Volume 05 · Issue 01 · 2023

In this study, standards of high-biocontainment facilities (including laboratories and large-scale production facilities) formulated by China and other countries were analyzed and compared, and the technical points and requirements for Heating, Ventilating, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) systems in different series of standards were discussed. The main focus was on expounding the design and verification of the containment area’s indoor parameters, ventilation system, filter design, integrity test, fan standby, airflow pattern, and system reliability. This study expects suggestions and opinions on the construction and development of biosafety facilities in China and the possible future revision of relevant national standards.

Choosing the appropriate antibiotics to treat bacterial infections has grown more challenging as a result of the emergence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Aminoglycosides, as broad-spectrum antibiotics, are increasingly being used clinically; however, for most effective employment of aminoglycosides, a comprehensive understanding of aminoglycoside resistance genes’ prevalence and dissemination is required. Therefore, to better understand the global resistance status of aminoglycoside antibiotics and the prevalence of antibiotic-resistance genes (ARGs) in various bacterial species, this systematic review gathered relevant data from multiple studies. Two primary resistance mechanisms—aminoglycoside enzymatic modification and 16S rRNA methylation—were assessed, and the prevalence of the corresponding ARGs was described. The coexistence of aminoglycoside ARGs with other ARGs was also demonstrated, as was the relationship between aminoglycoside ARGs and resistant phenotypes. The lack of effective therapeutic agents to combat resistant pathogens presents a real threat to public health. The combination of aminoglycosides with other antibiotics may provide a novel treatment strategy.

Albumin solutions derived from human plasma have demonstrated clinical benefits as intravenous fluid therapy in clinical settings such as liver disease, sepsis, intensive care, and surgery. For all plasma-derived medicinal products, there is a potential risk from pathogens, including relevant blood-borne viruses, emerging viruses, and prion proteins. To minimize the risk of transmissible infections, the production of human albumin solutions includes rigorous donor selection and plasma testing, and effective pathogen removal and inactivation methods such as fractionation and pasteurization. Compliance with international pharmacopeial standards for purity and prekallikrein activator and aluminum content is crucial, as is post-marketing pharmacovigilance for the continuous monitoring of adverse events. This review focuses on the effectiveness of manufacturing methods in the production of plasma-derived albumin, to ensure the safety of hyperoncotic solutions for volume expansion. We evaluated evidence identified through online database (PubMed) searches and from unpublished sources, on the manufacturing and pathogen safety of plasma-derived albumin solutions. The results confirmed the already established and evolving pathogen reduction capacity of the reviewed manufacturing methods. Up-to-date post-marketing pharmacovigilance data and log₁₀ reduction factors for known and emerging pathogens during albumin production are included. Towards the goal of ever-increasing clinical safety, potential areas of improvement, such as compliance rates for the completion of donor health questionnaires, are also discussed. Taken together, the current manufacturing and pathogen reduction steps result in albumin products of greater purity than previous-generation products, with a high margin of pathogen safety against known and emerging pathogens, such as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).

Infectious diseases are severe public health events that threaten global health. Prophylactic vaccines have been considered as the most effective strategy to train the immune system to recognize and clear pathogenic infections. However, the existing vaccines against infectious diseases have several limitations, such as difficulties in mass manufacturing and storage, weak immunogenicity, and low efficiency of available adjuvants. Biomaterials, especially functional polymers, are expected to break through these bottlenecks based on the advantages of biocompatibility, degradability, controlled synthesis, easy modification, precise targeting, and immune modulation, which are excellent carriers and adjuvants of vaccines. This review mainly summarizes the application of immunologically effective polymers-enhanced vaccines against viruses- and bacteria-related infectious diseases and predicted their potential improvements.

