Analysis of Internet Suicide Pacts Reported by the Media in Mainland China

Crisis ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 38 (1) ◽  
pp. 36-43 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fang-Fan Jiang ◽  
Hui-Lan Xu ◽  
Hui-Ying Liao ◽  
Ting Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Rental Housing ◽  
Mainland China ◽  
Trend Test ◽  
Circular Distribution ◽  
Female Ratio ◽  
Charcoal Burning ◽  
Randomness Test ◽  
The Media ◽  
Internet Suicide ◽  
Epidemiological Characteristics

Abstract. Background: In mainland China, frequent Internet suicide pacts in recent years have raised strong concerns from several social sectors and the influence of social networks on suicide is constantly growing. Aims: To identify the epidemiological characteristics of media-reported Internet suicide pacts in mainland China. Method: Our study comprised 62 Internet suicide pacts involving 159 victims in mainland China before June 1, 2015. Kendall's randomness test, a trend test, and a circular distribution test were applied to identify the rising or concentrated trends in the time of occurrence of Internet suicide pacts. Results: The overall male-to-female ratio was 2.3:1. Suicide victims were mainly people in their 20s to 30s (84.1%). In all, 87.1% suicide victims completed suicide in sealed hotels or rental housing, and charcoal-burning suicide accounted for 80.6% of cases. Conclusion: People who complete suicide as part of an Internet suicide pact are more likely to be males, aged 20–30 years. Charcoal-burning suicide in sealed hotels or rental housing was the commonest way of dying.

scholarly journals LINC-28. EPIDEMIOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS AND SURVIVAL OUTCOMES OF CHILDREN WITH MEDULLOBLASTOMA TREATED AT THE NATIONAL CANCER INSTITUTE (INCA) IN RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL

2020 ◽  
Vol 22 (Supplement_3) ◽  
pp. iii383-iii384
Author(s):  
Gabriela Oigman ◽  
Diana Osorio ◽  
Joseph Stanek ◽  
Jonathan Finlay ◽  
Denizar Vianna ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
High Risk ◽  
Maternal Education ◽  
Survival Outcomes ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
Female Ratio ◽  
High Risk Patients ◽  
Presenting Symptoms ◽  
Risk Patients ◽  
Epidemiological Characteristics ◽  
Standard Risk

Abstract BACKGROUND Medulloblastoma (MB), the most malignant brain tumor of childhood has survival outcomes exceeding 80% for standard risk and 60% for high risk patients in high-income countries (HIC). These results have not been replicated in low-to-middle income countries (LMIC), where 80% of children with cancer live. Brazil is an upper-middle income country according to World Bank, with features of LMIC and HIC. METHODS We conducted a retrospective review of 126 children (0–18 years) diagnosed with MB from 1997 to 2016 at INCA. Data on patients, disease characteristics and treatment information were retrieved from the charts and summarized descriptively; overall survival (OS) and event-free survival (EFS) were calculated using the Kaplan-Meier Method. RESULTS The male/female ratio was 1.42 and the median age at diagnosis was 7.9 years. Headache (79%) and nausea/vomiting (75%) were the most common presenting symptoms. The median time from onset of symptoms to surgery was 50 days. The OS for standard-risk patients was 69% and 53% for high-risk patients. Patients initiating radiation therapy within 42 days after surgery (70.6% versus 59.6% p=0.016) experienced better OS. Forty-five patients (35%) had metastatic disease at admission. Lower maternal education correlated with lower OS (71.3% versus 49% p=0.025). Patients who lived >40km from INCA fared better (OS= 68.2% versus 51.1% p=0.032). Almost 20% of families lived below the Brazilian minimum wage. CONCLUSIONS These findings suggest that socioeconomic factors, education, early diagnosis and continuous data collection, besides oncological treatment must be adressed to improve the survival of children with MB.

scholarly journals Epidemiological Characteristics of Severe Fever with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome from 2010 to 2019 in Mainland China

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (6) ◽  
pp. 3092
Author(s):  
Xiaoxia Huang ◽  
Jiandong Li ◽  
Aqian Li ◽  
Shiwen Wang ◽  
Dexin Li
Keyword(s):  
Statistical Significance ◽  
Regional Distribution ◽  
Mainland China ◽  
Deep Understanding ◽  
Scientific Data ◽  
High Risk Population ◽  
Middle Aged ◽  
Increasing Trend ◽  
Epidemiological Characteristics ◽  
Severe Fever

Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) is an emerging infectious disease that is a severe threat to public health considering its high fatality and person-to-person transmission. In order to obtain an updated and deep understanding of the epidemiological characteristics of SFTS in mainland China, we used Pearson’s chi-squared test to compare the fatality rate and demographic characteristics in different groups. Data were analyzed in R3.6.1 (R Development Core Team 2018), while the visualization was performed in ArcGIS 10 (ESRI, Redlands, CA, USA), and the statistical significance was set at p < 0.05. A total of 13,824 SFTS cases involving 8899 lab-confirmed cases and 4925 probable cases were reported and included in the epidemiological analysis. Our study found that the number of SFTS cases showed an increasing trend with a small decrease in the past three years. The laboratory-confirmed rate was about 64.4%, which varied between different years and areas. Although most cases (99.3%) were distributed in 7 provinces (Henan, Shandong, Anhui, Hubei, Liaoning, Zhejiang, and Jiangsu), the regional distribution of SFTS gradually expanded from 5 provinces in 2010 to 25 provinces by 2019, especially at the town level. The SFTS cases were mainly sporadic. A total of 96.5% occurred from April to October, and 93.3% of cases were concentrated in middle-aged and elderly people (40–84 years old). Farmers were the main high-risk population. Female cases were slightly more than male cases; however, there were differences between different provinces. The mortality rate showed an increasing trend with age. Overall, the SFTS cases were mainly middle-aged and elderly farmers that sporadically distributed throughout seven provinces with a spatially expanding trend. The laboratory-confirmed rate varied in different years and provinces, which implied that the diagnosis and report criteria for SFTS should be further updated and unified in order to get a better understanding of its epidemiological characteristics and provide scientific data for SFTS control.

scholarly journals Molecular epidemiological characteristics of echovirus 6 in mainland China: extensive circulation of genotype F from 2007 to 2018

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wenjun Cheng ◽  
Tianjiao Ji ◽  
Shuaifeng Zhou ◽  
Yong Shi ◽  
Lili Jiang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Common Ancestor ◽  
Mainland China ◽  
Recent Common Ancestor ◽  
Genetic Characteristics ◽  
Most Recent Common Ancestor ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Echovirus 6 ◽  
Epidemiological Characteristics ◽  
Highest Posterior Density ◽  
Genotype F

AbstractEchovirus 6 (E6) is associated with various clinical diseases and is frequently detected in environmental sewage. Despite its high prevalence in humans and the environment, little is known about its molecular phylogeography in mainland China. In this study, 114 of 21,539 (0.53%) clinical specimens from hand, foot, and mouth disease (HFMD) cases collected between 2007 and 2018 were positive for E6. The complete VP1 sequences of 87 representative E6 strains, including 24 strains from this study, were used to investigate the evolutionary genetic characteristics and geographical spread of E6 strains. Phylogenetic analysis based on VP1 nucleotide sequence divergence showed that, globally, E6 strains can be grouped into six genotypes, designated A to F. Chinese E6 strains collected between 1988 and 2018 were found to belong to genotypes C, E, and F, with genotype F being predominant from 2007 to 2018. There was no significant difference in the geographical distribution of each genotype. The evolutionary rate of E6 was estimated to be 3.631 × 10-3 substitutions site-1 year-1 (95% highest posterior density [HPD]: 3.2406 × 10-3-4.031 × 10-3 substitutions site-1 year-1) by Bayesian MCMC analysis. The most recent common ancestor of the E6 genotypes was traced back to 1863, whereas their common ancestor in China was traced back to around 1962. A small genetic shift was detected in the Chinese E6 population size in 2009 according to Bayesian skyline analysis, which indicated that there might have been an epidemic around that year.

scholarly journals Transnational Religious Tourism in Modern China and the Transformation of the Cult of Mazu

Religions ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 221
Author(s):  
Yanchao Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Local Governments ◽  
Song Dynasty ◽  
Mainland China ◽  
Modern China ◽  
Tourist Attraction ◽  
Religious Tourism ◽  
The Media ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Temple

