root endophytic communities were influenced by the soil type where their respective host plants grew, but not by location (coastal or inland sites). Fusarium oxysporum, Aspergillus fumigatus and Alternaria chlamydospora contributed most to the differences found between endophytic communities from sandy and saline soils. Host preference was found for three Fusarium species studied. Fusarium oxysporum and Fusarium solani were especially isolated from plants of the family Leguminosae, while Fusarium equiseti showed a preference for Lygeum spartum (Gramineae). In some cases, specificity could be related to intra-specific variability as shown by sequencing of the TEF-1alpha in the genus Fusarium.     

Morphological and Inter Simple Sequence Repeat (ISSR) Markers Analyses of Corynespora cassiicola Isolates from Rubber Plantations in Malaysia

Morphological features and Inter Simple Sequence Repeat (ISSR) polymorphism were employed to analyse 21 Corynespora cassiicola isolates obtained from a number of Hevea clones grown in rubber plantations in Malaysia. The C. cassiicola isolates used in this study were collected from several states in Malaysia from 1998 to 2005. The morphology of the isolates was characteristic of that previously described for C. cassiicola. Variations in colony and conidial morphology were observed not only among isolates but also within a single isolate with no inclination to either clonal or geographical origin of the isolates. ISSR analysis delineated the isolates into two distinct clusters. The dendrogram created from UPGMA analysis based on Nei and Li's coefficient (calculated from the binary matrix data of 106 amplified DNA bands generated from 8 ISSR primers) showed that cluster 1 encompasses 12 isolates from the states of Johor and Selangor (this cluster was further split into 2 sub clusters (1A, 1B), sub cluster 1B consists of a unique isolate, CKT05D); while cluster 2 comprises of 9 isolates that were obtained from the other states. Detached leaf assay performed on selected Hevea clones showed that the pathogenicity of representative isolates from cluster 1 (with the exception of CKT05D) resembled that of race 1; and isolates in cluster 2 showed pathogenicity similar to race 2 of the fungus that was previously identified in Malaysia. The isolate CKT05D from sub cluster 1B showed pathogenicity dissimilar to either race 1 or race 2.     

Staphylococcal cassette chromosome mec (SCCmec) characterization and panton-valentine leukocidin gene occurrence for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in Turkey, from 2003 to 2006

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) cause serious community-acquired and nosocomial diseases all over the world. We determined the SCCmec types and occurrence of the PVL gene by using TaqMan real-time PCR method, and correlated these with phenotypic antibiotic susceptibility patterns for MRSA strains collected from Gulhane Military Medical Academy Hospital (GMMAH) during 4 years study period. To our knowledge, this is the first report from Turkey of molecular SCCmec typing analysis of MRSA stains. A total of 385 clinical MRSA isolates collected in the clinical and Microbiology Laboratory at GMMAH between 2003 and 2006 were included in the study. Overall, SCCmec types-I, II, III, IV, V, nontypeable and PVL occurrence were detected in 11 (2.8%), 3 (0.8%), 316 (82.1%), 20 (5.1%), 20 (5.1%), 15 (3.9%) and 5 (1.3%) isolates, respectively. A total of 330 (85.5%) were SCCmec-I/II/III and 40 (10.3%) were SCCmec IV/V. SCCmec-I/II/III isolates were recovered more from patients with serious infections in surgical departments especially those with intensive care units than the SCCmec-IV/V isolates (χ² = 13.560, P < 0.001). SCCmec-I/II/III MRSA strains were predominantly recovered from blood stream (53.0%, P = 0.014), while SCCmec-IV/V strains were predominately isolated from skin and soft tissue and abscess (55.0%, P < 0.001). The PVL gene was detected in 10.0% of SCCmec-IV/V isolates in contrast to 0.3% in SCCmec-I/II/III (χ² = 25.164, P < 0.001). SCCmec-I/II/III MRSA strains were more resistant to clindamycin (χ² = 5.078, P = 0.024), amoxicillin-clavulanate (χ² = 84.912, P < 0.001), erythromycin (χ² = 4.651, P = 0.031), gentamicin (χ² = 24.869, P < 0.001), and rifampin (χ² = 18.878, P < 0.001) than SCCmec-IV/V MRSA strains. This data indicates that SCCmec-III MRSA strains that do not carry the PVL gene are the predominant MRSA strains in our hospital setting in Ankara, capital of Turkey and that SCCmec-I/II/III MRSA strains may cause serious infections in surgical departments especially those with intensive care units.     

Anopheles gambiae cadherin AgCad1 binds the Cry4Ba toxin of Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis and a fragment of AgCad1 synergizes toxicity

A midgut cadherin AgCad1 cDNA was cloned from Anopheles gambiae larvae and analyzed for its possible role as a receptor for the Cry4Ba toxin of Bacillus thuringiensis strain israelensis. The AgCad1 cadherin encodes a putative 1735-residue protein organized into an extracellular region of 11 cadherin repeats (CR) and a membrane-proximal extracellular domain (MPED). AgCad1 mRNA was detected in midgut of larvae by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The AgCad1 protein was localized, by immunochemistry of sectioned larvae, predominately to the microvilli in posterior midgut. The localization of Cry4Ba binding was determined by the same technique, and toxin bound microvilli in posterior midgut. The AgCad1 protein was present in brush border membrane fractions prepared from larvae, and Cry4Ba toxin bound the same-sized protein on blots of those fractions. The AgCad1 protein was expressed transiently in Drosophila melanogaster Schneider 2 (S2) cells. 125I-Cry4Ba toxin bound AgCad1 from S2 cells in a competitive manner. Cry4Ba bound to beads extracted 200 kDa AgCad1 and a 29 kDa fragment of AgCad1 from S2 cells. A peptide containing the AgCad1 region proximal to the cell (CR11-MPED) was expressed in Escherichia coli. Although Cry4Ba showed limited binding to CR11-MPED, the peptide synergized the toxicity of Cry4Ba to larvae. AgCad1 in the larval brush border is a binding protein for Cry4Ba toxin. On the basis of binding results and CR11-MPED synergism of Cry4Ba toxicity, AgCad1 is probably a Cry4Ba receptor.