Since the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, major innovative-oriented countries have adopted various science and technology innovation (STI) policies to address global public health challenges. Using data from the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development STI Database, this study analyzed international STI policies in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The findings revealed that the pandemic has dramatically stimulated the application of STI policies, and there are commonalities and differences in the STI policies of different countries. Meanwhile, COVID-19 has disrupted planning for allocating resources for STIs, leading to duplication and inefficiency. Based on the findings, this study recommends increasing research investment to address the long-term challenges of major infectious diseases, strengthening support for enterprises, promoting data sharing and openness, enhancing the internationalization of scientific research, strengthening scientific consultation and communication, and devoting more policy attention to vulnerable groups.

We conducted environmental surveillance to detect avian influenza viruses circulating at live poultry markets (LPMs) and poultry farms in Guangxi Autonomous Region, China, where near the China-Vietnam border. From November through April 2017-2018 and 2018-2019, we collected environmental samples from 14 LPMs, 4 poultry farms, and 5 households with backyard poultry in two counties of Guangxi and tested for avian influenza A, H5, H7, and H9 by real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (rRT-PCR). In addition, we conducted four cross-sectional questionnaire surveys among stall owners on biosecurity practices in LPMs of two study sites. Among 16,713 environmental specimens collected and tested, the median weekly positive rate for avian influenza A was 53.6% (range = 33.5% - 66.0%), including 25.2% for H9, 4.9% for H5, and 21.2% for other avian influenza viruses A subtypes, whereas a total of two H7 positive samples were detected. Among the 189 LPM stalls investigated, most stall owners (73.0%) sold chickens and ducks. Therefore, continued surveillance of the avian influenza virus is necessary for detecting and responding to emerging trends in avian influenza virus epidemiology.

We analyzed variations in the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) genome during a flight-related cluster outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Shenzhen, China, to explore the characteristics of SARS-CoV-2 transmission and intra-host single nucleotide variations (iSNVs) in a confined space. Thirty-three patients with COVID-19 were sampled, and 14 were resampled 3-31 days later. All 47 nasopharyngeal swabs were deep-sequenced. iSNVs and similarities in the consensus genome sequence were analyzed. Three SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern, Delta (n = 31), Beta (n = 1), and C.1.2 (n = 1), were detected among the 33 patients. The viral genome sequences from 30 Delta-positive patients had similar SNVs; 14 of these patients provided two successive samples. Overall, the 47 sequenced genomes contained 164 iSNVs. Of the 14 paired (successive) samples, the second samples (T2) contained more iSNVs (median: 3; 95% confidence interval [95% CI]: 2.77-10.22) than did the first samples (T1; median: 2; 95% CI: 1.63-3.74; Wilcoxon test, P = 0.021). 38 iSNVs were detected in T1 samples, and only seven were also detectable in T2 samples. Notably, T2 samples from two of the 14 paired samples had additional mutations than the T1 samples. The iSNVs of the SARS-CoV-2 genome exhibited rapid dynamic changes during a flight-related cluster outbreak event. Intra-host diversity increased gradually with time, and new site mutations occurred in vivo without a population transmission bottleneck. Therefore, we could not determine the generational relationship from the mutation site changes alone.

Vaccination is crucial in controlling the spread of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) that triggered the pandemic, but herd immunity can only work with high vaccination coverage in the population. This study aims to measure the COVID-19 knowledge level and determine the factors influencing COVID-19 vaccination intention among university students in Malaysia. A cross-sectional online survey was carried out with 1,274 Malaysian university students in July 2021. Univariate and multivariate analyses were employed to examine the relationships between the study variables. Results showed that the majority of university students had an acceptable level of knowledge of COVID-19. The knowledge, risk perception of COVID-19, social norms, and perceived benefit of COVID-19 vaccination were positively associated with vaccination intention. However, perceived trust in information sources of COVID-19 vaccination and the government's response to COVID-19 did not affect the university students’ desire to receive the vaccination. These findings are essential for health policymakers and healthcare providers to implement evidence-based interventions to increase COVID-19 vaccination uptake among university students.