This article explores transformations in the worship of popular goddess Mazu as a result of (religious) tourism. In particular, it focuses on the role of transnational tourism in the invention of tradition, folklorization, and commodification of the Mazu cult. Support from the central and local governments and the impact of economic globalization have transformed a traditional pilgrimage site that initially had a local and then national scope into a transnational tourist attraction. More specifically, the ancestral temple of Mazu at Meizhou Island, which was established as the uncontested origin of Mazu’s cult during the Song dynasty (960 to 1276), has been reconfigured architecturally and liturgically to function as both a sacred site and a tourist attraction. This reconfiguration has involved the reconstruction of traditional rituals and religious performances for religious tourism to promote the temple as the unadulterated expression of an intangible cultural heritage. The strategic combination of traditional rituals such as “dividing incense” and an innovative ceremony enjoining all devotees of “Mazu all over the world [to] return to mother’s home” to worship her have not only consolidated the goddess as a symbol of common cultural identity in mainland China, but also for the preservation of Chinese identity in diaspora. Indeed, Chinese migrants and their descendants are among the increasing numbers of pilgrims/tourists who come to Mazu’s ancestral temple seeking to reconnect with their heritage by partaking in authentic traditions. This article examines the spatial and ritual transformations that have re-signified this temple, and by extension, the cult of Mazu, as well as the media through which these transformations have spread transnationally. We will see that (transnational) religious tourism is a key medium.

Prevention of suicide due to charcoal burning

2021 ◽  
pp. 743-748
Author(s):  
Ying-Yeh Chen ◽  
Jacky Wong ◽  
Paul Yip
Keyword(s):  
Suicide Prevention ◽  
East Asian ◽  
Common Method ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Specific Method ◽  
Charcoal Burning ◽  
Effective Strategies ◽  
The Media ◽  
Enclosed Space ◽  
Year 2000

Since the year 2000, suicide by combustion of barbecue charcoal in an enclosed space has become a common method of suicide in many East Asian countries. The spread of charcoal burning suicides was related to the pervasive media glamorization of the method to be a painless, peaceful, and effective way to end one’s life. Popularity of the internet accompanying its contagious effect further imposes challenges in suicide prevention, in particular, in the prevention of charcoal burning suicides. In areas where charcoal burning has already become a common method of suicide, effective strategies include working with the media to moderate the reporting of suicide news and creating barriers in the purchase of charcoal. In other areas where the method is still not widely known, muting the media reporting of this specific method of suicide to eliminate its ‘cognitive availability’ is key to prevent the seeding of charcoal burning suicides.

scholarly journals The increasing menace of dengue in Guangzhou, 2001–2016: the most important epicenter in mainland China

2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhoubin Zhang ◽  
Qinlong Jing ◽  
Zongqiu Chen ◽  
Tiegang Li ◽  
Liyun Jiang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Incidence Rate ◽  
Control Strategies ◽  
Mainland China ◽  
Time Period ◽  
Dengue Transmission ◽  
Infectious Disease Reporting ◽  
Imported Cases ◽  
System Data ◽  
Using Data ◽  
Epidemiological Characteristics

Abstract Background Dengue is the most prevalent mosquito-borne disease in the world, with China affected seriously in recent years. 65.8% of dengue cases identified in mainland China since 2005 were reported from the city of Guangzhou. Methods In this study, we described the incidence rate and distribution of dengue cases using data collected form National Notifiable Infectious Disease Reporting Information System data in Guangzhou for 2001 to 2016. All dengue cases were investigated using standardized questionnaire. Results A total of 42,469 dengue cases were reported, with an average annual incidence rate of 20.99 per 100,000 resident population. Over this time period, the incidence rate of indigenous cases increased. Dengue affected areas also expanded sharply geographically from 58.1% of communities affected during 2001–2005 to 96.4% of communities affected in 2011–2016. Overall 95.30% of the overseas imported cases were reported during March and December, while 99.79% of indigenous cases were reported during July and November. All four dengue virus serotypes were identified both in imported cases and indigenous cases. The Aedes albopictus mosquito was the only vector for dengue transmission in the area. Conclusions Guangzhou has become the dengue epicenter in mainland China. Control strategies for dengue should be adjusted to the epidemiological characteristics above and intensive study need to be conducted to explore the factors that driving the rapid increase of dengue.

scholarly journals Epidemiological characteristics of the first 100 cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China, a city with a stringent containment policy

2020 ◽  
Vol 49 (4) ◽  
pp. 1096-1105 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher K C Lai ◽  
Rita W Y Ng ◽  
Martin C S Wong ◽  
Ka Chun Chong ◽  
Yun Kit Yeoh ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Hong Kong ◽  
Incubation Period ◽  
Mainland China ◽  
Control Measures ◽  
Contact Tracing ◽  
Border Control ◽  
Government Information ◽  
Epidemic Curve ◽  
Containment Policy ◽  
Epidemiological Characteristics

Abstract Background Hong Kong (HK) is a densely populated city near the epicentre of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak. Stringent border control together with aggressive case finding, contact tracing, social distancing and quarantine measures were implemented to halt the importation and spread of the virus. Methods We performed an epidemiological study using government information covering the first 100 confirmed cases to examine the epidemic curve, incidence, clusters, reproduction number (Rt), incubation period and time to containment. Results A total of 93 of the 100 cases were HK residents (6 infected in Mainland China, 10 on the Diamond Princess Cruise). Seven were visitors infected in Mainland China before entering HK. The majority (76%) were aged ≥45 years, and the incidence increased with age (P &lt; 0.001). Escalation of border control measures correlated with a decrease in the proportion (62.5% to 0%) of cases imported from Mainland China, and a reduction in Rt (1.07 to 0.75). The median incubation period was 4.2 days [95% confidence interval (CI), 4.0–4.5; 5th and 95th percentiles: 1.3 and 14.0). Most clusters with identifiable epidemiological links were households involving 2–4 people. Three medium-spreading events were identified: two from New Year gatherings (6–11 people), and another from environmental contamination of a worship hall (12 people). Despite intensified contact tracing, containment was delayed in 78.9% of cases (mean = 5.96 days, range = 0–24 days). An unusual transmission in a multi-storey building via faulty toilet plumbing was suspected with &gt;100 residents evacuated overnight. Our analysis indicated that faulty plumbing was unlikely to be the source of this transmission. Conclusion Timely stringent containment policies minimized the importation and transmission of COVID-19 in HK.

scholarly journals The epidemiology of pulmonary tuberculosis in children in Mainland China, 2009–2015

2019 ◽  
Vol 105 (4) ◽  
pp. 319-325 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ruling Yang ◽  
Mengyang Liu ◽  
Hui Jiang ◽  
Yingjie Zhang ◽  
Jinfeng Yin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Pulmonary Tuberculosis ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Mainland China ◽  
Information Management System ◽  
Care Seeking ◽  
X Rays ◽  
Effective Care ◽  
Control And Prevention ◽  
And Control ◽  
Epidemiological Characteristics

ObjectiveTo describe the incidence and epidemiological characteristics of child pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) notified to the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Tuberculosis Information Management System (TBIMS) from 2009 to 2015.Study designA database of child PTB for 31 provinces in mainland China over 7 years was retrospectively analysed. The spatiotemporal distribution of child PTB was described.ResultsIn total, 35,710 child PTB cases were notified to the TBIMS, representing only 0.60% of all 5,991,593 PTB case notifications. The average annual notified incidence of child PTB was 2.44/ per 100,000 children (95% CI: 1.77–3.10) and decreased by 52.53% in all age groups during the study period. Tibet had the highest incidence (15.95/ per 100,000 children), followed by Guizhou and Xinjiang. However, the case numbers were the most in Guizhou. The 0-1 year and 12–14 years of age groups exhibited the most cases. The positive rates of sputum smears, bacteriology and chest X-rays abnormality were 21.5%, 21.7% and 98.1%, respectively, which were lower than those 15 years of age and older (all p-values<0.0001).ConclusionThe notified incidence of child PTB in mainland China decreased substantially over 7 years. Future prevention and control of PTB in children should focus on the 0–1 and 12–14 years of age groups, and Tibet and Guizhou provinces. However, the notified incidence is still low, relative to adults, suggesting substantial under-reporting. Thus, more effective care seeking, identification and registration of children with TB are crucial.

scholarly journals Analysis of Spatiotemporal Characteristics of Pandemic SARS Spread in Mainland China

2016 ◽  
Vol 2016 ◽  
pp. 1-12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chunxiang Cao ◽  
Wei Chen ◽  
Sheng Zheng ◽  
Jian Zhao ◽  
Jinfeng Wang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Infectious Diseases ◽  
Mainland China ◽  
Emerging Infectious Diseases ◽  
Epidemiological Data ◽  
Transmission Dynamics ◽  
Bayesian Maximum Entropy ◽  
Covariance Model ◽  
Spatial And Temporal Scales ◽  
Epidemiological Characteristics ◽  
Spatiotemporal Transmission

Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) is one of the most severe emerging infectious diseases of the 21st century so far. SARS caused a pandemic that spread throughout mainland China for 7 months, infecting 5318 persons in 194 administrative regions. Using detailed mainland China epidemiological data, we study spatiotemporal aspects of this person-to-person contagious disease and simulate its spatiotemporal transmission dynamics via the Bayesian Maximum Entropy (BME) method. The BME reveals that SARS outbreaks show autocorrelation within certain spatial and temporal distances. We use BME to fit a theoretical covariance model that has a sine hole spatial component and exponential temporal component and obtain the weights of geographical and temporal autocorrelation factors. Using the covariance model, SARS dynamics were estimated and simulated under the most probable conditions. Our study suggests that SARS transmission varies in its epidemiological characteristics and SARS outbreak distributions exhibit palpable clusters on both spatial and temporal scales. In addition, the BME modelling demonstrates that SARS transmission features are affected by spatial heterogeneity, so we analyze potential causes. This may benefit epidemiological control of pandemic infectious diseases.

民族国家、承包制与香火经济:景区化圣山庙会的政治-经济学

Rural China ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 240-287
Keyword(s):  
Mainland China ◽  
Cultural Development ◽  
Tourist Attraction ◽  
Local Society ◽  
Investigative Reporting ◽  
The Third ◽  
The Media ◽  
Responsibility System ◽  
The Temple ◽  
Practical Level

Belief practices in mainland China have been subject to contracts as a result of a combination of factors: politics, economic growth, cultural development, and historic preservation. Thanks to the investigative reporting of the media, “contracting out belief” has lost all legitimacy on the level of politics, culture, religion, administration, and morality. The economy of temple incense has been relentlessly criticized for the same reason. In recent decades, Mount Cangyan, in Hebei, has changed from being a sacred site of pilgrimage to a landscaped tourist attraction. At the same time, the Mount Cangyan temple festival, which centers on the worship of the Third Princess, has gained legitimacy on a practical level. Conventional and newly emerged agents, such as beggars, charlatans, spirit mediums, do-gooders, and contractors of the temple, are actively involved in the thriving temple festival, competing, and sometimes cooperating, with each other. However, it is for the sake of maximizing profit that landscaped Mount Cangyan under the contract responsibility system has been re-sanctified around the worship of the Third Princess along with other, new gods and attractions. The iconic temple festival on this holy mountain has influenced other temple festivals in various nearby communities. The leading temple festival on Mount Cangyan entails a complicated social morphology and human geography. The economy of temple incense centering on belief in the Third Princess, i.e., the contracted out belief, has become a major part of local tourism and is intertwined with grand narratives such as pursuing national prosperity. The dialectics of the contracting and the contracted involve multidirectional interaction between individuals, local society, the state, and the temple and its deity. This article investigates the contracted and landscaped temple festival on the holy mountain of Cangyan in the context of everyday life and changing society.在政治建构、经济发展、文化建设、文物保护的合力下，“被承包的信仰”早已成为普遍的社会事实。受从果到因的逻辑推理的规训，媒介写作中的“被承包的信仰”完全丧失了在政治、文化、宗教、行政管理以及道义等层面的合理性、正当性，香火经济也成为口诛笔伐的对象。近三十年来，圣山的景区化建设与管理使得原本作为信仰中心地的苍岩山旅游风景区的景观色彩日渐浓厚。与此同时，以三皇姑信仰为核心的苍岩山庙会也具有了事实上的合理性、合法性。乞丐、江湖术士、香头、行好的和庙主等新、老行动主体纷纷掺乎其中，竞争也妥协，庙会热闹而红火。为求利益最大化，承包制经营管理的模式使得景区化的圣山苍岩山更加倚重三皇姑信仰,从而使得景区化的圣山被再圣化，并滋生出新的神祇、景观。图像化的圣山庙会历时性地呈现出复杂的社会形态学和人文地理学特征，统括着圣山上下形态各异、或生或灭的大小社区型庙会。最终，围绕三皇姑信仰的香火经济——被承包的信仰——事实上成为地方旅游经济的龙头，并与兴国兴邦的民族国家发展的宏大叙事一道携手前行。呈现出承包与被承包多重辩证法的景区化圣山庙会也就有了在生活之流，尤其是社会之流中研究的应然与必然。 (This article is in English.)

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